I had dinner with my dad's whole family tonight. These events are always slightly uncomfortable--I've always felt like an outsider. Tonight's dinner, I lucked out, and was at one of the table with my cousins while the "adults" were at the other end. So I got to spend most of the meal wisecracking with them, which was great.

Not so great was a brief exchange over my ... cousin-in-law's dad's health (we'll call her Stephanie). A couple of months ago he was having some heart issues. The way his daughter described it was that all the parts of his heart were contracting at different time. I don't know how accurate that actually is. I had just asked her about her dad, and all she said was that he was doing much better and the prognosis was good.

Then my aunt asks: "How's your dad?"
Stephanie: "He's great! (something about his attitude) and he's lost 20 pounds--"
Aunt, who used to be a nurse, cuts her off: "That's great! That's really good!"
Stephanie: "--from not being able to do anything. Yeah, it's great!" She's totally serious.

So ... a previously averagely-active, golf-playing guy loses 20 pounds after a couple months of inactivity, and this is a GOOD thing? Yes, he's technically "overweight", and of course TEH FATZ KILLZ!!!111!!! But how much of that generic "weight" loss is loss of muscle from suddenly becoming completely sedentary? How much of it is from not eating because of medication-related nausea? How much is because he's been so depressed and emotional about the prospect of dropping dead any moment that he hasn't been eating?

Wait, I forgot. Weight loss is always good, no matter how it's achieved. Silly me.