Bob swallowed a big load
February 22, 2009 at 11:05 pm | In Cute Guys, Exercise, Health | 2 CommentsTags: Bob, Chris Evans, Exercise, Matus Valent, obesity, walking, weight loss
Yes, Bob swallowed a big load this weekend; our friends’ dining room table fit in the back quite well. I was really pleased.
But first, to catch up…C and I found some of the data my counsellor asked me to…
How many fat and old people do you know?
Probably not many, based on what we found. See, my counsellor noted that I’m utterly terrified of general anesthetic because ‘I could die.’ (We were discussing bariatric surgery.) He says, and I see his point, and am trying to follow it, that I should regard overeating with the same concern, alarm even, as I do other dangerous things. It is more lethal to me than many of the things I do on a daily basis (drive fast while texting or searching for information on the net on my iPhone) or fear greatly (having general anesthetic). Since I respect evidence and facts (it was evidence and facts that got me flying without fear, in fact, with real eagerness) he thought some research into the facts and evidence would be a good thing. So here’s today’s true facts about true risks of being overweight or obsese:
Reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Annals of Internal Medicine, the studies found that obesity is of particular concern for younger adults in their 20s and 30s. The risk is greatest for obese African-American men, who stand to lose about 20 years of life, even after accounting for smoking.
(http://www.alive.com/5419a16a2.php?subject_bread_cramb=151)
I’m not African-American but twenty years is a long long time. Then there’s this:
CHICAGO — Being obese at age 20 can cut up to 20 years off a person’s life, with the biggest impact on black men, according to yet another study that underscores the long-term dangers of being overweight.
The research appears in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association and was released a day after another study that said that being fat at 40 shortens a person’s life by at least three years.The JAMA study, led by University of Alabama at Birmingham biostatistician David Allison, found that life expectancy for 20-year-olds with a body-mass index of at least 45 is 13 years lower for white men and 20 years lower for black men, compared with people of normal weight.
Body-mass index is a height-to-weight ratio; 30 and above is considered obese. A person who is 5-foot-4 and 262 pounds would have a BMI of 45 — and look like a sumo wrestler. But millions of Americans are that fat, Allison said.
The life-shortening effects were found to be lower for 20-year-old severely obese white women (eight years of life lost) and black women (five years lost).
In Tuesday’s Annals of Internal Medicine, Dutch researchers presented data on about 3,400 mostly white, middle-aged Americans. The researchers found that being overweight at 40 is likely to reduce life expectancy by at least three years — as much, they said, as smoking cigarettes. Obese, or severely overweight people, lost even more years — about six or seven.
The JAMA study was based on an analysis of nationally representative surveys of more than 14,000 Americans.
Life-shortening effects were less dramatic in people who were less obese.
Thirteen years is also a long time. That’s far too long for C to be alone in the world without me to take care of him, for him to be sad and alone and ME NOT ABLE TO DO SQUAT ABOUT IT, which is what really horrifies me. And then there’s this:
Large decreases in life expectancy were associated with overweight and obesity. Forty-year-old female nonsmokers lost 3.3 years and 40-year-old male nonsmokers lost 3.1 years of life expectancy because of overweight. Forty-year-old female nonsmokers lost 7.1 years and 40-year-old male nonsmokers lost 5.8 years because of obesity. Obese female smokers lost 7.2 years and obese male smokers lost 6.7 years of life expectancy compared with normal-weight smokers. Obese female smokers lost 13.3 years and obese male smokers lost 13.7 years compared with normal-weight nonsmokers. Body mass index at ages 30 to 49 years predicted mortality after ages 50 to 69 years, even after adjustment for body mass index at age 50 to 69 years.
Conclusions: Obesity and overweight in adulthood are associated with large decreases in life expectancy and increases in early mortality. These decreases are similar to those seen with smoking. Obesity in adulthood is a powerful predictor of death at older ages. Because of the increasing prevalence of obesity, more efficient prevention and treatment should become high priorities in public health.
http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/138/1/24
A loss of 5.8 years is also bad, and this was the lowest penalty associated with obesity I’ve found. In fact the only site I’ve found so far to contradict these data is the clearly biassed “Center for Consumer Freedom” which is funded by the food industry (not that they’re keen on telling people the names of the companies that support their silly denialist crap. I won’t give the link to their ‘data’ as I don’t want to drive traffic to their site.
So what has all these data done for me
As usual the week started off dismally, got better, and ended on a bad note. I made a great roast chicken tonight from Chef Keller of the French Laundry’s recipe, and it was really good, but for lunch we had burgers and milkshakes. Yesterday I made a glutton of myself at our good friends (once Bob disgorged his load) house, but at least I did some intense walking. (I’m alternating sixty minute days with shorter but faster walks; Saturday I got the fastest I’ve done so far, albeit only for one minute. I’m following the advice given in Body For Life. So that was okay, I guess. Comme ci, comme ça, as it were. I expect to have ‘held steady’ this week, but starting tomorrow (it’s always tomorrow, eh, Annie?) I will do better. Partially because I’m going to add two new pages along the top (up there) to log my intake (Weight Watchers points) and output (exercise, cardio and strength) and results (change in weight – still too vain to list actual weight but change is okay).
Other stuff
I did have a good vibe yesterday; I’d ordered some work trousers, some jeans, and some training trousers, and have to send them all back as they are too loose. That’s what comes of using my last order as a basis for it. That made up for buying two shirts I could have sworn would fit which were too short.
