Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
TIme to move away from the serious talk of the week, focusing on the weekend. No big plans, I have a game night tonight. Otherwise should be another relaxing weekend, get some things done around the house. Dues to Kim's schedule change we should have more family time, which would be nice.
Fitness
So I can announce today that I have officially lost 30 pounds since July! And today I was able to squeeze into my pair of 34x30 jeans, not saying they were super comfy, but I was able to button them and move around. I am so excited about the progress I have made with all of this.
This week was especially good because I was able to return to my daily lunchtime walks since Kim was able to get home to let Spotty out of her kennel. It's another of the excellent side effects of Kim's new schedule. Because I was able to combine my lighter eating habits with a daily exercise routine that was not wiped out by the 'gosh it's evening, the kids were a pain and I just want to relax not work out' syndrome. My goal is to actually develop an evening routine as well, focusing on yoga and stretching, to accompany the walking.
But I can see the results, and hope to have a day come in the near future where I can post a picture of a scale showing weight below 200!
Kids time
One of the things that is great about James playing basketball is that it is one of the sports where I can actually show him some fundamentals. Like this morning we took a couple of minutes to work on some basics for defense, and I showed him the concept of boxing out. Since he cannot actually steal in this league he will have to develop some better defense, which is actually good, he has such quick hands that I think he could become quite adept at stealing, but he needs a better fundamental base to fall back on for that.
I hope that we can maybe take some time this weekend for some family game time, particularly something where Daniel can play. He actually has improved from his Playstation habit, even when I just let him loose with it like last weekend, he still ends up turning it off, getting bored with it. Which is an improvement. I also think that maybe tomorrow afternoon we can go over to Art Sports so Daniel can get a chance to look around, and maybe decide if he wants to take a tumbling class, something just for him.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
What am I reading this week?
Dear James, Daniel and Emily
This week I am reading this book:
I have been reading Easterbrook's football columns for years. Although some of his comments get a tad repetitive, they are still insightful and interesting. So a couple of years ago I bought his earlier book:
Which I also enjoyed and highly recommend to someone who just cannot turn off anxious feelings about the economy and changes in our country.
So when he wrote a new book I figured I would add it to my library qeue. And a couple of weeks ago he included this excerpt in his weekly football column (the column is never 100% football):
Which definitely whet my appetite for the book. This is an indicator of the type of writing he uses, and his common sense approach to things. He's pretty even handed, like one of my favorite teachers, just when you think he's a left wing nut job, he says something that makes you think that maybe he's far to the right wing. Which makes for decent reading, a good balance.
This book is about how the pace of change and resulting stress are not going away in our culture. The pace of change and the economy are not going to slow down. Not that there won't be downturns, but that the pace at which they occur and speed of recoveries etc. will speed up. The reason being that increased globalization make it impossible to experience an isolated event any more, everything is rapidly becoming more connected.
And because of that increasing pace, and feeling more connected to everything in the world, will lead to an increasing sense of dread an unease. I haven't reached the point where he explains how to cope with that unease. I am looking forward to that portion of the book. But in the lead up I am learning a lot and finding his points very interesting.
To sum up, a good book for an in depth, pretty objective big picture analysis of the real effects of globalization and technological advances on our world and culture. It's not light reading by a long shot, but it will make you think, and help you get a slightly more objective view of the real effects of current events, which is often sadly lacking in our 24x7 news cycle. So I definitely recommend the book.
This week I am reading this book:
I have been reading Easterbrook's football columns for years. Although some of his comments get a tad repetitive, they are still insightful and interesting. So a couple of years ago I bought his earlier book:
Which I also enjoyed and highly recommend to someone who just cannot turn off anxious feelings about the economy and changes in our country.
So when he wrote a new book I figured I would add it to my library qeue. And a couple of weeks ago he included this excerpt in his weekly football column (the column is never 100% football):
"Congress is considering legislation that would tie corporate bonuses very closely to company performance. Since many CEOs are overpaid, this is the kind of legislation that's easy to root for. But if corporate bonuses were tied very closely to how much money the firm makes in a given year, the unintended consequence might be to discourage research and development -- which cuts into profits in the current year and probably won't produce any benefits until the current CEO has left his post. Thus regulating bonuses by tying them tightly to corporate numbers could have an unpleasant unintended result: discouraging investments that result in innovation.
"My proposal for reigning in executive pay: limit a CEO's income to 100 times the annual income of the lowest-paid worker in the firm. Only an appalling egotist could claim to deserve, for shuffling papers and initialing memos, more than 100 times the income of a cafeteria worker. Taking into account the current federal minimum wage, 100 times the lowest worker's pay would be $1.4 million, and if a $1.4 million annual income isn't enough to motive a business executive, then the problem lies with that person, not with society. Formally stating CEO pay as a multiple of an underprivileged person's means might shame top executives into being content with millions rather than dozens of millions. More important, in the times-the-lowest concept, the CEO could make more only if those in most need got raises, creating a positive incentive rather than a perverse incentive."
Which definitely whet my appetite for the book. This is an indicator of the type of writing he uses, and his common sense approach to things. He's pretty even handed, like one of my favorite teachers, just when you think he's a left wing nut job, he says something that makes you think that maybe he's far to the right wing. Which makes for decent reading, a good balance.
This book is about how the pace of change and resulting stress are not going away in our culture. The pace of change and the economy are not going to slow down. Not that there won't be downturns, but that the pace at which they occur and speed of recoveries etc. will speed up. The reason being that increased globalization make it impossible to experience an isolated event any more, everything is rapidly becoming more connected.
And because of that increasing pace, and feeling more connected to everything in the world, will lead to an increasing sense of dread an unease. I haven't reached the point where he explains how to cope with that unease. I am looking forward to that portion of the book. But in the lead up I am learning a lot and finding his points very interesting.
To sum up, a good book for an in depth, pretty objective big picture analysis of the real effects of globalization and technological advances on our world and culture. It's not light reading by a long shot, but it will make you think, and help you get a slightly more objective view of the real effects of current events, which is often sadly lacking in our 24x7 news cycle. So I definitely recommend the book.
State of the Union
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
I watched the speech last night and I was moved and excited. But then I started watching and reading what other people thought and I wonder, did I watch the same speech? I just don't get it some times, he was so absolutely dead on when he spoke of the cynicism and people turning away. When a member of the Supreme Court is caught muttering 'not true' during the speech. When the Senate Republicans just sit there and don't respond even when Obama talks of the tax cuts they so fondly speak of. No wonder Americans are frustrated with the process. A couple of points that I just don't get or thought of this morning.
