Weigh-in 8: -0.5 pounds

So, I have a confession to make. I'm falling into the same old traps. I'm being a bit more careful about what I'm eating, but I'm not really exercising much, and I suspect I'm eating more than I should. As a result, I really haven't dropped much this month, and the only reason I have is because I had the one good "week" right after my first bad week.

We talked a lot about this at book club tonight, and honestly, for me it's two things. One is that heart, I really am selfish, which means that I really don't care that much about what you think of me. I mean, I try to do the right thing and be a good guy and all, but ultimately it's not because I want you to think better of me. This kind of defeats accountability.

The other is that I'm really difficult to motivate. When I put my mind to something, it gets done. There are plenty of examples I can show for that. However, if I don't put my mind to it ... see, I think the root cause is that I've already achieved my main goal in life. Odd as it may seem, ever since I was a kid, all I wanted was to get out of my parents' houses and be self-sufficient. So, I did. That kind of defeats most reward systems ... that and the fact that I'm not terribly careful with my money. If I want something and it's reasonable, I probably already have it. If it's not reasonable, it's probably not something that should be a reward.

See, it's not that I'm difficult, it's that I don't make anything easy.

I'll get there. I know it's important to be healthy. I'd love to reach my goal weight. I vaguely remember what it was like to be that light. I just have to figure out how best to motivate me ...

No service needed

So, now that real spring is here, it gets warm. I remembered this during the day, wearing shorts and a T-shirt and having the ceiling fan on, but I forgot at night.

Sometime around the second period of the Anaheim-San Jose game, I remembered again. Looked at the thermostat. 80 degrees.

oops. I like it closer to 75 when I'm sleeping. Oh well, late night. I turn on the AC and go back to the game.

Fast forward an hour or so ... getting ready for bed, about to scoop the cat boxes, when I go through the hall and see ... 80 degrees.

hmm. How long ago did I turn on the AC? More than a minute, right?

Uh-oh.

Fortunately, I remember the last time this happened. I call for service, the guy comes out, gets the AC working, and tells me "see this? The fan blades weren't moving. Pretty much all I did was stick a screwdriver in there and knock them loose. If this happens again, try that first and save yourself some money."

So I did. And it seems to be working ... well, at least the compressor is running. The fan seems to be running, although a little weakly. And it's 90 minutes later, which means it'll take that much longer to cool down ... mind you, I enjoy my Facebook time, but I'd rather not be spending it now ...

I love it

Follow-up on Commodore: he was the one cross-checking Hudler through the crease while Franzen came in behind him, unmarked, to score the series-winning goal.

Mark it down to inexperience. Someone has to be responsible for keeping that player on the bench just in case, well, a Wing clears the puck right to the extra guy on the ice.

I just hope it's not Anaheim next. I hate them.

Weigh-in 7: +0.5 pounds

No big surprises here: I didn't exercise much, I had at least one evening (poker night) where I wasn't as careful as I could have been (although I was pretty good), and I didn't get as much sleep as I should. I didn't do what I needed to do and the results bore that out.

Then again, I wasn't particularly good and almost maintained. It's possible I could have another 3.5-pound week next week. Also, my home numbers have stayed the same or dropped a touch, and I lost another &14frac; inch from my waist, which is really my big concern. If my waist gets down to where it ought to be (which is, um, I don't know ... 34?), we'll see where my weight and body fat are.

Overall, I earned what I got and I'm not too worried. I feel good about the choices I've been making ... while the contest only runs through August (I can't win the February prize, so I'm not that worried about that part; if we get a reward for maintaining at or below our goal weight, that's a little different), this is more about changing life habits, and so far that's working out pretty well for me.

Ha ha

Want to know why "tough guys" like Mike Commodore are a liability to the teams that have them?

In a thirty-second span, Commodore dove into the Red Wings' bench trying to check someone, then stayed behind his own net trying to give Franzen the business ... while Zetterberg was in the slot firing the puck past Mason.

Low points, high PIM, average +/- ... sounds like a typical Calgary player.

