What Is Called “Onederland”

10 Monday Jul 2017

Posted by in Exercise/ Fitness, food, Health Issues

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It has been a long time, a long time since I weighed under 200 pounds. At the Y, I weigh in every day I work out. I’ve shared how I have been going to Weight Watchers regularly and following their Smart Points© system. It works. It’s fun to track. Most importantly, it is an opportunity to eat some delicious food.

I wasn’t expecting to weigh under 200 so soon after I went back. The swimming helps. But following the plan is what makes the difference.

I have plans for the rest of the week. Believe it or not, I am intimidated by the Kitchen Aid stand mixer that is parked on the kitchen counter. One of my projects is to use the Kitchen Aid to make pizza dough.

I must say I am touched by the “likes” and kind wishes around my previous posts. It means a lot. I’ve grown very fond of my fellow bloggers whose posts I read and who, in turn, read my posts. Thank you. I love you all,

23 Years.

10 Monday Jul 2017

Posted by in Sobriety

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Today is my “other” birthday. On 9 July 1994, I had my last drink. So this day 23 years ago, I began the adventure that is sobriety.

This day is fairly new, it’s about 1:20 AM. Each year, brought something new: divorce, death of my mother,  remarriage, becoming Catholic , death of my father, then my elder brother, my surgeries, my retirement, and now losing the weight I regained since I lost about 50 pounds in 2006. There were other milestones I passed.

I guess what I’m most grateful for is the compassion I’ve developed for other people. I’ve learned to put my opinions aside.  Being a drunk means I am the scum of the Earth to some people. Recovery, to the cynics, is merely the time between drinks, and binges, and all out sustained drunkenness.   I learned that I am NOT what other people think of me, good or ill. Neither are you.

As in “real” birthdays, there are parties and presents and attention. And I am still an Attention Whore of the first order. But life is good. 

Fully Alive

07 Friday Jul 2017

Posted by in Exercise/ Fitness, food, Sexuality, sleep

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We have all these ideas about what that term “fully alive”means. Some associate the term with the adrenalin rush of sky diving or bungee jumping. Not being female, I can’t imagine what the experience of childbirth is like. But I suspect there is a heightened sense of what it means to be alive after the experience is over. Or maybe not.

What got me thinking about this was today. I took a car that was overheating into the shop, wondering if it would make it there, especially after it stalled out at a busy intersection. There, at the shop, serendipitously was an AA buddy who drove me home, despite that it took him out of his way. 

I had one of those monster cookies at the Starbucks inside Barnes & Noble. Triple. Chocolate. Chunk. It was good, but I would rather have had a mango.  Our preferences change.

And I thought about sex. Sex. The sweaty passion. And the noises. And the sacrifice of dignity as we come. And your lover knows your secrets. How you like to be touched. How you trust that lover, for at least that moment, and maybe, if you’re lucky, forever.

 I swim and the cold water feels good. My muscles stretch, reach,  and move me through the water. When I’m done the shower feels great and the soap smells good and I feel clean. 

The night comes. I feel tired, and hurt a little. As sleep settles in,  I’m euphoric. I want more. Of this day. Of the subtleties that enrich each moment of this blessing called life.

Thunderstorms And Defeat, An Epilogue

06 Thursday Jul 2017

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Well Shazzam!  The T-storms passed through. The pool reopened and I got a 2500 meter swim in. 

It’s a little later than I usually swim. Swimming after dinner beats the pants off sitting down in front of the Tee Vee. Now that YouTube is available via FIOS©, I can vegetate watching all of the World War Two crap put to film or video since 1939.  I can miss a show or two. Or maybe a few hundred shows even.

Thunderstorms and Defeat

05 Wednesday Jul 2017

Posted by in Exercise/ Fitness, sadomasochism, Uncategorized

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According to the YMCA, who manage a bunch of indoor swimming pools across the length and breadth of the Good Old U.S. of A, lightning can travel through glass and strike an indoor pool.  Understandably this would be bad news for anybody swimming in an indoor pool at the time of the lightning strike.  Currently we are having a thunderstorm.   I have yet to swim today.  The chance of a swim looks sketchy right now. But I get plenty of exercise.  Still I want to go swimming. Right now.

It has been a good day, all in all, despite watching the Yankee relief pitcher walk, yes, walk in what would be the winning run in a 7-6 loss.  This is torture, real torture for me. Tie me up. Beat me. Spank me. Peg my ass with the biggest strapon you own. Just don’t let me watch another fiasco like this

What A Day. 

30 Friday Jun 2017

Posted by in Bloggers, Catholic Life, cooking, Exercise/ Fitness, Family, sleep

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There is a phrase around AA that talks about packing much into the stream of life. I felt that today was one of those fully-packed days. I did not sleep all that well, waking up around Five AM, after sleeping maybe four hours.   I made coffee, texted with a friend,  and decided the 8:00 AM Daily Mass was in order. So I went.

I was hurting a little, OK a lot, and was not up for the standing and kneeling during the Mass. Today is the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, so the Mass included the Gloria and Credo, usually omitted on weekday Low Masses. Getting out around 8:45, I went shopping. I got a deal on a pork tenderloin and will fix it real soon.

