It's Insanity

Merry Christmas. I am getting tired of the on air fight to put Christmas back in the holiday season. Does it really matter? As a Christian, I know what the season represents and I am teaching my children the same. Let the brain dead, God hating liberals and lawyers who act like vampire leaches at the community bloodbank continue to think that they can change the world by forcing the courts to stamp out the reason for the season.

What they don't uderstand is that those who believe that Jesus Christ was born as the Messiah to save the world from sin have the conviction to stay with God. They wander aimlessly through their lives and the purpose they have found it to convince the world that it owes them something. The love of God ensures that you have a purpose of helping those who need it and a personal savior who is always there for you. I feel sorry for the liberals and lawyers who try to force their void on the world. It must be en empty life.

With the Christmas week upon us, I will probably not post for the rest of the year. I may get a spark of imagination and come up with something brilliant next week that simply cannot wait. Or maybe I'll just use the down time to regen the batteries.

Icool

Cobb

Queen Victoria’s Favorite PM and What Rose to the Top

“News is that which comes from the North, East, South, and West, and if it comes from only one point on the compass, then it is a class publication and not news.” Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)

My childhood love of television has once again found a path from it’s buried past to the present. I remember watching a mini-series on PBS about the British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli. I found the series fascinating and have watched for it to be on again. I was never blessed with a repeat but with the help of the internet, I can review and learn.

Benjamin Disraeli was a prominent figure in British politics in the 19th century. He started life as an author and entered politics at an early age. After being elected to the House of Commons, he floundered for several years before becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer. The 1858-1859 Parliament made it legal for Jews to be admitted which paved the way to him becoming the Prime Minister. In 1874, he was once again made Prime Minister.

He served under Queen Victoria and was one of her favorites. He was the only person allowed to sit in her presence. He, like his Queen, wanted The British Empire to expand and prosper and he was responsible for getting British control over both the Suez Canal and India.

Of course, for those who love rock and roll and anticipated the Cream reunion, their 2nd album comes to mind. It was titled Disraeli Gears and launched Cream into the American music scene. The title is actually a take off on a comment Eric Clapton made to Ginger Baker about getting a racing bike. A roadie made a comment about Disraeli gears instead of derailleur gears and the boys thought it was funny. Now Derailleur gears are what allow you to have multiple speeds on a bicycle by having two sprockets and a mechanism that allows the chain to jump from one gear to the other. It is what allows for speed variations.

As for the quote, that started this whole thing out, it is why I don’t watch the news. But that was another post.

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Cobb

Knee Cap

I came across the word patella today and realized that I remembered it from my high school physiology class. That was the time in my life when I was sure that I wanted to be a doctor. Not because I wanted to help people. Heaven forbid that you associate with sick people. It was purely for the money baby. I was fascinated by the workings of the human body. I finished up my high school career with the intention of going pre-med in college. What I discovered is that if you don’t go into medicine to help people, you are wasting your time. It is the compassion for those who are sick and in need of care that matters and I was not mature enough to go down that road.

Anyway, what is a patella? Well as the title implies, it is your knee cap. It is the triangular bone that covers the knee and provides protection and attachment opportunities for the leg. It is known as a sesamoid bone which is a bone embedded with a tendon. It is one of the 206 bones in the adult human body.

My patella is one of the reasons why I have given up on installing the tile floor in my kitchen and hired it done. I have spent quite a bit of time on my knees (keep your mind right where it was) pulling up tile, digging out staples and trying to get the floor ready to put tile down. My knees are a wreck and along with the pain in my lower back, I realize that this is a job left to someone younger, who has more time and is much more knowledgeable. I still have to tear up the upper layer of plywood, nail down the concrete backer board and put the tile down. I am a long way from there and it will be spring before I would be finished.

As I am learning as I get older; hire a professional.

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Cobb

Technetium

My children have been bringing chemistry homework to me for assistance. It is balancing chemical equations to make the atoms of each element in the chemical equation match on both sides of the chemical reaction. Since their teachers have shown them one method (which I find cumbersome and time consuming), I tried showing them another simpler, faster method. This left both of my daughters in a panic and frustrated with me. I ended up just checking their answers instead of helping them.

Now, I am a closet chemist. I used to re-read my college chemistry book and work through some of the problems. I did it because I knew that I would have to deal with it again (being a parent) and wanted to remain at least aware of the processes. I remembered from the periodic table that there were several elements that were man made. Most of the elements above Uranium are made by man but there are a few that do not occur in nature. The 1st element to be made in a laboratory was Technetium.

