"you've come a long way, baby" (lyn)

Last night, I actually prepared for book club, by doing more than just reading the book (The Help).  I planned my outfit.

Since our last meeting exactly four weeks ago, I’ve lost another six pounds,  I know this doesn’t sound like much, but I was hoping that the cumulative effect of losing almost 20 pounds would be noticeable.

I contemplated wearing my new, size 8, black lululemon “groove pant” as the salesperson in the lululemon store told me I looked fabulous in them.  But nice as she was, especially with her New Zealand accent, she did work there.  So I needed to be cautious of her flattery. These new lululemon pants cost me nothing, as they were a replacement for a size 10 pair I bought in August and never wore. The returned size 10’s were much slouchier than the version I “bought” yesterday.  (If you’ve never shopped at lululemon, you should.  Their clothes are comfy, reasonably priced, and make everyone look good).

In the end, I just threw on a pair of jeans.  It almost didn’t matter as my hair needs coloring and my pseudo bangs are messed up.

I ate only a leftover pork chop and some broccoli for dinner, as I didn’t want to overeat there.

I think that maybe there was a secretive pre-meeting before I arrived and someone added me to the agenda.  I imagine the conversation going something like this: “Just to avoid her bringing it up again, let’s be sure and say something about her weight loss.”  For soon after arriving, someone said, “Wow. You look great.  I didn’t think you looked bad before but you really look good now.”  Reminded me of an old ad for Virginia Slims.

Again, the food was plentiful and looked delicious.  Two different dips and French bread.  A variety of cheeses and salami.  Two different quiches,  mallomars, fruit, and lots of wine. 

I drank only water and ate only grapes.  

The conversation was lively, and covered a wide range of topics, from SAT prep (most of us have kids who are high school juniors or seniors) to race relations  (sparked by the book we were discussing). 

While the women in the group all live in New York City now, some grew up elsewhere, including Nebraska, Kentucky, and Holland.  It’s an interesting mix of very smart, liberal, insightful women.  Although I may not always enjoy the books we choose (although I did this week), I always enjoy the company.