In Which *I* get Less Fat, and MORE Psyched…

Tony| Category: General, All about me, In Which We Get Less Fat | 1 Comment

I don’t know what week it is on the Fatdown.  I do know that it doesn’t really matter what week I’m on because I have somehow managed to remain committed to being healthier and exercising more. (With only minor slips ups, like August…) And it FINALLY may be starting to pay off.  Today I was excited to go for a run all day. This never happens. I had already managed to get a mile of walking in going between my school, the administrative center, and walking to lunch and back.  I got home, and I still wanted to run. Did I mention this never happens? Is it possible my body is actually starting to like exercise, and not just feel good because I’m done?  I hope this is a trend.

So I ran my 2.5 miles today without dying .  Again, I felt pretty good about it, and even had a smile on my face as I finished.  So good, in fact, I walked straight to the gym, did a light upper-body workout, and then did 25 minutes on the elliptical for good measure. Now I’m tired, but I don’t think I’ll be super sore tomorrow.  I’m really hoping that I’m turning the corner with this exercise thing– I hear about people all the time that look forward to exercising… Now, of course, I have to work on eating better.  Seminars and P-T conferences this week have thrown me off my schedule and tailgating season is always a challenge.

On to the numbers:  Week– Whatever.  Total weight lost: 25 lbs.  Goal: 20 lbs. more.

I’ve been stuck on the 23-25lb. range for a couple weeks now.  I’m hoping that my body’s sudden interest in exercise will shake me out of the plateau.

Finally tonight, friends, this is my annual invitation to the Bonfield Express Thanksgiving 5K run.  My motivation beyond health is that it lets me eat all the mashed potatoes I want guilt-free on Thanksgiving- and then Rip’s (!) on the day after Thanksgiving.  I’ve already signed up– hope that you’ll join me!

That’s enough sunshine and daisies for one day.

Sap…

Tony| Category: General, In the Reflecting Pool | 0 Comments

Taken from Story People, a very interesting set of phrases and drawings, reflections, etc.

Sometimes they move me, sometimes they don’t.  Yesterday’s did:

He told me one time he forgot himself & his heart opened up like a door with a loose latch & he tried for days to put it all back in proper order but finally he gave up & left it all jumbled up there in a pile & loved everything equally.

This Explains a Bit More…

Tony| Category: General, All about me | 1 Comment

Really, I’m not trying to buy into all this personality stuff, but this is a lot closer to home than I want it to be. Read a little more on the ENFJ… yikes.

More Reflecting… Get Used to it, People.

Tony| Category: General, All about me, In the Reflecting Pool | 1 Comment

It turns out I’m tired of apologizing.  I’m tired of apologizing for who I am.  I am freely declaring that yes, in fact, I am a sensitive person.  I am male, and I give a crap about people and the world around me.  I wear my heart on my sleeve and when you have my loyalty or my love, you have it for a long time.  It’s why I have a hard time letting go of relationships; it’s why I’m so willing to be friends with almost anyone, in spite of what they may have done to me (perceived or based in reality).  And though it’s gotten me hurt more times than I care to admit,  it’s part of who I am.  If you finally manage to get and stay on my bad side (and there’s really only a very few people who have managed *that* trick) you stay there too.
Over the summer, I took a course in differentiation.  The teacher was a firm believer in having us get to know who we are before we could reach out and work with students. So we took some personality tests, multiple intelligence tests, etc.  Turns out that according to the Myers-Briggs test, I’m an ENFJ and reading it, it makes a lot of sense.  On the color spectrum, I’m a blue.  (These are pretty consistent with each other.)  Whether or not I ascribe to any or all  of this mumbo-jumbo, many points hit a little too close to home.

So anyway, I just wanted to put it out there, that yes, I do know that I’m sensitive.  It’s cool.  I’ve tried to develop a thicker skin over the years; hasn’t happened.  But it also makes me fairly perceptive to my friends’ needs.  So, if you need something from me, let me know.

Finally tonight, I think I found a instant-favorite blog for a person such as myself.  I already read Zen Habits, but I think I’m really going to enjoy Zen Moments.  I’m looking for more peace in my life, more inspiration, and this little corner of the Internet seems to be providing it.  Please read the post today– I dare you not to get a little emotional about it.  I know I did, and I’m tired of apologizing for it.

Serenity? Now? Finally?

Tony| Category: General, WTF?, All about me, In the Reflecting Pool | 1 Comment

I give up.

