Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Guilt (and the things we do to avoid it)

I'm sitting here reading the blogs of friends and realizing it has been a long while since I've posted anything. I haven't been doing much with 43 Things for a while and most of my posts actually come from there. Anyway, I'm feeling guilty for 'spying' on friends (both acutal and in progress) and I thought I'd say a little bit here, just in case someone is listening.

I'm about 3 weeks from 6 months of working out. My weight has stalled at a net loss of about 35 lbs. Still, it looks like I've lost about 5 inches off my waistline and I can't even describe how much fmore fit I am. Running is still a huge challenge for me. I really want to improve there so I can run with friends but right now it is hard. I still push myself really hard when I exercise and it usually takes my training telling me to take days off before I realize I'm not getting enough rest days. And I still can't understand why some days I feel like I'm barely working with a heart rate of 180+ and other days I feel like I'm at death's door by 150.

Neil interviewed me for a class the other day. I must have talked his ear off for at least two hours. I'll have to work on my counter interview technique in the future. It is an easy trap to get into but I hate one sided conversations, especially when I'm the only side. Despite how much I enjoy telling stories about my life, and it is a colorful life, I much prefer a more even back and forth in a conversation.

I've been reading a lot. This year, I'm trying to record everything I read on All Consuming. I wish All Consuming had a plugin for Facebook. Since I read so much, it would be nice to let friends know what I am reading. Actually, if you read my blog from the actual site, the books I am currently reading are listed but it isn't as useful as it seems. I frequently forget to record a book until I am done with it. Also, the books that I read a little at a time show up for a long time when the books that I read straight through show up for a few days at most.

Well, I do tend to go on so I'm going to cut this little info blurb short. I hope I've given you a brief insight into what is happening in my life. And if you are reading, there is a strong chance I'm interested in what is happening in yours so why don't you post a comment with a link to your blog?

Saturday, September 22, 2007

A story about "Engaging the Enemy"

by Elizabeth Moon

Engaging the Enemy is an excellent addition to Vatta’s War (the series) but unfortunately would have made a better addition to another larger book. I would recommend reading the earlier books in the series first as much of the context of the book is not provided. There is not nearly as much space combat as other Elizabeth Moon novels but the scene is nicely set for some great combat in Command Decision which comes next.