Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
Last of my planned 3 day weekend on tap, it has been nice to have 5 short weeks in a row, even if I had to use up paid time to do it. But I am actually looking forward to returning to the 5 day week routine again on some level. I'm not saying I wouldn't do it again, and might if I have to do the same thing next year. Anyway, not a lot on tap for this weekend. Maybe a short family gathering on Saturday, then of course Halloween, but not a lot of work is involved there, just time. Hoping to get in some Warzone time with James though. And looking forward to a big run tomorrow.
Family
Again, nothing really planned as far as family plans. My brother is coming to town on Saturday so there might be an informal gathering for him, but nothing major planned. Halloween will be a 2 part process on Sunday, first going to Old Colorado City for the afternoon trick or treating, then an evening visit to some other neighborhood for the kids to do some house to house trick or treating. But otherwise I hope to focus on relaxing and getting in some hobby time the rest of the weekend.
Training
Tomorrow my training schedule calls for my longest run at speed, which should be a challenge, but I am up for it, and actually looking forward to it. In glancing at my training schedule the effort is definitely ramping up, but I guess it only seems harder in writing, in comparison to what I am already doing it is only a small step.
The diet transition continues. It is not as easy as I hoped, because the rest of the family is not on the same page so it is harder to find alternatives. But I have done well so far. And it does seem to make a real difference, I have dropped weight, and feel better, not as many digestive issues or feeling really blah after a heavy meal of meat and fat.
Miniatures
First, I hope to successfully carve out the time for a game this weekend with James. I should be able to as there is so little planned, so it should be relatively easy to set things up and if necessary play later, after the game is set up.
Second, I thought I might prep some figures for James and set him loose with some paints one evening. Just to give him a taste, and a chance to feel what I feel from painting. He really loves to draw his little war scenes, and I figure this would be a natural progression, and also important for him to appreciate the work that goes into painting, before he ever gets to go to the store for a game.
Football
Oh yeah, the season is still going on right? I figure we will focus some time on the Broncos game Sunday before heading out to trick or treat, but it will be more of a side thing, not the focus of the weekend or day. It just feels so much healthier approaching it this way.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
When did I get so Extreme?
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
The other day, during a discussion with one of my more conservative friends, he made the statement:
"When did wanting a fiscally responsible, balanced budget get considered extreme politics?"
I replied that the basics of that statement weren't extreme. But if you think that the only way to get to that point is to cut Social Security & Medicare without performing some real cuts in the Defense budget, that is extreme.
But that got me to thinking, I do not consider myself that extreme of a person, and while I have taken a few extreme political positions in my life mostly those were tempered somewhat by other positions. So the thought process then took me another direction:
"When did supporting Unions, a living wage, a social safety net, and government regulation of Industry to prevent damaging consequences become an extreme position?"
Because economically that's really all I am talking about. I am not advocating industry nationalization, or complete takeover of certain companies or sectors. I don't think it's extreme to want a good education for my children, an expectation of good, affordably priced health care, the idea that all things being equal my children can hope to live better than I do economically. And yet that has somehow become considered the extreme.
And that about sums up the problem with our national political discourse these days. Positions that used to be considered normal are now radical. What was radical is now normal. And I think that until that reverses there will be more hard times politically.
The other day, during a discussion with one of my more conservative friends, he made the statement:
"When did wanting a fiscally responsible, balanced budget get considered extreme politics?"
I replied that the basics of that statement weren't extreme. But if you think that the only way to get to that point is to cut Social Security & Medicare without performing some real cuts in the Defense budget, that is extreme.
But that got me to thinking, I do not consider myself that extreme of a person, and while I have taken a few extreme political positions in my life mostly those were tempered somewhat by other positions. So the thought process then took me another direction:
"When did supporting Unions, a living wage, a social safety net, and government regulation of Industry to prevent damaging consequences become an extreme position?"
Because economically that's really all I am talking about. I am not advocating industry nationalization, or complete takeover of certain companies or sectors. I don't think it's extreme to want a good education for my children, an expectation of good, affordably priced health care, the idea that all things being equal my children can hope to live better than I do economically. And yet that has somehow become considered the extreme.
And that about sums up the problem with our national political discourse these days. Positions that used to be considered normal are now radical. What was radical is now normal. And I think that until that reverses there will be more hard times politically.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Happy Birthday Emily!
Dear James, Daniel and Emily
Happy Birthday Little Princess Emily!
Have a super day today, you are one of the lights of my life, in turns enjoyable, and infuriating, but you are no longer Baby Em, you are now Princess Em!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Running out of outrage juice, while simultanesously wondering how to get the blind to see
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
I can't say I didn't see or at feel this coming on some level. This electoral year has grown so outrageous and out of control, that I have just about run out of gas to fuel the outrage machine. It has reached the point that pointing out another case of G.O.P./Tea Party hypocrisy/craziness feels like one of my favorite lines from Apocalypse Now:
"Accusing someone here of murder is like passing out speeding tickets at the Indianapolis 500"
Now it has reached the point of physical violence between groups of supporters. And some candidates seemingly advocating open insurrection if their party doesn't win the election. Are we this close to turning into Weimar Germany?
And the point that I just cannot understand is this: do these Tea Party Neo Cons not see how they are being manipulated by the very same corporate interests that nearly wiped out our economy for their own greed and gain? The next time I see a commercial paid for by big money corporate interests accusing a Democrat of supporting the bail outs I may just throw a shoe through my TV. This all stems from the combined forces of the Great Divergence coupled with the Citizens United decision. That decision made it easy for those with money to pay to keep control of our government. These corporations are flat out of control, and the more news we see and uncover the more obvious it is that the real cause of the Recession was not some shadow government program forcing the banks to loan to poor people, it was banks doing everything in their power to make money, even if it turns out they fundamentally broke the law to do it.
This is what the election campaigns on the part of many of these Tea Party activists boil down to:
1. Wall Street destroyed the economy, maybe causing me to lose my job in the process, so I am mad as hell.
2. The government bailed out Wall Street, so these Fat Cats did not lose their shirts or pay the price for their greed, this makes me mad at the government
3. The Democrats took control of Congress and the Presidency right after the bail out, and failed to restore the economy and my job, so I'm mad at them
4. I want to toss the bums out of control, but I have no money to pay for the election.
5. Wall Street wants to be sure they won't pay the price for their mistakes, and can continue to run roughshod over the economy so long as they can make a huge profit, and those Democrats are calling Wall Street bad names and trying enact the bare minimum regulations that might keep all of this from happening.
