Yearly Archives: 2010

January 27, 2010 · 6:00 am

Bad dreams


Weighed in this morning – not as part of the Biggest Loser but simply to see what the last week or more had done. Was pleasantly surprised to find a gain of only 2 pounds. Ate too many pistachios and protein bars.

But did get to the gym for 2.08 miles on the treadmill and made 10,906 steps.

The movie today at the cardio-theater was The Incredibles. Not a bad movie, but I misread the sign and had anticipated Casino Royale. So I used my iPod and started listening to The Hobbit. Bilbo has now gone to bed after listening to the dwarves talk about their adventure. Bad dreams plague his sleep.

This evening I watched Shake Hands with the Devil. It is the story of General Romeo Dallaire who commanded the United Nations forces in Rwanda at the time of the genocide. The forces were badly understaffed and inadequately supplied. They also had a mandate that did not fit the situation.

Dallaire was not perfect as a commander. But he did more than virtually anyone else. In a situation where the entire world failed the people of Rwanda – ignored the people of Rwanda – turned away from the people of Rwanda – Dallaire tried. He saved thousands, yet remains forever haunted by the hundreds of thousands he could not save. His command failed. But it was set up for failure. Dallaire continues to wrestle with guilt over the nightmare – guilt that nearly consumed him – guilt that is not shared by those who bear far more responsibility, those who created the conditions for the failure, who carried out the killings, who stood by, who looked away – by the genocidaires, Belgium, the Catholic Church, the UN, the United States, France.

Ten years after the genocide, the attitude of the Rwandans is summed up in these words: “We’ve come to expect nothing from the world and the world never disappoints us in that way.”

Will the world do better in Haiti? I pray so.

I also watched Richard III with Laurence Olivier. He too was plagued by bad dreams.

Tomorrow (or today since it is well after midnight) I drive to Nashville.

May you sleep well. May I sleep well.

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January 25, 2010 · 4:15 am

A day for Saints


The final day of this New Mexico trip saw me hanging out in Albuquerque. I overate again. That stops tomorrow. But I could not pass on the food here.

I got a hotel that has a fitness center. So I did 2.25 miles on the treadmill. I also went to the Coronado State Monument – not sure what I make of that name. It apparently is near the place where Coronado and his party of invaders wintered in 1540-42.

An ancient pueblo there – Kuaua is there. The pueblo was settled about 1300 CE and abandoned toward the end of the 1500s CE. It sits right along the Rio Grande. Despite the cold weather (which the wind that picked up during the early morning did not help), I did the trail along the river and the trail around the pueblo. Then I went to the Pueblo Cultural Center. Interestingly enough, it has an exhibit on the saints of the pueblos.

All that walking led to a step count of 12,807 – the highest so far!

Tomorrow – the return to the Shire.

See you along the Trail.

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January 24, 2010 · 4:59 am

The wins one gets

What has not gone well:
I have overeaten the last couple of days. It is easy to blame that on being in New Mexico and being overly tempted by the food that I love. There is truth to that. But the reality is that I need to be able to face food that I love and eat reasonably.

I have not walked 10,000 steps either of the last two days. I did not make 10,000 steps the last two days combined. 6740 today. I helped to lead an all day workshop each day and that just made it too easy not to get out and do the walking. Again the reality is that I need to learn to cope with that.

I did not do concentrated walking yesterday.

What has gone better:
A friend’s comment on yesterday’s blog inspired me to head back to the track today between the end of the workshop and dinner. I went 1.5 miles – not as long as I should have – but all the time allowed. And it is better to have missed only one day.

While the overeating included starches (chips and sopapillas), it did not include sugar based products. No flan. No fried ice cream. No chocolate chip cookies served on the breaks.

One takes the wins one gets.

Football tomorrow. And walking. Travel on Monday – but late enough in the day that I should be able to walk.

See you along the Trail.

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January 22, 2010 · 5:20 am

Not perfect

I helped lead a dialogue session on being a diverse, including community for representatives of Menaul School. Eric Law was the main trainer and I had the privilege of helping. It was a good experience. Tomorrow we work with all the faculty, staff, administration, and volunteers. Saturday is an event for the larger Albuquerque community.

Eating has not gone well although it has not been high calorie foods that I have been overeating.

Stats: 2.25 miles on Menaul School track; 10,084 steps

See you along the Trail.

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January 21, 2010 · 5:01 am

Dinner at the Range

Today’s exercise involved walking two miles around the Menaul School track. It was good fun.

Then came the opportunity to preach at chapel. That takes place every day and lasts about 15 minutes. There were a couple of announcements. Then the brief worship service. One of the students read the scripture. Chaplain Buddy Monahan did the introduction and off we went. I think it went a bit long – but even those students who were going to lunch after the chapel hung in and listened well. A fun experience.