Friends, I’m about to tell you a quick true story that may illustrate a subtle shift in my personality.  While it may be a fluke of nature or a distortion in the space-time continuum, the following events transpired exactly as I am about to relate them to you.

After hauling my ever-so-slightly slimmed down self to the gym for a quick 60 minute workout today, I decided to cruise across my hamlet to the local Subway to grab dinner before settling in for a night of paper writing and grading. Along the way, I noticed the river being higher than I’ve ever seen in it the 20+ years I lived here and saw the efforts of a community coming together.  As I pulled into the Subway parking lot (also partially submerged) I checked my car stereo clock.  5:45.  Home by six, I thought.
I enter the store and see five people in front of me and only ONE sandwich artist behind the counter.  I took my place in line and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Gentle readers, you may not have run into me in awhile, or may have forgotten, but I am not the most patient person in the world.  With my students, sure, but that’s because they’re spastic and barely have control over their bowels, much less their mouths and impulses.  With grown-ups, I’ve been known to be a bit of ah, well, cranky jerkstore is a soft way of putting it.

I waited for 25 minutes at the Subway to get my sandwich.  You may be thinking that you could see my blood boiling, my neck turning red when I’m upset (watch for it next time, dead giveaway), and my eyes narrowed into slits the give the impression that I am truly the possessor of The Mighty Eye (see: Dakos, Kalli: poetry)

But here’s the thing: I wasn’t upset.  Not even close.  In fact, I was downright convivial with the lone slinger of sandwiches as she scurried to make me my oven roasted chicken breast on wheat.

So what the hell is wrong with me?  During my near half-hour of standing in the queue, I relaxed, did some breathing, and, I kid you not, thought about the things I was thankful for today.

And it felt good.

This is a trend I’ve noticed slowly overcoming me since the beginning of summer.  I’m now more content to take things at a measured pace.  I’m not always in a hurry to be somewhere (though if it involves football or consuming liquids… watch out) and in perhaps the most telling example of all- I Don’t Get To School At The Same Time Everyday.  For anyone that knows me, this is unheard of.  Is it a new leaf?  Is it a development of patience and rose-smelling?  Is it the slow realization that some things are out of my control and I can’t do anything about them so I might as well chill out?  NO ONE KNOWS.

I’ve been given some sort of serenity and I have no idea if it is permanent.  Spooky.
Stay tuned.

Potpourri

Tony| Category: General, All about me, In the Reflecting Pool | 2 Comments

An almost real blog post here.  I was gently reminded by one of the 2.142857 readers that I have that I haven’t blogged recently.  Been busy with life, making the most of each day, not writing about it. My bad.  Captain Marc was right, as usual.

Summer’s over, school’s started again, and I’m in full swing.  Between teaching, tutoring, trombone lessons, trivia, and jazz band, my weeks fill up pretty quickly.

I would love to talk about my love life, but that’s private.  And just recently non-existent.  Most of you know anyway, so my laundry stays in the giant pile in my closet, thank you very much.

Weight Update:  Down 21 lbs.  Don’t know how many weeks its been.  I recently restarted the whole exercise thing– 3 times last week, and plans for at least that many this week.

However, maybe because of the rain or because my recent tribulations in amorous relationships, I’m feeling rather maudlin today… maybe not the right word. Sensitive is probably a better one. I ran across this poem yesterday, at all places, Jimmy John’s.  And parts of it hit me like a ton of bricks.  Yes, it’s sappy and forward-like, but it shifted my perspective on a few things.  So, either stop reading and roll your eyes, or open up your heart/soul/mind and let the cheese flow all over you.  Either way, have a better day tomorrow than today.

/end weird rambling.

I Believe…

I believe-
that we don’t have to change friends
if we understand that friends change.

I believe-
that no matter how good a friend is,
they’re going to hurt you every
once in a while and you must forgive
them for that.

I believe-
that true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

I believe-
that you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.

I believe-
that it’s taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.

I believe-
that you should always leave loved ones
with loving words. It may be the last
time you see them.

I believe-
that you can keep going
long after you can’t.

I believe-
that we are responsible for what we do,
no matter how we feel.

I believe-
that either you control your attitude
or it controls you.

I believe-
that regardless of how hot and
steamy a relationship is at first,
the passion fades and there had
better be something else to take
its place.

I believe-
that heroes are the people
who do what has to be done
when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.

I believe-
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe-
that my best friend and I can do anything
or nothing and have the best time.

