1. do you have an exercise routine currently?
I'm good for 30 minutes a day. I prefer to go for a bike ride at the beach, but I also have a NordicTrak for days when the weather or work won't allow for the ride.
2. what's the most amount of money per month that you would pay for a gym?
$0. I think they are a waste.
3. have you ever been unable to exercise, for instance, due to an injury, lack of funds or time, etc.?
I've had issues with my back being really tight. But a physical therapist gave me some great stretches which has really gotten rid of the problem.
4. have you ever had a friend or family member that exercised TOO much, to the point that they were anorexic (or very, very close)?
No, unless you count Nicole Richie;-)
5. have you ever exercised too much, to the point where it was unhealthy?
Naw....I'm not that much of a fanatic.
6. have you ever had a negative experience at a gym (with other patrons, equipment, trainer) or with the gym themselves (billing, closings, etc.)?
No.
7. one form of exercise that seems bizarre to me is spinning as i cannot understand sitting on a stationary bike for an hour with some little skinny bitch screaming at you from HER stationary bike. what form of exercise do you not 'get' or would never try because it seems too weird to you?
I could never get behind aerobics because the music is like knives in my ear. Oh, the fashion aspect is just too over the top.
8. if you had two free, dedicated hours each day to do something athletic that would NOT take away from work, friends, or family time, and the unlimited funds to do it, what type of exercise would you do daily? lipo, by the way, does not count... ;)
Hm....either biking or hiking.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Friday, June 8, 2007
Getting Ready to Head Out
The family and I are heading to Yosemite on Sunday (hopefully I'll have some good pics to post). The HB's in hog heaven right now. Besides today being the first day of summer vacation, I got him a new bike today. I love our local bike shop. They sell good stuff and have great service (y'know, fixing little stuff without charging and giving accurate estimates), so I didn't mind paying a bit of a premium getting the bike there rather than at Target. Finally, the HB's having a buddy stay over (right now they're immersed in 8 year old porn....Gameboy).
Yosemite is a pretty regular destination for us. We really weren't planning on going this year. However, last year my uncle met us there and was blown away, so much so that he wanted to bring my aunt out this year. She wasn't able to make it last year since she had recently had neck surgery, but now they are convinced (rightly so) that there is plenty of stuff she'll really enjoy there. It's not a bad drive from here (about 4.5 hours) and it is just an amazing place. I'm looking forward to exploring parts of it outside of the valley floor.
In the mean time, my mom turns 70 this weekend, so we're going out for a fancy dinner tomorrow. It's a place she and my dad haven't been to and my mom LOVES seafood.
Today was (another) big day for my wife at work. She officially got her promotion (and the 8% raise that goes with it). Also, another one of her grants got funded. She's totally on a roll. I'm very proud of her.
On the work front, my new client signed on the dotted line (yay!) so I'll be heading to KC for the first time at the end of the month (too bad the Royals aren't in town).
Dunno if I'll be able to blog from our lodge near Yosemite, but I will if I can.
Yosemite is a pretty regular destination for us. We really weren't planning on going this year. However, last year my uncle met us there and was blown away, so much so that he wanted to bring my aunt out this year. She wasn't able to make it last year since she had recently had neck surgery, but now they are convinced (rightly so) that there is plenty of stuff she'll really enjoy there. It's not a bad drive from here (about 4.5 hours) and it is just an amazing place. I'm looking forward to exploring parts of it outside of the valley floor.
In the mean time, my mom turns 70 this weekend, so we're going out for a fancy dinner tomorrow. It's a place she and my dad haven't been to and my mom LOVES seafood.
Today was (another) big day for my wife at work. She officially got her promotion (and the 8% raise that goes with it). Also, another one of her grants got funded. She's totally on a roll. I'm very proud of her.
On the work front, my new client signed on the dotted line (yay!) so I'll be heading to KC for the first time at the end of the month (too bad the Royals aren't in town).
Dunno if I'll be able to blog from our lodge near Yosemite, but I will if I can.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Memo to White House: The Constitution Works
Of the many things that gall me about Bush's "War on Terror" is his rationale that there are lots of Muslim's who hate freedom and, therefore, hate us. I'm no fan of Sharia Law or it's implications for society. But I sense that it's not so much our freedoms that the terrorist despise but how we willfully fall short of the promises of our Constitution. It's the promise of the document that leads to so many people from around the world to continue to come here.
As the Bush administration selectively shred what makes our country great, it was nice to see three affirmations that our system of government still works and that we are a nation of laws, not individuals.
1) Scooter's (probably) going to jail. I'm thinking those pleas for leniency by Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld probably didn't do him much good. His argument of, "I've been a good person, I shouldn't go to the slam" is a bunch of crap. He says that he should get leniency because he's spent so much of his adult life in public service the ultimate in hypocrisy. Cut me some slack because I undermined everything I worked for by trying to torpedo a federal investigation? Please. Having powerful people pay for their crimes separates us from banana republics. Which brings me to...
