The one in which I go full nerd

I've been buying comics at LCS for about 35 years now.  It seems like in Las Vegas, comics shops are thriving, and that makes me happy.  When I was a kid and lived in Northern California, I think there was only one in the entire (densely populated) county.  

The only shop I could get to without driving 25 miles was run by an Italian man who never seemed to really like comics.  He only saw it as a business I believe.  He never talked about books, characters, artists, etc.  There was never anybody in his stores most times, and I wondered how he stayed in business.  He even had 2 locations at one time.  To my 8-years-young eyes, it just seemed like he had the greatest job in the world, and it brought him no joy.

Later on when I could travel, I found shops in Berkeley, Oakland, SF and the peninsula.  Most of them were either combo bookstore/comic shop, or college-type with a more mature slant.  I only found two they I really enjoyed: a touristy-shop at Pier 39, which seemed to have an awesome back issue selection, and high prices; and a hole in the wall in Burlingame that was run by a guy who always seemed to be on the brink of financial ruin.  

When I graduated unto adulthood (about 20 minutes ago), I found Flying Colors in Concord, CA. It is run by a true legend in the LCS world: Joe Field.  Even though his shop was on the small side, it packed something for everyone.  It didn't cater just to college kids, juveniles, or children; it had something for all.  And you know what?  The store was always busy.  I think he was the first LCS owner I ever met who knew that you should treat every customer like a friend, always be helpful, and sell comics at a fair price.

Now in Vegas I see a many stores following the same path, and with much success.  The 3-store Maximum Comics chain is truly amazing.  The owner Jay does some crazy things in the name of promotion, and does it tirelessly.  (Seriously, I think he's a robot or something; how does he do it?)  Last week he made a Facebook post telling the world that all "long wall" comics were $1 that day.  That means all recent issues that would normally still sell at cover price, except comics released this week.  ONE DOLLAR EACH!   Between the 2 stores I bought about 90 issues. I filled in gaps.  I bought whole runs.  I picked up a lot of new things I'd never heard of.  It was crazy.  Indeed, Freaky Friday as he called it.

Jay's shops do a lot of everything.  Big gaming, big comics, big toys.  One of his stores has a life-sized Silver Surfer (with board) right on top of the back issue bins.  It's majestic.  One of his stores currently has the full run of Walking Dead for sale (or did as of last week).  His staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly.  This guy is building a comics empire, in one of the most economically depressed cities in the U.S., and he's making it look easy.

Anyway, I want to say thanks to all comics shop operators out there.  Now I may not buy all my comics from you, but don't worry about that; you'll still get plenty of my money.

p.s. and thanx for not mentioning that it's been 17 years since the last update ;)

Is it September Already?

So tomorrow, an event will take place that only happens once every 15 years or so.  You probably read about it in the local newspaper, as it has a pretty big impact on the community, both financially and spiritually.

I'm canceling my TV service.

I've done this once before, when I lived in a small condo in Walnut Creek.  I had one of those illegal converter boxes that the cable company had figured out how to disable.  I couldn't live with just the "basic" channels, and couldn't afford the premiums.  I think I ended up giving it to a coworker as it seemed to work with his cable system still.

I guesstimate I went without TV for about 9-12 months that time.  For the life of me I can't remember what I did during that extended blackout.  I know I read a bit more back then than I do now.  I probably did a bit more bowling.  And eating out.

This time, I'm not sure how long I can go.  Yesterday was the 1st full day of NFL games, and for a good 7 hours I was stuck to the couch.  And for almost 2 months there will be overlap with MLB, which has my beloved Giants going deep into the playoffs.  So why am I doing this?

Prevention.  I'm getting to know myself pretty well these days, and I already know my weaknesses. Sitting in front of a TV all weekend is not conducive to living the lifestyle I want to lead.  It will tempt me back into sloth mode, something I was trapped in for so long.

I'll probably still watch a fair amount of games - mostly 49ers - at a local bar or sports book.  It's too hard to go cold turkey like that.  I can listen to games on the radio too, when the mood hits. But I am eliminating the boob tube from the equation so I can focus more on my current hobbies: exercise, books, golf, and hopefully cooking.  I need to learn my way around a kitchen.  I've been resting on my culinary laurels since my 7th grade Home Ec class.  These days, if I can cook 3 eggs in a row without breaking a yolk, I treat myself to an omelet as a reward (get it?).

