Thursday Night

Since my days eating are rather routine I will only comment when there is something significant. Raise your hand if you are sick and tired of me saying, "Had oatmeal for breakfast."

Thursday afternoon there was a wee bit of a hangover from the big Wednesday night. As a result I had an incredible urge for a sushi roll. Better than a cheeseburger, but...that was bad for my continued weight loss because of the simple carbs in white rice. Generally speaking, even today I prefer, prefer, to keep my lunch and breakfasts 100% vegan/vegetarian, and only one, maybe two dinners of fish.

Thursday night was another test. But I decided (OK, the Devil and I decided) that it would be better, and I would feel more comfortable, if I partook in the cocktails. After all, I was meeting the CEO of a major ad agency in a steak house. You see, with an associate media director of a major ad agency I can say, "Look, I'm off the sauce for a bit," and carry on with good natured entertaining. But when a CEO, who as all four fingers and his thumb on the entire digital advertising community, comes around for a one on one cocktail hour (and whose wife is expecting their 7th child!), well, you don't upset the applecart, and you dive into the same pool of high-end whisky as himself. It is just the way things are done. Other advertising agency executives and publishing executives soon joined us. All these people at this particular end of the bar created a virtual brain trust of the advertising industry (yours truly excluded). Drinks were flowing like a melting ice cap -- it is the binding agent of the industry. If you are not a drinker, and not "in the program," eyebrows are raised. I will say that the topic of conversation was my vegan quest! People are always fascinated by anyone who has lost weight -- hoping for a secret formula -- but when it is someone in our industry, currently in a steak house, no less, who went vegan, people are enthralled. To a person, "I could NEVER!" I love, absolutely love telling them they can, and they should try it a little bit. Remember, a jovial fellow in a suit and tie, whisky in hand, at a steak house espousing the virtues of a plant-based diet carries more weight with a number of people than any wild-eyed, loud talker with a T-Shirt that says “Flaming Vegan.”

And this was only the warm-up.

I had to meet a lady friend at the Peninsula Hotel bar after my tête-à-tête with my CEO friend and already I knew this was going to be a rough night. No dinner – well, unless you count appetizer, main course, and desert (all scotch) as dinner. The top of the Peninsula Hotel is a beautiful bar with spectacular views of the city. The drinks are the cost of your mortgage, but the atmosphere is great. She was waiting for me with a martini in hand, sigh, and the night continues on. We then bounced over to Tao for a few, and to meet more friends.

It was the old me, and as comfortable as I felt in this roll, I kept thinking that this is the last night of this for a while! I’m not moving. I am not getting another job. So, I better learn to deal with this in small doses since the temptations are every night of the week. Let other cities make their “nights out” on Fridays and Saturdays, NYC makes it a daily show. I have to deal with it.