Sacrifice

Daily writing prompt
What sacrifices have you made in life?
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I feel like I answered this question recently, but could it have been a different question? Is it just a coincidence? I don’t know, and I’m too lazy to do any research on the topic at 7:07am on a Friday.

Sacrifice is a really heavy word. A sacrifice is what a soldier does when they give their life for their country. It is what you do when you give your child’s life to the fire god at the local temple. You know, serious stuff. What have I done that measures up to things like that?

I sacrificed eating sugar to the gods of weight loss. How’s that for making bariatric surgery more dramatic? Did it work? No? Oh well. It is the first thing that pops into my tiny little brain when I think of the word sacrifice. It’s not what I’d call noble or anything.

I don’t really mean to be a smart ass here. I am looking forward to reading through other people’s responses to this because many of you really are noble and deserve respect for what you’ve lived through. Don’t hold my being a doofus against me, please and thank you.

Sneaky Guitar

I managed to sneak in some guitar playing today in between my doctors appointment and punching in to work. The recording project I am trying to work through right now had three songs that needed lead guitar tracks. I finished off all three of them. My playing was poor at best, but who cares. Bad playing is better than no playing, right?

Here’s where things get super nerdy. I had three songs that needed work… and I used a different guitar on each song. My only regret is that I didn’t have a forth song to work on so I didn’t get to use all four of my guitars. Oh well. In further nerd news, I took a picture of each guitar with my Nikon Z5 and… well… nerd… I took a selfie with my iPhone of me playing each guitar too. Thanks, camera app on my Apple Watch that has a timer built into it.

DSC_2361
Gibson ES-335 Pro
Nerd playing a Gibson ES-335 Pro
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Gibson Les Paul Standard 50’s
Nerd playing a Gibson Les Paul Standard 50’s
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Gibson Les Paul Custom
Nerd playing a Gibson Les Paul Custom

Two Year Follow Up Wrap Up

I’m done with my doctors appointment. My two year post gastric bypass surgery followup is complete.

To quote my surgeon, “I can’t believe it.”

What did I learn today? From a sugar avoidance standpoint, eating fruits that contain a lot of natural sugars (looking at you, apples) should be okay because it’s a complex sugar that breaks down differently than your more junk food sugars. Also, staying on the topic of sugar, if you’re having a low blood sugar episode it’s okay to have some sugar to fix it, even though the amount of sugar my diabetic step son was told to take in that situation is exactly the same as the amount I’ve been told will trigger dumping syndrome. Somehow my body will process that sugar in a different way when it’s combating an over abundance of insulin in my blood than when the insulin levels are okay. How? I don’t know. I’ll probably still avoid more than the tiniest amount of sugar. Finally, when I ask the question, “is this stomach pain because something is wrong or is it because I am hungry” I am apparently asking a question that all of us ask. It’s normal and common to not be able to tell the difference. You just have to get used to it and hope that someday you’ll figure it out.

My next follow up is one year from today. In closing, as I was leaving I overheard my surgeon talking to another staff member. They were both looking at me and the words “I can’t believe it” were uttered for a second time. I also heard one of them say, “he doesn’t even look like he needs to be here” or something like that. Yeah. Good work, Doc. I couldn’t have done this without you, but if you want to make a red head feel like a million bucks weight-loss-wise, then saying you can’t believe it is a really good way to do it.

Photos!

This was waiting for me as I was about to walk out the door to go to the appointment. Good morning, bird!

259/365
259/365

The clinic is in this building. Let’s do this!

In closing, you bet your ass I am doing some sugar free celebrating tonight.

Bonus

I am about to leave the house and go to my two year post-op followup appointment with my gastric bypass surgeon. The actual two year anniversary was 12 days ago. I stepped on the scale to celebrate and I weighed 211.2 pounds, down from 431 on the surgery date.

As I was getting ready today, our bathroom scale was out of its hiding place. Sure, it hasn’t even been two weeks since I weighed myself, and sure I have pledged to not worry about the scale anymore. No more regular weekly or monthly weigh ins. So I should not have stepped on the scale. I should have just passed it by.

Nope, I hopped on. How’d it look?

I was under 210. 209.4, to be exact. I actually weighed myself twice to make sure the number was right. It was. I checked my weight tracking spreadsheet (of course the stats geek has a weight tracking spreadsheet) and the last time I was under 210 was October 4, 2023. Seven months ago.

I’ll take it.

When I weigh in at the clinic today I will be much higher than 209. I’ll also be wearing clothes and a watch and glasses and shoes and stuff so… yeah. Too much information, I am sure.

Happy follow up appointment day and happy sub 210 day!

Everything is New-ish

Daily writing prompt
What’s the oldest things you’re wearing today?
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I lost a whole truck load of weight back in 2022. I lost more weight than I currently weigh. I’m a little less than half the man I used to be… literally.

What does that mean in regard to today’s question?

It means I don’t own any clothes that aren’t relatively new. The socks I’m wearing at this moment might be a year old. Maybe a little more than that. They are the oldest thing I’m wearing, by far.

Now that is assuming we’re taking about clothes. What if we broaden the search a little? My Apple Watch is a little more than a year old, but probably not quite as old as my socks. My glasses are a whopping three weeks old, give or take a day or two. What else is there?

There is one thing, and it’s the winner. Two weeks from now is my 15th wedding anniversary. That’s right, my wedding ring is the oldest thing I’m wearing today and everyday. 15 years and counting, with many more to come.

I love you, Jen. I love you more and more each day.

To Do List for Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a half day of work. Here is what I hope to accomplish…

Wake up early.
Exercise.
Eat breakfast.
Play some guitar.
Go to my doctors appointment for my two year post-surgery follow up.
(Maybe) hit the sugar free bakery on the way home.
Play a little more guitar.
Punch into work and work a half day.
Go to a wake.
Cook dinner and eat it with the love of my life.
Go to sleep.

That sounds like a full day.