Auspicious start of my 41st year

First, gratuitous dog photo:



Loki running in the snow. He was running toward the door to get back inside after taking care of business. I guess he wanted to catch a few snowflakes on the way. Snow is a rare treat in these parts. Texas A&M will be delayed until 10:00 am tomorrow. This is assuming I even feel like going in at all. I celebrated my 41st on Sunday; in addition to some neat gifts, birthday greetings and hearing an excellent dharma talk, I got a cold.

I have plenty of sick leave and my work is not so terribly important that its worth infecting others.

Today, I felt like getting dressed and off the couch. Even stood on the porch to film the snow. Yesterday, it was bed or couch. The oddest thing about yesterday is that I channel surfed for hours and did not catch one bit of Law & Order, not even one little donk-donk. I made up for it today by watching part of an episode of Law & Order: SVU.

I tried to watch some Olympics because I've become rather fascinated by curling but all the NBC-Universal stations that my cable provider carries were acting up.

Would it kill NBC to have a commentator explain curling or at least provide a crawl with a definition of terms & how the scoring works? I suppose I could drag my laptop to the couch and look up this stuff while watching but I don't feel like doing that and what about the viewers without wireless networking?

I become fascinated by curling every four years because of the absurdity of the sport.

This blog got a shout-out from uuworld.org: the interdependent web.

Package v. Reality: the backlog

A backlog of package vs. reality. The backlog exists because the memory card in my cell phone that stores photos is a bit of a pain to remove from my phone. I will receive a new phone this month. Hopefully one with a more accessible card.

I actually ate these things for lunch. Not too much deviation between package and reality with this lot.

Amy's Bowls Santa Fe Enchilada - package:

Reality after microwaving:
Amy's is named for the daughter of the founders. They wanted good, easy to make organic food. I hope they do not feed their daughter the amount of sodium in their meals. Not as much as non-organic foods but still the numbers seem a bit high.

I'm slowly coming to realization that the only way to cut back my sodium intake is to prepare all my food myself. I found the time for exercise and tracking my calories so I should be able to find some time to prepare meals. The only sign I show so far of excess sodium consumption is slightly swollen ankles.

Lean Cuisine Traditional Roasted Vegetable Pizza - the package:

The reality:

Amy's Bowls Pesto Tortellini - the package:

The reality:

I take in 2,500 - 5,000 mg of sodium a day. The recommended max is 2,300 mg. My doctor noted the ankles and asked about my sodium intake.

Piss

I find the anthropomorphic piggy bank disturbing on several levels.

I took Loki to the vet for his annual check up. He received a clean bill of health and he is not overweight. 79.3 pounds. He will have to come back to the vet to receive a lepto booster. Apparently, lepto has made an appearance in Brazos County. It is a disease that dogs get from drinking stagnant water or eating things that squirrels have urinated on. I need to follow the advice of Mary Worth and EDUCATE MYSELF about lepto.

I'm fighting what I think is a minor UTI. I had to make two extra stops, one on the way to the vet and one on the way home. I drank four cups of cranberry juice. That stuff has more calories than Coke! 140 calories per serving and the two bottles had two servings. I also took some pills that provide relief and turns my urine into a shocking shade of orange.

Thanks to the cranberry juice I will go over my daily recommended amount of calories (1,980 - 2,330). That does not bother me. I hope my body made good use of all that cranberry juice.

I added the title after I realized the direction that this post was going.

You can make me feel better by admitting that you follow this blog and make my blog follower widget look less pathetic.

Doctors say the darndest things

Walter had a check up a couple of days ago. I saw the same doctor a few weeks ago to deal with something on my skin. This doctor doesn't see me as often as he does Walter.

My low heart rate (48 when I went to the doctor - 45 when the dentist checked a couple of weeks ago, normal is 60 - 80) came up as a subject of discussion with the doctor. He told Walter not to startle me when I'm at rest because it could lead to fainting. According to the doctor being startled leads to a sudden drop in blood pressure and heart rate and since both my blood pressure and heart rate are low, I'm vulnerable to fainting if startled. So I guess instead of telling me to sit down, I should run a few laps before receiving startling news.

I've been thinking about this too much for the past two days. Sort of bracing for something unlikely to happen. I know part of Walter wants to test the doc's assertion. I kind of want to test it myself. I haven't read any articles about runners having this problem.

I have an appointment to give blood on Friday. I will find out if the blood pressure is too low for the Red Cross. I have given three times since taking up running.

