The last of the boring Sundays...

Today was one of the most boring days of my year. I honestly can't remember the last time I had absolutely nothing to do, no movies I wanted to see, nothing I wanted to go shopping for, no one to spend time with, no TV shows to catch up on... nothing.

The day has just kinda drifted on in a lazy fashion and then it's back to work.

It's that time of year when I really wish I could take a vacation - except, plot twist, it's pretty darn cold here in Syracuse. I cut the grass today in shorts on and was kinda chilly at times. I think my uneasy truce with living in Syracuse is about to come to an end.

But in two weeks, boring Sundays are over and the NFL is back on. Based on life circumstances I have a feeling this fall will be like last fall, busy busy Sundays in other ways than just football. But that's the one thing I think of when it's getting cool outside again (besides ugh, this sucks)... football time.

I did break down and get the new iPhone 3GS yesterday. My plans prior to WWDC in June was to buy it at launch because I was getting tired of the Edge network and all the other nonsense. Also MMS couldn't be supported on Edge. Then they announced the phone and my reaction was, that's it? It looked like they didn't even upgrade the darn thing! After last weekend when my phone was my sole source of connecting to the internet (and the battery summarily died around 5PM each day)... I figured I would finally upgrade the phone despite the fact that on the surface it doesn't appear like much of an upgrade.

On the surface is the key phrase, because it's all little things that make it an incredibly smart decision. The key difference is the speed. Pages load, based on my own accounts, like 15-20x faster than my old phone and everything just moves along very, very fast. They weren't joking adding the S into the name for speed.

On top of that, though, it's all the little things that add up. Non-recessed headphone jack so I can use my fancy Shure headphones, Nike+ integration (now I will actually be able to read the numbers mid-run without squinting), better camera, video recording, a compass, etc.

Nothing special, but add them up and it's a MAJOR upgrade. Really, though, it's all the speed. You don't realize until you actually have it in your hands that it just blows the first generation iPhone out of the water, the 3G too I would imagine. I was able to watch an entire 7 minute YouTube video without waiting for it to load once (on Wi-Fi but still). Just awesome.

I'd recommend going for it if you're on the fence.

I've been totally lazy the last two weeks, but I think I'm going to try to run 50 miles this week. Uh, yeah, I'll let you know how that works out.

the origin of life as a facebook update

Becoming a normal person

Over the past three to four months I have planned everything I do around my workout schedule.

This is not normal.

As a result, I eat dinner early, go to sleep early, wake up early, etc. It's catching up with me.

If I'm out late or if I'm awake talking to someone I can't get up in the morning. Especially not to run for 45 minutes. If I'm out on a date or out doing something, I get very hungry because people don't eat as early as I have gotten used to.

It's a struggle.

Because while I am becoming normal again I still want to lose 1-2 pounds a month throughout the winter - maybe more if my life settles down a bit. Right now, I would consider it not settled. I am having a hard time keeping things straight... I am always tired.

My online Madden franchise with my friends from home isn't helping, since you need to play every day or your game gets simulated.

I'm thinking that this is partly due to last weekend when I didn't get a lot of rest, so I need to sleep this weekend.

Shouldn't make it look like I'm complaining, though, since I'm having fun now. :)

More non-unified nonsense

It's getting harder and harder to wake up every morning to run... in fact most mornings I don't. Uh oh! I should at least be glad that this insanity of mine lasted for 3 solid months. That's enough about that topic, for now.

I guess this could all be tied in to starting dating again but who is to say? I have a 2nd date on Thursday, a first date on Saturday and there are others that I am considering - some strongly. This doesn't even include the girl who canceled on me last week... I think she is now stricken from the record. Yes, you only get one crack at greatness. Kidding! Sort of. That's not the reason she might not get a return engagement.

Everyone at work is convinced that I'm going to get confused and start calling people by the wrong name but I'm pretty sure that won't happen. A lot of similar sounding names, though. I better not make any mistakes. I am obviously not cut out for dating 5 people at once; I'm really not that kind of guy. So let's see how long this lasts. I'm guessing not long. Let's just pick a winner (or two? no - still too much trouble) and move on from there.

In terms of work, still haven't heard anything encouraging that makes me think I'll be staying in Syracuse for long, which further makes my timing on EVERYTHING suspect. As of now, though, the recruiters that I'm working with have only sent my resume in for two positions, one just outside of NYC that I already phone interviewed for and another in Maryland. I have time to find a job... until next May is pretty safe estimate so I can afford to not go nuts and just be patient.

