Defending Tim Tebow

I can't understand how people can hate Tim Tebow. If people want to talk about him, they will talk about him. Sure there are too many discussions in the media about him, but it isn't like he is the one who is forcing everyone to talk about him. I think Tebow is the most open and honest athlete. He makes mo apologies for who he is, or what he believes in.

I am a non-religious person, I am a liberal, and I am pro-choice, but I believe everyone has the right to have different beliefs from me. I think Tebow is the good kind of Christian, he is moral, he is humble, he is respectful, and he is thankful for everything he has. There are so many athletes who are religious, but are none of those other things that Tebow is. I would rather see someone be true to their beliefs like Tebow than a hypocrite like so many others. Tebow simply is what he claims to be.

People also hate Tebow because he isn't a "good NFL quarterback" whatever that means. Tebow played a key role in 2 national championship winning teams at Florida, they had a great system that worked around his skill set. Tebow didn't trade up in the draft to take himself, Tebow didn't then install himself as the starter of his team. He plays when they tell him to play, and observes when they tell him to observe, never complaining, or talking crap to the media.

Maybe he isn't a good NFL quarterback, because he is very different from most NFL quarterbacks. He clearly has an amazing ability to run the ball, he is a lefty, he is a vocal and passionate leader of his team. These things definitely set him apart from other NFL quarterbacks. I think Tebow could be a great quarterback. He has yet to get the first team snaps for more than half of a season, which can't help his development. He has the passion, and the will to do anything he sets himself out to doing.

I can't see what all of the hate for Tebow is for, he is possibly the least offensive and least abrasive personality in football. Sure he is being given credit for things in a team sport, but he is the first one to point out that those are things that he is not responsible for, he doesn't even take credit for his own accomplishments, he gives all of the credit to a certain someone else. Anyone who hates Tebow for things he isn't responsible for needs to take a moment to think about what they are doing.

The Muppets

I will just start off my discussion of Muppets by stating that I teared up more than once during the movie, and for me that is just something that happens very seldom. I think the movie really played into my sentimental side, but I am surprised it got to me that much, while I like the Muppets, I am by no means a huge fan. I love the work of some of the writers and producers, but I don't even think I have seen all of the Muppet movies, I don't think I have seen Muppets in Space, or did they make a Treasure Island movie too?

The movie was funny, cheesy, corny, and quite touching. I honestly had pretty high expectations going in, it has gotten such great reviews, but I was honestly still impressed by the movie. The characters showed some range, Animal had a great performance, Fozzie Bear was able to laugh at himself for being a hack comedian. There were plenty of good celebrity cameos within the movie, some more expected than others, I mean really? Mickey Rooney? That was just random!

The songs did a great job in the movie as well, the music producer for the movie was Bret Mckenzie of Flight of the Conchords fame. The songs have a bit of FotC flair to them, while having the Muppets' optimism in them as well. I have a bit of an interest in purchasing the soundtrack, which is something I never do, but the songs were that enjoyable!

I thought that the actors did a great job in the movie, Jason Segel and Amy Adams play the stereotypical bright eyed couple from a stereotypical Small Town in the Midwest, with some little twists, but they do a very good job of playing their very impressionable characters. Chris Cooper, really all that I can say about his performance is "Maniacal Laugh".

I laughed a lot, and as I had already stated I teared up a little bit, so you could say that I laughed and I cried, but the movie made me think a little bit too. I really would recommend the movie to anyone of any age. It really was very enjoyable, and I look forward to the next time that I get to see it. A movie I will most likely be owning when it is released on dvd.

Attack The Block

I had to wait far too long to see this movie. I was unable to see it in a theater, it never made it to a screen anywhere near me. It is the first movie I have purchased blind in quite a long time(buying without having seen it first). It is the first movie that I am watching on my new big screen plasma tv. The movie is produced by one of my favorite directors, Edgar Wright.  The movie is supposed to be a mashup of genres, a scifi, monster, comedy, movie. At the time I am watching it, it has an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is really good for a monster movie.

I must say that I really enjoyed this movie. The time really flew by, it is a short movie at only 88 minutes, but it seems like it flew by a lot faster than that, I was not bored once during it. I think the story was quite original, at least on this side of the Atlantic. What other movie has gang members as the good guys? There is quite a mysteriousness to the creatures that are attacking. The movie also does a great job of breaking the tension in between the action scenes with sufficient amounts of comedy. There really are quite a few Laugh-Out-Loud moments in the movie. There are some jumpy parts and some blood, but I thought for the most part the movie was very well done on that end, it doesn't turn into a gory Saw movie, or anything like that.

The cast and director all seemed to be relative new comers, for the most part. John Boyega, who plays the leader of the gang, does a great job. His character does a lot in the film without always needing to speaks. After seeing this movie, I would have to say that it is really hard to put it into a specific type. I don't think there are many other movies like this one. The case has a quote on it that says it is a combination of The Goonies and Gremlins, which to a certain extent I would have to agree with.

I was afraid that I would end up hating the dialogue with the gang members, I had read that they use a lot of slang like bruv, and cuz. They also say trust a lot which I found interesting, but I didn't hate the dialogue at all, I actually found that it added to the movie. 

I have heard rumors that Hollywood was going to make an American version of this movie, but I can't understand why they would want to do that? This movie was a good movie on its own, it would have been seen by more people if some distributor had actually picked it up and spread it across the country. Oh well, I guess Hollywood really does not have any original ideas left. 

See this movie! It is a great science fiction, action, comedy, with an English touch!

Diet Log Weeks 16 and 17

I have just not really felt like logging these past few weeks, but I guess I should don't have to go into too much detail, just give the stats if I have nothing new to add to these entries. Without further ado the stats for the last 2 weeks:

weight lost: 2.8 + 2.2 = 5 lbs lost in total.
weight loss total: 59 lbs lost in total
inches lost: 2 +0= 2 inches lost
Total inches lost: 31.5 inches lost

I have lost 13.95% of my original body weight.
I am 38.6% of the way to my weight loss goal.

The 5 lbs I have lost has me at 5.88% of the way to my weight loss bet.

All in all is have been a good two weeks. I need to just stay the course and keep working harder and harder.

Movie Bracket Walk-thrus

I forgot to note in the last post that Abigail Breslin went 2-0 in the play in round, both Zombieland and Little Miss Sunshine won their play in rounds.

This is the list of match-ups that I have deemed to be no contest between the two movies, and for the interest of saving some time in my life I have decided to skip watching them in this round.

Aliens over Garden State
While I really like Garden State, and it is definitely no match for my favorite of all of the Alien(s) movies. I wish I could make a graphic of an alien bursting out of Zach Braff's torso, but alas I am not good at anything artistic. Aliens is re-watchable, is very entertaining, and even though it was a sequel it was quite original and used the aliens in a very different way than the original.

The Departed over Mean Girls
I love Mean Girls more than more people do, but I can't honestly give it the edge in any way over The Departed.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 over Office Space
Office Space is a classic comedic movie that is very entertaining and rewatchable, but it just can not match the epic levels that are reached in this Harry Potter Movie.

The Godfather Part 2 over Easy A
I can't in good judgement even consider Easy A over The Godfather Part 2. I loved Easy A, but this is a completely different level of movie. I will actually have to sit down and think about The Godfather Part 2 eventually though, and who knows if I will like it when comparing it to a comedy down the line.

Airplane! over Big Fan
Airplane! has to win this matchup. Big Fan is a movie that I really enjoy from an emotional standpoint, but it really suffers from the entertaining standpoint, but the movie is supposed to be slow. Airplane is just a comedy classic that I could watch over and over gets a pass in this round.

LoTR: Two Towers over Amelie
I really like Amelie, I think it is one of 2 or 3 foreign films that have made this list. I actually noticed that all 3 Lord of the Rings movies are in the same quarter of the bracket, which is unfortunate for them. I may need to reshuffle these movies when I get down to 32 or something along those lines we will see.

I am sorry I have been so behind on posting this, but here are the first few results from the movie tournament. I plan to get another matchup or 2 done today.

Movie Bracket to date: http://challonge.com/weckpd

Diet log Week #15

Well I have started using my kettlebell, as well as some new kinds of crunches. I need to work those all in on a regular basis, not just once or twice a week.  I would like to do them every other day and walk/jog every day on top of that.

My entry this week will be pretty short.
I lost 3 lbs this week
Up to a total of 54 lbs lost

I am now up to 35.34% of my target weight loss.