We went to mum and dad’s house to check on it while they’re in Florida. I’m a little peeved that despite some very very very unsubtle hints, they’ve not made any offer to C and I to use the Florida condo they’re buying for our summer vacation. We’re looking at either Utah to see the extraordinary scenery or the Carolinas (since not Florida) but if we do a beach vacation I would really like to get a house with a pool as C and I both like swimming in pools as well as the ocean…C actually prefers it I think. There’s tons of condos with pools, and we do go after season (after the kiddies are back in school) but I wonder how many people we’d have to share the community pool with. We’re both very shy, not that anyone’s ever been horrible to us. But if I took off my shirt people may go blind or I’d be arrested for bringing the human body into disrepute.
I baked two loaves of wheaty artisan bread today; but they didn’t rise much, so I’m hoping that their density will be matched by a good flavour. Or that the birds will like them.
A note:
K: I overreacted yesterday evening. The kids were enjoyable at the end of the evening. Perhaps it was the subject matter at dinner. And the ‘pea picker.’(Those who need to know will know what I mean.)
A farewell
Yes, this is our last day with sexy Chris Evans, as I’m going to obsess on more inspirational guys for a while. Can you guess who it is, above? (A hint: His country was once much nearer to our mini-obsession Matus Valent’s country, but some soft fabric intervened.) Do you think Chris will get over it? I hope so; here are some pictures to keep him gentle on your mind as you wrack it for the identity of the newbie…as always, click on the thumbnails to make him grow before your very eyes…
And here’s Matus, in Motion
I wonder if this will help to jog your memory about where our new obsession may be from and who he may be…
(Does it jog anything besides your memory?)
Chuck’s Baaaaack!
February 2, 2009 at 11:33 pm | In Culture, Cute Guys, Family, Gay | 1 CommentTags: Bob Van Dillen, Chris Evans, Chuck, Erik Rhodes
Yes, I know, I’ve got to catch everyone up but let me start with the most recent thing and work my way backward.
Chuck’s Back!
Yes, finally, after a rather long hiatus, Chuck is back and better than ever…in 3D nogal (Afrikaans for ‘even!’). It was a very good episode, except it did involve a rock band and as 
usual when rock bands are shown in the context of television shows, they come across as terribly fake and cheesy. You can’t reproduce the atmosphere of a Springsteen concert at some enormous Concertdrome with a normal TV studio and some actors and extras. But they did try, gamely, but it was in Three Dee!!! The glasses were pretty uncomfortable and I don’t know if this will ‘catch on’ but I’m glad to say the show was watchable without them, though C who glanced at it a bit, said that there was ‘funny orange shifts’ and it didn’t look that bad. But with the goofy glasses on, it was great – especially seeing Adam Baldwin (click on him to see him as big as life and twice as handsome)…too bad he kept his clothes on the whole time.
The Weekend
Dropped my parents off at the airport Saturday and took Bob* up to Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, for a lunch of buffalo burgers and Belgian beer at The Half Moon restaurant. It was rather pricy I have to say and the drive up was a mixture of really good scenery and boring flat lands. Coming back we swung Bob* through Wilmington which was a big mistake. That put us on a line to I-95 south through Delaware and into northeastern Maryland (right by North East, Maryland). I hate hate hate that stretch of I-95. It’s boring. It’s crowded. The other boys and girls are mean. Maryland drivers aren’t the worst but tend to have no lane discipline at all. None. They’ll blow by in the slow lane at 90+ and/or crawl along in the fast lane hoping one day to achieve 55. Jersey drivers aren’t that bad. New Yorkers aren’t that bad. Pennsylvanians are nearly that bad (and roads in Pennsy suck big time). Californians weren’t that bad.
So after the 95-dead-or-alive-drive
On Sunday C and I sat around doing little or nothing. 
This past week, for those who are still interested
This past week was pretty routine, except I didn’t get to the gym much. Oh, but some of that was because we had an ice storm. I hate ice storms, more than I hate that stretch of I-95. I slipped and landed on my front and the worst thing was the ice was all around, so I couldn’t get any traction to stand up. Everytime I tried to put my (considerable) weight on a hand or a foot, it slid out from under me. I had to monkey crawl my way to the sidewalk to finally stand up (yes, it was my fault – I tried to take a short cut across the glazed glassy grass). It wasn’t a co-worker’s fault, who fell and broke her arm. And we didn’t have it half as bad as those poor people in Kentucky.
* Directs here
Right after we bought the car, C asked what name we should give it. Now, I just thought of the first name that seemed manly and fun, like the car – ‘Bob.’ A few moments later, however I told the truth – that it wasn’t a reference to Bob Van Dillen, the meterologist on CNN Headline News in the morning. C of course teased me about it since I just happen to think that BVD is rather dishy. Sadly, there aren’t many pictures of him on the web, and the one on the main CNN site is awful so here’s a picture of him so you can sort of see what I mean. He just has that beefy all American thing going on, but honestly, I didn’t name the car after him. I think I’m seeming to protest too much. It sure doesn’t help that this picture was posed by BVD because a view wrote in and said that he looked a lot like the character “Mr. Oppotunity” – an animated character in Honda ads…and we bought a Honda…and well, but, Bob’s a nice name for a car I’m getting to like better.
