Packing and Moving, Moving and Packing

Motivation:

the angels must be watching over me. During a very hectic week at work and at home and my sister and J-man moving, and an akward social event, all happening at once, I felt drained at the gym. Still, I knew that I must continue to work out and train. Then as I was running, a song came on that I have heard before many times, but maybe didn't listen to the lyrics carefully. It was speaking directly to me, and this time I listened carefully.

"You Gotta Be" - Des'ree

Listen as your day unfolds

Challenge what the future holds

Try and keep your head up to the sky

Lovers, they may cause you tears

Go ahead release your fears

Stand up and be counted

Don't be ashamed to cry

You gotta be

You gotta be bad,

you gotta be bold

You gotta be wiser,

you gotta be hard

You gotta be tough,

you gotta be stronger

You gotta be cool,

you gotta be calm

You gotta stay together

All I know, all I know, love will save the day

Herald what your mother said

Readin' the books your father read

Try to solve the puzzles in your own sweet time

Some may have more cash than you

Others take a different view

My oh my heh, hey

Don't ask no questions, it goes on without you

Leaving you behind if you can't stand the pace

The world keeps on spinning, You can't stop it, if you try to

This time it's danger staring you in the face

You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser,

You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger

You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together

All I know, all I know, love will save the day

hearing this again sparked me to finish my workout with a little more intensity.

Diary:

B: eggs and sausage
s: protien bar
l: turkey, wild rice, asparagus, xs, vitamins
s: ham and cheese slices
d: pizza (with moving crew)
s: beers between loads.
g: elliptical 1.95 miles, walk 1 mile, sauna. I nice elderly man named Burt stopped me on the way out to say "I have seen you come in here every day. I am watching out for you." I looked confused. He continued "I am going to keep watching for you, so you better be here." Funny old gezer... He asked if I was feeling better now that I am working out. My answer was that I am sleeping better - deeper - and I no longer have stomach pains all the time. I also thought of another thing that is happening that I didn't reallize, because I didn't think it was a weight issue. When I would breathe in and out, a little sound would accompany the breathe. It was a rattling sound that was in my lung/throat, that was annoying, and was worse after a big meal. This hasn't happened for a while, as I am breathing without that little noise. Maybe my fat was constricting something that is now free to flow.
Long story short - there are people at the gym that have now started looking at me as a fitness center staple.

Notes:

I have two secret powers. The first secret power was revealed to me by my friends, especially Kaptain Karl, Memphis Evans, and Hon.com. That secret power is "the ability to hold back information". Mostly, it is holding back information about myself, but it works for information about other people and things as well. It takes a lot of time and the right conditions to pry out some information from my brain and that is just fine with me. This can be frustrating to some family and friends, I know, but mostly they deal with it.

The second secret power that I have is to make my sister cry. Some of my favorite projects included times that I knew would get her right in the old beatbox. Cards and letters usually do the trick, but well timed jokes also will do it. This secret power has no real use in the outside world, and I don't know if it is a sign that I am sick, but I get joy out of really connecting with my sister, and we connect very well. Sometimes the relationship ends up with her having to take care of my needs, but I hope that I can say that I have also been watching out for her state of health/mind as well.

Let's just put it this way, after all the packing, loading, lifting, carrying, and climbing, as the truck pulls away, I am going to cry my eyes out. Then I am just going to find a place to sit and feel pityful, and then I will get up, start putting things back together. I will probably work on my patio flower pots, wash clothes and dishes and wonder how I am going to organize the office and bedroom upstairs. Maybe I will watch the MN Twins on TV. Life will go on.

Nope, I know what I will do. I will watch Shawshank Redemption, which is what I always do when I am completely lost and at the bottom of my emotional barrel. If you watched the movie, do you remember the scene where Morgan Feeman is cleaning the prison graveyard, and narrating the line about the caged bird. He is happy that the bird has been freed, but his soul is sad that the bird won't be around to add color to his life. It is difficult to think about my best friends sitting behind the wheel, setting off for a new big adventure. I remember what it was like to road trip to a new location. It was fun and exciting to unpack the truck at a new home, with new possibilities..

Heck, even Morgan Freeman got out in the end and took a road trip of his own. That is where "Red" discusses the concept of the movie that I enjoy most. He talks about the hopes and dreams that he has been having since the friends were seperated. The quote he is thinking of during this final narration includes "I Hope". You already know the source quote well, if you have ever gotten an email from me. It is on my signature line.

"Remember, Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."

Get busy living......

more later,

Chazz

WHY CAN'T BEARS TELL JOKES?

Motivations:

They can because they think they can. - Virgil

I didn't like the Motivation for the day (no, I did like it, but feel it isn't enough for me), so I am adding a picture. I spent some time with her on Wednesday, and she left on Thursday. I am going to miss her, but look forward to being fit and trim when we get together again.

Diary:

b: eggs and sausage
s: protien bar
l: olive garden - salad and soup (and 2 greasy breadsticks - olive garden breadsticks are one of my no-nos in a lot of ways, but I really can't resist.)
s: none
d: ate out with sister and J-man- american motorsport bar and grill - nice place, clean - food was huge. I had a big plate of fries with a BLT sandwich. It was tasty, but I shortly reallized that I made a mistake. That was the first time I have had french fries in about 3 months, and I could literally "feel" the greasy tubes clogging my arteries. I felt tired right away, and became a useless mess after this meal.
s: shared a bottle of wine with J-man while catching up on "Good Eats" episodes on the DVR. I don't remember much after this......
g: NONE - due to the schedule and the move, I thought I would skip the workout and just move boxes and furniture. This really didn't work the way I thought, so whatever...


Notes:

Again last night, went over to the big move, and didn't really get much done. I helped pack two boxes, moved upstairs a bed, and several other boxes, and also moved a picnic table. It really didn't justify the fact that I didn't get exercise or a consistant meal plan.

BAD TIMING.

I feel totally lethargic and aweful. I really didn't plan this very well, because in a perfect world, I would have stuck with the plan yesterday and been ready for this morning. Why? Because tomorrow is the 3-week weigh in, and I hope that all my hard work the last few weeks doesn't get totally wiped out by a day's change.

So Friday I will have to make up for Thursday's mistake, but I am sure that dinner will be greasy, so I will have to go to the gym to get a head start.


A story from my sister at the restaurant gave me an idea. I decided last night that I am getting too emotionaly involved with my work, especially after the last development cycle, and I need to decouple myself from the decisions that the "team" makes. I need to reallize that this "team" that I am on honestly doesn't care what I think, and therefore I should just shut up for a while. Even if they did listen and care about my opinion and thoughts, what is the end gain? I need to just rethink my attitude about work, and reallize it is just a job, and I should try to do my part of the job the best I can, and not concern myself with the rest of it. That will probably get me back to my bliss when I started. If you can't tell from this paragraph, there have been some stressful things happening at work, and I have been feeling like it is my job to solve some of the problems. There are too many meetings, too many open questions, too much drama, too much everything.... also, I am pretty scattered and emotional this week with stuff going on, and I know this is a temporary feeling. I need to reallize that I can't change some of the issues they have, and shouldn't try. Getting this priority focus straightened out might help me to complete other things that would be more important and more beneficial to me.


Let's talk about a different subject, please....

Using music to help motivate my workout
First of all, let me re-iterate that I don't control the songs that play during my workout (unless I really am not into a certain song, and I can skip that one), so whatever songs come up in whatever order the machine plays them is up to electronics and God. I just listen and enjoy.
With that said, I have been thinking about how to explain a) how this music affects my workout, and b) if I could make a perfect workout cd (for 2006) what songs or order would they be in. I have been thinking about this for a while, and here is my first stab at it:

Warm-up - High energy songs to get psyched to workout. The music and lyrics both play a big part. For example, "God is a DJ" is a really high intensity rythymytyc song that includes lines like "If God is a DJ, life is the dance floor, love is the rythym, you are the music.... so get your ass on the dance floor."

• Black Eyed Peas - Let's Get Retarded
• Desree - You've Gotta Be
• Pink - God Is a DJ
• No Doubt -- It's My Life (JD Sound Extended Version)

Setting a Pace/Stride - struggle of the workout music to stay motivated to keep moving throught the pain or dissapointments in life.

• Daniel Powter - Bad Day
• Daniel Beddingfield - Gotta Get Through This
• Dakota Moon - Looking For A Place To Land
• Matchbox 20 - Last Beautiful Girl

To be honest, I have a large percentage of my mp3 songs that fit this category, from all sorts of parts of my life. Both Memphis Evans (think "the blame", "One House") and Scot Ninnemann (think "Leaving California", "Something To Lose" and "Two Thirty") are represented in this section of workout music.

Second-Wind - Motivational songs that can bring me out of the hard middle section. These songs are less about the rythym or music, but all about the lyrics and message. I can wrap myself into the concepts and get into a mental groove. I forget that I am running during these songs and just run.

