Starting the Trek

Chris over at Marblehead Cycle hooked me up with this Trek Domane 4.1 Road Bike, and a pair of Shimano Bike Shoes.

Things have changed in biking since I bought my CCM Ten Speed back in the 70's.   But then again, so have I.

I'll be making the loop from Marblehead, over to Beverly Farms, past Wenham Main Street and back to Sundance regularly this spring.

Hell on Earth

Peeps....
It's a jungle out here in Cyberspace.
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Between adware, spyware, phishing and all sorts of  phoney emailed offers.. everyday is a challenge to keep cybercriminals from stealing your stuff.  All sorts of extensions are constantly automatically downloaded into whichever type of browser that you use, and you have to continually check to remove them.   Some items have clever capabilities to avoid being deleted from your computer.

Finally last week, the adware and spyware held all of my browsers hostage, and prevented me from doing basic work. 

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So I downloaded Norton Security Suite for all of my computers which seems to have me free of the Bullshit and back in control.   As I had the program scan my hard drives for unnecessary files, it freed up multi-megabytes of space.  Norton was available free from my Internet host, Comcast xfinity, but it would have been well worth the investment if I had to pay.
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Things seem to be working again.
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I also got my Foscam IP based security camera up online after a ton of Geek work.   It's a great unit, but in no way is it plug and play.   You really have to get good and Geeky to integrate the camera into your local WiFi network.  Lots of trial and error, but now I can access the camera from all of my computers as well as my iPhone.   It even emails me if motion is detected in the surveillance space.
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And by the time that some scumbag perp trys to dismantle the camera.... his/her image has already been sent to an FTP site, and emails and other alarms have been sent.

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 Cost less than $100 bucks which is short money considering the range of functionality and control that you can achieve in guarding your stuff and making sure that you get the drop on any unwelcome visitors
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So.... much more focus on Security this week than I would have cared to devote.... both from Cyberspace and physical space.
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You have to wonder what goes on in the minds of scumbags who spend so much effort trying to rip you off.... either in person or electronically.   They must live in their own special Hell on Earth.

Property Value

Now that we sold their South Boston Condo, I've been showing houses on the North Shore to Katelyn and Brady.   They have some nice options to choose from and it is a fun process.

But as I analyze these home and check for potential defects and flaws, I am always appalled when I return home to West Shore Drive, and find all sorts of cosmetic stuff that I have to attend to in my own house if it was to pass the same scrutiny that I have applied for Brady and Kate.

Before the weather gets good, and outside projects gain attention... there will be extensive caulking and painting throughout this house.

Time to put attention to the small details that matter in the long run in the determination of property value.

WebCam Defense

It been the coldest and snowyest winter in my memory here on the North Shore of Boston.   And we just set the clocks ahead one hour for Spring Daily Saving Time.

Acute case of cabin fever has been ravaging me.   March is always a tough month, but this one, where you still can't walk outside due to the huge dirt covered snowbanks, is particularly onerous.  So much for Obama lecturing us that Global Warming is "settled science".  The only thing settled is BO's tendency to twist reality to fit his agenda.   But enough about our Lefty POTUS.....

So I just got off of Amazon, where I purchased some Japanese Morning Glory seeds, which will be planted if I ever see the soil around the house someday.    Also bought a webcam security system to install at West Shore Drive.  I'm not sure what motivated this purchase, because I don't feel threatened at this address, yet it seemed to be a prudent thing to do....

One of the applications will be to monitor wildlife at night.   The constant snow cover has identified a lot of animal tracks and I was intrigued to find some large coyote prints checking out my trash bins one morning.   There is a lot more action out there at night then we would normally imagine.

The Webcam system links up to 32GB storage and can be viewed and manipulated remotely via iPhone applications.  We've been burglarized five times in Marblehead since moving here from Lynn over the last thirty years...so I guess this is justified  After the first few hits, we learned to lock the doors at nght... no more leaving the doors wide open because of a misguided notion that there is no crime in upscale Marblehead.

