Cowquaculture! I Want A Cowquarium!

Morning weigh-in: 164.5#, 11% BF

 

Good news, bad news? I'm liking those weights, but the body fat percentages? ...eh, not so much. I suspect that my body fat was reading a "false low" of around 11%-12% when I was heavier, because my scale reads body fat based on electrical impedance through the legs, where there was very little fat. That number shouldn't change as the fat disappears from areas, like my gut, that don't have any impact on the measurement -- at least, that's what I hope is happening. The (somewhat disquieting) alternative explanation is that I'm losing muscle as well as fat, while the percentage remains the same; I find that hard to believe though, since my strength is actually up.

 

W101, NFA (Phase Zero) Mission Accomplished: Either way, I have reached my "number" goal -- I'm below 165 pounds. (My real-world goal is to get rid of all the chub, and the mirror tells me that I have a little more work to do.) I guess it's time to talk about why I decided to lose the weight...

 

Next year I'll be doing the Wilderness 101 again, and I'm involved with a challenge with my friend Greg M (among others), that he calls "No Fucking Around." You can treat the W101 as a lark for extremely tough people, or as a survival contest for the weekend warriors, but what he wants is for us to take it seriously as a race, and do whatever you have to, to get the best time there that you can. For me that means some serious training, but before that I have to prepare myself to even begin that real training. Hence the weight loss -- this is a good time of year for it too, since the dieting is not very bike-friendly, but cycling should not be a big priority at this point in the training year anyway. Next up will be the introduction of cardio and base work into the mix, of low intensity but gradually increasing volume, a phase that will probably last for several months.

 

My actual goal is to break 10 hours in the race. I absolutely know I can do this, but I also know it won't happen by not caring.

 

Teh Funny: This Sadly, No! post got this comment, which brought about this comment in reply, which made me spit coffee on my computer screen.

 

Anyway, kick-ass yoga class last night, followed by the second half of a turkey sub that I bought for lunch. Tonight is the gym, followed by laundry and dinner at Which Brew.

Blast From The Past

Morning weigh-in: 165.5#, 10.5% BF

 

Listening to college radio on the way in this morning, the DJ played some early Blues Traveler in honor of their 20th anniversary or something; the song he played featured the guy who would eventually become the lead sing for the Spin Doctors. He dedicated the song to "everyone who used to hang out at The Wetlands." I was never a real fan of either band -- actually, I hated the Spin Doctors -- but I did see them once or twice at The Wetlands. At least, I think I did. Those were the days...

 

Ho Hum, What Else: Went to the gym last night, really good workout -- my legs are stronger right now (at the beginning of leg weightlifting season) than they've ever been. Dinner was black beans.

 

Got a flu shot today. Tonight is yoga, then I'm making tuna & wilted greens.

Watch The World Die

Morning weigh-in: 167#, 9.5% BF

 

It was strange on Sunday how warm and pleasant it was. We were joking about global warming as we rode, but it was obvious that the insects were all discombobulated, and then we started talking about colony collapse disorder... It really wasn't that unusually warm, but it did seem like we were in the middle of a swan song, one last kiss before the end. It's probably just winter approaching, but I could think of  worse ways to live out the end of the world than watching it from the woods.

 

Speaking of woods and the world's end, here are some dispatches from the current apocalypse. Good luck, Tbogg.

 

Last night was "active rest:" beginner yoga; it was a nice class with a pretty big turnout. I hit Porters afterward, for dinner and Monday Night Football. Not exactly the most exciting I ever saw, but I stuck around until the end anyway. Saw Eamon and Kateryna (best guesses on spelling) towards the end; they bought me a drink, so I bought them drinks, and then I absconded -- they're bartenders, night owls, I couldn't let things get too late on a school night...

 

Went home right after the game, late but reasonable -- then I blew it by posting my R.B. Winter photos on flickr, playing with computer until 1:30 or so. Enjoy the photos, morning wake-up was easy but I'm hurting now.

 

Tonight is the gym, then probably an early bedtime.

