Losing a part of me

Category: Seasons

  • Day 804

    Houston… what a terrible airport. United… what a terrible airline. I am looking forward to getting home, that’s all I can say.

    I was optimistic in my thinking when I said I would arrive in Houston by 5:30, be check into the hotel at 6:15, and would head to Blend Bar for the evening. It never occurred to me that I would not get out of the airport for over two hours, including a ridiculous ordeal trying to get an Uber. By the time I was settled into my room it was 9:00pm and I was hungry. I headed down to the restaurant, where I was planning to redeem both drink vouchers the manager of the hotel gave me.

    I was almost very bad. I almost ordered Buffalo wings… in fact I did, but immediately changed it to a hamburger. While that is not exactly a healthy meal, it could have been much worse. I cannot have Buffalo wings until I am sure that I can have a reasonable amount of them, and only occasionally. I had a beer with dinner, and a glass of red wine after dinner with a cigar outside. I got back to my room around 10:30. I reorganized my luggage (making sure to pack my Duty Free rum into my checked luggage), and then got into bed to wind down for a bit before sleeping.

    I slept well but not enough – I could have added 90 minutes to my total had I not opted for the cigar, but that was my choice. I was out of bed five minutes prior to my 6:00M alarm, and went about my morning bathroom rituals. Today was the first day in ten that I had Internet while sitting in the loo, and I checked my email and social media before taking a lovely shower. I closed my suitcases and took them down so that I would not need to return to the room after breakfast.

    The hotel itself was very comfortable, and the front desk staff last night (as well as the restaurant) were great. Their shuttle service, on the other hand, was lousy. I emailed the GM (with whom I made friends) and he apologized, telling me that yesterday they turned in their 15-seat van for a much smaller one in anticipation of a slower season… so when I got there in time the driver told me ‘too bad, so sad… o room.’ I had to either pay for my own taxi, or wait until the next one (30 minutes later). Grrr.

    Honestly, the hotel room and restaurant were great; everything else since I got to Houston was a shit show, up to and including the rude and dishonest service on the airplane out. I will not bore my readers with the details, but suffice it to say that I will be glad to be back in Canada. I should also mention that the CBP officers were very polite and efficient, and do not EVERYTHING in the Houston airport sucked… only most things.

    I probably had slightly more breakfast that I normally would, but I don’t think it was a real cheat. The only real cheat in Houston was a bag of chips after my cigar. I am hoping that the disgusting g airline actually lets me purchase food on board, but I am not holding my breath. Judging from Little Miss Sunshine who ‘helped’ me before we took off, I rather suspect that I’ll be lucky to get a warm glass of spit. If they do actually have what is listed in the magazine, I will have a chicken wrap and a can of chips.

    It is presently 10:30am CDT, which means 11:30 in Toronto. We are scheduled to land around 2:15pm, and if all goes well I should be home by 4:15. I’ll run out to pick up a quick bite before class, and will be ready at my computer at 5:30pm. As I said to Leslie earlier, I am not expecting to be able to relax and breathe until a little after 9:00pm tonight. I am really hoping to get a good night sleep in my own bed; with Her Royal Floofness snuggled into my back.

    Tomorrow morning I will step onto the bathroom scale for the first time since March 23. I am hoping for a five-pound drop, but as long as I did not gain weight I will be happy. It is great that I am not expecting to gain weight after a vacation… that is usually when people do. My last weigh-in before leaving Canada was a relief for having dropped back below 280 lbs., and I really want to stay there… and then hopefully get below (and stay below) 270 before my upcoming trip to Dallas. I hope I can make it!

    I got notification yesterday that my new shirts and sports jacket are arriving tomorrow! It usually takes eight weeks from when I order them, and they have never come in 5 weeks. I am excited but also a little scared… on the 23rd I weighed 12 lbs. more than when I was fitted for them. I am hoping they fit well, and that I do not have to lose a few more pounds until I wear them. I am going to do my best.

    With spring coming I might not be using the treadmill very much, only because I want to walk outside. With that said, I have to remember that April in Canada is usually a wet month, and so I have to make sure that if I am not going out then at least I will not be stagnant. I texted my neighbour who is caring for Her Floofness and she told me that it is raining today and tomorrow, so while I might take Floof out for a bit, a power walk is unlikely… not that I would have the time to anyways.

    I will try to do some quick grocery shopping before my class so that I will be have food in the house for tomorrow morning. I think I still have enough eggs and milk, but I do not remember what else I might need. I have spent the last ten days eating in restaurants and i want to get off that cadence starting with dinner tonight. It is unlikely that I will have time to cook, but at least I can pick up something ready to eat from the supermarket deli counter.

