Alan's Post Adolescence

Freedom of speech, taxes and "obscene films"

2007-03-29T19:35:00.000-05:00

Freedom of speech is taking another hit in the legislature. State Senator Phil Berger, a Republican, filed a bill to block obscene films from getting tax credits.
For those who don't know, the state offers tax credits to film companies who shoot their movies in North Carolina. Some would say it's a great idea that allows our beautiful state a lot of exposure and publicity, while others would say government shouldn't be doling out tax cuts because its taxes should cost an absolute minimum to begin with.

That's beside the point. Mr. Berger, I'm sure, is fully aware that he's filed a bill that will garner a lot of respect from conservatives, a lot of ire from liberals and will never see the light of legislative day. Were it to pass, the bill would quickly be shot down when some two-bit porn pushing company sued to protect their right to make lots of money.

Simply put, it's a matter of free speech. The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Section 14 of the N.C. Declaration of Rights both prohibit restraints on speech. By allowing tax credits for some without allowing them for others, the government would be judging which speech is proper...in other words, trying to put limits on who can and can't make films.

I'm all about endorsing proper values. That endorsement starts at home, continues in church and is completed when a child becomes an adult and knows right from wrong. It is not now, nor ever will be, realistically enforced by some government rule.

What's worse is that I believe Sen. Berger knows this. He's wasting the legislature's time so that he can get some positive press. Everyone wants to be seen driving on the high road, Senator, but wasting time and money debating useless bills isn't the way to do it.

Hopefully, this blog is the closest you'll get to having any attention given on Senate Bill 1324.

4-year-old's future

2007-03-28T18:41:00.000-05:00

Trevor Walker is the lone survivor of a wreck that killed his parents last week. If you saw The Star or the Gaston Gazette Wednesday, you probably read his story.
It brings to light a harsh reality we must all face. No matter how old or young you are, you need to prepare for your possible death.
It's macabre, and I'm going to sound preachy here. I'm sure Trevor's parents loved him. I'm sure the thought never occurred to them that they might not be around to see him grow up. It's not a thought anyone would want.
But now, after their deaths, two loving families are left trying to figure out who could raise the child best. Hopefully, everyone's love for the boy won't turn into a long, drawn-out court battle that can only harm the boy and both families in the long run.
It's an issue that could have been avoided if the parents had left instructions concerning how Trevor should be taken care of.
That's not to chide or insult his parents. No one thinks this is going to happen to them. A majority of parents probably aren't that prepared.
But this story should serve as a stark reminder to everyone. Be prepared. Life throws unexpected curves.
Talk to a lawyer and make sure everything is in order if, God forbid, you are taken from your loved ones.

British invasion

2007-03-27T18:24:00.000-05:00

Meet Paul Carter, of England. He's one of several British subjects visiting the Carolinas this month. This week, they visited Shelby and Paul came to spend time at The Star.
A public information officer in England, he was interested in how the media works here in the United States. We answered his questions and took him to Shelby Cafe, where he was forced to have cheese on his burger. He wasn't interested in sweet tea, though.
I, of course, mentioned to him the many great opportunities to learn about British history in the Carolinas. Mind you, they all involve old Revolutionary War battles, so maybe that's not the best idea.
After eating with me, Editor Jon Jimison and Lifestyles Editor Megan Ward, Paul spent time with Cops Reporter Graham Cawthon.
Unfortunately for Paul, there was little to nothing happening in Shelby during the time he was shadowing Graham. We promised Paul that Shelby wasn't nearly that boring for a cops reporter normally.

The Shrinkdown challenge

2007-01-05T19:12:00.000-05:00

To be fair, I'm a johnny-come-lately to the Cleveland County Shrinkdown effort. A lot of people have worked very hard to bring this program to you, not the least of which is Lifestyles Editor Megan Ward, who has done most of the work in The Star's newsroom to bring you information about the big event.
Below is my own meager contribution -- a challenge to Greenwood County, South Carolina.

