Onwards with a Sideways Shuffle

There is nothing I love better than having the place to myself. (sorry Jane.) My sister has been out of town for the past week and it has taken me until now to be able to really get into it.

Yesterday was a fantastic day: I went in for my weigh-in with Scott, tail between my legs with shame and failure, ready to quit, ready to have him set me free to the cosmos. Last week was a terrible week. And by terrible, I mean delicious. It was my sister’s birthday which meant the consumption of mass amounts of alcohol, a huge and delicious meal followed with an even more delicious crème brûlé made with….Bailey’s. It nearly rivaled the chocolate soufflé at the Met. (I said nearly.) Then the next morning, there were those blueberry pancakes…uh-huh…with syrup…and bacon and eggs. And oh yeah Chinese Food. And a blizzard…mmm…And later in the week, I had some pizza. And a million cookies. And some chocolate bars…So things weren’t looking good for the weigh in. I didn’t go in with any excuses; just a resigned decision to end the madness and quit trying altogether (I know, crazy.)…only to disscover that I had lost 4 pounds! Which just goes to show you that there’s no accounting for nuttin’! Mind you, the previous week, I worked my ass off and gained ½ a pound, so you know, it all evens out. Anyway, I felt redeemed! And hopeful! It means that I have lost a healthy and respectable 11 pounds this month. Maybe I won’t be doomed to a life of crippling obesity after all…And Scott really has come a long way. Yesterday, he said to me: It’s not about being skinny, it’s about being healthy.’ I said, ‘Hey, that’s my line!’ But it was a good reminder. I’m doin’ great and I just need to keep on plugging away.

Anyhow, after a little grocery shopping and a fantastic and v. inspired meal by yours truly, I raced off to an Aquacize class that my friend Michelle is teaching. Well, she wasn’t there (she is 7 months pregnant after all) but I’m glad I went because it was comedy gold! My bathing suit was bought for frolicking on the beaches of Mexico, NOT for doing jumping jacks in an indoor pool! Oh, the hilarity! I could have lost an eye! It’s a great workout, though. But man, kind of like a squirt in the eye with a shot of lemon juice. Nothin’ cheers you up like a bunch of old, fat ladies splashin’ around in a pool. I swear, I was the best lookin’ gal in the place…

Then home for a bath! That’s what I love about the fall and winter: permission to spend your evenings in the tub with some candles and some fantastic music. And Craig, we need to go on another road trip sometime soon, if only for the benefit of the Road Trip Tape. I listened to ‘First Hangover Disc’ and ‘Second Hangover Disc.’ Man, I haven’t heard some of those songs since last bath season! It was like revisiting with old friends…a little Zero 7, a little Simply Red, a little Sade, a little Neil Diamond (Oh God, I forgot how good ‘solitary man’ was…) oh, it was a powerhouse of cheesy, guilty pleasures! And then I ended the night watching an episode of Weeds before hitting the sack and sleeping like the proverbial baby.

Which brings me to something that has been on my mind a lot lately: the importance of recognizing and appreciating pleasure in everything you do. Say what you will about Oprah, but that woman has got her shit together. One of my favourite things about O magazine is the last page, an article she writes entitled ‘What I Know For Sure.’ I find her little insights inspiring, thought-provoking and truthful. And she’s never really too far off the mark with most of her observations. I read one of them almost a year ago that I keep coming back to in which she talked about taking pleasure from everything you do. Oprah also rates her pleasures (ex: a strong cup of coffee with the perfect hazelnut creamer: four stars; Picking up dog poop: a half star…etc.) What has really stayed with me is the fact that even when we’re doing something unpleasant, that we should take pleasure in it. That’s quite something. Especially considering that there are so many things we take for granted. What also struck me was her statement that ‘pleasure is energy reciprocated. What you put out comes back. Your base level of pleasure is determined by how you view your whole life.’

So it has taken me a while, but I have started to appreciate not only the fun things in life, but those that require a little bit of toil. Not that I am going to start rating my daily activities with stars…but, well, maybe just this once.
Aquacize class: 3 stars
Losing 4 lbs without trying: 4 stars
A hot bath with great music and the place to yourself: 5 stars

Have a pleasurable day, everyone! Stagger onward, soldiers.