Bearlee Rising

[Shello]

42 minutes ago, Bearlee said:

But I had to return home because I accidentally threw my iPad in the recycling bin and had to retrieve it.

Who knew something like this could be your fitness save of the day. 

[Sloth the Enduring]

Nah, man, I've always been the one who brings down the curve. That looks like the same one I drink with a different label. I'll have to see if they have it at Costco.

If you let it warm up the bacteria get active and you have a gusher when you open it.

[Bearlee]

Proud of my new attitude. Big truck was still at work blocking my walking path plus rumors that the big boss lady was in town and may stop by so didn't do any walking at work. However I still wanted to complete my task so after walking cub to school I went home a different way and ended up getting in 1.2 miles. For Volo (my faction) and Rising Heroes! Bed was also made so tasks for the day completed. Is nice RH pushed back the deadline to 9AM so I can do things in the morning if need be. Now if only they would give the tasks out on Sunday instead of Monday so I could have a day to plan would be nice. But I also don't want to put an NF employee out by having them work on a Sunday. Though the Aussies are getting upset that they aren't getting tasks till Tuesday.

 

TML's book suggestion had me so intrigued that I had to go to the library Thursday to pick up the cook book. Just skimmed it but it looks great for what I'm looking for. Nothing looks too complicated and gives me a variety of ways of cooking the things I like in different ways. Saw a butternut squash curry soup that looked tempting, but trying to figure out if I would need to buy an immersion blender or if I could use my nutri-bullet and do it in batches.

[The Most Loathed]

I haven't done that exact squash soup but the one I did recently, i used a standard blender. Obviously you have the risk of pouring hot almost soup into the blender then getting it back out but it works. 

 

I need to look in the cookbook and remind myself of which recipes we use a lot (I've internalized a bunch of them and don't look at the book anymore). I know that Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs came from that book and we use that constantly. It's not the healthiest thing in there but the blueberry buckwheat pancakes are totally worth it. We've done a version of the New York Breakfast but it's morphed into an egg scramble version.The Broccoli Cheddar Frittata is awesome but you need an oven safe pan (I'm flipping through the pages I can see on Amazon). Beef and mushroom barley soup, Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce, Dirty Broccoli is big favorite, the blackbean dip is used in a "mexican layer cake" recipe that may not be in the ook but is on the web and is worth doing. I'm sure I've had a few more out of there but there are some recommendations for you.

[Bearlee]

On 1/20/2017 at 9:11 AM, The Most Loathed said:

I haven't done that exact squash soup but the one I did recently, i used a standard blender. Obviously you have the risk of pouring hot almost soup into the blender then getting it back out but it works. 

 

I need to look in the cookbook and remind myself of which recipes we use a lot (I've internalized a bunch of them and don't look at the book anymore). I know that Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs came from that book and we use that constantly. It's not the healthiest thing in there but the blueberry buckwheat pancakes are totally worth it. We've done a version of the New York Breakfast but it's morphed into an egg scramble version.The Broccoli Cheddar Frittata is awesome but you need an oven safe pan (I'm flipping through the pages I can see on Amazon). Beef and mushroom barley soup, Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce, Dirty Broccoli is big favorite, the blackbean dip is used in a "mexican layer cake" recipe that may not be in the ook but is on the web and is worth doing. I'm sure I've had a few more out of there but there are some recommendations for you.

 

Monday I got the ingredients for the Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs. Looking forward to making that. Was disappointed with Target because I couldn't find any brussel sprouts or beets to make the Vegetable Jewel Medley. Don't know if I've ever eaten either vegetable before but the picture in the book made them look great.

 

Another week down and all went mostly well. Think I completed all the tasks for the week. I feel like I cheated a little with the elevation challenge. I saw pictures of other rebels taking hikes up hills and mountains to gain their elevation and I just walked up a few flight of stairs. But I keep telling myself it's more than I did before. Though I was proud of Monday's walk which I increased the number of laps I took to 15 meaning 15 flights of stairs and 1.9 miles walked. So beds made, meals prepped, workouts completed, miles walked, and specialization advanced. Specialization was all theory which was a little disappointing and the site TML found is based out of Australia so I will have to find a different site for electronic projects.

