Summing up 2011...

Picture below sums up only my enthusiasm for my weight loss relapse in 2011; beyond that I am all smiles about the year that ends in less than 4 hours...

So Long 2011

Be safe this NY Eve!


Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Wake Up!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Good Start, Good Bird

First full week of this the 10th month of 2011. October is always a month of tectonic demand for our time, patience and sense of humor. Our family has six birthdays to celebrate, our kids make up half of them. Hunting season resumes so we have deer & turkey to harvest. The kids have school events to attend. Hockey season resumes so we have a Hockey game to go to. Tectonic I tell you!

In honest reflection of my mission here, it was this time last year my progress slowed to a point of inconsistent ups and downs beginning a string of months of clumsy maintenance. Was is the increased external demands of the final months of the year which contributed to that result? Certainly it did influence it, but, the result was something I allowed. Had I stayed sharp mentally and kept my mission prioritized properly the result would have been better.

That learned experience is a tool I now have to use my quest to emerge from the final months of this year healthier, happier and handsome. No tool is useful if not used, and proper prioritization of my own mission with all else October brings is the only way this quest will succeed.

Thanks to the challenges I've joined (Go The Distance and Fall 31 Day) I am off to a good start this month. Each of the first two days saw me get in a couple of miles of combined walk/jog activity. Yesterday I also put in an hour in the gym working on upper body pulling exercises.

Exercise is good, very good. But we all know sustained weight loss or maintenance is a combination of exercise & diet. So on the diet front I'm off to a good start too. I won't bore you (or myself) with a list of everything I have eaten. But I will share a dish I had fun with. We need to remind ourselves that when food is fun we use food more successfully. Oh, to be clear, having fun with food does not mean 'food-fight' fun, but rather using fun creatively and outside of the norms that most dull diets prescribe.

Saturday's dinner was Bacon & Apple Roasted Pheasant:

Raw pheasant ready for some loving attention...

Spices, soy sauce & water will become marinade in no time...

Two pheasants marinade the day away...

Each marinaded pheasant gets stuffed w/ apple & hit w/ apple wood seasoning...

Trussed, draped in bacon (I was told I needed to use more bacon), these are ready for bagging...

Oven roaster bags work on pheasants & birds of all kinds...

Ninety minutes later we have Apple/Bacon Roasted Pheasant...

And the final photo is the one way up at the top of the post, my dinner plate; Breast of Pheasant w/ Salsa Dressed Romaine Salad. A mighty tasty and healthy meal it was.

Are you off to a good start this October ?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

A Challenge, No, Two Challenges

Wow, did September move fast or what? It sure did in my eyes. A down right blurry flash of light is what I saw most September days.

Being blurry & busy is great, I prefer busy to not-busy. Actually, a quick sidebar; I am not looking forward to those retirement years because I just cannot wrap my head around being not busy. Oh I am sure when those years arrive, I'll adjust and find things to busy myself with. But for now, retirement is just not something I long for.

Back from the future to what is at hand now. October is now. I am now, you are now; our lives & livelihoods are now. The greatest hurdle to my livelihood continues to be my weight because I've allowed it to be. If you could see me typing right now, you'd see me shaking my head east-west in my own direction.

Enter October, enter opportunity to right that which I find wrong within. To make this right I need tools, many tools. Accountability is one tool which I need to leverage with greater consistency. Accountability will come from many avenues. From family, myself, bloggers, myself, our cats... well maybe not the cats.

To foster Accountability I considered organizing a challenge. But no sooner had that thought arrived when I was presented a number of challenges from fellow bloggers. I participated in a few challenges in 2010 and had good success with them; nope, I have no idea why I stepped away from them when the calendar turned to 2011. Therefore I've decided to enter a pair of challenges for October to amp up Accountability and get this mission rolling again.

One challenge is the always popular Go The Distance challenge (logo up top) organized by FatGirlVsWorld. This challenge leverages a tracking tool, promotes the importance of reward, and has an air of competitiveness within it that can be quite inspiring.

The second challenge is the Fall 31 Day challenge (logo below). This is a challenge that Clyde and his friend Jessica have partnered up on and they've been so kind to invite others to join them. The essence of this challenge; do something, anything, daily for 31 days to achieve a desired goal.

Why two challenges? Simple, I have great respect for the organizers of them, and I figure my chance of success increases when I put myself in their company. It's that simple. I know I can't do this solely on my own volition, otherwise I'd be where I desire to be by now.

If you need the benefits of a challenge, check them out and sign up. Otherwise, at least follow along with us and do us the favor of lending a hand with Accountability.



Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Aren't Kids Sneaky Inspirations?

A great weekend for my wife & I. We went to see Ashley at college & got there just in time for her soccer game. They won, but she did not play. Being one of two freshman on the team playing time has to be earned. She played in their first two games. Go figure that the game she gets zip time is the game we drive 4 hours to go see. Oh well, we went to see her much more than we went to see her play.