6. Wall Street tells the angry people they will pay for lots of election campaigns pointing the finger at the Democrats as being responsible for this mess.
7. Angry people take the money because they are mad, and human nature says you have to do something when things are bad, like a drowning person thrashing around in a pool of water.
8. Wall Street has the very likely chance of getting loads of people elected who will do their bidding because who paid for that election? And the first thing they will ask of these elected officials? Get rid of or weaken all those laws that will keep them from making money hand over foot using barely legal schemes again.
9. The economy continues to flail and slow, and the angry people get angrier. And Wall Street sits back and smiles, knowing they have bought at least 2 more years of weak or lax regulation, with no penalties for failure.
That last part is supposition and theory on my part. If you know your history you know that the New Deal essentially saved capitalsim in this country, there was every reason, in the face of the Depression, to go whole hog Socialist, like many European countries. Well if the big corporations, and the truly wealthy don't see that, and understand that failing to let the Democrats accomplish the same thing this go around is in their best interst they could very well suffer in the long run. Because if the Republicans do gain control of the House, and continue to abuse their ability to stalemate the government for 2 years, and the economy fails to rebound, all of those angry people who voted for the Tea Party this go around? They could very well turn their anger on the real culprits next time, and it could be real ugly.
I can't say I didn't see or at feel this coming on some level. This electoral year has grown so outrageous and out of control, that I have just about run out of gas to fuel the outrage machine. It has reached the point that pointing out another case of G.O.P./Tea Party hypocrisy/craziness feels like one of my favorite lines from Apocalypse Now:
"Accusing someone here of murder is like passing out speeding tickets at the Indianapolis 500"
Now it has reached the point of physical violence between groups of supporters. And some candidates seemingly advocating open insurrection if their party doesn't win the election. Are we this close to turning into Weimar Germany?
And the point that I just cannot understand is this: do these Tea Party Neo Cons not see how they are being manipulated by the very same corporate interests that nearly wiped out our economy for their own greed and gain? The next time I see a commercial paid for by big money corporate interests accusing a Democrat of supporting the bail outs I may just throw a shoe through my TV. This all stems from the combined forces of the Great Divergence coupled with the Citizens United decision. That decision made it easy for those with money to pay to keep control of our government. These corporations are flat out of control, and the more news we see and uncover the more obvious it is that the real cause of the Recession was not some shadow government program forcing the banks to loan to poor people, it was banks doing everything in their power to make money, even if it turns out they fundamentally broke the law to do it.
This is what the election campaigns on the part of many of these Tea Party activists boil down to:
1. Wall Street destroyed the economy, maybe causing me to lose my job in the process, so I am mad as hell.
2. The government bailed out Wall Street, so these Fat Cats did not lose their shirts or pay the price for their greed, this makes me mad at the government
3. The Democrats took control of Congress and the Presidency right after the bail out, and failed to restore the economy and my job, so I'm mad at them
4. I want to toss the bums out of control, but I have no money to pay for the election.
5. Wall Street wants to be sure they won't pay the price for their mistakes, and can continue to run roughshod over the economy so long as they can make a huge profit, and those Democrats are calling Wall Street bad names and trying enact the bare minimum regulations that might keep all of this from happening.
6. Wall Street tells the angry people they will pay for lots of election campaigns pointing the finger at the Democrats as being responsible for this mess.
7. Angry people take the money because they are mad, and human nature says you have to do something when things are bad, like a drowning person thrashing around in a pool of water.
8. Wall Street has the very likely chance of getting loads of people elected who will do their bidding because who paid for that election? And the first thing they will ask of these elected officials? Get rid of or weaken all those laws that will keep them from making money hand over foot using barely legal schemes again.
9. The economy continues to flail and slow, and the angry people get angrier. And Wall Street sits back and smiles, knowing they have bought at least 2 more years of weak or lax regulation, with no penalties for failure.
That last part is supposition and theory on my part. If you know your history you know that the New Deal essentially saved capitalsim in this country, there was every reason, in the face of the Depression, to go whole hog Socialist, like many European countries. Well if the big corporations, and the truly wealthy don't see that, and understand that failing to let the Democrats accomplish the same thing this go around is in their best interst they could very well suffer in the long run. Because if the Republicans do gain control of the House, and continue to abuse their ability to stalemate the government for 2 years, and the economy fails to rebound, all of those angry people who voted for the Tea Party this go around? They could very well turn their anger on the real culprits next time, and it could be real ugly.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Jumping right into it this morning
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
Coming to a screeching halt by going to work, that's an odd feeling. What a busy busy, go go weekend! Friday was relaxed, nothing really going on, until the moment I picked up the kids, after that the rest of the weekend was pretty much non stop. Multiple parties of all stripes and colors. Cleaning, preparing, decorating, barely a moment to sit and relax. But it was a good weekend despite all that, and despite a horrendous showing from my football teams.
Family
Friday morning and early afternoon I got some time to myself to relax, which was a good things because after that it was busy time. Friday evening was Daniel's soccer team party at the Y, then on to the BV school Harvest festival. Staying there a little later so Kim could help with the clean up. But the 2 events were fun, the kids had a good time, as can be seen in some of the pictures I uploaded.
Saturday the original plan was to spend the day at home, maybe work on kids costumes, and clean. But we got an invite to a pumpkin carving party in the afternoon, which meant all of the cleaning had to be crammed into the morning, by me. Which was fine, I don't mind doing my part, but it wiped out any chance at relaxing, or getting in a game of Warzone with James. But the party was worth it, it was nice to be invited by the Alvarez clan, and was fun to socialize with a different group of adults.
Sunday morning was more cleaning and then cooking and general preparation for the big birthday party. But that was all worth it, as Emily had a really good time at her party. Thanks to everyone who came and made it a special event for her. From there is was quick clean up and across the street for the rest of the afternoon for a neighborhood barbecue. Which was nice, the kids had a great time running around, and we again got the chance to relax with some other adults. We got home and I just collapsed the rest of the night in exhaustion.
Training
I got in some good time on the stationary bike on Friday, but one thing I am looking forward to when these 4 day weeks end is returning to a normal Friday morning running routine. This morning I was all prepared for a cold run, with new sweats and everything, only to have it be warm, but terribly windy. So windy I almost stumbled a couple of times.
My new dietary change was okay over the weekend, I wasn't quite as strict as I wanted to be, all of those parties etc made it hard to adhere to any kind of special diet. But I was good overall, felt much better than previous weekends where I pigged out on heavy fatty meals packed with protein and meat. One thing I do need to do is develop a habit of always having some water around to drink. Because that can help curb the twin problems of feeling full and just wanting something to do with my hands.