Eric Law got in a bit before 7:00. We had dinner at the Range Cafe – a local chain. It was pretty good. The one where we went is actually located next to a Days’ Inn where I have stayed on a number of occasions when I have been in Albuquerque. But I never tried the restaurant before. We did some planning for tomorrow and agreed to meet for breakfast to continue.

11,736 steps.

See you along the Trail.

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January 20, 2010 · 5:31 am

Hoops, New Mexico high school style

Today was a travel day. I flew from Louisville to Albuquerque. For the next six days, I will be at Menaul School where I will assist Eric Law in some training events.

This meant that I did not achieve my goal of a concentrated exercise for 30-45 minutes. And that meant that I did not achieve my stepping goal. I ended the day at 7,657 steps. I did however eat well. And that is pretty big given how I usually overeat excessively on travel days.

This evening I went to the basketball games of the Menaul Panthers. I believe the last time I was at a high school basketball game was 1984.

The Panthers came away with two wins. The women’s team won handily. It was 28-4 at the end of the first quarter. The team continued to pull away and substituted frequently and slowed down the game to keep from running up score even more.

The men’s team pulled out an overtime win in a game that both teams tried to give away. The officials did not have their best game either.

It was fun to watch young people play for the joy of playing and being part of the team and representing their school. The middle school pep band added to the enjoyment.

See you along the Trail.

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January 18, 2010 · 10:55 pm

Progress!

Today I used an elliptical for the first time ever. It was for one minute, but that represents one more minute than all the time I have previously spent on an elliptical combined.

10,050 steps.

No overeating.

Hit the road tomorrow for Albuquerque. I will be gone a week. Not sure about posting during this time.

See you along the Trail

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January 18, 2010 · 4:29 am

Today is another day


The movie in the Cardio Theater today was Silverado. I came in at the very end. They then restarted it. I realized that I had never seen the beginning of the movie. Fascinating. Apparently I had only seen bits and pieces from the middle and end of the movie. I did not see it in the theater and I had never rented it. Must have caught it on the tube. Seeing it from the beginning a whole lot of things that I remembered made a whole lot more sense.

I did the walking at the gym. Made 10553 steps. But this evening I ate too many pistachios and a couple of protein bars. At least if I had to overeat it was with reasonably healthy food – better than Doritos or Twinkies.

Tomorrow will be another day – or I guess today will since this is after midnight.

Checked out the football this weekend – even though the Steelers are no longer playing. I guess I will become a Saints fan at this point. Why? Tricia organized a trip to New Orleans for her family at Christmas. It was a great time. Sean and cousin Adam did some heavy-duty bonding during the Saints overtime loss to Tampa Bay. I watched it while listening to the Steelers beat the Ravens.It’s not a permanent thing – but at least during the playoffs.

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January 17, 2010 · 5:28 am

M

The movie at Louisville Athletic Club was GoldenEye. They appear to be in a James Bond phase.

I was surprised to see Judi Dench playing the role of M. I had not realized that she moved into the role that early. I checked and discovered that she was M in four films before the series reboot with Casino Royale. She works in that role and most every role she plays.

Pierce Brosnan was Bond. James Bond. He never really worked for me in that role although I thought he was great in Evelyn and a number of other films.

Tomorrow’s movie is Silverado. Football again in the afternoon.

See you along the Trail.

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January 16, 2010 · 3:24 pm

The Weigh In – January 15, 2010


Posting a day late here.

Yesterday was the second weigh-in for the Noble Road Biggest Loser event. The base weigh-in was on January 8. The result – a 3 pound loss. A good week.

Since this journey along the Graybeard Trail began, the total loss is closer to 13 pounds. The effort began about December 17 when I stopped (more or less) eating “sweets” – items that are predominantly sugar. While I did not restrict the eating of other items, I did try to do some walking at that point. Our trip to New Orleans involved a great deal of walking as well – and eating, lots and lots of eating. That did enough to prevent any gain and actually drop a pound or two. Since returning to Louisville on December 31, I have made a more focused effort that includes a period of exercise, eating somewhere between 1,600 and 2,000 calories and walking 10,000 steps or more a day. It is a good start.

Yesterday the step count was 12,729 – the most steps yet. That came because as well as getting to the gym, I participated in the Presbyterian Center’s Justice Walk to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We walked to the Ohio River where Dr. Blaine Hudson from the University of Louisville reflected on the Louisville’s role in the underground railroad. We then turned back and went to the offices of the Presbytery of Mid-Kentucky where Edgardo Mansilla of the Americana Community Center addressed immigration issues and how we can live as neighbors to those who come to this country.

The movie at the gym was Deja Vu. I am discovering that the movie makes a big difference. Gripping movies are much easier to walk to – the time seems to pass almost unnoticed.

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