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I had a follow-up CT scan on my abdomen yesterday to make sure the surgeon put everything back in the right place before he stitched me up. Normally CT scans are quick and painless, but this one was horrible for one reason, and one reason only: I had to drink two chalky, nasty, pasty, radioactive “fruit smoothies” beforehand. Just gross. Come to think of it, maybe that’s where the extra two pounds came from.
It was a shock to get on the scale this morning and find that I’d supposedly gained two pounds since last week. I don’t actually think it’s possible. I’ve continued to eat small, balanced meals and a few reasonable snacks per day. I’m drinking water instead of juices or sodas. And I’ve upped my exercise level to at least one 60-minute walk per day on the very hilly, up-and-down streets of Charlestown.
So while it makes no real sense to me that I’m heavier than last week, it almost doesn’t even matter—because I feel better and more active. Anyway, looking at the big picture, losing three pounds in two weeks is good, steady progress. Nothing flashy, no fad diets, just hard work.
Current Status: Jek Porkins, aka Red Six of the Rebel Alliance’s Red Squadron.
I’m going to pick on The Associated Press for a second here. Check out the first paragraph of this article I just came across:
Democrat John Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voters’ sympathies, The Associated Press has learned.
Are you kidding me?! You can’t just infuse your article with loaded phrases like “scrappy underdog,” “steered his rivals toward progressive ideals,” and “roused voters’ sympathies,” and then just tack on a “The Associated Press has learned” at the end.
No, no, no. The AP has learned that John Edwards quit the race. All the rest is opinion and interpretation, not fact. They teach you this stuff in Journalism 101. Why does no one remember it?
Side note: This isn’t a rant against ”liberal bias” because they’re just as bad when they cover the right, e.g. the “maverick straight-talker” John McCain. I guess I just really hate political journalism.
UPDATE: I just heard one of the cable news networks (the “fair and balanced” one) refer to Rudy Giuliani as “America’s Mayor.” Seriously, these are supposed to be news organizations! They have no shame.
I don’t know where he picked this up from, but Ethan now gives us the raspberry whenever we say “Ethan, no!” It’s cute, but… what does it mean for the future if he’s this stubborn at under a year?! On the flip side, he claps whenever we say, “Good job!” I like that much better, so I think we’ll be sticking with positive reinforcement for the foreseeable future.
Where: In the shadow of Mount Hekla, Iceland
When: July 2006
What: When I wrote about this weeklong hiking trip in an August 2006 feature for USA Today and SmarterTravel.com, I likened the Icelandic interior to Tolkien’s Middle-earth: “With its obsidian lava fields and steaming hot springs, its moss-covered foothills and treeless valleys, Iceland is Mordor one minute and the Shire the next. It has a magical quality to it, this Land of Fire and Ice—as if it has been plucked from the imagination and placed here, somewhere between Europe and North America, to be a playground for the adventurous traveler.”
To me, nothing demonstrates that spirit better than this photo. I love the way it captures the wild and wide-open essence of the highlands: the snow-capped peaks, the spidering streams, the mossy greens and reds and browns of a land virtually untouched by human hands. It’s hard to imagine anywhere more epic. I also like seeing the seven hikers there in the foreground, a tiny fellowship of adventurers in true Tolkien-esque fashion.
The backcountry is dominated by Mount Hekla, a volcano that was once thought to be the literal mouth of Hell. A thousand years ago, Iceland’s Viking settlers sent criminals to this same inhospitable interior, where they were forced to survive for 20 years in order to earn a pardon. Most never made it. My wife and I lasted a week, but we needed the help of a guide from the Fjallabak Trekking Company to do it.
The trek meets up with the way-marked Laugavegur Trail on the fifth day of hiking, but before that most of the areas we explored felt as if they’d never been visited by other hikers. These highlands are different than, say, the European Alps, which are so well-traveled that it’s easy for experienced hikers to go it alone. Here, a good guide is essential.
I booked my trip through Adventure Center, the U.S. retailer for Fjallabak and other local operators. If you’re considering a backcountry trip, theirs definitely come with my recommendation. Icelandair, incidentally, offers inexpensive flights to Reykjavik from several East Coast cities, making it a cheaper destination to get to than mainland Europe.
Ethan has taken to headbutting himself in the mirror whenever he sees his reflection. He also bull rushes the cats and headbutts them, too. This isn’t in any of the parenting books!
I’ve been tagged by Eric, which means I’m supposed to link to his blog (done!), leave a comment there so his readers can visit mine (done!), post the rules on my blog (done!), and share seven weird facts about myself. I’ll just go with seven random facts you may not have known. Here goes.
1. In 2nd grade, my friend Shawn Gurczak nicknamed me Indiana Josh. I was so obsessed with Indy that I even had the fedora, the leather jacket, and an actual bullwhip, which I used to practice using in my driveway. It was later confiscated after I used it on a girl named Jill Barney during recess. Five years later, Jill Barney became my first girlfriend.
2. I’m pretty sure I was the first person in Rowley, Massachusetts, to complete Super Mario Brothers on the Nintendo.
3. I entered college as a Computer Science major. I graduated with degrees in English Lit and Imperial Russian History. Miraculously, I still found a job.
4. I was once mistaken for Chris Claremont, father of the massively successful X-Men comic book franchise. This is actually a really funny story, but you’ll have to wait for my upcoming exposé, “Confessions of a former Marvel Comics intern,” for the details.
5. My five favorite movies of the 1980s, in order, are: Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, The Princess Bride, Ghostbusters, and Highlander. Those five films probably did more to shape who I am today, for better or worse, than everything else I’ve experienced combined.
6. I think I’m the only person in my entire family who’s ever voted for a democrat.
7. I was scared to death of becoming a dad. Now I can’t imagine anything better. And I say this even after Ethan woke us up every two hours last night!
From Yahoo’s AP news feed:
In a shift with profound implications, the Bush administration is attempting to re-energize its terrorism-fighting war efforts in Afghanistan, the original target of a post-Sept. 11 offensive. The U.S. also is refocusing on Pakistan, where a regenerating al-Qaida is posing fresh threats.
Gee, you think? We wouldn’t even have this problem if Bush had kept his eye on the ball to begin with. Still, maybe we can hit al-Qaida with all the extra WMDs we found in Iraq. That’ll show ‘em.
Harrison Ford really hasn’t aged well at all.
Twenty-nine, is it? Love you!
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