Boo

This works for me. I've been doing the meal window plan for the better part of three years now. I eat a good breakfast after my morning workout. I prefer working out in a fasted state. During the day, I will eat a very light lunch. More of a healthy snack. This afternoon I had a couple of turkey roll-ups. Dinner fluctuates from night-to-night, but I've been going a bit lighter of late. When the hot weather settles in, my appetite decreases. I've slimmed down a bit recently in spite of my workouts being slowed by an injury. Finding what works for you is the tough part. After that, it's smooth sailing.

That was a good movie. About time to pull out my copy and watch it again. Bruce Dern had a small but memorable role in Hang 'Em High as well. "You ain't ever gonna get me to Fort Grant alive, boy." "Then I'll get you there dead...boy."

It gets old doesn't it. Decide to quit. Quit for a bit. Start smoking again. Hate smoking. Decide to quit again... It is a repetitive and exhausting cycle. The good news is: you can stop it for good. You already have two smoke-free months under your belt. Momentum is in your favor. You can put this all behind you by adhering to the one incontrovertible rule of quitting: DON'T SMOKE!

She enjoys being spoiled and we enjoy spoiling her. It's a win/win situation.

Maddie loves penguins. It was a stormy Sunday here, so we went down to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. Maddie enjoyed watching the fish and turtles. She wasn't even put off by the sharks and alligators. She didn't care for the lemurs much. One of them jumped on the fence right in front of us and it spooked the little gal a bit. Then we got to the penguin display. She lit up immediately. She would point and say: "DAT!" She laughed. She clapped. She would turn and look at me and Sugar Britches then point at the penguins; wanted to make sure we weren't missing anything. When one of the penguins swam right by where we were standing, she let out a squeal that got everyone's attention. Most folks like penguins, but I've never seen anyone so overcome with joy by them. On the way out, we passed through the gift shop. There's always a gift shop. Bought a life-size plush penguin and the annual family membership plan. We'll be back.

To be fair...I did warn you that I was coming in hot. Seriously though, that must have been quite the shock. Hate to hear about the property damage, but we're all relieved that you weren't injured.

The temperature here had already reached 90 degrees at 11:30 a.m. Then a co-worker says to me: "It's supposed to get really hot by the end of the week." Tennessee is home, but I here Alaska is nice this time of year.

Good job Amy. Congratulations.

Bingo. You captured the essence of addiction with that one sentence. You're doing great Steven. Good job.

I've worked around the achilles situation this week. Gradually doing more leg work until I feel comfortable getting back to squatting and deadlifting. I did a few laps up and down a steep hill behind my house every morning. Just walked it early in the week and have now added a weighted backpack for resistance. I got into rucking a few years ago and, for whatever reason, just kind of forgot about it. I'm definitely going to make it a part of my routine again. Looking at spending some time this weekend with a pick axe, pole saw, and fire rake cleaning up new foot trails on the hill. During my upper body strength work, I rediscovered the barbell pullover. Again, an exercise I've done in the past that I shelved along the way. It's a great lift that works the upper back, shoulders, and chest. Also gives a nice bit of thoracic extension and scapular retraction. Two things that most, if not all of us, could use more of in our life. If there's an upside to injury, it would be that it forces us to scramble a bit and get creative.

Great job Paul. Congratulations. Thanks for being one of the quitters who showed the way to those of us that followed your path.

Toorah, Loorah, Toorah, Loorah, Ay!

I'm not typically the sensitive type. However, I was a bit offended when a friend of mine said: "Boo's the kind of guy that buys his clothes at the hardware store." That hit a little close to home. I did buy my favorite jacket at Ace Hardware. It keeps me warm on cold days. It keeps me dry on rainy days. It fits like a glove...What more could you want from a jacket? The catwalks of Milan and Paris will just have to wait.

Yep.

Feeling more trendy and hip than usual. I've reached that point in life where by the time I hear about a trend, it's already falling out of fashion. However, with lumber supplies low and prices rising folks on the interwebs are looking into "recycled wood." Hip urbanites are figuring out how to build furniture using old pallets. I've been using old pallets to build things for a couple of years now. And I have access to a bunch of pallets. While I recognize it is a fleeting thing, I'm enjoying temporarily feeling like a cool guy.

Good job Kris. Congratulations. Commence with the celebration.

Welcome aboard the Train John. Taking your life back is always a good call. You've dealt with adversity. You committed to a goal of losing weight and been successful with that. You can absolutely quit smoking. We know you can, it's important that you know you can. Looking ahead at quitting smoking can be more stressful than the quit itself. It's like a hiker standing at the base of a mountain. The mountain looks imposing, perhaps even insurmountable from a distance. Then he starts the journey and finds it to be a series of smaller challenges: a climb here, a scramble there. He keeps moving, putting challenges behind him, and eventually he reaches the summit. The view from the top makes the climb worth it. The process of quitting will challenge you, but it will reward you many times over.

I can typically follow a cartoon that involves animal mating rituals. Exhibit A:

I shouldn't even admit to this, but I had to look at that one a few times. Then it hit me: oh, she's a mermaid. She used to date a shark. It's Monday. I'm a little slow on the uptake today.

Might be getting a little ahead of myself here, but I have been looking online at sit-on-top kayaks for kids. The age range they suggest is 4-8 years-old. I'll probably buy one for her before she turns four; let her grow into it and get comfortable in the pool. I had to promise Sugar Britches that I would wait until Maddie is at least five years-old before we start learning things like: bracing, eddy turns, spins, and peel-outs. I wonder if Michael Phelps ever had to share a pool with a dog that loves to jump in the water and retrieve tennis balls?

I'll gladly chuck 60,950 coffin nails on the pyre.