An Awesome Dream

"I had a dream; I had an awesome dream."

--Lionel Richie

I had a wonderful dream last night, which really stuck with me all morning. My dreams are rarely cathartic and I don't identify as "religious" but this was about the closest I've ever come to either!

It started out as a large yard sale in a hardware store (something like a Home Depot). This part was not unusual; I dream a lot about getting good deals on stuff, or making money selling stuff, because, well, I have a lot of stuff, and I like to sell at yard sales and online.

Darkness came and the store started shutting down for the night (apparently we were to bed there). The store clerks gradually partitioned off and secured the yard sale area (presumably to protect the merchandise). At midnight, the store doors burst open and a procession of people carrying red candlelight spread across the store in silence. With them, an overwhelming sense of love and peace washed over people as they passed.

Thieves, racists, war mongers became friends. Strangers kissed and hugged. I was overwhelmed with a sense of worldwide tranquility and love.

I realized that I had lost track of Kristi and Genevieve and went outside to find her. News trucks were there, covering the worldwide event like a worldwide disaster, I mused. I found my family and hugged them as long as I could while explaining what happened inside.

So what does it mean? I know a lot of people attribute deep meaning to dreams, but as a scientist I know that dreams are just a random tapestry based on things that I've seen or heard recently -- in my experience often things that were observed, but not deeply considered. But I sure woke up feeling that the world had changed, and it was quite an experience.

Jesse 39.9 Comes to a Close [J39.9 BLOG]

NOTE: This blog was previously published under the [JESSE 39.9] blog at http://jesse399.blogspot.com/ but has been absorbed into Jesse's main blog for archival purposes. You can read all Jesse 39.9 blogs here.

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This is the final blog entry for "Jesse 39.9" | Read All Jesse 39.9 Blogs Here

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My goal was to lose 39.9 pounds before I turned 39.9. That date was April 29, 2014. (I would have suspended it around now anyway, as next week is the Yard Sale, which requires a lot of prep and disrupts my normal schedule). I failed to get to my goal, but I'm not disappointed. I lost 20 pounds (from 235 to 215) in the first month, but have been fighting to keep those pounds off since then, through a better diet and exercise. I ran into an unexpected problem -- not being able to run due to leg pain. When I can't run, I can't lose weight rapidly. I thought walking (and elliptical) would cut it, but it didn't, and I still haven't been to the doctor for a diagnosis. The best news, however, is that I have been consistently losing body fat since I got the Aria scale. I started at nearly 30% and am down to 27.8% today. This is because I've added strength training (via Bowflex) to my routine. That means I'm gaining muscle, which is keeping the weight loss minimal. That's a good reason to not be losing any weight. Still, my weight is not where I want it to be. I'd like to lose another 10-20 pounds -- I'd like to be around 200, I think that is my next goal, which I will pursue this Summer.

Second Secret Weapon and Some Progress [J39.9 BLOG]

NOTE: This blog was previously published under the [JESSE 39.9] blog at http://jesse399.blogspot.com/ but has been absorbed into Jesse's main blog for archival purposes.

I've a mere 10 weeks left for project Jesse 39.9, to lose 39.9 pounds before I turn 39.9. Another secret weapon has been added to the arsenal...

I bought a FitBit Aria Wifi scale. This makes tracking my weight much easier. I just step on it once a day and it automatically uploads to my Fitbit account!

...and after a week of better eating and exercising, I am finally starting to make some progress:

Houston, We Have a (Weight) Problem [J39.9 BLOG]

NOTE: This blog was previously published under the [JESSE 39.9] blog at http://jesse399.blogspot.com/ but has been absorbed into Jesse's main blog for archival purposes.

Well folks, it's time to admit I have a problem. Even though I've been exercising more in the past couple weeks and eating better, I just can't get back down below the 215 (15 pounds down) threshold that I set right before Thanksgiving. Check out the weight graph:

Unfortunately, I'm heading to New York City a week from today, where I'll probably get less exercise and eat more calories than I do here at home. But the good news is, I can come back with a renewed effort to lost that other 25 pounds by my birthday in June. I can still do it, losing only two pounds a week.

Secret Weapons: FitBit, Kindle HDX & Gold Rush Fever [J39.9 BLOG]

NOTE: This blog was previously published under the [JESSE 39.9] blog at http://jesse399.blogspot.com/ but has been absorbed into Jesse's main blog for archival purposes.

In order to achieve my new fitness goals, I have a couple of secret weapons. One is a Fitbit One:

This thing is awesome. I can track the number of steps I take in a day, calories burned, and even sleep! It's so awesome. It's also so small I may lose it!

Another challenge has been the cold weather - we've never seen such a cold winter here. As a result, the temperature in the garage has been in the 20s and 30s. Not great for the BowFlex and Elliptical I've been using. I do have a heater in there, and I've cordoned off the area, so that can help get it into the 40s sometimes, but in a week like this one, where temperatures are expected to be in the single digits for several days in a row, there's no hope.

The solution: The Amazon Kindle HDX I got for Christmas fits perfectly on the treadmill in the AccuWeather.com Fitness Center at work. I can now continue to watch "Gold Rush" Season 4, a great show that I've been with since Day 1.

New York City by Cab & GoPro

During the week of February 18-22, 2012, Kristi and I went on our first big city adventure. We went to New York City (Manhattan) for Social Media Week. I had never been to the city before, even though I live in Pennsylvania. I was fascinated by the bustle, the people, the tall buildings, and the traffic.

Most of my trips on the island that week were by taxicab. During each ride, I put my GoPro HERO2 miniature video camera in the cab window, and recorded some footage. I finally got around to putting all of those into a movie, nearly a year later.

Back on the Horse [J39.9 BLOG]

NOTE: This blog was previously published under the [JESSE 39.9] blog at http://jesse399.blogspot.com/ but has been absorbed into Jesse's main blog for archival purposes.

Well folks, an unexpectedly long Christmas stay with relatives (that ended in a week-long bout with the flu) has continued to take a toll on my weight loss. The damage is done. I'm at 220.2; I went down 15 but back up 5.

But, I feel much better now and am redoubling my efforts to meet the Jesse 39.9 goal. I'll be in New York City for Social Media Week next month, so I'm going to see if I can lose 10 pounds before then. That will put me at 25 pounds down, 15 to go by June 5th. Easy peasy. Back on the horse. Along for the ride. And whatnot.