by A.J. Wood

It’s Not About Weight, It’s About Getting Healthy

Wii Fit says I'm Obese

If you’re reading Firgs’ blog (and you should be) then you know today she posted a shout out to the FPB, a space on the web where photographers from around the globe have gotten together to support & motivate one another to get healthy. I caught Carlos‘ announcement on Twitter earlier this month, and he had originally made the challenge to SWPB members. It’s no surprise that folks were interested, albeit reluctant to post revealing images of themselves. Today I join the ranks of those looking to get in shape. However, desire is not the same thing as achievement, which only comes with action.

I haven’t always been heavy, in fact, I was kind of the cute potbellied kid growing up. As an adolescent teen, I was always too skinny–like the kid in the comic book ads–and my father fed me all kinds of stuff to put weight on me. My favorite was the chocolate malt with wheat germ served up in a half-gallon container. I’d drink two of those a day as well as an assortment of potatoes, rice and plenty of starchy carbs. Still, when I graduated highschool I weighed about 125lbs, but I wasn’t so scraggly looking. I probably would have stayed skinny if not for the alcohol. Truly, I think that was the beginning for me. Nothing like alcohol to kill a super fast metabolism. Factor in all the things that come with being an adult, regular work hours which leads to money which leads to lots of partying followed by poor sleep habits exacerbated by a lousy diet all of which is ignored when you’re younger because “Hey! Why change things if nothing’s broken?” and it’s not surprising to me that I was in denial about my weight for so long. Let’s be clear, I’ve known I was getting heavier, but when I looked in the mirror I did not see the heavier version of me. My weight was not depressing me. When I looked in the mirror, I always saw my potential not my reality, and this time reality was going to slap me right upside the face.

2007 My weight about 225lbs.

I realized I needed to do something when I took a look at our maternity pictures taken last year. There was my wife glowing, and staring me down was a face I did not recognize. When did my head become so round? Where did my neck go? Did my wife & I really look like two tugboats bumping when we kissed? It was cute when Michelle was pregnant the way people kidded me about putting on support weight. That quickly turned to “WOW, did you get pregnant too A.J.?”, which didn’t have the same bit of humor. It wasn’t long after that my doctor put me on high blood pressure pills. Still the reality of my current condition didn’t inspire much of a change.

To quote Garfield, “Diet is DIE with a T on the end of it.” Let’s be honest, I’ve known exactly what I need to do to get healthy since last year. I need to eat better. I need to exercise. I need to use more calories than I consume. Pretty straight forward stuff, and yet here I am standing 5’6″ weighing in at 198lbs (which was a surprise as I weighed 215lbs at Photoshop World Vegas). According to Wii Fit, I’m considered obese with a BMI of 31.57, and as I write this I’m thinkin’ about Thai Food and a beer. Time my constant companion & most egregious excuse, just simply won’t bend to my control, or rather I’m not putting forth the effort to make it.

(Yeah, I’m suckin’ the gut in on the right. I do that subconsciously now, all the time, I have very strong ab muscles)

Left is relaxed, Right is how I always stand.ajwood_heavy_001

But then, I look at my daughter, and I think of my father who passed away when he was 57. I think of the history of men in my family ALL whom have died from heart disease. I don’t want to leave my wife & daughter before I am ready. In today’s world my daughter needs me more than ever to face the challenges life has to bring. So that’s it then. That’s my motivation. Lord willing, I’ll use that to make the changes I’ve been procrastinating for so long.

My Daughter is a constant source of Inspiration

P.S. – If you really must know about the tattoos, you can read about them in this old post.

in Editorial 10 comments
 by A.J. Wood

Linky Love aka Social Net 2.0

Dear readers, I’m posting a blog entry for the second night in a row. OMG! WTF! CYFBLI? Before we begin, let me just say that I’ve already thought about the conversation with my daughter, you know, the one where I tell her she shouldn’t text the Lord’s name in vain. Wait for it…

OK.

