Thursday, December 27, 2012

Of Living Intensely...


I watched the latest installment of the "Jason Bourne" series last night, The Bourne Legacy, starring Jeremy Renner. Despite a scattered start, it kept me pretty entertained and engaged. As I was watching the movie, I was thinking about how the "bad guys" were portrayed in this and just about every other espionage thriller, and I started wondering how many people in the real world live their lives with such sheer intensity and drive. Yes, I realize it's a standard Hollywood stereotype, but it has to be based on someone, right? Could someone actually live their day-to-day life scheming and watching their back? Think about it- even your most dedicated and ominous mastermind/right-hand man/henchman wants to have a day off and a cocktail sometime, right?

Of all the people I consider friends, I don't think I know one person who has this sort of "Type A" personality. Maybe it's a situation of "birds of a feather flock together", as I don't think I could stand to be around someone who was business all the time. The people that know me know that I'm a very laid back and easygoing person, happy-go-lucky, if you will. Maybe I should entertain the idea of becoming "intense guy" for awhile? Nah, that's too much work...

Phil Hartman as President Reagan, Mastermind.



Wednesday, December 26, 2012

After Christmas Recovery...

Just like much of the rest of America, the day after Christmas, I'm dealing with a hangover. Not necessarily the alcoholic variety, either. Today, I deal with a food hangover. On the menu yesterday was roast leg of pork, tri tip roast, mashed potatoes, lasagna, fried shrimp, not to mention the dessert table, which included a variety of pies, cheesecake, bundt cake, and persimmon bread, baked by yours truly.



Oh, did I mention the deep fried mac and cheese?


Yep, macaroni and cheese, breaded and deep fried. Probably the most unjustified food on the table, and one of the most delicious. And as a result of this spread, as well as lots of wine and some liquor, today I dreaded stepping on the scale and checking my glucose levels. To my surprise, I was only up a pound, and my glucose level was lower than normal. My daily walk was great, and my time was actually lower than the last couple days. A gold star for me, maybe I only thought I ate too much?

Still, like the rest of the country, I have to deal with the guilt of excess- and a fridge full of leftovers staring me in the face.



Tuesday, December 25, 2012

A Magic Window

So I just finished taking a video call over Skype with friends in Switzerland; they were on a laptop and I had Skype running on my iPad. About halfway through the call, I realized how amazing this technology was. The fact that I was talking with someone halfway around the world on a device that was about the size and shape of a magazine (remember those?). It was like a window to their world, almost magical. I realize that video calling is becoming more and more utilized, especially in the business world, and with Apple pushing FaceTime, more and more regular people are using the technology on a daily basis; but it's still really amazing to me.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, with hopes that everyone will have a happy and joyful holiday...

Saturday, December 22, 2012

My life with Flickr... Now free (for three months)!



Years ago, I first started my first flirtations with what was to evolve into this monster called "social media"; at that point, there was no Facebook, no Instagram, no Twitter. I would upload my digital pictures to Flickr, basically a photo-sharing site with various social aspects to it, including public sharing, comments, and groups to join. It was easy and fun, and I enjoyed sharing my daily life in digital pics with friends, and occasionally strangers.

I enjoyed it enough to eventually pay for the "Pro" subscription fee- around $25 a year, which allowed me to upload and display more of my images. A short time after that, Flickr was acquired by Yahoo!, and though there was a little concern among loyal Flickr users about the cool independent site turning into a corporate zombie, I continued paying for my annual subscription. Those concerns materialized with the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, and the onset of apps soon after. Though there were improvements like the option of uploading HD video and solid uptime, the site seemed to have become complacent.

As new, agile companies started introducing various photography and photo-sharing apps, Flickr was languishing. Flickr apps were slow in coming, and when they did arrive, they were clunky and seemed like an afterthought. As Instagram, Facebook, and other social sites were gaining traction, users left Flickr for faster, more nimble, and more active sharing sites. I eventually joined those fleeing, and although I continued to upload to Flickr, I let my Pro account lapse; Instagram and Facebook taking it's place.

Fast forward to 2012, when Yahoo! brings on a new CEO, who has visions of revitalizing Flickr; and in December, the controversial blunder of Instagram's change in it's Terms Of Service. Flickr, seeing a chance to snag unhappy Instagram users, moves quickly and offers users both new and existing, a three month subscription for free. For me, this is definitely a bonus, and I'll definitely be taking another look at Flickr again. Since I had never cancelled my account, I still have 8 years of pictures stored with them, and hopefully, I'll continue to use them. If you don't already have an account, check them out!

Friday, December 21, 2012

The Madness Of Wayne LaPierre

When it comes to guns, I sort of view them as a tool, or gadget; however, I don't own one, and there are other things on which I'd rather spend my time and money. Granted, there's a chance that these gadgets can be used to hurt people, but in responsible hands, they should be safe. Because of this, I'm not huge into the whole gun control thing. Just like any other tool, guns should be handled safely and responsibly.

Unfortunately, as seen last Friday, and so many other times before, that's not always the case.

This morning, Wayne LaPierre, the Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association, released a statement basically blaming everyone and everything else for the shooting, except for the shooter and the power and availability of the weapons he used. While his statements were controversial, the part that incensed me was blaming the school and "gun-free" zones for being attractive targets for gunmen.

