Wednesday, March 26, 2008

And Your Bird Can Sing

Going to try and post a favorite video...

Monday, March 24, 2008

The Incredible Shrinking Ray - Week 11

Without access currently to a gym, RedFaery got herself an exercise ball. She did some of the workouts on the included DVD and was sore for a few days. It was worth it, because she dropped another 5 lbs. I may have to check this thing out.

She also picked up a simple scale at Lowe's. Sadly I've taken to weighing myself twice a day. I've noticed an interesting pattern as a result - I weigh less when I first get up in the morning. I've been told that a good night's sleep will burn calories too, so it must be true. This morning was the same as the last - 216 lbs. At the end of the day it goes up to 219 lbs. For the sake of keeping track (and because it looks better), I'll use the morning numbers!

Summary:
Starting Weight: 237 lbs.
Weeks 1-10 Loss: 19 lbs.
Week 11 Loss: 2 lbs.
Current Weight: 216 lbs.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Sun King (Queen?)

RedFaery learned to relight a pilot light today. Probably motivated by the ice cold showers we've dealt with for 2 days now. Proud of her!

Plumbers fixed the sump. The water it spits out kept coming back in because the ground slopes towards our house, and our basement windows aren't sealed worth a shit. In the meantime, RedFaery's gotten a long tube that routes the water further away, and it's helped. More spring home improvement projects. The sump drained the remaining inch of standing water in 10 minutes, so I'm happy about that. We'll probably finish our laundry tomorrow at the same time.

Tomorrow is dragging crap out, sorting out what we should keep, and making a pile by the back gate. Fortunately the quarterly large item pickup is in a couple of weeks, so the mess won't be in our backyard for long. Still not great weather to do much else except buy some more plastic bins.

Words of Love

A long while back, I wrote a ton of Star Wars haikus. Just stumbled across them again, and thought I'd share:

Darth Vader's evil!
He has a big lightsaber.
Luke, who's your daddy?

Droid names are strange
C-3PO and R2
Robby the Robot???

Lando's in the clouds
Floating high above Bespin
It's a long way down!

Unlearn what you've learned.
Do or do not - there's no try.
Be one with the Force!

Did you know Chewy,
Han Solo's pal is married?
Love "Wookie Nookie"!

Millienium Falcon
It's the fastest hunk of junk
What's "the Kessel run"?

IG-88 died
Trying to steal Han Solo
Pissed Boba Fett off!

Boba Fett's a clone,
But in the books, he's Jaster!
Continuity?

The names of planets
Sound like a pharmacist's dream!
Bespin overdose!

Yalisimari
Is how many syllibles?
I sure hope it's five!

Dagobah system...
You must go to Dagobah...
Who needs some bacta?

Who wants a taun-taun?
They smell bad on the outside.
And the inside too!

Noisy TIE fighters!
But sound can't travel in space!
Ion engines suck!

Darth Vader says to Boba:
"No disintegrations, Fett"
"As you wish" he says.

"We don't serve their kind!"
"Droids will have to wait outside!"
Why, no oil on tap?

Luke falls in the pit.
Kills the rancor with the door.
Made Jabba's guard cry.

Dagobah is swamp
Tattooine is a desert
Luke get culture shock!

Owen moisture-farms
Necessary in deserts
Watch out for Tuskens!

Jawas are crafty;
Steal, rebuild and resell droids.
Don't take the red one!

Jabba is slimy.
Salacius Crumb cleans it up.
A booger buffet!

Bossk is a lizard.
Trandoshens hate the Wookiees.
They collect their pelts.

Corellian sector
Home of Han Solo and Wedge
And Smuggler's Alley

The Wampa attacks!
Created to explain the
Scar on Hamil's face.

Who is the true star
Of the brand-new trilogy?
I say "CGI"!

Yoda dirty-talk!
Who's your Jedi Master, bitch?
Fallen in, I have!

Death Star approaching...
"Look at the size of that thing!"
Cut the chatter, Wedge!

In the trench with Darth:
"The Force is strong with this one!"
"I have you now...what???"

Chewbacca is dead!
They killed him in the novels.
He died a hero...

"Oh, thank the Maker!"
And little did we know that
It was Anakin!

"Remember, the Force
Will be with you always, Luke!"
Alec Guiness rules!

Into the trash bin
"What an interesting smell!
Great idea, Princess!!"

Luke flies to Bespin
Ben says "That boy's our last hope!"
"There is another..."