Don't Ask Don't Tell
I'm a little late to the game on this but here's what I just don't get. The President is the Commander in Chief, period, it says so in the Constitution. Why doesn't he just pull a Truman and end the policy once and for all? It seem's to me that this makes the most sense and the Armed Services has no recourse in the matter. Any other policy seems redundant and unnecessary.
Cutting taxes
Okay, I get it, the Republicans want less government. So long as that government is able to keep funding a ridiculously over sized defense department that accounts for the largest slice of the budget. And so long as that government is providing subsidies and bail outs for large corporations and banks when they can no longer compete because their overpaid CEO's have screwed the pooch on some major decision. And so long as that government is there to fund corrupt corporations who are ostensibly in other countries to help but instead are just reaping the whirlwind of chaos.
But all of the above not with standing, I get it, the government is like a family, and in tough times they have to cut their spending (despite modern economic theory proving the opposite is true). So where in that bizarro world of economics does cutting taxes come in? If the government is like a family then the taxes are the income. And I don't know about you, but cutting my household income last year did not make my budget easier to balance. All it meant was I had to reduce spending and hinder my ability to plan for the future.
Conclusion
So my response to all those rich white men who think the government should only exist to make them wealthy and preserve that wealth is get over it. Your time in charge is coming to an end. Maybe not now, but soon. Societies where the wealth is concentrated in the hands of the top 1% of the population are not healthy ones. Change is coming, like it or not. And it would be far smarter to accept some change in your role that benefits the rest of society than cling to that straw boat of plutocracy in a rising tide of populist anger.
I watched the speech last night and I was moved and excited. But then I started watching and reading what other people thought and I wonder, did I watch the same speech? I just don't get it some times, he was so absolutely dead on when he spoke of the cynicism and people turning away. When a member of the Supreme Court is caught muttering 'not true' during the speech. When the Senate Republicans just sit there and don't respond even when Obama talks of the tax cuts they so fondly speak of. No wonder Americans are frustrated with the process. A couple of points that I just don't get or thought of this morning.
Don't Ask Don't Tell
I'm a little late to the game on this but here's what I just don't get. The President is the Commander in Chief, period, it says so in the Constitution. Why doesn't he just pull a Truman and end the policy once and for all? It seem's to me that this makes the most sense and the Armed Services has no recourse in the matter. Any other policy seems redundant and unnecessary.
Cutting taxes
Okay, I get it, the Republicans want less government. So long as that government is able to keep funding a ridiculously over sized defense department that accounts for the largest slice of the budget. And so long as that government is providing subsidies and bail outs for large corporations and banks when they can no longer compete because their overpaid CEO's have screwed the pooch on some major decision. And so long as that government is there to fund corrupt corporations who are ostensibly in other countries to help but instead are just reaping the whirlwind of chaos.
But all of the above not with standing, I get it, the government is like a family, and in tough times they have to cut their spending (despite modern economic theory proving the opposite is true). So where in that bizarro world of economics does cutting taxes come in? If the government is like a family then the taxes are the income. And I don't know about you, but cutting my household income last year did not make my budget easier to balance. All it meant was I had to reduce spending and hinder my ability to plan for the future.
Conclusion
So my response to all those rich white men who think the government should only exist to make them wealthy and preserve that wealth is get over it. Your time in charge is coming to an end. Maybe not now, but soon. Societies where the wealth is concentrated in the hands of the top 1% of the population are not healthy ones. Change is coming, like it or not. And it would be far smarter to accept some change in your role that benefits the rest of society than cling to that straw boat of plutocracy in a rising tide of populist anger.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Family update
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
Here is the story behind some of my cryptic tweets and FB status messages. Sunday Austin (my nephew) had what is best described as an anxiety attack, and couldn't get his heart rate under control. So he went to the E.R. The tests at the E.R. indicated that he there was undergoing some heart failure. Given the fact that he was diagnosed with Coronary heart disease last summer this was not good.
So he was transferred to Denver to Children's hospital, where he could see the doctors who were more familiar with his case. Initially they didn't see the failures that the Memorial Doctors saw, but they went ahead and performed a heart catheter on him. The results of the catheter were that there was some damage, that parts of the heart were dying. This is the news we had Monday afternoon and really all we had until yesterday afternoon. Which explains my dire tweets and status messages.
Yesterday they (Connie, Tammy) had a meeting with the Doctors where they discussed the overall findings of the catheter test as compared to their findings last summer. The long and the short of that meeting is that he has not progressed or declined from where he was at that time. Which means that he can return to the way his normal life was before this weekend. But they have switched one of his drugs, in the hopes of fostering more arterial growth to compensate for what is failing. And they will be having him come up to Denver for testing more often. I guess they were hoping from more progress over the last 6 months or so, so that prompted the changes. But the overall prognosis is not nearly as dire as we were initially led to think.
I want to take a moment to thanks everyone for all of their best wishes, thoughts and prayers over the last couple of days on FB. It really helped get through a tough couple of days. The kids bore up pretty well. I had to explain to James that us keeping the cousins for a coupe of nights was just what we do as a family, we pull together, just like Connie and Tammy watching Emily last week for all of those days she was sick. I think he got the picture, although he was still quite happy to see the cousins go home anyway.
Here is the story behind some of my cryptic tweets and FB status messages. Sunday Austin (my nephew) had what is best described as an anxiety attack, and couldn't get his heart rate under control. So he went to the E.R. The tests at the E.R. indicated that he there was undergoing some heart failure. Given the fact that he was diagnosed with Coronary heart disease last summer this was not good.
So he was transferred to Denver to Children's hospital, where he could see the doctors who were more familiar with his case. Initially they didn't see the failures that the Memorial Doctors saw, but they went ahead and performed a heart catheter on him. The results of the catheter were that there was some damage, that parts of the heart were dying. This is the news we had Monday afternoon and really all we had until yesterday afternoon. Which explains my dire tweets and status messages.
Yesterday they (Connie, Tammy) had a meeting with the Doctors where they discussed the overall findings of the catheter test as compared to their findings last summer. The long and the short of that meeting is that he has not progressed or declined from where he was at that time. Which means that he can return to the way his normal life was before this weekend. But they have switched one of his drugs, in the hopes of fostering more arterial growth to compensate for what is failing. And they will be having him come up to Denver for testing more often. I guess they were hoping from more progress over the last 6 months or so, so that prompted the changes. But the overall prognosis is not nearly as dire as we were initially led to think.
