| Nervous |
[Nov. 11th, 2008|05:02 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | diet | ] |
| [ | music |
| | The Big Elastic Band; Jimmy Shand's on the Wireless | ] |
So despite my best intentions, August and September and most of October saw a lot of backsliding. Mrs Whiskypriest and I finally went back to the diet class a fortnight ago to find out the damage, 6 pounds for her and around 12 for me. Not great news, but understandable.
We went back because we are serious about the process and also because we knew we needed to do something to halt the slide before the annual festive bloating begins.
The first week back was full of good intentions, but the last week has been almost entirely faithful. I'll let you know. |
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| Nine freaking pounds! |
[Aug. 27th, 2008|07:31 pm] |
Not on. Off!!
Colour me surprised. I've not been pigging myself all summer, but I haven't been exactly observant either, two weeks in Spain, a fantastic Continuum in Leicester and a few other diversions.
But something certainly worked and although I've got a few events to attend in the next few weeks I've now got the impetus to carry on. |
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| I'm not the man I used to be! |
[Jun. 30th, 2008|08:05 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  ecstatic | ] |
I'm 9/10ths in fact!
4 more pounds off takes me through the 10% barrier (yes, add all the previous entries up and you'll get my grim starting point)
What pleases me more was that this was achieved despite all the little weak moments and deviations.
I'll concede that I shouldn't have celebrated by sharing a kebab and some pakora with the kids, but I felt I was due a treat.
I won't be weighed for almost a month now, what with Spain and Continuum in Leicester coming up, but I reckon I've put down a good foundation for progress.
Thanks for all the support. |
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| 5 pounds! |
[Jun. 23rd, 2008|08:07 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  bouncy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Talk Talk: Eden | ] |
Breathes sigh of relief.
I was really worried after last week, despite myself I knew I had struggled with buffets at various functions and succumbed more than once, including my nephew's first birthday party yesterday.
However, this was just the fillip I needed, now to keep up the run until Spain in July.
Thanks for all the support! |
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| A Victory, of sorts! |
[Jun. 20th, 2008|03:32 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | chipper | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Talking Heads: Heaven Is a Place | ] |
As I've said, I didn't have a great week last week, I must confess I'm struggling this week for different reasons. It's the last two weeks of the school year in Scotland, this means that as well as the usual round of residents and other meetings I attend, I also get invited to loads of school shows, school leavers services, prize-givings etc. Nearly all of these come with food attached, I have managed to be "good" and resist the heaving plates of egg sandwiches and sausage rolls, but sometimes either the temptation is too much, or the desire to conform wins out.
On top of this I'm off for dinner with the Papal Nuncio tonight, it won't be a private affair, possibly 150 or so others are going to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Diocese. I know I can fore-swear alcohol, I'll have to see about the rest though.
But now the victory. For ages I've been left with no choice but to buy my suits and business atire from the "Fat Boy Shop" aka High and Mighty, at outrageous prices. However, yesterday, I tried on one of my old shirts, admittedly one with a 19" collar, and it fitted. So if nothing else it is a reminder that good times do await.
Hopefully! |
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| No change! |
[Jun. 16th, 2008|07:37 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  gloomy | ] |
I'm surprised, baffled in fact.
I've been having my shakes and soups as directed, admittedly with two stumbles. on Thursday I partook of some of the buffet after the Police Board meeting, but even then I only ate the bottom half of the various rolls (including the filling of course) and on Sunday after Mass I had a sausage sandwich and some bacon at my mums.
When you consider what I had to eat the week I only lost three pounds I still should have shed something. I am surmising that maybe the reading last week wasn't as accurate as it should have been. 13 pounds over two weeks would have been fine, if slightly lacking in dramatic effect.
But, I'm in this for the long haul, so I'd better pick myself back up and stop whinging.
More next week. Hopefully I'll be in a better mood. |
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| Thirteen more pounds! |
[Jun. 9th, 2008|07:49 pm] |
That was a surprise. I really didn't think this was going to be such a good week, I just didn't feel I had lost so much.
Granted, only 1 of the 28 meals this week wasn't out of a packet. I'd been to a funeral in Edinburgh and had gone to a board meeting through there. It is a long standing co-operative tradition to feed the board prior to meetings and, despite having my measuring jug, hand whisk and packet of shake mix with me, I gave in to the temptations of steak pie with all the trimmings.
I'm really buoyed up just now and looking forward to next week, my only real hurdle is the Police Board meeting this Thursday in Paisley and the meal afterwards. Must remember to be strong. |
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| Three more pounds |
[Jun. 4th, 2008|06:48 pm] |
I'm not too downhearted, I've tried and failed too often in the past not to realise that there are always good weeks and bad weeks.
Just too many opportunities for weakness: going for dinner in Manchester while we went to see Bruce Springsteen, attacking Mary Kate's left-over giant dark chocolate Toblerone on Friday, the meal to celebrate my niece's baptism on Saturday night.
But, since the weigh in on Monday I have been faithful, and the additional fibre supplement has removed certain of the gruesomeness that I will spare you, gentle reader.
Tomorrow will be problematic, I'm off to Edinburgh for a funeral and will be staying there for meetings. Caving in would be easy, but hopefully I can find the time, and opportunity, to stick to the diet.
Thanks for all the support.
More next week |
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| sixteen pounds!!!!! |
[May. 26th, 2008|09:17 pm] |
I won't bother boring anyone with what I've been up to for the last year, although I might back-fill later.
However, one thing I do want to share, which is obvious to anyone who has ever met me, is my need to lose weight. The final straw was probably being told by the local hospital when I turned for a routine CT scan, that they couldn't take me, but they could arrange for a trip to the vet school for a shot on the equipment they use on cows.
