If you want to change your life....

Just head out five minutes earlier than you usually start your commute to work - the traffic isn't the same and the day is now different. I weighed 207.0 pounds on Friday, I weigh 206.5 pounds on Saturday and blood pressure is 132/92 with a heart rate of 101 bpm, which I don't believe since I haven't done anything to get it moving that fast. Better buy a new blood pressure checker.

I check emails and find my sister and my mother and answer Mom, I am glad that North Carolina suited my brother-in-law. Some noise about the house and climate, but I think the visit with daughter and watching grandchildren is much better than the Spring in North Carolina. My wife had a strange dream she had to share, and she did, and during breakfast she starts to unload all her worries and her guilts and needs more than my cold stern disapproval of real feelings and emotions. Where would I ever get more than cold stern old man at? Ugly truth.

I need to get serious about losing weight, she wants me to stick around in our older age. I need the twenty pounds off so the pistol hides better in more places. I stuck it behind my belt and walked the local park with my wife, don't think we bothered anyone so it wasn't seen. Duckling herds go from eight to five to three with the passing of days and the predators, a few will make it to maturity.

Mired in muck of muddle....

Tuesday weigh 204.0 pounds, 129/99 blood pressure, 39 heart rate, check again 124/84 bp with 42 heart rate, do three chin ups, then two.
Wednesday, weigh 204.5 pounds, 135/96 blood pressure, 42 heart rate. Three chin ups.
Thursday, weigh 207.0 pounds, 132/81 blood pressure, 36 heart rate.

Memorial Day wrap up...

Sunday I weighed 205.5 pounds, blood pressure of 137/84 with a heart rate of 43 bpm. I go jog, longer and do intervals a bit, 595 calories burned, 50% of them fat, average heart rate 116, in Zone 58 minutes 3 seconds, Exercised 1 hour 1 minute and 43 seconds, two pennies found. Church and Indiana Jones followed shopping for half sleeved shirts and underwear.

Monday I weigh 207.0 pounds, and I take the flag out to fly at half staff for the morning, or until I return from the National Cemetery at Mt Tahoma. I go jog a relaxed mostly longer route, thinking about Memorial Day and funeral details from the Vietnam Era of my memories. 670 calories burned, 50% of them fat, average heart rate 114 bpm, in Zone 1 hour 3 minutes 42 seconds, Exercised 1 hour 13 minutes 17 seconds and saved a nickel and a penny. A couple of walkers out and a good day for the exercise. I had to motorcycle to the cemetery for enough flags to seem flown. When I find out later that this three day weekend is an economic stimulus scam for Summer sales and starting vacations and Congress had to mandate a minute at three for a real moment of silent remembrance of the War Dead, I come to the conclusion that I must have missed another shift in American culture. One day it won't even be: Lest we forget.

Starting my life again, today, repeat the best...

Only have one life, and some things work and others don't. I weigh 206.5 pounds today, blood pressure is 112/78 with a heart rate of 25 bpm, not believing that I do it again and get 108/71 with a heart rate of 34 bpm. I give up do devotions, mindlessly wander my favorite blogs which I checked about eight hours earlier, not much has changed, time to load - I would do better with feeds, or not checking. Kim has lots of his pictures of their trip to Germany, so cool, I was there once. My wife wakes and I do my fifty reps while she sips coffee and gets ready to start the day.

When my wife is ready we go to the YMCA, I do twenty-five minutes on rowing 5K, 20 minutes on some strange stepper strider, ten minutes on another and then a couple minutes on a bicycle. Done for today. Back home we get lunch, too much rice, but everything else is perfect. I go off to shoot, and lucky I brought a box of ammunition, for they had sold all the 9mm before I arrived. So I put up my target on the seven yard line, twenty-one feet and find that my first shot touched the x, and it was down hill from there. Still for forty-two bullets, fired six at a time, one magazine to reload while resting, not too many missed the black. Next time I will just go to the tweny yard pistol line.

