Fitness Check-in

I started my fitness journey in April weighing 250 lbs. and wearing 3XL shirts and size 44 waist pants.

With hard work and the support of a great coach, I have lost 40 lbs. I am wearing XL shirts and today bought size 36 shorts.

I stopped using the Advair inhaler that kept the nightly wheezing at bay and allowed me to sleep. The wheezing has not returned and my asthma hasn't reasserted itself. According to my doctor, my A1C has dropped 2 full points. If it continues to drop and I maintain a consistent weight, I could theoretically be taken off my meds for high blood pressure and for diabetes. That is my new goal.

I Believe I'm in Love with Stranger Things

Netflix alerted me to their original series Stranger Things based on my viewing habits. I love their take on the Marvel comics heroes, so I decided to give this show a try over the weekend.

I was consumed!

The show has a very 80's Spielberg/Goonies/ET vibe. The child actors are fantastic! The Duffer brothers hit this one out of the ballpark!!

I cannot recommend this show highly enough! If you haven't watched it, stop reading this right now and do so!

R.I.P. Plymouth Acura... Hello Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo

I have to say, Progressive Insurance did an excellent job of settling my claim fast. I never needed to use the rental car provision because I has a check in my hand within days of making my claim. Because my Acura was so old (1991) they decided to total it. It's sad, because the damage really wasn't that bad. But, upward and onward. As Cervantes said in Man of LaMancha, "In last year's nests, there are no birds this year."

And so, the search was on to get a new vehicle. Jeremy loaned me his truck, but I didn't want to take advantage of his kindness for too long. After years of riding low to the ground, mostly so Jake could climb into my vehicle for his 3X weekly trips to daycare, I decided I wanted a truck or SUV again. Jeremy and I looked at a few trucks, but all were problematic.

Then, I spotted an ad on craigslist for a '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo in Barberton. I went to look at it, took a test drive and decided on the spot that it was what I wanted. It has a 3" lift kit and is just a big, badass piece of machinery. The motor has that deep-throated rumble, like a diesel, that I just love.

So, I took Uber to pick it up, got the tags and title done all in the same day.

Behold, the new Timobile:

Pin Removed - Video at 11

I had an appointment with my surgeon, Dr. Kase, today to remove the pin from the small bone in my wrist. It was the first time since the accident that I got to actually see my arm under the immobilizer and bandaging. My buddy Joe asked if the doctor would let me video it because he always wondered what that looked like. He's kind of a freak like that.

I asked the nurse and the x-ray tech if they thought Dr. Kase would let me film the pin removal. Both said they doubted it, citing HIPAA regulations and whatnot. I asked anyway and Dr. Kase was fine with it. Afterward, I showed the video to Joe and then posted it on Facebook.

It felt... weird. No pain, the whole experience with my injury has been relatively painless. Just odd.

Here is what the arm looks like these days:

Physical Therapy continues weekly. My therapist, Maureen, asked me if I wanted buddy straps. This sounded cool, in a BDSM kinda way. Sadly, it's just this: