I Hear...

I Hear...

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'

Into the future

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'

Into the future

I want to fly like an eagle into

the sea I want to

Fly like an eagle

Let my spirits carry me

I want to fly like an eagle

Till I'm free

Oh, Lord, its a revolution

"Fly Like An Eagle"

-Steve Miller Band

Well my two week vacation ends today. Tomorrow it's back to work with my students.

I can say it has been a VERY peaceful 14 days. One of the most relaxing winter breaks that I've ever had. It was very needed for my mental health. I feel ready to head back to work tomorrow (mostly).

The one "regret" I have is that I left school work undone until today. I had plenty of time to get the work done during my vacation, but I was L-A-Z-Y. It's been a mad dash today to get caught up and get my grades entered into my grade book.  

But I wanted to make sure I got my daily post done. 

Mission accomplished. :-)

Love you awesome nerds.

Robert

Me Today

Me Today

Darkness on the edge
Shadows where I stand
I search for the time
On a watch with no hands
I want to see you clearly
Come closer than this
But all I remember
Are the dreams in the mist
These dreams go on when I close my eyes
Every second of the night I live another life
These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside
Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away

"These Dreams"

Heart

Yeah, not my best look, but it was necessary. The wires you see are part of a sleep study that I did last night at the hospital.

I've been having trouble sleeping for a long time now, but I didn't think that I had sleep apnea because Matt never indicated that my breathing stopped while I slept.  A few weeks ago I had taken some medicine to help me sleep, and while it should have knocked me flat, I kept waking up throughout the night.  My doctor told me that the drug had relaxed me so much that it exaggerated my possible apnea.  So we scheduled a sleep study.  

I showed up around 9:30 on Friday night for my appointment.  The technician showed me to my room and gave me a few moments to get settled and change into my sleeping clothes.  Then it was off to get me prepped - this involved taping/gluing various sensors to my face, neck and scalp.  I got an idea of what it would be like to be a member of the Borg Collective.

My primary physician prescribed me an Ambien to help get me to sleep.  I took it and was settled in for a "good night's sleep".  The technician would monitor me during the night and would intervene with a c-pap machine if it was necessary.  It seemed like forever, but the Ambien FINALLY kicked in and I fell asleep.  

Around 6 this morning, Gabe the technician, awoke me.  Evidently I had slept through the night and didn't need him to put the c-pap machine on me.  Gabe told me that I did snore (no surprise there), but that he doubted the doctor would recommend the machine for me.  His primary recommendation - lose weight.  I'll meet with a specialist in a few weeks to go over my treatment options. 

On that note, I left the hospital and headed straight to the gym (that was the plan from the beginning). I rode the stationary bike for about 45 minutes and then get a nice hot steam and shower.  Small steps Sparks, small steps.

Love you awesome nerds!

Robert

Something Yellow

Something Yellow

Look at the stars,

Look how they shine for you,

And everything you do,

Yeah, they were all yellow.

I came along,

I wrote a song for you,

And all the things you do,

And it was called "Yellow".

So then I took my turn,

Oh what a thing to have done,

And it was all yellow.

"Yellow"

by Coldplay

Today I took a shot of my sweaty shirt from the gym.  It was my first day back in quite a while, but it's the start of a new year and I NEEDED to do it.  

I did 10 miles on the stationary bike and I know I'll feel it tomorrow.  I took a steam afterwards and then showered and shaved.  I really like the way I feel after a good workout/steam/shower.  I feel very relaxed and accomplished.

Plus as always, there's the eye candy at the gym.  Sigh.

I chose to do the stationary bike today because in July, I'm gonna do it - RAGBRAI.  But more on that later.  Time to grade some papers. :-)

Love you awesome nerds.

Robert

The Sky

The Sky

Birds flying high
You know how I feel
Sun in the sky
You know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by
You know how I feel
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good

Volleyball and Bowling and Vacation... Oh My!

