Baseline

April 29, 2012
I am still feeling overwhelmed with traversing the technological learning curve.  This seems to be a recurring theme in my life.  Even though I've been 'on the cutting edge' for so very long, and lucky to have been raised in a techy, innovative family, previously married to a guy always a step ahead in the zeros and ones, mother to a gifted programmer, yet,  I still get somewhat lost in all the information.  My uncle made THE first international transmission by facsimile.  My Dad and his 2 brothers each purchased one of IBM's first personal computers back in 1982 (about $6000).  I had a 5 digit icq number, was on Skype before practically anyone heard of it, and was literally at a table where a young Asian lad had been hired by a company called Research in Motion to see if he could crack into this little black device that could (I could NOT believe my eyes) email someone RIGHT from that table.  And, yeah, I did say on the way home from that dinner that I should buy shares in the company and I didn't.... they were less than a dollar.  I'm the butt end of jokes in the family about my statement when having difficulty navigating the Swiss Chalet order website "I'm in an endless loop!!".
So, the blog/domain/hosting/sql/php/ftp thing is still tough for me.  Are ya with me on this?  Can I get a witness???
If you're still here with me, I'll talk more about my path to living in a smaller body.
Today I did a little baseline stuff.  I'm 5'2", today I weighed in at 142 pounds at the YMCA.  My waist (a great indication of true health) 34 flippin inches!  When I was married my waist was 23 inches.... it was a genetic blessing from my mother.  I weighed 108 pounds at that time.  Yes, there have been 3 children since then but, my goodness 11 inches?!!!  I have no notion of ever going there again, but it was a shock to have the visual with the tape measure.  Today I don't have a BMI (body mass index number), nor did I get a blood pressure reading.  Growing up my blood pressure has always been very low along with the heart rate.  The docs used to tell me it was a result of all the swimming I used to do.  And each 6 months when I have my pilot's medical I have watched that bp rise slowly but steadily.  Yes, its really time to take action!
I love swimming and remembering docs comments in the past about my low blood pressure I natually gravitated towards swimming.  Plus its easy on the joints.  I went for the third time today and swam 20 lengths (the pool is 75 meters).  The first time 20, then 22 and today 20.  I inquired about the Bronze Medallion on a lark and found out that a person needs to do 20 lengths in something like 12 minutes.  Hah!  I have always wanted to get my Bronze; just getting started in the pool and I am already doing 20 lengths!  A shoe in, right? 
I timed my 20 lengths today.  17 minutes.  And I was pushing it. Sigh.