Jon Ace's Place

Death by Apathy

2010-10-28T08:39:00.004-04:00

There's not much to say. It's obvious that I haven't been posting.

Not much longer after my last entry, I met Alyssa. She's my girlfriend. Truly an interesting young woman and the last 8 months have been different to say the least. Compared to the last five years or so, I've been shifting from an incredibly introverted lifestyle to a more open one. I'm out-and-about rather than in the hermitage I call my room. Needless to say, this change lead to me neglecting this blog. I shall neglect it no more.

Two-hundred and five posts... and one to end it all.

As of now, this blog is indefinitely defunct.

Don’t use EBay’s Answer Center

2010-02-11T11:17:00.001-05:00

So, I had a little problem and asked for some insight.

Out of 10 replies (8 people overall):

1 helpful, detailed answer
1 person who’s oblivious to seller’s locale, not his/her fault
2 people who can’t read
1 ad hominem attack (using this blog)
1 person who doesn’t read feedback (it was my first time I didn’t pay instant, asshole)
2 semi-helpful replies

Good help is so hard to find…

Retard.

2010-02-08T23:26:00.001-05:00

Retard.

Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard. Retard.

Fuck political correctness.

By the way, we’ve got a snowstorm coming.

Wolf Moon

2010-01-29T20:27:00.001-05:00

If you look to the ENE, you’ll see the biggest and brightest moon of 2010.

…and that bright “star” to its left?

Mars.

Push-up, then crunch!

2010-01-24T21:06:00.001-05:00

I figured I should plug these two sites again:

100 Push-ups

200 Sit-ups

As you can see on the right, I did reach 200 crunches last year. The time has come again to attempt the reach both goals in the six weeks programs. This goes double since I hit 173.4 pounds last Thursday, the lowest since the end of 2007.

I’m in the perfect situation to better my body: My kidneys are stable, my cholesterol is back in normal levels, my overall weight trend has been downward since Mid-October (with small upticks here and there) (pictured below).

No strict goals this time around, just a number: 160.

I want to be at or below 160 by June 1st.

As of this entry, my last official weigh-in is 173.4 pounds. June 1st (well, the weigh-in is on the 3rd) is 18 weeks away. Using the magic of math, I should have a weekly weight loss of 0.75 per week or a calorie deficit of 375 calories (which means I should only be eating a maximum of 1625 calories per day).

Let’s see what happens…

Mister Senator, sponsored by…

2010-01-21T20:00:00.001-05:00

The most recent ruling in the supreme court removes a 63-law limiting the amount of money that a corporation or labor organization can contribute to a political campaign.

The ruling was sharp, a 5-4 decision. I was happy to see Sotomayor vote against this, but that doesn’t change the fact that corporations can now legally (as if they weren’t doing this before) “help” a politician into office.

I highly disagree with this ruling as now a third-party candidate can only hope a corporation decides to help pay for their campaign expenses or be at the mercy of their cash-welding democratic and republican counterparts.

It should be noted that an individual civilian can only contribute a maximum of $2,500.

Yeah, completely fair. Right. *eye roll*

How long will it be until we see politicians dressed in suit with embroidered logos of their backers?

Always Check The Ring Finger

2010-01-17T21:35:00.001-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

File this under “Close one”.

Back in November, a few weeks after my first girlfriend broke up with me, I finally psyched myself into attempting to ask this really cute girl who was in my Accounting class. I spent days working up the courage to ask her out.

The moment finally came as she walked towards the door to the class. Something caught my eye though, on her left ring finger. A glimmer. A shine. It was a ring. More specifically, a wedding band.

So I didn’t ask her out in fear of completely embarrassing myself.

It was a smart choice as later on in the semester, we wound up having a friendly conversation in the classroom before class started. Not only was she married, she was 5 years older than I, she was an ex-military reservist, AND she had a 5-year old in kindergarten.

So gentlemen, in college, before you ask that girl out, take a peek at her ring finger.*

Be Afraid… Be Very Afraid (Republicans)

2010-01-10T22:16:00.001-05:00

Children are our future. Right?

But wait, there’s more!

Pictures provided by http://futuremajority.com/

Honestly, I don’t know who should be more afraid: Republicans or Third-parties.

Live Writer Test

2010-01-09T21:40:00.000-05:00

This is a test of Windows Live Writer. This blog post is NOT intended to see the light of day, but there’s always chance for it to get through if I click a wrong button or go on a drunken rampage… oh, that reminds me:

I TURN 21 AT 1:18 AM ON JANUARY 10th, 1989!!

Happy Birthday to me!

Give It Away

2010-01-07T23:14:00.000-05:00

Blog post theme music:

If there's one thing ruining the movie industry, and by proxy Hollywood, it's the PR and Advertising departments of certain distributors.

"Why?" You may ask. Well, let's use Universal Studios' upcoming film Leap Year as my sacrificial lamb for the day.

This is a link to the trailer. Watch it (I doubt Facebook's shitty blog import feature will transfer the HTML markup correctly, so look for the trailer on Youtube).

Did you watch it?

Okay, for those of you who didn't (I don't blame you), the trailer esssentially gives away THE ENTIRE FUCKING PLOT OF THE FUCKING MOVIE.

"But Jonathan?" you may ask, "Isn't that what trailers are suppose to do?"

"NAY!", I say. You don't give away the whole fucking movie!

The one part of that trailer that bugs me is the whole ending of said trailer: Guy A asks Girl A to marry him even though Guy B, who is at the scene of said proposal and did all these "romantic" things for her (Girl A) while he (Guy B) brought her to Guy A, is heartbroken using Male Heart-Hurt, Sad Face #142. Honestly, should have that been used as a plot twist?

On top of that, odds are Spyglass Entertainment, the creators of this movie, used the "oooh, let's use the unobivous obvious plot turn" move.

What is the unobivous obvious plot turn in this movie's case?

Guy B ends up getting to hit Girl A like the fist of an angry greek god.*

*I have not seen this movie. This is a guess.

The Great Decade (Goodbye 2009)

2010-01-01T12:47:00.001-05:00

It can still remember the last night of 1999. My mother, father, and brother all waiting to see the ball drop and close out the 90s.

A lot has happened to me over the last 10 years. The deaths of my father, of a number of not-so-distant aunts and uncles, and of my grandfather. I completed, not only elementary school, but also middle school and high school, and as of now I'm waist-deep in college. My mother, brother and sister moved out to Long Island, so in a much lighter sense, I've experienced moving to a new home (okay, one floor down, I know, I know...). I found someone I could love in 2005 and claimed I loved and was able to experience the physical aspects of such a relationship. I loved and lost, but today, I'm being giving the ability to love again, albeit, at a very cautious pace. I've suffered pains, not just of death or of loss, but of a kidney biopsy. I was diagnosed with CKD in 2008 and having the choice to pursue fairly rough treatment or not was - nay, IS, as of 20 years into my life, the most important decision of my life. I can safely say however, that I made the correct choice and am on a road to recovery (as if there was anything noticeably wrong with me). My New Year's Resolution for the year of 2009 was:

"Set up my springboard into true adulthood. Better physical fitness and better cognitive reasoning (thinking before I make rash decisions, or better thinking in general). It's time to grab life by the horns."

I don't think I fulfilled this completely. My weight is under 180, but the amount of exercise I have done waned in the last 6 months. As for reasoning, I think I'm doing well, making my own choices, some against the wishes of others, but I think that's something I'll need 10 years down the road from now.

My New Year's resolution for 2010 is:

"Weigh 160 pounds at least once in 2010."

No more overly philosophical resolutions for me.

One goal at a time for this decade.

College: The Ultimate Relationship Tester (Redux)

2009-10-31T23:48:00.000-04:00

This entry goes out to all the couples out there that are heading into college that are in what they believe is a stable relationship.

RebJas of GameFAQs.com answered the following question of mine and I'm going to share it here:

Q: What if you're already in a (stable) relationship when first getting in college?

A: Hey, I thought I was [in a stable relationship] too. But then she started grad. school, met some other guy, and a couple of weeks into the semester I was getting the "I can only be friends right now" speech. College is the high-school relationship killer. But it's also the test to see if the relationship is as strong and secure as you think it is.

Just don't be surprised if a situation like mine happens.

This entry is being repeated for a reason. The reason being that the information and advice given is very true.

My advice to go along with this entry: Don't take Love for granted.

Meet Jewel

2009-09-21T17:52:00.000-04:00

On September 19th, I acquired Jewel, a female aqua-colored Budgerigar.

Jewel will be joining Bingo on October 3rd in his new 30" x 18" x 18" cage.

Lincoln Osiris

2009-09-14T12:14:00.000-04:00

...you never go full asshole either.

ESVWLC? I hardly knew 'er.

2009-08-21T16:48:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed that I have yet to post about my recent weight loss venture.

Between entertaining my underlings, taking care of my pudgie budgie, Bingo, and having a sudden case of the lazys, updating my blog has become a last thing on my to-do list.

As for my weight, it's staying even. It recently went up a pound, but overall, I'm still doing well. Once college starts, my step count should increase, and my weight will hopefully do the opposite.

Until then...

