Back on track with some help maybe?

I got a note from my son who noticed the mapmyrun settings on my facebook page. Of course, he's got to boast a bit about running 3 miles a day now and so I better be keeping up on my running or he's going to pass me pretty quick.

Of course there's been no running for me, at least not since my little attempt back in November which I'm still paying for. But... I sent him a note back that said well, no running, but I am starting to get back into walking again. In fact, to simplify things around here lately I've been utilizing public transportation to get out to my job, including walking to the bus stops and such, but now with the weather starting to warm up, I plan to start riding my bike to work on a regular basis.

One thing I love about Denver, they really are set up nicely for people getting around without using a car. The transportation system is good, the trail system is great. And the two go great together. Buses have bike racks, you can take your bike on to the light rail, so you can do a combination if you need. The other day I was able to drop the car off with my stepson so he could use it, ride my bike over to the light rail, take it on the light rail to get closer to work, ride my bike the rest of the way to work. That night it was too cold for riding (or that was my excuse) so I could just use the bike rack on the bus... it really makes a great combination and gives me a chance to start getting more active again.

My knee still stiffens up at times, something that seems to come and go. I have my annual physical today and I'm sure that will be addressed... it's been 3 months that it still stiffens up so it's time to find out if it's just a matter of time, if there's something else that needs to be done.

Okay, I know already the first answer is... lose weight.

Ahh, that brings me back to where I was starting out by talking with Josh, my son. I said okay, so I do need to start losing weight and ramping up the exercise again, and asked if he wanted to help keep me accountable.

I hope he does. It'd be fun to keep up on each other at different parts of the world. He in Korea, me here in Denver... maybe a good chance to get back on track here.

the accidental exercisist

This week begins a week of unintentional exercise. A lot of climbing up and down ladders, walking back and forth ad-infinitum for a work project. Since I'm being paid decently for it I won't complain and overall it should be a good thing for me.

At least as long as I don't fall off any ladders.

Times like this my work can involve pulling cables for phones and computers. It hasn't quite been 2 years ago when pulling cables for some new offices a company was building upstairs when I nearly busted through the floor. Some of the decking that was on the floor was kind of old and rotted, something I discovered as one foot punched through -- I was quite happy about the fact that the rest of me didn't follow, but it was scary enough. I think that was when I figured out that I really didn't want to spend much more of my life up on ladders and such. I'm getting too old for this stuff.

But then, when the opportunity comes along to get paid well enough for doing it for several days... I can overlook that. And if I can get the other guys on the project up on ladders more of the time... that's okay too.

The good news is the bad news is the good news

Okay, so I have good news and bad news

The good news is we finally replaced the scale that was flooded out.

The bad news is we finally replaced the scale that was flooded out.

373. I've gained a total of 20 pounds since I got down to my low of 353. Ouch.

I guess whether something is good news or bad news often depends on how you choose to look at it. Yeah, it's kinda bad news because it told me I gained more weight back than I thought, I thought maybe 10, 15 at the most. So yeah, getting the scale is bad news.

Or... is it good? What I mean is I'm no longer oblivious. I'm seeing that and thinking, maybe this is the kick in the butt I need to get back on track?

In the end it's up to me whether to make it good or bad.

I can look at the weight and decide that the 20 is bad news. Or I can look at it and say yeah, but for the year I've lost 20 pounds, so there's good news in that.

In the end it's up to me how to approach that. It's what I do with it that makes the difference. I choose to look at the 20 lost as good news, but at the same time not to ignore the other 20 that was lost and then regained. I think I need a healthy balance of the 2... the encouragement of the 20 lost overall, but the wakeup call of the bad.

And if the 20 lost gets me back on track... that's good news.

It's been a good year

I think when you look back, whether or not a year has been a good one depends a lot on how you choose to look at it.

I can choose to look at the economy, how some of the year has been a struggle financially, or look at how much i've lost momentum from when I started this blog earlier this year.

