March 4, 2007

I’m not sure whether to chalk it up to an entirely unfamiliar surge of exercise-related endorphins, or the complete and utter upheaval the Weight Watchers Flex Plan is wreaking on my system thanks to its sorrowfully austere daily caloric allotment, but I cried—ACTUALLY TEARED UP, jesus—at the end of the Turbo Jam “Punch, Kick and Jam” DVD I sloppily followed along to this morning, because the instructor was so encouraging, and seemed so sincere, and told me how proud I should be of myself for doing the whole thing, because I deserve it.

Or maybe I was just really, really grateful it was over.

I can’t even remember the last time I did such an intense workout, and let me tell you why I was finally motivated to get off my ass and throw in the video—because if you exercise, in WW you earn ‘activity points’ that translate into food you can then EAT. And let me tell you, 20 points goes way too damn fast, and I don’t know what cruel god made rice cakes have actual CALORIES (what the everloving fuck, it’s a hunk of flavored styrofoam, even the dog isn’t interested in them and she’s been known to EAT HER OWN BARF) but on this particular system every single thing you eat must be accounted for and it all adds up so quickly. Even if you’re eating bullshit food like cans of green beans and salads made with cauliflower and broccoli (you want to talk about bedfarts, christ) and pitiful little bowls of cereal measured out in precise half-cup portions.

Oh, and let’s not forget cottage cheese. The only time in my life that I ever eat cottage cheese is when I’m dieting, and its squeaky, curdy texture is as nostalgic as listening to “Lady in Red”, only instead of picturing myself at a middle school dance, slowly circling at arm’s length with some Gotcha!-clad boy, I’m remembering all my other fakeout, you-think-you’re-eating-but-that’s-only-because-your-mouth-is-moving foods: low calorie popcorn, Diet Coke, pickles, baby carrots.

I bought all these foods the other day, to have an arsenal on hand when 9:30 PM rolls around and I start feeling as though I would kill—literally kill someone, maybe with an ice pick—for a box of Nutter Butters. I was rooting around in the pickle jar last night when JB did the waggling-eyebrow thing at me and said, “Pickles, hmm?” and I had to say it had nothing to do with pregnancy, for god’s sake. Dill pickles are all about having something crunchy to eat, and while they are a poor substitution for a peanut butter cookie, at least they feel somewhat substantial, unlike those beshitted rice cakes.

Also, they’re possibly the porniest food on earth, assuming you lasciviously suck the briny juice from the pickle after you fish it, dripping, from the jar.

In addition to flapping around in the living room to a workout video (it was an awesome workout but I’m sure I looked like a complete idiot trying to follow some of the more complicated punching-and-kicking moves. That’s one nice benefit of exercising at home: no one, aside from Riley, can see my lack of coordination, or my unattractively beet red face), my weekend has included, among other things, a trip to Pottery Barn Kids for a fantastic little armchair I was inspired to buy after seeing one at Ashley’s, and an impromptu pediatrician visit after Riley started looking very much like he had an eye infection (nope, just the byproduct of a cold, but he did have an infection in one ear for which he was prescribed antibiotics—a twice-per-day dosage for 10 days, does that seem like a long-ass time for a little kid to have to take Amoxicillin, or am I just paranoid?), and now, a mellow Sunday afternoon at home while JB is out with a buddy side-scan sonaring Lake Washington in hopes of finding more shipwrecks to dive.

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Riley and TURBO JAM. Note incorrect positioning of armchair.

midgety.jpg
Riley’s new favorite way to sit at the dining room table. Dude, get a phone book! Or three.

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Trucks trucks trucks TRUCKS.

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The boys, dancing to “White and Nerdy”.

daddyo.jpg
So, so very cool. Yet nerdy.

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For something different: evergreen branch, post-rainfall.

Okay, so what about you? What did you do this weekend?

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nic
nic
17 years ago

I just discovered the most amazing things. 100 calorie hostess cupcakes that are only 2 points! They are so freaking good!

laura
laura
17 years ago

stalked home depot and lowes for a new bathroom vanity. went to the opera with my mother. fun times.

JenE
JenE
17 years ago

Went to see the Zodiac movie. I just love Robert Downey, Jr. Good flick.

