September Round-up

After a half dozen or so abortive post attempts since my last post, I figured I'd simply sum up the past 3 and half weeks:

• Today is my beautiful daughter Emma's 5th birthday. I can't believe how big she has gotten. This past Saturday we had a party for a bunch of her friends at Syracuse Tents and Events, which was excellent. Nothing but bounce houses and excellent service. I highly recommend this place for a reasonably priced kids party
• Big week ahead. Em's birthday, Elle's birthday Thursday, and our 6 year anniversary on Sunday. We're planning a nice getaway this weekend to Old Forge to do what parents can't do at home: sleep.
• The scale stated 278.5 lbs last week, down 2.5 pounds over 3 weeks. I'll take it.
• I wish we could hold the god damn election already and get it over with. I can't stand listening to another month's worth of McCain's lies. Sadly, I used to respect this guy. I'm hopeful that in 2 months or so we'll be able to look back and laugh at what a comedy of errors and poor judgement the McCain-Palin clusterfuck delivered.
• Really, Congress? You're going to pass on doing something to help stave off what is potentially the greatest financial crisis of our generation because your constituents are against fat cat bailouts? Listen, the average American is a fucking moron, and they don't have a fucking clue what about what is happening. You just might need to do what's best for the country vs ensuring re-election.
• Note to self - stop checking 401K at this point
• Go Bills! 4-0 for the first time since 1992, which is better than anyone could have imagined. I thought we would be 2-2 at this point. As a fan, I'm feeling the change. When the Bills have the ball, I now have confidence they will move the chains. When the D is on the field, I expect them to shut down the other team. This is exhilirating. I can't wait to see them in person 10/19 against the Chargers
• Fire Greg Robinson now - I think he is actually trying to lose games at this point (punting from the opponents 38 yard line on 4th and 1, substituting a true freshman for a senior with the game on the line).
• My fantasy team sucks. Big time. 0-4. I traded Drew Brees for Ryan Grant and Torry Holt, which has turned out to be a big mistake. Darren McFadden has been underwhelming to this point, but Chris Johnson has been a nice surprise. I can't seem to make the right decisions, resulting in me leaving winning points on the bench in 3 of my 4 games. I know there are 10 weeks left, but it's feeling like a lost season all over again

And that's that. More in October. Go Bills, Go Obama!

Weightloss, it is a Mother...

The past month of dieting and exercise has been trying, to say the least. I've had to travel for work every week since the beginning of August, which makes things difficult. My self control seems to go out the window when I'm on the road, and exercise becomes an after thought. Add to that a week with the folks and the wheels are dangerously close to coming off. Gym trips have been 1-2 per week vs the 3-4 I was targeting. My blood sugar numbers have started creeping up again. The scale this morning registered 281 lbs, a net loss of only 2/10 of a pound since 8/8.

crap.

I have a couple weeks of travel on the horizon, which I'm praying I can keep under control. I'd love to be 275 by the end of September, upon which I'll be back at my evil endocrinologist's office. 275 will put me at a net loss of ~18 lbs since the end of June, which would be a nice 3 month effort. I'll try to exhibit restraint this weekend and hit the gym twice. As anyone will tell you, this is hard goddamn work, and I'm hating every second of it.

It's Time for NFL Football!

And this year, I feel pretty OK about my Buffalo Bills (ignore that rant a couple of weeks back). An improved defense, solid RB, and caretaker QB will offset a depleted O-line (Jason Peters, you're a big disappointment) to turn in a winning record. The first couple of weeks will be rough, but it gets easier from there. Here's how I see things breaking down:

Sun. 9/7 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (loss)
Sun. 9/14 @ Jacksonville Jaguars (loss)
Sun. 9/21 OAKLAND RAIDERS (win)
Sun. 9/28 @ St. Louis Rams (win)
Sun. 10/5 @ Arizona Cardinals (win)
BYE 10/12 BYE BYE
Sun. 10/19 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (loss)
Sun. 10/26 @ Miami Dolphins (win)
Sun. 11/2 NEW YORK JETS (win)
Sun. 11/9 @ New England Patriots (loss)
Mon. 11/17 CLEVELAND BROWNS (win)
Sun. 11/23 @ Kansas City Chiefs (win)
Sun. 11/30 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (win)
Sun. 12/7 MIAMI DOLPHINS (win)
Sun. 12/14 @ New York Jets (win)
Sun. 12/21 @ Denver Broncos (loss)
Sun. 12/28 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (loss)


10-6. Really. And I think that means playoffs, baby!

Labor Day Recap

Ah... I've been off since last Thursday, and goddamn if it wasn't a relaxing time. My folks have been in town since Wednesday night. Weekend breakdown:

Thursday was spent doing... nothing. Which was wonderful. Just hanging out around the house, my parents distracting the kids. All good.

On Friday the house went wireless, with installation of a wireless router. I can now use my work laptop anywhere, which will make things less contentious on the weekends

Despite some bad weather early on, we spent a great afternoon picnicking with the extended clan on Saturday at Green Lakes State Park.

We enjoyed Green Lakes so much we went back Sunday to take the kids to the beach. We had fantastic weather from Saturday afternoon on. Temps in the high '70's, blue skies, low humidity, simply wonderful.

lots of grilling, including some nice slow cooked/smoked ribs yesterday. Tasty

Saw the Bee Movie on DVD about 800 times. Kids loved it, but hopefully they'll move on soon

Finished my fantasy football draft. Eh. It's all a crapshoot anyway.

SU laid a big turd on Saturday, which wasn't unexpected. This was the first stop on the Fire Greg Robinson tour, which will hopefully end much sooner than the expected 11/29 finale.