24 Hours 312.4 (24 hrs later: 308.6)

Today, I am going to attempt to record all of my activities starting now at: 7:06 a.m.
7:06 a.m. - adjusted wall clock as it was running four minutes fast and I simply cannot function without the clock being in sych with the computer dash clock. Why don't I leave the wall clock be and use the computer dash clock? As I mentioned in the first twelve words of this journal I am recording all of my activities, no judgment only recording. (I noticed the time is 7:12 a.m. and I haven't gotten the wall clock down, because I'm writing about the wall clock, time and what I'm going to do ......... story of my life (7:13 a.m.); just reread what I've just written and it's now 7:15 a.m., the wall clock is still running too fast. The wall clock is down and on the desk! Now it's 7:23 a.m. ....... no, wait, that's the fast time, because I haven't adjusted it yet! It's really 7:19 a.m. I just wasted another minute waiting for the second hand to get to the twelve o'clock position, but it overran by 2 seconds so I'm spending an extra minute more allowing it to go around for 58 more clicks before I pull out the AA battery. I have everything set and was even able to hang the clock back on the wall in one try. The time now is 7:30 a.m. I can see that this is going to be a very productive and insightful day.

7:31 a.m.
I am feeling really uncomfortable already. How do I write what I am going to do and do it without wasting time writing about what it is I am going to do in the first place? ( 7:33 a.m. at the time of rereading this).
7:34 a.m. Fuck it, I'm going to make some coffee.

Between 7:34 a.m. and 8:46 a.m.:
I went to my bedroom, hugged Nancy, then found a blank spiral notebook to use while away from the computer. Next, I went outside in search of a pen I remember placing on the patio table last night. Couldn't find the pen, but discovered some pumpkin seeds I had left outside. Decided to eat breakfast. Heated up a cup (Megan's pyrex glass container) of concoction from the night before and downed that while dining at the T.V. table tray while watching Book TV C-Span2; Ralph Peters from the NY Post was being interviewed. I computed and projected, i.e., 7.2 lbs weight loss in 21 days divided by 365/21 = 17.3809524 times 7.2 = 125.142857 lbs for the year. (I worry about the last .142857 lbs). Walked into the kitchen and sliced an orange (did you know there is no word in the English language that rhymes with orange?) into quarters, ate it then finally sat down and had my first cup of coffee (now working on my second cup).

8:46 a.m. - 9:47 a.m.
Reading about Cervical Spinal Stenosis which is the diagnosis for Doug's condition.

Did a bunch of stuff.........end of journal (perhaps I might be a candidate for AADD).

365/35 = 10.4285714 X (322.0 - 308.6) = -139.742851 + 308.600000 = 169 lbs on 8/24/10

Library reminder: The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Fairer and Cheaper Medical Care

August 21, 2009 310.8

Another Friday, how quickly the weeks go by. I was thrilled to know that Megan is running on all cylinders now. Avery called me the other day to say hello. Grampa sounds like pop paah which sounds like grampa to me :) I say hello to Dylan but for now he's into the moment and not any salutations. I was impressed with Collin and John's third place finish at the Boulder Muddy Buddy contest. Way to go Collin! You too, John.

I'm hovering around the 310 lbs level now. This current round of weight loss I attribute to a vegan eating approach, no beer and some auto-suggestions I listen to on CD's or on iTunes.

I still attend meetings on a daily basis and find that I am developing some very nice friendships. It's amazing how the world looks when I'm not pissed off.

Nancy is doing well. She decided to abruptly stop in the course of one of our bicycle rides to a morning meeting. I picked up a couple of scrapes to the elbow and knee. Nancy still doesn't know what happened. All is well with her as long as she gets her one "greenie" treat a day.

I met a fellow today who invited me to play horseshoes in his backyard sometime next week. Then yesterday, Jimmy, the owner of Z-Market asked me to call him and makes plans for some chess games to be played on the tables in front of his market. I guess I'll have hit the Nirvana level if ever I can find someone to play pepper in the park.

