Ending the Evening Early

Continuing with my routine - which I don't find too boring at all: so, yesterday oatmeal for breakfast, salad for lunch. I mix it up a bit since the oatmeal from Green Symphony is different (a bit less lumpy) than the oatmeal from work's cafeteria....am I really having this discussion? Anyway, got the Vegetarian Powerhouse salad from Chopt, and drank plenty of water.

Last night was my art class which is 3 hours long, and when we had a 20 minute break I ran to the grocery store and grabbed a small head of broccoli, some humus and a banana. It was a great quick meal that actually sustained me for the night. When I returned the art instructor, in his thick Russian accent said, "Terrence I want to talk to you." I had taken 30 minutes instead of 20 and my Catholic guilt immediately kicked in assuming I was in trouble...I can't sit in a classroom today and not have a Jr. High School sensibility! Actually, he wanted to greatly alter my work -- my colors were too basic and not close to the real model, and background. In a matter of minutes he took over my messy palette and mixed colors more accurate for what we were seeing. I really enjoyed the instruction! Though he scolded me for a messy palette.

A friend from CT. was in town and entertaining a couple of ladies at the bar at the Paramount hotel - he asked for me to come by at 11 PM for a double date. I passed. It wasn't easy, but I passed. There is opportunity to go out every single night here, and I just need to put the breaks on this chasing fun aspect and focus more on my goal at hand. Then another friend was in town and wanted to grab a quick beer. He is an old family friend and worked in the White House years ago so I love talking politics with him. A man's man I knew he had no time for me sipping seltzer (he tolerated it the last time he was in town, but now he knows I am back to drinking so there was no excuse...it's guy code, been trying to explain that to you since I started this blog). However, just one, low calorie beer was fine. He was running way late, so I called and said we should reschedule for tomorrow since there was no good that could come of me waiting around P.J. Clarke's at 11 PM with the bar packed and the UN in town...as it happened I just started talking to some young women from Italy. The Sirens were calling, but I pulled away. And for the first time in my life I intentionally left a virtually full beer on the bar and left. The same guilt you feel throwing away food with children starving in Africa? I felt leaving a full beer on the bar! I did feel empowered though...like my months off the sauce and 100% vegan. It's slightly addictive and I had forgotten about that feeling!

I hate saying no to life's experiences like that, however. Holding court in a bar to all hours of the night chatting global politics with attractive women from the Italian delegation is something I do well and greatly enjoy (this time last year a similar thing happened with some Croatians...that night ended at 5 AM!), but it does nothing but keeps my head underwater in my quest to reach my goal weight!

Sometimes I wish I was married and living in a small village on the Maine coast, it would be so much easier for me!