Or, I can choose to look at all that has been good, and that's what I've determined to look at. And no, it's not just this somewhat phony thing where I say it's been a good year and therefore it must have been. Not sure if that makes any sense, but what I mean is, sometimes we grin through our teeth and say hey, everything's good just for the sake of saying it when you don't really feel it. But for me, when I look at 2009, in my heart it just feels like... it's been a good year.

It's been a full year to spend with my wife, and that has been a fantastic thing. Her spirit, her support, her encouragement, her friendship have been everything to me. Our relationship was a real whirlwind where we only knew each other a few months by the time we were married, but it was one of those things where we just knew that this is what God had for us. And this past year has just made that more real.

It's been a healthier year than I've had for many years. Even if I didn't keep up the momentum and have been on a long plateau as far as the weight loss, I still ended up substantially lighter at the end of the year than at the beginning, and that's always a good thing. Okay, I don't know exactly where I ended up, i haven't weighed in a long time, but I know still it's 30 or 40 pounds lighter than the start of the year.

It's been a year to embark on some dreams. I started my own business finally. It has been a slow go and sometimes I struggle with that, and yet... it's still a go. I've shifted some focus for a bit, taking on subcontract jobs here and there doing work for other companies as a way to bring in more steady income, but that's allowed me to keep the dream of Barnabas Communications going. I look forward to a great year in that.

It's been a year that's been good for family. I know anyone I talk to that hears about our blended family says we have to be insane. And the blending will always be an ongoing process, but I look at my own kids and they're happy. They have a good life and while yeah, it's a bit crowded, it's a good thing.

It's been a year of watching my son grow incredibly. He started the year in basic training and now is a full fledged soldier stationed in Korea. I miss him, but I'm incredibly proud of him. He's grown into a good man.

It's been a year of returning faith. For too long I think I let my faith take a back seat. I always felt I had it, and to some degree I did, but... it didn't have the center of importance to me it used to have. I can't say it necessarily does even now, at least in comparison to where I know it has been at times in my life, but... it's getting back there.

It's been a good year. 2010, I believe, will be even better. I can't wait.

And if there happens to be anyone at all reading... I sincerely hope it's a great one for you as well.

And another month passes

I watch the snow falling out the window as I type this, the kids are definitely getting a white Christmas.

A lot of time has passed, not an awful lot has happened. Other than learning by experience that lesson of not trying to overdo it at all. Ever since trying that dumb little jogging exercise I've not gone on any real long walks at all. Maybe a mile somewhere along the line. Maybe.

I think I've mentioned how my knees were giving me trouble a few years back, and wondered if I was headed for the same thing. I don't know if it's been the same or not, and fortunately it's been only my left knee. The odd thing is it really only hurting when it's been bent like when I'm sitting. If it's laid out it feels fine. I can remember back now to them hurting more if I've been sitting for awhile, so maybe it's a similar thing? What's funny is after I stand and have the knee straightened out for awhile it hardly bothers me at all. So right now, I just appreciate the fact it's slowly getting better.

Now, diet wise tehre's good news and bad news. The bad news is I'm not sticking to anything much of a real plan lately. While not really overdoing it anywhere, I'm not avoiding any bad foods at this time. But the good news is, as of todaqy I'm 8 days without soda. To me, that's a pretty big deal. Not even sure why I quit -- no real moment of truth kinda things happened, I just decided to quit... I definitely feel a difference in just that alone. The last time I did that, it wasn't long later until I began my most successful dieting ever.

Would be nice to repeat history eh?

Not sure how many months it will be til i'm back on (i like to think it would be days rather than months, but considering my track record....) but to the 2 or 3 of you who may still read this, have a great Christmas. All in all it's been a great year, I hope it has been for everyone else as well...

Help me in my unbelief

2 nights ago I got the news that John Green, a college classmate, was found to have died in his home of carbon monoxide poisining. His wife Cheryl, also a classmate, was in critical condition but I understand she's made a strong recovery.