I post these diet logs on twitter just Like I post them on Facebook. One of my followers had mentioned that she also wanted to lose weight. We made a "bet" to see who could lose 23% body weight the fastest. So this will be a number going forward from this most recent weigh in. I need to lost 85 lbs to lose 23% of my current body weight. I think it really is just a way of pushing each other to keep working hard, not really a bet. There is nothing actually on the line. We both just want to live healthier. I will update this regularly as well as all of the other numbers.

That is all for this week.

Diet Log Weeks #13 and 14

Well it has been a slow few weeks for weight loss. I lost a little, but I am going to incorporate new items to my usual workouts in order to add some muscle and burn fat faster.

My numbers for the last 2 weeks have totaled:
2.8 lbs lost
0 inches lost

I am over 50 lbs lost now!
I am up to 33.38% of my goal weight loss reached.

While 2.8 lbs in 2 weeks is nothing negative, it just wasn't anything amazing. I want to lose more than that so I will need to make some additions to my routine.

The additions are kettlebell swings 3 times a week, and 2 different types of crunches. I can already feel the difference from the kettlebell swings, it really worked my legs, back, shoulders, and arms. I will slowly build up the number of reps/set and the number of total reps per workout. It honestly does not take that much time to do, and it feels good to be slightly sore from those exercises. It makes it seem like I am making progress.

I will hopefully show an increase in weight loss for next week

Moneyball

I really can't write about Moneyball without looking at it from two angles. I will look at it as just a movie, then compare the movie to the book.

The movie, on its own, was quite good. I was not sure how they would make a compelling movie about a book like that. The dialog was definitely improved for more laughs and just generally better conversation overall in the movie. The characters were very likable, and there was quite a bit of emotion in the movie, which was definitely not that true for the book. The baseball action was quite enjoyable even though it was a little bit prolonged. I was not really sure how they would make the book into a movie, but they did a pretty decent job. I would recommend the movie to anyone, baseball fan or not. I was weirded out by Phillip Seymour-Hoffman playing Art Howe, but I actually thought that Art Howe was older than he actually is. He it only 64 now, I wouldn't have been surprised if he was 65 back then. He just looked that old I guess.

The movie really didn't go into the advanced statistics in the book, pretty much focused on walks. Much of the more in depth things the book goes into like the history of Sabermetrics, the development of the stats, Chad Bradford's life growing up, The draft that year, among other things. I thought the draft was a big point in the book, but it was literally not even mentioned in the movie. I would have loved to hear Brad Pitt say "Span fucked us!" referring to Denard Span who is currently on the Minnesota Twins, just for the simple fact that I like Denard Span and I think it would be a cool name drop. Billy Beane was not as likable a character in the book and I suppose real life as he is in the movie. I think they really needed to make him likable to drive the movie though.

I guess I just wanted this movie to do more preaching of advanced statistics, which would expose them to a new audience. I am not saying everyone would take them as gospel, but more people would have an idea where that half of the fans is coming from. I still think it was an interesting book, that was turned into an interesting movie that is worth seeing.

Diet Log Week #12

Even though I said I was going to exercise more last week, I didn't. It was still a good week numbers-wise but it should have been better. This week I have already worked out as much as last week with a walk on saturday night, and a jog on Sunday ngiht, and I will be going out pretty soon here tonight. I can run much longer distances than I used to be able to, but I would like to be even better. I am still terrible at running, but less terrible than before.

I have been getting into a groove when it comes to making food. I have made chili for the 2nd time this summer/fall already, its just so good, and it works so well with my diet. I have also been having marinated chicken breasts on top of salads pretty regularly. I mad a turkey meatloaf with some steamed veggies to enjoy as well. I might need to make some adjustments if these things get old. I can always switch to tuna salads as well, but might want to do that at home and not at work, for fear of stinky tuna breath.

The numbers for this past week:
Net weight lost this week: 3.4 lbs
Total weight lost to date: 48.2 lbs
Inches lost this week: 0
Total inches lost: 29.5 inches

Percent of target weight loss: 31.5%
Percent of bodyweight lost: 11.4%

I am over 30% of the way to my goal number for weight loss, which is just a percentage, I would like to be over a third of the way there by the end of this week. I have lost over 10% of my total bodyweight, and I am just getting started with this. These amazing numbers just continue to encourage me to keep going and push harder.

Diet Log Week #11

Another week in the books with another good number on my weight loss. I had been exhausted all week, because of getting up early for work every day, so I didn't exercise as much as I should have. I will do more this week, I might join the gym at work, we will see about that.

Something I had learned in The 4 Hour Body that I had not yet really had a chance to use, making yourself be cold can help burn fat because your body is forced to produce more heat than it otherwise could. This can be done by taking cold showers regularly, which I really don't like, or you could take walks outside in the cold in nothing but a tshirt and shorts, which I can and will be doing.

Lets get down to the numbers for this week:
Net weight lost this week: 4.6lbs
Net Inches lost this week: 1 inch
Total weight lost to date: 44.8lbs
Total inches lost to date: 28.5 inches

I am now up to 29.3% of my goal weight loss.
I have lost 10.6% of my total weight.

Update on my Life

Well I probably should have written about this a little bit sooner, but I have been settling in here for about a week. Here of course is now Green Bay, Wisconsin. I applied for, interviewed for, and accepted a position at Humana. For those who don't know Humana is a health insurance company that is based in Louisville, Kentucky. From what I have learned in my week of working this is one of the few companies in the health insurance industry that really puts an emphasis on quality customer service. I have really enjoyed my first week and a day in Green Bay. I have seen some of my friends, and I have already started working on making some new friends.

I really had needed a change of scenery from Eau Claire, I had been there for too long, and really didn't have a bright future there. I have friends that I will miss there, but just about every one of my friends from college was long gone from the area. I had become more and more accustomed to just being mostly a loner. I definitely let my social anxiety get the best of me for quite a while. I don't even know how many of you know that I had some pretty bad social anxiety, but I do, and it is something I really hid behind at times in the past.

I decided that it was time for a change in my life, so I had been applying for jobs in the cities mostly. I was chatting with my friend Matt one day, and he said he might have something I would be interested in, so he forwarded me to a job opening at Humana in Green Bay(he works at Humana as well, at a different center), I applied for the job, and had a phone interview the following week, and an in person interview the week after. the longest part of the process was actually waiting to hear back about the job, which took 2 whole weeks. I only had about a week to get all of my arrangements in order. I was luckily able to find an apartment that I liked at first, but I actually like it more and more each day, it already feels very comfortable.

On top of needing to change jobs, and scenery, I really wanted to get myself out of a rut. I think I was a little bit reserved in the first few days of training, but the last few days I have been my more open positive self. I have really spent time getting to know some of my training partners, and I am actually going to attend a grill out at one of their houses on Sunday. I went out to happy hour to hang out with a few of the guys, and met one of their wives, and they invited me over on Sunday. I really liked hanging out with them, and getting to talk to them outside of work. I need to be more open about meeting new people, and limit myself at all. I personally think that I should be welcoming of all people who would like to be my friend. I am  in a new place, and making more friends right now would definitely not hurt.

Part of me really wants to find a girl that I can hang out with, but the other side of me really wants to just make friends in general. I guess I am a bit lonely, I have not been on a date since I think March. I have been on a self imposed hiatus since then. I really don't know if this is something I should really jump right into right away anyway. I would really like to make sure I do well during this training and learn as much as I can before I am officially out on the floor.

I have been told that the call center I will be working in has a much larger number of girls than guys, and I kind of noticed that myself today when I was there. There are some that really fit right into my type, it I do indeed have one, although I don't know if I would like to date someone at work again, who knows.

I should really wrap this up, because it is past 2am and I am just dead tired. I think I am going to really like my job, I really like helping people solve problems. I have already made big strides in stepping out of my comfort zone. I think moving to Minnesota would have been my safety net, but I think I really prefer the decision that I made, at least so far. I am actually doing amazingly psychologically right now as well. I really hope this gives you a good glimpse of my past week or so. Let me know if you have any questions.

Diet Log Weeks #9 and 10

Well I am finally able and willing to sit down and write all of this stuff down. This will be a pretty short and sweet entry that will have the data from 2 weeks.

2 weeks ago, it was a stressful week that involved me driving over to Green Bay and back in one day, which cant be good for trying to burn calories. I had also cheated and had a dilly bar, this was not in a normal situation, it was a gong away party in my honor at work, and everyone brought sweet treats, I felt that I had to have something.

