Zicam's Jared

If ever there was a success story for Zicam, it's me.
For years I would get a handful of colds per season and would almost die with each one. Each cold would linger for weeks. That's until I started using Zicam and taking daily Flinstone's vitamins. It's now been two years and I haven't had a cold that has affected me for more than a couple days. Every time I feel a cold coming on, I snort this Zicam stuff and the cold never really sets in. This stuff is so choice. If you have the means I highly recommend picking some up.

I'm So Vain

It's true. And by the end of the summer I plan to be even more self involved than I am now. I recently finished a weight loss contest which left me close to 175 lbs (down from 190 lbs). 3 weeks later I'm back up at a healthy 180 lbs. And using my handy dandy fat calipers, which I keep next to my bed, I figure I'm at about 11 percent body fat.

My new goal? 190 lbs & 8 percent body fat by August 31. Wish me luck.

Judge Not

Recently I posted about why I believed Roger Clemens was lying to Congress when he testified that he never took Human Growth Hormone or steroids. I still believe he is not telling the truth. I base my opinion on listening to Roger's own testimony in front of Congress, the testimony of Brian McNamee (his accuser), the testimony of Andy Pettitte (teammate and friend of Roger), and the testimony of Chuck Knoblauch (teammate of Roger). Based on everything I've watched, read and heard I would say there is a 99.9% chance he's lying.

Am I judging, in the biblical "judge not" sense (Matthew 7:1) to say I think he's lying? I posed this question to a class of 14 year old boys at church today. They concluded that I was wrong to pass judgement regarding Roger. Are they right?

Things You Should Know: Buying a Car

I've got great advice and it's high time I start sharing. Now, I'm not original with this next piece of advice, but its worth repeating. In the market for a new vehicle? Should you buy new or buy used? Some would say it depends. I wouldn't. Like many things in life, there is a right and wrong anwer, at least from a financial perspective. Contrary to what I would like to believe, cars aren't investments. They are money pits. The trick is to minimize your cost over the life of the car. The solution: buy used. It's that simple. Instead of comparing the purchase price alone, I think a better measure is to estimate the $/mile, or $/year. Let's assume you buy a Honda Accord, keep it for 6 years, put 100,000 miles on it, then sell it. Should you buy new or used? Compare the following two scenarios:

New
2008 Accord EX Sedan (New, V6, Automatic, Leather)

Purchase Price: $28,695 (Kelly Blue Book)
Selling Price(after 6 yrs & 100k miles): $10,740 (Based on 2002 Accord EX Sedan w/100k miles)
Cost per mile: $0.18
Cost per year: $2992

Used

2003 Accord EX Sedan (60,000 miles, V6, Automatic, Leather, Excellent condition)

Purchase Price: $14,760 (Kelly Blue Book, Private Party Value)
Selling Price(after 6 yrs & 100k miles): $5,690 (Based on 1997 Accord EX Sedan w/160k miles)
Cost per mile: $0.09
Cost per year: $1511

I didn't consider taxes, fees and maintenance. If you were to do the math, they don't really factor in. You pay higher taxes/fees for the new car and higher maintenance for the used car. In the end it's a wash. The point is that you end up paying twice as much per mile or per year for a new car than you would for a used one. You might object that my comparison isn't a fair comparison, since one car is new and the other used. What is different about these two cars, besides the new car smell? There isn't one. They are both extremely reliable and are very unlikely to leave you stranded by the side of the road. If you take care of your car, you really shouldn't expect any major problems before 160,000 miles, especially those with good reputations, like Hondas & Toyotas.

Next time you think about buying a new car, consider getting a used one instead and just giving it a good shampoo. That way you get a new car smell at half the price.

Mitch Dabo: A Good Friend

Mitch Dabo III (pronounced "dahbo" not "daybo" as of 1997) is as good as it gets when it comes to friends. I've got other great friends too; a smart one, a funny one, a driven one, a principled one and a spiritual one. They are all true friends with their own strengths, but Mitch represents what one would think of when you hear the word true friend.

Here's what makes Mitch a friend:

• He's reliable like a Honda. If he says he will be there, he won't just show up, he will get there early, help set up and then run to the store to pick up the things I forgot.
• He's good for it. If I knocked on his door tonight and told him he owed me $50 from 5 years ago(which he doesn't) he would pull out the cash and give it to me right then and there, even if he knew I was off my rocker.
• He's genuine. I often have to feign interest in many of the conversations I have with people. I've had thousands of conversations with Mitch and watched him have hundreds more. I think he's honestly interested in people. He makes everyone feel like they're a friend.
• He's goes the distance. If my car broke down in the middle of Nevada (which has happened to me 3 times) and I called Mitch he would drop everything and drive the 500 miles to pick me up. Of course I'd call AAA long before I called Mitch. He doesn't know a thing about cars and doesn't own a tow truck, but you get the point.
• He brought me a pie this past Sunday.
• He's classic. Not classy mind you, classic. It's like he was transported here from the 50's. He subsribes to old school values and old school work ethic (like not a minute over 40 hrs a week). It's like hanging out with grandpa when you're with Mitch.
  

