Don't look here

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It's not here anymore ... it's here.

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It's time for change

I've struggled the past year to write anything on this blog. And while it may sound like a goofy reason, part of it has to do with the name ... The Dead Dog Blog. I just don't like it ... never really have been that wild about it. I know, I know ... you're thinking, "You're the one who named it!" Yeah, it was probably really late at night, too.

It made sense ... at first. But then it stopped making sense. I would come up with a topic to write about and then would talk myself out of it because it didn't sound like something that would be on a blog called The Dead Dog Blog.

Then I found through one of my random (albeit, self-serving) Google searches that there were other blog sites that had Dead Dog in the name. One is actually about a dead dog. Yuck. It made me think that perhaps I was losing a bunch of readers due to the confusion. Just think ... if just one of the followers of my blog went to the wrong site, I would lose one-third of my reader base. I can't take that kind of hit.

Of course, the trouble is trying to find a name/title that hasn't been used. There are more "Brian's Blog" than you can swing a dead cat at (my apologies to all of my cat-loving followers ... it's just a saying ... dang, I've now alienated a third of my reader base again). Jack Handey already has the "Deep Thoughts" franchise sewn up (hey ... if Johnny Depp had a blog would it be called "Depp Thoughts"? ... that was random ... that's how my mind works).

ANYWAY ... where was I? ... oh yeah ... new name. I don't want to end up like Dillon Edwards Investments when it comes to naming (look it up ... unless you blush easily ... then don't) so I've done my due diligence on Google and have finally settled on a new title for my blog.


I like new starts. I always like the beginning of the year, the start of football season, the launch of a new business, the excitement of a new car (even if it's just new-to-me), or a new bike route ... heck, I even like babies, puppies, and kittens. They all represent life to me. And that's what IT is all about ... finding new life.

So that's what I'm doing. I'm saying goodbye to the Dead Dog Blog and finding new life in my new blog ...

Until then ...

bb

Blogging and Cheese Nachos

So I haven't blogged in about a year.

• Excuse #1 .... ummmm
• Excuse #2 .... so, ummm
• Excuse #3 .... I got nothin'

I'd like to have this grand excuse about all the cool things I've been doing and time just wouldn't permit me to write it all down.  But that's not the case.  The truth is ... I'm just not a good blogger.  I don't have good ideas with any regularity so I find that my blogging would be inconsistent at best (probably like a year in between posts).

You're probably thinking, "Ah, but something has inspired him to start again," and you would be incorrect.  I have no inspiration.  The bulk of my thought processes go to things like "I wonder if there's enough cheese for a plate of nachos" or my sermon preparation.  Either of those would likely bore you to tears.

I'm not a thinker of great thoughts ... I'm an accumulator ... I process what other people say.  And even then I tend to mangle it when I try to repeat it.  I think I've come up with about three original, repeatable quotes in my life and for the life of me I can't remember what they were.

BUT ... my wife ... now there's a thinker.  I've refused to argue with her for 25 years of marriage because she thinks too well.  There's no way I could win (and we all know that arguing in marriage is all about winning).  She has this keen ability to read or listen to someone and walk away from it and go, "Here's what was said in a nutshell and here's how I think it might apply to me."  Whereas I'm more like, "Umm, yeah what he said was really good ... hey I wonder if there's enough cheese for a plate of nachos."

Don't get me wrong ... I don't think I'm stupid ... I just process differently than she does.  I have to study it ... find the context ... examine the history ... etc.  By the time I'm done "The Effects of the Cotton Gin on the Current Generation" is no longer a trending topic.  I'm usually a day or two late to the conversation.

All this to say ... check out my wife's new blog.  She thinks and causes me to think and dare I say, will cause you to think, also.  So, to all three two of my followers (she's the third), go read her blog.  Engage in conversation -- she loves that.  

