One-Way Flight to Seattle, WA - Booked

What was your first thoughts when you saw the heading? It has stirred some comments on Facebook that is for sure.

Yes, the heading is correct. I purchased a one-way ticket to Seattle, WA today, which was a big step in life. It marks the beginning of what shall be an exciting, fun, thrilling two-week adventure starting and ending here in Franklin, IN.

Anyone interested in giving me a ride to the Indy airport for my departure flight on June 20? At least, I changed my flight to a 7:15 am departure instead of a 5:30 am departure.

So what happens during those two weeks is still up for debate and maybe some of you can provide some insight. Upon arrival at 11:02 PST in Seattle, my friend (SF) and I have approximately two weeks to arrive back in Franklin, IN. The goal is to celebrate America's Independence in Bloomington so if you live there look for some more info to come soon.

The overarching places we plan to see on our eastward adventure of the northwest:
Seattle - Arrival Day
Mt St Helens
Ellensburg (where SF lives)
Yellowstone
Grand Tetons
Devil's Tower
Mount Rushmore
Badlands
Corn Palace (SF found last time she drove)

Any other sites we should hit from Seattle, WA to Bloomington, IN?
Any specific places you would suggest us going within any of these areas?
Any words of wisdom at all for our adventure?
Anyone have a nice hiking backpack I could borrow for a couple weeks that works as a carry-on?

Definitely more to come about this journey and I look forward to hearing your thoughts, but for now I must get some sleep.

Getting in Shape!!!!

The new goal is to lose weight but also to get into shape. As mentioned previously, I signed up for a health assessment class here at FC. We received a workout plan several weeks ago but I have failed to engage in the program until now.

New workout plan started, Thursday, April 30 with encouragement from my student trainer.

Thursday April 30
- Warmup walk and stretch
- Approx. 10 min jog
- Cool down walk and stretch
- Dumbbell press, bicep curls, and a few other arm exercises.
- Set of crunches

Friday May 1
- Normal lunchtime walk with some definite soreness in the legs

Saturday May 2
- Dumbbell press, bicep curls, and a few other arm exercises.
- Stretching
- Walk to Masonic home and back to watch the FC Grizzly Grand Prix (Bike Race)

Sunday May 3
- Warmup walk and stretch
- Jog 10 mins same run as Thursday but went about 50 yards further.
- 5 min walk/stretch
- Jog 5 mins back to the start of the original jog.
- Cool down walk/stretch
- Weight Room - Leg press, leg curl, leg extensions, lat pull downs, seated row
- Crunches and more stretching

Goal to lift weights three times per week and jog four times per week for starters.

Weight Loss Update - Current weight 189
Goal by the time I see my family in July 175 lbs another 14 lbs for total of 32 lbs since January.

Three Things..Learn some new things about me

This is for those friends not on Facebook.

3 things: Now, here's what you're supposed to do. And please do not spoil the fun. Start a new note, delete my answers and put in your own. Tag all your friends and tell them to tag you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known things about each other.

1. Three Names I go by:
Robin
Murph
Starky (in college)

2. Three Jobs I have had in my life:
babysitter
department store cashier/stocker
campus security dispatcher

3. Three places I have lived in:
Bloomington, IN
Georgetown, KY
Paducah, KY

4. Three TV Shows that I watch:
My Boys
NCIS
Brothers & Sisters

5. Three places I have been to:
Perth, Western Australia (plus southwest corner)
Ghana (from south to north)
Stratford, Canada

6. Three people that e-mail me regularly:
Earline
Amy R.
Kerri S.

7. Three of my favorite foods:
Cheese
Dark chocolate
Egg, Cheese, and Bologna Sandwich

8. Three things I would like to do:
Mission Trip to Africa
Travel to the Holy Lands
England to find family

9. Three friends I think will respond:
Chris V.
Sarah F.
Julie D.

10. Three things I am looking forward to:
An eastward adventure of the west in June/July and going MIA
My Boys Marathon with a friend
Having a family one day

Health Assessment Class

Wow, it has been a long and rough few weeks since I last updated you on my health status.

The workout, even the walking, has drastically disappeared in the last few weeks. I hope now that my first big event is over and things went well. I can again focus on working out, getting in shape, and eating healthier. In the next few days, I will be getting a nutrition plan from my student. Until then, I will try to workout and continue the walking.

Update on the weight loss...
10-week program I lost 17 lbs to put me at 190.
Two weeks ago I lost 2 lbs but this week I have gained one of those lbs back.

How are you doing?

KYR SCCA Event #2

Results from the first autocross of the season and unfortunately, I am not sure how many more I will attend. It's amazing how fast weekends fill up.

It poured to start the day, cleared off in time to race, and rained again to finish the day off. Here are my times in order of runs:
47.206
44.593
45.052
45.621
44.798

NO CONES - The car handled a lot better than I thought it would in the rain. I am in dire need of seat time to improve.

The winning G Stock time was 41.608.
28/34 in PAX
32/34 in RAW

Top 100 Places to Live - Lexington, Columbus

Relocate-America's™ Top 100 Places to Live in 2009

Lexington, KY ranks in the top 12 best places to live.

Did you know that in 2008, Lexington was ranked as the 2nd most educated city in the U.S. behind Seattle, WA? This comes from Business Facilities.

Did you know that Toyota is apparently a major employer of Lexington? Unfortunately soon Lexington is going to eat up all of the neighboring towns into a greater Lexington area.

Check out the blurb about Lexington for some other interesting insights.

A couple other interesting cities to me and my other readers in the top 100 include:
Columbus, IN (approx 20 miles south of Franklin)
Noblesville and Fishers, IN
Columbus, OH

Enjoy the reading and finding your next location to live!

What a Weekend

First of all thanks to all of those who allowed me to visit and/or stay with them this weekend. It was awesome to see each and everyone of you.

For those I did not see especially those ill, I hope you get to feeling better soon and do not worry as this story continues, you will see I will be back maybe sooner than later.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

Congrats and Best Wishes to Dr. French! He served Georgetown proudly for 33 years and all of his fellow humans will never forget the compassion and love he showed for each of his students. By the way class starts at 9:30 Naval Observatory Time, you better set your watches appropriately. It was wonderful to see and catch up with professors, staff, and alumni.

Saturday was my first experience of Thunder over Louisville at least that I can remember. I did not actually head downtown for Thunder, but I did catch it on the TV at my friends, RJ squared. It was a lovely production and maybe one day I will venture down to the river to witness it first hand.

Autocross season is HERE. Though a very rainy, rainy day, I enjoyed my first autocross of the season and am now trying to rationalize going to EKU next weekend. Or maybe I should check out the rest of the month and rationalize another event. Either way, I really do not know if I can wait until June to race again. Also if I plan on being in anyway competitive this season, I must practice.

My overall results were not stellar today. I finished 28 out of 34 cars with my second run being the best of 5. The car was quite impressive and stayed under me plus no cones were taken out. The braking before the turns seemed to be good but the line was not all that smooth. The key to improvement is practice and driving the car approximately 300 miles a month is not very good practice.

Children, Children, and more Children The cute little ones of all of my friends was a joy to be around this weekend. I definitely had a good fill of children this weekend though very glad when mom, dad, and grandma were around to take care of the dirty diapers. :-)

Those are just a few of the many highlights from this weekend.

Please keep me in your thoughts this week as I prepare for a large event on Saturday.

12 Loads of Laundry for 1 Person

The weekend is here. I am on call for work so what better thing to do but clean the apartment. It is now 8:30 pm and the work is almost done. It all started about 12:30 pm.

12 Loads of Laundry, only 9 loads for the dryer - Seriously, Yes
I asked myself the same question earlier today and so did my friend Pauline when I told her. But after examining the contents of the 12 loads, it does not seem as crazy.

Loads Contents
2 Sheets
1 Mattress Pad
1 Blankets
1 Towels
1 Fleece Jackets/Sweatshirts
1 Sweaters
1 Reds
1 Jeans/PJs
1 Lights
1 Darks
1 Underwear/Cleaning Rags/Workout Clothes

So really only 6 real loads of laundry for about 3 weeks, which is not too bad especially since some were small loads.

Anyone want to come visit now that the apartment is clean. Everything has been cleaned though there is still a bit of clutter around the apartment.

Dump Your Plump - Conclusion - 10 Full Weeks

10 Weeks of Dump Your Plump is over and I met my weight loss goal of 7 lbs and exercising at least 30 minutes 5 days a week was accomplished. It has all gone down hill the past two weeks, but hopefully next week I can get back into the groove. This week has been really busy with work and preparing for Easter.

After Week 10 - 190 (0 lbs)
After Week 9 - 190 (0 lbs)
After Week 8 - 190 (0 lbs)
After Week 7 - 190 (-1 lb)
After Week 6 - 191 (-1 lb)
After Week 5 - 192 (-3 lbs)
After Week 4 - 195 (0 lbs)
After Week 3 - 195 (-4 lbs)
After Week 2 - 199 (-2 lbs)
After Week 1 - 201 (-6 lbs)
The Start - 207

Dump Your Plump - 8 Full Weeks In

Well, I did not gain weight this past week nor did I lose. I will take this considering my eating habits over the past week. I hope to engage in healthier eating for the last two weeks and see how much I can lose after 10 weeks.

Current weight loss 17 lbs.

After Week 8 - 190 (0 lbs)
After Week 7 - 190 (-1 lb)
After Week 6 - 191 (-1 lb)
After Week 5 - 192 (-3 lbs)
After Week 4 - 195 (0 lbs)
After Week 3 - 195 (-4 lbs)
After Week 2 - 199 (-2 lbs)
After Week 1 - 201 (-6 lbs)
The Start - 207

Health Update

Well as I am sharing what I am doing to lose weight and become healthy, I figure I might as well share some of the other progresses.

