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trails near Brock Monument

On Friday we had pizza & Pepsi for dinner again. I didn't stuff myself.
Watched some tv and, since I wasn't tired, to bed very late.

Saturday my sister and I went for another walk along the trails near the Brock monument. We walked for quite a bit longer than we did previously. And it was up and down a hillside - not very steep but a good work out. Took loads of pictures - the one above is along the escarpment, just across from Lewiston, NY.
A beautiful day for a walk - not too chilly.

Since then my insomnia has kicked in - unable to sleep much Saturday or Sunday night. On Monday I tried to sleep but kept coughing. Ended up out on the couch, partially sitting up. Slept for 4 hours, or so. Been feeling sort of blah since then.

Am otherwise keeping busy. Reading, knitting (socks - which will be Christmas gifts). Perhaps I'll go out for a walk later this afternoon.

Pepsi free

Sunday walk - near Brock monument, Queenston, Ontario

Friday night we had pizza and wings for dinner. I washed mine down with Pepsi. 

As we were eating we got to talking about the last time we ordered from this place. It was last August - just before I quit drinking Pepsi. 

Every time I tried to lose weight/eat healthier I knew that I would have to give up Pepsi. I knew about the sugar, what it was doing to my teeth, etc. But I justified drinking it by saying that I didn't drink coffee or tea. 

But in August I knew it was time to give it up. And, as luck would have it, I got a wicked summer cold - pounding headaches, stuffed sinus, lack of appetite and just wanting to sleep. I decided that since I felt like crap anyway that it was the perfect time to give up the fizzy stuff and that I could blame the withdrawal headaches on being sick. 

The first day wasn't too bad as I slept a lot. But the following two days I had really bad headaches. Then I was over the cold and over Pepsi. 

Then I got addicted to ice tea.  ;-D

At first I had a few Pepsi cravings - I gave in to some, to others I just drank water or tea or ice tea. Sometimes, when I went out for a burger I'd have a Coke - but it didn't trigger a Pepsi relapse. Other times I'd have a Sprite or ginger ale - again, no relapse. One time I bought a 500ml bottle of Pepsi. I had 1 sip out of it and gave it to my nephew. To my taste buds it tasted like Pine Sol - - yeech. 

But this past Friday was the first time where I told myself I'm going to have a Pepsi with my pizza. And it was soooo good. After the pizza was gone so was my craving for Pepsi. 

But - I'd bought a 2l bottle of the stuff. So I drank what was left as I surfed or watched tv. 

Saturday my sister bought another 2l bottle when she went out. My nephew and I finished it off at dinner last night. 

Today - I woke up craving water. go figure. 

Day After

Saturday my sister and I went to Buffalo to do some shopping. I needed some track-suit type of pants to wear for my curling class. I went to the Adidas and Reebok stores - I found some stuff in the women's sizes that fit (!) but nothing was exactly what I needed. Ended up going to Old Navy and getting an XL sweat pants, an XXL training pants to wear underneath, and a polar fleece vest. Then we went to get some groceries and then dinner.

Sunday morning was the curling class. I couldn't remember exactly when the class was to start - I thought 9:30 or 10:30 - but since there wasn't an email from the instructor, I hoped for the best and showed up at 9:30. I was 1/2 an hour early! 

There are 26 of us in the class - but not everyone showed up. The guy I worked with in the clinic, Dave, gave us a course outline and told us when the next couple of classes will be, and a bit about curling etiquette.Then we were divided up among several volunteers and went out on the ice. Some in the class have been on different teams but never had proper instruction, others had played before but want to brush up on their skills, and then there are those that have never played before. We all grouped together and were taught by a different Dave. 

During the clinics I did okay. I was able to walk on the ice and be sort of comfortable - not this time. I was able to do okay in the hack - not this time. I actually fell on my ass a couple times! jeez. And what really bugged me is that I pulled a muscle - but I toughed it out and kept at it. 

Dave had a great idea - he had us get into our delivery stance, then he pulled us a bit so our bodies could feel how they were supposed to move. It worked for me - my stance got better and I didn't fall anymore. My delivery is still crap but it is something I can work on in the kitchen - since that is the only room with tiles on the floor. 

