Reasons to celebrate, reasons to offer condolences, and reasons to keep on going...

Motivation:

"That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do;
not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Diary:

No April Fools, today is a huge day:

• Palm Sunday
• First day of Baseball
• a new Chazz Vader blog!

On a completely personal note, I am quite excited about the Twins home opener, however while heading home from church, I heard that Herb Carneal died today, at the age of 83. For those of you who do not know, Carneal started as Twins broadcaster in 1962, which was the team's second season. Carneal has been honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Twins Hall of Fame and the HHH Metrodome, where the baseball press box is named in his honor. The StarTribune notes that "Carneal's death marks the third year in a row the Twins have lost a beloved personality just before the season. Longtime public address announcer Bob Casey died at the age of 79 in 2005, Hall of Fame center fielder Kirby Puckett passed away last March at the age of 45."

I personally enjoyed Herb's voice, and his fine sense of - silence - just at the right time. We got a chance to feel like we were part of the game, hearing the sounds of the stadium, in between pitches. There are other announcers (Dan Gladden, for example) who feel the need of filling all silence with his jibber-jabber about crap like his favorite beer, his motorcycle, some picnic he attended, and believe it or not, a couple years ago, I heard Dan and Gordo (John Gordon) talk for about 20 minutes straight about the fact that Dan spilled his coffee and broke his coffee mug. This coffee mug was a special gift from the local Harley-Davidson dealership. Good God! I learned more about this stupid coffee cup, than the game. I digress, Herb was excellent. He knew baseball, and knew the Twins. He is one of the reasons I know so much about and appreciate the Twins, because it was so easy to listen to Herb Carneal.

Play Ball....


This weeks stats are on the sidebar as usual. Another 'loser' week for me this week. I did NOT meet the challenge from Mary R asking for me to write the "what I believe" essay. I am still writing this, but just not by March (unless I find a time machine, this is past.)

I actually have a good thread started, but haven't had time to put it all together.
I am SOOOO CLOSE to being up to speed on reading the massive amounts of articles/news/book chapters/newsletters/etc that is in my bookbag. I have been carrying around all of this 'stuff' with me this week, but recently had an event that reminded me of the "Costanza Wallet" (look it up, if you haven't watched the Seinfeld TV show.) I tried to put in 'just one more item' into my bag, and it caused the entire bag to explode, throwing papers everywhere. I was just getting out of an elevator at the time, so you can imagine the look on the faces of the other passengers. Some were laughing/holding back laughing, some were annoyed, and one guy just smirked, as if he knew exactly what the problem was. I thought he was going to say "Costanza, CantStandYa!" That would have been the topper on the event.

Part of this 'stuff" is the whole research for the TRMP. I have gotten more information (and tools - see below) for the April podcast - and I think it is going to happen. I need to schedule some things, but I think after this weekend - the TRMP work will officially be started.

Well, here is more blog stuff for ya this week:

Notes:

#Diet#
So in my comments from last week's blog, I noted some of the things that I have changed to be losing weight faster. Basically, I have cut out sugar, processed starches, sodium, and alcohol. I have been using real foods for every meal. I have not gone to fast food or chinese/indian buffet, and have made my own meals using real veggies like tomatoes, celery, green onion, broccoli, green/red/yellow peppers, green beans, mushrooms, romaine, radishes, etc, etc. The only veggie that I used to eat, but not so much on this diet is carrots. I also do not have any cheese, or nuts - two things that I did have before. I have been told by my nutritionist that at some time I will get access to these things, but for right now, I should keep away. I have been using ground turkey breast (lots of potassium in turkey is what I was told and potassium is a good thing), chicken breasts, and seafood of all kinds. I can have beef, but haven't yet - not sure why, but the ground turkey is pretty tasty and convenient to use.
I have been using the supplements (daily vitamin, omega oils, carb blocker) and have added chromium picolinate and vitamin e. I am planning on adding a fruits and vegetables supplement next month to this list. My daily pill box is getting bigger and bigger, but I believe it is making me both more aware, more energy, and more weight loss. I have potassium and energy boosters also every day..... THIS IS BORING. next topic...