This might, just might, be a link to his ‘gun show’ on Headline News. I don’t think I can embed this video so click on it and tell me what you think of Bob, the man. Not Bob, the car.
An interesting blog
Porn star James Elliott N. (professional name: “Erik Rhodes”) has a blog; perhaps you should check it out – you can find it via google. It seems to be mostly SFW in terms of images but not necessarily in terms of ‘language.’ I told C this evening that it sh0uld be required reading for unattractive people. Here’s a ‘hot’ porn star who feels utterly worthless in the gay bars just like unattractive people do. Perhaps it’s not looks, it’s not you, it’s not mne, it’s not James, it’s gay bars. He does take a lot of drugs, though; that probably doesn’t help. And he gets awards for being the best porn star. Heck, in our ‘community’ we even have awards shows for escorts! Obsessive, much? Anyway, it does show you that the grass is still grass no matter what side of the fence it’s on.
Speaking of stars and hot men
I saw one Chris Evans movie this weekend, “London.” It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. It did feature Mr. E. with Jason Statham and Jessica Biehl, who were also in “Cellular” which I really enjoyed. This one was a bit more ‘introspective.’ Or ‘too self-involved by half.’ However, in between the somewhat whiny philosophizing he does spend a very adequate and much appreciated time showing off the results of what must be hours in the gym, as you can see here (click on the thumbnails to make Chris grow a bit):
(Wouldn’t you like to make him that extatic?)
That’s all for now, I know I know, I should be more regular. I’ll try fiber.
Some Newish Beginnings
January 18, 2009 at 10:46 pm | In Culture, Cute Guys, Exercise, Gay, Resolutions | 4 CommentsTags: Cellular, Chris Evans, FiOS, Gourmet Shish Kebab, Iraq, Matus Valent, Spy
Hello, everyone! I sure hope things are going well for you as they are for us.
Today has been quite a day; we’ve switched from old-style basic cable TV and internet (if broadband can be called ‘old-style’) to FiOS from Verizon, which promises (at least) to be very fast indeed. Which is good especially since I can now be sure to catch my Housewives, Top Chefs and Chuck in enormous size and great detail. And the DVR will tape them all for me so I can go to the gym. Which has been pretty good but not stellar this week, but crowded. Unfortunately, even though it’s January 18, I’m still eating like it was December 25th – i.e., too much. I need to get back in control. Wish me luck. Or rather wish me success, ‘luck’ really seems a bit passive. It’s not ‘bad luck’ when I can’t pass the office hoard of candies that are still making their way to work unwanted.
I ate far too much chocolate Friday and felt terrible. Good thing I did go to the gym and do 60 minutes (with some excellent eye candy as a bonus!) but still, I know everyone knew what I was up to going back and forth to the big tin of mini Snickers bars. I know I’m doing the wrong thing as my back is hurting quite a bit which only happens when I’m out of control.
A nice guy at work gave me a copy of “Body for Life” – does anyone know anything about it? It does seem to rely a lot on one buying supplements, which I am always suspicious of when I see it.
Another Beginning
Takes place around here on Tuesday and we’ve already started seeing the signs about how ‘Only Buses Into DC’ and ‘Metro Lots Will Fill Up Early’ on variable message signs around town. If you work for the Federal Government in DC or any of the surrounding counties, (Fairfax, Fairfax City, Falls Church City, Alexandria City, or Arlington in Virginia; or Montgomery or Prince George’s in Maryland – I don’t work in one of them) you’re off work Tuesday and I imagine lots of private employers are either (a) letting their people off as well, or (b) providing them with a place to sleep at the 
business for Monday night. Even though I don’t have to go in or through or around the District
Tuesday I am wondering what it will be like on the roads to and from Fort Meade.
It’ll be Cold on the Day
And it’s cold now – as cold as I ever remember it here – where’s global warming when you really need it? (Usual disclaimer about how dreadful it really is and how I shouldn’t be so flippant.) This is a better day to bundle up like Chris Evans in this one picture, and not one to go shirtless like him in this other one (from his very good movie Cellular). Below’s a clip from the movie:
I strongly recommend it. Chris Evans, by the way, has a gay brother and very much supports marriage equality. So he’s good along with being good looking. (It’s a proven fact that most opponents of equality are frumpy badly-dressed and unhappy trolls with bad skin, so…if you’re on the fence on the issue, consider how much better you could look without the snarl of hate disfiguring your face.)
I also strongly recommend this site; what I, well, C really, call Road Porn.
Speaking of New Beginnings
There may be another new thing for C and me soon, maybe, if a deal comes together like we want it to. We’re keeping it under our hats for now…but who knows…if anything comes of it I’ll be sure and post the relevant details.
A bit of a shock!
We had a bit of a shock this week. A restaurant we LOVED, called quite simply but adequately ‘Gourmet Shish Kebab’ in Laurel wasn’t just run by a friendly Arab, but by a friendly Arab spy. Or rather one who was a spy. For Saddam Hussein. I wonder if that’s why the restaurant was so close to the National Security Agency. Hmmmm…Anyway, the owner pleaded guilty to charges of being an unregistered foreign agent, and the cook was caught in Buffalo trying to escape to Canada. I am really p*ssed off about it because the lamb curry and kebabs were excellent; now we have to find someplace else to get our fix of Middle Eastern spices. Never a dull moment though, eh?
