Tell the Twins I should win the "All You Can Tweet Seats"!

It's been an eternity since I've blogged, I know. And I have several things I should blog about. I will try REALLY hard to do that soon. :)

In the meantime, I'm asking my faithful followers to help me out. The Twins are hosting a "Twins All You Can Tweet Seats" contest, and I've applied. Basically, they are going to choose one person to take over the Twins' Twitter account to live tweet the September 26 game.

(If that sounded like gibberish, basically, the Twins have roughly 172,000 people who "follow" them on Twitter. The winner of this contest gets to tweet to the followers [think texting over the internet] throughout the game. And the tickets are paid for by the Twins! #bonus [the "#" is called a hashtag and...oh, never mind.)

Seriously, do you know anyone more fit for the contest than me? Passion for baseball, knowledge of the game, Twins Tweeter and a love for Minnesota's Boys of Summer - I've got it all covered!

I submitted an application for the contest. I hope to win! I also think that showing my social media prowess can't hurt. So, if you want to help me out, try one of the following:

1. Tweet the @Twins and tell them to choose @PMinell for the "Twins All You Can Tweet Seats" contest
   THIS IS THE BEST OPTION
2. Send the Minnesota Twins a Facebook message or comment and tell them to pick @PMinell for the "Twins All You Can Tweet Seats" contest
3. Email keithbeise@twinsbaseball.com (he's listed as the "Coordinator, Social Media" on www.twinsbaseball.com) and tell him the @Twins should pick me.

If you are wondering if I am the best candidate, you'll see my application responses below. Thanks for your consideration!

APPLICATION QUESTIONS & RESPONSES

Why should the Twins choose YOU to sit in the All You Can Tweet Seats? (500 words or less)

I love the #MNTwins and I love to tweet about them!! Check out my Tweets. They're almost exclusively about the Twins. #obsessed

 

I'm followed by @Twins, @TPlouffe24, @KirbyPuckettJr_, @963KTwin & @GameOnTVMN. As you probably know, that's the organization, the third baseman, the son of one of the #HOF Twins greats, the flagship radio station and one of the "K-Twin Final Call" hosts. Those are some significant followers. #tweeps #followers #entourage.

 

I've been known to live tweet the game as I listen to it on the radio. Check out my tweets - it's like I've practiced for this already. ;) #putmeincoach #takemeouttotheballgame

 

I'm positive about the @Twins on Twitter because I love to cheer for my favorite @MLB #boysofsummer. I'm proud to be a fan, even if the season isn't ending how we'd hoped. #readyfornextyear #MiLBpotential #watchoutALCentral

 

Also, I used to blog about the Twins on www.puckettspond.com (@PuckettsPond), a www.fansided.com site. So, I have experience commenting on and analyzing Twins baseball. You can ask @AaronJSomers, Editorial Director @FanSidedMLB if you'd like a reference. #therealdeal

 

Oh, and #TargetField is my favorite place. #happyplace #heavenonearth #alwaysstaythroughthelastout

 

You can count on me to be a positive, knowledgeable and savvy voice for the Minnesota Twins' twitter account. #pickme

 

What, if anything, would you change about the way the @Twins tweet? (100 words or less)

More tweeted game video! For example, I was listening on Sept 11 & heard Gardy’s ejection. I wanted to see it; the Gameday video showed most of the conversation but not the actual ejection. I felt cheated.

 

Most importantly, I think the @Twins should "live tweet" games. ESPN sends text score updates to my phone, but that doesn't cover plays like @Twins could. Also, I subscribe to the paid version of the MLB13 app. However, sometimes I don’t want the generic MLB notes, I want a quick summary of the game from the Twins' perspective.

 

 

 

Meeting Dan Gladden

It's been a really long time since I've blogged. For those of you who faithfully follow me, I am likely to write a bit about my absence in the near future. I'm thinking it's time to get back on track. However, I'll get to that another day.

Today, I'll just share the AWESOME post-birthday gift I was able to set-up for my Dad. No credit to me, all credit to the Minnesota Twins and to two-time World Champion Dan Gladden. I sent an email; they made the day awesome!!

Let's begin at the beginning...
In May, my family gathered at my parents' house for dinner. I enjoyed the rare opportunity to watch a Twins game on FSN. (As you know, I love my Twins baseball. However, I haven't yet justified an FSN-level cable subscription after taking into account time available to watch vs. money left in budget vs. the high quality of Twins radio broadcasts.)

So, during the Twins game, Dad and I commandeered the recliners. (Dad always deserves priority, and it was my birthday celebration. Totally justified.) As we chatted about the game, I vividly recall Dad saying "Man, what I wouldn't give for 10 minutes to talk with Dan Gladden."

From the time I was a kid, I knew Dan Gladden. I used to sit on my brother's bed and study the framed baseball cards of the '87 & '91 World Series Twins teams. I knew Gladden was good because his picture was with both teams!

So my Dad's wish percolated for a few weeks, when I suddenly thought, "WHAT IF I COULD MAKE THOSE 10 MINUTES HAPPEN?"

It wasn't a lock, but I knew the Twins were one of the fan-friendliest organizations in baseball. So, I decided to give it a try. In brief, I emailed Twins President Dave St. Peter and explained that I am a dedicated Twins fan whose love of the game was first inspired by my Dad during my formative years, which just happened to include two Twins World Series victories. And my memories of my Dad were always connected to his recognition of Dan Gladden as one of the Twins Greats. Mr. St. Peter "cc'ed" me in an email to Kevin Smith asking his help to make this visit happen...and I almost peed my pants.

On Saturday, August 3, Dad got his 10 minutes. It may have even been 15. Danny Gladden greeted my proffered handshake with a laugh and a big hug, and his friendly, sarcastic banter took over from there. Below, you'll find pictures and a note at the end about the FANTASTIC Twins personnel we met.