 

 

Swim Out Past The Breakers

Morning weigh-in: 165.5#, 11% BF

 

 

Damn fine weekend. Beautiful weather, sort of "Indian Summer's Indian Summer," as a certain author might say...

 

Friday I took a rest day, worked on the bikes instead of riding them, then went and did that Haunted Historic Tour of downtown Easton. It was pretty neat, and I got a few photos (already posted, you know what to do). I ran into a bunch of friends, including D&L, Spanky, and E-Rock, as well as Heath & Hans, all peeps you don't see over there much these days. Lotsa good conversation, then I drifted over to Porters to catch Brujos playing. Got and posted some pics over there too.

 

One thing I found out on that tour is that Easton Library was built on a graveyard. They relocated most of the graves to other cemeteries, but the bodies they couldn't identify they re-interred in an unmarked mass grave -- supposedly it's visible as a depression in the street behind the library. Since I'd parked downtown, on the (very late) walk back to my car I decided to try and find the grave... I have photos of that too, but they're just blurry, underexposed shots of asphalt so I didn't post them. Luckily I didn't get arrested, or jumped.

 

I had the best intentions to go to the early morning yoga class on Saturday, but did not actually wake up until a half hour after the class started. Oh well, coffee shop for breakfast, then I went to the gym. Chores, errands -- later in the afternoon I got in a ride at Sals with Larry, a friend from Porters. Nice ride, kind of mellow but I don't think it was what I led him to expect when I sold him on the ride. Dinner was Which Brew with a Japanese bossa nova band, and more BS'ing with whoever happened to sit next to me.

 

Sunday was Teh Awesome. I met Doug, Eric, Rich and Bob in Tannersville for breakfast, then we made the trek out to RB Winter. Beautiful weather, bright blue sky and an unseasonable 70 degrees, it was a perfect day for a ride, especially since the foliage up there was just about peaking. The ride itself was the usual "Cowbell Hollow / Top Mountain Trail" epic, maybe 29 miles total on a mix of jeep roads and super-rocky, technical singletrack. I think some people were hurting by the end, but I felt great, and really we all rode well. Long day: I got home about 13 hours after I left the house in the morning.

 

Tonight is "active rest" with the beginner yoga class, then I might post pics from the ride.

Skyfishing

Morning weigh-in: 166.5#, 11.5% BF

 

Check out these photos and video of atmospheric waves. Cast your fishing line like a kite up into the sky, sit and stare at the slow wave...

 

Hit the gym last night, light, upper body only, and nonstandard exercises to boot -- a change is as good as a rest, or so they say. After that was laundry, and dinner at Which Brew. Quiet night there, almost empty except for maybe a few bartenders' boyfriends. Cool culturati, had some interesting conversations on music (bands I didn't know) and comics as the girls closed up. They all went over to Porters after that, but that change in the gym wasn't quite rest enough and I needed my sleep.

 

Still Screaming After All These Years: Still reading Gravity's Rainbow. It still kicks ass, even after umpteen re-reads. I also happened to look at the cover of Ghostwritten the other day, and couldn't help but notice the similarity to the cover of Against the Day, that doubling of the writing.

 

Tonight is the towpath, then maybe I'll check out the scarecrow festival.

Winding Down My Administration

Morning weigh-in: 168#, 10.5% BF

 

Good meeting last night, probably one of the last with me as Prez -- elections next meeting, I've done two my terms, and now it's someone else's turn in the barrel...

 

Got there a little early, even after dealing with Rt 31 traffic, stopping in at Bike King and picking up a new helmet (paid $20 for low-end, slightly unstylish, 2007-year clearance model; it's slightly less fancy, but the level of head protection is exactly the same as for a new, $150 helmet -- I win!), and also picking up some ice cream sandwiches on the way. So I arrived at Chez Bob & Karen at the same time as Bob, and got to hang with B&K and their dogs for about an hour until the others showed up.