• Leanne Womac - I Hope You Dance
• Tim McGraw - Live Like You Were Dying
• Mandy Moore - Have A Little Faith In Me
• Allen Asbury - Somebody's Praying Me Through
• MercyMe - I Can Only Imagine

These songs are jewels, in my opinion. A mellow song that has a motivational message can really pick my pace up, if I have had an off day. If it has a subtle hint of a beat, then all the better, but not always necessary. A lot of Christian music fits here, and oddly enough sometimes urban rappers also fit into this section nicely. It just matters what mood I happen to be in.

Final Push - Hard to say specifically what about these songs I find to be the best songs to end a workout with. I just listen to them and I smile, knowing that I just kicked ass all over the place, and am ready to hit the sauna, and pamper myself for setting the tone...

• U2 - Beautiful Day
• Queen - We Are The Champions
• R. Kelly -The Worlds Greatest
• Hoku - Perfect Day
• Fall Out Boy - Sugar We're Going Down
• Fat Boy Slim - Praise You

more later...

Chazz

Broke the 2.0 mark..

Motivation:

"Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it." Bill Cosby

Diary:

Tuesday:
b: eggs and sausage
s: protien bar
l: turkey and wild rice, canteloupe, xs,
s: boiled egg on salad,
d: corned beef sandwich, coffee
s: protien bar
g: eliptical 2.0 miles !!!, walk 1 mile, sauna

Wednesday:
b: bagel and peanut butter, coffee (men's group)
s: protien bar
l: turkey and rice
s: celery and peanut butter
d: chicken and potatoes and homemade bread (at sisters. chicken recipie was tasty)
s: a couple beers (miller lite cans - reward for moving furniture upstairs)
g: eliptical 1.98 miles, walk 1 mile, sauna

Notes:

On Tuesday, the entire rest of my team at work was invited to a meeting for planning and review. It was supposedly a very important meeting, becuase they were redesigning the process and planning for the next version of the software.

For some 'oversight' I was not invited to this meeting. Later I found out that this also was a Pizza party that everyone used as a bonding and fun time. In a way, I am quite dissapointed that I was not in the invitation, as this supposedly is not right behaviour, based on comments from company leaders, however going to this event would have messed up my schedule for workout and for my lunch plans.

Getting diss'ed by my peers and coworkers actually turned out to be a good thing, becuase I went to the gym, ran 2.0 MILES, (hello?) and when I got back and was eating my healthy lunch, found out that at one point in time in the meeting, they were discussing a process that wasn't going well, and someone indicated that maybe I would have a good suggestion on how to improve the process....... but I wasn't there.... oops?!?


This week, as I have mentioned, is going to be perhaps the busiest and emotional of all year. I am spending my days at work, where people seem to be avoiding me and forgetting that I exist, and am spending my evenings at my sister's, helping as I can with the moving. Today (Thursday) , my goddaughter will be gone, and by this weekend, the house will be empty. It is a good workout, as last night we moved some large bookshelves and lots of boxes. Tonight, more boxes and a heavy coffee table. I am glad that I feel in shape enough to do the work without having to stop and catch my breath. I remember helping other friends move and pack, and I would have to stop after each flight of stairs, just to stop from being dizzy. Now I feel more mobile, and it is fun to help. Plus each flight of stairs burns 24 calories. After about a dozen of these, a 90 calorie beer (or two, or three) is required to replenish the 'electrolytes', or something like that.


This weekend is weigh-in and measurements. I am thinking that my sister may have time to help me again. We will see. I am looking forward to seeing what changes have happened since I have not been sick during this measurement cycle, and have worked out consistently and have also been eating better.

more later,

Chazz

PS: to Sister and Mother: "Yes, I had the canteloupe." I was just having a fun time with the Jman. It was fun to hear him laugh.

Two roads diverged in a wood....

Motivation:

"Someone once asked me "why do you always insist on taking the hard road?"

and I replied "why do you assume I see two roads"? " ~unknown

Diary:

Friday, I don't remember the meals, and lost my notes, but I know I did 1.95 miles on the eliptical and 1 mile of walk.

Monday
B: eggs and turkey sausage
S: protien bar
L: chicken breast, mixed green salad, xs, vitamins
s: canteloupe
d: old habits - to be forgotten
g: elliptical 1.94 miles, walk 1 mile, sauna


Notes:

Busy weekend - and next - and next.

This weekend spent playing with my neice and shopping with my family. Did some spring cleaning, am putting together my patio, and put up pictures and decorations in my dining and living room.

While shopping, we noticed that I have lost one shirt size and can now purchase 3X shirts. That was a pretty fun surprise, and hopefully this trend will continue.

This week is the big move for my sister, and it is also a measuring weekend. Lots of work to do, so I will try and keep up with the pace.

more later..

Chazz

Ibuprofen 800

Motivation:

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be,

and you help them to become what they are capable of being."

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Diary:

b: (no b) Dentist appointment early in the AM, so no breakfast. I had split a filling late one night last month, when I clenched down on my lower teeth. The dentist had time to fix the filling, and I was overwhelmed with novacane for most of the day. Nothing would stay in my mouth, so I skipped the project of eating anything.
s: protien bar
l: homemade chicken soup, xs, vitamins, swiss cheese
s: orange, hard boiled egg
d: some leftover chicken, slice of whole grain bread
s: turkey burger, slice of whole grain bread, diet soda
s: ibuprofen 800.
g: eliptical 1.98 miles, walk 1 mile, sauna

Notes:

My back is killing me, literally. I almost couldn't get out of the chair to walk upstairs to the bedroom. I am wishing the IB800 will kick in so I can sleep. Maybe tommorow this knot will be better. I think it has to do with the amount of weight it has to carry + increased activity = muscles aching. I need to get in shape.

Also, I sent off the following letter today, after last nights shopping fiasco:

=================

Dear Target Guest Services,

Let me first say that I have been very pleased with the people I have dealt with and spoken to, both in person at your store, and on the phone. All of the workers at Target have been very helpful, empathizing people. None of the people I have spoken with were mean or condesending to me about my situation. I was very well respected by your employees.

However, let me say that your policies and procedures are not customer friendly, and are starting to make me wonder if I will shop at Target stores in the future.

I received an e-gift certificate from my employer as a holiday present, but have come to find that it is unusable for my needs. I find the following policies to be very frustrating and unaccommodating:

1) You cannot use the gift certificate in a store. You must use it online. This is unaccomadating for me.

2) I cannot redeem my online gift certificate for a gift card to use in a store. I am not sure why this is not possible. You already have the money for the gift certificate, so why do you care how I use it?

3) You do not offer an in-store delivery of items to reduce on shipping cost. I would be glad to order the product online and pick it up in the store, but you do not offer this. I HAVE to pay for shipping, if I purchase online.

Becuase of this fact, it means that my gift certificate becomes less valuable, as it would be off-set by large shipping costs. I would save money to not use the certificate and just buy the item at the store, saving money on shipping.

One other policy I am not happy with - at the store, I had a Target gift card (birthday gift from family), a Visa gift card (a christmas gift from employer), and was planning on putting the rest on my personal bank debit card. The attendent at the store told me that they could not accept both my Visa gift card and my personal debit card on the same transaction. I would have to pay for the remaining amount with cash.

This policy is very odd, and it seems to me that you could allow the purchase to be broken up so that I can pay with my gift cards and the leftover amount could go on my personal card. (I can do this at other stores and restaurants.)


Due to the inability to pay with gift cards, my experience with Target has been very bad.
======================


We will see what happens.


There is a lot of movement going on with my peers regarding incentives, goals and rewards. I need to find a book that I think I let my brother-in-law read. It is called "Good to Great". There is a story in that book that deals with goals and dreams. I will try and find it and post it. I like it and it offers good motivation.


I have a little follow-up from yesterday's blog regarding being able to buckle my seat belt. It is a good timing discovery, becuase I read the following news item today:

Minnesota Senate passes bill to let cops pull over seat belt offenders
Associated Press
ST. PAUL - Law enforcement could pull over drivers for not wearing a seat belt, under a bill the Minnesota Senate has approved.
The Senate passed the bill this morning on a 46-to-20 vote. It would make not wearing a seat belt a primary offense, meaning police officers could pull over drivers if they aren't belted in.
Under current state law, you can only get a ticket for not wearing a seat belt if you're pulled over for some other offense. Supporters say making it a primary offense could save 40 to 60 lives a year in Minnesota.
Opponents say it's another example of intrusive government regulations into private decisions.
While the Senate gave the bill strong support, the chance that it will become law is unclear. The bill currently has no companion in the House of Representatives.



Finally today we need to talk about something that has been on my blog-to-do list for about 3 weeks. Let me introduce the subject today, and then discuss it further next week.


Rockport Fitness Test
The objective of this test is to monitor the development of the athlete's VO2 max. A person's VO2 max is mostly a natural ability and is different for almost every individual.
MAX VO2 functionally represents the maximum amount of oxygen that can be removed from circulating blood and used by the working tissues during a specified period. World class endurance athletes generally have high readings.

