So it’s been over a week since I’ve started on the NutriSystem diet. I’ve lost ten pounds - which I think is due largely to water loss and the ton of exercise I’ve been getting putting together my bedroom furniture. The food isn’t so bad. The powdered eggs are surprisingly edible. The only problem I’ve had so far is the pizza and burgers. The pizza is way too small to be considered satisfying - imagine a overlarge cracker with pizza sauce and mozzarella that you spread on. The burger (both beef and chicken) does not come with a bun or stuffs, it’s just a patty. Do I really need to go buy a bag of buns just for one or two patties? I’ve modified my menu for my next delivery to replace these items.
The good news is that my stomach feels smaller (the actual stomach organ, not my gut - which is slowly shrinking) and a small portioned meal does fill me up (with a piece of fruit, veggie, or salad). And since I eat six times a day, I’m rarely hungry. So here’s to being two-thirds of the man I am today eventually. I know it’s going to take time - but already I feel much better, and a tad-bit more confident. Another ten pounds and I will go shopping for clothes.

Here’s a closer look at the door Ben slips into. I’ve brightened it in Photoshop so you can make out the glyphs, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense. From what I gather, it looks like an offer of a big fish is needed, a pot, and a protest picket sign, and possibly a Big Mac. You can make out a flame/hand/monster thing that looks like it is about to grab an cowering victim. So what’s with the big fish?

Lost is back with a vengeance. Last night was a pretty packed episode. I really didn’t think that Alex was going to get the bullet. It was also a shock that Ben appeared to control Smokey. But I have some gripes about a few things, like Jack getting appendicitis without knowing… Really? He’s a freakin’ doctor and he doesn’t have a clue? Typical. I guess it’s not Lost without Jack collapsing from an ailment only due to his stubbornness (see season one, where he collapses from exhaustion, or nearly kills himself chasing his father, or season 3 where he collapses from being doped up from pain killers).
Some nice touches: Ben appearing in the Sahara in a parka - wearing Dr. Halliwax’s parka. The Risk game, where Hurley exclaims that “Australia is the key to the game”. The hieroglyphic ladened rock hatch that Ben escapes into to supposedly control smokey. Ben bringing up the boat “Elizabeth”, obviously lying - but it was a nice touch.

I really don’t have any theories now, I’m just waiting for some more episodes. But it is getting closer to the end, and it seems to be picking up pace. I’m getting the feeling that Juliet will be killed soon. Next week - Jack collapses from an ailment.

Here is something I did today. It’s Candi, Jon, and Alex from the Candi web comic by Starline X Hodge. It was done with a red col-erase pencil, scanned into photoshop and colorized. I find the col-erase pencils easier to work with than ink.

Just got my NutriSystem box in today. Below are photos from the unboxing. The food doesn’t look appetizing, but we’ll see. I need to read the manual before I start so I make sure I do this right. Hopefully I can start tomorrow or Sunday. More to come…

I finally got around to calling NutriSystem and ordering their weightloss package. It’s 28 days of food (no refrigeration needed, yikes) and because I signed on for the auto-delivery subscription, I get 2 weeks free. Looking at it, I guess it’s actually cheaper than my current food budget and it does offer two things that will help me stick with it. Portioned meals and delivery. Portioned meals prevent me from overindulging - I’ll hopefully get the calories I need and nothing more. And with delivery, all the other diets I’ve tried of late had one failing - once I ran out of whatever, I didn’t restock promptly. Not only did that lead me from falling off the wagon, but falling in a graceful cannonball dive. So I will try this. I’ve starting walking, and I’m also following the exercise plan on the NutriSystem website. Their website seems like it offers enough to keep me going. I’ll keep this blog posted on my progress.

Quick sketch in Sketchbook Pro. Tried using Art Rage - but it was sluggish…

The Boondock Saints
I saw this movie at a friend’s place this weekend. I totally dug it. Since I didn’t really know what it was about, I had a hard time following it at first. Then it really picked up once their mission came into play. Quite simply, Boondock Saints is about two Irish lads in Boston that go on a vigilante killing spree in Boston - taking out mobsters with a ballet of bullets. What I really found entertaining was William Defoe’s character of the FBI agent that tries to make sense of what the boys are doing. Even though this movie has been out since 1999, it holds up really well - and I can’t believe I haven’t seen this until now. I’m going to buy the DVD just so I can watch it a few more times and also listen to the commentary. Recommended.

You know, I don’t read Playboy for the articles… I read it for the cartoons.

Yeah, I finished it.