Jonathan's ESVWLC: Weigh-in #2

2009-08-06T11:46:00.000-04:00

This week's goal:
August 6th: 181.4 pounds

Result:
182.4 pounds

- 0.08 pounds of fat lost
- 0.32 pounds of muscle lost...
Lost nothing on waist
0.4 pounds lost (Last week's weigh-in was 182.8 pounds, not 182.6)

Future goals:

August 13th: 179.3 pounds
August 20th: 177.2 pounds
August 27th: 175 pounds

Outlook:

...and just like that, I've fallen behind. Losing weight is good, but when you're not reaching your goals, it makes it a bittersweet moment. At this rate, I'd have to lose 2.5 pounds a week, which is not the healthiest of weight losses, and that would mean a calorie defect of 1250 per day, which leads to a calorie cap of 750. That is unhealthy. I have started using the treadmill again, but that only takes out a certain amount. I highly doubt I'll reach my goal at this point even with proper exercise.

Jonathan's ESVWLC: Weigh-in #1

2009-07-30T13:21:00.000-04:00

This week's goal:
July 30th: 183.5 pounds

Result:
182.6 pounds!!
- 6.88 pounds of fat lost
+ 3.88 pounds of muscle gained
1" lost on waist
3 pounds lost!

Future goals:

August 6th: 181.4 pounds
August 13th: 179.3 pounds
August 20th: 177.2 pounds
August 27th: 175 pounds

Outlook:

Today's goal was reached easily since I'm sick and my appetite hasn't been as high as it usually is. This week was a water weight week, so next week's weight-in will set the pace.

A Heavy Reality

2009-07-24T11:04:00.000-04:00

If I continue on this diet all the way to New Year's Day and beyond, I can see my weight anywhere between 170.7 and 160.2. A wide range of course, but anything can happen.

- Jonathan, November 13th, 2008, after completing a 1 month calorie restriction

Today, my weight stands at 185.6 pounds. This is uncalled for. It's time to kick it up a notch... again.

So, without further ado, I present:

Jonathan's End of Summer Vacation Weight Loss Challenge (ESVWLC)

Current Stats

Weight: 185.6
Fat (lb): 41.39
Muscle (lb): 144.21
Waistline (in): 38

Goals

Bring my total weight down to 175 (a loss of 10 pounds)
Have my total fat (lb) as close to 30 as possible (a loss of ~10 pounds)
Maintain my total muscle (lb) above 140
Have a waistline of 36 (it's a start)

Numerical Goals

July 30th: 183.5 pounds

August 6th: 181.4 pounds

August 13th: 179.3 pounds

August 20th: 177.2 pounds

August 27th: 175 pounds

Future Stats (hopefully)

Weight: 175
Fat (lb): 30
Muscle (lb): 145
Waistline (in): 36

I will be using the same calorie restriction as I did last October (2000 calories or less per day).

Meet Bingo

2009-07-12T12:38:00.001-04:00

Long story, short: Here is Skippy's successor, Bingo.

He's younger than Skippy and is a male (I'm 100% sure this time).

They Go By Threes

2009-06-25T19:55:00.000-04:00

"Bene decessit"

2009-06-06T21:42:00.000-04:00

In the waning weeks of February 2009, I purchased a budgerigar.

I named him Skippy after my late grandfather's nickname "Skipper".

He was a young budgie, most likely under 6 months of age. He was quite a unique budgie. Within 24 hours of taking him home and putting him in his cage, he wanted out. He was a curious bird and he never held his curiosity back. I let him out that day and the rest was history.

I still remember the day when he was on the shelf above my computer looking down at me as I played my computer games (Team Fortress 2, to be precise) and spontaneously flew down to my keyboard, looked up at the computer and watched me play(pooping on my keyboard in the process).

I even remember the first time he flew onto my shoulder and started playing with my then longer hair.

It's amazing how in a short four months someone can become attached to such a friendly animal... and how similar the pain is when they die.

Skippy died sometime in the afternoon of June 6th, 2009.

He will be missed.

Bene decessit.

Driver License

2009-05-27T18:42:00.000-04:00

This is just a quick blurb to announce that I have passed my road test and have acquired a New York State Driver License.

Meet Skippy

2009-05-10T16:08:00.000-04:00

It's about time I mention Skippy, my budgie that I acquired mid-February of this year.

Moving Right Along

2009-05-05T18:46:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd be off Prednisone shortly, but it seems I'll be stuck with it for at least another 4 weeks. Yes, that's right, my nephorologist doesn't want to take any chances of adrenal problems, so he has me tapering off the Prednisone very, very slowly.

I'll be officially off this medicine by May 29th (yay!).

In other news, I'll be taking my first and hopefully only road test for my driver's license on May 27th. I feel pretty confident that I'll pass with only minor errors. If you hear about a young man who crashed his instructor's car somewhere in Jamaica on the news, then that might have been me.

Hellish Health

2009-04-25T23:36:00.001-04:00

Spring break sapped a majority of my urge to write. I'm back now to update you, the reader, on what's been happening:

Chiny Chin Chin
The last 30 days have not been good to me in the health department. It seems a combination of poor diet, lack of commitment to my 10k a day plan, and two new drugs in my system (including the removal of Prednisone) has lead to a gain of weight. Luckily, I'll be using a treadmill daily starting around May 1st (delivery permitting) and I aim to burn 1,000 calories per day.

The weight graph for the last 30 days paints a painful picture.

I believe I'm also being affected by hypotension (low blood pressure). I suffered a vasovagal episode on Wednesday. Not fun.

Tough Goals Ahead

The following is a repeat of my goals for the foreseeable future (for my benefit):

My short-term goal, which begins April 1st and lasts until June 1st, is to bring my total weight back under 180 (150 pounds of muscle; 30 pounds of fat [~16.6% body fat] OR 145 pounds of muscle and 35 pounds of fat [~19.4% body fat]). The latter being more realistic, the former being the ultimate short-term goal.

My long-term goal, which I'm hoping to reach by the end of July, is to have a body weight of 170. That would consist of a muscle mass of 150 pounds and 20 pounds of body fat (~11.7% body fat). This goal will be tough to reach since an 11% body fat percentage is considered athletic by some standards.

My limits: I MUST not go under 140 pounds of muscle. I MUST not have more than 40 pounds of fat on me.

The bolded statements are goals I have already failed to achieve...

Don't worry...

2009-04-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Trading One Problem For Another / 10k a Day / The Fight For 170

2009-03-29T17:16:00.000-04:00

Alright, so I've got a 3-in-1 deal for you today. Plenty of things have happened since my last post, so it's about time I update you, the reader.

Trading One Problem For Another

The good news: My kidney functions are improving. My creatinine levels have dropped noticeably, from 1.9 last month to 1.5. This new level is still abnormal by about .2, but I haven't seen a number this low unless I go back about 2 years when this whole problem started. My creatinine clearance test came back with positive results; an improvement in overall kidney function. I also will begin tapering down on the damn prednisone by 10mg a week starting tomorrow (I'll be completely off it by May!).

The bad news: I have high cholesterol. This is genetic, so the least I can do is cut back on my dairy intake (cheeses) because I'm sure that's not helping the problem at all. I've started Lipitor (for the cholesterol) and a small doseage of Lisinopril (to prevent hypertension, a leading cause of renal failure, which could be a cause for this entire mess in the first place).

So, I'm doing a trade-in: FSGS for high cholesterol and hypertension. Not too bad. The latter problems are very treatable.

10k a Day

I'm recently coming off a two-day high of 10k steps walked. This is in preparation to walk an average of 10,000 in the month of April. That's at least 300,000 in total for that month. My legs are already feeling the increase in activity (usual muscle soreness and a slight increase in muscle cramps), but I'll be taking it as it comes.

The Fight for 170

Now that I'm going to begin coming of the Prednisone, this is a good time for me to reboot my fitness. The first step is to regain control of my diet. While my calorie intake has been much more tolerable compared to past, it's still not acceptable. That is, I still go over 2,000 calories a day (not by much, maybe 200 to 400 more than needed).

I call the above chart: The Prednisone Rollercoaster.

Thankfully, it fits into a tread that occurs with my weight. I follow a jump-and-drop pattern. My weight goes up after a steep decline and drops after a steep rise (and so on and so forth). In the next month, I can hope for a drop in total weight should this tread prove true.

My short-term goal, which begins April 1st and lasts until June 1st, is to bring my total weight back under 180 (150 pounds of muscle; 30 pounds of fat [~16.6% body fat] OR 145 pounds of muscle and 35 pounds of fat [~19.4% body fat]). The latter being more realistic, the former being the ultimate short-term goal.

My long-term goal, which I'm hoping to reach by the end of July, is to have a body weight of 170. That would consist of a muscle mass of 150 pounds and 20 pounds of body fat (~11.7% body fat). This goal will be tough to reach since an 11% body fat percentage is considered athletic by some standards.

My limits: I MUST not go under 140 pounds of muscle. I MUST not have more than 40 pounds of fat on me.

I'll be formulating a plan of action in the coming days. I'll post it here so if anybody wants to join me, feel free to do so.

More Trouble Ahead

2009-03-25T13:54:00.000-04:00

The MTA has approved their so-called doomsday budget plan.

The straphangers of New York better be collectively sharpening their pitchforks... or at least oiling their bike chains.

MTA Hike/Service Cut Proposals (link)

Proposal 1 is the one they voted for.

It's a damn shame really. We New Yorkers can't really blame the MTA 100%. The goons up in Albany have time and time again screwed the MTA out of fair funding.

