First, as I mentioned earlier, I have been experimenting with the virtual world of Second Life. I was fairly involved with it for a while, but as Georgie got more and more sick and required more and more care, I spent very little time in it. After Georgie’s death, I tried to go back and found that my interest was completely gone. Partly, it was that her death made me see so many of the people you meet there as vain and empty. Really, after that innocent life ended in my arms after I had cared for it for over a decade, the various issues, dramas, and nonsense in the Second Life community somehow lost their vitality. It went from a fascinating and vibrant place to a hall of shadows. Add to this that there have been a number of crippling technical problems for me with the tool, and I found I didn’t get much positive out of the world. I still go in-world on occasion, as I still know some people in there; but I now spend very little time there. I may write more about this in the future. The concept of Second Life is very interesting in its way, but there is much of it that leaves something to be desired.

The other major thing is that I have gone through is medical. Some time ago, I checked my blood pressure at one of those machines one finds in offices and the supermarket and was shocked at the reading: it said I had stage two hypertension. I booked an appointment with my doctor and found that I did indeed have hypertension and that it needed treatment (the phrase “lit fuse” was spoken). He also told me frankly that it was time to lose weight. So, I went on blood pressure meds and a weight loss program.

The weight loss program I am on is the Zone system… it’s one of these low carb diets that are around and is focused on controlling insulin and blood sugar levels. It’s been remarkably successful so far: I started at the end of February at roughly 210 pounds, and I now weigh 175. I’ve now reached my target weight (I wanted to get to between 170 and 180), and will soon be starting the maintenance phase of the diet. I’ve also lost four inches off my waist, and my belly is basically gone (I can feel my ribs and sternum for crying out loud). More importantly, the weight loss and exercise have helped to bring down my blood pressure. The doctor has taken me off my meds and my blood pressure has stabilized to normal (well, slightly on the high side but still good).

This improvement does not come without a cost, however. I have learned that I have entered that stage of life where I have to consciously work on body maintenance. I can’t rely on my youth (what’s left of it), to carry me through. I have to exercise daily now (I take a fairly vigorous 40 minute walk every day after work) and I have a mortal enemy to keep at arm’s length: the carbohydrate. Actually, carbohydrates are not really the enemy; but I like them a little too much and need to moderate my intake with care. My old grain-heavy diet just won’t do anymore, and I have to learn new habits. Still, I like the results I’ve gotten so far and am finding, as a result, that the old morning bagel doesn’t sound as tasty as it used to.

1. First off, the physical withdrawal was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. I figured I was going to be incapacitated by headaches and all. True, I had some minor headaches, but nothing worse than a phone meeting at work provides on a daily basis (hint for cubicle workers, if you’re not talking, try hitting the mute button).
2. On the other hand, psychological withdrawal (if that’s a term) is much worse than I expected. My morning ritual at work consists of booting my machine and then going to get a cup of tea while Windows blazes its way to life. I’ve tried to substitute herbal tea for real tea in my routine, but that swill is just not the same. What’s worse is that, in the afternoon, when I’d usually have a coke or a coffee, I can’t do anything. I just sit there in my meetings thinking about how wonderful a mocha would taste. Very frustrating!
3. Fortunately, there is a positive side to the whole thing. I suddenly feel a lot better than I used to feel. My heart is not slamming into my ribcage, I’m not nearly so on-edge as I once was, and certain other complaints I am too delicate to mention in detail on a blog seem to be clearing up. Suffice it to say that while the cost of giving this stuff up is high, I’m getting something back for it.

So, in summary, what I have to say is this: caffeine = bad! With luck, I can free myself from it forever.

By the way, here’s a quick story on why I like my bike shop. I had to have my front wheel replaced after the crash, and I didn’t notice until a week later that they had forgotten to transfer the little magnet thingie for the bike computer when they replaced the wheel. The following week (so, two weeks after the repair), I went into the bike shop. Before I could even open my mouth, the mechanic looked up at me, said “magnet!” and handed me a replacement. It’s nice to find a business these days where they know you.

Yes, on my way home from work on Friday, I made a stupid move (I took a driveway ramp at too shallow an angle); and my bike started to fall over. It would have been fine, except I just got clipless pedals a couple of weeks ago and am still not very good at clipping out of them. Basically, I forgot to kick my leg out and just toppled over with the bike. Fortunately (or unfortunately, for my pride), no cars were involved (except for the six thousand people who witnessed me acting like a fool and asked if I was ok), and my injuries were relatively minor. I got a nasty scrape to the knee, which is still a bit stiff this morning; and I managed to bruise something in my wrist. Fortunately, nothing is broken or even swollen. My bike, on the other hand, has seen better days. At the very least, it will need a new front wheel.

Let this be a lesson to you all. The only safe way to live is spend your days watching the Simpsons while eating a tube of cookie dough. Even that isn’t all that safe as you still have to go out of the house occasionally to get more cookie dough.

So far, I’ve done the commute about eight times, which means I’ve biked about 128 miles just to work and back. At my car’s average gas mileage, I’ve saved about 3 gallons of gas or around $9. Big money! Big money! Of course, the money and the gas savings aren’t why I’m doing this. I’m doing this for my health and because I enjoy it. I am noticing a rapid improvement from all the biking, by the way: I’m less winded on arrival than when I began, and I’ve moved to a faster (harder) “cruising” gear. In general, it’s becoming easier as I start to reverse the effects of a sedentary lifestyle.