Open Wide

No, not that. [1]Get your mind out of my gutter!  Finally, I got off my ass and found a new dentist.  Digressing for a moment, please ignore the multitude of typo’s in my last post.  I was pressed for time and didn’t really check it for accuracy.  Anyway,  the new dentist is conveniently located in the heart of the Castro and I liked him immediately.  I am very picky about people who I pay to make me better.  Trust is big with me and I like knowing I’m not being shafted (in the bad way). 

I must admit I was a tad paranoid.  I found a dentist when I first moved to SF however, it had been 10 years since my teeth had seen any kind of professional work.  Boy did I have some catching up to do. lol  So today, I was thinking of the last time.  It went very smooth though.  Only minor build up and I was in and out under 2 hours. [2]For a first time visit, that was pretty fast.  Ex-rays, consultation, cleaning. BAM!   He did say he thought my choice of toothbrush had a big impact.  My last dentist suggested the Sonicare brush and I gave it a whirl.  I have an issue with paying $100 for a freaking toothbrush.  I have to admit though, it was a good buy.  Even on my random schedule of brushing, my gums were in good shape.  And seeing a dentist get overly excited about your choice of toothbrush is rather comical I might add. 

I only have one new small cavity and one of my existing fillings is cracked. [3]Damn popcorn kernels!  I go back in two weeks to get the cavity fixed, two weeks after that the filling.  Then comes the scary part.  I get a referral to an orthodontist for braces.  I’m hoping I’m a candidate for invisilign.   I’ve decided if I’m not, I’m not getting braces.  Try as I might, I can’t resolve myself to that.  My teeth aren’t that crooked first of all.  And trying to manage a clean mouth full of metal is more than I’m willing to bear.  Wish me luck!

References

References
↑1 Get your mind out of my gutter!
↑2 For a first time visit, that was pretty fast.  Ex-rays, consultation, cleaning. BAM!
↑3 Damn popcorn kernels!

Catch Up Already

Oy! Yes, I know I’m behind with blogging.  I’m still adjusting to the new schedule.  Plus, I have a trainee at work so even less time to blog.  Arrrgh!  I finished Halo 3 last night on the xbox so one less distraction there.

My buddy Frank from Urswine Addiction was in town this past weekend.  We had a great time hanging out together.  I haven’t seem him in a while.  It was IBR (International Bear Rendezvous) weekend.  We went to Sweat on Sat night which was fun.  I think I’m getting old though.  I used to go all night dancing.  After just a few hours, I was dead on my feet and ready to go home.  lol  There were some yummy eye candy though.  Plenty of beefy hairy bears were in attendance and shaking their "groove thang". 

I wanted to go see Kathy Griffin while she was here but I waited too long to get tickets.  I was more than a little bummed but no one to blame but myself.  I heard she was her normal hoot and half.  *le sigh*

We went to see Jumper at the movies on Sunday.  The plot was a little lacking for my tastes however, good movie.  Worth seeing.  Good action, good acting, and a little bit of eye candy.  Never a bad combination.  heehee  I’m not sure if it was because of IBR or not but there were quite a few piece of eye candy in the theatre as well.  Frank and I were ogling boys left and right. [1]He is a bit flirt just like me 

Monday was pretty low key.  We hung out and went to the gym before he had to head home.  All in all a good weekend. 

What did you do?

References

References
↑1 He is a bit flirt just like me

Heifer

I’ve all but given up on keeping up with my blogroll.  I just have too many damn blogs to keep up with.  It was easier when no one read my madness. hehehe.   Anyway, in making an attempt today, I’ve noticed several of my blog buddies ranting about weight loss. 

We have become a nation obsessed with instant gratification.  We care more about fast food than healthy food.  Sad but true.  We are constantly bombarded by fast food ads.  No wonder so many folks are overweight.  It is just easier to be an overweight slob.  And don’t even get me started on a sub-section of the bear culture the delights in slothfulness.  Rather than deal with the problem, let’s make it glamorous.  Oh yeah, there’s an answer.  I digress…  Staying in shape is no easy task.  It takes a conscious will to maintain a good diet.  You might say, "well why should I bother then?"  My answer, it may not be your fault but it is your problem.  Another complaint I often here, "I just don’t have time in my day to workout."  That is the biggest cop-out I think I’ve ever heard.  We make time for things we care about.  Stop finding reasons why you can’t and find some why you can.  Three hours a week ain’t that hard in the scope of things. [1]Hell, I spend more time just looking for sex.

There are some fairly simple things you can do to combat your exploding waistline. 

