tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37137942024-03-19T04:48:27.363-04:00Tales of a Media Addict.danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.comBlogger447125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-67657299053923415782020-02-10T11:51:00.001-05:002020-02-10T11:51:05.419-05:00Day 3 of Fast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
More restless sleep, more muscle cramping.</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>0600 -- 260.4lbs - 120/73 </li>
</ol>
<div>
This was the lightest I have been since November.... 2017... That was extremely motivating!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With the help of a little more bone broth (90 calories I made it to the 72 hour mark). So all of 170 calories in 3 days. Broke my fast proper with a visit to a Vietnamese Pho place (so more bone broth! But this stuff was so much better).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Overall impressions? I can do this, and I think I can do this for longer (I can't believe I am writing this but I would be interested in doing a 7 day fast sometime in the future). I might even be able to incorporate back in my exercise into this (I think in particular in the beginning, as an effort to burn out the sugar in the bloodstream and speed the transition to ketosis). I really wasn't crazy hungry and things were busy enough. I think this would be easier without kids (because they need things like food and it is hard to be around food when doing this). I definitely wouldn't do another 3 day where it goes over weekend (though with this being a drill weekend I was away and busy). I really didn't feel as off as I expected, a pleasant surprise.</div>
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<div>
After re-feeding and a full cycle of meals, 48 hours after that weight I was 265.8, which was still better than a when I started.</div>
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danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-1039368337703162472020-02-10T11:29:00.002-05:002020-02-10T11:29:30.271-05:00Day 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
Restless sleep (but somehow a Fitbit sleep score of 78 on 7:26 of sleep). <strike>Some</strike> Crazy more muscle cramping, I was in a meeting and had 3-4 muscles all messing with me at the same time.</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>0700 -- 263.9lbs - 133/87 69bpm</li>
<li>1230 -- Still feeling mostly fine other than the cramping issue. Amazingly my stomach is not crying out right now for food as I expected/feared. Coffee and an electrolyte mix (I really like this one, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ultima-Replenisher-Electrolyte-Hydration-Canister/dp/B01IIGR2Z8/ref=pd_rhf_eetyp_p_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=J5QB6K84MP6WAK3VCK7A">Ultima Replenisher Electrolyte Hydration Powder, Grape</a> ) have kept me going, will probably switch to macha tea in the afternoon to ease the caffeine load. 40 hours in </li>
<li>1600 -- 265.9lbs </li>
<li>2137 -- 264.8lb</li>
</ol>
<div>
I broke down a touch (though it depends where you read if it was ok) and had a package of bone broth in the evening. So all of 80 calories in more than 2 days.</div>
</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-31950392431324469892020-02-07T07:01:00.000-05:002020-02-07T07:01:52.458-05:00Day 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last food was at roughly 1900 last night. Slept poorly but there is something about the taco's we had for dinner that doesn't settle well (massive acidity in stomach.. I am trying different variations to find what is causing it, onions just got excluded). Overall this will be the easy day, at least until 1800 or so, because that is normally when I break a 24 (ish) hour fast. 60bpm resting heart rate.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>0800 -- 268.6lbs - 44 waist</li>
<li>1600 -- 267lbs - 44 waist. 129/98 67bpm</li>
</ol>
<br />
Only odd effect so far has been some cramping. That and some grumbling from my stomach.... But I have been prone to cramping for a long time so I cannot blame this (yet).....<br />
<br />
I started with this which got me into 24 hour fasts:<br />
<h2 class="a-size-mini a-spacing-none a-color-base s-line-clamp-2" style="-webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; display: -webkit-box; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px !important; line-height: 1.465 !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-height: 42.67px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<a class="a-link-normal a-text-normal" href="https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Stop-Intermittent-Fasting-Health/dp/B076B6RMJR/ref=sr_1_3?crid=27NDZDLXYCF6W&keywords=eat+stop+eat&qid=1581040400&sprefix=eat+stop%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-3" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #c45500; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 400 !important; outline: 0px;"><span class="a-size-medium a-color-base a-text-normal" dir="auto" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 17px !important; line-height: 1.255 !important; text-decoration-line: none !important; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Eat Stop Eat: Intermittent Fasting for Health and Weight Loss</span></a></h2>
Then I moved to my reference for this:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0066c0; font-family: "amazon ember" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0066c0; font-family: "amazon ember" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0066c0; font-family: "amazon ember" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
Note: Today I had a physical. Then I had to take our sick cat Legend in.Who the vet not so subtly told me needs to be put down, there is no return to normal (pain free) for him. FML, I almost broke this thing before it started since I _really_ wanted a drink after that news...<br />
<br /></div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-12226325559125029362020-02-04T16:24:00.001-05:002020-02-06T17:51:02.645-05:00Not quite dead (but I may feel like it in a few days)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Going to use this to sort of live blog my new experiment, trying a longer fast. I have been doing a number of short 20-24 hour fasts for several months now (minus travel, holidays and extreme stress times). So given the fact that I may have to be taped this weekend (but no PT test) I figured it would be chance to maybe lose an inch or so from the waist and try to extend my to (*gulp*) 72 hours. I already had to fast for both my annual physical as well as my annual Army physical, so why not combine them.<br />
