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I started (officially) my diet to lose 1 pound per week for the next 40 weeks. I may lose more, but I won't lose less -- and the pound per week will be my monthly average, as I know how things flucuate. According to Nutrition Data , for my height (6'3") / weight (275) / proportions (long torso), I have a BMI of 34.2 and a daily caloric need of around 3400 calories to maintain my current weight & BMI. My goal weight is 225, which would bring my BMI down to 28. (I know, it should be around 18-24, but let's get to 28 first!) Am I doing anything fancy? Nope. Just portion control. So calorie counting it is -- and adjusting the diet to be more oriented towards veggies, fruits and healthy choices. So far this week, I'm averaging a caloric intake of about 2000 - and I'm not feeling hungry (much!). The recipe portion of this blog will go dietary for a while as well. ;-)

http://thegig.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/04/16/gen-yers-lack-confidence-behave-like-idiots/#comments (The comments from other Gen Whine are hilariously defensive.)

As seen in the San Francisco Gate , rather than seek a rational approach to higher gas prices, ahem, like maybe not driving around the country praying at various gas stations, the lunatic fringe is out in force. Better yet, visit: The Price of Fuel .

Weekend Bonus: Boneless Pork Chops in Mushrooms & Thyme 2 5-ounce boneless, center-cut pork loin chops, trimmed and pounded to 1/4 inch thick 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium white or yellow onion, minced 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (about 4 ounces) 1/2 cup dry vermouth or 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the pork chops and cook until browned on both sides and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to 2 serving plates; tent with foil to keep warm. Swirl oil into the pan, add onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and begin to brown, about 2 minutes. Add vermouth (or apple juice) and cook for 15 seconds. Stir in mustard, thyme and any juices that have a...

This week: Farmers Breakfast Casserole 3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers or shredded cheddar cheese (3 ounces) 1 cup diced cooked ham, cooked breakfast sausage or Canadian-style bacon 1/4 cup sliced green onions (2) 4 beaten eggs or 1 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed 1-1/2 cups milk or one 12-ounce can evaporated milk or evaporated fat-free milk 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon black pepper Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 2-quart square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cheese, ham, and green onions. In a bowl combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over potato mixture in dish. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Low fat / cholesterol options: use egg substitutes, low-fat cheese and skim milk + add 2 table...

Hubble Space Telescope was launched April 24, 1990. Despite the early disappointments requiring herculean efforts to fix it, Hubble remains one of the wonders of the modern world -- taking us back to the dawn of creation and further into space than anyone could have imagined. The two images here are the M-51 (Whirlpool) galaxy and the Eagle Nebula (part of the "pillars of creation").

Stranger things have happened -- especially now that it looks like the Texas Board of Higher Education isn't going to let the "Institute for Creation Research" become accredited for teaching science. (Given the tilt of 'guvment' in our great state towards anything and everything that thumps the Bible, this is actually welcome -- if unexpected -- news.) Of course, this has angered the head of this "teaching" organization -- no doubt they would love to turn out more "science" teachers like this one . Besides using electrostatic shock to brand children with crosses, lay hands on them in "healing", apparently one of his brighter educational techniques is to throw a bunch of Legos into a pile to see if the pile will build itself like evolutionists say life built itself on Earth. He (and the rest of the creationist nuts) probably missed this little note on rapid evolution in lizards. (h/t -- National Geographic) Hopefully, the full assau...

Data released Monday by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee reveals that the number of Army felony waivers given to enlistees jumped from 249 in 2006 to 511 in 2007. The number of felony waivers granted in the Marine Corps rose from 208 to 350. The numbers are broken down according to the nature of offense for when a felony waiver was needed. During the 2006-2007 period, the Army offered waivers to three soldiers who had been convicted of manslaughter, one convicted of kidnapping, 11 convicted of arson, 142 convicted of burglary, three convicted of indecent acts with children, seven convicted of sexual assault and three convicted of making terrorist threats. Meanwhile, the Pentagon discharged about 700 service members for being gay in 2006 under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Honestly, I don't know what is more pathetic -- the stupidity of the animus against qualified gays and lesbians serving our nation or that our military has been so broken by the failure that is takin...

