Post Number: 150
Review of Yesterday's Progress
Daily PPV Used/Left: 43/26 of 69 (Goal: 30/39)
KimKins Refocus: Day 2 of 3
Pedometer Reading: - {Located after toddler's involvement. Setup. Strapped on today}
Meetings Attended: Attended OA in anticipation of scheduling conflict tomorrow
Exercise Completed: At the Home -
10 Minutes Carido Level 1
Biggest Loser DVD
M-W's Word of the Day: Magnum Opus
My hope is that, one day decades from now, I will consider my magnum opus to be the love my family still shares with each other.
Fairly good day point-wise until the last point in the day. I had eaten 31 of 30 points. More nibbling than originally intended on foods that are definitely not LCLF. But things were still pretty okay. And then I had three pieces of pizza. It was quite late at night. I hadn't eaten anything except a small salad in the last 8 hours. Late time of the day. Quite hungry. Bad choice. Today is the last day of the LCLF refocus. Let's see how we do today.
Something else I am going to do today is try a different DVD. The Biggest Loser DVD was great, but my ankles and knees took a beating. My left ankle was particularly traumatized by the exercise. Normally I can use it after a few minutes of discomfort if I have been sitting, reclining, or lying down for more than 20-30 minutes. After yesterday's exercise attempt, I was limping for 20-30 minutes after taking my weight off of my ankles for only a short time. The DVD included two people in the group of people exercising that were doing a simplified version of the specific moves. I was following them. I still ended up hurting. Maybe I will see if someone in my circle of acquaintances owns a bicycle machine that they wouldn't mind me using. As it is, The Biggest Loser DVD is probably not going to fit my life with options for another 100 pounds or so. On to the next DVD.
And on to the rest of today.
Yours in the anticipation that hope brings about the return of happy success,
Eliot
P.S.:
How about those Russians, eh? Warship in Cuba. Troops in Crimea. Ukraine Navy blockaded. Ukraine Army bases surrounded. Open support from the Ukrainian populace.
Several articles I read referred to the event as a return to the Cold War by using phrases such as Cold War Redux. These articles used the phrase even before Secretary Kerry used it. But I'm glad he did. Let's get people thinking. Me personally, I am thinking Russia's actions are more along the line of the Anschluss. Austria and Germany had been trying to merge for decades but political pressure prevented them. Nazi Germany openly annexed Austria. Austrians welcomed Hitler. Rather like the open support mentioned previously.
I'm not going to make many predictions; I am going to do more observing and recording. I remember the last half of the Cold War. I remember how painful Russia's transition to democracy was. I've seen the Russian nationalist fervor return attitudes to something that better resembles the Cold War Russian militaristic structure I remember. Russia has grown from the experience of the last couple decades. Russia isn't standing quite so alone. With powerful allies in Iran (oil) and China (production), I am going to be paying careful attention. I do make one additional prediction. Whether it fades quickly (which I doubt), quietly simmers (which I suspect), or expands into world-wide attention (not conflict, at least, not yet), this event will be drawing words in the next US presidential election.
And while we are back to American politics, let's not forget the Defense Department cut-backs that were proposed a short time ago. Curious timing, Socchi Olympics ends, Russian Army in Ukraine, and US Defense reduction in spending. To borrow from the era immediately post-Cold War, "Things that make you go hmmm." Is Putin getting kick backs from US military contractors? Are the proposed military cutbacks just one of a string of events emboldening Putin? Actually, I don't believe either of these is the case. Putin has his own agenda that will place him well among the actively bold and fiercely patriotic Russian leaders, each of whom had his own nationalistic intentions.
And as long as we're discussing money, let's be sure to add in the debt ceiling being raised. That debt is in some creditor's hands. And whose hands are those? And let's mention the increase in use of the Chinese Yuan in international transactions over the American Dollar. And we can throw a little more confusion into the issue since China and Russia are allies and are two of the permanent members of the UN security council. Granted France, the UK, and the US are the other three permanent members. But with France and the UK siding less frequently with the US in the not-so-distant past when it comes to interpretation of international crises, the UN will also bear some watching. This watching is especially necessary with the UK calling Ukraine's sovereignty a paramount concern, much like the US. Now if Germany were on the same page, we could harken back to the days of President Reagan, PM Thatcher, and Chancellor Kohl. Then maybe there really would be a Cold War Redux. But Obama isn't the military wielding cowboy Reagan was. You won't catch PM Cameron dancing with Obama, musically or philosophically. And Chancellor Merkel is neither on the same page with the US/UK plan of action nor likely to be politically cozy with Mitterrand's modern counterpart, Hollande. Kohl and Mitterrand's work could be considered a prelude to the creation of the European Union. That same union that has Germany footing many of the EU's bailout bills that France is no longer interested in monetarily assisting.
