Had the mask for 3 days now.

Had the CPAP mask for 3 days now and have NEVER felt better. Went to the gym Monday morning at 6 am and just got back from a quick two mile run after work. (Actually still at the office, but atleast I got out to run) Down 35 lbs from my peak. Updated Schedule:
Weekend of...
6/28 Work on the remodel.
7/4 4th of July at Em's
7/12 Mt Adams Climb (too snowy this weekend)
7/19 Sailing with Mom and Garage Building in Lincoln City
7/26 Backpacking to Jefferson Park or Three Finger Jack
8/2 Remodel finally almost done BBQ Party (formally known as remodel done party)
8/9 Climb South Sister
8/16 Ava Grace Birthday weekend (Zoo and Oaks Park)
8/23 Hood to Coast
8/30 Labor Day Trip to Beach Olympics

Quick Trip to the Holy Land

So I took my family to Metolius River last weekend. Ava did her first 5 mile hike, Isobel found the simple joy of an afternoon spent in a hammock and Helayna figured out why it's always important to be nice to animals.

Best of Everything

Best Band Ever: Tie: Smashing Pumpkins and Beatles
Hottest Woman: My Wife, followed closely by Angelina Jolie
Hottest Guy: Brad Pitt (weird)
My chances with Brad: Zero
Coolest Car in the World: M5
Best Job: Retired
2nd Best Job: Business Intelligence Manager
Most Important Job: Dad
Most Fun I have had in a weekend: Climbing up the side of Middle Sister un-roped.
Most Fun I have had in a summer: Road Trip
My Retirement Job: Art Wolfe re-incarnate (assuming he is dead by then)
Fun activity I don't do often enough: Skiing and Riding Bike
Best way to lose weight: Eat less than you need.
Biggest Fear: Radical Islam
Best president I have lived through: Regan
Best presidential candidate: McCain
Best way to get rich: Spend less than you make and educate yourself continuously.
Most important "thing": Your Spirit, then you body, then your relationships.
Thing I hate the most: Tie: Mosquitoes and Traffic Jams
Biggest regret: Drinking excessively
Biggest success: Marriage / Family
Something I have to do that I hate: Turn down the stereo, mow the lawn even though it always makes me sneeze.
Strangest secret: Love gangster rap.
Best Movie ever: E.T.
Favorite Food: Pizza and Snow Cones
Another thing I hate: The fact that humans have to sleep.
Biggest Surprise: Psychedelic Mushrooms
Favorite Game: Backgammon
Why I like my wife: She gets me and loves me for who I am, she is smart, she loves our children, tries her best and I still get excited to see her.
Stupidest thing I ever did: Not understand fully.
Religion I most admire: Buddhism
Biggest Projects ever: WMS at Wine.com, Quiktrak inventory auditing system, Senior Capstone project (Compiler), Remodeling my house, Business Intelligence Turn around at Columbia

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The greatest achievement is selflessness.
The greatest worth is self-mastery.
The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.
The greatest precept is continual awareness.
The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.
The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.
The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.
The greatest generosity is non-attachment.
The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.
The greatest patience is humility.
The greatest effort is not concerned with results.
The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.
The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

Atisha
(11th century Tibetan Buddhist master)

Getting a mask.

Soooooo tired. Some days I just go to my car and sleep at lunch. But I am hopefull as tommorrow night I get my CPAP machine and may finally have enough energy to workout and get to where I need to be. Got down to 274 for a while a few weeks back but find myself back at 278 after my b-day cake, a few BBQs, etc and NO working out. My goal is that on Thursday morning I find myself at Ballys after my first night with the alien on my face.

Schedule Update

• 6/14 Ava's Ballet Recital
• 6/21 Pacific University 10 Year Reunion Weekend
• 6/28 Climb Mt Adams? Snow Conditions?
• 7/4 Weekend @ Em's (with Kayak)
• 7/12 Camp near Hot Springs
• 7/19 Trip to Lincoln City (Sailing, Garage Building, Buy Shoes)
• 7/26 Mt Jefferson Backpacking
• 8/2 South Sister Climb / Backpacking
• 8/9 Middle Sister Climb / Backpacking
• (OR GOAT ROCKS, ENCHANTMENTS instead of 3 weekends of backpacking?)
• 8/16 Ava Grace Birthday Weekend (Zoo and Oaks Park)
• 8/23 Hood to Coast
• 8/30 Labor Day Trip to Olympics

I have figured out what I want to do when I grow up.

I have decided that I am going to become Art Wolfe in 12 years when Ava goes off to college. (I will probably still have to "work" to support the travel habit.) To get me started I created a photography site at acumen.smugmug.com. I have been blown away by the fact that I have recieved over 7500 hits to the site since publishing it in late May. Group and Landscape Photography is the goal.

Bucket list has not gone as well as the weeks prior. Did NOT fix up the bikes and could not afford a kayak although Em has told me I can borrow her's whenever I like. Nice....except its several hundred miles away. ZEN garden still needs a lot of work, but that's ok, It's a ZEN garden after all and I have time.

Why no bike fixing up? Probably something to do with the fact that I (re)-started the remodeling project on my house (bathrooms, stuff elimination, light dimmers, doors and locsk, security, fireplace painting, Shinto Shrine, etc.)

However....next week is Ava's Ballet recital and atleast one day after to do a hike. The week after that is the Pacific University 10 year re-union backpacking trip. Then my mom has agreed to go climb Adams with me (despite how damn slow I climb and the fact that I am still overweight) And for sure I am going kayaking at Em's for the 4th! Should be a great next four weeks!