Necessary Mutilation

Weight: It’s late…I can’t bear to see!

I’m baaaackkk! Did ya miss me?

We may have returned, but unfortunately our money didn’t come with us. It seems to have become a casualty of the casino lifestyle! My diet left me too, as it was harder than I had even imagined or prepared for to resist all temptation. You will get a glimpse of what I mean in a minute!

But, the good news is that the R & R and relief that this mini trip away AND the start of my period has afforded me, seems to have restored my sanity. Somewhat.  As much as one could refer to ME as sane, that is.

And the work week hasn’t started yet to take it away again.

But, for the moment I do feel much better, and as Barb wrote in a recent comment, it does now appear, in hindsight, that at least some of my strong reaction to actual events, was fueled by hormones. You would think that as a woman who has managed to make it well into my forties, that I would see this coming and get this by now. But, nooo, it’s like every month I have to be surprised all over again that I end up in such a crazy emotional state, and can’t even understand why until I am hemorraging physically and emotionally, and then I look back and say: “oh, that explains everything!” Every month. Geeesh!

(Sorry to any men who may frequent this site!)

In other, much sadder news, Tom and I were talking about how every time we go away, two things happen just as we are heading out. The first I just told you. The second is that someone we know or know of, dies. Just before Atlantic City, Tom’s childhood friend Jerry died, and as our trip was already all booked and we were traveling with others, this precluded his ability to attend the wake.

Last year, a woman Tom ministered to for years in his role as a eucharistic minister, passed away as we were nearly out the door. That trip we cancelled, as Tom was asked to pall bear by her husband.

Saturday morning, we learned that Tom’s Compeer friend “B”, lost his father in a deadly house fire that was being played as headline news that morning. Apparently he was bed ridden, and B’s sister and brother-in-law were unable to get him out in time and he perished in the fire. This is especially devastating to B as he and his father had been extremely close, yet this same sister had recently interfered with B’s ability to maintain contact with him, and when I first met B he cried sad and bitter tears about their estrangemnt and his fears that his dad was not being well cared for and that his father missed him as much as he did his dad. This rift had exacerbated B’s emotional difficulties, and he had been pining and I was trying to help him strategize ways to work it out legally or otherwise to be able to see his dad again. And now, none of this will be. We can only imagine the pain and guilt that he must feel, and were very upset to leave town just after such tragic news. I hope that there is some small thing that we can do for B now that we have returned….

Well, I hate to shift from such sad news to that of a new beginning, but I guess that this is the circle of life. Rogie, Tom’s nephew did marry Sonya and put on a beautiful reception at a fire hall in Jamestown. We ended up sitting right next to the “take all you want” display of mountains of candy of every kind, as if I wasn’t whipped into enough of a frenzy by all of the other offerings already. So here we sat watching people by the dozens scoop handfuls and baggies of candy up from the many gorgeous bowls “o chocolate etc. We did end up taking a little, and I gave my baggie to my friend Dorothy whom we met for breakfast the next morning and whose birthday it was. Tom ate some and kept some, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to tasting a few assorted pieces, and devouring a Lindor (my fave) in its entirity. Plus, I tried nearly all the reception offerings, including 3 different meat dishes, stuff from the mountain ‘o cheese and fruit, and then later, bites of assorted pastires and dessert items. Basically, I cheated like hell, now that I think about it!

Here are some pics so you can appreciate the temptation involved. And all this while still PMSing! I defy you to have stayed “good” in my same shoes!

Now, here’s a pic of me in the outfit I finally found that I hadn’t outgrown entirely. It’s a little big, but was comfortable and suitable, I think. If I keep eating like I did this weekend, it will end up not being big anymore!

Now, here’s a shot of the groom and his uncle, my Tom. Before the night was out, Rogie who was coveting Tom’s buffalo tie, had claimed it as his own, and he ended up wearing it like a bandana, and Tom came home tieless.

Here’s bride and groom together, Roger and Sonya hitched at last!   

And, in case you weren’t already convinced of how great my challenges were, even before we reached the land ‘o buffets and additional temptations, here’s a picture of their beautiful cake!    

Needless to say, I haven’t weighed in since our return, and I might save this trauma until tomorrow. If I drink lots of water and skip the next few meals, I may have hope to not have done too much permanent damage. Right now, I imagine that the fact that we ate every meal out at either the buffet or the diner, that even with better choices, I still overdid it. I guess some times will just be like this, and this is the price to pay for moments of “normalcy” and abandon. If not this minute, tomorrow I will go straight, and this means in all my ways of excess. Gambling ain’t cheap, and we need to crack down again this way as well. We are shooting for a leaner, meaner spring, although quite honestly we talk like this after every hedonistic excursion. Time to join a monastery, I think!

Well, after all my drivel, I bet you wish we’d head off somewhere sometime soon again…. Sorry to say, you’re stuck with me once more! I hope everyone else fared well themselves this long weekend, and did better than me!