get a room

as most of you know, i run mainly at night. i do endless laps around my 1/3 mile semicircular neighborhood. roam outside the neighborhood and you are pretty much out in the country. i usually stay on the 1/3 mile track at night. i like the having the streetlights, and my chances of being attacked by some wild dogs, coyotes, or even a crazed hillbilly unabomber-wannabe are lessened. but running in circles does spot-on nothing for the ol' excitement level. running 10-20 laps around the same circle in the dark has roughly the same excitement factor as reading the textbook from my recently completed Strategies in Marketing Management class.
things have improved recently, though. with all the holiday decorations people have on display, at least i have something to look at. the people who live next to me are an incredibly friendly couple with grown children. they are christmas fanatics. they are also affectionately known as The Griswolds (from Christmas Vacation, for those of you not in-the-know...). they have been overdecorating for years. recently, other families in the neighborhood have been attempting (unsuccessfully, i might add) to outdo The Griswolds. so now, there are 4 or 5 homes with outlandish lights, stars, statues, and of course those light-up wire mesh reindeer. this is where is gets fun. you see, last nite i passed all of these homes 10 times in my run, but it wasn't until the third lap that i noticed that something was, well, unusual. as i was passing The Griswold's house, it seems that someone had, ummm, "strategically" positioned the reindeer so that they appeared to be taking part in some sort of rudolph-led anim-orgy the likes of which i'm sure the north pole has never seen. i never realized how flexible reindeer were... i laughed so hard, the tears were freezing on my cheeks. but it didn't end there. of the 6 homes that have outdoor reindeer, 4 others were also in on this holiday rumpfest. sheesh, that's alot of action!
so at least my run was somewhat exciting last night. the best part is that as of this morning, none of the 4 homeowners had noticed it yet. looks like it's partytime again tonite!
merry christmas, everyone!

bearing down

Over the last few weeks, i've really started to want this again. that feeling of working out. of being in shape. i don't know why i finally am getting it, but hey, i'm not complaining. i started lowering my calorie intake in order to finally dump this extra weight. i've gone from unlimited calorie intake, to around 2,000 per day the last couple of weeks. this week i began living at the bottom the proverbial calorie intake barrel. i'm going on 1,000 - 1,200 calories per day. after doing some research on BMR(basal metabolic rate) and exertion levels, i've come to the conclusion that i am using between 2,500 to 3,000 calories per day, depending on if/how far i run or do whatever else during a particular day. this means that i'm in calorie deficit of about 1,500 to 2,000 per day. yeah, i know. that's alot. and it's probably not the "recommended" thing to do. but heck, i've always been one to learn for myself anyhow. the important thing now is to maintain appropriate exercise (running) levels. otherwise, my body will sense the reduced intake and go into conservation mode. so, i've started running according to a strict schedule, instead of just whenever i feel like it. yeah. ok. i know, you all think i'm nuts. and you're probably right.
i can't remember it being this cold for this long this early in the winter season. hey, come to think of it, TODAY is the first day of winter. sheesh, as cold as it's been already, i hope it doesn't get any worse. actually, according to the forecast, it's supposed to be getting warmer this weekend for Christmas. while that may not be the best thing for holiday traditionalists, i'll welcome the balmy 42 degrees forecasted for friday. since i am not working that day, i'll try to get out for a run during the day. in the sunlight. how cool!
well if i don't update, i want to wish all of you a merry Christmas. (or Hanukkah, or whatever it is that people celebrate nowadays...) be safe and be happy!

craziness

i've gotta be honest. my life is just nuts. there's just so much going on. it's been a while since i've updated, so i figured i'd catch up a bit. first off, the transplant has been postponed until january 24th. apparently, the hospital had problems assembling the required staff during the week between christmas and new year's. important note to self: don't get sick and need professional medical attention during holiday seasons!
i've been working out a fair bit. running mostly, but geez it's been cold lately. my weight is down, but not quite where i wanted to be at this point. i need to drop another 7-10lbs by the first week of january. i'll have to exhibit some serious self control during the christmas break. this has been particularly difficult here at work. it seems that every day someone else is hauling in the latest exhibitions of their baking prowess. the area outside my office is constanly filled with cookies and pastries of all sorts. fortunately, i'm taking vacation the week between christmas and new year's, so i'll get away from it for a while.
i was in detroit last week on business. i had never been there before. i didn't realize that it bordered canada... but it was pretty much like i expected - crowded and noisy. nothing really stuck out. the people were great though, and i had a good time with them.
as some of you know, i'm currently in school finishing my bachelor's degree in business information systems. i'll be done this summer, and then i have a decision to make. this program can transition directly into an MBA program through the university. i'm thinking that adding an MBA to the technical undergrad degree, along with my 8 years of network adminstration experience puts me in a good position for the future. i'm not looking for a job - in fact, i love the one i have. but even in terms of advancing within the company. i'd like to move into a managerial position eventually, and it seems that the MBA could be beneficial in that regard. plus, i know if i don't start it immediately after finishing my BS degree, i'll probably never go back and do it. i realize that having an MBA isn't what it used to be years ago, but i figured it's still worth something. what do you guys think? is it worth another 2 years? any insight would be appreciated!