Your result for The Things You Learned In School, But Probably Forgot Test...

92% Brain Cells Left!

You have 92% Brain Cells Left!

WHOO HOO!!

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Moi?

Your result for The Supervillain Archetype Test...

The Megalomaniac

The Megalomaniac is the most prestigious of super-villain classes. If anyone is ever going to rule the world, it will probably be you.

Your main goal in life is power and domination, you have the tools to do it, and you know it. Megalomaniacs are intelligent and forceful, and they tend not to let their emotions cloud their judgment. Most of the time. They are usually found, or not found, working at the top of a huge structured organization, though many prefer to work by themselves.

The Megalomaniac has but one flaw, but its an invariably fatal one; arrogance. He knows that he can take over the world, and he isn't afraid to let you know, often elaborately and in great detail. They often do not foresee the fly in their ointment, because they do not want to admit that such a fly could exist.

Sample Megalomaniacs: Dr. Doom, Lex Luthor, Ras al'Ghul, Kang the Conqueror, Emperor Palpatine, Brain

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This is kinda wrong , but funny....

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73%

Your result for The Which Norse Deity Are You Test...

Thor

The great protector of humanity and foe to the Jotun, you are known to hit first and ask questions maybe. The other gods, particularly Odin, sometimes give you grief for your seeming slow wit, yet you have held your own at least once. And besides, when Loki managed to embarass every god and goddess one by one, it was you who were able to stop him. Granted, with a threat, but it solved the problem.

In truth, you are one of the most beloved and worshipped of gods. People turn to you in times of need.

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Aquabats

What is your ska band? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Mustard Plug Mustard Plug! You are the real deal punk-ska maniacs, that love to have the best shows and get the audience into it. Mustard Plug 80% Mad Caddies 75% Toasters 75% Aquabats 60% Planet Smashers 60% Less than Jake 50%

Time is your greatest gift

Honestly, are relationships my first priority? How can I ensure that they are? Sadly, as much as I would like to extol how relationships are my first priority my last one probably would not have ended if that were the case. How many friends have I lost to the passage of time. It takes time to keep in touch to think through an email or my goodness utilize snail mail. Time, the only truly non renewable resource in someones life. You can tithe to your church you can save for retirement you can donate to a charity, but time is the only resource or gift that no one else can give or replace. It is the same with relationships. The horrors of the topic flash through my mind. All the times something was placed before my relationships. I've passed on weddings, funerals, concerts, parties and who knows what moments in history because my focus was not on my relationships. I do believe that the resource of time becomes more obvious as we age and we have less of it. I also believe I am moving forward in taking the steps to create balance. Respecting my supply of time and spending it more appropriately.

Working the recap:


Hancock: 4 out of 5, it was awesome to see a superhero movie with consequences. One were the superman gets pissed off and having to deal with the fact no one else is like him. Some will complain that the movie is choppy, they crammed to much in the plot twist was crap. Well I say, Good for Hancock, doing some crap that tells a story, gets us talking and keeps a little bit in suspense.


Wanted, ditto on the 4 out of 5, this movie would have been perfect if it hadn't been so friggin predictable. The action sequences were amazing. I am just waiting for the @$$ clowns of the world to try an "curve a bullet" and how long it takes for this movie to cause the downfall of society or the corruption of youth. I digress, great movies go see um.

Where to begin?

OK, so a few things have transpired since I last sat to type at the blogger, some will probably get more detail in other posts but for now the list: I saw some movies, Wanted and Hancock. I completed a sprint distance triathlon, I had it confirmed that the magic weight loss number is still 40 lbs, Uncle Sam is right and i should be at 183. PS, the last time I saw 183 I think I was in High School. I saw what may have been the worlds only ground based fireworks show for the fourth of July, I had a one on one with my coach who a reminded me of the magic 183 (see above) and b challenged me to truly commit to the program and see what I can do at Miami Man in November. A Challenge that I am taking. I learned that you can wake up and ask yourself? Am I going to have a good day or a great day? I heard this three different times in two days. You think someone was trying to get my attention? There are probably a host of other things that I am forgetting, but will probably appear later anyway.