So things are going well. I have lots of things to do, hopefully my energy level will increase with the coming weight loss.

Aug. 13, 2009 317.0

I've just returned from my morning meeting with Nancy accompanying me alongside my bicycle. A cool overcast morning kept the heat away. I've noticed I am riding just a bit farther up the hill now. I'm projecting that I'll be pedaling all the way to its crest when I record a solid 310 pounds. I'm definitely getting stronger. Arthritis is still bothering my knees, but not my bicycling so this is very good.

Next Monday night I'll drive up to Hollywood with a friend to watch another friend participate in a rap song competition. I wasn't aware of his creative abilities until I happened upon a conversation and then found out about this particular competition.

There will be some blue grass music over in Vista a couple of weeks from now. I'm hoping that Joy and I will be able to go.

We've been adding to the economy this past month: a new computer, a new microwave, a new hot water heater and an air popcorn popper, whew!

August 10th was my six month of sobriety; I'll take a token at tomorrow's morning meeting. It has been an interesting six months and much easier since I've bought into the spirituality of the AA program. Not stepping on toes and keeping my mouth shut and my eyes open has helped immensely too.

Megan, I hope that you're feeling better.

August 10th 314.6

Nancy and I have been having quite a bit of exercise lately since I've begun to bicycle again. My odometer turned to 3,000 miles over the weekend.

Imagine my surprise upon coming back online over the weekend when I found out about Megan's pain problems. I love you, Megan. Get well.

I weighed in at 5:00 a.m. 314.6; at 10:30 a.m. 313.6 and at 4:30 p.m. 315.2.

Not too much going on in Oceanside. A few meetings, naps and snacks. Life is good.
__________________________________________________________________________________

It's an hour and a half later since the last sentence was written. I just have to exclaim about my food concoction sans recipe.

Here's my rave for tonight:

Note: all ingredients are placed in a colander steamer and steamed for ten minutes before serving.

pre-cooked lentils and brown rice
microwaved potato
spinach
four asparagus all below are chopped
onion
cabbage leaves
Roma tomato
brocholi
seasonings and salt
Dejon mustard
zuchinni squash
Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise
two corn tortillas (diced)
one slice w/wheat bread (diced)

After steaming for ten minutes, flip ingredients into a stainless steel bowl and stir to cool. Very very easy to make. BON APETITE!

August 7, 2009 317.6

We updated our emailing system .......... bought a new iMac ...... go figure. The old iMac which Carol and Herb so graciously gave to us some five years ago had hard drive problems. Now we have all the bells and whistles with this one.

The sound system is terrific; Presently I'm listening to birdsongradio.com and the whole garage is immersed in bird calls, rustling leaves, flowing brook waters and wind sounds. You can also bring it up on the internet or go to "radio" in iTunes and locate "ambient" then click on for background bird songs and nature sounds as you go about your business on the internet.

The McDougall vegan thing is going well. I did purchase another paperback from Amazon.com ...... The Gabriel Method ...... it appears to dovetail nicely with McDougall. I also picked up a killer Chinese CD: Elixir Yang Ying.

Just returned from a morning meeting with Nancy running along side the bike. We're figuring out this riding compatibility and doing well may I add. Last night we rode to a night meeting on the other side of the hill. She now has a collar for night bicycle riding, a white LED light on an elastic collar. (from PETCO)

I'm very satisfied with reading The Gabriel Method; it's a visualization and meditation method of altering eating styles and relaxing the body into acceptance for this approach.

Life is good. The following is from an email my friend sends me: ***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

Willing To Believe, p. 219

Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms
deter you from honestly asking yourself what they might mean to
you. At the start, this was all we needed to commence spiritual
growth, to effect our first conscious relation with God as we
understood Him. Afterward, we found ourselves accepting many
things which had seemed entirely out of reach. That was growth.
But if we wished to grow we had to begin somewhere. So at first we
used our own conceptions of God, however limited they were.

