The SjN Chronicles

An Apple A Day...

...Keeps SjN a happy nerd! I took a gamble on picking up the iPhone 4 and I must say I am not disappointed at all!

I'm still going through all of the "flipping sweet" things this phone can do and am dying to give Facetime a test drive! Yep, I'm really pleased with my new phone.

I can't believe it. There was a time in my not too distant past where I wouldn't be caught dead with an Apple product any where near my person. Was just really anti-Apple. Why? Not a fricking clue. Just was.

Then came the iPod. Soon bits and pieces of Apple gear turned up on my desk at home, work and where ever else I might frequent. Now, most of all my tech comes from that little company in Cupertino. All except my gaming rig. That I still entrust to my own PC building abilities and Microsoft's little OS that could.

That could change however! I've recently been looking over Macs and I must say, I am becoming smitten!

But enough of the petty fanboy crap. If a company makes a great product, people are going to buy it. That's exactly what Apple has done. Kudos to those guys that work tirelessly to produce the gadgets that we all know and love.

Well, I am going to get back to work. Also want to hit the App store and find a GPS app for this phone. Want something that talks to me! Anyone have some recommendations for me?

See ya round!

Just.... exist.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

If you read the first amendment to the United States Constitution, it spells it out pretty clearly. In this country, you have the right to worship what ever and where ever you wish. It's one of those things that makes America, America. Freedoms such as the freedom of religion are the reasons that people flock to the United States. Here, as long as you abide by law, you are free to do what you wish. There's really no other place like the USA.

For this reason, I was understandably shocked to see this recent uprising against the Islamic faith. I was stunned at the demonstrations on September 11th between the followers of the God of Abraham and the followers of the God of Ishmael. Yes these two groups have been in turmoil since biblical times. But to see that carried out on the streets of New York City was unsettling at best.

But - There it was. In all of it's ugliness.

I must be honest with you, this is one of the many reasons why I frankly do not believe in these faiths and hence another reason why that first amendment is so great. I am free to dismiss these claims and free to type a blog post stating such.

My problem with these two religions is the fact that it is structured so that the only way these religions could possibly "coexist" is through the annihilation of the other. The bloodshed that has occurred as a result of Judaism, Christianity and Islam is unparalleled. I find it hard to believe that a loving god would tolerate this activity amongst his subjects unless he's some kind of sadist and enjoys such bloodshed.

But hey, he just might.  You see, the bible is full of instances where I would question the likelihood of sincere & loving god. Let's go back to Egypt. Moses was pleading with Pharaoh (the exact Pharaoh in power during that time is currently under debate) to "let his people go". Repeated attempts to free the slaves were met with failure. That is until the 10 plague that befell Egypt.  The Torah describes the angel of death as actually passing through Egypt to kill all firstborn children, but passing over (hence "Passover") houses which have the sign of lambs' blood on the doorpost.

Really? Thanks for the love err..... god.

But I digress. Getting into a debate on the existence of a supreme being is the topic of a later post. The point here is that this is America. America is where one can worship "The Force", build a church call himself a Jedi and be TOTALLY within their rights to establish it as a legitimate religion. So WHY the hatred between Christianity and Islam?

You're in America. Worship what you wish. Just exist.

No, I am not on a diet!

 "Wow, you've lost weight! What diet are you on?" I must get asked this question in person or via email/twitter/facebook at least once a day.

 I think it's odd that if you do lose some weight, most people automatically think your on some kind of fancy diet. I guess if watching your calories and cholesterol intake is considered a diet I guess I am on one but really think it's just a matter of eating smart and eating right. I really think that while diets work, they work short term. Eventually that diet will get old and burgers, pizza and sodas come creeping back in.

If you think about it, there is no magic behind weight loss. Common sense tells you that eating that cheese burger and fries might not be as healthy as that turkey sandwich on whole grain. Listen to your body. It knows. It really is as simple as eating right and exercising. I'm going to go out on a limb here and tell you what a typical "day in the life" of Shawn looks like when it comes to eating & exercising. Here goes -

I get up around 4:00AM and get the coffee brewing! At around 5:00AM, I have a cup of coffee down me (which starts a really good calorie burn!) and I'm dressed for my workout with water in hand. I usually hit the elliptical at this hour. For some reason, low impact works better for me when I wake up. Tear up about 700 calories right there in 30 minutes. Get showered and ready for work more coffee. Eat a cup of yogurt (80 calories) and I'm off.

