Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
So yesterday we got the call that if we wanted Emily to get into BV this year we had to sign her up now. So Kim went down and wrote the check, and picked up all of the forms. Which means that as of November 1 my Baby Em will be moving from Old Town Day Care to the BV preschool! How did that happen? How did I reach the point of dropping all 3 kids at the same place? She's not supposed to be in preschool already!
Of course she is, she turns 3 soon. Her potty training is pretty much complete for day time. She is capable of speaking in intelligible full sentences. She tries to count to 10. So she's ready, and I think she will thrive. But that doesn't mean I'm not supposed to be affected by the idea of my Baby Em no longer being the baby.
Training
Had a couple of accomplishments this week. My Tuesday 'recovery' run, 32 minutes at a slow pace, was done with so little effort that I hardly felt like I was breathing hard when I finished it. Today's workout was very hard.
http://www.adidas.com/us/micoach/WorkoutDetails.aspx?WID=392beb03-ede8-4c61-a3e8-912ca6e6074f
But I not only did well, but I ended up with a personal best mile time, and an overall personal best 5K time. So while there are times it feels like I am just treading water on these workouts, that is not the case. I am definitely getting stronger as a runner every time.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Good weekend, loads of running around, followed by day of relaxation
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
That was a good weekend for recharging batteries, even though Saturday was still quite hectic. Survived a long picture day with Soccer. Got some much needed errands done for birthday party preparation. Had a quiet dinner out, making up fro plans falling through. Sunday was a work day at home, got lots done, then relaxation time. Football was an unexpected break even. Painted, but not as much as I hoped, and did not get in a game of Warzone.
Family
Saturday was a tough day as far as just a long full day with lots of things going on. 3 soccer games, plus picture day. It was good to have Kim there, but sometimes the kids act differently with both parents around and Saturday was an example of that. But we got about as much as normal from Emily (very little playing time) and Daniel (plenty of running around, but not exactly in the middle of the action). James' game went very well, he ended up with 2 goals, and could have had the hat trick but held up and let his teammates ball go into the goal on it's own.
We got in some shopping, mostly discovering what James and Emily want (He wants Lego, specifically Kingdoms, Prince of Persia and Pirates, not so much Star Wars). And then set up his birthday party for his friends (Laserquest, up to 13 friends, that's definitely asking for trouble for us).
The plan had been to cap the day with a couples dinner with good friends, but that was cancelled, so Kim & I went to dinner instead. Which was nice to be able to eat without having to deal with 3 kids.
Sunday we got some cleaning done, clearing out the clutter from our room, and the laundry room. Plus I sealed the 2 broken windows that were a problem. It was nice to actually accomplish something on a Sunday instead of just vegging out in front of the TV.
Training
It felt good to get out this morning for a Monday morning run for a change, I hadn't slept good for a couple of nights and I can only attribute part of that to the lack of morning runs. Skipping those 2 days last week (although technically it was only 1) really messed me up. But I am back on track, and Friday I plan to try for a long run.
Miniatures
Didn't get to painting until last night, so not nearly as much progress as I hoped. But it isn't a drag, just busy with other things. Did not work in the time for a game with James though, have to find a way to make that a priority next weekend. I was debating on buying him a copy of Heroscape for his birthday, as an entry level miniature game but decided not to, just focus on teaching the games I have, he doesn't really need the entry level stuff at this point.
Football
Well the Rebels won going way, which was good for a change. Still doubt they will make much noise in the SEC, one of the things I am noticing more and more is how many Ole Miss players are 1st or second year in the NFL, which shows how talented the team was, but also shows how much they have lost as well.
Denver Broncos
Well, another disappointing game, shooting ourselves in the foot with turnovers and errors. I'm not sure if it's talent, coaching or what. But to keep things in perspective, we had a good chance to beat the defending AFC champions and lost as much due to our mistakes and not as much because they beat us. Of course if this beating ourselves becomes a trend then it ceases to become an excuse and instead becomes a serious problem. Very frustrating though. And I would have thought we had a real good chance for a Tebow Wildcat, but apparently he wasn't available anyway, coaching problems?
St. Louis Rams
A rather sound defeat of the Redskins helped soften the Broncos loss for me. The team proved it can play hard, and even play a complete game. And we had the type of game that really demonstrates why we selected Bradford number 1. So there was a lot of positives to take away from the game. If you told me before the season started that the Rams and Broncos would have the same record after 3 games I would have been happy with that (although I would have preferred that same record to be 2-1 or 3-0).
That was a good weekend for recharging batteries, even though Saturday was still quite hectic. Survived a long picture day with Soccer. Got some much needed errands done for birthday party preparation. Had a quiet dinner out, making up fro plans falling through. Sunday was a work day at home, got lots done, then relaxation time. Football was an unexpected break even. Painted, but not as much as I hoped, and did not get in a game of Warzone.
Family
Saturday was a tough day as far as just a long full day with lots of things going on. 3 soccer games, plus picture day. It was good to have Kim there, but sometimes the kids act differently with both parents around and Saturday was an example of that. But we got about as much as normal from Emily (very little playing time) and Daniel (plenty of running around, but not exactly in the middle of the action). James' game went very well, he ended up with 2 goals, and could have had the hat trick but held up and let his teammates ball go into the goal on it's own.
We got in some shopping, mostly discovering what James and Emily want (He wants Lego, specifically Kingdoms, Prince of Persia and Pirates, not so much Star Wars). And then set up his birthday party for his friends (Laserquest, up to 13 friends, that's definitely asking for trouble for us).
The plan had been to cap the day with a couples dinner with good friends, but that was cancelled, so Kim & I went to dinner instead. Which was nice to be able to eat without having to deal with 3 kids.
Sunday we got some cleaning done, clearing out the clutter from our room, and the laundry room. Plus I sealed the 2 broken windows that were a problem. It was nice to actually accomplish something on a Sunday instead of just vegging out in front of the TV.
Training
It felt good to get out this morning for a Monday morning run for a change, I hadn't slept good for a couple of nights and I can only attribute part of that to the lack of morning runs. Skipping those 2 days last week (although technically it was only 1) really messed me up. But I am back on track, and Friday I plan to try for a long run.
Miniatures
Didn't get to painting until last night, so not nearly as much progress as I hoped. But it isn't a drag, just busy with other things. Did not work in the time for a game with James though, have to find a way to make that a priority next weekend. I was debating on buying him a copy of Heroscape for his birthday, as an entry level miniature game but decided not to, just focus on teaching the games I have, he doesn't really need the entry level stuff at this point.
Football
Well the Rebels won going way, which was good for a change. Still doubt they will make much noise in the SEC, one of the things I am noticing more and more is how many Ole Miss players are 1st or second year in the NFL, which shows how talented the team was, but also shows how much they have lost as well.
Denver Broncos
Well, another disappointing game, shooting ourselves in the foot with turnovers and errors. I'm not sure if it's talent, coaching or what. But to keep things in perspective, we had a good chance to beat the defending AFC champions and lost as much due to our mistakes and not as much because they beat us. Of course if this beating ourselves becomes a trend then it ceases to become an excuse and instead becomes a serious problem. Very frustrating though. And I would have thought we had a real good chance for a Tebow Wildcat, but apparently he wasn't available anyway, coaching problems?
St. Louis Rams
A rather sound defeat of the Redskins helped soften the Broncos loss for me. The team proved it can play hard, and even play a complete game. And we had the type of game that really demonstrates why we selected Bradford number 1. So there was a lot of positives to take away from the game. If you told me before the season started that the Rams and Broncos would have the same record after 3 games I would have been happy with that (although I would have preferred that same record to be 2-1 or 3-0).
