Tour Guide

A line of sycamores in the gardens of the Chateau de Versailles, France. Winter 1991-92.

Recently, Patrick, a Flickr member whose pictures I've been viewing regularly, mentioned that he was going to Versailles. So since then, I've been offering what I know about the city and places that I recommend seeing.

It reminds me how much I really enjoy doing this. There is just something inside me that wants to share all the great things that I have encountered. Be it in Chicago, Montreal, Versailles, Paris, or anywhere else I've been. It could be just giving tips before people head there. But of course I'd love to actually be there with them to see what they like compared to myself and also to see how much they enjoy the same things that I do.

Sometimes I'm almost too eager. Taking people on whirlwind tours of the city to see as much as possible. When people came to visit when I lived near Paris, on the first day we would start at the Latin Quarter, see Notre Dame, the Louvre from the outside, walk the length of the Tuileries and the Champs Elysee, see the Arc du Triumph from the outside, then head to the Eiffel Tower likely climbing to the top just before sunset to see the city in the daylight and at night.

But I always enjoy having visitors and taking them on tours of the places we've lived. You could say it is how I met my wife. After returning from my first stay in France, I introduced myself to the French students on the opposite exchange and offered to show them around. In the first month we visited Chicago, Springfield IL, Oak Park, and Pittsburgh on a grand tour of everything Frank Lloyd Wright. We were going out by the end of the tour. Even the following year, I organized trips through a student organization to many of the same places.

Of course the best is to share it with family and good friends. Again, my first stay in France was a bit bitter sweet. On one hand I was experiencing so many interesting things. On the other I could not share it with family and friends firsthand. Eventually that did happen, but it was really just a sampling of the total experience. It's one of the things I'd love to do if we ever won the lottery. Set aside money for each friend and family member, then take a trip with them. Whether it's a cross-country road trip or a trip to another continent. The key would be to share a place they would enjoy seeing.

The Weight Game - Week 3 & The Diet

So after two more weeks, I'm down another 4 lbs for a total of 9 lbs. That actually brings me back to where I was last fall. Sad, but true. It should be a tougher go after this. I likely won't be posting as often about this in order not to bore you to death. It'll likely be on a monthly basis.

So how exactly did I lose that much that fast. This go-around I decided to try the "Wets do Munch" diet. OK, that's not really the name, but you can get the book and the real name via the link. It's the first book I ever bought online. That after popping in many bookstores downtown only to find they didn't have it and it would take a week for them to get it.

I really like the diet because I like the logic behind it. Keep you're metabolism high in the morning, don't eat foods that take long to digest late in the day, and eat healthy foods. This means eating as much fruit in the morning as you can (or want). The natural sugars sustain a high metabolism and keep you satiated until lunch. Lunch is the big meal and the only meal you eat meat. You eat a large portion of meat along with vegetable or grains of you choice. Grains are considered to be corn and beans, not wheat and traditional grains. Dinner is again fruit along with vegetable or grains after you have had your fill of fruit. The objective is to keep you satiated until bedtime and not going to sleep still digesting your supper.

Prohibited items include sugars, starches, and fats. Sugar is an obvious one. Starches like refined potatoes, flour, and even whole grain still send your pancreas working overtime. And fats are avoided because they are fattening. But I'm still not sure I completely agree with that one. I may work certain fats (like mayo) back into the diet when it becomes a sustain diet instead of a loss diet.

That's really the gist of the diet. It's a bit quirky, but I'm finding that it works. I really have to say it has been one of the easiest for me to follow and has a chance of continuing past the weight loss. I used to rarely eat fruit, but now I eat more in one day than I used to eat in a couple weeks. And I actually like it. I feel that I'm eating so much healthier than before. No snacks are allowed between the three main meals, but I have found that I usually don't get hunger pangs between meals like on other diets.

The book, as with other diet books that I have read, seems to take it's time getting to the point of what is the diet. This diet, unlike the others, is not by someone in the medical profession. This is some guy who by trial and error determined this diet and has now written a book about it. So it's very much "I tried this and it works" and "I tried this and it doesn't work". It comes across as one persons opinions instead of medical consensus or a doctor with several patients. But again, I like the logic behind it and it has been working very well so far. Heck, I've even strayed once or twice a week without losing a step on my weight loss plan. Though I did stuff myself late Saturday night and regressed a little. We had some very good Indian food (from my limited experience) at Restaurant Gandhi in Old Montreal.

I've very interested and hopeful that this success continues. Especially since today I made a wager. More on that soon.

Blustery

Taken on probably the windiest day of the year last September. This is Parc René Lévesque in the Lachine neighborhood of Montréal.

No Drugs

So the answer to the last post was #4. 'I have done illegal drugs' is a false statement. I kinda figured it would be easy because since almost everyone has tried them at one time, why would you include it in a list like that. Either way, it looks like I got some splainin to do. The other four items will be elaborated on in the coming weeks.

