"Never argue with an idiot. He'll take you down to his level, then beat you with his experience."

I started using calorie-count.com back in 2006, but didn't really take it seriously until this year (during which time, they got acquired by About.com). In short, it's a very handy fitness/nutrition tracking tool which can help calculate and track your daily calorie intake and expenditure. There are also blogs from nutrition and fitness experts as well as Q&A opportunities, and the obligatory message boards.

I read through those forums pretty regularly, ready and willing to answer questions, provide advice, or share personal experiences. But sometimes, I do have to deliberately pull my hands off the keyboard and step away from the site because of what seems like the sheer volume of misinformation that people post.

Bad diet choices and wondering if it's okay. Fad supplements and exercise gadgets. Justifications and excuses for eating poorly and wondering why they're not losing weight. What programs offer the best results for the least amount of effort. For the most part, when I respond, I try to be encouraging but even then, there come certain times when I just can't abide by excuses, or obvious attempts by people trolling to hear what they WANT to hear (especially that results/effort one). That's when I have to step away and not respond.

Then I had the thought. If I occasionally get disgusted by the misinformation that people are posting on a health & nutrition site, what must the proportion be like in the rest of the world that DOESN'T take even a modicum of interest in what they're consuming?

I'm not trying to be a shill for this specific Web site. In fact, I know it's not the best that there is, and I also know that as long as you give a damn, that's one more step further than many people who just don't. As long as you have even the smallest bit of interest in getting healthier, that's a step in the right direction.

But I also know that this subset is a dramatic minority of the population. It is what seems like a significantly smaller subset of a subset of people. Susan Powter was probably a little ahead of her time, because as I sit here wondering what next to write, the phrase "stop the madness" pops into my head.

I'm dwelling on that right now and realizing that, yeah, she's right. It IS madness what we're doing to ourselves and what we're allowing to be done to us. But how does one effect change in a herd mentality, and especially when that herd is actually the mass consciousness? I've pondered this before previously, and I know that despite my own personal desire to swing the big sledgehammer, being overtly bombastic will instead make people tune out.

Just like religion and politics -- if you yell too loudly or too often (or both), eventually, people get sick of listening to you. Extremist viewpoints are rarely popular, and it doesn't matter if it's Christian or Muslim, Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal, PeTA or the NRA.

Or in this case, health-nut or hedonist.

Putting the audience on the defensive pretty much means defeat of one's case. Resorting to epithets and insults doesn't get one's point across; it makes one look entrenched, melodramatic, and dismissive of alternative possibilities. Save those for when you're commiserating with those of like minds and beliefs.

So by that token, we can't stand up on rooftops and preach. That's when someone will throw a rock and yell for us to shut up. We can only serve as examples, hope that it makes even the slightest positive difference in at least one other person's life, and accept that limitation that's borne of people's ultimate freedom of choice. Despite what we want "Them" to do, at the end of the day, it's up to "Them" to choose whether to jump onto this bandwagon or not.

And then it becomes our responsibility to encourage those who decide to start that journey on their own. So while it bothers me that there is such a large population out there (in both quantitative and qualitative uses of the word "large") that don't give a damn about their conditions, I need to be mindful of my approach.

Like clearing out a paper jam in a printer or copier, it has to be done slowly and gently or else the paper tears and you still have a jam. But now there's much less to grab onto.

After 13 years of listening to TSO, I find it rather amusing that people are now telling me about them and their newest album, Night Castle.

"Oh, you'll LOVE IT!!!"

"These guys are GREAT!!!!!"


Uhhh. Yeah. I know. I was there in the fan community when the project was first started. I was present when the first album was released to little-to-no-fanfare. I was there each time another album came out and usually knew about it months ahead of time, from 1996 until now.

All three of their Christmas records (yup, there's THREE) and their one previous non-Christmas record (yup, there IS one!). I've met Paul O'Neill twice, both times outside of the autograph lines. We made drummer Jeff Plate take OUR photograph during their second concert tour.

Yeah. I've been there. I know :)

Since I started my return sojourn to college several years ago, I tended to let my ego do most of my studying. I either know it or I don't, so why stress out before tests and exams? And considering the grade point I had when I graduated with my associates' degree in 2003, it seemed like a workable method (4.0).

My grades for last semester (the astronomy/history of rock combo) were also pretty damn good, and I hardly did any studying for those classes either. Sure, I did the homework and participated in class, but any hardcore studying? Nope. Got out of those classes with a 3.8 and 3.9 respectively, and made the Dean's List for the semester.

Well, so much for that method.

Last night, I got my test back for my math class (linear programming, aka one-of-the-many-pre-calc variants). I felt like I got punched in the mouth. 73%. For a math course that's approaching the more difficult ranges, some might say that a 73 ain't bad.

I ain't one of those. 73 is 4 points away from having a score in the 60s. I'm not aiming for "not bad." I'm aiming for "holy crap that's awesome."

I know why I got the 73. I wasn't paying attention. I was lazy and careless. Some of the ones I got wrong were elementary and I should have gotten them. Others were simple formulae that I didn't study up on, because I relied on my ego to remember the process. It didn't.

The material isn't really that difficult -- not for me, anyway -- yet my grade makes it look like I struggled. I'm not necessarily a math savant, but I know I'm not that bad at it. It's all logic and analysis, and I'm good at that. That meant that all the blame rested on me and letting my pride do the work instead of being proud of my work.

I had two classes this semester but dropped the philosophy class for a few reasons (chief among them being my irritation with the professor's speaking style and his disorganization). I could blame it for my distractions, but boil away all the excuses, and all I have is me. How many hours did I spend playing "Anno 1404" when I could have been brushing up on those formulae that I'd forgotten? I was sitting at my desk, right? Or even reading those infernal philosophy books (and yes, I still think Socrates was an ass)?

