Day 343

Another day. Sunday. Fair, but definitely not one of my best. Ended better than it started. Issues with someone who really messed me up today. Not the first time, surely won’t be the last, but, as usual, not necessary and frustrating as hell.

Had to leave a while to do other things, so I went into one of the nearby towns to do some errands. Picked up another 100 pounds of salt for the water softener, and finally have it full. Will have to check it periodically to see how long it lasts. Not really a big deal – salt is less than $6.00 a bag, but they are 40 pounds each and it’s clumsy to handle where the softener is located (in the well house). Small inside, and awkward, but got it done.

Spent part of the day grading papers – one of the things than comes from the subject I teach. Some fields– like math – are easy to grade, as they can use a scantron – a device that auto-grades using a punched rubric. My field requires hands-on and it takes a while to do for each paper. Part of the deal, but I do get tired of always having a load of papers to grade, even on weekends.

Also did some work on the tower base for the ham radio tower. It will be 60 feet tall when done, and I’m looking forward to it. The ground here is rock – all rock, and even the places with dirt only covers the rock with a few inches of soil. We had to use a heavy-duty jackhammer and it is tough on the body when one is getting older. Good, physical work, but the jackhammer weighs something like 75 pounds, so between the vibration and the re-positioning, it is a difficult job. I have a local ham (down the road – literally) helping, but I did some while he rested and it’s a job, believe me. If I didn’t already have an education, that thing would make me want one so I’d never have to work like that for a living. Built the feedline pass-through for the window in the station, so that is now done. Waiting on a few things to get the radio end ready for whenever the tower/antenna part of done.

Breakfast wasn’t, due to the conflict, and I guess that’s one of the things I really need to work on. When I am angry, or in this case, disappointed/frustrated, I either eat or don’t at all, and today was a don’t. Had some lunch of rice and beans (which I really like. Simple, peasant-type food and easy to eat). Had a relatively small bowl and while good, I was still dealing with the “issues.” I tend to always want things resolved, and when they aren’t, it irritates me to no end, and I don’t think it will ever be any different.

Dinner was a pizza split with KL, and it was thin crust, some pepperoni and it had red and green bell pepper on it. I was surprised that the peppers were so good, as I’m not a huge fan of most peppers. I don’t know if that is due to me liking them more now or I just didn’t care because of the above issues. Overall, calories today should have been good and the “exercise” was more than usual. My hip now hurts (old injury from motorcycle racing) and the left knee too (combo injury – football, motorcycle racing, and a skydiving issue). Going to be sore. Someday, when the decking is done here, I want a hot tub to soak in and to use to unwind where I can see the view.

Class tomorrow, and looking forward to it. Will have the department chair in my classroom on Friday, and I’m not crazy about that. I have been doing this a while and even though I know the reasons why (they have to do it with everyone, once a semester), I really don’t like it – never have. Will get past it and I hope the class shines that day. Have to wait and see.

Worked on the first book in the trilogy last night and today, and it is really, really close. Need to put the chapters out and have a look at it to see if all is okay.

Belt tighter now (one notch), so it looks like this is working. I’m not going to buy any clothes until I reach the end, assuming all works out like I hope it does.

Once again, it’s time to go. I just felt I needed to write something since I missed yesterday. See you tomorrow.

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 345

Missed a couple of days – no problem as no one is reading this but me anyway.

Weighed yesterday and I’m down 13 pounds for the starting weight. Feels good, but need to lose a lot more. Don’t feel like I’m dieting, which is a good thing, so hopefully it will keep going unless I start to plateau – always a possibility. If I do, then I have to adjust (walk more, eat less, whatever) to move on. Like this idea and it’s niche to see some results. KL is down ten or so too, and I can SEE it on her. She is tall and when we met she was really slim. It’s nice to see her slimming up again. I can already see the change with her even with only ten pounds as she carries her weight like most women – in her hip area - and it shows already. When she slims up she looks soooo good – tall, thin, good-looking and Italian. WooooHoooo. I really am a lucky man.

Classes are going great. Semesters each have a rhythm of their own, as do individual classes, and sometimes they go good, sometimes more difficult. I teach at a prominent university here, and the kids there are interesting. Many have cheated their way into the top 10% as this state allows top ten percent kids admission into state-supported universities as a guarantee of achieving the top ten percent. The only issue is that many got there by not putting in the effort they will need to graduate (or get through their freshman year). Most are fairly conscientious though, as compared to the community college where I also teach (part time). Those guys sometimes struggle with the “thirteenth grade” concept and think college is just the next class, which it is most definitely not. It is the next step up, and some struggle with the differences in expectations. That said, they are often slow to know that they can’t slack in college on papers, attendance, whatever like they did in high school. Might have been okay last year, but not now. Anyway, all classes are going well and it’s been a while since I had a semester when that was going on. The same class, with different mixes of students, can often have tremendous differences in dynamics.

If you’ve been following the saga of the Great Pyrenees, it appears that the steroids that the vet had him on was likely the issue. Makes KL and I feel better and it looks like he is going to be fine. One of the issues was that he might not be adoptable if he had some weirdity in him – common with dogs that have been rescued. He was starved nearly to death, sick, and apparently tormented with water (like from a water hose – probably for barking as Pyrs bark loud and often). He had been fine with us and then got spacy, so I’m glad it was the meds and he is okay now. Any dog that is 40 pounds underweight and who struggles to stay alive as hard has he has deserves a forever home with someone someday.

Some bad news. The world lost J.D. Salinger today (Catcher in the Rye). Robert Parker (mystery writer – Spencer for Hire) and Eric Segal (Love Story) recently. Not a good week for the literary world. Salinger’s book touched several generations of readers, and it is one of those truly special books (right up there, almost, with To Kill a Mockingbird). Love Story touched a whole generation and Parker was one of the best at what he did. I hope November Rain, Looking For Shoes, and Trinity (my books in progress) someday touch someone, even just a little.

I have come to the realization that I am, right now, as happy as I have been in my entire life. Not in an event sort of way – kids born, whatever, but in a day-to-day-living-sort of way. We have what most would call a “million dollar view” from our living room (and the bedroom!), the house is as low-tech green as we could make it, there are still plenty of fun projects to do here, my ham station is going together (okay, a bit geeky, but I like it), and I have a wonderful wife (Finally!). It can’t get any better than this.

I do wish someone would sign up as a follower so I can feel like there is one soul out there I’m talking to, but if not, no biggie. I’ll just chat with book characters, students, and KL when I need to talk to people (and sort of people).

Adios for now.

- Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 347

Well, I must say, I am a bit sad. Had to call the last foster of the Great Pyrenees we were trying to foster here for a while and she came and took him back with her. He just wouldn’t bond with us here. He and Sadie got along famously, but he got a little strange earlier. Found him on the bed – not okay – and had a hard time getting him to get off of it. Then he retreated into the closet and stayed there. She thinks it may have to do with his meds – he’s on steroids to get him ready for the heartworm treating. Anyway, he is back with her and she has two pyrs right now – both former rescues. Perhaps he simply missed the others as he isn’t that far away (time wise) from being on the streets.

Semester is going great – some of the best classes I’ve ever had. Good students who interact – something unusual for freshmen for the most part. Upperclassmen generally won’t shut up and are opinionated, but freshmen often think others know more than they do and don’t participate well generally. This bunch does, and it makes classes so much more fun for everyone – including me. Three are argumentative classes and I’ve been able to use local issues to advantage. There was a move underway on the campus where I teach to arm students (legally) as a reaction to the tragedy of Virginia Tech. The discussion was solid and interesting and it went extremely well.

I am a ham radio guy – yeah, I know, KL thinks it’s a little nerdy too. It is and t isn’t. The earthquake in Haiti was ham radio in action, as there was zero communications there other than the hams who live there fulltime and those who went from the US there. I am putting up a tower here – the first I’ve had up since sometime in the 80’s. I’ve used wire antennas off and on, and with the acreage here, I can finally put up a tower and a good antenna. I have friends all over the world, and King Hussein of Jordan, Andy Devine (old time TV/movie star), Marlon Brando, and Tom Christian (relative of Fletcher Christian of Mutiny on the Bounty fame), among others are, or were, hams. Anyway, I’m setting up a new station here and it’s fun for me. I do what is called qrp operating, which means low power. I can legally operate at 2000 watts, but choose to operate at 5 watts or less, and often at 1 watt. It’s a challenge thing.

Had cereal again for breakfast and skipped lunch, which isn’t really a good idea. We had pancakes for dinner. Apple cinnamon, and they were great. KL is also trying baking some apples for tonight. Should be good too and it will add to the fruit intake.
I want to up my fruit intake, but I’ve never been a fruit eater, except for apples and bananas. I’ll have to check into some other fruits to see if I can find a way to expand.

