Entries from December 2005 ↓

Back around March of this year I set a life goal to reclaim some of my youth, my character, my personality and my physical condition from a time when I was 16, before life had really happened yet. I called it ‘Reclaim 185!’ When I was 16 it was 1985, and 20 long years ago. As I sat down at my new Apple PowerBook to write out my goal the genesis of my inspiration was purely a weight loss and physical conditioning goal. What I found myself writing down crystallized in to a complete overhaul of the mind, body and soul. Reclaim 185 is recognition that I’ve been trying to find my way back to my core self for the last five years. But, things had been going too slowly and 2005 was the year to get focused. So, Reclaim185 became my symbol and goal to reclaim the very best of me from 20 years ago, while NOT throwing out the wisdom that only 20 years of horrible and wonderful experiences bring you.

To really explain Reclaim 185 I need to tell a bit of my life story which I’m going to do in chapters. Why? It’s part of my experience, part of documenting my progress and better understanding what it is I’m doing, and finally for my kids to read about when I’m old and senile and gone all together. Since that could be any day I thought I should get started. Yeah, having kids makes you think this way. Having four kids make you think this way even more!

So, the intro is done. If I start writing I may eventually catch up on those 20 years! For now, I’ll just document that I’ve reached, ON schedule, the easiest and first part of my goal. That was to get from 216 lbs. down to 185 lbs. by the end of this year. Today’s the day. Today I weigh 180.8 lbs. I’ve lost 35 lbs. My running is going great! I now like to run a 5 mile route that I call the ‘Powerline.’ It’s in Wellington, Florida and at least a third of my route is off-road through grass and over a beach-sand like trail that gives me a real workout. Next, I want to really build muscle and strength with weights and various calisthenics. For now, I’m happy to have come so far with my overall conditioning and weight. My eating habits are light years ahead of where I was 20 years ago and my immune system is definitely showing signs of recovery. No more cigars either – I gave them up this summer.

And how am I feeling emotionally? Better than ever and I’m just getting in to the zone. 2006 will be about getting in the zone and staying in the zone in all areas. I am accelerating towards a rich life while recognizing an already rich life in the here and now.

Speaking of which, I’ve got some right now to go take care of. TBD.

Went on my Powerline run this afternoon around 5PM. Ran the 5.0 mile circuit in 38 minutes and change. Feel good. Temperature is cool.

My cousin, Chris Magnus, on my mother’s side has recently been named Police Chief in one of the toughest cities in the U.S. As a long time native of the Bay Area (14 years) it feels pretty funny to know that a relative that I’ve only been around as a real youngster is now Police Chief in the East Bay not too far from where my boys live (although Richmond and Pleasanton, CA are as far away demographically and socialogically as you can get). I’d be impressed with anyone who’d take on a challenge like this but it makes me even happier to know that he’s part of my family. Good luck Chris and good on ‘ya Mate!

Excerpt From the San Francisco Chronicle

Fargo, N.D. — There has been only one slaying here this year. And it had none of the gory elements associated with the movie named for the town.

It happened when a man came upon a drunk urinating next to his parked pickup truck outside a bar. The man got into his truck and ran down the drunk, authorities said. He’s been charged with murder.

Fargo Police Chief Chris Magnus is proud that nothing worse has happened this year in his city of 91,000 people, which is considered one of the safest in the country. But soon the chief will leave this glacial Upper Midwestern town, where he’s been the top cop for six years, to head the police department in a city ranked among the nation’s most dangerous: Richmond.

And frankly, Magnus is tired of the comparison. Since he was hired in November, he has heard the snickering, read the critical articles, and seen the quizzical looks written on the faces of just about every Californian he meets.

How is a 45-year-old white guy from Fargo, which averages one homicide every two years, going to take charge in a racially diverse town that so far this year has seen 38 killings, one of the highest per-capita rates in California?

