Dedication, Inspiration and Perspiration

One of the most difficult things in life- according to MY life- is being able to maintain my overall health and fitness. Most of my friends would laugh at that statement. Why? They seem to have scheduled their workout into their daily routine. Nothing wrong with that.

Prior to coming to Tacoma, I worked-out almost 5-6 days a week. It took me a awhile to get to that routine. Several factors contributed to that schedule. Having type II diabetes, exercise and a proper diet is very important.

Another factor was my overall not getting any younger syndrome. We approach certain crossroads in life and have to take a hard look at which road to take? There are many self-help books out there. Plenty written by guys my age that have gone from smoking, drinking, working 24-7 and then crashing. I am not one of them. However, it's a known fact living a healthy lifestyle can do a body good.

Daily life in New York was stressful. The more I went to the gym, the more I felt better- both physically and mentally. I ate better, cut back on the junk food and was not as stressed-out on the job or in general.

The most difficult part was sustaining that "gotta go to the gym" mentality. Don't get me wrong- I would (and still) mark an "X" on my calendar when I go to the gym. It's the typical excuse- I went to the gym yesterday and can skip today. We all know what can happen next!

That one-day can become another and another, etc. Before you know it- you haven't gone for few days and feel terrible. At least I did. I felt that all my time and effort went out the window and that my body fell apart in just those 3 days of not going. I had to start my routine all over again. Sounds crazy...I know.

I would workout for about an hour or so and then depending on the time of day- eat a healthy meal- vitamins, shakes and all. It felt great.

Leaving NY, I knew that I would need to join a gym as soon as I arrived in Tacoma. On the road, I did not workout- nor did I eat healthy. After months of eating healthy, I spent the week I drove across country catching up with all the junk food I would have eaten.

Getting settled took longer than I expected. It took me longer to get my feet in the ground. Enough so that I felt at home. I knew that I had the gym thing nagging me. Even my diet was shot- not good for a diabetic.

I did start feeling like I had gained a few pounds over the past month and I wasn't eating properly. Maybe too many pizzas at the ROCK! After going to the doctor for a check-up, my fear was confirmed I had gained about 8 lbs. I was floored! I just couldn't believe it.

As a result, I went on a mission to join a gym and cut-out the junk food- AGAIN! Trust me it hasn't been easy. Why? Excuses!

It's been a slow slow process. I went in search of a fitness club and finally joined LA FITNESS. Even though it's not as close as the local YMCA, La Fitness is clean, offers a great deal of equipment, a pool, classes, etc. Plus, they are building a new club in the area.

Have I been going? Yes. During my first week, I went about 5 times. Have I kept up the momentum? It's been difficult. Know one is to blame but myself. My calendar does have "X" marks. I am still trying to find a routine workout schedule. I work various hours during the week and I am not a morning workout person. I know an EXCUSE!

Getting back into the routine has been slow- but it's happening. I have slowly steered away from going to the ROCK for pizza. I am working on my diet.

Of course, the best part of all this can be explained this way... while I was writing this post to my blog, my phone rang and it was the personal trainer calling from LA Fitness to schedule my training session. Sounds like fate to me!

Collected Shorts

Writing About Death...

The death of Norman Mailer this past weekend prompted me to think about those who write the obituary columns for newspapers. His death was covered in every media shape and form. Speaking with a colleague at the library about his death, I remarked how I was somewhat amused at the NY TIMES obituary on Mailer. Amused- how so?

The four page obit was a condensed biography of the writer. At times, the "essay" was amusing-

"At different points in his life Mr. Mailer was a prodigious drinker and drug taker, a womanizer, a devoted family man, a would-be politician who ran for mayor of New York, a hipster existentialist, an antiwar protester, an opponent of women’s liberation and an all-purpose feuder and short-fused brawler, who with the slightest provocation would happily engage in head-butting, arm-wrestling and random punch-throwing. Boxing obsessed him and inspired some of his best writing. Any time he met a critic or a reviewer, even a friendly one, he would put up his fists and drop into a crouch".

Hipster existentialist? Reading the obituary, I thought about all the famous folks out there who are still alive. I wondered if the NY Times wrote the Mailer obituary sometime ago and filed it away in the drawer- or computer? How many amongst the living have their obits pre-written so that in the event of their death- the paper has it ready for press?