Another area of improvement I need to address is my house.  It's in need of tens, if not dozens, of fixes/upgrades.  I've been lucky that nothing major has broken lately (bless the A/C gods!).  Most of the things on my list I'll be able to handle myself, I just need to eliminate distractions from my life.  I really need to be ready for when the RE market booms again and I can sell this baby. (HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA did you get THAT?)

Diet update:  July didn't go so hot for me; I had a couple of cheat days that really stalled me.  But August was pretty decent, lost about 10 lbs or so, which put me at 99lbs down in exactly 10 months. I even spent a week in Maui and came back 3 lbs lighter.  Take that, King Kamehameha!
That leaves me with 21 more to go in 60 days to hit my next goal.  As long as I get close, I'll be happy.

The 2nd Most Interesting Man in the World
Volcanoes think HE's hot!

I still don't have any low carb converts yet though, which is a bit perplexing to me.  I've sent about a half dozen folks to reddit.com/r/keto, but I don't think anyone as of yet has taken the plunge. Yeah, I know, low carb is not the only way to lose, but for me it's been a godsend.  Without a doubt the easiest path for me.  I now weigh what I was in 7th grade.  A year ago there is no way in purgatory I thought that would be possible.  If you think you can't, you're wrong.  Well I mean if you think you can't, you're right.  You know what I mean.

Well today was a bit of a letdown (subtitled: I started Shark Week)

Nothing serious, I think.   I have just been in a pissy mood all day.  I've been a dick pretty much since noon or so.  Little things that rarely bother me more than a few seconds have been lingering in my noggin, feeding off each other like a bunch of drunk rowdy fans at a soccer match.  It's just a matter of time until someone gets bold and does something ill-advised.

Well, those of you who know me know I won't do anything too brash; I'm still very easy-going and rational at my core.  I behaved very poorly tonight at bowling, something that irks me greatly, looking back at it.  Now I didn't throw chairs or anything, just let my bad mood ruin what is normally a fun experience.

I think one thing that ticked me off was seeing my doctor this morning.  It seems my blood pressure is now a little elevated, into the mild stage 1 range.  I know I'm not the healthiest individual on my block, and I should expect something like this.  However what ticked me off is that I thought I was making great strides in trying to improve my health, through diet & exercise.  In less than 10 months, I've lost 94lbs and my blood work panels have all improved significantly.  And my 3 trips to the doctor since December '11 have shown my BP to be in the high-but-normal range.  So the question that nags me is: With all my improvements, why is my BP spiking?

My doctor is a typical HPN slug; barely acknowledges me with any sort of connection, rarely recites info correctly from my chart, and keeps his eyes glued to his laptop for 80% of our visit.  I only really need him to order my blood work from the lab - or so I thought up until now.  Now I guess I'm stuck with him for at least one more checkup to see how the Lisinopril plays out.

I think what's been responsible for today's foulness is the fact that my godsend low-carb diet did not shield me from the BP inflation.  Aside from helping me lose fat I never thought I could, it's cured about a dozen other things in my body to bring me into "normal" range.  I won't go into details (message me if you are interested), but one of the weirdest things is it made me stop producing dark brown ear wax.  Yes, you heard that correctly (and now I can too).  Fucking amazing, eh?

Anyway, back to me.  Oh, we never left me.  Whatever.  So what can I do to shake things up, something that'll really make me feel good?  Like any 13-year old girl, I purged my FB friends list.  I whacked away about 70 total, bringing me down under 100 again.  If you're reading this and we're still friends on FB, it's probably because 1 or more of the following (check all that apply):  I admire you or find you interesting, you admire me or find me interesting, I've hung out with you often, I want to see when you next perform, you're a co-worker who actually seems to want to be friends, I fear you and the ramifications of dropping you, you can do something for me, I dated you, I want to date you, you know someone I want to date,  you bought something from me in the past, and lastly, you can tell me if most or all of the commas in this sentence should have been semicolons.