Chapter 15: How can I treat other believers like members of my own family? The issue I have here is several layers deep. One, why would we only treat other believers as if they were family? I get that text says that the spiritual family is eternal and we should focus on it, but the physical presence of others is important. How do you share the word and the possibilities if you aren't inviting to all. Not to mention there are plenty of believers I believe to be full of doodoo. Why should they receive special inclusion? I have to branch out on this one and say treat everyone the same. Inclusion and trust until proven otherwise. It's sort of like the Butterfly effect, Mr Science says, aka wikipedia, The butterfly effect is a phrase that encapsulates the more technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory. Small variations of the initial condition of a dynamical system may produce large variations in the long term behavior of the system. So this is sometimes presented as esoteric behavior, but can be exhibited by very simple systems: for example, a ball placed at the crest of a hill might roll into any of several valleys depending on slight differences in initial position. I think that sums it up perfectly.

Don't Panic

Back on track with the updates tomorrow.

Typing in a Thunderstorm

It is a mellow evening here, there is a thunderstorm filling the background. It's providing a gorgeous light show and some nifty sound effects. I have some ambient techno, courtesy of i tunes radio. Oddly enough the pooch isn't fazed in the least by the thunder and lightening.

So there are a couple significant things about this weekend. First off I am racing again. I think that is clear. I've blogged about the Baldwin Park race. It's on Sunday should any of you lurkers wish to cheer the ole LC on.

I must admit to feeling overly melancholy this evening. The race Sunday, my birthday on Monday. I suppose thats as good of a reason as any for introspection. Which is how I feel as I sit out on my back porch in the thunderstorm. So many memories on this porch, some even involve thunderstorms. I guess its inevitable that every year we add to the total one gets a little more introspective. The questions bubble to the surface. Am i as successful as I thought I would be? Am I establishing a legacy? How am I impacting the world? Have I prepared enough for my future? How did I end up alone for another birthday? Will I race strong on Sunday? Should I really be having a Makers and Coke and eating pizza before my swim workout tomorrow? and to many other thoughts to get all down. But BIG or small the questions are all there. I suppose the beauty of time is that she sorts it all out...eventually.

Well as I have been slacking on the Purpose Driven Life as well, here is today's question:
How can I stay focused on God's presence, especially when he feels distant? That's sort of the true definition of faith, isn't it? What kind of leap would it take if anytime you were feeling low or questioned God there was a gentle tap on the shoulder with God going "hey I'm right here" and you could see he was standing there 24/7. Sometimes you feel so good that you know there is someone beside you, supporting you it is such a positive vibe it can only be described as divine. But one of my favorite stories involves the times you think God is gone. I don't know who wrote or I would give them their credit.

One night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along
the beach with god.

Across the dark sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed
two sets of footprints in the sand,
one belonging to him and the other to god.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life
there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the
very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This bothered him and he questioned god about it.

"God, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life there is
only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when I needed you most
you would leave me."

God replied "My precious, precious child,
I love you and would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints in the sand,
it was then that I carried you."

In those dark times when I find myself truly alone, I think of that poem. I think maybe i'm not walking maybe i'm being carried....

LC

Lucky # 13

First off, Congrats to my coach, Hector. He is currently running a marathon in Idaho. Did I mention he first swam 2.4 miles, in 1:13:49. He then biked 112 miles, in 6:49:28, thats an average of 16.41 mph, for almost 7 hrs. He wins the Kick @$$ award today.


Me, I pushed it pretty good yesterday. 33mile bike and a 5 mile run. Today I am resting and cleaning and organizing. It must be the Cancerian in me. Apparently people who fall under the sign of the Crab can be pretty big homebodies at times. Which is me this weekend, especially after the evil sinuses I had.

Why is it Lucky 13? Well I am on day 13 of my purpose driven life journey. That and I have always found thirteen to be an alright number. Today's Question: Which is more pleasing to God right now- my public worship or my private worship? What will I do about this?

I am very excited by this question. I have long had issues with "organized religion." The things I saw and was led to understand as both a Catholic and an observer of religion, left me with many questions to the validity of God's so called "flock." Instead, I often believed that it was more important to worship God in nature than in the brick and mortar of his churches. I have often said, "Why worship God inside a house we built for him, when I can step outside my door and worship him in the house he built for me." For the most part I still find this to be true. In the book, I suppose I fall into the naturalist form of worship. However, as I have been following First Baptist of Orlando, I am impressed with the level of leadership and the direction the church attempts to lead their parishioners in. It leads me to believe that there may be value once again in walking into a house man built for God. As for which is more pleasing to God? I believe it is my private worship outside the walls of the church. But I also think, I am being nudged to start becoming more active within the church community.

