mediaguy99

Ach, I failed at the TPS reporting. Documentation was never my strong suit. I did a bunch of running, biking, and hiking. I did get better from the respiratory crud, and I did pass the NREMT practical exam. Now to study for the knowledge exam. The FDA announced that Zantac has a carcinogen in it so I stopped taking it for my reflux issues. I'm back to a grain-free diet and next week I want to introduce corn and see what happens. Right now I'm doing a modified paleo diet (not for weight loss though so I'm not shedding pounds like a person with an eating disorder) that just doesn't include dairy or grains. I get to cheat once a week because sanity, and I'm not worried about a lot of the things I used to get hung up on with the paleo diet. But I am avoiding those grains. And it definitely keeps the reflux at bay. I just don't like it. I miss my muesli, and toast. I'd so much rather just be "gluten free". I'm telling you--I tried an almond flour bagel last week (cost me like $6 too) and I almost barfed. It was like eating a cinnamon raising Birkenstock. The weather has been lousy the past two days, which are usually my bike commute days. Shades of what's to come with the approaching winter I think... (Remember that winter in Colorado can start in August, and can go through May...) There is so much going on right now I'm pretty sure I am going to have to stay away from NF for the next 3-4 weeks. I might try to join back in November but til then I've got my full time job, chemistry exams, Pippin rehearsals and then 17 performances, the NREMT subject matter exam to prep for... and wait, I have a wife and family too? Yeah I'm ready for something to be over with.

Ha, we're all dying little by little, right? I found a new ninja gym that has traveling rings (!!!) If you haven't tried them they're a fun aerial apparatus that's lower to the ground but involves lots of swinging and potentially coning. But it relies solely on single-handed grip strength so... yeah. 15 second performance limit for me at this moment, eh? Good luck figuring out the thing...

Thanks, Sylph! I have one more "mock interaction" to write an encounter report for, and I'm done with the classes. Still recovering from the upper respiratory thing. Definitely ready for it to be over. Didn't run, didn't ride, didn't hike, didn't do anything but go to rehearsal yesterday and work, work, work. Am ready for a re-do on my vacation. I think October, maybe?

Oh yeah, the beginning of the semester is literally the worst. Starting two weeks before and ending at the end of this week my life is basically overloaded. Add to that the in-laws being here until literally the day before the semester started, and rehearsals, and finishing the online coursework for my EMT exams, and then trying to get into a chemistry class.... let's just say that if there were indeed a ball, it has been dropped. And on top of all that, I ended up getting sick on Friday last week. So the weekend which was supposed to be relaxing camping ended up being, "honey, can you drive me home so I can collapse in the bed for the weekend?" She lovingly (ok that might be a stretch) obliged. I don't think I'd be especially happy either, if I had to take half a day from my vacation to drive my sick spouse back down to the city (where it was pushing 95F all weekend, compared to the mountains which were a cool 70-75F). But whatever. So, what went out the window? I actually got my runs and rides in during the hell weeks. No lifting, and as soon as official PT appointments finished, well, unfortunately, so did my home practice. Lame. I have been eating tons of salad though, hardly anything else for lunch actually. And I'm nearly finished with the online portion of EMT training. AND, I got into Intro Chemistry (a remedial class for those of us who haven't taken chemistry since the millennium began with a 1) so that's good and bad. I'm sure it'll be better once I'm done with rehearsals and into production. OK that's it. It's Wednesday and I've still got the remnants of a head cold. Won't be biking to work tomorrow I don't think. Maybe Friday, who knows? And the weekend holds the possibility of a family run/bike ride, though guess who's got the sickness now???

Good day so far--Yesterday I did my PT so I caught up on that. Today I rode to work, and then rode about halfway home. I skipped the giant 3 mile hill because it's pushing 100F out and I just didn't have it in me--the bus came, and the bike rack on the front was empty so I got on. Rehearsal tonight. Cereal for breakfast today, and an apple and bagel for lunch. Not much really. Need to eat something substantial for dinner but I feel like an outlaw in my own kitchen with my mother in law in the house. Who knows what she's going to want for dinner. I'm looking forward to my in-laws being gone honestly. It's been too long.

It was a little much! Definitely NOT enough fiber. Glad to be back home and getting to choose my own meals. One thing I did this week was have a salad and an apple for lunch almost every day. Definitely helped with feeling bloated from all those carbs.