"When a thousand years
You have lived, look good you won't!"
Use moisturizer!

Which toy was cooler?
The Millenium Falcon,
or AT-AT Walker?

"There are too many!"
Y-Wing Fighters are boring!
But the blow up nice!

Why does the Death Star
Have to go around the moon?
Why not blow it up?

Quarterstaff saber,
Too much for old Qui-Gon Jin!
Darth Maul kills Jedi.

Jengo Fett is dead!
Can't stop saber blade with neck.
Boba gets "ahead"...

Yoda finally fights!
Count Doku throws down with him.
"Hold still, you Muppet!"

Box DVD set,
The classics have been "remade"!
"THAT is why you fail!"

Han's a little mad.
"Shut him up or shut him down!"
Threepio falls silent...

Chewbacca is pissed!
Though he's choking, Lando says,
"It wasn't my fault!"

Creature Cantina,
Popular Mos Eisley bar.
Watch out for Greedo!

There's a Place

It's hard to believe, but I've never been in or had need of a laundromat before. Everywhere I'd ever lived has had it's own washer and dryer. I never really took those luxuries for granted, I thought - I've always known that I was lucky. But with the basement still flooded until (hopefully) tomorrow when the plumber comes and replaces our sump, and me woefully short on underwear and socks, RedFaery and I packed up a laundry basket of the essentials and drove three blocks down to the nearest one.

We decided to load two machines, which ate about $2.50 in quarters right away - silly me, I thought that would be enough for drying them as well! So we changed out a $10 for a couple of $5's and got more.

One of my first graphic design jobs was making manuals for Cissell dryers, and since I was laid off from that company twice (and it shortly thereafter was bought out), I was happy to use their competition, Speed Queen! Very satisfying.

30 minutes later, we packed the clothes into the dryer, set it for 40 minutes ($1.25) and enjoyed a basketball game (Duke narrowly pulling out a win in the 1st round). Nothing there was difficult - it was just really boring with nothing to do.

One lady was there the whole time we were, just randomly walking around and emptying dryers in different spots. There was no scheme to which dryers she was using, so I don't believe she was getting her own stuff. Another couple drug in a ton of clothing and blankets wrapped up in a Tweety Bird sleeping bag - someone else with flooding issues, we mused.

Probably the most annoying thing was that the bathroom was locked, so I had to ask the attendant to open it for me. Like a gas station. I understand they don't want random people coming off the streets to use the facilities, but it felt like I was asking for a hall pass or something.

All in all, not a bad experience. Learned a little more about our surroundings, and that's always a good plan.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Rain

It had to happen sometime. Our sump pump has gone out, and we now have about 4 inches of water in the basement. Not surprising, since it's been going for what seems like non-stop since November!

We have a call into the home warranty folks, who in turn called a plumber. Despite the promise of a return call and appointment within 24 hours, we heard nothing. So we called again and have a promise of tomorrow morning. I'm sure we aren't the only ones in town with this problem, but damn!

We'd already started the migration of our things from cardboard boxes to plastic bins, but didn't get too far yet. Most of the boxes are at least off the ground and not marinating - however I'm certain we'll need a new Christmas tree. Plus the moisture in the air will make the rest a nice moldy mess. Reminder to buy gloves along with more plastic bins...

Our washer and dryer are down there, so we're going to a laundromat tonight with the essentials. RedFaery had the good sense to unplug them.

Our water heater has been overtaken as well, so no hot water for showers. I could scrub all the smelly bits today at the sink, but tomorrow I'll need to brave the chill and scrub all over. Brrr!

Other than that, it's just peachy!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Fixing a Hole

The only time a tire goes flat is when it's pouring down rain. It's a proven fact.

Take this morning for example. RedFaery got a brand-new set of front tires for her car yesterday. She drove her car to many different places, and somewhere along the way the tire got cut. However, it didn't go flat until today, when it's raining so much our basement drain is backing up.

She was on her way to the unemployment office and I was on my way to work when she called. The tire was dropping quickly. She was pointed towards the Pepboys she got the tire from and only 3 miles away, so I told her to try an make it. A couple minutes later, she calls back - no can do, and she's pulled over in the parking lot of an abandoned Dillards.

Putting on my best superhero voice, I say "I'm on my way!"

Halfway there, she calls back saying that since we have towing on our insurance, she can call them to come tow her to the shop. Seeing miles of paperwork and headaches dancing in my mind, I assure her that I'll get the tire changed so she can continue her day.

