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120degrees |
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Monday, December 31, 2001
Quick update on the diet...I've now lost a total of 10 pounds. :) I had gained a pound over Christmas break and lost that plus 4 more pounds. We are still celebrating Christmas, this weekend we exchanged gifts with Gianni's family and then last night we went to my Dad's house and exchanged gifts with my siblings. Everyone is in Big D for the Cotton Bowl game tomorrow. Yesterday I met up with my Sister, Brother and Sister in-law for a fun afternoon. We met at my apartment and then headed over to Mockingbird Station for lunch. We went to a new Irish Pub called Trinity Hall. We had a pint and filled up on some good grub, then headed back out into the cold and hopped the light rail train into Down Town Dallas. We got off at the West End Station and decided to walk down to the Kennedy Memorial and Dealy Plaza. We've all seen the Oliver Stone movie "JFK" and I've been to Dealy Plaza several times, but this was the first time that I actually walked behind the fence line where the "magical" puffs of smoke appeared in the famous Zapruder film. It was very eerie to look over the fence and see the white "X" in the road that marks the spot where the fatal shot hit President Kennedy. We walked around for a bit longer and then ducked in side a little side pub off the street for another pint and a small escape from the cold. It was a nice afternoon, everyone enjoyed the conversation and the ride back to Mockingbird Station. I'm so glad that we all really enjoy spending time with each other, it was a very special afternoon.
Friday, December 28, 2001
Just incase you were wondering if you were in Googles Top 20 Queries for the year.
My holiday gift to each and everyone of you. Go have some fun with FunInBed.com. It's a website for couples in love. While you're there, don't forget to take the Love Exam. I scored a 72...
Thursday, December 27, 2001
Update on the Anthrax letter I posted about a few days ago. I'm not a hypochondriac, but about 20 minutes after I finished posting about that letter, I started to feel like I was coming down with the flu, no joke. I had a headache, my stomach was upset and I had chills. I kept telling myself that I was fine and that nothing was wrong. Coincidentally, I had just finished a small slice of homemade Turtle Cheesecake that a co workers wife had made for the office. I guess since I've been on the Body for Life program and have not been eating a bunch of junk, my body had already detoxed all of the sugar and crap that had previously been in my system a few weeks ago. The result, that small slice of cheesecake sent my blood sugar through the roof. I thought I was seriously coming down with the flu. I was even nauseous the entire trip home that evening. As soon as I ate dinner, I was fine. I guess I had balanced the blood sugar level with some good food. The moral of my story...no more crap for this body. I just cannot handle the junk food like I used to. That's not a bad thing...not a bad thing at all.
Whew!!! It's good to be back, both on Blogger and back from the holidays. Gianni and I had a quiet holiday with our families. I went to mass with my Grandmother and my sister. It was nice to be with family again. We'll be celebrating New Years at my Dads again this year. My siblings will be in town this weekend and I plan on taking them around Big D for some Holiday Fun. I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday with family and friends.
Friday, December 21, 2001
Some fun reading I stumbled across while keeping up with ID. Read The Future of the Independent Web -- Predictions by Halcyon. (prrrrrr) I briefly met Halcyon at SXSW last year, but didn't have the balls to really carry on a conversation with him. Something about eye contact and me suddenly becoming dizzy and loosing the ability to carry on an intelligible conversation. "You...web...good...me."
Quick update on my progress with the Body For Life program. I started the program a week ago Monday and when I weighed myself this morning I had lost 5 pounds. Yes that's right, my first 5 pounds are gone. :) I'm so happy, I have not been able to get the scales to move in my favor for a while now and it feels great to see how quickly Body for Life really works. I've completely changed the way I eat and I'm not missing the crap that I used to eat at all. Body for life has given me the tools I needed to unlock my potential as well as my bodies potential. I'm so glad I took the leap of faith and decided to change my life...for good.
Got this from Natalie the other day. A little insight on Clinton's struggle with the Taliban. I'm a "cold-hearted" Republican and really despise Clinton but can be a little empathetic to his frustrations with Satan's Spawn - I mean OBL - after reading this. Courtney and Tony, you'll be delighted to know your Democrats were doing something after all, they just couldn't go balls to the wall for fear of world-wide dissapproval. I guess after the mess with Vietnam, 4000 people have to die before we can fight back and no one gets their panties in a wad.
