Losing a part of me

Category: Walking

  • Day 251

    On this, the second day of Rosh Hashana, I woke up and told my wife, ‘I am going to walk ten kilometres today.’ I have not come close on any walk in Dallas so far, but the temperatures were not too bad – it was in the high seventies when I started, and probably up to 85° Fahrenheit by the time I was done. I looked at Leslie and told her that if I was going to go, now was the right time to head out, before it got too hot.

    The only record that I broke today was my distance walked in Dallas, not really a measurement I track religiously. Leslie joked with me that my average pace was over 10:00/km, so what’s the use. We had a good laugh about that.

    • Distance: 10km (7.5km)
    • Duration: 1:40:51 (1:13:40)
    • Average Pace (Min/km): 10:03 (9:49)
    • Best Split-Pace Kilometre: 9m40 (9m28s)
    • Steps: 12.7k (9.2k)
    • Calories burned: 1,203 (941)
    • Elevation gain: 47.5 (34)
    • Average cadence (steps per minute): 126 (126)

    There’s no question that I was a bit slower today than usual, and I am not sure why that was. I know that I did a couple of double-backs to wait for red lights, but that should not affect my pace that badly. I was wearing Asics and not Adidas, which definitely have a different feel to them. I also know that I felt a bit of a bump in my foot for the first kilometre, but I do not think that was anything other than a bunched up sock that fixed itself in the first little while.

    I did eat bread for breakfast and had a sandwich for lunch. I am hoping that the carbs this morning helped with the walk, but I am done with bread for the next few days. Tomorrow I will be back to meal replacements for most of my food intake… plus probably one meal per day. For that meal, I might have to bite the bullet and make it the evening meal, because starting tomorrow we will be with Leslie’s son, and I do not want him to think that I am not participating as part of the family. I am okay with that… he’s worth it, and so is Leslie.

    I do not know what our plans are for the evening, but Leslie understands and supports my meal plan, so we might get something for her, and I will have a meal replacement. We’ll see… the holiday ends this evening, and I am not going to make any more excuses. The next few days are weight loss days, baby! I am going to get on that plane to California next Monday as lean and mean as I can!

    Have a great day folks!

  • Push It!

    I was thinking, as I approached the last quarter-kilometre of my fitness walk today, that it was less than three months ago that I passed the exact same spot where I was today, and said ‘Wow, I can’t believe that I was able to finish five kilometres in such good time, with a pace of 10m54s per kilometre. I remember thinking to myself ‘I had better put on the brakes right here, stop my timer, and just take a relaxed pace back to the apartment. I really pushed myself today!’

    If I were to register a pace of 10m54s per kilometre today, I would consider it a terrible fail.

    I did push myself today, although I am still not hitting 8km, which in Canada is my bare minimum. I do not know if it is the heat (which today was nowhere near as prohibitive as it has been) or the humidity, or simply the fact that I do not know the area as well, and the routes I take are safer, but shorter. I do know that I am still proud of what I achieved today, and only wish I was carrying more water. Yes, I am worried that if I run out of water on a stretch of road where there is nowhere to buy another bottle of it, then I will end up panting my way back home. I finished my bottle as I came into the apartment today, 7.5km into the walk.

    • Distance: 7.5km (7km)
    • Duration: 1:13:40 (1:11:22)
    • Average Pace (Min/km): 9:49 (10:11)
    • Best Split-Pace Kilometre: 9m28s (9m33s)
    • Steps: 9.2k (8.7k)
    • Calories burned: 941 (857)
    • Elevation gain: 34 (27)
    • Average cadence (steps per minute): 126 (120)

    Today’s was the first walk in Dallas on which I have a total average pace under ten minutes. I am happy about that, and remembered along the way of one walk in mid-July when I was just hoping to finish seven kilometres in under 1h15m. While there is still the occasional walk when I do not achieve that pace, today was not one of them. These days, I try to keep ahead of 10 minutes per kilometre pace, which means that I will always be under 1h10m on the seven. Today I did it in 1h8m19s… not my record, but certainly a very respectable pace for me!

