10 November 2008
A step or two back :: 276#
Yep -- busy week last week (funeral on Friday, all the video prep for Sunday morning), plus the election (yeah, LOTS of healthy food then...) equals no time for the gym, and plenty of time in the McD's fast food lane. Up 4 to 276#. I'll get'em next week.
02 November 2008
How my punch card is looking right now...
OK, a short rundown of how I see the ballot for this Tuesday:
NATIONAL/STATE OFFICE ELECTIONS ::
Ok, these horses have been beat straight into the glue bottle, so I won't offer any rationale (unless, you want me to. Reply if you do.)
President :: McCain/Palin
US Congress :: Emerson (MO-8)
Governor :: Hulshof
Lt. Govenor : Kinder
Missouri Prop A ::
Yes, schools need all the funding they can receive. Yes, I hate increased taxes. But also, YES, removing loss limits when people have less money they can afford to lose is a BAD IDEA. Freezing the casino licences (especially when two Cape Girardeau business men are in the home stretch of applying for a licence!) also bad. And, YES, keeping the casinos in St. Louis and Kansas City (and out of everywhere else that would like to participate in the business they generate is also dubious. So, I think I'll vote NO.
Missouri Prop B ::
I wish there was a way of making sure that the elderly and homebound received the health care they needed, and NOT have to spend their life in a nursing home. Ellen and I help with this by living with her mother -- and through services provided through the Visiting Nurses Association (VNA). Prop. B would create what amounts to a "matchmaking service," where those in need of such service can be matched up with service providers who can help. Most of this is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or some other program. So far, so good.
But, all is not perfect. Minimum wages for these jobs are set. Pre-set wages are always a red flag with me, especially seeing first hand how slip-shod and lazy some (not all, a few have been really good!) of the VNAs have been. I'd want some way of making sure that good ones are kept and rewards, and the poor ones assisted in finding another line of work, and quickly. The proposition also lowers the threshold for unionization -- any other industry, 30% of that factory's/plant's/store's workers must indicate that they desire to organize -- under this measure, only 10% need voice their opinion. Why the dramatic drop in the threshold? Will this mean that my wife (who provides some of these functions) will either have to join the union (and pay dues from a non-existant paycheck from her mother!), or stop doing what she does, merely because 10% of these health care workers state-wide want to unionize? Amazingly enough, a big backer of this measure is the SEIU (Service Employee's International Union).
Providing quality health care would get a yes vote. Passing a proposition to help pad a union's membership roles gets a no vote. Sorry, this doesn't pass the smell test at all! NO
(More info can be found in this "Letter To The Editor" from the Southeast Missourian here)
MO Constitutional Amendment 1 :: English as official language of Missouri.
Why? I do believe that protecting borders, language and culture are critical to keeping the United States intact and unified over the long run, but I don't see a threat here. I'm more worried about borders and culture than language right now. NO
NATIONAL/STATE OFFICE ELECTIONS ::
Ok, these horses have been beat straight into the glue bottle, so I won't offer any rationale (unless, you want me to. Reply if you do.)
President :: McCain/Palin
US Congress :: Emerson (MO-8)
Governor :: Hulshof
Lt. Govenor : Kinder
Missouri Prop A ::
Yes, schools need all the funding they can receive. Yes, I hate increased taxes. But also, YES, removing loss limits when people have less money they can afford to lose is a BAD IDEA. Freezing the casino licences (especially when two Cape Girardeau business men are in the home stretch of applying for a licence!) also bad. And, YES, keeping the casinos in St. Louis and Kansas City (and out of everywhere else that would like to participate in the business they generate is also dubious. So, I think I'll vote NO.
Missouri Prop B ::
I wish there was a way of making sure that the elderly and homebound received the health care they needed, and NOT have to spend their life in a nursing home. Ellen and I help with this by living with her mother -- and through services provided through the Visiting Nurses Association (VNA). Prop. B would create what amounts to a "matchmaking service," where those in need of such service can be matched up with service providers who can help. Most of this is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or some other program. So far, so good.
