Election Day! And a little whine about wine.

Given that I live in NYC, it's probably no surprise that I'm voting for Obama (odds are. . ). My firm gave us the day off of work to celebrate an award we won recently, which is a really nice treat. I just showered and thought I'd hit the polls before the lunch rush -- I've heard the lines are really long. One of my friends voted uptown and said that the lines went out the door and down three blocks!

In band-related news, the scale finally (!) moved in the right direction this morning -- down .4 lbs. Not a lot, but at least it's in the right direction! I'm trying to be very mindful of my food choices and am now avoiding the lovely lobster bisque that seems to have stalled me the first time around! I'm still trying to figure out a way to avoid the diet killer that I enjoy even more. . . here's a photo of the culprit:

Am finding wine a tough thing to avoid (moderation isn't an issue), because (a) I really enjoy it; and (b) a big part of my social life involves meeting friends for drinks and/or dinner. For example, here is my week:

Monday: Turned down dinner invite because I really wanted to be sure I could have a low-cal dinner. Stayed home with my cat and watched Gossip Girl and caught up on the latest episodes of Dexter and Californiacation! Not a bad night, all told!

Tuesday: Day off! Lunch with friends (called ahead -- they will puree the soup for me!) Tonight, I'm meeting a few people at a big election party being held. . . at a bar.

Wedesday: Going to my friends Adam & Erica's apartment for dinner to celebrate their recent engagement. So sad. . no champagne for the banded! Erica knows about my surgery, so a nice soup is on the menu for dinner.

Thursday: All of our friends are getting together to see Sharon & her husband (the ones visiting from London). . . at a bar.

And after that, it's the weekend, which is sure to involve more of the same -- or me staying home and missing out on the fun.

So, I need an action plan. I need something healthy to drink that I will like, that has low calories, and that won't make me feel like I'm totally depriving myself. Anyone have any good suggestions? It stinks that I have to avoid carbonation b/c I really love sparkling water with lime, and that's a good alternative. I also can't have cranberry juicy & seltzer because of the carbonation, darn it! My thought is that I can have one glass or even two of wine when I go out, but not when I'm out every night (which isn't the norm -- this week is more busy than usual). It's clear that -- GASP! -- I'm going to have to learn to change my usual behavior. I'll let you know how it goes this week.