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Loki likes wearing his life jacket but he really does not care for riding in the canoe. I need to get a picture of him modeling his jacket. He did last 5 minutes longer than his previous trip but we won't do anymore canoe trips with Loki because it puts stress on both Loki and Walter. I wouldn't mind taking him on a camping trip if a safe place were available for him to be while we paddled around in the canoe. He loves to ride in the truck and play at the lake.

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Maybe Mary Worth has given up appearing in her comic strip for Lent. Wrong season in the real world but at the glacial pace that Mary Worth time moves it could be the Lenten season.

Not waiting for Godot

Leroy again demonstrates how well read he is. This allows him to deliver insults about Loretta's cooking beyond, this tastes like @#$!.

One of the male announcers for the gymnastics competition irritated me with his tortured metaphors and attempts to reference material he did not really know. Some of his commentary has been so awful that I wonder if he was simply reading what someone else wrote.

Waiting for a turn on an apparatus is nothing like Waiting for Godot. [Spoiler Alert!] Godot never showed up [end spoiler] but Shawn Johnson did complete her vault.

I did 45 sit ups last night for the Gold's Gym Games.

My dentist checked my blood pressure and pulse: 111/56 and 45.

Exercise Log: June 16 - 21

This week I walked, biked and ran 21.34 miles, burned 1879.7 calories and weigh 148 pounds. I took several days off work and did not go to the gym as much this past week. I still managed to meet my calories burned goal on SparkPeople.com.

Monday: walked .77 miles in 14:07
Tuesday: ran 3.24 miles in 35:00; biked .63 miles in 10:35
Wednesday: walked 1.53 miles in 29:15
Thursday: ran 3.38 miles in 35:00
Friday: biked 5.88 miles in 26:38
Saturday: ran 5.91 miles in 65:00

I had a bit of a scary moment during the Saturday run - I felt really chilly with 9 minutes left on the treadmill. I slowed down a bit and drank out of my water bottle more often. I did not feel dizzy or sick, just cold. It may have been a blast of the gym AC but I've never felt cold during exercise in the summer, even indoors. I stretched and went out to my car, I felt a bit of a chill but that was not unusual. That was just the breeze on wet skin. I took a cool shower when I came home, ate some yogurt and took a nap. I'm drinking more water - Ozarka Sport Vitamin Enhanced.

Next week's plan:
Monday - strength training and 10 minute row
Tuesday - 30 minute run
Wednesday - strength training and cycling 3 miles
Thursday - 30 minute run
Friday - strength training and 15 minute row
Saturday - 60 minute run

I need to check the date for the Harbor Half in Corpus Christi so that I can start training for it. This will be the first half marathon that I train for rather than relying on left over conditioning from marathon training.

My Spark Page for anyone interested in a more detailed look at my exercise, diet and other goals: http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=TOONHEAD

Running Log

This week I ran 20.58 miles, burned 2,594 calories and weigh 178.3 pounds. I'm a bit concerned about the general upward trend in my weight this year. I wonder if I can convince my doctor to run a thyroid test? I've got a few years of tracking my weight to back up my concerns. It's a small gain in the grand scheme of things but it has happened rather suddenly. Last year, I rarely topped 170. This year I rarely go below 175. I started 2007 at 167 pounds. I hope the doctor doesn't just dismiss it as just getting older. It would ease my mind to figure out what is going on here.

Monday: 30 minutes on the elliptical machine - 2.20 miles
Wednesday: 6.92 miles - speed work
Sunday: 10.21 miles in 2:10:14

Next week's training plan:
Monday: 30 minutes of easy running
Tuesday: weight training
Wednesday: Tempo Run, 7 miles, 4 miles @ 10:59
Thursday: rest
Friday: weight training
Saturday: rest
Sunday: 12 miles @ 12:31

Snow!?! WTF!?

The day before Easter and it's sleeting, snowing and 35 degrees F in south Texas. All this screwed up cold weather happened after Al Gore won the Oscar. I believe the cosmos decided to make Al Gore its bitch. The northeast U.S. received the brunt of the nasty cold weather. Thankfully, in the south, it will go away in a day or two.

I spent most of the day in bed snuggled under blankets. Visited the few garage sales open for business, ran at the gym and went to Doc Green's with Walter.

This week I ran 13.51 miles, burned 1692.2 calories and weigh 172.5 pounds. This weight gain bothers me. I might consult a nutritionist at Scott & White. I could exercise more but I have a life. I should do some serious meal planning. Both of us could benefit from a visit with a nutritionist.

