WHAT I EAT: SCABBOY'S OFFICIAL BLOG

2010-02-14T21:39:00.000-05:00

New Blog.

2010-02-06T11:19:00.001-05:00

I don't update this blog much, here's one that I do quite often. Update your bookmarks!
http://scabboy.tumblr.com/

Haiti relief.

2010-01-25T09:15:00.002-05:00

Okay, I don't want to sound like a douche bag, but I am pretty tired of people complaining about how America raised/donated 48 million for Haiti. A lot of the money was private donations to start with, but no body was bitching and creating petitions when we had out own crisis (Katrina) and Kuwait donated $500,000,000 to the USA for relief (as well as the rest of the Arab Emirates giving $100,000,000 EACH).

The UAE are one of the largest contributors to foreign relief aid and have helped us many times. Europe has given 450 million to Haiti as well as 210 Million by Brazil, as well as many other countries. People are stupid if they think the we (the USA) are the only country who donates large quantities of money are even more stupid if they think that nobody ever helps us.

Gaining back the pounds as muscle.

2010-01-09T10:29:00.003-05:00

Most people who follow me know I've recently lost over 60 pounds. Well, needless to say I lost some muscle mass along the way and really was left with nothing much at all muscle-wise. My New Year's Resolution was to gain back some pounds as muscle and so far, so good. I've been trying to stick to an easy but successful exercise regimen as well as a diet full of protein. I'm not a huge meat eater, so protein is sometimes hard to come by for me, however I have found that nuts and leafy greens are a good substitute!

So, anyways here's my progress so far. The photo on the left is me when I was about 175 (I am now 160) and the one on the right is me right now. As you can see I lost a lot of the flab and loose skin and have added about an inch to my arms and 1/2" to my chest.

I have been doing nothing but jail cell workouts; 100 push ups 3 times a week, 100 dips 3 times a week, a mix of different crunches a few times a week as well as other things like pull/chin ups, etc. Of course I do not take any sort of steroid or HGH.

Entertainment center.

2009-11-30T10:42:00.002-05:00

Abby prefers to make everything herself and after about a year and a half pondering what kind of entertainment center she waned she decided on something simple that matches the rest of out living room furniture (which she also made).

She did a good job on this, it's nothing but galvanized pipe, pipe fitting and some MDF wood.

Cross country BMX.

2009-10-29T12:19:00.002-04:00

The last two Mondays a friend and I have went on some long BMX rides. October 19th we decided to ride from one end of Letchworth State Park (Castille, NY) to the other. I's probably about 10 miles and a lot of it's uphill. It was a tiring, but fun ride. Letchworth State Park has to be one of the most beautiful areas of Western NY.

October 26 we decided to do the same along the Niagara Gorge (Niagara Falls, NY) starting at the Falls' Goat Island ad riding the rim all the way to the power station reservoir- about 5 miles (10 miles round trip). Another awesome area of Western NY that a lot of people seem to miss while at the falls (the Gorge itself).

Outsiders also fail to realize of Western New York's beauty because when they hear "New York" they automatically assume that New York State is nothing but skyscrapers and chaos, when in reality a very small part of New York is that.

It was fun and a great work out, I suggest you try it!

Roasted Rosemary Chicken & Vegetables

2009-10-06T16:30:00.003-04:00

Last night I attempted making some roasted rosemary chicken and it turned out pretty good. It's one of my more favorite chicken dishes and is very simple. Half cup of orange juice, one cup of chicken broth mixed. An assortment of vegetables, red skin potatoes, pearl onions, carrots, celery and pretty much whatever else you like.

After preparing the whole chicken put it into the pan with the vegetables, oil down the chicken and pour half of the broth/juice and sprinkle rosemary. Put all of that in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for an hour, remove and mix the vegetables and pour in the rest of the broth and put back in for another 30 minutes (or until done).

It's really simple, tasty and pretty damn low fat/low calories (depending what you put in/on it).

Caves, Cliffs & Cooperstown

2009-09-06T20:51:00.002-04:00

Spent the holiday weekend 230 miles from home in a very small town called Cobbleskill. Visited Howe's Caverns and went 200 feet underground in their caves, it was really beautiful and cold. We also visited nearby Secret Caves, which are more natural than Howe's. Tighter squeezes, not as deep down though- still fun. That area of New York State is pretty sad, desolate and detached from the city that I am used to-- not sure if that is a bad or good thing.

We also visited a place called Vroman's Nose, which is a 1.5 mile uphill hike (literally) to the top of a mountain that overlooks the town and a handful of historical sites of the area. The hike was really fun, I'm not a fan of heights (or being 200 feet underground), but it was beautiful. After that we got some food at a local, small Italian diner) and did some swimming.

We left today and on the way back visited the Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, NY-- another very small town with no good places to eat. The weekend was fun, but it was a bit sad that there were no Subway's anywhere, haha. I have to say I would go insane without Subway!

Chimney Bluffs State Park.

2009-08-17T19:54:00.002-04:00

Abby and I took a (long) drive to Wolcott, NY to check out Chimney Bluffs State Park on Lake Ontario. It was a really nice place- very reminiscent of the western USA deserts in a way. The shoreline of Lake Ontario was packed with boats, which in a way sort of takes away from the hike-- or at least it did for me.

We only had time to take one trail which took us up to the top of the cliff overlooking the bluffs. It was really nice, and unfortunately it was a pretty long drive (2 and a half hours) to get here and we only stayed a couple hours. It's funny how we will drive an hour or more to just hike a handful of miles--at least it's fun!

The down side of the state park is that it's more or less worthwhile if you are boating or having a day set aside for cooking out. The bluffs trail was only 1 3/4 miles one way (3.25 round trip) so it doesn't take so long.

Today was a bit more laid back, however we did go back to Kabab & Curry for some delicious Indian food. If you love exotic foods and are a bit scared to try it, by all means try this place!

Fast Custom Shirts!

2009-08-14T01:07:00.001-04:00

Got my order from Fast Custom Shirts and I have to say that I am very pleased! Not only is their turnaround time super fast (hence the name), but the shirts are very cheap and of great quality. Besides that- who can say they actually have a shirt for that amazingly-bad movie Criminally Insane II, A.K.A. Crazy Fat Ethel?

If you are looking for some cool shirts whether they be horror, exploitation or just everyday funny shirts perhaps check out that site before you go elsewhere.

Boiled peanuts will be the death of me.

2009-08-02T01:04:00.003-04:00

Peanuts are not the worst thing out there with about 100 calories and 7 grams of fat for 33 kernels, it makes a great snack food with a nice amount of protein. However, being the southern-country boy that I am, one serving is not enough. When I open up a can I generally eat the entire thing, which pretty much has encouraged me to gain 5 pounds. At this point 5 pounds is nothing seeing I lost too much weight to begin with (65, now 60 pounds) and need to pack some back on-- hopefully as muscle.

Ever since I realized that you can buy boiled peanuts online I have been taking advantage of that. I ordered a case (24) of the cans and am about half-way through them-- le sigh. I have to say they are damn good, but nothing replaces fresh boiled peanuts in the crockpot at a convenient store on the side of a dusty road in the south-- nothing.

Back luck wind been blowin' at my back...

2009-07-21T14:34:00.002-04:00

Abby and I decided to take a short day trip to Sardinia, NY to do some hiking Monday. Everything was going great until we actually got there and Abby accidentally locked her keys inside of the car. Her new Scion has this weird automatic lock system where if you unlock the doors and do not crank up the car the doors automatically lock back. She went into her car to grab some shoes and threw her keys on the seat and then closed the door-- oops.

Thankfully we have AAA, unfortunately we had no cell phone reception. We ended up walking to these nice people's house and using their phone. So, we were inconvenienced for about an hour and went ahead and hiked, which was very fun. The trails were very nice and easy to navigate and had a good time.

