The World According to Mitch

The photograph on the left was taken in front of La Floridita on Calle Obisbo in Old Havana by Greg Starks in February, 2017.  The photograph on the right was taken in the same spot by Eduardo Bensusan in July, 2017.  Conclusion?  Eduardo is obviously a much better photographer than Greg, except that Greg had the good sense to tell me to stand up straight.

Okay, let me say what I have been up to, simply because I am getting far too many comments to keep it secret any longer.

Yes, I have been on a diet.  Yes, it has been an extreme one.  No, I am not doing it on my own.  No, I am not sick in any way, and no, I have not, nor do I plan to have, any sort of surgical procedure.

Yes, I have been writing about it… quite a bit actually.  My journal, which has been shared with very few people, is nearing forty-eight thousand words.  I have not been writing it in public for a few reasons, not the least of which is that I have over the past few years written publicly and enthusiastically about my weight-loss attempts… and very little about all of those failures.

I have been quite successful with this attempt… so far.  I am down several pants sizes, and as the pictures show I have been doing well.  However I am far from done.  I have a long way to go, and I do not want to fail.  The only reason I am writing this is because I have received so many messages on Facebook from friends commenting, many of which with worried tones, asking if I was ill.

No, I am not ill.  I am quite well – I am jogging again, I am in the gym a few times per week, and I am trying to keep up the diet.  It gets difficult, but I am trying.  I will continue to do so.

I have a favour to ask of you all.  Please don’t ask me about it.  I do not wish to discuss how I am doing, nor what diet I am on.  If you wish to offer words of encouragement, I will graciously accept.  However, should you try to get any further information out of me, I will likely either divert or end the conversation.

Thank you all for your support.  And now we can resume our regularly scheduled technical mumbo-jumbo that Rick only understands twenty-five percent of!