 

Survived my second weekend alone with the cubs. We even went out for a few hours to turn in Cub1's pinewood derby car. Thankfully that is done for the year. But I'm reminded of the story about how do you make a guitar? Go out and make a bad one and learn to make a better one next time. So I learned a lot and hopefully will be able to do a better car next year.

 

The Rising Heroes story advances and new task have been issued. Tasks for the week are: work out 20 minutes 3 times per week (a 5 minute increase), balance on each leg for 20 seconds each day, make bed each day, no fast food for the week points for each individual day, and give up all social media for 48 hours minus Facebook Groups app so we can check in with RH Facebook page. Kinda feel sorry for the RH people making up this game because there seems to be two extremes to the people playing of either the over enthusiastic and the ones that question every task and moan about it. Last week it was why make beds and this week it's I can't live without social media for 2 days. Why are you doing this to us? Think maybe NF is weeding out the weak to make a super army, just a theory though.

 

And even though walking and specialization is not in the tasks this week I'm going to keep doing them. I've found that walking has helped me center myself plus I get to listen to more Podcasts. Lately I've been listening to Inside Quest (which I don't think does anymore Podcasts) and Hard Core History along with my others but these two are very nice walking to Podcasts.

 

And I'm grateful that I finally finished the Elon Musk book I've been reading for the past month and a half. Reading got de-prioritized to a lower level after RH tasks so haven't been able to do as much. And I'm starting to get quite the back log of reading materials. One of my quirks that I thought I overcame is getting lots of reading material that I will never have time to finish and let it stack up around me like being near them I'll be able to absorb them by osmosis. I have to try to get that in check before I start drowning in literature again.

[Shello]

5 hours ago, Bearlee said:

And I'm grateful that I finally finished the Elon Musk book I've been reading for the past month and a half. Reading got de-prioritized to a lower level after RH tasks so haven't been able to do as much. And I'm starting to get quite the back log of reading materials. One of my quirks that I thought I overcame is getting lots of reading material that I will never have time to finish and let it stack up around me like being near them I'll be able to absorb them by osmosis. I have to try to get that in check before I start drowning in literature again.

 

I have this problem too.  But when I Konmari'd my books I had a whole stack of books I hadn't read yet and so I couldn't part with them but they were also not likely to be ones I would keep to reread in the future.  So I set them aside on the top shelf and made a deal with myself.  I must read those books before I can buy any new ones (this included all hard copy books and most electronic books but I made exceptions for books that were related to NF challenges).  If at any time I buy a new book before reading ALL of the books on that shelf, then I forfeit all those books and have to donate them.  The theory is that if they aren't interesting enough to read before I buy more books then they are not worth keeping around.  I don't find much time for reading so I've only gotten through 1 of them so far.  When I find new books I want to read I started a GoodReads account and logged the title there on the list of books I'd like to read rather than spending the money on the spot to buy it to read later.  

 

Also, maple mustard chicken thighs sound good.  

[The Most Loathed]

It probably varies a lot by store but yo may have better luck at Target looking in the frozen veggies section. Beets might be a stretch but brussel sprouts are probably reasonable. I've heard people on NF talk about not liking brussel sprouts but I really dig them tossed in some oil, salt, pepper and roasted in the oven. I usually cut the bottoms off then cut them in half. If I don't cut them in half it's really hard to get them to cook through.

[Violetta]

On 1/19/2017 at 8:49 AM, Bearlee said:

Got it put on hold at the library and should be able to pick it up in a few days. A lot of people gave it good reviews on Amazon. Those projects look awesome and gives me a springboard for where to start. Now that Radio Shack is no longer an electronics store I didn't know where I was going to get items from. That site looks like the place.

 

Ellie Krieger also had a show on the Food Network, and you can find a lot of her recipes there at http://www.foodnetwork.com/chefs/ellie-krieger/recipes.html ... you can also find them on her personal site.