Abby cooked up some Indian-- chicken rogenjosh and was really good... fun, day!

Scabboy's top 100 favorite songs at the moment #100-76

2009-07-17T13:46:00.002-04:00

Since everyone else is doing this, so shall I. These are the 100 top songs at the moment for me ranked with no particular order or system other than what my iTunes tells me.

#100) Waylon Jennings & Hank Williams Jr - The Conversation
#99) John Frusciante - Running Away Into You

#98) Jane's Addiction - Then She Did...

#97) Ween - With My Own Bare Hands
#96) Willie Nelson - Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
#95) Clutch - Cypress Grove

#94) Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Righteous And The Wicked

#95) Peeping Tom - Mojo
#94) Sonic Youth - Dirty Boots
#93) Ernest Tubb - Walking The Floor Over You (With Merle Haggard)
#92) David Alan Coe - The Ghost Of Hank Williams

#91) Against Me! - Pints Of Guinness Make You Strong

#90) Joaquin Phoenix - Get Rhythm
#89) Suicidal Tendencies - Send Me Your Money
#88) Rasputina - Dwarf Star

#87) GG Allin - Carmelita

#86) Lucky Tubb - I'm Takin' It Back
#85) Charles Manson (With Manson Family) - No Wrong, Come Along
#84) The Lunachicks - The Day Squid's Gerbil Died
#83) Nine Inch Nails - Last

#82) Suzanne Vega - Blood Makes Noise

#81) Johnny Cash - Leave That Junk Alone (Drink Water)
#80) Operation: Cliff Clavin - Call In Sick
#79) Hank Williams - Long Gone, Lonesome Blues
#78) Slayer - Seasons In The Abyss
#77) Assjack - Redneck Ride (Gotta Buy Paw A Truck)

#76) Johnny Paycheck - I'm The Only Hell My Mother Ever Raised

Lucky Tubb

2009-07-10T21:05:00.001-04:00

So, I think I have come to the conclusion that Lucky Tubb sort of looks like a cross between a young David Johansen and Belicio Del Toro. Not sure if this is a good thing, or what... but he just has that face-- around the eyes and all.

Think so?

Lucky:

David & Benicio, Respectively.

Leftovers at work: Orzo with root vegetables.

2009-07-02T12:45:00.004-04:00

I love this dish, Abby is so-so about it... it's yummy. The orzo probably has the most calories out of anything in the dish, but it also has garbanzo beans, red pepper, turnip, carrots, kidney beans and you can pretty much add anything else you want.

The good thing about it is that it's so damn filling! You also get a lot of protein with this as well as Vitamin A, B and C!

I love Indian cuisine.

2009-06-29T11:23:00.002-04:00

So, Abby decided to do another Indian curry from home and this is what she made. I prefer the spicier curries, but this one was delicious. It's just a simple curry that anyone can make, we just bought some already-made curry paste from our local store and chopped vegetables and chicken.

Even though the curry sauce has 14 grams of fat per serving, you don't need a lot of it to have a filling meal and still is better than eating something fried or about as much as a sirloin steak-- but it's more filling!

Hillel Slovak.

2009-06-26T15:01:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe he's been dead 21 years... a lot of RHCP fans wasn't even born yet. Man, I remember sitting on the sidewalk of 'Save A Step' (a convenient store hooked to an arcade) talking about his death with friends. I remember someone saying 'I bet they are going to break up, he was the RHCP'...

The Hank III show.

2009-06-22T11:34:00.001-04:00

The Hank III show was good, I dug the opening act Lucky Tubb a lot. He kicked out a lot of covers including his great Uncle's Ernest Tubb's 'Walking The Floor Over You' and 'Thanks A Lot'. Sadly, Hank did the same set that he usually does- same songs, almost the same order... not a fan of Hank's 'Assjack' stuff so we left early... 4 of their songs in we could not take it anymore...

Hank's fiddle player was insane... I'm surprised he did not collapse half way through with all of the energy he was exerting... just insane...

Long week(s).

2009-06-09T12:16:00.002-04:00

In short, life has been hectic- coworker has an illness and took a leave of absence from work. This means I pretty much am forced to give up my days off and short days to facilitate this. I'm pretty tired of people saying "more money, though..." . Yeah, I like to give up my free time which pretty much means I end up not being able to do things I enjoy like hike, work out, bike, yard work and just watch T.V. with the wife. It's not at all a fair pay off. Okay, I will stop with the bitch-session...

As a lot of people know my cat Lilly underwent an operation to remove a lump on her jugular vein. I noticed it a few months back and figured that it was an inflamed lymph node. After a few months when it did not go down we took her to the veterinarian and immediately they scheduled her for surgery to have it removed and biopsied. Needless to say Abby and I were a bit shook up and nervous-- not all cats can go under general anesthesia and live. The next few days were a bit stressful and when she was dropped off at the vets it was heartbreaking. Thankfully, she went through the surgery and came out of general anesthesia alive. Her lump is now gone and she is left with a pretty and large scar. Her biopsy will be back in about a week and I really hope it is not cancerous-- that would be devastating.

Anyways, slightly better news (for me); I ride my BMX to work a lot and a client informed me that he had an old 1985 Skyway Street Beat at home. They are not the most valuable bikes out there, but they are pretty. He said he would trade it for some piercings on his wife and himself and of course I said "yes"! It's nice, because if I ever get low on cash it can be sold whole or parted out for some fast dough. He brought it to my work when I pierced his wife and I loved the bike! It's pretty and lavender and in surprisingly great shape. The bike was covered with stickers from the 1980's which pretty much preserved the paint and decals. It seem like every joint was caked with grease and mud, which cleaned up pretty well also... it looked like it had been stored for twenty years.

I'm happy!

Grilled chicken and fettucini.

2009-06-01T13:59:00.002-04:00

This is how I cook, simple and yummy. My grilled chicken is very simple-- I mix pepper,salt and garlic powder to taste. Sometimes (when I have it, reminds me I need more!) I add some Redneck Pepper to the mix and rub it on. Barbecue sauce can be added during or after grilling and I love Sonny's Sizzlin' Sweet sauce.

You see, grilling doesn't have to be bad for you! It's all about portion control and eating things that are not fatty! How can you not love grilled chicken?

1986 GT Pro Performer.

2009-06-01T13:46:00.002-04:00

I really, really, REALLY want this bike! When it comes to old school bikes that I want in pink this is atop of my list along with a Redline RL 20II and a Hutch Trickstar. If anyone out there wants to buy these for me I will cut your lawn for the next 2 Summers-- kidding. ;)

Interview.

2009-05-31T14:36:00.003-04:00

I did this about 8 months back for the now defunct BodModBlog. It was never posted and the old blogmaster Justin Carey sent me a transcript of it and thought I would share.

BodModBlog- How long have you been piercing and how did you get into the industry?
Jack - I have been piercing professionally for around 12 years, I got my first piercing when I was about 11-12 which were my nipples. That was 1990 or so, so you so the math. I was offered an apprenticeship in around 1996 based on some piercing that I did on myself and my friends.

BMB - So, what do you specialize in?
Jack - Body piercings.

BMB - I saw that one coming, what I am trying to say is there anything in particular that you love to do?
Jack - I dabbled in harder modifications for a few years, but I like to stick to just normal body piercing. It's the piercings that everyone asks for and rarely are cash n' carry, you know?

BMB - What hardcore mods have you done?
Jack - I used to do a lot of ear scalpel cuts, punches, split some tongues and things like that.