On March 3, our insurance did a free blood draw (actually we got $25 for doing it). The results came in today and in comparing them to my cholesterol results from early December, there is some good progress though everything is still out of normal except HDL.

Total Cholesterol dropped 29.
HDL dropped 4 which puts it on the border of being too low.
LDL dropped 10.
Triglycerides dropped 73.
Glucose dropped 6.

Overall, the three month turn around is very exciting for me. I just hope everything continues to drop except HDLs.

Update 2: I am not feeling so great about this weeks Dump Your Plump progress. Life has been very busy, not necessarily stressful, but busy. And through that I have been doing a lot of snacking and eating things that I really shouldn't be. We will see how I survive the weekend and if I can get a bit more active, this weekend.

Update 3: The pants which I have purchased in the last 8 months because the others were no longer fitting. Are now the ones no longer fitting? I am being swallowed up in them, which is exciting though now I need to check out the closet and find the old pants that now fit. I am not comfortable with the fit yet of the size lower but hopefully a few more lbs and I will be less concerned.
Thanks for all the votes of confidence and congratulations!

How are your efforts going?

Health Assessment Classes 1 and 2

As mentioned previously, I have turned myself over to the FC Health Assessment class.

Class 1 was spent getting all the necessary background information. We had to complete some forms about our history and then have several tests taken. The calipers came out to measure our body fat in three different locations and the tape measured was used for the waist, chest, thigh, and arm measurements. The students also took our blood pressure and pulse. We got on scales that not only measured our weight but also did some sort of body max index. Then there was a hand held object as well that measured BMI.

Results were not so great. My blood pressure was a bit high though nothing too concerning. My body max index is high putting me in the obesity class III category. Goals outlined previously have been defined as attainable and we will be working on exercising and healthy eating.

Class 2 tested our cardiovascular health. After a warm-up and some stretching, we walked as fast as we could for a mile around the track. Then it was to the aerobic step blocks, which about killed me. The left leg is definitely is in need of rehab. After a short period, I could no longer lead off with the left leg, which resulted in my right leg tiring out faster as well. I made it the 3 mins of stepping but it was not strong. After each activity my pulse was taking and so we will see next week what the results of my cardiovascular health is.

Class 3 will be a strength test.

Dump Your Plump - 7 Full Weeks In

The pounds keep coming off though a bit slower than initially. I cannot complain too much because my eating habits have not been the best in the last couple of weeks. The munchies are taking over as I am working a lot and just have the munchies. The bowl of dark chocolate m&m's has disappeared a lot faster within the last week to almost emptiness. The bowl will most likely be empty by the end of this week at the current rate.

Tomorrow is back to health assessment class a full report to follow soon.

Current weight loss 17 lbs.

After Week 7 - 190 (-1 lb)
After Week 6 - 191 (-1 lb)
After Week 5 - 192 (-3 lbs)
After Week 4 - 195 (0 lbs)
After Week 3 - 195 (-4 lbs)
After Week 2 - 199 (-2 lbs)
After Week 1 - 201 (-6 lbs)
The Start - 207

Whats your favorite flavor of popcorn?

How many flavors of popcorn have you ever seen or had? Well if you like popcorn and would like to try more, I have just the place for you. Even if you are not a huge popcorn fan, you definitely will be hooked after a visit.

Not Just Popcorn in Edinburgh, IN has over 240 flavors. Divided into 5 categories: Premium, Gourmet, Savories, Chocolate Covered, and Chicago Cheddar.

Today I tried several including Pina Colada, Amaretto, Chicago Mix (Chicago Cheddar & Caramel), Banana Split, Root Beer Float, Dill, Mexican Salsa, Extremely Blue Raspberry, Caramel, Key Lime Pie, and more.

I left with a FC tin of Caramel because I really couldn't decide what I wanted and the Chicago Mix was a bit too expensive. It definitely is not a cheap item to purchase but something nice every now and again. The smaller bags are a lot less expensive but they would never last long enough.

There is a large variety of tins to purchase and fill with popcorn. If you return with the tin, all future fills are 1/2 the original cost.

What else can you do in Edinburgh? Head to the outlet malls and not too far out of the way on your way to Franklin you can see the grave in the middle of the road. Additionally, there are many wineries close, hiking, and an old movie at the ArtCraft in Franklin. I enjoyed great entertainment tonight and saw the all time classic "Hoosiers". So let me know when you would like to visit.

The Skullbuster Rally

Another event on last weekends schedule was a Road Rally. The first rally in several years and the skills were a bit rusty, especially at the beginning.

The Skullbuster Rally was a Time Speed Distance rally in northern Scott County, which actually went through Skullbuster, KY. G and I paired up once again to work on defeating the men's teams as well as all others. The skills as mentioned earlier were a bit rusty and sleep deprived, but that did not matter as we still finished 2nd. We defeated all the teams we really sought out and will look to improve in the future.

Definitely had some eventful moments with 2-3 missed turns and one navigator second guessing, which resulted in a couple minutes loss plus a potty break. All worked out as I was able to correct our time and purchase a time allowance to keep us inline for a victory. I try hard not to take time allowances but with a potty break there was not a whole lot of options.

Key things learned from this and past rallies:
- Remind driver to have gas in car.
- Keep driver from drinking too much before the event starts especially caffeinated beverages.
- I really need more sleep before starting and I'm definitely the nerd with the calculator and table for calculating :-)

I encourage you to try it out. If you like to drive and enjoy the country side, it can be fun times. The next event is a Gimmick rally which does not require time calculations like the TSD rallies. Unfortunately, I will not be in attendance as I have to be within 15 minutes of FC, but it should be a lot of fun. Check out the CKRSCCA website Rally Schedule.

Basketball Madness Before March

Last weekend was full of basketball.

Transylvania hosted the men's and women's HCAC Division III basketball tournament, which was great but not great. Not great because Franklin men had a chance to host the tournament had they defeated Defiance the week before. Great because I was headed to Lexington anyway that weekend therefore I could actually watch the games.

Friday at Transylvania
- Franklin women were defeated by Transy in the semifinal game during the early afternoon.
- Franklin men revenged the loss to Defiance to gain a final berth.

I enjoyed watching the second half of the game, unfortunately I was unable to leave in time to watch the full game or the women play.

Saturday Basketball
The afternoon started off with a nice walk from Transy to Rupp Arena to watch the UK vs LSU game. Reminder section 231 is a standing section, but I had a wonderful time with friends and Father. Unfortunately, the end result was not so great.

Previous post mentions the great dinner I had at Sawyers before walking back to Transy in the sleet/freezing rain to watch the Franklin vs Transy men's game, again an exciting game but one with unfortunate results. Franklin loss at the end.

March Basketball
A blessing in disguise may be at hand. With all the work ahead of me, I have not been watching a lot of basketball minus last weekend and doubt a lot will be watched in the upcoming weeks. Therefore, I will not be saddened by the fact the majority of my teams will most likely be missing from the tournament and keep on losing. I wish them all the best.

GO TIGERS!!!! They play tomorrow in the championship of the NAIA MSC in Frankfort.

Dump Your Plump - 6 Full Weeks In

A little late on this post, but thought I would share quickly anyway. Last week I had a weight loss of 1 lb though I am pretty impressed with that after last weekends fun.

Friday, February 27 was a light day but Saturday, February 28 was nothing but unhealthy eating. It was quite delicious and savoring, but not so healthy.

Saturday the enjoyment of a bacon, egg, cheese bagel from McDonalds. Lunch at Galvin's in Georgetown for a semi healthy buffalo chicken salad w/ blue cheese. The kicker comes Saturday night with a lovely, delicious famous Sawyer's burger with bacon, provolone, mushrooms, ketchup, and mustard, along with some fries and a Bass.

At least, I did get some exercise on Saturday walking to and from Transy and Rupp along with lots of standing at the UK/LSU and Franklin/Transy games more on that in another post.

Sunday included a wonderful breakfast at Alfalfa's but again not the healthiest. 3 blueberry/blackberry griddle cakes, over easy egg, bacon, and fruit. I did try kiwi for the first time. It is a very sweet fruit.

Well that is last weeks update. This weeks update will be forthcoming after Monday.

Current weight loss 16 lbs.

After Week 6 - 191 (-1 lb)
After Week 5 - 192 (-3 lbs)
After Week 4 - 195 (0 lbs)
After Week 3 - 195 (-4 lbs)
After Week 2 - 199 (-2 lbs)
After Week 1 - 201 (-6 lbs)
The Start - 207

Try to forget...Duke vs UK 1992

A quick check of the latest local news in Lexington resulted in the following article New Ad Features Laettner, Pitino.

Health Assessment Class - Starts Thursday

The next item on the agenda for becoming healthier is participating in an FC Health Assessment class. They asked for volunteers to work with the undergraduate students and so I decided to take them up on the offer for a free health assessment and more.

My portion of the class starts on Thursday. TT will be assessing my health and helping me meet my goals. Here are the goals I look to set and accomplish by the end of May:
- Weight loss (Need to be advised at what is realistic)
- Increased Flexibility (Able to touch my toes without feeling the stress in my legs.)
- Run a 5K without dying.
- Improve my cholesterol and the various components of it.

I will continue to update you on these goals as well as the Dump Your Plump status. In ways they will start to overlap one another at least for the next 5 weeks until Dump Your Plump is over.

Good Luck on your health goals! Stay positive and keep looking towards a positive outcome!

Dump Your Plump - 5 Full Weeks In

With five more weeks to go, it is exciting that my large pants are starting to fall off of me and the next size is starting to fit a little less snug. I have met my initial goal of 7 lbs and hope to maintain a nice consistent weight loss for the remaining 5 weeks. I look forward to the day that I can truly fit back into my latest wardrobe and maybe eventually fitting into some clothes from the wardrobe prior to that one.

