McCain vs. Obama...?

This latest presidential race has been underway for going on two years now. I must admit that most of what I learn about the race comes from my roommates Britt and Jared, who are much more up to the minute with things pertaining to the race, and websites like digg.

I'm not entirely sold on either candidate, mainly because I haven't spent enough time researching to make a solid decision. McCain is the conservative candidate, and for much of my life, and based on the geography where I currently reside, is the candidate that I should support. He's the 'Old Hat' choice in my book. Obama on the other hand is intriguing because of how magnanimous he is in the public eye. I have to hand it to the guy, he is the sexiest presidential candidate that I can ever recall (and that isn't based on looks at all--sexy doesn't have to mean that I'd make out with him given the chance).

Lots of people I know seem to think that one of these guys is going to change the world for better or worse. Democrats hope for change with Barak. And conservatives hope for, well I'm not sure if many conservatives actually hope for anything other than a retention of power in the White House with John.

Psalms 146 has something interesting to say on the whole subject however:

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs he returns to the earth; on that day his plans perish.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever, who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations, Praise the Lord!

I guess that these princes will just have to duke it out on their own, but realize that in the end all of the praise will still go to the God of Jacob. And in that I have even more hope.

Backyard Baptismal

Last night at ComChurch was one of those night's that I am not going to soon forget. We don't baptize people very often in our church, not because we don't believe in the need for it, but because we like doing it outside, and sometimes it just takes some effort to get the entire church to a pool. Yes we often do baptisms in someone's backyard pool. I thought it was weird at first, but after experiencing a few of these backyard baptisms, it becomes a really beautiful thing. For those of you who are used to seeing this occur behind the podium on a Sunday morning, I'd certainly encourage you to break from that mold at least once in your life and see what it's like outside. The water's fine.

The night was good for reasons other than just the baptism as well. We got to swim after the ceremony (is that the right word for what a baptism is supposed to be) was finished. I take t the water very quickly, since most of my childhood was spent in or by a pool. The pool we swam in last night was great too because they had a diving board.

Now for a bit of insight into what it's like to be a big man: you can't jump off of a diving board without the fear of hearing a very large pencil like crack. You just can't do it. Who wants to be the guy that broke the board? Kids would cry. The owner of the board would be pissed that you wasted their money and now they have to go out a purchase a new board. And on top of all that, your embarassed that you were the guy that broke the diving board.

So for the majority of my adult life I've opted to stay away. Erring on the side of caution, and just jumping off the side of the pool and having fun doing that. What a waste of time that was. Diving boards are a lot of fun! You can make large splashes in the water, and kids love that. I feel like a lot of the time that when I'm with my church and around the kids (at our church there are kids EVERYWHERE, like there are always three or four women pregnant at all times!) there are college aged girls always wanting to steal their attention away. I don't usually get angry, because I realize that them and the kids are often closer to each other, babysitting and all, but playing with them is a lot of fun now and then. Cue the pool time. There is no one cooler in a swimming pool than a 20 something guy. Think about it, when you weighed in at a whopping 43 pounds, you could be thrown half way across the pool and swim back to ask for more. I'm more than happy to oblige for the kids, for a time, but after a while it gets boring/tiresome. So for 15 to 20 minutes each time I go swimming I play the part of 'Pool Hero', and enjoy every moment of it.

Weight Loss Update:
This morning I am down to 254 pounds. That's 116 pounds since I started at my estimated weight of 370 pounds. I'm working on a cool visual to really demonstrate how significant this much weight really is, more on that in a later post.

Other exciting news. I've talked for a while now about getting a tummy tuck/skin cut-off operation to take care of all the excess me that is just sort of hanging out right now and being really annoying. Ross asked me how much I thought something like that might cost. And said that if he has the chance, he'll kick some money my way to get started on that fund. This made me feel really really good about not only what I mean to these people, but about what they mean to me.

The fact that I go to church with someone who can understand the significance of having lots of excess skin cut off, makes me realize that backyard baptismals can wash away all sorts of things.