Yesterday I threw up a post about the Bloggers I linked to in a previous domain. Today, I’m throwin’ up some mad links for new folks. In no particular order, here goes some link love:

Bernskiold Media – I have a feeling that if I had any idea what I was doing when I was younger, I would have been Erik. His website easily surpasses anything I ever did with Azarok.com, and it’s much more relevant to the times. Make his blog a daily read, and buy his photographs.

Design by Firgs – This site is a few days old, in its infancy and already has 119 subscribers. That tells you something about the power of Twitter, and the appeal of content. And really, who doesn’t love free stuff for Photoshop? You better hurry up and comment before she starts chargin’ for the party.

Pursuing Photoshop – Mitzs reminds me why I love teaching Photoshop so much. No matter how many times I demonstrate the same features over AND over again, for beginners each lesson is a creative discovery. Tell me Mitzs, do I dazzle you?

Janinealogy – Just discovered the blog via Twitter, but I’ve seen Janine’s work at Landailyn R&R. Just across the way in Ft. Worth, I’m always happy to promote local Photoshop services around the metroplex.

Sage Family Studios – Lisa just hopped on Twitter today, which is groovy because more people need to know about her excellent portfolio.

If you checkout the Photoshop User website you can see the NAPP Portfolios of Erik, Firgs, Mitzs, Janine & Lisa. You’re sure to be impressed, and certainly inspired.

UPDATE – I missed a couple of sites. Color Me Badd. That’s what happens when I blog two nights in a row.

My Home Sweet Home – I missed Dawn at Photoshop World this past September, which was funny given she was twittering about the event just like me. Dawn recently debuted her first screencast on her blog. Be sure to check it out and give her some feedback.

Antique Mommy – Dawn’s friend Tina writes some good stuff on her blog, and I was especially fond of her Bailout entries. This is a blog I read, and hope to read more often.

in Adobe / Arts/Media 4 comments
 by A.J. Wood

Bloggers I Linked, Where Are They Now?

Good afternoon dear readers. I hope this blog post finds you doing well, and enjoying your day. Recently, I dug up some old pages from Azarok.com with the idea that I might incorporate them here on the new blog. I was going through an old blogger links page, and was curious to see if any sites were still around. Here are some of the entries from that 2002 list, with updated comments from your truly:

Acidman – I don’t picture Rob sitting around repeating daily affirmations to himself. Nor do I think his blog is textbook example of macheesemo. No, the Acidman is quite possibly the last of a dying breed, from a time when masculine actually meant something other than chauvinist. Today’s generation could learn something from the man whose self respect is in his values not his bionic dick.
2008 Update – It’s appropriate to kick off this list with a blogger who was such an influence that his site lives on even after he passed away in 2006. I only had a few brief exchanges with him, mainly through his site comments, and enjoyed his brash bold style.

AZCrew – This was my original online adventure. In the beginning there were a group friends hangin’ out at Michigan State. Inevitably, I was convinced to make the trek to Phoenix, AZ for a permanent hiatus from Michigan. Thank Chris for providing us an escape plan and a means to keep our sanity.
2008 Update – The homepage has boasted the same message for years. “We’re living in the real world now.” but I’m happy to report I’ve recently reconnected with some of the crew via Facebook.

Big Pink Cookie – Technically superior to anything I could do here. One of the first blogs I came across that allowed the viewer to change the layout on the fly. Christine’s site inspires me to become a well-rounded web designer. Someone who knows both the aesthetics & the backend mechanics to create a web masterpiece.
2008 Update – Still runs a better website than me, and an accomplished photographer to boot. You can follow her on Twitter now too.

Da Goddess – With Dawn Olsen in blog purgatory, I railed through her comments looking for other places to stimulate my brain. Not to disappoint there is solid content to be found on Joan’s site. She also uses on-the-fly layout changes a technique I have yet to master on this site. Be sure to add this on your list of daily reads.
2008 Update – Unlike a number of heyday bloggers I linked to, Joan is still going strong and shows no signs of blogger post droppage.

