Obesity, Fake nails and Tattoos

So, we have all seen these people of the female variety that seem to focus their attention from the forearm to the fingers and cankles to the toes. What I mean is why is it that these women don't save the cash on getting their nails done on a weekly basis or the tats on their cankles or wrists and mix in a workout or two to work on the more global issue of their heart-taxing weight? Really. I remember as a young lad of 12 or 13, my mom (as many moms do) would be describing someone by saying, "She has a pretty face." Translation: Not too easy on the eyes and a nice person. Ok, I am not trying to come across as a complete superficial idiot, but that just makes me laugh. I'm certainly not the authority on looks, but I'm just pointing out the greater good for a society of people laying off the vanity in ONE area and focus on FULL vanity. LOL! Bump up that heart rate honey so that my insurance premiums don't keep sky rocketing because you love cupcakes and drive and not walk a city block on a consistent basis.

Anyway, obesity is just one aspect. I truly HATE fake nails. This post was inspired by a trip to the grocery store when my eyes played witness to this oBEAST young women with horrible fake nails and a rose on her wrist, but in the past I have noticed a disproportionate number of obese women who seem to think that getting their nails did and tats on wrists and ankles makes them hot. Not hot at all.....and that's all for now.

Inside the Actors Studio

The Bravo cable channel is no secret to anyone, right? I don't usually make time to watch Bravo on a regular basis, but have been drawn to certain shows in the past as short-lived as it may have been. I had a break in my daily routine today and happen to be channel surfing and caught James Lipton and he had Dave Chappelle on the show. Talk about pure comedy....both Lipton and Chappelle had me cracking up. Seriously, you have to see that.

I'd love to see James Lipton pissed off. LOL! The guy is high drama anyway.


Bonus:
For all the Transformers fanboys out there, peep the Soundwave Interview, Part I.

Party Product-O-The Day?

Then: great naval tragedy. Now: an adventures slide for your kids!

Buy it here.

Super Bowl Impressions

Did your team win?

Oso,
No need to answer that one. :p Nice implosion Monsters of the Midway....Seriously though, that game was a waste of time. The commercials sucked (other than ONE from Doritos and ONE from Bud Light) majorly.

The first few min of the SB were decent, but it just went down hill from there....I think multiple turnovers is just sloppy play.

Was the weather a factor? Yes, but still. I expect minimal mistakes and a close game; that did not happen. Sometimes it ends up that way, sometimes it does not. This was pretty much a disappointment.

The halftime show was OK. I like Prince, but I just think the league went for a "safe act" and wanted no wardrobe malfunctions. Well, I don't recall seeing Prince's breast. Crisis averted. :p

I just kept thinking after each horrid commercial, "Wow, there goes ANOTHER 2.6million".....what a joke.

Now, I can just focus on the NBA and keep an eye on the off-season moves by my Lions.

Top 3 at this moment...

My top three Hip-Hop singles are:

Make It Rain (the remix)--Fat Joe
Throw Some D's--Rich Boy
This Why I'm Hot--Mims

The Omnivore's Dilemma

I recently finished this book from Michael Pollan and all I can say is the daily question of "What should I eat today?" has taken on a new meaning for me. I THOUGHT I was a conscious and concerned consumer when it comes to selecting the food I buy for myself or my family, but this book really shed some light on things in this country that I did not consider in the past to the extent that was discussed in the author’s research.

