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

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

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.

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

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.

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 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!

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.

Now You’ve Done It…

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

It started as a passing fancy. A lark, from Markalark, to be exact. A casual reference to it on The Colbert Report, an attempt to understand the generations after us. Really, it’s an investigation into social networking, social literacy, Web2.0 at its best/worst.I never meant for it to go even this far.

After a poker game during spring break, I was too amped to go to bed, so I started taking a serious (albeit bourbon-tinted) look at the wonderful world of MySpace. Yes, I created a profile. Yes, I started looking for friends. After my high school reunion, I keep wondering about what happened to the people I used to hang out with and talk to throughout my formative years. So little by little, they’re coming back into my lives. It’s quite stalkery, really, what with the ability to hop, skip, and jump from person to person, as I have little dawns of recognition at peoples’ names. For me, the journey of remembering what I’ve long forgotten seems to be the most interesting part.

My MySpace Goals started out like this:

1) See who was around from high school

2) See if I could track anyone down from college.

3) Observe to ascertain any correlation between age, intelligence and devotion to MySpace layouts. (Working theory; the younger/dumber you are [not necessarily younger AND dumber, it’s an and/or proposition], the more unreadable your MySpace page becomes. Remember, there are always exceptions to the rule)
4) Try to remain neutral, unafflicted, and “too cool” (translation: too old) to get sucked in.

And for a few weeks couple days, it worked.

But now? I’m on MySpace for about an hour a day, just looking around to see who’s out there. Suddenly, I spent a Saturday evening with my good friend Jim B., TLEMK, and Dev, cruising the vapid wasteland that is MySpace.

I hate it. I can’t stand the crappy layouts, the “hollas” at everyone and that STUPID SPARKLE GLITTER crap that every insane person on that site seems to have.

I can’t stay away from it. It’s so awful that I am irresistibly drawn towards it (Insert cliches #1 and #2: Like a moth drawn to the flame. Like a car crash that you can’t look away from. /end cliches).

I even went so far as to put a layout on it last night. And then reason took over and said:

NO.

You cannot do this. You cannot spend time judging people for using ALL CAPITAL LETTERS WHEN THEY LEAVE A COMMENT SO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE BEING SHOUTED AT THE ENTIRE TIME. It’s unfair, because these people you know are decent human beings. It’s just so easy to have a visceral reaction to grammatical errors, lack of coherence, and the inability for people to understand that they shouldn’t use background images that don’t scroll well or integrate with your type makes it almost impossible to read. In the immortal words of Stuck’s reminders on his phone, I need to “Be a better person.”
I am clinging to the hope that these pages are not representations of the entire mind, body, and soul of the people on them. That they’re just the way that people let loose and have fun. Because, at the risk of sounding old and curmudgeon-y, I think the next generation is screwed if this is the best they can do. I will remain the optimist and try to see the benefits of MySpace, and believe that everyone is just having fun, and it is no way indicative of future performance in the real world. (For the record, I do have a Facebook account too, but it’s not nearly the guilty pleasure of MySpace.)

Besides, blogs are so passe and passive, right?

Gotta go and see if I have any new friend requests.

Gambling, Rambling, and Fambling: Return of the Ebjournal (Now with Improved Witticisms!)

Tony| Category: General, Sports and Wine, School Daze, Entertainment Tonight, All about me, Home Improvement | 1 Comment

So.

Well, I finally made it back, 2.857142857142857 readers. The following post contains ramblings and a catch all for my life over the past three months. Suffice to say, it’s been busy. Without further ado, I give you possibly the most disconnected post written by a contributor to this site ever.

SO…Taguchi.

Baseball starts tonight. My fantasy team is drafted, Frank the Tank and Siberian Baseball have made their predictions, and it’s almost time to mow the lawn. My glove is in the trunk, screaming to be let out. Maybe now that we’ve settled into the house, I can think about playing for beer league or something. It would be a lot of fun to get involved on a softball team. For the record, I predict the Cubs will finish third in the NL Central behind the Brewers (1st) and then the Cardinals (2nd) and the Sox will finish second behind the Indians in the AL central. My fantasy team, is again, young, but filled with potential. Pitching will be a problem, but I have enough young outfielders that I’ll be able to make some good trades later in the year.
Sew…A wedding dress.

Two Fridays ago, I attended my brother-in-law’s bachelor party. Two important things were learned by yours truly that evening:

1) I can still bring it. I was up for twenty-five hours and still managed to drive myself home. (Pay no attention to the fact that I confined myself to the bed/couch for the rest of the afternoon/evening…)

2) Traveling with cops gets you a lot. (My bro and his best man are both newly-minted agents of good.) We did not pay a cover charge at any establishment we attended. That saved a lot of money that I was then able to funnel into Lou’s mouth in the form of shots. Good times.