After the game we went back to her dorm room; not as neat as it was when we dropped her off there a month ago. We met some of her new friends who were on their way out to go bowling. We took her to dinner somewhere she loves to go; Olive Garden- yuck! There we chit chatted for a couple of hours and just hung out. All seems to be going well with her at school. She adjusted much quicker than we expected. Not that we expected her to have any serious issues with the transition. It is very pleasing to know that your kid was able to leave home and take flight in a big way. Oh she has a long flight ahead of her, but so far she is soaring.

Here is a fun picture I snapped on the way home yesterday...

A tanker truck filled with coffee; wonder how many cups that equals?

We didn't take too  many photos on the trip, and I don't have anymore to share here right now; but there is one photo that I wish I had taken but didn't.

When we were in Ashley's dorm I was reading what she had scribbled on her white board. Allow me to note here that her white board looks marvelous as it was expertly hung by a master of stuff hanging a month ago. Ok, the hanging bit was not really the marvelous part. What was marvelous was what she had scribbled. Any guesses what she had written there?

Nope, not how much she misses us.
Nope, not when she is coming home next.
Nope, not even what she is going to buy us for Christmas.

She had goals writing on her board. Those objectives she considers so important that she wanted daily reminder of them. Huh, what a novel idea...

Decide what is important to achieve, commit it to writing, and display it in a place that when you wake everyday, you remind yourself of what is important to you.

Aren't kids sneaky inspirations? 

I'll be buying a white board today after work.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

NEVER FORGET

NEVER FORGET: There were a total of 2,977 deaths on 9/11 [does not include the 19 hijackers who are never to be remembered]. The victims included 246 on the four planes, 2,606 in New York City, and 125 at the Pentagon. All the deaths in the attacks were civilians, except for 55 military personnel killed at the Pentagon.

< - >

NEVER FORGET: Over 90% of those who who died in the WTC towers had been at or above the points of impact. In the North Tower 1,355 people at or above the point of impact were trapped and died of smoke inhalation, fell or jumped from the tower to escape the smoke and flames, or were killed in the building's eventual collapse. Below the point of impact 107 people did not survive. In the South Tower, 630 people died. Casualties in the South Tower were significantly reduced by the decision of some to evacuate when the North Tower was struck.

< - >

NEVER FORGET: At least 200 people fell or jumped to their deaths from the burning towers, landing on the streets and rooftops of adjacent buildings hundreds of feet below. Some occupants of each tower above the point of impact made their way upward toward the roof in hope of helicopter rescue, but the roof access doors were locked. No plan existed for helicopter rescues, and the thick smoke and intense heat would have prevented helicopters from approaching.

< - >

NEVER FORGET: A total of 411 emergency workers who responded to the WTC scene died as they tried to rescue people and fight fires. The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) lost 341 firefighters and 2 paramedics. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) lost 23 officers. The Port Authority Police Department lost 37 officers. Eight emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics from private emergency medical services units were killed.

< - >

NEVER FORGET: Cantor Fitzgerald L.P., an investment bank on the 101st–105th floors of the North Tower, lost 658 employees; considerably more than any other employer. Marsh Inc., located immediately below Cantor Fitzgerald on floors 93–100, lost 358 employees, and 175 employees of Aon Corporation were also killed.

< - >

NEVER FORGET: American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the western side of the Pentagon at 09:37 EDT. All 59 (crew & passengers) on board the aircraft were killed, as were 125 people in the building. Dozens of people witnessed the crash and news sources began reporting on the incident within minutes. The impact severely damaged an area of the Pentagon and ignited a large fire. Rescue efforts began... immediately after the crash. Almost all the successful rescues of survivors occurred within half an hour of the impact. Initially, rescue efforts were led by the military and civilian employees within the building. Within minutes, the first fire companies arrived and found these volunteers searching near the impact site. The firemen ordered them to leave as they were not properly equipped or trained to deal with the hazards.

< - >  

NEVER FORGET: At 08:14 the attack upon America began when American Airlines Flight 11 was hijacked. America was on the defensive for only 103 minutes. At 09:57:55 the heroes of United Flight 93 put us on the offensive. The hijackers in the cockpit answered the revolt by rolling the airplane left and right to knock the passengers off balance, up and down to disrupt the assault. A hijacker, "They wa...nt to get in here. Hold, hold from the inside... Hold." The cockpit voice recorder captured sounds of crashing, screaming, and shattering glass. A passenger cried, "In the cockpit. If we don't, we'll die" Another passenger yelled, "Roll it!" A hijacker said, "Pull it down! Pull it down!" and then airplane turned hard right & rolled onto its back. Amidst the sounds of the passenger counterattack, the aircraft plowed into an empty field near Shanksville Pennsylvania, just 20 minutes flying time from Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Capitol Building believed to be the hijackers target. The last piece of flight data was recorded at 10:03:10. For 5 minutes & 15 seconds the heroes of Flight 93 fought the enemy and bravely sacrificed their lives to save the lives of others.