John and Cheryl have had a tremendous impact on a lot of lives. Even in college, their example and faith made a huge difference to so many people. John was the minister for many many years at the Christian Church in Clay Center Nebraska. Over the years I'd run into people who knew John and Cheryl through their ministry, and all I can say is that it's a tremendous loss for the church and the community. You could get a sense of the kind of person he was from the report that KHAS TV had on him. http://new.khastv.com/videoplaylist.php?playid=19161

I sat, very heavy hearted and stunned. All I could think about was how sad it was for John. In fact I almost started this off calling it sad news.

And then I stop myself and think... why does this leave me so heavy hearted? When I get right down to it I know I find myself feeling sad for John, and yet... the truth of the matter is he's got it an awful lot better right now than any of us. He's in a pretty awesome place and I know for sure he's not feeling too terrible at all about where he is. I do feel bad for Cheryl, I can't begin to imagine waking up and learning that the man she's been married to all these years is gone. They have 2 kids and a huge family known as the church there. And for all of them, I do feel terrible.

But I know that if I'm honest, deep down I know it's John I have been feeling bad for and that it's a very hard feeling to shake.

I then rationalize it all away by saying when we feel bad like this it's for our own loss. And maybe that would be true if I saw John on a regular basis. I always considered him a friend in college (how could you not? he was just that kind of guy) but since then I've only seen him in passing a few times. I have no plans of seeing him anytime soon. I hope this doesn't sound bad to say it, but there's not really a true personal loss here. That really probably isn't the best way to say things, but what I'm getting at is that there's not an ongoing relationship now and so if it's not been there it really isn't a loss from that side of things.

And so when I shake it down to its core, if I'm being honest, I feel sorrow for his sake. And it's that feeling that leaves me wondering about my own faith.

It's a strange mix of thoughts here. I can't find even a bit of a question in my mind about where John is at this moment. From the time I've known him it has been obvious that here's a guy who has lived out of his faith. I know... I just know... without question or doubt... that his faith has him in a wonderful place, finally getting to enjoy being with the same Jesus he has followed and preached about and walked with for all these years. It can't get any better than that.

But I guess that's the mix of thoughts. Because when I know that, and in my heart I celebrate that, but then I'm feeling sad for him, then it leaves me wondering just how much I really believe it. In the end I think I find myself maybe discovering that while I know in my mind there's a great amount of assurance and belief, but some of the sadness I feel makes me wonder if that faith isn't as much in the heart as it could be? I don't know that this is me knocking myself as maybe understanding a bit more about my own faith, and how there's still a huge amount of room to grow in it.

And I look forward to growing to the point where news like this doesn't trigger an instant sadness for someone but instead brings about an instant celebration for their sake.

It's at this time I think I really appreciate the honesty of a father who came across Jesus and had said "If you can do anything." Jesus called him on that "if" and I love what the father came back with, because I think it so greatly fits in with where I am right now. Maybe where a lot of us are?

"I do believe. Help me in my unbelief"

What am I, nuts???

Okay, so yes, it's been a couple weeks again since posting. Nothing new here, is there? Not that this is a shock or anything. Actually, some consistant posting would be the real shocker, wouldn't it? At least this time I can say I've just been stinking busy. Which is a good thing. Maybe. I think.

Since income in the self employed world can be very hit or miss, and in this economy sometimes I think too much miss and not enough hit, it really got to where I figured okay, I do need to get some form of regular income. So I've taken a job in the tech support call center over at Dish Networks... kind of a cool place really, and it makes a good combo of my enjoyment of all things technical and just that social aspect (even if it is talking to ticked off customers who can't get their remote to work on the night of the big game). It's enough to at least make sure the bills are paid on the slow months.

But this is Murphy's law in action. The very moment I start doing this evening job, I start getting slammed with work. Now it's all subcontract work for other companies, but that has its advantages as well. Yesterday though came this realization that I have to start setting some boundaries here. It starts with having to run out at 6:30 AM for an urgent early morning call to get there by 7. From there another call that ended up taking the rest of the day. Then off to work my night job right from that job.. finally getting home and realizing that i've been on such a dead run the past few days and with today looking booked solid as well, I needed to get some invoices out and take care of some things. Considering that my main computer has been DOA since crashing last week (note to self -- no more letting teenagers use the computer -- viruses come along happily when you do) there was some extra work to transfer my backed up financial files to this puter... and by the time I'm sending out the invoices it's 2 AM. Okay, so that adds up to working 25 out of the previous 31 hours.