Lunch time can be tricky if I'm going out with the guys. I usually have to improvise. If we do the Mall, it gets real easy - PANDA EXPRESS! Their Wok Smart line rocks! Each item is 250 calories or less. Grab a Panda Bowl and your good to go. Get the mixed veggies too. Stay away from the fried rice and chow mein. Oh, enjoy that fortune cookie! They're only 35 calories! Don't like Panda? Hit Subway. A 6" turkey on wheat is a good alternative and get the apples! No chip cheating! I'll also grab me either a water or a Sobe Life water (Fuji Apple is awesome!)

Get home from work, hit the treadmill and kick out a 5K. Calories killed - around 350 to 400. For dinner I'm pretty liberal. I just keep the calorie count to around 500 - 600. Drink lots more water! Before bed, I always treat myself to a bowl of cereal (my weakness) Special K with strawberries nets about 200 calories. If you're a snacker, get some grapes. Freeze them and go to town! SO GOOD.

I try to keep my daily calorie intake well below 1500 cals a day. As you can see, I usually don't have any problem with that. One thing that is super important. You can be strict with your calorie intake but you HAVE to treat yourself to off days. I will usually do that on a Saturday or Sunday. Don't go crazy but having a meal where all bets are off never hurt anyone. You deserve it! Bottom line, without dieting, you CAN and WILL lose weight if you just pay attention to what and how much you eat. It really does start to come naturally over time.

Doing this, I've been healthier than I have ever been in my life (trust me on that one). My ultimate goal is to run a full marathon. I've always wanted to try that and now I'm actually starting to think I can do it!

Alright, time to go. Think I'll play some World of Warcraft then hit the track.

Peace!

~SjN~

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword?

 So Shirley Sherrod has been vindicated of the scarlet letter 'R' that was to be emblazoned upon her chest for all time.

But strange as it may sound, racism isn't the major issue here. It was the spark, yes. But not the explosion. The underlying mega story here? The sheer power the media holds over the daily workings as well as the inner workings of this country.

One reporter (and I use that term loosely when it comes to the ilk of Breitbart and Fox News) was able to bring the goings on of this country to a stand still. Now all of the news networks will spend the next 24 to 48 hours dissecting and analyzing the events that occurred. Should that take place? Maybe so. It is clearly evident that there continues to be a HUGE issue when it comes to the subject of race. It's amazing that how far we've come as a society, racism continues to be such a hot button item. Maybe we haven't come as far as I had thought.

In the mean time, we have a disaster continuing to unfold in the gulf, two wars on the other side of the planet, a financial meltdown that we continue to battle with as well as a plethora of other news worthy items.

But we'll stay fixated on a lie perpetrated by a "journalist". Freedom of the press. Yea, I still believe in that. When it's actually news. These news organizations have lowered their standards to the point where they can practically print or say anything and they don't have to be held accountable. Just read some of the headlines that Drudge decorates his page with. Granted some good articles, but the majority is flat out crap and anyone with a shred of common sense knows to be either opinion or untrue.

Finally, did anyone hear something about signing financial reforms or extending unemployment benefits?

Me neither... 

All of this.... FOR WHAT!

 

So this week I decided to go to the doctor for a physical. Mind you, I NEVER go to the doctor for anything. I found that when it comes right down to the science of medicine, doctors are masters at so called "educated guessing". I don't know about you but I don't want to stake my livelihood on some doc's hypothesis on what could be ailing me.

I decided to forgo my opinion and go to the doc to begin my annual check ups. I'm told to sit in the waiting room and fill out these forms. She hands me a stack of papers. "You mean this copy of War & Peace?" I joked. She rolled her eyes and closed the glass sliding window. Ah, good old American Healthcare. The forms basically consisted of warnings that my insurance company has the right to decide that my physical exam will not be covered and I will have to foot the bill entirely. I politely decline from signing that. For being one of the most powerful and advanced countries, the American healthcare system is truly third world. When countries like CUBA for christ's sake take better care of it's citizens one must ponder at just what exactly is happening in the U.S.A. But that is another topic entirely.