And, Speaking of Spicy
Here’s today’s yummy and oh so good dose of Mr. Matus Va-Va-Va-Valent, here in a slightly more dignified pose, in and flapping out of, a nice crisp white shirt….
Lest you think it’s all about posing and strutting, here’s a video of what this specimen of a man goes through to develop and keep his physique (his face was bestowed by God and mum and dad of course, and so were his genetics, but that six pack and V didn’t drop down from on high, which I should keep in mind as inspiration to do more than gaze…):
(I can’t watch that video without thinking of working hard at the gym)
Oh, Dear
January 13, 2009 at 3:13 pm | In Cute Guys | Leave a CommentTags: Chris Evans, Matus Valent
After all that (below) I need to give you some eye candy to take your mind off things (speaking of which, there’d better bloody be eye candy at the gym tonight; I’ve forgotten my headphones and will be relying on it to take my mind of the treadmill off…well…off of treadmilling along).
Here’s our current obsession, Mr. Chris Evans, about to drive off into the sunset hopefully with somebody nice at his side (don’t you just love bench seats and mourn their passing?)
Meanwhile, we mustn’t forget our sexy Slovak, Matus Valent, here reminding us of warmer times and hotter activities in his little green swimsuit…
(It would appear he’d like you to turn his handle and get his nozzle flowing…)
Back
January 6, 2009 at 11:10 pm | In Culture, Cute Guys, Exercise, Family, Friends, Work | 2 CommentsTags: Chris Evans, Kent Island, Matus Valent, New Years, Peruvian Chicken, Pollo a la Brasa, Real Housewives of Orange County, walking
Back to work, back to routine, back to reality. Not that that’s always so bad.
Ringing it in
I had the best New Years I’ve had in ages, perhaps because it was so low key. C & I went to our good friends’ house and from there to a nice Italian restaurant. Back at their place, we had a nice time, a sedate bottle of champers, and some nice conversation. We didn’t stay late mostly because it’s a 48 mile drive back across the bay from Kent Island, Maryland, where they live.
Since Then
Well since then we’ve done very little, except now that the new year’s here, and getting going, we’re a lot more busy. I guess that’s a good thing. Mum and dad are in Florida for their peregrination annual, although whether or not they eventually move there is up in the air. If the cold damp of today, and the threats of icing tonight are a harbinger of a cold wet winter, I can’t blame then for moving; could you?
Dinner last night at a really nice Peruvian chicken house, I swear they put crack in their roast pollo a la brasa. Mmmm yuca too. For the Friday night gathering we splurged on AYCE Korean barbecue (Ill Mee) in Annandale; bulgogi, kalbi, ddukbogi, jon, sushi, all delicious. I love Korean food. I must get around to making budaejigae some day. Yeah, yeah, I know – I’ve been saying that for ages.
But It is Really Cold Outside
Do you think Chris Evans could melt you like he did this ice?
Yeah, yeah, I know – crappy segue. That’s what comes from being tired, cranky, and sometimes, being me is enough. Ah well. I did 60 minutes on the treadmill, I am (trying) to download some more episodes of ‘The Real Housewives of Orange County’ (God I envy them their weather, but not the raccoon eyes (Vicky) or the leathery skin, immobile bo-toxed eyebrows and fat collagen lips (all of ‘em).) (I bet they’d envy my winning ways with parenthetical remarks (don’t you think?).)
And Introducing
Our newest ‘mini’ obsession although model Matus Valent, from Slovakia, is hardly a tiny bite of a bloke. Here he is in a tribute to James Bond, in honor, I guess of “Quantum of Solace” or something. Who cares, right – he’d give anyone a view to a thrill...click on the thumbnails to make our big boy even bigger! enjoy the full set of shots at full size because I can’t figure out how to make them thumbnails.
(Excuse the cheezy quote from the picture source and who’d like to blow his…bubble?)
On the Down Curve
December 29, 2008 at 11:11 pm | In Cute Guys, Family, Friends, Israel, Work | 1 CommentTags: Boxing Day, Chris Evans, Christmas, Israel, Kassam, Rafael Calomeni, Sderot, walking, Work
Yes, on the down curve from the Christmas crazies. Christmas Day at my brother and sister-in-law’s house was actually pretty good. I’m terribly shy and she had her brother (and wife and two kids) and her other brother, plus her parents and mine; there were a lot of people I didn’t know. That normally spells trouble and social awkwardness – yes even at 43 I am not gracious and at ease with people I don’t 
know. I’m always jealous of people who are, but there you go. S-I-L’s brother ‘I’ was a lot of fun to talk to (and cute in a fur-bally goofy kind of way) and her even-younger brother ‘R’ was also okay to talk to but perhaps a bit reserved. Or stand-offish. I guess when you’re 26 it’s not much fun to be sat next to an old fat fairy, but he was pleasant enough. I’m a bit jealous of ‘I’ as he works in a field that interests me greatly – environmental way finding.
The dinner was nice, but my brother had to go to the Emergency Pediatric Center with my niece who was feeling poorly but all turned out well in the end. Here’s a picture of her with my S-I-L preparing the repast.
Boxing Day we got together at my parents house for a substitute Christmas. It was okay. This was the day when we exchanged presents.
