Ian's Racebike
OK,
I used to work with a guy named Ian at Adobe. Very cool guy. Unix GOD and apparently good at everything. While I was at Adobe, he learned to ride motorcycles and fly planes. He’s apparently very mechanically inclined as well. Not to mention damn good at video editing, etc. ANYWAY, he picked up a 1972 Honda CL 175 to re-build and race in the vintage class out at Pacific Raceways in 2008. Over the past month or two, he’s been re-building it and posting videos on YouTube of his progress. It’s VERY cool to watch, for me anyway.
Here’s a link to his profile on YouTube if you’re at all interested:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=IanJSeattle
He’s also got some motorcycle safety videos up there as well about Counter steering, etc. Fascinating guy, incredibly brilliant. Anyway, when you’re bored, have a look. Makes me want to buy my 1963 VW Beetle Ragtop and get started!
318.5
So another 1/2 pound lost yesterday. Despite eating 10 . . . yes 10 . . . Gorton's breaded fish fillets for dinner last night. Of course the fish part isn't all that bad, it's just the breading. And that being the only thing I had for dinner, probably saved the day for me. Now 318.5 is somewhat a milestone for me. I have weighed this much once this year, back in April when I was sick for two weeks. This time, I'm completely healthy and got here by sheer will power and working at it. I have another milestone coming up. 317.0. It might sound like a funny number to be a milestone, but back in 2001 (I think?) my friend Jerry and I were working at Adobe. We had both decided we wanted to lose weight and conveniently there was a weight watchers group forming at work. So every Wednesday (I think?) at noon, a bunch of us Adobe-ites would meet in a conference room, weigh in and talk about weight loss. The key to Weight Watchers I'm convinced is the meetings. If you don't go, it basically doesn't work. The thought of getting up on a scale in front of everyone (although your weight is kept private) and admitting failure or victory is quite a bit of motivation. Anyway, on our first weigh in there, I weighed 317.0. I went on over the course of the next 8 months to lose 51 pounds and declare that I wanted to attempt Mount Rainier in July of the following year. It was an AWESOME time for me.
By the time I started training for Rainier, I could run 5+ miles on the treadmill, I was skiing every Thursday evening at the Summit and I felt better than I had in years. When I saw a TWO as the first digit in my weight, I made a vow to never see a three again. Well between not summiting Rainier and getting laid off in October of 2002, my weight ballooned up to a high in November of 2005 to 352. I'm happy to have lost 33.5 of those pounds . . . at 317, I will have accomplished two milestones . . . 1) gotten back to my original weight of 317 when I started WW with Jerry and 2) have lost 10% of my overall weight. A mark that many doctors and nutritionists agree significantly lowers your chances of life threatening events (heart attack, stroke, etc).
So 317.0, here I come. With luck, I'll make it before the end of the year. But what I've learned over the past month is that if I don't make it by 12/31/07, it's not the end of the world. Keep making more positive decisions than negative ones and eventually you'll win. Afterall, it's a marathon, not a sprint. You're in it for the long haul and if you don't make changes you can stick to, you'll be right back where you started wondering as David Byrne did "How Did I Get Here?"
Unbelievable . . .
OK, I have two things that have happened recently that I just am finding it hard to believe.
On X-mas eve, Teri and I cleaned the garage. Our method for cleaning the garage consists of:
1) Pulling everything out of the garage
2) Sweeping the garage
3) Sorting the pile of stuff now on the driveway that used to be in the garage into: keep, trash, donate, and free on Craigslist
4) Putting the keep stuff back in the garage, sorted in it's proper location
5) Putting the donate stuff in Teri's car
6) Putting the trash in the . . . well trash
7) Putting an ad on Craigslist that says "Just cleaned the garage - Come and get it!"
