I'm Alive

10.04.2006

IT's been a week since I posted anything, and even though there's nto anything noteworthy going on, I feel the need to make a post (just in case Mom's checking up on me via the website).

Everything is goign along as it usually does right now. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing of note, at least noteworthy enough to mention here.

I've started back in karate class, but there's no stories to tell there, yet. That in itself may be worthy of mentioning. After 2 classes I can still walk upright like a normal person, so shedding that 50 lbs has definitely been good for my knees.

Maybe I can whip up something worthy of reading about later?




Karate: The Return

09.28.2006

Back at the end of March I took a break from karate class as my knees were telling me that supporting 400 lbs of twisting, kicking, punching mass was too much to ask of them. Today, with a hint of trepidation, I took my knees back to test the shallow shoals of karate.

So far I've survived to tell about it.

I had originally intended to start back in karate class next week. October starts a new quarter of classes, so I wouldn't be jumping into the middle of learning a batch of new moves. Then I remembered that I haven't excercised any in the past 6 months. It's possible that my knees aren't ready for twisting, kicking, punching mayhem yet. I'm 50 lbs lighter, but I'm still a big boy at 350!

With that thought I aspired to go to class today to go through the warm-up and then see how much of the class I could get through. Luckily Sensei Leonard also thought that was a good idea. Even better, today is the day before the next belt test, so it was a "what do you guys want to practice" class instead of a "let's do punch and kick drills until you can't breathe any more" class.

I managed my way through the workout without dying. I even did tip drills instead of replacement-running in place for the first time. Afterwards I was amazed at first of how much I've forgotten of various katas, then counter amazed at how quickly it started to come back after running through them once.

So now I've got a couple of days to see (1) how sore I'm going to be after jump starting my body into action, and (2) make sure that the soreness is going to be worth it. I was afraid when I started my little break that I wouldn't come back to class. It's always easier to give soemthing up when you've been away form it for a while. But lately I've gotten to where I miss the physicality of it. Plus, it is good excercise for me.

And now I've got new people to introduce to my mad wrestling skillz!


random

Tree Fiddyish & Holding

09.25.2006

Today marks the 6 month mark of my South Beach Diet inspired diet. Since starting my diet in March, I've managed to peak my weight loss at 56 lbs. I say peak, because since July I've managed to stay between 348 and 352 (or varying between losing 56 lbs and 52 lbs).

My body has reached an equilibium over the past couple of months. My body is ready for something new. The same old diet isn't going to get it any more. It's at this point that the person inside me tired of dieting says "screw it, I'm going to Pizza Hut for the buffet. Every day!" Luckily, I can't hear that person inside me. I have decided that I'm due for a small break from dieting, at least my "hard core" dieting, for a little while.

I'm not giving up. To be honest, this diet is actually pretty easy to stay on. That may be from sticking to it (98% of the time) for 6 months, but I've gotten used to not only eating certain things, but not eating certain things. I never thought I would actually fix myself a plateful of steamed brocolli for dinner when there was actually other food in the kitchen.

I'm also due to start back in karate next week, which should be a whole different shock to my system. I've been trying to stretch at home in preparation, but I know I haven't been stretching enough. I'm curious to see how my body acts not only after 6 months of not punching, kicking, or falling, but doing all of that with 50 lbs fewer to move around. At the very least, I hope I can walk normal the following day. Or at least as normal as I can walk.

So, for now I'm on a diet, but I'm not trying to see how much weight I can lost. I'm not going overboard eating pizza and hot fudge sundaes - I even had my semi-regular salad for lunch today. My little blurb in the corner updating my weight loss is going to go away for a little while, if for nothing else due to seeing a pound up or down each week isn't very interesting when the total stays in the same range.


diet

TV Nite Returns

09.22.2006

Last night was the season premiere of the 2 shows left that I actually watch on network tv: CSI & ER - evidently I enjoy shows that are abbreviations as opposed to the full name. I can't remember how long ago we started, but Thursday nights became the regular night I would go over to Gina's and everyone would have dinner and watch tv together.

One of the primary rules of tv night was that you had to be finished eating dinner by 8:00 (Central). It's a little rough to eat dinner while watching CSI. Although it's tv and all the grisly crime scene gore is fake, that do a surprisingly realistic job of presenting said grisly crime scene gore.

We sat and watched the shows last night, and I remembered the fun I have in watching with others. Gina and her mom are trying to figure out whodunnit on CSI, sometimes before the dunnit's happened! The ER teaser told us a cast member was going to die. Who's it going to be?

So another tradition is continuing. At least this way I don't feel guilty for being a couch potato 1 night a week.


random

100% Pure Whoop Ass

09.18.2006

Have you ever bought something but you're not sure why? Kind of like an impulse buy, but there's more thought that goes into it?

About a year ago I got caught up looking at wrestling license tags on eBay. I don't know why, it was just something that caught my fancy at the time (lately I've been looking at chairs from wrestling events, mainly because I never really thought of people selling them online before and am a little shocked at how cheap some of them sell for). But I digress.

The tags were fairly inexpensive, and on a lark I bought one. As is the curse with eBay, I soon found myself with 4 different tags. I had originally thought it would be quirky to afix one of the tags to the riding mower. It was around this time that I caught a marathon of Pimp My Ride on MTV and thought about trying to fix-up the mower - maybe attach some bling or spinning wheels. 6-9 months later, I've come to my senses, but I've still got a couple of wrestling tags laying around.

I spent part of the weekend cleaning, and caught in that cleaning was the mower. A hardy power washing found that beneath those layers of grass and dirt lay a scratched up red mower that's seen a lot of use over the past 4 years. looking at the newly cleaned tail end of the mower, I couldn't help but think how a license tag would spruce it up a bit. Looking at the collection of tags I had managed to horde, a Budweiser inspired Stone Cold Steve Austin tag seemed to fit the bill. A mower in the boonies should have a redneck-centric tag on the back.

I somehow feel the circle of life has brought me back to my trailer park youth.


rambling random wrestling

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As always, correct spelling is optional in any blog entry. Keep in mind that any links more than a year old may not be active, especially the ones pointing back to Russellmania (I like to move things around!).

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