 < - >

NEVER FORGET: The deaths of adults who were killed in the attacks or died in rescue operations resulted in over 3000 children losing a parent. In the days immediately following the attacks, many memorials and vigils were held around the world. In addition, people posted photographs of the dead and missing all around Ground Zero. A witness described being unable to "get away from faces of innocent victims who were killed. Their pictures are everywhere, on phone booths, street lights, walls of subway stations. Everything reminded me of a huge funeral, people quiet and sad, but also very nice. Before, New York gave me a cold feeling; now people were reaching out to help each other.”

< - >  

 NEVER FORGET: The attacks had a significant economic impact on US & world market. US exchanges did not open on September 11 and remained closed until September 17. Reopening, the DJIA fell 684 points, or 7.1%, a record-setting one-day point decline. By the end of the week, the DJIA had fallen 1,369.7 points (14.3%), U.S. stocks lost $1.4 trillion in value for the week, equivalent to $1.74 trillion... in present day terms. In New York City, about 430,000 job-months and $2.8 billion dollars in wages were lost in the three months after the attacks. Business impact near the World Trade Center, 18,000 of which were destroyed or displaced, resulted in lost jobs. Some 31,900,000 square feet of Lower Manhattan office space was damaged or destroyed.

NEVER FORGET! 

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Squishy Time

Hope all had a great week and are set for a great weekend.

Myself, a decent week. Found some of my mojo, still need to find more; a week at a time for now.

This weekend my wife & I are off to visit our daughter at college and see her play in their weekend soccer game. Looking forward to spending away from home with my wife and catching up with Ashley.

Our daughter is a huge Harry Potter fan. Her college is nothing like Hogwarts however. Some colleges do pride themselves, and market themselves, in their similarities to Hogwarts. Apparently Yale University is considered to be the most Hogwarts like in America. A campus known for it's towers, courtyards, arches and gothic architecture. Under one library a tunnel leads to another library and onward through a vast underground network of passageways. The administration process places incoming students in one of twelve residential colleges, but no sorting hat is used. And to secure its spot as Hogwarts like, they offer a class called "Christian Theology and Harry Potter". I'm sure our daughter would like to take that class. And she can, just as soon as she applies to Yale and pays for it.

Have a great weekend whatever you do!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Walking Catfish Wednesday

Great walk yesterday after work. Took on my 2 mile neighborhood loop for the first time in a long time. Maybe first time since last winter to be honest. It took me 32:50 to complete, a far cry from my best time of 29:30 on that loop. Not upset at all that I was that far off my best pace. It gives me something to challenge myself on as I get my mojo back.

Great eats yesterday too. Baked up a mess of catfish, here is what a mess of catfish looks like before...

These were in my freezer for a couple of months. A work mate of mine is a fisherman & hunter as am I. So a couple of times a year we have a game-exchange. Over the summer I traded him a mess of venison chops, brats & bacon for a bag of catfish & two pheasants. It's only right to share ones harvest with a neighbor!

Here is what they look like after giving them some love before cooking...

The dish on the left and another like it not pictured are traditional corn meal & spice coated fillets. The dish on the right is not coated in corn meal or any other starchy/carby coating, thus a bit healthier. That dish ese are seasoned in different flavor combos. Top to bottom: Chili Crusted,... Lime Pepper,... Garlic-Maple.

I oven baked all the fish versus frying in oil to keep them healthier still. Whoa these were some serious delicious! These were small fillets by standard, so my mind was telling me I could affrd to eaten six fillets. But I just had two as hard as it was to stop there.
Hey I wanted to let all know that I've been reading your blogs but have had a problem commenting on some of you that use Blogger. Oddest thing, I get that error when trying to comment on some blogger blogs, not all. The ones where the comments are left in pop-ups, I do not have a problem with. But when the comment is made on the page itself (like mine) and I have to select 'select profile' for google account, that is when I get this error. I am signed in, I have to be as I can post on my blog, edit, etc, yet never in the upper right corner does it show me signed in. I've posted a cry for help in the blogger help forum, we'll see if someone rescues me.

Enjoy This Day!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Change To Lose

Took that picture while out for a walk yesterday. Perfect day here, low 60's, sunny, my kind of weather!

So as summer becomes fall, the change in seasons has me pondering why the need for change. Some changes, like health changes, can at times be better reasoned by considering what will be lost versus what will be gained upon success. Here a dislikes and don't wants I hope to lose...

I dislike climbing three or four flights of stairs with ease only to feel oxygen is needed to go on to flights five, six & seven.

I don't want to have to ever gesture frantically to my wife, or anyone nearby, that I need help with the heart attack or stroke I am in the throws of.

I dislike passing by a fast food restaurant and looking upon it with want & desire.

I don't want to ever have to go back to taking blood pressure pills again every morning.

I dislike being able to wear some 2x shirts but not all as some just are more snug than I like.