A few things:
Take corn (which is subsidized by the gov.) out of the US economy and a collapse will soon follow OR at least a radical shift in eating habits. Case in point, HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) is derived from corn. Take a look at most of the processed snacks, drinks and even bread that you eat and you will most likely find HFCS as a main ingredient. HFCS are man made; they are derived from corn through chemistry in a lab. Think CHEAP. At even half a penny cheaper than sugar or any other sweetener occurring in nature (like agave nectar, for example), you are talking about billions of dollars in savings for the huge food and drink companies that can then get dumped into marketing budgets. HFCS were not even a reality until the 70's and used commercially in the mid-eighties. If you look at the ingredients in a Coke in the early 80's, sugar was used to sweeten it. Check that now and you will find HFCS and possibly sugar as well, but HFCS will be more of primary ingredient. Again, COST.
The book also reminded me of how the USDA and FDA are just big business vehicles with "standards" and certainly not enough inspectors to truly screen a disgusting and horribly "grown" product (meat and poultry). I knew this already, but the author pointed out a story in which he spent time on a farm with a farmer who was getting so many roadblocks in front of him for having a meat processing operation because the USDA would certainly not want to be exposed with so many dirty secrets in how the US consumer's meat is processed. The bureaucracy that this farmer has to slowly go through is just ridiculous. For example, he has an open area and/or glass paned-viewing area where any visitor can see the processing (slaughter) of animals. That is UNHEARD OF for a big industrial meat processing operation since again, secrets of how the food supply is just not very sanitary or the well-being of the animals is not considered.
This book is not a PETA, tree-hugging love fest in any stretch of the imagination, but it is essentially the story of a writer who spent time with a few small scale farmers and was let in on the realities of how the USDA wants to choke out anyone not on a factory farm with animals that have never seen the light of day or the conditions of workers (mostly immigrant or illegal) is absolutely horrible. We all ask ourselves, "What am I going to eat today?" Do we care HOW our food was derived? Do we care if what we eat was created in a lab? Do we only concern ourselves with COST above any other variable? These questions are deep and the answers shed light on many of the issues in this country from a socio-economic, political, health and cultural perspective.
The book also shed light on how HUGE of a business ORGANIC has become and will continue to be. With some estimates saying growth is at 20% a year, you have the developings of a major player in the food business. Organic food producers need to make money though, so you have many companies who follow the lazy and insulting "guidelines" of the USDA to get that ORGANIC designation.
The book was nice a read with subtle transitions through its 20 chapters and I highly recommend it. Also, keep in mind this order for healthy produce and meat options: Local organic --> local conventional --> regional organic --> regional conventional --> country organic --> country conventional......you see where I am going? The further you go out, the more negative impact it can have on your health and the health of the environment.

People should think about these things.

Sprats in Oil

So, the maintenance guy at my work is Russian. SUPER-RUSSIAN, even. This guy was an engineer back in his motherland and has done general maintenance jobs since he has been in the US. He is an absolute trip! His Russian accent is "POOOOR-FICT" (as he would say) and we talk about various subjects every few days. The other day, he is flipping out in his work area and calls me to help him with some "email problems". Well, I had a few min to spare and went into his area. First, his area. Man, the guy has been relegated to the bowels of our building. I mean, this area is like an oversized janitor closet-shipping/receiving area-nutty professor lab all in one. But, he has a desk and PC in it. Anyway, I go into his area and he is trippin' because his folder view has disappeared in Outlook due to some inadvertent key stroke. He dares not check any of the toolbar options to swiftly get it back as it was because he has some odd techno-phobia; well, dude is in his mid-sixties so I cut him full slack. I quickly get to the bottom of how insists on having his inbox sorted and all of his folders visible and he's happier than ish....Well, he wants to repay me for helping him. I refuse, but he insists he is going to bring me "special fish"..Hmmmmmm. Special fish, you say? My mind is racing down way too many mental highways beyond the scope of this post.....Well, we do talk food pretty frequently and today he actually brings me a can of Riga Smoked Sprats in Oil. To make a long explanation short, Riga = the largest city in the Baltic States and serves as a major cultural, educational, political, financial, commercial and industrial center in the Baltics. Sprats = small herring found in European waters. It is served smoked but can be eaten fresh, grilled or fried. He said Russians are crazy about this fish. So, I am hyped because I seriously love fish and have not had Sprat...knowingly, at least. I do think the whole Outlook fixing thing was just a coincidence because I brought him a can of smoked Trout in oil a few weeks ago and he told me he was going to bring me some Russian fish soon...I look forward to eating these Sprats (what a funny name) and if they rival the sardines I recently ate from Spain, my Russian friend may need to be the middle man for my newest addiction...We'll see.

Dog people

It is a well known fact that I am NOT a dog person in any way, shape or form. It's not like I don't like dogs. It's more of the situation that I refuse to walk a dog with a bag and a scoop and pick up its waste. Are you kidding me? Since that would be the reality since I do not live in the sprawling country and could allow the dog to fertilize the earth, a pooper scooper would be a must in the burbs or a city setting. Plus, I just do not have the time to commit to a dog for its exercise when my own exercise is much more important and would not try to ever compromise my or my family life with a dog. I laugh when people work and go out 12-16hrs a day and leave their dog at home to experience mental and physical decline. It's pretty sad, actually. Anyway, I titled this post "dog people" since I don't understand you people. I was driving this morning and saw TWO people with dogs on their laps interfering with their arms as they were driving. These stupid people were letting the dog climb on them and I would just look over and have a look of utter disbelief? Where are the Five0 when you need them? Is that even illegal? It should be! Sheesh, they pull someone over for having a stupid air freshener hanging too low on their rearview mirror, but some moron can have a dog jumping on them like it's playtime and that's ok? Dog people, wake up!

