Day One Hundred Twenty-One.

The week seventeen weigh-in results: 222 pounds. That's down one and one-half pounds from last time I did a weigh-in, for a total weight loss so far of 30 pounds.

To check out my latest "before" and "after" pictures and/or donate to the Howard Dean campaign, click here.

7:45:47 AM    comment []  

Day One Hundred Seventeen.

After Iowa, I find the Dean people on the Dean for America blog are a little hesitant to get too optimistic or excited about our chances in New Hampshire, and that’s probably a a good thing. However, I think things have started to go Dean’s way as this week comes to a close.

At least one poll, Zogby, shows Dean closing the gap some on Kerry. We had a good T.V. night on Thursday, with the Drs. Dean appearing on PrimeTime Live, and later, with the Governor doing Letterman’s Top Ten list. The bat is up, and it’s moving along at a good clip. Dean had a great town hall meeting on women’s issues in Hooksett, New Hampshire this morning. And tonight, he’s about to appear on an election special with Aaron Brown on CNN. Then, tomorrow night, he’ll be on The Daily Show on Comedy Central.

All this exposure highlights Dean’s strong points. It may not win us New Hampshire, but it might help us grab second. And second’s not a bad place to be, going into February 3rd.

I have been lying low this weekend, though at some point I need to go buy the dogs some food. I’m fighting a cold, and have taken a couple of naps today in between popping Wellness Formula. So far, I’ve had two iced soy lattes, yogurt, string cheese, a Power Bar, two popsicles (hey, they’re fortified with Vitamin C!). I did a preliminary weigh-in this morning, and I have not gained any weight, so we’ll see what happens by Wednesday.

8:03:28 PM    comment []  

Day One Hundred Sixteen.

Wow, what a couple of weeks it has been.

I was in Iowa last weekend. Got home Tuesday night, tired, baffled, and a little discouraged. Nevertheless, it was a great trip, truly one of the highlights of my life. I got to meet hundreds of other Dean supporters from around the country, got to do a "guest blog post" on the Dean for America blog about the Bloggers’ Breakfast last Saturday (has it really only been a week? It feels like a month, so much has happened since then….), had my picture taken with both Joe "Yoda" Trippi and Howard Dean, knocked on a lot of doors and made even more phone calls, attended a rally in Ames featuring Janeane Garofalo and Joan Jett, and was there in the Val-Air for the infamous "Yeeaaaagh." All sandwiched between two 18-hour bus rides.

So, now we’ve had a chance to figure out what happened in Iowa. It seems we were ganged up on by Kerry, Edwards, Gephardt, and Kucinich in the caucus horse-trading, four against one. For example, Kucinich and Edwards had made a deal that Kucinich would throw supporters his way (he admitted as much in Thursday’s debate). The others had similar deals. Our precinct captains, most of whom were not seasoned caucus veterans, were not anticipating this. In this context, it’s pretty amazing we came in third. In other Iowa dirty tricks, I heard Gephardt’s campaign had someone infiltrate a Dean office wearing an orange Perfect Storm hat and gather intelligence; Kerry did push-polling ("Would you be more or less likely to vote for Howard Dean if you knew he was an environmental terrorist?" [whatever that is]); and Edwards’s staff circulated a talking-points paper to their precinct captains that slammed the other candidates (Edwards disavowed it, though it featured his signature).

I hoped that with Kerry and Edwards coming out of Iowa in front, they would be subjected to the same intense media bashing that Howard Dean endured for the weeks leading up to Iowa. Instead, we have had to watch the Val-Air speech clip ad infinitum, with so-called serious reporters characterizing Dean’s outburst as everything from a "screech" to a "scream" to a "shriek." As I said, I was there, along with 3,500 other people. The crowd was going wild. We had heard CNN reports that he wouldn’t be there because he was going straight to New Hampshire. So when Tom Harkin came out, and it started to become clear that Dean was really there, we went crazy. The noise level was deafening. Dean came out and took off his jacket and started rolling up his sleeves. We were beside ourselves. 3,500 people yelling and clapping and waving signs and jumping up and down. Our enthusiasm was contagious. We pumped the Governor up, and he, in turn, was thanking us and giving us a big pep talk. He was exuberant. BFD. GUESS YOU HAD TO BE THERE.

