(no subject)

A good indicator of a quiet, peaceful night is when I momentarily confuse the music in my head with a real radio. It's amusing to try to turn off the radio after a song only to find it was never on in the first place. Who needs a walkman? :)

I decided to wring some of my paycheck back out of the insurance company and spent today doing Routine Medical Maintenance. While at the Ren Faire on Sunday my stupid acid-reflux got the better of me, so I wanted to ask them some questions about it. I've not been to the doc since 01/2001 anyways, so why the heck not? At least my doc's office is a nice and friendly enough place that it's actually a good break from bein' in the office at work.

I'm quite glad to report the results are all good so far. Even though I'm seriously overweight and have been my entire adult life, all the vitals are in good order. Blood presure, blood sugar, cholesterol, pulse rate, yadda yadda... all smack dab in the happy-green section of the charts. Heck, my blood pressure has gone down a bit from last year! They even did an EKG for good measure and it came out squeaky-clean and right on target. I find it amazing how good it feels to have a professional tell you Things Are A-OK.

( I figured it was time to do a little housecleaning, health-wise. )

Ren Faire!

This series of "up too late" updates continues with a quick note about the Ren Faire attened this weekend past, as mentioned in an earlier post.

This Faire was the one at Casa de Fruta. It was put on by the group that previously was at Black Point (and then that awful Nut Tree place). I think this site is far better than either of the earlier two. Closer to home, slightly lower temperatures, more shade, more variety in the layout. Personally I would have preferred it to be 'double ended' so you could enter/exit at either end of the long street pattern, but that's just me.

Like all Ren Faires I've been to in California, it was dusty, hot, serpentine, and nothing more than a Big Shopping Mall. This isn't a bad thing; in fact, it's kind of what I expect out of a modern, money-making-as-a-goal Faire. I took a few pics of jousting ponies, various people and assorted crafts which I'll post later. Lunch was a nice combo of corn on the cob and broccoli soup in a breadbowl. Being a little distracted by my stupid knee acting up, I didn't end up spending much. My only real purchase was from The Perfumed Dragon: a few little bottles containing various scented oils. I have a weakness for interesting scents (in the 'extract and incense' way, not in the cologne and puffery way).

The joust was fun as always and the one show I watched was enjoyable. The rest of the Faire was as expected, with nothing that really stood out. As I was never overly involved in re-enactment play, it's not a huge thing for me. Fun, sure... it's an eclectic shopping trip with friends, complete with food court and sword-carrying versions of mall rats. It was too hot to wear my monk's robe anyways, or I might have felt more involved.

What I really want to see again was a faire like I visited in Flint, MI many years ago. It was late in the fall, so the trees were in color and the air had a chill. Walking around in a hooded robe was comfortable, and the crisp air worked very well in that setting. I remember there being less stores, and more Daily Life. People were gathered around campfires chatting and laughing. Some areas had fighters training, others were tavern-like with places to sit indoors. The 'city' was more like a chunk of a town in a little grid, with open courtyards and buildings with all four sides to 'em, instead of One Long Strip-mall of shops.

And the strongest memory of them all? I remember the clouds blowing in, an early winter storm come calling in Flint that year. Hoods put up, cloaks held tighter, more layers put upon the ladies in the streets... as a quiet, puffball snow began to fall. My college buddies and I, there for the day from school, just revelled in it. The place felt amazingly real for that moment: people sought the company of each other as the colder air emptied out the streets. Companionship took over, edging the shopping out of the picture for a while, until they finally ushered us all out of the faux city at the day's end.

I want to go to a Ren Faire like that again someday.

Battle of the Bulge

One last one before I try to crash out asleep. It's my own damn fault for napping 3 hours this afternoon anyway... :)

5+ years ago I asked my doc about getting professional help in losing weight. At the time I was a member of the utterly annoying group known as Kaiser Permamente, also known as the 'slap a band aid on 'em and throw them out the door' HMO. I got two answers: Stomach stapling or liquid diet. No advice, no pointers towards good books, no recommended diets or even recommended behavior. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I researched both options, and found the surgery option to be scary, full of side effects, and stupidly expensive. The liquid-diet plan was more promising and safer... but the cost made me do a triple-take and back away slowly. I was pretty much told after that there'd be no insurance help on either anyways... so for weight loss, I'm on my own. Feh.

Swoosh forwards to modern day. I've learned a lot on my own, and by doing very basic but long-term-permanent changes, I'm seeing progress. Slow, safe, and hopefully long-lasting progress. Each little habit I chip away at enlightens me to another piece of the puzzle. The slowness is agonizing, though -- and I do indeed worry that way too much of my life will be past before I'm skinny enough to be a true adventurer again. I want to ride, hike, hang-glide, distance swim, explore, travel, dance, date, and just plain play. With the exception of hang-gliding, I already do all these things; I just want to do them better and with more vigor. The hang-gliding bit would just be a bonus.

( My sister may have just pointed me towards a very good idea. )