Our garage is what I'd call a 2+ car garage. It's definitely not a 3 car, but one side is extra deep and that extra portion is where I keep my toolbox and workbench, etc. I've never seen a car parked in our garage. Ever. It's been full of crap since day one. We still have stuff in boxes that we moved from the other house. But I digress. Teri had suggested that since the motorcycle is now gone and that we will soon have a VERY clean garage, maybe my car would fit. I thought NO WAY will it ever fit. Not for lack of space, but for lack of depth. We have a chest freezer that takes up the back 2 feet of the garage and I simply thought my car was too long to fit. Well after I finally got everything sorted and put away, I decided to give it a shot. I pulled into the garage and crept ever closer to the freezer. With my car about 6" from the freezer, I closed the garage door certain that it would bounce off my trunk. But lo and behold, it closed. I coudln't believe it. I've been parking in there since Monday and it's been AWESOME!
OK for the second unbelievable situation . . . I weighed myself this morning. After PIGGING out at Teri's mom's house . . . . oh, excuse me . . . my mother in law's house (Happy honey?) on X-mas eve, I figured I had gained all of the 10 pounds back that I had lost this month. You'll remember back on Dec. 3rd, I posted my goals and that I wanted to weigh less than I did then on Jan. 1st. I haven't been very faithful to working out, having only done 2 spin classes this month. I've been to fast food 5 times and I actually had a couple cokes over the weekend. I was slipping no doubt. But yesterday was a good eating day. Fiber one cereal for breakfast . . . a few Clementines for snacks . . . a Weight Watcher meal for lunch, some ham, corn and bread for dinner with some ice cream for dessert. OK so not perfect! Anyway, I figured when I stepped on the scale this morning, I would weigh somewhere between 325 and 329 (where I started the month). I had to look twice. 319.0. HOLY CRAP! I've maintained my 10 pound weight loss THROUGH Christmas! I was resigned to maybe eat some fast food again today, but after seeing that number I had new resolve! I marched downstairs and poured me a bowl of fiber one cereal! On the way out the door today, grabbed another WW meal and some clementines. I'm determined to hold this weight through New Years now! Anyway, I was stoked to say the least. I guess the moral is to get back on that horse when you fall off. A few bad days don't automatically erase the many good ones.
24K Triathlon - Biggest Loser Style - With a Twist
OK, so one of my BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) is to complete a Triathlon. When I'm in shape, I love to swim, bike and run. Putting all three together into one event has always intrigued me and I think I would absolutely LOVE the challenge. So anyway, on the last season of The Biggest Loser on NBC, one of the challenges was a Triathlon. They started on the bike for 20Km (12.4 miles) then on to the treadmill for 3Km (1.9 miles) and then in the pool for 1Km (.62 miles). HOWEVER, they didn't keep track of time, only the top X number of contestants got to move on to the next event. I thought that was lame because one of the competitors, Kae, dominated the bike and the run. Had she been able to keep time and have that 4 - 5 minute aggregate lead going into the swim, she would have probably won the event. So basically THEIR way of doing it made it simply a swimming contest which Kae pretty much sucked at and it gave Hollie the win because she happened to be a swim coach. Sucked.
So, I've proposed to the boyz doing a similar event. It would all be done at an LA fitness near one of us. They're currently all members and as soon as the new Puyallup club is done, Teri and I will be too. It'll be great to all work out together from time to time. ANYWAY . . . I've proposed doing a similar thing, however, we'll keep track of time so that the person with the lowest time to complete all three events will be the "winner". Hell, in my book we're all winners just for attempting this little feat! If nothing else comes out of it, we'll all get a multi-hour, multi-sport workout out of the deal!
There has even been talk of making this an annual, or semi-annual event just to track our progress and see how we improve. We're shooting for the March/April timeframe as that's when the Puyallup club is supposed to be completed.
Stay tuned for more information. I'm excited to give it a go! Should be a good time had by all!
The Long Walk . . .
So on Christmas, Teri and I took Taylor out for a walk. We had intended to go to the Sunrise community park and back, but once there, we decided to continue on to the Sunrise entrance fountains. I wanted to see how Taylor would react when faced with a bunch of geese, ducks and sea gulls. So we headed out and started walking and walking and walking. When we finally arrived at the fountains, I was dreading the walk back. It was a lot further than I had thought it would be. And it was bloody cold out as well. It started snowing just a bit on our walk home. This morning, I plotted our course on Pedometer.com and it turns out we walked almost 4.5 miles. NICE! And Taylor slept all the way until 5:30 this morning. EVEN better! Here's a link to our course yesterday:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1511718
Hope everyone had a happy holiday!
