Monthly Archive for May, 2007

Huh huh… killin’ trees is cool!

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on May 31, 2007
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Just kidding. Actually, one is already dead and the other is on its last (leg) root.

A few weeks ago my neighbors had their roof replaced. I happened to be home the morning the work started and the neighbor lady came over to ask, since the trees are right on the property line, if I’d be willing to go in half to get them cut down. One is dead and the other is nearly so. The ‘nearly-so’ one was doing quite a bit of damage to their house. The other, completely dead, given a stiff wind, could fall either into their house or mine. So I opted to contribute half.

Last night, the tree trimmers called me to tell me that they were here to cut down the trees, but they needed me to move my car, motorcycle and trailer that were potentially in danger of being landed upon if the tree didn’t fall in the expected direction. Unfortunately, I was about 400 miles away (in Nashville, TN) when they called, so there wasn’t a lot I could do.

Well, an hour or so ago (I’m home now), they came by to drop off “big white” (their lift truck) and talk to me about where they expected the tree(s) to land. They showed me a spot about 2 ft wide, between a stump in the yard and the bushes next to my carport. Then they said I should remove my car, motorcycle, truck and anything else of value from under the carport ‘just in case’.

Now might be the time to mention that these guys were the lowest bidder, a tree-service contractor the neighbors found at a really good price.

I’m really debating whether I should work from home tomorrow, or leave then return and hope for the best. :-(

The Experiment: Day 24

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on May 31, 2007
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I missed another day. After a long weekend, I had to leave Tuesday for a business trip to Nashville, TN. I still had to pack in the morning, and had a 9am training session at a client’s office, so there just wasn’t time to do it.

Also, I didn’t mention this earlier, but I think I’m allergic to exercise. When I woke up this past Sunday morning, I noticed a rash on my wrists, inner-arm, ankles and trunk. Initially, I thought it might be a reaction to some poison ivy, as I worked a lot in the yard Saturday. But as I had some really bad reactions to poison ivy when I was younger and this is not similar, I started searching for what else it could be. In the meantime, it continued to spread a little bit each day.

Given that that rash is a combination of irregularly-shaped, barely-raised welts averaging 1/8″ in diameter and small, solid (not puss-filled) bumps that more closely resemeble insect bites, well, it’s been a hypochondriac’s nightmare. So I hunted for pictures of various rashes trying to identify whether its fleas, bedbugs, Lyme Disease, syphilis or what.

Well, after some research, I believe it is Cholinergic Urticaria, which is basically a manifestation of hives due to stress as well as a physical reaction to increased histamines. If it doesn’t show signs of clearing up by the end of next week, I’ll get some Benedryl. If that doesn’t help, I suppose I’ll break down and go to a doctor. Ugh!

So anyway, I’m closing in on Day 28. So, while I am dying of some mysterious skin affliction, I’m definitely NOT seeing any kind of weight/mass gain like my inspiration did. I find it hard to believe that the lack of gain is because I missed a couple workouts, or that all the gain comes with the last few sessions. More likely, it’s because I’m not eating enough.

The good news, I guess, is that I got home and put on a pair of jeans that fit me perfectly on the last camping trip in mid-April. I can’t keep them up. I’ve lost at least 2 inches off my waist, though I still weigh the same (168-170lbs).

Blogging the Bible

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on May 27, 2007
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Thanks to Michelle Malkin, because without her irrelevant post, I never would have found that a guy from Slate, David Plotz, is Blogging the Bible.

Basically, he’s a self-described Jewish guy who loves being Jewish for all the things he’s been taught about what ‘being Jewish’ means. But after a disturbing revelation while reading a random story in Genesis, he’s taking it upon himself to read the “Old Testament” from start to finish and blog his impressions along the way. To me, this sounds like an interesting and worthwhile endeavor. I look forward to reading his entries, but I’m tempted to not read them for a while and instead undertake the same experiment.

But of course Malkin’s commentary on this is… well… nothing really. Instead, she gives the link then tells us that Robert Spencer is Blogging the Koran. I’m guessing that Spencer’s blog is somehow in retaliation, because now that I look at the date of the Plotz post and see it was Sept ‘06, I assume he’s started and already posted some thoughts.

So, I do plan on keeping up with both, because I find both topics really interesting. Maybe instead of blogging either, I’ll contribute “Blogging the Upanishads”.

But what gets me is…

Continue reading ‘Blogging the Bible’

More bike troubles

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on May 27, 2007
in Personal
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Yesterday, I spent most of the early-afternoon doing housework and mowing the lawn. I then decided I deserved a little fun, so I planned to take a long motorcycle ride to Columbus, then head north on 31 to the Harley Shop in Edinburgh to get some new sunglasses.

