Blood

I donated 13 tubes of blood to keep some technician employed this past week.
I will get results from the tests on the 25th.
I already wrote about the Bariatric surgeon visit I think.
I also have had some great talks with a counselor and got some neat tips about what to expect over the next year or so.
It seems that the information is held back until I am ready for it. I usually like to get all of the information upfront, but I've found that I have a bit more patience recently, which is probably from my WLS.
I can bend more, and do more, and I'm not so worn out from when I was fat. That makes a real difference in how I deal with things now.
You should notice these changes as you progress through your WL.
I bought a loaf of Gluten free bread two days ago. It tastes horrible, but I had a craving for bread, and this fills that need. It is all natural, but doesn't use wheat as it's base. rather, it uses flax seed, and rice. It also has nuts and other stuff in it. It looks like bread, but doesn't even come close to tasting like it. The consistency is sort of slimy too, so I won't buy it again.
My craving has been satisfied with two slices. I will try some with peanut butter tomorrow. It will replace a meal. I can also put tuna on it. Since the slice is much smaller than a regular piece of bread, it will fill me up nicely.

My scooter

Damn, I'm talking about my scooter again.
The last time I had someone on the back of the scooter, our combined weight was more than the maximum weight allowed. I rode anyway.
Now, I can take someone on the back without breaking the laws of nature.
This past fall, I decided to take the panels off and paint them to refresh the look.
I changed my mind when my wife got sick, and it got too cold to work in the garage.
I took the "visors" off and one of them was brittle and broke apart. It was old and beyond repair. The visor is the leg fairing that is made of cloudy gray plastic. It is the last piece on the left and right side down by the legs. This allows the wind to travel around my legs, keeping me warm in colder weather. Fairing is a good thing because it allows you to go farther without getting as tired because you are fighting the wind.
I thought about it a long time, and finally decided to buy a new visor. I looked online and found an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) at an outrageous price for the small price. I also found the same parts made in China. They were chrome plated, and included several other parts to compliment the chrome look.
The combined price was only a few dollar more than the price for the single piece.
I checked on some of my favorite Honda Helix sites, and got good reviews on the Chinese parts, so I splurged and bought them.
Now, instead of repainting my scooter, I will just replace the parts when they come in and as long as it isn't snowing, or icy, I am going to go riding soon.
On a side note, I bought a drum machine for my music, and started to study the manual yesterday. 40 pages of information. Way too much for me to cover in one sitting, so I'm taking it slow.
I plan to learn how to use it, and add it to my guitar and voice, and go out and play again. I don't know if I can do it, but I'm heading that way.
I listed some of my music equipment for sale, but didn't get any nibbles. I was hoping to sell some in order to buy other stuff, but I guess it's not to be yet.
I have a mower, and 4 wheels from my Honda CR-V up for sale too, but also, the season is slow, so I will wait until spring.

Garbonzo beans!

They have more than one name. They are also called Chickpeas.
I don't know why, nor do I want to ruin my appetite for them by finding out. If you know the answer to the question, keep it to yourself. Better yet, consider it a rhetorical question.
So, what can I do with them?
I bought them in dried form at the supermarket because my wife mentioned using them for something, but I don't remember what.
I have had them for some time.
Bingo!
At the last WLS group meeting, someone brought them up. They were using them in Hummus.
What in the world is hummus?
I sure didn't know, but the name didn't conjure up any cravings, that's for sure.
It turns out that Hummus is pretty good. It also has many variations, but starts off using the same two basic ingredients:

1. Chickpeas/Garbonzo
2. Sesame seeds

It seems that you crush the seeds, and mix them with the chickpeas after they get crushed too. You add stuff to it that you like, such as peppers, olive oil, or whatever you like.
The prep work is fairly easy, but, you can buy the stuff already made.
I went to Weis and found at least a dozen different styles of the stuff.
I bought three of them to see if I liked it.
I got a can of it made in Israel. Some was made in Greece, and another I haven't found on the label yet.
I like the Greek the best so far because it is not sweet.
But again, you can add things to your taste.

I still haven't figured out how to eat it other than put it on crackers, but I will find other ways to enjoy it. It's a great healthy snack.
I also found a recipe on Larriane's blog that I might try. Luckily, it looks very hot and spicy, so my wife won't eat it!