This is one of the views from the Shepherd Mountain hiking trail. It's about three miles, and the first mile and a half at least is up the side of a mountain.  A small mountain, but a mountain, nonetheless. My wife and I hiked it last weekend.  It was in July not March.  However, the temperature was in the 70's.  It was a beautiful but tiring walk, one we wouldn't have been able to complete just a few short weeks ago.  We have been going to a gym, and the experience has made us feel so much better.  I have lost roughly 18 pounds or so.  I weigh less now than I have for years.  Even bigger than the weight loss is the fact that I am toning.  My pulse has gone done.  It used to go in the 70's to 80's, but now, it usually stays in the 60's until I really exercise.  I am combining cardiac training with weight machines -- not the free weight kind. I can't do that stuff, nor do I want to.

It was a good day today.  Thirty one years ago, my wife and I got married.  Never mind that we took a wrong turn on the first night of our honeymoon and wound up at the gates of a mental hospital.  I wouldn't say it was a harbinger, but ...  We went to one of our favorite places for lunch, Mario's in Bonne Terre.  They have great Italian food.  Better than Pasta House I think, and it's reasonably priced too.

I got my first freelance writing job through elance today, and it is finished, accepted, and I reckon I will get paid tomorrow or the next day.  I know it doesn't always go that way, but it a fun start anyway.

The Cardinals lost their sixth game in a row tonight, and they are now two and a half games out of first place.  To make matters worse, Yadier Molina is on the DL for at least 15 days with a strained knee.  I am not a fair weather fan, but to be honest, I didn't think the Cardinals were even a playoff team at the beginning of the year.  Their inconsistency is frustrating.

I'm working on my screenplay.  Got a brilliant idea today.  I'm at 100 pages, so I am going to have to condense it.  I just need to get the rough draft finished.

That's all from me.

Lazy, hazy summer day

Today, I am being as lazy as my fat cat, Tootie.  He's incredibly lovable, but he certainly doesn't move very fast.  Later this evening I'll go to the gym and work out, but right now, I'm just frittering the hours away in an offhand way.  (Obscure Pink Floyd quote.)

Since I joined Elevate Fitness here in my home town, I have actually lost about 12 pounds, and I am starting to tone up.  I am not nearly as horrified when I see myself sideways in the mirror although I am a long way from physically fit and svelte.  I am getting closer.  My goal is to lose 30 pounds total or maybe even more if I can.  When I go back to school, I would like to be in the 220's.  I haven't seen that in years.  That means I need to lose about 15 more pounds in the next month.  Probably won't happen, but I might surprise myself. I feel so much better, and my aches and pains don't ache and pain so much.  Exercise is the closest thing humans have to a fountain of youth.  Tootie needs to work out at the gym too.

The Cardinals are still in first place with the best record in baseball though they are only one game ahead of the Pirates.  It will be interesting to see if they make any trades before the deadline.  I'm not sure if their starting staff is going to hold up.  However, Carpenter appears to be on the road back.  Wow, how great would that be!

I am working on some writing projects.  Two, to be exact.  A screenplay and a novel revision.  I'm thinking about branching out and doing some general freelancing, but I'm not sure about it.  There's this website called elance.com that looks promising.  I'll keep you apprised. (appraised?)

It is supposed to get up to 96 degrees with a heat index of 104 today.  Then, we have a cool down.  We got a little shower in Arcadia yesterday after I mowed my grass and washed my car.  Oh, well.

I don't have anything to rant about although one thing is a little annoying to me.  There's this new thing on the Internet called askfm.com or something like that.  My Twitter feed is getting clogged with some of that stuff, and it's a little annoying.  Why does there have to be a web site or an app to ask people questions.  Why don't people just ask?

The art of conversation is dying.  I've even caught myself saying ... aloud ... lol and omg.  Gag me!