A Life in Line

I just found out today that I have been accepted to be in the band at Faith Promise Church. I’ll be playing on a two-week rotation, with my first week being November 9. I’m very excited about it. After church today, I went to another membership class there and there were representatives from each ministry there for everyone to talk to. I spoke with a lady who worked in the worship ministry and when she saw my name, she said, “Oh! Chris Eaker! I’ve heard about you! We have been needing a good keyboard player for a long time!” That was cool.

The name of this blog – A Life in Line – is a reference to getting my life in line with the life I want. This will take many forms: my career, my relationships, my spiritual life, my finances, and my health. This post is more general in nature, but could vaguely be classified in the relationships category

You know, sometimes it’s really difficult being an introvert. This country puts alot of weight on being an extrovert. Extroverts are recharged when they interact with other people. Introverts are recharged when they spend time with their own thoughts. I am not an extrovert at all, and I have experienced the admonishment of those extroverts who don’t understand why I just don’t talk more or why I just don’t come out of my shell. I’ve realized that it’s not really that they dislike me, it’s just that they don’t understand me. Unless an extrovert has an introvert as a close friend or family member, they don’t really understand us. They think we are weird. If I had a nickel for every time in my life someone has said to me, “Why don’t you come out of your shell and live a little?” or “You are soooo quiet!” then I would definitely be retired by now (in a small Swiss village in the Alps where I wouldn’t have to socialize with many people, of course!).

On the other hand, I think my introversion has actually helped me in my move to Knoxville. I don’t know anyone here, other than the people I work with so far, so spend alot of time at home by myself. This is not bad, because that’s what I enjoy to do anyway. I do still miss the few friendships that I left in Georgia, but I know it will just take time to develop those here. But overall, I think being an introvert has made this move easier. If I were an extrovert, meaning I got my energy from interactions with other people, then I would probably be depressed.

There are a few misconceptions about being an introvert. I’d like to set the record straight on these.

1. Introverts are socially incompetent. I don’t consider myself a social ninja, but I have no problems interacting with others when I have to. Sometimes, I do struggle initially, but I loosen up fairly quickly.

2. Bring introverted is not the same as being shy. If I had to stand in front of a group of people and give a lecture concerning a topic that I knew alot about, then I would have no problems. I have no problems getting up in front of the church and playing the piano. Assuming that since someone is an introvert he is automatically shy is simply wrong.

3. Introverts are distant or aloof. While I’m sure there are some introverts who really dislike people and would prefer to not associate with anyone, most introverts really do enjoy the company of others. The distinguishing characteristic here between introvert and extroverts is that extroverts must have lots of interaction with others to maintain their sanity. Introverts, on the other hand, don’t need it, but enjoy it in small quantities. A prime example of that is how much I enjoyed my meetings with my small group from church. I looked forward to those meetings, because I love those people, but I didn’t need the meeting to be energized. In fact, I enjoyed the solitude that I got at home after the meetings more than the meetings themselves.

So it is my plea that you extroverts out there cut us introverts some slack. We really are interesting people if you would take the time to get to know us. We’re not weird, just different.

The name of this blog – A Life in Line – is a reference to getting my life in line with the life I want. This will take many forms: my career, my relationships, my spiritual life, my finances, and my health. This post deals with my health.

So far, I’ve been working out consistently for 4 weeks. This week is my 5th. I’ve been going 6 days/week and working out each body part twice weekly. Let me tell you, I’ve really been enjoying it. It’s something I discovered that I enjoyed about 4 or 5 years ago. I had never worked out before in my life, but one day my mom came home and told me she had set up a certain number of personal training sessions for me with a good family friend who was a personal trainer. I didn’t know what to expect, but I agreed to do it. I discovered that I really enjoyed resistance training. (To be clear, I still despise cardiovascular training like running on the treadmill to this day.) These are some of the benefits I discovered about exercise and resistance training in particular:

1. Your metabolism races. When you stress your muscles by causing them to lift and push weights that they are not accustomed to moving, your body has to do alot of rebuilding after the workout it over. Your muscles are constantly in a state of being rebuilt, stronger each time. Since your body is constantly in a rebuilding process, your metabolism remains elevated throughout that time. For example, after a routine of cardiovascular training, your metabolism may remain elevated for approximately 30 minutes after your workout session is over. it will then return to its normal state. However, after a resistance training routine, your metabolism remains elevated for a period of approximately 18-24 hours while the body rebuilds the muscles fibers that were taxed during the workout. In other words, a resistance training routine is more bang for your buck, so to speak, than a cardio routine.

