Dearest Rachel – So yesterday saw me and Lars meeting for our usual walk in the woods. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary, apart from the exchanging of Christmas presents that is part of the current season (I was rather pleased about finding something for him, as it was something that’s always been made inContinue reading “A Change of Terrain”
Tag Archives: workout
Don’t Tell Me How Cold It Is
Dearest Rachel – So yesterday, I met Lars to go walking through the woods, as we do every week. This, despite the fact that it was below freezing and there was the threat of snow that day – in fact, for most of the time we were out there, we were dealing with a fairContinue reading “Don’t Tell Me How Cold It Is”
Outed
Dearest Rachel – You would have found it amusing on Friday evening as we were setting things up for the Family Fest at church. As I have no work schedule to speak of (in fact, I’d taken the day off for the express purpose of making sure I was home to pay Kris as soonContinue reading “Outed”
Dancing Around Another Line
Dearest Rachel – It’s been a little over a year now – more like thirteen or fourteen months, in fact – since I managed to drop myself down below two hundred and twenty pounds, seemingly never to rise from it again. Why, barely a month after crossing that line, I was coming dangerously close (inContinue reading “Dancing Around Another Line”
Early to the ‘Office’
Dearest Rachel – You were usually asleep on those many weekdays, but you might have been aware of how early they would start on my side of the bed and room. For the most part, though, you seemed to be able to sleep through the sound of the alarm on my side and the noiseContinue reading “Early to the ‘Office’”
Insufficient Data
Dearest Rachel – Back in the day, when we would see the phrase I’ve used for the title of today’s letter, we would snicker to each other about how “that’s not what Tasha said.” We weren’t die-hard Trekkies, but you didn’t have to be in order to get the joke back then. And yes, itContinue reading “Insufficient Data”
The Long Road Back to Normal
Dearest Rachel – No, I’m not talking about taking a road trip back to our old collegiate stomping grounds. Apart from a meal at Avanti’s, there’s little reason to do so (and even that is hardly compelling, given the distance and time to get there and back. It violates all of my rules regarding travelContinue reading “The Long Road Back to Normal”
The Right to My Day
Dearest Rachel – I don’t think that I’ll ever fully comprehend the ‘gym rat’ mentality – nor, as I’m sure you would expect, do I wish to; to do so would be to become one, and for all the desirable effects, there are more than enough adverse ones, primarily having to do with attitude, thatContinue reading “The Right to My Day”
Tell-Tale Feet and the Chocolate Plateau
Dearest Rachel – After telling you about how I ‘cheated’ to get under the two-fifteen line yesterday before I was to go and meet up with Lars yesterday, I didn’t have as much to talk with him about when we started to make our way around the mall. Oh, and by the way, I thinkContinue reading “Tell-Tale Feet and the Chocolate Plateau”
The Price of Recovery
Dearest Rachel – Well, as much as I may have complained yesterday that it wasn’t instantaneous, my foot certainly feels much better this morning. I can still feel a slight nagging if I try to wiggle my big toe, and there’s a noticeable twinge if I put too much weight on the meaty part ofContinue reading “The Price of Recovery”
Cicadian Rhythms
Dearest Rachel – Often, when I lack a topic to talk with you about first thing in the morning, I try to come up with something to say during my workout (hey, it beats actually working out, truth to tell – and even if I’m actually into the whole ‘pushing weights around’ thing of aContinue reading “Cicadian Rhythms”
Of Plumb-bobs and Progress Bars
Dearest Rachel – You probably remember earlier iterations of The Sims much better than I do (even now); while I bought myself a copy of Sims4 a while back, I never really got into it. Heck, I barely bother to play Civilization these days, and I got into that game. I guess there are soContinue reading “Of Plumb-bobs and Progress Bars”
The Chill and the Damp
Dearest Rachel – When April showers May come your way They bring the flowers That bloom in May That’s all well and good, but what’s to be said about the showers that come in May? Does this mean they’re deferring the blossoms until June or something? And if they are, that’s not necessarily a goodContinue reading “The Chill and the Damp”
A Little More Sun
Dearest Rachel – It would seem that this morning exercise routine, reluctant though I am to follow it, is something of a self-perpetuating cycle. I put in some seven-plus miles on the treadmill yesterday, and by nine o’clock, I was as ready to fall asleep in my chair than actually bother with watching another videoContinue reading “A Little More Sun”
The Price of a Jones
Dearest Rachel – Obviously, you know I’m not talking about the mythical neighbors who our generation (and the one before us) would often attempt to try to “keep up with.” You and I, while growing up, never had the same tastes as the general public, as we knew them to be; why expend the effortContinue reading “The Price of a Jones”
Back From Backsliding
Dearest Rachel – I woke up with an idea to write you about this morning, and even began adding to it between reps at the gym (I’ve gotten into a pattern of doing twenty-five crunches at a time, with pauses in between on the way to a total of a hundred – remember when thatContinue reading “Back From Backsliding”
I’m Not Sick (I Think)