How was your loot? I got some great movies, a really good book about one of my favourite artists, Piet Mondrian, a lovely hand-crocheted blanket and some really good gift cards, among other things. I hope that everyone I gave to was pleased. I had the most fun shopping for my niece and nephew. If you’re guessing from my lack of enthusiasm that I was not, well, enthusiastic about this Christmas, you’re right. The bright points were seeing my family, meeting my S-I-L’s family and spending not one but two parties with friends. It’s people that count, really. Although I do have to admit, C & I are shopping around for a digital photo frame! (Any suggestions?)
Back to Work
And Monday’s Weight Watcher’s weigh in. I skipped last week’s. Bad move. I gained three pounds in two weeks. Yikes. I didn’t go tonight (scared I’d make a fool of myself, etc., etc., etc., the same old BS story) but I’d better go tomorrow evening. After all, the sweat and eye candy are calling, no? Work was interesting. Our birthday boy, CH, here, is ‘in 
charge’ but even he couldn’t stop an operation order I wrote from being plagiarized shamelessly by another command, and sloppily too (they didn’t even change a thing, including my freaking name and contact details). I reported it and can’t wait to see what will happen next. Speaking of happenings at Fort Meade, here’s a shot from fall of when a dignitary (we think President Bush) visited the base, landing on the parade field outside my office building (and kicking everyone out of their parking lots). It might have been Dick Chaney, too, but none of the Secret Service agents seemed to get their faces blown off and we weren’t sucked into the molten heart of hell, so it probably wasn’t. Who do you think it was? It’s still the lovely, quiet “interweek” when we have little or no adult supervision (shhh don’t tell CH who thinks he’s got some power or other). The only downside is that come a week from today (Monday) management will be back with all the bright ideas they’ve cooked up at home, away from the office and reality, and we will have to gently, respectfully, kindly, explain to them how useless they are. Oh for patience. Or for infinite sick leave!
Speaking of Landings
Please watch this as you consider the daily dose of news about the ‘humanitarian situation’ in Gaza. Imagine it were your children playing at a school event when an air-raid like drill goes off and they have to run for their lives. Now imagine the world told you that your country doing anything at all to defend you and your little ones from this was an act of condemnable cruelty. That you, essentially, should put up with it, more, that you should trust the people doing this to you. Would you? Would you care one tinker’s dam what the rest of the world said when your kids were under missile attack?
Phew, We Need to Change the Mood
If only because nobody’s shelling us at the moment. What might lift our spirits is our current obsession, Mr. Chris Evans himself. Here he is in a sort of reverse of the shot from Christmas, still needing to be unwrapped, slowly (it’s too nice a job to rush):
And Not to Forget Rafael Calomeni
Who’s apparently stepped, shivering and dripping, from the pool and is towelling himself off for us…
(He is definitely ready for his close-up)
“Who the Heck are You?”
December 24, 2008 at 11:53 am | In Culture, Cute Guys, Exercise, Family | 1 CommentTags: Chris Evans, Christmas, Exercise, Food, Shane Keough, The Real Housewives, walking
…said WP when I logged in today. I know, it’s been a long time, and I don’t really have a good reason why. Sorry. It’s not like I have nothing to say. I never have nothing to say.
Merry Christmas
If I don’t speak/e-mail to you before tomorrow. Yes, that’s “Merry Christmas” and not the culturally correct “Happy Holidays.” I never liked that phrase, or how trees are renamed “Holiday Trees.” At my work they even rewrote Christmas Carols into “Holiday Songs” with some deft global search and replace. I gather it’s supposed to be more inclusive but trying to please everyone it winds up pleasing nobody. People who celebrate Christmas feel there is some kind of ‘war’ on them (which is exaggerated but the point stands), and people who don’t aren’t under any delusion about whose holiday is being celebrated, why there’s suddenly a tree in the office foyer or why trays of green and red goodies appear in office break rooms. I mean I don’t know what Muslims celebrate, or much about Kwanzaa, but I do know that Hannukah is a relatively minor holiday, not the “Jewish Christmas” (what a phrase!) which is elevated out of all proportion to its real significance, just to keep up with the neighbours.
Surely though it’s more correct, more thoughtful to find out what the person celebrates and wish them well on that particular holiday’s account? What are your thoughts?
Speaking of Christmas
, and Unwrapping Nice Things…
How about helping Chris Evans with a little unwrapping – he’s been nice enough to help you get started!
We’re nearly ready chez nous; all we have to do is wrap the presents tonight. I hope C likes what I got him; I never seem to pick good gifts, in comparison to what he (and others) give me. We’ve not put up a tree this year, same as last year. I do like trees but we have some issues with what we have as far as trees go.
See, we could either put one up in the living room – we have two for the purpose, but even the narrow one we bought takes up so much room and is awkward. Or we could put one up in the den but that’s no good either. To explain, quite some time ago, we had our basement finished and made a den, a bathroom, an office and a huge pantry/laundry room. We put a lovely enormous wide screen HD LCD TV down there, 52 inches, wireless home theater system and all, and a wet bar/sort of kitchenette (sink, fridge, microwave, cabinets), a leather sofa and lounge chair, and coffee tables and stuff. C was very creative; he hit on the idea of using kitchen cabinets as a long sideboard to have the TV on, with lots of storage underneath. They’re wood grained so they don’t look kitchen-y, if you know what I mean.
Since then we’ve hardly used the room. I’ve watched one (precisely one) movie down there. In front of the TV there are boxes of … well … crap that we need to stop kidding ourselves we’ll “go through” one day and just chuck. I mean if they’ve sat a year or more, it’s a good sign that what’s in them is not needed, don’t you think?
