Bearlee is ...

[The Most Loathed]

 

I say go all in on the weightloss challenge. You can win this but then you can do something different, skip the next one and just maintain. You're absolutely right about the any flaws with them. You can break the cycle.

[WhiteGhost]

On 6/1/2018 at 7:59 PM, The Most Loathed said:

 

I say go all in on the weightloss challenge. You can win this but then you can do something different, skip the next one and just maintain. You're absolutely right about the any flaws with them. You can break the cycle.

Seconded.  Once you finish this you can just maintain for a while to establish a new baseline

[Bearlee]

On 6/1/2018 at 6:59 AM, The Most Loathed said:

 

I say go all in on the weightloss challenge. You can win this but then you can do something different, skip the next one and just maintain. You're absolutely right about the any flaws with them. You can break the cycle.

 

On 6/3/2018 at 2:19 AM, WhiteGhost said:

Seconded.  Once you finish this you can just maintain for a while to establish a new baseline

 

Thanks guys. I can do this. Plus I think I might have an advantage in that the other people just came off a weight loss challenge. Normally they give themselves a few months to plump back up so they can lose more weight (another reason I don’t like their weight loss challenges), but I’m the one that accidentally plumped up before the challenge. So here’s to going all in.

[Bearlee]

So for having begun a weight loss challenge I didn’t have a good weekend eating wise. I went to a baby shower and niece’s birthday party so it’s been a non stop buffet of goodies all weekend. A lot of cookies and cake were eaten this weekend. However despite that I’ve actually lost 3 lbs since my first weigh in. If so, that shows you how badly I was eating before.

 

I’ve been reading a lot of self improvement books lately and I’m feeling reved up and optimistic. And with these readings I’ve gotten an idea stuck in my head about an acronym using the last part of my name plus an extra E. Learning/Earning/Eating (healthfully)/Exercising. It’s the BearLEEE method. I could make my whole name an acronym with B being either breathing or bedding (get some sleep) and R for reading, but haven’t found a suit word for A (then of course I could move the extra E back into Bear). But I thought the LEEE is a good thought to have about whatever activity I’m doing at the moment and keeps me focused. Is watching TV part of LEEE? Mostly not unless I’m watching an educational program, so don’t turn on the TV. And Exercising is expanded to any kind of movement like cleaning the house or doing yard work or even shopping as long as I’m standing and moving.

 

One of the books I’ve been reading is called Side Hustle and I’ve been trying to think what I could do on the side to earn some extra money. I haven’t come up with any ideas that I want to execute on but I keep thinking and looking for an opportunity to present itself.

[Bearlee]

Too long since I’ve last posted. Things have been going mostly well. Eating has improved a bit but not enough for me to win my competition. I’ve actually gotten some yoga in this week which sadly is a change for the better recently. However my brain has been screwing with me (especially these past couple of days) and I’ve hardly been getting any sleep. I’ve been trying something different while sleeping, I’ve been trying to block out light in the bedroom by putting blankets over the windows, but the darker the room gets the less sleep I seem to be getting. Could I be a rare true nocturnal human? Probably more to do with I have an A/C going out that needs to be replaced, I’ve been reading motivational books that gets my brain reved up too much and can’t shut it down, and needing to do work around the house that is causing the sleeplessness.

 

Bearlee is ... a Yogi!

Like I said above I’ve actually gotten some workouts in this week.

 

Bearlee is ... a Walker!

I’ve finally started to get my steps back up and had two or three days in a row over 10k steps. Weekdays I’ve usually been getting over 8k but the weekends still suck with steps somewhere around 2-4k. 

 

Bearlee is ... an Amateur Astronomer!

So last Saturday I had an awesome experience. After vistiting my sister’s place me and the Cubs were heading home late at night (10PMish) and it was a clear night. I saw Jupiter in the sky and pointed it out to Cub1 and he thought it was awesome and then we were able to make out the Big Dipper, and on the way home we were able to see Venus hanging low in the West. He thought it was the coolest night he’s ever seen, which is probably hyperbole but I’ll take it.

[Sloth the Enduring]

BearLee is... dead?!?

