Archive for the ‘Foot issues’ Category

Overwhelmed

Posted: March 29, 2013 in Foot issues, friends, Mickey Miles podcast, Team AllEars, Walking, WDW Today, Weather
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I spend a lot of time pondering things while I’m sitting around. It’s easy to get discouraged and feel alone when you’re trying to make a major change in your life.

Well, I am most definitely NOT alone.

Really made me smile (and tear up)

Really made me smile (and tear up)

I posted about joining Team AllEars and doing my first 5K in January. I didn’t realize the emotional impact this would have on me. The kudos have poured in from my new teammates and team co-captains Mike & Michelle even sent me a lovely mug of flowers and a balloon which really made me smile and made me even more determined to do this.

In addition, our friends at WDW Today and the Mickey Miles podcasts were kind enough to give me a shoutout on their most recent episodes. I can’t tell you how much that means to me and really encourages me to get better as soon as possible.

I managed to go for a walk today. Not far… just up to the mailbox and back, but it felt good to be outside and get some fresh air. I’m looking forward to better weather and walking outdoors soon. I’m also looking to start swimming as soon as the incisions heal up and the doctor gives me the OK for immersion. I think that will do wonders for general core strength and there’s a pretty good chance I won’t get blisters from the water.

At any rate, Supportive Partner Woman (best sports editor EVER!) and I were talking and she asked what I thought I would name my pouch. I looked at her quizzically and she clarified by pointing out that since we already have Stubby the Wonder Toe and his evil twin brother Wayne, then my stomach pouch should get a name of its own. So, feel free to suggest  names and we’ll post a poll and see what people think.

I’ve been talking about my goals a lot. My first goal was to get the surgery done. I think I can check that off the list. My second goal was to get rid of the meds. Done. My next goal is to get a reading other than “error” on our bathroom scale. I think that will be coming soon, too. After that, I’m taking the weight loss in small increments… 10-15 pounds. I know I can do that.

At any rate, I think I might go and have some Jell-o. Or a protein shake. Or both. After all, I’m a rebel 🙂 I’m going to move to chicken broth tomorrow (want to be meatless for Good Friday).

Song of the Day: Synchronicity II – The Police

Wow… I got nothing

Posted: March 29, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Foot issues, Physical activity, Weight loss
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First of all, thank you thank you THANK YOU… 221 page views yesterday. That set a new record for us here at MOASTBFFG and I’m very honored and humbled that so many took time to visit.

So, the first night at home.

As you can see by the time I’m posting this (4:15 AM), it’s pretty early in the AM. The good news is that I turned in around 9:30 and turned the light off at 10:00. That means pretty near six hours of sleep, which totally beats anything I had in the hospital. It’s not as much as I hoped, but that’s OK… it’s not like I have to go to work today or anything. I found that I couldn’t really get comfortable flat on my back, so I had to prop myself up with pillows. My back doesn’t mind it too much, which is a good thing, I guess.

The other issue I had was with hiccups. I kept getting them yesterday. It wasn’t exactly fun, but what can you do? They seem to have subsided. I have to think that maybe I was trying to drink (eat) too fast. That’s really going to be the biggest adjustment for me. I used to scarf down a meal in no time flat and that’s just not going to work anymore. My new stomach is the approximate size of a shot glass (or my thumb) and won’t stretch nearly as much as the old one did.

far_side002I do have a lot of worries, though. My biggest is whether or not I will experience “buyer’s remorse” that I took such a radical step. I’m reading on the online forums that some folks experience it. I’m sure there will be times when I regret that I went this route. I think it’s natural… it’s a major lifestyle change that I’ve made. Giving up a life that totally celebrated food and was all about the next meal was not easy. I hope that this will not change my joy of cooking, because I can’t necessarily partake. As I said to Supportive Partner Woman (Eater of a very paleo plate!), I’ll probably never be able to have jambalaya again, unless I figure out an alternative to rice. Same way with a Chipotle burrito bowl. At least with that I can opt to have more beans and veggies. But that’s far in the future.

