Crossfit

This is Crossfit:

Link if video wont play

I have been doing the Crossfit workout for a week or two now and its awesome. Crossfit has been around for a long time, but its starting to get really popular and for good reason. These are the most challenging workouts I have ever done and I love 'em!

This video is from the 2008 Crossfit games... I cant wait for the whole movie!

I love the guy in the video who is throwin up and says "Im just going to have fun!!"

Avian In-flu-ence

Im not sure how Turkey, specifically, got to be the crux of Thanksgiving dinner but ya know, once I have had one Turkey dinner... I just want another one!
Last night I made my very own mini-Thanksgiving feast. That brings the grand total to 4, yes 4 turkey and stuffing, gut busting, over indulging Thanksgiving dinners. I think that’s quite an accomplishment, if I do say so myself. And that doesn’t even take into consideration leftovers. I would say I’m close to double digits if you count those.

I, personally, can’t figure out why Turkey is reserved for only Thanksgiving, and sometimes Christmas...Its an amazing food, delicious and nutritious. They are easy to make and when you consider how much meat one bird has they are totally cost effective. I made just the Turkey breast last night, I really wasn’t sure what size to get, but 5lb turned out to be more than enough for one person! I’ve got leftovers for the rest of the week. Which, is another wonderful thing about thanksgiving dinner. Cook once, eat for days!

I think that the “Thanksgiving dinner” is vastly under appreciated and quite limited by its title. I believe the name for Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, fresh bread, green bean casserole, etc, etc, should be changed from Thanksgiving dinner to Holiday dinner or maybe Special Occasion dinner or something like that.

Instead of once or twice a year, it could be the traditional meal served at all major events! Thanksgiving of course, and then Christmas... what better way to say Happy Valentines that with a wonderful Special Occasion dinner! “Happy Birthday, here is your very own personal turkey and stuffing with all the fixin’s.”

And of course the 4th of July S.O. Dinner, what’s more patriotic than celebrating with the food our founding fathers ate? Nothing! As American as apple pie... I say as American as Turkey Dinner! It really is a meal fit for a King, well, actually I guess it would be a meal fit for an elected official, since the whole point of the 4th is getting rid of the monarchy!

I DO pledge allegiance to the flag of.... Sorry, lost my train of thought. Turkey, right?

Ok, so anyway, I am already looking forward to Christmas dinner in anticipation of the Special Occasion Feast, and if Im lucky, maybe I can even get another one on New Years day!

God Bless America

13.1 down but 26.2 to go....

Sunday was the Seattle Marathon and Half Marathon.

Scott is still working towards his goal of finishing a full Ironman Triathlon, and in preparation he wanted to start working on long runs and a good place to do that is the the Half Marathon. Since I really had nothing better to do at 7:30 sunday morning... and needing to work off a few of the many thanksgiving pies I devoured, I ran it with him.

It was a great day for it. The weather was "warm" mid 50's which is warm enough to not need a bunch of layers to start with and cool enough to not overheat along the way. The first 2 miles were cake(pie?!?), at least for me. We actually ran about a 7:15 min mile, not meaning to that was just the pace of all the people around us. Scott takes a few miles to get warmed up, so I think it was a little fast for him, but about mile 3 we settled into a good 8 min/mile pace. It was great running with someone because when you want to slow down they keep you going and vice versa. I thought things were going great but it was about mile 6 that Scott had to make a sudden and unplanned "stop". He said he would catch up... but I was determined to not let that happen.

And then I was on my own.

Endurance races are tricky. Not that this 13.1 mile run was all that far or that hard, its just that when you are spending long periods of time out there it gives you plenty of time to think, which is unlike any other sport. Most sports are fast paced, action and reaction, attention and focus. But distance sports are unique allowing you to zone out or to have long discussions with your body, which is always pessimistic.

Along the way there are a multitude of different thoughts, you think about the race and your pace, then about how far you still have to go. After a few miles as you settle into a comfortable pace your mind starts to really wonder in all directions. This can be really good because it passes a lot of time without even realizing it. But it can also be really difficult. Your body is a funny thing, it has the ability to do crazy and seemingly impossible things but it doesn’t want to. In this case, finishing 13 miles. Your mind, on the other hand, wants to do it... but has to convince the body to keep going. With each step you get closer to finishing and closer to quitting. It’s just a matter of which one will happen first.

I was talking with Ryan one time about swimming to a certain point after jumping off the boat. I liked what he said, “Once you get going, its not like you’re gonna quit”, and he is right. Ill probably alway think back to that when Im in the middle of a long distance anything "Its not like your going to just quit".

Throughout the run I kept thinking of what my legs and body would feel like if this was only mile 8 of 26.2 instead of 13.1, AND if I had just got off of a 110 mile bike ride, after a 2.4 mile swim. Feeling like that goal was almost unattainable, I just kept running, "its not like Im gonna just quit".

Mile eight was tricky. I was over half way, but thinking about running 5 more miles seemed kinda ridiculous. Then before long I got to mile 9. Now somehow I thought that I only had 3 more miles to go...that was encouraging. But then at mile 10 I realized I can't add.

But now, I really did only have 3 miles, that’s just one lap around Greenlake, easy. Right on pace to make it in 1:45 and Scott still hasn't caught up. At mile 11 I started to feel a second wind and picked up the pace after much internal dialogue but it seemed like a good idea... for about a quarter mile. Then I slowed way down. The last 2 miles were hard. I was starting to really feel the lactic acid build up from not training enough and not doing very many long runs. Then, in the distance I saw the finish. We were up on a hill, so it was still over a mile away... but it was there. The last part is easy. No matter what is hurting or tired, its almost over. I kept looking back expecting to see Scott on my heels, but he wasn’t there. I crossed the finish line glad we were not doing 26.2 and grabbed some water. Before I could even make my way back to look for Scott he was walking up behind me. After 13.1 miles our times were only 3 seconds apart from each other, one hour forty three minuets and 34 seconds.

So, we both made our goal of 1:45. I realized, or I should say, I was reminded yet again, that I really don’t like running. However, I do like accomplishments and I like accomplishments way more than I dislike running.

So, I guess its time to start getting ready for the 26.2. I mean, "Its not like im just gonna quit now".

