Bless You Steve Jobs... Funeral Protesters...Go To Hell!

It's not a normal habit of mine to actively read over the obituaries of celebrities; in the recent case of Steve Jobs though, I somehow couldn't help but to feel obliged to do so. It's partially due to the fact that I sincerely admire his ingenuity, but a lot of it has to do with the fact that we both shared this experience in developing pancreatic problems. I got lucky and overcame mine. It wasn't so for him, and it progressed to something worse that ended his life. I found myself curious if how he dealt with the news was anything similar to the way I did. I hoped to find out when and where his the funeral services would be, and to perhaps even find an online book of condolences to share my sentiments for this great innovator.

My search through the postings of the death of Steve Jobs was a sobering reminder as to why I have divorced and abandoned myself completely away from the stupidity of religious dogmatism and fundamentalism, and the people who fanatically chose to follow such things. When it comes to spirtuality or religion, there is nothing more disgusting to me than people using their sanctimony, or citing "God's will", to preach hatred, abuse, and violence, no matter which faith it is. Through the news gleaned in my searches, I discovered a reprehensible plan by the Westboro Baptist Church of Kansas to intrude, and picket, and protest at the funeral of this wonderful human being who has brought so much benefit to modern society. Their reason, according to a Twitter message from one of it's members, which ironically was sent from an iPhone (which Steve Jobs of course invented), is stated as,"Westboro will picket his funeral. He [Jobs] had a huge platform; gave God no glory & taught sin." Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/312445#ixzz1a6wadcw3*

If I was ever approached by the fool who ever said that to me, and if I was given no choice to avoid engaging with them about the subject, I'd have to point out to them that Steve Jobs wasn't even a Christian, but a Zen Buddhist; and if he indeed lived up to using a Zen perspective, a.) he would have regarded his "platform" not so much as huge, but non-permanent and ever-changing/evolving, and he wisely did not squander it to the will of absolutist thinkers (or thinking), b.) with a Zen mind, it wouldn't have been a concern to him as to whether or not there was even a God to give any glory to, and c.) there is no such doctrine or dogma in Zen Buddhism that recognizes such a concept as "sin" to begin with** therefore he didn't make it some mandate of his to intentionally "teach" sin to others. How Jobs supposedly "taught sin", according to the WBC, was that he somehow made Apple Inc. a very "pro-homosexual" company.

Of course the members of the WBC are too busy bending interpretations of scriptures to make them suit their political agenda, and would seem far too ignorant to bring themselves around to Zen Buddhist thinking like Steve Jobs did: that is, being mindful and noting interdependence of all things in existance, and the interplays of cause and effect. They proved that their organization has no problem or qualms about using computer technology to do their self-righteous gay-bashing; yet they fail to see the irony that without one gay person at a critical time in our history, there might not have been any computers (as we know them), nor even any freedom of speech for this group to enjoy or exploit for expressing their delusional beliefs for that matter. It would help if I used the context of something in real history about another "computer innovator" to shed light on that last point.

During World War II, the British were feverishly trying to develop a machine to decode the cyphers being intercepted from the German U-boat fleets in order to get a leg up on the Battle of the Atlantic. A man with a brilliant mathematical and technical mind, named Alan Turing, was the genius who contributed to this decryption project in Blechley Park in London that ultimately broke the Nazis codes. This in turn helped the British turn the tables to have more allied shipping and supplies safely arrive; saving Britain from starvation and scarcity of other defense resources. This the helped lead to the allies victory in Europe, which ultimately overthrew the stranglehold of fascism and preserved democracy and free speech, at least in Western Europe. Alan Turing's ingenuity also laid out the ground work for the technology for the first digital computers, which were ultimately used to accelerate developments for the Manhatten Project, which finally led to the victory over Japan, thus securing America's victory and democracy. Turing also happened to be a homosexual.