Football
What a terrible weekend. On the up side I am just not feeling the emotional roller coaster effect I would have in years past. Which has to be a new record for me, to be this philosophical this early in the season. Of course it helped having lots of things to distract me, but still I would prefer to think I am slowly turning the corner to becoming a better fan, without the emotional trappings and frustrations that come with being a fanatic.
Coming to a screeching halt by going to work, that's an odd feeling. What a busy busy, go go weekend! Friday was relaxed, nothing really going on, until the moment I picked up the kids, after that the rest of the weekend was pretty much non stop. Multiple parties of all stripes and colors. Cleaning, preparing, decorating, barely a moment to sit and relax. But it was a good weekend despite all that, and despite a horrendous showing from my football teams.
Family
Friday morning and early afternoon I got some time to myself to relax, which was a good things because after that it was busy time. Friday evening was Daniel's soccer team party at the Y, then on to the BV school Harvest festival. Staying there a little later so Kim could help with the clean up. But the 2 events were fun, the kids had a good time, as can be seen in some of the pictures I uploaded.
Saturday the original plan was to spend the day at home, maybe work on kids costumes, and clean. But we got an invite to a pumpkin carving party in the afternoon, which meant all of the cleaning had to be crammed into the morning, by me. Which was fine, I don't mind doing my part, but it wiped out any chance at relaxing, or getting in a game of Warzone with James. But the party was worth it, it was nice to be invited by the Alvarez clan, and was fun to socialize with a different group of adults.
Sunday morning was more cleaning and then cooking and general preparation for the big birthday party. But that was all worth it, as Emily had a really good time at her party. Thanks to everyone who came and made it a special event for her. From there is was quick clean up and across the street for the rest of the afternoon for a neighborhood barbecue. Which was nice, the kids had a great time running around, and we again got the chance to relax with some other adults. We got home and I just collapsed the rest of the night in exhaustion.
Training
I got in some good time on the stationary bike on Friday, but one thing I am looking forward to when these 4 day weeks end is returning to a normal Friday morning running routine. This morning I was all prepared for a cold run, with new sweats and everything, only to have it be warm, but terribly windy. So windy I almost stumbled a couple of times.
My new dietary change was okay over the weekend, I wasn't quite as strict as I wanted to be, all of those parties etc made it hard to adhere to any kind of special diet. But I was good overall, felt much better than previous weekends where I pigged out on heavy fatty meals packed with protein and meat. One thing I do need to do is develop a habit of always having some water around to drink. Because that can help curb the twin problems of feeling full and just wanting something to do with my hands.
Football
What a terrible weekend. On the up side I am just not feeling the emotional roller coaster effect I would have in years past. Which has to be a new record for me, to be this philosophical this early in the season. Of course it helped having lots of things to distract me, but still I would prefer to think I am slowly turning the corner to becoming a better fan, without the emotional trappings and frustrations that come with being a fanatic.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The buying of our country
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
It just seems obvious to me that when you really look at this election, paying close attention to the parts of the many many many nasty attack ads out there, that there is an effort on the part of some people with really big pockets to buy this election. I would say that it's about a 3-1 ratio of attack ads attacking Democratic candidates here in my home of Colorado. And I would say about 2 in 3 of those ads are not paid for by the Republican party or the Republican candidates. Nope ,they are paid for by PAC's whose funding is alarmingly invisible. And this is really alarming, and should be alarming no matter what side of the aisle you are on.
If we truly believe we live in a Democracy, where the power resides in the hands of the people, this is a bad thing. Because, while it is still up to us to vote, and those votes do count, if the voters only ever hear one side of the story, they cannot make good decisions. I am as guilty as anyone of unconsciously filtering my news sources, getting much of my news from some admittedly liberal sources. But when I come across a story I still research it, or at least take the slant of the reporter into account most of the time. But what kind of electorate would we have if all of the news, and political campaign information only came from 1 side?
That's the real issue here. A great majority of voters are not willing to really dig on most issues. They will listen to the barrage of ads and eventually the message sinks in. If all of the campaign ads, or 75% of them come from the same side people will not get the whole story without getting off the couch and researching the issues. As an example, there are 3 ballot issues here in Colorado, 60, 61, 102, that have been labeled 'the bad 3'. I have only seen ads opposing them. Admittedly I will still oppose them, but if I only ever see an ad that opposes them what is the likelihood I would vote for them?
Once Citizens United opened the floodgates to Corporate spending this is the result. Big money can buy up the air waves, flooding them with ads in favor of the candidates or issues they support, and ads attacking those they don't support. And don't think that the lesson of this fall is falling on deaf ears on the side of the Democrats. Yes, I think it is good, and pure, and presents the right image for the DNC and it's candidates to not court the big money corporate spenders this year. But that could change in 2012. If you're a conservative do you really look forward to an avalanche of Pro-Obama, anti-Republican ads paid for by the wealthy liberal elites and their corporate allies? Because that is exactly the logical chain of events.
Their are some who say this is great, it's free speech, it's the Free Market. But it is the exact opposite, it's paid for speech, and the last I checked we lived in a Democracy, not a Corporate Oligarchy where we were governed by candidates chosen by and supported by the biggest spenders.
What can we do about it? One, look at who is paying for the ads you see, research those organizations to see where their money is coming from. Two, demand that there be laws on the books that force any and all donations be transparent and visible so you can know who is truly funding these ads. Finally, hope and pray that a couple of elections like this will eventually force a reversal of Citizens United and we can return to being a country where our representatives are truly of and by the people, not some rich business person who can get the bigger corporate backers.
It just seems obvious to me that when you really look at this election, paying close attention to the parts of the many many many nasty attack ads out there, that there is an effort on the part of some people with really big pockets to buy this election. I would say that it's about a 3-1 ratio of attack ads attacking Democratic candidates here in my home of Colorado. And I would say about 2 in 3 of those ads are not paid for by the Republican party or the Republican candidates. Nope ,they are paid for by PAC's whose funding is alarmingly invisible. And this is really alarming, and should be alarming no matter what side of the aisle you are on.
If we truly believe we live in a Democracy, where the power resides in the hands of the people, this is a bad thing. Because, while it is still up to us to vote, and those votes do count, if the voters only ever hear one side of the story, they cannot make good decisions. I am as guilty as anyone of unconsciously filtering my news sources, getting much of my news from some admittedly liberal sources. But when I come across a story I still research it, or at least take the slant of the reporter into account most of the time. But what kind of electorate would we have if all of the news, and political campaign information only came from 1 side?
