I’ve been in the fetal position for awhile here, and today I overslept, forgot the Happiness Post, and realize I had a ton of work to do since I haven’t done squat for days. Not exactly a recipe for joy. Then Krissie wrote me a long e-mail that sounded just like her and had aa ton of questions for me and suddenly it was a Good Day. And I bet if I go to Slack, Alisa has stuff for me to read on her new story. And I should definitely call my daughter. Plus Veronica is on the floor by the bed, looking at me with Guilt Eyes, telegraphing that in a good world she would be on the bed.
Happiness is connecting with people you love. How did you connect with joy this week?
I texted everyone I know to ask them how they are doing, I think that counts as connect with Joy. I scanned some old Christmas work photos into the computer for email purposes, Some people are going to get photos of themselves wearing balloon hats in evening dress for Christmas. From that one year our Company splurged and hired a Balloon Artist for the party. Though I do wonder why I am wearing a balloon corsage rather then holding a balloon poodle, I love balloon poodles, I may have given into peer pressure or more probably he wasn’t taking requests and I settled.
I wouldn’t say that I’m exactly connecting to joy, but the Amazon commercial about the Handbell Hammerschteins make me grin each time I see it. I’ll try adding the link to the commercial on youtube.
youtube.com/watch?v=VUVbQsPhH3y
Well, that didn’t work. Let’s try again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUVbQsPhH3Y
My butt was not laughed off, but it was a very near thing. Thank you.
Now that is funny!
Now I want to go to Amazon and order handbells. But I don’t think Rocketman the Wonderdog would be appreciative…
I had a day out on Thursday: I went and bought my Christmas tree, and then drove on to Chirk Castle (about eight miles away) and went for a walk in the woods and park, had lunch, and then looked round the castle – they have big (artificial) Christmas trees in each room. Then yesterday Pam and I went to a local Italian restaurant, as our Christmas treat, rather than doing our usual film night.
The County connected with me by email and text that my jury panel was dismissed. That brought me joy, lots of joy, as I thought I’d have to spend a couple of hours there on Monday messing around before being dismissed.
And I went to see the Cider Painters of America exhibit at a local gallery again because miniture paintings are just so amazing (3″ X 5″ and under). And, to be honest, I have been obsessing about one of them for the past 2 1/2 weeks so I just gave in bought it.
I’m actually feeling social enough to call a friend I haven’t heard from for awhile so Maybe I’ll go out to lunch soon…
Okay. Connections.
I rejoined FaceBook, and unlike my first time, I have not provided any personal information. My friend list is up to three – two of them are my children. The third is an author. Tiny connections, there.
I am slowly cutting connections at work. Out of seven remaining coworkers, there is only one that I might miss, and not overly so. I think it’s mutual. There are a few voices on the phone – officers calling for pod temperatures in the housing units – that I’ll miss more than some of the people who work in the plant. It wasn’t always that way.
I need to go shopping more, but not during Christmas Season. Superficial contact with salespersons is still contact.
It’s time for my semi-annual “I Aten’t Ded” email to the family at large. Usually, the only reply comes from cousin JoAnne in New Wingland. Somewhere.
I had a friend/former work colleague, like that. when he didn’t reply to a couple of general emails asking how he was (months apart, I’m not clingy) I just texted Alive? since he couldn’t summon up the energy to hit the Y. Took that to mean he wasn’t and let him go.
When I terminated work after 10 years there were so many people I genuinely liked that I thought I would maintain connections with. A year later, I had no contact with any. As Miss Manners said in one of her columns don’t mistake liking work colleagues as real friendships. Of course I had moved 200 miles away which speeded up the disconnect.
I’ve been gone from the day job for just about 2 years now, and maintain some Insta/FB “friendships,” but really, in the end, these are people I spent 9 or 10 hours a day with in an office building, right? I will admit that a couple of people surprised me in their lack of response to emails, while one surprised me in her timely response, so it balanced out.
Covid has diminished so many of the “light touch” relationships that I enjoy…routine encounters with salespeople, bankers, security personnel in our building, maintenance staff, etc. I don’t see as many people these days to wish them a happy day, ask about their grandchildren, did you have a nice weekend, that kind of stuff.
I can seek more of this type of exchange even while being safe. I will focus on doing exactly this to create greater satisfaction in my life.
I find these encounters can fill my human contact tanks in a low stress way.
“Light touch” perfectly describes the mood-boosting interactions on my daily walk.