Business Dress

As someone who has worked in environments where business dress is mandatory and business casual was optional, I can say with absolute conviction that Western society is pretty much a collective group of Lemmings that embrace "dressing the part" as being something that by default makes people work harder or "appear" smarter. What a bunch of absolute horse caca! Are we that influenced by the fashion industry that the idea of dressing up makes one seem so much more "professional" and gets business deals done any more effectively?

Certainly, dressing within the fashion industry makes sense since the goal is to sell clothes and display what will be purchased by consumers, but any other industry? I think not. Wearing business attire does not translate into good hygiene or improved idea creation.

Does not actually DOING the work within an organization mean much more? Does taking ideas and delivering new products lose its luster if said ideas do not stem from someone with a suit on? Uh....no. Can a person wearing business dress still do sloppy work and not deliver intended results? Of course.

I happen to be thinking about this concept recently, when the EXACT idea was discussed by a very interesting person that some of you may know as the current owner of the Dallas Mavericks and billionaire, Mark Cuban. This guy is brilliant in so many ways. I knew of him before he became an NBA owner back when he sold broadcast.com. He's an extremely savvy business person and because of many of his efforts and by "efforts", I mean obnoxious press conferences and ways to annoy David Stern, the NBA has instituted many improvements to their product. Anyway, he posted about this very subject and I like the angle he decided to go with.

I have well rounded interests and many aspects of the fashion industry fall in to what I decide to research and spend my time learning about and I really think business dress is such an overrated concept in industries outside of fashion that it's just archaic and really short-minded.

The sound from under the hood...

Oh man, the Contour is in need...in need of a belt change. The noise it makes is pretty embarrassing on the rare occasions it decides to do its thing. Mix in some cold temps and you have a red-faced Rican with no place to hide. LOL! I am most sure that it is the serpentine belt that needs to be changed. The car is seven years old and it has not been changed before. The belt is in pretty decent condition though, therefore, I tend to just absorb the embarrassing sound and act like I just don't hear it when other drivers stare at me....LOL! Soon enough, it will get changed...soon enough.

Confessions on a Treadmill

So, I have been the proud owner of a treadmill for just over two years. I have learned about different aspects of my training during that time and I am still learning each week that passes. I started off really hyped about finally having the means to run regardless of rain, snow or shine. In fact, too hyped was I. I would run everyday. The one thing I did know was to not try and become a marathon runner quickly. I knew it would take time. You see, I purposely don't have a gym membership because I just think I could be more efficient with my time at home with my own equipment. Obviously there are certain advantages to a gym, but that's another post; I REALLY miss cables though :(! Anyway, I still think I probably over trained at first when I first got my mill. I diagnosed myself with a bakers cyst on the back of one knee a few months in to running consistently. Sounds much worse than it is. All it required to heal was rest and rest I gave it and it disappeared and I felt much better. I just dropped the number of miles I would run and started to just run every other day and mix in other cross-training on the days I would not run. To some degree, I was doing that (the cross-training) anyway even though I was running more at first. The other thing I noticed was that I was dropping weight like crazy! My clothes were getting much more loose on me. To some people, that may be a good thing, but for me it was like I was back in high school again with my quest to gain weight rather than look like a bird cage from the waist up. :p Well, I found my healthy balance of running and I am ALMOST getting to the point were I am pretty comfortable with how my body will react to certain distances, time and calories burned. My LOOOOOOOOOONG term goal would certainly be a marathon. Come on. If Oprah ran one, I certainly can do it. I have to get a few 5Ks and half-marathons under my belt before going all out for 26miles though....The other reality is that runners tend to be pretty trim and not in possession of very defined muscle tone. I don't want to be a skeleton. I still would like to maintain an athletic physique, but I have noticed that my strength involved in free weight exercises has not improved. Could be a temporary plateau, but it has been like this for a few months. My max bench was 255 3yrs ago. I know I cannot get that up now. I know, I know. It truly is the tradeoff of running and I suppose I have accepted that and am fine with it, but it is a machismo thing that lingers from undergrad when I would be in the fitness center at WSU talking trash to friends hitting the weights like crazy. Running was NOT in the mix at all. 10min warm up jog was about it for me back in those days. Anyway, I am happy where my fitness level is at this point. It has shifted and I really wish I could mix in two workouts a day, but that would probably lead to me running away from the whole idea of having a job and a family...Uh, not good. :)

Blogger Beta

Have all of you upgraded your accounts to it?