My parents & I meeting Dan Gladden

The only other picture opportunity I had was with Cory Provus. I'm only including this picture to prove I met him. It was certainly not my best photo op, but the evening was all about my Dad. Meeting anyone else was a bonus for me, and I'm glad to have the evidence to prove it. :)

Many of you are aware of my new hobby, so it won't surprise you that I brought these for Danny & Cory:

Speaking of meeting other people, WOW - what a great evening! First of all, before I can even talk about Danny, I have to say a huge THANK YOU to Senior Director Kevin Smith, who might be the nicest guy on the planet. He coordinated our visit and was genuinely interested in making sure our family enjoyed the evening. I am totally indebted to him for making my Dad's day. Or year? I'm guessing it's the #2 day of the year, as I imagine it will only be second to Steve & Molly's wedding day later this year. :)

The man of the hour...Dan Gladden is exactly like you would guess - greets the ladies first, is sarcastic (in an endearing way), brutally honest and absolutely hilarious. He'd be a fun guy to have a pint or two with. My Dad got his "10 minutes"...maybe even a few more, and we each received an autograph. All of us were highly entertained.

We also had the opportunity to meet:

• We rode on the elevator to the press level with Stew Thornley, Official Scorer for the Twins. When I explained that I knew who he was, Stew got a little nervous. I tried to assure him that I only knew him from the good commentary, but I'm not sure he was buying it. Official Scorers can receive a lot of criticism, but I wasn't leveling any. I was in awe of his role. He doesn't know how much of a baseball geek I am, so I don't think he realized he's a celebrity to me.
• As evidenced above, we were able to meet Cory Provus, whose baseball commentary I have enjoyed since his final season with the Brewers. I think he and Gladden are a great match on the radio, balancing the game call, stories, strategy and humorous banter.
• Dick Bremer stopped by our group to trade predictions with Gladden. Bremer expected two Plouffe HRs; Plouffe didn't hit any dingers. It is, however, difficult to criticize a bad guess when the boys won.
• Terry Ryan walked past us as we were walking towards the elevator back to the concourse. This moment clearly showed that my Dad is much more mature and composed than I am, as he was able to coherently say "hello" while I was still picking my chin up off of the ground and doing a quadruple take as Terry said hello to the most important person in the office, Peg.
• We also met Peg, a 38-year employee who clearly makes sure everyone has what he/she needs for the evening. I bet she would have some great stories to tell. If I had been thinking more clearly, I'd have taken a picture with Peg.

In any case, my Dad enjoyed Saturday even more than I'd hoped. I don't think I can top this birthday, and I couldn't be more grateful to Kevin, Dan and all the Twins personnel!

2013 All-Star Game: What's Your Vote?

Last night, I did my duty as a baseball fan, and I voted for the 2013 All-Star rosters.

(Actually, I hate that fans pick the starting rosters. I believe that we are not, as a whole, objective enough. We each have definite favorites and biases, and the largest group [almost always the YANKEE fanbase] wins. There must be a more objective voting group out there. But, this is how the All-Star Game works, so I go with it...)

For the sake of fun and discussion, I would LOVE to hear your reaction to my votes, which are posted below. So, please leave a comment with your reaction or write your ballot in the comments. To cast a real ballot, click here. Voting ends July 4 at 11:59 PM.

Note: You can cast up to 35 ballots. Each can be different, which allows you to split your votes if you're torn. I chose to submit the same ballot 35 times.

For my selections, I reviewed my options, using the comparison tool that was right on the ballot. I looked at the stats before I made my decision. Here are the two biases I admit to:

1. I voted for two Minnesota Twins players. One of them I believe deserves the starting position straight up; the other is my current infatuation, and I want him to be an All-Star more than he probably deserves. If you've interacted with me/creeped on Twitter or Facebook, you'll know which is which.
2. I seriously considered Robinson Cano as my AL Second Base vote, but I decided not to vote for any Yankees. They'll get enough votes without my help.

My 2013 MLB All-Star Ballot
First base - AL: Chris Davis (BAL) / NL: Paul Goldschmidt (ARI)
Second base - AL: Gordon Beckham (CWS) / NL: Matt Carpenter (STL)
Shortstop - AL: J.J. Hardy (BAL) / NL: Troy Tulowitzki (COL)
Third base - AL: Miguel Cabrera (DET) / NL: Pedro Alvarez
Catcher - Joe Mauer (MIN) / NL: Buster Posey (SF)
Designated Hitter - AL: Ryan Doumit (MIN)
Outfield - AL: Jose Bautista (TOR), Mike Trout (LAA), Adam Jones (BAL) / NL: Carlos Beltran (STL), Carlos Gonzalez (COL), Dominic Brown (PHI)

Catching Up

It's been just about a month since I last blogged. There are many reasons for the gap, and I won't be going into them all here. However, in fairness to all who have been supportive with the bullying situation I described in that blog post, I'll give a brief update.

First, an update on the bullying situation
My understanding is that the person told a friend of mine that he would stop posting anything about me, and to my knowledge, that has happened. Another person shared with me that this person indicated he would like to confront me in person. Therefore, I have decided not to become more involved in a new (to me) young adult group I'd begun to attend and that this person frequents. I'm carrying out a team commitment I made to them, but I don't think I'll go to any of the other events, other than maybe the ladies-only events (where this guy can't attend).

I find that terribly frustrating, but I've decided not to dwell on it.

My take on the Minnesota Twins
Well, they've been more fun than I expected, but I doubt they'll see .500 again this season. I'm looking forward to at least two more games, likely at least five more, this season, and recent minor league moves are adding some anticipation for the next season or so.

I'm guessing the Twins will make a trade before the no-waiver trade deadline. If Morneau gets his homerun swing back, it will be him, as many suspected prior to the season. If things don't change for him, then it will be Doumit. Both make me sad for different reasons. Morneau because I think he wants to be a Twin for life, and Doumit because his get-it-done attitude has been fun to have on the team. I definitely have a baseball crush on him.

The Elephant in the Room...the Weight Loss Challenge
I weighed myself last week, after a month or so. I was still 9 pounds or so down from my original weight. That's good. I don't know if I still am that far down or not - I finally was able to work out some again, but the eating habits are far from back on track.

I'm not giving up, at least, I'm telling myself that. But I also don't feel ready to be all gung-ho about it, or as open about it as I started out. I hope I'll get there again.