Shortly after 11 we were put on teams and played a couple ends. I had a couple really good deliveries - and I had a couple really lousy deliveries. On my very last throw I could feel my delivery going wrong from the second I stepped out of the hack - - sort of like a golf swing - you know it's going wrong and is going to be awful but you have no choice to follow through. Well - my rock barely made it to the hog line. But since the other rocks were in really good positions we ended up winning that end. 

When I got home we watched a bit of tv and then we had Joe take the air conditioner out in the bedroom and put it in storage. We cleaned out a couple closets - put away the cotton sheets and got out the flannel ones, Bernie went thru some of her stuff.
I made carrot soup and hot dogs for dinner. 

I wanted to take a quick nap - but ended up sleeping for, like, 3 hours. Then I couldn't fall asleep until after 3am. Up at 9 and dead tired. 

going to make chilli for dinner. Have some errands to run this afternoon. 

NLYBD

According to Mz Fit today is National Love Your Body Day.
She had quite a nice post about why she loves her body.

I, on the other hand, am only mildly infatuated with my body: in all honesty, there is just too much of it! Don't get me wrong - I know things could be worse - - and they have been!
Thankfully, things are (sloooooooowly) beginning to be better. I can walk without huffing and puffing or having my knees or ankles hurt. I can swim more laps at the pool than I could a few weeks ago. I can get on the treadmill or elliptical without fear. I am beginning to run again. This weekend I'm starting a curling class.
I want to start working with weights again. I eventually want to take a Zumba and a Spin and a Kickboxing class.

Today I had to go clothes shopping - I've not lost a lot of weight but enough that my current jeans are too lose. Last spring I got 2 pairs of size 18 jeans at Old Navy. I wore them for a few weeks and then, when I was in California, started wearing shorts. I finally gave up the ghost a few weeks ago and admitted it was no longer shorts weather. Oddly enough - both size 18 jeans no longer fit the same! One is tight and the other was comfortable - possibly because I've worn it more and it has stretched out of shape. This weekend is an engagement party for a friend. Both jeans are too ratty to wear to the party - so off I went to see if I could find anything.
At Old Navy I checked out the clearance rack. I found 2 pairs of jeans on the '1/2 off the clearance price' rack. So - 2 pairs of jeans and an exercise shirt for $15. yay! Both jeans are size 18 - but they fit comfortably. Hopefully I won't need them for very long!

Rockin' out

There's a Curling Club a few blocks from where I live. Last year, when I moved here, I sort of thought to myself, "huh, there's something I've always wanted to try. I'll go in sometime and see about classes or a beginner's league."
But - I never did.

Last October I noticed a sign saying that they were going to have clinics. I was out of town when the classes happened. I went in to find out when their next classes would be but the woman I talked to didn't seem to know a lot about it. She took my name and number but I never did hear back.

Last month I noticed the sign was up again - clinics would be held for 3 days after Thanksgiving. So I thought, "Bound to make one of those classes!"
I wanted to go on Wednesday - but I had to pick Bernie up from work, take her to pick her car up at the garage, then we went out for dinner.
Thursday I made sure I had dinner ready as soon as she walked thru the door (Potato Soup from the Weight Watchers cookbook). We were talking about stuff and then she decided that she just had to bake some cranberry muffins. While she went out to the grocery store I headed over to the Curling Club.
When I got there I found out that most of the people there had been there the previous 2 nights! yikes! I'm behind before I even start.
Anyway, they were doing stretches. When they were done one of the instructors said it was time to hit the sheets. One of the other instructors asked if there were any 'newbies' but it came out sounding like 'Newfies' which everyone thought was funny. The only newbies were me and 3 retirement age gentlemen. One had played in a league over 30 years ago, the other 2 had never tried it. But like all Canadians - we've seen bonspiels and The Brier on tv!
So the instructor had us watch a little video then he took us down to the ice so we could try walking on the ice. More video. Then we practiced stepping into the hack and working on a delivery (without a rock). It was a bit difficult for me to crouch into the hack because I was wearing blue jeans - which weren't very comfortable - and I'm so not in shape. Then we got to throw the rocks - which was a lot of fun. We each had a few practice ones, then we tried aiming at our instructor. My throws weren't that great - the first didn't go far, the next 2 hit the boards - but each rock went further than the previous one.