As expected, her little Aveo has a "toy" tire and one of those little hand-crank jacks. I've used both of them many times before, so I know what I'm in for with these things. However, what I didn't expect is that the jack point of her Aveo is so far in that you cannot turn the crank on the jack! Not that I didn't try, however - I finally admitted defeat after 20 minutes.

On to Plan B - I tell RedFaery to go ahead and call for roadside assistance. So much for my pride - I sit in my car and brood.

She tells me that after calling two different places, one could finally make it out to us after a 3-hour wait. Seems my theory about tires going in the rain is still being proven all over Louisville...

Three hours? Leaving my wife stranded in the rain on wide, wide Dixie Highway in an abandoned parking lot to wait for those slugs to drive up our insurance rates? Fuck that!

Plan C...

We head in my car to Autozone. Did you know you can get a decent pump jack for $22? Well worth the investment, especially if you have one of those little hand-crank jacks that aren't worth shit (and oddly enough, cost more than the pump jack at Autozone - WTF?). Go get one now. Seriously.

So back into the rain I go with my new toy in hand. Fifteen minutes later I have the tire off, and a few more after that I put the donut on in it's place, and she's ready to roll!

I sit at Pepboys dripping and waiting for the verdict on her tire, hoping to know something before I head home to change. I decide I can't wait anymore and tell RedFaery to call me when she knows something. I'm only 5 minutes gone when they tell her they can take care of her pretty quickly. By the time I've showered and changed into dry clothing, she's home and making me a sandwich for lunch.

I'm still floored that the reason I had her get new tires in the first place is so she wouldn't be stranded on a rainy day like today, yet it happened anyway. The best laid plans of mice and me...

Monday, March 17, 2008

Free As a Bird

Yesterday as the last performance of "Blue Plate Special". Whenever I finish a show, lots of emotions flow thru me - but the biggest one today is relief. Two reasons.

The first is just simply accomplishing a personal goal. I've stated many times on my blog about how this was my first "professional" acting gig (aside from working a haunted house a few years back), and all my concerns with whether I can hold my own with seasoned pros. I can, I did, and I'm very satisfied with my work. Everyone involved with the show has my contact info and knows what I can do on stage - so if they need a hole filled they know how to get in touch with me. Plus I built up enough confidence in my skills with the producers that they are turning me lose on planning and running the Alley Theater Improv Showcase (more in future blogs I'm sure).

The second is shaving. I basically didn't shave for two months to grow a beard and a head of hair so I could convincingly look like a redneck that's likely to dig up his own backyard to build a bomb shelter. The effect was quite scary-looking - at least I was startled everytime I looked in a mirror.

The most surprising thing was that I still don't have any gray hairs - I'm still a dark, deep brown. Considering my grandfather had white hair and my dad is very gray, I figured I'd have a few by now. Not a one.

When the show was done, I came home and grabbed the clippers and went to work. It was like shearing a goat. Hair flew everywhere! Scared a cat when some dropped on him too - that will teach him to wander around my feet!

After buzzing it down, I took the razor to it. A few bleeders and a shower later, I was done. I looked in the mirror and had forgotten what I looked like hair-free - it's a bit startling! I climbed into bed and enjoyed the coolness of the pillow on my head - I definitely wasn't going to miss being too overheated to sleep!

Another thing I won't miss is the itching. Stratching my face had become a borderline obsession! The one frightening part of auditioning for Tevye in a couple of months will be facing growing yet another beard for the role. Ah, the sacrifices I make for my craft...

The Incredible Shrinking Ray - Week 10

Update on last post - RedFaery did indeed lose her job. Interestingly enough, she said the one thing she's going to miss the most was access to their on-site fitness center. I don't blame her there - nice up-to-date equipment, free flavored water, showers, etc. We've already decided to find a nearby gym - just not looking forward to membership rates.

Went to the doctor this morning because of needed new prescriptions. This was the first time I'd been on a scale in just over 2 weeks. It's hard to compare with the scale at the gym because I was fully clothed, and just the fact it's a different scale means there's going to be a bit of difference.

Anyway, I weighed in at 221 lbs - and if you take off 3 lbs for clothes and shoes, that means I'm down to about 218 lbs! Boo-ya!

Even the doctor was pleasantly surprised. He remarked that he tells people all the time to lose weight to no effect. We talked about me losing it simply due to portion control, and I told him that I'll probably add more exercise if I plateau, and he seemed to think that was a good plan. So now I can say that what I'm doing is doctor-approved!