Numbers for week 9:
Net weight lost: 3
Net inches lost: 1 inch
Total Weight lost: 37.4
Total inches lost: 24.5


This past week had been stressful, but it also contained a lot of physical activity. I had cut my cable and internet off early so I had very little to do in the evenings, other than going for a walk.  I also managed to load and unload all of the things that I own into and out of a U-haul within the same day. I have been physically tired since then. I still have some unpacking to do, and I need to find a new outdoor walking route here.

Even though I moved me cheat day up to Saturday from Sunday, I was able to have a pretty good week. Without much ado, here are the results from this past week:

Net weight lost: 2.8 lbs
Net inches lost: 3 inches
Total weight lost: 40.2 lbs
Total inches lost: 27.5 inches

Net Percentages:
Net percentage of my goal weight lost: 23.26%
Net percentage of my total weight lost: 9.5%

I will be over 25% of my goal weight lost, and over 10% of my body weight lost.

Diet Log Week #8

It has been a good week. I was already down in weight on Wednesday. I had a good walk/jog on Friday night. I jogged to the gym, lifted weights, and jogged back on Saturday night, which was exhausting but I am very glad I did it. I will do that any day that I have enough time to, it really helps me feel like I have accomplished something, and that was after a long day of delivering groceries at work.

I am definitely a little bit sore today from some intense weight lifting that I did. I plan to at least go for a walk today during my cheat day just to get myself moving some, which is always a good idea. We will see how it goes later on.

Like I said, this was a very good week, and with my work schedule coming up this week, I should be able to exercise more, and potentially walk to the gym an back a few times with my open schedule, which would be awesome. I will report back on how that went next week.

This week's results:
Weight loss this week: 5.4 lbs
Inches lost this week: 2.5
Total Weight lost: 34.4 lbs
Total inches lost: 23.5

After this very successful week, I am up to 19.9% of my goal weight loss number, I was hoping it would be an even 20%, but 19.9% is still a damn good number. I have also lost over 8% of my total bodyweight since I started. This is good, but I still have a long way to go. I need to stay the course, and keep working out hard when I can. Thank you for all of your continued support!

Movie Bracket Play-in Round

The first set of matchups for this tournament are below. Remember that I am using rewatchability, Entertainment, and originality as my qualifiers for deciding who will win.




Dawn of the Dead Vs. Raging Bull

Dawn of the Dead: I should specify this is the newer Dawn of the Dead movie from 2004, not the original. The original is on my list of movies to see, it is quite an extensive list though. I always enjoy finding Dawn of the Dead playing on tv, it is a movie that you can just jump in at any point and enjoy it until the end. The movie does a great job of presenting characters, some of which you will like, some of which you won't like, all united against a zombie outbreak.

Raging bull: Jake Lamotta has his way with women, and that way is to nag them til they can't take it anymore. he takes his anger from the ring and takes them out on his wives, as in he goes through more than one during the course of the movie. I think this is a great film, but would I want to watch it again tomorrow? No, there are some very downer moments in it. I am looking for movies that I could watch again and again. This movie has some action in it, but the verbal and physical abuse of spouses, the fighting outside of the ring, many other things contribute to the downer of a movie. I am glad I watched this movie another time, but I don't need to see this again for another few years. There are also a ton of uses of the word fuck in this movie. Robert Deniro's performance was great, but I just can't have it going on, I am depressed just from watching it.


Verdict: Dawn of the Dead. Raging Bull is a great movie, but I don't want to watch it again for quite some time. Once will suffice for a few more years. Raging Bull definitely has lots of entertaining parts in it, but I just don't feel like dealing with the spousal abuse that occurs throughout the movie. The entertainment value and the general enjoyability of Dawn of the Dead wins out.




Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Vs. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1


This is the only matchup of the round that i am going to actually take a pass on watching either of the movies for. I have to give hands down to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.


The 7th Harry Potter movie is just, in my opinion, superior in just about every way. I think the movie is more grown up which allowed for better performances. The actors were able to really act in this movie. I think I actually liked Part 1 better than Part 2, but I will leave that debate up for a different time, but I am giving Deathly Hallows a walk here, because this way I don't have to watch all 8 movies this week, and I already know my opinion on this matchup.



Little Miss Sunshine Vs. Gladiator


Little Miss Sunshine: I love this movie, I probably didn't need to watch it again, but I really wanted to see it in its non-television version to see how much I would love it another time around. I love the family dynamic in this movie, and every single family member puts in a good performance. Even though the movie is a comedy, this might be my favorite Steve Carell performance, and he is not a comedic character in this movie. Alan Arkin's performance deserved the Oscar that it received. Paul Dano, who is one of my favorite character actors, does a great job without many spoken words. I think this movie proved to me that it belongs in this tournament, and it even made me forget about my laundry. 


Gladiator: I was actually disappointed by watching this movie again. It is so hard to mentally transition from epic battle scenes to emotional and dramatic scenes. There is very little humor to be found in this movie. There are many entertaining scenes in this movie, but it stretches on for such a long time. It come in at about 2.5 hours, but it feels like 3.5. Not a great thing to be saying about a movie, but I have been bored for quite a bit of this movie. The creepiness with which Joaquin Phoenix plays his character is definitely a highlight. 


The decision goes to Little Miss Sunshine, I still love this movie every time I watch it!




Zombieland Vs. The Incredibles


Zombieland: This movie rates very high on all of the scales. I think the fact that it really does a great job of incorporating humor, with action, with suspense, with a little bit of horror jumpiness. The characters in this movie are all well done, even if there are only 4 of them, 5 including the cameo. The little rules that pop up on the screen still make me laugh. Even though it isn't the only zombedy, it is unique, it really is not at all like Shaun of the Dead. This movie actually seems to just fly by too, it is only 88 minutes long, but it really does not have any dull moments in it. This really helps its entertainment value a lot. This movie has what may be the best surprise cameo I have ever seen as well.


The Incredibles:


The Incredibles is another great movie. It has such heart to it, while also being a superhero movie. For a Pixar movie it really has a dark side to it. It was quite entertaining to watch even though I had seen it many times before. There were some duller moments during this movie though, which takes it down just a little bit in the entertainment category. I also don't think it would be that much fun to watch over and over.


The verdict for this match-up is in favor of Zombieland, but this was close, and actually a hard decision to make. I think if we are talking strictly in terms of a movie critic The Incredibles would win, but I need more than just that for my every day life.




Up next:


I will announce all of the matchups that I won't need to watch the movies in, watching all 100+ movies would be really hard, and i know some of them by heart.


The updated bracket can be found here: http://challonge.com/weckpd

Diet Log Week #7

Well all week long I had been worried I would have a week where I gained weight. One of the main reasons I think was that I didn't do any sort of exercises on my cheat day. As I am writing this on my next cheat day, I have already been doing a lot of wall presses and air squats. I think another reason that my weight had been up most of the week was because I had not been passing the food through, even though I eat usually around 150% of the daily recommended amount of fiber, toward the end of the week that cleared itself out. I have also been going through some sinus issues lately too, which can complicate things.

Once I have a regular daily work schedule, I will be able to exercise more regularly, which will only be beneficial for losing weight faster. I really look forward to that happening, I would like to be able to live a life of routine for once!

I went to the gym on Wednesday while my car was being worked on, it felt good. I went for a jog on Thursday night. I wish that I could have done something on Friday, but my schedule would not allow it. On Saturday night I walked about 2 miles to the gym, lifted weights for about and hour, and then about 2 miles back. By the end of that I was so worn out.

This was my worst week so far on the diet, but I made some progress, so I am still moving in the right direction. With my rough work schedule this week, I will have to put in extra work to make sure i get to the gym a few times, and walk a few other times this week.

This week's results:
Weight Loss this week: 2 Lbs
Total weight lost: 29 Lbs
Inches lost this week: 2.5 inches
Total inches lost: 21 inches

Like I said, I would have liked to have lost more than this, but at least it is positive progress.

Little League World Series

The Little League World Series is one of my favorite annual sporting events. There is just something about it, it truly is a team sport. These kids come from all over the United States, and from all over the world in the other bracket. Kids get to play baseball on ESPN and ESPN 2, that is just a dream thing for so many people. There is such a contrast in the size of some of these players, as well as a contrast in the personalities. There are some kids who are over 6 feet tall and built, and others that are just over 4'6". Some kids love talking to the camera, and others are more shy.

