May 10

It's May 10th and I am in Cluj Napoca, Romania. It's a university town, full of life and learning. We are on to Brasov tomorrow which is in Transilvania, the home of the Count Dracula legend. Should be fun! So far the trip has been great except for one minor hitch. I was sick after riding on a bus and had to spend half a day in my room. But I made up for it and now I don't forget to take my Dramamine!

Well, I'm a bit pressed for time now so I will write more later and maybe I can try and upload a photo or two. . .

Pre-Trip Jitters

Well, as I've had some comments from the peanut gallery I will update my blog. Not much has been going on in my life the last month. Just work and anticipating my upcoming trip to Eastern Europe! Yeah!!! I leave on Saturday for Budapest on a three week trip through Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. At this moment it is 3:20 am and I have to go to work in a couple of hours. But I find it hard to sleep before traveling what with all the little details you must not forget before you leave. . . Like a passport, money, clothes, ticket, Dramamine, etc. You get the drift. My living room is full of all the things I need to pack: clothes on the sofa, shoes on the floor, toiletries on the ottoman. I have to go through it once again and put half back and pack the rest. Since I am going to Europe there is no need to over pack because I think I can get pretty much anything I need there. And I'm always up for a reason to shop. . . But then what women isn't?

So, for the next few weeks I will be checking my e-mails every couple of days as I am able. These days there seems to be an Internet cafe on every street corner in the world.

Stand by for a trip report in a few weeks. . . Toodles!!

The weather, she is achangin'. . .

For those of you in the frigid north or in the mountains, I have one thing to say. . . Glad I'm not there! No, seriously, as March moves in, the weather here is getting warmer. It's actually a very nice time of year in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. During the day the temperatures are a pleasant 80 degrees Fahrenheit and at night the cool wind brings the temps down in the 70's. People are out and about enjoying the few weeks of weather like this. Because all too soon it will get hot, hot, hot. And we will all be relegated to the frigid indoors. If the Saudi's do one thing right it's definitely the air conditioning.

We've had loads of rain here this winter which is unusual. I've actually had to think about carrying an umbrella a time or two. Normally, it rains in sudden, quick downpours one day in a month during the winter. This year it has rained entire days off and on. I never thought I would miss rain but I have to say it is very cleansing. Because of constant winds over this area from the Arabian Gulf things get very dirty. It's nice to have a rain shower now and then to wash the sand away.

So, I have begun planning my next vacation. I am going to Eastern Europe for 3 weeks in May. I can't wait. Even though it's only been a couple months since I was home I am feeling the need to get out of the country. I find that for my own mental health I need to leave the country every two or three months. And that's for more than a couple days. We frequently go over to Bahrain, which is an hour drive from where I live, on the weekends. But it's not enough to keep the wanderlust at bay. . . The cocktails are great, though, as I learned last weekend, to my heads' detriment! What a hangover, ugh! Won't do that any time soon.

A month gone already. . .

Well, it seems like this year is passing as fast as always. January is gone, soon it will be Valentine's Day, then Easter, then spring and summer again!

The weather right now is rainy and chilly. Unusual for Saudi Arabia, even the eastern province where I am. I have to say, I rather enjoy it! The dieting is going okay. So far, I've lost 12 lbs and it's only been three weeks! I'm very happy with that.

Increasing my exercise is more difficult than I'd anticipated. I work in two week cycles with two weeks of day shift then I switch to two weeks of night, and then back again to days. It's an excuse, I know, but I feel tired all the time and it seems the motivation to walk falls by the wayside. . . But I plan to take it one day at a time. . .

If anyone has any suggestions on staying motivated e-mail me. I can use all the help I can get.

One of Life's Great Adventures - Not!

Well, guys, I've started on that great life adventure we all say we are going to do tomorrow (manana), or next week or for a New Year's resolution - yes, girls, it's the dreaded losing of weight! Somehow the weight seems to creep on over the years and then one day you notice you can't get up off the floor as easily as you thought you could. And your doctor tells you you are morbidly obese. Ugh, that sounds scary! The emphasis these days is on body mass index (a relatively simple formula that considers height and weight to figure if you will drop dead sooner than later).

Most of you know that I have been on this weight loss trip for a couple of years. I had done so well up until I came to Saudi Arabia. There aren't exactly an overwhelming array of ready made low fat, low calorie foodstuffs. And I'm all about the 5 minute meal. I may actually have to cook something! Well, use the George Forman grill, anyway. Between the move last Christmas, this past year and this Christmas I've put on several pounds, well, 30. I have to be brutally honest with myself and put the number in writing so I have to look at it. It's a form of self motivation for me or self torture, whichever you prefer. I mean, to actually see my weight in cold hard numbers is sort of a shock. I need that kind of shock to get back on the straight and narrow.

I start walking with a friend on Sunday. She walks 7 miles a day!! Hopefully I won't be writing the next post from a hospital bed. . .

So, with any luck, the next few months will show a steady decrease in my relative gravity. . . I will keep you posted. . . Wish me luck!