About a month away

I am doing everything that I can do, to maintain my composer, as we have about 32 days and 3 min.'s before we take off on our biggest trip of our lifetime.

The last few days have been filled with me calling and emailing South African hotels and car rental dealerships to make sure, that our reservations are still solid; since we booked and paid for everything over a year in advance...

The Big Five Safari is on my mind right now, we have been blessed to secure a 3 day excursion to the Addo National Park , chosen for the wonderful location near, Port Elizabeth. We also found it to be one of the few "malaria free" game parks.

Thank Goodness, no shots are necessary for us on this trip.

**

[Side note] The German center forward Michael Ballack (aka.the best player on the team) had a ankle injury occur on Saturday afternoon. Sigh!!! It feels like being punched in the stomach when you see your prize fighter slip on a banana peel the night before the championship.

It has been a while ...

I have been treading water for the last month or so... The current state of the economy gets the blame for the "ills" for our existence these days. I have been over run with my everyday chores. Enough of the excuses. I am anxiously preparing for the WC 2010 in South Africa.


In preparation, we have purchased a new waterproof camera, Olympus -Stylus 6000. Aside from the catchy name, it is really practical. This 10 megapixel german lens is water & drop proof (up to 5ft.). It also takes videos and shoots in pana-vision, which we can not wait until we get the Table Top mountain. This slim profile size was also a big factor in selecting this documenting tool.



Tanja and I are planning to cover and blog daily about our trip in the "Motherland". Everything from our ground transportation to the little quirky tid bits that we discover off the beaten path.

39 days and counting...



Stay tuned!

Falling Short

Well, as one might think life got in the way of my physical challenge. The 3 days of sit-ups was delivered an literal punch in the face, when I started out my unusual day at work;beginning at 02:30 am... Thinking positively that I will catch up later. Sadly, I only managed to achieve the magic number of 400 for a daily total. I melted into the bed at a whopping 8 pm.

I must use as a partial excuse that I did perform 7 cases in one day. Please note that anything more than 3 in a day is very taxing for most...

For those of you still hanging in there with me... I promise to add the additional 600 to the last days... Cheers

1000 Sit-Ups

Well, It is 6 pm and I have 300 sit-ups/crunches done. LOLOLOL. Let me digress; around 06:45 this morning, I embarked on a new challenge. I will attempt, for the next three days a fitness experiment of pumping my abs of flab, into abs of: well we will see wont' we?

Immediately I felt encouraged, as I staggered out of bed motivated. I quickly crunched out 100 repetitions- "easy - peasy" I boasted to myself, looking at the beautiful sun rise over the backyard.

As the day started to find itself, I somehow have decided to overlook my responsibilities of trying to complete approximately 100 sit-ups every hour, during the spring day light.

06:30 pm.

I have met the 600 mark. Currently, I am playing catch up. I fell into a sleep induced coma; thanks to an extra large bowl of pasta and mushrooms with a side of tortellini. I have learned a tough lesson early in this test. High carbohydrates on a empty stomach, of course send the body into a horrific downward spiral trying to regulate proper blood sugars. One might think that I would have known better. I am supposed to be so good at knowing this concept. I am a medical professional of 16 years... (Sigh)

The goal of this challenge is to jump start my 38.5 inch waist into a lean 36 inches. All fingers and toes are crossed during this 72 hours stretch.

With just after a few ticks past 8 pm. 1000 sit-up have been tallied and accounted in the completed basket. It was a difficult task and I really did not enjoy playing catch up.

Tomorrow, I look forward to trying a more regimented approach to this slimming of the omentum. I may of made this more difficult, on my own, with the poor food selections.

Good Evening Friends

Becoming Ill, What happens next?

Sitting here in bed thinking of "what happens when the shit hits the fan." I guess it is inevitable that sooner or later, sometime, either my wife or I or perhaps even a close loved one will become ill with something that we have no control over. It is that powerless feeling that I am trying to tap into today.

Recently, I have reconnected with an old friend that had a such an ailment... Aside from getting the details, I was greatly interested in how she and her hubby dealt with the reality of the everyday life being interrupted permanently. I asked and ( immediately ASSumed) a negative outlook was first and foremost. To my surprise she, remarked that the support of her family; Captained by her outstanding new husband; of just over a year, made things manageable. " How Loved", I felt for her, as I read about this newlywed and the immediate problems that no one assumes will ever be so quickly in a new relationship...
I am impressed at the human kindness that some people seem to posses in this world.

I am still cutting my teeth now on this blogging thing. I wish to be able to share the good, bad and the ugly about the last how ever many years that I am blessed to walk this earth. I must interject that this turning 40 experiment is still a great conversation starter for many. I feel quite humble to have folks share their true life experiences with me as, I am living vicarious through their fantastic accounts.

