Last week was flat-out and fatiguing. Work extended into the evenings on a few days. At the same time, there were some highlights.
On Wednesday evening, the Queensland men’s rugby league team defeated the New South Wales team in game one of this year’s State of Origin Series. I got myself ready by eating lamb loin chops. The fat from the lamb lubricated my throat, which I anticipated would become hoarse from screaming at the TV. Unfortunately, I had to pay attention to a work-related matter and mute the TV.
On Thursday evening, the Queensland women’s rugby league team defeated the NSW team in game two of this year’s State of Origin Series. The third game in Townsville will be an exciting decider. I got myself ready by eating beef short rib meat with an egg.
This victory was sweeter because the women’s team won in Newcastle on Queensland Day. On Thursday, Queensland celebrated its 165th birthday.
Physically, this week, I got out and walked for about 40 minutes each afternoon (apart from Wednesday because of work). My current weight is in a steady state. Having been clinically obese most of my life, I now weigh what I did when I ended high school in the early 1980s.
It’s been quite a journey. In the early 2000s, I was morbidly obese and had a body mass index of 35. Following the Atkins Diet, I lost about 25% of my weight. Over the next 20 years, my weight fluctuated, and most of the time, I was overweight/clinically obese.
Last year, I started with the CSIRO TWD and lasted for about six months. I then transitioned to a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. These diets helped me get about six kilograms off and close to a healthy BMI. I’m now mostly eating animal products. By this, I mean eggs, cream, butter, and meat. I don’t know how long I’ll eat like this. It is restrictive, and at the same time, it’s liberating. I like the fact that I’m not wasting food. When I buy a head of lettuce, cabbage, or cauliflower, some of it gets wasted. The same is true for produce like spring onions and parsley. If I buy minced beef, I eat all of it. I eat all of the steak or lamb chops. Even a tough cut like beef chuck gets consumed completely.
If you look at the chart, you’ll see a couple of lapses in recordings. Those lapses occurred because I fractured a patella and ruptured the retinaculum in August. Then, after Christmas, I dropped a blade through a foot and severed an extensor hallucis longus tendon. Both injuries required surgical repair. The recovery from my injuries required incapacitation and immobilisation.
I’ve been involved in several interview panels last month and this month. The positions are important, and it is a privilege to be involved. I’ve been working enough years to see people I recruited rise through the ranks. I look forward to being supervised by people I recruited to junior levels as they advance.
During the week, an official from the National Library of Australia invited me to be interviewed for a national oral history project. It relates to some work I had been engaged in. I’ve sought permission from my bosses, who graciously agreed for me to accept the invitation.
I’ve also participated in a workplace personality evaluation as part of the regular management learning and development processes. I’ve participated in these processes before, but the consultants have used a different tool each time. While the tools are different, the approaches have been much the same. I’m asked to answer many questions, which are then analysed. I get sent the computer-generated results before an interview with a consultant trained in the tool. The results I’ve received are not unexpected. I am aware of my personality profile. I have an interview with a consultant this week.
Until the next entry. Bye for now.