I’ve tried to introduce wine into the evening for the last few days, drinking a glass or so nightly. I have a very small collection of wines here – mostly reds and some whites, much of which was a part of a batch of wine we had made to give to the owner of the homeowner’s building company we used when we built the little (main) house. HE saved us money on several occasions, so we had his favorite (cabernet sauvignon) bottled for him with a great “view” picture from the area of our house. We are 1800 feet up on the side of a hill and have the most spectacular views and sunsets. Anyway – back to the wine. I lean toward whites, and more to semi-sweet than too dry. In Chicago, we often drink some Greek red that I like, so I’ll have to add some of that to the group here.

Tired – I guess, disappointed more than anything. The dog could have been ours. We had a Great Pyrenees a while back – Hercules – and he was super. Never had a dog so good, so I’m a little distressed that this one didn’t work out. One never knows what has happened with a rescue and I know this one has been mistreated. As I said earlier, the owner nearly starved him to death, and he apparently did something with him with water – a water hose probably. Also he had a reaction to chains and that isn’t good. Hopefully the foster who has him now can get it squared away. Hate to think he might not have a permanent home someday. Sad for me, still hopeful for him.

That’s it for now – see you later.

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 348

Skipped another day of blogging – too much going on Friday to find time to sit down and do any writing, much less the blog. I still have work to do on the first in the trilogy of saga novels. It’s right at the ready point - just needs one more pass through for errors and clean up of any stray stuff, like extra periods, doubled words, syntax or whatever. It’s at about 380 pages, which is about right for a novel. The first in the trilogy and set just before the Civil War, it introduces characters, some of whom play through book two and many of which are ancestors of people in book three (which is in present time).

Bandy, the rescue pyr, is working out okay, though we still can’t read him well. Neither KL or I can tell the difference between raising my arm at my desk for a head rub and the same motion for “I gotta go poop right now.” So, he’s pooped in the house a couple of times – not really too big a deal, but being a big dog (80 pounds) his poop is about the size of a cat. A medium sized cat. Can be a bit challenging to clean up, though it is firm, which is a good thing. A very good thing. It’ll work out, but I thought he would go to the door and bark when he needed to go out, and he has yet to do that. He moves from in front of the door to my side, so I think he’s still trying to figure out where he wants to sleep/sit. Pyrs are a little odd as they are highly intelligent and were bred to make many of their own decisions, so they often sit inside where they can see all doors/windows (if possible) . Makes them really stubborn about what you want them to do, as they sort of have to think it’s the best thing to do or they want to balk.

Speaking of barking, he and Sadie got into a weird rhythm last night. We have deer, raccoons, etc. all over, and about midnight one of them “heard” something in the year. They are both inside dogs, but Sadie barked, so Bandy growled. Then Bandy barked, so Sadie growled. Around and around for about a half hour. Finally got them settled by changing the light in the yard so they could see there was nothing there. Still aggravating, but they were really doing their job, and I can’t fault them for that. Trying to protect us.

Weighed a moment ago, before showering, and the scales showed about a pound less. Always unsure, as they don’t seem to say the same thing twice. I often weigh three times and hope that two match so I can assume whatever it says twice is right. Whatever the reading, it is going down, and that is definitely a good thing. I want to be considerably less heavy in a few months, and even though the wild M&M sometimes call, late at night, I’m trying hard to make this work. Not always easy, as I sometimes miss a good burger or a fair amount of bread (like Italian).

Classes seem to be going exceptionally well this semester I have some at one university and some at a different college. The college kids are less worldly, less prepared than the university kids, but the university kids group may prove the lesser of the two. I’ve had real issues at the university with kids cheating their way into the school (cheating in my class is 100% fatal). This state allows any student who is in the top 10% automatic acceptance into any state-supported college or university. A good thing and definitely a bad thing as it turns out. One of the papers I have my students write is about academic cheating and we spend a good bit of time discussing what constitutes cheating at the college level. Many readily admit to having cheated their way into the top 10% and I know they will struggle to stay at the university because they are missing the preparation they need due to cheating in class. It’s a sad commentary on this state’s school system, but they have for years taught to a particular examination and the individual high school’s ranking is tied to student success on that exam. The better the kids do, the more pay incentive for the teachers (and principal) and the higher the ranking for the school, which, in turn, looks great to the local folks, so they make a point of putting their kids in that particular school. Vicious cycle with too many wrong results. Too many hardworking studious kids don’t make the top 10% because they don’t cheat.

Wish I could find the juicer, KL has ordered a new one – from Jack LaLane. Used to watch his show when I was a kid. He has to be 150 by now and damned if he doesn’t still look good (might be the preservatives in the food that wasn’t organic when he first started juicing – only kidding). Getting tired of V8, but it works, so I’ll keep choking it down (actually not quite that bad), at least until the juicer gets here. KL has also found some holistic program that we are looking at to maybe help. She tends to go really gung-ho on stuff while I am more of a make-some-changes-slowly-and-see-what-happens sort of guy. I gave myself the year because I didn’t want to drink shakes or eat tiny little packaged foods to get where I want and then not know how to stay there. It’s also about being healthy to me, so I’m trying to do that part too as much as I can (and again, the juicer will help). At 60, I am no longer a kid. No longer invincible. No longer not thinking about what is ahead now. I want to be that healthy old geezer (like LaLane), not on oxygen and unable to get around.

My mother-in-law is on oxygen now, and without meaning too, she has influenced me greatly. When she first started having issues, she was diagnosed with emphysema, partly because of her smoking. Of the generation who didn’t know, she also continued when she knew not to, and with as much as I know about how hard nicotine addiction is to break, I am really glad I don’t smoke. Mom did, and so did dad. My only brother too, but I just never did. Smoked a very short while occasionally at clubs when I was pretty young, and tried a pipe in college for the smoke smell mostly, but no real interest. No longer run (too fat), but did for a number of years, with my highest mileage being 4 miles a day. I’m hoping that helps in some way, as I don’t walk all that well now (knee issues from sports and racing and skydiving). I don’t limp or anything – I just don’t like to walk long distances because the knees act up. Perhaps getting my too fat ass thinner will help – I certainly would guess so.

Need to take care of some things. Should be grading but I think I’m going to do something else for a while. One can only read so many freshman essays before thought so stepping in front of a train start to emerge. As Ted of Ted & Bob’s Excellent Adventure (a strange, old movie) would say, “The weather is most excellent here” so maybe I’ll just go outside and mess around a while.

See you tomorrow (like there are any “you” out there!).

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 350

Missed yesterday – just too busy to take time to write some for here.

Now have Bandy, the Great Pyrenees, and he is doing wonderfully. He and the cockapoo – Sadie – are doing great. Thought there might be some issues – only dog and all, plus she is a tad hyper, but no. Nada. Nothing. Not even food issues, which is great, as the little dog is a moocher. She was also a rescue – both are – and I don’t know if her I-gotta-eat-some-of-that is because of her personality or due to the time on the street. She is pretty small, so I imagine she had to scrap for whatever she could find to eat.

The big one – he’s a male, the little one is a female, and both are neutralized – was found on the street, literally starving, so I expected him to have food issues. When you don’t have enough to eat, it’s hard to not be protective about what food there is for you. It’s kind of like Haiti at the moment, after the major earthquake there. It’s one thing to take things that aren’t yours when all is normal – I think it’s quite another when you have children or family that might not have had much on the way of food or water for over a week. Looting – under the right conditions – to me, is survival, and both dogs here have been in very bad situations.

The little one weighs just 20 pounds and when we got her, we thought she was crippled – might have been struck by a car - because she limped so badly. She was so matted up that her right rear leg was literally stuck in an odd position and she could not use it. It took an hour of trimming to get it freed and her cleaned up.

The big one was 60 pounds when found on the street; he is just a pound or two over 80 pounds now and will be 100-120 pounds when he is fully grown. Both are about 2 to 2-1/2 years old.

Okay. Me. Had a great breakfast this morning – our first with the big dog here. He woke me with his muzzle to let me know he needed to go out. KL took both out while I got ready for classes – she works here, so she doesn’t have to commute, which is pretty cool. She did go into town, but was home not too long after noon. Breakfast was more cereal, but I switch it up and that helps. Had a slice of cinnamon bread too, though the dogs got most of it.

Lunch was a fruit bar thingy we got at the regular store – actually pretty good. Tasted a lot like pie crust and the filling from apple pie. Apple/cinnamon and okay, really. I have discovered Bare Naked brand granola – the vanilla one – and it is great for snacking. Some of it with the apple thingy was enough for lunch and I didn’t feel hungry. Much lighter than a burger or chicken sandwich.

Dinner was some ready-to-cook Asian we found (actually, I found) by accident when we were grocery shopping. Very fast to prepare and good, though it didn’t have quite enough chicken in it for two people. KL added veggies to hers so I could have most of the chicken (thank you, babe). Could have used a tad more sauce, but it was really good. Will do some more of that in the future. Chicken, rice, good portion size, easy to fix. Hard to beat that.

KL decided to make some healthy cookies tonight, so she did some that are heavy oats and pretty good. Had a few. Again, this is about lifestyle change and not total deprivation. Will likely take a few with me tomorrow for the gap between classes to go with possibly a sandwich and whatever – maybe one of the clementines. I really like them and I’m not that wild about oranges.