2) William Jefferson gets indicted. How this guy got re-elected shows how powerful a victim mentality can be in Louisiana. In brief, he's accused of using his office to steer business in Africa to his friends as long as he got a cut. Political parties hate throwing out their own, but to Speaker Pelosi's credit she has denied Jefferson some chairmanships that he normally would have gotten due to seniority. Of course, why he doesn't have the decency to resign (or be forced to) is beyond me. I just can't wait to hear his story about the $90k in cash he had in his freezer. What, he doesn't trust banks? Again, when the powerful get caught, democracy flourishes.
3) Military judges tell the White House that military tribunals in Guantanamo are a bunch of crap. Nothing is making us look worse in the world than our treatment of the prisoners in Gitmo. Preaching freedom to others while Bush comes up with different ways to hold kangaroo courts is shameful. Hm...so, the Supreme Court AND the military have told Bush that these people are entitled to a modicum of rights. What's he waiting for, Cheney to say it's OK? We are so far behind the curve on this I don't know how we can dig our way out. Given these guys legitimate trials would be a start.
As the Bush administration selectively shred what makes our country great, it was nice to see three affirmations that our system of government still works and that we are a nation of laws, not individuals.
1) Scooter's (probably) going to jail. I'm thinking those pleas for leniency by Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld probably didn't do him much good. His argument of, "I've been a good person, I shouldn't go to the slam" is a bunch of crap. He says that he should get leniency because he's spent so much of his adult life in public service the ultimate in hypocrisy. Cut me some slack because I undermined everything I worked for by trying to torpedo a federal investigation? Please. Having powerful people pay for their crimes separates us from banana republics. Which brings me to...
2) William Jefferson gets indicted. How this guy got re-elected shows how powerful a victim mentality can be in Louisiana. In brief, he's accused of using his office to steer business in Africa to his friends as long as he got a cut. Political parties hate throwing out their own, but to Speaker Pelosi's credit she has denied Jefferson some chairmanships that he normally would have gotten due to seniority. Of course, why he doesn't have the decency to resign (or be forced to) is beyond me. I just can't wait to hear his story about the $90k in cash he had in his freezer. What, he doesn't trust banks? Again, when the powerful get caught, democracy flourishes.
3) Military judges tell the White House that military tribunals in Guantanamo are a bunch of crap. Nothing is making us look worse in the world than our treatment of the prisoners in Gitmo. Preaching freedom to others while Bush comes up with different ways to hold kangaroo courts is shameful. Hm...so, the Supreme Court AND the military have told Bush that these people are entitled to a modicum of rights. What's he waiting for, Cheney to say it's OK? We are so far behind the curve on this I don't know how we can dig our way out. Given these guys legitimate trials would be a start.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Race and Sports
Gary Sheffield of the Detroit Tigers had this gem to offer when asked by GQ why there are not more blacks playing baseball. I'll cut him some slack that when he talks about 'his race' he really means African Americans and not necessarily Africans from Mozambique.
He was responding to the 'crisis' in baseball that there are so few African Americans playing the game. I blogged about this earlier, so I won't go into my arguments again. But Sheff brings up a point worth exploring. Are big league teams more interested in controlling their players than having the best ones out there? Is this control issue limited to baseball, or does it apply to other sports as well? If it applies to all sports, does this mean that we'll be seeing more Latin Americans (or Europeans or Asians) and fewer African Americans in the NBA?
Where his argument breaks down is when he says that if an African American and a Latino player are of the same ability the Latino player will make the team because, and these are Sheff's thoughts, the African American players give management too much shit. No kidding? Hm...two guys who play equally well, but this guy's a pain in the ass. Who should I keep? That's not racism, that's avoiding problems. Gary's got to put himself in management's position for a second.
Now, if the African American players are being treated worse and and rebelling against it, that's a different story. But, he's not saying that. Rather, he's implying that black players play the 'disrespect' card faster than Latin players. And, if that's the case it's a shame. Sports is one of the true meritocracies in our society. There is too much at stake for a team to reject someone for a reason other than his playing ability. I'm thinking if I saw a guy get cut/sent down instead of another guy of equal ability because he was running his mouth, I'd shut my pie-hole. I guess Sheffield has a different view.
He was responding to the 'crisis' in baseball that there are so few African Americans playing the game. I blogged about this earlier, so I won't go into my arguments again. But Sheff brings up a point worth exploring. Are big league teams more interested in controlling their players than having the best ones out there? Is this control issue limited to baseball, or does it apply to other sports as well? If it applies to all sports, does this mean that we'll be seeing more Latin Americans (or Europeans or Asians) and fewer African Americans in the NBA?
Where his argument breaks down is when he says that if an African American and a Latino player are of the same ability the Latino player will make the team because, and these are Sheff's thoughts, the African American players give management too much shit. No kidding? Hm...two guys who play equally well, but this guy's a pain in the ass. Who should I keep? That's not racism, that's avoiding problems. Gary's got to put himself in management's position for a second.