I have been reading so many good things about the benefits of extended fasting that I am kind of interested to see how it goes. Not horribly excited, but interested to see how it goes. I predict that Thursday night will be the worst because my body is used to eating after a 24 hour fast and isn't going to be happy.</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-64534722925152090912019-03-08T09:46:00.004-05:002019-03-08T09:47:49.181-05:00The 24 hour (ish) Fasting Experiment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I like experimenting with various ways to try to lose weight. I am in the Army National Guard and at this point don't want to get kicked out for my weight, as I will have just completed 14 years of service at the end of this month.<br />
<div>
Over the years I have tried Adkin's, Keto, Intermittent Fasting(IF), etc. I like the science behind fasting but honestly, I find IF burdensome as, while it claims to be intermittent in practice most people do it 5-7 days a week. I actually like breakfast (even after my time in AFG where it was my dinner for 6 months) so I was never good at following a consistent IF plan. Then early last month I found some references to a book, "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Stop-Intermittent-Fasting-English-ebook/dp/B076134V88/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=eat+stop+eat&qid=1552055233&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1">Eat, Stop, Eat</a>," (by Brad Pilon) that intrigued me. Basically the book breaks down to just trying to go for 24 hours 2x a week (for those of us who are overweight... so America as a whole, then if you get really close you can drop to 1x week). I love that the book has something like 20 page of scientific citations at the end. And even besides fat loss there are additional health benefits to a 24 hour fast that made it an easy sell to me. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So the basic numbers when I started the first fast on 13FEB19:</div>
<div>
Weight: 275.1 lbs</div>
<div>
RHR: 62 bpm</div>
<div>
After 3 full weeks of 2x Fasting for 24hrs (08MAR19):</div>
<div>
<div>
Weight: 265.2 lbs</div>
<div>
RHR: 55 bpm</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Interesting note, you can see my RHR spike during drill(1-3MAR).... I was less than good going to the gym (only 2-3 time a week) during this period, but because I have a record APFT coming up, I need to get moving on that.</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTIOOm4P9cA7ja2sFRmSQGdLnMfSHJOY53y90b50Gj6BFc15vKeyVUDlUh53xkEE26dlkWJFPNaROQvKbXSLo5vtsMT5icfzywiLUjMpmRP0UbclTwd0ktWyiyTiOk233PvBX/s1600/IMG_2361.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTIOOm4P9cA7ja2sFRmSQGdLnMfSHJOY53y90b50Gj6BFc15vKeyVUDlUh53xkEE26dlkWJFPNaROQvKbXSLo5vtsMT5icfzywiLUjMpmRP0UbclTwd0ktWyiyTiOk233PvBX/s320/IMG_2361.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mAV-QdC5mNSEJ3FBm3uKtZrI7Ria6XhXRxCB4RTK828_u1zzsHec7uOGq0nhEbPfVKkessWj7iApvoAW9g0Ee7L7A2FxyojNoA7-T1z8DJ74igHU6moKPSWd6QNzIV7jMZ1C/s1600/Image-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mAV-QdC5mNSEJ3FBm3uKtZrI7Ria6XhXRxCB4RTK828_u1zzsHec7uOGq0nhEbPfVKkessWj7iApvoAW9g0Ee7L7A2FxyojNoA7-T1z8DJ74igHU6moKPSWd6QNzIV7jMZ1C/s320/Image-1.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<div>
I also had a checkup on 28FEB19 and I will need to have some more blood work done in 3 months, so that should have some interesting nuggets. (one desire of this trip is to not need BP meds anymore)</div>
<div>
I will check back in next month to see how things are going. I find that while I am hungry, I don't feel tempted to cheat. During these fast periods I try to be as strict as I can be, developing a taste for black (but with fake sugar) coffee and lots of water. I generally break the fast with some probiotics (fermented garlic, sauerkraut, plus maybe some kefir) and carrots/hummis.</div>
</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-41806058350311690132019-03-08T09:13:00.001-05:002019-03-08T09:13:18.096-05:00The 21 year old me vs the 42yo me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Right around my 42nd birthday I was going out with a few Soldiers from my unit and one of them was a girl who was turning 21 that evening. Beyond the amusement of her trying to educate bartenders on the quirks of alcohol sales (she could buy from our ABC stores on the day before her birthday, but bartenders were not willing to take that risk). It got me to ponder the vast differences between 21yo me and the 42yo me. So in an totally un-ranked and unsorted list: (Old me is indented)<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Drinks coffee, tea. Has maybe a diet soda 2-3 times a week</li>
<ul>
<li>Swills soda (sugared). A case+ per week(!).</li>
</ul>
<li>Drinks beer (almost everything but IPA's), occasional whisky/bourbon, tons of red wine</li>
<ul>
<li>goldschlager and the ilk</li>
</ul>
<li>Cooks somewhat complicated meals, can bake if I have the right ingredients </li>
<ul>
<li>Ramen... Maybe fried rice</li>
</ul>
<li>2 kids and a wife</li>
<ul>
<li>Not even dating</li>
</ul>
<li>Is a Captain with good odds of being promoted to Major in the Army</li>
<ul>
<li>Military what?</li>
</ul>
<li>Regular gym goer. Lifts and Runs 5k's, 10Milers and as completed a Marathon</li>
<ul>
<li>Run if threatened</li>
</ul>
<li>Manager. Rarely looks at code. Runs a team of 8 hackers. Has 20+ people working for me on my part time job.</li>
<ul>
<li>Thinks he will spend his life coding</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
It amazes me when you stop to think that you can change so much over time.<br />
<br />
* Note I wrote most of this around my 42nd birthday, then left it. Oddly enough I was literally thinking about these same things today, March 2019.</div>
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danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-35535557888926948402017-07-17T11:20:00.001-04:002017-07-17T11:20:19.192-04:00My 529 Plan Plan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have 2 kids, a 4yo Girl and a 2yo (we will round up 3 weeks) Boy. As soon as I got their SSN's (which takes a surprising amount of time, weeks to months after you file the initial Birth Certificate) my kids were the proud owners of a bank account and a 529 plan (they also have an investment account... I like to keep the money they get as gifts in their cash/investment accounts).<br />
<br />
So then I came up with the 529 Plan Plan -- how to, with our own money (avoiding any presumption of windfalls/etc) to fund their college education. My parents paid for mine and I want to pay it forward as much as feasible (we are already funding ~25% of our net into our retirement accounts(plus another 8-9% to taxable accounts), so we already are paying ourselves first). Not seen on here is that thanks to a trip to Afghanistan I was able to sign my Post-9/11 GI Bill to my kids, so each gets 2 years of 50% college costs + books + a housing stipend. And who knows what college is going to look like in 14 years, I cannot see the current trend continuing.... But at least I am making the effort to cover them. And since my state plan (Virginia) allows me to deduct contributions from my State taxes it at least reduces the burden on us.<br />