Friday, September 24, 2010
Planning another dual personality weekend
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
Busy Saturday, with kids soccer then a night out with friends. Sunday: empty of plans, hopefully get in another game of Warzone with James. Also hoping to solidify the plans for James' birthday party for his friends so we can get the ball rolling on invitations etc. Took another break from training today. And hopefully find some time in there to get in some painting as well.
Family
Saturday is a busy day, back to 3 games of soccer, although nicely spaced out. And, more importantly, Kim took the day off so she will be there to help, which will be really nice. Saturday night Kim & I have a night out planned, dinner with some good friends we haven't seen in a couple of months. Which we are both looking forward to, a break from the kids is good from time to time.
Sunday is wide open right now. I am sure we will find some time to watch the Bronco game, but it won't be a dead day for me of being glued to the couch, which I am looking forward to. And I hope to reserve some time to play a game with James as well. But some time over the weekend we need to carve out some time to look at the options for James' birthday and settle on that so we can reserve the space and start on the invites.
Training
When my alarm went off this morning I just turned it off. Today was supposed to be a light run today, but since my schedule got all messed up this week I ended up with no break day. So when it was time today I decided to take a break. I don't think it will affect my overall training plan, and I clearly needed the sleep since I ended up sleeping another 1.5 hours. I might get up early tomorrow for a run, but if I don't it won't be the end of the world.
Miniatures
Looking forward to taking James to the next step in learning Warzone. Moving beyond the bare bones of the game, learning some more sophisticated rules, and learning how to deal with multiple units. And hoping to carve out the time to paint some this weekend as well, finish my Cybertronic army completely. That is my overall plan right now: one force at a time, finish it, then move one to the next.
Football
Quick Thoughts for my teams
CU Buffs
No game this week, Hawkins gets another week reprieve.
Ole Miss Rebels
Fresno State, in Oxford. Should be a winnable game. But if there is one thing this season has taught us is that idea cannot be relied on, there is no such thing as a reliable winnable game.
Denver Broncos
Playing the Colts and Peyton Manning, with both starting corners hurting, and on an emotional low from the death of a team mate. Pretty much spells out the formula for a loss. If there was a time for McDaniels to show his credentials as a coach, this is the week. Not sure that's going to happen, but this season in the NFL has not exactly held to expected form either.
St. Louis Rams
Hosting the Redskins, on the face of it, a winnable game. But I am beginning to doubt the ability of this coaching staff to be able to really handle the elements of a truly rebuilding team. Because with the talent level so low, this is a time when you would think that they would be letting rookies play, but they seem to stubbornly refuse to do so with 2 players who might provide some element of explosion in the offense that has been missing so far. We'll see what happens, but if they lose this one, I doubt they are looking at much better than a 3-4 win season, which is better than the last 2 years, but not what I would call real progress.
Busy Saturday, with kids soccer then a night out with friends. Sunday: empty of plans, hopefully get in another game of Warzone with James. Also hoping to solidify the plans for James' birthday party for his friends so we can get the ball rolling on invitations etc. Took another break from training today. And hopefully find some time in there to get in some painting as well.
Family
Saturday is a busy day, back to 3 games of soccer, although nicely spaced out. And, more importantly, Kim took the day off so she will be there to help, which will be really nice. Saturday night Kim & I have a night out planned, dinner with some good friends we haven't seen in a couple of months. Which we are both looking forward to, a break from the kids is good from time to time.
Sunday is wide open right now. I am sure we will find some time to watch the Bronco game, but it won't be a dead day for me of being glued to the couch, which I am looking forward to. And I hope to reserve some time to play a game with James as well. But some time over the weekend we need to carve out some time to look at the options for James' birthday and settle on that so we can reserve the space and start on the invites.
Training
When my alarm went off this morning I just turned it off. Today was supposed to be a light run today, but since my schedule got all messed up this week I ended up with no break day. So when it was time today I decided to take a break. I don't think it will affect my overall training plan, and I clearly needed the sleep since I ended up sleeping another 1.5 hours. I might get up early tomorrow for a run, but if I don't it won't be the end of the world.
Miniatures
Looking forward to taking James to the next step in learning Warzone. Moving beyond the bare bones of the game, learning some more sophisticated rules, and learning how to deal with multiple units. And hoping to carve out the time to paint some this weekend as well, finish my Cybertronic army completely. That is my overall plan right now: one force at a time, finish it, then move one to the next.
Football
Quick Thoughts for my teams
CU Buffs
No game this week, Hawkins gets another week reprieve.
Ole Miss Rebels
Fresno State, in Oxford. Should be a winnable game. But if there is one thing this season has taught us is that idea cannot be relied on, there is no such thing as a reliable winnable game.
Denver Broncos
Playing the Colts and Peyton Manning, with both starting corners hurting, and on an emotional low from the death of a team mate. Pretty much spells out the formula for a loss. If there was a time for McDaniels to show his credentials as a coach, this is the week. Not sure that's going to happen, but this season in the NFL has not exactly held to expected form either.
St. Louis Rams
Hosting the Redskins, on the face of it, a winnable game. But I am beginning to doubt the ability of this coaching staff to be able to really handle the elements of a truly rebuilding team. Because with the talent level so low, this is a time when you would think that they would be letting rookies play, but they seem to stubbornly refuse to do so with 2 players who might provide some element of explosion in the offense that has been missing so far. We'll see what happens, but if they lose this one, I doubt they are looking at much better than a 3-4 win season, which is better than the last 2 years, but not what I would call real progress.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Wednesday Miscellanea
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
Body slowly adjusting to different schedule in training this week. Mixed results so far this week in the Fall TV shows. Referring all political threads to Tumblr for now.
Training
After that missed timing on Monday my body has hard a hard time adjusting to the schedule for running this week. Not so much getting up early, but it has taken a little longer to get the legs moving. But I am persevering, pushing on. I had an idea that next Friday, which I have off from work, I might push my training off until after I drop the kids off, but then try for an extended run, just try and see how far I can run.
Television
Mixed results from the new Fall season shows so far. Hard to tell right now just how much I will really get engrossed in the shows. I think it will be easy to skip out on House, but the NCIS shows are still pretty good, so not ready to quit on them. And the Monday night comedies were just there, funny, but only sort of. The first 2 episodes of the Clone Wars were quite good though, looking forward to getting Season 2 on DVD. Not sure yet if I will be able to get into a mode of painting while watching just yet.
Politics
I have been tinkering with the Tumblr thread, and have decided to move the majority of my political links and posts over there for now. Just makes it easier to manage. So if you are looking for my input on that subject see the links box on the right of the page for the Tumblr page.
Body slowly adjusting to different schedule in training this week. Mixed results so far this week in the Fall TV shows. Referring all political threads to Tumblr for now.
Training
After that missed timing on Monday my body has hard a hard time adjusting to the schedule for running this week. Not so much getting up early, but it has taken a little longer to get the legs moving. But I am persevering, pushing on. I had an idea that next Friday, which I have off from work, I might push my training off until after I drop the kids off, but then try for an extended run, just try and see how far I can run.
Television
Mixed results from the new Fall season shows so far. Hard to tell right now just how much I will really get engrossed in the shows. I think it will be easy to skip out on House, but the NCIS shows are still pretty good, so not ready to quit on them. And the Monday night comedies were just there, funny, but only sort of. The first 2 episodes of the Clone Wars were quite good though, looking forward to getting Season 2 on DVD. Not sure yet if I will be able to get into a mode of painting while watching just yet.
Politics
I have been tinkering with the Tumblr thread, and have decided to move the majority of my political links and posts over there for now. Just makes it easier to manage. So if you are looking for my input on that subject see the links box on the right of the page for the Tumblr page.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Mixed Results from the weekend
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
Relaxing, despite a multitude of family events. Didn't get in nearly as much hobby time as I would have liked, although still got in 1 teaching game with James. Watched far too much football though, despite positive results from watching. Looking forward to some time off in a couple of weeks.
