I don't talk badly about your vices... errr devices!

By Steve | Published Thursday, September 20, 2012


Over the last few years I have had several discussions about PC v. Apple products so I thought I would just lay out my thoughts on the subject. To be honest these discussions usually end up as arguments since most pc people want to put down Apple products for various reasons, price, speed, can't program with them etc... So here is my two cents and an explanation as to why my brother says I'm an Apple nerd! 

PC Laptops:  I don't hate PC products, if that is what you prefer then go for it. Personally I don't like it when I have to work on my kids PC's. They bog down, they get blue screens, they do weird stuff. When this happens it's usually an all day affair of doing google searches as to why this PC is doing what it is doing and how to fix it, I don't have time to do that. When I'm working on my kids PC's the do not feel intuitive anymore, I know that is my problem! When I first got my macbook there was a learning curve until someone said to me, "When you get stuck on how to do something on a Mac just ask yourself, "If I had designed this macbook/OS how would I handle this problem?" Nine times out of ten I usually figure it out myself. I know some of you might say, "Well PC's do that also!", I just don't see it that way? Granted I'm not a techno geek so I have no need to do any programing, most programmers prefer PC's, but macs are adequate for what I need them for.  Maybe I've become blinded by the light!

Smart Phones:  I had owned Palm products for 15 years and the Palm stuff worked out fine until they started making shoddy products. It REALLY went downhill when HP bought them out. I went through countless years of having my Handspring Palm Pilot in one hand and a cell phone in the other. I was ecstatic when Palm merged the two devices and I had my first smart phone the Palm 700! I was completely content with this device and then Apple came out with this device called an ipod! It could hold 1000's of songs and once again I had two devices. Yet within several years Apple released the iphone and I was hooked and I have never been disappointed with any of their phones as I now have an iphone s. It's not that droids or Samsung Galaxy are bad, as a matter of fact I can't speak intelligently about them as I have never used them. I actually find the Galaxy somewhat intriguing... But it is not enough to pull me away from my iphone that, "HAS AN APP FOR THAT!" I use it as a GPS, to track my workouts, to lose 35lbs, check weather, update facebook and twitter, check for lower prices and other things. I'm sure your device does this also... but I like the intuitiveness of my iphone.

Price: I balked for a long time on the price of a macbook... but the mac I'm using to type this on is 6 years old and is still going strong, no need to replace just yet. I probably would have gone through 2 or 3 pc's by now. It has not slowed down either, so there is no need for a PC pitstop.

Service: I've never had trouble with Apple Genius's, yes they are Genius's! As a matter of fact sometimes they are generous even when your warranty has expired! I can go into my local Apple store and have my computer looked at by a Genius, I can make that reservation with my iphone by the way, yet if I want my kids pc laptops fixed I have to call the company. I then have to explain to them what is wrong, have them try to fix it over the phone and then inevitably send it back to them to fix. So I'm usually out of a computer for several weeks. Whereas at an Apple store I'm only out for a few days MAX!

Tablets: I own an original iPad and it is still going strong, whereas my 13 year old has a Nook color that is a year old. We have already had to have it replaced once and this weekend it started acting up again. Is my iPad superior? I'm not sure about that... But if Apple comes out with a smaller version around Christmas for the same price as a NOOK... I may be tempted to buy it from him. Why... because it is just more intuitive and dependable.

Bottom line... OK! I'm an apple geek, we all have our vices. As I was thinking through this post I realized that it's not just me... we have 12 Apple products in our family. WE ARE ALL GEEKS. Now... just leave my Apple vices alone and go back to your blue screen of death... Whoops that slipped!




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Easton Bats are Poorly Engineered.

By Steve | Published Thursday, September 6, 2012


If you own an Easton x1 bat then sell that thing! My son a, 16 year old baseball player, has broken two of them this season. The picture at the right is a picture of the latest one he broke! In my opinion, this is just poor engineering on Easton's part. It's not the only one that I've seen break, my younger son's team broke two of them this year.

 The company was great on the first broken bat because they sent him a new bat, but I still had to pay postage to the tune of $25! 

 The second time, last month, I called and said I did not want this bat again. I was informed that I could return the broken bat and choose a cheaper bat (all aluminum) but that I would not be given the difference, which was about $200. I'm currently waiting for customer service to contact me back. Below is the email I sent to customer service, I'll keep you updated as to what they say.

