Steve Bargelt

Workouts!

Did two three workouts yesterday neither none of which were on a bicycle. *waits for faithful readers to get up off of the floor*

The first was a Crossfit workout. Crossfit is an evil spawn of Satan workout regime. From the Crossfit wikipedia entry:

CrossFit workouts typically call for athletes to work hard and fast, often with no rest. Many CrossFit gyms use scoring and ranking systems, transforming workouts into sport. Many CrossFit athletes and trainers see themselves as part of a contrarian insurgent movement that questions conventional fitness wisdom

Our workout yesterday was:

Five rounds for time of:
15  pound barbell Overhead walking lunges, 50 feet
21 burpees

Time of 21:30 Jeremy did 4 rounds, Ryan and I did 3 rounds. It sucked. Bad. I don't think I could have done any more 'burpees' without really hurting myself. I was dizzy, my face was numb, I was getting a headache, my back hurt, I felt like I was going to puke. So we will have to work up to doing as many sets as the site suggests but wow still a killer workout in 21 minutes. I can barely move today… you all know the feeling, where you can’t shampoo your hair very well because raising your arms above your head is almost impossible.

The second was yoga. Our normal Tuesday night class. It was great, as usual, but really tough considering how bad my legs and arms were hurting. The class was packed which made it very warm in the studio no not quite hot yoga warm but I was sweating up a storm! The GREAT part is that I felt better after class than before.

I’m glad yoga helped me to stretch and loosen up because my third workout of the night was the BEST workout I can imagine!

posted @ Wednesday, January 28, 2009 8:21 AM | Feedback (1) |

The SuperBowl Bet

The SuperBowl bet with my girlfriend has been determined! Irish has taken the Arizona Cardinals (+7) and I have taken (of course) the Pittsburgh Steelers (-7)

1. The loser is the winner’s slave for the day. Read this how ever you want.
2. The winner gets to write a post to the loser’s blog. No editing and no deleting by the winner. The winner may comment on the post but only once!

Stay tuned folks this could be a good bet! So pull for the Steelers to win by MORE that 7 because the pictures* will be MUCH better!

* sorry folks we’ve already agreed no naked pictures… errrr… not that we have any of each other.

posted @ Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:54 PM | Feedback (3) |

Yoga Part Deux

I promise to not blog about every yoga class I go to but I have to share this:

“I’m doing a handstand mothAfuckA!!!” Yep, I did a headstand last night. Okay it was on a body lift like the one pictured below. Okay and the teacher helped me up and the teacher helped stabilize me… but I still felt awesome mostly because again like I said in my first yoga post that I was out of my comfort zone and I could have very easily bailed but I went ahead and tried it! I’m very glad I did!

posted @ Wednesday, January 21, 2009 12:04 PM | Feedback (2) |

Six Meals Per Day

In my previous Getting Healthy post I mentioned that "You have to be willing to challenge the status-quo even when you skinny friends look at you like you're stupid (I have a story about this but I'll save it for a future installment)." Well I suppose this is that future installment. It’s only been like 13 months… gimme a break!

By challenging the status-quo I was specifically referring to the fact that I eat six times per day. Unless of course my girlfriend and I are away for the weekend then we typically eat one meal, usually at about 2PM, usually consisting of a huge chunk of animal flesh and lots of carbohydrates! We’re just so… AHEM busy AHEM that we forget to eat. Last trip that we took I think I lost 7 pounds in three days. I digress, I’m sorry. So I was saying that typically I eat six times per day. I have found that this keeps me a lot more satisfied and I’m a lot less likely to pig out at lunch or dinner or after dinner.

I have lost a lot of weight but I’m still a big guy (6’3”, 245). I can eat roughly 2400 calories per day and still get rid of about two pounds per week depending on my activity level. That means I can eat meals of 300, 300, 600, 300, 600, 300 every day and still lose weight. I have this on a yellow-sticky on my monitor at work.

So what is the problem? I can’t tell you how many times my skinny co-workers look at me as I eat my 3PM Zone Perfect Bar and give me this look that says, “jeez that's why he's fat... he eats all damned day long."

It would be easy to get embarrassed and stop this habit... but you know what. Screw them! I've shed a little over 70 pounds this way and I'm not going to stop! Bite my ass skinny boy! You might be skinny but I bet I can bench press your body weight PLUS your max bench press weight. Probably several times! AND I bet I can ride a bike faster than you. And for longer (time or distance) than you. Deep breath – no, I’m not bitter. So please if you are fighting this battle like I am, figure out what works and stick with it. No matter what people say. Unless they are trying to talk you out of a fad diet… then listen to them!

