Day 94: The Fat Lady Sings

To end the suspense, this morning was the final weigh-in after a summer of eating and drinking. You'll be glad to know I arrived at just below my target weight of 147, having begun the summer at 153.4

Sunday morning weigh-in: 146.6

maybe one of these

In the next day or so I'll do a complete wrap-up. 

I'll say this much now, though — I don't care much for these new digital scales, that give you your weight, body mass, and blah blah blah. I think I'll look for one of those old-fashioned scales with a dial and a needle. I enjoy the thrill of watching the needle slowly creep higher and higher, wondering where it will stop.

Day 93: On the Final Page of the Food Diary. Wait... Stop That Cheering!

Saturday morning weigh-in: 147.2

So today is my final day of writing down all that I consume. Tomorrow morning when I step on the scale, we'll see if I managed to finish the summer at my target weight of 147. Looking down the page here, I'm not sure... but it will be close. Started this rainy, final full day of summer thusly...

coffee, Beaumont Breakfast Blend (2 cups)
rye toast w/butter (2 slices)

Headed over to Keyser Cadillac in Williamsville, and test-drove the new XTS luxury sedan. Sure made my car seem cheap (it is). Came home, paid some bills, did some home office organization (not too much, though), and had a little lunch:


Dannon coffee yogurt (6 oz.)
pepperjack sandwich
     cheese (3 slices)
hard-boiled egg (1)
coffee, Beaumont
     Breakfast Blend
     (1 cup)

and then a snack (see below), as I attempt to design the wall of bookshelves I'll be building in the living room. This is a first; usually I just wing-it and see how it turns out. Had a small snack as I measured and sketched,

red seedless grapes (1 cluster)

By the time dinner time rolled around, The Boy had left for the day, so Tracy and I had an easy dinner (translation: no cooking)...

ham & hard-boiled egg on whole wheat (1 sandwich)
beef-barley soup (1 bowl)
Clancy's Wavy Chips w/French Onion Dip 
     (more than I planned, especially on my last night of keeping track!)

Gable/Loy

Watched the DVR'd Clark Gable/Myrna Loy movie from 1938, Too Hot to Handle. (I think I could have written better dialogue.)

I think we'll end this thing right here.

Day 92: There's No Place Like Hummus

Friday morning weigh-in: 147.8

Well then. Only two more days to go before Autumn begins. So far, I'd say things have been a success. At least in blogsville. Started this fine Friday morning with

coffee, medium black at the s-l-o-w-e-s-t Tim Hortons yet (1 cup)
Paula Red apple (1)

Returned home from the morning drive very early. And for the final time. Decided it was as good a time as any for some

grits & eggs (1 bowl)
coffee, Beaumont caramel (1 cup)

Fiddled around on the computer for a while before leaving for the afternoon drive to Lewiston — also for the final time. Had another 

Paula Red apple (1)

whilst driving. Came home, wasted more time on the computer, and got ready to head downtown. The good old Statler Lobby Bar was beckoning, and it being a Friday, we answered the call.




Sam Adams Octoberfest (2 pints)

Food Network file photo

and at The Old House Downtown,

Yuengling Traditional Lager (1-12 oz. bottle)
cabbage salad
cheese plate
home-made Hot Steaming Loaf®, 
   whole wheat w/butter
store-bought 
   hummus w/pita chips
home-made 
   hummus w/pita chips



home-made 
   salsa w/tortilla chips
ham slices
Shur-Fine Diet White Birch Beer (1-12 oz. can)

And piano music by the one and only Gary Marino!

Day 91: "Mr. Corbran. Come Here. I Need You." — Alexander Graham Cracker

Thursday morning weigh-in: 147.8

Yesterday's "coffee from home" experiment was off, and will remain off until I get a less plasticky cup to drink out of in the car. That being said, it was a predictable morning drive...

coffee, Tim Hortons medium black (1 cup)
caramel/apple bagel, plain, Tim Hortons (1)
Paula Red apple (1)

I've been eyeing those caramel/apple bagels all week, and my resistance finally broke down. Highly recommended. Got home later than expected for lunch, so I grabbed a

Tops Fruit-on-the-Bottom strawberry yogurt (8 oz.)
water (12 oz.)

before running out the door again for my penultimate afternoon trip to Lewiston. Ugh. Came home and goofed-off for a while before dinner, which consisted of

from "Under the Dome"

home-made beef-barley soup (2 bowls)

Savoritz Buttery Crisp crackers (about 8 — I wasn't counting) 

while watching what I had supposed was the finale of the "miniseries" Under the Dome.

Seems the dip-wads at CBS have decided to renew the "series" for a second season. Too bad. I might just let it go. (I read the book so the actual ending would have been anti-climactic anyhoo).

Boo! Hiss!