I want to take a moment to thanks everyone for all of their best wishes, thoughts and prayers over the last couple of days on FB. It really helped get through a tough couple of days. The kids bore up pretty well. I had to explain to James that us keeping the cousins for a coupe of nights was just what we do as a family, we pull together, just like Connie and Tammy watching Emily last week for all of those days she was sick. I think he got the picture, although he was still quite happy to see the cousins go home anyway.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Recovery Weekend
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
We had a good recovery weekend, plenty of chances to just relax, play games, watch TV & football. Still got some house projects done, but didn't exactly overdo it. Everyone was able to return to school/Day Care/work this morning which was progress.
James' basketball
The game went well, despite Emily being sick and needy, and Daniel being overly tired. James played well when he was in the game, displaying his usual hustle in playing sports. He really has the picture that when he plays he has to push himself, and run around, and that is the biggest thing I want him to get out of sports at this stage (other than enjoying himself). There is so much you can accomplish just by applying effort and hustle, and if he can learn that lesson early on it will stand him in good stead the rest of his life. He made a couple of good shots, including one from the baseline that would have been the equivalent of a 3 pointer in relationship to the court he was on. He got a phone call from the coach after the game praising him for his effort and shooting. He just needs reps at this point to learn what he is doing out there as far as defense and rebounding.
Household
We got some cleaning done around the house yesterday, Just getting things picked up. And we put up the curtains in our bedroom that Kim bought last week. They look real nice, and appear to make a difference in holding some more heat in our room. Which is good considering our bedroom is traditionally the coldest room in the house. We might have gotten more done but I spent the weekend fighting the same cold that the kids have, so I wasn't exactly energetic.
Football
Well my picks won. Which wasn't exactly rocket science, going with the top seed's at home, although that wasn't exactly the trend since this will be the first time in 16 years the top seeds from both conferences will meet in the Super Bowl. I think the Saints have a chance, but not much of one, I think this Colts team is just too good. They remind me of the 49ers in their prime as far as the machine like nature of their offense is almost impossible to stop. The Saints are a good team and a great story, but after watching them almost luck into that win I doubt they will be able to handle the Colts. But it should at least be an aesthetically pleasing game from the standpoint of anyone who enjoys offense and the passing game.
We had a good recovery weekend, plenty of chances to just relax, play games, watch TV & football. Still got some house projects done, but didn't exactly overdo it. Everyone was able to return to school/Day Care/work this morning which was progress.
James' basketball
The game went well, despite Emily being sick and needy, and Daniel being overly tired. James played well when he was in the game, displaying his usual hustle in playing sports. He really has the picture that when he plays he has to push himself, and run around, and that is the biggest thing I want him to get out of sports at this stage (other than enjoying himself). There is so much you can accomplish just by applying effort and hustle, and if he can learn that lesson early on it will stand him in good stead the rest of his life. He made a couple of good shots, including one from the baseline that would have been the equivalent of a 3 pointer in relationship to the court he was on. He got a phone call from the coach after the game praising him for his effort and shooting. He just needs reps at this point to learn what he is doing out there as far as defense and rebounding.
Household
We got some cleaning done around the house yesterday, Just getting things picked up. And we put up the curtains in our bedroom that Kim bought last week. They look real nice, and appear to make a difference in holding some more heat in our room. Which is good considering our bedroom is traditionally the coldest room in the house. We might have gotten more done but I spent the weekend fighting the same cold that the kids have, so I wasn't exactly energetic.
Football
Well my picks won. Which wasn't exactly rocket science, going with the top seed's at home, although that wasn't exactly the trend since this will be the first time in 16 years the top seeds from both conferences will meet in the Super Bowl. I think the Saints have a chance, but not much of one, I think this Colts team is just too good. They remind me of the 49ers in their prime as far as the machine like nature of their offense is almost impossible to stop. The Saints are a good team and a great story, but after watching them almost luck into that win I doubt they will be able to handle the Colts. But it should at least be an aesthetically pleasing game from the standpoint of anyone who enjoys offense and the passing game.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Family health & weekend plans (plus some more politics)
Dear James, Daniel and Emily
Family
So on Tuesday both Daniel & Emily were pretty miserable when they woke up, so I stayed home to take them to the Dr. and keep them home from school/day care. The Dr. said they both appeared to just have a cold virus, and nothing more we could do. Well Daniel has basically been fine, just a cough now, and a little more tired/whiny than normal.
But Emily kept getting worse: coughing, fever, etc. Yesterday she was pretty lethargic, just sleeping most of the day. So when Kim got home she gave me a call, I checked with the nurse, who said we could bring her in in the morning. THen when I got home I realized that she was even more miserable than Kim described, and she was wearing a pull up that Connie put on her before 12 and it was still bone dry. At that point I called the on call nurse who said to get her to the ER. Kim took her in, where they confirmed that she was dehydrated, and her Oxygen levels were low. So they gave her some pill, a couple of breathing treatments, and she was finally able to come home and go to bed around 10. They also diagnosed her with a double ear infection, so she developed that since Tuesday. Pretty miserable little girl, she gets another day with Connie and Tammy and then hopefully back to Day Care after a weekend of TLC. All of this has thrown us off as we haven't gotten much rest all week.
Plans
Not much, James has his first basketball game tomorrow morning, but after that we will probably try and focus on just rest and relaxing, try and get the clan healthy. I have a few low energy projects around the house that I will probably undertake, but nothing huge. I might end up watching more football than I planned, since I might be stuck at home.
Football
I am happy that I can really settle down and enjoy watching the games with no real rootin interest. There is some deep seated dislike of the Vikings still there from my childhood, but that's so far in the past that it really has no effect now. So I can enjoy the games for what they are: the near final games of the season. I would predict a Saints-Colts Super Bowl, but I'm not a wagering man so there's no money behind that prediction.
Politics
I am still reeling from the potential ramifications of the Supreme Courts ruling yesterday. And reeling even more that supposed libertarian folks seem to think the ruling is some great victory for Free Speech and by implication the little man. Just astounding to me how some people can fail to really see the meaning of this decision. I guess it will take an election cycle for them the realize what it really means.
When you realize the economic might that will now be brought to bear on elections it is really amazing. And then toss in the fact that that money could and quite likely will be coming from foreign sources instead of domestic, just crazy to think that ostensibly intelligent people think this is a great thing.
Health
Not an especially good week for dietary practices or working out, but still made progress. So I can hope that next week with some schedule changes and a return to health for the kids that I can really get settled into a better eating & exercise routine.