<br />
The plan is simple, 100 dollars a month, increasing that amount by 10 dollars every birthday. One catch to the plan in that there a 130 dollar a month jump on their 5/6th birthday. That is the celebration of them not being in daycare anymore, it represents less than 10% of the monthly cost.... (side note, there is a plan for at least some of that money as well... while post-daycare the kids costs will seem light as feather, it is better to save and bank that money (50%) to cover things like camp, after-school, etc). I also programmed in conservative returns for the duration.<br />
<br />
Below is a screenshot of my google sheets that contains the original plan, combined with the actual's (since I like seeing how the battle plan matches up with reality).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nrjPsWrqjWValIkzVEvdrdyc74OWdYjon8dUABO3L-exOSTGLDiSYv8XXaM18H-sEkXULonQ1nMvJwCeHYIXbJeoCFpkNie15TjmXXIWuQKwBCKW0kvnsRlzODqaGdZRWxn_/s1600/529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="827" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nrjPsWrqjWValIkzVEvdrdyc74OWdYjon8dUABO3L-exOSTGLDiSYv8XXaM18H-sEkXULonQ1nMvJwCeHYIXbJeoCFpkNie15TjmXXIWuQKwBCKW0kvnsRlzODqaGdZRWxn_/s640/529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-90128979453568269212017-05-31T10:23:00.001-04:002017-05-31T10:23:51.471-04:00August Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
More long car trips (it is 3ish hours down to Ft. Pickett, where I had to go twice this month) plus more walking plus more working out equals more books read.<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><ul>
</ul>
<li><b>Grunge <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/179063-monster-hunter-memoirs">(Monster Hunter Memoirs #1)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14219.John_Ringo">John Ringo</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1136158.Larry_Correia">Larry Correia</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li>xx</li>
</ul>
<li><b>The Rhesus Chart <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files">(Laundry Files #5)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8794.Charles_Stross">Charles Stross</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li> asd</li>
</ul>
<li><b>The Nelson Touch <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/125038-ark-royal">(Ark Royal #2)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5270613.Christopher_Nuttall">Christopher Nuttall</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li>asd</li>
</ul>
<li><b>The Annihilation Score <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files">(Laundry Files #6)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8794.Charles_Stross">Charles Stross</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li>asd</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Technomancer <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/81281-unspeakable-things">(Unspeakable Things #1)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4087274.B_V_Larson">B.V. Larson</a></b></li>
<li><b>The Hot Gate <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/51166-troy-rising">(Troy Rising #3)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14219.John_Ringo">John Ringo</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Re-read. Such a great series. I am a big fan of John Ringo in case you cannot figure that out yet. I liked this series because it was a big picture (but also micro by covering the stories of the general populace as well), going from the underemployed web comic writer who discovers the secret sauce that helped Earth earned its independence. All the way up to becoming a major regional player.</li>
</ul>
<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8157267-citadel">Citadel (Troy Rising, #2) </a>by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14219.John_Ringo">John Ringo</a></b></li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6713634-live-free-or-die">Live Free or Die (Troy Rising, #1) </a>by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14219.John_Ringo">John Ringo</a></b></li>
</ul>
</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-61758410136378466712017-05-31T10:23:00.000-04:002017-05-31T10:23:30.358-04:00December Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Battle Cruiser <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/166573-lost-colonies-trilogy">(Lost Colonies Trilogy #1)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4087274.B_V_Larson">B.V. Larson</a></li>
<ul>
<li>A giant solar flare knocks a rapidly expanding Earth back, affecting the technology as well as the transportation system that Earth used to get to its colonies 160 years before the start of this book. The main character, LCDR Sparhawk, is a member of the ruling (this is a hereditary democracy (not that we can comment, Bush family for example), complicated by cloning. They are called *cough* Public Servants *cough* and Sparhawk has rebelled and joined the Space Guard) families and after long isolation the universe is coming to visit the Earth again. As it often happens, a lot of big activities all center around our hero.<br />Overall a fun read, complicated by... interesting politics and some really odd 180's by some characters, this story kept me entertained for a long day of driving. (3/5)</li>
</ul>
<li>The Nightmare Stacks <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files">(Laundry Files #7)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8794.Charles_Stross">Charles Stross</a></li>
<ul>
<li>This story changes a lot of the Laundry Universe. While the last book introduced giving the perspective of a non-Bob character, this one pretty much removes him from the equation completely (except for a few references and borrows Bob's most notable sidekicks, Pinky and Brain). Told from the perspective of Alex, the moderately capable vampire (don't be silly, Vampires don't exist) and in Leeds (vs London). So much happens that my head is spinning a bit and I am deeply curious how things, given that the Laundry basically gets aired by the time everything is done.<br />This is probably the most approachable (and one of the top 3 of the series) book of the series other than the first book, since while it helps to have read the first 6 books you really could come into this book cold and be able to understand what is going on. (4/5)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><ul>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-24852793744132132932017-05-30T10:17:00.001-04:002017-05-30T10:17:55.821-04:00Quite (from being so busy)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Kids, travel (work and my wife's), work all combine to kill my blogging time. I still go through a lot of books (mostly Audible) which you can see if you become friends with me on Goodreads ( https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10193172-daniel )<br />