Family
The Emily soccer experiment continues, she tried going out on the field with one of the other girls holding her hand, but that only lasted until the other girl started running and Emily fell, it's a process, no expectations of her turning into Mia Hamm overnight. James played very well, getting 2 assists as his team dominated again. And it was fun for him to have both of his grandpa's at the game.
Connie's birthday was definitely a success, everyone had a good time, especially her. Lots of Ladderball, some cards, lots of good food and visiting. I got in some good basketball, challenged by 2 active 14 year olds, still feeling a little sore from that, but I still beat them.
Sunday was another very relaxing day for me, as Kim took off for the day again. Which meant I could relax, but after 2 weekends of that I am already tired of not doing anything, I enjoy it more when Kim is around, keeping me busy either with projects, or getting out of the house.
Miniatures
So I got a pair of reading glasses, and got a chance to use them yesterday, and am very glad I did, it makes painting much easier. And far less eye strain. Although I couldn't do as much painting as I would have liked due to not having anyone else there, it's a little tough when the kids start getting bored to stay focused on painting. Plus it's hard to have the football game on now when I am painting because I can't see the TV with the glasses on, so if I want to look up at a ply I have to adjust the glasses. That will take some getting used to that's for sure.
Got in a simple training game of Ultimate Warzone with James. It went well, he started getting into the groove of the rules process as the game progresses. Of course he is very lucky with his dice rolls so he butchered me in the game, but that's just part of the fun. I wouldn't have wanted to just kill him right off the bat, that wouldn't have made for a good training session. I learned that lesson before, when teaching someone to play, if you want them to enjoy the game and play more, the best thing to do is keep them in the game, even if it means heping them or not playing your best.
Football
Mixed results, better than last weekends debacle, but still not the ideal.
CU Buffs
Came back from a 10-0, 17-3 deficit to win 31-17. Which is good, but really, how do you fall behind like that at home against a WAC team? The jury is still very much in the air on this season. It's a classic case of there's real talent there, but having a lot of problems getting it to play as a team on anything like a consistent basis. Which can be pointed at the coaching staff failures more than anyting.
Ole Miss Rebels
Yes I will keep calling the Rebels, just because I am stubborn like that. Of course losses to Vanderbilt don't exactly encourage me to follow the team very strongly either. Crazy, and yet another example of talent, but no cohesion or consistency, which is the oddest thing. Because the hallmark of Nutt's Arkansas teams were that they always seemed to play above their talent level, not below it.
Denver Broncos
That was a good win. Really showed what the team was capable of. Did it help that the other team made several mistakes? Yes, of course, but when we lost in week 1 it was as much due to our mistakes as the other team played mistake free. Realistically very few teams in the NFL can win games despite making more mistakes, the league is just too close talent wise. So we will feel good about taking care of business on our side of that equation in this win, and move on to the next game and hope we can do the same again next week.
St. Louis Rams
Since I didn't watch the game I don't exactly know what happened. I gathered from watching the score all afternoon that they played well in spurts, but in the end the talent level hurt. And from what I can read apparently there is a problem with decision making as well at the coaching level. But that's hard to separate the 2 at the Rams level.
Relaxing, despite a multitude of family events. Didn't get in nearly as much hobby time as I would have liked, although still got in 1 teaching game with James. Watched far too much football though, despite positive results from watching. Looking forward to some time off in a couple of weeks.
Family
The Emily soccer experiment continues, she tried going out on the field with one of the other girls holding her hand, but that only lasted until the other girl started running and Emily fell, it's a process, no expectations of her turning into Mia Hamm overnight. James played very well, getting 2 assists as his team dominated again. And it was fun for him to have both of his grandpa's at the game.
Connie's birthday was definitely a success, everyone had a good time, especially her. Lots of Ladderball, some cards, lots of good food and visiting. I got in some good basketball, challenged by 2 active 14 year olds, still feeling a little sore from that, but I still beat them.
Sunday was another very relaxing day for me, as Kim took off for the day again. Which meant I could relax, but after 2 weekends of that I am already tired of not doing anything, I enjoy it more when Kim is around, keeping me busy either with projects, or getting out of the house.
Miniatures
So I got a pair of reading glasses, and got a chance to use them yesterday, and am very glad I did, it makes painting much easier. And far less eye strain. Although I couldn't do as much painting as I would have liked due to not having anyone else there, it's a little tough when the kids start getting bored to stay focused on painting. Plus it's hard to have the football game on now when I am painting because I can't see the TV with the glasses on, so if I want to look up at a ply I have to adjust the glasses. That will take some getting used to that's for sure.
Got in a simple training game of Ultimate Warzone with James. It went well, he started getting into the groove of the rules process as the game progresses. Of course he is very lucky with his dice rolls so he butchered me in the game, but that's just part of the fun. I wouldn't have wanted to just kill him right off the bat, that wouldn't have made for a good training session. I learned that lesson before, when teaching someone to play, if you want them to enjoy the game and play more, the best thing to do is keep them in the game, even if it means heping them or not playing your best.
Football
Mixed results, better than last weekends debacle, but still not the ideal.
CU Buffs
Came back from a 10-0, 17-3 deficit to win 31-17. Which is good, but really, how do you fall behind like that at home against a WAC team? The jury is still very much in the air on this season. It's a classic case of there's real talent there, but having a lot of problems getting it to play as a team on anything like a consistent basis. Which can be pointed at the coaching staff failures more than anyting.
Ole Miss Rebels
Yes I will keep calling the Rebels, just because I am stubborn like that. Of course losses to Vanderbilt don't exactly encourage me to follow the team very strongly either. Crazy, and yet another example of talent, but no cohesion or consistency, which is the oddest thing. Because the hallmark of Nutt's Arkansas teams were that they always seemed to play above their talent level, not below it.
Denver Broncos
That was a good win. Really showed what the team was capable of. Did it help that the other team made several mistakes? Yes, of course, but when we lost in week 1 it was as much due to our mistakes as the other team played mistake free. Realistically very few teams in the NFL can win games despite making more mistakes, the league is just too close talent wise. So we will feel good about taking care of business on our side of that equation in this win, and move on to the next game and hope we can do the same again next week.
St. Louis Rams
Since I didn't watch the game I don't exactly know what happened. I gathered from watching the score all afternoon that they played well in spurts, but in the end the talent level hurt. And from what I can read apparently there is a problem with decision making as well at the coaching level. But that's hard to separate the 2 at the Rams level.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Pre-Weekend Report
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
Getting ready for another split personality weekend. Saturday: busy with lots of plans, Sunday: relaxed no plans. Happy with my training progress, and being honest about the weight. Looking forward to actually teaching James to play a new game this weekend. Of course football is on tap, but not sure how much time it will get 100% of my attention, if any.
Family
Soccer Saturday, only 2 games with Daniel getting a bye, and a big gap of time between. Which works out well because I can then plan to use the time in between to do some shopping and then cleaning in preparation for hosting a party for Connie. Which will end up filling out the rest of the day.
Sunday on the other hand is still totally empty of any commitments. So, other than watching some football off and on I should be able to get in some painting, and possible even take some time to teach James to play Warzone.
Training
Had my relaxed workout today. After 2 weeks of this new program I am pleased with it. It feels like I am actually accomplishing something, and making some kind of progress towards a goal, instead of just seeing how long and far I can run, without any kind of direction.