After creating a breakfast that took parts of an Egg McMuffin, eggs Benedict, and creamed chipped beef, I made a poached egg sandwich on a whole wheat toasted English Muffin with chipped beef  and goat cheese. I ate it open-faced with a knife and fork. The protein made it quite satisfying,

Now I was sleepy, I slept another three hours. I woke up, spent some time on the computer, then went swimming at the Y while D, my stepmother did her exercise. Very satisfying experience. I told D that the worst part of driving was simply getting in and out of the car.

When I got home, I made a fresh tomato sandwich, using without hesitation or regret, real mayonnaise. FULL FAT. No feeble substitute. Worth every calorie.

During the day, I read blog posts, hoping my friends in the blogosphere triumph over their hardships.

After another nap, I whip up a satisfying supper from leftovers. Life feels pretty good right now. What I feel is love and connectedness to the world about me.

Diner Dante´ Haircut

28 Wednesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Bloggers, food, Literature, personal grooming

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This morning began late. Well actually it began too early. I was up around three AM because Mrs CorC? had episodes of Highway Patrol playing on YouTube. Somehow Broderick Crawford barking “10-4!” and the relentless orchestration had failed to take me to Dreamland.  So I was up for a while, settling my restless spirit, went back to sleep around four, waking up for good around eight AM.  I had a meeting at ten and put off eating until after the meeting.   I was nostalgically pulled to the quirky downtown diner I treat myself to from time to time.  I went down and, perusing the menu through the Weight Watchers filter,  found nothing I really wanted to spend a day’s worth of points to eat. So I had a scrambled egg, sausage and a biscuit and still used 18 Smart Points.  for some reason, the ambiance was off today.   Time to move on.

I’ve been having a delightful interchange with the author at Secret Life Of A Siren.  It started with her referencing Canto XX. I  know about  “Cantos” from Ezra Pound and Siren redirected me to Dante’, as in Dante’ Alighieri, author of a classic of Western Literature, The Divine Comedy.  Much to my embarassment, I admitted that I had not read The Divine Comedy, despite its significance in Western arts and letters.  A quick rummaging around my quarters did not reveal the copy I know I have, sooooo, I went to the public library, (of all places!) and checked out a copy.  Public Libraries are these places where you can borrow a book, read and return it and it’s free. Who Knew?

Next I went to get a haircut. I was past due for a cut. I told Brittany The Barber to use the #1 and show no mercy. She did. I feel normal again and not quite deranged, as I feel when my hair starts to look odd and sticks straight up when I run my fingers through it.06281713320628171342a

S Is For…

27 Tuesday Jun 2017

Posted by in Catholic Life, Exercise/ Fitness, food

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Sitting, Shaming, Swimming.

At the Weight Watchers weigh in, I did weigh in at 203 lbs. This is a big personal victory.  My next weight loss goal is to weigh in under 200 lbs. But enough about weight, the real fun lies in doing the things that get me to my goal, eating well but sensibly, exercising, meaning swimming and not worrying.

Eating well today featured a bowl of pho, that great Vietnamese dish. I figured the Weight Watchers Smart Points©. I guesstimate about 11 and that didn’t sound bad. It was tasty,

I was all set to sit a bit today, but by the time my stepmother and I got to the Y, I was up for a swim. I cranked out 2500 meters. 

“Shaming” came into my mind as I considered sitting around while D my stepmother did her exercises. I think “shaming” is more a Millenial concept, but I can’t think of a better term for my sitting around while my 91 Year Old stepmother worked out. So I swam. And fully enjoyed every minute.

My swim over, I decided going to daily Mass at 5:30 would be next. Mass was most restorative for me. 

So here I am finally sitting, savoring the moment.

P Is For….

27 Tuesday Jun 2017

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Pool, Play, Proud

So I could only lie there for so long before I got bored. I said to myself, “Just go swim. It’s all play for you,anyway.”

I went to the Y, got a lane in an all but empty pool and went about the swim.  But first, I weighed myself just as I do every day. I weighed in at 203. H-U-G-E Deal. I’ve been consistent in this weight range 203-205 for the last few days.

The swim distance was a toss-up. I just started and I settled at 2500 meters.  The post-workout weigh in at 200.8 lbs was consistent with the normal fluid loss I usually have of around 1.5-2lbs.

Proud. I’ve been doing Weight Watchers with a focused intensity.  I want the benefit to my musculoskeletal system that losing extra weight brings. I hope to get off hypertension and cholesterol lowering medications. I’m getting results. When I walked along the pool deck to my lane, I did not feel fat.

Yes. Yes. Yes!

L Is For…

26 Monday Jun 2017

Posted by in Uncategorized

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Lethargy. Lassitude. Lazy.

I’m lying in the sack, halfway to a pity party. I have ice on my sore sboulder.

I get my government money on Wednesday. I think I will support more artists on Patreon. 

And I will get a haircut.

My Weight Watchers weekly weigh-in is tomorrow. I’m predicting I’ve lost a couple more pounds.

That’s it. I’m done for now.