All this means that when we do watch movies we watch them on the non-HD TV upstairs. Why’s that significant? Well, because a 32 inch HD LCD TV has been sitting in the junk room spare bedroom for over a year, waiting for us to get our thumbs out of various regions and ‘redo’ the living room, including getting rid of the current TV and wall unit, ripping up the dingy carpet and having the lovely hardwood floors we found underneath restored to their honey glowing oak glory, and getting a new wall-unit to accomodate the lovely new TV and home theater for upstairs. I can tell you that our clutter looks a bit like Chris Evans’s here…but he decorates clutter much much better.
We are not your typical home decorating queens are we? Oh well. Perhaps I adhere to the Quentin Crisp theory of keeping house. But seriously, so much lovely equipment going unused gets to me. Until I get home and don’t feel like working, or am home and feel much the same way. Watch this space for some relevant resolutions.
All that means that the downstairs den is not a good place for a tree either.
A Heavy Issue
Not been to the gym in ages. Overeating a bit. Okay, a lot. 
I’m sure I’ve gained again. I also know the reason – too many calories in, not enough out. I do have one excuse – I was going back to the gym, all was well and sweaty and then I got really sick last week. I mean sleep in bed all day bemoan my fate sick. That kept me away for a few days, and then this week has been so busy…well Monday I was lazy, last night I had an appointment with my consellor and this arvo I’ll be busy (wrapping).
My counsellor and I discovered that my eating may be partially due to a fantasy that eating something special (i.e., anything) will make me ’special’ and cause me to transcend my current life to one where everything is marvellous and fantastic and all my problems are solved. I think that’s a big part of it. I always felt ‘different’ (lots of people do) and I think if I had to be different I wanted to be special – without the work of developing skills in athletics or much study (the former because I am lazy physically, the latter because studying and class work was always too easy…in a way, I’m lazy there too).
I need to make time either Friday or Saturday to get back, especially as during the interweek the gym closes early some days and it will be difficult to get in after work.
It’s really stupid because I have a seasons of the “Real Housewives of Orange County” on my iPod to watch while walking. I love that show. Even with the departure of sexy Shane Keough, I still love it. I don’t think I could live there, though, they seem too driven and superficial in public. In private I don’t know, but in public, the fear of growing old (and dying) or seeming to have less than others have or less than you had last year I would think would be unsettling to see up close.
I should probably use eye-candy like ole Shane over there and Chris Evans and all as inspiration. I mean they didn’t come out of a box that way, did they?
I think that’s all for now. I will try to post a bit later on today after I’ve gone through acres of wrapping paper to badly, skill-lessly wrap pressies. I’ll be back to talk about our AngloAm family Christmas arrangements, I ’spect…meanwhile while you wait, breathless and in suspense, why not check out the Worldmapper site? It shows ‘distorted’ maps of the countries of the world, re-sizing each country according to the subject of interest. For example, here is a map where countries’ sizes correspond to the number of people living on a purchasing power of less than one dollar a day…you can quite clearly see where the reservoirs of misery are.
(I don’t have a cute quip – I am lucky enough to have lived in one of the nearly invisible countries all my life.)
This is Getting Ridiculous!
December 14, 2008 at 11:52 pm | In Cute Guys, Family, Friends, Fun and Relaxation | Leave a CommentTags: Chris Evans, Christmas, Rafael Calomeni
A whole bloody week, and what’s more, one in which I had some, a great deal even of free time.
Honestly. You all will start thinking I have dropped off the ends of the earth.
Events!
Not many during the week; boss out most of it, back only Thursday. The First Army Division East Christmas Social was that evening, but I didn’t go. I just never seem to fit in in those kinds of things, and sort of sit, awkwardly, without knowing what to say. Plus it was pot-luck and volunteers to clean up afterwards were sought. Not my idea of a jolly evening. The next day was very quiet around the office, as everyone was out, except me and one co-worker, who left at noon. I got some work done, generally in preparation for my micromanaging boss tomorrow.
Now, C’s work involves irregular hours and he’d been late (11:30 pm) on Wednesday, and early (out the door before seven) on Thursday, and late Thursday too, so by Friday I was really dragging…we decided not to go out with the chums that evening, and I was in bed by seven and out like a light by seven oh five. Oh my. Saturday we did some errands, including stopping off by my parents house. My dad is ‘downsizing’ and was giving me an old camera – a Pentax ME Super, with three lenses and all sorts of extras (no flash though; bummer). I love digital photography but there’s something so appealing about the mechanical goodness, the whirrs and thunks and gearing and chunkiness of an old-fashioned honest machine like a 35-mm SLR. Heck I still love that 1957 Voightlander for its heft, as much as I love my pocket Olympus digital for its convenience. Yes waiting for the films back from the shop is murder but there you go. Sometimes, anachronism must be embraced, don’t you think?
After that we zipped across the bay bridge to K&D’s house for their Christmas party. It was lovely, even if we did wind up staying until three in the morning. Eeep! We didn’t bring our presents to exchange which may have been a mistake in the end; we got such lovely things from our friends. KW’s brother and sister in law even gave us a set of toasting flutes for our wedding present, engraved with our names and everything. I was quite touched and taken aback by their kindness; by everyone’s kindness. KW hand crocheted us matching blankets for our Christmas and K&D gave us a Bodum borosilicate glass insulated caraffe – I love the Bodum line – the double layers insulate everything so well, that you don’t have to preheat for hot liquids or chill for cold. And the glass is so smooth to the touch. Our friend CK gave us a wonderful coffee press, timer and coffee set which is great as press coffee is really the best flavour for non-expresso coffee. Somehow the flavour of the beans gets really nicely extracted in a press. Yummy. And my Godson gave me a Kitkat bar. See, when he was a babe in arms, I bought him a kitkat bar and for the longest time that was all he would eat. Awwww. He’s a good kid. Mostly.
