Under 20 to go!!!

So, I started this p90x thing about a month ago. I had some expectations, but I did not think it would do everything that it has. Eighteen months ago I weighed 241 lbs, I was disgusting. I was watching this show on television and it said, to lose weight you have to diet and exercise. This is the only healthy way to lose weight. Did you hear that HCG users? What about Atkins supporters? You need a balanced diet and exercise to lose weight and be healthy. The guy on the show flat out said, dieting is hard, it’s supposed to be. The things in life that are easy to attain are never the things that are the most prized. Is no one suspicious of HCG? There is no miracle drug to make you lose weight. We've seen them before, Phen-Phen, Hydroxycut, many others, they either do not do what they say they are going to do, or they end up harming your body in very serious ways. People have died on Hydroxycut, died. For those of you taking HCG, 500 calories a day is not a healthy way to lose weight. It just isn't. I was talking to a woman on HCG and she said, you're not really only using 500 calories per day, your body is burning the fat deposits it has stored up, and thus, it gets calories from those deposits. Oh really? So like, when you're starving to death? Yeah, that's what happens when you're starving to death, your body starts to eat at your fat deposits, your stored energy. HCG is a starvation diet, no, I'm going to take it one step further, it's anorexia! So, I was ready to take on the dieting challenge, the guy on the show said the easiest way is to start small. Make sure you have at least one serving of fruits and one serving of vegetables a day. Try to cut out as much sugar as you can, don't eat too late at night, the last thing you eat should be about three hours before you go to bed, eat breakfast, and, get this do not be afraid to eat a moderate amount of carbohydrates. They are good for you, people. He also said to buy a calorie counting book and keep track of everything you ingest, food, ounces of water, everything. I had made up my mind. I was going to do it, I was going to start a diet. I did some research and found that the absolute lowest amount of calories a man my age and height could take in a day and still be healthy was 1500. Yeah, three times as many as the HCG diet allows. So, I decided to stick to 1500 calories a day. The diet was the hard part. The physical exercise I needed actually came easy. This guy, who I later found out was a nutritionist, wish I knew his name, went on to say, you need to get exercise, it's crucial, at least five hours a week. Great! I thought to myself, I hate going to the gym and struggling in front of all those meat heads. Then, the guy said something that really stuck with me. "You don't have to go to the gym and struggle in front of strangers." Ha! That was almost exactly what I was thinking. He said I needed to think back to what I would do as a kid for physical exercise, since kids are much more physically active than adults, and do that. Basketball! It was so simple. I put myself out there, I got myself invited to every game I heard about. It was fun, and it was easy. In five short months I had lost around 55 lbs. I was down to 185, the lowest I had been in four years. I didn't use drugs, I didn't go on any miracle diets or take any kind of miracle pill, I did it, me! I understand there are people out there that need chemicals to help them lose weight because they have imbalances. I also know this number is not consistent with as many people using chemicals to help them lose weight. I had achieved my goal, and surpassed it, to get under 200 lbs for my wedding. The honeymoon, seven day/seven night cruise kind of put the kibosh on the diet. I rocketed back up to 195 lbs and I was getting as much physical exercise as I was since I started playing basketball. See! Diet and exercise go hand in hand! I had hit a wall. I was stuck at 195 lbs, wasn't going up, wasn't going down. I had heard countless times about an extreme fitness program called p90x. I had been wanting to try it, but never really whole-heartedly. Suddenly, it was everywhere, billboards, buses, web site banners, even my favorite radio talk show host was peddling it. I figured I'd give it a try. It's a 90 day program of which I am right now 27 days into. Let me just give you some statistics, 21 lbs down, drops in both cholesterol and blood pressure, less stress, higher self-esteem, more positive outlook on life and oh yeah, one more thing, increased activity in the bedroom. Ha ha ha! Seriously, there's only one way to be healthy people; diet and exercise. No two ways about it. You're not too busy, you're not too lazy, just get started, you'll get addicted and end up loving it. I'm not saying you have to take the same route I did, you don't have to do p90x, find what works for you. I owe Tony Horton a lot, and I'm really looking forward to the next 63 days. I take my 30 day pictures tomorrow, if I'm brave enough I'll post them on here. As Tony Horton would say, do your best and forget the rest.