Sometimes, I need a loose structure - completely winging it doesn't work, but being too rigid sets me up for failure. I've got a plan that's been helpful in the past, but it didn't work last week. However, I'm going to give it another shot. Even though it's already Monday, I'm going to fill in the blanks for the rest of the week. Here's the format I use:

I look at my calendar, jot down major things that will affect where/when I eat meals, look in my fridge, and make a meal plan. (Then I update my grocery list.)

Last week, I outlined the days in green, yellow, or red: five were yellow, one was green, and one was red. The yellow meant I followed the main meals exactly and could have any of the snack options I listed for the week, as long as I was hungry. Green was a day I could eat whatever I wanted, as long as I stopped when I was full. Red was to be a day where I ate precisely what was on the menu and only two snacks specified for that day. I think this color step might have been the tipping point; too much structure for the week and too much pressure. When I'm back on track, I think it will be a useful addition. For this week, I'm going to start with a simpler plan.

But I'm going to plan, and I'm going to work at it.

It's not just the food/exercise/weight thing
Food and exercise habits, and the corresponding affect they have on my weight and how my clothes fit, are symptoms of some overarching issues. One of those is how I deal with and respond to stress. I felt like a lot of things in my life spun out of control in April and May - work stress, the bullying, and some other things. Through all of this, I've been reminded that I can manage multiple "projects" that are ongoing. But I know how I work, and I need to do it the way that is best for me. That means:

• Keeping a list of what needs to be done
• Scheduling blocks of time to focus on a particular task under one project
• When something unrelated crops up, set it aside
• Organize papers and other items into broad "piles" based on the general topic, and tackle one thing at a time

The stress in my life has been evident by the state of my living environment - my home has been both disorganized and in need of a good cleaning. Both of those things drive me crazy, yet for some reason it's easy for me to slip into disorganization and to eschew cleaning when I'm stressed. And that stresses me out even more. Which makes me more disorganized and the cleaning becomes even more overwhelming...

So, I decided to schedule my cleaning in small blocks throughout the month. It's easiest for me to be consistent by day of the week, so I decided to break up my cleaning schedule that way. Here are my cleaning goals for each month:

I fully admit I'm already behind, but I'm catching myself up. Today was my first completely unscheduled day, probably in years - no work, no events with family or friends I was going to attend, no events with family or friends I was going to skip in the name of de-stressing & then feel guilty about, no meetings, no errands, no leaving the house. I focused on the chaos in my living/dining/kitchen area (which all flows together), and it is almost completely organized and fairly clean.

It's so much easier to be calm in a space that has a low level of clutter, is clean-ish, and has "empty space" on the counters, refrigerator, walls, table, and floor.

Your feedback
What do you do to help yourself reduce or alleviate stress? I am looking for options besides food for when I'm feeling stressed. Things like massage are wonderful opportunities, but I can't just come home after a stressful day at work and decide "I'm going to get my 10th massage this month". My friends and family (people like you) are very supportive, but it's not always feasible (and not always fair) to call when I'm feeling overwhelmed. What are some in the moment things you do? Comments are appreciated!

Powerless

It was my intention to regroup and try to move forward after last week by shifting gears this week. I had my first trip to the Legends Club to write about, which was made perfect by Aaron Hick's curtain-call-worthy night. After a conversation with my mom, I looked up some words of wisdom our beautiful Pope Francis had about the importance of keeping our focus on serving others rather than on simply improving ourselves. There were some positive and unselfish (or at least, less selfish than usual) things worth reflecting on.

Instead, I can't spice up my blog with relevant pictures or find helpful links to go with my thoughts. I can't write anything hopeful or happy tonight. I'm frustrated with myself about that, as I think about the Pope's words about selfishness, but I can't move beyond myself tonight.

Tonight, I feel so utterly powerless. It's a debilitating feeling.

In the last day or two, I've been made the victim of bullying, primarily cyberbulling. This is not the first time this bully has victimized me with his disparaging words. As I feared, my attempt to stand up to him has led to retaliation. I'm still trying to figure out what to do next. To a large extent, there is very little I can do. I've told him to stop, I've unfriended him on Facebook (the primary locus of the bullying) and I've blocked him on Facebook, meaning neither of us can view or contact each other. I've avoided social events because he would be present. I've now learned that it hasn't kept him from making his disparaging remarks about me on Facebook; he just can't "tag" me or directly link to my account. He has been posting his assessment of me and his assumption of my opinions on his own and others' pages. What's scarier is that I am not even able to monitor what he is saying about me, and I'm only aware of it from friends who saw the commentary.

This bully has said in his posts that he is fueled by people in my circle of "friends" who complain to him about me. To those of you who gossiped to him behind my back, I don't know who you are. However, if I ever have occasion to learn your identities, our false friendship is over. Bullying isn't acceptable just because we're now adults. It's just as wrong as childhood bullying, and the fallout, though different than what a child or youth might experience, can be just as devastating to an adult. Shame on you for fueling that, for not dealing with your issues with me as an adult, and for fueling someone who has been a known bully.

Navigating friendships, family relationships, work relationships and living as one imperfect person in a fallen world of imperfect people is our reality, and we will daily face challenges in all of those relationships. Sometimes, those challenges are more difficult than at other times. Now is one of those difficult times. In almost every one of my circles, I've been attacked, put down, or been treated as worthless by someone or someones. I've continually had the worst assumed of me. Normally, when I have those experiences, I strive to take them and reflect on the times I have treated another person harshly and change my behavior in the future to be more loving and compassionate. Of late, I've lost my resiliency.

What does one do when one is crushed under the weight of it all and unable to get up again? When one cries oneself to sleep more days than not? When those vicious messages are all one hears anymore, day and night?

I love the liturgical calendar of our Church, how we as the Body of Christ journey through the life, death and resurrection of Christ together each year. At the same time, in can be maddening to be experiencing a personal Good Friday when everyone else is celebrating Easter.