Then the clinic was over. *sigh*
It was a lot of fun.

I've signed up for the instructional league. yay!

And today I am very happy because I am not sore at all! I did some stretches but the instructor, Dave, predicted I'd be sore.

all done! (I hope)

I'm baaaaack!

Have been seriously stressed running around. Went back to Windsor for the long weekend. I think we have finally finished up around the house - other than trimming the maple tree along the drive and maybe touching up some painting. Thank the lord that headache is almost over. 

Now - all we have to do is rent the place out again. *sigh* 

It was a good weekend - one of Joe's friends came and helped with the painting, beautiful weather, our SIL spoiled us with the cooking and liquid refreshments. 

On Sunday she took us to brunch at a riverside restaurant in Detroit. Afterwards we stopped at Pewabic Pottery museum/gallery. It is quite a nice place! 

My SIL, Shelagh, at Pewabic Pottery.

Thanksgiving day Bernie made pancakes and sausages for breakfast. Then we went over and finished up at the house. Back to Shelagh's in time for a spaghetti dinner. Then on the road - didn't get home until quite late, midnight or so. 

Tuesday a quiet day for me - Bernie at work and Joe at school. I did some stuff around the apartment, surfed far too much. 

Bernie and I went to the casino after she was done work. A good day for me - I won. However - I think it is enough to pay for the damage done to my car when I hit a racoon when I was driving on the 401 on Friday night. He took out a foglight and did some damage the housing for it. And I think I need two new tires, too. I thought I could put that off since it is almost time to put the winter tires on but was driving in the rain the other night and I was hydroplaning a bit. So - new tires! *sigh* I would have liked to do just about anything else than spend my winnings on the car. 

Today I'm glued to the tv watching the Chile mine rescue. I think this is only the second time since I lost my job that I've actually missed work. (The first time was Michael Jackson's funeral). Obviously I don't watch a lot of tv anymore! 

I have to pick Bernie at work today - her car is in the shop. Afterwards I'm going to go to a curling workshop.

busy, busy, busy

ye gods! It's been a while since I last posted.

Blame my sister's former tenants. They moved out in mid-September and we've been working on getting the place cleaned up and ready for new tenants.
The former tenants seemed like a nice couple and it looked like they took care of the house. Boy - were we wrong! They obviously had anger issues - every bedroom door showed evidence of being kicked in, the front door to the house, too. had been kicked in. At best they rarely cleaned - the soap scum in the shower made everything look gray, and the oven and stove were disgusting. No yard work had been done - grass hadn't been mowed in ages, bushes weren't trimmed (despite my sister leaving her tools at the house. BTW - they took said tools when they left!). Plus - they had lousy decorating taste. And a big smelly dog.
Carpets ripped up and replaced with laminate. Horrid, ugly, tacky paint has been primed and ready for something a bit more neutral. Unfortunately - new bedroom doors are out of our budget. Tons of stuff done. Just one or two things left to do.
There were prospective tenants. However - she didn't want laminate - she wanted new carpeting in both bedrooms. And some other things that we found unreasonable and out of our budget. Said prospective tenant did not appreciate when my brother looked at her, shook his head and said, "You're just renting the place, not buying it." Unable to reach a compromise with her so she moved into a development a few blocks away. I hope for her sake that things aren't as bad there as they used to be. There was a reason my sister didn't buy there.

Thanksgiving is coming up on Monday. No big plans - just going back to finish up the work at my sister's place. Perhaps we will visit the Point Pelee Winery or something. My SIL wants to do a buffet lunch - which sure beats cooking!

Other than that - things are going along much like before. Not much happening.
Haven't been too careful with my eating - but I've been so busy at my sister's that I haven't gained any weight.