Current weight loss 15 lbs.

After Week 5 - 192 (-3 lbs)
After Week 4 - 195 (0 lbs)
After Week 3 - 195 (-4 lbs)
After Week 2 - 199 (-2 lbs)
After Week 1 - 201 (-6 lbs)
The Start - 207

25 Random Things About Me

For those on Facebook, you may have already seen these, but for those not, I thought I would share with you what the rest of the world has learned about me this past weekend. For more information about the goal of the list, read details below the list.

1. My current car is 6 years old and has 137,000 miles (22,800 mi/year). Over half of those miles (78,000) were put on within a two year span. The car currently sits in great neglect lucky to move more than once a week, but it still has great adventures to see family and friends. Most friends say I am never in one place maybe that is true, maybe it is not. I do enjoy a nice drive through the countryside.

2. The trunk of my car contains a large blue Rubbermaid container (contents: a matte black Snell certified helmet, tarp and blanket, jumper cables, air compressor, window cleaner, paper towels, de-icer, sunscreen, Sahara Sombrero, blue chalk, flashlight), two folding chairs, magnetic numbers and letters (during the summer), spare tire, and spare tire tool kit.

3. From the age of 3 through 7th grade (10 years), I took dance lessons (tap & ballet with a few years of jazz, toe, and summer acrobatics/trampoline). I know this is shocking to those who have ever seen me attempt to dance or keep a beat/rhythm because I can’t.

4. My current job is the start of my second professional career. After spending six years as a web developer, application programmer, and database administrator, I left the technology field to pursue my desires to work with young people and help develop strong leaders in all aspects of our community.

5. I over analyze everything including the creation of this list.

6. While spending two months in Western Australia (Perth), I played basketball for the Lakeside women (Western Australian State Basketball League, second-tiered semi-professional basketball league), coached an under-9 boys basketball team, learned to kick a footy, had a kangaroo eating out of my hand, worked with the youth of the church and local schools, fell in love with Tim Tams, and much more.

7. One of the weirdest/strangest things I have ever eaten was fried cow’s blood in Puerto Rico.

8. August 1993 included a 24+ hour bus ride to Denver, Colorado for World Youth Day. I saw Pope John Paul II and still have the bandana that a kind soul gave me on the sick bus.

9. Photography is a great passion of mine. I stopped taking as many pictures years ago because I always felt like people were looking at me funny. A camera use to be attached to my every move and everything was documented. To give you an idea of my crazy picture taking: Australia 600 plus film pictures in 2 months and Ghana 2,100 plus digital pictures plus several rolls of film pictures in 2 weeks.

10. A dream of mine since freshman year of college is to have my own black & white dark room. I received honorable mention for an experimental black & white photograph in undergrad.

11. I am a pack rat rarely ever throwing anything away. That is why there are boxes and boxes of items waiting to go into scrapbooks from college years to friends’ weddings and baby showers.

12. Current collections include shot glasses, postcards, key chains, porcelain dolls, UK basketball posters, bibles, and money (state quarters, pennies, foreign currency). Collections not as frequently added to these days include pencils, pens, unicorns, stamps, baseball cards, NASCAR collectibles, and books (most have not been read).

13. Christmas is my favorite holiday and winter my favorite season. (I love the beautiful white snow outside.)

14. Often times, my first experience at events will never be topped by future experiences.
First NCAA basketball game 1994 SEC Championship game in the Pyramid, Memphis, TN, Kentucky defeated Florida. We had seats about 10 rows up from the floor across from the UK bench.
First NCAA football game UK vs #1 LSU 2007 in Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, KY. I had seats in the end zone right in the middle of the LSU Indianapolis Alumni section. (Very nice fans to those of us wearing Wildcat blue.)

15. Would you like to catch me on IM? You probably can from any medium (ICQ, AIM, Yahoo, MSN, GMail, Facebook) you use and some may have never known of their existence. Am I missing any?

16. Summer of 1998 included the creation of my own personal website and unlike today, I had to actually figure out HTML and design the site. There was also a cool little chat feature (at the time) that I added to the site to talk back and forth with friends.

17. The one thing you will always find in my refrigerator is cheese. Yes, I am 100% addicted to cheese and working very hard to reduce the intake. There is a crisis when the refrigerator is without cheese.

18. Snooze once upon a time was not in my vocabulary or in arms reach. I truly was a morning person except on Saturday’s. Then summer of 1998 happened and 12 hour shifts at campus safety on weekends. Life has never been the same and snooze has turned into two alarm clocks.

19. I have partaken in homecoming festivities at Georgetown College every year since I started in 1996, only missing the last two Songfests.

20. So the second of the 25 in this list still has you perplexed as why I have a helmet, magnetic numbers and letters, and blue chalk in my trunk. These are all necessary things in order to autocross or solo on a Sunday afternoon. Quick: Cones are setup in a pattern in a parking lot and cars are individually timed.

21. Besides autocross, I also love to road rally and am one mean navigator. Quick: Each team is given a set of directions to navigate through the countryside at or below speed. The goal is to hit hidden controls exactly on time based on speed and distance.

22. The first thing that pops in my mind when someone talks about skiing is water skiing not snow skiing. I spent my entire childhood on the lake water skiing and finally learned how to slalom ski in college before going on hiatus for the past 9 years.

23. The conclusion and beginning of a new year of life must be celebrated to its full extent no matter the year. Therefore I love to celebrate and wish others a Happy Birthday.

24. Many are scared of the dentist but I am not as the worst thing to happen to me at the dentist was getting my four wisdom teeth cut out. (Knock on wood) I have never had a cavity.

25. If you like to play cards, board games, and other logic/analytic games, you have found a friend who will play about anytime, anywhere. But if you are interested in video games, charades, trivia, and related games, then definitely do not call me. Also I should warn you that I am a competitive individual.

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Apparently, you're supposed to write a note of 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. Then, tag 25 people. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people - in the right hand corner of the app - then click publish.)
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Dump Your Plump - 3 Full Weeks In

Wow...the weight keeps coming off to my great surprise. I am a bit concerned about the upcoming weekend and following week because I will be on call for the first time since this journey started. On-call means being up late and really not wanting to get up in the morning. But I will report back next week with an update, good or bad.

Current weight loss 12 lbs.

After Week 3 - 195 (-4 lbs)
After Week 2 - 199 (-2 lbs)
After Week 1 - 201 (-6 lbs)
The Start - 207

Thanks to all those who overtime have helped motivate me! Soon I will start actually running and maybe compete in a 5K with you. Give me a target date.

For my readers or just my personal notetaking...

Do I have any readers left? I feel the answer to be no, but surely there is one or two of you still out there. My latest posts just do not seek any comments or thoughts from those avid readers :-) Maybe, I can trick myself into believing that people are reading but like me are scanning quickly and have little time to comment. Whatever it is, I hope someone is enjoying my posts.

What type of electronic device do you use as a phone?

Is it a phone, a radio, a tv, an organizer, your to do lists electronic, a camera, a calendar, email conduit? What exactly does your electronic device that was once just a phone now do? Do you really need all of that information and abilities at your fingertip?

As many of you know, I am always a stage or two behind technology to say the least. I have no huge desires to be on the cutting edge or maybe in the near proximity of it. There are various reasons for this reluctance to move to the new and leave the old: costs, needs, familiarity, comfort, costs, simplicity.

Another issue these days is not working with all of my tech friends, I really have no clue what is out there these days in terms of cell phones. So if you were to buy a new cell phone, what would you purchase and why? I currently have a 3 to 4+ year old Razr and have AT&T service. I really don't use my phone much except to talk to friends and family. I definitely need Bluetooth capabilities for headless earpiece, but besides that I am not sure I need a whole lot else.

I appreciate your advice and thoughts.

Ice, Snow, Sleet, Electricity, Phone, Gas, ......

Wow what a week was had by many. Here in Indiana, we received around a foot of snow and sleet. Thank goodness! I will take a foot of snow any day over the massive amounts of freezing rain and ice that hit Kentucky.

Thanks to all of those who have prayed for my family, who have gone out to help those throughout the state, and continue to provide support and prayers!

My hometown was quite crippled with all of the ice. Curfews were set and I even saw that liquor sales were to stop at 10:30 in the evening. Electricity went out to many on Tuesday morning and did not come back for several days. I still have some family and friends without power though I believe a majority of them have regained electricity. Phone lines are working much better now after being down for several days and then very spotty for several more days.

Communication has been an interesting task over the past week. A lot of communication occurred between family and friends outside of the area who in one way or another had contact with their family down home. The connections created by Facebook helped me know that a) most of my family was out of power b) the reason I could not contact family was because the only phone service was Verizon. Without Facebook, I would have continued to sit in the dark unknowing of what was really happening. Friends' statuses were updated all in search for any news of those back home and the situation.

The stories of the family pulling together to help one another and others sharing and providing are wonderful. May God continue to bless and keep everyone safe who need power and who are working to provide power and clean the roads.

Check out this link for pictures of the Snow of 2009.

Prayers for Baby Bailey

Baby Bailey was born Friday morning in the midst of the Ice Storm 2009 chaos in Western Kentucky. She is a beautiful little girl weighing in at 7 lbs 13 ounces. She joins the ever growing family as the 10th great grandchild.

I ask for your prayers for her and her family as she was born with an infant heart condition called "Transposition of the Great Vessels of the Heart". Basically, her aorta which is suppose to carry blood to the body from the left ventricle and her pulmonary artery which is suppose to carry blood to the lungs from the right ventricle are swapped.