<br />
Work has a lot of stuff going on.. That's about all I can say there. My part-time (hah!) job with the Army has taken some turns. I finally attended the first part of the Signal Captains Career Course (it was nice to see Fort Gordon again after a 9 year gap), got notified that I have been selected to be the BDE S6 (Main Communication guy for a 4,000 person Brigade), of course finally got my Command position posted (so I can move on to new job) and did the myriad of things that I basically have to do to support both positions.The good news is that I should get promoted to Major out of this, so that should be fun.<br />
<br />
Kids are doing well and running my wife and I ragged. They are so smart, energetic and clever that we have to work hard to keep ahead of them. <br />
<br />
I am going to try to post more now that I seem to have moved past the crazy busy hump, it is good to exercise my writing in something other than work.</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-23562397020963750492017-01-02T19:04:00.000-05:002017-01-02T19:04:59.789-05:00Saving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This past Friday was a reminder why I have an account labeled "House Savings Account"(HSA). Now you may say, Daniel, you already have a house, why would you have a house savings account? Because even though you already have a house, doesn't mean that you won't have unexpected (or expected) expenses in maintaining that house. <br />
<br />
My HVAC (13 year old heat pump) decided to give up the ghost. And yes, I could get the basic one for maybe 4k less than the top of the line, but in the end there are advantages of putting in the top of the line for a system that consumes 40-60% of my home energy costs. So shortly (having it go down over the holidays is difficult) a healthy chunk (all actually, but I have other cash accounts) 11k will be leaving my accounts. In the time we have bought this house (less than 3 years) we have had to replace the roof, an outside door and the washer and dryer. This is why every month I put 200 dollars into to my HSA (as well as its other friend accounts, travel and car maintenance).<br />
<br />
So while it may sometimes look like I have extra un-invested money laying around, we are prepped when life comes up</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-85148371192501634542016-12-01T11:05:00.000-05:002016-12-05T11:06:12.302-05:00November Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>Dawn <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/41747-xenogenesis">(Xenogenesis #1)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/29535.Octavia_E_Butler">Octavia E. Butler</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Meh. This was one of those drag me to the end (since if anything life has proven, I have the ability to power through pretty much anything) type of books, that actually had me reading other books in between before finishing. While it was an interesting concept (aliens abducting survivors of an apocalypse on the Earth with the intent of repatriating them in the far future), the very concept was so grim that I had a hard time keeping up my interest (in particular as you learn the plans of the aliens). I know that even though there are more books that more me this is a one and done. (1/5)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Grits, Guns & Glory - Bubba the Monster Hunter Season 2 by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3218603.John_G_Hartness">John G. Hartness</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/605902.Melissa_Gilbert">Melissa Gilbert</a> (Editor)</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Bubba, the most unlikely Church employee that you are going to find, is a lot of fun. This collection of short stories (all chained together to provide a comprehensive overall sequence) will keep you awake during a long drive. Bubba is a mostly straightforward good-old boy who, along with his assorted allies (life-long friend, girlfriend and his handler Priest), fights the things that go bump in the night that are creating problems. Taking off right from the end of the last book where Bubba is doing his impression of a shis-kebab, the book ramps thing up for a the main fight at the end of the novel (with a couple of fun turns down side stories). Bubba's big fight is with his brother who effectively defeated him last "season" and continues to gather power towards his overall plan at the end. Overall this was a fun book to read in smaller bites. (4/5)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>First Grave on the Right <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/52637-charley-davidson">(Charley Davidson #1)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4175419.Darynda_Jones">Darynda Jones</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li>A nice light pallet cleanser after the heavy handed book I read lately. A little more harlequin than I normally go book-wise, but the overall concept (the world that is being spun) is pretty interesting. I enjoy the concept of Grim Reapers living with the rest of us (Everything from Dead Like Me on TV to good old Death in the Discworld universe) and this story delivered. Took a little while to get into it but hard to stop once I got started. If you enjoy a book where the paranormal is more leaning toward normal, this can be a nice fun read. (4/5)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>The Brotherhood of the Wheel by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3312940.R_S_Belcher">R.S. Belcher</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Another good urban fantasy read. What if the Truckers and Motorcycle Clubs are really agents of a secret society (formerly the Knights Templar) that is out there to protect the travelers of the roads? Well in this world they are and we get to learn more about them and how they handle a big bad enemy from effectively destroying reality. The world and situation are slowly revealed through the eyes of the newbie characters, a MC guy and an investigative cop. I definitely would look forward to another book written in this universe. (4/5)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-53969970269217995082016-11-17T15:58:00.001-05:002016-11-17T15:58:45.164-05:00Digital vs Physical Delivery of Content<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Is anyone else really confused why in God's name it is cheaper to purchase a physical copy of multiple types of digital content than to download it through the standard mechanisms?<br />