I don't want 'strapping on the feed bag' to be a relief option I give any consideration when life becomes difficult, stressful, boring, etc.

I dislike finding it a chore to factor exercise into my days.

I don't want to see myself in the skype rear-view window and wonder why jabba the hut is skyping my daughter.

I dislike believing that my ability to thump anyone who deserves it is not as swift and immediate as it once was.

I don't want to have to drive a SUV so that I feel comfortable and enjoy the drive.

I dislike having to stop for a breath when walking with loaded pack and rifle to & to/from deer stands during hunting season.

I don't want to miss out on seeing my grand children graduate high school, college and get married.

I dislike feeling the need to curse the scale every time I walk up to it.

I don't want to wake up any day doubting that I can end the day healthier than I began it.



Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Happy Labor Day

Labor Day is the unofficial end of the summer, don't worry it will return in 2012.


Labor Day is an occasion for getting your BBQ'n on, and then go for a jog to get it off.

Labor Day is a day for towns, villages, cities to put on parades; I'm not much of a parade guy myself but love free candy being thrown at me.

Labor Day is unfortunately where politicians will appear at these parades and open their mouths, worry that these folk will be around all through 2012.

Labor Day is referenced throughout the year as when the NFL and College football seasons will kick off again, amen to kicking pigskin.

Labor Day is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers, according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor; in case you didn't know.

Whatever Labor Day is to you, enjoy this day.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Stand Up To Success

Rain, it rained while we were attending our son's soccer game yesterday. It happens. When it does, you can break out an umbrella, hang in there & tough out that which would deter you, or, you can flee from that which is unpleasant. What would you be more apt to do?

Keep in mind I am talking about a rain shower, not a hurricane. Sometimes, you gotta flee! But do those of us who struggle to get fit, stay fit; do we tend to flee too easily in the face of difficulty?

A whole post could be dedicated to what "difficulty" means to us, and I may do just that near term. But let me stay focused on my point; why we choose to stand down in the face of difficulty.

This analysis could go in so many directions. There is the science of the flight-or-fight response, but I'm not talking about facing a momma-grizzly bear protecting her cubs. There is the quest for convenience and ease in life; but I'm not talking about using the remote control to change the channel versus getting up and using the buttons on the television console - want to have some fun hide the remote at a time when you know your kids will watch television; odds are they will flee for something else to do before they push buttons on the television.

Instead, I believe why we most often choose to stand down the difficulties of weight loss is really quite simple; we don't step up and make decisions before we act.

Over the past month or two I've had so many opportunities to exercise, but quickly if not almost instantaneously decided not to. No, that is wrong, it wasn't a decision, it was a reflex reaction made nearly unconsciously. Why do I unconsciously not do what I know I ought to do?

Where does that come from? I'm honestly not certain. But what I am certain of is that when I am on my game, I am consciously determining the pro/con of options and making reasoned decisions. When I am off my game, I've checked out in the decision making department. That inner-demon has checked in and unconsiously decides that I will watch tevelvision versus go for a walk.

To be successful I need to stand up to the challenge of making difficult decisions. For some of us, choosing 30 minutes of exercise over 3 hours of television is a difficult decision. Choosing 30 minutes to prepare a healthy meal over a 3 minute drive-thru meal is a difficult decision.

Success is recognizing when a decision is before you that will impact your weight.
Success is standing up, spending 3 seconds reasoning the options and before we act.
Success is making a conscious decision in the best interest of you, not your inner-demon!


Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

In Short, In truth, Here I am

I've received a bunch, I mean a BUNCH,of inquiries as to ny whereabouts. I chose to reply to one of them, using that reply to organize my thoughts, and then after sending that email share them with all here via this post....

Hi Jody, thanks for checking up on me; I hope all has been well with you!

In short, everything is Ok here. Family is happy, healthy, everything is well with our home, work and school lives.

In truth, after we returned from vacation in early July I struggled to get my mojo back for forgoing ahead with my mission to slim down to 199. For a couple of weeks I kept doing the things I had been, but oddly the exercise was harder to get through, the meal discipline was harder to manage, the balancing of me-first in with my non-me priorities was harder to execute.

Even as I sit here and type now, I do not know why what was so easy, so enjoyable a year ago; I do not know why it suddenly got so hard. The best I can rationalize is that I was beginning to mentally burn out to some degree. Seeing that I knowingly decided to step back and take a break from what was proving difficult, I have no doubt that was it.

So here I am today, the weekend drawing to a close, August days away from closing as well. I've stayed away from the scale as its been a source of difficulty; difficulty in not seeing number continue downward. Today, I would guess it is 10 pounds greater than where is was a couple of months ago. Exercise has been very sporadic, my eating has been inconsistent from day to day.

Over the past couple days I've caught myself thinking more as I did a year ago. We (my wife & I) have put conscious effort into reversing the difficulty and regaining momentum. Over the next week we look to work on our consistency a day at a time. This morning we got off our butts and got them moving again in a big way with a 6.9 mile walk along a nearby forest preserve trail.