Swistle
17 years ago

Riley looks like a much younger, much cuter Bill Murray in that “so very cool, yet nerdy” photo.

Ten days is the right length of time for medicines like amoxicillan and augmentin. Medicines like Zithromax are only 5 days–but they hang around in the system for ten days (I mean, roughly. They probably don’t disappear instantly on Day 10 + 1 minute), and their beauty is in their “fewer days of having medicine spit all over the walls” dosing.

I cried the first few times I did a Billy Blanks Tae Bo video. Then my sentiment became clouded by the back-up exerciser who, on every viewing, did the wrong move.

kara marie
17 years ago

I did a lot of staying home and trying to relax. Also, we gave the dog a bath. And the fat cat, who had gotten stinky and filthy, once again. Which wasn’t relaxing, exactly, but it was hilarious. It’s hilarious every time.

erin
17 years ago

De-lurking here…

DUDE. I totally did the WW points thing this summer and lost 20lbs. Without exercising. And you know what else? Fat free Jello (NOT the pudding) is ZERO points. And I chewed gum like it was going out of style to keep my poor tummy from eating itself, I was so hungry. But hey, after the first week I didn’t notice the hunger anymore and I started noticing having to tighten my belt a little more each day.

It may seem hard at first, but I hope you stick with it! Good luck.

Oh. And I’m just now recovered from doing lunges with dumbbells on THURSDAY. I’m so outta shape.

samantha jo campen
17 years ago

I met up with a new blog friend (anythingsaid.blogspot.com) and had a blast! That was the highlight of my weekend. I work every (yes, EVERY) Saturday and Sunday so my adventures are rather limited.

Good for you working out! Yeah! You’re on a roll :-)

honeybecke
honeybecke
17 years ago

Teared up huh?
Hmmm, I’m thinking pregnant!

Heheh good job though with the workin’ out and the WW, we are all proud of you!!!!

Nona
Nona
17 years ago

I completely lost it the first couple of times I did Leslie Sansone’s Walk Away The Pounds. I think it has something to do with releasing tension…or just being so grateful for the prospect of no longer looking like a twinkie. Now I want to punch Leslie in her ever smiling gob, and I tell her to stuff it nearly every time I work out. But I still use the DVD. I may check out the one you mentioned, because I REALLY need a change of pace over here.

Saturday we went to Whole Foods so I could make my own shampoo (not so much a success) and went to the Indian Grocery. We then had tasty dal soup. Sunday we had THE LONGEST MEETING EVER, and then took a nap. Sweet, syrupy nap, I’m so glad a one year old still needs them!

Deanna
Deanna
17 years ago

I was low carbing and then got preggers (it was like parole!!).

Just wanted to ask what kind of pickles? I went on a hunt (yeah, exciting life I lead) for the best pickles awhile back. Clausens -hands down. I like the spears myself. And when you have that I’m-hungry-but-nothing-looks-good kinda feeling (my entire 1st trimester!), a pickle will make it go away.

And- have you tried 1/2 a packet of your fave sugar substitute and a sprinkle of cinnamon on a small serving of cottage cheese? Give it a stir and it tastes pretty durn sweet! That and mixed in my tuna salad (for extra protein) are the only ways I can stomach cottage cheese.

Good luck and keep it up!!

Ashley B
17 years ago

Aw good luck on WW, I’ve been doing it for over a year now and it’s really not that bad when you get used to it. I just count points though, I’ve never done the flex, but I’ve found all kinds of snacks and yummies that I have learned to fill up on. I don’t usually endorse anyone BUT I got lots of ideas from this site: http://www.hungrygirl.com It’s a super cute site and the jingle (or whatever it is) is “tips and tricks for hungry chicks!” – I love good marketing!
Also I save my flexible 35 points for the weekend so I can eat more of the goodies I like- it makes it not so hard for me to hold out during the week.

Anyhow, would you mind letting me know what program you might recommend for making those cute movies you make?

Jennifer
Jennifer
17 years ago

I did nothing! Well I did stalk about a zillion blogs, but other than that, nothing.

