Update Season VIII - "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!"

[Joe Biden 2020]

As of midnight Thursday Morning (2 hours away), I will have exactly one week until my Kenya trip begins.  That morning, I will go to bed at 00:15, wake up at 03:30, pray and meditate until 05:00, eat a normal breakfast at 05:20, leave for the airport at 06:00, arrive at Will Rogers World Airport at 06:30, meet with the group at 07:30, go through security about 08:30, board at 10:10, and depart for Washington, Dulles International Airport at 10:40.  I'm not going to worry about a diet that day, because I won't be eating a whole lot while I am in Kenya.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Good Thursday Morning!  ONE WEEK LEFT!!!

[Joe Biden 2020]

That morning, I will go to bed at 00:15, wake up at 03:30, pray and meditate until 05:00, eat a normal breakfast at 05:20, leave for the airport at 06:00, arrive at Will Rogers World Airport at 06:30, meet with the group at 07:30, go through security about 08:30, board at 10:10, and depart for Washington, Dulles International Airport at 10:40.

Why would you stay up until after midnight that night, and end up with just 3 hours sleep before your travels?  Why not go to bed early so you can get more sleep?

I may do that.  The sleep times can be fudged a bit, especially the bed time.  This is a general guideline or goal.

[Joe Biden 2020]

It's 2:00 Thursday Morning.  I probably should hit the sack!

[Joe Biden 2020]

Good Thursday Morning!  It is just after 09:00 and I had a good, albeit brief morning's sleep.  I couldn't fall asleep until 03:00 and woke up at 08:30.  I thought I better get up then, as it could have easily been after 10:00 before I woke up again.  I have to go to Shawnee and get the rest of my medicine before I leave in one week.  I'm going to get started packing this afternoon and should be able to relax most of the evening.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I think I've turned the corner again.  Yesterday, I ended at around 2,100 calories.  Yesterday morning, the scale had jumped back to just a 6 lbs loss.  This morning, it was back to a 7.5 lb loss.  Yesterday morning, it had jumped back to 269.0, but is back down to 267.5.  I did better yesterday, but I can do even better today.

[Joe Biden 2020]

You ate 5 soft tacos Bushie?    Cleaning up the meat again?   

In checking that's over 1500 calories just for the tacos......not counting anything else.  Ugh.

Yeah, it wasn't pretty.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I think I've turned the corner again.  Yesterday, I ended at around 2,100 calories.  Yesterday morning, the scale had jumped back to just a 6 lbs loss.  This morning, it was back to a 7.5 lb loss.  Yesterday morning, it had jumped back to 269.0, but is back down to 267.5.  I did better yesterday, but I can do even better today.

You realize those are natural adjustments and not an indication that your even attempting a full-fledged weight loss program, right?

I understand that's probably water weight, but it still gives me enough motivation to keep going.  Although, I don't think 7.5 lbs is a natural adjustment.  Something bigger had to have happened.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I think I've turned the corner again.  Yesterday, I ended at around 2,100 calories.  Yesterday morning, the scale had jumped back to just a 6 lbs loss.  This morning, it was back to a 7.5 lb loss.  Yesterday morning, it had jumped back to 269.0, but is back down to 267.5.  I did better yesterday, but I can do even better today.

You realize those are natural adjustments and not an indication that your even attempting a full-fledged weight loss program, right?

I understand that's probably water weight, but it still gives me enough motivation to keep going.  Although, I don't think 7.5 lbs is a natural adjustment.  Something bigger had to have happened.

You posted on your facebook that you have "turned the corner" on  your diet?  Bushie, lying to your friends is bad.....you're not on a diet.

I'm on a lower calorie diet.  Granted, I need to change what I do eat, but I am trying to eat less.  That alone will drop the weight.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I'm back from Shawnee and I've had lunch.  2 PB & J sandwiches - 600 calories total according to the nutrition labels on the bread,  peanut butter, and jelly.  Dinner remains to be seen, but it shouldn't be anything too heavy.  I'm going to take a nap for a bit, then get started packing a little later.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I'm back from Shawnee and I've had lunch.  2 PB & J sandwiches - 600 calories total according to the nutrition labels on the bread,  peanut butter, and jelly.  Dinner remains to be seen, but it shouldn't be anything too heavy.  I'm going to take a nap for a bit, then get started packing a little later.

Why do you have to nap every day?

He probably has sleep apnea. He's probably also bored with nothing to do all day.

I do have a little sleep apnea.  I couldn't fall asleep until 3:00 this morning and had to get up at 8:30.  So, I only got 5 1/2 hours.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I'm back from Shawnee and I've had lunch.  2 PB & J sandwiches - 600 calories total according to the nutrition labels on the bread,  peanut butter, and jelly.  Dinner remains to be seen, but it shouldn't be anything too heavy.  I'm going to take a nap for a bit, then get started packing a little later.

Why do you have to nap every day?

He probably has sleep apnea. He's probably also bored with nothing to do all day.

I do have a little sleep apnea.  I couldn't fall asleep until 3:00 this morning and had to get up at 8:30.  So, I only got 5 1/2 hours.

Improper sleep (via apnea) will keep you fat.  Why not use a machine for it, or do you already?

I don't use a CPAP machine or anything like that.  I can't sleep with very many things touching me other than a blanket, bed, and pillow.  Plus, the noise of a machine is enough to keep me awake.  Of course, I would get used to it, but I'm not in that bad a shape, yet!

[Joe Biden 2020]

I took a nap for the first time in forever today. I guess napping is possible when you don't sleep at all the night before.

