As I prepare to leave town some of my journals have been surfacing - I don't keep them anywhere special, or any way special. A lot of them are stacked in a drawer. My friend Keane said she'd like to read my journals. We have good conversations. She thinks I'm interesting.
Here are a couple of entries from the Fall of 2005; I'm not sure when the first one was, but the second one was late November... what I refer to as Black Saturday, so I'm thinking two days after Thanksgiving.
The thing about rereading these is that I get to read yesterday's voice with today's eyes. I can compare and contrast. Maybe there are some lessons in here somewhere.
Untitled (November 2, 2005)
Just before I left for Cali I bought a BMI (Body Mass Index) scale. I've been micro-managing my weight and noticed it fluctuated - down 3 lbs; up 2; down 2 and up 1, etc. I wanted a better, possibly more accurate way to measure. The scale measures weight, fat and water.
Before I left my weight was 192. When I got back it was 190.
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| July 2005 Ave weight about 185 - 190 lbs. |
I began Burn Session 3.2 on Wednesday (November 2) with a two mile run and 4 hundred jumping jack sessions between the first mile and the end. Plus, Wednesday I rode my bike to work (6 miles each way.) Thursday's weigh in was 186 lbs., 19% body fat. Thursday two glasses - pints perhaps of (Amstel) Light Beer - a lackadaisical burn/run on Friday. Weight's holding steady at 186, BF is down to 18%.
The wellness director at the Y tells me breaking the 18% mark is hard once you get over 30 (years of age) - I hate to guess what my BMI was ten years ago when I was tipping the scale at 225. (At least she didn't say it was impossible.) I've been working hard the last 8 years or so and I think I can work a bit harder.
My body, and what I can do with it, in terms of strength, flexibility, composition and endurance, are my favorite things to experiment with. So I'll keep at it.
Philly 11/16/05 6:45p
I've come to the decision that I'm more of a wanderer than a traveler. The difference?
Travelers go 'places'; wanderers just go. Usually, for me anyway, there's a loose plan - a destination or two and where ever strikes my fancy on the way, I explore.
For some reason I had the notion to walk Philly today. It was sunny and warm-ish, low 40s when I decided that's what I wanted to do. It was darker and colder when I got around to doing it. Oh well.
First stop Intermezzo Cafe on the bridge between U Penn and Drexel U. This place used to be quite the draw, but things change. Even during happy hour there's no one here, except me, a blonded guy on a lap top and a nerdy potential babe copying notes from a book. I came to rest, read, have a soy chai. I'm pretty disgusted with the book I'm reading.
Blondie's leaving and I'm about to be out myself.
Lone Wolf Diaries -
4:30 PM Midtown IV Diner.
I'm having a Philly moment - sitting in the diner that draws me back like a Navajo to the reservation - contemplating the last 90 minutes... Wow! It's only been one hour and a half since I left my house on this chilly still autumn day. Does Black Saturday follow Black Friday? This is that day?
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| Cookie (left) worked the graveyard shift at Midtown IV |
A mere 8 hours earlier I was disgusted by the state of the train car that brought me home.
At 3PM, the elevated blue line, Center City bound is regaled with balloons and the windows are decorated with winter/Christmas-themed decals. It gives me a better perspective of my City - my love has been waning as of late.
I head down to Bridgette's art gallery to drop off some CDs for the opening on Friday. I'm psyched she wants to play my mixes. It's the next best thing to dj'ing.
I'm meeting my buddy for an evening of pool before I head in to work... but first I head westward to a gym.
Epilogue
About ten years later, weight is down to just under 180 lbs. on a regular basis and body fat hovers around 15%. She was right about it being hard. I was right about it not being impossible. I'm still micro-managing my weight. By that I mean weighing in daily. I feel I have to keep a close eye on it.
The same wellness director hired me to work at the Y in 2008 and in 2009 I started teaching group exercise classes. She resigned her position at the end of last year.
Both Intermezzo Cafe and Midtown IV no longer exist. There aren't as many diners downtown as there were. Philly is trying to become more upscale when it comes to food. It's lost on me. I'm not a foodie.
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| September 2009 we launched Functional Fitness |
I'm still a wanderer in 2005 I hadn't been abroad as a civilian - I've added some memorable destinations to my journal, including Europe, Central America, Australia and Asia. I plan to continue my wandering on a more sustainable basis.
For now... I'm still counting the days... forwards and backwards, if ya get me.
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