To undertake this test you will require:

• 400 meter track
• a stop watch
• an assistant
• choose a windless day to conduct the test
• record your weight
  

How to conduct the test:

• Walk one mile (1609 metres) as fast as possible
• Record the time to complete the one mile walk
• Immediately on finishing the walk record your heart rate (beats per minute)
  

Analysis of the result is by comparing it with the results of previous tests.

The formula used to calculate VO2 max is:
132.853 - (0.0769 × Weight) - (0.3877 × Age) + (6.315 × Gender) - (3.2649 × Time) - (0.1565 × Heart rate)

• Weight is in pounds (lbs)
• Gender Male = 1 and Female = 0
• Time is expressed in minutes and 100ths of minutes
• Heart rate is in beats/minute
• Age is in years

OR

Although precise measurements are done on a treadmill with equipment measuring oxygen uptake, you can estimate yours from a recent running race. The race distance should be between about one mile and a marathon (or about 1500 meters to 50 km). Distances outside this range will not give meaningful results, since performance is limited by factors other than VO2 MAX.
www.runnersweb.com/running/vo2.shtml

Based on this tool, I am at the following right now:

VO2 at this pace
23.98 ml/kg/min (94.7% of max)

VO2 MAX
25.31 ml/kg/min

This would be considered "Very Poor", and "Good" would be in the 41.0 - 44.9 range.


I am considering sending out an invitation to my friends and family for two things: 1) to read and enjoy this blog site, and 2) to mark October 7 on the calendar and join my in Northfield for the 5K race. I am flip-flopping on this issue, but I have time to decide how to deal with the subject.


Well, I am pretty tired, so I will leave it at there for now. We will discuss this VO2 Max thing again next week in more detail, if possible.

more later..

Chazz

Huggable, Clickable and Googleable

Motivation:

"In the long run, men hit only what they aim at.

Therefore, they had better aim at something high." ~Henry David Thoreau

Diary:

B: bagel and peanut butter, coffee. (Andrea at the counter said "It has been a while." I am glad that she noticed, because I missed her. She was on vacation for a while. She is very cute. )
S: protien bar
L: homemade chicken soup, mom's homemade wheat roll, xs, vitamins, water
s: leftover spaghetti and meatball
d: mom's pork chops with green beans, and apple/celery/brownsugar mix. Good meal.
g: elliptical 1.98 miles, walk 1 mile, sauna

went shopping and due to Target's messed up policies and inadequate procudures, left unsatisfied with my experience. after shopping, found a gift card in my mailbox for Target. great timing, huh. going to bed hungry tonight. I feel cranky and tired. I am staying up late listening to the Twins - Angels game on the radio. Extra innings - all tied up. Castillo is at third, with two down. a real nail biter.. Micheal Cuddyer just hits a home-run as I am writing this paragraph!!! TOUCH EM ALL!!!! MINNESOTA WINS!! I have an early morning dentist appointment. I hope I get good sleep.

Notes:

On Sunday, I was invited over to Paul's for a "pathetic club" get together. When I showed up, Angela was hanging out on the deck. She reached to give me a hug, and she 'almost' got her arms all the way around me. Almost. Pat noticed that I was almost "huggable". Not yet. Getting there.

I did notice that the hug wass different. Angela seemed smaller in my arms, but it felt somewhat like fishing. let me explain. Good fishermen know that when you get the big catch, you hold the fish out as far as you can from your body, almost akwardly uncomfortable - so that the fish looks bigger in the picture that your body takes. The closer to your body, the smaller it appears to the camera. Hold it farther away, and it looks bigger. That is how it felt hugging Angela. Since she was closer to me and I had a more unobstructed view, she appeared smaller to me in from my perception. It had less to do with her, and more to do with the angle that I could see her. looking back on this story, it is dumb, but I am too tired to rewrite it, so you will have to take what you will from the message I am trying to say.

This morning on the commute to work, I decided to buckle-up. Not sure why. This is not a common experience for me, NOT because I don't believe in seat belts, or don't think that I should buckle up for safety. The only reason I don't have a habit of buckling up, is that I physically couldn't for the last 5 years. The belt simply wouldn't reach the latch. My gut would actually hit the drivers steering wheel, and I was just 'hunkered in'. While this wasn't a big deal in my vehicle, riding with others became problematic, unless they had an SUV or van, or larger vehicle. I simply wouldn't fit. Today, I was clicked in. Clickable. Who woulda thunk it.

Later today, for some odd reason, I decided to Google some of my friends and family to see what I could find on people. After some clicking, I found that "Chazz Vader" indeed is on Google. In fact, if you type in Chazz Vader, my blog comes up first. I don't remember ever registering for Google, but I guess the world has found me. When I looked at my stats, I saw readers linking in from Australia, China and Mexico. Not sure what good information they are finding, but 'Welcome', 'Hola', and 'Ni hao' to my global readers.


Another note. The Boston Marathon was on Monday. I forgot to note it in the blog, but it did pass back into my memory. Memphis reminded me (see notes after yesterday's blog) about his trials with doing a Marathon, and I recently read a new blog on the StarTribune site (http://www.startribune.com/blogs/marathon) The sports design editor has a goal to finish the 26.2 mile Grandma's Marathon on June 17 in Duluth. I think he stole the idea from me. I should sue. I will read his blog to see if I can gleen any advice for my journey.


more later,

Chazz

Patriotic Mirrors

Sorry, It has been a while since a posting. I have been busy, and this week won't get less busy, so I might miss a day or two. That doesn't mean I have slowed down, just prioritizing my time.

Motivation:

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." ~Walt Disney

Diary:

Monday
B: egg and turkey sausage
s: protien bar
L: bbq pork and green beans, xs energy, and vitamins
s: orange, celery and peanut butter
D: beer, mostly beer for dinner, with a small side salad.
g: elliptical 1.97 miles, walk 1 mile, sauna

Tuesday
b: egg and turkey sausage
S: protien bar
L: bbq pork and green beans, xs energy, and vitamins
s: orange, celery and peanut butter
d: side salad with thousand island, apple slice, whole grain pasta with organic tomato sauce and meatballs. (made by Mom at Sister's place.)
g: no gym today, due to the story below. Read on:

Notes:

Less than a month after purchasing my current vehicle (in 1999), I was upset from working a 12 hour day (which was common for my job at that time) and backed out of the parking stall to turn a little too soon. I smacked the side of my car against a cement pole in the parking garage and shattered my driver's side mirror. It was intact and while the glass was in pieces, I could actually still see through/into it. I didn't want to report the incident, so I just lived with it.

During last winter, I again in a tired state, drove out of my garage, and ripped my passenger side mirror clean off. Some duct tape later, and I re-attached it, but it wasn't always right. Later in the winter, the driver side mirror decided that it had been hanging on for enough, and just fell off. Some more duct tape, and all was fine.

As the winter progressed, and 4 or 5 duct tape rolls later, the sticky residue was now having little to no affect in keeping these things useable. By St. Patrick's Day, these plastic mirror holders were merely flapping in the wind while I would drive to work and back. It was annoying now to the point that I decided to get them fixed.

I found an auto salvage depot (junkyard, for some of you) that had replacements for my brand and make of car, and they were pretty cheap, (relative to other quotes I got) so I bought them. The only issue was they said they weren't an "exact match".

I also found a collision cosmotology technician (auto body shop) that would do the job of installing them.

So what is the purpose of this story. Here is the deal. Recall that I didn't go to the gym. Here is why. When I dropped it off, they asked if I needed a ride to work, and indicated that they didn't have any drivers, so it would be 'a while'. I decided to walk. I walked under a bridge, past a fence, over the railroad tracks, under the bridge (again), accross three intersections, past a big building, and finally made it to my office. I went at a pretty good pace, and made it to work in time for my conference call.

Then, when they called to say it was done, I walked back. What I didn't reallize until later, after checking google maps for distance, was that I walked 1 mile each way. 1 mile to office, 1 mile back. I wasn't really even working up a sweat, and was making good time. I felt pretty good after this and decided that this was a pretty good workout, considering the day that I had.

The best part of the walk? In the morning, I passed a little flower garden that had tiny tight bulbs, not yet open, in all different colors - orange, yellow, red. They were like little lolipops all standing up straight, ready for the day. By the afternoon, I walked by that same park, and the flowers all opened up and beautiful displays inside. They were almost saying "hello, we knew you'd be back, so we put on a show..."


Later in the day, I played with my niece, and did some (very little) work in the backyard. I don't feel too worn down today. I need to fold and hang laundry, and then my day will be complete. Not bad for a day. Not bad at all. I think when you can get to a point in life where you can be comfortable with the amount that you did in a day, that is a good feeling.


