"Core" is the big buzzword these days in the gym. If you are doing any kind of excercise at all right now you have probably had someone tell you about a great excercise for your core, or had someone tell you how doing an excercise a certain way will be great for your core.
But what I haven't heard is one single person saying...
"Hey check out the core on that chick/dude"
or
"Excuse me but I was just admiring your core from across the room..."
or
"She/He has a nice personality, but man what a great core"
I guess the ever core-conscious among us are just wasting our time. Maybe from now on I'll just start doing ab and lower back excercises instead, since I hate to be trend follower anyway....
Friday, September 29, 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
Beam Me Up Scotty
If you regularly read Scott Adam's blog as I do, you will know that he harbors, a generally funny desire to rile up his readers so that they will post funny comments that give him more fodder. He also tends to loosely hide his opinion that anyone that is religious is an idiot. I don't really take that personally, but at the same his points can sometimes be a little silly.
Take his post over the weekend for instance. He asks the question:
If a man goes into the woods and pokes a bear with a stick, and the bear kills the man, whose fault is it?
Clearly the man, for not understanding the nature of the bear (Scott's point and I agree)
Next he suggests this:
Now substitute an irrational human being for the bear. The guy with the stick knows he’s dealing with an irrational and potentially violent person, and he pokes him with the stick anyway. Just like the bear, the irrational guy kills the guy who poked him.
Clearly things have changed. Surely the guy that does the poking is stupid to provoke this person, but the irrational man is still responsible for his actions as a self aware human being and thus he is at fault for the killing in my opinion. (again I think I am agreeing with Scott in this case)
Now Scott tries to hook us by asking this:
Okay, now suppose that the irrational guy is a specific kind of irrational guy – a literal believer in his faith. This is not an insult to the religious because even the Pope endorses the view that faith does not spring from rational thought. And let’s say this particular faith says that if ye poketh me with a sharpeth object, woe unto you, for I shall killeth!
I believe that Scott thinks that the situation has now changed in his loosely veiled attempt to take a jab at George W. Bush. Personally, I don't think that the situation has changed at all. The killer is no more justified by his religion to break the law than the irrational guy in step two. The provoker is just as stupid, but in the end, poking someone with a stick and murder are two very different crimes, and in no way could the cause justify the effect regardless of the killer's beliefs. This person would still be tried and convicted, regardless of their religion.
I'm not exactly sure why Scott is trying to lead us down this path, but it seems that to me that he was trying to trap a religious person into feeling like they had to be ok with murder because of the religious man's rights to his beliefs. We all have the right to believe what we want, but no one has the right to kill someone just for being annoying.
The other possibility is that he was simply saying that America is stupid for provoking the middle east and sticking are noses where they don't belong. I don't totally agree with our presence in Iraq, but at the same time, hind sight is 20/20 and at the time it seemed like we needed to be there, so I won't fault the administration for taking action, although I don't agree with how they did it.
Agree, disagree? What do you think?
UPDATE
Kevin a fellow Dilbert blog reader, suggested this:
"Obviously it's the stick's fault. It shouldn't have allowed itself to be picked up, much less sharpened."
Take his post over the weekend for instance. He asks the question:
If a man goes into the woods and pokes a bear with a stick, and the bear kills the man, whose fault is it?
Clearly the man, for not understanding the nature of the bear (Scott's point and I agree)
Next he suggests this:
Now substitute an irrational human being for the bear. The guy with the stick knows he’s dealing with an irrational and potentially violent person, and he pokes him with the stick anyway. Just like the bear, the irrational guy kills the guy who poked him.
Clearly things have changed. Surely the guy that does the poking is stupid to provoke this person, but the irrational man is still responsible for his actions as a self aware human being and thus he is at fault for the killing in my opinion. (again I think I am agreeing with Scott in this case)
Now Scott tries to hook us by asking this:
Okay, now suppose that the irrational guy is a specific kind of irrational guy – a literal believer in his faith. This is not an insult to the religious because even the Pope endorses the view that faith does not spring from rational thought. And let’s say this particular faith says that if ye poketh me with a sharpeth object, woe unto you, for I shall killeth!
