Stuff they don't tell you

Had a grand brunch, using another of my Diner's Deck cards.  We went somewhere we probably would not have gone otherwise:  Bourbon Street Bar & Grill on Restaurant Row. 

You know how it is, you sort of disparage the restaurants on Restaurant Row as tourist traps.  Well, they kind of are (a bus group came to Bourbon Street and had the whole top floor to themselves), but that doesn't mean it can't be a fun dining experience.

Bourbon Street looks like a Disneyfied version of a New Orleans place--all wrought iron and stuffed alligators.  The menu has a lot of Cajun-influenced food and a lot of Southern cocktails.  We went with the brunch menu, however, since they offer a $20 brunch with unlimited mimosas or bloody Marys.  Um, hello!!!  With an unlimited mimosa, they just come refilling your glass all day.  I finally had to tell our server to stop refilling my glass, or else she'd have to carry me out (or let me sleep it off under the table).

Two friends got Cajun dishes--smothered chicken and chicken and biscuits.  They looked delicious, but I think I've finally gotten over my chicken cravings.  Another friend got a Ceasar salad (clearly, I need to start following her lead to help with the whole diet thing), which also looked very tasty.  As salads go.  Then my other gal pal and I got the pain perdu, or, French toast.  It was yum yummy.  And not vegan, yes, I know.  It was eggy and delicious, served with a little Nutella on top, along with candied pecans and strawberries.  The Nutella added a nice rich touch, but thankfully, they didn't put too much on there.  Otherwise, the toast would've become cloyingly sweet.  As it was, I didn't need to use the syrup they put on the side.  The toast was just sweet enough.  They also have a side of watermelon on the regular menu, so I got that too.  Just to feel like I wasn't completely unhealthy.  :)

So, to sum up, we had a great time at Bourbon Street.  We definitely want to go back.  The service was great, the prices weren't bad and the drinks were big.  It may be a little theme-y, but sometimes, that's ok.

OK, so when you talk to plastic surgeons about what happens before your exchange surgery, they don't really mention that part about how humidity can affect the tissue expanders.  Once the humidity reaches about 60% or so, I start to swell up.  And up and up.  And out.  I figure they don't bring this up because then people might not opt for tissue expanders.  Some days I feel like I should've just left well enough alone and not gone for the implants.  It is so incredibly uncomfortable right now--I keep telling myself I only have three weeks to go, but there are moments when that's not very comforting.  Although my cardiologist infamously said, "They're not operating on your legs," meaning I should keep walking for exercise, it's really difficult in this weather.  On my first summer Friday last week, I thought, hey, I'll take the N train and walk the extra (somewhat less than a) mile back to my apartment.  I figured I'd make a few stops, buy a few things and be ready for the weekend.  Ugh.  By the time I got home, I could barely move my arms.  It was like I had enormous boulders under my neck.  Well, I nearly always feel like there are enormous boulders under my neck, but it's especially bad after exercise and when it's humid.

I had felt so bad after the (unfinished) AIDS Walk that I made an appointment to see Dr Vera Wang to make sure the swelling wasn't something serious.  She said I am indeed more swollen, but that it's normal and not a problem.  I'm seeing her again tomorrow for my pre-op appointment, so she'll get another look.  She also said after my last visit that I may need liposuction afterwards.  So clearly more of a dieting effort is in order, but it's become a vicious cycle about the working out.  I feel terrible when I exert myself, but if I don't, it's probably worse in the long run.  Again, stuff they don't really explain to you.

Three weeks, three weeks, three weeks...