Speaking of SPW (eater of tasty meat!), she’s considering a move to the paleo diet. Apparently, it’s based on lots of natural foods, low grains, high protein, and unprocessed stuff. Looking over it, a lot will actually apply to me when I can transition to solid foods. It’s an interesting concept… eat like the cavemen. It might actually work for me, as I’ll have to eliminate a lot of grains from my diet, but the downside is the lack of dairy. Considering that Greek yogurt pretty much became a staple for me, well, I guess we will see.

The other bad thing is that the walking in slipper sock, coupled with the extremely dry air of the hospital, did a number on my feet. Much cracking was observed, and that has me concerned. I see the foot doctor next week, though, so perhaps this will work out. In the meantime, SPW will continue to attack the feet with the ammonium lactate cream and hopefully that will cause the cracks to start to heal. I probably should’ve just sucked it up and put on sneakers to walk, but I wasn’t sure about how much I could bend. We will get the feet happy again.

At any rate, I’ll keep you updated as we break new ground in the recovery. That should be interesting.

Wayne, Part Deux

Posted: March 5, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Foot issues, Physical activity, snow, The Beetus, Walking, Wayne, Weight loss
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As many of you know, Evil Wayne (not to be confused with Vegan Wayne) has caused me some problems of late. Namely a giant blister that left me short a toenail and a good part of toe.

I’m pleased to report that as of 6:00 tonight, Wayne is actually looking pretty good, all things considered. Looks like the wound is scabbing over nicely. This is a good thing that I’m attributing to my much better controlled glucose levels.

It took me a lot to understand what was involved in getting the sugar under control. See, I’m a huge carb junkie. I love carbs and would scarf unbelievable amounts of pasta and bread, not to mention snack foods. That’s a big no-no if you’re battling The Beetus. I didn’t understand that at first, figuring I was OK because something didn’t have much actual sugar in it. Well, maybe not, but the 40g of carbs are an issue. It makes a huge difference. Have I eliminated carbs? No, but I’m eating a lot less of them.

It really came to my mind again today when I was told by a friend that she had been diagnosed with Type-2 (that’s the type I have). I hope that she will use me as a resource, since I’m a pretty good example of what not to do when you’re diabetic. Or, I was. I’m just so excited that the toe is getting better pretty quickly so I can get back to the gym at full speed. I’m just going to make sure that I protect the toe with a moleskin wrap. Blisters just slow me down. Plus, the surgery date is three weeks away. How’d that happen?

I’m still really excited and freaked out at the same time. I think it’s fear of the unknown that get’s me freaked out. I actually don’t mind the anesthesia… it puts me out pretty good and I usually don’t have much memory of what’s going on. This will mark my third time going under general anesthesia, so I’m getting kind of used to it. The part that’s really freaking me out is the possibility of a catheter. I’m just not thrilled with the idea of getting some tube run up through my junk. Of course, talking to some post-op patients at the clinic, not all of them had a cath done. I’m hoping I’m one of the lucky ones. I guess we’ll know in a few short weeks.

So, we’re supposed to get a boatload of snow here in the northeast. If you’re in the area, please be careful when driving and especially while shoveling.

The next post will be #200. Guess I need to come up with something awesome. Wish me luck!

 

Song of the Day: Bright Lights, Bigger City – Cee-Lo Green

Wayne has struck again

Posted: March 3, 2013 in diabetes, Exercise, Foot issues, Physical activity, The Beetus, Walking, Wayne
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So, another good workout today. I hit 3.25 miles and averaged 3.12 mph. It marked the second day in a row I waked more than 3 miles. Of course, Wayne was feeling left out and decided to sprout a blister roughly the size of the Hope Diamond. Sigh.

Every time this happens, I’m so tempted to just say, “The hell with it!”

Somehow, I manage to pull it together and keep plugging away.

It’s what I do.

So, tomorrow morning, I’ll call the podiatrist, play my trump card. See, The Beetus is sort of like a head of the line pass at the doctors office. Apparently, they don’t want me to lose another toe, maybe they lose merit badges in Doctor Scouts for dismemberment? No idea. Hopefully he can get rid of the dead skin and we can get the ball rolling on the healing.

