Weight Loss by Month: September 2021

April: 191

May: 186

June: 183

July: 179

August: 183

September: 178

Back into the 170s, with a 5-pound loss this month, despite lots of days of overeating. I was able to get to 179 by September 10th, and have been holding between 178 and 180 for the last few weeks. 

That brings me to a total of 62 pounds lost over the last 14 months. And the lowest recorded weight of this journey, my lowest since I was 175 in 2013.

Over the last four months, it feels like I've basically been hovering around the same weight. It's annoying after seeing so much progress, to feel like it's slowed down. That gain in August basically cost me two months. But...I'd rather be hovering around this weight than in the 230s, where I'd been hovering for the previous years. 

Part of me is eager to get to the 160s, to reach a goal weight of 165-166. But I've got a lot of travel coming up, multiple vacations and work trips planned from October to December, plus holidays and birthday. So just not gaining might be as good as I can hope for through the rest of the year. 

It's feeling very realistic that in the first year I lost 61 pounds, and it might take a full second year to lose 14 more.

One of my goals for September was to get 300,000 steps, averaging 10k a day for 30 days. And I'm on track to cross that threshold later today.

Evergreen NFL Thoughts

1. There is no transitive property

We want to think there is. Every week I hear Simmons and Sal say something like I don't know what to make of this Saints team. They blew out the Packers but then lost big to the Panthers. So are the Packers bad or are the Panthers good?

That's not how the NFL works. Teams with worse records can beat teams with good records. Good teams can have bad games. Bad teams can have good games. Every year, there will be playoff teams with bad losses and teams picking in the first 10 picks who have surprising wins. 

2. It takes a village team

When you look at Matthew Stafford who played 12 seasons in Detroit and went 3-0 one time, now start 3-0 with the Rams, it's clear that it's not just up the quarterback. Yet, fans collectively make blanket statements about individual players all the time. 

Sometimes in the case of Stafford on the Lions, it's an organization-wide problem. Or as we've seen with Tannehill and Darnold, sometimes it's just Adam Gase holding you back. We're willing to admit this when there's a change of scenery, but we're very quick to say that so and so is a bust when they're not playing well in their first system. Like, look at Mahomes and Herbert doing so well right away. And look at Wilson and Lawrence struggling as rookies. I mean, they're on the Jets and Jags. Look at their coaches. Look at their teammates. 

People always wanted to nitpick who deserved more credit between Brady and Belichick when of course, it's the combination that made them succeed. Same for Reid and Mahomes. 

When I see Justin Fields struggling in his first game for the Bears it makes me wonder what he would be like under Reid instead of Nagy. Nagy was a good OC for the Chiefs under Reid with Alex Smith. But again, it takes a team. Maybe he's not the guy you want for your head coach. Or maybe he just needs the right players around him. 

I think Mac Jones is 10x more likely to succeed in the NFL than Zach Wilson not knowing anything about them as players, and knowing everything about the situations they're in.

there's an old saying

So seeing this headline about the Bears gave me a laugh:

NFL 17% Check-In

We're three weeks into a 17-game season. That's 17% of the way through the season. Time for your traditional 17% check-in. 

- - -

I'd like to start in a place that I bet no one else is talking about, because it worked out in the end.

I hated the Packers decision to kick the field goal with 2:39 to go in the game. 4th and 4 from the SF 20. You're already up 3. If you get a touchdown here you can seal the game. I always hate extending a lead from 3 to 6. When a team is trailing by 3 late, they are relatively conservative. They want to get into field goal range. They will kick a field goal on 4th down. But a team trailing by 4-6 points is desperate. They have to get a touchdown. They know they have to drive the whole field so they go deep. When you're aggressive, good things happen. If I'm the Packers, I'd rather have a 3 point lead than a 6 point lead. But I really rather have a 10 point lead. 

4th and 4. You have a chance to win. Take it. Even if you don't get it, they only have the ball on their 20. 

Flashback to the NFC Championship game. Down 8 with 2 minutes to go. 4th and goal from the 8. You need 8 points. Tom Brady is on the other sideline. You have to go for it. The Packers kick a field goal and never see the ball again. 

Packers had a whole offseason to reconsider being aggressive and didn't. 