Bella

I've been up and down the 401 again - and will be again in a few days. Heading back to Windsor to get my sister's place ready for the new tenants.
Of course this means my eating will go all to hell - pizza and fast food. But I will be doing stuff like painting and yard work so I don't think it will be as bad as if I were just going for a regular visit. Plus my SIL will be in Toronto over the weekend so that cuts down on some of the bad eating right there.

As for my eating the past week - this is what I remember of it:
Thursday -  My brother, Keith, and I headed down to Windsor. I had stuff at a storage facility near where Scott lives. It cost almost $120/month - which I can't really afford. So my SIL said I could put it in her attic. Rented a U-Haul and we were on our way.
Thursday's eats: 
Breakfast (9am) - bowl of cereal
Lunch - none - wasn't hungry all day.
Dinner (9pm) - pizza, bottle of Gatorade

Friday -
Cleaned up around SIL's - trimmed shrubbery, picked up garbage, took load of stuff to the dump. Went to my sister's house and cleaned up a bit there. Returned the rental truck. Then drove Keith home. Went to pick Scott up at a friend's place.
Friday's eats: 
Breakfast (9:30am) toast w/butter and blueberry jam, tea
Lunch - don't remember
Dinner - don't remember

Saturday -
Late start to the day but ended up being rather busy. A friend of Scott's had puppies for sale earlier this summer. Scott couldn't decided if he should get one - when he did make up his mind all the puppies had been sold. However, one of the buyers was allergic and had to give the puppy back. So Scott got that one.
She was born on the 4th of July. I suggested the name Bella - which Scott thought was a nice name. She's part Lab, part Pit Bull and part something else. I think she's a cutie.
After dinner I drove back to St. Catharines.

Bella - anxious to explore her new home.

Saturday's eats: 
Breakfast (11am) - scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit, tea. 
Lunch - none. Wasn't hungry due to late breakfast. 
Dinner (8pm) - pinwheel steak, corn on the cob, rice, glass of wine. 


Sunday -
Very tired from all the running around on Saturday - so I ended up having a very good night's sleep. Quick breakfast and then decided to head to Buffalo - wanted to do a bit of grocery shopping. Stopped at a Dollar store to get some stuff so Bernie could decorate her cubicle at work, to AJ Wright's to see what they had - Bernie ended up getting Joe a pair of shoes and a Southpole jacket. Then to Tops - didn't get all the groceries we had on the list as we'd spent more than planned at AJ's. *sigh* But we got plenty of milk - $1.99/gallon as opposed to over double that at home!

Sunday's eats: 
Breakfast (9:30am) - blueberry smoothie
Lunch (4pm) Bob Evans restaurant. Cup of potato and cheddar soup, grilled chicken club sandwich w/fries. Coke. 
Dinner - none - too full from lunch. 

Monday - Drove Bernie to work, Joe to school and then I came home and vegged out. Surfed some, read some, etc. Made pizza dough - however, while I was making it, it didn't feel right and I didn't think it would turn out - so when I picked Bernie up from work we went to the mall and had KFC. Got home - the dough looked fine.
Monday's eats: 
Breakfast - bowl of cereal
Lunch - don't remember
Dinner - KFC - gross, I know - but I'm PMSing and need the salt!  
Snack (1pm) - milk & cookies
           (8pm) - chocolate covered popcorn, ice tea. 


Tuesday - same as Monday. Reading: Obama's Dreams From My Father.
Tuesday's eats: 
Breakfast (9am) bowl of cereal. 
Lunch - 
Dinner - home made pizza.

catching up

For the past few days I've been practically living on the 401 - so this post is going to be a brief synopsis.