There's Always Something New

I've lived with a bunch of guys throughout my time in college. Freshman year it was Michael Steele. We were friends back home and decided to live together while at A&M our freshman year. I'll admit that I was nervous about this at first, mainly because I wanted to meet new people, and I didn't know exactly how well we were going to get along in the long run. That year I also lived with Ben Love and Aaron Griffin (two of the most ridiculous people you'll ever put in a dorm room together). I learned a lot from those guys, and had more dorm room wars/dance parties than you could count with three peoples hands.

I also lived in a house with 8 guys at one point. It was disgusting. I think it's because at some point you think, "Oh well, someone else can take care of that bowl I just used." That's not a huge deal when there are only four of you in a place, but when there's 8 trying to live under one roof, the problems are magnified 8x, and the bowls eventually run out.

This year is my most mature living situation by far. Not to say that the people I've lived with in the past have all been immature dorks or anything, it's just that we've pretty much all graduated, so gone are most of the things that houses full of college guys would typically do. Now however, we've replaced that, with the young professional* type of living.

To the point. Getting to know someone when you live with them can be very significant. Being friends is one thing, sharing a kitchen, bathroom and living space is completely different. Something happens to me when you start sharing my sink that I'm not sure can be completely expressed in just going to a movie, or meeting for coffee. I see you at your grosest (sp?) moments, your most vulnerable, and your highest highs. In those times I also feel like I'm able to begin to fully appreciate the talents of those whom I am closest to. For instance, Aaron is able to truly love a person (no matter how aggrevating he may seem at times) when they need it the most. He's always there to listen. Britt is extremely intelligent. And Jared can just hang out and be there when you need him the most. Each one of those people means something significant, and I hope I've meant something to them as well.

So Michael and Ben's band, Clairmont, just released their second album this past week. Stength Like Lions is a great accomplishment for them. They've grown in their music and in their faith, its a wonderful CD that you should all listen to (all four of you). It makes me proud to brag about their accomplishments, and to see them following who they are, and where God has them right now.

Justin on the other hand showed me a bit of his talent this morning. He walked in and showed me his youtube video (he say's the word 'damn', so be careful if that offends your ears):



Wow.

I wonder what living with a wife will be like one day? Hopefully she's as funny and insightful as all of these guys that have meant so much to me over the last five years. Only one thing that should really be different, I know she's going to be way better looking than all of them.

*Categorized by trying to live well above your current means. Coming to grips with the fact that staying up all night drinking is no longer a good idea. And girls probably shouldn't be treated as buddies any longer--let the futre wife tryouts begin. Just kidding, sort of.

The EPIC 700

Brad told us today that we were going to join the 700 club. Jared asked if Pat Roberts was going to be there or not. I suggested we all go and just donate money to police and firefighters, little did I know that I was just being a dork, Jared was right, the 100 Club is the thing with stickers on your car.

Workout though was intense. Brian Lee and I did the following rotation for time:
- 250 Squat @ 185 lb.
- 150 Row to Narrow Push Up @ 35 lb. each hand
- 300 Kettle Bell Sumo Squat @ 53 lb.
TIME 43:32

The goal was to finish in 45 mintues. I just barely made it, so needless to say I was relieved when it was finally over.

Last week was tough on eating. I've stayed around the same weight, between 256 and 259 for the past couple of weeks. This week I'm really going to be more careful about what I put into my body and when. I'm still having a tough time with eating carbs late at night. I know that I'm not supposed to do it, but for whatever reason I still seem to justify it in my head for just long enough to do it, and then regret sets in. This week, carbs past dinner will be cut out all together, and lunches will be watched much more closely.

Lets do this!

Upset Enough to Post Twice in a Day

Sure I already posted a new blog entry today, in fact it was like 2 hours ago that I finished the post and hit the little publish button below. Then, I came across this article on AskMen.com, here's the article. Seriously read it, and watch the videos, hopefully it will make you think.