There are quality players who also have a physical aspect to their games, but there are a lot of guys taking up space on NHL rosters who are helping to keep the league a second-tier league, and it's a shame. (Of course, part of that is from GMs like Brian Burke - the fact that he was once the guy in charge of suspensions is about all you need to know about the current state of the league - and coaches like Marc Crawford ... if you play for a guy like that, you're going to learn cheap hits or you're not going to play.)

Sure, my opinion might be biased because I'm a long-time Detroit fan, but it should be pretty obvious now that you can build a very successful team that doesn't have many thugs on it, yes?

Stalking teh innernets

Last year, Football Outsiders auditioned for a new guest writer. I entered the competition, but did not win, perhaps because the editors looked at my screen name and realized that linking the Lions and FO would be a bad move at that point. Technically, it would be an indirect link, because I would have posted under my real name – no, I haven't changed it yet, people can't spell zlionsfan any better than they can spell my last name, so not only would I not change it, I'm still hoping that someone like Angie Harmon comes to her senses and falls madly in love with me so I can marry her and take her name – but now you've made me ruin the joke by explaining it. Thanks.

Anyway, Baseball Prospectus is doing a similar thing this year: basically, an online writer's version of American Idol. Casting call, 10 writers chosen. Write on a selected topic each week, subscribers vote, lowest-ranking person is removed, repeat as needed. This one's a little different in that it pays $1000 plus $75 per article to the winner. (I'm guessing the $75 kicks in after you win. No back pay.)

I have no illusions. I have an excellent command of English, I'm a huge sports fan and a decent writer, but those don't necessarily produce what people want to read, and if I can't get through the initial gate, well, the rest won't matter. Submissions are due by next Wednesday, so I suppose I'll find out a week or so after that.

It's too late to wish me luck. I've already submitted my article. :) Not that it should come down to luck anyway. I'd rather get the gig because I'm the best writer in the group ... if I don't get this, there's always Puck Prospectus for hockey ...

Weigh-in 6: -1 pound

Strange result this week. It looked like I was going to gain up until Tuesday or so, at least at work. At home, Wii Fit had me pretty much level, although it was hard to say because I missed a couple of days. (I'm definitely getting a dethatching tool at some point, and by "tool", I mean "machine".) And I may have affected the outcome by not eating as much at work. But still, it was another pound.

Next up: increasing my cardio work. A bit longer each time, plus more consistent visits to the Y (so I can keep that discount). Once I get that down, I'll probably drop off the cardio here and there to work in more weight training.

Didn't get the free lunch at Applebee's, though ... ha ha, too bad last week's result didn't count toward that!

Circus baseball

Watching the Angels-Red Sox game, hoping Josh Beckett can put up some fantasy points for me.

Bottom of the first, runner at second, one out. Abreu calls time, for some reason the home plate ump grants time as Beckett is in his motion, so Abreu backs up and the ump signals time ... but Beckett has nowhere to go, and ends up throwing pretty close to Abreu's head. (Which is, in part, because hitters have been setting up on the plate for the last 20 years and not one umpire has ever taken the initiative to enforce the batter's box rule.)

So of course Abreu cries, Beckett walks toward him to explain something, or to tell him to suck it, or whatever, and of course the benches empty, because baseball players are more than willing to avoid being disrepected as long as it doesn't involve actually fighting.

And the umps separate them.

And then as they are separated and sent to their respective dugouts, someone on the Angels starts yapping again, and the benches clear again ... and then there is more yapping ... and more yapping ... and then Torii Hunter is ejected (although that was by Joe West, so it could have been for looking at him funny) ... and then there is more yapping, and finally everyone has been sent back to their dugouts, and we can play again.

Doubtless this would happen much less often if umpires actually enforced rules pertaining to the batter's box, which tends to lead to a lot of these root causes, or possibly if they would have better rules for calling time ... but it's like a basketball game where you start seeing a lot of hard fouls. That usually happens when players get away with a couple of early ones (either uncalled fouls or flagrant/intentional fouls that are not called as such) and the refs suddenly realize what happens when you decide to ignore things in the rulebook.