She is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday, February 3 to swap the arteries. After speaking with my friend DG, I have learned a lot about the process and though there are potential complications. Bailey's condition seems to be a very positive one. She has been doing very well thus far and as long as all of today's tests turned out okay we are looking forward to a great prognosis.

Some have asked if the condition was found prior or after birth. It was discovered after birth and after speaking to my friend, it is not something that can be detected in prenatal scans. The fact that she was carried to full term and is otherwise healthy provides her with a great prognosis and a quick recovery.

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers! I will update you on her condition soon.

Dump Your Plump - 2 Full Weeks In

Update on how things are going with Dump Your Plump. We are now 2 full weeks in and completed the third weigh in today.

The Start - 207
After Week 1 - 201 (-6 lbs)
After Week 2 - 199 (-2 lbs)

I believe a lot of the loss has come down to portion control and what I eat because I have not really increased the exercise. I am walking 5 days a week for approx 30 mins and 2 miles.

The other key is the motivation of knowing that I have to weigh in on Monday mornings. Otherwise, I know will power would not have succeeded last night at the Super Bowl party. There are still 8 more weeks to go and who knows what will happen.

I encourage you to find a friend or a group to motivate and keep you honest about your goals for weight loss, exercise, etc. It is definitely one of the best motivators and is keeping me on task. Look for another update soon.

Dump Your Plump

The time has come to become serious about getting in shape and losing some weight. The local county has a program called "Dump Your Plump". It is a team program to encourage individuals in the community to become healthier. I have joined a team of fellow Student Affairs professionals and others. We are known as the 'Chunky Dunks'. Our first weigh in is on Monday and then we have six weeks to get fit, eat healthy, and lose weight.

Since mid-semester, I have been trying to eat healthier and get in shape. The eating healthier has gone in spurts with the Thanksgiving, Birthday, Christmas holidays being a bit tough. The getting in shape is a slightly different story. I walk a good 3-4 times a week during lunch. Currently, we walk 2 miles around the indoor track but when the weather was nice we walked around the community. In the last few weeks, we have picked up the free weights and walk with 2 lbs in each hand.

The goal is to eat healthier by watching portion sizes, eliminating desserts again, minimizing juice intake, healthier snacks, and working on more veggies and fruits. The exercise component is a bit more difficult because it is hard to motivate myself in the evenings to do things. But I hope to get the gazelle out and start walking on it at night as I watch TV. It may become a permanent fixture in the middle of the living room.

Night of Contemplation....What do you think?

What can I say? Life has been busy and I have failed to post much in the last several months. I can always say I will try better but I believe we all know now that is probably not going to happen.

So what can I say? I am definitely starting to understand why and how many of my friends are bad at communicating in any means. Schedules and life starts to overwhelm us and it does come to a point that trying to communicate with others becomes difficult.

Things that cross my mind or conflict when I want to call someone:
- Are they still at work? This can actually work in both directions though mostly if people are at work, they most likely will not answer their phone. There are a few people who I call at work.
- Are they in the middle of dinner or lunch (Sat and Sun)? People eat at all times of the day and night now days. As a child, there was a set time you did not call because people would be in the middle of dinner but now that could be about anytime from 4 pm - 9 pm.
- What time is too late to call? My general rule of thumb here is no calls after 10 pm. If they have children, no calls after 9 pm.
- Do people actually like talking on the phone anymore? Or is it a bother?
- Am I inconveniencing them calling? Should I just send an email, but thats so impersonal and not a good two way conversation?
- Does the person actually even care to speak with me? Are they just being polite or do they genuinely want to talk?
- If they never call back, do you call again? Or do you figure they don't want to talk to you?

These last questions seem to get to another contemplation of who are your friends, acquaintances, and just general people you know. How do you know that what once was a friendship is now just a mere acquaintance? How long of no communication is too long to reconnect with someone? Is the communication lacking because of the person's inability to communicate well with anyone or do they truly not want to maintain that open communication?

Those are my contemplative questions this evening. They may make sense and they may not. It is very hard to tell as sleep deprivation has set in and there is still at least another hour and half to go before my head can hit the pillow.

Tim Tam's, an Australian Biscuit, in the USA, with a KY tie!!!

Yes, you are hearing correctly. For a limited time, you can purchase Australia's top chocolate biscuit (cookie) in the United States!! And if you have never been to Australia or had the privilege of a friend sharing a Tim Tam Slam with you, then I encourage you to head to your local Target (if you have one). Once you have a package of Tim Tam's in your position along with some hot cocoa, Milo, or hot tea, then we can share in the experience of a Tim Tam Slam. If you have had prior privilege of indulging in a Tim Tam Slam, then you know where to head in order to indulge again for a limited time.

Pepperidge Farm, a sister company of Arnott's the maker of the Tim Tam, is producing Tim Tam's for the American market through March (Market Watch Story). Thanks to Ashlee and Nick for their discovery at their local Target store!!! Check out the Pepperidge Farm link for a $1 off coupon and an opportunity to enter a sweepstakes for a trip to Australia.

For all my Kentucky friends:
"Tim Tam biscuits first hit supermarket shelves in 1964. They were named after a horse that won the Kentucky Derby in 1958. A member of the Arnott family, Ross Arnott, attended the race day and decided ‘Tim Tam’ was the perfect name for his new biscuit." Arnott's Website

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of my dear friends here and there!

The weather held off nicely for my drive home on Tuesday. It was rainy but luckily not icy minus that freezing on the front of the car as I drove in the wind. I saw an old high school friend on my journey at the infamous Beaver Dam rest stop. I wasn't going to stop but was not sure after a large water for lunch that I could make it the last 1.5 without making a pit stop and that is my last choice. So I stopped and on the way out, I ran into Sherry. It was great to see her and catch up quickly. You never know who you may run into on your travels to and fro. May your travels be smooth as well.

Christmas Eve was spent in the traditional manner with family lunch/dinner, Christmas Eve Mass, and time with my mother's family opening presents and eating.

Christmas Day brings more family time in the morning, followed with Christmas with dad's family, and I am sure some dominoes with the grandparents.

Have a Merry Merry Christmas!

Wow..How time flies?

Not sure what all has happened but I feel like I am getting wrapped up in the same phenomenon so many of my friends have, the phenomenon of always being busy and seeming to have little time to keep up with friends and family. Those who know me well are sure to know it is quite frustrating. If I have missed your birthday, anniversary, or just have not spoken to you in ages, I truly apologize. I am trying to get back into my previous past of keeping in touch and will try so to write more posts of worth, though we all know that blogging has never been a strong suite of mine.

It is now November. My first semester of working in the collegiate environment is starting to wrap up and come to a close. In ways, I look forward to the end of the semester minus the fact it lies on December 11. Granted ending then and not still continuing is a plus. Years in the future, we will still be in school as so many years previous.

Highlights of the Semester thus Far
- Taught my first class.
- Graded my first set of papers though quite scary the quality at times.
- Received acceptance for a program proposal at a national conference in March.

Exciting things of the last few months
- Finally looked at the first half of my Ghana pictures.
- Had my first visitor to my new home after my parents helped me move-in.
- Went hiking this weekend at McCormick Creek State Park.
- Walking in general.

Things to Blog about soon
- GC Homecoming 2008
- Georgetown vs Louisville – Nov 1
- Basketball Madness
- Gas Prices

I am sure there is much more to share so keep your eyes posted for more to come soon.

Hurricane Winds lead to rare phenomenon in Kentucky

Here is the news report from Paducah. I might try to write more on this later.

"UPDATE: David S. White, professor of Biological Sciences at Murray State University is reporting more evidence supporting our story.
White writes, "Our water monitors (taking measurements every 15 min) in Kentucky Lake actually picked up the seiche and the changes in water levels. The changes in water level perfectly match the changes in wind speed from our weather station."

Marshall County, KY - As cleanup continues from this weekend's hurricane-driven wind storm... a new mystery. Why were so many boats left high and dry? It turns out they were not simply swept away by high winds.

It is suspected that a rare phenomenon known as a seiche raised one end of the lake by several feet.
It's similar to a storm surge -- those walls of water we've all seen as hurricanes slam into shore. Except on inland waters it's called a seiche. The strong sustained winds push the water to one side of the lake and hold it there. The national weather service says it's likely that's what happened on Kentucky Lake.
Copyright 2008 WPSD-TV, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed."

Ryder Cup in Kentucky

The past several days Kentucky has hosted the Ryder Cup. I have never been a real huge golf fan for many reasons. I don't know a lot about golf: the rules, skills, philosophy, etc. It has always seemed like a very boring sport to watch on tv. My uncles constantly watched it when I was a child, but I never fully understood it or got into it. There are other sports that attract my attention and keep me interested on tv over golf.

All that said my tv was on the Ryder Cup the majority of Saturday. Why, I kept asking myself. I believe there are a couple key reasons for watching the Ryder Cup. It is exciting to have such a big event in your home state. I was also curious how things were going after the devastation of Ike. There are still thousands of people in the Louisville area without power. The Ryder Cup appeared to go off without a hitch which is good since it was an international event. Another reason is there were two Kentuckians on the USA Ryder Cup team. I feel like I have grown up hearing about Kenny Perry and was interested to see how he was fairing. Though I watched, it was not an intense, continuous watching. I put the tv on mute several times and caught glimpses of what was going on throughout the day. It was definitely not something that peaked me interest continuously as I totally forgot that it was on again today until I was reading the news headlines and Facebook statuses.

Congrats to the US Ryder Cup Team for bringing the Ryder Cup back to the US for the first time since 1999! Congrats to the two Kentuckians for showing the world what Kentucky has to offer!