That's the real issue here. A great majority of voters are not willing to really dig on most issues. They will listen to the barrage of ads and eventually the message sinks in. If all of the campaign ads, or 75% of them come from the same side people will not get the whole story without getting off the couch and researching the issues. As an example, there are 3 ballot issues here in Colorado, 60, 61, 102, that have been labeled 'the bad 3'. I have only seen ads opposing them. Admittedly I will still oppose them, but if I only ever see an ad that opposes them what is the likelihood I would vote for them?
Once Citizens United opened the floodgates to Corporate spending this is the result. Big money can buy up the air waves, flooding them with ads in favor of the candidates or issues they support, and ads attacking those they don't support. And don't think that the lesson of this fall is falling on deaf ears on the side of the Democrats. Yes, I think it is good, and pure, and presents the right image for the DNC and it's candidates to not court the big money corporate spenders this year. But that could change in 2012. If you're a conservative do you really look forward to an avalanche of Pro-Obama, anti-Republican ads paid for by the wealthy liberal elites and their corporate allies? Because that is exactly the logical chain of events.
Their are some who say this is great, it's free speech, it's the Free Market. But it is the exact opposite, it's paid for speech, and the last I checked we lived in a Democracy, not a Corporate Oligarchy where we were governed by candidates chosen by and supported by the biggest spenders.
What can we do about it? One, look at who is paying for the ads you see, research those organizations to see where their money is coming from. Two, demand that there be laws on the books that force any and all donations be transparent and visible so you can know who is truly funding these ads. Finally, hope and pray that a couple of elections like this will eventually force a reversal of Citizens United and we can return to being a country where our representatives are truly of and by the people, not some rich business person who can get the bigger corporate backers.
Monday, October 18, 2010
First real test of the phasing out passed, plus lots of fun times
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
I passed the first weekend of my phasing out of meat and dairy with good results. This despite some fun times with the boys, last soccer games of the fall, James birthday party. It was a full 3 day weekend that was for sure. I have 2 more of these 4 day weeks, and I think I have taken more than full advantage of them so far, but it will not be too painful to return to the normal work week.
Family
The boys and I had a good day Friday. I took them up to Denver to the mall where the Lego store was. They enjoyed the shopping (although there was some endurance towards the end, when I was still browsing and they were ready to leave). And we had some decent drives without any major arguing or bored fighting.
Saturday we wound up the soccer season. Emily played the most of any game this season, she might play again in the spring, we'll see. Daniel endured another game, no major issues, although still no signs of interest in doing anything other than just running around aimlessly. I think that is one reason he likes baseball, there is no chance of real physical contact, he can just hang out until called upon to hit or pick up the ball. James team tied again, leaving them with another undefeated season. Which quite likely might be a bit of a swan song for this group as many of them will be forced into other options due to age.
Sunday we had James birthday party for his friends. It was a good time, playing Laser Tag. Everyone had a good time, including the parents who participated. I think this separation of family and friends really works for James. And Kim had a good time making yet another elaborate cake.
Training
Friday I slept in and then tried to run in the afternoon, after the trip to Denver, and my body just wasn't willing to keep up the pace. I am just so used to running in the mornings. But that's OK. Today was particularly tough, with intervals, but I pushed my way through it.
My plan to phase in the new eating habits is to start for now with limiting myself to 1 meat and 1 dairy portion per day for the first couple of weeks. And I was able to do that over the weekend, despite some difficulties Sunday night with my usual bored hunger. I am less focused on the processed food part of the diet for now, although I am trying to keep the sugars under control as usual.
Kim & I talked about the diet, and she has accepted what I am trying to do, and agreed to start phasing it in for the family meals to some extent. Although she hasn't read the book, and so doesn't fully buy the argument that she doesn't have to have as much calcium, and that the kids don't need as much fat, but I'll take the effort for now. Eventually she will sit down and read the book and come around to the ideas behind it.
Football
1 for 3, with the 1 win being the least likely going into the weekend. I'll take it. I did a much better job of restricting my viewing to just the Bronco game, and parts of the Sunday night NFL game, which really is my goal for the long term.
Mad Men
That was one of the most forgettable, anti-climactic season finales one can imagine. I guess I hold the show to a higher standard. I was just disappointed with the season overall, it was pretty uneven, and the finale was an example of that. I can only hope that something better happens next year.
Miniatures
Finally got down to business and finished my Cybertronic painting. Now all I have to do is seal all of them and I can move on to the next army. It has been a lot of fun working on these again, even as I learned things like my vision is changing. I didn't get in a game with James, but future weekends that should be easier with our getting our Saturday mornings back.
I passed the first weekend of my phasing out of meat and dairy with good results. This despite some fun times with the boys, last soccer games of the fall, James birthday party. It was a full 3 day weekend that was for sure. I have 2 more of these 4 day weeks, and I think I have taken more than full advantage of them so far, but it will not be too painful to return to the normal work week.
Family
The boys and I had a good day Friday. I took them up to Denver to the mall where the Lego store was. They enjoyed the shopping (although there was some endurance towards the end, when I was still browsing and they were ready to leave). And we had some decent drives without any major arguing or bored fighting.
Saturday we wound up the soccer season. Emily played the most of any game this season, she might play again in the spring, we'll see. Daniel endured another game, no major issues, although still no signs of interest in doing anything other than just running around aimlessly. I think that is one reason he likes baseball, there is no chance of real physical contact, he can just hang out until called upon to hit or pick up the ball. James team tied again, leaving them with another undefeated season. Which quite likely might be a bit of a swan song for this group as many of them will be forced into other options due to age.
Sunday we had James birthday party for his friends. It was a good time, playing Laser Tag. Everyone had a good time, including the parents who participated. I think this separation of family and friends really works for James. And Kim had a good time making yet another elaborate cake.
Training
Friday I slept in and then tried to run in the afternoon, after the trip to Denver, and my body just wasn't willing to keep up the pace. I am just so used to running in the mornings. But that's OK. Today was particularly tough, with intervals, but I pushed my way through it.
My plan to phase in the new eating habits is to start for now with limiting myself to 1 meat and 1 dairy portion per day for the first couple of weeks. And I was able to do that over the weekend, despite some difficulties Sunday night with my usual bored hunger. I am less focused on the processed food part of the diet for now, although I am trying to keep the sugars under control as usual.
Kim & I talked about the diet, and she has accepted what I am trying to do, and agreed to start phasing it in for the family meals to some extent. Although she hasn't read the book, and so doesn't fully buy the argument that she doesn't have to have as much calcium, and that the kids don't need as much fat, but I'll take the effort for now. Eventually she will sit down and read the book and come around to the ideas behind it.
