Monday Weigh In #6

Weight Loss for the Weak! ( Don't feel obligated to post your weight just how much you've lost )

I've lost 0 pounds.  Putting me at 278!  Ugh...not a great week for me concerning workouts.

Struggles and Victories of the Weak!
I'm going to blame myself for this one.  Monday I don't feel too bad about missing as we did a pretty significant amount of walking over the weekend, but Wednesday laziness overcame me and I only went to softball practice.  At least I got a little exercise.  This week will be different.  I'm getting back on track today.  Hopefully the rain holds off and I can get out to the park for my run.

How can I improve?
Determination...all too frequently I just don't feel like going for a jog.  It's really difficult for me with so many other things I could be doing with my time.  With the Translator working one of her temp jobs this week I feel kind of bad heading off for a run as soon as she gets in and then there's the sweet siren call of my couch and my PS3.  How do you beat the temptation to sit on your ass and do nothing?

Don't forget...the cake is a lie and the cube had to die for it.  Until next time.

Core Values (3WW)

My good buddy Niassne and I were talking about logically evaluating topics. I know. I know. It seems almost impossible these days for the thoughtful application of logic to actually take place, but we're programmers...we like logic. It's not just part of our jobs, it's part of how we think and generally operate things in our lives.

Don't act like you guys haven't evaluated some choice at some point using a complex "IF" statement.

Anyway...we kind of stumbled upon this idea of "Need" Vs. "Right". Because we feel like we need something does that mean we have the right to that? Because we have the right to something does that mean we need it?

There are several examples I could make that are prone to offend, but that's not really what I'm trying to get across here.  What I'm trying to provoke is a little extra thought before we simply react to a given topic making it that much more volatile.

Lets take the man in Florida who wanted to burn the Koran.  Does he have the right to burn that book?  In this country he absolutely does, but should he?  An interesting continuation to that story...apparently another man stole the copy of the Koran that another man was about burn (I don't believe it was the same guy that started the whole thing...just a supporter).  Did he have the right to steal that book?  Simply put...NO.  Stealing is stealing and it's simply wrong, not to mention against the law.  Now it could be said that the man who stole that Koran did the right thing, even a needed thing, to protect the feelings of Muslims across the country.

And that's what it really comes down to...need is a much more flexible word, at least in my mind.  A need can be considered valid or not based solely on a person's point of view.  Where as, a right seems much more concrete.  If one person has a right to something then so does everyone else.

But where do need and right intersect?  What is their place in the process of lawmaking?  I think that on a personal level needs will most likely take precedence over rights, at least in our everyday activities and I think that's what allows us to be emotionally driven by the media or politics or almost anything really.

And since that's true, or at least I think it is, I feel like maybe Niassne's got something with this whole core values idea.  Core values, that you and I as individuals can use to evaluate how we feel about a particular topic.  One complication of this idea, that I find is the prioritization of these values.  Does God always take precedence over Country or does Country sometimes win?  Or should things always be evaluated on a level playing field?

I know this is a more demure Monk then you usually read, but lets check our outrage and anger at the door and evaluate some of the topics we've taken a stance on recently with a calm and logical pattern of thought.

Monday Weigh in #5

Weight Loss for the Weak! ( Don't feel obligated to post your weight just how much you've lost )

I've lost 1 pound.  Putting me down to 278!  I'm glad to be back on the decline again.  I'm actually feeling a lot better though.  The last time I did my runs I didn't feel like I was hyperventilating or anything.  I'm starting to feel the muscles get worked my legs and my abdominal region.  All in all I'm feeling better.

Struggles and Victories of the Weak!

Due to a tropical storm hitting the coast of Texas I wasn't able to do any of my runs this week.  I have, however, been able to do a significant amount of walking as we've had a friend come in for a visit.  This always entails a lot of walking around at the River Walk and other various locals across the San Antonio area.  Thanks for helping me keep on the wagon April!

How can I improve?

This week instead of asking for suggestions I'm going to offer one.  I call it the Grocery store workout.  I know we all like to get that close parking spot, but think about that extra 50 yards as a mini-workout.  Another thing I always make sure to do is to take my shopping cart back the cart return thingys.    I know there are small things and while I know it seems like a pain in the ass,  every little bit helps and I promise it's not going to kill you. 

Don't forget...the cake is a lie and the cube had to die for it.  Until next time.


P.S. - I'd like to thank Witless Exposition (aka - The Translator) for creating this cool little button for me.  She's so good with this kind of stuff.

My Dog is a son of a bitch

No really...female dogs are called bitches.

Glenn Beck...the Anti-Christ? (3WW)

Nah...he's not that important, but the whole "Restoring Honor" March that occurred a couple weeks ago has got me wondering...Does Glenn Beck listen to the things that he says?  I mean really listen?  Most comics that mock Glenn Beck don't even have to say anything, they simply play a clip of his show and people start laughing.

The man is more reliable for a joke then President Bush ever was.

I don't really understand his charm.  I know that a lot of Tea Baggers (not sure I'd want to be called a tea bagger either politically speaking or otherwise) are really outraged at how the country is being run and honestly I don't blame them.  And while they have some good ideas (I'm sure there's a good one...somewhere?), I find that they tend to blow small things out of proportion.

