Unfortunately, I saw it coming

Posted on 12/22/2008 by RLW3

This post might make you wonder if I am just making all of these events up. I am beginning to wonder myself.

I have two weeks left before I start my new job. Since it is 30 miles away, we will need a second car. While our F150 Super Crew pickup is a great family vehicle, it only gets about 15-18 miles per gallon. That means that I would be using about 4 gallons of gas every day just to get to work! Needless to say, I need a more fuel efficient car to get to my new job so that I don’t end up working to be able to pay to get to work!

I spent a good deal of time today on the Internet looking at prospective used cars. I don’t know how everyone else does it, but it is VERY time consuming for me. I finally narrowed it down to about six cars and started calling. I had an appointment to test drive a Toyota Corolla at 4:00. I didn’t make the appointment.

Earlier in the morning, I asked my son if he wanted to play racquetball. We had not played since the first week that we moved in.

We were having a great time right up until the time that

I turned to see where the ball was. I quickly realized that I turned around just in time to see him crush the ball. I mean I really saw it…because the ball struck me directly in the left eye!

Oh my goodness… the pain!!!

I fell to the floor mostly because it was just too much work to try and keep my balance. I don’t think that my son knew quite how to react. After a few seconds, he asked “Are you all right?”

“NO!”

I didn’t realize that I had been sweating until I covered my eye with my hand and felt the moisture. I didn’t realize it then because I initially thought it was blood! Needless to say, it was not fun!

After I recovered (I use that term advisedly since I can’t see all that well out of my left eye), I had my second big recollection of the day (read the previous post for the first one): “You never turn around to watch the flight of the ball in racquetball.”

Needless to say, I didn’t make my 4:00 appointment.

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Just too dang easy!

Posted on 12/22/2008 by RLW3

This morning, I remembered why I don’t like working out on machines.

If you read my recent posts (click the ‘exercise’ tag button), you are familiar with my challenges in continuing my quest to fight off old age, keep my life insurance costs low and continue to deceive myself that I am not THAT far removed from my prime.

Well, early this morning, I overcame all of the obstacles and jumped on a treadmill at the apartment complex’ gym. I managed to stay on it the whole time this time. But, I now I remember why I don’t like working out on all of these various machines!

When I am running on my normal outdoor course, after about 15-20 minutes, I don’t feel like running any more. I’m not saying that I usually FEEL like running at the start but the lofty ideals and dreams of being fit and healthy and living a long, vigorous, active life are usually strong enough to trick me into starting this regular ritual of self-torture.

As I was saying, before I so rudely interrupted myself, about the 15-20 minute mark, I don’t feel like running anymore. One thing that helps me overcome the temptation to quit is the fact that I am about two miles from home. I have to keep running!

Unfortunately, that is not true on a treadmill. I was already getting progressively “piffed” (think Old English where the letter s looked like the letter f) at CNN’s endless replays of the three plane accidents, various reports of the “harsh” winter weather and announcing the giddy anticipation of Obama’s approaching “Ascent to Power”. I mean NOTHING but negative “news”. 

So when the 15-20 minute mark rolled around, realizing that I was no further from home then when I started, I decided that I had had enough. I quit!

You might say, “just get back on!” And what, watch CNN for 15 more minutes? That’s really inspiring! At least when I am running outdoors, I have the scenery to distract me and the thought that I am getting closer to home give me comfort and encouragement amidst the various sources of pain in my body!

I am going to ask my son to play racquetball with me this afternoon.

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He’s getting better

Posted on 12/21/2008 by RLW3

I spent Friday afternoon and nearly all day Saturday attending my son’s wrestling tournament. All of the schools in Johnson County meet to determine the county champion. There were more wrestlers (although not the same in quality) in this tournament than will be in the State tournament next February.

My son was seeded 2nd in his weight class out of 20 wrestlers! The top seed finished fourth in the State tournament last year as a Junior and is undefeated this year.

Big A started the tournament by winning his first five matches, 4 of them by pinning his opponent’s shoulders to the mat. When he got his fifth pin in the semi-finals, one of Big A’s teammates heard some of the fans from the top seeded guy’s school murmuring “Who is this guy?”

In the final, he faced the top seed. The first and last time Big A wrestled him was in the Regional finals in February shortly after he made the Varsity team. The match ended in the middle of the second period as he lost 17-2 and was proud of the fact that he didn’t get pinned!

This time was a different story. He lost 9-5.

