May 16, 2008

• Springing into Spring

  We made it through “no TV week.”  We made it through “no restaurant week.”  But starting today I’m going to try “no alcohol week.”  I will never break through this weight loss plateau if I can’t say no to my nightly glass/s of wine.  And though I rarely drink more than 2 of anything, it worries me, sometimes, the feeling that I MUST have it.  In fact, I start looking forward to it about noon, and it’s almost the first thing I do when I get home.  1-kiss children, 2-drop bags, 3-pee, 4-pour wine.  You could set your clock by it. 

   

  I am making only one exception: drinking with Frank.  If we have an occasion to grab a quick glass of wine together, I will do that.  But that’s it.

   

  First test will be dinner tonight.  I told Bunny, the sitter, that we’d have a “Bunny Appreciation Dinner” and go out to eat at the place wherever she likes.  I would normally have a drink or two and use the eating out as an excuse to overeat or eat a big fat steak or heavy pasta.  I will resist!

   

  I am still not exercising regularly.  I mowed the lawn, which counts, but that was two days ago and was hardly a workout with my new fabulous mower.  I. Love. This. Mower.  You have to understand, I didn’t mow but a few times a summer for the past few years because I could never get the fucker started.  It was bad enough with a gimpy right shoulder, but once the left wrist went wonky, I had no chance.  The “old” gas mower was finicky and very heavy, tough to push up the steep hill in front, and a bitch to get from the front yard to the back, and an unreasonable amount of wrangling to get the stupid bag off and emptied and back on.  (My grass is too thatchy to leave on the ground.  Plus, only mowing once a month, uh, there was always kind of a lot….) God that bitch was hard to start.  There were several times I just shoved it back in the garage after an hour of priming, pulling, cursing, waiting, pulling, pulling, flooding, cursing, kicking, crying, and giving up.  Toro, just so you know.  Once it got going, a powerful motor, a great mower, but it just wasn’t working out. 

   

  My new mower is a Black & Decker ELECTRIC, less than 50 pounds, one click to start, one hand to push, easy lift-off bagger whose opening – get this – is narrower than a yard bag, so you can just take off the bagger, put the end of a yard bag over it, and flip.  So fucking easy.  I briefly considered the cordless mower (now that’s just crazy convenient!) but it was twice as much money, weighed 25 pounds more, and had just a fraction of the power.  Plus, Consumer Reports said don’t even bother. 

   

  I’m hauling my new toy out to the cabin tonight to do my good deed for the place.  I so totally can’t wait for it to be cabin season again.  Give me sun!  Give me beach!  Give me water! 

  • 1:11 pm
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