I'm a binge eater. There, I said it.
One of the things I wanted to work on when I quit smoking was my eating habits. I had started running and felt that a healthier diet would be a good compliment to exercise. From breakfast to dinner I started to make better choices both at home and while I was travelling. I ate a lot of fruit and veggies and started watching what foods had high amounts of sugar so as to avoid as much of that as I could. For the most part I was very good...going so far as not eating past 8pm. After a few weeks I started to notice good results from my new eating habits and was encouraged to keep up the good work.
There was one area where I did not succeed. I would and still do binge on food. Usually it happens when I am bored at work or home. A "snack" for me isn't one apple or a late night bowl of cereal, it's two or three bowls of cereal, a handful of pretzels, and a couple of Popsicles. This doesn't really help one's diet.
So I've mad a vow to myself to control my eating habits. After all, I'm really not hungry when I binge so in theory it shouldn't be that hard, right?
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Everyday
One of the many things I found interesting about the ship I was on, The Liberty of The Seas, was the artwork. Having cruised many times before I never paid that much attention to the art on a particular ship but this time it stuck out and caught my attention on numerous occasions. Here are a few photos of the artwork...the first one is my favorite and I named it "Cher lounging."
A-Ha
Day 7
Being the last day at sea and of the cruise I wanted to get as much sun as possible. This proved quite difficult as it was unbearably hot. Just sitting on a deck chair without moving produced rivers of sweat from every pore in my body. I spent a couple of hours sitting on a bench drinking Labdoozies in the solarium pool covered by the bridge that goes from one side to the other. When I finally had enough I went back to the stateroom and sat on the balcony in the shade. Sometime that afternoon the ship came within sight of the Cuban coastline. It was neat seeing a land that is so close to the U.S. but yet still so far away.
The rest of the day was uneventful with dinner at Johnny Rockets and a late night glass of wine with Richard & Andrea to say good bye.
Looking back on the week I was happy that it turned out exactly how I wanted it to. I was ready to go home and see Adam and Emerson but was also refreshed and more importantly, tan.
Being the last day at sea and of the cruise I wanted to get as much sun as possible. This proved quite difficult as it was unbearably hot. Just sitting on a deck chair without moving produced rivers of sweat from every pore in my body. I spent a couple of hours sitting on a bench drinking Labdoozies in the solarium pool covered by the bridge that goes from one side to the other. When I finally had enough I went back to the stateroom and sat on the balcony in the shade. Sometime that afternoon the ship came within sight of the Cuban coastline. It was neat seeing a land that is so close to the U.S. but yet still so far away.
The rest of the day was uneventful with dinner at Johnny Rockets and a late night glass of wine with Richard & Andrea to say good bye.
Looking back on the week I was happy that it turned out exactly how I wanted it to. I was ready to go home and see Adam and Emerson but was also refreshed and more importantly, tan.
Friday, September 10, 2010
That Was Easy
Day 6
Having a late arrival in our final port of Labadee, Haiti I slept in. There was something about that pillow top mattress that I just couldn't get enough of. I also decided to skip breakfast today as I was tired of the same ole eggs and bacon.
Upon our arrival we looked out over the side of our balcony and saw thousands of jelly fish floating in the water. I tried to get a photo but it didn't come out much to my dismay. Once the ship was alongside the dock we made our way off and walked through the little "village" of Labadee. It's not so much as a village but a small resort (without the any hotels) that Royal Caribbean leases from a private owner. Once we had taken possession of our rubber floating mats we grabbed two beach chairs, dropped our stuff, and headed straight for the crystal blue waters. As I floated in the lagoon I saw hundreds of star fish laying on the floor of the lagoon. The water was so shallow that you could reach down and grab one...but I didn't. My favorite part of the entire day was the Labadee Labdoozie.
This drink is a mixture of a whole bunch of liquor and some fruit juice mixers. It went down way too easily which enabled me to have two or three of them in a short period of time. As you can see it also came with a take home mug. The name was sort of confusing and my friend kept calling it the Labadee Labradoodle.
