Click to go to the government food pyramid website

I’ve been reading alot lately about how the musculature of the body is structured, powered, damaged, maintained, and improved. If the title of this site didn’t clue you, I’m a freak about knowledge. I like to know as much as I can about a subject when I’m interested in it. I won’t retain it all but I’ve got a pretty good filing cabinet in my brain that acts more like a vault. Information goes in, it just sometimes takes a lot to get it back out.

I’ve been doing this because all written medical advice says I am overweight/obese. I make a point of saying written because no doctor has ever actually told me so. Why? Because my body carries the weight well. I am not all muscle, but I’m fairly solid. Most people see me and think I’m in decent to great shape. When I go to a doctor they take my measurements and what not, but not one has ever mentioned my weight. Not once.

What I wanted to say on the subject is I find the level of intensity and focus required for the average person to make a  sustained health/diet changes is closer on the spectrum to obsession than it is to dedication. We all call it dedication, but think about what usually happens.

Exercise becomes not a part of life, but a way of life. Calorie counting becomes the focus of every meal instead of enjoying the process of cooking and eating. Portion control becomes a mantra instead of good sense. Life becomes unbalanced. It’s unbalanced for a positive reason, but balance exists for a reason

So what do you do? Take a step back, and say “If I were watching my friend lead this life and was asked to comment, what would I think? What would I say?” If you’re uncomfortable with the answer, you’re uncomfortable with the way you’ve chosen to live your life, and eventually it will bite you in the rear.

So like a spine after a car accident, you probably need some adjustments. Do yourself a favor and be true to you.You can’t be awesome if you’re treating yourself like you’re not.

And so begins the discussion on putting thought into reality. In this case the thought is accommodating those who know they want every party they go to, to have an almost fully stocked bar. Really, as close as you can get without the use of a refrigerator (but don’t think I haven’t made plans for that too).

See I was always the guy who didn’t want to rely on the hosts to supply all the liquid courage. I was brought up in a BYO____ world, so naturally the attitude carried over. It’s not that I didn’t trust the hosts to plan accordingly, I just liked helping out. I’m a giver. And it helped this shy guy be more social. I mean, who doesn’t want to talk to the guy who shows up to the party with a duffle bag full of bottles and mixables. Every time. He’d probably be your new drunk best friend! (the friend you only recognize after you’ve been drinking because in reality you have no idea who they are and everybody is your best friend when you’re drunk you happy happy drunk you)

Well if the duffle bag is the minor leagues, what we’re talking about is definitely for the majors. The goal is simple: condense your average bar down to a reasonable size, then take it wherever you need to go.

So we’re going to start with the key ingredients to this puzzle. Bottles and tools. This contraption will hold 10 standard sized 750 ml bottles at max, depending on its design. If one chooses to have a “more complete” yet basic bar, then it’s 9 bottles. If one chooses to be a little more upscale and have a top shelf/bottom shelf split, then it’s 10 bottles. It will also hold your typical bar tools: spoons, muddler, swizzle sticks, tooth picks, corkscrew, peeler, napkins. I haven’t mentioned the all important shaker and shot glasses yet have I? Yes those fit too.

Stick around for the next part of this discussion where we go into the construction a bit.

Lately, I’ve seen a number of really good movies disguised as movies you shouldn’t give a second watch. The latest one was Tropic Thunder. I really don’t know why I waited so long to see this movie. It was funny, silly, offensive, and overflowing with WTF moments. Everything I’d expect from a movie  with Stiller, Black, Downey, Cruise, and that guy who sounds like Tom Arnold.

What made this a good movie was the “meta’ nature of it (I’m starting to talk like my old professors now, somebody slap me). You have these actors, playing actors, playing part in a movie. Only the movie in the movie becomes reality, forcing them to play their roles in the movie to survive reality… Further beyond that you have these actors playing actors who are in some ways caricatures of themselves and Hollywood as a whole.

You’ve got the actor who can play these incredibly memorable roles, who can get soooo deep into a character that he risks losing himself (remind you of anyone?). The character makes you wonder just how much is going on behind the cool, calm and collected person that we see when the cameras are clicking. In Downey’s case, we’ve seen a bit of what can go on behind the scenes so to speak.

You’ve got the (insert genre here) star who can’t seem to escape playing the same character over and over and over again, despite whatever talent they may have (don’t think I forgot about you Wesley Snipes). This character type (is that even accurate to say when we’re talking about people’s lives?) isn’t male dominated, the female version is the hot actress whose only direction for her role is “just make sure you look sexy with everything you do”. In fact that’s probably the unspoken direction 95% of Hollywood actresses have to take.

