Daydreaming In Traffic

Well the first official week of weighing in has come and gone. I am happy to report that I lost 3 pounds in the last week.

I’m definitely happy about the loss but somewhere in the back of my mind I was expecting a bigger number. And I blame it all on The Biggest Loser! Week after week I watch people lose double-digit numbers. So I figured so would I. Completely forgetting that these people are working out 8 hours a day and having their calories counted by professionals. So it’s 3 pounds. And I’m happy!

On another note, day one of the tax season is upon us. And so begins day one of working 7 days a week at 6am. So far so good. Check with me in a couple weeks!

I’m also very happy to report that we, more specifically my wife, won a prize as one of the Ultimate Thailand Explorer’s biggest fans! We may not have reached the semi-finals but we were very supportive of all the teams who did. And it’s paid off. We won a 4-night stay at a brand new resort in Krabi, which is located in southern Thailand. We never got to Krabi when we were there and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to see more of this amazing country. Now we just need the airfare to get there.

I guess that’s where the 7 days a week comes in!

Well it’s almost the middle of the first month of Year X! I haven’t taken the opportunity to weigh myself. Until last night. I’m not completely horrified by the results. Sitting at a svelte 215. At least according to the Wii Fit. Which, depending on who you ask, may or may not be the most reliable source. Perhaps a few pounds in either direction. My thinking is that even if it’s not totally accurate, if I use the Wii Fit as my primary source, it will still record weight loss. Of course it will record weight gain as well but I’m not going to let that happen!

While I’ve been keeping pretty good track of my eating habits up until now, today is the first day I had a definite plan. Mostly due to the fact that between both jobs, I am away from home for 13 hours and needed to plan my meals. As I got everything ready last night I realized it’s so much harder to eat healthy. I could save myself a lot of time and preparation by simply walking over to Taco Time for lunch. Instead I spent a good portion of yesterday getting dinner ready for the next few days, planning lunches and breakfast.

It will all be worth it in the end. Won’t it?

Oh great! Now I want a taco.

Well faithful reader. Here it is the 4th day of Year X. My first day of work of the new decade. I came into work. Saw a pile of cupcakes and proceeded to break a resolution without even thinking about it. The icing was all over my face before the realization hit. There goes one of my resolutions!

I’m not going to panic. Not going to beat myself up for it. There’s got to be a grace period. Trying to break out of the old habits. I instead will commend myself for only having one. A small victory! And of course for making it the first four days without a slurpee. A LARGE victory!

I have yet to hit the scale. I need to charge the batteries in the Wii Fit board. It’s our version of a scale. Hey it works!

As for my other resolutions, I have read every day. Currently reading Fargo Rock City, a book about growing up in the 80's and loving heavy metal music. Like reading about my life! I have hit "random article" on Wikipedia every day, learning about such topics as former NHL player John Druce and the village of Womzougou in south eastern Burkina Faso.

I was thinking the other day that I don’t want this blog to only be about my resolutions. There will be other topics along the way. In particular, movies. I’m not a professional critic by any stretch of the imagination but I know what I like. Maybe you’ll like them too.

So lesson learned. Year X is not going to be easy. Then again I never really thought it was going to be a (cup) cakewalk.

So here we are. Less than a day and a half away from Year X. Hours away from leaving behind the life of "balls out".

I must admit that I have thoroughly enjoyed the past few weeks. Not caring what I was eating. Having a slurpee every day. There’s a part of me that’s going to miss these days. Does this mean that my resolve is slipping? Not one bit. I’m still just as committed today as I was when I wrote the original blog. Looking towards the new adventure that begins at 12:00:01 on January 1st.

So what happens? Is everything suddenly off limits when the clock strikes 12? Not entirely. Initially my goal is to get rid of pop, in it’s regular and frozen forms, and sweet treats. And to certainly watch the rest of my food intake. What’s the point of giving up slurpees if I go out and eat half a pizza!

What I would like to concentrate on is to eat only when I’m hungry. Sounds simple right? I think a lot of the trouble I run into is eating when food shows up in front of me. Even if I’m not hungry. I would grab the donut after the big lunch. Or the bowl of chips at night.

Then there’s all my other resolutions I have to fit in as well as working two jobs! Yikes! Let’s concentrate on the slurpee thing first!

It’s going to be a tough road in the first few weeks. I have no doubt.

Stayed tuned! At some point this weekend I will be weighing myself. Not looking forward to that! I will be posting it once a week. Keeping myself honest!

So here goes. The final countdown to Year X! I wish you all a very Happy New Year! See you on the other side!

A year ago today, the world lost one of the great ones. A woman who loved for all she was worth. Gave everything of herself so that those around her would be happy. A year ago today, I lost my mother.

She had battled hard for almost two years against lung cancer. But in the end, as it does in so many cases, the cancer won.

