Caffeine Thought

If I ever had a great moment in my life: it is when I aspire to truth far greater than my personal aspiration of relevancy.

Relevant

Is your church “relevant”?  

That is clearly the new buzzword here in yuppyland.  We have visited three different evangelical churches here in North Indy and have concluded that in all churches we would be thoroughly entertained.

The pews are full, the parking lot’s jammed with police directing traffic.  The buildings are huge appearing more like auto plants than churches.  Last week we were even transported from our car to the church building in a deluxe elongated golf cart!

In all three churches the music has been excellent- to the point of a professional production.  In two of the three churches, the pastors look welcoming in their jeans and punjabis.  The Starbuckesque café’s next to the foyer produce that cosmopolitan feeling that is sure to get people in the mood to be relaxed.

The youth programs are produced with multimillion-dollar budgets and you can be assured of the safety of your children with the bar code check in procedure.

The stages are lit up with colored panels each with their own corresponding projector and A/V presentations appear to have been produced by full time professionals.

The only negative (and so it would seem) is that people are generally to themselves and there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of friendliness for those visiting.  But “hey” – they have the “visitors center” for you, so I guess no problem there.

So at the Visitors Center last week we get our “visitors bag” complete with DVD so we could watch the pastor tell us about the church.  According to this pastor, this main desire is that people that come here will find it “fun”. 

Wow – who could ask for more?! 

After all, that is what being a follower of Jesus means – right?  Comfortable, soothed, entertained, cottled, -  “let’s have FUN!”

All righty then.

Goodbye to Daisy

I wasn't prepared for this at all.

We decided not to bring our dog, Daisy, to Indianapolis. Really, I hadn't put much thought into it until tonight. After consulting with some friends, I decided that the best course of action was to let the kids say goodbye to Daisy. Originally, I thought that the best idea was just to take her to the shelter thereby easing the pain.

So anyway, Brianna just came in crying from the garage. She heard from Kellen that they had to all say goodbyes. Tomorrow I'm taking her in.

Then I realized that Benji was missing. I knew where he was- out with Daisy, too. I thought I could be the man and not break down. But when I saw Benji turn away from me as he knelt by the dog- I knew - and I couldn't contain it. He is not a crier- and was ashamed that I might see his tears. I hugged and wept with him right there.

This is the single biggest loss our kids have ever experienced. Most of their formative years have been with Daisy. It is like a death.

Electronic Spittle

Let's call him “Bob”.

Bob is a “close talker”. He feels compelled to communicate only when his face is within 18 inches of yours. Friendly, mind you-but void of a social sense. The occasional spittle may land on your cheek- but you buck up for the sake of conviviality. Your eyes dart to the left and right of his face to see if innocent passerbys' are also privy to the conversation - not quite sure what they think of Bob's opinion of “the lady in the black swimsuit who was tanning on her dock”.

Your peripheral vision is a panorama of mostly sensible folks hearing every word and scurrying to a safe location as to not be the next one cornered.

Bob wants you to know that he knows. What he know. Why he knows. And you didn't know. But everyone knows. And even if Bob knows what everyone really knows, he would still let you know.

Email spam. Had to confront it again today. An employee in my company began sending cute thoughts for the day to me. I thought, “oh no” is he sending this to management, too? Yep. The distribution list had about 100 names and addresses and nothing hidden, exposing company (business) email addresses to every imaginable spammer.
Last week it was an e-greeting card (the height of annoying unsacrificial patronage). This morning it was cute birthday songs the year I was born.

I had to email him back and break the news gently. “Probably isn't a good idea to send this stuff to employees...”, yada yada yada - skirting my actual personal hate of electronic pap.

What ever happened to common sense etiquette?! It is AMAZING to me it never crosses the mind of a well meaning “spammer”

1. Does this person care about this email I am about to send?

2. What will people think about me after I send this?

Nope- never dawns on them. Let's call them spappers. Emphasis on “pap”.

pap1-noun
1. Material lacking real value or substance: TV shows that offer nothing but pap.
2. An idea, talk, book, or the like, lacking substance or real value.

[Origin: 1400-50; late ME; a nursery word akin to D pap, G Pappe, L, It pappa]-Related forms -paplike, adjective

For most spappers, it's easy just create an email rule to automatically delete the message from the server. But when you have a business employee that may have a legitimate business message- you can't delete that potentially important message.