When I get paid for it all, that will be a very nice thing... but there's a point where I have to say enough. So I was not too terribly disappointed when what was going to be a day long job had to be re-scheduled as a result of some equipment not being there. And I did end up turning down another job for today just because I needed to catch up on living. Not to mention a nap. I'm deeply looking forward to leaving in a little while, picking my kids up from school, spending some time with them, cooking supper for them and getting a wee bit of time with my wife before going back to work.

That said... I'll admit that right now being crazy busy is still a much better feeling than business being very slow and living on beans and rice, rice and beans.

Exercise in a different manner

I had figured on settling into a good walking routine when of course there was a nice big snowstorm here in Denver. We figure a good 16 inches. Of course this puts a crimp in the whole exercise routine, right?

Well in case I was of the mind to wimp out, we wake up Thursday morning to several inches of water throughout the basement. Actually nothing to do with the snow, surprisingly enough, but instead thanks to a nice little root in the sewer pipe and a toilet that decided to run for we're guessing at least an hour after being flushed, lots of water backed up through the floor drain. The water restoration company that came out pumped about 450 gallons of water out of the basement, and now we get the pleasure of 10 big fans blowing air against the drywall throughout the basement.

Because it's considered black water since it came through the sewer pipes (though fortunately very clean looking water) we were advised to get as much out of the basement as possible. So rather than a nice 2 mile walk somewhere, substitute that for dozens of trips up and down the stairs hauling stuff to the garage or patio. Fortunately not a lot of stuff is ruined or anything, though now we're just in wait and see mode to see what the insurance adjuster says, and whether they think they dried things out well enough to avoid future mold problems or if they need to cut out some drywall and dry things off. I have a feeling there's a lot more trips up and down the steps in the near future....

Thinking I'd rather go walking.

Wondering some things

Okay, so.... I got out a couple days ago and did day 1 of the training -- thought I'd follow the Couch to 5k plan that's out there a lot. And now.... let's just say my knees aren't happy with me.

It's not anything terrible. There's a very definite stiffness and soreness but it's not a debilitating can't walk kind of thing. But after 20 minutes (plus 5 minutes on each side of walking to warm up and cool down) I did shifts of 60 seconds running followed by 90 seconds walking. I felt okay, but it did feel like a lot of jolting around. And actually it didn't feel too bad until the next day.

So the questions come to mind here...

Was it too much? Just from my standpoint of no running at all, was that too much too quick? That's not all that much.

Am I just too heavy to even be thinking about this at this point? It's a lot of weight shifting around on these poor joints and a fair bit of impact.

Was it maybe the shoes? I wondered when I went out (so you'd think, duh! listen to yourself dummy) about the shoes I was wearing because they were a little older and maybe not the most even. I've noticed walking on old worn shoes can have an affect, so running could too.

Am I better off running? Or walking?

Truth be told, the pace I made with the run walk was not really any quicker than some of the walk paces I've done in the past.

Would I be better off just working on a brisk walk, say setting a goal of 15 minute miles?

Or, is it just normal stiffness and soreness setting in that happens when you haven't been running much at all as in my case?

I find myself very torn right now. There's this part of me that thinks... it's just me finding a reason to cop out right away when my body complains afterwards. The other part says yeah but you don't want the kind of knee problems you had a couple years ago, why take a chance? So that first part of me counters that yeah, but maybe give it a chance again by doing one more session but wear the newer shoes and see how it feels. And that other part says I don't want to take a chance right now. Part A calls Part B a whiner, and Part C (the part that is typing) is seriously worried about being schizo.