And the crying at the workout dvd….are you sure you’re not pregnant?

canknitian
17 years ago

Cute nerds. :)

Let’s see…pretty quiet weekend. I went to see the Zodiac movie yesterday afternoon…It was good, but didn’t blow my mind in quite the way I’d hoped. I went to the show on my own because (a) that’s one of my favourite things to do and I haven’t in ages and (b) I was hoping the movie would freak me out a bit and that’s always easier to manage without somebody hissing in your ear every two seconds. In the end, other than a weird dream about squirrels (the squirrel scene is the only one that really made me squirrrrrm during the movie) — nada.

Kathryn
Kathryn
17 years ago

Aww, my nephew has the same chair with his name embroidered on it! My inlaws got it for him when he was about Riley’s age, and he still uses it every day 4 years later. Good investment! I love the sunglasses pic, too.

So Turbo Jams is good? My mom heard great things about it, and I need something to get my fat ass moving in the privacy of my own home.

warcrygirl
17 years ago

Saturday: Slept in with all three of my guys, got myself and The Captain a haircut. Forgot to bake brownies for church. Forgot to do laundry until 10 pm.

Sunday: Church, soccer for Jr, soccer for The Captain, more church.

I need to get out my dance workout dvd. At least my kids are in school now; they’ll be spared the Dance of the Dorky Mama.

Janet
Janet
17 years ago

I just started back on WW last Wednesday…I am all about those Hostess cupcakes…3 of them for 2 points!! I own most of the Turbo Jam DVD’s and it is one seriously butt kicking workout. I was really brave last week and went to the actual class at the Y that is taught by a “certified” TJ instructor. I thought I was going to die..I could hear my heart beating in my ears. The best part was that I couldn’t hit pause and I actually survived one hour nonstop. It gets easier every week.

JMH
JMH
17 years ago

Glad to hear you enjoyed Turbo Jam. I have purchased other work out tapes from that company and I am currently looking for a new one. Right now, I am just running on the treadmill, but I get bored quickly and I like to change my workouts occasionally.

Riley reminds me so much of my son it is almost spooky. My son is 3 now, but I swear they could be brothers.

ThatGrrrl
17 years ago

Well, we bought a 32″ LCD TV, hooked it up, then had to buy a new receiver, hooked that up, and then (THEN!!) discovered that the tv only had digital output, and the receiver only wanted analog input, and so we had to repack them both up and take them back to where we bought them, where the nice manager lady exchanged the original TV for a more expensive TV for the same price (which DOES have analog as well as video output) and we didn’t need the new receiver after all (because our old one is just fine), so we ordered the new TV and then had Dairy Queen because after all, it was a VERY LONG DAY (all that freakin’ technology!). And today? There was sluggitude, and a damn lot of it. And a nap. And reading. And then we watched The Farce of the Penguins, which is VERY funny (and totally not appropriate for an 11 year old, so we made him go upstairs to his room where he could watch his own tv or play WOW or whatever).

laughing mommy
17 years ago

LOVE those armchairs from Pottery Barn Kids. I got one for each of my daughters for Christmas and they use them for building forts, tipping over in a crazy and dangerous fashion, and to smash each other into the fireplace. Anything but sit in them. Still, LOVE!

Cute pictures of Riley. What a doll!

Pete
Pete
17 years ago

I burned over 3700 calories on a bike ride Saturday and then on Sunday my son and I build a stand for the fountain that’s going in our entryway. The fountain is over three hundred pounds and we had to add an outlet for the pump in the design. He got to learn how to over engineer something and how to laugh when you screw up a cut. He also got to play with big boy toys. ;-) (nobody lost any body parts).

Emily
17 years ago

Oh! Oh! I got a NECK TATTOO! I am so badass. (Except that I totally took an excess post-wisdom-teeth-extraction Percocet right before I got it so that the pain would not be so horrible, so maybe I am not quite as much of a badass as all that.) Also, something I did NOT do this weekend: work! Yay!

Plus, I am so loving Riley’s shades, except that they push him a little closer to Nicole Richie Territory than I’d think you would be comfortable with.

Lisa
Lisa
17 years ago

LOVE your diet recaps – I totally agree on the rice cakes!!!

And the “white and nerdy” picture of your boys? Must. Be. Enlarged. B&Wed and Framed. Gorgeous!!!

Jennifer
Jennifer
17 years ago

I love your bronze wall color behind the “White & Nerdy” photo. Makes an excellent photographer-studio background color, especially in that photo where your boys are wearing complementary colors.