Thursday, December 20, 2001
A little close to home "The mail that is being delivered in this bag has been irradiated at a facility in Bridgeport, New Jersey. The irradiation process used at the Bridgeport facility was tested and found to be effective in destroying anthrax by an interagency team of scientific experts that recommend release of this mail for delivery. While the irradiation process is safe, it can affect some products that might be contained in this mail. The products on this list, if contained in a package or envelope that has been irradiated, should not be used. You should discard them and obtain replacements. * Any biological sample, such as blood, fecal samples, etc., could be rendered useless. While the irradiation process successfully kills anthrax, if your mail contains any suspicious substances we urge you to set it aside and contact local law enforcement authorities. This can help in the investigation. The group of experts that tested the irradiation process was organized by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and included the Armed Forces Radiology Research Institute, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. We apologize for the delay in delivery of this mail and for any inconvenience that may have resulted. Our primary interest is to assure that this mail is safe before being delivered to you. More information is available at 1-800-ASK-USPS. Thank you for your understanding. Sincerely, I wish I had a scanner here at the office so I could show you the difference in the envelope that we send out and the envelope that was just returned to us. Our normal letterhead and envelope is white with a blue logo. This one was a toasty cream color with black lettering. The letter had been headed for Trenton New Jersey. The intended recipient's mailbox has been closed. It's fascinating and just a little scary all at the same time, don't you think?
A year of bad mojo indeed. Let's hope next year is much better. It was a long rough year for a lot of us, Gianni and I included. I started the year out with a new job, by April I was looking for employment again. I spent most of the summer scouring the job boards and doing a bit of freelance work here and there. 500 resume launches and 5 months later I had a new job. I'm happy to report the stability factor is working in my favor this time around. I plan on staying here for quite a while if they'll have me. ;-) The winds of charge are rolling in already and I'm sure that 2002 will be better than 2001 was. I have to keep that glimmer of hope.
Wednesday, December 19, 2001
I watched a rebroadcast of the Sting In Tuscany Concert a couple of nights ago on A&E. I just noticed that it will be played again on December 22nd. I'll have to make sure to record it this time. :) Watching the show I couldn't help but remember my 3 weeks in England back in January of 97. I went to England all by myself to visit family friends. I arrived at London's Heathrow Airport very early in the morning, way before 6 AM. I didn't even know what the people who were supposed to pick me up looked like and when they arrived about an hour later, I was just a little frazzled. I had been in a strange airport in a strange country all by myself with my nearest family a 6 hour bus ride away. I spent the night in Kent with friends and then headed out for Carlisle the next morning. The bus ride was long and the weather was your typical British Winters Day, cold, wet and grey. I had brought a few CD's along with me for my trip. I had a couple of Sting albums in tow and I decided to start my journey out listening to Summoner's Tale. It was perfect! As the bus left the station in London and made it's way through the streets I was totally on sensory overload. As we passed Buckingham Castle I was listening to "Something the Boy said". It's a story about a journey and it fit so well. I had goose bumps!!! I couldn't help but think of that trip on Sunday night while I was watching the concert. It was a wet, grey, Dallas Winter's day and it took me back to almost 4 years ago.