    I am glad that I am keeping active, and hope that I will be able to stay on track with my weight loss regimen. The holiday aside, I can definitely get back on track starting tomorrow. If I keep up my walking, there is no reason I should not be able to get back down below 315lbs by the weekend!

  • Don’t Lose Your Head!

    It is important, whatever one’s state of mind, to be prepared. When one is not prepared, bad things can happen. Fortunately, sometimes those bad things can be mitigated, and no harm is actually done.

    I was not in a great frame of mind when I left the house this morning to go for my walk. A misunderstanding led to a miscommunication, which led to my mind being elsewhere as I prepared to embark on my fitness walk. The consequences were that I left the house wearing my wedding band (my fingers swell when I walk, making it extremely tight) and my chain (no big deal) … and I left without water. Even if the thermometer was not tipping over 90° Fahrenheit, that is never a smart move.

    In fact, I left without my satchel, which is strange because I seldom go on a fitness walk without it. I even went looking for it (and found it) before going out… and then left it right where it was. When I say my mid was elsewhere, you can believe it truly was.

    I never walk with my wallet. I keep a few dollars in both Canadian and American in a pocket of my satchel, in case I need to buy a drink along the way. Without the satchel, I did not even have that. Fortunately, I do have a payment method set up on my phone, so halfway through my 7km trek I was able to stop at a convenience store and pick up a bottle of Gatorade.

    • Distance: 7km (10.5km)
    • Duration: 1:11:22 (1:42:06)
    • Average Pace (Min/km): 10:11 (9:43)
    • Best Split-Pace Kilometre: 9m33s (9m26s)
    • Steps: 8.7k (13k)
    • Calories burned: 857 (1,261)
    • Elevation gain: 27 (31.7)
    • Average cadence (steps per minute): 120 (126)

    I broke no records today. Well, I think it is my longest walk in Texas thus far, but that is not really important. It was a good walk. Not only did I get a lot of exercise, I had the opportunity to clear my head and to think. Unlike the last several walks (during which I have been listening to audio books), today I listened to my music. I did not have to focus on anything other than putting one foot in front of the other, and to not walking into traffic. I was able to think about things and come back home with a clear head.

    I suspect that after lunch, Leslie and I might grab a couple of cigars and head down to the pool. It is a mighty hot day out there, and Leslie found a new cigar that she loves at the event last night. I will be happy taking a couple of decent sticks (also most likely purchased at the event last night) and spending a lovely few hours soaking and smoking with my gorgeous bride.

    Leslie is preparing chicken dim sum for lunch. I am excited about that, and think that I earned it, what with my foray into the heat this morning.

  • Day 245

    It was 1:30pm yesterday when I sent my wife a text reading: Player 1 Achievement Unlocked: Airport Pickup. Yes, I did my walk. While I did not extend the walk down to Mainway, I did make it my longest walk (but only by 50 metres). I am also happy that not only am I able to keep my average pace under 10m00s, but aside from my first kilometre and the final half kilometre, every kilometre was below that time. I am happy that I am able to turn on my jets… and keep them lit.

    · Distance: 10.5km (9.35km)

    · Duration: 1:42:06 (1:31:03)

    · Average Pace (Min/km): 9:43 (9:44)

    · Best Split-Pace Kilometre: 9.26s (9m17)

    · Steps: 13k (11.2k)

    · Calories burned: 1,261 (1,147)

    · Elevation gain: 31.7 (46.2)

    · Average cadence (steps per minute): 126 (124)

    I continue to be disappointed by my weight loss. Yes, down is better than up… but I wanted to get back below the 315 mark before I flew to Dallas (tomorrow), and that is looking extremely unlikely. It is so easy to gain the weight, and exponentially harder to lose it.