I might be wrong on this assumption? There is nothing wrong with this process and it would probably make things much easier to have it all ready...just in case!


About the night...

Life out here in the Northwest has been at a different pace. I am often being asked these days if I miss New York. It has been just a little over 2 months since I left Brooklyn. I have started to adapt to the early closings of the bars and restaurants here.

It has been a challenge sometimes to find a place to have a late night dinner in the Tacoma area. Most restaurants stop serving food around 9pm weeknights and 11pm on weekends. Yes yes- there are a few exceptions to this rule.

I am not alone in my quest. I often find others who post to the Exit133 forum asking the same questions (i.e. where can I get a cup of coffee at 11pm?). Does this mean I cook at home more often? I would probably have to answer yes to that question.


About Teens...

The new teen space at the library is completed! It was a great learning experience creating the new space. I tried to focus on creating a "teen lounge" that was part modernist, hipster (existentialist??), cool, da bomb, etc. etc. The 2 large flat screen TVs mixed in with that hi-tech industrial look, gives the teens a cool hang-out environment.

The bookcases and front entryway were designed with acrylic panels that are back lit. The walls are a deep purple and the accessories are metallic, chrome and black and white. The computers (not in pics) are black with chrome accents. Wireless headsets compliment the TVs which have cable.

This was a great project to work on. Teens are liking the space and programming is in the works to utilize the area for gaming, etc. etc. Yeah- how cool is that!

Welcome Back

Please please please give me an excuse for disappearing! This blog (like many others) went off to never neverland and I can't come up with an excuse. I am bad bad bad- I should be banned from blogging.

It's has been almost 2 months since I posted here and honestly I can't give a valid reason. I can make up an excuse! I have been busy! I have been getting settled into my life here in Tacoma. I have been getting to know the neighborhood!

Does all that mean that I can excuse myself from writing and posting here??? Absolutely not! Of course, I did realize that perhaps I am the only one who reads this blog? So, I figured I would not miss reading about myself. Sounds confusing!

It's not like this posting will be sent to all my loyal readers and they will say "hey it's about time you are back- we missed you". Though I might be joking- I kid you not.

I read blogs on occasion- time permitting. When I subscribed to Bloglines, I was overwhelmed by reading and catching up. The only blog that I read on a semi-steady basis is the local Tacoma blog- Exit 133.

Even though I do try and catch-up, I seem to fall behind often! Am I bad? There is no excuse. These past few weeks have been great. Tacoma rocks!

Will this happen again? Will I post this and disappear for another 2 months? I hope not and again I apologize to all of you who are not reading this- joking again.

There is much to catch-up. Think of it as not seeing a good friend for years. Sitting down and having some coffee and asking that question- "what has been going on since we last saw (blogged?) each other"?

I know that my last posting on here was at the beginning of September- roughly 2 weeks since I first arrived in Tacoma. Much has been going on in my life. I am sure you are asking yourself- like what? Let's make plans to get together and play catch-up. Coffee anyone? I am back...

I promise to also update the Flickr account with more photos. In the meantime, here is a picture from a Halloween party of Corey and I as a Priest and Nun!

All Things Tacoma

Photo of St. Joseph's hospital down the block

OK it's been awhile since I posted on here and if there are any loyal fans out there, I have probably lost all of you to another blog? I can't give an excuse for not writing on a regular basis- or maybe that's not true! I started work at the library this past week and it has been a busy week. In addition, I have taken every moment outside of work to explore the city.

I have made it a point to try and sample Tacoma culture from the stores (including the Tacoma Mall) to the restaurants, etc. In the roughly 2 weeks I have been here, I can say I am loving my life in Tacoma. The atmosphere is certainly much different than New York. I can list the ways but will leave that for a separate posting.

First off, I love the stores here- my favorite so far is Fred Meyer. I have never seen anything like it in NY. It's a full-supermarket (probably 10X bigger than a typical NYC market) and it also has more than food. It has furniture, electronics, clothing, books, housewares and so much more. You name it they probably have it.

There is also a Trader Joe's and Metropolitan Market which is an upscale supermarket. The downtown Tacoma area is bustling with bars and restaurants. I have been running through a list of places to try out based on recommendations. One area that I have found to be really great for shopping and restaurants is known as the 6th Avenue area.

I have been getting use to driving up and down the steep hills in the area and the different traffic patterns here... aka right on red, left turning lanes or middle lanes, etc. It is not that hard to hop on the highway up to Seattle which I have done a few times.