OMG -- Hillary beats Obama by 10 points in Pennsylvania... obviously she needs to drop out immediately. So -- of course -- you see the folks from ObamicaBlog, the Daily Obama and the Kosbama trotting out the farcicle argument that because BO can't seem to close the deal, it's Hillary's fault for not being the nice girl and dropping out. This is such nonsense. Fact: Neither candidate can get the nomination without the so-called super-delegates. Fact: Obama has been unable to win ANY large electoral-rich state outside of his home of Illinois. Fact: Even if you factor in 1/2 of the Clinton votes going for Obama in the big states -- he still loses to McCain -- because unlike the Democratic nomination process, the real election is winner-takes-all. In the end, it will either be Obama-Clinton or Clinton-Obama -- that's the only way to keep the party together and win against Bush 3.

One of the walking trails along Buffalo Bayou that eventually lead into downtown via Alans Landing. Buildings in the distance are Chevron Center 1 & 2 (formerly Enron HQ), and Continental Airlines.

This week: Eggplant Parmesan 1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs 1/2 cup egg substitute 1 medium eggplant, sliced into 6 (1/2-inch) rounds 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small yellow onion, sliced 3 cloves garlic, crushed and then minced 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes 2 (15-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bread crumbs on a shallow plate. Pour egg substitute onto another shallow plate. Place a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet. Take a round of eggplant, dip it into the egg substitute until fully covered, and then drag through the bread crumbs until completely coated; transfer to a wire rack. Repeat for each round of eggplant and then bake in oven for 15 minutes. While eggplant is baking, heat olive oil in a 5-quart nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until...

Check-out time is now set for Thursday (e.t.a. unknown) -- depending on how the fibrolation procedure goes today, and once all the doctors have signed off, and all the paperwork is finished... at this rate, I'm guessing 1 or 2 tomorrow afternoon... especially since they said 10:30 AM. Correctly estimating the time seems as out of reach for the hospital folks as NASA's ability to calculate the odds of Apophis hitting Earth -- I may wind up calling on that German kid.

Because sometimes you need more than just the main course... White Chocolate Bread Pudding 2 cups each: whipping cream and half-and-half 8 ounces white baking bars, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces 1 1/2 cups sugar 8 egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 baguette (about 25 inches), thinly sliced Sliced almonds and coarse decorating sugar, if desired 1 (12-ounce) package frozen raspberries, thawed Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a shallow 3-quart casserole (13-by-9-by-2-inch). Heat cream and half-and-half to boiling in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Stir in baking pieces; remove from heat. Beat sugar, egg yolks, vanilla and salt until creamy. Gradually add cream mixture, beating constantly, until smooth. Line casserole with baguette slices. Pour 2 cups cream mixture over bread. Let stand a few minutes until bread absorbs mixture. Add remaining baguette slices. Pour remaining cream mixture over bread, 2 cups at a time. Let stand a few minutes until br...

The patient is doing quite well -- which is what Dr. Lawrie said to expect. Walking 4 times per day, spending 80% of waking time sitting in a chair (not in bed) and off respiratory therapy (O2). At this rate, we're looking at checking out on Wednesday -- a mere 7 and 1/2 days since being wheeled in for surgery . There's still a bit of mild fibrillation that needs to come under control, but the doctors expect this to clear up in the next day or so. For more information on the type of surgery, here's a link to a wiki article .

A small digression from the usual recipes, with a bow towards the heart healthy... This Week: King Ranch Casserole Recipe courtesy EatingWell.com 1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 1 cup skim milk 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained 1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies, drained 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups diced skinless cooked chicken 10 corn tortillas, cut in quarters 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese Preheat oven to 375°F. Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Whisk together milk and flour in a small bowl to make a smooth paste. Add to the broth and cook over medium, whisking constantly, until thickened and smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove fro...

Last night, as I went to bed early (after sleeping all afternoon), the latest news was that Dad was sitting up in bed eating dinner. Calling in this morning, we're told that he's had his breakfast and stood up for the first time. As soon as the room is ready for him, they'll move him out of ICU and into a regular hospital room for the next few days. At this pace, he could be released as early as Tuesday morning. And for those that were wondering, the patient that preceded Dad into the operating room for emergency surgery is still in ICU but doing fine -- so two happy endings at this point. I expect to do a few more updates on this topic until Dad gets to go home for recuperation -- but only a few. Back to recipes and politics! Update: as of 2:00 this afternoon, Dad's out of ICU and into a private room for the rest of his recovery stay.

