Losing a part of me

Category: Anniversary

  • Day 1250

    The temperatures have been (and will continue to be) record-breaking in my part of the world. This afternoon it was a sunny 35° (which is not taking the humidex into account). Needless to say, it was not a bad day for me to have to sit at my desk and work all day… which is essentially what I did. After fighting with it for a few days, I think I finally got my home lab environment up and running. It is not completely done… but it is at a place where I am not going to worry about it. Tomorrow I am teaching a cloud security class and will not be worrying about it. If I need it for any reason, I have the essentials working.

    Today is the six year anniversary of Princess Sophie’s Adoption Day. We woke up and drove out to Beverly Hills… in our eagerness we were two hours early and found a café to relax at before heading back to the Adoption Fair. In honour of that memory, Her Floofness has been getting spoiled even more than usual today. Tomorrow is an anniversary of a different sort… I am glad I have to focus on work which means hopefully I will not be dwelling on that all day.

    Have a great day folks.

  • Day 832

    I did it! Yesterday after I published my article (and did a few other housekeeping items that I needed to get done) I went out for my walk/jog. I walked the first kilometre, jogged the second, and then walked the rest of the way, totaling just over 6.5km in total. I will call that a win indeed!

    After I showered and cleaned up Leslie and I sat down for our last Passover meal. We had the same salad I’ve been making all along, but instead of the balsamic vinegar and olive oil we decided to substitute an Asian dressing. While we both applaud the concept, I think the dressing we chose was too subtle for what we were looking for. Live and learn, right?

    After lunch we completed some paperwork which was hanging over our heads, and then to celebrate we had a cigar on the balcony. Leslie then went back to work, and I had a number of calls and meetings I had to join as well. I then made a reservation for dinner, and then answered a slew of outstanding emails.

    As I might have mentioned, this trip was a last-minute and sudden one, so I packed a bit haphazardly. Had it occurred to me when I was packing that we would be celebrating our anniversary together then I would have packed a jacket and tie. I am glad that I had a button-down shirt and a bow-tie that I had ordered from Amazon. When Leslie emerged from the room in her gown I was breathless, and felt between my weight gain and my lack of a jacket that I had severely married up. I couldn’t help but thinking that I love being married to the most beautiful and radiant woman in the room… wherever we go.

    We headed to Chamberlain’s for dinner and I had already decided that I was not holding back. While I would not violate the dietary laws of my faith, I was not going to be on a diet this night. We had two cigars for each of us (one for before the meal, and one for after). I ordered a very lovely scotch whisky and Leslie ordered a cocktail, and we enjoyed our cigar with those until the appetizer came. We shared a plate of bison meatballs that were delicious. For our main course Leslie ordered a filet mignon and I ordered the bone-in rib steak, only because I knew that Duchess was being elevated today and that she would really enjoy the bone. For our sides Leslie ordered the mushrooms (probably her favourite vegetable) and I ordered the green beans. Everything was delicious, and for possibly the first time in my life I did not finish my steak, opting to take some of it home. Could I have polished it off? Yes. Would that have been the right thing to do, knowing that I was no longer hungry? I think I did right. Also, I will have the leftovers for lunch, making it a win-win!

    I had told Leslie that, as Passover was officially over, we could order an indulgent dessert. Non need… Kelly (our fabulous waitress) brought over an amazing cake for us to share. If the cake had not been among the most deliciously decadent chocolate cakes I have ever had (and it was) then the presentation would have still been award-worthy. It was gorgeous and it was fabulous… and despite knowing I could easily have taken those last few bites, we left some of it over. As it was I knew that I had sinned against my diet, and I felt that having the willpower to not polish it off showed that I am not just paying lip-service to it.

    Following our post-dinner cigar (a fabulous Davidoff Royal Robusto) we were both ready to head home. I took Duchess out for her walk because Leslie’s ball gown was probably not what you want to be wearing when you are traipsing through the grass and bending down to pick up poop. I came home knowing that we had enjoyed a wonderful second first anniversary.

    My weight was, of course, up this morning. In fact, it was slightly above 280 lbs. again. After last night’s dinner, coupled with two days of not being able to move my bowels, I was neither surprised nor upset. Tomorrow it will be better.  have had the last matzah that I need to eat for another year, and my bowels should go back to normal pretty quick. To that end, after my breakfast this morning I was able to finally have a good movement, and am already feeling a couple of pounds lighter.

    Have a great day folks!

  • Day 831

    Happy anniversary to my beautiful wife Leslie! A year ago today we were in Westlake Village getting ready to drive over to the synagogue. She was a beautiful bride indeed, and I could not help but realize that I was marrying way up.