But, all is not perfect. Minimum wages for these jobs are set. Pre-set wages are always a red flag with me, especially seeing first hand how slip-shod and lazy some (not all, a few have been really good!) of the VNAs have been. I'd want some way of making sure that good ones are kept and rewards, and the poor ones assisted in finding another line of work, and quickly. The proposition also lowers the threshold for unionization -- any other industry, 30% of that factory's/plant's/store's workers must indicate that they desire to organize -- under this measure, only 10% need voice their opinion. Why the dramatic drop in the threshold? Will this mean that my wife (who provides some of these functions) will either have to join the union (and pay dues from a non-existant paycheck from her mother!), or stop doing what she does, merely because 10% of these health care workers state-wide want to unionize? Amazingly enough, a big backer of this measure is the SEIU (Service Employee's International Union).
Providing quality health care would get a yes vote. Passing a proposition to help pad a union's membership roles gets a no vote. Sorry, this doesn't pass the smell test at all! NO
(More info can be found in this "Letter To The Editor" from the Southeast Missourian here)
MO Constitutional Amendment 1 :: English as official language of Missouri.
Why? I do believe that protecting borders, language and culture are critical to keeping the United States intact and unified over the long run, but I don't see a threat here. I'm more worried about borders and culture than language right now. NO
Starting point :: 272
"You haven't changed a bit (since high school)!"
"You look exactly the same!"
Man, I hate those words. You'd think that somehow, over the past 15 years, I'd find a way to improve on Greg v.1993. Especially in some areas.
In one area I know I've changed. In 1993, I tipped the scales at about 250#.
Last Friday at the gym, the scales at FitnessPlus showed I had made a slight improvement. Only 272#, down 10# from last month.
For those of you who don't know me, haven't seen me in a while (or have struggled to forget me...for some weird reason...), I have been blessed with many things in my life, especially an great appreciation for well cooked foods (in the finest German and Southern traditions -- meaning lots of fat, yeasts and sugars), and fine, friendly folks ever eager to make sure I never go wanting in this regard. So, this afternoon, after a fun day at St. Andrew of troubleshooting microphones on the fly, making sure the Powerpoint worked, and that the video recording was being captured into Adobe Premier just like it should, I had an idea. Actually, I remembered an idea.
Several years ago, while I was burning time browsing through blogs, I came across one where the writer would, every week, post how he was doing in his battle with his belly. I liked the idea in that not only did it allow a way for his "cheering section" to kep rooting him on, but also was a unique way to chart how and what he was doing. Nice way to keep himself accountable.
Soooooo...... I'm going to see if it works as well for me as it did for him. Exercising, staying away from the french fries and other junk -- saying it is easy. Sticking with it -- a bit harder.
So, how 'bout it? Let me know what you think. As of right now, let the battle start at the 272 line. I'll let you know how it goes.
"You look exactly the same!"
Man, I hate those words. You'd think that somehow, over the past 15 years, I'd find a way to improve on Greg v.1993. Especially in some areas.
In one area I know I've changed. In 1993, I tipped the scales at about 250#.
Last Friday at the gym, the scales at FitnessPlus showed I had made a slight improvement. Only 272#, down 10# from last month.
For those of you who don't know me, haven't seen me in a while (or have struggled to forget me...for some weird reason...), I have been blessed with many things in my life, especially an great appreciation for well cooked foods (in the finest German and Southern traditions -- meaning lots of fat, yeasts and sugars), and fine, friendly folks ever eager to make sure I never go wanting in this regard. So, this afternoon, after a fun day at St. Andrew of troubleshooting microphones on the fly, making sure the Powerpoint worked, and that the video recording was being captured into Adobe Premier just like it should, I had an idea. Actually, I remembered an idea.
Several years ago, while I was burning time browsing through blogs, I came across one where the writer would, every week, post how he was doing in his battle with his belly. I liked the idea in that not only did it allow a way for his "cheering section" to kep rooting him on, but also was a unique way to chart how and what he was doing. Nice way to keep himself accountable.
Soooooo...... I'm going to see if it works as well for me as it did for him. Exercising, staying away from the french fries and other junk -- saying it is easy. Sticking with it -- a bit harder.
So, how 'bout it? Let me know what you think. As of right now, let the battle start at the 272 line. I'll let you know how it goes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)