Seeing What You're Made Of
So over the past couple of weeks, I've been mentioning that I've been going through a tough time in my life. First off, I'd like to thank all my family and friends and above all my wife for helping me through this difficult time.
Basically it boils down to this, I've watched a potential $50,000 in commission income through my real estate business evaporate over the past 3-4 months. It's put me in a tough financial situation. So much so, that I even considered getting out of the business.
What I've realized through talking with friends, family, Teri, my coach and my clients is that I AM very good at what I do. I DO make a positive impact on people's lives helping them buy and sell real estate and that was my ultimate goal in the first place. So I've decided to re-double my efforts and really see how good I can be. If you are a client of mine, you WILL receive a phone call within the next 45 - 60 days. (I have a 165 of you, so it's a process!) Throughout 2008, I'm going to put systems and processes in place so that no matter what the overall real estate market is doing, I will be successful and be able to help people achieve their dreams. I mean seriously, what could be better than that?
So again, thanks everyone for your love and support, without you I don't know where I'd be.
That being said, I think the institution of marriage has given me a new perspective on life. Committing yourself to someone and I mean REALLY committing shows you who you are as a person. Before, I knew that if things got really tough between Teri and I, we could just go our separate ways. Well, I'd say that the past few weeks have been REALLY tough for the both of us and her love and understanding has shown me that when you really believe in someone, there is nothing you cannot accomplish together.
That act of commitment has helped me re-commit to other things. Working out, eating better and being dedicated to my business. I think overall, 2008 is going to be a fantastic year. It's time to see what I'm made of. To see if I can push through something when it gets really hard. I can only imagine the rewards that await us on the other side. It's going to be one hell of a ride, but I'm ready! Bring it!
Dave & Ang
So recently I had the pleasure of selling the home of my good friends David & Angela Mietzke. The pleasure came from being able to assist them in moving on to the next stage of their lives. However it was a bit bittersweet as I will miss them. We did not hang out nearly often enough, but whenever we did, my life was better for having been with them. Now they've moved on to
Holden Village. I guess the best way to describe Holden (Dave & Ang correct me if I'm wrong) is that it's a bible retreat center.
Dave & Ang have accepted positions there as full time staff and taken their two daughters, Jordyn and Nyrie with them. I admire them for their willingness to accept this challenge. I don't know that I could leave most all of my worldly posessions behind to basically volunteer at a retreat center. But they did. They sold or gave away most everything they owned. Stored a little bit of it and with only 1,100 pounds for their family of four, set off to Holden. Incredible. And it's not like they can just run to the store for a snack either. They're a good ways up on Lake Chelan and the only way to get to a store is by boat. Plus, being at a higher elevation, they're getting dumped on with snow. Pretty cool. It sounds like they're having a blast and Teri and I should DEFINITELY make plans to visit this coming Summer.
Hey guys, congratulations! We love you and miss you!
If you want to read about the Mietzke's adventures, subscribe to their blog at:
mietzkes.blogspirit.com
319.5 and 5:45 eeesh
So this morning I got up at 5AM and headed to the good ol' YMCA. When I pulled into the parking lot about a quarter after, I couldn't honestly believe how many people were there. Anyway, found a spot and headed in. I made my way to the spin class and a number of bikes already had water bottles and towels on them. It took me awhile to find one with clips and a water bottle basket. No computer though, so that sucked. I tell you what, after not being on a bike in about 3 months and not being in a spin class in about 4 . . . this was one tough workout. The morning instructor apparently loves hills. AND we have a guy that has COMPLETED three Ironman Triathlons. Cycling 101 my ass. But I spun for the whole 50 or so minutes and headed home.