Summary:
Starting Weight: 237 lbs.
Weeks 1-9 Loss: 18 lbs.
Week 10 Loss: 1 lbs
Current Weight: 218 lbs.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Crying, Waiting, Hoping

I don't know what to say.

RedFaery is meeting with her temp agency rep after work tomorrow at his request. She fears the worst - that the place she is contracted to work is going to end the contract. Which means unemployment.

And I have no encouraging words for her, because I think she's right.

Drawing upon my own experiences, her past employment experiences, and heck, even my dad's recent job changes, the signs are all there.

1. New company president, needing to make a quick profit to please shareholders.
2. She's personally witnessed many terminations of "unneeded personal" because of her position in managing e-mail accounts.
3. A co-worker, who had been "contract labor" also for about 18 months longer than promised finally got officially hired - which I'm sure put a crimp on the department's budget.
4. Contract labor is always the first to go in a recession, which we are heading back into, and/or a "contraction" which the company is obviously experiencing.
5. Her supervisor at work asked her, and only her, to go to lunch tomorrow (a Friday - the day most people statistically are "let go"). Think of Jerry Maguire.
6. Her temp agency rep doesn't do the "let's get together" thing unless he's got something important to discuss. Plus he made himself unavailable for questions until the time of the meeting.

The ONLY thing I can think to mention is that I truly believe that her fear of being fired for being sick too often is not the reason. It could be a factor in deciding between her and another contractor that just started there at most. But I think even he will be let go for the first four reasons I listed above.

RedFaery's been let down by company after company all her life - she busts her hump to prove herself with no good results in the end.

Keep her in your thoughts, and pray that we are both wrong.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Tomorrow Never Knows

I mentioned a few days ago that Tevye is the #1 role I want to play on my list of "Role I Must Do Before I Die". About a year ago, I posted my official list online, and went back today and found it. So I'm posting it here in case anyone wanted to know (and so I can find it easier - it was the only copy):

In order of desire to play (boldface roles accomplished):

1. Tevye from "Fiddler on the Roof" (possibly this summer!)
2. Nicely-Nicely Johnson from "Guys & Dolls" (I played Harry the Horse in high school)
3. Henry Higgins or Alfred Doolittle in "My Fair Lady" (I played one of Alfred's drinking pals in high school)
4. King Arthur from "Camelot" (I played a random knight at Hayswood about 20 years ago)
5. the Leading Character in "Pippin" (I played Luis at Hayswood about 15 years ago - although I'd settle for King Charlemagne)
6. Jesus in "Godspell" (did that about 4 years ago)
7. Audrey 2 in "Little Shop of Horrors" (although I'd settle for the Dentist)
8. the Cowardly Lion in "Wizard of Oz" (did it last year)
9. the Phantom in "Phantom of the Opera" (pipe dream)
10. any role in "Dracula" (played VanHelsing 2-1/2 years ago)

RedFaery will be happy to note that none of these roles require kissing anyone (a few you could see it happening, but not necessary) - she's still the only one that gets all my lip action!

If I get all ten of these checked off, I'd probably retire from acting. Dead serious.

A Taste of Honey (Mead?)

The Blue Plate Special Drinking Game!

Everytime Della falls asleep, do a Jagerbomb
Everytime Ricky Jim takes a picture, drink a Slo Gin Fizz
Everytime Ramona says, "Momma", drink a Cosmopolitan
Everytime Connie Sue changes outfits (and wigs), drink a Sex on the Beach
Everytime Ronnie Frank motions to or grabs his crotch, have a Lynchberg Lemonade
Everytime Preacher Larry tries to tell someone who he is, drink a Shirley Temple

By my calculations, that's about 83 drinks in two hours time! Probably the best idea is to bring a few friends and divy up the characters. Assign three people to Ramona unless you want to kill someone...

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Run For Your Life

Today, I figured out where I would hole up should the zombie invasion ever make it's way to Louisville.

Pepboys! Now hear me out...


I took my Taurus there this morning for new brake pads, a couple of new tires and alignment, and various adjustments. Dropped a load of cash, and managed to do some of my work on reports from there as well. I had a lot of time to just wander around to place, and did some thinking.

First of all, the only end that had access was the front - the rest was a thick wall of concrete. Try to get thru that, you undead fucks! And the front could easily be lined with a huge wall of tires - three deep should be enough.