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I heard her voice. A year and two days actually. On Dec. 21, 2008, I last talked to my mom. I will always remember the conversation. It was one of our best. Steph and I had been in Victoria for about a month. I loved the city, other than the freak snow we had been experiencing, but the lack of employment possibilities was frustrating me. Mom was positive as ever. Knowing that something good was going to happen.

At the time, she was in the hospital. She was having trouble with her breathing. The doctors felt that the medications she was on needed adjusting. With her trouble breathing, I wasn’t able to have long chats with her for a few weeks. Nothing more than "I’m doing good, I love you." But this day she was feeling good. So we just kept talking.

During our talk she made me promise that I wasn’t coming to see her. That this wasn’t the time to gather. It wasn’t the end. It never even dawned on me at the time that I should be heading home.

We joked about how dad was going to kidnap her for Christmas. So that she could be at home for the holidays. She said it was just another day and we would all celebrate together soon.

24 hours later she slipped into coma. Just went to sleep. And 24 hours after that, she was gone. I didn’t make it home for one last goodbye.

The past year has been one full of firsts. The first birthdays without her. The first mother’s day without her. Today is the last of the firsts.

I miss you! I love you!

That’s right. I’m calling it year X! I didn’t learn Roman numerals just so I could figure out which Rocky movie I’m watching.

Bart Simpson: "Rocky II plus Rocky V equals Rocky VII: Adrian’s Revenge!"

So far I have received a lot of positive feedback for my Year X plans. And, for now at least, I am staying positive. You see I’ve been down this road before. Made the promise to myself many times that "this is it!" "no time like the present!" "do it!" Always to come up with one excuse or another. For example "oh the 1st is technically a holiday and why would I start something like this on a holiday and then of course the next two days are a weekend so that’s out but definitely on the 4th I’ll start". Inevitably finding some lame excuse as to why the 4th is a bad day to start as well. Those thoughts haven’t entered my mind at all.

I think that beyond my health and my desire to not be the last name on the list of TC 10k entrants, my greatest motivation is my wife. A couple of months ago she set herself a goal to work out and get in better shape. I have seen the rough days, the struggle to find the motivation. The ever-present battle of ice cream vs. weight loss. And she has met every challenge. I am so incredibly proud of her. I hope I can make her half as proud during Year X.

As always seems to happen, as soon as I posted the last blog, I came up with a few more resolutions.

1. Take a boxing class. I’ve taken a swing or two at a punching bag and it’s a great workout. Now to learn the proper way.
2. Go kayaking on the Gorge Waterway.
3. Start writing again. Time to get some of these ideas on paper! I think the blog is a good start.

So I continue the countdown. For the next two weeks living, as my wife puts it, "balls out!"

So we are now fully in the midst of the Christmas season. I’ve seen the Telus Hippo commercial, the Holiday Fireplace is glowing on the television, I’ve seen Santa in the mall and we’ve received our first Christmas card. It seems every year the season gets earlier and earlier. Which makes me wonder … how soon is too soon for New Year’s Resolutions?

For the most part, I have found that people wait until after Christmas before they start proclaiming all things they will NEVER do again! Most of which are things they overdid during Christmas!

With three weeks left until the end of 2009, I’m breaking tradition and putting my resolutions out there.

A couple of my resolutions revolve around one specific event. Sunday April 25, 2010. The Times Colonist 10k Race! Now I have never run a 10k before in my life. I have no idea what the longest I’ve run at one time is. I’m guessing nowhere near 10k.

Last year the top runner finished in under 30 minutes. Not gonna happen! My goal? To not be the last on the list. I hope to finish somewhere in the middle of the 10 thousand runners. And to do that, will require me to be in better shape than I am now. I’m not in terrible shape, just not in great shape either. So to the resolutions (in no particular order) …

1. Train. I have been doing some research and I think I’ve found a training program that will work for someone running their first 10k.
2. Eat Healthy/Lose Weight. Probably more difficult than the training itself. I don’t think I’m the worst eater in the world but I do have my vices. As has been noted previously, slurpees being the biggest of the vices. So come the new year, my biggest struggle will be no slurpees. Funny, I can actually sense my wife’s eyes rolling right now. :) And not just slurpees, I’m going to keep all sugar intake to a bare minimum. Also to watch the rest of my diet.

There are a few more resolutions I have for the coming year …

1. Read every day. Even if it’s just a few pages. Stop flicking endlessly through the channels looking for something to pass the time. Grab a book.
2. Get tattoo #5. Design and placement to still be determined.
3. Take at least 10 minutes every day to sit in silence. Kind of re-set the body. It’s going to be an extremely busy year. Take the time to slow down.
4. See at least one DMB concert. And hopefully it’s at the Gorge!
5. Do the Grouse Grind at least twice. And try for under 90 minutes.
6. Hit "random article" on wikipedia at least once a day.
7. Continue life on the "super-happy-fun-ultra-mega" budget
8. Watch the Canucks win the Stanley Cup. Okay I have little control on this one but here’s hoping!