Technetium is element number 43 and has he chemical symbol of Tc. It is a silvery gray, radioactive metal located between Rhenium and Manganese. It is named after the Greek word technetos which means artificial. Credit for its manufacture is given to Carlos Perrier and Emilio Segrè from the University of Palermo in Sicily.

Technetium actually has several uses. Because it has a short half life, it is used in nuclear medicine to do imaging and functional studies on various body parts and organs. It can also be used for industrial purposes as a corrosion inhibitor but due to its radioactive nature, has limited applications.

There are about 28 synthetic elements, three of which are before Uranium. Since this is a topic that fascinates me, you may see more of information on synthetic elements in the future.

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Cobb

Stone Cold

I am once again free forming my entry. The end of last week as very busy and although I have several ideas that need further research, you get what you get. Hence the name, I am writing cold. Of course it is also about 10 above 0 outside which also inspired the name.

I was the sound tech at church yesterday. It was a long three services. The music was great. We had the choir and the bell choir both playing. They even did a round with the bells, the choir and the piano all participating. It was inspiring. The rest of the service was slow. Our minister, although a very interesting person, has a very poor delivery in his message. I am not sure if it is the topics that he picks or just the way he puts his thoughts together. Either way, I am not going to church to be inspired by the weekly message. It is the community that has built up with the people I have befriended or been befriended by. It is more the later that then former. I am very quiet and reserved around people and I feel very at home around the congregation.

After church, we went with my mother-in-law to put Christmas decorations on the graves of her sisters and father. They were beautiful wreaths with shiny golden plastic decorations on them. The wreaths were attached to a metal tripod that I hammered into the snow covered ground, hopefully anchoring them securely enough so they do not tip over. I got show in my shoes and my socks were soaked. Thankfully, we went to Franklin Park Mall and walked around. It was packed with people who all seemed to getting in line to buy overpriced coated pretzels. I did not see as many people buying gifts as you would have thought.

Well, enough of this day in a life. I did not start out to do a daily life update but sometimes you just get what is.

Icool

Cobb

Nugget of Truth

"True education makes for inequality; the inequality of individuality, the inequality of success; the glorious inequality of talent, of genius; for inequality, not mediocrity, individual superiority, not standardization, is the measure of the progress of the world." — Felix Emmanuel Schelling, American educator and scholar (1858-1945).

I have a routine that I try to follow at work. I come in and do all of the essential checks for parts and customers, communicate the essentials and then do some casual reading. I start with e-mails, then Dilbert and then read what happened today in history. On Yahoo, you get events, celebrity birthdays, and a quote of the day. Felix Emmanuel Schelling had the quote of the day on December 14, 2005. I felt that it contained a fundamental truth about why some people succeed and some do not.

We all suffer from the short comings of inequality. From the moment we are conceived, we begin to develop the differences that will be with us until death. Whether you are tall or short, straight teeth or need braces, or any myriad of physical differences, there is some inequality whether real or perceived. Most I would say are perceived because it is not what you get in life, it is what you do with it.

All you have to do is look at people like Stephen Hawking or Oprah Winfrey. Hawking has a horribly debilitating disease but has still managed to become one of the pre-eminent scientific minds of our generation. Oprah Winfrey has overcome a traumatic childhood, being black and female to become one of the most powerful people in the entertainment industry.

What both of these people show is that education does matter. It is what you learn and how you apply it that paves the path for success in life. Sure looks and personality feed into the equation but Hawking is not a handsome fellow and Oprah had to develop a diet and exercise regimen to stay fit and trim. It all takes work.

It would appear that the truly successful person combines what they learn with a desire to work and create success. Most people that truly fail in life, have not prepared themselves mentally to learn what they need and/or lack the drive to do what is necessary. It is easier for some to accept defeat than to try. There are libraries everywhere, the internet has made knowledge as easy as clicking on a computer monitor, and as far as I know, public school is available to everyone. It is up to each person to maximize that their gifts. Learn, it is the easiest thing to do.

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Cobb

From Shakespeare to Sherwood to Blanc

“Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” Yes, we are back to Shakespeare again and yes it is once again Hamlet. I can’t help that the plays of the great Bard are some of the childhood I remember. Where I really remember that phrase from is not directly from the play. I actually learned the line from watching Gilligan’s Island. Yes, the castaways put on a musical version of Hamlet for a down and out Broadway producer in hopes that he would rescue them from the island.

