Okay society you win- Diary of a fat boy

[kinboshi]

WOW!  Looking good fella.

(Can't see your shoes either, which is a bonus)

[Snatiramas]

Okay so last night I tried my two mile stroll around the village. I deliberately hadn't done it until now because I just didn't want to demotivate myself in case it went badly. After all there isn't a whole lot going in, so to expect a good performance is probably rather stupid........a new record time of 26 minutes 35 secs and unbelievably I jogged the last 200 yards because I felt so good. Now I realise that the elite athletes amongst you are rolling on the floor laughing, well if you are not you damn well should be but let me tell you, for one who could barely get in or out of the car eight weeks ago this is nothing short of a miracle.

Now rather nicely this brings me onto a special bonus post. Today is the intershul athletics competition at Lee Valley stadium. I use the term athletics loosely but the word competition is used in its very vilest sense. I always offer to help and the kids have taken part for the last few years and brought back quite a haul for the trophy cabinet. Let's get it straight right now it is not the kids who are the problem. Oh no. It is most definitely the parents. That living the dream through their children is much in evidence.

As the official starter I have been chastised by one parent for not knowing what I was doing. This parent went on and on to such a degree I eventually had to warn him that I was losing my temper and he would be wise to back off. Oh and last year a mother of the boy who finished second to Ads by a full five metres went up to the judges table and complained that he was ineligible as he was obviously too old as he is too tall to be of the right age. You could not make this stuff up.

I can't decide if this is a Jewish thing (I do have a problem when I see the behaviour of large gatherings of Jewish people but I think that may be a regional thing seeing as I am a provincial boy) or just a parent group thing but every year I come away with increased blood pressure. I did think of not doing it this year but in honesty I want the kids to have opportunities both in and out of school to have to deal with success and failure and to understand that it is not about being the best but about being the best that you can be.

It has been a great year for me as a parent this year. Rachel making it to the national finals of the memory challenge, getting her Taekwando Green belt and now graduating to Costa (City of St Albans swimming club....and to warm up they do 8 lengths of a 25 metre pool) and Ads winning Player of the year for the second year running for Old Albanians, winning awards at scholl for work and already knowing his bar mitzvah reading even though it is not until November.

So this afternoon we will all go and maybe Adam and Rachel will win and maybe they won't. Doesn't really matter as we will all go out and celebrate afterwards regardless as long as I see them do the following. Compete like hell during. Be humble if they win and congratulate the winner if they do not. As for the other parents.....well that is their problem

[tikay]

Phil,

Please pass on to Rachel & Adam my congrats on a great year.

May I enquire as to what "intershul" means?

[tikay]

47lbs - wow! (Excuse the late reply, am on "catch-up" speed-reading here).

I've done with dieting now, too late, gone to seed, but in my twice-annual dieting days, there was that magic moment when a pair of trousers a size smaller than of late suddenly fitted - and that moment was abolutely priceless, because it's something you can only do yourself, & you can't cheat.  I know how pleased you must be with yourself. Enjoy.

And this, which I also noted, is superb, says so much in so few words. It should be your signature, if you did not already have such a blindingly good sig.

Please remember this. Just because you can say something does not always mean you should.

[Dingdell]

Phil,

Please pass on to Rachel & Adam my congrats on a great year.

May I enquire as to what "intershul" means?

Cof E equivalent would be competition between various churches/parishes I think...

[Snatiramas]

Phil,

Please pass on to Rachel & Adam my congrats on a great year.

May I enquire as to what "intershul" means?

Cof E equivalent would be competition between various churches/parishes I think...

Oh you clever thing you. Indeed the children from eight different synagogues gathered at Lee Valley Sports centre for a range of races from ages five through to twelve. The blue riband event is the 12 year old boys and 12 year old girls 100 metres as they are the only races with a trophy as well as a medal. Since the age of 7 Ads has had his eyes on this trophy and there have been three boys, Ads, Hendon and Muswell Hill who have been in fierce competition each year for some time now.

It had already been an emotional afternoon. Rachel had run the race of her life in the 9/10 girls 4 x 100m relay anchoring the team to silver in such a determined way that her brother was the first one on the track to hug her. Ads had picked up three silver medals in the 400 metres, the long jump and 4 x 100 m. As official starter I generally do not get to see the races too closely as I am 100 metres away from the business end of the race but somebody kindly swapped with me so I went to the back of the main stand.

He flew away from the blocks, hopefully I will find a good picture of him in full flight because it really is scary, and held on to win. The first thing he did was turn round and shake everybody elses hand in exactly the same way as he had congratulated the winners when he had failed to win. When competition is this fierce and let me tell you for the kids it was, to see them behave in this way does give hope for this generation.

And then there are the parents. At the end of the afternoon there is always a Mums and a Dads 4 x 100 metres relay. This event is fun. There are no medals and it carries no points. At the end of a hard fought Mums race one of the Mothers walks up to the officials desk and launches into an official complaint because one of the teams had the twelve year old girls champion in it........oh get a life. When I get more pictures I will post them.