RACE COUNTDOWN: 7 days!

Mysterious Ways, the 10lb bag and what should have been Day 12

On mysterious ways, I guess the craziest thing about faith is in believing their really is a master plan. It's sort of like a roller coaster...(that's the screaming eagle, by the way) your 99.9 % sure all the safety measures are in place and that while its a thrilling and maybe scary ride your going to get out of the car in 57 seconds and the world will be good. However, that 0.01% that's niggling in the back of your brain what if the safety checks weren't done will I be the one too go flying off this thing? So to is faith. Just sit back put the lap bar down and enjoy the ride.

I have been neglecting the Losing Clyde saga quite a bit, I am still working towards the goal. But, the last few days I have been saddled with a vicious sinus infection, head cold or whatever nameless ailment has decided to simulate a gorilla sitting on my head and intermittently plugging a running my nose like a faucet. Anyhoo, with my time today as I stayed home and slept off most of the day, I took a little time to create the10lb bag. No not a bag that weighs 10lbs, but a bag for all those clothes to try on once I've dropped another 10 lbs. So with todays weigh in that will be at about 212 lbs. It was motivating to see that I am close to fitting into some of my old favorite clothes.

Day 12-ish: What practical choices will I make today in order to grow closer to God?
The choice I make to day is to LISTEN. This flows into something I heard recently about how God is talking to us, but we can't always hear him. Cell phones, car horns, I pods, etc ad infinitum. I choose to slow down and listen to the voice inside of me, to nurture and make it strong enough to hear over the clamor of everyday life.

Day Eleven-ish

So I saw Kung Fu Panda the other day. Good Flick, especially if you like the old Kung Fu films. and the amount of celebrity voices is crazy: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Michael Clarke Duncan to name a few. Any way it gets a 3 out of 5 from me.





And Thanks to a Lurker in our midst, we now know the book I was talking about was by AJ Jacobs.


The Year of Living Biblically is about my quest to live the ultimate biblical life. To follow every single rule in the Bible – as literally as possible. I obey the famous ones:

• The Ten Commandments
• Love thy neighbor
• Be fruitful and multiply

But also, the hundreds of oft-ignored ones.

• Do not wear clothes of mixed fibers.
• Do not shave your beard
• Stone adulterers

I may just have to go out and pick this one up.


My own Day Eleven, What can I do to remind myself to think about God and talk to him more often throughout the day? Since I began this journey, not eleven days ago but several months ago when I started listening to some of the sermons by Pastor David Uth. I found that I began to confide in God more. The process had already began, it is what lead me to take the next steps to becoming closer to him and further examine our relationship. It is nice to think or to know that he wants a relationship with me. One of my biggest hang ups was always that God demanded subservience. In the final book of the left behind series. The glorious appearing is described, or at least my understanding of the description was the Jesus appeared and the believers lost all self will and became what appeared to be automatons for Jesus. I had a real issue with this, however focus on understanding God's will and developing a relationship with him, thats something I can understand and embrace. I am going to start wearing an old bracelet that looks like worn wood for awhile to remind me to tlak more to him throughout the day.

On the LC front, I am getting a sinus infection or head cold or something. It kind blows as i have a race around the corner. The raging internal debate....To sleep or to train...I guess I wont know until 4:30 tomorrow morning.

Chapter 10

Well I suppose I am officially going to take more than 40 days to read this book...It seems life gets away fro me at times. But tonight I read through chapter 10 and the burning question is: What are of my life am I holding back from God? Praise, often times I forget or at the very least I am inconsistent with thanking God for all the great things in my life, the gifts I possesses and the blessings of family and friends that I have experienced. I sometimes get to focused on what is not in my life, as opposed to recognizing all the great hings that are and then thanking God for them. It doesn't just end there. There was a guy who wrote a book and of course I have no recollection of his name. He was a Jew and his goal was to live for a year following all the laws of the bible. Some were obviously more difficult than others, but his story pertains here because one element of it was that he praise God in all things. So he began to thank God for everything, getting a taxi promptly, getting the green light at an intersection, the elevator delivering him to his floor, etc etc. The interesting thing is that by putting such a renewed focus on praise he felt his relationship with God grow and it put things into a larger perspective for him.