 

Dinner was baked ziti -- I was starving, and it was good -- with salad, Italian bread and honey butter, and some desserts which I skipped but I did have two ice cream sandwiches... meeting afterward, which, like I said, was pretty good. B&K, Doug, Eric, Eric, Greg, Joe & Cindy, Rich & Linda, Brian, Joe and Dawn, and even Bryan K who showed up on his motorcycle. Lotsa gossip and good conversation before, amongst after the club biz. I would have liked to stick around, but the dogs were bothering me, so I left almost immediately after we finished.

 

Tonight is the gym, then laundry while I check out the Frost Hollow Rounders at Which Brew. I'll be getting back onto the bike probably this weekend.

This Old Factory

Morning weigh-in: 166.5#, 9.5% BF

 

We-he-hell, looks like it's SadlyNo!'s turn to whack a fish in the barrel out of the ballpark...

 

The cold has abated, and I may have been more stuffy than I realized, for longer than I realized, since my sense of smell now suddenly seems pretty acute -- I noticed it on the drive home last night. Of course, that's not such a great thing when your drive home is on a NJ interstate: all sorts of chemical smells, from Ortho-agribiz pesticides and fertilizers (corporate suburbia lawncare, I suppose) to diesel fumes and burning clutches, to ozone -- WTF? Also smelled good old excrement from the more traditionally fertilized farmlands...

 

Drycleaning last night, then I hit the gym. A good solid workout, and I felt much better than I did on Saturday. I was pretty tired, so after the gym came bedtime. Tonight is the Chain Gang meeting, and I may spin around town on the singlespeed for a bit afterward. 

 

 

Sketches From A Life

Morning weigh-in: 167.5#, 11.5% BF

 

Looks like Doghouse Riley hit another one out of the ballpark... though granted, the more apt simile there would be "like shooting fish in a barrel." Strangely enough, I read  George Kennan's memoirs, gave it to my dad as a Christmas gift once.

 

Speaking of Dad: Hey Dad, how about them Giants, eh?

 

Speaking of Giants: Caught the game, or at least the first thee quarters at Porters last night after yoga -- I'd finished dinner by the end of the third, and I sort of knew which way things were trending and lost interest...

 

Tonight is the gym.

Echinacea Daze Are Here Again

Morning weigh-in: 167.5#, 11.5% BF

 

Yesterday was pretty much a rest day, then later in the afternoon I took a walk at Dunnfield Creek. It was a little too late to go all the way to Sunfish Pond, so I just walked up the hill for an hour, then at the one-hour mark I turned around and came back down. I took some photos of the creek, some of which I may post in the next few days if they came out OK. Tonight is yoga, then I'll have dinner at Porters & catch the game.

 

Sicko: Sometimes in the dead of winter you might miss the warmer weather, conveniently forgetting about the bugs and humidity until summer is a reality again.... part of what's going on with me healthwise may be similar: my body does not like being too skinny, and my disease resistance drops with my weight. I remember being strong and fit, and really fast on the bike when I was 150 pounds, but I forgot about the twice-monthly sinus infections.

 

There is another possibility though, and I think Dawn nailed this one on Saturday. We haven't worked together since I went big with the legs, and on Saturday she's watching me lift, and cough, and blow my nose, and she started asking questions about how many times I do this exact workout per week. Bottom line is, she thinks I'm overdoing it, and told me that if I'm hitting the gym three times a week, then for one of those days I should skip the legs and go light, with alternate exercises, for the upper body. In other words, I was overtraining -- two symptoms of which are rapid weight loss and frequent colds.

 

Kind of a chicken-and-egg thing: back in the day my low weight may not have been the cause of my low resistance, but the low weight and low resistance may both have been caused by the hardcore training I was into. Well whatever, I'm doing now what I did  back then -- echinacea.

 

Femme Fatality: On this date in 1917, Mata Hari was executed by firing squad.

 

 

Hey Hey Paula

Morning weigh-in: 167#, 12% BF

Ran into someone last night I hadn't seen in a while: Paula, who used to date Joe. (She's also my doctor's granddaughter.) Saw her in Which Brew at the bar, yelled out "Hey Paula!" and watched her look around trying to figure out who called her name; she saw me looking but didn't recognize me until I put my hand over the bottom of my face, covering my beard...