All went well until I was about half-way between Columbus and Edinburgh. I came to a stop-light, and when I squeezed the clutch, I noticed the handle was all slippery. I looked down and saw a fluid of some kind sprayed all over the left side of the gas tank. I immediately pulled over to see if I could identify what it was. It appears to be fluid dripping from around where the clutch cable connects to the lever. But otherwise, I don’t see anything that looks like it could carry fluid up there.

I don’t understand the anatomy of my bike well enough to know if it’s possible that transmission fluid could somehow work its way up to the clutch lever, or if there’s some lubricant inside the tube that holds the clutch cable. But, if it’s not that, I’m at a loss, and I’m too afraid to ride with an unidentified problem that could be potentially serious.

It sucks. Looks like my riding season might be over just as it was getting started… and I may have to miss Miracle Ride next weekend.

The Experiment: Day 19

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on May 26, 2007
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Maybe this is a bad thing, and maybe it’s common, but I find that it’s definitely harder to break promises or commitments I make to other people than those I make to myself.

So after Thursday’s entry, I really put myself on a major guilt-trip. This morning I was sitting here at the computer drinking my coffee and reading the news. It was cool outside with some intermittent showers. With the windows open, the breeze was drawing that awesome spring-morning-rain smell into the house. I finally convinced myself that I could take 30 minutes away from really doing nothing important nor constructive/productive and try to get back on the wagon.

I’m glad I did. I feel good.

Continue reading ‘The Experiment: Day 19′

Hogzilla

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on May 25, 2007
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I can’t believe I’ve never heard of Hogzilla before. But I did today. It wasn’t even in an article about Hogzilla. Rather… Hogzilla II.

Bumper Stickers

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on May 24, 2007
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I admit I chuckled when I first read about John Edward’s comment that the ‘War on Terror’ was a bumper sticker, not a plan. He was right. The ‘War on Terror’ is the government’s version of “Coke is it!” or “Where’s the beef?” It’s a marketing slogan, not a plan to rectify the situation.

Bush would have been better off to ignore Edward’s comment than to reply. The word “terrorism” has been so conflated that it now applies to anyone who disagrees with the Regime. I’m probably a ‘terrorist’ for writing this.

While I haven’t personally been to Iraq, I doubt there are many “terrorists” there… not any more than there are here in the U.S. What we have in Iraq are groups of people with ethnic and ideological differences. Under Hussein, there was (though enforced) a reason and initiative to co-exist. No more. The Bush Regime has opened the doors to encourage racist/nationalist thought to pervade the country, instigating a civil war.

Ever wondered what the U.S. would look like tomorrow if suddenly, overnight, all laws regarding equal and civil rights simply disappeared? I don’t believe individuals in the U.S. have progressed enough that we could leave the issue in the hands of the People. Respecting the rights of others isn’t because most want to, but because the law says so.

Continue reading ‘Bumper Stickers’

I am a complete and utter failure

Published
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on May 24, 2007
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Momentum. A few weeks ago I was talking about momentum and how it was keeping me going during my 28-day experiment. But there is another sort of momentum… a negative one. And I know when it started.

For several days there I was stuffing my face with steak and “good stuff”. But one night I slipped into my old habits. I wasn’t hungry and not motivated to cook. Instead, dinner consisted of a bag of Frito’s and some chili-cheese dip. The next day was work-out day. Do you think I felt motivated?

Since then, the negative momentum of procrastination and “I’ll make it up tomorrow” took hold and was followed by “Ok, I’ll make up an excuse and make it up next week.”

I think Yoda may have been wrong. The Power of the Dark Side might just be stronger.

Misc.

Published
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on May 22, 2007
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First, I haven’t given up on the ‘experiment’, but I will admit I missed a day. I never made up last Friday’s missed workout. It turns out I’m not a ‘weekend workout’ type of person, nor am I an ‘evening workout’ type. If it doesn’t happen in the morning, it’s not gonna happen. However, both yesterday and today I had early meetings/conference calls with colleagues in the UK which didn’t allow me to get my needed sleep AND workout AND attend the meetings. Given the difficult choice of setting priorities, I chose sleep and a paycheck. So, I missed this morning too. Luckily tomorrow morning I have nothing to do before 10am.

In other news, I came across this at Pandagon which really got me down.

And speaking of getting me down… Michelle Malkin is having that effect on me the past week or so (more than she has before).

Continue reading ‘Misc.’

The Experiment: Day 11

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on May 18, 2007
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If I had kept to the original schedule, today, Friday, would have been a ‘workout day’. But since I was late last time and it’s only been 1 day since the last… I think I need to subscribe to the ‘adequate rest’ line of thought. I’ll do my workout tomorrow (Saturday) and again be on track for Tuesday.

I felt good today and my neck issue is nearly gone. I forgot to get the protein suppliments again. So, since tomorrow is a workout day, I guess I’m having steak for dinner tonight. I’m really not hungry, though. It’s going to be one of those force-feeding sessions while I’m watching a movie that hopefully distracts me enough that I’ll keep feeding my face despite the fact that I’m full.