Last post, I was complaining about not hearing about the job I applied for. Well, true to Confucious' saying "he who complains loudest gets what he wants," I heard less than a day later that I did, in fact, get the job. I now know how kids from underpriviledged neighborhoods feel when they get a scholarship to college. There seemed to be a general feeling around here that I had "made it out" of the finance side and "moved on up" to the development side. People I never even say hi to at work sent me emails welcoming me. One of our VPs even said "welcome aboard," as if I hadn't been working here for almost five years. I'm going to be taken out to lunch twice in the next few weeks, once by the finance department to say goodbye, and once by the rest of the administrative assistants to say hello. The one with the admins should be fun, since I will be the only (and maybe the first, I'm not sure) male admisitrative assistant. Someone asked me if I thought it was going to be awkward doing something at traditionally has been a "woman's job." I replied that I didn't have an issue with it as long as I was treated as an equal and received equal pay for equal work. Andy Lasselle, turning gender equity on its head. I'm excited about the idea of learning something new and actually looking forward to coming to work again. How long that lasts remains to be seen.
Saturday also marked a return to the basketball court for me. Basketball is one thing that I truly enjoy, but life has been eroding away at my free-time like the Colorado River on the Grand Canyon. If that sounds like a bad thing it isn't.....I mean, who would say that the Grand Canyon is a bad thing? It's just that I have less time to hoop it up than I did before....plus all my friends have moved away. Anyways, I got a chance to go play some pick-up games at Bally's in Wilsonville with Grant on Saturday. Right away I could tell that, despite the fact that I've been running regularly, I was not in basketball shape. I was able to hold my own for about the first half an hour, but the last hour and a half was a nightmare. To say I lost a step would be an understatement. I lost a whole flight of stairs. Towards the end I was begging the guy I was guarding to pass the ball, because I knew that he was going to score on me every single time. That was the first time I've ever felt that way. Maybe the second, one time in seventh grade my team played a game against some kids from North Portland, and I swear at least one of them drove himself to the game. We lost by about 95 points. The Boys and Girls Club was not a positive place for kids that day.
So now 48 hours later, I'm still sore from my two hour stint on the basketball court. The backs of my legs are sore from ankle to mid-buttcheek. My back is stiff and I'm walking around like an old german shepherd. I thought that running today might loosen me up a little bit. It did, but only until I was done running. Now I think I'm worse off than before. Oh well, I think it was worth it.
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Weight Loss Journal - Day 33
Weight Per Wii - 246 (-3)
The Good - Ran another 4.25 miles in the rain today despite still being sore from basketball.
The Bad - Tried to eat healthy this weekend, but being away from home makes it tough. Ended up eating at least one meal at a restaurant Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The Ugly - Seriously, you should see how long it takes me to get out of my chair right now. It's embarassing.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Floating along
It's now officially been three weeks since I was told I'd hear about the other position I applied for. Still no word. There was a blurb in the staff newsletter saying that an announcement was "impending." I understand that these things take time, but if someone tells me "we'll let you know by the first of the month," shouldn't someone also say "hey it's taking a little longer than we expected, hang in there?" Not that it would change the outcome or anything, but seriously. I see these people every day. Maybe I'm way off base here, but doesn't it seem like HR departments in general have difficulty relating to humans? You hardly ever hear a "good" HR story from anyone. Then again, people are more likely to point out flaws than they are positive traits.
Rachel and Jonah have only been gone for two nights, and I can now say 100% that I couldn't live on my own again. I hate it. It's too quiet, the house seems colder, and I try to avoid going to sleep because it's lonely in the bed. I complain more than anyone about sharing a bed because, like water, I like to spread out to cover as much space as possible in bed. While I have slept extremely soundly the past two nights, it takes me forever to fall asleep. I've become the complete opposite of a loner. I spent last night trying to have as many things going on as possible to kill time because I hated the quiet. I was watching basketball on tv, checking my fantasy baseball team on my iPod and talking on the phone all at the same time trying to occupy my mind.
