Barack Obama killed my Toshiba Laptop...

Well, he wasn't even president for 24 hours and I turned on my laptop the next morning and after a very long pause while the BIOS loaded up... I got the dreaded "No Operating System" message. After a few more attempts, I loaded the BIOS settings and noticed the hard drive was not even listed. Coincidence ? I think not...

Okay, that first paragraph was more than just a "little" silly, but it brings to mind a report I saw on television a while back where a 30-something couple who chalked up 50,000 in credit card debt and were about to have their house foreclosed on were blaming both the credit card companies and GWB for their financial woes. Now when it comes to presidents doing a crappy job, I'll gladly put Bush in that category, but I really don't think "W" took their credit card and went on a spending spree (he was probably too busy mismanaging two wars, torturing people, and otherwise being an inept president to have the time to spend dough- other than the taxpayer's money). So for this couple to blame the president for their financial woes just seemed silly.

Getting back to Obama (and God help him do a good job the next four years- America needs a strong president now), we all have high hopes for him, but I myself have decided that I am going to be successful whether or not he fixes the economy. I think he touched on that in his inaugural speech. It was good to have a president talk about personal responsibility, because that's what we need in this country- people who have a positive mental attitude and are willing to not "ask what your country can do for you" but rather ask "what you can do for your country."

As for the laptop (which Obama didn't have anything to do with breaking just as Bush didn't really help keep it running) it was three years old and probably on the verge of a breakdown anyway. Seemed like a bad omen until I happened to stumble upon a nice Dell desktop that was being thrown away at work. It's maybe four or five years old, but it is something which I can build on (Dell usually builds computers with flexibility and expendability in mind) and with a little extra RAM and a larger hard drive, I'll be ready for Windows 7 when it comes out (if I don't make the jump to Linux). And I've decided my next laptop will be a Mac...

I've taken a few off days from the weight loss thing, but will be back on the bandwagon tomorrow. Only gained a few pounds: 220 lbs, fat: 32%. I needed a little break in the action...

Random thoughts on MLK day...

Couldn't think of a proper post, so...

• Just comparing the forecast for the next couple of days for here (Denver) and back home (Central Florida). Over the next couple of days, it is going to be warmer here than where I am from- close to 70's for the high and upper 30's for the low, while Central Florida will be in the 50's for the high temp and in the upper 20's/low 30's overnite. And that really does scare me- the thought that New Yorkers and other people from that neck of the woods might decide to vacation here to get away from the cold instead of Florida gives me nightmares of those days when I lived in Florida and had to hear "That's not how we do it in New Yawk!"

• Remembered why I am glad I am the "Site Accounting Rep" at a truck stop rather than working the counter today. I was helping out at the register today so someone could go on break for a few minutes when a trucker came in who smelled really bad. I don't just mean "haven't bathed in a week" bad- I mean it's been a looooooong time (months, perhaps years) since this puppy took a shower. Feeling bold because I really don't have a boss on location, I told him, "Hey, someone left their shower coupon here for a free shower. Would you like it ?" I was told "Naw, I don't need it"...
  
• Speaking of customers, I was reminded of one of the biggest incentives to losing weight today as I saw three really fine girls with their boyfriends today. I don't judge guys (usually), but none of these guys were really that good looking (probably less "cute" than me). And they didn't seem to be the type of guys with a lot of money. But they were skinny...
• Seeing that Cellist Yo-Yo Ma is performing at the inauguration reminds me of the time I had my late mother in the car with me(who liked classical music) and ever sensitive to her taste in music asked her if she liked Yo-Yo Ma to which she replied, "I don't want to hear any loud rap music!"

Yo-Yo Ma- all the girlies say he's pretty fly for a yellow guy !

Weight: 219.5, Body Fat: 32.5%

Thoughts on our soon to be new president...

Before I talk about our president elect... I guess I should mention where I lie on the political spectrum so that is on the table and everyone knows where I am coming from. I am decidedly Libertarian in my outlook , but tend to vote Republican most of the time simply because voting Libertarian seems to be a futile gesture and I like to make my vote count for something like it did in Florida in 2000 when I voted for Bush and was part of the 500 something votes which put Bush over the edge (unlike the thousands of senior citizens in Palm Beach County who mistakenly voted for Pat Buchanan when they meant to vote for Al Gore). So yes, I admit I voted for W. Go ahead and blame me for the mess this country is in. I deserve any flaming comments you can dish my way (especially since I voted for him again in 2004).