After four hours of intense sun, a ridiculous line waiting for the BBQ lunch, and a large family that invaded the area we were sitting in I called it an afternoon and headed back to the ship, snapping some pics along the way.
That night we had dinner at Portofino, the Italian specialty restaurant on board with our cruise friends Richard & Andrea. It was a great time with interesting conversation instigated by my friend B. We all ended the night with drinks on our balcony.
Having a late arrival in our final port of Labadee, Haiti I slept in. There was something about that pillow top mattress that I just couldn't get enough of. I also decided to skip breakfast today as I was tired of the same ole eggs and bacon.
Upon our arrival we looked out over the side of our balcony and saw thousands of jelly fish floating in the water. I tried to get a photo but it didn't come out much to my dismay. Once the ship was alongside the dock we made our way off and walked through the little "village" of Labadee. It's not so much as a village but a small resort (without the any hotels) that Royal Caribbean leases from a private owner. Once we had taken possession of our rubber floating mats we grabbed two beach chairs, dropped our stuff, and headed straight for the crystal blue waters. As I floated in the lagoon I saw hundreds of star fish laying on the floor of the lagoon. The water was so shallow that you could reach down and grab one...but I didn't. My favorite part of the entire day was the Labadee Labdoozie.
This drink is a mixture of a whole bunch of liquor and some fruit juice mixers. It went down way too easily which enabled me to have two or three of them in a short period of time. As you can see it also came with a take home mug. The name was sort of confusing and my friend kept calling it the Labadee Labradoodle.
After four hours of intense sun, a ridiculous line waiting for the BBQ lunch, and a large family that invaded the area we were sitting in I called it an afternoon and headed back to the ship, snapping some pics along the way.
That night we had dinner at Portofino, the Italian specialty restaurant on board with our cruise friends Richard & Andrea. It was a great time with interesting conversation instigated by my friend B. We all ended the night with drinks on our balcony.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
You Set Me Free
Day 5
For the second time this summer I found myself in San Juan. Being that I've always had a thing for Latin men this really didn't bother me in the slightest but then again I didn't get off the ship at all. Since it was once again an empty boat I had my pick of deck chairs and proceeded with my plan to get a nice, dark tan.
In the early afternoon people started arriving back on board. We had an early departure that day and as the ship embarked the front (where I was laying) filled up. At the same time a VERY attractive, well-built man started running on the outdoor jogging track on the same deck. I noticed that I wasn't the only one that was staring at him. Two other guys were pretending to take pictures of Old San Juan but in reality were snapping pics of the hot guy running. They thought no one realized what they were doing but I was onto their little project. After we had gone out to sea I approached them and asked "did you get a pic of the scenery?" They were immediately embarrassed and just laughed.
After a quick bit to eat I decided to find a less busy area to lay out and chose Deck 13. Deck 13 consists of a small area of deck chairs on top of one of the pool bars. There wasn't much room but I found a spot and quickly shut my eyes. After about fifteen minutes I went to flip over and realized that I was laying in the speedo zone. I was the only one who didn't have on a speedo. Feeling a little out of place and a little grossed out I gathered my stuff together and left.
When I got back to my room I was dismayed to see that no matter how much sunscreen I put on I was getting red instead of brown. Apparently my near continuous application of SPF 15 was fruitless. Talk about annoyed. The sunset run I took that evening made up for my irritation. I had one of my best runs and got to see a gorgeous sunset.
Remember my comment about the kids from the first day? I learned from a bartender that night that there were approx. 1000 children on board. On the very next cruise, only 100. What bad timing on my part.
For the second time this summer I found myself in San Juan. Being that I've always had a thing for Latin men this really didn't bother me in the slightest but then again I didn't get off the ship at all. Since it was once again an empty boat I had my pick of deck chairs and proceeded with my plan to get a nice, dark tan.
In the early afternoon people started arriving back on board. We had an early departure that day and as the ship embarked the front (where I was laying) filled up. At the same time a VERY attractive, well-built man started running on the outdoor jogging track on the same deck. I noticed that I wasn't the only one that was staring at him. Two other guys were pretending to take pictures of Old San Juan but in reality were snapping pics of the hot guy running. They thought no one realized what they were doing but I was onto their little project. After we had gone out to sea I approached them and asked "did you get a pic of the scenery?" They were immediately embarrassed and just laughed.