The Ben Roethlisberger saga is yet another example of why I find it increasingly difficult to get into professional sports. Everytime you start liking a team or player, someone assaults someone, shoots a gun, gets a creepy neck tattoo, cheats on their wife, takes drugs, drives drunk, or all of the above. It's just a huge bummer. I'm going to try as hard as possible to make sure Jonah never buys an jersey with a player's name on the back. That odds are almost 100% that the player will either change teams (forcing me to buy a new jersey) or end up on the police blotter (forcing me to buy a new jersey). Sports movies love to use the cliche "you play for the name on the front of the jersey, not on the back." Fans should take that same advice in their cheering.
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Weight Loss Journal - Day 28
Weight Per Wii - 245 lbs (-4)
The Good: Ran 4.25 miles yesterday. It was easier than expected.
The Bad: About half an hour after completing my run, the arch in my foot cramped up, and stayed cramped for at least an hour. The arch! I was hobbling around work all afternoon and when people asked me what was wrong, I had to say "my arch hurts." Is there a wussier part of your body to hurt? I say no. An upper body injury you can mask because it's non-weight bearing so nobody will even know you're hurt. Joints are excusable, but what the hell is an arch? It's not a joint. If it's a muscle, it's like the tiniest muscle in your body.
The Ugly: I'm now down four pounds in four weeks.....a decent pace. Problem is that I lost all four this week. What the hell was I doing the first three weeks?
Rachel and Jonah have only been gone for two nights, and I can now say 100% that I couldn't live on my own again. I hate it. It's too quiet, the house seems colder, and I try to avoid going to sleep because it's lonely in the bed. I complain more than anyone about sharing a bed because, like water, I like to spread out to cover as much space as possible in bed. While I have slept extremely soundly the past two nights, it takes me forever to fall asleep. I've become the complete opposite of a loner. I spent last night trying to have as many things going on as possible to kill time because I hated the quiet. I was watching basketball on tv, checking my fantasy baseball team on my iPod and talking on the phone all at the same time trying to occupy my mind.
The Ben Roethlisberger saga is yet another example of why I find it increasingly difficult to get into professional sports. Everytime you start liking a team or player, someone assaults someone, shoots a gun, gets a creepy neck tattoo, cheats on their wife, takes drugs, drives drunk, or all of the above. It's just a huge bummer. I'm going to try as hard as possible to make sure Jonah never buys an jersey with a player's name on the back. That odds are almost 100% that the player will either change teams (forcing me to buy a new jersey) or end up on the police blotter (forcing me to buy a new jersey). Sports movies love to use the cliche "you play for the name on the front of the jersey, not on the back." Fans should take that same advice in their cheering.
-----------------------
Weight Loss Journal - Day 28
Weight Per Wii - 245 lbs (-4)
The Good: Ran 4.25 miles yesterday. It was easier than expected.
The Bad: About half an hour after completing my run, the arch in my foot cramped up, and stayed cramped for at least an hour. The arch! I was hobbling around work all afternoon and when people asked me what was wrong, I had to say "my arch hurts." Is there a wussier part of your body to hurt? I say no. An upper body injury you can mask because it's non-weight bearing so nobody will even know you're hurt. Joints are excusable, but what the hell is an arch? It's not a joint. If it's a muscle, it's like the tiniest muscle in your body.
The Ugly: I'm now down four pounds in four weeks.....a decent pace. Problem is that I lost all four this week. What the hell was I doing the first three weeks?
Friday, April 16, 2010
When the sun comes out, so does the crazy.
One of my favorite things about living in Oregon is this time of year. The time of year when Mother Nature gives you little teases of summer every week or so before slapping you upside the head with another mean dose of winter. Everyone is so sick of the gray skies and constant wind and rain that they go a little off the deep end as soon as the sun breaks free from behind the blanket of dark clouds for the first time.
On the way home yesterday, I saw the following things:
Two fraternity guys playing something that looked a little like lawn bowling mixed with frisbee golf. I'll call it ultimate bowling. They were basically bowling giant croquet-type balls across uneven terrain with no real goal in sight. It looked like it could either be incredibly fun or something you would never ever do unless you were either drunk or high. Or both.
A guy on a mini-bike wearing a sombrero.
Another guy sitting in a lawn chair with his shirt off, attempting to get a tan. At 5:15 pm. In Oregon. In April. Good luck buddy. Let me know how that goes.
