Insanity

I have decided to update this every three days or so. This will save me time, and also keep me from needing to come up with pointless things to say.

I will give my Sunday 'Weigh-In' at the top of the boring info so that you don't have to dig through bananas and fish to see how much I lost.

On Monday I started the Insanity DVDs. They are supposed to be the most difficult workout DVDs ever (hence the name Insanity). I have only done one, the 'Fit Test', to test how much you improve over the 60 day period. It is probably eight different exercises and you write down how many you were able to do in one minute. You are supposed to go as hard as you can the whole time. That is what insanity is about. For the first time ever, I almost vomited from exercising so hard. I took a huge break before the last two exercises as I tried to prevent myself from doing so. I did finish them (pathetically). I look forward to the next one. I am sure that I can improve.

On the plus side, the guy is likable. Though after a week I may want to kill him, who knows.

Sunday Weigh-In: 273
Another three pounds. Not as good as I had hoped, but not bad.

Saturday:
Food:
Breakfast:
Lima Beans
Plum
Banana

Snack:
Popcorn

Lunch:
Popcorn
Sausages with Mustard

Dinner:
Popcorn with Butter
Dark Chocolate

Exercise:
I walked 45 min at a decent pace and lifted weights


Sunday:
Food:
Breakfast:
Sausages with Mustard

Lunch:
Salad with Bacon Bits, Raisins, and Ranch

Dinner:
Cheese-less Pizza with Pepperoni, Bacon Bits, Garlic, Red Pepper, and Pineapple

Exercise:
I mowed the front yard with the electric and the back with the push. I also walked at a decent pace (until towards the end when my body would do no more) for about 30 - 40 minutes.


Monday:
Food:
Breakfast:
Sausages with Mustard
Banana

Lunch:
At Ryan's
Sausage and Peppers with Sour Cream and Heinz 57 Sauce
Fish with Tartar Sauce
Salad with Eggs, Ham, Raisins, and Ranch

Snack:
Deli Turkey

Dinner:
Fish with Lime Juice
Baked Potato with Yogurt
Steamed Broccoli

Exercise:
I took the Insanity 'Fit Test'. The first video of the Insanity workout DVDs. I also walked for 30 minutes at a slow to decent pace.

Updated

I updated yesterday's post to a much longer version of my auditioning story.

Food:
Breakfast:
Tots with Yogurt and BBQ Sauce

Lunch:
At Ryan's
Fish with Tartar
Salad with Eggs, Ham, Raisins, and Ranch
Pulled Pork with A-1
Melon

Dinner:
Dark Chocolate
Tots with Yogurt, Ranch, and Bacon Bits

Exercise:
I walked for 45 minutes at a decent pace.

It's Official

It's official, I did not get a part in A Winter's Tale with the Prenzie Players.

I have been attending Prenzie's (mostly) Shakespearean plays for the past three and a half years, ever since my wife convinced me to go see A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was phenomenal. They showed me that not only did Shakespeare not suck, but that his plays could be extremely fascinating. In all of the shows that we have seen, the actors have been excellent, and the directing is always at least a little edgy. The performances are very memorable. At home, several of the actors occasionally even come up in our casual conversations, and we have wanted to see performances by other groups simply due to a Prenzie actor being part of the cast.

With my background in drama, a mere 14 years ago in high school, I occasionally thought about auditioning for a part. Fear and a complete lack of any Shakespearean experience kept me from ever trying it ... until this past week. Last season's performances of Much Ado About Nothing, the most comedic performance that I have ever seen, and Trojan Women, the most tragic performance that I have ever seen, were so amazing that I couldn't help but want to be a part of it.

So, I spent the summer reading up on Shakespeare and watching videos such as "John Barton's Playing Shakespeare". I am now amazed at the intricacies and depth of his work. And also amazed at how it was made so bland during high school.

Maybe I would have hated it no matter what at that age.

In addition to learning about Shakespearean acting for a decent chunk of the summer, I also told quite a few people that I was planning on auditioning. I knew that I would be really nervous and want to back out, and doing so took that option off of the table.

The auditions were this past weekend. At the beginning, I was rather intimidated, as almost everyone else there had acted in multiple Prenzie plays. Even the few non-Prenzies had quite a bit of experience performing in various other plays in this area. As someone without even any community theatre experience, I felt a little like someone who decided to skip high school and college ball and go straight to the pros.

Then the auditions began, and they were a blast. I would be assigned a part in a scene with one to three other people, and then we would rehearse it for about five to ten minutes, and head out to perform it. Then I would be assigned another scene with someone else, and perform that one, and so on. And even though I didn't really have a clue what I was doing (and sometimes what I was saying), the other actors were great, and I felt comfortable there. And when acting Shakespeare for the first time, that is probably the best thing that anyone could ask for.

Excitement (and no small amount of stress) raced through me when I opened the e-mail for Monday's call backs. And seeing my name in big texty letters was even more of a rush. That night when I arrived at the theatre, I even felt comfortable enough to try out a few ideas that I came up with on the spot. Regardless of whether they worked (not so much), the fact that I (a devoted introvert) was willing to try 'bold' things with a group of people I didn't really know, says a lot about the environment of the audition.

Unfortunately, as I said above, my auditions ended there. I was not asked to be part of the cast for A Winter's Tale. JC, the director, did send me an e-mail saying I had improved IMMENSELY (emphasis his) from earlier that week, and that he hopes that I come to future auditions. I know that those words could be seen as a courtesy, but I truly believe that he is pulling for me to do well.

Now I think back on things that I did poorly and I wish that I had done better, and I am sure that I will continue to do so for quite a while. I also know that I have a lot of work to do before I am ready to audition for Troilus and Cressida in December. But, I realized one thing just before I went to sleep last night (and I roused my mostly asleep wife to tell her) ...

Even though it didn't turn out exactly how I hoped, I was actually at the theatre performing scenes with these amazing actors. Disguising myself. Duping rubes. Finding a baby in a basket. Agreeing to poison a king.

I was there, and that is really fucking sweet.

Food:
Breakfast:
Meatloaf with Mustard

Snack:
Almonds

Lunch:
Meatloaf with Mustard

Snack:
Doritos
Dark Chocolate

Dinner:
Tots with Yogurt and BWW Sauce
Popcorn

Exercise:
I walked at a slow to decent pace for about 35 minutes.

...

Catchin' up.


Food:
Breakfast:
Seasoned Meat mixed with Curry Rice. I was in a hurry, but it wasn't as bad as it sounds.

Snack:
Plum
Orange

Lunch:
Rice

Snack:
Orange

Snack:
Lots of Bacon Bits

Dinner:
Meatloaf with Mustard
Baked Potato with Yogurt
Cheetos
Dark Chocolate

Exercise:
None

...

Catchin' up.


Food:
Breakfast:
Rice with a Black Bean and Veggie Mix

Snack:
Plums

Lunch:
Chicken Rice and Vegetables with Curry and Honey

Snack:
Chicken Rice and Vegetables with Curry and Honey

Dinner:
Chips with Seasoned Meat, Salsa, and Yogurt

Snack:
Dark Chocolate

Exercise:
I walked 30 min at a slow pace, and then later another 30 min at a slow pace.

Well, That is Probably That

Well, the auditions went poorly I think. I could be wrong, but I think that my journey ends here.

It was pretty alien to me, and that made it tricky and taxing on my poor brain. But, I had a good (although stressful) time and the Prenzies were all very nice and helpful.

I look forward to seeing the play in November, and possibly even trying out for the next show, Troilus and Cressida.

But now, to relax. Ahhhhhhhh.

Food:
Breakfast:
Rice, Chicken and Vegetable Curry with Honey

Lunch:
At Ryan's
Fish with Tartar
Salad with Eggs, Ham, Raisins, and Ranch
Buffalo Wings

Dinner:
Plain Rice

Exercise:
None

Here I wait...

I am sitting here, waiting for an e-mail from the director. It is 11:25pm, on a Sunday, and I must needs go to work tomorrow. But here I wait.

I did not like my performance at he second set of auditions tonight. With the exception of my last piece I felt as though I didn't do as well as I could.

But that doesn't stop me from sitting here, and waiting, for an e-mail from the director that will tell me my fate. Will I be called back and have the chance at a part? Or will I be dashed to the ground a broken man?

I took another walk when I got back, as I knew that it would take him a while to get all of his notes ready and let people know. Alas, I came back and still no word.

So here I wait, desperately hoping against hope that somehow, at some point, he saw something that he liked and wants to see more.

I hope that I find out soon.

Weigh In: 276
Back to decent losing weeks now that I am actually getting off my ass again.

Food:
Breakfast:
Eggs with Bacon Bits

Lunch:
A little Chicken Vegetable Curry with Rice and Honey

Dinner:
A Banana
A bowl of plain Rice.

Exercise:
I walked at a mostly slow pace for about 45 minutes, and tonight I also walked another 40 or so minutes at a mostly slow pace.




Here I wait...

In Between Auditions

As the audition isn't until 6:30pm on Sunday (interrupting my football, have they no decency?), I don't know how the second one went yet.

As I mentioned in my previous post. I am beat and going to sleep.

I guess that this was the short one.

Food:
Breakfast:
Sausages with Mustard

Lunch:
An Apple

Snack:
A Banana

Dinner:
Chips with Seasoned Meat, Re-Fried Beans, Salsa, and Yogurt

Snack:
Dark Chocolate

Exercise:
I walked at a slow to decent pace for about 45 minutes. I also auditioned for almost FOUR FREAKING HOURS!!! (not that the auditioning was very physically intensive, but it was draining, so that has to count for something)

First Audition

I just got back from my first audition on Saturday (this is Friday's post), it was from 1pm to 5pm, and I am completely beat.

I don't have enough energy to say much, I can go through the details later. JC (the director) invited everyone back to audition again tomorrow night (two nights of auditions), and I am going back to learn more.

After it was over, I asked JC what I should work on. He told me three things (um, at least that I remember).

1) I leaned on the script too much. I need to react to what other people are saying and just remember my cue.

2) I need to have purpose, if I am heading somewhere, try to get there. Don't just stand around to be polite to the other actors.

3) I need more range in my scenes. I am just picking a level and staying there. I need to go up and/or down and back.

Well, I guess that I said a decent amount. Wish me leg breaking.

Food:
Breakfast:
Chips with Seasoned Meat, Re-fried Beans, Lettuce, salsa, and Yogurt

Lunch:
Chips with Seasoned Meat, Re-fried Beans, Lettuce, salsa, and Yogurt

Snack:
Almonds

Dinner:
Sausages with Mustard
Popcorn

Exercise:
I walked about 30 minutes at a slow - decent pace.