I can't help but to wonder how differently the world could be now, and the alternate consequences that would have unfolded, if a scenario occurred where some ignorant, bigoted, sanctimonious bastard found out about Alan`s lifestyle, and just for sport, used his religiously-inspired prejudice to find Turing and incidentally beat him to death in a gay-bashing frenzy before Turing was ever able to finish the vital work for he was doing for the defense of Britain during that war. Britain may have then lost out to the evils of Nazism had that happened. I would hate and fear being under the boot heel of a totalitarian regime (ie. no right to intellectual freedom, no freedom of expression, no right to assemble, and no right to vote or live democratically, and no right to question authority) far more so than I would ever fear and hate someone who was a homosexual. Living life under the ideology of religious fundamentalists would be very close to, if not exactly like, living under a totalitarian regime.

I've seen the ugly face of this radical WBC group before. They are into the condemnation of any person or celebrity figure whom they regard as being so "sinful" as to respect the rights of gays and lesbians.  This band of brain-washed idiots also protested at the more recent military funerals of the American soldiers who served overseas, citing that it was God's punishment to America for being more tolerant of homosexuality in society.They're more of a cult than a church, being made up of mostly family members under the direction of it's deranged leader*** Fred Phelps. I once saw a YouTube video of Phelps expounding his gratitude that "George Carlin is now in HELL!" soon after Carlin's death in 2008. George Carlin, despite his culture-clashing, satirical style of humour (like the Seven Words You Can't Say on Television routine), did so much to actually pave the way for freedom of speech rights in American media, and examine the semantics of our public (or decent) use of language. So, then Phelps and his troop of ultra-conservative religious loonies exploited those very same rights that Carlin exemplified and even legally fought for, only to then publically broadcast the 'damnation' of George Carlin. George Carlin did all that dirty work for them, only to have them abuse this freedom of speech that they have to announce that he'll be sent to hell for what he did. How ironic can you get!

If indeed the WBC successfully executes its indecent intention to disrupt the service and rites of the funeral of Steve Jobs (or any other people they term as "sinners"), I'll be very saddened and fearful. Protesting at a funeral, in my mind, defies all that is decent. Willfully disrupting an event of commemoration for a person's good works on Earth of finding new innovations that unite humanity with new technology, and then using that same technology to try to rally people together to indignify and defame him is beyond insulting, and exposes a whole new level of deplorable ignorance in religious fanatics. They will only prove to the rest of the world yet another monstrous side of themselves; how arrogant, bigoted, intolerant, hypocritical, and obnoxious religious fundamentalists are, and how willing such people are to trespass and encroach on the events of harmonious commemoration and celebration others are trying to create.


* - I only include the link for an accurate reference, I by no means wish to give this abomination of a christian "church" more attention than it deserves.
**- In Buddhism, there are no sins, but there are differing degrees of skillfulness (or unskillfulness) in conduct (which is relativistic) which then always results into, or is resulting from, karma, which will ultimately determine if or how you will suffer. It's not about terms of satisfying some absolute moral imperative which puts you at the mercy of the favour (or disfavour) of some kind of anthropomorphic divine being, like in Western monotheistic religions.
*** - I use the term "cult leader" instead of "pastor", as he calls himself, because I chose not to insult any Christians of better discretion by endowing him with the latter mentioned title.

In Remembrance of Grandma

It was last week, the day after my birthday, when I last visited my 90 year old Grandmother, my Mom's Mom. My Mom first called me, explaining how her state of health has been going downhill, and that it all began with some spell which resulted with her kidney function starting to shut down. After her trip to the hospital, she was moved to a facility for temporary respite care. Her physical health declined so much since the last few months ago since we last visited that I even failed to recognize her at first. I talked with her a while. She was still together mentally, even remembering to wish me a happy birthday, and sharing with me the goings on of her past few days with all her visitors with good detail. However, her energy was such that she couldn't keep a conversation up for very long; not without draining her further, or impairing her ability to be understood. I couldn't delude myself in thinking that such a condition of someone who was 90 years young was going to improve, and what was important for me that afternoon was to give her that one last hug and kiss, and to tell her that I loved her. It was hard to witness her suffering this way; but to spend this bit of time with her was perhaps my most valuable birthday gift.