I am still working on the radio station here (amateur radio), around so many other things. Trying to do a final re-write on the first in the trilogy, work on the middle reader series, and then there is the play. And then there’s the gutters we need, the decks to build (I’ve designed them but no money right now to do the build), all the cedar I want/need to cut off the top two acres, and the tower base – yeah, the tower base. Need it so I can get the tower up and then the antenna and then get back on the air. I really miss ham radio and the friends I have/had all over the world.

Well, since there is no one reading this, I guess I can just quit anytime I want, and I want to quit right now. Still have papers to grade, tomorrow’s classes to get ready for (my students have no idea how much time I spend outside of class grading or prepping), and some bonding to do with the big guy (the new dog).

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 352

Just got in from the grocery store and dropped $150 – for just the two of us. Guess I’m getting old, but when I was in high school and worked at a major grocery store chain, the people who bought a $100 worth of food had 3 and sometimes 4 baskets full. There is just the two of us, and we didn’t buy meat or any of the superfluous stuff (toiletries, cleaning supplies – stuff like that). We do try to buy organic, which is more expensive, and if you look at it in comparison to eating out – which we did a lot of this past year – it is cheaper.

We have at least 7 full dinner-type means in this, plus a lot of extra stuff. I eat breakfast every day (how about that!), and I added in some oatmeal bars for when I’m in a hurry. Also bought a new cereal (gotta have the cereal) and some fruit-type bars that are sort of grab-and-go. I have an hour gap in between classes on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, and I didn’t want to get into a routine of eating at the school food court. The only thing there I like is Chick-Fil-A and a sandwich and water is nearly $7.00. And as much as I like them, they are fried, and I’m really trying to not do any more fried than I have to. And, $7.00 is a tad much for not much of a lunch, at least for me. On Tuesday and Thursday, I have a couple of hours, so I have to be careful not to eat/snack my way through it, especially if I am grading. I tend to eat a little mindlessly when grading papers as I get so into them that I’ really am not paying attention to what I am eating. Another good observation/discovery.

So, I have some good (as in different) things to add to the breakfast mix and that should help keep it from being the same old-same old. KL can eat peanut butter on toast every single morning, but I can’t, so I am looking forward to mixing it up.

I also got a decent sized bag of Bear Naked Fit granola, and I’m hoping to use it to snack on between meals so I can see about keeping the blood sugar level and do something about getting the metabolism to fire up some. KL has told me over and over – actually for quite a long time – that not eating was not good for me from a metabolism standpoint, and I now know she is right. Eat more (but carefully) and often (but smaller amounts), and don’t skip meals. It really messes with the metabolism and I need to get that squared away – both for now and to keep the weight off later.

Weighed yesterday morning and I’m now 10.5 pounds lighter than when I started. Not bad for a “non-diet.” If I can just keep it up and make the changes slowly and surely, then I think this is not only doable, but also sustainable. And that is what I am after. If I can lose even a pound a week, then that is 52 in the year and that is definitely a good thing. Once I am lighter (okay, a lot lighter) I may start running again, or at least doing some long walking.

Tomorrow is a fun day here. I mentioned in earlier blogs about one of the dogs I helped save recently – I actually was first to see this one and he was near death, literally. He is going to come to live with KL and I for at least a few months, and we want to see how it goes. We used to have a Great Pyrenees and I truly love the breed. I lost mine and I’m hoping Bandy will work out here. Worst case scenario is that we help him through the short term dealing with the heartworm treatment, and then he finds the right home for him – a place he can live safely forever. He might be the one for us – have to wait and see. We already have a cockapoo and we recently had the two of them together to see how they’d do. Lots of disparity in size, but the Great Pyrs as a breed is so laid back that little usually fazes them. They instinctually make their own decisions and can be a little headstrong (they are often left to guard sheep or whatever and do all the decision making out in the field). The cockapoo is a little hyper, but she is also an only dog, so we weren’t sure she would be okay with another dog, especially a really big one (she is 20 pounds, the pyr is right now about 70 pounds and will be about 100-120 or so when fully grown).

Anyway, he is coming tomorrow evening and we are looking forward to it. As much as I really love the little dog, I have missed having a pyr. A lot. It might be a tad difficult for a few days – two dogs needing walking (and we have nine acres, but no fencing right now) – but we can work it out. Will be fun to see if they can be walked together or if it takes both of us to do it.

Had an apple earlier today, and a banana tonight. That is a ton of fruit for me, but I’m trying to be better. Really I am. Have put some fruit in the cereal (don’t really like that, but trying to), and I’m going to keep at it.

Guess it’s time to run. Sorry if I’m rambling – what! There’s no one there anyway, and I don’t really mind. I do it all the time when I am writing fiction.

Tomorrow (if all goes well).

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 353

Well, it’s been a really good day. We had a visit from the dog I have talked about several times – Bandy is his name at the moment – and he came to visit because he’s going to stay with us a while. His current foster has a change in work status that requires here to be out of the house much more than she has been, and we decided Bandy needed more interaction than she can do at the moment. He is due for heartworm treatment, and that will require close and careful monitoring. It can be fatal, and is sometimes, especially in dogs that are already in trouble or who don’t have a really strong will to live. Why Bandy does is hard to know, but he has come from as near dead as any dog I’ve ever known to being strong on the comeback trail. His coat is filling out (he was nearly hairless), and the mange and neutering are both taken care of for him. Once he ahs the shots he will likely just lie around and feel bad for a while as the heartworms are destroyed. With most dogs, lethargy is a part of the treatment and it’s always important to keep a dog in treatment calm so that their heart rate doesn’t rise too much. If he makes it, he very well might be a new addition here.

The cockapoo and him hit it off, but I think it’s because she (the cockapoo) thinks we got her a dog of her very own. It was interesting to watch and they got along really very well. Actually couldn’t have been any better, though Bandy was hesitant to even get out of the foster’s car right at first. He’s due back Monday or Tuesday, and we are really looking forward to his return. Big white dog in the house again – hooray!

I don’t think I mentioned the shedding, and Great Pyrs - great big white double-coated dogs - shed – a lot. A little all the time –and Bandy is especially good about brushing, which is a really good thing. Once a year or so they blow their coats, meaning they shed a bunch over a relatively short time. Either way – whether a big shed or the brushing – the birds absolutely love it. One of the coolest things about the brushing is that all of the bird’s nests in the area will be lined with soft white fur come nest-building season.

Had the last of the “Mom’s” flakes this morning and will likely get another box, as it is pretty darn good. I am fluctuating between Cheerios (several versions) and the Mom’s flakes, though I will examine the cereal aisle more closely now that I am a breakfast cereal guy. I wandered around in the kitchen (doesn’t take that long in our compact, but efficient kitchen space) when I first got up, thinking I wanted something other than cereal for breakfast. However, the more I thought about it, it’s really hard to beat good grains early in the day – relatively low cal, easy, good crunch (at least until the flakes get soggy), and also fairly cheap.

Lunch was a couple of small slices of the leftover pizza form a few days back. Didn’t want to waste it and really nibbled the good stuff off and left most of the bread part (which KL promptly ate. She loves bread even more than me, which is really saying a lot. But hey! She’s Italian, so it’s in her genes).

Dinner was some sort of ready-to-go package of chicken and spinach, which we’ve had several times and which is really good (if a little heavy in spinach). Kl eats spinach in darn near everything, but I get a tad overloaded by it sometimes. Nevertheless, it’s loaded with good stuff so it’s a do and that’s all there is to it.

KL was hungry for something sweet and thought about cookies, but decided to make banana bread instead, as we had three bananas that were trying to go bad. We both like bananas, but sometimes I eat them easily and other times I simply forget they are there. I like that it’s easy to use them past the good-eating stage in bread so they aren’t wasted.

Graded papers – lots of them – and as is usual, I have a lot of students who are going to be surprised by their “grades.” I put it in quotation marks because I’m not going to post them. I really had them do simple autobiographies so I could see where their writing skills are at the moment. Some are good writer, but most are not. Here, in this state, we have “tests” that the teachers in high school teach to (even though they say they don’t), and it palsy hell with the students actually learning what they need to know to be successful in college. And then there’s the was that the top 10% get to go to the state school of their choice with automatic acceptance. Sounds like a good deal on the surface, but unfortunately there is so much pressure put so many students in high school that many who are actually in the top 10% actually cheated their way into it. One of the papers I have my students do is an examination of academic cheating (because it is so rampant and because the repercussions are so severe for those who are caught), and many readily admit to me that they cheated at least some of the time while they were in high school. It’s sad that so many potentially good students have to start their college careers handicapped by both a lack of information they should have and by the consequential poor study habits that cheating encourages.

Tomorrow is KL’s birthday, so the day is hers all day. Will likely do dinner somewhere and perhaps a movie. We most recently saw Avatar and were seriously impressed with the new technology used in it. Tomorrow will probably be a chick-flick, as it’s KL’s to decide and whatever she wants is okay with me. We’ve been married for 14 years now (I think) and I couldn’t love her more. Took me a while, but I finally got it right.