Nancy
17 years ago

I did my taxes, then I went to Target to buy lots of things I didn’t need. Hurray for new quilt and pillowshams. Today was lazy, lazy, lazy. my butt is numb from sitting on the couch too much. I did make turkey soup (from real leftover turkey).
I love pickles (with chips) but agree with the porny feeling, I am always surreptiously looking around my kitchen to make sure I am alone. I really just don’t want to drip any brine and have to wipe it up.

sooboo
sooboo
17 years ago

I too exercised by running up and down the hills around my house. Also, slept in, ate a giant pizza with friends, looked at art, ate gross Chinese food with other friends, played with my cats. Not too exciting, but super relaxing! We are enjoying your dieting stories as we are watching what we eat around here too (although it doesn’t sound like it!). It’s hard , but it’s nice to laugh about it!

Melanie
17 years ago

God, his little nose is just adorable – he’s still got a total baby nose! Our weekend was crappy, boring, and the husband and I were both crabby (I’ve got my period, so at least I’ve got an excuse!), so we were arguing a bunch, which sucks. I did call my sister-in-law, who is at school to be a nutritionist and has her certificate (or whatever you get) in personal training, because I’m going to bite the bullet and beg on my hands and knees for her to help me to rescue myself from myself, because I really really want to look decent in a bathing suit someday. Or at least decent in a tanktop. Or maybe a T-shirt. Decent in something other than a burkha, I mean.

christen
17 years ago

WW gets better after about 7 days. You can do it. But yeah, I have 28 pts, and damn, if I had 20, I’d be really, really angry.

I cried after I did my 5K on Super Bowl Sunday. I haven’t run in a long time, and I love it, and I miss it, but I couldn’t because I had gotten so tubby that it hurt my knees. Yeah. Cried. Just a little though.

This weekend? Had a big fight with the bf, finally hooked our tv up on our new tv cabinet (more time consuming than it sounds), shopped for diamond rings online, bought skinnier fat pants, and worked out at 24 Hour Fitness while considering a membership. The Treadclimber? Is the devil.

Mrs. Breedorf
17 years ago

Unsolicited WW advice alert! I can’t remember if I told you this before, but we ate a lot of sushi when we were on WW. And those Skinny Cow ice-cream sandwiches and ice-cream bars for the after-dinner munchies.

Josh
17 years ago

I started my weekend with a twelve pack and a late evening followed by a saturdays worth of kicking myself for not taking it easy before I had to pull overtime on a weekend. After that suckage was done things got better. I partied at a friends house, and ended up at another party full of the drunkest people ever. Plenty of drama. But I got to see my new girlfriend when I didn’t think I was going to, and that was great. She had overindulged in the beer pong tournament, a game from hell which I have sworn away forever, and ended up knocking me against a fire pit on accident. Besides that, she also decided she couldn’t wait for me to wash my hands and peed whilst I was present, which was weird. Yet, still I find myself smitten with some sort of creepy bubbly feeling. (what is this hah-pee-nez you speak of?) Then I went to a swanky oyster bar for my dad’s 51’st birthday, and stuffed my self painfully full of fried sea creatures. And upon exiting I saw some sort of freaky scion with Willy Wonka stuff written all over it and a seven foot tall statue of a bunch of Oompa Loompas climbing a candy bush or something. I honked cause I love Wonka, as the bumper sticker instructed me to. There were some ups and downs, but all in all a very fun weekend.

And I’ve always shared your porny opinion on pickles. I don’t know why everybody automaticly thinks ice cream cones are porny and not those freaky little green wangs from Vlassic.

Carmen
17 years ago

We are landscaping our backyard and so I spent the weekend shovelling dirt into wheelbarrows. We had two dumptruck loads of dirt dumped on our driveway on Tuesday – I think we managed to move about half into the backyard. I’m so tired.

Also spent the weekend moving our son to one nap a day from two naps in preparation for starting daycare soon, where they only have one nap. Poor little tyke was falling asleep in his highchair at lunch.

Love love love the picture of Riley in the sunglasses. It’s my new favourite.