"Oh my God, it's Don Kelly!"

She came over and said hi, we got to talking. Married now for a year and a half, she and her husband just relocated back to the Lehigh Valley from Philly. She asked about Joe; I said I'd been camping with him recently (the BASH) but we really no longer hang out. She agreed he could be difficult, talked about the end of their relationship and how he was two-timing her. Even now, I didn't have the heart to tell her she was "the other woman" the whole time... Always liked her, even though I thought she was way too young for Joe (also too good for him), glad to hear she's happy and doing well, though she looked a little strained.

Colonized: One thing I told Paula was that I might be visiting her grandfather soon; I have a pretty bad headcold right now, bordering on sinus infection. I was supposed to be riding the Covered Bridges Ride with a bunch of friends today, but decided to play it smart and get some rest. I just got up, and the ride is probably half over... I'll probably get some breakfast downtown, then go for a short hike maybe at Wind Gap or the Water Gap, catch at least some of the foliage -- it's a beautiful day out.

It Could Be Worse: I was thinking about Steve Gilliard this morning, and decided to see how his legacy was doing, and there I found this heartrending post. That artwork is what caught my eye, but it really took me once I read the story. I'll be keeping that one in mind come Thanksgiving.

Legion Of Decency, Death By Misadventure: Holy Roller preacher, Falwell protege found dead in his home, no foul play was suspected. The Smoking Gun has an excerpt from the autopsy report (don't click unless you're an adult). Another one bites the dust, I guess... My theory? They're all pervs.

Whappo

Morning weigh-in: 166.5#, 13% BF

 

Not much to say. Gym last night, and I really hit it hard; I was exhausted when I got home. Surprised and gratified with how the weights are increasing, especially the legs. Dinner was a plate of black beans.

 

Tonight I'm riding the towpath, probably on the singlespeed. I'd like to hit Which Brew for dinner, and I also wanted to see the Skulldiggers (at WB) and then maybe Post Junction at Pearly Baker's, but as of now I'm planning to meet Doug & Lori, and Eric & Kris, somewhere in Bethlehem for E-Rock's birthday. Hmmmm, Funhouse? I don't want the evening to be a late one though, since I want to do that early morning yoga class. Hooting with the owls vs soaring with the eagles, we'll see how it all works out.

Leaving The Rapids Behind

Morning weigh-in: 168#, 10.5% BF

 

Yoga, laundry & Which Brew last night; tonight is the gym, then bike maintenance. Life is flowing pretty smoothly once again, last of the recent interruptions to my perfect schedule are behind me -- for now.

This Very Wednesday, I Will Fly Towards Grace

Morning weigh-in: 168#, 11% BF

 

Well it looks like I managed to slow down the weight loss all right, careful what you wish for... Worked late last night, then hit the gym, did a full leg workout for the first time since the winter. I felt good, and strong, and the weights were almost my maximum from last off-season so I'm coming in at the top of my game.

 

Saw Violetta there, taking yoga or bellydancing or maybe that hip-hop jazzercise they have. She was in  a hurry but seemed healthy & in good spirits, good for her.

 

Dinner was a turkey sub from Steve's, then I blew off everything else and played with the computer, just like surfing, nothing too demanding. Tonight is yoga, then maybe some more laundry and some Which Brew.

 

Reading: Yeah, it's time for the tome... picked up Gravity's Rainbow again, probably haven't re-read it in more than a year -- but I still have it memorized.

 

"A screaming comes across the sky. It has happened before, but there is nothing to compare it to now.

It is too late. The evacuation proceeds, but it's all theatre..."

 

[whole bunch of other stuff here]

 

"Follow the bouncing ball:

 

There is a Hand to turn the time,

Though thy Glass today be run,

'Till the Light that hath brought the Towers low,

Find the last poor Pret'rite one...

