The Pain Of The Journey Pays Off!

I have tried to remain true during the last two years to working out regularly, but admittedly, it has been hard. I have an exhausting job, and trying to balance everything else out while already tired, well, I got a little behind. I'd basically settled in around 195 to 205 lbs during that time also, spending a small amount of time above 205 and also a little time below 195, never more than 5 lbs either way.

During this time I've had strange chest pains, pretty much a constant annoying thing. Doctors thought it was heart burn, a strained rib muscle, or other things, but it still hasn't really been narrowed down. For whatever reason, it was actually a real struggle to run, and I've never had to deal with that before.

As Belly headed off for boot camp, I decided it was time to make an effort also on my part to get back into excellent shape, so I decided I would tone down to 178 lbs. That was on January 3rd, I weighed 204 lbs that day. Now I'm at 184 lbs. Not a bad job for one month's work, if I do say so myself. However, I am finding this last 6 lbs is going to be the hard part.

I've really cut back what I've been eating, big time. I usually have some cereal for breakfast, all I ever drank anyway, even before, was skim milk, I absolutely cannot stand any other type of 'city milk' as I call it. My lunch is usually a turkey breast sandwich, or a small portion of leftovers from the night before. At dinner I try and eat a sensible and light portion of food.

I have been working out every night also. I go three times a week to the base gym, run 3.5 miles, bike for 20 minutes, do a bunch of situp and pushups, and sit in the sauna for 10 minutes. I'm going to be upgrading that workout now to include curls, pullups, shoulder press, and other things. The other 4 days at home I do my pushups and situps, but I'm also upgrading that with bicycle crunches, curls, and other things.

Tonite, for the first time, I really noticed a significant increase in my ability to hold a fast pace while I'm running. For so long now I haven't been able to run fast at all and it was so incredibly frustrating. I'm used to being able to basically 'ride a breeze' so to speak, to run so fast it looks like I'm not even trying, and to be slowed way down, for whatever reason, has been hard for me to take.

I don't know if it's the situps and pushups getting my muscles all back into shape, the weight loss, the running itself, or a combination of everything, I just know it feels great to kick the afterburners in and jet around that track like I used to. I'll probably reach my goal weight around valentine's day, an unfortunate day to spend alone, but I'm not really alone at all, even if I am physically, she's with me in spirit, and I'm with her.

I'll tell you this much though, when I reach 178 lbs, I will go with midas to the American Steak Buffet and CHOW down, because I deserve it, sure I'll gain 5 lbs right away, but I can work that back down, I'm a good month and a half ahead of schedule!! I'll need something to work at for the next 45 days till I see my baby!!

M&M's To Soothe The Savage Beast

My best friend's son is 3 years old. For whatever reason, from when he was a little older than 12 months, he began running and screaming whenever I would come to visit. Now, I know I'm one ugly dude, but honestly, I didn't think I was all that scary, you know?

Well, this past summer, I devised a plan to try and change that. I would bring M&M's over every time I would visit. I would stop by while making my lincoln delivery run, say "HELLO" and that I had M&M's and then after awhile he started showing his face, and running off. Then he would come and sheepishly get them, say thank you, and run off.

Finally he actually began looking forward to me coming by and dropping off those M&M's. He'd run out smiling and ask if I had brought him any. I suppose I'm locked into a $1 gift every time I go see my friend, but hell it's worth it. Besides, if I have feel the need to make a career change, I'm well on my way to becoming a powerful lobbyist!!

I spent the night at my buddy's place on Saturday night, and his kid was glued to me pretty much the entire night till he went to bed. I had to keep making him a monster truck on GTA San Andreas so he could drive it around. Nothing like a screaming 3 year old driving a monster truck around on a video game, it was crazy haha.

In other news, I haven't talked much about work, I might as well lay out my plans. I'm going to quit during the first week of April. I would put in my two weeks now and do anything, even telemarketing, because of how bad it has gotten there, but I need to make it to April so I can use my vacation time to go see belly graduate from boot camp, then the day I get back, new job on the line or not, I'm putting in my two weeks (it is likely I'll have another job in line by then though).

We have had this guy working there for about 3 months now, his name is Ryan. Oh, and this is his real name, not that he would find this journal, but even if he does, I really don't give a fuck. He was one of those guys that, when he was hired, you look at sort of funny and think 'hmm, this guy is interesting' but not in a good way. About a week after he started, belly had parked her truck in front of the building to pick me up, blocking one of the doors. Obviously she wouldn't know that she was blocking the door, and Ryan says "who is that bitch, is she stupid or something?"

One of the other guys I work with says "Hey man, that's his girlfriend (referring to me) and that is not cool at all" Ryan apologizes and I just told him to be more careful when just winging out insults at people he doesn't know. Yah, well, there is some advice he certainly has not taken.

He has damn near gotten into fights with 4 different people, and no one likes him. He is always sent out to take one of the morning runs, and one of the afternoon runs, because the manager can't stand him and doesn't want him around. Ryan is a pessimistic, lethargic, ignorant 'know it all'. There is no topic that he leaves alone, if you bring up a conversation with anyone else in the building, and he is within earshot, he will be sure to tell you that 1) you are wrong, and 2) bring up the most depressingly irritating reasons for why you are wrong, without any substantiating evidence to prove his point.

His mouth is constantly writing checks that his ass can't cash. He argues with customers during deliveries. He's anything BUT a team player. Twice I have gotten into arguments with him, he does not respect anyone, goes out of his way to make sure everyone knows his opinion about seniority, that there is 'no such thing' and that regardless of if he has only worked there a short time, we are 'all equals on the same team.'

Whatever bozo, sure, we are a team, you are the water boy, bottom of the totem pole, and the shit jobs are the jobs the new guy does. Of course, he fails to see it that way, and whenever he's stuck doing something he doesn't like, he ends up doing shoddy work at best and at worst, vindictive things that actually hurt productivity and create more problems for everyone.

Allegedly, the assistant manager said that he likes having Ryan around because Ryan "stirs things up" and that it's a good thing because "angry people work harder". I find this really hard to believe, and if it's true, it's just another example of the complete ignorance I deal with on a daily basis at this company. Everytime I think I've reached my limit, there is another variable added to an already completely fucked up equation to further exasperate me.

Making it till April is now going to be the most arduous task. I really don't know if I CAN make it. To be honest, had Friday been my last day, I would have introduced Ryan's face to the concrete floor of that warehouse and not blinked an eye about it, that's how fired up I was about his attitude, lack of respect, and professionalism. I may still end up kicking his idiot ass before too long.

Well, hopefully I can make it thru, that's all I'm going to really say.