We needed to ask ourselves but one short question: "Do I now
believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power
greater than myself?" As soon as a man can say that he does
believe, even in this small degree, or is willing to believe, we
emphatically assure him that he is on his way.

Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 47

***********************************************************

Wednesday Roundup 322.2

In a couple of hours I'll head down to the transit center, catch the Coaster to San Diego and then walk to Petco Park and watch the Padres play the Marlins. I don't even have a glove to take to catch foul balls! I'll be back within six hours which makes it a nice outing.

Things have been pretty mellow around the household. I've moved bits and pieces in my bedroom bringing the clutter ever closer to a forgotten past.

The six hours have elapsed, but I didn't go to the game. I thought it would be too hot. A few years back that wouldn't have made any difference. The times they do change.

Had two english muffins with peanut butter for dinner. The tale of the morning scale awaits for me (I predict 320.6).

Nancy's had her bike run for the night and is now in the back seat of the car resting; very similar to how Herman would like to camp out in Mom's car and make believe he was going to far away places where fire hydrants abounded.

Monday Morning Meanderings 318.8

I got quite a bit (relative term) done yesterday. I got my bicycle back, but now my knee has reverted to the "gotcha" phase. I'm not going to do anything rash, but I am going to go about my business of physical recovery and work around any discomfort, i.e., avoid the pain but find use for the other extremities of my biomass.

Last night I took Nancy for a car ride and before I knew it the old folks car(Buick) had mysteriously guided us to the parking lot in front of Barnes & Noble. Came out of there with a Japanese CD of traditional music for my insomnia, Brain Boot Camp for my shoes and a book about clutter control for Joy's bedroom.

My weight has dropped into the teens as I had anticipated would happen. If my fingers and toes are an accurate abacus they show that this is the twelfth day of the 12 Day McDougall Diet Program. I know I can handle this. Saturday I took Joy to the In and Out burger stand and while she munched on an oozy cheese burger I, on the other hand, had three oranges, one banana and a tiny sliver of onion that had fallen out from her burger bun.

So the morning agenda is a KoK meeting, a merrigold transplant, some reading, CD listening, bird watching and petting Nancy. The afternoon will be just as rambunctious I'm sure.
__________________________________________________________________________________



TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY

A.A. Thought For The Day

We must be loyal to the group and to each member of it. We must
never accuse members behind their backs or even to their faces.
It's up to them to tell us themselves if anything is wrong. More than
that, we must try not to think bad things about any members, because
if we do, we're consciously or unconsciously hurting that person. We
must be loyal to each other if A.A. is going to be successful. While
we're on this lifeboat, trying to save ourselves and each other from
alcoholism, we must be truly and sincerely helpful to each other. Am I
a loyal member of my group?

Meditation For The Day

Carry out God's guidance as best you can. Leave the results to Him.
Do this obediently and faithfully with no question that if the working
out of the guidance is left in God's hands, the results will be all
right. Believe that the guidance God gives you has already been
worked out by God to produce the required results according to your
case and in your circumstances. So follow God's guidance according
to your conscience. God has knowledge of your individual life and
character, your capabilities and your weaknesses.

Prayer For The Day
<> I pray that I may live according to the dictates of my conscience. I
pray that I may leave the results to God.

Sunday Morning Jitters 320.6

8:15 a.m.

Had some decaf coffee this morning and then as an afterthought I spiked it with some instant coffee.......nice little kick to it :) Check out the weight report above, my bod is about to enter the teens. I think I'm ready to roll.

Megan's glass Pyrex bowls are really a great idea. There are 3-cup containers, 2's and 1's. Today I'll limit myself to three cups of mixed starches and 3 cups of mixed fruits plus half a ton of water.