2. More muscle means more calories burned. Ounce for ounce, muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue. That means if you and your friend weigh the exact same on the scale, but you have more muscle mass than he does, you will burn more calories than he does just while sitting down watching TV. Weight training increases muscle mass, thereby increasing your resting metabolic rate.

3. You look good. Let’s face it, toned muscles look good on anyone. We are designed to have a muscular physique, but most of us never achieve it, because we lead a sedentary lifestyle. I’ve been working out consistently going on 5 weeks now and I can see muscles popping through that weren’t there before. I tend to start showing a muscular physique in my shoulders, arms, and chest before anywhere else. This is mainly because I have so much fat to lose around my mid-section that nothing shows there. But I can already see the definition in my biceps, triceps, deltoids (shoulders), and trapezius (upper back). This makes me feel better about myself and look better in my clothes.

4. Sleep like a baby. Since I began my weight training routine 4 weeks ago, I have slept like a rock almost every night. The one night I can remember not sleeping well, was when I ended up drinking my NO-Xplode pre-workout drink (my brother calls it potion), but didn’t make it to the gym. That drink had caffiene in it, so it kept me awake, but that was an isolated event. The norm now is to fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly all night.

5. You can eat more. This is related to number 1, because the fact that your metabolism races allows you to be able to eat more. Also the fact that your body is rebuilding muscle tissue requires that you eat more for fuel and muscle building material. I like this benefit, because I like to eat. Before I started working out, I would eat a big lunch and be full for the remainder of the day. Now, if I eat a big lunch, I am hungry again around 6 for dinner, because my body has already burned it all up.

These are just some of the many benefits of weight training. I have told people who were just getting into weight training and who were complaining about the soreness that I actually welcome the soreness now. They think I’m crazy. Initially, when you first start working out, you will be in pain, but it only lasts about a week to two weeks max. Once you get past that threshold, the pain goes away and what remains is just soreness. This soreness is actually a good feeling, because it is an indication that your body is becoming stronger.

I have started a new blog. Whereas this blog is about my personal life, the new blog is about my interest in livable cities. The address is placemaking.wordpress.com. Please check it out when you have the chance.

I had my audition last night for playing in the band at Faith Promise Church where I have been visiting. I really believe I did great. I could tell that they were impressed, but they did not give me an answer last night. They said I would hear from them later this week. But I could just tell that they liked what they heard.

It’s quite a time commitment though. The church currently has three weekend services and will be adding a fourth soon. There is a Saturday evening service and two Sunday morning services. During the two Sunday morning services in the main sanctuary, there is a concurrent service in another auditorium called Satellite I. Each service has a live band playing. The sermon is live in the main sanctuary and simulcast in the satellite sanctuary. It’s complicated. There are four bands and two bands play each weekend, one in the main sanctuary and the other in the satellite sanctuary. Then the other two bands play the next weekend. So on the weekends that I am scheduled to play (every other weekend), I would be playing at three services (four when they add the fourth service). Rehearsals are Tuesdays at 6 and they last until around 9 or 10 at the latest. Oh and once a month, they have a Wednesday night service the band that is scheduled to play that weekend plays at the Wednesday night service. So every other month or so I will be playing four times in a week. It’s alot of time, but it’s something I enjoy so much that I don’t think it will be a burden.

This evening I get to try out for the band at Faith Promise Church. So for the past week, I’ve been practicing the songs they want me to play. I’ll be playing along with the CD during the audition. These are the four songs:

1. Hosanna by Hillsong
2. Salvation is Here by Hillsong
3. Say So by Israel Houghton
4. Glory in the Highest by Chris Tomlin

We only have to play through about the first 30 seconds of each one, so I’m not too worried about it. I’ve pretty much got them memorized. I’ll probably keep my music up there with me just in case I go blank. I’ll post something on here tomorrow to let everyone know how I did.

