On this Jekyll website, I've been running two templates, one independent and the other dependent, ever since I broke away from Minimal-Mistakes years ago. Back then, I whipped something of my own together with the intent of simplification in both structure and design. Even when my CSS gets out of control today, I start reining it in. There's something remarkable about simplifying one's life, getting rid of the noise.

This time around, the reason why I added the code: consistency. Along with simplicity, consistency is a pillar of life. The main thrust was to make the landing post titles consistent with a standalone post title, leaving the other pages unaffected by all the funzies. And I suspect that explanation lands in my top ten of boring sentences on this site!

The difference between the two is marginal—just a font size of 1.7rem that's center aligned vs. 1.5rem to the left. But, there's just something about getting the details right. I try to carry over these concepts into every area of my life inasmuch as my astigmatism allows it!

I am glad I brought back The Expeditions after their momentary dismissal. There has been a lot of history with them:

• Hiking up the hill on my country piece of land;
• Shaking my head at Henderson's gym and the Shasta-fueled lollygagging;
• Clinching sweaty handholds on dumbbells in a June garage;
• Treading to Tom Cruise's running;
• Running the long way in a zombie backdrop to Panera;
• Passing just outside my old office at UofM and embracing the night sky;
• Gliding through the past toward the future at BRC;
• Lighting up Bartlett in green.

What's next?

2024 has been:

Lonely sidewalks, silent night
Bring the evening, deep inside

Will I reach my destination in the rustle of orange and ambered leaves? I envision Future Me:

And all the dreamin', is far behind
You are here now, and everythin's alright

Saigon Kick, Love Is on the Way (1992)

I wonder if I was too hasty to slide The Expeditions into my photo album of Things That Once Were. They've been at my side for a while now, over 6 years. And when I started The 1st Expedition, I had NO idea that its end would be The 39th. I already miss that ol' graph, dreaming of future days...

Yesterday afternoon I wrote,

My weightloss story ends here—at least of that 336-lb, near 49 BMI, fat guy. He's gone. I've lost 135+ lbs with under 40 remaining to go. I have no cravings; binge-lust has no hold. I have attained my boon. What I received no low-calorie diet could ever give.

The thing is, my weightloss story isn't over yet! Yes, I got down to 182 in 2021, but I do not know what it's like in the modern era to go beneath even that. I guess it's been since 1997? It was way back when I went to see Titanic for a second time by myself at Wolfchase, just for the love story, and left the theater before the ship hits the iceberg.

I've steadily lost weight, but I haven't flexed my maintenance. I gotta write that into my story. And this time around, I haven't had the chance to show how HFC responds to being stalled out. Hasn't happened yet, but I did a rare preview weigh-in the other night (I want that 200) and the official weigh-in may not be a ThunderCats / He-Man kind of day!

And lest I forget, if I don't continue to tell this story, there's a good chance this final countdown to weightloss will perish. And I shouldn't so casually shelve these Expeditions, "How can I show you I'm glad I got to know you?" We regale in tale, don't we? That's common to us before we got too big for our britches in the 20th century.

Fast-forward three months from now; will I find myself here:

"...And wonders what might have been."

What do I do now? The song continues:

It's funny how life turns out
The odds of faith in the face of doubt
Camera one closes in
The soundtrack starts
The scene begins

Josh Joplin, Camera One (2001)

Thus, I am bringing everything back, The Expeditions, the Fit page, and even the New Year's Resolutions. I really ought to see those things to the end and see what makes it through the fire:

There's a feeling that I can't ignore
Like a stranger at my door
So revealing that I cannot hide
When you settle up the score
Voices say, night and day
Live your life as if each second
Was the final one
Through the fire
To the wire

Larry Greene, Through the Fire (1986)

Last night, a shirtless Santa in shades and a pair of sandals swung by my place as he played Kenny Chesney in that ol' sleigh of his. His elves are still hammering away up north, but I appreciate Santa stopping over for some chitchat..."Oh Santa, you KNOW I don't drink that cocoa!" Appropriately enough, we still have eggnog and gingerbread flavored coffee from last season.

Oh, the weather outside is scorching
And the sun is so unrelenting
And since we've no place to go
Let it glow, let it glow, let it glow

The heat isn't showing signs of easing
So I've got some ice for drinking
The fans are turned on high, you know
Let it glow, let it glow, let it glow

A ChatGPT cover

I gifted 5 sets of Dungeons & Dragons dice each to everyone in the house. My son is taking over DMing duties as I shift to the role of a player for the first time. My first class ever? A monk. It seemed befitting.

Yes, we are halfway through the year and are near upon Mid Year's Eve.

On to other things: this site has been updated.

Changelog:

• Retired The Expeditions. (!)
• Took down the Fit page with its diet streak counter and graphs/tables of my historical weighin. (!)
• Removed New Year Resolutions.
• Added Fitness Goals to celebrate Mid Year's Eve.
• A style shift.

You know, I just feel as though I am beyond what I once did. It was an extended campaign of sliding down the scale and vaulting high above until I put the brakes on and rode the ride swiftly down again.

I laid it out before the world to show it can be done: learn from my mistakes; these are the steps that can be undertaken to WIN.

I wish it was the sort of thing that could have been handed to me when I started back in 2018.

But, I am moving on. I find interest in capability and capacity. I am still losing weight, but now I see it as a function of increasing both of those.

I am moving toward homeostasis. The weight I should be will be my weight. As I have written before, it is just a matter of time. But at the end of the day, what will I have achieved when I get there? What can I do? My diet doesn't make me better, it just resets me back to what I should have been.