As Bushie's World Turns (The Update Thread)

[Joe Biden 2020]

Here is a weight loss update:

As of this morning, I have now lost 14 1/2 pounds.  I also have not had a regular coke in 8 days since Sunday, December 4, 2011.  I have no desire for them, anymore.  My mother advises me since I've gone this long, to just stay away from them altogether.  Instead, I've been drinking Coke Zero and occasionally Diet Dr. Pepper in establishments that don't have Coke Zero.  I do not see myself ever going to a water-only diet.  That's just too boring.  Coke Zero is fine since it has no calories and no sugar and it tastes great.

[Joe Biden 2020]

14 weeks from right now, I will probably be on the plane doing some pond hopping headed to some airport in Europe, most likely Amsterdam, Brussels, Zurich, Istanbul, or possibly London-Heathrow.  I will likely leave the Oklahoma City airport around 11:00 or 11:30 Friday morning, March 16.  I'll likely fly into either Washington-Reagan or Dulles, Chicago, Dallas, or Newark for my American layover. The European layover will be in the cities I mentioned above.  I should return to the Oklahoma City airport around 8:30 or so Sunday night, March 25.

So you're going to be in Kenya for a little more than a week?

Yes, 9 days total including 2 full weekends.

Here is a weight loss update:

As of this morning, I have now lost 14 1/2 pounds.  I also have not had a regular coke in 8 days since Sunday, December 4, 2011.  I have no desire for them, anymore.  My mother advises me since I've gone this long, to just stay away from them altogether.  Instead, I've been drinking Coke Zero and occasionally Diet Dr. Pepper in establishments that don't have Coke Zero.  I do not see myself ever going to a water-only diet.  That's just too boring.  Coke Zero is fine since it has no calories and no sugar and it tastes great.

Keep it up! Clothes fitting differently yet? That's the best feeling in the world! Any progress on the energy out side of the equation? It doesn't have to be a marathon at first (and, frankly, shouldn't be anything too strenuous to start), but you need to work at both sides not just to lose weight but to be healthier.

Thank you, memphis!  I'm almost ready to go down a size in my jeans from my current 40 to 38!!

[Joe Biden 2020]

So, when is the next engagement?

Not anytime soon. I don't even have a girlfriend, nor do I have any prospects.

[Joe Biden 2020]

14 weeks from right now, I will probably be on the plane doing some pond hopping headed to some airport in Europe, most likely Amsterdam, Brussels, Zurich, Istanbul, or possibly London-Heathrow.  I will likely leave the Oklahoma City airport around 11:00 or 11:30 Friday morning, March 16.  I'll likely fly into either Washington-Reagan or Dulles, Chicago, Dallas, or Newark for my American layover. The European layover will be in the cities I mentioned above.  I should return to the Oklahoma City airport around 8:30 or so Sunday night, March 25.

So you're going to be in Kenya for a little more than a week?

Yes, 9 days total including 2 full weekends.

Here is a weight loss update:

As of this morning, I have now lost 14 1/2 pounds.  I also have not had a regular coke in 8 days since Sunday, December 4, 2011.  I have no desire for them, anymore.  My mother advises me since I've gone this long, to just stay away from them altogether.  Instead, I've been drinking Coke Zero and occasionally Diet Dr. Pepper in establishments that don't have Coke Zero.  I do not see myself ever going to a water-only diet.  That's just too boring.  Coke Zero is fine since it has no calories and no sugar and it tastes great.

Keep it up! Clothes fitting differently yet? That's the best feeling in the world! Any progress on the energy out side of the equation? It doesn't have to be a marathon at first (and, frankly, shouldn't be anything too strenuous to start), but you need to work at both sides not just to lose weight but to be healthier.

Thank you, memphis!  I'm almost ready to go down a size in my jeans from my current 40 to 38!!