[Bearlee]

On 1/24/2017 at 10:12 AM, LadyShello said:

 

I have this problem too.  But when I Konmari'd my books I had a whole stack of books I hadn't read yet and so I couldn't part with them but they were also not likely to be ones I would keep to reread in the future.  So I set them aside on the top shelf and made a deal with myself.  I must read those books before I can buy any new ones (this included all hard copy books and most electronic books but I made exceptions for books that were related to NF challenges).  If at any time I buy a new book before reading ALL of the books on that shelf, then I forfeit all those books and have to donate them.  The theory is that if they aren't interesting enough to read before I buy more books then they are not worth keeping around.  I don't find much time for reading so I've only gotten through 1 of them so far.  When I find new books I want to read I started a GoodReads account and logged the title there on the list of books I'd like to read rather than spending the money on the spot to buy it to read later.  

 

Also, maple mustard chicken thighs sound good.  

I've had books under control mostly for the last few years. I can get those at any time and usually can find a copy at the library. I have more trouble with magazines. They are only available for a limited time and if I don't get it now I can't ever get it. Though when I actually do read them I realize that there were only one or two good articles and wonder why I bought it. Though the next month I go and buy the latest issue. I am impressed you have electronic books.

 

On 1/24/2017 at 10:14 AM, The Most Loathed said:

It probably varies a lot by store but yo may have better luck at Target looking in the frozen veggies section. Beets might be a stretch but brussel sprouts are probably reasonable. I've heard people on NF talk about not liking brussel sprouts but I really dig them tossed in some oil, salt, pepper and roasted in the oven. I usually cut the bottoms off then cut them in half. If I don't cut them in half it's really hard to get them to cook through.

Went to HyVee to get the vegetables and still couldn't find beets. Ended up buying canned sliced beets. The Targets near me do an okay job for staples but they tend to lack in the produce department. One of them near me does have a fairly decent meat department where I can find grass feed beef and bison, plus that is where I get my frozen salmon and chicken. And I also found a variety of new Kombucha flavors there also. Tried the mango madness and really liked that.

 

On 1/24/2017 at 10:21 AM, Violetta said:

 

Ellie Krieger also had a show on the Food Network, and you can find a lot of her recipes there at http://www.foodnetwork.com/chefs/ellie-krieger/recipes.html ... you can also find them on her personal site.

Thank you for the heads up. I'll have to check it out. I've really liked the cook book so far.

 

Quick update since it's cub's bedtime. Did make the maple mustard chicken thighs and they were great. Also made the jeweled roasted vegetables and for vegetables they were okay. Roasted asparagus is still my favorite. Have pictures but will need to post them later. Also bought flank steak to make Shello's Brazilian garlic butter steak.

[Bearlee]

Tl;dr ramblings ahead.

 

Thursday was a rough day for me mentally/emotionally. Thursday evening Cub2 was on floor and almost rolling over for the first time by himself. Cub1 got concerned and tried rolling him back onto his back. Wife started giving instructions that Cub1 wasn't following correctly to her taste and I told her if she wants it done her way she should do it herself. She snapped and told me that I've never taught anything to Cub1 and (to me) implied that I'm a bad father. That really hit me in an emotional sore spot because that is always one of my negative thoughts "Am I a bad father?". I basically shut down for the rest of the day and first chance I had I went to my bedroom to hide (told family was getting nap before work but was hiding). Did actually take a nap because I don't know if I'll get any sleep on Friday because wife insists she has to go to work Friday and I don't know when she will actually go. Asked her to go in late so I could get a few hours sleep but doubt that will happen.

 

Then after I got to work I went to a colleague's retirement party. I say colleague but perhaps a mere acquaintance since I only see him for about 20 minutes per month but for the past 10 years. While there I realized that I didn't know anyone else there and was standing alone and letting him talk with his real co-workers and hearing stories and thinking I really knew nothing about this guy. Also thinking I'll never have this kind of gathering where people will miss me and will probably forget about me a week after I'm gone (though that is mostly by my design).