Will disallowing bullets to be made from lead lead to the banning of guns in our country...I seriously doubt it.  On the other hand, if I shoot someone am I really worried about giving them lead poisoning, probably not.

And, as if only to insight the ire of millions of sensible people, they pick (unofficially of course) the dumbest politician to ever grace the political landscape, as their representative.  Yes...I'm talking about Sarah Palin.  The woman who refers to herself as a pitbull.  The woman who thinks that being able to see Russia from her stoop is sufficient international diplomacy experience.  The list goes on and on.  Thank you John McCain, thank you so much for empowering this moron.

Anyway...back to Glenn Beck.  Truth be told I've never watched the man's show, but it seems as though he would sooner feast on the souls of the left then make any compromise that might help this country move forward as a whole.  Isn't compromise what this country was founded on?  Isn't that why we elect individuals who, in theory, have the experience to find common ground and make a difference?

I've never been a fan of the party system...2 parties or 6 parties, all it does is cause polarization of the American people.  "If you're not with me you're against me!"  "If you don't believe everything I said then I'm sorry, but you'll have to answer for your actions in the here after."  Why can't we see some merit when it comes to a contradictory idea?  Glenn Beck.  That's why.  People like him, people that encourage a closed minded approach to life, people that encourage a "my way or the highway" mentality.  These people are the reason that our country can't make any social progress.

I wish that our ideas about politics and life could be more robust.  In my 29 years on this Earth, I've never come across anything that couldn't be looked at from a different point of view (with obvious exceptions i.e. murder/rape).

Now I'm sure there are some left wing people I could name that are doing an equally good job and fucking us in the ass with their party propaganda, but again I don't listen to them.  The reason I mention Glenn Beck is because he's so outspoken.  I can't think of a left wing broadcaster that is as outspoken as he is and so that makes him my target for the day.

Monday Weigh in #4

Weight Loss for the Weak! ( Don't feel obligated to post your weight just how much you've lost )

I've gained 4 pounds this week.  So I'm now sitting at 279.  I'm still at an overall lose, so I'm not feeling too discouraged.

Struggles and Victories of the Weak!

Taco Bell and Pizza Hut...the dynamic duo of fast food.  At least that's the way they feel to me.  It's actually been months since I've gone to Taco Bell and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the amount of food that I normally order felt like way too much last week.  Unfortunately my brain and tongue just wouldn't listen to my stomach and I finished the whole lot.  I'm going to do better this week though...last week we had a lack of things to eat at the house and didn't make it to the grocery store.  I really feel like that's where things fall apart for me...it's so much easier to call Pizza Hut then to go to a crowded, loud, grocery store.

How can I improve?

As you know I do the couch to 5K program 3 days a week.  I've been thinking of trying to put together a morning exercise routine of some sort that includes some more traditional exercises like push-ups and sit-ups.  I know at first it'll be difficult with my flabby arms and the donut around my middle, but those are the things I'm most self conscience about.  Any suggestions for a simple routine would be extremely welcome. 

Don't forget...the cake is a lie and the cube had to die for it.  Until next time.

World of Warcraft (3WW)

I am in the midst of the first break I've taken from playing the massively multi player online role playing game (MMORPG) called World of Warcraft (WoW).

I've played this game with several friends (both online and real life) for about 4 years now.  I won't pretend that playing this highly addictive game hasn't had negative repercussions on my life but, on the whole playing this game has been a fairly rewarding experience.  I've had a great deal of fun for a relatively low price, I've met a lot of really nice people, and by God my warlock is a bad looking dude!

On the surface it's kind of difficult to see how such a simplistic game could gain such a following (11 million+ players) but, really WoW is ingenious in its simplicity.  The questing and leveling is very easy to begin with and at later levels you get to see some really visually awesome monsters and areas.

Most zones feel very mysterious the first few times through and it's exciting to discover new areas of what has become a vast environment.  Some question while mundane in their actually task offer insight into the story of the area and some even tie into the lore of the game, making you feel like you're part of something.  The shortness of the quests makes it easy for a player to feel like they've accomplished something and made some progress in the game.

So...having said all that I'm sure you're thinking "Well why the hell did you quit playing?"

Well, with 4 continents, thousands and thousands of quests, and a ton of dungeons (my favorite part of the game), WoW is a HUGE time sink.  I mean huge.  If you have other hobbies either they will suffer or your WoW habit will.  At some point you realize that you're seriously struggling with the choice between your online friends and going outside to play a game of softball (my other hobby).

While playing the game the world is so immersive that it becomes really easy to lose all track of time and space around you.  I've sat there and played for what seemed like a very short session (30-40 minutes) and stopped only to realize it was 2 hours later.  It's like the game causes a time warp in your brain...and its not the good kind.

It's been a little over a month since I've logged in and I honestly still think about playing sometimes.  Its especially difficult when I get bored.  I've started to fill my time with other things, like softball and jogging and quality time with the Translator, that to me seem a lot more productive.

I do plan on going to back to WoW as a hobby when the next expansion (an expansion is basically an extension of or change to the content that the game already has) is released.  This time however I think I might use the parental controls that are available with each WoW account to limit my own usage....or maybe just an egg timer so I know when I've played enough.  The developers at Blizzard have made WoW a lot more friendly for the casual players like myself and for that I am very grateful.

Thanks to folks over at 3 Word Wednesday for the challenge.