Oh my. Not as well as I had hoped but alright. I got back to work on Monday and immediately had to move offices. I feel a bit like Milton (office space stapler guy) because me and the other “old guy” in our group have been squeezed into a little 7’x10’ office which we now share. There’s a tiny door in our office that leads to the building section air handler—so my desk literally vibrates when it’s on. Furthermore there were three barrels of asbestos waste and three plastic bags labeled “danger asbestos” in that room. I closed the door and tried not to think about it. I got out for two bike rides and one 3.5 mi run this week. Did my PT about three times so far (one more today and I’m good). No stretching sessions and I doubt I’ll have time today. TPS report submitted. I did make very good progress on the EMT class, and I’m nearly half way done. But, I have a TON of teaching and prepping to do this week plus the mad requests for help with the software applications I support will start this week since classes start a week from tomorrow. So I want to spend as much time as possible cranking through the material today. Rehearsals started this week too, which has been awesome. Just choral rehearsals but I gotta say I love singing in a group. And by strange luck I’ve been assigned baritone/bass instead of tenor which is great because, well, frankly it’s just easier to sing. Easier harmonies and an easier range. The in-laws leave on Thursday so I’ll get my house back.

Me too!

Back from Colombia! Sitting in the Miami airport waiting for our connection to Denver. Kiddo and Mrs. MG went to Sbarro for a trip down her memory lane (they don't have those in Colorado). Nothing appealed and frankly I'm so sick of eating I might not eat anything. Got in another weights workout which included the gym version of my PT. Also ran on the treadmill. Also the day before that we were in Barichara, which is absolutely lovely and has a "trail" run going from right at the edge of town over to the next town. Kind of a unique thing in Colombia, as trail running or even hiking really isn't a thing there as far as I can tell. Might just be my super paranoid in-laws. So I got a 5 mile super climb-y run in, which felt great and left me with actual running DOMS from all the climbing. Wow. I haven't really looked at the numbers aside from distance, but wow. Am quite ready to start eating veggies again. Not that they don't have ANY down there but they're basically: lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and avocado. And I don't like tomatoes. Don't get me wrong, the meat was GREAT but any culture that serves it with not one, not two, but at LEAST three different starchy carbs is missing the point of something. Not sure how everyone is so skinny down there... could it be just from caloric restriction? Quite pooped. Many long days, many big meals, and one day to get back to non-vacation life. you know, if I do it an hour a day I've got this. Looks like they're still accepting applications to the skills class in Denver so I might actually do it! It'll leave me a bit short on vacation time (just over a week once the course is done) but I can live with that. Then I get to start volunteering doing THAT right away, instead of waiting a year... Hike/Bike/Run: 3/15 PT: 3/20, +2 for the weights session Stretching: 0/5 Class: 0/1 TPS Report: 1/5 (one per week counts, any more are just for fun)

Man, I gotta say am traveling in Colombia and we're eating everything but the squeal down here. Yes, the filet and sirloin is delicious. But tripe, organs, feet, chicken necks, all that stuff. It's everywhere and I'm being a little brave... Way to go on all those veggies! Personally I have a rough time with lots of cauliflower. Do you like broccoli as well? Have you seen the multi-colored bag of frozen cauliflower, broccoli, etc at Costco? That stuff roasts up pretty nice. I like to drizzle my roasted veggies with a little soy sauce and fairly mild salsa mixed together.

So, what kind of teacher are you? Assuming "a good one" is a good answer, but I mean, subject/age group/school type/etc. Good for you for getting your homework done early

I love this approach. Wish someone I knew did this instead of what they normally do... No I'm not complaining... much... >:O

