Place 2 Tbsp (30 ml) of butter into a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Set it on the stove over medium-high heat and allow the butter to melt. Once the butter melts, carefully turn the pan so that the butter can coat the entire bottom evenly. Note that butter gives the soup a richer flavor, but if desired, you could use olive oil instead. Simply heat the oil until it glistens. Place the empty shells on the cutting board, insides-down. Using the heel of the hand or the flat side of a large kitchen knife, press down on the shells until they crack and become mostly flat. By flattening the shells, you guarantee that more of the surface will touch the pan when you saute them in the next step. Place the shells in the melted butter and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes. While you can technically use the shells without cooking them in butter, taking the time to perform this extra step draws more flavor out of them, which will also improve the flavor of the finished soup. Toss the shallots, celery, and garlic into the stockpot with the lobster. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for another 2 minutes. Both the garlic and shallots should become notably more fragrant. The garlic should turn a light golden brown, but the shallots should look slightly translucent. Pour the dry white wine into the stockpot. Stir it into the existing ingredients, scraping the bottom of the pan with the spoon as you do. Deglazing the stockpot lifts off any bits of food that have stuck to the bottom of the pan while cooking. These deglazed bits can make the taste of the dish deeper and more complex. Add the tomato paste, undrained diced tomatoes, brandy, stock, and reserved steaming water to the stockpot. Sprinkle in the thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf. Stir well to combine. The paprika and cayenne pepper give the lobster bisque a slight kick. If you prefer a milder taste, reduce the amount or omit these two ingredients altogether. Bring the soup base to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the contents of the stockpot for 30 minutes. Leave the stockpot uncovered during this time. Stir the base occasionally, and adjust the heat as needed to keep the soup at a steady simmer.

Summary: Melt half the butter. Meanwhile, flatten the shells. Saute the shells. Add the aromatics. Deglaze the pan. Add the remaining base ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Working with your doctor you can find out exactly how much weight you should be aiming to lose. In addition, your doctor will review any medications or current health conditions you have and determine the safety of weight loss for you. Your doctor can also help you determine whether you're physically capable of strenuous exercises and workouts. He may also be able to give you some basic tips on calorie counting and decide what will work best for you. Whenever you're starting any weight loss program (commercial or your own), it's important to start by setting realistic goals for yourself. This will help you determine what type of diet, the length and whether or not you'll need to include physical activity. Goals that are too large or lofty usually lead to discouragement and may cause you to give up. Put a plan on your calendar to motivate you. In general, it's not recommended to lose more than about one to two pounds per week. This is considered safe, realistic, and sustainable weight loss. Diets that promise faster or more weight loss may not be safe and are generally not sustainable for long periods of time. Focus on smaller, more attainable goals. If you have a lot of weight to lose, you may want to set multiple goals for yourself. You can have one long-term goal and a few little goals prior to it. For example: Lose 30 pounds in six months as a long-term goal. Short term goals may include: Lose five pounds in two weeks, 10 pounds in four to five weeks, etc. Buy or make your own calendar to track your goals. Circle the day you plan to start and end your weight loss program. This way, you'll have a specific deadline to meet which will give you a path to follow. You can also denote what days you're going to exercise by marking it on your calendar as well. Post your calendar in a spot where you'll always see it and don't forget to do what it says. If it says you have to do cardio, do it. Setting up exciting rewards may help you stay motivated throughout your weight loss program. Ensure that these rewards are specific, special things you save for when these milestones are achieved. Set up smaller rewards for when you meet your smaller, more interim goals. Have a larger, more gratifying reward for when you meet your larger, long-term goals. It's generally not recommended to have rewards that are food related like going out to dinner or having a dessert. Try to pick non-food related rewards like: a manicure, new shoes or a new outfit, a massage, a round of golf at your favorite course, or a new book. Whenever you're trying to lose weight, it's typically recommended to ditch the fad diets and instead make long-lasting lifestyle changes. Small changes to your diet and lifestyle over a longer period of time has been shown to be easier to maintain. You don't want to make big changes quickly for weight loss. You're less likely to keep them up in the long-term. When you're designing your diet, don't go too extreme or follow a program that you know isn't realistic for you. You want to create a diet, eating pattern, or lifestyle that you can follow long-term.

Summary: Go to your doctor. Set realistic goals. Assign yourself rewards. Plan for lifestyle changes.

Use a clear, 1USgal (3.8L) bag with a secure zip closure. Test the bag first by sealing a piece of paper inside and submerging it for 1 minute. If the paper is dry, your tablet should stay dry too! Play it safe and do your best to keep your tablet dry regardless. Don't try to read underwater! Charger cables tend to kink, bend, and break right near the ends (where they plug into the wall or your device). To protect these sensitive areas, pull apart several old, dried up pens and pick out the springs inside. Wrap the springs around the ends of the cables to give them more protection while still letting them flex somewhat. This is a great hack if your desk is cluttered with several charger cables, printer cables, ethernet cables, and so on. Choose binder clips that are large enough to clip to the edge of the desk, but also small enough (if possible) to keep the head of each cable from falling through the binder clip opening. If you can't fit the head of a cord through the binder clip wires, squeeze the sides of each wire to remove them from the clip. Then, squeeze them again to put them back in place after you've pulled the head of the cord through. For a smaller cord, stand a toilet paper tube up in the box and feed the cord down into the tube. For a larger cord, use the toilet paper tube as a sleeve and slide it over the cord once you've looped it around itself several times. If you tend to sleep through your alarm even when it's set to high volume, give this hack a try. Put the phone's speaker (which is usually at the bottom) into the bottom of the cup and get ready for a much louder sound! You can use this trick to amplify music, but it may take some trial and error to find a cup, glass, or mug that doesn't distort the sound of your favorite tunes. Try this hack if you find some old cassette tapes (with their cases) in the attic. Open the case's lid as far as it will go, then lay the case front-side down on your table or desk. The slot in the lid will hold your phone at a great viewing angle. Some larger smartphones may not fit into the slot.
Summary: Seal your tablet in a zip-close bag if you like to read in the tub. Use springs from used pens to strengthen the ends of charger cables. Organize cords at the edge of your desk with binder clips. Organize cords using empty toilet paper tubes in a shoebox. Stand your phone upright in a cup, glass, or mug to amplify the volume. Use a cassette tape case as a cheap but sturdy phone stand.