Holiday Season is upon us

Enought about work already!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! I think what I am most thankful for is getting not one, not two but three thanksgiving day dinners!!! Not all tomorrow, thank goodness. Over the past 2 weeks I have had two full on Turkey dinners and tomorrow will be the culmination of the Thanksgiving day dinners.

If you haven't heard, Sarah Palin pardoned a turkey last weekend. Unfortunately(for her), she proceeded to give an interview right in front the turkey slaughter stand.

Ha, Saturday Night Live couldn't have written a better script!

While Palin is talking about oil or something the guy in the background is jamming a turkey, head first into the "death chamber" where it appears he chops its head off. Here is the link to the video on Youtube.

He does seem really interested to hear what she is saying about foreign oil... or maybe, and more likely, he is just checkin her out. Busted.

And of course Friday is "Black Friday". I think I am gonna ride down early grab some coffee and do some people watchin. I can only imagine how crazy downtown will be w/ all the shoppers subjecting themselves ridiculous amounts of hassle just to save that extra dollar. Funny thing is, now you can get the exact same deal online and usually get free shipping. No lines, no parking, no traffic jam... but for some reason, people want to "get" the deal, and so they will go, in mass to the malls, fighting each other with Thanksgiving in their hearts. It will be a good day to be on a bike weaving in and out of all the gridlocked the cars create!

So, enjoy the food, the friends and family and the football. Oh, and of course the naps...

Turn out the lights... the partys over

Well, My last day as a Wamu-lian will be, at the latest, January 29th 2009. 4 years, 5 months 1 week and 4 days after I started with the company.
A lot has changed in those four and a half years, I learned a great deal about banking from both the retail and corporate side. Of course working retail provides the best stories, but the corporate side is really where you learn how the bank works.

Dealing with people and their money is a very challenging situation. There are a lot of people that place money above all else. So when you are responsible for their money, it’s a pretty big deal.

One great story from when I was a teller is the lady who sold some land and deposited about $200,000 into her account. A few weeks after the deposit, she came in and asked the teller if she could see her money. The teller gave her a copy of her account balance, but she wasn’t happy. She said “no, I want to actually see my money.” So, after some confusing discussion between the teller and the customer, the teller told her, we don’t actually keep that much money here on hand. The customer, who was becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of her money, said “oh, well, which branch is my money at?” It took the branch manager sitting down with the customer for over half an hour for her to begin to understand that her $200,000 is not in a little box in the back room, separated from everyone else’s money. She was so alarmed by this that she actually came in a few days later (after we placed a special order extra cash for her) and withdrew all of the money from the sale of her land, in cash.

There is a common but totally misused saying, “money is the root of all evil.” But that is drastically misstated. What it actually says is “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” (1Tim 6:10) Money isn’t bad, money in and of itself is no more evil that a rock, a table or a cup. But it is when love of money becomes more important than people, friends, family then it can lead to all kinds of problems and evil.

I would say our nation, is far more in love with money than anything else. Just look at our economy, and where we are because of the financial industry and because of our love of money. Having $200,000 grand stuffed in your mattress will only make you paranoid, fearful and more distant from everyone while you try to protect your money.

So, looking for a new job in a new industry and transitioning from one chapter to the next, what I have learned and am continually working on is just this: Instead of using people and loving money, love people and use money...

But whatever you do, don’t wire your money to Nigeria.... and I promise, you didn’t win the Foreign lottery. No, really, you didnt win.

No news is good news?

Well, many people fell by the wayside today. But no news for me. We did get this amusing email from Corporate Property Services:
Summary
This message is to let Seattle employees know about a few changes in security procedures at WaMu Center to accommodate increased transition activities.

• As at Chase facilities, the security gate turnstile arms will be used at all times, beginning Monday, Nov. 24. (In an emergency, the arms will remain open.)
• During the first weeks, guards will be available to assist employees, but will then only staff the front desk.
• Security guards may ask to review the content of any boxes being removed.

ETC, ETC....

Everyone here got a good laugh when we got that email! Guess Ill be back monday, rested and ready to work! ha

10-4....

...Over and Out.

Its 8:06 Friday morning, the week before thanksgiving. I have a feeling by the end of the day I will have notice that I, along w/ 3000 others, am being laid off.

Lets see what happens.

Pop Quiz Friday

The English language is weird. There are rules for everything and there are exceptions for pretty much every rule. There are also exceptions for the exceptions and rules that follow no rules, and so on. Its a wonder how we ever got the rest of the world to sigh up to speak English! I mean, by numbers alone we should all be speaking Chinese, Hindi or heck, even Spanish!
Reading over this stuff takes me right back to the 4th grade! Its funny how we totally forget all this stuff, but then as soon as we see it, it brings back memories like it was yesterday. So, since I am sure you havent taken a pop quiz in years, especially one on grammar, I have one for you.

You speak English, so this should be a simple quiz.... lets see how you do, keeping in mind you have been reading, writing and speaking for several decades now, answer the following questions. No cheating!


1. Choose the correct sentence.
A) Either of us were capable of winning.
B) Either of us are capable of winning.
C) Either of us have been capable of winning.
D) Either of us is capable of winning.

2. Choose the correct sentence.
A) Dr. Cresta is one of those professors who does whatever it takes to get his point across to his students.
B) Dr. Cresta is one of those professors who does whatever it takes to get their point across to their students.
C) Dr. Cresta is a professor who do whatever it takes to get his point across to his students.
D) Dr. Cresta is one of those professors who do whatever it takes to get their point across to their students.

3. Choose the correct sentence.
A) She is one of those doctors that make house calls.
B) She is one of those doctors who make house calls.
C) She is one of those doctors who makes house calls.
D) She is one of those doctors that makes house calls.

4. Choose the correct sentence.
A) It is us who must decide whether to tax ourselves or cut spending.
B) It is us whom must decide whether to tax ourselves or cut spending.
C) It is we who must decide whether to tax ourselves or cut spending.
D) It is we whom must decide whether to tax ourselves or cut spending.

5.Choose the correct sentence.
A) With triplets, I have to be careful to divide everything equally among them or they will fight.
B) With triplets, I have to be careful to divide everything equally between them or they will fight.
C) With triplets, I have to be careful to divide everything equally or they fights.
D) With triplets, I have to divide everything equally or they fights hard.