What is most frustrating is even through this difficult period, we have not forgotten how important it is to get healthy, to stay healthy. The reasons I started this mission some sixteen months ago have not changed. While the challenges and results of what we do vary from day to day, month to month; the reasons for living healthy lives are constant.

Understanding this, we must now harness the importance of these reasons in order to reclaim commitment and resume consistency.

I'll check in on your blog and those of others who I've missed this week!

p.s.. the picture at the top there is of my wife & daughter exchanging a tearful goodbye as we dropped her off at college nearly three weeks ago.


Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 461 - Impromptu It Is

Hot is the theme of the week. There you see the temp when I left the office yesterday. Ugh is an appropriate response. Or, perhaps Ahh if you are the Heat Miser; just a subtle reference reminder that Christmas is just 5 months and a few days away.

Yesterday my son waived me off from hanging out with him so that he could continue with his summer school assignments. Smart move on his part. With my evening suddenly free, I called my gorgeous wife and we went on an impromptu date night. The rest of the kids were out and about and already knew they were on their own for dinner.

We met up for dinner and had a relaxing, casual time together. Afterwards since we each had a vehicle I made a stop off at the mall to get a battery for my watch. On my way out these two just happened to latch on to me to escape the mall...

My wife loved the "Send The Pig" scene from the Winnie The Pooh movie so much, I thought they were an appropriate impromptu gift.

What? You haven't seen the movie yet? Well you must at least watch this clip...


Now that should have you planning a trip to the theatre this weekend. Or maybe today? Just go see this movie already!


Tonight, C25K-W1D3 is the goal. Heat or no heat, this I can do.

Got a goal for today?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 460 - Kitty Kitty Shout Out

It is Wednesday, seems like a good day for some cat pictures, no?

Up top there you see Crush getting some scratching before dinner.

Below you see Crush & Zinger (w/ lazer-eyes) sitting oh so close to me as I eat my dinner...

My dinner was a delicious Jalapeno Bratwurst and Watermelon; no pictures of dinner.

Yes, I am on a Watermelon quest at the moment.

Before dinner I went for a 2.5 mile walk. No jogging of C25K was in order today. Just needed a good 45 minutes of walking to clear my head from the work day before dinner.

Today & tomorrow I'll be in training at work. Always grateful for training but never does training occur on a day where I feel I can just give up the tome for the day. As for exercise today it will be a day of rest. Tonight I will go see Andrew who is working through his last week of summer school. So there you have it, my day in a paragraph.

I mentioned work which jogged my memory of a photo I snapped the other day...

No, this is not my cubical.

I found it worthy of noting because of the over use if not abuse of sticky-notes.

Myself I dislike sticky notes, seldom use them, but I know some folks use them well.

This is not an example of using them well.

What is on your agenda today?

SHOUT OUT time... speaking of agenda, or plan; let me share with you a link to a fellow blogger who does a great job assessing her positive & negative actions of the day and laying out her plan for the next day. Give JW of Awake For The Dance - The Practice Of Mindful Living a read and enjoy!


Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 459 - Here Fishy Fishy

I know, I know; I showed you a picture of fish yesterday. But, those fish we did not eat, which is a shame I know. But this fish, this fish I did eat. And it was so good!

Up there you see it as I placed it on the grill. It rests on a cedar planked soaked in water & lemon juice. The fish, Steelhead Salmon, is seasoned with a fish seasoning I bought in Seattle (the fish I did not buy in Seattle), and crusted in Onion & Garlic Macadamia Nuts. The came from Hawaii and from this package to be specific...

Here is dinner after it came off the grill...

Before I closed the grill I tossed in a handful of apple wood chips while cooking to give it a lovely blast of sweet smokiness.

As good as it looked coming off the grill I must say it looked its best when I plated it...

Yes, I was in the mood for fruit with dinner. or maybe I was in the mood for sweetness without the bad news from the sweets in the candy counter or bakery aisle.

That dinner was a great way to cap off a great workout. After worked I got my youngest off the couch to join me for C25K-Week1/Day2. The 93F heat was definitely a challenge. A slight breeze tried to take some sting out of the heavy air but to little avail.

Cameron is a soccer player in high school so you would expect him to look at this workout as a walk in the park. But it was quite the opposite for him. He has become quite out of shape since the end of soccer season his freshman year. Even though he hit his final growth spurt over the past six-months, oh how we hope it is his final spurt; his appetite spurted as well and not with a desire for healthy eats.

Thus he struggled to make it through the 60 second jogging segments and his walking segments were quite slow. He knew it, and wasn't happy about it. Soccer tryouts are in a couple of weeks and the start of his sophomore year  five weeks away; yes summer break has begun its descent for landing.

Myself, I got through D2 much better than D1. A day of good eating and anticipation of the workout helped that progression occur. Later this week I will get Day3  in and conclude the trio of workouts that make up a week. Hopefully I can grab Cameron for another workout; doubt he shares that same hope.

