I haven’t smoked ganja in a couple of years. I have a six weeks stay cation coming up…my beloved granddaughter is visiting her Daddy in Boston…so I *may* partake in the experience. It is extremely spiritual for me to do so. I have not been ready up to now. It is special for me, and therefore I treat it with respect because it affords me great insight.
I do believe it is too late for me to try the Atkins lifestyle once more. Carbohydrates have passed these lips and after seven years of Atkins, tasting a banana was the second most spiritual experience for me.
It is a C4 diet for me. Count calories cholesterol and carbohydrates.

The Atkins diet is expensive, and ineffective. I’ve seen people who take that and other kinds of diets, and they become more and more obsessed with how their looks don’t match those in “Playboy” or Playgirl” magazines, and it’s ridiculous. A few extra pounds won’t kill you.

If you really want a “diet” you can do what my uncle does: avoid artificial foods and non-natural sugar. If the food’s processed or has some sort of artificial ingredient in it, avoid it like the plague. If the food has sugar that was added, and not inherent to the original product, avoid that too. It’s healthy, it doesn’t involve ridiculous or expensive meal plans, and you can still enjoy pretty much most foods in existence.

Eat your carbs, Jody, and enjoy them. And as for the cigarettes, ditch those things and get a bong (If you’re going to do something, might as well go the whole ten points, y’know? Plus, your neighbors’ reactions would be delicious).

I miss the time where you lit a woman’s cigarette and thought about how sexy she looked.

In spite of smoking again, the whole idea of lighting a roll of dried plant leaves and inhaling the smoke is completely stupid and nobody looks good doing it.

On top of everything I am paying $4.00 a pack, $2.00 a day, nearly a thousand a year for something that is bad for your health and makes you look like a jerk if you do it in public.

Oh well, we need to get together and smoke a few.

I am a Type II diabetic and it is well controlled at tyhis point. Didn’t start soon enough and I have neuropathy that causes me a fair amount of discomfort. My back is a mess and I am reduced to using a cane. At the rate I am going my legs are likely to fail me before I check out.

The good news is I have zero chest pain or angina. My lung ex rays are upper percentile and my brain is pretty nimble with the exception of some minor loss of short term memory.

My Doc is probably okay. He treats you for what shows up in the many tests the lab does and the keeps up with my BP and whatever he hears on his stethoscope. Until my statins went generic he provided me with mass quantities of samples. I could not have afforded to take it otherwise.

Did I mention my short term memory problem?

My only minor complaint is if you mention some ache or pain that bothers you or if you mention that you have felt some stress, he basically has the attitude the pain is not important since nothing showed up in the tests. He is probably right but he is kind of abrupt about it. As for the stress, you get the feeling he would rather not discuss it. If you want a few mild tranks, he’ll write you a script. Otherwise it is a personal problem.

Hell, when you think about it he is right on all counts.

In the end when you get to our age every day is an adventure. Any car with over 100K miles is going to have occasional problems and a catastrophic break down can happen anytime regardless of how often you change the oil and how well the old buggy seemed to be running yesterday

My friend got drunk.

I asked her if her daughter was still pregnant.

“Of course!”

“Maybe you can get the money you spent on booze back, then. It didn’t seem to work.”

Except for some aches and pains from arthritis, I am a picture of health. This drives her nuts because I do smoke.

I have gained ten pounds over the last few years. My life style is about the same. I have researched and the lack of estrogen apparently is one reason. I just haven’t reduced my caloric intake to match my three toed sloth existence.

My granddaughter is leaving for Boston to be with her Dad for six weeks. I am going to restart my Atkin’s lifestyle and resume the bike and laps in the pool. Curious to see if I lose an ounce or two.

It has been very difficult, as a pre disposed grazer when you have a seven year old that graze eats…and a mother who loves her ice cream.

I took too long to do it, but I had problems. Without problems I suppose there is no need. However, Frank, if you start to feel a bit like a dog at a free clinic you might want to move on.

Free advice, worth every electron.

He brags on me, bugs me about weight (which seems to fluctuate 15 lbs in a year) and smoking. I know I shouldn’t smoke and I don’t smoke that much. I quit cold for 2 years but when my baby daughter had a cancer scare, I decided I have lived longer than I ever expected anyway and if I want to smoke 10 cigarettes a day without infringing on anyone’s air I’m damn well gonna do it.

I had a Doctor in Columbia MD, who was a genuinely caring person. He listened intently to whatever you had to say and answered in a thoughtful way. It was not unusual for him to call at 9:30-10:00 at night to discuss something he has noticed on a blood test. I felt good about being in his care. He was one in a lifetime. I think about him frequently and I miss him.