After that it was two episodes of Color Splash, before getting to the newest installment of Project Runway, where this week Karma showed its not-so-ugly head. Had a few

Clancy's Wavy Potato Chips

and a pack — yes, a pack — of 





Benton's Cinnamon Graham crackers. 
     (I like the "serving suggestion" shown on the front of the box: 
     it's a picture of a cracker. Genius.)

Everyone knows that if you open a pack of graham crackers, you have to finish it off or they get stale. Just doin' my part.

Day 90: Alex, I'll Take Stephen King For $800

Wednesday morning weigh-in: 148.0

I can never decide if I should put the decimal in there if the number following it is a zero. But, there it is.

This morning, in a cost-cutting measure, I decided to brew my own coffee for the morning drive. Problem is, I don't like to have it too early, and by the time I was ready for it it was only lukewarm. And I still don't like drinking coffee out of those plastic "thermal" cups. So if I'm really trying to cut costs, I may just cut the driving coffee altogether. Bah.

Anyway...

coffee, Beaumont Dark Roast (1 cup)
everything bagel, plain (also from home — 1)


It was an almost uneventful morning, except for a stupid phone call (which we won't go into right now). Finished up in time to sit and read for a bit, just for a change of pace. A while ago I started Stephen King's novel from the Hard Case Crime series, "Joyland," and now I'm really getting interested. You've gotta love that trashy-looking pulp fiction-like cover.

Had a quick lunch of

Friendly Farms honey-flavored Greek yogurt (6 oz.)
Swiss cheese, sandwich slices (2)
leftover taco beef (about 1 taco's worth)
Wise All-Natural potato chips (a handful or two)
water (12 oz.)

Almost made a huge mistake with the chips. At first glance I thought the bag said "Au Naturel" and I was going to disrobe before eating them. Yikes!

Went back to work for the afternoon drive to Lewiston, then came home and did some house-cleaning. Alone for dinner, which usually means something along the lines of

ham & pepperjack on rye (1 sandwich)
Tops pineapple soda/pop (20 oz.)

A little more clean-up before settling down in front of the telly. Watched the season premiere of "New Girl" — I love Zooey Deschanel, but this show is starting to get weird; then the third installment of the TCM series "The Story of Film: An Odyssey;" and finished up with an episode of "Wheeler Dealers" on Velocity, where a guy sold the boys his Porsche 914, then bought it back after they'd fixed it all up — a first for the show!

The telly-watching wasn't snack-free...

Genny Light (2-12 oz. cans)
Wise All-Natural potato chips 
     (1 handful — the end of the bag)
Clancy's Wavy Potato Chips 
     (1 handful — the beginning of the bag)

That's enough of that for a while. I hope. (Stupid chips!)

Day 89: Doc Sullivan Makes Another Blog Appearance

Tuesday morning weigh-in: 146.2

It didn't seem like a Tuesday, whatever that means. And I was still feeling blah. But went off to the salt mines just the same. And whilst driving around...

coffee, Tim Hortons medium black (1 cup)
everything bagel, Tim Hortons, plain (1)

Somehow I managed to find the time to stop at the gym (it's been so long I almost forgot my padlock combination — almost). Did my four miles, came home for a quick

Tops Fruit-on-the-Bottom mixed berry yogurt (8 oz.)
Swiss cheese (2 sandwich-sized slices)
shelled walnuts (a fist-full)
water (12 oz.)

before heading back out to work for a bit. A text on my phone said "You guys interested in wings tonight?" And of course we were, so at dinner-time we were off to South Buffalo for another visit to Doc Sullivan's on Abbott Road. I certainly had my share...

wings, medium w/bleu cheese (10)

French fries (about half-an-order)

Smithwick's (2 pints)

A good night, I'd say.

Day 88: Bah. Just Bah.

Monday morning weigh-in: 148.7

It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world. And some days it just ticks you off. Like today...

But enough of that. Monday. Morning off.

eggs, 2 soft-boiled
toast, Italian, buttered (1)
coffee, Beaumont Dark Roast (1 cup)
coffee, Beaumont Fair Trade Columbian (1 cup)

Spent the morning unburying my desk from an avalanche of papers. You know, the papers that were supposed to be so non-existent now that we all have home computers. Lunch couldn't come quick enough,

Friendly Farms strawberry Greek yogurt, (6 oz.)
Aero bar, milk chocolate (42g)
Moser Roth dark chocolate bar (125g)
water (12 oz.)

You see, when the day's going bad, chocolate tries its darnedest to make things better. Headed off to Lewiston for work, and then home again to a simple dinner. It wasn't even a dinner. It was a sandwich...

ham & Swiss on an everything bagel (1)
cheddar (1 oz — that's all there was)
water (12 oz.)

Not even going to snack tonight. Or watch the telly. Think I'll go read. Good night, Irene.