Family
So on Tuesday both Daniel & Emily were pretty miserable when they woke up, so I stayed home to take them to the Dr. and keep them home from school/day care. The Dr. said they both appeared to just have a cold virus, and nothing more we could do. Well Daniel has basically been fine, just a cough now, and a little more tired/whiny than normal.
But Emily kept getting worse: coughing, fever, etc. Yesterday she was pretty lethargic, just sleeping most of the day. So when Kim got home she gave me a call, I checked with the nurse, who said we could bring her in in the morning. THen when I got home I realized that she was even more miserable than Kim described, and she was wearing a pull up that Connie put on her before 12 and it was still bone dry. At that point I called the on call nurse who said to get her to the ER. Kim took her in, where they confirmed that she was dehydrated, and her Oxygen levels were low. So they gave her some pill, a couple of breathing treatments, and she was finally able to come home and go to bed around 10. They also diagnosed her with a double ear infection, so she developed that since Tuesday. Pretty miserable little girl, she gets another day with Connie and Tammy and then hopefully back to Day Care after a weekend of TLC. All of this has thrown us off as we haven't gotten much rest all week.
Plans
Not much, James has his first basketball game tomorrow morning, but after that we will probably try and focus on just rest and relaxing, try and get the clan healthy. I have a few low energy projects around the house that I will probably undertake, but nothing huge. I might end up watching more football than I planned, since I might be stuck at home.
Football
I am happy that I can really settle down and enjoy watching the games with no real rootin interest. There is some deep seated dislike of the Vikings still there from my childhood, but that's so far in the past that it really has no effect now. So I can enjoy the games for what they are: the near final games of the season. I would predict a Saints-Colts Super Bowl, but I'm not a wagering man so there's no money behind that prediction.
Politics
I am still reeling from the potential ramifications of the Supreme Courts ruling yesterday. And reeling even more that supposed libertarian folks seem to think the ruling is some great victory for Free Speech and by implication the little man. Just astounding to me how some people can fail to really see the meaning of this decision. I guess it will take an election cycle for them the realize what it really means.
When you realize the economic might that will now be brought to bear on elections it is really amazing. And then toss in the fact that that money could and quite likely will be coming from foreign sources instead of domestic, just crazy to think that ostensibly intelligent people think this is a great thing.
Health
Not an especially good week for dietary practices or working out, but still made progress. So I can hope that next week with some schedule changes and a return to health for the kids that I can really get settled into a better eating & exercise routine.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The New Way
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
So based on this new Supreme Court ruling and general political trends I think we should amend the Preamble of the Constitution to the following:
We the People (and Corporations) of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice (for those who can afford it), insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves (the wealthy white people) and our Posterity, (and insure profitability for the big corporations), do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
This ruling, and all of the recent political trends point in this direction. The longer the trends continue in this fashion I think the worse things will become for a majority of citizens. And the greater the likelihood that something really bad might happen, politics will become more and more extreme. As people begin to feel disenfranchised and economic conditions worsen the greater the feeling of: 'I got nothing to lose'.
I had hoped that Obama might be the President who could stop this slide. But the longer things go on, the more it looks like he isn't that guy. The more it looks like his administration is just like the majority of Senators, Congressmen and women and Judiciary: bought and paid for tools of the Giant corporations. And just like the white ruling class in the South was able to manipulate the poor whites with issues of race, this ruling elite is manipulating the poor now with issues of race, abortion, and the big boogeyman of taxes.
It makes me mad, and also frustrated, because I am just a very small voice crying out in the wilderness. I can do my part, voting, writing etc. but it definitely feels like a sysyphean effort.
So based on this new Supreme Court ruling and general political trends I think we should amend the Preamble of the Constitution to the following:
We the People (and Corporations) of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice (for those who can afford it), insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves (the wealthy white people) and our Posterity, (and insure profitability for the big corporations), do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
This ruling, and all of the recent political trends point in this direction. The longer the trends continue in this fashion I think the worse things will become for a majority of citizens. And the greater the likelihood that something really bad might happen, politics will become more and more extreme. As people begin to feel disenfranchised and economic conditions worsen the greater the feeling of: 'I got nothing to lose'.
I had hoped that Obama might be the President who could stop this slide. But the longer things go on, the more it looks like he isn't that guy. The more it looks like his administration is just like the majority of Senators, Congressmen and women and Judiciary: bought and paid for tools of the Giant corporations. And just like the white ruling class in the South was able to manipulate the poor whites with issues of race, this ruling elite is manipulating the poor now with issues of race, abortion, and the big boogeyman of taxes.
It makes me mad, and also frustrated, because I am just a very small voice crying out in the wilderness. I can do my part, voting, writing etc. but it definitely feels like a sysyphean effort.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Wonderful weekend
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
We had a good weekend. Nice time with my friends Friday night. Busy but ultimately satisfying Saturday. Excellent Sunday, yep good weekend. Got to get started on my puppy training reboot and saw some good results. Still getting into a rhythm with Emily and potty training on the weekends. Enjoyed our first family hike of 2010. And enjoyed my (self) limited football watching.
Role Playing
Friday night we all got together for our role playing game. It was a nice time, although we didn't do a lot of playing, there was more than the usual amount of chatter and talking as we hadn't played in quite a while. But it was a fun time, I enjoy seeing my friends and getting together, even if I don't get to do it nearly as much as I might like.
Puppy Training
Saturday I adopted my new methods of putting a leash and training collar on Spotty pretty much all day. And then dedicated a fair amount of time to actually just working with her while the kids played. And I think there was some good progress made. There were almost no instances of the aggressive barking reaction to being yelled at or feeling threatened. I got James to buy into it so we are on a much better track with her now. We had a few accidents but I can attribute that to her being inside a little more. Although she ended up getting a good amount of outside time with the kids on Saturday and on the walk on Sunday.
Potty training
Saturday early was not good. But once things settled down we stopped having so many accidents, and only 1 on Sunday. I think it really boils down to getting Emily into a rhythm with eating and going to the bathroom at regular intervals as she has not yet really attuned to when she has to go. But overall I think it was better than the week before so there is progress there.
Hiking
Sunday morning we took the family (including Spotty) for a wlak in Red Rocks Canyon, taking advantage of the nice weather. And we all did pretty well. Emily got a little tuckered out, so I had to do soem carrying, but that's okay. It was nice to get into the practice much earlier this year, getting the kids into a better set of habits as far as getting out of the house and not just huddling inside and playing video games. And it was nice to have Spotty along as well, she got some good exercise and some training as well as far as some socialization with other people and dogs. I am thinking that Sunday morning walks/hikes will just be the order of the day this year barring weather concerns. With the goal of making longer and longer ones by summer.