    I am wearing long pants for the first time since I checked into my apartment in Havana on the 24th. It feels a bit weird, but in truth I should have put them on before smoking my cigar in Houston. It was a bit nippy out, at least compared to the weather in Havana. I am sure the 51 sunny degrees I experienced this morning will feel like heaven when I land in Toronto, but that’s life. I only wish I had thought to pack a warmer shirt than I did – I do have a long sleeve guayabera that I had I tended to have to change into when I was on the plane, but as I reorganized my bags to lighten my carry-on, I suspect I packed it into one of my suitcases. Oops! I’ll change at the airport in Toronto once I collect my luggage. I do have a sleeveless vest that I packed in my knapsack so even if my luggage is lost I’ll have SOME protection from the elements.

    What else is going on? I have a lot in my mind right now, and am trying to organize my thoughts. When I spoke with the young man from Chabad in Havana he told me they desperately need any Judaica, especially books, and that they do not even have a Torah. I am not sure what I can do about that but I know I am going to look into it and see what I can do to make that right. We will see.

    One week from tomorrow will be a special day for me, and I am looking forward to it. I am not talking about it now, but hopefully after Thursday next I’ll be able to say something. I honestly am not sure what I am getting into with it, but it is all about helping people and charities. How can that be bad, right?

    Okay, it’s 11:00am and I’m going to shut the phone and see if I can get that chicken wrap. Have a great day folks!

  • Day 96

    For the second day in a row, the numbers on the scale were lower, setting new lows for this diet plan. I am pleased that I am seeing some progress but wonder as well if I would have been more than 2/10ths of a pound lower had I not had quite so many peanuts throughout the day. I have to go back to my original routine… If I am going to stop and buy peanuts, I can only buy a single handful. While sitting in the car, I have neither the awareness of how many I am eating, nor the discipline to stop eating them. I know that I bought more than a reasonable amount yesterday. I will not do that again.

    Something else that I did differently yesterday was at brunch with my son. In this case, I think I did well. Rather than simply ordering the plain omelet with cheese a four egg-white omelette with seasoned chicken, guacamole and pico salsa served with turkey bacon and fresh fruit. 435 Cals. Considering the cheese omelette I would have ordered is listed at 735 calories, I think I made the right choice. The fruit was a minor indulgence, but otherwise I think the entire breakfast was a good choice. With a squirt of hot sauce, it was quite delicious, and for once I was not at all jealous of my son’s Oreo French toast.

    There were fewer people at Lyle’s for our remembrance of Cameron than I had expected, but that is not unusual on such short notice. Depending on the funeral arrangements, we have tentatively planned to do a proper memorial herf next Sunday, which will give everyone much more time to plan for it. Still and all, the day went exactly as I wrote yesterday that it would.

    It was a beautiful day to be outside, but because of the configuration of Lyle and Dorothy’s patio, we were truly cold… until I had the idea to move our chairs down to the driveway where the sun was shining. Just five minutes earlier, I had gone to my car to my car to put a sweater on under my jacket. As soon as we relocated, I took off not only the sweater, but the jacket as well. We sat out in the sun comfortably wearing short sleeves.

    Spring is finally here, and I have put my winter jacket away. I am hoping that I have worn that jacket for the last time. I hated having to purchase a 4X jacket, but my older jacket (which I thought had fit me the last time I was my largest weight) did not fit, and it is impossible to live through a Canadian winter without proper outerwear. I bought it on November 15th, and I was never comfortable in it… although I was always warm. I know that if I am still living in Canada then I will be buying a new winter coat for next winter. It is not that my old Colombia ski jacket does not fit – I just tried it on, and it does – but I bought it when I was either engaged or married to my first wife, which means it is almost old enough to vote. Of course, I am also hoping that, come November, the jacket that was too tight on me a year earlier will now be too loose for me… but either way, it will be a good opportunity to update my style somewhat. After all, I was in my early thirties when I bought it, and before I wear it again, I will be fifty years old.

    While I was trying on the old ski jacket, I also took a couple of minutes to try on the other jackets hanging in my front closet. I have a spring/fall jacket that is a delightful shade of light blue that fits as long as I do not want to zip it up. I might wear it in a few weeks, or maybe sooner if I feel like it. My Taekwondo vest does not fit yet, but it will in time for next fall/winter. Okay, it is really not a Taekwondo vest… the company I used to work for gave all employees a one-year gift, and I chose a voucher from Land’s End. I chose an insulated vest, which is quite nice and very comfortable… when it fits. Of course, a few months later the company let me go. Thank you Covid. While I had zero interest in ever advertising that company’s brand, I really like the vest. I had a patch from Taekwondo Canada which served perfectly to cover the company branding. Hence, it is now my Taekwondo vest!

    There are so many things that I am looking forward to being able to wear again as I lose weight. I am also looking forward to one day being able to walk into a store and know that they will have my size… and I do not mean walking into a big and tall store, I mean going into a department store and not being treated like Godzilla. For now, I am just really looking forward to feeling better about myself and looking as good as I can for my girlfriend.

    I checked the fridge, and I am completely out of vegetables. Once I finish writing I will head out to the store to collect what I need for the next couple of days. If I did not have a lot of work to do, I would consider walking it again… but that is a long stretch of time out of my day that I cannot afford today.

    Have a great day folks!