Got any recent successful grilling experiences to share?

What about exercise experiences?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 457-458: In Heat Monday

Good weekend for me, hope yours was good as well. Some of my highlights...


As noted already my wife & I started our weekend with a date night & saw Winnie The Pooh movie which I have renamed appropriately The Eeyore Movie. Best line from the movie, "Send the Pig." -Roo

Did C25K-W1D1, felt great.

Brunch w/ Mom. Gave her a gift from Hawaii; Koa wood wine stoppers. She gave me my birthday gift; Bass Pro gift card which I'll use towards my hunting license; sweet!.

Saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Should rename this film to "HP7, The Rise of Neville Longbottom". We went at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, my wife & I were the youngest in the theatre by at least 10 years, kind of funny.

Grilled a delicious Garlic-Dill Halibut fillet. OMG it was so good.

Went to see son play in a soccer camp, on way home we got some ice cream because y'day was national ice cream day; I went with pretzel-marshmallow ice cream! Thankfully it wasn't liverwurst day.

Listened to the world cup game on radio, what a let down that was. You are welcome Japan!

Wife downloaded all of the Hawaii pictures from the cameras. Up top there you see one of them, our deep sea fishing trip results; 2 mahi-mahi (left) and 3 skipjack tuna (right).

Monday is here & so is the heat wave. Bring it on I say, but please let the power stay on. Today we get to better ourselves in any & every way we choose. How cool is that?

For me that means doing C25K-W1D2 after work. Going to drag our youngest son with me, he jiggles more than he ought to.

What about you, at days end how will you be better than when you woke up?

 
Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 453-456: Lets Talk EEYORE, Shall We

This weekend sure seemed like it took a long long time to get here. Odd because I was so stinking busy with work and getting kids to and from places thsi week that I would have thought the week would have flown by. No doubt the power-outage we endured at the beginning of the week messed up our timing and left us playing catch up the rest of the week.

Our power came back on Tuesday afternoon. In all for us it was out for 30 hours. Total cost to me was $30-40 of dairy products, lunchmeat. No big deal. Some of that I probably could have saved but just to be safe I pitched it.

When I opened the freezers after the power resumed, they were still frozen solid. You really must avoid opening these during an outage. Let just a little warm air in there and the time to defrost drops faster than the weight of a recruit in boot camp. Get this... some 30,000 people not far from us, still do not have power! Thats 5days and an since the power went dark on them; yikes!

Since returning from Hawaii I have not been able to get my mind back into doing the things I need to do. Not sure why, guess I have mentally still been on vacation. Cardio particularly has not been something I've been able to get going again.

In effort to kick start my Cardio Caboose again I have decided to go through the nine-week C25K program. Even though much of it I can do when I get out there and do cardio, I feel right now I need some structured help to get back to where I want to be with my fitness. So this morning I went out there and did the first week one workout. If you don't know what C25K is, google it, I used this link.

The walk/jog combo ofthis workout felt good, and was just what I needed to be sure I accomplished a workout. So I will keep at this program until done if for no other reason to join the ranks of C25K veterans.

Lets talk EEYORE, shall we... last night was date night for my wife & I. A movie & dinner was on tap. A brief debate about which movie to go see took place. Allot of desire was there to go see Harry Potter 7 naturally. But since it was also opening day for Winnie The Pooh, or as I call it, The Eeyore Movie. The debate was short really, we wnt I saw Eeyore!

Eeyore also went to the mvoie with us. Up top you see him buckled in for the ride to the theatre. Since soda costs so much he brought his own to the show...

My wife wouldn't let him bring the pop into the theatre. Even worse, when we were watching the movie she took him from me and stuffed him in her purse! So he didn't even get to see the movie he starred in. I am thinking Academy Award for him by the way.

Have a great weekend; which you will if you go see the Eeyore Movie!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 451-452: Clean Butt Thanks To Lady Luck

Monday's colonoscopy was all good news. The best part of the news was the fact I do not need to go for another one for 3 years, thank you!!!

Lady Luck was with me in the morning as I was first up on the list for my colonoscopy Monday morning, a 7:30 a.m. appointment. It couldn't have been 7:35 a.m. when they were knocking me out. Good thing too as the power went out shortly after 8 a.m., just minutes after I began waking up, the procedure complete. Those who were there, all prepared and waiting for their turn, they had to wait until the power came back on. Sure the back up generators kicked in and the placed looked as if all was normal. But apparently they are not allowed to start non-emergency procedures while on back up generator power.

That was nearly 24 hours ago. At home, our power is still out. Oh I hope they were able to get the hospital's power back online yesterday morning so that those folks waiting for there colonoscopy could get it done. It would score very high on the Suck-O-Meter if you had to reschedule that appointment after starving the day before & flushing out the plumbing that night. Hence why Lady Luck was with me in the morning.