I received the official word that my Grandmother died yesterday evening. When death came to her, I'm thankful to say that it was a relatively quick coupe de grace, and she didn't suffer long, and I'm thankful that she departed this realm without any dementia, or any other severe mental degradation; still lucid enough to be able to recognize her family and loved ones. When I heard the news, I didn't find myself crying, or struck with, or bound up in any other heavy or deep expression of grief. I wasn't reacting with a mindset of a mourner; I chose instead the perspective of gratitude of what and who she was. I thought in a way as one who could perhaps be responsible for delivering the eulogy for at her upcoming funeral, even though I'm hardly one to be worthy of giving a commentary of such depth and scope of existence for someone who has lived out her time on this earth for nine tenths of a century. We all die, and to be given the chance to live a long life independently, to witness the coming of your great-great grandchildren, and to do it all with a clear and lucid mind is, what I would suppose, the best blessing one can get. It's not really a time to mourn; but a time to honestly celebrate the life of someone who has received such a blessing. I'm so glad that gift was bestowed upon my Grandmother, and I'll always see her as someone who deserved it. .

Thank you so much for everything Grandma, for the fellowship and friendship you gave to others, for the laughter and humour you had, and for collectively making us a better family. See you again on the weekend, along with the rest of us.

With love always, your eldest grandson

Brian

On This Birthday...

I made it through another year of life. I'm grateful. I hardly think it's worth posting and pinning down just how old I am now, because I just completed a 'real age' test at http://www.realage.com, and I actually got physically younger since the last time I took it; still registering as a few years less than my actual chronological age. That's something else for which I'm thankful. Here are a few more points listed for which I'm grateful for today with the coming of this gift of a new year of life:

• I had this day off from work, and I didn't have to slog through a ridiculous night shift. Hence, I was able to enjoy this day with some semblence of lucidity. I'll forego any other comment I have about work, or what I'd like to see happen, except that I've reached the point where I'm going to have to put more focus on finding and achieving what is rewarding for me to do.
• I received my driver's license renewal notice in the mail today, which also reminded me that my photo had to be renewed. I never pay attention to how my driver's license photo looks, so I checked it out today. I'm happy to say that it appears that I changed for the better since the last shot of me. Again, thankful.
• The sky was cloudless, and the temperature reached up in the high 20's through the day. The leaves have started to turn their fall colours by the river. It was the perfect scene for the run I've committed myself to do today. I passed 25 kms (thinking now that perhaps I overdid it). Noting this, I've set the goal to reach 2000 kms of recorded running distance before the end of September. It would be nice just to step out each day to watch the season flow as the autumn landscape reveals itself and passes away. I hope there'll be a nice long string of days coming ahead just like this one was.
• Taking the time to binge on a few carb loaded goodies. I had no cake, but savoured some scallops and fettucini, and a few fistfuls of sweets...heavenly.
• I missed out on sharing company with those I wanted to spend time with, people like Jessica Biel, Mila Kunis, Scarlett Johannsen, Olivia Munn...oh well...their loss I guess. Thankful for having this kind of imagination.
• Happy to see some greetings from the rest of you who chose to sent them. Thanks a lot.

My Top 10 Podcast Favourites

One thing that I like to do, especially on Sunday mornings, to give my eyes and brain a break from the assault of the commercial-festered meme-warfare that is television and visual-web media, is to download and listen to podcasts from iTunes. It's easy to focus in on some subject specific, ranging from the trivial to the educational. Some I tune into for some specific steps to achieve a goal; others are just strictly for leisure and entertainment. Most are,thankfully, uninterrupted and commercial free. Here are ten of my (less explicit) kinds that I tune into.

