Week 285 Update

This week started off with a beautiful day on Saturday. And after working in the morning I asked Dotti if she would like to do something in the afternoon. She suggested a visit to the Portland Zoo. I thought that was a great idea! Soon we were on our way. It was a little later than we normally arrive at the zoo and we had to hunt around for some parking but once we were inside it was great. The sun was shining and the animals were fun to watch. We got some walking in too. We hit all the major areas of the zoo before closing time, although we still had a lot to see. We'll be back. J

We were meeting up with Pat from the message board in the evening later on, but we were pretty hungry. We stopped at Sharis and grabbed a bite to eat.

It was dark and the streets were jammed when we hit downtown Portland to meet up with Pat and her family. I dropped Dotti off at the front door because it looked like I might have to spend some time driving around to find a parking spot. I did a spiral search and finally found a free spot right next to a gas station. Since there was an attendant present I figured it might be a fairly safe place to park as well. It was 4 or 5 city blocks back to the restaurant, and I passed some interesting looking characters along the way, but they all seemed pretty harmless, and there were a lot of upper middle class types out for the evening as well, and they seemed to be having a good time. My jean jacket didn't exactly match their attire, but it was okay.

Finally I made it to the entrance. I almost walked past it, but caught the sign on the awning: 21st Avenue Bar & Grill. I walked in and there was Dotti on the left sitting at a table with Pat, her mother, husband, and son. Great people! We had a nice time visiting. Unfortunately, I almost certainly wasn't the greatest company because I was exhausted. I hadn't slept much the last few days, and had spent way too much time at the computer instead. I was hoping that taking the break and going to the zoo would perk me up, but alas, my eyelids kept drooping. I was happy that the waiter started brining me coffee, and that kept me from falling on the floor (and later when I tried to pay him for it he said it was on the house: very nice!), but I fear I wasn't much company. Fortunately Dotti was much more lively; and she held up our end of the visit. J My apologies to Pat and family.

When I got home, I immediately laid down, but I was too tired to sleep. The caffeine was buzzing around in my head and my eyes wouldn't close. After napping, getting up for a few hours, and then finally getting back to bed, I fell asleep. And did I sleep!

On Sunday, more Zonies! J Amber and her husband "K" had come to Portland to celebrate their 25th anniversary and we had the opportunity to join in the festivities. They had rented a sailing boat "bed and breakfast" for their stay, and Dotti and I were invited aboard to take in the view at sunset, as the sun sank into the west, reflected in the waters of the Willamette River. It was beautiful, and we shared some excellent company and conversation. We next headed over to Newport Bay for dinner and had some great food. After the dinner was tucked away, we remained at the table for quite some time visiting. It was a lot of fun! (Fortunately I was much wider awake this evening, after finally getting some sleep.)

We made a stop by Safeway on the way back to the boat to pick up a few things, and then called it a night. You won't ever meet two nicer people than Amber and "K."

The next day Dotti joined up with the newlyweds (hey, if Dotti and I are still newlyweds after being married 30 years, a mere 25 years couldn't have ended the honeymoon yet!) again on Monday, and they visited Pittock Mansion, and of course Powell Books. (Powell Books has one of the largest collection of books in any one location in the world. Whenever anyone comes to town who likes to read, it is a foregone conclusion that he will have Powell Books as one of his "must see" locations.) I was tied up with a few business matters, but did get to call in a couple of times and check on how they were doing. It sounded like they had a very good time!

Wednesday Dotti took Amber and "K" to the airport, and then later Dotti and I took a break and walked over to a movie theater (2.6 miles each way) and watched a movie called "The Departed." The movie moved along pretty well, and up until the last bit it seemed to hang together pretty well. However, by the end of the movie I felt cheated. There was no real point to it all, and the remaining loose strings were significant. There was no one left alive to like. Too bad. However, I did get to see the previews of 3 movies that will be absolutely "avoid at all cost" for me in the future. J

On the upside, I got in a really nice walk with my lady, and we had a tasty meal (though the points were fairly high) while watching the movie. (This theater has a restaurant and even a bar, with no children allowed.) All in all, I am happy that we had the time together. It was a nice break.

The rest of the week was busy-at-the-computer time for the most part.

I changed the resolution of my computer and it has really cut down on my eye strain. That is a good thing. Having a larger presentation really makes things easier to read. My eyes aren't getting as red, and they don't feel as scratchy as they did before. J

I am still moving along, holding steady just inside the normal range for my weight, and eating about the same amount as I have for several years when I was weighing 185. I guess that the medications that have come on me with my older age are having an impact on the scale. The upside of this is that Dotti is much happier with me at this weight than she was at 185. She was always saying that I looked too thin at that weight. She is probably right. She often is. J

And speaking of Dotti, she is amazing! She just keeps on losing and losing. It is a steady pace, and she is down 39.0 pounds now from her new start last year, and over half way back to goal! This week she lost another half pound. (If you look at my Year 5 Maintenance graph you can see Dotti's progress too.)

Each week I update Dotti's graph and her thermometer on her Comeback Page. She is doing awesome!

5 years, 170 days OP; a lifetime to follow.

-Al-

6 '3"/239.5/199.0/193±2/BMI:24.87/WK-285