Mother Earth is Not an Ashtray

Whenever someone strongly supports recycling - and is a cigarrette smoker - I wonder if they think about the estimated two billion cigarette butts that are tossed on the ground every day. Do they know that the filters are non-biodegradable? A good read for the fight against this often overlooked form of littering.



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My Bone Contusion (Bruise) FAQ

So, the verdict is in...I just got a call from the doctor with the results of my MRI I did this morning.  Turns out I have 2 bad bone bruises (or stress responses) in the 3rd and 4th metatarsal bones of my foot.  It doesn't sound serious, but he said a lot of bone bruises ultimately lead to stress fractures, so luckily mine did not get to that point.

 

Just a bone bruise?  That's it??!?  Yes, a bone bruise, just like famous NFL players Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks (which led to a broken foot since he overused it) and Anquan Boldin of the Arizona Cardinals.  Both of them missed a few games because of their bone bruises.

 

What is a bone bruise? Bone bruises are also known as periosteal bruises. The most painful bruises, they can sometimes take months to heal. What happens in a bone bruise is a compressive force pushes the in on itself. When this happens the outer layer of the bone, which is fibrous, breaks down. This leads to leaking of fluid.

 

How did it happen?  I'm not positive, but I believe it was from a time in October when I was running (almost sprinting) with my Pug Dempsey for about a half mile while wearing flip flops.  I don't normally do that, but it just so happened that the next morning I could hardly walk, so that's a pretty good indication to me.

 

How long will it take to heal?  The doc says I will need to be in a walking cast / boot for about 6 weeks.  I'll be getting fitted for it tomorrow hopefully, and then be pain-free in a month and a half after wearing it.  It should smell awesome during this Florida heat!

 

You're so hot, are you married?  Yes, happily.

 

Any other questions?  Feel free to email me!  Thank you for your concern!

 

Found a good article on bone bruises as well:

http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/TT_bone_bruises_040712.html

Beard: "Very Nice"?

So I'm growing a bit of a beard in support of the Tampa Bay Lightning and their current playoff run. Not sure how they're related, but it makes me feel like part of the team. So, is it naughty or nice? Obviously female opinion matters more than male but please feel free to comment either way. Toodles!

Don't Be Afraid

It's recently been brought to my attention that there are people reading my blog but not commenting for fear of something. Whether your fear is rejection, manipulation, emasculation, or penetration, I welcome all thoughts. So please, if I write anything that doesn't make you dumber for having read it (or even if it does) then by all means, blow up the comment section! Hungarians need not apply (thank you Stephen Colbert)!

Free Xbox 360

Ok, here we go...I'm sucking up some pride and asking everyone that reads this to take 10 mins out of your day to check this out. Here's what to do:

1) Click this link, and you'll be taken to the site www.360Elite4free.com, but it's my referral link so that I get credit for when you sign up. They don't require any info besides the standard address, email, etc. They haven't sent me any spam at all yet, so they seem to be a pretty good company.

2) When signing up, you'll be asked if you would like a Referral Account or Points Account. I choose Referral Account since it's easier and a better deal, so go ahead and pick that one. You can change in the future if you'd like.

3) After signing up, you should complete an "offer". I've had 5 people complete offers so far, and the most popular offer was Stamps.com since it doesn't require any initial investment. Stamps.com is a website that allows you to print REAL postage from your printer at home with their proprietary software.

4) To complete the Stamps.com offer, just click on the Stamps.com offer, fill out the info along with your credit card information (they need this in case you would like to stay as a member after your free 30 day trial), then download the Stamps.com application. Open the program, print out a stamp or a mailing label, and you're done!

After that, make sure to call Stamps.com to cancel your account, unless you would like to keep your account, then by all means please do.

5) Other offers my friends did were Blockbuster.com, Gamefly.com (game rentals) and Netflix.com.

6) That's it! If you want to get a free Xbox 360 or a free gift card, then just have some of your friends or family sign up for an offer through your referral link, and you're on your way! I got my first 5 referrals in a matter of 2 days, you just have to make a list of people that may be willing to help you, and contact them about it.

