I've Been Building a Violin

I have this friend. I will call him Fred. He is a second generation woodworker from Germany. He is a wonderful man with great skill in woodworking. I wish I could go into more detail but I don't have permission to reveal his identity. I went to have dinner at his home one weekend and played the violin for his family. I learned that his father, who also was a woodworker in Germany, had made violins. Fred called me not long afterwards and mentioned that since I was a woodworker and played the violin, I should make a violin. I told him I had thought about it before but not seriously. Anyway, to make a long story short. I pondered on his idea for almost a year and finally decided to begin a violin. I'm progressing slowly. I am enjoying this effort very much. I thought I would share with you a picture of the progress. I will update you on my progress, occasionally.

Weight Watchers Program Update

I have reached my target weight. This is not to be confused with my goal weight. I lost a total of 20 pounds in seven weeks. The target weight is 10 percent of the signup weight. I weighed 209 so they told me to lose about 20 pounds to reach my target weight. Now I'm focused on reaching my goal weight which is 179 pounds. This weight puts me within what is considered the normal range for a person over 45 years old. I intend to try to stay around 175 so I have a little wiggle room should I put on a couple of pounds. Once you reach your goal weight you have to keep it for six weeks. If you do, you become a lifetime member. Meetings are free as long as you maintain your goal weight.

I was given a nice looking key chain for reaching my target weight. The other participants (all women) gave me some encouraging applause which felt good. I had worked pretty hard to get there so their appreciation was gratifying. From a male perspective it does seem a little silly on one level, but I do get support and inspiration from attending the brief 1/2 hour meetings. The group dynamic is quite powerful and has been proven in many areas - group therapy, Sunday school classes, AA meetings, etc. I would encourage anyone (no, I'm not an employee of WW)to give it a try if you are serious about losing some weight. It does work if you follow the program.