Thought for the Day: Rounding Up
August 1, 2007
First things first:
Today's theme is "Starting August Off Right".
So, I have a few things today, but I first want to talk about one of the primary reasons for the decline in TFTD blogging that has gone unmentioned thus far.
Near the end of the past school year, I went to see my regular doctor to get something looked at, and as a part of the visit, I had to weigh in. I was genuinely horrified by the readout. And that was when I made the conscious decision, I was going to lose some weight this summer. The goal I set was 20 pounds from the end of the school year until we went back in August. I had some very valuable conversations with people as how I might best approach this, and I want to give sincere credit to Joe Wright here for being not only an inspiration that I could lose the weight, but also for giving me excellent practical advice as to how it might best work for me. So I bought a pedometer and a scale and set-off upon my effort. I learned many things thanks to the pedometer, including that it was frighteningly accurate at Minute Man National Historical Park and that when you tap your foot at the Police concert, it can throw the readings for the day off. But since June 15, I have been pushing myself to get in a minimum of a half-hour walk in per day, usually somewhere more in the nature of 40-45 minutes. Blessed with an exceptionally mild two weeks in July and a surfeit of excellent walking paths in my sprawling neighborhood out here in the wilds of Northville, I was able to really push myself on some of those walks and even though I am still not getting to the recommended 10,000 steps per day, I know I am getting more exercise than I have at any point since I was on campus. I'll also cop to eating a lot healthier and drinking the recommended 64 oz of water a day (something it is VERY difficult to do during the school year for reasons you might be able to put together for yourself.) But, something had to come out of the routine to make way for the walks and blogging here was the loser. I've posted the really good stuff, but the good old "scan the news and make fun of it" posts have fallen off. You may also have noticed, there was no tournament this summer, which was a combination of a lack of a good idea for one as well as a lack of desire to do one.
But the upshot is that, according to my weigh-in yesterday, I have now surpassed my weight loss goal for the summer with a month to spare. I'm stunned and awed by this result. I did not know what to expect when I started, but I've come to love my walks, the alone time, the quiet, and the feeling like that any given day during the summer, I got something done. But I'm not done yet. I'm finally starting to understand the old sporting maxim that the harder you work, the harder it is to surrender. I have quantitative and qualitative goals, short term and long. I have a great support system which has been backing me up. I'm hopeful this can continue, even as I get ready to go back to work. I have a long way to go before I'll be anything resembling thin, but I feel like I at least have turned the tide and am now trending the right way.
OK, now that I have gotten the confessional section of today's blog out of the way, I have some general announcements:
Today's new Tied to the 90s (which goes live at 3:00 PM) focuses on the music of 1992. Greg, I promise, no U2.
Today is August 1st, and if you have been in this crazy circle in recent years, you know that it means a new season of the Alison LaPlaca Open is upon us. And now, some words from LaPlaca founder Mike Burger:
It's that time of the year again -- time for you to enter The Alison LaPlaca 2007-08 Open Television Death Pool. You've entered it before (how else did I get your E-mail), so it's time to enter again.
The entry form can be found here: http://www.mikeburger.com/lpentryform200708.html
A few notes:
*Due to the return of Jericho, our projected winner is now Tyler Johnson. Congrats to the only person to get 9 of 10. Normally we have several people get 10 out of 10, showing this is one wacky year.
*There are actually two shows still up in the air -- The Nine and Set for Life. ABC is presently burning off the remainder episodes of these shows, but there is a possibility that their last new episode will air in the first week of September, meaning they are not a 2006-07 cancellation. This won't be an issue for the winner, but it may move non-winners up and down depending on the final outcome.
*Although I appreciate your passion for the medium, I don't need to be sent links on what TV shows have or not been canceled. Especially when it was weeks after the fact.
*You will notice a new tiebreaker this year. In honor of the torch of The Price is Right being passed from a horny old guy to a horny middle-aged guy, the tiebreaker will be Price-related. It will be the actual retail price (not what the contestant bid) of the higher-priced showcase on the first aired episode that features Drew Carey as host. This is the part at the end with the models, not the Showcase Hoedown (renamed in honor of Mr. Carey).
*Law and Order: Criminal Intent will not be an eligible show for this year since it is now considered a cable show with reruns airing on NBC. This is also the reason you don't see Greek or Kyle XY as options either.
Good luck to all entrants!
Football Related ContentThe Barker Gang ESPN Pick 'Em Leagues for College Football and the NFL will return this year as soon as ESPN allows me to create them. Check here in about two weeks if history is any lesson.
NFL Cut-Throat will be back this season as well, I'll take care of that in about two weeks as well.
Participants in the TFTD College Football Fantasy League, our draft will be next Thursday at 8:00 PM. I will email participants with further details.
Stevenson has a
new football helmet design this season, drawing inspiration from actual Spartan armor and looking nothing like Michigan State, which is a win-win in my book.
Congratulations to the Detroit Demolition for an utter destruction of the Sacramento Sirens in the IWFL Western Conference championship game Saturday night at Livonia Franklin, including their Hayesian running of a fake field goal with under two minutes left in the fourth quarter to make it 48-0. Jeers to the Detroit Demolition for charging five dollars to park at Franklin, which I don't think is permitted within their building use permit (knowing a little something about this as my mother was once upon a time (like my junior year of high school ago) the secretary in the Building Use office of Livonia Public Schools.)
If you are a college football fan and you have not already done so, go pick up Phil Steele's College Football 2007 Preview. It is perhaps the single most information dense magazine I have ever seen. The funny story of it is that I went to purchase it the same day that I bought NCAA Football 08 (as so to help me fill in the rosters on the game until I got my memory card back from Washington state), which was during the week-long run up to Pottermania. The girl at the Barnes and Noble seemed to relieved as to have someone ask for something besides The Deathly Hallows, she cheerfully helped me. She then was utterly confused by the magazine's density (328 pages) and referred to it as "a bridal magazine for guys", which made me chuckle.
Non-Football Related Content:For the three of you that are curious, I really enjoyed
The Simpsons Movie. As much as I attempted to temper my enthusiasm as so not to be disappointed, I really was not able to do so, and yet I still was not disappointed. There was also something refreshing about going to see a major summer movie and having it run less than 120 minutes.
I am in the contestant pool for
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire this season, both regular flavor and their TV week, so here's to hoping.
That's all for today, until next time,
I am Craig Barker, trading quantity for quality, hopefully.