Bring it on, Greenwood County.
For the past week, people have been trying to get you involved in the Greater Greenwood Shrinkdown. They’re going to get you to sign up for the program today…to get involved, get healthy, lose weight and meet some massive goal.
I’m not one of those people.
I work at The Star in Cleveland County, N.C. Our county is the only one in our state taking part in the Shrinkdown this year. I spent part of this week looking for a participating county in South Carolina that’s smaller than Cleveland County.
Why? So we can challenge someone to a weight-loss duel.
You see, we’re very generous in Cleveland County. Our people give more to charity, get more involved in civic programs and take pride in everything that happens here.
We’re hoping that our people will be just as generous with themselves as they are with others. Losing weight and getting healthy isn’t just an admirable goal – it’s a life-changing experience that could add years to your time on this earth.
To get them charged up, we decided to find some small, hopeless town to pick a fight with, some town we know we can easily lose more weight than. I couldn’t find one that fit the bill.
Then, I found you.
The City of Greenwood is slightly larger than the City of Shelby – your population is estimated at a little more than 22,000, while Shelby’s is estimated at around 20,000.
But Cleveland County is bigger than you – 98,288 to Greenwood County’s 69,979.
None of that matters, though. What matters is the number of people who sign up for the Greater Greenwood and Cleveland County Shrinkdowns.
Here’s the deal – whichever group loses a higher percentage of weight becomes the winner and gets bragging rights.
Today, you have your first opportunity to show if you’re going to be real competition. Today, both counties begin signing up.
We’re probably going to have more people sign up than you, but that’s only because we’re a bigger county, right? Or are you and your neighbors going to show how committed you are to a new, healthier lifestyle? All it takes is signing up from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the Greater Greenwood YMCA.
Step up, Greenwood County. What have you got to lose, besides excess pounds, high cholesterol, and a lifestyle that could potentially be putting you in danger?
Or, don’t. And 10 weeks from now you’ll know there’s a county in North Carolina that’s healthier than you are. You’ll know, because we won’t hesitate to brag about it.
It’s your choice, Greenwood County. Bring it on.

Expanding topics and the animal shelter

2006-11-15T18:19:00.000-05:00

I don't get out of the office nearly enough anymore. I miss the freedom of being a reporter. As the managing editor, I spend a lot more time in the office than I'm really comfortable with.
The recent rabies scare gave me a chance to get out and cover something. If you haven't read about it, check out www.shelbystar.com where the story is being played rather prominently.
I went to a press conference at the animal shelter. There, I got to see a few of the dogs they are keeping right now.
There's two dogs in this one cage. They were brown. That's about as good as I can get with the whole identification thing. I really wanted to take one of them home.
I really wish I could have a dog. My landlady would let me, but I'm not home nearly enough to take care of an animal.
That's at the heart of the rabies problem right now. People not taking care of animals. I haven't had a chance to talk with the rabies-exposed family on the record yet, but my impression is that they were trying to take care of stray animals that others had put out. It's very sweet of them to want to take care of these animals, but these people who dump their stray animals out expecting someone else to adopt them aren't being fair.
It creates a health risk, too. Rabies can be fatal, and although there aren't that many rabies fatalities in the United States, Cleveland County definitely doesn't want to become the next place on that list.
Take care of your animals, folks. It matters.

I fell off the wagon...hard

2006-09-27T18:01:00.000-05:00

Well, friends, I was supposed to get my final measurements this week. But I fell off the exercising wagon, and now I've got some ground to make up.
The hardest part was telling Leslie. She, of course, had noticed that I stopped coming to exercise. She told me how worried she had become.
I didn't mean to stop going. I went to work out two Mondays ago. I missed Tuesday. I worked out Wednesday. Then I didn't make it back to the gym for another six days.
Actually, I did make it back to the gym that Friday. I got out of the car, took three steps toward the gym and my phone rang. I got called in to work.
I went to the Aerosmith/Motley Crue concert Thursday night, and I think I should be able to count headbanging as exercise.
Monday, I had to come into work at 5:45 a.m. I was so tired by 7:30 a.m. that I knew it would be useless for me to go to my training session.
The rest of the days I missed -- I just didn't go. I overslept in the morning and then let other things distract me in the evening. I think I even gained back a pound or two.
Leslie gave me another week to get back on the straight and narrow. It felt good to be back in the gym, but I really regret missing the time.