Football
1 for 3, with the 1 win being the least likely going into the weekend. I'll take it. I did a much better job of restricting my viewing to just the Bronco game, and parts of the Sunday night NFL game, which really is my goal for the long term.
Mad Men
That was one of the most forgettable, anti-climactic season finales one can imagine. I guess I hold the show to a higher standard. I was just disappointed with the season overall, it was pretty uneven, and the finale was an example of that. I can only hope that something better happens next year.
Miniatures
Finally got down to business and finished my Cybertronic painting. Now all I have to do is seal all of them and I can move on to the next army. It has been a lot of fun working on these again, even as I learned things like my vision is changing. I didn't get in a game with James, but future weekends that should be easier with our getting our Saturday mornings back.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Contemplating a major change in lifestyle
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
So here I am, 44 years old, roughly 180 lbs (give or take depending on my eating and exercise), with no major bad habits like drinking or smoking, and my main health measurables actually pretty good. I run 3 miles at a time 4 days a week. That's all to the good, shows how much I have done for myself over the last couple of years. Contrast that with this post:
Well couldn't find the post so I'll just recap, a few years back I wrote up a long post detailing all of my medical issues, starting with my head down to my toes. If I could find that post I could really show how far I have progressed since that time. It's great, I feel good physically pretty much all of the time.
But, the question remains how do I keep this going? It's one thing to keep you calories restricted for a period of time, and really push that and the exercise. But you really can't keep that up forever, and sooner or later, especially with bad eating habits, things will revert. So I have been thinking about nutrition more and more.
Which brings me to what I have been doing this week, but first some background. A couple of years back I was meeting with some fellow CSS alum's and one of them mentioned how one of his classmates was apparently this big nutrition guru, and had in fact written a couple of books on the subject. I filed that away in my mind, but didn't really think on it. Well this same person has written a new book:
And after reading a little bit about this book I thought I would try and get his first book from the library. That took some work, but I got it last week, and finally cracked it open on Tuesday. And I have been reading it voraciously ever since, it is an excellent book. And I hope to have my own copy soon. There's a lot to cover in the first book: Whole Health: The Guide to Wellness of Mind and Body but the first part is what has really caught my attention.
It really focuses on nutrition and breaks down what is and is not really good to eat and why. Having grown up with a Vegan father, but being a typical American male I had never given much thought to the idea of not eating meat, that thought was just never a possibility.
Well for the first time, after having general nutrition on my mind, and having read this book, I am pondering a radical change to my diet. I don't know if I want or can go full vegan, or even vegetarian. But I am planning on making changes that result in a massive reduction of meat and dairy in my diet. I have already started tapering off, but am planning on making a more serious effort of doing so in the coming weeks.
Again, this is less because the Dr. said I have to, in fact right now the Dr. is pretty happy with where I am physically. This is more because I have to think long term, and the reality is that the long term merits this change, both to keep the weight off, and a general improved health outlook. Because even 1 small hamburger and small fries is still bad for me. And it is way to easy to fall back into the habit of eating like that if I allow myself that small indulgence.
It's not going to be easy to make this change, and I plan to make it a gradual change. In fact once I get my own copy of the book I will try to get Kim to read it and get her to agree to make this a dietary change for the whole family. Partly to make us all healthier, and partly because it will be that much easier for us to make the change if all of our meals are the same. Who knows, maybe my picky eaters, Daniel & Emily, will eat better if we change up what we fix for them?
So here I am, 44 years old, roughly 180 lbs (give or take depending on my eating and exercise), with no major bad habits like drinking or smoking, and my main health measurables actually pretty good. I run 3 miles at a time 4 days a week. That's all to the good, shows how much I have done for myself over the last couple of years. Contrast that with this post:
Well couldn't find the post so I'll just recap, a few years back I wrote up a long post detailing all of my medical issues, starting with my head down to my toes. If I could find that post I could really show how far I have progressed since that time. It's great, I feel good physically pretty much all of the time.
But, the question remains how do I keep this going? It's one thing to keep you calories restricted for a period of time, and really push that and the exercise. But you really can't keep that up forever, and sooner or later, especially with bad eating habits, things will revert. So I have been thinking about nutrition more and more.
Which brings me to what I have been doing this week, but first some background. A couple of years back I was meeting with some fellow CSS alum's and one of them mentioned how one of his classmates was apparently this big nutrition guru, and had in fact written a couple of books on the subject. I filed that away in my mind, but didn't really think on it. Well this same person has written a new book:
And after reading a little bit about this book I thought I would try and get his first book from the library. That took some work, but I got it last week, and finally cracked it open on Tuesday. And I have been reading it voraciously ever since, it is an excellent book. And I hope to have my own copy soon. There's a lot to cover in the first book: Whole Health: The Guide to Wellness of Mind and Body but the first part is what has really caught my attention.
It really focuses on nutrition and breaks down what is and is not really good to eat and why. Having grown up with a Vegan father, but being a typical American male I had never given much thought to the idea of not eating meat, that thought was just never a possibility. Well for the first time, after having general nutrition on my mind, and having read this book, I am pondering a radical change to my diet. I don't know if I want or can go full vegan, or even vegetarian. But I am planning on making changes that result in a massive reduction of meat and dairy in my diet. I have already started tapering off, but am planning on making a more serious effort of doing so in the coming weeks.
Again, this is less because the Dr. said I have to, in fact right now the Dr. is pretty happy with where I am physically. This is more because I have to think long term, and the reality is that the long term merits this change, both to keep the weight off, and a general improved health outlook. Because even 1 small hamburger and small fries is still bad for me. And it is way to easy to fall back into the habit of eating like that if I allow myself that small indulgence.
It's not going to be easy to make this change, and I plan to make it a gradual change. In fact once I get my own copy of the book I will try to get Kim to read it and get her to agree to make this a dietary change for the whole family. Partly to make us all healthier, and partly because it will be that much easier for us to make the change if all of our meals are the same. Who knows, maybe my picky eaters, Daniel & Emily, will eat better if we change up what we fix for them?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Happy Birthday Jimmy
Happy Birthday James!
9 Years Old today
It's still hard to believe that it was 9 years ago today that I first became a father. And I haven't regretted that since, it's been a wonderful 9 years, and I look forward to the many many more you will have.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Birthday over, time for recommitment to future
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
I had an excellent birthday, followed by an excellent 3 day weekend. But I can now pronounce myself officially footballed out, ready to move on to some new things to occupy my weekend days. Kind of hit an emotional wall with the training, but I know it is something I have to just push past, and I know I can. Kid's soccer is almost over, which bodes well for me as far as getting some weekend time back.