Football
I watched good chunks of the games on Saturday, and a lot less on Sunday. I was pleased that the Cowboys lost, and not as surprised, I remember that this is the Vikings team that was dominating games earlier in the year. And often these late season rolls are cut short by a trip to a rested team's home stadium. I think we are in for a Colts Saints Super Bowl. I think that the Jets Cinderella act will get cut short when they play a Colts team that actually has a plan to win and play the entire game. And I think that the Saints will ride one of the last home field advantages into their first Super Bowl.
Fitness
So after the craziness of last weekend, and then 2 days of off scheduling due to James' illness I should be able to return to a more consistent eating habit and evening exercise program. I am also hoping to start using a couple of my lunch breaks to walk the dog and then eat at work, just to get a little more exercise and time outside.
James basketball
Originally I had signed James up to play in the 3rd & 4th grade level, because I thought he might be ready for it. But after 1 practice it was clear that he was in over his head, so we moved him to the 1st & 2nd grade team. Which is fine, I want him to have fun with these games, not push him above his level. He might have been able to handle that jump in soccer but he just hasn't played as much basketball. This does mean that he will be playing his game early in the day though, I have updated his sports schedule on the page below.
We had a good weekend. Nice time with my friends Friday night. Busy but ultimately satisfying Saturday. Excellent Sunday, yep good weekend. Got to get started on my puppy training reboot and saw some good results. Still getting into a rhythm with Emily and potty training on the weekends. Enjoyed our first family hike of 2010. And enjoyed my (self) limited football watching.
Role Playing
Friday night we all got together for our role playing game. It was a nice time, although we didn't do a lot of playing, there was more than the usual amount of chatter and talking as we hadn't played in quite a while. But it was a fun time, I enjoy seeing my friends and getting together, even if I don't get to do it nearly as much as I might like.
Puppy Training
Saturday I adopted my new methods of putting a leash and training collar on Spotty pretty much all day. And then dedicated a fair amount of time to actually just working with her while the kids played. And I think there was some good progress made. There were almost no instances of the aggressive barking reaction to being yelled at or feeling threatened. I got James to buy into it so we are on a much better track with her now. We had a few accidents but I can attribute that to her being inside a little more. Although she ended up getting a good amount of outside time with the kids on Saturday and on the walk on Sunday.
Potty training
Saturday early was not good. But once things settled down we stopped having so many accidents, and only 1 on Sunday. I think it really boils down to getting Emily into a rhythm with eating and going to the bathroom at regular intervals as she has not yet really attuned to when she has to go. But overall I think it was better than the week before so there is progress there.
Hiking
Sunday morning we took the family (including Spotty) for a wlak in Red Rocks Canyon, taking advantage of the nice weather. And we all did pretty well. Emily got a little tuckered out, so I had to do soem carrying, but that's okay. It was nice to get into the practice much earlier this year, getting the kids into a better set of habits as far as getting out of the house and not just huddling inside and playing video games. And it was nice to have Spotty along as well, she got some good exercise and some training as well as far as some socialization with other people and dogs. I am thinking that Sunday morning walks/hikes will just be the order of the day this year barring weather concerns. With the goal of making longer and longer ones by summer.
Football
I watched good chunks of the games on Saturday, and a lot less on Sunday. I was pleased that the Cowboys lost, and not as surprised, I remember that this is the Vikings team that was dominating games earlier in the year. And often these late season rolls are cut short by a trip to a rested team's home stadium. I think we are in for a Colts Saints Super Bowl. I think that the Jets Cinderella act will get cut short when they play a Colts team that actually has a plan to win and play the entire game. And I think that the Saints will ride one of the last home field advantages into their first Super Bowl.
Fitness
So after the craziness of last weekend, and then 2 days of off scheduling due to James' illness I should be able to return to a more consistent eating habit and evening exercise program. I am also hoping to start using a couple of my lunch breaks to walk the dog and then eat at work, just to get a little more exercise and time outside.
James basketball
Originally I had signed James up to play in the 3rd & 4th grade level, because I thought he might be ready for it. But after 1 practice it was clear that he was in over his head, so we moved him to the 1st & 2nd grade team. Which is fine, I want him to have fun with these games, not push him above his level. He might have been able to handle that jump in soccer but he just hasn't played as much basketball. This does mean that he will be playing his game early in the day though, I have updated his sports schedule on the page below.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Discipline and the pack
This is just an idea that has been rolling around my head. I have observed over the years that the kids are more respectful of me than Kim. And that trend appears to be followed by Spotty.
With Spotty it's different of course. And it's more a matter of her learning to follow commands from the kids. But on some level I thinks it's an instinct to obey the Alpha male.
The problem and challenge is teaching the young kids better behavior with the dog. They don't realize it but their behavior is what triggers her aggressive instincts. So while my instinct is to protect them and punish her that's wrong in many cases.
I have to restrain that impulse and take as much time teaching and training them, Daniel especially, as I do the dog. Because it's her instinct to bite, bark and growl when wrestling or feeling threatened. So I have to teach them how to play without threatening, rolling or throwing toys etc.
And last I have to realize that we don't all have the same relationship with her. Not expect her to respond the same to me as the kids. Just like the kids react differently to Kim.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
With Spotty it's different of course. And it's more a matter of her learning to follow commands from the kids. But on some level I thinks it's an instinct to obey the Alpha male.
The problem and challenge is teaching the young kids better behavior with the dog. They don't realize it but their behavior is what triggers her aggressive instincts. So while my instinct is to protect them and punish her that's wrong in many cases.
I have to restrain that impulse and take as much time teaching and training them, Daniel especially, as I do the dog. Because it's her instinct to bite, bark and growl when wrestling or feeling threatened. So I have to teach them how to play without threatening, rolling or throwing toys etc.
And last I have to realize that we don't all have the same relationship with her. Not expect her to respond the same to me as the kids. Just like the kids react differently to Kim.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, January 11, 2010
Weekend Recap + Football thoughts
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
What looked to be a promising weekend for productivity ended up being just that, although I sure didn't think that way Friday night. The kids got to enjoy themselves despite some A/V silence times. Emily experienced the normal ups & downs of potty training. We actually got almost everything done from a work perspective that we had wanted to. Toss in a nice walk/bike ride to take advantage of the weather and it all added up to a really nice weekend.