((Just watch Michael Moore' s - SICKO for a much better picture into the American healthcare system))

ANYWAY - I get in and some teenager takes my weight, blood pressure, temperature - yada, yada, yada... I then sit in a room for an eternity for a doctor. Ummm, my appointment was a ONE effing THIRTY. If I made the effort to be fifteen minutes early (as requested by the appointment writer-downer) the least you could do is be on point.

Too make a long painful story short, the doctor diagnosed me with stage one Hypertension (high blood pressure) and my cholesterol is too high. Normally that would be fine if I were your normal, average American that loved greasy fast food and treated exercise like kryptonite.

But no -

My diet consists primarily of fruits, vegetables, grains and meats. Of which I only eat poultry and occasionally fish. I exercise every day religiously for 45 minutes to an hour. If I eat eggs, I eat the whites only.

I'm the GODAMNED POSTER CHILD for living healthy! I don't smoke, I drink socially nothing heavy. I was proud of how I turned my life around. I've lost over 30 pounds, feeling svelte. Thanks doc for kicking me straight in my nethers. 

So, now I have another appointment on Wednesday of next week. That's another $25.00 co-pay and most likely a three figure price tag on some jacked up medication that I'm going to have to take for the rest of my life. Yep, I do believe I've been boondoggled by the American healthcare system. A system run by corporations with little regard for your personal well being. YAY CAPITALISM!

Thanks doc. You're the best. 

  

Something to Ponder...

 As someone who has studied science, I often enjoy the occasional thought experiment. One of my favorite topics is that of a supreme being, a deity, a creator - god.

Belief in god is only natural, the very idea that we humans are whizzing around the sun at around 67,000 miles per hour or roughly 18miles/sec (30km/sec) and the sun along with all of the other planets are chugging around the Milky Way Galaxy at around 155 miles/sec (250 km/sec) all by our little lonesomes begs us to ask, "where'd we come from?"

The easiest answer of course would be God did it.

But scientists. Ahhhhh scientists, dare to question that answer. Why not question? It's only one of the most profound questions man (and woman) have ever asked.

Quotes like this get my gray matter really working. This quote came from the book Contact by Carl Sagan. After getting over the "blasphemous shock" you feel from the character's words, you are left with, well, questions. We as human beings evolve, grow more intelligent and reach new heights by asking questions. It's what we do. Enjoy the quote and thought experiment. 

"You see, the religious people, most of them -- really think this planet is an experiment. That's what their beliefs come down to. Some god or other is always fixing and poking, messing around with tradesmen's wives, giving tablets on mountains, commanding you to mutilate your children, telling people what words they can say and what words they can't say, making people feel guilty about enjoying themselves, and like that.

Why can't the gods leave well enough alone?

All this intervention speaks of incompetence. If God didn't want Lot's wife to look back, why didn't he make her obedient, so she'd do what her husband told her? Or if he hadn't made Lot such a shithead, maybe she would've listened to him more. If God is omnipotent and omniscient, why didn't he start the universe out in the first place so it would come out the way he wants? Why's he constantly repairing and complaining?

No, there's one thing the Bible makes clear: The biblical God is a sloppy manufacturer. He's not good at design, he's not good at execution. He'd be out of business if there was any competition".

- Sol Hadden / Contact - by Carl Sagan]

So, what you are left with is the grandest of all questions. Where did we and all of this around us come from? Only you can decide.

The Height of Hypocrisy?

 

Arizona has, for good reason, been getting knocked pretty hard since the signing the now infamous senate SB1070 bill on illegal immigration.

But ever since this whole fiasco has come to light, I've noticed levels of hypocrisy skyrocketing. Never before have I seen such a lynch mob mentality than what I have seen over this bill. These mobs are really what saddens me. Do me a favor, when you see one of these mobs, pull over and ask these people if they've even read the bill. I can guarantee you that 90% of them have not.

A majority of these people "protesting" are comprised of young students looking for an excuse to break from class to support a "cause". Give me a break. If this is a cause that you support, at least take the time and gain some knowledge of said cause you are supporting.

Case in point - California.

Take a peek California Penal Code Section 834b -

------------------

Every law enforcement agency in California shall fully cooperate with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service regarding any person who is arrested if he or she is suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws.