I have to go to the dentist today to get 5 cavities filled. I am NOT looking forward to it. I have a very strong gag reflex (remember kids, this is the proof from god that I was never meant to be gay) and when they cram those spacers in my mouth I have to physically remind myself to calm the fuck down. It's like a mini panic attack. It's all mental, though. When I focus on it and tell it to go away then it usually does. I wish that technique worked on some people in my life, but alas.

Last time the receptionist called me sweet cheeks which made me pause for about 5 seconds before I realized it was one of the best things that happened to me all year. She's not hot, so it wasn't that. It was just the comedy of it. I certainly appreciate these things more than most would.

Ok, I suppose I should try and do some work. I am trying to get a promotion to a job that pays over $100k after all. Time to go do that.

monday hodgepodge

Few things I want to write about so all will get a half-ass effort here at once and then I won't write anything again for a few more days... sound good? Ok, good.

Pitchfork's Top 10 Songs of the Decade:

They actually did top 500, but who can argue such minutia? Unless it's your job, of course. There will be more of these lists as the year winds down, but who else but Pitchfork can top the snobby douche quotient that I love in my music critique, oh so much? Let's see if I approve or disapprove of the songs that gave them the biggest boner this decade.

10: Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) Ok - yeah I like this song... it's probably my second favorite on Funeral so I can dig it.

9. Animal Collective - My Girls No no no. I hate this band. Maybe I don't actually hate the music but I the discussion of said music makes me want to go and do some suicide

8. Radiohead - Idioteque Only song on this list I never heard before... maybe I have but it's not springing to mind

7. Missy Elliot - Get Ur Freak On Uh, yeah ok. I always thought Missy Elliot had some really fun party songs

6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps Yay. I love this song, obv. Still their best yet (I would guess the almighty p4k agrees with me)

5. Daft Punk - One More Time I actually can't believe this song was released this decade. I feel like it came out around when I was born. And yes, it's the one you're thinking of.

4. Beyonce - Crazy In Love I like this song. It does NOT however, have the added bonus of the Beyonce dance that I mastered and busted out at the most random times to make people laugh all last winter.

3. M.I.A. - Paper Planes Dear Pineapple Express and Slumdog Millionaire, thanks for all the exposure. Where do I write the check? Love, M.I.A. (good song, but #3 of the decade, WTF?)

2. LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends Loooove this song...honestly thought it would be #1 when they were counting down earlier in the week.

1. Outkast - B.O.B. (Bombs over Bagdhad) Interesting choice. Good song, crazy good to work out to. Definitely not my favorite Outkast song (that would be Hey Ya residing back at #12 of the decade but I get it)

So that's the list... it's an interesting list. I'm guessing they will follow it up, as they usually do with an album list. I have no idea how that's going to shake out... I'm guessing that Sound of Silver will be top 3 but if the list is topped by Meriweather Post Pavilion I am going to cry a river of tremendous sorrow.

Weekend

Awesome weekend. I had an awesome draft, which I won't go over in too much detail. I know who mostly reads my blog and I know those people aren't interested in all the nuts and bolts of my fantasy draft. I think I did well enough to secure a victory, but we won't know that until around New Years. Saturday was a great day, though... drinking and busting balls all day. Kind of stuff I wish I could do more often and also a more painful reminder that I don't have any really good guy friends in Syracuse.

Inglorious Basterds was a quality film, standard Tarantino and I loved it. It wasn't as good as Kill Bill to me, but considering how much I loved that movie, not much would be.

I also had a pretty good day yesterday in general and I think I will just leave it at that, for now.

Fitness

So yeah, last week didn't quite work out like I planned. I only ran twice, lifted zero times and was a bad boy all week. I think I consumed anywhere from 10-15 coffee beverages with milk in them. Oops!

Anyway, I realized that warm air and myself are running out of our precious time together so I'm going to ditch lifting for the next month or so and just focus on running - probably going to go back to banging out 40 mile weeks or close to it. This will make me really sick of running, I realize that ahead of time, but luckily by the time that settles in it will be cold and I won't be able to run anyway, so everyone wins. In the winter my fitness plan will mostly consist of lifting with some running sprinkled in, so I'm going to try to get as lean as possible now.

Running also takes less time and I think I'm going to need my free time for some other things right now.