Two convertibles with their tops down. Temperature outside: 62 degrees. Reminded me of when I was a kid and would go to JR's beach house with him on weekends. His dad was a convertible driver who had one rule: If the sun is out and there is no frost on the ground, he was dropping the top. I don't know how many times we'd leave Portland in reasonable weather only to have the temperature drop twenty degrees as we made our way through the Cascades to the coast. JR and his dad had the windshield and windows to buffer them from the cold, but poor me in the backseat was left to battle the elements. Of course I never remembered to bring a sweatshirt or anything. At ten years old, you don't think about things like that.
A Tea-Party rally in downtown Corvallis. Granted, it was tax day, so they probably would've been out there rain or shine. My favorite was the lady that was sitting in a chair on a one way street so that her back was to oncoming traffic. Unless your sign is written in crazy backwards language, I'm not going to be able to read it in my rearview mirror. I'm all for a good protest, but let's be reasonable. I'm not a huge fan of all the money the government is handing out right now either, but Obama is not a Dictator and all Democrats are not "turning America into a cess pool." I did like the sign that said "Obama has spent all his CHANGE." Witty, to the point, but not so over the top that the message is drowned out by absurdity.
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Weight Journal - Day 23
Weight per Wii - 247.5 (down 1.5 lbs, but still not enough to consder this a "weight loss" journal)
The Good: Went running three days this week, and mixed in a two mile walk yesterday
The Bad: Broke down a bought a 32oz fountain drink at Safeway yesterday. Not Diet.
The Ugly: Safeway instituted the annoying policy of greeting you at the deli by saying "what brings you to the deli today?" Food, maybe? It's certainly not to see you, deli lady, with your emotionless face and "kill me now" body language.
On the way home yesterday, I saw the following things:
Two fraternity guys playing something that looked a little like lawn bowling mixed with frisbee golf. I'll call it ultimate bowling. They were basically bowling giant croquet-type balls across uneven terrain with no real goal in sight. It looked like it could either be incredibly fun or something you would never ever do unless you were either drunk or high. Or both.
A guy on a mini-bike wearing a sombrero.
Another guy sitting in a lawn chair with his shirt off, attempting to get a tan. At 5:15 pm. In Oregon. In April. Good luck buddy. Let me know how that goes.
Two convertibles with their tops down. Temperature outside: 62 degrees. Reminded me of when I was a kid and would go to JR's beach house with him on weekends. His dad was a convertible driver who had one rule: If the sun is out and there is no frost on the ground, he was dropping the top. I don't know how many times we'd leave Portland in reasonable weather only to have the temperature drop twenty degrees as we made our way through the Cascades to the coast. JR and his dad had the windshield and windows to buffer them from the cold, but poor me in the backseat was left to battle the elements. Of course I never remembered to bring a sweatshirt or anything. At ten years old, you don't think about things like that.
A Tea-Party rally in downtown Corvallis. Granted, it was tax day, so they probably would've been out there rain or shine. My favorite was the lady that was sitting in a chair on a one way street so that her back was to oncoming traffic. Unless your sign is written in crazy backwards language, I'm not going to be able to read it in my rearview mirror. I'm all for a good protest, but let's be reasonable. I'm not a huge fan of all the money the government is handing out right now either, but Obama is not a Dictator and all Democrats are not "turning America into a cess pool." I did like the sign that said "Obama has spent all his CHANGE." Witty, to the point, but not so over the top that the message is drowned out by absurdity.
-------------------
Weight Journal - Day 23
Weight per Wii - 247.5 (down 1.5 lbs, but still not enough to consder this a "weight loss" journal)
The Good: Went running three days this week, and mixed in a two mile walk yesterday
The Bad: Broke down a bought a 32oz fountain drink at Safeway yesterday. Not Diet.
The Ugly: Safeway instituted the annoying policy of greeting you at the deli by saying "what brings you to the deli today?" Food, maybe? It's certainly not to see you, deli lady, with your emotionless face and "kill me now" body language.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Better: in person or in HD?
It's an argument that I never thought was really an argument - Is it better to watch a game from the stands or from your couch? It's a no-brainer right? If you get a chance to go see it in person, you take it right? After this weekend, I'm not so sure.