A good portion of spring break was spent discussing gambling and partaking in small bits of it. Wednesday night I had the boys over for a poker game, since I’m apparently the only one able to organize these things, and I got my money back after getting lazy and not paying attention to Marc and his pocket bullets. C’est la vie.

I also did some gambling at Elgin’s finest boating establishment. It took 90 minutes, but I finally managed to lose only $40. It looks like the casino is not going to have $5 craps tables anymore, and since I’m not getting any richer, I had to adjust my strategy for the $10 tables. (Playing only the point, and placing the six/eight seems to be the way to slowly bleed my money instead of instantly losing it.)

This past Friday was the wedding. We now have one more member of our family. She seems like she’ll keep my brother-in-law focused, so that’s a good thing. Congrats to both of them. Seeing all of TLEMK’s family was also enjoyable. Her mother’s side is predictably fun and kooky, and her dad’s side is predictably Greek. You may interpret how you will– feel free to ask TLEMK and Dev to their re-enactment of V’s grandpa and friends having a discussion…

Sow…I reap what I sow.

As you know, we’re in month seven of the House Reclamation Project Which We Will NOT Call a Money Pit Just Yet Project. So far we’ve repainted the exterior (as in, hired someone) and have slowly redecorated it to match our tastes. It’s going slowly, but now that I’m done with grad school (see below) I have a little window in which I can learn to be a real man/homeowner/Mr. Fix It type. There’s a honey-do list about mile long on the fridge that we need to have done in time for the 67th annual McIntosh Family Reunion (appearing in mid-to-late July) which in a moment of insanity, we agreed to host.

Apparently, one thing that’s not on the list that will be added is this wonderful discovery we made over Spring Break:

We need a new roof.

We’ve got curling shingles, pitted shingles, shingles missing, and a lovely collection of pieces of asphalt sprinkling our back patio. We’re getting estimates this week, all the while I keep hoping and praying that it doesn’t rain too much, and that the wind will calm down. (Yeah, I know it’s spring… I just was hoping for a calmer spring.) I know it’s an investment, and I probably won’t have to get a new roof for another 15-20 years, but I was hoping to establish an emergency fund BEFORE we had to start using it.
So…that happened.

I am DONE with my master’s thesis and my classes. I’ve decided not to walk in the graduation ceremony because I don’t think I would be able to keep my mouth shut and would start spewing invectives directed and the entire University. I don’t think they would appreciate that. The last few weeks of my grad school experience was filled with a lot of nights of staring at the computer and going, “Where does this comma go? Should I write that? Should I use italics here? CRAP!” I am happy it’s over, and sadly, already thinking about my next stage of professional development. For those of you that had “ELL endorsement” you are the winner. We’ll see when that starts.

So… there you go.

I’ve had many different topics to write about, but they’re all half-formed ideas, so you got this rambling, gambling, and fambling post. It’s good to be back writing, but I expect the rust to continue for a few more weeks. Topics I didn’t even touch:

My STINKY brackets

Which is ballooning faster? My waistline or my self-defense mechanism? (’You don’t look that bad. Yet. Keep sucking it in.”)

Planning for Greece, planning for the reunion, planning for everything.

Why I allow television to rule my life. (If you don’t watch Friday Night Lights, please do so. NBC.com has all the episodes to watch for free, and Frank the Tank and the Chicago Tribune made an impassioned plea to bring it back next year. End commercial.)

More house crap.

Anyway, I’ll talk to you soon, Internet.

No, you say bye first.

No, you say bye.

Okay, I’m hanging up right now.

You didn’t hang up!

Bye.

(image courtesy of the Associated Press.)

An Exercise in Irony and I Wanna Quit the Gym

Tony| Category: General, WTF?, All about me | 4 Comments

(With apologies to TLEMK and Mrs. Zigzag, I *think* this is irony. Then again, I can’t even spell teriffic terrific right now.)

Though you may not know it by looking at me, especially in the last two weeks, I do get to the gym at least once or twice a week. Four times if my swimsuit competition is coming up (Wow, the WHOLE Internet just shuddered.) I get used to finding parking at certain times of day, knowing how busy it’s going to be during the peak times, and how to work the system of the entire “going to the gym” experience. In other words, I had good schema for the gym.

My schema is in disequilibrium now after the events I saw at the gym on Wednesday evening. I wasn’t around for the New Year’s blitz last year; apparently people make resolutions about being less fat and more healthy and blah blah blah. I had no idea they REALLY meant it for the first week. As I pulled into the mega-complex that is Lifetime Fitness, I noticed men in yellow jackets hanging around the front of the gym. They brought a sign, which was very helpful. It said, “Complimentary Valet Parking.”