Wow, the challenge started AND I happened to have time to look at stuff on the computer today! I worked out this morning. It's not easy here in Bucaramanga, Colombia (that's B'manga here forward). There are no parks anywhere nearby to go running, I don't have a bike and I don't think I'd be brave enough to go out on the streets even if I did. I've seen people riding serious bikes here, of course (anyone catch the tour de france???) but they have people following right on their tails in a car to keep the mayhem from killing them while they're out training. Went for a hike at a coffee plantation yesterday, up in the hills near B'manga yesterday, about 5K only since we were on a tour thing. Super cool to see my favorite drug growing in the wild. Today I went to the "gym" at the apartment building we're staying in. I can say: Hey, at least they have a gym. I spent about two minutes on a treadmill before I realized it was dangerously out of repair. The belt kept slipping and I was worried I'd end up in a youtube video or something so I got off it. Then I went through two cycle machines (there were three total, all different and all about 15+ years old) before I found one that could be adjusted so it was vaguely ergonomic. Did that for 20 min then did an upper body series--bench, rows, and pull ups with the rotator cuff series tacked on at the end with some therabands I'd brought with. Finished it off with a 10 min run around the complex. Tomorrow there's likely no chance for exercise but Wednesday and Thursday I should be able to get out for a real, honest to god trail run in a town called Barichara. Gorgeous country, no weird guerrilla activity nearby and considered very safe for doing things alone in the woods. Friday I doubt I'll have any such luck, though our cousin's apartment in Bogota does have a weight room so I'll try to hit that on Friday. Saturday were traveling all day. I've been working on a Coursera series that leads to an EMT certification. It's fun--reminds me of the fun parts of being a detox counselor and/or AIDS/HIV counselor (two jobs I'd had in the past). I'm on week four now, just got started. The whole series is supposed to be 26 weeks, plus a 40 hour skills workshop you have to do in person (and pay $1000 for) that won't be offered again until next September if I understand things correctly. Meanwhile, there's three weeks left til I can register for my "real" class. Ha, we left on the 27th I think :O Sorry, it's been rough getting the computer on except for studying. Total time in country will be about 13 days plus travel days on either end. So: Hike/Bike/Run: 1/15 PT: 1/20, +1 for the weights session Stretching: 0/5 Class: 0/1 TPS Report: 1/5

Ha, I hunt elk but actually harvest deer typically. Elk are wary beasts.... but so delicious. Deer is a good but much gamier alternative. But whatever, it free-range, fairly stalked, organic and grass fed so I won't complain You have a very generous friend! What's the new industry for you? What motivates me is, I love helping people and feel at my best when in service to others. Also, I like problem solving and troubleshooting from a deep understanding. Finally, I like educating folks. Being a PA combines all three of those things. Plus it's a pretty straightforward career with lots of intrinsic challenges and rewards. And, even though it's generally considered a "pink collar" job (aka, roles usually filled by women) it's exciting, has a lot of responsibility, and pays pretty well too. Counseling and teaching have all those things going for them but the "pink collar" wage gap is hard to swallow. The way roles are compensated here in the US is pretty messed up. Not of course as messed up as things here in Colombia are! Geez, the gap between poor and not poor is pretty awful, and even "not poor" is still pretty poor off by US standards. I'm reminded of how good we have it in the US.

Last challenge was accomplished though my tracking and reporting was lacking. Because of that I'm going to include "getting you that TPS report" in my goals this time around. I don't get back from our trip to Colombia until the 11th, and then I dive right into rehearsals for Pippin, directing the one-act showcase for the local theatre (that's easy, just three rehearsals and one performance), and work hitting the busiest time of year (start of the semester). I'm focused on getting pre-PA classes taken care of so I'll be taking one class (though that could be counseling instead), and I'm going to try and fit some kind of workouts (cardio, strength, and flexibility) in even if it's just PT for my rotator cuff. I blamed it on skiing at the doc's office but I wonder how much trapeze did too... Anyway specifics are forthcoming but in a general sense: 1. Hike, bike, or run, three times per week. 2. PT four days per week, bonus points for an actual lifting session that includes the PT exercises 3. One stretching session per week. 4. Sign up for either Human Anatomy, Chemistry 1 w/lab, or an appropriate upper-level biology class and do all the assignments, or sign up for one COUN class at the Denver campus and do all THOSE assignments. 5. Report into NF at least weekly. Oh, and I'll make time to go see that movie I earned last challenge with Mrs. MG.... not sure when or how, but it will happen. Hopefully before the in-laws leave so we don't have to find a sitter too!!!

Following along.... Borderlands 2 was awesome! I hope I have the opportunity to check out #3. Will do my best to keep apprised of your mission.