- - -

The 49ers are down 6. Your objective is not score a touchdown. Your objective is score a touchdown with as little time remaining as possible. You score with 40 seconds left and you let the Packers keep a timeout? With a touchback coming out to the 25, it's not that hard to get into field goal range with 40 seconds and a timeout. You gotta get it under 25 seconds, and you have to make them use their last timeout. 

- - -

Here are the ranking of the top 7 teams by current Vegas odds to win the NFC, with our Calcutta owners:

Bucs - Savan

Rams - Dave

Packers - Dave

49ers - Savan

Seahawks - Niraj

Saints - Kirat

Cowboys - Dave / Cardinals - Matt

Here are the ranking of the top 7 teams by current Vegas odds to win the AFC, with our Calcutta owners:

Chiefs - Mark

Bills - Niraj

Ravens - Matt

Browns - Kirat

Chargers - Matt

Titans - Mark

Broncos - Savan

Vegas not yet a believer in the 3-0 Panthers or Raiders. For Loser Money, there are five 0-3 teams:

Mark's Lions, Kirat's Jaguars and Jets, Matt's Colts and Giants.

- - -

Feeling real good about my Rams and Packers, Matthew Stafford thriving theory, 

Not so good about Pats stealing the division back from the Bills. 

- - -

Chiefs need to get right against the Eagles and then have a huge game against the Bills in Week 5. 

I know I was all galaxy brain that Ravens loss was good for the long-term 2021 outlook of the Chiefs, but uh, they kinda need to win the next two to get back in the hunt. Chiefs will be fighting with Bills for homefield. That game is a monster.

championship hyrdation

If anyone asks why I'm going to the bathroom so much, it's because I don't want to be a selfish teammate.  

moon shots

One of my bucket list projects is taking pictures of the stars and the moon. The Astrophotography features on the Google Pixel is one of the reasons why I got the Pixel 5a. 

It is very good at taking photos of stars, and there will be more to come on that later. However, taking pictures of stars and the moon are very different tasks, even though they both involve trying to capture a photo of a bright point of light very far away on a dark sky.

With stars you can set the zoom at 1x and capture an entire breadth of the night sky. To see the moon, you need to zoom. My Pixel 5a can go to 7x and trying to get a detailed shot is just not very feasible.

For reference, here was the best detailed shot I got of the moon back in 2018 using my dslr:

Not great. 

Here's the best I've been able to get with the Pixel 5a:

Not great either. 

So specifically to get shots of the moon, I would need to upgrade to some combination of telescope + camera setup. (Turns out those are expensive.)

So even though a lot of the fun is the thrill of taking the shot myself, I thought I could at least collect some good shots of the moon, just to enjoy what others have been able to capture. 

Point / Counterpoint: Time for Chiefs to Panic?

Point: The Chiefs have lost 2 of their last three games, and were down 9 late vs the Browns. The Chiefs defense is bad. You can still run all day on them. Meanwhile, despite spending a first round pick on Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the Chiefs running game has not opened up. They're currently third in their division and lost the tiebreaker to the Ravens. Time to smash that panic button. 

Counterpoint: The Chiefs are going to be just fine. As long as Mahomes is your QB, that's an advantage beyond any other in the league. When they needed to drive down the field, Mahomes had them in field goal range immediately. If Edwards-Helaire holds on to the ball, this team is 2-0. This is what a loss with Mahomes looks like. A one point squeaker where fans of the other teams are so excited for a regular season win they print t-shirts or get tattoos.

Galaxy Brain Counterpoint: This loss was good for the Chiefs. There was too much talk about going undefeated. And yes, the defense is a problem. If Mahomes bailed them out again, it would be too easy to ignore the problems. Saban called this the Bluegrass Miracle Phenomenon. The Chiefs needed to lose this game. In 2019, the Chiefs were exposed with back to back losses in weeks 5 and 6. The run defense was a huge problem. Then they faced Derrick Henry in the AFC Championship. The game wasn't close. Then the Chiefs won the Super Bowl. 

kc weather

For the record, today is day 1 of good fall weather. It went from being 80+ yesterday to being 71 today. Just got in from a hoodie walk at 61 degrees at 10pm. 