As I watched The Masters from my couch, I was able to see stunning replays, and follow a "featured group" thanks to DirecTV's brilliant "Masters Mix." When there wasn't any action there, I could switch to another channel and watch only the action on the three most picturesque holes "Amen Corner." And when I wanted to watch the regular broadcast, I could do that too. Basically, there was never any break in my watching of The Masters. However, if I were to get a ticket to be there, I'd have to sit around the green of one hole, where I may or may not be able to see the person hitting the shot. I may or may not be able to see just how close that shot comes to going in the hole. I may have a caddy obstruct my view on a crucial putt. Or I could walk my ass around the course following one specific golfer and hope that he has a good day or does something noteworthy. Imagine being the guy who followed Vijay Singh around all weekend. He's not very outgoing, doesn't really have anything noteworthy about his game, just goes out and finishes somewhere off the leaderboard, collects a fat check and heads home. How exciting is that?
I should note that I have never been to a golf tournament, and have no idea how interesting they may or may not be. Perhaps I'm really missing the boat on these things. I don't know. Another disclaimer: If someone offered me tickets to The Masters, I'd take them without thinking twice. However, it wouldn't be to see the golf. It'd be to say I've been to Augusta National.
So, score one for HDTV. I also took in a live sporting event this weekend. I attended an OSU-UCLA baseball game. I figured this would give live events a chance to even the score. Oops.
Actually, I loved being at the baseball game. We had great seats behind home plate, Jonah cooperated, and the weather was nice. Really, nothing beats sitting in the stands in the sun at a baseball game. There was only one problem - there were other fans in attendance.
I hate fans. Actually, fans are ok. Fanatics are not. I hate fanatics. I hate the guy that questions every pitch call. You're sitting a couple hundred feet away with a view obstructed by protective netting and quite possibly a human being in the batters box....you really think you can tell if that ball is off the plate better than the guy with a straight on view two feet from the plate? C'mon. This was infuriating. Then you get the smart ass who keeps heckling the third base coach. He's yelling for the guy to get back in the coaches box, because "you can't have two runners on third!" The coaches box is a complete waste of time, and whomever decided that we should put them on baseball fields should be publicly stoned. Nobody pays any attention to them and I have NEVER seen a coaches box infraction called. I don't even know what the penalty is for it. I doubt anyone else does either. I certainly don't think the guy in section 6 with the hot dog in one hand and his cell phone in the other knows.
I'm also not a big fan of people who criticize players for making a mistake by saying something like "get your head in the game!" Seriously? Have any of these people played a sport? At any time during a game did any of these people take the bat up to the plate thinking "you know, I don't really think I'm going to focus on getting a base hit this time up. I'd rather think about something else." It's ridiculous. Furthermore, if a guy misjudges one fly ball, he has not "been out of position all day." This comment was made after OSU's right fielder got a bad jump on a ball and it went over his head. The guy is our starting catcher, but the coaches decided not to start him at catcher because he caught 16 innings the night before. Probably a smart decision to give the kid's knees a rest. They still wanted his bat in the game, so they stick him in right field, which for whatever reason has the stigma that it's where you put your worst defensive player. Anyways, he's not an outfielder, and you can't expect him to be a gold glover. That's on the coach, not the kid. You put a kid out there that's a below average outfielder, you're going to get below average fielding. Pretty simple. Anyways, after five innings I was ashamed to be cheering for the same team as these jokers. Thankfully we had a birthday party to attend, so I didn't have to face any more of this insane heckling. Why people think buying a ticket to a game gives them the right to be a douche is beyond me. Watch the game, cheer at appropriate times, and have fun. I'll never understand people whose mood is either positively or negatively affected by the outcome of a game beyond an hour after it has ended. Unless they lost a couple thousand betting on it. Then it makes sense.
All that being said, I still think being there in person is better. With the improvements in home entertainment over the past decade, staying at home has narrowed the gap, but it will never be able to match that one moment when 30,000 people go silent, hoping that a last second field goal finds its way through the uprights, or a fly ball will find the seats instead of an outfielders glove. I love that moment. It's amazingly quiet, everyone is either standing or on the edge of their seats with every muscle tense with anticipation. There's only one moment better.
That's the moment right after the one I just described. When the field goal is made and it's so loud you can't hear yourself think. It's the moment when it appears a bomb of happiness has been detonated.