At least all the Angels doing the ump-directed yapping were ejected (Scioscia, the hitting coach, Speier, and Hunter). I mean, it wasn't like Beckett threw at Abreu with no extenuating circumstances. (That's another thing that needs to be changed, once they fix the Charley Lau syndrome: no more Pedros. Hitting a batter should be the equivalent of a card. Hit one, you're at least warned. Hit two, or one in the head or certain other ways, you're gone, no questions asked. Make a habit of it, and you'll earn some time on your own.)

sigh. Baseball could be much better, except that the commish is a dumb owner, the umps pretty much refuse to improve (although they're better than they were), and the players are still kind of the same group that were responsible for the Roid Days.

XM

Today, I got another reminder of why satellite radio has a dim future, at least under its current providers. (Usually, I think about things like DJs who WON'T. SHUT. UP. Because, you know, that's what we loved most about terrestrial radio, so we really need that on XM/Sirius. Or combining forces to save money and then still being unable to provide a full lineup.)

I was heading out to feed Evil Cat and trying to listen to the Tigers' pregame show on XM. Unfortunately, the wires they set up to pick up the Detroit feed must have been crossed, because I couldn't clearly hear the people talking ... there was a hard-rock station playing in the background. When the game started, they must have got that fixed, because it wasn't a problem.

Sometime in the bottom of the second, though, the signal just went dead. I checked the other stations - no problem, so it must be the feed. Of course, XM/Sirius just puts on a few extra commercials for their own stuff, just seeing if we notice. (Yes, we do.)

Eventually, after 5 minutes or so (when we should already have been in the third inning), they change the text to read "Tech Difficulties." (Another thing I don't like: they never use more than half of the text area on my display.) o rly?

In the bottom of the third, the signal comes back ... well, not really. It's the Rangers' feed. Okay, whatever. (Obviously, it would be smart to do what DirecTV does, and carry both home and away feeds, particularly when you think about all the channels they have and what they're not using. So they don't.)

Then, in the top of the fourth, we finally get the Tigers' feed back. Except that when they break for station identification, XM/Sirius plays the clip of Ron Washington telling us we're listening to the Rangers' radio network on XM.

When my contract expires in October, I'm renewing for the shortest possible amount of time. Hopefully whatever replaces XM/Sirius will work with what's in my car.

Weigh-in 5: -3.5 pounds

We had a team lunch today: healthy crock-pot enchiladas and a nice make-your-own salad, complete with fat-free croutons and real bacon bits. I'm the only afternoon weigh-in on the team, so while everyone else was enjoying the food, I was a little careful. (Not much, though. I don't really focus a lot on the scale itself, other than within an hour or so of the time, and then only to ensure I don't drink a pound of water right before I go in.)

Good thing, too, because as 5:00 drew near, my team had gained 1.75 pounds, with just two of us left to weigh in. No pressure. (Well, I did gain last week ...) I felt pretty comfortable, though, because I'd worked out last night and had eaten carefully most of the week. My weight the day before was around -2, so I figured I'd lose a pound, 2 at most.

But no. The scale shot up to 188 and held steady (it's a digital scale and usually goes right to your weight, with maybe an occasional .5 here or there). Down 3.5 from last week ... so for competition's sake, it was an excellent week. Right now, I'm tied for fifth this week with two people yet to weigh in. Subway, here we come! (Plus 45 cents, of course. 7% tax + 2% local, whee.)

A more realistic view is that I lost 3 pounds in two weeks, which is basically right where I've been to this point (10 pounds in 5 weeks, 4 pounds that first week). Maybe last Tuesday or Wednesday wasn't as good as it should have been, and it just affected me on the scale that day.

Plus, I tempted fate by stopping at Starbucks afterward (light tall caramel frappuccino, which was made more difficult by the fact that the Starbucks guy thought my friend was saying "white" instead of "light"), but even with whip, it's only about 300 calories. And it was worth it.

So. 20% in, 26% of my goal to date. Yo, more of the same, dude.

Weigh-in 4: +0.5 pounds

So, not my best effort ... but if you will indulge me, I did have two unexpected events this weekend, and I did choose poorly at times when I was there.