Glee

I am really enjoying Glee. If you haven't seen it, and you like slightly dark comedies ... or musicals ... you should give it a try. The characters are all a little disturbed, which is a nice change from the 'one relatively sane person living with a bunch of idiots' scenario.

The initial episode was the best (I don't know what it was, since they called the second episode the series premier. The pilot maybe?), but the others have been pretty good and well worth the watch.

I am running behind on the Shakespeare front (though I have done a decent amount of work), and I only have about 28 hours until the auditions.

Food:
Breakfast:
Scrambled Eggs with Bacon Bits

Snack:
Two Oranges

Lunch:
Cheesy Lasagna

Snack:
Almonds
Vanilla Yogurt with Almonds

Dinner:
Chips with Seasoned Meat, Re-fried Beans, Lettuce, salsa, and Yogurt

I can't believe that some people would use that entire seasoning packet in one pound of meat. We get the low sodium one, and it probably lasts us about five pounds. Then again, I mix water in with my juice, so I may be the weird one.

Exercise:
I walked for about 40 minutes at a good, then decent, then slow pace.

The Chestnut Street Inn

Last night we went to a cooking class held by Monica from The Chestnut Street Inn. She made all of that good food that I had yesterday evening.

Unfortunately, we didn't know that it was a full dinner and my wife had something to eat beforehand. I had to mow, so I got there late and she was able to call and warn me. So at least I wasn't full when I got there. That Quinoa Salad was really good, and when Monica puts out a gluten-free cookbook, I am pretty sure that we will be getting it.

As far as practicing Shakespeare, I am reading through all of the male parts and circling and underlining important words. I am also making sure that I understand what I am saying when I read it out loud.

I intend to read through the play as the characters individually if I have time. The audition is on Saturday afternoon.

Food:
Breakfast:
Healthy Chili with Yogurt and Wendy's Chili Sauce

Snack:
Vanilla Yogurt with Almonds

Lunch:
The little remainder of the Healthy Chili with Yogurt and Wendy's Chili Sauce

Snack:
An Orange
Two small bags of chips, sadly.

Dinner:
Lasagna with Cheese in it. It was the last of the lasagnas that my wife made and froze with cheese.

Exercise:
I walked at a decent pace for about 40 minutes.

Duh Nuh tst tst tst tst tst tst

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack! Back in the saddle again.

Let's try to forget that the past three weeks were so ridiculously boring that everyone stopped reading, even my wife. Even me. Boy did that suck! Anyway, on with the not sucking! I hope.

Last night I had a wonderful opportunity to go to an audition workshop for The Winter's Tale put on by the Prenzie Players. It was run as the auditions will be run and was a great practice for them (which I desperately need). It consisted of being assigned to couples or groups and having a few minutes to practice a scene. Then we performed the scene. It was a lot of fun, even though I was not nearly as good as anyone else (most of whom I have watched in performances before).

I want to thank Maggie and JC for putting the workshop on, and also for making suggestions for each piece. I feel as though I learned a lot.

My hope now, in this, the final week before the auditions, that I can improve considerably. I know that I won't be as good as many of the actors at the audition. But, if I can improve from bad to decent in only a week, then I might get a part based on potential. So I am going to work my ass off to improve myself this week. Not only physically, but also Shakespearially.

Wish me luck.

Food:
Breakfast:
Healthy Chili with Yogurt and Wendy's Chili Sauce

Snack:
Vanilla Yogurt with Almonds

Lunch:
At Ryan's, last time for a while.
Fish with Tartar
Cantaloupe
A really fatty BBQ Rib that I tried to eat around the fat
Salad with Egg, Ham, Raisins, and Ranch

Snack:
Vanilla Yogurt with Almonds

Dinner:
At a gluten free cooking course which I may talk about later.
Quinoa Salad
Cranberry Scones
Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Chicken with Breading
A tiny bit of Pancakes
A little bit of Flan (very good)

Exercise:
I walked for about 35min at a decent pace with two pound hand weights. I really need to get some heavier weights if I am going to do that. Not as heavy as my 35-pounders though. That probably wouldn't work out so well. I also mowed the front yard with the electric mower, the back with the manual, and did some trim work out front with the weed wacker.

...

Food:
Breakfast:
Two Oranges

Snack:
Vanilla Yogurt with Almonds

Lunch:
At Ryan's (Yes, I have to stop going there so much)
Wings
Fish with Tartar Sauce
Salad with Egg, Ham, Raisins, and Ranch
Sausage with Heinz 57 and Sour Cream

Dinner:
Healthy Chili that my wife made with Yogurt and Wendy's Chili Sauce (my wife does not like things spicy at all, so that is a quick way to add a little spice to mine)

Exercise:
I walked about 1.5 miles at a decent to good pace.

...

Weigh In:
I forgot to weigh-in until after I have already exercised, so I will weigh-in tomorrow.

Food:
Snack:
A Cherry Tomato

Breakfast:
Sausage with Mustard
Meatloaf with Mustard
Popcorn

Snack:
Grapes

Lunch:
Rice Chips with Pepperoni, Pineapple, and Bacon Bits. Kinda pizzaee.

Dinner:
Wendy's Large Chili with Yogurt and Chili Sauce
Doritos
Cheetos
Hot Chocolate (At least I didn't go to the store to buy a bag of dark chocolates. I wanted to.)

Exercise:
I walked two miles at a varied pace. I through in a few stretches of fast (for me) running to keep my body guessing. I am going to get my ass back in gear. I have been lazy for too long.

...

Food:
Snack:
A Cherry Tomato

Breakfast:
Meatloaf with Mustard

Snack:
I'm sure that I had something, I just don't know what.

Lunch:
Turkey
Mashed Potatoes
Salad with Mayo and Vinegar

Dinner:
At a Mexican restaurant:
Tacos with Beef Cheese, Lettuce, and Salsa(forgot to ask for no Cheese)
Chips with Salsa

Exercise:
I walked a mile and a half at a decent pace.

...

Food:
Breakfast:
Banana Bread

Snack:
Yogurt with Almonds

Lunch:
I went to Ryan's.
Sausage with Sour Cream and Heinz 57
Pulled Pork
Salad with Eggs, Ham, Raisins, and Ranch

Dinner:
Meatloaf with Mustard
Baked Potato with Yogurt and Butter

Exercise:
None, sadly.

Someday this blog will get better again. Honest.

...

Food:
Breakfast:
Tots with Yogurt and BWW

Lunch:
I went to Ryan's.
Sausages with Peppers, Sour Cream, and Heinz 57 Sauce
Fish with Tartar Sauce
Salad with Egg, Ham, Raisins, and Ranch (very very good)

Snack:
Cheetos
Dark Chocolate

Dinner:
A pizza/lasagna type casserole (it had cheese, but my wife said that it was healthy)

Exercise:
None

...

Food:
Breakfast:
Chips with Seasoned Meat, Re-fried Beans, Yogurt, Lettuce, and Salsa.

Snack:
Vanilla Yogurt with Almonds

Lunch:
Brats with Mustard

Snack:
Cheetos

Dinner:
Tots with Yogurt and BWW
Dark Chocolate

Exercise:
I walked a half mile at a good speed and a half mile very slowly.

...

Weigh In:
282.5

Food:
Breakfast:
Chips with Seasoned Meat, Re-fried Beans, Yogurt, and Salsa

Lunch:
Tacos with Seasoned Meat, Re-fried Beans, Lettuce, Yogurt, and Salsa

Dinner:
Chicken, Potatoes, and Carrots Crockpotted with some Honey BBQ Sauce
Popcorn

Snack:
Cheetos (that can't be cheating, as there surely can't be any cheese in them)
Dove Dark Chocolate (I just couldn't resist)

Exercise:
I walked 1.5 miles at a slow/decent pace.
I mowed the front yard with the electric mower.

...

Food:
Breakfast:
Eggs

Snack:
TGIF Potatoe Chips

Lunch:
At Ryans:
Steak with A-1
Salad with Ham, Carrots, and Ranch
Bacon
Sausage
Ham

Snack:
White Grape Juice

Dinner:
Chips with Seasoned Meat, Refried Beans, Yogurt, and Salsa

Exercise:
Slow walk with my wife, about 1.5 miles.

...

Food:
Breakfast:
Eggs

Snack:
Beef Jerky

Lunch:
At the Renaissance Fair
1/3 Slab of Ribs
Grapes

Dinner:
Pork with Barbecue Sauce
Carrots
Potatoes

Snack:
Beef Jerky

Walking around a Renaissance fair for five freaking hours (granted with many stops and breaks).

...

We went to a friend's house for the weekend. I won't be able to weigh in until Monday (Not that I will have lost much of anything with how I have been living).

Food:
Breakfast:
Banana Bread

Snack:
Banana Bread

Lunch:
Sausages with Mustard

Dinner:
We stopped at a small, but busy, Mexican restaurant on the way.
Chips and Salsa
Hard Tacos with Chicken, no cheese.

Exercise:
None

...

Food:
Breakfast:
Sausages with Mustard

Snack:
Orange

Lunch:
Went to Ryan's
Sausages with Sour Cream and Heinz 57
Pulled Pork with a little Sour Cream and Heinz 57
Fish with Tartar Sauce
Melon Chunks

Dinner:
Baked Potato with Yogurt and Butter
Cube Steak with Steak Sauce

Exercise:
Two mile walk at a decent pace.

...

Food:
Breakfast:
Leftover Tuna Noodle Casserole
Leftover BWW Wings

Lunch:
Tots with Yogurt and BWW

Snack:
Potato Chips

Dinner:
Shrimp with Brown Rice and Butter
Broccoli with Butter

Exercise:
A mile walk at a slow pace.

...

Food:
Breakfast:
Tots with Yogurt & BWW

Lunch:
Sausage with BBQ
Rib with BBQ
Fish with Tartar

Dinner:
BWW Wings

Exercise:
None.

...

I have been craving sugar so much recently after eating a so much of it. Going to go cold turkey now to try to fix that.

Food:
Breakfast:
Brats with Mustard

Lunch:
Vanilla Yogurt with Almonds

Dinner:
Tuna-Noodle Casserole
Green Beans
Popcorn
Tots with Yogurt & BWW

I ate too much for dinner. Stupid sugar cravings.

Exercise:
None

...

Weigh-In:
284 again

Food:
Breakfast:
Bacon
More of the Veggie Stew

Lunch:
Hot Chocolate
Popcorn
Bacon
Dark Chocolate

Dinner:
Wendy's Chili with Sour Cream and Chili Sauce. I was thinking that if I am taking it home, I should just use yogurt instead.
Potato Chips

Exercise:
Walked two miles with with a two pound weight in each hand.

