Yes I am alive

Life has become more difficult in the human age.  Working an average of 50-hour workweeks and 50-plus-hour all the stress has been so demanding.  Sleep has been atrocious.  It is hard to stay healthy and maintain a healthy weight when you are exhausted, and sleep is difficult.  Below are the past two nights analyzed:

Thursday night to Friday morning (2/20 to 2/21)

Wednesday night to Thursday morning (2/19 to 2/20)

That sleep pattern is not healthy.  Research suggests an association between sleep restriction and negative changes in metabolism.  In adults, sleeping four hours a night, compared with 10 hours a night, increases hunger and appetite.  I can verify that issue!

Observational studies also suggest a link between sleep restriction and obesity.  One explanation might be that sleep duration affects hormones regulating hunger — ghrelin and leptin.  Another contributing factor might be that lack of sleep leads to fatigue and results in less physical activity.

One thing I know is when I get tired, I get emotional.  As some may know, the past three years have been trying for my girlfriend as her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's about four years ago and degraded until she passed last summer.

This morning, I heard about the last song Glen Campbell wrote, "I am not going to miss you." I just started to cry.  For him to write that knowing it would be the result of his final time with us after being diagnosed is unheard of in society.  The lyrics are:

I'm still here, but yet I'm gone
I don't play guitar or sing my songs
They never defined who I am
The man that loves you 'til the end

You're the last person I will love
You're the last face I will recall
And best of all, I'm not gonna miss you
Not gonna miss you

I'm never gonna hold you like I did
Or say I love you to the kids
You're never gonna see it in my eyes
It's not gonna hurt me when you cry

I'm never gonna know what you go through
All the things I say or do
All the hurt and all the pain
One thing selfishly remains

I'm not gonna miss you
I'm not gonna miss you

If you want to see it on YouTube, check it out here.

I am trying to get this under control. It will be more comfortable when I retire, as the political environment and job stress are at an all-time high!

On the exercise side, I purchased a Wahoo KiCKR indoor trainer to get a few hundred bike miles monthly.  I'm looking forward to being outside in a few weeks.

I will do regular entries, but I don't have time.  They say it reduces stress, and I may try it!

Carry on, my friends, carry on!