I can remember Gilligan racing back and forth across the stage because he had so many parts to play and so many costumes to change. And of course the Skipper singing to Gilligan (I believe to a Gilbert and Sullivan melody), “Neither a borrower, nor a lender be. Never forget, stay out of debt.” By the end of the performance, Gilligan collapses, out of breath. The producer loves the version and arranges to get rescued from the island. He does not want to share credit for the great idea of musical Shakespeare so he goes alone. The castaways hear about the producer on their infamous radio where the batteries never die.

Then there is the Barber of Seville scene from Bugs Bunny. You can really get a good feel for the classics by watching old comedies and cartoons. Elmer Fudd singing “Kill the wabbit” while toting his trademark shotgun. Bugs always staying out in front and chewing on his carrot. Then there is Bugs rubbing the hair tonic into Elmer’s bald scalp during a Barber of Seville parody. All classic scenes based on classic literature. Unfortunately, most of the early cartoons have been watered down to remove the “violence”. That is what made them truly funny. Tom and Jerry are almost unwatchable now that the PC crowds have butchered them. Ah, Milton would be rolling around in his grave. Paradise Lost.

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Cobb

To Sleep Perchance To Dream, Who Knows

To quote the Bard’s famous Hamlet speech that starts “To be or not to be” and I am not even into Shakespeare. I remember having to read Hamlet in high school but this is not about 11th grade English. I want to talk about Ursula K. LeGuin’s short novel, The Lathe of Heaven, which may be 12th grade English or even Comp II in college.

The Lathe of Heaven is a novel about dreaming. Most of us do not remember our nightly dreams. Some of us are awaken from our dreams and they are so vivid that we are sure that what happened is real. I have even been caught in a dream loop where the same terrible thing happens over and over and no matter what we do to solve the issue, the outcome is the same. I was however running a 102º fever at the time and suffering from strep throat. Again, I am receding from the topic.

The main character George Orr is a dreamer. But what he dreams becomes reality. The book starts with the end of the world. Man has finally decided that the nuclear option is best and the world explodes in a blast of radioactive destruction. As George Orr is dying, he is bathed in radiation and falls into a deadly sleep. As he dies, he dreams the world back to a time before the deadly rain of radiation. When he awakens, the world has changed slightly, but it is back the way it was, almost.

George starts to find that what he dreams changes the world but only he remembers it. First it is little things and then events start to get bigger. George starts taking medication to stay awake and finally gets caught in the system as a drug addict. He is ordered by the courts to see a psychiatrist to help him with his problem. Dr. Haber hypnotizes him with the key word to bring him out being Antwerp. They doctor suggests that he will not be effected by the changes George makes and will remember before and after. He causes George to dream and low and behold, George can change things.

Haber realizes George’s power and starts to use it for his own benefit but with disastrous results. He wants to halt the population explosion that is happening so he orders George to dream and solve it. George dreams a plague that kills a chunk of the population. The doctor has George solve the race issue but George turns a large portion of the human population gray. The doctor tries to solve the constant bickering between nations and George dreams up aliens that invade the Earth. No matter what the doctor does to fix things, George’s solution makes them worse.

So Dr. Haber comes up with a solution of his own. Since George is obviously inferior and cannot handle fixing such simple problems, the doctor studies George and finds a way to both cure him and take the power to dream reality. The doctor puts George into a hypnotic trance and orders him to dream that the doctor has his power and he no longer has it.

The doctor, in an effort to right every wrong, drives himself insane while he is dreaming and causes havoc in the world of reality. But George Orr is cured. Of course that is what he wanted all along.

The book is short but very readable. There is a love interest for George that due to his dreams, he must continually reintroduce himself to. All in all, a fun read. The read, perchance to dream who knows.

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Cobb

Like A Beached Whale

Every so often you will read about whales or dolphins that beach themselves. No amount of coaxing will get them back into the water and they die, exposed to the air. No one really knows why these mammals of the ocean come ashore and stay but there is plenty of speculation concerning man’s influence in “murdering” these poor innocent animals. How through air and water pollution we are destroying their environment and probably driving them to ground themselves through sonic noise pollution. The poor animals want to die to escape the horrors that man has imposed on them.

Did anyone ever think that maybe whales and dolphins were intelligent enough to form cults? They are supposed to be intelligent animals and with their superior intellect may be susceptible to brain washing. I think back to the Hale Bopp comet a few years ago and all of the chemically castrated computer nerds that drank the caustic kool-aid and went to the mother ship. It could be that the whales and dolphins form into groups (I hear they call themselves pods) and when the kelp flows the right way and the moon reflects from the mother of all pearls, they are driven to swarm to the beach and dry themselves out.