 

Where you been brother?

[Bearlee]

On 6/27/2018 at 8:44 AM, Sloth the Enduring said:

BearLee is... dead?!?

 

The way I’ve been going lately as might as well be.

[Bearlee]

So where did I leave off at? Oh yeah, I was being a dumbass. Can’t believe it’s been since early June that I’m posted anything, but I haven’t had anything good to say. And my momma taught me “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all”. Really I’ve just been lame. Weight loss challenge started and I’ve gained a significant amount of weight (10+ but stopped measuring a week ago).

 

Don’t really know what happened. Had a string of unfortunate incidents and perhaps that threw me off, but that feels like an excuse. Mostly it’s been me not giving a flying frack lately. Got an email from DDPYoga saying that my second circuit for the year was complete and I did 16 of 52 workouts completed but I know at least two of them where me turning on the video to get credit for when I did it the next day but never did. So at best 14 workouts over the past three months.

 

Before I depress myself much more, for some reason it feels like the start of something new is on the horizon. New month, new slate. New beginning of the third cycle of DDPYoga for the year. Maybe it was the vitamin D I got while I took the Cubs swimming Sunday. I wasn’t going to go since I’m about as big as ever, but went for the Cubs and when I got there I realized that nobody gave a crap about me and could care less about how I looked which for some reason was freeing. So I don’t know why but I’m feeling optimistic about the near future.

 

So this week it’s measurements and tracking (which I haven’t done for the longest time) and see if I can get this train back on the rails (work pun). First yoga session done (Woot 1 for 1) but is just the introductory video so doesn’t really count for much. Also I’m contemplating changing my name to the ButMan because I notice in my writing I use a ton of buts, but what can I say, that’s who I am.

[Sloth the Enduring]

If you do that know that Imma call you Buttman. 

 

I’m glad you’re back brother. I was afraid I’d have to FB stalk you. 

 

I wouldn’t let your size keep you from going places. For one thing, that’s no way to live your life. For another, I’ve been to Kansas, you’re right in the middle of the bell curve there. 

 

If I was to make a wild-ass guess, I’d say you’re too damn tired to keep up. Two little kids are a lot of work and the night shift is always a killer. I’m not trying to make excuses for you, but it needs to be factored in. Anyway... you know what to do, you’ve done it before, now you just need to do it again. 

[The Most Loathed]

21 hours ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

I wouldn’t let your size keep you from going places. For one thing, that’s no way to live your life. For another, I’ve been to Kansas, you’re right in the middle of the bell curve there. 

 

If I was to make a wild-ass guess, I’d say you’re too damn tired to keep up. Two little kids are a lot of work and the night shift is always a killer. I’m not trying to make excuses for you, but it needs to be factored in. Anyway... you know what to do, you’ve done it before, now you just need to do it again. 

Sloth is a better, wiser, faster on the button human than I am so all I can do is no my head meaningfully at his comments.

 

 

[WhiteGhost]

Glad to see you back and posting  

[Sloth the Enduring]

Is that Mars staring down at me as I walk home?

[Bearlee]

On 7/2/2018 at 9:50 AM, Sloth the Enduring said:

If you do that know that Imma call you Buttman. 

 

I’m glad you’re back brother. I was afraid I’d have to FB stalk you. 

 

I wouldn’t let your size keep you from going places. For one thing, that’s no way to live your life. For another, I’ve been to Kansas, you’re right in the middle of the bell curve there. 

 

If I was to make a wild-ass guess, I’d say you’re too damn tired to keep up. Two little kids are a lot of work and the night shift is always a killer. I’m not trying to make excuses for you, but it needs to be factored in. Anyway... you know what to do, you’ve done it before, now you just need to do it again. 

 

Nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah Buttman.

 

That would have been an impressive trick. That would have been like tracking down Big Foot. I’m technically on FB but I post about once a year and I’m hardly on there anymore. And in an effort to cut back on social media I actually deleted it off my phone and have to fit Cub2 for the iPad if I want to check it (which rarely I do).

