I’ve lived so much of my life thinking “if only”.  If only I won the $250 million lottery, everything would be alright.  Heck, if only I won the $1,000/week Win for Life, I’d be set.  If only I’d lose the weight, everything would be different.  I walked around DAILY with this attitude.  I kept waiting for some bolt of lightning to come in and change my life.  The thing is, it never does.  I mean there’s a reason they quote the odds of something happening against the odds of being struck by lightning (1 in 700,000, according to NOAA).

But because I started walking down this path in July, I feel like I’ve won every lottery on the planet.  I feel that fortunate.  If you would have told me on Day One of The Summer of Bean that I wouldn’t accomplish a single item on my list, but instead I’d be down 35 pounds (and still falling) and on my way to home ownership, I would have said you were nuts.  But given the choice between the two, I would have taken door #2 every day of the week.

Well, here I am.  Noticably thinner and on my way to owning my own place.  What a weird freaking world, no?

From the day I began this weight loss thing, I’ve targeted three co-workers in my office as my judges.  I’ll know I’m on the right path when one of them says something.  None of them has yet.  But you know what, that’s alright.  Betty with Sunglasses sees it.  Other friends too.  Good things are happening.  Hopefully I can keep it up.  For now though, I’m just doing it one day at a time.

As for the homeownership.  I got a collection call from one of my credit card companies back in December.  Those calls have been more or less a part of my life for several years now.  I finally decided to get that under control and start paying attention to the relationship between my paychecks and the calendar.  It didn’t hurt that my car was finally paid off and I had extra disposable income.  But by slowly accumulating several months in a row of good behavior, my credit score finally got to the point where I could qualify for a modest house.  Holy crap!  Now I have to figure out where to move.

So the Summer of Bean begins to wind down starting today.  I noticed the leaves are beginning to fall off a tree in the front yard.  This project hasn’t been what I’d hoped for back in May.  But that’s fine.  I’m so much more thankful for what I have.

After catching up for twenty minutes or so, I asked my favorite question of him.

“How many guns are within six feet of me right now?”

Keep in mind that my friend and his wife are both permitted to carry concealed, and both do. Always. It came as somewhat of a surprise then when the answer came back “only one.”

“Well, Bean,” my friend said, “I can’t wear my ankle holster while I’m wearing shorts now, can I?”

No, I suppose you can’t.

I was there until about 12:30 when the risk/reward thing just became too much. From where I sat, I don’t think I would have been able to hear anyway. I wish there were a way to recreate what happened last night, but it would be impossible. What an incredible moment that almost was.

Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong website has a whole section dedicated to weight loss.  For $2.99, they sell an app which links up to the site and allows you to input your daily food intake and exercise.  It also graphs your weight loss.  I like that particular feature because it makes such steep-looking lines to celebrate my 2-pound weekly loss.

There’s also a great app called RunKeeper which uses the iPhone’s GPS feature to track the distance and pace of your run walk waddle.  I turn it on, hit the tunes, and I’m out the door.  It did a great job today while I walked the Esplanade downtown after work.  And, bonus, it said I shaved like 2-minutes off my time since the last time I did the walk.  So that’s cool too.

Sidebar: The scenery wasn’t all that great after work today.  Why was that?  Is it because the girls prefer to run in Spring and not Summer?  Was 78-degrees just too warm?  I don’t get it.  Perhaps a one-day sample wasn’t enough (I’ll admit I’ve been slacking on the post-work Esplanade thing…the blister on the sole of my left foot can attest to that).

My trip to Redding and Ashland ten days ago along with a piece on NPR this past weekend about hiking the Appalachian Trail has whetted my appetite for hiking.  Nothing too strenuous.  Perhaps a walk to the top of Multnomah Falls.  Or any number of other cool hikes here locally.  But it’s going to require a good pair of boots and a hat.

Sidebar: Safeway makes a donut which is superior to either Krispy Kreme or Voodoo, and they do it for 40% less.  Of course those are fighting words to many, but it’s true.

So I’ve been fretting about letting my Summer of Bean slip away, just as George let his summer slip away.  But taking a step back, things are right on schedule.

I’ve been looking forward to the trip to Redding for sometime.  I decided early on to rent a Mustang for the drive.  Not that I didn’t think my Civic was up to the task, it’s just that I wanted to make the drive in style and comfort.  The Mustang is the perfect vehicle for that.  Don’t ask me any specifics on the vehicle itself.  I couldn’t tell you whether it had a 6 or 8-cylinder engine or what size it was.  I can report that it can reach highway speeds of 90 mph and contrary to some reports, it corners just fine.  Just not at 90.  It does have pretty significant blind spots over each shoulder, but as I told my friend I’m not too worried about what’s behind me.

The Mustang also got pretty good gas mileage.  At least 26 mpg was better than I expected.  So there’s that.

I was in Redding to help a college friend and his bride celebrate their wedding.  They actually eloped last October in Hawaii (eloping is the ONLY way to go, particularly if you’re over 30…so much less drama) and decided to throw a party for friends and relatives.  As “best man” I got to give a toast to the bride and groom in which I celebrated the fact we don’t get many second-chances in life, and they’re both taking full advantage of theirs’.  A pretty cool time all around.

After a very relaxing day off from the office, it’s back to work tomorrow and a dead sprint for the next three weeks.  By then the Summer of Bean will be in full bloom and we’ll all be able to enjoy its beauty.

Well, almost.

I was almost out the door when she said $99 iPhone. And I couldn’t resist. Now, as my friend put it, I’m “that guy.” I make no apologies.

“That guy” found the Wordpress app tonight. This post was created on the iPhone. Don’t know how often I’ll do this, but I can. And isn’t that the point?

I guess I can cross this off the list.

Seriously though, thanks to everyone who came out last night.  It was a blast.

May I never have to defend my crown.

It seems a lot longer than two years since I declared the last Summer of Bean.  A lot has happened in that time.  I read The Dip and decided to try and live it.  I left a relatively stable job and struck out on my own to see what that felt like for a while.  I was published in the Portland Tribune, still one of the biggest and coolest things ever to happen to me.  And…  Well…  That’s about it.

So we take another swing at the Summer of Bean.  It’s all based, of course, on Seinfeld’s Summer of George, the summer in which George had been laid off by the Yankees and received three months severence.  You can read the Wikipedia entry here.  The episode’s script is here.  You’ll notice the categories on the right are based on the Wikipedia list.

1. Reading a book, from beginning to end and in that order.
2. Playing frolf. He plays at least once.
3. Watching television programming.
4. Relax and de-compress.
5. Mid-morning naps.
6. Insignificant telephone conversations.
7. Banging his head on tables.
8. Assisting Jerry in maintaining his relationship with Lanette (Amanda Peet), a younger woman Jerry is dating. 
9. Growing a mustache.

Not a bad list, no?  I’ve made some alterations, but I’m pretty faithful to the Wiki entry.  For example, rather than helping others out with their dating issues, I’ll be dating a reasonable substitute for Amanda Peet or at least attempting the same.  And as for the mustache, been there, done that.

 If you Google “Summer of George“, you come up with a couple of other websites with cool ideas based on a similar philosophy.  I may try and work a few of those things in too.  We shall see.

So this is going to be all about self-discovery and self-improvement.  A very mid-life thing to do.  Thanks for tagging along.