My legs hurt.

FLG, you finally get your question answered.

Softball was pretty amazing tonight. For one thing, it has been blazing hot over the last few days, and we played the 9:30 PM game, which made for perfect weather. We played some incredible ball for most of the game, but we had a couple of bad innings. We ended up winning 20-15. Our second inning alone was good for 12 runs. Personally, I was 3-5 with 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 SO, 1 FC. What does all of this mean?

3-5 indicates that in 5 opportunities, I hit safely thrice. 2 RBI means that 2 runners scored on my hits. 2 R means that I personally scored twice. 1 SO means I suck, and struck out playing slow pitch softball. FC is a fielder's choice, which means that I got on base safely, but another person was out on my hit. BB means base on balls, aka walk. I have only had two of those this year. SF is a sacrifice fly, which indicates that I got out on the play, but a run scored anyhow. And... that is all I can think of right now.

I played first base for the second straight game, and mostly had a quite good game in the field. I did completely blow a pop up... it came about 3 feet behind me, and I fell first on my butt, and was carried over rolling backwards by my considerable momentum. But I did make a couple of good plays, so that kind of made up for it. Plus, we won, so nobody cares!

Also, my good buddy FLG has been kicking major butt lately, and he's now lighter than me. What a rock star! But it just makes me want to work harder. :)

Two weeks notice

I just noticed that I have two weeks of my current shift left before I become a full-time night owl with occasional daytime tendencies.

I spent the day at my nephew's birthday party, which was pretty great. All of the kids were so happy and excited. Plus, I got my FIRST EVER picture of all of my nephews and nieces together. I am pumped to see how that one turned out.

Anyhow, it was a hot day, and the water went fast, so I was stuck drinking soda all day. Lunch was Little Ceasar's pizza. I don't really care, because I was having a good time and all of that, but man, it sure was not what my body needed today. I have had about 2 1/2 liters of water since the party ended, and I am feeling a lot better.

I took my belt off when I got home tonight, and at one point, my shorts actually fell off. Just suddenly whoosh, down around my ankles. It was funny, as nobody was in the room, but also pretty cool, because that would not have happened a month ago. :)

Double dippin'

That's right, my friends. Two blog posts, one day.

Sometimes, it is hard being up here, visiting my family. Well, being here is not hard in and of itself, but ending a meal can prove quite difficult.

My Mom made some incredible barbecued chicken tonight, and cooked some potato wedges on the barbie as well. Artichokes were also involved. She makes her own barbecue sauce, and I find that it pwns the crap out of anything from a bottle.

Anyhow, I found myself doing something that I do not do anymore... getting more after being full already. I had to have some more of that amazing flavor. I lose my willpower when it comes to my mom's cooking.

Tomorrow is my nephew's birthday. That should be a good time. Massive water balloon fight in a park. Yeehaw. Also, it is Noelle's birthday. So, a very public happy birthday to you, Noelle. :)

The Hart Foundation!

I mention the Hart Foundation only because they were my all-time favorite tag-team. Bret "The Hitman" Hart and his brother in law, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Later, they were joined by Bret's little brother, "The Rocket" Owen Hart. Anyhow, all of this is to tell you that I got tagged by the incredible FLG, and now I am going to do this survey.

The rules:

1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention & add one more question of your own.
2. Tag eight other people

What is your current obsession?
San Francisco Giants baseball! Cain is pitching today. :D

What are you wearing today?
Navy blue boxers, black Sacramento Kings basketball shorts and a plain orange t-shirt.

What’s for dinner?
Mom is barbecuing some chicken. Smells amazing, too.

What’s the last thing you bought?
Gasoline.

What are you listening to right now?
The beginning of the Giants game on TV. Now batting, Aaron Rowand. And there's the first pitch.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Just for an hour? Oh my. Umm... FLG's spot.

Which language do you want to learn?
I would like to finish up with Spanish, then Japanese, Russian, Canadian and American Sign Language.

What do you love most about where you currently live?
I love that I have a room with a comfortable bed, a nice TV, some beautiful pictures and a place to hang my clothes. I adore the people I live with. And... I like waffles.

What is your favourite colour?
**Question Replaced**
If you were arrested, who would you use your one phone call on?
My Mom, I'm sure.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
I really like my new Giants hoodie.

Describe the last dream you can remember?
I do not remember the details, but it involved unhappiness and my ex-wife.

If you had $300 now, what would you spend it on?
Bills, fo sho.

What are you going to do after this?
I will likely be watching and/or listening to the game for a couple of hours.

What are your favourite films?
Rain Man, Punch-Drunk Love, Unbreakable, several others.

Your favourite smell?
Rain.

What makes you follow a blog?
If it bores me, it is right out. Basically, I just have to connect with it.