Felt a bit of a cold type of thing in its infancy this morning. That familiar tickle in the throat, lack of concentration, and a general run-down feeling that wasn't normal.

Came home after getting some critical things done at work with the full intent of getting some of my instant cold cure: hot & sour soup from Bangkok Pavilion near the house. But then the idea of waiting 10-15 minutes at the restaurant (yeah, for a frickin' bowl of soup) didn't appeal to me, nor the idea of paying $3 for it. So I looked up recipes and found one close enough to stuff we had at home.

I changed into jammies and a sweatshirt and started cooking. I just finished two bowls, had to take the sweatshirt off because I'm sweating like I just had a workout, and I'm considering going to get a third bowl.

What I Made:

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
1/2 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chili oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp white pepper (very important)
1 tbsp corn starch mixed into 1/4 cup water for a slurry
1 beaten egg
1 tsp minced ginger

Bring the broth & water to a boil. Add the mushrooms, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, sugar, chili oil and sesame oil. Stir completely and bring to a boil again. Add starch slurry and white pepper, mix thoroughly and bring to boil.

Remove from heat, mix in ginger. While stirring, slowly drizzle in beaten egg to create laces.

Serve with dry washcloth to dab sweat from face.

Just an observation this time, not a criticism or condemnation.

( But still behind a cut, just in case )

I'm really digging on the fact that more and more friends are starting to look at getting off their butts and moving. Of course I'm not one to talk that much since I only started getting serious about this about 3 months ago, but the growth rate of the Brigade's population is seemingly exponential.

I want to encourage everyone as much as possible, but I know I have to keep it under control and positive. I see and read about people's progress and in some cases, I wince because there are sometimes some pits and falls that tread very close to that dangerous line of "excuse." But of course, the danger is that if they get called out on it, they may get defensive.

So, I'm happy that people are starting to take charge of their eating and exercising routines (whether it existed previously or not) and aren't willing to accept the status quo anymore. I'm happy that they're not falling victim to this growing "fat-acceptance/body-acceptance" movement (which, after reading a lot of comments from these FA/BA folks, is thus far chock full of excuses, complaints, tantrums, and whining). I'm happy that some folks are finding extra boosts of self-confidence despite (or in spite of) the sacrifices they're making.

I'm happy that we can inspire them, and in turn, be inspired BY them.

Morbid intro, I know, but it does relate to exercise, nutrition, and overall fitness overhaul mentality.

I count myself fortunate in that I don't have family & friends who either ridicule my efforts at rebuilding myself and my attitude, or just blow it off as meaningless and ultimately useless in a universal sense. We're all going to die eventually, so why work so hard at it? says the pessimist.

The unfortunate part is that through the magic of Teh Internets, I've peripherally observed other people in the same boat who do have those naysayers around them like little devils on their shoulders. Why be obsessed about diet? Why work out so much? Just have a cheeseburger and ENJOY life!!!

While out running the other day, I realized the parable that would keep me going. It had to do with the labored breathing and the slight twinge in my left knee that I felt as I was still running the first half of my four-mile effort. That "runner's wall" started creeping in where it would have been so easy and so deliciously indulgent to just stop, turn around, and walk home.

But then I consciously felt my shoes with my feet. I concentrated on what the shoes felt like from the balls of my feet to my heels, wiggling my toes, concentrating on the cushioning impact as each foot kept hitting the ground. I concentrated on softening my landing because as fatigue crept in, I was hitting the ground harder with my heels, and the shock was traveling to my lower back. I adjusted my gait, and it was better again, as I thought about the stupid amount of money I had paid for these shoes that allowed me to do that.

With that came the thought. Yes, we're all going to die. Whether it's at 70 or 90, we're all going to die. But I think I would rather die at 70 after having completed another run or a set of weights under my own power and conscious decision than at 90 having been confined to a wheelchair and wearing adult diapers because I haven't been able to wipe myself for the last 10 years.

Some of us say "when I die, I hope to die in my sleep." Others may say "they're gonna drag me kicking and screaming from this life." I can get behind that, because if you think about it, it's a much more preferable alternative to being a mind trapped inside your own body and getting to a point where you're just begging for your body to just stop the torture.

It does hurt more for those left behind, to go unexpectedly, as I am well aware. But the bright side is that I remember Dad as the strong-willed hard worker that he was right until the end. There was no period of deterioration, of mind or body.

Although Dad's cause was unavoidable and undetectable, I can do what I can to make sure that it's not deterioration that takes me down in the end. It is sacrifice, and I do have to give up things that I've loved (haven't had a good bacon cheeseburger in I don't remember how long). It does have its degrees of Suck to have to do that, but that choice of Door #1 or Door #2 makes it rather clear.

I may have to start trimming the Friends list, just barely a month or two into my usage of this infernal device. Interested in my friends' lives, but not if their lives consist solely of stupid games, applications, and socio-political haranguing. Content is king but fluff is the court jester. I can also get socio-political haranguing on the evening news. Don't need it on what's supposed to be a fun site.

... there is a vast difference between "never forgetting" and "dwelling/obsessing." Today, of course, is still too fresh in American history, so I can personally let that one slide for now. But I think it's high time that Dec. 7 gets let go and filed into history (it's been 68 years for crying out loud).

I know there'll be a big deal made about today in about 2 years, and probably in 12 years. But after that, it's really time to move on. Moving on doesn't mean forgetting. It means moving on.