Abdominal boot camp

2006-09-13T17:33:00.000-05:00

My abs should be rock hard any minute now. Just count down with me...
Leslie put me through leg and abdominal boot camp today. Just another reminder that exercise is hard.
Not all the time, though. It's starting to get easier for me. The ellyptical machine is my friend. I really like lifting weights, although they hurt like the devil. There's just something manly about the way my shoulders feel after lifting.
But I've still got this belly. This big, big belly. It's shrinking, but not nearly as fast as I'd like. Of course, I'd like to exercise one day a year and maintain a rock hard stomach, but I don't think that's going to happen.
Thus the ab boot camp.
I did 67 crunches on the crunch machine. Then there was the bicycle crunches. That's where you flail your legs around like you're pedalling a bike, and you do crunches while you're pedalling.
Let's not forget the extremely painful leg throw thingie. That's where you lie flat on your back while someone stands above you. You grab their knees and lift your legs, touching their palms. You lower your legs...not touching the ground...and lift them back up.
This actually caused a wave of nostalgia for me ... back in the days when I worked as a fencing instructor, I made my students do these.
That wave of nostalgia was quickly overcome by the wave of agony as I performed them.

On an unrelated topic, I'd like to say that I'm eating really well. I'd like to say that, but my weekends keep happening. My sweet girlfriend doesn't much like eating health food, and so our evenings become long, drawn-out discussions about where to eat. I want to eat healthy -- she wants to eat comfort foods. Rarely can you find one restaurant that serves both.
And cooking at home isn't an option. My girlfriend, for all her fantastic qualities, doesn't like to cook. Not a problem...I don't mind cooking. Unfortunately, she doesn't like to eat at the house. She believes eating out is part of the experience. That's an issue we'll have to overcome.

But I'm feeling healthier. Overall, I'm doing well. I just got inducted into the Shelby breakfast Rotary Club. That is a devilishly tempting place. We meet at the country club, which puts on a fantastic breakfast spread. I limit myself to the fruit and cereal, which I'm thankful they offer. But there's grits, eggs, bacon, and other goodies, too. Mmm...goodies...

Weight this morning (on my home scale): 253 lbs. Yay!

I've done it!

2006-09-05T16:20:00.000-05:00

I hit the halfway point and got great news from Leslie. Ready for it? Drum roll please....
I lost 11 pounds and 2.4 percent of my body fat!
Yay me! I feel great! People are saying they can see a difference. Now, I've just got to keep it off.
That goal was made ever-so-much more difficult by a three-day business conference I went to last week. This hotel served the greatest food, and eating is a weakness of mine.
I've talked a lot about my story. What about you? What stories about losing weight do you have?

With the highs, come the lows

2006-08-25T10:45:00.000-05:00

This week, I learned free weights. I also learned that those energy boosts I talked about earlier don't always come. Also, I smell bad.
I've had a hard time getting out of bed this week to go exercise. I haven't let that stop me from getting to the gym every morning, though. But I've just been dragging all week.
I've been waking up late, then when I get to the gym it's taking me longer to get into the workout than it did last week. Leslie changed my workout to include more cardio then the free weights. The cardio (an elliptical machine, treadmill, bicycle and some other machine I don't really like) usually forces me awake, but it's been harder to do this week.
Then comes the free weights...that's dumbbells, for those who aren't gym-jargon inclined. They hurt a lot more than the weight machines.
I shouldn't say hurt. Pain isn't quite the word for the ache in the muscles, the electric burn in shoulder muscles never used before.
And today topped it all off. I smelled horrible. I have no idea why.
Working out puts you in intimate touch with how bad your own body is. Its smells, its noises, its weaknesses. You get to know yourself really well.
I am proud that, despite my lack of energy, I kept going. I guess that means something.
Next week, they'll take my measurements and I'll go on a road trip for a business conference. How will I keep working out while being several hundred miles from the gym?