1. Podrunner/ Motion Trax- These are two podcast series that serve up track mixes that are timed to your particular heartbeat and running pace. Naturally, I play these while I'm running. although the majority of them are techo and trance based, there are a variety of genres to pick from. The Motion Trax playlists are pretty upbeat.
2. iTunes U - Although it is catagorized seperately from the podcasts, they are still of that sort of format. Basically, you're able to audit university level lectures for free on any subject taught in a post-secondary institution. My only complaint is that American Universities are the dominant contributors to the iTunes U forums. I wish there was more Canadian, British, and Australian content, as well as translated lectures from French, German, Russian and Japanese universities.
3. Shift: Stories Behind the Stats - CBC radio programme discussing the demographic trends of Canada and the rest of the globe
4. Weird News Radio - The news stories that expose the stupider side of humanity. From people starting franchaises for exorcisms, to the idiotic things that criminals do to get caught: were he alive today, this would knock Darwin down on his ass, either laughing or crying.
5. Meditation Oasis/Meditation Station - Self-explanitory...use less words...think less...pay attention to your breath...clear your mind...tune into yourself more...focus...accept...repeat.
6. Zencast.org - Although I'm not officially a Zen Buddhist, nor was ever I raised as one, these podcasts are significant to me because their content best reflects the core of my particular personal belief system. Exercising mindfulness, learning to be present, being wary of cause and effect, and the workings of attachments and suffering within the context of the Four Noble Truths. Interesting stuff to contemplate.
7. The Jillian Michaels Show - The Nazi-esque trainer from The Biggest Loser gives help and hints for me to eat right for my load of exercise that I do.
8. The Human Performance Powercast - A little more guy oriented podcast about diet and exercise.
9. Out Of Their Minds/Spark - Other CBC programmes: OTM focuses on the innovators and inventors of some wild, weird, and sometimes wonderful technology. Spark deals with trends in technology and society.
10. Personal Growth Podcast - If it's my life's mission to grow everyday, this is one avenue to review things for doing so. I like the episodes of this one because they are short and direct.

New Goals to Make

Today I'm scheduled for my three month follow-up ultrasound, to check up on the condition of things that were discovered earlier this year. I've been feeling very well physically, and I've had no recurrence of extreme discomfort or pain since then. I don't want to jinx myself in saying that any anomalies or tumours have completely disappeared, but it feels like they have. I'm going to conclude that if the results are fine, I'll be satisfied to say that I'm healthy enough to pursue other goals. I think my personal objectives are not in the same sphere of normal compared to those of other people, as I am working with the premise that I'm mostly live as a loner, and I'm the only one taking care of me. Generally, they are in the realms of things that I'd think would make me a better person to make it easier to take care of myself and remain independent; to do something more than just surviving as a loner.

What are these new goals? I'm still working on them. So far, generally, they would be all rooted in the realm of fundamental things of what I would say are necessary to have a good life. There are five of these so called realms in my particular system of living that I would say are my essentials. I deem them to be:

1. Health – It's the major one I'm focusing on now, and the one that will be ongoing. No need to mention more than I have posted about the subject already. I've worked long enough around people whose lives are limited in many respects because, either by accident of birth or circumstance, or through their own addictions or ignorance, they've been rendered too immobile or dependant on extra care just to live. For me to witness all this, and then for me to do things to my own body which rob me of years and make me less than I could be is something I see now as just plain stupid.
   
2. Wealth – This point might surprise some people who think they would know me better, since it probably doesn't reflect so much in my home life, because I actively make an effort to keep my living space simple and Spartan. Truly, I do like money; I just don't like clutter and waste. I believe in having a sufficient abundance; I prefer not wasting energy managing anything I have of a great excess, good or bad. I want to do more to attract more money in my life; but I really don't ever want a stable full of white elephants. For me, more money equals more freedom. Squandering all one's money on showy status material, lots of possessions, especially expensive ones, just leaves you more anchored down by feeling more responsible for more things to manage, and more vulnerable to having more things to lose. Money is like any other artificially created human invention or technology: it has the potential for doing either good or evil. My philosophy of wealth and my corresponding targeted goals concerning it is mainly such: that there is nothing that would make me feel richer than the feeling of being free to live however I choose unencumbered, and being around people who interest me and sincerely enjoy my company, which brings me to the next point.
   
3. Good Relations- Whether they be ranging between the familial/friendships, platonic/sexual, strangers/people who are just plain strange, I do try to make it a goal to a least begin with engaging people with kindness. I'm well aware that I may not seem so approachable to begin with. I think I have a goofy-looking smile, so I'm a bit self-conscious of doing it with initial greetings, or wearing it all the time. It's something to work on. Ninety percent of the time, I'm arriving to work exhausted and leave there feeling even more so, so the old joie de vivre doesn't reflect very well sometimes (most times), no matter how pleasant I try to be. I have a few goals related to getting more rest and being less introverted, and trying not to allow myself to feel "all peopled out" after work, so I can make some more meaningful social contact during my personal time. Maybe a new significant other would do me some good [emphasis on maybe].
   