Excellent! I've done some weight yo-yoing in the past. You're going to have to try everything on before you buy it because everybody sizes things differently. Target jeans, for whatever reason, are extremely generous in the waist, even the ones that are not relaxed fit. I could probably wear a 32 Target jeans if I wanted, which is hilarious because I'm more like a 36 in the real world.

What's nice is that I have about 10 pair of size 38 jeans in my closet, so I won't even have to go buy any.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I just got my passport in the mail today.  It only took two weeks!!

[Joe Biden 2020]

That must have been a weird day at the passport office.  "Hey guys, look at this - somebody from Oklahoma is applying for a passport!"  "What?  No way..."  "I'm serious!  It's spelled correctly and everything!  I wonder if he knows what it's even for."

Oklahoma probably has its own team and does nothing but facebook all day, so when they saw my application, they got it done in just a little while and went back to facebooking.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I am able to check my work email from home, now, and this morning when I woke up and checked the email, I found out officially that I will work 12-7 Christmas Eve afternoon, but I will have Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day, and January 2 all off work.  That 7 hours on Christmas Eve is a little more than 2/3 of a normal 10 hour work day.  So, this leaves me with 6 2/3 days of work remaining in 2011, 4 of which I will knock out in the next 4 days, Saturday-Tuesday.  After I get off work at 5:00 pm on Tuesday, December 27, 2011 I will have a nice 6-day weekend until 6:00 am on Tuesday, January 3, 2012, followed by 11 hours of work, then another 3-day weekend.

I now have 90 days until Kenya (3 months from today).

I am still hovering between 13 1/2 and 14 1/2 pounds lost in the past 5 weeks.  Today, I am at 14 1/4 pounds.  I started the diet at 285.0 lbs and this morning I am at 270.8 lbs.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I hope you aren't starving yourself.  Exercise, exercise, exercise!  I suggest running for the longest distances you can (gradually increasing your mileage) in tandem with push-ups and planks.  Don't do crunches, you will just hurt your back (and the benefits are minimal).

I'm definitely not starving myself. I'm still eating fine, I'm just not overeating and stuffing myself miserable.  I am walking a couple times a week as my form of exercise and will probably increase that once the weather starts getting warmer in the late winter and early spring.

As of this morning, I was at 14 3/4 pounds lost.  I'm slowly, but surely heading in the right direction.  I don't want to go too fast down the hill and send my body into shock, so a nice, steady progression is ideal. 

[Joe Biden 2020]

I have fluctuated back up to about 13 3/4 - 14 pounds lost again, hovering right around 271.  I didn't do anything out of the ordinary yesterday, I think its just a natural fluctuation in my weight loss journey.  It's actually good, I think, that I have these minor gains as 1) it keeps me from getting to sure of myself and 2) it prevents me from losing weight too fast for my body to adjust.

By the middle of January, I will have my Kenya trip completely paid for, including spending money and visa money.  I'm at $2000 right now, thanks to a donation that came in last Thursday.  I am promised another $400 right after the first of the year and I have also been promised some by the middle of January.  The only other expense I should have trip related is $98 to get my yellow fever vaccination sometime in late January or early February.  If I go down to the Oklahoma County Health Department, the Tetanus shot is free and the Yellow Fever is $98.

Starting around the 2nd or 3rd week of January, I am going to start getting stuff organized that I'm going to take to Kenya and take stock of what I have and make a list of what I need to get.  This will give me roughly 2 months to get what I need so I don't have to buy everything all at once.

As of today, I am down to 88 days, not including today, until I leave.

