Moby Files: Blog – Page 71 – Blogging to bring the 'real' to reality!

T-mattle

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard by now that AT&T ^[1]formerly Cingular and otherwise known as the company with the absolute worst service in the world has finalized a deal to buy T-mobile. *pause here for really long exasperated sigh* Seriously, I’m totally upset. The title is a spoof on the two names. I joined Tmobile almost 10 years ago and for the most part have been a very happy customer. I will be making the jump to someone else as soon as I can. I’m hoping there will be an out-clause for the merger but even if they don’t, I’ll probably switch.

AT&T’s move was a smart one but not because they were afraid of Tmobile, hardly. But, by buying Tmobile, AT&T gets access to their infrastructure which will boost their coverage significantly, not to mention the extra wireless spectrum. It makes total sense from a purely business point of view. Sadly, I’m not the only Tmo customer who is more than a little upset. Even worse, Sprint was in negotiations with Tmobile to merge when the parent company sold’em to AT&T. *sigh* A Sprint/Tmobile merger would have had its technical challenges as they use different technology to power their networks. But the combined company would have totally given Verizon and AT&T a run for their money. By snatching Tmobile away from Sprint, AT&T effectively bitch-slapped Sprint into remaining the #3 carrier in the US, probably permanently.

For now, I’m stuck with it. I’m hoping for the best but I’m not really expecting it. I’m girding my loins for the worst actually.

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↑1	formerly Cingular and otherwise known as the company with the absolute worst service in the world

Force

I’ve gotten several requests as of late to do different memes for blogging. I usually ignore such things. I’m not being rude or insensitive, I just don’t like forcing myself to blog. If you have to force yourself, it quickly becomes a chore instead of being fun. My time has been limited as of late but I still find time now and then to post stuff…like now! lol

And speaking of legs (from my last post), I’m off to a good start. I did legs again a few days ago and I’m pushing 360 ^[1]4-45lb weights on each side on the sled press, which is more than I expected I’d be doing. Last time I did’em with Apple guy I was able to finish, but just barely. This time around I was able to push out all three sets and not feel like I’d over done it.

Lunges were a different story. I tried to do 3 sets of 10 carrying a 25lb weight on each side. I got 2 full sets and only 3 of the 3rd set before I had to give up. My poor glutes were like, “oh hell no!” I guess the booty needs some work.

Last but not least are my regular squats. They were abysmal. *sigh* I can only do 45 on each side. This was mostly because of my lower back. I clearly need to work on my core muscle group a bit more. I will say I didn’t notice the tightness that I have become accustomed to with my lower back. I was in a pretty severe vehicle accident when I was living in Colorado back in ‘95. I’ve had issues with my lower back ever since. ^[2]As my chiropractor can attest. Ever since then, I’ve always had a lingering tightness that signals a weakness in the region and I’m always super scurred of messing it up again. I’m hoping this means either its gone or I’ve just managed to strengthen it enough its no longer an issue. Only time will tell I guess but I’m a bit optimistic.

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↑1	4-45lb weights on each side
↑2	As my chiropractor can attest.

Werk

I’ve been neglecting the blog again. *shame shame*

Anyway, I’ve lost most of the holiday/accident fat weight I gained from October to February. I have about 10 pounds to go before I’m back to my normal threshold. I’m not pushing it hard as I simply don’t mind but it feels good to be looking svelte again. hehehe

I’m not quite back to my old max weights yet in the gym but getting closer. The shoulder is doing good and no latent pain. ^[1]A very good thing! I’m taking the opportunity to expand my workouts. I worked out with Apple guy one day a while back and did legs. I don’t do leg weights often as I walk a lot. I wasn’t nearly as bad or weak as I expected. I couldn’t keep up with him but I did pretty well considering. Of course, my damn legs were so sore over the next 3 days I could bare walk. I almost fell down the stairs at work several times. lolol

Speaking of, I love my little workout app on the Android. Its called Workout Coach and does an excellent job of helping track my progress. Its not overly robust with pre-installed exercises but that’s a small price to pay for usability. It hasn’t been updated in a long time though. I’m ‘scurred’ the app owner has abandoned it. I’d gladly donate to keep him working on it.

Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes via twitter, FB, loopt, etc on being back in the gym and on the bike! Its definitely helping my moods.

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↑1	A very good thing!

Free Hate

The world was a buzz yesterday with the news that the SCOTUS ruled in favor of WBC ^[1]I won’t list their full name here being able to picket soldier’s funerals, among other things.

As horrible, shameful, and disgustingly vile I find the whole clan, I’m in agreement with the court. You can’t support a principle only when it benefits you. Living by a code of conduct (and/or laws) should apply to everyone. We can legislate what a person does when motivated by hate but the act of hate is and should not be illegal, nor should it be. Trying to legislate someone’s thoughts is a very slippery and dangerous road to go down. Such a path inevitably leads to ruin.