Family
Thursday was a great day, even though I worked I still managed to really enjoy my birthday. And I am still a little overwhelenmed by the outpouring of Happy Birthday wishes. Friday I made the most of my day off, getting in a shortened run (more on that later), followed by running the kids to school, then taking Spotty for a long walk. I then got my license renewed, stopped at the library, then met Kim for a nice lunch and desert before getting kids. Friday night we got to go to the CC hocky game with friends, and really enjoyed the time out.
Saturday was a little hectic in the morning as I was faced with handling all 3 soccer games solo, as they were done before Kim got off work. But I got it done, then home to watch football while we had the cousins over for the rest of the day and evening. Which was relaxing, but wore me down a little.
Sunday was the combined party for James & I, which was nice, despite misfortune on the football front (see football piece). But I was ready for the day to end. I did snatch a little time to paint though, which was a nice capper to the weekend.
Football
Still a little raw from having the 3 teams I love get beat down severely. I won't get into the specifics on each time. Just a quick bullet point for each.
Friday I was into what is one of my tougher training runs, lots of changing intervals, when my earbuds kept falling out, totally throwing off my rhythm. So I stopped the run after a mile. Felt bad about it the rest of the weekend, even though I technically made up for it with a 3 mile walk with the dog. The thing is that I have kind of lost control of my appetite, slid back into some bad habits like eating big meals, bad snacks, late night snacks etc. Then the rest of the weekend I was sluggish with all of that sitting around watching football.
So this morning I woke up with a pupose and renewed commitment. I will get some new ear buds on my lunch break, removing that excuse. And get myself back into the calorie counting and cut off the bad habits. It's all a matter of discipline, I know I have, I just let myself relax a little. And part of that commitment is to bring my focus back on the future, what do I want to do with all of this, my goals, rather than what I have not done lately. I feel good about this, and felt even more so after my training run this morning.
Miniatures
Didn't get in a game this weekend, which was expected. Hopefully we can get a game in this coming weekend though. It was interesting talking to Forrest Friday night, we are both at the same place as far as playing Warhammer: it's not so much the system that's the issue, it's just exhausting to think about playing with that many figures any more. Which is one of the reasons I plan to keep focusing on Warzone. It's a good teaching system for James. And I can picture myself getting fully painted forces into play for a while without much effort.
Friday I stopped at the game store for a while. Wow, there are just so many new games out there now. If I had the time to want to try and keep up I doubt I could afford to, just too many choices. I think I will try to temper any thoughts of starting into a new game until I have fully painted what I have for Warzone, and James is up to learning to play with other kids, which isn't for a while now.
Projects
With kids soccer coming to an end, and none of them showing any desire to start up another sport for now it is looking like I will get my Saturday's back. Which will be nice. But to offset the possibility of just falling into a rut of sitting around watching football or some such while the kids run wild I do know I will have to find some things to focus my attention. Partly some of that will come from getting more into weekly games with James. But the other part is figuring out some household projects to undertake. Not the kind of things that result in major expense, but mainly things that I can do with materials we already have on hand. Like getting the laundry room painted, getting curtains set up downstairs again, sealing the dining room for winter, little stuff like that. I am looking forward to doing productive things like that, now that I am past the initial rush of watching football, coupled with losing chunks of time to soccer. I just have to make a list of those things so I can keep a mental checklist.
I had an excellent birthday, followed by an excellent 3 day weekend. But I can now pronounce myself officially footballed out, ready to move on to some new things to occupy my weekend days. Kind of hit an emotional wall with the training, but I know it is something I have to just push past, and I know I can. Kid's soccer is almost over, which bodes well for me as far as getting some weekend time back.
Family
Thursday was a great day, even though I worked I still managed to really enjoy my birthday. And I am still a little overwhelenmed by the outpouring of Happy Birthday wishes. Friday I made the most of my day off, getting in a shortened run (more on that later), followed by running the kids to school, then taking Spotty for a long walk. I then got my license renewed, stopped at the library, then met Kim for a nice lunch and desert before getting kids. Friday night we got to go to the CC hocky game with friends, and really enjoyed the time out.
Saturday was a little hectic in the morning as I was faced with handling all 3 soccer games solo, as they were done before Kim got off work. But I got it done, then home to watch football while we had the cousins over for the rest of the day and evening. Which was relaxing, but wore me down a little.
Sunday was the combined party for James & I, which was nice, despite misfortune on the football front (see football piece). But I was ready for the day to end. I did snatch a little time to paint though, which was a nice capper to the weekend.
Football
Still a little raw from having the 3 teams I love get beat down severely. I won't get into the specifics on each time. Just a quick bullet point for each.
- CU Buffs: this is why Hawkins has to go, we don't win road games, and cannot even muster a point, this type of total lack of consistency can only lie with the coach and his staff.
- Denver Broncos: Welcome to playoff football, where you need a balanced offense, play mistake free, and consistent defense, all things the Broncos are missing at this stage.
- St. Louis Rams: Oh yeah, this team was the worst in the league last year, got a little carried away with any optimism I had.
Friday I was into what is one of my tougher training runs, lots of changing intervals, when my earbuds kept falling out, totally throwing off my rhythm. So I stopped the run after a mile. Felt bad about it the rest of the weekend, even though I technically made up for it with a 3 mile walk with the dog. The thing is that I have kind of lost control of my appetite, slid back into some bad habits like eating big meals, bad snacks, late night snacks etc. Then the rest of the weekend I was sluggish with all of that sitting around watching football.
So this morning I woke up with a pupose and renewed commitment. I will get some new ear buds on my lunch break, removing that excuse. And get myself back into the calorie counting and cut off the bad habits. It's all a matter of discipline, I know I have, I just let myself relax a little. And part of that commitment is to bring my focus back on the future, what do I want to do with all of this, my goals, rather than what I have not done lately. I feel good about this, and felt even more so after my training run this morning.
Miniatures
Didn't get in a game this weekend, which was expected. Hopefully we can get a game in this coming weekend though. It was interesting talking to Forrest Friday night, we are both at the same place as far as playing Warhammer: it's not so much the system that's the issue, it's just exhausting to think about playing with that many figures any more. Which is one of the reasons I plan to keep focusing on Warzone. It's a good teaching system for James. And I can picture myself getting fully painted forces into play for a while without much effort.
Friday I stopped at the game store for a while. Wow, there are just so many new games out there now. If I had the time to want to try and keep up I doubt I could afford to, just too many choices. I think I will try to temper any thoughts of starting into a new game until I have fully painted what I have for Warzone, and James is up to learning to play with other kids, which isn't for a while now.