On the other hand, I was "too tired" to work out Monday night. (I did nap for about 90 minutes, but it wasn't like I couldn't have pulled out Wii Fit afterward.)

Besides, I know that I'm making progress. One of the things about weighing myself in the afternoon (we have morning and afternoon weigh-ins to catch people on either side of the workday; I pick afternoon because getting here early is not my idea of fun) is that I know it'll be more variable: what I had for lunch, how I've been drinking water, etc. But when I weigh myself at home, it's in the morning, and I do use Wii Fit often enough that it gives me a decent picture.

Still, it would have been nice to hold steady last week ... then again, I weighed myself here at work this morning, and I was 3.5 pounds under what I weighed yesterday. :)

pause for breath

So, continuing my weekend of excitement, Saturday was my fantasy baseball draft. (Non-sports fans may wish to skip ahead ... search for the words "parking lot".) This is the fourth year I've been in this league, I think. 25 players per team, $350 in auction money to use. $2 per transaction after 7 or so, I think, and the pot divided among the top three teams. In the past, it was AL-only or NL-only, alternating years, but this year, we had 12 people, so we did an MLB league. Roto scoring, but with a nice mix of categories: R, HR, RBI, net steals, fewest K, TB, AVG, OBP, SLG for hitters, IP, W, fewest L, SV, K, HLD, lowest ERA, lowest WHIP, K/BB. Lots of fun.

The draft tends to run quite a while because of the depth of the league: in the past, the late rounds dragged on because we had a shallow pool from which to draw. No such problem this time (for example, my 25th and final guy was Manny Parra).

But it would not be a normal draft. At around 6 or so, the power went out. Hey, just a blip, right? Well, no. It was the power in the whole building, so no more wireless connection. We pack up our laptops and move to the room with the most windows to finish the draft. (It actually went more quickly once most people were down to $1 bids, plus none of us wanted to run out of battery power. No problem for me, with power-saver mode – thanks, Vista – and a spare battery in my pack.)

So we get done around 7 or 7:30, most of the guys head out, and the rest of us go out to the parking lot. One says to me "Hey, that isn't your car, is it?"

yep. it's mine. That's never a good thing.

Flat tire, right front. (So at least I knew I hadn't driven down on it.) They jack up the car and put the spare on while I call Honda to see if I can get someone out here ... but it turns out there's just a nail in the tire, so I can probably get it patched and get back on the road, no need for a tow (the spare was fine). I cancel the service call, and two of the guys go on their way, while a third hangs out for a bit to see what to do.

We decide to head to BWW just down the road, so we can use the wireless to check for an AutoZone and check out the Pitt-Villanova score. It turns out there's one about a mile away, so we cash out and head down there to see if they can fix it for us.

Well, they don't fix tires, and unfortunately there wasn't another place open at that hour who could, but they did sell Fix-a-Flat. So I get a can of that, we jack up the car again and switch the tires, and in goes the magic glue. We head down the road a couple miles and check the tire: not so bad. I fill up the tire to 32 psi, and then it's time to decide ...

1. Head home Saturday on the previously-flat tire.
2. Head home Saturday on the spare.
3. Spend the night in Cincinnati, get up Sunday and get the tire fixed, then head home.

Obviously, the safest option is 3. However, Sunday's game tips off at 2:20. Odds of me getting to Indy in time for the game with a new tire? Somewhere between 0 and a very small number. (If necessary, I could have my friend stop at my place and pick up the tickets, and then I could meet them downtown. Assuming someone had a key. Otherwise, it would be exactly 0 chance.)

Also, I mentioned Cincinnati. And now it's 9:15 or so. There really aren't ways to get home from there without interstate travel, and on a spare?

So I pick #1. We decide on this plan: take 275 to my friend's exit and stop at a gas station. If the tire looks bad, we try to fill it; if it holds, repeat the process till I get home. If it looks good, I head home. Fortunately, that section of 275 is under construction, so going 50 was no big deal.

Paying attention to the tire was difficult, though, because Villanova was trying very hard to knock out my final Fracas team. Fortunately, the tire held out, even though the Panthers didn't. I send my friend on his way with effusive thanks and get back on the road.