While at the nutritionist on Tuesday, I made her cry. I didn't mean to, actually I thought I was just being funny, but I guess I hit a spot with her. She was asking, now that I have lost 50 lbs and am on my way to losing more weight, "what have you noticed". I indicated to her that when I relax - and I am practicing relaxing often - I am feeling more relaxed than before, and can now 'feel' my heart. Before, I couldn't actually feel my heartbeat, unless I was really working myself into a sweat. When I was calm, I couldn't feel my heart. Now, when I meditate, I can isolate my heartbeat. I just indicated that it was a new experience for me, and I was excited to see what other 'revelations' would reveal themselves to me as I lose more fat.

When I was finished with my notice, I saw that she was crying. I believe they were tears of joy, then she said that I was her favorite client. I think she is an awesome support for me, and I enjoy my visits with her.

final story in this section follows:

So, I have been somewhat disenchanted with some of my friends/acquaintances/coworkers/people who I run into on a weekly basis/etc haven't been saying anything to me regarding seeing or recognizing changes. Not that I care, or that it would make a difference to my goals or motivation. I am NOT doing this so that people will say things to me. That being said, my nutritionist often asks "have people noticed / said anything to you?" My answer has been "No". No-one has said boo to me about weight loss. I am starting to see it in the mirror, but I am not a good judge, as I see myself every day. I understand that people at work wouldn't say anything because A) it is work, and work culture in general sucks. (not at my job, but I think everywhere...) B) I work with nerds, and in general nerds don't really notice things that aren't tech-related.
However, I am surprised that people at my church haven't noticed. They are supposed to be nice, right, or have care for others? This has been somewhat disappointing to me. (Then again, when was the last time I said something nice about someone else at my church, so I guess I cannot really point the finger at others. - hypocrite)
HOWEVER
I have started to notice people saying other things to me that I should be paying more attention to. For example:

• One person said "I really like the way you write and how you describe things." (this was out of the blue)
• Another invited me to participate in a group and asked for me to lead.
• Yet another person was really nice to me and said they liked my hair. (of which, I have absolutely no control over, so they might as well have complimented my middle name.)

what I have started to realized was that these compliments were their ways of telling me that they noticed something different about me. They just didn't want to say "looks like you've lost weight"

This morning, finally, my friend B.O.B. took me aside by the arm and said, "My wife and I wanted to tell you last week how good you look. We are proud and impressed with what you are doing."
That was cool! I got the chance to brush off the comment, by saying something flippant like "Am I losing weight?" or "I have lost some, but haven't finished yet". Ha! B.O.B. is a great guy.

#Exercise#

I am really enjoying my workouts. My workout clothes were starting to get too baggy and falling down - embarrassing? hello. So I found in my closet the next step down in my workout clothes, and they fit. The funny thing is that my shorts have "Think BIG" printed on the side of them. That is a really subliminal message for me, as there are mirrors in the workout area at work. When I see myself in the mirror trying to use the climber or elliptical machine, I see "Think BIG" staring back at me. That gets me motivated to step it up a notch.

In the letters from readers this week I received a question from MarySue:

I just purchased a new pair of walking (sport) pants and spring jacket AND even
new tennis shoes to start my own walking routine. I have an iPod but do not have good exercise music. Can you please email me some of your favorite tunes while walking?