Dearest Rachel – …♫but I’m not welllll♪… Just after telling you about my consistency at the gym this week – and putting in five-plus miles each time in a matter of sixty-five minutes – I woke up this morning stiff and sore, and in no mood to get over there and put in my now-dailyContinue reading “I’m Not Sick (I Think)”
What Constitutes ‘Work’
Dearest Rachel – I’m not sure when he started doing this – I want to say it was while I was abroad, which would explain my uncertainty as to the specific timing – but it was within the past year that Logan switched up his work schedule. Originally, when he first moved in, he usedContinue reading “What Constitutes ‘Work’”
Ice Ice Baby
Dearest Rachel – It’s another one of those mornings where I have to wonder what there is to talk to you about today. There’s nothing particularly interesting about the day to come, and there’s no progress being made on the long-term stuff, either. Indeed, it was dismaying to find that I’d regressed to where I’dContinue reading “Ice Ice Baby”
The Extra ⅔ Mile
Dearest Rachel – The last couple of mornings have seen me awake with a little more time on my hands; enough time not only to go work out and get back before I’d be expected to be anywhere as part of what constitutes a “routine” for the day (let’s face it; the “routine” for aContinue reading “The Extra ⅔ Mile”
Intermittent Sleep
Dearest Rachel – It’s December, so it should be permissible to speak of Christmassy things now. Despite not getting out over the Black Friday portion of the holiday weekend, I’ve gotten a reasonable amount of gift shopping under my belt – although in fairness, the real challenge, our son Daniel, I’ve not yet started on;Continue reading “Intermittent Sleep”
Not Exactly Sugarplums
Dearest Rachel – I suppose that I should write you about last night‘s dreams; I had myself a pretty vivid double feature last night. The first one was pretty upsetting, having to do with being on campus somewhere (oddly enough, I somehow knew I was at the University of Montana, of all places. I don’tContinue reading “Not Exactly Sugarplums”
Get Yo’ Ankles Broke!
Dearest Rachel – With Kris’ help this past Monday, I swapped out the bedding (I think I mentioned how queen size sheets don’t seem to fit anymore – I may need to either ask for king size ones for Christmas, or get some for myself at some point thereafter; I hear January is good forContinue reading “Get Yo’ Ankles Broke!”
Shaking Up the Schedule
Dearest Rachel – They say (and no, I’ve never quite managed to figure out who “they” are, these legendary arbiters of both the status quo and nearly every form of advice to shake it up. They’re clearly a contradictory bunch; maybe I wouldn’t want to meet them, much as any larger-than-life figure would be aContinue reading “Shaking Up the Schedule”
Breaking Training
Dearest Rachel – Thanks to the effects of this cold – symptoms such as coughing, congestion and sneezing, combined with more peripheral effects such as body aches and a general malaise, not to mention the concern about further contagion – this is the third morning in a row in which I haven’t made it toContinue reading “Breaking Training”
To Descend Without Stumbling
Dearest Rachel – I’ll say one thing for these weekends in which I’ve purposed myself to go without eating for forty-plus hours; they make Monday that much more bearable (even setting aside the fact that I don’t have to worry about going to work anymore). At least this morning, I can finally allow myself somethingContinue reading “To Descend Without Stumbling”
Observable Increments
Dearest Rachel – Well, it seems like you can strike what I said yesterday about things not having changed from year to year at our Awana club. There are, in fact, a few fairly drastic changes this time around. In fact, I may be out of my usual job entirely – they seem to haveContinue reading “Observable Increments”
Taking Compliments
Dearest Rachel – Yesterday had me breaking my weekend fast at a holiday party at Jeff and Julie’s place; ironically, my last meal had taken place Saturday morning with Jeff in attendance as well, so he probably thinks I eat a lot more often than I do. I can’t recall at this point if you’dContinue reading “Taking Compliments”
Sleeping In
Dearest Rachel – I’m sure you’re looking at that title, and fully expecting to get a good laugh out of my story, in much the same way you would when I would refer to us as living “paycheck to paycheck.” In my defense, I would often point out that by the time I received theContinue reading “Sleeping In”
Keeping it Up, Dialing it Down
Dearest Rachel – Morning, and my leg still hurts when I roll out of bed or get up from my chair. It would seem that the weekend off I gave has had no effect, in terms of letting the muscles heal. The thing is, even I know I can’t let them lie unused for anContinue reading “Keeping it Up, Dialing it Down”
A Weekend Off
Dearest Rachel – I think I’ve mentioned it before, but only in passing, as I sort of assumed that it was a momentary thing, due to the stress of (relative) overwork and the effects of the early morning. The old slogan is “no pain, no gain,” after all, and the pain is merely supposed toContinue reading “A Weekend Off”
Pondering This Morning’s Earworm
Dearest Rachel – It seems apropos of absolutely nothing, but that’s pretty much how earworms work; like dreams, they aren’t required – or even expected – to make much sense. And yet, in some ways, it gives one something to think about, even if it’s only the obvious (and somewhat unanswerable, given the previous statement)Continue reading “Pondering This Morning’s Earworm”
Obsession? Compulsion?
