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Friday, October 14, 2011

10/14/11 Multitasking

Multitasking is not focusing.  Focus is how things successfully happen.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

10/4/11 Disappointed

Just a couple of disappointing things: 
After Mass this weekend I overheard a cancer patient telling an acquaintance the following: "I just don't know why but I am really craving starches."  I wanted to engage her in conversation about why that was happening but it was not a situation where I felt she would be receptive of any thoughts or ideas that I would have had to offer. Sometimes you can tell by things like age and general disposition whether you can make a difference.  She was a sweet old lady that I know was not about to go against anything her doctor told her to do.

And, I noticed as I was washing my hands that I am currently shaped like Hilary Clinton in my pantsuit.  OK, maybe not that big and certainly not sporting the cankles but still looking frumpy.  What a long suffering woman, the powerful men around her maltreat her publicly.  Although neither of them are candidates that I want to support at least Bachman and Palin seem to be in great shape and not dominated by the men around them.  UPDATE:  reread this and realized that it makes me look like a liberal which I am far from.  I am very conservative and if freaking Romney gets the nomination I will sit on my hands.

What is up with all that? And what is broken in my life that I most resemble the maltreated individual?

Sunday, September 11, 2011

9/11/11 Life counted by milestones

Today has me thinking, like many other people in the United States of America.  How do I count or remember the milestones?  Most recently we in my family have counted life from Hurricane Ike and the major disruptions and changes it caused.  But, today reminds me of how life changed on 9/11/01.
At the time of the terrorist attacks both the Rico and I were working at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.  I recall my friend Bob coming into my office to tell me about the first plane hitting the World Trade Center (WTC).  As we worked in the Imagery Services Division (I in digital imagery) which included NASA TV we of course had access to TVs.  I followed Bob to the monitors at the front desk of the building and watched, dumbfounded.  After some time I returned to my office to get back to work only to have Bob show up again with the news of a second plane striking the second WTC tower.  I again followed him up to watch the coverage.  After a while I went back to my office again to attempt to work while in shock and now anger.  Again, Bob showed up with even more shocking and outraging information that the Pentagon had now been hit.  I told Bob that I was not going to let him out of my sight since every time we separated he came back with more troubling news.  Now the feelings were shock, anger, frustration, and now at least some concern about personal safety.  While NASA was just a potential symbolic target I did of course know that the refineries in this area were a prime target of the USSR back in the cold war days and that our area was covered by multiple "thumbprints" on the old maps of the era.  Eventually we were sent home and sat glued to our television monitor in horror and again, anger.  No matter what the politics (and I didn't always agree with him, dang TARP crap), I believe that President Bush was the right man at the right time in that position.
Watching the footage reminds me of those feelings that day and I find myself watching in stunned silence again.  I have visited Ground Zero, the hole in the ground that had been the World Trade Center towers, I have been to Pearl Harbor.  I hope to never have other sites like that to visit again.

I was setting milestones on Friday for a 500 hour audit,  how minor those seem when looking at 9/11.  Hours versus years.  The true difference in project "milestones" and real milestones.

I will post more about more milestones in the coming days, for no real reason but just for me.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Updates, yes I am still doing some form of work every day. 8/16/2011

Yes, I have been reading blogs but not blogging.  I have little of interest to say.  I am watching the controversy between Taubes and Dr. Stephan Guyenet with some interest but am of the opinion that carbs are dangerous in the wrong hands.  I know that they are in mine and that may still be related to the food reward.  I know that when I get into the carbs that I seem to have no mechanism to recognize satiation. So I do think that the whole thing is being overblown even by the principals in this debate.
Anyway, here is what I have been up to:
Everyday Movement Log:
Early AM on the BellaTour
Becoming Bulletproof Cross-body resets - 20
Walking lunges 40


Throughout the individual days I have alternated between pushups and overhead presses pretty much exclusively.
The Rico (DH) has been wanting to join the local gym as his Dad and Brother (the Davon) have joined.  So we have a membership. I have not used it yet but may go to learn to use the squat rack and the assisted pull-up machine.

Additionally, I have made an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon to get more shots in my knee and to have my arm/shoulder looked at.  I have been nursing an injury for months now and it does not seem to be going away.  I tried rest, I am now trying to work it out.  Neither seems to be the answer.
There it is... all I got for the moment.
 