4. Wisdom- To use knowledge to gain as many advantages I can over the course of life, or to at least use it better for coping with it whenever things don't go my way. I will always make time for listening, reading, and tuning into such things. That's my habit. Well over 90% of the television I bother to watch is educational media. I read daily. I usually have three to seven books on the go at any one time. I have little use or respect for people who openly tell me that they don't care much for reading. My biggest challenge for fulfilling some of my wisdom goals is finding examples of respectable people to use as mentors to educate me in person. I have high standards for this, and it's tougher than you'd think it might be. I think I also need to seriously deploy some mnemonic training to filter down the time and energy I need to learn the massive volume of stuff I may be destined to study in the months ahead.
   
5. Happiness- Perhaps the most elusive of these pursuits, and the most abstract one. For now, the definition of happiness for me is whatever it is that pulls me out of a long rut of depressing routine. The definition needs to change, and so does my approach for getting it.

A Sample Of My Running Tunes

At the risk of exposing just how weirdly eclectic my music collection is to everyone, here is a small sample of the music I tune into while I’m running. Entering a scene with your own personal soundtrack really makes a difference. I sub-categorized things some things here for songs that suit my mood/need for different kinds of motivation. I’ll limit them to about 5 to 10 per category. To pace myself, I tune into mostly the beat of either the bass drums, or the high hat cymbals, but if given the chance to, in the words of Christopher Walken, “I gotta have more COWBELL!” (just kidding) . Anyway, here are some random picks, listed in order of song title, artist, and album. If you want to have a better idea of which lyrics drive me, consult with http://www.azlyrics.com.

Pure Defiance

·         One Man Army – Our Lady Peace, Happiness...Is Not a Fish

·         Hair of the Dog – Nazareth, Hair of the Dog*

·         One – Creed , Greatest Hits

·         Animal I’ve Become – Three Days Grace, One-X

·         Subdivisions – Rush, Signals

·         Be Yourself – Audioslave, Out of Exile

·         Du Hast – Rammstein, Sehnsucht

·         In A Big Country – Big Country

·         A Boy and His Machine Gun – Matthew Good Band, Beautiful Midnight

Pleading to My Higher Power

·         Higher Power – Boston, Greatest Hits

·         Meant To Live – Switchfoot, The Beautiful Letdown

·         Precious – Depeche Mode, Playing The Angel

·         Counting Blue Cars – Dishwalla, Pet Your Friends

·         Personal Jesus – Depeche Mode, Violator

·         Heaven - Live, Album

Just To Be Happy

·         Sweet Disposition- The Temper Trap, Conditions

·         Stupidly Happy – XTC, Homegrown

·         Beautiful Day – U2 , All That You Can’t Leave Behind

·         I’m Free – The Soup Dragons, Lovegod

·         This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) – The Talking Heads, Greatest Hits

·         This Is The Day – The The, Soul Mining

·         Here Comes Your Man – The Pixies, Doolittle

·         Steal My Sunshine – Len, Go OST

·         The River – Live, Songs From Black Mountain

·         Senses Working Overtime – XTC, English Settlement

·         Alive – Edwin McCain, Honor Among Thieves

Indie/Alternative Faves

·         Work – Jimmy Eat World, Futures

·         Dead Disco – Metric, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?