Deciding to accept where I am weight wise, and stop stressing about not breaking through the current plateau. I have been hovering in the 177 to 179 range for a good couple of months now. And I have to be honest, I don't have the motivation to do the constant day to day, meal to meal calorie counting I would need to do to really push below that number. The reality is I have made huge progress from a year ago, and I am happy to be under 180 by my 44th birthday. So I will keep up the running, because I have come to really enjoy that, plus it is actually interesting and challenging to try building up what I can do. Now I can hope that once I start really increasing what I can do there's a good chance that weight does come down, but I can't beat myself up if it doesn't.
Miniatures
Trying to maintain the painting momentum, but really need to spring for those glasses ASAP, because if I try painting in the evening, when my eyes are already tired, I wear out real quick. But it's fun to do that painting.
So the figures I am focusing on are for the game Warzone. This was one of my favorite Table Top miniature games. I began playing it when it first came out, and remained one of the few reliable torch bearers for the game as it gradually died in popularity. One of the problems with it was that it went through 3 rules sets, and there were real problems with each. The first was a terribly unbalanced game, it was probably the most fun to play, but if you picked certain armies you could very easily make yourself a nearly unbeatable force. The second set of rules was more balanced, but then it suffered from the Games Workshop army book syndrome. Each new army was tougher than the previous ones. And this was made even worse by the parent company going belly up before all of the books were produced. A secondary publisher came out with a third rules set, which was really a work of love by a couple of fans of the game. I was not a fan of the people who wrote that set at the time it came out. So I was not unbiased in my analysis of the rules.
But, after spending some time tinkering with the first set and really seeing again how unbalanced they were I realized that it might not be the best thing to teach James those rules. So I decided to pull out that copy of Ultimate Warzone again and look at it with a less biased eye. And to be honest it is a more comprehensive, and simpler overall rules set. And the different army lists are all self contained and balanced. I will look at it more closely and use this set to teach James, and assuming I don't run into any major problems this will be the set I use moving forward.
Football
So I guess I should do a quick analysis of the upcoming games for my proclaimed teams, here it goes:
Colorado Buffaloes
It's their first home game. But they are following up against a deceptively solid team in Hawaii, and following a serious beat down last week. I'm gonna have to say this is the game that really tells us where the team is at, and more importantly do they really want to keep playing for Coach Hawkins. If they come out flat, or sloppy, and lose this one Hawkins needs to pick up his phone and call his realtor, cause that would be the end for him. Do I know what will happen? No, I have no idea, this is one of the most frustrating parts of the Hawkins era, just when you think you know what sort of team will show up, they do the exact opposite.
Ole Miss Rebels
First SEC game, we will have a clearer picture of where this team stands. It's been a crazy season already, and who knows where they really stand. I don't blame the coach here as much as they clearly lost more to graduation than people thought. They should, on paper, beat Vanderbilt, but that doesn't mean much this year.
Denver Broncos
Bounce back game? I think so, they were close to winning the first game, on the road, against a team that didn't make any mistakes. So, if they can be the team that plays mistake free football, and combine that with the home field, I think they should win handily.
St. Louis Rams
Road game, but in Oakland they are playing a team they can beat, it's not like they are on the road against the Saints. NO guarantee obviously, this team was 1-15 last year for a reason, but the potential is definitely there for a road win.
Getting ready for another split personality weekend. Saturday: busy with lots of plans, Sunday: relaxed no plans. Happy with my training progress, and being honest about the weight. Looking forward to actually teaching James to play a new game this weekend. Of course football is on tap, but not sure how much time it will get 100% of my attention, if any.
Family
Soccer Saturday, only 2 games with Daniel getting a bye, and a big gap of time between. Which works out well because I can then plan to use the time in between to do some shopping and then cleaning in preparation for hosting a party for Connie. Which will end up filling out the rest of the day.
Sunday on the other hand is still totally empty of any commitments. So, other than watching some football off and on I should be able to get in some painting, and possible even take some time to teach James to play Warzone.
Training
Had my relaxed workout today. After 2 weeks of this new program I am pleased with it. It feels like I am actually accomplishing something, and making some kind of progress towards a goal, instead of just seeing how long and far I can run, without any kind of direction.
Deciding to accept where I am weight wise, and stop stressing about not breaking through the current plateau. I have been hovering in the 177 to 179 range for a good couple of months now. And I have to be honest, I don't have the motivation to do the constant day to day, meal to meal calorie counting I would need to do to really push below that number. The reality is I have made huge progress from a year ago, and I am happy to be under 180 by my 44th birthday. So I will keep up the running, because I have come to really enjoy that, plus it is actually interesting and challenging to try building up what I can do. Now I can hope that once I start really increasing what I can do there's a good chance that weight does come down, but I can't beat myself up if it doesn't.
Miniatures
Trying to maintain the painting momentum, but really need to spring for those glasses ASAP, because if I try painting in the evening, when my eyes are already tired, I wear out real quick. But it's fun to do that painting.
So the figures I am focusing on are for the game Warzone. This was one of my favorite Table Top miniature games. I began playing it when it first came out, and remained one of the few reliable torch bearers for the game as it gradually died in popularity. One of the problems with it was that it went through 3 rules sets, and there were real problems with each. The first was a terribly unbalanced game, it was probably the most fun to play, but if you picked certain armies you could very easily make yourself a nearly unbeatable force. The second set of rules was more balanced, but then it suffered from the Games Workshop army book syndrome. Each new army was tougher than the previous ones. And this was made even worse by the parent company going belly up before all of the books were produced. A secondary publisher came out with a third rules set, which was really a work of love by a couple of fans of the game. I was not a fan of the people who wrote that set at the time it came out. So I was not unbiased in my analysis of the rules.
But, after spending some time tinkering with the first set and really seeing again how unbalanced they were I realized that it might not be the best thing to teach James those rules. So I decided to pull out that copy of Ultimate Warzone again and look at it with a less biased eye. And to be honest it is a more comprehensive, and simpler overall rules set. And the different army lists are all self contained and balanced. I will look at it more closely and use this set to teach James, and assuming I don't run into any major problems this will be the set I use moving forward.
Football
So I guess I should do a quick analysis of the upcoming games for my proclaimed teams, here it goes:
Colorado Buffaloes
It's their first home game. But they are following up against a deceptively solid team in Hawaii, and following a serious beat down last week. I'm gonna have to say this is the game that really tells us where the team is at, and more importantly do they really want to keep playing for Coach Hawkins. If they come out flat, or sloppy, and lose this one Hawkins needs to pick up his phone and call his realtor, cause that would be the end for him. Do I know what will happen? No, I have no idea, this is one of the most frustrating parts of the Hawkins era, just when you think you know what sort of team will show up, they do the exact opposite.
Ole Miss Rebels
First SEC game, we will have a clearer picture of where this team stands. It's been a crazy season already, and who knows where they really stand. I don't blame the coach here as much as they clearly lost more to graduation than people thought. They should, on paper, beat Vanderbilt, but that doesn't mean much this year.
Denver Broncos
Bounce back game? I think so, they were close to winning the first game, on the road, against a team that didn't make any mistakes. So, if they can be the team that plays mistake free football, and combine that with the home field, I think they should win handily.
St. Louis Rams
Road game, but in Oakland they are playing a team they can beat, it's not like they are on the road against the Saints. NO guarantee obviously, this team was 1-15 last year for a reason, but the potential is definitely there for a road win.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Catching up while undertaking a quest
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
Catching up on a few things for the week, plus a glimpse of some things I have been doing to fill up my time. This week has been a bit of slog at work, but things at home have gone well. I have had a chance to get some painting done. Also Kim found the motivation to get another project to a better stage. I decided to undertake, for what should be the last time, an epic reading quest.
Family
With Danny and other family in town Kim found the motivation yesterday to clear off our porch. The expectation was I was going to help when I got home but she got some help from Connie and Austin, so it was done before I even got off work. All of this is in preparation for us to host a birthday party for Connie on Saturday afternoon after soccer.