The technology is powerful and affordable so there is no excuse for not adding this to your basic line of defense.  When you leave the house, lock the doors and turn on the WebCams.   They record both video and audio when they sense motion and send you an email or FTP notification, so that you can click an app on your smartphone and see what the hell is going on.... as well as tell the Perp remotely through speakers in the WebCam to get the hell away from your stuff as you call the Marblehead Police to nail the scumbag.

Peeps.... we live in a world where our forebears used to guard against MicMac Indian raiding parties, Pirate attacks, and potential death by panthers or bears.   You would think that these ancient scourges have left, and they have.... replaced by other threats, like addicts who must steal to maintain their drug addiction, and a host of other scummy motivations.  There are people out there who want to take your stuff rather than earn their own.

And that doesn't take into account our Global threats by those who would kill you just because you are an American or a Christian.


My new WebCams won't protect me from this stuff.   It will just let me know who ripped me off.  But that's a big improvement.

Return to Normal.

A serious drop off in Posts.   Sorry about that.

My exercise regimen has been drastically modified by snow shoveling and a chance to ski with my grandkids.    Working the weights with the 5x5 program appears to be producing results although I missed two sessions when I went up north for the ski trip.

I don't feel like I have lost any weight, but have definitely noticed a bounce in my step, and have seen some muscle tone and definition returning.  The weight loss will come and feeling good takes precedence.

In the meantime, this snow period for Boston has been the worse in MOAM memory.  Too much for even the Aiens Compact 24 Snowblower to move.  It was a Godsend that I started my workouts at the beginning of the year, or the snow shoveling would have been close to overwhelming.  As it is, I have pain in areas that I had forgotten about.

Back to work at Nanepashemet Telecom after the week ski vaca and work respite.  Trying to return to Normal.

Lull After the Super Bowl

The Patriots won the Super Bowl in a work of fiction ending that could never be believed unless it actually happened in real life.... which it did.

And we in the Boston area have been pummeled with 50" of snow.

Both of these circumstances have colored the landscape since I last reported to you Peeps.

For four days during this period, I was out in subzero weather shoveling and trying to persuade my Ariens Snowblower to plow through drifts and snowbanks with a great deal of resistance.   On all of these occasions, since my t-sheet was soaked in sweat by the time I got back into the house, I treated it as an aerobic workout.   Outside of that, I filled the gaps on the Cybex and doing three 5x5 Stronglifts workouts.

End result is that I've only lost one lb. during this period and the rapid weight loss has taken a hiatus. I was warned by Christos that this would happen, and that I should soldier on... and that is exactly the tact that I am taking.  At this rate, it looks like February will see a scaled back projection.  If I lose four more lbs. before the end of the month, I will be happy.

I noticed though that other times when I have begun a weight loss regime, I've been stalemated at my current weight..... and that the program fell by the wayside.  Can't see this happening this time though.... what with my soldiering on and all.

The 5x5 StrongLifts program is in an interesting stage.   At the beginning, the weights are so light that I would be fairly embarrassed if anyone saw be benching the bar with a few puny plates on it.   But I'm going to stay the course.... by week 18, which shows up sometime in June.... no one will be laughing, and I may have to supplement the plates that I have on hand.

BTW... Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL .... and he is coached by the greatest coach, Bill Belichick.    DeFlateGate can Kiss My Ass.

January Recap

Peeps....
A Recap of January in this MOAM Quest to shed the label of "Big Guy".

After one month, I have officially lost 13 lbs., kept up a regime of 45min. aerobic sessions on the Cybex, interspersed with a couple 60 min. sessions and days off for stuff like illness, real estate closings and Grandson Births.

I also bought and installed a 300 lb. Olympic Free Weight barbell set, as well an accessory bench and squat rack.  My first experimental workout with the weights was very promising and I intend to start performing the www.stronglifts.com program on Monday.