 

These dark thoughts came after an email I got for Cub's scout organization asking for parents to step up to help the troop because most of the current leadership is moving on from Cub Scout to Boy Scouts in a few months. I started wondering if maybe if I should step up but I always have these negative thoughts plaguing me that I have no charisma and I don't have anything to teach these kids and what kind of role model would an extremely obese adult make for kids. Then I also think about how I could even perform the duties that would need to be done if I have no support and I'll soon be taking care of a three month old by myself when wife goes back to work full time (Cub1 would be okay with going to meetings). Plus would my extreme introvert ways be a liability in dealing with other parents? Plus would this be me just playing out some sort of childhood fantasy and not really benefiting Cub1 and his pack mates?

 

Suffice to say I've been in a dark mood and skipped working out today. Instead I put on some Podcasts and walked for 2.5 miles and climbed 20 flights of stairs while trying to sort my thoughts. Feeling better but still confused about what to do. Sorry for rambling, just wanted to get some of these thoughts down.

[Shello]

Going for a walk was a good way to handle all that.  

 

I'm not sure what type of help your pack needs but I helped out with my son's pack and now his Boy scout Troop.  As an introvert, I understand your concern.  I manage to get done what I need to.  I don't seek out any conversation but I'm fine when in a situation where one needs to get done.  In the pack I struggled more mostly because I couldn't stand the other leaders.  The troop is much nicer and I dare say even made a friend or 2.  If you are interested in being involved and spending that time with cub1, then don't let your inner critic stop you.  I'd be more concerned about your schedule and whether or not you have the time or energy.  

 

Also, you are not defined by the friends you have at work.  You don't have to be social and make lots of connections at work to be a great person. 

[The Most Loathed]

Walk sounds good.

 

If you want to, you now have an in with the party guy, you know some things about him that you can ask about. He may appreciate it.

If you don't want to, then don't, Shello is right about not being defined by your friends at work.

[Bearlee]

On 1/27/2017 at 8:46 AM, LadyShello said:

Going for a walk was a good way to handle all that.  

 

I'm not sure what type of help your pack needs but I helped out with my son's pack and now his Boy scout Troop.  As an introvert, I understand your concern.  I manage to get done what I need to.  I don't seek out any conversation but I'm fine when in a situation where one needs to get done.  In the pack I struggled more mostly because I couldn't stand the other leaders.  The troop is much nicer and I dare say even made a friend or 2.  If you are interested in being involved and spending that time with cub1, then don't let your inner critic stop you.  I'd be more concerned about your schedule and whether or not you have the time or energy.  

 

Also, you are not defined by the friends you have at work.  You don't have to be social and make lots of connections at work to be a great person. 

The walking has really helped with clearing head and focusing. Pack is looking for committee chair or treasurer. If we don't find a committee chair the pack will have to be dissolved but that requires more time due to more meetings with other council pack leaders and chairs. Could possibly bring Cubs to local meeting but the district meeting I would need to find some other option.

 

10 hours ago, The Most Loathed said:

Walk sounds good.

 

If you want to, you now have an in with the party guy, you know some things about him that you can ask about. He may appreciate it.

If you don't want to, then don't, Shello is right about not being defined by your friends at work.

I'm still trying to figure out why I was concerned at that person's retirement party. Possibly part due to retirement parties seem more like wakes to me than celebrations. Scariest movie I can think of is About Schmidt where Jack Nicholson retires and has no purpose after work. The other part may have been I was the only yard worker at a party full of dispatchers so I was out of place. Plus just being generally anti-social. Was funny that he "came out" to me on the very last time I'll probably meet him in real life. Told him I've known for however long I've known him but he didn't know that I knew because I normally don't go around asking "So who have you done lately?". Possibly we are more than acquaintances since he made me his Facebook friend.

 

Friday I was feeling good after all the walking I did. Didn't like the fact that I only got 3 hours sleep before I had to watch the Cubs while mom went to work. Though was more than I thought I would get.

 

Saturday Cub1 and I went to his pinewood derby race. Cub was bored then sad because I built a slow car. We came in 22 out of 24. Didn't help that we were standing next to the kid that was setting track records. Left Cub2 with sister and she seemed to have a big time with him. She is an option for helping out with Cub2 but not very often. Got her scheduled for the Blue and Gold Banquet in late February.