To those of you who have been my Simon or my Veronica over the last day or two as this bully reared his ugly head - and especially to those who have been and continue to be Simon and Veronica throughout the Lenten seasons of my life - thank you. I only hope that someday, I can be your Veronica when your cross is crushing you.

For now, I just hope there will come a time when "It is finished."

It's been quite awhile...

I think this post deserves a preface: It's a downer, and it's not an accurate picture of the entirety of my state of mind. It's just some things that I've wanted to put into words. I won't be offended if you skip this one. I think I'll be more positive next time around!

I've been on hiatus for a few weeks. I think it's four, but I'm not going to verify that. I don't really think it matters. I know this might sound weird, but it was a true blessing to hear from more than a few of you that you were missing my posts. Humbling, in the right way.

[Fair warning: As I begin to write this, it's 1:40 AM. I need to get to bed relatively soon, and my thoughts are already a bit muddled.]

So, what's been going on and what caused the hiatus?
In a word, stress. All of us experience stress, and I'm truly not trying to begin a tournament where we try to "one-up" each other. When I get stressed about my life, I try to remember that, ultimately, I only have me to worry about. In the families I work with, moms and dads are pulled and divided in a lot of directions; I don't have nearly the number of commitments as they do.

Keeping all that in mind, it doesn't change that I am in the middle of six very stressful weeks. These first four or so have been some of the hardest of my adult life. I can't comprehend how I'll make it until Memorial Weekend when, at least in theory, I can begin to find some calm before the next storm begins.

The blog hiatus, then, resulted from a desire to have an area in my life where I wasn't being judged, criticized, or confined. I just wanted one area of my life where I could feel good, at least temporarily. Which sounds weird, because I don't get snarky comments; my followers are friends who are supportive. I think I was worried about my self-criticism.

And that's how I got to this point in the first place.
Through these non-blogging (and non-weigh-in weeks), I've realized that my overeating is a direct result of my poor response to being out of control.

[And this is where I went to bed because I was exhausted, then picked it up again several days later.]

Since I took a little hiatus from my return-from-hiatus, I've done a lot of pondering. I weighed myself this week, but it's not official, so I'm not recording it or reported it. I've decided that I need a weigh-in break until my stress level (hopefully) improves, come Memorial Day. In fact, stepping on the scale was actually cheating on my resolution to give myself a break. But I learned something.

I weighed in two days in a row because I didn't believe the scale. At first, I was slighty below my last official weigh in; I'd lost a half pound or a pound. That made absolutely no sense. The next day, I was a pound or two up - I can't remember. Still, this really didn't make sense. The way I felt, I was sure I'd gained 8 or 10 of the pounds back. I mean, my clothes still fit better, but I was pretty sure they had just stretched out. I was eating more junk food, although I was doing alright with stopping when I'm full. But still, I felt like I gained the weight back and that I was seeing it in the mirror when I looked at myself.

Except I wasn't. It was all in my head. Because other parts of my life had additional stress, my perception of myself changed.

I learned two important things during this blogging/weigh-in hiatus:

• I need to develop strategies to combat stress and how I let stress affect how I see myself;
• I have to plan my (flexible) menu in advance. If not, when I get stressed, all hell breaks loose.

I made one really good decision during this hiatus: I scheduled a massage for May 20, the day after a huge (but beautiful) work event.

The Minnesota Twins are at .500
I'm having a difficult time making heads or tails of this. They're fourth in the AL Central, so it's not like they're competing for the playoffs. However, I was certain they wouldn't see .500 until 2015.

My assessment now is that their record at the end of May will translate to their record at the end of the season. Why? Because this is a really tough month for the team. Their success in April could possibly be attributed to the scheduled and extra weather-related off days of rest. In May, the Twins play 29 games (two off days the entire month), and the wrapped up their longest roadtrip of the year. If they make it through this month around the .500 mark, they might just be legit.

It's not just me that sees me with prejudice
There are many people who experience a variety prejudices. Many of those people are bruised and broken by the horrible way people treat them. So, I know that some people may feel this is "first world" whining. Still, I see this prejudice increasing, and I'm tired of it, tired of it being acceptable to society. And I want to say something.

Above, I talked about my struggle to see myself as I am. I'm not the only one who can't see my talents and abilities because my weight gets in the way. For years, there has been criticism of media and entertainment industries for putting forward unhealthy ideals (or idols, one might say), airbrushing photos, and the like. I'm not putting forth a new or unique idea when I say all those messages can sometimes make me feel defeated and like it's not worth trying to become healthier. But I think most of us (and by "us", I mean everyone who isn't a supermodel) can begin to see that beauty comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and can move past that, at least in some way. It's unfortunate, it affects people, but there is a large segment of society who will band together and say magazine covers don't have the corner on beauty.

What I find troubling and personally defeating is the way obesity and obese people like me are being demeaned, demonized and ostracized by society. I think some of you may think I'm exaggerating about this; I don't think I am.

I have three items that I think are evidentiary of this:

• This first is any article about Governor Christie. I know almost nothing about his politics (mostly because I avoid politics); I only know people say he can't do his job because he's fat. This article is a great example of the discussion surrounding his weigh.
• Secondly, I started to type "fat people clipart" into my browser, and "fat people falling" automatically came up. Apparently watching people like experience embarassment is entertainment for some people. I also found an image of a very obese person with the caption "Fat People: The longer you stare at them the better you feel about yourself."
• Finally, I think this speaks for itself:

I needed to get a start on explaining my view, but I don't think I'm ready to explain my view on this any further right now.

A Day Late and a Pound-and-a-Half Short

As you can see from my title, I'm a day late on this post. I apologize, especially to those who have been following me faithfully. Thank you for that. I don't like to "talk" about my journey, but I appreciate the opportunity to share and get feedback. Passive-aggressiveness at it's worst, huh?

I had a variety of other topics floating around in my mind, until the bombs were detonated at the Boston Marathon. Instead, I have a few thoughts after my weigh-in results and ramblings.



