Hey. Been absent from the journal since February. I guess I was busy. I sure felt busy. Let's see, what's been going on.

My last entry said that I was going to finish a painting in March. Well, I'm a fool. I shouldn't be so assertive. My week in MN with my boyfriend was more action-packed than I thought, so I got a lot less painting done. I'm not concerned. These paintings are still in my mind so that means they are important enough to grow in their own good time.

While I was away in March I discovered I was way out of shape. It's hard to believe I ran a marathon last October and weighed in at 190 (I'm 5'10 and tank-like, so 190 is a good weight for me). I stepped on the scale on my week off and discovered I weighed 220 lbs. WHAT THE HELL! I guess living with my sister has really softened me up. She puts butter in everything she cooks (even cereal) and the emotional difficulty of living away from Jeff took it's toll on my body. So, I decided to turn my will power back on and trim down. Since mid-March I've lost 20 pounds by eating the right portions, watching my caloric intake and exercising regularly. No fancy diet plan, no gimmicks, just laser-focused goal setting. It can be done. My long term goal is to be 185 this summer, and I'm confident it's gonna happen.

Work is great. I'm doing graphics at my hometown's newspaper and loving the work. The time goes by fast every day (I think being on a deadline helps that) and the pay is good. It's why Jeff and I are currently living a state apart so I'd better be liking it. I'm starting a savings now to have enough for a down payment on a house so he can move here. He just passed his CPA (he is smart as well as cute!) so he'll have more options for work here in Iowa. I'm very proud of him and miss him daily.

My dog is great. Jake is doing well and losing a little weight as well now that the weather permits longer walks. He and his pal Rudy love to be outside. Big dogs are very fun.

I've gotten many visits from my Minnesota friends and Jeffrey too, so it doesn't seem so far from home. Overall, I'm a happy guy with his eye on the future. And his mind on flying chair paintings.