Because I'm an old man who now cares about the weather, I want to track when it's nice in the fall and spring, and when it's gross hot/humid and when it's too cold. 

best song of 2021

Daily Favorites: Sauce Library

I love sauces. My fridge is always overstocked with condiments. One of the ways that I make quick, healthy homemade dishes is to whip up a sauce in just the portion I need. This year I discovered that nonfat plain greek yogurt (I use Chobani) is a nutritional superstar, with less calories, less carbs and more  protein than even light mayo or light sour cream. It delivers on creaminess with a nice tang and it is perfectly suited for savory applications. So here's 10 sauces I've made with greek yogurt plus a few others I've got in my arsenal.

Creamy Buffalo Sauce
70g nonfat plain greek yogurt
45g Frank's wing sauce

Creamy Italian Dressing
nonfat plain greek yogurt
red wine vinegar
oregano, basil, garlic+ (montreal chicken seasoning)
lemon juice

Southwest Coleslaw Dressing
nonfat plain greek yogurt
red wine vinegar
lime juice
just a touch of no sugar bbq sauce
everything bagel seasoning, garlic+ (montreal chicken seasoning)

Chicken Salad Dressing
85g nonfat plain greek yogurt
45g pickle relish
lemon juice, salt, pepper, fresh dill if you've got it

Creamy Balsamic Dressing
nonfat plain greek yogurt
balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper

Ranch Dip / Spread
nonfat plain greek yogurt
hidden valley ranch powder

Burger Secret Sauce (pictured above)
20g nonfat plain greek yogurt
10g Ketchup
10g Relish
Salt, pepper, garlic powder
Juice from hot peppers

Tzatziki Sauce

1 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt 

¼ cucumber, grated and squeezed

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

juice of half a lemon

pinch of salt and pepper

Homemade Russian Dressing
50g chobani plain nonfat greek yogurt
25g ketchup-style chili sauce
1-2g horseradish
1-2g crystal hot sauce
2g worcestershire
sprinkle smoked paprika
pinch salt

Herbed Yogurt Sauce
85g nonfat greek yogurt
cilantro and dill
salt, pepper, oregano
red wine vinegar or lemon juice (+ lemon zest)
minced onion (optional)

Creamy Green Chile Sauce
50g nonfat greek yogurt
20g green chile salsa
lime zest and lime juice

Teriyaki BBQ
Kikkoman Teriyaki
no sugar BBQ sauce

Lime Crema
1/2 cup light sour cream
juice from half a lime

Seasoned Mayo
light mayo with basil and montreal chicken seasoning 

(or mayo with lemon pepper)

Quick Marinara (for pizza/meatball subs)
Newman's Own tomato & basil pasta sauce
oregano, basil, garlic+, salt, pepper
balsamic vinegar

Spicy Marinara (for pasta)
150g Newman's Own tomato & basil pasta sauce
oregano, basil, red pepper flake, salt, pepper
balsamic vinegar
cherry peppers

disc golf 9.14.21

While I didn't love the course the first time I played it, this course is the best choice during my kid's soccer practice. 

I started off with a magnificent drive, huge distance, great line, looked great. Until it hit a tree. 

On the second hole, I had a long putt for par. And I made it. After the shot I measured it using my size 12 shoes. 28 foot putt. So anything inside 30 is possibly makable for me, but that's about my limit. 

On the 8th, I had a great drive that landed 14 feet from the pin. Made that birdie putt no problem. 

My drive on the 9th hit a tree. So I was left with a 30 foot putt for par and I couldn't make it. 

11 is a seriously tough hole that should really be a par 4. 

- - -

After playing this course three times, I've now gotten legit birdies on holes 3 and 8. And one out of three times, I got a 3 on 13, which I'm considering a par 4. 

This was also my first time getting par on hole 7. 

So far, 4 is my best result on hole 11. 

The rest of the holes, I've parred at least once. 

So if you take the best scores from my three rounds, hole by hole, it would be three birdies, one bogey, and 14 pars for a total of -2 for the round. 

Even if you counted hole 13 as a par 3, it's still two birdies, one bogey, for a round of -1. 

Now I know it's not the same as putting together a round of 18 straight holes at par or better, but it's nice to see that it is possible for me on my best day. 

Never Count Out The Chiefs (1-0 in 2021)

The last time the Browns won in week 1 was 2004. 

But this is not the same old Browns. They won a playoff game in 2021. They came into Arrowhead in the playoffs and were a hair away from winning. This is a team with serious expectations. And they hit the ground running. 