...

Food:
Breakfast:
Tots with Yogurt and BWW (Yeah, I bet that you are sick just from reading that right now)

Snack:
Dark Chocolate

Lunch:
Salmon with Ranch, Mustard, and Lime Juice

Snack:
Dark Chocolate
Cool Ranch Doritos

Dinner:
Bacon
Veggie Stew from the CSA vegetables that my wife made. I'm sure that it was ridiculously healthy.

Exercise:
I mowed the front yard with the electric, and the back with the manual.

...

Food:
Breakfast:
Tots with Yogurt and BWW

Snack:
Vanilla Yogurt with Almonds

Lunch:
Tots with Yogurt and BWW

Dinner:
Tots with Yogurt and BWW

Snack:
Sparkling Juice

Exercise:
About a mile walk at a decent pace.

...

Food:
Breakfast:
Leftover Tater-Tot Casserole with BWW

Snack:
Grapes

Lunch:
I went to Ryan's and had some Fish with Tartar Sauce
Pulled Pork with A-1 and Heinz 57
Chicken
I probably ate a little more than I should have, but not much. And I didn't eat any cheese or treats.

Dinner:
Tots with Yogurt and BWW

Exercise:
I walked about 1.5 miles at a decent pace.

...

Food:
Breakfast:
Steak with Steak Sauce and Mustard

Snack:
Orange
Apple

Lunch:
Beef Jerky

Snack:
Orange

Snack:
Pepperoni

Dinner:
Tater-Tot Casserole with BWW Sauce

Exercise:
None.

...

Food:
Breakfast:
Fried Potatoes with Yogurt
Green Beans

Lunch:
Pad Thai leftovers

Snack:
Yogurt with almonds

Dinner:
Chicken with BWW and Yogurt
Doritos
Dark Chocolate (at least I am out now)

Exercise:
Nothing

More Chocolate

Food:
Breakfast:
Leftover Scrambled Eggs
Sausage w/ Mustard

Snack:
Orange

Lunch:
Soup
Salad
Pad Thai, about a third of what was on the plate, I saved the rest

Snack:
Beef Jerky

Dinner:
Peas from the CSA
Rice with Butter
Chicken Breast with Raspberry Sauce. My wife made some pretty good Raspberry Sauce to go on the chicken. Nicely done babe.
Chips and Salsa (I just really wanted some)
Dove Dark Chocolate, yes, again.

Exercise:
I walked 2.5 miles at a decent pace. I made a point of taking longer strides as I heard that is more exercise. It certainly wore me out faster.

Givin' In

Well, I gave in and ate some dark chocolate tonight. I felt a huge urge again, and I figured that it would be better to give in to the craving than to overeat to keep myself occupied again. Dark chocolate was a lot sweeter than I remembered (maybe eating very little (comparatively) sugar for the past month-and-a-half will do that to a person). It is actually edible.

We shall see if it was a bad idea to give in if I continue to have cravings for sweet things now.

At least I didn't run to the gas station and buy a candy bar, which I was on the verge of doing.

Weigh-In:
The big weigh-in put me at 284, down 2.5 more pounds. It is a little disappointing, but to be expected with my bigger drop the previous week due to not having as much food in my body.

Food:
Breakfast:
Scrambled Eggs
Sausages w/ mustard

Snack:
Beef Jerky

Lunch:
Beef Jerky
Steak with Steak sauce. The sauce seemed very sweet. I wonder if they make a low sugar steak sauce.
Fried Potatoes with Nonfat Plain Yogurt (my wife didn't use too much butter, and used what is supposed to be the less unhealthy stuff)

Dinner:
Popcorn
Beef Jerky
Fried Potatoes with Nonfat Plain Yogurt

Snack:
Quite a bit of Hersey's and Dove Dark Chocolates (AKA better than candy bars)

Exercise:
One mile at a slow pace and one mile at a decent pace.

Close Call

I ate way too much for dinner. I felt full after the Turkey, but I wanted something sweet, so I just kept eating. At least I only stuffed myself with popcorn. The feeling has passed now, but when it hit me, hoo boy. I can't believe that I didn't go buy a candy bar or something.

If I had eaten one, I realize that it wouldn't have been the end of the world or anything. I know that failing once doesn't mean that it is all over. It would have had a negative effect on both my attitude and weigh-in tomorrow though.

Food:
Snack:
A quarter of a Banana

Breakfast:
A piece of Pizza
Chips with Seasoned Meat, Salsa, and Nonfat Plain Yogurt

Snack:
Orange

Lunch:
Sausages with Mustard

Dinner:
Turkey with BWW Sauce
Popcorn

Exercise:
A three mile walk at a decent to good pace until the end when I started slacking.

Forgot

Yep, I completely forgot to post yesterday. I remembered when I was lying in bed to go to sleep.

I thought, "Well, screw them!"

Anyway, here I am now, with nothing interesting to say.

Food:
Snack:
Plum

Breakfast:
Chips with Seasoned Meat, Salsa, and Nonfat Plain Yogurt

Snack:
Vanilla Yogurt w/ Almonds
A few more Almonds

Lunch:
I can't, for the life of me, remember.

Dinner:
Popcorn (because I started the pizza after I was already hungry)
Pizza with Pepperoni and Pineapple and Onion (and Tomato Sauce and Garlic, as always), but no cheese. I pulled off the cheese-less pizza and it wasn't bad! I guess that is how I will roll from now on.

Exercise:
I walked for 1.5 miles at a decent pace.

*edited to show a Friday date to keep things uniform*

Quad Cities River Bandits

Whew, we just got back from a minor league baseball game. Unfortunately, I couldn't hold out until the end as I am completely wiped out from being sick (I made it through the sixth). I am going to rest up this weekend and go to the doctor if I don't start feeling better by Monday.

I had never gone to a minor league baseball game before (that I remember). It really struck me how much more fan friendly they are than major league games. They obviously have to be to get people to the park, but I was still impressed.

My wife enjoyed the mascot Bird-Zerk (and his friends, Zerk-Jr. and Ball-Zerk) more than anything else at the park, even more than the hot dog, I think (which is saying something). They were pretty funny, I have to give them that. Those bouncy suits always entertain me.

I don't really care for baseball, but it was an enjoyable night out. Thanks River Bandits!

Food:
Snack:
Orange

Breakfast:
Leftover Quiche. Unfortunately, there was a mix-up and I accidentally ate one of my wife's pieces that had cheese on it. It is frustrating to accidentally eat something that I am trying to cut out, but, it happens. Also, to keep it in perspective, at least it wasn't gluten.

Lunch:
The remainder of the Tuna Noodle Casserole

Dinner:
Orange
Chips with Seasoned Meat, Salsa, and Nonfat Plain Yogurt. I think that I ate a little too much. I know that I should stop, but I just have some drive to keep eating. I am getting better at it at least (I think).

Exercise:
I walked about two miles this morning at a decent to good pace. Then I mowed the front lawn with our electric mower when I got home from work.

KODT

I just received my new issue of Knights of the Dinner Table today. It is a comic about a role-playing group. If you have ever role-played, you should check it out. If you haven't ever role-played, you should probably avoid it, as it will likely not be funny to you.

If you have any interest, you can download issue #132 in PDF form from the Kenzer Co website. The download link is at the bottom of the first section of text.

I was going to mow the lawn tonight (which is long overdue because I have been sick), but it decided to start pouring down rain at around 3pm today.

I have been limited in what I could eat the past few days. I was out on audit, so I didn't have access to a refrigerator or microwave. This reduced my already few options (as a Celiac) to even fewer. Fortunately, my wife made all that banana bread and froze it a few weeks ago. I don't know what I would have eaten without that.

Food:
Breakfast:
Orange
Leftover Tuna-Noodle Casserole

Snack:
Peach

Lunch:
Banana Bread

Snack:
Chips with Seasoned Meat, Salsa, and Nonfat Plain Yogurt

Dinner:
Quiche
Popcorn
Orange

Exercise:
I walked about a mile to the grocery store and back. It went at a decent pace on the way there, but a slower pace on the way back when I began to feel a little dizzy. I am so tired of being sick. You would think that I could fight it off faster since I am being healthier. What a bunch of crap.

Sick

I am still feeling sick. It totally sucks. My throat feels all clogged which makes it harder to breathe. I just feel tired and beat.

With sickness holding me back this week, and after losing extra last week because of the vomiting, I don't have high hopes for my weigh-in this weekend.

Food:

Snack:
A piece of Beef Jerky to get my digestive system going before my morning walk

Breakfast:
Orange
Banana

Snack:
Beef Jerky
Orange

Lunch:
Banana Bread

Snack:
Almonds

Dinner:
Chips with Seasoned Meat, Salsa, and Plain Vanilla Yogurt. The yogurt did just as well as sour cream ever did. Looks like a permanent switch for me.

Exercise:
I walked about 2.5 miles at a slow to decent pace.

Good News Everyone!

Okay, good news for me at least. I recently took a blood test. Not only did my Complete Blood Count look good, but my Fat-Ass Liver has become less fatty.

In March my AST was 65. Now it is 44 (the average is 15-37).
In March my ALT was 114. Now it is 87 (the average is 30-65).

So, the numbers are still high, but they have dropped pretty dramatically (especially if you consider that I have only been (relatively) healthy for a month and a half. Granted, no one really knows why the numbers dropped. But being slightly less grotesquely fat probably is large part of it.

Food:
Breakfast:
Leftover Ham and Potato Casserole

Snack:
Vanilla Yogurt with Almonds
I had several Vitamin Cs and Cough Drops throughout the day

Lunch:
Chicken Breast

Snack:
A Little Ham and Potato Casserole

Dinner:
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Corn
A little Beef Jerky
Popcorn

Exercise:
I walked about 1.5 miles this morning in the rain. It was warm but it may have contributed to me being a little sick today. I also walked about a mile to the grocery store and back. I did Tai Chi short form once.

Countdown: 34 Days

You may (or may not) remember that I have been preparing to audition for the Prenzie Players this fall. They are, for the most part, Shakespearean actors. I have never acted Shakespeare before, and I haven't acted at all since high-school 14 years ago.

I just received an e-mail from them with the following information:


Prenzie Players Announce Auditions for William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale

directed by J.C. Luxton

Leontes, King of Sicily, overcome by a sudden, maddening, unreasoning jealousy, sets out to destroy his marriage, family, and kingdom—all in the name of justice. One of the late great romances, an exploration of the worth and price of redemption, rich in love, music, and comedy with an unforgettable conclusion, The Winter's Tale is William Shakespeare at his most affecting and most profound.