I believe that Scott thinks that the situation has now changed in his loosely veiled attempt to take a jab at George W. Bush. Personally, I don't think that the situation has changed at all. The killer is no more justified by his religion to break the law than the irrational guy in step two. The provoker is just as stupid, but in the end, poking someone with a stick and murder are two very different crimes, and in no way could the cause justify the effect regardless of the killer's beliefs. This person would still be tried and convicted, regardless of their religion.
I'm not exactly sure why Scott is trying to lead us down this path, but it seems that to me that he was trying to trap a religious person into feeling like they had to be ok with murder because of the religious man's rights to his beliefs. We all have the right to believe what we want, but no one has the right to kill someone just for being annoying.
The other possibility is that he was simply saying that America is stupid for provoking the middle east and sticking are noses where they don't belong. I don't totally agree with our presence in Iraq, but at the same time, hind sight is 20/20 and at the time it seemed like we needed to be there, so I won't fault the administration for taking action, although I don't agree with how they did it.
Agree, disagree? What do you think?
UPDATE
Kevin a fellow Dilbert blog reader, suggested this:
"Obviously it's the stick's fault. It shouldn't have allowed itself to be picked up, much less sharpened."
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Let's See How Wrong I Can Be.....
It's that time again. Here are my NFL picks for this season. We can look back and make fun of these later....
AFC Division Winners
Miami
Cincinnati
Indianapolis
San Diego
AFC Wildcards
Pittsburgh
Denver
AFC Super Bowl Team
Indianapolis
NFC Division Winners
NY Giants
Chicago
Tampa Bay
Seattle
NFC Wildcards
Dallas
Carolina
NFC Super Bowl Team
Seattle
Super Bowl Winner
Seattle
AFC Division Winners
Miami
Cincinnati
Indianapolis
San Diego
AFC Wildcards
Pittsburgh
Denver
AFC Super Bowl Team
Indianapolis
NFC Division Winners
NY Giants
Chicago
Tampa Bay
Seattle
NFC Wildcards
Dallas
Carolina
NFC Super Bowl Team
Seattle
Super Bowl Winner
Seattle
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Tough Questions
I've been doing the tuesday trivia offered on the Ken Jennings blog (of Jeopardy fame) for the last few weeks now and it is really hard. No "googling" is allowed in coming up with your answers, only stuff you just know. Most people I know consider me to be pretty good at trivia so I thought it would be fun. Now with that being said.... So far in 3 weeks I have gotten a total of 1 question right out of 21.
Here was this week's quiz and my answers, I have since "googled" the questions to determine if I got any right, and only my answer to question one is correct, bringing my grand total of correct responses up to two. Although I am still not sure about question six, as I can't find the correct answer. If anyone knows please clue me in.
THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What classic American toy was originally invented as a wallpaper cleaner?
Play Doh
I actually heard about this somewhere so it wasn't a guess, but I don't remember where
2. What's the more common name of Leontopodium alpinum, subject of the last song Oscar Hammerstein II ever wrote?
The Lion King
The "Leon" part of the first word had me thinking about Lions, and I'm assuming that this is the Hammerstein of "Rogers and Hammerstein" so I was thinking that maybe the Lion King was based on something he wrote?