There was a critical moment in the match where his opponent was just about to break out of his grasp and put him in real trouble. So what did my son do?

He slowly climbed up off of his knees and picked the guy 2-3 feet off of the mat with one arm while fighting the guys counter attack off with the other!!!! The crowd was almost in disbelief over what it was seeing! “Hey, what is he doing? Does he realize who he is picking up? Doesn’t he know that this is supposed to be an easy match?” It was so exciting!

Anyway, he is now 14-5 and people are starting to know his name.

On the other hand, I am really trying hard to not get into the “THAT’S MY BOY!!!” syndrome but it is getting very difficult!

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Can I go outside?

Posted on 12/20/2008 by RLW3

I am determined to continue exercising. However, these past few weeks have presented my biggest external challenge so far. (For the internal challenges, read “It’s Just Jogging”)

First, it is cold here. You say, “Duh! It’s winter!” I realize that YOU might be confused since it has already snowed in Los Angeles, but technically, it is still fall.

Every morning, before I go outside, I check my high tech thermometer (an AccuWeather desktop widget) to see how cold it is outside. It has been pretty common to read that it is “28°, ‘Feels Like’ 17°”.

You know, 28° is really not that bad. In fact, I even enjoy it. It is bracing and invigorating! It’s the ‘Feels Like’ part that gets a little tough.

A few weeks ago, my widget said “17°, ‘Feels Like’ 14°”. I thought, “Well, I’ve run “28°, ‘Feels Like’ 17°”. How much colder can “17°, ‘Feels Like’ 14°” be?” So, I tucked my hands in the ends of the sleeves of my sweatshirt and took off running.

Between the physical effort required to run and my sweat outfit, my body stayed reasonably warm considering the circumstances. However, I don’t really have anything to cover my face. On that run, I remembered that I had forgotten what real cold felt like! My face hurt! My lips felt like they were changing into ice cubes while still attached to my face!

Now, add to the cold that fact that it snowed…and then it rained…and because it is so cold, everything turned to ice.

This week, self preservation forced me to abandon the great outdoors. I tried an elliptical machine for the first time. I just couldn’t get it right. I was either running in a continuously crouched position which made my gluteus maximus feel like it was going to explode or I would get jostled and nearly thrown off the machine when I tried a more upright, ‘natural’ running posture.

To top it off, the machine was constantly telling me to slow down! What do you mean, “Slow down? I’m supposed to be working out!” Let’s just say that I have not quite bonded with the elliptical machine yet.

Two days later, I tried a treadmill.  It is almost like running outdoors. Now, that worked pretty well.…

right up to the time that I decided to see what they were showing on the television and my left foot veered six inches to the left.

Now, when you are running in the great outdoors, generally speaking, this would not be a problem. However, when you are running on a treadmill, that six inches makes a world of difference because that is where the moving part of the treadmill ends!

My left foot hit the rail and stopped moving. My right foot landed in the desire target range and kept moving and I was unceremoniously thrown off the machine and sent sprawling (it wasn’t just a little shy of crashing) into the wall.

I am like a little kid. Winter already has me literally bouncing off of the walls and I am already looking mournfully out the window and asking, “Mom, when can I go outside and play?”

Posted in Humor, Physical | Tagged | 1 Comment

Ahh! The sound of slamming doors!

Posted on 12/19/2008 by RLW3

I am not really surprised anymore.

My plans to enroll my two children in the Great Books Tutorial just hit a big snag.

The instructor just called me to tell me that he will accept my daughter in GBT II if her writing skills meet his criteria! If he does accept her, she will also have to enroll in his class on Euclidean Geometry!

Its funny actually. The high school is concerned that my daughter’s education will fall below their standards while the tutorial service is concerned that she might not be up to its standards.

He also informed m that he will not accept my son in GBT IV because he has not take GBT III!

So there you go! A rock and a hard place.

However, he did give me the phone number of the tutor that I really wanted in the first place (I didn’t tell him that)! I tried to get Cakes in his class two years ago but it was already full.

I just came in from praying in the snow for the past 1/2 hour! I need this door to open!!!

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Fighting the Midwestern winter spread

Posted on 12/19/2008 by RLW3

It is becoming painfully clear to me why people tend to gain weight in the Midwest during the winter.

First, it is cold outside and the thought of hot food is SO enticing. Honestly, who craves a salad when it is 11° outside?

If that weren’t enough of a general, ongoing difficulty, you have all those holidays with such great food!