BMB - What made you quit?
Jack - Oh, a lot of things; I never really enjoyed doing it because of the potential risks involved like profuse bleeding. Then there are the legalities of the practice-- it is illegal. Then as I got older, bought a house, cars, quads and such it became more of an insurance issue. Since you ca not insure those practices it becomes a liability and I do not want to lose everything I worked over a decade to accumulate.

BMB - With that being said, what do you think of other practitioners performing these things?
Jack - Well, I think it is a beautiful art form and some practitioners are very good at it and others not so great. Either way, they are taking your life into their hands with every cut. With risks of MRSA, excessive scarring, profuse bleeding and other medical issues these practitioners don’t have what it takes to curb those risks. Even the best ones out there have had all of these mentioned problems, it comes with the territory.

BMB - What do you mean?
Jack - Well, these are quasi-surgical practices and they are not performed in sterile operation rooms. Generally the practitioners, with exception to some, do not use sterile gloves, complete sterile set ups, sterile drapes ad so on- that increases risks of infections. When it comes to bleeding, you never know what is going on inside of the body of the person you are about to cut. I know someone who was cut by a well regarded modification artist and almost bled out by the time she made it to the emergency room-- the artist could not stop her bleeding and had no specific training in doing so other than basic first-aid classes. I mean more like they can not legally administer true medicine to stop profuse bleeding.

BMB - So you are saying it’s unsafe?
Jack - No, I am saying it is a risk like anything else. Even in body piercing you get people who refuse to acknowledge that they have hemophilia for instance. You pierce them and they can not stop bleeding-- why people ignore that I don’t know. So take that logic and apply it to a scalpel cut lobe piercing from 1.2” to 5/8” and you have a far worse problem. Another problem is anesthetic-- you have people using it who have no medical training. If used improperly, or even properly on the wrong person you can have a bad problem and no way to fix it.

BMB - While we are on this subject, what do you think of the industry today?
Jack - There’s good and bad, you know? The industry has grown to the point where everything is better from quality of jewelry to aftercare. Then there is the bad and it’s the part of the industry that has become a pissing contest.

BMB - Pissing contest?
Jack - Everyone trying to outdo the other. For instance, someone does one piercing and then you see someone else piercing someone’s eye lid. Everyone and their mother are now performing microdermals. Microdermals are great-- they can be somewhat successful in areas where a surface piercing can not be. The problem with them is you have to use an illegal implement-- a biopsy punch-- to perform the piercing to it’s best. Then you have this semi-permanent piece of steel in your body that still has a good chance to migrate and reject. Some piercers tell their clients that they won’t reject and generally they do. I have cut so many microdermals out of people that it’s starting to get ridiculous. Sadly, these people were never told that a micro dermal on a hand still had a chance to migrate.

BMB - Do you perform micro dermal piercing?
Jack - No, again, because they heal better when punched and I won’t use punches.

BMB - So what do you do with the clients who ask for these?
Jack - Send them to a coworker who will, some will go to this other shop which is a great story in itself.

BMB - Dare I ask?
Jack - Well, there’s a twenty year old piercer who claims to have 8 years experience. He performs a lot of scalpel cutting, punches and what-not. Who would hire a 12 year old as a piercer, I don’t know. I just feel that as a 20 year old he really needs to focus on doing body piercing straight and correctly.

BMB - Are hack shops bad in your area?
Jack - Not really. We don’t have a lot of piercing shops here anymore. Some come and go, the good ones stay. There is one down the street that really isn’t that great. If you look at their portfolios you see a bunch of scalpel piercing, punches, surface bars, but you don’t see a lot of normal piercing. The piercing that you do everyday and that’s another problem with hardcore modification.

BMB - What do you mean?
Jack - Artists who provide them and also pierce, flood their portfolio with bloody cut piercing, 8mm punches, surface piercing but you rarely see things like navels, brows, bridges, nipples, etc. Sticking a needle through the skin is easy. Tom Brazda once said “you can train a monkey to pierce someone” and it’s true. It’s where you put the marks, and why and hitting those marks and aftercare and your bedside manner and how to handle problems (i.e. troubleshooting) that makes a piercer good. All of that comes with experience, GOOD experience.

BMB - It’s more like a science, right?
Jack - Pretty much, I mean every navel is not the same. Rarely are they absolutely perfect-- nice and oval with a nice lip. Generally they are elongated to the right or left, or the navel itself is off center. Some, not all, people who offer these hardcore modifications have the notion that those piercings (navels, nostrils, brows, etc) are boring and run of the mill. That kind of thinking is what produces badly placed body piercing because they won’t give these piercings as much thought.

BMB - If a client comes in with a botched piercing from another shop, what do you do?
Jack - I generally ask them what went wrong. If it’s just badly placed I tell them they should go back and alert the piercer. Most piercers good or bad will re-pierce it for free as well as provide a refund. If it’s just horribly botched, rejecting, horrible jewelry, wrong jewelry, embedded, or whatever I will remove it for them and/or switch to correct jewelry. I also tell them the piercer should be alerted for some sort of resolution. A lot of times they will not want to go back and that’s understandable.

BMB - Have you ever messed up a piercing and how did you handle it?
Jack - Of course, we are all human. Now “messed up” is a loose term, most of the time marks may have been put on wrong because the human eye is fallible. If the piercing looks crooked to me after the piercing I first alert the client and have them check it out. If they disagree and think it looks correct I will give them a couple weeks to mull it over and return. If it is indeed off I refund the piercing cost and offer a free re-piercing and a shit ton of apologies. That all comes out of my own pocket and thankfully it is not often that that happens! Now if it’s losing connection with a jewelry insertion, I remove the needle and then the jewelry and change my gloves and get an insertion taper and insert it that way. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred that goes smoothly and the client is none the wiser.

BMB - No one has ever freaked out on you when that has happened?
Jack - No, it’s all the way that you handle it. You fess up to it and tell the client exactly what happened. I have heard clients tell me that their piercer blamed losing connection on them-- that they moved or something--same with crooked piercing, and that’s funny. More often than not before the client reacts to the piercing it’s over. I think blaming it on them, whether it’s their fault or not is shallow. You as a piercer should make sure the client is calm enough to where their movement will be minimal.

BMB - One last thing I wanted to ask you about was bad customers, do you have any?
Jack - Absolutely. Some are down right horrible.

BMB - Do you have a story?
Jack - Well, it happens so often than I can not just pick one out. Most of the problems arrive from mothers bringing in their 16 year old daughter and not bringing any identification for them. They seem to find it hard to grasp that we need their identification for legal purposes. Mothers scream, cuss us out, call us names… all over a freaking law we have to follow. Then you get drunk, belligerent people who refuse to leave. There’s also the people who come in and look at the pictures on the wall and say shit like “that’s sick, someone would have to be a retard to get that!” or far worse… and it offends us because most of the time it’s a body piercing that one of the staff has!

BMB - You would think that going into a piercing shop you would think about that before stating it out loud.
Jack - One time a lady came in for a piercing, my coworker went to help her and the lady said something very rude out loud like “you are sick/ugly/whatever” and my coworker walked away and said to me “you take care of her, I’m not”. I had to defend my coworker and tell the woman to leave that nobody would help her because of her rudeness. Not very professional, but sometimes you have to sacrifice that for ethics.

BMB - Any last thing that you wanted to add?
Jack - Nah, well… a quote. “When you think you have learned all there is to know, that’s when the real learning starts”. It’s by a baseball player, I think.

BMB - Brilliant

1985 Skyway Streetbeat.

2009-05-30T22:29:00.003-04:00

Something I picked up-- I have been looking for one of these for a while. I love the purple accents on it and with a minimal clean up it will be looking good. It will take a bit of elbow grease to remove the pad marks on the front wheel, but that's okay.

Memorial Day weekend.