(b) With respect to any such person who is arrested, and suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws, every law enforcement agency shall do the following:

(1) Attempt to verify the legal status of such person... The verification process may include, but shall not be limited to, questioning the person regarding his or her date and place of birth, and entry into the United States, and demanding documentation to indicate his or her legal status.

(2) Notify the person of his or her apparent status as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws and inform him or her that, apart from any criminal justice proceedings, he or she must either obtain legal status or leave the United States.

(3) Notify the Attorney General of California and the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service of the apparent illegal status and provide any additional information that may be requested by any other public entity.

(c) Any legislative, administrative, or other action by a city, county, or other legally authorized local governmental entity with jurisdictional boundaries, or by a law enforcement agency, to prevent or limit the cooperation required by subdivision (a) is expressly prohibited.

Wow. AMAZING! Sounds almost identical to the Arizona Senate SB1070 bill. Who'd have thought that California has the exact same law on their books? Well, all of these stupid protesters if they had taken 5 minutes of simple research.

This kind of crap pisses me off to no end. Quit being lemmings and start becoming leaders for christ's sake. Grow a pair. Get some knowledge of the issue. Get the facts and THEN protest should you choose to do so.

Look, my take on it is this - I do not support this bill whatsoever. It's racism in it's most polite form, a state law. This law cannot be enforced without a racial profiling equation injected into it hence we again find ourselves at the cusp of that question of race.

Illegal immigration is not the problem here folks. It's the symptom. You want to stop illegal immigration? Bring the hammer down of these greedy companies that continuously hire them because they would rather pay 50 cents an hour to an illegal rather an honest day's wage. When your car has an oil leak, you don't get pissed off at the oil and change it. You attack the damn gasket and get rid of it. These companies are that gasket. They are fueled by greed and as long as they are allow to operate, this problem isn't going to go anywhere and will more than likely get worse.

In a nutshell, our capitalistic society has created this problem. It's now time to sit in it.

Just my two pesos,

SjN

DRILL BABY......errrrr..... Drill?

With those (in)famous words, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes and violently sinks beneath the Gulf waves leaving 210,000 gallons of light crude a day, every day to gush into the gulf. It's been doing just that for 14 days now. Do the math....yea. Millions will die as a result. But in our quest for this antiquated form of energy, it's an "acceptable loss". As the military calls it - "collateral damage".

Oil. Black gold. Texas tea. The elixir of societal wealth and the cocktail of it's demise.

This nightmare is only beginning. This is going to get worse before it gets better. Look at the Exxon Valdez as an example. The clean up from that mess is STILL going on. This looks to eclipse Valdez on many orders of magnitude.

When this happened I started thinking about those words; "Drill Baby Drill". What exactly did Palin mean? Was this her solution out of the energy crisis? Was this her way of reducing America's dependence on foreign oil? I sure hope not. Those three words further prove Palin's less than firm grasp on issues becoming of a president. You see, when oil is locked deep underground then yes, it can be claimed by a country. The vast oil fields beneath Saudi Arabia are Saudi Arabia's. It's when you pull it out and slam it into 55 gallon drums that the issue presents itself. When oil is drummed, it immediately becomes a world commodity and is placed on the market. The market fluctuates depending on the amount of drummed oil being bought and sold. Drummed oil is not the possession of any one country. Thus, if the United States "Drill Baby Drills", off of our own coasts, the oil is not ours to do with as we please. We are doing nothing to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. We'll make some money sure but the oil fields of the US coasts are nothing to get wealthy over. In short, marketwise there really is no such thing as "foreign oil".

But there is a such thing as dependence. Addiction as I like to call it.

Want to reduce our dependence? America needs to go into rehab. America is addicted to oil. Then, only then will scenes like that picture up there cease to grace the headlines. Oh and mind you; this isn't an America only problem. Dependence on oil as a primary energy source needs to wane across the board. Alternative fuels: Solar, biofuels, wind, hydro need to be injected into the world power grid. Should oil as an energy source go away? Not necessarily, but should be reduced exponentially so when it runs out (and yes, it will run out one day) that effect will be nothing more than a side headline in the newspaper.