Man, those were way harder than I thought English could be. I mean, I use English all the time with no trouble, but as soon as I am tested on what is actually correct, Im not totally sure!
Well, if you really enjoyed that, you can get more here and if not then the good news is you are already out of school and never have to worry about it again. So, the answers are as follows D, D, B, C, A.

Ok, School is out, class, have a good weekend!

"I have a meeting with the Bob's"

Today I get to interview for my own job...

I think interviewing for a job you dont want is kind of like going out to eat at a restaurant you dont like. Or maybe its like having to wearing that sweater you got from grandma last Christmas every time you go visit. You do it because you have to, and it makes grandma happy, but if you had a choice you would just say forget it, I dont really want the sweater anyway. (except in this case the sweater pay my rent... so Im not sure what that really does to the example!)

Anyway,

Last week everyone in my group received an email asking if we would consider moving to Columbus, OH. Now, I dont think this was in any way, shape or form an actually invite or request to move. I think it was more of a strategic question by Chase to make everyone feel like they were actually being considered for retention or at the least for transition work. In reality, very few people if any, will be asked to move to Ohio. Also included in the email was a time to meet with someone from Chase to discuss our current role and responsibilities in and to evaluate what, if anything, needs to be transitioned.

So, I guess I will go in and talk about what I worked on over the past few months and hope that I get an offer to work through the transition. But in reality I think this is just like asking a prisoner if he has any last requests.... it doenst really matter what you say because the outcome has already been decided. And in keeping with the prisoner analogy, soon, very soon, they are going to throw the switch and it will all be over. The difference in this case though, I get to start again, a fresh start with a different company in, most likely, a totally different industry. Where as the prisoner, well, I guess its a good thing that is where the analogy ends!

So, maybe this interview is less of a death sentence and more of a pardon by the Governor. Oh! maybe they will send us all out to a nice steak house for our "last meal", but somehow really I doubt it.

Its funny how much the corporate world is exactly like the movie "Office Space"!

("Its not that Im lazy, its that I just dont care")

Money for nothing and kicks for free

(ironically, that songs was sung by Dire Straights)

So, we have a new change in president.
Seattle, like Chicago, NY and San Fran, went pretty crazy. Here is a look at down town after the results came out:


Ya know, I really wonder how much things are going to Change. Im sure some stuff will slowly start to look different, but do people really believe that in the next short 4 years the entire United States is going to look, act, feel, and be totally different... Changed?
No way, things will be about the same as always. As they have been... and as they will continue to be. If people think one man, even the President, can change a whole country, ever.... they are wrong, and especially not in only a few years.

If you really want change its going to cost you something. Maybe money, maybe time, maybe lifestlye, comfort zone, hard work, or all of the above... but it will cost you. Are people willing to pay? Nope, I doubt it, actually, I know it. Everyone wants change and they want someone to give them that change. Change, as long as I dont have to pay for it. As long as I can keep doing things the way I want to do them.

"I want something for nothing... Oh, and I want it right now."

You got what you asked for... but is what you asked for what you really wanted?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Confession

I have to confess, Im an addict. it feels good to get that off my chest....
But this addiction, it feels sooo good, it makes me happy, I need it to function. If I dont get it, I crave it, the longer I go, the worse the craving. My work day is based around when I have to get it and evenings revolves its schedule. I spend tons of money on it and when its gone, I have nothing left to show for all my time, money and effort, sometimes 3 times a day isnt enough.... and last night, I bought something that will only amplify this obsession.

My name is Corey and Im addicted to food, and last night I bought a Crock-pot.

OK, ok, so maybe food isnt a drug, per se, but if you think about the above statement, it definitely sounds like a drug. Well, anyway, I guess but if I had to pick, I think food could be my drug of choice. And my super power of choice.... the ability to shed calories faster than a speeding bullet, to consume whole meals in a single bound and not gain any weight! Flight, naa, you can keep that one, I want to eat all the doughnuts in the display case and not send myself into a sugar coma! To decimate the whole stock of cupcakes at Cupcake Royal and walk away with out type 2 diabetes.

Anyway, back to my point, I got a crock pot! Yes, it took me a while to get to it, I know. So, I still have to get some recipes and then make them, but oh man, its gonna be so awesome to have a hot, ready to go, fully prepared meal on hand as I walk through the door! Roast, Ribs, BBQ chicken, Cajun Chicken and Shrimp, well, you know, you can put pretty much anything in there and its going to be like a little slice of heaven. I cant decide what to make first... it was going to be pulled pork... but then I remembered roast w/ potatoes and carrots and onion... there are so many good choices, I am actually a little bit concerened about my welfare.

So, if you dont see me or hear from me for a while come check in on me, I could very well be in a food induced coma! Lets just hope my next stop isnt "The Biggest Looser".

and lastly, yes, I do remember this blog entry, dont worry, I can multi task!

Birthday...

...Its mine.

Now, the question, do I get deep and profound, pondering the meaning of life and what life is all about... or just cut another piece of cake, sit back and enjoy the day?

Here is all I got so far: how can you hit the target if you dont know where you're aiming? At the ripe old age of 28(28 on 28th, I think thats the golden birthday or something, so, all my gifts should be made of gold, just fyi) I realized that whatever it is your doing, you have to have a gold goal in mind. Where are you going... where am I going? Well, your not gonna get there unless you have a destination in mind.

I have this mental image of sitting in a car, driving around... for years... passing all kinds of places, stops, destinations... but still going aimlessly down the road. But, once you pick a point, a place, a stop or destination, its full speed ahead with a mission, a goal, a target!

So, dont take this to mean I have it all figured out, or that Im on my way to the perfect life thats just around the next bend... Im just sayin find a target and drive towards it, and who knows, maybe you'll see some cool stuff along the way.

Thats it, thats all.... time for cake, eat up and enjoy!

Time to Trial

There was another Alley cat this weekend. Locks to Locks Guerrilla time trial.
These guys put on a great race. There is nothing like flyin around the city on a cold sunny fall afternoon. The course was a short and friendly 14 miles with 4 easy to get to check points. This race was different than most because the stops were posted weeks before the race so everyone could get to know the course, then it was a time trial race with one rider leaving every 5 minuets, fastest time wins.

I would have done much better, had I not got caught at the University Bridge while it was up letting a sail boat pass...That pretty much killed my time adding a good 5 minuets.

