How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Apparently Cornell University has the answer.
About 700 pounds. Unfortunately, there is no unit of time associated with this quantity, so the answer is incomplete.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Woot!
I managed to put myself into an unusually good mood this morning.
Before I explain, allow me to provide some background.
About a year-and-a-half ago, I managed to put myself in the hospital with a very uncomfortable infection in my leg. When I was admitted, they did all the usual testing of vital signs. when they weighed me, things were a bit... embarrassing. I was too heavy to weigh on their normal scales. They had to put me on an equipment scale. First, I did not know hospitals had equipment scales. Second, how heavy does one have to be in order to be reclassified from "patient" to "equpiment?" My weight came in at 375 pounds. ouch.
Well, a year later, I finally get around to enrolling in a fitness class on campus. I have been spending close to an hour a day, Monday through Friday, in the gym.
Now that the background is out of the way, here is the big news:
This morning, for the first time since my hospital visit, I weighed myself.
322 pounds.
I cannot imagine that I lost much weight between my hospital visit and beginning my workouts. My activities would not exactly be classified as "active." So, i have lost about fifty pounds since I started the workouts around the first of the year.
My goal for the end of the quarter is to be below 300.
As the post title says: "Woot!"
Before I explain, allow me to provide some background.
About a year-and-a-half ago, I managed to put myself in the hospital with a very uncomfortable infection in my leg. When I was admitted, they did all the usual testing of vital signs. when they weighed me, things were a bit... embarrassing. I was too heavy to weigh on their normal scales. They had to put me on an equipment scale. First, I did not know hospitals had equipment scales. Second, how heavy does one have to be in order to be reclassified from "patient" to "equpiment?" My weight came in at 375 pounds. ouch.
Well, a year later, I finally get around to enrolling in a fitness class on campus. I have been spending close to an hour a day, Monday through Friday, in the gym.
Now that the background is out of the way, here is the big news:
This morning, for the first time since my hospital visit, I weighed myself.
322 pounds.
I cannot imagine that I lost much weight between my hospital visit and beginning my workouts. My activities would not exactly be classified as "active." So, i have lost about fifty pounds since I started the workouts around the first of the year.
My goal for the end of the quarter is to be below 300.
As the post title says: "Woot!"
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Lies Society Has Taught Me
Whoever coined the phrase "like riding a bike," to mean something that was easy, and one never forgets, was either a liar or an idiot.
I recently picked up a bicycle, and wanted to try it as an alternative transportation method to-and-from school, and help out with the time I've spent going to the gym.
Sunday, I decided to make my first bicycle trip to campus. I had a calculus test in the afternoon, and thought it would be a good opportunity to get used to things.
I got about ten feet before I fell over in an uncomfortably twisted pile on my neighbor's lawn.
I recently picked up a bicycle, and wanted to try it as an alternative transportation method to-and-from school, and help out with the time I've spent going to the gym.
Sunday, I decided to make my first bicycle trip to campus. I had a calculus test in the afternoon, and thought it would be a good opportunity to get used to things.
I got about ten feet before I fell over in an uncomfortably twisted pile on my neighbor's lawn.
How to Become the Badguy
It is just the third week of spring quarter, and I have firmly entrenched myself as the bastard in my economics class.
Today we got into a discussion about possible ways to "fix" social security. The usual suggestions were mentioned throughout the class. "We can increases social security tax," "we can raise the retirement age," and other such suggestions. There was on that no one seemed willing to say, even though it seemed obvious to me.
"We could restrict eligibility of benefits and decrease the payout," I offered.
*silence*
At that moment, I became the bastard. The cold heartless sonofabitch who did not want to subsidize everyone's grandparent's retirement.
I'm just an economics 101 student. I don't pretend to know how to actually fix social security, nor do I have the authority to make, or even suggest such changes. It was just an idea.
Today we got into a discussion about possible ways to "fix" social security. The usual suggestions were mentioned throughout the class. "We can increases social security tax," "we can raise the retirement age," and other such suggestions. There was on that no one seemed willing to say, even though it seemed obvious to me.
"We could restrict eligibility of benefits and decrease the payout," I offered.
*silence*
At that moment, I became the bastard. The cold heartless sonofabitch who did not want to subsidize everyone's grandparent's retirement.
I'm just an economics 101 student. I don't pretend to know how to actually fix social security, nor do I have the authority to make, or even suggest such changes. It was just an idea.
Friday, April 17, 2009
When One Stops Counting
It was not long ago that birthdays were a big deal. Every one seemed to have significance, if for no other reason that being one step closer to a milestone.
At 15, you can officially get you learner's permit, leading to a driver's license at 16.