New Job, New Community...Seven Weeks Later

Seven weeks ago I started my first full-time job in the higher education field. Life is definitely interesting being back in a 40+ hour a week job with no studying or classes to take. I have a dual position at Franklin College as the Coordinator of New Student Programs and Residence Hall Coordinator.

New Student Programs (NSP) is in the process of creating a new identify and redefining some of its goals and purposes. There are four main components to the position: NSP Mentors, NSP Registration sessions, NSP Orientation, and LA 100: New Student Leadership Seminar. Mentors are selected each spring to assist with the other components of NSP and also take a leadership practicum course in the fall which I currently co-teach. The practicum course helps the mentors reflect on their interactions with the students outside the classroom as well as their role in the LA 100 classroom. There are three day long NSP Registration sessions for all new students, which is followed by a 4-day orientation program at the beginning of the fall semester. Each new student is then required as part of their liberal arts curriculum to take the LA 100: New Student Leadership Seminar course. This class teaches students basics for transitioning into college, the mission and values of Franklin, and focuses on excellence, leadership, and service. Those are the main components of that half of my job.

The other half of my job is serving as a residence hall coordinator for a hall of about 108 students. The residents reside in either single rooms with communal bathroom or double rooms with a shared bathroom making a 4 person suite of sorts. There are a couple exceptions but that is the basic layout of the building. It is a coed building with 2 floors women and 1 floor men. I supervise 6 resident assistants (RA) and am in charge of the room selection process in the spring. Of course, there are lots of other things that go along with the job, but those are the basics.

Needless to say, if you understand anything about the two positions, you will understand why I fell off the face of the earth during August. The first week was getting acquainted and attending several different training sessions. Week two was RA training from Sunday – Monday pretty much non-stop. Week three was mentor training followed by orientation. Week four concluded orientation and was the beginning of school. Therefore, weeks 2 through 4 included students moving back into the residence halls.

Overall, the experience has been great. I am looking forward to getting to know people on campus, expand the programs, and develop stronger ones. Key is not trying to do everything in the first 6 months  There are a lot of caring, wonderful people on campus.

Two months later...what has happened

Wow so much for staying on top of the blog this summer and keeping everyone informed on life. I will try again starting now to maintain a more up to date blog on life's happenings.

THE MOVE
Life became very stressful the last week of July. After receiving a couple job offers, I accepted a position at Franklin College in Franklin, IN on Tuesday, July 29. This took the move in a stressful direction because I was to start on August 4th. The POD though a great idea was potentially way to small and delivery times where not working out. I decided to check out some of the other truck moving companies and found a decent deal with UHaul, which ended up being a great deal.

UHaul Adventure....There were no UHauls of the 24' or bigger variety in Bloomington so I had to go to Greenwood to pick up the UHaul, which in the long run probably worked out well because of the great discount. Thankfully, my friend PY graciously volunteered his time and driving skills. He helped me not only pick up the UHaul, pack, clean some, drive the loaded UHaul, unload, and return it. There are not enough thanks to go around. Also, thanks to the many others who came over on Wednesday night to pack up the UHaul. We got everything packed up and away minus a few things, which I came back after on Thursday.

Late July 31...tired, beat, and moody. I moved into my new apartment on campus in one of the residence halls. It is a nice two-bedroom apartment with tons of storage space. I think I could store even more stuff :-). I won’t so you will return and help me move next time. Basically, we arrived, unloaded the UHaul with assistance from staff and students, and left to return the UHaul and return to Bloomington. Back in Bloomington, I spent the afternoon and evening cleaning the apartment thoroughly. I was a bit crabby for many reasons, but appreciate those who helped me clean and finish packing things up. I got all of my deposit back so that was good. Thanks to CS for letting me stay Thursday night as well.

Friday, I finished up some errands around Bloomington and departed not to return  The rest of the weekend was spent in my new apartment cleaning and unpacking. The parents came up late Friday and we spent into the wee hours of the morning cleaning and unpacking. They have way more stamina than I. Granted I had been running ragged for about 2 months by then. We did get 95% of the apartment unpacked and put together. The office was still in boxes and in many ways still remains in boxes to this day. It is slowly coming together.

There is the move and everything did work out as God planned. I had a job with living accommodations. The job was close and the transportation of belongings was successful.

Packing and Moving - Off to a New Adventure

Wow...two years ago I was writing a very similar post. It was about the move to Bloomington, Indiana to start this new journey in life. I left the grand state of Kentucky to pursue my Master of Education in Higher Education Student Affairs. Two years later and the degree is completed and the time has come for my departure from this beautiful town of Bloomington. I cannot tell you where exactly I am headed except for the fact that I must move out of my apartment by Thursday, July 31. Friday started the true packing and hopefully by tomorrow the majority of the apartment will be in boxes.

It is hard to pack in some ways because I don't know exactly where I am headed and how long my things may be sitting outside in the hot sun or in storage. I did finally reserve something to put my stuff in so that I can get it out of the apartment. A POD will be delivered on Wednesday with no current pick up and delivery time for its final destination. If you are around the area and would like to help pack the POD Wednesday night, please let me know.

More to come very soon, but since things are going to be very crazy this week, I thought I would post a quick update on life so you didn't think I had totally abandoned the blog again.

External Hard Drive

Okay, I have one week plus a couple days before I have to move out of my apartment and I really need to back up my computer before I start hauling it around to who knows where. My question for you is what would you suggest in terms of purchasing a hard drive: brand, space for money, where you usually find the best deal, anything else that may be important in this decision. Unfortunately, purchasing something off the internet is probably not going to work since I have only a week, but suggest away.

Thanks in advance for all the suggestions!

Messaging Services

Maybe this will stir up some conversation, though then again I believe there are about 4 people who are regularly reading my blog these days. Most of these people read it because of the RSS feeds, while everyone else has given up because I use to never post anything.

Who knows if I have posted on this in the past or not, if so it was ages ago. I know there has been discussion in the past because that is how I got into using Trillian many moons ago. Yes, I still use Trillian. It is a wonderful tool that allows me to log into ICQ, Yahoo, MSN, and AIM. On top of that I can log in with numerous accounts on any of these, if I so had such numerous accounts. I also like that it tells me when I have new mail in these locations as well. It helps me from having to log into all the email accounts or constantly check my outlook mail.

So why do I bring all of this up because I am interested to know how many people actually use any of the previous mentioned systems and how many people have moved over to Gmail or even Facebook. I am not as interested in Facebook because I am really not a big component of email or messaging out of Facebook.

Now Gmail seems more along the same lines as the others and is of more interest to me. One reason is because my friend Pauline only really uses Gmail and as much as we talk or try to make plans, it would be nice to just send her a quick message when she is online instead of playing phone tag or sending a bazillion email messages back and forth. I have a Gmail account but rarely use it. So what are your thoughts?

Disappearing for a Few Days and more

Dear Friends who actually read my blog:

Hopefully you have been out here on a more consistent basis otherwise you are probably way behind on the news and postings. I am trying to do a better job of posting and keeping you updated on the random happenings in my life. There is a lot more to share in life but I prefer not to have the various in depth details floating on the web. I say all of that to let you know that I will probably be a bit MIA starting next week with the blog entries.

Why MIA because I will be traveling 844 miles by car or shuttle and 1086 miles by air. I will fly over, land, drive, or be transported in 5 different states as well. The journey starts on Tuesday and will end Monday evening. To make everything more interesting, I will see my apartment every one of those 7 days either in the morning or the evening. There is chance that I might change my mind and not see my apartment 2 of the 7 but that is highly unlikely.

Quick update on the exercising: Monday, I actually walked with my friend CS in the evening for another 40+ minutes to the 40 minutes in the morning. I skipped Tuesday because of a morning appointment and a craving for pizza, but hey I walked 80 minutes the day before.

Thursday, I walked 44 minutes in the morning and another probably 50+ minutes in the evening with CS. I also pulled out the 10 lbs weights and did some random arm exercises when I got back in the morning. I definitely was feeling the tension in the shoulders while at the library Thursday afternoon. I again skipped walking or exercising today because bills needed to be paid and I had lunch plans.

Internet Woes by Microsoft

Order of events:
A little before 11:30 pm on Wednesday, I shut down my computer and it asks to download the latest updates. As Chris and probably both of them though only one of them has stated such, I have become a lazy IT person who just accepts the updates and goes on with life. I use to check them out but that stopped at least a year ago.
Just before midnight, there was a power surge and all the power went out in the apartment for at least a minute.

I reset the cable/internet box and all was well with the TV. I didn’t check the internet because all seemed okay.

Thursday morning, I woke and tried to get on the internet. I tried both my ATT U-verse and the dial-up connection. Though both were connecting to the internet, none of the applications were working to access the internet. I tried some debugging with the help of a friend but didn’t get anywhere. It became weirder when Pauline also could not access the internet from her computer, which uses Comcast Internet. The question now was why neither of us could get on the internet with three different connection types. We were both unfortunately stuck on the whole power outage scenario and I didn’t really think about the fact that she too may have downloaded the latest Microsoft updates.

So Pauline and I headed to the library to get some work done. My brain was fried apparently or maybe I have been out of IT too long to remember where to go to find such issues. Then again had I been thinking that it was an update issue instead of a network type issue, maybe I would have checked out Microsoft or one of the numerous other IT websites out there.

Upon returning that night, our internet still did not work so I called ATT to see what they could tell me. Sure enough the issue was the Microsoft Updates. They could even tell me which update was the culprit KB951748. But their solution from Microsoft made no sense. It was to delete cookies, files, and history from IE and set IE back to all its defaults. Not sure how that would resolve the larger issue of all of my applications not wanting to interact with the internet, though I could successfully ping external websites. It did not solve the issue and she suggested that I would have to talk to Microsoft or the computer company. That wasn’t going to happen.