'Till the Riders sleep by ev'ry road,

All through our crippl'd Zone,

With a face on ev'ry mountainside,

And a Soul in ev'ry stone...

 

Now everybody --"

 

A Souvenir I Left Behind

Hidden somewhere in the attic of my parents' old house (and I mean well-hidden), there is a jar like this, with an octopus pickled in formaldehyde. Maybe someday the new owners will find it.

(Image cribbed from LolCthulhu, which, like all things Lovecraftian, gets old pretty quickly but I like it.)

A Retrospective

Rooting through the archives... this is what I wrote on this date last year (God I still remember that dream), this is what wrote in 2005, and this is what I wrote in 2004.

Rest in Peace, Grandma.

UPDATE: Oops! Better buy myself a calendar, I got the wrong date...

Jesus Ate My Homework

Morning weigh-in: 167.5#, 10.5% BF

 

Worked late yesterday, then went to yoga. Stopped off at home, collected laundry and took off for the laundromat... Actually, there was a bit of wasted time in there as well, since I did a little surfing when I got home. My plan was to drop off the wet clothes and then eat dinner at Porter's as it dried; unfortunately I was on "Which Brew time," and since the Porter's kitchen closes earlier than Which Brew's, I now found myself under the gun.

 

Thus it was fated that, walking to the car, I was accosted by a couple walking their dog: "Don? Is that you?"

 

Why yet it was me, and they were my old next-door neighbors, Joe and What's-Her-Name, who moved out about a year ago. I thought they were planning to relocate to Emmaus but they only live a block or so away. I did the polite thing and we chatted, and the next thing you know I was trapped in a Christer commercial, praise Jesus this and praise Jesus that -- when they started talking about forgiveness I said "you'll have to forgive me too, but I gotta go," and absconded. Dropped off the laundry and just about made it to Porter's in time for dinner, praise be. (These peole were not religious when they lived next door, or at least, not in your face religious like that. I wonder what happened since they moved? Whatever, I think I'll avoid them if I can.)

 

Anyway, nice ribeye sandwich for dinner, and then Kirk came in and we had a pretty solid conversation, mostly about green homes technology. (He's the one who emailed me that error-filled flyer, and we got a laugh out of his misadventures, trying to follow their advertised "Green Homes Tour" on Saturday.) He's actually pretty into that kind of thing, architecture & restoration & whatnot, and is now helping Rob with his repointing biz. Yesterday was his first day, and it sounds like it was some heavy labor.

 

Tonight is another late night at work, then the gym, then back to the house project: probably organizing my camping gear -- yikes! I may want to do a fall camping trip when the leaves do change.

Fresh Out Of Stupid

Morning weigh-in: 167.5#, 11% BF

 

Not much to say here today after last night's logorrhea... Weight loss continues apace, maybe a little too fast. Tonight is "active rest" with a beginner yoga class, then I'll let laundry night come early; I'll probably catch at least part of the game at Porters, down a steak sandwich.

Bellyride

Morning weigh-in: 170#, 10.5% BF

That blood donation sure came back to bite me in the ass... I kind of figured there'd be a performance hit, and the girl said not to exert myself for the rest of the day yesterday. I asked her how long until I'd be back at 100% and she said "oh, six to eight weeks" -- yikes! She then said (and mind you, this is Saturday afternoon) not to drink any alcohol for 24 to 48 hours -- God DAMMIT woman gimme my blood back NOW! Oh well. I questioned her very closely as to why alcohol was bad (dehydration), then after the fest I went home and chugged water all afternoon. Went out to Which Brew, had a burger and one cask-conditioned pumpkin ale (plus two more glasses of water), then checked out the Lafayette Bar, for one last beer/water combo.

I'd never been to the Lafayette. This would be the bar in the Lafayette Hotel, which used to be a transient hotel/flophouse, and maybe still is -- though I remember it being closed down a few years ago, after a mentally ill tenant started a fire. Anyway, the bar has always been open, but I never went since I figured it would be filled with off-duty prostitutes and semi-homeless people or whatever, sort of like the Mt Vernon before they renovated it. Over the past year or two though, the place has become a jazz club of sorts. I ran into a friend at the garlic fest who really pushed it (she was garlic-festing with the girl who would be singing), and I decided to check it out...