Health Issues
Back in July I had what the Dr. called a blockage in my intestine, and was able to treat it with diet. So Friday came and I was starting to feel a little bad, similar pains. But by Friday night I was feverish, and feeling chills, and was in terrible discomfort all night. The problem is that due to the timing (beginning of the year, change of provider so no insurance cards) I couldn't just go see the Dr. So I went with the same prescription that solved the problem last year: liquid diet (water & gatorade) for 1 day, then the same on Sunday with a couple of pieces of toast. And that more or less did the trick. The fever ended up being a 1 night thing so that may have been an unrelated 24 hour bug.
The problem was that I wasn't exactly what you would call energetic either day. It's a little hard to get real energized when you have no food in you. But I persevered, took care of myself and took breaks when I needed to, and was able to do what I wanted. And now I just need to get back on the eating real light habit. Probably do a semi-vegan approach (no meat or dairy except for butter on toast etc.) for a couple more days. This is not planned, and I don't know what caused it to happen, my habits and everything else had been really good for a while so it kind of caught me by surprise. But I do know that if I am good with my diet and eat lighter I don't get these problems so maybe it was a result of lax habits over the holidays.
Projects
We had allowed the bookcase in the Rec room area to get wildly out of control recently. Between the kids using it as a play area (using VHS movies to build forts for army guys, randomly pulling out books), adding new books and movies without shelving properly etc. it had gotten quite bad (here are some pictures of before and after). So we determined to get it cleaned up, and that was my plan for the weekend. However before we could do that I had to get the back room back under control, putting the Christmas decorations away properly etc. Which I did on Saturday during my sporadic burst of energy. So Sunday we went to work on the bookcase, cleared a lot of stuff out for Goodwill. It felt good to get things back under control.
Potty training
Emily did okay on Saturday, although I just didn't have the timing down real well, so there were a few accidents. But Spotty seems to really have the house breaking down for now. Sunday Emily did great: zero accidents, which I attribute to her handling it better, and our being more on the ball with getting her to go to the potty. I am feeling really good about the progress on this front, just another step in her growing up.
Football
So I held to my plan to watch as little football as possible over the weekend. I watched the first 3 quarters of the Bengals-Jets game, mostly because Emily passed out on my lap and I did not want to move or disturb her. I wasn't exactly impressed by either team. I think something is wrong withe Carson Palmer or they really need better receivers because that passing game was elementary at best. And I didn't watch any at all until I saw that the Cardinals-Packers game had been tied at 38-38, so I watched the end of that game. If there is anything that makes me more bitter towards Mike Martz and the Rams front office than the Super Bowl loss it is their discarding of Kurt Warner when he clearly had a lot of life still in him, sigh. Well the games this weekend look interesting, although I will still not plan my life around watching them.
Misc.
Sunday, after finishing with the bookcase, we went for a walk, taking advantage of the nice weather. James and Daniel rode their bikes, and Emily rode her push bike. And we took Spotty along for her first official walk. It was really nice, the kids got outside, got some exercise. It was Daniels first real chance riding his new bike, and he did quite well. I think if we do more of this he should be able to ditch the training wheels earlier than James did, I think it is just a matter of getting used to pedaling. To be honest James didn't ride his bike much until we took the training wheels off. But hopefully with Daniel we will get him doing it more and in better shape than James was. And Spotty did really well for her first walk. So it was a nice, pleasant time and hopefully something we can do more of this year.
What looked to be a promising weekend for productivity ended up being just that, although I sure didn't think that way Friday night. The kids got to enjoy themselves despite some A/V silence times. Emily experienced the normal ups & downs of potty training. We actually got almost everything done from a work perspective that we had wanted to. Toss in a nice walk/bike ride to take advantage of the weather and it all added up to a really nice weekend.
Health Issues
Back in July I had what the Dr. called a blockage in my intestine, and was able to treat it with diet. So Friday came and I was starting to feel a little bad, similar pains. But by Friday night I was feverish, and feeling chills, and was in terrible discomfort all night. The problem is that due to the timing (beginning of the year, change of provider so no insurance cards) I couldn't just go see the Dr. So I went with the same prescription that solved the problem last year: liquid diet (water & gatorade) for 1 day, then the same on Sunday with a couple of pieces of toast. And that more or less did the trick. The fever ended up being a 1 night thing so that may have been an unrelated 24 hour bug.
The problem was that I wasn't exactly what you would call energetic either day. It's a little hard to get real energized when you have no food in you. But I persevered, took care of myself and took breaks when I needed to, and was able to do what I wanted. And now I just need to get back on the eating real light habit. Probably do a semi-vegan approach (no meat or dairy except for butter on toast etc.) for a couple more days. This is not planned, and I don't know what caused it to happen, my habits and everything else had been really good for a while so it kind of caught me by surprise. But I do know that if I am good with my diet and eat lighter I don't get these problems so maybe it was a result of lax habits over the holidays.
Projects
We had allowed the bookcase in the Rec room area to get wildly out of control recently. Between the kids using it as a play area (using VHS movies to build forts for army guys, randomly pulling out books), adding new books and movies without shelving properly etc. it had gotten quite bad (here are some pictures of before and after). So we determined to get it cleaned up, and that was my plan for the weekend. However before we could do that I had to get the back room back under control, putting the Christmas decorations away properly etc. Which I did on Saturday during my sporadic burst of energy. So Sunday we went to work on the bookcase, cleared a lot of stuff out for Goodwill. It felt good to get things back under control.
Potty training
Emily did okay on Saturday, although I just didn't have the timing down real well, so there were a few accidents. But Spotty seems to really have the house breaking down for now. Sunday Emily did great: zero accidents, which I attribute to her handling it better, and our being more on the ball with getting her to go to the potty. I am feeling really good about the progress on this front, just another step in her growing up.
Football
So I held to my plan to watch as little football as possible over the weekend. I watched the first 3 quarters of the Bengals-Jets game, mostly because Emily passed out on my lap and I did not want to move or disturb her. I wasn't exactly impressed by either team. I think something is wrong withe Carson Palmer or they really need better receivers because that passing game was elementary at best. And I didn't watch any at all until I saw that the Cardinals-Packers game had been tied at 38-38, so I watched the end of that game. If there is anything that makes me more bitter towards Mike Martz and the Rams front office than the Super Bowl loss it is their discarding of Kurt Warner when he clearly had a lot of life still in him, sigh. Well the games this weekend look interesting, although I will still not plan my life around watching them.
Misc.