And what will all of this watching get me? The more I examine this series of events, the less it looks like the Cold War. And the more it looks like a new war. I am looking forward to several events that will presage events I await. To this point, I haven't brought in my religion, but here it comes. There are certain spectacular and seminal events recorded in the Bible that has me awaiting their advent. Egypt will "swear to the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 19:18-25). The temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. And there are others. And what does this have to do with Russia and China? Current Arab nations, in my opinion, do not have the man power to pull off the destructive events described in the Bible. I don't think the Arab nations have much beyond the religious fervor to attempt those events. But with Russia and China's combined manpower, firepower, and access to resources, there is something to be considered in light of the scope of those prophesies of Biblical proportions.
But those are the predictions in the extremes of time. An example of this would be that I predict the trap of tolerance will be laid as a pitfall for enough believers to pull them away from their faith at a critical juncture in their lives and our culture. The tolerance trap being the modern belief of tolerating the person means tolerating their behavior when God asks us to separate them by liking the sinner but disliking the sin. I firmly believe that God expects me to love everyone for what they are (Children of a Heavenly Father), not for what they do (same gender interacting, toking, etc.). But enough of distant predictions such as the world getting better at calling good evil and evil good.
In the near future, I predict I will finally go to bed and get a few short hours of sleep made more dire by Quail's presence in my bed already. I predict I will get a job and start to dig myself out of the hole I am in. I predict I will spend much time reading and pondering the world's current events. And like most people, I will probably miss the significance of it until well after the consequences of the event are apparent. That is okay. I will still watch and ponder, observe and ruminate. Something I first started doing while watching Secretary of State George Shultz perform on the world stage. I look forward to seeing Secretary Kerry and others perform on the world stage these days. It gives me something to work to understand. And in that understanding, I make more of the world I love a deeper part of me.
How about those Russians, eh?
P.P.S.: Some quotes by George Shultz
P.P.P.S.: IF you have made it this far, you deserve something humorous for getting past my impromptu mid-night rant, er, I mean essay. Things you don't see everyday
P.P.P.P.S.: Friends don't let friends pull (near) all-nighters and blog.
Daily PPV Used/Left: 43/26 of 69 (Goal: 30/39)
KimKins Refocus: Day 2 of 3
Pedometer Reading: - {Located after toddler's involvement. Setup. Strapped on today}
Meetings Attended: Attended OA in anticipation of scheduling conflict tomorrow
Exercise Completed: At the Home -
10 Minutes Carido Level 1
Biggest Loser DVD
M-W's Word of the Day: Magnum Opus
My hope is that, one day decades from now, I will consider my magnum opus to be the love my family still shares with each other.
Fairly good day point-wise until the last point in the day. I had eaten 31 of 30 points. More nibbling than originally intended on foods that are definitely not LCLF. But things were still pretty okay. And then I had three pieces of pizza. It was quite late at night. I hadn't eaten anything except a small salad in the last 8 hours. Late time of the day. Quite hungry. Bad choice. Today is the last day of the LCLF refocus. Let's see how we do today.
Something else I am going to do today is try a different DVD. The Biggest Loser DVD was great, but my ankles and knees took a beating. My left ankle was particularly traumatized by the exercise. Normally I can use it after a few minutes of discomfort if I have been sitting, reclining, or lying down for more than 20-30 minutes. After yesterday's exercise attempt, I was limping for 20-30 minutes after taking my weight off of my ankles for only a short time. The DVD included two people in the group of people exercising that were doing a simplified version of the specific moves. I was following them. I still ended up hurting. Maybe I will see if someone in my circle of acquaintances owns a bicycle machine that they wouldn't mind me using. As it is, The Biggest Loser DVD is probably not going to fit my life with options for another 100 pounds or so. On to the next DVD.
And on to the rest of today.
Yours in the anticipation that hope brings about the return of happy success,
Eliot
P.S.:
A Single Historical Perspective on Current Ukrainian Events
An Essay of 4 AM Proportions. Please forgive me
Several articles I read referred to the event as a return to the Cold War by using phrases such as Cold War Redux. These articles used the phrase even before Secretary Kerry used it. But I'm glad he did. Let's get people thinking. Me personally, I am thinking Russia's actions are more along the line of the Anschluss. Austria and Germany had been trying to merge for decades but political pressure prevented them. Nazi Germany openly annexed Austria. Austrians welcomed Hitler. Rather like the open support mentioned previously.
