Friday Fotos: 1/1

Happy New Year, Everyone!




Whatever you may say, this took talent...

courtesy of... lolpix.com




I'm assuming that this is not a Prius...

courtesy of... failblog.org




I thought so...

courtesy of... icanhascheezburger.com

Web Hosting and Domain Names

If you are a regular reader of this site, you may recall that I have mentioned from time to time, that I would like to leave Blogger and get my own hosting. Although it is a good platform, I really want to have more control over my own site. As a prime example of this, earlier this year I was going through some old articles on my site and updating some of the affiliate links. Well, while I was updating the third article, I noticed that I had to use word verification to save the changes. I thought that was kind of odd, but I went ahead and completed my work. Later, when I went to check my Email, I saw a message from Blogger stating that I have been locked out of my site, because they considered it a spam site. Yup, I was locked out of my OWN site for at least twelve hours. Obviously they let me back in, but I never received any apology or explanation as to why I was locked out.

This little adventure taught me a few things and one of them was to back-up my site. Just about once a month I export my entire site and back it up on my computer…just in case. It was also after this that I began my first foray into the wonderful and confusing world of website hosting. Although it may seem like the easiest thing in the world to do, to those like me who have never ventured into these waters, it can be somewhat intimidating. With Blogger, all I have to worry about is updating my site with fascinating and intellectually stimulating articles (something I have yet to achieve) and they take care of the rest. However, from my experience earlier this year, I discovered that along with this freedom I lost something very important…control.

So, as I began my search for a host I discovered something that I would need to address before signing on the dotted line: I needed a domain name. For those who may be very new to this game, a domain name is the name you give your website; in other words, it is what you add the “.com” to. Once again, it may seem like the easiest thing to do, but when you choose a domain name, you need to be sure that it is easy to remember and easy to type. After all, the main goal is to get people to come to your site and having a memorable domain name makes that easier. Another thing you will need to keep in mind is the fact that the name you want may already be taken. Unfortunately, this is the case with me, because everyday living.com is already being used. With this in mind I need to come up with another name; one that is somewhat descriptive of my site, yet be easy to remember like drivel.com. Well, I just checked and that name is taken as well. Anyway, I hope you get the general idea.

Once you have your name and you have made sure that it is available, you need to find which company you want to use. The best way to do this is to ask your friends and blogging buddies, because they can give you first-hand knowledge on the companies. Depending on the company you choose, you may be able to register your domain name with them for free. Free is good, right? I think so, but when it comes to domain registration you will need to check the fine print on the contract and be sure that, if for some reason you decide to go with another hosting company, you can take your domain name with you. After all, the domain name is your identity on the Internet and you don’t want to risk any chance of losing it.

Although there are many other factors to consider when choosing your host, picking your domain name will be one of the first things you will need to do. If you can, try and make the name descriptive of your site. You may also want to make the name easy to remember and easy to type. I know there may be some out there saying that most people do not type in URL’s, but rather they stumble upon sites through the search engines. In my case, that is correct, but why make it more difficult? Finally, don’t rush into it, but give it some thought, because more than likely you will be staying with that name for years to come. For a comprehensive guide through this process, please click on any of the above links and be prepared to have your questions answered.


disclosure...Oh, in case you didn't know, this is a paid post

My New Year's Resolution

I am still desperately trying to find my muse. I have a suspicion that she (hey, I'm a guy) is on vacation somewhere; most likely a beach in the Bahamas. So, since I am still currently muse-less, I have come up with some holiday-style drivel for your amusement...


It is now the time of year for everyone to make their New Year's resolutions. So, in keeping with that spirit, I feel that it would be appropriate to share mine with all of you. So, without further adieu: in 2010 I resolve to not make any resolutions this year.

There, now I don't have anything to remember and absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. I know that if I make a resolution, I will just end up breaking it in a few weeks, so why bother making it in the first place? I mean, I have enough things to think about without having to worry about some silly resolution. So, by resolving not to make a resolution, I can actually rid myself of that unwanted guilt.

But wait a minute, if I resolve not to make a resolution, didn't I just make a resolution? This seems to be a no-win situation: if I make a resolution, I have to spend my valuable time trying to keep it. If I don't make one, I actually just did. This sounds suspiciously like a government program to me.

Wanted: Motivation

I don't know what's wrong, but for the past several days, I have not had any ambition to do anything productive. Yes, I still exercise and do the cooking and cleaning, but wanting to do anything extra...forget it.