 

Hey! Is that a crack at Kansas? Probably a true statement though. I think that part of the issue is that I’ve never liked being shirtless in public. I was made fun of when I was younger and guess that just stuck with me but never thought about it until writing this response.

 

What you said is my basic baseline. It was worse in June with A/C going out and having people come by to fix it, only for it not to be fixable so then finding salesperson that isn’t going to rip me off and then having people come and install new system. A lot of sleepless days in there. 

 

And oh yeah Cub2 got Hand Foot and Mouth disease for the second time this year which meant he had to stay home and seeing a one year old suffer is not very conducive to sleep either.

 

On 7/3/2018 at 7:04 AM, The Most Loathed said:

Sloth is a better, wiser, faster on the button human than I am so all I can do is no my head meaningfully at his comments.

 

 

 

Sometimes that’s the best thing to do with our elders, learn from their wisdom and agree.

On 7/5/2018 at 10:08 PM, WhiteGhost said:

Glad to see you back and posting  

 

Thank you. Not as regularly as you, but improving.

 

On 7/8/2018 at 12:38 AM, Sloth the Enduring said:

Is that Mars staring down at me as I walk home?

 

Since I see you posted this at 12:30 AM I’m guessing that is when you are asking about. If it was bright, reddish, and at about the place you would see the Sun at about 10ish in the morning then that would be Mars. At 3AM it’s at the high noon position. I was actually out at 9PM on Sunday which I was thinking may have been the time you were talking about and then that would have been Jupiter at the noon position and Mars in the low South East and Venus hanging low in the West. And if you look really closely you can kind of make out Saturn between Jupiter and Mars, but it’s really faint. Sorry if I space nerded out too much for you.

[Bearlee]

So I say I’m back and then I disappear for a week. This was more due to technical issues than anything else. Got really low on data and somehow I lost 5% of my data without doing anything on my phone. Finally had to turn all my cell data options off on all my apps. Ended up with 0.01% of my data at the end of the billing cycle. Perhaps in this day and age I should switch to an unlimited data plan.

 

So last week I did pretty well on my exercise, I did 3 of 3 session of DDPYoga and even threw in a Yoga for Dummies session. It was mostly an easy session but ended up taking 55 minutes which I was not expecting.

 

Food is still horrible. Can’t seem to kick the sugar habit and drinking way too many sugary drinks.

 

Wife actually took the weekend off so the family wandered up into LadyShello territory and hit the Children’s Museum and Omaha Zoo with a night’s stay at a hotel so Cub1 could swim in a pool. We could swim in local pools, but staying at a hotel seems to be an exotic treat for him so what the hey.

 

I was thinking about contacting LadyShello for a meet up, but it would have been very short notice. However I still want to meet up sometime since you’re the only one that follows me that I haven’t met in person (on this continent anyways, someday WhiteGhost). Plus if I got a picture that would make Deftona soo jealous.

 

After walking around the zoo I came to the realization that I’m no longer impressed with TML’s farmer walks with kettlebells. I walked for two or three miles with a wiggly, squirming 30lb kid. And if I wasn’t doing that then I was marching up a 70% incline. I’m pretty sure LadyShello knows what part of the zoo I’m talking about there. I was surprised to see how many new things they had there. One was that they have an enormous splash area there that I’ve never seen before and which we were not equipped for. And they also have a new Children’t Adventure area where kids can take a raft across a river and climb up the side of a tree and have all kinds of neat little trails and play places. I’ve always thought the Omaha Zoo was better then the KC Zoo and it just keeps getting better.

 

Wife also had Monday off, so I took her to the movies since we haven’t done that in forever. Went and saw Ant-Man and the Wasp. Excellent movie with lots of goofy humor. Right up my alley and surprisingly was very entertaining for the wife. No need to stay for the after credit scene as it was just an ant playing the drums and disappointedly doesn’t seem to tie into the next movie. However the mid-credit scene (with the van) did tie into the previous Avengers movie and does seem really important, so not all is lost.

 

Monday I missed my first yoga session of the new training program. I don’t feel too bad though because I was out chasing a rouge radio signal and walked about 4 miles in the train yard and climbed up and down 23 locomotives and probably sweated at least a gallon of sweat. My traps where sore the next day from all the pulling up to get myself on those locomotives.

