Day 3: Late December Diet / Fast

Okay.  So, yesterday went well.  I was not “hungry” per se, but I was missing chewing and the act of eating.  Anyway, I got through it.
Last night was my first visit back to Planet Fitness in ages.  Well, in ten days; but it felt like ages.  Nothing was “hard” like when you’ve stopped exercising for six months and you’re just starting up again, but I had little to no energy stores.  I walked / jogged 1.27 miles in 26:15 minutes.  Yes, I know.  Most people walk faster than that.  The truth is sometimes I do, too.  Rarely, but sometimes.  Anyway, it felt like I was in molasses.  I was okay for my 2 minute warm-up walk, but as soon as I started to jog – forgetaboutit.  So, I had to alternate slogging and walking to get through it.
I moved on to the calisthenics portion of my workout.  I have a cycle of crunches, inclined pushups and air squats which I run through.  I started out at five cycles, then eight cycles and for the last couple of days (about a week) before my Christmas break, I was up to ten cycles – about 45 – 50 minutes.  Last night I struggled to get to eight.  It wasn’t “hard”.  I just felt exhausted.  After my cycles, I did a few minutes of rowing.  And that was it.  My “normal” workout usually runs about two hours and includes stretching and lots more weights (light weights, but high volume reps).  Last night was cut short and was still about 90 minutes because I was moving so slow.  Still, I went to the gym and plowed through it…
One interesting point:  My face is already starting to get the “oily / waxy”, moist feeling on my forehead, nose and cheeks.  This normally happens around day 6 or 7.  I don’t know why it seems to be happening sooner than “normal”.  At first, I used to worry about acne when this started, but in all of my fasts (long and short over a dozen in my life), it has never ended up causing a breakout of  acne.  Actually, I find it kind of makes my face look younger – smoother and better hydrated.  So, that’s a good thing.
And before I forget:  this morning’s weigh-in was 349lbs.  That’s down from Boxing Day weight of 360lbs.  Day Two’s weight was 353lbs.  Basically, that’s water retention loss from all the salt and sugar consumed on Christmas day.  My weight on Christmas morning was 355lbs.  So, really we’re talking about six pounds from then, and not  eleven pounds from the “start” of the diet / fast.  Please recall I am trying to not worry about day-to-day losses and gains as much as I am three and four day trends.  Of course, first I have to get past four days…  LOL
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On This Day In:
2017	Daily, Mr. President, Daily
2016	We Did This
2015	I’m Talking To You
	Forced (Again)
2014	We Are Not A Fearful Nation!
2013	Risking Truth
2012	Working On Reality
2011	Massive Contradictory Changes

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Slogging

I just felt like hitting the bricks for a while, so I went for a VERY slow initial jog.  Hil was a bit concerned because I’ve had so many episodes of palpitations lately, but I got through it.  Weighed myself this morning – 350lbs.
Four(4) laps around the school yard.  Maybe, one(1) mile.  Five minutes of stretching afterwards and twenty-five incline push-ups.  Maybe a total of 30 minutes.  It felt good afterwards.  We’ll see how I feel tomorrow…  LOL!
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On This Day In:
2015	Memorial Day – 2015
	Content People Love To Share
2014	I Resemble That Remark
2013	Long Range Exploration
2012	UBI
2011	Opportunity

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Back On The Bricks

Yesterday, I started jogging again.  Today was day two.  As of yesterday, I am a “runner” again…  Like most things / types of activity, you can only “be” it if you “do” it.  In this case, in my case, running – or more precisely very slow jogging – which I call “slogging”.  (Not very original, I know.)  I am not timing myself yet.  I am counting the laps (around the schoolyard across the street from where I live) with my little “clicker” and my “Fitbit” says it’s about 5 miles.  I reckon it’s closer to 3 miles, but whatever, I’m back in my shoes and beatin’ feet!
I started one of my hundreds of diets back in July and lost 35 pounds by the end of August.  As of today, I am still down 20 of those.   And so the beat goes on…  I joined the “YMCA” back in September, but injured my left knee pretending to play basketball.  And by “pretend”, I mean literally pretending: I was playing by myself, missed a shot and was challenging for a rebound under the basket.  When I landed, my knee gave out (quite painfully) and I had to limp to the locker room to get my stuff and go home.  My knee cap swoll-up the size of a grapefruit and I couldn’t extend my leg straight for about a week.  The pain has mostly (now) gone but I’m still not able to push off of that leg the way I used to.  But I have been walking 40 to 60 minutes each day and I’ve now been able to begin jogging – slow but steady.
So, I am a runner again.  One day at a time.  One step at a time.  And today is day two.
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On This Day In:
2014	Changing Frequently
2013	Trifles
2012	Simple, Ordinary And Wonderous
2011	Humane Writers