But I have a hidden agenda, as I have some time off coming up I am hoping to take at least one of those days to get a couple of more coats of stain on the deck in preparation for winter. It would probably be fine as is, but I want to be sure it is well treated while we still have the chance.
Miniatures
I picked up some more paints on Monday, and now can look forward to getting some real painting done. I know that these painting jags are often fleeting, but I am enjoying this while it lasts. Although I still need to get a pair of reading glasses to help that process, I can at least get some of the less detailed work done now, and so long as I limit myself my eyes don't hurt too much.
All of this renewal of my hobbies, coming at what is a week or 2 of dead time for TV viewing has me thinking about cutting back a little on that TV time when my fall shows start. Not that one is better than the other necessarily, I just feel better about the painting. Plus it has the added benefit of being something I cannot possibly eat while doing, so it cuts the evening snacking off.
Reading
So I have decided to undertake a massive reading project. Since the last book in the Wheel of Time series is due out this fall I decided that it was a good time to reread the series from book 1 on till the end. Which means reading 12 lengthy books. But I have been such a fan of the series from the get go, and own the entire series that I feel it is the only proper way to do it right. And so far it has been fun to return to that world one more time, from the beginning.
Of course one of my anticipated books just became available for pickup from the library so the quest will go on hold once I get that book, but that book should be a relatively speedy read so the hold won't be too long. Unless another book comes in at the library... oh well, I guess there are worse things in the world to deal with than having to juggle too many books to read.
Catching up on a few things for the week, plus a glimpse of some things I have been doing to fill up my time. This week has been a bit of slog at work, but things at home have gone well. I have had a chance to get some painting done. Also Kim found the motivation to get another project to a better stage. I decided to undertake, for what should be the last time, an epic reading quest.
Family
With Danny and other family in town Kim found the motivation yesterday to clear off our porch. The expectation was I was going to help when I got home but she got some help from Connie and Austin, so it was done before I even got off work. All of this is in preparation for us to host a birthday party for Connie on Saturday afternoon after soccer.
But I have a hidden agenda, as I have some time off coming up I am hoping to take at least one of those days to get a couple of more coats of stain on the deck in preparation for winter. It would probably be fine as is, but I want to be sure it is well treated while we still have the chance.
Miniatures
I picked up some more paints on Monday, and now can look forward to getting some real painting done. I know that these painting jags are often fleeting, but I am enjoying this while it lasts. Although I still need to get a pair of reading glasses to help that process, I can at least get some of the less detailed work done now, and so long as I limit myself my eyes don't hurt too much.
All of this renewal of my hobbies, coming at what is a week or 2 of dead time for TV viewing has me thinking about cutting back a little on that TV time when my fall shows start. Not that one is better than the other necessarily, I just feel better about the painting. Plus it has the added benefit of being something I cannot possibly eat while doing, so it cuts the evening snacking off.
Reading
So I have decided to undertake a massive reading project. Since the last book in the Wheel of Time series is due out this fall I decided that it was a good time to reread the series from book 1 on till the end. Which means reading 12 lengthy books. But I have been such a fan of the series from the get go, and own the entire series that I feel it is the only proper way to do it right. And so far it has been fun to return to that world one more time, from the beginning.
Of course one of my anticipated books just became available for pickup from the library so the quest will go on hold once I get that book, but that book should be a relatively speedy read so the hold won't be too long. Unless another book comes in at the library... oh well, I guess there are worse things in the world to deal with than having to juggle too many books to read.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Reports from a full weekend
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
Well the Saturday part of the full weekend lived up to it's promise. Sunday however was far more casual and relaxed. Lots of good visits with various family members throughout the weekend. Sated my appetite for pro football on Sunday. And managed to get in some painting where I discovered a horrible thing about myself.
Family
Saturday soccer went about how I expected. Emily showed no desire to play, point blank refusing to do so in fact, which wasn't a huge surprise. It's enough for me that she practices and maybe goes out there as the season progresses. Daniel played as much as he was asked to. He wasn't exactly effective, and actually demonstrated what the coach called 'the aggressiveness of a butterfly' as he just ran up & down the field. But he played, which was a step in the right direction. James was the ironman, never coming out of his game, and doing his level best, just coming up short a couple times on goals. And overall the stress of the morning was not where I thought it might be, partially due to Dad taking the young ones off my hands when he could.
The birthday party was nice, I got to enjoy some time with my family. It's just different now as people have aged and the older members of the younger generation have left town. Different dynamics, people just not as interested in things like playing sports. But as my kids grow hopefully that will return on some level.
The day was capped by a party at Dennis' house, with Kim's relatives from Texas in town for a visit. Which was a nice time. Pretty low key. Played a few games of ladderball. Chatted about other things. Taught them a new card game, which they took to like flies to honey. A good party in general, even though the kids did get a little bored.
Training
Kim & I ran in the Race for the Cure bright and early Sunday morning. Well, to be honest, I did walk some, being surprised by the up & down of the trail, and the difficulty of running in such a huge crowd. I still turned in a respectable 37 minutes though. And Kim, I am so proud of her, ran a 38 minute race, despite no real preparation or training. It was a nice race though, and glad to have done our part for the cause.
More importantly it did not affect my ability to continue my overall training when I got back into it this morning. Since my main goal is to be able to run 10K races next year this training is my primary focus. So I don't plan on running any more races this year. Although I might find something over Thanksgiving.
Football
Not a good weekend for my teams. Ole Miss squeaked by Tulane, a game they should have won handily. And that was the highlight of my weekend. My Buffs got thoroughly trounced, the type of beating that has become way too common in the Hawkins era. I can only hope that things either turn around quickly or we have a quick collapse so that era can close out sooner rather than later.
The Broncos blew their game, having numerous chances to take control. But I will give credit to Jacksonville for playing the better overall game, and not screwing up with big errors, or turnovers. The Rams apparently played a generally solid game, but there is a reason they have only won 3 games in 2 years. So while there is hope, particularly in the play of our super rookie QB, it's a long tunnel before that light shows up.
The most important thing was I kept my head and didn't let all of those losses kill me emotionally. As I posted earlier, I'm not sure if it was because I just had low expectations or I am becoming better at handling such things, but I handled all of the above losses much better than in years past.
Miniatures
Since Kim went out with her Dad all day yesterday, leaving me to sate myself on football I decided to try and balance that out with some miniature painting. Which went okay, except every time I really got going I started getting a headache. After some careful thinking and analysis I decided I think I know the cause of said headache: eyesight strain. The thing about the miniatures is sometimes you need to find some really small places to paint. In the past I would just hold the figure closer to my face to locate these pieces. Well after doing that for a while I began to realize that doing so was not only not effective, it was bothering my eyes. So when I sat down for my last bit of painting I focused on keeping the figures farther away, and lo and behold: less strain and easier to focus on the small stuff. Which leads me to an inescapable conclusion: gonna have to spring for some cheap reading glasses to use while painting, in other words my eyes are starting to age. But otherwise the painting was fun, and I am excited to keep doing so as much as possible.
Well the Saturday part of the full weekend lived up to it's promise. Sunday however was far more casual and relaxed. Lots of good visits with various family members throughout the weekend. Sated my appetite for pro football on Sunday. And managed to get in some painting where I discovered a horrible thing about myself.
Family
Saturday soccer went about how I expected. Emily showed no desire to play, point blank refusing to do so in fact, which wasn't a huge surprise. It's enough for me that she practices and maybe goes out there as the season progresses. Daniel played as much as he was asked to. He wasn't exactly effective, and actually demonstrated what the coach called 'the aggressiveness of a butterfly' as he just ran up & down the field. But he played, which was a step in the right direction. James was the ironman, never coming out of his game, and doing his level best, just coming up short a couple times on goals. And overall the stress of the morning was not where I thought it might be, partially due to Dad taking the young ones off my hands when he could.