So here's to a good ol' boy that's a good ol' friend.

The 3000 Hits Club

Today I joined Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron and a handful of other greats who reached the historical plateau of 3000 hits during their careers. It is an honor to be in the company of such legends.

Roger Clemens

Roger Clemens is the new George Costanza. He's literally unbelievable. Does he really expect people to take him seriously? In case you haven't been following the drama, Roger Clemens, arguably the best pitcher of all time, has been accused of taking steroids and human growth hormone (HGH) among other things. During a sworn testimony yesterday he vehemently and repeatedly denied the accusations. Here's why there is no way he is telling the truth:

Reason #1: Clemen's wife admits to using HGH, and his personal trainer was the one that administered the drugs, in Clemen's home, in his bedroom.
Clemen's defense #1: He had no idea she took the drugs at the time and only learned about it after the fact. Come on. Do you expect anyone to believe that?

Reason #2: His good friend, Andy Petite, testified under oath that Clemens admitted to using HGH.
Clemen's defense #2: Andy must have "misremembered" the conversation. Again, unbelievable. Is it even permissible to use made-up words as a defense?

Reason #3: His trainer (the guy that administered the drugs) recalls details like an "abscess" on Clemen's butt due to steroid injections. There was an MRI taken of the abscess.
Clemen's defense #3: The abscess was caused by a different injection (a claim refuted by real doctors). First of all, noone makes stuff up like butt abscesses? Second of all, you can't argue with doctors.

It's too late for Clemen's to just come clean. Would have been nice if he had. In a strange way, I think America would have respected the guy for coming clean. Take a look at Petite and Knoblauch. They almost look better now after the ordeal.

Charlie Meets Max

Introducing Jr. Jr. (Max)

World, Max. Max, world.

He's still a bit puffy and shell shocked. When he first came out he looked exactly like Charlie did when he arrived. As the hours progress he's becoming his own little man.

It's Time!

We checked in to El Camino Hospital at 3 a.m. this morning. Ashley's all drugged up and ready to go, so it looks like Max is going to have Feb. 8 for a birthday.

Weasels

Huckabee & McCain = Weasels
http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/02/05/paul-eliminated-wva-gop-convention-voting-ends-without-winner/

I'm a Loser Baby!

Before December 3rd I had never dieted or tried to lose weight. Then I found out I could earn some cold hard cash. Nine weeks later, I am 15.5 lbs lighter...and $300 richer. We had a Biggest Loser contest among 10 friends at work (based on percentage body weight lost). I won. I also charted my progress throughout most of the contest.

Before (the dramatic version, taken mid Oct)

Before (the real version, taken same day as previous picture):
After (taken today, Feb 4):
How did I do it?

1. Eat lots and drink lots the day you weigh in
2. Work out 5 days a week (combination of weights and cardio)
3. Skip breakfast, grilled chicken sandwich & apple for lunch, 1 moderate portion for dinner
4. Starve as much as possible the last 3-4 days of the contest (no workouts the last few days)
   
5. Double dose of diuretic and laxative pills 24 hours before the weigh out

Word of caution: Be careful during the starvation phase of this proven weight loss program. I think I may have had a mild heart attack this past Saturday because of it.

Fine Dining

Ashley called me out on the carpet yesterday as a food snob. I'm proud of the title. I'm also enough of a hypocrite that I'll turn my nose up at a low class joint like the Olive Garden, then wolf down my alfredo pasta like it was my last meal.

I'm not too good for anything, but I do have the taste to recognize a good meal when I come across one.

Places where I've had a good meal:

• Vaso Azuro (Gnocchis) - Mountain View, CA
• Amici's Pizza (Pizza) - Mountain View, CA
• Cafe Rio (BBQ Pork Salad; Steak Burrito enchilada style, medium salsa) - SLC, Provo
• In N Out (Double Double) - CA
• La Caille (Filet Mignon)- Sandy, UT
• Okay Magey's (Guac) - Cancun, Mexico
• Smith & Wollensky (Any steak) - Las Vegas, NV
• Scoma's (Scallops) - San Francisco, CA

Places I scoff at, but secretly enjoy:

• Chevy's
• Macaroni Grill
• PF Chang's

Places I scoff at:

• The Olive Garden
• Chili's
• Applebee's

Places I refuse to enter:

• All Buffets
• Jack in the Box
• The Cheesecake Factory (or California Pizza Kitchen, they're the same thing)

To be continued...