Week 9 Weigh-in Results
Last week's cumulative total: -13.5
This week's total: +1.5
Total weight loss: -13.5

To be perfectly honest, I don't really want to talk about this week. I've got one specific habit with which I am sabotaging my progress, and I've got to decide when I'm ready to tackle it. Doing so will make a huge difference, and I am being stubborn. It might take a couple more weeks of going back and forth to -15.0 to decide to kick this habit in the butt and get moving again. I'll stay with it if you'll stay with me.

In the meantime, I'm in better shape every week. I'm not ready to run a marathon (although I am going to walk my first 5K in May), but I feel a little better every day. Clothes are looser than they've been in a long time, muscles are getting stronger, and my stamina and energy are up.

Most importantly, my back hasn't felt this good since sometime in college.

I gained a lot of weight after college, and this contributed to serious back problems that began in my early 20s. They were a combination of physical stress (obesity, poor flexibility, bad posture, hormonal cycle etc.) and mental/emotional stress. Turns out, when I stress out, it goes right to my lower back and tightens that muscle. If it's bad enough, eventually it won't untighten without help. (That's my personal explanation of what happens. Also, I'm pretty sure I made up the word "untighten".)

In 2009, serious lower back issues led to serious sciatic nerve issues that ended in FMLA leave and a cortisone shot. Becoming more active helped, as I began to add activities like Frisbee, dodgeball, volleyball, or racquetball to my regular routine. However, making swimming (specifically AquaFit) my main fitness routine for the past nine weeks has made an incredible difference. I only wish I wouldn't have let others opinions' intimidate me into trying the AquaFit class out. It's only been nine weeks of AquaFit and only a little weight loss, but now I move with virtually no pain. It's been a decade since I have felt like this.

A decade.

The things that have been predictable "triggers" in the past have almost no effect. My chiropractor has just about done a happy dance at my last two bi-weekly visits. I'm still "aware" of my back, which is good, but I marvel at feeling like I didn't think I'd ever feel again. I thought I'd live with chronic pain for the rest of my life, and it's improving by leaps and bounds.

How will I feel when I reach that 40 lb goal? 60 lbs? 100 lbs? Maybe I will be able to run a marathon.

Speaking of marathons...
I've had a million blogging topics on my mind lately - healthy eating at Target Field, Jackie Robinson, and the inscrutable Minnesota Twins, to name a few.

However, Monday was the day the bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon. After work, I went to the gym and hopped on a bike for about 20 minutes, crying while I watched CNN. Tuesday, I just wasn't up to writing. Tonight, I taught a 6th grade Faith Formation class. I rarely have the opportunity to teach, so this was special. The class was already scheduled to talk about the sanctity of all human life, as well as about how God is present, even when we are hurt or something bad happens.

Clearly, I wasn't the only one who had a hand in the scheduling when I plotted out the lessons last summer.

One of the takeaways was that God will always bring about more good than any evil that occurs, a notion that is at the heart of the Catholic faith. In the Paschal Mystery, a terrible thing happens - the Son of God dies a horrific death. Instead of letting sin and death have the last word, God went so much further in the Resurrection. Those 6th graders really got into the lesson, talking about real-life examples and how they experience God's presence in their families.

Why is it than when one just starts to feel some hope, something else happens? I came home to images of the explosion in Waco, another mind-blowing catastrophe. I think of those in southwest Minnesota who survived days without power after what an insurance company would call "an act of God." I think of an old friend whose family had been forced to publicly live the nightmare of a murder trial.

Then, I think about my discussion with those wonderful, hopeful, impressionable youth, and I wonder, how could I possibly inspire them to believe in hope when mine waivers so much? At times, I can't wonder that there is so much despair and hopelessness in this world.

The only answer I can come to is that we can't overcomplicate God. In the end, he is so very, very simple. God works through the smallest gestures in the meekest people, and that is where we must start when we are lost and without hope.

Mr. Rogers always found a simple and profound way of explaining things, so I'll let him give words to my meaning:

Day 57: Kitchen Reorganization & Weigh-In

Okay, I really was going to write the post about healthy eating a Target Field that I mentioned last week. I wasn't lying. It just didn't happen. But I really have been productive in the last two weeks! See, here's proof:

I have had Spring Fever: Organizing Edition. At home. Ignore my cube at work. So, this is the first big chunk of my kitchen reorganization project. I'm thinking of doing an entire blog entry on it some day soon. I'm pretty proud of the idea and how I came up with it.

Week 8 Weigh-in Results
Last week's cumulative total: -13.5
This week's total: -1.5
Total weight loss: -15.0

I thought I'd be a half pound down, maybe a full pound if I was really lucky. Turns out, like the Twins, I did better than expected. I didn't expect the Boys of Summer to be at .500 at all this season, (let alone occasionally above it), and I didn't expect to lose the same amount I gained last week. So, we're still int he game. Yahoo!

Day 50: 2 Goals & Weigh-In Day

So...this is going to be brief and unexciting. But, hang on for later in the week. I'll be posting about how to eat healthy at Target Field in a few days. :) And, my posts will return to being more exciting soon, I promise. Just couldn't hack it tonight.

Goal #1: Change my sleeping habits
After going to Opening Day at Target Field on Monday, I decided I need to work on my sleeping habits.  So, I'm making an early-to-be goal. 11:00 PM hopefully, 11:30 PM definitely, at least for the weekdays. Right now, I'm averaging 1:00 PM, so this would be a huge improvement. I made it last night (well, it was before midnight!), and already today I was much more focused at work. This also means prioritizing and planning better...part of why tonight is short & unexciting.

Goal #2: Lose 1/2 as many pounds as the Twins win this year
I do some of my best thinking during AquaFit. I realized today that I'm setting myself up for failure if I try to match the Twins' wins in my pounds lost. So, I'm now shooting for half of that. I'll have a new nifty graph next week. I'm being optimistic, and I'm making my goal 40 and the Twins' 80. Here's hoping we both make it!

Week 7 Weigh-in Results
Last week's cumulative total: -15.0
This week's total: +1.5
Total weight loss: -13.5

Well, the Twins didn't win, and neither did I this week. I was too busy to work out (excuses, excuses), and talked myself into justifying quite a few bad habits most days in the last week. But, I'm back on track today and I am confident I'll be down, even if it's just a little bit, when I post next week.