I believe-
that sometimes the people you expect
to kick you when you’re down,
will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe-
that sometimes when I’m angry
I have the right to be angry,
but that doesn’t give me
the right to be cruel.

I believe-
that just because someone doesn’t love
you the way you want them to doesn’t
mean they don’t love you with all they have.

I believe-
that maturity has more to do with
what types of experiences you’ve had
and what you’ve learned from them
and less to do with how many
birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I believe-
that it isn’t always enough to be
forgiven by others. Sometimes you
have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe-
that no matter how bad your heart is broken
the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I believe-
that our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe-
that just because two people argue,
it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other
And just because they don’t argue,
it doesn’t mean they do.

I believe-
that you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a
secret. It could change your life forever.

I believe-
that two people can look at the exact
same thing and see something totally.
different.

I believe-
that your life can be changed in a matter of
hours by people who don’t even know you.

I believe-
that even when you think you have no more
to give, when a friend cries out to you
you will find the strength to help.

I believe-
that credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.

I believe-
that the people you care about most in life
are taken from you too soon.

by Unknown

Making the Most of Each Day: Day 1 of 74

Tony| Category: General, In the Reflecting Pool | 2 Comments

I have 74 days until I go back to official school for the institutionalizing of teachers on August 15th.  It’s my goal to make the most of each day, in my own way. I don’t know where it will take me, but I want to be able to say that I enjoyed each and every one of my summer days.  This may get boring and inane to you, gentle readers, but it’s my part of the Internet, so suck it.

Today, on my first “official” day of summer, I went to my youngest sister’s bean bag tournament at her school. (Note to self: do this next year!)  I wasn’t paired with her and my partner was not what we could called motivated to win.  Still, after losing the first game of our double elimination tourney, we won four before losing to the teacher who set it up (and, incidentally, threw four in the hole in a row… tough to play against that…)

After that, I hit the Home Depot to pick up supplies for The Deflowering of the Kitchen. (sounds dirty… and it will be!). Tomorrow will start the process of trying to remove the wallpaper. I’m not in a hurry… I will be taking my time with it.  I’m very Zen about it right now.  We’ll see how I am in August!

Came back for lunch, a quick 30 minute nap, and then I did a short (35 min) cardio workout.  Hit the library, then tutored for 90 min.  Then I had a catch with Rich and played a little frisbee to run around just a bit more.  Checked on my flowers and tomato plants, watered some stuff so that it would rain tonight, and taught a trombone lesson. Finally, I grilled some chicken and enjoyed a beer on the patio.  It was a busy-ish day, but a good day.  We’ll see what tomorrow brings!

In Which We Get Less Fat: Weeks 8 and 9…

Tony| Category: General, All about me, In Which We Get Less Fat | 0 Comments

Just a slight setback, dear Internets. In the last two weeks, I’ve only managed to lose about a pound. Well, less than a pound. I was down further, but between Memorial Day and the Cubs (glug) Game on Sunday, let’s just say I wasn’t at my most vigilant when it came to eating. The great news is that I’m on summer “vacation” (which is funny, because I looked at my Google Calendar for the summer, and I have about two weeks interspersed where I don’t have anything going on. More on this in a different column in just a bit.

Total weight lost: 12.6 pounds. It will be about 14 next week, I hope! Goal: By the end of the summer, I’d like to be down 30 total. That gives me about 9 weeks to lose 16 pounds. That’s probably a little optimistic, but I think I’m training for a 5K on the 4th of July, and it’s time to get the bike out more regularly (I’m biking to work the next two weeks I have to go– the 9th and the 16th.) Also, I’m ready to work out everyday, if possible. (See my next post — Making the Most of Each Day– Day 1)

Summer is here. Time to enjoy it!

In Which We Get Less Fat: Week(s) Five, Six, and Seven…

Tony| Category: General, All about me, In Which We Get Less Fat | 1 Comment

Did you think I was giving up, dear Internets?  Did you think I was too scared to report my results (only partially true…) Did you think I was trying really hard not to make myself accountable to you?  No!

I would never forget you, sweet Internet fan base. All six of you are wonderful people.  And this way, you don’t have to listen to me blather on when we’re in person.  It’s a beautiful thing.

