Vacation is Over

Vacation went by really quick, but it was very relaxing. Christine was able to score us some Red Sox tickets at face value. It was Tuesday night of vacation and it ended up getting rained out. We went up there and did all of the pre-game eating and souvenir buying. By the time we got home it was 10:30 or so and we woke up the next morning and did it all again. Sox won the rain shortened game 10-1. Well worth it in my opinion. I had a blast. A lot of time in the car, but it was still fun.

Christine and I were going to go to Foxwoods as part of my birthday present on Thursday and Friday, but Christine's mom got sick and was unable to care for the kids. We knew well enough in advance that we were able to cancel without a hassle. As a result Christine told me to get a new rod and reel that I have been wanting. Well, Red Top was a great place as advertised. Awesome selection and they had a special going that got me a Tsunami Trophy series 8 ft. rod with an Okuma Epixor reel for about $130. Great deal and about $100 less than I was thinking that I might spend. I can't wait to get a nice sized fish on the end of that rod.

The kids' sporting events have been going well. Not so well in the win and loss column for Thomas' teams, but they are a nice group of kids that work really hard. Somehow Thomas' team got killed twice, but the scoreboards told a much different story. 1-0 loss to another Falmouth team and a 5-3 loss to Barnstable that felt like 12-3. Thomas is improving, but he is not quite a natural in terms of athletic ability. His main talent in sports still seams to be baseball to me. He has great arm and can make contact pretty consistent at the plate.

Gwen's lacrosse team squeaked out a 4-3 win yesterday to get them to a 3-0 record. Yesterday we should have clobbered the other team, but we let some chances go. In addition, we had a lot of newer players really blowing it on defense. A better team would have killed us. Gwen showed awesome aggressiveness yesterday. She was in on every ground ball and was really using her body well. It is hard to believe that the shy little Gwendo is now actually one of the better lacrosse players on the team. In fact, it might be a parents wishful thinking, but I would say she might be the best all around player on the team. There are faster kids, better shooters, but no one does all of that and defends like she does. Now, with her added aggressive play I think she is ready to hit a new level.

During the Red Sox last night I got out the fishing bag and checked my supply. I am doing pretty well. I need a little terminal tackle, but other than that I do not have any major expenses. i have $40 at Falmouth Bait and Tackle to use which I will probably drop on line if I do not have enough in the basement. I am planning on making some sqidbert's out of Hogy's for the squid run at Middle Ground and Wood's Hole at the end of the month. Need to get ready now as perhaps the warm weather may speed things up a little. Check out these cool lures you can make out of Hogy's.

http://www.hogylures.net/squidtip.htm

44 lbs. and counting (in more ways than one)

Over the past few weeks I have had a really hard time being regular about what I eat. It started at the Music Conference followed up immediately by a week long run of "Crazy For You" and then two days guest conducting for All Cape Jazz. Then it was the Easter feast. I continued to run during all of this, but not as consistent as I would have liked due to the lack of sleep from late nights. Because of all this I have been a little hesitant to weigh myself, but I figured that I might as well so I can get a handle where I am. Well, as of this morning I am now down 44 lbs. PSYCHED!!!! I set the Wii Fit for another 22 lbs. For some reason it will not allow you to put your goal at more than 22 lbs. If I am able to lose another 22 lbs. I would be at 230 lbs. which is right around the weight that I got married at. I have also set a goal for myself that is realistic. I am never going to let myself get heavier than 255 lbs. again. Right now I am 252 and feel pretty comfortable. Yes, perhaps a little overweight, but definitely healthier than the end of 2008.

Still counting the days until some solid fishing is going to happen. The beginning of May will have us putting the boat back into Fiddler's Cove. I plan on making many a trip to Middle Ground during the squid time towards the middle of May through Memorial Day. Then, hopefully the first week of June will bring a nice run of fish through the canal again, but hoping for similar conditions to last year would be asking a lot.

Catching Up

Weight loss - So far so good. I have not lost a lot recently, but with my schedule which has equated to eating out a lot I am not that unhappy with it. Over the past two weeks of the All State Conference and the run of "Crazy for You" at Bourne High School I managed to not gain any weight. I have tried to keep running, but it is hard to maintain a consistent schedule plus it has been rainy lately. May go back to Atkins for a few weeks, it always has a way of jump starting some good weight loss for me. In general, I have found my portions of food to be a lot smaller. Last night I ordered a quesadilla for my meal and I was unable to finish it. Really weird for that to happen to me.

Sports - Kids are fully going in lacrosse and soccer. A lot of practices have been cancelled due to rain and it looks like another will be tonight. Good.

Fishing - Can't wait. Looking forward to a great year. I may purchase a couple new reels for the kids' rods and I am thinking about getting myself a nice setup that will allow me to cast the soft plastics I like so much, but still be able to bring in a nice fish if i manage to hook into one. I am not in a hurry for this, but it is probably the next toy I will treat myself to. Perhaps if I do well at Foxwoods during April vacation I will use any winnings (or lack of losings) to get this new setup. I am hoping that the bluefish come back to Buzzards Bay this year, I missed seeing those breaking schools.