Sunday, after finishing with the bookcase, we went for a walk, taking advantage of the nice weather. James and Daniel rode their bikes, and Emily rode her push bike. And we took Spotty along for her first official walk. It was really nice, the kids got outside, got some exercise. It was Daniels first real chance riding his new bike, and he did quite well. I think if we do more of this he should be able to ditch the training wheels earlier than James did, I think it is just a matter of getting used to pedaling. To be honest James didn't ride his bike much until we took the training wheels off. But hopefully with Daniel we will get him doing it more and in better shape than James was. And Spotty did really well for her first walk. So it was a nice, pleasant time and hopefully something we can do more of this year.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Weekend Plans + Football Friday
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
This weekend is all about staying home and working on some house projects, potty training and some family game time. Initially I was looking forward to getting the kids out of the house this weekend, but then I realized that a big decision we kind of made this week meant we are best served staying home. But that's okay, I am motivated to get some work done in the basement, in the never ending war of parents versus clutter and kids. I will probably take some time to watch some of the games this weekend, but my appetite for football has taken a hit recently, and now if there is anything else going on I should be content skipping watching.
Earlier this week we just kind of decided that the time had come for Emily to go full bore on potty training. Which meant that she doesn't wear anything but panties and pants at Day Care and ideally at home until bedtime. But that means this weekend is kind of crucial for her so it is best we stay home where we can keep her on the set schedule of times to go to the potty, and have a good supply of clothes to change into when accidents occur. Of course that also encourages us to keep focusing on Spotty's housebreaking. The side product of this is it feels like my life and vocabulary are all about poop and pee.
The basement project stems from my application of the broken windows theory of law enforcement. I think that if you have a cluttered house then kids are far less likely to try and do their part to clean things up. So it is up to us to do our part to reclaim control of our book and movie shelf area and desk so the kids don't see that clutter and become encouraged to destroy. I'll probably do some documenting on Flickr just for my own record keeping (and because I like to record processes like that).
Football
So the pro regular season and college bowl seasons are over, leaving the pro playoffs. And while I enjoy watching football, I am having a hard time getting really excited for any of the games. So any watching this weekend will probably be incidental rather than planned.
Now that the college bowl season is over I have come to a conclusion that what is needed is not a playoff. What is really needed is a salary cap on program spending and coach's salaries. I think as long as the Alabama's and Texas' are allowed to spend 3-5 million dollars on a coach, while supposedly equal programs don't have anywhere close to the samebudgets there is no parity. We already see a scenario where the last 8 National Championships have come from 6 schools in the Top 4 conferences, all of which have huge coffers. When seemingly only the top 10% of schools have a chance at a championship it takes away the interest in the game. There truly is no parity or true competition at the top levels of the BCS anymore, and I for one am getting tired of it.
Fitness
So we had our first full week of using the Wii for working out. I feel better about doing that than doing nothing. And hopefully with the routine settling down my eating habits can get back to what they were, and major progress will happen on the fitness routine. Of course that does mean that some times we have to fight the kids for control of the Wii, because the boys really enjoy playing games on it. But that is just a matter of setting expectations more than anything.
This weekend is all about staying home and working on some house projects, potty training and some family game time. Initially I was looking forward to getting the kids out of the house this weekend, but then I realized that a big decision we kind of made this week meant we are best served staying home. But that's okay, I am motivated to get some work done in the basement, in the never ending war of parents versus clutter and kids. I will probably take some time to watch some of the games this weekend, but my appetite for football has taken a hit recently, and now if there is anything else going on I should be content skipping watching.
Earlier this week we just kind of decided that the time had come for Emily to go full bore on potty training. Which meant that she doesn't wear anything but panties and pants at Day Care and ideally at home until bedtime. But that means this weekend is kind of crucial for her so it is best we stay home where we can keep her on the set schedule of times to go to the potty, and have a good supply of clothes to change into when accidents occur. Of course that also encourages us to keep focusing on Spotty's housebreaking. The side product of this is it feels like my life and vocabulary are all about poop and pee.
The basement project stems from my application of the broken windows theory of law enforcement. I think that if you have a cluttered house then kids are far less likely to try and do their part to clean things up. So it is up to us to do our part to reclaim control of our book and movie shelf area and desk so the kids don't see that clutter and become encouraged to destroy. I'll probably do some documenting on Flickr just for my own record keeping (and because I like to record processes like that).
Football
So the pro regular season and college bowl seasons are over, leaving the pro playoffs. And while I enjoy watching football, I am having a hard time getting really excited for any of the games. So any watching this weekend will probably be incidental rather than planned.
Now that the college bowl season is over I have come to a conclusion that what is needed is not a playoff. What is really needed is a salary cap on program spending and coach's salaries. I think as long as the Alabama's and Texas' are allowed to spend 3-5 million dollars on a coach, while supposedly equal programs don't have anywhere close to the samebudgets there is no parity. We already see a scenario where the last 8 National Championships have come from 6 schools in the Top 4 conferences, all of which have huge coffers. When seemingly only the top 10% of schools have a chance at a championship it takes away the interest in the game. There truly is no parity or true competition at the top levels of the BCS anymore, and I for one am getting tired of it.
Fitness
So we had our first full week of using the Wii for working out. I feel better about doing that than doing nothing. And hopefully with the routine settling down my eating habits can get back to what they were, and major progress will happen on the fitness routine. Of course that does mean that some times we have to fight the kids for control of the Wii, because the boys really enjoy playing games on it. But that is just a matter of setting expectations more than anything.
Happy Birthday Dad
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
Happy Birthday to my Father
Here is a clip of a song that I thought of for him today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAZaVmW12vM&feature=youtube_gdata
Have a good one today Dad, and enjoy your trip.
Happy Birthday to my Father
Here is a clip of a song that I thought of for him today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAZaVmW12vM&feature=youtube_gdata
Have a good one today Dad, and enjoy your trip.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Move Your Money
Move Your Money
Here is a supremely good thing you can do, that will help our country escape from the clutches of the obscenely rich plutocrats who have bought and paid for our political system. "Too Big to Fail" is one of the worst phrases to come out of the past years politics, no company should ever be that big. If you want to know what you can do to help fight this trend visit the site and follow the directions.
Of course I was proud to realize that my money has been in a local institution for nearly my entire life.
Here is a supremely good thing you can do, that will help our country escape from the clutches of the obscenely rich plutocrats who have bought and paid for our political system. "Too Big to Fail" is one of the worst phrases to come out of the past years politics, no company should ever be that big. If you want to know what you can do to help fight this trend visit the site and follow the directions.
Of course I was proud to realize that my money has been in a local institution for nearly my entire life.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Avatar
I took my 8 year old son to see this movie on Sunday (courtesy of a present from his uncle Dave). We really enjoyed the movie. The story is a classic one of colonial goes 'native' and ends up siding with the natives. A classic story that has been used in multiple settings.
