Dreaming of a Life Less Ordinary

  More Than a Progress Pic: What 180+ Likes Taught Me About My New Beginning Like most things in this life, it really started off as an accident.  I was trying to get my dog to come and nuzzle with me, and when she wouldn’t, I looked at my phone, and a photo from August 1, 2021, showed up in my history.  In the photo, I was as clean-shaven as I had been since 2009, so not very much; I was rocking my favorite Darth Vader T-shirt.  My journey had started already; I was 80 pounds down or something like that; I can’t really remember. Numbers over a six-year span blend.   Immediately, I wanted to contrast this photo with my cycle kit photo in full Punisher gear from the week before.  The journey needed to be seen side by side as I felt like it was coming full circle.  Using AI isn’t really my strong suit; people at work made fun of me for it.  I don’t have the patience for it all the time, and when I got a photo, I so...

July 19, 2026 I knew I was in trouble when Vicki took my hand and led me to the front of the meeting. If it's possible to be two completely opposite things at once, I was: a) terrified, and b) so happy! Yesterday at WW, I received my 100-pounds-down award. As it turns out, that award comes with giving an impromptu speech from the front of the room to the entire group. It isn’t the first time I’ve had to speak on the fly, and I think I did okay. I spoke straight from the heart about my WW journey. I decided 325 days ago to join WW again. The last 325 days are only a part of my total weight loss story, but honestly, it is the first time I started a journey where the results on the scale weren’t my main objective. I distinctly remember telling people back then that I was going to WW for community. I wanted to find my tribe. And I did. If you would have told me 325 days ago that I would lose 100 pounds, I would have said, “Great!” If you would have told me I would find my tribe, I woul...

  “A Cookie Monster Loose on the Cropcircle" I won’t lie to you I was a little nervous heading out to Cropcircle Road yesterday on Phantom.  It was not because at least in my mind they had named the road Cropcircle because of some alleged alien sighting or even a Cropcircle.  I mean, it is southern Indiana and as far as paranormal states go, Indiana is up there, but my guess is they called it Cropcircle because like most things in Indiana it is around or near a Corn field or bean field, so the name is pretty fitting.   So, no, I was not worried about aliens yesterday, and I certainly was not worried about little green men kidnapping a cookie loving monster and probing him relentlessly, although, I would be lying if although I’d be lying if I said that imagery didn’t keep popping into my head.     I have not been out to Cropcircle since 2024.  What I remember about Cropcircle is it is not flat to get there.  There is a little up from Clear Cree...

  July 7,2026 The re-awakening…   Whenever someone asks me what my greatest gift was, I would tell them it was my creativity.  It always has been.  Since I was a boy and dreamed of being Luke Skywalker, I have dreamed up worlds.  I am good at ideas.  I am good at world building in my head.  What I have never been so great at is putting it to paper.   Since moving back to Indiana, all I have been able to do was blog about bike rides and Weight Watchers.  These aren’t bad things; I rather like doing both.  However, creativity and passion have been missing.  There were times I wondered if this was because I didn’t pursue my dream upon moving home.  Instead, I took another corporate job.  One that was easy until it wasn’t.  One that was worth it, until it wasn’t.  For almost three years I struggled to spin tales.  I struggled to create.  I struggled.  I had pretty much given up on ever writing the grea...

  Lot more of this in my future! Resignation You don’t just leave behind a job when you resign. It’s so much more than that. It’s the smile you would kill to get every day. It’s that friend you can talk to for hours at a time and never get sick of. It’s the dude who pumps you up and makes you feel like you are incredible. It’s not just the bad but the good you walk away from. If you listened to me, you’ve heard in my voice for a long time that I’ve been unhappy at work. I tried to stick it out. I tried to “make” it work. I tried to make it better. At the end of the day, the joy was gone. It was harder and harder to get up on time and prep for meetings. It was harder and harder to listen to people and take them seriously. Until one Friday when you’re so close to the end of your rope it all blows up and you are the asshole. It’s at this point I take my leave. I’m tired of looking for the silver lining. I’m tired of trying to like my job. I’m tired of staying for those people th...

  "Pennsylvania: Making 35 Miles Feel Like 100" June 13, 2026 Even with the headache, the heat, and thinking Pennsylvania was a lot hillier than it should be, it didn't really matter. The feeling of freedom you get when you start a bike ride is like nothing else in the world for me. The only thing I can compare it to is the deep breath before you plunge into a pool and take your first lap. There is a sense that nothing else really matters — there are two wheels between you and the road and it is total, complete freedom. Over the course of any ride, that freedom starts to melt away your worries, your anger, and any feelings of loss you might be holding onto. All that really matters is moving forward. Seeing where the road takes you. Last Saturday it took me to the 7th state I have done a bike ride in. It took me up and down in some serious heat. It tested me mentally and physically, which is what we do it for, I guess. In the end, nothing else seemed to matter — just me an...