This is not a test

So I think I've said all I need to about how good math is for life, but I also wanted to get in a plug for being physically fit. Everyone knows they ought to exercise more and I know I'm odd in that I enjoy doing almost any kind of exercise. But one of the points of staying in shape is that you never know what you're going to need it for or when you'll need it.

All I can tell you is that when you hit really difficult moments in life, you want to have as much physical reserve as possible. Between the stress and the long hours of waiting and attending, being in a hospital for this long cannot help but take a huge physical and mental toll on anyone. And I'm glad that I was as up for it as possible.

The fact that I like to walk is a huge plus, both because the hospital is huge (I've walked 4.5 miles today and have only been outside once for 15 minutes) and although there's are a ton of stores and restaurants on Broadway, the closest place (a Starbucks, of course) is a quarter mile away.

But more than anything else, this is an endurance test, except it's not a test. It's the real deal, a period of life that requires true endurance. The point isn't about the minutia of what I'm doing, it's that I'm doing something, anything stressful for nearly 2 weeks without a break. You can't do that if your body can't handle it.

So that's the whole message. Don't worry about what you'll look like in a bathing suit. I'm a 60 year-old man, I'm going to look ridiculous in a bathing suit no matter what I do. But as unsleek as I am, I do have stamina and strength and I don't regret a moment of the work I did getting myself this way.