Their first three drives on Sunday:

Touchdown

Touchdown

Touchdown

They were up 22-10 at the half. An encroachment penalty on the first PAT let the Browns go for two. They were up 8-0. Huge momentum boost. 

In the first half it seemed like the Chiefs defense was back to the 2018 vintage. You know the 54-51 game vs the Rams. The Browns were averaging 10 yards a snap and seeing huge holes that you don't usually exist at the NFL level. 

But the game turned into more of a 2019 playoff game. When the Chiefs are trailing by 10, their superpowers get activated. 

Chiefs score a touchdown, force a fumble and add a field goal to make it 22-20. 

But the Browns respond, scoring a touchdown to make it 29-20 with 10:24 to go in the game. Romo says "they're in a great position to possibly win on the road." He was right. But just when you think you can start to count out this team, Mahomes is ready to make you seem foolish. 

Deep pass to Hill, 75 yard touchdown. 14 seconds later it's back to a two-point game. 

The Chiefs D forces a three and out, and on the first Cleveland punt of the game, they drop the snap. 

Three plays later, the Chiefs are up 33-29. What seemed like a safe lead was gone in 3 minutes. 

The Chiefs defense would come up with two more stops to secure the victory. 

- - -

You can never count out Mahomes. It's one of the best feelings as a sports fan, to believe that your guy can come back, and then he does. 

- - -

Arrowhead is back and it's legit now. For a good stretch in the Damon Huard/Brodie Croyle/Matt Cassel/Tyler Palko/Kyle Orton era, the Arrowhead advantage was a joke. Teams came in to KC and beat us up. Announcers would say things like "Arrowhead is a tough place to play" and it's 34-10 Titans before you know it. 

But now, Arrowhead is an advantage. 99% of that is Mahomes and Reid and a great roster, but KC is a tough place to win for other teams. 

In the playoffs with Mahomes, Chiefs are 5-1 at home. The loss was the Dee Ford game that went to overtime and Mahomes didn't get the ball in overtime. The AFC runs through Arrowhead and that's a problem for everyone else. 

- - -

There are lots of things that happen in week 1, that will look strange later in the season. I don't expect the Bills and Titans to be bad all year. I don't think the Texans will win too many more games. 

The Browns and Baker Mayfield did in fact wake up dangerous today. Not a team that you're excited to face in the playoffs. 

BUT the Chiefs won without Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu. Hopefully they got some of the rust off and won't need a huge comeback every week. And when you look at the AFC, the Patriots, Bills and Titans all lost. The Chiefs now own the tiebreaker over the Browns. If you're another team and you don't want to come to Kansas City in January, you're not feeling great after that comeback. 

- - -

Oh yeah, and Mahomes passes Marino for most TDs in first 50 games, passes Warner for most yards in first 50 games. Except Mahomes only needed 47. These next three games are just putting it out of reach for the next guy that comes along.

disc golf 9.7.21

This was my best round of the year. Yes, I played better than when I beat Mark 18-0. My drives were flying. My approaches were solid. My putts were mostly solid.  

Three things were different about today's round.
1. I brought a bag and a towel.
2. It was in the late afternoon.

3. I was walking with urgency as my youngest was at soccer practice.

On hole three, my drive was good but I still left me with an approach shot, not a putt. I was in this situation two days ago, went for it, missed, and had to make a long putt to save par. So this time, I said I'm not going for the basket. I pulled out my approach disc and just try to drop it in the dirt. Except it went in the basket for a legit birdie. 

I was standing behind the blue disc to make this shot.

I was on fire. No one in front of me, I played through 6 holes in 12 minutes and was -1. 

On 7, I had to play through a group and I always tense up and make me worst shots when someone is watching. It's one of the tougher drives into the woods and I sure enough hit the trees.

At any rate, I finished the front nine exactly even which is a neat accomplishment. 

11 is a tricky hole where I got a 5 last time. My drive went into the trees. I did my best to get it out, then approach, then make the putt to claim a bogey. 

I knew the only real chance to make a birdie would be on 13 where I've decided it's actually a par 4 due to it's length. I hit a great drive. And then on my second shot, full send hammer throw so it would fade to the right as the basket is against a line of trees on the right. The second shot was amazing and gave me an easy putt. I still think this should be a par 4 as it required one good drive and an incredible approach. To me that's a birdie effort, not what should be expected. 

