Chillin' like a Hundred Dollar Bill

I'm not getting a lot done this weekend, but I have to admit I'm having fun doing it. My wife is off seeing family - I'll join her Tuesday - but for now I'm on my own. I have to admit, I had hoped to make progress on my writing, but it seems model truck building is the order of the day, at least for now. Both are hobbies, but one represents a hope for future productivity while the other is all about R & R. Building models has been my way to step away from myself for a long time.

Stangely enough, it's easier for me to talk about this than it is my writing, but I started an exercise routine Thursday. My tummy might be a bit bigger than I'd prefer, but all in all I've always felt like I could hold my own with most in my industry. Nonetheless, my doctor told me to bulk up a bit if I hoped to survive into the future, so... It has begun.

I enjoyed the previous season of 'The Biggest Loser' on TV. Particularly in the early episodes. the contestants showed so much heart - both for themselves and each other - it was really enjoyable to watch. It was more than watching fat people sweat - it was watching them all turn around to go back for the slowest guy and help him up the hill. So, when it came time for some conditioning of my own, I turned to Gillian and Bob (Or, more accurately DVDs of them) since I'd seen and more or less approved of their methods while watching the show. *Grin* All I can say is it's easier to keep up with them from the couch than the floor.

Even I know I'm dancing on the edge of nurning out, as far as my career goes. It was a hard year - longer than anything I've faced in quite a while. A lot of factors combined to make it the year it was, many of which were beyond my control. That doesn't make it any easier to want to go through it again. That being said, we're just getting into patching up the battle damage to get ready for next season. One thing I have learned with all confidence...

If you slide out the door to avoid a good fight - you're always the guy who slid out under the door to avoid a good fight. Next year will be a grand war.

I'm off to meet up with the wife Tuesday - and likely won't be near the computer. Allow me to send all of my hopes to you now for a very Merry Christmas.

Peace and Love,

Eric

Wow

Harvest season turned out to be an adventure. It seems like everything does for me - but I really hadn't seen this one coming. I mean, how hard can it be to dump a few trucks and push the occasional button on a grain dryer? The better question is, how naieve can I be???

I kept thinking in my head, "This isn't my fight - I'm an agronomy guy." The truth is, the cooperative system is full of issues, but in its ideal form, it teaches the employee base that everyone does everything, and no one is better than anyone else. I don't know... Enough nights spent next to the grain dryer doing the job I probably would have attributed to someone else made me believe this premise isn't so bad. Now, if the rest of the world would take a minute and think about it, we might be somewhere.

My personal interests took a real beating during all of this. Obviously, it's hard to keep relations with my wife at the level they should be while for all intents and purposes being gone for a month. I believe I'd just met Jean Valjean in my reading of Hugo's Les Miserables, although I hadn't gotten far enough for him to be named by name. My personal writing pursuits? Well... I actually made just a bit of headway, beginning the layout for a story that has been in my head for some time.

I'm a little the worse for wear physically. I saw the doctor just before the beginning of season for my shoulders (left, in particular, but both in general), and was offered some anti-inflammatories and the advice that I should bulk up a bit. The pills dont' help much, so... I'll have to do what I can for the other A.S.A.P.. But all of my bodyparts are still firmly attached, so... I'd like to think there are always possibilities.

I'm starting the off-season by entering a diecast truck-building competition. No prize, except for bragging rights and sticking my nose back into a community I've enjoyed from time to time. I'll never win, but... I enjoy the experience.