I'm doing some major reevaluating of the direction I want my life to take (again).  I've gotten kind of comfortable at the place where I work (that's a rare and lucky occurrance) and I'm thinking about staying in System Administration rather than going back to Programming.  It might make a lot more sense for me to get RedHat Certification than to enroll towards a Computer Science degree at UW.  I'm thinking on it.

One of the contributing factors to this reevaluation is that I just past my half century birthday.  Now I know it's just a number, and I actually feel about 15 to 20 years younger (because I've completely recovered from my foot/leg disabilities and surgery), but still, I think I need my "spare time" right now NOT to work on learning how to program in Java but to have a few years of focusing on my physical fitness.

I've been walking at lunch time for months, about a mile on a hilly route, and I recently started running.  On my regular walk, there is a flat "Interurban Trail", about the equivalent of 4 city blocks.  I figured I'd start running that and work up some speed.  Was I ever surprised when I discovered that I could only run about a quarter of it at my slowest speed!  That was about 3 weeks ago.  I try to do it every day but I miss some days due to needing to work through lunch or do errands or very inclement weather.  As of right now, I'm running 3/4 of it at my slowest speed.

I'm also using my Powerrider at least 4 days per week.  I can now ride a full 20 minutes on the medium setting.  It took me a month to get there.  I know that in retrospect it will seem like I got back into shape quickly but right now it feels like a snail's pace.

My lunch break plus 20 minutes in the evening is about all I have available most of the time.  On the weekends, Tom and I have been bicycle riding.  Last weekend we went to Port Townsend and had a great time.  We went bicycle riding at Fort Worden State Park.  Here in Bothell it is easy to ride either to the Brewery/Winery area in Woodinville or Aguas Verde in the Seattle University District on the Burke-Gilman trail.  Either way, a ride there, a snack, and a ride back is lots of fun.

It's improving my strength, stamina, even my digestion; but none of it has made a difference in my weight.  I'm still hoping that it will.  When I was 28-29 years old, I worked out more than 10 hours per week.  I was in awesome physical shape.  I can't find that amount of "spare time" these days.  I'm wondering how much time I'll have to put into it before I see a difference in my weight.  I'd like to see a lighter me for my second half century.

My page on Turkish food is new.

Everything gets put on hold at work when I need to format new Windows desktops.

I'm still configuring a new server at work. 

At home I'm just trying to wade through old email.

Tom started his new job and found out that he has no office or space that is "his" to work in at work!  I would think that a Build Engineer position would require a workspace!  He spends time either in a shared office without any resources except a laptop and wireless access or in the cafeteria with the exact same resources.

I have a new accoustic guitar and I'm playing occasionally.

The Pacific Northwest has been unseasonably warm the last 3 weeks.  Our frogs are chirping, the bears have come out of hibernation (I've heard from friends), the ducks were bobbing heads 2 weeks ago, some still are but I'll bet others are sitting on nests already.  My crocuses have sprouted.  Who knows what will happen next?  It could continue like this through Spring, or we could have a cold snap in March.

Turns out my depression was at least partly a vitamin deficiency.  I took some vitamin B12 on a whim and did a snap-back.  Figures.  Ever since I got back from Turkey I've been eating a little bread now and then and then and now.  It's hard for me to stop cheating on a diet once I start.  Of course it is doing the same thing bread did to me before, which is why I had to stop eating it.  I'll see if heavy supplementation of folic acid and B12 is sufficient to allow me an occasional indiscretion....