The Further Adventures of Deluzy: Theft

Health and Wellness

The Google 15
An excellent weight-tracking tool that keeps track of your moving weight average over time so that no single weigh-in is a cause for ecstacy or despair.
Understanding Your Tests
A good preliminary resource for understanding your lab work (though of course it's no substitution for discussing results with your doctor)
FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal
An essential tool for me during my first 6 post-op months -- and a good reality check for anyone keeping track of daily food intake (e.g., calories, fats, carbohydrates, etc.) and activity levels
Gmaps Pedometer
A wonderful tool that allows one to map exercise routes and calculate miles covered and calories burned

Products I Like

Spanx
A line of comfortable foundation garments (and even easy-to-pack clothing) that comes in handy post-op to corrale that wayward, formerly obese flesh and make you feel comfortable. Available online, at Lane Bryant in larger sizes, at Nordstrom in smaller sizes, and sometimes at outlets for less.
Pure Protein RTD shakes
At an average of 35 grams of protein, 3 grams of carbs, and 160 calories, these ready-to-drink shakes work for me because they combine a taste I can handle with a significant (though by no means the highest) protein boost. I can chill them, grab them, pack them, and go. Available from a variety of online sources or at GNC stores.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Theft

Okay, I stole this from Julie's All Things Sparkly blog today because, well, it's a moving piece of video. Note: I do not watch American Idol (this appears to be a U.K. riff on the program, in which people try out for the show), but I'm as riveted by stories of an ordinary guy who gets a shot at his dream as anyone else. (Ultimately, the man featured in the video wins the season competition.)

And I love Puccini.

And I just have to point out that one of the reasons this piece of video makes an impact is that its sound and images are very cleverly and tightly edited so that the well-known aria operates in tandem with carefully selected reaction shots of judges and audience and with panning and crane shots. Without those, and the bit of popular music in the background, and the framing tale of a diamond-in-the rough ("a little lump of coal") and the frog who becomes a prince, it would simply be another guy -- with a beautiful voice, yes, but there are lots of guys out there with beautiful voices.

I might have to use it to teach basic film grammar to one of my intro classes.