For example:
"The MTA also assumes that Albany will begin sending it more money. For years, state tax dollars that were supposed to go directly to the MTA were absorbed into the state's general budget."

Assumptions are bad, but not getting tax dollars intended for the MTA is worse.

If you're a New Yorker who is tired of seeing public transportation becoming more of financial hassle, contact your Senator and Assembly person. These hikes won't go into effect until June. There's still time for a... you guessed it, bailout... right? RIGHT?!

Daily News Source

Renal Wars: "Screw it, I'm out of Star Wars titles."

2009-03-13T22:02:00.000-04:00

So after a 5-hour wait to see my kidney doctor, I've got another bunch of tests to do. One of which is a creatinine clearance test. A urine test in which my kidney function is somewhat more accurately estimated versus a normal 24-hour protein count. This will be followed by the usual blood work, a fasting blood work, which is a pain in the ass because you cannot eat AT ALL. Oh well.

My creatinine level is up to 1.9 (from 1.6 in January). This is not good, but nothing to be too alarmed about. Also, depending on the results from the CC, I'll be starting to come off the prednisone. Finally!

I'll know for sure in 2 weeks.

Renal Wars: The Doctor Menace

2009-03-11T19:25:00.000-04:00

Late February? No? March 5th? NO?! How about March 12th? Yeah, March 12th, three damn weeks later than I expected.

To all you doctors out there, don't let the nurses do the dirty work when it comes to canceling on a patient who is on a medication that needs either, a) close observation, b) a strict period of treatment and then a "weening" period, or c) both.

At least give a REASON...

Anyway, I fall under category (c). I'm also lucky my pharmacist is a helpful person or I'd be in the ER with adrenal shock.

Prednisone is a hell of a drug.

Tomorrow I, hopefully - since Jamaica Hospital hasn't called today to screw me over yet again, see my Nephorologist and get the results of a 24-hour urine test that I did almost a month ago. This would be a biggie as this test was done during the peak of my prednisone treatment. If a certain doctor didn't cancel twice on me, I would probably be of this horrible drug by now. Don't get me wrong, I haven't had one allergy related problem since December. It's awesome to know hay fever has nothing on me when this drug is in my system. Though, it's a damn shame when you gain a double chin and a really bad temper (as if I didn't have one already...).

More news tomorrow. Same bat time, same bat channel!

In Like A Lion...

2009-03-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't seen a foot of snow in NYC since the Storm of 2006. It's about damn time that I can go over to Upton's (that's NYC's NWS station) winter weather section and see this beauty:

Yes, Upton is forecasting 13.5" of snow for Queens.

Of course this amount can change before all is said and done by Monday night.

NYC schools probably won't close (you'd need the end of times for that to happen), but there is a good thing about the freedom of being in a college not controlled by the BoE:

You're not forced to go to class.

The Day That Got Away

2009-02-21T09:04:00.000-05:00

Image by bayat via Flickr

It was 1:30 in the morning on February 16th. The chicken quesadilla, nachos belgrande, and 5 slices of various Domino's pizza decided to revolt... and revolt they did. I knew I had eaten too much the day before, but I didn't think it would lead to one of the worst nights-no-mornings-no-DAYS of my life.

Hell hath no fury like the the eruption of food particles and chunks, and a whole lot of various stomach fluids.

Not long after the first bout of unsightly vomiting, the second round began. I can safely say, some sort of liquid came out of every one of my orifices, save for my ears. Note that I said liquid. When I say liquid, I mean as liquid as tap water, but not as clean looking.

Sitting on a toilet at 2... or 3... or 4 in the morning, with only a waste basket as your friend and the hope that blacking out is not far off, is not fun in any sense. I seriously considered going to the hospital, if only I had the strength to get up (I would later find out that going to the hospital would have been a good idea since dehydration was setting in, and with my kidney problems this exacerbated the situation).

The rest of my day consisted of laying the bed, drinking water and OJ, trying to fall asleep while hoping I don't throw up (I didn't, thankfully).

This stomach virus has thrown me off completely in all aspects of my life. Especially in the health section, where I've lost 7.5 pounds (mostly, if not all, muscle which is not good at all), I'm back up to 180 pounds as of this morning and I'm sure it's combination of water weight and muscle gain as my calorie intake has taken a huge hit.

It'll be back to business on Monday whether my stomach is ready or not.

This entry is dedicated to my grandma because she's sick in bed in Atlantic City instead of enjoying herself and hitting it big because she caught the same stomach virus that I have. Go figure...

February 16th

2009-02-16T19:22:00.002-05:00

Two Hundred Crunches

2009-02-15T12:05:00.000-05:00

Today I can happily announce that I completed the two hundred sit-ups program.

Even though I fell short of the one hundred push-ups goal by about 2 weeks (I'll be repeating Week 5 for the third time starting tomorrow), that didn't break my concentration on reaching 200 crunches. I knew I had the core strength. I knew I could do it. With the help of my young brother counting high (no, not hiiiiiiiigh), I reached 200.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to deknot my stomach muscles.

Renal Wars: A New Chin

2009-02-09T21:28:00.000-05:00

Getting tried of these Star Wars references yet?

Anyway, over the last two weeks I've noticed a double chin appearing. This is definitely the prednisone taking its toll on me and I can't wait to get off this stupid drug.

On Thursday I see my nephrologist for the first time in 4 weeks. This will be a major appointment as I submitted one of those 24-hour urine tests (a pretty convenient test if you take advantage of it) and the results of this test will give us an idea of if this medication is working. I'm not sure if he'll begin to ween me off the prednisone, that remains to be seen.

Thursday: A few days away...

Bluntly Obvious

2009-02-08T11:36:00.000-05:00

With the whole Michael Phelps bong picture out for the whole world to see, it raises a serious question on how we, in the United States, treat pot smokers.

Firstly, to clear the air, I'm for the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana. Not just because this futile War on Drugs puts people in prison (and subsequently increases state and federal spending to support these inmates; for example, $52.90 per day per inmate in Florida), but also because there is a glaring hypocrisy when you compare pot smoking and alcohol consumption.

My Philosophical Argument Justifying The Decriminalization of Marijuana

(1) Both marijuana and alcohol are used for recreational purposes.

(2) Both marijuana and alcohol have short-term (poor reaction time, loss of coordination) and long-term (alcoholism/addiction) effects.

(3) Alcohol is advertised with a stern reminder of "Please Drink Responsibly" and is considered a commodity in the United States.

(4) There are laws that prohibit the use and sale of alcohol to minors.

(5) Since (1) & (2), either alcohol should be banned or marijuana should be legalized, made into a commodity with the same type of laws (4), and advertised with a stern reminder of "Please Smoke Responsibly".

(6) Alcohol will not be banned as it has failed before.

(7) Since (5) & (6), marijuana should be decriminalized and legalized.

-

At a financial point of view, having a marijuana industry, an industry that can be taxed to hell and back much like the cigarette industry, will bring about another stream of revenue for our failing economy. Legalize and capitalize.

Going back to my initial statement, we should treat pot smokers just like drinkers or cigarette smokers. Hold them to the same laws and taxes, but at the same time, let them have their fun.

Fit By The Fifth? Eh...

2009-02-05T07:52:00.000-05:00

It depends on how you look at the numbers:

As you can see here, 174 pounds was a pipe dream. You could argue that it might have been muscle that caused this weight gain. Sadly, that isn't the case as seen below.

The columns shown here are as follows: Date, Suprailiac skinfold (mm), Weight (lbs), Body fat (%), Estimated fat weight (lb), Estimated muscle mass (lbs).

My analysis of this is bittersweet. While my body fat % stayed the same due to my supra numbers staying well within the 18.9% range, the amount of fat on me barely changed, which is against what I was hoping to achieve. I show a very nice gain in muscle mass (~4 pounds), but a loss of fat, not a gain, would have been much better. The following waist line graph (in inches) supplements this unfortunate realization:

So what's next for me? Cardio and lots of it.

50 jumping jacks
30 climbers
20 burpees
10 push-ups
10 crunches
Repeat (x2)

30 minutes of cardio at my weight will burn about 300 calories. If I do this everyday, a net loss, after including any free weight lifting, walking, and a calorie deficit I create, of near 3000 calories, (~0.8 pounds of fat) is possible.

Only In America...

2009-01-28T13:22:00.001-05:00

The image above is from Reddit.com.

There's a problem when a homeless man gets a year in jail for every $6.66 dollars he stole, but a suit only gets 4 years in jail for an amount 5000000 [5 million] times greater.

What the hell...

Back to the Books

2009-01-27T22:46:00.000-05:00

Today was my 2nd full day of Spring 2009 classes.

Here's what I'm taking this semester:

Accounting 101
Astronomy 002
Tap I (That's tap dancing, FYI)
Urban Studies 153: Neighborhoods (Think Sociology, but in a smaller scope)

So far, only one of my professors is a bore. I have yet to meet my Urban Studies professor, but her reviews over at RateMyProfessors show promise.

"Fit By The Fifth" Update

I'm gaining muscle. A lot of muscle. For example, my bicep muscles have gone up 1" over the last few weeks. That, in my opinion, is impressive. I can also do 61 push-ups in 5 sets (12.2 average per set) and 148 crunches in 5 sets (29.6 average per set).