<br />
The best example was this past week, where Titanfall 2 and Battefields 1 were both on sale from Amazon.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Buy digital : $ 59 99 Download now!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Buy new : $ 35 00</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
So the options were to buy a physical copy, which involved producing the disc and assorted material, shipping it to a distribution center, then shipping it yet again to my house, for $24.99 less than buying a digital copy (which the content producer has a higher control on and I cannot re-sell or lend out to another person)!? Yes, there are some costs to the digital distribution (bandwidth and (hah) storage), but those have to marginal compared to the entire supply chain to provide the digital copy. If they were comparable in cost I would definitely do the digital, even though I as the consumer come away less well off (because I cannot share nor can I sell it) because in the end I don't want more little plastic cases taking up space in my bookcases. I will take the hit because it seems the logical, and environmental, way to go.<br />
<br />
This problem has also been observed in some cases in music (for example it has been cheaper to buy the CD and get the digital copy for free than to buy the digital copy) and for books.With DRM getting relatively hard to remove and people being relatively lazy, piracy isn't really a concern anymore either.<br />
<br />
I just don't get it. We are in the 21st Century, why are we stuck doing this stuff the old way!?</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-6036663922099942902016-11-01T10:00:00.000-04:002016-11-01T10:00:10.109-04:00October Read's<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<br /></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19198765-scattered-smothered-and-chunked---bubba-the-monster-hunter-season-1">Scattered, Smothered and Chunked - Bubba the Monster Hunter Season 1</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3218603.John_G_Hartness">John G. Hartness</a></li>
<ul>
<li>Since I have read Larry Correia's MHI series the concept of a redneck monster hunter isn't too far of a stretch for me. But Bubba is a distinct voice. Working, for of all groups, the Catholic Church as a freelance monster hunter the stories in this book were varied and entertaining. We don't learn the whole truth of what formed the personality of Bubba until the final novella, which goes into his origin story, but overall the flow works. There were a number of LOL moments in this book that kept me entertained throughout.</li>
</ul>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28964355-ctrl-alt-revolt">CTRL ALT Revolt!</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/199737.Nick_Cole">Nick Cole</a></li>
<ul>
<li>Set in the not too far future, this is the story that addresses why a large fear of the tech community, artificial intelligence (or machine sentience), represents such a fundamental threat to the human race. Gaming plays a big role in this story, focusing on Fish, a game developer, and Mara, a blind DD girl who is trying to rise above it all. The pace was a little anemic at first, but things slowly come to a boil and people are racing around both in the real world and in the electronic games worlds which play such a key role to the plot. And now I learn that the author has another book (Soda Pop Soldier) that this basically the prequel to, so that just got added to the pile.</li>
</ul>
<li>The Trafalgar Gambit <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/125038-ark-royal">(Ark Royal #3)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5270613.Christopher_Nuttall">Christopher Nuttall</a> (Goodreads Author)</li>
<ul>
<li>Breaking away completely from the BSG-yness from the first the first book, this story yet again focuses on the mission and crew of the HMS Ark Royal. Shifting a little more into the geo-(galacto?) political realm, we find the crew on a last ditch attempt to open up diplomatic relations with the aliens (which they determine to have seperate factions based on the actions of some of the ships in the second book). But war is politics in another form, so even with the diplomatic mission there is still a lot of action left in this story to satisfy. The trilogy is ended in a satisfactory manner (and only because of a hunch did I realize that there was a follow-on series).</li>
</ul>
<li>Dead Six <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/118785-dead-six">(Dead Six #1)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1136158.Larry_Correia">Larry Correia</a></li>
<ul>
<li>Parallel stories about two black-ops operators dealing with a murky world. Both of the main characters, Valentine and Lorenzo, are engaged against the terrorists that exist in a fake middle eastern country similar to Qatar. Valentine works for Dead Six, an black CIA backed set of operators who are tasked with taking the war to the terrorists homes/vacation spot. In the end they are deemed to be disposable and are themselves marked themselves. Lorenzo is more of an independent operator with a small team that is being blackmailed to complete a mission of obtaining a key (which opens a special door.... the contents of which aren't explained but are very mysterious/supernatural). There is some overlap, characters die and in the end you have Valentine and Lorenzo up against their respective organizations as a team. I am interested to see where this goes in the next book.</li>
</ul>
<li>The Gap Into Conflict: The Real Story <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/40561-gap">(Gap #1)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12980.Stephen_R_Donaldson">Stephen R. Donaldson</a></li>
<ul>
<li>This is kind of a twisted perverse little story. The two main characters are pirates, in a future where the area of space they are operating in is fairly lawless. The more twisted part is what happens to the female space cop, who is captured and controlled by <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Angus Thermopyle </span>who takes advantage of her and is also the focus of attention of the other main character (also a pirate) <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Nick Succorso</span>. I am not sure why this series is so popular but since I already have the second book I guess I will find out.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-41785860379619609582016-10-03T10:00:00.000-04:002017-05-31T10:23:42.756-04:00September Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