Getting back to our President-Elect Barack Obama- I voted for McCain simply because I think Obama is too liberal for my tastes. It has absolutely nothing to do with the color of his skin- there are African-Americans I would vote for without hesitation some of them Democrats such as Sanford Bishop or Harold Ford, Jr. (who got screwed over by one of the most overtly racist ads by the GOP in my lifetime). What did hold me back from voting for Obama was a record which was just too far from the center for me to support... I wasn't thrilled with McCain either for that matter.

But the election is over and I think I am just as excited as any Obama supporter about the inauguration. It is truly going to be a special day- one I thought would possibly ever happen in my lifetime. It does say a lot about the progress we've made in this country, and regardless of how much I disagree with him politically, he will be my president and I truly hope he does a good job.

I think he's got a tough job ahead of him and I do believe him when he says he is willing to lay politics aside to get the job done, and I hope Republicans will give him a chance. The argument I've heard many Republicans make is that the Left never gave W much of a chance, and maybe that's somewhat true (although W really didn't help his cause any- being very charitable in my assessment of GWB, he was a mediocre president at best).

So those of you who don't like Obama for whatever reason... I think you owe it to our country, our (soon to be) president, and your fellow Americans to support Barack Obama and pray that he will make the right decisions. True patriotism is supporting our elected officials regardless of what party they belong to...

Weight: 220.5, Body Fat: 32.5%

Happiness is...

Three days before payday and still having $$$!!!

Weight:222 Body Fat: 32%

Jim Rice is (finally) in the Hall of Fame

Most people who know me know I really don't follow professional sports, I've been a bigger college sport fan as an adult. There are a number of reasons for that, but at one time I was a huge fan of pro sports- including major league baseball. The Red Sox were always my team growing up and Jim Rice was always somewhat of a hero to me (I did get to meet him once- when the Red Sox used to train in Winter Haven, Florida which was only 11 miles from where I grew up during my teen years). I found him to be a very nice person and down to earth, unlike some of the professional athletes I've met over the years.

So it is with some happiness that someone who was an idol of mine has finally made it to the HoF after the 15th (and final time) eligible. What took so long ? I think it was a few things. His lifetime average (see lifetime stats here) was .298. Take out his final three injury plagued years (.277,.264, and .234) and he would have been comfortably over .300 and probably would have been close to automatic. He was consistently one of the leaders in home runs every year, yet he had the misfortune of becoming eligible for the Hall of Fame in the "juiced" era of major league baseball. Jim Rice never took steroids- he had natural power. Rice's 46 home runs in 1978 (the second best was only 34 and the tenth best was 27) is much more impressive than the steroid soaked 2001 season in which Bonds had 73, Sosa had 64, and number ten was at 38. Get a time machine, transport a 25 year old Jim Rice to 2001 and give him steroids and he would have hit 100 home runs that year. But I suspect Jim Rice would have never taken steroids even in an era where everyone else did.

Another thing about Jim Rice is that he stayed in Boston his entire career when he probably could have gone elsewhere and made more money. How many of today's baseball stars are happy spending their career with one team instead of "playing the field" ? Oh, and Rickey Henderson made it, but that was sort of a no brainer...

The weight keeps coming off.

Well, just by doing a couple of quick (30 minute) cardios a day and making a few simple changes to my diet (eating 6 small 300 calorie meals a day, no soda- except for one cheat meal a week) I've managed to lose 14.5 pounds so far this year. Right now I stand at 221.5 pounds and 33.0% body fat. Looking back at my six month goals:

• To be under 190 pounds.
• To be under 25% body fat.

I still have a long way to go, but it looks like I am right on schedule to be where I need to be on July 1st (my 40th birthday).

This week brings more changes. I haven't really done much in the way of weight training, but I plan on starting to pump iron three times a week this afternoon. I am also going to start increasing my protein intake and use up the 6 (partially used) tubs of muscle milk I have.

I have decided to set a short term goal of 210 lbs and 30% body fat by the end of the month. That'll be tough but it is doable- but I'll definitely have to kick it up a notch. My last two attempts at getting into shape I jumped off the bandwagon at around 212 pounds, so this is do or die...

I've taken a "before" picture, but have decided not to post it until I have something to compare it to... probably at the end of the month, the changes will start to show in pictures...

Pet Peeve of the Week: The Bailout of... the Porn Industry ?

I've been waiting for an opportunity to speak my mind about the bailout of the banks and the auto industry, but really haven't had a good opening until now... My epiphany came last night at the gym on the treadmill as I gazed at the TV in front of me. At the bottom of the screen was the caption: "Porn Industry Bailout." I at first thought that maybe CNN had decided that being the liberal cable news network of record and getting trounced by Fox News wasn't enough so they had decided to become a cross between Comedy Central and Playboy Channel, but then watched the closed caption carefully as I worked out. Indeed the Porn Industry is seeking a bailout...

