Jefflog

During my vacation two weeks ago, I had the time to go give blood, something that the local blood bank has been hounding me to do for the last 8 months. I stopped in, dropped off a pint of my A positive, ate some cookies and left.

One effect of the donation process is that an automated hotline can tell you your cholesterol level a week after your donation. When I last checked a few years ago, it was very good, maybe 160. I was getting out and riding my bike at least a couple times a week back then. I also ate a lot of authentic Chinese cooking that contained a lot of vegetables, very different from the “Americanized” Chinese food such as gooey chunks of sweet-and-sour fried meat and crab rangoons.

Once Oliver was born, my healthy lifestyle took a nosedive. He was a difficult beast from day 1 (and still is from time to time!), so instead of riding my bike on the weekend, I’m more likely to be taking a nap or watching the kids while Hong takes a nap. Work has been difficult too, so instead of using my lunch break to ride, I’m more likely to be coding inbetween bites. As for eating habits, Hong has gravitated towards liking more American food, so when we eat out we’re more likely to end up at Steak & Shake than Mandarin House. We don’t eat crab rangoons – those things are nasty – but a double steakburger with cheese is always enjoyable.

That diet doesn’t seem to faze her, and to be honest I’ve only put on a few pounds of weight in the past year, but my cholesterol now stands at 214. A level of below 200 is desirable, so naturally I’m inclined to work that number down. Biking will be part of that regimen, as well trying to eat more healthy. With some effort, I should have more favorable results by the next time I donate blood.