Change we can believe in

Last night as I was gathering my wits about me, still buzzing from 12 days on the Big Island, I listened to Barack Obama's passionate speech as he acknowledged that he had cinched the nomination for the Democratic candidate for president. Not just a historic moment, but a defining moment in our lives, as though a big light had just been turned on and we can now see. We are emerging from the darkness of the Bush years. Years of death, destruction, failure, despair, desperation, indignity, embarrassment, frustration, anger and pain. To think John McCain is championing all these failed policies of an unjust war and government for the corporate rich, not for the people. Enough! I admire Hillary and her determined campaign. The final nail came with her speech in which she referenced Bobby Kennedy's assassination as a reason to stay in the campaign, in the wake of the news of Ted Kennedy's brain cancer. That aside, her run was a milestone and a harbinger of things to come. No country for old white men is the theme of this election season. Yet we shall not be over confident or complacent. There are a whole lot of red neck bigoted conservative war mongering misogynists out there who will vote for McCain just to vote against a black man. And surely they would have voted against Hillary because she is a woman. Enough! Change we can believe in is on our doorstep. I am so excited for the future that awaits my son. As SUVs vanish from the landscape and oil is no longer the universal currency, when food is grown to eat not to fuel ego machines-- yes a better day is coming.

Change we can believe in takes on even more significance in our lives as I consider that one year from now we will be living in Carbondale and I will have assumed the mantel of the Chair of Physiology of SIU. We will have left the traffic, the population density, the pollution, the noise, and high cost of living in Chicago behind as we set up our new home in the country. So much will happen in this year of transition, this blog will be a useful device for me to help keep this in perspective. I have much to say but have traveled nearly continuously since April. Washington DC for NASA reviews of sperm in space, then the BIG trip to Carbondale and Springfield for the second interview, and then 12 blissful days in Hawaii. And now I return just two weeks before I head off to San Fransico to the Endocrine meetings with two months of work to catch up on before I go. Well, somethings never change.

Hawaii was incredible and despite the proximity to the site of the Kona Ironman, I barely worked out the whole trip, instead enjoyed the wonderful food as we indulged in tourism. We did go snorkeling, but most of my execrcise consisted of trips to the bountiful buffets. Inevitably I gained a few pounds, yes, well, somethings never change. But I have confidence, and a mechanism to not let them stick. Induction phase commencing now, P-diet and exercise. I started by riding my bike to work today, and will rejoin Pilates at noon. Having a tool to help deal with my propensity for weight gain really helps. I have relied on running for so many years, but just can't run enough now-- calories in must be less than calories out and it is the quality of the calories that count. Yes, change I can believe in.