My fat loss may have halted. After hitting an approximate of 33.5 pounds, it has clawed its way up to 33.8. Sure, a .2 pound fat gain in 2 weeks doesn't seem bad at all, but in my book, its a failure.

I want my fat weight under 30 pounds (3.8 pounds to go) and my muscle mass over 140 pounds (4.8 pounds ahead of my goal), at the very least.

Two weigh-ins to go...

Merry Change-mas?

2009-01-19T19:11:00.000-05:00

The "Eve of Change", "Change Is Less Than 24 Hours Away", and "Change Is Coming To America".

I've heard those three phrases in the past day, more than I hear about that damn Husdon River Plane Crash. It's very annoying, even to me!

Let me break it down the way the mainstream media seems to NOT put it:

Obama is not God. He is not the Messiah. He is not a black man with a halo sent from the heavens to rid the United States of the last 8 years of bullshit we've had to endure. When he's sworn in, choirs will not sing, hate will not leave this country or this planet, the "War" will not magically end, shiites and sunnis won't be joining hands in harmony, the Dow Jones will not shoot up two thousand points in the next week, CEOs will not have an uncontrollable urge to donate their golden parachutes to the needy families who lost it all in the last few months, unemployment will not return from an almost 16-year high, and Hell, most certainly, will not freeze over. Well, maybe Hell, Michigan.

Obama, NAY, the US GOVERNMENT, has a lot of work ahead. While the word "change" does in fact carry some weight to it, that is, with a democratic president backed by a democratic majority in all the branches of government (unlike the last 8 years, where the Dems barely had a majority, especially in the Senate), I'm sure some sort of "change" will come. Hopefully, it's a change of policies: foreign, domestic, financial, etc. that benefit ALL US citizens of ALL creeds, political parties, ethnic backgrounds, and so on and so forth.

I do believe, however, that Barack Obama will have a very positive influence on how this country performs overall in the next 4 years and beyond. If he fails to do so, I will be the first to admit it.

Immortality

2009-01-15T21:30:00.000-05:00

“All men's souls are immortal, but the souls of the righteous are immortal and divine.” - Socrates

So I was bored one day and got to thinking. Just thinking. An interesting thought crossed my mind and it dawned on me: Humans are immortal.

I believe the death of a human. The complete cessation of a human is when the soul is destroyed. The body may die, but the soul lives on, correct? If you believe in an afterlife, then would that mean the soul continues once the body has rotted away? Since the soul of the human is still intact, then the human is technically immortal. That is, if the definition of "immortal" allows this.

It does.

immortal (a.)
1 : exempt from death

The human soul is exempt from death if there is an afterlife.

THEREFORE, if there is a life after death, then humans are immortal. We may considered mortal in this reality, but that does not mean we are mortal in some other reality: the afterlife.

Prednisone Pain (Those Darn Leg Cramps)

2009-01-13T13:09:00.000-05:00

Imagine you're sleeping soundly without a care in the world. Then suddenly, someone stabs you in the calf muscle with a knife.

That has been the last few mornings in a nutshell for me. Leg cramps ("charley horse") are once again a highlight of my day. It's the prednisone that's causing it. Luckily, I think my doctor may start lowering my dosage. I'll find out today when I go see him. I'll also know if the medicine is doing anything for my FSGS.

A piece of advice: If your doctor ever needs you to go on prednisone, be ready for the side effects. There is a long list of them and I'm sure not everyone gets the same set. Weight the pros and cons before diving head-first like I did. You'll be happy you did.

Something Winter This Way Comes

2009-01-09T16:35:00.001-05:00

The real winter weather starts tomorrow (my birthday).

3 to 6 inches of snow (with a little ice) is expected for NYC. Then, it gets cold. I'm talking single digit cold. The arctic express will be pulling into the Northeast next week.

Bundle up.

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY
312 PM EST FRI JAN 9 2009

...WINTER WEATHER EXPECTED OVER THE WEEKEND...

.LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK UP THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY THROUGH
SATURDAY...THEN PASS JUST SOUTH OF LONG ISLAND SATURDAY
NIGHT...AND THEN MOVE WELL EAST OF THE AREA ON SUNDAY. THIS
SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE HEAVY SNOWFALL OVER THE AREA FROM SATURDAY
AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING...MIXING WITH SLEET AT TIMES
SATURDAY NIGHT ACROSS SOUTHERN LONG ISLAND AND NEW YORK CITY.

CTZ005-009-NJZ002>006-011-NYZ067>073-076>078-100415-
/O.UPG.KOKX.WS.A.0002.090110T1600Z-090111T1600Z/
/O.NEW.KOKX.WS.W.0002.090110T1600Z-090111T1300Z/
NORTHERN FAIRFIELD-SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD-WESTERN PASSAIC-BERGEN-
EASTERN PASSAIC-ESSEX-HUDSON-UNION-ORANGE-PUTNAM-ROCKLAND-
NORTHERN WESTCHESTER-SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER-NEW YORK (MANHATTAN)-
BRONX-QUEENS-NASSAU-NORTHWESTERN SUFFOLK-
312 PM EST FRI JAN 9 2009

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM SATURDAY TO 8 AM EST
SUNDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM
WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM SATURDAY TO 8
AM EST SUNDAY.

SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY AND WESTERN
PORTIONS OF THE LOWER HUDSON VALLEY AROUND MIDDAY BEFORE
SPREADING FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGHOUT THE DAY. SNOW WILL THEN
CONTINUE TO FALL THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT AND BECOME HEAVY AT
TIMES. THE SNOW WILL TAPER OFF SHORTLY AFTER SUNRISE ON SUNDAY.

THE LOW WILL PASS CLOSE ENOUGH TO LONG ISLAND THAT THE SNOW WILL
MIX WITH SLEET AND POSSIBLY FREEZING RAIN LATE SATURDAY
NIGHT ACROSS NEW YORK CITY AND LONG ISLAND LOCATIONS...HELPING TO
LIMIT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN THESE AREAS.

TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS FROM THIS SYSTEM WILL RANGE FROM 6 TO
9 INCHES ACROSS THE LOWER HUDSON VALLEY AND INTERIOR
CONNECTICUT...AND FROM 5 TO 7 INCHES ACROSS NORTHERN NEW YORK
CITY...NASSAU AND NORTHERN SUFFOLK COUNTY...AND COASTAL PORTIONS
OF NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY.

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW...
SLEET...AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO
POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA ALL HAZARDS WEATHER RADIO OR VISIT OUR WEB
SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/NYC FOR FURTHER DETAILS AND UPDATES.

Happy birthday to me.

Fit by the Fifth

2009-01-04T10:58:00.000-05:00

I've been on Prednisone for a few weeks now. Only recently have the side effects begun to appear. Acne, and lots of it, and water retention along with rapid weight gain. I'm also fighting my first bout of chest congestion since I was 13 (maybe earlier). Prednisone makes you more susceptible to illness.

The acne isn't too bad. However, it's showing up in places, like my back and chest, that have never seen a single blemish. Interestingly enough, they vanish just as fast as they show themselves.

In addition to the acne and illness, I've gained 6 pounds in 2 weeks, mathematically wiping away any and all progress that was made over the past 2 months.

This brings me to my newest scheme in my fight against body fat.

I've just started a new workout routine today. It is as follows:

Jog in place for 10 minutes (this is to get my heart rate up; exercises my legs)
Preacher Curls (Targets my forearm and biceps)
Triceps Extensions (Targets the triceps, of course)
Side Deltoid Raise (Targets my deltoids, specifically the weakest area of them)
Push-ups (Targets my pectorals)
Crunches (Targets my abdominals)

The push-ups and crunches are done Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Everything else is once a day.

My goal is to be back to 174 pounds by February 5th. It'll be tough with the prednisone in my system, but a 6 pound gain of water/fat is unacceptable. It's time to take my body back.

Time Warner vs. Viacom

2008-12-31T13:35:00.000-05:00

Fucking Viacom.

They fucked with Neopets (don't ask...), now they want to fuck with Time Warner.

At 12:01am, Viacom will be pulling 19 channels off of Time Warner. That's about 13 million subscribers left in the dark without MTV (I hate MTV), Nickelodeon (won't someone please think of the children!), and Comedy Central (alert Stephen Colbert!), among a few others.

Of course, Viacom has TW by the balls. They seek to charge an extra $0.25 per customer to carry their channels. Since the deadline is so close, Viacom probably figures Time Warner won't fight. They thought wrong, and now it looks as though the consumer shall get screwed... again...

Viacom can bite me.

Goodbye 2008

2008-12-31T12:00:00.000-05:00

It's that time again!

December 31st has a long standing (4 years, right?) tradition on my blog as being the day I look back at the last 365 days and see how they were. A reflection if you will.

The only thing that stands out this entire year was the fact that I survived one entire year half way on my own. I say half way because my landlord is also my grandmother. I've still got a watchful eye on me, more or less.

My New Year's resolution for 2008 was:

"Lose the 'protective layer of fat over my rock hard abs' and form a habit of staying in shape."

I can safely say my health, specifically my weight, has been on the positive side. Not positive as in weight gain, but as in control. Losing 6 and a half pounds in a few months is an accomplishment and I believe I partially fulfilled my resolution (Until recently, a combination of Prednisone and illness has thrown my system completely off, gaining 10 pounds in a week, hopefully just water weight, more on that later).