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Chillin’

Today we (Hil, Sarah and I) went to the theater to see the new Disney movie: “Frozen“.  Wow!  This is a terrific movie!  It’s animation and it’s a musical, but it is still one of the best movies I’ve seen in some time…
There’s the princesses and the handsome hero.  The goofy sidekick and the animal friend.  There is magic, and singing, and incredible art.  And of course, since it IS a Disney movie, you know how it ends.
This is a movie which celebrates “girl power” but it does it in a very heartfelt way.  If you want to take you daughter or niece to a movie where the “heroes” are the girls, then this is the movie for you.  Definitely a highly-recommended and I can hardly wait for the DVD so I can watch it again.
Oh, yeah…  As a musical, the songs are both funny and powerful (in turn).  The lyrics are generally more mature than “The Lion King“, but every bit as catchy and, dare I say it, performed better.  That’s saying quite a bit because I’ve seen “The Lion King” dozens of times.
Other news:
I had to go to the dentist today.  I’m getting a crown and my temporary cracked and came out yesterday.  Fortunately, there was no pain involved.
I’m rapidly approaching 200 miles on my jogging.  I started back up again on 28 Dec ’13 and have been going steadily ever since.  My goal for 2014 is to jog 1,000 miles.  That’s about three times my best miles  in a year from the recent past few years.  We’ll see if I can keep it going…
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On This Day In:
2013	The Lucky Few
2012	A Post-Valentine’s Day Message
2011	Risk, Lyrics, Starting Over, And My Trip To The ER
	Lucky Choice

 

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1,002

Back in the gym (at work) this morning.  First time since the end of December, 2010 (see blog post: 1,001).  Since then, I’ve been in an Emergency Room twice and a cardiac intensive care unit overnight.  All in all, I guess I should be happy to be here at all let alone commenting on how I’ve finally gotten to my 1,000th and 2nd workout.  (I’m still not counting my home / schoolyard jogs and walks.)
So, I’m back in the gym and struggling to do my slow jog.  My legs are dead.  I made it through the two miles (my goal for the workout), but it was in a fairly pitiful 38 minutes.  To think, just a few months ago I was doing two miles in just under 24 minutes.  As I was showering, I thought back to my Army days when you had to run 2 miles in under 18 minutes or you failed your PT test.  Anyway, I got through the jog.  I then added in a couple of sets of crunches (2X25).  I’m so out of shape now, even that little bit was gut busting.  Still, each day I’ll get better.  My goal is four sets of 50 for 200 reps a workout.  That’s pretty much how I started out thirteen years ago in Saudi, except then, I started with three sets of ten.  Of course, within a couple of weeks I was up to four sets of twenty-five.  I did a little light stretching and that was it for my first visit back.
The bad news is I’m almost exactly where I was two years ago, when I started the Fat Smash Diet – 330 lbs.  Very discouraging.  I got down to 292, before my little (and not so little) injuries and illnesses started adding up.  My unofficial high was actually 337 lbs.  I dropped the seven pounds before I went on my “official” weigh in.  So, I’m still down by seven pounds now that I’m starting this new cycle.
The best news is I felt pretty good for the rest of the day.  So, here’s to making progress to 2,000 visits and getting back below 300 lbs!
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Back On The Asphalt