1) Cut out sugared sodas!  High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has become the number one contributor to obesity in Western Culture. [2]I’d wager other places too  I’ve beat this horse before so I won’t go on and on. If nothing else, switch to a non-sugared soda.  Your waist (and your heart) will thank you.

2) Cut way back on trans-fats. That means fried foods too.  Being a Southern boy, I know the delights of fried foods however, I’ve cut most of it out of my diet.  I splurge every now and then.  There is a big difference between a random splurge and routine consumption.  That also means about 80% of fast food places.  You do need some trans-fats in your diet however, not to the extent that we consume it.  There is enough trans-fat in one fast food burger/fries to meet your daily requirements for a full week! 

3) Cut back on sodium (salt) and preservatives.  A good rule of thumb, if it has more than 20% of sodium per serving, you don’t need it. 

4) Reduce your portions at meal time.  You’d be surprised how much this helps. 

5) If you don’t exercise regularly, add 3 hours a week.  Three hours!  If you can’t find the time to add 3 measly hours, stop whining because you obviously aren’t serious about losing weight.  If you do exercise, consistency is key.  Intensity matters however, most folks burn themselves out by going overboard.  Slow and steady progress wins every time. 

I could go on and on but you’d be surprised how much weight you’d drop by trying out the 5 tips above.  Obviously, if you are trying to lose 5-15lbs of vanity weight, the above tips might not show a dramatic increase however, it will help.  Most people aren’t looking for ripped abs they just want to see their stomach muscles. 

I was telling someone today, I hate the word "diet".  Dieting just teaches your body more efficient ways to store fat you aren’t using.  This makes it harder to burn off later.  Duh.  Don’t starve yourself.  Work on gradually changing your eating (and exercise) habits.  A good way to do this is to set goals and track your progress.  Tracking your weight loss (gain) gives you focus.  We tend to succeed at things we focus on routinely.  Setting an empty goal with no action plan will almost always fail. 

/rant

References

References
↑1 Hell, I spend more time just looking for sex.
↑2 I’d wager other places too

Close Up

A movie about the life and death of Harvey Milk is being filmed in the Castro.  I keep forgetting and of course driving home I often drive right into the blockade.  I don’t mind so much as it is easy to go around however, it does get a bit annoying when you are trying to get from point A to point B and you can’t.

The other day, I inadvertently walked thru the set while they were filming.  I wonder if I’ll end up camera?  I should get some sort of compensation! lol  Speaking of, I got several emails from friends in the area about the casting for extras.  I’m shocked how much they don’t pay.  Fifty bucks for the whole day.  And if you’ve ever been an extra for a film, you know the mean the WHOLE day.  There was a time when I would have jumped at the chance to make $50 however, that day has come and gone thankfully. 

It is interesting to see how they prep and stage stuff.  All the awnings and old business signs gives one a sense of nostalgia.  Definitely before my time in the city but I like it.  I’m almost wishing they would leave the retro look.  The Castro is slowly losing it’s neighborhood feel.  Every year, it seems to be just another random ‘burb with no distinction to set it apart. 

I’m only half complaining.  Nothing ever stays the same.  Change is inevitable.  You either learn to change with the times or you find yourself left behind.  That said, I can still reminisce about the "good ole days".

Super Platter

If you are a football fan, you might wanna skip this rant. 

It’s no secret I’m not a football fan.  However, if I hear another fag rant about the superbowl today, I think I might start screaming.  I enjoy sports as much as they next guy but we have some fucked up priorities in this country.  Have we forgotten the rampant homophobia in professional football?  Call me weird but I don’t think I’ll follow any sport where most of the players would just as soon spit on me as to look at me.  I’ll skip the laundry list of other issues related to the players.  I find it hilarious that we can’t be bothered to get out and vote but we can gather in massive numbers to support a sport that consistently tells us they hate us. 

No, I won’t be watching the superbowl today.  I’ll stick to my freak-accepting scifi shows.

Open Sesame!

Our garage door opener broke this week.  I’m thinking it might be a blessing disguise.  The thing is incredibly old and sounds like a klaxon going off.  The landlord is being very prompt about getting it fixed, calling all of us, yadda yadda yadda.  I’m hoping he will have to replace it with a newer quieter model.  The pain of manually opening/closing the door for a week would be well worth it.

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I’m loving the new schedule so far but still struggling to get used to it.  I’m only working 2 more hours per day but that 2 hours makes a big difference.  hehehe.  I’m used to lolly-gagging around till I feel like mosing over to the gym.  Now, I have to get up and get going otherwise, it is too late to go.  I really only have to worry about two of the four days as I only do 4 days a week at the gym.  [1]Well, that is the goal usually.  The other two days I can cover on my day off.