I won’t even talk about how much crap I’ve taken for starting Yoga!

So dear readers has peer pressure ever made you change your health or fitness routine? Is there anything in your health and fitness routine that other people laugh at? If so how do you deal with the criticism?

posted @ Tuesday, January 20, 2009 2:30 PM | Feedback (1) |

Spring has sprung… NOT

I saw this sign on the way to get my afternoon crack… err… coffee:

Spring has sprung? WTF? It is January 15th in Washington state. Yes the sun was out for about 15 minutes on Wednesday but other than that I don’t remember the last time I saw the fabled glowing orb in the sky. We’ve had record rainfall and flooding and a couple major snow storms this winter. Officially Spring starts on or about March 20th in the Northern hemisphere.

The outside temperature as I was walking by this sign was 37 fucking degrees. Spring has most definitely NOT sprung you imbecile! I wish I would have had a lighter with me!

So… Happy Friday!!

posted @ Friday, January 16, 2009 4:20 PM | Feedback (2) |

My first yoga experience!

So my GF did a great job of describing my first Yoga class… it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. It is funny it didn’t really hit me until we were in my truck driving to the studio that I’m not often completely out of my comfort zone in the sports and fitness world. I had NO idea what to expect in yoga class. None. While I’ve played most major sports (at least major in the US) and I’m comfortable in the gym (I’m not a gym rat by any means, give me the outdoors ANY time baby!), I’ve never struck a yoga pose in my life. I’ve didn’t even research yoga beforehand, which to anyone who knows me will come a a huge shock! So I was a little scared before class, entering a brand new world.

The best part of this whole endeavor was sharing this completely new experience with my girlfriend!

Next best is that I learned several things about myself. First, my balance is way better than I thought. In eagle and tree I did pretty well only wobbling a tad bit! Second, I’m a wimp! In warrior my arms were shaking so badly I thought sure the whole class was going to break out in a fit of laughter. Oh did I forget to mention that we were in the front row? Yeah! In several other poses my arms, legs, back etc. were screaming at me too but I don’t really remember which poses… I think I’ve blocked them from memory! Third, my hamstrings are very tight. I guess I already knew this from working through a lower back problem a year or so ago with a physical therapist. I guess it is a pretty common thing for cyclists to have tight hammys. The instructor walked by while we were in roughly this pose and tried to push my leg up past oh lets say 60 degrees (it should be 90 degrees from the floor. Yeah that ain’t happening, my friend. To say that my hamstrings are tight does not do them justice… it’s more like rigor has set in! Oh well, something to work on!

So yeah my girlfriend mentioned that someone coughed and disrupted savasana. He must be a total idiot! Wait, did I say “He?” ummm I meant he OR she. Yeah… yeah that is what I meant. Oh did I also forget to mention that I was the only guy in the class? Now don’t get too excited fellas, the only hot woman in the class was my GF! The rest were… ummm I’ll say either not interested in men or old enough to be my mother. So single guys the idea of meeting women at yoga class is not a good one!

So have I distracted you enough to forget about the coughing fit? No? Okay I have a confession. It was me. Yes, I am that idiot. It is now very funny to me that savasana means “corpse pose” because in this pose I felt like I was going to die. I was so excited to get to the end… I was sore and tired and looking forward to the rest. The first couple minutes were just dandy. You all know that feeling, it starts as a tiny little tickle in the back of your throat. “Hmmm I can ignore this",” I say to myself. I can’t ignore it. The tickle was begging me, “Just cough. Just scratch this itch. C’mon big boy you can do it… breath deep and COUGH.” I have NEVER tried so hard in my life to stifle a cough. My eyes were watering, I was trying to swallow often (it was so quiet in the classroom that I initially thought my swallowing would disrupt the class!) nothing was working, my throat started involuntarily contracting it actually felt like I was choking and that my throat was constricting! I was the longest two minutes of my life! Finally I had to let it out… “ehem, EHEM, HHHHHAAAAAACCCCCCCKKKKKKKKK” phew. Class dismissed!