Since our power is still out, I think Lady Luck left me, left the county it seems, as soon as the storms moved into our county yesterday morning. The storm swept through the area swiftly but it's brief stay was enough time to deliver a potent hit. I am one of the nearly 1-million Chicagolander's who lost power right away. As of this minute about 350,000 are still without power including us.

Well, speaking of this minute; I am at work where it is cool, there is internet (hence the blog post), there are cold beverages... the kids however are at home where it is hot, there is no internet, there are angry cats, and no cold beverages. I suppose I should feel bad for them.

Last night we grilled out for dinner. Since I wouldn't allow anyone to open the refrigerator of freezers when the power went out, we had to either make do with what was in our pantry or find something at a store to grill. Earlier that day when I had my son out learning to drive I noticed that one of the grocery stores was open for business. They were selling what they could via generator power. We snapped up a package of frozen chicken breasts and Ho-Ho's. So we had grilled garlic-ginger chicken, seasoned corn (from a can), and Ho-Ho's (kids felt these would help them through the heat of the night).


After dinner the kids we besides themselves since there was no internet, no television, no xbox. I had an emergency radio on listening to the news, but that did nothing to entertain them. So we broke out some old-school entertainment and played Monopoly. As the day was turning to dusk light became an issue. But we fared well making use of flashlights.

For the record, Cameron kicked all of our butts, it wasn't even close.
 

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 449-450: Bi-Annual Fun

Every other year I spend a Sunday starving all day and getting ready for Monday. This used to be an annual event. Not sure it will ever be less frequent than bi-annual, but one could hope. I used to dread this day but I've done this so many times over the past decade that while I certainly do not look forward to it I give it the same wrinkle of the nose and roll of the eyes as going to the dentist.

On Monday I'll wake up before dawn and head to the hospital where while most people are eating breakfast or commuting to work, I'll be participating in a big way in a colonoscopy. Somewhere around mid-morning it will all be done with. Then I'll have the rest of the day to clear my mind and body of the anesthesia and get something to eat. Hopefully come evening I'll get myself out for a walk.

This is all good really. The alternative would be to ignore the need for such preventative attention. A decade ago had I ignored the need for attention when something didn't seem right, I would have never experienced a colonoscopy and as a result likely wouldn't be here today to share my bi-annual fun with you.

However I've learned a number of times over, via my own experiences and those of others, that it is paramount to listen to your body and seek attention when something doesn't seem right. And just as important is to be get those check ups, tests and the like to prevent that which would cause you harm, or end you, if left to undetected.

While this may seem a bit gloomy of a post to wrap up what has been a fabulous weekend, it is in reality an affirmation of responsibility.


Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 448: Yep, Forty-Six Today

That would be a birthday cake being frosted, my birthday cake.

Ashley baked & frosted it and did a fine job.

With this being my 46th birthday I thought I'd share a list I keep of my life's Hi/Lo-lights. Just a simple bullet-style list which doesn't do much justice in capturing all I've done, seen, etc., but it does sketch out the borders of my life. To know the detail of what is colored within the borders you'd need to ask me.



1965 Born in July in Chicago, IL on a beautiful 85F day

1966 I was the center of attention until NBC announced that all of its programming will air in full-color going forward

1967 This year was doomed right away when in Super Bowl 1 the Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs

1968 End of any dreams I had of being an only-child; Kimberly Lynn is born on a windy 69F day in Chicago, IL

1969 Was not happy my mom did not allow me to attend the 3 Days of Peace & Music at Woodstock

1970-71 Attend Ravenswood Elementary - Chicago, IL, Kindergarten - 1st grades

1972-76 Attend DeWitt Clinton Elementary - Chicago, IL, 2nd - 6th grades

1977 Attend Jamieson Elementary - Chicago, IL; Parents (Kristine M. & John R.) Divorce

1978 Mother marries Patrick D. Kille

1979 Graduate 8th grade from Jamieson Elementary; attend Mather H.S. - Chicago, IL 1st semester Freshman year

1980 Attend Libertyville H.S. - Libertyville, IL, watch the US Hockey victory over Russia at Bills Pub (Mundelein, IL)

1981 First Job: Golden Bear Restaurant, Libertyville, IL (Dishwasher)

1982 Fishing trips to Hayward, WI with Tim Cook, Shawn Cook, Bob Anderson, Jim Benes and others were unreal. Second Job: K-Mart, Mundelein, IL (Stock Boy); Joined USMC under delayed-entry program

1983 Graduated H.S., Libertyville, IL.; USMC: Graduated Boot Camp, San Diego, CA. 3rd Battalion, Kilo Company, Platoon 3103

1984 USMC: Twenty Nine Palms, CA (Completed training for MOS 2811, Telephone/Teletype Technician)

1984-85 USMC: Quantico, VA (Communications Maintenance at The Basic School)

1985-86 USMC: Okinawa & Camp Fuji, Japan (ELMACO & CSSD-32 respectively); mom sent me vhs tapes of every Bears game. Vacationed in South Korea

