I resolve for 2007…

…to be more diligent in seeking out the joy in life.

…to write more, for the sake of writing, as a crutch for introspection, and to tell the stories that bounce around in my head.

…to be open to adventure, to seek exhilaration, and to just every so often throw caution to the wind.

…to be there to teach my children, to protect them, and to see the world through their eyes.

After leaving a real job for the world of consulting and freelance work I found myself sometimes craving the workplace. It wasn’t the work or the watercooler or the constant interaction that I missed really, but more the complete change in rituals.

At the office I had dropped into several habits for my workday. Each day I arrived about the same time, dropped into my teams’ offices to check for issues or see if help was needed. Grabbed a cup of coffee, sat down and started through my email…you know, what you might call the rut. But I missed that stuff nonetheless.

I have dated just a couple of true redheads in my life, and reading about this study explains soooooo much for me. It seems that there is something about being a redheaded female that allows for a higher tolerance for pain. Maybe this explains that reputation for kinky fun.

Redheaded women can tolerate more pain than anyone else, including men with red hair and men and women who do not have red hair. The others all had a similar and much lower tolerance to pain than flame-haired females.

Well this whole set point and diet thing has become highly annoying. I do my workouts at the Y 3 times a week to the tune of 800-1000 calories burned. But I’ve been slacking everywhere else. I haven’t been using that cool program on my Palm to monitor my foods. I know, I know….but when the diet is working and the pounds are falling off it all works just fine and is sort of self-motiviating. But then the body takes a weight loss vacation and I start thinking, why not have that pizza if the weight isn’t coming off anyway, and then, well, you know.

CNET Gaming Blog blogger Daniel Terdiman says Sudoku games could awaken survival genes. He even quotes from a serious scientific study….er, press release. Its good to know that whatever hours are idled away with Sudoku are actually making me healthy!

I finally got around to building that My Favorite Stuff page. It now includes the Mac, iPod and Mac Software links along with the Diet & Exercise tools. I’ll add more categories and keep it updated. Check there for links that help support lostinafog.com. Feedback welcome.

I’m in the midst of a 50 pound weight loss program that started in September. I lost 23 by November and then seemed to hit that dreaded set point wall. I’ve been bouncing around in the -17 to -23 range for the last 6 weeks. With the Holidays and those temptations now in the rearview mirror I’m back on track. I’ve been doing the YMCA thing 3 days a week for the last month and that is definitely making me feel better even if the weight loss stopped.

My New Year’s Celebration consisted of my two kids, a fireplace burning all night long, dinner, then hot chocolate, then popcorn, all over the top of a 4-movie blockbuster night consisting of Batman vs. Dracula, Spy Kids, The Fantastic Four, and the 342nd showing of Scooby-Doo the movie. I’ll just have to hold off on the Brothers Grimm until tomorrow night. By the time Scooby ends it will be time for the count down shows from The City. And this ranks as one of my best NYE nights in many a year. I’m guessing the kids are not likely to make it through the Scooby movie, leaving me to count down the final minutes of 2005 acting as a pillow for a couple of snoring bodies.

I started out two and-a-half months ago with the goal to lose 50 pounds….yep I was/am a big guy. My plan included several steps. I bought a scale. I bought a body fat monitor. I got a little program that runs on my Treo 650 (Palm) called Diet & Exercise Assistant from Keyoe, Inc. to help in setting calorie goals and monitoring my food intake (more on this below). And I started walking, both for the exercise and as a stress reliever. I learned from experience that stress is a huge factor for me in weight gain/loss/maintenance. I also learned that exercise helps this.

From the Freakonomics Weblog

I could have linked back to the original stories, but thought linking through Dubner and Levitt’s Freakonomics site would cover two birds, so to speak. Freakonomics was my favorite business book of the year and is to be applauded for marrying two otherwise unspeaking distant cousins (well, you know what I mean) in economics and logic. Check out their blog for regularly stimulating brain activity. And if you have not read the book, then you are hereby kicked off this blog until you do.

So I decided to lose weight about 2 months ago. I’m just tired of being lusted after for my sharp wit and intellect only. A boy needs to feel loved. So here’s what I did (you might want to get a pencil and make some notes right here) — I started eating less and exercising more.