Frankly, I was baffled by the media fixation with this one moment. I was discouraged by the poll numbers plummeting. I was tired from my trip. I didn’t feel like writing for a few days. But I’m still Lean for Dean!

I brought trail mix, cracked wheat crackers, and dried fruit on the bus trip and avoided the ubiquitous fast food. I ate healthy (fish, salads, vegetables, LATTES) in Iowa, and my only real indulgence were a couple of beers Sunday night and about five gin and tonics at the Val-Air party — I had stated my plan to get drunk weeks beforehand, and I actually got only a little drunk, though drunk enough to go up to strangers and gush about politics, and drunk enough to put my friend Eddie on the phone with Tony in Dallas:

Tony: Is there anything we need to do for her? She’s had a lot to drink.

Eddie: No, just put her on the bus. She’ll be O.K. She’ll probably tell you she loves you.

(Eddie knew this because I had just done so to him.)

I haven’t done a weigh-in in a couple of weeks, so this coming week, we’ll see where I stand. (I have been told I look like I’ve lost a little more weight, though.)

So, just as Howard Dean is in this for the long haul, so am I. This Project doesn’t end until November 2, 2004.

7:41:30 PM    comment []  

Day Ninety-Nine.

My poor, neglected blog.

It’s been so long since I’ve offered a daily food report, or a state-of-the-Dean-campaign report. But rest assured, dear reader, that the Project continues along quietly.

I didn’t lose any weight this past week, but I went through it eating the usual iced soy lattes, yogurt, Lean Cuisines, trail mix, dried fruit, and water, along with liberal quantities of cracked wheat crackers and popsicles, both of which I seem to want ample amounts of lately.

Meanwhile, the Dean campaign picked up another big endorsement — Bill Bradley — and Dean acquitted himself admirably at a pair of Iowa debates. We broke our third-quarter fundraising record in quarter four, coming in at a whopping $15.4 million.

But my big news is, I’m going to Iowa for the weekend before the caucus. I leave the evening of the 15th and return the 20th. I will board a bus in Houston for the 14-hour trip, stay with another Houstonite (who is flying there) in her hotel room, and tromp around in the cold (18-34 friggin’ degrees during the day) and snow knocking on Iowans’ doors in Des Moines for four days, trying to get them to come out and caucus for Howard Dean. After the caucus is over, there will be a history-making blow-out of a celebration. Then, the long trip back to Houston.

I had to order a jacket, snow boots, thermal underwear, earmuffs, and gloves for the trip. I have spent Christmas in Denver, and camped in a boy scout camp in the snowy California mountains in February, but I have never been in weather as cold as 4 degrees, which is the nighttime low. (It could even be colder; I’ve been checking the forecasts and it’s gotten down into the negative numbers at night this month.)

So, to summarize — long bus ride, cold, snow, door knocking. In short — a blast.

And this time, unlike when I went to New Hampshire in September, I will have more stamina and move more easily, because I’m almost 29 pounds lighter!

10:23:10 PM    comment []  

Day Ninety-Nine.

The week fourteen weigh-in results: 223.5 pounds. That's holding steady from last week, for a total weight loss so far of 28.5 pounds.

8:24:58 AM    comment []  

Day Ninety-Two.

The week thirteen weigh-in results: 223.5 pounds. That's down two pounds from last week, for a total weight loss so far of 28.5 pounds.  Woo hoo!  I lost two pounds in the week between Christmas and New Year's!

It's the last day of the fourth quarter, and the Dean campaign is trying hard to break our previous quarter's fundraising record.  In honor of my fabulous weight-loss accomplishment this week -- and in the last few months -- please consider making a donation to the Dean campaign and help us take back our country and build a strong economy and good relations with our neighbors around the world.  We need you now more than ever!

Last night we had over 1,400 house parties across the country.  The one I went to in Houston had over 20 people in attendance and raised over $1,300!  We had a good number of people for whom it was their first Dean activity -- and they're ready to get more involved!

To check out my latest "before" and "after" pictures and/or donate to the Howard Dean campaign, click here.

8:18:54 AM    comment []  

Day Eighty-Five.

The week twelve weigh-in results: 225.5 pounds. That's holding steady from last week, for a total weight loss so far of 26.5 pounds.  Hey, it's holiday party time, there is food (and cocktails) everywhere, and I am holding my own!

To check out the latest "before" and "after" pictures and/or donate to the Howard Dean campaign, click here.

8:26:57 AM    comment []