who's afraid of Sept 11?

had to fly to Chicago yesterday and it only occurred to me late last week that I'd be flying on Sept 11. i was a little perturbed by it but hey, you just soldier on right?

La Guardia airport had military in camouflage with automatic rifles wandering around but they're a permanent fixture at all the airports here now. the only thing I noticed out of the (new, clear plastic bag for toiletries, shoes off) ordinary was a conspicuous air marshal on the flight. the flight was delayed three hours and packed to the shiny metal gills, and if any shenanigans had have happened I imagine the passengers would have just rolled their eyes and said 'typical, whatever'. i was more distressed by the prospect of no entertainment and no food, not even proper food to buy, since AA cut all those 'luxuries'. i haven't been that hungry since...I arrived in the US.

i have to admit i am sporting a new roll of blubber 'tween bra and belt, and its rather uncomfortable and I have to sit up straight all the time cos my flesh doesn't seem to fit any more. maybe its the burger bash Jus and I have been on, or the bran muffins I was eating for breakfast thinking they were actually healthy (its cake, just cake!),or the second lunches I nibble on when there are leftovers in the kitchen? maybe its the cheap goats cheese, or the massive meal sizes? maybe its the absence of aerobic exercise over the last 3 months? really, i'm at a loss here at how this happened.

regardless of the cause I've got to nip it in the bud because I've only been here 12 weeks and I'm 100% sure I'm setting a PB on the scales, and I don't mean a good PB.

so now I'm in the land of deep dish pizza (i would have called it a frittata, its that thick) and ribs (you can see the predicament I'm in) and tonight we're contemplating having a work dinner at Weber Grill, a restaurant chain by the actual manufacturers of Weber BBQs who decorate said restaurants with oversized replicas of said BBQs. yee har.

anyway, the flight was fascinating because we flew over a thunderstorm for a lot of the way and i watched the fluffy cumulo nimbus illuminate with flashes of silver and white, fork lightning giving a brief glimpse of the land far below. was beautiful. took a few photos...you might have noticed I have a penchant for taking shots of clouds.