Back on track

I'm kind of a health nut. Not nutters, but close. I think that being healthy and strong and of sound mind and body kind of goes hand in hand with living long and enjoying life. I took a short hiatus from my exercise regimen over this past month, kind of due to injuries, hiking Colorado, and then trying to recover. The last time I pulled a formal workout was 8/7/2010, and now it's the end of August.

Time to start all over. Reboot!

Back on Day 1 of Insanity again. Guess I get to work on my summer body while summer's winding down. :-D It's not the end of summer until the pool closes for the season!

I'm such a paintbrush

I like to think that words and stories have many layers to them, like peeling back an onion, revealing many meanings behind a simple statement. Thus, "I'm such a paintbrush" -- which, while the statement prompted some people to call me a dork, really, sums up what I've been feeling lately.

I've been painting a room inside my house, one that hasn't been painted since I first moved into my home. One of the things I struggled with growing up was making the effort to do interesting things, take risks with creativity. Like, my room at my mom's home - I never took the chance to explore what it would be like to paint a room growing up. Without going into some long and rather droll story, the point is - I can do that now, and I really should take advantage of making this place my own instead of just some place I live, y'know?

Paintbrushes absorb and give color to all things. I think we're the sum of all who we meet, who change your thinking, who color your life. Well, I'd like to say that I've met many people who have colored my life, molded me into a better person. And I hope to keep on adding more color to my life. Even though I'm a superhero or famous or rich, there's more to life than those things, and what I'm getting out of life is making me happy.

Heck, maybe I'm getting just a bit too philosophical tonight. Really, you wanna know why I'm such a paintbrush? 'Cause I keep splattering paint all over me. No matter how careful I am, sometimes the color just doesn't end up where you want it to be. And no amount of wiping it off works. Seems like the paint is just gonna stay there forever. Oh, well, all you can do is move on and keep painting, right?

By the way, liquid blue is just awesome!

Taste the rainbow

In my search for new and exciting foods to eat, I happened to learn that Skittles are indeed gluten-free. Says so on the label (while not online, it is printed on the package directly underneath the ingredients) which means yay for me! Since I was taught to share while growing up, it was doubly awesome that my fellow Colorado traveler, Kel, also likes skittles (and particularly the new Crazy Cores, pictured above) I got to enjoy a double sugar rush on the road! That's always awesome, 'cause, well, I end up doubling over with laughter when mixing sugar with fun!

Speaking of doubles (and not the tennis kind) I was home today and found my leftover skittles were indeed spread out in a rainbow fashion around my office. My two cats decided that a bag was not the right place to keep candy, and instead the floor was better, and thus I had to clean up a colorful assortment of tasty rainbow pieces. Bad kitties!

Color is the order of the day. On birthdays, I often think of multi-colored candles adorning a cake, ready to be blown out. Thus, I do want to wish my August buddies a happy birthday, Kel, Chris and Sarah S. I guess that means soon enough I'll be facing my own annual tick when I step more firmly in to my 4th decade (hint: this century is the 21st century. I am not yet 40) later this summer. Yes, I am a summer baby. Some people are in denial that a birthday before labor day in September is anything but a summer b-day. Get with the program, people!

Off to make my night a bit brighter - I'm painting my younger bro's old bedroom a nice sheen of white in preparation for a real color to be put in. I'm having a hard time choosing one, to be honest. My main color is blue but I've already got an awesome blue for my office. I'm probably gonna end up just throwing darts at a color wheel. That sounds like fun, actually. But just so you know, getting paint in your mouth isn't very tasty. Don't taste that kind of rainbow, yo.

Boy, this mountain is high....

A while back, I came across the phrase "runner's high." Apparently, a phenomenon happens to a number of people who run where they get a sense of peace, euphoria, or a 2nd wind of sorts, when they've been running. Such a state exists and has been documented, and a number of people continue to run so they can achieve such a high. Well, not too long ago, I came across another such state called "Rocky Mountain high" where the euphoria comes during the course of hiking a mountain.

I already enjoyed mountain hiking before I heard that term. Last year, I hit a number of peaks, including Mt. Yale, with Kelly and another couple. That was a great time, exploring the great state of Colorado and braving the chilly nights above 9,000 feet above mean sea level (MSL). This year, I took a shorter trip and nailed Vail and Mt. Lincoln, the 8th tallest mountain in Colorado, the 23rd tallest peak the United States.

The most difficult part of this trip was due to weather and timing, we had to make the summit of Mt. Lincoln earlier in the trip than desired. Acclimation to 10,000 feet and above is vital to lessen the chances of altitude sickness. I was definitely feeling the effects of reduced air - some light dizziness, shortness of breath, and lack of energy. I'm not sure how Kel managed it - she kicked my tail up and down that mountain! Way to go!

I'm glad I was able to reach the top and see the fantastic valley surrounding the Mosquito range of the Rockies - it reminds me that nature is out there to be found and enjoyed. Sometimes it's a bit hard to remember that when we're struggling with details of the latest new technology to come out or the fight we're having with movie theaters over captioned movies. I'm coming back refreshed and ready to rumble!