    Yesterday, I was pretty good on the food. Instead of three meal replacements in the afternoon/evening, I had another single piece of chicken with a salad. I was really hoping that, coupled with the excellent fitness walk that I did, would have shown better than a .4-lbs loss this morning. No, that’s it. Thank you for playing!

    The weather today is pretty nice, and I thought I might go for a walk this afternoon. Then I ran into my neighbour this morning, and she asked if I could look after Charlie for a few hours in the afternoon. It is my absolute pleasure to take care of him, firstly because he is really easy to take care of, but also because he and Princess Sophie are such good friends and companions, and they play so well together. When he is here, I do not have to do anything, other than to take them for a walk if it’s been too long. I might take them for a walk, but a fitness walk is unlikely. This is not only because of the puppies, but also because my legs are definitely feeling the residual effects of yesterday’s walk.

    I miscalculated with my shopping and have no more chicken for today’s lunch. Rather than going to the store to pick more up, I decided to defrost a steak for lunch. I have plenty of veggies for my salad, which I am going to start preparing shortly after publishing this entry.

    Tomorrow is the big day. I am so looking forward to seeing my wife, it is almost painful. Barring unforeseen events at the airport, I will be seeing her tomorrow afternoon. I am jumping out of my skin with excitement! I know it has only been three weeks since I was there last, but we are married and are supposed to be together… always. Fortunately, I received the certified divorce certificate from the Quebec Ministère de la justice yesterday, which means that the only thing left to do is for us to get passport pictures taken (which we will do Friday), and for me to review the application… which at this point is just about dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s. At that point, we submit the application, and wait… too long, but at least it will finally be in motion.

    At this point, I am going to go about my day. I have laundry to fold, a suitcase to pack, and a puppy to snuggle with. I don’t have a lot more planned for the day – I cannot think of anything I need to buy or anywhere I need to go during the day. There is a chance that in the evening I will be meeting up with Eduardo and Sam for a cigar, but that is not yet confirmed. We’ll see. In the meantime…

    …have a great day folks!

  • Day 244

    I thought I did pretty well yesterday, although I did have some goldfish crackers – the last of them. Unless I go shopping for treats, I have no more temptations in the pantry that I can think of. I have no further need to shop – I went to the supermarket last night to pick up an onion and to collect my dry cleaning. I want to be able to wear those suits in a month; unless I stay on track, that is unlikely to happen. So, I will stay on track.

    Yesterday, I bought my ticket for Disneyland. There are not a lot of options for getting discounts, and rather than spending excessing time on this, I decided to just pay full boat. I am disappointed that my friend will be out of town – his wife works for the company, and they could have signed me in for free. I am really looking forward to it though – Leslie and her son are worth it!

    There is no rain in the forecast for today, and that means I will head out for a good walk. There are a few reasons for this, not the least of which are the consequences I mentioned a day or two ago. In truth, I am still trying to make fitness walking habitual. I am long past the stage when I worried if I was able to walk well, and most of the time when I embark on a fitness walk, I am going to try for a certain distance (almost always in excess of 8km). However, I have still not become addicted to it. I still have to say to myself on any given day, ‘Okay, I should go for a walk. This is what time I am going, and this is the route that I will take.’

    I really want fitness to be part of my nature that I just go. I want it to be an addiction. Of course, it will never be that simple… as it will never be as simple for me to lose and keep off all of my excess weight. I think, really I know that I will always have to work at these things. I have to admit that I was never a fitness junkie, which probably would have made a lot of things in my life much easier. If I had been, I likely never would have gotten to where I am. It is a sad realization maybe, but it is an honest one. Guys in my unit would wake up, roll out of their bunks, and be doing pushups before they even peed. I would always grumble something about coffee, even though I was in just as good shape as they were. I have never loved it… I just always knew it was good for me, and important to do. For far too many years, I ignored it. Wisdom comes with age, and at fifty years old I know that I can never ignore fitness, just like I will never be able to eat without thinking. That is a very certain recipe for failure, and I do not want that.