Getting through the city on bike is by far the best way to see the city, the people and the scenery. It also gives you a true sense of what the city “feels” like. You really get to know the hills, the alleys, the back roads, short cuts, the timing of the lights going down Pike, 1st, 3rd and 5th, and of couse, the wind that seems to blow in both directions on the Elliot Bay Bike path along the waterfront!

Go play in traffic!

Long time, no see, write.... swim/bike/run

I have been, well, less than motivated to write reciently. Think it comes with not having to do it, therefor, not wanting to do it...
but anyway, in an attempt to overcome by slothfulness, I once again pick up the pen/keyboard. Motivation comes from Scott and his blog.

Scott and I started hanging out right after I moved to Seattle. One day he asked me if I had ever though about doing the STP (Seattle to Portland 200 mile bike ride). Having not even heard of it, I said "No, I have never thought about it, nor am I at all interested". A short, few months later, I decided to start training for the Federal Way sprint Triathlon and ask him if he would ever want to do a Tri, of course, he wasn't interested in that at all either. Well, its funny how things work out because a combine total of 3 STP's and 9 triathlons later we have come a long way in what we are doing and "tri-ing".

So, most recently, Scott asked if I wanted to do an Ironman Tri. Not that I don't want to, because I do, but not sure I would financially or physically be able, I had to say no. But determined to eventually enter and finsh and Ironman, I committed to a half Iron, aka 70.3 next summer. Determined to achieve his goal, Scott entered the 2009 Ironman Kentucky. (Side note, there are only 2 Ironmans in the US in 2009 and one of them is already sold out.) He created the blog to talk about the training he is doing to get ready. So as Scott takes on the challenge of a life time, its cool to see what he is doing physically, but even more interesting is to see the mental preparation he is facing. To see the obstacles and doubts that are there and how he faces them and overcomes them.

I have started working my way back into the training routine also. Scott and I train together quite a bit, which is great because there is strength in numbers, even if that number is only 2.

Right now my goal is the 70.3, but who knows.... maybe Ill be doing the full Iron sooner than planned. I mean, if being scared to fail is the only reason for not trying, wouldn't it be worse to not even try than to try and fail???

McCain, Obama and the economy

Some times the everything gets confusing, fortunately, John Steward cleared it all up for us!

Nope

CHASED off

Sold off

Told off

Signed off

Take off

Bought off

Picked off

Ripped off

Write off

Walk off

One off

Pissed off

Ticked off

Stand off
Fall off

Pay off

Stay off

Day off

Layoff

Roll with the change

Clear, sunny, cold, morning. Fall isn’t around the corner, it has rounded the corner... and it is setting up for a nice long stay.

For the past few months riding to work has only required a t-shirt and on occasion arm warmers:But this morning needed a full on hoodie. As I got ready to leave the house I looked at the thermometer to see it was a surprising 47 degrees out side. Forecast for this week: more of the same, with a chance of rain. Expect the exact same for the next, oh, about...eight months. Things might change a little bit, chance of rain will become chance of sun, and the low temperature now, will become the high.

Season seem to mark change, of course in the weather, but also in our lives, in our day to day routines. Whether it’s for the better or worse, and no matter which side of it you’re on, there is someone else who feels just the opposite. And more importantly, there is not thing you can do about it. But give it enough time and things will change again and then again.

The fall reminds me of going back to school, football and extra layers, rainy days in front of the TV. I like the crisp mornings. I like shedding layers after a long ride. I like change. But most of all... I like snowboarding... We’re one step closer to winter!

Sugar, we're going down

(Yes, it is, I agree, and here's what I think:)

Ok, seems we are back on the food topic. I can’t help it... people keep being stupid, so keep pointing it out.

Anyway, apparently, according to the Corn Industry, High Fructose Corn Syrup aka, HFCS is ok for us. There is a new ad campaign with 2 tv spots where they tell us how wonderful it is, and how we should read more about it at http://www.sweetsurprise.com/

Where to start... how about this little gem from the web site: "Myth: HFCS is not natural". OH Awesome, its natural, cool, ill take 10 boxes. Does this claim fool anyone? Ugh, unfortunately, I’m sure it does. Can I just point out the obvious... and seriously, I’m no rocket scientist, but simply because something comes from “natural source” doesn’t make it good or even, not bad. Cocaine (benzoylmethyl ecgonine) is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coco plant. Um, hello, Cocaine – comes from a plant, so its natural, its will still kill you, and pretty quickly Im sure!!!

Take it a step further... is HFCS natural? Here is how its made:

First, cornstarch is treated with alpha-amylase to produce shorter chains of sugars called polysaccharides. Alpha-amylase is industrially produced by a bacterium, usually Bacillus sp. It is purified and then shipped to HFCS manufacturers. Next, an enzyme called glucoamylase breaks the sugar chains down even further to yield the simple sugar glucose. Unlike alpha-amylase, glucoamylase is produced by Aspergillus, a fungus, in a fermentation vat where one would likely see little balls of Aspergillus floating on the top. The third enzyme, glucose-isomerase, is very expensive. It converts glucose to a mixture of about 42 percent fructose and 50-52 percent glucose with some other sugars mixed in. While alpha-amylase and glucoamylase are added directly to the slurry, pricey glucose-isomerase is packed into columns and the sugar mixture is then passed over it. Inexpensive alpha-amylase and glucoamylase are used only once, glucose-isomerase is reused until it loses most of its activity. There are two more steps involved. First is a liquid chromatography step that takes the mixture to 90 percent fructose. Finally, this is back-blended with the original mixture to yield a final concentration of about 55 percent fructose--what the industry calls high fructose corn syrup.

Ok, welcome back to the English part of the Blog. I lost track of how many words I can’t pronounce and have no friggin clue what they even mean... I can’t fathom what part of this would be considered natural. But as long as the base ingredient is corn, we can spin this baby as totally all natural and healthy!

Giving these guys the benefit of the doubt, if you eat it in moderation its not that bad...Ok, so cut back on soda right? Wrong, its in everything. Eating a normal diet of food from the store is going to give the average person WAY more than a moderate amount.

Really, you ask? Take a look at common items that have HFCS; bread (yes bread), most cereals, pretty much any sweet drink, candy, ketchup, cookies, cake, frosting, basically all sweet food, medicine, cough syrup, vitamins, crackers, ice cream, jams, jellies, syrups, pastries, most salad dressing, all kinds of sauces, dips, chips, some soup, granola bars... and the list just goes on and on.