I see someone putting up Christmas decorations and call out, “Looking good!”
I spot someone raking and ask, “Better than shoveling?”
I see someone patiently holding the leash while their dog sniffs at a hydrant and say, “Lots of news to catch up on, huh?”
Good Lord, I’ve become my mother.
Two replies to the “I aten’t ded” email, so far. Contact! 🙂 🙂 🙂
I mailed my meager number of cards this week, which should count. Today we managed to get the tree up, lights on, and a few ornaments, in case of kitten frenzy. They were interested while we were putting together the tree and swishing lights around, but now seem totally blase about it, so more fragile items may be added later.
I managed to do the minutes for our board meeting while the actual members were discussing something that would go in as a brief “after discussion, it was decided blah blah”. It can be hard to make myself type them up even days later, so super glad they are already done.
My new socks came, and are very nice. The Halloween ones I ordered for myself are even better than the Christmas ones, but I think all the recipients will be pleased, and even if they aren’t, I was entertained. I am proud to announce that I now own THREE pairs of llama Christmas socks. Better than reindeer any day.
Love “after discussion, it was decided blah blah”. I’ve been using word to that effect more and more in the minutes I do.
Does that translate to “After discussion, it was decided (by the boss that we would do it his way)”? I’ve attended way too many of those over the years.
Oh lord. Board meeting minutes give me the chills every time I’m reminded of them. But I’m cheered because today I had a great chat with my favorite neighbor, who just bought a hot tub for herself, in spite of the fact that she lives in a small 3-bedroom one story ranch house with her husband and three young children. Her husband’s first question when it arrived was “where on earth will we put it?” His second, after the two of them took it to the back yard with a furniture dolly and a lot of effort, was “what happened to the pallet the hot tub was on? Did you put it in the trash?” The answer to that was “of course not, we might use it for something fun one day!” The neighbor paid their lawn guys (who like climbing things) to scramble 15 feet up their street tree to hang an amazing set of hundreds of string lights around the entire trunk and five of the major branches, so it seems like one of those LOTR walking trees or something in the dark whenever the wind blows. I adore looking at it every night. Great neighbors — always something to cherish.
Hung out with friends this weekend. I put on an online play festival that went well. I actually saw my relatives for the first time in 2 years and that went well, too.
Only 4 more weeks of classes before I’m done school – the joy will grow as I get closer to the end of January. My book group met this week and we had a great meal and an interesting conversation. I have been hit and miss in attending over the last year and I thought about dropping out. But the other members they have been tolerant of my absences and I know that it’s worth it for the connections with the other women in the group.
My nephew came to town to see some friends and stayed with us. It’s always nice to see him. He’s flying to his parents next week and taking our gifts for his family, which means they’ll get them before Christmas. Except for taking DS out to shop for stocking stuffers for his dad, all my Christmas shopping is done. Stores will start to get really busy over the next couple of weeks and I’ll be happily at home.
Zoomed with friends tonight – our 8 hour time difference only matters in that we’re usually not drinking the same drinks, although we were all drinking tea tonight, so that was a change.
Got most of our Christmas decorations up – fun to see them in their new home. Awaiting batteries for the fairy lights for the tree – which is the top of a pine tree pruned by the bombeiros (firefighters) to thin the forests. It’s a very cool program, and our tree was delivered by a hot firefighter with a beautiful voice. My husband was in the other room as this was taking place, and came out to say, “Who was that?”:-)
That’s so cool about the tree. (And the fireman.)
Yes: I nearly put my back out hauling my tree home. Why can’t I have a hunky fireman?
Currently happy that we’ve survived Nuts Week! It’s been all rehearsals and performances and hours and hours of support and volunteer time for our ballet company’s Nutcracker. About to collect 2 very tired dancers and put them and us to bed. But so happy that this year meant a return to live performances. Last year they made a movie at various outdoor locations and filmed each group’s part separately so the whole cast was never together. This year they got to be Nuts together and that’s pretty happy-making for all concerned.
Some envy here.
Not so much chances for RL-connecting here.
It’s really drab in my corner of the world and unfestive for the second year in a row.
The situation is far worse than last year which makes me the opposite of happy because it could be so much better thanks to the vaccines.
We just have to glimpse to some of the more reasonable up neighbours (hi Portugal!).
Oh well, sticking to one’s dumbness regardless of what it means to the society is one disadvantage of the liberty not to do what the government tells you to do. Gah.