Easton Sports 
7855 Haskell Ave.
Suite 103
Van Nuys, CA. 91406

Reference # 606188077
To whom it may concern,

I would appreciate if someone in the management area of customer service at Easton bats would call me as soon as your receive this bat. I find if troubling that my only options are to replace this bat (this is our second one that broke, I don’t want another one), or choose a lesser one piece aluminum bat. We have chosen the cheaper aluminum one but the agent I spoke with said that we would not receive any money back as compensation for taking a cheaper bat! I paid 399.99 dollars for the original bat and I have chosen a bat that is $100 cheaper (I hope you have that in your records!) Not to mention that it has cost me over $50 in shipping fees to send these bats back. The least you could do is give me a $100 credit from Easton so that we can purchase another product from you. A badly engineered bat should not cost money out of my pocket! 

Bottom Line... Don't buy a two piece composite bat until the improve the technology.

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Only The Strong Survive: Lift To Live Longer

By Steve | Published Monday, May 14, 2012

Great article by Nick Bromberg over at the ThePostGame.com. Looks like I'll be putting that website in my Flipboard!  I think I'll also be purchasing the book by Lou Schuler. Let me know what you think about the article!

"I used to be able to do that when I was your age."
It's a phrase you've undoubtedly heard countless times. Heck, many of you have probably uttered a similar line more times than you'd like to admit.
The aging process can be a hard thing to accept. Our bodies make it easier to store fat as we start to lose muscle. Aches and pains that didn't exist 10 years ago occur on a frequent basis.
But it doesn't have to be that way. We're all going to go down someday, but why go down without a fight? With the right training approach, your athletic prime could be in front of you, rather than a speck in the rear-view mirror.
"We've seen research on every age group, from children to men and women in their 90s, and it's clear that you can get stronger at any age," says Lou Schuler, co-author of the new book The New Rules of Lifting for Life.
"That's pretty well-established. What's less well known is that strength is directly correlated to longevity. It almost doesn't matter what type of strength is being measured -- abs, thighs, grip. The strongest people live the longest. So no matter what age you are, being even a little stronger is always better.
"The great thing about strength training is that it addresses most of the major problems that sneak up on us as we get older. The average man or woman will lose about 1 percent of their muscle mass per year, starting in middle age. With muscle goes a lot of stuff we rarely think about -- the thickness and strength of our tendons and ligaments, the size of our bones, the number of muscle fibers and nerves we can call on when we need them."
But don't blindly dash off to the gym just yet in your newfound quest to be the oldest living person. You have to train intelligently; focusing on stability and mobility in the areas you need it most, and total body strength. Strength that comes from lifting relatively heavy weights -- that means you, ladies -- and for the guys, total-body workouts that don't involve 15 different sets of arm exercises.
"Middle-aged and older women think their bones will shatter if they pick up a weight that's heavier than their purse. There's nothing stranger than seeing a woman do a bench press or bent-over row with a dumbbell that's smaller than her forearm," Schuler says.
"Then you have the guy with a 40-inch waist who comes into the gym and spends the first half-hour working on his arms. Those are the only exercises he can do with weights that seem manly enough for him. First of all, what a total freaking waste of time. Here's a guy with a body that, more than anything, needs exercise. It needs to move. And what's he doing? He's sitting on a bench, trying to move nothing but his elbow joints."
We need that stability most in our midsections -- namely our abdominals and lower back -- which are abused daily when we sit in our cars, at our desks, and in front of the television. We need the mobility in areas like our hips and shoulders, which also suffer greatly during our prolonged periods of sitting down. And what's the best antidote for sitting down? Standing up -- and Schuler's co-author Alwyn Cosgrove incorporates that premise frequently.
"Sitting for hours at a time is probably the most dangerous thing we do on a daily basis," Schuler says. "But when people go to the gym, young or old, what do they do? They sit. They sit on recumbent bikes, they sit down to do cable rows and lat pulldowns, they sit on benches to do shoulder presses. In between sets, they sit some more.
"In Alwyn's workouts, you don't sit. If you're going to do a lat pulldown, you're either kneeling or standing. Same with a cable row. It's a great exercise when you stand up to do it. You have to brace the muscles in your core to maintain your balance and posture. Not only does that make it tougher, it keeps you on your feet."
And it may make you the last one standing.

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What to Eat?

