Chapter 16 Fit Happens - Post Contest Interview 3 (Hippo)

As you have read in the last couple of Fit Happens, I've reached out to all of the participants to get a sense of what they got out of the contest and what they might need to do in the near future to keep losing weight (or at least maintaining shape).

The next interview is w/ Hippo, who at the halfway mark was challenging for the lead. While he still lost over 7% of his body weight during the contest, he faded in the last few months. He speaks of those struggles as well as what he needs to do to get back on track.

1.    What are your overall impressions of Fit Happens?
It was a pretty good success. I thought it was telling that the two most overweight of the four competitors made the least net progress. I guess this makes sense since that's how they got that way in the first place.

2.    What have you changed about your exercise regimen and/or diet during the contest?

I ate a lot less and worked out more regularly, the two things I knew I needed to do a better job of. But I changed those things at the beginning and didn't make any other major change once we got going.

 

3.    What challenges were the toughest during the past six months?

I totally fell off the wagon in May and just now (early July) have I gotten back on. It was hard to stay motivated. Even with the contest going on, after the first couple of months it seemed like our group enthusiasm had waned and we weren't as active with each other.

 

4.    Did you reach the goals you set forth at the beginning?

No. I never set a weight loss goal, I just wanted to make it to the end without a major relapse and that didn't happen.

5.    How much did being in the contest motivate you to lose weight? Could you have done it w/o the contest?

It didn't play all that big of a role. It gave some extra motivation at the end of months, and because B-Bo just kept winning, but once it was clear he wasn't going to be caught it didn't help at all.

6.    Will you continue your weight loss journey?

I never went into this thinking of it as a journey because it was about changing my lifestyle, not just losing weight. I don't think I succeeded in that transformation so I am far from done.

7.    How will you keep yourself motivated with the contest ending soon?

With the contest being over I don't think it will impact me all that much. As I already stated, the contest wasn't motivating enough for me that I will miss it.

8.    Did anything or anyone surprise you during this contest? How so?

I never thought B-Bo would lose so much weight and dominate so much. I was surprised in general with how much B-Bo and Chris lost since I didn't think they had as much to lose. I also was surprised I fell so hard off the wagon *before* the  contest ended.

9.    How much more weight do you want or need to lose to get to your ideal weight?

I don't have an ideal weight per se. I really just want to be considered "healthy". Whatever weight I get to at that point is my goal.

10.   Should we keep tabs on each other as the months pass to keep each other motivated? If so, do you think we will?

I definitely think we should keep tabs on each other. Since B-Bo and Chris don't have a lot more to lose I think the goals of the contest should vary for each person for the rest of the year. Those of us who didn't lose enough should have to lose a bunch and Chris and B-Bo should only have to keep their current weights without relapsing.

Chapter 15 Fit Happens - Post Contest Interview 2 (Magic Bus)

As you may have read in my last Fit Happens chapter, I asked all of the guys in the contest to share their thoughts on the contest and how they plan on approaching their health and fitness post-contest.

The second in the series of interviews, Magic Bus shared some of the motivational issues that he had with as the contest progressed as well as his proposal to do another Fit Happens in the future.

 

1. What are your overall impressions of Fit Happens?

It was super helpful in the beginning to have some camaraderie and competition, but that tailed off during the second half of the contest for me. I'm to blame for that; I withdrew from the social aspects about mid-way through and that definitely hurt my progress.

 

2. What have you changed about your exercise regimen and/or diet during the contest?

I've still mostly focused on diet. I each much less fast food and processed foods than I did prior to the contest and am overall more cognizant of what goes into my body. During the last couple of months I've started walking and jogging as much as I can and have found it to be quite enjoyable actually. In the future, I think that will help a lot.

 

3. What challenges were the toughest during the past six months?

Exercising has been really challenging for me. With a small child, I never feel like I have enough time to go to the gym or take a walk. Of course, that's really just an excuse. The fact is, it was not important enough to me to sacrifice my personal time.

Something I'm still struggling with is sticking to my plan after I've screwed up. I'm prone to say things like "I'll start back on it on Monday" after I've binge eaten once during the week. The rational part of me knows that I should just pick up right away instead of waiting, but for some reason I feel like the week is shot. This is probably the biggest contributor to me not losing the weight I wanted to.

 

 

4. Did you reach the goals you set forth at the beginning?

Nope. I hoped to get down to 250 lbs.