Monday, December 17, 2001
Taurus I don't know how many days old that is, but I just read it today and if you've read last weeks blog, this seem to fit with my new path to fitness. I know...we read into it what we want, I want to read into it that I'm taking the right steps to change my life. :) BTW, I made it through my first whole week on the program and I really feel great. Yesterday was my FREE day and I had a small hamburger around lunch time and then for dinner I had a couple of slices of cheese pizza. My body has already adjusted to eating properly and the pizza and hamburger didn't sit really well with me, I was pretty lethargic most of the night. This next week or so should be the biggest test, especially with all the goodies at our office. I swear the day I start this program there was a box of chocolates and a huge tin of cookies sitting out for everyone to enjoy during the week. I even had to fight the temptation of Krispy Kreme donuts on Friday. I did cheat jut a bit and have a sugar cookie after lunch one day and you know, it didn't kill me. ;-)
Friday, December 14, 2001
I've got to say that I agree with Elise on this... I told Gianni last night as we were watching the news that I was not totally thrilled about the prospect of getting out of the ABM Treaty. Like Elise, I do love my country and I support it anyway I can, but I don't believe that any good can come out of this decision. And yes, I am a card carrying, NRA supporting, bleeding heart Republican. :)
Gianni and I got up at 6:00 this morning and headed to the weight room of our Apartment Community for a little workout. Today was upper body day and boy are my arms still talking to me. I'm quickly discovering that when I get up in the morning and work out I feel like I've really accomplished a lot before I even get into work in the morning. I'm still getting used to the routine so it took me longer to work out than it probably should, but I was still able to get home and get cleaned up in time to make it to work at my usual 8:30. Gianni did a weight and aerobic workout while I did my routine. He's really been a great support for me this week while my body has been adjusting to my new life style. He had begun to workout a little at home in the afternoons already and now it looks like he'll be joining me in the mornings. Support is such an important thing for someone who is trying to break years of bad habits and misinformation. I've never really worked out like this before and the book says that the hardest part of this process is training your mind to forget about all of the old information that it has gathered for so many years and let it absorb the new "proper" information about exercise and nutrition. I'm really trying to focus on the future and not the past now. I've never let myself really dream about the future before because I've never wanted to get my hopes up about anything. I learned pretty early on in life that if you don't try to build things up in your mind too much about future events then you're not disappointed if they don't turn out exactly like you had hoped that they would. I guess you could also say that trying to become a lot more goal oriented. I'm trying to see the big picture and make the connection between all of the step in the process that get you to the final goal...better health.
Thursday, December 13, 2001
Update on the 24 hour Fitness Membership. After trying to give someone my money over at 24 hour fitness most of the day yesterday I finally talked to someone on the phone. I told said 24 hour Fitness employee that I wanted to signup for the 3 month membership that he and I had talked about the previous afternoon. I told him I was going to pre pay my membership and wanted to call him and see if we could get the preliminary paper work out of the way so all I'd need to do is go in after work, sign the paper work and hand them over the check. I stress again that I'm wanting to pre pay for the entire 3 months. Basically I was told that I can pre pay, but that they need a draft from my checking account and permission to automatically draw the membership fees for future months from said account. At this point in my cat and mouse game with 24 hour Fitness, I'm already at the boiling point and ready to look for other clubs to work out at. I ask said employee why if I'm giving him a check for the FULL amount in ADVANCE they still need access to my account. I'm told that if I miss the 4th months payment that they take it out of the account. AH!!! 4th month? But we were discussing a 3 month contract that I was wanting to pay for in advance. I had already stressed to this jerk that after my quick little trip to Richardson early Tuesday morning that resulted in NO WORKOUT I was just a bit peeved with them to say the least. The kid on the other end of the line was really starting to shake, I could hear it in his voice. I once again asked why they needed access to my account when I was paying the full amount in advance and did not get an answer. I had him on the run. At this point I decide to just end his pain and mine and I tell him that I'm just going to have to take my money and my business elsewhere. So I rode my stationary bike at home this morning and tomorrow morning Gianni and I will be heading off to the weight room at the club house of our apartment. That membership by the way is FREE.
Wednesday, December 12, 2001