Back home after picking up fuel and I cut the grass, my wife washes the cars - she wasn't supposed to do mine, but it was there and she did while I finished the cutting and putting stuff away in the shed.

TGIF, or any day this good, Thank Him!

Wednesday weight 205.5 pounds, blood pressure 122/83, heart rate 39.
Thursday weight 206.0 pounds, blood pressure 125/83, heart rate 40.
Friday weight 206.0 pounds, blood pressure 123/88, heart rate 59.

Chin ups getting better, time on the computer getting worse, time for road work again, foot feels much better. The daily walk to the dock is fine and although I haven't thought of it as exercise before it must be something, helps maintain my overall fitness and my mind/spirit.

Rains gently return, greening grasses

I weigh 205.0 (pounds like yesterday), blood pressure is 127/83 and resting heart rate is 41 bpm. I sneak up on myself and knock out three good strong chin ups as the coffee heats, then off to blog checks, changes and devotions. I call my mother and talk, then knock out the fifty reps of the basic three exercises - feeling good about it, but a bit worried about the creaks and snaps and pops on the left shoulder side - nothing worries me more than visiting a doctor, so I stop worrying about it. Denial is a helpful fool thing. Since it is raining and I am not the immortal stud I was forty years ago (only in my mind, mind you) I decide to do an interval workout on the treadmill in the garage, while listening to Country Western music, and some plastic surgeon... could have done without the plastic surgeon. 337 calories, 45% of them FAT (you do know how many calories in a pound of FAT), Average Heart rate 112 bpm, in Zone 27 minutes 25 seconds, Exercised 41 minutes 38 seconds. So I remain alive, I will walk to the dock and work on my feet most of the day, and I encourage y'all to do the same, or some plastic surgeon may want to pay for his education by giving you several of his procedures to restore your natural health and beauty. Trust me, the picture is up just because it will never be seen by polite society, just remind me of how fat I am - I need to drop those spare tire rolls for more room for packing pistols, or money belts or cell phones (NOT!).

Found Resolutions! now where is that resolve?

I did find my resolutions for the year (no, I don't know which year but they look good). I check my blog and find my Resolution Run but no mention of the Resolutions. Yesterday I walked Spanaway Lake Park with my wife, for her exercise and my love, the first ducklings were moving in the reeds close to their mother outside, lots of people enjoying the beautiful day, picnics and fishing and swimming. I also spend considerable time on the edging the front and re-mowing the backyard so it looks like it should before the promised returning rains.

Today, I weigh 205.0 pounds (working out!), blood pressure is 141/72 and my heart rate was 27 (so the machine missed a few beats, change the batteries). I knocked out three good chin ups before my coffee was ready, did fifty reps of the basic three exercises after devotions and then went to do a heart rate run, 355 calories burned, 45% of them FAT, Heart rate average of 116, time in Zone 28 minutes 43 seconds and total exercise time 36 minutes and 44 seconds. The jog wasn't gentle, I attacked the hills and sprinted like I could when I thought about it, I saved one penny. I wore shorts and sleeveless shirt for the Vitamin D, and there aren't enough really awake people to scare with my pasty white legs and bouncing blubber. Or so I hope, my wife laughing at me will always be enough.

Face one's fears

Early rising, six o'clock and the Sunshine is waiting for lazybones. I weigh 208.0 pounds (blaming my reluctance to run or jog on my foot) my blood pressure is 119/70 (!!!!) with a heart rate of 37 bpm. I sip on my coffee, look at the blogs and decide I have no reason not to go jog. So I put on the heart rate monitor chest strap and get my shoes on, sweat pants and sleeveless yellow shirt. I won't hurt many people's eyes - there really aren't a lot of folks out watching me. Only one jogger who was dashing down the drive, a walker that could have been a lightweight boxer once, and two bicyclists out for their health.

