It has been a while since I talked about this.
I have been under 200 pounds for three or four weeks now. That is not bad. I've even sometimes had seconds, and had more than one drink in a week, and still stayed at that weight. Maintenance is good, even if I'd be happier with a slightly lower weight.
I've been pretty good about the exercising, although with the cooler temperatures, bike riding has suffered. I have been swimming 4 or 5 days a week. I've been doing the work out on the Nautilus equipment either Monday, Wednesday, and Friday or Tuesday and Thursday, and alternating the 3 day a week work out with a 2 days work out.
With the changes coming up in my life, my goal is now to get to a steady 190 pounds by the end of the year. If you count the start date of this adventure as February 1, that would be 80 pounds over 11 months, or almost 30% of my body weight in that time. Seven and a quarter pounds a month is not too bad, and certainly a slower pace than on shows like The Biggest Loser.
I have made lifestyle changes. I want to keep the weight off.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
Stress management
I clipped and saved this from somewhere.....where? I don't remember. But I have decided to post it here just to save it. Remember, these are not my words, but I like the thoughts behind them.
___________________
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "how heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.
"If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
"In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. "
"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.
"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested."
Life is short. Enjoy it!
And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.
* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* If you lend someone $20 and never see him again, it was probably worth it.
* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
* Never buy a car you can't push.
* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
* It's the second mouse that gets the cheese.
* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once
* A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
And finally:
* We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
___________________
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "how heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.
"If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
"In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. "
"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.
"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested."
Life is short. Enjoy it!
And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.
* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* If you lend someone $20 and never see him again, it was probably worth it.
* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
* Never buy a car you can't push.
* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
* It's the second mouse that gets the cheese.
* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once
* A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
And finally:
* We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
This weekend's adventure
Well, it started out simply enough. I agreed to serve as the Head Cook for the Owaneco Lodge's Fall Fellowship. It had an interesting theme: Monty Python. All I had to do was cook. It was an event all about fun. It would not be huge (about 60 - 80), and would be held at my favorite Scout Camp: Deer Lake.
Friday went well. Shopping was not a problem. I got everything I needed. I was all set to have food on the table when I was expected to. "No problems, mate."
Saturday's weather was predicted to be bad with rain and high winds, including High Wind Warning for our part of Connecticut. Breakfast went fine. We started working on lunch, and at about 10:30 or so, the power went out. We sat a waited for a bit. The Camp Ranger (lives on the property) came by to report that a falling tree had brought down the power line. No idea on when it would be fixed, he had cleared the road, but the power company needed to fix the line.
We re-grouped. Several propane lanterns were located, and lunch prep continued. Fortunately the stoves were all gas (large propane tanks), and we could see enough to cut and cook without too much problem ... Except ... NO WATER. Since the Camp is on a well, with no power there is no water. We started by collecting rain water -- that was enough to finish the soup, but we would need more.
Once the road was cleared, two expeditions headed out for water, and we kept going.
Thank goodness the lights came back on at about 4:30, so before dark, we were set.
Food went well, all the boys were happy, and my "swan song" as the Head Cook ended happily!
Friday went well. Shopping was not a problem. I got everything I needed. I was all set to have food on the table when I was expected to. "No problems, mate."
Saturday's weather was predicted to be bad with rain and high winds, including High Wind Warning for our part of Connecticut. Breakfast went fine. We started working on lunch, and at about 10:30 or so, the power went out. We sat a waited for a bit. The Camp Ranger (lives on the property) came by to report that a falling tree had brought down the power line. No idea on when it would be fixed, he had cleared the road, but the power company needed to fix the line.
We re-grouped. Several propane lanterns were located, and lunch prep continued. Fortunately the stoves were all gas (large propane tanks), and we could see enough to cut and cook without too much problem ... Except ... NO WATER. Since the Camp is on a well, with no power there is no water. We started by collecting rain water -- that was enough to finish the soup, but we would need more.
Once the road was cleared, two expeditions headed out for water, and we kept going.
Thank goodness the lights came back on at about 4:30, so before dark, we were set.
Food went well, all the boys were happy, and my "swan song" as the Head Cook ended happily!
Love is the most personal form of Radical Trust
A friend of mine recently confided that she had her heart broken over a love affair. It set me to thinking.
There has been discussion over the past year about radical trust. The conversation began with Darlene Fichter, was refined by John Blyberg. Ria Newhouse expressed the angst that many feel over trying new things and finding institutional resistance. Michael Stephens recently talked about radical trust among other Library 2.0 issues in the Culture of Trust.
What is love but the most personal and intense form of radical trust. You entrust another person with your deepest feelings and emotions. You invest yourself in their lives and let them invest in yours. Then when that trust is broken, for whatever reason, you feel hurt and abandoned.