Most people think the WBC are about being anti-gay. I actually disagree. If you’ve ever been around anyone who is a fundamentalist in their religious beliefs, you discover really quickly one of their big, and I mean big, goals is trying to convert others to their cause. Its called proselytizing or testifying . If you step back from the raw emotion for a moment, you’ll notice the WBC clan don’t just focus on gay rights. They focus on anything that will get them lots and lots of attention. They’ve used extreme shock value to gain nationwide, possibly even global, recognition. Their hope is to convert as many people as possible to their beliefs. Its an ingenious approach but I’d argue its not having the intended affect. lol Growing up in the South, we always believed in shining a light on a cockroach. It does one of two things. It either scurries away to hide or it shows you how truly hideous it really is. In this case I think it’s the latter.

Think about what it must be like to have grown up in such a clan. A world shaped by their father to be absolute black and white. No room for grey or error. No compassion, no love, no forgiveness, only condemnation and pain. For you few yet faithful long time readers, see any correlation here? lol Yeah, I can understand it. Doesn’t mean I can accept it but understanding is the first step in conquering something you fear.

For my .02, we should continue to shine a light on the WBC’s petty hate and fear. Let the world see what comes from fundamentalist religious beliefs. For every 1 person they convert, they push 10 more away.

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↑1	I won’t list their full name here

Return

I finally got another bike! As you can see from the pic, it looks very similar to my old one. In truth, it is the same year/make/model minus about 6,000 miles. It came with custom rims and a custom muffler. Apple guy found it online at a dealer in Santa Rosa. ^[1]A good hour and half north of the city. I might keep the rims as I like the color but the muffler is a huge annoyance. It makes the bike super loud and I hate that. I know for some that’s a bonus but not me. My ego ^[2]and other parts are big enough, I don’t need something super loud and annoying to announce my presence to the world. lol

I’ve missed riding so much and am sooo happy to have a bike again! Getting around in SF isn’t much of a problem but I’ve missed being able to just hop on my bike and go for a ride. I’m been using co-workers for rides back and forth to work, Zip cars for errands, and MUNI for everything else. I don’t mind public transit, especially the underground tunnel, but you have to add 30/40 minutes to everything you wanna do.

This coming Sunday will be 4 months to the day since the accident. To say I’m rusty is an understatement. lol I had to drive the bike home from Santa Rosa, which went fine but it was all freeway. I’m planning a short leisurely group ride this Sunday to help get me back into the sway of things. (Pardon the pun. lol)

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↑1	A good hour and half north of the city.
↑2	and other parts

Nexus S

I recently acquired the Nexus S phone from Apple guy. He got it as an xmas present from me when he’d reached his limit with the abysmal service from AT&T. Sadly, I couldn’t permanently convert him to the good side of the force. He kept having issues with the phone and made the jump back to an older iphone hacked to work on Tmobile’s network. ^[1]Apparently, the 3g and the 3gs iphones both work on Tmobile once hacked

Anyway, so the phone has come to me and we sold my beloved Nexus 1. I hated to do it as I loved the N1. The N1, while having plenty of external storage, had very limited internal storage. Only certain app makers have taken the time to allow apps to be moved between internal/external storage. As Android has taken off on a plethora of devices, the problem is fast becoming moot. But, it also means my old N1 was quickly running out of available internal storage.

I’m loving the Nexus S overall. I can’t seem to reproduce all the problems that Apple guy was having save one. ^[2]I think he just refused to be converted That being the battery life, which is disappointing. I can burn thru the existing battery in about half a day easily with just moderate use. Its apparently something to do with how often the phone reports errors back to Google servers. There is a hack out for it but I don’t wish to wipe the phone again just to test it out.

Everything else is pretty good. The internal storage is more than adequate for my needs. The processor is just as fast, if not faster. The screen is super clear and very responsive. It has more codec support and some of the minor but annoying hardware designs that plagued the N1 have been rectified in Samsung’s version of the Google phone. My one hardware design complaint is the the volume rocker. It sticks out just a tad more than I would like and I often accidentally adjust it just by handling the phone.

This should tied me over for at least another 6 months to a year. lolol

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↑1	Apparently, the 3g and the 3gs iphones both work on Tmobile once hacked
↑2	I think he just refused to be converted

Oh Yeah!

Today was the first day since the accident I worked out w/o any discomfort! The bone has been healed up for awhile now but the surrounding tissue(s) ^[1]ligament, tendons, muscle, nerves, etc have been taking their sweet ass time! Lol I’ve actually been back in the gym, in a limited capacity, since the end of December. It’s been incredibly frustrating not being able to push myself like I’m accustomed to. But being a smart Moby, I have been taking it easy and gradually pushing myself w/o over doing it. So far, so good.