So my thoughts about a Porn Industry bailout ? Well I'll get back to them in a minute. First, I want to give you a flashback from almost five years ago as I sat in my bedroom listening to some debris bouncing against the outside of the house as I lived in Central Florida enduring the third major hurricane in 5 weeks...

(telephone ringing)

I run across the room to answer the phone thinking maybe a member of my family or a friend might be in danger or in some sort of hurricane related trouble.

Me: Hello ?
My friends at GMAC: Hello, is this (my name) ?
Me(in a scared tone thinking maybe it was the police telling me a loved one is dead due to Hurricane Jeanne): Yes it is.
My friends at GMAC: I'm calling from GMAC Finance and was just wondering when you plan on making your car payment. You are 14 days behind your scheduled payment.
Me: Well, I have the money and would make the payment, unfortunately, there's a tree blocking my driveway so I can't drive my car down to the post office which is closed incidently because right now there are category three hurricane winds outside.
My friends at GMAC(after a pause): Well we just want to let you know this is the third time this year you've been late on your car payment and there is no excuse for it. You'd better get it taken care of immediately or we will have to take drastic measures...

About a week later, I laughed as I heard a commercial on the radio in which GMAC said they were sympathetic to the needs of hurricane victims, blah, blah, blah, etc...

So ever since then, I haven't been a fan of GM Motors or any of the "Big Three" for that matter. And so when I heard they were in trouble and needed a government bailout, I was, quite frankly, offended that my tax money would go to bailing out the auto industry.

Getting back to a porn industry bailout for a moment- I don't really look at porn anymore because I've been trying to make positive changes in my life. I have in the past, though, and don't really have anything against the porn industry for the most part other than it being a waste of time- I have dated a few strippers in the past(note to self: never date girls in the "adult entertainment industry" again), but I think a great deal of Americans, perhaps even most, would be offended if our government were to bailout the porn industry. So I am against a bailout of the porn industry because I don't think that the government should bailout an industry which a great many people find offensive. Likewise, I would hope that even though it is nostagic to root for the American automakers for many Americans, I would hope that many would be opposed to a bailout of the Big Three because it offends me (and perhaps others- such as those who almost faced death escaping from a Ford Pinto which exploded many years ago). And I'm sure there are those who hate banks and don't want them bailed out either (come to think of it, I'm in that club as well which is why I bank at a credit union).

So the only solution I see is to not bailout any industry lest we offend anyone. Does that mean the porn industry is going to go belly up ? Well no, there are enough dirty old men out there that the smart smut operators will still make money, even in the worst of economies. How about the auto industry ? Well, I think that cars have wider market appeal than porn and the smart automakers out there will find a way to survive- sadly the smart ones seem to be either Japanese or German ones... which means GM might have to have a garage sale and spin off Cadillac, Buick, Saturn, Pontiac, etc and just become Chevrolet Motors to survive. I'm sure GM et al can think of some way to survive. If not, they can become the 21st century equivalent of the milkman industry which failed to plan ahead and didn't see what 7-11's meant to their future until it was too late. Smart industries plan ahead, stupid ones fail... that's called free enterprise.

Speaking of free enterprise, you want a free enterprise solution to our economic woes ? How about the government remember the Constitution which says "We the People" ? and bail out the American taxpayer... like give every American taxpayer $100,000. Tell the banks and auto industry they're on their own. That would cost less than the bailout of corporate giants in the long run and indirectly help those industries in need. A bunch of people would go out and buy cars which would help the auto makers. Hell, even if the auto industry still went belly up, the auto workers would have money to survive for a while and maybe even go to college. People in jeopardy of foreclosure would save their mortgage and others would put money in the bank so that bankers could go back to playing golf all day and having expensive junkets to the Bahamas. And yes, many a dirty old man would go out and buy lotsa porn saving the porn industry from imminent collapse.

But that solution would be too simple. Yes, it would be a huge bill and would certainly cause galloping inflation like we've never seen before in this country, but we'd be out of the pickle we're in and for once, we'd help everyone in America equally instead of corporate giants who got themselves (and us for that matter) in a huge mess. People might even start getting milk delivered to their house recreating that industry which the government never bothered to bail out years ago...

Weight: 223 pounds Body Fat: 33%

To cheat or not to cheat...