[WhiteGhost]

4 hours ago, Bearlee said:

you’re the only one that follows me that I haven’t met in person (on this continent anyways, someday WhiteGhost)

It's a small world, and getting smaller.  That someday could certainly become a reality   

[Shello]

6 hours ago, Bearlee said:

I was thinking about contacting LadyShello for a meet up, but it would have been very short notice. However I still want to meet up sometime since you’re the only one that follows me that I haven’t met in person (on this continent anyways, someday WhiteGhost). Plus if I got a picture that would make Deftona soo jealous.

You definitely should have reached out.  All I did Sunday was give my closet a makeover.  I could have found the time.  

 

6 hours ago, Bearlee said:

And if I wasn’t doing that then I was marching up a 70% incline. I’m pretty sure LadyShello knows what part of the zoo I’m talking about there.

I most certainly do. That hill is a killer.  Theoretically, one could plan their path around the zoo to only go down that hill and then take the elevator by the apes but that path just isn't natural.  Plus the hill is a good workout.  The Omaha zoo is amazing and there is A LOT of new stuff this year.  I've never been to the KC zoo so I can't say which is better.  Although I am still pretty perturbed about our polar bears being sent to KC.  They were among my favorites at the zoo.  

 

2 hours ago, WhiteGhost said:

It's a small world, and getting smaller.  That someday could certainly become a reality   

If you ever make it far enough over here to visit Bearlee, I better get an invite too.   

[The Most Loathed]

12 hours ago, Bearlee said:

I was thinking about contacting LadyShello for a meet up, but it would have been very short notice. However I still want to meet up sometime since you’re the only one that follows me that I haven’t met in person (on this continent anyways, someday WhiteGhost). Plus if I got a picture that would make Deftona soo jealous.

Do I even need to say it? Hammer Race.

 

 

[WhiteGhost]

10 hours ago, Shello said:

If you ever make it far enough over here to visit Bearlee, I better get an invite too.   

Count on it  

[Bearlee]

On 7/10/2018 at 9:45 AM, WhiteGhost said:

It's a small world, and getting smaller.  That someday could certainly become a reality   

 

I may have worded that wrongly. Either continent would work for me. However I’m still eyeing Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics as a possibility.

 

On 7/10/2018 at 12:09 PM, Shello said:

You definitely should have reached out.  All I did Sunday was give my closet a makeover.  I could have found the time.  

 

I most certainly do. That hill is a killer.  Theoretically, one could plan their path around the zoo to only go down that hill and then take the elevator by the apes but that path just isn't natural.  Plus the hill is a good workout.  The Omaha zoo is amazing and there is A LOT of new stuff this year.  I've never been to the KC zoo so I can't say which is better.  Although I am still pretty perturbed about our polar bears being sent to KC.  They were among my favorites at the zoo.  

 

If you ever make it far enough over here to visit Bearlee, I better get an invite too.   

 

If I would have known that the family wasn’t going to wake up at a decent time I may have asked you out for pancakes. Stupid waffles. We did probably less than half of the zoo and when we left at 12:30PM, Cub2 zonked out before we left the parking lot. Surprised the other two didn’t also considering how they were huffing and puffing walking around the zoo. So I knew they couldn’t have been an after zoo meet up because there would have been to much protesting.

 

KC’s favorite Polar Bear got shipped out about a year or two ago and the one we still had was hardly active. It’s a nice exhibit, second probably only to the penguin exhibit, so hopefully your bear is enjoying it.

 

Now we have to set up a North America tour for WhiteGhost so he can see the Minnesotans too.

 

On 7/10/2018 at 6:30 PM, The Most Loathed said:

Do I even need to say it? Hammer Race.

 

 

 

Sadly I don’t think this is going to happen. At best it was a 20% chance of going. And seeing how I’m heavier and more out of shape than when I made my declaration I don’t see it happening. Unless it was for a group meet up after the race, then the odds might go up to 30%. The person helping me with the Cubs, my sister, is going to be having a new baby in her house in the next couple of weeks, so I don’t expect much help from her in the future due to her own obligations. By the way it’s her son’s kid not her’s, but he’s living with her, so her responsibility too I’m assuming.