I like this story from a medical study (keeping in mind its hard to only consume a "moderate" amount of HFCS unless you are specifically trying to aviod it)

Some recent studies have reported that "Rats normally live for a good two years," explains Meira Fields, Ph.D., research chemist at the USDA in Beltsville, Maryland. "But the rats in my study fed a high-fructose, low copper diets are dying after 5 weeks." One of the few human studies of low-copper, high-fructose diets was abruptly stopped when 4 of the 24 subjects developed heart-related abnormalities, according to Fields. High fructose diets have also been implicated in the development of adult-onset diabetes. Fructose, especially when combined with other sugars, reduces stores of chromium, a mineral essential for maintaining balanced insulin levels, according to Richard Anderson, Ph.D., lead scientist at the Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland.

Solid proof, no, interesting, yes.

OK, OK all else aside, no matter which side you are on, this is what does it for me: your body has no clue what to do with this stuff once you eat it! As we learnd earlier in how HFCS is made, it is already broken down into two parts, fructose and glucose. "The body’s cells don’t register this already broken down fructose as a signal to increase insulin production (as it would when it breaks it down itself) to burn it up, and so instead it gets stored as fat. Furthermore, The body interprets the sweetness as having eaten food, but doesn’t register any of the calories. This makes the body crave something more; and this is where the epidemic begins." Source

What really bothers me is that these TV ads are completley misleading, and while what they are saying may be remotlely justifiable, they are walking a VERY thin line. It reminds me of when, as a kid, my parents asked if I broke the window, and with a completley straight face I look my parents in the eye and say "No", totally confident I was being truthful because I knew fullwell that the baseball that I threw was really what broke the window. Was it the truth, yes, was it totally misleading, yes. Did it take my parents long to figure out the real truth, not at all.

I guess in reality, I should not be suprised by this. It is there job, as a business, to make money. So, when the company that produces HFCS has commercials telling us that its ok to eat it, its kinda to be expected. Just take a second to think about the source before you bite (pun intended)! One thing I have learned is that the source of information can be just as important as the information itself.

Maybe this is a strech but it makes me wonder, when big tabacco added the filter to cigarettes, were there all kinds of ad campaigns telling consumers how much “cleaner” and “smoother” and “healthier” they had become?

Well, guess in the long run, we are all gonna die any way, might as well taste some good "food" before we go.... So, yeah, I'll take fries with that.

the value, or lack there of, a dollar

85 Billion dollar loans
Shadow financials
Freddie Mac
Fannie May
AIG
Lehman Brothers
Depleted FDIC
Recession
Depression

buy yours now, before they're gone

Coheed & Cambria

Great band, Great video!

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Celebrity News

very Alfred Hitchcock-ish

Game on!

Work has been really busy the past few days.... I have been sending out resumes like crazy. So, as you have noticed, no blogging! Don't worry (because I'm sure you really are) each day that goes by without deep insight full words of wisdom, gives me more time to ponder and eventually, when I do get back, make things all the more profound!

Anyway, speaking of resumes, that brings to mind school, and school of course mean Texas Tech....and Texas Tech football season is back on! I am gonna try to make it a point to watch more games this year. Not only because I am alumni (man, that still sounds so weird) but because they are awesome.... 500 + passing yards and hundreds of yards in rushing, you are guaranteed an action packed Saturday. And if they game isnt any good at least you can watch a drunk Mike Leech going for it on 4th and 25 in his own zone!

This week, its SMU at 6, Texas time on FSN, Guns Up!!!

Use it or Lose it

(Classic office prank)

As the saying goes if you don’t use something you lose it.

First thing that comes to mind is the mind. If you don’t do anything, all day, day after day... you’ll go friggin crazy. You really will lose your mind. I am basically at that point right now. And as time goes on with nothing to do, the more that you want to do nothing! Now, if an opportunity to “analyze some data” comes along, it’s all I can do to make my self look at the work. Not because Im too busy, but because my brain is gotten all mushy and it’s hard to focus on anything in particular.
Imagine a young kid sitting in a swivel chair for the first time just spinning around for until eventually the chair pops off its stand and spills its contents into the floor. Its getting really hard to refrain myself from just spinning away....

Second thing that comes to mind is employees. If ya don’t give them something to do... they are gonna find something to do... Probably something you don’t want them to be doing. Either way, use ‘em or lose ‘em.

So, I started sending out applications the other day (on company time). Even got a few good leads... but who knows. I think if I sit here long enough I will at some point collect a nice pink piece of paper and a check to go with it. That wouldn’t be too bad. Then I can sit at home and do nothing there...
So, anyway, before my brain slowly dribbles out my ear and down the side of my head into a puddle on the desk, I came up with a top 10 ways to kill time at work.

10. Surf the net. – pretty obvious, but it works, and its not like your ever gonna run out of net, even though there are definitely days I think I get pretty close.

9. Look up dream vacations. – Caution, this could lead to impromptu purchases of said vacations, which is fine, but could get expensive!

8. Research other jobs - dreams of a brighter tomorrow.

7. Take up smoking - Big time killer here! Going out side, smoking, walking around, each smoke break can last 10 minuets, with just a few before and after lunch, you have knocked out a whole hour!

6. Buy stuff on ebay. My co-worked spends lots of time on ebay, shopping, selling, buying… you can truly find anything you would ever possibly want, and even if you don’t buy, its fun to window shop

5. Take coffee breaks – I don’t really want coffee all day long, but taking a break to walk around and get some Java breaks up the day. Especially, if you go somewhere other than the closest place to get coffee. Sure they have it on my floor, but they also have it in the lobby, and it take way longer to get all the way to the lobby than it does to walk down to the lunch room. There is also a much higher chance of running into some one you know, in the lobby, which could lead to a conversation, there by killing even more time.

4. If you have something to do, do it. Then delete it, and do it again. This is a good one because even though it’s redundant it keeps you busy and more importantly makes everyone else think you are really busy.

3. Schedule meetings with other people that have nothing to do. This is great because it kills time for you and others while also giving the appearance of looking busy and productive!