Friday:
Friday's eats: 
Breakfast - small bowl of cereal
Hit the bottom of the box of cereal and ran out of milk at the same time!
Lunch - small bag of potato chips, ice tea
Was about to fix lunch when my sister called and said that the Niagara Greek Festival was starting and that we could grab dinner there. Since I'd already opened the chips I ate them. Finished the ice tea and then drank water the rest of the afternoon.
Dinner - "Hercules" platter at the Greek Festival, Loukomathes, Sprite. 
Since I hadn't had lunch - by the time we got to the festival I was starving. Instead of just ordering a gyros or souvlaki sticks with a side of Spanakopita, or even a gyros or souvlaki dinner,  I went and ordered the Hercules platter. OMG - it was too much food. And then I had to have Loukomathes. And my sister got a box of assorted cookies.
While the food was excellent - I just ate too much. Even after I knew I should stop I kept eating because I felt hungry. Skipping meals is so stupid - I knew that then. And I paid for it with my overeating - I just felt awful all evening.
Snack - none! I was too darn full from dinner. 

Saturday
Saturday's Eats: 
Breakfast (10am) - protein shake. Made with 1 cup milk, 1 cup vanilla yogurt, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1 scoop protein powder. 
We were still feeling the effects of our overeating at the Greek festival. So I made us this shake.
Lunch (12 noon) - a nectarine, water
Went to Scott's to pick him up for the game. While I was waiting for him I checked out his fridge - the nectarine was the only thing that interested me.
Dinner (7pm) - 8 oz steak, asparagus, potato wedges. 2 raspberry beers, 1 scotch.
After the game we walked over to Liberty Village. We were going to have dinner at the Academy of Spherical Arts but they were closed due to a private function - so we went next door to their pub, John Brunswick Room. A lovely place - new for-sale art had just been installed and we got to check it out before our dinner arrived. Dinner and drinks were excellent. Afterwards we played a few games of pool, then walked down to the GO platform and caught our train home.
Snacks (midnight) 
- some potato chips
Had 2 Rum and Cokes before going to bed. 


Sunday
Sunday's eats: 
Breakfast (11:30am) - croissant, scrambled eggs, fruit medley (white grapes, Concord grapes, apple), Feta and Tomato salad w/olive oil and fresh Basil 
- A late night meant a late start on the day. Afterwards Scott went into town to hang out with friends and I went to the storage room at the office building to check and get my stuff ready to move it to my SIL's place for storage.
Lunch - none as we had such a late breakfast
Dinner (8:30pm) - Wendy's single combo (burger, fries, ice tea) 
When I got done arranging things in the basement I showered, tidied up a bit around the house, did some laundry, and read for a bit.
Scott called around 7pm and wanted me to pick him and his cousin, Trevor, up at his friend's place - he'd been drinking and didn't want to drive. Pizza was offered as a bribe.
By the time I got there the pizza was all gone. So on the way home I stopped at the Wendy's drive-thru and got a combo.
When we got home Scott admitted the pizza wasn't that great and that he was still hungry. So we started a BBQ for them - I didn't have anything as I'd had my burger.
Snack - none. 2 Rum and Coke. 


Monday
Monday's eats: 
Breakfast - none 
Lunch (11am) - Wendy's burger combo
Was awake at 5:30am - heard it raining and I wondered if Scott had closed the car door when we got home last night. He hadn't! Had to get dressed to go close it. Then I couldn't fall back asleep.
Had to drive to Windsor for a dentist appointment. Left Scott's around 10am. Stopped in London for lunch. Driving around down home looking for my brother - not at first 2 places I looked, stopped and had a quick visit with my tenant, found my brother at his daughter's place. On the road at 1:30pm to finish drive to Windsor - due to construction and late leaving my niece's - missed my appointment. Had to reschedule. Went to SIL's and dropped of some stuff to store in her attic. Had a nice chat with her - she gave me some more books. Around 5:30pm decided to hit the road - a quick stop so my brother could pick up some clothes, another stop at Scott's to pick up my stuff, then on to St. Catharines. Around 10pm we began to get hungry. We were going to get pizza but saw the Subway shop was still open.
Dinner (11pm) - Subway footlong sub - cold cuts. Ice tea. 
Snack - none. 