The experimental workout was followed by a 45 min. session on the Cybex yesterday, and today I am a little sore... especially in my core area.... aka "Fat Gut".  I am psyched to turn a keg into a six pack, which should be a byproduct of this routine come August of this year.

Mentally, I am prepared to ski with my Grandkids, which would have been not feasible as close as last December.  And come the end of February, I plan to invest in a good road bike for April/May when all of this white stuff that the Democrats call "Global Warming" has receded.

Business-wise, it was a productive month as well, so that I can't see why I can't incorporate this program without any financial compromise.

This month was easy as far as motivation... what with reading the "Younger Next Year" book cover to cover twice,... and getting a lot of advice from FB Friends, Christos Laganos, Wayne Webster, and Jim Lundgren.... all Lynn English High School classmates of mine.

Next Month's February recap will tell the real story.

Victory So Far.

Peeps....  I've neglected you, as I'm sure you've realized.

But WTF, I had a new Grandson, so back the EFF off.   What the Hell do you want from me???

Anyway... With 186 days to go, I've lost 15 lbs.... simply by working out hard for at least 45 minutes everyday on the Cybex.   In the last 26 days, I took 4 days off.... 2 because I felt crappy, 1 because I had to manage Kate's real estate closing, and 1 because of Connor's birth.

Christos and Jim Lundgren had urged me to consider free weights a while ago.... and I took their advice.   Bought an Adidas Bench, Squat Rack and a 300 lb Olympic weight set, complete with a 7' 45 lb. bar from Amazon. The Bench came today, but the Blizzard of 2015 is delaying delivery of the weights and squat rack.

My plan is to start in February using the 5x5 method illustrated by www.stronglifts.com.

This regime is designed to make you gain strength in a 12 week period by lifting every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and increasing the exercised by 5lbs. each session.  A Belgian guy named "Mendi", who likes to say "Bullshit" a lot with a French accent has put the website and an iPhone app together that takes all of the guess work out of it.  It is actually very well done, and I urge you to check out this website if you are so inclined.

So I hope to integrate the weight lifting program in with the cybex aerobic sessions for the next three months or so, after which the May weather should open up a lot of outdoor cycling and rowing activity.

At this point, I am on schedule to get to Mike's wedding on August 1, under 200 lbs.   A lot can happen between now and then, but I'll take it day by day, and declare victory in various stages along the way  as appropriate.

Connor Joseph Boyle

It was a nice week as Connor Joseph Boyle was born to Katelyn and Brady.

Birth is a joyous event, and always seems miraculous, even though it should seem commonplace.   Modern medical practices have decreased the chances for tragedy to mother or baby, but it still was risky as Brady drove Kate into Massachusetts General Hospital, and she felt like the birth would occur in the car on the way.

Looking at my little grandson, I couldn't help but wonder what life had in store for him.... what will he achieve as he navigates the changes of the 21st century?

I wish him the best and hope to journey part of the way with him.

Mapping Some Alternatives

The daily sweat routines on the Cybex do create a bit of boredom and monotony.

It helps to watch the Science Channel with episodes of "How It's Made" or Comedy Central's "Key and Peele" who I think are talented and hilarious comedians.

It works for this initial push in the cold weather, but I've been mapping out some alternatives when the weather turns a little better in  March or so.

I'm definitely going to get a good road bike as recommended by Wayne Webster and Christos Laganos.   Wayne stresses getting a frame that fits properly and Chris points out that I should be ready to drop $2k or more.

I agree with both of them.   Want to find a good bike shop to buy from and I want the bike to be high enough quality to guarantee the best experience and performance possible.

I've mapped out some routes on the mapmyride.com site up through Cape Ann from my house, and the good parts of this plan is that they would take me past Mike and Pam's house in Beverly Farms... just in case I needed a pick up.  