Next of great importance - the place is full of all kind of liquids that are either flammable or corrosive to human flesh. And when you're a zombie, you don't think about OSHA-recommended protective gloves or clothing. Fish in a barrel, baby!

Finally, there are a lot of dangerous-looking things there that people attach to their cars and trucks that would make excellent melee weapons. You may not be able to tell at a glance, but you can cleave a skull with a well-aimed #24 Rainex windshield wiper blade!

And as an added bonus, they keep beef jerky, Pringles and hard candy up by the front counter. Those shambling corpses won't be able to wait me out - no sir!

The place is big enough for a few of you to come along; so if you're reading this, you'll know where to find me now in case this apocalyptic event should occur. Make sure to say something like "Hey Ray, let me in!" instead of "BRAINS!!!" so I'll know you're still among the living.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Act Naturally

About once a week, I check the Hayswood Theatre website to see if they've posted any info about upcoming shows. Now that I live in Louisville, I've pretty much told myself that very few shows will ever entice me to drive all the way back to Corydon several nights a week. It would have to pretty much be the number one show, and the number one role, on my list of "Plays I Must Do Before I Die".

And there it was, to be performed this summer - "Fiddler on the Roof".

I first saw Fiddler before I was even a teenager, on stage at some dinner theatre as part of a school trip. I don't remember how old I was, but I hadn't done much acting yet, so it had to be grade school. All I remember thinking, after seeing such a superb performance, was "someday I need to be Tevye". It's the role that I got into acting for in the first place. At the risk of mixing religions, it's my Holy Grail of roles.

Besides the long drives to and from rehearsals, there are many other obstacles I have to overcome. The obvious one is landing the role in the first place. I WILL play Tevye someday, I've no doubt - this just may not be the time. That will be hard to accept if that's the case, but I'll deal. I've still got a lot of years left in me, and I pretty much JUST became old enough (and good enough) to pull it off, so I can be patient if the need calls for it. I'd just prefer not to!

Another obstacle is that I've just agreed to create and host the Alley Theater Improv Challenge, the planned money-maker for the new theater. However, most of the time that will be put into getting it going will be in these next two months before auditions for Fiddler take place. Then after that, the show runs itself - I just need to spend an hour or so prepping and Thursday nights hosting. As long as rehearsals can work around that, I'm good.

The final obstacle is yet more time lost with RedFaery. She's been very patient with the long rehearsals and weekend-munching performances for "Blue Plate Special" and was comforted in the thought of me taking a theatre break for a while. For this I have no good answer, other than that I just need to make the most of the time we do have together. She knows my passion for this show - I can only hope that she can share that passion with me.

Glass Onion

The other day I saw that Blogger said that in the Chinese zodiac, I'm a Dog - I was born in 1971, but before the Chinese New Year, so by their calendar I was born in 1970. Since I had Chinese food today (and saw the zodiac on the placemat, thus putting it at the forefront of my mind), I decided to get more info on my canine traits.

Some of the traits listed I agree with (good and bad): honest, faithful and sincere; respect tradition and value honor, and enjoy helping people; not good at socializing with friends, and rarely shines in company, but he is intelligent, caring and a good listener; born old and get younger as they age; makes a splendid captain of industry, a priest, an educator, a critic, or a doctor (I've been all these except a doctor); usually very generous and loyal, and in love, he is honest and straightforward; a worrier;an introvert who rarely shows his feelings; when he does it's only because he thinks it is absolutely necessary. In love, the most salient characteristic of Dogs is their loyalty.

Some traits listed I disagree with (bad and good): very righteous, and always is the first to speak out against injustice; when panic strikes, he can turn nasty, and bark till he is tired; takes everything very serious; will have romantic problems all his life - it's his own fault, really: he leads himself by his emotional in stability and his eternal anxiety (this was once true, but not now); tend to be both magnanimous and prosperous, yet they can also be dogged, guarded, and defensive; never really relaxes; frequently cynical, feared for his sharp tongue and his acid and disagreeable remarks; gives the impression of looking systematically for faults in everything he touches - this is because he is the world's biggest pessimist and expects nothing out of life.

Famous dogs include Winston Churchill, Al Jolson, George Gershwin, Michael Jackson, and Madonna.

Arf.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

The Incredible Shrinking Ray - Week 9

Not a real entry this week, as we didn't go to the gym this weekend (RedFaery's got a cold), so I didn't weigh myself. However, if I were to guess, I'd say that I probably gained one or two back. I really slipped on portion control this weekend, and my body let me know it wasn't happy. At least I know that I can't pack it in like I used to, so that's something positive.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Rocky Raccoon

The groundhog is an asshole.