Now if any of you are worried about my well-being, don't be too alarmed.  I usually am so laid back and worry-free that just sometimes (like today), little bumps in the road give me reason to pause and reflect.  I'm not suicidal; more likely just mulling over whether I should drop DirecTV when my 2 years is up next month.  (I hesitated to use the word suicidal, it just triggers alarm to even mention it.  Like Gred Focker saying "I don't have a bomb" and all anyone hears is "bomb.")  Really, nothing to see here, just a few paragraphs to reset myself and give me a framework on looking at tomorrow.

See You on the Way Down!

So in the next 3-5 days I'll be hitting my 4th weight-loss goal:  227 lbs.  Now that doesn't sound like much of a goal-like number, does it?  Usually it's something that ends in 00, or maybe the 1st digit drops by one.  Well my goals are generally determined by numbers that mean something to me; something that resonates in me as special.

So what's so special about 227?  It just so happens to be the lowest weight I've been as an adult. Somewhere in the late 80s or early 90s I was there for a brief moment, before celebrating with an entire bag of pizza rolls washed down with 4 cans of Dr. Pepper (this was before 20oz plastic bottles were widely available).

When I was a child, if you told me I'd weigh in at 227 one day, I'd have found it preposterous.  "I couldn't get THAT fat!"  8 months ago, the thought of 227 was something that seemed near-impossible to reach.  I might as well run a marathon without training.  I find it wondrous that the perception of being 227 could change so dramatically, even for the same person.

He might want to get that mole checked out

So you're probably wondering what my 1st 3 goals were, right?  Okay I know you weren't, but just humor me.  #1 was 290 - as stated on my DL (fucked up thing was, I was less than that when I had the pic taken...I knew I was going to balloon up);  #2 was 275 - what I considered my normal "walking around" weight (that's even more fucked up than my DL.  Who in their right mind would think that's normal?);  Goal #3 was 245 - stated weight on my 1st DL  (that was just a guess.  I know I weighed in at 240 as a 1st semester freshman, thanks to Mr. Carpino's mandatory wrestling class in P.E.  There were only 3 of us in the heavyweight division; finished 2nd).

Only when I hit goal #5 will I cave in to the popular "finally in Onederland" that is so prevalent on dieting forums these days.  In reality, it's just the end of phase I of my goals.  I'll have proven I can lose weight over a long period of time.  I'm on pace for hitting this about mid-November.  120 lbs in 13 months would be something to be really proud of, it my book.

So what is phase II?  How many phases are there?  I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU AND YOUR RAPID-FIRE QUESTIONS!  Sorry.  It's late, I have a cold, and bowled crappy tonight.  We were in 1st place, but we got killed in games 1 & 2, and I blame myself because I was running late and didn't get any warmup shots.  I did score some awesome deals on back issues at Maximum Comics #2 though.  OH YOU'RE STILL HERE?  LET ME CONTINUE.

Sean Bean will die a violent death as I near my goal

I have no idea how many phases there will be.  I'm no future planner type guy, surely that is evident.  But my hope is that phase II will be the time where I find out what my ideal body weight is. That is something that in my mind, everybody should know about themselves.  I have no idea.  For the longest time, as obese persons are wont to do, I'd say that I was big boned.  Yeah, nobody bought that.  A fat person will hope they're big boned, but the only skinny person who hopes for that would be an aspiring football player (American football, foreigners!*).

I'm going to assume that phase II will take longer and be more frustrating than phase I.  I usually hope for the best but in this case I'm very cautious - it's unknown territory from here on out.  I have in my mind that I could actually get down to 158 or so.  I really don't think I have that much muscle on me.  I can't bench for shit.  As much as I hope for it to be true, I don't think carrying extra weight on one's frame builds muscle.  I don't now nor ever have lifted weights.  I bought some nice dumbbells a few months back, but they still are yet to be unboxed.  I have some irrational fear that I will commence a program and subsequently injure myself, thereby curtailing all physical activity (golf, bowling, sexytime).

I really would love to hit 158 though, just so I could say "I'm half the man I used to be."  God that sounds so trivial.  I think I need therapy.  Anyway, at least at that weight, I'd most assuredly have no trace of my moobs, right?  Damn that would piss me off, to be ultra skinny and still have moobs.