So it was off to the next best solution, who do I know that surely has heard of the issue by now and could assist me. So I got a hold of Chris and he checked out the latest and greatest on the particular security update. It definitely was the culprit because the update and Zone Alarm apparently don’t play nicely together. Solutions shutdown Zone Alarm, uninstall the patch, or hardcode the DNS into Zone Alarm. Not hip on the disable of Zone Alarm and too tired to try to figure out the hardcoding, I just went with the uninstall of the update and miraculously everything was working again and that is the lovely internet saga for Thursday.

Packing Time

It is inevitable. The time has come to start packing up and preparing for the next stage of life, which is still to be determined. The one thing I do know is that in 3 weeks, I will be departing this humble abode for somewhere new though maybe temporary. (If you have a spare room for a friend and a bit of her junk, please let me know. I enjoy to cook, care for children, and …)

The question is where to start on the packing and how do I keep myself from procrastinating the packing, as I am doing right now. I have organized the apartment over the past few days so that I at least feel like I am not making a huge mess on top of an already huge mess.

The food pantry is dwindling and those who know me well know that it is usually well stocked. (GAP friends and others…the mushroom stash has been totally depleted, freezer items are not falling out when you open it nor is there anymore pizza, and the chocolate though still existing has also been depleted.)

It is also leading to some creative cooking and fun exploration in the kitchen. Question for the cooks out there: Can you substitute brown sugar for sugar or granulated sugar? What is the difference between using sugar, granulated sugar, brown sugar, or even powder sugar? While we are on the subject, can you substitute powdered sugar for any of the above? I am going to say this is less likely, but why not ask. I ask such questions because I have just over a tablespoon of sugar left and a full bag of powdered sugar plus a nice supply of brown sugar.

Some people may be scared when I start talking about creative cooking because they have read here before of my very interesting combinations of food, but do not be afraid at least not at the moment.

Friday having no sugar and wanting to make cookies. I searched and searched for a recipe that called for just brown sugar and in which I had all the other ingredients. I came across Outrageous Double Chocolate-White Chocolate Chunk Cookies in the Betty Crocker Cookbook. Okay, so I didn’t quite have all the correct ingredients. I substituted dark chocolate chips for the semisweet chocolate chips, which you melted to make the batter chocolate and also place whole in the cookies. Instead of white baking bars, I used white chocolate chips. Lastly, instead of pecan or walnut halves, I used macadamia nuts. The cookies, now called Amazing Double Dark Chocolate-White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies, turned out great and everyone seems to enjoy them.

The first item has been boxed and is ready to go. (The humidifier received a nice cleaning and put back into its box this weekend.) Enough procrastinating, I shall go cleanup and see about hitting the closet and making a pile for Goodwill.

Workout - July 9

Well, July is official here in the Hoosier state. The past few days have been very representative of the hot, muggy July Midwest, unlike the postings prior of beautiful cool sunny days. Thankfully a storm blew in last night and cooled things off. It is a slightly misty Wednesday morning. The rain held off and I went for a very nice walk/jog again improving on my accomplishments of last.

Before delving into the details of today’s workout, A couple goals that need to be put into place:
- In order to really get in shape, the left leg needs rehab. Anyone have experience or knowledge? I know what is wrong with the leg. I just failed to actually do rehab on it 10 years ago so it still causes problems. I also do not believe falling in Ghana on my knee and the huge bruise that remains helps much.
- Secondly as July continues and August is around the corner, I am going to have to get up earlier in order to enjoy cooler weather and being able to accomplish more before noon.

Today’s Workout
Total Time Walking/Jogging: 43 mins 30 secs with probably a 10 min break in the middle for stretching and additional workout. Today's workout took me down to the retirement community and clockwise around it. Then the back way around to the post office and Pete Ellis, down the bike trail to MM's, around the shortest circle clockwise, back down the bike trail, down Pete Ellis, down 10th to the second entrance of the apt complex, and finally back home.

Walk: 13 mins 24 secs - Apt complex, around retirement complex to the sign on the far side.
Jog: 5 mins 43 secs - From the sign to the telephone pole heading up the first hill on the bike trail.
Walk: 4 mins 7 secs - The rest of the bike trail.
Break: Stretching on the playground. Lateral push-ups against the play gym. 2 sets of lunges.
Walk: 10 mins 25 secs - Clockwise around the smallest circle of the neighborhood and to the top of the bike trail.
Jog: 5 mins 11 secs - The entire bike trail and down 10th street to the stairs by the post office.
Walk: 4 mins 41 secs - Back to the apartment with some wait to get across the street.
Finish with a bit of stretching and sharing today’s accomplishments.

I will say that after the first jog. I had strong thoughts about what MM and her husband would say when they came home to find me immovable or passed out on their driveway. But I mustered up the strength to continue on and return home.

United States of America Independence - July 4th

I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July celebrations with family and friends in celebration of our countries independence. I spent the evening with IU friends outside of the alumni center watching fireworks from between the football stadium and Assembly Hall. Thankfully the rain stayed away for a beautiful fireworks display.

Curious, what is your most memorable 4th of July celebration and why?

I believe the most distinctive celebration for me was in 1999 in Perth, Western Australia. The American team put together an American 4th of July celebration for the youth. We had hotdogs and hamburgers and a cake with an American flag, along with lots of fun American games.

Beyond that, I would say the many 4th of July celebrations spent with my mom's family at the pool celebrating life and liberty with those we love the most.

God Bless America

Try not to break the cycle...

In order for you to continue reading the blog, I figured I better post something again. The weather was not so beautiful Thursday and Friday last week, though I did get out on Friday and went for a bit over a half an hour walk with my friend PC (my dear computer friends don't get wise one me here). I was headed out today to walk and maybe jog, but when I opened the door I realized it was actually still raining. I did manage to get the Gazelle out and walked 40 mins and 2.75 miles as I watched Saved by the Bell reruns.

Mentioning of Saved by the Bell. I spent most of Friday watching JAG and NCIS reruns, which was quite fun. I had forgotten how NCIS was launched off of JAG. It was interesting to put it all back together again.

Another Beautiful Day and More Exercise

Wow...I am really enjoying this July weather, definitely not much else you can ask for. It is great for my continued motivation to enjoy the outside and get in shape.

Reflection on Motivation
Yes prior to departing for Ghana, I was somewhat motivated to get in shape and enjoy the beauty of nature, but I believe upon returning those motivations have drastically increased. It is amazing what life brings you when you take a moment out to experience what God has to offer:
* the beauty of the land, the sky, and water
* the simplicities of life without tv, internet, air conditioning
* the wonders of home grown vegetables and fruits
* the joy that comes from cooking a meal from near scratch without all the extras
* the pleasures received from knowing that you put effort and care into what you fixed
* the happiness and smiles from friends and family as you sit down to enjoy a meal together
* the feeling of accomplishment and self-worth received from caring from oneself and forgetting about the consumerism of the world

I continue to ponder now, during the trip, and prior to the trip:
~ what has development done to our society, culture, and traditions in the United States?
~ how is development stripping other societies of their culture, traditions, and simplicities of life?
~ what does sustainability really mean and can the United States and other developed countries return to the simpler ways of life?
~ can developing countries learn from our mistakes or is society as a whole becoming way to consumerist and greedy?

A few thoughts to ponder and feel free to share your thoughts on these questions and reflections.

Workout - July 2

To help in my motivation to get in shape, I have decided to share with you my progress. Today, July 2, I ventured out for a walk/jog, across the street, around the retirement complex, and through the adjacent neighborhood, and back down 10th street to my apartment. Here are the results:

Walk -- 11 mins 39 secs (from the apartment to the retirement community railing on the east side)
Jog -- 3 mins 18 secs (from the railing to the mailbox prior to the curve on Grandview)
Walk -- 2 mins 8 secs (from the mailbox around the corner to visible site of the 3-way stop sign)
Jog -- 3 mins 8 secs (from the visible site through the stop sign to the Y close to Smith Rd)
Walk -- 3 mins 47 secs (from the Y to the mailbox out of the shade after the stop sign)
Jog -- 2 mins 37 1/2 secs (from the mailbox to the stop sign at Grandview in site of 10th St)
Walk -- 9 mins 39 secs (from the stop sign back to the apartment going straight down 10th)

Total Time: 36 mins 16 secs

Not bad for a morning workout though we will see how I feel tomorrow and Friday.
Thanks for being supportive and those that post about running, getting in shape, and/or share in person, I appreciate all the positive though indirect motivation to get me going. May the support system continue to work.

Quick Update

I know everyone is looking forward to stories and pics from Ghana. They are coming in the near future. I have over 2000 digital pics and 5 rolls of film to process through before I can get things uploaded to share. I will try to upload things here and there for your viewing and knowledge attainment. The trip was awesome and the stories are almost endless and of great variety.

I returned to the United States on June 20th and spent two days with a friend in Baltimore seeing Philadelphia and Washington DC before returning to Bloomington on June 23. In which time the job process started back in full swing with three phone interviews and a campus interview scheduled for July 16. I have sense returned from Kentucky and the Lexington/Louisville area, where I attended a college friends wedding and was able to catch up with some other friends.

What a Beautiful Day!!!

What a wonderful and beautiful day it is here in Bloomington. I just enjoyed a lovely walk and accomplished some grocery shopping at the same time.

Walking is good. Why?
- You get some good exercise.
- You can accomplish multiple things at once.
- You can enjoy the blessings of nature.
- You get some good exercise..did I already mention that?
- You spend less money at the store because you can only carry so much back.
- You can reflect on life and writing a post like this though to write a good post you need to remember the brilliant things you came up with while walking. Oh well, I will work on that.
- You save money on gas and car expenses.
- You help the environment.
- Your own well being is better for it as well.