Another possibility is that they are big fans of George Hamilton and want to get as much sun as possible. Since they can’t afford to go to the tanning booth or have a working knowledge of sun screen, they are forced up on the sand and will die to stay there. If only George had such devotion from his fan club.

No one really knows why these groups of ocean mammals swim onto the beach. The environmental (I stress mental) wackos would have man believe that we are the root cause and what ever we are doing must stop. It does nothing to explain the behavior. It is so much easier to find fault with humanity than look at human behavior and see if we behave in ways similar to whales. Can you say schizophrenia? I actually prefer the cult theory. Maybe we can get them all painted with Nike swooshes.

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Cobb

Claim to Fame

I will admit that as a child, I was a television addict. My first recollection of TV was after we had left the house to go somewhere and I had asked if the show would still be on when we got home because I wanted to finish watching it. Since Tivo was still 30 years away, the answer was no. I loved my Saturday morning cartoons. There was Thundarr the Barbarian with Ookla the Mok and Ariel their sorceress/princess sidekick, Scooby Doo, and HR Puffinstuff with Jimmy and the magic flute. There are many that I vaguely remember as nothing more than characters. As I grew older, I became a MASH rerun addict. I could quote entire episodes from memory and still laughed at everything Hawkeye did to Frank Burns.

When I was 4 or 5, I convinced my mother to take me to the Johnny Ginger Show. It was an afternoon kids program on what was the ABC 24 in Toledo. I remembered the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons, along with Fractured Fairy Tales and Mr. Peabody and the Way Back Machine. Johnny Ginger had a puppet crow on his show that used to go to the moon and bring back cream cheese. I so wanted to see that crow but the day we were on the show, he was away to the moon. It was me and my sisters, maybe a friend or two and of course my mother all on a set of bleachers watching Johnny Ginger and he cartoons. I remember they plied us with tons of candy and I just sat there enthralled by the whole thing.

To date, that was my only TV appearance. I went out over the broadcast waves in a show that was probably not recorded so if I wanted to re-watch it, I would have to be somewhere around Alpha Centuri with a great receiver. It has been a long time since I thought about Johnny Ginger. He has his own web site and seemed to have made a name for himself on the ABC affiliate in Detroit. I wish I could remember the crows name but that is also lost in the depths of time. Someday, Oneday. QII

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Cobb

Free Form

I have not had the time to prep my entry all week. Things have gotten a little crazy lately and I find myself against a deadline to get my daily entry in. So, I apologize if they seem a little lame (or for those critics lamer) lately. You always hope that you will hit a home run every time you go to bat. In the game of baseball, you usually just hope to get on base. So somewhere in between is where I hope to be. I guess there is always the strike out but hopefully that is the exception to the rule.

The celebration of Chistmas is creeping upon us. As we march toward December 25 and the date of the birth of our Savior, we have untold things to do. There is the careful purchase of gifts for those we love and despise. I say despise because there is always someone that we feel does not deserve a gift but we are obligated to get them one. I do not have someone on my list that fits the description this year but have felt that way in previous years.

There is the meal preparation for the holidays. This is always a confusing thing for me as we have fights over who is supposed to be at whose house when issues every year. We used to have a set schedule but for some reason, the schedule changed or was lost or we just feel like fighting. Who knows? The other issue is what to eat. There are the traditionalists who always want turkey. Can you say again? Last year, I took Thanksgiving and we had marinated grilled pork loin. They were licking the plate so it must have been good but it was not turkey. I did a glazed ham for Christmas that went over equally well. But last Thanksgiving it was turkey. For Christmas Eve, I think we are just going to have hors de orves. Small vistory.

Then there is the planning the nights and weekends for all of the plays, pagents, concerts, dinner parties, and get togethers that have to be scheduled around everything that is going on. We have not eaten dinner as a family all month. My kids are shoving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in their mouths as we back out of the driveway. What a crazy way to celebrate the birth of our savior. I am looking forward to the boredom of January. Happy New Year.

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Cobb

Fly the Coup

When I was a teenager, my parents bought me a homing pigeon coup. My grandfather was very much into pigeon racing and had learned it from his father in Belgium. The actual coup was a little 10' X 10' wooden building that was up on blocks. For a couple of years, I raised homing pigeons and even raced them. It wasn't a race in the classical sense that we saddled them up and had mice rde them around a track. We joined the local homing pigeon club and on Saturdays during the summer, you would take the birds you were going to race to the club. I was amazed at the number of pigeon fanciers there were.