Ending on a happier note – I’m so glad that dh and I have the booster lined up for this week.
Our parents are all boostered already and the kids have an appointment at the end of January, so that’s a relief.
One of the reasons we could all do this was the decision to require vaccination and/or a negative test for EVERYBODY. Cast, crew, volunteers, audience. Everybody, no exceptions. Since our 5-11 year old wasn’t eligible until after the arbitrary cut-off for full vaccination, she also had to produce negative tests twice during dress rehearsal/performance week despite being fully vaxed and a lot of kids were in that boat. Doubly safe. Plus everybody had to wear masks at all times, which meant really innovative costuming to make it part of the performance. If people are all willing/able to do these things, we can get together safely. All the hugs, this extended isolation is awful.
Nuts Week. Love that. I can think of one former co-worker who’d laugh but we’re no longer in touch.
We call it Hell Week, and just got through our nutcracker as well. Happy it happened, glad we made it through without major mishap and glad it is over 🙂
Finished the logic puzzle — my cousin, who insists on solving them before we publish, said she stalled out at “sucket fork”! This week giftwrapping.
I’m sick—my doc says not Covid strep or flu, just a bug—and trying not to connect so I don’t give it to anyone. But with any luck will be connecting with 2 kids one fosterish kid and a brother in law in two weeks so that makes me happy.
Get well soon, Debbie!
I hope you can give yourself rest and a lot of sleep.
I had such a bug a few weeks ago. Completely out of the blue and it hit surprisingly hard but felt really familiar (so thankfully not C).
Can I just say that my happy has been the hearts behaving properly on posts on this site. It is so satisfying to be able to heart posts to my heart’s content. Not that the other posts are not good but when you especially agree with one, it’s so lovely to be able to click on the heart!
Questioning if someone is “alive and letting them go….. I had to reread. I’ve been a nurse for way to long.
I thought I’d give him an easy response. He’s alive, he’s on Linkedin, picture of health. Just didn’t feel like replying Y on text. So I let him go, A lot of my former work colleagues are still friends, two of them in different countries and we’re still in touch.
I made it to my favorite thrift shop for the first time in 2 years yesterday and although I didn’t make any big finds it was a great treat to get back out there and see some of my favorite volunteers. They have closed the fitting rooms, so all I could really hope to find were housewares or sweaters, but I was very glad to make it out to the far side of town on a moderately nice day.
My other big excursion was to a different suburb where I went to check out some produce that was on sale. I don’t know what made me check out the imported candy aisle, but they had the German brandy beans that I used to buy in my old neighborhood. I was very happy to see them because I haven’t felt very much like baking this year and this will give me something to give my favorite retail elves to tide them over for the rest of the busy season.
I got a bit of a shock when I went into Dave’s clothing store. The manager had twins 2 weeks ago, Dave was in the Gift Store and all the other clerks I knew had the day off. There were 3 young women working there and I hadn’t met any of them. It felt really odd to explain a tradition that had been going on as long as they were alive. I’ll have to get somebody to introduce me after things calm down again. It made me feel very old. Fortunately, the cookies I am planning to bake tomorrow make a very large batch because there are a lot of new people to feed.
I went to see Dune yesterday with my partner. The theatre was dark and almost empty so we sat and held hands. It was hilarious when the explosions made us both jump at the same time.
My other nice point of connection this week was our office Christmas party, which we held onsite. I don’t like crowds so didn’t expect to enjoy myself, but there was enough space to talk to individual people and games to play, and I ended up laughing a lot and having a good time.
I spent the weekend hardly connecting with anyone after too much people-ing last week and anticipated for this week. it was lovely.
Did have a nice email exchange with my dad, across the country in San Diego, in which he bemoaned the fact that Covid is keeping us apart. My parents are 84 and 87 (although full of energy and doing well) and I’m going to have to fly in spring come hell or high water so I can connect with them after what will then have been three years.
My happiness was standing my ground. A Christmas dinner invitee phoned to ask me to require the guests arriving from Poland to take a COVID test on Christmas Eve. I refused, explaining that the international guests are vaxxed and boostered and will have been tested prior to getting on the plane to fly here. I said that it was up to the invitee to decide what she feels safe with — we’d love to see her — but I respect her decision.
My husband threw me a thumb’s up. I never refuse people anything.
I partly explain my toughness to reading a lot of advice columnists lately. And I was part way through rereading Trust Me On This and Dennie’s voice is wonderfully strong. Good for channeling.