More than once in the middle of a ride in the past, my bike has broken down, and you have to be prepared for this contingency.

The other activity that I have been actively planning is rowing in Marblehead Harbor using the Herreshoff Columbia Tender.  The distance from the put in at the end of the Harbor on Riverhead Beach to the mouth of the Harbor is 1 1/2 miles.... a three mile out and back.    Add another half mile out to Children's Island, where I would drop a few lobster traps close into the rocks, and you have a row of about four miles.   Rowing at a speed of four knots would be a good workout and would take about an hour and a half.    Plus, stopping for a couple of minutes to tend the traps and maybe harvest some tasty crustaceans would be a great addition to an aerobic workout.

And it wouldn't be any bother to troll a line and maybe hook some mackeral, bunker or maybe a stripper once in a while for dinner fare and lobster bait.

Lastly, I want to get back into running and hiking.... but only after I have built a strong base of fitness from the lower impact exercises of cycling and rowing.

Peeps.... This isn't recreation....it is a commitment to my business partners, customers, family, employees, friends and even you.... to attack the last third of my life in a manner to remain as productive and contributive as possible.

And I am convinced that exercise is the only way.   I urge you to buy and read "Younger Next Year"  by Crowley and Lodge for your own health and well being.

16 Days In - Progress Report

Peeps...
Out of the last 16 days, I have succeeded in getting in a 45 minute session fourteen days on the Cybex stationary cycle, after which my tee shirt quite literally could not be more soaked than if I wore it in Tommy O's swimming pool at the 4th of July.

Which translates into a serious  series of MOAM workouts.

This Saturday morning, in keeping with my pathetic commitment to report  my progress to you, I am happy to disclose the following.

• I feel freaking great... from a general standpoint.... just much more comfortable as I sit and move during the day.
• I've lost 11 lbs. and my clothes fit much better.
• I can feel tone in my ass and legs.
• I can do push ups again.  When I started on New Year's Day, I most embarrassingly could not do one. Yesterday I did 13 in a row.
• I feel more alert and attentive at work... and stress out much less often.
• I don't get sluggish in the afternoon, whereas before by three in the afternoon, I frequently had to fight off fatigue to attend to work issues.

Don't get me wrong.... I'm still a loud, somewhat obnoxiously opinionated, cranky, bastard,

But my secret fear.....that embarking on this lifestyle change would turn me into a mushy headed Liberal.... has not materialized.  Thank the Creator for that!!!!!

It hasn't been all Goose Down and Rose Petals though.

I still have this nagging voice when it is time to workout  in the late afternoon that urges me to blow it off for any particular reason, and I have to fight through that urge.   And the workouts are hard and painful.   Halfway through, I think about quitting and worry that the session will never end.

But it does end, and I am rewarded with a sense of satisfaction and achievement when it is over.... along with the soaked tee shirt.   Then I shower, weigh myself and record the whole thing on an Excel spreadsheet which projects the progress that my present condition has on meeting the August 1 goal.

And it gets worse Peeps.....

Yesterday I went down to Marblehead cycle and priced out a nice Trek Road Bike that I plan to purchase in the Spring.  Man,,, those bikes have changed since I bought my CCM ten speed back in 1971.

What It is Like to be Black

It often comes up when you talk about race relations with Black people, that White people don't know what it is like to be Black.

OK.... I find that to be indisputable.

But I get the distinct feeling that Black people think that if you are White, then you have got it made.  Everything opens up to you because you are White.  Which of course, is BullShit.

It is an unfortunate misconception, and I think that it leads some Black people to think that the challenges they face are solely because they are Black..... when often the same challenges of life affect their White counterparts.

I truly and perhaps naively believe that we have reached a place in our society where class and race only limit you if you use your status as a crutch, and fail to confront head on the challenges that you face.  This wasn't the case when I was a young man, but I believe it to be true now.

So I said it.... let the Political Correctness Police condemn me to Hell.