Surprise! No one sighed up as a “follower” after yesterday’s blog, so it looks like I really am the only one listening here. Again, not really a problem as I am writing for me. That said, dididitdahdedah. Ha! I know what that means!

Tomorrow.

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 354

Okay. Actually had pizza today for dinner– sort of. Had one of the self-rising kind here and it was pretty good. Ate about half what I would have, so that is a good thing. KL and I were both beat so we decided what the heck. Easy, not too bad, and I drank water with it. Had a store-brand V-8 wannabe earlier that we bought to give a try (different spices or whatever), and it was even worse than regular V-8, but it got a serving of veggies in me, so it helps even if it is not particularly good. I can drink them straight down if I can chase them with water – otherwise it’s difficult, as I really don’t like tomato juice much. Tomatoes in stuff, tomato sauce, catsup. Other derivative tomato products, yes. Tomato juice, nope.

Breakfast is now the standard cereal as it is so easy to do and fast to clean up. With just to two of us here, it’s relatively easy to stay on top of things like dishes needing washed, etc. if we just do it, and washing one bowl and one spoon is the ultimate in simplicity from a cleanup standpoint.

Lunch was more-or-less non-existent today, and I feel that hurt me. I was actually hungry, and I hadn’t been until today. I guess it was a good way to find that I need some lunch, even if its not the best available. I’ll have to either look into what is available on campus at the second college (where I am on Tuesdays and Thursdays only), or maybe I can figure out how to bring something.

An adventure is about to start here as we are about to take in another dog. Our current one is a rescue. She is a cockapoo, and she was found dodging traffic at a major intersection. A kind woman scooped her up and took her home, but she couldn’t keep her. I was perusing Craigslist ads and found the one she put in. I’ve always been a big dog guy, and the last dog we had was a Great Pyrenees. Loved him – a lot. This was KL’s turn, and she has always wanted a lap dog – something a Great Pyrenees will do, and likes to do, but a hundred-twenty pound dog is a bit of a lapful. The cockapoo is 20 pounds and a true lap dog. She was obviously a woman’s dog and must have just gotten away from someone, because she took to KL immediately – me she growled at. Took a while, but she likes to climb into my lap now too.

The new pyr is the one I rescued from a local town that was underweight by about 60 pounds. Had mange and was really very near death from starvation. Absolutely the worst looking dog I had ever seen that was alive. The vet said another week or less on the streets and he would not have made it. The rescue group I work with saved him and he’s been fostered by someone who had brought him back from the brink. He is now going to live with us for about three weeks and then go though a painful and difficult treatment for heartworms. Then we’ll have him for another 6-8 weeks while he (hopefully) recovers. After that, he’ll be ready for what the rescue group calls his “furever” home.

Again, the “main” (I love saying that!) house is only 1100 square feet, so another dog – one that will be one hundred-one hundred and twenty pounds or so eventually may be a small issue. KL saw him when he was so bad and I’m glad she is okay with taking care of him for a while now. HE looks like he will be beautiful when we get him healthy.

I’m not writing fiction at the moment, and it makes me antsy as all hell. I had about a hundred student papers to grade today, and that takes priority, as I have to get things back to them so they understand where they are and what I need from them next. Feedback stuff, so it’s important to stay on top of it.

The blogging might suffer too - even though I will try to get something out as often as I can. Doesn’t really matter I guess, as I am apparently writing this about me and from me to me and there is no one else out there. No problem. I’m a writer, so I’m used to both talking to myself and talking to imaginary friends. It’s really nothing new for me.

So, I guess I’ll see myself tomorrow, and if I can find time, I’ll talk to Sampson, or Hoodoo Red, or Angus, Moses, Gullah Jack or maybe Jimi, Janis, or Jim, or one of the other characters that exist only in my stories and my head. Oh, yeah, there’s also the young Hitler. But that’s another story. Literally.

For now.

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 355

Raining here. Not a lot, but expecting some torrential rain tomorrow and Friday. Makes driving a little strange when you drive a car that is low to the ground, so I have to be extra careful. We often have flash flooding issues when the rain comes too fast.

Started the day with cereal, and, like the last few days, it works great. Can’t imagine why I never really got into breakfast as it really does make a lot of difference in how I feel all day long. The wife now has some slivered almond and cheese sticks that I am now taking for the middle of the day. I have a break between classes and instead of eating a fired chicken sandwich (or something similar), I have been eating the cheese and almonds and they work pretty well as a stop-gap sort of lunch.

Dinner tonight was some chicken with oven roasted red potatoes and it was quite good. Started having a glass of wine some nights and that is pleasant. I bought a wind cooler a while back and we have it stocked with several reds and whites, so I’m experimenting with different ones each night. I tend to like slightly sweet wines, and there doesn’t seem to be many that are red. Most reds are relatively dry, and while I like most red okay, I am still looking for that best one for my taste. When we are in Chicago (twice a year to visit family), we sometimes meet with my wife’s two brothers and often end up at one of the outstanding Greek restaurants there. The red they use as a house wine is excellent, so I will look for some of that to add to the small collection.

Classes are going pretty well, but it is really early and may be too early to tell just yet. Most of my students tend to be freshmen – which I like – but they also are often a wild card. Something like 40% of freshmen now don’t make it to graduation, so I sometimes find myself trying to read them to see which I think will, and which will not. I also am what my wife calls a rescuer – I do some work with a local big dog rescue so I guess she is right – and I try to save all my students if I can.

Speaking of rescuing, I helped save a Great Pyrenees recently who was very close to death. He was in a shelter in a nearby town and when I found him, he should have weighed about 100 pounds and was actually about 40 pounds underweight. His owner had let him wander the streets and never fed him, so he was nearly starved to death when they picked him up. They definitely saved his life, and I was able to help get him into the rescue group I am a part of here. He had a terrible case of mange, was underweight, and was almost hairless (they are very full furred when healthy). Yet, he still wanted to lay his head against my leg as I examined him, wishing only for someone to care about him. Great Pyrs are like that. Very, very special dogs. He has now gained weight where he is fostered, the mange is gone, he has been neutered, and he’ll come to live with us temporarily while he undergoes highly the dangerous heartworm treatment he needs to live. It will be a tough couple of weeks and the treatment will make him very sick and there is no way to tell how he will react. Hopefully he will just be lethargic and sleep a lot. I might have to sleep by him if he is under too much stress. However, this is the last part of the treatments he needs, and once through it he will just continue to gain weight and be healthy once again. Looking forward to that. I have original pictures of the day before he was licked up and it is enough to make anyone who cares at all for animals very, very angry. The last I heard, his “owner” will be prosecuted for animal cruelty – not a bad thing at all, and it caries not only a fine but possible jail time. Fair enough for someone who deliberately mistreated an animal who only wanted to be loved.

The news is on as I write, and it looks like we are really in for it with the rain. Welcome to our state – our unofficial motto is “If you don’t like the weather, wait an hour. It will change.” Less than a week ago, we had 14-degree temperatures. Now it is in the 50’s and raining. Luckily, they didn’t happen at the same time, as we live on the side of a hill and access if icy would be difficult.

Not much else going on. Just two of us here most of the time, which is not at all a bad thing. I raised kids, my wife and I raised hers, and now it’s just us. A different time and place in our lives, and with the newly built house, the business growing, our relationship in a great place, and knowing that the kids are all doing quite well, it’s a nice time in our lives.

And that is part of the journey. An important part, and much of why I want and need to be thinner and as healthy as I can be. Like has turned out pretty darn good, and I want to see as much of what is to come as I can. Heck, I’ve even reached the place now where drinking V-8 juice is relatively okay. Alright, not good, but tolerable. Well, not really, sucks, but I have discovered it’s better at room temperature than when cold. Come on, that has to count for something, right?

Need to walk the dog (the little one we have right now) so I can go to bed. See you (is there a you out there?) tomorrow.

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 356

Okay, I missed a day again. I apologize, but classes started yesterday and I was wiped out last night. It takes a lot of effort to kick off a semester, and I have a lot of classes on two different campuses for two different schools. I also have the usual glitch stuff, like a student who somehow, mysteriously, got dropped out of the university’s computer grading system after I posted her grade at the end of the fall semester. She emailed that she didn’t understand why she received an “F” (she didn’t), and when I tried to check it – poof she wasn’t even there anymore. Thirteen days of trying to get the registrar to care later, I finally have the assistant registrar involved and hopefully she will get the grade she needs. Meanwhile, the same computer system dropped her out of her second half freshman English class because she had failed the first half (which she didn’t). “Round and round we go…”

Out of the blue this morning the wife said, “I can tell you are losing weight” and that really helped. I’m passing up candy machines and soft drink machines and Starbucks right and left, and it’s good to know that maybe it really is helping. I do feel healthier – and that might be the additional veggies, or the awful V-8 juice, or the better food overall or whatever. Works for me. Belly – that’s where guys keep the extra weight – out front where you can see it. Not hidden on the back of legs or on their hips or butts (for the most part) but right out there in front. Where you have to hitch your pants up all the time. And, according to experts, right where it matters the most. Both from a health standpoint and a “looks bad” standpoint. Up front and honest. Hate it. Hate it a lot.

