Whitey you crazy old fool

Well well well it has been a little while. I must apologize for not blogging recently, I've only now really gotten the stomach to take time to come back and do it. You see in between now and the time of my last post my grandfather passed away at the age of 81. He went in his sleep, which is how he wanted it. It really got to all of us but if anyone was ever asking for it, it was him. He was on chemo, though he was still beating down the cancer. He had two hernia surgeries recently, the second because he was extremely stubborn and refused to sit and recover like the doctors told him. He was out shoveling snow off of his roof about 4 days after the surgery. He still drank a manhattan (At least 1) every day while watching TV, he still worked around the house, and he still spent most of the year in his cabin in Great Valley hunting.

If anyone in my family ever really lived their life it was him. He had hunted for years. He did ice fishing, he was an Air Force Vet, and he was a hardass. To give you a bit of an idea, some favorite stories:

One year at Thanksgiving I was offered a piece of pie. I turned it down and said no thanks I've had enough I'm trying to lose weight. Whitey responded by looking me up and down and saying, "What are you 20? It's far too late for that eat your damn pie!"

His preferred method of body disposal, and I'm fairly sure he was just kidding was to be cremated. Then strung to a couple balloons and set afloat over the land they owned in Great Valley. He then asked that his sons drink up and take pot shots at it with their hunting rifles, and wherever he fell, to just leave him there.

My grandpa was also a pilot, and an ice-fisherman. Needless to say these do not tend to go well together. Anyways, he decided to land his Cessna 150 on frozen Lake Chautauqua, then taxi to his friends and fish. He'd done it twice successfully, but the third time, and this can be looked up in old papers, his front wheel fell through the ice, damaging his propeller. When the press showed up his only response was "I'm fine, go away, go away, go away." The title of the piece that ran was perfect. "Pilot, 61, suffers only one injury in plane crash. A bruised ego." He installed a new propeller that day, and took off from the lake later.

Whitey was the best. In 81 years he never failed to fix something, bring home a kill, or win an argument. There was a right way of doing something, a wrong way, and Whitey's way. Which was invariably even better than the right way. And always worked. In the word's of his brother Howard, "He was the greatest. And we all miss him."

I miss you grandpa. And I hope to God he stocks Whiskey and a broken down home or twelve in Heaven, because I know you won't be happy otherwise.

Progress!

So exams and projects have swallowed my life for the last week.

But the good news is there is only one left tomorrow AAAAAAAND I did my weekly weigh in yesterday morning...

Starting Weight: 292
Last Week: 280
Tuesday: 275

Progress I say! Progress!

Ugh...

So my car broke down today. Didn't turn over, lights didn't work, even the electronic locks kicked it. So this weeks paycheck is gone toward a new battery. Well, the part that wasn't already sent toward a Mother's Day gift and a birthday gift for my dad, which is not really the ugh part of the post. The car picked the worst day of the year and the day I forgot my coat to kick it.

At least I can try to look on the bright side. My card tricks are getting better, I've got a good new book, I think my diet has been working (I've stayed away from the scale so I don't know where I am), and I only have 5 more classes until summer break!!!

So on second thought, ignore the title of this post.

The hardest thing in the world

Sometime around last Christmas I looked at myself in the mirror. I really didn't like what I saw. So I decided I would once and for lose all the extra weight I'm carrying around.

Dec 25th: 292 lbs.

Since then I have lost 12 lbs. Thing is, I was at 12 pounds in February. I haven't lost any more weight, nor have I put it back on. I'm kind of on this very annoying plateau. So I figure If I post my weight once every week here, it gives me kind of a goal to look forward to. 1-3 pounds between every post I'd hope, though for someone my size counting calories and exercising it can easily be 7 lbs a week in a healthy manner. I just don't have the will power for that most of the time.

So here's the challenge. According to LoseIt! (The calorie counting app on my i-touch) I am allowed 1,685 calories today in order to weigh less tomorrow. As I lose weight it adjusts my allowed intake accordingly. By next Christmas, I want to weigh at most, 220 lbs. Still not ideal, but it allows for a healthy amount of weight loss and 72 lbs in a year would freakin thrill me.

So hopefully blogging in about this every week will help me stay honest and on track.

Start Weight: 292 lbs.
Todays Weight: 280 lbs.

Ready? Go!

Are you watching closely...

I've recently discovered that I have a certain love for magic. You see for the longest time the movie that closed out my Top 3 was The Prestige. A story of two magicians whose careers lock them in an epic struggle against themselves and one another. Then I realized by complete coincidence while shelving books at the Borders I work at that The Prestige was originally a book. A fantastic book. And one that lit the fire on my current obsession with prestidigitation.

So like any sane person who wants to become a magician, I immediately bought myself a spanking new deck of cards or 3 and went on Youtube to search for card tricks. I mastered a few and put on a show, got a wow, then proceeded to screw up the next trick quite horribly.

I now own a book on all things magician. The Everything book as a matter of fact.

I fully intend on memorizing that thing and being able to perform with some degree of professionalism. Its so much fun :D

Only bummer is I can now spot certain moves done by other people. It's kind of a thrill being able to spot it. But the thing is I can't even congratulate him on his method without revealing something about it. Such is the life of a real magician.

God I hope I can get good enough to have to worry about my secrets being revealed.

[/complete dork moment]

Absenteeism

So I realize I have been gone forever. Here's some quick hits as to my life in the time I've been gone and all 2 of the people reading this can get caught up ;)

1. I miss The Treblemakers, my old a capella group. It was amazing to be back singing with them for our 5 year anniversary show.

2. The Braves can suck it. Disgraceful play until 2 nights ago.

3. The Sabres are weak, and Jack Edwards (Bruins play by play guy) is burned into my mind...Lord I hate him.

4. CJ Spiller a Bill? It could work. If he can throw, and block, and kick too.

5. Did a charity walk for MS yesterday, went all around downtown. Doing it twice was a bad idea.

Yes, my life for the course of a few weeks can be summed up in 5 bullet points.