Words of +WIS : That’s What Makes It Music

Lorne (Andy Hallet)It just don’t work, Gene-y. It’s like a song. Now, I can hold a note for a long time. – Actually, I can hold a note forever. – But eventually, that’s just noise. It’s the change we’re listening for. The note coming after and the one after that. That’s what makes it music.

– Lorne (Andy Hallet), Angel #2.13 – “Happy Anniversary”

I had a chance to see Andy Hallet on a panel at Dragon*Con before I ever actually watched an episode of Angel.  His charming personality made me a fan of Lorne without having any idea who the character was.  That being said, it was with great sadness that I read this morning that Andy had passed away from heart troubles at the age of 33.

My general goal in writing this column is to find quotes from popular culture to use as motivators in our efforts to getting healthy, and today is no exception.  In spite of the somber inspiration I had for digging this quote out of the Angel archives, it still rings true to our goals here at Shrinkgeek.  As motivational speaker Anthony Robbins is famous for saying, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”

Andy Hallet had a relatively short life, but I think it’s safe to say he burned brightly while he was here.  He changed his notes often and left us with a beautiful song.  He will most definitely be missed.

Words of +WIS : Baby, please! I am not from Havana!

image by theogeo

image by theogeo

Lili Von Shtupp: Would you like another schnitzengruben?
Bart: No, thank you. Fifteen is my limit on schnitzengruben.
Lili Von Shtupp: Well, then how about a little…
[whispers in his ear]
Bart: Baby, please! I am not from Havana.
Lili Von Shtupp: Will I… see you again?
Bart: Well, it all depends on how much vitamin E I can get my hands on.

Blazing Saddles (1974)

You know, as funny as I think the line is I’m not sure I’ve ever really understood the whole “I am not from Havana” thing.  Maybe I’m naieve.

Yeah, ok.  Maybe not.

So.  After an evening of…strenuous activity…our hero in the quote above mentions needing more Vitamin E in order to recover his strength.   With that in mind I did a little delving to see if Bart really would have been able to benefit from Vitamin E in that situation.

According to the National Institute of Health, Vitamin E is an antioxidant that can “protect your cells against the effects of free radicals, which are potentially damaging by-products of energy metabolism.”  Which means, in essence, getting in the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin E may help prevent Heart Disease and Cancer.  If you’re following the Dietary Guidelines for Healthy Americans you are probably getting all the Vitamin E you need from your diet, but if for some reason you don’t eat a lot of leafy greens or nuts you might benefit from some additional Vitamin E in your life.  As a matter of fact, one writer claims that having too much Vitamn E in your diet can actually be bad for your heart.

Now, the question that the above quote…er…raises…is “Can Vitamin E increase my sexual performance?”

Well, the National Institute of Health doesn’t have anything to say about Vitamin E in that particular regard, so I guess I’ll have to go out to some less objective sources for that information.  Unfortunately it can be a bit of a challenge to track down objective-free information about vitamins, as just about every Google search on the subject returns a slew of sites that are trying to sell you something.  What Bart is dealing with in the scene above is the Male Refractory Period (potentially NSFW due to clinically detailed descriptions of sexual activity) – the amount of time after a male has an orgasm in which it is physiologically impossible for him to do so again.  This time varies based on many factors, including age, but is different for all of us (some lucky guys seem to have no refractory period at all).  While Vitamin E is believed to help increase sperm count, that’s really only going to help someone out who is trying to conceive a child.  There really isn’t much Bart could do beyond getting some rest.

And maybe an ice pack.

Fresh Pizza From A Vending Machine!

image (and pizza!) by Gio JL

image (and pizza!) by Gio JL

Our good friend Barb Dybwad over at Obsessable just posted an article that I simply felt a moral obligation to share with you all.  Seems that while visiting a food court here in the States and Italian inventor by the name of Claudio Torghele came up with the utterly brilliant idea to put together a vending machine that dishes out fresh pizza.  Now, the key word I want you all to pay attention to in the previous sentence is “fresh.”  Pizza from vending machines really isn’t a new concept, but this amazing little device actually puts all the ingredients together when you order and bakes the pizza for you in about three minutes.