 

5. How much did being in the contest motivate you to lose weight? Could you have done it w/o the contest?

At first, a lot. I would say the first 3 months were of the contest were fun and really pushed me to lose more, but after that, I sort of withdrew. In hindsight, I would have preferred a shorter duration with smaller goals. We could have had say, 3 or 4 one month contests where we could "reset" in between. I think that would have kept me motivated longer.

 

6. Will you continue your weight loss journey?

Definitely. This is not the end for me. I've got a small person's worth of weight to lose still.

 

7. How will you keep yourself motivated with the contest ending?

My wife has recently started a much more rigorous exercise plan and is training for some races coming up. I'm planning to get in on some of those to keep myself active.

 

8. Did anything or anyone surprise you during this contest? How so?

B-Bo! It's crazy that the lightest guy was able to lose by far the most weight.

 

9. How much more weight do you want or need to lose to get to your ideal weight?

70 lbs. That would bring me down to around 200 lbs. By no means would I be a small guy, but I think that's when I would be happy.

 

10. Should we keep tabs on each other as the months pass to keep each other motivated? If so, do you think we will?

Absolutely. I think we should take a month or two to reset and maybe kick off another shorter competition.

The Ultimate QB (QuarterBolek) Rating System: The Four Tiers of NFL QBs

From the moment that NFL coverage starts getting rampant on both the NFL Network and ESPN, you won't be able to watch a show that doesn't have a topic point relating to who should be considered the top quarterbacks (or the buzz word as of late, "elite") of the NFL.

Sometimes, there will be an oddball who is likely trying to create dialogue for dialogue's sake and mentions someone off the radar or someone who clearly is not a top-level quarterback. Otherwise, it's the same list, over and over. The term "best quarterback" gets overused to the point where it becomes meaningless. One moment, it's Tom Brady; the next, Peyton.

But why does it matter who is the best? The end goal is the same for all of these guys - the Lombardi Trophy. Ultimately, the best quarterbacks are the ones who will year-in, year-out always have a puncher's chance of winning a Super Bowl. History has shown that the quarterback position is where we can best judge a team's chances of winning it all. After all, most Super Bowl winners are usually Hall-of-Fame caliber. The one's usually discussed in the best conversation are indeed the ones who usually have the best chance, but a lot of times, a flavor of the week comes around to confuse some of these lists a little.

So instead of trying to constantly rank quarterbacks based on the last week's performance, we should consider there to be tiers of QBs, less flexible than the "pundit's" weekly up-and-down ranking:

• Those who have already won a Super Bowl
• Those who have the talents to win a Super Bowl but have yet to win
• Those who have slightly less talent, but could win it with the right cast of characters
• Those who would need to become a back-up later in their careers to win a title

If we break it down like this, here's how it would look, using the active list of quarterbacks. Note that in cases where the QB may not be known, I am either taking an educated guess as to who the starter will be or counting the QBs in the battle as one QB:

(1) Those who have already won a Super Bowl (listed in order by # of titles, then order of most recent title) - 7 QBs

• Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco
  
  Notes: Well, this list is complete fact. No opinions on whether these guys won a Super Bowl title. For now, I think these are the first of QBs that should be used when discussing who the best is, and even some of these guys shouldn't be considered (Big Ben, Flacco - not yet anyways). Anyone else mentioned is a victim of the recency effect (i.e. one of the guys below might start out the season with a hot hand).
  
  It should be noted that Peyton's only Super Bowl win was against Rex Grossman. I could only imagine the labels that would be attached to Peyton had he never won a title and thrown that pick-6 to seal the Saints' title years back. The more I look at Peyton's career, the more I see Favre - a guy with a lengthy Hall-of-Fame career who wins a title and could/should have won more but for various reasons, didn't.

(2) Those who have the talents to win a Super Bowl but have yet to win (no particular order) - 6 QBs

• Colin Kaepernick, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck
  
  Notes: You'll notice that for the most part, these are guys who have only been in the league for a few years (with Matt Ryan being the exception). You may dispute Cam Newton being on this list, but I believe he has the talents to win a Super Bowl - he just hasn't had a chance with the Panthers defense on the other side of the ball. I am calling a playoff berth for the Cam Panthers this year.
  
  The draft class of 2012 showed itself to be the real deal. I believe all three (Luck, RG3, Wilson) will have a chance to compete in conference title game for the next decade. Who is the best of them - I have no clue yet. Who cares - let's just enjoy them without having to rank them.