2. Office pranks – office pranks are awesome and totally not done often enough. Don’t get caught though, the point is to kill time, not your career.
(tons of cups half full of water)

The Number One way to kill time:
1. Dream up awesome new titles for your job and then order business cards with that title. Stuff like “Strategic Initiatives and Network Optimization Project Specialist”, just off the top of my head!

I think i have offically lost it.

Workin for the (3 day) weekend....

There is nothing like a 3 day weekend to make you realize you don’t want to go back to work.

The name Labor Day is a bit ironic, considering is a day most people don’t have to go to work in honor of the holiday. I’d probably have called it “labor day off”, or simply “I aint goin day”.

When I worked in the Financial Center 3 day weekends were totally not worth it, especially when they fell the 1st or 15th. The day after the holiday everyone bombarded the branch with “urgent” banking needs. There would be a non-stop slew of people from the moment the doors opened till we locked up that night. Working in an office, it’s not so bad. In fact, no one seemed to miss a beat. Or maybe they did miss the beat, but no one really cared.

I am in favor of 4 day work weeks. I would put in an extra 2 hours a day to get a whole other day off. Think of all the stuff we could accomplish with an extra day off. So many times we are limited because of only having Saturday and Sunday… but with an extra day there is SO much more we could do.

3 day road trips
3 day camp outs
3 full days of snowboarding
3 full days on the lake
3 day home improvement projects
3 day get a ways
2 days of stuff and 1 day to recover
or
1 day to play really hard and 2 days to recover

As you can see, the list of possibilities is endless! Pretty much you can do anything you would have done with a 2 day weekend... AND MORE!
But until I can convince HR to implement a 4 day work week, here’s looking forward to Columbus Day, Oct. 13th!!!

Ewww that smell

Its a slow day.... I really got nothin' for ya, but I came across this interesting story on wikihow.com

Pretty much, its a story about how to eat the worst thing you have ever , or more likely never, smelled. I haven't even heard of a Durian, but apparently they smell horrible! Frankly, they dont look too great either.

Whats funny about the article is that half of the whole thing is how to get your Durian home, because the smell is SOOO bad. Here are some points to consider:

• Avoid traversing crowded public places


• avoid riding mass transit as a courtesy to other passengers


• if you must use mass transit, ride in a sparsely crowded car or bus seat away from everyone else


• consider driving home or riding a bicycle


• if you use a car make sure to open the windows!

This friut better be the most delicious thing I have ever tasted for all the trouble it is to travel with. Not to mention the toxic smell it produces. Which by they way, why would I want to eat something that smells so bad your not even supposed to bring it near other people?!?

Once you cut into it, if the smell hasn't scared you off... then you have to actually put it in your mouth... but look at it...

gross. No thanks. Even if this does taste great, it just seems like far more trouble than its worth.

If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, then I think I will just go with that.

Bikes of Excess

If your going to ride, do it in style! Here are some must have bikes to look good on the go.

The Orange Crush Bike

This bike was inspired by the "I need a bike for every occasion" idea. A road bike, a commuter bike, a grocery bike, and apparently a cool drink on a hot day - Orange Crush bike! Shoot, I'd feel cooler just riding it. I do wonder though, if you gonna build a whole bike dedicated to getting a drink, shouldn't you put on a cup holder? humm.

The Pink Tandem Bike

This would be, I guess, for any girls who want to go on a ride with a friend. Pretty sure this one is gender specific. I cant picture a couple dudes rollin out to the gym on this. I guess if you really need a purpose to ride this bike it would be the "going to the bank bike", because it is from an ad campaign for WaMu.

The Coco Chanel Bike

For the fashion conscious rider we have the Coco Chanel bike, I guess you could use this to get to the mall when they Beamer or Bentley is being detailed. Might still want to have it valet thought, for $12,000, I dont think I'd leave this one locked to the bike rack. There definitely isn't ample room for thousands of dollars worth of clothes, so this would obviously be used only when jewelry shopping. Im sure you could get several hundred karot worth of diamonds in the saddle bags!

For the guy who has everything, the 24 karot Gold Bike

This bike is, well, worth its weight in gold. For a mere $18,000 you can have your very own, one of a kind, gold bicycle, complete with security guard. I really have no idea where you would go on this bike, but I do know you would get there is style! They say you can't drive a Mercedes into the board room, but I guess you could roll you bike in there... but, that might not get the responce intended. Heck, a $3.99 can of gold krylon would achieve the same look, and who really knows what its made of?!?

And incase you were thinking anyone whos owns one of these really does have a problem with excess, I present you with this guy...

...who has stole 2,685 bikes. With over 10 rented garages full of bikes not to metnion a shop and his own home, this would far and away have to be the definitoin of excess. Police still dont know what he was planning to do with all of them all. I had up to 6 bikes at one time and I thought my place looked more like a bike shop than an apartment. I cant imagine what 2,600 bikes would even look like!

Movin' On Up

Want to move to Seattle? Let me help...

If you are one of the "lucky" ones you can move here.

This is 1521, oops, Fifteen Twenty-One

For a modest $2.5 to $10 million dollars you can call this home(sorry, not the whole thing, just one unit). It will be the second tallest residential building in Seattle with 38 stories and 143 homes. It is being build right across the street from where I work, so I have watched as it climbed its way up.

Im sure this is perfect for some people, but even if I had the money, I think I'd pass. If I was going to spend a couple million dollars, I would rather have a house or two. Instead of a glass box, I think I would go with a place that had a garage, patio, yard, maybe even a window that I can open to get some fresh air... for a few million I can think of A LOT of stuff I would rather buy. But then again, if I had a couple million to buy a condo here, I'd probably already have that other stuff anyway. And, I guess I can get a garage, patio and yard at my summer house, or winter villa....

Nutrients vs Food

Meat, aka Matt from Canada, my #1 (and probably only) Canadian reader left me a link to this article on the heels of my rant, Fill 'er up, about our misguided attempt at vitamin consumption.

It was written in early 2007, and I will forewarn you, its long, really long, but set aside some time to sit down and read it. Seriously, its extremely thought provoking and whether or not you believe it or dismiss it, its worth thinking about.

I can't really even begin to summarise the whole article, but I will point out one topic in the article. It wasn't until the late 70's that scientist started to pull apart and put back together our food in attempts to make what we eat healthier. Ironically, it was the late 70's and early 80's that the US obesity epidemic really got started.

So, read on... and if you have any feed back, let me hear it.

