The Businessman

The Businessman is tall and thin
With a moustache and a grin.
He has lots of money
To spend on his honey.
He blows it on coke
Drags on a smoke.
It all looks so ideal
The real meal deal,
But it's not a smile of gold
Just a grin... and that gets old.

The Runner

The runner runs.
He runs and runs.
Runs and runs.
And runs some more.
Then he keeps running.
Runs and runs.
He stops.
The race is not over.
There is no race.
He has not won.
He will never win.
There is no race.
He just won.

Passion Test

Last night I finished doing a passion test. It's easy enough to do for yourself and it's interesting becasue it gets you thinking about exactly what it is you love to do.

1. Simply write your passions on individual 3x5 cards - one passion per card.
2. Then compare two at a time and decide which you are more passionate about.
3. Keep cycling through until you have put in order from most to least your passions.

It was most illuminating. I was quite surprised how my passions are different to where I'm spending my time... and actaully quite different to where I had planned to spend my time.

Time to re-organize!

Poor Zebra

The Zebra has stripes
Black and white
Which are they?
Black or white?
Is he striped to the bone?
What colour is his meat?
Is it all on the surface?
From his head to his feet?
Or from his brain to his heart?
Do we admire him for what he is?
Or what he isn't?
Poor Zebra.

I'm back!

It's been brought to my attention that this blog has become overrun with cobwebs and dust. I'm brushing all that aside and I'm back writing. There's no time like the present!

No Guarantees

Larry Iwan was a gentleman I worked with for almost three years. I haven't actually seen him since my last day at that company just over a year ago. He retired last Friday apparently in good health and died on Monday. He didn't even get a day off.

There are no guarantees in life.

Obituary from Calgary Herald

IWAN Lawrence John "Lars" May 9, 1938 - December 8, 2008

The Following Obituary Contains Memories That Could Be Offensive To Some Readers. Did that grab your attention?

Good, because the guy that the following is about, liked to get peoples attention. Lawrence John Iwan, or Larry as he was known to many and Lars to many more, unexpectedly passed away this past Monday morning at 70 years of age. All things considered we think that is about thirty years too soon.

To say that Larry cut a unique path through life would be a grievous understatement and a true injustice to a man who truly saw no boundaries and made it a priority to soak up all that life had to offer every single day.

His cup was always half full even when merely a drop remained. Born in Winnipeg's north end in 1938, John and Jessie's proudly Polish boy would chase inclination, love and adventure across Canada for the next several decades, eventually settling in Calgary with his beloved wife and best friend Kathy.

Larry relished the awkward moments in life; often working tirelessly to initiate them. He was the icebreaker that every room needs. Quick witted and blessed with an extremely high IQ, he really could do anything that he set his mind to. A fistful of successful careers that included; race car driving, politics, photography, music and sales to name just a few.

Long days and busy nights with the ultimate pay off, weekends at the lake, Lars loved the lake it was his little piece of paradise. We can say with some confidence that the waters of Lake Mara will never be the same. We also suspect that insurance rates will come down now that he is off the water.

This past May to mark the occasion of his 70th birthday Lars went on a pub-crawl with his wife, kids and friends. A bus was rented, a course was charted, and like a band of merry pranksters, Lars and his posse traveled the city celebrating life's rich pageant at every stop along the way. In hindsight very apropos for a man who truly lived his life enjoying each and every stop along the way.

We love you Lars ... Now get back on that bus, the next stop has dancing girls! Larry is survived by his wife Kathy Stirling, whom he adored more than life itself, and his children, Michelle, Debbie, Dwight, Darren and Dale, their spouses Rene, Jarrett, Monique and Gail; his grandchildren Jordan, Claire, Max, Cooper and Adam and his father-in-law Donald "Radar" Stirling.

188.8 lbs

On October 3rd When I hit my goal weight a friend of mine said, "It's all well and good to hit your target, but it'll be interesting to see where you're at three months later."

Well, this morning I weighed in at 188.8 lbs, so I guess I'm still on track!

191.2 lbs

Today is the weight goal day. Three months ago I set myself the goal of losing 10% of my body mass to drop to 190 lbs. This morning I jumped on the scales and registered a mere 191.2 lbs. My wife and I agreed that should I starve myself all day I would be able to drop the 0.3 lbs to be 190 something.

I made it!

The amazing revelation that I've come to is that after losing twenty pounds on a body most people wouldn't have said needed to lose weight, I can see there's room to lose another ten pounds, perhaps more. The last time I was weighing in the 180s I was in my early twenties. I feel ten years younger!

I feel so much better now too. All my clothes fit loosely, I've gone in at least one belt hole on all my belts. I have so much more energy and I'm fitter, due to the increase in exercise.

This increase in exercise, by the way, has been simply walking to and from work three or four days a week. It's a 45-minute walk each way, and includes a hill-climb. I still only get to the gym once or twice a week, but the walks have given me six to eight extra cardio workouts.

My portions are smaller now. I'm following the portion sizes on packaging far more closely, and I realise I don't need to eat so much to feel "full". I'm also eating more often, making sure I get in a mid-morning snack and a mid-afternoon snack. I still eat sweets and the like, but far fewer and I far less frequently. I have also cut way back on my alcohol consumption, and have replaced it with water. There are so many empty calories in alcohol, that they really tally up quickly.

So my goal is now set on five pound increments of weight loss. I'll re-assess each five pounds to see where I'd like to end up to maximise my feeling of health and well-being.

Art Show

Today I opened up my house to show and sell my art. For me this has been a mental block, but I'm so glad to have done it now, I can start planning the next one. Although it would have been nice to see more people come out, I was very happy to have sold 6 pieces. It starts to make some room for the new creations that are in the pipeline!

"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt."
- William Shakespeare

211.4 lbs

Today I was at a friend's place and we both jumped on the scales. He recorded 212.0 lbs and I was 211.4 lbs. That's about ten pounds lighter than the heaviest I've been, but it's still more than I'd like to be. So we made a commitment to drop 10% of our body mass by October 3rd. That would have me at 190 lbs, a weight I haven't been since before I came to Canada in 2002.

My wife, Gosia, also committed to losing 10% of her body mass which would have her back at her pre-pregnancy weight. I won't say what the numbers are... women are sensitive about that kind of stuff.