Framing the Dialogue

Lighter Side

Spamalicious

Spam-22403128258Something is happening in Spam-land as the number of spam comments has exploded lately.  I am well over 100,00 for the life of this blog.  That’s not so much of an achievement as a pain in the butt deleting all of them.  As usual here are some of the highlights from the last batch…

August 12, 2011:  “Was Catsup Used As Medicine?”  [Since I was raised in Pittsburgh I have mixed emotions about this spammer.  First it's Ketchup not catsup!  Second it could have been medicine, but generally it's used to cover whatever flaws there were in the meal cooked.   Lastly I am assuming that they are talking about Heinz Ketchup as there are no other brands.]

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Thoughtful Cookie

IMG_1835As I awaited my change I opened the fortune cookie and was pleased to find one that actually had a fortune in it. They all have the little slips of paper, but very few have fortunes. This one, however, told me that I would have luck when I got home. Maybe it was my full belly or the MSG, but I started to think about what my luck might be; about what I’d actually want my luck to be. I didn’t find myself hoping for large sums of cash or Kate Upton handing me my slippers, pipe, and the daily paper. I would just like a quiet evening, maybe a walk around the neighborhood, a good meal, maybe a short nap and a Penguins win.

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We Are Dumb…

Tonight,

We are dumb

So let’s set the left’s desire

We can burn lower

Than a dunce

 

Tonight,

We are dumb

So let’s set the left’s desire

We can burn lower

Than a dunce

Tonight,

We are dumb

So let’s set the left’s desire

We can burn lower

Than a dunce

 

Tonight,

We are dumb

So let’s set the left’s desire

We can burn lower

Than a dunce

 

Tonight,

We are dumb

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I Walked Four Million Steps

Last Wednesday I passed the 4,000,000 step threshold for roughly 1900 miles of walking since January 2012. I had increased my steps a little each week and averaged nearly 13,500 steps each day the week before. Things were rolling until I started to get a little “tweak” in my left hip. I took it easy for a couple of days and it felt better until I took a walk the next morning and walked up the two flights of stairs to my office floor. I can best describe the pain as what I might imagine it is like to have someone drive a hot knife into my ass cheek as I walked up the steps. Oh and after they stabbed me they twisted the knife.  You’ll be proud that I didn’t scream…not even a whimper.

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Merry Christmas (Happy Holidays for the seculars)

I am taking a little break to spend time with family over the holiday season. Once we all get good and tired of each other I’ll be back. Unless that phrase is now somehow copyrighted by Arnold.

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow, nor dark of night prevents up from cutting our tree. We’re probably nuts.

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Three Million…So Far

In the continuing saga of my steps to better health I recently surpassed my 3,000,000 step. And I might add that I did this ahead of my projected schedule. It took me nearly four whole months to get to my first million, then almost another four months to reach two million. My next million came a little over two and a half months later. This was buoyed by our vacation hiking in Arizona in which I had my best day ever (28,862 steps) and best week ever (107,946 steps). In keeping with the stats attack my three million steps equates to approximately 1,325 miles which the wear on my walking shoes will attest…last stat (really) is that I am on a streak of twelve consecutive weeks where I am averaging at least 10,000 steps a day.

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Two Million Steps

It was funny for me to read my “one million” post from last May as I prepared to write about my second million steps (That’s nearly 1000 miles walked!). There were set backs of course; sore knees, a July bout with the flu, activities that don’t lend themselves to walking, and a freaking hot summer. I started my walking program in January and expressed at the time that winter may not have been the best time to start. Now over eight months into it, winter was not all that bad. Summer can be a bummer.

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Always On Labor Day

My wife and I recently had the task of taking our youngest child off to college.  Though not terribly far away this is our last child and sort of an end of a chapter in our lives.  There will be holidays and summer, but more time will be spent living away than with us.  That is life and that is how it is supposed to be rather than sitting in their childhood bedrooms staring at faded posters into their late twenties.

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