I am going to target a 5k, but I do think that for now I'm backing down. Part B wins, don't take a chance. A 15 minute mile walk pace is pretty good exercise too, especially for 5k. And 10k isn't at all out of reach.

Or I could do the really, really gradual thing. start with a .1 k, bump it up .1k each week, and in a year I'm up to 5k.

By tomorrow I'll probably have totally rethought the whole thing and who knows, maybe by then I'll be talking myself into marathon training.

Ready to try 5K?

My daughter's school had a fundraising event yesterday, a 5K run/walk at a nearby park. Basically the whole student body as well as any other family that wishes to participate. I figured I had the time, so... why not eh? My wife started out at the front of the pack, decided to run a good share of it and did it in 41 minutes. Me, just more of a casual walk, and I was in the very back which slowed things, but still ended up at 55:43 which was alright. I know I could do less than 50 minutes if I gave it a good brisk pace the whole way.

But it was kind of funny because the day before, I did a walk around Washington Park, a bit more than 2 and a half miles, and all along I had been thinking, maybe it's time to start training for being able to run a 5k. Nice thing about a long walk like that is you get time to think. So it was like okay, I could start off doing a couple good walks more to just set a pace of sorts, and then start doing some run/walk things to work up. At that time I'd forgotten all about yesterday's event. So anyway, Emily gets home and hands me a shirt -- and I'm like this won't fit so she smiles and says something about motivation. Brat.

The funny thing is though that yesterday when it's all over with, there were enough of the kids who looked pretty wiped out (who also had just walked) and I'm feeling just fine... to the point where I'm thinking okay, if it's this easy, maybe I'm really ready?

And see, for me, that's a huge change in thinking from just a couple years ago. Granted, right around Christmas 2 years ago I started thinking in terms of working up to a 5k run, but I know there were just huge doubts. I'd been at this point where just running a few steps seemed all but impossible. The thought of ever running again just seemed impossible.

Now, I haven't lost any more weight since writing. In fact right now I'm sitting probably 10 pounds up from the lowest I'd gotten to. (Which leads me to the question, if I gain pounds and lose them again, do I get to count them twice?) But I've managed to keep walking at least somewhat regularly, and the part that's been striking is that there are times here and there where it starts feeling natural to break into a little bit of a jog. It's still not a very pretty sight I'm sure and my running form is probably nothing too great at all (far from it) but... it feels like jogging now. See, going back to when I started trying to do some running 2 years ago that was totally different -- I favored the one knee so terribly that it was just terribly awkward and not very natural feeling. And it really had to be forced. Now, I can do it and feel pretty good and feel like it's somewhat normal. Like I said, it's a far, far cry from where I'd like to be but it's feeling really possible now.

One of the things that's nice about the thought too is... maybe catching up a bit with Janice. Here she's gone out and done these half marathons, and here's me shuffling along... Frankly I don't think a half marathon would be un-doable if I'm walking it. But I know when we go out walking she's more prone to want to jog and I find myself envying her some on it and so now I'm like, okay, why just be envious, why not actually do something?

So... here goes. The trick now is to find a 5K in January around here -- okay, that's not much of a trick at all because there are 5k runs all the time around here, this town's 5k crazy... last night when I was picking up the kids from school a ton of people were making their way to Wash Park with running gear and costumes, some Halloween 5k I'm guessing as there were all the usual tents and stands and such -- it seems like there's always something like that.

And hey, maybe it gets me blogging more? After all, there's that progress. And what's cool about the school event is, I have an actual benchmark to compare to.

Catching Up

So here I get to Labor Day, and pretty much from Memorial Day to Labor Day I've been holding pretty steady, maybe gaining slightly, definitely not losing any more. I know what my biggest problem is -- junk food. If I'd stick to the basic meals I'd probably do okay.

The house is definitely feeling empty today. My wife's ex-husband's father passed away, so she's off to Iowa with her kids for the funeral. Kinda weird making meals for only the 5 of us. But it's a good day to get a lot of stuff done around the house, patching some nail holes and painting over them in the bathroom, cleaning up some rooms, rearranging the garage. I figure it'd be nice to have some things done up around the house for her to come back to.