Got home from work and went out back to help my daughter Sarah practice her bench presses.  She’s taking a class in weight lifting in high school PE and she needs to increase her lifts to get a decent grade.  Her max is 70 lbs X 5 reps.  Today she was able to do 60 lbs about five times and 50 lbs ten times.  She’s making very good progress.  I also had her doing some crunches and back strengthening.  I’m hoping to have her up to 90 lbs X 5 reps by the end of March.
After helping Sarah, I went across the street to the schoolyard for a slow jog.  I did my normal 70 minutes; about 4 miles.  It wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t easy either.  Today was my first day back since my trip to the ER on Valentine’s Day.  Eight days ago…  Anyway, no vertigo and it helped my confidence to get through a jog.  As I so fondly say – slowly, slowly…
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Easy Like Sunday Morning

A very relaxing day to make up for the OT yesterday.  I slept in until 9!  Actually, I got up at 6 to get in my early morning / dawn jog and Hil insisted I come back to bed…  She didn’t have to twist my arm too hard!
After the sleep in, it was breakfast in bed (oatmeal, toast and Bailey’s Coffee) – life is good, – and then read until 11:15 when it’s time to get up for Sunday noon Mass.  After that, some quick shopping at Safeway and off to have lunch with Donnie (my son’s Godfather).  We went back to the Japanese/Chinese all you can eat buffet (Todai) and Hill got to try some sushi and other more exotic dishes.  She also had most of her normal ones too.
At the end, we were all three stuffed and we went home.  Hil commented she likes going out to eat with Don because he’s never in a hurry to leave and he always wants to talk, so it lifts the burden off of us to find something to discuss.
After getting home, I passed out for a little nap.  Then I got up and scheduled another week’s worth of quotes.  Around 8:30, my stomach was settled enough I felt like going out to get in my jog.  Given the time and work tomorrow, I decided to just do the 2 miles.
Yup, nothing like an easy Sunday!
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This And That

Another day of overtime.  I spent most of the day coding.  It’s unusual to find an activity which is both exhausting and exhilarating at the same time – but coding is definitely it for me.  I have an application at work which I developed about 6 years ago and which is still in use.  I needed to to do a non-trivial update to it and I really wasn’t looking forward to it.  These things can take weeks or months when you’re trying to squeeze development time into a normally busy day.  The depth of thought required does not lend itself to well to frequent interruptions and otherwise fire-fighting.  What took about six hours of just sitting there and getting it done, probably would have taken as many weeks – so I’m glad there was budget to cover the time.
After work, I dropped by a friend’s house to help him with his taxes. He had some questions and I walked him through TurboTax.  He had 98% of it done, and probably could have figured out the rest, but I managed to save him a bit of time.
Hil got her hair done.  Then she cooked up a lovely steak for dinner tonight.  It was our little “early” Valentine’s Day dinner together.  Candles, red wine and everything.  I’ve already written my little message to her in her card, which I’m planning to put on her pillow in a bit.  We’re all human and nobody is perfect – but she’s pretty perfect for me…  Ok, cancel that last bit.  Hil is definitely perfect!  She just brought me some warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream for my afters!!  Eat your hearts out, dear readers…
I managed to squeeze my evening jog in between helping my friend and Hil cooking dinner.  I’m closing in on a two-week streak (I hope I haven’t jinxed myself).  If I can just keep it up a for 4 to 6 more weeks, maybe it’ll become a habit and I’ll keep going for a good long while.  I wouldn’t hold my breath though, as I’m normally a person of moderation and don’t slip into many “good” habits.  Even at my best, I’m only one day off away from slipping into bad habits.  A day’s rest becomes a week, and then a couple, and then a month – and before you know it, you’re starting from scratch again.
The jog itself wasn’t too bad.  The night is cool and clear and the school yard wasn’t busy. My legs felt “heavy” today.  I don’t know if it’s 10 straight days of jogging or the intervals from last evening.  I’m hoping to get up a little earlier tomorrow to get my jog out of the way before we go to Mass.  If I can force myself out of bed early enough, I might be able to get a full two hours in as the sun rises.  I like the explosion of sounds as the baby birds all start to wake up and call for food.  It’s also nice to see the sky change color and the grass and trees seem to come alive.
My friend (above) has asked Hil and me out for lunch.  He treated us a couple of weeks ago and he didn’t feel we got our money’s worth, so he called Hil during the week to arrange a “re-match”.  He’s always good for a belly laugh (or two) so I’m always happy to spend time with him.
On the world news front: Mubarak has resigned and Egypt is facing the hard part of being free – now you have to actually run a country for the benefit of the people – instead of the few.  I pray for you, still.  It will take long and the road may be muddy and rough but you’ll get there (Inshallah!!)  Remember, you can have peace AND freedom.
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Back At The Millstone