----------------------------
Weight Journal - Day 19
It's not going to be called the Weight Loss Journal again until I actually lose weight. However, that should be occurring soon, because my brother's girlfriend challenged me to a "Biggest Loser" style competition....one that I do not intend to lose.
Weight Per Wii: 249...what else is new?
The Good: It was a fabulous day out and I completed my full 2.5 mile loop at lunch today.
The Bad: The sixty year old man on the opposite side of the street torched me down 35th. Made me look like I was standing still. Very humbling.
The Ugly: I think I would be willing to sit at my desk without a shirt on for the rest of the day if someone bought me a cheeseburger right now.
As I watched The Masters from my couch, I was able to see stunning replays, and follow a "featured group" thanks to DirecTV's brilliant "Masters Mix." When there wasn't any action there, I could switch to another channel and watch only the action on the three most picturesque holes "Amen Corner." And when I wanted to watch the regular broadcast, I could do that too. Basically, there was never any break in my watching of The Masters. However, if I were to get a ticket to be there, I'd have to sit around the green of one hole, where I may or may not be able to see the person hitting the shot. I may or may not be able to see just how close that shot comes to going in the hole. I may have a caddy obstruct my view on a crucial putt. Or I could walk my ass around the course following one specific golfer and hope that he has a good day or does something noteworthy. Imagine being the guy who followed Vijay Singh around all weekend. He's not very outgoing, doesn't really have anything noteworthy about his game, just goes out and finishes somewhere off the leaderboard, collects a fat check and heads home. How exciting is that?
I should note that I have never been to a golf tournament, and have no idea how interesting they may or may not be. Perhaps I'm really missing the boat on these things. I don't know. Another disclaimer: If someone offered me tickets to The Masters, I'd take them without thinking twice. However, it wouldn't be to see the golf. It'd be to say I've been to Augusta National.
So, score one for HDTV. I also took in a live sporting event this weekend. I attended an OSU-UCLA baseball game. I figured this would give live events a chance to even the score. Oops.
Actually, I loved being at the baseball game. We had great seats behind home plate, Jonah cooperated, and the weather was nice. Really, nothing beats sitting in the stands in the sun at a baseball game. There was only one problem - there were other fans in attendance.
I hate fans. Actually, fans are ok. Fanatics are not. I hate fanatics. I hate the guy that questions every pitch call. You're sitting a couple hundred feet away with a view obstructed by protective netting and quite possibly a human being in the batters box....you really think you can tell if that ball is off the plate better than the guy with a straight on view two feet from the plate? C'mon. This was infuriating. Then you get the smart ass who keeps heckling the third base coach. He's yelling for the guy to get back in the coaches box, because "you can't have two runners on third!" The coaches box is a complete waste of time, and whomever decided that we should put them on baseball fields should be publicly stoned. Nobody pays any attention to them and I have NEVER seen a coaches box infraction called. I don't even know what the penalty is for it. I doubt anyone else does either. I certainly don't think the guy in section 6 with the hot dog in one hand and his cell phone in the other knows.
I'm also not a big fan of people who criticize players for making a mistake by saying something like "get your head in the game!" Seriously? Have any of these people played a sport? At any time during a game did any of these people take the bat up to the plate thinking "you know, I don't really think I'm going to focus on getting a base hit this time up. I'd rather think about something else." It's ridiculous. Furthermore, if a guy misjudges one fly ball, he has not "been out of position all day." This comment was made after OSU's right fielder got a bad jump on a ball and it went over his head. The guy is our starting catcher, but the coaches decided not to start him at catcher because he caught 16 innings the night before. Probably a smart decision to give the kid's knees a rest. They still wanted his bat in the game, so they stick him in right field, which for whatever reason has the stigma that it's where you put your worst defensive player. Anyways, he's not an outfielder, and you can't expect him to be a gold glover. That's on the coach, not the kid. You put a kid out there that's a below average outfielder, you're going to get below average fielding. Pretty simple. Anyways, after five innings I was ashamed to be cheering for the same team as these jokers. Thankfully we had a birthday party to attend, so I didn't have to face any more of this insane heckling. Why people think buying a ticket to a game gives them the right to be a douche is beyond me. Watch the game, cheer at appropriate times, and have fun. I'll never understand people whose mood is either positively or negatively affected by the outcome of a game beyond an hour after it has ended. Unless they lost a couple thousand betting on it. Then it makes sense.