Do you like to comment on blogs or just lurk?
I do a whole lot of lurking. But I do comment.

What’s one thing you dream of doing?
Skydiving.

What is your biggest regret?
Um... I've never really talked about this, but there was a girl who's heart I should not have broken. Life would have been totally different.

If you had one day left to live, what kind of buffet would you go to?
Screw the buffet, I would go somewhere nice.

If you could spent a romantic night with any celebrity without any repercussions, who would you spend that wonderful night with?
Carrie Underwood, hands down.

What is your proudest moment?
I do not have one.

**Added question**
If you won the $125 Million jackpot, what is the first thing you would spend money on?

An architect, who would make dream homes come true for my

*Note: I don't tag people. :)

The King is dead...

The L.A. Times just reported that Michael Jackson has suffered Cardiac Arrest and died. Wow. This kind of hits me. I have been listening to his music since my youth, and I consider his music to be among the best and most influential of my lifetime. I have no comment on his life outside of music, because it is frankly none of my business, but I love his music, and I am sad that it will be missing from the world.

---

I am at my parents house. I am a person who desires nothing but a nice, quiet day with my family on this particular day of the year. I do not talk about this day very often, as I have had an absurd number of bad June 25ths in my life, or at the very lease, forgettable ones. But here I am, with my family, hoping to celebrate my 29th birthday in peace.

Yeah, it is my birthday. I am happy today, and I am sure that it will last. I have had several very nice birthday wishes today from some great friends. I slept until after 10 AM. My mom made me a ridiculously delicious fried egg sandwich for lunch, and is currently preparing my favorite meal on the planet, her amazing lasagna.

Now, lasagna is not my favorite food. I find most lasagna to be lacking. I would rather have pizza, some good pasta, or a nice barbecued steak pretty much any day of the week. But this is my Mom's lasagna. And I swear to you, it is the best on the planet. Or at least, much better than any I have ever had.

---

My life has gotten a lot better this month. June has been good to me. I am so happy to have so many positive people in my life now. I am surrounded by people who are good for me. People who encourage me, and make me a better person, and make me want to try even harder to be a better person. People who support my efforts instead of tearing me down.

And in addition to all of this, I had a great interview yesterday, and obtained a second job within the same corporation! I will be instructing CPR, which is something I have done in the past. It is part time, completely flexible, and pays incredibly, even better than my current job. I am excited about what this will do for my financial health, which is currently pretty poor.

---

Also, this is the first of my many blogs ever attracted visitors that I did not already know. You guys have been incredibly supportive, and I love you all. <3 Whether or not I have reached a single fitness goal at this point, I am healthier now than I have ever been before.

Letting the cat out of the bag.

My emotions have been absolutely crazy lately.

A lot of that has been resolved in the last few days, but I am tired of not saying what is on my mind.

For the first time since I met Rachel, I have romantic feelings for another woman. Rather serious ones.

Honestly, I am shocked that this happened so fast. I was not expecting this so soon, and I would not have been surprised to never feel like this again. But I do feel it, and here's a little secret: It is so strong that I find myself overwhelmed.

Said lady knows of my feelings, and while she does have a bit of the same going on, I remain single, as I will be for a good long while. Other forces are at work here, and I am more than content to remain as a close friend to this amazing woman.

This is why my blog posts, not to mention my thoughts, have been disjointed lately. So, I thought I would share.

Art needs a design change!

I'm tired of the one I have. I'm keeping the name, though. I freaking love the name. I think I will enlist the help of a couple of friends in designing this blog to be the ultimate in beauty and perfection.

Tim and I went to a baseball game today. I honestly do not know if there is any greater pleasure in this life than sitting in a ballpark, enjoying a brat with a good friend while watching a ballgame. This is me at my happiest, friends.

Any suggestions for the design change?

FLG, your question will be answered in the next couple of days.

Schmuckly

I am off to San Francisco today to enjoy the game to be played between the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants. This time, I shall have my camera, and will well document the pre-game ceremony, commemorating Randy Johnson's 300th win, from my perch in the second row of the upper deck. I am still kicking myself for forgetting the camera last week.

Sometimes, I think that maybe I should not have given the link to this blog to so many people. I am going to go ahead and just leave that at that.

Last night was fairly wonderful. We had game night. The usual suspects, plus my friend Lisa were here. The usual suspects being the roommates, plus Andrew and Daniella, who I do not think I have previously mentioned. They are married, and Daniella works with my Nick and I.

Anyhow, I have a few mundane chores to attend to. I know that I still have not posted pictures of the Iowa trip, but know that I probably will not. Haha. Maybe one or two of the Royals game. I have not even gotten them up on Flickr yet.

I guess that one thing I can definitely say right now is that I have started to feel again, and feel stronger than perhaps ever before. It is not fun. In closing, I direct you to click here, marvel at how there are still some incredible people out there, and thank FLG for bringing it to our attention.