Back at work today, after being off yesterday for a root canal and crown.  Tomorrow’s Friday, so the week is basically done, but today seemed a long one…
I found what looks like an interesting book on Microsoft Expression and an article on managing across generations.  Both look worthy of a post when I finally complete them.  I currently use Expression as my replacement for FrontPage.  I was also using Visual Studio, but there wasn’t enough funding to get me the new version, so I was downgraded to Expression.  I’m not complaining.  Expression seems to meet my needs 99% of the time and the rest I don’t even know about anyway (probably).
News from the home front: The Mount Diablo School District is closing a number of schools and Holbrook Elementary (the school across the street from my home) is one of them.  They “say” it’s not “permanent” and they’ll re-open it if the economy picks up and / or if there is an influx of kids that age.  The reality is, they’ve never re-opened a school once it’s been closed.  We’re not in the high class area and the folks around here don’t vote as consistently as other areas so there’s less reason for local politicians to support a school in our area.  The funny thing is, we actually take in a lot of kids from even poorer areas, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens to the “better” schools when they not only have to cope with kids from our area, but the poorer kids too.  Those parents are going to be in for a shock when their schools scores start dropping like lead weights.  Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee…
Jogging:  It seems like I’ve settled on mostly shorter jogs this week.  Tonight I did another 4 miles.  Between OT this Saturday and Church on Sunday, it doesn’t seem like I’m going to find time for a “longer” jog.  I was hoping to get in at least a two hour jog (about 7 miles) and work out in my “flats”, but I may not get the time.  I’ve lost about 4-6 lbs since the start of the month.  So my journey down the scale starts again…
I haven’t really had any problems with my jogging lately except the outside top of my left foot is bothering me.  I hope it’s something I can continue to train through and not some stress fracture.  Time will tell…
World News:  Not much change in Egypt.  The people are increasingly out in the streets.  The military seems to have sided with the people.  So far, Allah Akbar, the events have been mostly peaceful.  Hundreds have been hurt and a few killed, but in a demonstration with hundreds of thousands, that is really not very many.  Inshallah, the protests will continue peacefully until the government really changes.  Egypt – you are still in my prayers!
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A Few More Lyrics From The Past

I haven’t added any favorite lyrics in a while, so tonight I’m adding three I’ve had bouncing around in my brain for a few days now.  The first is “Both Sides Now“, written by Joni Mitchell and performed by Judy Collins.  It’s one of those songs you think about when you’re sitting on the top of a hill looking out at the clouds on the horizon.  In a strange way, the verse:  “It’s life’s illusions I recall…” means more to me as I get older (and hopefully wiser).
The second song is a “sappy” Dad song which is typical of the songs that pull at my heart strings.  It doesn’t seem possible, but I would almost swear I saw this in the original broadcast in 1962.  Since I know we watched the show, it’s certainly possible.  Anyway, the song is: “My Dad“, and was sung by Paul Peterson (the son on the show).  Being raised by a single mother, the lyrics never meant much to me looking up (to my own dad).  Instead, the lyrics were something I hoped my sons (or daughters) would feel about me.
The third song is: “She Used To Be My Girl“, performed by The O’Jays.  On the one hand, it’s a fairly typical rhythm and blues song from the 70’s disco era.  But, at the same time it’s a classic do-wop song about lost love / missed opportunity — another typical theme in songs I love.  If you have time, YouTube both the live and studio versions.  The contrast is startling!  The studio version is all about the sound.  The stage version is about JOY!  I’m not saying one or the other is better.  I am just surprised by the contrast.
Again, read and think about the words; then go listen to the performances.
Other notes:
Tomorrow I’m off work, at the dentist, getting a root canal.  I still can’t believe dental work (or vision) was NOT included in the health care bill.  Every American should have access to dental care at a reasonable cost.
My INR results from yesterday was: 1.0; down from 2.0 two weeks ago; and, 2.3 three weeks ago (one week after I started Coumadin).
I tried a different jogging technique tonight.  I’ve used it before, but not lately.  Basically, it’s jogging by rolling your hips.  It seems to transfer the running motion from my quads and calves to my core and upper thighs.  It lets me extend my stride slightly (I’m only talking a few inches) with no extra fatigue.  It’s an interesting technique I’m planning to investigate more.  In theory, it should allow me to gradually increase stride and pace with more efficient mechanics and less energy use.
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Just Cheesy!