Been doing breakfast virtually every morning and that’s getting even easier. I used to hate eating first thing – and by first thing, I mean any time within an hour of getting up at the minimum. It’s funny. On vacation (when we actually have time for one), it’s no big deal. Love breakfast first thing then. But in the day-to-day routine of the average week, it’s been a hassle. No more (at least, I don’t think so). I have cereal daily. Usually Cheerios (oats and all that) and I found a good breakfast oats/corn flake sort of cereal (with yogurt) made by a company called “Mom’s.” Says they have been around thirty years, but I don’t know where because I’ve never seen them. Good stuff though. And speaking of cereal. I’ve travelled a little and there is nothing weirder to me than going down the cereal aisle in the typical American grocery store and seeing a hundred different types of cereal. In other countries, there are a few. We have unlimited possibilities. Cheerios. Cheerios with banana. Cheerios with strawberries. Cheerios with – you name it. All kinds of good-for-you (they say) cereals and all kinds of ain’t-no-way-my-mom-would-have-ever-bought-it-kinds (like Count Dracula, and cereal with candy in it and cereal that is little cinnamon buns. Come on now!). Anyway, doing it and liking it. Who’d a thought?

With classes on now, I grab something for lunch on campus on MWF. We have the usual gamut of mediocre places – Mexican food, Chinese, sushi (bait), chicken, pizza, etc. – but we also have salads (pretty decent ones) and some good sandwiches. So I can do that if I am careful. Tuesdays and Thursdays I have an hour between classes and nowhere to really eat as the campus there is pretty poorly equipped for any decent meals. To help, I am taking some almond slivers and some real cheese hunks and trying to find something that will keep the blood sugar evened out while still being somewhat satisfying and easy to carry. I have a professorial shoulder bag with books, assignments, syllabuses, and a lot of other stuff, and I’m a little too old for a Star Trek lunch box, so it has to fit in my bag around the essentials or in a pocket. Still working on it.

I did have a few graham crackers with some peanut butter (for the protein) when I got home, as it was really too late for lunch and still considerably too early for dinner. Worked okay and I shared with the dog. Does that count?

Dinner was light last night. A two-egg omelet with a very little lean ham and some dry toast. Worked fine. Before that was some leftover veggie chili. Tonight was a splurge for a local burger, ‘cause sometimes we are both just too tired to cook or we want to get out of the house. Still relatively light. Passed on any dessert or drink and it’s now just past seven, so nothing else tonight.

Haven’t heard the wild M&M’s lately, but I know they’re out there. Waiting. Watching. And I might just have a few when I want. This is about changes, not deprivation. But it’s also about getting to where I want to be in less than a year. And that is more important than anything else.

See you tomorrow – if all goes well. Should be – after the first couple of days of classes things settle down some.

_Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 358

Just wandered into the kitchen (not very far, as I can see into it from my little office). A little hungry, and having to sort that out to make sure that’s what it is and not boredom or frustration (water frozen issues). Yep, hungry. Had a look in the cookie jar (actually a fat lady ceramic one we refer to simply as “the fat lady”), and decided why not a piece of fruit. Okay, I know it’s a tad radical for me, the pretty much a non-fruit eater guy, but I grabbed one of the oranges we got a few days ago (before it got so darn cold). I’ve been messing with the water here as I let it freeze up some and the kitchen faucet is actually the closest to the well, but the farthest from the on-demand water heater. It is also mounted outside (the water heater, not the kitchen faucet), and we did that for space reasons (small house, remember?) and because the itty-bitty Japanese instructions said it was okay to do (and actually the preferred method when using gas or propane). I know it gets pretty darn cold in Japan, so we figured what the heck. Made sense. But with the extraordinary cold here at the moment, and the fact that we are 1800 feet up on the side of a hill (with gorgeous views), I guess I will have to put a heater strip on to keep it from happening again.

Anyway, back to the orange. Good, sweet, and just about perfect for right now. I really hate the white membrane that remains when you peel an orange, but actually love (okay, maybe too strong a word) the fruit, so I have to either figure out how to peel better (quite the likely answer) or find a better, membrane-less (if there is such a thing) orange. If so, it’s likely Japanese or German, as those guys really seem to know how to do things like that. Or maybe there's one from California, as they always seem to be on the cutting edge (with fruit, veggies, cars, architecture, and just plain weirdness).

Like some other things about this journey, it’s not quite as hard as I thought it would be to keep focused on doing the right things, but then again, things aren’t normal here at the moment, and by that I mean, the “regular routine.” Although that too changes, semester to semester. For example, I had classes at 8:00 am MWF last semester, which meant getting up at 6:00. On Tu/Th, they were at 9:30, which meant I got up at 7:00 on those days. This semester, I have classes starting at 11:00 or so (at least at the moment. I’ve had two changes ion the last few days). So this semester will shake itself out as some sort of routine, likely up at 7:00 or so everyday so I can write (and grade papers).

Breakfast was Cheerios again. The honey nut kind is good and, as a guy, I can always use the healthy benefits of the oats part. Lunch was left over gourmet pizza from our sort-of friend, the raw chef’s restaurant. It’s one of the hidden wonders here and in a town that no one, and I mean nobody, would ever expect it to be. The pizza is whole-wheat crust, thin, with several types of lettuce on it, goat cheese, and pistachios. Yeah, me too. I though no way, not at all. Zero. Zip. Nada. My wife ordered it last night and I tried a piece. Amazing. So we split the last two pieces at lunch today and had some leftover homemade soup. Good value (essentially free at this point), nutritious (I really do know what that means), and easy to do. No muss, no fuss, minimal cleanup (no hot water, remember?).

Not sure what dinner will be, but it might be Cuban black bean soup (probably not – getting kind of burned out on soup at the moment), or it could be my semi-famous Mexican cornbread (stuffed with peppers, onion, corn, some cheese). KL has mentioned making her really famous veggie chili. It has squash in it of all things, and as a guy who has eaten chili all his life, it amazes me. I really like it, but I have to have crackers (wheat, of course) to go with it, and we are fresh out at the moment.
Will have to see what shakes out there. Usually I write this after dinner – sometime between then and bedtime – so I’m really early at the moment.

The girl went home – to find she too had water in her yard and some issue with pipes there. She’s only three hours away, and it’s cold there too at the moment. She called to ask me what to do – Dad and all – and she’s already got it handled. She is super capable, and an amazing young woman. There is little she thinks she can’t do, and she is right about most of it. The rest she just asks me because she thinks I know pretty much everything (and if I wasn’t so humble, I’d state that I sort of do - okay, not really, but I’ve done a lot of different things in the past).

If I wasn’t teaching I could be a relatively good handyman as I have, at one time or another, managed my own businesses, done international consulting (where I had access to a Gulf Stream jet – the only way to fly), worked on the Alaska Pipeline (Point Barrow - about as far north as I ever want to be again), owned a stained glass studio (with work I designed all over the US, some in Europe, and even a few pieces in the Middle East), renovated houses, been a real estate mogul (okay, not really. But I did have 20 houses at one time), worked as a research librarian, been a derrick man 200 feet up in the air in the oil fields, designed electronic gas process instrumentation from scratch (and installed and maintained it up 400-500 feet in the air), cleaned houses, and a few other things I can’t remember at the moment. And that doesn’t count the hobbies and stuff (some serious, some stupid) I did for fun.

Oh - I just got the hot water going again and all looks fine. Whew. Seems like it's always something.

Anyway, the quest for health seems to be going good at the moment. I weighed in again this morning and I am still even with the original eight pounds lost. I’ll take that, and raise you about another 50 or so. I hope. Scratch that. I know. Maybe (maybe more).

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 360

It’s Friday. End of the week. One more weekend until classes start on Monday.

Been really, really cold here and this is our first winter in the new house so we are adjusting to it as we do a bit of fine tuning to systems. Supposed to be 16 here tonight, and it’s been no higher than about 30 all day. Do have some issues with hot water. Both the guest house and the main house (still feels funny to call an 1100 square foot house the “main” house) have on-demand water heaters, the guest an electric one, the main one is propane. The issue is that the main one is apparently frozen on the hot water side at the moment. Hope all is okay – and it probably is – but won’t know until it warms some on Monday or so. Assuming all is okay, then I’ll probably look in to putting a heater strip on the main one for days like these – of which there really aren’t many.

The original house here was a small cottagy place and we ended up tearing it down (all but the foundation and fireplace) and completely re-doing it. Actually had to cut the fireplace loose from the floor to get the foundation leveled as there was a three inch drop across the floor from the old kitchen to the side wall – but that is another story.

Went into town to a faculty meeting – we have the same thing at the start of every semester – and it was essentially the same old, same old. Some busy work, a little that was important, but essentially meeting the requirements of the accrediting agency that validates the university periodically. This is the year, by the way, that they are on campus to recertify the school, so everyone is a little wiggy about it.