You Can't Claim Christianity...

...and support the death penalty.
"Judge not lest ye be judged."
"Turn the other cheek."
It really doesn't work that way. Christ taught forgiveness and said he would be the one to do the judging. As a people it is not our responsibility to say who will live and who will die. If you support the death penalty, that's fine with me, as long as you don't claim Christianity as well. It's a double standard and it does not work that way.
'Nuff Said.

Settling Son

So, about two years ago I had a dream. It was a dream about my dad, who has been dead for nearly 20 years. I don't remember the dream, or what it was about, or what happened in it, or what I said, or what he said. However, I had this dream in my small basement room of the Logan house I was living in while attending Utah State University. When I awoke the next morning I had one line from one Less Than Jake song stuck in my head. I had only heard the song a couple of times, so it was the only part I knew, "Mouthfuls of rotting dynamite." I had long since forgotten about this dream until one month ago when I was listening to my XM Radio driving home from Tooele where I now attend Utah State University. I was trying to find the Red Sox game when traffic grew a bit heavy. I took my finger off the scanner and was surprised to hear those words again, "Mouthfuls of rotting dynamite." Immediately the memory of the dream came back into my consciousness, as though it had been waiting to spring into action for two years. When the song was over the dj announced it was Settling Son by Less Than Jake off of their GNV,FLA album. I had that album and decided to listen to the whole song, to see what the song was about. These are the the lyrics:

Settling Son
by Less Than Jake

Son take it from me, it's in the little victories
That keep you shaking hands with defeat, yeah.
Son, I'll tell you reality isn't all it's cracked up to be.
But the years go lightening fast, and I just can't help but see

We believe it's okay to leave the words caught in your throat
But you know, that you're growing old.
You always do what you're told
Going up in smoke
And you're a ghost you know in the end
You'll be walking the tight rope, walking the tight rope.

Son take it from me,
Life's more than the floors of this factory
And working 40 hours every single week.
Son, I'll tell you reality, isn't living down on your knees.
But my life's gone in a flash and I just can't help but see

We believe it's okay to leave the words caught in your throat
But you know, that you're growing old.
You always do what you're told
Going up in smoke
And you're a ghost you've known in the end
You'll be walking the tight rope, walking the tight rope.

Mouthfuls of rotting dynamite.
Mouthfuls of rotting dynamite.
You call this living a normal life?
We're not living a normal life.

We still believe it's okay to leave the words caught in your throat
But you know, that you're growing old.
You always do what you're told
Going up in smoke
And you're a ghost you knew in the end
You'd be walking the tight rope, walking the tight rope.

I was shocked when I read these lyrics, and even though I'm not sure fully how they fit in to the dream, since I am now unaware of what the dream was about, this whole thing seems like a strange coincidence. Maybe one day I'll know what this is all about.
'Nuff Said.