Every team has at least one star pitcher, but the problem is that there is a limit on the number of pitches each pitcher can throw, and then there is a mandatory number of days rest for the kids so protect their arms. The game they play is not perfect, there are always going to be errors, and there are some kids who crack under the spotlight. It just seems like it is a more pure form of the game, before greed comes into it. Every kid on each team has to come into the game on defense and for an at bat. There are no pitchers that come into the game to face one batter, the managers tend to stay out of the game and let the kids play, it is a kids' game after all. Being at the LLWS is an honor for the umpires too. They are all volunteers, and pay their way to get to Williamsport, PA every year.

I think watching this was something that I used to watch with my family, and I enjoy discussing it with my little brother at the very least. It is a great thing to have on television, if you have nothing going on that day or in that evening. I tend to cheer for teams from either the Midwest or the Great Lakes region. Hopefully Minnesota or Wisconsin will be represented at the LLWS this year.

The regional championship games will probably be airing on ESPN and ESPN2 this weekend, and the LLWS  starts the weekend after that. I am sure I will spend way too much time watching it, and discussing it on Twitter. It really is a fascinating event, and I urge everyone to check it out.

Dating Update

I am not sure how much I have shared about this, but I am currently on a dating hiatus. This doesn't mean that I haven't had the urge to ask someone out lately, but just that I have not done so. I have really been doing this for a few different reasons.

1. I have been working on losing weight, and I have been successful in doing so.
2. I needed to recover from the damage I received last time I really let someone in.
3. I am planning on moving soon, so dating someone here would not work too well.
4. On top of just recovering from the last girl, I want to work on myself even more beyond that. My psychological issues have been well documented on my blog(s) in the past, and I really just want some time to be me, and enjoy life without any added worries. I think this was long overdue for me.

I guess that last item could have been discussed in a bit longer form. It has been quite a while since the last time that I had a real crush, it might be a record, well since I was first interested in girls at least.

I had a good discussion on twitter with someone who was going through some issues with unrequited feelings, and maybe not dealing with them in the most subtle way either. I have all to much experience dealing with that, but it has been nearly 6 months, which is once again probably a record for me.

My biggest issue right now is in regard to dating. If I move to a new area, I might want to give dating a try over there, as a way of making new friends and as a way to potentially meet someone. I think that this is just me trying to convince myself that I should see what is out there right now, but maybe I am just bored. It is really something for me to ponder, I still have a lot of weight to lose, and I don't want to get sidetracked on that. Of course it is possible that I could meet someone who would only help encourage me down the right path too. The short answer right now is that I don't know what I am going to do, only time will tell. This is just something that has been going through my head a lot lately, I might just test the water, if it doesn't go well I will take a step back from it. As usual I just find it helpful to put my thoughts down on the page. I am always open to advice or just thoughts that people have one the subject.

Cowboys and Aliens

I really enjoyed this movie, I was unsure if I would or not because of the very mixed reviews it has gotten, but I will say that I was not disappointed at all. It is really a mashup of genres, but it is much more than just Westerns and Scifi, there are also elements of monster movies, which is kind of a given, and also a few very jumpy scenes, that even though you know are coming will make you jump.

This movie really has a lot of people that I like including Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Sam Rockwell, and Paul Dano. Olivia Wilde was not too hard on the eyes either, I have just not really seen that many things that she has been in, she sure has pretty eyes though doesn't she? I also really liked the job that Adam Beach did, I remember him from the movie Smoke Signals that I watched back in high school.

Some people have told me that they can't get into the premise of this movie, but how is it any more ridiculous than another modern times of future alien movie? I think you have to go into seeing this movie with an open mind, sure it is contrived, but most movies are. That is what separates most movies from documentaries. With aliens attacking do you expect something to be 1005 realistic? I didn't think so.

This movies has some good action, some jumps, some humor, and some emotion. I can't say that it had the best directing, or the best writing, but it was still very entertaining. I don't think the characters are that well developed, but for a few of the characters mystery is actually part of their character. Even though it had all of these shortcomings, I still enjoyed the movie. I think the novelty of the idea made me enjoy it, it really was a very creative idea.

I think its a good popcorn movie, and the type of movie that I would watch every time that I came across it on television. Some people care what critics think, and some people don't. If you can get past some mediocre reviews, I think it is worth seeing, even if you wait til it is out on dvd. 

I have said enough negatives about it, how about some positives? There are 4 or 5 big laugh lines in the movies, and a few smaller laughs too, of course I tend to laugh more than most. Paul Dano plays the perfect spoilage douchey son. Daniel Craig is a complete badass. When he can hold his accent together, he actually sounds just like Harrison Ford when he was younger. There are some real emotional moments, and even the assholes have hearts.

Diet Log Week #6

So it has been another great week on the diet, and I keep feeling good, and having energy to exercise. The cooking is second nature now, I do feel like mixing in something new every once in a while. I think in the winter I might go with soup and a salad a lot, or just a big bowl of chili, oh how I could go for some chili. I like seeing recipes on TV that I know will fit well into my diet.

I have been working on reducing the ratio of meat to vegetables, trying to get much more of the low calorie vegetables in and less of the meat. I know I need protein, but I don't need a ton of it. I really like veggies too. Where they are roasted or steamed they really help to fill me up while being very low in calories.

I am planning on starting to work with weights a little bit more, my biggest problem is that I would like to be outside as much as possible when exercising, but I don't have the money to buy any sort of weight set right now. I would actually like to buy a kettlebell, as that is one of the pieces of equipment suggested in The 4 Hour Body, it can allow you to work a lot of different muscles at once, but right now with a move on the horizon, buying one is not that feasible, so instead I will go to the gym and do some lifting, even if it is a few times a week it can help me build muscles, which will in turn help burn fat faster, which seems alright in my book. If anyone wants to buy me a Kettlebell I will gladly accept it :) The 30 lb one that I would like is only about $50

I have found myself having more stamina when running, which has helped me push myself to be out there longer. I am usually out running/jogging for at least an hour at a time. I like the fresh air, but I hate the humidity. My main rule is that I am not allowed to stop moving, keep walking forward. The new barrier to my running is that my shins start to get sore after about an hour, so I stop jogging and just keep walking.

My numbers for this week were very good:
Weight loss this week: 4.8 lbs
Inches lost this week: 2.5
Total weight lost: 27 lbs
Total Inches lost: 18.5

My weight loss goal is 172.8 lbs, which is a hefty number. that is more than an average person's weight, but I have crossed my first threshold. I have lost more than 25 lbs, and I am under 400lbs.

I have lost 15.625% of my goal weight loss in 6 weeks, which is pretty amazing. If I were to keep up this pace it would take me 39 weeks to reach my goal weight, but I am imagining it will slow down a little, although if I start adding some muscle the fat should come off faster. We will see how it goes, but I am in this for the long haul, and I am prepared for it to take over a year, this has been way too long in the making.

I would like to thank everyone for the support, it really helps push me to go harder and harder.

3 Movies I Want to See

Movies that have come out or are coming out pretty soon, that I would like to see:

Cowboys and Aliens:
I think this movie has more than enough potential in its cast alone, Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, and Sam Rockwell, who is almost always amazing. The subject matter is a combo of science fiction and western, which are both very interesting on their own, but together are definitely intriguing. Very early returns are good according to Rottentomatoes.com with 4 of the 5 reviews being fresh. Jon Favreau has a good track record with the movies that he has directed, I am willing to risk the price of admission on these things.

Super:
Super is a movie that has been on limited release for quite a while, and has some decent stars in it including Ellen Page, and Rainn Wilson. It seems like it is not getting great reviews which is not always something I put a ton of weight on. It is supposedly a very graphic movie, with an NC-17 rating, and some pretty gross scenes. I think it is interesting, but it has never been available in the area so I never got around to see it. It seems like a demented version of Kick-Ass from what I can gather.

Attack The Block:
A movie produced by Edgar Wright, and directed by his friend Joe Cornish, attack the block is supposedly a genre tribute to movies like Critters. It is getting very good reviews, but is still only going to be in limited release in the United States. I think this will be the next movie that I champion, and preach the good word of, well as soon as I see it and enjoy it that is.

Captain America: The First Avenger

I really liked Captain America. I really thought it was a complex movie, more complex than other Super Hero movies. It is a heartwarming story, but it is also a war movie, and there is enough comic relief in the movie to through the actionless scenes.

I thought Chris Evans had a real breakout performance in this movie. He really embodied the American spirit of the character. I look forward to see what he can do in The Avengers. I think there was some foreshadowing with the tension between Captain America and Howard Stark, I am guessing that is going to continue between Captain America and Tony Stark, but Tony might have tension with everyone in the Avengers.