Someone needs to update Emily Post's quintessential 1922 classic: Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home.

At least add a chapter themed: “Email only what you are willing to voice call.”

One Bob isn't so bad. Bob times hundreds can lead to a real headache.

Meaningless Word of the Day

Postmodern.

In memory of the late George Carlin, I submit to you the most irritating word that I have ever heard.

Postmodern.

Post = after
Modern = relating to the present time

Therefore: after relating to the present time. So basically, postmodern means "the future".

So why not just say "the future".

Full disclosure. I was watching Bill Brown, president of Cedarville University give his recent chapel speech on the recent theological controversy. I think that word makes the people who use it think they are smarter that Joe Six Pack- but frankly, it just sounds really stupid.

Shakespeare say's: thumbs down.

One Unity on Which We Must Insist

America Alone – the best geo political book I have read in years, is not only engaging, it’s educational. For instance, did you know that for a nation to maintain its population over time it takes 2.1 live births per woman? I had peripherally heard Chuck Colson mention something years ago about the worlds diminishing population, but frankly I wasn’t listening that closely. Come to think of it, I remember a professor at WMU screaming about the world population bomb back in college. We are all going to die like “rats breeding in a box”.

Exactly the opposite is true. We in America are holding even, with the unknown variable of illegal immigration. Greece is at a fertility rate of 1.3, Italy is 1.2 and Spain is 1.1. No civilization in history has recovered from a rate less than 1.3!

Anyway- on to my main point.

As a homogeneous country, America is tolerant of many faiths and creeds. That, in my opinion, should not change. What must NOT change is America’s unique status as a beacon of freedom and moral order. It is that uniqueness that is under assault by liberalism and multiculturalists.

The misinterpretation of the word “tolerance” is primarily at the root. To even question anything amoral is now “intolerant”. It used to be that a question answered incorrectly was held to disrepute. Now the question itself is disrepute. Because of this "tolerance" Europe is turning into Eurabia. France is on the precipice of giving into Sharia law.

Whatever else divides we Americans, we must hold to our exceptionalist traits given at our founding. It is the one unity on which we must insist if we are to survive.

First Triathlon Ever

200th place out of 215.

Stan Lee came to my first triathlon and drew all the superhumans that I was surrounded by. Holy cow! I realized after about 30 seconds that I did not belong within 10 miles of these fit athletes.

I guess I succeeded against my goal of not coming in last. But I was disappointed with my swimming. I freaked out about the seaweeds and waves and did the breast stroke instead.

But I won't give up. I loved the whole event and will push on. Enjoy the slideshow.

Time to Move

Well, it is with mixed emotions that I write today. What started with the “seven year itch” about two years ago and now turned into us moving to Indianapolis.

Gaylord, MI is a wonderful place. We have made great friendships up here, especially at our church, the Gaylord E-Free church. Three of our 4 kids have been baptized there. Pastor Jim Mathis has encouraged and instructed us with his poignant sermons. Pastor Joe has shown true pastoral love with his visits and desire to know each of us deeply. It is the church where I have evolved (or devolved) musically, but at least it has made me think about church music and help me bridge the gap from my college and youth to the modern worship music of today. Ultimately, I am confident that whatever style one embraces, it can be done with sincerity.

Here are some of the roles Darlene and I have played here, mostly at church, but some in the community at large.

Darlene:

• Women 2 Women Conference Director (1000+ women)
• Apples of Gold (Committee member)
• Deaconess
• Music (flute)

Mark:

• A Higher Call Men’s Conference Director (500 men)
• DeaconMusic (piano and vocals)
• Connection Partner Ministry
• Sub for choir at Gaylord Schools

Besides the wonderful church, the two things I will miss that most about Gaylord will be our home with the beautiful forest view out the back and walleye fishing on Big Bradford Lake (my favorite lake). Our kids at this age could not have had a better location to spend their youngest years.

So why are we moving? First – why leaving Gaylord, --then why Indy.

I am ready for a bigger sales opportunity in a Metro / rural territory that does not require driving as much. Currently, I drive 33 counties in Northern Michigan.