Oh, yeah, the "mismatched pair" of mirrors.... It had to do with color. One is Red, and the other is Blue. Since I have a white car, we did some pondering. One idea was to paint the hood with red and blue stripes and make it look like an american flag. Another was to paint the MN Twins decal on the hood, and fade it from blue to red.

Either way, the folks at the auto shop said "that is cool, I am glad we didn't paint them." I agree. At least, I will be able to find my car in a crowded parking lot. I am styling.





Here are some other things for today's extended blog:


THE 5 IMMUTABLE RULES OF WEIGHT LOSS

Color Your Diet
Buy the brightest vegetables you see. Vibrant colors usually correspond with more vitamins. Load up on carrots, tomatoes, red peppers, and sweet potatoes. They're higher in vitamins such as A and C. Romaine lettuce has nearly seven times the vitamin C and twice the calcium of its paler iceberg cousin.
(The same holds true for fruit. Pink grapefruit, for instance, has more than 40 times the vitamin A of white grapefruit.)

Drop Two
For safe, lasting weight loss, don't lose more than 2 pounds per week. People who shed pounds quickly typically rely on extreme exercise programs or very-low-calorie diets, which are tough to maintain for more than a few weeks. Rapid weight loss also involves losing fluid, which can be dangerous if you're engaged in serious exercise. Often, those who quickly lose a lot of weight rebound to a higher weight.

Weigh Yourself
The biggest health risk for adults is weight gain, so monitor yours regularly. When you see an increase, immediately go to portion control and increase physical activity. You usually cannot sense a 3- to 5-pound weight gain without a scale.

Never Let Yourself Get Hungry
Rather than three big meals per day, try to eat five or six smaller ones. The trick, however, is not to eat any more calories than usual but to spread them more evenly throughout the day. This strategy prevents overeating, since you're never ravenously hungry. It also keeps your body from lowering its metabolic rate and conserving fat. Plus, it eliminates dips in mood and performance around 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Make Fiber Your Friend
Fiber is incredibly important when it comes to weight management. There are three reasons for this:
(1) Fiber-rich foods generally take longer to chew, meaning you'll eat more slowly and probably eat less.
(2) They take longer to digest, which means more time will pass before you feel hungry again.
(3) Putting fiber in your stomach is like eating a sponge; it soaks up surrounding water, making you feel fuller. Strive for 25 to 35 g fiber every day.


more later...

Chazz

Good Friday - Twins Beat Yankees!

Motivation:

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.

Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." ~Helen Keller

Diary:

B: cereal and soy milk
S: protien bar
L: meetings. missed lunch by 10 minutes, no lunch.
S: salmon, mayo + mustard, apple, xs, vitamins
S: peanut butter sandwich
D: cereal and soy milk, homemade chicken soup
S: bowl of chili

Notes:

I forgot to write about Maundy Thursday Service. It was a nice quiet service, but there were only about 20 people there. Felt a little akward, since they were doing a 'foot washing', but I wasn't really in the mood to take off my shoes. After running 2 miles and walking another mile, my dogs are pulsing with soreness (not pain, just sore) and the last thing I wanted to do was to call more attention to them by taking my shoes off, washing them, then putting shoes back on. I stuck out like a sore thumb, because everyone else participated. The service was good. The message was "Ask not what God can do for you, but what you can do for God." The message was service. Service takes humility and action.

What can I talk about today. Let me look at my cheat-sheet....


Well, I should start post some more photos of Fat Chazz. That way there will be some frame of reference for the photos to come soon from Twins games.

The photo attached to today are from the last "Virgo" party (so mid-late September of 2005.) The woman in the picture is normal size, but the big guy is morbidly obese. It is interesting that while I still probably look like this, I don't feel like it. My mind is totally confused about my weight, becuase when I am at the gym, I feel like a lean guy, but again, looking down is a mass of belly..... argh.

About the time this picture was taken, I was eating mostly chinese buffets, pizzas, beer, burgers and fries, fried chicken, canned beef ravioli and assorted other junk food. I recall driving home from work early with stomach pains and chest tightness. Several times I would have to stop quickly to throw up and then be so weak and tired that I would just go to sleep and get up the next day. I remember having to take tums and rolaids as a daily habit to deal with the gas that I was feeling. I was having stomach pains always. Some days were worse than others, but the constant amount of food in my system at any point in time was causing my digestive system to put in overtime and never able to catch up with the punisment I was putting it through. It wasn't a good memory, and I don't like talking about it. I don't like seeing that picture. It reminds me of how aqward I felt and looked around other people, how I didn't match the women that I was flirting with, and how I couldn't dance for more than 5 minutes at a time (if you can call what I was doing 'dancing', it was more just moving back and forth while flailing my flabby arms.)

However, as I read in "Good to Great" it is necessary to embrace brutal reality, but still have dreams and hopes and desires. Without full knowledge of the reality of your current situation, it is difficult to understand what you need to do, specifically, to change your current condition. This will help to track your progress. So, while it isn't nice or cute or happy, that is where I started. Fat, miserable, popping antacid like candy, having to take baths to calm my stomach pains, vomiting from overeating or eating the wrong things, not being able to stand for more than 15 minutes, being useless after 6pm...

So now I got that point of reference out. I don't have stomach pains much anymore, and when I do, I know it immediately, and know what I did to cause it. It is difficult for me to see the comparison of before / after when I look in the mirror, because now I just look generally Fat. I am going to have to continue to look at pictures to see if there is a difference. At this point in time, I don't think there is much difference.



9 Reasons to Drop 20 Pounds
By: Mike Zimmerman on 10/07/2005 (at Men's Health, of course. I think they will soon sue me for all my plagarism, but I find these snippets to be handy information.)

1. Twenty pounds of warm human fat can refill every bottle in an empty case of beer, with enough left over to fill your blender.
2. It's not scaling Everest or writing the great American novel. You can do it in your spare time.
3. It's the difference between being thought of as jolly or witty.
4. Your chances of developing heart disease, prostate cancer, diabetes, sleep apnea, depression, back pain, impotence, gallstones, joint problems, high blood pressure, low sperm counts, and an impressive collection of prescription-drug bottles.
5. Men who lose weight never have less sex. They may not have more, mind you, but they never have less.
6. Every time you pick up a 20-pound dumbbell, you'll remember.
7. You'll be able to reach even more places to scratch.
8. Wait till you ride a WaveRunner, quad, or snowmobile when you're 20 pounds lighter. Vroom, baby.
9. In our society, people respect weight loss. Even if you do nothing cool or interesting or memorable for the rest of your life, you'll have done that.

more later..

Chazz

Maundy Thursday

Motivation:

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." ~Dale Carnegie

Diary:

B: eggs and sausage
S: protien bar
L: bbq pork, green beans, mixed greens xs, vitamins
S: orange, deli ham and cheese
D: turkey blt
S: hard boiled egg sandwich, cauliflower & peppers, hard salami slices
g: elliptical 1.94 miles, 390+ calories, walk 1 mile, sauna


Notes:

Twins win AGAIN! Unbelievable. afternoon game on Thursday, which I missed. Too busy at work to listen in on the internet. Glad they won, though, and I am glad I went to the first two home games. they were very fun. I got a few pics on the 'portable' camera, that will be up in time.

It is like 80 degrees outside, which is fine, but for the Fat Man this can be dreadful. Now I reallize why I like cold weather. It is easier for the Fat Man to sleep at night with the cold weather, but the warm weather wakes him up, in a sweaty pool.

I had to get up at 3:00am and open a window, I decided while I was up to switch the furnace from winter to summer mode, and take the cover off the outside AC unit. I set the temp on the digital thermometer and put some water bottles in the fridge. I switched the dining room fan from winter to summer direction, and found a few other things that need to be done. (replace furnace filter, check the attick fan that doesn't seem to be making any sound when I turn it on, and assorted other items.

I need to add "nice quality fan for bedroom" to my list of wants. That may come in handy on hot nights after a long workout or run. I am going to need cooling help.

While I was up, I decided it was time to put in my blog entry for the day. Things are moving right along, and I am looking forward to May 5, 6, 7 when the 5K training will start.


On the way home the other day, I drove under the Xerxes bridge in Bloomington and saw the entire underside ripped up by a crane that was too tall for the bridge. It stopped I-494 traffic for some good amount of time, and caused a big rip under this concrete and steel bridge. I think the whole bridge might have to be replaced. (congrats MN taxpayers and I-494 commuters)


A handful of nuts every day can lower your heart-disease risk by a third, chop your Alzheimer's risk by two-thirds, and help you slim down. Here is another snippet I read from Men's Health magazine:

The Elite Eight of nuts go against each other to determine the "BEST NUT OF ALL" (ba bada bum!).

(Winners based on ounce-by-ounce comparison of dry-roasted, unsalted nuts.)

ROUND 1: MONO MADNESS
Winners were based on monounsaturated-fat content, the heart-healthy fats that help lower your total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, while raising levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.