It's 1 a.m. early Sunday morning...

2006-08-19T23:59:00.000-05:00

...and I thought I would take the time to thank Leslie, my Pro Fitness personal trainer, for the greatest night of my post-lazy life.
First, I want you to know that I didn't cheat on my diet Saturday like I did a week ago. I had Cheerios for breakfast, vegetable and shrimp sushi for lunch, an apple for a snack and a roasted chicken and chilled asparagus for dinner.
Okay, I did drink two beers and some Jack Daniels. But, according to one Web site, the liquor only counts for 97 calories per ounce and a half.
But here's what I did for physical activity Saturday. First, I cleaned my car. I don't mean just running it through the car wash. I vacuumed and polished it, inside and out. After two hours of doing that, I was hot and sweaty. And, as I recall, that's the definition of physical activity.
Moving on...
Then, tonight Leigh and I went to a dance club around 10:30 p.m. We didn't leave until 12:30 a.m. That's right, folks. I danced, intensely, for two hours with a few short breaks in-between.
I started dancing with Leigh. And then, she needed to rest, so I stayed out on the floor by myself. She came back on, danced some more and left. I danced some more by myself. This pattern continued until she came back to tell me she was ready to leave. I asked her for a couple more songs. And I danced some more by myself.
A beautiful woman came up and danced with me for a song. Her boyfriend had danced a couple of dances, then he sat down and she began dancing with all the others on the floor. I was fat, hot and sweaty, but she still danced a song with me.
That wasn't all. Earlier in the day, I smiled at a woman and she smiled back. I don't mean in one of those friendly, "How's the weather" type ways either. I mean she flat laid it on.
Here's where I need to emphasize something. I have no intention or urge to cheat on Leigh. But everyone, men and women, appreciate it when members of the opposite sex give them attention.
And I didn't get attention because I'm thinner or sexier now. Truth be told, I've only lost 10 pounds and God knows how many inches. Which means I'm still fat.
But the exercising and trying to eat right has restored to me a confidence I knew only when I was younger and thinner. Even five years ago, I knew I could conquer the world.
Since I gained the weight and became less active, I lost a lot of confidence. And now, after only an extremely short amount of exercising, a confidence has returned to me that I thought lost forever.
A beautiful woman smiled at me today. Another one danced with me. And I danced two hours straight without feeling the slightest bit tired.
Not to mention that the woman I love is looking at me with a new found respect.
Thank you, Leslie. Even if I don't ever lose another pound, you've helped me gain back something so much more important. My self respect.

Two steps forward, one step back...

2006-08-15T09:44:00.000-05:00

I am saddened to report that I messed up this weekend. Big time. I think I even gained a few pounds back.
First of all, my workout Friday with Leslie was great. She showed me these great weight-lifting machines that made me sore in ways I don't think I've ever been sore before.
I went to work jazzed again, ready to go and feeling excited. Then came the fall.
I went over to my friend Chad's house Friday night. We had steak burritos. He cooked the steak tips and I covered them in cheese before wrapping them in a burrito. Actually, I ate two of them.
But, I'm thinking, not a big deal, right?
Saturday, I went to a wedding in Pilot Mountain. I didn't get to exercise Saturday (I was supposed to go walking) because I had to drive. But it was OK...I planned to go walking Sunday.
Well, there were heavy hors deouvres, doeuvres, dueorves...however you spell the funny word for snack-type foods at a reception. They had chicken tenders (which are rarely tender...go figure), ham, turkey, this honey bread...
They actually had a lot of great healthy food. But I thought, hey, I'm at a wedding. I ate the healthier stuff, but then piled on cheese and chicken tenders. Then ate several plates.
After the reception, we went swimming at the hotel our friends were staying at. I burned some calories that way.
But then we went to a steakhouse. And it was all over.
I got a glass of Jack Daniel's whiskey. Does anybody have any idea how many calories are in liquor? I have no clue myself.
Then I followed that up with a half-rack of ribs, barbecued chicken and mashed potatoes. If the liquor didn't do it, then the food did.
Early Sunday morning there was a restaurant near the hotel that served a buffet breakfast for $3.75. Couldn't pass that up. I had eggs, two sausage patties, hash browns, grits, and a biscuit. I didn't put gravy on the biscuit. I thought that qualified as behaving.
There was chinese lo main after that. I had turkey, gravy, macaroni and cheese and vegetables that night.
Monday morning, the tale of the scale was sad. I seemed to have gained three or four pounds back.
I've been working out like mad and eating very little to compensate.
Hopefully, Leslie Warren (my Pro Fitness personal trainer) will forgive me. I also hope that when I lose the weight and gain more muscle, my body will be more forgiving of food cheating.
If you see me at a restaurant, feel free to come up and make sure I'm eating right. I need all the help I can get.