Gaylord winters have taken their toll on me. I have never completely embraced these winters, never having taken up snowmobiling or skiing the only thing I was left with was snow blowing and shoveling. – no thanks The latest sign from God was that our big John Deere snow blower died this year during the worst blizzard. I knew right then. In fact, I remember calling my boss and telling him “my snow blower broke” metaphorically. Along with the winters, I would have to add that because I am embracing a healthier lifestyle, I want more opportunity to walk and bike. Indianapolis is usually 10-15 degrees warmer than here and they don’t measure snowfall in feet.

The general Michigan economy is in shambles due to liberalism and Unions. I am tired of our State answering every challenge by raising taxes and blaming business. Truthfully, one thing I will enjoy telling my liberal friends is that Jennifer Grandholm chased another one out of Michigan (tongue in cheek).
Now why Indianapolis?

Fireworks are legal. I like their license plate designs better. No sucky sports teams. Just kidding.

First would be a much bigger business opportunity (mo’ money). Ya’ can’t give it away if ya’ don’t have it!

Warmer climate is huge. I never thought that would be such a big deal until this last winter.

Close to existing friends and family in the area. By the way, I have to say this GENERALLY-- people are friendly in Indiana. That is a general statement, because I could list for you a ton of people in Gaylord that are extremely friendly. What I mean is that most all the encounters I have had with people in Indiana (strangers, church folk, school folk, innocent bystanders)- has been one in which I am shocked and amazed at the frequency of genuine interest in us visiting Northerners!

Anyway- we thank God for the time He gave us in Gaylord and we are excited about what He has for us in the future.

Bike Review: Giant OCR A0

I visited 6 bike stores in Petoskey, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Indianapolis before deciding on the Giant brand. I looked at Cannondale, Trek, Specialized and Schwinn.

The Giant OCR seemed to have the best value for features that I needed. I weighed 300 pounds at the time I purchased so I needed a sturdy and strong bike, but also one with racing attributes for my first triathlon in June.

The OCR A0 combined the forgiveness and lightness of carbon- with the rigidity of aluminum in the pedal area. I paid full retail at Latitude 45 bike shop in Petoskey, MI knowing that they were a full service bike store that would service and educate me. Trust me- I NEVER pay full retail and usually find cheap stuff on the net. But this time- I wanted to be covered with knowledgeable guys. Since this is the first time I have biked since I was in high school- I needed all the help I could get.

Since our snow melted I have ridden this bike 60-80 miles per week. My first overall impression was how LIGHT this bike seemed to me. It is 20 pounds which is by far the lightest bike have ever ridden and even lighter than my kids small little bikes! It rides very nicely and is seems to be a good combination of rigidity and forgiveness for my fat butt. Like I said before I weighted 315 pounds then but am in the process of loosing 100+ pounds over the net year. (As I write- I have lost 30 pounds).

The one thing I HATED about the stock configuration was the Crank Brothers Candy C pedals. With only two small screws holding my cleats to my shoes- they twisted with the slightest pressure. I am new to clipless pedals anyway which is a huge learning curve- but these stock pedals just aggravated the problem. So I sold those on eBay and bought new Shimano Ultegra pedals- which I absolutely LOVE. Because of the 3 screws on the cleats- they hold tight and feel very secure.
Gears: The bike comes with the Shimano Ultegra setup which is good. But since my expectations are “perfection” I have to complain slightly that occasionally when the front gear is in the small chainring and I try to shift back to the large ring, it doesn't shift unless I shift the rear gear to a smaller chainring. It has happened twice – just a minor annoyance when going up a hill.

The stock wheels (Mavic Aksium) are great, but too light for me and my heavy weight- so I purchased a set of training wheels with 36 spokes each for my everyday riding. They are great. I live on top of a large hill that descends 300 feet in all directions from my property. Which means that the final trip segment on the return home is grueling. Talk about increased lactate levels in the muscles!
I have spilled the bike twice- both relating to clipless pedals. Like I said before- I am still getting used to these pedals. Yesterday I stopped on my uphill driveway to get the mail thinking I could unclip one pedal and then keep riding up the hill. WRONG. I could not get the momentum to go forward and re-clip my pedal- so I fell over on the right side where my foot was still clipped. Ouch.

