So I'm sorry to say that I haven't been to the gym since Wednesday or Thursday and it's my fault. I was planning on going Friday, but my friend Nicole called and wanted to meet up at this gymnastics place called Silver Stars so our girls could play together, and since they're best friends, how could I say no? They had a great time. I figured that at least I made a good decision and Mallory and I ate lunch at home instead of going out where everything is at least 500 calories more than you would think.

Saturday, we all stayed in because, if you hadn't heard, we got nearly 2 feet of snow. Mal and I played outside a little bit, but otherwise it was a very quiet day. I did free up some space on the dvr by watching Into the Wild (didn't do much for me) and Confessions of a Shopoholic (meh)

I got plenty of exercise on Sunday by shoveling for about 90 minutes. It's about 36 hours later and I'm still feeling it, mostly in my left shoulder and forearm. I'm hoping to get to the gym to spend some time in the hot tub.

Today we were back at Silver Stars and then went to Ruby Tuesday for lunch. It's not my favorite place, but moms love it for the salad bar. I got some "Cajun" fish (probably cod or haddock or something) with steamed broccoli and a brown rice side. The fish was not spicy at all and I'd describe it as watery. Not something you want your food to be...unless you're eating water balloons.

Tomorrow is storytime at the library and then we're off to Chucky Cheese, which I have never been to. I'm going to try to limit myself to 2 slices and a diet coke. Maybe we can go to the gym tomorrow night or Wednesday. I really hope the parking lot is pretty clear. I've been disappointed with the streets so far. Maybe it's just me, but I'd think the town's streets should be pretty clear 2 days after it stopped snowing.

ttfn!

I know that losing this weight is a matter of making better choices with my food. I'm proud to announce that today at Chick fil a I got a sandwich combo but got the side salad instead of the fries. I was impressed with it. The salad has the same volume as a softball and has some broccoli and tomatoes in it. And while I was at it, I got Mal the fruit on the side instead of fries. Might as well make us both healthier, right?

I've been to the gym twice this week, both times to go swimming. We joined just over a year ago and I fell in love with the spin classes. Unfortunately, Mal's sleeping habits tend overlap with the classes as does Cara's work schedule so I've only been a few times in the last several months. I need to learn that I can do other stuff there that isn't spinning. I like swimming and what it does for me. It's a whole-body workout. I can also do it pretty much every time and any time I'm there. Plus, it's right next to the hot tub and steam room and I'm already dressed for the sauna.

My conditioning is crap though. I've only been able to do 3 laps (there and back) I also like that it gets Mal back to the babysitting there. She seems to love it and it gets her around kids of all ages and ones that she doesn't know as well. I plan on going back tomorrow and Saturday, at least.

That should do it for today, thanks for stopping by.

I'm back baby!!!

That's right, after 2 years of living a completely different life, I've decided to return to my blog and resuscitate it. I have a mission. Since I stopped working 2 years ago (to the day?) I've put on nearly 25 pounds and I want to lose that and more and keep it off. I weighed myself today and I was 195lbs. For my height (5'6"), I should be around 150.

I'm going to use this blog now to continue talking about the everyday that I experience, but also to track my thoughts, progress, and anything else worth knowing in my quest to lose this weight. Unfortunately, I have to go finish cleaning the kitchen and take out the trash. I'd start some laundry, too, but I'm pretty tired right now.

I hope all is well with everyone who follows this blog and I hope to hear from all of you soon.

dave

Oh, and this is what my daughter looks like today:

Yeah yeah, I've been neglecting my blogging duties by not posting anything in several months, but I have a good reason: my wife Cara gave me a beautiful daughter a month ago. As you can see here, she likes to impersonate a koala.
It's been a lot of fun and nerve wracking at the same time. Most of the family has been down to see her, though my brother and his wife are coming this weekend. After them, I think that does it for the immediate family.
We're having a great time doing stupid things with her and taking pictures of it:


We just came back from Hanover, Pa where we celebrated Thanksgiving. It was Mallory's first car ride of more than 20 minutes and her first trip over state lines. Even though I tried to warn her, Mallory just couldn't help herself from eating all of the delicious food. She ate so much, her belly button blew:
I mean, look at that! In all my years of gorging myself on Doritos and stuffing at my aunt & uncle's house, I've never done anything like this.
Anyways, that is what has been going on around here. Well, there has been some other stuff, but this is the only part that is really worth mentioning....for now.

ttfn.

ps - I promise to get better with my posting, especially as I will be giving my two weeks' notice next week as I begin the next phase of my life, stay at home dad.

