Random thoughts

Defluffing
So it's time to get serious about food choices. Remember how I said I only gained a pound from the DC/NY vacation? Well, I've discovered that if you continue to eat indulgently through 4th of July, then through a heatwave, then with more travels, 1 pound will turn into 4, and 4 pounds is enough for me to feel like there's me and then there's a layer of not-me on top. So I'm sticking to lots of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and reducing the carbs. I think this is in line with Susan Sarandon's thoughts on staying in shape as time goes on -- she believes in lots of sex and limited carbs, which she says works lots better than the opposite!

Oxymoron
I was wearing my Abercrombie sweatshirt on the plane to DC, and got my reading glasses out to dig into "Dinner With Dad". It occured to me that Abercrombie and reading glasses don't exactly go together and that made me laugh and enjoy the contrast all the more.

GDE
I really am cooking more. "Dinner With Dad" is an excellent book about a father who decides he's going to be more involved with his family by cooking dinners. I felt convicted and encouraged by what I read, and that's translated into some positive actions. For example, I'm not ok with cooking dinner then having my family scatter to leave me with the cleanup. So now I speak up, and they are more than willing to help. Also I've decided that I'm not going for restaurant quality with every meal. (That standard is what led to me just giving up on cooking alltogether!) But not everyone will like every single meal, and that's ok too. Last night we had Orzo Primavera, with shredded zucchini and carrots, and fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes.

Indulgences
I wish I could remember that the first couple of bites are ALWAYS the best ones, and that it's not necessary to eat the entire thing. This came up in Georgetown, when I ate my own dessert, and finished off two others and felt SICK afterwards. It came up again this last weekend when we went to see Ratatouille (a fantastic movie, incidentally) in Santa Cruz. My brother-in-law got me a bittersweet chocolate truffle from a specialty chocolate store, and this truffle was as big as my fist, so I'm pretty sure it's not designed as a dessert for just one person. But I sure did finish the entire thing off, again feeling really icky afterwards. Take away thought: the first few bites are always the best!

Prayer
I've spent quite a few hours at the hospital this week. My girlfriend, who I've known since we went through sorority rush in college, is really frightened because her husband is in the ICU and his lungs and his heart are not working right. Yesterday she was told to bring their daughters (ages 14 and 11) to see their dad, and to tell any family members to come if they want to see Mike again. Seeing him with a respirator and tubes and monitors, and knowing that we'd celebrated 4th of July at our house just last week -- well, it's pretty sobering. If you are not a praying person, just take a moment to be grateful for your health, because without it, truly nothing else seems all that important. And if you are a praying person, would you please say a prayer for Mike?