Davezilla – You want content? How about cartoons, essays, manly tips and a ton of daily blog humor. Visit this site to exercise your funny bone.
2008 Update – Talk about a site that hasn’t changed. I didn’t even have to update the links I posted the first time around.

High Acuity – What is with this young people today? A thirty-something, I don’t know how I’ll get a leg up on this generation of computer savvy designers. Aidan has been doing his thing since age 17 and he’s already been published. But wait, I’m supposed to mention his blog. There’s some good movie reviews and he throws in tech tips when he has a chance.
2008 Update – Now a successful web entrepreneur, nice to see the blog still lives.

Hose Monster – Everything my writing could be, only better. I swear he grabbed this post about reader comments straight from my brain, then filtered out all the small words, sprinkled in some vocabulary and actually made a coherent & interesting blog entry. Of course, I had already decided to link him after reading this post (about idiotic people) and this one (about receiving a sobriety test).
2008 Update – There haven’t been any posts since 2005, and I’m a sad blogger because of it. He was one of my blog heroes and perhaps he’s online around the `net somewhere.

Luvliness.net – A web-designer from Toronto, Stephanie has some of the best online layouts I have seen for a website. Each design surpasses its predecessor and it’s a refreshing touch to stop by a site and see a completely new look. She provides a fine example of how to properly and effectively use style sheets and her website has a lot of quality content for you to browse through including photos & her design portfolio. (A quick nod to Stephanie for enlightening me on how to properly put my comedian pop-ups together).
2008 Update – Stephanie’s site now points to a new blog. Her old site was up & down over the years, but it looks like she’s got the Internet itch again. Will have to checkout her Flickr page for new inspiration.

Moxie – I have to wonder why the Mox is still single. I’m beginning to think it’s all just a ruse to keep readers enthralled with her site. Her writing will entice you more than her marital status as her reviews of Reality TV are more entertaining than the shows themselves. Of course, there’s plenty of other things she has to write about so sit back and exercise your brain some. Oh and she uses Gallery for her photo albums.
2008 Update – Still around, swinging her righteous flair, taking on the liberals and probably a bigger Internet celebrity.

Mr. Helpful – This site is worth visiting simply on the merits of the “Shatner Chronicles” alone, but add to that “The Adventures of the Bionic Dick” and Mr. Helpful’s list of best entries and you could very well lose a weekend. This site gets a double-thumbs up for content originality.
2008 Update – If you read his blog then you know his son’s in a band. If you read his blog then you know why I linked him in the first place.

Paul Katcher – The first comment I have to make about this site is the design. Paul has such a content driven site that the ease of navigating all his categories & entries was HUGE. I’ll leave it to Paul to describe his blog entries which “read like a quick bar conversation”. Most of his entries are short and to the point, a perfect formula for Internet reading. Did I mention this is a content heavy site? You’ll find Interviews (hot chicks people), Reviews (books, movies, etc.), Photo Albums, hell his site definitely requires the Search feature provided by Movable Type.
2008 Update – I still have my t-shirt… uhm, which the wife wears of course.

Rabbit Blog – I find myself fiending for “Dear Rabbit” letters if I’m away from the `Net too long. Sometimes I pretend I am the rabbit… then I write myself a letter and stop short of answering it `cause that would be too weird… (Oh, and I enjoyed her published articles on Salon.com as well)
2008 Update – Can you tell I linked A LOT of blogs that I don’t get to read anymore?

Raymi the Minx – Raymi reminds me of an ex-girlfriend. Amidst the nostalgia I’m reminded that fiercely independent women should be admired from a distance.
2008 Update – Still NSFW, still crazy.

Ryan McGee – Not since the Hose Monster have I come across a blog for the first time where I spent a good 30 minutes reading through different entries. Ryan knows how to woo his readers as each entry teases you with a hyperlink to the entire post (wait for it… wait for it… NOW). He uses big words like “juxtaposition” without sounding like he grabbed a thesaurus just to use a fancy word. The most powerful thing about Ryan’s blog is the personal frame of reference it conjures up with each entry. Insightful as it is inspiring, I’m just jealous that it’s not me. Jennifer Garner has no idea what she’s missing.
2008 Update – I still read his blog, and he’s currently linked. I would consider Ryan a blogger success, as his new site Boob Tube Dude is hot stuff.

