2-1-7

After my last official weigh in I was down to 217 and change, which means I have lost appx. 17 pounds so far. I can't remember the last time I weighed under 220 pounds. I am looking forward to hitting the 20 pound loss mark. Which means I would be half way to my goal of 40 pounds.

I am happy with my progress so far. I have been dropping weight consitantly, and have stuck with excersising on a regular basis. I still would like to get my milage up more. I think it is more psycological at this point than physical. I just need to go our and run 3 miles non stop, so I know I can do it. Once I prove to myself that I can, it will get easier from then on.

Early Morning

I knew that I would eventually have to start waking up early and exercising, if I wanted to get a workout in during the day. Once the baby is here, there are going to be to many moving parts to get away for an hour. I have been very fortunate that Mandy hasn't given me a hard time for the time away I have spent over the last two months.

So I woke up at 5:15 this morning and went for a jog. Getting out of bed was difficult. To be totaly honest if the dog didn't need to go to the bathroom, I might have not gotten up. Once I was out of bed though, I was fine. I felt good, the crisp air was great. No bugs, mainly because it was 40 out, which has to be to cold for them. I didn't see many people though, which is something I will think I will miss. Overall though, I think I can handle waking up early a couple days a week.

Two Things

1.If when walking your dog, you are so concerned that it will eat the people passing by, that when they do, you have to walk your dog off the trail, point it into the woods, and distract it from the person passing by, you should not be walking your dog in public. Not once put twice I had to pass a couple walking a rotwiler. Once on my way out, once on my way back. Both times the woman who was holding the dog, walked him off the trail, and literally pointed at things in the woods for the dog to look at, while the man stood on guard between the dog and me. That does not make me feel safe.

2. I was just watching the daily show and they did a montage of recent speeches where President Bush used the word, awesome. He told the Pope that his speech was awesome. Now, this President and I, don't see eye to eye on many things. If he had come out and used, awesome, in more of his speeches from the begining, he might have been able to win me over a little. Just a little though.

A blow to the ego

My parents came over to visit for a bit today. While they were over the topic of pushups came up. Well, I guess I brought it up while talking about how I am trying to get into shape. While talking my dad said he could do 50 pushups. I thought it was all talk so I called him out on it. I told him there was no way he could do 50 push ups. Then he did them. 50 freakin pushups, at once. Not girl pushups real friggen pushups.

Hold on.....yeah I suck. I thought while typing this, I shouldn't say that his 50 pushups was impresive, until I knew for certain that I couldn't do 50 pushups. Well I can't. I did 20. He did 50 no problem, and he is old. Man that sucks. Good for him I guess.

At least I have some new motivation.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

I have seen three movies in which JGL has stared, and have have enjoyed all three. 10 Things I Hate About You, Brick, and now The Lookout.

I shy away from reviewing movies, so I am not going to do it here. If you ever want to talk movies, I will do so for days.

Getting to the point of this post though, is that another good showing by JGL lead me to IMDB him, and see what other movies I can check him out in. I stumbled across a role he has in an upcoming movie. He will be playing none other than Cobra Comander, in GI MFing Joe. I have heard rumblings here and there about a live action GI JOE movie, but until today didn't realize how far along this movie was. It is in post production already. The little kid in me is freaking out with excitment.

Anywho, rent the Lookout, it won't change your life, thats what Grave of the Fire Flies is for, but it is a decent flick.

I am a Rebel

The Green Circle Trail splits into two paths. One that says main trail, and one that says bike path. Until today I have played by the rules and stuck to the main trail. Today though I decided that I was a rebel. I ran down the bike path. (Gasps from the audience) Thats right people I RAN down the BIKE path. I did though keep my hands out in front of me though, and ran with high knees to give the apperance of a bicycle.

I also enter through exit doors (thank you Mitch Hedberg) and stand on the walk side of airport moving walkways.

On another note, tomorrow when all you suckers are working full days, I will be taking advantage of a half day. Thanks to my works pre-memorial day half day of vacation.

BUGS!!!!

I swallowed so many bugs tonight I felt like I was a contestant on Fear Factor. I took to the Green Circle Trail, and ran into swarm upon swarm of tiny bugs. It was horrible. It got to the point where I had to stop running, because breathing heavy, meant breathing in bugs. It was pretty ridiculus.

I might have to try waking up early and excersising in the morning, and hope that bugs like to sleep in.

Almost off the Wagon

This was the first big break I have had in exercising, and eating, well lack of eating healthy since I started this almost 2 months ago. It was the perfect storm of activities and laziness.

Though I didn't cave, and I set out for a jog today. I decided that my days of rest, meant that I needed to push it farther today than I have. Which meant, I ran almost two consecutive miles...without stopping. Crazy I know. I also felt good, which makes me look forward to tomorrow. I have found my pace, which allows me to move along at a decent clip, while not expending so much that I stop sooner than I would like.

