three steps forward

and yes, one step back.

This week has been very good for me gaining traction on several projects.

Here are the highlights.

I submitted three short stories for publication in an anthology . . . hey, hey . . . not bad.

I managed to print out and make all of my board game cards. Play testing imminent.

I even made a some decent test videos for my upcoming YouTube channel . . .

I went to the gym four times and managed to keep up a 4mph pace for the entire hour on the treadmill.

So, overall the week was smoking awesome as far as me getting on with all things Paul Darcy.

And then, just as I was about to start some real filming near the end of the week for my YouTube debut - zap - struck down with a nasty head cold.

Now, I know this is a minor thing, and it will blow over in a week, but still, I was so pumped and smoking along only to be struck down . . .

Still, in my weakened state, I’m managing to gather and put down ideas for my board game and videos, so not a total waste.

But it sucks to be feeling horrible when you are supposed to be feeling awesome while working on creative things . . .

And, with all this fun project work, my reading frenzy has pretty much ground to a halt. I may have put in two or three hours tops reading this week, and that was about it.

I’m still around 30 books read for the year, so no complaints, but I’m sure my game and making videos is going to slow my page count right down - and with summer looming - I’ll be lucky to read a book a month.

Anyhow, on the garden front, I planted some tomatoes and four jalapeno plants.

With regards to tennis - well, I’m still laying off the play. I’m giving my ankle the full six weeks to recover. I just don’t want to risk going over on it again when it is in a weakened state.

Well, as you can see I’ve nailed a solid nine point five landing this week.

All I need to do is shake this stupid cold - and then continue to rock on.

Until next Sunday . . .

expanding horizons & unchanging mass

No, I do not speak of my midsection, but of my new project coming to the intertubes in the very near future . . .

But, just for a sentence or three, I will speak of my midsection.

My weight is exactly as it has been for the past several months.

Unchanged.

Static.

Inert.

Even though I’m back on the treadmill an hour a day, walking at a brisk 4 to 4.5 miles/per hour and, according to the readouts, burning about 500 calories per trek.

So yes, my ankle is doing much better, but still not sturdy enough for tennis - damn!

I’m almost ready to sell myself to science as a freak of nature for my ability to exercise like a lunatic or not exercise, eat six pounds of food a day of six ounces, and never change weight at all.

Then again, who ever said I was normal . . . which brings me to the new project.

I got to thinking, why not join the millions of fools personalities on Youtube and create my own channel . . . my daughter said she would follow me . . .

Okay . . . maybe I promised to pay her if she did . . .

No really, I mean why not?

I have things to say, things to review, comments to make, jokes to inflict, and the time to do it in.

I see the rolling eyes, face palms and hear the groans . . . I expect that, and worse, but hey, I’m resilient if unchanging in mass . . .

I even picked up a new camera this week since my old one is as old as my daughter - and in terms of electronics that is beyond vintage and pretty much falls into the useless category in today’s world.

So, the new camera (Canon A2500) shoots HD video, well 720p, and the test video I did looked pretty darn sweet - so this week I’ll be creating my first video at putting myself out there like a shooting range target . . .

I’ll post a link when it’s done so you can come hurl insults, jibes and profanity in the comment section . . .

It will be a gas . . . I'm thinking argon, not methane . . .

So, what’s my plan for the channel?

Because, you know, I have a plan . . . it’s what I do.

Well the idea it dead simple.

My first series will be called, 4 in 4, and appear (if I can figure out how to do things in an efficient manner) once a week.

Yup, 4 things I like in 4 minutes or less under the categories of TV, Movies, Books, Games.

I’ll be trying to use Windows Movie Maker to splice it all together . . .

Wish me luck . . . or roll your eyes . . . I leave the response up to you.

Until next Sunday . . .

we can rebuild him

Him, being me, of course.

Steve’s time has come and gone.

So, after two weeks of couch sitting and reading I was pretty much going out of my mind.

I needed to exercise! Get me one of them orange NASA suits - and let me move again . . .

With that one thought bouncing around my skull I said, to hell with it, and went off to the gym.

You see, I can walk okay without any real pain and most, if not pretty much all, of the swelling is gone from my ankle.

I made it for thirty minutes on the treadmill at reduced speeds . . . and was greatly relieved to notice I did not suffer a relapse.

In fact, I felt much better.

