So as you can see, my schedule of blogging was blown out of the water last week. Work was crazy and I just didn't have the time or energy to invest in it. I'm quite sorry to anyone who actually reads this silly thing.
I considered writing make-up posts, but really I just can't. I'll write the Melioration part of this post and then just get back on schedule.
Today I weighed in and I lost. I started MFP at 335 lbs. several weeks ago. I had some spikes due to.. well, just being lazy about it. But for the last few weigh-ins I've consistently lost weight. I'm down to 328.
I'm looking forward to being 299. It will be the first time I've been under 300 since my senior year of high school, 1999.
We now return to our regulary scheduled programming.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Are broccoli rubber bands different from regular rubber bands?
So this is Free Topic Tuesday!
The last two week's were polar opposites - one complaining about Facebook, the other a brief discussion about Jesus' divinity versus his humanity.
Today's free topic will be about something that most of you that know me will know is dear to my heart. Music! I have been all over some new tunes recently and thought I would share my favorite records right now. In no order they are:
Elephants - Aaron Strumpel
Aaron got his start with Enter the Worship Circle, a collective of musicians that wrote honest, rootsy worship music. Aaron's speciality is taking a Psalm and putting it to music. He also has two albums that came out about the same time - Birds and Vespers - that I want to get my paws on. This album is... weird. But it's good. It's got an acoustic base, but there's drum machines, trumpets, weird sound effects, a rap with tons of echo and a couple songs where Aaron screams. But it's moving and it's really, really good. Recommended if you like the louder times of Sufjan Stevens and the Psalms.
Economy - John Mark McMillan
Most of you know that I love John Mark's music. I have pretty much everything he put out, and I got this as a pre-release. It's brilliant. Everything you may have loved about his older records comes through here, only better. It's rootsy, rock and roll with lyrics that speak volumes about John Mark's God and their relationship. Which is beautiful, because I have a relationship with the same God.
Brokenness Aside EP - All Sons and Daughters
This little EP was a great find on Noisetrade.com. Don't look for it now, they hit the limit. ASAD is a duo of Leslie Jordan and David Leonard. They write music that was originally just to be used for worship at their church, but sixstepsrecords got wind of it and we got this little EP. David used to be in a band called Jackson Waters (I have one of their albums and an EP) that was more of a rock outfit. This group is slowly becoming a favorite.
Live at Eddie's Attic - Civil Wars
I got the Civil Wars album Barton Hollow several months ago and stumbled onto this at noisetrade.com. It's still there. Putting out a live album as a debut is gutsy, but it works. It's just John and Joy and the music. Joy got her start in the Christian industry and John has been playing in bands for a long time but never really got to be well known. It's worth stating that although Joy is a Christian, there are a few instances of cursing on the album and the topics are never explicitly Christian. It's still good music and it looks at life through her lense of faith. Maybe not for everyone.
Cautioners and Walk Like Giants EP - Cautioners
I got the EP from noisetrade.com and followed the link to their website where they are giving the album away for free. This is a little band from Florida that plays simple pop/rock about God, but they're really enjoyable. I'm still digging into them so I can't say much but my initial impression is good.
Gather and Build: a Collection - Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay is one of my top five favorite artists so when I saw this on noisetrade.com (I go there a lot) I passed it up. I figured a collection wouldn't have anything new for me since I have everything they've put out except for that song from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack (which I don''t care for anyway) and some instrumental song from the Songs of Wood and Steel series. But this collection had 3 songs I didn't have yet: This Land Is Your Land, Stay (Forgive Me reimagined by Stephen Mason) and Body & Wine. This Land is a cover of that old folk song with some unique drum programming underneath. I like it even though it sounds like it's in a key that Dan has to work to sing in. Stay is pretty much unrecognizable from the original (found on 2009's The Long Fall Back to Earth) but is still good and Body and Wine is an acoustic number about communion.
Well, there's 7 things you can go listen to at Amazon or NoiseTrade or wherever and see if you like. Talk to you tomorrow.
The last two week's were polar opposites - one complaining about Facebook, the other a brief discussion about Jesus' divinity versus his humanity.
Today's free topic will be about something that most of you that know me will know is dear to my heart. Music! I have been all over some new tunes recently and thought I would share my favorite records right now. In no order they are:
Elephants - Aaron Strumpel
Aaron got his start with Enter the Worship Circle, a collective of musicians that wrote honest, rootsy worship music. Aaron's speciality is taking a Psalm and putting it to music. He also has two albums that came out about the same time - Birds and Vespers - that I want to get my paws on. This album is... weird. But it's good. It's got an acoustic base, but there's drum machines, trumpets, weird sound effects, a rap with tons of echo and a couple songs where Aaron screams. But it's moving and it's really, really good. Recommended if you like the louder times of Sufjan Stevens and the Psalms.
