The FVC - Family Vacation Center

Back to work after a week’s vacation in Santa Barbara. I’m in an uncharacteristically-quiet mood; not sad, not happy, just. . .mellow, relaxed. Co-workers ask me about my vacation and I tell them it was fantastic, but without my usual enthusiasm. They see me as a tanned, perhaps a little thinner version of the Tom that left ten days ago. I’ll probably return in spirit tomorrow – need to recapture something that’s floating right in front of me, but is yet undefined. I’ll let you know what it is when I find it. 

I lost another five pounds this past eight days, but am feeling healthy – not weak. I’m proud of myself for that, and am encouraged to break past the point in time where most of my attempts at weight loss have failed – the dreaded three week mark. So far, so good – and I’m not going hungry. Sure, it was a challenge to bypass the pizza and desserts last week, but I think the movie popcorn was the hardest. I had ten kernels of popcorn. While it may be true for some snack foods that twice the amount does not equal twice the satisfaction – take, for instance, eating a Snickers bar. Very satisfying – right? Eating two doesn’t double the ecstasy. Well, at least it doesn’t to me. This theory falls apart dismally when applied to popcorn. One kernel is simply not enough. One handful? Not even close. I’m usually not satisfied until I can see the bottom of the container, and even then I’m chomping on the un-popped orphans hoping they’ll give up one last explosive burst of flavor during frenzied mastication. Ten kernels are a tease, a taunt – pure torture. I should have avoided the bag entirely.  So, the lesson here – stay away from popcorn – at least the fat-saturated movie variety, and the kind they sell at Target – same formula, I believe, but one-quarter the price. 

Reflecting on my mood one more time, it occurs to me that I watched a Lawrence Kasdan film last night, Grand Canyon. It’s on my short list of favorite movies, and always makes me a bit self-reflective. The writing in this movie is so delicately crafted that the movie, to me, comes alive and speaks to me on many levels. It’s not a barrel of laughs, and I can certainly see why some people simply don’t “get” the film. It fits me though, like an old, comfortable shirt. Wait – that’s such a mixed metaphor I don’t know where to begin. Perhaps I’ll just stop now instead.