In truth, I have only been offered marijuana only twice in my life. The first time I shrugged it off because I was the driver that night and I had no idea what my reaction to it might be. At that point I hadn't even tried alcohol. Plus I feared a situation where I could not get the car back home and have to explain it to my parents.
The second time was in college and some of my co-workers at the photo store said they had some and would have it after hours upstair. I backed out of that one because: I already had something going on that evening; I wasn't too keen on their company to start with, much less trying something new with them; and lastly because I figured another offer would come up at some point.

Now before y'all start thinking I'm a goodie-two-shoes, it's not that. I see it like this. When I was a kid, I had a best friend named John. We hung out together until we went to high school. I placed into third level classes while he was at second level. So we didn't have any classes together, plus I joined the cross-country and track teams so my afternoons were taken up. We rather quickly grew apart only seeing each other when we passed in the hallways. We each had a new group of friends. I ended up in the brainy running crowd, he became part of the heavy metal crowd. By junior year he was heavily into drugs and dropped out of school. So what I am saying is that part of the fact of why I have never done drugs is because of the crowd of people that I was around. My friends didn't do them, so it greatly diminished the possibility that I would.

So that's it. That's the story. Nothing more.

Five things you don't know about me.

I have been officially tagged by the honorable Jonas Parker with a meme. So here are my five things and you have to guess which one is not true.

1. I flashed the audience during a school play.

2. I ran 1000 miles over a summer.

3. I have only found three people with shorter fingers that I have.

4. I have done illegal drugs.

5. I used to frequent a gay bar.

So which one is false? Regardless, all will be revealed in a future post. Let me know if there is one in particular you would like me to elaborate on.

Pick-up Sticks

In the historic district of Wake Forest, North Carolina. December 2006.

Chicago Bears - NFC Champions

The Chicago Bears are going to the Super Bowl! I was 14 yrs old the last time they did that. And it looks like they may be facing the same team.

Although I am a die-hard Cubs and Bears fan, I have learned over the years to hold back really getting my expectations up when the teams start doing well. It has happened all too often that you get your heart set on them going to the final game and they come up short like the Cubs in '84, '89, and especially '03 or the Bears in '84, '86, '87, '88, '90, '91, '95, '01, and '05. So it came as much as a relief as a joy to see the victory and advancement to the Super Bowl become a reality as the fourth quarter wore on and the team pulled ahead.

Time to enjoy this accomplishment then look forward to the big game in two weeks.

Learning to get personal

This blog has been featured on the pages of the Montreal Gazette again. Page B2 of Saturday's paper. Pick it up if you have a chance. The online version is only available to subscribers. Thanks to Steve Faguy for the article. If you don't have a chance to check it out, here are a couple bits, but I urge you to read the Gazette anyhow.

"While many blogs begin with personal posts and move to more public topics as they grow an audience, [Frank] has done the opposite. "I've become more comfortable talking about myself without feeling like a narcissist.""

And my weight resolution has gotten even more public:

"His latest project is to fulfull his New Year's resolution to get in shape. He hopes blogging about it will keep him motivated to lose 25lbs by August."

I guess there's no backing out now. Especially since I'm in the process of making a wager with a fellow blogger.

Those Canadian Blog Awards really got this blog much publicity. Thank you again to those who nominated the blog. This is the second print article I've been interviewed for (I haven't heard if the first was published) and I've been contacted by both the CBC radio morning and lunch programs. But I think I failed the mock interview for the latter. It's nice to get the recognition, but the goal has always been to share thoughts with possible conversations that they generate.

Bear Down

There's a big game on Sunday at 3pm for those of you not following American football. The Chicago Bears will play the New Orleans Saint for a chance to play in the Superbowl. And they'll be playing in my favorite stadium.

The song this opera singer is singing is the Chicago Bears fight song. It used to only be known by die-hard fans. Back about ten years ago, my father would pass out the words to the song at the game. So we had a mini-choir singing along in our corner of the stadium. I'm sure they post the words on those two wonderful cantilevered scoreboards.

Go Bears!

Nyhavn

The Nyhavn (New Harbor) in Copenhagen, October 1991.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about photoblogs vs Flickr and why I prefer using Flickr. Although it would be fun to have a photoblog (if I had the time) since it is much more formal, I'm really enjoying Flickr.

I know some of the arguments against it such as the format and the fact that browsing images are done by thumbnails which really don't do the images justice. But it is really the exposure, the network, and the lack of pressure on Flickr that I enjoy.

First, it's the fact that anyone, anywhere on Flickr may stumble upon my shots. Users can come in from various avenues such as groups, tags, favorites, or contacts. I have seen photos from a gazillion different users. Whereas on photoblogs exposure can come through word of mouth or photoblog listings. You are likely to find higher quality shots and more talented people as a group, but you have to search.