Well, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburg Steelers in the Super Bowl.  It was a pretty good game, too.  Curiously, even though they seemed to be able to run effectively, the Steelers kept trying to pass (not so effectively).  The Pack did not run much and didn’t try to (often).  The Pack did manage to get off a couple of 4 to 7 yard runs every now and then though. Just enough to keep the Steelers honest.  The game was closer than my prediction and ended up 31 to 25.
As predicted, the Packers jumped out to an early lead and the Steelers managed a comeback.  The Packers ended up with their two best defensive backs injured in the first half (Woodson was out for the entire second half), so the Steelers were able to get some air yardage and close the score.  In the final analysis, there were three Steelers turnovers – a fumble and two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and that was the difference.  As I said, it’ll come down to who plays better, the Pack’s defensive backs or the Steelers’ front seven.  Without the Packer injuries it would not have been as close as it turned out.
Kudos to both teams for great seasons and an entertaining game!
And thanks to my sister, Carm, for hosting the party – family and good food!  It doesn’t get much better than that…
Jogging update: six day streak going.  Feeling pretty good.  A few aches and pains, but no problems with my heart.
I’m reminded of something I read last year: every 26 miles equals one pound of weight (assuming no change in diet).  I guess we’ll find out if that’s close to being true if I can keep up this pace for the rest of the month.  I just weighed myself today for the first time in months and I’m back up to 330lbs.  So after all my dieting for the last 18 months, I’ve only kept off seven of the 45lbs I lost.  I think I’d be more disappointed if I wasn’t just happy to be still alive and kickin’.  Every day is a bonus!!
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Go Cheeseheads!!

Got up early to get my jog out-of-the-way.  I wore my Ahnu “flats” for the first time in ages.  I do enjoy the better feel for the ground.  I’m looking forward to phasing them back in and to start using my VFFs.  I’ve had the Bikila model for several months now and only taken them out twice for a jog.  The other times I’ve worn them have just been for walking around or in work.  Something to look forward to…!
I’ve got church and then the trip to my sister’s for the SuperBowl.  After that, it’s drop Mom off at home and get ready for work tomorrow.  Yesterday’s OT makes the short weekend feel even shorter!  Still it’s good to have a job where I’m constantly learning and growing…
Even though I’m pretty indifferent to both teams today, I’ll be rooting for the Green Bay Packers.  The Steelers already have six SuperBowl wins and a seventh will make it even harder for the Niner’s to catch them.  We have five wins and no losses.  Both the Steelers and the Cowboys have six, but they both also have losses.
My prediction: Packers – 30; Steelers 17.  Packers jump on them 10-0.  Steelers stage a comeback, but Pack still ahead at the half 17-7.  Steelers start to close 17-14.  Packers put them away to win it 30-17.  In the end both quarterbacks play well, but Green Bay’s secondary plays better than the Steelers’ front seven.  The big loss is the Steelers’ All-Pro rookie center, who is out for the game due to an ankle injury.  The Steelers are not able to run inside effectively as they normally do and they are not a run-wide team.
We’ll see…
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Bourne Again

