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Because I’m currently participating in TWO weight-loss challenges, I’ve generally I’ve kept quiet about my weight and my health. I like to keep the competition guessing. However, it’s not a secret among most folks that know me that between late-2006 and the middle of this year, I slipped a little with regard to my weight.

Okay… I’ll be honest… I slipped a LOT. My low-water-mark in 2006 was 223lbs, which I believe I only hit briefly before I began my unhealthy “decline”. Between then and June of this year, I managed to get back up to 260lbs. I wasn’t as bad as I was in 2003/04, when I peaked near 280, but I was on my way. I felt miserable. It was largely attributable to a few injuries that kept me from working out, general laziness, and the re-establishment of poor eating habits. I learned that the low-carb diets alone do not work for me. They are a short-term fix to a long-term problem.

The Problem
The turning point came in June of this year. I went to the doctor for a follow-up after having had my appendix removed and a small hernia repaired. Knowing I had somewhat let myself go, I inquired about my cholesterol and he agree we should test it. On June 23rd I went for the follow-up to my test. I learned my total cholestorol was 208, and my triglycerides were through the roof at 315. I weighed 260 on that visit. I had borderline “metabolic syndrome“. The doctor told me I needed to make changes, or he would have to put me on medication and start monitoring me for diabetes.

The Plan
The last thing I wanted was to have another pill (in addition to my BP medicine) that I had to take every day. The week following my appointment, I started watching what I was eating and made a committment to exercise. I was already in one weight-loss competition, but really had not taken it seriously yet. We then decided to start one up with my team at work. I thrive on competition and goals, so the game was on! I began lifting weights three days a week, and stepped up the cardio (running/cycling) on the alternate days. I also spent significant time over the summer riding horses, which I had not done in some time. I cut back on fried stuff, and worked in a daily bowl of oatmeal. I replaced processed grains with whole grains (pasta, bread, etc.). I avoid as much fast-food as possible. Finally, I stopped eating out 2-3 days a week at work.

The Results
Last Thursday, I had my 4 month follow-up appointment. Between June 23rd and October 23rd, I had dropped my weight 32lbs to 228lbs (12.5%). I had also lowered my total cholesterol to 191, which is within the “acceptable” range. But more importantly, I had lowered my triglycerides to 150 — more than half the previous level. My doctor was pretty stoked about that one. From measuring at work, my body fat percentage has also gone from the mid-30’s to the mid-upper 20’s.

The Challenge
I am not done yet. I have largely gotten to this point by setting small goals that are attainable, and understanding there will be “bad” days that I have to get past. I have now set my goals on weighing 215 by Thanksgiving, and 210 by the end of December (6-month mark). My weight loss competitions run through the end of the year, so I will have continued pressure to keep it up. Right now, my left foot is bothering me, which is frustrating. But I’m vowing to fight through it. I have not been under 220 since college, so I’m feeling better (physically) than I have in a very long time.

Thanks to those who have supported my goals over the past 6 months! Wish me luck!!

Yesterday my son brought home a little pastic magnifying glass that he had been “rewarded” as part of a summer reading program at the library. His little heart had been set on a “bug cube” for weeks, but he apparently changed his mind after his sister and another girl chose “grab bags”. Of course, life has taught most of us not to gamble what you have in hand for that which you cannot see. He, not yet having learned this lesson, traded his little cube for a grab bag.

Life lessons are funny things. Certainly we’ve all had them over the years. But I never thought my heart would ache for a little guy who chose a grab bag over a bug cube. You see, while my daughter’s bag was full of neat little bendy toys, my son’s bag contained a cheap plastic magnifying glass and a compass ring. And that’s all. What’s worse, while innocently playing “detective” at the store with his magnifying glass, the handle broke. He enjoyed his reward for all of a few hours before insult was added to injury. Thankfully, his sister chose to give him one of her bendy people. Now that’s love!

It’s an old cliche that many dads fix everything with duct tape. Unfortunately, I’m not that talented. It sticks to itself. It sticks to me. I end up using twice as much as I need, and rarely get the results I’m seeking. But you see, I have another weapon which has resulted in the misguided opinion from my kids that I can fix anything: Superglue. I have diminished several tubes of this man-made resin over the past few years, and have actually gotten some pretty amazing results. The stuff really is good (though not much fun when your fingers are stuck together)! With it, I have swelled with great pride as the smiles returned to the faces of my children. Daddy fixed the toy! Disaster averted, tears forborne, superhero status reclaimed.

So with my son’s little magnifying glass in hand, I retreated to my hero’s lair (a.k.a. my garage) last night to restore what usefulness I could to this cheap little vessel of spying greatness. I did my best to reconnect the pieces with my “magic glue”, but the results are still out. I did the best I could, but it may not hold for long. Any doctor will tell you that you can’t always save the patient. But perhaps there will be enough life in this trinket for one more adventure, and one more smile.