So the fourth lesson learned about myself, I can’t stifle a cough worth a shit! 

posted @ Thursday, January 15, 2009 11:51 AM | Feedback (5) |

2008 In Review and 2009 Goals

Wow how time flies – ummm where did 2008 go? I’ll get right to the point of 2008: fitness-wise I sucked. I missed almost every one of my fitness goals. Oops! The funny thing is that I still feel great. I’m so much healthier than I was just a few short years ago that I guess in some ways it is hard to get motivated! The good news is that I didn’t gain weight in 2008. So can someone please press my reset button? Never mind – I’ll get it! Maybe I should just pay more attention to myself?

On the personal front 2008 was a great year!

• I met my current girlfriend. She is so full of awesomeness. If there is any question about her awesomeness read this and this and this!
• I finally got my first piercing! I’ve been wanting to get pierced for years and I finally did it!
• I travelled more that I had in previous years. A couple trips to Reno, one to the bay area. I LOVE to travel. I really hope to do more in 2009.
• I went to several concerts in 2008, Chris Isaak, Nine Inch Nails, Crue Fest (Papa Roach, Staind, BuckCherry and Motley Crue). All of the concerts were so awesome – I LOVE music and I’d kind of let that part of my die or at least wither to almost nothing so I’m glad that I was able to get out and get to a few live shows!

Most importantly, I FINALLY started receiving regular visitation with my kids!! It took way too long. I’m truly sorry about that. Long story and there really isn’t any one to blame but myself. The short version - I fired my first divorce lawyer and hired a new one. I’m VERY happy with that decision! Kids, I promise to be a better father in 2009. All-in-all 2008 was a great year even if I slacked a bit on my fitness goals!

2009 Goals

Personal Goals:

1. Be a better father to my children
   I don’t think I’m a bad father but there is always room for improvement!
2. Work harder and smarter
   At times last year work took a back seat to personal issues. That won’t happen in ‘09.
3. Pay more attention to my goals!
   No excuses but I think one of my problems was that I never really looked at my goals after writing them in early 2008. I’m going to print them out, laminate them and hang a copy… well I haven’t decided where I should hang them yet.
4. Be happy
   I’m spent a lot of my life in an unhappy marriage and I’m finally (almost) free of that. I vow to try to be a happier person and live my life to the fullest! How? Well I want to be the best boyfriend I can be. Be the best friend I can be. Travel more, go to more concerts, get a tattoo (or two or three) and get another piercing!

Fitness Goals:

1. Get my weight down to 225.
1. track my daily food intake
2. avoid fast food
3. track my weekly progress
4. take my daily supplements
5. eat 6 small meals per day
6. read Men's Health and other health and fitness related information (blogs, books etc.)
7. drink lots of water
8. blog about my progress
2. Participate in the 2009 Seattle LiveSTRONG Challenge DONATE HERE
   Seriously this one is really important to me.
3. Participate in the Second DaBoyZ Fit Club Triathlon
4. Attend weekly yoga classes
5. Mountain Biking - simply do more of it. Try to hit the dirt 20 times in 2009 (only 10 times in 2008! Argh!)
6. Commute by bike to work at least 10 times
7. Gym? I want to set a realistic goal. I think two or three times per week is doable. Still thinking about this one. I'd rather spend time on a real bike... so I don't want to seem like I'm not achieving this goal if I'm riding three times a week and attending yoga classes!

posted @ Tuesday, January 13, 2009 2:50 PM | Feedback (4) |

HTPC, Media Center, Blu-Ray and Filters

I recently purchased a Blu-Ray drive for my media center PC I couldn’t resists as they are now under $100 shipped. As an self-respecting geek would do I immediately searched for the best most efficient way to play Blu-Ray discs (BDs) or BD rips on my sub $500 Home Theater PC. I read the post entitled Easy, Efficient Hi-Def Video Playback by Jeff Atwood in it he says:

1. download the standalone MPC-HC filters.
2. Extract MPCVideoDec.ax and copy it into c:\windows\system32\
3. Open a command prompt, navigate to c:\windows\system32\, and run regsvr32 MPCVideoDec.ax

Be sure you don't have any other video codecs registered, as the MPC-HC filter can handle everything. Once you register this magical codec, Windows Media Player (and thus, Windows Media Center) will use hardware accelerated high definition video playback. It's amazing. 

Oh Jeff I wish it would have been that easy for me! At this point I’ve spent WAY too many hours (40? 60? kind of defeats the “best most efficient assertion above, huh?) on this. I thought since I spent so many hours working through these issues that I should share my pain experiences. These are my experiences and of course YMMV… this is on the aforementioned sub $500 HTPC with Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit installed.