So now I was back to even for the round. The dream of an even round is alive. 

But it was short lived. My putt on 14 hit the chains but bounced out. 

With no more birdie-able holes left, I just tried to play solid to finish. On 16, my approach shot was from a ways out. I wasn't trying to make this shot either, but it hit the top of the basket. Didn't go in, but a good shot. 

On 18, I needed the disc to fade to the right to get around a tree that's protecting the basket. I opted for a hammer throw as it's been very reliable and fades to the right. Only problem was this time I was too close for a full send. So I gave it 75% power. The distance was spot on...but turns out when I don't give it the juice it doesn't fade to the right. The distance and line were perfect, but it just curled left at the end and I was left with a 35 foot approach instead of a 10 foot putt. That left a sour taste in my mouth, but still overall a very good round. 

Playing at the end of the day, my shots went farther. I think I was much looser than my usual morning rounds. Also, it was nice that it was dry as every other time it's been very wet early in the morning. I finished 18 holes in 45 minutes.

NFL Calcutta - Post Draft Thoughts

I think the Chiefs are going to win the AFC. By the time I made my first pick, the Chiefs and Bills were off the board, as well as the Browns and Ravens. So I focused exclusively on the NFC. 

Calcutta rewards playoff teams, but specifically division winners. I shared my division predictions in the previous post, but here I'm going to sort them by how confident I am in those picks:

1. Chiefs (Chargers should be good, but I'd be shocked if KC doesn't win this again)

2. Titans (the rest of the division is awful)

3. Bucs (Saints could contest, but TB should have this)

4. Packers (Vikings could challenge)

Those four I think are real solid.

5. Cowboys (I base most of my predictions on quarterback, and I don't think 38-year old Fitzpatrick is the ticket.)

These next three I don't feel confident about at all.

6. Rams (This whole division is good)

7. Steelers (Ravens and Browns should be good)

8. Pats (Bills are favored, so this is kind of a longshot)

So teams like Titans and Pats were on my list, I was hoping to get one of them after my first two picks. I picked Packers and Rams because I think they're Super Bowl contenders in a wide-open NFC. Once the Steelers were off the board at 13, there were 4 teams left that I think make the playoffs: Cowboys, Chargers, Saints and Vikings. The only one that I had as a division winner was the Cowboys, so I traded up to get them. Then I grabbed the Vikings who I think could be a wild-card team but also as insurance for the Packers. With my last pick I grabbed the Eagles because I have stock in Hurts and think it's entirely possible for the Eagles to be good even though no one thinks that. 

If all my predictions came true, here's how the numbers will shake out. 

But all my predictions won't come true. I think Mark has the best chance at being #1 and Matt has the best chance at being #6. Something like this:

Mark

Dave

Savan

Niraj

Kirat

Matt

2021 NFL Preview

Year two of NFL in a pandemic. Neat. The Chiefs have been to back to back Super Bowls. Cool. 

Oh yeah, and now we've got 18 weeks (17 games) and 7 playoff teams in each conference. Let's do this. 

- - -

AFC West

The Chiefs set a franchise record for wins last year and addressed their biggest weakness (O-line) in the offseason. The only thing that can get in their way is a Super Bowl hangover. Meanwhile, the Broncos have already given up on starting Drew Lock and are going with Teddy Bridgewater. Herbert is legit so I like the Chargers to finish 2nd. I expect the Raiders to be about 8-9, Broncos maybe 6-11. 

AFC North

I was pretty spot on last year, but the Steelers and Browns were both better than I thought they'd be. I think the Bengals have a stranglehold on 4th place and will for a while. Ravens, Steelers and Browns should all be good around that 10-11 win area. I know Big Ben is old but the Steelers defense is good. Let's go Steelers 1st, Browns 2nd, and Ravens 3rd. But Baltimore still has a ton of potential to be a top AFC contender. 

AFC East

Bills and Pats will compete for the division with Miami lurking right behind with Tua. Jets finishing in 4th place is a lock. I would bet on the Pats coming back and winning the division once again. 

AFC South

The Colts are relying on Carson Wentz and he's already hurt. The Jags stink and the Texans are a mess. What a yikes division. Titans 1st, Colts 2nd, Jags 3rd, Texans 4th. (Without Watson, Texans are my pick to finish last.)

