No sneaking in under the radar this time
2005-09-08, 3:56 p.m.

Day 382 No Sneaking One in This Time

Last post was sort of a pseudo post. I had actually written it on the date indicated, but the poor entry got stuck in my pc in the lab I�ve been working in. Never bothered to email it out to myself so I could post it. Then we had the long weekend, blahbitty, blahbitty, blah.

So this one will, I hope, get posted in a timely manner. Trying to sneak this in while simulations are running. Seem to be doing that lot lately � sneaking stuff in during a simulation.

Made it to 75,000 points in the YMCA�s Fitlinxx system. Got a sexy little �work out towel�. About the size of a large hand towel. Comes complete with a clip for use on a golf bag. Except I�m using it as my bowling towel. Tonight. Really. Because, when you think about it, when you work out 4 � 5 days a week, what good is 1 towel? Hate to break this to you, but when I�m on the elliptical trainer, I sweat like a pig. I could have my own wet T-shirt contest. From there, I head to the weights. More sweat. Consequently, that towel would be wringing wet after a single workout. That would require a vigorous washing before it was fit for re-use the next day. With just Cindy and I home now, we�re lucky to run 3 - 4 loads of laundry a week, usually on the weekend. No way that towel is getting used more than once a week.

Now, I finally dragged my balls up out of the basement. Bowling balls. 2 each. For some strange reason, my bowling shoes were actually in my closet. I know not why. I suspect the kids borrowed my (bowling) balls. I don�t think they can fit into my shoes, so they probably left them behind. Someplace on the family room floor, right in everybody�s way. Said shoes were probably whisked off to my closet to avoid being lost in the great wild shoe maelstrom that is our family room coat closet. Anyhow � bowling balls, basement. Mildew galore. I even had some funky fungus growing on my balls. Nasty. Bowling towel? Smelled like a mushroom farm. Very few people have had the pleasure of driving through Lancaster Pa. on a hot summer day. Them there�s mushroom farms. Between the smell of the mushrooms that didn�t quite make it to market (i.e. � the rotting ones) and the fertilizer (i.e. - fresh cow shit), it�s enough to make a strong person woozy. THAT�s what my old bowling towel smelled like. So the work out towel that really can�t cut the mustard alone will be relegated to bowling towel status. At least temporarily. I may decide to change back to the old towel if it survives the laundry. Don�t really know for sure. Need a new golf towel too (or at least a clean one), but that season is winding down. May just launder the old golf towel and call it good.

So, lets see, that�s a gym update and a bowling update. Next target at the gym is 125,000 points. I hear the incentive prize for that is a new gym bag. Don�t know what it looks like. It�s a few months off, so no worries about it yet. Bowling this year. Can�t use the excuse that I haven�t bowled in 11 years. I did end up averaging very near to where I left off, after a horrible 1st half to the season. Ended up averaging about 175 � close to my life time average. Finishing the year as strong as I did, I think I�m capable of averaging 185. I just have to remember to slow down. I throw the ball way too hard. That leads to a ball with out much curve to it�s path. That, in turn, leads to decreased pin action, in spite of the velocity on the shot. Decreased pin action means more 9�s and fewer strikes. Plus, with the straightness of the shot, absolute accuracy is more critical. I don�t have the wider target area a nice sweeping curve can provide. While I have learned to deal with this (by becoming really freakin accurate), it can be frustrating, throwing pretty decent shots and getting 9�s all the time. A little change of the entry angle into the pocket could help immensely. To do that, I need to throw much slower.

There are 60 bowlers in our league. I think there are 5 or 6 of us that throw the ball with a lilttle �pace� on it. Because I�m the one throwing my own shot (it�s easier that way, really) I have no idea how hard it really is. It just feels normal to me. So I check in with my brothers. When I see a guy that can really get the speed up, I ask one of my brothers where the other bowler and I stand, relative to each other. So far, there�s 1 guy that they think throws close to me speed. The rest of them are all girly apparently. Other people in the league comment on it too. Best part is, some people try to match up to it when they bowl us. They usually can�t. It also screws them up so much they bowl poorly and we win lots of points. The better bowlers aren�t phased by it quite as much. Then I have to rely on my brothers to actually bowl well so we can take points. Worked pretty well last season � we finished 4th or 5th out of 20 teams.

We were also one of the few teams to have everybody with the same last name. There were lots of father/son/uncle/cousin teams (3), but we were the only team consisting of all brudders. Till this year. My youngest brudder broke his arm playing soccer over the summer. It has healed up fine, so far. But he really ought not to try and throw a 16 lb bowling ball with a freshly healed humerus. All his older brudders ganged up on him and told him he wasn�t bowling till December. Even then, only if he does all his exercises and gets his arm strength up. (Just a bitch being the youngest I guess) So, for th efirst half of the season one of my work buddies will be bowling in place of my youngest brother. We�ll still have fun, and Ken can always pop in and play cheerleader.

Cindy is still on Coumadin, getting tested every week. Tuesday night I thought she�d had maybe a bit too much to drink. Her reason for drinking being getting through he first day of school. Problem for her is the way alcohol effects what the coumadin is doing. It gets her blood way too thin. Thin to the point where her doctor takes her off the coumadin and tells her to not even shave for a few days. Thought the last episode of this scared her enough to get her to lay off the booze. Guess not. I�m afraid she�ll get tanked up some night, fall but not appear to hurt herself, at least externally, but suffer some internal damage that bleeds uncontrollably. If either of us is awake when it�s discovered we might get her to emergency. The scary part is I might be the only one to wake up. Too late. Wonder if I can scare her with that? Maybe if her blood tests come back showing her blood is too thin again today.

Got to go get my own blood tested tomorrow. Really curious to see where the cholesterol numbers fall. In February, my overall cholesterol was down to about 160 (from 258 in October), but the HDL was too low. Since February, I�ve dropped about 40 - 45 lbs (pushing 50 total now) by literally working my ass off. That�s supposed to boost the HDL � a sign that one is moving fat out of storage I guess. Kinda hoping that I can get myself off the Lipitor. Pretty sure that I have to demonstrate sustained performance before that happens. Blood pressure has been behaving nicely, but if I miss a day or two of medicine (HCTZ), it creeps right back up. Maybe I need to get my weight settled in before the BP will stabilize where it belongs. Can�t be for lack of exercise, that�s for sure.

382 days down. Hopefully my HDL is up

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