A few years ago, I installed laminate flooring in our living room, dining room and hall way. Now, in order to install the flooring, I needed to remove the base trim from the walls. I was very careful to number each piece and I transferred that number to a corresponding drawing. That way, I would be able to find which piece went where and just install it. Well, those trim pieces are sitting out in the garage and just beckoning me to re-install them. I know it needs to be done, but I just don't have the motivation to do it. Anyway, it looks as if I managed to lose that all-important drawing, so whenever I do get around to re-installing the trim, it's going to be like putting a jigsaw puzzle together.

As you can probably tell from the tempo of this little article, I am even having trouble motivating myself to write this. It just seems that lately, I cannot think of anything to write about. Is it the weather or just a lingering feeling of listlessness that has decided to move into my happy household? I have no idea, but hopefully it will not be staying very long.

Well, I think I've done enough damage for one day, so I'm off to watch the news and maybe put in a really stupid movie.

photo courtesy of... lolpix.com

Friday Fotos: 12/25

Here is a special Christmas addition to Friday Fotos, enjoy...




Little known hazards of Santa's job...

courtesy of... lackofbrains.com




So true and so tempting to do...

courtesy of... failblog.org




Be afraid, be very afraid...

courtesy of... icanhascheezburger.com

My Christmas Present

I would like to take this time to share the Christmas present that my daughter gave me. This totally made my day...


Merry Christmas, Everyone!



This is the one she drew for my wife...

Beginning Your Fitness Routine

I haven't written anything about weight loss or fitness lately and seeing as the theme of this site happens to revolve around that, I figure that it's time I jump back on that horse. I know that the last thing anyone wants to think about during this time of year is fitness, but seeing as the New Year is just around the corner and along with it, all those pesky resolutions, I'm going to start at the beginning. Yup, let's take some measurements...

Before you start a weight loss regime, you may want to take a few moments and do a few things. The first and most obvious is to step on the scale and weigh yourself, although that’s probably how you ended-up here in the first place. Next, take a tape measure and measure your legs, hips, waist, (this is the area just above your belly button), chest, arms, and your neck. Why do I need to measure my legs and neck? Well, when you begin to lose fat, the first places where you will see a decrease in size will be the extremities (your legs and arms). Contrary to popular belief, and wishful thinking, the abdominal area is the last place where you will lose the inches.

Now that we have the baseline measurements, I need to talk to you about the frequency of your re-measures. I would suggest NOT weighing yourself everyday. Do all your measurements on a weekly basis. This way you can escape the worst of your normal body fluctuations and not become a prisoner of your scale. To give you an example, when I first started my program, I would weight myself every single day. One day I would have lost a pound or two and I would be ecstatic. The next day I would gain a pound and be depressed. This was especially true after finishing an especially difficult workout; I would even contemplate giving up. Please don’t fall into this trap. Your weight will naturally vary throughout the day, depending on water gain or loss, food intake, etc.

As you progress, you should notice a fairly steady loss of weight for the first 6-8 weeks (in my case it was a total 10 pounds). After this period of time, the amount of your weight loss will become less, usually around 1-2 pounds per week. As you progress in your exercise program and begin to lose weight, your body will have less mass to move, thus it will require fewer calories to burn in order to complete your workout. So, in order to continue to burn the same amount of calories, you will have to work harder (I know, bad news). Also, your body will become adapted to your exercise routine, so you will also have to vary your routine (to see more tips on this, please read my article on Overcoming a Weight Loss Plateau).

To lose weight in a healthy manner is a gradual process. You didn’t gain it overnight, although it certainly seems like it, so don’t expect to lose it overnight. Make your exercise routine a part of your new lifestyle, not a supplement to a diet.

Good luck to you and if I can help in any way, please leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.


Here's a handy chart for your measurements... exercise.about.com

The Dough Also Rises

As some of you may remember, several months ago I made my first sour dough starter. From that starter, I have embarked on a tasty journey in bread making. During that journey, I have learned a few valuable lessons which I would like to share with you today. To assist those who may stumble upon my original article, I will also be linking this article to my original posting of Baking with Your Sourdough Starter.

When I first began making bread many years ago, I did it the old-fashioned way and kneaded it by hand. I read that by using this method, it was almost impossible to over-knead your dough. Well, I erroneously carried that belief over to how I prepared my dough using a machine. Once the dough came together, I would let the machine knead the dough for an additional five minutes or more and guess what, I consistently ended-up with a dough that rose very little. Yes, the bread was still very good, but it was not as light and fluffy as I wanted it to be.

The result: I only use the machine until the dough is completely mixed and then I let the machine go for maybe another 30-45 seconds. After that, I shape it into a ball and let it go for its first rise. It took quite some time and research for me to discover this little secret, but since I have started doing this, my dough has not failed to rise.