2009-05-25T11:56:00.003-04:00

So, Abby and I decided to drive-- well, SHE drove-- 310 miles to Columbus, OH to see Jack Hannah's zoo for Memorial Day weekend. All in all, the weekend was fun and it's too bad that we were so far away from home (missed the cat) because the Columbus Zoo was not that amazing. I mean, it was very clean and well put together, but nothing great. Abby's main goal was to see the new baby elephant and unfortunately there was an hour line to do so. We did see it-- for about 2 minutes-- so, I guess it was worthwhile?

Columbus, OH is a very nice place though; it seems like a newly built city (although we were in a burb, not the city) and was exceptionally clean. One of our nights there we ate at this kick ass Indian restaurant called Cuisine of India, which was freaking great. I never really had authentic Indian before aside from my coworker bringing me take-out to work every now and then. Abby got some Chicken Gosht Tikka Masala, which was amazing-- tasted very sweet and nutty. I ordered Chicken Vindaloo KonKan, which was very spicy, but awesome-- It cleared my sinuses pretty fast. I'd recommend that place for anyone living in Columbus or visiting- they have their shit down.

We decided to leave early because we missed our cat and now I am home with her relaxing on Memorial Day. I still have to mow the lawn and finish painting the front porch!

Human overpopulation.

2009-05-21T17:40:00.000-04:00

I was in the woods before work with my quad dumping lawn clippings in a compost pile and I came upon 2 very small fawn. When I say small, I mean barely larger than my cat-- they must have been new born. The mother was nowhere in sight and she was probably eating or had abandon them. The sad thing is that a lot of quads ride in this area and that's the sort of thing that may have scared the mother away. I hope her motherly instincts are enough intact to where she knows where to find her babies! It makes me sad to think that I may have scared her off, and no I did not touch or pet them.

Long, tiresome day...

2009-05-18T19:57:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I have had a long, tiresome day. I had a load of yard work to do and my friend came over and we went on a long ride on our BMX bikes-- fun, fun. Unfortunately, I fucked my shin up and blew out my rear tire. Had to stop and patch up the tire to get back home.

Abby got home around 6:30 and we got to go back to the mall to return some shit. One thing being my LL Cool J (don't snicker) shorts-- I really fucked them up. I did not notice that they forgot to remove the ink tag and I started to fiddle to it and then pop-- red dye went everywhere. Thankfully they returned them without incident, I swear I am not as dumb as I seem.

So, after a fun night I had with Abby last night & today, I am pooped.

Next Weekend = Columbus Zoo. :D

Support science.

2009-05-15T14:03:00.001-04:00

Abby's new license plate frame for her Scion XD-- gotta love it. It looks so nice next to her Darwin fish, yeah really.

Seasame Chicken.

2009-05-12T16:00:00.002-04:00

I am not a fan of Chinese food at all, but this dish that Abby made was yummy as hell. It's Sesame Chicken on rice and unfortunately Abby did not care for it. One thing I hate about Chinese is the overpowering taste of soy sauce in a lot of their dishes. This had chicken marinated in it, but still was not overpowering and even was pretty subtle. Abby has another recipe where the chicken is breaded with sesame seeds and the sauce is a mix of soy and orange marmalade.

SERVES 4 ACTIVE TIME: 15 min TOTAL TIME: 20 min

1 pkg (16 oz) Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Stir-Fry Vegetables
1 sweet red pepper, 1-inch dice
2 Tbsp Wegmans Vegetable Oil
1 lb (16 oz) Wegmans Chicken Breast Strips for Stir-Fry (with our own seasoning)
1 Tbsp Food You Feel Good About Peeled Garlic, chopped
3/4 cup Wegmans Spicy Orange Sauce
2 Tbsp JFC White Roasted Sesame Seeds (International Foods)

Blanch stir-fry vegetables and pepper 20 seconds in large pot of boiling salted water. Drain; set aside.
Drizzle oil around sides of stir-fry pan; tilt pan to distribute evenly. Heat oil in pan on HIGH until oil faintly smokes. (If oil smokes too much, pan is too hot.)
Add chicken strips and garlic. Stir fry 4-5 minutes. Add vegetables; stir fry about 1 min. Add sauce; stir fry until heated through. Serve garnished with sesame seeds.

Vegetables: 1 cup(s)

Calories: 360

Nutrition Info: Each serving (1 3/4 cups) contains 360 calories, 35 g carbohydrate, (6 g fiber), 23 g protein, 12 g fat, (2 g saturated fat), 25 mg cholesterol, and 510 mg sodium.

Sold my baby.

2009-05-08T17:45:00.002-04:00

I need room in my garage so I decided to let my 1984 Diamondback Viper go-- she will be missed. Hopefully the new owner will keep this intact and not part it out and sell it. I at least have a couple more old school BMX bikes left to keep me company!

Home made Greek lunch.

2009-05-07T12:37:00.003-04:00

Abby found this yummy Greek burger recipe online and my-golly it's delicious. I took some to work for lunch and it was one of the best I have had. It's grilled turkey burger with spinach and feta inside on a wheat pita shell with sliced cucumbers and hummus as condiments. I think we will be eating this one again and I bet it takes good with beef and grilled chicken.

1 lb Fresh 94% Lean Ground Turkey
1 cup firmly packed baby spinach (1 oz), chopped (bulk)
1 Tbsp Italian Classics Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1 1/2 oz Wegmans Crumbled Feta, about 1/2 cup (Cheese Shop)
1/4 tsp McCormick Oregano Leaves
1/2 tsp Wegmans Cracked Pepper Blend
1 tsp Wegmans Pure Olive Oil
4 Tbsp roasted red pepper hummus (Mediterranean Bar), divided
4 leaves red leaf lettuce
1 small cucumber, cut into 12 thin slices
4 Food You Feel Good About 100% Whole Wheat Pitas, slit horizontally

Preheat grill on HIGH 10 min.

Combine ground turkey, baby spinach, bread crumbs, feta, oregano, cracked pepper, and olive oil in mixing bowl. Form into 4 burgers.
Clean grill with wire brush. Using soft cloth, coat grill grate lightly with vegetable oil. Place burgers on grill. Reduce heat to MEDIUM.
Sear burgers on grill 2 min, until they have changed color about one-quarter of way up from bottom. Turn over; sear 2-3 min. Turn again; reduce heat to MEDIUM or LOW. Close lid.
Cook about 10 min until internal temp reaches 165 degrees (check by inserting thermometer halfway into thickest part of burgers). Transfer to clean platter; set aside.
Top each burger with 1 Tbsp red pepper hummus, red leaf lettuce, and 3 slices thinly sliced cucumber. Place in pitas.

Option(s):
Tzatziki makes a nice addition to these burgers.

Vegetables: 1/2 cup(s)

Whole Grains: 2 1/2

Calories: 390

Nutrition Info: Each serving (1 burger and pita with toppings) contains 390 calories, 38 g carbohydrate, (7 g fiber), 31 g protein, 15 g fat, (5 g saturated fat), 60 mg cholesterol, and 770 mg sodium.

Manufactured energy... and some rocket fuel.

2009-05-06T18:59:00.003-04:00

On the days I forget to bring a lunch I am forced to get it from a store and I freaking hate that. I try and get low(er) calorie soups with low sodium and sugar-free drinks. So, here was yesterday's lunch; a low calorie chicken & rice soup, a yummy roasted turkey sandwich from Steve's Pig & Ox Roast and some rocket fuel-- sugar-free Rock Star energy drink. I do feel a bit guilty about the sandwich though, it is roasted turkey, but the bun does have a lot of calories and carbs. At any rate this was yummy, the sandwich that is. Steve's makes some kick ass roasted turkey sandwiches.

Not a good Sunday.

