9 1/2 Pound Gain

I haven't written anything lately.  Here's why.  My wife has been in the hospital with preeclampsia.  She had the babies yesterday, S, who was 5 lbs 3 oz, and C, who was 4 lbs 2 oz.  Almost 9 1/2 pounds.  Everyone is mostly fine, though the babies will have to be in the hospital for a while.

More later, but that's the story.

Wow.  I'm somebody's dad!  

Positive stuff--No, really

So, this was going to be a letter to my scale, which does not budge.  But it's going to be something else.  Some good news.

I got turned down for life insurance, and it really made me mad.  But such is life.  I haven't been focused on dropping weight for a while now.  I've had a lot going on.  I haven't gone insane or anything, and I have not gained (which is a win in my world).  But I'm working more now.  I'm eating a little cleaner.  I'm moving more (walking to the train, committing to working out more regularly).  I feel pretty good. 

I'm getting looks occasionally from women on the street.  This is kind of cool.  I know what this looks like because--well, I just do.  They aren't really lingering looks.  They are glances.  But they're there.  I like it, even though I am not on the market in any sense. 

Yesterday a friend I haven't seen in a while came over.  "Hello, skinny!" she said.  Who me?  But that was fun.

Today, I had a really nice experience at the clothing store.  I've needed some khakis for a while now.  I'm kind of particular sometimes, and I wanted a particular color (shade, really).  He showed me a stack of folded pants, said of some pairs, "These are too small, and these are too big."  The too big ones?  My size.  I told him.  "Really?  You sure?"

Well not really.  I haven't tried on clothes in a while.  I've been on the cusp of a lower size, too.  And as you probably know, not all clothes marked with the same size are really the same size.  But I tried on a smaller size and they fit.  Amazing.  And I bought a linen suit, too.  I've been wanting a summer suit.

Here's what I think.  I'm shrinking.  I kind of wish I'd been tracking measurements.  I really would like another twenty pounds to go away this summer.  That would put me solidly into the lower size.  (I know size is just a number, but the selection sure gets better as you get smaller.) 

Getting turned down

I once had a bunch of life insurance.  Ten years ago, I had a boatload.  Then I moved away, became self-employed, and got divorced.  I let it go.  There was no reason to have it.  I was never going to get married again.  I sure wasn't going to have kids.  I was already pushing 40.

So here I am, several years later, married and with twins on the way.  Who would have guessed?

I need some life insurance.  Something more than the $50k I have through my job.  Happily, I received in the mail a solicitation for group term life insurance through my alumni association.  I applied.  The basic application asked for medical history, height, weight, that kind of thing.

They sent a guy out to take more history, draw blood, take a urine sample.  Typical.

Then they turned me down.  Why?  Height and weight.  I'm too short for life insurance.  What I don't understand is why I had to go through the process of giving blood (and urine) if they could have turned me down based on the first thing I sent them. 

Maybe the thinking is, "He can't be that fat.  Let's send someone to see."

I don't know.  But I'm annoyed.  And I guess I'd better not die.