I will email you, and I am sorry for the delay. There are a couple ways to do this. You can burn music to your iTunes account, or you can order/download tunes for the iPod. There are also podcasts that feature walking or running beats that sort of take you through a workout.
I have three types of music on my workout mp3 player. A) songs that inspire me through love, B) songs that inspire me through rage and getting pissed off, and C) general songs with a moving beat. Since I know you, I think you would enjoy these songs that fit mostly into the A category:

• Allen Asbury - Somebody's Praying Me Through.
• Annie Lennox - Walking On Broken Glass.
• Corinne Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On.
• Counting Crows - Accidentally In Love.
• Dakota Moon - Looking For A Place To Land.
• Hoku - Perfect Day.
• John Legend - Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing.
• Leanne Womac - I Hope You Dance .
• Mandy Moore - Have A Little Faith In Me.
• Nichole Nordeman - Legacy.
• R. Kelly -The Worlds Greatest.
• Tim McGraw - Live Like You Were Dying

To all readers - let me know what music inspires you or keeps you moving during a workout. I am always looking for new tunes to add to my mp3 player, which to date, is the best thing I have ever purchased to help keep me working out. Buy a good pair of shoes, and a small mp3 player loaded with motivating tunes.

#Fine Art#
Nope - didn't do the writing project. Still working on it. I think the TRMP project will count for fine art as it is using both sides of my brain. Tune in later this month.

#Geek#

This was a big GEEK week for me again, go figure. Here is the story - I haven't bought a computer for a few years, and am still using the HP pavilion 522c for my computer that I use for home and my hobby businesses. It is still working well, but was never meant to handle Windows Vista, which I need to start learning. (I am also considering using Ubuntu, as I have heard good things about it.) So for the last year or so, I have been pining and hoping to find a laptop to replace my desktop. I have been looking for something that can handle Vista, plus have card readers for all my other media (iPAQ and Samsung video camera) plus burn dual-layer dvds, and all the other stuff....

Well, my nutritionist has been hounding me to get a new belt for a couple weeks - it is too big for me and I have been having to add holes to it, but the whole belt 'hangs' across. When I got a coupon for $20 off at the local 'big man' store, I decided to go ahead and get some new underclothes and belt, and so such. I got a nice belt, some undershirts and a nice new fleece jacket (I was wearing a 5x jacket, and when I tried on the 3x fleece, it felt so nice, like a hug - I couldn't resist.)

As I walked out of the clothing store, a man was almost standing directly in front of me holding a 7-foot sign saying "CompUSA going out of business - 30 to 40% off all inventory, including furnishings!" I knew that CompUSA was closing all of the Minneapolis stores (and many others), and I decided that I would check it out. Long story short - I decided to purchase another one of my "goal list" items - a new laptop.

I don't feel guilty at all. I don't know why you insist that I justify myself. Here is my justification:

1. I actually will use this for my consulting work, so it is a business need.
2. I need to think about the life of my current computer. It has lasted 3 years, and has done yeoman's work.
   
3. I have wanted a laptop and feel that I should treat myself when the opportunity is right. This was on discount + another discount + going out of business discount. (AKA, It was cheap for all of the stuff it had!)
4. I need to reward myself for losing 50 pounds. I have been working out 5 times a week. I have been learning new tools, so I feel like my weight loss and education factors have been solid.
   
5. There is one factor that needs to be addressed: The Money Category. I promised that I would "invest or reduce debt by the same amount that the reward is". This is a broken promise, so I will have to make up for it. I WILL SAVE/INVEST the amount of these purchases (laptop and external hard drive that I purchased earlier this month.)

This being said, I am really glad that I pulled the trigger on the purchase. I happened to get a really nice laptop at a great price, and happened to be there at the store as they are closing their doors. By the way, this is going to make podcasting much easier, as the hardware should be able to handle multi-media projects much better.

The only bad side is that it will take some time to get used to the new system, but over time it will save money.

one additional thought about purchasing geek-stuff.

Why I might never buy a cable from best buy again..
I found MonoPrice online, and intend to order something from them, just to see how the site compares to others.
Here is why I would order from them. Big box stores (RadioShack, Best Buy, etc) make a killing off of cables and other small accessories - you can tell because employees get the same cables at reduced prices. You can get the same discount by ordering things online and having them shipped to you. For example, let's look at a simple 6 foot usb cable at Best Buy is over $30 and at MonoPrice is under $3. With sites like MonoPrice, MicroCenter, Newegg, TigerDirect, and NexTag, I think finding inexpensive technology is becoming very easy.