3. Whose official title, until he lost power in 1979, proclaimed him "Conqueror of the British Empire?
Mao Tse Tung
The only world leader I could think of that lived around that time that I figured would be arrogant enough to have that title. Although I couldn't think how China ever conquered the British Empire or any of their colonies but it was the best guess I had. Turns out that Tung died in '76
4. What novel was adapted into successful silent movies called "On the Barricade" and "The Bishop's Candlesticks"?
War and Peace
The only old novel I could think of, so a bad guess
5. What ballroom dance is named for the vaudeville actor who originated it at the New York Theater in 1914?
The Tango
A complete guess and way off at that. I had no idea
6. Inside what world landmark can you see a plaque bearing the equation "y = -127.7 ft x cosh(x/127.7 ft) + 757.7 ft"?
The Statue of Liberty
Still not sure if this one is wrong. The question says "World" landmark but the equation has "ft" or "feet" in it which is strictly an American form of measurement, so I knew that it had to be American or American made. This was my best guess after considering the Washington Monument
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these famous folks? Lucille Ball, Joseph G. Cannon, Mia Farrow, KD Lang, John Lennon, Eddie Mathews, and Marilyn Monroe.
They were all born on Feb. 29th (leap year)
Another complete guess, but wrong. I still have no idea what the answer is but I know my guess was incorrect. Wikipedia has given me no insights into what these people might have in common.
Here was this week's quiz and my answers, I have since "googled" the questions to determine if I got any right, and only my answer to question one is correct, bringing my grand total of correct responses up to two. Although I am still not sure about question six, as I can't find the correct answer. If anyone knows please clue me in.
THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What classic American toy was originally invented as a wallpaper cleaner?
Play Doh
I actually heard about this somewhere so it wasn't a guess, but I don't remember where
2. What's the more common name of Leontopodium alpinum, subject of the last song Oscar Hammerstein II ever wrote?
The Lion King
The "Leon" part of the first word had me thinking about Lions, and I'm assuming that this is the Hammerstein of "Rogers and Hammerstein" so I was thinking that maybe the Lion King was based on something he wrote?
3. Whose official title, until he lost power in 1979, proclaimed him "Conqueror of the British Empire?
Mao Tse Tung
The only world leader I could think of that lived around that time that I figured would be arrogant enough to have that title. Although I couldn't think how China ever conquered the British Empire or any of their colonies but it was the best guess I had. Turns out that Tung died in '76
4. What novel was adapted into successful silent movies called "On the Barricade" and "The Bishop's Candlesticks"?
War and Peace
The only old novel I could think of, so a bad guess
5. What ballroom dance is named for the vaudeville actor who originated it at the New York Theater in 1914?
The Tango
A complete guess and way off at that. I had no idea
6. Inside what world landmark can you see a plaque bearing the equation "y = -127.7 ft x cosh(x/127.7 ft) + 757.7 ft"?
The Statue of Liberty
Still not sure if this one is wrong. The question says "World" landmark but the equation has "ft" or "feet" in it which is strictly an American form of measurement, so I knew that it had to be American or American made. This was my best guess after considering the Washington Monument
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these famous folks? Lucille Ball, Joseph G. Cannon, Mia Farrow, KD Lang, John Lennon, Eddie Mathews, and Marilyn Monroe.
They were all born on Feb. 29th (leap year)
Another complete guess, but wrong. I still have no idea what the answer is but I know my guess was incorrect. Wikipedia has given me no insights into what these people might have in common.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Fitness Update
This month's body fat test still had me about 15.4%, so I'm hoping to do better next month. I'm told it's pretty common to not change much over the course of a month but I'm hoping to drop some as it's more motivation for me to keep going.
I found something interesting. Below is the first lifting day that I did way back on January 16th of this year and where I am now on the same excercises. I removed the ones that I'm no longer doing, but the progression is interesting.
Monday, January 16, 2006
3 sets of each:
Seated Cable Rows 55
Bench 85
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 12
Barbell Curls 40
Lying Dumbbell Press 25
Seated Calf Raises 105
Currently
Sets of increasing weight, and lowering reps
Cable Rows 125, 135
Bench 100, 110, 120
DB Shoulder Press 20, 25
Barbell Curls 60, 65
Lying Dumbbell Press 35, 40
Calf Raises 115, 125, 135
I really feel like I'm at a plateau. My body fat is staying the same, and I don't seem to be gaining any muscle weight from the lifting I'm doing (although I am getting stronger). I'm trying very hard to stick to my 2500 calories a day to the point of tracking it on a spreadsheet again so that should help. I just think I will be excited to get to the next 8 week training cycle so that I can build some muscle bulk. Currently I am in a strength building phase and the plan is to do the bulking phase next. I just know that I am the type of person to get discouraged easily so I need to do the best I can to head that off.
