First – yay Royal Wedding. Great dress. Kate looked ethereal. William was wearing the reddest coat ever. Apparently two billion people watched worldwide. Wow. I was content with seeing a couple clips at a much more reasonable hour, but I did happen to see their kiss on the balcony – and may I say both kisses (Two kisses! First time in history! Gasp!) looked sincere yet appropriately chaste. Nice.

But anyway, enough about other people. It’s all about me around here. And my lifestyle isn’t what most people would call healthy. I eat out often, I thoroughly enjoy a refreshing pint, and there isn’t a lot of opportunity for working out. I have no intention of giving up beer, and it’s just not practical to think I might cut back on eating out, and I’m doing what I can to fit the workout into my day. Nevertheless, last week I was the heaviest I’ve ever been (I think). So four days ago I started this hCG thing, along with a moderate exercise program. So far so good. Only 43 days to my next bacon cheddar burger. HCG, so far as I understand, is a hormone that tells your body to go ahead and process its fat rather than cripple you with hunger or eat your muscles (the premise being that you’re subsisting on famine-level calories – about 500 a day). Apparently this switch-flip is what happens with pregnant mammals like people and horses. I’m still feeling hungry off and on, but I think this is as much about habits and breaking the carb addiction as it is about actual hunger. It’s certainly not as bad as it was sometimes before starting the drops. HCG weight loss is pretty controversial, but even the strongest opponents have to admit it works at least as well as a placebo, and I reckon six weeks of retraining the habits is as good a goal as any.

Interesting side effect: it’s true that sugar is addictive. I’ve all but eliminated it from my diet and there are mild headaches.

Another interesting side effect: I’m appreciating every bite. I eat more slowly, which gives my stomach a chance to tell my brain it’s got what it needs. I’m satisfied with less, and I appreciate it more.

Down side: it takes planning. Can’t just hit a bodega for whatever sammich they have handy. Snacking has to be anticipated, and it’s actually necessary. Ah well. Maybe it will practice me up for keeping the rest of my life more organized.

In other news, with all the blog breakages (and the business-motivated grudging return to FB) and such, I haven’t actually mentioned that I now wear glasses:

I think I’m handsomer now.

Also, yesterday we picked up a dolly and track. To go with our sexy new AF-100 camera. For those keeping score, our outfit still needs apple boxes and flags, but… that’s about it. We are a fully operational mother ship, complete with two broadcast quality video cameras with adapters for hundreds of lenses, a steadicam rig, plenty of lighting, and a digital post work flow on par with A-list indie studios. True story. We’re shooting a music video this weekend.

And it looks like spring is finally getting some traction in this town. Life is good on the 43rd floor.