Well, the foot isn't that much pain, but the fear is foolish but constantly trying to build my excuse for not going far enough. Well, I do the longer route, and think I have forgotten how far the distances were - no longer a very familiar distance and friend. I find three pennies and one of them when I was thinking about carrying a pistol today, a sign! Well the numbers are 524 calories, 50% of them FAT ones!, Hr average 117, in Zone 49 minutes 39 seconds, Exercising for 54 minutes and 34 seconds. I worked on what Doubletapper had encouraged me to do - sprint then jog when I couldn't, then sprint again. Now I remember dimly that the purpose of Fartlek was to put play back into tough training for better racing, but going back and forth was refreshing and allowed me to increase stride and pace knowing that I could back off when I became a heart attack waiting to happen. It was a good run work out and the foot feels fine, funny but fine. Look at the lady flying over the bridge, lovely morning.

What color of sunburnt does me justice?

Lovely beautiful Summer day here, and I weigh 205.5 pounds, blood pressure is 129/83, and heart rate is 42 bpm. After breakfast I go with my wife to walk Ruston Way and marvel at the motorcycles, custom cars and herds of people. It was great, families having fun, people stretching their legs and smile and dogs panting for more water as they heat up. Temperature is over eighty until you hit the water, then you are back at fifty-something. The retrievers going after sticks and balls in the water have the best of both worlds.

I buy KFC/A&W lunch and go home for nap, all the windows are open and I have work that I want to do, but my wife tells me to save it for the later afternoon. I wake from the nap a just lovely lobster red color - they used to talk about the "pink and red" Dungey boys - my father's farming generations, we don't tan well, although I came close in Vietnam.

Record breaking ninety degree temperature at SeaTac Airport, with all the asphalt and concrete soaking up the Sun, what would they expect?

Stillness, not exercising enough...

Wednesday weight 206.0 pounds, blood pressure 162/89, heart rate 40.
Thursday weight 209.0 pounds, blood pressure 131/80, heart rate 37.
Friday weight 208.0 pounds, blood pressure 130/75, heart rate 43.

Not a great record, cutting grass and walking to the dock only mean that I have moved not improved.

I am a loser, and darkness comes with lights out...

Monday weight 208.5 pounds, blood pressure 129/83, heart rate 51 beats per minute.
Tuesday weight 208.0 pounds, blood pressure 155/89, heart rate 37 beats per minute.

I need to exercise and return to physical imperfections unknown now. I can't help my mother, I can't help my son and his wife, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan won't be won by me for no one wants my help there. I can't insure that the proper person will become President, and who becomes one will not worry about the little guy - none of them ever saw we existed. I guess, since the grass needs trimming and mowing, that is what I will affect tomorrow, I can handle that. All the bigger problems I will have to give to God, in His own time...

Posting measurements....

Friday weight 204.5 pounds, blood pressure 146/93, heart rate 56 bpm. Saturday weight of 203.0 pounds and I took my wife to the YMCA for our workouts, 24 minutes rowing 5,000 meters, ten minutes stair stepping, ten minutes elliptical trainer, ten minute on a swing trainer and five minutes on the arm peddler.... whatever that was.

Iron Man was a great movie, I cried again at all the appropriate points of Cinderella Man, the movie and liked the extra information in the book, and the skill of the movie makers to keep the essence of the story. Ate out tonight and will have ice cream during King Sejong's Historic Drama.

Suggestions and results...

I weigh 205.5 pounds on Wednesday, blood pressure of 138/80 and heart rate of 45 bpm. I did some exercises around breakfast, walked to the dock and cut the front yard in the evening need to do the trimming. Today I weigh 204.5 pounds, blood pressure is 132/89 and 38 bpm of heart rate.

Gov't doesn't love me but for my own good health...

I went to the grocery early to get a couple things for my wife's birthday, and I picked up two bottles of wine, went to the checkout and got everything except the wine. In Washington between two am and six-thirty they allow no alcohol sales. Duh, they still have drunks, DUI, DWI and terrible fatal automobile wrecks by drunken drivers - but because they have that law - I won't be one of those statistics that once were human, thank you, thank you, thank you. Stupid people in power, sigh. I can live without it, probably only would have had a half a glass that evening with my wife while watching television or talking. But I have been saved. Nanny government, anyone?