So? What next? I am shopping around for furniture for the house. I have been overdosing on HGTV which is giving me decorating ideas. There are plenty of places to buy furniture.

In the meantime, I will do my best to update the blog plus update everyone on the library. Until then...

Java and More Java

Chihully Glass Museum

It has been a few days since I have arrived at my new home. I apologize for the slight delay in posting to the blog especially to folks who have been waiting for more pics of the journey across the country. My traveling buddy- Rick- has taken the photos en route and they are now posted on his Flickr account right here.

A few photo uploading glitches and waiting for new cable internet service also contributed to the delay. In addition, I wanted to take some time to drive around and get a lay of the land. I did need to pick up essential items such as a coffee pot! Living in the coffee capital of the world, I needed to get on the bus so to speak!

I am the type of person that needs to get organized and good to go as soon as possible. So, I have been spending the past few days un-packing. Unfortunately, the bad news is that most of my glassware and dinnerware was damaged by UPS! Box after box contained pieces of shattered glasses and plates. Even a box that contained some glass-frames with sketches was destroyed. It was even packed in bubble-wrap, but the frames were shattered to pieces! The damage even extended to one of my frying pans! The pan was actually bent and is now useless. Talk about force! It was a solid heavy pan. They were insured and I will have to file a claim with UPS.

The weather has been outstanding here. Blue skies everyday since my arrival. Yesterday, I had a chance to visit the Farmers market in downtown Tacoma. It was a great opportunity to sample what Tacoma has to offer. I also have been checking out the local eateries and the shops nearby. I will abstain from plugging the area for now...but here is some info and a link to a local festival that will be taking place in my neighborhood on September 8th just to give an idea of the great community spirit.

Walking around with Milo in the neighborhood has also given me a chance to see the homes that surround the area and meet the neighbors- especially those with dogs. Milo has never had a yard for his use. So far he has been enjoying the yard but seems to wait by the door a few times for me to let him back in the house. He has had to adjust to the other dogs barking at him as he walks by there yards! In turn, he has taken note of his new home and now barks when he sees someone walking up to the house or even passing on the street. Hopefully, he won't become a nuisance and disturb the neighbors.

I will be spending the next few days continuing to get organized plus I will be off to the Seattle area to play tour guide(?) for Rick. He also wants to check out Seattle Public's main library. He did get a chance to visit the main library at Tacoma Public yesterday when I stopped in to say hi.

Enjoy the pictures and stay tuned...

Day 5 Tacoma, Washington

Dateline: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 3:00pm
Sorry for the delay...We made it to Tacoma after leaving Missoula in about 6 hours! I am getting un-packed and will be back here for a full update with more pictures soon... until then...

Day 4 Missoula, Montana

Dateline: Monday, August 27, 2007 10:38pm MST

We are here in beautiful Missoula, Montana! This is a beautiful state! The drive was the longest we have ever done since our journey began. We logged in over 650 miles today.

Our original plan was to travel from Dickinson, ND to Butte, MT- however, we decided to push it a few hundred miles to Missoula. It was hard. At times we were getting antsy from sitting and driving so much. If it wasn't for cruise control we would still be in Ohio! Much is to be said about the 75 mile an hour speed limit. There is probably a reason for this- there are miles of highway running through nothing but farms. Occasionally, small towns would appear such as Beach North Dakota. We saw hundreds of Angus cattle crazing in the fields throughout Montana. By far, Montana is our favorite state during this cross country adventure.

Rick and I became use to a daily schedule for our journey. Up semi-early and consumed the java and continental breakfast at the hotel and then hit the road. This morning we started our journey and made a stop at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. It was beautiful. More pictures have been added today and are available on the Flickr page here.

Eating on the trip was another story. It almost seems that the healthy food wasn't an option. Or maybe we felt more inclined not to eat healthy or even workout as we did on a daily basis in NY. Last night we did have a chance to use the pool at one of our hotels but only as a means of relaxation. We found ourselves at Red Lobster, Applebees, Burger King and some other places. Yes- salad's do exist at the above mentioned restaurants but who wants to eat a salad when you can have a Bison burger?

We are off in the morning and will hopefully arrive in Tacoma in the afternoon. I will try and wrap our adventure over the next day or so with additional pictures. Until then...