Work Changes Exercise Routine

It's been a few days since I posted anything here, and something just came to mind that I thought I'd share:

I recently started back to work in an office, after four months of being at home every day. I had the flexibility to take our dog for walks, which also gave me good exercise. I'd taken up these Two-Mile Weigel Walks*, as I call them, to help my lower back get healthy and to lose some weight.

Now that I'm working in an office five days per week, I don't have that discretionary time anymore. So I got to thinking, how am I going to get the exercise I used to get? I've opted to do more walking to get around. My job takes me up and down a floor in our office building, and the elevator is a convenient option.

So I'm hoping that walking up and down the steps throughout my day will help me stay active. In addition, we have a membership to our YMCA, and I'm going to make time to go there every weekend.

Another thing I think I'm going to have to watch is the snacking. Every day it seems that someone has brought something into the office to share. In addition vending machines are readily available for snacking and for sodas.

Speaking of sodas, I'm going to keep on limiting my intake. When at home, I'd usually only drink coffee and water. I'm going to keep on doing this as I'm at the office.

* The walk from our home to Weigel Elementary School and back is two miles.

Related tags:

journey+inside+my+mind journeyinsidemymind jimm dan+johnson exercise office

Receiving Press Coverage

I've been in the newspaper a few times in my life, and fortunately all of them have been good occasions. Let me see if I can remember correctly (cue the harp music):

• Winning the elementary school spelling bee, which meant I got to go to the citywide spelling bee
• Going to Buckeye Boys State in high school
  
• Mentioned a few times in the University of Cincinnati's News Record (after the '93 elections, in someone else's column, and in an article I wrote about continuing education)
• Being on the front page of one of the sections of the USA Today. Having been interviewed and picture taken while walking in a dumpster, working on a project to restore an inner city building so that people could live in it again.
• Being on the front page of the Christmas Eve edition of the newspaper, when I volunteered for the Salvation Army
• That time when we lived in Middletown, Ohio, and were with some friends, and both their daughter Rachel and our daughter Keisha wore overalls. I was able to pick both of them up at the back part and swing them around. The photographer snapped our picture and it, too, wound up being on the front page.
• Now, recently, in comments made during an online poll to select the Best of Borgman 2006. Jim Borgman is the editorial cartoonist for the Cincinnati Enquirer. Check out number 18 on the list. I know it's minor but it's still in the newspaper! :P

Related tags: journey+inside+my+mind journeyinsidemymind jimm dan+johnson buckeye+boys+state buckeye+boys+state+alumni mt+healthy+high+school press newspaper salvation+army spelling+bee middletown news+record cincinnati+enquirer jim+borgman borgblog

Vote for our Community Tomorrow

Tomorrow, May 2, 2006, is primary day in Ohio. Our local school district has a very important levy on the ballot: Issue 5. Over the past several months, the district has reached out to the community through various activities. Some of the activities we've witnessed at Weigel Elementary School are as follows:

Donuts with Dad
Free Squeeze Play Dance Concert
Moment with Mom

Then, yesterday, we attended the Colerain High School Activities Festival at the high school. This was a time for middle and elementary kids to see the kinds of extra-curricular activities that are currently available at the high school.

Keisha spent most of the time in with the "Show Cards," the dance troupe, learning some moves. I spent time listening to the jazz band play "Birdland" and "Shake, Rattle, and Roll". Later on, we heard the marching band play in the hallways.*

Many of these activities, as I understand, will have to be eliminated if the levy fails tomorrow. Bussing will be severely limited, too.

We've gotten phone messages from Anthony Munoz, a former Cincinnati Bengal who has remained active in the Cincinnati area, and from Hall of Fame Cincinnati Reds baseball announcer Marty Brennaman, urging us to vote for the levy.



* For me it was like being back in high school, playing on Friday mornings in the fall before our football games, when we'd play as fellow students arrived. We'd jam so hard in the lobby of the school.