The Cure, Hope and another Chapter..or not

06.11.2008 Tampa - St. Pete Times Forum (USA/FL)

Mainset:
underneath the stars

Prayers for rain
fascination street
the walk
the end of the world
lovesong
to wish impossible things
pictures of you
lullaby
catch
the perfect boy
from the edge of the deep green sea
the kyoto song
hot hot hot
the blood
sleep when i'm dead
push
inbetween days
just like heaven
primary
shake dog shake
the only one
wrong number
one hundred years
baby rag dog book

Encore 1:

the lovecats
let's go to bed
freakshow
close to me
why can't i be you?

Encore 2:

boys don't cry
jumping someone else's train
grinding halt
10:15 saturday night
killing an arab

Encore 3:

a forest

Line-Up: Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Jason Cooper, Porl Thompson

Did you see the Frack'in set list? (Thank you so much Batttlestar Galactica!)
it is frack'in 36 songs long, 3 hrs of Cure The first set kinda slow, not a lot of energy out of Robert and the boys, Some songs picked up, just like heaven, hot hot hot, etc. But overall I was disappointed, thinking good, glad I was able to see them again before their gone....Then BAM! they come out for encore 1 and start playin like you would expect, it turns into a pure rock show. Robert is singing and dancing, playing to the crowd. They are kill'in it, Lovecats, favorite song...now heard live. Uh, Kick Ass! The show had no keyboards, no horns, nada...Just guitars, bass, drums and foot pedals to make all the cool effects to simulate the above. Encore's 1 - 3 skyrocket this show into my top 5 ever, and seeing them in St. Louis was already in there. That's another story, but best show environment ever for the St. Louis show, back on the "Wish" tour.

Onto hope, there is so much more to this, but in a nutshell as it's getting late and I need to read the next chapter so I can do all the things in my title. Hope is amazing! I set myself up for a large disappointment right before the show. As I have alluded I have lost someone pretty important in my life, so i set up a situation to try and put things behind us and get them to come along to the show. Sent instructions via text. Hooray modern age, why talk when you can thumb? Anyway, all signs pointed to this being just another idiotic moment in my life, but here's the kicker...knowing full well that I was setting myself up for failure. I was driving home...rounding the corner and my heart still skipped a beat....Hope that I would see their Jeep in my driveway. Now, one might say that sucks you totally failed... and this would be true. I was sad. But I was sad because they weren't here. However, I still had hope. How awesome is that? To continue to move forward knowing you would fail...insanity, probably... But when you step outside of things and apply small gleanings to the larger picture. Hope is a constant smile factor, we place a goal in our head and sometimes it is an absurd goal, but somewhere inside us if we truly desire it, a fire will burn. Keeps the world moving along.

The next chapter! will I think be read tomorrow. 3 days of this has left a hole in my training log and unless I hit the hay I'll miss another day.

"Hand in Hand is the only way to Land,"

We move like cagey tigers
We couldn't get closer than this
The way we walk
The way we talk
The way we stalk
The way we kiss

We slip through the streets
While everyone sleeps
Getting bigger and sleeker
And wider and brighter
We bite and scratch and scream all night
Let's go and
Throw all the songs we know

Into the sea
You and me
All these years and no one heard
I'll show you in spring
It's a treacherous thing
We missed you hissed the lovecats

(Ba ba-da...da da da da da...)

We're so wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully
Wonderfully pretty
Oh you know that I'd do anything for you
We should have each other to tea huh?
We should have each other with cream
Then curl up by the fire
And sleep for awhile
It's the grooviest thing
It's the perfect dream

Hand in hand
Is the only way to land
And always the right way round
Not broken in pieces
Like hated little meeces
How could we miss
Someone as dumb as this

I love you ... let's go
Oh ... solid gone ...
How could we miss someone as dumb
As this?


Love this song...Hope they play it! and it seems to fit ; )

You wouldn't like me when I'm angry......

Oh yeah, sneak preview of The Incredible Hulk! Hooray for being one of the first to see it and as usual I am running late! I'll let the world know my thoughts later on. Let's all forget about Ang Lee...shall we? Come Ang who?

I read chapter Eight. and it asks What common task could I start doing as if I were doing it directly for Jesus? As I'm late this was is short and sweet. Be a better servant to everyone around me.