 

Sunday did nothing all day but hang with the Cubs.

 

Sunday night I work I did a lot of walking. By the time I got home and took Cub1 to work I already had 9,000+ steps. Over the weekend I downloaded a lot of new Podcasts that are really long. That day I listened to Henry Rollins on the Joe Rogan Podcast. Henry is a very intense guy, very interesting listen.

 

Monday was a really nice day weather wise so took Cub2 to pick up Cub1. Cub2 had fun and Cub1's teacher fawned over the baby. Cub2 was upset when we got home so took him for an extra mile walk, the one I normally do on the weekends. He slept for half of but think he really enjoyed it.

 

 

Computer running super slow for some reason so I'll post the new tasks for the week later.

[Sloth the Enduring]

I was just about to go looking for you. I missed your last post.

No one feels like good father, except maybe the guys who actually aren't. Have you banged the baby's head on the jamb as you walked through a door way yet? That's when you feel like a bad father. I seriously doubt you are.

Hah. No one (except my team maybe) is going to miss me either. Don't you work all by yourself?

Kids are good with introverts. Most of them need someone who will listen more than someone who will talk to them. If you want to help, don't let that stop you .

Man, I don't know how you do anything with your sleep schedule. I got to give you kudos for working like that and still being able to take care of the kids and doing your fitness tasks.

[Bearlee]

 

 

Promised photos from last week. First is the Garlic Butter Steak that LadyShello sent to me along with mashed sweet potatoes. Second is a picture of my batch cooking making Jeweled Roasted Vegetables and Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs from the Food You Crave cookbook that TML recommended.

[The Most Loathed]

As someone who was a big Henry Rollins fan a couple decades ago, I wondered how the Rogan episode went. I may still listen to it sometime. In certain ways, they are a lot alike (can be intense, not very receptive to other people) but in others they are polar opposites (fighting vs not, drugs and drinking vs not).

 

I hope that the thighs work out for you this week. They served me well for years but I don't even know how much I follow the recipe anymore. I just cut up about half a head of garlic, a big pinch of salt, several scoops of dijon mustard, a glug of syrup then taste and adjust to taste. I like it were the raw garlic is the strongest (a lot of which cooks out) the tang of the mustard is second strongest and the sweetness of maple is just barely there. 

[Bearlee]

On 1/30/2017 at 7:04 PM, Sloth the Enduring said:

I was just about to go looking for you. I missed your last post.

No one feels like good father, except maybe the guys who actually aren't. Have you banged the baby's head on the jamb as you walked through a door way yet? That's when you feel like a bad father. I seriously doubt you are.

Hah. No one (except my team maybe) is going to miss me either. Don't you work all by yourself?

Kids are good with introverts. Most of them need someone who will listen more than someone who will talk to them. If you want to help, don't let that stop you .

Man, I don't know how you do anything with your sleep schedule. I got to give you kudos for working like that and still being able to take care of the kids and doing your fitness tasks.

Missed a post? You sir are no Tanktimus. Thanks for the pep talk about fatherhood. In general I think I'm just insecure about everything and I know fatherhood is the thing I need to be most responsible about. There is always something nagging in the back of my head of should I be doing something more? The wife just knows how to push my buttons and hit me at a low time.

 

Cub1 had a pack meeting tonight and the elder kids and parents were not there and I really got to see how affected our pack would be with them gone. I'm going to step up and volunteeer. Think I can brings cubs to the local meeting and take them to cousin's house for the district meetings.

 

Sleep is still killing me. And on top of that I've been a complete dumb-ass and not getting to bed right after I drop Cub1 off at school. I get home and wife and Cub2 are still sleeping and Cub1 at school and I have the house to myself for an hour or so and I turn on the TV and watch whatever I want and I have a large backlog of shows. I think to myself only 15 minutes but too often I spend an hour vegging out before going to sleep cutting sleep down from 5.5 hours to 4.5 or less. Tuesday morning I fell asleep while watching TV and wife woke me up. Felt sore and like I didn't get any sleep. Challenge to myself is to head to bed right away after morning routines are done.

