Here goes nothing...

Random notes before running thoughts...
At the beginning of my journey, the Cubs are sitting on 36-38, and are in 4th place--4.5 games out of first. Here's hoping things are different, come August 1.

And now, down to business...

Measurements done with shoes ON...

Final weigh-in: 207.5 lbs
Final measurement: 6'2 & 1/4"

Final goal: Lose 22.5 lbs in 31 days. Sounds like a ton (do not tell me "too much"), but I reckon 185 would be an OK number for me. Gotta aim high, folks!

Ate at Sonic tonight for dinner, had a Route 44 Vanilla Dr. Pepper. Eating the last of my mom's No-Bakes from the pan right now. As soon as the clock strikes 12 AM, I won't have any other such indulgence until (at least) August 1.

Currently about 2/3 through Rocky II in my Rocky marathon. Pullin' out all the stops, yo.

This is just a random picture I looked up, but this essentially the type of stuff I'll be staring at all month long, as my feet hit the path...

"...now it may not sound like muuuch...but it's where I'm frooom..." Ah, love that song. :)

Gotta hit the hay. Alarm is set for 5:45 AM. We'll give that a whirl for a day or two, and perhaps adjust accordingly, time-wise.

Facebook and MySpace tabs have been deleted off my toolbar. The apps deleted off my phone.

This. Will. Be. Hard.

Pray for me!

D, out.

Here come the butterflies...

Three days, three blogs. Well, sort of. It's after 1 AM. I think there's a light in the kitchen tonight for my milk jaunt later, no worries.

Stepped out of my box and got the faux-hawk today. Brit hated the idea, but I hope she'll still be my friend. :)

Here are two with "stuff" in my hair...


And here is one with it flattened down (but not really combed)...


This blog will feature more pics, and not a lot of substance. Bear with a brother, eh?

PAUSE: This is where I went brain dead for approximately 47 seconds--Jennifer Nettles was just on my TV screen. She's the lead singer of Sugarland. I want to have her babies. Wait, that's not right. Is it? I digress...

Final preparations:

Bought new running shoes today: Nike Air Zoom Structure Triax 12

These babies better be ready to run!

And this is what I'll be listening to during each and every run:

Purple iPod nano. Yes, I said purple. Big whoop, wanna fight about it? I like it.

Tomorrow's task list:
- Rework iPod. Create several various playlists to be ready for whatever my mood deems fit on a given day.
- Weigh in. I'll check, and keep track of my weight each day, and report it on here every Friday after that (since July 31st is a Friday). Side note: Maybe I'll measure my height, too--let's see if I shrink any more, while we're at it. :)
- Shave legs. Yeah, I said it. Resistance, holmes.
- Walk around house (while putting final touches on some needed re-arranging) wearing new running shoes. Thought about a pre-July jog to loosen them up, but don't want the least bit of soreness heading into Wednesday.
- Write (either via post or message) anyone who I feel the need to holler (mostly the ones I won't be able to be in contact with) at before my month-long hiatus.
- Write one last brief post here, with weight check, final thought or two, etc.
- Be in bed by 12 PM (should be sooner, but I'll probably enjoy a final few minutes on FB and MySpace before I conk out).

I think that's it for tonight. Milk time.

D, out.

The light at the end of the tunnel--and in the kitchen, please?

Back for another dose. Think I've decided that no matter how many (or how few) followers I have on here, this is probably going to be good for me.

A few thoughts on my upcoming July events, and some other stuff:

Last night--went for glass of milk at 2 AM, reached for a light switch, knocked over a glass bottle. It spooked me, and I stumbled back, slicing the back of my foot/ankle. Nice little gash, decent amount of blood, but no harm done. Just another fun gash to make me look tough-ish.

Haircut in the morning. Think I'll basically just buzz it all, go Army-style for my upcoming country road trekking. Also considering shaving the facial hair, too. And I'm pretty certain I'll shave my legs, at some point before Wednesday, also. Hey, it'll help with resistance, and the heat--leave me alone.

Poll questions: 1. Should I let my hair (and facial hair) then grow out all month?

Might get hot, but could be interesting. Doubt I would, but just a thought. A month wouldn't be too bad on my hair. This pic was awhile back--about 2 months worth of growing--probably the longest it's ever been...I'm about a week shy of this look now. HA!














BREAKING NEWS: While texting with a very cool friend of mine just now (who happens to be a gorgeous model, and probably knows a thing or 2 about fashion), she suggested I try a faux hawk, which I've considered before, anyway, so that's a serious thought now...

The facial hair, though, is a different story. My record is 8 days, and would be much tougher to keep going--especially while running in the eat. Here are 2 separate ones of me on the last day of each of my two 8-day stints...



2. Should I post updates on my weight: every day, once a week, only at the begging/middle/end of the month, or what? I'm thinking of keeping my own records each day, but only posting it once a week (Sundays, for example) as of right now. Just a preemptive thought...

Other running thoughts:
If I reach 300 miles before the final day of July (would be nice), I will keep running. If I miraculously hit 300 on, say, the 26th, I won't just call it quits. 300 is the minimum... "I am Spartaaa..." -- crap, sorry, had a vision there for a second...oops :)

Back again soon. Tell your friends.

D, out.

First time blogger. Well, here, anyway...

Time to give yet another social networking site a try. I gave up on Twitter in about a week's time--it's seriously lame; what's the big hubbub?

This one seems much different, in that there aren't groups of friends, various apps, an I.M. feature, etc. But it seems a little more up my alley, with the simple nature of being a blogging atmosphere. Drawback? Who'll read anything I write. My dear friend Britani proposed that, if anything, just an outlet for ramblings is its biggest benefit, and she's probably right.

But a big part of my writings has always been based on feedback. Whether for humor's sake, or trying to tug at the heartstrings of my baker's dozen readers or so, almost everything I've written, I've written with a little voice whispering "how will they feel about this one, D?" And that will be the case here, too, only with an added wonderment of who, if anyone, is even reading to begin with.

I intend to set Facebook and MySpace aside in June (along with giving up lots of other luxuries) in my quest to run 300 miles--no dying allowed--in 31 days. Reckon I can allow myself to keep phone privileges (talk, text, but no FB/MS apps), and this thing, too, probably. So here's hoping I can recruit some readers, and maybe even gather up some people who care how my running progresses, if I'm still alive, etc. Fingers crossed.

Quick run-through in my sports world:

- Cubs ...still fluttering around .500. Surely it's time to get it together by now, eh guys? Guys?

- Bulls ...picked up James Johnson of Wake Forest in this week's NBA draft. Didn't know much about him until they picked him, and I did some research. Dude is a black belt in kickboxing (as are 7 of his 8 siblings), and his pops is a 9-time world champ. Strength be not an issue with this cat. Love it.



















I'll probably revisit this thing soon. Could be fun. Mostly just wanted to see how posting would go the first time. If you see this, you don't have to write a full-fledged reply, but an acknowledgment that you were here would be pretty sweet.

D, out.