Finally, it is difficult to want to go outside and be active when the roads and sidewalks are covered with snow or ice.

Anyway, I find myself fighting a war on two fronts: trying to control my eating and trying to continue exercising.

Its enough to wear you out. I think I’ll have a cookie with some milk and take a nap.

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Brass!!!

Posted on 12/18/2008 by RLW3

My son is such a man!

In the essay section of his Comm Arts final, he had a choice of subjects: symbolism, rite of passage, or power. Big A chose to write about power.

Instead of taking the safe path and essentially writing a glorified book report, he showed that every book that the class read this semester (Going After Cacciato, In Cold Blood, Brave New World and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) glorified rebellion to authority and cowardice. He stated that true power rests in being submitted to authority as long as that authority is submitted to God.

Keep in mind that this is after the flap about him leaving Comm Arts next semester for GBT!

No fear in that young man!

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Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without em

Posted on 12/17/2008 by RLW3

I have a little catching up to do. I had problems with my computer. If you have been reading very long, you know that this is not new (click on the tag “MacBookPro”).

Anyway, it is all fixed now.

This time it was my fault. I decided to reorganize my application folder. It turns out that is not always a good thing to do. You can actual mess your computer up so that is NO LONGER RUNS!!!

Anyway, it is all fixed now.

I just had to erase my hard drive, re-install the operating system, transfer all of my old information from my backup hard drive (thank God for Time Machine) and then reinstall whatever I did not back up…TWICE!!!

Anyway, it is all fixed now. And it is a little more organized.

And yes, I am backing EVERYTHING up as I type this.

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I upset the apple cart

Posted on 12/16/2008 by RLW3

I am a little fired up tonight.

This past weekend, I enrolled both of my children in Escondido Tutorial Service‘s Great Books class. They were both enrolled in the class two years ago while we were homeschooling in CA.

I had been considering it for several weeks and had already talked with a school administrator about this when I visited to one of my son’s teachers. Last Friday night, I noticed that the deadline for next semester’s payment was due on Monday (12/15)! I made my decision, signed them up online and mailed the check.

I went in to the school yesterday afternoon and cleared up all of the scheduling changes for next semester. An administrator said that we will need approval from the school district for my son’s last semester to count toward his graduation requirements but she assured me that it shouldn’t be a problem as they know that this program is very well thought of.

Now, keep in mind that the school that my children are attending is universally acknowledged to be the one of the best in the area. 90% of the students attend college.

However, that does not change the fact that it is a state school. And if it is a state school, then its ruling paradigm is that the state is god.

My wife and I (and our children) do not hold that opinion. We believe that God is God and that he has given parents the authority and responsibility to educate their children as they see fit.

Today, the two teachers learned of my decision.

My son’s teacher evidently talked with the wrestling coach. How do I know this?

For the FIRST time, the coach asked my son if he was thinking of wrestling in college. When my son answered affirmatively, he said that he might want to reconsider my decision “because the colleges are very strict in what credits they will accept. You might be jeopardizing your chances with this move.” Prior to this, he has expressed no interest or excitement in my son’s future. Now, out of the blue, he’s “concerned”???

My daughter’s Comm Arts teacher questioned the decision also. “As an educator, I don’t think that this is best for you. I’m concerned about your reading skills. (she scored in the 74th percentile on the PSAT while testing as a just turned 16 year old junior!) I think your father has made a mistake. Is sounds like he did this without talking to you. Are you O.K. with this?”

I find it interesting that in both instances they appealed to my children as though it were their decision to make. But that is understandable. That is one of the foundational tenets of public schooling in our formerly great nation.

I’m actually grateful for this conflict. My children are witnessing first hand what we have been teaching them all of these years.

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Should we? I don’t know…

Posted on 12/15/2008 by RLW3

Having FINALLY turned 16, my youngest daughter (Cakes) has been seeking work as a hostess at a nice restaurant across the street from our apartment. This past weekend she came home from her second interview with some delightful news.

The manager of the restaurant wants to treat my wife and I (and Cakes) to a meal! He wants her parents to get to know the restaurant!

Hmmm…Should we go?

Well, all right!

It was very nice. And the food was very good. The bang-bang shrimp appetizer was worth the trip all by itself. I got to have me some more of that stuff!

When our waitress learned that the manager was taking care of the bill and that Cakes had already had two interviews, she hinted that it is likely that she will actually be hired!

It is so exciting to see her grow up!

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