In one way or another, I have kept a journal since age 12. I've kept an online journal called Musings since late 2002. My topics range from things that happen in my daily life to my thoughts on pop culture to my ponderings about everything from dreams to the secret thoughts of pets. Since November 2007, I've been mirroring it here, although I often include extras to this version, such as memes and quizzes.

For some insight into who I am, read Intro to Alyce. For a guide to the many nicknames I use in my online journal, check out Who's Who in Musings.

The goals I established when I first begin an online journal remain the same: this is a way to explore the tangential, the seemingly accidental observations many of us overlook but which may, ultimately, be where all life and all mystery hinges.

Since I'm going to to be incredibly busy for the next week, I'm counting down to Otakon by sharing some pics from my years on staff.

This Fourth of July weekend, The Gryphon and I visited my family in Central Pennsylvania. My brother came down from Vermont with his family, and my sister came up from Virginia. Sadly, her husband had to stay behind and work.

On Sunday, we spent more quality time with my family before driving home. This started out with a swim at the hotel where a friend of my brother and his wife was staying. She had driven from her home about two hours away, just to spend time with them while they were in town.

Until I reach my goal of losing 15 pounds (which will put me where I was on my wedding day), I'm doing something called the "Camera-Phone Diet," where you photograph everything you eat. Back home on Monday, I found it easy to get back into a healthy routine.

Here's what I ate:

You can read details about any of these items by clicking on the photo.

This Fourth of July weekend, The Gryphon and I visited my family in Central Pennsylvania. My brother came down from Vermont with his family, and my sister came up from Virginia. Sadly, her husband had to stay behind and work.

The Gryphon and I arrived Friday night, just in time for me to do my evening work assignments. I finished after everyone had gone to bed. But no worries: we had a fun day on Saturday, the highlight being a trip to Knoebels Grove, a.k.a. Knoebels Amusement Park.

Until I reach my goal of losing 15 pounds (which will put me where I was on my wedding day), I'm doing something called the "Camera-Phone Diet," where you photograph everything you eat. On Sunday, even though we were still visiting my parents, I ate much lighter than the day before, with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Here's what I ate:

You can read details about any of these items by clicking on the photo.

Until I reach my goal of losing 15 pounds (which will put me where I was on my wedding day), I'm doing something called the "Camera-Phone Diet," where you photograph everything you eat. On Saturday, we went to an amusement park, which made for an indulgent day. However, all the walking probably made up for it.

Here's what I ate:

You can read details about any of these items by clicking on the photo.

Until I reach my goal of losing 15 pounds (which will put me where I was on my wedding day), I'm doing something called the "Camera-Phone Diet," where you photograph everything you eat. Friday, since we were looking forward to a weekend away, I tried to eat light.

Here's what I ate:

You can read details about any of these items by clicking on the photo.

This past weekend, my husband, The Gryphon and I traveled to Central Pennsylvania to spend time with my family to celebrate the Fourth of July. We were all together for once. My brother and his family came down from Vermont, and my sister came up from Virginia. The only person missing was my sister's husband, who had to stay home and work.

On Saturday, we went to a favorite amusement park, Knoebel's Grove, and on Sunday, we did a little swimming. It's going to take a little while to sift through all the photos, so I'll post something more complete once I do.

In the meantime, here are a few Knoebel's pics.

Until I reach my goal of losing 15 pounds (which will put me where I was on my wedding day), I'm doing something called the "Camera-Phone Diet," where you photograph everything you eat. Thursday I had tortillas for dinner again, and despite a couple drinks in the evening, did very well, managing to refrain from extra snacking.

Here's what I ate:

You can read details about any of these items by clicking on the photo.

Until I reach my goal of losing 15 pounds (which will put me where I was on my wedding day), I'm doing something called the "Camera-Phone Diet," where you photograph everything you eat. Wednesday was a pretty good day, with a dinner of delicious leftovers. After weighing myself, I found that I'd lost half a pound, despite indulging last weekend.

Here's what I ate:

You can read details about any of these items by clicking on the photo.

For today's Memory Box installment, I'd like to share some old family pics I have on my hard drive. I'm going to see some of them this weekend to celebrate July 4, and I've got to spend most of the day preparing.

Until I reach my goal of losing 15 pounds (which will put me where I was on my wedding day), I'm doing something called the "Camera-Phone Diet," where you photograph everything you eat. Tuesday, I made a filling dinner from a Rachael Ray cookbook: a tortilla filled with a chicken/bean mixture, tomatoes, green onions, and lettuce. On the side, I made a salad of corn, red peppers and green onions. It was delish.

Here's what I ate:

You can read details about any of these items by clicking on the photo.

I have been watching all the movies that won the Oscar for Best Picture. The next on my list was the 1973 winner, The Sting, directed by George Roy Hill and starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Robert Shaw. I first watched this movie about a decade ago and had not watched it since.

The Sting is the first real con movie and inspired many imitators. The fun comes from watching this elaborate plot unfold and trying to figure out what's going to happen next.

Until I reach my goal of losing 15 pounds (which will put me where I was on my wedding day), I'm doing something called the "Camera-Phone Diet," where you photograph everything you eat. On Monday, I also had a pretty good day, with leftovers for dinner.

Here's what I ate:

You can read details about any of these items by clicking on the photo.

Until I reach my goal of losing 15 pounds (which will put me where I was on my wedding day), I'm doing something called the "Camera-Phone Diet," where you photograph everything you eat. Sunday was a much lighter day, with some home-cooked food courtesy of my wonderful husband.

Here's what I ate:

You can read details about any of these items by clicking on the photo.

On Saturday, my husband, The Gryphon, and I attended what's known as the Panic Meeting, or the last official Otakon meeting before the convention.

Just a warning: for the next three weeks, I'm going to be terribly busy and might fall behind on personal correspondence. Right now, I'm being inundated by e-mails related to Otakon.

Until I reach my goal of losing 15 pounds (which will put me where I was on my wedding day), I'm doing something called the "Camera-Phone Diet," where you photograph everything you eat. Saturday was just pure indulgence. In addition to eating out for breakfast and lunch, we also had a snack at the Otakon meeting. And dinner was at Fogo de Chao in Baltimore, an all-you-can eat Brazilian steakhouse, where they bring different types of meat to your table and give you a slice of whatever you want to sample. Similar to dim sum, really.

Here's what I ate:

You can read details about any of these items by clicking on the photo.