*Foreigners, deep down Americans love you, we just have a hard time showing it sometimes.  We especially love foreigners like Gojira, Kvelertak & Graveyard.

All Quiet on the Western Front (including the area south of the airport)

Where have you been?  I waited and waited, for hours upon end.  No phone call, no text, no nuthin'.  It's like you just forgot I existed.  How do you get on in life by treating others in this manner?  Wait, forget it.  Karma is real and it's waiting for you.  Just keep on having fun, acting like you have no responsibilities to attend to.  One day you'll look back on your actions and realize you've been a jerk and wish you hadn't.

If my blog could talk, the above passage is what it would say.  And I can't blame it for being pissed.  I totally ignored it for the last 9 weeks or so.  I would love to give the obligatory "life got in the way" spiel, but we all know that's not true.  I guess it comes down to I like doing other things more than I like writing.  I would say I'm probably better at writing assignments for school or work than I am in writing hilarious (albeit unfocused) tidbits of literary gold.  Oh well, at least I'm not a ditch-digger.

Another thing that I am not, is one of those people who don't care about what they eat.  After 40+ years, I think I've had enough of that.  Now, I am in no way considered a health nut, not even close.  I am, by government standards, obese.  However, thanks to the internet, I am now only Class I obese, down from Class III in 2011.  I still need to lose about another 20lbs and I'll drop down into the Overweight category.

How did the internet help?  It helped me find the tools to accomplish what I was beginning to feel like was a lost cause.  I stumbled upon a website (Reddit, maybe you've heard of it?) that has a forum dedicated to low-carb dieting.  Now I know, many of you just shuddered when you read that last sentence (assuming I have readers).  Low carb, high fat (LCHF) diets are nothing new, but they are starting to gain popularity recently.

There has been some negative association with this method, mainly due to the Atkins corporation.  Dr. Atkins was the guy who came up with the idea to mass-market the diet, and when he died, the company he left behind kind of got away from the basics.  They just treated it like a money-making machine, and forgot about helping people at the basic level.  There has been some attempts lately to revamp Atkins, but so far it hasn't made any major headway.

The thing is, there are many doctors and scientists today who are turning their focus on LCHF.  I am not going to turn this post into advertisements for them; any of you reading this can obviously google things on your own.  These proponents are fighting an uphill battle vs. the long held notion (and government backing) that a low fat diet is the key to losing weight.  If that was the case, why is obesity such a rampant problem?  They've been shoving low fat down our throats for 30+ years, and we've gotten fatter & fatter.  Something is not kosher.

Anyway, I've had really great results in the last 7 1/2 months since starting LCHF. 84 lbs and counting.  That number is about twice as high compared to any results I've had on low fat diets I've tried in the past.  One reason for that is that I've been on LCHF for twice as long as any other diet I've attempted.  Usually at the 3 or 4 month mark, I'd fall off the wagon and return to old habits.  Why did I do that, if I had great results?  The reason is that eating carbs make you crave carbs.  When you do low fat, you are eating tons of carbs.  It is self-defeating.

In the past few months I've gotten many compliments on my progress, and I thank each and every one of you.  (Note to the ones who've not complimented me yet:  when I win the Megabucks and throw a huge bash, you will not be invited to the after party.)  And with these compliments, I am now receiving requests to divulge my secret.  I will be happy to do that here.  Go to www.reddit.com/r/keto and you will have access to the tools that have helped me and thousands of others.

Reddit forums are run by their users, so there is no one in charge; only people sharing information that helps all achieve their goals.  It really is a testament to what people can do when they come together.  Nobody is selling anything.  It's just a hivemind for all things LCHF.  There is a primer/FAQs on how to start, as well as 27,000 friendly, supportive folks who can answer most questions you may have.

Restoring the noble pyramid's good name, courtesty of redditor subignition.