The last three weeks have been Crazy (Right Now) busy.  I will now catch you up in less than fifty words:

Derby was fun, wet on Friday, beautiful on Saturday.  Lost money, but went to Woodford Reserve Distillery.  Following week spent working off pounds gained from Derby weekend.
(Answer: Way OVER) This week: Sick, so working out didn’t really happen, except I ran a mile Thursday and biked to work today.  (50)

Currently, I’m still trying to catch up from super-busy school week.  This week should allow me to get my groove back in terms of exercise. The best thing that I’ve noticed over the last few weeks is that I actually MISS exercising.  That hasn’t happened in awhile, and makes me feel like I’m turning a corner, health-wise.  Now I just need to be more consistent with health and exercise– I’m looking at you, 12 oz. ribeye steak for Darci’s graduation last night (In my defense, I only had a bagel to eat before that yesterday.)

Tepid drum roll, please!

I stepped on the scale this morning (before my hour-long bike ride, thank you) and the results were… 12 lbs. down exactly.  So thanks the inability to eat a full meal this week until Saturday, I’m caught up and past where I was.  My current goal is to be down 20 lbs. by the Fourth of July, where I’m thinking of signing up to do a 5K.  Anyone want to join me?  You can come over for the July 3rd Warrenville Extravanganza Parade, spend the night (or go home) and then come on out to run early the next morning.  Then you can grill and eat tubular meats to your heart’s content! (or about 600 calories’ worth, which is about how much you burn in running 3 miles.)

Thanks for all the snack ideas for the Derby trip– we had trail mix, water, and beef jerky. They will be staples on any other road trips I do this summer!

Have a great week, y’all.

Longshot…

Tony| Category: General | 0 Comments

Thanks for the great suggestions in the comments section of yesterday’s post.  Keep ‘em coming!  Also, in the spirit of the weekend and its propensity for gambling, I put an over/under in the new poll.  Feel free to vote! (All votes are anonymous…)
Jerky, almonds, and grapes, here I come.

~TK~

In Which We Get Less Fat: Week Four

Tony| Category: General, All about me, In Which We Get Less Fat | 5 Comments

Good Morning, Tubes.

Success this week!  I worked out every day last week, including two sessions with the personal trainer, and two extended cardio sessions. The results?

Down 2.4 more pounds. Total weight lost: 9.4 lbs.

And now is where it gets hard.  Monday, I’ve got a personal training session, same with Tuesday.  Wednesday and Thursday I can only workout before school (which means only 35 min of cardio…)

And then, I’m going on vacation.  Thursday night, I’m leaving for Louisville and the Kentucky Derby.  It’s going to be a hard weekend of me fighting the urge to gorge myself on delicious KFC, or whatever it is they eat in the Bluegrass State. And the mint juleps and other assorted beverages one may imbibe on such a trip.  And the driving food. Suffice to say, I’m hoping for a lot of grilled chicken and far-away parking so I can do some walking.  Any suggestions of how to live through this minefield of a weekend would be welcome.  I know I shouldn’t set myself up for failure, but I expect to be up in weight this time next week.  We shall see!

Have a great week!

In Which We Get Less Fat Update: Week Three

Tony| Category: General, In Which We Get Less Fat | 2 Comments

Good Monday Morning, Campers!

Some numbers to throw at you:

It’s going to be 70 degrees today.  I’m sure it will be 12 by Friday.

Our trivia team scored 90 points last night, out of a possible 210.  We are in the cumulative last place among the competitive teams.  We do not rock.

My student council figured out that if one or two students recycle their water bottles (per classroom) every day at school, we are now recycling nearly 200 bottles per week that were getting put into landfills before we started the program. (Happy Earth Week!)

Oh yeah, the weight thing.  This past week, I worked out twice on Tuesday, cardio Wednesday, cardio and personal training session Thursday, personal training Friday, short cardio Saturday, and cardio and weights on Sunday.  Grand total of workout minutes for the week: approximately 310.

Weight loss for the week: .8 lbs.  Sigh.  I can tell I’m falling down on the weekends, and I’m slowly trying to curtail the habits.  This weekend was better than last weekend, so I will try to make the upcoming weekend even better.   I know I should feel good that weight is still coming off, but I want it to go faster!
Total weight loss in three weeks: 7 lbs.

On the good news front, I think I may be starting to feel like I’m in better shape.  I’ll let you know later if it is just from lack of sleep.  Until then, happy number crunching, Internets!

That Rumbling WASN’T My Stomach?