One thing I have a small interest in is increasing my fast twitch muscle reponse... So, right now I run long distances at my slow (10 min/mile) pace and that builds cardio as well as slow twitch muscle response. I was thinking of adding in sprints and things of that nature so that I can increase my fast twitch muscles. There is also a running program out there which name escapes me at the moment, where the basic gist is that you sprint/jog/sprint and it effectively "tricks" your body into burning just as much calories during your jog as if you were sprinting. I would have to start off very small there, but the plan would be to get up to 1 mi/1 mi/1 mi/1 mi. Now, obviously I can't sprint one mile but I'm thinking something along the lines of 7 min mile/10 min mile/7 min mile/10 min mile. It might be too late in the season to try something like this but I'm going to give it a shot.

Baaaaack to work. I'm a big dummy and I reminded Celia that I owed her $13 (she had forgotten!) and now I have to take her out to lunch today. Oops. Well, tomorrow is her last day before she moves to North Carolina so I don't mind taking her out to lunch anyway. My lunch buddy is leaving me! :(

Soon, I will have no one left at work that I actually consider my friend. How depressing.

When you want it done right you call on a gentleman

I'm starting to get amped up for this weekend. If you can only handle a certain amount of nerdiness, then skip the rest of this entry.

This weekend is the annual fantasy football draft for our league, recently christened with its new title, "The Little Lebowski Urban Achievers." I have been playing fantasy football for almost 15 years now. Sometime when I was around 12 or 13, I had a family friend who needed one extra person for their league so they invited me in... I guess even then it was apparent that I liked sports and nerdy things in equal measures. The draft took place in the basement of the local VWF, which is a bar for veterans if you're not familiar with that sort of small-town thing. Everyone proceeded to get absolutely shit-faced while sixth grade Mike sat there and dilligently made his selections. If I remember accurately then I really enjoyed my root beer.

It was a much nerdier thing back then, before the internet. You actually had to wait for the boxscores on Monday morning and calculate the scores/winners yourself. I remember sitting with the newspaper between my legs every Monday morning with a pen and paper figuring out if I won my game or not.

It was awesome.

Now Fantasy Football is a completely mainstream and widely accepted practice. There are tens of thousands of leagues on probably 50 websites. Someone got paid to estimate that $8-9 billion dollars of company revenue are lost due to fantasy football every year, due to a decrease in office productivity.

Sometimes you really need to work the phones/email to make that trade... deadline at work be damned.

I enjoy fantasy football for a few different reasons now that I'm older. First and foremost, it helps keep in touch. I live away from everyone now, which isn't a new development because I have lived away for 10 years now. But now more and more people have moved away, as well, so when I go home to Pennsylvania I only get to see a few people at a time. Doing this every year keeps us all in touch, at the very least throughout the entire winter.

The draft, which is this weekend, is honestly (as dorky as this sounds) one of the best weekends of the year, because everyone comes in from wherever they are and we all get to hang out for the weekend and talk football, have the draft, play poker, go out drinking together... whatever. That doesn't get to happen nearly enough. I've been looking forward to this since we started planning it over a month ago.

The email chains going back and forth have spanned 4 or 5 separate chains that have all approached 100 emails back and forth. I love it.

Second of all, I'm ultra competitive and I also enjoy gambling. This involves both! The older we get the higher the entrance fee becomes... so now for $100 you have a very legit chance of winning upwards 0f $900. That's fun times. Also, this is the kind of thing that allows for nearly limitless shit-talking at all times and that is something I appreciate completely.

Thirdly, I realize that this makes football itself 100% more interesting. Instead of caring about only one game per week when the Giants play, I care about EVERY game. This can get dicey when girlfriends are involved but that is one of the reasons that the iPhone was invented... you can now check scores even while you are out doing whatever.

As for the title of this post, which doesn't seem to jive with the subject matter... well, my team name is of course, "The Gentleman Callers". I don't remember how or where I decided to use it, but it's been the name for about 4-5 years now and will be forever more. I even have a sweet logo!

Hell yes!

My friend Mark joined the league this year and decided to come in with a very awesome selection on the other side of the class spectrum, "My Couch Pulls Out, But I Don't"... amazing.

Now that I have sufficiently demonstrated my dorkiness with a multi-hundred word love poem about fantasy football, I shall conclude only by saying that I regret nothing.

And so it ends...