Had a pretty good breakfast of simply Cheerios (simple and oats, which is always good cholesterol-wise and all) in no fat milk and some OJ. Really helped get through the morning. Surprising.

Lunch was some sort of pseudo-Mexican/Italian thing that the school had for us. Decent bread (if you’ve been reading, you know I love bread – any kind), and what looked like chicken as a cross between fajitas and chicken alfredo, only with a less good sauce and also not grilled. I filled up on the salad and all was okay. Tea was pretty good, and it usually isn’t.

Our daughter is still here (until tomorrow), so dinner was at her favorite place in a nearby town (again, nearby here is about 15 miles). A great self-trained chef owns the place and he is always creative. They have the best Caesar’s salad I’ve ever eaten anywhere, so I had salad twice today. Never, ever thought I’d say that. Not in a million years. Maybe two.

Forgot to mention that yesterday that in addition to the V-8 I try to choke down I had some weird organic green drink that my wife found to try and up my daily green consumption. It is somewhere between not too bad and bad, but nothing I’d drink on purpose for the most part, though I likely will as we experiment with additions to it to try and make it more palatable. At the moment, it tastes like grass with dirt in it. It’s not nearly so bad as wheatgrass, but it’s nothing special either. We used to make a decent green drink with the juicer I can’t find, and that will likely replace this when I do find it. I just thought I didn’t like spinach. By comparison, it’s wonderful.

Part of what I’m trying really hard to not do is make this all weird. I think the closer to some sort of “normal” I can make this whole trip the more likely it will be easy to keep up and to become a lifestyle change. Fewer calories, good choices, a conscious switch to as much organic as possible, good portion sizing – all that sort of thing. Stuff that is easy to keep up after the year is over. The point is to keep going and be healthy.

For what it’s worth, I’ve been less tempted to do any snacking at night, which I find a tad strange at the moment as I though that would be more of an issue. Perhaps it’s the eating more often or that I now eat breakfast (okay, most of the time). Don’t know, but whatever it is, I like it. I have discovered - through paying a lot more attention to food and the whole eating process – that I sometimes eat simply because I’m bored. When I’m not really hungry, I still like to eat, but eating like that is a serious mistake and a great way to get fat. Must be true, or I wouldn’t be blogging.

I hope someone – at least one other person who wants to be thinner (or who needs to be) – is reading this as it is a journey of discovery and change and I’d like to know maybe someone else is along for the ride too and maybe even trying to sort out their issues with weight too. When I was in high school, I did some pretty serious weight-lifting for a while and the more I think about it the more I think it was self-esteem issue driven. I’m 6’-1” and was then, and shouldn’t have felt at all inadequate, but I think I did, at least for a while. The kid who lived next door when I was growing up was always bigger, and I think that affected the way I looked at everything. Perhaps I thought I needed to be bigger, so I was more capable – or something. Wish I’d done the grad work I planned in psychology, as it would make all this a lot easier to figure out.

As it is, I went another direction (actually, many other directions – it’s a Mensa look-a-bird sort of thing), so if I ramble some, keep in mind I am a writer and it’s often late when I get a chance to work on the blog. So, that said, I guess it’s good night.

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 361

Missed reporting yesterday. Sorry about that, but sometimes life has to come first. And I’m sure it won’t be the last time I’ll miss a day. A year is a long time.

My son (see one of the earlier blogs – couple of days ago) was back and it was his last day before leaving to go back to California and the Army life again. So my wife and I had dinner out with our daughter, him, and a young couple I just met. Not completely – the wife in the couple and our daughter were friends (and are again now) when my wife and I first got married some sixteen or so years ago. She and her mom used to live across the road from us, also in the country (but not here). Nice young guy, beautiful daughter (Isabella – like the queen!). So we did dinner at a really special place here that has been in business for some 80 years. Sinatra used to go there, along with a bunch of other celebrities. Quaint, great atmosphere, pretty good food, great service, lots of privacy (you can actually talk to the others at the table – what a quaint idea) and not terribly expensive. Okay, reasonable. Sort of.

Our daughter is still here for a few days, but the boy is now back in California. And tomorrow I have a faculty meeting I have to drop everything else to attend. I’ve done what feels like a hundred (okay, maybe a couple of dozen or so) and absolutely hate them. Always the same thing, over and over, and another four hours of my life I’ll never get back again. Classes don’t start until Monday, and they have to get these meetings on the record, I guess. I’d rather spend the time reworking syllabuses.

Daughter is sick – a cold, and son didn’t want to stay in the guesthouse where she would be sleeping, so he slept in the living room last night, in one of the leather chairs. No problem, except I skipped breakfast because I didn’t want to wake him, so I didn’t eat until noon. Really thin ham sandwiches on thin bread. Couple of them. I like to heat ham on the griddle until it gets a little crispy. Makes a better sandwich to me and there is no added butter or whatever, so shouldn’t make any difference – at least I wouldn’t think so.

Dinner was homemade soup and some vegetarian foccocia bread, and it was pretty good. It was onions, celery, Brussels sprouts (I really, really hate them), carrots, and spinach, well blended (the secret to its success. I can’t do Brussels sprouts any other way. Yuck.). A little no-fat milk and some cheese and it was pretty good overall.

It’s cold here – really cold. Okay, really cold to me. Not upper New York state or Chicago cold, but bad for us. We are usually in the 60’s now, and it was in the 40’s all day. Due to be in the low 20’s or a little lower tonight, and only in the low 30’s tomorrow. And we have another four or five days of this – unusual for us. So we have been sort of huddled up here most of the day. I spent much of it working on new syllabuses and some writing, and the others ran some errands. The girl slept a lot, which was probably a great idea. Nothing works as well for me as simply sleeping when I’m sick.

About to be really busy again. I guess by now you know I teach for a living – a statement that is almost an oxymoron (the teaching/making a living part). College professors – of all people – are, to me, one of the most financially abused groups of employees in this country, and yet almost no one knows about it. I’ve been part-time and full-time, and the pay varies from the sort-of-adequate to the unbelievable. Adjuncts – part time professors with at least a masters degree – nationwide generally make less than $25,000 a year while teaching some of the country’s best and brightest at many of our country’s finest universities and colleges. And while there are some benefits – summers off (with absolutely no pay, by the way), and the biggie - knowing you really are making a difference, the negatives are pretty powerful. Poor pay, little to no insurance, virtually no control over classes and their times/days, and long hours. Lots of us spend many hours each day outside the classroom grading papers, meeting with students, handling email and other correspondence, or simply doing the assorted busy work many institutions require that often makes little or no sense. Many teach far beyond what is considered a full load anywhere and they do it at two and sometimes three universities/colleges, just to make ends meet.

Wow. Sorry to ramble, but that’s why I try to write as much as I can between and around semesters. If you do it right and really dedicate yourself to actually reaching students, it can be a bit mind numbing by semester’s end. And yet I love it. I really, really do. And I have many repeat students and even some – God help/God bless them – who decide to change majors and teach. It is a great profession – it's just is a bit of a disgrace how institutions take advantage of so many who give teaching their all. And it’s full of incredible people who care. A lot.

What I was trying to say is that classes starting again will involve some serious re-thinking on my part. I have always been a no breakfast, skip lunch often, eat dinner with the wife sort of guy. Dumb – I know it now. So I have to find a way to eat breakfast every day, lunch every day, and dinner as light as I can manage. And nothing after seven (thought I’d forgot, didn’t you?). The last is a hard one. The M&M’s, remember? And sometimes Blue Bell Ice cream (damn the pralines and cream and homemade vanilla and their low mumbling while I’m trying to write/grade/read./watch TV, or whatever).

Getting late. See you tomorrow.

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 362

Hey, again. I’m back and will be for another eleven and a half months plus some odd more days.

I woke up this morning determined to eat breakfast and make it a part of every day. After a quick refrigerator/pantry scan, breakfast was a couple of pieces of toast made with some homemade wheat bread from one of the local organic bakeries. Not particularly creative, but on very good bread, sliced thin, with organic peanut butter. My wife has eaten peanut butter for years as a part of most breakfasts, and there are actually few foods that are as complete and as good as regular old peanut butter. It’s also quick, handy, and there is no way we are ever without it here. Ever.

Lunch was some leftover bean casserole from a relatively successful food experiment a few days ago, and while it wasn’t what I planned on (my wife fixed us both lunch before I realized it), it was surprisingly good. Worked out just fine.

I’ve also decided I probably need to do something mid-afternoon, and since I recently found a new apple to try – can’t remember the name - and at three times the cost of the standard delicious, I thought it would be exceptional as a snack. Nope. Good, juicy, but not really any better. Made a good mid-afternoon snack and I shared a little of it with the dog. I’ll likely go back to golden delicious as my apple of choice until I find something better.