If you're familiar with what LCHF entails, you'll know that it is comprised mainly of green leafy vegetables, meat, eggs, cheese and lots of full-fat products.  Much of it the USDA has been telling us to avoid for the last 40 years or so.  Well [expletive deleted] the USDA and their agenda.  They have been doing a disservice to the citizens of the U.S. because they are serving big business first.  Companies that make sugary food have money and influence, and the USDA serves their interests.  The whole thing is really akin to an oil company putting the kibosh on anyone who creates a car that runs on water.  They crush the little guy, to keep the profits high.  This is not to say the U.S. is the only country that has this problem.  Much of the world does something similar.

If you're still with me at this point, your brain is probably trying to retrieve information about LCHF diets right now.  The results it's returning is likely to include something like this:  THIS DIET IS UNSAFE! OH MY GOD, WHAT ABOUT CHOLESTEROL?!?  DO YOU WANT TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK?  I thank you for your concern, but there is growing research that finds cholesterol in itself is not bad for you.  Salt either.  The reason we have been taught those things is due to faulty research in the 60s that got adopted by the government, and it became law.

Okay okay, enough ranting for today.  Just do yourself a favor and check out Reddit.  Yes, there is more than one way to lose weight.  And plenty of skinny people eat carb-rich diets.  I'm just saying, for those of you who've failed by following The Man's diet, it's time to try something new.  It worked for me, it could work for you.

Cranberries Cocktail

The world (or at least the U.S.) is obsessed with zombies.  Yes, they are the coolest of all horror threats and no, I don't know why it took so long for them to become popular.  My first encounter with these undead mutes was in an episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, a kitschy-yet-groundbreaking late night horror/suspense series from mid 70s.  Darren McGavin's bad-luck investigative reporter-turned-monster hunter has a creepy encounter in a junkyard with the mother of all zombies.  All Kolchak needs to do to neutralize the threat is creep up to the sleeping giant, pour salt in its mouth, and sew it shut.  Sounds easy, right?

Me, entering Krispy Kreme

I was probably 9 or 10 when I saw that episode, and it scared the shit out of me, so much that I've remembered it vividly.  When I pulled the clip to view it just now, it was exactly as I remembered. Pretty good for a guy who can't remember where he put his keys an hour ago.

Aside:  The zombie in the above story is of the voodoo faith, not the bit-and-for-some-unknown-reason-comes-back-to-life kind.  Are there any stories out there that combine the two?  Do you think they'd get along well?  The Haitian zombies are created by magic, and often made to do their masters' bidding.  They don't just kill anyone and everyone all willy-nilly like the Walking Dead ilk. What if a modern zombie was a juju priest and had a zombie slave prior to his/her death?  Would that slave continue to serve the master?  I feel there is quite a bit to explore on this subject.

When I was in high school (GO EAGLES!), we had a brunch period.  A 10-spot between 2nd and 3rd period, usually about 9:45 a.m.  It was during brunch when the cafeteria crew rolled out mobile carts that sold milk and a delicious treat - the cheese zombie.  They usually were offered with a choice of white or yellow cheese.  The best part was the light 'n' airy dough, slathered with a thick layer of salted butter (a ruse to boost milk/soda sales, I'm sure!).  They sure hit the spot, especially on cold days.  Now though, all I need is a bright soul to tell me why they're called zombies.

So, back to my original topic, which I forgot to mention until now:  It's a sesnsitive, personal issue that I really am unsure about revealing to the world.  My thoughts on the subject run deep, and have been brewing inside me for many months, if not years.  I've turned a corner in my life recently, and now I realize that HOLY SHIT IS TODAY TAX DAY?  I HAVE 80 MINUTES TO GET MY TAX FORMS FILLED OUT AND MAILED AT THE POST OFFICE! FUCKFUCKFUCK WHY DID I FORGET? gotta go bye

If I Throw Out The Fish and Frozen Peas, I Can Fit More Ice Cream in There

Did you ever hear the saying "Inside every fat person, there's a skinny one trying to get out?" Well how skinny are we talking?  I'm on a mission to meet that person.  Will he be like a Fight-Clubbing Brad Pitt?  A Sally Struthers hard luck case Christian Bale from The Machinist?  Or nicotine fiend Matt Damon from that crappy Desert Storm movie?  (Career advice to Meg Ryan: Tom Hanks or Billy Crystal=yes; everyone else=no)  As long as the skinny in-me isn't played by Jonah Hill, I'm okay with it.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems in my world, people are starting to pay more attention to their obesity.  Oh we always know someone who's on a quest to lose a few, that is a given.  However in the past few years I have at least 6 friends/acquaintances who've managed extreme loss (100+ lbs) through various methods.  (The fact that I know 6 people who needed to lose that much seems bizarre - the anomaly becomes the norm?)  Some changed their eating habits and exercised regularly.  Some had some type of food-restrictive surgery.  The results generally have been very positive, with at least one case being absolutely amazing.

