fitbit update + new dog owner odyssey + political TUE--on FRI?

fitbit update

First of all, I'm not sure if this will become a regular Friday feature or not. If it does, it will replace "Fact-Check Friday." Some of you may remember that my son Nathan, a very gifted blogger who also helped me set up my blog, was my regular Friday "guest" blogger. I believe he felt obligated to counter my regular "Political Tuesday" blog. I think he enjoyed our "playful" give-and-take, seeing as how we were/are frequently on opposite ends of the political spectrum. [I did my best as a parent. I blame it on his time spent in the too blue-state of Minnesota, where NPR is considered a conservative news source.]

Well, Nathan has gone on a "Fact-Check Friday" hiatus, for whatever reason. Maybe, like me, he has grown weary of political musings. I no longer regularly publish my "Political Tuesday" blog. Instead, I occasionally include a "Political Tuesday" entry in my "Whimsical WED" blog.

Or perhaps it was growing ever more challenging for him to counter my often superior logic, reasoning, and fact-based content, culled from the most impeccable news & punditry sources. Whatever. [No, I assure you, I am NOT throwing down the gauntlet.]

In any case, my children, whom I dearly love, gave Lois & me each a fitbit * when we had our family Christmas on Friday night, following Thanksgiving. For those of you not familiar w/this astonishing piece of technology, it goes around your wrist & functions much like I imagine an ankle-bracelet would function. After installing an APP on your smart-phone, it logs your daily steps, miles, calories burned, & active minutes. **
* Shameless product-placement, although rest assured that I am receiving no lucrative remuneration for this whatsoever.
** I think you can track your sleep routine on it & I can't confirm it, but I suspect that there's also a way for it to track your blood pressure, urine output, & current political affiliation, too.

For example, here are my recordings for THU 12/3 @ 9:00p (CST):

• Steps:  12,826
• Miles:  6.02
• Calories burned:  2,676
• Active minutes:  106

What was the significance of all this? Well, according to an email I received from fitbit @ 6:36p (CST) on 12/3, I received a "Sneaker" award, because I had already accumulated 10,000 steps . . . & I wasn't even finished for the night! * Oh, & I exceeded Lois' # of steps for the first time since we started competing. ["Competing" is a very generous word to describe the so-called competition that she & I are engaged in.]

* Honestly, a cash reward or coupon for Starbucks would have had a more motivating effect. There wasn't even a certificate, worthy of framing, that came with the email.

This morning, even before I stepped outside to take Sammy for his morning walk, I had burned 530 calories, apparently just from my exertion expended while shaving & showering. So, had I been thinking, I maybe could have afforded the luxury of a little honey on my small piece of whole-wheat toast.

Anyway, lest you think I am not grateful to my children & their spouses for their thoughtful gift--even though I'm pretty sure that my list on Elfster had specifically mentioned white gym socks, dark-chocolate covered almonds, espresso beans, & recents books by Jonah Goldberg & Ann Coulter--I honestly couldn't be more pleased. KUDO's to Nathan & Laura; Craig & Sarah; Derek & Rachel! *

* By the way . . . whose idea was this? I'd like to send a more personalized note to whoever it was.

LATE BREAKING NEWS! Lois just got home from school at approximately 4:45p (CST). She volunteered to take Sammy for a walk. Coincidence? You be the judge.

New Dog Owner's Odyssey

I'm not sure I can use this heading much longer, since Lois & Rachel [a co-conspirator, & you know it, Rachel!] brought Sammy home from the Siouxland Animal Shelter in Sioux City, IA, last summer . . . SURPRISE, SURPRISE!

Lois actually volunteered to take Sammy for his early morning walk on MON 11/30 & again for his end-of-the-day walk, also on 11/30. * It may have had something to do w/her fitbit. [SEE previous item.] She might have been feeling sorry for me, ** due to the snow day & extra day of Thanksgiving break she got, thanks to our 4.6" of "snow advisory". *** 

I have continued to take him for his early morning walks--typically before 7:30a--his midday walks, which tend to be a little longer--sometime between 12:00-500--& his end of the day walks--after we're done watching back episodes of whatever Netflix series we're currently viewing--typically after 8:30 p.m. [We're currently watching last season's NCIS, probably our favorite all-time series, but I digress.]

Here is what I've noticed about Sammy's tolerance of adverse weather conditions.

• He does not seem to mind the temperature. Just as an example, on THU morning, the temp was 13; thankfully no wind chill; on THU evening the temp was 29, also no wc; this morning's temp was 27, also no wc. His owner, on the other hand, minded the temperature A LOT! And it's only the first week of December!
• He does not seem to mind plunging into the slush & snow to "post messages" [if you catch my drift ****] on his favorite sites. *****
• He also does not seem to mind charging into the wintry wonderland of our backyard in pursuit of whatever dangers he feels we need protection from after dark. SCENARIO: Lois & I are relaxing, watching Netflix. Lois is probably pretending to be grading papers while actually browsing on Facebook. I'm probably snacking, pretending that she's not noticing. Sammy suddenly rushes to the back door, leaping up & down, barking hysterically until one of us lets him out. He runs down the hill disappearing into the darkness, barking the whole time. In a matter of minutes, he returns to the back door, leaping & barking to be let back in. Naturally, one of us has to get back, leave the comfort of the couch, AND, once he's inside, wipe off his legs & paws. [Whose idea was it to get a dog again? Oh, yeah . . .] 

* She was competing in some kind of fitness challenge, possibly unrelated to fitbit, I think, & saw that she was only 100 or so steps ahead of somebody she didn't even know. Had to take Sammy out for a walk, just to make sure she won the challenge. If I remember correctly. We know who's competitive.

** Yeah, I doubt it, too.

*** We broke a snowfall record for Norfolk, NE, on Nov. 30. 

**** Hey, I just realized, as I was proof-reading, I made a joke. Drift? Snow? Get it?

***** Today, as he was leaving a "message" on a favorite site, a wooden power pole, it got me thinking. Is dog-urine acidic? If he keeps posting regular messages on this particular site, is there any danger that at some future time this wooden power pole, weakened at the bottom, could suddenly topple over--at the very least causing a power outage; at the very worst, seriously injuring if not killing somebody? Could I be held criminally negligent? 

Political Tuesday . . . Special Friday Edition

Excerpt from Omaha World Herald (12/3/15):  "Shooting:  Mass killings have 'no parallel anywhere else in the world,' Obama says." [Wait for it . . . ]

Excerpt from Norfolk Daily News (12/3/15):  "Terrorism not ruled out by FBI as possible motive." [Wait for it . . . ]

Also from OWH (12/4):  "Shooters' cache of weapons suggests planning . . . The arsenal suggested a level of planning that added to investigators' concern that Wednesday's shootings, which left 14 dead & 21 injured, were far more than a spontaneous response to a workplace dispute." [Wait for it . . . ]

Excerpt from OWH (12/3):  "Shooting:  Mass killings have 'no parallel anywhere else in the world,' Obama says." [Just wanted to refresh your memory.]

Source:  Drudge Report (12/4):  "CNN:  Investigators think that as the San Bernardino, CA, massacre was happening, female shooter Tashfeen Malik posted a pledge of allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Facebook, three U.S. officials familiar w/the investigation told CNN."  [Here it is . . . As usual, our Commander in Chief reveals his firm grasp of ISIS, hard-line Islamic terrorism, coupled with an impeccable sense of timing, along with his usual restraint & reluctance to politicize tragedies such as these.]