Seriously? WTF? Casting aside for a moment that there really wasn’t very much parking available (I had to park in the back parking lot of the building, which I didn’t even know existed) YOU’RE GOING TO THE GYM. Why would you need someone to park your car for you? Wouldn’t you want the exercise of actually walking into the gym? Are we that lazy as a society that we can ONLY work out in the safety of our brethren sweathogs on our beloved ellipticals? My God.

Then I felt a little guilty. What if there’s a little old lady that needs to go to rehab her ankle after a disastrous Christmas tree episode? Then I thought, NOPE. We’re just that lazy. No Super-Mom worth her salt is going to stop the car outside the door, unpack her three children and Cheerios and hand the keys to the smirking valet,just so she can get in two extra minutes at the gym. Anyway, this sealed the deal for me as to why I wanna quit the gym.

Oh, I’m not quitting exercising. But right now my resolutions of “Get less fat, get more fit” and “Save money, idiot” are at opposites because of the gym. They’re charging us $100 a month to go in and use their elliptical machine. I guess it would be different if TLEMK or I used their classes, locker rooms, rock wall, basketball/squash/bungee jumping court, spa, childcare, pool, massage therapist, birthday party, yoga, or papier-mache classes, but we’re not. Some quick investigating reveals that I can go to my local community center and work out for $275 dollars a year. For both of us. Take that $900, Greece fund! Even if I hate it, I can still get the exercise of WALKING TO THE GYM (it’s three blocks away), buy an elliptical at home for $600, still pocket the extra $300. The good news is that because so many people are joining the gym right now at SuperMegaLoLifetime, they didn’t even blink when we said we were quitting. So much easier than a Friends episode.

Happy weekend!

Review the Resolutions and Setting New Ones…

Tony| Category: General, All about me | 0 Comments

Bwah? A real post? Of course! It’s time to define my goals for the year, and try really hard to make them realistic.

Last year, I made several resolutions both in the personal and professional realm… let’s look back and see how I did….

2006 Resolutions:

Professional:

1) Keep working on being organized. Every year, at least according to TLEMK, I’m getting better about it, but I still need MORE. — Yes, I still need to keep working on it.
2) Figure out a way to integrate myself more into my staff without sacrifice my professional philosophy. Lofty, eh? — Not sure how I did on this. More thoughts in May.
3) Get back to my roots: plan more, execute better, and see things more long range in terms of curriculum. And you thought I just cut out construction paper and made bulletin board displays. — I know more about theory and research this year, but the practical stuff is still tricky. I’ve come so far in seven years, but I know I can do much better.
4) Stay focused, and make the most of my time.– I think I’ll always be working on this one.
5) Get the kids to learn one new piece of technology this year… — this I did. We are making posts on our classroom website, and I also introduced Keynote to them last spring (the Apple version of Power Point).
Personal:

1) Be less fat. Time to get back to work on that bet with Zigzag

I think we’re revamping this. We’re yo-yoing too much. For the record, I was only 14 pounds down for the year, and that fluctuated in a range from 7-21 pounds.

2) Look into Netflix, and see if I can make it worthwhile. — Didn’t do Netflix. Turns out I watch too much tv and sports, and I go to the regular movies instead. May carry over to this year, but
3) No more library fines. Easy way to save literally $100 dollars. (Yes, I had at least that much last year. 10 cents/day x 30 books = 3 dollars a day, times a week overdue= 21 dolllars. Just for being a week overdue.) - I did really well with school books this year. However, my personal books from the library suffered this year. I think I did slightly better. This year, I have no excuse because I can WALK to the library now.
4) Continue being a wonderful, loving, handsome, responsible husband. - NAILED IT!
5) Buy a house. — DONE AND DONE. Now if I just figure out how to keep it from sucking ALL of my hard-earned money away.
So overall, I did alright on the resolutions. I think some are just not set as goals— way too vague. I need defined, able-to-be-measured goals that I can track progress on. With this in mind, I give you the New! Improved! 2007 Resolutions:

Professional:

1) Continue to work on being on top of things. Though this may surprise some of my co-teachers and friends, I get compliments from parents all the time on how organized I am. Here are some things I will do weekly to continue to improve my organization:

a) Use the checklist I developed last weekend — I am used to making the same to-do list over and over again, usually on a scrap of paper. I finally worked up a table that uses the same things I need to do every week, and room for extra tasks.

b) Use planning periods and before/after school for work-related business. What, you never surf the Internet at work? What are you doing right NOW?

c) Try to be less lazy about recording grades, and other management pieces. This means keeping things filed correctly, and actually seeing the bottom of my basket once a week.

2) Collaborate more. I need to make sure I am offering ideas to my colleagues and not isolating myself. I need to keep reminding myself that just because the methods of teaching are different doesn’t mean that my fellow educators don’t have the same goals in mind. This also means I can’t be as paranoid.

3) Use the parents more. This year, I’ve got a parent in charge of book orders, but I need to get them in the classroom for the mundane routines, not just the big projects and chaperoning.

