REAL ESTATE, REAL ESTATE, REAL ESTATE

Today has been an interesting day. I woke up and went on a bike ride. Did 45 minutes and 11 miles. It felt good. I seems that my lifting is already helping me with my climbing. It was a lot easier to climb the Oak Knoll loop today.

One of Dohnnies deals might come through tomorrow. The Investor came back and said he would do a deeper discount if we could pay in 48 hours. So Dohnnie and I thought about it for a while and we decided to give Suzanne and Dennis a shot, yes thats right my in-laws. And they believe it or not decided to go in. Then they called back and said they could go higher with Norman Summer's Uncle helping out with the slack. So if the Investor comes back with an acceptable number tomorrow then they will make at least five grand and so will Summer and I! Dohnnie has somebody ready to close in 21 days to buy the property so we are so excited. Hope the number comes back low. Of course there is the fear that things will fall through the floor and Dohnnie will owe my in-laws ten grand. On my word that the house will sell. Oh boy what have I gotten myself into? My stomach just kind of flipped. We'll see. I spose. I will keep you informed, I'll find out whats up tomorrow morning. And I have two more short sales to start. So I got that going for me which is nice. Later.

IS THE KID GOING TO BED YET?

Here I sit after midnight and my oldest son is still up. After many attempts he has overcome all obstacles, namely his parents, and is still awake. Unbelievable. Yeah. Well I almost forgot to blog tonight. But nevertheless I am here. Spring break is upon us and I am enjoying it immensely. Summer and I took the kiddies this morning and put them in stay and play and worked out. I started back on my strength program that I have dicussed in previous blogs. And I did a little Cardio warm up. Then after work and more work I swam 1050 with drills in 35 minutes. It felt good to be in the water. Swimming is a great recovery exercise. I feel positive now about my training. Race for sight is 34 days away. I am not going to worry about my weight it is what it is. But I am looking forward to my bike ride tomorrow. I'll probably do an hour ride. Or so. Maybe the Oak Knoll loop. Who knows where my 1000c will take me.

Still haven't got our tax return check yet. Those filthy IRS you-know-whats. Probably get it when I dont need it. Plus Dohnnie forgot to send his check today so I am waiting until Wednesday for that one too. Jackson Hewitt was so boring not a client all day except an old couple who didnt have their income info just a completed tax return done by hand. A lot of good that does me. Anyway I stalled for four hours by just reading USA Today and Post Dispatch. Amazing the time you can kill.

Not much else going on, I mailed my transcripts and proof of graduation to the State. We'll see if any job offers come my way.

Summer and I had a really bad argument today. We were arguing over whether a sigh I made was considered a scoff or not. I really feel stupid just writing it but boy were we pissed when it was going on. Doors were slammed and I destroyed our only baby gate. I felt really bad about it. Summer and I made up of course but in hindsight you always want to make the right decision first you know?

We went to Wal-Mart afterwards and got some munchies and rented some movies. We watched the Rundown with the Rock. I've already seen it once but it was good a second time. Sam is finally asleep in our bed now so I am going to ever so gently put him to bed in his own room. Later.

BEING SICK SUCKS

Last night after I posted I started to feel a tingly thing in the back of my throat. By the time I went to bed I was officially sick. I have been sick probably three or four times this winter. And it's not even winter anymore! So after my back goes out, I get stuck with Strep or something. So I took like 7 Advil. I woke up feeling pretty bad. We went to church to shadow the teacher that we are replacing in the primary. I went to fill up Jacob's bottle in church and saw a very tired sick man in the mirror. I was really feeling bad. So I went home and had some potato soup which Summy made for me and took a nap. I feel better right now but I still have the weird cold sweat thing going on with my throat bothering me. I still plan on working out tomorrow. Summer's excursion to St. Louis has been put on hiatus because Dennis doesn't know if he can use her as an employee. So I am going to lift and do Cardio in the morning then swim at night. Looking forward to it. Really.

We went over the In-laws house for dinner and they made some really great pot roast. I went Atkins and only had the roast and some salad. Really quite good. I liked it a lot. I went over to Dad's to set the tape for the Sopranos and stopped by Country Mart to get the Chocolate cake Summy asked me to get. I bought a thing of creme horns and ate three of them. Kind of feel guilty about that but oh well. Still waiting for our money from the IRS but we know it is on the way. Later. Its Spring Break this week and I plan to enjoy. Hopefully Summy won't go to St. Louis.