IT happens

Live, work and ride in Seattle and you’ll see some crazy stuff. I have seen quite a bit but today was a first for me.

I was a few minuets late riding into work this morning and it changed my life forever. Its only after something monumental has happened that you retrace the steps that brought you to that very moment in time. “What if I left the house 2 minuets earlier”, “what if I rode any slower or any faster” or if I had of taken 3rd and not 5th? Changing any one of these variables would have completely altered the outcome. But alas, I was in the core, down town Seattle, on the corner of Pike and 3rd at 7:51am for the culmination of what can only be described as the defining moment of my Seattle experience.

Heading to work turning off of Pike onto Third Ave I went around the bus, who was also on the same path. I rolled through the cross walk congested with people shuffling along on their way to work. This is where I first laid eyes on subjects of my story. What I saw was a man walking his dog, a lab or maybe golden retriever mix, which is a normal site, not worthy of much attention. But it wasn’t until the leash grew taut and the man turned to see the hold up that I realized what was coming next. The dog, in all his abundant wisdom, had chosen this very place to take care of his “business”. Yes, in the middle of the crosswalk on the corner of 3rd Ave and Pike Street, in down town Seattle, pedestrians and buses be damned! As the crowd of people bubbled around the deed in action, traffic came to a halt with buses and cars waiting and watching the owner standing awkwardly, tethered to his dog, squatting, hind legs still quivering, in the middle of the street.
Of course, no camera, no evidence, no documentation of this epic occasion, which I will undoubtedly relive each and every time I see a dog walking on the cold hard streets of Seattle.

Fill 'er up

OK, I wont go into Americas obesity epidemic, I mean, Im only here for about 8 hours and I don’t want to start labeling the blog by Volumes.

But you know our country, and even the world, are in a sad state of affairs when we are depending on soda to get out vitamins. Coke has Coke Plus and Pepsi is coming out with Tava, a one stop shop for a delicious and “healthy” beverage.
Now, soda and soft drinks, in and of themselves, aren’t inherently bad, but if you are consuming so much that you need them to have vitamin additives you might want to think about cutting back. I dunno, maybe have some water or a juice, heck pick up a piece of fruit every now and then. The fact that these companies thought of these kind of products says a lot about were we put the value of actual, real, nutrition, but the fact that consumers are drinking these says even more.

(I dont even see soda on here... man, this thing is out dated)

Just incase you think that’s they only way to be “healthy”, think again. 7-11 and Starbucks wants you to be able to have a choice on they way you consume you daily vitamins. Just like some people like apples and some like bananas, some people like soda and others like coffee. Why should we limit consumption of much needed vitamins to soda when we could put it in our coffee too! In a rush to keep up with our insatiable appetites the research and development team from Starbucks came up with this great idea and this one from 7-11. Its funny though, consumer affairs tells us, apparently, coffee and vitamins don’t really mix. Coffee, and caffeinated drinks in general, limit the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Huh, so, this is really just a big scam which will lead to further obesity, diabetes, liver and kidney problems, no, that can’t be right.

But wait... There's more! All this healthy soda and your still feeling tired? Don’t worry, now you don’t need sleep either! Thanks to the creators of Red Bull and the mass marketing of Monster not to mention the other countless energy drinks, we can cut out sleep all together. Yea!
Now this is getting really good, I can drink my vitamins and drink my energy be completely healthy and live a long full life!

Ok, I will admit, even the healthiest of the morbidly obise need a quick pick me up now and then. I guess an 8oz Redbull would do the trick… or, new and improved 12oz, oh, or the newer 16oz…. oh gezzz, the *new* 24oz?!? Seriously, twenty four, liver punchin, sugar rushing, heart pounding ounces? Well, don’t worry, if you not dead yet, Monster offers the 36oz pop top can. Pop top implying that it is one (1) serving, not able to be saved for later....
(not pictured is the 24oz Red Bull)

What you’re thirsty for regular H20, but your body cant handle anything without high fructose corn syrup and your pallet can't take anything not artificially sweetened, not to mention you don’t want to miss out on your only source of vitamines? Don’t worry, Vitamin Water has made sure we don’t miss a single swig of throat choking vitamin goodness.

Well, You can bet that all this talk about soft drinks has certainly made me thirsty, not to mention exhausted, so im off to the break room, dollar in hand to get a nice cold refreshing beverage... I can only hope they have restocked the Diet Coke Plus, all this typing I'm surely low on B12 and couldn’t go on another second with out some Vitamin C, I mean, it is my only option .... right?

I did not see this coming

Bigfoots frozen body was a hoax! Unbelieveable.

This story from CNN said"A break appeared up near the feet area ... as the team and I began examining this area near the feet, I observed the foot which looked unnatural, reached in and confirmed it was a rubber foot."

What in the world would motivate someone to do this??? SearchingForBigfoot.com "believes that their motive was financial.

Wow, Bigfoot hunters are sharp. This is quite shocking considering "the two requested an undisclosed sum of money as an advance" ..... "Two days later, after signing a receipt and counting the money, Dyer and Whitton showed the Searching for Bigfoot team the freezer containing what they claimed was the body: "something appearing large, hairy and frozen in ice."

And these are the sleuths in charge of detecting an wild animal over about a 50 million square miles!?! Well, with Sasquatch still out there at least I have something too look for when hiking around the Pacific North West!

What have I missed?!?!

I missed out on the biggest event of the weekend here in Seattle, Hemp Fest. This was the 17th year Seattle has done this, so you would think I could manage to get it on my calendar, ya know being an annual event and all, but some how I just keep missing it every time it rolls around.
This year Hemp Fest was supposed to be different, however. The big push by organizers was to promote Industrial hemp, or cannabis used for non-drug purposes such as paper or biodiesel fuel. And Im sure they would have accomplished a ton of stuff, except apparently everyone was somewhat distracted.
I have a feeling that anything being promoted, encouraged, introduced, or that was otherwise non-smoke-able, went up in a puff, by people far more concerned with alleviating their munchies. I would equate this with trying to stop drunk driving by giving tours of a brewery with free samples in convent to-go cups. Or better yet, trying to stop overeating at an all you can eat lunch buffet. Im sure this guy

was eager to sit down and discuss legislative initiatives on reformation of marijuana control, we just caught him at a bad time.