Economy - John Mark McMillan
Most of you know that I love John Mark's music. I have pretty much everything he put out, and I got this as a pre-release. It's brilliant. Everything you may have loved about his older records comes through here, only better. It's rootsy, rock and roll with lyrics that speak volumes about John Mark's God and their relationship. Which is beautiful, because I have a relationship with the same God.
Brokenness Aside EP - All Sons and Daughters
This little EP was a great find on Noisetrade.com. Don't look for it now, they hit the limit. ASAD is a duo of Leslie Jordan and David Leonard. They write music that was originally just to be used for worship at their church, but sixstepsrecords got wind of it and we got this little EP. David used to be in a band called Jackson Waters (I have one of their albums and an EP) that was more of a rock outfit. This group is slowly becoming a favorite.
Live at Eddie's Attic - Civil Wars
I got the Civil Wars album Barton Hollow several months ago and stumbled onto this at noisetrade.com. It's still there. Putting out a live album as a debut is gutsy, but it works. It's just John and Joy and the music. Joy got her start in the Christian industry and John has been playing in bands for a long time but never really got to be well known. It's worth stating that although Joy is a Christian, there are a few instances of cursing on the album and the topics are never explicitly Christian. It's still good music and it looks at life through her lense of faith. Maybe not for everyone.
Cautioners and Walk Like Giants EP - Cautioners
I got the EP from noisetrade.com and followed the link to their website where they are giving the album away for free. This is a little band from Florida that plays simple pop/rock about God, but they're really enjoyable. I'm still digging into them so I can't say much but my initial impression is good.
Gather and Build: a Collection - Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay is one of my top five favorite artists so when I saw this on noisetrade.com (I go there a lot) I passed it up. I figured a collection wouldn't have anything new for me since I have everything they've put out except for that song from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack (which I don''t care for anyway) and some instrumental song from the Songs of Wood and Steel series. But this collection had 3 songs I didn't have yet: This Land Is Your Land, Stay (Forgive Me reimagined by Stephen Mason) and Body & Wine. This Land is a cover of that old folk song with some unique drum programming underneath. I like it even though it sounds like it's in a key that Dan has to work to sing in. Stay is pretty much unrecognizable from the original (found on 2009's The Long Fall Back to Earth) but is still good and Body and Wine is an acoustic number about communion.
Well, there's 7 things you can go listen to at Amazon or NoiseTrade or wherever and see if you like. Talk to you tomorrow.
Melioration Monday...
Today's Melioration Monday is going to be short. Why? Because I forgot to post it last night.
Last night I went to Powerfit Bootcamp for the first time in 2 weeks. My work schedule changed and I thought it would be easier to go but it's actually been harder.
It was nice to work out, but it reminded me that regardless of how much weight I've lost (about 25 pounds since June 1), I still have a long, long way to go.
I was still the last person back from running a lap. In fact, the only other man in the class lapped me during the obstacle-course-like workout we started with.
But I should keep on with it, because a year from now, it will have paid off.
Last night I went to Powerfit Bootcamp for the first time in 2 weeks. My work schedule changed and I thought it would be easier to go but it's actually been harder.
It was nice to work out, but it reminded me that regardless of how much weight I've lost (about 25 pounds since June 1), I still have a long, long way to go.
I was still the last person back from running a lap. In fact, the only other man in the class lapped me during the obstacle-course-like workout we started with.
But I should keep on with it, because a year from now, it will have paid off.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Top Five Friday 2
So I know I missed Theology Thursday last night. I apologize and will make sure next week's is great.
Here's this week's Top 5. My Top 5 favorite movies:
5. Hang 'Em High
4. Facing the Giants
3. The Princess Bride
2. Fireproof
1. Back to the Future Part 1
Here's this week's Top 5. My Top 5 favorite movies:
5. Hang 'Em High
4. Facing the Giants
3. The Princess Bride
2. Fireproof
1. Back to the Future Part 1
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Weight Loss Wednesday 2
So I just realized I forgot my Weight Loss Wednesday blog. It will be short but I have two things to cover.
The first is this list compiled from some articles I've read - Top Five Reasons to Drink Water:
1. Hydration - your body can't properly function without water
2. It minimizes the chances of colon cancer by 45%, breast cancer by 75%, and bladder cancer by 50%.
3. It helps you lose weight by burning more calories during regular routine activities and exercises. Drinking a glass of water 30 minutes before each meal will make you feel full, as a result you will eat less, hence enabling you to lose weight more efficiently.