Sean Johnson – I found Sean’s blog to be refreshing in its content because he articulates his questions, beliefs and faith in a manner that is compelling as well as though provoking. I could spend hours in conversation with him and probably learn a helluva lot.
2008 Update – I picked up quite a bit of SEO/Marketing material from Sean early on before anyone was using the terms SEO. He’s still around, and doing quite well.

TonyPierce – He’s older than you, dates more women that you and has enough content to keep the masses entertained every waking moment they’re on the Internet. A great photo blog and inescapable reading material.
2008 Update – Tony rocks, `nuf said.

Uptonia – Lauren made her presence known through my comments. It’s nice when new people pop in to say “Hey!” without bombarding you for linkage or solicitations for the latest in hair products. Lauren has some neat art you should check out (and ask her why she hasn’t posted any new stuff). Also I envy anyone who has traveled to Europe before I’ve had a chance to.
2008 Update – Website is still around, and she’s doing all the things she talked about doing in her blog.

Looking through those old links, I’m reminded that you should learn from your past not live in it. Like a highschool reunion it’s nice to reminisce about the good old days, but if you’re not moving forward, you’re not living.

Here’s hoping my life continues to move forward.

in Editorial 3 comments
 by A.J. Wood

iPhone Dedication to @JohnHays

This is a quick late night post for John Hays; my buddy who’s slowly joining the Cult of Mac. Today John grabbed an iPhone, the precursor to next week’s Apple shopping spree I’m soooooo jealous. The good news is John will probably have me over to do some setup stuff, and I’ll get to drool over his new toys. But I digress…

Earlier today the subject of iPhone apps came up, because, well… what’s an iPhone without apps? Now there are a ton of lists out there, but one more (especially one written for my pal) can’t be bad for folks wanting to know. So here in no particular order is my list of iPhone apps:

1. Air Sharing by Avatron – turns the iPhone into a WiFi accessible hard drive. Use it all the time in class to transfer files for students. Jumped in when it was a free app, sells now for about $6.99.

2. Evernote – The ability to take notes in many forms, e.g., audio, photo, text, on-the-go then sync with a computer makes this part of my everyday arsenal.

3. 1Password – I have not converted everything over to this utility. Graham at ImJustCreative recommends a solid system for password recall, but I do find it convenient for the numerous websites that require a password.

4. Twittelator Pro – TweetDeck is my desktop computer Twitter client of choice, but for on-the-go iPhone communications, you can’t beat Twittelator Pro. The ability to group tweets makes this app useful for tracking conversations.

5. NetNewsWire – All the hip kids are grabbin’ RSS feeds to stay on top of their favorite sites, and NetNewWire is the Mac OS X app of choice. Now on the iPhone.

6. Shazam – This is probably my favorite “not work” app. When you have an 8-Track player in your car, the radio is all you got for current tunes. Letting Shazam pick the artist’s info from my FM station, and tag it so I can purchase from iTunes is AWESOME.

7. Shozu – I’m hoping to get to a one-post-one-email system to upload images to all my social networks, but Shozu does the job sending to sites one-by-one.

8. Sportacular – Finally, one app to bring me football scores each weekend.

9. Fake Calls – Hey look, I just got a call from Scott Kelby! Just kidding, but the idea of having an escape plan is great for those awkward social moments.

10. Google Earth – You too can hold the world in the palm of your hand.

I left out some obvious choices like Facebook, MySpace & Remote as it won’t be long before those apps are just on the iPhone at time of purchase. To finish off this post, here’s a link to 11 different iPhone App review sites.

If you know of a cool app, that both John & I should get, leave some comments with your suggestions.

in Technology 0 comments