Dinner tonight was fish – something one might think I’d like, considering where I have lived much of my life. But I don’t. I definitely don’t like any sort of shellfish either (shrimp, to me, is, and always ahs been, bait). I don’t like crab either. Even lobster doesn’t work for me. But, for the moment, I’ve found a fish I like okay, and had it last week and then again tonight. Paired it with a baked plain sweet potato and it worked okay for dinner. Not a lot, but enough. And I get the Omegas, which is important.

A side benefit of this trip is a lot more cooking at home now and not only is the portion size much smaller when we do them at home, the cost is much less too. American restaurants, for whatever reason, have been creeping portion size up to the point where it is ridiculous, and even though there are only two of us here, eating out can be expensive. We often share a dinner out and always have enough, and, as you must surely know by now, I ain’t some uber cutting-edge dainty little meal sort of little guy. I do appreciate the beauty of properly “plated” dishes, though six grains of rice with a seaweed wrapped entrée and some pretty sauce dotted around the plate just doesn’t do it for me.

Still haven’t found the juicer. We have a really good semi-commercial one that handles large volumes of fruits and vegetables quite well, but when we moved here about a year and a half ago it was packed up and I can’t for the life of me find it. Still stuff in the garage in boxes, so it should be there. My wife told me yesterday she wanted another Vita Mix for her birthday (coming up soon), so I need to get one ordered. We had one we used pretty often quite a while back, when we first got married, but it broke (don’t remember how or when).

Dr. Oz had an excellent show today where he talked about plaque buildup and how it was reversible with work. Glad to hear it. As I said, I lost my dad when he was six years younger than I am now, and he had heart issues for years before that. I did a heart scan a few years back to see where I stood and all was okay then. Sometimes I think about how young I still feel, and knowing he was younger than I am now really makes me sad. I watched mom live for almost twenty years without him and I’m not going to let that happen here. I’m already nine years older than my wife, and I’m going to do all I can to stay around as long as I can.

Going to add in the “eat nothing after seven” recommendation by Dr. Oz. Probably will be a pain in the butt to do, but can’t hurt and might help. At the moment it will be a bit of a problem, as my most “natural” personal rhythm is to go to bed at midnight and get up at seven or eight. It won’t be a problem in a few more days when I go back to my regular job and have to keep more normal American working guy type hours.

Hang in there if anyone is reading this. I’d feel a little weirded out talking to myself like this all the time if I wasn’t a writer and used to having imaginary friends.

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 363

Back again.

Spent most of the day working on the book (the first in the trilogy) – polishing it one more time. Getting it to the right length, looking for all the “ly” words (so I can delete them), watching for repetitive words – all that stuff. The grunt work of writing that is necessary to make it as good as it can be.

Weighed this morning and from the first entry made to now it appears I am some eight pounds lighter. Doing a little walking, eating a lot lighter, making a pretty serious effort to be much more aware, and just plain too fat – all helping right now. It’s relatively easy to lose weight when you are a guy and you are a bit larger than you want. Nothing to get excited about, but it’s good to at least have something positive to start with right at first.

The weather here is expected to break records in the next few days, with lows around 15 Fahrenheit or so – the lowest here in many, many years. I’m not a cold weather person, but I can handle a few days of cold now and then, and what the heck – it is January after all. Supposed to be cold this time of year.

As I said earlier, the house is new, although small and very eco-friendly. We haven’t been through a winter with it yet, and I had wanted to see just how low I could get the utility bill before the cold spell surprised us. Once got an apartment I lived in (alone at the time) down to $30 a month, but it was a challenge. Our old house – three times as big as this one and not designed to be energy-efficient – had bills of $250-400 a month (and with us really only living in, and using, about half of it), and our last one here was right at $100. Much better, as the bill includes the guesthouse, main house, and the office. I’m still messing with the way-too-complicated thermostat in the house, and I’m not particularly happy with it, so the temperature isn’t quite as even as I’d like. Yet.

We had to meet a client/contractor with our business earlier at a neat little breakfast place in one of the nearby towns, so I had Migas, an egg dish that is typically traditionally Mexican. I have had much better, but it was nice to eat some breakfast, my wife was there too (we have a new business we run together in addition to what I do for a living), and their way of preparing the Migas was actually healthier than the norm. And the price was right.

We got involved with the book pretty heavily (her doing some last minute proofing, and me making corrections and doing some light rewriting), and we nearly forgot to even eat something for lunch. Because it was so late (around three) we decided to make it really light and simple. Some organic roasted turkey on whole-wheat roll worked for me (and the dog loves anything I eat as I generally share).

Dinner is still an adventure for us as we ate out every meal for so long building the guesthouse and then the house, and because in the past I’ve tended to make it my primary meal. We both cook, and do pretty well cooking together, so we are experimenting with choices and decisions most every night. We have had some organic (as in free range) chicken a couple of days, so we decided to try a low cal alfredo – oh, not a particularly good choice. Chicken a ten. Boxed low cal major restaurant brand alfredo a three or so. Not on the do-it-again list.

Still, all in all, I’m doing okay. Not hungry, no more or less stressed than before, and getting over the cold. I forgot to mention earlier that I gave being a vegetarian for 30 days as an experiment, so I will definitely be giving some strictly veggie meals a go too as a good way to fill up with minimal calories and fat content.

Bread is unfortunately an issue, as any kind of bread is my friend. And just as a hint of things to come, I’ll have to say I agree with a quote by writer Jack London. He once said no matter were he was – even when out at sea on his sailing ship, The Snark – he could always hear the wild calling. I feel the exact same way about M&Ms. I often hear them calling my name.

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 363

Well, folks (assuming anyone is reading this but me which very well might be a rather large assumption), I’m still fighting a cold, and now my wife is too. I’m pretty sure we both picked it up on the plane home from the Midwest. I really hate commercial airplanes and the recycled air, especially when you spend a lot of additional time on runways waiting. Might have caught it on the way up a few days before Christmas – I can’t remember the incubation time for colds, but that would seem about right to me.

I have to stop writing and try to log onto the Internet over and over and it’s really aggravating. Because we are semi-remote (meaning we have neighbors, some fairly close, but we are all on acreage and fifteen miles or so form the “big” city) we are stuck with using WildBlue, which is a satellite system and even though we had it at our last home in the Houston area, I was never happy with it there either. It’s been really inconsistent for us and my signal strength in my little office, with the modem, etc. in the actual dedicated space business office nearby, varies from 1-3 bars, hovering in the 1 bar range way too much of the time. The speed, while moderately better than dialup isn’t all that hot either. With this issue at the moment, I might not be able to upload this until tomorrow or whenever its assorted electrons decide it’s aggravated me enough.

We did lunch out at the local (okay, the most local) Chinese restaurant, a pretty good place in a town where you’d never expect good Chinese food to be. I’m a tad particular about Chicken (meaning dark or light), so I get the sweet-and-sour, but without the sauce that normally comes with it. I get them to do me General Tso instead, and that has to save a calorie or two, at least. And lunch is always smaller portions, which helps too. Because I’m still not feeling that great I did screw up this morning and didn’t have any breakfast – something I am trying to learn not to do. We did have a really light dinner though. My wife is looking over the I-hope-it’s-the-last version of my manuscript for the first in the historical saga trilogy, so TVs off and it’s a little spooky quiet. I was working on another writing project (the previously mentioned middle reader series) when the dog got sort of twitchy (she‘s a twenty pound cock-a-poo rescue who sometimes thinks she’s a rottweiler). When I went to the door to see what she was barking at (remember, this is a little house, so from my desk to the door is something like ten steps), an eight-point whitetail buck was standing about ten feet in front of me. He stared, I waved, and he disappeared. I think it’s the same one I scared the daylights out of last week.

I mentioned family yesterday, and wanted to expand a bit on that. As the last survivor of my original four-person one, I have been extremely lucky to be accepted into a gigantic Italian family. And I mean that in all the ways possible. Now my folks are all of Scottish heritage, at least as far back as 1057 when a direct ancestor was told to get the heck out of Scotland and not return, on pain of death (and probably worse). You really have to do something pretty substantial (in my younger years I’d have said “cool”) to get kicked out of a whole country. A bar, yeah. A neighborhood? Maybe. A city, not likely. But a whole country? There’s no other way to say it - cool. But I digress.

Scots tend to be solitary in nature, not too prone to staying gathered up in groups (other than clans, and we are all about that, believe me). I’m the second Scot this family has allowed in, and that’s most likely all there will be. I appreciate the first one not messing it up so they would accept me, and he apparently has done okay with them too as both he and his heir (who is Scottish-Italian and looks remarkably like a better-looking Robert Mitchum) are considered “favored sons.”

What I was trying to get around to was the traditional Italian Christmas food, at least with this group. I knew I wanted to do something about my weight right after the holidays, so I deliberately passed on some exceptional things to eat that are traditions with my wife’s family. Traditional Italian is everywhere – pastas, pizza, lamb, tons of bread (this years bread bill for the part was nearly $150), and red wine – enough to float a boat. A really big one, like the catamaran I keep dreaming about (another blog note, later). I tasted a little of this, ate a little of that, but skipped most of what would have been “traditional” for me. Again, I think my metabolism is partially messed up and normally I would have had a good plate as it is the dinner meal.