It does help to think about how far I've come which was the reason for the info above. Based on my calculations (I didn't have it tested), I was about 25% body fat when I first started the calorie counting and I weighed in at 203. I'm 180.5 give or take these days at 15.4%. So it did take me 10 months to drop 10%, and the last bit is always the hardest. It will be cool this time next year to look at my numbers and compare them again.
I found something interesting. Below is the first lifting day that I did way back on January 16th of this year and where I am now on the same excercises. I removed the ones that I'm no longer doing, but the progression is interesting.
Monday, January 16, 2006
3 sets of each:
Seated Cable Rows 55
Bench 85
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 12
Barbell Curls 40
Lying Dumbbell Press 25
Seated Calf Raises 105
Currently
Sets of increasing weight, and lowering reps
Cable Rows 125, 135
Bench 100, 110, 120
DB Shoulder Press 20, 25
Barbell Curls 60, 65
Lying Dumbbell Press 35, 40
Calf Raises 115, 125, 135
I really feel like I'm at a plateau. My body fat is staying the same, and I don't seem to be gaining any muscle weight from the lifting I'm doing (although I am getting stronger). I'm trying very hard to stick to my 2500 calories a day to the point of tracking it on a spreadsheet again so that should help. I just think I will be excited to get to the next 8 week training cycle so that I can build some muscle bulk. Currently I am in a strength building phase and the plan is to do the bulking phase next. I just know that I am the type of person to get discouraged easily so I need to do the best I can to head that off.
It does help to think about how far I've come which was the reason for the info above. Based on my calculations (I didn't have it tested), I was about 25% body fat when I first started the calorie counting and I weighed in at 203. I'm 180.5 give or take these days at 15.4%. So it did take me 10 months to drop 10%, and the last bit is always the hardest. It will be cool this time next year to look at my numbers and compare them again.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
I'll have a Double
For anyone who watches X games, this was a pretty amazing moment. The first ever single backflip was done in competition only 4 years ago. I'm usually only a winter X watcher but I'm glad I picked this year to tune into the summer edition. Pastrana went on to get 3 total gold medals in this year's games. It was quite a show.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
HABEN!!!!
My good friend Dave and his wife Eva paid us a visit yesterday. I don't get to see them all that often anymore as they live in Vienna, Austria. So it was nice to have them over for the evening to hang out as they are spending the summer over here visiting family and such.
They have a son that is only a month younger than Kylie so it worked out really well for them to get to play together. The only setback was that at (nearly) 3, neither of them is quite yet perfect when it comes to communication, and when you throw in the fact that Samuel is bilingual and speaks German as often as English, it made for some interesting moments.
Kylie was very confused at times and would ask why Samuel had said (X) where (X) was the closest sounding English word she knew to whatever he had said in German. He would yell "HABEN" when he wanted to have a toy from Kylie, but she made up for that by bossing him around as she is known to do.
We all had a good time and the kids seemed to as well. Next time we'll have to drop by their house. You know, when we're in the neighborhood.
They have a son that is only a month younger than Kylie so it worked out really well for them to get to play together. The only setback was that at (nearly) 3, neither of them is quite yet perfect when it comes to communication, and when you throw in the fact that Samuel is bilingual and speaks German as often as English, it made for some interesting moments.
Kylie was very confused at times and would ask why Samuel had said (X) where (X) was the closest sounding English word she knew to whatever he had said in German. He would yell "HABEN" when he wanted to have a toy from Kylie, but she made up for that by bossing him around as she is known to do.
We all had a good time and the kids seemed to as well. Next time we'll have to drop by their house. You know, when we're in the neighborhood.
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