For My Mother on Mothers' Day

My mother is not the richest mother in the world. She isn’t the smartest, the bravest or the wisest. She’s not the most enthusiastic, the slimmest or the best cooker. One thing that my mother does have over every other mom in the world is her resiliency. She, like most mothers will stop at nothing to achieve what’s best for her children. She never stops loving, never stops sharing, never stops caring, or helping her children. Though her children may not be where she wants them to be at this point in their lives, she does not stop loving them for that, or accepting or understanding them. She constantly tries to get involved in what her children are involved in. When approached for help, advice or guidance, she merely smiles and offers an unbiased, objective view of all the options for her children to take, while never nudging her children in the way she wants them to go. This means her children have true independence and agency. However, she does not let the consequences of bad choices go unnoticed. She understands that a little bit of suffering does a world of good. She does not swoop in and rescue her children from their own mistakes, she lets them learn, lets them climb out of their own holes, offering the occasional safety line, but never completely bailing them out.
My mother’s silence can say any number of things. She can tell you exactly how she is feeling while never uttering a single sound. Her personality radiates an entire room and her hope and unbridled optimism can be felt, heart-to-heart. She’s been through good times and bad. She’s buried a child, a husband, brothers, both of her parents and the occasional pet, never losing her happiness, never losing her stability. She truly is a lighthouse in the storm, constantly guiding others to the safety of the shore. She stands firmly to her political ideology, often times in the faces of many sneering members of the opposite party, family members, and the very religion she loves. She accepts children not part of this family (Kai) with open arms, to all family parties and activities and treats them like her own. She braves the elements to give love to my own little one, Fenway, whom she is deathly allergic to. My mother never pushes her children, she knows that in their own good time they will do what is needed. This understanding of her children is beyond words, beyond comparison.
There is so much more I could say about her, but this will have to do. This is merely a fraction of what could be said about her. I hope this will do. So, Happy Mothers’ Day, mom. May the next year be filled with as much, if not, more joy than the last year. May you be granted everything your heart desires, and may you continue to fill the hearts of the children of the world with the same hope and optimism you have filled every one of your children with. I love you.

Just a Quick Update

So, here's what's gone down since I last wrote. I am taking the week off from work to concentrate on my finals. Just started p90x yesterday, I'm sore as hell today, wonder how my wife feels, she had to go to work, poor girl. It's okay though, I got up early and cooked breakfast for her and I'm planning on cleaning the apartment by the time she gets home, but don't tell her. The Red Sox suck, but I'm still a fan. This is going to be a LONG year. In fact, we should just concede this season and start building toward the next, a lot needs to change before we're back on top. Seriously, I think our average age is like 63 or something. I had an inner, personal struggle, trying to decide whether or not I wanted to get a kitten that could barely walk, with a heavy heart I decided not to get it, just don't have the time. I know that sounds extremely petty, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm really looking forward to two vacations this year, one in June and one in October, yes I'm going on vacation during the baseball playoffs, but as mentioned before, the Red Sox players will probably be on vacation as well, ha ha ha. Or some of them might be in old folks' homes, ha ha ha. Anyway, until next time 'Nuff Said.

