Last night I saw a shooting star while staring vacantly at the clear night sky, while waiting for dog to do his business. It's a nice perk to an all too repetitive task. Get up, take the dog out, feed the dog, take the dog out, walk the dog, feed him again… oh, take him out again! I recently realized the flaw in getting another large-breed dog; I can't make Flo take him out, because he already weighs more than she does. Oh well.
Let see… what's new? Well, our trip to Canada was nice. It was fun seeing everyone and getting away for a few days. I really like the town of Kingston, Ontario. They have all the pertinent amenities we like; a good book store, Starbucks, a natural foods store (in fact, one has a name I can't forget; Tara Natural Foods), a great educational supply store, in which I spent way too much money, lots of places to walk, and a trendy downtown area to stroll around. Lots of fun.
Darren found out today that his cholesterol is still high. He's a little discouraged, as the doctor recommended medication, and he'd like to avoid taking it. So, he wants to get really serious about weight loss and exercise, before taking any drugs. Weight is one of the biggest contributing factors with high cholesterol, so it seems logical to give it a shot before committing to a lifetime of drugs that can have negative side effects.
I guess I'm surprised my good habits over the past year and a half or so haven't rubbed off more on him. I've really overhauled my lifestyle. But Darren's ankle injury, and his sedentary job have made it hard for him to motivate himself with exericse. And, he's really not paid attention to portion control or calories. We follow a fairly strict vegetarian diet, and I know he feels silly somtimes telling people he's vegetarian because he's overweight. He feels that people think that all vegetarians are skinny carrot-munching hippies. But, believe me, it's not hard to be an overweight vegetarian if you eat a whole bag of potato chips in one sitting, a whole container of soy ice cream, three sandwiches for lunch, or a whole bag of raw almonds, etc. Quality is very important, but so is quantity. Anyway, if he just cuts out the snacky foods, exercises moderately, and eats only the stuff I make, he shouldn't have a problem getting some weight off, though I'm sure it will be a challenge getting started. It always is.
There will be lots of lentils on the menu this week. They are so cheap and easy… I throw a few cups of red lentils in a pot, with double the water, and cook until they're a pea soup consistency. I try different spices and adding veggies, too. My favorite is curry, grilled onions & garlic. I cook brown rice to go with it. Most savory and healthy, too! Can't beat that.
Anyway, I guess health is the focus this week. With the weather warming up, we're looking forward to some more outdoor activities. We got new bikes last year, and would like to try going out to the Maryland Rail Trail for a ride soon. I just bought a thing for our bike called a Running Guard, so we can take Bruno on bike rides, and hopefully wear him out. That's the plan, anyway.
Well, I suppose I should go to bed so I can try to keep up with the kids tomorrow. Happy Spring to everyone! Good night!