(3) Those who have less talent but could win it with the right cast of characters (no particular order) - 8 QBs

•  Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, Matthew Stafford, Sam Bradford, Matt Schaub, Alex Smith, Andy Dalton, Ryan Tannehill
  
  Notes: The guys above have had wildly different paths in the NFL, a few of them young but most in the league for 6+ years, none of which has led to a Super Bowl appearance. This is the most intriguing group of QBs to me, because I do believe with the right situation, these guys can win a title. It's just that unlike the guys above, I don't think they can do it solely on the talents that they have shown.
  
  Romo - as much as I want to back him, especially with all the crap people give him, he's failed to take the next step as QB. Every year, it seems like you can pencil Dallas in for a chance to win the NFC East, only to fall flat - and no, it's not all Romo's fault as many make it out to be. But it is some of his fault.
  
  Cutler - I'm interested to see his talents used by Trestman, who has been known to be an offensive guru. For right now, he hasn't shown himself to be a guy who I think will win a title.
  
  Stafford - he seems to be more of a stat stuffer than a QB who can win a title. Problem is, he's getting paid like a Super Bowl-type QB but definitely not worth the money at this point.
  
  Bradford - this seems like it's going to be a make-or-break year for Bradford, who I could easily vault into the next category of QBs if he shows some of the talents he did while he was at Oklahoma. If he can somehow propel the Rams into the playoffs, I may consider elevating him.
  
  Schaub - he's nearing his chance of winning a title in my opinion. I'm thinking a Wade Phillips defense will need to be the catalyst, with Schaub playing a secondary role in winning a title. I don't see Schaub improving so much that I can confidently say he will not win a title by carrying the load.
  
  Smith - He had a breakout year in 2011 with the Niners and was just as effective to start 2012, but I believe Smith needs a system that suits his talents in order to succeed. KC will likely never win a Super Bowl with Smith carrying the team - they'd need a talented base around him to do it (a la Schaub).
  
  Dalton - He's about as intriguing to me as Bradford, maybe a little more so. What Dalton and A.J. Green have going is special, and I am a believer in the Bengals defense. This is my surprise team this year (I have them making it to the Super Bowl), so I will be keeping an eye on Dalton the whole year to see if he can have the big games (a la Rodgers & Brees) that will carry the Bengals to victory on days where the defense might be a little down.
  
  Tannehill - The jury is still out on him (as you could probably say on most of the 2012 draft class). I believe if he sticks with Miami long enough, he will have a shot to win some AFC East titles once Brady retires. He showed a lot more talent than many thought he would. I wouldn't be surprised if he never makes it to a AFC title game, but down the road, I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

 (4) Those who would need to become a back-up later in their careers to win a title - 11 QBs

• Michael Vick, Carson Palmer, Christian Ponder, Mark Sanchez/Geno Smith, Matt Flynn, Josh Freeman, Brandon Weeden, Philip Rivers, E.J. Manuel, Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker
  
  Notes: Many of these guys have had their chances with their time in the league (notably Sanchez & Rivers, who have made 3 AFC title games between them - I don't see either one of them even coming close to these career achievements again, yet alone a Super Bowl as a starter). Vick, who made an NFC title game a long time ago (remember? seems so long ago) has seen his better days and is likely nearing his end as a starting QB in the next year or two. He's never shown himself to be reliable enough to win a title. Palmer has been like Stafford - a stat stuffer.
  
  Some of these first/second-year QBs, the jury is still out, although I'm just going off a hunch at this point that guys like Weeden & Manuel will never lead a team to a Super Bowl. I don't see Ponder ever leading the Vikings to the promised land (Adrian Peterson was the MVP for a reason). The others, I don't care to mention.

So there's my QB tiers. I think the third tier has the most flexibility in argument - a case can be made for many of those guys to be Super Bowl QBs and many of those, conversely, who have no chance. You may be able to convince me to lessen that third-tier list considerably.

Chapter 14 Fit Happens: Post-Contest Interview (Chris)

I've delayed a little on the release of these, still waiting for one member to submit the questionnaire (inserted passive-aggressive jab right there). Instead of waiting any longer, I will release the question/answers from everyone. 

First, starting with the runner-up Chris, who lost 28.6 pounds (11.56% of his weight) in the six-month contest. He shares his thoughts on the contest and what he is aiming to accomplish with long-term fitness goals.