In the Brown Household, today, Sunday, December 18, 2011, is the beginning of Christmas Week 2011.  I define Christmas Week as the final full Sunday-Saturday week before Christmas Day.  That happens to be this week naturally.  New Years Week 2012 is defined by the same rules, the final full Sunday-Saturday week before New Years Day, and it so happens New Years Week will begin on Christmas Morning at midnight and end at 23:59:59 Monday, January 2, 2012.  The first week of January, beginning on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 is back to normal.  It doesn't end until January 2 for me because the Tournament of Roses Parade and all the New Years Day Bowl Games are not held until Monday.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Jeff, if you ever want to get serious about losing weight, rather than just verbalizing about it (how many times have you lost 15 pounds, and then put it right back on?), use this product every morning. I put a scoop in the blender with orange juice and fruit.  I lost 10 pounds a month like clockwork - 70 pounds total. I now weigh 160 pounds, and have a body fat percentage of around 12%.  It changed my life.

I am serious about losing weight.  I've been losing for 5 full weeks now (tomorrow will start week 6).  My goal is to get in better shape so I can withstand the heat and humidity in Kenya and be of better service to the team.  I also want to not make the same mistakes in my 30s as I have in my 20s as I know mid-life can produce weight gain on its own.  I want to get ahead of the curve here and prevent things from going from bad to worse.  My blood pressure really spiked on Saturday, November 12 and I thought I had a very minor heart attack, and that's what spurred this weight loss campaign.  I would like to lose a couple pounds a week and I know I can do that.  I'm also beginning to walk some in the house and will walk more outside when the weather starts getting warmer outside.  This is not some 2-week fad that I am on, this is a real effort to lose weight.  I am at 14-15 pounds now, and my goal is to be at 17-18 pounds by January 1 and then 25 pounds by February 1.  I would like to lose 85-100 pounds total.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Are you seriously defining walking inside your house as a serious way to lose weight?

It takes a lot longer, for sure, and while it's not the same as walking outside, at least I'm moving around, not stationary.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Bushie, I successfully dealt with my former overweight issues by regularly attending a gym and continuing to do so every since.

I've thought about a gym membership, but my finances right now just won't allow it.  I want to one of these days, but right now, it's just not financially feasible.

[Joe Biden 2020]

If you remember a year ago in the Update Thread I mentioned I have an actual process when it comes to changing my calendars for the New Year.  I am at it, again!  I have a schedule typed up on Microsoft Word that tells me when to take down a certain calendar, when to put up the new calendar, when to change pages to January.  As for my desk calendars, I have a schedule of when to turn each individual page.  It will not all get changed at one time, but I have a method to each page turn about 45 minutes apart.  I will have started the changing process, but I will take a break for Christmas from this Thursday evening through next Wednesday morning.  I will have all the calendars changed by 1:00 am Saturday, December 31, 2011 which is 3 hours before 2012 is born in the Pacific Ocean.

I have a couple words of advice for anyone trying to figure this out...  "Don't ask!".

[Joe Biden 2020]

I also found out that my supervisor should be able to put in the requisition order to get me on permanent by the end of the first week of January. The contract with the client should be finished negotiating by the end of December, and he says it will be just a couple days after that when he submits. He said, though, it could take a little time to go through because it has to go up 100 different levels of management for approvals, but its pretty much a done deal and a matter of time at that point.

[Joe Biden 2020]

If you remember a year ago in the Update Thread I mentioned I have an actual process when it comes to changing my calendars for the New Year.  I am at it, again!  I have a schedule typed up on Microsoft Word that tells me when to take down a certain calendar, when to put up the new calendar, when to change pages to January.  As for my desk calendars, I have a schedule of when to turn each individual page.  It will not all get changed at one time, but I have a method to each page turn about 45 minutes apart.  I will have started the changing process, but I will take a break for Christmas from this Thursday evening through next Wednesday morning.  I will have all the calendars changed by 1:00 am Saturday, December 31, 2011 which is 3 hours before 2012 is born in the Pacific Ocean.

I have a couple words of advice for anyone trying to figure this out...  "Don't ask!".

Why???

Have you forgotten?  Bushie doesn't do "normal" things.  He could probably be considered a little eccentric.  One thing Bushie is, is deliberate.

