June is National Accordion Awareness Month

Motivation:

" There are no great people in this world,
only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet."
~William Frederick Halsy, Jr.

Diary:

If you are interested, TIME Magazine's June 11, 2007 issue has some really educational information about Weight Loss, and research into how our digestive system works, and why for some, losing weight is a very difficult process. It is a great read.

In this magazine, was an interview with the previous "Biggest Losers" on NBC's hit TV show. One of them lost 100+ pounds, but has regained 80% of the weight loss. The theory here is the same thing that I have personally found and stated over and over again to my diet counselors. "It is harder to maintain weight than to lose weight." The article in TIME states that having a show called "Biggest Maintainer" would be more boring, but it would be a bigger challenge.

It is my thought that anyone can lose, for a while, given that they follow the simple rule of eating less and moving more. This, however, is really only half of the story, and most people don't stick around for the other half. What happens when the scales and cameras are gone? Now the former fatty has to relearn how to live as a fit person. This stabilization period is where most people regain their weight. I am determined to not be one of these people.

I am going to need more clothes - 46 and under pants and 2x shirts. I went through my closet, and tonight may go through my dresser drawer - trying to declutter my bedroom to make space and make "laundry-management" an easier process.

I decided yesterday that weeding through clothes in the closet is one of the most depressing (and potentially harmful) things that a person can do during weight loss. I was very frustrated, and wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. Here is why:

1) I run into old clothes that were too small for me when I last tried them on - a few months ago, so I put them in the closet as "goal clothes" to remind me of the next stage, thinking that I would try them on after the next time-frame. After a while, I forget about these clothes, and then yesterday - I saw them. It was time to weed out some items from the closet, and I did weed out a lot - several jeans and pants that simply looked baggy on me. I shouldn't wear baggy clothes for fashion reasons, but also because the counselors at the clinic LOVE to harass me - "you're pants are to big - you need to get smaller clothes" - I am unsure if they know how demeaning this is - to constantly berate people about their clothes - maybe some people don't have a lot of money and cannot buy new clothes every time they change a size. For someone like me who is changing sizes every couple months, this can be a big deal. Maybe they think this is positive, and are trying to say something nice, but it comes across as catty, and disrespectful.

The bigger reason, however, to not wear baggy clothes, is that when I see myself in the mirror in clothes one size too big, well I get a distorted view of my actual size. Clothes that are tighter to my body force me to see the bumps and definition - or lack thereof - and having a belt that it just a little too tight (not uncomfortably tight, but you can sense it) is a motivation.

It feels a little like the theory of running with people who are faster than you makes you want to keep up with their speed. Running with people slower than you gives you the feeling that you are already faster, so why push yourself. Big baggy clothes are the same for me. I am already smaller than my clothes, so there is no need to push it. When I am wearing smaller clothes, and have tight clothes in the closet to wear, I feel more of an urgency to continue to lose weight - to stay in my clothes.

So, what was the point for #1 - ok - The clothes that I thought were too small for me a few months ago, I put in the closet and then last night tried them on. They were too baggy! What? A couple of the shirts were so big, I could wrap them around my body 1 and 1/2 times. What the heck? It is an emotional drain to try on clothes that are so obviously for that other fat man - but for me, not so much.

all in all - I threw out 3 arm-fulls of clothes to the 2nd bedroom. What will happen to them? Eventually, they will be discarded to either Goodwill, local Veterans group, or trash. For now, they sit in a lonely 2nd bedroom, while I try to figure out what I am going to do with that space.

2) I don't know what looks good. There were several shirts I tried on and said "Does this look right? is it too big, should I wear this to work?" I don't have a good enough eye for these questions. I would like to have someone just tell me yeah or nah. The one disadvantage of the single bachelor.

3) I need someone to continue to remind me (it is all about me, right) that I am "ggooooooddd looookin". There were a couple shirts and jackets that I tried on and thought "Damn, I am good looking.", but that only lasted a second, and wasn't very satisfying. I would like to have others feeding my overblown ego from time to time - that would be nice.

Something strange has been happening over the last 6 to 8 weeks. I write the notes and outlines for my blog subject on Saturdays, and then the next day at Church I am finding that the sermon is about the same subject, with a spiritual twist. For example, in the last blog I wrote about my alias and how he has the ability to do things that I don't want to do.

So in church on Sunday, the sermon was about "Confidence" and how important confidence is in our spiritual growth. Here are my notes:

"Confidence + Faith = God helps us to do things that....

... are greater than our resources

... are greater than our efforts

... are greater than our fears"

That was a nutshell overview of the sermon - which was focused at the Confirmation Class at church. It struck me as very close to what I spoke about "Chazz" having the strength and lack of ego to carry the torch.

The theme for the sermons this spring has been "Christian Disciplines - A look at our habits" (does this sound like something I would be interested in?)

Here are some other notes of the last weeks:

Discipline of Fasting:
1) What do you do to fill emptiness?
2) What is your attitude toward fasting and self-denial?
3) In what ways do you deny yourself?
4) When do you feel entitlement mentality?
Fasting doesn't have to be "food" - it could be a sacrifice of something else that you may be over-indulging in, such as:

• Media/Entertainment
• Newspaper
• Television/Movies
• iPod/Gaming
  
• Hobbies/Personal Luxuries
• Reading
• Crafting
• Scheduled exercise
• Regular social activities
  
• Consumption-related
  
• Financial
• Food
• Starbucks
• Non-necessary shopping
  
• Relational/Behavioral
• Social Activities
• Negative/Critical thoughts and words
• Any 'comfortable' habit that results in nothing
  
• Time/Convenience
• Walk/bicycle to work or shopping, instead of driving
• Give specific quantity of time in a special capacity at church (or volunteer, give up your time)
• Consecrate time serving someone in your family/friends/community
• Give up your fears, uncertainty and doubt - take a risk and do something different, uncomfortable, or outside your normal habit.
  