·         Hello Time Bomb – Matthew Good Band, Beautiful Midnight*

·         Gold Lion – Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Show Your Bones

·         Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors – The Editors, An End Has A Start

·         Where Is My Mind? – The Pixies, Surfer Rosa

·         Start Choppin’  - Dinosaur Jr., Where You Been

·         Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels) – Arcade Fire, Funeral

·         A Forest – The Cure, Disintegration

·         Half Way To Crazy – The Jesus and Mary Chain, Automatic

·         High – The House of Love, Babe Rainbow

Fade Into the Trance

·         Everything In It’s Right Place – Radiohead, I Might Be Wrong: Live Recorded Concert

·         Enjoy The Silence (Techno Trance Mix) – DJ Sasha & John Digweed

·         Madras – Global Experience (Tiesto), In Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza

·         While The Earth Sleeps – Peter Gabriel & Deep Forest

·         Shivers – Armin Van Buuren, 10 Years

·         Immense Velocity(Essential Mix)- Paul Oakenfold

·         I Think I’m Paranoid (Crystal Method Crystalized Mix) – Garbage

·         Blue Monday (Mega Throb Mix) – New Order**

For Red-Lining the Gauges

·         The Fly- U2, Achtung Baby

·         Speed of Sound – Coldplay, X &Y

·         Vertigo – U2, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

·         The Best Things – Filter, Title of Record

·         On The Scene – Big Sugar

·         Scratching The Surface – Saga, Heads or Tales

·         Confusion (Blade Soundtrack Mix)- New Order

Be A Very Disciplined Machine

·         Wind Him Up – Saga, Worlds Apart

·         New World Man – Rush, Signals

·         Machinehead – Bush, Sixteen Stone

·         Warm Machine – Bush, The Science of Things

·         Radar Love – Golden Earring

·         Stripped(live version), Depeche Mode

Strength and Power

·         Load Me Up - Matthew Good, Beautiful Midnight

·         Strength – The Alarm, Strength

·         Fearless – The Bravery, The Bravery

·         Magic Power –Triumph, Allied Forces

·         One Little Victory – Rush, Vapour Trails

·         Run – Spiritualized, Laser Guided Melodies

Get Ready For War/Work Through the Pain

·         Working Man – Rush, Rush

·         Everyday Is Exactly The Same – Nine Inch Nails, Everyday Is Exactly The Same

·         The Trick Is To Keep Breathing – Garbage, Version 2.0

·         Fevered – The Stills, Logic Will Break Your Heart

·         Cuts You Up – Peter Murphy, Deep

·         Lunatic Fringe - Red Rider, As Far As Siam

·         Marathon – Rush, Power Windows

·         War Pigs – Black Sabbath, Speak Of The Devil

·         Locomotive Breath – Jethro Tull, Aqualung

·         Jesus Christ Pose – Soundgarden, Badmotorfinger

Porno Throb Grooviness (Shake That Sexy Junk Baby)

·         Still In Love Song- The Stills, Logic Will Break Your Heart

·         Who’s Your Daddy – Benny Benassi

·         Professional Widow(Armand’s Star Trunk Funk Mix)- Tori Amos, Classic House Mix

·         I Feel It In My Bones – DJ Tiesto (featuring Tegan and Sara)

·         I Love My Sex – Benny Benassi

·         Gia – Despina Vandi, Buddha Bar V

·         Always (Psychedelic Martini Mix) – DJ Sasha

·         Do Ya Think I’m Sexy – Rod Stewart, Blonds Have More Fun

·         Do You Feel Me – Tiesto (featuring Julie Thompson), Elements of Life

·         Push The Feeling On – The Nightcrawlers, Classic House Mix

·         Your Loving Arms – Karen Overton with Tiesto, In Search Of Sunrise 5

Time To Get Grungy Baby

·         Spoonman – Soundgarden, Superunknown*

·         Gone Away – The Offspring

·         Even Flow – Pearl Jam, Ten

·         Alive – Pearl Jam, Ten

·         Never Let You – Third Eye Blind, Greatest Hits

·         Swallowed – Bush, Razorblade Suitcase

·         Sweetness – Jimmy Eat World

·         Stay Away – Nirvana, Nevermind

·         Everything Zen – Bush, Sixteen Stone

For a Confident Stride

·         Made of Steel – Our Lady Peace, Gravity

·         Downtime – The Gandharvas, Sold For A Smile

·         Not Enough Time – INXS, Greatest Hits

·         Starlight – Muse, Black Holes and Revelations

·         The Pass – Rush, Presto

·         Time Stand Still – Rush, Hold Your Fire

·         Love Is Strong – The Rolling Stones, Voodoo Lounge

From the Old Cool Smoothies

·         Golden Years – David Bowie, Station To Station

·         Rebel Rebel – David Bowie, Diamond Dogs

·         Slow Burn – David Bowie, Heathen

·         This Beat Goes On/Switching To Glide – The Kings

·         I Don’t Care Anymore – Phil Collins, Hello, I Must Be Going!