Monday: 3.32 miles in 35:00
Wednesday: 2.34 miles in 25:00
Saturday: 5.89 miles in 65:00

I planned on running Friday but opted to take Loki to the park and the dog wash. The dog wash has a ramp leading up to the wash basin; a great feature if one has a dog that will walk up a ramp. I do not own such a dog. Loki can alter his weight at will but I can still lift him.

Now there is a strong man event I would like to see - the lifting a reluctant Bullmastiff into a tub event.

Have a happy Easter.

I beat my time goal (2:30:00) for the Armadillo Dash (2:23:XX) 1/2 Marathon by 7 minutes, according to the gun time. I was toward the front of the starting crowd so there might be a second or two between gun and chip.

It was a great day for a run. My cold did not affect my performance as much as I thought it would. I'm not sure what consequences I will pay later for running in cold weather and with a cold.

Right now, I'm a little stopped up and I have a sinus headache. My legs are a bit sore. Some Advil should take care of the sore legs and headache. I did have a nice long rest.

Seems a little surreal, running a long race and then coming home and sleeping in my own bed before noon.

About 1,000 runners participated in the races (5K and 1/2 marathon - 13.1 miles). That was 500 more than anticipated by the race directors. It shows that Bryan/College Station can support a long distance race and people want to participate. There were people from Austin and Houston and other parts of Texas running in this race and a few from other states. I hope this event gets bigger and better.

They ran out of medals by the time I crossed the finish line but I did get my shirt. I can get my medal later.

There is a local 10K in April (Run Through the Vines) that I want to participate in. I'm still thinking about an October marathon in Waco.

This week I ran 9.32 miles, burned 1127.3 calories and weigh 169.2 pounds.

Tuesday: 5.05 miles in 55:00
Thursday: 4.27 miles in 55:00

Tomorrow, I will be running in the Armadillo Dash 1/2 Marathon. There will be up to 1,000 runners. Not bad for a first time event. I hope the timing chip pick up goes smoothly.

My sinuses are still a bit stopped up. Mentally, I feel foggy. Running helps clear out some of the fog so I should be able to run tomorrow. I might have to re-evaluate my goal time (2:30:00); not run as fast as I intended.

I plan on resting and drinking lots of fluids today. May take Loki to the dog park. It is such a beautiful day.

I have a damn cold. Mostly sinus congestion. It shouldn't affect my affect my race performance too much this Sunday. I hope to feel much better by then. I'm not using all 8 cylinders right now.

Alice is my role model. I would prefer to use a blunt object rather than hurting my hands because my hands create such wondrous objects of beauty that - hey, the cold medicine kicked in. I wonder if beating an idiot's head would cause their underused neurons to fire? My higher truth knows that beating the willfully ignorant is best for me.

Dick joke! Dick joke on the comics page!

I find drawing hands challenging but I do work it out by using my own hands, visualization or asking someone for help. I can understand how the artist for Flight Deck can screw up the handshake. I do it quite a bit but I correct it when I figure it out or do something different if I can't get something quite right.

Enough with the exclamation points! This conversation is not that exciting! Stop shouting at each other! No, there's no irony! Just a dumb observation!

The irony is that Mary's higher truth is in direct conflict with every sane person's higher truth!

People come to Ella for advice, period! Mary, if you believe that what Ella dispenses is higher truth, then you have a damn shallow, meaningless existence! Go to a church, temple, synagogue, mosque, the woods or someplace far away from Charterstone and Santa Royale to gain some higher truth! Shit, yeah, I'm overusing exclamation points!

!

I walked 5,041 steps/ 1.91 miles yesterday.

Pickles is back with her foster mom. Isaac and Loki received their Christmas ham bones and are working on them.

Walter is sick. He is resting. He thinks its because of taking too much pain medication on an empty stomach. I made him some breakfast and he took some migraine medicine on a full stomach and he is sleeping. Hopefully, food and rest will do the trick. If not, I'm dragging his butt to the doctor.

The in-laws are coming Sunday afternoon. The house should be mostly clean by then. The rest will just have to be behind closed doors.

Today, I will start scanning all the cartoons that I have drawn this week. By my calculations a cartoon drawn in 2007 will appear on the website in February.

Here is a weird thought on the ex-presidents: Ray Charles and Ronald Reagan died less than a week from each other and Gerald Ford and James Brown died on the same day. Is the life of a soul singer linked to the life of an ex-president? Who will George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton take with them when they die? Would it be in Aretha Franklin's interests to monitor the health of our former U.S. Presidents?