Next, I was always under the impression that when you are adding the flour, the dough should not be sticky when squeezed; meaning that when you squeeze it, your fingers will come out clean. Now, I would add flour until the dough reached this "dry" consistency and I soon discovered that this was causing the bread to turn-out "heavy". You see, I am constantly working to make sure that my bread will come out as light and fluffy as possible, so once I discovered that more flour meant a heavier bread, I began to research what I needed to do.

It was only few weeks ago that I discovered that the dough is supposed to be sticky. So, over the next few weeks when made the bread, I made sure that the dough ended-up being sticky (meaning that when I handled the dough, it stuck to my fingers). Since I began doing this (along with not over-kneading), my bread has come out lighter and fluffier.

As I continue to make bread every week, I am constantly trying to improve how it turns out and even though I will mess-up every now and then, I will strive to make sure that the dough also rises.

Funny Fotos: 12/18

Happy Friday, everyone. I hope you all have a great weekend...




This was me a few days ago...

courtesy of... lolpix.com





courtesy of... failblog.org




So this is why...

courtesy of... icanhascheezburger.com

Procrastination and Exercise

As you may have gathered from the title, I am once again in one of those moods. As I sit here typing this, I have no wish to exercise today. It is cold and rainy outside, the girls have just finished their school for the day, and I REALLY don't want to spend thirty minutes on my Total Gym. For the past two weeks, I have been diligently exercising five times a week and although I still have another four weeks before I can legitimately take some time off, I just have to call it quits for today.

I have been sitting here and trying to motivate myself, but it just isn't working. I'm thinking that it would be a good thing to take a day off every now and again; after all, my muscles need more than just two days to recover. Oh, and yesterday I increased the difficulty for my incline sit-ups and as a result, my stomach muscles are not that happy with me right now. I could certainly use that as an excuse to not exercise, but what about my other muscles? They're sore, but I could still work them. You see, it's the guilt thing trying to worm its way into my head and I need to fight to keep it from taking-up residence. In order to fight the guilt, I'm going to actually practice what I write about. Now, as you check outside your window to see if there are any pigs flying around, I am going to rid myself of this guilt.

"When you exercise, for example as you lift weights, perform aerobics etc, you will break down muscle tissue in the body. The more you exercise the more tissue will be broken down. When you stop your activities, nature will attempt to rebuild the broken layers of tissue, but a little stronger than last time so the tissue doesn't break as easily. Over a period of continuous destroying and rebuilding, your muscle will grow and adapt to the strain you put on it. The skin will stretch and your body will gain size and strength.When I strength-train, I am putting a strain on my muscles. When this occurs, tiny tears are created in the muscle. As the muscle rests, it repairs these tears and that is how the muscles grow."¹

In short, the main portion of the muscle-building process occurs while your muscles are at rest. So, if this is the case, why am I making such a big deal out of taking ONE day off? Basically, because I have it so ingrained in my mind that I MUST exercise every day that when I do take a day off, I feel guilty about it. What I need to do is realize that even though I may not be stressing the muscles, they are still growing. Taking time off, now and again, is a critical part of any exercise regime, not only to repair muscles, but for your own mental well-being. Everyone needs a break and there is no reason to feel guilty about it.

Besides, Koko and Yum Yum are using the machine. There, guilt...gone.


How Do Muscles Grow ¹

Our Snow-Covered Berm

It's hard to believe that this picture was taken when it was over 100 degrees out.



Yesterday, my wife went outside and took this picture...



Oh, just so you don't get the idea that I was lounging around in the warm living room and drinking hot coffee, I was busy shoveling the driveway and sidewalks.

Funny Fotos: 12/11

Have a great weekend, everyone. Try and stay warm...



I SO want this car...

courtesy of... lolpix.com




Hard to read, but this is for a funeral home...

courtesy of... pyzam.com





courtesy of... icanhascheezburger.com

Geometry and Me

This cartoon is exactly how I feel much of the time, because I am back once again trying to re-learn my junior high and high school maths. However, this time it is much more insidious and evil; for this time it is geometry. This monster happened to be my worst subject in school and college and now I have to teach myself how to do it. Why, so I can help my daughter who also seems to be carrying the anti-geometry gene.

After I was able to finally master the wonders of triangles, I am thrust-into the wild world of quadrilaterals and how to tell them apart. Let's see, there are parallelograms, which have alternate sides that are congruent. The rectangle, which has four equal angles. The rhombus, which has four congruent sides, and finally the square, which has four equal angles and four congruent sides.

