A Great Weekend

For once I can say that I really enjoyed my weekend. It wasn't anything extraordinary, but it was out of the ordinary for me.

Saturday, my niece, T'Pring, gave a cookout in a park outside her apartment complex. It was family, friends, and lots of food. They even had enough salad and fish for me not to break my diet. The only thing I had to supply was something to drink. I've been avoiding alcohol and sugar, so the beer and sodas weren't going to work for me.

I'm only just getting to know this side of my family, and don't see them that often, so it was great that we all got together. I hadn't seen my brother Melvin in quite a long time, so it was great seeing him too. He did a real good job manning the grill and making everyone laugh. I definitely get my sense of humor from that side of the family.

It was extremely hot, but we made the most of it. Everything just seemed to work out that day; even the subways cooperated. I hardly had to wait for one train or bus. It was a good day.

Sunday was Randy's annual pool party. She's one of my fellow volunteers at God's Love We Deliver. The party was cancelled last year due to health issues, but she's feeling a lot better and got back on track this year. Randy and her husband, Robbie, live way upstate, right next to Connecticut. She arranged to have a van service pick us up at a designated spot in the city and take us up there. We always have fun on the ride up. Other folk drove themselves and met us there.

Despite the eventual thunderstorms, we did manage to get some swimming in before the rain started. I really felt good about getting in a swimsuit after 20 years. (Yes, 20 years!) I almost didn't do it, but I knew if I didn't I'd feel like a fool, especially with temperatures pushing toward 100º. I just couldn't picture myself sweltering while everyone else was out there in the water. No amount of body consciousness is worth that kind of suffering. Plus, it's not like there were any Ms./Mr. Olympia contestants to compete with. It was really great being in the water again. I hadn't swum in so long, I almost thought I forgot how, but some things you just can't forget. I'd actually love to do it for exercise at some point.

Once the rains came, we moved everything indoors. Randy's home is so big and beautiful, it really didn't matter. Even when the power went out for a while, we just lit some candles and had fun anyway. Some of the guys even went in the pool in the rain (once the lightning stopped, of course). The food was great, and we had no problem entertaining ourselves. (If the Thursday night crew is known for anything, it's having a good time.) The best thing about the rain is that it cooled everything off; the temperature must have dropped about 20º. Once it stopped, we were actually able to have dinner outside.

I even did good with the diet until the desserts came out, then all bets were off. I just wasn't strong enough to resist a tableful of sweets. And I did have a couple drinks. I know now that wine is off limits from now on. That, and the desserts, went straight to my head, and not because of the alcohol. The sugar content was just too much for me. I got an instant headache. Hey, you live and learn. I've only been on this diet for 2 weeks. I refuse to beat myself up over it; I know I'll get better as I go along.

Suffice it to say, a good time was had by all. Can't wait till next year.