All that being said, I still think being there in person is better. With the improvements in home entertainment over the past decade, staying at home has narrowed the gap, but it will never be able to match that one moment when 30,000 people go silent, hoping that a last second field goal finds its way through the uprights, or a fly ball will find the seats instead of an outfielders glove. I love that moment. It's amazingly quiet, everyone is either standing or on the edge of their seats with every muscle tense with anticipation. There's only one moment better.
That's the moment right after the one I just described. When the field goal is made and it's so loud you can't hear yourself think. It's the moment when it appears a bomb of happiness has been detonated.
----------------------------
Weight Journal - Day 19
It's not going to be called the Weight Loss Journal again until I actually lose weight. However, that should be occurring soon, because my brother's girlfriend challenged me to a "Biggest Loser" style competition....one that I do not intend to lose.
Weight Per Wii: 249...what else is new?
The Good: It was a fabulous day out and I completed my full 2.5 mile loop at lunch today.
The Bad: The sixty year old man on the opposite side of the street torched me down 35th. Made me look like I was standing still. Very humbling.
The Ugly: I think I would be willing to sit at my desk without a shirt on for the rest of the day if someone bought me a cheeseburger right now.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Jonah goes on a hunt for Baby Jesus
My grandpa wrote his memoirs about ten years ago. It's part autobiography, part him voicing his opinion on everything from Elvis to Science Fiction. He had a whole chapter on religion. He wasn't a big fan of organized religion, but was a firm believer that the church did good things for the community, and for that he'd support it. Plus, it was important to my grandma, so he supported her in that as well. I always thought this was kind of strange. Then I got married. Suddenly, it made sense. Rachel is Catholic, and so we go to mass every now and then. As Jonah gets a little older, I imagine we'll start going a lot more, but for now we're kind of part of that group of people that go to church when there's nothing else going on, or on Easter and Christmas. We're THOSE people. The people that non-church goers think are posers and dedicated church goers hate for taking up all the seats on holidays and forcing them to park seventeen blocks away.
We made the decision to go to church for Easter on Saturday night for a vigil. This was my first Easter Vigil, so I was interested to see how it went down. Growing up, our families Easter tradition was (and still is) to go to a sunrise service in a cemetery and hear this jolly guy sing a couple new age sounding songs and give generally the same sermon every year. It's great when the weather cooperates, awful when it doesn't, but brunch afterwards at the Eastmoreland Golf Club was always fantastic.
Say what you will about Catholics, but I love traditions. I love the feeling of doing something in much the same manner it's been done for centuries. It doesn't matter if it some of it doesn't really make sense in today's society, that's just how it's done. On Saturday night, Jonah seemed determined to challenge these traditions.
Jonah knows one thing about church at this stage of his life: That's where we go to see Jesus. He also knows one thing about Jesus: Jesus is the baby in our Willow Tree Nativity Set. Ok, he knows two things. The other is that eleven months out of the year, Baby Jesus lives in our closet, except for those times we go to church. Jonah spent roughly the first half hour of church asking rather loudly where Baby Jesus was, and why he couldn't go see him right now. I'm trying to explain this to Jonah, but this quickly turned into the first of what I can only imagine will be eight million conversations where I have to explain something that either Jonah or I (or both of us) will not understand. As I'm trying to explain this, a baby cried in a pew a few ahead of ours. Rachel immediately goes "Did you hear that? That was Baby Jesus!" I'm not sure if she did this to be funny or to attempt to prove to Jonah that Jesus was in fact there, but I think our son now thinks that any child younger than him in a church is in fact Jesus.
At this point they dimmed all the lights and started lighting candles. Jonah is not a fan of lit candles. Actually, that's not true. He's just a fan of blowing candles out. He's trying his best to blow out Rachel's candle, but he had no luck, so he went after mine. Again striking out, he tried to get the guy behind us. Fortunately, the guy was far enough back that his candle wasn't extinguished. About this time, the priest comes back into the church swinging the incense smoker thingy. Rachel thought that this would interest Jonah, so she says "Jonah look!" Jonah, being the curious kid he is, swings his head around, looks, and yells "BABY JESUS!!!!!"