It was quite nice to sleep in after the "fun" day yesterday -- although it took a while to unwind and fall asleep, once there, I didn't wake up until close to 10 this morning. Fortunately, Mom did the same and isn't quite in the same knot as she was all day yesterday. After calling over to find out how the patient did overnight, we were told that the breathing tube was out and although sore, he even dangled his legs over the side of the bed. As promised, we headed back to the dreary ICU waiting room for the 11:00-11:20 visiting window... Dad was mostly alert -- a bit cranky because his throat was sore... we filled him in on what Dr. Lawrie had told us last night. (Still not sure it totally sunk in because of the after-affects of the drugs.) 10 minutes later, we left him as he drifted back to sleep. I got Mom ensconced in a comfortable chair in the main lobby (near the piano and fountain) so she could start going through the rest of the phone tree... and then headed ...

After an unbelievable day, Dad was finally taken in for surgery @ 6:30 PM -- a mere 12 1/2 hours after being taken in for pre-op. After getting no news for three hours, I called the ICU desk to find out what was happening and when we would learn more -- the good news was that the surgery team had requested ICU space... meaning that the surgery was going well and they expected to release him to ICU "soon". Digression: "We're close" = 10 minutes to 6 hours; "soon" = 30 - 60 minutes; "a little bit" = 30 minutes at least; and "call back in 30 minutes, we'll know more" = "I don't know, I won't be asking, and don't call back for at least an hour"... We're called back to meet with Dr. Lowrie and informed that the procedure went well -- and that rather than replacing the mitral valve, they were able to split it properly and it's functioning normally now. A single bypass on one artery and everything is fine...

2:45 PM -- Okay, now either I'm getting punchier or this is getting rather farcicle. Apparently, the guy who was switched out for Dad in the #1 slot had major complications and was still in surgery going on 2:40 PM (starting @ 7:15 AM this morning). The anesthesist came out and told us he put Dad to sleep to reduce his stress and that he's very close to going in... hopefully by the time I finish posting this update. That said, this means that we (I mean Mom, Libby & myself) won't be looking at leaving until probably 8:00 tonight. Oh well... ;-)

4:45 AM -- Mom calls to inform me that Dad will be sent to pre-op @ 6:45 a.m. for surgery to begin @ ~7:30 a.m. So much for plans to get up normally, eat breakfast and get caffienated... 6:00 AM -- turning on the lights in the cardiac intensive care unit waiting room since there's no one there to even talk to... Mom elects to try and take a nap, while I try to find a phone signal somewhere so I can at least get my work email via Blackberry... no luck there either. 7:30 AM -- the phone rings in the waiting room and we're not sure whether or not to answer... I do and find out that Dad isn't going in first but second. We stick around for about 20 minutes (about as long as Mom can stand -- she hates tubes and machines that go beep). 7:50 AM -- Camping out in the lobby of the Methodist Hospital (much nicer than the waiting room). I decide to go back to the hotel across the street to get my laptop in hopes of a wifi connection, and to get some breakfast. 9:00 AM -- Back to the...

I'll use this post to semi-live blog the day as we wait for my father to have his valve-replacement surgery here at Methodist Hospital in Houston. According to the doctors -- since this Dad's condition is not life-threatening at this stage, and he's reasonably healthy, now is the time to go in and do the replacement pre-emptively. It's doubtful that I'll have wireless access -- but I'm bringing my computer (and I-Pod) to the waiting room in anycase.

This Week: Spinach & Cheese Roll-ups 1 teaspoon olive oil 1/3 cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1 14-1/2-oz. can tomatoes, cut up 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1-1/2 teaspoon snipped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed 1/4 teaspoon sugar Dash salt Dash black pepper 8 dried lasagna noodles 1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed 3/4 cup ricotta cheese 2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (1/2 cup) 2 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese 2 teaspoon snipped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil or Italian seasoning, crushed 1 slightly beaten egg white Preheat oven to 350 degree F. For the sauce: heat oil in a medium saucepan. Cook onion and garlic in hot oil until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Carefully stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until sauce is desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to packag...

Vanilla Pound Cake . 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened 1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar 6 eggs, at room temperature 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups flour Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour a tube pan. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla. Add the flour. Continue to beat at medium speed for 10 minutes.Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a rack to finish cooling. Note: This is about as close to Sara Lee or Entemanns as you'll get. I prefer to eat it plain, but if you want to spice things up, serve with fresh strawberries and blueberries. Another good "topping" is cinnamon rum -- take a 1/2 cup of wate...

The new cargo transport, Jules Verne class, has been cleared for docking at the International Space Station. To me, it's oddly reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey -- at least from the design style.

For some reason, the Mikado beckons musically this week... perhaps because office drama the last few days is more farcical than usual.... "And I am right, and you are right and all is right as right can be." I think I'll order Topsy-Turvy from Amazon this afternoon.