Life at the Zoo

Mood: Content
Listening to: "Taste of Cincinnati" Music Sampler
Eating: Microwave popcorn (Smart Balance brand) and Samuel Adams beer
Watching: Late Show with David Letterman

I took the day off work today so that I could go on a field trip with Keisha's class to the Cincinnati Zoo. Jennie, God love her, came along. She had worked last night and decided to join us on our zoological adventure. When I was in elementary school we took a couple of field trips, too. As I went about my day today, I found myself comparing this experience with those I had as a young student, nearly 30 years ago:

The Night Before

The night before the field trip, we would wrap a can of pop in aluminum foil and put it in the freezer overnight. Then we would pack the rest of our lunch, which consisted of a bologna sandwich on white bread with mustard, some potato chips, and maybe an apple or a banana. We'd put the frozen pop in the brown lunch bag, and, as the morning progressed, it would melt but still be cold to drink. Of course, the can would squish the sandwich, but I didn't mind.

Last night we went to Bigg's grocery store to get some lunch supplies for today. Instead of getting lunchmeat and such, we opted for the Oscar Mayer Lunchables™, which were on sale for 99 cents apiece.

The Bus Ride

I don't remember a lot about the bus rides to the zoo. I remember the bus pulling into the school entrance, and we would leave our lunches in a box that would remain on the bus until it was lunchtime. Then the teacher or another adult would bring the box to the picnic area, and we would eat.

Keisha's teacher set us up with four kids: Nathaniel, Austin, Kaylen, and Keisha. Keisha's interpreter, whose name is Miss Johnson, came along with us. We would spend the entire day together: two boys, two girls, and three adults named Johnson.

We got on the bus, and I sat with Nathaniel. As we rode the bus, he and I talked about what we looked forward to seeing at the zoo. We also talked about pets we had at home, what we liked to do in our free time, and so on.

Keisha and her friend Kaylen sat together. I think Jennie took a nap. Austin sat with Miss Johnson.

When the bus arrived at the zoo and parked, we all got out, and packed our lunches in mine, Keisha's, and Jennie's backpacks. No structure, no handouts to complete, just be back at the bus by 1:30 so that we could leave.

Making Our Way Around the Zoo

Walking around the park meant that we would be getting a lot of exercise, and I soon became aware that I needed new shoes. We went to the Cat House, the Reptile House, the Ape House (was that what it was called?), Vanishing Giants (elephants and giraffes), the Komodo Dragon, the Nocturnal House, and the Manatee area.

In between we made several trips to the restroom and stopped at the picnic area for lunch.

In the past we would go to the Insect World and also see the penguins, but we didn't have time for that today.

My favorite place today was the manatees. I was so intrigued by watching them swim around, going up ever few minutes to get air, munch on some lettuce, and otherwise have fun.

In all, it was a good time.

Our Kindergartner

We got information in the mail today about Keisha's orientation for Kindergarten at Valerie Elementary School:

It's a year-round program, and the new school year for her starts officially on July 21, 2003. She has to go in on the 17th (her birthday!) to take the Brigance test. Jennie is reading up on it as I type this, and from what she's read, it sounds a little bit redundant, given that Keisha has an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), because of her hearing loss.

More to come later, perhaps.

Snapshot Memories Written Down

A few days ago, I used one of my own topics and came up with some snapshot memories:

• 1978
• Keego Harbor, Michigan
• Sharon Keys

1978

Bad blizzard that year. Schools were closed for awhile. I remember that we'd get a bunch of homework when we went to class in case schools had to be closed again for awhile. I went to Greener Elementary. I believe I was in the second grade.

Keego Harbor, Michigan

In the spring and fall of 1990, as well as the spring of 1991, I co-oped for a company in the Greater Detroit area. I stayed with a coworker, paying him room and board. He had a house in Keego Harbor, which is situated next to Cass Lake. I remember the A&P Supermarket, just down the street. Some of the best moments were spending time at night on the pier, overlooking the lake and seeing the stars. There were a couple times, I believe that I went sailing. I had never sailed before, and the craft we used was not that big, if I remember correctly. I decided not to go back out sailing, once I found out that in some places the lake was over 90 feet deep. I have a terrible fear of large bodies of water to begin with, thanks I suppose to movies like "Jaws".

Sharon Keys

I had a huge crush on her in fifth grade. I remember that her best friend was Tracey Grau. She always made these really goofy looks at me, because I'd stare at her often. I was too shy to really do anything else.