If so, do you like the changes?

If not, why not?

Holla!

Stupid Concept Vehicle of the Day

Where do I even begin to dissect this trash?! What an insult to airstream. Ford wonders why they have tanked in market share? This ish is bound to cause accidents all over any place the sun decides to warm the earth. The hideous reflective paint is so progressive not really. This thing looks like part airplane, part piece of dung. The only redeeming qualities lie under the hood; it's powered by a plug-in hydrogen hybrid fuel cell — named HySeries Drive — that operates under electric power and delivers the fuel economy equivalent to 41mpg.

I suppose that can make up for the sins of it's exoskeleton....no it can't. Who am I kidding...Man, if I make it to the auto show this year, I am going to laugh at that trash and head over to Toyota to see how real progressive designers operate.

Oprah's School

I am sure all of you have heard about the school for girls in South Africa that Oprah opened. What's a billionaire to do when the criticisms start falling from the sky? I mean, is a school with great intentions anywhere on earth a bad thing? Mix in extremely disadvantaged (monetarily) kids and we still have a problem? People in that country were complaining because the school's campus is said to resemble a luxury hotel rather than the rundown schools most of the girls know. It contains state-of-the-art classrooms, computer and science labs, a library and theater as well as a wellness center. Grant it, a "wellness center" may be a bit much, but again, when a billionaire like Oprah puts her stamp on something, I am sure she is trying to do it real big. I don't see the problem with this at all....I also read that people in the US were pissed because she did not open something like that school in a hood in Chicago, New York or Detroit. Well, Oprah said that she visited several middle schools in the US and when she asked the kids what they really wanted in life, answers like iPod, Wii, Xbox kind of rubbed her the wrong way. When she asked the same kids in South Africa, they mentioned uniforms and supplies to go to school. I am really disturbed at the mentality of the spoiled and distracted American youth. Consumerism is in full force in this country. Poor people here are rich compared to many parts of the world. Education is but a bother for many children due to a crumbling family structure and "parents" who are more concerned with what they drive and what clothes they have on then if little Juan or Maria has extra homework on the weekend. It's absolute BS. This post is not about me actually agreeing with Oprah's talk show because I think she is all about appealing to middle-aged white women and is not well-respected in the African-American community. I don't care about her show...I just wanted to post about the importance of a school that will impact young lives and don't see the problem in her country of choice and hope the girls who earned their way into this opportunity will make the most of it and make positive contributions to this world and possibly create an opportunity for a future young person.

Empty promises to oneself....

Ah...the start of a new year...In my eyes, the major difference is simply a new paper or virtual calendar. I have been laughing in my mind recently as I have been overhearing conversations at work about the various New Years Resolutions that people have been spewing out of their mouths. "Getting in shape" or "working out more" tend to always come up. Such a tired and abused concept. Really. I was also laughing today as I quickly ran into WF on my lunch hour to buy a few sale items. I drove past two separate gyms and the parking lots were jammed and I am sure were 2X as jammed after work hours. Gyms love a sucker. Several dozen suckers keep the gym lights on and pay for new equipment.

Don't get me wrong, I certainly think the world is a better place with fit and health conscious people, but fast forward to March of this year and I can assure you that the gym parking lots will not look as they look in January. Motivation dwindles. Bad habits die hard. People don't change.

Props to anyone who makes a resolution and keeps it. The way I look at it is that I don't need a New Year to trigger the start of something beneficial in my life that I can make happen. I believe in constant evaluation and immediate change or at least an attempt at anytime throughout the year...Not a complete lowering of your defenses to sit and wait for January 1st. Please!

So, did any of you fall into the New Year Resolution trap?

Bricks and Mortar sucks!