Last weekend, I posted an article about some Knoxville Coffee Shops. One of the coffee shops I spoke about was Java Old City. This is what I said about it then:

This one is located on South Central Street in downtown in the older, more eclectic and artsy part of town called Old City. It reminds me of a mix between Little Five Points and Virginia Highlands in Atlanta. I walked by it today while I was downtown and thought about going in, but I felt like I would be out of place. The people I saw walking in and those I could see through the windows sitting inside were the type of people one would see in Little Five in Atlanta. I knew that area of town reminded me of Little Five, and I was right. I didn’t even go in today. I’m not giving up on it however, but I believe I would prefer to have someone with me when I go.

Well, today I decided to give a try. I drove downtown and parked in the public parking garage and walked over to Java Old City. There were four guys sitting right outside the door smoking cigarettes, so I had to walk through a cloud of smoke to get in. But once I was inside, it was much better. The place had a nice atmosphere. I’d describe it as eclectic. There were people just sitting around with their laptops. It’s a good sign to see that people like to stay there for longer than just the few minutes it takes to grab a cup of joe.

All in all, I liked it and I would definitely go back. I’m still awaiting the opening of Remedy Coffeehouse, which is just steps away from Java Old City.

I just finished my first week of work at my new job. The company is called McGill Associates, P.A., and it’s based in Asheville, NC. There are offices in Pinehurst and Hickory, NC; Greenville, SC; and Sevierville, TN, in addition to the Knoxville office I work in. The office has around 15 people in it in three departments: water/wastewater, civil/site, and surveying. I work in the water/wastewater group. My boss is very nice. My coworkers are also very nice. They were all very welcoming to me. The greatest thing is that I have an office. This is the first time I’ve ever had an office, so I am very excited. It’s also an office on the perimeter of the building, so I have windows. There are offices without windows, so I’m thankful to be able to see outside. I didn’t do much billable work this week, but my boss said that was typical. He called it the calm before the storm. They have alot of backlog work, so I expect that I will be pretty busy soon.

The name of this blog – A Life in Line – is a reference to getting my life in line with the life I want. This will take many forms: my career, my relationships, my spiritual life, my finances, and my health. This post deals with my health.

I just got back from the gym after a very good workout. I warmed up on the treadmill for a few minutes, then ran for 5, then cooled down for a few. Then I went to the weight room and worked out my chest and biceps. I am pretty fatigued right now, but I felt good after the workout. Then, on the way home, I pulled into F.A.T.S. BBQ and got a large chopped pork sandwich for lunch. That’s right. After a great workout, I sabotaged it with a barbecue sandwich. I don’t know why I do this. Eating has always been my weakest link. I can get involved in a workout routine and go at it religiously for months – even years – without missing a day. But I just can’t get my eating to line up with my exercising. I once read that no amount of exercise can overcome a bad diet. I believe it, because no matter how much I workout, I will never lose weight if I eat like this. It’s frustrating.

I’ve read some health-related blogs and it seems to be the consensus that you have to make small incremental changes. My friend Sally over at Aprovechar has a great article on the six unconventional elements to her weight loss. The third item describes how she, like me, is an all-or-nothing type person. She said that her past attempts at weight loss always failed, because she dove head first into the deep end and realized that it’s hard to make so many changes all at once. I’ve been through the same thing. I have started Body-for-LIFE so many times, I’ve lost count. The problem is that I have not finished Body-for-LIFE even once. The longest I’ve done it was 4 weeks. I remember that time. It was tough doing the workouts, the cardio routines, the six meals per day. But I sure did lose weight and felt great. But it was too much all at once.

I have to overcome this hurdle if I am ever going to be healthy. Not only do I have to overcome the hurdle of always wanting to eat something unhealthy, but I also have to overcome the hurdle of my not wanting to cook at home. Many people would be surprised to hear that I eat out 99.9% of all meals. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The 0.01% that I do not eat out is when I am invited to a friend’s house for dinner. I’ve attempted to get on the cooking-at-home bandwagon countless times, but I usually last only a week or two at the most. Then all the food I have purchased goes to waste. I really believe that part of the reason I hate eating at home is that I would have to eat alone. At least at the restaurant there are other people, even though I don’t know them. I’m sure that if I had someone to eat with, I would eat at home. I also hate the cleanup. I know these are hurdles that must be overcome. There are some people and families that never eat out. That is so far from my situation that it’s almost impossible for me to comprehend.

Anyway, this was mainly just a vent post. I am working towards being healthy and this is just one of the many hurdles that I must overcome. It will be a long road, but it will be worthwhile in the long-run.