New Beginnings ... no, really!

How cliche'... "New Beginnings" - I can barely bring myself to keep this as the subject line, but it's actually quite appropriate. It's been about two months since I wrote a new Blog entry. A few things have happened that I want to tell you about. Here it goes!

I started a new job last month, leaving my job at JPL in Harrisburg, PA (http://www.jplcreative.com). I worked with some fantastically creative people and made good friends while I was there. It was a painful decision, but ultimately I needed to take a chance to go back to my passion, which is Manufacturing Automation; robots, conveyors, assembly machines, etc. Writing software that can control a factory full of machinery is as much about art as it is science and technology. There's nothing more satisfying to me than being able to watch my team's creation come to life on the factory floor and build something brand new!

Along with the new job came a new office; my HOME office! I get to work from home, which really means I have to be a super-responsible adult (hey - stop laughing! I can do it... REALLY!) keep myself focused and get my work done, which means I need a room to myself which I can call my office. It was decided I would take over the guest bedroom as my office.

For most people, converting a bedroom into an office was a simple task: move out a piece of furniture or two, then slide in a desk and off ya go!  Much to Holly's chagrin, my conversion was much more involved, and little did she know that my intent all along was to take over the entire room. I started by removing every shred of evidence that this was once a bedroom, followed closely by a trip to IKEA for a desk set that I found only after an entire month of heavy research into my options. I'm a "Bigger is Better" kinda guy when it comes to desks; you can never have too much desk space. The same goes for tech - you can never have too many computers or (God forbid) too much monitor. As some of you know, I love my 30" monitor - so much so that I am planning to get a second one, which will go nicely with the three 24" monitors that my new employer is providing. I'll post pics when I get all the hardware setup.

I started a new eating regimen last month as I turned the corner at 3 months post-surgery, so my new "rest of my life" eating plan has been taking shape ever since. No more baby food or restrictive liquid intakes - it's all I care to eat and whatever I can keep down. Well, it won't always be that way, but for now it's working just fine, the weight keeps falling off. The main reason is that I can't eat much at all! For example, if we're having chicken for dinner I'll be able to eat about 1/4 of a boneless breast - about 4-5oz, along with a spoonful or two of rice or some other light side dish. That's it. I'll be full for HOURS after that. I estimate that I'm taking in about 300-400 calories a day, max.

And finally, I started to exercise last month. A fantastic friend, Bill, has unwittingly become my personal trainer. We started off slowly, but over the past several weeks we have worked up to 45 minutes of walking. He runs before AND after meeting with me for the walk, so he's definitely not the one working out during our walks.  :-)

That's the summary of the last two months. Lots of new stuff to explore, and luckily lots of old friends keeping me on the straight and narrow with this weight loss thing.

Thanks to each of you for your help, support, and patience!!

Weight Loss Update:
  Surgery Date: 6/4/2012
  Days Since Surgery: 120
  Weight Lost: 118 lbs
  That's like carrying around a 7th grader, or perhaps three 3rd graders, all day.

-Steve