Monday, August 30, 2010

Where did summer go?

How in the hell is it already the end of August? I can't believe how fast summer went by and am already dreading winter. I don't want to face another winter in the mountains without four wheel drive, but it looks like I will, unless something pretty cheap comes along before then.

Em finished her first week of college last Friday, I drove up there to take her some of her mail and we had great afternoon. Sushi and sashimi at our favorite, Sushi King, and then fantastic desserts at Standard Diner. They were featured on Diners, Drive ins, and Dives on Food Network a while back and the food is great, my only problem with the place is that it's a little too upscale perhaps to be considered a true diner. Our water had cucumber in it, which sent both of us into a laughing fit in front of our bemused waiter. If you don't get it (and he didn't), just watch The Other Guys. Funny stuff.

Then of course we had to go to the mall, where I was unfortunately too full to hit the Hot Dog on a Stick in the food court. Fuckin' love that place.

But no corn dogs or fried cheese for me for a while now though. I have officially hit my heaviest weight and that with my 25 year high school reunion just around the corner. I'm not even a hundred percent on going, but I probably will and I'm not going like this. So, last night I went to a going away for a friend and had enough to drink for the next month and a half and today started on my mission to create a new Eric. Or at least get some semblance of old Eric back. The Eric that I found existed after my first year in the army, the Eric that I found while a bicycle cop...in other words, the Eric that is somewhere under all this fat, Hot Eric.

This morning, after waking up in a strange bedroom (alone), I went in to the cafe, did the weekend deposits and then left, came home and got my bike (I thought) back into riding condition after about three years of its leaning against the wall, and started on what I assured myself would be a short warm up ride, just to get loosened up and conditioned for longer rides as I progressed. I soon realized that the handlebars were loose, rolling back and forward, and the new discolored swollen thingy on my wrist started acting up pretty quickly, and since I'm way too cool to have some wide ass cushy seat for my wide cushy ass, my ass was hurting pretty badly too.

Pain is weakness leaving the body. That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Arbeit Macht Frei. All these bullshit bumper stickerisms went through my head as I pedaled on further and further. That second one is really stupid...there's all kinds of shit that may leave one alive, but weaker in every sense of the word, like an accidental lobotomy with a post hole auger, for instance.

Finally, ninety minutes, 12 miles, one sunburn, one close call when the handlebars rolled while I was trying to downshift, some minor wrist discomfort and some major ass discomfort later I was back at the house feeling weak but satisfied. I'm going to bed tonight with the intent of doing it again in the morning, but to be truthful it may take a couple of days before I can perch on that seat again.

But that's not all. Also only drank water and a couple diet root beers today. Lunch was spinach salad, dinner was tuna steak which I coated in pepper and sauteed to a medium rare and more salad while watching/listening to It's Always Sunny....

Let's see how tomorrow goes.

4 comments:

John Going Gently said...

Eric....
me and you both!
our diet starts the day I get back to Wales after my trip to London.....now the capital is not known for great food as somewhere like New York obviously is, but being with my best friend means that those little out of the way eating places can be sought out and food enjoyed with some relish!

middle age spread....is an awful thing!....especially as I hate trying to cram my gut into a pair of pants that no longer can cope with the trauma of fat!

Texan said...

Good for you!

Hey its a battle, no really. I am 7lbs up myself! It was 8lbs, ones down.. grrrr even with all the running I do. All I can figure, gotta be the age thing... so I am in with you and John.. I have been on a loose it mode for um one week , 2 days, 2 hours, 4 minutes, 6 seconds... ya its really that bad :O), just hate it.

Stick with it!!! Have you ever tried running? You could maybe alternate it with your biking to give yourself some down time on the bike seat :O)...

Maria said...

Okay. Go figure, dude. I weigh less than I did in college but I look fatter, I think. I seem to have no firmness left in my body, am all soft and cushy, which is not nearly as sexy as it sounds on paper. I'm like a feather bed when I aspire to be a leather sofa.

And how in the fuck did I get veiny hands?

Aging sucks the big one. I don't care what those lying bumper stickers say, I looked better, felt better, lived better thirty years ago. I could party all night, get an hour of sleep and then go to school all day long back then. Now, Bing and I tried hard to stay up to see the rerun of Tina Fey on SNL last night (Tina Fey is just too good to miss) and we made it through the first skit and then as I was staving off sleep, I glanced over to find Bing fast asleep in the recliner.

This sucks, brother man.

Eric said...

You're all right, age does make it so much harder to lose the weight. I've backslid a couple of times since this post, but I'm down about 8 pounds from where I started, with quite a ways still to go.

Texan, I love to run...or I used to when I was in shape...I'm starting to do a little bit now and it sucks so bad, but the breathing at least is coming back pretty quickly.