 

20 hours ago, The Most Loathed said:

As someone who was a big Henry Rollins fan a couple decades ago, I wondered how the Rogan episode went. I may still listen to it sometime. In certain ways, they are a lot alike (can be intense, not very receptive to other people) but in others they are polar opposites (fighting vs not, drugs and drinking vs not).

 

I hope that the thighs work out for you this week. They served me well for years but I don't even know how much I follow the recipe anymore. I just cut up about half a head of garlic, a big pinch of salt, several scoops of dijon mustard, a glug of syrup then taste and adjust to taste. I like it were the raw garlic is the strongest (a lot of which cooks out) the tang of the mustard is second strongest and the sweetness of maple is just barely there. 

I think you would get a big kick out of that Podcast. I don't know how people like Henry Rollins can function, he's super intense about whatever he does. There was so much I didn't know about him and now I have the greatest respect for him. Confession time, when I came to your house and Sloth and I were standing outside I said that you remind me of Henry Rollins and more than just because of looks but because of intensity. After listening to this Podcast I can't call you Henry Rollins any more but Henry Rollins like. Which is good for you because you seem like you can actually function in society.

 

Thighs were great only when they were finished they had soggy bottoms because I didn't bother to turn them while they were cooking. And I think that was the first time I've ever ripped skin off an animal before. You know it's not processed when you are doing that. Jewel Roasted Vegetables were a little disappointing. Wife said that I didn't take enough of the outer layer leaves off and it tasted like medicine but if I took off any more layers I would barelee have had a vegetable left. I should have cooked the beets a little longer also. With them being canned I didn't know when I should have put them in but think the whole time with the carrots and brussel sprouts would have beeen fine. Oddly tasted better a few days later. Oddly I saw Staci Ardison do a Facebook live broadcast where she did exactly how you described. Was thinking I could use honey instead of maple syrup also since I usually have that around and wouldn't have to make a special purchase of syrup. And I've been looking for ways to get more garlic into my diet since I've read that is one of the best things you can do for your blood.

[Bearlee]

Finally getting around to talking about the new tasks for the week. First is Keep Moving where you can do any kind of physical activity for 15 minutes everyday. Play basketball with the kids, shovel snow, workouts; whatever gets you moving.

 

Second is Track to Fight Back. We've entered the second part of our story after capturing the hacker that has been following Steve. However in capturing the hacker the Shadow Organization has kidnapped Staci's dog (only in the story, people actually freaking out about this). But they discovered that the organization also has ties to the financial system and to fight back we need to track everything we purchase each day for a week.

 

Third is Mobility Drills with Jim Bathurst because we need to be ready to act at a moments notice.

 

Fourth is Outline Your Debts. Now while I was a complete dumb-ass while I was away diet wise I did do some things right. Ever since reading Money Essentials by Dave Ramsey I've been getting finically better. And in December I finished paying off my house and have no other debts whatsoever! Heck instead of a 6 month emergency fund I've actually got a year or twos worth. Which is my next step in trying to figure out what my next financial goal is.

 

Lastly is Welcome the Fresh Fish. Seems they have opened up registration for Rising Heroes again and we are suppose to welcome 5 new people. Don't know if I'll do this or not since I see the new people posting then they get mobbed by people wanting to complete their task. Seems a little brutal to be rushed like that. I'll keep my eyes open for people that are not getting responses or are local to me and give them a nice welcome.

[The Most Loathed]

2 hours ago, Bearlee said:

...when I came to your house and Sloth and I were standing outside I said that you remind me of Henry Rollins....

I get that a lot. At concerts I've been asked if we're related. When I was in high school (before I knew about him) we had the same haircut and as a wrestler, I was about the same body weight as him. Perhaps again soon, although I'll never have the hairline back.

 

I dig his intensity but it's too much for me. He's eighteen years older than I am, so he was about the age I am now when I first discovered his music, spoken word, poetry and so on. At 35 his level of social development, intensity, and just everything else was about perfect for 16 year old me. As I aged into my mid twenties I realized I was shifting on to different view points and he really wasn't. Listening to the Heidi and Henry podcast last year, at 55 or so, he's still pretty much the guy he was 20 years ago. In some ways I totally respect that, it's who he always said he wanted to be. In some ways, I think he's missing out on the maturation process and it's his loss. 