On the scale this morning . . . 319.5. So the lowest I've been all year is 318 when I was sick with Diverticulitis in April. I'm healthy now and under 320. I love that! My highest I've ever weighed is 352 at my Doctor's office in late 2005. So 32 pounds feels good. I fixed myself a whole wheat bagel with light cream cheese, a fried egg and a slice of cheddar this morning for breakfast. I figure after the workout, I need the additional calories. Now to figure out what for lunch . . .
321.0 and Goals Update
So this morning I weighed in . . . my weight has been going up and down a bit which is normal for me. But this morning it read 321.5 . . . . I was holding my sonicare elite brushing my teeth at the time and I figure that must weigh 8oz so I'm calling it an even 321.0. :-) So 8 pounds so far by just not eating out or drinking soda. I've not had soda since last Monday the 3rd or about 10 days now.
I'm revising my goal of "Attend at least 10 spin classes . . . " to "Be in the gym at least 5 times in the month of December" I realized (with the help of my coach) that going from no spin classes to 10 in a month is likely setting me up for failure. And as it is now the 13th and I have not been to one spin class, she was probably right.
Also, I did go through the drive thru yesterday. One time in 10 days is certainly less than the 20 or so I would have been through it, so I'm not worried about it. The overall goal is to be lighter and healthier by the 1st of January than I was on the 3rd of December. Yesterday was a bit stressful, so the drive-thru came into play. I'm going to try to hit the 5:45 spin class tomorrow morning, but damn that's early.
I've only missed one day so far of taking my vitamins and my "Ultimate Omega" supplements. So I feel good about that. The Ultimate Omegas are lemon flavored and I'm glad, cause fish oil burps would be a lot worse than lemon pledge burps.
Anyway, couple of huevos rancheros roll ups for breakfast this morning and a lean cuisine style lunch with a couple of the mandarin oranges and a banana. LOTS of water still. Doing good, feeling better.
I love my wife . . .
I don't tell her nearly often enough, so I'm hoping by procaiming to the world that I love her here, it will at least marginally make up for it. Honey, I know I've been going through a tough patch the last couple of weeks. I adore you for your fortitude and keeping me grounded. You've been a rock to me these past couple of weeks and I don't know where I'd be without you. I doubt I deserve you, but I'll try to change that for you, I promise. Thank you for being there and loving me for me. We will get through this, I promise. And we'll be stronger because of it when we're on the other side. I love you Teri.
324.0
So 5 pounds for the week. Darn good if you ask me. Yesterday hosed me up though. I had made plans to head to Eastern Washington to visit my friend Marcus. He left the Real Estate business this summer and moved back close to his home town. I've wanted to get over there since then to visit, but just wasn't able to. So finally I decided to nut up and leave yesterday morning. I woke up at 5:30 and debated about going. I finally hopped in the shower and got ready. I filled up my 1.5L water bottle and peeled a couple of mandarin oranges. I made myself a couple of huevos rancheros roll ups, ate them and hit the road.
The drive over was nice, it was mostly dark until I got to Ellensburg. The temperature was somewhere between 19 and 23 degrees the whole way over. I got to Richland aournd 10 and called Marcus. No answer. I had forgotten to call him the night before, so I was mildly worried that he wasn't around. So not wanting to drive around and waste gas, I pulled into a shopping complex and they had the dark lord there. Jack in the Box. Now last week I set a goal of not going through a drive thru. I technically still have that goal intact. However, I think I meant to say "No fast food", but I'm not going to debate symantecs here. I did not go through the drive thru. I went in. I did not have soda, I had lemonade and a breakfast (second breakfast!) sandwich with hash browns. I sat there and read the paper until Marcus called around 11.
I met Marcus at his place shortly thereafter and got the tour. Marcus ordered some pizzas for the game and had a few other buddies come over. Throughout the course of the day I had 3 pieces of pizza and a Mike's hard Lime. I left Marcus' around 5:30 and headed home. We had gotten about 1/2 of an inch of snow while I was in Richland, so the drive from Richland to Prosser was a bit dicey, but after that the roads cleared up until the pass. Then it was slushy and snowing over the pass, so I slowed down again. I arrived home around 10:30.
