Man Cave
Right now we are working on partially finishing our basement. Not the whole thing, just a couple of bedrooms for now. Ultimately we hope to do it all but that will have to wait until we get some other things taken care of first.
But someday I hope to totally deck out the downstairs living room. I still haven't decided if I'd rather have a large HD tv or a
dlp projector, but I've got time to think about it. The tv's have a sharper image but it's hard to pass up and 8 foot wide screen when you have a projector.
Another Idea for Weight Loss
One of the fitness gurus that I regularly follow has said on numerous occasions that doing hill sprints a couple of times a week is a great
fat burner.
I don't doubt it as I had the experience as a runner in high school and we were always in far better shape when we were doing them regularly then when we were not.
That being said, they are hard to fit into my routine. For one thing, it's really cold and icy outside. For another, I generally work out at the office gym and there isn't a decent sized hill for miles around.
The hill that I ran on in High School is just around the corner from my house but it seems like a lot of effort to drive over there, run, come home and shower, and then go to work. Perhaps in the summer it won't be such an inconvenience. We'll see.
Ready For Summer
I've noticed that it is light out again when I put my daughter on the bus for school. I've even seen a robin or two around. All good signs that we may be out of the deep freeze soon. Typically I don't mind winter but this one has been no fun at all.
Terrible weather and no desire at all to be without the sunshine has me ready to see the snow melt, like
phenphedrine for ice. I didn't even make it out to snowboard at all this year. I just have grown tired of going alone and didn't have the opportunities to go with friends.
Soon it will be warm again. That will be nice.
Financial Peace University FREE PREVIEW TONIGHT!!
At our local church we are getting ready to start this truly great program. If you are interested in attending and live in the west central Ohio area please feel free to come to our free preview tonight. It's at the Urbana Nazarene Church and starts at 6:30pm
Hope to see you there!
Shocked
I heard a commercial this morning on the way to work for one of the new
weight loss diet pills. I don't remember which one it was. I have no idea what it's benefits are or anything but they were suggesting that not only did you not need to exercise or watch what you ate that they didn't want you to change your lifestyle.
That seems dangerous to me. Why would you encourage people to keep doing the same things over and over? Haven't we all become aware of the dangers of doing that?
135 or bust
I was complaining to a fitness pro recently that my arms are too small and I can't seem to get them to grow. His advice shocked me a bit. "Stick to the basics, work until you can EZ bar curl 135 pounds for 10 reps".
Not the typical advice you hear regarding workout styles these days but I'm giving it a shot. I really like the health aspects of working out, but I also want to LOOK like someone who works out a lot.
Now I'm not a muscle head and I don't read all the
jack3d reviews or anything but I do want to get the best bang for my buck. I'm sure most of you feel the same way.
4 Pounds Down
Since January 1st, I'm down 4 pounds. Considering that I only want to lose about 14 total, I'm well on my way. The numbers are encouraging but I'm just trying to get back to where I was before I totally fell off the wagon last year.
Really, the number on the scale isn't that important to me, I'm more concerned about my body fat percentage. Last time I had it checked it was about 18%, and I really want it to be under 12%.
I'm planning to check it again here soon, and I'm hoping to have made some decent progress. Typically it is a fickle animal and I probably need to cut back more on carbs if I want to make so serious progress.
Keeping after it.
Ebay For Used Parts
I've found over the years that whether you need a hard or find power cord or
samsung cell phone batteries, ebay is the place to go. Just about everything you need is out there and if you are patient and don't need it right this second, you can probably get exactly what you need cheap.
The only thing I will warn you about, is that a lot of the products are from Hong Kong. I accidentally ordered one of those items once and it took a month to get here and was junk. So just make sure you click US only when you are searching.
Saving Money
I'm all about saving money. I love to look for ways to cut costs and bring in a few extra bucks every month. What I don't understand is why some many companies are trying to get me to get free
car insurance quotes. For one thing, I have no real idea what my coverage now covers me for so there is no basis for comparison. (bad, I know)
Also, do I really want to go through the hassle of switching for $5-1o a month? Nope, not really. Doesn't seem like it would be worth the trouble.
FPU
I'm really excited that I'm going to be able to host Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class at our church. I really feel like his plan is a good one and lots of people need to hear what he has to say.
We don't need to all be in debt. It doesn't have to be the American way. If we all buckle down, pay off our debt, and plan for the future, we could have more money than a Injury Lawyer working for NUMA.
It isn't a guarantee but it is a good system and it has made our lives better so I hope that I can pass that along to others.
Pocket Power
We are getting close to the point where are phones are going to rule the Earth. As it is you can do an amazing amount of stuff from just about anywhere if you have a smart phone and it feels like we are just scratching the surface.
Iphone accessories continue to pour out from the manufacturers and Android isn't far behind. It won't be long until having a smart phone will be as ubiquitous as owning a personal computer. It will seem hard to live a normal life without one.
We aren't there yet but we are getting closer. It all just depends on how the dominoes fall.
Brock is 3!!
Well our youngest just turned 3 the other day. It's nice in a lot of ways. We don't need to buy diapers anymore and all our kids are now old enough to play and do their own thing without the need for constant supervision like when they were toddlers. So we won't be buying anymore
1st birthday invitations but I am not sad about that.
I love being a Dad and I love watching my kids learn and grow and experience new things. I love the funny things they say and I'm very proud of how they are learning to do the right things.
Cleaning
I've never been a big bath guy. As it is I don't even have one of those big
soaking tubs. I can see how it might be nice once in a while but I really don't see myself using it enough to justify the cost.
My mom has one and the kids love it when we give them baths at her house. They don't use the jets but just having a giant tub that is big enough for all of them is a big plus.
So I probably won't be in a market for a big tub soon but I know that plenty of people really love them. I don't even think that I would use a hot tub very often if I had one.