If you’ve been reading this blog for the last few months (and hey, kudos to you if you have considering that we haven’t really launched yet) you may think that my reaction to this would be something along the lines of “grr!  Yet another example of how they market unhealthy food to the masses!  Fitness Rage!!!”

Well, you’d be wrong.

For one, pizza is just awesome.  There’s no denying that.  But more important than that, if you’re going to have to eat food from a vending machine getting a freshly made and baked pizza with real ingredients is a considerable improvement over a Snickers bar and a bag of Jalapeno Cheetos.

On a social note, it will be interesting to see how this particular device sells in the inventors home country.   It Italy, Pizza is serious business, so much so that they came up with a set of rules to define what is and is not a pizza over there.  They even offer certification if you want to sell Neapolitan Pizza!  In an land that takes Pizza as seriously as France takes Champagne, it’s hard to imagine the Italians are going to sit by and let a machine take over the role of the traditional pizzeria.   Here in America though, where the definition of Pizza is pretty loose (can you say CiCi’s anyone?), I suspect this vending machine will do just fine.

Words of +WIS : I Must Not Fear

image by suburbanbloke

image by suburbanbloke

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.

Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

– Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear,

Dune, Frank Herbert, 1965

If you’re one of the countless number of people who really wants to get into better shape but hasn’t opted to do so yet, I have a very simple question for you.

Why not?

For many people, the answer is simple.  They are afraid.

Afraid of the sacrifices they are going to have to make in order to get healthy.  Afraid of looking foolish if they go to the gym.  Afraid of not seeing results for a long time.  Afraid of not being able to maintain your healthy lifestyle once you reach it.  Afraid of giving up the foods you love.

Afraid of Failure.

Fear IS the little death that brings total obliteration.  Once we allow our fears to control our lives they start to add up and eventually overwhelm us.  Don’t let that happen to you.  Don’t let fear stop you from making real changes in your life.  Changes that you KNOW are going to make you happier and healthier in the long run.  Don’t listen to those nagging voices that tell you that you can’t do it.

You can.  Even more important – You will.

Words of +WIS : That’s a big Twinkie

image by RichieC

image by RichieC

Dr. Egon Spengler: I’m worried, Ray. All my readings point to something big on the horizon.

Winston Zeddemore: What do you mean, big?

Dr. Egon Spengler: Well, let’s say this Twinkie represents the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area. Based on this morning’s reading, it would be a Twinkie thirty-five feet long, weighing approximately six hundred pounds.

Winston Zeddemore: That’s a big Twinkie.

Ghostbusters (1984)

In the realm of portion control, Twinkies are actually a fairly innocuous snack (unless, that is, you actually happen to come across a six hundred pound Twinkie).  Individually packaged each Twinkie has 150 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, and 0 grams fiber (3 Weight Watchers POINTS if you’re following that program), so while there are certainly more filling snacks you can choose from you’re not absolutely wrecking your daily calorie count if you have one.  Even better, you can now get mini-Twinkie’s in 100 Calorie Packs.

As long as you limit yourself to one, that is.

There are other foods, however, that aren’t quite so easy to eat in small portions.  Take, for example, Ramen Noodles.  A quick glance at the back of a brick of the ever-popular Maruchan Ramen reveals a calorie count of 190, with 7 grams of fat and 1 gram of fiber (4 POINTS).  Hey, not so bad…right?

Look closer.  That’s for 1/2 of the brick.  There are TWO servings in a brick of Ramen Noodles.

One of the key steps towards making better food choices is learning how to pay attention to these subtle things that, when left unchecked, can seriously derail your weight loss efforts.   The next time you’re looking at the nutritional information for your favorite snacks take a close look at the serving size.  You just may be suprised at what you find.

End Of An Era

Well, I finally decided to put my money where my mouth was.  After I wrote my last post I continued thinking about my feelings about World of Warcraft and opted to finally cancel my account.  I did so this morning.  The last day my account will be active is April 7th.