While I was almost off the exercise wagon, I also was close to falling off the blogging wagon as well. Since it has been 5 days since my last post. I realized that a lot of what I blog about comes from my ventures out into the world while exercising, and without it, I have little to say.

Though I did see something interesting this weekend while in the bathroom at the local movie theatre. I delinquent went into the handicap stall, which I find slightly inappropriate for a non handicapped person to use the handicapped stall, not the point though. He used the bathroom, and after he was done, he crawled under the stall door, and left. That's right, he crawled under the stall door, leaving the stall door locked, making it difficult when the person in the wheelchair actually comes to use the bathroom. While that bothered me, what almost bothered me more was that he didn't care that he did it while I was in the bathroom. I should have yelled at him. I didn't, I did open the stall door though. No, I didn't crawl under the stall. I just pushed hard on the outside and twisted the lock so it opened. I don't wish ill will on many, especially kids. I hope that kid craps his pants in public someday. Preferably in high school, after getting drunk at a party, because he realized girls don't like him, and after a couple more beers, boys don't "like" him either. The worst part being he doesn't realize he crapped himself until the next morning. When his mom wakes him up, after he passed out on the kitchen floor. To harsh?

It's a girl......maybe

We had an ultrasound today, and based on what we saw (or didn't see as the case may be) we are having a girl. Which is pretty exciting.

The Youth of Plover...

disappoint and confuse me.

First the disappointment. On my walk today, I was just about to turn onto the green circle trail, when some (presumably) 12 year old girl yelled at me out of her car window. Well more of a screech. At first the old man in me came out, and I was like who let's their kid yell out the window. I then decided that it was the "cool mom" from Mean Girls, who doesn't have the ability to tell her child to not hang out the window and yell at people. Then I was disappointed that she didn't actually yell anything at me. I myself have yelled many things out of a car window. Some of my favorites have been, "Free Gary Busey" and " Go back to Norway" at no point though, have I just yelled nothing. I mean where is her creativity. I could have taken a "Hey Fatty" or "You...the other white meat".

Either that or she was being abducted, in which case I would feel pretty bad...maybe I should watch the news tonight.

Now on to the confusing. As I continued my walk, I came across two youths in Debauchery Forest. As I got closer I noticed one of the kids was holding his hat out in front of him, shaking it. Almost like someone begging for money would. I thought, no big deal, maybe it is what kids do these days. Until I noticed he was also wearing a hat. I can handle out hat movements. Though I can't handle two hats. Is one hat specifically to shake? I don't get it.

While I was still pondering the two hatted kid, I came across another interesting sight. A kid on a bike, was coming down the trail. In his hand he was holding a scooter. The lightweight kind, with the skinny base with the little front handle bars. Why does he need a bike and a scooter? I may never know.

Dramatization?

This has been bothering me for a while, so I figured instead of dwelling on it, I would post it and be done with it.

What has been bothering me is a commercial for a facial clensing product (for the life of me I can't remember what). The gist of the commercial is that a girl is washing/cleaning/moisturizing her face. There is a close up, of her, her face full of the stuff. Your standard commercial...or so I thought.

At the bottom of the screen reads, dramatization. What? So the girl wasn't really washing her face? She didn't really have the facial scrub/soap/moistuizer on? She wasn't really using the product? Or was it a dramatization where she washed her face as she had done earlier in the day? It really is confusing. Once I catch the commercial again, I will try and post a link to the commercial. So you can be as befuddled as I am.

Odd Thoughts

So I think that I am firmly committed to getting into shape. At least I hope that is the case. Otherwise I am unsure why I would have had the following thought while out on a jog today:

"Man that guy looks good"

Yep, that was a thought I had. The thought was in reference to his fitness level, he had a good stride, was keeping a good pace, and seemed to be fit. Not overly muscular, but not scrawny either. Essentially he is at where I want to be in a year.

Though the initial thought of him looking good still startled me a little. In all my life, I don't think that has been my initial reaction to any other man. I have eventually appreciated peoples fitness levels, but never on the initial pass.

I imagine that part of it had to do with me laboring along the road, while he breezed by me. I am sure he was thinking:

"Should I follow him for a while, he looks like he is about to die."

He didn't and I didn't. Which I think is best for everyone.

#20

The Friday NY Times Crossword puzzle is hard. I took a shot at it today, knowing that I would not come close, and failed miserably. Just as I am training for my physical list items, I am going to need to train for this one as well. So the next time I hit up a book store, I will be picking up a crossword puzzle book. I figure I will try and hit up the NY Times CW puzzle earlier in the week as well, when it is a little easier. This is one I am happy I have three years to do, but a little worriesome, since their is only a finite amount of Fridays before I turn 30.