Onto the HULK and maybe more musings later!

Day Nine, but Chapter Seven

It's a Monday and everything that goes along with a Monday : )

Today's workout still was not on par. I still am feeling it in my legs from Saturday I got in about 1500 yards in the pool and a spin class. A good morning I suppose, I got up and all, but I am ready for my legs to get back to normal. Besides they say you can really focus on correct form at exhaustion. Hooray silver lining?

Also, on the tri front, rumor has it the amoeba's are already attacking and the swim may be canceled at Baldwin Park. Grrrrr stupid amoeba's!












The Naegleria fowleria amoeba is a parasite that lives in bodies of fresh water when temperatures rise above 82 degrees.


Well onto today's dose of introspection. Where in my daily routine can I become more aware of God's glory?
Here it is short and simple....Open my eyes. There is awesomeness all around me. The people the places, the sun shining, the light at the intersection that's green, the friends, the family, the ferocious beast I call a pet! looks like she could just eat your face off, huh?
There is signs in her too. How great to be dog to see everything so simply. Today's task's eat chow, wag tail, chase squirrel, go potty, chase lizards, sleep...a lot, eat more chow, sleep some more, pester K to throw 7lb tire so i can fetch it
and beat him with it till i get tired and drop it...Repeat. The lesson is still simplify. There isn't anywhere you can look and not find beauty and connections.

Quiting vs. Listening and Chapter Six

Today's run was awful. I walked out my door full of confidence that I was going on at least a 5 mile run. Then my legs reminded me that I did a time trial yesterday, that it was almost 90F out and that the humidity was pushing 70%. I was two miles in and feeling like complete crap, but still I ran, actually I had slowed to a jog at this point. Then I was going uphill and slowly started to walk. The voices started screaming in my head. Lazy, POS, you can still move forward so start moving. So I started running again. A half mile goes by my legs are burning i can feel every muscle I pushed to hard yesterday. So the internal dialog changes it becomes a debate. Are you a quitter? or are you just listening to your body? My first reaction was of course quitter, then I stopped pushing so hard and started walking. My heart rate started coming down, less burning in the legs. The debate raging on in my head. It's not easy to listen to your body. Today, I am glad I did. couple miles of running a couple miles of walking, hey at least I made it out the front door....

21 days to Baldwin Park!

Chapter Six, Thinking About My Purpose.
Life is a temporary assignment, how much easier does the world become when we know we don't have to worry about tomorrow? If Earth is only a layover onto a greater place it puts a few things into perspective. It does into the call of stewardship from before, if we are all just resting here, what can we do to help one another make this place a little more comfortable. Service to one another. Do we recognize the people in our life, help them to endure the journey our do we just place ourselves at the top of the food chain. I feel like a pendulum, I have been both, most recently I was selfish and it cost me. Previously, up until about year ago I was as giving as I could be and it was terribly abused. The lesson I suppose is about baggage, we and I need to work harder to make those around us and me more comfortable in this journey and not expect, but hope that the offer is repaid. sort of a pay it forward philosophy. The difficult component to this in my growth is working to help those i don't even know. The people who are not in my core. Over the years as I have felt my heart and kinship abused I built think walls to protect myself. I would die to protect those I truly loved. Now I am recognizing how interlaced we
are and that cutting off the rest of the world to care for so few is a wasted effort. The stewardship is in all of our hands to help and protect each other. from the person who just needs a smile to that stranger who needs help pushing their car out of the intersection. When do we get back to caring about one another?

The actual Chapter 6 question: How should the fact that life on earth is just a temporary assignment change the way I am living right now?

Lucky me I think I've answered it above. Look to help each other, teach your skills to others, be quick to offer a smile to a stranger, the world is to full of fear, we need to remember that everyone is not out to kill us and maybe with a few more smiles and kind worlds at the right times, maybe there would be less people actually out to kill one of us. Although the question goes further, I believe it pushes us to shake off the rampant materialism as well. Everyone likes nice things, I know I do. However, in light of the chapter lit seems to me life should be like a backpacking trip through Europe. Take only what you can carry, If you have to fit it in your ruck and your willing to haul it with you then you know it's important. That decided focus on the journey, take some pictures see the sites. If this our journey home then I want some pictures and memories of the journey, I want interesting dialog with new and wonderful people. I don't want more crap to shove up into my attic.