Three hours later, I'm home. No problems at all from the tire, but driving all that way with my flashers on, waiting to feel the car pull to the right, well ... I was tired. Said hi to the cats, cleaned up, grabbed a snack, went online, and then off to sleep.

The alarm went off about 10:30 or so. I guessed correctly that I'd need to be ready by 11:30, but I also was still tired, plus I had a cat on my pillow, guarding my head, so we stayed in bed and listened to Prairie Home Companion for a bit. Got a call from ems, talked to her for a while, checked Facebook, confirmed travel plans, got cleaned up and ready to head downtown again.

Oh yes. The weather is now miserably cold and wet. woo. We go downtown, park in the garage (the wrong one, I could have put us a couple blocks closer), and head to the stadium. coldcoldcoldcoldcold.

We get nachos (I got a whole order this time and ate almost all of it, oh yes I did) and sat down to enjoy the game.

and wow. A great game for about 30 minutes, until MSU decided to pull away ... it's hard to describe what it was like to be in the Michigan State section, while maybe 30,000 fans are rooting for Louisville and maybe one-fifth of that are rooting for the Spartans, and watching the lead get bigger and bigger ... Louisville couldn't do anything to stop it. wow.

So after seeing all that, we spend the next hour or so figuring out how to get a car to the stadium to pick up people who aren't suited to two-mile walks in cold, windy weather (answer: don't know. we sure couldn't find a good path). Then it was off to Castleton BWW, where we figured we could find a seat and get some food. Of course, being Castleton BWW, the service was inadequate and the food was mostly right, but we did get seated immediately. There was this game on, you know.

And so now I've got to get a couple of new tires (unfortunately I was only about halfway through these), but hey, it could have been a lot worse.

Also, I need to sleep. Maybe tomorrow night.

Lucky

There have definitely been parts of my life that have not been particularly smooth, some of them not my fault, but I will say that I am one of the luckiest people I know.

Today at work, I'm on the phone with ems, brilliantly failing to convey whatever's left of my physics knowledge (apparently now we're getting to concepts that I fell asleep to in the big lecture halls at Purdue), and the help desk coordinator asks if there are any NCAA fans here.

uh, yeah. trick question.

Then she says okay, there's one?

hmm. curious. I tell ems I'll call her back.

Help Desk lady says, do I want two tickets for tonight?

umyes. please.

Our Verizon rep had called (we are in the process of switching to Verizon from Sprint) and had tickets. I'm in, I have a good friend who's an MSU fan, done.

Oh wait. Actually, there's four tickets.

Oh wait. Actually, it's for both sessions.

alrighty then. Instead of trivia and hoops at BWW, it's live action at Lucas Oil Stadium. Louisville crushing Arizona and a nailbiter between MSU and Kansas, thankfully with the "good guys" winning. (I still have difficulty rooting for MSU - you can take the boy out of Ann Arbor and all that - but Kansas cost me about $1400 in missed profits in 1991 and I will never forgive them for that.)

Fantasy draft Saturday, hoops on Sunday ... yeah, I'll sleep next week.

Oh yes, and go Pitt. I need them or I will be hurting in our fracas. explanation later.

Eureka!

Sometimes, I get a burst of insight at the most peculiar times ... like after I get home from a long night downtown.

Chirp ... chirp ... two minutes doesn't seem like a long time, unless it's the amount of time between beeps that your smoke alarm uses to tell you to change the battery. So I do my usual: stand in the hall facing the detector there. It's either straight ahead (hallway), left (computer room), or right (extra room). Of course, it's the extra room.

Funny, I just changed that a few months ago. So why is it that one and not the other two?

I get up on the stepladder with the light off, because I can see from the light in my hall. (Apparently Arbor Homes screwed up the wiring in the third bedroom: it's opposite the lighting in the laundry room, hallway, and second bedroom. Turn the switch on in the third room and the others turn off. This is why they didn't install a fixture in that bedroom, so I wouldn't notice.)

Hey, wait a minute. If the lights are off ... what if the wiring for the smoke detector is messed up too, and so it's always running on battery power, so it drains the battery faster?

