(Sunday Paper, Year IV, Issue 33)

Something happened this summer that I’m not proud of.

I’ve hinted at this before - I really fell off the exercise wagon.

But, worse than that, I developed an unhealthy addiction to ice cream.

It used to be that I’d have just an occasional ice cream - even in the summer - as a once-in-a-while treat.

My birthday, Kathy’s birthday, maybe the occasional weeknight or weekend afternoon.

But something changed and now I eat it

ALL.

THE.

TIME.

I’m not going to pretend I’m the healthiest eater in the world…just that I usually feel a little less gross at this time of the year.

Usually I won’t feel awful about my eating until the winter…I’ll throw a bunch of candy in my face around Halloween, but that’s usually a span of a few days…then Thanksgiving is the beginning of gluttony season…lasting straight through Christmas…and then by mid-January I usually get my act together again.

In the summer I used to just enjoy an adult beverage on a hot night.

Now I shove my face full of ice cream.

And, if I’m being honest, somehow the pigging out didn’t stop in January this year. It seems like every month I found a different excuse to stuff my face and it just hasn’t let up.

But this summer, with the ice cream, it’s gotten a little out of control.

Partly this Is because I do the grocery shopping and each week I reward myself for shopping (and think about my end of day reward) by picking out an ice cream flavor that I can eat.

Here’s how bad it is: I also pick out a different treat for the girls - popsicles, or Italian ices - SO THEY WON’T ASK TO EAT MY ICE CREAM! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!?

And, of course, as I constantly mention, I have not been exercising. So it’s a big ball of gross behaviors that is causing my belly to turn into a big ball of gross.

I like to think that as the calendar gets ready to flip into September and the school year I’ll settle into some better behavior and get into a more healthy routine.

But I’m not so sure.

I’ll probably cut down on the ice cream.

But that’s only because it’ll be apple pie season.

Writing

*I wish I could tell you I’ve been doing a lot of writing but I haven’t. I’ve had ideas here and there but nothing that’s inspired me enough to get a story going. BUT I have been working a lot and I’ve been back and forth with an editor on a piece that will likely be published on-line, so it’s not like nothing is happening. Just wish there was more going on.

Comedy

*Busy week - after Exhibit ‘A’ last Saturday I had shows on Monday and Wednesday, which isn’t all that much, but it’s more than I’ve done in a long while. Monday’s show at McGreevy’s was really fun.

Oh. Right. The comedy contest. I was hoping you wouldn’t remember to ask about that. It wasn’t terrible. I saw some people I liked and got to say hello to them, and I performed fine. But I did not advance. And it was a good reminder of why I always tell myself, “Don’t do any more comedy contests.”

What I’ve Been Enjoying

*I think I told you that last week we were going to see Spider-Man in the theater, completing our four-month tear through the Marvel cinematic universe. It was a great run, and it was exciting, when they announced the next phase of movies a few weeks ago, to know that we could see all of those movies in the theater when they come out. But I was reminded this week, as much as I enjoyed getting to know Captain America and Iron Man and all of these other characters that I didn’t know much about before seeing the movies, how much I always loved Spider-Man. This iteration of Spider-Man is a great one, too. I don’t know if it’s that he’s a kid from Queens or if it’s that web-slinging through the city that’s so cool…or just the suit…Spider-Man has always been one of my favorites.

Thoughts on Dog Ownership

*I think we’re doing OK, and I think the dog is happy. She’s great with the girls, too, which is obviously a huge relief. We’re all learning, but when I stop and think about it Tate is so comfortable here that we must be doing the right thing. But sometimes something happens and we’re baffled and we feel like we have no idea what is going on.

Notes

*Here’s another added gamble with all the ice cream I’ve been eating: On Saturday I bought some new dress pants. It’ll be interesting to see if what fits me this weekend still fits me in September…or even next weekend, for that matter. I feel like I’ve always had a difficult waist to fit pants to for my whole life - pants are either too tight or too baggy and I don’t know if my best fit is straight leg or relaxed fit or comfort flex or whatever the heck they have now. But an ever-expanding waistline is not helping matters.

*Made a lot of progress in the yard the past couple of weeks. After this week’s mowing and round of weeding I would say it’s in the best condition it’s been in since we moved in. I’m proud of it.

*The Mets have cooled off of the torrid pace they were on at this time last week…but they’re still in a position where today they can finish a six-game road trip at .500 and then take on some tough opponents at home. After much reflecting on the ups and downs I’ll say this: whatever comes of the rest of the year, I did not expect when things were going poorly for so much of the season that we’d approach the end of August with the Mets in the thick of a playoff chase. So I’m grateful for that.

*Like the Facebook page! Follow me on Twitter! Thanks for following along!