But it wasn't the story that captured my attention. What captured my attention and wonder was the technical achievments in the film. When you can have a movie filled with 10 foot tall aliens, flying steeds, floating mountains and it doesn't feel forced then something wonderful has been captured.
Watching this movie made me feel like any science fiction or fantasy story is now possible. The only limits are the will to make it and the script.
A lot of people have tried to view this movie through the lenses of politics. I can see how people inject that into this, but I really didn't feel that it detracted from the movie (although of course I generally approved of the message).
I would recommend this movie highly for fans of action and fans of science fiction. I do look forward to seeing it on a regular screen to see if the impact is the same.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
But it wasn't the story that captured my attention. What captured my attention and wonder was the technical achievments in the film. When you can have a movie filled with 10 foot tall aliens, flying steeds, floating mountains and it doesn't feel forced then something wonderful has been captured.
Watching this movie made me feel like any science fiction or fantasy story is now possible. The only limits are the will to make it and the script.
A lot of people have tried to view this movie through the lenses of politics. I can see how people inject that into this, but I really didn't feel that it detracted from the movie (although of course I generally approved of the message).
I would recommend this movie highly for fans of action and fans of science fiction. I do look forward to seeing it on a regular screen to see if the impact is the same.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Testing a new feature
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
In the interest of providing better content for my readers I have added a new feature to the blog. When I mention an item that can be purchased on Amazon (and really what can't be bought on Amazon) there will be a link to Amazon so you can find out more about it, and buy it if you want. (In the interest of disclosure I will get a a percentage of purchases so buy everything I link to, in copious quantities, now! buy it now!) Just kidding, I will restrain what I link to to things I really think are interesting.
As an example last week I wrote about a book I was reading: Death Masks: A Novel of the Dresden Files (The Dresden Files, Book 5)
That's how it will work. No hard sell, just a useful option.
In the interest of providing better content for my readers I have added a new feature to the blog. When I mention an item that can be purchased on Amazon (and really what can't be bought on Amazon) there will be a link to Amazon so you can find out more about it, and buy it if you want. (In the interest of disclosure I will get a a percentage of purchases so buy everything I link to, in copious quantities, now! buy it now!) Just kidding, I will restrain what I link to to things I really think are interesting.
As an example last week I wrote about a book I was reading: Death Masks: A Novel of the Dresden Files (The Dresden Files, Book 5)
That's how it will work. No hard sell, just a useful option.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Weekend Recap + some 'resolutions'
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
This past 3 day weekend confirmed for me that while I love my family, and enjoy spending time with them, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. I definitely reached my breaking point by Saturday afternoon with the demanding 8 year old, whiny 4 year old, terrible 2 year old and puppy. But I persevered, and at least I have that as backing for enjoying my work time as a sanity check, and with school returning this week the kids should get more manageable.
Football
Season is over, the Rams had a miserable season and deservedly get the 1st pick in the draft. The Broncos failed to make the playoffs which is what I expected at the beginning of the season, just not in the fashion it occurred: 6-0 start to end with a 2-8 end. So now I can look forward to more time on the weekends to focus on other higher priorities like household projects, family time, fitness etc.
'Resolutions'
I am not one to make resolutions, because I know that I have a generally poor track record for such things. But I have decided to set some somewhat vague gals for this year, that aren't super time sensitive, but do fit in with my general practices that I have been following for the past 5 months or so. So all I have to do to meet these goals is keep doing what I had been doing already, whcih shouldn't be that hard.
Goal One
Reach a weight below 190. Again this is an end of the year goal, that should just require my continuing to follow the same habits I already had in place as far as better eating habits, and finding better ways to spend my down time at home.
Goal Two
Run a 5K, I had started the Couch to 5K program but the time change and weather put an end to my evening jogs. I think I can accomplish by years end though, although I will be starting the year with just in home fitness work with the Wii until the days get longer again. And hopefully by that time I will have Spotty leash trained so I can have her as a training partner.
Goal Three
Ride bikes more as a family. Since James can now ride on his own, and Daniel got a 2 wheeler for Christmas and Emily old enough to ride her new trike by summer hopefully we can take a few short excursions, and once I get more comfortable and fitter I can use the trailer for Emily and/or Daniel if needed. This is just a bigger part of the overall goal of getting the family out of the house this year, including some possible camping excursions.
That's pretty much it. Nothing too outlandish like entering a triathlon or run a marathon. Just improving my health and involving the whole family in that process.
This past 3 day weekend confirmed for me that while I love my family, and enjoy spending time with them, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. I definitely reached my breaking point by Saturday afternoon with the demanding 8 year old, whiny 4 year old, terrible 2 year old and puppy. But I persevered, and at least I have that as backing for enjoying my work time as a sanity check, and with school returning this week the kids should get more manageable.
Football
Season is over, the Rams had a miserable season and deservedly get the 1st pick in the draft. The Broncos failed to make the playoffs which is what I expected at the beginning of the season, just not in the fashion it occurred: 6-0 start to end with a 2-8 end. So now I can look forward to more time on the weekends to focus on other higher priorities like household projects, family time, fitness etc.
'Resolutions'
I am not one to make resolutions, because I know that I have a generally poor track record for such things. But I have decided to set some somewhat vague gals for this year, that aren't super time sensitive, but do fit in with my general practices that I have been following for the past 5 months or so. So all I have to do to meet these goals is keep doing what I had been doing already, whcih shouldn't be that hard.
Goal One
Reach a weight below 190. Again this is an end of the year goal, that should just require my continuing to follow the same habits I already had in place as far as better eating habits, and finding better ways to spend my down time at home.
Goal Two
Run a 5K, I had started the Couch to 5K program but the time change and weather put an end to my evening jogs. I think I can accomplish by years end though, although I will be starting the year with just in home fitness work with the Wii until the days get longer again. And hopefully by that time I will have Spotty leash trained so I can have her as a training partner.
Goal Three
Ride bikes more as a family. Since James can now ride on his own, and Daniel got a 2 wheeler for Christmas and Emily old enough to ride her new trike by summer hopefully we can take a few short excursions, and once I get more comfortable and fitter I can use the trailer for Emily and/or Daniel if needed. This is just a bigger part of the overall goal of getting the family out of the house this year, including some possible camping excursions.
That's pretty much it. Nothing too outlandish like entering a triathlon or run a marathon. Just improving my health and involving the whole family in that process.
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