April 9, 2012
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Amsterdam, Netherlands
Of course one of the things I was most curious about as I got up this morning was how the Easter weekend with its delicious but rather carb rich foods had affected my weight. I stand on my scales every morning after the shower and record the measurement in an iPod app and also in an Excel spreadsheet. So I know that a person’s body weight (or at least mine) fluctuates and is hardly ever exactly the same as the previous day. And in general, the measurements on Monday and Tuesday mornings are the highest of the week, with Thursday’s measurement generally the most flattering. Nevertheless, this morning’s verdict was quite a shocker. Compared to Friday morning, just three days ago, I was 1.9 kilograms heavier. Given that, on average, I lose just under a kilogram a week, that means that the Easter weekend put me back two weeks in my diet – if the increase is an actual permanent one of course, which remains to be seen.
It didn’t stop me from going out for lunch with Hanno though. This Monday, the one after Easter Sunday, is a public holiday in most of Europe. In this country it’s simply known as ‘Second Easter Day’. Hanno arrived at my place at around one and we went for lunch in a small, cosy cafe not far from where I live. Of course I tried to order something low carb, but I don’t have carb tables in my head so I have no idea if the soup I ordered was really low carb… and even though most of the ingredients in the salad seemed to be low carb, did the cheese in the salad also comply with my diet? I had no idea (I looked it up afterwards: yes, cheese contains no or hardly any carbohydrates so it’s safe to eat in this diet.) And then there was the bread that came with both the soup and the salad. Even though it was delicious, it definitely was not low carb. I ate it nonetheless.
After lunch, Hanno and I walked to Gallery W139, a large space on Warmoesstraat where Hanno worked as a volunteer, specialised in modern art installations such as the one in the picture above. It’s an interesting gallery. Depending on the artist(s) that are exhibiting their work, the entire space gets adjusted according to the artist’s needs, which often meeds a complete overhaul of the interior. I have no idea what the installation in the above picture is supposed to be other than four record players with a fluorescent light uncomfortably low over them. I’m not a huge modern art fan, I’m afraid. Still, it was nice to see, and definitely nice to catch up with Hanno again!