Love. Peace. Nachos

bb

I'm back ... but not all of me

Whew!  It's been a while.  Just let me say, life gets crazy busy sometimes.  Let's see ... since my last post (where I figured out I am actually mortal) Erin finished her first year of college ... we spent a weekend in the Palomino Palace in Fayetteville, AR for a bike race ... Erin moved back home for the summer ... Luke graduated high school ... Dylan played another show ... Luke enrolled in college ... we've gone round and round with AT&T about our cell phone service (don't get me started) ... and Sherrie and I have been along for the ride.  I've felt (and maybe even looked) a bit like Crazy Harry from the Muppet Show.

I have so much to write about that I don't know what to write about ... ever had that problem?  I think that's what they call "being overwhelmed".  Apparently this time of year can do that.  Cycling season, Triathlon season, Wedding season (no ... not anyone in our family ... just three to officiate in the next -6-8 weeks), Youth Camp season, etc.  It can wear a man out.

In the meantime, I have been working out like crazy to be in better shape before my first tri of the year.  I've been putting in 4-5 hours a week of swimming, cycling, and running.  I'm just a little over a week away from the OCCC Super Sprint Triathlon.  When I decided to try triathlons 2 years ago, this race was the first one I entered.  So I'm anxious to compare my fitness now to then.  I've shaved about 10 minutes off of my 5K time since then so I think I'll do alright.

Even with all of the busyness I've stuck with my weight loss plan.  MyFitnessPal has kept me on track and I am thankful.  Back on March 31st I announced my goal of being under 200 lbs for my first tri of the season.  In my last post (about 5 weeks ago) I weighed in at 202.  Well, after many miles and hours of sweat and exercise, I now weigh ........  (are you ready?)
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It's been a loooooong time since I've seen a 1 at the beginning of my weight.  It's hard to pinpoint but I think this is the lightest I've been in 19 years.  Shortly after Erin was born I went from working construction to sitting at a desk and working on computers.  It took a toll.  It has taken 19 years to get back to where I once was ... but thankfully it's not all of me.

Sleeker and lighter,

bb

P.S. -- my new goal ...... 180 by Labor Day

The Descent to Mortality

I've been coming to grips with my own mortality ... no, I'm not dying ... other than the natural process ... just realizing that I'm mortal.  It's been happening for a while ... aches and pains in the morning that I didn't have the night before, getting up to pee in the middle of the night, alternating from glasses-on to glasses-off to see things at different distances ... you know -- stuff old people complain about.

My final descent into mortality took place yesterday .  I've been pretty computer savvy for a number of years ... worked in the IT field for about 12 years, did some consulting, and have been the on-call tech support for friends, family, and the fire department.  But I've noticed recently that technology keeps getting a little further ahead of me each day.  People ask me questions about their computers and I have shrug my shoulders and go, "Hmm ... I don't know."  Anyway, we've been looking for a new computer for the tech booth at church.  I've searched website after website trying to find the right one.  Finally, yesterday, I did what I swore I'd never do ... I walked into Best Buy and bought one off the shelf.  I even asked for help.  I felt humbled when I walked out of that store ... a little more like your average human being. 

As I said, that was my final descent ... a couple of other things that have pulled me down to earth ...
3. Video games -- I grew up with Atari and Intellivision ... I really thought I'd be one of those cool dads who would keep up and could whoop their kids in video games.  Alas, the descent started.
2. Wrestling, sparring, etc with my boys -- let's face it, they're faster, more limber, and in better shape than I am.  I can't keep up.  I'm not super-human ... dangit!  The descent accelerated.
1.  The aforementioned trip to Best Buy -- SMACK! Descent complete.

For those of you old enough to recognize you're not "all that" anymore ... what were the three points on your descent to mortality?

On the bright side, there's still some life left in me and I plan on doing my best to suck the marrow out of it.  So here's my progress this week ...

Decent week of working out.  If I can workout at least four hours a week I think I'll be alright.

This is the best part ...

3.5 pounds, baby!  I know I can't do that every week, but it's sweet when it happens.  3 more to meet my goal of being under 200 before my triathlon in June ... 22 more to hit my goal for this year.

I'll leave you with some words from wise King Solomon ...
"It is a gift from God to be able to eat and drink and experience the good that comes from every kind of hard work." ~ Ecclesiastes 3:13

Blessings!