And oh my, I just looked back at the actual goals. There were three that I didn't write about. Running: Instead of keeping running I switched over to biking a bunch. I was taking the apprentice to school two mornings a week on the bike and then riding home--actually a pretty tough ride on a 60 pound tandem bike up a 400' elevation gain hill over 6 miles in each direction. I did run at work once, but I definitely was getting my cardio in. The running was starting to make some of my joints ache in a not-so-good way, so even though I'm definitely a runner I have just been doing a bunch of stretching and foam rolling to try and make them calm down before starting distance training. Career goals: As for my career paths, here they are: Teacher, counselor, physician assistant. I can take classes towards getting into PA school while I'm at work, and then cut out (ie, "retire"--I've been at CU for almost 20 years and that's enough to earn my retirement) early enough to go to school and hopefully graduate by the time I'm 55. Then I can continue working for another 10-20 years as a PA. Teaching is something I'm already ready to do, though I'm not totally qualified except through the alternative licensure program. So either I'd have to quit and do a 1 year masters degree in education (wait, I already have one of those), or I find a school in the state that's in need of an English or Drama teacher and convince them I'm ready to be hired. Finally, there's a counseling program that gives you a state therapist license, a school counselor license, and allows you to practice in Colorado and has reciprocity with many other states. That program, part time and at night, would take me three or four years, and then I would have to take a semester and do the internship. Which would be fine too. I have charted the goals and deliverables necessary to do the thing most appealing to me--Physician Assistant school. BUT acceptance rates into those programs are INSANELY low. Very hard to get in. So we'll see which way things go, and I will continue to trust the process and move forward. Meanwhile I'm starting work on my EMT license in Colorado so I can start volunteering doing that and earning some hours in the medical field. Archery: As for archery practice.... what's that? I couldn't get the family to go either weekend we had available. There was too much to do getting the house livable. I'll have to focus on that when we get back. Though I'm probably not going to be able to hunt this year if I'm not practicing. Not the end of the world, but the wild game meat is a real "very nice to have" reward for that practice.

My goodness, the end of the challenge came and went and I didn't write anything! This is terrible! I did manage to record my food a bunch, and eat a LOT of veggies. The trick to that was to purchase cut and washed carrots and celery, and to chop up other "snacking" veggies to add to my lunch bag every day, or just to keep on hand in the fridge at work. Recording the food took a little more effort and I haven't done it for a bunch of days unfortunately. Lots to do at work, and then the in-laws came and that makes for crazy times, and then we left for Colombia. We're in Bogota right now and the food we are eating is either very basic, like meat and potato, or hard to describe in typical USA terms. Even if I had good internet connectivity all day, I don't know if I'd want to bother on vacation. All I know is my wife's family is literally STUFFING me at every meal. I'm trying to limit it but they are VERY insistent. And the food is so good... it's hard to turn down. At least I can say that there is a lot of fruit involved... Anyway, WhiteGhost and Manarelle, and Sylph, thanks for poking your head in on my swim...

Went for another run this morning--4.33 miles. It's amazing how little effect that effort has on my daily caloric numbers. Here's the challenge numbers so far: Veggies: 5 MFP: 3 Plenty of veggies yesterday, but I didn't get my digits into MFP, even though I started in the morning. The afternoon got away from me--follow up appointment with the shoulder doctor (I *didn't* tear my rotator cuff, but I have a bone chip in my shoulder as well as "arthritis" and "bursitis" which is doc-speak for "it hurts" and might be inflamed. PT starts today) and then rushing to get downtown to the aquarium through all the traffic caused by the football-field long crack that opened in the main highway between Boulder and Denver at the end of last week. And then driving home in the same traffic. Yep, that's a thing I do. Talk about a long-term goal? I had to get 50 logged dives, then get my advanced and rescue SCUBA certifications, and then I could APPLY for the volunteer job. I've been working there for a year and a half now, and I have two more supervised dives to go before I can be considered "fully trained". To do what? To dive in the tanks with the marine life, scrub the acrylics and other hard surfaces, "vacuum" the gravel, and (here's the fun part) feed the fish. It's pretty fun as far as volunteer gigs go and I get to SCUBA dive with tropical fish in Colorado. It's weird to "work" underwater though. Vacuuming the bedroom and scrubbing the tub is so much simpler. Also you're not supposed to do too much vigorous exercise in the time around when you're diving, especially right after, since you don't want to make any nitrogen bubbles condense out of the blood. But then, I did go run this morning. Maybe that wasn't the best idea. Oh well. That which doesn't kill me... Decided this morning to hire a professional to connect the hot tub. The cables we need aren't available at the hardware store, and we can't determine if we should put the line in flex or rigid conduit. We don't have a conduit bender either, we'd have to borrow one from Mrs. MG's work. Just our lack of knowledge of the NEC is enough of a barrier that it makes me want to spend the money even though part of my brain is saying "it's just hooking up four cables and running some conduit! You've been doing this for years!!!" I guess if I haven't heard back from the electrician by Friday night we'll try and do it Saturday morning.