I FEEL SO FAT

Yeah that's right I feel fat. I haven't worked out since Monday and I am sure that I am tipping the scales at over 290. With the back going out and not working out and eating more (for whatever reason) I sit here in front of the puter with a sick feeling in my stomach. I feel myself slipping just like I did when I was first married and gained ninety pounds. Now my wife wants to go and work with her Dad in St. Louis for a few days to make some extra money. Yeah we could use the cash, sure but I really wanted to use Spring Break for a reason to get back on track with my training and a chance to relax. Now I am going to be a Single Parent with a toddler and an infant for a few days with no time to workout. And there you have it. I have a triathlon in 42 days and I have gained twenty pounds in since Christmas. Unbelievable. I don't want her to go but she has her mind set. I guess she wants to buy a a mini DVD player with the kids. I wanted to spend time with Summer too. We have been snipping at each other and I thought it would be nice to be around with her more and just relax. If I had a guarantee that I could workout then I wouldn't mind I guess but I have to work with Jackson Hewitt unfortunately and it just sucks. I am going to miss the Sammy Bunny. Don't you just love the pet names spouses have for each other? I dunno my self esteem is pretty low right now I spose. Whatever. Maybe my ranting will help a little bit. On the flipside I signed up for the Degree Ironman. Hopefully I'll win and spend six months training for an Ironman wouldnt that be cool?! Anyway later we'll see how everything works out. I think I feel a little bit better.

OH THE HORROR OF THE INTERNET

I woke up exhausted in sort of a haze because I could not remember how many times I got up last night to take care of the kids. I didnt want to but I went to class and struggled half asleep through my translation of Turgenev's Asya. After that I went to find my Dad and see how he was doing. He wasn't home. Suddenly I was struck by paranoia and decided to search for him, worried that something happened. Two hours later after a hard target search, I called at home and he told me he went to Wal-Mart and got a haircut. Well that was just fricking great, I thought. So much for my paranoia.

I came home and did some work for my brother. I talked to an investor that has a Second on a house we are looking to flip. He said to make an offer so I am faxing the HUD-1 to him tomorrow morning. Pretty exciting we could get this thing sold in less then a month which would mean some cash soon. Which is nice.

I picked up my paycheck and discovered that I had to sign an agreement that if anyone got on the internet at Jackson Hewitt that they would forfeit their bonus. Well that was just fricking great, I thought. Someone figured the boss' password and was cruising the net and corrupting tax return files. The whole thing sounds fishy to me. I dont see how temporary internet files can corrupt a separate programs files without the act of a deliberate attempt of something or someone with bad intent. And if that logic follows it course then it does not matter where you go on the net because you have that DSL connection on all the time with no anti-virus software. But hey thats just me. I think that Jackson Hewitt's software sucks and it runs home to momma when the times get tough. Whatever.

After cashing my piddly two hundred bucks, I went to do my strenous three hour shift. The boss is there taking all the puters of the network to set them up as Stand alones so we'll have to shuttle diskettes with the returns on them back and forth with the other store. Thank goodness tax season is almost over. This whole thing has left me bitter.

Came home and did my research for Dohnnie. Went pretty quick. My back feels better but I am resisting the urge to workout tomorrow...gonna save that for Monday. Later now.

I Forgot

I sit here wondering why I forgot to post yesterday. I cant really think of any reason why. My oldest, Sammy is sitting on my lap playing with fingernail clippers as I write his. I hope he doesnt stab me accidentally. Yesterday went by fine I spose. I went back to work and did a wonderful three hours of nothing. I have not decided to train yet because my back is still kind of twinging. When I bend a certain way or twist at all it gives me problems. So I think I am going to call it a week and start fresh Monday so I can give it time to rest. What I did do yesterday was get my strength program ready for the year. I have experimented with many different weight training options but I have decided to go back to the old standby. The only program where I have kept weight off while maintaining form and strength was this site which is a really good program for high school athletes. It is focused to get your workouts done in a 50 minute period. Which is perfect for me as a young full time student dad with two kids, a job, and an obsession in completeting a triathlon. So I got my first month of workouts planned ( I just have to figure out what my weights will be) and hopefully that will help me start to slim down. I still plan to train for the Triathlon as normal but with the strength training added in and maybe some cardio to burn some more fat.

On a different subject Summer and I have been sniping at each other lately and I dont know why. I dont like it. We have resolved each little epsiode quickly but I dont understand what is going with us to start doing that sort of stuff. I think we'll be okay. We learned how to talk to each other a couple of years ago.

I am sort of struggling to decide whether we should go to Russia or not. I really want to go to Russia but I am concerned it wont be the same with the kiddies. I guess that is selfish of me but I think of my experiences in Russia as my own. I also want to share them with Summer but I dont want to leave the kids out to with a nanny all day.

My brother Dohn, is doing so well in Orlando and I have witnessed his successes first hand because I am doing his processing with short sales on foreclosures. We could easily make just as much money doing that down there and not have to sacrifice the what we would lose in Russia. Of course we dont know for sure that we are even going to Russia yet so maybe we should put the decision off until then. I say we, I mean I. Summer already has said she wants to go to Russia. We'll see I guess but this is what I am struggling with.

My father is having problems with his health. He is diabetic and has mini-strokes which send to the ER often. He is going to need someone to take care of him very soon. And of course us going to Russia puts that situation in a potential bind. I checked on residential care places around Rolla and they charge around 1800-3000$ per month! SO EXPENSIVE. So that worries me.

So that catches me up Till tomorrow which is today.

THE FROGGER BLOGGER

Thats what my wife says when I get ready to post, "Are you doing the blogger thing again?" Right now she is fighting off the infant and the toddler with all her might so I can have a few moments of peace to blog.

