The perfect fit

We took some present out of the gift basket they came in, a few minutes later Lizzy found it...

Getting fit - part II

In the last post I did on this subject I mentioned that I'd post again when I hit my initial goal of 1stone, or 14lbs of weight loss. Well, that happened about 2 days after that post, so instead I decided to not mention anything else on this topic until I hit the next goal of 20lbs or 1st 6lbs of loss, with my aim being to complete that before the end of the year. Well this week took me a lot longer to lose those last few pounds, but based on the scale last night, and this morning... I'm there :)

So in 22 days I've lost ~21lbs. I would anticipate that it's now going to take me a lot longer to lose any more, but I am going to keep at it, as I want to be able to enjoy the football (soccer) games in April and May, not just the first 5 minutes. As for other changes brought about by this... I've gone down 2 jeans sizes, I can fit in t-shirts that had obviously 'shrunk in the wash' over the last year or so, and my whole body aches ;) (no pain, no gain).

Well, that is it on this topic, I know I'm starting to bore some people, but hey it's an achievement for me (not necessarily a new achievement, as I did this same thing 9 years ago, but then it was for a contest and I had no intention of keeping it up, so I didn't), and I just wanted to share.

Xmas, and a new bike

...and that's all that needs to be said :)

Backsplash

My brother in law - Guillermo, does tiling for a living, so when he came up here for Christmas he offered to do the backsplash behind our stove.

Looks nice :)

Gwyneth, Jesse & Santa

Some last minute lobbying for good presents from Gwyneth and her cousin...

An Inconvenient Truth

If you haven't seen this film, go rent it now. You'll see the evidence about global warming, and the reality of what will happen if nothing is done about it (as per the current administration). It really makes you wish that the butterfly ballot had been outlawed in Florida before the 2000 election...

Getting Fit (or dying trying)

So, when I returned from Chicago I decided that it was time to turn over a new leaf. I signed up for the over 30's football (sawker) league, kicking off in April, and started my get fit regimen. I now get up 40 minutes earlier than usual, and take the dog for a 30 minute walk. I no longer eat breakfast at home, but do so at work, replacing the milk in my cereal with soy milk. I've cut back on my caloric intake throughout the day, removing bread and cheese (2 of my main problems) from my diet. Then on a night, I take Kelli for another 30 minute walk. The results so far after almost 2 weeks? I've lost 11lbs (down to a weight I haven't seen for 9 years), I feel healthier, and I feel better with myself. I don't aim to lose too much more weight, maybe another 10lbs or so, but I am going to be concentrating on building up my stamina; I want to be able to play a full game and not collapse after 10 minutes in April.

I'll probably not post too much more about this (except probably for when I hit my next milestone - down a stone (14lbs)), but I thought I'd say why I've not been posting much, I've been out getting fresh air and exercise, and staying away from the pc and the tv. :)

Splitting the tab

So on Wednesday night last week, after a 20+ block forced march through the streets of Chicago, a group of 8 of us found ourselves at a really nice Greek restaurant. After good food and good conversation, the check arrived. It was then that we realized that the 8 of us needed to get this check split up so that we could each submit it to our companies for expenses. We asked the waiter, and he informed us that it was too late to do separate checks, but if we wanted he could split the check evenly. We all smiled and said that was fine. A few moments later he brought us all a check that was indeed split 8 ways as you can see below. First time I've seen it done this way :) (click the image to enlarge it if you can't read it)

Flickr

Back in July I signed up for a Flickr account, so I could post images to the web for all to view. I posted the one set, and then forgot all about it. Well, now I've gone back, signed up for the professional service, and have gone on a posting frenzy. Don't believe me? Well go to my Flickr Stream and take a gander. Who knows, there may even be a shot of you there... ;)

(I've also put a link to the stream on the right hand side of the page)

Early Xmas Present

Ok, I'm a Doctor Who geek, but you should probably already know that if you know me. I got back from Chicago tonight to find a box waiting for me, inside... well, my own personal sonic screwdriver :)

...and my own Tardis (4 port USB)

Here in Chicago

The Chicago skyline from across the lake (you can see all of 'Da Bears' fans walking home from the stadium after the game).


The gingerbread house in the hotel lobby (yes, its really made of gingerbread)

Chicago in 2 days?

On Sunday I'm heading out to Search Engine Strategies 2006 in Chicago... hopefully... today they're getting 8-10" of snow, and the airport has already been closed. They're not supposed to get any more snow after today though, so I should be fine.

Just to think, one year ago was when I started blogging, and my second post was about the snow on my way out of Chicago...

Career Day

Gwyneth's Kindergarten is running a career week, they've had parents come in and discuss their careers, and today they're having the kids come in dressed up as what they want to be when they grow up. Naturally we had 2 days to put something together. Gwyneth rejected the idea of an old cell phone and a nice outfit to go in as a businesswoman, and instead decided to go in as... a vet :)