Saturday, November 7, 2020

Weight 127.4. I need to be eating clean this week. Too much going out last week and eating and drinking too much again.

We are in Vero Beach. Very muggy due to the approaching tropical storm (which I don't think will be one when it gets here). I meet Mike's friend Billy today.

Prediction: We won't know the election results in the open states until late Sunday. I think officials want to delay it so rioting will be less likely than it would at the beginning of a weekend. Everything seems to be manipulated these days in the news, so why not that? But I do know for a fact that government agencies are on the alert.

Have a safe, healthy, and friendly day!

152.8

Yesterday was hard with the girls. Movie wasn't the greatest but I felt pretty safe. Only 5 or 6 couples in the whole place. Sad.

Today we have a lot of housework to get accomplished. We are entertaining a couple this evening and will probably play card games. I'm going to set out of charcuterie board of leftover cheeses I have lying around, then prosciutto -wrapped chicken, trying a butternut squash risotto in instant pot, and probably a fall salad. She's bringing dessert.

I think we pretty much know the election results. If there are legitimate court battles we won't technically certify it for awhile. If we are going to do mail in ballots in the future, I think these polling place infrastructure and/or laws need to be updated to allow for faster returns and not tabulate all of one kind of vote while all of the other kind of vote is outstanding.

I'm listening to a podcast on the electoral college. My fascination with politics began in 2000, and so I guess I'm pretty used to close elections/electoral college choosing a different victor. It seems like every 4 years the question arises whether it should be abolished. I would like to be more well versed in its historic purpose and modern day application.

In some states, mail in, absentee, ballots were processed before election day. In Minnesota, I think 8 days before election days, election judges can verify them, open them, flatten them out, (because they were trifolded), and then feed them into the ballot counting machine, obviously not totaling them until the polls close. So despite record turn out for early voting, we had our totals election night, and there were no crazy swings, no blue mirage like Ohio, where the early vote totals were pushed out first and later went red, or red mirage in Pennsylvania, that eventually went blue.

The turn out nationally was tremendous. I wonder if there had not been early voting options if we would have had the infrastructure to handle in person voting. Also, did more early voting options drive increased turn out?

Weight down a little from yesterday.

My lunch with friends was enjoyable. I think I chose well - a thai salad with a little chicken and a chili garlic dressing, hold the coconut.

We had rain today and a thunderstorm! We never get thunderstorms here. And it's cold (for us) at 54.

I was reading on another weight loss site a post from a young woman who's family was pressuring her to have weight loss surgery. Now, I absolutely believe it should be 100% your choice to do something like this so pressure is not a good thing. But she was so resistant and negative about it! And because it is not a site focused on WLS, the responses were mostly backing up her resistance. All I could think was that I wish that the sleeve had been widely available when I was 20 and that I would have been open to it then. I wonder how different my life might have been if I had done all of this work (surgery plus the emotional stuff) that long ago? I've had a good life and I think our experiences shape who we are, but if given the chance for a do-over I'd take it!

No plans for today here other than chores. Take care...

PS - BB, I think the electoral college was a genius construct. When people get upset about it, it's probably because it's doing the job it was intended to do.

Doctors talked with me about WLS years for years. The band never made any sense to me. Maybe I was a victim of misinformation, but the gastric bypass and it's malabsortion scared me. Just when I heard about the sleeve, my insurance started paying for it. A year from the first time I read about a gastric sleeve, I had the surgery.

This story does make me think about whether I should be more open about my surgery. I think there are so many post WLS people living their normal lives, unremarkable and unnoticed, but the public doesn't hear these stories.

By the time I got up this morning the election had been called by several news agencies. Now I guess we have to wait for official certification.

Food has been okay, but not great this week. Dealing with a bit of an "ah ha" that has really been bothersome.

We got a few sprinkles last night. Of course, I washed my car yesterday! LOL.

Busy day ahead.

Greetings Friends

I am truly grateful that this election is over and not ashamed to say I am pleased. Regardless of how you think of Donald Trump, his response to the covid has been abysmal and I have no doubt that people are dead as a result. There, I needed to say that to someone. I am glad that things are peaceful. Also grateful for all the volunteer poll workers.

We watched our team lose today but not by much. Mostly they lost by throwing interceptions. Not a good plan.

Little food thought here. I had a craving for sweets and ate 3 hershey kisses. Don't know why I can't learn that I feel crappy every time I do that.

Gallery duty yesterday. The ocean was really rocking and rolling and it was beautiful.

Planning a grocery run tomorrow and I really do need to get back to healthy eating and cooking and not just ready made stuff. If I think of anything good I will report. Right now it might be just a store roasted chicken and asparagus.

diane s

It snowed in October, and we spent almost 2 weeks 25 degrees below normal. Now we are in the 1st week of November and it's record breaking warmth. We went kayaking Tuesday after work, and today we kayaked for several hours in the Minneapolis chain of lakes. We went through various channels and paddled in 3 different lakes. I tried to just focus on the beauty of this day, and I did a good job living in the moment. But a small part of me stamped my foot and thought if I just had done it differently, I could be living somewhere that this is typical November weather, and I wasn't staring down the barrel of a long dark winter. And then I remind myself, the compensations of living in the midst of family. Kids with their cousins. Being a very hands on Aunt. Having my grandparents know and love my husband like he was their own grandchild.

We followed up kayaking with dinner on a sidewalk cafe. In November. Wonderful. We plan to finish our evening in our Adirondack chairs and a small bonfire. Cheers!!