Not entirely, of course, but I think I am done with the craziness. I have a date on Thursday... my honest opinion is that it's months overdue. I will probably have more when I get back from PA next week - I'm talking to a few girls now. I don't know what took me so long. You get in such a groove and it's easy to get lost... although it's not all negative. I got pretty far.

I gained 1.8 pounds this week. But again, this isn't a bad thing. I have gotten even skinnier and I went down another jeans size. I have really taken great care to start lifting again regularly and it's starting to show. I ran 26.25 miles last week. I did a brief 4 mile run as the sun went down last night. I was zipping. I finished 6 minutes faster than normal... It was a good feeling.

I had to quit my run early this morning (~3 miles) due to the worst cramp I've ever had in my life. And it wasn't in a normal spot, either, it was just underneath my ribcage on the right hand side. I was trying to run through it but it got so bad I thought I was going to fall over... so I just quit.

Trying to go to the gym the next three nights to give me 8 workouts for the week. That would be 2x M, T, W, run Thursday morning and run Friday morning before I head to PA for the weekend. It's going to be an awesome weekend, that will no doubt see me gain some weight. It's the annual fantasy football draft for me and my team "The Gentleman Callers" and it's honestly the only time we all get to see everyone all year. I'll see a few people here and there but to get all 10 guys in the league together as well as a few others is rare. I've been looking forward to this for weeks. Of course pizza/wings/beer will be involved but I'll survive.

The timing of me dating again and such is suspect, I know, due to the 50% or higher chance that I might be moving soon, but I never did claim to know exactly what it was I wanted out of life.

It's just really important now for me to keep me exercise level up high enough while I integrate my social life back without slacking off... I don't want to have come all this way to backtrack even an inch. I'm hoping to just steadily lose 2-4 pounds a month, which is next to nothing, all through the winter until next summer when I can get crazy (or not - depending) again if need be.

The start of the next phase

So, I made it to 199 Saturday, in case you missed it.

I got there almost by accident. Saturday night at the gym I hurt my finger lifting, nothing too serious. I just got a bruise on the inside of my ring finger and I couldn't grip the weights. So I said screw it and went upstairs to do cardio. I also decided that I needed to take the rest of the weekend off so my finger could heal, and there you have it. Might have never gotten to 199 this week if I didn't do extra cardio and less lifting.

And now that the greatest mental hurdle has been passed, there's really nothing left to do except keep plugging away and keep working hard. My goal is 185 and I really feel, when I look in the mirror, that 15 more pounds will really seal the deal. Everyone keeps telling me how great I look but I still want more - and I think that's a good thing. Complacency is dangerous.

I only worked out 7 times last week, I ended up taking the rest of the weekend off after I hit my target weight. I did manage to have my first 10 mile run before that, though.

I went out for a 5 mile run, felt really good and kept running. Once I made it to 8, I told myself there was no way I was stopping. But as you can see, I never really got tired as my pace was remarkably consistent for the nearly two hours that I was out running.

Last week was a "down" week, usually after I hit my 11 workout goal I plan on going a little easy the next week. That makes this an "up" week - trying to hit 11 workouts. That's already not looking so likely - I missed my morning run this morning, for a few reasons.

1) There was a massive thunderstorm this morning that really would have tested my resolve. I have run in the rain before, which is even harder then it sounds at 6 AM, but never in rain as hard as this morning... but that didn't really come in to play, because...

2) I didn't sleep at all last night! This has happened a few times in the past, always on Sunday and I know why it happens. I took a nap around 5PM yesterday and it's not like in college where I would drift off for mini-naps while studying and still be able to sleep at night. If I nap now, it takes it's toll on me at night. But I was so tired yesterday afternoon! Anyway - I was tossing and turning all night and it really messed me up. I did not want to get out of bed this morning!

I can still hit 11 - I just have to do a "make-up" one of these nights and not miss any more mornings. My finger is healed up and I'm ready to get back in the gym.

Now that I'm starting to be pleased with the way that I look somewhat, it's really important that I stay motivated and keep it up... and thus the second phase begins.

35 new artists if you only listen to Top 40 Radio: Part 3

Part 1.Part 2.

To continue on...

21: Art Brut This is another one of those groups where you initially hear the voice and the initial reaction could conceivably be, "Is this a joke?" "Are you messing with me?" Definitely an interesting voice that can be a little distracting at times, but what can you say, really? They have some pretty good pop music. I was not the biggest fan of their most recent album, but not every one can be a winner.