• BRAZIL - 6.5 grams (g) mono fats
• MACADAMIA - 16.8 g mono fats (WINNER)
  
• PISTACHIO - 6.9 g mono fats
• ALMOND - 9.5 g mono fats (WINNER)
  
• WALNUT - 2.5 g mono fats
• PECAN - 12.5 g mono fats (WINNER)
  
• PEANUT - 7 g mono fats
• CASHEW - 7.7 g mono fats (WINNER)
  

ROUND 2: PROTEIN PUNCH
You need protein to help you get lean, pack on muscle, or fight off an afternoon slump at work.

• MACADAMIA - 2.2 g protein
• ALMOND - 6.3 g protein (WINNER)
  
• PECAN - 2.7 g protein
• CASHEW - 4.3 g protein (WINNER)
  

ROUND 3: VITAMIN VITALITY
The best nuts are like multivitamins. An ounce of almonds provides half the vitamin E you need daily, 8 percent of the calcium, and 19 percent of the magnesium. These nutrients lower your risk of heart attack and improve your bone strength.

• ALMOND - 7.5 milligrams (mg) vitamin E, 75 mg calcium, 81 mg magnesium, 211 mg potassium
• CASHEW - 0.2 mg vitamin E, 13 mg calcium, 74 mg magnesium, 160 mg potassium
  

AND THE NUT CHAMPION IS . . . ALMOND!

A City of Hope National Medical Center experiment had people eat 75 Almonds daily for 6 months, in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet, to drop 18% of their body weight. Go for whole almonds in their unsalted, raw, or dry-roasted state. Fifteen to 20 will do the trick for a quick snack. Try 50 as a meal replacement.

(Chazz says:) If you don't like almonds, you can eat any of the Elite 8, as they are all good choices.


more later..

Chazz

Penn Ave & American Blvd, Bloomington MN

Motivation:

"The capacity for hope is the most significant fact of life. It provides human beings with a sense of destination and the energy to get started." ~Norman Cousins

You may have noticed a theme here this week with messages about HOPE. It is a good think to think about at the beginning of a new project. I have discussed this before, but feel that I should write later this week about the importance of HOPE. It is one of my favorite words, and I am sad when I meet people who have no HOPE, for themselves or for others.

Diary:

B: bagel and peanut butter, coffee
S: protien bar
L: chili, mixed greens, xs, vitamins
S: yellow bell pepper, peanut butter
D: orange, 2 dome dogs with pickle, mustard, onion, ketchup, saurkraut
S: beef jerky
g: elliptical 1.96 miles, 391+ calories, walk 1 mile, sauna

Notes:

Twins win vs Athletics. Again, a good game and a fun night, with one exception. I had a choice, and was encouraged to get gasoline near Memphis' home, however my stubborness told me, hey, I can make it...... I made it to Penn Ave & American Blvd. Amazing how a car just stops. no coasting, no warning (other than that bright yellow light on the dash that looks like a pump.), it just stops.

Joke of the day:
Ken Griffey Jr and Darryl Strawberry are having a discussion:
KGJ: MR DUCKS.
DS: MR NOT DUCKS!
KGJ: OSAR, CDEDBD WINGS?


So, I promised to tell the story about Saturday. It is a 'Good Story/Bad Story' story.

I am starting to feel my collar bone. In the past, my barrel-chested nature did not allow me to really feel individual bones on my body, but now I am starting to make out legs and neck and arms, (and coming later, ribs). My legs have muscles and I feel them when I walk and I can see the changes. I also can see and feel my collar bone and, while there is much work to do, I am starting to imagine what things are going to look like when I am leaner. It is quite fascinating on a purely scientific level.

The unscientific side came on Saturday morning while taking my 16-month old goddaughter to the Easter Egg Hunt. The event itself was scary. Imagine the number of kids you would see at say, the State Fair on a busy day. Take that number of people and cram them into 3 baseball fields. Then blow a whistle and let the kids race to see who can find the eggs (which aren't hidden, just laying in the outfield.) MASS HYSTARIA ENSUES. Kids racing, parents filming, me cringing. My Poor Goddaughter found no eggs, and the line to the "bunny" was over a block long.

It was decided to get some groceries and have our own private easter egg hunt at a local park. Much better... On the way into the store, I carried my goddaughter. She grabbed my neck and hugged me - really big hug - and patted my back. She got up real close to me and it felt great. She patted my back as if to say "there there, there there"

So what does this have to do with my collarbone? The loss of weight in my neck and chest made the physical connection to my neice so much more intimate. I could feel her breathing and she could get up close. Before, hugs were difficult, as several inches of fat seperated me and my hugg-ie. I felt so connected to her. I almost lost it in the grocery store. I lost it later on Sunday. I am going to miss having her in the state, and will relish hugs and kisses from my family. You will agree that she is the best. I have attached a picture of her above. (appropriate that she is hugging in the pic....)

Tonight before the Twins game, I gave some attention to the precious daughter of one of my best friends. Let's call her Ramona. She was playing around, rolling and wiggling and looking around the room at her afternoon guests. Her grandfather, also at the house, said "Are you looking at your Uncle Chazz?"

That felt great.


more later...


Chazz

Batter up..

Motivation:

"My hopes are not always realized, but I always hope."~Ovid

Diary:

B: eggs and sausage
S: eggs and bacon (invited to leftovers from my client's breakfast)
L: pulled bbq pork, (homemade in crockpot), greenbeans, xs, vitamins
S: peanut butter sandwich
D: bratwurst (saurkruat, mustard) at Twins game, soft pretzel, orange that I snuck in (glad I didn't get the contraband found out by the 'Twins police' - see below)
g: 1.96 miles on elliptical, 391+ calories, walk 1 mile, sauna

went to opening game. walked a couple blocks and up and down stairs. Twins won by one. Great game. Lots of hits. Nice tribute to Kirby before the game and during 7th inning stretch. Made for a long day- I will get good sleep tonight.

Notes:

I have serious problems with the security at the Metrodome. They will enforce to the fullest extent of the law the law-breakers who bring in and enjoy beach balls, however they will let two men beat the living hell out of each other and see what happens. After a while, the fattest, oldest, baldest, ugliest looking security guards will show up and struggle to make it up a flight of stairs to try and coax the people to please stop fighting. They have absolutely no authority to do anything about it (they can't actually touch you, in case you file suit against the Metrodome or Twins) . My concern is that it could take 20 to 30 minutes for a security guard to arrive in case an actual emergency were to happen, (someone falls, an elderly person has a heart attack, someone dies in a brawl, etc) , HOWEVER if someone is found throwing a paper airplane, the 'cop wanna bes' will pounce on the offender within seconds of the infraction. WOOPIE DING DONG. When they DO try to get these scofflaw beach ball people thrown out, ALL THEY DO IS GET IN MY WAY OF VIEWING A BASEBALL GAME. STOP WASTING MY TIME! There has got to be better ways to enforce policy. The security guards have turned into kindergarten hallway monitors, instead of "the force" that can actually deal with a real emergency, should one arise.

Good Story/Bad Story:
I was reminded today of another problem being fat. Last year going to Twins games, I would fret and dred getting into the park. There are 'thin person' turnstiles that record the number of people who attend the games, and only if you are in a wheelchair can they open a side door to go through the gates. Everyone else goes through the turnstile. I on occasion, have felt as if I would get stuck in these devices, and always sweated the entry of the game. I would have to lift up my legs to get my gut over the top of the turnstile, and then PUSH as hard as possible to get my obese body into the metrodome. It was embarrassing, and the look on the usher was just as horrific and embarrasing. Once inside, all was ok. Even the small seats were do-able, as long as noone sat in front/behind/next to me. I drooped out in all directions after smooshing myself into the chair. Again, embarrasing.

The good story is still in progress. I still don't like the turnstile, and until I lose several more inches, this is going to be a struggle. It wasn't as bad today. (Have I told this story? Sometimes I get deja-vu and wonder if I am having brain problems... I will continue as if this is fresh information.)

The seats were not bad. A strange woman sat next to me, and I didn't feel like I was impinging on her space too much, and my other side was empty so that I could keep stats during the game. Overall, I can't say I was comfortable, but I did notice that it is getting better/easier. Hopefully by the end of the season, I will look back on this blog note and laugh /be relieved.


I have more to say about Saturday, that I am just too tired to get into today. Maybe I will discuss it in the next posting. It is too important to skip it.



more later..

Chazz

Easter Egg Hunt... April Measurements!

Motivation:

"One of the greatest weaknesses in most of us is our lack of faith in ourselves." ~L. Tom Perry

bonus quote from John Carpenter's movie "They Live":

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum." - Nada

Also, I promised some charts. attached is the first progress chart for prosperity. I reallize it is a strange chart, but I didn't design it.

