February Book Review: The Girl On The Train

An interesting aside to my reading this book was to find out that my daughter, Laura was reading this book at the same time that I began reading the book and we both were intrigued by the hype that this was the next Gone Girl.

After reading this book, Laura and I both agree that this book didn't turn out to be the next Gone Girl, but overall it was a decent way to while away the hours in pursuit of reading for enjoyment.

Similar to Gone Girl, this novel is narrated by different characters in the book.  I could have done without Anna as I didn't find her to be a very compelling character.

I thought there were some decent twists and turns that needed to be unraveled.  One narrator would seem to be leading the story in one direction, while the other narrator would point you down a different path.

I didn't particularly care for the ending of the novel, but I didn't hate it like I did with the ending of Gone Girl.

If you are looking for a fun read and nothing more I think Girl on the Train is worth a look.

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January book review

One of my goals for this year was to read a book each month and then write a short review about it.

I found this to be a difficult book to read.  I had to put it down several times.  Anyone growing up in a family may may see glimpses of their own experience within the pages of this novel.

The book stirred uncomfortable memories of my childhood.  Brought fears to the surface about what I perceived as my shortcomings as a father.  Was I a ghost to my children?

"It's the things a family is silent about that say more than what they talk about all the time."~Scott Berkun

The author paints a powerful picture of the dysfunction in his family, the longing he had to understand who his father was, the choices that he had made.

Someone once told me that when you are born your parents give you two gifts.  They take a picture of you and then they give you an evaluation of that picture.  This author spent much of his life, seeking the evaluation of that picture from his Father.

I felt conflicted as the book ended.  I had hoped for a different outcome, but this was real life.

I would recommend reading this book, but would advise anyone reading it to be prepared to feel uncomfortable and to be open to the possibility of choosing something new for yourself.

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Welcome to 2015

I have been thinking about how to welcome in this new year.  I am not a fan of new year's resolutions.  I don't think that making a resolution will effect lasting change.  I think goals and intentions are more effective.

A resolution is weak, a commitment is strong.

You only make commitments for things you can control.

You can make a New Year's resolution to lose weight this year, but you can't commit to it.

However, you can make a commitment to running, cycling, and lifting weight three times a week and eating a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day.

Having said that, here are my goals for 2015.  Over the course of a year the goals may need to be adjusted.  After a year where I ran a grand total of four times, rode my bike outside a total of three times the very first goal I have set may not a realistic goal.  So rather than abandoning an unmet resolution, a goal can be adjusted.  During the years when I was fortunate enough to be able to run marathons, I always had an A race time goal if everything went perfectly, a B race time goal, all the way to a D race time goal.  Over the vastness of running 26.2 miles anything could happen and over the vastness of a year an athletic goal will most likely need some tweaks.  Only once in my running years did I ever exceed a yearly mileage goal so while I can commit to this goal, I will need to stay healthy and avoid the injury bugaboo that has derailed me in the past.

So here are my goals that as I begin this year are in my control.

1. 2015 miles. This can be done either running, cycling, swimming, walking for a total of 2015 miles. I don't care what the medium I use to accomplish this.  Moving forward is the goal. 
2. Read one book a month and write about it here or publish a review on Amazon.
3. Donate platelets fifteen times.

“Sometimes I can feel my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I’m not living.”
—Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

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Father Time marches on undefeated

I went to my first ever Orange Theory class yesterday with Adam.  We ran right next to each other on the treadmill and I glance over to see that our heart rates were almost identical.  When my heart rate was at 158, I was at 95% of my maximum heart rate nearing the upper limit of my red zone.  Adam's heart rate was identical to mine and he was in the upper end of the green zone, almost entering the lower end of the orange zone.

I checked a few other times and when my heart rate reached 162 I was at 102% of my maximum heart rate.  Adam was at 82%, safely in the orange zone.  Interesting to note how our hearts were pumping the same number of times and I was flat lining, in the Danger Will Robinson zone and Adam was at the lower end of the Orange zone.  Oh to be 24 again.

At the end of the class we are able to view how much time we had spent in each of the zones.  I joked with Adam that I had clearly "won" as the pyramid view of my heart rate showed clearly that I had spent almost 21 minutes of a 57 minute workout in the Orange zone and almost 31 minutes in the Red zone.  Actually I think this makes me the biggest loser, a clear indication that I am out of shape.  The goal is to spend no more than 20 minutes of the workout in the Orange or Red Zone.  I had 51 minutes total.

Much of the time that I spent in the Red zone, I was at total rest, doubled over, gasping for breath hoping my heart rate would come down.

Clearly I have work to do and I have no illusions about taking down Father Time. After all he is undefeated.

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Rocky

We had to take our poodle Rocky to the Vet this morning.  It was time to say goodbye and let him run free again with no pain in his legs.

Rocky came to live with us on November 11, 2001.  He was a show dog at heart.  We never showed him, but he had it in him.  Whenever he was out on a walk, and a person would approach he would change his gait and proudly began to prance.  He could be a ham.

He had such a sweet disposition.  He was a happy go lucky and at times a very ungraceful dog.  He could be quite athletic in one moment and then mistime his jump and end up doing a face plant.

Laura and Adam grew up from the teenage and pre teen years with Rocky.  This morning we all went together as a family to the vet.