I will sprinkle in more sermon notes into later messages.

Notes:

#Fine Art#

June is National Accordion Awareness Month (NAAM). National Accordion Awareness Month was established in 1989 to promote the accordion, help spread the word about the resurgence in popularity in the accordion and to educate people about the accordion.

Did you know...
* The accordion is the most cross-cultural instrument in the world and provides a signature sound for music from Italy, France, Germany, Russia, Argentina and more.
* The piano accordion is the official musical instrument of the city of San Francisco and has been since 1990.
* Actress Lucy Liu plays the accordion
* Guitarist Nils Lofgren started on the accordion.
* Billy Joel, Bruce Hornsby and Barry Manilow also play the accordion.
* The accordion is a member of the reed family, not the keyboard family.
* The first United States-made piano accordion (the ones with the keys on it) was manufactured in San Francisco back in 1907. It was at the Guerrini Accordion Company on DuPont St. (Grant Ave., near Columbus Ave.)
* When people think of an accordion, they usually envision that large, black monstrosity with piano keys on one side and about a thousand buttons on the other side. However, the accordion family also includes Cajun button boxes, chromatic and diatonic button accordions, the concertina, the bayan, and the bandoneon.
* China is the largest manufacturer and exporter of accordions in the world.
("Did you know" list stolen from http://www.ladyofspain.com website)


#Geek#

I have been playing around with PaintShop Pro and have learned how to use layers and make a collage. This is a step forward in making some 'before' and 'after' weight loss shots. I am showing one of the examples in the top right corner today! More to come on this subject. I think PaintShop (and PhotoShop) have become some new fascinating programs for me.

I updated my personal website (again) and am working on updating my "about me" description of this site. This is in conjunction of the end of the Fat 2 Five K name of the site. Once October 07 is here and I am finished with the first 5K, there really is no need to keep the title. I have a new title, and am chomping at the bit to use it.

I am planning on learning how to use Dreamweaver later this year. When this happens, I will be changing my personal site (again) using some Dreamweaver or Flash design.


#Money#

I have been researching the prosper.com website. At this site, neighbors help neighbors lend and borrow money. It is a noble concept, but I am trying to figure out "what is the catch". I may try it at a small amount to see what the benefits are.

Otherwise, slow and steady wins the race. I didn't spend any money this week - beyond gas and groceries. I did save another $100 this week in my savings.

My weight loss goals and financial savings goals are similar in that I don't feel like I am doing anything active to accomplish them. In reverse, I am NOT doing something to do something. Not overeating, Not overspending, Not falling back on my habits, Not getting off of the routine.


#Work#

Many interesting things are happening with my work. I have recently had glimpses of happiness with my work. Instinctively, this makes me worry, as I have found that just when you are comfortable, then something bad, or some change, happens.

I went to a STC event on Friday, and sat next to the President of a translation company. His company takes documentation (manuals, marketing materials, etc) and translates it for another language. After speaking with him briefly, he indicated that he had been away for a while as he volunteered to be on the STC board of advisors, and during this time, met my boss's, boss's boss. I had a really good conversation with him.

The meeting itself dealt with how to write better for a global community. It was interesting to consider how we write and how it may be translated for other people. For example, consider that 5% of the world speaks English as the first language. We were encouraged to use "Simple English" (which is good to do in general). Simple English asks you to write fewer words, if possible. Some writers think that adding words helps to describe what is going on, but readers generally gloss over the extra words anyway, so are unneeded. I do not use Simple English on the blog, but I do on my documentation.

At work, I have been studying Structured FrameMaker 7.2, and using a new template for the software manuals. It is a fun thing to learn.

#Personal#

During Spring Training, I purchased a year of online MLB, so I could listen to the Twins when I am in a place that I cannot play an AM radio. I can check on the score and listen in while at work, or away from home.

The other day I found a bonus of this purchase. For some reason, during a Twins vs White Sox, the Twins feed was not coming through, so I switched to the Chicago White Sox feed. I thought the announcers did a good job, and it was fun to hear another perspective on the history and quality of the local players. I learned some things that the local media don't reveal about the team.

What I found most interesting was that after the game, they continued to broadcast the local Chicago after-game-show. I realized that sports fans in other cities are just as clueless and moronic as sports fans in my city. The callers were hilarious, but sad because they seemed to not have heard the same game that I did. One of my new favorite things is listening to radio stations in other cities, and understand that people are about the same wherever they are from.

Maybe sometime I will speak about listening to sports stations in such places as Kansas City and Milwaukee.


#Dates to remember#

28, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.- Luck, Wisconsin
music from Shotgun Johnson and the Mississippi Seven

September 29, 2007 - Northfield, MN

5K race - finale milestone for the F25K blog.


I was thinking about how powerful books are and the power of reading. Lately, I have had conversations with random people from different parts of my life, and somehow the discussions have migrated to books. It occurs to me that a LOT of people have had 'eureka' moments - periods that have created change in their lives - through a book that they have read. In meditation, I thought of a couple books that I read that opened my eyes. The books I read had principals that seemed very good, but when I looked at my environment, I realized I was not living up to the principals that I was reading. It inspired me to dive deeper into matching what I wanted to do with what I was actually doing - and how to change.

I encourage you to chime in - add a comment, please. What books have changed your perspective on things? What books would you recommend to others for enlightenment?



more later,

Chazz

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