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  ## The Hidden Side Effect: When "Add to Cart" Becomes an Urge Most of us think of medication side effects in terms of physical symptoms—drowsiness, weight changes, or a dry mouth. But there is a specific, documented side effect of **Abilify (aripiprazole)** that hits somewhere else entirely: **your wallet.** ### **The Dopamine "Tug-of-War"** Abilify is unique because it is a *partial dopamine agonist*. While many medications simply block dopamine, Abilify can actually stimulate the reward centers of the brain. For some, this "turns up the volume" on the brain's search for a dopamine hit, leading to **impulse control disorders.** The FDA has officially warned that this can manifest as:  * **Compulsive Shopping:** An uncontrollable urge to buy, even when you don't need the items.  * **Hyper-Gaming:** Buying every new release or spending heavily on microtransactions.  * **Gambling or Binge Eating:** Other forms of "reward-seeking" behavior...

  April 20th – Warm Weather, Good Company, and a Quiet Dog at Home Today was one of those spring days that just settles into your bones in the best way. Dad, Dixie, and I headed out for a walk, and even with the 20 kg (45 lb) pack on my back, we kept a solid pace. The forecast said we’d hit 24°C, and you could feel that warmth building as we moved. By the time we finished, I was comfortable enough to switch into shorts — a rare treat this early in the season. We covered 3.77 km , and at one point I took a break by the pond, sitting for about ten minutes while waiting for my walking friend. The water was calm, the air warm, and it felt like the whole world was taking a breath with me. My heart rate topped out at 134 bpm , averaging 115 bpm , mostly in the easy zone with a bit of warm‑up zone mixed in thanks to that peaceful pause by the water. Dad made a comment that stuck with me — “One more rain and the leaves will just pop open.” He’s right. You can already see the buds swelling...

  Easy Effort, Good Rhythm, and Spring Energy This afternoon’s run with Dixie was exactly what I needed — simple, steady, and full of that early‑spring energy that makes getting outside feel effortless. We headed out for a relaxed 2 km loop, and the pace reflected the intention: nothing rushed, nothing forced, just moving together and enjoying the moment. The route wound along familiar paths, and the map from the run shows those little shifts in pace that come naturally when you’re running with a dog who’s curious about everything. Dixie kept a good rhythm beside me, happy to be out again, and the whole run had that calm, companionable feel we’ve settled into over time. What really stood out today was how balanced the effort felt. The heart‑rate breakdown shows almost the entire run sitting right in the Easy and Aerobic zones — 10:56 in Easy and 10:26 in Aerobic — which is exactly the kind of work that builds endurance without beating up the body. It’s the kind of run that quietly ...

 Late‑Night Miles, Warm Air, and One Happy Dog Tonight turned into one of those unexpectedly perfect running nights. I got off work a bit early, and even though it was already nine, Dixie was buzzing with that “let’s go” energy. So we headed out for a run under the streetlights, the air still holding onto the warmth from a day that climbed up to around 20°C. It was warm enough that by the time we got home, the house was sitting at 75°F — about 23.8°C — definitely on the toasty side for this time of year. I’ve still got all the windows open because I’m refusing to turn on the AC this early in the season. The run itself felt solid. Dixie was excited right from the start, ears up, tail going, ready to move. She’s had a spoiled day — I took her for a walk, Kim took her for a walk, and then she still had the energy for a run. She kept a great pace beside me, and we even stopped for one photo along the way. There were signs everywhere reminding people to pick up after their dogs, which m...

After 14 days off, a simple hike sparks new plans for travel and staying smoke‑free I definitely need some time off after some nights of work that kept me up... Back on the Trail After 14 Days After a two‑week slump, the dog and I finally got out for a proper walk — 4.23 km in 54 minutes. Nothing heroic, nothing dramatic, just steady movement and a reminder that my body still knows how to do this. Most of my heart rate stayed in the easy and aerobic zones, which is exactly what I needed. I always feel better on the days I get my heart rate up, and today was no exception. The dog was thrilled, of course. She doesn’t care about my slumps or my excuses — she just knows when we’re out together, and she’s happy. The Quit‑Smoking Birthday and a Sleep‑Deprived Purchase I’ve been thinking a lot about my quit‑smoking birthday coming up. Last year I celebrated with an Xbox. This year… well, the plan changed in the middle of a sleep‑stupor after a night shift. Instead of heading to the gas statio...

 This season is teaching me a quieter kind of strength: absorbing more than I complain about, moving through uncertainty without letting it own me, and choosing presence over prediction. A Walk, a Weight, and a Winter That Wouldn’t Let Go This morning the dog and I finally broke the spell. We met my dad at 10:15 for a walk — nothing dramatic, nothing heroic, just the three of us moving through the cool air while I hauled a 45‑lb pack on my back. We covered 3.65 km in 45 minutes , settling into a steady 12:16/km pace . Not fast, not slow, just honest. The kind of pace that reminds you your body still knows how to work, even when your mind has been stuck in neutral. Dixie had a blast. She’s been staring out the window all week, waiting for something to happen, waiting for me to get out of my own way. She deserved this one. Maybe I did too. The Weight Behind the Weight I’ve been calling it executive dysfunction — that strange paralysis where you know a walk would help, you know you’d...

