flibbertigibbet: the flake post

no cheese, no butter, no fruity cocktail

I've lost six pounds this week. I know my ultimate goal here is strength, not weight loss, but I'm a little bit psyched. It's amazing what you can achieve if you cut butter, cheese, and Coco Lopez from your diet.

For exercise, I'm sticking mostly to the elliptical machine. My incentive, if you don't count strength and weight loss, is that I am completely 100% addicted to House of Cards on Netflix. I can watch an entire episode while pedaling away--or whatever you call it when you're on an elliptical. It makes me look at the House of Representatives a little differently (it's interesting to me how many people on the list I just linked are no longer contenders, by the way). Granted, the show is super heavy handed with the obvious metaphors, like when a reporter makes a deal with a congressman (played by the brilliant Kevin Spacey) and, as the reporter turns to leave, the congressman's wife says, "Be careful. The roads are icy."

Yeah yeah. We get it. Dangerous deal. Yadda yadda yadda.

I'm also annoyed with group therapy scenes where a member of the group delivers a well thought-out soliloquy about his life and his decisions. You're telling me a strung-out recovering drug addict who steals televisions and shoots up in the back of an El Camino can string his freebasing thoughts together to create the perfect essay on the fly? Mmm. I'm not saying, if you're a drug addict, you're stupid. I am saying, however, most people can't order coherently from a drive-thru when they simply have a class II hangover, and that merely entails saying, "I'll take a Number Three." Major detox doesn't make you Annie Dillard. David Foster Wallace, maybe. (Too soon?)

Case in point, I am slightly hungover today after a gin martini and many glasses of wine and I knew walking into this that this post would be alllll over the place. There will be no pretty bow at the end tying it all up into one cohesive conclusion.

so much fruit!

Let's get back to the point of this blog. I'm eating a lot of fruit. And, I switched out the GMO-bearing Kashi waffles for non-GMO-bearing Van's. Honestly, I'm having a hell of a time trying to keep up with what's good and what isn't, which brings me back to eating local foods. The Bath Farmer's Market heads outdoors again this weekend (yaaay), so I'm looking forward to picking up some local what whats. Good god, I hope they have arugula.

And, no. I still haven't made a date for a swimming lesson. 


That's it. I got nothin' else. Headed into town for First Friday, starting with an opening at Casco Bay Frames.

One more thought: Anyone else feel like attending an art opening is akin to attending a wake? Where do you stand? What do you say? How loudly can you speak? Is it inappropriate that I just hit up the free bar for my third glass of wine?

I posed the question to a very good friend of mine and this was her response. I love that she took my query seriously. This is the same woman who brings hostess gifts to parties and always sends thank-you notes.

I usually go with the tried-and-true method of having a clear plan and letting it be known the minute I walk in.  "Wow, this looks great....I wish we could stay longer...we have to leave by < blank > to get to the < blank >."  Everybody does it, but it allows the most flexibility.  Of course you go to the bar first and hopefully turn that into a social moment that lasts for one glass.  When ready for the second, get wine, then use the time excuse to get out of the conversation you no longer want to be a part of.  Briskly walk through show, then return to bar.  This is either the exit gracefully point, or get the third glass and commit to staying for another hour.  Will have to walk through show again if chose the latter.

And people don't drink like they used to, so I don't think we need to feel guilty about abusing a free bar.  Saves them having to lug the leftover back to the house. As someone who frequently moves booze from one place to another, I would rather people drink it, than me store it.

And....scene.