Auditions for all roles will be held at the Village Theatre in the Village of East Davenport, 2113 E. 11th Street Davenport, Iowa

Saturday, September 19: 1pm—5pm
Sunday, September 20: 6:30pm—10pm

Callbacks: Monday, September 21: 6pm—10pm

You need only show up ready to read from the script. All are welcome!

Performances at the Village Theatre in Davenport on November 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, & 22

...

My stomach just went all twisty inside.

...

Weigh-In:
I am down to 286.5 pounds. Another 4.5 pounds KTFOd. My best week yet! I probably dropped all of that weight because of my extensive jogging...

Okay, I probably lost the weight because I vomited up a lot of my stomach, and then ate less for the next few days. But, let's stay positive.

Actually, I weighed in on Saturday morning. But, for uniformity's sake, I wanted to post on the Sunday entry.

Food:
Breakfast:
Lots of Bacon
Lots of green and orange Melon
Eggs with Ham and Peppers. After I had eaten the eggs that I had grabbed on my first trip up to the buffet, my wife mentioned that the eggs were fluffy, and that she hoped that they didn't have any wheat in them (yes, that absolutely happens). Fortunately, I didn't get sick. This has been a week of stressful eating though.
A mix of Orange and Apple Juice, and a sip of Cranberry Juice

Lunch:
Leftover Cole Slawy Salad

Dinner:
Seasoned Meat with Salsa and Ranch with Chips

Exercise:
I tweaked my ankle doing something this weekend and I have been limping around all day. I am currently icing my it. I did have a chance to lift weights today, so that counts for something.

Quick Saturday

Just a quick summary of Saturday, as I am writing this on Sunday.

Food:
Breakfast:
More of that Cole Slawy Salad

Lunch:
Wendy's Chili with Sour Cream and Chili Sauce

Snack:
Six BWW Wings with Mild Sauce

Dinner:
We sent to the supplied dinner, and most of the food on the buffet line didn't seem entirely safe. So, I loaded up on Salad with Ranch and Mashed Potatoes. I was a little suspicious of the Ranch as it looked homemade, but I figured that it was okay. I ate a bit of the salad. Then a bit of the potatoes. The potatoes tasted a little off.

I thought about what to do, as I didn't want to do anything rash. I told my wife that I didn't trust the food, and left the table to go get twelve more Wings at BWW with Mild sauce. I hated wasting all of that food on the plate. I also hated wasting all of that money on wings. But, I didn't want to get sick and I trust that if my body says that something tastes weird, I shouldn't eat it.

Exercise:
I walked two miles at a decent to good pace before we left in the morning. I also did Short Form once. It felt very smooth, and I enjoyed it. Hopefully it will continue to feel that way, likely it won't.

*edited to show a Saturday date to keep things uniform*

Here Today...

My wife and I are heading to a conference tomorrow, and we won't be back until Sunday. This means that:
A) I won't be around to post tomorrow night, and
B) I won't be able to weigh-in on Sunday morning. I may weigh myself on Saturday and Monday and average them. Maybe I will figure out some ingenious plan, but probably not.

Every time that we go to this conference, we receive a gift box. It is filled with assorted fancy chocolates and gummies and all sorts of goodies. If I am sneaky, I can even snag an extra one without anyone knowing.

Alas, that part of my life is in the past. No more pigging out on candy. At least my wife will be happy that she can pig out on twice as much.

Honestly though, I would eat and really enjoy some of the candy. And I would also eat and NOT really enjoy some of the candy. Why would I do that? Was I not well enough off to 'splurge' and buy candy that I WOULD like for a dollar or two?

It is kind of sickening when I think about it. How gluttonous can someone be? What a sad and stupid way to live life.

If I should ever fall off of this plan and not get back up, I hope that I can at least remember to not eat food that is bad for me and that I don't like. Idiot.

Food:
Breakfast:
Chicken Breast with BWW sauce and Sour Cream

Lunch:
Banana Bread

Dinner:
Ham and Potato Casserole that my wife made. It was very good (and very little cheese)
She also made some Cole-Slawy salad, that was also very good.

Snack:
Popcorn

Exercise:
I took a two mile walk at a decent to good pace. I'm working my way back in to it, and I still feel beat. I also did Tai Chi short form once.

Yeah, Celiac Disease

Okay, this will be a quick one.

I tried the veggie chicken Pad Thai for lunch. Apparently, it has gluten in it because I spend the afternoon vomiting, among other things. It makes my a sick right now to even think about it, so I am done, sorry.

Food:
Breakfast:
Chips with Seasoned Hamburger, Re-fried Beans, Salsa, and Sour Cream

Lunch:
Pad Thai with Veggie Chicken

Snack:
A little Banana Bread
Popcorn

Dinner:
Chips with Seasoned Hamburger, Re-fried Beans, Salsa, and Sour Cream
Hot Chocolate with half of a packet and a little Cocoa

Exercise:
The sickness totally beat any energy out of me. I have nothing left to exercise with.

Crash

It became a reality today. Our server at work is dead, and the backup is corrupted.

The server stopped working last week. My boss tried to fix it, but was unable. We called a tech guy in, and he couldn't fix it either. Plus, he informed us that the backup server was screwed up too. He was unsuccessful trying to recover data over the weekend and had to send it to his home office. They thought that they could recover the data within a week... I found out today that it is likely that nothing is retrievable.

I spent the first half of my day going around to different computers and searching for files and old backups on the C: drives to try to gather anything that I could to at least partially recreate what was on the server. The second half of my day consisted of re-entering data that we aren't getting back. I will probably spend a lot of the next week doing that, as well as occasionally doing it in the future as needed. I get to work longer hours too, because this work is extra on top of the normal work that needs to get done.

Wow does this totally suck.

Food:
Breakfast:
Leftover Pad Thai from yesterday

Snack:
Bacon

Lunch:
Leftover Chicken from a few nights ago
Pineapple Tidbits
Bacon

Snack:
Vanilla Yogurt with Almonds

Snack:
Almonds
Bacon. I didn't intend to eat all that bacon, but I was at the office longer than expected and became hungry.

Dinner:
Chicken with BWW Sauce and Ranch (I forgot to use sour cream instead of ranch, fewer calories, and it tastes better mixed with BWW)
Rice with Butter
A hunk of Banana Bread. My wife made six loaves of banana bread today. She uses less sugar than the recipe calls for, and replaces it with some honey. So, eating it falls in to one of those grey areas.

Exercise:
I walked at a decent to good pace for about two miles.

"What?" you say. "No jogging today?"

Okay, seriously, you are going to have to lay off. I freaking jogged for almost two tenths of a mile yesterday! Who do you think I am, Superman? I can't jog two tenths of a mile two days in a row, I am only mortal.

In 15 weeks...

I intend to break the 250 pound barrier. Okay, it isn't really a barrier (that I know of), but I was thinking about it today, and it seems possible. I lost around four pounds per week the first few weeks, and now I am losing about three-and-a-half per week. I figure that if I can lose an average of three pounds per week, I will be at 250 pounds for Thanksgiving (and then get back down to 250 again by Christmas after Thanksgiving feasting (kidding, of course)). I realize that I will probably hit a plateau or two that will throw me off target, but I think that it is possible.

Unfortunately, I ate too much for dinner today. It wasn't even because I was hungry from my relatively small lunch and no snack. It was solely because I am a dumb-ass who ate more than I should have.

I was thinking about the sour cream that I generally use on my Mexican food. I think that after this container runs out (it is almost full right now), I am going to try plain yogurt. I remember my mom using that when I was younger. It seems like it would be way better (and less bad) for me, but still give me the cool creamy sensation that I am looking for. Or, maybe it will totally suck.

Food:
Breakfast:
I tried that Crock Pot Pizza with Pineapple. Not recommended. It was not good at all. I guess that there is a difference between noodles and pizza dough.

Lunch:
Pad Thai with Tofu, I only ate about 1/2 to 3/4 and felt full.
Soup
Salad

Dinner:
Tacos with Re-fried Beans, Seasoned Hamburger, Salsa, Sour Cream, and Cucumbers. The cucumber was from our CSA and very good. There were only three tacos left, so I finished my meal with chips (and, as I said above, ate too much).

Exercise:
I walked about three miles this evening, mostly at a decent to good pace with a little jogging and a little slow walking when I was tir...

"Wait just a damn minute!" you say. "You can't just breeze over the word jogging when you are a 291 pound fat man!"

Fair enough.

Yes boys and girls, I did a little jogging tonight. It wasn't much to speak of, probably only about a tenth of a mile twice. However, I would say that it is a good sign of improvement. I was walking about as quickly as I could go, but I wanted to go faster. So, I broke in to a jog, and I didn't even die or anything. I jogged a little later on purpose too.

Additionally, I lifted some weights when I got home.

True Blood

True Blood on HBO is a pretty solid show (though it is definitely rated R for violence, gore, nudity, and sexual situations (What else would you expect from HBO?)). The basic premise is that vampires are real, and the Japanese have invented this synthetic blood that they can drink instead of draining humans. This has allowed the vampires to come out of the closet and live among humans.

Additionally, my wife and I like to read books out loud to each other. We have read the entire George RR Martin series "A Song of Ice and Fire" out loud (well, the published four books). That is around 3200 pages of out loud reading just on that series alone (wow, that really sounds kinda crazy/amazing on paper (so to speak)).

So when I found out that True Blood was (very strongly) based on a series of books written by Charlaine Harris, I decided that they might be fun to read out loud. We have just started reading it, but I am enjoying reading in a southern accent. Hopefully I can become so proficient at it that I can call on it at will. You never know when there will be a Shakespearean play that requires a southern gentleman, or redneck.

Food:
Breakfast:
The remainder of the Eggs with Scone
Bacon
A Banana

Lunch:
Lasagna (the previously frozen stuff with too much cheese)

Snack:
Vanilla Yogurt with Almonds (my two pound bag of almonds is almost empty now)

Snack:
Hot Chocolate (it seems a little sweet, I may try half of a packet next time)

Dinner:
Crock Pot Pizza (GF noodles with pizza toppings baked in a crock pot, my wife used less than half of the cheese in the recipe for me). I might have to mix in some pineapple with the leftovers.

Exercise:
I mowed the front lawn with the electric mower, and the back with the push. Then we went on a 1.5 mile walk at a slow pace (with a long break in the middle when my wife saw someone she knew).