    Aside from my walking, I will likely stay pretty close to home today. If he were around, I might invite my son the elder for a drink; he is on the west coast with friends, so that’s a non-starter. I might reach out to a friend to see if they want to sit and chat, but I suspect that Lyle is busy preparing for his aunt’s visit. We’ll see.

    Speaking of my son (and his absence), I am going to have to get an Uber to take me to the airport on Thursday. That’s usually an opportunity to see my boy, but with his not being in town, I am deprived of that option.

    As it turns out, Lyle is free for a cigar. After my walk I’ll have lunch around 1:00pm, and then drive over there for a couple of hours. I do not plan to make it a late night – or even evening – because I am going to do laundry this evening, so that tomorrow afternoon everything that I want to take to Dallas (and of course to California) will be clean. I won’t pack tonight, but I will try to fold and organize everything.

    I was speaking with Leslie this week, and I told her that I am going to bring a lot of my summer clothes and just leave them there. After all, by the time I am back (October 16) it is a safe bet that the short-pants weather will be behind us for the season. When she asked if I won’t need them in the spring, my initial response was that I could bring them home in time for that. When I gave it some thought, I was happy to tell her that if all goes according to plan, all of the shorts that I am wearing now will be too big for me by the spring, and I will need new ones anyways. Despite the bumps along the road (like this past couple of weeks), my goal is to be down another fifty pounds by next spring… if not more. Leslie agrees that if I am able to accomplish that, it will be a pleasure to have to buy new shorts!

    I have procrastinated enough. It is time for me to hit the trails. I am not sure now steady my knees feel, so I am going to plan for an 8km walk, with the option to extend it if I am feeling up to it. I will walk through the park to Appleby Line, up to Dundas Street, then back down. If I am feeling ambitious at that point, I can continue down to Mainway for the extra couple of kilometres. We’ll see. For now, I am going to start by suiting up and heading out.

    Have a great day!

  • Day 243

    My plan for this morning was to go to the courthouse in Milton to get a copy of the divorce certificate from my marriage to Theresa. Last night I started to worry that I might have a problem… today is the funeral for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and it is a federal day of mourning, with all federal and many provincial offices closed. I did not know whether the courthouse, a joint provincial and county building, would be affected. I decided to call ahead in the morning.

    Before I wrote my article I did just that, and it’s a good thing that I did. Yes, the courthouse would be open… but counter services were only offered until 11am, which meant that if I dawdled at my computer, I might miss the window. I went, I got it, I am home. The day goes on.

    I rather expected to be at the courthouse for hours. In fact, I was out within fifteen minutes. While I was in Milton, I went to visit a couple of friends for a few minutes each, but I am now home. In a couple of minutes, I will start preparing lunch. This afternoon, I am getting my haircut, as well as hopefully selling an end table that I have been trying to offload for months. If the person does come to pick it up, I will be quite pleased.

    I don’t have much else planned for the day. I originally thought the day was going to be really busy, but the short time at the courthouse essentially ended that notion. I will probably do some reading, but if the weather cooperates, I might go for a nice walk. We’ll see how it goes. It rained for a bit this morning, but as of right now, the forecast is quite nice.

    There are two dogs playing behind me. Charlie (Princess Sophie’s very good friend) is over for a visit, and they are play-fighting on the couch. It is so nice to have them playing. Happy dogs are such a joy!

    I will also print a return label for Amazon, which I nearly forgot about. I bought a hard drive for my friend’s computer, but now that he is buying a new computer, I can return it. So often in the US, Amazon returns do not require a box or a return label. I forget that in Canada it is never so simple. I’ll print it and drive down to Purolator on my way back from the barber. It is only a $50 hard drive… but it is my $50!

    As I hoped, the bathroom scale was going the right direction this morning. I am now only 2.5 lbs from my best weight, which means that if I keep up the routine, I might hit that again by Thursday. Eating well, walking a lot… not tough, right? Sure…

    Have a great day folks!