So, other than that, I’ve managed to burn some calories, walk some miles and behave.

In other news, I did go to Save Mart and browse a rather impressive selection of protein powders. I picked up five pounds of vanilla and two pounds of banana cream powder. The banana cream mixes well with Greek yogurt and gives you a nice shot of protein in a smooth mixture.

So, until I see the podiatrist, I’m in the Boot of Shame. It sucks, but what can you do? I’ll keep you posted.

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“March”-ing toward health

Posted: March 2, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Foot issues, Goals, Physical activity, Stubby the Wonder Toe, Supportive Partner Woman, Walking, Weight loss
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Did you like that?

See what I did with the quotation marks?

Anyone?

(crickets)

Leaving the lame puns behind, it is, in fact, March. Going to start the surgical countdown. That would make today T-24 days.

24 days until my life changes forever. 24 days until I start leaving the fat armor behind.

Wow.

Today's results

Today’s results

So, all that being said, I’m really focusing on trying to keep the workout intensity levels up. Today was a good example. I managed to burn over 730 calories and cover over 3 miles. For someone who had trouble walking a mile without being out of breath and succumbing to blisters, I’ve made some progress. I almost feel like once the weight is reduced, I’ll be able to do anything. Granted, a marathon is probably out of the question, but I think that 5K is firmly within my wheelhouse. It probably won’t be pretty, and it probably won’t be fast, but I just know that the feeling of accomplishment will make up for the pain.

Pain. That’s an interesting subject. When Stubby reared his ugly head back in 2010, most of the problem was that my diabetic neuropathy prevented me from feeling what should’ve been excruciating pain. As a result, I lost part of a toe. It seems that the more my glucose has been under control, there’s actually been a return of some sensation to my feet. It’s good and bad… good in that I have a little more feedback as to how I’m doing in the blister department, and bad that I know when my feet hurt.

My primary issues with the workout time have been achy ankles and other assorted joints. My ticker feels better than it has in a long time, as does my general health. My hope is that the less weight I’m carrying on my joints, the less pain they will have to endure and the less general abuse they will take. My hope is that it will lead to less likelihood of joint replacement in the future.

In other good news, I’m wearing a shirt from the depths of my closet. It’s one of my favorite Disney polo shirts (anyone who knows me knows that I pretty much live in polo shirts (and I don’t pop the collar) so it’s nice to pull one out of the closet that doesn’t have holes or is so threadbare from constant wear. See, I set a goal for myself when I embarked on this journey to not buy any new clothes unless absolutely necessary. There are a couple of shirts with holes that Supportive Partner Woman (Pyromaniac?) has pledged to burn as soon as I no longer need them.

That does bring to mind something I need to think of. With the speed in which weight can come off post surgery, refreshing the wardrobe can be a tad expensive. Guess I will have to haunt thrift stores and secondhand shops. I’m usually not opposed to wearing loose-fitting clothes, so that’s a plus. I’d hate that some of my favorite t-shirts wouldn’t be worn. I should be able to fit in the baseball jersey collection sometime during the season. That’s a good thing… and maybe even actually close the jersey? That would be awesome.

At any rate, that’s what I have for today. I will continue to keep stuff posted as the date comes closer.

Song of the Day: Talk Dirty to Me – Poison

Currently reading: The Path of the Assassin – Brad Thor

Never, never, never quit. – Winston Churchill

Pizza pizza!

Posted: February 24, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Exercise, Foot issues, Physical activity, The Rec, Walking, Weight loss
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OK, I admit it.

I wasn’t the poster child for a good healthy dinner last night.

For a few weeks, I’ve been craving pizza. Not one of my healthy flatbread veggie pizzas, either. Rather one with real crust. That being said, it wasn’t nearly as devastating to my diet as it could have been. You see, me of eight months ago would’ve swung by Caruso’s and picked up a medium with extra cheese and, well, devoured it. See, pizza is deadly. The medium would’ve been a huge improvement, though, because I used to eat an entire large pie by myself, especially if I was feeling sorry for myself.