Lesley
Lesley
17 years ago

I don’t know what cruel god made rice cakes have actual CALORIES (what the everloving fuck, it’s a hunk of flavored styrofoam, even the dog isn’t interested in them and she’s been known to EAT HER OWN BARF)

I stopped eating those godforsaken things when I realized how many calories they have. Like 100 in one cake or something like that. More if they have flavour added.

That line cracked me up to no end. For dog, the barf=leftovers! Har, the silly marbleness creatures.

Keaton
Keaton
17 years ago

I spent woke up at 8 in the damn morning on Saturday (that’s WAY too early) and took a test to “measure” how my college education is affecting my thought processes. I told them that if children in 50% of related accidents are wearing our companies rollerblades that they must be selling well and we have no obligation to do anything but avoid being sued. Without even eating breakfast, I then spent the next 5 hours taking and waiting for buses in the freezing cold to go help film a karate test, where a class of at least three dozen children were exposed to the three HUGE hickeys on my neck. I’m a great role model.

Sonia
Sonia
17 years ago

Babysat my niece and nephew while chasing my own son around the house while my brother-in-law replaced the expensive #$*@’ing fuel filter on my nightmare #$%&*^’ing car. Then watched the nephew again today. My son isn’t sleeping right now, um, at all. Apparently the switching of the beds I did last weekend was a really stupid thing to do. Who knew?? After my nephew went home, Bugga and I lounged around on the couch until it was his un-bedtime.

I can’t wait to answer this question next weekend. I’ll finally be able to leave something a little more interesting than blah-husband working-blah-cleaning-blah-car trouble-blah. :-)

Keaton
Keaton
17 years ago

I also apologize for my terrible English in that last comment. Though I did want to mention that the barf=leftovers thing was hilarious.

Brad
Brad
17 years ago

I took part in a massive Treasure Hunt in down town san francisco. I like cottage cheese, eat it all the time.

Leigha
Leigha
17 years ago

On Saturday, we took the child to the bank in the morning, where he was amazingly cooperative while my husband finally got the bank account for his side business opened. What’s frightening is that we knew more about their services than the banker lady did…chalk one up for informed consumers!

That same afternoon, we took the same child to a car dealership to start the dance of purchasing a new car. Again, in some fit of cooperation, he was actually very good; we brought the portable DVD player with us and he watched Bambi through the entire thing. I will be picking up my 2007 Honda Pilot this morning; I love taking a full day off work to do something like this. It almost feels naughty to take time for myself.

The Pilot is a necessity, not a want…well, something larger is the necessity, if I’m being honest – I just really like the Pilot. Bryan turned two in December, and we have a baby girl due in June, so the Honda Civic Coupe my husband was driving just wasn’t going to cut it. He’s getting my Acura TSX, I’m stepping up to the Pilot, and now we have to buy umpteen carseats to outfit them all.

Those pictures are fabulous, by the way. I need to pull my camera out more often and take pictures of my guys; I think we have the same camera (Canon Rebel XTi), and if you’re getting such wonderful pictures out of it, I should be able to do SOMETHING. What lens are you using with it?

Jenny
Jenny
17 years ago

Freaky little green wangs!!!!! Pickles = love.

Yeah, cottage cheese sucks donkey balls. I don’t mind the taste, but I can’t stand the texture. I wasn’t able to eat pimiento cheese either until my mother-in-law introduced me to pimiento cheese made with shredded real cheese instead of lumpy squeaky stuff.

I spent the weekend washing things — clothes, the floors, the dog…. My husband works away from home several days of the week and he had to leave on Sunday to be present for an early Monday a.m. meeting, so I went to the Pottery Barn furniture outlet to continue our neverending quest for end tables and dressers and came up with nothing. I’m starting to suspect we’re going to actually have to shell out for “real” furniture if we’re ever going to make it past that awful half-adult/half-college-kid decor scheme we’ve got going on.

I also embarked on my new plan, called “Take Care of Yourself, Finally.” I decided that since I’m turning 30 this year, I need to actually take care of my skin and actually stick to an exercise plan and maybe pay attention to what I eat, and maybe I’ll make it to 40 without being flabby and wrinkly. I dusted off my old The Firm tapes and have been running with the dog and drinking lots of water and wearing my spf for a whole TWO DAYS now. We’ll see what happens.