Now, if the African American players are being treated worse and and rebelling against it, that's a different story. But, he's not saying that. Rather, he's implying that black players play the 'disrespect' card faster than Latin players. And, if that's the case it's a shame. Sports is one of the true meritocracies in our society. There is too much at stake for a team to reject someone for a reason other than his playing ability. I'm thinking if I saw a guy get cut/sent down instead of another guy of equal ability because he was running his mouth, I'd shut my pie-hole. I guess Sheffield has a different view.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Date from Heaven
In yesterday's post you (may) recall that my wife and I had big evening plans. In an almost unheard of event, things actually got better. She took the HB down to her mom's place (two doors down from where her sister and our nephew live) to help with her weekend stuff (shopping, hair done, etc.). I called her while I was out and about and figured that we'd all meet up around 5. About that time she called saying that they would probably stay down there for a while longer AND the HB was going to spend the night at my s-i-l's. Woot! This means I was able to watch both the Ducks-Sens Stanley Cup game and the Cavs-Pistons playoff game (ilu HDTV-DR).
The wife made it home at around 8. After her obligatory puttering, she made it pretty clear that sex was the top priority, which worked for me. She's one-and-done in the orgasm department and she definitely had a great one. After chatting about several post-coital options, we decided to go check out Spiderman 3 at the IMAX theater. Great popcorn movie in terms of the actions, etc. Not as good in the plot department or character development of the bad guys as the first two. But, I thought it was pretty cool.
The wife made it home at around 8. After her obligatory puttering, she made it pretty clear that sex was the top priority, which worked for me. She's one-and-done in the orgasm department and she definitely had a great one. After chatting about several post-coital options, we decided to go check out Spiderman 3 at the IMAX theater. Great popcorn movie in terms of the actions, etc. Not as good in the plot department or character development of the bad guys as the first two. But, I thought it was pretty cool.
Cleaning Up
There are many ways in which my wife and I are very compatible. One is that neither of us are pack-rats. The HB, being 8, has a LOT of shit. Well, yesterday we had a happy occurrence in that the HB's closet organizer (which came with the house) collapsed. No, he wasn't in the closet (he was probably singing and dancing to the Spamalot CD), so nobody got hurt. But, it does give us a chance to go through a bunch of stuff we don't need. I've already made one Goodwill run (hoping for another), given some stuff to a neighbor with grandkids, and now I'm off to a place in LA where they take household chemicals for proper disposal and electronics for recycling. I could spend the whole day doing this.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Crazy Week
Things just got nuts towards the end of this week. The HB was off of school both Th and Fri for parent teacher conferences and I had a lot going on with my Rotary Club and business.
The HB's conference went well. Yes, they'll continue to cash our checks. Also, he showed improvement where he needed to in school. The HB definitely has only child syndrome. If things don't go his way he'll tend to get more upset than a kid with siblings. He also longs for a 1 best friend. He's got plenty of buddies and fortunately he's getting less and less attached to the budding sociopath who lives a couple of doors down. He was pretty upset about this last night. The wife and I explained that we just can't drop a best friend out of the sky and reminded him on how he can be a better friend to others. Unfortch, this is something he's going to have to work through, though we did talk about finding him more activities in the afternoon.
The wife and I finally caught up on some sleep last night. Tonight she promised me a good anti-pasto, meaningful conversation and meaningless sex (her words), so we'll see where that takes us.
I'm waiting for one more person to sign off on a big new project. Hopefully that'll happen early next week. Even better is that one of my clients invited me to hang with a group of folks in their sky box at the Angels' game this Wednesday afternoon. I know, usually the consultant invites the client, but I've gotten him his company's tickets on several occasions (I do some projects for the folks who control such things) so he wanted to repay the favor, which I appreciate.
The HB's conference went well. Yes, they'll continue to cash our checks. Also, he showed improvement where he needed to in school. The HB definitely has only child syndrome. If things don't go his way he'll tend to get more upset than a kid with siblings. He also longs for a 1 best friend. He's got plenty of buddies and fortunately he's getting less and less attached to the budding sociopath who lives a couple of doors down. He was pretty upset about this last night. The wife and I explained that we just can't drop a best friend out of the sky and reminded him on how he can be a better friend to others. Unfortch, this is something he's going to have to work through, though we did talk about finding him more activities in the afternoon.
The wife and I finally caught up on some sleep last night. Tonight she promised me a good anti-pasto, meaningful conversation and meaningless sex (her words), so we'll see where that takes us.
I'm waiting for one more person to sign off on a big new project. Hopefully that'll happen early next week. Even better is that one of my clients invited me to hang with a group of folks in their sky box at the Angels' game this Wednesday afternoon. I know, usually the consultant invites the client, but I've gotten him his company's tickets on several occasions (I do some projects for the folks who control such things) so he wanted to repay the favor, which I appreciate.
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