just wonderin'

How come friends and colleagues can disagree about almost anything and can look past the differences and move on? But, politics and Religion...disagree on those and people wonder if you've lost your mind. It is our differing views, beliefs an...d opinions which make us each unique. Should we feel apprehensive about discussing our views with those that we consider as friends?

I manage a drug store, every week I see parents with sick children trying to decide which medication is the most important for their child simply because they can't afford all of the scripts. Does it make me a socialist that I feel that a child or a senior citizen should get the meds and healthcare that they need?

It's been two years...

Two years ago I was standing at the front of my store when the phone rang. I picked it up, said the standard greeting...it was my dad. His voice was calm, almost ghostly in the way he spoke. "Wayne, you need to sit down..." I didn't, I knew what had happened. My mom was gone. She passed away at home with my father and brother at her side. From what dad told me, the emt's worked on her for as long as they could. They tried to bring her back, but were unable to. My mom was the most loving, kind and gentle person that I have ever known. She always was the referee between my brothers and I when we were kids and my dad and I later on. She never met a stranger, and always was equipped with a smile. I loved to make my mother laugh, and when I would hear my laugh, it would brighten my day. My dad and her met when she was 20 years old. He was in the Air Force stationed in Shreveport. Her mom worked at the Barksdale base. They married 89 days later. That 89 day courtship turned into over 40 years of marriage. My parents are soulmates in the truest sense of the term. They were, it seems, destined to find one another. They were partners, friends, and basically each other's other half. My father has shown great strength since mom has passed, but I can only imagine what he is enduring. My dad and I are both very private people. Mom was the only one who could get either of us to talk about the emotional stuff. I watched an episode of That 70's Show in reruns a few minutes ago. It's the one where Eric and his mom go see a movie together. It reminds me of the time that mom and I went to see a movie. It was called Dragnet. We laughed and spent time together as the friends that we were. When Dragnet comes on now, I stop and watch it each and every time. It's a link to my mom and as crazy as it may sound, at least for a little while...I can imagine she's sitting there beside me. Laughing and smiling, and being there one last time.
I've told you about the fact that she helped build my love of comics, would play soccer and baseball in the yard so the "teams" would be even. I miss her a great deal and just felt like telling some friends.

The diary of the last 6 days...

May 22nd:
I'll admit, even after just the stretching with the trainer and the 30 minutes on the treadmill yesterday, I'm sore. It doesn't matter though, Today was truck day for me at my job. Unloading 6 pallets of merchandise, by hand...piece by piece. It's about an hour and a half of constant movement and lifting and stacking cases of retail merchandise. Then the fun part, putting it on shelves. So, that's my exercise for today. Tomorrow, I work out with my trainer for the first time. Wish me luck.

May 23rd:
Okay, here is today's update...35 minutes on treadmill, walked 2 miles on an incline of 8 and burned 520 calories25 minutes on the bike. Pedaled 6 miles, and burned 225 calories....then I worked out with the trainer for an hour. Who knows what I burned there? But, I was sweating for most of it.

May 24th:
Sunday's update...Mowed the Yard. It may not be time in the gym, but it's already 90 degrees in Texas, so it counts as a workout.

May 25th:
30 minutes of a Power Sculpt Weightlifting class...That was tough.
30 minutes of a Bike Spin class.
So an hour of working out today. The soreness is going away, the pounds aren't. It will take time.

May 26th:
Today, I worked on the treadmill for 35 minutes, walked and ran 2.5 miles and burned 600 calories. My goal is an hour for 1000 calories burned and 5 miles.
Also spent time on a stationary bike for 25 minutes to put in an even hour.

May 27th:
Today, I worked on the treadmill for 40 minutes, then spent an hour with my trainer. He kicked my ass for a little while, and now...now I am sore for the first time in a few days.

May 28th:

I worked a 10 hour day today, and decided that I needed a break from the gym. I was really anxious after a rough day for me and some of the mebers of my family so I decided to take a walk instead of just lay in front of the TV. Our block is .8 miles, so I decided to walk the block once. Well, once I got started I decided to jog the last 1/4 of the block. Well, once became twice, jogging the last 1/4 became jogging the 2nd and last quarter. Finally, twice became three times.

It may not seem like a big deal, but it is to me. I didn't plan to exercise today, but ended up doing almost 2.5 miles in 35 minutes.

Back on the wagon...

I'm a big guy. A very big guy. In January, I tipped the scales at 303 lbs. I hated to workout and ate crap. I hit rock bottom when I stopped by 3 fast food restaurants in a 20 minute time span. You see, I have always been someone who did not want people to see what I eat. I guess I'm embarrassed because I should know better. So, on January 12th, I started dieting again...and in three months, I lost 50 pounds. That's the good news. The bad news is, I have not lost a single pound since April 1st. For the last 6 weeks, I've stopped losing weight. What follows is a kind of diary I have been keeping for myself. I don't know if it'll mean a lot to anyone, but it is helping me to stay focused on the goal.

Well, after being stagnant in the weight loss for about 2 months, I had a choice...A)Say screw it and eat what I wanted or B) Keep plugging away and hope that the weight will eventually begin to come off again.My wife picked C) Buy 8 sessions from a personal trainer and see if that will help me bust through where I am stuck.
Don't know if it will work, I believe it will because even though I have been working out I was sweating before I finished stretching.
Wish me luck guys, I am back on the wagon 100 %.
Currently at 255,
Started at 303 on Jan 12th
Next goal is 245 by June 17th.