Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
My heart has almost completely recovered
I have been working very hard at leading a healthier life these past couple of months. I detailed the steps I've been taking here. I've gotten to the point where exercise in the morning is part of my routine. I bring my lunch to work a lot more, and when I do go out I make healthy choices. On days that I bring my lunch, I try to go for a walk, and I recently went to the Y during lunch when it was raining. I've also started going on 45-minute bike rides after work.
It's paid off in many ways. My measurements are shrinking, I've lost 30 pounds, and I feel wonderful. Today, I reaped yet another reward.
Last October, I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. After six months, heart medicine had helped my heart function improve from 15 to 20% up to 35%...but I was still too far from normal, 55%, for my doctor's liking. She strongly suggested I get an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).
At that point, I wrote, "I think that if I had worked harder to improve my diet and exercise, it would be better than it is...and I think if I work on those areas now, I can help it improve even more." And I decided to work on my diet and exercise to see if I was right.
It turns out, I was.
Today I had my echocardiogram, three months after the ICD was suggested and ten months after my diagnosis.
My ejection fraction is now 45 - 50%, just 5% away from normal.
It's paid off in many ways. My measurements are shrinking, I've lost 30 pounds, and I feel wonderful. Today, I reaped yet another reward.
Last October, I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. After six months, heart medicine had helped my heart function improve from 15 to 20% up to 35%...but I was still too far from normal, 55%, for my doctor's liking. She strongly suggested I get an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).
At that point, I wrote, "I think that if I had worked harder to improve my diet and exercise, it would be better than it is...and I think if I work on those areas now, I can help it improve even more." And I decided to work on my diet and exercise to see if I was right.
It turns out, I was.
Today I had my echocardiogram, three months after the ICD was suggested and ten months after my diagnosis.
My ejection fraction is now 45 - 50%, just 5% away from normal.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Rain
like the rain, though; it's warm and refreshing.
Measuring progress
As I've been working towards my weight loss and health goals, I've been tracking my weight quite a bit. I take my weight every day and put it in a little calendar. On Mondays, I put that weight into Weight Watchers Online, too. The Wii Fit takes my weight and calculates my BMI daily. And on Fridays, we have a weigh-in at work for the weight loss competition Amanda and I organized. But I haven't really done much else in terms of tracking my fitness, other than noticing I can do more things now than before.
So today I took my measurements. I had taken them when I first started on TurboJam...unfortunately, I'm not sure when that was. I also took them on June 29, almost two months ago. Here's how I stack up:
I'd say those are some pretty impressive changes! I'm looking forward to watching more inches "melt away", as the cliche goes.
So today I took my measurements. I had taken them when I first started on TurboJam...unfortunately, I'm not sure when that was. I also took them on June 29, almost two months ago. Here's how I stack up:
| Undated | June 29 | August 20 | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| chest | 48.5" | 48.5" | 47.5" | -1" |
| right bicep | 17.5" | 15" | 14" | -3.5" |
| left bicep | 18" | 16" | 15" | -3" |
| waist | 48" | 47" | 45.5" | -2.5" |
| hips | 56" | 55.5" | 53.5" | -2.5" |
| right thigh | 30" | 29.75" | 28.5" | -1.5" |
| left thigh | 30.5" | 30" | 28.5" | -2" |
| right calf | - | 17 7/8" | 17" | -7/8" |
| left calf | - | 17 7/8" | 17" | -7/8" |
| neck | - | 16.25" | 15.5" | -0.75" |
I'd say those are some pretty impressive changes! I'm looking forward to watching more inches "melt away", as the cliche goes.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Aaaand done
half an hour, so I figure I'm done.
Lunch
but instead see how many laps I can do.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Moblogging
I've been trying out various moblogging methods in the past week. I loved that during my vacation I could snap a photo and send it online instantly via Blogger's email post feature. That feature remains my favorite way to get pictures and text online from my phone. I can do it from the phone's camera without installing any extra applications, and the post appears as the latest item on my blog, where people will notice it.
However, that last pro is also a con. If I send a lot of pictures, they push my regular posts off the front page very quickly. If I continue to use this method, I will need to change my blog template somehow to deal with this problem, or create a secondary blog just for moblogging and pull it into this template.
I also don't like the fact that the pictures are stored on Blogger and not my SmugMug. I'd really prefer all my pictures to be in the same place. I installed SmugShot on my phone to see if it would work for me, but I ultimately don't like it very much. The application doesn't remember that I want my mobile photos to go into an album called "Moblog" and not their default "SmugShot"; I have to change the album every time I open the app. I also have it set to auto-tag my photos, but it doesn't do it. Plus, posting this way doesn't get the picture automatically on my blog. I tried installing a Flash slideshow of my moblog pictures, but it's not really the same. It's the kind of widget most people ignore when they're visiting a site. Plus, I can only caption the photos, not title and caption like I can with Blogger.