1. What are your overall impressions of Fit Happens? Enjoyed it.  I accomplished exactly what I wanted and this was my motivation in part.  It helped to have some support/competition along the way.

2. What have you changed about your exercise regimen and/or diet during the contest? My exercise regimen was increased during this competition.  I barely missed a day up until about a month ago when I started tailing off.  I have since regained that steam and have been working out just about daily.  As far as diet, I still eat basically the same stuff.  I am much more hesitant to eat boatloads of things though.  I am better at portion control (although I definitely suffer lapses).  That is what I aim to continue to work on.

3. What challenges were the toughest during the past six months? I can't think of anything that was really toughest.  I guess maintaining the rigorous exercise routine was tough, but I generally enjoyed it.  The toughest part was probably resisting the urge to overeat.  I have been recalling moments where I had the willpower to do so and it is rewarding in its own.

4. Did you reach the goals you set forth at the beginning? I have surpassed my original goal and am teetering on the edge of my secondary goal of 215. 

5. How much did being in the contest motivate you to lose weight? Could you have done it w/o the contest? I probably could have done this without the contest, but it was nice to experience it with friends and have your own cheering(jeering) section.  That extra motivation made it easier, plus sharing an experience is always better than going at it alone.

6. Will you continue your weight loss journey? I hope so.  I am going to attempt to make my eating habits a lifelong deal.  As far as working out, I don't anticipate I will slow down all that much, so hopefully I will continue to slim down, even if it is at a much slower pace.

7. How will you keep yourself motivated with the contest ending? My motivation has been to continue to live healthy.  The contest was all but over about halfway through, so I have conceded that much.

8. Did anything or anyone surprise you during this contest? How so? Cannot believe B-Bo was able to drop so much weight.  Especially since he was the lightest at the start.  I guess he had a lot less of a muscular base than anticipated.

9. How much more weight do you want or need to lose to get to your ideal weight? I don't know that I really have an ideal weight at this time.  I guess long term, it would be cool to drop below 200.

10. Should we keep tabs on each other as the months pass to keep each other motivated? If so, do you think we will? Absolutely.  One of my heroes, Adam Carolla, is an advocate of public shaming as a motivator.  If any of us start to slip, I think a public shaming is in store.  On a serious note, yes - it is good to keep tabs.  Again, we have a shared experience and can relate to one another.  It should continue on that way with encouragement and the occasional shaming.

The Unemployment Chronicles Chapter 1: The Strife of Brian

Since my weight loss blogs are nearing an end, what a perfect time to get laid off so I can start a new blog series - The Unemployment Chronicles! And what better a first chapter name than this - The Strife of Brian!

No Longer The Warming Voicemail of the Company

Reality hasn't set in yet, but I'm sure it will Monday when I haven't woke up from my 7:45 am alarm. Just to make sure that does not happen, that particular alarm was just deleted from my phone.

Or maybe it will be when I send my computer back to the IT folks via FedEx. I spent a part of my week making sure to email all those fun excel sheets that I used in this very blog space.

Or quite possibly,  it will be when I file for unemployment to start the hopefully short process of collecting those checks. I'm hoping that I won't have to receive more than a few.

One thing I almost forgot to do was change my voicemail to a more generic one. With my cell having been the phone number connected to Tango2s website,  I needed to have a company-detailed voicemail.  My warming voice lent itself to the voicemails of my old company.

The Next Steps

The past 12 days have shown that I have a great group of people around me that don't want me to be on the ground for long. Family and friends have been messaging me, asking me to provide my resume so they can send it to their networks. For this, I am forever grateful. Hell, there's even a few Facebook friends who I never met in person who are helping in my search.

I have had the pleasure of speaking with a couple of recruiters from unrelated fields,  and while neither call led me directly to a job, they both led me to the same conclusion: I need to have a clue of what I'm looking for before going all out in this search. There's no sense in rushing right away into something if it's not what I really want. 

Within reason, regardless, I will need a job of some kind,  but at this juncture, assessing my next steps is the way to go.

If any of you have your own unemployment stories, I'd be glad to hear them. I've gone through this before but I always welcome a good story or advice as it relates to the process (more so the success of escaping unemployment or how you may have coped with an extended layoff). 

If you would like to potentially help with my search,  I would be glad to send you my resume for you to send to your networks or even just constructively edit. Thanks in advance for your help.

This is the strife of yours truly. At least for now. Until next time, peace.