Any questions? Please email me at mikepernecky (shift2) gmail d0t com, or just call my cell phone if you know me. Thanks for your help, it's GREATLY appreciated!

Garlic Chicken for Lunch! Whoooooooo!

Chicks and Cell Phones

So I was in my "special office" yesterday at work (usually this takes
place daily from about 10am to 10:30 or 10:45am depending on what I
ate/drank the night before) where I usually get some of my best
thinking done.

I brought my cell phone into the loo with me to keep me company,
because I never know what/who I may need to Google/text/picture
message (ewww!) from the head. As I was taking out my cell phone to
get the Internet all up and going, while simultaneously pulling down
my knickers, I thought to myself, "wow, that would really be terrible
to drop this pretty little phone (Samsung SGH-T629 slider from
T-Mobile) into that excrement-infested water below, but I've never
really even come close to it luckily."

Just then, I began thinking of everyone I know that has dropped their
cell phone into the crapper by accident. "Ok, there's her, then that
one girl, and my good friend *****...huh that's weird, a bunch of
girls." Now I'm not really a social butterfly, I keep in touch with a
couple people from college and high school, and I've even made some
delicious new friends here in Florida, but everyone I knew that's had
the problem of the ol' "Dropped the Celly in the Stinkwater" was a
girl!

Can someone back me up here? Are there any guys out there that have
had the misfortune of watching your personal lifeline to the rest of
the world take a plunge into the deep, cold depths of a pooper?

Maybe it's because girls always have to sit when they "eliminate" so
there's more of a chance of that happening, but I'm not taking that as
a valid excuse. Holla at me, Mike Pernecky (shameless attempt to up
my Google ranking) and PLEASE leave a comment, ya dig?!?!?

Super Bears, Super Bowl!!!

Unbelievable, I can't believe the Chicago Bears will be playing in Miami
for Super Bowl XLI.  This has been a great season, full of excitement.
Sure, backing Rex Grossman is like riding a roller coaster, but it's a
great time anyways!

Here's to hoping the Bears can take down the Indianapolis Colts and
achieve a Super Bowl championship for the great city of Chicago.  It's
always been a Bears town! :)

Interesting side note: this will be the first Super Bowl with one black
coach, much less two black coaches.

Oh, and if you're a Bears fan like I am, you may want to download their
fight song.  Here's a link to where I found it:
http://www.chicagobearsbandwagon.com/beardown.htm
RIGHT click on "Bear Down MP3", then click "Save Link As" or
something similar, and decide where to save it on your computer.

Good luck and GO BEARS!!!

Lyrics to "Bear Down, Chicago Bears":

Bear Down, Chicago Bears.
Make every play clear the way to victory!
Bear Down, Chicago Bears.
Put up a fight with a might so fearlessly!

We'll never forget the way you thrilled the nation,
With your T formation.

Bear Down, Chicago Bears.
And let them know why you're wearing the crown.

You're the pride and joy,
of all Illinois.

Chicago Bears, Bear Down!!!

Microwaving as art

Let's cut to the chase...I microwave a lot of food. It takes of lot
of carbs, fats, proteins, and alcohol to maintain my slim and trim
weight of 240 lbs. Luckily, most alcohol doesn't have to be heated up
so I stick to microwaving those other calorie contributors.

For the longest time I've put my foods in the microwave, punched in a
few minutes on the display of the glorious magic heating box, and let
the little guy work it's magic. Most of the time I'd have to stir my
food halfway through the process to help my sweet microwaving buddy
heat my food more thoroughly.

I'm writing today more as a Public Service Announcement than
anything....so here's the announcement: DON'T BE AFRAID OF YOUR
MICROWAVE POWER SETTINGS!!! Sure, we've all tooled around with these
settings at one point or another, whether it be a Hungry Man meal or
two, or even a Lean Cuisine for you ladies out there! Unfortunately,
I have yet to meet anyone that regularly adjusts the power settings to
achieve optimal levels of food heating. Well if you're reading this,
then please do me a favor and start spreading the word...the power
settings are actually useful!

