The Necessity of New Approaches

"I'm worried I might be giving you an ego," she said.
Surely not?

So far, so good - three days, and the desire to kill someone for a chocolate bar has so far not surfaced, which is always encouraging. Make no mistake, the urge will come - there's a summer coming up, and in just over two weeks, I go on holiday to the seaside for a week, to a town of fish and chips, ice cream cones and the most frankly divine little bakery just at the bottom of the block. I may have to take a special cushion with me on that holiday, just to kick up and down the lngth of Saundersfoot beach front. But as yet - nada.

I've now done three days of walking three miles before work, and eating reasonably well and healthily, though probably, if I'm honest, a little too heavily, a little too late at night. I've also now done three nights of biking (though as I write this, I've made the decision to write this before I get on the bike, and I have exactly half an hour to do that before I have to go and collect d, my wife, from work).

Last night when I came down from biking, there was a delightful programme on TV, called "The Truth About Fat". So I got to see some actual body fat, and then examine its chemical composition under a microscope. Loooovely. But potentially useful in situations like the time crunch I face right now, because the programme also highlighted an exercise approach which takes just twenty minutes (rather than the 45 I've taken on each of the past two nights). It's the idea of working incredibly hard for two minutes, then resting for one, then hard for two, then rest for one...and so on, for twenty minutes. I have a feeling this is the basis of a technique my friend Wendy once described to me - the Insanity Workout.

So - going to try that in a few minutes. If I die, you'll know maybe notsomuch on the suitability for people with dodgy hearts.

Today was also my first day spent in Starbucks since I restarted this Disappearing. It saw me try out a new 'signature' drink, with less milk than my previous regular favourite, the venti decaff skinny sugar-free hazelnut latte.

Basically, it's a similar thing, but with less milk - a venti decaff skinny double-shot sugar-free hazelnut misto.

Oh yeah - as Buddy Holly very nearly wrote, every day, names are getting longer, every day, coffee's getting stronger. I found out it only really worked for me with two shots of the sugar-free hazelnut, which I was jusssst a little alarmed to discover translates to 'six pumps' of the sugar-free-but-then-what-the-hell-is-the-basis-for-a-syrup. Will have to do some reading up to discover whether this is in fact any healthier for me than the single syrup-shot latte I was drinking previously.

Does it really matter? Surely it's splitting decaffeinated hairs?
Not when you spend as much time in a Starbucks as I do, it isn't - it's my home away from home, or at least my office away from office - spent several hours there today, and am going back tomorrow for another day, so these things mount up.

Still, it's nice to know I've got support - one of my barista pals there, Shuhena (or Naz, as I know her, for no entirely clear linguistic reason), has made a habit of (not to say a Facebook legend of herself by) writing funny or inspiring stuff on my cups. All I can tell you is that from the evidence of today's winner, I'm pretty convinced she's on board with the whole Disappearing vibe.
What do you think?