Why do I get the feeling that my son is going to grow up to be Ricky Bobby?
----------------------------------------
Weight Loss Journal - Day 14
Weight Per Wii: Unknown. Apparently nobody turned the Wii off last night, so the batteries were dead on the Wii-mote this morning. I've been staying right around my original weight though....249 lbs.
The Good: Went for a good jog yesterday at lunch. I'm not sure if it was the Sir Mix-a-Lot playlist I had going on the iPod or what, but I had a little extra bounce in my step.
The Bad: Fell off the wagon a bit eating wise this weekend. Too many eggs in too many varieties, solid chocolate, hard boiled and Cadbury Creme. Also, I think I ate half of a family sized Papa Murphy's BBQ Chicken Pizza on Saturday night.
The Ugly: All the eating made my stomach feel not so good Sunday morning when we went for a walk. My apologies to the Starbucks in North Albany for using their facilities without purchasing anything. In fairness, they did talk me into a $5 polar bear cookie in December. I'd say we're even.
We made the decision to go to church for Easter on Saturday night for a vigil. This was my first Easter Vigil, so I was interested to see how it went down. Growing up, our families Easter tradition was (and still is) to go to a sunrise service in a cemetery and hear this jolly guy sing a couple new age sounding songs and give generally the same sermon every year. It's great when the weather cooperates, awful when it doesn't, but brunch afterwards at the Eastmoreland Golf Club was always fantastic.
Say what you will about Catholics, but I love traditions. I love the feeling of doing something in much the same manner it's been done for centuries. It doesn't matter if it some of it doesn't really make sense in today's society, that's just how it's done. On Saturday night, Jonah seemed determined to challenge these traditions.
Jonah knows one thing about church at this stage of his life: That's where we go to see Jesus. He also knows one thing about Jesus: Jesus is the baby in our Willow Tree Nativity Set. Ok, he knows two things. The other is that eleven months out of the year, Baby Jesus lives in our closet, except for those times we go to church. Jonah spent roughly the first half hour of church asking rather loudly where Baby Jesus was, and why he couldn't go see him right now. I'm trying to explain this to Jonah, but this quickly turned into the first of what I can only imagine will be eight million conversations where I have to explain something that either Jonah or I (or both of us) will not understand. As I'm trying to explain this, a baby cried in a pew a few ahead of ours. Rachel immediately goes "Did you hear that? That was Baby Jesus!" I'm not sure if she did this to be funny or to attempt to prove to Jonah that Jesus was in fact there, but I think our son now thinks that any child younger than him in a church is in fact Jesus.
At this point they dimmed all the lights and started lighting candles. Jonah is not a fan of lit candles. Actually, that's not true. He's just a fan of blowing candles out. He's trying his best to blow out Rachel's candle, but he had no luck, so he went after mine. Again striking out, he tried to get the guy behind us. Fortunately, the guy was far enough back that his candle wasn't extinguished. About this time, the priest comes back into the church swinging the incense smoker thingy. Rachel thought that this would interest Jonah, so she says "Jonah look!" Jonah, being the curious kid he is, swings his head around, looks, and yells "BABY JESUS!!!!!"
Why do I get the feeling that my son is going to grow up to be Ricky Bobby?
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Weight Loss Journal - Day 14
Weight Per Wii: Unknown. Apparently nobody turned the Wii off last night, so the batteries were dead on the Wii-mote this morning. I've been staying right around my original weight though....249 lbs.
The Good: Went for a good jog yesterday at lunch. I'm not sure if it was the Sir Mix-a-Lot playlist I had going on the iPod or what, but I had a little extra bounce in my step.
The Bad: Fell off the wagon a bit eating wise this weekend. Too many eggs in too many varieties, solid chocolate, hard boiled and Cadbury Creme. Also, I think I ate half of a family sized Papa Murphy's BBQ Chicken Pizza on Saturday night.
