Today is the first day of the rest of my life.  A different life I hope in some ways.  Today I weigh in at about 333 pounds.  My doctors tell me I need to be around 200 pounds.  I got up at 5AM today and went walking from 5:22-5:55.  Usually when I was walking before I observed my surroundings, today it was all about just getting through the walk, today the only time I paid attention to details was when there was something in my way, or I crossed the street.  I think in all that time I took I walked about a mile and a half.  I want to get up every morning and walk (eventually run) and get down to 200 pounds.  It will help my body feel better, give me more energy and allow me to be around to annoy my sons for many years to come.  I want to be able to run a 5K and pretend that I am running with Pre, Shorter and Wottle.  Usain Bolt is way too fast for me too even pretend to run with.

Good morning, I got up and walked this morning for the first time in a couple of months, I only went a mile, but it’s a start. I saw a cardiologist awhile back and she told me I needed to lose 130 pounds, so I am starting that journey.

I must say that the world will be a slightly less funny place from now on. George Carlin had a heart attack and died. If you haven’t heard his comedy, make an effort to somehow hear what he has to say.

Now for the music.

Hold Me/Laura McGreevey/EP. I originally downloaded this because I knew Laura when she was in high school. She sang in high school but she really has come into her own. I really liked the songs, but this morning after reading Lamentations 1, this song really spoke to me. My only refuge is in my Lord. Laura has a wonderful voice and is a great songwriter. Check her out at lauramcgreevey.com

Immigrant Song/Led Zeppelin/The Best of Led Zeppelin, Vol 1. The last time I reloaded my ipod I resolved that I would only have one song per band and Stairway is so overdone. Immigrant Song has a classic riff and listening to Robert Plant sing is always great. Watch the DVD extra’s on School of rock to see Jack Black beg Zep for permission to use it in School of Rock.

American Woman/Lenny Kravitz/Austin Powers 2. Lenny takes an old Guess Who tune and definitely makes it his own. His guitar work is truly great and his voice has just the right balance between polish and rough for this song.  Haven’t heard much from Lenny lately, I need to go look for more music and see what he is doing.

Bleeding Love/Leona Lewis/Bleeding Love. I know nothing about this artist and this is only the second time I have heard the song. I kind of like her voice, and it has a nice hook. When I refilled my ipod I asked my son, David, to add some music that he thought I would like and this is one of the songs.

Get Rhytm/Little Richard/Kindred Spirits, A Tribute to the Songs of Johnny Cash. Here is a pairing that is very inspired, I never would have thought to ask Little Richard to sing a Johnny Cash song. But man does it work, it is a flat out rock and roll song as Little Richard pounds it out on the piano. It rivals Johnny’s version as an original.

See ya later.

This year for the first time we joined a life group at Mosaic.  It is a really great bunch of people whom we have all grown to view more as family than friends.  One of our family is moving to Kansas City.   Renita is a traveling nurse who has worked here for several months and is now returning to her home.  Renita doesn’t always say alot but there is a love that flows from her to her friends.  She has really bonded with Kassidy DeHart.  We will miss her a whole lot, though we have told her that she is only visiting KC and will be moving back to Portland.  We love you Renita, hope to see you soon.

Last night I came home and acted like a macho man, which usually has disastrous results. I was trying to show Ruth Ann that there was no pole in the center of this pillar so I tipped it over slightly, it just kept coming over. It ripped the jeans that I was wearing and ripped the skin, then came to rest on my right heel. I pushed with my left leg and managed to get my foot out of the shoe. I then rolled around on the carport for a few minutes, I managed to get inside and laid down on the couch and Ruth Ann fixed a large bag of ice to but on it. There was a knot about the size of a baseball at the bottom of the slice. It went away with the ice. I can’t put any weight on the heel. I haven’t even tried putting on shoes yet.

This is my version of what happened on Monday about 5:15 in the carport of the Richards home. Rod had just finished a discussion with our neighbor to our north about a 4ft tall, 15″wide pillar that had come loose from its base. Rod has just told Arlee that he was planning on taking it down so that it didn’t “fall” over on his million dollar motor coach. I ask Rod about how he was going to cut the steal post in the middle of the pillar. Rod said “there was no post in the middle holding up the pillar.” I commented that most pillars have posts in them to stablize them and give them the strength to stay upright. At that point Rod took the pillar and tipped it over towards the carport…. I said “OK I see that”, then I expected him to set the pillar back up. Rod leaned it just a little to far and then there was no going back, that 300lb pillar was coming down and Rod and I were not going to keep that from happening. The pillar slid down his leg and then pinned his right heel under the pillar for about 5 seconds until we could pull it out.

The next 15-20 minutes were spent with Rod on his back rolling around on the carport writhing in pain. I just tried not to watch how desire to be right overrides common sense. It was a pitiful sight. I did however make sure that he was basically OK. He kept yelling a me, ” don’t say it, don’t say anything, I know that I did something really stupid. I replied ” haven’t said anything yet and stop putting words in my mouth. He kept on taunting me, so I obliged with a resounding DUH!

After Rod gained his composure, he came inside. I found the Hydrogen Peroxide and washed down the wound, and put together a very large ice pack for his leg. Rod then spent the rest of the evening moaning and groaning quietly…he knew there was NO sympathy in this house for his run away ego.

Two days later we are back to normal…no, new normal. I think that Rod is better for this experience. I think his ego is back in check and I hope that he knows that he does not have anything to prove to me right or wrong…just that He loves me without question.

Ruthann

It is 4:57 AM and I have been sitting here since 4:30 trying to motivate myself to go walk. I just am not feeling it this morning (and haven’t for a couple of weeks). I know I need to go walk, but it is just so boring. Let me know your motivational secrets for exercising.

All These Things I’ve Done/The Killers/Hot Fuss. I first heard this song on PBS. It was used with the opening montage of the documentary of Carrier. I really like the sound of it. It isn’t quite the same as it was on the show, or there was another song that was actually used as the theme, with the lyrics haze grey and underway. The producers used a wide variety of music on the show.

Free Ride/Edgar Winter/The Best of Edgar Winter. Edgar Winter is one of the great rockers who seems to really use all of music. Not just three chords, a pumping bass and thrashing drums but there seems to be a real musical thought behind the songs, a lot of his songs can traverse quite a gamut within each song. This and Frankenstein are two of my favorites by him.

I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)/The New Seekers/Have a Nice Day, Vol. 16. This is probably the sappiest song on my ipod. It is probably one of the few songs that has started life as an advertising jingle and gone on to become a chart hit, #1 in the United Kingdom and #7 in the US. It has been recorded over 75 times since then, Coca Cola turned the royalties over to Unicef.

Folsom Prison Blues/Brooks & Dunn with Johnny Cash/Red Hot + Country. Johnny Cash and Brooks and Dunn collaborated on this song to benefit AIDS charities. Johnny pretty much does a voice over part way through the song but it is a great song, not as moving as when Johnny does it himself. Brooks and Dunn’s voices are just to smooth to really convey the angst present in these lyrics.

Everyday People/Reba McEntire & Carole King/Reba Duets. Reba McEntire is one of my favorite country singer and I have a crush on her. That said this is really the only song I like on the album. I like it as much for the lyrics as for the sound, it takes about how it is really ordinary people are the ones coming together to change the world. This song in tandem with The Power of One by Bombshel are great songs to remind us of the difference we can make in this world.