Dearest Rachel – As happens all too often these days, I find myself waking up to a dark room, staring at the ceiling. This would be understandable during the winter, but this far into July, I should be comfortably sleeping in, especially after putting in twenty-five thousand steps yesterday, between working out at the gymContinue reading “Obsession? Compulsion?”
The Extent of the Effect
Dearest Rachel – “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” So goes Isaac Newton’s first law of motion, the product of the Enlightenment concept of experimentation and observation, as opposed to blind acceptance of received wisdom from generations past. Best envisioned (and demonstrated) on a billiard table or a croquet lawn, thisContinue reading “The Extent of the Effect”
A Herd of Boxen
Dearest Rachel – Being the grammar maven that you were, you might look at that title and get a little puzzled. What the heck are ‘boxen’?, you might ask. Then again, you were the one who introduced me to Richard Lederer, and his books on grammar and the English language. You might remember his parodicalContinue reading “A Herd of Boxen”
An Honest Cheat Day
Dearest Rachel – Four-thirty in the morning, and I’m awake. It doesn’t exactly surprise me; while a little earlier than most days this week, I’ve been getting into something of a habit of waking up early enough to walk down to the gym and put in a few miles of walking in before getting backContinue reading “An Honest Cheat Day”
He Wants No Part of It
Dearest Rachel – The other day, I observed about how Daniel doesn’t really seem to have much of a handle on adulting. Oh, he can manage a thing or two when the chips are down; in fact, just this morning, he was calling the insurance company about the fender bender he got into a coupleContinue reading “He Wants No Part of It”
I Don’t Like Piña Coladas, Either
Dearest Rachel – A few years ago, there was this song that was part of the top 40 repertoire whose chorus began with “if you like piña coladas / and getting caught in the rain…” I never bothered to look further into it, since as far as I was concerned, it was nothing but anContinue reading “I Don’t Like Piña Coladas, Either”
It Takes More Than Just Sweat
Dearest Rachel – It’s been a very hot weekend, honey. Not just outside – which has indeed been hot, getting well up into the 90s – but inside as well. On Friday, Logan pointed out that the pipes for the air conditioner had frost all over them, and when I called the HVAC people toContinue reading “It Takes More Than Just Sweat”
Eighty-Three Steps
Dearest Rachel – They say that travel is broadening, and, given my effort at weight loss over the past couple of years, that’s exactly the sort of thing I didn’t need. But it was something I was keenly aware of as I launched out on my trip this year. Cruise ships are famous (infamous? IContinue reading “Eighty-Three Steps”
Back To The Plan
Dearest Rachel – It’s taken a few extra days for me to do this, but I’ve finally got around to it. Maybe it stems from a guilty conscience about what I admitted to yesterday (combined with the fact that, as per said admission, I slept far too much during the day, and not all thatContinue reading “Back To The Plan”
Easy On the Envelope
Dearest Rachel – On paper – or on the calendar, anyway – I gave up this weekend; I didn’t manage to fast at all. Both days saw me eating something, despite the fact that, apart from December (because, you know, parties and other holiday get-togethers), I’ve been trying to go without when I’m working the boothContinue reading “Easy On the Envelope”
Letters to Rachel 