Tuesday
Tuesday's eats: 
Breakfast - 2 small blueberry muffins, hot chocolate
Drove my sister to work, nephew to school. Grabbed a Timmie's coffee for my brother. At home I had a quick breakfast. Then we were off to do some grocery shopping.
Lunch - 2 small blueberry muffins, ice tea
Doing stuff around the apartment - very sleepy since didn't get much sleep Sunday night - it finally caught up with me. Napped for an hour before I went to pick my sister up. Then another nap when we got home. Brother fixed dinner.
Dinner (7pm) - pork chops, pan gravy, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, Caesar salad. Ice tea. 
Snack - flan with tinned cherries, fresh raspberries and strawberries, whipped cream. 


Wednesday
Wednesday's eats: 
Breakfast (10:30am) - cinnamon and raisin bagel w/cream cheese from Timmie's. 
Dropped sister at work, nephew at school, then I went and did some laundry. On way home I got my breakfast and a coffee for my brother. Then we went out to get some car parts for my sister's car.
Lunch (2pm) - 1 small blueberry muffin
Surfing, updating blog.
Dinner - roast beef au jus, mashed potatoes, creamed peas, Caesar salad. 
Snack 

Market

Market haul: flowers and Italian plums

When we got home from our long weekend we found out that someone had slashed one of the tires on my sister's car. I can change the tire but all she has is the little donut tire. So we've just let it sit in the parking lot. I've been driving her to and from work.

Right next to her office is the city market. Market days are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Today I went and checked it out. I got some flowers, Italian plums, blackberries, cantaloupe, and beets.
On the way home I stopped at the grocery store and picked up sausages and Concord grapes.

Thursday's eats: 
Breakfast: cereal (9:30am) 
Lunch: 2 burritos w/sour cream, ice tea (1pm) 
Dinner: perogies w/bacon, sour cream and sauteed onions, baked beets, ice tea. Dessert - fruit medley w/whipped cream. 
Snacks: 

Time!

Things aren't going bad - - - so far.

Maybe because I'm keeping things fairly simple - no wild and crazy diets that make me feel deprived. I'm just going to try and eat sensibly: heathier, less processed foods. Walk, swim more. Less time in front of the tv and computer and more time outdoors or at the Y.

Time to get it done, as my Mom used to say.


Wednesday's eats: 
Breakfast: cereal (10am) 
Lunch: 2 burritos w/sour cream. ice tea. (12:30pm)
Dinner: spaghetti, garlic bread, salad. ice tea (5:30pm)
Snacks: 2 chocolate chip cookies (8pm)
             black cherry ice cream (9:30pm)
             2 chocolate chip cookies (11pm)
Reading what I've eaten today I am surprised that I've snacked so much. It is partly just because it is there. Partly because I love, love, love chocolate chip cookies - even the store bought ones. Definitely time to stop buying those!

A New Year

No I'm not early for Rosh Hashana - actually, I'm not even Jewish.

But here in St. Catharines, Ontario, it is the first day of school.

Despite the fact I haven't been to school in DECADES (!!!!), the first day of school always feels like the first day of a new year. Perhaps I feel that way because I've worked so many New Year's Eves and never was much for drinking & partying to make NYE feel very important. Yeah, I made the resolutions like everyone else but, other than that, it was another day. Sometimes we had a NY Day dinner but no real traditions - we didn't even take our Christmas tree down then (that would wait until just before going back to school or, much later, after my Mom's birthday). When my Mom was very young - 1930s on the reserve - kids used to go around to the elders homes and sing traditional songs and be given Indian cookies and cider or tea. But after residential school she didn't do that.

Today is my quasi-New Year's Day. hmmm - it seems that last night I had the usual Binge Eating Before Starting The Diet kind of snacking. So today is the I'm Going To Diet resolution day.

The resolution: to try loose 5 lbs. per month.

I've done the weigh-in: 238.5 lbs.
I've tested my blood: 8.2
I've even taken some pics:

238.5 lbs.

Clothes: XL t-shirt, XL Roots exercise shorts

238.5 lbs.

Clothes: XL t-shirt, XL Roots exercise shorts

Not a pretty sight, eh? Believe me - it has been worse.

Let's see how things go. 