More long car trips (it is 3ish hours down to Ft. Pickett, where I had to go twice this month) plus more walking plus more working out equals more books read.<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>Call to Arms <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/144539-black-fleet-trilogy">(Black Fleet Trilogy #2)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6953444.Joshua_Dalzelle">Joshua Dalzelle</a></b></li>
<li><b>The Einstein Prophecy by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/201369.Robert_Masello">Robert Masello</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li>sdsdf</li>
</ul>
<li><b>The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9494.H_P_Lovecraft">H.P. Lovecraft</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/406026.S_T_Joshi">S.T. Joshi</a> (Editor)</b></li>
<ul>
<li>So after years of references to Cthulhu in books and RPG's, I finally took the time to actually read (or listen as this case may be) to the original stories. Other than the obvious note that these stories are a product of their time (and hence, horribly racist and sexist by our standards) the stories held up fairly well. I can see why H.P. Lovecraft has had such an enduring influence on horror writers down through time.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>The Gods Themselves by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16667.Isaac_Asimov">Isaac Asimov</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Not so classic Asimov in some regards (this apparently is the one book where he decided that his characters would not be asexual creatures and wrote a lot of sex scenes in) but also a big idea Asimov story with the valiant scientists as the main characters. Overall it was an interesting premise (free energy.... but is anything really free?) and also looked at the self serving actions of both the scientific community and society at large will overlook a problem until it is unavoidable, hopefully in time to make a correction to save themselves.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>One Year After <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/155551-john-matherson">(John Matherson #2)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8589.William_R_Forstchen">William R. Forstchen</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Solid book. Interesting to finally continue to the story in "One Second After" (EMP attack on US Homeland, as well as other parts of the world). The book does borrow heavy from the standard survivalist "Anti-Government" shtick, where the main characters clearly love America as a concept (God Bless America and the Pledge of Allegiance are both commonly seen). But it shows a strong hatred for the bureaucratic actions that sometimes form up when enough of the basic rights/functions are aggregated in the story. The author is clearly influenced by story's of the rise of fascism, in particular the Third Reich ("I was only following orders" is a clear hatred buzzword). Overall a solid story and it looks like it sets up another follow on book, which hopefully won't be as separated in time as this book was from the first one.</li>
<li>One thing, for me, as a parent, the hardest part of this book to handle is the children in danger/harmed </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<ul>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-35679966696632749462016-09-29T10:31:00.002-04:002016-09-29T10:31:38.757-04:00I Turn 40.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So I think it says a lot about how I prioritize things that my children's birthdays all get posts on my blog, but I let my own birthday just slip on by, even though it is one of those "big" ones.<br />
Last August I celebrated my 40th year on this Earth, by myself, thousands of miles from home. I was in Vegas for Black Hat and DEFCON.<br />
<br />
I know some people like to make a big deal of their birthdays (cough, cough, H (aka Cupcake Girl)) but I am a more reserved person who is happiest with a meal and some cake shared with family.<br />
<br />
It is funny, I don't feel 40. I am probably lighter and in better shape than I was 20 years ago. I have a beautiful wife, 2 awesome children, 1 great cat and 1 good cat, and a job that I like and that pays well (and I even got to fulfill my dream of being a member of the US Military). Does my life seem hectic? Yep. But busy is better than not having all these wonderful things in my life. I feel like I have done a lot already in my life and there is a lot more to do and I look forward to the future.</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-43139003217369311882016-09-26T11:41:00.002-04:002016-09-26T11:41:44.856-04:00Loss<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of the hardest parts of getting older is the steady loss of the next higher generation from yours. My parents were both the youngest of their families, and they had us later than the norm for their generation (in their mid-30's). Losses like what happened last week are hard and there really isn't much time in the modern hectic schedule to step back and ponder the losses as they come.<br />
<br />
On Thursday afternoon, as I was leaving the grocery store with both children my Dad called to let me know that my Uncle Gerry had passed away (we knew he was in bad shape, my Mom was actually there when he passed away). Honestly it took a while for me to process, since the minutia of daily life (I still had to get the kids home, get them fed, pack for yet another weekend of military duty (my third in a row)) just didn't give me any processing time. It really didn't hit me until Saturday night when I was coming back from dinner and the audio book I was listening to hit a touch point for me (I don't deal well with children being in danger/injured/killed much since I have become a father) but I recognized that it wasn't about the story but me finally processing what had happened (I was so glad I had a room to myself, a rarity in my Army career) because, for a rare moment, I had no one to worry about but myself and nothing to do until morning.<br />
<br />
My Facebook status, that I could finally post in on Sunday morning (after a good cry the previous night)<br />
"<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">RIP to my Uncle Gerry(Father Gerard O'Shea, LCDR (r) USN). He passed away Thursday afternoon. I think my brother </span>Gregory<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"> summed it up best, "the world is a little less nicer without him". He married my parents, baptized me, married me and baptized my children. Heavens gain, our loss."</span><br />
<br />