We stayed with him the whole time during the procedure, never leaving his side.  It seemed to be the least we could do for him.

When Laura went out of state for her Freshman year in College, it really hit Rocky hard.  Every time when Laura would come home from college for a break, he was her shadow.  He would lay on her lap and lick her obsessively.  Even in this last year whenever she would come over to the house for a visit he would still perk up.

Rocky would wait up for Adam to come home from his radio gig at Mile High Sports or from a late night of working out at the gym and happily trundle downstairs to Adam's room.

I think Rocky was more Laura's and Adam's pet then he was ours.  How he loved his kids.

Rocky loved taking Adam to school in the morning, and loved it even more when he got to pick him up after school.  Rocky would always cry in the morning when Adam would get out of the car.

Rocky loved going to the Furry Scurry in May.  We have many happy memories of Rocky as he would make many new "friends" during the annual two mile walk.

Rocky takes on the obstacle course at the 2008 Furry Scurry

Rocky loved the first snow of every year and would happily bound into the snow.

It was so hard to have to say goodbye to Rocky.  I shed many tears last night and I know that are more tears to shed.  I am okay with that.  I love Rocky and that love doesn't stop with his passing.

I am so grateful for the thirteen years that we were blessed to have Rocky share his life and love with us.

Go chase those bunnies now!  I love you Rocky!!!

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#Reverb14 Day 1

Day 1 prompt for Reverb14: 

At the start | Where did you start 2014?  Give us some background on this year.

I started the year off building a website Honor with Action which was built in honor of Claire Davis who was shot and killed by a fellow classmate in December at Arapahoe High school.

I built the site using Ruby on Rails.  It was a simple site that gave some background about Claire with a call to action.  Claire was armed only with kindness as she faced her killer so the call to action is to live like Claire and to make your actions speak so loudly that we can not hear your words.

I attended her memorial service which was attended by thousands of people who came together to honor Claire's life and listened to her father's impassioned plea to forgive the young man who had killed his daughter.

I was attending a web development immersion boot camp in Austin and returned from Denver for the final four weeks of the course.  It was hard to get back on the plane for the final leg of this journey.  I did not want to go back.

I woke up one morning in mid January with an intense pain in my left leg.  I was having a really bad calf attack.  I have had this numerous times over the years, but this one felt different.  Hours later I could barely walk.  I didn't think much of it at the time, but it was a foreshadowing of things to come.

We began the final project which entailed many hours of hacking away during a weekend so we could give an initial presentation to the class on Sunday afternoon.  The pain in my left leg continued to persist and seemed to be worsening.  Over the course of the next two weeks we continued to work on the final project and it had reached the point where it would take twenty minutes for me to walk six blocks from where I parked my car to get to school.  Something was definitely wrong

The final week of class had finally arrived.  I was so looking forward to leaving Austin and returning to Denver.

On the morning of the day that we were to give our final presentations to the Austin Tech community, the pain in my left leg had become so intense that I went to an Urgent Care Center.  They immediately sent me over to the emergency room at a hospital to see if I might have a blood clot in my leg.

The initial diagnosis from the Ultrasound were negative.  No explanation for the cause in my leg, but the doctor assured me that I would be safe to make the 900 mile or so drive back to Denver the following day.  She encouraged me to stop ever hour or so and walk for a few minutes to promote circulation in my leg.

I headed home the next day and called my primary care physician to make an appointment as the doctor at the hospital told me that I needed to follow up with my doctor because "something is going on" and we needed to figure out what that something was.

I finally made it back home around 5:00 the following day.  I was home at last with my family.

I was looking forward to watching the Super Bowl the following day.  It had been 15 years since the last time the Broncos were in a Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl was a super bust.  Everything went wrong beginning with the first play from scrimmage and we watched in disbelief as the record setting high powered offense was relegated to a single consolation touchdown in order to avert the first shutout in Super Bowl History.  A season that had so much promise ended in shambles as the Broncos lost 43-8.  Sue and I had lived through many of these Bronco Super Bowl shellackings before.

The next day I met with my doctor and after discussing the symptoms with him briefly he stepped out of the room and made a phone call to discuss this with another doctor.  He came back and told me, when it sounds like a duck and quacks like a duck, then you treat it like a duck.  It sounds like a blood clot and ordered another ultrasound.  I walked across the hall and told the technician that I had a prior Ultrasound done in Austin 4 days prior.

Very early into the procedure she confirmed that I did indeed have a blood clot in my leg.  How this was missed just a few days ago was and is still a mystery to me.

So I began 2014 with a blood clot in my leg and hopes of beginning a career as a Ruby on Rails Web developer.

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ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

It is only supposed to take 24 hours to complete the ALS ice bucket challenge once you have been nominated.

Well it took me almost 144 hours.  I am not good enough with my i-phone to take the challenge selfie style like Adam did, so I had to wait for my videographer, but I finally got it done.

So as I waited for my schedule to sync up with Adam I completed what I think are three essential steps to take before dumping a bucket of ice water over your head.

1. Donate  
2. Educate 
3. Advocate

Check out the video that Adam put together for me and then take on the challenge yourself. 

Visit ALSA.org o learn more about how you can get involved. 

Remember you have 24 Hours to: 

• Donate
• Educate
• Advocate
• Participate

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