Not only did I not have any discomfort, I also did a full routine! ^[2]insert picture of me doing cartwheels here. Lol My muscles have that nice tight “pump” that comes from a good workout too. Hehehe So, now begins the arduous task of building myself back up to previous levels. I also need to continue working off the extra poundage I picked up from not working out over the holidays. (I blame the cookies!)

In related news, the search for a new bike continues. I encountered some unexpected delays in getting the loan on my old bike cleared. I should have it all sorted this week hopefully. I MISS having a bike something fierce. I could handle the daily work commutes on MUNI. Every time I see a motorcycle now I get a sad feeling. *sigh* Time to stop dawdling and get on the ball. Spring is fast approaching and I gotsta have some wheels to go riding with da gang!

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↑1	ligament, tendons, muscle, nerves, etc
↑2	insert picture of me doing cartwheels here. Lol

Random Schmandom

I’m pulling a ‘palin’ and making up words again. lol Anyhoo, I survived the 40th birthday. Actually, it was very low key and relaxed. Apple guy and I spent a day at Golden Gate park and a nice simple dinner. I’m not big on celebrating my birthday but it was very enjoyable. Yes, I did the obligatory going out to drink with friends. That said, I enjoyed the day at the park more. ^[1]Of course, I haven’t been huge on bars for years.

In other news, I’ve been getting a lot of meme requests lately. Sorry to disappoint but I hate those things and rarely do them. Every now and then I find one that strikes my fancy but it is rare. I appreciate the offer but don’t be upset if I don’t.

Apple guy and I spent this weekend finishing some projects around the apt. We also spent time on repeated trips to Target and Home Depot. He is very handy and always reminds me how easy some tasks can be when one applies oneself. I’d rather just pay someone else to do it. lol Ok, that’s only half true. Work takes a lot out of me and I’ll admit I rarely feel up to doing stuff that I consider to be “chores” around the house. I always help (as if I had a choice) when he does but he obviously enjoys it. I wish I got as much excitement out of it as he does. I’m just happy he’s happy and whatever makes him happy, I’m all about. *g* He also gets huge props for turning my bachelor bad into a very comfy home for us both. I don’t even recognize the apt from then and now.

One of Apple guy’s friends had a sick doggy last week. The doggy is up there in years. This made me think of Spike and I honestly don’t know what I’m gonna do when he starts declining. He is doing remarkably well for his 8 years but we’ve noticed little signs lately that his age is catching up with him. I’ll be honest, I am gonna freak out if/when he does gets sick. I have never in my life been so attached to an animal. I honestly don’t understand it either. lol Growing up on a farm the way I did, we were always taught that animals come and go and not to invest too much energy in something that would end up being food later. Not that we’d eat dogs but the mentality carried over from our livestock to pets. I lost several pets as a kid and I can’t ever remembering being teary-eyed. I would be sad for sure just not all blubbery. Hell, just the idea of Spike not being around makes me tear up. Seriously, I’m warning you now. I expect cards, gifts, and visits from all of you if/when Spike reaches his golden moment.

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↑1	Of course, I haven’t been huge on bars for years.

Sa-kur-atee!

I’ve noticed a huge upswing in attempts to crack the admin account for my blog lately. Way more than usual. Its no secret I monitor my log-in records. Its an easy way to spot people up to no good. I use a legacy hack from an old version of WP. It records your key strokes at log-in, your IP, how many times you fail to log in, etc. If I notice someone with too may attempts they get a friendly email (if I recognize them) or their IP blocked (If I don’t).

I can’t help but wonder if my last post might have spurred them on. hehehe I keep a pretty good password on my admin account already. Plus, you only get 5 tries before the system blocks you anyway. ^[1]courtesy of a little plugin called User Locker If you can crack it in 5 or less tries, I probably deserve to be hacked.

As an extra precaution, I switched over to a different user account. You probably won’t notice anything different on your end. I figured one extra layer of protection wouldn’t hurt. The administrator account with WordPress comes with a default administrator account and you can’t delete it. That said, there is no reason you have to use it either. You can simply set the password to something incredibly complex and create your own account with admin privileges. Tip: If you use the same plugin mentioned above (or a similar one), incorrectly log into your default admin account until it locks up. Now its permanently locked until you reset your password by email or change it from your newer admin account. Most savvy bloggers do this already. ^[2]Or they should! I confess after I switched over to my new database last year I never got around to it. I know, BAD MOBY! lol

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↑1	courtesy of a little plugin called User Locker
↑2	Or they should!