While on the subject of Howard Stark, I have no doubt that he was based on the eccentric Howard Hughes, I think the character in the movie looked a lot like Howard Hughes, or at least the depiction I saw of him in The Aviator. I also really think that Howard Stark looked and acted a lot like Samm Levine. I could not help but think that throughout the movie, anytime that Howard showed up. If only Samm Levine could grow a mustache.

I have never seen Hayley Atwell in anything before, but I really enjoyed her performance. On top of that she sure has some warheads on her.

The movie opens with some Norwegian being spoken, but then all of the German characters speak English, I was so disappointed. Kevin Bacon spoke German in X-Men: First Class. There was at least one time that a German character switched the v sound for a w sound which gave it a slightly more authentic German feel. I really liked Stanley Tucci's character and he spoke with more of an accent than any of the other German characters. I wish there would have been more of him in the movie, but doctors don't fight in wars do they?

I would rate this movie at about the same level as X-Men First Class. I think it had its own feeling to it. I like how each of the Avengers movies have had their own genre, I think there are actually very few light-hearted war movies out there in general. Well maybe it was more medium-hearted, but still something that is pretty rare. There are some sad moments, but also some moments that are just wonderful. Definitely worth checking out. Stay through the credits to see a preview of The Avengers, it is short and sweet, but it is still something.

I am looking forward to seeing The Avengers, I know there is going to be a lot going on within the film, but I am very curious to see what they will be doing with it. Joss Whedon will hopefully be allowed to use his own vision with all of the characters. Off into the future, I am very curious to see what Edgar Wright will do with Ant-Man, but that is not until 2014 so I will be waiting on that a little while.

Diet Log Week #5

This week I really did not do all that much out of the ordinary, just my normal meals. I should have probably walked more or worked out more, but I was in need of a bit of relaxation.

I am still feeling good, and with each week sticking to the diet gets easier and easier. I really do need to start using the workouts that are included within the diet book. I plan on reading them tonight, or maybe tomorrow, and incorporating them as best I can.

I had a nice walk/jog tonight, it was luckily pretty nice out, and I was able to get out there in between the two different storms.

I just think I need to be concise with this diet log, I really don't have anything new to add to this week's log.

This week I lost 4 lbs, and I lost 2.5 total inches.

My running totals are 22.2 lbs lost, and 16 total inches lost.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2

The final movie in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 or HP7.2 if you're cool, was a triumphant finale to the series that has lasted what seems like an eternity.

I am honestly at a bit of a loss for words, I have been thinking about what to write about this movie, but I am afraid that I really don't have all that much to say that has not already been said a million times. I still believe that these would have been amazing movies even if they had not come from books, and actually I would imagine that this final movie would have been even more enjoyable if you did not know exactly what was going to happen.

The kids are so grown up now, and they can actually act! I can imagine it would have been a very emotional ending for all of them as well. They will no longer know where their fortunes are coming from, but I doubt any of them will be struggling. I just hope they are not forced into doing these characters in other movies. I think they have great potential.

I guess I will have to hope for a new series of movies and books to come out that can occupy my time for 10 more years going forward, but I imagine that this is a once in a lifetime experience. They will be rewatched frequently by me, and maybe some day I will watch them all in a single day to celebrate their greatness, but it is probably more likely that they will all be watched over the course of a few days, or even a week.

This movie had great action, emotion, there was some great acting, and there was even a bit of humor in order to cut the tension a little. I look forward to watching this movie over and over.

I have one thing I would have changed about the movie though. I think it would have gotten huge laughs. When Luna goes to sit down next to Neville and he is holding the sword, why didn't they have her say, "Can I touch it?" or, "Can I hold it?" Maybe I am the only one who would have loved that, but imagine a bunch of other people would have laughed at it too.

Well those were my incomplete and rambling thoughts on this movie. I really could not come up with anything more than that.

Movie Bracket

I have decided to create a bracket of movies to decide which movie is going to be my "favorite" movie.

I am going to judge the movies based upon the following characteristics:

Originality: I don't particularly like movies that do things just like all of the others, just because something is a sequel, or has source material, does not mean it is not original.

Rewatchability: I prefer movies that I can watch over and over, especially movies where I can notice new things each time I watch them.

Entertainment: This is how I usually quantify if I enjoy a movie, this is the reason that Transformers 2 was a bad movie, it just was not entertaining.

Remember these ratings are my own, and as movie taste goes, it is always subjective. I am always open to debate, but everyone is entitled to their own opinions when it comes to movies. It is very likely that comedies will lead the way, because I tend to just lean more towards comedy, than drama, but once again this is my list.

I am only including movies with actors, documentaries are not being included in this which is just a choice I made, although Exit Through the Gift Shop could probably hold its own with some of these movies.

I am sure there are movies that are being left out that I have either not seen, or have just forgotten about right now as I made the bracket. Also movies that I can not currently get on dvd have been removed from the list as well. This group includes Bridesmaids, Super 8, and X-Men First Class.  I did include Harry Potter 7.2 even thought it not on dvd, don't ask me why.

Check the brackets out right here: http://bit.ly/pNMi83

This bracket was generated at random and the rankings were not decided by me. I had to trim down the list quite a bit, I wanted to get down to 128, but I thought 132 was close enough. The play-in games will of course be the first ones that I take care of. I should have at least one or 2 of them done by this weekend. Keep checking for updates on this.

Play in Matchups:
Dawn of the Dead Vs. Raging Bull

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Vs. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1--Matchup of the round

Little Miss Sunshine Vs. Gladiator

Zombieland Vs. The Incredibles

Diet Log Week #4

For those who might be interested in the diet book I am using:














7/10/11
 It is cheat day again!
I ordered pizza from Papa John's and it was glorious! I had some ice cream, and some cake, and some cookies. Of course i had some chocolate milk, which is like crack, I swear I have withdrawals! I actually didn't eat all of the junk food that I had purchased, I need to maybe bring that level down just a little bit, so I don't waste any of my money on food that I end up not eating.

I actually worked out on my cheat day, I went for a nice walk/jog. It was quite steamy out that evening, so I had to cut it a little short, and I actually came back inside to get some water, before stepping back out. It felt good to get a sweat in, with a better schedule of work I would go walking more often, but after working 10-12 hours in a single day, I am just too tired to do all that much usually. I usually do little things such as squats, or wall presses, which are supposedly very good to help the sugar get burned up faster, or something along those lines. I try to incorporate more and more of the little things mentioned in the book, the next this will be to do some of the workouts he mentions in the book. I am doing a good job of working things in gradually.

7/12/11
I grilled some hamburgers this evening, I am just going to be eating them without buns, and maybe even make them into lettuce wraps. The burgers were very good, along with some steamed broccoli and smashed cauliflower.

7/13/11
I went out to eat with my dad, brother, and cousin. We went to a Mexican restaurant, which I thought would work well with my diet, but not so much for this specific restaurant. I got some food that I could eat, but the portion was really small. I had to stop at a Chipotle on my drive home, which was fine because I had only had 2 meals that day previously. My stomach just felt empty when I was still in Chipotle range. It was very satisfying, but I did realize that Chipotle is not as great without the rice. That rice provides a ton of flavor, where as the rice at Burrachos is not that flavorful, and the other ingredients that they have that are flavorful.

7/15/11
I started eating a few forkfuls of sauerkraut before each meal, which had been mentioned in the book. I felt that I had not been digesting as fast as I should have. I thought adding some sauerkraut could help with that. It will definitely help wake you up in the morning, you can trust me on that!

7/16/11
I had a great walk in the evening, it was still very humid but I did some running and some walking, the only problem was that I could not do it for too long of a time, that humidity just made it feel like I was wearing a suit of sweat, yuck!

7/17/11
I overslept today, but I would guess that extra sleep would benefit me on my diet, so oh well it is not that bad of a problem to have on my one day off.
This week's results:
Weight loss: 7.4 lbs
Lost 1 inch from my waist
Lost 1 inch from each of my thighs
Total inches lost 3

My overall losses:
Weight lost: 18.2lbs
total Inches lost: 13.5
4 inches from my belly
2 inches from my waist
5.5 inches from my thighs
And an inch from each of my biceps

TV Shows I Love That Are Off The Air

These are some TV shows that I really enjoy, that are no longer on the air. Some were popular when they were on TV, others were not so much. I will also state which ones are available on Netflix Instant. This post is very long, but I did not want to break it up into different posts.

