Good morning! And welcome to a new week in which we will chat about keeping the weight off (however much, however little) and other things that attract our attention.

If you're wondering about Bill Blue Eyes, he's in Costa Rica for 10 days, trying out some new moisture-wicking fitness gear for us. More on his return.

It's a very pleasant day here and I'll be doing my heavy weights exercise in 3/4 hour or so. Food is implicated in losing and keeping off weight, though, as we all know. I'll also be strongly encouraging myself to make a plan and menu.

I'm doing the menu planning at our house myself this week but I won't be doing the cooking. Work is this and the next few weeks so DH will assume most of the domestic chores.

He's pretty good at getting them done - just needs me to plan it out. I'm the scheduling person in our couple apparently.

In other news I saw "Paris can Wait" last night at our local theatre. Decent "girlie movie" and really brought home the idea that North Americans and Europeans tend to approach the actual "living" of life very differently. I liked it.

Dagmar

Oh, interesting! What are some of the differences?

North Americans (and yes I'm generalizing) tend to be much more quantifiable results/reward oriented and tend to try to travel the fastest, straightest line between two points. They rarely take the "path less travelled" nor stop to "smell the roses". When their phones ring they answer, no matter what else is going on. Life is hectic and scheduled and there is very little time for pleasure.

I am trying to change this a bit in my own life by stopping several times during the day for a minute to look at the sky. I also try to engage with the pets I'm tending and look at things from their point of view. If all of them want to smell the grass for a bit I let them.

My life is very hectic and scheduled and I try to make it less so. The sky is a good reminder that what I'm doing is not really that crucial, given the bigger picture.

I also try to enjoy pleasures (like reading and art) without feeling guilty that I really should be doing something more productive (like cleaning or cooking or something).

Dagmar

Happy Monday!
Just checking in as I've been doing more lurking than posting lately.
Hope Bill is loving Costa Rica!
I'll be testing my moisture wicking gear soon myself as dh and I leave Saturday for our walking tour of Italy. It's very hot and humid there this time of year. I've got much to do to prepare and pack.

Dagmar - The thing you said about the phone stood out to me. I went to school in France for a summer when I was in college. I remember the phone ringing during dinner and no one reacting at all. When I asked about answering it, Madame said she would call back after dinner. DH and I both stop eating to answer if it rings just in case, and even if it isn't important we seldom tell the person we are eating and ask to call back.

My partner is like that. She just doesn't answer the phone if she doesn't feel like it. It boggled my mind the first few years--I was like, Aren't you going to get that? No, they'll call back if it's important, she said.

After awhile I saw the wisdom in that, especially these days when most of the calls we get are asking for money. We can tell who it is with caller ID--if it's not someone we know, we don't pick up until we hear the message, and sometimes not even then. That's our landline.

Of course, when I had my own business phone, I would always pick that up.

Hey folks, just checking in. I am out in California at my mom's house with lots of family as there are no longer any treatments available for my dad. All thoughts of diet have gone by the wayside, but I did at least go out for a jog (~1 mile) this morning. I'm not sure how long I will be out here but there's no semblance of routine at the moment. We expect my dad will pass within the next week but there's no way to predict exactly when. In the meantime I'm working remotely to give me something useful to do and trying to be generally helpful with running errands and such (today's plan is taking the dog to the vet and possibly going to the grocery store).

Jessica, I'm so sorry to hear this. Beaming you supportive vibes.

Hugs to you, Jessica at this difficult time.

I'm so sorry, Jessica. Hugs to you and your family.

Thanks everyone.

My thoughts are with you and your family, Jessica.

So sorry to hear about your dad, Jessica. I'm thinking of you.

Thinking of you and your family, Jessica.