 A day of movement, connection, and carrying forward the pieces of family that still matter. Cold Air, Good Pace, and Keeping Legacies Alive Today had that mix of movement, memory, and small gifts that somehow add up to something bigger. Dixie and I headed out for a walk, pack loaded to 45 lbs, settling into a steady pace that felt strong without pushing too hard. We covered 2.89 km in 35 minutes , and my heart rate stayed in the easy zone for 33 of those minutes —the kind of effort that feels sustainable, almost meditative. Dixie trotted along beside me, curious as ever, and we stopped by the watershed where the pond still held a thin layer of ice. That cold patch of air hit instantly, the kind that reminds you winter isn’t quite done with us yet. Someone decided to join me for the walk, which is always a bonus. Company changes the rhythm in a good way. And I gifted my brother his weighted pack—though he didn’t carry it this time, the gesture still felt right. In return, he ha...

Two Walks, Two Maps, and a Whole Lot of Weight Today was a double‑hike day for Dixie and me, which is why you’ll see two heart‑rate graphs and two maps in the screenshots. The reason is simple: I went out with a 65‑lb pack for 1.8 km and came back with a 45‑lbs. 1.8 km back home, for a total of 3.6 km hike today. My training status back into maintaining with out dipping back to detraining just stayed in a dip of recovery til i got back in maintaining again.  its my second maintaining training status since my back pain went came and went in October and November. I dropped twenty pounds on the return trip because I gifted my dad two ten‑pound weights. Bone density depends on load and movement, and he’s been wanting to make his walks more effective without making them impossibly long. It felt good to hand those weights over—partly because it helps him, and partly because, selfishly, I’m trying to build up my walking crew. Walking with people is great, but the pace mismatch can be r...

  Short Walks, Heavy Packs, and Showing Up Anyway You’ve been stacking some real momentum, and it shows. Carrying close to 300 lbs between you and the pack, moving at a steady 17‑minute pace, and keeping your heart rate mostly in Zone 2 is no small thing—especially on days when just getting out the door feels like the real workout. Bumping the pack weight by another 35 lbs and still holding form says a lot about where your base fitness is sitting now. These short, heavy walks are becoming their own kind of ritual: a reminder that progress doesn’t always look dramatic, but it does look consistent. Even pausing out front afterward, letting the body settle, becomes part of the rhythm. Dixie trotting along beside you, the quick clip you filmed just to mark that you showed up, and the memory of yesterday’s 65‑lb effort all stack together into something bigger than a single walk. It’s a pattern of choosing to move, even when you’re tense about how much you’ve lifted or how heavy the pac...

 A Short Riverside Walk With Joe, a Hill Climb, and a Happy Dog Today’s walk with Joe felt like exactly the kind of small adventure that keeps me moving forward. We met up down by the riverside and decided to take the hill up and down once—simple, but enough to wake up the legs and lungs. Dixie even got to wear the camera for a moment, and she absolutely loved it. I, on the other hand, spent the whole time imagining it falling off into the coulees, so the camera ended up clipped onto me instead. She didn’t mind; she was too busy enjoying the trail. We covered 1.84 km in 27 minutes while carrying 30 lbs, which is a solid bit of work for a casual outing. The temperature was a comfortable +8°C, one of those mild Alberta days that tricks you into thinking spring is closer than it is. Snow is supposedly coming in two days—classic Alberta—but for now the warmth made the climb feel good. Any elevation is good elevation, and honestly, the healthiest thing we can do is keep choosing stairs...

AI Demand Is Reshaping the Console Market The console market is entering one of the most unpredictable periods we’ve seen in years. With memory and CPU prices climbing, largely due to AI companies buying up massive amounts of hardware, the entire industry is feeling the squeeze. Steam has already hinted that their next Steam Machine may be priced out of the market entirely if current component costs continue to rise. It’s a sign of how dramatically the landscape is shifting. At the same time, both Xbox and PlayStation appear to be delaying their next‑generation consoles. These delays aren’t random—they’re tied directly to the rising cost of components and the difficulty of securing enough supply to hit a reasonable launch price. Even Nintendo, traditionally the most affordable of the big three, has raised the price of its upcoming hardware by about $200, and that’s just for the console alone. No bundle, no game included. If these trends continue, the next wave of consoles could easily ...

 Dixie Leading the Way as Daylight Fades Walking the dog tonight, I caught a great photo of Dixie leaning into me, almost like she was saying thanks for one last decent winter walk before the snow rolls in. If dogs can sense the weather turning, she definitely felt it—she was buzzing with excitement the whole way. We stopped by the river to check the water level, and it was higher than I expected, the ice completely gone. This time of year, that water is deathly cold, so I made sure to loop the leash around her before we got too close. She listened right away, no fuss, just that quiet trust she always gives. She’s a good dog, through and through. Up on the edge of the coulee, we paused for a quick photo in the last bit of daylight, the sky fading out faster than I expected. I’ve stopped tracking Dixie’s active minutes, but part of me knows it would push me to get out for more walks again. I might go back to a month‑to‑month subscription, though the tracker looks huge on her, and I ...

Easy Pace, Zone 3, and a Night That Felt Like Therapy   Tonight’s run with Dixie felt like one of those small adventures that sticks with you. We headed out at 7 p.m. for a dark February run, and somewhere along the path a whole pack of deer drifted toward us like shadows. I tried to catch them on the vlog, but the camera didn’t quite pick them up—and the moment felt longer and more dramatic in person than it looks on video. Still, it was a good outing: ten minutes of running, seventeen minutes of walking, and just over a third of the whole session done at a run. Not bad at all for a winter evening. I felt good, tired in the right way, and aware that I’ve got a six‑day week ahead of me. I’m both excited and anxious for it, but I need the money, and the cold weather coming probably means busy days. Busy is good. Dixie has been glued to my side ever since we got home. She’s sitting beside me now, perfectly content after being fed, watered, and taken out for a run. Moments like this...