My Irish cousin's was also pretty good:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">My first cousin, Rev. Gerard O'Shea, has passed on after an illness. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">He was the eldest son of my aunt Nora, who went to the U.S. when she was young. She had three children, of whom Mary Julianne (Judy) Buchholz remains. Gerry was a Lieut Commander in the U.S. Navy. He joins his brother Kevin and my two brothers Ian and Denis Raphael. Requiem aeterna dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0iazfBIJCUVMml0CoEhMnhsUs6RjoanhOQltQXsM1qJUOeJzZLenpNrGn1LpnIYs_m15AIi8qxXNcbxBiPsNvxt3bw_LL9pt28HDg6XzgJAgi7qgyZ58C2rRu48_R53yOfwpW/s1600/gerry1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0iazfBIJCUVMml0CoEhMnhsUs6RjoanhOQltQXsM1qJUOeJzZLenpNrGn1LpnIYs_m15AIi8qxXNcbxBiPsNvxt3bw_LL9pt28HDg6XzgJAgi7qgyZ58C2rRu48_R53yOfwpW/s320/gerry1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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My kid's with Gerry in May 2016</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk63FNfrVbtPQgXTbHGktgQaUOCz5fBZKRoq3CJBxsQYYLsQOgp1HkNl537PYGaiaWRc8ZIrhYATjX_7LHVHQ6VZjLcuVzkOULdRiWxxuaWM60Z5Khe0pPZD6GGsY55Ycmu6vq/s1600/Gerry-1981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk63FNfrVbtPQgXTbHGktgQaUOCz5fBZKRoq3CJBxsQYYLsQOgp1HkNl537PYGaiaWRc8ZIrhYATjX_7LHVHQ6VZjLcuVzkOULdRiWxxuaWM60Z5Khe0pPZD6GGsY55Ycmu6vq/s320/Gerry-1981.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
My brother Barry's christening </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7C09T8fW9Dq5vLvg8qmiMG5xVihRvOvqmTm01zw05fCZDLnMNM_ieXCvgAtIK70z_e_oCcVhuZNWybEU5dE17sk4lkBrDWcfqDAR1D3-5wzjtsp3sqrLvNeH8U3iMA1FO3yk/s1600/gerry2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7C09T8fW9Dq5vLvg8qmiMG5xVihRvOvqmTm01zw05fCZDLnMNM_ieXCvgAtIK70z_e_oCcVhuZNWybEU5dE17sk4lkBrDWcfqDAR1D3-5wzjtsp3sqrLvNeH8U3iMA1FO3yk/s320/gerry2.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Gerry in his prime</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHK7A-1cQoy65K_i_GnGZHSkdsdyZi9zZlVsPUq7jrjRkDSAlzrvv4Kmaj7o-ToyVmx24dQVVvFSsxfNZLXRxTJppf2np9XfNbmJFLuSBAuS3TwlYnUFVmUecPs4j41nt9Te7/s1600/gerry3-1947-Easter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHK7A-1cQoy65K_i_GnGZHSkdsdyZi9zZlVsPUq7jrjRkDSAlzrvv4Kmaj7o-ToyVmx24dQVVvFSsxfNZLXRxTJppf2np9XfNbmJFLuSBAuS3TwlYnUFVmUecPs4j41nt9Te7/s320/gerry3-1947-Easter.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Easter 1947</div>
<br /></div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-58579551447913036472016-09-22T09:26:00.000-04:002016-09-22T09:26:18.024-04:00Weekly Weight (9/22)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
259.4<br />
Tired. But still getting to the gym. I passed my certification exam (ISC2 CAP), was sick one day and had to travel this weekend for the Army again (and the coming weekend... I am tired).<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Day 0</li>
<ul>
<li>260.9</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 0 (May)</li>
<ul>
<li>257.8 - 263.1</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 1 (June)</li>
<ul>
<li>262.5 - 261.8</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 2 (July)</li>
<ul>
<li>259.4-261.7</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 3 (August)</li>
<ul>
<li>257-264.</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 4 - Week 2</li>
<ul>
<li>261.2</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 4 - Week 3 (now)</li>
<ul>
<li>259.4</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-50350887841721570402016-09-16T13:07:00.000-04:002016-09-16T13:11:06.232-04:00August Shows<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Travel and vacation = low media consumption.<br />
<br />
TV:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Star Trek - DS9 (Season 1), Enterprise (Season 1) and TNG (Season 1) - I still think DS9 is the best of the ST series. </li>
<li>Supernatural - Season 8</li>
<li>Orange is the New Black (latest season)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Movies:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>I got nothing... </li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div>
What my Daughter is obsessed with:</div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Octonauts - At least there is some learning here.</li>
<li>Paw Patrol - not so much...</li>
</ul>
<div>
What my Son is obsessed with:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Anything his sister has</li>
<li>Anything he can eat</li>
<li>Pretending everything is a phone</li>
<li>Walking, everywhere</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-61500437899828234672016-09-15T15:56:00.001-04:002016-09-15T15:56:35.898-04:00Weekly Weight (9/15)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
261.2<br />
Whoops. Took a little break from blogging (that pesky real life thing). I had a bunch of Army stuff going on, a vacation to Orlando (me and the kiddos on the plane... that was an experience) and was also prepping to take a Certification exam (ISC2 CAP).<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Day 0</li>
<ul>
<li>260.9</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 0 (May)</li>
<ul>
<li>257.8 - 263.1</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 1 (June)</li>
<ul>
<li>262.5 - 261.8</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 2 (July)</li>
<ul>
<li>259.4-261.7</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 3 (August)</li>
<ul>
<li>257-264. Gotta love those big swings...</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 4 - Week 2 (now)</li>
<ul>
<li>261.2</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
Now that most of that is past me and I start to prep for one of my favorite races (the Army Ten Miler) we shall see if I can make some new progress) as well as my annual APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test).</div>
</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-54523039778775326192016-08-22T10:20:00.000-04:002016-08-22T10:20:13.455-04:00Weekly Weight (8/18)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
259.3<br />
I didn't get to the gym as much as I hoped. But I am recommitting now and getting my training on for the Army Ten Miler in October as well as the annual APFT (probably in November for OER reasons).<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Day 0</li>
<ul>
<li>260.9</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 0 (May)</li>
<ul>
<li>257.8 - 263.1</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 1 (June)</li>
<ul>
<li>262.5 - 261.8</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 2 (July)</li>
<ul>
<li>259.4-261.7</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 3 - Week 1</li>
<ul>
<li>259.2</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 3 - Week 2 (now)</li>
<ul>
<li>259.3</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Steps:</div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Last week </li>
<ul>
<li>119k</li>
</ul>
<li>First week August</li>
<ul>
<li>173k</li>
</ul>
<li>July</li>
<ul>
<li>124k-90k</li>
</ul>
<li>June</li>
<ul>