Stephanie B.
Stephanie B.
17 years ago

After running errands all weekend I had a Mom’s night out on Sunday at Jake’s in Del Mar, CA. A glass of wine on the beach without toddler is a real attitude adjuster. Just the thing to get me in the right mindset for the three day trip to Disneyland that we’ll be starting off on this afternoon. I may not make it back alive.

Mare
17 years ago

I went to Threetacon!!

amber
17 years ago

I was sick all weekend, and spent the vast majority of Saturday and Sunday laying in bed, moaning ineffectually about not being able to breathe. It was really awesome.

The Sickness, by the way, is courtesy of my little toddler, who is also on a 10-day course of Amoxicillin for an ear infection. So watch out!

Jamie
17 years ago

A whole lot of nothing is what I did, and I loved every minute of it. Well, until Sunday, when I had to emcee our state dance team championship. Which went very smoothly, so I was happy.

But now I am tired. OH so tired. And sniffly.

Pickles & Dimes
17 years ago

Got the bridesmaid dresses picked out! Now I can be on cruise control until the wedding in Oct.

nonsoccermom
17 years ago

On Saturday we looked for a freezer to keep in our garage, then Sunday we went to the zoo. Along with every other person in the greater Houston area. GOOD GOD was it crowded.

kj
kj
17 years ago

Saw Rise Against and My Chemical Romance! So much awesomeness. So much explosions! So much … wait, why am I so hoarse today? and why does my neck hurt like this? egad, I SWEAR I’m not “THAT” old already?! Still though, much awesomeness.

Kate
17 years ago

On Friday we found out that the baby we’re expecting in July is a girl, so we went out on Saturday and registered, which I found to be somewhat more frustrating than I had expected. And we bought some baby stuff, which we hadn’t done yet. All in all, a very nice weekend.

Sadie
Sadie
17 years ago

Yesterday I became the last person in America to finally see The Departed (very good, but yet somehow not as good as I hoped). There was a trip to Target, and also to look at new stainless steel fridges (come on, tax return! Mama needs you to get here ’cause it RAINS in my current refrigerator when the freezer defrosts).

Saturday there was a glorious two hour nap and I even let the dog sleep on the bed with me when no one was looking. And Friday night was a nice dinner out with the boyfriend.

Cottage cheese is vile and foul and I shan’t ever allow it to pass my lips. Pickles, however…

nstig8r
17 years ago

my old roommate & i used to call the WW program the “Ethiopian Diet”. the points do add up FAST! btw, Nathan’s kosher dills are the best.

anyway, my weekend consisted of watching “little miss sunshine” (a good rental for a change), cleaning my office, & taking the car thru the carwash. thrilling huh?

Daily Tragedies
17 years ago

SKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIED! On some of the best snow all year! And, oh, how my knees do hate me today.

I’m surprised you think of cottage cheese as a diet food. For me cottage cheese is a cheating-on-my-diet food…I always thought, why spend 2 or 3 points on 1/2 a cup of cottage cheese when you can have a WHOLE cup of yogurt for the same points? But, um, apparently I like cottage cheese more than you — the squeakiness is half the fun!

fellowmom
fellowmom
17 years ago

We went out to dinner with a somewhat recently divorced friend and her BF of 7 mos., and I thought “wow, this is what J. is like when she’s happy.” It was good to see her in a better place after the end of a long marriage.

I also did the grocery shopping, laundry, visited the in-laws and took the boys to two different parks–nice weather in Portland this past weekend.

This was the second weekend since I declared the boys’ nap time to be momma’s uninterrupted time to read WTF she pleases. So far, I am quite happy with this new program.

fellowmom
fellowmom
17 years ago

P.S. My weight loss effort would have gone nowhere–NOWHERE–without the skinny cow reduced fat fudge bars. They are so good, I keep thinking it must be false advertising. Avoid the reduced sugar ones, however–they taste like ass. Unfortunately, the packaging is very similar, and I have bought them by mistake at least twice.

When I want something salty and crunchy, I eat a Snyder’s of Hanover hard pretzel. They are 2 points, but it really satisfies like nothing else.

I echo the prior comments that the first week is the hardest. By the 3rd or 4th you will have a much easier time with your 20 pts. Of course, there’s always Core. . . OK, I’ll stop with the advice.