You’ve got the comedian who continues to bank on his trademark, but is never quite sure of his talent or worth beyond what he’s known for, struggling in a variety of ways as a result. I saw that portrayal and I couldn’t help but wonder if Chris Farley went through something similar before his passing, or even if Jack Black has struggled in that way for his whole career. Near the end he might have given the most honest performance in the movie.

Then you have Tom Cruise… I don’t even know where to begin with this guy. There are very few Cruise movies that I find tolerable, and so I do not hold him in high regard as an actor. In fact I can probably count on one hand the number of movies that I would watch. But MAN when he needs to,  that guy can act. It was a solid 4 minutes before I knew it was him.

I really wonder how much thought these individuals put into their roles and on what level were they operating mentally during shooting. Or maybe they all just got the call from Ben Stiller and said “sure why not, I’m game”.

All in all I think this movie was more than everyone initially expected, and more than it expected of itself. It can be seen as a worthwhile and smartly executed film if you accept the fact that it will be over the top at times in its caricature of reality. After all, isn’t that what Hollywood is all about?

There is a type of situation that exists in the professional world, a sort of… do and die, or don’t and die. I call it The Professional Catch 22, named because avoiding the shaft is about as easy as taking cannon balls to the skull. You might survive it, but you’ll always be looking at life sideways from that point forward.

Picture this scenario. You’re working somewhere, long past your expiration date. You’ve been there a long time, and you really don’t like it. Sure it keeps food on the table, but you would rather spend your time elsewhere. One day you see listing for a job. A job that you can do, want to do, and should do.

ONE PROBLEM.

“All applications require three professional references to be accepted for review.”

Awesome. You want that job, but if you have to put down references from the the last few years of employment, how are you going to get it? If your employer wanted you gone, you’d be fired already. So why would they give you the most favorable review, if it meant you’d leave for something you felt was better? If you end up not getting the new job, now it’s painfully obvious you don’t want to be working there anymore, so do they keep you or fire you? Furthermore, why would the new potential employer take you on after hearing from you during an in-depth interview all the reasons your current employer sucks the big one? If they see any similarities between themselves and the old employer, they won’t like hearing that.

The Professional Catch 22

Can you name a few more?

The ambitious man is not a rare occurrence. He’s actually quite common and pretty easy to spot. You’ll find him in bars, restaurants, and BevMo’s across the world shortly after quitting time. You can find him in the twilight and early morning hours jogging the streets, and lifting heavy in the gym. He doesn’t live at the bars and liquor stores mind you, but they do know him when he walks in the door. He’s not homeless, but the gym is one of his favorite places to be.

Why is he there? Because he’s had one of those days. The kind that chips away away at the core of your being. He was probably spending his day hiding himself. Not physically, just his shine. Somewhere along the way he learned that survival was best achieved by dampening the light that shines bright from inside. The light that shows everyone around him just how special he is. Everyone has it; man, woman, young, old. Now you might be saying, “That’s stupid. Having others know how good you are can only be beneficial to you and your career.” You saw The Lion King right? How’d being that naive work out for young Simba? Lost a father didn’t he? I know you’ll say that everything worked out in the end, but unfortunately life isn’t a Disney movie. Things don’t get wrapped up in 120 minutes, sometimes you don’t find your way back home, and sometimes you don’t get to see karma come full circle. I don’t mean to be a downer but that is me being realistic.

Well you might be wondering “Okay so why doesn’t this guy just go home and shine there. It’s safe at home.” Yea maybe. Sometimes at home Mr. Ambitious is known as Mr. Not Enough.  He isn’t energetic enough. He isn’t affectionate enough. He isn’t sensitive enough. He isn’t home enough. The bacon he brings to the table isn’t enough. He isn’t in shape enough. He doesn’t go out and have fun enough. He’s Mr. Not Enough.

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One of my philosophies in life centers around an age old tale of a creature known as The Phoenix.  It’s an eternal being, one of immense power, and typically gentle attitude. When the phoenix is nearing the end of its life cycle it’ll burst into flame and be consumed by it’s own fires. And out of the ashes will rise the phoenix reborn. Young, renewed, and ready to begin again.

The cycle of the phoenix is a metaphor for redemption to me. Second chances. Being able to come back from the brink of ruination, lift your head high, and walk in the sunlight again. So I believe in giving and receiving second chances. But when that second chance becomes the 10th chance, is it time to say “Stop. I’m done. You can kick rocks and go play someone else for a fool” to that person? Maybe.

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