Tai Chi

I have decided that I want to start doing Tai-Chi every day again. I used to do it daily a while back, but I got out of practice. Unfortunately, we just moved a bunch of furniture from the living room in to the dining room because we are having the carpet and couch cleaned. This means that there is no good space to do Tai Chi in our house until at least Wednesday.

I learned the Short Form from Scott Caulpetzer of Great River Tai Chi Chuan, who studied under Grandmaster William C.C. Chen, who in turn learned from the famous Great-Grandmaster Cheng Man-Ching. After learning the short form, I moved on to the next class in body mechanics, and I enjoyed it, but I think that I practiced too much at home and burned out on it. Perhaps if I start doing it daily (in a few days), I will head back to class and learn some more (I am sure that my short form is atrocious by now, with me having had no corrections).

I will be including Tai Chi in the exercise section. I should note that I have done Tai Chi a few times in the past month, but wasn't sure whether I wanted to include it on the blog.


On another note, my wife and I saw that Gran Torino got an A- on Yahoo! Reviews.

"A little low," we thought, "but fair enough."

Then we saw that Madea Goes to Jail ALSO received an A-...

I think that we will not be using Yahoo! Reviews to pick our movies for us any time soon.


Weigh-In:
I weighed in at 291 this morning. That may be a little lower than it should be, since I woke up around 9:30am (staying up until 4am will do that to me). If only I could have worked just a little bit harder (or not eaten all of that creme brulee) then perhaps I would have now lost an entire 'my arms on the towel bar while I weigh-in'.

Food:
Breakfast:
Eggs with crumbled GF scone
Bacon

Snack:
Popcorn
Bacon

Lunch:
Healthy Stew (at least my wife claims that it is healthy) with bacon bits

Dinner:
Sausages with mustard

Exercise:
Tai-Chi short form twice, once in the rain outside. The outside one was fun, but our lawn is too uneven, so I probably didn't accomplish much. It was too hot today to go outside, until it started raining. So, I didn't take a walk. I did lift weights though.

The Fights

Well, the fights all sucked. Pretty much every one was won by the wrong guy.

My wife's favorite fighter, Forrest Griffin, was knocked out in round one. It wasn't even close. Although, he did lose to one of the, if not the, best fighter in the world.

And in the other big fight, BJ Penn, who I think is a complete dick, won by rear-naked choke in round four.

Also, it is freaking almost 4am and I am going to bed now.

Food:
Breakfast:
Leftover Steak (with A-1) and mashed potatoes

Lunch:
Gluten-free scones with pineapple chunks

Snack:
Rice and beans, salsa, and sour cream with chips
Crap, I just remembered that I had some 1/3 juice this week sometime, I'll put it here
Leftover Creme Brulee

Dinner:
BWW wings while I was watching the fights

Exercise:
I walked at a decent pace for about 1.5 miles this morning before it became uncomfortably hot.

*edited to show a Saturday date to keep things uniform*

Creme Brulee

Coincidentally, with all of my talk about cheating yesterday, I actually forgot to mention that I did have a cup of hot chocolate to drink as a snack before dinner last night (or maybe it was the night before). There, now my conscience has been cleared.

Well, I broke my sweet-free streak today (though, I suppose that some people would consider the hot chocolate that I drink occasionally to be breaking it). I had some creme brulee, as you will see below.

Yes, we went to the Chestnut Street Inn this evening. I believe that I mentioned it before. I recommend it to anyone in the relative area (people drive two hours from Chicago to eat there). Monica, the professionally trained chef, is completely familiar with gluten-free cooking (she is actually in the process of writing a gluten-free cookbook, which we will be picking up). It is a little pricey (at least for us), but good for a nice night out every once in a while.

I wasn't sure whether to eat the dessert leading up to the meal, but ended up in favor of it. As long as I don't make a habit of it, I think that I should be okay.

Food:
Breakfast:
Quiche. One of the pieces was from my wife's side, so I had to scrape off some extra cheese from the bottom.

Snack:
Pad Thai leftovers (the little I had left)

Lunch:
Rice and beans, salsa, and sour cream with chips

Snack:
Popcorn

Dinner:
Gluten-free scone with butter
Bacon wrapped scallops (probably my favorite thing of the evening, my wife's too)
Iceberg wedge with green goddess dressing
Prime Rib
Garlic mashed potatoes
Green beans
Creme Brulee

Oddly, my dinner tonight sounds a little fancier than my normal fare.

I didn't overeat at dinner. We brought home several containers of food to last us quite some time. Monica even gave me an entire loaf of the gluten-free scone that she made for me.

Exercise:
None, which is sad, as I have been getting off at noon on Fridays (before you get jealous, I am an accountant and work three months of tax season each year), so I have extra time during the day.

Additionally, we are supposed to be getting a horrible heat wave this weekend which will probably eliminate walking as an option. Perhaps I will have to break out the ole' DDR machine again.

I...Cheated... (Prepare to be irritated with me)

Don't you absolutely hate it when a news show or radio host or article link says something that is attention getting, and then the actual piece is only barely related to the shocking headline?

Yeah, me too.

Okay, I didn't cheat on my diet or exercise. And I didn't cheat on my reporting (well, not on purpose, there is a chance that I forgot something at some point I suppose).

Oh yeah, don't you also hate it when you want to find something out, but they just keep putting it off and talking about other unrelated crap that you couldn't give a rat's ass about?

Yeah, me too.

I cheated on the frequency of my weigh-ins. I should only be weighing in once per week, but I have been weighing in every day (sometimes day and night). This has to stop.

I don't know about everyone else, though I assume that they feel the same way, but if I see a big weight loss when I weigh in in the morning, I try extra hard the next day. Unfortunately, if I see a gain or no loss, it is discouraging, and I try less hard. That puts me in to a vicious cycle of laze-assin' around.

So, no more will I be weighing in indiscriminately. I will only weigh in on Sunday mornings when I report to you.

As a side note, I now hardly ever click on any links that are shocking and are ambiguous at all. I think that my life has improved since making that decision.

(Another headline I could have used was "I've been cheating on weigh-ins." Wouldn't that have just totally pissed you off when you found out what I meant?)

Food:
Breakfast:
Quiche from yesterday

Snack:
Green Beans

Lunch:
Pad Thai with soup and salad.
I actually ate too much. I was about 3/4 finished, and I thought, "I am not hungry anymore. I wonder if I should get a box or finish it off?" I cleverly decided to continue eating for no good reason at all and started to feel full. After cursing my stupidity, I asked for a box for the remainder.

Snack:
Popcorn
Doritos (I still have a little of the bag left that I bought a month ago, not bad, comparatively)

Dinner:
Chicken with some salt and a little ranch on part of it.

Exercise:
I walked about 1.5 - 2 miles at a decent pace.

Nothing

Yeah, I just have nothing interesting to say tonight.

Food:
Breakfast:
Chips with hamburger, salsa, and sour cream

Snack:
Cherries
Almonds

Lunch:
A little bit of leftover steak
Green Beans

Snack:
Vanilla yogurt with almonds

Snack:
Chips with salsa and sour cream

Dinner:
Quiche (I had to look up the spelling for that one) that my wife made. It had Quinoa (got that right though) and corn bread and very little cheese. I used to have way more cheese on my half of things, like pizzas, than my wife. Now, she has more than me.

Exercise:
I didn't feel like doing anything today. I forced myself to walk for about a mile at a slow to decent pace.

Jousting!

Well, my wife and I will be going to the Bristol Renaissance Faire in a month or so. We have never been to one (though we did go to GenCon one year (and I have gone a few times, though it has been awhile)). It is supposed to be the biggest one in the world, and I am looking forward to the jousting. That will be kind of crazy to see horses charging. It should give me new respect for pikemen standing up to charging cavalry.

They say that you can't bring any food into the faire (because they want you to buy their food), which worried me, but my friend called and asked about people with allergies (without me even asking him to, whatta good guy). They said that people will be able to leave to eat and then come back, and also keep snacks in their pockets. I hope that I don't have to prove Celiac, as I am not sure how I would do that.

Food:
Breakfast:
Chicken breast with BWW sauce

Snack:
Vanilla yogurt with almonds

Lunch:
Pad Thai with soup and salad

Dinner:
My wife made a fancy meal tonight and we had steak, baked potatoes (I had mine with sour cream and bacon bits), green beans, and a little onion soup. I wasn't ravenous today, and completely forgot to look around for info on that.

Exercise:
I walked at a decent pace for about 2 - 2.5 miles.

Ravenous

I am still hungry all the frickin' time. I might google around and/or post on some message boards tomorrow to see if anyone else has this issue. My only solution thus far is to continue to eat when I am hungry. Clever, huh?

I am also tired, and going to bed just after 8:00pm.

Food:
Breakfast:
Rice with butter
Green Beans

Snack:
Vanilla yogurt with almonds

Early Lunch:
Chicken breast

Snack:
Cherries

Snack:
Rice with butter
Green Beans

Dinner:
Wendy's large chili with sour cream and chili sauce
Popcorn

Exercise:
I mowed the back yard with the push mower, and then walked about two miles at a decent to good pace.

Thesmophoriazusae

Last night we went to a free play in the park put on by the Genesius Guild. The play was Thesmophoriazusae, a comedy, by Aristophanes, and it was heavily edited. All of the current humor jokes that the Greeks would have gotten back then were morphed into present day jokes, i.e. about Rod Blagojevich or Sarah Palin. They also broke the fourth wall and talked about the play that they were putting on. It was a casual atmosphere, and the play was funny (if a little corny at times). I give it a B+.

Weigh In:
I weighed in at 294.5 this morning. Another few pounds gone forever (or so I hope).

Food:
Breakfast:
Chicken
Steak
Sausage
All from Ryan's

Lunch:
Chicken
Sausage
Mashed potatoes
All from Ryan's

Snack:
Banana

Dinner:
Chicken
Mashed potatoes
The last of the Ryan's food. I don't know why, but I have been ravenous over the past few days. I don't know if it is some kind of weight loss defense by my body or what, but I have been eating more to keep up with my hunger.
Corn

Exercise:
I mowed the front lawn today and used the trimmer a bit. It was so nice out after I mowed, I went on a walk at a decent speed for about 1.5 miles.

And THAT is when I stopped feeling sorry for her...

Ms. Lampley, 40, who is married with three children, lost her job as a human resources officer in January 2008 and had been receiving $351 a week, which covered the groceries and gas. Even so, she and her husband, who still has work as a machinist, were sinking into debt. Now, still poorer, she feels devastated because they cannot buy their son a laptop to take to college...
-- From an article in the NY Times online.