So I gained two pounds by eating at JITB and having some pizza. Today I'm back on the wagon and have had a bagel with light cream cheese for breakfast. I'll add a mandarin as well. Time to fill the water bottle!
Facing Fear to Seek Change
Wow . . . as many of you know (without my going into details here) it's been a particularly tough week for me. You'd think that after a nice break in Jamaica that I'd still be nice and relaxed, but not so. External and Internal circumstances have lead me to have a very bad week. Then this story comes along . . . from RISMedia, original author's name is below. Great story. Helpful, at least for me today. Read on . . .
Commentary by Marylyn B. Schwartz
RISMEDIA, Dec. 10, 2007-There is a frightening folk tale of unknown origin about a terrifying giant who stands 10 feet tall, has a mane of unruly red hair and a fierce wild red beard. He carries a massive axe. Every year on the same day he comes down from the mountains and terrorizes the villagers by challenging one poor brave soul to a fight. Each year the brave soul who accepts the giant’s challenge, in order to save every other villager from certain death, is slain on the spot never having even drawn his sword. The giant laughingly mocks the countenance of the poor terrified little soul and then crushes and beheads him with his axe.
This awful scene is repeated year after year until one day a young prince comes to town and inquires, “Why are the villagers so sad and seem so frightened?” He is told that on that very day the giant will come down from the mountains and challenge someone to what will be his certain death. The prince, enraged by the audacity of the giant, takes the challenge upon himself. When the giant shouts out for his challenger to come forward and face him, it is the young price who strides out of the gate to meet his opponent.
The prince, although brave, is struck by the sheer enormity of the giant and frightened by his shocking appearance. Yet, summoning up all of his courage he walks toward the giant brandishing his sword and never taking his eyes off of the giant’s horrible face. Then a very strange thing begins to happen. The giant, rather than appearing larger as the prince approaches, begins to shrink. The prince stops and stares in astonishment at the giant, he is only five feet tall. The prince continues bravely forward and stops and stares again. Now the giant is only twelve inches tall. The young prince takes his sword and plunges it into the giant’s wicked heart. As the giant lies dying, the prince bends down and whispers into the giant’s ear, “Who are you?” And the giant, with his dying breadth, replies, “My name is Fear.”
How often are each of us faced with seemingly insurmountable, frightening tasks only to find that once we summon up our courage and push forward, we find stores of strength and fortitude that we had no idea we possessed. We have merely to begin the process, to take the first step forward to draw upon those inner reserves that remain hidden until we make the commitment to act. It is only when where we are becomes intolerable, that we decide and act upon the purpose we are driven to seek. We must go deep within to change, especially when what we seek to change requires us to face our fears.
With the New Year around the corner, what is it that you seek to change? What will you face that you’ve avoided for far too long? Forget making resolutions. We all know how long those last… Instead, make a promise to yourself that you will no longer allow your fears to control your life and the success you so richly deserve. You’ve made excuses; now make changes. Face the foes within, and as you move forward in your journey ask, believe and receive! Happy Holidays!
322.0
So yesterday was another fantastic eating day for me. I had a bagel with light cream cheese for breakfast, another Lean Cuisine paninni with two mandarin oranges and a banana for lunch and Teri fixed left overs for dinner. At dinner I normally have a HUGE first serving and go back for seconds. Last night I had a normal person sized first serving and no seconds. After dinner, there were some brownies lying around that we had purchased at the store the other night. They were about 2" X 4" and covered in delicious chocolate frosting. I cut one in half and ate just a half of one. Normally I'd have one . . . then another. I also drank well over 2 liters of water yesterday. AND after dinner, we took Taylor for a 2 mile walk. So I'm sure that helped a bit as well. I was slightly hungry when I went to bed, but not so much I couldn't sleep.
It's only 11:30 so far this morning and I've had almost 2 liters of water already. Teri cooked a big breakfast this morning and of course I ate it all. About 4 pieces of bacon, 2 slices of toast (with butter) and 3 fried eggs. Add a couple of mandarins and some pine/organge/banana juice and I've got some work to do the rest of the day! Taylor, how do you feel about 4 miles tonight?