Projects
With kids soccer coming to an end, and none of them showing any desire to start up another sport for now it is looking like I will get my Saturday's back. Which will be nice. But to offset the possibility of just falling into a rut of sitting around watching football or some such while the kids run wild I do know I will have to find some things to focus my attention. Partly some of that will come from getting more into weekly games with James. But the other part is figuring out some household projects to undertake. Not the kind of things that result in major expense, but mainly things that I can do with materials we already have on hand. Like getting the laundry room painted, getting curtains set up downstairs again, sealing the dining room for winter, little stuff like that. I am looking forward to doing productive things like that, now that I am past the initial rush of watching football, coupled with losing chunks of time to soccer. I just have to make a list of those things so I can keep a mental checklist.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Interesting how the world has changed, and lessons we need to learn
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
Friday I went to see Wall Street: Money Never sleeps, and then after dinner I watched Rising Sun. And what struck me, thinking back to the original Wall Street movie and Rising Sun, was how much the world had changed, and more importantly how bad the crash really was in 2008, and how did we as a country let things get to the point where businesses could effectively destroy the economy.
Watching Rising Sun I was struck with how terrified we were on some level of the powerful Japanese economy. While the book and the movie were over the top, there was a real fear there. Partially driven by good old fashioned American Nativism. And also driven by a fear of a changing economic landscape. Our economy was undergoing a real change at that time, and the 'average' person was really worried where and how they would fit in.
The other thing that struck me was how mild a danger the 'bad guys' in the movie really represented. At worst they might have taken over some companies, and then run them more efficiently. Which might have meant some layoffs, but not economic takeover or ruin. And then how little we really had to fear from the big bad Japanese, when their own real estate bubble hit them like ours is hitting us now.
Thinking about the 2 Wall Street films I was struck by the fact that again the 'bad guy' in the first film might at worst have done some insider trading, and maybe cleared out some older inefficient companies. While I wouldn't have called them 'vicitimless' crimes, they certainly weren't damaging to the economy as a whole. And what passed as a 'Master of the Universe' at that time, in the late 80's would today be laughed at as a middle class minor league trader by today's big traders.
But in this latest film we see just how big these traders were, how much money they were throwing around. And how big of an effect they had on the world and nations economy. And that was the part that really irritated me and made me angry. There were a few scenes of the movie that made me think of the line from Taxi Driver:
But the last, biggest lesson I took from the movie was how much our lack of regulation of the financial industry led to the crash. While the crash cannot be blamed on 1 person or organization there was a definite case of the foxes ruling the hen house. The big financial companies and banks were making massive, obscene amounts of money gambling with money that to some extent didn't really exist, but in the end was really our money. And then when things fell apart we had to bail them out. But then these same companies and financial leaders now have the gall to get upset when the government tries to reign them in to some extent with regulations. Bottom line, this crash was the fault of a body politic that has made the mistake of thinking that we could trust people who make really obscene amounts of money to not be so greedy that they won't gamble the house trying to get more.
Friday I went to see Wall Street: Money Never sleeps, and then after dinner I watched Rising Sun. And what struck me, thinking back to the original Wall Street movie and Rising Sun, was how much the world had changed, and more importantly how bad the crash really was in 2008, and how did we as a country let things get to the point where businesses could effectively destroy the economy.
Watching Rising Sun I was struck with how terrified we were on some level of the powerful Japanese economy. While the book and the movie were over the top, there was a real fear there. Partially driven by good old fashioned American Nativism. And also driven by a fear of a changing economic landscape. Our economy was undergoing a real change at that time, and the 'average' person was really worried where and how they would fit in.
The other thing that struck me was how mild a danger the 'bad guys' in the movie really represented. At worst they might have taken over some companies, and then run them more efficiently. Which might have meant some layoffs, but not economic takeover or ruin. And then how little we really had to fear from the big bad Japanese, when their own real estate bubble hit them like ours is hitting us now.
Thinking about the 2 Wall Street films I was struck by the fact that again the 'bad guy' in the first film might at worst have done some insider trading, and maybe cleared out some older inefficient companies. While I wouldn't have called them 'vicitimless' crimes, they certainly weren't damaging to the economy as a whole. And what passed as a 'Master of the Universe' at that time, in the late 80's would today be laughed at as a middle class minor league trader by today's big traders.
But in this latest film we see just how big these traders were, how much money they were throwing around. And how big of an effect they had on the world and nations economy. And that was the part that really irritated me and made me angry. There were a few scenes of the movie that made me think of the line from Taxi Driver:
Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets.Only in this case, the scum isn't some street people, it's these greedy uber powerful rich people. There were some interesting side stories in the movie, the best being the main characters Mom, a former nurse turned wanna be real estate mogul. Who is so focused on the big score, and leveraged to the hilt and beyond, that she's like a degenerate gambler who just knows that if she can get enough of a stake she can win big, and then maybe she can stop, only the reality is she won't, not until she hits rock bottom, which is what the crash did. Which in a lot of ways was an apt metaphor for our economy.
But the last, biggest lesson I took from the movie was how much our lack of regulation of the financial industry led to the crash. While the crash cannot be blamed on 1 person or organization there was a definite case of the foxes ruling the hen house. The big financial companies and banks were making massive, obscene amounts of money gambling with money that to some extent didn't really exist, but in the end was really our money. And then when things fell apart we had to bail them out. But then these same companies and financial leaders now have the gall to get upset when the government tries to reign them in to some extent with regulations. Bottom line, this crash was the fault of a body politic that has made the mistake of thinking that we could trust people who make really obscene amounts of money to not be so greedy that they won't gamble the house trying to get more.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Thinking he is really going to like the rest of this month
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
This weekend was the first of my 5 3 day weekends, and it was really nice. Friday was spent running some errands and spending some time with Baby Em, followed by a movie and dinner with a good friend. Saturday was soccer, then a game of Warzone and a couple of movies. Sunday was shopping, football, painting and catching up on TV. A family oriented, relaxing weekend, and it was oh so nice.
Family
With Emily slated to start at BV in a month we realized that timing wise it made no sense for her to have her Fall school photos done at Old Town, so I kept her home, and took her to BV when it was time for her future class to have theirs taken. Which was nice, we got a little quality time together. Plus she got to see more of BV so it won't be completely unfamiliar to her when the time comes.