Upcoming Events!
Well, Christmas is coming up, that’s clear. I wish I could feel about it now the way I did when I was a young ‘un. I used to have such trouble dropping off to sleep Christmas Eve. It seemed as if all in the world that was new and exciting and fun was about to burst forth and it was so frustrating that I had to sleep and wait for it. Wait? Sleep? When Santa Claus was going to come into my house, when we were to have a brush with magic and dreams – my parents wanted me to sleep??!!?? Then, when I was old enough, I’d wake up so early, before dawn, and go downstairs to where the tree was, miraculously surrounded by all these presents, in shiny wrapping, so perfect, so still, so pregnant with all the goodies and secrets that were about to burst forth as soon as they were opened. I’d turn on the tree lights and sit, so still that I could hear the little switches at the base of each bulb make it’s delicate tiny almost inaudible sound as it illuminated or extinguished its light above, dancing from burst to bust as if by a secret choreography that served only to highlight the restrained perfection of all that life, all that magic, held inside by sheets of paper. Everything was perfect at that point for me and I’d sit, hushed, awed, at the sight. Of course, once you opened the present, you had the toy to play with, or the book to read, or the cassette (yes!) to listen to, but before the paper was ripped aside, there could be anything there, and that anticipation, that cataloguing of all the possibilities, that quivering just before the knowledge that would open one door and shut all the others, was something I always wanted to hold on to, just quietly, just by myself.
Now I know how the presents get there, how the decisions about what to buy are made according to an internal budget, sometimes in rushed frustration, sometimes, better, in considered thoughtfulness, but when you know, there’s no mystery. I know how they are wrapped, and that on one, terribly grown up level, it’s pointless for me to give C a gift as our money is pooled and he could probably find something better himself, that it’s silly to wrap something Christmas eve when it’s just going to be ripped apart in a few hours, I know all that, and I am glad to be grown up and able to give, rather than receive presents, able to decide, rather than wait to see what was decided, but still…the best gift would be to be five or six again, and hear perfection in the muted chink of electric lights and see a million futures in the reflections in the wrapping paper and ribbons.
That would be the best gift. But if you want to see my amazon gift list, there are some good consolation prizes you could give me. Tee hee!
Speaking of Unwrapping
Our obsession Chris here is half-unwrapped (in a shot from ‘The Fantastic Four’); who’d like to finish the job? Meanwhile, these shots of Rafael Calomeni, still enjoying a lovely time in warm Brasil, should help those of us in the chilly mid-Atlantic, or the frozen parts of the country, stay toasty.
(Don’t they both heat you up?)
It’s Ironic
December 7, 2008 at 10:43 pm | In Culture, Cute Guys, Exercise, Politics | 2 CommentsTags: armed, Chris Evans, Exercise, feminists, Gay, lesbian, Little Britain, militant, Pollo a la Brasa, Rafael Calomeni, Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber, walking, WKRP
That just after promising to post more, I let a whole week go by without posting. Not good. First off, though, I have to say I did not gain weight last week, in fact I was down a bit. And this week I went to the gym every day but two (i.e., five days) which I’m pretty pleased about. And I did weight lifting four of those days. I even conquered my fear of using the “Freedom Trainer.” It’s an adjustable two-cable machine and when you use it you have to sort of stand away from it…nearly in the middle of the room, for all to see. But it’s really a better way to do flyes, and I want to use it this coming week for my arms work. It’s better because it wobbles a bit, forcing you to use your stabilizer muscles, and because both arms can work independently (I think) so the weaker one doesn’t come along for the ride, as it were. Here’s a video of an ingenious exercise you can do with one (the machine has a different name but it’s exactly the same set-up):
Other than that the week was pretty good. How was yours? I did think of one thing though…
Armed Militant Lesbian Feminists
This is for all the straight men who read my blog (there may be some, I guess). I want you to imagine that most people at your office and in your neighbourhood were armed militant lesbian feminists or gay men. Some of the women are hot sexy women, and sometimes they’re nice to you, but basically, if they caught you or thought you interested in them, they would either shoot you or try to injure you. Oh, and most judges are also armed militant lesbian feminists, and although recently a great deal of strides towards fairness have been made, sometimes one armed militant lesbian feminist can tell a judge that her horror at thinking you were coming on to her was the reason she killed you, and get a reduced sentence because everyone knows that that horror, of a filthy man wanting his way with a woman, is reason enough for the woman to kill him.
Most movies and television shows concern the lives and loves of armed militant lesbian feminists, or gay men, and only a few shows have the odd non-gay male characters in them, and when they do, most of the time they’re lunk-headed macho stereotypes. Although explicit love scenes of armed militant lesbian feminists or gay men are common, any depiction of a straight man and a non-lesbian woman doing more than a chaste kiss is decried as obscene or disgusting or at the most, ‘daring.’ Although again, things are getting better and lots of people enjoy their friendships with non-gays and non-lesbians. But certainly non-gay men and non-lesbian women aren’t seen by everyone as having real relationships and aren’t allowed to marry, though they can in some places have ‘civil unions.’