At the club, they would place numbered rubber bands on their feet and place them in a large cage. You could wager on your birds also but I never did being only 13. They would load all of the pigeon into a truck and take them to the designated release point. It was always west and went as far as the middle of Illinois. On Sunday afternoons, you would sit by the coup and wait for the birds to come home. You had to have a clock that you would put the band in and it punched the time. All clocks were calibrated on the day before.

One time, I came in 3rd place. Not bad for a teenager. Now, I do not remember what happened to the pigeon coup. I know that I enjoyed the birds but for some reason I do not remember the coup leaving. One of those large gaps in my memory I guess. So many memories and so little space left.

Icool

Cobb

After Careful Review

I had today's post all ready to go. It was an anti-love letter to someone who I feel is not performing as they should. But after careful review, I have decided that it is not only inappropriate but not very Christian. The latter weighed heavily on my heart as I read what I had written.

I was not mean or nasty in what I wrote. I did not use names or titles but alluded to what the person did by what was not being done. I started thinking about the latest group of sermons from church on the Sermon on the Mount. Our minister has reviewed what Christ's vision was for being a Christian. It is not an easy path to take and there is so much to work on that it is almost impossible to keep the proper scope.

So many of the things we do in life are about other people and the way we respond is a good representation of where we are on our journey with Christ. By making a point of someone's shortcomings and broadcasting it was not something that Jesus would have done. His methods were more direct and personal. So, the adage of think before you speak comes to the forefront. My minister would be very happy that I actually managed to retain one of his lessons.

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Cobb

Takes Me Back

I have bought a few albums lately that I listened to in my teens. My favorite group back then and probably still is Queen. The vocal gymnastics of Freddie Mercury and the guitar master Brian May blasted through the headphones at my house most of the time. I loved the harmony that accompanied most of their music. When they switched to the operatic style for “A Night at the Opera”, it only enhanced what was already a great group.

The first time I heard Queen was the song Killer Queen from their 1974 Sheer heart Attack album. It must have been CKLW out of Windsor that was playing it because that was pretty much the only radio station that played on our car radio. We were dropping off someone from a MYF meeting and the song poured through the car speakers. I was entranced but never found out anything about the song.

A year later, we were coming home from shopping on a Saturday and Bohemian Rhapsody came blaring through the radio. I immediately recognized the vocal and was again enthralled by the music. This time I got the song and the group and was off to the music store to buy the album.

That year I got an 8-track player for Christmas. I bought both of those Queen albums for my sister for Christmas. I was such a nice brother. I played them so much that they actually wore out on the player. I spent hours after hour listening to those tapes click between tracks. Most of the songs were in two parts because they did not match the tape length. I can still anticipate those breaks even though they are no longer there.

The next year we were out shopping for a Christmas tree and I heard Someone to Love on the radio. It was the 1st single from “A Day at the Races.” For some reason, I remember where I was the first time I heard a song. At least those songs that made an impression on me. And Queen was a big part of making that impression along with Alice Cooper, Rush, Moody Blues and a bevy of other artist too numerous to mention.

Well, I am now buying the CD and immediately converting them to digital. I am sticking the CD away for safe keeping to make sure that my children do not destroy them. Most of my music collection has been scratched beyond listen ability and I want to start fresh. If they want copies, they can burn them for themselves. That means I will not have to buy copies again unless the format changes from digital to something else. I guess the next step is all digital and skip the CD. Can you say IPOD for Christmas?

Icool

Cobb

George Bush Sucks?

Having said that about our President or at least questioning our Commander –in –Chief, I do not for one minute think it true. I have heard so much about President Bush from the news lately that one would think that he was robbing banks and killing babies. By all accounts, George Bush must be the worst President the United States has ever had. He has run our country into the ground and embroiled us in a losing cause, half way around the world. For the leader of the free world to be such a failure must be a tragedy and a disgrace to all freedom loving countries.

What I don’t understand is how anyone could look at the information the press is misrepresenting and see it the way they do. Month after month, I see the economic news and note that unemployment is down and the economy is humming. This even after New Orleans was destroyed in a flood. We have had hurricanes in the US, tidal waves in Asia, and a potential bird flu pandemic and still the US economy is booming. That is very bad news for the President. How could he stand by and let the economy of our great nation perform like that.