2009-05-05T13:25:00.002-04:00

I got a text Sunday morning, my friend Cooper let me know that he was in the hospital. Apparently he had a fire in the home he and his brother were refurbishing. He attempted to put out the fire and was burned pretty nasty on his hands and feet. Fortunately, he was not burned bad-- at least bad enough to have skin grafts. The house burned to the ground which really sucks, and I am sure is very depressing with all of the work that has been put into it. Get well man!

So, that aside, I spent the entire Monday sanding my porch to be re-painted. I always forget how back-breaking manual sanding is until the next day when my back is aching. It's a good workout I guess, probably horrible on the joints. My knee is still aching beyond belief and I need an MRI on it. I keep procrastinating about getting it looked at, but perhaps I will when my ligament(s) burst. With my luck that us bound to happen any time now. Perhaps I should stop bitching about it.

Leftover pasta at work.

2009-05-02T16:02:00.003-04:00

Why does pasta always taste better after refrigerated? Maybe I am alone with that theory, but I love when Abby makes pasta and her tasty-ass sauce. It makes a great lunch for work and my god it's yummier the day after! The sauce she makes is more or less a sauce for a baked Ziti type of dish- very spicy with cubed peperoni. Trust me that it's very yummy!

Black and blue and broken bones...

2009-05-01T17:20:00.002-04:00

My wife complains often that I don't exactly act my age and I'd have to agree. I may be in my thirties but I still keep hobbies that I had when I was fifteen-- and that's just fine with me. Ever since I have lost fifty plus pounds I have been riding my BMX more often. Really, there's nothing more embarrassing than a 220 pound 6'3" man on a BMX! Generally when it's dead at work I go into the parking lot and practice some olf BMX moves-- things I have not done in fifteen years! Yeah, I fall down a lot and hurt myself but in typical stubborn-male fashion I get back up and do it again. I bet that I look like a dumbass to the average spectator!

The great thing about is that it's a great workout on the abs and upper body. It's always a great thing to get a workout and have fun, so I can't care less if someone thinks I am a man-child!

All kidding aside, I gotta enjoy the (semi) nice weather while it lasts. Lord knows we don't get much here.

Got the numer 13 tattooed on my neck...

2009-04-30T15:07:00.005-04:00

So, before work I decided to go riding, look at wild deer and turkey and such. I rode a trail and over a seemingly tame mudhole. Unfortunately the mud was thigh deep and I was stuck for a good thirty minutes. The quad I was using is relatively small, which means it's not as strong as my 450! I was covered from waist down in mud and it was freaking foul smelling. I have such bad luck! It's really unfortunate how all of these young quad riders have dug this place out with their ATVs. Two years ago the trails looked untouched really and now there knee to thigh deep ruts everywhere. Fucking kids always fucking up everything-- it will be a matter of time now before the authorities post this area off. To top that off my quad needs another bath; just have it one yesterday, lol.

Well, on the bright side I did see a few deer and one turkey. It's odd, the deer seem to get more and more trusting of humans every time I see them. They simply don't even run anymore. With all of the idiots in this area that can be a problem. A few weeks ago when I was in the woods I saw a buck with a gun shot in his leg. What the hell-- there's nowhere even remotely close where you can even hunt!

Indian Chicken Chili

2009-04-29T13:12:00.002-04:00

Abby's Indian style chicken chili-- cloves, cayenne pepper, chicken, onions, white kidney beans and there you have it. I can literally eat this stuff by the gallon; it's that good.

Another great FARK article; it was very common for inmates at Auschwitz and other death camps to write letters and hide them. This was mainly so they would not die anonymous, as most would. Apparently an old buried letter was found with names and birth dates and messages. I think it is more than amazing that one of the people on the list not only survived, bit is still alive to this day-- amazing.

Jesco

2009-04-28T18:25:00.002-04:00

So, Jesco White was jailed for possession and for some reason everyone is calling it a set-up. I don't know, I guess it's a valid theory but so is the fact that he indeed purchased cocaine and uses. I'm sure that the cops did not plant the cocaine on him, and I am sure that Jesco is not an entirely innocent person.

One theory is that the cops saw the trailer for the upcoming documentary about Jesco and his family and did not like it. In essence, they wanted to send a message to the people who live like Jesco. Sounds a bit far-fetched, but I reckon we can all make up our minds.

At any rate, I like Jesco and all, and this really sucks!

It's been nice...

2009-04-27T11:24:00.002-04:00

So, being the warm-weather nut that I am I was very excited to have the past couple of days off. It's been about 80, and no rain; a beautiful day for a hike. Needless to say my wife and I went driving looking for places to hike-- Chestnut Ridge really was a let down so we went to Como Park. For people who really love to hike and don't want to drive 70 miles to Allegany State Park- Como Park is perfect. There's many miles of trails, which may be a surprise because where it is located. Generally you can see wildlife-- chipmunks, deer, snakes, etc. It's really well laid out and very fun. It was very nice to get back to hiking since last year we barely did it.

Other than that, getting back to yard work is always bitter-sweet. It's tedious, but nice and relaxing. Mowing for the first time is always a task and laying down new mulch is always easier said than done! Yeah, domesticated life is so complex; I want some ice cream later today!

Hank III in Buffalo June 21!

2009-04-24T13:22:00.001-04:00

Consider me there already! He will be playing at The Town Ballroom so mark your fucking calenders, shit heads!

Have been looking forward to seeing him for many years now-- ever since I missed his last East Coast tour!

Like Hank Williams Jr. said: "the new South, thank God it's still the same..."

2009-04-22T12:24:00.004-04:00

I really don't re-post news stories much, but here is one that just angers me; a man kills a woman for backing out of his racist ceremony and is deemed too "dumb" to stand trial. Are you fucking kidding me? If Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole can stand trial- and they were some really dumb mother-fuckers-- then this piece of shit can. Better yet, let's just drag him behind a pick-up truck until his eyes pop out of their sockets and then hang him on a fence pole and burn him! Oh wait... that would not be cool at all-- never mind.

Kidding aside, I think it's prety fucked up that someone has to be tutored in order to be competent to stand trial. Can someone really be that incredibly ~~stupid~~ ignorant? I reckon so.

So, off of that topic-- it supposed to be damn near 80 degrees this week and that means that finally we will be seeing some of that Summer weather! Hopefully Abby and I can go hiking this weekend if she feels up to it. We have not been to Allegany State Park in a while and I miss that place! I just hope that this summer doesn't get bungled up like last summer and we can actually do these things! Grrr

An idea...

2009-04-21T16:59:00.002-04:00

Last year my friend and I obtained a Yamaha Warrior in a basket (meaning it was completely apart) for nearly nothing. We were planning on putting it together and selling it, but I came across this completely intact Warrior that just needs an engine for under $400. We have an engine that is going to be rebuilt for nearly nothing, and if we can get this "intact" Warrior for $400 we can out it together and sell it for $1200 or so, which is great! Cooper has brand new tires and rims for it as well as a new seat and such. I think he should grab this thing because it will most definitely pay for itself quick!

I am a consumer whore.

2009-04-21T12:38:00.003-04:00

So, most people know that I am from the south. Of course, I really miss certain aspects of it which we don't have up here; boiled peanuts, the smell of cotton fields and Sonny's Real-Pit BBQ. So, I randomly buy shit online and have it shipped to my house. It's not uncommon to have large boxes of boiled peanuts arriving via UPS. Anyways, I was ecstatic to see that Sonny's Real Pit BBQ now has a website where I can buy their yummy sauces!

Last time I was in the south I also bought some yummy beef jerky, and again it was nice to know that they have a website were I can get Redneck Pepper Jerky any time! Yeah, who says the internet ruined local and small businesses?

