Warning: Marker Alert

Be wary of people trying to stab you in the eye with a Sharpie -- as the result could be permanent.

I'm All Business [Card]

I received my first ever business card yesterday, meaning that I am officially part of the company and that they like me enough to allow me to associate my name with theirs. It's a nice clean design on pretty heavy paper stock. I've taken a few things out to maintain my privacy.

Ooh!

In related news: I've starting a new shift of 2-10PM. I'm not sure yet whether I like it -- on one hand I get to sleep however long I want to, but on the other any errands I do have to be done in the morning, and I'm completely unable to do anything on weeknights. It'll only last for a few weeks maximum before I revert back to a more normal schedule. And at least now I can go to the Post Office when they're open.

White Striping My Ears

Last night marked Conan O'Brien's last night on Late Night before he takes over for Jay Leno on the Tonight Show. The episode was a fitting end as Conan recounted some of his favorite clips, had some guest stars stop by, and said his thank yous to everyone that made the show possible. The musical guest he chose for the last episode was the White Stripes, and they turned in possibly the worst live performance of a song I have ever heard -- and this is coming from someone who was watching SNL when Ashlee Simpson walked off the stage. It took me nearly half a minute to figure out what song they were even playing despite them singing the title of the song, and I couldn't help but think that if this were the tryouts for American Idol they would have been stopped ten seconds in by Simon Cowell who would've asked them: "What... the hell... was that?"

Judge for yourself:

Damon's Wordplay

New York outfielder Johnny Damon was asked by reporters to comment on Alex Rodriguez's admission of steroid use from the 2001-2003 season, and what it meant to the team. Here's what the speedy Yankee had to say: "Yeah, he did some bad things, he, um, took a steroid. Um. Definetely do not condone that at all. But... there could be a lot worse things he ah, could have been doing out there. You know, he ah, um, he's-he hasn't done a crime, he ah, you know, so, there's worse things that he could have done but you know, I've known Alex Rodriguez since he was 15, and he's always been super nice to me, and uh, so, you know, I'm going to support him and try to help him through this time."

A reporter quickly asked, "Johnny, what would have been worse?"

"Um... murdering someone."

I tried to get every nuance of his statement in text, but click here for video of comedic gold (ESPN).

I'm glad to hear that pro athletes have enough sense to know that murder is worse than cheating at sports.

The Kid is Back.

(In theory.)

Notes of Now

• Tom Jones' It's Not Unusual is blaring out of my speakers right now. 
• I just spent three straight hours cleaning my room -- and I'm still not done yet. Have to buy some 409 tomorrow...
• I'm thinking of starting a "diet" next week to see if a book I bought a while ago (The Abs Diet) should really have been sold as fiction. The book does not so much promote a diet but more advocates better eating habits. This visceral fat has me concerned, and is certainly not helping the cause of having a "Beach Ready Body" for Summer '09.
• Speaking of Summer '09, the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen trailer was released a few days ago attached to the Friday the 13th remake. It doesn't give away any plot points (although it's not hard to guess what it's gonna be about -- more Decepticons land on Earth and awesome robot batting action ensues), but looks to be an even more special effects laden adventure than the first. 
• Keith Urban's Making Memories of Us has replaced Tom Jones. If I recall correctly an article I read a while ago in Us magazine while waiting for a haircut, Keith Urban serenaded Nicole Kidman with this song on their wedding day. 
• Preliminary baseball practices have begun, with two now under my belt. It feels great to get out and field some fly balls -- hopefully the weather will continue to be cooperative on Sundays. 
• 
  "THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!"
• While I still see Sheryl Swoops from time to time at the gym, I missed out on a Marcus Trufant sighting by mere minutes. Sheryl Swoop's contract option was not picked up for the upcoming season by the Storm, so whether she sticks around in the area or not remains to be seen. 
• Sources close to negotiations say Ken Griffey Jr. is going to Hotlanta to play for the Braves instead of coming back to the M's this coming year. If true, the only way I see Griffey coming back the following year is if the Mariners tank this next season as well. If the team somehow does surprisingly well, they probably won't have room on next year's roster for a nostalgic aging slugger -- even if he is Junior. For some good news, P Carlos Silva showed up at camp 30 pounds lighter. Whether that will correlate with a drop of number of losses and ERA is anyone's guess. 
• We finish off with Open Arms by the always appropriate Journey. 

Two Month Weigh-In

Approximately two months ago I joined a gym. Since then, I've made it there about 5 out of 7 days a week and often played a sport on at least one of those other two days. So how's it going?

I am up to approximately 174 pounds (about six pounds from where I started) which I'm assuming is all muscle growth. That said, I haven't really noticed much muscle size increase except for in my quads nor have I gained much definition. But I do feel my muscles are "harder" than they were before. Unfortunately, these harder muscles are still covered with a sizable layer of fat. I don't think my usual post-workout meal of a Taco Bell Cheesy Double Beef Burrito (89¢) helps any. And most importantly, I do not believe I have lost any of my dangerous visceral fat, which means it's time to really step up my diet and consider adding a more regular cardiovascular routine in.

I have gotten noticeably stronger. When I started I had trouble benching 95 pounds ten times, but that's now my warm-up. I've crossed the rubicon and can now get a few reps of 135 (45 lbs plates on each side), something I've never been able to do before. With proper warm-up I can now do a chin-up (yes, singular), but I can pop off a few dips. My proudest accomplishment yet is that I was able to squat two five rep sets of 205 lbs, up from struggling with 135 when I started. A huge milestone for me would be to be able to squat 2x my weight, so roughly 350 lbs. That would put me at just under what Jake Locker was able to do in High School. When I get to that point, I plan on racking the barbell and then take a victory lap around the free weight area.

With baseball season coming up I'll probably be starting to replace some days of strength training with plyometric exercises. I've never been able to consistently go to the gym for this long of a time, but the fact that I've made gains is motivation enough to keep me going -- well, that and the monthly membership fee. Maybe in a few years you'll see me pulling a semi-trick on ESPN... let's see how far I can take this.