1986-87 USMC: Camp Pendleton, CA. (ELMACO), was still in Okinawa for the superbowl which I saw live in the wee-hours of the morning. Sitting in the chow-hall eating breakfast when the news broke of the Challenger disaster

1987 USMC: Honorably Discharged. Moved to Fallborook, CA briefly believing I would stay and live in CA, but then reality (lack of cash) hit and I moved home to Vernon Hills, IL

1988 Moved to Carbondale, IL to attend SIU oh-so briefly. Moved back to Vernon Hills, IL and held a number of small jobs while contemplating life while playing a lot of golf

1989 Moved to Beach Park, IL. Attended DeVry University (for 2 yrs.), Chicago, IL

1990 I recall eating a lot this year, probably while spending all that time on the couch watching the Gulf War unfold on CNN. Considered re-entering USMC, but chose to hear the call of love over the call of duty - if I only I'd had a crystal ball for just a few moments

1991 Went to work for Moore Corporation (Bindery, then Desktop Publishing). Married Patricia Ann DuBois & became step-father to Ashley Marie Flament. Moved to Park City, IL

1992 Separated from wife for a month or so; yeah I know - some of you told me this was inevitable. Accepted promotions at Moore which saw me switch from blue-collar to white-collar

1993 Birth of Son; Andrew Jordan Ray O'Neal

1994 Moved to Winthrop Harbor, IL, bought first home. Great Grandmother ("Bella") passes away at 92

1995 Took a few 'get-away-from-my-wife' trips; what a mess of a year!

1996 Grandmother (Alma R.) passes away at 75, traveled the country for Moore Corp. which helped get my mind off my marriage mess

1997 I don't know, recall staring at the Hale-Bopp comet. Bought my first 'new' ride, a SUV (Chevy Blazer). Otherwise '97 was just more marriage mess aggravated by worthless attempts at counseling and pretending to want to be there

1998 Divorced. Moved to Vernon Hills, IL. Last year in printing operations before moving to the information systems at Moore for a career change from manufacturing into technology (or back to technology which is what I joined USMC to learn)

1999 Married Catherine Lynn Krause & became step-father to Ashley Victoria, Ryan Christopher & Cameron Michael Flores and a cat named Cody

2000 Bought a house & moved to Grayslake, IL. Hung on at Moore as the company began imploding on it's own lack of vision and ability to change

2001 Went to work for W.W. Grainger as an application developer. Was in line awaiting my omelet at Grainger cafeteria when 9-11 went down. Diagnosed with Colon Caner, kicked its ass; ME 1 - Cancer 0

2002 Joined classmates dot com (can you believe facebook removed it when I used a real 'dot') looking for old buddies and found a few but didn't find James Dean Lewis from the Corps. Realized Grayslake sucks as a community to live in

2003 Father passes away at age 65. Had a house built & moved near Fox Lake, IL

2004 Step-Father passes away ay age 69. Wife and I celebrated 5th anniversary; Yeah - I got this one right!

2005 Went back to DeVry to complete those final classes needed for that B.S., Ashley Marie graduates from Zion-Benton High

2006 Started the year watching the Steelers win the Super Bowl with the Cook Clan and ended the year watching Saddam Hussein swing. Changes at Grainger saw me move from the application development management to project management

2007 Said goodbye to Keith Runnfeldt; you left us way too young friend. Graduated, finally, B.S. Technical Management from DeVry University. Ashley Victoria graduates 8th grade from Big Hollow

2008 Went back to USMC MCRD San Diego to get a reality check and got it! Attended 25 year LHS reunion and had a blast. Andrew Jordan Ray graduates 8th grade from North Prairie

2009 Joined Facebook.com for who knows what reason; well my wife nudged me to. Enjoyed my first Bacon-Explosion while watching the Steelers win another Super Bowl with the Cook Clan. Ryan Christopher graduates 8th grade from Big Hollow. Ashley gets her drivers license. Our 10th anniversary is celebrated at Disney in Orlando

2010 Successful year of deer hunting (97 pounds of deer bacon), purchased hunting property in Vernon County, WI. Cameron Michael graduates 8th grade from Big Hollow. Andrew gets his drivers license. Cathy triumphs over 'sticky' surgery. Attend Stanley Cup Game 1 & the Victory Parade for Chicago Blackhawks. Diagnosed with Melanoma on my right face cheek, kicked its ass; ME 2 - Cancer 0

2011 Diagnosed with Melanoma on my forehead, kicked its ass; ME 3 - Cancer 0. Ashley graduates from Grant H.S., is accepted to study Chemisty (we think that is what she'll study) at Millikin University. Ryan gets his drivers license. Family vacation in Hawaii. To be continued...



Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 445-447: Vacation Photos

Here are the pictures I took from my cell phone. We had two actual cameras with us as well which have yet to be uploaded; soon hopefully. Too many pictures here for me to caption each one, but if you mouse-hover over them the picture name (see bottom browser bar) does reflect the caption fairly well. Enjoy!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!