That's all.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Slow Down

They said it was coming for about a week now. Snow. Buckets and buckets of snow. Or as I like to refer to it - "frozen death from above".

I'm one of those "I'll believe it when I see it" types. I don't doubt it's going to happen, but when they predict outrageous numbers of inches, I typically think "Yeah, right". This time was no different.

Thursday the latest report was "snow overnight, and continuing until morning". At least this time it wouldn't effect our play, since we have no performances on Fridays. But Friday is our big workday, so I was paying attention.

RedFaery got up at her usual time, about 90 minutes before me. I mutter to her "Any snow out there?" and she replies, "Nope". I smile and roll over. About 20 minutes later when she's ready yo walk out the door, she told me it had started to show. "About goddamn time!" I think.

One hour later I get up and see over an inch on the ground. Ahh shit...

I head in to work on a slippery interstate populated by overly timid pussy drivers and amazingly fast idiots with no concept of traction. I get there and everyone's amazingly there. Hope they brought sleeping bags.

Hope Papa Johns won't renig on their promise to deliver. It's only across the damn street...

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Paperback Writer

Another review of "Blue Plate Special", this one on Theatre Louisville's website:

http://theatrelouisville.org/reviews2008/cm_blueplatespecial.php

This one is written better BY FAR than the LEO review last week. It praised, it critiqued, and it was specific. I don't think the reviewers on this site are paid, and it's a damn shame that the reviewer from LEO was in comparison!

Of me (yes, me - this is MY blog damnit!), she had to say:
Ray Robinson's Ricky Jim doesn't quite seem to possess the same vigor as some of the others; while the character is dim, he could be a little less hangdog and a little more modulated in his schlepping about. His accent is unusual, kind of Tennessee laced with Chicago, which is only disconcerting until we learn that Chicago is exactly where Della met him.

She makes valid points, especially about me being hangdog. Some of that is direction - Ricky Jim does pretty much get treated like a doormat, so playing him as a defeated personality makes sense. But I'll admit that some stems from my insecurities of being surrounded by seasoned pros; a battle I've made great strides in, but I still have some work to do it seems.

As for the accent, that's entirely accidental. The Tennessee drawl and talking pace are intentional, but the Chicago tinge was not. Honestly I've never been accused of having a "northern" accent. Maybe that's RedFaery's influence, as she was raised in northern Indiana. Thanks dear!

Anyway, I appreciate the thought that went into this piece, and wish more reviewers were this thorough. Makes my day!

Hello Goodbye

I've read online that Dungeons and Dragons creator Gary Gygax has died.

Like many others, D&D helped spur my imagination as a teenager. It increased my intelligence and vocabulary (how many 13 year olds know what a portcullis is?), and while I didn't know it at the time, furthered my improv and acting skills better than any class I ever took on the subject.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Gygax once at a gaming convention in Evansville, IN when I was 15. He autographed my copy of Deities and Demigods, even though he didn't have a hand in creating that specific book. I still have it on my shelf - worn and tattered from endless readings and uses, and I still pull it out once in awhile to glance thru.

While others online are making Save vs. Death jokes right now, I'll just simply say "Thanks" to a man that gave this shy, awkward kid something to do a quarter of a century ago.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

The Incredible Shrinking Ray - Week 8

Ladies and gentlemen, I've reached my first big milestone in weight loss. I have cracked the 220 barrier, and in doing so I've reached the halfway point to my main goal of 200 lbs.

I tried to remember back to when I last weighed 219 lbs, and my best guess was about the age of 21 - a few years after living with my grandparents, when I first ballooned up. By then, all those bad eating habits, as well as being sedentary, were second nature and began my slow annual climb of packing on an average of 3-4 lbs a year.

All reversed in less than two months! I'm interested to see where I'll be at the beginning of May...

I wasn't the only one to hit a milestone. RedFaery dropped just below the 200 lb mark this week, for the first time in about seven years, when her Grave's disease started attacking her thyroid. This was her primary goal. Since she feels like she can continue to push herself at the rate she has been (exercising 3-4 times a week), she's set a new goal for herself of losing another 10 lbs - and I've every reason to believe she'll get there in no time!


Summary:
Starting Weight: 237 lbs.
Weeks 1-6 Loss: 16 lbs.
Week 8 Loss: 2 lbs.
Current Weight: 219 lbs.