My New Year's Resolution for the year of 2009 is:

"Set up my springboard into true adulthood. Better physical fitness and better cognitive reasoning (thinking before I make rash decisions, or better thinking in general). It's time to grab life by the horns."

Early Gift From Mother Nature

2008-12-19T14:44:00.000-05:00

Just enjoying the snow show from Mother Nature. Looks like it's going to go over to sleet soon enough.

About 2" on the ground.

Iraqi Man Attempts Assault on US President... With Shoes

2008-12-14T19:15:00.000-05:00

Firstly, the event in question:

...and a little background of "shoe throwing" in Arab culture.

You see, the only reason Bush was able to dodge this is that when you're learning the ropes as President of the United States, they place extreme emphasis on dodging shit.

Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi, you have earned a Jonathan Ace Gold Star, for showing the world you've got balls. Now, If only I could get around to designing one...

Here's to you:

Prognosis: Painful

2008-12-10T22:54:00.000-05:00

When I was 13, I always had the strangest feelings. No, not those feelings...

I always had the feeling that my life would end early. Don't ask why, it was one of those random thoughts that pop into your head, and you dwell on it for a while, but brush it off as it sounds ridiculous.

In my case, I didn't really brush these thoughts aside. They would always come back to me and I would think about it. Just think. It would scare me. The thought of death is its worst when you know you're not immortal and there is very little you can do.

I came across this tonight:

Prognosis is poor. Spontaneous remissions occur in < 10% of patients. Renal failure occurs in > 50% of patients within 10 yr; in 20%, end-stage renal disease occurs within 2 yr, despite treatment. The disease is more rapidly progressive in adults than in children. The presence of segmental sclerosis consistently at the glomerular pole where the tubule originates (tip lesion) may portend a more favorable response to corticosteroid therapy. Another variant, in which the capillary walls are wrinkled or collapsed (collapsing glomerulopathy), suggests more severe disease and rapid progression to renal failure.

In essence, I have a 50/50 chance of getting screwed by life within 10 years.

If you're a family member of mine, and you're reading this, look into kidney transplants. Please.

Big 3 Bullies

2008-12-10T10:21:00.000-05:00

Free market economy my ass.

Renal Wars: Attack of the 'Roids

2008-12-09T20:45:00.000-05:00

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

That's what I have. Unfortunately, even though there are causes for this, in my case, there isn't.

Glomerulosclerosis is when the tiny cells in the tissue of the kidneys leak protein. It is treatable. It can be put into remission. However, the damage that has already been done, is done. Unless

The pathology office recommends steroids, which I will begin taking tomorrow, along with Nexium, to offset any ulcers that could form. Now, when I say "steroids", I don't mean the anabolic, nut-shrinking kind. Cortocoseroids (Prednisone) are, thankfully, much different. They will help the kidney tissue stop leaking protein (hopefully). I was also happy to find out these types of 'roids treat asthma (which I've had for some time, but haven't had an attack in YEARS) and allergies (hay fever will be the death of me).

I will also be going to see my nephrologist much more often now. This is to make sure if anything happens during the course of my treatment, he'll know about and be able to do what he needs to do.

Crossroads

2008-12-02T13:43:00.000-05:00

It might seem unusual for those who know me well, but I have a knack for organizing things cognitively. An example of this would be that I like to break up my life into "eras".

Currently, I'm in my Romeo Era (also known as the Nicole Era, named after my girlfriend, Nicole).

Today, I feel that I'm heading for a crossroad. Not a fork in the road. A fork in the road implies that we only have two choices (usually two, but a fork has 4 prongs). The metaphor of a fork in the road ignores the idea that we can not only go a few ways, we can leave the road altogether.

A crossroad sounds better for this point in my life. The crossroad features a multitude of paths, coming in at various angles, all with their bumps and cracks, and occasional animal carcasses. Think of an asterisk.

Gone are the days of following what's laid out in front of me; a road with few twists and turns, dips and climbs, walls and doors to open. The roads I may travel now can go in circles, lead me back to whence I came, bring me to the pinnacle of human perfection or drag me down to the depths of Hell.

Although what the next few years bring me may be a mystery, I have the ability to alter what can happen. I can take a step towards where few dare to tread.

I can get off the road and live.

Wait until December...

2008-11-29T01:33:00.000-05:00

My biopsy results won't be in until December 9th. The Nephorologist did what he could to get in touch with someone at the pathology center, while I was there, to try and get someone to fax the report over from White Plains, NY (about 50 miles away). Unfortunately, everyone jumped ship for the Thanksgiving weekend (load of BS).

As for me, I'm doing fine. However, I've been getting slight pains in my lower right back. Probably a kidney stone...

Moment of Truth

2008-11-24T23:56:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow I find out what's troubling my kidneys.
It can be either minor or major. Based on my luck, it'll probably be bad.

What causes your kidneys to lose over 50% of function in a year?

I'll find out tomorrow afternoon/evening.

Until then...

October-November 2008 Diet: Final Weigh-in

2008-11-13T10:39:00.000-05:00

This week's goal:
November 13th: 169.9

Result:
174.2 pounds
-0.27 pounds of fat
-1.13 pounds of muscle

Okay, so I did not reach my final goal of 170. However, I did bring my weight down to levels not seen since January 2008 (10 months ago).

Analysis:
Since my diet started between two weigh-ins, the data below takes place from October 9th to November 13th.

Weight Line Graph

The blue line is the moving average. I believe it's a 7-day or 14-day MA.
The black line is the trend line. It's sloping negative just the way I want it.

Muscle/Fat Graph

The graph on the left is my lean muscle mass (in pounds). The graph on the right is my fatty mass (in pounds).

Totals:

From October 9th to November 13th:

0.69 pounds of muscle were lost...
5.51 pounds of fat were lost!
6.2 pounds overall were lost! ((A rate of ~1.24 lb/week. A healthy weight loss.))

Conclusion:

This diet was a success. Not as much fat was lost as I had hoped, but I did bring my weight down to a long lost level. The future brings a continuation of this diet. I've started getting into the habit of looking at calories before I eat, drinking more water, and not snacking too much between meals. Because I had my kidney biopsy recently, I cannot do any weigh lifting, so that's why my muscle was lost. However, I can restart my weight training on the 24th.

I'd like to see 170 by New Year's Day. That is a very possible goal now, especially since my rate of weigh loss is a little over 1 pound per week on average. Once I hit 170, I will work on bringing my fat down to 10% of my body weight. It's currently around 18.9%.

If I had to make a prediction: If I continue on this diet all the way to New Year's Day and beyond, I can see my weight anywhere between 170.7 and 160.2. A wide range of course, but anything can happen.

Prop-ing Hypocrisy

2008-11-11T15:33:00.000-05:00

With the passing of Proposition 8 in the state of California (once known to be a liberal state in my eyes), same-sex marriages are no longer allowed. This includes Catholic or Christian homosexual couples as well.

The last time I checked, homosexuals can be religious and can believe in a god. Most of California has forgotten this. There are homosexual couples that believe they're loved by their god, whoever it may be. To deny them a religious right, a sacrament, is unacceptable.

In the Catholic/Christian ideology, you are suppose to love thy neighbor. Proposition 8 is a slap in the face to every single homosexual couple in California who believe that they were doing the right thing, being good people, loving one another, and staying faithful, to themselves and their god. Is prohibiting the right of marriage, to someone because they love a different gender than you, loving? It is not. It goes against one of the main reasons why religion (more of an ethics code, along with the god mumbo-jumbo) exists today: love.

Renal Wars: Then to Now

2008-11-08T19:05:00.001-05:00

Way back in November of last year, my doctor noticed a high amount of Creatinine in my urine. After a few subsequent visits (each separated by a few months), she referred me to a nephrologist (kidney doctor) because my creatinine levels were not changing, but getting worse, and my protein levels were also higher, which is not good.

After about 3 months worth of kidney sonograms, 2-24 hour urine tests, an uncountable amount of bloodwork, the kidney doctor deduced that I have Chronic Kidney Disease, Stage 2. Both kidneys combined are working at only 50% efficiency.

CKD is an incurable disease. However, the cause of the CKD can be treated and could halt further damage to my kidneys.

Fast-forward to the last 2 weeks:

I just had a kidney biopsy done on my right kidney yesterday to determine what has caused this CKD. The radiologist who performed said biopsy told me that a biopsy is a desperation move. That is, the kidney doctor has no idea what is causing the progressive loss of my kidney functions.

The mortality rate for people with CKD is depressing at the most. The silver-lining in my case is that this was caught early.

On November 25th, I'll hopefully have the results from the biopsy.

October-November 2008 Diet: Weigh-in #4

2008-11-06T09:27:00.000-05:00

This week's goal:
November 6th: 172.6

Result:
175.6 pounds
+0.16 pounds of fat
+0.64 pounds of muscle

My bowels hate me. I can easily say that my digestive tract is still acting up and pounds of waste are still in there somewhere. I took another laxative last night, went a bit, lost about a pound in waste this morning. No more laxatives for me. It's way too painful. The cramps are the worst part.

Future goals:

November 13th: 169.9 (Goal hopefully reached; would be lowest since Christmas 2007)

Outlook:

My outlook is bleak. I will not reach my goal. I can bet money on that. Any takers? The only good, the silver lining, of my last 4 weeks has been that I am losing weight. I was above 180 when I started this diet. I've been sticking to it. Out of 28 days, I've probably only slipped once. That's impressive for me.