Of course, I realize my “hero” status is dubious, at best. As the kids get older, they’ll realize that daddy can’t really fix everything (something my wife has already tried to convey). They’ll realize my “magic glue” is available at most stores for just a few bucks, and they can use it themselves if necessary. They won’t even need me to try and fix things. But regardless of that, hopefully the sense will remain within them that I just might have that ability, even without the glue. And if things get too broken, they will know they can turn to me for help. Disasters will be averted, tears will be forborne, and superhero status will once again be reclaimed.

I am posting an email here that was passed to me via my mother-in-law from my wife’s cousin’s husband. Yeah, that sounds pretty removed, but I do consider Brandon a friend. We’ve played golf together a time or two (OK, he played golf and I drove the cart all over the place chasing my ball), and we’ve hung out on several occasions over the years. But I digress… here’s the message:

Friends and Family,
You may not be aware that you now know an author. I am happy to announce that I have officially published my first hard cover fiction novel and it is available on line at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. The title of the book is Capable of Anything You can search for it on both web sites by either the title or my name and it should come right up. I have included in this email a pic of the front cover and the cover flap description (below). If you prefer, you can also buy a copy directly from me (those of you that live in the area) – signatures are optional and it’s a little cheaper. The novel took me 3 years to write and another 8 months to publish. The book publishing business is pretty tough and I was unable to get a major publishing house to pick me up (they take on very few new clients). Because of that, I chose to self publish this novel, which means that I did everything except the actual printing of the book – all design work, the dust jacket, etc, etc. It was a very interesting and rewarding adventure, though it was also very difficult and time consuming. Initial feedback on the book has been excellent – I even got a 5 star review on barnesandnoble.com! Now, I ask your help. I am hoping to sell enough copies so that I can go back to the major publishing houses and try to get them to pick it up and publish it nation wide (in bookstores) as well. My goal is to sell 10,000 copies. To help reach the goal, I’m starting an email advertising campaign. I ask that you forward this email to all your friends and family, telling them about the book and encouraging them to give it a shot and buy a copy. Also, ask them to pass this note on to their friends and family, and so forth. Thanks in advance and enjoy the book!! Don’t forget to give it a review!

Brandon A. Willis

So if you’re looking for a book to read this summer, I encourage you to check out Brandon’s book and support a local (or regional) author who’s trying to make a go of it. I give him a lot of credit, because it takes a lot of time and effort to not only write a book, but self-publish it get it on Amazon, etc. Thanks!

As we were getting my son ready for bed a couple of nights ago, he excitedly told me ”Daddy, I found a penny today! I put it on your placemat at the table. It’s for Father’s Day… you can buy yourself something with it.” In my haste, I thanked him and said that was very nice, and that I appreciated it. To myself, I was quietly wondering what I would do with another penny.

I didn’t give it much more thought until later, when I found the penny exactly where he said he had placed it. It was a nice bright cent, its copper flashing in ways that attract the eyes of little children. An untold number of grown-ups had probably walked over and around the penny that day without picking it up, it’s value to them not worth the effort of stooping to retrieve it. But for my son, a penny is worth more than it’s face value. It’s a ride on the electric horse at the grocery. Or it’s a little extra rattle in his piggy bank. I often give the kids pennies from my pocket change, and it makes their faces glow with anticipation and the thoughts of the treasures for which they are saving. My wife and I have tried to teach our kids the value of saving, giving, and spending, and the kids have taken it to heart. I imagine his mind raced with possibilities when he found it. Eventually, he decided to give it to me.

As I stood there looking at the penny in my hand, the magnitude of his gesture struck me. My eyes watered. I realized that while he would probably give me something that may have more value to me on Father’s Day, at the moment he had given me something that was of value to him. He had given, freely. He had been thoughtful, openly. And perhaps that simple gesture was the most valuable thing of all. The penny may never amount to much, but I feel certain my son will. It was the perfect Father’s Day gift. =)

Since last summer, I’ve had a problem with my feet. Particularly, they get super-tender at the base of my big toe and it makes it somewhat painful to walk. Currently, it’s my left foot giving me fits. The problem comes around when I’ve done a little too much running, but more so when I’ve worn my flip-flops or “slides”. In fact, I’ve almost sworn off flip-flops altogether for this reason. I still wear the slides when I’m goofing off around the house, but I usually pay for it. In fact, there is an article in Newsweek right now about this very issue and how bad ‘flops can be for your feet. I know I’m paying for it, so read up and make sure it’s worth it! As for me, I’ve switched to some KEEN Arroyo’s, and absolutely love them!