4. Drinking water helps maintain digestive health, ease or prevent stomach distress, and constipation. In other words, it helps you poop.
5. It makes you (or at least me) feel better generally. I've found that when I drink enough water, I feel better than on days when I don't get enough.
The second thing is a link. This is a map of every McDonalds in the US. Scary!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/09/map-every-mcdonalds-us_n_1084045.html
Enjoy!
The first is this list compiled from some articles I've read - Top Five Reasons to Drink Water:
1. Hydration - your body can't properly function without water
2. It minimizes the chances of colon cancer by 45%, breast cancer by 75%, and bladder cancer by 50%.
3. It helps you lose weight by burning more calories during regular routine activities and exercises. Drinking a glass of water 30 minutes before each meal will make you feel full, as a result you will eat less, hence enabling you to lose weight more efficiently.
4. Drinking water helps maintain digestive health, ease or prevent stomach distress, and constipation. In other words, it helps you poop.
5. It makes you (or at least me) feel better generally. I've found that when I drink enough water, I feel better than on days when I don't get enough.
The second thing is a link. This is a map of every McDonalds in the US. Scary!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/09/map-every-mcdonalds-us_n_1084045.html
Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Free topic Tuesday 2
So for my free topic today, I'm going to talk about something that really should be on Theology Thursday, but I don't want to wait.
Today I was listening to NT Wright. For those of you who aren't familiar, Wright is an Anglican bishop who is considered one of the leaders on New Testament theology, and has spearheaded a great movement to rediscover the historical Jesus. He has also written more books than I'll probably get a chance to read.
Anyway, in his lecture, he pointed something out. Jesus is often talked about (and sometimes celebrated) in regards to miracles. Wright points out that CS Lewis is un-Biblical about some issues but is really on point about Jesus' miracles. We often talk about his miracles and relate it to his divinity, his being "part God" or "part divine".
But what Lewis said, and Wright builds on is that Jesus' miracles are only miracles because he's human. What usually follows from Jesus performing miracles because of his divinity is that his crucifixion is related to his humanity.
So we have it backwards! Jesus performed miracles as a human who was perfectly in line with the will of the Father.
If what Wright put forth is true, that means that he wasn't tortured because he was human. Jesus was tortured and killed because he was the Most High God, the Holy King of Kings, in human form.
Just something to think about.
Today I was listening to NT Wright. For those of you who aren't familiar, Wright is an Anglican bishop who is considered one of the leaders on New Testament theology, and has spearheaded a great movement to rediscover the historical Jesus. He has also written more books than I'll probably get a chance to read.
Anyway, in his lecture, he pointed something out. Jesus is often talked about (and sometimes celebrated) in regards to miracles. Wright points out that CS Lewis is un-Biblical about some issues but is really on point about Jesus' miracles. We often talk about his miracles and relate it to his divinity, his being "part God" or "part divine".
But what Lewis said, and Wright builds on is that Jesus' miracles are only miracles because he's human. What usually follows from Jesus performing miracles because of his divinity is that his crucifixion is related to his humanity.
So we have it backwards! Jesus performed miracles as a human who was perfectly in line with the will of the Father.
If what Wright put forth is true, that means that he wasn't tortured because he was human. Jesus was tortured and killed because he was the Most High God, the Holy King of Kings, in human form.
Just something to think about.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Melioration Monday 1
Today is my first Melioration Monday. I forgot to weigh in but I do have a brief non-scale victory, or NSV, to share.
Saturday I decided to go for a walk since I hadn't worked out all week. I crossed the big road to the neighborhood across the way. I don't walk in ours because we live on a dead end.
Anyway, I went around the loop I normally go on 3 times, about a mile and a half. Part of the loop is a big hill I walk up. As short ago as July, when I got to the to top I would have to slow down so I could catch my breath.
Saturday, when I got to the top, I was barely winded! Whoo hoo!
It might seem minimal to some but it was a victory fro me.
Saturday I decided to go for a walk since I hadn't worked out all week. I crossed the big road to the neighborhood across the way. I don't walk in ours because we live on a dead end.
Anyway, I went around the loop I normally go on 3 times, about a mile and a half. Part of the loop is a big hill I walk up. As short ago as July, when I got to the to top I would have to slow down so I could catch my breath.
Saturday, when I got to the top, I was barely winded! Whoo hoo!
It might seem minimal to some but it was a victory fro me.
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