Monday weight 205.5 pounds, blood pressure 131/70, heart rate 59 bpm, or 138/84 with a heart rate of 30 bpm. Walk to dock and rode motorcycle after paying bills. Tuesday weight 205.5 pounds, blood pressure 146/83 with a heart rate of 37 bpm. Devotions, breakfast and then out the door for my heart jogged. Calories burnt 391, 45% fat ones, average heart rate 119 bpm, in Zone 35 minutes 47 seconds, Exercised 38 minutes 35 seconds - done with 3.5 pounds of hand weights, found one penny, day is cool and gray and foot feels fine mostly - periodic painful reminders that it isn't 100%, but dull pain so I endure.

Sunday shines

I weigh 204.5 pounds today, my blood pressure is 115/68 or 119/73 with a consistant heart rate of 37 beats per minute sitting down. I am reading Cinderella Man, by Jeremy Schaap, better than the movie, which I have and love - because it speaks to the people, the country and the times of the events. Best History lesson on America of the period.

http://wmearl-justthelibrarykeeper.blogspot.com/
http://earlswaywardway.blogspot.com/
http://home.att.net/~wmearl/wsb/html/

I started blogging because the Institutional Library System was going to build a blog for the public and I was supposed to be one of the blog writers, and so I started Just the Library Keeper and I wrote and posted and posted. Then I told my family and friends about it and sent them links to check it out. Some looked but never returned, but I kept churning out words and didn't have to bother the family any longer. Then I decided to stop worrying about the calendar and posting my measurements and exercises on it, I built another blog Physical Fitness for Foold so I can see what I thought when, what I weighed and measured, and my general health and a bit of what was happening. Just think of all the trees I have saved by not sending letters, think of all the cyberspace left for important commercial announcements about Viagra or variations of get me rich schemes. Hit that DELETE key, folks.

Well, the Institutional Library Services blog site will be closely monitored for political correctness and comment, of course the ones monitoring it don't want to write it, they just want to control it and the public image. I find my blogs helpful, I get to write and whine and wonder, I have my favorite places to check for thoughts from other folks - some close to my thoughts but the most interesting are from people doing their lives well, writing it, and I get to peek and become a lurker - although when I feel important and wise and sharing I do drop a note, most not too worthy. It would depend on the subject I am commenting on. There are people that visit my site and drop comments or just read, I am not counting visits nor comments and more than anything I write because I want to say something and that will be enough.

My sister wrote a wonderful letter, and sent it email, and I have her last two from before but then I wonder if she or her husband check my blog to see how I am. Probably not, my teaching sister said she liked the blog idea and thought she could build one, but then she is very busy and I don't think she got around to it, she didn't say she had - and she still writes letters. My brother is doing stuff in Denver, with music and sound, and supporting the current Presidential Primary conflict (oops, it is only a contest not a conflict).

Well, I do need to get started on this Sunday, Communion Sunday in my chuch, working in the choir (can't really sing, so work at it), and riding my motorcycle to the girl friends (like I ever had any - I am just out for the ride without rain). I do have a round Mount Rainier ride on 14 June with some sunshine riders from DOC, has a barbeque and poker run with it. No, I don't have any idea what to do with a poker run, nor the social barbeque - but I want to ride around Mount Rainier. Seems sometimes like I don't get out enough. This Friday, the 9th, the 191st Infantry Brigade from Fort Lewis has a motorcycle safety ride, two hundred and fifty miles in six hours, they asked the Patriot Guard Riders for assistance and I don't feel 9120 miles on my Triumph enough to make me a mentor, but I would like to try and keep up with those young folks and have a great Friday. I ought to for my Community Service, not given for breaking the peace but just because I can relate.

