a history of me

Ahhhhh, I'm so happy right now! Let me elaborate.

First of all, I'd like to share two unmistakable signs that I am, in fact, getting thinner. I weigh myself often but whenever I look in the mirror I see the same egregious fat man. However, there are clear indications that my waistline is slowly decreasing.

Firstly, there's my belt. I wear this belt nearly everyday because, as a fat guy, I tend to buy larger pants/shorts and then use a belt to ensure a comfortable fit. Lately, I've noticed that I've had to pull my belt two notches tighter than before (my regular spot is clearly visible on the belt) and I've reached the innermost notch. It's still a little loose, actually, so I might need a new one!

Secondly, there's my jeans. I bought a new pair of jeans at Old Navy during this past school year. They were noticeably tight when I first bought them but they were cheap and my old pair was literally disintegrating off of my body. By the end of the school year they were so tight they didn't fit anymore, a clear sign that I was fatter than ever before. However, given a break in the heat wave I put them on tonight. Not only did they fit, they were a little loose! I may still look heavy but I am the leanest I have been in years.

Anyway, on to the important events of the evening. Tonight I had dinner with Hyde! I hadn't seen her in two weeks; she had gone to a wedding on the West coast and then somehow we didn't meet up for a week since then. Just between you and me ("you" being the entire Internet), I really missed her and I was worried that she was giving me the big brush off. But that paranoid theory is gone now because we had dinner together!

Keeping it local, we rolled over to Yakitori East where I had a delicious meal two weeks ago. I had blown off the notion that we needed a reservation so, of course, the place was packed and we had to wait for twenty minutes. We spent those twenty minutes across the street at the Overlook Lounge which has an unusual feature: a wall of cartoon art drawn by reputable artists. I don't know why so many cartoonists drank & drew there, and I didn't ask. We had one drink apiece which killed enough time to roll back across the street to eat dinner.

Dinner was delicious as well as a funny experience. At one point, Hyde went to the restroom and two folks at the next table began speaking to me. They were students visiting New York to study English; one Japanese, one German. They asked me if "fucked off" was the correct English expression to describe drunkenness. I told them they wanted to say "fucked up" instead and explained that "fuck off" was an insult. This sprang into a full conversation where I told them about my upcoming trip. When Hyde returned we all started talking about our studies and foreign language ability; as luck would have it, Hyde is studying German as I am studying Japanese so the two of us each had an edge speaking to these students. We invited them to join us at Hyde's favorite bar after dinner but they were part of a larger group and the girls they were with didn't seem too psyched about getting more drinks.

Besides that unusual meeting, Hyde and I had a great, long, personal talk. She's a very private person so I felt honored that she was opening up to me. I've tried my best to be as honest with her as possible (probably too honest) so for her to reciprocate was very reassuring. As I said, I was beginning to worry that my professed affection for her was driving her away. Now I've gotten over that baseless anxiety.

After dinner we went to her regular bar but not for very long. She's been through a lot lately (check her blog for a sample) so she decided to turn in early. However, we parted ways acknowledging that we both wanted to spend more time together before I left for Japan. Depending on our respective schedules, I think we can fit in 2-3 more evenings this week. I'm especially eager to sing karaoke with her because her voice is sensational and I want her to hear me belt one out.