The birthday party was nice, I got to enjoy some time with my family. It's just different now as people have aged and the older members of the younger generation have left town. Different dynamics, people just not as interested in things like playing sports. But as my kids grow hopefully that will return on some level.
The day was capped by a party at Dennis' house, with Kim's relatives from Texas in town for a visit. Which was a nice time. Pretty low key. Played a few games of ladderball. Chatted about other things. Taught them a new card game, which they took to like flies to honey. A good party in general, even though the kids did get a little bored.
Training
Kim & I ran in the Race for the Cure bright and early Sunday morning. Well, to be honest, I did walk some, being surprised by the up & down of the trail, and the difficulty of running in such a huge crowd. I still turned in a respectable 37 minutes though. And Kim, I am so proud of her, ran a 38 minute race, despite no real preparation or training. It was a nice race though, and glad to have done our part for the cause.
More importantly it did not affect my ability to continue my overall training when I got back into it this morning. Since my main goal is to be able to run 10K races next year this training is my primary focus. So I don't plan on running any more races this year. Although I might find something over Thanksgiving.
Football
Not a good weekend for my teams. Ole Miss squeaked by Tulane, a game they should have won handily. And that was the highlight of my weekend. My Buffs got thoroughly trounced, the type of beating that has become way too common in the Hawkins era. I can only hope that things either turn around quickly or we have a quick collapse so that era can close out sooner rather than later.
The Broncos blew their game, having numerous chances to take control. But I will give credit to Jacksonville for playing the better overall game, and not screwing up with big errors, or turnovers. The Rams apparently played a generally solid game, but there is a reason they have only won 3 games in 2 years. So while there is hope, particularly in the play of our super rookie QB, it's a long tunnel before that light shows up.
The most important thing was I kept my head and didn't let all of those losses kill me emotionally. As I posted earlier, I'm not sure if it was because I just had low expectations or I am becoming better at handling such things, but I handled all of the above losses much better than in years past.
Miniatures
Since Kim went out with her Dad all day yesterday, leaving me to sate myself on football I decided to try and balance that out with some miniature painting. Which went okay, except every time I really got going I started getting a headache. After some careful thinking and analysis I decided I think I know the cause of said headache: eyesight strain. The thing about the miniatures is sometimes you need to find some really small places to paint. In the past I would just hold the figure closer to my face to locate these pieces. Well after doing that for a while I began to realize that doing so was not only not effective, it was bothering my eyes. So when I sat down for my last bit of painting I focused on keeping the figures farther away, and lo and behold: less strain and easier to focus on the small stuff. Which leads me to an inescapable conclusion: gonna have to spring for some cheap reading glasses to use while painting, in other words my eyes are starting to age. But otherwise the painting was fun, and I am excited to keep doing so as much as possible.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Super Busy weekend full of sound & fury planned
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
What a busy weekend we have planned! Starting tomorrow morning with 4 kids soccer games. From there to a family birthday party. Sunday morning we have the Race for the Cure. And of course the Bronco game. Plus Kim's Dad & Uncle are supposed to be in town sometime, so there will undoubtedly be a large family gathering one of the nights as well. Liking the beginning of the new training plan, but not sure how to fit the race into it.
Family
Saturday morning I will leave the house bright & early with all the kids, soccer supplies in hand. Head to the soccer field where Emily will play in her first game, followed by Daniel playing a double header, then we get a 1 hour respite before James' first game. All of that I will be doing more or less strictly on my own. Should be interesting. I have no expectations of Emily, if she just gets out there and runs around, and maybe kicks the ball a couple of times I will be happy. Daniel wants to play, but it will still be a challenge with him having a smaller team so he will have to stay out there and play. I am challenging James this season to step up his activity during games, we know he can score if he cherry picks in front of the goal, but that's unrealistic for him to keep doing, so he will have to step up his activity and just keep running and playing the whole field.
Otherwise it is my sisters 50th birthday, so a pre-emptive:
looking forward as always to the family party, although we will be late due to the timing of James' soccer game.
Training
After 2 days of the real training using the MiCoach application I am pleased with what it is doing. And interested as the 1 big thing it forces me to do is try and maintain a consistent pace, and that is just not as easy for me to do as it sounds. If you look at my training so far I am all over the place pace wise. And judging from how my legs feel this is doing a lot more for me than just running at whatever pace I chose for 4 miles was doing. I really think the training will end up making me a better runner overall.
Of course the difficult part is that we have the Race for the Cure Sunday morning, which is supposed to be a non-training day. And I know my Monday training is going to be pretty strenuous. But I think I am just going to suck it up, run the race at whatever pace I feel like, and then suck up the strength for that Monday training.
Football
Well football is really here now, not just preseason, or just College ball, it's full blown football season now. The first NFL game was played last night and I very contentedly watched it. But I can tell 2 things have really changed in the last 7 months. First, I just don't have as much patience to sit and watch a 3 hour game as I once did, it just doesn't hold my interest. Second, putting on 1 of my jerseys this morning I can really tell how much weight I have lost, because this is one of my smaller jerseys and it still feels baggy.
What a busy weekend we have planned! Starting tomorrow morning with 4 kids soccer games. From there to a family birthday party. Sunday morning we have the Race for the Cure. And of course the Bronco game. Plus Kim's Dad & Uncle are supposed to be in town sometime, so there will undoubtedly be a large family gathering one of the nights as well. Liking the beginning of the new training plan, but not sure how to fit the race into it.
Family
Saturday morning I will leave the house bright & early with all the kids, soccer supplies in hand. Head to the soccer field where Emily will play in her first game, followed by Daniel playing a double header, then we get a 1 hour respite before James' first game. All of that I will be doing more or less strictly on my own. Should be interesting. I have no expectations of Emily, if she just gets out there and runs around, and maybe kicks the ball a couple of times I will be happy. Daniel wants to play, but it will still be a challenge with him having a smaller team so he will have to stay out there and play. I am challenging James this season to step up his activity during games, we know he can score if he cherry picks in front of the goal, but that's unrealistic for him to keep doing, so he will have to step up his activity and just keep running and playing the whole field.
Otherwise it is my sisters 50th birthday, so a pre-emptive:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANCY
looking forward as always to the family party, although we will be late due to the timing of James' soccer game.
Training
After 2 days of the real training using the MiCoach application I am pleased with what it is doing. And interested as the 1 big thing it forces me to do is try and maintain a consistent pace, and that is just not as easy for me to do as it sounds. If you look at my training so far I am all over the place pace wise. And judging from how my legs feel this is doing a lot more for me than just running at whatever pace I chose for 4 miles was doing. I really think the training will end up making me a better runner overall.
Of course the difficult part is that we have the Race for the Cure Sunday morning, which is supposed to be a non-training day. And I know my Monday training is going to be pretty strenuous. But I think I am just going to suck it up, run the race at whatever pace I feel like, and then suck up the strength for that Monday training.
Football
Well football is really here now, not just preseason, or just College ball, it's full blown football season now. The first NFL game was played last night and I very contentedly watched it. But I can tell 2 things have really changed in the last 7 months. First, I just don't have as much patience to sit and watch a 3 hour game as I once did, it just doesn't hold my interest. Second, putting on 1 of my jerseys this morning I can really tell how much weight I have lost, because this is one of my smaller jerseys and it still feels baggy.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Had an interesting thought yesterday about why terror attacks are not terrifying to me
Dear James, Daniel and Emily
It could just be me, and understand I am in no way trying to say these things are not terrible. Of course they are, no one likes to think of hundreds or thousands of people killed and the symbolic effect it had on our national psyche.