ORLY?!?

I mean seriously, with all of the crap that some people are dealing with, losing their homes and needing to go to food banks just to survive, we should feel sorry for YOU? Maybe, just maybe, your precious little kid, while going to college, will have to take notes with a pencil and paper, and maybe he will have to use the computers in the computer labs. Or, heaven forbid, swallow some pride and get a job at a fast food restaurant while he goes to school so that he can buy his own damn laptop!

Now, I may be reading too much into that statement, but it really just pissed me off.

Food:
Breakfast:
Polished off the last of the turkey and mashed potatoes

Lunch:
Tacos with hamburger, re-fried beans, salsa (which we are now out of, nooooooo), and sour cream

Dinner:
We got more coupons for carry out at Ryan's Buffet.
Sausage, steak, and chicken with A-1 and Heinz 57 sauces and some mashed potatoes (we still have some Thanksgiving gravy left, so I figured, "Why not?"). My plate won't last as long for me this time, as I felt pretty ravenous tonight. However, my wife went along with me and filled up her plate too, so I should have meat for a few meals.

Exercise:
I DDRd (Dance Dance Revolution) for about 40-45 minutes this morning, but it wasn't what I would call a solid performance. My legs just didn't want to work right. I tried to will myself into a second wind around 35 minutes, but, although I fooled myself for a minute or two, it just wasn't happening. I also went for a good long walk this afternoon (and maybe got a bit of sunburn), about 2 - 2.5 miles at a decent to good pace. Tonight my wife and I walked about two half-miles, at a slow to decent pace, to see a free play in the park (which I may talk about tomorrow).


(I am entertained that ORLY?!? makes it through the spell checker)

Football Outsiders Almanac

I received my Almanac from the good people at Football Outsiders yesterday. FO is a website founded on statistics to breakdown how teams are actually performing and therefore how they are more likely to perform in the future. They debunk certain accepted 'knowledge' like 'establishing the run' (teams don't run the ball to win, teams that are winning run the ball). FO puts out a book in the pre-season every year with team predictions for the upcoming season.

If you want intelligent football analysis (and roll your eyes whenever you hear someone says that a team won because it had more swagger) FO is the site to follow.

Food:
Breakfast:
Leftovers, turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy

Lunch:
Tacos with seasoned hamburger, re-fried beans, salsa and sour cream

Dinner:
Leftovers, turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy

Exercise:
Lazy-ass walk for about 1/2 - 3/4 mile. The past two days have just been sad.

Thanksgiving, Sorta

My wife decided to have a Thanksgiving in July party this week. We had received a turkey a while back, and it was far too big for us to eat by ourselves. So she decided to make a party of it. She made the turkey and mashed potatoes, and everyone else brought potluck type things. I would say that it went pretty well, even though it was a few too many people for my tastes. The food was good and my wife enjoyed organizing it all (although I am sure that she is glad that she can rest now), and that is what is important.

Also what is important is that I have easy meals the next few days from leftovers.

Food:
Breakfast:
The rest of that Lasagna
Banana

Snack:
The rest of that pad thai

Lunch:
The remaining half breast of chicken with salt
Cherries
Almonds

Snack:
Yogurt with almonds

Snack:
Popcorn
Beef sausage

Dinner:
Turkey
Mashed Potatoes with corn starch gravy
A few pieces of steamed vegetable

Exercise:
Nuthin. I made the excuse of not really a good time before dinner. I'm making another one of too tired now. I have to get up early again tomorrow for work. Everyone needs a day off now and then, this was mine.

The last thing that Neil remembers...

he was drunk playing a game of Zelda...

The Legend of Neil: Season II is out! Woohoo!

I would rate Legend of Neil as the second best online show, after The Guild. The basic premise is that this loser, Neil, gets transported into the old Legend of Zelda video game for the Nintendo. It is pretty funny, especially if you played those old RPGs. I do have to warn you, it can be very crass, and there is definitely foul language.

The first episode of season two gives you a little bit of back story on Neil. I enjoyed the exposition, but I didn't think that it was quite as good as the previous episodes. Nonetheless, I would still give it a B+.

Food:
Breakfast:
Bacon and...
Eggs! "Holy crap!" you say. "I can't believe that he ate bacon with something that actually goes with bacon!"

Lunch:
Pad Thai with soup and salad. I only had about 2/3 to 3/4 of the pad thai (saving the rest for later).

Snack:
Cherries

Dinner:
Lasagna that my wife made. I know that it has a lot of cheese in it, but that wasn't going to stop me. It was very tasty. I asked my wife about it, and it was one of the ones that she had made previously and frozen. We have one more frozen one, and then she will start using less cheese for me.
Green beans

Exercise:
I did about an hour of DDR. I took a few breaks in which I did some push-ups and sit-up/crunch/leg raise things. I felt very energetic. I also took a 1.5 mile walk at a good/decent pace with my wife.

Popcorn

Normally, I don't look at calories, because I don't want to be thinking about whatever food I am eating in that way. If I want to eat something, I want to enjoy it, and not be worrying about each bite being 50 calories.

Anyway, I randomly checked the microwave popcorn that we get, 'white and fluffy', or something like that. And find out that the entire bag only has about 140 calories total! I was shocked at the lowness of that number. Popcorn seems like a great snack if you feel the need to be eating something bulky.

Of course, I had to compare, and the smoked sausages that I ate each had 200 calories in them.

I couldn't finish the second one.

Food:
Breakfast:
Chips with salsa (no ranch)
Bacon

Lunch:
Chicken breast, some with salt, some with BWW and ranch

Snack:
Handful of almonds

Dinner:
A couple smoked sausages with mustard
Popcorn

Snack:
Cherries

Exercise:
About 45-50 min DDR. I also took a 1.5 mile walk that started out at a good pace, and degraded to a decent pace as I got worn out.

UFC 101

“I don’t think they’re actually going to let him kill me, and if he does kill me, book sales will really go up. Boom…win-win, bitch.”
- Forrest Griffin on his upcoming fight with Anderson Silva

My wife might actually watch the UFC event in a week-and-a-half. She doesn't generally watch them because she doesn't like the violence. However, her favorite fighter is Forrest Griffin because he is funny and cute. Unfortunately, Forrest will be fighting one of the best fighters in the world in Anderson Silva. He is more than a 3-1 dog, but we will be rooting for him.

Perhaps I should be offended that my wife's tastes run towards goofy looking funny guys, or perhaps I should just feel lucky.

Breakfast:
Bacon
Last half of Wendy's chili with sour cream and chili sauce

Snack:
Cherries

Lunch:
Chips with a little seasoned meat, salsa, and sour cream

Snack:
Bacon

Dinner:
One-and-a-half chicken breasts. I cooked them with an apple I cut up, but it didn't seem to make any difference at all in the taste, so I ended up eating them with BWW and ranch.
Bacon
Popcorn

Exercise:
An hour of DDR, but the last 20min or so was kind of weak as I was watching Jeopardy at the same time. Later, I saw myself in the mirror in my boxers, and frankly, I was disgusted. So, I went out and walked a mile-and-a-half at a good pace. I think that perhaps I should get off my lazy ass a little more and exercise, at least until I am not disgusting myself.

Get Thee Behind Me Towel Bar!

Weigh In: 298 (or 279.5 with towel bar)

That's right, I am off the towel bar. Now, obviously, my estimate at the beginning of this blog was off by about five pounds. When I first weighed in, I probably weighted around 310 (on our home scale, which probably isn't the most accurate, but that isn't the point). This new weight does come with a caveat though. I was so tired from yesterday, that I slept until about 11am this morning (waking up for around two hours in the middle of the night didn't help either). So, had I weighed myself at a normal time, I probably would have weighed a pound or two more. Nonetheless, that is the number that I have, and that is the number that I am using. Unfortunately, next week might not look as good because of this.

About one-and-a-half years ago, I maxed out in weight around 325. I became slightly healthier, and I had dropped (I now see) around 15 pounds over that time frame. I would say that dropping about 10 lbs in three weeks is pretty good (considering I have a normal life and no trainer/dietitian and can't work out like the Biggest Losers, as well as Celiac Disease).

Food:
Lunch:
Half of a large chili from Wendy's with sour cream and chili sauce. Waking up at 11 will kinda eliminate breakfast.

Dinner:
Bacon
Cherries

Exercise:
I mowed the front lawn. I walked a mile to the grocery store and back at a good speed. On the way home I curled the grocery bag. It was only 6.5-7 lbs, but the whole way home adds up.

Another Fine Meal

My grandfather-in-law's girlfriend took nine of us out for dinner at a fancy restaurant this evening for my grandfather-in-law's birthday. I can't imagine that the bill was less than $400, and probably more like $500. That was very nice of her. I can't imagine spending that much on a meal.

I heard that he was really nervous about everyone meeting her for the first time, but the evening went very well, and I am glad that it worked out.

I was up at 3am this morning, and had a late dinner, so my food situation was odd.

Food:
Breakfast:
Leftover pizza
Leftover Tots

Snack:
Cherries

Lunch:
Re-fried beans with seasoned meat, salsa, and sour cream with chips

Snack:
Microwave white and crispy popcorn
Hot chocolate

Snack:
Re-fried beans with seasoned meat and salsa with chips

Dinner:
Chicken
Vegetables
Mashed Potatoes

Exercise:
I walked at a decent speed for about 1.5 miles. I got back too late from the dinner to go see the second half of Henry VI, but since I have been up for so long, I wouldn't be able to enjoy it anyway.

I sleep now.

- The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra

I am tired. I am going to sleep.

Food:
Breakfast:
Seasoned meat with salsa and ranch with chips. I threw away the last half after I was full.

Lunch:
My parents came for the afternoon and took us out for lunch. We appreciate being treated to a good meal. I had chicken florentine with twice baked potatoes and salad with ranch. I was full with half of the potatoes to go, but I didn't trust that they would keep until we got home. They were so good that I finished them there, even though I was full and didn't need any more food.

Dinner:
Pizza with bacon bits, garlic, and pineapple. I was going to try cheese-less tonight, but then we didn't have any turkey pepperoni and it just seemed like a bad idea. The pizza wasn't great. Maybe I will learn to check for toppings before I make the crust.
Hot Chocolate (no marshmallows) after dinner. It was still good even without the marshmallows, I don't know why I always needed them.

Exercise:
Not much. Just some slow walking around with my parents. We were outside a decent amount, and walked around some gardens, but no real exercise.

That Bastard Andy Richter

I mentioned yesterday how I am very paranoid about having anything spoiled for me. That all began because of Andy frickin' Richter.

