Losing a part of me

Category: Scarf

  • Day 341

    It has been a mostly lazy morning in the Garvis household today. After Princess Sophie and I came in from her walk (the last bit of which involved me carrying her because she was favouring a paw), I had my coffee and futzed around on the Internet. Really, there is not much going on. I did finally schedule my last two sessions with my personal trainer for later in the week, which should help me get on track. As I do a quick self-evaluation of my body, the only thing that is bothering me (other than tightness and creaking from being old) is my knee, but that is only when I am lying down. In addition to supplying me with meds for my ADHD, he also told me that based on my recent bloodwork, my uric acid levels are under control. This does not mean that I will not have the occasional gout flareup, but overall, my body is ready to be working out on a regular basis.

    In a few minutes, Princess Sophie and I will get into the car for the nearly two-hour drive to Strathroy to visit with my friends and their children (my godchildren). Somewhere along the way I will have to fill the gas tank… I noticed that while my levels are not low yet, I know that even if I could get there on what I have, I would not be getting back. Fortunately, the price of gas is not quite where it was a couple of months ago. Also, knowing that I now have teaching contracts for the new year (and prospects for more of them), I am less concerned about money than I was a few weeks ago.

    I had a terrible scare today. This morning, as I bundled up to take Her Floofness out, I noticed that my scarf was missing. In my life I have never been so scared that I might have lost a scarf. This scarf is special though. Aside from being gorgeous and warm and comfortable, it was also the first gift that Leslie made for me. Its sentimental value is through the roof. Knowing that HRF needed to go out (and had been very patient with me as I slept in until 9am, and then took my time in the shower), I grabbed my old backup scarf from the closet. I would deal with this potential heartbreak when I got home… which I did. I called Eduardo (whose house I went to last night for a cigar), and he confirmed that I had left it there. Knowing that it is safe and that I can pick it up later in the week, I breathed a sigh of relief. Crisis averted.

    Knowing what is coming for dinner, I will take a protein bar with me for the car ride to Cam & Amanda’s. I will not risk snacking along the way – there will be too many cheats this day as it is, and I do not feel the need to pile on to that by buying snacks along the road. I have been planning for this turkey meal for weeks, and I am not going to hork it up.

    I took the plunge last night. I have been thinking about doing it for days, and last night as I sat with Eduardo I decided to do it. I went onto Amazon and ordered a pair of Size 40 khakis. I have a couple of pair of jeans in that size, but I have been wearing the Size 42 khakis for a couple of months, and I have had to pull my belt tight to keep them up. I am hoping that if this new pair does not fit immediately, it will within a week or two. With that said, I am optimistic about the new year and what it has to bring. I have not been on track with regard to my weight loss, but I also have not lost any ground; that itself is a victory. I am not nearly done… but for the time being, I want to be comfortable in my clothes. If (or I suppose when) they fit, I will order another pair (or two), and will be able to donate my current Size-42s to charity, and notch up one more non-scale victory… which I will not do until I know that they fit.

    It is cloudy out, but it is mostly dry, and the high winds that have been exacerbating the recent cold spell have abated. Today’s high is -4°, although that number should be a bit lower where I am going. As long as the driving conditions are okay, I won’t mind. Princess Sophie will get to try her new car-harness, which would keep her safer in the event of an accident, but will also make for less distracted driving, as I will not have to focus on where she is at all times.

    Have a great day folks!

  • Day 316

    I am just in from walking Princess Sophie. If there is one thing we can count on in Canada it is that sometime around December 1st we are going to truly notice that it is winter. I was listening to CBC Radio, and they were talking about the blustery weather in downtown Toronto. I would not classify the weather here in Burlington as blustery, but it is certainly cold and windy. While I doubt that this is quite what Shakespeare was talking about, now truly is the winter of our discontent… unless you happen to like cold and blustery weather.

    The weather turned on a dime yesterday. When I took Her Floofness for her morning walk, it was hovering around 9° Celsius. When I left Eduardo’s apartment after the second football match, it was hovering around the freezing point, with gusting winds and a bit of snow. When I came home, I prepared my meal, and had been pretty good on my program to that point. Later in the evening, I took Princess Sophie for another walk, and it was cold and windy; it was the sort of weather that gets into your bones, and I just could not warm up when we came home. I decided to warm up some of my homemade chicken soup. A couple of bowls later, my insides were nice and warm.

    CBC Radio did a segment this morning about scarves. They sent a correspondent out to ask people about their scarves, and even invited listeners to call in to discuss their heartwarming scarf stories. A year ago I would have laughed at the idea. As they talked to passers by about theirs, I thought of the scarf that I was wearing. It was knit for me with love by the woman who I would later marry, but at the time we were dating. It is not only warm and long and gorgeous, I feel especially warm when wearing it because of the love that went into it. While the broadcaster discussed people having a variety of scarves in their wardrobe for different occasions, I thought of the two that I have. The first I bought in Nara, Japan. While it is made of silk and very pretty, it has not made an appearance around my neck since Leslie gave me the scarf she made for me. I love it and cherish it. I should also mention that it is sized perfectly, because even though I am nearly ninety pounds slimmer than when she gave it to me, it still fits!

    Speaking of weight loss: my weight once again dipped below the 310-pound mark today. I am going to do much the same today as I did yesterday, and hopefully I will drop another pound tomorrow morning. We’ll see. In the meantime, I am going to head to Eduardo’s. He is going to try to feed me (as he did yesterday). I am going to politely but persistently refuse. As long as I can smoke my cigars, I am happy. I also have a couple of meal replacement shakes with me… should I get hungry.

    Have a great day folks!