Bah humbug? Maybe not...
At this point I only have a couple of people left to buy Christmas gifts for. As much as I enjoy giving gifts to the people I that I love, I have to admit that I am becoming a little disenchanted with the whole deal.
What I mean is this - I buy things all year long for my wife and my kids. There are times during the year that we may see something that we feel a friend would enjoy and buy it for them. So why should I go broke buying them all stuff for Christmas? I wonder if it wouldn't be better to get with my family and tell them this: "We are here for each other all year long. We love each other all year long and show each other that love. We also buy little things and big things for each other throughout the year. So how about we do this - instead of buying each other gifts for Christmas, let's all buy something for a needy child? Or a family that can't afford a holiday meal? Or both the gifts and a meal for a family that needs it?"
Isn't that what Christmas is about? I mean, yeah, Christmas is (supposed to be) a celebration of the birth of Jesus, Savior of men. But what did Jesus teach us? Commercialism is king? My child needs an iPod Nano to be truly happy and blessed as a human? No. He taught us to love others. And others means people beyond our immediate family. Anyone can love their family. It takes someone very special to show love to a stranger.
Next time someone asks me what I would like for Christmas I will tell them that I would like to feed someone. After they come back from their state of shock and confusion I will explain my feeling to them. If that doesn't work for them then I will tell them I want a Gameboy Advance and a couple of games for it. Then I will go to my local Angel Tree and find a little boy or girl that has nothing and give the Gameboy to them. It will mean much more to them than it will to me.
Besides, I think that I will really be the one who gets the best gift of all - showing love to a stranger. Maybe a little like Jesus would have. I can't lose.
-Mojo
Where did the time go?
Time. Who has enough of it? It seems that it slips away all too quickly. And I find that as I get older it seems to slip away that much faster. I know that time hasn't actually accelerated so it must just be my perception that has changed over the years. The problem is, how do I stop it? Is it even possible?
I, like many others, say that I want more time for things. The only problem with that is that we all get the same amount of time. Twenty-four hours a day. That's it. No more, no less. Then why does it seem like I have less time today than I did a few years ago? I think it comes down to time management. Just like in business where it is vital to schedule and manage our time to get things accomplished in the workplace, I feel that it is equally important to schedule our time in the world as well. I have found myself running in chaos after I get home. I walk in the door, thinking about the million things I need to get done, get overwhelmed and promptly do nothing. Days, weeks, and months go by while continuing this same pattern. It's no wonder that I don't get things accomplished that I want to do. This also adds to the feeling of being overwhelmed and lacking time.
The truth is that I have the exact amount of time as the most productive person on the planet. It is just that I have not managed that time accordingly. So I have begun a time budget. Certain days of the week are allocated to certain activities. For example, on Monday nights I meet with business associates to make calls to clients and Tuesday nights are for business presentations. Friday nights are set aside for spending time with our close friends playing dominoes and relaxing.
Although my system is far from polished or perfect it is a start. I went into my time budget with the understanding that it is a living and growing thing. Tweaks will be done all along the way. Changes are okay though. The point was not to set hard fast rules in stone. The point was to start having time work for me and not against me. It is to start me heading in the right direction to meet goals and finish many an abandoned project taking up valuable garage space.
We all get the same number of hours in a day. What are you doing with yours?
-Mojo
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
Okay. What the hell is wrong with the world? A father has been convicted of mutilating his 7 year old daughter's genitals when she was 2 years old. A 19 year old man in Arkansas (insert redneck jokes here) has admitted to raping his own mother. The list goes on and on in regards to the stories that showcase the depravity of human beings.
What do we do with these people? Incarcerate them? Execute them? We do both things now but crime still runs rampant. I'm not suggesting I have the answer by any means. I am only stating my frustration at the apparent worsening of our society despite any deterrents of the past or present. What is it going to take to get human beings back on track again?
I know there will likely always be a couple of people out there that are just going to insist on being as evil as they can possibly be. Some people are just born that way. But I have to believe that the number of people currently acting like movie monsters could have possibly turned out differently if the world, or at least their world, had been a better place for them in their own lives.
I am certainly not one to buy into the "I had a bad childhood" excuse. I fully believe that as an adult you are able to make your own decisions and you should be held accountable for those decisions. But at the same time I also believe that our environment, experiences, and other factors help shape us and can affect how we make some of those decisions. That is not to say that if someone commits a crime and can prove that mommy and daddy didn't love them that they are excused from any punishment related to that crime. If I murder someone then I should be held accountable for that crime no matter what kind of past I come from or paint for a jury.
I guess I just wish I had a magic wand that would make people better. By better I mean nicer, friendlier, less prone to kill other people over religious beliefs, not giving young boys lobotomies and cannibalizing them later. You know, just being decent humans to each other.
Young men raping their own mothers make me sick. Jihadists killing people in the name of Islam (ironically referred to by Muslims as the religion of "peace") just piss me off. And to harm, abuse, mutilate, or kill your own child is beyond my comprehension.
Do yourself, and me, a favor today. Hug a kid. Do one nice thing for someone else. Help an old woman load groceries into her car. Whatever. Just perform a random act of kindness and show love to another human being today. And go ahead and do it tomorrow too. I promise you will feel better and maybe you'll help someone else have a little hope as well. Maybe that's what the rapists, cannibals, abusers and Jihadists need - a little hope.