The teaching thing didn't come through. It's kind of a bummer, but I know it all worked out really well for the school. It turned out the position that the guy who left to take wasn't what they made it out to be, so they hired him back to his old position. It's a good thing overall as I know they really liked him, and I think he realized how much he loved what he's doing, so for both sides it's a good conclusion. For me, I guess it's mixed feelings. I found myself looking forward to the prospects, and yet somehow I end up knowing that it's better this way? It does leave me wondering what to do next, as so far my business isn't taking off like I'd hoped and I do need to be bringing in some income. Maybe I'll drive a cab part time eh?

I am getting more opportunity for exercise, that's a good thing. Maybe I should say taking more opportunity, it's not been a matter of whether the opportunity has come along. I find that what helps is getting the application back on my phone (phone had to be replaced) that tracks the walks with GPS and it seems to add some incentive to get out more. The other thing that kind of helps (though it hurts in some ways) is that my daughter's school choir is doing a tour to St. Louis over Spring, so for fundraising they man a concession stand at the Bronco's games, and I've worked a couple of those. You definitely get your work in there, and that's the good part. At the same time, 7 straight hours on your feet takes its toll and it's a lot harder to get out the next day, so that's the one drawback.

Not much more to report, other than it's football season again! Woohoo!!

A New Direction?

Okay, so how's this for something unexpected? Possibly teaching high school?

Okay, it's like way part time -- The technology coordinator at my daughter's school is taking a different job, and he taught a couple classes of web development, so they put out a thing that they are looking for someone to teach those classes.

So here I am, no teaching experience, no formal education at all in web development, no real professional experience other than i put together a few websites here and there, totally self taught... and here i am interviewing tomorrow for teaching the class.

What am I thinking????

Actually, I'd been thinking that a part time job would be a good idea for getting a pittance of steady income until work on my business becomes more steady. I was thinking something like delivering pizzas.

but teaching high school?

What am I thinking????

What's nice though is it's the very start of the day, i enjoy working with it all, and after talking with the tech guy it fits in with what I know... and hey, why not test the water and see what i think? yeah, i could be in totally over my head. or i might like it. If they're even considering me given my total lack of experience or education you'd think a person would need, they must need someone pretty desperately. I figure hey, i know a little, i have the flexibility, maybe i fit a need, why not eh?

What am I thinking???

Another month goes by

I keep commenting on the long time between posts. So what do I do about it? Create more blogs. (Somewhere the definition of insanity fits in here...)

I started out with the blog for my college football site, something that has been even more horribly neglected than this blog. I feel kind of guilty, that site was kind of the beginning of my whole web persona, and I'm still quite proud of the site even though I haven't had (or devoted) the time to keep it up like I used to. I won't try to describe it if you haven't seen it, it's www.heavyweightfootballchamps.com. But it's been fun coming up with the concept and still getting a reasonable amount of visitors, even as neglected as it is. But hey, football season's around the corner, maybe it's time to get cracking.

And so as I neglected that site, I created another blog (this one) to neglect. But at least it's not as neglected as that one, so it's all good eh? This one kind of comes and goes, depending on my motivation and keeping up with diet and exercise and all that. But then again, it's been over a month since my last post. Sorry?

And so instead of getting better about keeping up this blog or the other one, what do I do? Create two more. Sheesh, what's up with that?

These two are for my business. Of course I really should think seriously about the wisdom of that because yeah, you can neglect a hobby website, or neglect a personal blog, but in the end what's the worst that can happen? Lose the 2 or 3 readers that still come to either one? Which is not to suggest that losing the readership of anyone of you who may happen to browse upon this thing is anything I would want... (and I'll stop now before I dig myself into a big hole).

But when it comes to business, it is something that will require some dilligence. There are some good marketing reasons for blogging for your business, but neglect can be something rather (or nearly) fatal. And I know that full well. And yet, I don't learn.