Dude, I'm so high!

2006-08-10T15:41:00.000-05:00

My workout schedule has not been the most constant this week. But this morning I went to the gym and came out feeling great. And there's only one explanation -- I must have been high.
For those of you wondering, I weighed 163 pounds this morning. That's seven pounds lighter than I was when I started this project. Yay!
I've been eating better. For the most part, anyway. Leslie told me to eat five meals a day, but make each one smaller and include fruit. For example, I might have some whole wheat cereal in the morning, some grapes for a snack, a chicken sandwich for lunch, some carrots for an afternoon snack and a sensible dinner.
I'm not very good at that. Mostly, because I get into the groove at work and stop thinking about eating. But, the meals I have been eating have been healthier. Also, I have been eating more fruit and vegetables.
Saturday, I cheated a bit. I shouldn't have, I know. But there's this fantastic gourmet mexican/american restaurant on Rea Road in Charlotte, Cantina somethingorother. They have fantastic guacamole that they hand-make at your table, and the tacos are fantastic. It's a bit of a weakness.
I've been working out, but not every day. Of the last seven days, I've worked out four of them.
I had a religious experience today at the gym.
When Leslie isn't leading me, I spend more time on the treadmill. I like walking on it...there's something zen-like about walking for 20 or 30 minutes and not getting anywhere.
Then I'll go in and do my squats, lunges, pushups, jumping jacks and whatever else. After that, I'll climb onto a weight machine and try to build myself up.
Today, while walking on the treadmill, I watched a woman use the crunch machine. Just in case you don't know what a crunch is, it's like a sit-up, only instead of coming all the way up, you tense your stomach muscles.
This woman did her crunch set, then turned sideways and did more. Sideways!
So, I thought I'd try it. It hurt. It hurt a lot. But I'm getting used to pain, and it made my stomach feel all macho.
I finished my workout, then went home and got a shower. Ate some grapes for my snack.
Then, the greatest euphoria came over me. I felt so happy and productive...I just wanted to conquer the world today. It was amazing! Interactive Editor Joy Scott told me a joke and I laughed like it was the greatest thing to ever happen to me.
Lifestyles Editor Megan Ward called it an endorphin high. If that's what it is, then I'm going to get high as much as possible. I felt great!

The great scales mystery

2006-08-03T12:33:00.000-05:00

Okay, here's my big question for today. What scales are right and which ones are wrong?
Yesterday, I stepped on the scales at Pro Fitness to find out that I weighed 267 pounds. That's a loss of three pounds by the way.
Today, I stepped on my bathroom scale. It said I weighed 263.5 pounds. Yay!
Then, I came to The Star, where we have a scale. According to it, I still weigh 267 pounds.
I don't know what you call the scales at Pro Fitness and The Star. They're those sliding scales like what you see at the doctor's office.
At my house, however, I just have one of those flat scales you step up on.
Does anybody know if one's more precise than the other? Should I throw out my bathroom scales?
Also, in case you were wondering, I missed my morning workout with Leslie. I'm going to the gym tonight, but this morning I was so sore from yesterday's workout that I ended up oversleeping.
Skip chided me. I think he wants me to lose the weight, too.