Myself, I've been riding the fat kid pony my whole life.  I don't think I've ever been normal weight, according to any established guidelines.  I've been "husky" at times, and also been told that as soon as a growth spurt hits, my fat will be redistributed to create a more pleasing shape.  Lies, all lies.

So for 40-odd years I've been planning to make my move.  I wish I could say I've been planning well. I've attempted diet & exercise routines about 3-4 times as an adult.  Each time I had great results initially, but eventually went astray (just for today, I swear!), then resigned myself to failure (only realizing it after the lost pounds had returned).

Then something totally out of the blue happened.  Something I never in a million years thought would happen to me.  I found something useful on the internet.

Cliffhanger, y'all.

Burger Girl, We Hardly Knew Ye

So a while back (within 2 years - I have the world's worst memory, ask my ex GFs), I drove by a not-yet-open restaurant named Burger Girl.  They had a sign & a cool mudflap girl logo but that was about it.  It was located in a nondescript shopping center between The Egg & I and Chipotle on W. Sahara.

I discovered this whilst at lunch, and as soon as I returned to my desk, googled them.  3 locations in Texas, and 1 (Coming Soon!) in Las Vegas.  Huh.

The first thing that went through my mind was "what are they thinking!?!"  The Sahara/Decatur intersection has seen dozens of businesses close shop in the past 2 years.  If chains like Red Robin, Chilis & Black Angus can't weather this stormy economy, what is the likelihood a small biz newcomer could?  Sure the rent might have been cheap, but you're going to need some customers to pay the rent.  Best to pay a little more for a location that is in proximity to where people gather.

When the (Coming Soon!) was not soon enough for my tastes, I emailed the BG HQ to ask them to hurry that shit up.  They replied it would be a few more months.  Okay, fine.

A half-dozen months pass, and I send another email.   No reply this time.  I noticed their website had been updated to show only 2 current locations, plus the ever-lovin' (Coming Soon!).  Sadly in the last month or so, the LV location has been removed from their site, to be replaced by johnny-come-latelys Rockwall & Forney (those are names of cities, folks.  Texas y'all).

Oh well, there was a singularly stellar (1-star) review of their Dallas location, so maybe we aren't missing much.  I bet the Egg & I folks are happy (and Zia Records staff are bummed).

On the bright side, when I googled Burger Girl Las Vegas, one of the top returns led me to a nifty foodie blog called GreedyGirl.  She posts a few times a month, usually about something cool and Vegas-y, with lots of pics.

In closing:  I created this post when I should have been exercising.  I'm fucking despicable.

First!

Do you ever how wonder how many blogs are out there in the wild?  I'm not sure I remember the exact date when we decided to post our personal musings publicly rather than in a journal (that's a diary for you 14-year old girls), but  my first foray was only a few years ago.  Myself and 2 others ran a handful of affiliate marketing sites that used a blog format, but I don't really consider that true blogging.  We made a little money, for a while.  A good experience overall.

Doesn't it seem like the supply of blogs far outnumbers their demand?  I have a theory that blogs which are abandoned are actually harmful to their creators, psychologically (I am not really going to research this theory; I'd probably abandon it and cause harm to myself, psychologically).  The potential for guilt and embarrassment is huuuuuuge, when the whole world knows you only had enough creativity for 2 weeks' worth of posts.  And they weren't exactly exciting posts, either.

Personally, my goal is not to post every day, but at least once a week I'd like to enlighten you all with tales of a Rowdie life.  These tales may include:  my journey to lose 160 lbs, the time this girl I (sorta) know got on TV, bosses I love & hate, and damn it's fucking windy outside right now.