Day 1: Where's the half-and-half?

I reached for the pitcher marked "half-and-half" at the coffee kiosk in the building on the campus where I teach. It was empty. Next to it stood two nearly full pitchers, one marked "2 percent milk" and one marked "skim milk."

At age 59 years and one day, I am easily 25 pounds overweight and have achy knees, not to mention a fair amount of flab where my muscles used to be. Clearly, I should have reached for the skim milk.

I didn't.

"Do you have more half-and-half?" I asked the woman behind the counter.

She was happy to oblige. Out of the fridge came a chilled pitcher filled to the brim with the good stuff.

I indulged.

Then I bought a slice of pumpkin bread. Hey, pumpkin is packed with beta carotene. It's GOOD for you. So are the chopped walnuts, especially if your LDL level is high. And I read somewhere that coffee is supposed to help keep your mind sharp.

Those are my excuses, and I'm sticking to them.