·         Big Mouth Strikes Again – The Smiths, The Queen Is Dead

·         Deathwish – The Police, Regatta de Blanc

·         Driven To Tears – The Police, Zenyetta Mondetta

·         Same Old Scene – Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music, Greatest Hits

·         Games Without Frontiers – Peter Gabriel, Shaking The Tree

·         Tall Cool One – Robert Plant, Now and Zen

*- Also counts as one of those “I gotta have more Cowbell!” songs

**- I don’t have the right track title, It’s the name I gave it

My Celebrity Fitness Role Model

As I started on the road to making a healthier lifestyle for myself, I realized that one of the reasons why I wasn't so successful before with my first few attempts was that I had no image of a result in mind. I didn't have some kind of analogue or realistic visual model form to look like, to aspire to, or to compare myself to for setting an achievable fitness goal. There was nothing on the "vision board", if you believe in that sort of thing. I realized that I wasn't above needing such a figure as an example. It's kind of challenging though to figure out how to do it when firstly, I don't find much pleasing or attractive in any male body or form to begin with; secondly, I don't even come close to being equated with or resembling anyone notably famous, real or fictitious, living or dead, who is a quality specimen of optimal health. I decided to be practical about this. My focus is just on getting healthier for starters; if I get better looking through the process somehow, well, it would be just an incidental bonus. Picking a person featured on the front cover of Men's Health magazine (as much as I find the material helpful) would not have been applicable for me. These guys are in their twenties or early thirties. That's not me. Most of them are full-time athletes, or have careers in kinesiology, committing most of their waking hours to doing physical activity, or fitness training. That isn't me either. My interest in fitness is not that amped up, plus, I don't have that many hours on my clock to spare on working out. My goal is to become leaner and more noticeably toned; not to bulk up to a great degree. It's hard enough for me to shop for clothes as it is, never mind adding to it a very disproportional size differential, between my arms, chest, legs, and waist to my height. I asked myself, "Who are the guys who generally have the toned and lean body type, but didn't spend all damn day in a gym working to achieve it?" The only answer that came to my mind was...actors.

I should hope that there'd be very few instances when I'll lower myself to use anything of the Hollywood news and gossip on the Internet as some sort of oracle in answering tough (and strange) questions for the purpose of doing something life enhancing; this, however, was one time that I did do just that. After doing some research, with practical questions in mind, I arrived at the conclusion that Daniel Craig, Hollywood's current James Bond (007), should be my fitness role model. The reasons are listed as thus:

• Age and height: The most important and practical aspect I could think of for finding a muse, for the lack of a better word, was to select someone who was the close to the same age and height as I am, and who was in fit form. Except for the form, I most closely matched up with the profile of Daniel Craig with those criteria. Although Daniel Craig is slightly taller than me (by an inch or so), and slightly older than me (by about six months) he is, so far, the best one that had come up after reviewing some vitals of several potential candidates. The same age aspect helps me to defeat any excuses and negative thinking that I wouldn't be able to do all this because of my particular count of years. The same height aspect is helpful for comparison, to gauge what proportions I would really be working towards, more or less, as I get fitter.
  
• Lean and toned looking, but not a professional athlete: Daniel Craig has to obviously use some gym-time to stay fit for the role of 007, but of course has to use the majority of his work day as an actor with scripting, rehearsing, filming, etc. Therefore, any workout plan that he uses for strength training would necessarily have to be kept brief time-wise, and be very efficient to accommodate for his day's schedule. I pre-selected some routines that give me a full body workout in a short period of time before I even looked up the workout stats for Daniel Craig. It pleased me to see that when I did come around to reviewing his workout routine, I already came close to what he was doing, although he uses an actual gym facility more than I would.
  