Some employers have ‘enlightened’ policies towards their non-gay or non-lesbian employees, but it’s still possible in some states to be fired for being heterosexual. But at your gym, where you work out, or when you are in the armed forces, you have to share a locker with armed militant lesbian feminists. You have to shower with them, and they’d better not catch you glancing at them. You see them on the basketball court and lifting weights and swimming, but you have to be careful not to admire them or look at them too long, unless you’re certain that the object of your desire is a non-lesbian. Because all your life you’ve been told that non-gay-ism or non-lesbian-ism is disgusting you have a certain shame about admitting your status, even though you’re sure there are some non-lesbians around. Imagine under those circumstances actually putting the moves on a woman you knew to be an armed militant lesbian feminists. Not too likely, is it?
So, guys, no, I’m not perving on you at the gym, though some of you are definitely perv-worthy, a gay man is very unlikely to be doing so; in fact, it’s the last place one of us would check you out. So calm the hell down about gays in the military or gays anywhere.
Oh, I think that would have been better written some time ago. Things aren’t quite as bad as that. Not for me at least. But I’m not an eighth grader in California, or a university student in Wyoming, I don’t live in Iraq or Afghanistan or Iran or the Carribean, thank God.
</rant>
What Else?
Or, quick, AngloAm, lighten the mood! The week was pretty uneventful although at work I had to write up my ‘accomplishments’ for my performance review. I hate doing this. I swing between thinking ‘I have none’ to ‘my stellar worth will be unrecognized.’ Close behind that second thought is the idea that if I don’t earn lots of money I won’t be doing right by my family (i.e., C) or my reputation (i.e., by my parents’ and brother’s opinions of me). It’s a lose-lose proposition.
Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber
Friday the friends and C and I went to a new pollo a la brasa place in Beltsville. It was good, C and I’d been there for lunch before. Saturday we took my new DVDs of “Little Britain” and “WKRP in Cincinatti” (the latter a birthday present) to K & D’s house and watched them after a nice meal out. It was a lovely meal.
On our way there we stopped off at a Michael’s to have a painting I bought over twenty years ago in Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber framed. The shop was having a sixty percent off sale so we got a good price. I can’t wait until we can pick it up. We need to get off our well padded posteriors and redecorate our living and dining rooms. That will involve removing the ugly carpeting, having somebody in to restore the underlying hardwood floors (original from 1950), getting rid of some furniture and replacing it with new, painting the baseboards and some walls, and having FIOS installed. Quite a tall order but we’ve been talking about it for a year now. We even have the flat screen TV we will need, all stored away in Bedroom 2. But we’re so lazy.
Almost as Lazy/Distracted
as Chris Evans here playing with something between his legs…
Okay, so it’s his camera. So sue me! I wonder what will develop. I wonder if anyone under 20 knows what that means.
Out of his Undies
Now that Rafael Calomeni’s out of his undies, he and the photographer lucky enough to capture it all seem to have decided to go get wet (click on little Raffy to make him become big Raffy – see how he will smile in thanks!):
And here’s another treat for you…the making-of video for these shots…
Long and Lovely Weekend
November 30, 2008 at 11:12 pm | In Baking, Cute Guys, Exercise | 2 CommentsTags: Baking, bread, Chris Evans, Exercise, Rafael Calomeni, Thanksgiving, walking
It was a long and lovely weekend, and I’m in a much better frame of mind. Thursday we had a pretty good day cooking and eating our Thanksgiving meal. It was nice to do it just the two of us. (No, no Yorkshire Pudding, we had plenty without it.) The roast Brussels sprouts were so sweet like candy. Friday we ran a few errands and I did 60 minutes at the gym, and we had an enjoyable dinner with our friends. Saturday a few more errands, and I did 45 minutes at the gym, and today we did very little…except I made four loaves of white bread and one quick bread (orange cranberry with pecans).
I’m certain I’ve gained weight. Lots of butter, incessant nibbling, etc. A new week starts tomorrow.
We’ve got some of our Christmas shopping done and I got a lovely card from my old sixth grade teacher – I last saw her in 1977 in England at Aspin Park Primary School in lovely Knaresborough in Yorkshire.
Two Movies You Should See
There are two movies I can report you should see today. The first isn’t really a movie per se but a BBC Two 
miniseries that’s available on DVD called ‘The Line of Beauty.’ I can’t recommend it enough for the critical examination of 
the hypocrasies and excesses of Thatcherite Britain in the 1980s. (Also, Dan Stevens is rather dishy.)
The second is a Dutch masterpiece called ‘Simon.’ Talk about a larger than life character and a great story about two friends who reconnect after 14 years and find that their friendship is changed and deepend with the serious illness of one. Yes, one of them is gay, but nobody has AIDS.
(I know these are good because I sat and watched them today while letting the bread rise or bake.)
Speaking of Dishy
Here’s Chris Evans who probably doesn’t overeat at Thanksgiving, does he? If you’d like to make him bigger and bigger and grow and grow, just click on the small thumbnails….
And From South of the Continent
Here’s today’s Rafael Calomeni fix. He seems to have finished taking off that dark blue suit and to have started on his creamy white unmentionables…
(Where can all this be leading?)
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