Friday, August 12, 2011

Thursday, Tres Leches, Superspike! 8/11/11

SO I know it was a bad idea but I decided to partake in some Tres Leches cake that was part of a birthday celebration at work and then check my blood glucose reaction.  Yeah...
Before Tres Leches
3:30   86
After Tres Leches
4:10   132
4:20   145
4:40   166
4:50   160

Then it was time to go home so I didn't test while driving on the freeway.
So the answer is... Tres Leches:  bad idea.
Not going to loose fat that way.

Movement Log:
Early AM on the BellaTour
Becoming Bulletproof Cross-body resets - 20
Walking lunges 40
Throughout the workday
Pushups L3 - 40

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Wednesday 8/10/11

Movement Log:
Early AM on the BellaTour
Becoming Bulletproof Cross-body resets - 20
Walking lunges 40
Throughout the workday
Not much of anything.

Lots of work and then guests over to watch the first USMNT friendly under Jurgen Klinsmann's tutelage.  With only a few days of work with the team one could at least see some changes in the second half of the match.  Loved that he started Torres and brought in Shea and Agudelo to work with Donavon in the second.  Good things happened with that grouping.  One of the best things was to see the emotion and joy in the face of the coach.  What a change.
Sorry to use soccer as an excuse, but hey, that is all that I could come up with.  Today I have already done all the morning stuff and started with pushups again today.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Tuesday 8/9/11

Movement Log:
Early AM on the BellaTour
Becoming Bulletproof Cross-body resets - 20
Walking lunges 40
Throughout the workday
OHP L1 - 20

Not as much on the upper body and I have no excuse why.  Other than I suck at overhead presses and should have done more.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Where I am now and where I want to be. 8/8/11

SO, to correct the first stranded post.  The calendar has been removed, just couldn't get as comfortable with it as I was trying to be.
Now for today's thoughts...
I have always been an athlete and been strong.  More muscular than most.
I have had large thighs but strong muscles, visible even at my maximum fatness.  On call when I flexed them to see the quad.  Yesterday I flexed my leg and there was no lump jumping up in the quad.  What the Hell?!?
Admittedly my exercise has been hit or miss with more miss in the past year.  But still, the underlying musculature has always been there.  Where did it go?
I think I have the answer and it is all my fault.  I am hypothyroid and a year ago I wanted to up my dosage of dessicated thyroid to two tablets per day.  I was in the low normal range so my endocrinologist allowed it.  I was tested at 6 months and my T3 was a little elevated but he allowed me to continue.  I was pleased as I was feeling pretty good.  Hoped to lose a little weight as well.  Last week I went back for a new round of tests and the results were the same, elevated but he allowed me to continue since I have not reported any nervousness, shakiness, or sleeplessness (the most easily recognizable signs of hyperthyroid).  All seemed good.  Well, I haven't lost any weight but I need to exercise more and stay clean on the eating.
But now I realize what I have done.  Hyperthyroid causes sarcopenia, muscle wasting. 
Rather than dwell on what I have done I am taking action.
1.  Dropping back to one tablet per day of thyroid.  At 6 months (or sooner) I will schedule an appointment with my endocrinologist to get tested.
2.  Strength training every day.  Bodyweight work at least, something daily.  If something is important, do it everyday.  I did a search for a variant of that phrase in order to attribute it and found several, mostly going back to Dan Gable (Olympic wrestler & coach)  in the form of "If it's important, do it every day.  If it's not important, don't do it at all."  Good to apply to many facets of my life.
3.  Eat clean, Primal Blueprint/Pastoral style.  As in meat, vegetables, butter, raw cream. OK, coffee too.
4.  When I feel like eating some junk, do some strength move for at least 5 reps before considering putting whatever it is in my mouth.  This is similar to #2 and #3 but a preventative use of #2 to help #3 happen. I will try to pick something different every day. Like pushups today at Level 3 (see what are you moving tab if you want a description).

Movement Log:
Early AM on the BellaTour
Becoming Bulletproof Cross-body resets - 20
Walking lunges 40
Throughout the workday
Pushups L3 - 30

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Here we go!


This is the start.  What will be here: The calendar of what and where, What my exercise habits are, and what I am thinking.
I am not worried about broadcasting when we travel as we always have someone staying at our house with our most excellent canine, Bella.