But I grew up in a city/town that was presumed to be a Ground Zero for a nuclear attack, with alarm sirens being tested every Friday afternoon like clockwork. And knowing my Dad was working in a very safe place but a huge target none the less. I had to face that growin up, with the seeming likelihood of a war that would kill not thousands but millions, so the idea of a much smaller attack just doesn't have the same psychological impact for me.
So yes 9/11 was a big terrible thing, but it's real impact was minimal compared to what I grew up expecting to happen on some level. The Cold War, with the massive military build up, the amazing defense budgets, the nuclear arsenals, makes the War on Terror pale in comparison. Again not to minimize the actions of those fighting that war, in all of the many places. But it doesn't have the same feel. It doesn't feel like my way of life is truly threatened. And to be honest, the opponent just isn't that impressive in the grand scheme of things.
All of this probably explains why I (and many others of my generation) are less fazed by all of this doom and gloom talk when talking about terror threats. It just doesn't feel like the end of the world talk we grew up with.
It could just be me, and understand I am in no way trying to say these things are not terrible. Of course they are, no one likes to think of hundreds or thousands of people killed and the symbolic effect it had on our national psyche.
But I grew up in a city/town that was presumed to be a Ground Zero for a nuclear attack, with alarm sirens being tested every Friday afternoon like clockwork. And knowing my Dad was working in a very safe place but a huge target none the less. I had to face that growin up, with the seeming likelihood of a war that would kill not thousands but millions, so the idea of a much smaller attack just doesn't have the same psychological impact for me.
So yes 9/11 was a big terrible thing, but it's real impact was minimal compared to what I grew up expecting to happen on some level. The Cold War, with the massive military build up, the amazing defense budgets, the nuclear arsenals, makes the War on Terror pale in comparison. Again not to minimize the actions of those fighting that war, in all of the many places. But it doesn't have the same feel. It doesn't feel like my way of life is truly threatened. And to be honest, the opponent just isn't that impressive in the grand scheme of things.
All of this probably explains why I (and many others of my generation) are less fazed by all of this doom and gloom talk when talking about terror threats. It just doesn't feel like the end of the world talk we grew up with.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Weekend Recap
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
Enjoyed a mostly stay at home, family focused 3 day weekend. Got most of a major project completed in reorganizing the basement (again). Enjoyed watching some football, tried not to overdo it. Changing up my training with a new App. Did have some fun family time as well.
Family
Due to a variety of factors we ended up focusing on home and just the immediate family this weekend. No big Labor Day barbecues like we normally do. And no big trips, like the State Fair, either. Instead we ended up staying home, watched some football on Saturday, then made some progress on our projects. Sunday was a full dive into the project. And Monday we took the kids to the zoo for some family fun. It was a fun trip, although a little exhausting. Overall though it was a nice restful weekend.
Project
We went into the basement with 4 major goals: clean, organize the kids toys, change up where my gaming stuff was, and change how Connie's stuff was stored. And we were successful on all 4 points. The kids stuff was cleaned up, culled about 2 boxes of unused, broken etc. toys. Also reorganized the legos a little better, making it easier for them to keep up with.
I wanted to be able to get to my game books and miniatures again. And I wanted to organize them. I also cleared out a good chunk of gaming books as well. Plus got rid of some of my older games that it has become clear James will never get anything out of playing. So now I can see all of my miniature cases, and I was able to organize them. Since James has reached point where he is interested in playing, when I take the time to set them up.
But the main goal was reclaiming the basement so it was not so cluttered, and organizing along the way so that the kids will see that. Because we both subscribe the broken window theory when it comes to kids messes. That is, if they see that the house is always a mess they will have little incentive to do their part. But if the adults make the effort to keep things picked up, then the kids can see what they pulled out, and have less of an excuse to not do their part.
Training
Going to put all of my Health, eating, running. walking updates and thoughts under this tag from now on, in case you used the Labels for any searching. Anyway, after last week, where I was able to push myself on Wednesday to a really good time and pace, but really felt it afterwards I was rethinking my training. I had just read about a different iPhone App call MiCoach from Adidas, and decided to check it out. The big difference between it and Runkeeper is the ability to set up a training plan, and have it coach me for my pace. Since I not only want to be able to run 10K by next spring, but also run at a faster pace I thought I needed to change up my process. Which was the reason I was doing the intervals in my unscientific approach. Well I think this app will help me reach both goals through a far better approach, which should help me avoid weeks like last week where I just killed myself halfway through the week and ended up hurting too much as a result.
Football
Got to watch the entire CU-CSU game. I was really impressed with the team and glad for the win. It was a very convincing 24-3 victory, and probably could have scored more but I think the coach called off the dogs to some extent. The defense was very impressive and the offense showed some signs of being both balanced and potentially be very explosive.
Unfortunately later in the day I got to watch the tail end of the Ole Miss debacle. That was really very discouraging. Not happy about it at all. But one hopes the team got the necessary wake up call so this doesn't happen again. But not sure, really pretty depressing for a team with high hopes to crash like that opening weekend.
Enjoyed a mostly stay at home, family focused 3 day weekend. Got most of a major project completed in reorganizing the basement (again). Enjoyed watching some football, tried not to overdo it. Changing up my training with a new App. Did have some fun family time as well.
Family
Due to a variety of factors we ended up focusing on home and just the immediate family this weekend. No big Labor Day barbecues like we normally do. And no big trips, like the State Fair, either. Instead we ended up staying home, watched some football on Saturday, then made some progress on our projects. Sunday was a full dive into the project. And Monday we took the kids to the zoo for some family fun. It was a fun trip, although a little exhausting. Overall though it was a nice restful weekend.
Project
We went into the basement with 4 major goals: clean, organize the kids toys, change up where my gaming stuff was, and change how Connie's stuff was stored. And we were successful on all 4 points. The kids stuff was cleaned up, culled about 2 boxes of unused, broken etc. toys. Also reorganized the legos a little better, making it easier for them to keep up with.
I wanted to be able to get to my game books and miniatures again. And I wanted to organize them. I also cleared out a good chunk of gaming books as well. Plus got rid of some of my older games that it has become clear James will never get anything out of playing. So now I can see all of my miniature cases, and I was able to organize them. Since James has reached point where he is interested in playing, when I take the time to set them up.
But the main goal was reclaiming the basement so it was not so cluttered, and organizing along the way so that the kids will see that. Because we both subscribe the broken window theory when it comes to kids messes. That is, if they see that the house is always a mess they will have little incentive to do their part. But if the adults make the effort to keep things picked up, then the kids can see what they pulled out, and have less of an excuse to not do their part.
Training
Going to put all of my Health, eating, running. walking updates and thoughts under this tag from now on, in case you used the Labels for any searching. Anyway, after last week, where I was able to push myself on Wednesday to a really good time and pace, but really felt it afterwards I was rethinking my training. I had just read about a different iPhone App call MiCoach from Adidas, and decided to check it out. The big difference between it and Runkeeper is the ability to set up a training plan, and have it coach me for my pace. Since I not only want to be able to run 10K by next spring, but also run at a faster pace I thought I needed to change up my process. Which was the reason I was doing the intervals in my unscientific approach. Well I think this app will help me reach both goals through a far better approach, which should help me avoid weeks like last week where I just killed myself halfway through the week and ended up hurting too much as a result.
Football
Got to watch the entire CU-CSU game. I was really impressed with the team and glad for the win. It was a very convincing 24-3 victory, and probably could have scored more but I think the coach called off the dogs to some extent. The defense was very impressive and the offense showed some signs of being both balanced and potentially be very explosive.