Lesson learned. One other thing is that I love how this bike handles at 40 MPH going down a long, extended curvy potholed road. There is a point on the descent that you simply loose control of the bike due to high speed while barely avoiding the potholes. There is a feeling of helplessness and I am glad the bike has held me securely.

Overall, I am very happy with this bike. It rides like a dream and I really don't think any other bike would be as nice for me as this one. Who knows- maybe when I am 100 pounds lighter, some other bike may fit me better, but for now I can't imagine it.
Apparently, this bike is now sold out nationwide (per the bike store owner). I guess I made a good choice.

Now I see why people can get discouraged with weight loss and give up.

I have been at roughly the same weight for coming on two weeks now. Literally, gaining and losing the same 3-4 pounds day in and day out. All while consuming about HALF of the calories necessary to maintain that weight! About three weeks ago I got down to 288 and then in the ensuing week went up to 295 and have stayed there. Arghhhhhhh!

It started with Easter Sunday, March 23 when I gave myself a “free day” and took the family to Applebee’s for lunch. I had a steak, steamed vegetables and then (drum roll) ….apple pie with ice cream. That was the sin and I haven’t been able to live it down since.

I exercise six days a week broken down as follows:

Sunday: Long bike ride + walk/run (2 hours)
Monday: Nautilus Weight training (30 minutes)
Tuesday: Bike and swim (2 hours)
Wednesday: Walk/run (1 hour)
Thursday: Nautilus Weight training (30 minutes)
Friday: Free daySaturday: Bike or run (1 hour)

For the record I will record my average daily diet here (so that many years from now I can look back and see what I did).

CoffeeHalf n half and Equal sweetenerBanana
Protein Shake
1% Milk
Broccoli snack
Low Sodium V8 snack
Carrot
Celery
Green Pepper
Romaine Lettuce
Tuna – 1 can
Swiss Cheese shredded
Wishbone Salad Spritzer- Caesar
Nuts for snacking
Special K Granola Bliss snack
Chunky Healthy Request – supper
Fat Free Yogurt- snack
Sugar free Jello mix - snack

The above stuff never goes above 2500 calories per day. I think the one indulgence is the nuts. Those mixed nuts have a high calorie count and are almost impossible to stop eating.

My other theory is that a lot of fat is turning to muscle by the weight training- so maybe that is transformation that is “hurting” my weight loss progress. I’m not sure- but so far I’m managing to not get too discouraged as to give up. Gotta have faith, faith, faith…..

Running is Hard

Running is very very hard for me.  At 292 pounds every step is a fight.  5K in 52 minutes.  Two months to go.

No Shame: 76 Days Later

76 Days Later: 27 pounds lost

"Perrine is Doing a Triathlon!!??"

Ya- I've been hearing the comments.  If it's not behind my back, then it is more subtle- like a the reaction I got from a good friend the other day who said “next year – right”?

No not “next year”.  This year- as in June 1, 2008.

What is amusing to me is that I am going in to this triathlon as (what is known in the business) a “Clydesdale” - which is to say, an overweight male.  The definition of a Clydesdale is a male over 200 pounds.  At 295 pounds at this very second, that puts me firmly in the “overweight Clydesdale” category I would guess.  On the optimistic side I plan to be 270 by the time June 1st rolls around.  

Since I got my new bike last week there has been no opportunity to ride it with the snow and cold.  So a few days ago I put the bike in the car and while in Big Rapids, MI found a church parking lot with no snow.  So I donned the gear and rode around in circles trying to figure out the gearing.  It was about 34 degrees.  Yesterday I found a secret location right here in Gaylord that is snow-free and clean pavement with no debris and almost no traffic.  So I will start training there.  By the way, the bike is a Giant OCR A0 which is great- but I have to get use to the seat negotiating my substantial derrière'.

On the swimming scene- I swam 1,450 yards yesterday.  It was half of what the Master's swim group did (2,900 yards) – but since they are all doing full triathlons and I'm doing a sprint- I cut everything in half.  More than likely, I will do the same full practice that they are doing soon.  It only makes sense since it improves stamina, cardio endurance and makes me   a better swimmer.