One, Simply Communicating is related to my business website. So that's the one where I at least try to act like an expert on communications and throw out some tips, ideas, and give a little bit of information about what's up with Barnabas Communications.

The other is the end result of a marketing idea I had. When I started Barnabas Communications we were in the depths of this recession (still are, last I checked). But something I really liked that I heard someone say, and later heard from Dave Ramsey as well... way back when the whole economy was falling apart I remember a manufacturer rep saying we refuse to participate in this recession. That statement resonated with me like you wouldn't believe. For me it's so easy to get into the excuse game, and when things aren't going so well (especially if you're working in sales) it's so easy to blame it on the economy. Back in April when I stepped out over the edge (and I'm still not sure whether I'm floating or falling fast) and started the business, that was a key thing to me. It's a silly, maybe stupid time, to start a business, but.. here i am anyway.

So then I thought, this is a theme I want to really push forward. There is a certain point where recession is a state of mind. Yes, there are huge outside forces (and massive government stupidity to boot) but in the end it all comes down to the confidence of the consumer. And to me it just made sense to say, to heck with the doom and gloom, this is going to happen, and it's going to go well! So to a certain extent, I really mean it.

On top of that, I thought one of the best things I could do for businesses in a tight economy is to give away some advice. In the end I think it helps establish myself as someone they can depend on, so why not. And I thought at first calling it something along the lines of a recession buster, but that didn't really resonate well, so I scrapped that. But the whole thing about refusing to participate in the recession kept coming back to me, and in the end it became something along the lines of hey, we don't want to participate, and we have some ideas that can help you not participate... and thus Unparticipate was born. And now there's not just the business website, but the Unparticipate website. Now it's mostly about offering this guide we put together. But with it, I started thinking that what would be cool is to make it interactive, get ideas from other industries and such. So... the best way (I thought) is to put up a blog. Put out ideas here and there. Ask for ideas. Publish the best ideas I get. And so.... the Unparticipate Blog.

And oh, yeah. I became a twit. Or whatever the term is. You know, a tweeter that tweets. A twitterer. (Those who know me best say, stick to the original, it fits). I don't know if anyone is out there in twitter world that would ever really benefit from the ideas and tweets, but, it's one more way to get the word out there about Barnabas. So, hey, who knows eh?

So now with 4 blogs to my name, a twitter account, and of course the facebook (works great for keeping up with old friends, even if it does mean seeing old embarassing pictures from college days)... I gotta wonder when I ever get time to actually do any real work.

...and what a year

This weekend Janiece and I celebrate our first anniversary. It's hard to imagine it's been a year already, but... it's been a really, really good year.

Because of her, there's been this amazing difference in my outlook on life. Life just seems... good. That seems terribly understated. But it's just that when the world around us is in turmoil, it doesn't matter, life is good. She brings a calm and a joy to life. She has made this a really, really amazing year.

There was a point where I wasn't really sure what was ahead, and yet, it was like God was saying just you wait, I've got something really really good for you. And he came through in a big way.

Definitely cause for celebration.

19.49 miles

Wednesday nights is our 'Band of Brothers' mens group, and I've typically tried riding my bike out for those except on occaisions where the weather would get in the way. They moved it now to where it's meeting at a coffee shop, although that coffee shop is in the opposite direction from me. But that's okay. The nice thing is I can get there almost exclusively by trail, though that trail does end up going a couple miles longer. In the end, according to mapmyrun, it turned out to be a total ride there and back of 19.49 miles. It felt good being able to say I did it. It feels even better to be able to sit here this morning and not feel dead to the world for it all.

There are some guys from church going this weekend to hike up a 14er, and it looked pretty intriguing. It was stated as 'strenuous hiking' requiring proper hiking boots and hiking pole etc. (14er is the term they use around here for mountain peaks 14,000 feet or higher). 13.5 miles. It's the kind of thing where I find myself wondering if I'd be up to THAT kind of hike. Enough other things are going on that it's really not an option anyway, but... it does leave me wondering....