After a quick bit to eat I decided to find a less busy area to lay out and chose Deck 13. Deck 13 consists of a small area of deck chairs on top of one of the pool bars. There wasn't much room but I found a spot and quickly shut my eyes. After about fifteen minutes I went to flip over and realized that I was laying in the speedo zone. I was the only one who didn't have on a speedo. Feeling a little out of place and a little grossed out I gathered my stuff together and left.
When I got back to my room I was dismayed to see that no matter how much sunscreen I put on I was getting red instead of brown. Apparently my near continuous application of SPF 15 was fruitless. Talk about annoyed. The sunset run I took that evening made up for my irritation. I had one of my best runs and got to see a gorgeous sunset.
Remember my comment about the kids from the first day? I learned from a bartender that night that there were approx. 1000 children on board. On the very next cruise, only 100. What bad timing on my part.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Why Do You Hate My Friends
Day 4
I had planned all along to only get off the ship in our third port of call. The ship is deserted when you are in port and it can be very relaxing and most importantly, quiet. The thought of not having to fight for a deck chair with a 75 year old lady was appealing to me from the moment we booked the cruise.
By 9am I had worked out and was laying by the Solarium pool with only one other couple. At one point a guy started chatting me up and he and I just sat in the pool talking about what we did, where we lived, and much to my dismay since I was on vacation, all the the types of airplanes he'd been on. Said man (I think his name was Mike?) appeared at my lunch table out of nowhere and proceeded to eat lunch with me, again much to my dismay. What couldn't I just be left alone for ONE day?
After lunch I made a snap decision and got off the ship to grab a quick souvenir for myself and my mom. It was about 100 degrees with 100% humidity so I took a short stroll around the tourist village and quickly made my purchases, made a quick call to Adam, and snapped a few photos before I got back on board.
Back on board I decided more sun was in order and proceeded to get even darker while losing about five pounds through sweating. When I'd had enough of laying on a sweat soaked towel I made my way back to the cabin and took what turned out to be a two hour nap. It was pure bliss.
That night we opted for a very relaxed dinner at Johnny Rockets. After consuming an original cheeseburger, onion rings, french fries, a fountain coke (or two), and one large vanilla milkshake I was ready for that pillow top mattress.
I had planned all along to only get off the ship in our third port of call. The ship is deserted when you are in port and it can be very relaxing and most importantly, quiet. The thought of not having to fight for a deck chair with a 75 year old lady was appealing to me from the moment we booked the cruise.
By 9am I had worked out and was laying by the Solarium pool with only one other couple. At one point a guy started chatting me up and he and I just sat in the pool talking about what we did, where we lived, and much to my dismay since I was on vacation, all the the types of airplanes he'd been on. Said man (I think his name was Mike?) appeared at my lunch table out of nowhere and proceeded to eat lunch with me, again much to my dismay. What couldn't I just be left alone for ONE day?
After lunch I made a snap decision and got off the ship to grab a quick souvenir for myself and my mom. It was about 100 degrees with 100% humidity so I took a short stroll around the tourist village and quickly made my purchases, made a quick call to Adam, and snapped a few photos before I got back on board.
That night we opted for a very relaxed dinner at Johnny Rockets. After consuming an original cheeseburger, onion rings, french fries, a fountain coke (or two), and one large vanilla milkshake I was ready for that pillow top mattress.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Second Man On The Moon
Day 3
As you can imagine after a long night of drinking I woke up this morning feeling like complete crap. If you know me well then you know how horrible my hangovers are and needless to say I slept all day long. I finally woke up around 5pm and met my friend in the pub and managed to keep down a slice of pizza and a sprite. The rest of the evening was uneventful and we ended up playing scrabble on the balcony and went to bed early. Yes, I know...boring.
As you can imagine after a long night of drinking I woke up this morning feeling like complete crap. If you know me well then you know how horrible my hangovers are and needless to say I slept all day long. I finally woke up around 5pm and met my friend in the pub and managed to keep down a slice of pizza and a sprite. The rest of the evening was uneventful and we ended up playing scrabble on the balcony and went to bed early. Yes, I know...boring.
