Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Triathlon Progress
This weekend, The Wife and I took the kids up to the lake house in Wisconsin. I love it up there, and so does Luke. Actually, I think Nana’s Big House (as Luke has started calling it) has become more than just a “love” of Luke’s. You might call it an obsession. He pretty much constantly wants to go up there and hates leaving. And he’s generally in a great mood the entire time he’s up there.
The biggest problem with Nana’s Big House? The food. The house is set up in a very open layout. There are really no walls separating the kitchen from the dining room and living room (a.k.a. the Great Room). That’s where we spend most of our indoor time. The problem with that is that while you’re lounging about, there’s constantly food around. And every time you come inside or go outside, you have to go by the food. And if you have no will power, like me, you grab a little food every time you pass. Especially if that food is a cookie. Because one cookie isn’t going to kill anyone. (Obviously, this becomes a problem after you’ve “passed by” the cookies 20 or so times.)
Before we left for Nana’s Big House, I weighed about 182.5. That was pretty much the lowest weight I’d seen since I got married almost 4(!) years ago. After a weekend of eating cookies and various other snacks, I was expecting that weight to go up. So imagine my surprise when I came back weighing 182.0. And then I weighed in this morning at 180.5! Somehow, I’ve been secretly losing weight in my sleep. It’s very possible that I’ve been sleep walking, like for miles at a time. A more likely scenario is that our scale is on the fritz and I actually weigh 195.
But if the scale is to be believed, I’ve lost about 20 pounds in six months. It’s not very dramatic, but it’s noticeable. Now I’m at the phase where I have to buy new pants because mine are getting a bit baggy on me. This is an annoying phase because I can’t seem to find pants that fit me. I think the problem is that most people with 33-inch waists (which I now have – woo hoo!), don’t have big thighs and butts (which I also have – wah wah). So finding a good pair of pants is a pain in the butt. Sometimes literally. Right now my plan of attack is to find one pair of pants that fit and then buy them in every color I can find. (Yes, I’m talking about khakis for work, not jeans. Because I don’t buy colored jeans. And neither should you. And if you do, please stop reading this blog. I don’t even want to be associated with people who buy colored jeans. Go back to Kentucky.)
I’m moving along in my training as well. Unfortunately, I had a bit of a layoff because of shoulder and foot problems. But I’m back swimming now and I’m slowly regaining my lungs. It’s been quite difficult trying to live without them for the past couple months. I’ve started running again, but my achy feet won’t let me go far or fast. I’m supposed to be getting orthotics soon, which will help me run, at the cost of making me feel like I’m 100 years old. (Now that I have orthotics, can hemorrhoids and arthritis be far away? I sure hope not!)
I finally bought a triathlon bike, much to the consternation of The Wife. She’s been on a bit of a “money saving” mission of late, which I hate. I’m a much bigger fan of needlessly throwing money away. Anyway, she’s been really trying to live more frugally, and we were actually starting to see the impact. Then I blow $1000 on a bike. D’oh! But then, what kind of husband would I be if I didn’t purposely thwart all of my wife’s ambitions?
The negotiations on the purchase of the bike were quite interesting. Basically, The Wife let me buy the bike if I agreed to sell some of my other belongings, namely my mountain bike and the stereo in our office. This wasn’t easy for me.
The first problem was the concept of asking permission to buy something. I’m a MAN, damn it! Hell, I’m the sole income provider! I can buy whatever I want, whenever I want! Well, that’s how it was in 80’s sitcoms. And that’s how it used to be when I was single. But, as I’m constantly reminded, I have a family at home. And they want things like food and clothes and heat and shelter. Gimme a break, already!
Anyway, once I came to grip with the fact that my purchases have an impact on more than just me, then came the horse trading. I wanted a particular bike. It’s a nice bike. It’s great for people who do multiple triathlons. And so the question was, do I need such a good bike? This one was hard to answer. Ultimately, I decided that I’m really enjoying my training and I want to keep doing triathlons. And now that I’ve bought the bike, The Wife is making me do at least 4 more. And when I say “making” me, I mean it. I happen to know that she was on eBay today looking at guns.
Of course, once I decided to get a good bike, we had to figure out how we could afford it. We decided that the best way to afford it (or to make The Wife happy about the net amount paid for the bike) was to sell some of my belongings. Again, this was not easy for me. As a man, I’ve worked most of my life to collect “stuff.” I like stuff. I buy stuff. I keep stuff. I don’t get rid of stuff. Men simply don’t do that. But since The Wife is anti-clutter (which is anti-man, by the way), I made a couple concessions.
First, I agreed to get rid of my mountain bike. This was a painful concession. I bought that bike 5-6 years ago and I’ve been using it quite often since then. (There’s a funny story about how I bought it too. I was driving my roommate back from a night of drinking on the south side, and we were talking about how much money we spent the night before. I made a comment about how I’ve got to stop spending so much darn money. Two hours later, I spent $500 on a bike.) Anyway, my mountain bike is a GREAT bike. I love it. But the truth of the matter is that I don’t need it anymore. I’m getting a little old for mountain biking. Not that there’s an age limit per se, but my back isn’t too fond of all the bounces that go along with it. So really, I’m trading my mountain bike for a triathlon bike. Fine, I can accept that. Grudgingly.
The second thing I agreed to part with is the stereo in the office. This was really being reserved for the basement when we finish our home theater. But that’s probably a year or so away. And I’m probably going to want to upgrade at that point. (Besides, it’s been gathering dust for about a year now.) So I’m making another concession and selling it.