324.0
So this morning I weighed in at 324.0. Yesterday was a good light eating day for me. I had a couple of huevos rancheros roll ups for breakfast. I took a lean cuisine, banana and tangerine for lunch. Teri and I had Mac and cheese with Turkey for dinner last night. That combined with about two liters of water made it a good day!
Headache . . .
OK, so maybe quitting soda wasn't the best idea in the world . . . eeks! Man I've had a headache that just won't quit since Tuesday . . . but still no soda. HUGE bottle of watter sitting next to me right now in fact . . . going to take a swig.
327.5
So after posting some goals yesterday, so far today I have not had a soda, have not been to a drive through and lost 1.5 pounds since yesterday. I've also taken my vitamins and Ultimate Omega pills today. For breakfast I had a whole wheat bagel with a smear of light cream cheese and about 2 oz. of smoked salmon. I've also had a mandarin orange and almost 72 oz. of water so far. So for today, I'm feeling pretty good! However, I do have a splitting head ache from lack of caffeine that even 4 Advil are not touching. By the way, have you ever noticed that Mandarins are like the Shar Pei's of oranges? It's like the skin doesn't fit the fruit. If all oranges were that easy to peel, I think I'd have them more often.
Back, Refreshed, Goals of Sorts . . .
It's a pretty amazing thing what 10 days of warm tropical sun can do for your psyche. Teri and I left Montego Bay Jamaica Friday afternoon at 1:35PM EST in 83 degree temps with full sun. We arrived in Seattle at 9:30PM PST to 35 degrees and mixed rain and snow.
It was good while it lasted.
I managed to NOT open my laptop at all while away even though internet access was offered in our room. I did use my laptop to watch movies to (Sicko) and from (Ratatouille) Jamaica however. I don't honestly think that counts though. I could have just as easily been watching an iPod video.
The days in Jamaica basically went like this: Get up around 8:30, breakfast buffet, in or at the very least by the pool by 9:30. Lie in the sun and cook, swim in the pool or ocean (look out triathalon training, I've still got mad open water skills!) to cool down, whilst in the pool, swim up to the bar for many a daiquiri (sp?) and much Jack Daniels. 1:30 ish stumble to cafe for Jerk chicken or pork (Jerk Turkey on Thanksgiving) resume baking in sun and swimming. Sometime between 3:30 and 4:30 head back to the room to rest before dinner, then head to dinner sometime between 6:30 and 8. In bed by 10 or 11 only to repeat it all the following day. It was absolutely sublime.
I will post a much longer and more descriptive entry about Jamaica with pictures etc. But just know that I've never been so relaxed on vacation before. AWESOME!
So I stepped on the scale this morning. Probably NOT the thing you want to do after spending the previous two weeks at an all inclusive resort eating and drinking to your heart's content. However, I've got s*** to do this month and I needed a baseline. So keep in mind that through the summer and into the fall I was in the mid 320's . . . bouncing between 323 and 327. I weighed 329 this morning despite having NOT worked out since the DAM2DAM in September and spending nearly 2 weeks in Jamaica. I'm awfully happy with that number.
OK so for the goals: Starting tomorrow (ask if you must know why it's not today) I'm:- staying out of the Drive Thru for December.
- I'm eliminating Soda from my diet for December.
- I will be in the gym attending a Spin class a minimum of 10 times in December (Yes, if I need to, I will spin twice a day).
- I will weigh (hopefully significantly) less on January 1st than I did on December 3rd. My stretch goal is to lose 20 pounds in December putting me UNDER 310.
- I will resume taking my daily vitamins AND I'm adding Fish Oil supplements to the plethora of pills I'll be popping in the morning.
I'm going to go out today to get a bottle of Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega. So my morning regiment of pills will be: Two BP meds, Two Vitamins and Two Ultimate Omegas. December is hereby officially named "Focus on John Month".
Peace,
- j