Today was a case of those who would rather buy online, like me and those who have friends or family who would rather drag me to BB and deal with temporary holiday help who just talk out of both sides of their mouths...Sheesh, it was UNBELIEVABLE the number of contradictions uttered by those fools. And of course, we had to go there for the hot ticket category of HDTV. Outside of the Computers area, I am sure HD is the next big thing if not THE biggest area there. I understand the HD technology very well and was in the store for ONE cable..........ONE! Of course, my compatriot opens his mouth to confirm if his setup is correct like I already told him it was before we left his house, but for some reason he asks one of the clowns in the accessories area about how we have things...Blah, blah, blah, I walk over after checking prices on some other items and he says, "Explain the setup to the guy." I tell the story and after it's all said and done, when I had already spotted the 25ft cable we came there for as I walked up to both of them, the BB guy says, "You'll need Monster cable this and that." Correction sir. I would need a loan from my credit union to follow your advice...Idiot. I won't drown you with details on my verbal sparring session with this guy....So, we bounce over to the speakers section and listen to a pretty nice Klipsch set that was purchased soon thereafter. I confirm with the next blue shirt what he has pumping into those things and ask to see all wires so as to not have a secret amp out of sight that makes them sound better than what they are. Fine. This guy was much better than the two tools in the HD area. He pulled the receiver out of the cabinet and showed me everything and we followed the cables to the two speakers. Fine. Well, guess who decides to ask THIS guy about our setup? You guessed it...I finished explaining ish and the guy says, "Oh yeah, I would keep the setup you have." I said, "How interesting that you would contradict the guys in the HD area." He tells me in a low voice, "Those guys are morons. They think everyone comes in with absolutely zero knowledge of technology." Anyway, then it was a nice 35min wait in the line with only 5 people ahead of us when we got there....5 people!! Two did returns and the other three finalized their financing...Man, I wanted to pull my hair out. The only time I can say I ever go into BB is if I get a gift card, I get asked to go or I want to peep something I am going to just get online for much cheaper anyway...Thank God for the Internet! I have a few friends who have been in retail hell before and have told me some stories of the inner workings...BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY comes to mind. It's nice to actually deal with someone who is not a drone when you go to a bricks and mortar store....It's rare, but nice....Customer Service is dead Damas y Caballeros...

Sweet Product-O-The-Day

If you were unlucky enough to snag a Wii this holiday season, how about one of the best boardgames of all time, Monopoly + Nintendo? The game features characters such as Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, Star Fox, and Wario, and the specialized pewter game pieces include a Donkey Kong barrel, Link's boots, a Hylian Shield, a NES controller, Mario's hat, and a Koopa shell.

This has to be one of the coolest editions I have seen.

It's Merry Christmas to you buddy!

Oh brother......One of those moments in my life that I wish could have just been a blip on the screen...Last week sometime, I was walking down a hallway at work and someone said a few words to strike up some conversation and points and counter-points were made and blah-blah-blah...At the end of our quick conversation, the person says, "If I don't see you, have a Merry Christmas....Oops, I mean Happy Holidays." I said, "Why did you say that?" The person says, "Merry Christmas is not the PC thing to say these days." I said, "I'm not offended by you saying Merry Christmas to me." The person says, "Oh, ok. I just know there are people who work here that don't celebrate Christmas." I said, "Right, but do you really think someone is going to file a complaint against you or something?" The person says, "You never know."

Moron.

I guess that person should have wished me a happy Festivus instead. :p

"Dr. Death"

I forgot to blog about this story last week, but since this picture is absolute money, I decided to post today about the story and the man. You could not believe the airtime that Dr. Jack Kevorkian received locally when he was helping people die in MI. Sheesh. The story obviously grew wings for a national spotlight, but as every story that gains national attention, it's MUCH worse for the citizens near it. Mix in Geoffrey Fieger and you have serious drama. Anyway, I laugh at these fundamentalists who are trying to get their grills in front of the cameras to pop off about how Dr. Death is going to get back into the killing game the second he gets released from jail. The guy's own health is deteriorating rapidly; he's frail and has fallen a few times adding further injury to his person and yet people want to keep him in jail to rot.
Personally, I don't see the issue with Dr. Kevorkian as being a danger to society. People ASKED for his help and if someone was unable to request his help, then those who had legal say in a person's healthcare asked for the help. Explain to me how that is wrong? People say that Kevorkian was sick and twisted and LIKED to kill people. Are those same people saying anything about the hundreds (probably thousands) of doctors who are vacuuming kids out of the uteri of women across the US on a daily basis? Probably not, but when an ADULT asked someone to inject them with a compound that causes them to stop breathing, the person (Kevorkian) pressing the syringe is crazy? I'm not here to say that Assisted Suicide is right or wrong, but I am also not someone who lives every second of their life in excruciating pain and have been unable to get any relief through conventional or homeopathic options.

Let the guy out of jail and worry about bigger issues like a war, education, rising healthcare costs or the US economy. Some people just amaze me.

Carrots+Roids+Botox = Yuck!