Next week is the big one. If I had to make a prediction, I won't be anywhere near 170. 175 sounds like a safe bet, but 173 is possible given my calorie restriction, but I still don't think my bowels will correct themselves by then. We shall see.

The Man That Will be President

2008-11-04T23:11:00.000-05:00

Congratulations, President-elect Barack Obama.

Vote

2008-11-04T09:07:00.000-05:00

Well, it all comes down to the next 24 hours.

Obama has the lead in most, if not all, major pollsters. Tonight will determine if the Bradley effect is real or not.

My friend Richard and I have a little bet going on. Each state is worth $1 and the overall guess is worth $10. Up to $60 dollars can be won. As you can see by following the link below, we both think Obama will win the popular vote by a margin and there are only 4 real toss-up states if you go by us.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pAo3lfNN9Qpae_j6FkpdIVA

Regardless of who you're rooting for, get out and vote. It's a historic day today. Be a part of it.

Oogie Boogie

2008-10-31T14:36:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween

October-November 2008 Diet: Weigh-in #3

2008-10-30T10:06:00.000-04:00

This week's goal:
October 30th: 175.3

Result:
174.8 pounds
-0.69 pounds of fat lost
-2.91 pounds of muscle lost
-4+ pounds of liquid shit

I was shocked to see my weight so low this morning. I was worried I gained fat when I saw 179 on the scale on Sunday as a sort of unofficial weigh-in. With the calorie restriction I'm on, I found it hard to believe I was gaining weight. Then it dawned on me... I was constipated. Yep, simple as that. I don't know why I was, I had increased my dietary fiber intake since the start of my diet, but it seems it hasn't or wasn't affecting my, um, digestive tract. So, I took an ex-lax. Let's just say I had a fun early morning today (not).

Future goals:

November 6th: 172.6 (Would be lowest since late December 2007)
November 13th: 169.9 (Goal hopefully reached; would be lowest since Christmas 2007)

Outlook:

I'm ahead of my goal and prediction for once. Since I'm ahead, I can loosen my calorie restrictions just a little bit (about 250-500 more calories). With Halloween tomorrow, my diet may hit a bumpy road, I've got a case of Twizzlers (120 calories for 4 pieces) with my name on it. I predict I'll see either 173.2 or 172.5 next week. Until then...

Get It Over With

2008-10-29T21:38:00.000-04:00

As a very rabid user of computers, I've undoubtedly come across some of the worst mud-slinging the Internet has to offer. Some true, some false, some logically flawed (if you're a scarecrow, beware godlikeproductions).

It's getting nasty in the cyberverse. The muck is flowing in from both sides. The liberals AND the conservatives. The democrats and the republicans. Ill-spirited lies like Obama being a Marxist/Socialist (a McCain desperation move) and childish name-calling i.e. "McSame" (though, I do think most of McCain's policies are very in-line with Bush's, namely same-sex marriage, abortion, gun control, and the occupation of Iraq).

I want this election to be over with. Hopefully, with an Obama win, but it isn't over until it's over.

In other news: My kidney biopsy is set for November 7th and I'm not expecting my weigh-in tomorrow to be so pleasing (I haven't slipped in my diet, which is shocking).

Give Them An Inch...

2008-10-23T17:42:00.000-04:00

Where's the public referendum?

Today, New York City Council voted, 29-22, in favor of Bloomberg's amendment to NYC law that effectively allows him (and other city officials) to run for a 3rd term.

I don't like Bloomberg. I want him out of City Hall. Let him go back to running his company like a company instead of New York City like a company.

The ONLY reason this passed is because a majority of members in City council are on their 2nd term. This amendment lets them run for another term as well. I wish I had job security like that.

This was a biased vote. You're, in a sense, handing a bunch of "halfway-out-the-door" city officials a bill and saying, "Hey, vote Aye on this if you want to work for another term."

Again, where's the public referendum? It's most likely going to be on NYC's election day when I'll be sure to vote against Bloomberg and all his cronies in City Council.

October-November 2008 Diet: Weigh-in #2

2008-10-23T09:09:00.000-04:00

This week's goal:
October 23rd: 178 pounds

Result:
178.4 pounds
-0.22 pounds of fat lost
-0.98 pounds of muscle lost (not good)

I'm still having trouble with the whole snacking when I'm not suppose to deal. I slipped constantly during the ALCS (Rays kicked Bosox ass) and even as recent as yesterday. The amount of junk food around the house has dwindled, so it should be a little easier to control my urges to snack on said food. I was behind my goal by only .4 pounds, I better step it up.

Future goals:

October 30th: 175.3 (Would be lowest since early January 2008)
November 6th: 172.6 (Would be lowest since late December 2007)
November 13th: 169.9 (Goal hopefully reached; would be lowest since Christmas 2007)

Outlook:

I have to lose 3 pounds in one week. It seems unhealthy and probably is. Instead of just calorie restriction, I think it's time to step it up with more walking. I'm thinking that one day of walking that I did last Saturday saved me from a disappointing week. I'm not all that confident on reaching 175.3 pounds. I'm predicting 177.2 pounds.

Completely Different

2008-10-22T13:03:00.000-04:00

This parody was made possible by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw of Zero Punctuation.

Telling It Like It Is: Colin Powell Edition

2008-10-19T22:14:00.000-04:00

I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. .... And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards--Purple Heart, Bronze Star--showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life.
- Colin Powell, on Meet The Press (10-19-2008)

I'm proud to award Colin Powell with the, still undesigned, Jonathan Ace Gold Star. This is for the above statement, which I agree with 100%, but I couldn't think of a way to express it without anger.

October-November 2008 Diet: Weigh-in #1

2008-10-16T10:02:00.000-04:00

This week's goal:
October 16th: 180.8 pounds (Seems simple, this is actually higher than my last weigh-in)

Result:
179.6 pounds
-4.49 pounds of fat lost
+3.69 pounds of muscle gained

I expected to reach this goal easily. This was a water-weight week. From now until next Thursday is when I really begin losing fat.

Future goals:

October 23rd: 178 (Would be lowest since late August)
October 30th: 175.3 (Would be lowest since early January 2008)
November 6th: 172.6 (Would be lowest since late December 2007)
November 13th: 169.9 (Goal hopefully reached; would be lowest since Christmas 2007)

Outlook:
I only have to lose 1.6 pounds to meet next weeks goal. Another easy goal. I might even do better. My prediction for next week, following the calorie restriction I'm using, I should have a weight of 176.5.

Just Another One of Those Days

2008-10-15T19:24:00.000-04:00

Dead. Cat. Bounce.

The Dow pretty much wiped its Monday rally with a loss of 733 points (almost 8%!).

Futures for the Dow are already down -138 points at this time.

Tomorrow will be messy if you're a broker.

Weight Watcher V: One Long Month Ahead

2008-10-13T18:29:00.000-04:00

Today I noticed one of my close neighbors, and a family friend, looked thinner. I thought it was her recent change of hair style, but I was surprised that it was really a drop in weight.

What did she do?

She cut back. It was as simple as that. Smaller portions and more restraint on snacking. She lost 9 pounds in one month. An excellent and very health loss of weight. This was with no change in exercise.

A Shocking Readout

A few nights ago, I checked my weigh. This was an unofficial weigh-in. It was late in the evening and I expected it to be high, but not 185 pounds. That would be an all-time high since recording began in December 2007.

It has come down to 182 in a recent unofficial weigh-in. However, it is still higher than the last official weigh-in (180.4).

The Road to 170

I declared it to my grandmother, I'll declare it to you now:

I plan to bring my weigh to at least 170 by November 13th.

My official weigh-ins take place on Thursday mornings. You can see my stats (which are averaged) here.

Now, at my current weight of 182, I would need to lose 12 pounds in 31 days. Mathematically speaking, that's 3 pounds per week or 0.39 pounds per day.

Taking that in mind, here is my road map:

October 16th: 180.8 (Seems simple, this is actually higher than my last weigh-in)
October 23rd: 178 (Would be lowest since late August)
October 30th: 175.3 (Would be lowest since early January 2008)
November 6th: 172.6 (Would be lowest since late December 2007)
November 13th: 169.9 (Goal hopefully reached; would be lowest since Christmas 2007)

I will halt any muscle gain and focus on my diet. It's the junk food that's screwing me over. No more crap. It's time to lose fat.

Every Thursday, I'll post a blurb on how I'm doing. Here's hoping this sticks...

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Depression

2008-10-09T16:45:00.000-04:00

Today the Dow lost another 7% in value, the biggest percentage drop since the crash of '87.

The news is that the Fed, the government, will be taking ownership stakes in failing banks. Rest in peace, Capitalism. I was taught that when a government takes over a business, or in this case, a bank, that government is going against the ideals of Capitalism. Sure, the US Government is trying to do something, but this process, even though I disagree with it, would take weeks. We do not have weeks. Once the credit market REALLY freezes up, we'll all be screwed. To elaborate, no more credit cards. You either have cash, or you can go stand in the breadline.

My advice:

- Keep your money in the bank if it totals to less than $100,000. If it does, spread your money around. That is, put $10,000 in one bank, put $10,000 in another bank, etc.

- If you've been thinking of investing in the stock market: I can't say you shouldn't, but I wouldn't. Talk to a professional broker first.