Friday, September 3, 2010
I Don't Understand How A Thermos Keeps Things Both Hot And Cold
Day 2
I got up early and hit the gym so that I could run before it got too hot and humid. After a quick work out I managed to run on the outside jogging track even though it was crowded with a large number of Asian travellers who had no concept of personal space. "Excuse me" and "On your right" were useless words that I uttered time and time again to no avail.
After my run I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then hit the Solarium (adults only) pool before it got too crowded. This pool usually fills up quickly on all ships so it's important to get there early because people will camp out on their chair ALL day so as to not lose a spot. I think I only got out of my chair to get in the pool a few times, eat lunch, and use the bathroom once or twice. My friend joined me around noon and we met a very nice couple, Richard & Andrea. We ended up talking with them the entire afternoon while we soaked up the sun and a few strawberry margarita's.
That evening we met back up with our new friends and ate a nice dinner in the buffet with them. After dinner we went to grab some drinks. At some point in the evening my friend was smart and went to bed. I should have done what he did. I discovered this evening that Kettle One vodka has no vodka taste and for reasons unknown I took this as an excuse to drink copious amounts of vodka & soda until the wee hours of the morning. Oh, and two mojitos were thrown in there for good measure. I also made friends with a guy who was travelling by himself as a gift from his aunt before he shipped off to Afghanistan in November. He was trying very hard to get laid from almost any girl who'd be willing. It was funny to watch him in action and even funnier to hear some of the stuff that came out of his mouth. When I finally went back to the stateroom at around 3am my friend and I apparently had a 20 minute conversation that I still have no recollection of.
I got up early and hit the gym so that I could run before it got too hot and humid. After a quick work out I managed to run on the outside jogging track even though it was crowded with a large number of Asian travellers who had no concept of personal space. "Excuse me" and "On your right" were useless words that I uttered time and time again to no avail.
After my run I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then hit the Solarium (adults only) pool before it got too crowded. This pool usually fills up quickly on all ships so it's important to get there early because people will camp out on their chair ALL day so as to not lose a spot. I think I only got out of my chair to get in the pool a few times, eat lunch, and use the bathroom once or twice. My friend joined me around noon and we met a very nice couple, Richard & Andrea. We ended up talking with them the entire afternoon while we soaked up the sun and a few strawberry margarita's.
That evening we met back up with our new friends and ate a nice dinner in the buffet with them. After dinner we went to grab some drinks. At some point in the evening my friend was smart and went to bed. I should have done what he did. I discovered this evening that Kettle One vodka has no vodka taste and for reasons unknown I took this as an excuse to drink copious amounts of vodka & soda until the wee hours of the morning. Oh, and two mojitos were thrown in there for good measure. I also made friends with a guy who was travelling by himself as a gift from his aunt before he shipped off to Afghanistan in November. He was trying very hard to get laid from almost any girl who'd be willing. It was funny to watch him in action and even funnier to hear some of the stuff that came out of his mouth. When I finally went back to the stateroom at around 3am my friend and I apparently had a 20 minute conversation that I still have no recollection of.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
This Would Be Touching If I Liked You More
Day 1
After waking up early and deciding that it was too humid to go for a run we grabbed breakfast at the hotel and then took a walk to the local Walgreen's to get a few last minute things for the cruise. As per usual I immediately began to sweat. By the time we reached the drug store my shirt was drenched since even simple walking seems to be way too much for me and my sweat glands go into overdrive.
Returning to the hotel we packed up what little we had unpacked and made our way to the ship. The entire check-in process and voyage to our cabin was uneventful and surprisingly quick. We explored our cabin and unpacked since we carried our own bags on and within 30 minutes we were ready to hit the ship. We wanted to grab a quick bite to eat in the buffet before a lot of other guests got on the ship but found that many other people had the same idea. After standing in the buffet line for about 5 minutes I was reminded of one of the few things that I dislike about cruising...the buffet line. I had the pleasure of being behind someone who picked each piece of lettuce out individually. Needless to say the line didn't move for a few minutes. After lunch we roamed around the ship and quickly realized that there were A LOT of kids on board. The ship did have a huge kids pool and activities area and we hoped that they would stay there all the time. We were to find out over time that this wouldn't be the case.