Day 43: My 2013 MN Twins Weight Loss Challenge - Links, Lunch & Weigh-In Day

A few good articles...
This week, I ran across some links that I thought were fantastic. I wanted to share them with you.

• Couple loses 500 pounds - I rarely find extreme examples helpful, I think that I have a desire to be the best or to bust. So, if something is beyond my needs or abilities, I end up quiting. However, something about this couple's story struck me as inspiring, not intimidating.
• Don't believe everything you read about weight loss - This article happens to be a "Yahoo!" article, but it reiterates diet "myths" I've run across in several (more reliable) sources lately. What I've learned is that losing weight and/or maintaining a healthy weight requires solutions as individualized as each unique person. This is not a concept that is easy to accept, when all one has ever wanted is to be accepted. That doesn't change the fact that taking care of oneself is the most important part of this process.
• Sometimes losing weight isn't all it's cracked up to be - This is one of the best articles I have read. Ever. Ignore the comments at the bottom. Too many of the commenters don't understand the individual nature of weight loss/body image, and that another person's experience might be vastly different than their own. (See bullet immediately above.) Author Jen Larsen's experience and self-view as a fat person was so honest and raw. I've encountered few, if any, others who articulate my Fat Girl outlook any better. Her assessment of her life after she fast-tracked her way to being a Skinny Girl might just be the most important "Come to Jesus Moment" of which I have ever been on the receiving end. Being fat is a symptom pointing to things I need to deal with.

Lunch: Why make it complicated?

I've been determined to eat a healthier diet. I've also been convinced that removing processed (and, therefore, convenient) food from my diet is required. This week, I finally realized:

1. Yes, I need to remove processed foods from my diet, particularly to remove excess salt and sugar from my diet. This requires a lot of time.
2. It is impossible for me to continue cooking complicated made-from-scratch meals and meal ingredients. It has been a point of pride that I continue to make soups from scratch, pack salads with a variety of vegetables for lunch, or make my own sandwich meat. This is madness.
3. Why in the world do I spend 30 minutes or more each evening preparing fresh food for me to take for work. (I always take breakfast and lunch, and I sometimes need to bring supper as well.)
4. During the school year, my workplace has a salad bar full of fresh and health fixings (a larger variety than what I have on hand at home at any given time), available for less than $4.00 a meal. Why have I tried to duplicate efforts at home and stress myself out each evening?

Week 6 Weigh-In Results
Last week's cumulative total: -14.0 lbs
This week's total: -1.0 ls
Total weight loss: -15.0

I'm almost embarrassed to admit I lost any weight this week. I wasn't completely out of control, but I was pretty close. I feel a bit like God said, "Look, this week was a mulligan. I got it. Go out there an try again."

One thing I found challenging was using the iPad app "My Fitness Pal". It's a very popular app, and it was recommended to me by five or ten different people. Just because it didn't work for me doesn't mean it won't help you. (See the article above about individual needs in dieting.) The app was so specific. In the last six weeks, I've made pretty significant changes in my eating and exercising habits. I recognized that more changes would be needed down the road.

However, using My Fitness Pal, I was constantly reminded of what I wasn't doing quite right. It had me in a bit of a tizzy. For example, I almost through away my red apples so I could replace them with the green apples I'd just purchased. Why? My Fitness App constantly showed me how much sugar I was eating and the calories I was consuming, and I could save a few calories by switching from red to green. I was about double in the amount of sugar I should consume (according to the app), and yet almost all of it was coming from fruit.  But, I felt like a failure and threw tracking out the window. It wasn't pretty.

I realize now that eating healthy meals and snacks are habits that are going to take a long time to ingrain in my head, and on their own, they'll be incredibly helpful for a long time. When I eventually plateau, I'll be much more prepared to give up something more to take me to the next level. For now, just keep plodding on slowly.

Nifty weight chart for the week:

Day 36: My 2013 MN Twins Weight Loss Challenge - I RAN, Pope Francis & Weigh-In Day

Check-Up
Well, I'm closing in on the Spring Training phase of my challenge. My goal was to be down 20 lbs by then. I don't think I'll quite make it, but I'm not going to be upset with my progress. Speaking of progress...well, you'll have to wait until the end.

Tonight, as I write this, I'm exhausted. AquaFit was a little more tiring today than usual, and I think I also need to put the blame on myself for having a very late, way too long conversation with a good friend last night. But, it was a long time since we've caught up, and his advice was very timely and wise. So, it was worth it to me, and your stuck with a rambling post.

More than likely, you'll find the occasional Minnesota Twins blog post here in the upcoming months. The aforementioned exhaustion is not unique to tonight. That's been the feeling lately. Because of that, I regretfully resigned from Puckett's Pond, at least for the time being. I will, of course, have opinions about the Hometown Heroes this season, so you can expect to find me venting here.

I RAN!
More than likely, no one else quite understands what a big deal it is that I ran for five minutes on a treadmill after work on Monday. (Before you think I'm really strange, I did spend more than five minutes on the treadmill. I just walked before and after my little run.)

It is not an exaggeration to say that I haven't run for five minutes together ever in my life before. Seriously. I've run the bases in softball, or down an elementary school gym for basketball or dodgeball, or even around for a volley during a racquetball game. I walked when we did the mile in elementary school. Seriously.

On Monday, my plan was to run for a minute, slow down, and maybe challenge myself to do it again. I was thinking baby steps. Then, as I ratched up the speed, for some reason, I changed my mind. I decided to give five minutes a go; I figured there was an emergency stop button for a reason.

Now I know how Gimli felt.

What I'm learning from this: 1) AquaFit (plus treadmill days in between) is slowly improving my cardiovascular endurance, and 2) I've only really challenged myself physically once in my life. That's when I climbed up a (mini) mountain in the UP with a few friends just over a year ago. It was fun with those friends. That experience was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Probably, I should do things like that more often.