I have the Verbena to plant this morning. I feel fairly energetic at the moment.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Verbena ...... check
Health Rider ... check
Food control ... check
Knee problems... crap

Feelin' Clean on Saturday 322.0

So far the vegan approach is approachable. My main source of starches and proteins are potatoes, squash, red kidney beans, lentils, yams and rice. Veggies are whatever I put the knife to. Fruits are mainly melons, oranges, mangoes and bananas. I've switched to green tea, but today I just brewed up some decaf coffee.

Health wise I feel very good. I have noticed that my overall body is not as sore anymore. I still have swelling in the lower extremities, but not so much as when I returned from three straight days of driving home from Wyoming. That kind of stint turns my ankles into swollen softballs. My skin is not as oily and my mind seems to be a bit more clear.

Having a tough time getting started on a regimented exercise program, but I can feel it in my bones; the time is near. I'm planning on moving the health rider out to the garage and putting it just outside my sliding glass bedroom door. My bicycle should be good to go by Monday night at the latest. I'm still gun shy with doing push ups, because of the shoulder.

I bought some plants for the front. The lobelia I planted earlier are a partial shade plant which I didn't realize so I bought some Verbena (trailing) to replace them.

AA is going well. Anytime I get bored I just drive three minutes down the hill and I am at the North County Fellowship Center for any of three meetings throughout the day and night. King of Kings will be no more as of August; The 7:00 a.m. meeting will move just up the hill to another church setting. I've got 158 days of sobriety and learning the AA approach is beginning to gel.

WE AGNOSTICS

Yes, we of agnostic temperament have had these thoughts and experiences. Let us make haste to reassure you. We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though it was impossible for any of us to fully define or comprehend that Power, which is God.
Much to our relief, we discovered we did not need to consider another’s conception of God. Our own conception, however inadequate, was sufficient to make the approach and to effect a contact with Him. As soon as we admitted the possible existence of a Creative Intelligence, a Spirit of the Universe underlying the totality of things, we began to be possessed of a new sense of power and direction, provided we took other simple steps. We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men.

p. 46 AA Book

How Am I Doing? 324.6

Learning the intricacies of the keyboard is not my thing. I kept hitting the enter key after typing in the title and it kept posting.......ayeeeeeeeeeeee.

After five complete days of being on the vegan McDougall Diet Plan I am well. There is still edema in my legs, but it is slowly coming around. My mind is clearer and the overall soreness in my body has been lightened so I am pleased with my decision to go vegan.

I considered yesterday to be my official vegan diet startup. Mondays seem to be good startup days. I shaved my head and will keep it such until the scales read 250 lbs. Hell, I might as well make the decision right now to walk backwards until I reach 170, that makes sense too. Anyway, who loves you baby? Go Telly go!

Going to KoK meeting in an hour. Things are going well with sobriety. I'm considering taking on a year long commitment involving community outreach. I'll go to an informational meeting this Friday to find out the requirements and expectations.

Joy and I had a wonderful time visiting both families. Heather is doing quite well and she's happy with her life. Denise, Collin and Dylan are grooving and they're busy in Cheyenne building their life and having fun while doing it.

So this is what's happening. I'm getting my bicycle out of the shop today. Oceanside is a good place to live. Our HOA is a pain in the arse, but only a small pain for sure. We can live with it.

Starting Today June 1, 2009 322.8

"The one thing most needed to change a person's lifestyle and improve their health is: A COMMITTED DECISION TO REACH A PREDETERMINED SPECIFIC GOAL, COMBINED WITH BURNING DESIRE, FOLLOWED BY IMMEDIATE, MASSIVE ACTION REPEATED CONSISTENTLY FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES UNTIL YOUR GOAL IS REACHED." (Tom Venuto)

My goal is to weigh 170 pounds

Pressing On May 26th 321.4

I Found Them! May 25th 322.0

I misplaced a couple of workout programs in the file system and by trial and error I just retrieved both. This is momentous! I've got one more program that is in a weird looking form so I have to contact the webmaster.

