One of those days...

Today has been one of those days. Now, I'd like to say that I did allow the day to develop, I just don't say, "It's going to be one of those days...", early in the morning 'cos I spilt the coffee. No, don't curse the day!

One of my jobs at Central Hall is to get the talk recorded and get it to the office on Monday; normally this is quite a straightforward task. Well, as straightforward as anything "technical" ever is! I'm also recording a new song and it (was) nearly done. I was given a PC for recording purposes and I prepare the talks on that machine too.

So I import the talk WAV from the H2 (takes ages...) to my Tracktion software as usual and it plays. Once. Then it's silent. I can even see the waveform on the screen but it's making no sound. My song tracks all work fine - on the same screen, on the same software. So I re-import the WAV and again it works once and then goes on strike. OK, restart the PC and begin again with a Normalised (takes absolutely ages on the H2) WAV now and it seems to be better. I chop the track nicely and go for an Export as a WAV as normal. At this point the whole Tracktion screen simply disappears. Uh, this is bad...didn't save the song...hours of work...gone in an instant.

This process of arriving at a point significantly worse off than where I started has taken me until lunchtime.

After huffing and puffing for a bit I resign myself to having to re-record the song (acoustic, bass, vocal, keys, drums...) from scratch and re-do the talk. Humph.

OK, re-restart the PC and...TRACKTION HAS COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED FROM THE COMPUTER AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!! Now, I can't even re-record the song! Or redo the talk!

So, at the end of this day I have spent quite a lot of energy getting myself to a point some distance behind where I was when I started.

Here he is...

Careful, careful...

Time, I think, for another delve into the world of RoSPA. In keeping with my current food OBSESSION let's see how many people injured themselves in a food related way.

OK, on the hassandlass website I'm looking at "Breadbin". Hmmm, can't really see how you hurt yourself here but, hold on a sec, yep, I have the results:
In 2000 there were 71 "Victims" of "Breadbin", in 2001 there were 36 and in 2002 there were 185. BREADBIN?? 185 in 2002 means one person every other day!!

Right, let's check out, hmmmm, "Coffee Grinder". Results:
In 2000 there were none, in 2001 there were 18 and in 2002 none again. That is a BIG peak there in 2002. I can only think that either i) there was a Government awareness campaign after the 2001 epidemic vis a vis the dangers of grinding coffee or ii) everyone started drinking instant (or "Warm Drink of Weetabix" as I call it...). Interesting that the Breadbin is seriously more dangerous than the Coffee Grinder. Thinking about a sandwich or a cuppa? Go for the brew, seriously, your life could depend on it.

Last one. Let's choose, "Serving Tray". What do you reckon? How does this innocent looking piece of equipment compare with the near lethal "Breadbin" and the surprisingly harmless "Coffee Grinder"? Folks, I have to tell you that the humble Serving Tray is a DEATH TRAP!! In 2000 there were 1,419 Victims, in 2001 1,464 and in 2002 1,599! (On the increase, you notice?) HOW??

So, in summary, using advanced techniques of statistical analysis I calculate the following:

a) A Serving Tray is 2.6 times as dangerous as a Breadbin,
b) A Breadbin is 16.2 times as dangerous as a Coffee Grinder, and
c) A Serving Tray is 15.3 times as dangerous as a Breadbin and a wopping 249 times as dangerous as a Coffee Grinder.

I'll stop there.

You have been warned.
Ignorance is no longer an excuse.

(I have just checked back to a post I did on risk, read it here, and a Serving Tray is 2.2 times as dangerous as a Bus Shelter.)

Expressions...

Tonight at Central Hall we're having a meeting listed as Creative Prayer. The aim is to explore various expressions of creativity in prayer and worship and whatever else that means. I like to have everything prepared normally so this is something a bit different for me!

I am really keen to help facilitate people's creative expression before God. I know that my most natural expression, singing, is well catered for in our church life but what if your expression is painting? Or sculpting? Or dancing? Or...whatever it is? So we don't have a plan as such, just a few thoughts and we'll see what happens.

It's good to have some space and time for these sorts of expressions of the creativity that God has placed inside us all.

Some of it I will understand and some of it I will not. The picture is an example of "not" :-)

Another bottle...

My weight loss is now up to four 2 litre bottles of Diet Coke - WOW! I changed my plan slightly yesterday though as my wife, who's a Doctor, said I needed more protein so it was chicken for lunch! I know that at this stage of my food journey I can start to go a bit over obsessive and begin seeing food as the enemy. This way leads to bigger problems than being overweight! I think this highlights just what a complex thing your relationship with food can be - one season eating to excess, the next eating next to nothing. It can flip right over.

I was once working four nights a week in a factory on a line. I lost weight then by eating nothing but fruit and fibre and swimming one hundred lengths at the pool in the morning after each shift. Lost a lot then too, but this is not exactly sustainable is it??

This time my plan is to have two phases - Phase 1: Achieve an acceptable weight, and Phase 2: Maintain that weight.

Phase 1 is going well but I do have to be careful not to lose a healthy perspective on it.

I'm hopeful that Phase 2 will be sustainable.

Phew...!

A new low this morning! I was ruthless yesterday and have reaped the benefit this morning. I remember in Winner's book he has the same experience several times of eating just a bit too much and then feeling the annoyance the next day as the numbers tell the story. For me, this is one of the reasons weighing night and day is crucial - I can keep in touch with what's happening day by day and respond as necessary.

Yes, it is obsessive. BUT if I am serious about being slimmer then it is the only way. I'm 38 and this is (was??) the decade where I can really make a difference to later life healthwise. Without this sort of approach I would go gently into that good night of obesity, and all that it brings.

Rage, rage against the widening of the waist!

Just how careful I have to be...

Went out for Chinese last night (a birthday...) and, boy, that's been a wake up call! Big spike in my bar chart, seriously not happy about this. Felt like lots of good work was gone in a flash. Simply ATE TOO MUCH. I have to remember that, given the opportunity, I will overeat, every time. I am a Compulsive Overeater. If you are not like this it's difficult to explain.

So, it is a setback but I shall have my victory! In a couple of weeks it'll be a blip on my chart and a lesson learned.

A new man...

...I am a new man! I played golf today and the contrast with my last game was amazing. Before I lost some weight I was struggling around the course and after nine holes I went home exhausted. Played poorly too. Today I could have carried on after 18 easily (although the weather won just before that...) and the trousers I bought to wear for golf when I was at my largest.....are now too big!! GLORY GLORY!! And I played quite well too, very encouraging :-)

I have now lost more than the weight of three 2 litre bottles of Coke and this since late November. (Well, Diet Coke, in fact...)

I'm starting to think that this way of eating is conceivably sustainable. If so, this is a huge step forward for me. I won't be cured, but I can manage myself so that I eat what I need and not the amount I want. Being slimmer is much more tasty than loads and loads of food.

Thanks again Michael Winner.

(I just read the previous post and the result of the two meals was my spreadsheet weight bar chart levelled off for a couple of days, but I've caught up now, hurray! I did go easy on the first one which was veeeeeeeeeeeery hard but "relaxed" a bit on the second one. YUM!)

Easy does it!

Hmmm, it doesn't take much to stop the flow of weight from my body! I'm maintaining my loss just about but I'm being forced to eat curry for the second night on the trot. Mmmmmm, nice. Last night we went out for an IaMT night and tonight friends are bringing one over. Reminds me of Michael Winner when he describes when he's going to be tempted most to eat and eat.

Never fear! I shall catch up and begin shrinking again tomorrow :-)