Sports Night: I really think that Sports Night is just criminally underrated. I thought it was awesome when I watched it during its original airing. Its a smart show with great dialogue that was created by Aaron Sorkin, before The West Wing. Its a comedy that has heart and characters in it. It really has very little to do with sports, so don't let that scare you away. The show is now available on Netflix Instant, so you don't really need to make any sort of investment to be able to watch it. Give it a few episodes to grow on your, there are some great story arcs later on in the series.

Arrested Development: I can not say that i watched this show when it was originally on the air, but I did watch it shortly thereafter. The 3 seasons of this show are one of the greatest dvd purchases I have ever made. The show is so rewatchable, with some great characters. A great comedy that really uses the talents of its cast. Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Jeffrey Tambor, David Cross, Portia De Rossi, Alia Shawkat, Jessica Walter, and Tony Hale are the most dysfunctional family ever to be on television. Ron Howard might be the best narrator in the history of television as well. Arrested Development is available on Netflix Instant as well.

The Critic: A hidden gem among the many different animated shows that popped up during the 90's. Part of the problem with this show was that it got the wrong lead-in audience. It was originally on ABC airing after Home Improvement, which is not a bad show. I just don't think this smart cartoon set in New York has the same audience as the family show that led into it. I think it then got bounced around to different time slots on Fox the following season before getting canceled. You might remember Jay Sherman, the main character, for his crossover episode of The Simpsons for the Springfield Film Festival. I think the show was too smart for the cartoon format, and it just didn't appeal to the great masses. The movie parodies in it are funny, but of course they are a little dated, since the show stopped airing in 1995. I wish the show was available on Netflix, but as of right now only the dvds are available. Below I have inserted what might be my favorite moment from the show:

The Office(UK)
Whether you have ever watched the American version of the show, you should really give the original a try. The first few episodes of the original series, were replicated in the American version so it should be an easy transition. I think UK version is a bit more out there, some of the topics ended up being toned down for the American version. This series is available on Netflix Instant, I believe there are also 2 specials that they have on Netflix as well.

Extras
Another great comedy series from Ricky Gervais, during which he parodies some of the things that he went through on his path before and during The Office. He is able to wrangle some great stars to make appearances on the show. I think that Ricky Gervais is a master of creating awkward situations that also feel very real, in a hard to handle type of way.

Firefly
I think this show was too smart and too good for its network or its time. It is a space western. Some people tell me they are not interested in watching it, because they don't watch science fiction, but this show transcends a genres all together. It has good laughs, some great characters. Joss Whedon created such a wonderful world, with so many funny tidbits within it. I would like everyone to give this show a try. This show is available on Netflix Instant so please give it a try.

Freaks and Geeks
This show, is another show that was just before its time. This show was really the introduction of Seth Rogen and Jason Segel, into my world at least. It has comedy, but also some real life elements that most people can relate to, it even has some good family scenes in it. I know both my little brother and myself really connected with this show, and its characters. I think Judd Apatow and Paul Feig did a great job with this show. Some people give Apatow all the credit, but Feig was the creator, so how can he at least not be mentioned? I have the show on dvd, I wish it was on Netflix, but it isn't. If you want to borrow the dvds, that might be able to be arranged.

Greek
This show was kind of my guilty pleasure. My brother and I discovered it watching a marathon of it on ABC Family one day, and were hooked. It is about the college greek system. I am not sure how accurate the depiction of the greek system is, but it is definitely very entertaining. The characters were able grow a bit through all of the seasons of the show. The show featured the wonderful Clark Duke from time to time, I am sure he was on when his schedule would allow. All of the seasons of this series are available on Netflix Instant.

My Boys
Another guilty pleasure of a series, it is a series about a woman, most of her friends are guys, and she is a sportswriter. Its a comedy, and it is quite funny. Jim Gaffigan players her brother, but was under-utilized. The different characters are all funny, and the show is really entertaining.

Newsradio
This is one of those shows that I have watched through the whole series over and over. It has a great cast of characters, and i be everyone has heard of a lot of the actors that are on it. Stephen Root is awesome as the station's billionaire owner, who just happens to be hanging out a lot. The late Phil Hartman really took this show to another level, it was never quite the same after his passing. This show is available on Netflix Instant, please check it out if you want to see a classic slice of 90's sitcom action.

Reaper
A show that was doomed from the start. How many shows have been able to get past the fact that they can be found only on the CW? Not too many. It has good comedy, along with the eternal battle between good and evil. Tyler Labine is amazing as Sock. It also has a different adventure in each episode with the main characters trying to, well they have to capture a soul that has escaped from hell, who doesn't do that every week? This show is available on Netflix Instant.

3rd Rock From The Sun
This show is another from they heyday of the sitcom, and also the heyday of NBC, oh how the mighty have fallen. John Lithgow is at his best in this show, he is able to be his outrageous, overacting self, and it is just amazing. I think we watched this show as a family, oh the memories. This show is available on Netflix Instant.

Undeclared
This show was  a show of Judd Apatow's creation, and this show introduced the world to Jay Baruchel, and who doesn't love his charming Canadian-ness? This show is a straightforward comedy, it has no real drama in it like Freaks and Geeks has. It is about college, and life, but is quite entertaining.

Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is one of the most underrated shows out there, it is a teenage dramedy, that is also a crime mystery. It is a very complex idea that was well executed. I can not claim to be someone who watched the show when it was on the air. I have to thank m little brother for bringing the show to my attention. The show has made a star out of Kristen Bell. Nothing is more fun than a snarky, cute, blonde high schooler right? This show is available on Netflix Instant.

Party Down
The best show on a network that pretty much no one gets. This show has a great cast of outrageous characters. Everyone on this show is just hilarious, and my secret love, Lizzy Caplan is a struggling standup comedian. Who does not want to see entertaining exploits of an hilarious party catering company? This show is available on Netflix Instant. Starz took it down when they canceled it, but the uproar on Twitter and all over the internet has won and both seasons are not available.

Friday Night Lights
Well just earlier today I watched the last episode of the series, so it is now technically over. This show is a family and sports drama. The scenes are just so emotionally charged. I am pretty sure that this is the only show to ever make me tear up at all, and it his done so on a regular basis, as well as giving me goosebumps frequently. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton might just be the best parents on television. They have both finally been nominated for Emmy's this year, as well as a bunch of others for the show. I was late to the party on this show, but I will most likely be watching it again some time. The first 4 seasons are available on Nettflix Instant, I would guess that the 5th season will be on there eventually. This show is really worth checking out whether you are a sports fan or not.

Diet Log Week #3

7/3/11
My cheat day! I did a no-no for the diet, and I did not eat within an hour of waking up. I maybe have still been full of the carrots I ate the night before. For lunch I went out to Olive Garden, with a friend. I had the chicken and shrimp carbonara, I was a little disappointed that they didn't have the never ending pasta bowl. I did enjoy the pasta and the breadsticks, and some slightly sweetened peach iced tea. It was very good. I had not had pasta in quite a while.

I had some chocolate donut holes for dessert, and spent a lot of the afternoon just hanging out, not doing too much. For dinner I went to Sonic got a bacon double cheeseburger, onion rings, and a strawberry creamslush. The burger and the creamslush were amazing. The onion rings were disappointing, they were too darn heavy. I was thinking sonic had good onion rings, but I would have been much better off with fries or tator tots.

While watching some movies with a friend, I had some candy. I really was craving some milk duds, and I also had an almond toffee symphony bar, possibly my favorite candy bar. That was kind of my third meal. I had some root beer milk, but it was a disappointment, so I just dumped most of it out.

7/4/11
I have been using refried beans with my breakfast, they are much easier to eat than black beans, and i think the kind of go well with eggs too. I have about 1/3 of a can of refried beans with a handful of baby carrots and my 3 fried eggs. It has been working well so far, so I have not changed it.

For lunch I had what was left of my carnitas. I had been kind of sick of it, so I put the last of it off as long as I could. It got tired pretty fast, but I will try other slow cooked meats in the future. They work well with the diet.

For dinner I decided I would fire up the grill, and cook some meats that I had. I had some marinated chicken breasts, some pork chops, and a few steaks, all of which I had in the freezer, so I thawed them out overnight and all I did was put a little bit of grill seasoning on the steaks and pork chops. I left the chops on the grill and hoped that I could smoke them under the grill, they taste great, but did not get to be too smoky.