This is how I imagine myself playing. In reality, I can
barely reach the top of the net when I jump with my hand
raised.  

It's been a busy month of activity.  Now that school has finished up for the semester and I have a two-week break, this provides me the opportunity to catch up on a little blogging.

I've written in the past about playing volleyball. It's the one sport that I feel I'm good at playing. For the past 3 years I've played with a co-ed recreational team, and this fall it all came together.

We dominated our league, losing only 1 set all season long. The playoffs, a double-elimination format, saw us rolling to the championship. We had a blast, and for once, it was nice being the "bad guy". Our team was clearly the class of the league. But with a championship, come promotion. Next season we will compete in the next higher league. I don't think we'll be as dominant, but at least for one season, we were the best.

Add caption

This fall I took a leap and joined a bowling league in Des Moines. It's an LGBT league and I saw it as a way to meet other gay men in central Iowa, plus, I enjoy bowling.

Being that I really didn't know anyone in the league, I was a bit nervous. Fortunately I was placed on a great team, the "Bowl Jobs". We all clicked instantly and had a great season, finishing tied for 4th (thank goodness for handicap scoring).

The league will be moving to a different night in January which will make it difficult for me to participate on a regular basis. I did tell the guys that I would be happy to fill in when I could.

Joining the league helped take me out of my comfort zone. I interacted with guys that I normally wouldn't and made some good friends in the process.

Friday began our Winter Break. Two weeks off until the beginning of Spring Semester. I have a huge stack of papers and exams to grade, but that's my project for Monday.

I'm just thankful for the time to recharge my batteries and allow my brain to settle down. This school year has been chaotic to say the least, but I wouldn't trade this 7th grade class - they are an awesome group of kids.

Enough blogging for today.  Time to grab a shower and make the most of my Sunday.

Love you Awesome Nerds!
Robert

Me and My Fitbit....

My Fitbit wristband.
Feel free to ignore the furry arm.

...strollin down the avenue.

I turned 43 a few weeks ago and for my birthday I asked the hubby for a Fitbit.

Fitbit is a line of wearable fitness trackers.  Mine counts how many steps I take per day along with how much activity I partake in.  It also acts as a silent alarm.  I can program it using the Fitbit app on my phone.

I like to joke that it's my court-mandated tracking device as I wear it 24/7.  I can ever wear it in the shower.

The goal is to walk 10,000 steps each day.

When it was warmer, I was doing really well at making the 10,000 step goal.  Since the weather has turned colder, I haven't been as successful.

The Fitbit helps serve as a reminder for me of what I can do and who I can be.  I just have to allow myself to let the fit guy trapped inside of me out. :-)

Tomorrow marks my return to the gym.  It's been a while and honestly, I'm nervous about heading back.  But the anti-anxiety meds have really taken hold and I'm feeling the urge to go get sweaty.

Wish me luck.

Love you Awesome Nerds.
Robert

Oh yes it's Bowling Night and the Fingers....

This fall I joined an LGBT bowling league.  I've enjoyed it and have made some really good friends in the process.  We bowl on Tuesday nights, and that brings up an interesting problem.

Follow me on this....

Yesterday I had my annual physical.  During the poking and prodding, my doctor looked at my hands and asked me about a bump on my right ring finger.  I had the bump for seven years and thought it was just a callous that acted up every once in a while.

"I'm pretty sure it's a wart," he told me.  He offered to freeze it off using liquid nitrogen.

I've not had a wart treated before, so I had no idea what would be the result.  He explained that it would blister a little, scab over, and then flake off.  I told him to go ahead and treat it.  No muss, no fuss - it stung for about 30 seconds.

Then this morning, I woke up with a blister the size of a pea - on one of my bowling fingers.  

Uh oh.

Our school nurse wrapped the finger up and it's actually feeling pretty good.  But we'll see how it reacts to the wear and tear of 3 games of bowling.  

I'm hopeful.  

Love you Awesome Nerds!