For dinner that night I wanted to treat my friend to dinner at one of the specialty restaurants since it was his birthday. He chose Chops, the steakhouse on board. We had a great dinner and I had an excellent fillet. I always enjoy my dinners there and recommend it to anyone who cruises on Royal Caribbean.
That night when we went to sleep I discovered that the mattresses were pillow top, which is a rarity for a cruise ship...or maybe it was because we had upgraded ourselves to a Jr. Suite. In any case it was one hell of a good night sleep.
After waking up early and deciding that it was too humid to go for a run we grabbed breakfast at the hotel and then took a walk to the local Walgreen's to get a few last minute things for the cruise. As per usual I immediately began to sweat. By the time we reached the drug store my shirt was drenched since even simple walking seems to be way too much for me and my sweat glands go into overdrive.
Returning to the hotel we packed up what little we had unpacked and made our way to the ship. The entire check-in process and voyage to our cabin was uneventful and surprisingly quick. We explored our cabin and unpacked since we carried our own bags on and within 30 minutes we were ready to hit the ship. We wanted to grab a quick bite to eat in the buffet before a lot of other guests got on the ship but found that many other people had the same idea. After standing in the buffet line for about 5 minutes I was reminded of one of the few things that I dislike about cruising...the buffet line. I had the pleasure of being behind someone who picked each piece of lettuce out individually. Needless to say the line didn't move for a few minutes. After lunch we roamed around the ship and quickly realized that there were A LOT of kids on board. The ship did have a huge kids pool and activities area and we hoped that they would stay there all the time. We were to find out over time that this wouldn't be the case.
For dinner that night I wanted to treat my friend to dinner at one of the specialty restaurants since it was his birthday. He chose Chops, the steakhouse on board. We had a great dinner and I had an excellent fillet. I always enjoy my dinners there and recommend it to anyone who cruises on Royal Caribbean.
That night when we went to sleep I discovered that the mattresses were pillow top, which is a rarity for a cruise ship...or maybe it was because we had upgraded ourselves to a Jr. Suite. In any case it was one hell of a good night sleep.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Let's Move On
Hi, welcome back! I'm sorry it's been months since I've blogged but to be honest, I just didn't feel it. I hope that your summer has been good and you've stayed cool. Personally, I'm ready for fall to come and last for about 5-6 months. As for the blog, it's going to resume with a day by day account of my recent cruise with a friend. Enjoy.
Day 0 (The day before the cruise)
We thought it would be a good idea for us to fly down to Miami a day early. Departing from O'Hare we grabbed a bite to eat at Macaroni Grille in Terminal 3 (note to anyone who may eat here, the bread they give you is VERY salty, so beware) so that we didn't need to eat when we arrived in Miami late that night.
The flight was uneventful and we managed to get a very chatty cab driver on the way to the hotel. Unfortunately, her accent was so thick that we really didn't understand what she was saying so we just agreed with most of it and threw in a few laughs. If she knew we didn't understand her she didn't seem to care and just continued to talk away. We made it to the hotel in a short amount of time and quickly went to bed as I think both of us just wanted to the next day to come so that we could get on the ship.
Day 0 (The day before the cruise)
We thought it would be a good idea for us to fly down to Miami a day early. Departing from O'Hare we grabbed a bite to eat at Macaroni Grille in Terminal 3 (note to anyone who may eat here, the bread they give you is VERY salty, so beware) so that we didn't need to eat when we arrived in Miami late that night.
The flight was uneventful and we managed to get a very chatty cab driver on the way to the hotel. Unfortunately, her accent was so thick that we really didn't understand what she was saying so we just agreed with most of it and threw in a few laughs. If she knew we didn't understand her she didn't seem to care and just continued to talk away. We made it to the hotel in a short amount of time and quickly went to bed as I think both of us just wanted to the next day to come so that we could get on the ship.
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