Shipwrecked & Comatose

Towels draped over the balcony, drying in the hot sun Sand.  Everywhere. The roar of waves rushing past your ears, the salt up your nose, then the hard crash of your board against the sand.  You stand up and head back into the surf because you can't wait to do it again Knowing the two most important items to pack are sunscreen and big repellant (aka Chincoteague cologne) and still going home tanned and covered in mosquito bites. Imagining what it would be like to own that little foal in the pen whose tiny face and distinctive spots just capture your heart. The hours spent hanging out on the boat with hundreds of other boats as you wait for the ponies to swim.  It's the best party of the year. Seeing the red flare from the Coast Guard boat go off knowing the moment for the ponies has come. The indescribable feeling you have when you are the one making the winning bid on that special pony. The distinctive smell of hot oil used to fry oyster a...

So I gained a little weight this week.  I had really hoped after I dropped down to my lowest weight yet that I would keep going. That was not to be.  I gained 1.6 pounds and my measurements stayed the same.  I am learning my lessons just how much those big indulgences count.  You think that just once can't hurt.  It does.  Sunday evening I had a big family dinner at Virgil's Barbecue (we also saw Matilda - a show I highly recommend).  I let myself go hog wild (pun intended I think) there.  I ordered a plate of hush puppies for the table.  I love hush puppies and rarely ever see them on menus around here, so I ordered them against my better judgment.  Hush puppies don't need butter.  Unfortunately, once you try Virgil's maple butter, the word "need" becomes sort of irrelevant.  I really overate that night and I'm not sure my body quite recovered from the experience.  It certainly didn't recover quickly....

I am trying to understand the people, particularly the regressives, who are happy to the level of rejoicing over the Zimmerman verdict.  The reason seems to be that they feel the justice system did its job and that the courts worked the way they were supposed to work.  The jury looked at the evidence and found it was too weak for conviction (even though killing an unarmed person with a gun should be a manslaughter charge regardless of who started it).  If someone honestly feels that way, that it's really only about the fairness of the jury having insufficient evidence, then I want to know if you felt the same way about OJ Simpson, or Casey Anthony .  I certainly hope so because I would hate to think the rejoicing comes from the fact that this trial isn't just a confirmation of all of your prejudices and expectations about the behavior of "The Other." How to choose a personal trainer:  Do it by process of elimination.  If you see a trainer putting his or h...

It has been a good week! After our week's break I really felt that if I wanted to continue to see any real differences in my body, I would have to start taking the program more seriously.  Our habits for these two weeks have been a tremendous help.  The habit is simply, "A little more, a little better."  We are supposed to pick one thing we can do just a bit better each day." I took those instructions very seriously.  I decided to pick three habits each day that I would follow to the letter.  I have 13 habits to choose from.  Some are easier than others.  There were days when I chose my habits at random.  There were days when I decided to challenge myself more.  There are going to be days in the coming week where I will be facing events that are going to be very food-driven.  Tonight I am going to a friend's cookout.  Tomorrow I'm going out to dinner with my family.  Tuesday is my birthday.  Those are not days when I'm...

This week was considered the "Midterm Exam".  We had no habits and no set workouts.  It was a week for the team to be on our own and see if we could sustain our past habits without having something specific to record every day.  They even declared the Fourth of July to be "Eat Whatever You Want Day".  I didn't do too well.  I gained two pounds.  Tip of the Day: Don't eat at an Indian restaurant the night before a weigh in.  I can't just blame the Indian food though.  I definitely ate a few too many snacks that would not be considered "smart carbs" or "whole foods".  In fact I even had a couple lunches that were a bit off the good food path. I almost think I got a bit overconfident.  Last week I was sad that halfway through the year I had lost only 10.2 pounds.  Then I realized something.  Pounds are only part of the equation.  I have lost 3" off my waist, 3" off my waist, and almost 3" off my chest.  I am down to ...

A very happy Independence Day to everyone!  Some of my thoughts are related to the holiday. I don't have a problem with patriotism.  Patriotism is important.  I do have a problem with jingoism.  If you don't know the difference, then I have a problem with you. I don't care if you are outraged.  I still oppose the forced recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools (or anywhere).  Why?  Because in a free society, allegiance should be assumed and not demanded . Last night I was doing the laundry and one of my neighbors had left his or her stuff in the dryer and never came back to claim it.  Since I needed to use the dryer, I removed it myself.  Inside the dyer were at least 20 small white towels.  As I reached into the dryer to empty it, I kept pulling out white towel after white towel.  The towels were piled up so high they could barely fit inside the temporary holding basket they keep in the laundry room for occasions ...