Health and Fitness Update

I've been taking pretty good care of myself lately.

I've been eating fruits and vegetables, avoiding pizza (within reason), and getting a decent amount of sleep. I hang around with inspiring people who talk me into doing swim meets, stair climbing, and bike rides in Oz-level winds. I've been taking all the vitamins my doctor recommends, and I don't ever watch Meryl Streep movies. The result is that I'm feeling great!

(OK, my hamstrings are a little tight, and I find myself wishing that my employer provided free massages during the workday...but overall, I'm in pretty good shape for a guy who is over 30.)

The only bad news is that the steroids didn't work.

I finished off the entire prescription, and found myself remaining in Bill Bixby mode. This was not a surprise (at least after I had done research on the medicine), but I was still hopeful that the funny noises in my head would vanish. I was optimistic on Sunday afternoon when I realized that I hadn't heard any of the mysterious sloshing noises for most of the day. But alas, when I woke up Monday morning, the sounds had returned. Certain movements of my head result make me hear the ocean, even though it's a million miles away. (Or is it a thousand? I'm not that good with geography. Sorry.)

I didn't want to pay for another trip to the doctor. But I didn't have to; he had told me he'd send me to a specialist if the drugs didn't work. (Side note: I really don't understand why the politicians haven't yet delivered on their promises to make health care totally free. All they have to do is pass a law that forces doctors to work for no pay...which I think is part of their Hippopotomic Oath, anyway. There is no downside to this that I can see. Heck, while they're at it, Congress should make 20% annual raises mandatory, too. But I digress.)

So I made the phone call, and will soon have an appointment with an otolaryngologist. I am hopeful that they'll be able to figure out what's going on. My guess is that they'll stick some sort of miniature camera inside my head and then tell me that my skull is simply too small for my giant brain. Every time I learn something new, the cerebral expansion exerts more pressure on the backside of my eardrums, which causes the phantom noises. The solution is to either replace my skullbones with some sort of expandable rubber compound, or to snip out brain tissue until my IQ has been reduced to Oklahoman levels.

I'll let you know how that goes. For today, though, my primary health concerns are to 1) recover from last night's sprint workout, and 2) resist eating too many cookies.

The first challenge shouldn't be too bad. My brother and I did run at the track last night, and we worked hard. But we didn't go all that far. Other than the aforementioned hamstring tightness, I seem to have emerged from the workout without creating any new problems.

The second challenge, though, might be a bit tougher. Tonight after work, I'm meeting with some of my former co-workers for Happy Hour. My friend Russ will be there with cookies -- He has a daughter in the Girl Scouts; and in a moment of weakness I agreed to purchase a couple boxes of Trefoils. It's not like I have a craving for these things...but they do just kindof melt in your mouth. And once I get started eating them, it's not always easy to stop. I must exert self-discipline, but that is not one of my strengths...especially when my brain is under such pressure.

Oh well. I know that every Scout-supporting calorie I absorb will just provide extra incentive for my friends to invent torturous new workouts for me. You guys are great, and as always, I thank you for your support and encouragement. Have a great day!