I Am Jimmy Buffett

"So, how's retirement going?"

Thank you for asking. It's a difficult adjustment, and I ain't adjusted yet.
I miss the satisfaction, knowing my work was helping others.
I miss working with others willing to take the risk of doing what has turned out to be one of the more dangerous jobs in the world in order to save lives and help the sick.
And then there's the pain and shame of knowing I have become Jimmy Buffett.

We spent half of November, December, and January in Destin, FL, then, upon my retirment spent ALL of February and March there. Destin is wonderful...
Arguably the most beautiful beaches in the world. Seafood served in restaurants was swimming in salt water the day before being served. Cool nights, warm days... it's all too easy to sit in the sun on the balcony overlooking the Gulf while reading something interesting.
And since the refrigerator is only a few steps away, a cold beverage can be had on a whim.
But what cold beverage? Iced tea? Iced coffee? Soda pop?

We all-too-quickly got into "Jimmy Buffett" mode...
"It's five O'Clock somewhere!"
And that five-liter box of wine is just sitting there begging for attention.
"Want some grape juice?"
"Why yes dear, I'd LOVE some!"

Pretty quickly I noticed my waist band tighten, and the need to put my belt thingy into a hole closer to the end of the belt.
Both of us came back North wearing clothes that we struggled to get into. I knew drastic measures were in order, but didn't want to take on the struggle until life settled down so we could both diet.
We finished our annual Goose Round-up last week... a time of hard work and hard play, with lots of beer flowing. Saturday morning I got on the scale...
TWO HUNDRED TWENTY SIX POUNDS!
That is, BY FAR, the most I have EVER weighed.
I am 5'9" tall.
I'm MUCH too short to put that much mass on two feet.

So Sunday morning we got started doing something about it.
One of Sara Jean's friends had suggested the "Sacred Heart Soup Diet". Some years ago an acquaintance had mentioned his success with it, so we decided to give it a shot.

Monday morning I weighed in... 224 pounds.
Tuesday A.M.... 220.
So yeah, it's probably mostly water lost.
But I can already see a difference in my stomach bulk, and I've taken my belt up a notch.
Amazing.

Right now we're discussing staying on this diet two weeks, then switching to the "Atkins" diet for a couple weeks... we've had great success with it too.
I'll update ya later on what we do and the results we experience.
But one thing is sure-
When I reach my target weight I'll be on the scale EVERY MORNING, and if I've gained a pound, the pie-hole will be shut until that pound is gone. That'll take discipline, and although I've enjoyed being Jimmy for these past few months, he's killing me.

It's time to start "Wasting away..." so I don't feel like a beached whale when we return to Destin.

Big Brother, (No Holding Company).

"They've suspended my license for 90 days" he said.
A flight instructor and charter pilot, it meant his income would have a huge dent in it for three months.

"How did this happen?"

"The airplane had been involved in an accident. The FAA inspector claimed the engine had suffered a 'sudden stoppage', even though the engine never stopped running. He refused to allow me to fly the airplane home without a ferry permit. It was late Friday afternoon and waiting for the office to open Monday to get the permit was impossible. I waited until he was gone, started the airplane, and flew it home."

"How do they know it was YOU who flew the airplane?"

"They tracked me through my credit card fuel-charges... Knew every stop I made."

Folks, if you are not concerned about the information now available to our government, you aren't paying enough attention.

Ugly, UGLY times are coming.
Prepare.