- - -

NFC West

Seattle has been good for a while, should still be good. 

The Cardinals are on the rise with Murray. 

The Rams upgraded at QB with Stafford

And the 49ers are only a year removed from the Super Bowl, but they might be the weakest team in the division now?

This is the opposite of the AFC South. 

49ers 4th. 

Cardinals 3rd but good.

Seahawks 2nd but a playoff team.

Rams 1st. I have a feeling that Stafford is going to thrive now that he's out of Detroit and there's going to be a million jokes of "how could the Lions not win playoff games with this guy?"

NFC North

I nailed this division last year. I still think Packers come in 1st. Bears and Vikings should both be solid as well. Packers 1st, Vikings 2nd, Bears 3rd.

NFC East

This division was garbage last year. 

Washington is starting Fitzmagic. Philly has Hurts. Dallas has Dak. Giants have Daniel Jones who is 8-18 in his career so far. 

I like Dallas 1st, Philly 2nd. Washington 3rd and Giants 4th.

NFC South

Defending Champs Bucs. Saints with Winston. Panthers brought in Darnold. Falcons...who knows what to think there. Let's go Bucs 1st, Saints, Falcons, Panthers last.

- - -

AFC Playoff Picks

1 Chiefs

2 Pats

3 Steelers

4 Titans

5 Bills

6 Browns

7 Chargers

NFC Playoff Picks

1 Rams

2 Bucs

3 Packers

4 Cowboys

5 Seahawks

6 Saints

7 Vikings

Super Bowl LVI

Chiefs over Packers

holy shit, is it 5782 already?

THIS BLOWS

disc golf 9.5.21

Tried out a new course this morning.

This course didn't have good signage or pars listed. Online it says every hole is par 3, but 13 is so long that I'm calling it a par 4. (I made two long throws and still wasn't in putting range.)

Overall, this course is okay. Lots of holes follow the same formula, simple drive, approach shot, putt. None of the holes gave me any birdie putt chances, so par is as good as I can hope for. 

On the 3rd hole, I had an approach shot on my 2nd that was possibly makable. I went for the basket and the miss left with me with a long putt on my 3rd shot. But I made that, so that was a nice save.

My best shot of the day was on 12. My approach shot hit a tree and left with a putt that was from beyond what I consider makable. But I made it from here anyways.

11 was dumb. I had a semi-makable par putt, missed it long and gave me a hard putt that I missed as well. I immediately used my approach disc and made the par putt on a mulligan but count the original disc as my score.

On 18, I tried to hammer over a tree and instead landed in the tree. 

It was a good change of pace from playing Heritage Park. I might like to try other courses before coming back here.

Weight Loss by Month: August 2021

August 2021 Weight Loss: -4

Here's my weight over the last four months: 

May: 186

June: 183

July: 179

August: 183

My streak of good months is over. But I'm still counting this as a win. 

Since my last check-in, I took two long vacations to Chicago and Asheville, plus a huge steak dinner with Mark in St. Louis and a big 10th birthday celebration for my oldest son. After the Asheville trip I was as high as 188 and right before the birthday weekend I was down to 181. 

So why is this a win again? If I hadn't turned healthy eating into a consistent habit, a month with this many occasions to overeat would just have been a month where I gain 10 pounds. 

Also, by having this monthly structure set up I can track it, be accountable, and aim to course correct. In previous instances, I didn't have any check-ins scheduled so one bad month just spiraled into 6+ months of overeating. So the act of recording a modest weight gain, and not ignoring it, is a serious win.

I also set a personal record for the most I've ever walked in a month. 

My previous monthly record was 205k steps back in October 2017. So I've really blown it out of the water. The trip to Asheville helped. I've played disc golf three times and walked during my kid's soccer practices. But mostly I've just been consistent with walking our dog. 117 miles in a month. That's nuts. 

As an aside, most of these steps have been in my favorite shoes ever, Adidas Lite Racer Adapt 3. I discovered Adidas cloudfoam makes the most comfortable shoe around, and now that I've tried these laceless versions of cloudfoam, I'm never going back. And when you factor in that the best player in the NFL is an Adidas spokesman, I'm going to be brand loyal to Adidas for the foreseeable future. 

- - -

With a September without any special occasions planned, I'm confident I can get back into the 170s.