I've been thinking about this for quite some time now, and in fact I had a two or three page essay typed up discussing many of the same points on Monday, but then decided against posting (or even saving--I can't explain it) because I didn't want to sound too extreme or arrogant about an opinion, as I felt this topic would portray. But this article gave me the push I needed to at least bring it up, maybe even start a conversation.

In the 1950's the advertiser's knew this sort of approach would work, and you still see it sometimes even today:

This housewife cleaning her kitchen probably gets a few different reactions from people. Those reactions might range from the nostalgic look back, remembering an idealized view of what you think your childhood was like. On the other end of the spectrum, it might make your blood boil in reaction to the sexist and shovenistic roles that it portrays. How then, are these 'male bashing' ads of today any different?

I can't watch show's like Everybody Loves Raymond because of this very attitude. What woman would want to be with a man who is completely inept at everything they try and do? How fair is it that men are never shown helping otu around the house? The typical TV show has a man coming home from work to a frustrated wife who has spent all day with the kids, and instead of sympathizing on either end (either the woman realizing that the husband's day might have been really tough, or on the man's end that the woman had an especially tiring day taking care of the children) they both go at eachother's throat. Begging the question why can't we see the median? Why do we have to show our children, boys especially, that dad's aren't good at anything but acting like a bafoon, and eventually succombing to the superior will of the mother?

To me it seems as though we reach a point in time where we realized that girls were getting the raw end of the deal. Young women, for a time, saw no images that portrayed their role as anything other than the caretaker/mother. We realized the error of our ways, and instead of reacting with an appropriate amount of rationalization, we freaked out. In lieu of building up both sexes in healthy ways most advertisers, it seems, have decided that we need to instead dumb down the role of men.

Men have started to receive the same treatment that women did back in the day, over generalizations of a few seemingly universal gender traits, that have typecast an entire population as something less than they actually are.

How do we change this perception? I'm not sure. What I do know however is that I can change things in my life that will hopefully lead to better conditions for my children. As a guy, I think that's something engrained in me (and here I do realize that I probably just made a gross generalization in that women, too, likely want the same better results for their children), helping to make changes.

I'd like to know who I am, and who you are, as a person, not as a walking gender role. What is it that motivates me, and how is that different then girls? What motivates the women who are in my life? From my mom and sister, to the girls with whom I hang out with on Friday and Saturday night. I think it's necessary to realize that they are all independent people with thoughts and feelings of their own, not generalizations and stereotypes with clothes on walking blindly through life conforming to every whim that society forces upon them.

I've mentioned to friends before that women need to stop buying into the Sex and the City craze. I think this is a perfect illustration of what is wrong with the way our society treats women. Painting a picture that if you buy really expensive Manolo Blahniks, your life will be complete enough to sleep with the perfect, Mr. Right, or Mr. Big or whoever they are pushing these days. But this too is an incomplete look at what our society tells us now days. Girls aren't the only one's buying into this hype. I too have been hook-line-and-suckered into what advertisers want from me. ESPN is the worst at this sort of thing. Just watching Sports Center in the evening I'm bombarded by ads that tell me which razor to use if I want supermodels to caress my face at the drop of a hat. Or which beer now has the perfect pour spout that will get me 30 minutes of guy time away from my significant other.

It's time that we as a society, and even more importantly as Christians wanting to live a life apart from what the world (and ad agencies) tells us is important. I'd like to think (and this is likely pie in the sky blogger talk here, that will hopefully *fingers crossed* get translated into real life action on my part) that we can change the way that we see who we are in this world. We can say, I am who God has made me to be, and I won't buy into these stereotypes.

Rant over.

Workouts Workouts Everywhere

Just finished working out for the morning. It was tough, not as tough as many mornings, but in it's own way. I'm feeling inspired to write, and to commit myself to some better eating habits, so here we go.