Rather than risk that level of temptation, I picked up a DiGiorno pizza for one at the grocery store and got it out of my system. In the interest of evening things out, I did have a salad to go along with it, so it wasn’t a total nutritional loss. Hopefully my craving does not cause too many issues with the weigh in.

I also managed to do 60+ minutes on the treadmill. It wasn’t a lot of fun. My feet and ankles were barking like crazy, but I somehow managed to get it done. I brought workout clothes for today, but I’m not sure I will be able to accomplish much. I just keep telling myself how much better my feet will feel when there’s 160 pounds less weight being carried around.

It’s not all for naught, however. I honestly think that my general cardiovascular health is as good as it’s been in 18 years. I’m climbing steps at home without gasping for breath; I can even get up from my chair at work without having to push myself up. I’ve gained belt notches and done some closet shopping. I just hope that the scale confirms things.

Regardless of what happens on Tuesday, I’m still going to keep this up. I know it takes a time commitment, but the morning workout routine has become a habit. Much healthier than my usual habits, that’s for sure. I’m also going to continue to be smarter in my food choices. Will I still make some dietary mistakes? Yes, probably, but my hope is that the mistakes are the exception, rather than the rule.

Good things are happening.

Hope it lasts.

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Day 9: Treadmills, Congress and Ebola.

Posted: January 10, 2013 in Exercise, Foot issues, movies, politics, rants, Walking, Weight loss
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Greetings!

Today’s post includes things that don’t normally go together. Now Congress and graft? Yes. Congress and bullshit? Yes. Congress and Ebola? Not so much. But first, let’s get the daily stuff out of the way.

Managed day 9 today. 53:20 on the treadmill, 2.47 miles traveled, 2.78 mph. A little slower, but another 6 minutes and just shy of ¼ mile more traveled. I’m very pleased, considering it took a lot to wake up and get moving this morning. I also did it with a doozy of a headache. Tomorrow should be a little easier… it’s with the trainers, but it’s at 7 AM. I’ll get some weight training in as well.

I’m really noticing an improvement in general cardiovascular health. My stair climbing has gotten easier, and while my ankles continue to hurt, my feet seem to be holding up under the onslaught. Touch wood. I’m crediting the moisture-wicking socks. Maybe I need to consider some kind of moisture-wicking shirt, because I always come off the treadmill looking like I came in out of a tropical deluge. Things to ponder.

The Academy Award nominees have been released as well. Leading the way is Lincoln (big surprise). As much as I want to see it, I’m really intrigued by Zero Dark Thirty. This might be the first time in years that I actually want to see some nominees. Interesting stuff.

Now, on to some political news.

As many readers know, I like to spend time excoriating our political leadership here in the USA. Therefore, I was greatly amused when Public Policy Polling did a survey of just how unpopular Congress is, it was found to be less popular than cockroaches, traffic jams, lice and Nickelback, and slightly more popular than two of the biggest scourges facing humanity today: Ebola and the Kardashians. Way to go, Congress… people like you more than Ebola, a hemorrhagic fever that kills some 70% of its victims and causes bleeding from every known orifice. Your parents must be SO proud of you.

I might add that Congress polls slightly ahead of Lindsay Lohan and telemarketers. They also pulled better numbers than gonorrhea. Talk about a gold standard for excellence. Woot!

For complete poll results, visit the Public Policy Polling website.

So, there you have it for today. More to come!

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It’s a wonder of nature

Posted: December 1, 2012 in Disney, Exercise, Foot issues, Holidays, Physical activity, Supportive Partner Woman, Travel, Walking
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So, I’m writing this from Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter resort. As I sit here in the half light, the gentle sounds of Supportive Partner Woman’s breathing providing a quiet counterpoint to the hustle and bustle of families getting ready to hit the parks, I realize just how lucky I am.