So, what can you do to help reduce your personal dependence on that "Black Gold"? No need to go all green fanatical. Walk a bit more if you can. Benefits are three-fold! The air is a little cleaner, your wallet is a bit heavier and your heart will love you for it! Remember when your parents told you to turn off the lights when you leave the room? Well they were right. Turn off those lights. Better yet, replace them with CFL bulbs. 

Seriously, those weird little curly-que bulbs pack a mighty punch! If every one of 110 million American households bought just one compact fluorescent bulb, took it home, and screwed it in the place of an ordinary 60-watt bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people. One bulb swapped out, enough electricity saved to power all the homes in Delaware and Rhode Island. In terms of oil not burned, or greenhouse gases not exhausted into the atmosphere, one bulb is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the roads.

As you can see, no need to get grandiose. It's the little things that count.

Drill Baby Drill.... Pfffffttttt.....

Friends Lost - - - (and found)

 Had one of those amazing Internet AH-HA!! moments yesterday.

Was screwing around on Facebook and for the hell of it, I typed in the name of my best friend I grew up with in New Mexico.

WHAM!!!

Up pops my boy WAYNE!

I swear, when we were kids, you couldn't find him without me somewhere nearby nor I him. We were pretty much inseparable. We'd spend hours listening to rock & roll, playing with our Star Wars action figures and teasing the hell out of his brother and my sister.

Life was good back then.

But alas, all things must change. I moved to Arizona back in 1982 and I rarely ever get a chance to go back home. All the more reason I was so shocked to find out that my bud still lives in our hometown of Alamogordo, NM. I'm definitely going to have to make a trip back and catch up on old times.

When we were kids, Wayne and I always had dreams of being rock stars. Eventually this little thing called "life" came up and kicked me in the face and I had to get a job, leaving that dream behind. But Wayne. Nope, Wayne stood strong. Wayne followed that dream. He worked for the band MISFITS for a couple of years (how F***ing awesome is that??) and eventually landed in a band called Burning Sunday. These guys can definitely throw down some jams. Be looking for these guys. They are gonna go places.

A lot has changed since those kickass days back in Jr High in the little town of Alamogordo. But somehow, I'll always view Wayne as I did when I last saw him, we were a couple of punk kids looking for our path.

    

Haha... 

Thems were the DAYS  

Workin' IT!

 I've done it. I've finally done it. I've taken the plunge into fitness. I have to be honest. I never thought I'd really do it. Exercise and overall fitness has always been my personal "kryptonite".

I'm a nerd. According to nerd code 437 subsection 13 - "You will subject yourself to hours of code based algorithms and gaming resulting in cumulative hours of inactivity". This coincides with code 438 subsection 34 which states "A nerds diet shall consist of the following items and you will not deviate from said items:

Pizza, Chinese takeout, burgers of any kind and Dr. Pepper".

Needless to say, I avoided mirrors at all costs. I had to do something about it. 210 lbs was not acceptable. One thing I knew I did not want to do was to diet. I've tried it before and while it does work, it works short term. The weight comes right back. It was time for a lifestyle change. I chose exercise and reducing my caloric intake. Rather than dieting, I just changed the way I look at food and am mindful of portion controls. Right now I regulate my caloric intake to 1,626 calories per day.

The secret though is exercise. I can't tell you how much better I feel by just working out for 30 minutes every morning! I picked me up an elliptical machine and set it for a 30 minute cardio routine. After 30 minutes, I've burned 560 calories. Now here's the cool part. Remember that 1,626 calories I hold myself to? Now that I've worked out, I bump that number up 560 points to a grand total of 2,186 calories! That's some good eatin'!

So, what got me on this fitness kick? Well, one day I was perusing one of my favorite sites, Hulu and I came upon a movie that spoon fed me a dose of reality. It's called Super Size Me. OH-MY-GOD. I couldn't in good conscience ever step foot in a fast food joint ever again without doing something to counterbalance the damage I was doing to myself.

Thus, I exercise. Give it a shot! I really don't think you will regret it. Even if it's just walking your dog or yourself around the block every morning, get up and move around a bit! Want a motivator? For a mere 25 bucks, grab a Pedometer & Calorie Counter!. It's an amazing way to keep track of your progress and gives you something to work toward!

I will be posting more about health and fitness along with some tips, tricks and awesome recipes that I've whipped up to take that calorie and carb edge off!

Stay tuned!