I had a little too much connection this weekend… went to my cousin’s wake (she was a teacher and a lovely person so the place literally had a line out the door), went to my husband’s work holiday party, and hosted our dojo’s enbukai (martial arts gathering with demonstrations and promotions) and holiday party. We were masked for most of this (except while eating) so hopefully everyone stayed healthy.
I’m sorry you have lost your cousin. I hope the many well-wishers soothed your grief a bit.
This past week was very busy for us and also covers all the Argh headers. We had a scheduled day for the lawn guys to pick up all the leaves, again. When the crew didn’t come, again, my husband went to Home Depot and bought a new piece of equipment that vacuums the leaves, mulches them and puts them in an attached bag. The leaves were helpful themselves when they banked against the house during a recent wind and rain storm. Made for an easier cleanup. Meanwhile I made three batches of cookie dough and refrigerated them to be baked the next day. Note to self: be sure to take out of the refrigerator at least an hour before baking so they are touch more pliable when scooping.
I started reading the latest Outlander book and am only a third of the way in. There is a lot to remember as far as characters and the little bits of personalities that jump out. It has occurred to me how much people walked to their neighbors when they had horses, just saying. I can say I’m mostly interested in William’s story more than Claire’s and Jamie’s. Just getting tidbits now.
One day my sister in law called and we had a fine talk, well she did, and only because I know her. She is a rapid fire speaker so all I have to do is throw in an agreeing comment here and there. People are so different by the time I can think of how to answer her she is on to the next subject, but she is such a dear. Plus she is family.
By Friday I went down to the cellar to do laundry and the machine started grumbling and wouldn’t drain properly. So my husband looked at it, pulled it out, flipped it a smidge to check underneath and determined that it is a loss. So off we went to the appliance store and there is a new one coming tomorrow. I was surprised because from what I hear on the news it is taking quite a while to get anything big from stores.
On Netflix over the weekend I watched a couple of movies that leave me thinking. One with Sandra Bullock, The Unforgivable and the other about Tasmania in the early years, The Nightingale. Makes me want to put on the Hallmark channel, not that they weren’t good, they were, but I need something a little lighter now and for the rest of the year.
I was supposed to be having a new washer delivered today. The store called to reschedule it for next week because, apparently, their supplier shorted them. The woman who sold it to me said “Two of our washers are MIA,” and the others are late.
I spent the weekend at a friend’s house baking up a storm. Pre-Covid (and presumably eventually again) she would have a big holiday cookie party/open house. I hate parties, but I love to bake, so I always go to help out with the prep. No parties this year, but we still made four kinds of cookies, gougères, and sticky cranberry gingerbread. My share will have to go in the freezer–I’m headed out again on Tuesday. More connecting and baking!
We ate, baked, drank wine, shopped, saw the lights at the local botanical garden, and watched Elf with her son. (That’s a tradition too.) Just enough connection and definitely happy making!
Sticky cranberry gingerbread. Hmmm.
I already have more cooking planned than will really fit into two days off (especially since I’m still sitting here wandering the internet.)
It’s an NYT recipe, so possibly behind the paywall, but worth checking out. The only modification I make is using about half the sugar called for in the cranberry mixture. It is very very good.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017758-sticky-cranberry-gingerbread
Paul invited two men he knows from work – one single and one away from his family – to Christmas Eve supper. One is coming and we were glad to hear the other had plans. We were going to have the big supper Christmas day but Paul’s shift partner has a young daughter and they are going an hour away for Christmas supper with the in-laws so we decided to have it on the 24th that way if he’s a bit late or whatever, supper isn’t waiting on Paul to get home. Having people over, even one extra person, means I get to actually flex some cooking muscles and put on a nice spread; with it being just the 2 of us, it’s just too much food and we eat far to many leftovers.
It was his younger sister’s 50th over the weekend and her daughters arranged for the family members who couldn’t be at her party to record videos and then her eldest daughter’s boyfriend made a really nice video for her with the messages and a photo montage. I went to Paul’s work and we recorded together and then had a nice chance to visit for a minute. I like being able to see him in the middle of the day and it was really nice to be able to record the video together.
We decided to make a few Christmas goodies to take when we go to visit his family at New Years and to leave for the guys on the other shift at his work, again with the flexing cooking/baking muscles.
On the weekend we are heading down to Edmonton to visit friends and see the new Spiderman movie.
That’s a lot of connecting for me this week.
