|
. . . to beat the (non-existant) security screening lines. So, two hours to kill in another airport and - alas - there were no earlier flights to try to worm onto, so I read USA Today and drank coffee until we "pre-boarded". Watched the dawn break over the East Coast once we got out of the miserable, drizzly, damp, cold fog in Columbus and before we landed in the miserable, drizzly, damp, cold clouds in Philadelphia.
Once we landed, we had to wait on the taxi-way for about twenty minutes due to "ramp congestion." Word of the day. Watched the planes take off and land. I marvel at the the flight traffic control system and its ability to actually keep all those juggling balls in the air (literally) and to coordinate the sheer volume of traffic that they have. Mom and I used to go watch the planes take off and land at Orange County Airport [in the old days, before it was named after a dead film star] after we dropped Dad off at work at Collins Radio, but watching those little Cessnas and 727's was a little different than watching a big ole 767 rumble down Runway 27L twenty feet away.
At last the "ramp congestion" was decongested and we pulled up and "deplaned" - doncha just love the airline speak? - and I went to work.
I had hoped to get out of the office even a tad early yesterday, considering my oh-dark-hundred start, but that didn't happen since it was 6:30 by the time I cruised into the condo. We had a few minutes of Cat Drama - The Alien hates it when I go away, and if I'm gone for more than one night, she apparently decides that I'm never going to return and is therefore extremely bewildered when I come back. She gets over it, but several minutes of quizzical cat meowing and my reassuring her that it's really me needs to take place upon arrival. Leftover flank steak for dinner, a hot bath and in bed by 8:30 - yea!
This morning I went to see Adam, my hairdresser. It takes a little over an hour to reverse how Mother Nature would like my hair to look, during which time I read Esquire and Vanity Fair magazines. I don't buy these magazines, and would never subscribe to them but I enjoy reading once every few weeks at the salon. Adam is also my source for new hot restaurants in Philly and he has recommended Le Castagne, a new Italian place on Chestnut Street. Will have to check it out.
However. . . not for a while. In five weeks, I will have to be seen in public in a swimsuit. Yikes. While I could pull this off in my currently out-of-shape shape, it is not preferable. I would like to lose "a few" prior to my public viewing.
So last night I pulled out the Dr. Atkin's New Diet Revolution book and re-read the scary chapters on how horrible carbohydrates are. Which they are. I've actually been practicing a low-carb way of eating for about 2 1/2 years now, and while I occasionally eat bread, rice, some potatoes, I try to limit it. It's been good, and after I went through the initial carbohydrate withdrawal, I really lost my cravings for most of the problem foods anyway, so it hasn't been too hard to stay away from them.
But I have been stuck at a plateau for a year now. I gain and lose the same three pounds over and over again. Even when I go overboard on the carbs, I still don't go above that amount, but I cannot seem to break through the bottom of it either. So, starting next week, I shall return to a stricter version of the diet, shunning carbs wherever I can to see if I can make some progress in this stubborn three pound block. It's not bad, though. I realized this was the diet for me when I realized that I am allowed to order foie gras any time I see it on a menu.
~ ~ ~
Quote du jour:
"Large, naked, raw carrots are acceptable
as food only to those who live in
hutches eagerly awaiting Easter."
-- Fran Lebowitz (1950 - ____)
previous ~ home ~ next
|