“Some of the news coverage has smacked of — well, elitism is the wrong word — but certainly of, ‘What does Fargo have to offer a place like the Bay Area?’ ” Magnus said recently as he steered his car along the icy roads to the police station.

The youngest son of an art professor and a piano teacher, Magnus started as a police dispatcher in Lansing, went on to become a paramedic, and then became an officer. He earned a master’s in labor relations from Michigan State University while working as a captain in the force.

Full story here.

Just went for my first Powerline mountain bike ride down my normal daylight off-road running ground. I wanted to see how far it was for my running and also see how quickly I could do it on my Mountain Bike. What I learned is that it is 6.1 miles round trip (not counting the first bit where I ride to Wellington Trace. I ended the route back at the house. You hit 4.8 miles when you reach the War Memorial on Forest Hill and 5 miles when you reach the street that you exit from the Publix. Took me 32 minutes today and the off road sand trail was a real work out!

Golf at Palm Beach Gardens.

My friend Eric and I love to swap stories about Florida drivers and we’ve swapped some tales that seem hard to believe. Just yesterday my appreciation for how bad the drivers are here in Florida was renewed once more. For those of you not familiar with the area let me just clarify that I’m not referring to our infamous ‘cotton tips,’ the old age drivers that go 25 in a 55 zone. I find those incidents to be very rare. What you DO see is people of all ages, race, and sex driving ALL kinds of vehicles doing the absolutely dumbest things you’ve ever seen on the road.
So, it’s with that introduction that I give you a minor but enjoyable Florida driving aside from yesterday.

My family and I were in our truck waiting in the Toys R Us parking lot line to exit on to a major local highway when we became stuck behind a lady in her SUV. Her car was stopped and she was looking down completely absorbed in reading something (looked like a receipt from her shopping). In any event, the cars ahead of her in line had cleared out even before we had arrived behind her. So, I’ve got my, it’s Christmas be patient hat on, since you know when you’re on the road at this time of year that everyone is stressed and there’s just no point in getting bothered.

My wife Shannon and I start making jokes about how long it will be before she wakes up and goes. Another car pulls up behind us in line. Then another. Then another. It’s not like five minutes have gone by, it’s just busy. So, I’m contemplating giving the horn a polite tap just so we don’t wait until Christmas is over but then she realizes what’s going on and jets off. She gets about 20 car lengths before she’s caught up with the line. No biggie, it is not like she was really holding anyone up. Well, it starts to get more Florida like from here out. She decides at the last minute that she doesn’t want to use the exit that she’s been waiting in line to use. OK. Instead she’ll go against traffic in the parking lot where two massive lines of exiting traffic are converging on the single exit that she’s now grown disenchanted with. It’s still not quite Florida class yet. The lady then becomes frustrated by the car in front of her because *they* haven’t quite been able to pull up far enough to let her by (now that’ she’s changed her mind about her exit strategy). So, she veers around the car aggressively and leans on her horn, not a little polite beep, but a YOU MOTHER FUCKER kind of beep, before speeding off in a rage punching the gas, and driving like a maniac. As the sound of the ladies horn is wafting off in her emissions I watch, I ponder, and Shannon and I share an incredulous look and pull up in line. There’s not much to say – we see shit like this here every day.

Merry Christmas Shannon amd Julian,

Here is my Christmas card done on Bryce. I tried it in Aussie beach mode with sand and surfboard, but it just didn’t quite work.

I was thinking maybe Christmas balls are born big and then grow smaller – so this is them growing down and getting socialized by being near evergreen trees. Works for me!

Again Merry Christmas

Lorenz

I’ve been running a 4.8 mile route around Wellington recently and wanted to start keeping track of my average running speed. My latest run was December 21 where I ran the 4.8 miles in 38:49. Using this calculator I found online that comes out to an average of 7.419 mph.

Here’s the link to the speed calculator.

Just an example of a site I found on Jonathan Harris’ site. Really interesting use of…images.