[Bearlee]

So I keep wondering to myself “Self, what are you doing?”. Missed my second yoga session on Wednesday. I did do Friday’s, but doing 1 out of 3 doesn’t seem like much to be excited about. Don’t know what happened Wednesday, I had the mat out and everything, just didn’t do it.

 

Eating continues to be bad.

 

About the only positive I can come up with is that I’m going to set a a PR for most books read in a year. I’m not sure on the specific number but I’ve read a ton of books so far this year, perhaps to the detriment of my physical health. So just a short sampling of what I’ve currently read or am reading. I’ll put it in spoiler if you don’t want to read it.

Spoiler

 

Rich Dad, Poor Dad.   Finished

Rich Dad: Increase Your Financial IQ. Finished

Bliss More.  Currently reading. Book about meditation for beginners.

The Alchemist.  Finished

Money: Master the Game by Tony Robbins. Partly through, put on hold until I finish library books.

Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins. Same as above.

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis.  Finished

Art of the Side Hustle by Chris Guillubeau. Put on hiatus.

Abundance Now by Lisa Nicols. Finished

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.  Off and on again.

Be Unstoppable by Alden Mills.  Finished a while ago.

Dream It. List It a book from 43Things.com.  Working on, just short lists.

Goals! By Brian Tracy.  Finished

The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin.  In cue, read first few chapters.

Mindset by Carol Dewick.  In cue.

And these are the ones that I can think of at the moment. And doesn’t include the dozens of magazines that I mean to read or have partially read.

 

 

And I just realized a few days ago that Cub1 goes back to school in less than a month and I haven’t figured anything out for a vacation. That has also added un-needed pressure on me. Probably shouldn’t be pressure, but that’s the way my brain works.

 

Speaking of brain, I’ve been going through the book Bliss More and I’ve really been finding it quite enjoyable. It makes meditating accessible and enjoyable. I’ve noticed after doing my 10 minute sessions that I do feel more calm and less scattered brain. I’m trying to take a chapter per day and introducing that chapter’s suggestions into my meditation. One of the few books I’ve read where I’m actually putting what I’ve read into practice.

 

Onwards to the weekend. Keeping Cub1 home from daycare today so he can lounge around the house. Plus his school is taking them to the park for several hours and it’s suppose to be near 100 today, so nuts to that. Perhaps I can talk him into watching Ant-Man and The Wasp.

 

[Sloth the Enduring]

If you’re into hard science fiction, I’ve been reading Stephen Baxter. You might like it he goes into star and black hole formation and the heat death of the universe.

[WhiteGhost]

23 hours ago, Bearlee said:

I may have worded that wrongly. Either continent would work for me. However I’m still eyeing Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics as a possibility.

Dude, if you come over here there is no way we are not going to meet up.

 

23 hours ago, Bearlee said:

Now we have to set up a North America tour for WhiteGhost so he can see the Minnesotans too.

I am actually going to be in the US for a couple of weeks starting next week.  It will mostly just be visiting family, though, so I won't make it to the midwest.  I really need to head out that way sometime.  Actually, thinking about, I have only been to the midwest once in my life, and that was last year when I was visiting a company that had offices in Ohio, Missouri, and Indiana.

 

Hope you can get out of your funk soon

[The Most Loathed]

On 7/13/2018 at 4:39 AM, Bearlee said:

Sadly I don’t think this is going to happen. At best it was a 20% chance of going. And seeing how I’m heavier and more out of shape than when I made my declaration I don’t see it happening. Unless it was for a group meet up after the race, then the odds might go up to 30%. The person helping me with the Cubs, my sister, is going to be having a new baby in her house in the next couple of weeks, so I don’t expect much help from her in the future due to her own obligations. By the way it’s her son’s kid not her’s, but he’s living with her, so her responsibility too I’m assuming.

It happens twice a year. Your original timeline was aggressive to say the least. This is just an opportunity to reset for a more approachable schedule. 