This morning I looked at the statistics for the Seahorse Triathlon from last year.  The fastest swimmer (and overall winner) did the 550 yard swim in 7:33.  What is exciting is that I CAN DO THAT!  But, that would be an all out sprint for me and ruin me for the rest of the race.  The winner (a guy named Matt) also killed the competition in the 3.25 mile run at 20:58 which is a pace of 6:45 minutes per mile!  My pace right now with a rested body is 14 minutes per mile – more than double Matt's.  I have a LONG way to go on the running thing.

I'm not really sure on my biking yet.  Matt did the 12.4 miles in 32:07 at a pace of 24.3mph.  I will have to make the adjustment from the gym bike where you sit back and pedal forward – to the real thing.  I'm not sure how that will effect my leg muscles.

On the Clydesdale rankings of the Seahorse Triathlon the winner was a guy named Jonah who did the whole thing in 1:17:45.  A realistic finish time for me at this point would be 1:30:00 or something close to that.  In the same rankings, the slowest overall time was 2:15:13.  I KNOW I can beat that- so at least I won't be last in this gig.

So for all you naysayers out there – watch me finish this thing.

Oh and for you, mom.  I had my doctors check-up yesterday and they did a urine test and EKG heart test among other things.  My heart is in normal condition (no problems) and my urine had no glucose in it!  Which may sound benign to you- but for me (a diabetic) whose glycohemoglobin has been terrible (over 10.0) and with high blood sugars for the last 6 years- that was awesome to hear!  Still, the doctor said that it is routine to get a EKG stress test after the age of 35- so that is what he schedule for me at the hospital.  If that goes well, too, I will consider it a “clean” bill of health to pursue my new “triathlon lifestyle”.

By the way- when the doctor did the feather on the feet test to check for diabetic nerve damage (numbness)- I felt every tickle.  He said that no diabetic he had tested in the last few weeks had done as well as me.  So that is good news!  Plus no signs of retinopathy in the eye test.  Granted it was a quick un-dilated test- but I'll go with that for now.

Two Month Anniversary

Wow I'm really doing this and it's working! As of yesterday I have lost 20 pounds.

At this rate I'm on track to be about 270 lbs by June 1 - triathlon day. The running is the hardest part for me. I can run for no more than about .8 miles at a time before I have to walk to recoup. On my hard walk/run days I go for 60 minutes on the treadmill. I have begun swimming again at the Sportsplex. I swam 1000 yards yesterday morning and will go about 2-3 time per week from now on. I plan to peak at 2400 yards per training in mid April.

I was at the pool at 6am yesterday and meet a guy named Chris who is a real Ironman! He is training for an Ironman in Arizona at the end of this month. He asked if I would swim in his Masters Class on Wednesday mornings - so I said "sure". Now there is a guy who can motivate me. It goes without saying that he is in perfect physical shape - something that I aspire to.

My appetite has really shrunk. I nibble on nuts during the day- but other than that- I have been very consistent on the following diet:

1. Morning: 4 cups of coffee with half n half.
2. Breakfast: Banana
3. Snack: NutsLunch: protein shake or salad with 1 can tuna
4. Snack: nuts
5. Supper: protein shake or small supper whatever the family is having (no processed foods)
6. Night: Fat free plain yogurt with sugar-free jello mix sprinkled on top

My calorie intake is never more than 2500 per day. It's funny even though I've lost 20 pounds, the pictures don't look all that different.

Weight Loss Thoughts- Late February

I did it! Last night I broke the 300 pound barrier! It seemed to take forever to get there being on the new diet and everything. So far I have been pretty consistent on eating a banana for breakfast (with coffee), nut's for snacking, a salad every day for lunch, a protein shake after Nautilus workouts or cardio (depending on the day) and then a small portion of whatever is for supper (no fatty or high carb foods).

Thrice since January 12 I have "cheated". Once was going to Pearls in Elk Rapids for supper with a bunch of guys and the other wer twice when my lovely wife brought home pizza for supper - in which case I had a few pieces. (after cheating, I paid my penance at the gym the following morning.)

Yesterday, I ran/walked uphill on the treadmill for 3 miles for the first time. It is getting easier to do the long cardio workouts on the odd days (when not doing Nautilus). Speaking of Nautilus- the gym owner suggested that I start on "Line 2" at the gym which are machines that basically work the same muscles- but differently. In other words- they bend the muscles in a slightly different way to "shock" them into expanding in different ways.

