LGN 37: How am I still alive?
Inside: Sh*t I used to eat. Dongle. Offending people with my personals ads. Paula Deen. Some droning on.
Offensive
Filed under: Food | 4 Comments
Tags: diabetes, LGN, Paula Deen, strength train, underground athlete
LGN 36: Fat-woman-ism
Like manna from Heaven. I’ve been waiting for a good topic for my 700th blog post. Something I could use a controversial title for. This is dangerous territory. Watch out for the ROUS.
From Twitter to SoulBounce to this blog entry:
It’s a critique of this commercial (that I don’t necessarily recommend watching):
Now, you know this is like a salt lick for an ovine to me. I can’t not blog about it. The trick for me is to maintain the intended tone. I have passion and compassion here but it’s so easy to be sarcastic and dickish when blog writing. I may fail.
Filed under: Friends & Family, Health & Exercise, Self Improvement | 6 Comments
Tags: class, diet, health, Jennifer Hudson, LGN, race, Weight Watchers
LGN 35: Tough Mudder
%$#@! I do NOT want to do this. Stupid Tough Mudder. Stupid bored, mostly white people with nothing better to do with their time than get really healthy and fit and have fun challenging their physical limits. What’s wrong with you?? Burning Man isn’t enough to keep you entertained for a year?
What is Tough Mudder?
Filed under: Health & Exercise | 3 Comments
Tags: diet, Food, LGN, tough mudder, underground athlete
I would like to thank you for reading, partially reading, skimming, listening, commenting, sharing or subscribing to this blog. There’s so much content out there and blogs are kind of passé so … you know. Thanks.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,100 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 35 trips to carry that many people.
Filed under: Books & Writing | Leave a Comment
You know I like to keep it real with you. Talk is cheap. Chances are that you won’t change anyone’s direction or habits with words no matter how eloquent and convincing you are.
You can talk someone out of something pretty easily, though, if that something involves leaving one’s comfort zone, a leap of faith, or a lot of work/discipline.
You can very easily talk or tempt someone back into their status quo.
If you don’t have time to read all of this, here’s the point. I can tell you from experience that a good personal trainer … well, let’s make this less abstract.
When I walked into Underground Athlete for the first time I was intimidated and embarrassed by how I looked. During the analysis I felt awkward and demoralized by how out of shape I was. I went in at least 30 – 40 lbs. overweight, dangerously un-flexible and ridiculously out of shape, aerobically speaking. Justin let me do the 5 minute warm up with the class to get a taste and I was winded and a little muscle crampy just from that.
That’s what Justin had to work with.
Continue reading ‘LGN 34: The Naysayers – Crabs in a Bucket’
Filed under: Health & Exercise | 2 Comments
Tags: LGN, personal training, sugar, underground athlete
Photography: Beautiful
Jersey Shore Makeover – Sammi Gets A Makeover.
I saw that somewhere. I wish every woman would read that. Well, not read the article, but skim it and look at the photo.
Too many beautiful women think 1) they’re fat and 2) they need more makeup. I’m not really comfortable with my appearance, although that’s improving, so I kind of get it. Well, more about this below.
This is going to be pretentious, artsy whatever, but what can you do. I should put this in my painting/art blog but I didn’t.
Filed under: Photography | Leave a Comment
Tags: gender, makeup, photography, photoshoot
Race Bait
My blackness has been called into question many times. Or even constantly. Back in the day — middle school and high school in particular — I was called nigger, coon, jigaboo, pickeninny in the hallways in school and sometimes on the street. And when I went back to my neighborhood I was called an Oreo.
It’s very possible that this is the reason that I don’t identify strongly with groups or organizations. It would explain a few things. Like why I think black people need to get over our/themselves.
Filed under: Culture & Society | 1 Comment
Tags: getting over slavery, legacy of slavery, race, racism
LGN 33: The Winter Blues
I feel fat.
I’ve come a long way. I’ve still got a long way to go. I’m going to have to turn up the heat again, huh. It’s not time to rest. Not time to slow down. It’s time to get busy. I’m hoping that this post will help motivate you somehow. I’m hoping that it helps motivate me, this conversation with my former self.
Click here to see all of my LGN (I want to Look Good Naked) and functional strength training posts.
Filed under: Health & Exercise | Leave a Comment
Tags: diet, fitness, health, LGN, underground athlete
Bitches
I don’t get “bitches”. Whoa whoa whoa. Wait. Let me unpack that.
This is about music and women. Bear with me. I’ll get there. You’ll see what I mean.
Filed under: Culture & Society, Music & Art, Romance & Relationships | 2 Comments
Rest in Peace, Grandma
My sister left a message late last night. I saw/listened when I woke up this morning.
I didn’t expect it to be good news but man. Grandma Young, my father’s mother passed away yesterday.
The last two times I saw Grandma were at Aunt Norma’s funeral back in March and my dad’s funeral (and funeral home meeting) last October.
Her memory wasn’t what it used to be. I hadn’t seen her in a long while so every time she saw me she had to be reminded of who I am. I forgot sometimes and would give her a hug and kiss on the cheek and she’d have a expression like, “Oh what a friendly stranger.”
Then someone would say, “That’s Gary, grandma.”
And she’d say, “Oh! You fool me every time.”
When I was a kid my big sister and I would stay with our father every other weekend and we’d spend time at Grandma Young’s house.
I used to love that wraparound porch — it made games of Tag and Hide and Seek interesting — and all of the warm energy there. The big trees with roots buckling the pavement. From the basement to the attic there’d be some family there. Or family friends. Sometimes she wouldn’t have much room because she’d have so many people over. Like, living there. She was a devout giver and a nurturer.
Kids out in front playing Double Dutch, Chinese jump rope, or hopscotch. And the food! The food.
My father’s side of the family has always been very affectionate whereas my mother’s side is more stoic. But all of that love and warmth and affection — grandma was the source of that.
My car is in the shop today so i thought I’d capitalize on the opportunity to spontaneously wander. I’m sitting on the big steps on the side of the Lincoln Memorial right now. It’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining through the the columns and casting a long, framed shadow of me down on to the grass and trees.
It’s great to see all of the people out today. Some from very far away. Kids are running around me right now and making life and fun out of a relatively somber memorial.
Point taken, kids. Keep up the good work.
Being that yesterday was Thanksgiving it reminds to say that I’m thankful for her. And to Mia and Junie for taking such good care of her. And the Young family in general.
I do not look forward to yet another funeral, but I do look forward to seeing the family, despite the circumstances.
Rest in peace, Grandma.
Live in joy, everyone.
Take care of yourselves, people. Live long and prosper.
Filed under: Life | 3 Comments
Tags: death, Life
Recent Comments