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Monday, April 26, 2004

From the Gut Well, I took the plunge yesterday and announced officially that I intended to lose weight.  This is a quantum step above some other short-lived efforts where I whispered to myself that it might be a good idea, if it wasn't much of an inconvenience, to shed a few pounds.  These efforts included the obscure reference that has resided in the column to the left to "Column of Shame" that I put up last October.  Now that I'm "out" in the house, food availability will probably dwindle and eyebrows will raise if I'm apprehended in the kitchen without a clear non-caloric purpose.  Mrs. Perils of Caffeine, I should note, is trim, buff and a rock-climbing machine. Historically, in order to remove my shirt out-of-doors or go out and buy new clothes, I should weigh 145 or less.  I'm laughably small-boned.  I stayed happily in the range of 140 - 145 for over 15 years.  In 2001 I started creeping up little by little, arriving at my present 155 - 156 sometime last year.  Not sure exactly why.  Might be from working out of the house and not getting the exercise I used to get walking from the bus stop or parking lot to an office, walking out for lunch at noon, etc, running from co-workers and supervisors that want to kill me.  I'm pretty active physically - I run 8 - 12 miles a week, do a Nautilus workout 3 days a week, plus a lot of collateral exercise on hikes, kayak trips and walks around the neighborhood, but I've lacked a lot of discipline in eating, especially when I'm out of town and eating more fast food. I'm not doing anything branded like the Atkins or South Beach diets, I'm signing up for my wife's old, reliable standby - the "Quit Chewing and Swallowing" diet.  I'll limit between-meal grazing, and I'll drink less, both to save the calories from the drinks themselves and to avoid the "eating" trigger that a couple drinks trips in my head.  I hit the scale whenever I go my Nautilus club.  I'll update the results in the revived Column of Shame at the left, and try not to post about it constantly. 10:01:14 AM    Speak to me! []  TrackBack  []

No Reinstatement For The Draft Few people could have been more forlorn than Maurice Clarett last weekend.  He's the Ohio State running back that challenged the NFL/NFL Players Association agreement that players have to be three years beyond high school graduation in order to be eligible for the draft.  He had received a favorable ruling, had hired an agent, left school and participated in combines and drills in preparation for this year's draft, but was thwarted by a US District court a couple weeks before last weekend's draft.  A last-minute appeal heard by Ruth Bader Ginsburg (try getting that kind of action for something important) was denied, and Maurice was left with nothing to do over the weekend except watch as a record 14 of his Ohio State teammates were drafted. I personally think that players should be able to go pro any time they feel they're ready.  I have trouble understanding OSU alums that somehow feel personally insulted that Maurice wants to flee the hallowed halls with such alacrity.  That said, I don't feel too sorry for Maurice.  It took a major effort on his part to screw up the situation he had at Ohio State, where he had an injury-prone freshman year with flashes of brilliance, then got suspended for his sophomore year for taking money from a guy from his hometown with possible gambling connections, and for lying to police about the value of goods stolen from a car that a local dealer had "loaned" him.  He had an opportunity for a breakout sophomore season, erasing (or confirming) doubts about his brittleness, perhaps playing for another national championship and perhaps winning the Heisman. But, if he was simply finished with the College Joe scene, he should have been able to enter the draft without restriction, and taken on his merits.  I felt for him a little bit as the rounds trickled by. 9:27:16 AM    Speak to me! []  TrackBack  []