I created a new blog on Musecrafters.com just to see if I could do it. On a couple of boxes I didn't know what I entered, but typed something in and it worked. Megan, I'll be begging for help eventually. The purpose of a new blog is to exclusively record my workouts none/few or all on a daily basis (501 Day Countdown). I'm going to see how I feel by mid-October '09 and if I'm still in one piece then I'll enter the QualComm Million Dollar Challenge 2010. I'm open to any and all encouragement. June 3rd I'm going for a wellness evaluation at Kaiser-Permanente in San Marcos.

(Obstacles are seen only when the eyes are taken off the goal. I CAN DO IT!)

I went to KoK this morning and now working on some cups of coffee. I will do the house chores today! I just read Denise's and Collin's blog......I must work in the house now! Get to it now, WIMPY!

The kitchen floor was steamed and the living room and hallways vacuumed. Better late than never.

May 24th......What if? 322.4

What if I set a goal to ride from San Francisco to San Diego in October 2010, but I would have to raise $10,000 for the charitable event; would I have support from my readership to help me collect donations towards the cause? Check out the website and let me know....... http://www.challengedathletes.org/compete/MDC_2006.htm

Yesterday, I planted some flowers in the front. With soil preparation and slow movement I managed to spend 2 hours. Usually after a prodigious effort such as this, in the hot sun may I add, I would have had some ice cold beer. I let the thought pass and chose a chilled oatmeal drink concoction loaded with Purity Products and a banana.....eat your heart out Aunt Carol :)

Later on I took Nancy for a local bike(me)run(she) around the neighborhood. The sun shone on her to perfectly bring out the glistening brown that mixes in so well with her black coat. What a beautiful dog; she is so loving. She's well known to the KoK group.

Below are my baseball and football futures bets:


Brewers 40/1 = $200 @ (5.00 all )
Twins 28/1 = 140
Dodgers 17/1 = 85
Cubs 8/1 = 40
Red Sox 7/1 = 35

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chargers 13/1 = $130 @(10.00)
Eagles 16/1 = 160 @(10.00)
Bills 55/1 = 275@( 5.00)
Texans 45/1 = 225@( 5.00)
Jaguars 35/1 = 175@ (5.00)
Saints 25/1 = 125@ (5.00)
Vikings 13/1 = 65@ (5.00)
Titans 20/1 = 100@ (5.00)

I think I'll take a slow bicycle ride to the beach on the San Luis River bike trail (sorry Nancy).

May 21st 323.8

Did a KoK meeting this morning. Let Nancy roam the area before returning to our hacienda.

Spent over an hour on the phone talking with Gary Davis and catching up. We might take in a Padres game one of these days.

I want to take care of the chores I didn't do last night.

Not too much to write about. Things are mostly mellow around here. Manana, manana, manana...........

May 20th 322.4

Man, do I have an issue. This f====ing renter while bicycling with his dog, bags up the dog shit then leaves it on top of an electrical box located next to the road (on another person's lawn). This same asshole has a crucifix dangling from his rear view car mirror.......need I say more? I am frosted and I am going through management and the owners of the unit where he resides to remedy the situation. Last week I took two bags of poop from there and tossed them on his driveway. Not taking the hint, he's looking for some action, but I refuse to confront him for obvious reasons...........It's now three hours since I wrote the above paragraph. I left a message with our management company and then I stapled the following note to the plastic filled bag: TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN DOG MATTERS......THANK YOU. No sooner had I left the bag on the electrical box then I heard the "man-child" renter bicycling by. I went outside a few minutes later and noticed the bag was gone. End of story....he's still an asshole.

Went to KoK this morning and I'm prepared to get cracking on some chores, however, I am going to experiment on something first.....I'm going to do the COMPACT 5 MINUTE EXERCISE WORKOUT first and then pursue the chores. The other night when I did this I found I accomplished some piddly tasks without much psychological effort after that five minute routine.