Tony| Category: General, Random, WTF? | 0 Comments

Just to join the flow of what I’m sure will be inane posts about “OMG, I totally felt that earthquake this morning!” I did, in fact, feel that earthquake this morning. I must have caught the tail end of it, because it wasn’t more than five seconds of my sleep-deprived brain trying to figure out what was before it was done. I slowly put my baseball bat down, shrugged, and went back to sleep. For twenty minutes, because then the alarm clock started going off. I turn on the tv, and lo and behold, us Chicagoans done felt us an earthquake. I turned the tv back off in 30 seconds because I didn’t want to hear the SAME story over and over again from people calling into the local news. (”I thought it was a rodent in the walls…” I tried to wake up my husband, but he said I was dreaming…” “My bed shook…” “I thought it might have been a ghost…”) And on. Do we really need to call these reports in? (Then again, do I really need to report them to you? How meta…)
Maybe I just woke up on the wrong side of the rumbling bed.

Maybe I realize what’s next: Zombies.

End of days. Do you have your water supply ready?

Happy Friday!

~TK, who’s only 75% kidding about the zombies

In Which We Get Less Fat Update: Week Two

Tony| Category: General, All about me, In Which We Get Less Fat | 1 Comment

Happy Monday Morning!

(Just a second, need to clean up the my self-loathing for that bit of cheerfulness when it’s still dark out and I’m on my way to school…)

This week, I did not work out as much, but I also paid a little more attention to my diet.  Cardio workouts on Monday, and Wed-Su. kept me honest, and an upper-body workout Thursday and lower-body workout on Friday kept me sore.

Results:

3.2 lbs. lost this week, 6.2 lbs. total.

Woot!

(Short post because I have to get to work.)

In theory, there will be some longer posts coming soon… titles include, but are not limited to:

Flights of Fancy and Fears Conquered

How Come You Haven’t Told Any Stories From this Year of Teaching?

The Direct Proportion of My Self-Esteem and How Well My Fantasy Baseball Team is Doing

Stage Fright

Your TiVo Misses You

But for now, all you get are those teasers.  Later.

In Which We Get Less Fat Update: Week One

Tony| Category: General, EAT, All about me, In Which We Get Less Fat | 2 Comments

After one week of fairly intensive workout (2 x 30 minutes, Mon-Sat., woo Spring Break!) and a week of mediocre eating (during the week I was fine, Fri. and Sat. I fell down a bit) the results of the Great Lose Weight Campaign of ‘08:

3 lbs.

I suppose I should be celebrating, but I felt like I worked out a lot more than 3 lbs.’ worth. There was a point (Friday/Saturday? morning) where I was down 6 lbs. (it was right after a workout and my morning business session, which I’m SURE you wanted to know…) and I tried to be fairly healthy. So this week, I’ll continue to workout (Monday, check. Wednesday, Thursday (with trainer), Friday (with trainer), Saturday and Sunday.) and try to be healthy. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.

Thanks for all the support!

Because My Bracket Was STINK-AY…

Tony| Category: General, Sports and Wine, Entertainment Tonight, Random | 0 Comments

Tip of the hat to MarK for this lovely nugget sent in today. It’s good to know that all was right in the world back in the nineties, instead of getting a Final Four where I can’t root for any underdogs. (Or my impotent Illini)

There’s a great collection of “song charts” in a pool on flickr here.

Happy Thursday!

In Which We Get Less Fat…

Tony| Category: General, All about me, In Which We Get Less Fat | 0 Comments

If you notice along the top of the page, you’ll see other pages for this site.  Today I took a BIG step and added one about weight loss.  Feel free to skip over there and keep track of how I’m doing.  Just be kind.

Well, at least something’s coming up differently…

Tony| Category: General, All about me | 2 Comments

In honor of spring, I’d like to announce the following…

My head has sprouted its first gray hair. (That I’ve found) Ever.

It’s a great welcome to the beginning of my fourth decade.

That is all.

GameSpot Video: Rock Band Stage Demo

Tony| Category: General, Entertainment Tonight | 1 Comment

GameSpot Video: Rock Band Stage Demo

OH MY GOD.  From the people that brought you Guitar Hero (and you know how I feel about that) so many more instruments.  Going to be pricey, and I’m going to need a PS3/Xbox 360.  Start saving money now– it’s going to be so worth it!

Hallo Amerika!

Tony| Category: General, I'm a travellin' man... | 2 Comments

Posting from Greece– Just wanted to let you know that the pictures from the first two days in Athens, uncategorized, untagged, are waiting for you at my Flickr account.
Spent 9.5 hours on a boat today around Milos. Many pictures of that, and Sifnos, to come, probably sometime Tuesday (my night, most of y’alls day)

Woot! Greece! Woot!

~T~