Kicking Ass and Chapter Five

Ok, so I am pretty excited. Why you may ask? Come on ask! Oh, wait I am sitting at a keyboard typing and you are wherever you are. Hmm, i guess it's just out with it. Things that make me feel like I am kicking ass:

1. I have signed up for the 1/2 Ironman in Miami! So if your in Miami on Novemeber 9th You better be cheering! Click the logo to see more about the race.


2. I have registered for the Baldwin Park sprint Triathlon! So if your in Orlando on June 29th, well you get the picture. PS my birthday is the next day...subtle plug...Click the logo to see more about the race.


3. I raced my first time TT (Time Trial) today. It was a small event to test the members of the tri club and give us a check on how were doing. The distance was approx, 8 miles. I rode the TT in 22:39 with an average speed of 21mph. I don't know about you but that kicks ass. No, I wasn't first but then neither am I a little 145lb gazelle....yet : )

On to the Purpose Driven Life,
Shame on me for missing a couple of days. But as with all things in life, there are times when we stumble and fall and it would appear that in a round about way I am receiving encouragement to continue the process and tear down these walls! : ) It has been a good journey, Joel Osteen, whether you like him or not had an interesting lecture I'll call it. He doesn't really strike me as a true pastor, more like a teacher. But that's for another time. anyway he was talking about how God has the power to turn back time and provide you with make up time so to speak. If you work at recovering and repairing the things that led you down the path that got you into whatever situation your in. Isn't that excellent motivation? It feels like removing a stone from your shoe on a long hike, letting go of some this baggage we carry around. I digress...

Chapter five's nugget of thought: What has happened to me recently that I now realize was a test from God? What are the greatest matters God has entrusted to me?

Ironically, I was just telling this story the other day. My answer here is two fold. One, please see my post on Roosters and Jesus. If you don't want to read about roosters skip to the bottom. The rooster part is rather funny though. Second, I think part of the test is having the bravery to share the story, not just absently on the blog, but with people who need to hear that God can touch us.
As far as the matters entrusted to me? It is the weight of the world. Part of the trials for eternity include stewardship of the planet. Now, i don't me that in a left wing don't drill in ANWR kind of way. Let's tackle that thorny bush later... But in a and here is where i go all hippie, act locally, think globally kind of way. Do right by the planet and the creatures that inhabit it, in your daily choices, as you would for others. I believe my other mission is to encourage the golden rule. Do unto others, etc. Sometimes people think I'm overly sarcastic, obnoxious, caustic, oh so many euphemisms for me. As an aside, i have also been told thats one of my more attractive qualities :) But, i like to encourage people to think about the long term implications of their behavior and to remember the important things in life. It doesn't mean I am beyond making the same mistakes. Everyone knows I "F" up as much if not more than the next person. But the matter entrusted to me is to get back on the bike, learn from those mistakes and encourage others to do the same.

One question I liked from the Chapter was for others as well. So I ask you "How do you see your life?"

Now get out there and:

Chapter Four: Thinking About My Purpose

Tonight is early to bed night so no long dissertations on tonights topic. The question is:
Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today?

I think the one thing I should start doing today is this. Getting my life back into focus. Dropping those excess pounds that have been following me around. Getting my brain working again thats phase two and of course this looking deeper into myself. It is good to take a look in our own mirror every so often.

As far as what I should stop doing, It also involves this exercise. I need to stop doing what 99.9% of us do and that is living in fear. Fear of what other people think, fear of how they'll perceive our actions and behaviors. I read through my posts and think....Crap I look like I'm turning into one of those Jesus freaks! I took a perfectly empty blog where I never really wrote anything and then with one right turn, I am blogging daily about a journey into religion. I spent K - 12 trying to dodge religion and here I am researching and studying a way to get back into it.

The LC front has been good today. 1600 yard swim, a 40 min spin class and then I walked the dog tonight. I rock! Ok so I am a bit pleased with myself. I even made the decision to sign up for the Miami Man 1/2 Ironman. So once again I am embarking on 70.3 miles of goodness.

Chapter 3 - WHAT DRIVES YOUR LIFE?