  • Support of Friends and Family

    There are differences between nagging and encouraging. Having been exposed to both, I am familiar with many of them.

    Encouraging someone comes from a place of love, caring, and concern. It is done when someone is open to your input, and when you try to convey it in a way that will be accepted and is meant to help.

    Nagging might also come from caring, but it is usually done in a way that will discourage the person. It is done with a tone that can be hurtful or belittling, it might even be accusatory. While it might be intended to help, it can beat the person down and discourage them, having the exact opposite effect.

    A couple of months ago, Leslie and I were speaking about my weight loss regimen, and she told me that she was sorry for several things that she had said. I did not understand why and told her so. She reminded me that within the last few days she had:

    · Called me when I told her I might be too tired to walk and told me ‘Get dressed and go for a walk, Mister!’

    · Encouraged me to not have an extra salad one evening, calling it a ‘gateway salad,’ essentially that if I thought that having the salad with just vegetables was okay, I would not only make it a habit, but would then start adding canned salmon and seeds to it.

    · Reminded me on a number of occasions that I was doing well, and to stay strong so that I could accomplish what I wanted to with this diet.

    Over the years, I have told several people – not only individually, but I went so far as to write articles on it – that I did not want their input on my weight loss. That was not only about unsolicited advice, but even comments about my progress. When it comes to weight loss, everyone seems to have opinions and advice. It is all meant to be encouraging, but so often has the opposite effect.

    I cannot tell you how many times people have said to me something like: ‘You are doing great on your diet! You should try…’ and then shared their advice with me. Folks, if I am doing well, then let me continue doing what I am doing. For that matter, if I falter then the best way for me to get back on track is with the familiar, not with something new.

    I have a friend who weighs more than I do and has also over the last few months lost a lot of weight. He is doing incremental fasting, and the results are incredible. We have discussed his methods several times… and he knows mine. What he has not done was told me that I have to try this.

    When you are losing weight, it could feel good to hear people tell you how great you look. That is not always the case though, and because of that, sometimes I just do not want to hear it. I like to think that I have a pretty thick skin, but when someone tells me that I am doing good on my diet it is a judgement, and oftentimes I do not want to be judged.

    The last few days, as I have written, I have faltered quite a bit. While I walked quite a bit while I was in Montreal, I ate badly. On my second day back from Montreal, I went on an amazing, longest-walk-ever. That was Monday. Since then, I have not exercised, nor have I stuck to my weight loss regimen.

    Yesterday evening, my wife asked me if she needed to show me tough love… knowing that I have not been doing well. I told her that I did, and so she told me that if I did not get out for at least two really good walks before coming to Dallas, she would not pick me up from the airport. It’s rather a longer walk than I am comfortable committing to, so I figured that I had better set out today for my first of at least two good walks before Thursday.

    • Distance: 9.35km (10.45km)
    • Duration: 1:31:03 (1:44:12)
    • Average Pace (Min/km): 9:44 (9:58)
    • Best Split-Pace Kilometre: 9m17 (9m36)
    • Steps: 11.2k (12.8k)
    • Calories burned: 1,147 (1,242)
    • Elevation gain: 46.2 (37)
    • Average cadence (steps per minute): 124 (122)

    Do I think that my wife would have left me stranded at the airport? Of course she would not. She knows me though, and she asked if I wanted her to be tough on me. She knows that she has leave to use the carrot and the stick. I actively seek her encouragement, support, and when warranted, her berating. While most of the people who try to give me advice and encouragement are equally well-meaning, their input is not welcome. Leslie’s is welcomed and actively sought. I do not expect her to lock me out of the house if I don’t walk X number of kilometres this week… but I also do not want her blowing sunshine and roses up my rear what I am having a bad time of it.