A Letter of Apology

For my first order of business, I would like to apologize. I’m sorry for that last blog entry. Got on the soap box a little too much, so I figure I’ll lighten the mood a little bit. This is going to be a shout-out blog. Don’t worry mom, yours is coming soon. But today I have to focus on three women in my life. Three women that mean the world to me and without them, I would not be the person I am today. Their senses of humor clash so magnificently it makes a potent potpourri that is out of this world. I am of course referring to my three sisters. Together, they form the perfect snack, a chocolate covered pretzel. I’ll explain…
Starting from oldest to youngest, Melissa. Melissa is the kind of person who can brighten the mood of a room just by walking into it. She never has an unkind thing to say, blah blah blah. These are the types of things I would be writing if I were a weiner, but I’m not a weiner, so here’s the truth. Melissa says bad things about people, but what is so hilarious about it, is her personality casts her as the kind of person who would never udder an unkind word about anyone, get it? Udder? I threw in a Melissa joke. So, when Melissa does start making fun of other people, you really have to pay attention. Her snide, rude, simple, yet clever remarks are said without the least bit of animosity, thus making them innocent. However, she could tell you that you are fat, bald and ugly and you would leave the conversation thinking, that Melissa lady sure is nice. Yeah, that’s what we liberals call, “doublethink”. Or maybe that isn’t the definition of that, I don’t know. The fact that she can get away with saying just about anything to anybody is not lost on her, and she exploits this. That’s what makes her so great. My family would be pedestrian at best, without her. And the fact that she pretends to be conservative is a hoot. Ha ha ha. So full of satire. Just kidding Melis, this family would be nothing without you. Your sweet sense of humor is the chocolate of this tasty medley of flavors.
Amber. What can we say about Amber? Her dry, sarcastic, irreverent humor is the saltiness of the pretzel. What two ingredients clash? Salt and sweet. Right? On their own one would never think they would taste good together. Put them together and there is an explosion of flavor that starts out soothing and BAM! I’m here MOFO! That’s Amber’s sense of humor mixed with Melissa’s sense of humor. Often times Amber says the things that no one else dares to say. Should she say some of these things? Probably not. Their entertainment value for those of us not being directly attacked? Through the roof. Some people take offense to this style of humor, I say, grow up. Without Amber I could not imagine family parties. I mean sure, we’d still have people chucking bowls of ranch dressing at one another, maybe a gun fight or two, but we wouldn’t have the criticism afterward. I’m really going out on a limb here saying these things about Amber. Hope she doesn’t get mad, she feeds me twice a week which I’m grateful for. Without Amber, I would go slightly hungry for a few extra hours every Monday and Tuesday. Thanks Amber, for pointing out all of the negative in us.
Chelsea. My retarded, fat, Asian, communist, closet-conservative sister. We all know you hate the gays, and the abortion doctors, and anyone without legitimate health care. Okay? We get it. But seriously, Chelsea is the crunchiness of the chocolate covered pretzel. And while I haven’t figured out why yet, we’ll pretend what I’m about to say fits in fine with my crunchy pretzel metaphor. You see, ever since the day she slammed my head into the van door (which she later broke because I “cheated” at Phase 10) I knew we would be brother and sister for as long as I felt like it. (Which turned out to be a lot longer than I intended, who the hell knew this shit was for eternity?) But seriously, from our conversations in the strange whooping language we invented, to the urgent phone calls to Janelle asking her which one of our animal noises was best, we have had our fun. One thing I really want her to know, probably the most important thing I will ever say to her…oh damn. You know what just happened to me? I got one of those calls on my cell phone that was from an area code I didn’t recognize. While I have given my number out to various literary agencies, I answered it thinking it may have been one of these agencies wanting to talk about my book. I heard a female voice, which I now know was automated, saying, “please hold.” I held. For 17 minutes, I held. Finally, this guy answers saying he could lower the interest rate on my credit card. I DON’T EVEN HAVE A CREDIT CARD. So, I just wasted 17 minutes of my life on hold for some sneaky telemarketer. Anyway, where was I? Umm…. I can’t remember. Oh yeah. Maybe that’s why Chelsea is the crunchiness in our chocolate covered pretzel. She tried to crunch my head in the van door. Sure beats drinking gasoline though, eh?
Alone, my sisters are overbearing, ornery and finicky, respectively. Together, they’re the best sisters a guy could have. So, thanks you guys, for…umm…well…I guess for being born. Come to think of it, you guys really haven’t done anything to warrant any thanks at all. This is really a thank you letter to mom. So, thanks mom, for raising three daughters, who alone are very mediocre, but together make up an above average group of girls with a sense of humor slightly better than a charter member of the NRA, KKK and the new, ever popular Tea Party. It could be worse, I could be related to Marie Osmond. Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.
‘Nuff said.

Depleted Uranium is a War Crime!