Anyways, I also wanted to show a picture of the progress on my new, but old quad. It's my third and I removed racks, gave it a thick layer of clear coat, new front lights and am waiting for a Yamaha graphics kit as well as a new seat. I tuned up the engine, adjusted the throttle and it flies now. I am going to get it a racing air filter as well-- just to add some horsepower. I also registered it yesterday-- these old quads are probably the hardest things to register. If it has never been registered (the law requiring all ATVs to be registered started in 2005, so not many of these old ones are) you have to have certification of origin papers and a list of all former owners, which can nearly be impossible. So, it's really nice to have this old machine registered!

You know what I am in the mood for?

2009-04-18T13:13:00.003-04:00

I have a craving for Abby's turkey kielbasa soup. She doesn't care for this too much, which means she won't make it! Corn, tomatoes, peppers & onion-- YUM!

1984 Diamondback Viper for sale.

2009-04-18T13:07:00.003-04:00

Want it? $180 plus shipping! It rides like a dream, very very clean frame, hardly any rust, no cracks, etc. The mags have been spray painted, but that can easily be removed and everything else is in great shape. The bike looks really nice and since it's a Diamondback you can score it for fairly cheap!

-New California Lite pads
-OG Skyway Tuff mags
-Tioga layback seat post
-Primo seat post clamp
-Diamondback 3 piece crank set
-Shimano pedals
-NOS Lee Chi "Freestyle" brakes
-NOS Cycle Pro chain
-Repro Diamondback decals

More on the Moto 4.

2009-04-17T14:33:00.002-04:00

So, I took this out in the mud for the first time and it has some power, but I am way too used to my Honda 450. A 2 wheel drive 200cc is such a change and I ended up getting stuck in some really horrible mud. I ended up removing the front and rear racks and ordered a seat cover, some Yamaha decals and a new starter. Can't wait to really ride this thing and see what it's made of-- I am also planning on having the engine rebuilt and bored out.

Old man river gets on a rampage.

2009-04-17T11:09:00.003-04:00

My family lives in North Florida, and ya know... photos like this don't make me miss that place any less. We have our fair share of river and creek floods up here, but nothing near the crap they have to go through down there. Apparently the flood water came from Georgia rivers and eventually through the Suwannee River, which connects with the Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers. The area is known for floods, but it looks like this is the worst one in a while.

I am glad shit rolls downhill because we never really get floods of this magnitude up here! The most recent one was when Tonawanda Creek flooded and that was nothing horrible.

1985 Yamaha Moto 4.

2009-04-15T14:39:00.002-04:00

New to the family-- a 1985 Yamaha Moto 4 200, excellent shape! I loved my 1986 Honda TRX250 Fourtrax, and I hope this rides just as sweet!

Stranded in the wilderness Mix CD.

2009-04-14T14:08:00.004-04:00

So, if I was going to be dropped in the middle of the wilderness "Survivorman" style, I would probably just listen to my iPod. This will be much different than my last, as I would prefer loud, hard music. However, if this was 1995 and I had to bring a mix CD for the occasion this is what it would sound like:

Soulfly - Primitive
Marilyn Manson - Snakeyes & Sissies
Everytime I Die - Jimmy Tango's Method
Hank Williams III - Long Hauls, Close Calls
Megadeth - Peace Sells (But Who's Buying?)
Ween - Roses Are Free
Pantera - Mouth For War
Sepultura - Territory
The Melvins - Okie From Muskogee (with Hank III)
Peeping Tom - Five Seconds To Live
GG Allin & The Murder Junkies - I Love Nothing
Pitboss 2000 - Bats & Gats
One Life Crew - Sportbike Attack/Get Out
Rage Against The Machine - Pistol-Grip Pump

Four years ago...

2009-04-13T12:49:00.002-04:00

So, four years ago I received a phone call at about 6 in the morning from my mother telling me that my father had passed away in his sleep. Three hours later my wife and I were on the road to Florida 1300 miles away... what a horrible day, and I don't think I even spoke a word all the way there. I still miss him, and think about him all the time... He was born in 1928 and passed away in 2005 at 77. Okay... no more of this blues jam, but I just wanted to dedicate this post to him!

Here is my favorite photo of him in 1950, standing behind his 1940 Ford-- my favorite car! This was taken at the Pentagon and notice the bandage across his nose-- he just got into a fight the day before!

It's funny, he dressed the same way until the day he passed away... and it seems like I dress very similar now.

Damaged goods.

2009-04-11T17:39:00.003-04:00

What I hate when I order food and when it comes it's all wrong! GAH! I understand being busy and making an error on the order like tomatoes when I said no tomatoes or perhaps not putting on a condiment I asked for but here is what I ordered:
Chicken taco salad, no cheese, medium taco sauce.
6" turkey sub, dry, no cheese.

Here's what I got:
Chicken taco salad, a fucking huge heap of cheese, and very hot wing sauce.
6" Tuna sub with mayo, onions and cheese.

So, my question is: "How did they mess up that bad"? I mean, did they send me someone else's order? Was this on purpose? And I am too afraid to call and complain because I know people who work there and they like to spit in "trouble customers'" food and no thanks, I am not that upset over my food!

Man, this is aggravating when you are starving.

Bananas.

2009-04-10T21:40:00.004-04:00

I received my sweet Gene Ween Band shirt today- $5 from Ween.com and you can't beat that! I'm not a huge Gene Ween Band fan, but I do love Ween a lot. I reckon that makes me a poseur, and okay, I admit that I am!

While I am here, I wanted to mention something that I saw on FARK today. In Canada, a fella is seeking disability from the government and they have felt the need to seize his computer. Why? They want to know how much time he spends on Facebook! Apparently the disabled can no longer seek compensation if they are spending too much time online. How asinine is that? I mean, generally people who are truly disabled will spend all day online, watching TV or being lazy. It's the people who are frauding the government for compensation who will be out and about! So, for future reference, if you get disabled at work, try not to log onto Facebook!

Going away... away...

2009-04-10T13:50:00.003-04:00

So, Columbus Zoo trip is planned! May 23 - 25, it's Memorial Day weekend so I bet the zoo is going to be nauseously busy. It's the first trip Abby and I have really gone on in a very long time, so it will be very nice. It's going to be the first long trip in our new Scion XD, so it should be very fun!

Here's a funny FARK story about some cops near my old home town in Florida-- sort of funny, sort of aggravating.

The Gainesville Police Department began the internal investigation after an on-duty officer twice pulled over the off-duty officers, who were in a pickup in the neighborhood south of downtown and west of Main Street.
Three separate events were documented, the last of which, on Nov. 9, involved at least two of the officers throwing eggs in the Porter's Neighborhood, although the officers said the eggs weren't directed at anyone.

Piss you off too?

Mix CD for the grave.

2009-04-09T22:42:00.002-04:00

Someone recently asked me something interesting: "If you were being buried alive, and could bring a mix CD with you, what songs would be on it?". I thought that was a fantastic question for many reasons, one being that you have to think you have like an hour of oxygen before you die-- the CD should only be an hour long and be of songs you'd want to hear on your way out of this life. Anyways, here is what I would want.

Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings - Take It To The Limit (One More Time)
Ween - The Argus
Johnny Cash & Waylon Jennings - I Wish I Was Crazy Again
Faron Young - Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young
Marty Robbins - El Paso
George Jones - Are The Good Times Really Over (For Good)
Hank Williams - I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive
Against Me! - Walking Is Still Honest
Waylon Jennings & Hank Williams Jr. - The Conversation
Clutch - Cypress Grove
Luna - Tigerlilly
David Alan Coe - The Ride
John Anderson - Catch A Falling Star

Okay, yeah I know it's full of country bullshit-- but I grew up with those songs, and quite literally I ca listen tho those songs non-stop. I do love music like Soulfly, Mike Patton, CIV, The Murder Junkies, Black Flag, Pantera, Anthrax and so on, but when people say that old school country music is timeless-- they are correct.