    On this, the last day of Passover, my intestinal tract have finally succumbed to the matzah. That’s right, I did not successfully move my bowels this morning. Despite that, I was thrilled to see a drop in my weight from yesterday – nearly a pound! While this evening I will not go nuts, I am happy that I will at least be able to enjoy our anniversary dinner without terrible guilt.

    Today is the final day of Passover which means that at sundown we can resume eating bread… and every other leavened food that contains yeast or any of the other grains we are not allowed to eat. Leslie and I were discussing it this morning, and she mentioned how she is really looking forward to getting back to her normal routine. I thought about it and realized that while I am not looking forward to not having to worry about everything that I eat, I am also not jonesing for bread. I suspect there are two reasons for this. For one thing, I have been Jewish my entire life, which means that for fifty-one years I have been keeping kosher for Passover. Leslie is new to it, and is doing extremely well… but is just not used to the week off from bread. Also, over the last two years of weight management I have cut bread (and all carbs and starch) out of my diet completely for long stretches of time. I prefer the proteins to the carbs, so it is easier for me. With that said, when the server brings the bread or dinner rolls this evening, we will be digging in with gusto!

    Until we head out, my day is open. I am going to go for a walk, my first in some time. After that, I will come home and shower, and will relax. I need it.

    Have a great day folks!

  • Day 830

    My weight this morning was back up to exactly 280 lbs., and I am not at all sorry for it. Yesterday’s dinner was absolutely delicious. Leslie prepared an amazing piece of lamb with garlic and wine which was to die for. She says that she had never prepared lamb before… Somewhat sus!! In any event, we enjoyed it tremendously, and then shared a bottle of wine with our cigar on the balcony. I have been drinking somewhat more alcohol these past couple of weeks than I normally do but I think I can be forgiven… given all that has happened. I might even write about it one day; it would make an interesting read.

    Other than the wine, I do not think I ate badly yesterday. Yes, we enjoyed a piece of chocolate-covered matzah, and yes, the matzah brei for breakfast is a bit indulgent… but it could have been worse. I know that my five-day streak of losing weight is broken, but I will get back on track today. I will eat smart and in moderation.

    Tomorrow is not only the last day of Passover, but it is also our wedding anniversary! It is actually our second first anniversary, and if that sounds convoluted then let me assure you that it is, but we have planned for it. You see, we got married in a courthouse on June 24, 2022, so our first wedding anniversary for the civil ceremony was last June. We got married in a religious service on April 30, 2023, and so tomorrow is our first wedding anniversary for that one. We decided last year that we were going to celebrate our civil anniversary just one time… and from then on we would commemorate only April 30 as our actual wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we are going to have an indulgent meal, which will also have the benefit of it being our first post-Passover meal so we can have leavened foods. While I always enjoy my Passover foods (maybe more so this year, with the goodies that Leslie bought, and with my finally figuring out how to make a good charoset and matzah brei), I would be lying if I said that I would not mind biting into a nice dinner roll. Tomorrow evening I shall!

    I know… I just wrote a couple of paragraphs ago that I need to stay mindful of what I eat. I will be… but our wedding anniversary is special, especially knowing all that we have survive this past year.

    As for today? I roasted a chicken this morning that will serve to provide meat for our chicken salad, and also we will have a dinner of roasted chicken with sauteed mushrooms. I will probably take the night off from drinking – we shared a bottle of wine Friday, Saturday, and Sunday… in addition to the wine for the Passover seder Thursday evening. Add to that, there was a shot of whisky when I found out that Princess Sophie had gone out for a stroll without telling anyone, and that adds up to a lot of alcohol over a four night period… especially for someone who hardly drinks at all.

    I will be spending the afternoon at the cigar lounge. I am meeting with a friend that I’ve known on Facebook for a couple of years, and every once in a while, we connect in Dallas for a cigar. That will be today! I am teaching from 5-8pm, and then Leslie and I will have our dinner and then a cigar on the balcony. It is so good to be able to spend time with her… especially after all of the hardships that our marriage has faced these past few months. I am comfortable saying that I think we are past all of that, and we are back to being a happily married couple… who have to live in different countries until the paperwork is completed (and boy is there a lot of paperwork!).

    Yesterday the weather was not great, but today we are looking at hot and sunny… at least, it is what we Canadians call hot. Today’s high of 83º (and tomorrow and Wednesday logging 87º each day) means that we will be sleeping with the air conditioner going, in addition to the fans. This weather does not bother me one bit, but I know that when I get to the lounge there will be people complaining about the heat. You can’t please everyone, right?

    Have a great day folks!