Now, that may not be the case ... but it sure is a coincidence.

Weigh-in 3: -1 pound

Sorry for the delay, I forgot to post it Wednesday, and then last night was basketball ... another solid week, 7 pounds total.

I know, 1 pound doesn't seem like much, right? But look at it this way. This was my schedule from Thursday through Sunday:

Thursday - get up at 10, watch basketball from 11 AM to midnight. (I got there early.)
Friday - get up at 10, watch basketball from 11 AM to midnight.
Saturday - get up at 10, watch basketball from noon to 10 PM.
Sunday - get up at 10, watch basketball from 11 AM to 8 PM.

No workouts, lots of food, some of it bad for me, and I still lost a pound. That's a maintainable pattern, and that's really what I'm working for.

On the other hand, if I'd lost three pounds instead of one, I'd have finished in second place among men that week ... and this week, the top man and top woman get a $25 Speedway gas card ...

Questionable judgment

Now, obviously you can't get the full story from a single post or page, but this link on ESPN.com makes it sound like someone almost got a DWB.

And if you read the article on the Dallas Morning News site, and when you learn that the police have apologized and will be investigating, well ... sure, the cop was young, but that's no excuse. I mean, he basically pulled the guy over in the hospital parking lot. It's not like getting pulled over when you're five miles from the hospital.

It makes you wonder a) how often this happens and b) what would have happened if the guy in question didn't happen to be a professional athlete. (The News would probably do a story on it anyway, but ESPN obviously wouldn't have picked it up ...)

You can't spell Microsoft without WTF ...

except for the W. Of course, you can't spell it without MF ...

Today, I "picked up" a couple of the Hasbro games to play on the 360. The quarter's over and I'm not taking a class next quarter (applying for full admittance and saving some cash), so I figured I'd get some extra gaming in between workout days.

Red half-ring. Awesome.

What's it mean? Overheating.

WTF? I haven't played a 360 game in weeks.

Like other people have experienced, it's happening right away (in fact, the first time, it didn't even turn on). The last time, I got in about five minutes of playing. After that, I listened for the fan. It seemed to be off at first, then turned on, then went faster and faster, then stopped abruptly.

I don't know, man. I mean, I like this thing and all, but shit, I still have my ORIGINAL NES. The one I bought in college because Patrick had one. I probably even have the receipt for it. I have an Atari 5200 that works.

And I'm expected to buy a 720 here in a year or so? NFW. Not unless you're giving me full trade-in credit.

Of course the warranty's expired. (EDIT: Sorry, I forgot, this is the one I bought because, ha ha, I didn't trust the refurbished one. But still, it's 18 months old. Warranty expired.) This one is now two years old (in this incarnation). So my options are a) fix it myself, ha ha ha, or b) use the old one, or c) buy another new one, ha ha ha, or d) pay to have this one fixed while I try b) or c), and of course pretty much all those options require me to transfer my DLC licenses AGAIN.

Trustworthy gaming, my ass.

Stupid commercials

Up until today, I thought that Taco Bell had locked up Worst Commercial of the Tournament.

Then I saw the Coke Zero ad with Troy Polamalu.

I mean, the average Coke Zero ad is really dumb. The whole Coke-suing-Coke-Zero thing was stupid even before they made the first ad. The fact that it's still around shows how little effort it takes to make an ad campaign.

But this commercial, wow. The only good thing about it was Polamalu supposedly tackling Annoying Coke Guy #1. Too bad that part wasn't real.

Never mind lawyers. Ad agencies should be put on boats and sunk.

P.S. Honorable mention goes to Axe for changing from "Women hanging all over you" to "Spraying perspiration".

Weigh-in 2: -2 pounds

192, 6 pounds and 3.03% lost. Good progress ... we'll see what happens after four days of watching basketball 12 hours a day. I've got a plan, though, so I should be in a decent position come next Wednesday.

I will probably have to work out a little harder on Monday and Tuesday, though.

Go Vikings!

ESPN Insider has an article (subscription required) about first-round upsets it thinks you should pick. One of their best recommendations?

That's right. Portland State over Xavier.

Go Vikings!