This week we had two birthday parties for DS (now 4) – one with his preschool friends at a soft play centre, and one at home for local family. Both were enormous successes, which makes me incredibly happy.
I’ve never organised a non-family party before, so had some concerns about how well I was doing, but the feedback from the kids and parents was very positive.
The family shindig also went well – it’s been a while since I’ve done one of those, but again, positive feedback. And the vegan chocolate cake was a big hit with everyone (and the vegan asked for the recipe, lol).
For me, that is a lot of connecting, so I’m good for a bit now. 🙂
This weekend I got a long-overdue outdoor project done, took pictures to prove it, and sent them to all the important people.
The Mr. got our Santa bin out of storage and we started decorating a little. Also I ordered some lights for my wisteria arbor. Heck, we’ve been here four years, it’s time to look as though we’re staying, right?
Also we watched two holiday movies. One, a silly rom-com which made us both laugh and groan, and the other ‘The Man Who Invented Christmas’ about Charles Dickens and his trials writing A Christmas Carol, which was thoroughly enjoyable – ESPECIALLY international treasure Christopher Plummer as Scrooge.
Lots of joy this week; I got a long email from a friend I hadn’t heard from in a while, and still need to respond, but I’m anticipating it! I finished my Christmas shopping, yay! And my son and I have been cooking dinners at home, which really helps my budget. My weekend was a loss; my son and I decided to watch the first episode of The Witcher on Netflix, got pulled in, and ended up binging on all eight episodes over the weekend. Wow, I haven’t binged like that in a long time. But I still watched my Seahawks win their game! Nice to see our star QB has his form back. And we will decorate tomorrow for Christmas, after the cleaning crew comes cleaning the condo. More joy!
Finally able to watch eldest granddaughter at a gymnastics competition on Sunday afternoon. Just watching all the shiny little faces of the competitors was a delight. One sweet little girl was waiting for her name to be called out for ribbons or medals. Sadly she didn’t win a ribbon or medal, but, she did win a teddy bear. The anticipation that her name might be called and then the disappointment was so sharp…but she rallied every time. I gave her the yellow rose I bought for my granddaughter and told her she was great. G was happy I gave her rose away. Otherwise a week of usual stuff.
Where is the line between happy and smug?
We’re going camping in Kaiteriteri on Friday (it’s very beautiful, see Google), the same weekend, same people, same place we’ve been going for a decade. I can’t wait. The kids can’t wait. And now I can’t be arsed with thermarests and sleeping bags, so my mum who lives close-ish to the campground brings her ‘I’m a retired person with a fuck-off luxury caravan’ caravan over for us (the kids all sleep in tents with their camping mates), AND SHE STOCKS IT WITH GROCERIES AND WINE AND CHOCOLATE.
I could not be more grateful, or feel more loved. Also this is exactly the holiday that sounded like my worst nightmare pre kids. Oh how the mighty have fallen. My kids (aged 12+13) literally do not remember a Christmas that was not preceded by camping in Kaiteri with their friends, who they only see once or twice a year. Connection for the win.
I reckon my age can be tracked in camping sleeping mattresses. Started with snowfoam in a tiny tent. Moved up to thermarest in the same tiny tent. Then two layers of thermarest, then a proper air mattress in a series of bigger tents, and now I go for a cabin or (gasp!) a motel unit whenever I can.
When I was a Boy Scout, I slept in an army surplus pup tent, in a sleeping bag inherited from the older brothers from when they were Scouts. It was a lousy bag, but good enough for Florida.
Years later, I was a Cub Scout Leader. The tents were much better, set up on frames. We slept on cots with mosquito netting. Virginia in the summer was like Florida, so a light bag or a sheet was Good Enough.
Now, I sleep in a twin bed in a garage and read about other people camping. And I smile. 🙂
We had army surplus sleeping bags and blow-up air mattresses, though I was comfortable enough on a groundsheet. It was a real luxury when I had my own Civilian sleeping bag with a flannel lining — the army surplus was nylon, or something similar. (a quick search says they were “water repellent balloon cloth”)
That’s a number 1 ace parent. (Your mother; but you, too, come to think of it.)
Indoor plumbing all the way for me.
The only people who think outdoor plumbing is a good thing are people who have never had to use it on the regular. I grew up in a house with no indoor plumbing (built by my grandfather back in the day when farm houses had no such luxuries, no one tell Joanna Gaines) and lemme tell ya, I have run there in -40 and I have no desire to do that ever again. Back when Paul’s BFF was healthy, his goal was to live off the grid with no running water/indoor plumbing, only wood heating (possibly a portable propane stove for emergencies), and no battery banks to store electricity. I laughed at him.