Saturday I got the first general protest at having to get up, get dressed and go to soccer. Since this was the 4th game I figured the timing was about right. Emily conducted a general protest and refused to even go on the field for the opening kick. Daniel did his usual thing out there, running up and down the field, even kicking the ball once or twice. James' team was it's normal dominant self, with James getting the clinching goal on a garbage play in front of the goal.
Saturday night turned into family movie time, watching 2 movies, one with the kids, one without. And Sunday was nice as far as not overdosing on football for once. I got in some painting as well.
Training
I actually saw the effect of letting myself overindulge a little too much in my eating lately. I haven't stopped running, which has led to my having a bigger appetite, and with less discipline in that area I had actually put on a couple of pounds. So today it is back to the discipline of meal and calorie tracking. Although I will not push it too much this week, as it is my birthday week. But if I can just get myself back into more self aware eating discipline, and readjust my appetite to an extent, I should get back to where I want to be in a short time.
Miniatures
Saturday James and I played a bigger game: 3 squads a side, with an emphasis on also learning to play more of the game, especially hand to hand rules. It was a fun game, but very bloody, coming down to the last couple of figures on the table. I think James was slowly getting a handle on the rules and the general tactics, but since I was teaching him it was hard to say for sure if the lessons sunk in. I really won't be able to tell until we play a few more games.
I was able to get in some painting as well. Finishing 1 unit, and starting on the last of my Cybertronic units. Although there may be a problem with too much painting as when I do too much painting I need to change how I hold my hands as my tendonitis was flaring up after that of all things.
Football
Well I can't argue with a weekend like that: my teams all went 4-0, and I wasn't glued to the TV watching all day Saturday and Sunday again. Glad to kind of turn the corner like that.
CU Buffs
This was a game I could have watched, but was having to good a time with the family movies. I gather it was a really good game to watch, with several major momentum shifts. And best of all CU won, a fitting celebration of the 20th anniversary of the national championship team. Finishing the non-conference schedule 3-1 was good, but the tough swimming starts with a road game this week at Mizzou.
Ole Miss Rebels
A good win over a conference foe, just what was needed, but I still doubt that there is a bowl game on tap for this team. There's just a lot of rebuilding to be done, and it's a really tough season on the SEC West.
Denver Broncos
I watched this game, and am still feeling a little dazed that we won. A W is a W, but boy that one was hard fought, took a few breaks going our way. And there are definitely some weaknesses in this team, that a really good team will take advantage of, which is not good news to hear heading into a game with the Jets. But I will take a 2-2 record at this point, with the division being weak, there's still a chance to get back into that race once things shake out.
St. Louis Rams
If you had told me the Rams would be .500 a quarter of a season in I would have taken it, and I will do so. We had a pretty convincing home win to get there. Our defense is actually starting to show signs of being pretty darn good. And Bradofrd is starting to look like the best QB in the division (admittedly not setting the bar too high). It is looking very much like a .500 record could win the NFC West, and there's some chance that could even be the Rams. Although they have to win a game or 2 on the road first to make that a possibility.
This weekend was the first of my 5 3 day weekends, and it was really nice. Friday was spent running some errands and spending some time with Baby Em, followed by a movie and dinner with a good friend. Saturday was soccer, then a game of Warzone and a couple of movies. Sunday was shopping, football, painting and catching up on TV. A family oriented, relaxing weekend, and it was oh so nice.
Family
With Emily slated to start at BV in a month we realized that timing wise it made no sense for her to have her Fall school photos done at Old Town, so I kept her home, and took her to BV when it was time for her future class to have theirs taken. Which was nice, we got a little quality time together. Plus she got to see more of BV so it won't be completely unfamiliar to her when the time comes.
Saturday I got the first general protest at having to get up, get dressed and go to soccer. Since this was the 4th game I figured the timing was about right. Emily conducted a general protest and refused to even go on the field for the opening kick. Daniel did his usual thing out there, running up and down the field, even kicking the ball once or twice. James' team was it's normal dominant self, with James getting the clinching goal on a garbage play in front of the goal.
Saturday night turned into family movie time, watching 2 movies, one with the kids, one without. And Sunday was nice as far as not overdosing on football for once. I got in some painting as well.
Training
I actually saw the effect of letting myself overindulge a little too much in my eating lately. I haven't stopped running, which has led to my having a bigger appetite, and with less discipline in that area I had actually put on a couple of pounds. So today it is back to the discipline of meal and calorie tracking. Although I will not push it too much this week, as it is my birthday week. But if I can just get myself back into more self aware eating discipline, and readjust my appetite to an extent, I should get back to where I want to be in a short time.
Miniatures
Saturday James and I played a bigger game: 3 squads a side, with an emphasis on also learning to play more of the game, especially hand to hand rules. It was a fun game, but very bloody, coming down to the last couple of figures on the table. I think James was slowly getting a handle on the rules and the general tactics, but since I was teaching him it was hard to say for sure if the lessons sunk in. I really won't be able to tell until we play a few more games.
I was able to get in some painting as well. Finishing 1 unit, and starting on the last of my Cybertronic units. Although there may be a problem with too much painting as when I do too much painting I need to change how I hold my hands as my tendonitis was flaring up after that of all things.
Football
Well I can't argue with a weekend like that: my teams all went 4-0, and I wasn't glued to the TV watching all day Saturday and Sunday again. Glad to kind of turn the corner like that.
CU Buffs
This was a game I could have watched, but was having to good a time with the family movies. I gather it was a really good game to watch, with several major momentum shifts. And best of all CU won, a fitting celebration of the 20th anniversary of the national championship team. Finishing the non-conference schedule 3-1 was good, but the tough swimming starts with a road game this week at Mizzou.
Ole Miss Rebels
A good win over a conference foe, just what was needed, but I still doubt that there is a bowl game on tap for this team. There's just a lot of rebuilding to be done, and it's a really tough season on the SEC West.
Denver Broncos
I watched this game, and am still feeling a little dazed that we won. A W is a W, but boy that one was hard fought, took a few breaks going our way. And there are definitely some weaknesses in this team, that a really good team will take advantage of, which is not good news to hear heading into a game with the Jets. But I will take a 2-2 record at this point, with the division being weak, there's still a chance to get back into that race once things shake out.
St. Louis Rams
If you had told me the Rams would be .500 a quarter of a season in I would have taken it, and I will do so. We had a pretty convincing home win to get there. Our defense is actually starting to show signs of being pretty darn good. And Bradofrd is starting to look like the best QB in the division (admittedly not setting the bar too high). It is looking very much like a .500 record could win the NFC West, and there's some chance that could even be the Rams. Although they have to win a game or 2 on the road first to make that a possibility.
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