{"id":738,"date":"2016-07-01T16:11:01","date_gmt":"2016-07-01T16:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jgar.pw\/b\/?p=738"},"modified":"2016-07-01T16:16:39","modified_gmt":"2016-07-01T16:16:39","slug":"mid-2016-status-check","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jgar.pw\/b\/mid-2016-status-check\/","title":{"rendered":"Mid-2016 Status Check"},"content":{"rendered":"

I can\u2019t believe we have burned through half of 2016 already. July sure came fast this year. So with time fleeting on my mind, let\u2019s review the first 6 months of this year.<\/p>\n

Personally, it\u2019s been an up and down year, like most. Health wise, I finally took charge and implemented some changes that have paid off. I’ve lost about 40 lbs and am feeling great. My energy levels have somewhat returned to normal and I\u2019m really pushing to drop a few more pounds before I reach maintenance weight.<\/p>\n

In all, it\u2019s happened rather fast. I began following the Ketogenic Diet<\/a> in early March of 2016. Since then, I’ve lost about 10 lbs a month consistently and I’ve managed to do it all without really working out too hard.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to start lifting again!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I’ve been slowly creeping my way back to my garage, cleaning it and fixing it up. It\u2019s now ready. I hung up a new full-body punching bag, have my power rack and bumper plates all set and got all my kettlebells lined up.<\/p>\n

I did a long-cycle set and was rather sad to have to complete it with the 35 lb kettlebell. I was close to doing the same timed set with the 62 lb kettlebell so I’ve lost a bit of strength. It\u2019s OK \u2013 I\u2019m in it for the long haul.<\/p>\n

\"winston_14\"<\/a>

Sir Winston, our beloved beagle.<\/p><\/div>\n

I know some will roll their eyes when they read\u00a0this next part, but we also went through one of the saddest thing we’ve had to endure yet as a family: we lost our beloved beagle of 15 years. We had Winston <\/a>since he was 6 weeks old. He was part of our family. He was in overall good health for a 15-year-old dog, but we had to put him down due to spinal degeneration that was slowly robbing our doggie of his ability to walk and caused tremendous pain. This is a known issues with hounds, so our vet was not surprised when he saw the results of all the testing we did. That\u2019s all I\u2019ll write about this for now.<\/p>\n

Politics wise, it\u2019s been the craziest campaign I can ever remember. I was politically agnostic for a long time, so it\u2019s been fun watching the Republicans, Democrats and now the Libertarians and Green Party getting in on the action.<\/p>\n

As I wrote before, I got caught up in the Bernie fever<\/a> early on. I took to\u00a0Bernie\u2019s conviction and his message, but it is\u00a0not gonna happen. With Hillary Clinton clearly in control, it is clear we will not see a Bernie White House. I will obviously not vote Trump, but I do not like Hillary, either. Gary Johnson<\/a> and Jill Stein<\/a>, here\u2019s looking at you!<\/p>\n

\"lp_v_green\"<\/a>

Click the image to compare.<\/p><\/div>\n

I\u2019m going to write a longer blog entry as I look at the Libertarian<\/a> and Green<\/a> Parties. I have some thoughts about this whole political process, which I find rather undemocratic (I could not vote for Bernie because I\u2019m not a registered Democrat \u2013 and yes, I know I could have changed but I decided against it for reasons I\u2019ll expound upon later.<\/em>).<\/p>\n

I’ve also began to write for Android Guys<\/a>. It\u2019s been a fun opportunity, but I\u2019m really struggling to \u201cfind\u201d time to write more, which is why I’ve neglected my blog a bit.\u00a0It\u2019s OK; this is here mainly for me.<\/p>\n

I like looking back at some of the things I write because it brings me back to the moment I\u2019m either writing about or the moment when I wrote whatever I\u2019m reading. It\u2019s strange \u2013 I guess you could describe it as my version of looking at a photo album.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll continue to drop these little posts here and there, but I am focusing on writing longer and more professional content for other sites. To keep up with that stuff, follow me on Twitter <\/a>and feel free to drop me a line or request specific content<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thanks and here\u2019s to a better second\u00a0half of 2016.<\/p>\n

Salud!<\/em><\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/GRoLvWpdGnQ<\/a><\/p>\n