Going to Brazil

This is a delayed posting on my blog today as I am currently sitting on a plane bound for Sao Paulo Brazil. I am going to be down here for the next 3 weeks on business. I sure do hope this trip turns out better than it started. I made it to Atlanta only to find out that my travel companion Wes did not. His flight out of Richmond was cancelled due to mechanical and he will not make it down until tomorrow morning. So I get to find a hotel and crash for one day in Sao Paulo. I might rest up a bit and see if I can get on a tour. I have a whole day to kill until he gets here tomorrow. I tried to get my flight changed and stay in Atlanta for the night and then travel down with Wes tomorrow but Delta wanted $554.00 to change my flight. I remember a day when something like that happened the airlines would accommodate a change like that with no problem. But now being the money grubbing companies that the airlines have become, they no longer believe in customer service. It is a sad state of affairs that has overtaken the airline industries. Probably why most people have no pity at all over their plight. If they all went belly up it would not break my heart in the least.

To make matters worse, I had a serious episode with the food on the plane during the flight. I have never been sick on an airplane in all the 34 years I have been a road warrior. It was not a pleasant experience. I spent about an hour in the head barfing up supper and thought for a while I was going to spend the entire flight in there. I really have to be careful with what I eat and the speed in which I eat it. I am not sure what triggered it, but I thought I was being fairly careful. Anyway, later in the flight I drank a hot tea and then had a Carnation instant breakfast that went down well and I ate a banana and had a little orange juice for breakfast and seemed to handle it quite well. So hopefully I can get off this plane, find a Sims chip for my phone and get myself to a decent hotel without a lot of trouble. I guess a bit of an adventure lays ahead for me. I will post this blog and let you all know the results later today. End of delayed post....
  The story continues, I did make it to a hotel finally but not with my luggage. Delta managed to leave my bag in Atlanta so I am hoping it will come with Wes. Which by the way, it did. I was able to walk to a large store near my hotel and get a Sims chip for my cellphone and got it working. I can't believe how hard that was. But now it is a couple of days later and I met up with Wes, I got my bag and we drove up to the city, which is Araxa Brazil about 6 hours north of Sao Paulo. It was a beautiful drive and we had a good time on the trip. Things finally seemed to be getting better on this trip. I was wrong.
  We get to the hotel and the my room is about the size of a matchbox with two little bitty beds about half to three-quarter size of a twin bed. I did manage to sleep on the thing but it is really small. I would be more comfortable in a hammock. The food here is good and I am finding things to eat without too much trouble. No low fat anything but I did manage to find a few sugar free items and am diluting the milk with ice so I hope I don't have trouble with it. I think I can manage with the hotel.
Then we get to the customer's plant this morning and it is going to be a disaster but I won't bore you with all the details of what is wrong here. Let me just say, it is going to be a very boring week. It is pretty darned cold here too. As I sit here in the open air lobby of the hotel it is about 45 or so degrees. I am wearing a long sleeve shirt and have goosebumps. All and all, a pretty interesting/disastrous trip so far but I am surviving. More later as things develop. Stay tuned. George

Phase III of Diet And Still Doing Great

  I am getting ready to head home for a few days and go for my next doctors visit. I am feeling really good. Still losing weight and exercising daily. I really love the swimming and hope to be able to keep it up in Brazil. Oh yes, did I mention, Saturday, I leave for 3 weeks in Brazil. I have 2 different jobs to go on down there and will hopefully have a pool at the hotels I will be staying at. If not, I guess walking will once again become my major regimen. Sunday I did manage a 10 mile bike ride followed by an hour of swimming laps and stretching in the pool and hottub. It is so nice to be getting healthy again. It has been too long. I really enjoyed the bike ride and hope to get another one in before I have to leave.
    My blood sugar levels have been marvelous and I can tell improvements in it all the time. Last several measurements have been in the 110 to 130 range and I feel great. No more insulin and the neuropathy is almost all gone in my feet, my toenails are returning normal and my legs look better than they have in almost 15 years. My blood pressure has been normal the last 3 times I checked it and I am sleeping soundly all night long. I wake up feeling totally rested. I never realized how badly I was sleeping before. So far I have lost around 55 lbs. My clothes no longer fit and I have started buying some smaller sized items to wear. I am back in XL shirts and L underwear. It is such a nice feeling to see what is going on with my body.
   I am anxious to see how I do flying on a long international trip this weekend. I have been so miserable the last few years even on short flights, now with the weight loss I am hoping the airline seats will be tolerable. I know they won't be comfortable but bearable would be great in my book. I have a long drive home starting this afternoon and am all packed and ready to go. I can't wait for the folks back home to see what I look like now. I have changed a lot in the 2.5 weeks I have been gone. Good eating habits and exercise really make a great difference and the fact that I don't have to take any medications is a real blessing. I am feeling great and feeling happy. Thanks to all who have supported my throughout this process and I hope I can help you in return. Have a great day everyone. George