Unfortunately later in the day I got to watch the tail end of the Ole Miss debacle. That was really very discouraging. Not happy about it at all. But one hopes the team got the necessary wake up call so this doesn't happen again. But not sure, really pretty depressing for a team with high hopes to crash like that opening weekend.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Definitely Off kilter today, but ready for holiday weekend fo' sure
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
Sometime in the night, probably when I snoozed Kim's alarm, I turned my alarm off, so I didn't get up until 6. Which threw everything off, no time for a run. Still trying to get my head right this morning, with little success. Excited for a 3 day weekend with nothing planned. Probably get some yard work done, maybe get some organization in the house. Definitely a run to the library. And of course try to watch the Mighty Buffs try and reverse the downward trend of the last couple of years.
Running/Health
Not running today has my whole view thrown off. Although my legs are probably happy, they were still sore yesterday from my big run on Wednesday. I'll probably at least try and take the dog for a walk tonight or tomorrow morning, or get in a run tomorrow morning. And still run on Monday, despite the holiday.
Football
Watched most of the Bronco game last night, feeling good about the team right now. Yeah Tebow made some rookie mistakes but he isn't expected to start. And in fact there's a good chance he will only play in specialist situations. Otherwise the defense looks improved, and jury is still out on the running game.
Apparently Bradford lit things up for the Rams, it looks like they finally have the Franchise QB they so desperately need. I hope that remains a good sign for the season, and they can at least get competitive, still not improved enough to challenge for the playoffs, but at least should be competitive.
So tomorrow at noon I will be parked in front of my TV, hopefully watching the CU game. And even more hopefully watching CU begin a return to respectability. Everything in the news from the summer camps made it sound like that will be so, but we've been through that the last couple of years too.
I won't be able to watch the Ole Miss game, which is fine, since this is their 'cupcake' game, and we probably won't learn much from it. I have no idea what to expect from the Rebels this year, they lost a lot of good players to the NFL, really a crap shoot.
Family
There are some outdoor projects that I can work on this weekend, yard work primarily, especially the lot. There are some other projects that we can start but we are kind of on hold as we are storing lots of things but we don't know for how long we will be storing them. But there are some things that we can do, little things, like reorganize the Lego storage area, that we can do. Otherwise we will just try to find some fun things to do that don't cost much or anything at all. We'll see what happens, I just want to focus on relaxing instead of running around a bunch.
Sometime in the night, probably when I snoozed Kim's alarm, I turned my alarm off, so I didn't get up until 6. Which threw everything off, no time for a run. Still trying to get my head right this morning, with little success. Excited for a 3 day weekend with nothing planned. Probably get some yard work done, maybe get some organization in the house. Definitely a run to the library. And of course try to watch the Mighty Buffs try and reverse the downward trend of the last couple of years.
Running/Health
Not running today has my whole view thrown off. Although my legs are probably happy, they were still sore yesterday from my big run on Wednesday. I'll probably at least try and take the dog for a walk tonight or tomorrow morning, or get in a run tomorrow morning. And still run on Monday, despite the holiday.
Football
Watched most of the Bronco game last night, feeling good about the team right now. Yeah Tebow made some rookie mistakes but he isn't expected to start. And in fact there's a good chance he will only play in specialist situations. Otherwise the defense looks improved, and jury is still out on the running game.
Apparently Bradford lit things up for the Rams, it looks like they finally have the Franchise QB they so desperately need. I hope that remains a good sign for the season, and they can at least get competitive, still not improved enough to challenge for the playoffs, but at least should be competitive.
So tomorrow at noon I will be parked in front of my TV, hopefully watching the CU game. And even more hopefully watching CU begin a return to respectability. Everything in the news from the summer camps made it sound like that will be so, but we've been through that the last couple of years too.
I won't be able to watch the Ole Miss game, which is fine, since this is their 'cupcake' game, and we probably won't learn much from it. I have no idea what to expect from the Rebels this year, they lost a lot of good players to the NFL, really a crap shoot.
Family
There are some outdoor projects that I can work on this weekend, yard work primarily, especially the lot. There are some other projects that we can start but we are kind of on hold as we are storing lots of things but we don't know for how long we will be storing them. But there are some things that we can do, little things, like reorganize the Lego storage area, that we can do. Otherwise we will just try to find some fun things to do that don't cost much or anything at all. We'll see what happens, I just want to focus on relaxing instead of running around a bunch.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Screw it, let 'em win, and see how badly they screw the pooch
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
After enduring yet another brutal August, with the poll numbers getting gradually more depressing while the economic numbers get worse. And with each passing primary more and more 'Tea Party' candidates win the Republican Primaries. So the Republican candidates this fall will either be full on 'Tea Party' members or traditional Republicans who managed to move as far to the right as possible to hold of the threats from that quarter. This normally would be great news for the Democrats, as this group of candidates is so far right, with policies so far out there that it should be fairly easy to campaign against them. I mean how hard should it be to defeat a candidate who has publicly stated that the Department of Education should be disbanded, along with Social Security?
Unfortunately, the climate has become so toxic, and the media so cowed, that this isn't the case. Many of these very extreme candidates are either leading or in very close races at the moment. Which raises the very real likelihood that not only the House but also Senate could not only go over to Republican control, but the new class of Congressmen would be these extremists. Which gives me cold shivers.
But then this morning I had a thought: screw it, let these nutbags win, put them in control. Have them accomplish exactly nothing for the next 2 years, the Democrats have the veto, and if they get a majority it damn sure wouldn't be veto proof. Let the Democrats play the minority obstructionist games the Republicans have the last 2 years.
Then after 2 years of game playing, government shutdowns etc. with the Democrats being able to turn the tables and play the anti-majority, anti-incumbent card we might actually get to really accomplish something. I know this means 2 more years of stagnation, with the very real possibility of double dip recession. But after giving the Republicans 2 years maybe the media and more importantly the voters will realize how woefully inadequate and bereft of real ideas the Republicans really are, or at least the far Right 'Tea Party' ones.
I don't necessarily think this is the best case scenario, in fact not by a long shot. But I think it is the best response to a bad situation. And maybe the Democrats will relearn what it means to have a spine, and what the people really care about, instead of smoke and mirror wedge issue politics.
After enduring yet another brutal August, with the poll numbers getting gradually more depressing while the economic numbers get worse. And with each passing primary more and more 'Tea Party' candidates win the Republican Primaries. So the Republican candidates this fall will either be full on 'Tea Party' members or traditional Republicans who managed to move as far to the right as possible to hold of the threats from that quarter. This normally would be great news for the Democrats, as this group of candidates is so far right, with policies so far out there that it should be fairly easy to campaign against them. I mean how hard should it be to defeat a candidate who has publicly stated that the Department of Education should be disbanded, along with Social Security?
Unfortunately, the climate has become so toxic, and the media so cowed, that this isn't the case. Many of these very extreme candidates are either leading or in very close races at the moment. Which raises the very real likelihood that not only the House but also Senate could not only go over to Republican control, but the new class of Congressmen would be these extremists. Which gives me cold shivers.
But then this morning I had a thought: screw it, let these nutbags win, put them in control. Have them accomplish exactly nothing for the next 2 years, the Democrats have the veto, and if they get a majority it damn sure wouldn't be veto proof. Let the Democrats play the minority obstructionist games the Republicans have the last 2 years.
Then after 2 years of game playing, government shutdowns etc. with the Democrats being able to turn the tables and play the anti-majority, anti-incumbent card we might actually get to really accomplish something. I know this means 2 more years of stagnation, with the very real possibility of double dip recession. But after giving the Republicans 2 years maybe the media and more importantly the voters will realize how woefully inadequate and bereft of real ideas the Republicans really are, or at least the far Right 'Tea Party' ones.
I don't necessarily think this is the best case scenario, in fact not by a long shot. But I think it is the best response to a bad situation. And maybe the Democrats will relearn what it means to have a spine, and what the people really care about, instead of smoke and mirror wedge issue politics.
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