Thar she blows!

2006-08-02T13:34:00.000-05:00

My first workout with Leslie could be roughly considered a disaster. Why? I threw up. That's right. Thirty minutes into my workout, I lost my breakfast.
Part of the problem: I was drinking my breakfast while working out.
I was always under the impression that you're not supposed to eat before working out in the morning. According to Leslie, I should have gobbled something down about 20 to 30 minutes before. Wow. I'll sure know better next time.
So, the 10 minutes on the treadmill weren't that much of a problem. I got a little winded, but it actually felt good.
Then came the squats. That's where you bend your knees as far as you can from a standing position. You're trying to keep your knees lined up straight, and you're trying to keep balance. Two sets of 15, if I remember right. Of course, my memory's a bit hazy.
There were also the two sets of lunges. As a former fencer, let me tell you that lunges in the exercise world are a lot different. And they hurt.
Well, about that time, I started seeing little sparkly lights and feeling rough. That's when Leslie asked me if I ate breakfast this morning.
No, Leslie, I didn't.
So she went to get me a bottle of water and a protein chocolate shake thingie. I began to guzzle both, and continued on to the modified pushups.
We've all seen the modified pushup. In high school, you called them girlie pushups. So did I. So I was feeling pretty humiliated to be doing them in front of Leslie.
That's an interesting side note that should be mentioned. Leslie is an extremely beautiful, extremely fit person -- the type that most men probably try to act extremely macho around. It's hard to do when you have to stop in between girlie pushups because you feel sick.
But that wasn't when I popped. That came when I went to work out on this crazy chest pumping machine thing. You sit down and push the weights out. I was set at 30 pounds and thinking to myself, "Surely I could set it on 50 and nobody'd mind."
That's when I knew, with startling certainty, that I needed to find my way to the bathroom.
No details beyond that, but when I came out, Leslie seemed very concerned. I could just hear the thoughts running through her brain -- "There's no way I can help this man. He needs a doctor, and possibly a donut."
OK, so I added the donut part.
Here's the strangest part. I took the morning off to make sure I was feeling fine...but by noon I was feeling great! I'm writing this around 3 p.m. and I still feel great. I hope I don't have to throw up every time to feel this way.
Going back to the gym tomorrow. Also, tomorrow I'll write about my food problem.

I left chunky long ago

2006-07-31T17:25:00.000-05:00

If you've seen the paper today, you've seen me in all my chubby glory. Okay, let's face it. I left chubby long ago.
But now I'm going to fix that. In the most frank, open discussion about the positives and negatives of losing weight ever to be held in a small-town paper, I'm going to share my story of the difficulties one faces when trying to lose weight.
That's probably an exaggeration. But the point is, I'm just an average guy trying to look a little slimmer.
It's hard. I don't diet well. Mostly because I love food. You might have read the maudlin account in the paper. But let's face it...I love cheeseburgers. And steaks. And pizza. I was never much on sweets, but mashed potatoes are heaven to me.
Last week, I started drinking more water. Leslie handed me a list of goals and asked me which one I wanted to start working on first. The list included great things like increased strength training, eating more vegetables and adding more physical activity to my daily routine. I picked the water thing because it looked the easiest.
I also started drinking Slim Fasts last week. Leslie didn't recommend that, but I figured, what the hey.
I remember trying Slim Fasts 10 years ago and thinking, these taste like warmed over chocolatey mucus. These days, the shakes taste a lot better. I actually enjoy them.
I don't normally eat breakfast. But I think taking in a few calories in the morning will make me eat less during the day. Of course, I don't know if that will help. It would probably help if I didn't go for fast food.
Well, let's see how this goes. Like I said, you'll see my trainer's comments on here, and you're welcome to post your words of encouragement, share your own stories and offer any tips you might have. Just remember, you're sharing it with the world. So be nice.