...and then I turned 49

What a birthday! How lucky am I??? Wowzers - I'd like to thank the fantastic & enthusiastic crowd of Friends who took the time today to wish me Happy Birthday!

With most of my blood relatives on the high seas & beyond the reach of technology, it was nice to have so many of you to 'fill the gap'!

I enjoyed my annual day of "Eating Many Bad Things", to the point where tomorrow's recommitment to healthy habits feels ... oddly comforting.

I had a great birthday dinner with my very favorite people, I got an unbelievably thoughtful & unexpected present, and I find myself filled with the warm glow of gratitude.

I'm ending the night with my annual piece of chocolate/chocolate cake, and a little Bourbon in one of my Grandfather's USNA glasses. To everyone near, far, and no longer with us - THANK YOU, today was a great birthday. Now it's just 364 days until I'm 50!!!!

Non-scale victories

Sometimes, it's good to focus on victories other than a simple number on the bathroom scale.

(Especially during the Holidays, when maybe it's tough to keep the needle moving in the right direction!)

So, looking at that picture, the top left is my old signet ring, which was downsized not too long ago, and is now big enough to require a spacer.

The watch with the brown strap shows three different wear marks, and is now worn in the smallest size.

The two rings with colored stones are my old High School & Marine Corps rings - which now both fit in their original sizes!

Lastly, the big stainless steel watch has now been downsized another link, for a total of two that have been removed in the last year.

Don't get me wrong, I know I'm still epic-fat, with at least 100lbs more weight than I should have - but DAMN if it's not great motivation to see these small indicators that show how far I've come!

Ghosts of Christmas Past

Today I was bringing Christmas stuff down from the attic, and I decided to open two ancient old plastic bins of clothes that I put up there 12 years ago when I moved here. I don't think these have been opened in more than 20 years, since my time in Oregon. I *think* this stuff was Christmas presents in '90 or '91, when I'd first started gaining weight after my time in the service.

This stuff is from Britches, Gap, and Brooks Brothers, mostly XXL, but some XL stuff.

...and it all smells like 1989...

No you don't...

Recently, while I was pumping gas, a guy walking by commented on my sunglasses, saying, "Nice shades Dude, I have a pair just like 'em!"

No, you don't.

I don't mean to be rude or condescending, but ... 

No.  You.  Don't.

Today I was reading a bit on the interwebs, and an article caught my eye, but not for the content.  There was a picture of Father John Misty wearing shades ALMOST like mine.

You see, even celebrities can't duplicate MY style!

How is this possible, you ask?

Well, it all started a few years ago (2008-ish?), when I was feeling the sting of seeing 40 in the rearview mirror.  One of several things I began to work on was my personal style.

I could write a whole article on what I tried, what failed, and what I'm still struggling with today; however, I've had a few nice wins, and my sunglasses are one of those.

Since the '80's, I've always worn classic aviators or variations on Wayfarers.  I had a brief & unfortunate dalliance with technical / performance sunglasses, but when I was ready to redefine my style, I knew I had to stay true to my roots.

Enter Moscot.  They are an old brand, which turned 100 this year.  One of the designs in the "Originals" collection that particularly appealed to me was the "Lemtosh".  Similar in profile to Wayfarers, they have the classic keyhole nose opening, with a rounder look to the eyes.

But I didn't want something "off the shelf", I wanted a uniquely classic look.  After trying frames in both the clear & blonde, I had a brainwave.  Both were "good", but not "great", until I swapped the arms for a nice two-tone look I'd had in a previous pair of cheapie "cheater" glasses.

Now, I just had to decide how to utilize two nearly identical frames!  Figuring that one pair should become sunglasses, the other pair easily became readers.  I chose to put the tinted lenses in the clear frames, so that the clear reading lenses would be in the darker frames - continuing the contrasting look for both pairs.

For the sunglasses, I looked at more than a dozen shades of green lenses, eventually going with a lighter, classic Ray Ban - perfect for overcast, dreary days, yet still good enough for full summer sun.

The result is an updated classic, unlikely to be copied, or go out of style.

Let's hope I don't lose them... 

Stay The Course

A month ago I weighed 316, and I had grand visions of losing 17 pounds by the end of the year, and I'd celebrate my birthday with fanfare & trumpets, and I'd begin 2016 under 300 pounds for the first time since 1995.

Well, shit! Today I weighed in at 324.

WHAT THE FUCK?

Yes, last week was Thanksgiving. Yes, I ate off-plan.

One meal.

One plate.

So...it wasn't Thanksgiving. Perhaps it was the 5lb bag of pre-shelled walnuts I got at CostCo? Perhaps it was the carb-creep of adding french fries & 'easy' side items, when veggies aren't available? Not enough salad? Skipping a workout here & there?

Maybe all of the above?

I need to re-dedicate, re-focus, and re-commit.

But dammit, I'm tired...