Tuesday's eats: 

Breakfast - bowl of cereal (9am) 

Lunch - ice tea, (small) bag of chips (12:30pm) 

Dinner - home made carrot soup, roast beef sandwich, salad, ice tea (6pm)

On the road, again

Sunday -
The boys lurked around the basement - still pouting from having to actually do some work. The felt they were unappreciated for their efforts - despite doing a half-hearted job. Brendan tried to talk to Shelagh about it but his tone of voice made it clear that he felt he was put upon, that she was in the wrong and should apologize. Thankfully she stood up to him and didn't let him walk all over her. So he and Joe pouted in the basement - except to eat - and then they stood in the kitchen to do it and criticized what we cooked.
We went about our business: Shelagh doing a final reading on someone's thesis, Bernie working on her crocheting project, and I read. After breakfast I tidied up the room we slept in, packed the car, and, while I was waiting for Joe, cleaned out the linen closet. Shelagh even agreed to give some of the stuff away - 3 garbage bags of blankets and sheets.
Left around 4pm. Stopped by to visit our brother - but he wasn't home. So tried over at our SIL's place. He was there working in the garage. We visited with Connie and her mother, Una, for a while. Then we went back to my brother's place and had a bon-fire. Lit off some fireworks that we got for Joe's birthday.
Around 11pm we went back over to Connie's place - she had her own bonfire going. So we sat around and talked and told stories until 2 or 3 am.
Sunday's eats: 
Breakfast - fruit medley (cantaloupe, grapes, peaches), scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, toast, ice tea. (11am-ish) 
Lunch - lunch-meat sandwich, salad with flax seed, soya nuts and cheese, tomato & cucumber with feta and balsamic vinegar. ice tea. (2:30pm-ish)
Dinner - none
Snacks - none

Monday -
Went to bed around 3am - had trouble sleeping due to Bernie's snoring. Then around 6am the alarm on the stereo came on - native flute playing that went on for about an hour. Bernie managed to hog the whole air mattress. I ended up getting up and going to the washroom around 7. Then I went out and tried to sleep in my car. It was a bit chilly so I pulled the blanket out of the trunk and activated the heated car seats. Fell asleep for a bit. Woke up when someone pounded on my window to tell me the car lights were on. jeez. Got up around 10:30. Hung around chatting with Connie and Una. Then my brother and I took the golf cart up to the store to get some stuff for breakfast.
Huge breakfast - all the stuff I can remember from when I was a kid. This is the first time I ever ate oatmeal with only salt and pepper - I usually like milk and brown sugar or honey. But it was definitely a filling meal!
On the road about 2:30pm.
Stopped at Scott's for a bit.
Home before 7. Joe jumped in the shower and then was gone to hang out with friends. He was back by 11pm and went right to bed.
Bernie watched tv for a bit, then to bed around 10pm.
I watched tv, surfed the net. To bed around 1am.
Monday's eats: 
Breakfast - fresh green peppers, fresh tomatoes, bacon, sausage, fried bologna, fried green tomatoes, hash browns, oatmeal w/salt & pepper, water (1pm-ish)
Lunch - none
Dinner - grilled cheese sandwich w/ketchup, green tea (8pm-ish)
Snack - Super Jos. Louis (5:30pm) 

Big Night and the day after

Thursday was Joe's 18th birthday. He went out to celebrate with his friends on Wednesday night. The actual day - I let him sleep as late as he wanted, didn't make him do any chores around the apartment, after his mom got home from work we headed out of town. Which, he agrees, is a lot better than his 16th birthday - which was spent moving from his hometown to here. He spent the day loading the truck there and unloading it here - a job which lasted until 2am. And he had to start at a new high school the next day.
Friday he got to use his birthday gift - 3 tickets to the Jay-z and Eminem concert at Comerica Park in Detroit. He took 2 cousins - and I got to go as chaperone/teenager wrangler. It was interesting!

Friday - managed to sleep in. Not really rested but I just didn't feel like getting out of bed. Did a few odd jobs around the house, cleaned up a bit.