The war in Iraq is going very poorly. The US Army eliminated the Iraqi army with little or no effort when the war started. We have eliminated several terrorist strong holds. The power and lights are on. The torture of innocent people has stopped. Their economy is improving. Unfortunately, more than 2000 Americans have lost their lives to free a country of more than 25 million people. The US is assisting in creating a country where they are allowed to determine their own future instead of being run by a dictator-tyrant and his psychopathic family. Yes, it has been a big disappointment to the American populations to spread freedom to a nation/region that is starved for a chance to pilot their own destiny.

The topper on the cake is that we never hear from George Bush about these victories. He remains silent about the accomplishments of his administration. The news does a very good job of misrepresenting an alternative view but the President remains questioningly silent. Now I approve of the silence. I have never been one to toot my own horn. I have heard him praise the accomplishments of others. Now who would you rather have leading your nation? A man who does nothing but tries to point out his wonderful accomplishments, like our previous President, or one who “Just Does It” and let’s the deed speak for itself. There is no doubt in my mind.

Icool

Cobb

Giving Back

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive.” Sir Walter Scott

The worst kind of deception is when we delude ourselves. In a country where money literally falls from the sky, (in comparison with the rest of the world), I find myself feeling that I am not contributing adequately to those in need. I hear about opportunities to give something back to those with needs on a daily basis and turn a deaf ear to the call. I look at the checkbook and it says “just enough for groceries and gas” but what about the dinner out last weekend or the trip to Michigan to see friends. Do we really need to do those things or are they luxuries that drain resources from doing a greater good?

As I write this, I am looking back over the year to see what I have given back to the community. At first, I am almost ashamed of myself as I do a mental review of the list. The thing that comes first to the list is what I put in the collection plate at church. I go to church without my wife on occasion and she has the checkbook. That means that I usually have a dollar or two from my wallet to put in the plate. On Sunday’s where we are both there, we never seem to make up for those lost opportunities to give to the church. Should I feel guilty? No. I have made a commitment to help pay off the church’s mortgage early. This will allow the ministry to concentrate on doing God’s work instead of scrapping to pay for the roof. That is commitment I will fulfill.

I have also started doing the soundboard at church. I was asked by a good friend at church if I would be interested in learning to run the soundboard and helping with sound at the services. We have three services on Sunday and you are there for you assigned day. It makes for a long Sunday but I enjoy playing with the sound and making sure that the music, the scripture and the message are heard loud and clear.

I had someone I am very close to call me and ask for some help with their bills. They were three days from having their house foreclosed and needed money wired to their bank or they would lose everything. We drained our savings and sent them the money. I have thought a lot about that decision and know that it was the right one. The money does not matter. Knowing that someone you love is safe and has a place to lay their head at night is the best gift.

We adopted another pet this year. What does that have to do with charity? We went through a pet adoption agency that saves animals from being put to death. We have saved one of God’s creatures from a short life to live with a loving family in a safe and loving home. That is a gift.

After reviewing my year, I have not given as financially as I feel that I should, but we must take care of ourselves and be healthy in order to minister to those in need. It is not always about the money. God has given us gifts to help us give back. They say charity begins at home. I know that it does not mean give to yourself first, it means that we demonstrate to our children and those around us by how we live our lives. By giving to others with our gifts, our time and our resources, we are doing God’s work.

Lord, help me to continue to work in thy service. Amen

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Cobb

Damn You’re Fat Part IV

I have gotten into a routine on my life style change. I have been good on breakfast, 1st snack, lunch, and 2nd snack. I do my aerobic exercise Monday, Wednesday and Friday like clockwork. I am even pretty good with dinner. Since I cook, I have been making solidly nutritious meals. What happens after dinner is another thing. I have one more snack to manage after dinner but I usually overindulge on that snack. Of course it is the worst time to overindulge but it is not every night.

Now, I have not weighed myself or done anything to measure my progress for this life style change. I figure that by being vigilant and sticking to what I know will work, eventually, I will reach my goal.

I have already noticed that I am walking faster and with less effort so from a physical fitness stand point, things are working. But as far as goals go, I would like to eventually get down to between 200 lbs and 210 lbs. That is coming from 250 lbs. I have not weighed that since I was in the military in 1987. I know that I will feel better, sleep better, and be healthier when I achieve that goal. I just have to find a healthier outlet for my after dinner snack. Somehow, I don’t think that Hershey’s is part of that search.


Icool

Cobb