It's Mothers Day on Sunday. Be sure to call your mom.

Debauchery Forest

I have decided that the pine forest near my house is home to many youthful indiscretions. Two days in a row now I have seen a group of questionable youths walking on the Green Circle Trail out of Debauchery Forest. I am fairly certain they were up to no good. By no good I mean drugs. I then realized that Debauchery Forest is the perfect place for kids to do wrong. The pine trees are easy enough to get through, and if you are sitting on the ground, or lying on the ground as some may do, there is plenty of room. The trees are thick enough that if you get ten to fifteen feet in, you are hidden. The only problem is that it is a highly flammable area in the summer. One improperly extinguished joint and that place is a fiery inferno.

Also today on my walk I am fairly certain a dog wanted to eat me. I was walking through a neighborhood and this crazy dog came sprinting at me. It came to a halt at the property line. I assume it had one of those invisible fences. It was fairly pissed, and growled. Not the get out of here growl, but the I want to eat your face growl. I think the dog has anger issues, it was probably ignored as a puppy.

I haven't touched on the awesomest part of my walk though. I was on the home stretch, and off in the distance I saw a person on roller blades. I thought it was the same roller blading girl I have seen out a couple of times. It was not, it was a 40 plus year old man, on roller blades. I have never seen such a wonderus sight. His arms were like arrows, as he power bladed down the street sidewalk. It was a thing of beauty.

Walking is awesome.

9:07

This is now the offical starting point as a litterally run towards the goal of a 5:30 mile. As I have posted earlier, I plan to attempt the 5:30 mile around my birthday next year. Since I turned a day older today, that attempt is now a year away. I decided that I should set a starting point, and ran a mile today.

Since I didn't head to a track, it is an unoffical time, as it is not exactly a mile. I drove off the distance, and eyeballed where I needed to stop and start. Also, while it did not have any large inclines or declines, it did roll a little. Not that if I had run it on a track it would have been some huge improvement.

To be honest I wanted 8:00, which would equate to two minute laps on a track. So while I am not disapointed, I had hoped for better. The other good part though is that I was not totally exhausted. Which means that put on a track, I think I could shave 30 seconds off, just with knowing distances better, and leaving it all on the track. I didn't really feel like running to collapse on the side of the road. People might worry.

In order to reach my goal I need to take 3 minutes and 37 seconds off of my time. While it seems like a lot of time at this point, I feel pretty confident that by the end of the summer I can be down to 7 minute miles, with some speed work in the fall get down to around 6 minutes. Then keep shape over the winter, once the snow melts do some more speed work early spring, and be ready to go come the begining of May.

While I don't want to rest on this either, if I fail next year, I will still have two years to drop time. I would be a little more worried if I was a year away from 30.

The Hidden Fortress

I am now down to 28 items on my 30x30, with exactly 2 years 364 days to go. This afternoon I took the afternoon off, picked up some sushi and watched Hidden Fortress. Which was an excellent movie, and makes me feel good about my choice in adding it to my list.

I always tout myself as an Akira Kurosawa fan, and I am. Though until today, I have only seen The Seven Samurai. So it was a little like saying I was a fan of the Verve Pipe, because I liked, The Freshman. Now I can officailly say I stand soundly in the Kurosawa camp. The movie was outstanding.

I won't give you a full play by play, I would prefer that you watch it for yourself, but I will give a basic summary.

The story revolves around two peasents (these two were the inspiration for R2-D2 and C-3PO in Star Wars). They arive late to a battle between two "states". Their side wins, but they are mistaken for the enemy. This all takes place before the opening seen, and is discussed during the opening sequence. Eventually the two end up trying to make their way back to their home "state". They stumble upon the hidden fortress and become part of a collection of people trying to evade capture.

The interaction between the two pesants is priceless. I would watch the movie again just to watch the two of them argue again.

At the end of the day, I highly recomend this movie to anyone.

Afraid of the Dark

I realized today that I am still ever so slightly afraid of the dark. I decided to take the wooded path this evening, and walk/jog (almost as much jog as walk tonight) along the green circle train. Instead of looping out to the main road I doubled back along the trail. I like how the path is a little softer than the sidewalk. While I still am lumbering around in this 223 (thats right, down to 223) pound frame, I should try and take it easy on my knees. Anyway, on my way back it had gotten a bit darker out. So on the last path, where it loops away from houses, I noticed I was a little more on edge. My heart wasn't pounding as much from the walk as it was from the darkness. So I popped out one of my ear buds so I could hear things better. After rounding a bend, I heard a comotion in the woods, and saw flashlights, and flashing red lights headed my way out of the woods. My first thought was to run like hell, or become some cults sacrafice, or worse, sold to some Austrian to be his dungeon slave. Then the dogs started barking. Which didn't help. I held strong though, and continued walking like I wasn't just about to wet myself. As they drew closer, I realized that they were the same nice people that I saw earlier. I assume that they live in the area, and know of connecting trails through the woods. End of the story, I am back at home safe and sound, and might stick to the path along the well lit road when I go out later at night.