So, go team me in the rehabilitation area.

I can tell my ankle is still a bit wobbly though and not up to the rigors of tennis - so I’m taking another week off from that sport. Damn.

But, crossing my fingers and ankles, I’m hoping to get back up to my one hour treadmill walks at 4mph by the end of next week.

Who says you can’t teach an old dud new exercises . . . okay, nobody . . . but you know what I mean.

And summer has suddenly sprung around here . . . which means mowing the grass . . . ugh!

And a game happened at my house yesterday which pretty much damaged my hearing for the rest of my life. There was so much screaming, yelling and shenanigans that neigbours several houses down could hear the ruckus . . .

I speak of a gathering of eight girls ages 13 to 14 at my house. The game: Apples to Apples . . . I was playing too (silly me) and it got so loud at one point I thought the glasses we were drinking from were going to shatter.

Yes, it was great fun, but apart from standing next to a 747 during takeoff, I’m not sure what is louder than eight yelling teen girls . . .

Oh well, ankle healing, ears damaged.

Overall not a bad week.

Until next Sunday . . .

regression

Man I hate just sitting on the couch, reading . . .

Oh, wait . . . no, that’s not so bad actually.

No, the hated thing is having my muscles start to atrophy because I can’t do any workouts or tennis or much of anything related to physical activity which includes my ankle.

I can do some weights routines though . . . yeah, fun.

I’m giving my lame ankle another week to smarten up - then it’s off to the gym again to try and regain that little bit of muscle tone I achieved before damaging myself.

According to the intertubes, (if it’s on there you know it’s true) it takes between four and six weeks to recover from a sprained ankle . . .

I’ve been at this recovery thing now for just over a week and don’t think I can stand not doing active things much longer, let alone for another three to five weeks.

I will go nuts . . . okay, more nuts.

Anyhow, with an actual update, the ankle itself is almost swelling free, but it still gives me aches and pains when I walk on it.

I’m thinking, another week of reading and I should be able to get back to mild treadmill activities with an ankle brace.

But enough about that boring crap.

Yesterday was game day!

We played Defenders of the Realm . . . and, though it looked like we were doing pretty well mid game, the game took a left turn about three quarters of the way through and handed us a sound spanking.

In other words, we lost pretty badly.

Our first attempt to take down one of the four generals was an utter failure - we didn’t even put a dent in his helmet. It was sad really.

The game, despite that setback, went slightly uphill from there, then came the precipice.

Game over.

The dice hated us, no question. We rolled a statistically unusual amount of ones and twos - not good in this game for sure.

Better luck next time I guess . . . or a different game . . .

Well, I think I’ll go recover some more on the couch and read another book . . . sigh.

Until next Sunday . . .

I am so lame

Yup, I am . . . what? - you are not surprised . . .

Tennis this week was, well, both pleasant and unpleasant.

I served several aces, a couple of which were worthy of note. I’m thinking in the 110 mph+ range and right on the outside lines.

My opponents were impressed - as was I.

Sounds good right?

Well, that part of my game was pretty awesome. Seems all this awesome serving though had to have a karma re-balance.

That came near the end of the third set when I went over on my ankle, and yup, sprained it good.

So, to be literal, I am lame now - moreso than normal . . .

My ankle is swollen, stiff, and I’m hobbling around the house like some hundred year old derelict . . .

Just a barrel of fun, let me tell you.

Still, since I’ve been exercising a ton lately my legs and ankles are strong and in good health.

And this, day two of the sprain, is not really as bad as I thought. I’m recovering rapidly and should be able to walk like a human again within a week.

It usually takes four to six weeks to fully recover from a sprained ankle, but I feel that I’ll be over this sooner than that.

What I’m taking away from this incident is the fact that from now on I’m going to have to wear an ankle brace on my right ankle to avoid this kind of injury in future.

Sucks to get old and not wise as the same.

I should have been wearing a brace already and this would likely then not have happened. You see I really did a number on my right ankle back when I was in my early twenties and it never really recovered fully.

I sprained it a couple more times over the past decades, and you would think I would have learned from that.

But no.

So, on to find a good ankle brace for when I’m back on my feet and running around the courts again, which will likely not be for two weeks or so.

And I was doing so well with the treadmill and tennis this past month . . .

Setbacks . . . we hates them . . . sigh . . .

Until next Sunday . . .