The Hidden Wars in the Middle East to me are the ones we as Americans never hear of because the government doesn’t want us to hear of them. Not only are these combat, or conventional wars, they are also wars being carried out against innocent civilians of the Middle Eastern population. Much of this lies in the use of depleted uranium, which I will address later in this essay. The Hidden Wars can also be a reference to the Gulf War. Though the American public had knowledge that a war was occurring in the area surrounding Iraq, they had no idea to what extent it was occurring, who the major players were and for why this war was being fought in the first place. Since the media was kept out, there wasn’t much information being spread to the American people about the war. The only information getting to the public was government released statements, which were unreliable at best.
These statements released by the government were riddled with lies. The government lied to get into the war, they lied during the war, and they’re still lying to this day. Most of the lies the U.S. government told were not flat out lies, they were exaggerations of the truth, and the most damaging examples of U.S. deceit is the information they withheld from the public. The exaggerations as to the extent of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait is suspect. The untold amount of forces said to be occupying Kuwait was a myth. Evidence is leant to this conclusion with the satellite photos taken of the region at the time of the invasion. There are no tank tracks in the sand, no military equipment at the borders, but perhaps the most glaring void in this is the absence of Iraqi soldiers. The U.S. government tried to cover this up by saying the tank tracks would have been covered up within a matter of days by winds and other natural elements, this is another lie. There are still tank tracks in northern Africa left over from World War II, northern Africa has extremely high winds at times and unforgiving natural elements. These tank tracks have lasted over sixty years. The exaggeration to get a coalition together to get into Iraq was entirely uncalled for.
The coalition was, unfortunately put together, through diplomatic bullying and lobbying and the air strikes over Iraq commenced. While it was said this was to be a bombing of surgical precision, it was nothing of that sort. The government told its citizens they were targeting and destroying Iraqi military targets and the population of Iraq would be largely unharmed, this could not be further from the truth. The bombing was more reminiscent of the blanket bombing of Berlin in World War II and estimates have risen to over 100,000 dead Iraqi civilians, not terrorists, innocent people. Then came the marines, marching through Kuwait with virtually no opposition. One soldier stated the flies and mosquitoes gave up a better fight than the Iraqi “military” that was largely plain-clothes civilians protecting their own country. The U.S. marines took Kuwait in a day. On their way to Baghdad they were met with a greater opposition, one that they could not defeat, their own government. The U.S. marines had taken control of southern Iraq within 24 hours and were marching to Baghdad when the Bush administration called the war off. What they didn’t let the American public know was why. With the arrival of U.S. forces, the people of Iraq risen up against Saddam Hussein and started demonstrating in the streets of Iraq, they were poised to overthrow him. The U.S. needed Saddam in the Middle East. He was someone they could bully, not to mention he retained his power with CIA support, the Hussein regime was not toppled as it should have been, that was never the U.S.’s goal, they needed him around to secure the oil fields and remove the embargos. Simple as that. It was all about oil. Henry Kissinger put the United State’s priorities best when he stated, “oil is too important to be left to the Arabs.” They needed Saddam in power to hammer out the treaties that would give the U.S. control of the Iraqi oil fields.
The soldiers were met with a hero’s welcome and they went on to live happily ever after. Or did they? Within months of returning home, several soldiers began complaining of medical effects, anything from rashes to fatigue to constantly being sick. When looked upon more closely the answers became clear. In making the shells to fire during the Iraqi war the U.S. wanted to be frugal in its budget. They set their sights on different types of metal they could use to make the shells out of. There was a type of metal that had just been lying around, and the U.S. had literally tons of the stuff, uranium. They began recycling this uranium and using it to build military ammunition. What was unknown at the time were the effects this would have on the unfortunate souls who came in contact with it. Depleted uranium can burst through any armor with relative ease, whether it be a tank or a bunker, it doesn’t matter. These structures and vehicles were annihilated after taking a hit from a shell made of depleted uranium. This was an efficient way for the U.S. to build its shells, what was kept from the public was the fact that uranium stays radioactive for millions of years after it’s created. Not only were U.S. soldiers feeling the effects of this substance, the Iraqi civilians are still suffering the effects today. Numbers have risen upward of two babies born per day, per hospital in Iraq with birth defects as a direct result of depleted uranium. Many do not survive. In fact, when a child is born, more likely the question is not asked is it a boy or a girl? The more common question is; is it normal? Depleted uranium is a war crime!
This casts the U.S. government in a very negative light throughout the world. It’s no wonder that public opinion of this country is a negative one. It makes me feel sad, research had been done prior to the use of the depleted uranium, it was common knowledge among officials of the government that the radioactive waste was deadly. There is hatred for the United States in the Middle East and it is not unwarranted. These are the kinds of things that have to come to light. It is essential for the American people to know of these atrocities. We have to make sure this never happens again. Funny, we’ve heard that before haven’t we? World War II, the atrocities carried out by the Nazis, Never Again, wonder if we can take a page out of our own playbook.