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The Presidential Debate

Speaking of the debate, I thought McCain did a very good job last night. I'm not sure why people thought Obama won it - he sounded more stridently liberal (e.g., class warfare rhetoric, "health insurance is a right", etc.) than in the previous debate. Like a lot of other people, I thought Brokaw did a terrible job; he turned it into a traditional debate instead of the more open format that was intended. My favorite part, though, was how McCain worked the rules. He seemed to get a disproportionate share of final answers to questions and he used those to take shots at Obama when Obama wasn't allowed, via the rules, to respond. And the one time when he did attempt to break the rules to respond to one of McCain's volleys, he was shouted down by Brokaw the Enforcer. Man I loved that part. For an old man, McCain's a clever guy.

And a lot of people are complaining that McCain didn't bring up Obama's connections with scurrilous folks like Ayers and Rezko. Actually I'm kinda glad that he didn't. That's not McCain's job. That the job of the right-wing blogosphere and punditry. And I think they are doing a pretty good job so far.

weight loss progress (or lack thereof)

Okay so my weight has remained more or less the same over the past month. I attribute this to a lack of consistency. I would sometimes stay within my calorie range and sometimes not; I would sometimes go to the gym and sometimes not. I've decided that this month I am going to focus on discipline. It matters less what I actually do (as long as it is helpful); it matters more that I do it regularly and consistently. So I've put off the weight lifting for now (because I don't actually like weight lifting) and I'm going to do only cardio, 6 days a week, in the mornings, without fail. And, I won't slack off on my other duties. I won't let my apartment get a messy wreck and then spend an entire day cleaning it; I will clean as I go. I won't let the dishes pile up in the sink. Etc.

But, then a further realization revealed that I've done this sort of thing before; I would make a commitment to do something, put my entire energy behind it, but then inevitably my will power would falter and I would slip back into the old ways. So this time I'm going to change things up a bit. I'm going to reward myself periodically for remaining disciplined. And, what better reward than beer! Lite beer, of course. And, only one mug. (Well maybe two.) And some associated keno. It won't be one big reward at the end for being successful, because I will never make it that far without some encouragement in the middle. So, twice a week or so I will treat myself in this way. One or two beers won't bust my budget or my diet and it will be something I can look forward to.

So far, so good. I did cheat a little bit today when I had a slice of pizza but I remained steadfast the rest of the time. And I had beer and keno last night after the presidential debate. This morning I weighed myself and I was at 231 lbs. So wish me luck. By the end of the month I hope to be below 230 lbs certainly, hopefully around 227-228 lbs or so.

More on Nebraska Gas

Here in Nebraska there is something weird. The price for mid-grade gasoline is actually less than the price for low-grade gas. The mid-grade gas has 10% ethanol and I believe that the price is due to ethanol subsidies. You see the same thing in Iowa. I've tried to find information on the Web to see how this came about but I've been unsuccessful so far, and I really don't want to wade through piles of legislative records. So, if you notice the price of liquor increasing in your area, you'll be happy to know that it's because I'm burning your alcohol in my car.

Wow

Wow, I didn't realize it had been a whole month already since I updated my blog. My apologies to my 2 blog readers.

Price of Gas

Hey guess what, today the price of gas here has fallen to below $3/gallon. I saw it at $2.99 and at $2.97. Good news indeed - I celebrate the price of gas that, just a mere 5 years ago would have seemed extortionate. Sure my retirement fund has been wiped out but I'm getting a great deal on gas!

Belated Blog Update #2: Weight Loss

So I have beem making a concerted effort to lose weight while I'm here. I hired a personal trainer, I have been studying nutrition, but most of all I feel like this is my last chance to lose the weight that I should lose. If I can't do it now when I have plenty of time to devote to the effort, then I'm probably never going to be able to do it.

Things started off well. I started at 236 lbs. and over the course of 4 weeks I was down to 232.5 lbs. Not dramatic, but definitely good. And then...I had a complete lapse of will yesterday. I had 3/4 of a large pepperoni pizza and I didn't go to the gym. This morning's weight? 236 lbs. I gained it all back in the course of one day. I can't tell you how disheartening this feels.

I guess the most enlightening aspect is the degree to which cheating will inhibit my progress. I can't really cheat at all and expect to get to the weight that I desire.

UPDATE: Okay so I just weighed myself right now, after eating breakfast and taking a shower, and now my scale says 235 lbs. Weird.