#Personal#

Good thing - bad thing.
Bad things first: I accidentally threw away my nice, useful, can't live without it Pampered Chef Orange Peeler. In all honesty, I can't believe that I lost it, and I know exactly what happened. In a state of pure overwhelmed work, I dumped it, with a pile of other trash, in the garbage. The even more sad part is the amount of time, worry and fret that I have spent in thinking about it, beating myself up about what a MORON I am for losing it, and wishing I had one. I have completely stopped eating oranges and clementines because I have no clue how to open a citrus fruit without this stupid $1 item. Seriously! How did human beings survive for eons without a flipping Pampered Chef!?!?!?! I think this was a stocking stuffer gift from Santa two years ago - and I use it every day! I can't live without this stupid thing. I am completely worthless......... AAAAAAAAAACCKCCKCKCKCKCKCKKCKC!!!!!! SOMEONE SEND ME ONE - I CAN'T FIND THEM ANYWHERE. I went to every store I can think of that would possibly have one, but no-one in the world sells them except for Pampered Chef. I am going insane.

Good news: For the next month, I have Free Culligan Water - and a water cooler in my house. If I wan't to gather around the water cooler and just have a quick break discussion, I can do it anytime night or day. "How is the weather?" "How 'bout them Florida and Ohio State teams?" "so the bartender says 'fraid knot'..." the conversations have been illumination.
I had Culligan deliver the water cooler for the men's weekend that I served at two weeks ago, and they didn't use all the water, so the women's weekend used the water last weekend. When I called to have culligan pick it up, they indicated, you haven't used all the water, and we can't take back water. If you send back empty jugs, you can get a refund on the cooler rental, so please use up the water.
I called the church, and asked if they wanted to use the water, and they declined.
So, I packed up the water, the jugs, the cooler, and put them at my house. It seems like such an odd thing to do, and it seems odd, but it is nice clean cool water, and actually is pretty nice. So, I will use up the water, put the stuff in my garage and call culligan to pick it up.

The bad news with that good news was that it was one more annoyance in a week filled with annoyances. Let's recap:

• Had to go to a church in a city 5 miles away, pick up 8 jugs of water, a water cooler, pack in my vehicle, then set it up at my house.
• The auto dealership that did my headgasket repair kept all of my warranty information, so I had to go back there during business hours to help them find my warranty information that they had misplaced
• The rental car company that I used during the headgasket event charged me twice, and it was an amount that was greater than the amount we agreed upon, so I had to call them multiple times to clear it up.
• I finally got an RMA number from the battery company in order to send back the 2nd battery sent in the PDA battery fiasco. This still needs to be done.
• I rented a video at Blockbuster only to find when I got home that the BOX was EMPTY!!! I drove back to Blockbuster, stood in line, explained the problem to the pimple-faced teen behind the desk, who just looked puzzled and scratched his head. "So, what do you want me to do about this?" "I am going to have to talk to my boss?, Can you wait until he gets back from break?" and "Can you go find another copy of this movie, and I will just switch it?" were just some of the questions that I heard back from the employee. I almost blew my headgasket. After deliberation, I left with a movie, but not sure if they knew what to do next. I hope I don't get a letter from Blockbuster in the future indicating that they believe I have not returned a movie, or stolen one. I didn't get a very warm-fuzzy feeling that they have taken care of the matter.
• All of this PLUS since my company has been pushing to release the next version, I have been working hard to make sure my documents are ready & readable.
  

To Kay: Here is the link we talked about: The Art of Doing Nothing. What a great concept. I have been trying this while shopping and standing in line. It is such a 'trippy' experience to just stop all stress - relax - meditate - while being cognitive of your surroundings, but not letting it get to you.... very nice..... Maybe you should go to the spa just to treat yourself well. You deserve to be pampered every now and again!



Stay Tuned - NEXT WEEKS THEME! I am going to talk about "Reformatting the Hard Drive of your Life!" and "What is a Technical Writer? Do you make programs? Huh?' It should be exciting - I hope.


more later,

Chazz