Well, my wife has a birthday tomorrow, so I had best figure out how to help celebrate it - kiss and a hug minimum, jello birthday cake?

Saturday calls to me..

I wake early enough, take the medicine and then turn on the computer. I go weigh, 204.5 pounds this morning, blood pressure is 132/72 with a resting heart rate of 44 beat per minute. Off to get some coffee and breakfast and read blogs and write comments and remember that I should be a quiet lurker unless there is something truly worth mentioning. I finally wake my wife so she can prepare herself for the day. We drive off to Fort Lewis, where they had a big bomb scare yesterday, and find out that her records are completely posted and her ID is very current, she will have to get another in five years but then when she turns seventy-five they will give her one without an expiration date. A few more years.

We decide to go to the YMCA, since it is raining, for our workout and walking. I think I should stop at the Triumph dealer and look into getting a sissy bar for the motorcycle. She agrees and we do, lot of lovely machines on the floor and I ask for and get a sissy bar kit, and my wife sees some gloves she would like to wear - she has boots, gloves and a helmet. As I pay for the purchases she quietly asks if they service mounting the sissy bar, just in case I can't do it. They do, but the salesman and I laugh at me not being able to mount this - he doesn't know how bad I can be on mechanical stuff.

At the YMCA I do five thousand on the rowing machine, she walks laps and then we use different machines for different things. Exercise time was fifty-one minutes for me, but forget the zone and calorie burn, I was just moving. I would do some chin ups at home after I mounted the sissy bar and cleaned then greased the chain on the motorcycle. It was still raining, I am hoping for Sunshine tomorrow so I can ride and pose on my fine, improved for female companionship, motorcycle. I won't have any female companion ship, but it is like preparing for rain, it could happen.

Restless and troubled...

.. I get up early and write. I was dreaming of military, Europe and the field. Wednesday I weighed 209.5 pound, blood pressure 137/92 with a heart rate of 40 bpm. Thursday I weighed 208.0 pounds, blood pressure of 133/91 and a heart rate of 41 bpm. Today I weigh 205.0 pounds, blood pressure is 159/87 with a heart rate of 41 bpm. Except for going to the chin up bar for some feeble but very needed attempts to get my head above the bar I have not been exercising, and yesterday I didn't even walk to the dock. The pain in my foot has really gone down and almost away, and the swelling is fading into nothing -- my feet are still ugly but functioning very well and I think I will start training again on Saturday -- trying to look seventy when I am only sixty.

The restless worry is about yesterday at the library. I was giving the time sheets to the inmate workers for them to check and then sign. One worker refused to sign it and said he wasn't going to since I had shorted him for the last two months. I was shocked but was sure I had mis-understood what he said, for I would have no reason to short him or any of the workers. Still it bothered me and after he came back from lunch I asked him if he had really meant that I had shorted him, he said yes that he had kept his own time sheet and that I had. Then I asked him if he wanted me to leave, and I think the question bothered him but he said no, that we could just forget about it. Wrong answer, I didn't forget and contacted my supervisors and then his Corrections supervisor since his counselor wasn't in. He sent me the form to fill out for a lay-in until the problem is resolved. Which means the inmate clerk that can't trust me isn't coming back to work for a supervisor that shorts him on his hours and pay.

I didn't short him, but he was the second of the last two workers to say that about my time sheets, the problem is that the time sheets don't allow one to be that creative with time, it is or it isn't the time and the total hours. And if I had made a mistake the workers just point it out and I fix it immediately, I have done that before. So I get two of my last two workers to decide I am crooked, which means to me that they are basically crooked and look at the world as the same. Anyway, I am very testy about my honor - having been treasurer of several different organizations and handling library fines and deposits for two of the libraries I worked at, I really hate being thought of as dishonest and a liar. My blood pressure was sailing right up there yesterday and I felt miserable until my supervisor and the institution said okay to laying him in until he got terminated. Maybe I should pray for us all, I certainly need it.