Ok. So, it would seem it has been a while since I last posted anything here… certainly nothing since Georgie died. It has been an eventful few months, but I will only mention a couple of things here.

First, as I mentioned earlier, I have been experimenting with the virtual world of Second Life. I was fairly involved with it for a while, but as Georgie got more and more sick and required more and more care, I spent very little time in it. After Georgie’s death, I tried to go back and found that my interest was completely gone. Partly, it was that her death made me see so many of the people you meet there as vain and empty. Really, after that innocent life ended in my arms after I had cared for it for over a decade, the various issues, dramas, and nonsense in the Second Life community somehow lost their vitality. It went from a fascinating and vibrant place to a hall of shadows. Add to this that there have been a number of crippling technical problems for me with the tool, and I found I didn’t get much positive out of the world. I still go in-world on occasion, as I still know some people in there; but I now spend very little time there. I may write more about this in the future. The concept of Second Life is very interesting in its way, but there is much of it that leaves something to be desired.

The other major thing is that I have gone through is medical. Some time ago, I checked my blood pressure at one of those machines one finds in offices and the supermarket and was shocked at the reading: it said I had stage two hypertension. I booked an appointment with my doctor and found that I did indeed have hypertension and that it needed treatment (the phrase “lit fuse” was spoken). He also told me frankly that it was time to lose weight. So, I went on blood pressure meds and a weight loss program.

The weight loss program I am on is the Zone system… it’s one of these low carb diets that are around and is focused on controlling insulin and blood sugar levels. It’s been remarkably successful so far: I started at the end of February at roughly 210 pounds, and I now weigh 175. I’ve now reached my target weight (I wanted to get to between 170 and 180), and will soon be starting the maintenance phase of the diet. I’ve also lost four inches off my waist, and my belly is basically gone (I can feel my ribs and sternum for crying out loud). More importantly, the weight loss and exercise have helped to bring down my blood pressure. The doctor has taken me off my meds and my blood pressure has stabilized to normal (well, slightly on the high side but still good).

This improvement does not come without a cost, however. I have learned that I have entered that stage of life where I have to consciously work on body maintenance. I can’t rely on my youth (what’s left of it), to carry me through. I have to exercise daily now (I take a fairly vigorous 40 minute walk every day after work) and I have a mortal enemy to keep at arm’s length: the carbohydrate. Actually, carbohydrates are not really the enemy; but I like them a little too much and need to moderate my intake with care. My old grain-heavy diet just won’t do anymore, and I have to learn new habits. Still, I like the results I’ve gotten so far and am finding, as a result, that the old morning bagel doesn’t sound as tasty as it used to.