- The above applies if you're already in the market.

- Pay off your credit cards NOW. You need cash, not a debt.

- If you have a job, hold onto it for dear life. If you don't, like me, it's going to be getting harder and harder to find one in the coming months unless the market corrects itself.

- Don't panic. Seriously, don't. Unless all your money is in stock...

I think this is no where near the end. We're in a recession. Fear for the worst, it's the equivalent of not getting your hopes up.

Hold on, for it will be a bumpy ride.

---
There sure are a lot of people searching the phrase "fat fuck" on Google lately... I wonder why...

"We didn't need no stinkin' bailout!"

2008-10-05T22:32:00.000-04:00

At this time, Dow futures are down -175.

For the less informed, futures give us an idea of how a major markets (Dow Jones, NASDAQ, S&P 500, etc.) will start out the next day as soon as the market.

I'm predicting the Dow Jones Industrial Average will drop below 10,000 points by this Friday if not tomorrow.

Once again, Dow futures are down... oh, look at that... -190.

Tomorrow will be fun...

For future reference of my readers: http://money.cnn.com/data/premarket/

"A plague o' both your houses!"

2008-10-03T15:01:00.000-04:00

The $700 billion (or more!) screw-job passed today. The United States government has dropped the idea of free-market capitalism in place for federal-regulated socialism.

Apparently, when you add unimportant, irrelevant spending and revenue-losing tax breaks, more democrats and republicans will vote for it.

In short, I suggestion a new motto to be placed on the dollar bills the FED will print to pay for this mess:

"In Debt We Trust"

Senate Passes The Pork to The House

2008-10-01T21:50:00.000-04:00

Politics as usual.

The U.S. Senate has just passed the "bailout bill", 74 to 25.

This bill has gone from 3 pages to over 400 pages after the House recently rejected this plan.

The difference: It has been stuffed to the brim with goodies for both the Left and Right. These goodies don't make it a 700 billion dollar piece of legislation anymore. This bailout will add another trillion to the country's debt.

My quesitons:

Who will pay for this debt?
How will this debt be paid?

Tax breaks remove revenue, thus, making the debt grow.

Obama voted "Yea". I'm disappointed.

Charles Schumer and Hilary Clinton also voted "Yea". I will not be voting for either of them once they're up for re-election.

Easiest way to make a Senator bend over: Throw them some pork.

Here's hoping the House is smart once again. I doubt it though.

Nero Government

2008-09-29T15:59:00.001-04:00

"The blame game on Capital Hill begins as the US economy burns in the background."

As I type this, the Dow Jones Average has recovered from a historic point loss of 734.

Things need to change. I'm not talking a bailout. The bailout is a robbery and, as I've been saying a lot recently, a short term solution to a long term problem. Throwing money at a problem will not fix it.

DJI breaks above -570

What I'm more angry about is the blaming that is going on in D.C. For one minute, forget about the economic problem we're seeing right now and look at our representatives... look at them squabble amongst themselves and blame each other for a failed bill.

All of these House representatives are up for re-election.

DJI -600

Forget about Democrat and Republican. This is a failure of the US government that dates back to the late 1990s when the credit laws were repealed. Greed took over then, we're paying the price now.

Tomorrow may bring either hope or hell.

DJI -624

This week will be rocky and may decide the fate of the United States economy.

DJI -620

It's a wait-and-see period.

Relevant

2008-09-26T14:34:00.000-04:00

Written and spoken in the movie "Network"...

...over 30 years ago.

The Sign That Says It All [Roller Coaster Economy]

2008-09-23T16:46:00.000-04:00

My shot in the dark for tomorrow?
Dow down another 200 points.

Renal Wars: The Kidneys Fight Back

2008-09-22T19:18:00.000-04:00

If you remember me posting about my kidneys a while ago, you might recall my ordeal with proteinuria may have subsided. Well, it didn't. In fact, it has gotten worse over the last year. It has gotten so bad that my kidney doctor (Nephrologist) has diagnosed me with Chronic Kidney Disease, (CKD) Stage 2.

What is CKD?

From what my doctor told me, it's when one or both kidney (in my unfortunate case, both) progressively lose their function. My doctor estimates both kidneys are working at 50% efficiency. My luck, eh?

My Future

I'll be getting a kidney biopsy done in the coming weeks to determine the cause of this CKD. Hopefully, it will be 100% reversible or at the very least, stoppable. Depending on the cause, I might need to take medication, restrict intake of certain OTC medications, restrict certain type of nutrients and foods (See: Diet), etc. The most extreme course of action would be to prepare for a transplant... just what I DON'T need to deal with.

I'll write a few blurbs here and there updating you, the reader, on my condition should anything large occur.

---
Colonization torrent download. Colonization torrent download. Colonization torrent download. This is a test. Colonization torrent download. Colonization torrent download. Ignore this. Colonization torrent download. Colonization torrent download.

"Bailout" Bush

2008-09-20T22:10:00.000-04:00

Seven hundred billion United States Dollars.

Thanks to greed, corruption, and blatant disregard to others, our government, as a whole, is about to screw us yet again.

Seven hundred billion United States Dollars.

That's a lot of money. Should the spineless congress allow the US government pay off $700 billion worth of failed mortgages (and they will), the current US debt will surpass $11 trillion.

Mark my words: This is a short-term solution to a long-term problem.

I would not be shocked if the overseas markets crash or at the very least drop 200-400 points. If all the markets, including the DJI, are up come Monday, I'd like to welcome you to:

THE SUCKER RALLY.

ITLPD (Land Hoooooo!)

2008-09-19T13:56:00.000-04:00

Image via WikipediaArgh! Avast ye landlubbers!
It be talk like a pirate day today!

Me seafarin' hearty name, courtesy o' this site, shall be:

Pirate Seamus the Pale

-

In case ye're also wonderin', Obama's name would be:

Cap'n Tobias Roughknuckles

...and McCain's:

Pirate Barney the Well-Tanned

...

Yes, International Talk Like a Pirate Day comes once a year...

Some pirate booty for ye:

English-to-Pirate Translator
Pirate Name Generator (in case you missed it)
Pirate Jokes

Coming Soon: Renal Wars: The Kidneys Strike Back

Hungry for Waffles... and Change! / Toilet Bowl Economy

2008-09-18T12:20:00.000-04:00

ObamaWaffles.com makes me hungry... for change (and waffles)!

If political satire couldn't get anymore closer to crossing the line, Bob DeMoss and Mark Whitlock made it happen.

I'm still waiting on publicized McCain satire... unless him speaking is satire in itself.

Toilet Bowl Economy

In other news, the United States economy is in the shitter. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the leading tool used to gage how the US economy is functioning, is down 20% for the year-to-date.

Also, AIG was bailed out by the government recently. Say what you will, but I don't think a capitalist nation bails out companies, especially with tax payer money. If AIG, along with a few other companies (I'm looking at you, Freddie and Fannie), was smart, then would not have taken advantage of the repealed credit laws.

Greed should be a foreshadowing of bad karma...

He Can Stop Anytime He Wants To...

2008-09-14T13:11:00.001-04:00

He just chooses not to...

Straight Talk

2008-09-13T18:34:00.000-04:00

I'd like to take time to give a shout out to a very interesting site I came across just recently. I've heard about it over at Reddit, but never got the chance to check it out.

I'm happy I did.

So, to all of you in the blogosphere out there, especially the liberal side, go to http://www.factcheck.org/

This site constantly does background checks on attack/ego-buff ads from politicians.

It's an election year, so both Obama and McCain ads are being analyzed, and yes, so far, it doesn't seem biased to either side.

Educate yourself.

Lipstick

2008-09-10T16:42:00.000-04:00

“You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.”

Barack Obama made this statement not that long ago as a way to describe the Republican ticket's type of politics: The same old.

It seems the cronies over in the McCain campaign saw this as an opportunity to attack Obama by pulling the chauvinism card.

My answer to this opportunist act? That's politics for you.

By the way, if you're ever going to read a news article from Politico, hell, ANY news article on the web, don't bother with the comments.

Reading the Politico comments: I've never seen so much loud-mouthed, wise-ass, know-it-all, ego stroking in one web page. That goes for both Republicans AND Democrats that choose to lower their IQ by commenting there.

Steer clear.

Hurricane Floyd's sister?

2008-09-03T23:08:00.000-04:00

Looking like a messy weekend coming up for the entire eastern US coastline.

For comparison:

Better get those umbrellas.

...And The Campaign She Bombed

2008-09-02T15:53:00.001-04:00

On the first day of the Republican National Convention, Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin dropped a bomb: Her oldest daughter, at the ripe age of 17, is 5 months pregnant.

Apparently this was somewhat known in Alaska, especially in one village which escapes my memory right now.

The Palin family, more-so Governor Palin, is well known to be pro-life and anti-contraceptive. That doesn't flow well with me, but there is some sweet, sweet irony is this: Palin is an advocate of abstinence-only education.

Well, well, Mrs. Palin, I guess that throws a wrench in your views somewhere. Teach a girl to not use protection or at least make sure her partner does. She's get knocked up in no time.

In a country where 1/3 of females under the age of 20 get pregnant, abstinence is a sure fire way to make those teenage hormones get bottled up nice and tight... then... KABOOM!

---
Google Chrome: Now with 10% more privacy invasion!

The Horse She Rode In On...