I’ve never LIVED without plumbing but I’ve visited a lot without it–though never in -40 I’m happy to say–and I grew up surrounded by people who grew up without plumbing and I never go a day without marveling that I can just turn a knob and water comes out.
-40 is why God invented chamber pots, back in the day.
and servants to empty them.
My mother’s stepfather wanted to do that: when he was 89 he was seriously describing to me his plan, once the youngest was on her own (she was about twelve) to build an Alaskan-style cabin and live off the grid.
Don’t know how I kept a straight face. Unfortunately, within a few years he’d fallen and been diagnosed with a string of problems, and the upshot was that he spent his last couple of year in bed, telling his nurses how to do their jobs (he actually was a cardio-vascular surgeon, so it could have been worse).
My cousins had no electricity or plumbing in their house in northwest Connecticut when I was a kid (the 1960s). I couldn’t figure out why they had it so bad while we had it easy. They did well, though, becoming managers in manufacturing companies until the companies closed or moved elsewhere.
Nowadays my neighbor is off-grid as part of her permaculture farm. I wish we had more solar panels than we installed and that batteries were further developed than they are at this point. I would like to live off-grid. But at least right now our excess solar energy is sent back into our town’s shared electrictrical collective.
Back in the seventies we travelled cross country with three children in a camper/van. It had indoor plumbing of a sort. A tiny little room with a curtain and a portapotty. But let me tell you that if you travelled with my guy before the portapotty inclusion it was always ‘can you hold it till the next exit?’ Nope, Nope and double Nope!
Monday was a connect day. I did the weekly reconnect with the dotter Shopping and Dining thing.
tl;dr (diet angst)
Now it’s Look! Up in the Sky! It’s Gary “Goodyear” J!
I have got to learn to say “No!” to the dotter. It started as another shopping & dining day. Too close to Christmas, of course, but that just made us abandon minor items when the lines were too long to be… endured. I did manage to find new winter coats for the twins, since the little buggers have outgrown everything else.
And then we had lunch at Golden Corral, the restaurant of the diet apocalypse. I believe I blogged about this place and its effect on my diet last month. The mashed potatoes and brown gravy, the hockey puck burgers in a roll, the way too many carbs, calories, and grams of sodium.
But wait. That road to hell wasn’t just paved – it was a water slide, and I was yelling “WHEE!” I was called in to work, where a coworker was dealing with a family emergency. I didn’t have a meal handy, so I took in Atkins snacks. A whole bin full of them. And I ate ten pecan clusters over the course of the shift.
But wait! My gluttony didn’t end there. I had turned off my heater before dining out and hadn’t turned it back on during my brief return to store groceries. It was too cold in the Man-Cave to undress enough to climb between cold sheets. Or so I told myself, before consuming a couple of bacon sandwiches.
Oops?
I’m looking at the diet-tracking tab of the spreadsheet, DIET 2021.xlxs, the tab named, simply, sheet1. Screenshots have made the rogues gallery before. OWID Thursday, December 9, 2021, my weight was 248.6 pounds. This morning, after yesterday’s excesses and binges and gluttonous indulgences and mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa – the scales say 255.6 pounds! That’s seven (7.0) pounds I will not repeat not lose by this coming OWID Thursday.
Gloom, despair, and agony on me. Deep, dark depression, excessive misery. Alas, there was no bad luck involved, just poor judgement and lack of self control.
Burp.
I have contacted the enemy, and he is me.
As Pogo used to say, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
There’s a silver lining. Now I can eat 38 more calories for the same weight loss.
Gary, since the week after Thanksgiving I’ve gained back 7 of the 30 pounds I lost last May-June-July. I can manage breakfast and lunch, but I’m not keeping afternoon snacking, dinner, and evening snacking under control. I see the doctor in the first week of January, so I really must keep my eating (carbs, carbs, carbs) in check. Must focus. Eek.
I wish you nearly all the best. Reserving a little for myself. I dug up a recipe from October, labeled Chicken and Rice on my blog. Onions, chicken thighs, brown rice. Added two chicken breasts, pineapple tidbits, and crunchy crispy fried onion garnish, and it was two meals, altogether inside my diet’s lines. I even have a little room for dessert. You can do it. I can do it. We can do it!