And prospects for prosperity are looking good! That’s my way of saying the blood work results were better than I had hoped for–everything was within the normal range, and nasty things like cholesterol were below standard. Dr. Jo was impressed with the marked improvement over my previous results last July and suggested I keep on doing what I’ve been doing. I’m sure diet and exercise are factors, but the chelation treatments have also likely contributed to my healthier results. Dr. Jo and I agreed to do the four-week chelation cycle every other month going forward and see how that works out for me.

Meanwhile, back at the house, Swan was busy in the kitchen preparing for a gathering at The Rite Spot.

The food was good, the company outstanding, and the beer icy cold—a winning combination. Neighbor Martin (the guy on the left side of the table) spends most of his time working in Manila, so we hadn’t enjoyed his company in quite a while. His wife, Joss, paid me a nice compliment when she told me she hadn’t recognized me at first because of my recent weight loss. My high school compatriot Mike (at the head of the table) regaled us with stories from his extraordinary life. Starting with his time with the army in Vietnam, his career as a music promoter with some of the biggest bands in rock-n-roll history, and some of his adventures from the early years of his retired life in Brazil. Martin was so impressed that he tried to talk Mike into writing his story, and he’d use some of his connections to make it into a movie. Mike was non-committal about doing so, but he’s going to the USA next week to retrieve some of his papers and photos. We shall see.

The party went later than expected, and regular readers will be shocked to hear I was up until well after ten p.m. last night. I’m glad my health is up to the challenge! Martin and his wife also asked to join this morning’s group hike, and it was great to have them along.

There is some good news: despite my recent transgressions, today’s weigh-in has me down to 228.9 pounds. So, since I began this quest on November 1, 2024, I’ve lost 38.2 pounds overall and 2.8 pounds since my March 7 weigh-in.

Things I saw and shared on Facebook today:

Today’s stroll through the LTG archives brought me to this post from October 2005. It’s just another day-in-the-life type entry, much like I’m still writing twenty years later. I do use more pictures these days, though. I was a CIV III fanatic back then. I’m not sure why I stopped playing.

I’m pretty sure I posted this poem I wrote in high school previously, but here it is again. Of special note is that my creative writing teacher seemed to almost like it. He was normally very critical of my work.

Facebook memories carried me back to the lonely life I was living in Pyeongtaek during my final months in Korea seven years ago.

Today’s YouTube talks about why people move to the PI and where they hope to find what they seek. It’s short, and I enjoyed the street scenes from Cebu City, a place I briefly considered before opting to live my small-town lifestyle.

Take these as you will:

And that’s all I’ve got for today. I’ll be attending my first SOB in a while tonight, so that’s something a little different to do. With my health metrics on the upswing, I might be subjecting y’all to this daily punishment for a long time come. Unless I get squashed crossing the National Highway.