Diary:

B: eggs and turkey sausage

S: protien bar

L: chicken & broccoli, potato, xs, vitamins,

S: orange, califlower & green/red/yellow pepper in curry

D: bologna sandwich, beer, potato. (not the best dinner, but hey.)
g: eliptical 1.95 miles, 391+ calories, walk 1 mile, sauna

Notes:

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut. At least that is how I feel after this set of measuments. Historic and Sad Blog note: This may be the last measurement taken by my sister as she is moving soon, if her home sells. I may need to find a new official measurer. I have had no volunteers, however my sister did indicate that if I could get to her, she would still be glad to do the measurements.

As I mentioned in the last posting, I was fairly pessimistic about my results. I had already weighed myself, and as you will see, I hadn't changed much. What I had forgot to mention, as I forgot it myself but have been reminded countless times by my challenge mates and resources, is that WEIGHT is only 1/2 of the picture. Just because you haven't lost weight in a week or month period is meaningless if the other numbers are still in sync. This measurement was a great example of this. You see WEIGHT can be FAT, MUSCLE, or perhaps retaining WATER . An increase in muscle is good, and water is neutral. Muscle weighs more than Fat, so this may make the numbers seem off.

Disclaimer over. Let's get to the results:

As of April 8, 06
Measurements

• Chest 55.5
• Waist 63.75
• Hips 55.00
• Thigh 32.00
• Neck 18.00
• Calf 20.00
• Bicep 17.25
• Forearm 14.50
• Difference over Previous Stats 4.00 inches (lost)
• Difference Overall 17.75 inches (lost)

Current Statistics

• Weight 418.20
• Estimated Lean Body Weight 282.35
• Estimated Body Fat Weight 135.85
• Estimated Body Fat% 32.48%
  Estimated BMI 53.69
• % of Weight Loss -0.85%
• % of Total Weight Loss -14.22%

So, as you can see I only lost 3.6 lbs, however I lost 4 inches off my measurements, and a whole percentage of Body Fat! According to the mathematical calculations, I gained 8 pounds of muscle weight, and lost 10 pounds of fat weight! Do you reallize how important this is? Maybe you weren't listening carefully.. More muscle = more effecient body, easier workouts

My sister said "You might find that after losing a few more inches, you won't need help doing the measurements anymore." I think I am a ways from that day, but I was flattered by the comment.

The current weight loss challenge is still in play - to lose 34.04 lbs. As of April 8, I have lost 11lbs, and the next weigh-in & measurement date is April 29, 2006. To lose another 23.04lbs should take another 7 weeks, so maybe this challenge will be over by 5/20/06. Let's officially call this phase of the challenge the "Memorial Day Challenge" (May 29th)

WHO IS IN? The Memorial Day Challenge is offically open...... If anyone wants to get in on the challenge, we can set some rewards up. maybe a huge grill-out and kegger on Memorial Day? Come on, you wimps!

Countdown!

1. Memorial Day Challenge: to lose 34.04 lbs. The next weigh in is April 29, and I have lost 11lbs so far.
2. BF% Challenge - Next milestone to hit is under 30% Body Fat.
3. Fat to 5K Challenge: From May 7 - Oct 7. First 5K timing to take place May 7th. Training takes place after... More to come on this challenge.
4. Chazz Vader Challenge: by Jan 6, 07 - Lose 180+ lbs and 16+ inches of belt size.
5. "Alfalfa Service" coat challenge: fit into X-Large jacket and keep it. (To the winner go the spoils!)

more later.. this week we are going to have a lot to talk about. stay tuned for 'The best weight loss tips ever!' and new information about workouts that we haven't discussed before. Plus the Twins Home Opener on Tuesday. Should be an educational and fun week.

Chazz

Sitlani Custom Tailors, Kowloon Hong Kong.

Motivation:

"They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those

who dream only by night."~Edgar Allen Poe

Diary:

B: bowl of raisin bran, soy milk
S: protien bar
L: chicken & green beans, xs, vitamins
S: ham and cheese slices
D: peanut-butter/banana sandwich, homemade chili, orange
g: elliptical 1.85 miles, 371+ calories, walk 1 mile, sauna.

Notes:

boy was I tired yesterday evening. I just snoozed off after work and it felt good. I missed the blog, and I still feel a little tired.

Saturday is the first April weigh-in and measurement, so let's recap.

As of March 11, 06

• Chest 56.00
• Waist 66.50
• Hips 56.00
• Difference Overall 13.75 inches (lost)
• Weight 421.80
• Estimated Body Fat 34.84%
• % of Total Weight Loss 13.03%

Prediction is cloudy. If this was a normal period, I would predict 3lbs per week, and hope that I lost 1 inch of waist, however this was no normal period. It started with the end of the St Patrick's Day Challenge, which I decided to take a few days off and celebrate my goal with my challengers and cheerleaders. The next week I got the flu, and didn't work out at all that week, this last week I have been on the recovery, back at the gym, but really not 100%.

I have a feeling then, that I may have not made any progress. If I did lose, I probably gained some of it back from my sick week. That is of course dissapointing if true, but honestly I don't feel guilty as it was a legitimate reason to stay out and not a planned repeatable event.

(Ok, here is the truth, Friday was the final weigh-in for the "Biggest Loser" Challenge at work, so I already know my weight.) I went across to the hospital with my only cheerleader at the office. Her name is Lana, and we walk to the clinic together for the check-in. She has been really committed to winning, and we both are cheering each other on. Turns out that she won the challenge. Most of the other competitors lost 4% to 8% body weight, but she blew them all away with 16% total weight loss! She really looks different. It is exciting to see her starting to look 'curvy' instead of 'blob shaped'. I am really proud of what she has accomplished in such a little time. That is amazing. She is going to continue to work-out as she now has found little things (like arm fat) that is annoying to her. Oh, she won $250 for winning the challenge. Cool.

I opted out of the official challenge a day after the initial weigh in for a few reasons. 1) I am a contractor and felt strange competing against employees. The environment isn't quite that friendly yet. 2) The scale the group was using for thier official weights was under 350lb total, so I couldn't weigh-in with the others. This meant my weigh-in would be unofficial and I didn't want to have anyone be upset becuase of this fact. 3) Because they were measuring by Percentage of Total Weight Loss, I was at a disadvantage from the start. I would have to lost 40lbs for the same percentage as someone smaller losing 10lbs. The only real way to measure would be by % of Fat Loss, but that is a tricky and complicated calculation that some people just wouldn't be able to do.

So, that disclaimer being said, what was my unofficial count? From my heaviest I have lost 14.22% total weight. I would have made 2nd place.


10 years ago, while I was in Hong Kong, I got caught up in the commercialism of the place. There were shops and things to purchase everywhere. It was a true buyers paradise. I don't remember the details, other than the whole thing was a nightmare that I don't know why I did, or how I even got away with, but I decided / was conned into / having a suit made for me.

Here is the deal - I think.... When I started the Global Semester trip, I was wearing size 54-56 pants, I think. The Global Semester was a 7-month journey through 12 countries. A group of 20 students and 2 leaders studied, sightsaw, and lived in mostly 4 seperate cultures during the event. We stayed in Egypt, India, Hong Kong and Japan each for 1 month, and the following countries for less time: Switzerland, Greece, Isreal, Jordon, Nepal, & mainland China. In most of these countries we were using a common form of transportation - our feet. We walked and saw architecture, art, and just local 'stuff'. Well, sometime in India (half-way through the semester), I ripped my pants, due to a condition I call 'blowing a gusset'. It isn't what you think.... What happens is when I am in-between sizes, my thighs are one shape, but my waist and hips are another. This difference causes me to have baggy parts of pants and other parts tight. This condition ends up with ripping the baggy areas, usually in the crotch. There you go, I said it. It is embarrasing, so it is out in the open. I rip my pants when I am losing weight. If I stay fat, my pants just stay the same and doesn't happen as often.

Where was I..... ok, so I was in India and obviously walking more and eating less, resulting in a gradual weight loss that had now caused a blowout in my pants. This was a problem. No 'fat man' store to buy pants in Bangalore. I did find a guy who made me a couple pairs of 'pants', but they were really like a light-material sweat pants, not a pair of pant material that I expected. But I lived with this - until Hong Kong.

While in Hong Kong, I was approached by a street vendor for a tailor. I felt this was a great opportunity to have the gussets mended on my pants. This is where the story gets a little hazy... I remember bringing my pants to him, and talking about what I wanted. Shortly thereafter he talked me into just having him make me my own custom-made pants. That discussion turned into making some shirts too, and then he talked me into getting a suit. (It would be just a few dollars more....)

Ok, here is what happened. From wanting pants mended, I somehow ordered 4 pants, 5 shirts, 3 suit jackets, 1 tuxedo, and a full-length italian leather jacket.

Here is what I do remember as if it were yesterday. Two days later, at 3AM the telephone in the room that Ryan and I were staying in starting ringing. It was my mother. She was called by Visa, asking if someone had stolen my credit card or if there was some fraud. They flew a flag when they saw 'thousands' of dollars being charged on my credit card in Hong Kong. I am sure this was unusual. What was some country kid from Nebraska doing charging 3-grand to a place on Humphrey's Avenue in Kowloon?