Second, I really like the network capabilities. I have a photo like the one above in Copenhagen. I can add a Copenhagen tag and add it to groups about Denmark and Scandanavia. That gives avenues for people to see your shots. And with their whole interestingness thing, you can browse the best shots under a specific tag. If I have a great shot of Nyhavn, more and more people will be able to see it.

And lastly, it's the lack of pressure. There are a lot of mediocre shots on Flickr and at time on photoblogs. So what's the big deal if I post a dud. It'll slip into oblivion while the other rise to the top. During the process of posting photos I have also discovered a bit more about my abilities. Similar to architecture, I'm not an avant-garde artist/designer. I tend to be better than the average bear, but not the cream of the crop. I feel photoblogs should be that cream of the crop. My stuff tends to be too concrete or technical or mainstream to be cutting edge artistic. Funny how that kinda reflects who I am.

Also I find it interesting how my photos reach farther afield than my blog. Although the blog is partly about general ideas, there is also a good amount of local content. The combination seems to cater more toward local blogs. Whereas the photos appeal to people from all over. There are three likely reasons why I've been in contact with people all over via Flickr. First, I've been actively participating in groups about Chicago like Guess Where in Chicago. So my Chicago contacts have been on a steady increase. Secondly, it may also partly be due to the fact that most of the photos I post are primarily from locations outside of Montreal such as Chicago or Europe. And thirdly, even if the pictures are local, they don't require background to be understood or enjoyed like say local politics. It's not a huge revelation, but I still thought the difference was interesting.

The Weight Game - The Intro and Week 1

As I mentioned last week, one of my main resolutions is to finally get my weight back down and keep it off. At first I thought I would avoid talking much about it here because I was worried about not living up to my resolution. Like last year I mentioned it here and I lost only seven pounds. Three of which were back by the summer and then another seven were added before the New Year.

But this year is different. Unlike last year where I just planned to eat a little better and try exercising, I have a set diet that I am following. But before getting into that, I thought I'd cover where I've been and where I am.

In my high school years, I remember being around 170 for my 5'-10" frame. I was big into running back then, though even that couldn't stop a slow and steady increase in weight. My freshman year in college started a continuing cycle of waxing and waning. I ran my first marathon that October, then promptly stopped running to refocus on my studies. I put on ten pounds that fall and winter. Hence began the cycle of adding weight during the late-fall/early winter then losing some of it (not all) over the spring and summer. A steady increase over the years.

One notable weight loss was during my first stay in France in 1991. They had no prepared food like mac and cheese or hamburger helper. So I cooked almost everything from scratch. I really enjoyed it. Two notable gains include when I gained financial freedom and when our first child was born. When I first started working and getting a substantial paycheck, it was like letting a caged animal run free. I was sucking down Starbutts latest super sugary concoction twice or three times a day and regularly having my fattening fast food favorites like burritos, pizza, and McDonalds. While our first child was cooking in the oven, I sympathetically gained weight alongside my wife. Though she lost the weight naturally over the next year, I never recovered.

Since we bought our computer in 1999, I have been keeping track our my weight-reduction attempts via spreadsheets and graphs. I feel it is the only way to comprehend your progress. The interesting thing is that I now have that all on record and can compare current progress against past years. I can also see what worked and what didn't (like last year).

So what worked. The Atkins Diet. In 2000, I lost 20 lbs on it, going from 204lbs to 184 lbs in 6 months. In 2004, I tried it again and lost 19lbs, going from 213lbs to 194lbs in 5 months. The problem with the diet was that there was so much preparation and eating out basically set you back a week. Although I wasn't hot on the idea of protein only, it was the diet that showed me how evil sugar and refined flour can be. I also tried the Zone diet in late 2000, but I found the requirement to strictly regulate portions difficult to manage. Though, this diet helped me understand the nutritional value of many foods. In 2001, I trained for my third marathon, but lost all of three pounds. I can only hope the lack of weight loss was due to increased muscle mass.

I have been interested in losing weight this year because my father is getting remarried and I would like to look good for it. Plus my father introduced me to the "Lets Do Lunch" diet and I've been giving it a whirl. I started at 213lbs and I am now at 208lbs. I will go into my thoughts about the diet in the next installment. But needless to say, I'm quite happy to be down 5lbs after a week. I know from experience that it is part water and the first pounds are the easiest to lose, but heck if it isn't a good motivator.

My hopes are that being this public about the whole thing will keep me dedicated to it. Plus the diet is currently a big part of my life so it makes sense to post about it. The diet is easier than the previous two mentioned, but it does still take work. My goal is 183lbs for early August. Lets see if I can do it (and keep it off).

Hello Winter

You're fashionably late this year. Though I'm not complaining.

Last year you came to the party a month earlier.

Lets hope for a relatively easy commute home.