Now, all that may seem fine and dandy, but the fun part comes when you start discussing the bisectors and the various properties it has with regards to each shape. On top of that, you have the teachers, in their infinite wisdom, making the test questions as convoluted as possible, which leaves you dazed and confused.

I have never liked geometry and I fear that our dislike for one another will continue on.

A Slick Commute

My wife takes the bus into work, but she still has to drive just under a mile to get to the bus stop and today marked the first day that there was ice and snow on the roads. This being the case, I would like to share an Email my wife sent to me after she got into work..

Tim,

I got in okay. What a ZOOOOOOO, those idiots were driving as if there were no snow!!! It was a ice skating rink and they were driving as close as they do on every other day!!! I swear it is the Darwin awards every first snow. I saw pickups down town that could not get a grip on the roads and still they follow too close!!! I was driving 35 on State and felt that was too fast (and was being run over!!) aaaaaand TWO cars decided that it was not any problem to just pull right in front of me because I was leaving FIVE plus car lengths between me and the one in front. I had to honk at one because he only had maybe a car length and a half when he pulled out in front of me and I was pumping my breaks like crazy to not hit him. Of course after I honked he accelerated like mad and followed too close to the one in front of him. I never have cars pull out like that when there is no snow…why now!!! If no one dies it is because I am praying like crazy for these IQ compromised people!!!! Thank goodness I wore my shoes with tread!! I should have worn my snow boots!!! I knew that the snow plows and been going by, but I thought there was much less snow then there actually was!!! Oh well……happy Monday!!!

See ya later,

Love

Mary



Just a hint: when there is ice and snow on the roads, that means the roads are SLICK, so SLOW DOWN.

Belly-Up to the Buffet

As you are all no doubt aware by now, the Holiday season is upon us and for a good portion of us, that means parties. Yup, 'tis the season to party and enjoy the warmth and com fort of family and friends. Yeah, I know, sounds corny, but I'm still recovering from last month. Anyway, although the party season is in full swing, there is no reason for those of us watching our weight to have to stay in the corner nursing our Diet Coke. Even though you may be on a DIE with a T, you can still enjoy the season and not feel guilty about it. You may be thinking that I have no idea what I'm talking about, but bear with me a few more paragraphs.

Now, we all know that the very essence of a diet is watching what we eat and exercising. So, between your active social engagements, you still need to find the time to exercise. However, when you are at the party and you see the buffet table calling your name, you don't need to run in fear; you can still enjoy the food, just take smaller portions. I know, it is not as easy as it sounds, but if you can discipline yourself to reduce your portion size, you can still enjoy the food. It does not have to be an all or nothing deal, there is a tasty middle-ground that you can visit.

When you see all that wonderful food calling your name, you may think that there are only two choices: you can either dive right in and feel guilty later or you can just grab your diet coke and drool over everyone else's plates; all the while feeling sorry for yourself. But now you know that there is a wonderful third option: that of moderation. You can still enjoy the buffet and have a good time, but you'll no longer have to feel guilty about it.

The short version: take smaller portions of you favorite foods. Yup, it's a no-brainer, but when you're in diet-mode, it's sometimes difficult to accept the fact that you don't need to be miserable all the time. There is no need to deny yourself your favorite things. There is no need to make yourself feel miserable watching others eat, while you stand in the corner and watch. As you have already discovered, going on a diet requires a great deal of self-control and willpower. It also requires that you moderate what you eat. So, what makes a party any different? Yes, there will be more food and there will be food there that you may only have a few times each year. So, do what you do every day: take smaller portions.

An invitation to a party does not have to strike fear in the heart of the dieter. Go and enjoy yourself, because at the end of the night, you will discover that you not only had a good, guilt-free time, but you have also proven to yourself how strong you really are.

Friday Fotos: 12/4

Happy Friday, everyone. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Now, the rush is on for Christmas. Although I am long past the getting-presents stage, I still really enjoy this time of year. Mainly, the decorations and the great holiday movies. Anyway, you came for the pictures, so without further ado...




Time to call AAA...

courtesy of... funlol.com






courtesy of... failblog.org





Does Sadie have this kind of trouble with Angel and Isabella...

courtesy of... icanhascheezburger

Cute pictures: The Drāno of Writer's Block

Since I am still unable to think of anything intelligent to say (what else is new), I've decided to share a few pictures of our newest addition, Yum Yum. I'm assuming this lack of thought has something to do with going full-tilt all last month, so I'm hoping that it is a temporary lull and that I can once again return to showering you with my inane drivel. Until that much-anticipated time, please enjoy the photos...



Laser cat sees all...





Practicing her punt fake...





Magically expands to fit any space...