[Bearlee]

On 7/13/2018 at 5:10 PM, Sloth the Enduring said:

If you’re into hard science fiction, I’ve been reading Stephen Baxter. You might like it he goes into star and black hole formation and the heat death of the universe.

 

Two things, first I forgot to mention that I’m reading too many books and I’m afraid they are taking over my life. Reading when I should be exercising or walking. Second I forgot most of the SciFi and Fantasy books I’ve also been reading like The Three Body Problem (finished), The Dark Forest (sequel to previous book, in queue), the second book to A Long Journey to a Small Angry Planet (finished), a couple of Star Wars novels (finished), Red Mars (finished), two Astronomy books (both partially read), and the Mystborn series (stopped and not really planning to return). Though most of these books were earlier in the year before I started having an identity crisis and started reading books to figure out who I am and what I should become. Thank you for the recommendation and I’ll add it to the queue.

 

On 7/14/2018 at 4:08 AM, WhiteGhost said:

Dude, if you come over here there is no way we are not going to meet up.

 

I am actually going to be in the US for a couple of weeks starting next week.  It will mostly just be visiting family, though, so I won't make it to the midwest.  I really need to head out that way sometime.  Actually, thinking about, I have only been to the midwest once in my life, and that was last year when I was visiting a company that had offices in Ohio, Missouri, and Indiana.

 

Hope you can get out of your funk soon

 

I see that most of the events may be held in areas I’ve never heard of before Yanqing and Zhangjiakou. If I do go I’m defiantly going to be hitting Beijing just because I like the area. And the Great Wall has kicked my butt three times, so I need at least one victory. If I can ever find it I’ll post the picture of me on top of the wall in I think it’s called Badaling (the highest point of the wall). All the locals wanted a picture with the fat white guy that looked like he was going to have a heart attack on the wall. That or I was some kind of Godzilla like creature they’ve never seen before.

 

Where about in the US? And I live right next to Missouri, though I don’t like to go over there. Kansas snob. Same reason I don’t like Nebraska, Iowa snob.

 

On 7/14/2018 at 8:56 AM, The Most Loathed said:

It happens twice a year. Your original timeline was aggressive to say the least. This is just an opportunity to reset for a more approachable schedule. 

 

A reset is what I need. I’ll be looking for updates and scouting reports from you guys.

[Bearlee]

Early in the week and I’m already posting. Got first yoga session of the week in and followed that with 12 minutes of meditating. Starting to wonder if I should start a challenge thread in the Druid section since I’m doing Druidy type stuff anyways. But what can I say, I like my battle log.

 

Things I forgot to mention during my hiatus. First, I think I saw my first meteor burn up in the atmosphere. Saw a streak and then a blue flash. Never would have seen previously since before I’ve never looked up in the sky.

 

Second, @The Most Loathed would be pleased that Cub1 and I got a new game while I was browsing one of the local bookstores called Above and Below. I don’t know how to explain it. Part pre-fab D&D adventure with a town building component. Here is the video I watched to understand how to play becuase who has time to read the instructions.

 

 

 

And lastly, thanks to @WhiteGhost and his quest to cook the perfect steak, I also got into finding out how to better cook meat. Since I didn’t get anything for Father’s Day, I got myself a subscription to Butcher Box which sends me several pounds of grass fed and grass finished meat and I also bought a cast iron grill pan. Learned how to season a cast iron pan, learned a lot of cooking tips from Butcher Box’s website and cookbook they sent me. And on my first attempt I think I pretty much Nailed It! By the way if you have Netflix you need to watch Nailed It, hilarious show about baking. But unlike the cooks in that show I had what I think was a near perfect steak. Hedged my bet and also used a meat thermometer, but used it on the thickest steak, so I got medium rare with the thick steak and medium well with the thinner one. Still, proud of my attempt. And this past Sunday I cooked hamburgers in my skillet and for the first time ever I cooked a hamburger well. Normally it’s charred on the outside and over cooked inside, or looks cooked on the outside but raw in the middle. A cast iron grill and a meat thermometer are now my secret weapons in perfectly cooked meat.