[Joe Biden 2020]

As of this morning, I have now lost 16.6 pounds with a weight of 268.4.  I am starting to feel better now and, I think, starting to look better.  My next goal is to drop into the 250's and I hope to do that within the next two or three weeks.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I am at my parents' for the weekend through Monday night.  I've got a pretty busy day, but fun day, on Friday.  I've got a few errands to run in town tomorrow getting last minute items for Saturday night and Christmas Dinner on Sunday.  I'm still at 16.6 pounds lost as of Thursday morning, and I'm not going to worry too much about my diet this weekend.  I'm still going to drink the Coke Zeroes and generally eat less, but when it comes to Christmas Dinner, I'm going to indulge and throw all hope aside.  Thankfully, it will be composed of primarily healthy foods with Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Green Beans, Stove Top Stuffing, Rolls, and either my mother's Pistachio Pudding or my grandmother's Lime Jello Salad and, of course, Pumpkin and Lemon Merignue Pies.

Saturday, I do have to work from 12:00-19:00, so I'm going to leave my parents' around 10:30 to run back home and check on my cat and get my dress shirt, slacks, belt, and red tie for Christmas Morning service.  After work, I'll go straight back to Mom and Dad's and should get here about 19:45 at which time we will have sandwiches for our dinner and then open presents.

Christmas Morning, we'll leave at 10:00 for our Morning Worship Service at 10:30.  That should be over by 11:45 at which time we'll all gather at Mom and Dad's to continue the preparations for Christmas Dinner.  A family friend that joined us on Thanksgiving will join us for Christmas Dinner and to play a few games afterwards such as Skip-Bo, UNO, and maybe Dominoes.  I'll have to get to bed fairly early on Sunday night as it is a work night.

Monday, I'll have to get up at 3:45 in order to be out of the house by 5:00 to drive to work.  Monday evening, I will drive to my grandmother's and take down her Christmas Tree and then come back to Mom and Dad's and spend one more night Monday night before going to work on Tuesday and then going home after work on Tuesday.

I will resume my calendar changing process on Wednesday and finish it by 1:00 am Saturday morning, New Year's Eve.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I am at my parents' for the weekend through Monday night.  I've got a pretty busy day, but fun day, on Friday.  I've got a few errands to run in town tomorrow getting last minute items for Saturday night and Christmas Dinner on Sunday.  I'm still at 16.6 pounds lost as of Thursday morning, and I'm not going to worry too much about my diet this weekend.  I'm still going to drink the Coke Zeroes and generally eat less, but when it comes to Christmas Dinner, I'm going to indulge and throw all hope aside.  Thankfully, it will be composed of primarily healthy foods with Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Green Beans, Stove Top Stuffing, Rolls, and either my mother's Pistachio Pudding or my grandmother's Lime Jello Salad and, of course, Pumpkin and Lemon Merignue Pies.

Saturday, I do have to work from 12:00-19:00, so I'm going to leave my parents' around 10:30 to run back home and check on my cat and get my dress shirt, slacks, belt, and red tie for Christmas Morning service.  After work, I'll go straight back to Mom and Dad's and should get here about 19:45 at which time we will have sandwiches for our dinner and then open presents.

Christmas Morning, we'll leave at 10:00 for our Morning Worship Service at 10:30.  That should be over by 11:45 at which time we'll all gather at Mom and Dad's to continue the preparations for Christmas Dinner.  A family friend that joined us on Thanksgiving will join us for Christmas Dinner and to play a few games afterwards such as Skip-Bo, UNO, and maybe Dominoes.  I'll have to get to bed fairly early on Sunday night as it is a work night.

Monday, I'll have to get up at 3:45 in order to be out of the house by 5:00 to drive to work.  Monday evening, I will drive to my grandmother's and take down her Christmas Tree and then come back to Mom and Dad's and spend one more night Monday night before going to work on Tuesday and then going home after work on Tuesday.

I will resume my calendar changing process on Wednesday and finish it by 1:00 am Saturday morning, New Year's Eve.

5 fingers have to come in there at some point eh buddy?

