Farewell 08, 2009 Bring It!

2008 was a tough year. I was hospitalized twice with some pretty nasty colon issues. My job has been kinda crazy with all the fun associated with a merger. I miss my friends, Ernie and Peter, who have went on to greener pastures

But on the bright side I had a great vacation with my wife,


and have been blessed with a great school for my children.



So I have decided that 2009 is going to be a year of the "re-". I am going to rebuild my body, re-tool my skills, and relax my soul.



Look out 2009, I am ready for you.

Christmas 08 recital

Up On The Housetop from Todd Gruben on Vimeo




Chipmonk Christmas from Todd Gruben on Vimeo.

The first book

Emma's first book from Todd Gruben on Vimeo.

Summer Recital '08

Summer Recital: 08 The Imperial March from Todd Gruben on Vimeo.


Summer Recital 08: I just can't wait to be King from Todd Gruben on Vimeo.

Reality Diet

Well, the wife has stumbled upon a new diet plan for the family. It seems pretty healthy, primarily with a focus on fiber. Day 1 has completed and I fee pretty good, and I think the meals where very filling and tasty. We have committed to 8 weeks in hopes of simply changing our palette. One rule of thumb for this diet is 2 grams of fiber for every 90 calories. The general idea is that if the food item meets this simple fiber rule, then it will contain more goody nutrients.

Breakfast:
whole wheat toast, caramelized banana with cinnamon and fresh ground nutmeg, and natural peanut butter
yogurt and a granola.

Lunch:
veggie patty, whole wheat bun, smoked mozzarella, tomato spout and avocado salad. 10 potato chips

Dinner:
pan fried sole seasoned with corn meal, hot paprika, and cumin. with tomato, green bean, and spinach salad

Dessert:mango lassie(wow i must say this was awesome. The highlight of the day)

Kate's Spring Recital 08

Popeye The Sailor Man from Todd Gruben on Vimeo.


Scooby Dooby Doo from Todd Gruben on Vimeo.

Good Luck!

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Originally uploaded by ToddGruben

Look out MIT, here comes Big ern. Study hard and learn a lot.

Spring Break 08

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Originally uploaded by ToddGruben

Carpe Diem

Look out World

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Originally uploaded by ToddGruben

I was amazed at my 5 year olds eye for color selection. She colored this page with her own imagination. Wow is all I can say.

Day 29

Complete! I did a pretty good job of sticking to the goal. My only lapse was the planned birthday meal and a slight bit just to appease the in laws. I weigh 205 and feel pretty good. I guess we probably were not as creative as we had hoped but it is always nice to achieve a goal. I am planning on getting my blood work pretty soon after I get down below 200.

I started a new cycling program again last monday and it is pretty tough getting back into the swing of things. I really want a some sort of data logger for my rides. I'm debating between the ibike, which is a wind based power meter, and a garmin. The garmin unit has gps and heart data and the ibike has power, windspeed and temperature. I probably don't need any of it, but I like to have the data so that I can discuss achievements with my friends and maybe have something to compare. It kinda gives a purpose to all the painful efforts. Its also nice to relive those moments. I still go back to my HTH06 experience over on motionbased web site. How silly is that to find purpose in silly dots on a graph. But it seems most of my life is about an increasing graph, age, finances and what not.

breakfast:
smoothy
coffee

lunch:
grapefruit
power bar

dinner:
mozzarella, basil, and tomato sandwich
salad with blue cheese dressing
also snacked on french fries, cheese quesadilla, and a slice of cheese pizza.

Day 28

Breakfast:
scrambled eggs
whole wheat toast and butter
coffee

lunch:
asian salad
black tea

dinner:
mashed potatoes
hummus and pita
lemon soup
chocolate

Day 27

Breakfast:
chocolate smoothy
coffee

lunch:
wild mushroom curry soup

Dinner:
Asian salad(green peas,broccoli, sprouts,cashews, edame)
macaroni and cheese
black eyed peas
chocolate

Day 26

Happy Birthday Kate!


breakfast:
chocolate smoothy
coffee

Lunch:
romain salad with roasted vegetables
missed the protein today


Dinner:
Spaghetti with tomato sauce
garlic bread
chocolate molten cake

Day 25

Breakfast:
chocolate smoothy
coffee

Lunch:
romaine salad with goat cheese and packaged tuna

Dinner:
wild mushroom curry soup
roasted vegetable (egg plant,zuccini, yellow squash, onion, and roasted red pepper)
sandwich
chocolate square.

Day 24

Today we had a scheduled cheat on the month o' veggies. It was the wife's birthday and she requested chicken fried steak back in january, So I simply must abide. It seemed to go over pretty well, I made it for all the grandparents. Quite the production, frying that much meat on our small stove. Visually the meat looked a bit dark, but the flavor and texture turned out quit nice.

My Dad mentioned he was responding very well to niacin, so I thought I might give it a try to help my cholesterol numbers. For some reason, I want to avoid the statins like the plague.

Breakfast:
coffee

Lunch:
Chicken fried steak, mashed potato's and hot rolls


Dinner:
cheese enchiladas, refried beans and rice.

Day 23

Happy birthday Sweetheart! Today we had birthday celebration #1 of the weekend. Had a nice time seeing an ok movie, vantage point Short movie with a bit of action. Not much to write home about, but I'm easy, so I'll say it was entertaining. I weighed in at 206

Breakfast:
Bean and cheese tacos
cinamon roll
coffee

Dinner:
Scallops and green chili mash potatoes (z-tejas)
chocolate pie

Day 22

Breakfast:
coffee

Lunch:
Whole Wheat pasta, feta and roasted vegetables
Dinner:
Artichoke pesto pizza
greek salad

Day 21

Breakfast:
chocolate smoothy

Lunch:
tuna and romaine salad

Dinner:
hummus, tzatziki,
broccolli and cauliflower
chocolate pie

Day 20

Breakfast:
chocolate smoothy

Lunch:
wheat noodles,roasted vegetables(leeks,artichokes,tomatoes) and goat cheese

Dinner:
Salmon
fingerling potatoes
peas

Day 19

Breakfast:
chocolate smoothy

Lunch:
tofu and rice noodles with lettuce

Dinner:
whole grain pasta, goat cheese and roasted vegetables( radiccio,leeks, artichokes)
Chia