No news is not good news!

Apparently the old adage that no news is good news, is not necessarily true!

This week I've been sick all week... thus the "no news" part. So, is that good news? Obviously not.

So - no update this week, other than I'm alive! Imagine that.

Fashion (non)sense!

I would like to think that I'm savvy enough to have some sort of fashion sense. I don't know. Today, on my way back from Dr. Pain and passing Mister Softee and the other usual temptations along the route, I also had the unfortunate privilege (?) of walking behind a woman who, I think, might not understand what looks good on her figure and what does not. This woman was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of Daisy Duke short shorts and sandals. Okay, so nothing too shocking there - that is if you are about 16-20 years old and have a slender body, and slender legs too. This poor woman's 'muffin top' was spilling so far over the itsy bitsy shorts that it was hard to tell if the shorts were low riders or not. What I do know is that they were excessively short - and very tight. So not only did she have a muffin top, her thighs were squeezing out of the shorts as if they were escaping some type of high pressure tube. This woman was under the delusion that she was a svelte size 10. Her sandals were nice though!

Then I passed another woman - walking toward me - who appeared to be somewhat strung out. She was wearing a 'cardigan' (I use that term loosely) that was hanging off her. She also had a flashdance type top on and was obviously braless - I know that because her right boob was literally completely exposed! She was wearing track pants that were way too big for her. She must have weighed about 110 pounds - soaking wet.

What polar opposites. I think they got their wardrobes mixed up!

Then, to make matters even worse, I passed Cultures/Thai Express and looked in the window - there was another woman, rather tall, wearing jeans, a sweater and track shoes. She too had a muffin top and looked really frumpy. I wanted to scream at her, to tell her that she looked so frumpy and didn't she realize that........ oh wait, that was my own reflection in the glass!

Sigh.... It's friday again.

1 point ice cream....I must be dreaming!

I went to see Dr. Pain, the Chiropractor, again today. He is adjusting (no pun intended) quite well to his new name! Again, on the way out, Mister Softee was staring at me in the face... begging me to come and see and taste... vanilla, chocolate, the 'twist', which seemed totally appropriate to me after being adjusted. I walked by, crossed the road, ran into hot dog vendor number 1, crossed another road, hot dog vendor number 2, another road and voila, mister softee number 2 right in front of the hospital.

I hate Toronto!

I did find a delicious treat at the grocery store - Chapman's Yogurt+Plus Madagascar Vanilla - 1/2c = 1pt. YES!!! It's true! It doesn't even taste low fat! It's fantastic. Try the chocolate - 1/2c = 2 pts. No more will I sit by, drooling, while my family and friends eat ice cream! I can have a decadent delicious delight all to myself and not wreck my week.

So, take THAT, Mister Softee! You don't hold any power over me anymore! Bah!!

Dr. Pain and Mr. Softee

Today is Friday. The sun is shining. All is right with the world. I think.

Because of my rather sore back, I've been re-visiting my chiropractor whom I have nick-named "Dr. Pain".. or as I called him today "Helga." I mean, please. He's been working some very tight areas in my upper back, my lower back, my butt, and my neck. I told him not to work too much on the butt, if it was getting tight, let it go! he he. Okay seriously, he's been doing a great job and my pain has been decreasing with each visit. His real name is Dr. Robert Evans... okay that name alone conjurs up images of sausage and bacon, and eggs, and home fries, and Biscuits and sausage gravy at Bob Evans in the U.S.

..... I need a moment .....


Okay, I'm back.

So, yes, went to see Dr. Pain today. On my way back to work I passed not one, but TWO ice cream trucks "Mister Softee"... seriously! I thought "this is providence, first I see dr. pain and then I see Mr. Softee... it's a sign!"

I walked past both trucks, and two hot dog vendors... but my stomach was now very upset with me - so I ducked in to a Timmies - and bought chicken noodle soup. Probably the best choice of the day. I rounded it out with a fat free yogurt, an apple, and skim milk. Good choices.

Weigh in tomorrow. Sigh.

Of course, she doesn't weigh nearly as much as you!

Last week was busy for me. For most of it, I lay flat on my back. Muscle spasm - bad. I couldn't get into the car and so spent a few days working from home with my laptop on my stomach while I strained to see the screen. Not ideal. On Thursday I flew to Halifax for a meeting. I remember getting up and showered, dressed, and making my way downstairs to see, standing at my door, my driver who was 15 minutes early! Ack! I hustled as best I could and finally walked out the door. I painfully climbed into the front seat of the airport van and then it happened....

The door.

The van door was wide open and that meant I had to reach, stretch over to grasp it. It may has well have been 20 feet from me, it felt that bad. I finally got it, and without tears, closed it. Then the twist to grab the seat belt. What was I doing and why was I determined to get to Halifax? Sheesh!!

My driver is a sweet older man, retired dutch farmer, John. I like him. I've had him several times. This time he talked to me about his wife, who was in her early 70's and apparently tall and fit. He talked about how she exercises regularly to stay in shape. He figured she was about the same height as me - I'm 5'10". Here's the killer.... "of course, she doesn't weigh nearly as much as you". Ack again. It was like taking a bullet. He hit a bulls eye, right in my gut!

My new mirror - the image of John's wife - was right there and it hurt to look into that!

So, off to Halifax - I didn't hit Timmie's at the airport - the line up was too long and I didn't have much time. So, I hit Starbucks instead. Earl Grey tea with Skim Milk (good choice) and a pumpkin scone (bad choice). Arrived in Halifax, got the shuttle to the hotel, and there I was met and taken immediately to lunch. Crab cakes and spinach salad. I chose water to drink. The crab was delicious, the salad was even better (except for the goat cheese, which I don't like.) After a 3 hour meeting, I went to my room and laid down - and fell asleep once I found a comfy position. My phone rang, it was an old friend from Kingston days and we met up for dinner - after she walked me about 42 blocks "looking" for a place to eat... we passed hundreds. We settled on King Henry Arms, a pub about a block from the hotel. Yes one block. I was now near tears and didn't really care what I ate anymore. I had Fish - and chips - and it was SO good. Nothing like pub food when you're in a pub. She came back to the hotel with me as we were going to continue talking to catch up... she stayed until 10:30 p.m. Our original plan was to sit in the hotel bar for a while, but to be honest, I was a little nervous about being in the bar and ordering more crap,... er, food. My room was safer.

Another day or two of meetings and then the flight home - early - and this time I did go to Timmie's at the airport - and had a sausage breakfast sandwich, which I enjoyed very much.
I told myself I had earned it - I was in pain and food makes me feel good. Okay, that's not really true. Timmie's was just the first place I hit when I got to the airport. Believe me, at Halifax "international" airport, there's really not much choice.

The rest of the weekend was a mix of friends and food - why do these two things go together? I have no idea. You see friends - you eat. Perhaps I should lose all my friends, that way I'd never eat again. Or would I? Maybe I'd be so sad that I was friendless that food would be my best friend! Either way, you see my dilemma. Food gets in the way!

Now it's Tuesday - I won't even tell you what I did yesterday - it's sick. Okay, I'll tell you. I had a scone for breakfast (with butter and homemade lemon curd. yum), followed by some fruit, followed by pretzels, followed by lunch - fruit, followed by potato chips, followed by an apple, followed by guilt and remorse, followed by a healthy dinner.

Today, for the first time in a week, I'm on track again. Seems I couldn't find the track in the last week, or I was avoiding it completely. Whatever. I'm choo-chooing along the track now remembering the words of John "of course, she doesn't weigh nearly as much as you"...

Hmmmph, I'll show you! (*waves fist in the air*)