I've done a lot of reading on fitness, weight loss, and dieting and one of the more controversial subjects is "cheat meals". In the world of bodybuilding, cheat meals do seem to be more accepted than those in conventional weight loss diet circles. As a matter of fact, I remember a few years back when I was doing Atkins and announced after a month of Atkins that I was going to have a cheat day where I eat whatever I wanted. It was one of the most active posts ever on the Atkins forum I belonged to.

One of the things I was firm about when I decided to transform my body this year was that I was going to have a cheat meal every week. The only thing I was indecisive about was what day of the week I would have the cheat meal on. I chose Friday since it is the end of the workweek.

Yesterday, at the end of my shift at the truck stop work at, I had the all-you-can-eat-ribs, garlic bread, and fries... it was very yummy. Oh and I had a few glasses of mountain dew.

So should one cheat when trying to lose weight ? I encourage other people who are trying to lose weight and improve the way their body looks to consider the facts:

• There's a school of thought which uses the drinking binge analogy: That is, if you are a recovering alcoholic and stop drinking and then all of a sudden decide to indulge one night, you'll relapse into your old ways. That's a valid point since many people do have some sort of food addiction. On the other hand, I don't think it's a really good analogy since your body doesn't need alcohol, while in a way, we are all "addicted" to food since we all need to eat every day. Food is a very unique temptation- you just can't get away from it. And telling someone that they can never ever have their favorite food is only setting them up for failure. Eating a cheat meal once a week is a way to practice for that happy day when you finally reach your goal and your body is where it should be. Then you'll be tempted to cheat all the time. They key is to decide in advance when to have your cheat meals, not to make them a spur of the moment decision. Then you are in control of the binge.

• There is some research which indicates that a cheat meal might not be all that bad and might be beneficial from a weight loss standpoint. Think of it this way: you've been taking in less calories than you've burned all week. Your body doesn't know you're trying to loss weight, instinctively it is going to eventually react as if there were a famine: it's going to slow down your metabolism, hold onto to its fat stores, and generally cause you to plateau. By breaking the diet periodically, you are telling your body there is no famine. I've done it before- where my weight loss stagnates and then I have a cheat day, gain a pound or two and then lose the weight I gained and then almost like magic I continue to lose weight again.
  

The key is to not feel guilty when you have your cheat meal- if you've been craving a certain food- go for it. If you want a soda with your meal- go ahead. And then when it's done and your stuffed, smile as you take your post-feast nap knwoing you just had a good meal and then maybe have a vigorous work-out when you wake up.

I enjoyed my all-you-can-eat-ribs yesterday, went home, took a nap, and then decided to do a one hour cardio session to burn off some of what I ate(20 minutes each on the elliptical, treadmill, and bike). I weighed myself this morning as I do every morning. I had the same exact weight as the day before, but my body fat went down .5%.

Weight: 224 pounds, Body Fat: 33.0%

Snow in Miami...

I posted this story on my previous blog... but it's one which I will repeat here as well. It's a true story and it's one I share a lot with people I know, especially when talking about prayer and faith in God or when the subject of snow comes up:

I didn't always live in snowy Colorado. I've lived most of my life in the Sunshine state- my first twelve years in Miami. One day in December of 1976, my mother was having Bible readings with me and my three sisters and she was talking to us about praying and how faith could move mountains. My older sister asked if God could do anything. My mother told her if we had enough faith, then God could do the impossible.

My sister asked if God could make it snow in Miami. My mother thought for a minute and then seemed to backtrack a little, but finally, she conceded that if we had enough faith, even God could make it snow in Miami.

I started adding that to my list of things to pray for at bedtime...

What happened ? You can read another version of the story here.

On a very cold January morning in Mrs. Carter's second grade class- I remember paying attention to the teacher when we heard a commotion outside the classroom, and then heard someone yelling, "Snow!" I looked outside the window and there were white flakes coming down from the sky. Instantly, there was a mad rush to the door as Mrs. Carter yelled for everyone to get back to their seat to no avail. It wasn't much snow and it didn't stick to the ground, but it was snow falling...

Skeptics might say that snow probably happens once every thousand years or maybe two or three thousand years in the South Florida area and that the fact that I prayed for snow that winter was a coincidence, but it has always been proof to me that God does answer prayer, sometimes in unexpected ways...

The BCS Championship

Yawn. An overrated Big 12 team with the "best offense ever" gets thrashed by a team from Florida in the championship game. I think I already saw that movie...

Anyway, as a 'Cane fan it pains me to say this: "Congratulations Gators..." but you're still two behind us in the National Championship department.