For instance, I usually do my microwaving at work, heating up all the
delicious leftovers my little wife makes for us (thanks
Giada!)...she's quite the catch! Anywho, the other day I had 4 pieces
of marinated flank steak, a big spoonful of mac 'n cheese with
chicken, and 3 meatballs to top it off. All I did was set the
microwave to about 4:30 or 5 mins, pressed start, and dropped the
power setting to 5 out of 10. All that does is turn the magnetron
(the device that transmits the heatwaves into your food) on for 5/10
(or 1/2) of the time, and off for 5/10 of the time, going between the
on/off every :15 seconds or so. If you have 6/10, the magnetron stays
on a little longer than it stays off, and 4/10 stays off longer than
on. You get the picture.

I could go on and on about this, but I can't stress enough...even
though this might add a minute or so to your microwaving, it will be
worth it in the long run. Go ahead, give it a shot...don't be afraid
of those power settings...they're there for a reason!

Dieting

I want to start off by saying I'm an overweight ( 6' 1", 240lbs on a bad day) 27 year old man with high cholesterol, high triglycerides (both of which I'm on medication for), and slowly-reaching-high blood pressure.  I may not be of the highest authority to offer my opinion on a person's "diet". 

 

Now here's the other side - I've been in constant contact with some sort of nutrition professional (Dietitian or Nutritionist) since I've been about 14 years old.  It started with my mom taking me to a Dietitian because of my triglyceride problem, and now I'm married to the cutest little RD (registered Dietitian) you ever-did-see.  [Quick side note - if you think I'm spelling Dietician wrong, it's actually spelled Dietitian, ask the American Dietetic Association, www.eatright.org ]  I've also been a subscriber to Men's Health magazine on and off for almost 10 years.  So I learned all of the in's and out's of the Nutrition Facts labels on foods, I know a lot about what foods are good for you, what you should stay away from, all the details on good fats, bad fats, trans fats, fats fats, you name it.

 

My downfall (the reason I'm a bit of a chubber) is portion control.  Instead of having 2 slices of pizza, I go for 4.  Instead of having one breadstick at the Olive Garden, I engulf between 4 and 6.  Usual exchange between Johnny Olive Garden and myself: "More breadsticks sir?" "Keep 'em coming, I don't feel like I'm about to explode yet, so there must be plenty more room!"

 

Anyways the whole reason I'm writing this is because of all these fad diets that everyone has been talking about since the beginning of time.  I'm not going to harp on any particular diet (Atkins, South Beach, Grapefruit), I'd rather lump them all together.  In the beginning, the word "diet" just meant "food and drink regularly provided or consumed" or simply "habitual nourishment" (thanks to www.m-w.com!)  So, really, a diet is just what you eat every day.  You know, like a penguin's diet consists of fish and cupcakes, or a flamingo's diet consists of shrimp (that's where they get their pink color), or my diet consists of beer and pizza during the NFL season.

 

Anyways, here's my main point of this whole deal...if you choose to go on a diet, make sure it is something you're willing to stick to for the rest of your life.  IF YOU CAN'T SEE YOURSELF NEVER EVER EVER EATING HAMBURGERS AGAIN, then don't go on a no-hamburger diet.  A "diet" should not be something to lose a quick 10 lbs, and then you'll keep the weight off by going back to your normal activities.  Guess what?  Most people never keep that weight off.  The most successful people are the ones who embrace the lifestyle change and make the commitment to eat better for the rest of their lives, and stay active while doing it.

 

Is your dog overweight?  I'm guessing you're probably overweight as well.  My dog is about 2lbs overweight (she's only 20 lbs) so we have to change our lifestyles together!  Let's do it!!!!!

 

Ok, I'm off my soapbox.  Here's hoping I'm watching the Bears play in Miami in February.