Of course, my mom freaked. (I was scared to death, not sure if my mom thought I had lost a bolt in my head.) I tried to explain the whole thing, and remember that conversation clearly. Mom asked if I had been trapped into making this deal, but you know, I didn't feel that I was. Maybe they were shady with the way they sold the items, but I felt that I made the decision. The call ended with the purchase going forward, but me feeling like a true immature idiot.

I went to the Tailor twice more for fittings and picking out material, etc. It was cool, I felt like I was a celebrity, because they had bolts and bolts of cloth from eveyone in the world. I looked at all sorts of patterns and colors and textures. I was treated very well. (of course, I was spending a lot, but I took advantage of it.) It is something I would recommend, now, to anyone. At least one time in your life, go somewhere that you will be pampered. It is very uplifting..

By the time we were going to leave Hong Kong for Bejing, the suits were done. Now was the other problem. I still have to travel to two more countries, and there is no way I am going to fly with 5 suits, 1 tux, and a huge leather coat. So, I did the scariest thing. I went to the Hong Kong port and found a big box and put all these new clothes in a 'Chinese slow boat' and mailed it to my sister. The place I took it had little english, mostly mandarin, and I didn't know what would become of this box. I paid very little for the shipping, and the box was just wrapped in string. It felt very suspect. I put a few other items in that box (artwork from Nepal, nick-nacks from Egypt, small rug from India, a radio and some bowls I bought in Hong Kong, etc) that probably was worth over $5000 at the time. Now, I would predict the contents of this package to be well over $20,000. I basically just told the package 'so long, I hope to see you on the other side of the world.' and then mentally chalked up that $5000 as lost. My confidence that the package would actually get anywhere was slim to none. Either way, I was ready to go for the China trip and it was time to go.

It took a few months, but the box arrived at my sister's home in Minnesota, and inside was a trove of treasures. It was like opening a time capsule.

So fast forward to today. I was organizing my clothes to see what gaps I will have in my journey. I noticed that I don't have any size 54 pants. I have three pair of 56, one which actually fits right now and should be labeled 58, and tons of 52 and 50s, but no 54. Kay, take note. When I get to 54 we should go on a shopping spree for new clothes. I found a odd-shaped pants that was mixed in with the 56's, but much smaller. It wasn't labelled and took a while for me to figure out that this was one of my custom-made HongKong pants. since they aren't labeled in size, I had to measure them against other pants I had. I have determined these pants are size 46.

So today I found the rest of these clothes. They are really nicely made and good materials. They still are 'in style' (does a suit ever go out of style? Well, maybe a 70's style leisure suit...)
I am excited about wearing these clothes. It is going to be so cool. When I get down to that size, it will be as if I just gave myself a $3,000 gift. I am ready.

(Hmmmm.. I just had a revelation. I think maybe I missed something that now I just remembered. Did my parents have to put send money to Visa for this purchase? I think I still owe my folks money for this mess, becuase I wouldn't have been able to pay Visa until months later when I got back from China? I need to follow-up on this mess. I think maybe mom and dad got the shaft on this one.... I will have to make it up.)

The immature idiot feeling is now gone, and the feelings of hope and anticipation are all that are left. Would I have done it all again (buying the suits)? Probably not, but who know. As my family and friends will attest, I am weird, and it is impossible to predict what I would do. Either way, life is good, no?

more later

Chazz

Good Morning, Youngster

Motivation:

"Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn."

~Harriet Beecher Stowe

Diary:

B: eggs and sausage
S: protien bar
L: chicken breast and broccoli, xs, vitamins
S: pickle & open faced hard-boiled egg sandwich. (sliced egg, butter, whole-grain bread)
D: 8oz steak, 8 grilled shrimps, brocoli, mashed potatoes, couple beers
g: elipticle 1.84 miles, 370+ calories, walk 1 miles, sauna


Notes:

I need to re-configure my list of priorities so that I can filter out the activities that I don't NEED to do. I feel a little overwhelmed with 'stuff' that has to be done, and for that reason, I missed the blog entry last night. I am going to try and clear out spaces in my calendar for my own sanity, and not be so hard on myself if I don't get EVERYTHING done that is on the list of things to do.

I am going to filter that list to the essentials and then see if that helps me to get more of the things I really need, (like sleep).

I saw yesterday that I have been under-reporting my calories burned at the gym, as I only mention the elliptical machine. They put a sign on the stairs "24 calories = 1 flght of stairs", so I should add another 24 calories to every workout.

I felt pretty good on the workout Thursday, and will report 'more later' on the Friday night blog.

Something else.... I really like Indian food, with it's spicy and curry nature. However I have found most recipies to be somewhat complicated and difficult. I was happy to find this recipie yesterday. I think it looks easy for even me to make.:

Phul Gobi (Cauliflower) with Peppers
Serves: 4
Prep: 20 min.

1 onion, thinly sliced
2 T. canola oil
1 medium cauliflower, cleaned and broken into small flowerets
2 fresh green chilies, sliced
1 each green, yellow, and red peppers, cut into strips
1 tsp. turmeric Salt to taste

Heat oil over medium heat in a 10-in. non-stick frypan
Saute onions until golden
Add cauliflower, mix well, and cover
Simmer about 10 minutes, or until cauliflower is crisp-tender
Add chilies and peppers and toss
Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often until the peppers are crisp-tender

Try broccoflower instead of traditional cauliflower; it's a hybrid vegetable combining broccoli and cauliflower. Fun!
Turmeric is often found with the pickling spices at the supermarket.


Nutritionals: 125 calories, 3 g protein, 8 g fat, and 15 g carbs


more later...

Chazz

Feels like Spring....

Motivation:

"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man

to elevate his life by conscious endeavor."~Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau was cool. This quote makes me feel like "The Gladiator".

Diary:

D:-as noted in the last blog, mostly beer.
B: eggs and bacon
S: protien bar
L: roasted chicken, corn, xs, vitamins
S: one bite of deli turkey - only one bite because I suspected a strange liquid had penetrated the ziploc baggie. After some inspection, I think it was the "freezer container" that had ruptured and whatever the insides are that are supposed to be "forever frozen" escaped. It is a weird blue concoction from some other planet that the astronauts brought back. I wasn't sure I should ingest it, so I spit out the turkey that I had been chewing and threw out the rest of the bag. So, I missed the S:
D: a few pigs in blanket. (hot dog in a crescent roll) and a small baklava.

Notes:

You will now note that I am adding todays D: to my Diary list, becuase I have gone "Doogie Howser" and am writing my blog at night instead of during the day. I feel this will help me to get out of work at a more sane hour, now that the sun is still in the sky, I can use that 20 minutes or so finishing documents rather than blogging. (it probably reflects better on my employer as well. This has been a trying week at work, so anything will help.)
two bad things about blogging at night.. 1, I will forget things that happened or research that needs to be done. 2, I might miss a day every once in a while if I am at a ball game, or out drinking, or on some hot date. (ha ha. believe me it will only be one of the first two.)

Nothing feels as good as a rolled down window on a 60+ temp day, with 80s & 90s tunes blaring out the stereo. "she drives me crazy, woo. woo... like noone else... woo woo, she drives me crazy, and aye can't help mysefph. na na na na badabadabadabada, na na na na"

Another thing that reminds me it is spring is Baseball. Twins home opener is on Tuesday, and I am going bonkers already thinking of how fun it will be.......... Twins to a 13-4 victory over Toronto tonight.... Today in the StarTribune, there was a huge article about my friend Kris who is the catcher for the local Eastview high-school baseball team. A nice picture, too. If I could find the article on the StarTrib website........ which I can't, for some reason....... I would post the link.. Well, I tried. If I can find it later, I will post a comment.

I like my DVR. I feel free to live my life without having to be home and watch TV. Now I can catch up to my shows anytime I have time. That is cool. I can skip commercials, and go back 15 seconds. I feel like my nerdiness has become complete. MOOHOOHAHA! Now if my PDA would wirelessly plug into the back of my brain, I could just download all my saved TV shows and movies directly into my umbdulu imbligata, and life would be complete.

I am also enjoying the Peach Iced Tea packets that I bought. I just dump a little packet into a liter bottle of water, and it tastes nice. It is like soda, only without the soda stuff. I am drinking one of these right now. (a little insight into my life 'real-time')

Last night, J-Man and I watched a lot of Alton Brown's Good Eats. We saw him make ribs, hamburgers, tenderloin, shrimp, strawberries, and other good stuff. Our mouths watered. It was fun.

