So far so good. I'm moving through Atkins pretty well, 4 days in. I was a little groggy at first(always expected) but I haven't cheated at all. I got a couple interesting emails from work. One, stating that I'll have one more day of ICOMS overflow on Sunday, but hopefully after that they'll be done. Crossing my fingers on that one. Second, in appreciation for all our hard work running the ICOMS overflow, they're giving us a free t-shirt! Hurray. They even have my size. Other work related news, it looks like I'm going to make bonus again! Woot!

Finally got the parts to fix my executive chair. It's great being in something comfortable again. And with my sister moving out, things are starting to look cleaner and more empty around here. It's actually a pretty keen sight to see.

My buddy Dave is still doing okay. He does have a hole in his stomach, and it looks like he's going to have to have the surgery done here as he nor the doctors in japan themselves trust anyone in Japan to work on the surgery. Japan doesn't have gastric bypass surgeons like the USA. Keep in mind, Dave's surgery was completely different than the one I'm getting, so don't worry me having such complications. Anywho, Dave is going to need a place to stay and I've told him once my sister moves out, he's welcome to stay with me until he gets back on his feet.

Yesterday's Father's Day party was pretty good. My brother Greg hosted it at his place, and while the picnic area was a little inconvenient for my aunt and uncle, we managed pretty well. The picnic area was next to a river, and the houses were up several flights of makeshift stairs cut out of dirt. My aunt has a hard time going up and down stairs, much less makeshift ones, so that's why it wasn't all that safe for her. Regardless, the party went smoothly. My brother Greg did most of the cooking as well as an old friend from my childhood was there. Adam used to live on a parallel street to us and we're somewhat related too, I learned. Adam's also going through chemotherapy for lymphoma cancer. He said it's recurring, started in his neck and was treated for it then, but then it showed up in his abdomen. He plans on living to ninety where he'll take everyone out with a Mack truck. Now that's a goal to set!

We dined on the standard fare- hot dogs, hamburgers, roast chicken, sausage, and of course, grilled clams. When I arrived at the local supermarket, they only had the goldenneck clams. I was told that they tend to be more bitter, but that wasn't true. They tend to be sandy but the lady at the fish market said that you can cut that down by putting the clams in water and sprinkle some corn meal in and as the clams filter the water to eat the corn meal, they'll spit the sand out. It worked, and the clams were fantastic. We also had 4 different kinds of salad; potato salad, egg macaroni salad, tuna macaroni salad, and a vegetable macaroni salad(for my stepmom). I skillfully avoided these things despite temptation and stuck to my dietary requirements.

It's a new week and I feel fantastic now. Things are looking better. Wish me luck!