Chapter 13 Fit Happens: Closing the Door on The Flab Four

I can remember January 1st like it was yesterday.

Jen and I had just gotten home from a wedding evening in Lasalle/Peru. I put on my "workout clothes" (I put this in quotes because in order for clothes to be classified as workout clothes, you need to, you know, work out) and walked to the elevator to begin my first workout while Jen relaxed after we had a long fun night the night before.

There was only one other person in the gym, which had three treadmills, a stepper and about 10-12 different weight machines for the various muscle groups. Most importantly, there was a television, which allowed me to watch the bowl games that were on (most of which I had some kind of bet on). The only thing that got me through the pathetic struggle of my first workout was the fact that all of my bets hit that day (several while I was in the gym for that 40 minutes or so).

At that time, I weighed in at over 235 pounds. 235.6 pounds to be exact. The first workout, along with about the first 2-3 weeks worth of workouts, showed me just how much I had gotten out of shape compared to my recent fitness focus from November 2008 through July 2010, where I was able to shed my weight from 220 to a low of 175 thanks to a rigorous workout routine - 5 times a week in the gym, with many one hour runs on the treadmill that spanned 6-7 miles.

My initial thoughts on January 1st brought me down to earth and realized that I had to get my ass back in shape. Sadly, 4 mph on the treadmill was tough at first, but after a month or so, I was able to run back at my normal 6 mph pace. As you've seen through the blogs before this, the pounds shed as the workouts became more intense.

Fast forward to now, and I am much better off for my Fit Happens experience, as are the others. While we all had our slight regression towards the end, we've all developed better habits (exercise and diet) that can carry over in the future months.

The Final Standings

User	lbs	%
Dave	-22.2 lbs	-7.69 %
Hippo	-19.5 lbs	-7.9 %
LionEsquire	-28.2 lbs	-11.56 %
B-Bo Knows Weight Loss	-32.6 lbs	-13.84 %

The good news for all, aside from the good amount of weight we all lost, was that no one will have to face any punishment.

And also good news for me is that as a result of winning the contest as well as three of the five recorded months (no monthly winner for June), I was able to score $220 profit from the others. Which is funny, because a part of me was motivated by the money at the beginning.

But as I stood on that treadmill January 1st, I knew it was much more than about money at that point. It was about making a lifestyle change while I could before long-term health damage could take place.

Sure, I still have my share of bad diet habits that will likely never go away. However, as long as I am physically able, I will make sure to continue my workouts/runs to ensure that getting fat has disappeared into thin air.

Nike Fit App

Since I have yet to join a gym, I have been relying on my runs to keep in shape. I have found the Nike Fit App to be a great tracker of all of my runs. And the nice thing now is that I have a few friends who are on the app, possibly because of me.

I admit there were a few times I ran this month when I saw my closest competitor in miles creeping up on me. In all, I ran a total of 24.17 miles on the app for June. A great total, which I only hope will improve on a monthly basis.

Next month, our first month away from the contest, I am aiming to get 35 miles of running. This would likely require me to run about 20 times. With my cost-cutting efforts likely keeping me away from the gym for the time being, I will be focusing on running even more to keep myself in shape.

Also, seeing my friends adding to their running stats will get me going for sure.

The Next Steps

So what becomes of the Fit Happens crew?

If I have anything to say about it, we will still keep in touch about our goings-on. Some of us are using Chris' wedding date in October as a platform for our next set of weight loss goals. At that time, I hope to be about 190-195, and the other gents have set similar reasonable goals to reach by that time.

In the coming days, I will have some exit interviews from the Flab Four, including what experiences we gained from the contest as well as our next steps in improving our health.

Thanks for reading once again

Looney Junes: My Crazy Busy Month from A to Z

It's been a hell of a month for yours truly. A little bit of everything has happened. A tour of the alphabet is in order....

Awesome girlfriend and cat family. I'm loving the new set-up and loving it even more with the loving g/f and cats that inexplicably entertain me on a daily basis. We've all adjusted to the new neighborhood quite well.

Bowling this summer. Our team has sucked so far this year. However, to start the second half of the year, we swept our first series. Let's see if this carries over into July & August.

Cell Dwelling at US Cellular Field. I've gone to a few games there this June, both unique in their own ways. I experienced my first-ever fog delay on a Monday night game when the White Sox faced the Blue Jays. I also attended the second game of a doubleheader on June 28th as the White Sox blew a 9th inning lead against the Indians.

