A Weekend Perfect for Hanging Out

It’s been a fun weekend. Not too much going on, but enough that a smile has stayed on my face most of the time.

Friday night I had a sushi date to catch up with my friend Joy. We had run into each other at one of my favorite local events, Piedmont Folkways night that is held most Wednesdays at the local radio station (WAME) in the clocktower building on our downtown square.

A free show most weeks you simply have to make a reservation to attend. The show also is on air at the radio station and on Facebook Live on the Piedmont Folkways Facebook page, so often even if I am home I’ll have it turned on. But I’d rather be there in person.

I never know who will turn up and it’s a fun time. Wednesday I saw Joy and it was great to make plans to get together (and enjoy Wicker & Wood).

Someone asked how long Joy and I have known each other and darned if we know when we met. We’ve known of each other since we were kids, since her family knew some of my aunts and uncles.

When I moved back home we got reaquainted as adults and we try to stay connected. She’s one of those friends where the flow is easy. She’s certainly one of the most caring people I know. I can guarantee on holidays or birthdays or when she senses things are rough for me, she’ll either pop me a note or send a text reminding me she’s there. She’s a ferociously loyal friend.

Saturday I drove to Greensboro to see some folks I have known since I was 22. Oh, not all of them but we were in a church singles group and they were the base of a friend group that even continued when I changed churches. We still stayed connected and the circle simply became bigger as more people joined the singles group of either church.

These were the years that few of us had any money, so entertainment was cheap and frequent. I saw some of these folks nearly every day. We probably could have opened a moving service since we got so experienced moving each other from place to place. But we all chipped in and helped each other whatever the needs. It’s good to have friends like that during those lean years.

Today I somehow managed to go back to sleep twice after a 3 a.m. wake up, the second time I awoke at 11 a.m., which answered the question of whether I was going to church. I haven’t been sleeping well and am glad it happened. I know you can’t catch up in sleep really, but sometimes you need that long lay in.

This afternoon I had the privilege of interviewing one of out local musicians for the first issue of a new local magazine that is coming out soon. Spending time with him was a complete pleasure and I believe I may have effectively kidnapped him for an hour or so. I finally had to acknowledge he just may have other things he wanted to do today, so I released him to the world.

You hear me talk a lot about our local music scene and it’s made up of not only fine musicians, but a lot of grounded people with big hearts. I’m looking forward to being able to write about these folks and introduce them to our community.

The print magazine will drop February 1, and will be online when the next issue releases (so the print magazine gets the attention it deserves). I’ll try to remember to link it when that happens. The world is small these days, and you know I love to show off my people.

I guess before closing I need to do a quick food and fitness update. The workouts are slowly (too slowly) starting back, and I am going at it on my own for my eating plan. I’m trying to figure out why I didn’t lose weight on the plan with my nutritionist. I’ve been re-visiting the blood type diet.

Let me stress this is a diet that has not been scientifically proven, but I feel it may have some merit. Is it a plan I could follow for life? No, not unless there was a medical reason.

Still, after restricting calories and foods as directed by my nutritionist I wasn’t losing much weight. As someone who believes diet determines most of our weight loss, I believe there have to be other factors at work. So I will be testing out the blood type diet theory and trying to come up with a plan that works for me.

I know high protein diets work well for me, but I also know that a diet that restricts carbs harms my body long term. The lack of variety on this diet prohibits it for the long term, but an 80/20 version? Possibly.

So I’ll start closer to the restrictive side and then add in things and see what differences they make to my body. I am quite sure I was eating too much dairy, for example. The blood type diet greatly restricts dairy for me (I’m O+.)

I will have a difficult time staying on this and eating out with friends, for example, so I am going into it knowing that I won’t be as restrictive while eating out with friends.

I’ve learned over time I don’t want to be the rigid type on anything in my life. Food is a pleasure and while I am not saying I cannot make pleasurable meals on the diet, because I certainly will, I also will have room to enjoy some of my favorites that would not be on plan. Just not every day, or even every week.

The big question is whether I will completely eliminate coffee. I suspect not, though I didn’t buy any this week. There is some in the freezer, though. I’m going to see if green tea will give me that feeling of morning ritual. I like tea, but one morning cup of coffee? I know I can go without it, but do I want to?

Have a great week. Do something kind and don’t tell anyone what it is.