I'm not going to make many predictions; I am going to do more observing and recording. I remember the last half of the Cold War. I remember how painful Russia's transition to democracy was. I've seen the Russian nationalist fervor return attitudes to something that better resembles the Cold War Russian militaristic structure I remember. Russia has grown from the experience of the last couple decades. Russia isn't standing quite so alone. With powerful allies in Iran (oil) and China (production), I am going to be paying careful attention. I do make one additional prediction. Whether it fades quickly (which I doubt), quietly simmers (which I suspect), or expands into world-wide attention (not conflict, at least, not yet), this event will be drawing words in the next US presidential election.
And while we are back to American politics, let's not forget the Defense Department cut-backs that were proposed a short time ago. Curious timing, Socchi Olympics ends, Russian Army in Ukraine, and US Defense reduction in spending. To borrow from the era immediately post-Cold War, "Things that make you go hmmm." Is Putin getting kick backs from US military contractors? Are the proposed military cutbacks just one of a string of events emboldening Putin? Actually, I don't believe either of these is the case. Putin has his own agenda that will place him well among the actively bold and fiercely patriotic Russian leaders, each of whom had his own nationalistic intentions.
And as long as we're discussing money, let's be sure to add in the debt ceiling being raised. That debt is in some creditor's hands. And whose hands are those? And let's mention the increase in use of the Chinese Yuan in international transactions over the American Dollar. And we can throw a little more confusion into the issue since China and Russia are allies and are two of the permanent members of the UN security council. Granted France, the UK, and the US are the other three permanent members. But with France and the UK siding less frequently with the US in the not-so-distant past when it comes to interpretation of international crises, the UN will also bear some watching. This watching is especially necessary with the UK calling Ukraine's sovereignty a paramount concern, much like the US. Now if Germany were on the same page, we could harken back to the days of President Reagan, PM Thatcher, and Chancellor Kohl. Then maybe there really would be a Cold War Redux. But Obama isn't the military wielding cowboy Reagan was. You won't catch PM Cameron dancing with Obama, musically or philosophically. And Chancellor Merkel is neither on the same page with the US/UK plan of action nor likely to be politically cozy with Mitterrand's modern counterpart, Hollande. Kohl and Mitterrand's work could be considered a prelude to the creation of the European Union. That same union that has Germany footing many of the EU's bailout bills that France is no longer interested in monetarily assisting.
And what will all of this watching get me? The more I examine this series of events, the less it looks like the Cold War. And the more it looks like a new war. I am looking forward to several events that will presage events I await. To this point, I haven't brought in my religion, but here it comes. There are certain spectacular and seminal events recorded in the Bible that has me awaiting their advent. Egypt will "swear to the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 19:18-25). The temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. And there are others. And what does this have to do with Russia and China? Current Arab nations, in my opinion, do not have the man power to pull off the destructive events described in the Bible. I don't think the Arab nations have much beyond the religious fervor to attempt those events. But with Russia and China's combined manpower, firepower, and access to resources, there is something to be considered in light of the scope of those prophesies of Biblical proportions.
But those are the predictions in the extremes of time. An example of this would be that I predict the trap of tolerance will be laid as a pitfall for enough believers to pull them away from their faith at a critical juncture in their lives and our culture. The tolerance trap being the modern belief of tolerating the person means tolerating their behavior when God asks us to separate them by liking the sinner but disliking the sin. I firmly believe that God expects me to love everyone for what they are (Children of a Heavenly Father), not for what they do (same gender interacting, toking, etc.). But enough of distant predictions such as the world getting better at calling good evil and evil good.
In the near future, I predict I will finally go to bed and get a few short hours of sleep made more dire by Quail's presence in my bed already. I predict I will get a job and start to dig myself out of the hole I am in. I predict I will spend much time reading and pondering the world's current events. And like most people, I will probably miss the significance of it until well after the consequences of the event are apparent. That is okay. I will still watch and ponder, observe and ruminate. Something I first started doing while watching Secretary of State George Shultz perform on the world stage. I look forward to seeing Secretary Kerry and others perform on the world stage these days. It gives me something to work to understand. And in that understanding, I make more of the world I love a deeper part of me.
How about those Russians, eh?
P.P.S.: Some quotes by George Shultz
P.P.P.S.: IF you have made it this far, you deserve something humorous for getting past my impromptu mid-night rant, er, I mean essay. Things you don't see everyday
P.P.P.P.S.: Friends don't let friends pull (near) all-nighters and blog.
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