This is how it looks when I eat bad.

2009-04-09T14:30:00.003-04:00

Since I dropped down to 161 pounds, I felt like my lunch could be some fast food! Now, I won't eat deep-friend bullshit or shit full of trans fat so this is as bad as it gets. It was yummy- a chicken taco with hot sauce and some bread sticks with garlic spread. Yeah, I know it's not that bad at all, but like I said I refuse to eat deep-fried or shit full of saturated and trans fat.

I reckon I better get back to cleaning the home, don't want Abby to crucify me!

Finally, it's sunny again!

2009-04-09T11:52:00.003-04:00

It's really funny how happy someone could be on a 41 degree day, but hell, the sun is out! I think I'm going to go on a bike ride after I get some house work done... maybe take a walk in the backwoods, I don't know. I just feel like I should be enjoying the sun while it lasts.

So, I weighed myself this morning and I am now 161 pounds, not at all good. I am trying my hardest to gain some muscle weight-- protein, calories, weights-- and I just keep losing. I don't mind losing weight, but it's getting to the point where I am starting to look emaciated. I'm also worried that I will start losing muscles! Grrr! I cut down working out to 2-3 days a week, I'm not sure what I am doing wrong, but I am.

Oh, listen to me bitching about losing weight.

So, this Summer here's my hopeful itinerary:

Get a small, cheap quad for around the house.
Gain some muscle, maybe join a gym.
Hike, hike, hike.
Columbus Zoo.
Adirondacks with Cooper.
Repaint house porch (yeah, this will take some procrastination).
Tattoos, cover ups and finish.

It may not sound like much, but with my hectic schedule I doubt half of these will actually happen. Oh, boring life of mine!

This is why we have that law.

2009-04-08T18:16:00.002-04:00

So, a mother brought her 16 year old daughter in who went to Canada for a tattoo. Well, "Canada" fucked her up big time and she wanted to know if we could fix it. First off, we can not tattoo any minor for any reason as per New York State law, second she is 16 and got her boyfriend's name tattooed on her. What kind of mother a) lets her daughter get tattooed and b) lets her get a tattoo of her boyfriend's name? Call me old fashioned, but my daughter would be in a home before that would ever happen.

It's really depressing, you know, people call all the time and get angry when we tell them we can not tattoo minors. They don't realize the law was enacted because of situations such as this!

Planning ahead.

2009-04-07T15:04:00.002-04:00

I really gotta get a small and cheap quad for my house. My Honda Foreman 450 is 65 miles away in the boonies at Cooper's house and it's just too much of a pain in the ass to transport back and forth. I was thinking about another 86 Fourtrax like my old one-- just so I can ride out on the state land and watch deer and blow off some steam. When I was having a shit ton of life problems it helped to just ride and take pictures of random things down the abandon train tracks and creeks.

The only problem with old quads is that it's very hard to find one that is registrable! If it's an '86 and never been registered, it's almost impossible to register it unless you can track down every fucking former owner of it! Anyways, 'ole Jack is babbling again!

Beautiful Spring morning in Buffalo.

2009-04-07T10:44:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately Buffalo has been hit with that nasty cold front-- we got some snow dumped on us and it's freaking 26 degrees! I swear, I said it before and I will say it again: Spring time in Buffalo is downright depressing! we supposed to be getting snow tomorrow & Thursday too! GROWL!

Anyhow, work calls today and I was hoping to get a little workout in before I leave. I don't see that happening since this fucking season depresses the hell out of me to the point where I don't even want to get out of bed!

Loan me $2250.00?

2009-04-06T19:17:00.004-04:00

Man, this 1983 Skyway TA is beautiful and so worth the $2250 the seller wants for it. It's completely restored to showroom beauty. I really wish I had the money to piss away because I would most definitely get this bike-- hard to find these in this great of shape anymore! The pads alone can fetch upwards of $200 not to mention the rims, cranks and seat! What a steal!

Summer hiking?

2009-04-06T10:15:00.002-04:00

So, it's getting to be that time again where Abby and I take weekends off to hike. Memorial Day weekend we are going to go to the Columbus Zoo-- we have been wanting to visit there for a while now. I do miss hikes though, and I wish there were more places in this area to hike. It seems like we have done just about everywhere-- grrr!

Again, food-- I am been trying my hardest to figure out what I have to eat to maintain my weight. I do work out and I have been trying to flood my body with protein to gain some muscle mass. I weighed myself last night and I was 164, I ma trying to get to 175 or so-- by gaining muscle, of course. I feel like I eat a lot, but I can not gain weight no matter what and it seems like I am losing it. I have even cut back on workouts:

-Three days a week weight lifting.
-Two to three days a week ab workout.
-Two days a week cardio.
-Four days a week shoulders; pull ups, chin ups, etc.

I used to do all of that each day 4-5 days a week! Growl. I am thinking a gym may be a good idea at this point if I really want to gain some muscle mass. I thinking just being told what I am doing wrong will help a lot, and then I can sort of do it on my own. I think I have everything else under control, so it's not like I need to be tutored on it all... double grr!

Anyways, I reckon I will wake up-- today is a fucking dark, dreary cold day. I really dislike Spring time Buffalo weather-- it's just so depressing. When I lived in Florida, it would be 80 degrees, you know? So, here in Buffalo we have near freezing, cloudy days and every now and then we have a nice 50 degree day! Triple grr!

Eddie Fiola's bicycle ballet: 1988

2009-04-05T16:11:00.001-04:00

Yeah, I loved this guy way back in the day. It's amazing how graceful he is with the bike, and I tell ya it's not east at all. I have acquired so many cuts, scrapes and bruises attempting even the simple stuff!

Eight months healthy!

2009-04-05T12:52:00.002-04:00

So, it's about 8 months since I started my diet-- well I hate using the word "diet" because it was just more of a lifestyle change than a diet. I know I sound like a broke record with this, but I basically cut out soda and sugared drinks as well as fried foods and exercised portion control with meals. Also, not eating after 9pm or so really helps a lot and I stress that! You also have to keep active-- work out, cardio a few times a week at the least.

The Winter sucks here-- so hard to work out. I hate running on a treadmill, it seems like a mile takes an eternity and would much rather run outside. Needless to say, my cardio gets neglected in the Winter time. It's just starting to get nice again and hopefully I can get out and run a few times a week. I really am afraid of becoming anorexic-- it's a mind thing, ya know? I'm always paranoid that even though I am a consistent 164-166 pounds that I am developing body fat from being so dormant. I still work out a few times a week-- weights and abs mainly. I just want to find a routine that keeps me healthy and keeps my body where I want it at.

I'm too cheap for a nutritionist, but this is how it may end of for ole' scabby.

Memories of the "Fuck Face"

2009-04-04T22:01:00.002-04:00

It's been 20 years, twenty fucking years, since the infamous Billy Ripken "Fuck Face" card. I remember when word of this card was out my father and I went to a flea market and purchased 3 boxes of 1989 Fleer cards in hopes of getting it. As it were, we opened 2 packs and the third one yielded one of the greatest "error" cards in baseball card history! Sadly, the corrected "scribble" and "white out" cards seem to be more sought after than the error, but it's still a great card. Great memories of great times with my father.

Bo Knows Baseball.

2009-04-04T20:15:00.004-04:00

I play the text based baseball game Baseball Mogul a lot. It's really weird how the computer generates certain players, and how some of the most unlikely players have historical seasons. Bo Jackson was never a bad player and his career was cut short by a football injury. I started my campaign in 1988 and I am now in 1991, which was Bo Jackson's prime-- so far he has almost had two straight 40/40 seasons and is on pace for yet another if he can just steal some bases. He has missed a lot of time in the past 2 seasons, which basically robbed him of one 40/40 season and potentially two 50/50 seasons.