Habemus Papam Franciscum!
Pope Francis seems to have taken the world by storm...in pretty much the most humble way possible. Today at work, I was reviewing his Angelus message from Sunday (3/17/13) to share some nuggets with the Jr High kiddos tomorrow night. I pretty much wrote a great blog post response in my head. But that's just not happening tonight. Instead, you're getting just a brief note in commentary. (See "exhausted" above.)

My brief note in commentary: I was really, really struck by his conversation with the Nonna about God's mercy. (It's quite good. You should read it yourself.) I'm also pretty sure I'm better at receiving mercy than giving it.

Week 5 Weigh-In Results
Last week's cumulative total: -12.5 lbs
This week's total: -1.5 lbs
Total weight loss: -14.0 lbs

I have just under two weeks (Opening Day is April 1) to reach my goal of 20 lbs. I'm pretty sure that's out of reach, although I'm not ruling it out. However, if I keep moving forward, I'm going to be quite happy, even if I'm a little short of that goal. I definitely feel like I deserve the reward of going to (the ridiculously cold, possibly snowing, likely Twins loss that will be) the Opening Day 2013 game at Target Field. Also, if things project out as they're starting to seem, I may not need to lose quite as much to meet or beat the 2013 Minnesota Twins. I've been hearing for a few weeks that Vegas has the over/under on wins at 67. I was projecting a lofty 78 when I started this crazy deal. Thanks, Reusse.

I'm also toying with the idea of adding a massage to my Opening Day Game reward. (Probably not on the same day, although I might need some help relaxing after the shellacking the Twins are going to get from Verlander. I predict complete-game shut-out.) A massage sounds like such a fantastic idea. I think I'll ponder that for a week...

Nifty Weight Chart for the week:

Day 29: My 2013 MN Twins Weight Loss Challenge - Wisconsin Retreat Weekend & Weigh-In Day

Wisconsin Retreat Weekend (weigh-in info below)

This week is Spring Break for the school district my parish is located in, which means I did not have my normal weekend work commitments. Yahoo! So, of course, exotic Wisconsin was my spring break destination.

It's a five hour drive to the small town environs I love to visit. The rural drive, though long, is so beautiful. I chatted on the phone with a close friend on the drive down on Friday, and she was headed off to a retreat. In hearing her talk about what she hoped her weekend would be like, I thought to myself, I need to schedule a retreat. On the drive home on Monday, I realized that I had been on a retreat this weekend as well. Skeptical, are you? Let me explain.

My dearest college friends are Brewer fans, Packer fans and Cheesehead neighbors. I love 'em anyway. (You should see me grit my teeth and look excited when the four-year-old tells me excitedly about her Brewers shirt and her Brewers birthday cake.) Actually, I'm lucky if I get to see any of these friends a handful of times each year, and it's always a treat to be with people who you can just be with.

I typically stay with Angie (whose blog you should follow here), her husband Kurt, and their three little ones. It was fortunate that we visited Sacred Grounds for coffee with our other good friend Rachael and her girls on Saturday morning. Our remaining plans for the weekend got derailed when Angie's two-year-old started throwing up. And kept throwing up. Frequently.

The poor girl had to have thrown up 14 or 16 times in less than 24 hours. She was so much more patient than I would have been in similar (miserable) circumstances. And so, no one (except the blissfully ignorant, adorable baby) got much sleep on Saturday night, and the weekend 'o fun was spent much more quietly.

I read stories to the girls, kept (tried to keep) the baby happy when Mom or Dad was tending to the middle sister as she needed the bucket once again, taught the four-year-old how to knit (she's got a knack for it!) and snatched a game of scrabble with Angie when we could. Oh, and Angie and I got the giggles trying to blow eggs out with syringes and nostril suckers for the kiddos to decorate with their friends at "Gym and Art".

I also stayed Sunday night with my good friends Ken and Emily, who recently moved back to Wisconsin from the Twin Cities. I enjoyed the distinction of being among their first guests, although it was more fun to see the farm and simply catch up with them.

Visiting all of these friends was so life-giving, and we didn't really do anything special. Or do much at all. That's what made it the best weekend I've had (maybe with the exception of family hockey weekend in Sioux Falls last month) in a really long time. Driving home, I was as rejuvenated as I would have been if I would have attended a spiritual retreat. I don't mean that as a knock against spiritual retreats; I spend a significant part of my job explaining to Confirmation candidates why they are fantastic.

I just think we are blessed if we are given people to be the presence of God for us. That's what these friends are for me. I've heard people talk about "Thin Places", a place they've been where they are closer to God than anywhere else. For me, whenever I am in the company of these friends, I experience a "Thin Place". It's less tied to where I am than who I am with. And that's why this weekend was not just a vacation, but a true retreat.

I did get a little vacation-y on my way home, though. On an impulse, I decided to stop at one of the many Wisconsin cheese shops and bring home some treats:

I always think of Rachael when I see cheese curds because she taught me about "squeaky cheese". I gave up alcohol for Lent and am looking forward to enjoying a glass of wine on Easter; I thought I'd remember the people whose presence is a "Thin Place" for me by buying a bottle to open on Easter. The beer was an impulse buy at an impulse stop. Ken and Emily had Spotted Cow at their wedding reception, but I didn't like beer at the time. I think it's time to try it! Emily also sent me home with the venison sausage from their deer hunting season. Jealous? Invite me to a party before someone else does! Oh, and the seasoned cheese just looked tasty.

Week 4 Weigh-In Results
Last week's cumulative total: -10.5 lbs
This week's total: -2.0 lbs
Total weight loss: -12.5 lbs

Honestly, after last week, I was so worried about today's weigh-in and having to write about it, I was tempted to lie if I had stayed the same or gone up again. Don't worry, I wouldn't have. (At least, I don't think I would have...)

On the drive home from Wisconsin, I started to mentally tick through my "To Do List" and think about all that was left for me to do when I got home. In pondering all of this, I had a mini epiphany. (I'm quite certain you are wiser than me, and that this will seem quite self-explanatory to you.)

I don't have to fix everything all at once.

