A new life; same as the old life?

That's right folks, just like all the other slobs, it's the New Year and I find myself at the gym. We joined this 24 hour place back in the fall of last year, and personally I have been in about 4 times including tonight! Starting small again with some biking and some weights, it is amazing how much fitness and strength I have lost since I stopped working out regularly. I don't know how long it will last, but I would like to get a little fitter by the start of the golf season, and maybe get a few extra yards on my drives. If nothing else I would like to be able to get my fat ass up two flights of stairs without breathing heavily. What I really need though is a training buddy. Personal trainers work! I know, I used to have one, but they are expensive. If I can find someone as fat and unfit as me, then maybe, just maybe we can spur each other on. My neighbour is out, cos he is got way too big of a start on me and he is way too keen, being there almost every night. I do have s...

Now those who know me will know that I know jack about American Football. However as I did last year with the White Sox , I have been keenly watching the Bears results and progression throughout the season and the play-offs. Today I went to a friends place to watch the last game before Superbowl XLI (41 for us dummies) The Bears were playing the fans favourite and heavily favoured New Orleans Saints, for their first chance to go to the Superbowl since the 1985/86 season. All of the omens were in their favour, with the snow coming down, and Patriots (the team they beat in '86) possibly on their way to the Superbowl too. It's an interesting thing, watching this 3+ hour game (in which incidentally there are only about 30 minutes of actual plays) with a bunch of long time fans. If you speak to anyone in the Chicagoland area about Rex Grossman , their current Quarterback, and essentially one of the key men that got them to this position, you will invariably hear tales of woe about...

It has been a quiet start to the year both for us and for the weather. It has been one of the warmest winters on record with Chicago with many golf courses still being open. Of course I planned to play last weekend and the weather took a turn for the worse! All last week, they were predicting a "winter blitz", but honestly for us here in the Northern Suburbs it has been more or a winter fart, with a small f! In recent weeks, most of you will have seen the weather in Colorado, several feet of snow, two weekends in a row over the holiday season, and us with nothing. Lorraine, Reggie and I got quite excited about the forthcoming blitz, with predictions of up to 8" of snow. As the date drew nearer, the forecasters dropped the predictions, daily, and ul timately forecast 1-2" on Sunday and 1-2" on Monday. It is now Monday evening and we have had more like 1/2" overnight and almost nothing today. It is going to be damned cold, with lows between 16f (-9c) and 9...