The Ugly: All the eating made my stomach feel not so good Sunday morning when we went for a walk. My apologies to the Starbucks in North Albany for using their facilities without purchasing anything. In fairness, they did talk me into a $5 polar bear cookie in December. I'd say we're even.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Band-Aid on a Broken Leg
Part of the problem with making changes is that we as humans are sort of resistant to change. Change is hard. The easy thing to do is stick with what you know. I know that cheeseburgers and fries taste delicious. Why would I start eating salads? I know that Pepsi tastes better than Diet Pepsi. Why would I switch?
What I didn't anticipate is that other people make change difficult as well. I went to lunch with my brothers last weekend, and as I ordered a cheesesteak with a side salad and water instead of fries and a Pepsi, Grant looks at me funny and says "Salad? Aren't you kind of putting a band-aid on a broken leg?" It seems like everytime I order a salad, or get a diet soda or water instead of the traditional Pepsi, it raises other people's eyebrows. It's kind of difficult to explain, but it is easier for me to just down Pepsi and put away two baskets of all you can eat fries than it is to say "no thanks, I'd rather have a salad." There's no questions to answer, no good natured ribbing from the people I'm eating with. I can eat the meal without what I'm eating being the topic of conversation.
While making the switch to salad and diet soda or water is a minor step, I think it's a bigger step than most people think. I drink Pepsi like most people drink water. In fact, I drink all beverages at a rate most people find amazing. This is part of the reason that I don't drink alcohol. I would guess that I usually drink about 32 oz. of liquid with lunch or dinner. 32 oz of Pepsi is roughly 350 calories. Really, if I stop pounding Pepsi and milk at dinner, I would probably lose a pretty significant amount of weight.
So maybe this isn't like putting a band-aid on a broken leg. It's more like tying my belt around a severed femoral artery. Sure, I'm still slowly bleeding, but I'm not going to die.
Weight Per Wii: Unknown. Jonah comandeered the Wii this morning because he wanted to skateboard. I figure taking a weight later in the day wouldn't be accurate, especially on a day I went out for lunch.
The Good: Salad and Diet Pepsi at lunch was good, but I also hit the elliptical for 45 minutes after work. That's better.
The Bad: Planned on getting some sort of main course salad at lunch today, but the special was a buffalo burger with wing sauce and carmelized onions on it. How do you say no to that?
The Ugly: Spent all afternoon stuffing pledge reminders into envelopes. This has nothing to do with my physical health, but it's torture on my mental health. Thank goodness for internet radio.
What I didn't anticipate is that other people make change difficult as well. I went to lunch with my brothers last weekend, and as I ordered a cheesesteak with a side salad and water instead of fries and a Pepsi, Grant looks at me funny and says "Salad? Aren't you kind of putting a band-aid on a broken leg?" It seems like everytime I order a salad, or get a diet soda or water instead of the traditional Pepsi, it raises other people's eyebrows. It's kind of difficult to explain, but it is easier for me to just down Pepsi and put away two baskets of all you can eat fries than it is to say "no thanks, I'd rather have a salad." There's no questions to answer, no good natured ribbing from the people I'm eating with. I can eat the meal without what I'm eating being the topic of conversation.
While making the switch to salad and diet soda or water is a minor step, I think it's a bigger step than most people think. I drink Pepsi like most people drink water. In fact, I drink all beverages at a rate most people find amazing. This is part of the reason that I don't drink alcohol. I would guess that I usually drink about 32 oz. of liquid with lunch or dinner. 32 oz of Pepsi is roughly 350 calories. Really, if I stop pounding Pepsi and milk at dinner, I would probably lose a pretty significant amount of weight.
So maybe this isn't like putting a band-aid on a broken leg. It's more like tying my belt around a severed femoral artery. Sure, I'm still slowly bleeding, but I'm not going to die.
Weight Per Wii: Unknown. Jonah comandeered the Wii this morning because he wanted to skateboard. I figure taking a weight later in the day wouldn't be accurate, especially on a day I went out for lunch.
The Good: Salad and Diet Pepsi at lunch was good, but I also hit the elliptical for 45 minutes after work. That's better.
The Bad: Planned on getting some sort of main course salad at lunch today, but the special was a buffalo burger with wing sauce and carmelized onions on it. How do you say no to that?
The Ugly: Spent all afternoon stuffing pledge reminders into envelopes. This has nothing to do with my physical health, but it's torture on my mental health. Thank goodness for internet radio.
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