I do agree with Jeff that AnyDVD HD is a VERY cool application. Yes I buy and own legitimate copies of every Blu-Ray disc and DVD that I rip but I LOVE the convenience of looking at a menu in Vista Media Center (VMC), selecting a movie and pressing play. No misplaced cases, nothing to put away when you are done, no kid fingerprints on my discs! Simple and easy! Plus I’m a TOTAL geek and love a challenge! AnyDVD really makes ripping BDs easy:

1. Right click the SlySoft Fox task bar icon; choose "Rip Video DVD to Harddisk"
2. Choose a path (I rip mine directly to my Windows Home Server)
3. Click "Copy DVD"
4. Wait 30 – 45 minutes

So far, so good! I ripped the few Blu-Ray Discs (BDs) that I own to my Windows Home Server. The best part is that usually (and yes there are exceptions) you can reduce the rip to one single file. Find the largest file in the \BDMV\STREAM folder and that is your movie. Delete all the other files. No I don’t want the extras and don’t even get me started on useless DVD and BD menus! I HATE nothing more than waiting for some college student’s crappy video project menu-intro thing to “play” when all I want to so is watch a flippin’ movie!

My first step was to try to get my ripped BDs to play well in MPC-HC even in this magical stand-alone application it wasn’t as simple as Mr. Atwood led me to believe. I was still seeing upwards of 90% CPU utilization until I enabled the “EMC Custom” under output. That got my CPU utilization down to around 30% from 90% - 100% when playing a ripped BD. Cool. Only took me like 10 hours of experimentation to figure THAT out! Yes I KNOW, Steve, RTFM! Now to translate that into WMP and ultimately VMC.

Next, I took Jeff’s advice and uninstalled all CODEC packages I had installed on my HTPC and registered the MPCVideoDec.ax file. I opened the .mt2s file in Media Center and… nothing. So this DID NOT work for me. I’m glad it was so simple and it worked for him! Since the BD rip is just the one file video, sound and all is does seem to make sense that JUST registering a video decoder would NOT allow the file to play. Since the mt2s file is a container with audio and video streams it must be split apart so it seems that you do NEED a splitter installed. Uninstalling all of my CODEC paks uninstalled all of my splitters. So when I tried to play the .mt2s files in Media Center I got nothing except a major case of frustration!  After a TON more research (few more hours) I finally found this Vista Codec Package... Shark007’s goal is to have one CODEC install that "just works" for every possible video and audio file out there. Lofty goal and I commend the dude. Didn’t work for my purposes though! Of course not! To get it to work for me though... I had to do a custom install:

• Remove ffdshow
• Remove DirectVOBSub
• Add AC3Filter

Simple, huh? Well yeah I went through 40 or 50 configurations to figure that out! I’ll spare you EVERY detail but I guess in a way I was lucky two of my first rips were very different. The Blu-Ray spec allows for a few different video and audio encoding standards:

For video, all players are required to support MPEG-2, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, and SMPTE VC-1… For audio, BD-ROM players are required to support Dolby Digital, DTS, and linear PCM.

The first .mt2s file I was using as a test subject had an AVC video stream and DTS audio and the second had a VC-1 video stream and a Dolby Digital Audio stream so when testing sometimes the DTS audio would disappear, sometimes the DD audio would disappear. Sometimes the video would not play, sometimes the audio and/or video would stutter.

So After running through many, many configurations, my BD rips play perfectly -- both AVC and VC1 at 10 - 30% processor utilization (down from 90 to 100%)!!! Also MKV files play perfectly as well. I remind you that this is on a VERY modest system. TO answer your next question, yes yes they stream FINE off of my WHS!

So, yeah, there is probably another solution... like install the 'magical' video decoder, install a splitter, install AC3 - but at this point I'm DONE. DONE I tell you! Well until I decide that I can do better! LOL!

ON A SIDE NOTE: I setup my Xbox 360 to stream from Netflix. What a cool system! I walked up to my desktop PC, added a few titles to my "Watch Now" queue and boom they showed up on my 360. Watched a couple movies this way. Flawless.

posted @ Friday, January 09, 2009 8:36 AM | Feedback (4) |

PEZ Dispensers from HELL!

I want to know who at PEZ CANDY, INC thought that a Plush PEZ dispensers were a good idea. “ewww is that a hair on my candy?”

posted @ Tuesday, January 06, 2009 3:11 PM | Feedback (1) |