Hey, it's only been one month since my last post, go me!!
For those of you who haven't heard (Sorry, Mike) my wife is pregnant with a girl and due in mid-October. I like to think I've adjusted pretty well so far. So far everyone seems to be healthy and we've mostly been real happy. And before you ask, yes, I am: excited, anxious, nervous, scared outta my wits, and pretty much every other feeling there is (except thirsty, I'm fine there)
We had our first baby-related class yesterday, about epidurals. Good stuff.
They say babies cost a whole lot of money, and so far, that seems to be right. To justify any purchase of any kind, I find us saying "...you know, for the baby". Hence my recent purchase in 50 shares of Smith & Wesson stock. seriously, we're trying to get our house in order, which involves new carpet in the family room and we got our bathtub lined so now that bathroom is less pink. We're planning on putting down new tile and a new vanity in there. We'll keep the toilet though, it hasn't let us down. We're also thinking of getting a new door to the patio and a new garage door with an opener. I'm looking forward to the opener the most.
I'm still riding my bike to work most days and will continue to do so until my wife says I can't. I've done a few neighborhood tours (NYC 5 Borough, and Rockville, MD) Those were both in May. I don't really have any plans for any other rides for the forseeable future.
We did some travelling in the spring, too. In April, we went to visit the in-laws in Ft. Worth, TX for the better part of a week. I had never set foot out of an airport down there, so it was nice to see what's going on. As it turns out, not much. It's getting overdeveloped just like the rest of the country. We did drive up to Oklahoma for the Indian casino right over the border. I think I won $10 in the hour we were there.
Last month, we joined some friends of ours (and some of their friends) in Duck, NC, on the Outer Banks. It was our first time out there and it was very enjoyable. We rented a 7 bedroom house a block away from the beach. I rode my bike 60 miles on two different rides, spent many hours at the beach, won $35 at bingo, ate some weak barbecue (turns out I like KC style better) and spent a lot of money on groceries. Oh, the guys went flounder fishing one morning/afternoon. I wound up catching about 7 (I think 5 were keepers) and we ate them for dinner that night. Brian really knows how to fry a flounder. I had a great time. Cara mostly had a great time too, but she really missed her own bed so we left a day early. I'm sure we'll wind up back there sometime soon, the three of us that is.
All in all, everything seems to be going very well. The Jets & Knicks had good drafts (we'll find out how good soon enough) I got some potentially devistating news about a cousin that I can't & won't get into, but also found out that someone else got himself engaged. It looks like we're going to Phoenix in the spring.
Ooh, and perhaps the best news: my auto insurance went down by $15/month!!!
In the months to come, we have several more baby classes and will learn all there is to know about laying bathroom tile and how to move and reinstall a toilet. I'll let you know how that works out.
That's about all I got for today. what's new with all of you??

Holy crap, has it really been nearly 6 months since I last wrote? Anyways, I got a joke for you, via the old Truly Tasteless Jokes books that were popular in the 80s:

What's gross? Finding a dead squirrel in your yard.
What's grosser than gross? Finding just the tail the following week.

Thank you, you've been a great audience!

hehe, My last post was #69. Dude!
Not too much has been going on for me in the month of January, or so it seems. It started with a lame New Year's. Why lame? Knowing you have to work on New Year's Day really brings you down, even if you know that you weren't going to be doing anything anyway. Work did try to help by buying us lunch, but it was sandwiches from Panera. Not one of my favorites: too girly and everything is sneaky not so great for you. And freaking Chipotle wasn't even open!!! bastards.
I did fall for the first time on my bike ride to work. I knew there's a spot where it's always wet, and I knew the temperature was below freezing, I just didn't put it all together until I was already on the ice. Luckily, I slid more than fell with a thud so I just got a little dirty and sore. I didn't tear any clothes and I think my judo training helped me try to fall correctly (not put your hands out to catch you) Some guy in a truck was lucky enough to witness my daring do. I hope he enjoyed the show.
Perhaps the biggest news of the month is that my better half decided not to go to grad school. I have no doubt that she would have done very well there, I just wasn't sure if everything she would have learned was worth the time and money, and a lot of both of those. To celebrate, we enjoyed some fine food at the Melting Pot, the fondue chain that is probably overpriced, but BH enjoys it every time. I think we'd both be miserable if we went to a nice place that she didn't like. Me? I like everything, so that's not a problem.
I've managed to ride my bike about 200 miles this month. I still get people asking how I can do it. I dress in layers and keep moving so that I'm not outside for too long and I stay warm by not standing still. I put on a fender over the front tire to help keep water and gook off my legs and feet and made an attempt to replace my brake pads. Once we get a week with crappy weather, I'll bring in my ride for a tune up and have them make the adjustments, including truing up the wheels.
My parents came to town over MLK weekend. We had a good time, getting dinner at Big Fish Grille in Crofton on Saturday night. The food was pretty good, but a bit pricey. Sunday I took them to Eastern Market in Capitol Hill. I hadn't been there before either, but now I know where to go if I should need pig ears or tails!
That night, I made a roasted/broiled leg of lamb, courtesy of www.FoodNetwork.com. It turned out very well, and I got to eat lamb leftovers at least once a day for the next week and a half. I felt quite accomplished when I polished off the last of it.
This past weekend, we got together with 3 other couples, one of whom recently moved up to Philadelphia. The following morning, we got together at Silver Diner with my friend Jen and her husband Todd. They were in town for the anti-war protest. I had a great time as I had only seen Jen like once in the last 5+ years, at her wedding so I finally got to chat with Todd.
And the food wasn't even that bad!
One thing I've noticed recently is that I'm longing for the days of my middle teen years, when music really meant something to me. Between rock and my friends, I didn't really need anything else. I'm thinking of writing a lenthy blog about it, possibly involving saving drafts and editing and all that crap. I bet you can't wait. Maybe it's some kind of Early-Onset Midlife Crisis...
Oh, and I baked my first ziti last week. I think it was the easiest baked pasta I've made so far (macaroni & cheese, manicotti, & lasagna). I had leftovers today for lunch and dinner, and it was still good, possibly better than it was when I first made it.
Did I mention that I shampooed the carpet in the family room? Here's the before and after pics:
This one is what it looked like before.

Frankly, I'm not sure if you can tell much of a difference in these pics, but it made a HUGE difference.
I wound up having to rent 4 different shampooing machines from two different places because the first three and a half didn't work. After returning the first three, and having the guy at the store prove the fourth one worked, I finally got the thing to work. The only thing different I did was to use a different outlet. Now, I'm not as dumb as that sounds (really!). All four would turn on and make noise, but only with this other outlet did the soapy water start coming out and did the brush start doing stuff. Go figure.
In the "After" pic, it looks like I missed a few spots, but that's only the direct sunlight coming in from the window, the rest of the room is fairly dark.
I'm pretty sure I had some deep thoughts that were worth mentioning, but of course now I can't remember them. Fudge.
Oh well, this should keep you busy for a while.

TTFN