Over the weekend I saw a bit of the Bourne Identity on TV.  It made me want to re-watch the trilogy.  It’s hard to squeeze in the time, but I made the effort last night to watch one.  I chose the Bourne Ultimatum.  It’s the final movie of the series (so far).  All three are very good, but I would rate them Identity, Ultimatum and then Supremacy if I were asked.  In Identity, the character is new and gets well developed.  There is loads of action and it’s mostly believable.  Each sequel has more action and is a little (okay, a lot) less believable.  The final, Ultimatum is the least believable, but it wraps up the story nicely so I give it extra credit for that.  Again, for me, it’s the action AND the character development which makes the movie (and series).
Matt Damon is terrific in all three.  I believe he will end up being a historic actor before his career is done.  He’s already done some excellent work.  I would rank Good Will Hunting, right up there with his best work and that’s another film I can watch repeatedly.  Anyway, I highly recommend the Bourne Ultimatum.
I went out for my first jog since Saturday.  I haven’t really felt “right” and I don’t want to push it.  I also don’t want to constantly use that (my heart) as an excuse, so I’ll just have to monitor myself.  I totaled my January times and distance and was pleased to see I did over 14 hours and almost 44 miles.  That’s including both walking and jogging and not quite the 30 minute per day goal I set for my New Year’s resolution.  Of course, I had loads of missed days, but I’m making progress…  My first goal for February is to be more consistent (like every day, if possible).  We’ll see. Slowly, slowly…
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Conference Games Sunday

I went to my sister (Carm) to watch the NFL conference finals with her and her husband (Art).  They treated me to pizza and chips and dip.  They have a wonderful new flat panel TV.  I don’t know how we ever got along with regular TV’s.  Green Bay defeated the Chicago Bears and Pittsburg defeated the New York Jets.  I didn’t really care too much who won, but the teams I thought would make for the best (most interesting) Super Bowl both won, so I guess that’s a good thing.  Now if only the SB45 pans out…
I finished reading “Out Of Their Minds“, by Dennis Shasha and Cathy Lazere, (1998©).  It is an excellent book and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get a better understanding of the history of computing / computer science.  The book is sub-titled: “The Lives and Discoveries of 15 Great Computer Scientists“, which basically means it is both biographical (about people) and explanatory (about ideas and discoveries).  The book is so good it makes we want to take up programming again!  I will be (and have been) using some of the quotes from this book on this blog.  Some of the ideas and experiences of the book really resonated with me.
I missed my walk/jog yesterday for no particular reason.  My “excuse” was I was out of the house most of the day and wanted to spend the evening with Hil (we watched a movie), but that’s pretty much just what it is – an excuse.  Tonight, I got home and went for a late evening jog.  It was another beautiful, clear, cool night but I just wasn’t into it.  I did my laps around the schoolyard (70 minutes, about 4 miles), but it felt like moving in treacle.  Sometimes these things are just gut-checks and you have to work through them.  The good news is I got through it and with no pain, no palps, no irregular pulse.
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Happy MLK, Jr Day!!!

First, of course, Happy Martin Luther King, Jr Day to everyone!  If you haven’t read it lately, I highly recommend your re-reading the “I Have A Dream…” speech.  I believe it’s one of the top 10 speeches in American history.  As a Christian, I revel in the fact that we have a national holiday for minister who’s stated purpose in life was service to others.  That’s saying something as I also firmly believe in the separation of Church and State.
Exercise:
Went out for 35 minutes tonight.  Not really a jog, not really a walk, more of a shuffle-step.  It felt good to almost slow-jog.  (Remembering that last weekend I was in the ER for my heart makes that a whole lot easier to accept.   Pride goes before the heart attack!)  Anyway, I reckon I did between a mile and a half and a mile and three-quarters.   No pain.  No shortness of breath.  No chest tightness.  I didn’t feel “right” last night, so I skipped the walk.  I’m trying to err on the side of safety, if I have to err at all.
How I spent today:
Mostly, as you can tell from viewing today’s post, I spent the day just adding quotes to the blog.  I started a book about the lives of 15 of the greatest names in the field of Computer Science so I had a lot of little quotes to add.  The book (“Out Of Their Minds” by Dennis Shasha and Cathy Lazere) is excellent so far and I’ll be shocked if I don’t end up highly recommending it when I complete it and do the review.  I’m continuously amazed that most of the great discoveries / inventions / algorithms  have been made / created during my lifetime.  I went to get some blood taken for my cardiologist appointment tomorrow.  I also finished unpacking the last of my suitcases from the aborted trip to Baltimore.
Finally, I went through some photos and I have a bunch to add to the site.  Unfortunately, there is just so little time…  As a taste, here’s a photo of Hil’s mum with her mum (Hil’s maternal nana):
Hil’s mum (as a little girl) and her mum at the beach.
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