    I did not break records today, but I had a really good walk, and a really good sweat. I am going to take my shower, and then start preparing my lunch. After that, I will go shopping, and will try to pick up enough provisions to take me through my flight on Thursday. I am usually pretty good, but every single trip to the supermarket is another opportunity for me to falter. I will not! I will, however, buy milk for my coffee, a couple more packages of chicken, and lettuce. I will check, I might also need an onion. I do not think there is anything else that I need, and today’s can be my last trip to the supermarket until I am home from Texas in a month.

    Have a great day folks!

  • Day 242

    Today is the day that I get back on track. Sunday, September 18th. It is precisely two years to the day since I lost my footing after Yom Kippur services, and my life went from one of disciplined eating to one of unabashed gluttony. Rather than getting dressed as I usually do this morning, I donned my walking kit, even knowing that it would be two hours before my fitness walk.

    My slide into sloven ended today. My weight loss slide ends today. Today is the day I hit the road and dig my heels in and say, ‘I am not sliding down this slippery slope any further!’ I have had my meal replacement, I am nearly through my second cup of coffee, and I am not going to cheat on my weight management program today. Tomorrow morning, I am going to wake up, step on the scale, and I will be pleased with the numbers.

    I have a lot more to write, but the truth is that I have a short window of opportunity. According to the weather forecast, it might start raining by noon. If I go out now, I will be back by 11:30… sweaty but dry. Maybe I’ll take my hat, just in case. After all, meteorologists were put on this earth to make psychics look respectable.

    Have a great day folks!

  • Day 239

    Yesterday did not go as planned, but it did not go too badly. After my minor procedure at the doctor’s (which did not hurt a bit) I came home and made lunch. So far, I was on track.

    I then had a bunch of Salt and Vinegar Goldfish. Not so much on track, but still not off the rails.

    My housekeeper came, and I sat on the balcony with my book and a cigar. We are still doing well.

    Around dinner time, I decided to polish off the leftover fajita bowl from the previous evening with my son. I had forgotten that he had given me a single wing in my leftovers container. Both the fajita bowl and the wing were delicious!

    Late in the evening, I had a meal replacement shake. I was quite peckish, and I did not want to go to bed hungry.

    Throughout the day I drank more water than I usually do on non-exercise days. I think that is one of the reasons my weight was down nearly a pound today (from the reading on the bathroom scale from yesterday, and not from the doctor’s office reading). I am happy about that, but I know I have to get out for a walk today, which I will probably do after lunch. Sun and all, the forecast high for the day is 64° Fahrenheit, and I am wondering if I should tough it out in shorts, or if my training pants are the uniform of the day. I suspect that I’ll stick with shorts, but that will be a gametime decision.

    I reached out to my diet buddy about this evening. She has missed more meetings than she has made these last couple of months, and more often than not, I have not gone out of my way to keep her in line. While most of the time it has been because I have had other things going on, the truth is that she has not really been managing her weight loss, and I have felt it a bit discouraging to meet with someone weekly who would tell me about the poutine and whatever else she was eating. Two weeks ago, she told me she was starting the program again. I look forward to chatting with her this evening, and seeing what progress she has made.

    I am feeling a bit out of sorts today. It is not a physical thing; it is just one of those ‘Lost in Space’ days. I usually take a bit of time to write my morning article, getting distracted by the odd email or whatever. Today, I say here for nearly two hours, looking at Facebook and Discord and whatever else, until I finally wrote this last paragraph. If I had not gone overboard yesterday, I might have thought it was a calorie deprivation thing. No, I doubt it… not after the extras that I ate. I must just have my head in the clouds.

    In one week I am flying to Dallas, and I will again be with my lovely wife. I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about that. Over the three-week period I will be in the US, I will also spend six days in Southern California, visiting my old stomping grounds. It will be good to catch up with old friends, every one of whom I miss dearly. I chatted with one this morning, and I officially started putting social engagements into my calendar for that week. Yes, the general theme will likely be cigars. The first such event I have put in is at the Grand Havana Room, one of (if not) the most prestigious private cigar lounges in the country. Fortunately, I have several friends who are members, and so getting in has never been an issue for me. With that said, I am more excited to see my wife (who I saw two weeks ago) than I am most of my friends (who I have not seen in a year). She truly is my beloved. 