I only mention this because of a reference to Bo on a Friday The 13th message board where I posted this picture in reference to a quote "Jason is a modern day Bo Jackson".

YummO

2009-04-04T17:47:00.003-04:00

I really hate when my wife sends me teasing cell phone pictures of food she is preparing. She is in the midst of making her famous sauce and god damn-- it looks fucking delicious!

Cheap Ween shirts!

2009-04-04T17:40:00.002-04:00

I picked me up a couple cheap Ween shirts (6 and 5 bucks!) from their webstore. There's a few styles up, and even some other shirts are on clearance-- check it out if you love Ween!

Spring is here, time to tune up the ole' quad!

2009-04-04T14:39:00.002-04:00

Living in the Northeast we don't the the luxury of just going out and riding the quads in the Winter. A month or so a friend and I went on a ride-- a 24 one way trip ride on our quads. Sounds fun, right? Well it was 20 Fahrenheit with a -25 wind chill. Needless to say it was fucking brutal! I had 3 pair of thick Winter gloves on and every 5 minutes we had to stop and warm our hands with the quad's exhaust pipe. It got so bad that on one part of the ride through the town of Appleton, NY we could not stop and my hands ended up getting so numb that I could no longer move my fingers. It's quite scary because when that happens frost bite can happen very rapidly.

So, Spring is here and hopefully we can do another long ride without the nagging bite of this Winter cold! I can;t fucking wait-- I miss riding already!

Old school Haro... much like everything else, better vintage!

2009-04-04T12:34:00.004-04:00

I grew up riding BMX a lot in the 1980's and still have a few 1980's BMX bikes. I have noticed that today's BMX bikes are just downright ugly-- short, fat, and they lack the flair that the 1980's BMX bikes had. I don't know... I would never buy a modern BMX bike, I'd rather dish out the extra cash for a restored vintage. My favorite has to be 1984-1987 Haro Masters and Fresstylers, like I said-- they do not make these things the way they used to. At least Haro have kept their Freestylers somewhat consistent over the years.

Turkey Kielbasa soup

2009-01-07T13:41:00.004-05:00

My wife did not like this, but I thought it was yummy- low fa turkey kielbasa, hominy corn, beans, green peppers, diced tomatoes and onions in chicken broth cooked in a crock pot. Team that up with low calorie bread, turkey, tomatoes, romaine lettuce & low fat mayo and you got yourself a filling dinner that isn't so bad for you.

I know that eating so much starchy foods at night isn't that good for you, but I reckon I will survive.

Leg'go my Eggo.

2009-01-02T12:29:00.003-05:00

Call me a sell out for actually buying these pre-made waffles, but it's damn convenient. I am not a waffle person at all, but they are Nutrigrain and pretty low calorie. Add some sugar-free Smuckers blackberry jam and some hot blackberries and it's damn good. I really dislike pancake syrup with a passion and this way is much more yummy (and healthy) than that maple syrup bullshit.

So, it's January 2nd and I have decided that my New Year's resolution will be to add 10 pounds of muscle to my body. So far I have done a good job with muscle toning, however I am staying at around 166 pounds when I should be at 175 pounds for my body. I need to gain back some weight and I want it to be muscle- wish me luck!

Zuchini sauteed in olive oil and onions.

2009-01-01T17:32:00.000-05:00

Have I ever mentioned that Abby cooks come yummy ass shit?

Zucchini with onions sauteed in olive oil.

I am not a fan of zucchini, but this is the bomb.

21 Jump Street.

2008-12-15T17:22:00.000-05:00

I've been in bed all fucking day watching a shit-ton of DVRed 21 Jump Street episodes. Why do I like this corny ass show? I know I grew up watching it, loved it back then, but not it just wreaks of 80's moldy cheese. It must be Johnny Depp, heh, I always loved is episodes. I watched one earlier with a very young Vince Vaughn, he looked like a chode.

So, now I am eating some lunch- white trash lunch- grilled 2% milk cheese, fried turkey bologna, romaine lettuce, pickles & mustard with some fat-free Olean potato chips... thankfully I am one of the very few that don't get gut aches from those chips! Ass that to some yummy tomato soup and you have a white-trash lunch! Yeah, I know I like to eat... blah, blah.

Is it just me, or does a shit ton of people bother other people on AIM- it's always the same "who are you?". I mean, WTF? Don't fucking IM me and ask me who I am! That's stupid, if you do not know me then who the fuck are you? Grrr.. and as always, they get pissed off and call me an asshole because I won't tell them who I am. Do people really give that much of a damn? If you don't know me, block me and act like you never messaged me in the first place!

Grits and toast.

2008-12-15T17:20:00.000-05:00

Curried chicken.

2008-12-08T17:19:00.000-05:00

God, I love Abby's curried chicken & potatoes. Such a yummy dish, and if you dislike chicken and/or meat it tastes just as good without chicken or even tofu. I can not tell you how good this shit is.

Brocolli pasta.

2008-12-03T17:18:00.000-05:00

This was my breakfast- leftovers of Abby's delicious broccoli & white kidney pasta. It's spiced up with crushed red pepper and cheese. So damn good, so damn simple, and really good for you!

Breakfast of champions.

2008-12-01T17:17:00.000-05:00

So, I am stoked- my mask was sent back from Florida today! I missed it so much! It was one of the last ones that I had left when I sold them all to pay my credit card off and shit. God, I hate being a fan boy. So, it's 11:50am and I am bored at home. It's cold as hell outside which means no outside shit. Brrr

People want me to do a video blog on YouTube for my top 10 VHS covers and I think I may do that. I miss the days when my Mondays would be filled with shit to do. I miss the Summer- I think I have S.A.D., much like a lot of people in this damn city. I miss my 4-wheeler, it's 60 miles away in Appleton and pretty much sitting in a cold, wet farm barn- how depressing.

Can you tell I am down? lol.

Welp, time for some pull ups and crunches. Ciao.

Nanners.

2008-11-28T17:16:00.000-05:00

I didn't even eat much, but I feel bloated from it and there's a weird feeling in my tummy. I am just playing it off as anxiety- I have been battling that bullshit lately. A week ago, I ate pizza at work and vomited it up because of anxiety... grrr.

Anyways, yesterday was nice for the most part. It's always nice to have a day alone with Abby and Lilly. Now it's back to work... hope today is not very busy, then again it never is on Black Friday.

Breakfast was yum- apple oat toast, raisin peanut butter and bananas... MMMM

Tomato soup pasta shit.

2008-11-24T17:23:00.000-05:00

My breakfast- some home made soup Abby made. It's elbow macaroni, peppers, onions, tomato soup and very little 90/10 ground beef with shredded cheddar on top. Why do simple things taste so yummy?

Baked Ziti.

2008-11-24T17:14:00.000-05:00

My lunch... baked ziti. Abby made the sauce herself and is hella good. I know I should not be eating this either, but hell it's only a serving- can't be that bad, right?

Toasty.

2008-11-24T17:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, I get bored in the mornings and I absolutely love my new digital camera so here's what I eat for breakfast when I am eating "bad".

Abby got that peanut butter after seeing it on the Food Channel and god damn it is good as hell. That with some awesome toast = a yummy breakfast!

Toast and home made jam.

2008-11-22T17:31:00.000-05:00

So, people wonder what I eat and have eaten to make me lose 45 pounds. This was my breakfast at around 9:30 am (note: it is low calorie whole wheat bread and home made jam). I won't eat again until noon.