To begin, I've started reading this blog by my Comrade Danny. He's a wonderful person who not only gets me fired up in the gym, but his infectious personality gets me fired up for life like not many people can do. He has been blogging his workout journey as well with some great results. He even has a picture up of himself last January and then one from May/June(?), he makes me wish I had good ideas like that. So, in the interst of stealing some good ideas, and making my little blogging experiment that much more interesting for myself and the three people who occasionally look at this thing, I'm gonna use some of those ideas.

The Plan:
- Take a picture of myself every Wednesday morning, to track the progress of my weight loss and muscle gain. (And to send to the soldiers fighting in Iraq, they need all the inspiration they can get.)
-Journal more of my workouts, not always for you, but for myself so I have some sort of record.
-Continue to eat a bit more healthy, that's really the overarching goal in this whole thing, so I'm really trying hard at this one inparticular.

Workout:
Last Night- swam 12 laps at the Sewells house, with 25 push ups, dips, squats in between each set, and 50 total rope pull ups from the water after it was all said and done. (TIME 24:38)

This Morning- Rep. challenge, 3 minutes a station going for highest total possible
1. Thrusters @ 95 lb.
2. Tricep Extensions with Blue Cable
3. Free Motion Squats @ 70 lb.
4. Hyperextensions
5. Chest Adduction @ 60 lb.
6. IndoBoard Push Ups
7. EZ Bar Curls @ 55 lb.
8. Kettle Bell Sumo Squat @ 53 lb.
(TOTAL 454 Reps.)
Squat Complex with 5 medicine balls ranging in weight from 15 pounds, to nearly nothing. Totals were 30, 40, 50, 60 and 80. No rest, push ups or Burpees if the person in front of you was taking too long. (TIME unknown)

Trip to Houston

This past weekend was fun, and not so fun. Jared and I went to Houston to watch the Ags play game one of a three game series againts the Rice Owls at Reckling Park in Houston. Other than the fact that it was hotter than (insert racey noun here), the game was fun until the 9th inning. The Ags lost, but all was not lost.

Jared and I then enjoyed a delicious meal at Two Rows Bar in Rice Village, where I had a delicious root beer (brewed in house), and then came back.

All in all, it was a great Saturday, dampened just a bit by the fact that the Aggies couldn't pull off a win, and ended up losing the series 0-2 to the Owls. Better luck next year, eh?

An Emotion Not Experienced by All

Weddings aren't something guys understand. Sure we have the capability of understanding what the significance of the union between and a man and a woman is, but the 'wedding' as our society has defined it, eludes even the best intentioned of us guys.


Josh Taylor is a good friend of mine. He and his new wife, Whitney, were just married this past Friday evening back in Houston. It was a beautiful wedding, albeit hot and muggy. I think that weddings between the months of April and October in the state of Texas should be required to take place indoors. Sure outdoor weddings are great; trees, grass, a nice breeze, and sunshine make your special day a wonderful photo-op, except for all of the sweat and bugs that often come along with those great pictures.


I have a confession to make. I worry about what clothes I'm going to wear to events like weddings. Strange I know. As a guy I'm not supposed to really take much of an interest in the clothing that covers my nude figure (too graphic?). If you knew me back in high school you'd see how suprising this actually is for me. Back then I saw clothes as nothing more than a way to cover myself, fashion and appearence didn't enter my mind in a very significant way.


Clothing has become a budding obsession of mine. I think part of it is Jared's fault, he is at least responsible for 50% of the blame. He buys GQ magazine and has it sitting around our house on the coffee table most of the time. Jared is partly to blame, but so is my figure that is just now becoming more used to the clothes that mainstream American clothing companies manufacture.


I was shopping with my mom and sister this past weekend and, when a shirt I tried on didn't fit over my shoulders, I came out and announced, "My shoulders are just too big." My mom came back with a real gem though, she didn't even miss a beat, "No Andrew, the clothes were just made too small." This took me a second, for the first time I think this was actually the truth. I wasn't this freak in the mall any more. I wasn't the customer that sales reps spoke with just to shoot the breeze. They actually had the chance of making a sale when I was in the store. Searching feeverishly through the racks for size XXL-XXXL wasn't something I had to do any longer.