Took a special bus over to Detroit - $8 to & from concert. Much better than trying to drive and find a parking space. The concert was pretty good - although there was quite a bit of audio echo whenever Jay-Z or Eminem talked. When they sang you didn't notice it at all.
I was surprised by how many of the songs I knew - not all of them but a lot. The boys seemed to have a great time.

Tim, Joe and Brendan at the Jay-Z & Eminem concert

The bus ride home was interesting - we were the last ones on that particular bus. Some guy started chatting Joe up while we were standing in line - the guy was trying to pretend he was American and had just decided to talk to a random Canadian. Actually - he was just cutting in line. But that guy didn't shut up from the time he started talking to Joe until everyone got off the bus. And let me tell you - we had to listen to that guy for almost 2 hours! Thankfully he ended up talking to someone else - but damn, his voice carried. Even the bus driver had to tell him to shut up at one point.
Anyway - got on the bus shortly after the concert ended. Due to the heavy traffic - we didn't get back to Canada until after 2am!

When we got home the boys claimed they were going to bed - but I think I heard them playing video games. I had a few drinks with my sister and then I went to bed around 3am.
Friday's eats:
Breakfast - ?????
Lunch - ice tea, sandwich (lunch meats, cheese, mayo, mustard, lettuce) (5pm-ish)
Dinner - slice of pizza at concert (9pm-ish)
Snacks - dacqueri at concert (7pm-ish)
             vodka & cranberry juice (2am-ish)


Saturday:
Didn't sleep too late - all things considered. A large breakfast. Then upstairs to clean the attic. My sinus got a bit clogged because of all the dust.  We got most of it done - just a small alcove where Brendan put a bunch of stuff, a closet that we didn't bother with, 2 desks piled with stuff and 2 shelves with assorted stuff on them.
The boys were pouting since we made them work so they didn't want to go out to dinner with us. So the SIL asked one of my nieces to join us for dinner - we went to the buffet at the Windsor Casino.
When we got home I played around on the computer while Bernie watched tv, SIL read.
Saturday's eats: 
Breakfast - fruit medley (cantaloupe, grapes, raspberries), scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, ice tea (11am-ish)
Lunch - no lunch
Dinner - buffet at Windsor Casino - prime rib, spicy green beans, 2 chicken wings, 2 bbq ribs, small helping of mashed potatoes w/gravy, small helping of wild rice (not very good - didn't eat all of it), small bowl of assorted fruits. Dessets: small chocolate brule with whipped topping, 2 fresh strawberries, lemon pie, 1/2 chocolate bar cheese cake (didn't finish). 1 1/2 ice teas. OMG - I was stuffed. I did alright with the meal but went insane with the desserts.  (5:30pm-ish)
Snacks - none

On The Road

We will be heading out of town today - going to head to the SIL's for the weekend. 

I surfed a bit this morning, will do work around the apartment until it is time to go pick my sister up at work. 

Then we will be on the road - hopefully we will make good time. 

The day's eats:  
Breakfast - bowl of cereal (9am-ish)
Lunch - 1/2 of a steak (2pm-ish) 
Dinner - ??? 

Back again

So.......

I've been gone for a while. Things were going good, then they weren't. And, while I was in the middle of it, I just didn't feel like posting about it.

Then I got lazy.

But now. Well - it is back to school time and - - to me - - it feels like it is time to start anew.

So here I am.

I weighed myself this morning: 238.5 lbs.
Yeah - I'm waaaaaay up from the last time I posted a year and a half ago.
Believe it or not - I'm down from what I weighed this spring.

Current weight: 238.5
Next goal: 233.6 (by Friday, Sept. 30)
Target weight: approx. 215  (by Dec. 31). That means approx. 5 lbs/month. Which should be doable.

The day's eats: 
Breakfast - bowl of cereal (9am-ish)
Lunch - slice of pizza w/dipping sauce, can of ice tea (1pm-ish) 
Dinner - salad, steak, corn on the cob, pork and beans, ice tea (5:30pm) 
Snacks - 2 chocolate chip cookies (1pm)
             black cherry ice cream (9pm)
             potato chips (11pm)