• More average looking; not outrageously handsome: Some people, especially some women, may disagree with me about this, but Daniel Craig, in my mind, is not an exceedingly handsome man. In fact, I dare say that if he had my hair and eye colour, and we both stood together for comparison, he would actually look worse than I do from the neck up (and likewise; I wouldn't look any better if I had his eyes and hair colour). I'm not saying that this is a bad thing, since my focus is on physique, and not facial features. It's just that it would be easier and less intimidating for me to have a role model with looks more equally on the 'humble' side along with me than ones that are way above average. As far as it goes for all those actors who've been cast as James Bond, Pierce Brosnan probably wins hands down as the most handsome one. Oh yes, I will admit Craig is distinctive, but not in a 'pretty boy' kind of way. That's why I think he is the best Bond so far. Could you seriously imagine someone as freakishly good-looking as Pierce Brosnan, with any convincing measure of resilience and defiance, being able to take the pounding, beating, shit-kicking, and torture the way the character of James Bond in Casino Royale did? It would almost be laughable to see that happen. For this tougher and more intensified version of 007, there needed to be a tougher, more intense looking, rough-around-the-edges looking actor to play him. They made the perfect decision in casting Daniel Craig for this round of Bond films. I'm digressing a bit though; this isn't film study. Back to fitness role model business.
  
• Working strange, variable hours: Being an actor would demand having to be versatile enough to work long hours at all hours of the day, just like a healthcare worker's lifestyle. I figured that if a workout is to be squeezed into any day given these conditions, there must be a fitness plan that accounts for the ways that working weird hours can physiologically mess you up; and would still be effective enough to produce results, even throughout the times when the body is put under pressure of having its daily rhythms scrambled up all the time. If properly consulted, Daniel Craig would probably have a plan that accommodates for this, as he is coping with jetlag from switching set locations, and shooting scenes at night. Realistically, this is what I would need as well.
  
• Adopting the 007 attitude: To be persistent, and to stay focused and disciplined to make all this effort pay off (or to at least help to make the whole workout process a little more fun and entertaining) it's a great boost for me to think in terms of, "What would James Bond do?" as I'm doing cardio or weights. I would guess that it's the same thing going on in Daniel Craig's head as he is performing this role trying to execute a scene perfectly. It serves as the push I sometimes use and need to force myself to go farther, or harder when I'm exercising. Would 007 slow down and stop because he is a little winded after running five kilometres uphill chasing a terrorist? Hell no, in fact he'd run five kilometres more if it served to wipe out a whole terrorist cell. Should I slow down after jogging five kilometres because I'm a little winded as I pursue better health? Same answer, hell no! In fact I should run five kilometres more if it served to eradicate one more tumour cell. Would 007 just quit shoving the head of some rat-bastard informant through to the bottom of a filled bathroom sink because it was a bit of an inconvenience? I doubt it! Should I stop sinking this deviant enzyme level down to a normal level with a proper diet because it's all a bit too inconvenient? No way! Not gonna let that happen. That's the kind thinking it gets translated into for my own use. I figured if I tried and copy that sort of determination and resilience, it wouldn't be long until I eventually and actually adopted it for real.
  
• Other minutia: I find it coincidental that we both have loved ones in our lives named Ella (his is his daughter, mine is my dog). We are both linked in a way with Cheshire (he was born in Cheshire, England; I'm work within the Cheshire Foundation). That's where our similarities end.
  

I'm not so delusional as to think that I'll ever come close to being as tough, adventurous, or built like a James Bond, or even close to resembling a body double of Daniel Craig. Realistically, according to the numbers indicating my comparative muscle and bone density from the InBody 230 readout, I'll probably always be heavier than he is, even with me getting as lean as possible. That doesn't matter. What does matter is knowing and seeing that there are ways and means to get better physically that works for someone of my height, age, and lifestyle; a living example of someone who can maintain it, and a using powerful mindset and attitude to persist at it. All this is to help me look like someone which one should take seriously, be respected, and to look and feel very capable and competent, despite my age, in order that I can enter and take on the next few challenges ahead in my life. Thanks a lot Mr. Craig.