I spent a lot of time the past few posts basically whining about life in general. I have it pretty good. I have a job, a loving wife, a roof over my head… Ad yes, I do have a few friends. It’s funny how things work out. That united by a common interest I am closer to people I’ve known for a relatively short time than I am to people I’ve known my entire life. I’ve met people in this community who aren’t in it for the right reason, but I’ve also met people who simply ooze character and class from every pore. They give back unflinchingly and always put others first, without fail. I’m proud to call these folks my friends and their friendship is something that I treasure.

So, on to the meat of the post.

Supportive Partner Woman (World’s Most Beautiful Pack Mule!) and I come to Walt Disney World around the same time every year. Not only to meet up with the aforementioned friends, but to get ourselves into the holiday spirit. There are many special events going on with a holiday theme, each of which serve to increase our excitement. There’s the Candlelight Processional, in which an orchestra and massed choir perform while a celebrity narrator recounts the tale of Christmas. SPW and I were fortunate enough to see it on Wednesday evening, and it does not disappoint. Our celebrity narrator was Neil Patrick Harris for the second year in a row… However, this year was actually dry, as opposed to the biblical rains of last December. The orchestra and choir was wonderful, as always, and well, here’s a video clip:

I hope that works… Using the WordPress iPad app is not something I do often. I usually write it in Pages, then just copy and paste it into WordPress.

One of the other points of the Disney holiday trident is the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. This event has some five million lights dancing to well known Christmas songs and is probably the one event that really gets me in the mood. SPW (Osborne fan!) and I had the opportunity, thanks to MEI and Mouse Fan Travel, to take in a private viewing of the lights last evening that was just amazing. I took a lot of video, none of which I’ve gotten uploaded yet, but here’s an example from last year’s Osborne Lights:

The third point of the trident is EPCOT’s nightly show called IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. Every year, the holiday season adds an extra five minutes of pyrotechnics accompanied by the Boys Choir of Harlem and a narration from the late Walter Cronkite. This really finalizes the prep for me. Just hearing the soaring music of the whole show as the lasers and fire and fireworks burst over the lagoon, topped off with the extra tag just never fails to send shivers up and down my back. I know that one day, the current IllumiNations will go away in the name of change, but believe you me, that will be a sad sad day.

At any rate, I have much more to tell, but suffice it to say that as of now, the feet have shown no blistering. This makes me very happy, especially considering the amount of walking we have done. The only wound is from the first day, when removing the protective moleskin also removed a tiny chunk of Wayne. A little NuSkin and gauze padding has worked wonders.

Well, I’m going to grad a shower and wake up SPW (Sleeps like the dead!) and we’re off to EPCOT for another day of fun and camaraderie.

More in the next few days!

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Thursday musings…

Posted: November 1, 2012 in Exercise, Foot issues, Gratuitously Naked Guy, Supportive Partner Woman, Weight loss
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It’s Thursday. Or Thor’s Day if you prefer.

I survived Halloween and Supportive Partner Woman (Enlightened!)’s birthday. I mainly did this by sitting in the basement and watching disaster miniseries on Netflix. The quantity of recognizable names that wind up in these epics is staggering. The one I was watching last night, Category 7, was like a Who’s who of B-listers, has-beens and never will bes. You had Gina Gershon (as the director of FEMA… seriously), James Brolin, Robert Wagner, Tom Skerritt (basically channeling his character from Top Gun), Shannen Doherty, and Randy Quaid. The cheese factor alone is epic.

SPW and I have a bunch of work to do to get the Nerd Lair back into full commission. I started by reconnecting all the AV equipment. Luckily everything works, and I didn’t need to rebalance the speakers. Tonight’s project will be to reseal the sump pump hole and start the dehumidifier again. SPW has returned the LPs to their storage spot, and we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing until it’s all back where it belongs.

This would seem to be what Gratuitously Naked Guy is looking for…

The food challenges continue. Working an opposite shift from SPW is a challenge. I’m taking my first step tonight. I have an exercise session in the afternoon rather than the morning and that will should keep me from overdoing it at dinner. Since Wayne is healed up, I should be able to go back to the rec and get serious again. I should just go every day after work and get it over with. As to why I haven’t? I’m think I am a little afraid that Gratuitously Naked Guy will want to strike up a conversation with his junk dangling uncomfortably close to my face as I’m tying my shoes.