My back feels a lot better. The bonecrusher worked miracles and last night after I posted my back just felt better Weird how that happened but it did. It just has felt stiff at times today but I have totally gained my range of motion back. No longer walking like a crooked letter S.

I called in sick again today and worked for my brother, Dohn the real estate investor. He is doing wonderful down in Orlando buying foreclosures and selling them at wholesale prices. He wants me to come down and work with him in May after I graduate. I just might but we are committed to the job in Moscow first and he knows this. Honestly, though the deal in Orlando has no limit.

So now I have to decide when to get back in the saddle and train. Do I wait until my back is completely healed or go ahead and go full steam ahead while it is still a little stiff. I dont do anything training wise (Swim, Bike, Run) that could really put my back in jeopardy but who knows? I dont.

I have also been noticing that I have been gaining weight. In the past two years I have lost around 60 pounds after gaining 90 after I got married in 2000. So I still have that thirty pound deficit to get back to my marriage weight. But I just dont have time to workout three or four hours a day like I used to when I was playing college football. I lost about 20 pounds doing Atkins when my infant was in the ICU in St. Louis for a month after he was born. Slowly I have been gaining it back. It hasnt helped that I have been injured with my back and my toe. What a crazy story that toe thing was but thats for another blog.

Anyway I might swim tomorrow. I have always heard that swimming is good for your back but that might be advice from Kramer on Seinfeld when he swims in the East River. Till tomorrow dear friends.

Today was interesting. I woke up after a wonderful nights rest and got the kids ready to take to the aunts. I was getting Sam ready on his toddler bed and I was bending over and twisting to get him ready. I dont know why I was doing that cuz I never get him dressed on his bed but I did. So a few minutes later my lower back just popped. And I was all of sudden a cripple who couldn't walk (no offense to the physically challenged out there).

So I called in sick and went to the Chiropractor to get my bones crushed. And now I feel better. Luckily it was only a muscular thing some sort of spasm no herniated disc or anything. I am supposed to keep walking. It is really frustrating I have a race in less then 45 days! I dont know how this is going to effect it but nothing I can do now except take care of myself from here on in.

Hopefully I can get over this quick and get back on the training track. Update tomorrow to see how I feel bye.

Well the best laid plans are sometime just plans. Today I started back on my training for my first triathlon experience. I wanted to get up early and lift and then get a good swim in. But waking several times in the night to help with our infant, Jacob prevented an early rising on my part. So I slept in till a whopping 7:30. Funny how when you have kids you never sleep in anymore.

On the bright side my interview with the State Department went very well. I am anticipating getting a yea or nay on the two year contract to Moscow in a couple of months. So ever since I have had a really good day. I let the Missionaries borrow my tennis stuff so they could go hit. Summer and I had a nice time going to the store together to shop. Another funny thing about marriage with kiddies. You savor every minute that you have with your significant other without the rugrats. It was nice. We were both in a good mood and talking about our future together.

Went to work and finished a few tax returns but no real work done. Things are slow this time of year. I almost fell asleep reading my sources for my History 340 paper. Pretty boring stuff. But I pressed on and read enough to get a good score on my interview with my Professor regarding my research paper. After work came home and ate some yummy Lasagna that Summer made (she is such a good cook!).

I went to the Centre and did my swim workout. I did 300 SW then 200 K, then 3 x 150, then 100k three times equaled 1500 yards. Did the whole thing in 42 minutes. Felt good in the pool got my groove in the pool even though there was some chick who was scorching me in the lane next to me.

After some work for my brother Dohn who is a real estate investor, I am where I am now about to retire for the night. Onward and upward.

Today I didnt train at all. Recovery is good. I went to Church. My wife and I (Summer) received a calling to teach the little four year olds in Primary class (Sunday school for the rugrats). Not much else going on except that we got a major nap this afternoon after church that felt great. The planets aligned and everyone in the house fell asleep and sleep soundly for a whole three hours absolutely wonderful.

I went over to my Dad's house to tape The Sopranos so I can watch it later (We dont want HBO). And now I am finishing my day and logging my activities. Not much else to say. Tomorrow I meet with a State Department investigator to conduct my interview for our potential job in Moscow, Russia. I am excited.

Well this is my first time doing the whole blog thing. But I think it is neat, a cool way for people to see what other people think and feel and at the same time kill some time on the net. Nothing wrong with that right?

Triathlon is my new goal. I have been fascinated with Triathlon ever since I saw the Kona race on NBC years ago. But after getting married and having a couple of kiddies and seeing the end of my sports career in football and baseball. (Not to mention the ever expanding waistline) I have decided that I need a goal...something to pursue. Without a goal I don't do so well in life.

So I have signed up for the Race for Sight Triathlon in Columbia on May 4th 2004. It is a short sprint distance with a pool swim. I bought a bike last August and have been training ever since. I have seen steady progress. Triathlon at first seemed like a completely daunting task. I bought the Triathlete's Training Bible and read all in one night. I didnt get it at all. But after about a year of just trying to get in shape to train, I have found that I finishing well in my first triathlon is not that far off.

So this is my first blog entry I'll talk at ya later.