17 was a bit of a nothing year, but there was so much surrounding it, its own significance was irrelevant. At 18, there was voting, being able to buy lottery tickets, porn, and cigarettes; high school graduation was in there, too. 19 and 20 were not very interesting, but marked a transition out of the teenage years.
21 is big for obvious reasons.
What is there after that? Renting a car at 25? The transition from 20's to 30's?
I bring this up because I was asked my age today, and could not immediately respond. I had to do the math.
1976... 2009... haven't had my birthday yet this year... or have I? Nope, not yet... 2009-1976 = 33, no birthday yet... - 1... I'm 32... I think.
This now becomes one of those moments when I realize just how old I am.
At 15, you can officially get you learner's permit, leading to a driver's license at 16.
17 was a bit of a nothing year, but there was so much surrounding it, its own significance was irrelevant. At 18, there was voting, being able to buy lottery tickets, porn, and cigarettes; high school graduation was in there, too. 19 and 20 were not very interesting, but marked a transition out of the teenage years.
21 is big for obvious reasons.
What is there after that? Renting a car at 25? The transition from 20's to 30's?
I bring this up because I was asked my age today, and could not immediately respond. I had to do the math.
1976... 2009... haven't had my birthday yet this year... or have I? Nope, not yet... 2009-1976 = 33, no birthday yet... - 1... I'm 32... I think.
This now becomes one of those moments when I realize just how old I am.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Wherein I Talk About Baseball
As much as I enjoy football (both college and pro), I tend to identify my fandom in terms of baseball.
The baseball season is only a week old--about 4% of the way through--and I am a happy fan.
The Mariners are in first place. After seven games, that's roughly the equivalent of your football team having the lead ten minutes into the second half of the first game of the season. It means damn little right now, but for a team that was expected to do absolutely nothing, damn little is better than expected.
Tuesday is the M's home-opener, and the home-field return of Ken Griffey, Jr. The man was traded ten years ago, and I am sure his first at-bat will elicit an incredibly joyful response. I have my tivo set to record, since I will be in class, at the time, but I wish I could be there.
A friend of mine who works at local sports radio station asked if I would be interested in stopping by the studio on occasion to talk baseball. He said that I tend to know more about what's going on in baseball, Mariners in particular, than people who get paid to know such things.
Of course, I agreed. I have no idea how well I will perform in a public forum, however small said forum may be. Whenever this comes about, I will let people know.
The baseball season is only a week old--about 4% of the way through--and I am a happy fan.
The Mariners are in first place. After seven games, that's roughly the equivalent of your football team having the lead ten minutes into the second half of the first game of the season. It means damn little right now, but for a team that was expected to do absolutely nothing, damn little is better than expected.
Tuesday is the M's home-opener, and the home-field return of Ken Griffey, Jr. The man was traded ten years ago, and I am sure his first at-bat will elicit an incredibly joyful response. I have my tivo set to record, since I will be in class, at the time, but I wish I could be there.
A friend of mine who works at local sports radio station asked if I would be interested in stopping by the studio on occasion to talk baseball. He said that I tend to know more about what's going on in baseball, Mariners in particular, than people who get paid to know such things.
Of course, I agreed. I have no idea how well I will perform in a public forum, however small said forum may be. Whenever this comes about, I will let people know.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Spring Quarter
Here is a quick list of things I either learned, or rememberered today, the first day of Spring Quarter
Economics is going to be slightly less interesting than watching paint dry.
Sociology might be a tiny bit more interesting, but I am not holding out a lot of hope.
Multi-variable calculus is going to be a challenge, but I am looking forward to it.
I only have ten weeks left before I am done with Japanese.
As close as I am to graduating, that goal seems very far away.
After spending an hour at the gym in the morning, I am a rather randy bastard in the afternoon. I would imagine there is a perfectly acceptable, entirely boring physiological reason for this. The immediate impact for me is... well, nothing. Even if there was someone ready and willing, I do not have the time to indulge.
On the plus side, not having time for a girlfriend also means I do not usually have the time to dwell on such things. Aside from quick instances of catharsis, such as this.
Economics is going to be slightly less interesting than watching paint dry.
Sociology might be a tiny bit more interesting, but I am not holding out a lot of hope.
Multi-variable calculus is going to be a challenge, but I am looking forward to it.
I only have ten weeks left before I am done with Japanese.
As close as I am to graduating, that goal seems very far away.
After spending an hour at the gym in the morning, I am a rather randy bastard in the afternoon. I would imagine there is a perfectly acceptable, entirely boring physiological reason for this. The immediate impact for me is... well, nothing. Even if there was someone ready and willing, I do not have the time to indulge.
On the plus side, not having time for a girlfriend also means I do not usually have the time to dwell on such things. Aside from quick instances of catharsis, such as this.
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