It's pretty nice, a big place and well set up for jazz-combo stuff; the beer selection could be better but it was cheap enough. The Dan DeChellis Trio was playing, and that guest singer was awesome, but they went on break almost immediately after I got there, and were still on break when I finished my beer and left. It's not where I'd prefer to hang out, but I will probably go back. (Saw Art, and Dee Dee, and one or two others I recognized.)

Early bedtime. No dehydration issues, as far as I could tell.

Got up this morning and did a towpath/Sals ride, found out that there was a serious performance hit involved. I didn't feel tired or winded, just lethargic, especially on hills. I started downhill, went to the usual coffee shop (closed) so I went to Rumpelstiltskin's, a new coffee shop I wanted to check out (ditto closed), and so I had breakfast at the Quadrant. (Saw Sarah & her kids there, and also Pete a little later.) I ate a huge breakfast, then headed down the towpath.

When I got to Sals I found out about the lethargy thing (the feeling reminded me of having my heartrate maxxed out, and still needing more -- sorry Don it ain't gonna happen), so I did an abbreviated loop and headed to Ilick's Mills, to check out some Green Home Technology expo supposedly happening there. Nothing. I think the flyer I'd been emailed was pretty confused on what the event actually was, but I also had the wrong date... Anyway, if you can't go green go blue, so I hit Blue Sky Cafe (former home of Green Cafe) for some fruit & oatmeal and an iced coffee. (Saw ex-WB waitress Tara and her boyfriend John there, both working.)

The ride home, like the ride out, was done with a very full belly. Back home and it's been downtime ever since, doing laundry and playing on the computer. I just posted a bunch of weekend photos to flickr too, so go check them out. Garlic Fest, bike ride -- I've been trying to learn how to photograph while riding.

"We Exist And Thrive At The Mercy Of Others"

Morning weigh-in: 168.5#, 8% BF

Well I'm back, got home last night. Interesting (and fruitful) trip, work part of it went very well. Some other highlights:

1. Flying there, reading Ghostwritten (again!), and occasionally looking out the window to see amazing sights, like the afternoon shadows of Chicago's lakefront skyline spreading across the lake.

2. Climbing around inside the boiler, like a giant set of monkey bars, in pitch darkness.

3. Getting a glass of wine spilled on me at dinner. (Got a free dinner out of it, but big deal -- I was eating on the corporation's dime anyway.)

4. Not one, but two fire alarms that night at the hotel.

5. My luggage taking a different route to Allentown, arriving before me, and being put in storage where they took forever to find it again -- and I still made Last Call at Which Brew.

Date With A Vampire Girl: Went down to the garlic festival today, after breakfast at the coffee shop and a trip to the gym. There was actually a girl dressed as a vampire there, but there was also a bloodmobile -- donor registration was inside the coffee shop. Purely on impulse, I decided to give blood. A few minutes of pleasant conversation with the nice ladies while my blood drained away... Pretty easy, quick & painless, and now I know that my blood pressure (I have long since stopped taking those pills) is 110/70. After that I went out to eat garlic -- protection you know, I'm already a pint low.

The fest was nice, but as always, it seemed a little on the small side.

(By the way, the title of this post is a quote from a VASS brochure I saw at last week's race, basically about how they help people, and we help them.)

Parting shot: A strange and interesting blog.

And Speaking Of Photos...

Morning weigh-in: 170#, 10.5% BF

 

Some "official" photos of me from Sunday's race can be found here, and here, and here.

 

Hit the gym last night, first strength workout of the post-season. It actually felt easier than some of the endurance ones. That'll change... I'm leaving for Litchfield IL in a few hours, getting back Friday night; I'll probably do some hotel-room yoga/calisthenics while I'm there, but that's the extent of it until I get back in the game.

 

Catch y'all on the flip side.