Those are my thoughts on why it is good to walk. Please feel free to add your own comments.

Off to Ghana in Three Days

For those who have not heard yet, I am finally headed to Africa after listening to great stories from friends and wanting to go visit myself. I depart for Accra, Ghana on Thursday, June 5 and will return to the States on Friday, June 20. The trip is through ACPA (American College Personnel Association), which is a national professional organization for college student affairs professionals. The cultural study tour includes visits to local universities to learn about the education system in Ghana. In addition, we will be traveling a large portion of the countryside and learning about the culture throughout Ghana. There are 12 individuals partaking in the trip and we will all meet up for the first time Thursday at JFK. It is a very exciting and wonderful opportunity. If time and access permits throughout the trip, I will try to post updates and stories. When I return and things settle down a bit, I will post more thoughts and stories as well as lots of pictures. Thanks for all the great advice and wishes for safe travel!

Life has been crazy and busy the last few weeks, months. I promise more to come on all of that soon. Until then hopefully, I will post a few times about my trip to Ghana while I am overseas. Have a wonderful June!

Update: 4.0 Earthquake Monday Morning

Update: This mornings earthquake has been downgraded to a 4.0. For more information, check out USGS.

Were you jolted out of bed around 1:40 am this morning or maybe slightly aroused unsure of what was happening? Well you might have just experienced another aftershock from Friday's earthquake. A 4.5 earthquake occurred at 1:38 EST. I was in the same location as the 4.6 on Friday morning, but this was was definitely not as strong or as long. The window shook, there was a slight movement of the chair, but that was about it.

I looked at my friend SF in disbelief.
She asked "what was that, an earthquake".
I said "I believe so. It sounded just like the other day and it definitely wasn't wind blowing through the window because the sliding door is open."
After vigilant monitoring of the USGS site, I finally saw a large red box pop up on the map and confirmed that we did definitely experience an earthquake/aftershock.
My friend was quite excited as she missed the previous two as she was in Washington state, where earthquakes are much more frequent.

If you have not paid attention to the seismic actions of the area, here is a quick update as of current reports on the USGS site:
Friday, 4/18/2008 (Date and Times in UTC: I will try to modify later.)
5.2 Initial Earthquake at 9:37 (5:37 am EST)
Followed by 10 aftershocks ranging from 1.2 to a 3.4 between 9:59 and 11:55
4.6 Second Earthquake/Aftershock felt at 15:14 (11:14 am EST)

Saturday, 4/19/2008
Followed by 4 aftershocks ranging from 1.3 to 2.8 between 3:05 and 16:55
1.7 Earthquake was registered 23 miles South of Sikeston, MO at 23:19

Sunday, 4/20/2008
2 aftershocks - 2.8 at 5:02 and 2.3 at 10:34

Monday, 4/21/2008
4.5 Third Earthquake/Aftershock felt at 5:38 (1:38 am EST)

5.2 & 4.6 Earthquakes - What was your reactions?

UPDATE: The first quake was 5.2. It was downgraded from the initial 5.4, but the largest aftershock registered a 4.6 not a 4.5 as initially noted.

Shortly after 5:37 am EST this morning, I was awakened by the sound of metal rattling by the window. My first instinct was its an earthquake. My second instinct should have been to find cover or at least not head towards the window. But yes, I went in search to feel out and confirm what was making all the racket. I found the jewelry box shaking and the metal handles banging on the side. As i quietened them, the closet doors began to rattle briefly before subsiding. Still sure that it was an earthquake, but not worrying too much else about it, I decided since I was up. I would make a restroom stop and then climbed right back into bed. I didn't necessarily sleep soundly the rest of the evening as I really wanted to confirm that my instinct was right and also curious where the epicenter was at and who else felt it.

Okay as I was in the middle of typing this post (11:16 am EST), when I began to feel another aftershock or earthquake not sure which or what the difference is. All I know is that my chair and desk was shaking. My window was rattling and my heart was racing. Again, I did nothing but sit in shock this time trying to synthesize what I was feeling. I really was not and am still somewhat in disbelief that I was feeling it again.

Yes, this second one was another earthquake registering 4.5 according to the USGS at this point in time.

USGS has reported 5 earthquakes around 2.5 since the initial 5.2 earthquake and now the 4.5 earthquake. Check out their website for more information. It is quite interesting to follow.

Did you feel either of the two larger earthquakes or any of the smaller ones? What was your first reaction? Have you ever experienced an earthquake before? Also curious who had earthquake drills as a child because this could explain your reaction?

Yes, I still exist out here

I apologize for posting basically nothing in the last six months. It has been a crazy, busy, and exciting past 6 months. The next 3 to 4 months are most likely going to be just as insane though more unknowing. Yes, I am still on track to graduate on May 3, 2008 with my master's. I am currently in the job search process and when I find that top job, I will definitely let you know. Currently, I am searching east of the Mississippi river and maybe a bit on the west side especially in Missouri. I have interviewed from New York to Missouri and down to North Carolina thus far. Classes are going great. I only have two this semester our capstone course and a counseling course. I have one major project left in capstone, a couple small papers, and a final to conclude the semester and my degree.

I have been doing a lot of traveling this semester to conferences, basketball games, and baby showers. It has been great to see many of you and look forward to seeing you again soon. I just returned from a trip to Atlanta, where I spent the bulk of my time interview for multiple positions across the country. I have also been up to Columbus, OH and of course down to Kentucky on numerous occasions.

Current exciting happenings:
- Many of my friends are due with their first child very soon and one any minute now. I wish them all the best and look forward to seeing the little ones soon.
- The job search is in full swing and there are a lot of exciting opportunities.
- Graduation is in 4 short weeks.
- Other exciting news to come.

That is a quick and brief synopsis of life today.

Remembering Dr Keon Chi

For those Georgetown College alumni and friends who may not have heard, Dr. Chi passed on Wednesday night from a car accident outside of the Kentucky Horse Park.

Local Newspaper Articles
Ex-Georgetown professor, dean is fondly remembered
Retired Georgetown College political scientist dies in wreck
Former Georgetown College dean killed in crash at intersection
Remembering Dr Keon Chi

Happy Thanksgiving & Safe Travels!

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday weekend and fun with family and friends!

A Month Later - Lots of Things Happening

Wow...this has turned out to be one crazy but fun semester. I will attempt to touch on some highlights of the last multitude of weeks, without boring you too much.

In five weeks, I have made 4 trips to Kentucky, 1 to Indy/Cleveland/Chicago/Indy, and 2 to Indianapolis. This is the first weekend in the last five weeks that I will not be leaving town, though on Wednesday I will depart for Western Kentucky for Thanksgiving.

Kentucky
* UK vs LSU Football game and Georgetown's Homecoming - Both of which turned out to be wonderful opportunities and experiences. I will post a picture or two of the game in another post.
* A couple from YAACK and two friends of mine got married on Oct 20 at Christ the King. It turned out to be a beautiful weekend for a fall wedding, and I was honored to be apart of the wedding as a reader. I am just thankful that I still had a voice on Saturday and was not too sick with a cold at that point in time. God was watching over everything.
* Halloween night provided a quick trip to KY for the Georgetown College vs University of Louisville basketball game. Thanks to a friend of mine who invited me to join her and her husband for the game. I was proudly wearing my orange and black in support of the Tigers. The game did not prove to be as exciting as the previous years but it was still nice to watch the Alma Mater and attend my first game in Freedom Hall.
* Last trip was to celebrate my friend Chris's 30th Birthday party. I had to make sure he rang his 30th birthday in right :-)

Cleveland (Indianapolis/Chicago)
* Between the wedding weekend and the birthday weekend, I attended a conference in Cleveland, Ohio. Travels took me to Indy with a return flight through Chicago. The conference was very small and different from other conferences that I have attended in the past. It was the History of Education Society and programs are base more on paper submissions with panel discussions.

The purpose of attending the conference was to present a paper on faculty governance. My previous supervisor, our spring practicum student, and I put together a paper on faculty governance at IU, which we then presented on a panel with two other papers on the history of faculty governance. The panel presentation went very well, except for unlike the wedding, the cold was a bit worse and affecting my voice. We received some good feedback from the panel discussant and others in the audience. I will update you more in the future on how things progress towards potential publishing of some of our work in the future. There are no guarantees at this time, but we are looking to publish a journal article somewhere.

Indianapolis
* Both trips were for the same reason, but instead of staying in Indy, I went with others back and forth last weekend for another conference. This conference was specifically for graduate students in higher education student affairs programs in the midwest. IU and our student personnel association was the host of the conference this year. A friend of mine was the chair of the conference and did a fantastic job of putting together a nice conference. On Sunday of the conference, I presented a program on leadership, which went fairly well though could have been better. It was definitely a learning opportunity and the start of what will hopefully be further program presentations on leadership.

This Weekend
* IU vs Purdue Football Game - Tomorrow, I will attend my first Big Ten and IU football game and tailgate. I did attend one other tailgate at the beginning of the semester but this will be my first full blown experience of Big Ten football. I am looking forward to it, as long as I get a few hours of sleep tonight.

Well there are some of the highlights from the past 5 weeks. I will try to post a few more stories soon.

What a day?

Not sure where to begin with today, so I will just start from the beginning. The morning started out and is ending with a tornado warning. The morning did see a strong storm pass through, luckily the evening has not been too bad thus far.

After a few hours of work this morning/afternoon, it was off to an experience of a lifetime. Indiana University inaugurated its 18th President this afternoon with a formal event in the auditorium. It was a wonderful experience and I am definitely glad that I stayed around to witness the historical event.

