January 29 - Birthday Cheat Night

Post 726, Day 29 of 2013
 - and 760 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

If it is my birthday, that means just one thing: 

I'm exactly three years away from retirement. Some people are lucky enough to earn a living doing what they love.

I have never been successful at that, always trying to do what I loved, only to be disappointed that the commercial version of the thing I love either won't support me or is a perversion of my loving ideal.

At the moment, I find myself in a job with a lot to love about it, and some things that really spoil it. My nature is to take it for what it is, enjoy the good parts, and try and avoid the bad. Failing that, don't let the bad parts ruin the whole, and make me forget my good fortune at being employed.

Nonetheless, I am really looking forward to retirement. I'm looking forward to retirement, to the adventure that starts when I don't have to be at work at eight in the morning, or ever.

One of the things I like to do is research places that seem like good spots for retirement. Due to limited funds and a culture that looks at old age as a disability (unless it is accompanied by wealth), none of them are within the US. 

Putting myself at a geographic remove from non-local friends and all my family (who are all five or more hours travel time away), is not the big deal it might be for other people. It is a fact that the only way I will be able to spend significant time with them after retirement is to live outside the country in a low-cost area, allowing me to save enough each year to spend a couple of months traveling in the US. That's how - and maybe the  only way - I will get to spend some quality time with them.

My post-retirement fantasies are in places like Ecuador, Thailand, and Uruguay. I have been corresponding with the author of a new book on expat life in Cuenca, Ecuador, literally (pun!) the best I have ever read on expatriating (anywhere). He wrote, "I can tell you've got the bug, bad, bud."

Indeed. One thousand, ninety-five (1095) days to go. No need to ask who's counting.

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 Food and Diet Section

First-half year 2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         207.2 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     207.2 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 0.0 lbs

Diet Comment

No change. After a small breakfast, two meals out with snacks. That's a lot of food. This is a cheat day, even though it is much to close to my last cheat day. This month is a bust. Tomorrow, weight will be up. Thursday, the last day of the month, the weight will be up again - that should be my highest weight since last November. I will skip my cheat day Saturday. 

The plan to deal with my January weight gain (Dec 31st, 2012 is the lowest weight on the chart) is to go back to basics: Eat on plan six days a week, one cheat day. Starts in February.

Food Log

Breakfast

Chia gel.

Lunch
At Ling-Ling's Chinese Buffet and Grill:

Brussels sprouts, kimchee, and from the "Mongolian Grill" my go-to dish, pork and chicken with bean sprouts, cabbage, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, snow pea pods and broccoli.

Snack
Celery and home-made mayonnaise.


Dinner
At the world-famous Dinosaur BBQ, I had Cajun deviled eggs, BBQ Cajun blackened salmon, cole slaw, corn bread, cottage cheese with chives, and a shot of Jameson's. For dessert, I had a slice of carrot cake.


Snack
A bag of 'natural' chocolate peanut butter cups (like Reese's, but smaller, and made without corn syrup or GMO soy products).

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  28 oz,  Water:  96+ oz 

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!