Jack Chandler's Diary, September 2010

Last modified at 07:19 PM on Wednesday, October 27, 2010.

Wednesday, September 29

I went fishing today. Just took the day off and drove to Dayton to fish. I caught a couple of tiny fish, so the fishing itself was unspectacular, but the fact that I actually went wading in the Touchet River for the first time in more than five years is phenomenal. Yeah, I tripped and fell into the water and got soaked, but I was prepared with backup clothing. Even getting wet was fun. I had a cheeseburger at Ray's Drive In, a place I have been visiting for nearly thirty years. It was as good as ever, so it's a good thing that Dayton is too far away to pop over for lunch.

Monday, September 27

After a frustrating battle with my DVD player, we watched Crazy Heart Saturday night. The story was simple but touching, and the performances by all of the principal actors were very, very good. Jeff Bridges and Colin Farrell truly became country singers for the film (they did their own vocals, and that impressed me), and Maggie Gyllenhall played the conflicted reporter to perfection. Robert Duvall was Robert Duvall. (What more can you say?) Now I have seen all four of last year's Best Picture nominees, and this one gives The Hurt Locker a run for its money.

One thing I really liked was the over-the-top country songs that the producers had written for the film. One of the over-the-hill hero's biggest hits began with "seems like fallin' feels like flyin' for a little while." Another one started off with "I used to be somebody, but now I am somebody else."

My retirement evaluation has evolved from projecting how long my money will last into figuring how much outside income I'll have to generate to keep from dipping into my principal. Going from working full time to goofing off full time is likely to be traumatic, so spooling down some might help me ease into a life of leisure. Anyway, working after retirement is the new reality. I just wish I hadn't been so much of a grasshopper when I was younger. It's really depressing to look at what things would be like if I had started saving as soon as I started working and had the personal strength not to spend it on something "important." I can imagine a reasonable progression with only a modest amount of spending restraint that would have put a million dollars into my retirement account today. Twenty-twenty hindsight.

Thursday, September 23

Autumn officially begins today, and the fall weather has already started. We normally have an abrupt change in the weather around the first of September, but jacket weather usually waits until the middle of October. Yeah, we have had some chilly Halloweens, but it's usually warmer. I'm usually happy for cooler weather to be here, but this year I have rekindled my interest in golf, and that means I would like a few more warm weeks before I have to wear a jacket and gloves to take a walk in the park.

When I was more or less serious about golf (some 30 years ago), I tried playing in a ball cap. Lots of people, including tour professionals, played in some kind of headgear. I was never able to hit the ball to my satisfaction with something other than sunglasses on my head, so I gave up. Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus didn't wear caps, so I shouldn't have to wear one, either. Now that my hair is thinning on top, the protection of a cap isn't as optional as it was then, but I still can't hit the ball with one on my head. Maybe I'll try just taking the cap off to take my shots. Or maybe I just can't hit the ball any more at all. We'll see.

The closer I get to that magical age of 65, the more I find myself looking forward to doing the things that I haven't had time to do over the years. When I was self-employed, I could always find the time to climb, backpack, kayak, fish, or sail (or even play golf, even though I didn't play much). For the last twelve years, however, I just haven't been able to break loose. I haven't been able to do much of anything for the last five years, but it hasn't been entirely for lack of time.

I don't have the strength or the endurance for climbing, backpacking, or kayaking any more, but I'm still fully capable of fishing, sailing, and playing golf. Before the sailing season begins next spring, I'll have to get Gedonk seaworthy again so I can take her out a few more times before the rigging rusts away. Before drift boat fishing starts next summer, I'll have to get at least one of my two drift boats ready to transport and use. My golf equipment is already up to speed, but now the weather is fading. Maybe I should think about skiing a little this winter. I still have a really good set of Nordic skis that I haven't used in fifteen years. Hell, the store I bought them from has been out of business for twelve years.

Tuesday, September 14

I started the day yesterday with a new determination to change my lifestyle to a healthier mode, resulting in lower body weight, lower glucose, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and an increased life expectancy. I was very faithful to my dietary program yesterday, slipping only so far as to eat half a dozen grapes as I was putting my lunch together last night. I spent twenty minutes on the ellipse trainer during a TV football game, too.

I hope I can keep that level of determination longer than just a couple of days this time, because being this heavy at the end of next month will probably put me around 235 by the end of the year. Sticking to the program seven days a week until Halloween may give me enough dietary resolve to avoid gaining the 10-15 pounds that seems to be my normal holiday load. Avoiding the double whammy of birthday cake and Halloween candy is my top priority for the next seven weeks. Losing 15-20 pounds will just be lagniappe.

The time span between Halloween and Thanksgiving is barely three weeks this year. That doesn't give me a lot of time to work on my resolve for staying sane during the first big holiday feast. Getting an early start may improve my chances.

Monday, September 13

I have been dragging my feet about dealing with depression, but my scales told me this morning that I can't drag my feet any longer. I lost 63 pounds in 2008, and as of this morning I had gained forty of those pounds back. Actually, I have gained back 41 pounds, but I passed forty over the weekend when I was avoiding the scale.

Why weight and depression? One of my reactions to depression is eating, and the connection between eating and weight is obvious. My other reaction to depression is spending money, and that isn't very good for me, either. Anyway, I have to start some sort of fitness program after work today. I have my ellipse trainer set up in front of the living room TV, so maybe I can use Monday Night Football as an excuse to get on the machine and the machine as an excuse to watch Monday Night Football. The weather has cooled off enough that we could walk the dogs, but neither Kris nor Ollie will go around the block more than once, and I need more than that.

Wednesday, September 8

My new golf clubs arrived yesterday, and I took a few minutes to unwrap them and put them into my golf bag. All of my old clubs except my putter (which I intend to keep) are now back in my old bag, and I have ordered a mildly used putter to complete the set. There may not be much demand for used golf clubs now, but I should be able to sell them next spring.

Some of my work friend and I are going out to play golf after work tomorrow, so I'll have a chance to swing them pretty soon.

Saturday, September 4

I drowned my clock radio the other night, and last night I put a new one into service. The new one has an "atomic" clock, meaning that it sets the time automatically every night according to a radio signal generated by a government timekeeping facility in Colorado. I have converted most of the clocks in the house to the radio-controlled variety, and it's nice not to worry about setting the time. The other clocks (and my wristwatch) account for the shift in daylight time automatically, but I may have to adjust the clock radio manually. The only downside is a really bright display that will take some getting used to.

The new driver arrived, and I played golf with it a little over a week ago. It hits the ball really well, which means that it corrects for the errors in my swing quite well. As a result, I'm developing a little enthusiasm for golf.