I went to Blockbuster after a long hard day's work (okay, it wasn't that hard) at the fireworks store (I ran one during college one summer). I decided that it was time to rent the movie that everyone was raving about, Sixth Sense. When I got back home, I decided to watch my favorite late night show at the time, Conan O'Brien. I was enjoying the show, until they said something about Sixth Sense and BAM! Andy reveals the ending to the movie. Just like that. On national television.

I watched the movie anyway, and it just wasn't that good. From my point of view, knowing the ending, I gave it a C or D. Ever since then, I can't bear to hear anything about a movie or book or TV show that I want to see. Thank you Andy Richter, you ruined my entertainment viewing life, you jackass.

Food:
Breakfast:
I was running later than I wanted to for work, so I grabbed the tots from the fridge that I made a couple nights ago. I had them with BWW sauce, ranch, and mustard. Healthy, I know.

Snack:
Vanilla yogurt with almonds

Lunch:
More of those tots with the same

Snack:
Cherries when I got home from work

Dinner:
Tacos with re-fried beans, seasoned hamburger, salsa, and sour cream. I really enjoy Mexican food (in case the copious amounts of tortilla chips didn't tip you off). I am still eating it, just with less cheese than I used to.

Exercise:
Another late night walk. This time with my wife. Another mile or so.

A. Freaking. Plus.

My wife and I rented Gran Torino yesterday.

What a great movie. Great plot. Great characters. Well written. Clint Eastwood was just phenomenal. I can't say enough good things about it. I don't like to say anything about movies, as I am hyper-paranoid about things being spoiled for me, so I won't expound. See the movie if you haven't already (unless non-PC language offends you, in which case under no circumstances see this movie). Also, I apologize for raising your expectations.

I would like to downgrade my rating of Benjamin Button to a B or B- after seeing Gran Torino. GT just stood head and shoulders above it, and I can't justify a B+ for BB anymore.

Food:
Last Night:
I had some tots with mustard, ranch, and BWW sauce.

Breakfast:
Eggs with bacon bits.

Lunch:
Pad Thai with soup and salad

Snack:
Cherries
Doritos

Dinner:
Potatoey vegetable stew that my wife made

Exercise:
None. Yeah, today was a bad day for me. I felt tired of doing exercise. I felt tired of eating right. I felt tired of doing this blog (though talking about GT helped). I won't quit, however, it was just a bad day.

Was what I had written at 10pm. I went for a mile-and-a-half walk at a pretty good pace after that. I feel a little better, though not as better as I had hoped.

Woah, Back the Truck Up

Actually, it was the kitchen sink at work that backed up. It smelled SO bad. The only thing that I can think of to compare it to is sewage. Fortunately, my office is on the other side of the building, so I didn't bear the brunt of the stench. Unfortunately, I was too clueless to shut my office door tightly when it happened to keep what stench I could out. I had to go outside several times today because I needed the fresh air. I pitied the poor folks on the other side of the office. It was unbearable over there.

I also noticed that the date of my last post is yesterday, since I started it then, instead of today, when I posted it. I could have been sneaky and not said anything about it being late, and none of you would be the wiser.

Food:
Breakfast:
Two pieces of strawberry
Leftover chicken from last night with ranch and BWW sauce

Lunch:
Yeah, remember how I said that the kitchen smelled like sewage? I had no interest in getting any food out of the refrigerator, let alone microwaving it in there. My lunch consisted of a handful of almonds that I keep in my office.

Snack:
Cherries in the morning
Salsa and ranch with chips when I got home to tide me over until dinner
Bacon Bits, just a bunch of them.

Dinner:
Gluten free tuna helper. I may have overeaten a little due to the horrible lunch fiasco, but not too much I think.

Exercise:
About a mile walk to the grocery store and back.

Good News, Everyone!

- Hubert J. Farnsworth

I called my doctor, and my villi have indeed improved. I DO have Celiac Disease, and the gluten-free diet IS working.

I did part of this post last night and saved it. Then completely forgot about it until I went to bed.

Food:
Breakfast:
Cabbage and cucumber salad
A Brat with mustard

Lunch:
Pad Thai with soup and salad at Exotic Thai

Snack:
Vanilla yogurt and almonds

Dinner:
A few pieces of chicken that my wife made
Half of a baked potato with cottage cheese, bacon bits, and butter
Green beans
A little more cottage cheese

Late night:
I was still hungry after dinner and I really wanted some cherries, but I was stupid and left them at work. So I ended up eating some Doritos and some hamburger with salsa and ranch with chips. Well played you idiot.

Exercise:
DDR for 45min

The Curious Case of Beavis and Butt-Head

We just finished watching my free birthday movie, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". I can't stand the name. It might be one of my least favorite movie names of all time (hence the title). Also, it was freaking long. I can't sit down for that long to watch something (I feel like I am wasting time, even though I will be wasting that time doing something else anyway), so we had to watch it over three days. Nonetheless, it didn't drag and kept me interested throughout. My expectations were high, so it had a high bar to reach, and I still thought that it was pretty good. I give it a B+.

Weigh In: 282 (with towel-bar)
Another four pounds off my gut. Mayhaps next week I will lose the towel bar.

Food:
Breakfast:
Cabbage and cucumber salad with lemon juice
A brat
About one scrambled egg

Lunch:
A couple pieces of salmon
Half a package of sausage links
Cherries

Snack:
I was over at a friend's house this afternoon, and didn't have a snack today.

Dinner:
The other half-package of sausage links
Cherries, boy am I a big fan of cherries. They taste good, and the seed forces me to enjoy the fruit while I work around it. That really helps curb overeating I think.

Exercise:
I did some very slow walking with my wife during the morning, as she took me to a fancy garden that she really likes. We walked, but also stopped to look at flowers and take pictures. We also walked a mile or so to the grocery store and back.
I did a few curls with the weights at my friend's house while I was waiting for my turn on the game we were playing.

Celiac Potluck

We went to the annual celiac potluck today. My wife really likes going to potlucks, and we don't usually get to go because I can't really trust any of the food. This is one of the few opportunities that we have to enjoy a potluck without worries. I still limited myself on what I could eat, as I didn't want to eat any cheese or desserts (of which there are always many at potlucks).

Food:
Breakfast:
Hamburger with salsa and ranch with chips. I felt kinda ill after eating this, and I intend to try to eat more healthily for breakfast.

Lunch:
Homemade salsa with Fritos
Potato salad
Gluten-free biscuits/muffins (whatever they were, they were good) with butter
Tomato salad
A grape
Cole Slaw
I think that that is it. It looks like a lot, but I didn't have that much of any of it (except for the bread) and I didn't overeat.

Snack:
I snagged four little biscuit/muffins (about the size of a quarter cubed) and ate those with butter, still good.
Cherries

Dinner:
Large Wendy's Chili with two sour creams and two chili sauces

Exercise:
Mowed the front lawn
Pushups, crunches, a few leg circles
Two half-mile walks to Shakespeare in the park and back to see Henry the Sixth: Part Three. I had to leave at intermission again, though I can finish it next Sunday night if I decide to. I mentioned two people who did very well last time, and I want to mention two more. Pat Flaherty played Lord Clifford, and although he wasn't in Part Three for very long, he did a great job in Part One. Michael King played Richard very well. His soliloquy about wanting the crown was spoken with anger and frustration and tinged with madness. It was outstanding.

Happy Bird-Day to Me!

That's right, it's my birthday, number 31!

So many presents (actually, my wife is getting me a book that I want, that isn't out yet, so I don't really have any presents to open).

Such fancy birthday cake (actually, I can't have any normal cake because of gluten, and I really don't want any gluten-free cake, because I am trying to be more healthy (though if I really really wanted it, I would eat some)).

Also, delectable birthday meals (actually, we didn't eat anything fancy, we will, however, go to this B&B next month, The Chestnut Street Inn, where the wife is a trained chef, we just go for the food, not the bed).

And of course a crazy birthday party (actually, we got a card from Hollywood Video saying that I get a free movie rental, woohoo!)

Food:
Breakfast:
Alright, I was not telling the entire truth up above. My wife did get up early to make a nice breakfast of eggs and crepes for me this morning. I didn't want to ruin the flow up top though.

Ah who am I kidding, with the number of parenthesis that I use, I have no flow at all.

Lunch:
The last few pieces of steak from Ryan's.

Snack:
Some almonds
Some green beans
Some hamburger with salsa and ranch with chips

Dinner:
Salmon
Fried rice with egg and green and yellow things

Exercise:
DDR for 45-50 minutes
Slow walk with my wife to the grocery store and back, about a mile

Boring Me

Yeah, I just don't have anything to say today. Yesterday was a long one though, so I deserve a day off.

Food:
Breakfast:
A big piece of ham and pulled pork from last night

Lunch:
A couple pieces of steak and the remaining pulled pork from last night. Yeah, that is the third meal that I have gotten for my $5.99 plus tax. I still have another half meal to go.

Snack:
The rest of the grapes (finally, we can buy some more black cherries, those were WAY better, plus, they help prevent gout!)
Vanilla yogurt and almonds

Dinner:
A mixture of hamburger, onions, zucchini (maybe?), and some kind of squash. My wife made it to put on rice, but I didn't see any rice when I grabbed it, so I just ate it with some BWW sauce.

Exercise:
My leg still feels a little DOMS, but I decided to DDR it anyway. I did that for about an hour. I try to alternate hard and easy songs to work out my heart and keep my body ready for sudden changes (sort of like interval training). I also took a medium to slow walk with my wife for about a mile.

Upper GI Scope

Today I was fortunate enough to get to go in for an Upper GI Scope. Basically they put me in a semi-conscious state and shove a tube down my throat so that they could run a camera down and look at my stomach and take bits to look at under a microscope. The first (and only other) time I had one, I "woke up" while they were still working on me, and let me tell you, that is not a pleasant feeling (not as bad as an operation obviously, but still pretty uncomfortable). I checked multiple times to make sure that I received more drugs to make sure that it would knock me out, so that wouldn't happen again.

I had my first one two years ago when they diagnosed me with Celiac Disease. This one was to make sure that the gluten-free diet has been working for me and that my body has been healing itself. I should know within three business days.

The trip to the doctors office also meant that I got a bonus weigh-in. I weighed 306.4 (or something), so with some hard work, I can probably crack 300 in another week and a half and be done with the towel bar thing, woohoo.