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The down side of my new schedule is I get a lot less time to blog and surf.  I can still manage at work usually however, work is often so busy I can’t really focus and that defeats the purpose.  Speaking of work, today royally kicked my ass.  I had a flood of Union related complaints.  I’m tired. 

More random shizer later in the week

References

References
↑1 Well, that is the goal usually.

Who’s Space?

I’ve been deleting some of my online profiles as of late.  Tribe.net was the first to get the ax about 6 months ago.  After their overhaul last year, it just died.  With the new government regulations on xxx pictures on the net, they went overboard with restrictions.  The advertising was also very intrusive.  You couldn’t get away from it.  Chop chop.

My friendster account got the ax last month as well.  What used to be a big player in the market was completely overshadowed by myspace.  Having never met a single person on friendster, it was time to go.    Chop

Speaking of myspace, I’ve decided to give it up as well.  I’ve met 1, count’em 1 person on myspace in real life.  Everyone else I already know.  How many social sites do I need to communicate with the same 50 people?  I hadn’t logged into myspace in so long I’d forgotten my password and had to reset it. 

The purpose of a social networking site is to encourage interaction between people.  Hence the title "social".  From my perspectives, most of these sites are geared for capturing advertising revenue with a hind thought thrown in for users.  I’ve been giving Facebook a whirl for a few months now but I’m not really optimistic.  Same story, different site.  I’ll give it some time though. 

Ironically, I’ve met tons of folks thru blogging over the last 4 years.  Now with twitter and Pownce on the horizon, I’ve met several more.  Say what you will about the plethora of drivel that you can find on said sites, they quickly capture your attention given the chance. 

Past Tense

The birthday has come and gone.  I’m officially a year older and wiser.  Well, the older part is correct at least.  It was very uneventful actually.  The roomie was out of town so I took the opportunity to catch up on several movies I’d been wanting to see. 

Cloverfield, In The Name of the King, and The Golden Compass.  The first two both decent movies but not epics by any stretch.  Imagine Cloverfield as the Blair Witch style filming of a Godzilla attack.  [1]I totally stole that quote from someone else.  In The Name of The King was a Jason Stathom flick.  Enough said really.  The Golden Compass was very well done.  I think I enjoyed it the most. 

Those 3 gems ate up most of the day.  I had a myriad of birthday texts, emails, phone calls, and web messages to respond too which was very nice.  I did get a couple of surprising emails.  Two ex’s whom I’m not overly close to both sent me B’day wishes. Who da thunk?   

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I have a short week this week due to schedule change.  I can’t tell you how happy I am that the real Friday will be my Friday as well for awhile.  I’m still on swing swift but that is by choice. 

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I’m trying to catch up on my blogroll.  Wish me luck. 

References

References
↑1 I totally stole that quote from someone else.

Resolute-toot

Ok, miss me?  I’m most definitely back.  So, this years resolutions are half and half on the shallow side. The shallow first.

1) I’ve decided I wanna really lean up.  My bulk has reached a point where I’m consistently about the same.  I’m pushing the weight I wanna be pushing so now is the time to focus on the tough part.  Having a fast metabolism, I’ve never had to fight to be fit however, leanness has always been tough for me.  Lets face it, I love to eat.  Not fast food so much as rich food.  My first resolution is to cut back on all the rich food and focus more on a well-rounded healthy diet. 

2) I want at least 2 maybe 3 more tattoos.  One on the back each forearm and I’ve yet to decide on the rest.

3) Teeth:  I had to put off braces for my teeth as I switched dental providers last year.  Little did I know the new company has a 6 month waiting period.  Fuckers!  Anyway, the 6 months is up and I need to get braces.  I had toyed with the idea of getting veneers but I’ve discarded that idea for just getting my natural teeth straightened.  Thankfully, I am an invisilign candidate. Expensive but worth it.

The not so shallow

4) The debt is under control but I’d like to polish off 2 more credit cards. 

5) I’m struggling with my paramedic training.  All the programs so far won’t work with my work schedule.  I’ve had to broaden the search to more expensive colleges in the area.  I’m hoping I can find one that offers modules vs a continuous program.  I’m more than a little disappointed however, it is what it is. 

That is is.  Not so bad overall.  I think all of my goals are doable.  Lets hope my will power and determination holds out. 

And what about you?  What are your resolutions?  Haven’t made any?  Tsk, tsk.