You lost me...

[Joe Biden 2020]

Lime Jello Salad

Please tell me that Snowguy's gelatin and mayonnaise recipes aren't contagious.

No, it has nothing in common except the gelatin.  She puts Lime Jello mixed with almonds mixed with just a little bit of grated cheddar cheese.  It is delicious!

[Joe Biden 2020]

Lime Jello Salad

Please tell me that Snowguy's gelatin and mayonnaise recipes aren't contagious.

No, it has nothing in common except the gelatin.  She puts Lime Jello mixed with almonds mixed with just a little bit of grated cheddar cheese.  It is delicious!

Wow, that sounds repulsive. Although anything in Jello beside vodka makes me vaguely nauseous.  Is this a middle America thing?  I know Jello became popular by giving away free recipe books, but I thought that was like a 50's thing. Didnt really think anyone actually ate that stuff.

Little pieces of fruit would be ok, but cheese??? In JELLO? Yikes!

This.

One bite of it and you would change your mind in a heart beat!

[Joe Biden 2020]

Will this become the new update thread?

Will it become? It was the purpose of this thread from the beginning.

Correct, it has already become the update thread.  BTW, I still post about Africa on this page and probably more and more as we get closer.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Christmas Eve, Eve 2011 is over except for playing on the Internet the final 3 hours of the night.  We basically did everything we set out to do, so it was a successful and a very fun day with my family.  Tomorrow, on Christmas Eve, I will go to bed around 12:15-12:20 am and wake up at 8:00 am.  I'll eat Christmas Eve breakfast with my parents and then leave the house around 10:20 in the morning to fill up and stop by my house for a few minutes and check on my cat.  I'll leave my house at 11:20 and clock in at 12:00.  I plan on watching the NFL games progress on NFL.com while I'm at work.  I'll take off at 7:00 pm and come straight back to Mom and Dad's and then eat dinner and open presents.  The presents shouldn't take very long this year as we don't have a whole lot, maybe two presents a piece for four people.  We'll probably be through with everything by 8:30-8:45.  I'll probably spend the last 2 1/2-3 hours of Christmas Eve in front of the computer, winding down and go to bed around 12:15 Christmas Morning and get up at 8:00.  I will leave the house by 9:45 Sunday morning to get ready for the 10:30 Christmas Morning Worship Service. We'll be home by noon, most likely, and we'll fix the side dishes for the meal after we get home.  We'll already have cooked the ham before we go to church.  Sunday Night, I'll hit the sack by 9:00 or 9:30 and get up at 3:45 Monday Morning to go to work.  I'll have two days of work before I have another 3 days off.  I kind of consider New Year's Eve to be the first work day of 2012, even though the calendar will still say 2011.  I'll have New Year's Day off as well, and since I will be at church NYE night, I going to record on DVR all 6 hours of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2012.  It starts at 7:00 pm CST and ends at 1:13 am CST. I will probably rewatch the entire thing New Year's Day afternoon after church.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Good evening, friends. I had an awesome weekend with my family. I did gain 4.5 pounds due to the holiday dinner, but I've already lost at least a half pound from the holiday weight. I've been doing some walking to get rid of some of this weight. I'm not about to let another setback derail my goal.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Good evening, friends. I had an awesome weekend with my family. I did gain 4.5 pounds due to the holiday dinner, but I've already lost at least a half pound from the holiday weight. I've been doing some walking to get rid of some of this weight. I'm not about to let another setback derail my goal.

Congratulations.

Thanks, as of this morning, I've lost 2.5 lbs of the holiday weight. This puts me at 271.0 for a total of 14.0 lbs since November 14

[Joe Biden 2020]

I have $2,000 deposited in my Kenya account. I have the rest of it committed and will be deposited in January. I will be getting the tetanus shot in mid-January and the yellow fever shot in early February. I will also begin to take inventory of what I have in my possession and purchase what I don't have in mid January.