It would be, but, again, my mind is racing 90 to nothing right now, so a nap is quickly becoming a pipe dream.  I may try to get to bed closer to midnight instead of 1:30-2:00.

[Joe Biden 2020]

My problem is not that I can't sleep, but that all too often, my mind treats 2:00 am like it should 2:00 pm.  It doesn't distinguish very well between early morning and early-mid afternoon.  If anything it is more awake at 2:00 am than it is at 2:00 pm (which is why I take a nap a lot of times during the 2:00 pm hour).  There are times I can go to bed at 2200-2300 and sleep like a baby, and those times probably out number the times I cannot sleep a wink.  When I have something as exciting as what I have coming up, sleep gets harder to come by.  I'm sure once I get into July I'll be able to sleep better.

[Joe Biden 2020]

While I am gone to Kenya, updates to the Update may be sparse.  I will have limited Wi-Fi connectivity at the hotel I'm staying at and spotty satellite Internet at Maisha.  I will try to Update when I can, but it definitely won't be on any consistent basis.  The same goes with the rest of the forum.  The most likely time for Update will be from about 12:00-13:00 Eastern Africa Time (04:00-05:00 CDT/05:00-06:00 EDT) and 20:00-22:00 EAT (12:00-14:00 CDT/13:00-15:00 EDT).  I will have both my cell phone and my tablet with me.  These times will really be applicable from Saturday, June 22 - Sunday, June 30 when I'm on the ground in Kisumu.  I will post when I can en route both to Kenya and back to Oklahoma.

[Joe Biden 2020]

That sounds like a better term than sleep apnea.  I've also thought of insomnia.  I'm not a medical expert, so I'll go with nighttime anxiety.

I am finished packing for the night.  I'll pack for early next week.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Yeah, my music minister sleeps with a CPAP and when we sleep in the same room, it keeps ME awake and I can just imagine how it affects him.  He is pretty adaptable, so he's no doubt used to it, but still.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I'm settling into a Thursday Evening and watching some Texas Ranger Baseball.  I'll keep an eye on Game 4, though.  I really enjoy having a dog on my front porch!  We've renamed him J.J. to fit more of a boy personality.  He is most attracted to me as I am the only one he will let hold and pet for an extended period of time (5 minutes).  He still wants to get down and play and explore, but he will let me pick him up, hold him in one arm and pet him with the other.  We believe he is a 6 week old Labrador Retriever.  This boy can eat!  We fed him this morning about 3/4 cup and he devoured the entire bowl.  We fed him at 14:30 about 1/2 cup of food and he devoured the entire bowl.  I just gave him another 3/4 cup at 19:15 and he left a mere 7 morsels of food!  His ribs are no longer showing, so we believe he is getting stronger.  He's only been in our care for three days and he already looks like he has grown just a tad.  We're probably feeding him too much, but we're trying to get his strength up.  We will soon take him to the vet and let them check him out and make sure of his breed and age and get him "enrolled" in the vet.

[Joe Biden 2020]

You sleep with your minister?

Whenever we go on retreats and stay in gender segregated cabins, yes.

This hasn't occurred since April 2011, so nearly 2 1/2 years.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Bushie, why don't you call the police about this dog?  It could belong to someone, have been missing for some time, and the owner would presumably like to find it.  (Or maybe you'd rather just adopt it for yourself, just like adopting orphans from Kenya?)

Also, with regard to your sleeping problems, one thing that can help one sleep better is getting some exercise during the day.  But that's probably too extreme a solution for you.

We have looked online for missing dogs and nothing has turned up.  We're going to take care of him for as long as it takes to either return him to his owners, or become his owners ourselves.  We will keep looking online and on flyers.  We think he was dropped off and abandoned because he was severe malnourished with his ribs showing.  That's why we feed him about 2 cups of food a day to get his health back.  He wasn't there when Dad went to work Tuesday morning at 6:15, but he was there when I went out the door at 9:30.  He has stayed under our porch to stay cool and he comes out for food and water and anytime we come out.  We change his water every 2-3 hours in this 90+ degree heat.

[Joe Biden 2020]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100443748318283&set=a.10100440135054293.1073741826.167201190&type=1&theater&notif_t=like

[Joe Biden 2020]

Also, with regard to your sleeping problems, one thing that can help one sleep better is getting some exercise during the day.

Another would be to cut back on the caffeine.  No soda, no coffee, no  tea at supper or later.  (Or if you must, decaffeinated only.)  As a side benefit, no soda, coffee, or tea in the evening would also cut some empty calories out of your diet.

Caffeine for me is actually a sedative not a stimulant, so I can drink soda clear into the late evening and wee hours without problem.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Texas Rangers fan, eh? What is your opinion of THE ball clubs? The Boys from the Bay, and The Bronx Bombers.

Overrated.  Especially, the Skankees.  The Giants are good, but they're still evil.  They are the West Coast Yankees for me.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Maybe you just don't drink enough caffeine for your weight. I hardly think it sedates you. Chemistry doesn't allow it.

It has always made me sleepy.  It also helps with my headaches.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Texas Rangers fan, eh? What is your opinion of THE ball clubs? The Boys from the Bay, and The Bronx Bombers.

Overrated.  Especially, the Skankees.  The Giants are good, but they're still evil.  They are the West Coast Yankees for me.

Ah, your just jealous of what the Giants did to the Rangers 3 years ago.

The Rangers are actually my second favorite team.  My favorite is St Louis Cardinals.  I am too far inside their market that I can't get their games, so I have to watch the Rangers.  2 years ago was a dream come true for me - St Louis Cardinals vs. Texas Rangers in a 7 Game World Series.