If you like this song, find: Emily Kane, Good Weekend, Post Soothing Out, Demons Out!, Pump Up the Volume, Modern Art

22: Discovery
A side project comprised of members of Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot (neither of which are on this list!), this is pretty good shit IF you can handle some electronica. Don't get me wrong, these are mostly pop songs, but there's some dance hall/eletronic sound to the music. They only have one album, and with these side projects it might end up being the only one, but it's full of quality songs. I recommend it heavily.

If you like this song, find: Orange Shirt, Osaka Loop Line, Swing Tree, Carby, I Want You Back

23. fun. I just can't help myself... their first album comes out in two weeks. This is what is sometimes known as a "supergroup" even though in my opinion the groups that they are coming from aren't that super. There's Nate from The Format, which in my opinion is the only reason this band is going anywhere. There are also members from Steel Train and another band I don't know. I only know Steel Train because I saw them open for The Format and my sole recollection of that show was that the guitarist can shred like crazy, so I'm glad to see him paired with Nate's voice in this new band. What can I say? 4 songs have been released already and all of them are great! "Walking the Dog" is my favorite, it's just a great summer song. I did get the chance to hear a few more when I saw them live in May. I'll be going again to see a headlining show in September, most likely. I think everyone should check this band out and get their debut album "Aim and Ignite" when it's available on August 25th.

If you like this song, find: At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used to Be), All the Pretty Girls, Take Your Time Coming Home, Benson Hedges

24: Girl Talk
I think anyone can like Girl Talk if exposed. Girl Talk is essentially one guy, who mixes together all the music you already know and puts on these crazy concerts using only his laptop where people absolutely lose their shit and go wild. Listening to "Feed the Animals", it's like a guessing game of name that sample. Oh, there's Tom Petty, oh, there's Fleetwood Mac. Hey, that's "Flashing Lights" mixed with No Diggity or Boyz by M.I.A. mixed with The Cranberries. My absolute favorite is Jessie's Girl mixed with "I Wanna Get Some Head"... this is the PERFECT party CD, especially if you want to get people dancing. Fun fun fun.

If you like this song, find: The entire "Feed the Animals" album. You can also check out the other one "Night Ripper" but I don't like that one as much, too much rap I never heard before. Feed The Animals draws from more accessible pop that everyone will notice something from.

25: hellogoodbye
This band hasn't been up to anything in a while and I tried to google some recent information on them lately and all I was able to get back was news about them trashing some college and being giant douchebags... not a good sign. However, their EP and first full length, "Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!" were both good, fun albums that were right up my alley. Hopefully they'll be back around soon.

If you like this song, find: Here In Your Arms, Call n' Return, Touchdown Turnaround, I Saw It On Your Keyboard, Dear Jamie, Two Weeks in Hawaii

26: Hot Chip
More of an electronic/dance group. They have a few CDs, but I'm only really a fan of last year's big hit, "Made in the Dark." Not much more for me to add, except if you want to listen to some funky, danceable beats - they might be looking in to. Very popular with some of the hipster set, so maybe that can earn you some points if there is a girl whose skinny jeans you desperately want to get in to.

If you like this song, find: Out at the Pictures, Shake a Fist, One Pure Thought, Wrestlers

27: The Kooks
Weepy, slightly feminine British band in the same sort of vein as Coldplay, but not nearly as grandoise. That's probably not 100% accurate because it's not QUITE as sensitive, but I kinda lump it into that group in my head. Good melodies and some really catchy pop/lite rock tunes. Despite the unfortunate name, "Jackie Big Tits" is a really catch and damn good pop song. I think this band could break through and be big. They are already pretty big across the pond in the UK but different beast here in the US... although I have heard the embedded clip in movie trailers and on commercials.

If you like this song, find: Jackie Big Tits, She Moves in Her Own Way, Match Box, Love it All

28: LCD Soundsystem
"Sound of Silver" was the album of 2007 hands down and "All My Friends" is one of the best songs I've ever heard in my entire life. I don't know what else to add, really. It's smart, good music that perfect for anyone who likes to move and likes good music.

If you like this song, find: Someone Great, North American Scum, Us V Them

29: MGMT
I'm not sure it's possible for me to mention or list a band that could be considered hipster darlings any more than MGMT, but hey, the music is good. Jay-Z wanted some "hipster" influence on The Blueprint 3 and there's going to be a song featuring MGMT on there. I can't wait to hear what it sounds like. These are light, funky songs that don't take themselves too seriously, which in all seriousness is probably perfect for that waste of life Williamsburg set who moves throughout life trying to one-up each other in a battle to see who can be the most ironic in their life choices. Ehh, I like the music even if I really don't love most of the people who are going nuts over it.