I realize that those of you who don’t play the game will never understand why this is such a big deal, and that’s ok.  I can try to explain, but the best analogy I can come up with is that I feel like I just broke up with someone I have been dating for the last four years.  I consider many of the folks I play with to be close friends, and frankly it is those friendships that have kept me playing for as long as I have.

I just can’t do it anymore, though.  I can’t justify spending the money to basically use the game as a chat interface, and I truly detest what they have done with the game.  It’s not fun for me anymore.  I’m getting a similar experience playing Runes of Magic and it is free.  As much as I’m enjoying that game, though, I’m determined not to get sucked in as much as I have been in any other MMO in the past.  I just don’t have the time for it.  I’m going to do things like, oh, yard work….house cleaning…home improvements.  You know, that stuff that you don’t do when you’re spending 5-6 hours a day playing a video game?

I’m also concentrating on [Super Secret Project], which I’ll be able to talk about more in a month or so.

So, yeah.  So long, World of Warcraft.  It was great fun while it lasted, but this cowboy needs to be moving along.

Blizzard and Pepsi Announce Plans for WoW Themed Soft Drinks

Horde RedOne of the things that I have to struggle with here at ShrinkGeek is the fact that healthy living is, quite frankly, not a fundamental aspect of the geek culture.  As a matter of fact, it’s fairly safe to say that geeks tend to revel in their love of deliciously unhealthy food and drink.  Stereotypes exist for a reason, and the truth is that most “normal” people wouldn’t picture the overweight slob sitting on his couch with a cheese powder stained controller in one hand and a two liter of Jolt Cola in the other if it weren’t for the fact that a good number of us really do treat ourselves that way.  I can recall countless evenings growing up where the most intense physical activity involved seeing how many times I could get my hand from the Doritos bag to my mouth.

Mind you, it’s that kind of “conscientious living” that contributed to my weighing 420 pounds and having two strokes before I turned 30.  Eating like crap and never exercising may very well be a fun, and possibly even integral, part of the geek lifestyle, but it certainly doesn’t lead to long and healthy lives.  Unfortunately, getting that across to the geek crowd is a difficult task.  To many it seems like the idea of being healthy is a form of “selling out”; That in order to maintain their edge they have to have a diet full of caffeine, sugar, and questionably “safe” chemicals.

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On The Death Of Community In WoW

Back in December I wrote about how I wasn’t excited about getting back into the World of Warcraft raid game.  At the time, part of my reasoning behind that is because I did not feel that there was much of a challenge in it for me, and the hope was that future expansions would ramp up the difficulty a bit.

Well, that has and has not happened.  From everything I’ve read, they are going to continue to have “hard mode” versions of certain encounters in the raids that are optional but keep the base difficulty level fairly low.

This, along with some fairly drastic changes in my work schedule recently, has pretty much killed any remaining interest I have in raiding (and may honestly be the final nail in the coffin that gets me to cancel my subscription to the game).

I’ve seen a lot written about how the game has changed for the worse (and, in all fairness, how some think it is much better now), but to date I haven’t seen anyone really put their finger on why that has disappointed me.

I can sum it up in a three word sentence : Difficulty builds community.

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Captain Random Strikes Again

I think I might need to take another look at The Artist’s Way. Sam got me a copy of it several years ago, but the touchy-feely aspects of the book really turned me off and I put it down.  I don’t even know where my copy is.  Krystalle picked up a copy of it for herself a few weeks ago, and while she was just as put off by those aspects as I was she has been working with the program and it seems to be making a big difference for her.

I need to do something, though. I feel like I’m out of touch with my writing.  I’ve gotten used to communicating via 140 character messages on Twitter and I seem to lose cohesion on my longer posts very quickly.  Yesterday, for example, I started writing a piece on super hero archetypes as leaders and why Bush, who could be compared to Batman, failed.  It started out strongly enough but I just kinda fizzled out and ended up saving it to a text file on my desktop.  I may or may not pick it back up again at some point.

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