4) Continue to incorporate technology into the classroom. Digital photos and blogging. More please!

There is a secret hidden resolution that I will reveal at a later date… it’s like you don’t even know that it’s there.

Now, onto the personal ones:

1) Duh. Get less fat. I hope to have five-to-seven percent lost by Spring Break, with ten percent of my body weight lost by the beginning of summer. Good luck with that. However, I did work out more in the last year than I have previously. I also ran a 5K. This year, I hope to run three 5K’s– one around Easter, this summer, and another Turkey Trot. This time I hope to get in under 30 minutes.

2) Be more fiscally responsible. This is the hard one for this year, even more than losing weight. What I need to do is track the money that we’re spending. We are going to Greece this summer, and I need to hold myself more accountable for the money that leaks out of my wallet, for silly things like happy hour, or chipping in when people don’t pay enough money, or waiting til the last minute to get supplies and then over-spending. This goes back to the whole planning ahead of time idea mentioned in my professional goals.

3) Try to post a little more regularly. It’s gotten bad— so much so, you may not even be reading this right now.

That’s enough for now. I’ll keep some to myself and update you, Internet, on them later.

Happy New Year!

Are We There Yet?

Tony| Category: General, Sports and Wine, All about me | 4 Comments

There are two types of running that I’ve noticed in my time here on this lonely planet; there are those people who are running to run, i.e. for fun/physical activity, and there are those people who are running to get some place. (As in, they’re late, they’re trying to catch a bus, or saw a UFO, and are calling the tabloids.) I’ve rarely fallen into either category, preferring to be in the third category, Those Who Make Fun of People Who Run.

“That person? Running to run.  That one, running to get somewhere…  That one, feeling the ground shake as they plod by…”
One of the many reasons that I haven’t been blogging lately is because I’m afraid of you, Internet.  The truth is, I’ve been “training” for a 5K.  I didn’t want to tell you in case I decided I couldn’t do it, or I failed miserably. Yes, running.  Even though God told me not to.  I started way back in August, (the 7th, to be exact) and the results have been mixed. I was doing really well on the treadmill.  No, really.  Ask Zigzag, he watched me.  I haven’t really lost any weight, but I think I’ve traded fat in for muscle, so it’s hard to tell. I certainly feel in better shape.  I’ve been using a great program entitled “Couch Potato to 5K.” I was up to running 2.5 miles in 25 minutes, with no walking (again, on the treadmill, where you have to run, or are forced to do the desperate lunge for the change-of-speed button.)  In case you were wondering, the farthest I’ve ever run is the 200 yards I once ran to chase down the ice cream man. Then I tried to run outside.  I even bought fancy new running shoes for them. (It was so hard not to laugh at the clerk who sold me the shoes when she said, “Now, these shoes are good for about 500 miles…” To which I thought in my head– “These are the last pair of running shoes I may ever buy…”  Nevertheless, I kept trying.  It’s probably hard for many of you to understand; I’ve NEVER been a runner. I like to bike, I love to play sports, but running has never been anything I do voluntarily. I’d rather wait for the next bus. My sibs however, have been participating in a running club at their elementary school, and have run two 5k’s since October. Also, four of them are great runners. The same four runners decided to run with me at the 5K I signed up for (on Thanksgiving morning). They had been running the three miles in around the 23-25 minute range. And yes, none of them are even in middle school. So they are natural runners.
It can best be summed up through a conversation I had with my sister Tsigereda the day before the race:

“Just so you know, Tsigereda, I won’t be able to keep up with you on Saturday. I run like a buffalo.”

“What is that?” (remember, she’s been in the country less than a year…)
“A buffalo?  Well, it’s like a big cow, only usually dark brown, and really hairy…”

(Commence massive giggling fit from my sister…)

Thanksgiving morning came, and I was really psyched. I was going to run. I was going to be great. I was going to try really hard not to walk at any point.

I ran for two miles straight. I then took two minutes off to walk, then ran another nine-tenths of a mile, walked for a minute, and finished strong. If I had known how close we were to the finish, I probably wouldn’t have walked the second time.  Oh well. I finished in 32 minutes and change; respectable for my first time out, and for never having run more than a mile for time.  I felt great afterwards– it’s probably something I’ll do again, but I need to train outside a lot more, and probably more than once a week like I did the last month of my “training.”  I was thankful to have friends running with me; thanks to Marc and Waj for pacing with me for the first two miles.

And of course, the real reason I wanted to run on Thanksgiving Day was so that I could gorge myself that afternoon. Which I did, with gusto.

Overall, it was a great experience.

Tomorrow, my thoughts on the end of the Larry Coker Era at Miami.

Ten YEARS!

Tony| Category: General, School Daze, Unfortunately Serious, All about me | 2 Comments