As the title displays on my last blog, I have yet to entitle the operation that I am upon for the push and implementation of positive change within multiple theaters of my life. The attitude that I would affix to the description of these is of a hell-bent linebacker. During this initial phase, I am concentrating primarily on finances (debt), physical (performance/rehab), and independence (own place to live).

Though this is only Day 4 of a long process, a process which will implement other objectives in due time, some good gains were made yesterday:

Finance

The $1600 I sent towards my credit card debt was posted last night by the company which leaves me sub $1000. This alone is a huge victory in considering it has not been this low since my Kraft days in the spring of 2001. Irked by the business practices of this credit card company, I am transferring the remaining amount to my Discover card with at a 9.9% rate that is good until October.

I do have some medical expenses looming on the horizon for mid-May but at this time I am unsure as to what kind of blow I will take. Two days ago I stopped by the bank that financed my truck purchase and paid $533 in order to pay off the rest of the loan. This will free up $274 a month for me.

Physical

Though I am only in the fourth day, great strides have been made on the front of the physical aspects of my existence. Day after day, I literally drench myself in my own sweat. I am feeling alert, confident, energized, and have a loss of appetite. Last night I worked on nautilus equipment to the point of collapse/exhaustion.

Despite my recovering, torn UCL in my thumb and my right patella tracking issue, I have been able to orchestrate a mighty surge of progress. Once my atrophied right quadriceps are built up, I should be able to run fluidly and this is the moment I dream upon: to run and even push deep within and turn on the jets.

Though I consider it only as a minor factor to gauge my success, I have dropped 9 lbs thus far. Dropping weight is critical to improving performance, but I am not gauging my success only in terms of weight.

Independence

Yesterday proved to be a good day for me from the scope of finally ending the months-long, daily search for a place to live. A "target of opportunity" arose and I had to hit it. I would have preferred to hold off until June or July merely for financial reasons, but if everything works out, I will be moving in May 23 to Georgian Woods to a 1 bedroom/1 study apartment of over 900 square feet.

So why the urgency? The apartment I chose is about 4 feet away (doors facing one another) to Jeremy's place. Having him as a neighbor will hold many of the good virtues that a roommate provides while at the same time withholding the negative attributes. As an added bonus, our computer networks will be talking to one another through a wireless network so we can share files, engage in gaming, or whatever pursuits we choose.

I am looking forward to the closer drive to work (5-10 minutes) instead of the 35-55 minute drives in rush hour traffic in an at least four year old construction zone that is beginning to finally push me over the edge. In addition, Downtown is about 10 minutes away. It will be great to finally have my place which will be decorated in the style of Bill. It will be unconventional in comparison to that which I have seen in other abodes.

I was able to get a great deal: today I will pay $125 to hold the apartment for 3 weeks which is half off the normal price and also acts as the application fee and the security deposit for I can have that $125 returned to me at the end of the lease. I get to have my first month's lease for free, which is spread over the 12 month period thus making rent $596/month. The water is free and according to Jeremy concerning the utilities, "I've got a billion computers running 24/7 and it averages around $67ish."

The downside of living there is the lack of washer/dryer facilities within the apartment itself, but at the same time it gives the opportunity to stop by and see the parental folks from time to time.

Though there is much work to do in the areas of finance, physical, and independence, much has been accomplished in a mere four days.

"Keep on rockin' in the free world!"

Back to back days for blog entries: what does this all mean? I have noticed that I will engage in whatever activity that is of my interest in spurts, whether journaling my thoughts or journaling my workouts. Though it is inherent in my nature to jump from one area of interest to another, quickly assessing what values from it I can apply to my own life, there are some pursuits in which should not be sporadically engaged.

I have not trained my body vigorously since the summer of 2001– nearly two years! I taped up my knee and headed towards the gym on campus after work. I rode a stationary bike for 1 hour, with the first half keeping my heart rate at 170 and the second half pushing the pace to keep it around 185 – 190. Afterward, I joined some of our CSS student workers for a little ball action, at one point 3 on 3. It proved to be an arduous task without the strength of my right leg for running, quick movements, or jumping and my thumb brace altered my shot. My stamina itself was low.

It is a journey I am upon to reach the peaks of my past performance and beyond. Unlike days bygone, I am not setting my goals by a particular date for one will only find failure in the end. I am approaching this as a lifestyle of continuous improvement even to the point when constant tweaking with be necessary. For now, there is so much work that needs to be done that the sky is the limit. Currently, I will be concentrating on my lower body and stamina.

April shall soon be but a memory while May approaches me with her promises of simple days with warmth ahead. I expect that May will provide a unique transitional period for me as a springboard into the upcoming summer months along with early fall. In May alone, I will be:

1. Amidst an arduous workout program to launch me past previous fitness levels which will actually be initially implemented tonight after work
2. Paying my last truck note thereby freeing up $274 a month
3. Planning an implementing for a possible move to an apartment on June 1st
4. Further extreme reduction of debt to the point of sub $500 levels

In the summer, I will be:

1. Living on my own
2. Taking summer courses
3. Debt Free

I need to do additional work on my entrance essay to graduate school at U of M, though my heart really is not in pursuing an MBA, or even the corporate world for that matter. I only wish I knew what I should be doing and I hope I am not past the point of recovery. Did I make a mistake by deciding against pursuing Naval Aviation? Granted, yes, currently I am not physically fit for such a demanding role, but I was when I decided against it. Anyway, I can fix that in the upcoming months if it was that simple.

As of today, I have selected a couple of undergraduate courses but since I cannot register until May 12, there are no guarantees that I will be enrolled:

First Session: ENGL 3604 "Persuasive Writing" Second Session: PSYC 3510 "Deviance/Role History"

I chose the English class for a couple of reasons. For one, I have always had a knack for writing and was even told by one of my college instructors that I should at least pursue English as a minor. On my graduate entrance exam, the GMAT, my highest scoring section was the essay component. Lastly, I did a search for all classes available in the first session from 5:30-7:30 and it was the most appealing class. The class does not fit into my plan to obtain an additional degree in Psychology, to add to my Management Information Systems one, but I have toyed with the idea of picking up a bachelor's in English. I have one more slot to add a class for the second session, but I am rather limited due to my requirement that the class must be after work.

Sometime this week I am expecting three football jerseys in the mail:

• Ray Lews #52 of the Ravens
• Zach Thomas #54 of the Dolphins
• Jevon Kearse #90 of the Titans

Two linebackers and a defensive end. It will be added to my collection of:

• Levon Kirkland #99 Steelers
• John Randle #93 Vikings
• Robert Smith #26 Vikings

LB, DE, and actually an offensive player there at HB! I guess it shows my mentality when it comes to the sports arena, rather go for the virtues of hard work on a play in shutting down an opponent as opposed to the glitz of an offense with the recognition. The jerseys will function well in upcoming training as a motivational tool.