It worked- I was shocked when I did Line 2. Now I alternate back and forth between Line 1 and Line 2 every other workout day. I am “red-lining” on every machine every time.

One thing that I found fascinating is my daily calorie intake. For a 300 pound male to maintain his weight- he needs to consume 5,591 calories per day. I have been eating no more than 3,000 calories per day on average. Based on simple math the weight must come off!

Now I have a new goal in addition to loosing 100 pounds. Competing in a triathlon this summer. More on that later.

God Help Us All

or

There Lies A Desert

After Fred Thompson dropped out of the Republican primary, my support naturally fell to Mitt Romney. 

Since an unelectable Mike Huckabee will not drop out the primary, he is conspiratorially stealing votes that would otherwise go to Romney. Unless a miracle happens - by fiat, John McCain will become the Republican nominee for president. Mike Huckabee hopes that because of his antics (not dropping out), he would be chosen by McCain for vice president.

Which would leave me with two options – both repulsive – McCain and Clinton.

Usually, I would hold my nose and vote for the less offensive Republican ala/ George Bush 43 who I reluctantly voted for when Phil Graham lost the 2000 Primary. But George Bush didn’t repulse me as McCain does.

Besides the many smaller reasons that McCain disqualifies himself – temperament, age, lack of business experience it is the larger more important issues that cause me strife.

1. He hates the 1st Amendment to the Constitution so much that he decided to team up with a liberal Democrat to pass legislation abridging it with McCain – Feingold.

2. Wants to give amnesty to illegal aliens.

3. Buys into Al Gores Global Warming hoax which will lead to legislation that will kill the American economy.

4. He voted against the Bush tax cuts.

5. McCain demonstrates with his record that he is a liberal.

And since I will never vote for a liberal that leaves me with only one choice – one vote.

No vote.

This is the vote that joined with millions of other will become the true silent majority. I will be part of a landslide political correction. Since Republicans were bamboozled out of a clear choice in the Republican Primary- we will have to act in a different manner to have our voices heard.

Having our conservative Congress constantly fighting their liberal Republican President to pass good legislation and generally uphold the Constitution is political suicide. Instead, I think it may be far better for our country for a rotten Democrat to be elected (ala Clinton) and allow another Newt to emerge to form a congressional coalition to fight the inevitable socialist legislation that will ensue.

Another reason to let a Clinton or Obama win is to set America up for another Reagan just as Carter did in 1970’s.

Between here and the Promised Land, there lies a desert.

Week 3 - Muscle is Heavier Than Fat

It's a little frustrating. I have only lost 7 pounds but from what I hear- that is normal when you are weight training. I'm doing Nautilus weight training every other day and also 30 minutes of cardio (treadmill and exercise bike) 3 times per week. Not only that but my diet has been pretty much the following:

+ Breakfast: coffee only

+Lunch: big salad with lettuce, carrots, celery, green pepper, swiss cheese, (sometimes onion), and 1 tin of tuna.

+Supper: small portion of whatever Darlene makes and soy protein shake

I am not doing any gimmicks like you see on TV. No prepacked meals, no Chuck Norris exercise machines, no hypnotherapy, no lipo, no gastric bypass, no grapefruit.

One thing I have noticed is that I have to pay close attention to my insulin because I have gone low a lot lately. Also- I am not as hungry at night like I used to be. Before, I had to snack after 7pm- but those hunger pains have started to go away. The first two weeks were bad- I still wanted to eat at night but forced myself not to.

One more thing- I don't buy all this New Age crap about "don't starve yourself" and "don't deny what your body is saying" - yada yada yada. The first couple weeks are a hell. No getting around it. If your food intake was like mine- then it will SUCK not eating. I am starving myself in that I refuse to eat when I'm hungry. I AM punishing my body. It does NOT feel good.

The guy who owns the gym where I go- said I should rest my muscles every other day and not even do cardio on the odd days. I disagree with him. I am going to continue to do cardio on the odd days just like everything I have read tells me to.

Even with all that- I have only lost 7 pounds and .8 percent body fat. And looking at the pictures below- it doesn't look like much has changed.