I’ll keep you posted on how it goes. Just need to recommit to the path I was on. It’s way too easy to go off track without the support being so close at hand.

Song of the Day: Fire and Rain – James Taylor

Currently Reading: The Panther – Nelson DeMille

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.  – Mark Twain

 

More foods, please!

Posted: October 9, 2012 in diabetes, Disney, Food porn, Foot issues, Southwest, Supportive Partner Woman, Travel
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Continuing with the Disney eating marathon, I had some food porn I was hoping to share and talk about some other high points of our trip.

Our flight to Orlando was scheduled for a 6:15 departure from Baltimore, or, as we call it, the asscrack of dawn. We left the house around 3:15 AM and headed south. Many of you might remember the issues that I had with Southwest Airlines trying to book the flight in the first place. This was that trip. We all queued up in the cattle chute and prepared to board. Supportive Partner Woman and I had coveted “A” boarding slots and we managed to snag two seats about three rows back. SPW (bestest wife ever!) took the middle seat and I had the aisle. It was cramped, but in the good news department, I did not require a seat belt extender. Yay me.

The flight took off on time and I had loaded Killer Elite on the iPad for in-flight entertainment. I spent about an hour watching that and noticed a lot of activity, namely a flight attendant racing down the aisle with the AED, followed by a general call for trained medical personnel. Soon after, the captain came on board to say we were diverting to Charleston for a medical emergency. He must’ve had the 737 firewalled to get us in to Charleston as quickly as he did. The passenger was conscious when he was removed from the plane, and after refueling, we continued to Orlando, arriving around 45 minutes late. Whatever issues I might have had with Southwest, the flight crew really exhibited professionalism and handled the medical crisis like it happened every day.

We split up at that point… SPW went to claim the luggage, I went to pick up the car. I had booked a midsize and in Alamo’s midsize row were 14 minivans. And a Dodge Avenger. Sigh. I got in and headed back to the terminal to pick up SPW only to find that she had claimed the bags and thought she could catch up with me. Turns out she went below baggage claim and I had no way to get to her as that’s only open for buses. I sent her back to the baggage claim and I circled the airport again. Turns out the escalator she went up on took her to the ticketing level, which necessitated another trip around the terminal. Quite the comedy of errors.

Earl of Sandwich tomato soup with Earl’s Club and the Original 1762.

Anyway, we headed off to Disney’s BoardWalk Villas for the night. For those who are not familiar with the BoardWalk, it’s a really nice hotel, quite centrally located and within walking distance of Epcot. That alone makes it a favorite. This time, though, we were determined to spend a day outside of a park, so we got ourselves checked in and over to our room where was chilled for a while, then headed to Downtown Disney to grab some lunch. The weather was quite muggy, which made things a little sweaty, but we made our way to the Earl of Sandwich for lunch. This is one of our favorite spots… the food is tasty and reasonably priced and they offer AAA discounts which are actually better than the Disney Cast Member discount. Our normal MO is to buy two different sandwiches and split them… this time, we opted for the original, which consists of finely shaved hot roast beef with cheddar and horseradish and the Earl’s Club, which consists of roast turkey, applewood smoked bacon and swiss cheese, with lettuce and Roma tomato. We each added a drink and a cup of tomato soup and the total bill wound up being under $20. Best value on property. We shopped a bit, then took a pontoon boat out on the lake.

If you are opting to rent a boat, the best bet is to rent it from one of the Magic Kingdom resorts. That way you have over 400 acres of water to explore. It was a beautiful day to be out with a nice breeze and very little lake traffic.

Following that, we went back to the room to change before meeting some friends for dinner at Raglan Road. We haven’t seen these folks in many months, but it was great to catch up and enjoy a lovely meal. I opted for Raglan risotto with grilled chicken. The portion size was very nice and the food was flavorful, but not outstanding.

That concludes the food post today. More tomorrow when we talk about LeCellier!

 

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