They Can't All Be Winners

Living in Boston makes it really easy for us to catch a Red Sox game.  We had tickets for two games this season.  Our first game, against the O’s, went according to plan.  We always enjoy going to Fenway, but this one, against the Rays, didn’t quite end in our favor.

The Sox are in a slump.  That’s an understatement.  Their lead in the AL East has evaporated and the Wild Card position is becoming too close for comfort.  The pitching has gone to crap and the defense is looking sloppy.  Fortunately, the offense continues to put up big numbers.  If it weren’t for the offense, we’d be in MAJOR trouble.

Wifey and I had real good seats.  We were directly behind home plate.  There’s a net that protects us from foul balls.  The net adds an extra element to the ballgame that was certainly lost on me until today.  See…the net ensures that this is the least likely place in the ballpark to catch a ball.  Even the best laid plan can go awry.  There’s a small gap between the top of the net and its anchors located above and behind our section.  Upon occasion (3-4 times per game), a foul ball will funnel along the net, find the gap, and drop to the hoping fans below.  When this happens, the fans within the vicinity go bonkers.  It’s really kind of fun.  If you’re ever watching a Fenway game on TV and hear random cheers following a ball fouled straight back…guess what!?  The ball found its way down to an unlikely recipient.

Real good seats aren’t quite great seats.  Here’s a pic of our favorite seats above the Green Monster.

Although the Sox lost, the day was not!  During the early innings, a woman came around and offered to take our picture for a souvenir.  We declined, but the father & son in front of us did not.  Later in the game, the woman came back and gave the photo to the duo.  The Dad put it under his chair.  It turns out that this was the only picture of both Ali and I that night.  Can you see us trying to escape identification in the background?

***** UPDATE – September 30, 2011 – UPDATE *****

Well, that sucked.  I was at a marketing conference in Portland, OR during last night’s Sox – O’s game.  The wildcard all came down to the last game of the season.  There were a limited number of scenarios and the Red Sox were in control of their destiny.  During the sixth inning, I left for dinner in high spirits.  The Sox were up by one run and the Yanks were beating the Rays by seven.  Imagine my surprise when I returned home to learn that the O’s beat the Sox and the Rays beat the Yanks.  …precisely the wrong combination of events.  This is a tough pill to swallow.  The ESPN analysts are calling it the most exciting day in baseball history.  Ugh.

Vroom Vroom

The Baltimore Grand Prix is officially my second car race. My first was a NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway with Troy circa '03. I highly recommend a car race to anyone.

For this race, it's hard to believe that it is in Baltimore. Casually remarking, "the race is in Baltimore" is unbefitting. A more realistic statement of fact would be "the race IS Baltimore." By the way, for those like me, who were uninitiated...it's not a "track", it's a "circuit".

I took an unofficial poll of Baltimore residents. I asked them to describe their sentiments towards the race. Unfortunately, their responses should not be repeated. However, to us, the race was awesome and we spent a lot of money. I'm sure that will make someone happy.

We arrived on Saturday during the practice laps. The sound of the cars is the first thing to hit you. They sound like very very angry, large, fast wasps. Due to the perimeter fence around the circuit, we were required to check-in to the race premises before we could get to our hotel. It's exciting to stay at a hotel inside of the circuit. Apparently we just missed the wreck that had everyone talking for the rest of the weekend. Glad to see that everyone was OK.

Our hotel was adjacent to the chicane after turn 12. The chicane was literally right outside of our doorstep. Our room was on the 14th floor facing the harbor.  We saw all of the long straight away, turn 6, and the first 6-10 paddocks in pit row. We couldn't have asked for a better view. We considered watching the whole race from the comfort of our room. This will not do, however, I have a date with destiny.

What a difference a day makes! Just to think, this time last week, I was watching every calorie and worrying about the final weigh-in. Not any more! This weekend was about having fun and indulging all of those food cravings that I've ignored since June. Our hotel was steps away from a huge group of food vendors. I was poised for greatness.

My strategy was simple: sample many different dishes but don't overload on any one of them. To make additional room, I decided not to eat any bread. I nearly jeopardized my entire mission with the first contestant: crab pretzel. Fortunately, willpower prevailed. I ate most of the crab and only a few bites of pretzel. After the crab pretzel, I found my rhythm. Boog's BBQ, Gyro, Pulled Pork #1, Cinnamon Almonds, and Pulled Pork #2. I topped it all off with some of Ali's chicken cheese steak.

Satisfaction. Delight.

Our grandstand seats were along the outside of turn 10. At this point in the circuit, drivers are decelerating from 150 MPH in preparation for the 90 degree turn12. Awesome.

There weren't any bad wrecks during the race.  Someone got sideways going through the hairpin and caused a long caution flag and a temporary parking lot.  Gridlock in Baltimore city...sound familiar?

I Best my COLLEGE Weight

This first day of September in the year of our lord 2011, marks the conclusion of my weight loss challenge.  This is a good day.  After 81 days of grueling work and dedication, I am proud to announce that I've lost 25.2 pounds!

This challenge was conceived over dinner on June 12 of this summer.  Wifey and I were revelling in the most exotic dinner of our lives (sea erchant, bone marrow, and the like), when she wagered that she could get me below 200 lbs by September 1st, 2011.  Being the fervent supporter of Wifey that I am, I eagerly accepted the challenge as I gulped my last bite of freedom (ox tail, if you must know).

Over the next 2.5 months, we drastically reduced the amount of carbohydrates, soda, red meat, cheese, and salt that I was eating.  In total, I approximate that I reduced my caloric intake to 1700-1800 calories per day.  Most of the weight loss came from diet alone.  I began adding exercise during the second half of the challenge.  In any given week, I would run 5-6 miles 3-4 times per week.

Every meal and exercise were tracked in our Food Log. Then, each and everyday, I stepped on the scale for the daily progress report.  Here's what my weight chart looks like.  You might notice that I started at 221.4 lbs and finished at 196.2 lbs.  That's total weight loss of over 25 lbs!

Can you spot the weekends?  ...the biggest peak was Lake Placid.  ...another doozy was the Man U - Barca game.

For some added perspective:

• My heaviest weight ever was 230 lbs
• In college, I was listed at 190 lbs but I'm pretty sure I never got below 200 lbs
• At my wedding, I weighed 213 lbs

When I finally rolled-back into the lower century, Wifey and I started getting really excited.  It was fun to see the numbers on the scale get lower and lower.

It really helped to have a partner in this crime.  One of my stipulations was that Wifey couldn't ask any more of me than she asked herself.  To that end, she also reduced her calories, exercised, and ultimately lost over 12 lbs!  If I ever eat one more spoonful of Greek Yogurt, it will be too soon.  Our normal diet included:

• Breakfast: scrambled eggs, yogurt, blueberries, and a banana
• Morning Snack: two apples
• Lunch: baked turkey (sliced), broccoli and other assorted veggies
• Dinner: poultry, pork, or fish with steam veggies

Once the exercise portion kicked in, I also started eating mixed nuts in the afternoon.  Fortunately, I didn't need to stick to this regimen seven days a week.  On the weekends, Wifey would loosen the requirements and allow for Sunday Slices in the Garden and/or a home cooked steak dinner.  Did I mention how much I like Beacon Hill Chocolates?

I've been looking forward to this day for quite some time.  And now that I'm free from the challenge, I'm tempted to go bonkers this weekend.  Can I get a Big Mac!?