But....I SHALL NOT GIVE UP!!!!!!!!

Fred to Mitt 2008

Weight Loss- Day 1

OK- here I go.

Today is January 12, 2008.

I am fat. I weigh 314 pounds and have over 38% body fat. I am an insulin dependent diabetic in the express lane to the grave. Starting on January 9, 2008 after returning from a Dallas business meeting I have had enough. I joined the local Nautilus Fitness center and am once again vowing to loose 100 pounds in one year. I have made many promises like this before - all broken. I guess posting pictures of myself here is a way of making myself accountable for my progress.

Life or death- here goes.

The Antichrist

Pretense

To Doris Kearns Goodwin:

It is sad when such a brilliant historian can be so frightfully ignorant of the effects of her comments on a large portion of this country.  I am speaking of the beliefs of many Americans regarding creation vs. evolution, mine included.

Your comment about Gov. Huckabee, [bothersome rejection of evolution] on the Imus show this morning was as offensive as the "nappy headed hoes" comment made by Don eight months ago.

The difference is that with Don's comment - there was a political apparatus to repudiate him.  With your comment- there will be no movement against you, evidence that your bigotry against Christians is perfectly acceptable in this country.

I don't wish to change your thinking in regards to the unprovable "theory" of evolution (repudiated by Darwin himself), but would ask you to question your comments in light of your pretense of being objective.

Clarence Thomas - A Role Model

I ashamed to admit I have a half dozen half-read books sitting on my nightstand.

My intentions are good but most of the time I just don't find the read compelling. Not so with this book. I couldn't put it down. I got the book last night about 7pm after looking through the mail and finding my package from Amazon. I just finished it and it is truly inspiring.

I will pass this book on to Kellen and the rest of my kids as required reading. Clarence Thomas came from extreme poverty in rural Georgia and has risen to the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. I was made aware of this book by listening to Justice Thomas being interviewed on the Rush Limbaugh Show and Mark Levin Show.

I don't think I have ever heard Rush extol a book like he did with this one.

I find the single most striking thing about Justice Thomas is his humility. He give all the glory of his successes to God -- without exception.

The second most incredible thing is that he always refers to his wife as "my best friend". I find that to be the deepest love imaginable.

His journey has so many lessons to teach all of us. This book is certainly on my short list of best books EVER.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Apologies (to the 3 of you who read my blog) for the long delay since the last post.

It has been "that time of year" when I work 16 hour days + soccer coach + taxi driver for four great kids to and from church and school activities + try to be a good husband. Blogging has to take a back seat during Sept and Oct.

I thrive on the busyness for two months but I look forward to putting on the brakes a bit, too. Sales are -flat to soft- in reflection of Michigan's bad economy - thanks Jennifer. Fortunately, I have sold 2 new all school accounts to run this year + I have sold 2 new additional all-school accounts to run this year. I sold these in between doing kick offs at other schools.

What else is new? Oh ya- PC no more! That's right- I'm switching to Mac! It's interesting that I started as a Maccer back in the late 80's and loved the IIsi I bought in 91 which helped me through numerous job activities. Then I got caught up in the Windows craze and cheapness of the hardware/software. So for about 13 years I have been in the PC desert with the bugs and error messages: dll error this, line command error that, screen freezes and other numerous Microsoft quirks.

I am in the market for laptop and was pretty set on a Dell as of about a week ago. Then a friend showed me his Apple MacBook with a program called Parallels which simultaneously runs Windows and Mac OSX! (I wanted to say "at the same time" but then realized that would be redundant). The speed, smoothness and simplicity of the interface was breathtaking. So I started to do more research on compatibility issues I may have after getting a new Mac.

None so far.

Any MS Office document (Excel, Word, Powerpoint) can all be SAVEed AS.. any format in the universe. Not only that-- but there is a free open souce program called OpenOffice for Mac that makes all interoperations with my multitude of contacts transparent.

All this with the stable, bug free and time tested platform of Apple.

I guess I'm not too old to... think different.

A Loss Indeed

What a fitting setting for a remembrance of Luciano Pavarotti. A southeasterly view of the Mackinac Bridge from a parking lot in St. Ignace. A bridge that has stood the test of time for 50 years. Pavarotti stood the test of time also, a time when mass musical tastes had degraded from the quality of trained talent to the likes of Britney Spears.