I have not posted much lately because I've been so busy. Busy at work, busy in my personal life actually busy changing things in my life. Last Friday while at lunch with a couple of girls from the office, I made a life changing decision, I decided to start the "Body for Life" program. It's not a diet; it's a way of life. I had mentioned to my friend that I was thinking about trying Body Solutions, a "quick weight loss system" that I'd heard a lot on the radio about. She looked at me and said, "That's just a Band-Aid, don't waste your money on that. Go get the Body for Life book and start working out with me at the gym in the morning before work". She has been on the program for about a month and has really seen results. I could see that she was not starving herself and I had proof that the plan works. So I bought the book and read it cover to cover over the weekend. Then on Sunday Gianni and I went to the store and I bought nutritious food that I'd be able to eat during the week. I followed the book and had all of my meals for the first day planned out. By the way, I'm now eating 6 small meals day and not 2 HUGE ones. I never ate breakfast and didn't eat lunch until 1:00 or so most days. Next it was time to go test out the gym. I downloaded a free 10 day pass for 24 Hour Fitness off of their website and planned on starting my work out bright and early Monday morning. Monday morning rolls around and the alarm clock does not go off. I shoot out of bed at 7:25 and look at the clock. No alarm. So I miss my first day of working out, that's ok I'll just go Tuesday morning. Tuesday morning rolls around and I get up with the alarm and head out the door for my 20-minute trek into Richardson where the girls are waiting for me to work out with them. When I arrive at the gym I present the 10-day pass and excitedly grab my bag so I can go workout. The only problem was the fine print on the pass; you apparently cannot use the pass to work out unless it's between 8:00 am and 9:00 pm. I'm working out from 6:30 - 8:00 in the morning so I miss the time slot allotted for the "free pass". My only option is to go ahead and buy a membership. By this time it's already almost 7:00 and my only option is to speed all the way back home and hop in the show in hopes that I can get cleaned up in time to make it all the way back up in Richardson before 8:30 when I'm supposed to be at work. I make it back home and get cleaned up just in time. As I'm leaving to go to work I kiss Gianni good-bye for the second time and explain the problem with the pass. I tell him that "God must really be testing me to see if I'm going to stick with this program". He laughs and says, "at least you're staying positive". Wednesday morning rolls around and I, luckily wake up just before the alarm is supposed to go off. I say supposed to go off because I notice that I forgot to turn my new alarm clock on last night before I went to sleep. If I hadn’t have woken up that would have made it 3 days on the program with out a work out. Like I said, I’m determined to stick to this program. I already feel better and I’ve adjusted to the 6 meals of smaller portions. Hopefully in 12 weeks when I’m through with the program you’ll see a life changing difference in me. I know it’s not going to be easy, but then anything easy isn’t worth having. It didn’t take me a week to get this way and it’s not going to take me a week to get in the best shape of my life.
Friday, December 07, 2001
Thursday, December 06, 2001
I'm impressesd!!! I've always been a fan of Leonardo's work. I even created a couple of wallpapers off of one of his sketches and a painting.
Wednesday, December 05, 2001
I apologize for the lack of posts this week. I've been sick and then my computer got sick. I got one of those nasty e-mail viruses yesterday and Gianni had to work on my computer to clean everything up. :( Since I missed December 1st Link and Think I wanted to go ahead and post what I was going to post that day. I've been very lucky, I have only lost one friend to AIDS. In fact he was one of the very first gay friends of mine. His name was Ken and he was such a dear, sweet, funny and inspirational person. I met Ken and his roommate Charlie back in 1989. I was 21 and working as a bartender in a steak house in Norman. Ken and Charlie both waited tables there. Ken was one of the first people to make feel welcome in that job. He sort of adopted me and put me under his wing. I had lived somewhat of a sheltered life up to that point and Ken took it upon himself to show me what his 7 years of college had given him. It was a running joke that Ken was a professional student, not because he flunked out of classes or kept changing majors, Ken loved to learn. I can't even tell you how many different degrees he had in different disciplines. He was a font of knowledge. He was also a major hoot to be around. Ken loved to sing and I remember the night he pleasantly discovered that I had a decent singing voice. We were working at the restaurant one night and he walked up to me and started singing a song from The Sound of Music. Having myself been born in Germany and the fact that it was one of my parent’s favorite musical, I knew practically every single word to every song of that show. I grew up dancing and singing along with the soundtrack, which my parents owned. He walked up to me and sang, “You are sixteen going on seventeen” and when I chimed in on the chorus he stopped with a very pleased look on his face and said, “I knew you were good people”. This was the start of something new, almost nightly we continued to sing a new song from the show. Ken had a very close friend who lived in Seattle and after I had only been working at the restaurant for about 3 months, he moved to Seattle to be with her. 3 months later we received word that Ken had died. Just that quickly. One day we’re throwing him a going away party and then he was dead. The official word was he had cancer, but as more details of the preceding 3 months came out, we found out that his entire body had pretty much been eaten up with various forms of cancer. At this time AIDS still was not widely known and not really understood. As time passed and I began to take different Biology and Science classes for College and as more and more information about HIV/AIDS became available, we all knew that Ken had died from AIDS. He had been sick for a while, but had been able to hide it to a certain point. He had gone to Seattle for two reasons. One, his close friend out there would be able to take care of him and get him into the proper hospitals. And two, he didn’t want any of us back in Oklahoma to know his terrible fate. I cried even more for Ken when the story started to unfold. This had been a vibrant, intelligent, loving person and he had been afraid of what his friends would think and say. I am also thankful that today people can talk to each other about this horrifying disease. I am thankful that today we live in a society where we proudly display our red ribbons on our lapels. I am thankful that today, if Ken were to become ill, he would have a much better chance of extending his quality of life and possibly even one day a chance of surviving.
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