Donations. Thanks to a last-minute pledge for money in my St. Jude/Warrior Dash efforts, I was able to gather a total of $1070 from my network of family and friends. I know those kids at St. Jude appreciate every single dollar donated. Thank you to everyone who donated.

Exercise. I need to find a gym soon or find new workouts to do. I don't want to regress to what I was before January 1st.

Fit Happens Champion. Over 30 pounds lost. Still have about 20-25 pounds to go before I'll be completely happy.

Game 6 - in both NBA & NHL Finals. Watched both in different venues (NBA at home, NHL at a bar). Each viewing experience left me shocked and reaffirmed why I love watching sports - the unexpected, unscripted drama that you can't get anywhere else.

Holding pattern. I had big plans coming up (trip to Seattle, new bowling league in Fall) that may need to be put on hold with the layoff. Hoping that I can find work quicker than the three months it took between jobs last time.

Ink for my computer. Yep, need some more ink. I had no idea what to write for the I portion of this blog, as you can tell.

Job search in progress. Yep, out of a job starting the end of day, July 5th. Any help would be much appreciated.

(5)K runs. I did my first one in quite a while on June 2nd. Fittingly enough with one of the guys who helped get me into shape. Thanks Chris. Going to try making them a monthly thing. Might hold off on this, depending on cost of 5K. Me needs to save some dough, yo.

Logan Square - love the new neighborhood feel. Moved here June 1. Love it here so far.

Mohawk. It may be short-lived, especially if I start to get interviews soon. I got it in dedication to my cousin Marilyn and the Warrior Dash run. Plus I look awesome with it.

Networking. It's the key that got me my last two jobs. It's exactly where I picked up when I heard the news of being laid off. So far, it has not produced results, but I have faith that my networks will be what gets me employed again.

Olivers. This remains my go-to suburban bar, particularly after bowling on Wednesdays before heading back to the burbs. I caught most of Stanley Cup Game 1 there, the end of Game 4, and always share good stories and good times with my friends there.

Pizza places. My favorite part of moving into a new Chicago neighborhood is to try new pizza places. I do miss Pat's Pizza, but there's a few good joints around here that I'm sure we'll enjoy just as much.

Quarterback Keeper. In less serious news (or more serious, depending on your level of fantasy football interest), trying to decide who to keep in my fantasy football league. Earlier in June, I was thinking Kaepernick. Now, I'm thinking Peyton Manning. I'm not sure how much longer Peyton has. I can keep either one of these guys for the next three seasons. Who would you choose?

Rear ended on June 14th. It was my second accident in a row where my car was not in motion when I got hit. Luckily, it was only a few minor bumps on the bumper. The guy who hit me offered to pay for my troubles, but I was not about to bother with that.

Stanley Cup Playoffs. Definitely the most active I've been involved with hockey in my life (from betting it to watching it). While I give bandwagon people a hard time, I have no problem with them. Bandwagons breed new fans of a sport, and that's never a bad thing - as long as people take the time to learn the sports they follow.

Trans mount. I needed a new one of these for my car (I couldn't tell you what a trans mount is or where it is in my car). I was about to get a new one and pay $400 last month at Firestone, but they didn't have one for my model car. Luckily they didn't - totally forgot about what was covered by CarMax and the warrant. Just got it fixed by CarMax for the low price of free.99.

Uncle Brian. Still is awesome to say. Will always be awesome. Every moment I've had to hold my nephew Brayden has been a fantastic moment. The last two times I saw him this month, he has been looking around and soaking in his environment. Can't believe he's already six weeks old.

Victory parade. I debated whether to attend the Blackhawks parade, but my parade experience in 2010 was all I really needed. Millions of people, with even just 5 or 10 percent of them drunk and an even higher percentage annoying, was not my cup of tea for this year's celebration.

Warrior Dash completed on June 16th. It was much tougher than when I did it three years ago. Glad to be a part of Team Carter.

eXcel Spreadsheets. As I was transferring files to my personal email before my work computer is taken away, I forgot how many excel spreadsheets I've worked with over the years. Many of my blogs had data stored in excels.

Year is half over. The year has flown, but it feels like this month has lasted longer than 30 days, as you can see by this blog.

Zombie Seinfeld. I caught this production on June 14th, right after the rear-ending. It was an excellent adaptation of Seinfeld that does not require one to love zombies (I can't stand zombie stuff) or even Seinfeld. Great job by Jeremy & Dan Eden, as always.