 

I've skipped his spoken word tours the last couple times he's come to town. I still listen to the Rollins Band albums from the 90s though. Come in and Burn remains my favorite album of all time. Ok, now I do need to go download that episode, you got me all wistful.

[Bearlee]

On 2/1/2017 at 7:02 AM, The Most Loathed said:

I've skipped his spoken word tours the last couple times he's come to town. I still listen to the Rollins Band albums from the 90s though. Come in and Burn remains my favorite album of all time. Ok, now I do need to go download that episode, you got me all wistful.

Hope I didn't send you down a rabbit hole. I didn't know much about HR until I listened to that Podcast and was kind of blown away. Since you know more about him perhaps it won't be as interesting.

[Bearlee]

Thursday I summoned up my 20 seconds of courage and went to the local Scout districts roundtable. Wife was definitely not happy about me going but I thought this would be important for the kids in the pack and myself. Got there at 7 when the meeting was suppose to start because I like to be punctual, sat in an empty room with only the guest speakers for about 15 awkward minutes, then the room got flooded by a couple dozen scoutmasters and other type leaders. Think I was the only parent there and was most definitely the only person from my pack there. They started the meeting with a little formalities than broke up into two groups the committee lecture and backpack lecture. Wasn't sure which one I should go to but went with the backpack lecture because it sounded more interesting. Probably should have gone to committee since I'm thinking about becoming committee chair for our pack. Nothing too special during the lecture other than two words that made me perk up Philmont and Ely. Two words that are a dream of mine. Philmont is the national Boy Scout high adventure camp in New Mexico which was always a dream of mine when I was younger to go to and Ely which is the high adventure camp in the Boundry Waters in Northern Minnesota. I've been to the Boundry Waters 3 times and it was some the best times of my youth and a dream of mine to take my kids up there some day to go canoeing for a week. I did like the roundtable since it was kind of like what I was hoping Scouts would have been like when I was younger, a wise older guy passing knowledge onto the younger generation (is nice to know I'm still younger than some people).

 

Feb 1, it's been a month since I started Rising Heroes so thought I would take some remeasurements because the scale hasn't been friendly to me. For the month of January I am down a little over 4 pounds which was disappointing but actually on pace for what I'm aiming for, a pound per week. So took measurements hoping for better results but that was also a little disappointing because I've lost an inch or less in some places but gained an inch or so in other areas to where everything evened out. However I'm not discouraged because there are other things that give me encouragement. Like my pants are falling down in the butt area which is odd because that is where I put on a half inch. Before I started RH I had to go up to a 46 belt that I was wearing with my 44 jeans because I couldn't buckle my 44 belt without difficulty. Now however I can wear my 44 belt even if it is on the last hole. I've also realized that I haven't had any ice cream or soda for an entire month which were two of my biggest reasons for my rapid weight gain. I can also move much better than when I started RH and I'm regularly getting 5+ miles and 20+ flights of stairs in per weekday (weekends are still a bust just like the old days of NF). And though I still eat sometimes at fast food restaurants it is drastically reduced from what it used to be, going from once or twice per day to once or twice per week. And even then it's changing from Baconator with fries and medium soda and small frosty to grilled chicken sandwich with chili and small strawberry lemonade. Numbers disappointing but feeling good overall and hopefully the numbers will come around eventually.