Bravo on the house projects. It's so hard. Do you ever just work out first thing in the AM? Before the projects? Anyway, way to go on "salad club" (whatevertheheck that is) and the Aware app. I downloaded some body scanning guided meditations to give a try to. RL

Just posting tallies so far, from yesterday: Veggies: 4 MFP: 3 Turns out that 2 hours of cardio in one day might be too much. So I'm going to take today as a sort-of rest day. Am diving at the aquarium this afternoon so it's probably good to take it slow. Don't want to be post-workout spacey in the shark exhibit. Mrs. MG made my lunch today! Stir fry with lots of vegetables! Hooray !!!

Today has been good! I ate two veggies for lunch (shoulda been three but the peppers were bad out of the bag) plus had the ubiquitous spinach smoothie for breakfast so actually ate three total. Plus plenty of fruit and nuts. Am in process of recording food eaten on MFP. Also this morning I ran 3.5 miles then biked the apprentice to his day camp (7.5 miles away, downhill and then uphill, and then back) for nearly 2 hours of cardio. It is HARD WORK biking that heavy ass tandem around. Anyway I've been starving for carbs all day! You notice I didn't say anything about the baklava... a much worthier dessert IMHO And you're right--it's SO HARD to cook for your own nutrition when you come home and all the chicken is gone. Oh, and we got our HOT TUB! But it's not hooked up yet. It's just sitting in the back yard, taunting me! Mrs. MG and I are getting the wiring to hook it up tomorrow after work. And the conduit. And the masonry mounts. Soon, soon we will finally have our hot tub.

Huh, I wrote this really long post this morning. What happened to my post??? Anyway, Thanks Manarelle, yes I do "batch prep" things but lately I haven't. And when I do think I'm doing that, it just turns into "Dinner" with my family because I grossly underestimate how much everyone is going to be eating. Maybe we get some leftovers outta that though, so that's good. I try to enter my MFP data at work. I will do that tomorrow. And tonight before I go dwnstairs to watch the last episode of Stranger Things 3 And I totally need to get on making meal plans that incorporate veggies. For the longest time I made "veggie surprise" every night for dinner (three or four vegetables in a skillet with a surprise herb or spice). I'd make enough for dinner and lunch for me and the Mrs. every day. It didn't take much planning either, just had to make sure there were always fresh veggies in the fridge (onions, carrots, peppers, broccoli, snap peas, frozen veggies of all sorts, you know... and soy sauce). The physics ride was good. Mostly we talked about educational technology and the MS 150 bike ride here in Colorado. And trying to work, work out, and be a good dad. Glad to have you aboard White Ghost! You have the coolest posts. Amma gonna record the foods today. Actually did it yesterday, and the day before that. So, here's the tallies so far: Vegetables: 3 MFP: 2 Tonight I basically just get to eat a lot of carrots and celery for dinner. There's not a lot else in the fridge right now, and everyone else has eaten dinner already. Plus I'm not super hungry, we went to a big birthday party at the reservoir and there was so. much. food. Mostly healthy and Mrs. MG and I managed to split our piece of carrot cake. It was really too much.

Hey thank you for that. Everyone needs a good recipe, and now I apparently have one. I will try this over the weekend

So yesterday I don't think I got two vegetables. I think just one, and it was a pile of red-leaf lettuce. I'd love to count the corn we had with dinner (grilled elk burger! MMM!) but we all know it's a grain. Today I brought another pile of red-leaf lettuce with a big handful of baby carrots in a tupperware. I think that counts as two veggies. I didn't get all my food recorded yesterday. I'll try again on that today. Riding with a physics professor this afternoon. That's always enlightening! We're going to try some hills, just after the hottest part of the day. Hopefully I won't pass out. Especially on the way down Edit: I ate the "salad". I need to wash the lettuce a little better next time.... 13.5 mile bike ride with plenty hills and a turkey sandwich with cheese... at least it's on 100% WW bread? There was a time I would eschew the bread but these days I like it.