<li>123k-93k</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-35716780170646818222016-08-16T09:52:00.001-04:002016-08-16T09:52:09.038-04:00My Son Turns 1!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMetOwolOsKWqq2aemDBoaCC2CjrarBWnV9KGN06fiIwrOpxwEn6qChvG89hWMhkuzrg-SaQUjY9CaDSj9v6x53kXKNI1qT2Sbieb_Edi0Lh3zKvoIOUy3AQKMSbAebpzjrKIL/s1600/Sean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMetOwolOsKWqq2aemDBoaCC2CjrarBWnV9KGN06fiIwrOpxwEn6qChvG89hWMhkuzrg-SaQUjY9CaDSj9v6x53kXKNI1qT2Sbieb_Edi0Lh3zKvoIOUy3AQKMSbAebpzjrKIL/s320/Sean.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Happily stealing my wife's collage of pictures, this represents the first year of the life of my son, Sean. He is a happy kid, who loves pretty much anything anyone else is doing (in particular his sister). He started walking fairly early (10ish months) and continues to a be a joy. I am excited that he has managed to reach this benchmark and cannot wait to see what sort of a man he eventually becomes. I am so happy for any amount of time I can spend with him and his sister (though the flight to Orlando later this month with both of them and just me is going to be.... interesting...).<br />
<br />
Happy birthday Sean!</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-391434965863537582016-08-11T13:50:00.001-04:002016-08-11T13:50:49.300-04:00Weekly Weight (8/11)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
259.2<br />
Considering that I just got back from 10 days in Las Vegas (for Black Hat and DEFCON) I consider this an accomplishment. It helped that I was getting around 30k steps (15 or so miles) on most of the days out there. I even went to 3 buffets while I was out there (Wicked Spoon in the Cosmopolitan was the nicest of the batch) and ate (and drank) well. Back to reality now (and back to a better gym, I definitely took a hit in my strength during this trip)<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Day 0</li>
<ul>
<li>260.9</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 0 (May)</li>
<ul>
<li>257.8 - 263.1</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 1 (June)</li>
<ul>
<li>262.5 - 261.8</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 2 (July)</li>
<ul>
<li>259.4-261.7</li>
</ul>
<li>Month 3 - Week 1 (now)</li>
<ul>
<li>259.2</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Steps:</div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Last week </li>
<ul>
<li>173k</li>
</ul>
<li>July</li>
<ul>
<li>124k-90k</li>
</ul>
<li>June</li>
<ul>
<li>123k-93k</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-60740001037723820872016-08-01T15:15:00.000-04:002016-08-01T15:15:06.955-04:00July Shows<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Slowly getting back into the groove.<br />
<br />
TV:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Babylon 5 - Finally finished!</li>
<li>Star Trek - Now to piss off the Trekkies/Treckers.. I am watching in chronological order... Starting with Enterprise ;)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Movies:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Finding Dory - OMG, I saw a movie in the theater! And it was good!</li>
<li>Deadpool - Finally got to see what everyone else already saw</li>
<li>10 Cloverfield Lane - Alien Invasion (maybe ;) plus the locked room situation... Solid entertaining movie</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div>
What my Daughter is obsessed with:</div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Team Umizoomi - An addiction I heartily endorse.</li>
</ul>
<div>
What my Son is obsessed with:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Anything his sister has</li>
<li>Anything he can eat</li>
<li>Pretending everything is a phone</li>
<li>Walking, everywhere</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3713794.post-34486251191040145952016-08-01T13:03:00.000-04:002016-08-01T13:03:00.590-04:00July Reads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Longer car trips plus more walking plus more working out equals more books read.<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>Shattered Spear <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/88284-the-lost-stars">(The Lost Stars #4)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/55547.Jack_Campbell">Jack Campbell</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li>I have been reading books of this series for a long time (I remember reading some of the first books of the Lost Fleet series way back in 2008). I still enjoy them and find that this spin-off series, "The Lost Stars", adds an interesting element to the universe. The characters aren't just "naturally" (yes, that is an over/underwhelming explanation of Jack Geary's skill set) good like Jack, and this tells the stories from the nominal bad guys. At this point I find myself cheering (the non-snake) leaders of Midway as they attempt to forge and "alliance" and move past their Syndicate past. Complicating that are of course the remnants of the Syndicate, Enigma's and an honest to god Pirate Queen. Overall a fun read and I look forward to more if there is room in there for another story, though the ending wrapped things up fairly neatly if this is the last book the series.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>The Atrocity Archives <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files">(Laundry Files #1)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8794.Charles_Stross">Charles Stross</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li>The first of the Laundry Files series (7 books and counting). Bob Howard, computer geek, works for the Laundry, a super-secret organization that fights and suppresses "magic" across the UK. Magic in this world is interesting, as suddenly becoming a Computer Scientist or Mathematician becomes really dangerous as the advanced math opens holes into other worlds. Anyone who poses a threat get subsumed into the Laundry, a very british governmental organization that involves a lot of make-work. Bob aspires higher and wants to be a field agent. This leads to a lot of interesting situations that drive this story along.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>The Jennifer Morgue <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files">(Laundry Files #2)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8794.Charles_Stross">Charles Stross</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li>More Laundry. So good that I have come back to re-read it.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>The Fuller Memorandum <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files">(Laundry Files #3)</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8794.Charles_Stross">Charles Stross</a></b></li>
<ul>
<li>Even more Laundry. It has been years since I have read them and I wanted to listen to them again.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
danielobvthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15770902689514604135noreply@blogger.com3