Archive for October, 2009

Too Fat Too Serve

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

As many of you know, my discharge form the Navy was under less-than-desirable circumstances. I still managed to escape with an Honorable discharge, but it was, to date, my biggest failure.

I was kicked out because I was fat. I was Too Fat To Serve.

Thus the changing of all of my screen aliases from NukeEMUSN ( Nuclear Electricians Mate US Navy) to TooFat2Serve.

Recently, my doc noted that I have high blood pressure. Not high enough to medicate, but high enough to mention it. Couple that with my other body issues (feet, back, knees), and I’m slowly killing myself. At the very least, I’m working towards a major body-breaking event.

So I need to do something about it. I’ve needed to do something about it for quite some time now. I have let it go too long. I feel like Bilbo in “Lord of the Ring,” right before he pulls a disappearing act.

Problem is, I don’t quite know WHAT I’m going to do about it yet.

We’ve adjusted our home eating habits and I’m being careful about what I get when I’m in the city. Probably going to adjust it more, but given that I’m an eating machine, it’ll take time to adjust.

So that leaves my nemesis; exercise. A word that I hate so much that I can’t spell it correctly without a spell checker.

I’m way too cheap/broke to join a gym. My foot/knee problems make running a no-go. So I’m going to have to get creative with it. Active video games and calisthenics.

I’ve tweaked a Google Docs spreadsheet as a fat-o-meter. It’s on the right side there. I’m going to track my weight loss on here. I hope you readers (all, like, 5 of you) will keep me accountable.

My first goal is 220lbs. The graph is only going to November 21, but my goal is that weight by about January 21. Slow and steady on this one.

Hopefully, by this time next year, I’ll no longer be too fat to do anything.

Posted in The Fatness, Things I don't want to do, Working Out | 3 Comments »

Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

This post brought to you be www.blogactionday.org

Mmmm. Environmentalism. Tastes good. Especially with some Favabeans and a nice Chianti.

I am a consumer. I eat. I wipe my ass. I use enough electricity feeding my music, House, and Warcraft habit to power a small planet.

I’m not concerned about the planet.

I’m concerned about me.

That second statement necessitates the first.

All the talk about saving the planet is a bunch of touchy feely political bullshit. The planet has been through meteor strikes, ice ages, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, you name it. We don’t measure ‘natural disasters’ in damage to Earth. We measure it in human lives.

Because no matter what we do, Earth will still be here. Something will survive and flourish.

Climate change? Bah. It’s us or the cockroaches and moss.

Do we need to change our ways? Only if we want to survive and give our kids something to inherit. “Natural disasters” come in two forms. Their either Earths way of saying “wake up,” or they’re earths way of balancing the equation. Either way, we’re screwed.

We can’t do anything about the equation. Plates will shift, stuff will break or be consumed in fire and ash. That is not our fault. But if we can eliminate the “wake up” part, though, we stand a much better chance of surviving.

If we can reduce our collective belching into the atmosphere, we can at least avoid a few. With less warming, we’ll have fewer hurricanes, tornadoes, and other atmospheric weather phenomena. These are Earth’s way of taking a cold shower. They dissipate atmospheric energy in an efficient (for Earth) and deadly (for us) manner.

Another much trumpeted effect of reducing the human industrial flatulence problem is that our ice can stay ice, and thus our coastal cities can avoid becoming a human Seaworld.

So for fucks sake, let’s get our collective act together. Not for the planet, but to save our own sorry asses.

Thanks to “Mind of a Mad Woman” for making me aware of Blog Action Day.

Posted in Get Off My Planet, Life | 1 Comment »

Feet.

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

I’ve got flat feet. I’ve always known this. What I didn’t realize, until my podiatrist appointment the other day, was just how flat they are.

Any time a doctor uses the words “severely” and “only” in the same visit, it’s bad.

“You have severely flat feet.”

“The only thing that will help are some ortho-somethings for your shoes.”

No magic pills, no admonition to lose weight. Because anything I do won’t help. Even if I slim down, my feet, and thus the alignment of my body, will still be jacked up.

What’s worse is that my insurance won’t cover the $600 for the inserts.

And the pills I got subscribed are $94 for a months’ supply.

I want a second opinion, but even so, it looks like upgrading the aging innards of my computer will have to wait.

Posted in Health, I want my own planet | 1 Comment »

“Rape Rape” and Hollywood Shenanagins

Monday, October 5th, 2009

I generally try, really, to avoid posting on current events in the world, and especially the media. Sometimes, though, I can’t help it.

My kids love to make believe.

They play house, firefighter, Star Wars, ballerinas, rock stars…

But the ridiculousness of Hollywood makes me want to recant my pledge to support them in any career they choose.

And it damn well means I’m looking at every child modeling/acting opportunity as more dangerous than walking to school alone (which they don’t).

First of all, Whoopie Goldberg. Shame on her. With regards to the Roman Polanski statutory rape fiasco, she diminished it by questioning if it was “rape rape.”

This is disgusting.

Nobody asks if it was “murder murder” or “theft theft.”

Rape is sex without consent.

In the US, the age of consent is 18.

Thus, sex between an adult and child is rape. No matter how you slice it legally.

Beyond legally, how many teenagers make wonderful choices with regards to sex? Now drug them and answer again. I didn’t make the best choices. I know that much.

Once again, disgusting.

Then there’s the cadre of Hollywood personalities actually defending him. Makes me really wonder how many of them really think it’s ok.

The only person with a right to make this go away is the victim/survivor. In this case they want just that. That is their choice, and theirs alone.

I can’t think of anything tasteful to say now, so I’ll end it here.

This post was prompted by a story on the blog “My Bottle’s Up,” written by the wonderful Nic.

Posted in Bullshit Flag, media, Social Norms | 2 Comments »