I made some smashed cauliflower and steamed some broccoli for my vegetables. I think the chicken will go more towards salads than being eaten with the veggies, having a salad once in a while gives my diet a good variety.

7/5/11
I had my usual breakfast, and also what I have been getting every Tuesday for lunch. A no rice double bean burrito bowl from Burrachos. It is really the only low carb option near the office, and I really just like it. I think maybe a chipotle burrito bowl would be better, but I guess I can't really complain can I?

7/9/11
I have been wondering why I have been up a few lbs all week, and I realized that my bathroom scale must have been on the bathroom mat just a tiny bit last week when i weighed myself, and that made it weigh me about 7 lbs or so light. I tested this over and over and as it turns out I may have only lost 5 lbs last week, which is still huge, the 12 seemed a bit ridiculous. I am going to figure out the amount that it was off by, and adjust my number accordingly.

So I can't get the number to be consistent at all, I am just going to scrap the weigh in from last week, I am cumulatively down 10 lbs right now though, and I will be more careful about the scale, I may just have to do it in the kitchen for the time being as well.

This makes everything make a bit more sense, I am not deterred. I actually went for the longest run/walk ever. It was an hour and 20 minutes in the sweaty humidity. I really was not tired when I came home, I was just too thirsty to go on, and I was getting really warm out there. It is something I need to do more often. I just wish my work schedule was not so rough this week. I work 4 late nights this week, and I have to wrok the next morning at my other job the morning after 3 times.

6/10/11
My official weigh in has me down 10.8 lbs total.

I lost 7 inches total this week, including 3 from my belly alone. I knew my clothes felt looser on me this week!
These numbers only have me more encouraged to keep up the good work.

I have lost 10.8 lbs total.
I have lost 10.5 inches total.

Diet Log Week #2

6/24/11
This past weekend I went to see my mom and it really challenged me a bit in regards to my diet. We went out to eat the first night down there, and I had to be a nitpicky kind of guy getting baked fish with corn, and I asked for a side of refried beans as well so that I could be filled up at the end of the meal. I would have much rather had some or the fried fish or fried shrimp that the rest of the family had, but I had to stay strong. The restaurant even had free dessert with the meal, but luckily I was able to get that to go, and enjoyed it on Saturday which was my cheat day.

6/25/22
On Saturday I got to have pancakes for breakfast, that my mother had made. It was great to have those carbs in my system again, even if they did not stay in my system for that long. For lunch at the zoo I had a bad cheeseburger and fries. They were ok, I think there were not greasy enough to be satisfying. I was hungry not that long after lunch because of all of the watching that we were doing, and the lack of fiber in my system. This would be something that occurred regularly throughout the day.

We stopped at Mcdonalds on the way back to my mom's house and had some ice cream, which was very refreshing. We stopped at the grocery store for some fixins for dinner. We had ribs and chicken with some different vegetables for dinner, not too much of a guilty pleasure of a meal, but it was good. I had like 3 or 4 desserts that night, because I was just hungry the whole rest of the night, it was not good. I had ice cream with   some of my mom's home made rhubarb and strawberry sauce on it, which was great. a few hours later I had some microwaved smores, the bonfire they had was not that enjoyable due to the huge flock of mosquitoes that attacked us. Later that night, I made myself another sundae with strawberries and a banana and chocolate syrup. It was awesome, but still didn't fill me up. I decided that was all I should have because another dessert would have just been excessive.

6/26/11
On Sunday we had some eggs and I had a few strips of bacon, along with some corn and black beans. Which was somewhat tasty, but more importantly it was filling. For lunch before my brother and I headed back to Eau Claire we went to lunch at a diner near the interstate. The menu looked awesome, but of course I had to make a smart selection from the menu so I could stick with this diet. I had a chef's salad, with ham and turkey on it, there was a lot of cheese on it so I avoided eating quite a bit of the cheese that was on the salad, and just left it.

6/28/11
On Tuesday, I made some slow roasted pork in the slow cooker, it turned out great, and the pork was even on sale, so it was not expensive at all to make. I also made some roasted vegetable, corn and black bean salsa to enjoy with the pork. I had it with some sour cream, and a little bit of cheese. It was very good, and I have been having it once a day, and I still have lots of leftovers to go.

6/29/11
Wednesday was one of the hardest days I have had on the diet, so far. We had a picnic at work, and I could not eat all that much of what we had. I would have loved to eat some extra burgers or something like that, but with 12 people having confirmed they would be attending the picnic, I made 20 burgers, thinking there would be plenty of leftovers. Turns out 25 people showed up, and because I was grilling, I was lucky to get even half of a burgers. There were so many desserts that I would have loved to eat, but I just was able to resist them. I really should have used my cheat day then, but I chose not to. Sunday will be my cheat day, but I do not know what I will be having yet. We will have to wait and see. Pizza is always a possibility.

7/3/11
This was my official weigh in and measurement day. I plan to do that every morning on my cheat days. My losses this week are:
12.4 lbs--which may be a bit exaggerated
3.5 inches

I have lost those 3.5 inches from my biceps, thighs, belly and hips. I was quite satisfied with my losses, my clothes still feel much looser than they had in the past.

My weight loss may have been exaggerated by a few factors. I weighed myself originally the day after my cheat day, when I would have been extra bloated with water after having all of those carbs on my cheat day. I may have been able to burn extra calories while melting away in the heat this past week. I don't expect to lose 12 lbs a week. more in the 5-7 range for now.

I created a spreadsheet to help with the tracking of my losses each time around. I had been keeping them in a notebook, but I would rather have them in a digital format. After this week I will post my week's total, and then the running total for all of those categories.

True Grit

I have never seen the original movie True Grit, nor have I read the book. I understand that this "remake" is more of a reimagining, as it is based upon the book, not replicating the previous movie. I have been picking through this review slowly. I had some things written, but then I decided to erase them and almost start over. I watched it for a second time to try to get my thoughts straight.

I liked how scenic the movie was. I liked the performances, I think Hailee Steinfeld has a bright future ahead of her, and of course Matt Damon and Jeff bridges did great jobs with their characters.

Listening to Jeff Bridges' character talk about his life while they are riding provides some great comic relief, plus it also really allows Jeff Bridges to create his own character with the role. There are enough laughs in the movie to break up some of the lulls, of course I probably laughed in places that other people wouldn't have laughed.

I think my favorite part of the movie was the bickering between Damon and Bridges, pretty much stuck in a constant contest to show who is better, when it is obvious that neither of them deserve to win the contest.

I think all of the main characters show such great rapport with each other. The chemistry feels so natural between Rooster Cogburn, Mattie Ross, and LeBoeuf. Their individual personalities play off of each other in different scenes in the movie. Rooster and Leboeuf both try to be the alpha male of the group to no avail.

I rarely comment on something like the score of the movie, or the cinematography, but this movie was just so well shot. There were so many great shots, even if the characters were just riding their horses, that just showed wonderful scenery. The score really gives the movie the proper feel. It may be very simplistic, but it goes well with the scenes, and does not get in the way of anything in the movie.

I really think this movie is worth watching for anyone who like Coen brothers'  movies, people who like westerns, and just about anyone who is interested. It is an entertaining movie with some good performances.

Visiting My Mother

This is my first trip out of town on my diet, so I course I was a little bit nervous. This was also my first trip to see my mom's new house.

The house is awesome. Its quite big compared to our old house, or at least the layout would make it seem like it is. It actually had 2 garages that are each separately contained. My step father had turned one of them into his "man cave". I really like the big yard they have. My little brother and I went out to play catch first thing when we got here, my mom has a nice garden going out in the back yard, something she has not really been able to do in the last few years, but she seems really excited about it this year.

I think my mom is one of only a few people that would have a 60 inch hdtv and not pay the extra money for HD, but its all good. I was kind of shocked that they would not want to see everything in bright and colorful HD, which would allow them to actually utilize their whole tv, right now there are black bars at the top and bottom when watching any channel.

Last night at dinner we were going to go to a German restaurant a town over, German food is kind of our thing, it brings back the memories. The restaurant was busy so we decided not to stick around for the 45 minute wait. We went to a restaurant that was down road, it was more of a home cooking type of restaurant. The only problem there was that I could not have any of the sides they were offering. I did get a very large peace of fish for my dinner, but some of those breaded fish pieces, or some breaded shrimp would have been delicious. I got a side of refried beans to go with my corn so that I would at least get filled up.

The next day my mother, brother and I went to the Milwaukee County Zoo. We didn't think it would be that big, but we literally spent the whole day there.