Another day without my love...

I did not make it to the gym today. And I am so unhappy about it.

I love the gym. I love the feeling when I go. I love the feeling while I am there. I love the feeling when I leave. I love the gym, absolutely and with no equivocations.

So, why am I only making it there two days a week? Because life is lame sometimes. Check that; I am lame sometimes.

I am going to a baseball game on Saturday, so I probably will not be going to the gym. Tomorrow is my one and only chance now. Well, for my days off, I mean. I need to make the most of it. I need to be at the gym daily, and I need to stop letting excuses get in my way. Even if that excuse involves the frequency with which I must make use of the facilities, as it was today. Hell, they have bathrooms at the gym.

I am going to get better at this. This much is true.

My crazy head

Well, softball was terrible. We lost by many, many runs. And the other team were not good sports. I didn't go out to shake their hands at the end of the game, and that's not something I do. I had a decent game, I guess. I played catcher... ugh. To be quite honest, I get tired of play catcher and outfield, and watching all of these errors in the infield. Errors that I don't make at those positions. But that's just the way it is.

My emotions have been pretty out of control lately. There are a lot of changes happening in my life right now. Losing Nick as my full time partner is a very emotional thing for me. I have not worked with him at all this week, and that has been a bit trying. And other things that are harder.

I am trying to get to the gym more, and it really isn't working for me. I got some time in before Softball yesterday, but none today. Pretty much the only good thing about the new shift is the ability to go to the gym every day. In fact, I have to just do it. I can not have excuses.

I plan to use this blog more in the future. I have gotten a bit lax with it, but I suddenly find myself wanting to write again. If you have any questions or topics you would like to see covered, I definitely welcome that, as my creativity fails to match my ambition.

The eliptical and I...

I just read a post by Mary @ A Merry Life. She said that the love of her life is the Elliptical. I only wish I could say the same.

I spend my gym time on the recumbent bike and the treadmill. Today, I went for a little warm up. Just 22 minutes on the bike, because I did not want to wear myself out for softball tonight. That's right, softball is back, baby. Summer league.

Anyhow, I tried the elliptical one day. I had tried it before, and it killed my knee. This time, my knee was fine. The problem was, it just kicked my ass all over the place. Within three minutes, my heart rate was over 170, and I could hardly breathe.

I think my problem might be that I am completely unable to pace myself. This also seems to be my problem with jogging. Well, my other problem with jogging. Haha. Anyhow, I always jog way too fast, and run out of breath.

Dinner and softball! Maybe another update tonight. A twofer!

To help me get through...

My nightly walk has turned into a few trips to the gym every week. Not good enough.

The new shift, however, will allow me to go to the gym after work four days a week! This is the good news.

I just hope I still have a social life in a month.

FML.

Not only did I lose my partner of 1 1/2 years, I got a horrid shift. Friday through Monday, 7PM to 7AM. I am so not happy about this.

I ate a big fat cheeseburger for dinner. And a friend cheered me up a lot. And I had frozen yogurt.

And I did 50 push-ups. I am totally off of the plan right now, so I am just doing sets of 10 right now. Working off some of my annoyance. I am going to get back on the wagon in a couple of days, when I do a new exhaustion test. I was just not at the level I thought I was.

I am just having a bad night. I hope I feel better about this shift. I can't let this control me.

Feeling lame.

First of all, my Titles need major help. They make me feel lame.

Second of all, I suck at blogging right now. I have plenty to talk about, but I simply do not know what to say.

Tomorrow will likely bring a significant change in my life, as it is the day that we bid on our new shifts at work. There is a better than bad chance that I will be going to a night shift. Crazy. I will update about all of this more at a later date. Tomorrow, if I am not too lazy.

I have not been going to the gym as much as I want to, but I have some significant good news to report. I bought a new belt, which serves my purposes for both work clothes and home clothes. Upon purchase, it was comfortable on the last notch, wearable on the next to last. Yesterday, without a belt, my shorts fell off while I was walking. Fell. Off. In the short time I have had this belt, I'm already able to wear it on the fourth notch. And I couldn't be happier about this.

I've lost all of two pounds. I must have some serious muscles being built.

Push-up death.

Oh my. I am on my rest in between sets. Week 3 Day 2. 14, 19, 14, 14, Max (19 minimum). I could barely do the 19. I found my proper form, and that has made this much harder. And much more beneficial? Stay tuned.

Barely made the third set. Broke form at the end. I am definitely in need of re-evaluating where I am with this program. But I am totally excited about this. I could only do 5 at the outset, and that was with the wrong form! I might drop back to week 2 and go from there.

Just a quick drop in to say hi. I'll start weighing in again sometime soon. I just don't care right now. Honestly. :)