Ambitiously, I am the person that my close confidants will feel comfortable allowing me to stand as their "Sargent in Arms" when something crappy happens. My aim, as of now, is to talk about everything and live life to the fullest.

A day with me.

04:46 am.
Abruptly, a jolting ring tone from my treo palm stunned me as I leaped from the most fantastic REM cycle ever. Uumm Ggoood Morn'n, this is Bill... "Hi Bill" says the familiar voice on the other end ..."I am sorry to wake you"... Silence ...as I am waiting for the particulars. Crash or not, I interrupt her spiel. "Not, she says". I return groggily, I'll see you in 10-15. After hanging up the phone. I quickly stumble through the darkest bedroom in the world, avoiding the dog and trying not to wake the wifey. Sigh!!! I brushed my teeth and gently wiped the crap from the corners of my eye wells while darting towards the car.
Turning the key... Shit, I shouted out loud, as the bloody phone rings again. Thinking it is turning into a more emergent situation the secretary explains "that the patient will not be having a C-section right now. Sorry for waking you." It seems the night crew jumped the gun in a totally acceptable fashion by calling me before having an official word given by the Surgeon to sound the alarms. Actually after the Doctor arrived at the hospital... The decision was made to watch the patient ,who was now very stable.

07:00 am.
Hi. It's Bill, I am just checking on the patient from this morning... Janice remarks, "that patient is still stable, but another patient is going to need your services. We were just getting ready to call you.". Cool I'll see you in 15 mins, as I head to the garage again... After a uneventful 9 minute commute to the hospital. We performed the procedure with no complications leaving; mom, dad and their new baby-boy all snuggled into an unbreakable group hug.

09:08am
"The (4:45) patient" is still stable and progressing I am told, so I leave the hospital. Thinking I should grab breakfast or drive to the gym... Hmmmm Well, I choose the path of least resistance. I made a 3 egg western with a side of homemade hash browns and then turned on the idiot box. Knowing that this day has just begun I veg-out... Just on cue, at 11:00 am the call comes in.

11:13am
Walking into the hospital. I have a shit eating' grin plastered across my face while passing in front of the jovial staff in a culd-a-sac seating arrangement. We all knew it was just a matter of time... Fast forward 45 minutes...Happy family and all are well.

13:00am
My buddy Jeff calls and we meet for lunch in Northbrook at a greasy spoon. The location as quirky as the menu boasting only 8 items... The decor consists of a long bar and 12 square table seating's for about 50 people jammed close to each other. Jeff mentioned that he heard that "they" are known for their burgers.
We agreed with the recommendation and the extra 1200 calories(w/fries included) that I did not even expect to make my list for today. Damn It!

15:30am
Chilling at home now watching the NCAA Basketball coverage.

18:40am
While watching the game I feel asleep. This well deserved nap was interrupted by our little shih tzu barking, due to the squirrels prancing around in his backyard. Oh well, I say looking at the phone just checking to make sure I have not missed any calls.

23:00am
I am downloading the video from earlier today. This daily account is was done for practice.
Thanks for tuning in today, as you can see not much happened in my life that was that interesting.

Spring is near

Its March!

Although, I am not an Pisces I truly enjoy this period of time during the year. Mostly by now, the Arctic blast has begun to wind down, leaving our suburban Chicago homes with a mix of ice and various stages of the melting precipitation. Although this is not fun for walking the dog, I get a little energy boost knowing that the river will soon become a shade similar too neon Kelly green. My Tanja patiently stands by; as I have for the past 5 years, ventured into downtown dressed in the newest digs that show my praise to the Saint Patrick. I guess I could describe the weekend scene as a Halloween party (with a green theme) blending with the binge consumptions of a college frat party. I must add that the annual event draws ages of revelers, from all over the country. The mess described by some does help stimulate the local hotels, services, and bars/restaurants. Personally, this time out from life is a welcomed sign of spring in my eyes.

Well if hangovers and meaningless conversations with strangers are not that exciting too you, perhaps how about knowing that spring has arrived when the CBS Television station starts previewing the March Madness Basketball Tournament?
This year will have a slight somber overtone as our local sports-guru; who poured many unpaid hours into arranging the brackets and then collecting and soliciting the illegal work pool recently passed away at the age of 38. Andre, a big spirited man in size and demeanor, coordinated an amazing gambling ring which kept everyone
(including managers) updated on their points and probability to win a handsome prize of a few hundred dollars. His genuine smile comes to mind, as the tip off of a game is bleeding through in my immediate background noise from my living room right now. Sigh!

Lastly, As we all look forward to shredding our outer layers of clothing... The fruits of our late fall work are starting to peak through the last inch of ground cover. Just today my snuckems remarked about seeing Crocuses on her daily journey through the oddly situated park in our neighborhood.

Cool, crisp, sloppy, and short ...Spring we welcome you to Chicago.