    Have a great day folks!

  • Let’s Beat Ten!

    I set out with a bold path in mind for today’s walk. I had not walked since Friday, and I decided to expand on my normal local routes, which until today have all been around 8km. I was not sure when I set out how much farther my route today would be; I suspected it would be a little over 10km, maybe 10.5km. As it turns out, I was right… 10.45km, starting from the parking lot of my building, down to Mainway, across to Appleby Line, up to Dundas, then back down Walker’s Line to my parking lot. I made one pit stop at the 8km mark, popping into the gas station to pick up a bottle of Gatorade. I had finished my water bottle, and did not think it smart to try to make the last 2.5km without hydration.

    • Distance: 10.45km (10km)
    • Duration: 1:44:12 (1:41:33)
    • Average Pace (Min/km): 9:58 (10:08)
    • Best Split-Pace Kilometre: 9m36 (9m44s)
    • Steps: 12.8k (12.6k)
    • Calories burned: 1,242 (1,188)
    • Elevation gain: 37 (62.7)
    • Average cadence (steps per minute): 122 (124)

    I did not break any speed records, only for distance; today was the longest walk I have recorded, besting my previous best by 450m and about 3 minutes. Five of ten kilometres was at or under the 10m00s pace, although my last 450m was on a pace for 9m33s. I did not need to be a hero to prove that I could do it; In truth, I also did not know that I was on pace to do that.

    While it was a terrible cheat, I carbed up for the walk with an indulgence of Goldfish crackers, which I should not have done. There are some athletes who benefit from the consumption of carbohydrates before a workout; I have never been one to notice a difference, and I do not think I did today. In truth, I think I might have felt heavier in my first two kilometres for having enjoyed that snack. I will try to be good the next few days. I will also try to skip one of today’s remaining meal replacements because I know that what I ate is much more than the 160 calories in a meal replacement.

    I am enjoying the book on tape that I am listening to, although it makes me want to reenlist in the Army to go fight the Nazis. Yes, it is one of those books that my father and his generation so revered – the Jewish community in Poland at the outset of World War 2, claiming that things are bad but at least they cannot get any worse… and the hero soldier fighter who wants them to pick up arms, all the while most of them are talking of forming a Jewish homeland. Leon Uris’ massive novel was on my father’s bookshelf for so many years, but I never thought to read it. Indeed, at the time I would have been intimidated by the size of it. I started listening to it on the drive home from Montreal and am enjoying it. That is not to say that it does not infuriate me from time to time… few Jewish soldiers would not be enraged by the progression of Nazism.

    Earlier today I went shopping for my provisions (forgetting to pick up more lettuce… oops). I decided to take my suits to the dry cleaner… to be specific, I took two suits, a sports jacket, a pair of pants, and one shirt to the dry cleaners. All of them were custom tailored when I originally lost all of my weight in 2017, and they fit again two years ago when I lost all of my weight the second time. Yes, this will now be the third time I have lost all of this weight, and while they do not fit me yet, they will in the next month to six weeks. I want them to be ready for when my wife comes to see me in November, so I can take her out dressed in a nice suit. The dry cleaner asked if it was okay if he only got them back on Saturday, I told him that would be fine. They may not fit yet… but there is room in my closets – both in Canada and in Dallas – for them for when they do fit… and that will be soon.

    It is time for me to hit the shower, and then take Her Royal Floofness on her walk. I got the Step Into September badge on Garmin Connect without any doubt today, but I still have responsibilities to my puppy to make sure she is taken care of, and is not forced to have accidents in the house. I will take her out after my shower. This evening, I will have another lovely cigar on the patio date with my wife. I do not think I have any other chores to do… although I know that tomorrow and Wednesday, I have a bunch of errands and doctors’ appointments on the book. Tonight, I can take it easy.