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Big Day at the House

1. City inspection for the sewer line;
2. Dirt goes back in The Pit including that 4-foot pile that sits where that mailbox was—I am gonna make that old mailbox into some sort of build;
3. A quote and possible extraction of that troublesome, now rootless tree;
4. Installation of a new motor for the pool;
5. The delivery of a clothes washer and dryer. (rescheduled)

The Right Quad

I have better mobility today than I did yesterday for I do not require the use of a crutch as a cane. It remains a limp/scuffle movement with absolutely NO STAMINA in the muscle. And if my knee is at 90 degrees the swelling makes it so tight that there is pain and has a bit of a stuck feeling for a nanosecond when straightening.

See, I am stuck between two worlds: there is that old RICE approach (rest, ice, compression, elevation) that I am guessing was lauded back when fat was bad. Then there are all the other unnecessary acronyms that basically boil down to a system that encourages blood flow while adding a slow build-up of activity. I mean, that approach TOTALLY makes sense because our blood is the logistics network of our bodies. Why would we EVER want to hamper that? No, I suppose I am not rationally stuck between those paradigms, but emotionally, sometimes we just roll with whatever makes us feel better in the short term and hence my near miss of sharing a beer with Little Debbie.

Fortunately, I am a carnivore with all the benefits therein: anti-inflammatory, sugar-free, gluten-free, etc. Even though I currently boot-scoot boogie on this carpet, I remain powerful.

I ain't ready for the junkyard yet
'Cause I still feel like a new corvette
It might take a little longer but I'll get there
Well, I don't need your rockin' chair

-George Jones

I am really liking this Essential New Wave playlist.

Discipline

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but one who hates correction is stupid.

Proverbs 12:1, HCSB

It is another day of stiff, stubborn and swollen pain for my right knee/quads. It is disheartening. I have not checked the scale, even to see if it still works after a computer display came crashing down on it during the move, but I do know that I am likely not dropping weight with this much inflammation going on. Then again, I recognize that increased insulin is the primary driver to weight gain.

I woke up at 11:44 PM and bested my alarm by waking up again at 2:45 AM to start my day reading John MacArthur's commentary of the Gospel of John while in an Epsom salt soak—a Dr. Teal's Black Elderberry.

When I get injured like this, I have found that it is a good reminder for some self-reflection in terms of the big picture, that is, regarding the Eternity that is before me. Now, I have noticed that my loving Father corrects me specifically in this manner. There are other tools in his tool chest, but He tends to get my immediate attention when He lovingly shuts me down. Is this an opportune time for correction to me? Hardly—I have got things to do! We just moved into a new place—organization and projects! But, my Father is the master of time. So, I trust that even this is good. I find this passage of scripture to be the template for life:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
think about Him in all your ways,
and He will guide you on the right paths.
Don't consider yourself to be wise;
fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
This will be healing for your body
and strengthening for your bones.
Honor the LORD with your possessions
and with the first produce of your entire harvest;
then your barns will be completely filled,
and your vats will overflow with new wine.
Do not despise the LORD's instruction, my son,
and do not loathe His discipline;
for the LORD disciplines the one He loves,
just as a father, the son he delights in.

Proverbs 3:5-12, HCSB

Temptation

My sweet wife brought home a six-pack of Guinness, my favorite beer. She also got cherry cheesecake ice cream; ingredients for nachos; and some Little Debbie's Nutty Buddies and Strawberry Shortcake Rolls; it is a tossup as to which one is my favorite. Now, if those delights were offered before me this morning, I would have given in. Anything to numb the pain, right? It is why I screwed up and broke my carnivore streak on August 22, a tailspin that I could not recover from until November 22. I regretted breaking that 637-day streak more than all of the weight gain.

Trinity : Because you have been down there, Neo, you know that road, you know exactly where it ends. And I know that's not where you want to be.

No, I could not snap this 118-day-and-counting streak. No, inside of me, there is a fire.

I'm gonna keep my 87% fat / 13% protein day. I was fortunate I watched Dr. Berry's Q/A earlier:

YouTube Link

Yesterday at my Neighborhood Walmart Market, I knew my family was jonesing for coffee, so I headed down that dark alley. And when my eyes fell upon their selection of Black Rifle, including their Tactisquatch Roast, my favorite graphic that also matches my mug, I felt a tinge of desire, too! But no, "I've worked too hard to call that (roast) my own. And I've made myself a world, and it's worked so perfectly."

I woke up this morning at 3 AM and once again, lost the ability to walk unassisted. Bummer. So much to do and I have got the mobility of an 80-year-old with a cane—well that, or the expectation of a guy hiding a hacky sack beneath his skin above his knee.

That said, I understand why. It was already semi-injured and the day before we moved, I arranged everything in order of optimal loading into the truck. The next day, we loaded the truck, unloaded to the garage and then loaded into the house. So, I carried everything we owned four times in two days. Well, OK, not EVERYTHING, but if I could have fit that Camry in the truck, I'd have given it a shot!

In consideration of my knee and these way bigger, bathroom mirrors, I am at a good place for a fitness start. I even took a before picture of that first day of moving in as a reminder of how I once looked. I will revisit it a year from now to see the change. I feel in many ways it reflects the changes that will occur at this house. It has got a leg up on me, as its sewer line is getting replaced, a line that goes down, down, down into the earth and seems to head directly for that big ol' tree.

Fortunately, I pre-knocked down that old mailbox for the fellas. While I was textbook at my old place, I gave a love tap to the mailbox at first. As I readjusted, I must of had brake dysphoria 'cause I revved that engine and SLAMMED that mailbox! Yeah, as those neighborhood girls said with their mouths agape, "I think he hit the mailbox." And our inspector was right—there IS rot below the grassline. Its removal saved my sweat equity.

That now makes TWO mailboxes I have knocked over with a truck now. At least this time, I was inside the truck.