Monday, June 30 Three-and-a-Half Years

Post 1220, Day 181 of 2014
- 1,277 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Half the year gone. Three-and-a-half years of this blog. 

Jeez, where has the time gone.

When I first started this blog, I was 'recovering' from five months of unemployment. I was just over three weeks into my new job at the Dept. of Veterans Affairs. I was renting a room in a friend's apartment. I had just been told that my 20 years of pre-diabetes was now diabetes. I was three months into working with my new i am Fool band-mates, after abandoning my no-bands, just jams policy.

I decided to do some things: Lose weight. Stop cutting my hair. Take advantage of this new chapter unfolding.

Originally, this blog was part of the weight-loss thing, and in fact, had the title 'Reverend Ken's Weight Loss Journal'. I had read that the one common thread among all the people who successfully lost weight and kept it off was that they kept a journal. I read that doing it in a blog had the benefit of making the blogger publicly accountable.

It worked for me - I lost the weight I wanted to lose in the first six months, and, keeping track here has helped me keep of the weight for three years since. 

Even with a trim last November, my pony tail reached down to my lower back when I got it cut off two weeks ago. Feedback has all been positive, but I don't think it makes a damn bit of difference, except that it saves me about five minutes of shower time.

Once the weight was lost, I decided to de-emphasize the weight-loss part, dropped that from the title, and added the Daily Comment (which this is). I write that comment to my readership (brother, sister, son, and an old friend). These are people who care about me - and it is like a 'Dear Diary' journal entry, without the salutation (which would be, if it existed, Dear Andy, Joan, Alex:).

Other things that got going at (approximately) the same time: 

• I withdrew my 401K from my ex-employer and opened up a self-directed IRA with the proceeds. The goal was to minimize risk and get better returns than the less-than one percent per year of banks. That portfolio has increased at a better-than-15% rate since then, and is now (with some additional investment) more than doubled the starting amount. I've always been pretty good with money, when I had some to work with.
• I decided to work past age 65, and go for the full Social Security ride.I made the first countdown timer for my 66th birthday. (Currently, I am mulling over sticking around just a few months longer, assuming I still want to go to my (best last-job ever) work at the VA, and knowing that I don't want to be moving shit around in the Syracuse Winter. Been there, done that, and know it sucks). 
• I updated my list of five top non-US retirement destinations. Two areas (Ecuador and Thailand) from then are still there today.

Everything I began back on day 0, has evolved positively for me. Today, I'm the happiest person I know, as far as I can tell. And am I ever grateful!

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 Food and Diet Section

2014 Daily Weight

Today's Weight:         209.4 lbs

Previous Weight:        210.0 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 0.6 lbs

Diet Comment

Now that the weekend's over, and no gigs for a whole week, I'm hoping to knock a few pounds off.

Food Log 

Breakfast

Quest bars.

Lunch

Shrimp salad with creamy balsamic dressing on baby kale, baby spinach, chard and cole slaw mix.

Snack
Quest bars.

Dinner

Toasted cheese on Ezekiel 4:9 Flax bread and a Quest bar.

Liquid Intake

   Coffee:  30 oz.   Water: 128+ oz. 

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!