Steve's Blog Spot

Still at it, although I had plateaued for the longest time! The secret? I gave up alcohol for Lent! I don't think that's the only thing, as I have lowered the calories a notch or two, and have added new activities - hiking and contra dancing - to my walking/workout mix. But water instead of alcohol was quite the change for me! But, since I quit the bottle way back on Ash Wednesday, I have started losing again, and I have now broken through a new threshold - I weigh less than I did three years ago, when I quit going to the gym. I had also plateaued then, and had been unable to break through a certain weight point. Tallying it all up so far, results for the last 12 months: Weight Loss: 45 lbs Waist Inches Lost: 6+ Miles Walked: 975 Cholesterol: 104 (target Triglycerides: 98 BP: 126/76 So, I guess things are working! However, I really am only getting started, rather than winding down. I plan on losing another 30+ pounds, which I think will be more difficult, but would get me into ...

New job, new activities, still walking. I have been most remiss in maintaining my blog. I've just had a lot of things going on! In early January I joined a walking group that gets together on Wednesday evenings. I thought it would be a great diversion from my solitary, routine neighborhood walks. They walk routes from 3.5 to 4 miles, around the downtown area, along the Reedy River and the zoo. They are a wonderful, diverse bunch of people, sorta like all my Corvette friends! I look forward to their weekly company and our occasional dinners afterward, sorta like my Corvette friends. As in most groups, there has developed a core of people who are the real heart of things, sorta like my Corvette friends, so after several discussions, we have taken up mountain hiking on Sunday afternoons. We started by going to Paris mountain, and have since included hikes at Jones Gap, Caesar's Head, and portions of the "new"/under construction Swamp Rabbit Trail. These hikes tend to be ...

Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean." "I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?" "The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die." "But, young man, don't you realize that there are mi...

Here ya go - the fine scent of... BACON!!!

... than we give them credit for, check out this really touching video from CBS (hat tip: The Anchoress Man, that makes you stop for a minute and enjoy the world we live in.

May He guide Mr. Obama and give him wisdom in all choices and strength for the difficult ones. And thank you, Mr. Bush, for all you have done under a difficult set of circumstances. Mr. Reid and Ms Pelosi can go suck a rock...

Judy Wallman, a professional genealogical researcher, discovered that Hillary Clinton's great-great uncle, Remus Rodham, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows. On the back of the picture is this inscription: 'Remus Rodham; horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889.' Judy e-mailed Hillary Clinton for information about her great-great uncle. Hillary's staff sent back the following biographical sketch: 'Remus Rodham was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to government service, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad. In 1887, he was a key pl...

I have had a visitor to my blog from Ireland! I'm part Irish, at least on March 17th! A visit there is on my bucket list!

or, at least supposedly by him. Seems like his style, though. The following anecdotes are about growing old, which I refuse to do, but I'll let you know when I get there... ABOUT GROWING OLDER... First ~ Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it. Second ~ The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for. Third ~ Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know why I look as I do. Well , I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved. Fourth ~ When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of Algebra. Fifth ~ You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks. Sixth ~ I don't know how I got over the hill without getting to the top. Seventh ~ One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young. Eighth ~ One must wait until evening to see how splendid the...

So, to all three of my readers, I APOLOGIZE! Ha! So, here's some humorous stuff from an e-mail I received... Will Rogers, who died in a plane crash with Wylie Post in 1935, was probably the greatest political sage this country has ever known. Enjoy the following: 1. Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco. 2. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day. 3. There are 2 theories to arguing with a woman... neither works. 4. Never miss a good chance to shut up. 5. Always drink upstream from the herd. 6. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. 7. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back in your pocket. 8. There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves. 9. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment. 10. If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a l...

2% or 98% of Population? Just follow these instructions, and answer the questions one at a time and as quickly as you can! Again, as quickly as you can but don't advance until you've done each of them. Now, scroll down (but not too fast, you might miss something). THINK of a number from 1 to 10 MULTIPLY that number by 9 If the number is a 2-digit number, ADD the digits together Now SUBTRACT 5 DETERMINE which letter in the alphabet corresponds to the number you ended up with (example: 1=a, 2=b, 3=c,etc.) THINK of a country that starts with that letter REMEMBER the last letter of the name of that country THINK of the name of an animal that starts with that letter REMEMBER the last letter in the name of that animal THINK of the name of a fruit that starts with that letter Are you thinking of a Kangaroo in Denmark eating an Orange? Isn't that FREAKY!! If not for you, you're among the 2% of the population whose minds are different enough to think of someth...