Judith and I have now started a new diet. We decided to try one of those VLCD things and, after comparing the different ones, opted for one called W8. Again, I'll spare the gruesome details, but the good news is, as you'll see from the title, I've lost 16 pounds.
Any support, prayers or vibes over the coming months will be much appreciated.
Thanks! |
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| I have returned |
[May. 8th, 2007|09:21 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | politics | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | jubilant | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Christy Moore; Viva La Quinte Brigada | ] |
*Coughs* testing, testing, is this mike on?
It's been a hard few months, I decided to slip off into purdah during the election campaign, partly through a realisation that I wouldn't be able to blog consistently, but also because of an awareness that candidacy can do strange things to people and I had no desire to blog anything in anger that I might later regret. On top of which I have been enjoying this as a process that gets me away from Politics.
I have no fear of being fisked, but that is what I do and live with the majority of the time, where I'd rather this was a quiet space away from that.
Still, I'm glad for the kind words and messages of support, in a strange way I'm even glad about the abuse (you know who you are). I'm back in and looking forward to whatever challenges come my way between now and 2011.
Maybe now I can get back to posting about whatever takes my fancy. |
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| The 7 Minute Sopranos |
[Apr. 5th, 2007|10:05 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | sopranos, tv | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Faithless; Bring My Family Back | ] |
I've lost touch with most of TV this year, Battlestar Galactica included.
However, you'll have to prize The Sopranos out of my cold dead fingers! I can't wait for the series conclusion and found this invaluable:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz_Ees_-kE4
I was surprised at how little I'd forgotten. |
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| Cricket. A True American Game?! |
[Mar. 6th, 2007|08:33 pm] |
I'm not sure where my love of cricket comes from, I don't even remember being really aware of it until just before my teens, but something about it gripped me and wouldn't let go. It definitely pre-dates my involvement with Mrs whiskypriest, who is a real cricket fanatic.
I was surprised to find this:
http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/NATIONAL/ICC_MEMBERS/USA/USA_HISTORY.html
but the story of English class snobbery stifling the development of cricket as a professional sport across the pond definitely rings true. |
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| Lost for words |
[Mar. 2nd, 2007|08:46 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | The Flaming Lips: Haven't Got A Clue | ] |
When I first heard about this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/6389845.stm/
I thought it was a wind up, but no, a Slovenian swimmer is attempting to swim the entire navigable length of the Amazon.
He's now half way through and hasn't been eaten by Crocodiles, savaged by Piranha's or had those really scary spiny fish creep up his penis.
I hope he makes it!! |
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| Civil War |
[Feb. 25th, 2007|03:42 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | comics | ] |
| [ | music |
| | The Hold Steady: Stevie Nix | ] |
So, just to clarify things, now that Planetary has ended, my comic buying mojo is hanging on by its fingernails, although I would be happy to hear any suggestions.
One of the things hacking me off is the all consuming metaplot's that are disfiguring continuities everywhere. Admittedly as someone with a complete run of the First Secret War and DC's Crisis on Infinite Earth's in his loft I realise I must accept a teensy weensy bit of blame for this.
However, Imagine my delight to discover that ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) mightygodking has reimagined the Marvel Civil War series. It is now almost good, a major improvement.
Enjoy |
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| Imagine? |
[Feb. 22nd, 2007|09:54 pm] |
I'm not sure what worries me more, the insidious creeping anti-americanism currently disfiguring the public sphere on this side of the Atlantic, the effects of which are deftly highlighted by the 18 Doughty Street Crowd here:
http://www.18doughtystreet.com/on_demand/165
or the scary wing-nut bedfellows that these people normally cohabit with.
Nevertheless the debate needs to be had. |
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| Duke Special and Stephanie Dosen, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, 9th Feb |
[Feb. 21st, 2007|01:23 pm] |
I love king Tut's, easily one of my favourite venues especially when it's packed as it was for this gig.
I first heard Duke Special when the wife and i saw him support The Divine Comedy last year and, after some urging from ianmcdonald I bought Songs from the Deep Forest. As anyone who's been checking my Last.Fm Profile will know, it has been getting heavy rotation.
The support was the the American singer/songwriter Stephanie Dosen. Glasgow crowds can, in my experience, be quite rough on support acts, but they also know when they are hearing a good one. I picked up her CD at the gig and would be happy to recommend it.
Duke Special was fantastic, playing cuts from the album and some of the older stuff from the EP's. I took my sister with me as a belated Christmas present, she'd never heard any of his stuff before, but was completely blown away. I never expect to hear a live performance completely replicate the CD, but in this case the performance was even more passionate. My only grumble would be that this would probably be my last chance to see him in such an intimate venue, surely greater success beckons.
He told us he's coming back to Glasgow in May, can't wait, I only hope it is after the election rather than before. |
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| Sal Paradise Was Right |
[Feb. 19th, 2007|09:17 am] |
The Hold Steady, Glasgow Cathouse, 14th February
I haven't anticipated a concert more than this one for a very, very long time. If you don't know who they are yet The Hold Steady are a New York Based bunch of former Minneapolisians (is that a real word?) They have been compared to Springsteen, Husker Du and the Replacements, but they are way, way more than the sum of their influences. Lyrically they are one of the most interesting bands I've heard with vignettes about the seedier side of American life, overlaid with a sense of spirituality.
This was their first tour of the UK but hopefully not their last, I was completely blown away, Craig Finn spits his lyrics like machine gun bullets spinning the stories of Holly/Hallelujah, Charlemagne and Gideon as they drink, take drugs, screw and do their best to survive.
Musically they are really tight as well, the wonderfully flamboyant Franz Nikolay's keyboards, giving a tremendous contrast to the thundering guitars.
They deserve to mean a lot to a lot of people. Let them mean something to you. |
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