2008-09-02T07:38:00.003-04:00

My full thoughts on this so-called bombshell later today... once I stop snickering at the sweet irony...

Why McCain chose Palin

2008-08-31T15:24:00.000-04:00

To get to the point: Palin is a woman. McCain needs women voters. Palin may be the final straw to tip women in favor for McCain, especially former Clinton voters who are either undecided or still hold a grudge towards Obama (maybe even both).

Secondly, Joe Biden is fierce during debates. A Master Debater, of sorts. He has a temper and putting him up against a woman would make him look like a bully, should he lose that temper.

Unfortunately, should McCain win the election in November, and should a gust of wind blow him away, we'll be stuck with an inexperienced governor from Alaska.

That is, we'd be completely and utterly screwed.

...

Regardless, Sarah Palin is a VPILF.

The Long, Hard Road To November

2008-08-28T23:12:00.001-04:00

Excellent speech given by Obama tonight. It's not over yet though. We've got a little under 10 weeks to go before the American people vote. It's going to be hard for McCain to top tonight's acceptance speech, but he'll try, and I'm 100% sure he'll attack Obama. In addition to that, I'm sure he'll repeat the same old politics as his plan. The same old politics that the Bush administration has been giving us for 8 long years...

Bring it on McCain.

Bring it on.

The Respect They Deserve

2008-08-25T22:16:00.000-04:00

This made my day.

Send The Very Best

2008-08-24T12:34:00.000-04:00

If you've been following the greeting card industry lately, you may have noticed Hallmark has recently published its first same-sex "marriage" card.

Some organizations, such as the American Family Association, see this as promoting same-sex marriage.

Sorry, AFA, this is not a promotion to same-sex marriage. It's called "broadening your customer demographic". Good try trying to warp the minds of gullible Americans into doing your bidding of sending hate-mail to Hallmark.

This is a capitalist country. Hallmark saw same-sex "marriage" is on the rise. They took a risky step forward. In the end, Hallmark's move will show that times are changing and that not recognizing said changes is the new taboo.

Anti-McCain

2008-08-15T09:03:00.000-04:00

This is how you smear a campaign.
Sad thing is... no lies were needed to make this.

The Conservative Side: Guns

2008-07-31T18:09:00.001-04:00

This entry starts what I hope to be a multiple part series on political and sociopolitical issues that I claim to be a conservative. Believe it or not, there are a few issues that I am considered a conservative on. I realize I haven't blogged about this, hence the following series:

The Conservative Side

Guns

The Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States states that we the people have the right to bear arms; the right to gun ownership. After watching the Constitution recently get torn by the Bush administration (more on that later) I started looking into what the Constitution is. The Constitution was basically what our country was built on and any law that is signed by any president that defiles the Constitution, that breaks the Constitution, demeans the general philosophy of what this country is supposed to be: free.

And just to clear things up, when I say "free" I mean the right to do whatever you want within the confines of the law. Laws are made to maintain order, but there is a line between maintaining order and controlling the masses. The Constitution is that line.

One of the many major arguing points against allowing the public to own weaponry is the link between domestic violence and gun ownership. Arthur Kellermann did a series of studies which linked higher homicide rates in homes with guns than without guns. My rebuttal to that is, the studies don't focus on gun ownership. They focus on domestic violence and homicide where a gun was present in the home. They don't state that a gun was used in these same cases of homicide and violence.

Reading back I just typed, I realize I'm sounding more like a libertarian and conservative. I won't let that ruin the series though.

Blind

2008-07-24T12:32:00.001-04:00

Truer words have not been typed in a long time:

We are indeed blessed with many choices, for so many things. Thirty one flavors of ice cream, hundreds of television channels, and thousands of DVDs to choose from.
All of which are designed to blind us to the brutal manner in which we're being fucked by the five hundred biggest conglomerates in the country, the two political parties that run the country, and the upper one percent that owns the country.

Go on. Write your congressman. Call your senator. Ask nicely and maybe they'll use lube.

- Cophet, a Reddit user

The Bush Administration Is Trying To Get Into Your Pants

2008-07-18T21:12:00.000-04:00

If you haven't been keeping up with the news that most of the mainstream media isn't reporting on, you'll find that the Bush administration is attempting to define contraception as a form of abortion.

As an advocate of safe-sex methods, I'm pissed. Should this go through, it'll severely affect how women obtain birth control. This is clearly bible-knocking conservative shit once again spewing from the current administration.

What's the matter, Bush? Why don't you just overturn Roe v. Wade and get it over with. I'm sure our spineless congress will be happy to oblige...

Iran launched even MORE missiles today...

2008-07-11T15:48:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of Reddit
Explaination

It's fun to stay at the...

2008-07-06T00:52:00.000-04:00

Patriotism

2008-07-04T11:45:00.000-04:00

If someone came up to me and asked me something along the lines of "Hey, where's your American pride? Where's your flag pin, and red, white and blue colors? You're no American, how are you a patriot?" I'd give him a simple answer:

"I'm still here."

Failing economy, weak dollar, subprime mortgage crisis, stretched military, lame duck president, rising gas prices, the "War on Terror", the "War on Drugs", the American Incarceration Machine, and the ignorance of our government as a whole.

As of today, I consider anyone who still lives here an American; a patriot.

Happy Independence Day.

Weight Watcher IV

2008-07-03T21:45:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've given an update on my recent weight loss plan. Unfortunately, it hasn't been going as good as I hoped. Below is a graph of my waistline, which I've realized is a much better indicator of how my fat-loss plan is going because my weight also incorporates muscle.

As you can see there is a spike in my waistline starting around the beginning of June. The dip in this graph occurs sometime in mid May, during which my weight hit a low record of 174. Once you put two and two together this graph clearly shows that I did lose some sort of fat, however, I did gain it back recently. What's interesting though is that my weight has stayed basically the same over the last month regardless of any fat loss, which makes me wonder if I've also lost muscle mass.
Since the diet plan that I mentioned in the last installment of Weight Watcher isn't going as well as I planned, I've started a new exercise program. I will be making this a daily goal: walk 10,000 steps. You may have already seen the new box at the top right of this page. So far, my first day at this hasn't been such a success. I've only accumulated a little under 4000 steps according to my pedometer, but tomorrow I'll be out on Long Island and I hope to be very active.

In my last entry I mentioned a back problem. Call it a false alarm. It seems my back has gotten better, and I'm assuming this was a muscle strain and not a herniated disc. A very bad muscle sprain actually. Just recently, this has gotten better after sleeping in a different position: on your side with a pillow between your legs. If your back bothers you, I highly recommend this sleeping position.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Robbed

2008-06-30T19:39:00.000-04:00

I was awoken by my grandmother calling my cell phone around 10:30 this morning (Yes, I'm in sleep-in mode this summer). Usually, she doesn't try to wake me up, but this time was different. I was left wondering why she was waking me up. Well, I soon found out:

"Your bike was stolen."

Yep. Apparently somebody opened the driveway gate and proceeded to open the garage door and steal my bike (which was in bad condition, so I'm not too upset over it). A police report was filed and I can only hope a nearby camera caught the perpetrator, however my confidence is wearing thin on that.

Thankfully, there's such a thing as Home Owner's Insurance.

Coming Soon: A look at my weight progress and how a possible herniated disc might be screwing me over.

Jon Ace's Place

Death by Apathy

Don’t use EBay’s Answer Center

Retard.

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Give It Away

The Great Decade (Goodbye 2009)

College: The Ultimate Relationship Tester (Redux)

Meet Jewel

Lincoln Osiris

ESVWLC? I hardly knew 'er.

Jonathan's ESVWLC: Weigh-in #2

Jonathan's ESVWLC: Weigh-in #1

A Heavy Reality

Meet Bingo

They Go By Threes

"Bene decessit"

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Meet Skippy

Moving Right Along

Hellish Health

Don't worry...

Trading One Problem For Another / 10k a Day / The Fight For 170

More Trouble Ahead

Renal Wars: "Screw it, I'm out of Star Wars titles."

Renal Wars: The Doctor Menace

In Like A Lion...

The Day That Got Away

February 16th

Two Hundred Crunches

Renal Wars: A New Chin

Bluntly Obvious

Fit By The Fifth? Eh...

Only In America...

Back to the Books

Merry Change-mas?

Immortality

Prednisone Pain (Those Darn Leg Cramps)

Something Winter This Way Comes

Fit by the Fifth

Time Warner vs. Viacom

Goodbye 2008

Early Gift From Mother Nature

Iraqi Man Attempts Assault on US President... With Shoes

Prognosis: Painful

Big 3 Bullies

Renal Wars: Attack of the 'Roids

Crossroads

Wait until December...

Moment of Truth

October-November 2008 Diet: Final Weigh-in

Prop-ing Hypocrisy

Renal Wars: Then to Now

October-November 2008 Diet: Weigh-in #4

The Man That Will be President

Vote

Oogie Boogie

October-November 2008 Diet: Weigh-in #3

Get It Over With

Give Them An Inch...

October-November 2008 Diet: Weigh-in #2

Completely Different

Telling It Like It Is: Colin Powell Edition

October-November 2008 Diet: Weigh-in #1

Just Another One of Those Days

Weight Watcher V: One Long Month Ahead

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Depression

"We didn't need no stinkin' bailout!"

"A plague o' both your houses!"

Senate Passes The Pork to The House

Nero Government