First and foremost, I wish to sincerely thank everyone for their prayers and well-wishes. I just walked up the hill to the mailbox, a trip of only 500-feet, but all uphill, and it was somewhat difficult. Guess I'm not Superman, but with a fair amount of work on my part I hope to get back in shape within the next couple months.
The doctors told me to loose about 30 pounds, so I've resumed the South Beach Diet program as of this morning. That means cutting out Margarettas, Kickapoo Joy Juice, and Coors Light - at least for the immediate future. I got a head start on the weight loss, dropping 7-pounds during the 5-day hospital stay. 30 pounds will put me down to 180, which is where all the docs said I should be.
I've been reducing my performance schedule, and this year, not counting private parties and an occasional nite-club fill-in job, I'll probably hit about 200 jobs. That's a 50 percent reduction, which I think is pretty significant.
I'm still planning on sailing to the Florida Keys, Dry Tortugas, and maybe, the Bahamas, a voyage of about 4,000 nautical miles that will begin October 1. I was planning on taking my equipment with me and performing in some of the Tiki Bars around Marathon and Big Pine Keys. The docs said if I can build up my physical endurance by October 1, there's no medical reason why I should change my plans, and one of the docs said he would personally fly down to Marathon and give me a physical checkup if I would take him sailing to the Dry Tortugas. We shook hands on that deal. The voyage will last a total of 7-months, and I hope to return to Maryland by April 1 to resume my performance schedule here.
Thanks again, everyone,
Gary
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