To back track to the running portion. I really felt great tonight while I jogged. Both stretches that I jogged I was sure I could have gone further each time, but I had accomplished the goals I set forth when I started, and I didn't want to push it.

On an unrelated topic. I am happy that Smodcast is back to a regular schedule. In case I haven't mentioned it before Smodcast is a weekly podcast that Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma) does, his co-host most of the time is Scott Mosier, who produces his movies. They are fairly vulgar, but more often than not talk about fasinating topics. Todays Smodcast focused on the Catholic church. Kevin Smith grew up catholic. They basically outlined what the church needs to do to stay relevant in this day an age. If I were part of the church, I would be demanding that Kevin Smith be made Pope immediately. His reign would only last a couple of weeks, before he grew tired of it and moved on, but those would be a couple of awesome weeks, and I think that at the end of the day the church would be a better place for it. If you ever want to check it out, you can find it on Itunes.

Off Topic

I recently read a story about a 17 year old girl that gave birth at home and then walk/jogged to the hosptial, while the baby was still attached to her. I have a hard enough time walking and jogging on my own, let alone after giving birth to an 8 pound baby, who is currently still attached to me. The part of the story that bothered me though, is that the doctors praised her for her quick thinking after the baby was born. I am not sure if I would praise the girl who hide her pregnancy for 9 months, and then decided it was a good idea to give birth at home. The other kicker, was she didn't call an ambulance because her phone was disconnected, and she didn't go to a neighbors because she didn't want to wake anyone up so early in the morning. It is so nice that she has everyones well being in mind, except the baby she just had.

I have also decided that people in Austria are giving dungeons a bad name. Last year we had the girl escape from some guys dungeon in an Austrian Suburb. Now we have the wack job, who kept his daughter in a dungeon for 20 plus years and fathered 7 children with her. The question I have posed is who delivered these babies. Did the guy do it. Did he hire a midwife, who was okay with dungeon birth? Maybe he just told her he was a scientologist, and for the baby to be born with the proper amount of thetans, the mother needed to be shackled and gagged. At the end of the day it is pretty horrible, and I won't be going to Austria anytime soon.

29 left

One of the 30x30 has finally fallen. I have visited the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, and crossed #10 off of my list. It was nice to get one done and out of the way. It is also nice to know that when I am in Wausau from now on, I won't be annoyed by the museum signs anymore, knowing that I haven't been their.

Overall the museum was ok. The bird wing (pun intended)was cool. If I had any ambition I would become a falconer, and there were plenty of beautiful falcon paintings. The other two exhibits they had were on Medieval Armor, and Alice in Wonderland themed artwork. Both were nice, nothing that blew my mind though. They do have a sculpture garden, that I found peaceful.

The rest of the day was great as well. We finally went to the Annual Cultural Festival, here in Stevens Point. It was very impressive. We took in some Irish Dancers, saw some African Singers, ate some awesome food (from all regions) and Trev did some different craft type things. I am sure that if I would have wanted to spend the time, I would have spent way to much money purchasing different items as well. I also had some Bubble Tea, which is the second strangest thing I have drank.

We also spent some time bumming around Wausau. I stopped at Rogans and got some new shoes. Due to my wide feet, I stayed with New Balance. I did try on a pair of Asic Gel Kayanos, they felt awesome. I have seen Asics in wides, I think once I up my mileage, and do some serious training, I might have to shell out for them.

Not sure what I will cross of the list next. Though I moved the Hidden Fortress up towards the top of my Netflix queue, so I imagine that will be it.

People in Plover melt in the rain

It has been rainy today, on and off. After dinner it had stopped raining, so I took a walk. It was like I had my own personal sidewalk. In 30 minutes on a usually busy sidewalk, I did not pass another person. On most days I pass 10-15 friendly people, today none.

Just found it odd.

Maverick said it best...

I feel the need...the need for speed. I am getting sick of walking. I want to start running. I know though that when I start running, I will burn myself out within a half a mile. So, that being said I just have to keep building up to running. As I mentioned previously I need to get new shoes, then I will start run/walking again, and hopefully work up to just plain running. I am shooting to be running by June. Keep your fingers crossed.

I have also decided to cross one of my 30x30 off the list this weekend. I think I might finally track down the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. I have failed to find it so many times, this weekend might be it. If anyone is in the area, and wants to go to a tiny museum in Wausau that mainly has wildlife photos let me know.

Look for exciting updates this weekend.