Well, this is it: we're now in the second half of the year. Somehow, the halftime band performance on the field was absolutely mesmerizing! Who knew a marching band could capture Separate Ways / Don't Stop Believing and Stayin' Alive?

And of course: Back in Black.

This morning was...an Aerosmith's Back in the Saddle 2:30 AM—in black, no less! And lemme tell ya, while it was a breezy, balmy 75℉ at 75% humidity after 4am, I longed for my winter walks. That said...dare I say I had Moves Like Jagger?

It was good to get out there and move, though my months off were actualized into my quads in the first 10 minutes. I still feel/felt some of that not-so-Spidey-sense tingling in my limbs, but c'mon, you can't stop this Crazy Train (that tempo)!

I need to crank out the end credits theme to 1993's Jurassic Park.

Yesterday, I must of spent the most time I have beneath a summer sun since those days I made slump tests behind a concrete truck. In those days of 1998, I'd wear a pair of blue jean overalls with no shirt. In 2024, I wore an all-black polyester, long-sleeved shirt and pants. But both had a pair of shades!

I did a second day of yard work; this time featured the backyard as I used up both of my 80V 2.5 Ah batteries from Harbor Freight on that tiny front yard the day prior. Those suckers cost me $150 a piece! Collectively, that's $500 for my mower! I've been foolin' around with this tech since 2014 and I gotta say, gasoline makes this planet a better place.

Thus, I attacked the backyard with passion as I walked through a waterfall of memories. That road behind me has that sort of effect on me. I buzzed the weedwhacker across the realm; the grass slapped me silly. I took a break to shower off the havoc the Green Beast wrought upon me, fed the kids, and assembled a charcoal grill on the patio.

I haven't run one of those things in years. It was never optimal; I could do things faster. "Just throw it in the meat drawer and let the magic happen! Warmup and 12 minutes later and you got yourself some grub."

But, I've undergone a change in very recent days. I'm not sure I can succinctly describe it.

"Come over here and let me look through this bin."

*his fingers briefly rest on a Kenny Chesney album before moving on*

Steel bars wrapped around me,
I've been your prisoner since the day you found me

"—no, no, not that one. Lemme dig deeper over in Bed Bath & Beyond."

*wrinkles his nose from the musty smell*

And I wanna be free
Free to scream, free to bathe
Free to paint my toes all day

"—wha? Free to paint your toes? Zounds! No, It's gotta be around here somewhere...ooh, the Beatles 1 compilation, that's good but doesn't fit...OK...yep, THIS is the one!"

*dusts off the cassette single and smiles*

Then outta nowhere you tell me to break
Outta the country and into more country
Past Dyersburg into Ripley
Where the ghost of childhood haunts me
Walk the roads my forefathers walked
Climbed the trees my forefathers hung from
Ask those trees for all their wisdom
They tell me my ears are so young (home)
Go back to from whence you came (home)
My family tree, my family name (home)
For some strange reason it had to be (home)
He guided me to Tennessee (home)

Arrested Development, Tennessee (1992)

There is something primal about fire.

I am pulling closer to critical mass; I want to get out there and invest in cardio. I feel fantastic! I've written how I've been feeling green each day. Generally, it's late afternoon, starting around 3 or so. You could run trains by it. Four days ago, I fixed it!

I'm unsure how because I changed two variables: Great Value Butter and Great Value 100% Pure (next line) Beef Burgers. Now, I had a sneaking suspicion about the butter being the cause of my problem.

And as to the "beef" burgers, I do not trust the label of "INGREDIENTS: 100% BEEF." It's like those folks who add just a little bit too much detail to their lies. I get the sense it caused my stalled weightloss, because I'm following my same macros that have given me a trophy shelf of wins.

But, I don't know what is the culprit 'cause I yanked them both out of the lineup as my budget wailed away with a big upgrade: the beautiful Kerrygold, brought forth to this earth from the grass of Ireland. As to the beef, I just conceded with a 5-lb chub at Walmart to hold me over until the next shopping trip, which I'm leaning toward bringing back shopping at Gordon's. I have lost SO much weight on this stuff! Buy three 10 lb chubs; I'm set for the month! Like today, I had 8.3 oz cooked of beef, 2 eggs, and two cups of coffee. Add a stick and a half of Kerrygold for that beautiful fat and it puts me at 203 / 76.5 / 1.2.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

I am happy that I resolved all that nonsense. Generally, I like my food selections because, hey, it is heavy on the minimally-processed side. "That ol' lab tech won't get me today!" And again, an elimination diet is the way to go tinkering with the machine isn't performing to our expectations.

Gotta keep enhancing my capabilities & capacities!

Harder
Better
Faster
Stronger

Daft Punk (2001)