My wife had other ideas. Ideas that she put together in a montage.

I think she missed a few obvious alternatives:

• Sherlock Hemlock
• The Amazing Mumford
• Magnum PI
• Commisioner Gordon
• Ron Swanson

I've been sick quite a bit lately. Since late spring, my life has largely consisted of getting a case of bronchitis, struggling through it, recuperating, getting another case of bronchitis, later, rinse, repeat. COPD is a bitch.

When I first saw the diagnosis, I didn't want to believe it. My physician never actually said COPD while I was in the office. She did mention allergies and adult onset asthma as possibilities. But as I was waiting in line for antibiotics and an inhaler, I noticed the diagnosis on the paperwork, COPD.

The clincher was a couple weeks ago. I'd been cough free for about two weeks. I pushed myself hard and hit an eight minute mile. At the end, I noticed that I could hear myself wheezing.  Halfway through the next mile, I just ran out of gas. Or, rather, I ran out of air.

Not much else to say on that. It's a disease without a cure but one that can be managed.

I got a raise recently. The VP of operations called me in for a chat and asked me how things were going. I gave her some suggestions on ways to improve internal processes. She told me it had been a while since I had a raise so I should offer a number.

The next day I found out that my manager put in his notice. He was the one person left in my department that had been there longer than I. "Aha," said I to myself, "they want to keep me fat and happy so I stick around."

So I noticed that my hourly rate was about a half π away from an even multiple of π which would a multple of τ. So I suggested via email that my new hourly rate be a higher multiple of τ. They didn't go for that. They did, however, come back with a counter offer that was decent. I took it.

Then the weirdest thing I've ever personally seen in the private sector happened. They changed their minds. When I came into work the next week, there was a new email sitting in my inbox saying that the owner and the VP of operations had been talking and they decided to give me the full amount that I had asked for plus enough change to make it an even number.

Which is good. My raise will almost cover the increase in my rent this year.

For reasons mentioned above, I've been taking the running mostly slow. I'll get in a nine minute mile every now and then but mostly I'm running ten and eleven minute miles. Last week, I did five days at four miles each. It's been good weather for it, cooler in the mornings. I got rained on once. (I love rain while I'm running.)

I've been taking it pretty slow with the weight machines. I did put on a new plate for the first time since I backed down my weight this past spring. But I also cut the number of reps. I'm focusing on good form. It feels good.

I graduated to holding  a 5Kg medicine ball over my head when I do sit-ups.  The first week was a bit brutal. There didn't seem to be much change while I was doing the sit-ups. But afterwards, oh boy ...

Next weekend, I'm driving my eldest daughter up to NYC to drop her off for the school year. It'll be a first for me. I've never been to the Big Apple. But I don't really have the time to do much that is interesting. Classes start for me that week. I need to kick my MA thesis into high gear and just get it done. So I don't think I'll be seeing much besides freeway and Staten Island.

It'll be more of an adventure for my daughter. I've long enjoyed watching her grow up. It's time to start seeing if she can fly on her own. It's an exciting time.

I really liked this bit about Glenn Beck from Haaretz.

But what is irony to a man for whom most Jews are not Orthodox enough and therefore not Jewish enough, for whom most Israelis are not hardline enough and therefore not Israeli enough, a man for whom some Holocaust survivors have not suffered enough, a man who knows better than the Jews what Auschwitz means, who Nazis are, what Israel needs, how Jews need to figure in the greater plan of God and His Apostle Glenn.