We parked outside of the zoo grounds and decided to walk in to the zoo as other people were doing the same. There was some water draining under one of the gates at a very slow trickle, so I thought nothing of it. As soon as my foot even touched the water, I realized how very slimy it was, I also realized that I was going to fall, fast. I scraped my knee and cut my hand a little bit, but I was not going to let that stop me from going to the zoo. I rinsed my hand and knee off in the bathroom, and put some bandaids on me before heading into the zoo.

They had quite a few cool exhibits at the zoo, I really enjoyed the weather we had. It was warm, but not too warm, with a little humidity. We all put sunscreen on so none of us got burnt at all. I really liked the layout of the zoo. It was logically organized. The primates were really cool, although I don't think we went to see the gorillas now that I am thinking about it. There were lots of energetic primates, there were also some others that were just people watching, which was ok with me too.

There were some cool penguins who were active, swimming around, some were getting fed, some were hopping on the rocks. They were very entertaining. The only other bird that I really remember in the bird section was the Rhinoceros hornbill, which looked cool as hell.

They had a great selection of big cats from around the world at this zoo. They had a jaguar, lions, a tiger, a leopard, I think that was it but there might have been others that I am forgetting. They seemed to want to taunt the big cats. The cats were able to see prey that they would go after in the natural environment, but could not get to them because of big moats being in the way. It really seemed cruel to the animals.

I didn't realize the zoo was where young mothers loved to take their kids, especially on a saturday. I guess it is a good way to get some exercise, and wear the kids out, while also learning about animals. It was also a great place to see some terrible parenting, I don't understand how some parents can be so bad. One mother had lost her son because he must have walked off when she was standing there texting someone on her phone. She was saying his name and walking back where she was, while leaving her daughter in a little cart all alone. That seems like a double fail to me. It really would have been a great place to people watch, so many interesting people doing interesting things all day long.

Anyone who is looking to hit on some hot young moms should really go to the zoo, especially in the summer I'm guessing. That would not be what I would choose for my target group, but it might be for some of you out there.

Back to the attractions at the zoo, I really was not that impressed by the amphibians and reptiles. I thought the giant octopus was really cool, I have never really seen one in person. It was not really moving, but was still really cool looking.

The seals and sea lions did a little show. The show was ok. I thought they would do more jumps or flips or something like that, and less kissing and hugging of the trainers. When my brother and I were walking down to see the underwater view of the polar bear tank, a bird flew right past him and into the window. It was the weirdest thing that I have ever seen. The bird eventually got up and left the area, but it was just crazy.

The fennec fox looked really cool as well, its a small fox that lives in the dessert that, it looked so cute and cuddly, but that would probably be a very bad idea. It was a good day overall. We got to see lots of cool animals, and got some good exercise.

On Sunday we went to the local outlet mall and my brother and I each got a bunch of new clothes. Thanks Mom!

I kind of skipped over a lot of stuff, but I have been trying to wrap this up for a while.

Diet Log Week #1

6/16/11
I just thought I would put some of my thoughts and actions each week in a log, so my diet stuff does not clog up other posts, but is still given a fair amount of attention, because I really do think about these things a lot. Eventually the stuff that I am doing will no longer be novel and new, and I will be able to not think about the different things I will cook as much, but until then I will include them in here.

Well I had some leftover grilled marinated chicken from last week, which was paired with some roasted vegetables. I also have since made some delicious pork chops in a paprika tomato sauce, along with even more roasted vegetables.

I have had a salad that had some tuna and white beans on it. I didn't really like the white beans though. they are too mushy in texture, so I may just have to stick with black beans, or try some kidney beans or something. I realized that i could eat a big salad with a ton of tuna on it any time. I love tuna, I tried some of the seasoned tuna which was really good, and allows me to add even less salad dressing than i had been adding. I also have been tossing in some baby carrots and some cucumber slices which have been a good change of pace to the regular pile of lettuce.

Right now I am having my last grilled chicken breast on top of a salad. I am already looking ahead to what I will cook on the weekend, should the weather be nice, I might have to grill some steaks, and some more marinated chicken breasts. I will probably spend some more time roasting some more vegetables as well. I just really love the roasted garlic flavor on top of the cooked broccoli and cauliflower specifically. There is a little big of oil on them, but not too much where they feel heavy. I might even do a double batch of those, in 2 separate pans so that I won't have to cook them twice a week.

On this diet, you spend a lot of time thinking about what you will do for your cheat day. For those that don't know a cheat day is a day where I am supposed to eat a lot of carbs, and a lot of the foods that I otherwise would not be able to have on this diet. It helps to make sure that your cravings don't completely ruin your diet completely. I guess there is also some science behind it. Your body is not able to process all of the carbohydrates and fat that you eat on a binge day, and they leave your body as waste. I know this because the writer of this book actually measured his own waste, which was gross, and interesting to read.

So I have my game plan which will be my cheat day:
Fried eggs in the morning, I am supposed to still eat protein for breakfast
Grapefruit juice, which will help manage the glycemic load of what i am going to be eating
I have been craving chocolate milk, and some cake of some kind
For lunch I am going to go to culvers and get a double butter burger with cheese basket with fries
For dinner I am going to have some Thai noodles of some kind and some egg rolls
Some sort of ice cream, maybe cold stone, or DQ

I know this sounds like a gross amount of food, but its what it recommended by the book, so I don't know what else to do. This diet makes you think about what it is you want over the course of a week leading up to your cheat day, so you have a pretty good idea of what do buy that day. Sitting at the office, or at my other job, ideas will pop into my head, and I just need to make a list of what I am craving this week. Last week it was a chinese buffet, which I realized I could probably do on the diet, I have some pizza and some ice cream, and some chocolate donut holes.

I think this diet is really going to teach me to manage my temptations well. This diet is really making me utilize sunday as a day to cook food for the rest of the week as well. Planning is really important in this case, because I want to always have a few items available to myself to eat. I am already planning what I should buy tonight when i am done at work. More chicken, and some salad are the 2 top things. I will also look at what the price on some shrimp would be. I need to get some more broccoli and cauliflower for roasting as well.

6/17/11
My cheat day was fun, the night before it I had a dream about food, but only the bad kinds of foods. I definitely drooled on the pillow.

I had my normal high protein breakfast before delving into the depths of carbs. Oh how sweet carbs are, but of course also the cause of all of my problems. I like the idea of limiting all of my carbs into one day. It makes me plan ahead, and limit all of the things I eat to what I can consume in one day and not actually explode. Culvers was great for lunch, a double butter burger with fries so deliciously greasy. I had some Cold Stone, which is probably my favorite ice cream. I love Ben and Jerry's, but it makes me sick if I have too much, its too rich. Cold Stone is nice and creamy, and not that heavy. I love the cake batter ice cream. I like the peach iced tea ice cream, but I don't really know what to mix in with it, so its not that great of an offering from Cold Stone.

I had some chocolate milk with some cake, which was disappointing. The chocolate milk was amazing, and I had missed it, but the cake really somehow missed the spot. For dinner I had some Thai noodles with some eggrolls. It was a good dinner and some more carbs. I am glad that I got rid of any of the leftovers of my bad foods before the night was over, and I threw some stuff out rather forcing myself to finish all of it, which was some development in myself. I would usually, in the past, just binge on the sweets to finish them.

6/19/11
I spent a lot of the day cooking. I am liking more and more the fact that I can spend a few hours cooking on a sunday and have food for myself for the whole week. Having food ready to eat at home makes all of the other temptations much easier to resist. I made some chicken, some steak, some broccoli and some cauliflower. I might need to look into making some new sort of way of preparing vegetables, but its not a big deal. Maybe some curry vegetables for a change of pace.

6/21/11
I had my usual lunch from Burrachos today, and it really is filling. I was worried a burrito without rice would not be able to hold me over through the last 4-5 hours of work, but the fact that I get double beans really helps keep me full.

6/23/11
I got a new tape measure to take my measurements with because my old one was falling apart. If I were to compare my new measurements with my old ones I have lost 6 total inches from my body over the course of a week and a half, which is really good news. I still have not received my scale so I can't report on any weight loss at all, but I should be getting it today or tomorrow. I have felt like my clothes have been looser on me, which is a great feeling, but it might just be psychological. I am ok with tricking myself into thinking things are looser as long as I am feeling better.

Looking ahead to this weekend, I am making my first trip away from home while on the diet so it should be a different experience. I still have my cheat day to use so it won't be so hard to keep the good work up.