One funny thing did happen. Adam said to me afterwards as we were all celebrating in an Italian restaurant in Radlett "Daddy do you know what song I was singing in my head as I was running?" No says I amazed that he would be singing any song at all whilst trying to run as fast as he can..."the intro to smoke on the water", and they say the male of the species can't multitask.

Well done Ads

[tikay]

Phil,

Please pass on to Rachel & Adam my congrats on a great year.

May I enquire as to what "intershul" means?

Cof E equivalent would be competition between various churches/parishes I think...

Oh you clever thing you. Indeed the children from eight different synagogues gathered at Lee Valley Sports centre for a range of races from ages five through to twelve. The blue riband event is the 12 year old boys and 12 year old girls 100 metres as they are the only races with a trophy as well as a medal. Since the age of 7 Ads has had his eyes on this trophy and there have been three boys, Ads, Hendon and Muswell Hill who have been in fierce competition each year for some time now.

It had already been an emotional afternoon. Rachel had run the race of her life in the 9/10 girls 4 x 100m relay anchoring the team to silver in such a determined way that her brother was the first one on the track to hug her. Ads had picked up three silver medals in the 400 metres, the long jump and 4 x 100 m. As official starter I generally do not get to see the races too closely as I am 100 metres away from the business end of the race but somebody kindly swapped with me so I went to the back of the main stand.

He flew away from the blocks, hopefully I will find a good picture of him in full flight because it really is scary, and held on to win. The first thing he did was turn round and shake everybody elses hand in exactly the same way as he had congratulated the winners when he had failed to win. When competition is this fierce and let me tell you for the kids it was, to see them behave in this way does give hope for this generation.

And then there are the parents. At the end of the afternoon there is always a Mums and a Dads 4 x 100 metres relay. This event is fun. There are no medals and it carries no points. At the end of a hard fought Mums race one of the Mothers walks up to the officials desk and launches into an official complaint because one of the teams had the twelve year old girls champion in it........oh get a life. When I get more pictures I will post them.

One funny thing did happen. Adam said to me afterwards as we were all celebrating in an Italian restaurant in Radlett "Daddy do you know what song I was singing in my head as I was running?" No says I amazed that he would be singing any song at all whilst trying to run as fast as he can..."the intro to smoke on the water", and they say the male of the species can't multitask.

Well done Ads

GREAT story. If you were any prouder as a Dad, you'd burst. Quite right too.

[TightEnd]

Good looking lad Phil. Takes after his mum?

re our conversation last night.......keep posting please! (actually forget the please, that's an order)

[Snatiramas]

It has been an absolute disaster of a week on the diet front. I mean I fell off the damn thing all over the place. Almost decided that enough is enough and walked away  from it completely. You see I suffered the triple edged sword of success, failure and guilt all in a twelve hour period and I am afraid it has knocked me so far off course I am not even sure that I can get back on and even if I can do I honestly give a stuff.
So how did it all end up here. Well on Sunday as you know  Ads won the athletics and with Rachie getting a medal too I was absolutely made up. It was at this point I made my first mistake. I decided to play the Sunday night comp at the G. I mean I love the folks at the G and the Sunday nighter if everybody turns out is probably one of the best comps around for both poker and company. I shouldn’t have played it though because I was way too emotionally wired from the events of the afternoon.
So I walk into the G and it is like all my yesterdays and todays in a poker sense. I mean so many good mates from the poker world it was just incredible. I entered late and got a seat as an alternate and in no time at all had managed to lose them all. It was no patience on my part and of course not hitting a card along with no patience and three calling stations can only lead to imminent demise. And so it came to pass. I was still very chatty at this point  and should never have sat down at the cash table. Mistake number two. I managed to upset one of the most mild mannered people at the table who exploded in a most unlikely fashion. Having said too much at the table I then compound it by going on and on about it until poor David just had to explode.
Well they say pride comes before a fall and I feel right now that I have fallen a hell of a way. What to do next? I am really not sure. I think I will call my counsellor tomorrow and talk it through with her but right now I am just massively depressed that I seem to be failing...................... and way too emotional to carry on this post

[boldie]

Stick with it Snatty,  I know you can do this. ...not a doubt in my mind. Everybody trying to kick a habit can fall off the wagon sometimes, it's those that recognise that it's only a blip that will succeed.

[celtic]

re sunday night phil, i still cant get my head round it. There was you putting yourself down for something that you felt was wrong, then dave, who normally likes a laugh at the table suddenly exploded!!!! And then stars calling you pathetic and gets up!!! All bizarre imo for what was supposed to be a 'fun' game win or lose. Keep up the diary too, i dont read it, i think its shit but each to their own

[tikay]

Phil,

Pack that sort of talk up.

You had a bad night. You recognized it. If you owe an apology to anyone, I know you'll have proffered it. If you don't, don't.

It's now that your backbone & heart will do their job.

Move on, get that bloody chin up (there are less of them to get up now), & move on. Some day's it rains.

x

[The_nun]

Some day's it rains.
so Tony says....

Nail on head..ere's a bit of strength..
xx

[Karabiner]

I was starting to feel guilty for asking if we were ever going out for a meat pie again..

[Colchester Kev]

Keep going Snat ... you know why you are doing this, never lose sight of it !!