Anyway, like at any huge festival, Im sure the attendees were from all walks of life. Now, you would think, people waking around this festival would take notice of the older generations also in attendance, but in case they didn’t allow me to show you what they might have seen:


Now, like I said I wasn’t actually able to make it, but for these pictures I went to only one source. I didn’t hand pick these photos, these where the 3 of the 4 photos of, what I can only assume are “seasoned smokers”. I guess most of the other attendees might not have been thinking clear enough to notice, but I dont think most people want to end up like that. That is not to say everyone will, just pointing out if you want to end up like someone, do what they do.

Moving on, apparently Seattle has few, if any, pro Pot officials in elected positions. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why not. Lack of initiative? Lack of motivation? Lack of supporters able to remember to vote? Who knows?!? Now, it with over 100,000 people attending you would think all the pro cannabis proponents could have a large impact and be able to get quite a bit accomplished maybe we should ask this guy what he thinks:
Maybe we'll get an answer when he's done.... but for now, I guess we will never know!

Well, don’t worry, I have marked my calendar for next years festival and I will make sure I don’t miss it! But for now, I can rest assured that with all that was set into action this weekend, next year Seattle will be a much “greener” city.

Top 10 signs your getting old

Time flys, and it seems as we get older time goes even faster. While we were wakeboarding yesterday Jens, who is 18, said "man im gettin old". Yeah, whatever. But if he is getting old, then the rest of us definitely have one foot in the grave. So, I got to thinking, what are some sure fire ways to tell for sure if we are getting old? Here is some ways to tell if you should put your cell phone on the pay-as-you-go plan!

10. You can’t drink your age in shots anymore. – Im not encouraging anyone to actually try this, Im just sayin, if you cant do it, your probably getting old.

9. You don’t recognize any of the cartoons on tv and find your self asking “what happened to all the good ones like when I was a kid?”

8. You realize most professional athletes are younger than you and that you never went pro.

7. You know what calories are and that they will affect your waste line.

6. Any reference to how cheap things use to be. “I remember when gas was 1.09! I could fill up for 15 bucks."

5. If you were around before common, everyday technologies. “We just got the internet at my house, 64K dial up! Its awesome!”

4. You have to explain things that you references to younger people. "That’s the 64,000 dollar question.” “whats the 64K dollar question?" “It’s a... egh, never mind.”

3. You refer to how long you have been doing something and its over a decade. Yeah, I started snowboarding a few years ago... well, I guess I was 17, so... 10 years ago?!?! Wait, that cant be right.

2. You can’t quite keep up with changing technology and terminology. “So, do you have a Spacebook account?” (Sorry mom!)

And the number one sign your getting old:

1. You some how manage to injure yourself while sleeping at night. "Oh, man, I woke up with the worst crick in my neck and my back is all sore. All I did was just lay in a bed, Im sore from sleep!”

Work is a four letter word

I think of a job as a tool. It is something that affords someone the opportunity to do things they enjoy.
In my case my job has hours that don’t keep too late in the evening and where I don’t have to work on the weekends. This of course, is when I, like most people, go out and have fun doing whatever it is that I like to do. For most of us, during the week we work, usually at something we don’t like, the trade off is having money and time to do the things we like.

However, I had a conversation with a friend who thinks that a job should be something you enjoy. You should like it and it should be something that fulfills you and that you feel glad to be apart of. I mean, you do spend 40 or 50 years working, why not have a job where you feel that you have actually made a difference? I really like this idea, I mean it sounds great, in theory, but is possible?

The way I see it, the problem with that point of view is two fold. One, not many people know what they would enjoying doing. I like tons of different things, but few, if any, that I would want as a career. I love my bike and riding around. Would I be a messenger, I don’t think so, especially not in Seattle. I like working on cars, but there is NO way I would or could be a mechanic. I love camping, but Im not sure how this would be a job, but even if it was, I don’t think I would want to camp 40 hours a week...right?

Secondly, if I did take a job doing something that was totally awesome and where I felt completely fulfilled, there is a good chance it would pay any where near enough to live on, or at least not at the level that an “unfulfilling job” would pay.

So then of course, the next question is, what is more important: having a job that provides you with a feeling that you have made a difference, or a job that really doesn’t make a difference one way or another but that allows you to do other things that you enjoy. (That was rhetorical, im not gonna even try to answer it!)

BUT, there is another option, a job you love, that pays well, that leaves you feeling accomplished and allows you to have time to spend doing other things out side of work. These jobs are out there... But they must be few and far between. I don’t think I know anyone, at least off hand, that loves their job and everything that comes with it.

Now Im not trying to compalin about the job I have, I have done that before! My whole point is that what if we are missing out on an awesome opportuinity to actually enjoy our jobs because we asume (as I do) that great jobs aren't out there. I just wonder if we are we selling ourselves short. Maybe that job is out there waiting for us, the one job we always wanted. Or maybe the dollar is always greener on the other side.

I like it

There are a lot of ways to kill time, http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/ is a great one. I might throw one of these up from time to time for your viewing pleasure.

I like this one. Its true and I fall into this category. I mean, I am a “younger urban white folk, who asolutely love their fixed gear”!
I have withheld all my bike related topics thus far... but im sure they will come out soon, as bikes are a pretty big deal, I do love my fixed gear. I ride to work every day and I also get in some rides on the weekend and even do an Alley Cat race here or there.

I would like to clarity one thing. NO Spandex, ever, period. Whether its to work, a race, the Seattle to Portland 200 mile ride or even the Hotter than Hell century ride in Texas in August, no spandex. There will probably be more to come on my disdain any and all Lycra related outer wear.

Summer In the City - All Girl Alley Cat

And if you were one of the girls who competed in the Summer in the City – All girl alley cat this weekend, congrats! It was awesome to see so many girls out there, competing with and helping out each other, all at the same time!
It was roughly 20 miles start to finish and I know there where some challenging checkpoints. One involving either copious amount of sun screen or jumpin in the lake.

I know a lot of guys would would not have opted for the water, but that didn't seem to stop the girls! Guess in the long run it didn't matter because once the pouring rain started everyone was soaked anyway! That didn't seem to slow down the ladies one bit... they rocked it. See more here.

Here to EVERYONE who took full advantage of the weekend, got out of their comfort zone, went bigger, harder, further, faster or better than they have before.