I can’t say that I’m thrilled to be getting rid of either thing, but I suppose that’s what you have to do when you get married and have kids. You have to start thinking about more than just yourself. Besides, I’m pretty stoked about getting my new bike and all the triathlons that my wife is going to force me to do at gunpoint. If nothing else, it should improve my times.
The biggest problem with Nana’s Big House? The food. The house is set up in a very open layout. There are really no walls separating the kitchen from the dining room and living room (a.k.a. the Great Room). That’s where we spend most of our indoor time. The problem with that is that while you’re lounging about, there’s constantly food around. And every time you come inside or go outside, you have to go by the food. And if you have no will power, like me, you grab a little food every time you pass. Especially if that food is a cookie. Because one cookie isn’t going to kill anyone. (Obviously, this becomes a problem after you’ve “passed by” the cookies 20 or so times.)
Before we left for Nana’s Big House, I weighed about 182.5. That was pretty much the lowest weight I’d seen since I got married almost 4(!) years ago. After a weekend of eating cookies and various other snacks, I was expecting that weight to go up. So imagine my surprise when I came back weighing 182.0. And then I weighed in this morning at 180.5! Somehow, I’ve been secretly losing weight in my sleep. It’s very possible that I’ve been sleep walking, like for miles at a time. A more likely scenario is that our scale is on the fritz and I actually weigh 195.
But if the scale is to be believed, I’ve lost about 20 pounds in six months. It’s not very dramatic, but it’s noticeable. Now I’m at the phase where I have to buy new pants because mine are getting a bit baggy on me. This is an annoying phase because I can’t seem to find pants that fit me. I think the problem is that most people with 33-inch waists (which I now have – woo hoo!), don’t have big thighs and butts (which I also have – wah wah). So finding a good pair of pants is a pain in the butt. Sometimes literally. Right now my plan of attack is to find one pair of pants that fit and then buy them in every color I can find. (Yes, I’m talking about khakis for work, not jeans. Because I don’t buy colored jeans. And neither should you. And if you do, please stop reading this blog. I don’t even want to be associated with people who buy colored jeans. Go back to Kentucky.)
I’m moving along in my training as well. Unfortunately, I had a bit of a layoff because of shoulder and foot problems. But I’m back swimming now and I’m slowly regaining my lungs. It’s been quite difficult trying to live without them for the past couple months. I’ve started running again, but my achy feet won’t let me go far or fast. I’m supposed to be getting orthotics soon, which will help me run, at the cost of making me feel like I’m 100 years old. (Now that I have orthotics, can hemorrhoids and arthritis be far away? I sure hope not!)
I finally bought a triathlon bike, much to the consternation of The Wife. She’s been on a bit of a “money saving” mission of late, which I hate. I’m a much bigger fan of needlessly throwing money away. Anyway, she’s been really trying to live more frugally, and we were actually starting to see the impact. Then I blow $1000 on a bike. D’oh! But then, what kind of husband would I be if I didn’t purposely thwart all of my wife’s ambitions?
The negotiations on the purchase of the bike were quite interesting. Basically, The Wife let me buy the bike if I agreed to sell some of my other belongings, namely my mountain bike and the stereo in our office. This wasn’t easy for me.
The first problem was the concept of asking permission to buy something. I’m a MAN, damn it! Hell, I’m the sole income provider! I can buy whatever I want, whenever I want! Well, that’s how it was in 80’s sitcoms. And that’s how it used to be when I was single. But, as I’m constantly reminded, I have a family at home. And they want things like food and clothes and heat and shelter. Gimme a break, already!
Anyway, once I came to grip with the fact that my purchases have an impact on more than just me, then came the horse trading. I wanted a particular bike. It’s a nice bike. It’s great for people who do multiple triathlons. And so the question was, do I need such a good bike? This one was hard to answer. Ultimately, I decided that I’m really enjoying my training and I want to keep doing triathlons. And now that I’ve bought the bike, The Wife is making me do at least 4 more. And when I say “making” me, I mean it. I happen to know that she was on eBay today looking at guns.
Of course, once I decided to get a good bike, we had to figure out how we could afford it. We decided that the best way to afford it (or to make The Wife happy about the net amount paid for the bike) was to sell some of my belongings. Again, this was not easy for me. As a man, I’ve worked most of my life to collect “stuff.” I like stuff. I buy stuff. I keep stuff. I don’t get rid of stuff. Men simply don’t do that. But since The Wife is anti-clutter (which is anti-man, by the way), I made a couple concessions.
First, I agreed to get rid of my mountain bike. This was a painful concession. I bought that bike 5-6 years ago and I’ve been using it quite often since then. (There’s a funny story about how I bought it too. I was driving my roommate back from a night of drinking on the south side, and we were talking about how much money we spent the night before. I made a comment about how I’ve got to stop spending so much darn money. Two hours later, I spent $500 on a bike.) Anyway, my mountain bike is a GREAT bike. I love it. But the truth of the matter is that I don’t need it anymore. I’m getting a little old for mountain biking. Not that there’s an age limit per se, but my back isn’t too fond of all the bounces that go along with it. So really, I’m trading my mountain bike for a triathlon bike. Fine, I can accept that. Grudgingly.
The second thing I agreed to part with is the stereo in the office. This was really being reserved for the basement when we finish our home theater. But that’s probably a year or so away. And I’m probably going to want to upgrade at that point. (Besides, it’s been gathering dust for about a year now.) So I’m making another concession and selling it.
I can’t say that I’m thrilled to be getting rid of either thing, but I suppose that’s what you have to do when you get married and have kids. You have to start thinking about more than just yourself. Besides, I’m pretty stoked about getting my new bike and all the triathlons that my wife is going to force me to do at gunpoint. If nothing else, it should improve my times.