This was really an exciting feeling. I had to go somewhere, I had to try something on that had never fit before. Banana Republic, the holy grail of clothing at most mid-level malls. I needed a pair of khakis didn't I? "Something for the weddings this summer," I chanted in my head on the way past the food court, and around the maze of middle-eastern-styled carts dotting the pathways of Willowbrook Mall. And there they were, size 38 bootcut khakis. Let me tell you, they fit like a glove. They weren't tight. They didn't require a hefty breath in to button the top, and zip the fly.


And like guys can't really understand a wedding in the way that most girls understand them, skinny people aren't capeable of understanding fitting into a pair of pants for the first time. It's magical. Like Christmas morning, and your first kiss rolled up into one magnificent moment.


So for all of you skinny people out there (as if there are many people at all out there reading my blog), put on 25 pounds and go to the mall. Try on something that you really want and make sure that it just won't fit (if you need some meal ideas to put on weight just ask, I've got plenty of suggestions). Then, work your butt off and lose that weight just so that you can go and buy that pair of pants that you really wanted back when you were too large. It's a feeling that you can't understand until you've experienced it.

It's an emotion not experienced by all.

Stupid Blog Questionaire, Well not that Stupid

Michael taged me on this questionaire thing that he did on his blog the other day, and in the process made the comment that he thought I'd love doing something like this. He was right, and I probably will. Guess that's what you get when you live with someone for four years huh?

What were you doing 5 years ago?
1. Crying at graduation from high school (haha just kidding)
2. Having as much fun and spending as much money on a computer for college as I could
3. Eating lots of Whataburger
4. Thinking I was better at church than almost anyone
5. Having a crush on a a girl who would later turn out to be pretty lame.

What are 5 things on your to-do list today (not in any particular order)?
1. Get something put up in my blog
2. Workout (it sucked today, i wanted to puke)
3. Call my Aunt about staying at their Lakehouse (jury is still out as to if this is gonna work out or not)
4. Finish Great Expectations on HDNet, I never thought I'd watch this movie, but I got into it this morning.
5. Play ultimate frisbee tonight, if we can get enough people together.

What are 5 snacks you enjoy?
(There will be three 'healthy' choices, and two 'if I really wanted a snack this is what I'd have' choices)
1. Cliff Bar-Brownie flavor
2. Dr. Kracker with turkey and cheese (this is soo good)
3. Kashi cereal (even though lots of guys think this stuff is ghey, I really like it)
4. Peanut butter (I would eat it on anything, at any time, and an entire jar at a time if possible)
5. Avacado

What 5 things would you do if you were a billionaire?
1. Punch Oprah (I think if I had a billion dollars this could happen)
2. Buy a bunch of real estate in downtown Bryan (this place is gonna be huge in a couple of years)
3. Take all of my friends on a European vacation for a month or so (I'd even pay for everything)
4. Buy a house and pay off houses for other people
5. Have a tummy tuck

What are 5 of your bad habits?
1. I think too much about other people's opinions
2. Biting my fingernails
3. Not picking up my clothes after I wash them
4. Leaving facial hair shavings on the bathroom sink
5. Making orphan jokes (I really should stop this)

What are 5 places you have lived?
1. Seven Pines (grew up here)
2. Dunn 453 (this place was awesome, when I think about college 20 years from now, most of my memories will come from this cramped room)
3. 911 Gardenia
4. Brown House (too many people in too crappy of a house)
5. Eisenhower House (great place, with some crazy-a$$ neighbors)

What are 5 jobs you’ve had?
1. Redd School (after school care with 3-5 year olds)
2. Motion-Stimulator (I was basically a carney at Greenspoint Mall in Houston for the summer after my sophmore year. Likely the most ghetto place you can imagine, in fact I was almost shot.)
3. TexAgs.com (started out part time, and am now here full-time)
4. That's it.
5. N/A