Time has elapsed and I've yet to get started on the chores though I did take care of vacated poop matters and fixed myself an awesome fruit salad sans lettuce. Now sipping green tea, typing this and getting ready to do the 5 MINUTE THING.

Saw a funny thing about Chris Rock on You Tube: How to avoid a police ass kicking. Also saw a despairingly depressive (meant to be funny) interview with Americans..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJuNgBkloFE&NR=1

Okay, I putting this on Save and am going to get cracking!

I didn't crack and it's now 3:20 p.m. Got caught up in HOA stuff and then had to make lunch. Power packed to say the least. I guess I'll start in at 4 o'clock.

At 6:45 p.m. I finally did my 5 MINUTE ROUTINE and I'm now sweating profusely while at the keyboard.

On a final note, we watched Keith Olberman lambast Rush Limpballs and it was ha ha all the way through. Oh how I loved it. To watch that turd licker get his just dessert is like Nirvana for me. He's such a fricking coward and the righties don't even care. ROCK ON KEITH!

May 19th 322.8

Back fro Vegas where I've placed some Super Bowl futures bets. My baseball futures include the Dodgers, Brewers and Red Sox so things look okay there.

Kind of feeling the classic H.A.L.T. of AA warnings, i.e, hungry, angry, lonely and tired. Hunger is the big one for me. I was on the bus for so long and didn't properly prepare for the ride home. Going there was fine.

I'm winding down from the ride home. I did take the LA to Oceanside portion by way of MetroLink train so that provided some variety.

Tomorrow is another day and I am psyched and ready to get after it. I've got some inside household chores to contend with.

So life is good, it's good to be home.

May 18th 321.0

Yesterday, the Padres beat the Reds 3 to 1 on a four-hitter by Jake Pevey. We just about caught a home run ball hit to right field, but we had vacated the section where the ball landed, because we wanted to be in the shade further up. It was a fun day, I think I'll do it again. Really reasonable with the Senior Discount for train fare and stadium ticket. PETCO PARK has to be the easiest stadium in the U.S. to get to. Take the train, switch to the city trolley and you're off to the stadium walking less than a quarter of a mile.

It's 5:30 p.m.and I just finished working out on my bike for the first time, I mean like truly working out. The time pattern is 10 seconds all out and 20 seconds cool down, done within the time constraint of a five minute package. I used the hill directly in front of our driveway so that Nancy was able to frolic about. It was over before I knew it and now I'm reaping the rewards of the increased metabolic rate. I think this this is going to work out very well.

I've made some power packed meals throughout the day. One more and then I'll head on down to Oceanside Transit Center and catch a bus to Las Vegas in order place the Super Bowl bets as I've mentioned before.

I've decided to take in a lot of daytime Padres games in the coming weeks and try to get some of my friends from high school to partake also.

May 17th 324.4

A friend and I are taking the Coaster down to San Diego to watch the Padres play Cincinnati. Play starts at one o'clock, I'm looking forward to the outing.

I've put together a lentil based soup in the crockpot so that should hold me for a while. Haven't missed a day of bicycling to Cream of the Crop (I guess I'll give myself a Mulligan for today though).

May 16th 323.8

Just finished reading the blogs of both families. "Nekkid" certainly has an element of freedom attached to it. As I recall, Megan bought me a bathrobe to cover my semi-nekkidity (moi in the morning being seen in underwear!). Quite a swashbuckling picture of the new motorcycle. Collin won't be tired when riding this bike any kind of distance. It looks like a good selection......well done.

Missed my morning meeting. Last night I attended a meeting where an outside visitor came and shared that he had just come from a funeral for his son, a fallen Marine. He told of his anguish and how he had just about given up his 19 years of sobriety, (other family members were at Camp Pendleton at the NCO Club) fortunately, a couple of AA Marines were with him in support. He said that his son approved his choice.

I plan on the same routine today. There's a bunch of veggies in the refrigerator so I have to see what I can concoct.