A mere mortal

The "D" word

A man once said, “Discipline is remembering what you want.”  I kind of agree with him, though I think I would change it to "Discipline is working for what you want."  I'm very capable of remembering without doing.  It's discipline that makes me get my butt up off the couch to do.

It's been a while since I've really demonstrated much discipline in my life outside of family, job, and church.  Those are kind of like automatics for me ... like breathing or blinking ... you just do them because it's part of your life.  But developing discipline in other areas is a whole nuther deal.  You see, I'm not a disciplined cyclist ... I'm a convenient cyclist.  I'm not a disciplined triathlete ... I'm a convenient triathlete.  

So I've been working on being more disciplined and here's what I've found ... I don't like it.  I like the results, but I don't like having to set boundaries or work too hard to achieve my goals.  I want it to come easy.  I want to lose weight without having to watch what or how much I eat.  I want to be faster without doing the drills that help make me faster.  I want to be well read and current without having to read.  There ... that's the ugly truth about me.

I think this whole discipline issue bleeds over to other areas of our lives ... both the lack of it and the cultivation of it.  So recently I have become more disciplined with my exercise, more disciplined with watching what I eat, and more disciplined with my spending.  That's not to say that I've mastered it, just working on it.  I'm hoping that those things will rub off to other areas like reading, time management, and putting stuff where it goes.  I'm working on the theory that discipline begets discipline.


What about you?  In what three areas do you need to develop more discipline?

I was more disciplined about working out this week ...

dailymile's use of awesome is probably closer to accurate this week.  I had to get up and do when I would rather stay down and don't, but it was worth it.  Eight workouts and over 4400 calories burned.  I need more weeks like that.


It paid off on the scales as well ...

Two pounds down!  MyFitnessPal.com has really helped out.  It has caused me to be more accountable about what and how much I eat.  Plus it has motivated me to workout more ... nothing like a one-hour bike ride to "buy" a thousand more calories of food.  Granted, it has only been one week but I like the added discipline it has given me concerning my diet.


I'll leave you with this from a guy named Paul ...
"Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come."


I'm just trying to stay healthy as long as possible so I can help others see the benefits in this life and in the life to come.  


Be disciplined,


bb

"But muscle weighs more than fat"

I'll jump straight to it this week ...

5 workouts ... 3823 calories burned ... great week ... maybe even approaching awesome, right?

Check out the scales ...

That's right ... I gained a pound!

Wait ... before you say, "That's okay, muscle weighs more than fat", just know that I will hunt you down and find some way to hurt you.  A pound is a pound whether it's fat, muscle, rocks, or feathers.  Granted, muscle is leaner than fat, but I'm trying to lose pounds here.  Less pounds means faster times ... or at least that's my theory (I think I might actually be right on this one).

Theories concerning my inability to lose weight abound ... all the way from eating too much to not eating enough.  So I've decided to start tracking my calories, fat, and carbs in relation to my exercise.  I have friends and family with that cool Lose It! app on their iPhones/iPods but I don't have one those (though I am weakening).  I've tried writing it down in a notebook and then using all of my fingers and toes to do my gazintas (thank you Jethro Bodine) but I tire of that after about two meals.  But last night I found MyFitnessPal.com. 

MyFitnessPal allows me to enter all of my exercise and food, how much I want to lose and by what date, and then it calculates how many calories I have "to spend" that day ... I went over yesterday ... way over.  I'm more on track today.  But now I've found another website that I will probably spend too much time on ... figgerin' and cipherin' and all that stuff.  I already spend enough time on BeginnerTriathlete.com and dailymile.com logging my workouts.  "Then drop one," you say, but they both have features I like that the other one doesn't have.  If that's all I have to worry about in life then life ain't too bad.  And let's not even get started about how much time I may or may not spend on Facebook ...

So what about you?  What three websites do you spend the most time on?  What did we do before the internet? 

Eight weeks until my first triathlon of the season ... let's see if I can lose 8 pounds off my frame and 8 minutes off of my time.

Just lose it!

Mr. Chunky