So, even though it might not look like I am “dieting” – which I decidedly am not – I am watching, paying attention, and learning as I go to eat better, less, more consciously and carefully, and to eat some of the things I might not have last year (or last week). This, for lack of more appropriate vernacular, “ain’t easy." But it should be doable. One day at a time. One.

Who knows? Maybe I’ll get lucky and the cold will have dropped me a couple of pounds (I wish!). See you tomorrow.

Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 364

Okay, feeling a bit better but didn’t sleep much last night. Lots of coughing and congestion that I hope will be better by tonight. It’s already better today, but I am pretty tired. A good night’s sleep would be wonderful.

Our son arrived okay from California. With the recent air scare over the idiot underwear bomber he decided he needed to get to the airport in LA three hours early, but then had to just mess around forever as it was no big deal to get through security there. He borrowed a car from us a moment ago to go see a friend and then they are going on to another major metropolis to see a mutual longtime friend of theirs. He’ll be back in 4-5 days, so it’s quiet here again, which I have come to really enjoy. It feels a little funny to loan him a car – I tend to remember conversations we had years ago when I was teaching him to drive where he just couldn’t understand why one has to stop at a stop sign if no one is coming. And while he is in the ER of a Army hospital most of the time, the Army has him driving ambulances occasionally, which I somehow find funny. When he lived with us, he lost a dozen or so keys – to the house and various cars, so the old me worries about him losing this one, especially as he will be several hundred miles away in a few hours. But I guess that was the young man who lived with us, before the Army reshaped his life some.

My wife is reading the last version of my manuscript and I’m hoping with the slightest of polishing it will be ready to go. Trying to be quiet so I don’t bother her.

I still have about ten days off until I have to be back to work, though I do have a couple of days of preparation to do prior to then. Since I have a little time, I’ll be writing on the middle reader book series today, to see if I can get some more of one of the books in it finished. I think there are about a hundred books in the series, and I have the first eight in varying stages of finished as I get them ready for another agent to hopefully match up with a publisher.

Had breakfast with the family this morning – unusual for me, but part of my new normal. My wife is generally up a little earlier than I am and eats alone as she has always been a good breakfast person. I’m trying to be. Had an egg and some toast with OJ, and I know it’ll help with the mid-day hunger. She is trying to do the six to eight meals a day as we both feel she has some blood sugar issues that might benefit from smoothing out any sugar level spiking. Since the boy was home, she tried to make her signature bacon (one of his favorites) that we used to serve when we had a bed and breakfast, but she was talking with him and it got – how do I say this delicately – a tad overdone. Even the stray cat that has come around a few weeks or so won’t eat what’s left of it, and he’ll eat nearly anything. Oh, well. No real loss.

She did buy us a new scale, so now we have some idea where we are in relation to the rest of the world. I stepped on it and it seems about where I was afraid I was at the moment. Completely right or not, it will be “the indicator” from this point forward, at least until this adventure is over.

Since it’s Saturday, we’ll likely go into the nearest town of any size (sixteen miles away) late in the day and eat at a favorite restaurant. The owner/chef is a raw foods enthusiast and both he and his girlfriend are about as big around as a broomstick. His place has the best Caesar salad I’ve ever eaten, so that’s likely to be dinner here. There is also a new coffee place where really good coffee is only a buck a cup, and there is quality live local entertainment in the back on weekends. Hard to beat that.

It was cold last night, so I put a sweatshirt over the shirt I was wearing. Of course, it was a bit tight, but that only served to give me more resolve to make this work. Sure helped with the cold though and I have several, all of which I don’t really wear because they are a little too tight – at the moment, that is.

With the exception of a small amount of my favorite vanilla ice cream in the freezer, the house is more-or-less set up now for this experiment. Good food, fresh and organic when possible is the plan, even though it is sometimes a bit more pricy, and also cooking at home – a major change, as we ate out for months while building here.

When we bought this acreage, it came with an old two bedroom/one bath sort of cottage, with a detached new three car garage (go figure that combination!), and a new well – which is a relatively big deal here. It is 600 feet deep and cost something like $25,000 to drill and setup, as water is an issue where we are and we are on rock for the most part. The plan from the start was to seriously remodel the original house, but we needed somewhere to live so we built a small guesthouse first. Two bedrooms and one bath, with a screen porch – cute and comfortable – but with no kitchen, so we had to eat out. Every meal. After tearing into the main house, we realized it was pretty poorly built and entire unsatisfactory from a “green” standpoint, so we tore most of it down and rebuilt right on the same footprint, adding 170 square feet to the total (now 1170 square feet in the main house itself). Again, months of no stove/oven/microwave, so we ate out. Never a good idea, but a necessary evil at the time.

Beautiful, with tremendous views, it’s now finished, so we will be cooking here much of the time, which will help with both portion control and general calorie intake. At least, that is the plan. So, here I am, writing again one more day. There will be odd bits and pieces about this journey I’ll add from time to time so you can understand what’s going on here, so again, please bear with me as I try to decide just how much of the personal struggles that led up to this decision I want to discuss openly. For now, see you tomorrow.

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA

Day 365

It’s day one, and already it’s a bit rocky.

What I thought was the usual reaction to airplane recycled air and cedar pollen now appears to possibly be a cold – can’t really tell, but it’s kicking my butt nonetheless. Tried the usual cold meds and it didn’t seem to matter (which it usually does), so maybe it is the darn cedar trees after all. Eventually plan to have many of them off the land here but more for aesthetics and their ability to suck up so much of the hard-to-be-had water in the area.

Anyway, the soup came out today, and it was pretty darn good. Not the usual homemade – this was a slightly modified dry mix package, but it was potatoey (looks like a word, doesn’t it?) and hot and good and with a few other veggies in it (celery, carrots, and, of course, the spinach my wife puts in nearly everything).

One of the problems here with getting more outside the perimeters of weight (you know, the low and the high limits we all set for ourselves) than I ever planned to be has always been that I look pretty okay, for the most part, from the front. The good Scottish stocky legs and my dashing good looks (Let me play a little in the fantasy - the fever has come back, okay?) seem to make me “Scot-Looking” if that too is really some sort of term). You know, the Mel Gibson image (plus a full beard and less the blue face paint, of course). But from the side, oh, yeah, that’s a little scary. Too much belly. Period. Especially as belly fat has been shown to be so detrimental to older men.

Mom was a little thing (120 when she was at the absolute top of her weight, and more like 100 or so virtually all the time), but I apparently got all of dad’s food-processing genes somehow as he had weight issues and I distinctly remember him working on them from time to time. His was a generation of old-time eaters, hearty breakfasts, substantial lunches, and big dinners, before the amazing amount of information we now have about what we should eat, shouldn’t, and might this week, but not next. Confusing? Uh huh. But I do know dad, being from southern Arkansas and western Oklahoma was a fried guy for the most part. I distinctly remember seeing him eating eggs most morning (remember – they were good for you, then not, and now seem to be again) fried in the grease from the bacon he’s already cooked. I too grew up like that, at least until I went away to college and discovered I could only afford to eat mashed potatoes and black-eyed peas if I wanted to pay tuition. Likely saved my life – or at least helped extend it. You’d be amazed how much I still like that occasionally. Sometimes when we are in the local cafeteria, I get both just so I can eat them together. And like many in this country, I never knew when I was a kid that we securely entrenched middle-class and thought everyone ate red beans and rice (or cornbread) at least once a week. Still like it and if that won’t pass for solid, good peasant food, I don’t know what would.

Dad (and mom) smoked, which I, luckily do not. Did a bit in college – the whole pipe and tobacco smell thing (mostly because girls liked it). Didn’t last. Too much hassle for me. So at least I don’t have to face trying to quit tobacco too, as I know how difficult that can be for virtually everyone.

Much of my exercise used to come from sports and work, but no longer. I mostly talk for a living now and spend long (and I mean long) hours behind a desk writing. By the way, the book I’ve been working on for over five years is nearing completion – it needs only one more slight correction to the manuscript to have it ready to “go out.” Five years sounds like a long time – and is - but there are two other books in the same historical trilogy and some middle reader books for kids and a play and a collection of short stories and did I mention I am slightly compulsive and more than a little busy?

So it’s now the second day of the year, and I guess for many, it’s “Resolutions” time. Not for me. Not this year. This is my journey and it is all I am resolved to do at the moment.

Oh, by the way. I lost dad in 1976 when he was only 54 – six years younger than I am now. Mom went in 1995, just before our wedding. The younger brother I have not mentioned as yet died when he was only twenty, in an accident. So I am all that’s left of the original family. That, and the love I have for my wife and the life I now have is why I am on this path. A friend who is a terrific and proficient blogger mentioned in an email to me after having a look at this “creation” that I was “really putting myself on the spot” and that’s true. But the spot now is only one day wide, and I’m doing this one day at a time.

-Average Joe
Somewhere, USA