Food:
Breakfast:
I couldn't eat or drink anything this morning because of the procedure. Last night I stayed up late because I didn't want to get up early and not be able to drink water (I am obsessed with water) and I got hungry. I wanted popcorn, but I couldn't find any microwave and I wasn't up for making it on the stove. So, I ended up eating two nectarines with salt (yeah, I just wanted some salt) and some more Doritos, from the bag. Yes, I probably ate too many Doritos, but I didn't overeat and make myself full.

Lunch:
I had the shrimp, rice, and cabbage casserole leftovers from the other day. I had two plates (well, one and a half) because I was hungry, and at first after the second plate thought that I had overeaten, but then I realized that it felt a little different that overeating, so I think that it was just a little abdominal discomfort due to the procedure.

Dinner:
My wife had a coupon and got takeout from Ryan's (a buffet). I try not to eat in at buffets because I will likely overeat "to get my money's worth", but getting takeout seems okay to me. I have to be careful due to cross-contamination, but I haven't ever gotten sick after eating at Ryan's as I have at other places. I just loaded up my container with meat (I feel like that is a better deal as meat is expensive wherever I get it, and salad and potatoes and fruit I can get for cheap at home). Tonight I ate two sausages, a chicken breast, and some pulled pork, all with some Heinz 57 and some barbecue sauce. I also had a weak glass of sweetened green tea mix. I drink that sometimes when I want a coke, and the sugar helps me get past it.

Exercise:
My left quad is suffering from a little DOMS (Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness) after these past few days of DDRing, so I am taking it easy today. I went on a slow walk with my wife for about a mile and a half.

An E-mail

I e-mailed the Prenzie Players asking about what I needed to prepare for to go audition in a month and a half, and received a long detailed message back with some suggestions. It sounded like a personal letter (as opposed to form) and I really appreciate the director taking the time to respond to my questions so thoroughly. I am now less nervous about the whole thing and more excited. I mean what is the worst that could happen if I don't get the part? They make me dress in a leather outfit with assless chaps and lead me around by a chain? ... Oh wait, that is more likely to happen if I get a part. (Yes, in Taming of the Shrew, a guy (the director of this play, actually) was dressed like that, good ole' Shakespeare)

Food:
Breakfast:
Hamburger with taco seasoning and salsa with chips
A banana
A little bit of beef jerky

Lunch:
Pad Thai with soup and salad at Exotic Thai

Snack:
Grapes

Dinner:
Hamburger with taco seasoning, salsa, cabbage, and sour cream with chips
A brat with mustard
A bowl of Jalapeno Popper Doritos, I poured them in to a bowl so that I wouldn't just keep reaching into the bag

Exercise:
DDR for 40-45 minutes

DDR

Last night I walked another half mile at a good pace both ways as I went to see Shakespeare in the park. The Genesius Guild was performing Henry VI, parts I and II. The first part was over at 9:30pm, and, knowing that I had to get up for work the next day, I left at intermission. Two Saturdays from now I will be able to head back for Part II and stay up later. The main actors all did a good job, and a couple did a very good job, Maggie Wooley and Andrew Koski (both Prenzie Players), and even though a few of the minor actors were a little rough, it was still a good play overall (especially considering that it is a free play in the park), and I look forward to Part II in two weeks, as well as Part III in one (yeah, I will be watching I III II).

Food:
Breakfast:
I had a spinach salad with deli turkey and lemon juice

Snacks:
Grapes
Yogurt with almonds

Lunch:
The leftovers of the leftovers casserole from yesterday with BWW sauce

Dinner:
My wife made a shrimp, rice, cabbage, other vegetables, and a little bit of moz cheese casserole tonight. It was good, but I asked that she not put any more cheese in anything, as it can always just go on afterwards.

Exercise:
I got some good exercise in today. I came home and mowed the back lawn with the push mower, and then came inside and did Dance Dance Revolution (henceforth DDR) on my old X-Box for about 50 minutes. If you don't think that DDR is a good workout, you be crazy.

Beep

Current weight:
*beep* -435- *beep* -72- *beep* -391- *beep* -182- *beep* -286- (with towel bar) (this weigh in brought to you by the annoying folks at Biggest Loser)

So, 286 (with towel bar), I dropped four pounds from the previous week. Of course I don't know how much of it was cleaning crap out of my body or that I ate a meal late last night, or that it was (kinda) my first week doing this, but it is a number, so that is what I have. It will be interesting to see what happens next weekend.

Food:
Breakfast:
The last two pieces of yesterday's pizza
The rest of last night sausages
some cherries

Lunch:
My wife made a leftover casserole from snap peas, rice, hamburger, tots, a little cheese, and maybe some mushroom soup. I had mine with BWW sauce.

Snack:
A lot of sweet and hot beef jerky

Dinner:
Hamburger with Taco seasoning and salsa with chips
We polished off the rest of the cherries (now on to the grapes)

Exercise:
I walked a mile-and-a-half with my wife, and mowed the front lawn with the electric mower. I may yet go on another walk to see Henry VI performed in the park tonight. I want to try to do a little more exercise this week. I certainly have the ability to do more, I just have to have the drive.

And Still...

UFC Heavyweight Champion of the World...Brock Lesner! I'm glad that Brock won. I think that he plays a good heel, and is entertaining. Mostly though, I got tired of listening to the Brock haters bitch about him. It won't shut them up of course, but it is always funny to see loud annoying people be wrong. It is too bad about his classless post fight antics, now people will harp on that. He did win very dominantly though.

Food:
Breakfast:
Spinach salad with chicken strips and lemon juice

Lunch:
Tots with some BWW sauce and ranch

Snacks:
A cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows

Dinner:
Chebe homemade pizza with pepperoni, pineapple, and garlic. I put on about 1/4-1/3 of the cheese that I previously would have. I ate four of the six pieces

Late night:
I am going to be up late since I took a nap so that I could stay up to watch the fights, and I had some beef jerky, some cherries, and some sausages.

Exercise:
I did not end up exercising last night, but this morning, I did dig up yard around the garden so that my wife can plant some more flowers. I dug and carried dirt for 30-40 minutes.

Curtain Going Up

I always enjoyed acting when I was a kid, but when I got to high school I had no interest in trying out. Then, in 10th grade, Tim Beery, a guy on the tennis team (yeah, I played tennis and was fat back then too (less fat than now though)), convinced me to try out for the play that fall called "Curtain Going Up". It is a play about a group of high school students putting on a play. I was a runaway candidate for the part of 'Buck', a big dumb football jock that all the girls loved. After that, I was in every play.

I also learned how to peel a banana today, fascinating.

Food:
Breakfast:
I had the rest of that hamburger with taco seasoning and salsa with chips, and an apple.

Snack:
I had about a cup of vanilla yogurt and 15-20 almonds. I also ate a piece of turkey bacon and some bacon bits while I waited for my lunch to cook.
After lunch I had a glass of BC/G juice.
The fudge at work is now gone, but the cookies at home remain, I may give in and eat one later.

Lunch:
I had two brats with mustard and a little ranch.

Dinner:
I had some chips with salsa about an hour before dinner because it was going to be a late one and I was getting hungry. My wife made some breaded chicken tenders and tiny reddish baked potatoes with some snap beans on the side (I did the snapping). I ate a little too much, and I knew that I should stop before I ate the last two little potatoes, but I ate them anyway. I am trying to work on portions, and with the chips and salsa I should have had less of the main meal. I have to convince my body that the food will always be there the next day for leftovers if I want to eat it then.

We do still have a decent amount of chicken leftover. I think that I may cut some up and put it on a spinach salad tomorrow.

Exercise:
I haven't done anything yet, and it is getting late. I don't know if I will get any in today. Perhaps I will take a walk, or maybe dig up some more grass for my wife so that she can plant some more flowers. I'll let you know tomorrow if I did anything.

Hunger

The library called yesterday and told me that this book that I wanted was in, "Audition" by Michael Shurtleff, so I picked it up after work today. A few months ago, I decided, after seeing another phenomenal performance by a local Shakespeare troop, The Prenzie Players that I just had to try out. So, I am reading up on acting and auditioning. I have low expectations, but I feel that if I can pull off a really good audition that I can get Lord #2 and Guard #3, and work my way up from there.

Food:
Breakfast:
I had the tofu stir fry leftovers for breakfast, but I should have had more. I was hungry throughout most of the day, and I know that that is bad.

Lunch:
The rest of those calico beans, still very good, but I ate them and that last half of the banana around 10am because I was so hungry. Normally I have a big container of vanilla yogurt at work too, in which I mix some almonds, but it was sitting at home in the fridge. There is still one piece of fudge left to tempt me at work, but it shouldn't make it through tomorrow.

Snacks:
50-55 almonds
an apple
a nectarine

Dinner:
I came home and ate some hamburger with taco seasoning and salsa with chips. Then, after exercising, I had more of the same along with a glass of black cherry/grape juice (1/3 juice). I know that it isn't good to be hungry, but days like this are going to happen as I learn how much food my body really needs. At least I feel satiated now.

Exercises:
I walked a mile or mile and a half with my wife at a decent speed, so that was some exercise. Some jackass owner left his very mean dog out in the yard which got our hearts pumping a little bit more. I had written some choice things about the owner here, but decided that it would be best to remove them.

About that milk...

My wife came up to me last night after I finished posting and informed me that she had to throw out the milk because it had gone bad...whoops.

I decided to re-try grapefruit, as I hadn't had any in probably 10 years, so I had half of a grapefruit last night. The actual fruit tastes alright, but boy-oh-boy is that aftertaste awful. My wife claimed that grapefruit was something that one should eat in the morning (I guess because you haven't tasted anything else yet during the day, so your mouth can't yet tell that it is awful), so I tried the other half this morning. It wasn't quite as bad, and maybe I could have one in the morning occasionally. It wasn't very filling though.

Food:
Breakfast:
Half of a grapefruit
Some Santitas chips with salsa (I wanted some last night, but wasn't that hungry, so I had the grapefruit instead)
Part of a good calico bean mix that my mother-in-law made specifically for me, I saved the rest for lunch tomorrow, very tasty

Lunch:
I went to a Thai place and got their Pad Thai (something that I know I am safe eating), it also comes with rice, a cup of spicy, made from scratch soup that I really enjoy, and a small side salad

Snack:
Half a banana in the morning, hopefully the other half will manage until I get hungry at work tomorrow

Dinner:
Chili with tofu and hamburger
Later I had the leftovers and a nectarine. I have been trying to eat less to make sure that I don't overeat, and one of the consequences is that I don't always eat enough.

My wife made some cookies today to tempt me away from the righteous path, but thus far, I remain strong. Also, half of the plate of fudge at work is now gone, no thanks to me.

Exercise:
I walked at a decent pace for about a mile or mile and a half.