Radical trust in a work relationship is important. Administrators, particularly, need to trust members of the staff to do the right thing. Whether that right thing may be forgiving a fine for a second grader who has no money, has returned the books, and now needs to check something out, or it is to let the web master redesign the web site. I have found that often times, I don't get exactly what I want. Actually, if truth be known, it is usually better than what I have asked.
Many of the discussions have been about taking radical trust to the next level, of going past the co-worker level, and to the public. It is part of what is at the heart of Library 2.0. The Ann Arbor Public Library, with the help (inspiration?) of John Blyberg have taken the lead in trusting patrons.
Personal radical trust is both similar and different. Partly it is because it is so personal, and we all have feelings which can be so easily hurt.
Just some random ruminations after a weekend away! (See next post....)
Note: Links to radical trust posts added 10/31/2006.
There has been discussion over the past year about radical trust. The conversation began with Darlene Fichter, was refined by John Blyberg. Ria Newhouse expressed the angst that many feel over trying new things and finding institutional resistance. Michael Stephens recently talked about radical trust among other Library 2.0 issues in the Culture of Trust.
What is love but the most personal and intense form of radical trust. You entrust another person with your deepest feelings and emotions. You invest yourself in their lives and let them invest in yours. Then when that trust is broken, for whatever reason, you feel hurt and abandoned.
Radical trust in a work relationship is important. Administrators, particularly, need to trust members of the staff to do the right thing. Whether that right thing may be forgiving a fine for a second grader who has no money, has returned the books, and now needs to check something out, or it is to let the web master redesign the web site. I have found that often times, I don't get exactly what I want. Actually, if truth be known, it is usually better than what I have asked.
Many of the discussions have been about taking radical trust to the next level, of going past the co-worker level, and to the public. It is part of what is at the heart of Library 2.0. The Ann Arbor Public Library, with the help (inspiration?) of John Blyberg have taken the lead in trusting patrons.
Personal radical trust is both similar and different. Partly it is because it is so personal, and we all have feelings which can be so easily hurt.
Just some random ruminations after a weekend away! (See next post....)
Note: Links to radical trust posts added 10/31/2006.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Embracing Change
There has been a brief hiatus, with the last post being done while at Library Camp East 2.0. No, I did not run out of things to say, indeed I have a very long list.
However, as some of my readers who are either in Connecticut or on ALA Council know, I have accepted a new position.
As of December 4, 2006, I will be the Library Director (I think that is the title) of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. After six years as City Librarian, I am leaving Bridgeport for a station further west.
The last ten days have been a whirlwind. I went for the interview in Eau Claire on September 29. (Note that was a Friday.) On Monday morning (early) I was called an told that I was a finalist. Well, by 4:30 pm Eastern Time, I was offered the position. After two days of negotiating the salary and other compensation, I accepted. It took a bit for me to contact all of the Library Board members and tell them, and then break the news to my staff. All this was done while at Boy Scout camp as a staff member of Wood Badge Course NE-II-163. Whew! Monday was a holiday here, and Tuesday I announced to the library community. The avalanche of emailed congratulations was overwhelming to me.
So.....On Wisconsin.
One of the cool parts of the trip was seeing Rochelle Hartman, and having dinner with her boss, Kelly, the "Goddess Director" (or is that Director Goddess) of the LaCrosse Public Library. You can see the photo Rochelle's husband took of the three of us on my Flickr account. [And yes, Rochelle is having more fun than would appear.]
So, the fun of moving begins. More to follow!
However, as some of my readers who are either in Connecticut or on ALA Council know, I have accepted a new position.
As of December 4, 2006, I will be the Library Director (I think that is the title) of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. After six years as City Librarian, I am leaving Bridgeport for a station further west.
The last ten days have been a whirlwind. I went for the interview in Eau Claire on September 29. (Note that was a Friday.) On Monday morning (early) I was called an told that I was a finalist. Well, by 4:30 pm Eastern Time, I was offered the position. After two days of negotiating the salary and other compensation, I accepted. It took a bit for me to contact all of the Library Board members and tell them, and then break the news to my staff. All this was done while at Boy Scout camp as a staff member of Wood Badge Course NE-II-163. Whew! Monday was a holiday here, and Tuesday I announced to the library community. The avalanche of emailed congratulations was overwhelming to me.
So.....On Wisconsin.
One of the cool parts of the trip was seeing Rochelle Hartman, and having dinner with her boss, Kelly, the "Goddess Director" (or is that Director Goddess) of the LaCrosse Public Library. You can see the photo Rochelle's husband took of the three of us on my Flickr account. [And yes, Rochelle is having more fun than would appear.]
So, the fun of moving begins. More to follow!
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