After the event, it was back to the apartment to finish packing in preparation to head to Kentucky, and completion of a paper that was due Friday night at midnight. The paper is complete and turned in. Woohoo. Hopefully, I got everything packed into the car because if not it is too late now.

The real fun started on departure. I got into the car turned on the lights and began to drive away when I realized that I had no headlights. I got out of the car to assess the situation. Sure enough both front lights were out. I talked to my father and he figures they must have both gone out. It is very possible that I did not realize one had been out for awhile, because well I don't know the last time that I turned them on. The high beams worked and my father said that I could continue on my journey using the high beams. He warned me that people would not be happy, and I understood that. But what I did not realize is in their unhappiness they would be idiots.

Car after car flashed their lights at me and I really could do nothing about it. When I hit the interstate, I found unhappy people who were seemingly willing to risk having an accident to shout at me. Semi drivers must have definitely been talking and there was tons of them out on the road tonight. What bothered me is that after I passed, they would whip in behind me and flash their lights. One guy whipped in behind me and then almost ran me off the freakin road trying to make his point. There clearly was not space for someone to walk between his bumper and my bumper. On top of that I was about on the bumper of the car in front of me.

Since there were more vehicles around on the interstate and more lighting, I would turn off my brights momentarily to show them that I had no low beam lights. To some, I think they understood but too others, they continued to be jerks. I am just thankful that I finally made it safely to Kentucky and don't have to deal with the crazy semi-drivers anymore. No wander there are so many semi wrecks. They like to run people off the road if they are not abiding by their rules.

I actually had very little trouble, when I got into Kentucky, though I was on the road a lot less and with fewer cars to harass me.

Tomorrow, I will get new headlamps, new tires and wheels, an alignment, and who knows what else at this rate. My car seems to be slowly falling apart. Not really falling apart, they are all just normal wear and tear items.

Time to read a book for class or maybe just fall asleep until my friends get home.

UK Fans Stop Rushing the Field ???

UK has 3 hits against them according to SEC regulations that disallow fans from the football field. Is there a way to stop the rush? What happens this week with Florida in town? Apparently, each hit costs more and more money to the institution.

See the article on Yahoo.

UK Wildcats - Football and Basketball

Basketball season hopefully will be as exciting as football season has been this year with both Kentucky and Indiana accomplishing grand things. The question is will I actually get to see the UK/IU game in person in my own backyard. The hype around Indiana basketball sent the students running for tickets this year, with over 9600 tickets being sold and only 8000 spots to seat them. Therefore, two games are going to be pulled from everyone's package. What two games will be pulled from my package? I just have to sit and patiently wait for another 2.5 weeks for the tickets to arrive in my mailbox. With my luck, I am preparing to not see a UK/IU game ticket in my package, therefore I can be highly surprised when it appears or less disappointed when it doesn't. This was truly my fear if the game was actually held here in Bloomington.

Brighter things, I do have two tickets to Saturday's UK football game against LSU, though in the LSU fan section :-) A grad friend and LSU alum had two tickets, the person previously going with her backed out and so I took his spot. Then she unfortunately found out that she has to have reconstructive surgery on her knee tomorrow and will not be able to attend the game. So she gave them to me to enjoy, and I am looking forward to having fun with a friend and enjoying watching the Wildcats defeat the Tigers.

This means that I might actually get to attend part of Georgetown's Homecoming, therefore not missing my first homecoming ever. Though, I will definitely miss my first Songfest at least since my sophomore year. Though I am pretty sure that I attended freshman year as well. I vaguely remember standing in line outside two years in a row before actually participating the last 2 years.

UK Wildcats --- Kentucky Football????

Yes, it is true the state of Blue is coming alive around football and basketball has a lot of hype around it this year as well.

Check out the article at WKYT of the historical marks the Football Cats are making already this year and those are only a few of the marks going down and statistical changes being made. Plus the marks are in the positive direction, which is great for the struggling Blue of the SEC football powerhouse. Yes, it is still early in the season but they are definitely attempting to prove they have what it takes.

Now for the Louisville Cardinals, it looks like their hype is going downhill quickly. They have been the top story two weekends in a row, but neither of them good for them. I am perfectly okay with the hype last weekend with the loss to UK, but I would like to see the Commonwealth of Kentucky have overall strong athletic programs and good hype.

It was good to have at least one of three teams win this weekend. IU lost to Illinois as well this weekend, which I think is putting a question on 13 games this year. They have some tough games ahead, especially if Ball State's loss to Nebraska by 1 was no fluke.

Football may actually be exciting to watch in the area this year. And basketball is definitely on par for an outstanding year in the area. Not sure if it is up to some of the hype, but we will see.

Mentioning of basketball, I have put in for my season IU basketball tickets and doing a lot of praying that either only 7000 or less students want tickets or that I get the UK/IU game in my slimmed down set of season tickets. The word on the street is people are interested because there is talk of IU going to the Final Four. I expect a good team this year but not sure Final Four caliber just yet. We will have to see how the new team meshes. There was definitely a lot of change up in the off-season.

Water Shortage - Kentucky

Kentucky has been plagued with the lack of water for the entire latter part of the summer. I was just reading about the recent restrictions of water in Georgetown in particular. I found the following interesting though sensible:
"Serving water in restaurants, clubs, or eating places, except by customer request."

Very often the water that is brought out for everyone is not used, so it makes sense to only serve when requested. So if you are use to a restaurant automatically serving you water and they don't, it may not be the server but the lack of water.

Reason for Having a Landline

To my knowledge, I have been without phone service for the last 1.5 hrs. Who knows when I actually lost service, this is just when I went to look at my phone and realized there was no service. I rebooted the phone (oh how sad that I just wrote about rebooting my phone) and still no service. I have walked all over the apartment with no change and even outside on the balcony. If you tried to get a hold of me tonight, that is the problem.

Since I cannot make any phone calls, I went to the AT&T site to try to see how else I might get support. They have live chat rooms for technical support but by the time I got logged in with an allowable login, it was closed. Though my clock said I still had several minutes before closing at 11 pm. Oh well. I must go read and get some zzzzz's. Maybe I will have service tomorrow.

NEED ADVICE ABOUT CRUTCHES

Yesterday afternoon, I received a call from the Dr. Of course with all the new HIPAA guidelines, she couldn't leave anything on my voicemail. The office was closed upon receipt of the voicemail so this morning I called back. Late morning, the Dr returned my call to tell me that there was a spot that she was unsure about. It was lucent. Digitalization of the xray showed more question of concern and the xray tech in Ft Wayne suggested getting an MRI. Therefore tomorrow morning, I am headed to the Indiana MRI office to have an MRI on my right foot. Apparently, the concern is that there is a stress fracture in my foot and the location is apparently very troublesome to the doctor that she suggested even without insurance that I probably should go ahead and get the MRI. If something happens worse, it would not be good.

There is some continuous pain in the area though nothing as bad as last Friday. I will admit that I have taken the hard approach and not used the crutches until this afternoon when I got home. This still has been extremely difficult to get use to and I have not managed up the stairs yet on crutches. If anyone has good advice about navigating stairs with crutches, please let me know. I really cannot remember how I did it 10 years ago. The only rememberance I have about stairs and crutches is the day one of the crutches slid all the way back down once I reached the second floor of Pawling Hall. Thankfully some young man walked in shortly thereafter and brought the crutch up to me. Otherwise, I remember nothing. Plus any advice on how not to get blisters on your palms would be appreciated as well, since they seem to already be forming :-(

Yes, I realize that I am getting old and falling apart. You do not have to remind me of this KP, CV, or anyone else who wants to chime in :-P

MRI results will take a couple days to return so more to come later this week or first of next week.

How to push through an injury?

The cool air on Thursday intrigued me to venture outside for some fresh air and a bit of exercise. It was a perfect afternoon for a nice walk/jog. I took off to the walking path and into a quite neighborhood. I thought all was going well. I jogged/walked for a little over 40 minutes. A consistent run of about 8 minutes occurred twice, along with a brief 3 minute run. I stretched and felt pretty good about things, until Friday.

Friday, I headed into campus to take care of some things and meet my HESA buddy for lunch. This required quite a bit of walking but nothing out of the ordinary. The pain in my right foot was excruciating. A couple times, I decided that I flat could walk no longer and waited for the bus to pick me up.

Today, I gave in and went to the health center to have my foot looked at. I feel like a wimp, but after thinking about it further, I realized that my right foot had been bothering me off and on all last semester at least. The pain was not a muscle strain or pull, but felt more like a possible bone fracture. Thankfully, it is not a bone fracture, though I wander if it would be easier to take care of if it was.

Diagnosis: There is a tendon from the leg/ankle that attaches to the bone on the outside of your foot. Apparently, I have damaged the tendon, but it has not pulled apart and damaged bone, at least not yet.

Treatment: Stay off of it as much as possible, ibuprofen for inflammation, and some ice.

How do you stay off the foot when you are on a college campus and everything requires walking? I was offered crutches, though not necessarily enforced to use them. I went ahead and took them, because if the pain is as bad as it was on Friday. There is no way that I will continuously make it from location to location on campus via foot. Definitely not a new experience being on crutches on a college campus, but I really hate crutches because a) its hard to get around with them b) everyone tries to sympathize and feel sorry for you. I hate drawing attention to myself, but at the same time, I really would like my foot to get better.

Apparently, this is not an injury that will heal quickly anyway. And if this is the same pain and issue, I was having last semester. It definitely is not going to be healing quickly.

What would you do? Be macho and ignore the crutches or suck it up for the betterment of the foot. Is it really for the betterment? I am usually hardcore, but as I get older, I have found myself a lot more cautious about injuries. I prefer to still be walking when I hit 40, which 10 years ago I said probably wouldn't be the case.