By Steve | Published Saturday, April 28, 2012




As of this morning I now weigh 193 pounds, that is a loss of 34 lbs.. I have had my follow up physical and my cholesterol has plummeted but not yet out of the danger zone so I have reluctantly started tricor. My hope is to continue to eat right and exercise to get it down even lower.
As of late I have found people saying, "You look great!" followed with, "How are you doing it?
Well, here is the answer! For the last three years I have hit the gym above on a consistent basis but I was just maintaining weight. I really did not start seeing results until my lifestyle change (read not a diet) in January of this year (see previous post).  That change can be summed up as follows: "You can't lose weight without exercise. But I've got a philosophy about exercise. I don't think you should punish your body for something your mouth did. Drag your lips around the block once or twice." Gwen Owen
I can some up my diet in two words, "NOTHING WHITE!" White foods should be avoided completely under the premise that most of these foods contain simple carbohydrates, which increase insulin production and trigger cravings for more carbohydrates. Foods to steer clear of on this diet include white rice, white flour, sugar, and potatoes, salt and milk, although some versions of the diet do allow for the inclusion of skim milk.
Anything made from white flour must also be strictly eliminated such as bread, cakes, pastries, pasta and noodles. Some proponents of the diet also advise dieters to avoid fruit juice and artificial sweeteners because these foods can cause sugar cravings. My inventory of food over the last few months using my trusty Lose It App looks like the following:
Proteins: Raw Almonds, Raw Walnuts, Beans (black and pinto), eggs,
Veggies: (all veggies) I prefer: avocado, broccoli,  carrots, celery, lot's of salads, spaghetti squash instead or spaghetti pasta, 
Snacks: Kettle Chips: Almond Butter Crunchy and peanut butter, Clif Bars (all kinds), Plain Greek yogurt (you can add herbs for a dip and fruit for a dessert), honey if I need sweetener, dark chocolate (70% cocoa, but only occasionally), powercrunch protein bars (you want to look for bars that have more protein than carbs), whey protein shakes. 
Fruit: (basically any kind of fruit) Oranges, bananas, cherries, variety of melons 
Complex Carbohydrates: oat bread, whole wheat NOT enriched (about to switch to Ezekiel bread), Bare Naked Vanilla Almond Crunch Cereal, steel cut oatmeal,
Drinks: Almond Breeze Milk (Vanilla Flavor unsweetened), I try to limit soda but have diet when I do, I drink mostly water and use true lemon and lime (I don't like plain water) or Crystal light flavor packets. I have read that using artificial sweeteners can cause you to crave sweets, but just read in Men's magazine that the research for that is bad research and I seem to have done ok with it.
I also use olive oil instead of butters. I try to stay to the outside edges of your supermarket and the health food section and you should be fine! Eating out? I try to stay away from the white stuff, bread sugars etc... If it’s a burger joint I eat it without the bun.

I also take a day off a week and splurge a little, and occasionally have a beer, LITE that is!

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Do Something!

By Steve | Published Friday, April 27, 2012


My dad (The Sarge) had a famous quote that my brother's and I still use often, "WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO... DO SOMETHING!" 

On January 1, 2011 I weighed in at 227 and I knew it was time to do SOMETHING about it. So... for the last year my friend Todd Porter and I have been hitting the gym on a religious basis. We make sure that we give each a hard time when we don’t get to the gym, whether we have an excuse or not. I would also be remiss not to mention my older brother who is an inspiration to me; he went through a journey several years ago and is in great shape. He daily goes to Crossfit in Bowie MD.  In that time I was thinking, this is great for me, I feel good. Yet I was bummed that I was not losing the weight.

You see the garbage I was filling my body was far outweighing, literally, what I was putting out. Finally in January of this year I finally went to my yearly physical that took me three years to schedule, but with a little push from my wife I went. Well needless to say that was the kick in the pants I needed! After talking to that doc my LDL Cholesterol was 453... yes you read that right, I also had some issues with fat around my liver and blood pressure was a little high. You see my father and grandfather died from heart disease, so it was time for a life change, NOT A DIET! The doctor wanted to put me on cholesterol medication right away but I convinced him to allow me to change my eating habits, take natural supplements for cholesterol (more on that in a later post) and intensify my exercise regime, he agreed and I will go back to see him on April 15th, I will keep you posted

So… the picture... I can't remember the last time I weighed below 200. It has not been easy, the first few weeks the weight just fell off and then the last four to six weeks it has come off about a pound to two pound per week. 

Many people have asked how did you do that? Basically, I took the doctors advice and cut out anything white, like processed sugars and bad carbohydrates. I have a weekly weight lifting schedule and do some sort of cardio for 30 minutes every day, except for Sunday when I rest. I also track all my calories in an app called Lose It. It has not been an easy task, but it has built character and discipline in me.

Please know... I don't write this or show the picture to brag, I have a long way to go. What I do want to do is encourage you. As Sarge would say... DO SOMETHING!

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