Last random thought. I saw another cute girl at the gym. It isn't like I am a creepy leering pervert. In fact, while I am on the elliptical, my eyes are usually closed, glasses off, and I am concentrating on the mp3 player. However, while I am doing my cool down on the walking track, my mind will wander, as will my eyes. She was a short, brown-haired girl with glasses. She was doing these weird 'kneel-steps' where she would make very precise, yoga-like movements with each leg as she walked and stretched her leg out and then bent 45 degrees and completed the step. It was very deliberate. It was fascinating to watch, and after a while, I became enamoured by this girl. My workouts make my libido rise, and I was enjoying watching her do this workout. I think she knew I was watching her, and I don't think she was freaked out by it. It is going to become a possible problem for me as I continue to workout. I could see myself become frustrated with the rise in my urges, and the reallization that I am not quite yet a "good looking" or "attractive" or even "close". This might be quite a struggle.


Enough of the fluff... lets get down to business.

I felt pretty good at the gym today. I feel that Henry David Thoreau's quote today is what I am living. I am actively elevating my life and am slowly transforming into one kick-ass unit. I am just not there yet, but I will be. I can only get glimpses of what it is going to be like, but it is enough for now...

From the Latest Men's Health Update: (Have I already written about this stuff? I don't remember, but here it is anyway.)

Doling out food portions for a recipe or a diet plan is always a crapshoot; we can barely tell 3 ounces from 10. Worse, we simply shovel down restaurant chow until we're asked to leave. Nutritionists helped us compile a dozen easy conversions for standard servings. (The nutritional information may vary by brand and type of food.)

• Food portion: 1 oz sausage link (54 cal, 5 g fat) Same size as: shotgun shell
• Food portion: 1 tsp butter (34 cal, 4 g fat) Same size as: tip of thumb
• Food portion: 1/2 c mashed potatoes (112 cal, 5 g fat) Same size as: 1/2 apple
• Food portion: 1 oz cubed Swiss cheese (107 cal, 8 g fat) Same size as: 4 dice
• Food portion: 1/2 c cooked spaghetti (99 cal, 1 g fat) Same size as: fist
• Food portion: 3 oz beef (219 cal, 13 g fat) Same size as: deck of cards
• Food portion: 1/2 c ice cream (143 cal, 7 g fat) Same size as: tennis ball
• Food portion: 4 oz dry spaghetti (422 cal, 2 g fat) Same size as: the diameter of a quarter (when held tightly together and viewed from the end)
• Food portion: 1 c chicken-noodle soup (175 cal, 6 g fat) Same size as: baseball
• Food portion: 1 Tbsp blue-cheese dressing (77 cal, 8 g fat) Same size as: 1/2 golf ball
• Food portion: 8 oz lasagna (270 cal, 8 g fat) Same size as: 2 hockey pucks
• Food portion: 1 oz mozzarella (80 cal, 6 g fat) Same size as: Ping-Pong ball

How to control your mood with food

The crisis: You're freakin' starving.
The solution: Grab foods with lots of fiber and water. (bowl of soup, dried fruit, high-protein string cheese in the morning, apple slices in the afternoon)

The crisis: You're cranky.
The solution: get complex carbohydrates, (whole-grain cereal with blueberries & milk)

The crisis: The scale seems stuck.
The solution: just move. Burn calories and lift weights to increase muscle mass, which will make you burn calories even while you're sleeping. For each pound of muscle you add, you burn an extra 20 to 50 calories a day. (And drink lots of water.)

The crisis: You have intense food cravings.
The solution: Keep a bag of nuts, fruits and low-fat cheese on hand. You need ready access to healthy sources of protein or fiber to offset sudden, out-of-nowhere cravings.

The crisis: You've made so much progress that you think, What the hell.
The solution: Weigh in to keep your eye on your rate of weight loss. Setting targets blows away complacency.

The crisis: You reach a plateau.
The solution: Throw in a few high-intensity days--an extralong run or bike ride--to boost the calorie deficit. If your exercise is mostly cardiovascular, devote more time to weight lifting.

The crisis: A voice in your head says, "I want my life back."
The solution: If you're meeting your goals, give yourself a break. Reintroduce a couple of all-time favorites into your diet--as treats, not everyday fare. If you've made it this far, you deserve a Guinness and an order of chicken wings. The baked ones, thanks.

The crisis: None. Things have mellowed out.
The solution: Now that healthier eating patterns are ingrained, your diet isn't a "diet" any longer--it's a new way of living. Most dieters report that significantly less effort is required to maintain weight loss; as the pounds come off, less conscious attention is needed to keep them off. In other words, the longer you go, the easier it gets.


more later...

Chazz

Tuesday's Activity Wednesday

Diary:
B: eggs and sausage
S: protien bar
L: chicken soup, cut up carrot and green pepper
S: -none-
D: J-man's birthday party at Famous Daves - we all shared a sampler of chicken, ribs, brisket, cole slaw, beans, potatos. Later had a few beers watching the Twins game. (and thn a few more beers, and then a beer.)
g: elliptical 1.83 miles, 370+ calories, walk 1 mile, sauna

Notes:

I apologize for the odd posting, but I went to an impromptu bday party and then had more important things to take care of during the evening. This is a rare event, so don't be too concerned.

I will put in another post later today..

Chazz

Here we go...

Motivation:

on the mp3 player today: Last verse of "Leaving California" by Scot Ninnemann

Look again at where you are

I am not where I have been

Our world's already come so far

Now can we change it -- mine's changing again

I'm going where I'm not the only one

Wondering how it could be instead

And oh I think there's sunlight up ahead

Diary:

D: roasted chicken, potato, sweet potato, animal cookies
B: eggs and sausage
S: protien bar
L: roasted chicken, corn, xs, vitamins
S: celery and peanut butter, orange
g: eliptical 1.87 miles, 357+ calories, walk 1 mile, sauna

Notes:

I think I have mostly overcome my flu, but still have *something* in my throat. I need to take some expectorant to get that mystery out of there. It is not stopping me from doing anything, but is merely uncomfortable. I did take some decongestant this morning, and I have been using my humidifier. Those two items are helping a bit for my comfort level. I think my workout today and return to 'good eats' will help me to sleep better, and overall I think I will kick the illness by the end of the week.

Speaking of 'Good Eats', I bought a reward for myself. I ordered Digital Cable in a 6 month deal that included a DRV (like a Tivo) that records shows and lets me skip commercials, etc.. I wanted this for Baseball season, so I can watch the Twins on FSN anytime I want (I can record a whole game, and fast-forward through the boring parts), but after it was installed, I found so many other things I like about it:

1) Food Channel, including "Good Eats" with Alton Brown. This is one of my favorite shows, and Rachel Ray is also on this channel..... well, she is so cheery and smiley, it is almost over the top, I find her very cute. I get 100 more channels, more than I would ever need, but I am getting ESPN, FSN, ESPN2, USA, etc. Now I can watch baseball and college football (Cornhuskers) on a great venue.

2) Comcast has this "On Demand" service that lets you watch stuff ANYTIME. I watched Back the the Future III that was a free movie that I could watch, then if I had to leave the movie it saved my spot and asked if I wanted to restart the movie where I left it. That is cool. There are all sorts of movies, extras, training, shows, etc. I will have to see if the movie list they have is worth cancelling my Blockbuster subscription.

3) Digital Cable with ProLogic sound. All the cable is digital picture and stereo sound, and it is fun to watch shows, sports, etc, in true surround sound.

4) I can now not panic about getting home in time to see 24 (or name your show) anymore. Even if I get home 10 minutes late, I can start the show from the beginning, and watch up to the current point in time. I feel like I am fooling mother nature, becuase I am watching 30 minutes of TV in a 15 minute timeframe. It is fun.


FAT 2 FIVEK
I was going to wait until AFTER this week to change the name, but at the gym I watched a little of the Mets game, and I decided to start the name change with the start of baseball season. Let's get it on.

The 2006 Challenge is still in effect, however the new goal is to finish and compete (whatever that means, we are still working this out) in a 5K race in October, 2006. From now until October, I will be training for the race, with a possible side-challenge for an unofficial 5K race in August. This is still up in the air. I am planning on having my first measurement in May (a timed 5K walk/jog) and another measurement in July (another timed 5K). After the July measurement, I will get a challenge time. I will have to train to beat this time. My friends Kurt and Phil will have to help me figure out what this time will be, based on my first two measurements. (That could be a challenge in itself.)



Other stuff..

Last night, I had my first public Accordion Solo at church last night. I played "You are my sunshine", and I messed up the middle a little, but I finished the song, and felt pretty good about the effort. I need a lot of practice. (I got 3rd place, and was beat out by a singing dog.)

I am starting to collect praises from people who are starting to notice. I will expand on this later, but Paul from my men's group, Cheryl from church, and a recruiter from work named Chris all commented to me that they see progress in my weight loss and were all very genuine and encouraging. I advised them to keep their eyes open, as the best is yet to come.

I am excited about Baseball. Maybe too excited. I can't wait until next Tuesday. I am going to buy a portable camera and get some pictures taken with Memphis at the park. I am going to use him as my "control" group and share the pictures on the blog. We can take pictures at Twins games along the next few months for your enjoyment.

more later..

Chazz.