If you like this song, find: Electric Feel, Time to Pretend, Love Always Remains, Destrokk

30: The National
I love The National, and I think in parts they have already reached the mainstream. I was shopping at Home Depot once when I heard "Fake Empire" come over the loudspeakers. I definitely did a double-take. This is more of a serious band, not as funky or in to my normal subset, but I heard of The National years ago quite randomly... I think I read a recommendation on some random place of the internet for their new album at the time, "Alligator"... I loved it. They've since released "Boxer", which is what got them some of their mainstream attention. Definitely a band worth tracking down. Both "Alligator" and "Boxer" are chock full of great songs that you will remember for a long time... also their first EP "Cherry Tree" has the gem "About Today".

If you like this song, find: Secret Meeting, About Today, Fake Empire, Slow Show, Apartment Story, The Geese of Beverly Road, Mr. November

One more part left to go, where I will also include some of the bands that just missed the list for various reasons.

Guess I spoke too soon

Oops.

For some perspective: since March I have lost 35 pounds. I was lazy and full of excuses throughout last Winter, but I guess breaking up with a girlfriend who calls you fat all the time can be an excellent motivational tool.

I have lost 86 pounds from my absolute low point in 2006, when my life was just a total mess.

Not done, though.

Although I did earn myself an extra night off tonight. :)

...

I have lapsed into not writing again, after a nice little burst of activity the few weeks prior.

There are some interesting and possibly exciting things going on in my life right now... some of which I have written about and then deleted because sometimes it takes me a while to realize that some things should not be put in a public forum, no matter how small the group of people who read it regularly is.

You'd be surprised on some of the google searches that lead people to my website.

Anyway - I think that maybe I will have some time to start writing again soon, but maybe not.

I plan on spending the next two weeks going absolutely nuts - I'll be going home to PA two weeks from today on the 21st. I probably plan on working out 25 times or so in the next two weeks, before I take that entire weekend off - I'm feeling crazy.

There will be changes on the other side of the trip. For one, it's going to start getting too cold to keep up my routine, probably much sooner than I would like. For another, I'm thinking of letting myself have some fun again.

I'm not losing any weight the last two weeks, but this is mostly a failing of my metrics and methods of success than anything else. I have been lifting a lot and have regained a great deal of my lost strength. I look and feel like I'm in better shape... my clothes are getting looser, but I'm not losing any weight. And here's where I screwed up - I chose weight in pounds as my only metric of success/failure on my little experiment. And that is now proving to be a mistake. So despite the fact that I'm doing positive things, I have no measurable way to prove it.

The timing of the weight lifting and where my weight was in relation to my 200 pound goal is going to make getting to that barrier much sweeter because I've been hovering around 203-205 pounds for two-three weeks now despite getting thinner.

See, this is my life in a nutshell lately. I planned on writing a little something about how I'm not writing too much lately and plan on writing more and I end up writing about fitness/exercise.

I need to break the bubble.

July in review and the week that goes all the way up to 11

Hey, it's August! Right on.

First off, a brief review of July. July was an interesting month - I feel like things are really starting to round in to shape, so to speak. On the whole - I only lost about 4 pounds in July - which at first glance seems exceptionally disappointing. But I started lifting with 3 weeks left in the month and this obviously is going to slow down weight loss a bit.

I ran 128.32 miles in the month of July, crushing June's total. This is in addition to going to the gym and lifting weights 3-4 times a week.

As for last week... I ran 30.13 miles, worked out 11 times (finally!), got all my lifting in and also did an additional 30 minutes of cardio at the gym.

Weight Loss: -2.6 pounds
Weight: 203.2

I was down to 202.4 on Saturday but Sunday is usually the day I slack, if at all, and I had some ice cream and things so it's all good.

This is the week I break the barrier! (I think). I feel like things are going to align this week and I'm going to drop below 200.

I've been giving more consideration lately to adding more normal activities back in to my life... some of the things I have been depriving myself of, mostly because I am crazy. We'll see, though... that determination will come after the weekend of August 21st when I get back from my trip to Pennsylvania.

9 years of waiting about to come to fruition very soon.