As for the scooter thing… I stumbled across the 2008 Piaggio MP3 500 today. Man, I want one of these!! First, it has two wheels in the front instead of one, and each has independent suspension. So they aren’t ‘tippy’ like a three wheeler or motorcycle, and you don’t have to put your feet down at stops. Second, though the 500cc motor pushes up to 95mph, they are still a scooter. That means it has an automatic transmission and a quieter ride. And finally, they get 60 miles per gallon! That would get me to work and back for a week on one gallon of gas! And finally, the three wheels kind of removes the “dork factor” of riding a scooter, since there is something kind of sporty about these. I’ve seen something similar here locally, and it definitely grabs your attention. Unfortunately, at nearly $9,000, I doubt you’ll see one parked in my driveway any time soon.

If you are/were a fan of Seinfeld, either the show or just the comedian, you are likely familiar with his “what’s the deal?” bits. Usually he takes something fairly ordinary to which we don’t usually give much thought, and extrapolates it into something that truly does seem bizarre.

So taking a page from Jerry, let me ask: What’s the deal with the media “combining” and shortening the names of every person our couple that ventures to become famous?!

You probably know what I’m talking about… let’s see… we have “Brangelina” (Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie), “Bennifer” (Ben Affleck & Jennifers Garner or Lopez), ”LiLo” (Lindsey Lohan), “K-Fed” (Kevin Federline)… the list could go on. Who makes this stuff up? And how does the media come to agreement on which ones to use? Do they have arguments like “No, I think we should call them ‘Bradalina’ or ‘Jennifleck’”? And what would they do if someone like Jack Black hooked up with Maria Sharapova? Would we have ‘Jackapova’, or ‘Jackaria’? And if a name doesn’t work (would have Brad Pitt & Jennifer Anniston = ‘Bradifer’? JenniPitt?), does that mean the relationship will fail?

The media and celeb-watchers may think it’s fun (Entertainment Tonight REALLY gets into this), but personally I find the practice fairly annoying. Can’t we just call them by their actual names? I heard news about “LiLo” for quite a while before I realized it was Lohan. And by nicknaming Kevin Federline, aren’t we just encouraging him?

As Frank said on Seinfeld… “Serenity Now!” (someone has managed to turn that into a REAL supplement for mood swings!)

I’m often accused by a few of my younger co-workers as being an “old man”. Of course, I’m 10 years older than they are, so I certainly remember many things they would not. And I’m often accused by my wife as sounding like a “grumpy old man” because I complain about things, but I only do so because I really do get frustrated by things that seem to follow no logic.

But outside of the occasional foot problem or back-ache, I generally have not FELT like an “old man”. To the best of my ability, I have remained fairly up to date with musical and “fashion” trends (that’s not to say I listen to the music or dress fashionably), and I remain interested in activities such as cycling and kayaking. I keep up with technology, and I believe with a little effort I am still within the realm of remaining on the “cutting edge” of trends.

I have to admit, though, that I sense a sea change in my life. Things are changing. And while I still don’t see myself as an “old man”, I DO sense the generational differences between myself and some of the others in my “circle”. To wit:

• I now drive a 40-year-old truck without power steering or A/C, and find myself enjoying it’s “simplicity”
• I find myself missing things from the past, such as Coke and beer in returnable glass bottles and the Charlie Chips truck
• Every time I fill up my gas tank, I recall when gas was 89¢/gallon. And I tell my wife about it.
• I told one of the guys today how I recalled when MTV and the local Top40 station came on air. I’ve told him before.
• Despite their popularity, I really don’t get “Hannah Montana” or “Fergie”, which sounds like “noise” to me
• I still listen to Motley Crue, Poison, and G-n-R and it doesn’t SOUND 20 years old to me
• I can’t drive more than 120 miles without stopping to pee
• I am repeating jokes I’ve already told
• We take our kids places, and are 5+ years older than some other parents with similar aged children
• I wish I could look at an ice cream truck and not think the driver was a pervert
• I desire enough acreage to raise some animals, and to perhaps own my own hardware store
• My ‘hobby’ of working with computers has become my ‘job’, which is now no longer my hobby
• I sometimes pass gas in public, because I can’t help it (I DO try to go off in a corner, though)
• I had to take the shocks and knobby tires off my Mt. bike because riding off road was too time consuming
• I find myself complaining about local politicians (and long for the days when I didn’t know who they were)
• I have to ask people to repeat themselves more often
• There are random hairs growing out of my ears (maybe that relates to the hearing?)

Now, those things aside, I KNOW I’m not THAT old… At 35, I can still run with the younger guys, too (when my foot isn’t hurting). But I can see the horizon and know that, soon, I’ll be driving “down hill” in my old truck. And you can bet I’ll stay in the fast lane and keep my left blinker on all the way. =)