My ideal solution would be something that would automatically save the photo to SmugMug, then create a post on Blogger that incorporates the SmugMug photo and whatever text I've put in the email, with the title of the email being the title of the post. Further, I'd love to be able to take a bunch of photos, caption each, and then send them as a bulk blog post, to keep the mass of pictures from driving other posts off my front page. That last would require an application, I imagine, since the iPhone can only send one picture at a time, and can't do email attachments otherwise.
It's possible some sort of solution exists for different blog software; I'm open to that too. I love Blogger, but since I publish via FTP I can't use a lot of its features...and to be honest I trust my host (pair) a lot more than I trust Blogger's servers (no offense), so I'm not going to shift my blog to Blogspot. I've toyed with the idea of using WordPress. I've also thought about Movable Type; pair lets you add it to your account for a nominal fee per month.
I guess I'll keep looking until I find a solution that makes sense for me. Suggestions are welcome!
However, that last pro is also a con. If I send a lot of pictures, they push my regular posts off the front page very quickly. If I continue to use this method, I will need to change my blog template somehow to deal with this problem, or create a secondary blog just for moblogging and pull it into this template.
I also don't like the fact that the pictures are stored on Blogger and not my SmugMug. I'd really prefer all my pictures to be in the same place. I installed SmugShot on my phone to see if it would work for me, but I ultimately don't like it very much. The application doesn't remember that I want my mobile photos to go into an album called "Moblog" and not their default "SmugShot"; I have to change the album every time I open the app. I also have it set to auto-tag my photos, but it doesn't do it. Plus, posting this way doesn't get the picture automatically on my blog. I tried installing a Flash slideshow of my moblog pictures, but it's not really the same. It's the kind of widget most people ignore when they're visiting a site. Plus, I can only caption the photos, not title and caption like I can with Blogger.
My ideal solution would be something that would automatically save the photo to SmugMug, then create a post on Blogger that incorporates the SmugMug photo and whatever text I've put in the email, with the title of the email being the title of the post. Further, I'd love to be able to take a bunch of photos, caption each, and then send them as a bulk blog post, to keep the mass of pictures from driving other posts off my front page. That last would require an application, I imagine, since the iPhone can only send one picture at a time, and can't do email attachments otherwise.
It's possible some sort of solution exists for different blog software; I'm open to that too. I love Blogger, but since I publish via FTP I can't use a lot of its features...and to be honest I trust my host (pair) a lot more than I trust Blogger's servers (no offense), so I'm not going to shift my blog to Blogspot. I've toyed with the idea of using WordPress. I've also thought about Movable Type; pair lets you add it to your account for a nominal fee per month.
I guess I'll keep looking until I find a solution that makes sense for me. Suggestions are welcome!
Transportation
Feeling pretty good now. Time to head home (and possibly play some Wii).
Greeneway
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Japanese Pocket Garden
before I could capture his soul.
Monday, August 11, 2008
McCain wants a fan club
McCain's campaign is pushing the Obama-as-celebrity angle pretty hard. Check out this gushing run-on from Rick Davis, the McCain campaign manager:
The Obama-as-celebrity and Obama-as-the-one strategies are annoying to me as an Obama supporter, but I admit that they could be effective. It would be easy to cast the effect Obama has on people in a fanatical light.
The problem for McCain is that his people aren't doing it right. His commercials lack organization, visual interest, and the one-two punch needed to drive the point home. He's not coming across as the serious, intelligent choice.
He's coming across as jealous.
We can all agree that Senator Barack Obama is one of the world's biggest celebrities and every celebrity needs a fan club filled with adoring fans and Senator Obama certainly has his fair share.This quote is part of an email just sent out to unveil McCain's newest campaign ad, which you can see here.
The Obama-as-celebrity and Obama-as-the-one strategies are annoying to me as an Obama supporter, but I admit that they could be effective. It would be easy to cast the effect Obama has on people in a fanatical light.
The problem for McCain is that his people aren't doing it right. His commercials lack organization, visual interest, and the one-two punch needed to drive the point home. He's not coming across as the serious, intelligent choice.
He's coming across as jealous.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Awww
Man I enjoyed "The Return"! With all the spy stuff and intrigue, I felt like Ran was losing relevance to the story. This manga arc was just what I needed.
Friday, August 8, 2008
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