Graphical Summary of My Body

Before you all get excited that I am about to go into graphic detail about the parts of my body, let me assure you that kind of information is not what this article is about. I'm sorry to disappoint you. Yesterday I went up to the new health club for my Graphical Summary and Body Age Analysis. This a free session with a personal trainer that you schedule when you join the club and pay them money...

So it's not really free, I guess, but it didn't cost extra!

Now I'm just as curious as the next guy as to what my "body age" really is compared to how many years I've actually been alive and kicking around the planet. I made my appointment for the second day at the club so I could find out how "old" I am before I start exercising on a regular schedule. The session was to last about an hour, which I figured out to be just about the length of time I could take the humiliation I was to receive in front of the entire workout floor.

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Life Time Fitness = A Lifetime of Fun

Last week a new health club/resort spa, Life Time Fitness, finally opened it's doors in South Austin. Since I have decided that it is time to get back in tip-top shape it couldn't have come at a better time. The last time I joined a health club it was about ten years ago in my mid 20's. We had no children then and my schedule was work late, stay up later, sleep late, go to the gym, rinse and repeat. Like a lot of people, the "go to the gym" part of the day eventually morphed into "sleep later" instead.

But Life Time Fitness is much more than a gym. It's a water park, basketball and rock climbing gym, with racquetball, squash, Yoga, Pilates, spin classes, lap pools, hot tubs, saunas, a cafe and hair/nail salon, a huge children's area with 2-hours a day of childcare included, swimming lessons, soccer days, kid's basketball court, and ample parking!

Granted, I'll probably never take Pilates or get my hair and nails done (what hair?), but I will definitely utilize many of the other amenities. And surprisingly the price of it all for the whole family is less than our cable, phone, and high speed Internet bill every month.

Starting tomorrow my goal is to get rid of my pregnancy weight (the food baby) and increase my running endurance while adding some muscle to my spindly frame. With that will come added performance on the tennis court so I can beat my tennis bum buddy. The only problem I can foresee about that plan is that he is also a member of Life Time Fitness, which means I'll probably have to spike his Gatorade with sleeping pills before we start to play if I ever want to have a fighting chance.

Thoughts from my Desk: 10/17/2007

It's been kind of quiet on the blog front this last week. I was preparing myself for a big trip to the dentist on Monday by staying up late pondering the future of my mouth with cold beverages and cancer sticks (sorry Mom & Dad, but I smoked again). I am happy to say that as of Sunday night I am tobacco free. I never had a hard time quitting, no real urges to smoke, but it was always easy to start again with a cigarette here and there when out with friends. When I'm not around cigarettes I don't have the desire for one, but when I am around them I want one. That will be a test of my will. Sometimes I would go 6 months without lighting up a Camel, sometimes I would go a week. For the sake of my overall health and extended length of life, I plan on going forever this time.
Adios, my Turkish Blend friend!

Another plus to the quitting will be the improvement in my stamina for tennis and running. I almost beat my arch nemesis last weekend even after a night of smoking. I was up 5-2 in the first set, which is a rarity, and up 3-1 in the second. I did lose both sets but put up a fight. I should have closed those sets out but the shots just didn't happen for me. Not having played in 8 months due to knee trouble I think I played better than I have all year. Maybe it was the extra added chemicals in my blood from the Camels. Yea, probably not.

Fall is finally arriving and everybody has their Halloween decorations out. Skeletons hanging from trees, bats in windows, and the real carved pumpkins awaiting their demise at the hands of young pranksters. My son has changed from being Batman for Halloween to Mack the red Power Ranger. He wears his costume around the house every chance he gets. We're hoping it makes it to October 31. My daughter is going to be a pumpkin with a costume on loan from a friend. She took one look at the bumblebee costume when at the store with my wife and said, "No!" which as you all know is one of her favorite words. Thankfully she liked the carved pumpkin with it's cute little hat. She should rake in tons of candy this year and that will be another habit to deal with - CHOCOLATE!

Speaking of chocolate, at the store yesterday I impulse bought a box of my favorite cereal (Count Chocula) and my kids didn't even notice when I put it in the basket or hid it in the pantry. I had a bowl of it this morning but had to wait for the milk to make it a little soggy so the delicious chocolaty crunchiness wouldn't hurt my teeth.

At Last She Speaks

My daughter will be two years old soon. Where has the time gone? She is sitting in a "big girl" chair at the table, can navigate up and down the stairs without falling, scoots around on a tricycle, attempts to climb out of her crib, and can handle anything her big brother throws at her - literally.

She is also learning a ton of new words and singing along with the alphabet song and "Rainbow Connection," which is a nightly request in her rocking chair before she goes to sleep. "Daddy!" she screams from the top of the stairs after her bath. "Rainbow!" Read more...

Tony Romo owes Nick Folk dinner...

and a movie.

What should have been a stomping by the Dallas Cowboys on the Buffalo Bills turned out to be just the opposite. Tony Romo was intercepted five times by the Bills, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Then they returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Romo also fumbled the ball once. On paper it should have been a blowout by the Bills, who were underdogs going into the game.

Tony Romo was surely due for a bad game at some point but we all expected it to maybe happen next Sunday against the New England Patriots, not in Buffalo! The Bills defense definitely had Romo's number in the game and read him like an open book. The fans in Buffalo went crazy every time they picked him off and with good reason. The Bills have a bone to pick from the 1990's when the Cowboys dominated them in the Super Bowls.

I wish my son could have stayed up to watch this game. It was an unbelievable comeback mostly thanks to the Cowboys relentless defense and the leg of one happy kicker. Not only did Nick Folk kick the longest field goal of his career (53 yards), but he kicked it twice because of a last second timeout called by the Bills on the first kicked that sailed through the uprights right down the middle.

Then Nick did it again on the same line.

Tony Romo's new best friend should be Nick Folk. If I were Romo, I would take him out to dinner at least once a week for the rest of the season. Actually, if I were Romo I would pick up the dinner check for the whole defense and Nick Folk for the rest of the season. They deserve it for bailing him out of hopefully his worst game ever. The good thing is Romo can learn from this game and not repeat it next Sunday against the undefeated Patriots.

I'm crossing my fingers.

Interviews from the Daddyshack: Whit Honea

I am happy to announce a new series of at-home dad interviews for my Because I Said So column at Quirkee.com! There are so many at-home dads online that have formed friendships in the various blog communities and forums. I thought it would be fun to share some of them with you by asking them about their lives. The first installment of Interviews from the Daddyshack is with Whit Honea!

Some of you may recognize Whit from his blog Honea Express. Check out what Whit had to say while in the Daddyshack:

Interviews from the Daddyshack: Whit Honea