"Politicians pass laws for Gun-Free School Zones. They issue press releases bragging about them. They post signs advertising them.

And in so doing, they tell every insane killer in America that schools are their safest place to inflict maximum mayhem with minimum risk."

What the Hell? So it's the school's fault for being such a safe place? Isn't that what school is supposed to be? By his logic, every unarmed jogger is inviting a mugging; every grocery store inviting robbery. What kind of world is he living in? Apparently it's a world where victims are at fault. And his solution to school shootings? Place an armed law enforcement officer in every school. Because that's realistic, and especially with government budgets these days, completely affordable.

It just makes my head spin to think there are people that exist like this in our country, in our world, with influence over so many others. I have no problem with people, responsible people, owning guns. But I do have a problem with Mr. LaPierre irresponsibly shooting his mouth off...


R.E.M. - It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

I want this to be on my soundtrack to the apocalypse.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Eve Of Destruction

According to some folks, the world is supposed to end tomorrow. Never mind that that the experts on the Mayan calendar have pretty much debunked the theory that the ancient American civilization predicted an apocalypse on December 21, 2012; people have to have something to believe in, right? I think most people are pretty much taking it in stride, I haven't seen any reports of mass hysteria, rioting, or even general malaise, aside from the run on semi-automatic rifles at Wal-Mart. Me? I'm fine; tomorrow will be just another day, the sun will rise, I'll go on my walk, and drink some coffee. Part of me sort of longs for a matte black Interceptor, a sawed off shotgun, and a mangy Australian cattle dog, but I'll settle for my Honda Element, my iPhone, and a goofy black Lab.


Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Four gallons of water

On October 29th of this year, I had my annual checkup with my doctor. Before the appointment, I was asked to have blood drawn so we could see how my health was. It wasn't pretty. As I had anticipated, my cholesterol was off the charts, my glucose was in the diabetic range, and my blood pressure, already being controlled by meds, was increasing. In short, I my health was that of an "average American" these days. I left the appointment that day with two new prescriptions, and a healthy scare.

I realized I needed to make some changes in my lifestyle to try to rein in these health issues. Technically, I have been losing weight steadily for the last 5 years or so- about 20 pounds to be exact. But it wasn't good enough to prevent these other health issues from popping up. With this scare motivating me, I decided to jump on the low-carb wagon again and stick to it seriously. For several weeks, I ate pretty much protein, green vegetables, and cheese; I've been familiar with this method of eating for many years now, but never measured the results. In addition, I started long walks with the dog three times a week. One month after I started, I went back to see my doctor, and both she and I were amazed at the results.

All the high results in my blood panels had dropped- specifically, in the case of the cholesterol, a drop of a hundredfold. My glucose was measured at almost half of what it was the previous appointment, my blood pressure had dropped, and I had lost 10 pounds. Additional related effects have included my clothes fitting better- to the point of having to buy new jeans, and an increased energy level. All due to a magic combination of diet and exercise.

It's been three weeks since that last appointment, and I've increased my exercise to a 3.5 mile daily walk, and lost an additional 5 pounds. I test my glucose levels and blood pressure regularly, and both have dropped even more. The tangible feedback is a huge motivator. My next appointment is January 8, and I'm determined to be 10 pounds lighter than my last appointment. I'm halfway there.

So what's the four gallons of water referring to in the title of this post? Today, I carried a 3 gallon jug of water. In the last 5 years, I've lost the equivalent weight of about 4 gallons of water. Ever carry 4 gallons of water? Everywhere you went? Yeah, I don't carry that anymore; and it feels good. Just more tangible, real world feedback...


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

What's Going On Here?

Hi, my name is Manny. I've always thought of myself as a good communicator, but I've never really considered myself a writer. Generally the media I've stuck to has been visual: art, photography, sculpture. But it's all about conveying a message- so why not try writing as a medium? The blogging bandwagon is pretty well established, but I think the platform will allow me to exercise, as well as continue to develop, my writing skills.

I'd like to be able to post an average of one entry a day- even if it's just a paragraph; I'll be posting on any variety of subjects, and probably more often than not, random musings that tumble through my head. To whoever might be reading this, there's no guarantee of gripping drama or even mildly amusing anecdotes. But who knows? Maybe I'll develop into a decent writer, and maybe, just maybe, a random gem might tumble out of my mind and onto the 'net...

Instagram: "all your pics are belong to us"


So Instagram stirred up quite the controversy by changing their Terms Of Service to allude to the fact that they had the right to sell users' pics to various advertisers. This didn't go over well with Instagram users; in fact, the outcry was so loud that the company apologized and clarified their position on copyright. It seems to me that a company as visible as the Facebook-owned Instagram would have proofed their TOS before actually posting it; considering the fact that millions of people post millions of pics daily with their service, you'd think that something as important as a change to who retains the copyright of those millions of pics might garner just a little more scrutiny by their legal team. Or maybe the controversial TOS was exactly what they wanted, and they didn't think anyone would notice...

Either way, I used the service instaport.me to download all my Instagram pics. I did this both as a backup of my pics, and just in case I end up deleting my account over this issue.