It's clear that I need to work on discipline in many (all) areas of my life - health, finances, time management, etc. Lately, I've been overwhelmed by all the faults I recognize in myself. Then, I began to think about how I tackle any other undertaking, whether it's my tasks at work, cleaning my house or getting ready to host one of my "epic events of mini proportions". Invariably, in these situations:

1. I focus on one task or area at a time, unless it is necessary to shift my focus.
2. If I run across something that is not a part of the current focus, I move it to a pile of related items or write it on a to do list for later, unless it is necessary to address it immediately.
3. I don't worry if tasks or areas outside of my focus are untidy, as long as they are not in the way. I'll get to them soon enough.
4. When I start trying to multi-task, I get overwhelmed and I freeze. Things grind to a halt until I regain focus on one area. So, I prioritize and start moving forward again.

My mini-epiphany was that I need to do exactly this with My 2013 Minnesota Twins Weight Loss Challenge. I only have so much energy, and it is strongest when it is moving in one direction. (Not like the band. Sorry. That photo is a terrible, terrible pun.) Someday, as virtuous habits develop, the area I have been working on will take less energy to maintain, and I can shift energy to another area. Currently, I'm working on two things - planning healthy meals in advance and organizing my calendar and "To Do List" tasks well to be a good steward of my time.

The organization of my calendar and tasks is helping me to discern what commitments I need to give up, and I'm not sure I'm happy about what I'm starting to realize. There will likely be more about that in future posts. In the meantime, here is my nifty weight chart for the week. The line is moving back up!

Day 22: My 2013 MN Twins Weight Loss Challenge

Weigh-in Day

Well, I knew it would happen, but I was hoping it would be later, rather than sooner. However, I wasn't surprised at my results this week. Disappointed, but not surprised.

Yup. I went up a bit on the scale. (Details below.)

It was inevitable that it would happen, and I'm really more concerned about 1) why and 2) how I deal with it than I am about it happening at all. As I'm paying attention to what is going on in me over the last few weeks, it's pretty clear that #1 and #2 are a chicken-and-the-egg kind of debate.

Although this won't post until Wednesday morning, it's actually quite late Tuesday night as I write this. Actually, it's very early Tuesday morning. That's probably the main "why" problem. I am too tired to write too many of the details here, and I don't know that anyone else is really that interested anyway, but I don't say "no" to anything I want to do or think I should do, and that's a big part of the problem.

Please don't misunderstand me; I'm not trying to play the martyr here. Yes, I have a very busy life. But so do you and so does everyone else. A lot of the busy-ness in my life is of my own choosing. The bottom line, I'm too prideful and greedy to let one of the balls I'm tossing fall. Instead, I'm not sleeping enough, I'm stressed and every so often, a bunch of the balls crash to the ground.

When that happens, it's a lot harder for me to avoid eating as a response to stress - not hunger - and to choose nutrition first and taste second when I do eat. The "how I deal" side is much more challenging when I'm this stressed. If I fail, that can lead to a new "why" and a spiral down.

Obviously, that's going to sabatoge my hope of losing weight. So. What do I do?

I've been thinking about this. Because I'm too tired at the moment to flesh these thoughts out, I'm going to make a list of a few things that came to mind, in no particular order:

• Prioritize my commitments and let go of a few so that I can keep my sanity
• Start tracking my food & exercise so I don't have to try to keep it all in my head
• Rethink how much weight I am hoping to lose by the end of the baseball season - am I stressing myself out with too lofty a goal?
• Make a list of ways I can relieve stress or distract myself when I'm craving something more substantial but am substituting food

Just thinking about doing any or all of those things is overwhelming at the moment. I'm not going to accomplish them now. However, over the next week, I think I can come up with a few things I can let go in my life and then begin to put that into practice. I honestly think one of the most important things I can do for myself is to begin to go to bed regularly at a "normal" time. I can't do that until I start saying "no" to a few things.

I'm a bit too much like Gus Gus collecting corn.

Whiney moment for the day
Aquafit was great as usual. Somehow, when I'm there, I feel like I can conquer the world. However, when I washed my suit this evening, it ripped in the wash to the point where I couldn't be worn again. I had to order a suit, and I don't know if it will be here in time for next week. I do have another suit, but it's a tankini that's got these stupid beads on it. It will be quite ridiculous if I have to wear that next week.

Your advice

I'd be curious to hear from you in response to this question: What is a healthy behavior that helps you to relieve stress when you are overwhelmed, lonely, or frustrated? What are little things that you do every day, or somewhat regularly? What are things you do once a week/month/year? I'd love to read your comments below.

Week 3 Weigh-In Results
Last week's cumulative total: -12 lbs
This week's total: +1.5 lbs
Total weight loss: -10.5 lbs

My nifty weight chart:

Day 15: My 2013 Minnesota Twins Weight Loss Challenge

Weigh-in day!

Weigh-in day for my challenge is also AquaFit day. I wasn't looking forward to either, at least not at the beginning of the day. You can see below how I did on my weigh-in; despite my misgivings, I was happy. By lunch time, I'd finally started to look forward to the evening's AquaFit class. It was a bit more of a "grind" today (gee, surprise), but I felt fantastic when it was over. (Oh, and I made my first friends at class!) I even stopped at the grocery store on the way home because I decided I didn't have enough fresh veggies. Who am I???

Since my last post on discipline, the book we're reading at work for a book club had a lot to say about it. Holy Spirit timing, I suppose. This week's reading had an entire chapter on fasting, focusing on fasting as a key to self-discipline and self-discipline as necessary for a healthy spiritual life. This paragraph was so fitting for me this week:

Our lives change when our habits change. Our habits change when we make resolutions, remind ourselves of those resolutions, hold ourselves accountable for them, and perform them. Sometimes we fail, but there is no success that isn't checkered with failure. Don't give up. Press on, little by little. -Chapter 16, Rediscover Catholicism by Matthew Kelly

Good to ponder over the next few days.

Week 2 Weigh-In Results
Last week's cumulative total: -8.5 lbs
This week's total: -3.5 lbs
Total weight loss: -12 lbs

My nifty weight chart:


I have to say, I think I'm too optomistic on the Twins wins...