Did I mention that I like to think of 2008 as my cocoon year? Maybe it's the precursor to my mid life crisis, but I think of this time as sort of a rebuilding time. I think I'll expound on this more tomorrow. I am very sleepy... The Cocoon Nebula for a visual : )

What Drives my Life? Day 3 of a Forty day challenge: Odd enough I am supposed to think on what my friends and family think; What would my family and friends say is the driving force of my life? What do I want it to be?

I would definitely be curious should any of my friends and or family read these words what they really think the driving force in my life is? Maybe I should ask them? Anyway, if you know me, drop a comment and give me the feedback...Oh and don't read on until you do...

Or...



I hope that people see that I try to do the right thing. My commitment to friends and family and that I while I can put up some pretty thick walls, and that through exercises such as this I can remove them. Brick by brick if need be. In the words of Pink Floyd:

" Since my friend you have revealed your deepest fear
I sentence you to be expunged before your peers

Tear down the wall "

Chapter Two and a conversation about signs that in hindsight. I am to much of a coward to post.

First Chapter Two, Two days and two chapters I am really moving along here. The book quotes a poem by Russel Kelfer:

You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You're just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy.
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!

and then asks? I know that God uniquely created me. What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?
it's funny that as human beings we all struggle with the the same things...ultimately. Who we are, where w come from and how we look to others. I am pretty proud of where I come from. my parents were a strong influence on my life. Most of my friends can guess my personality defects and I suppose those they don't know about probably aren't fit for immortalization on the www. As for my physical appearance, hey this blog is all about losing clyde...I may have worked hard earning my 6 +++ pack, but i am working even harder to trim few +'s off of it. : )



Speaking of the Losing Clyde Front:
Spin Class

My Philospohy and Another Day One of Sorts

Anyone who has seen my Road ID band and read the inscription on the bottom knows that there are three words I try to organize my life around. Spiritual, Mental, and Physical. I view them forming an inverted pyramid of sorts. Spiritual forms the point and the crux which holds the pyramid up. It is a delicate balance, one's faith. More on that later. The middle level is mental, keeping one's brain active, constantly learning. And finally as this blog started, and initially failed :( as a journal about my journey out of obesity. Thanks Uncle Sam and your crazy BMI standards! Physical, the largest and most visible top of the pyramid. Again, more on all of this later.

Today's Day One revolves around my committing to the 40 day journey in the
"Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. It is just a step in the spiritual part of my journey. As with any spiritual or religious books this one has it's proponents and its detractors. I suppose I can't know it's validity until I'm done, or at least on the way.

Day One: (Thinking About My Purpose)
In spite of all the advertising around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?

This is kind of a funny question, I truly believe we allow the marketing world to impact us far to much. If you ever questioned what you thought of as the media's version of beautiful you should check out this website periodically. The media's version of reality is so far gone that it's ridiculous and equally sad that we as a society don't know any better than try to live up to their perceptions of beautiful and real. So I guess the short of it is we have to realize the pitfalls of the media and decide our own values. Take the media with a grain of salt as they very rarely encourage a sense of community and sell the compassionate values of Christianity.

On the Losing Clyde front:
I went Mountain Biking locally at the Little Big Econ State Forest.
Only 5 miles, it is a maze out there and ton's of sugar sand. But it was nice to dust off the old Stumpjumper M2.

Pyramids?

I rather like that photo It seems life is all about new beginnings. We start new friendships, new diets, new workouts, we take a second look at things and then improvise, adapt and overcome (Name that movie? it's a fav)

Why this latest shot at new beginnings? I was sitting in a restaurant the other day. it was one of those places with peanuts on the table. Everyone was popping them and chomping away when somebody mentions that peanuts are bad for you. which leads to the conversation of....if you want to eat something, just select the diet that allows it.
Today I'm thinking of this blog and I'm thinking about that statement. I think further on that. It's like this insane pyramid of information. The largest level is all this information that is out there about everything let's take triathlon and nutrition. Then we have all the writers and bloggers who interpret all this data and spoon it back to us, not that its necessarily a bad thing. It's just sort of interesting that the trend of specialization has gone so far as to spawn not only new industries but hobbies as well. But I temporarily digress, the next layer of the pyramid, the top or smallest point is us. However some days I sort of feel that this is an inverted pyramid, with us the individuals left to support all this knowledge. Not only juggling topics, but selecting intermediaries and and drowning in an ocean of data. To be continued.....