A man of furious talent, he was the role model for thousands of voice students the world over. My voice teacher in college kept a TIME magazine cover of Pavarotti on his piano as a constant reminder of vocal perfection.

He passed away last night, succumbing finally to pancreatic cancer. It is a loss, indeed.

May he rest in peace.

et lux perpetua luceat eis

Things That Make You Go...."hmmm"

Legally Correct Swimming Rules

2007
SWIMMING RULES
OTSEGO COUNTY SPORTSPLEX
(legally audited by Dewey, Cheatam and Howe)

1. Everyone in the water should wear a buoyant helmet at all times.
2. No extreme movements shall be made by swimmers.
3. No throwing of any objects in the water including foam balls, Q-tips or cotton filled clothing.
4. No talking loudly at any time. Loud talking can distract a swimmer from proper breathing putting the swimmer at risk for drowning.
5. All swimmers must have a medical exam with a doctor’s signature submitted to the lifeguard prior to swimming.
6. No diving head first.
7. No diving feet first.
8. No belly flops.
9. No aberrant behavior or disrespect towards over zealous lifeguards will be tolerated.
10. Any swimmer caught having fun will be asked to leave the Sportsplex.

The Management

Disorganized GSL

Never have I seen such as dysfunctional organization as I have seen with the Gaylord Soccer League. Where do I begin? I have been a soccer parent for two years and now I am a coach.

Let me start by saying the good things. The grass and fields are exceptional. Ummm-that’s about it.

There is CLEARLY little to no leadership at the top of this organization. It started at the coaches meeting when I got my packet full of information and calendar. They had me down as coaching 14 U14 boys. They provided my 14 shirts, 14 shorts and 2 pairs of orange socks. This was my initial indication of something wrong at the top.

I promptly turned around- called and mailed (I paid for stamps) every U14 player introducing myself and providing a detailed calendar and snack schedule.

About a week later after a week of practice I got an email from the assistant director of coaches- that the schedule had completely changed. So I re-printed a whole new set of schedules and handed them out at practice.

Yesterday, Saturday, August 25, I was at the field at 8:30 AM with the rest of the team warming up for our 9AM game in the rain. There we were- ALL OF US, stretching and exercising and getting ready to play.

At 9AM there was NO referee and NO other team to play. It turns out that the other coach “never got” the email sent by the league board about the new schedule. Apparently, the ref “never got” the memo either.

So there we stood in the cold rain not even sure who to confirm the opposing team forfeiture to.

If that was all- it would be bad enough – but what set me off on this blog this morning was going to the GSL website and not being able to get any good information. They still have calendar postings from 3 weeks ago (read: site not updated daily during soccer season). When attempting to find our official schedule the website makes me type is a players name and birthday to see the schedule. (WHY CAN’T COACHES GO ONLINE TO CHECK THE SCHEDULE?) So I type in my son’s info and an error message came up. (?!?!?!?!)

Shouldn't coaches have a designated area on the wesite?

The GSL has such great facilities; it’s a shame that incompetent leadership could be its downfall.

Bush Fatigue

Peggy Noonan nails it. Check out her latest column American Grit.

You only need to read the first few paragraphs, but the bottom line is: if Peggy Noonan is turning on "W" - it's getting bad.

I have been feeling more and more an annoying indifference to "W". We really don't seem out to win the war in Iraq but rather to manage a conflict. The politics of war and diplomacy have shifted soft in the last 100 years so much now that we as a country are afraid to do the hard and dirty work that must be done to defeat this incessant enemy.

America's new rules of engagment appear to be more interested in asking the terrorists if it was childhood trauma that caused their meanness. We are afraid of inflicting a Blitzkrieg and our brave soldiers are paying the price.

Largest Walleye to Date

30 3/8" long and 10 1/2 pounds

Friday, July 13, 2007

Approx 4:03PM

Big Bradford Lake - Waters, MI

Caught with a handmade orange Colorado blade double hook crawler harness. Caught while trolling about 1.4 MPH and took about five minutes to get into boat. wooHOOOO!

Copper Harbor 2007