 

I've also done a whole month of tracking my food which has really helped me keep on the straight and narrow. I've been doing good calorie and macro nutrient wise but some of my micro nutrient numbers have been low (iron and calcium being the biggest concerns) and salt has been off to charts. It's surprising how much salt is in one of those steam fresh bags especially the Asian Medley my favorite. For the past few days I've been adding salads into my eating habits and those have really helped to kick the calcium and vitamin C numbers way up. Got inspired by a DDP TV video I watched after going down a rabbit hole from one of Sloth's thread posts about DDP Yoga and the inspirational stories. One video was of DDP (Dallas Diamond Page from wrestling star) talking about how to eat on the road and showing how he makes a salad. After I stopped laughing from him talking about stealing dinner ware from the hotel and getting free mini fridge for his "medication" I thought "Hey that looks like a decent salad, I'll give it a try". The thing I liked was him ripping the lettuce to pieces which is oddly therapeutic. Then I've just been drizzling on some olive oil and shake on some salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes and then sometimes adding Parmesan cheese for the extra calcium and sometimes adding a packet of tuna. Is actually good and has a kick to it and is surprisingly filling. I'm going to try some fruit like DDP did in his video but just haven't gotten around to the store to buy any.

 

Sorry this rambled on. Made some time to give an update and just kind of got caught up in writing. Last thing, I've been inspired by Sloth and for my movement challenge for this week I've been doing yoga. it's been fun but would be more fun if I didn't have a big belly preventing my from bending over. Something I'm working. Do the best I can for now.

[The Most Loathed]

2 hours ago, Bearlee said:

Hope I didn't send you down a rabbit hole. I didn't know much about HR until I listened to that Podcast and was kind of blown away. Since you know more about him perhaps it won't be as interesting.

I'm still working through the podcast but no, not really a rabbit hole. His discussion on working out sent me down a bit of a mental rabbit hole but I'll probably was a bit on that over on my log. 

 

1 hour ago, Bearlee said:

...Philmont and Ely...

 

...It's surprising how much salt is in one of those steam fresh bags...

Two time Philmont survivor here. Absolutely worth it. I'd go again. It's not super high up and they're pretty used to dealing with Average Joes, both young and old. You do have to pass some physical standards to go and I don't know what they are but if you keep doing what you're doing, you'll be able to go. Maybe a Philmont poster in your training space will give you some nice scenery and an additional motivation.

 

I had no idea that these were sodium laden. I would have happily bought one at the store, thrown it in the microwave and eaten it all while assuming that it was the same as fresh veggies, just faster.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Good for you for going to the scouts meeting. Ely is awesome. I would live to retire there one day. I was never a scout, but I did a couple of their camps on the Boundary Waters; they were literally formative experiences for me.

 

I wouldn't worry about not losing a lot of weight yet. The Rising Heroes approach seems to be to go slow now to go fast later. "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast."

 

I don't know what a baconator is, but it sounds something I would eat the Hell out of. Nice job avoiding it.

[Bearlee]

Short school week for Cub2 for the 5th week in a row. Didn't have to take him to school so went grocery shopping after work. Got home and wife informed me she was going to work today. Got 2 hours of sleep before she went. If I would have known sooner I've would have skipped the groceries and gotten an extra hour of sleep. Groggy all day which led to bad food decisions. Finally bit the bullet and input items ate into MyFitnessPal. Tostitos chips, salsa con queso, french bread, and cinnamon honey butter all added up to 1430 calories and I was probably guessing on the low side for portion sizes. Now I know why I was gaining weight so fast. Plus all of that is just carbs, fat, and salt. Plus all that crap didn't fill me up. Oh, and I went grocery shopping for wife because she wants to eat like a monk (read vegetarian) for a month for lunar new year so thought I would get her something she could eat.

 

Local Boy Scout troop had pancake dinner which I went to (no pancakes eaten since they ran out) but did talk to the current committee chair that I want to replace. Found out that yesterday that I went to the wrong roundtable meeting (went to Boy Scouts as opposed to Cub Scouts) and that I missed the opening ceremony (hence why no one showed up for the first 15 minutes of the meeting). Still proud of myself for going to roundtable and will know for next time. Also proud that got Cub2 bundled up and taken to pancake dinner. He slept through most of it. Also found out I dislike baby stroller I bought, won't collapse down enough to make it easy to put in trunk of car, almost need a van or SUV to haul that thing around.

[Flarg Longarms]

Oh man I only got to go to Philmont once, but it is an experience I will never forget! I hope I can take my boys one day when they are old enough. Made some of my best memories as a kid back in troop 461 enroute to earning my Eagle scout. This makes me want to seek out a local cub scout pack for my boys!