It's worth a try.
-Mojo
Diet, exercise, and other general confusion...
Okay, so I need to lose more weight. I also need more exercise. So how do I go about that?
First I have to look at the need. Why do I need to lose weight? Well, first of all so that I can better manage my Type II Diabetes. How does losing weight do that? By dropping the excess pounds I can get my body out of the 'insulin resistance' mode that it is currently in. Basically, I got so fat that my body began to ignore its natural insulin. Therefore my cells are unable to utilize glucose for food and energy. Hence, I have excessive amounts of glucose running around in my blood stream. Viola! Type II Diabetes. Fortunately this disease can be put on the back burner by losing weight and getting my body resensitized to its own natural insulin. Will that mean I am no longer Diabetic? Unfortunately, no. I will always and forever be a Type II Diabetic. But I can become a Diabetic that is not affected by the disease. That is the ultimate goal here.
Also, I have high blood pressure and high levels of LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol). My levels of HDL (good cholesterol) are a little too low. Again, I can thank my bad lifestyle choices for these conditions. By the way, losing fat will help with the blood pressure issue.
I have been plagued by sleep apnea for years as well. Fortunately I went to a sleep study and got help. I now use a CPAP machine at night to help me breathe so I can stay asleep and actually go into REM sleep mode. And if you didn't know this - the vast majority of sleep apnea sufferers are obese. If I lose the extra weight then there is a good chance I will no longer need a CPAP machine to get rested at night.
So losing my excess weight will help me to either eliminate or reduce the effects of high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and Type II Diabetes. Sounds great. What now?
Diet changes. This is huge. The only, I repeat, the ONLY way to lose weight is to take in fewer calories than you burn in a day. Period. That is the magic formula. There are no magic pills, drinks, or patches that will replace diet and exercise. There are people that will tell you that their pill, drink or patch will melt the fat from your body but they are just trying to profit from your desperation.
My diet change is this: low glycemic. That's it. Nothing fancy. Basically I will be choosing what I eat based on its Glycemic Index value. What does that mean? The Glycemic Index is a system that rates food based on how quickly and intensely a food affects your glucose levels. For example, a baked potato will spike your blood sugar whereas a whole-grain roll will not. It is showing how carbohydrates are processed and used by the body. This is important not just for diabetics but for anyone. I have seen both diabetics and non-diabetics benefit greatly from this way of eating. This is not some fad diet either. The Glycemic Index has been around since the early 80's and is becoming more understood and accepted in the nutritional community. In fact, there are a few commercials on TV now that sell pre-packaged meals and diet plans that are based on the low glycemic way of eating. It's about choosing the right kinds of carbs to put into your body to help control and regulate your glucose levels.
The other half of the fitness equation is the exercise. Cardio kills fat. So my fitness routine will involve walking, jogging, and running. I loathe and detest the idea of doing cardiovascular exercise but I understand that if I want to burn fat then that is what I will have to do. I will also be doing weight training. This is so that I can build muscle. Not to bulk up into some body builder guy or anything, but simply to improve the condition of my muscles. Muscle tissue burns fat for energy. So the more muscle I build the more fat I burn all day long.
This is not going to be fun. This will not be easy. But it will be worth it. I have to do this now or I am afraid I never will. I have already let myself go for years and it has finally begun catching up to me. I am a 34 year old diabetic. What else is it going to take to make me wake up and do something about my health? I certainly do not want to be a 35 year old heart-attack survivor. I quit a 19 year smoking habit on Feb. 3, 2006. Now it is time for the diet and exercise changes.
I am 5'10" tall. I currently weigh 250 pounds. This is about 70 pounds too much. My goal is to lose 70 pounds in one year. So by Oct. 11, 2007 I will weigh 180 pounds.
If I do not reach this goal then I will volunteer 10 hours of my time and a $100 donation to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), which in my opinion is one of the most corrupt and deluded organizations in this country.
Okay, so my risk of failure is to give my time and money to an organization I can't stand. So what is my reward for success? Getting my health back.
I will definitely keep you updated on my progress!
-Mojo
Blogging
So why do we blog? Or maybe the question is: Why do I blog?
I suppose it comes from some deep-rooted need to be heard? I'm not sure. I look at blogging as an online diary that is open to everyone to read. It is a chance for me to share thoughts and feelings with the entire world in hopes that someone may care, agree, disagree, or think about what I said. Any of those outcomes are fine with me. As long as I get the stuff off of my chest I suppose I feel better for it.
Blogging has become a great widespread means of communication. Some people blog with a focus on politics, religion, news events, children, marriage, or any other subject. I blog on all counts. I am not specific to any one genre as I am not an expert in any one genre, but rather just a student of all that goes on around me. Sometimes I understand what is happening and sometimes I don't. Other times I think I do but am wrong (as any number of people may attest to).
But basically for me, blogging is just my ramblings as yet another member of cyberspace. Hopefully someone besides myself sees and reads my blogs. If not that is okay. I will still feel better for having said whatever it is that I have said.
God bless!
Mojo
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