It's been a couple weeks since I started walking. I've been trying to walk 3 to 4 miles a day at least five days a week. Those first couple days I walked, I had to just keep on trudging along. My hips hurt. My knees hurt. My ankles hurt. But I kept going. I haven't been able to walk every day I wanted to because of doctors' appointments and other events. But I've kept going most days. Today I felt really good as I went for my walk to the library, which is about a mile and a half from my apartment. Nothing hurt, and I walked a tad bit faster than I had before. I read for a while at the library, then walked home. Today is the hottest day of the year so far, and though the temperature is in the mid 80's, with a stiff breeze, it didn't feel that bad.
The other day, I bought a pack of Oreos. Yes, Oreos. Why? Because I hadn't had them in quite a while, and I like sweets. I'm not even trying to change my diet at this point. Three times in my life I've lost 50 pounds or more in six months, and each time it was by walking, drinking more water, and eventually eating a bit less than normal. So I'm not worried about the Oreos. My main health focus right now is to turn walking every day into a habit. I've noticed I'm already eating a tiny bit healthier just because I want to. I'm also eating seconds at dinner less and eating much less for lunch. I'm not trying to eat better, it's just happening slowly. I feel better when I walk. I don't need as much time to recover after I walk. And I'm just plain starting to feel better in general. That's what I'm after at this point, I just want to get my body used to moving again before I add more exercise or different foods into the mix. So far, it's working.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Monday, June 8, 2015
Failure
You'll will very likely recognize Barbara Corcoran from Shark Tank in the clip above. This clip is a Ted Talk she gave about her experience with failure.
"I looked up one day and saw that it was up to me. You can only be a victim if you admit defeat."
-The Descendents
By all "normal" standards, I'm a complete failure. I've been unemployed for 3 years and I have no income whatsoever at the moment. I live in a small apartment with my mom in a small town in North Carolina. My last attempt at job hunting landed me one interview... at Wendy's. The manager turned me down when she saw how fat I am. I last worked as a taxi driver, but can't do that job anymore because of health reasons. Taxi driving doesn't pay around here anyhow. I have very few clothes. I don't even have a phone, let alone a smart phone. I spent the last couple years on medication that turned me into a zombie. I could go on and on.
But I'm still here. I survived a couple years as a furniture mover, six and a half years driving a taxi in Southern California, and I survived a year living on the streets when the taxi business tanked. I survived being hit by a Jeep while riding my mountain bike. I survived a near head-on collision in the taxi when a guy was driving the wrong way in my lane. I survived four bouts of cellulitis/MRSA, a bacterial infection that kills more people than AIDS. I'm still here. Am I a failure? Yeah, compared to my successful friends in the BMX and skateboard world. I'm a failure compared to the much more normal people I know here in North Carolina. I don't have a house, a wife, children, two cars, a dog and a cat.
What I do have is lots of stories. I started blogging about some of my BMX stories a few years ago and wound up with the top two old school BMX blogs in the world at the time. Then I started a blog about panhandling and homelessness as a joke. That became the top panhandling blog in the world. I didn't make any money off of those blogs, but it opened me up to new opportunities. I started learning about blogging and how people make money with blogs. There may be as many as 200 million blogs in the world, but very few actually make money. But I learned that blogging can lead to other opportunities. That led to me study internet marketing and how technology and "new media" are changing both society and business. We are at a time in the world where there are all kinds of opportunities in business. Everything I've learned has led me to dust off a business idea that I started thinking about 25 years ago. I'm gearing up to get that idea going soon. This blog is part of that process. I realized that I'm one of millions of people who have to reinvent themselves in the 21st century. That insight gave me lots of new ideas to blog about.
Am I really a failure? That's what people called me when I started doing tricks on a BMX bike 30-some years ago. Riding that bike took me places and led to adventures that I couldn't have imagined at the time. Everyone thought I was crazy... until I had some success and started working in the BMX and skateboard industries. That led to working on TV shows including four years on the crew of American Gladiators and producing BMX videos.
While I get frustrated a lot, I try not to wallow in my apparent failure. The biggest thing I learned from BMX and skateboarding is to get back up after I fall and try again. That's how I look at my life now. It feels a lot like those early days in BMX when everyone kept asking me, "What the hell are you doing with your life?" I stuck to my guns and kept plugging along and eventually found success in writing and video work. Like Barbara Corcoran in the clip above, success in my life seems to follow bouts of failure. Time will tell how this works out.
Saturday, June 6, 2015
The Weight Loss Has Begun
After my recent hospitalization, I was finally put on meds that allow me to function. For 2 1/2 years I was on meds that robbed me of energy and motivation and left me feeling like a zombie. Well, I didn't crave brains, but other than that, I felt like a zombie. Now I I'm beginning to feel like a human again, and while I'm closing in on my 49th birthday, I have to start my life all over.. That's part of what this blog is about, my journey to recreate my life in a world where technology has changed all the industries I used to work in.
One of my major issues right now is my weight. The last time I saw my regular doctor, I weighed in at a horrific 347 pounds. Dang. There was actually an exclamation mark next to my weight in the doctor's report. Seriously, it said, "Weight: !347." Not a good sign. So I started walking 3 to 4 miles a day a couple weeks ago. So far, I've lost five pounds. As heavy as I am, that's just a drop in the bucket. But it's a start. I've been trying to walk at least five days a week, but appointments, both mine and my mom's, have kept me from walking as much as I want. In addition, afternoon thunderstorms here make walking late in the day hard. But I've lost five pounds in a couple of weeks, so I need to keep at it.
At one point, after I stopped working as a taxi driver, I'd lost 130 pounds from my peak weight. Then I started driving a taxi again in Winston-Salem (NC), and I gained 90 pounds back. I eat to deal with stress, and boredom, when I drive a cab, and bulk up quick. I lost that 130 pounds over about 2 1/2 years time by walking and drinking more water. That's it. I didn't change my eating habits hardly at all. I didn't count calories. I didn't cut out carbs. Most importantly, I DIDN'T DIET. Yes, healthier eating would've helped, but I couldn't really afford super healthy foods. I was homeless much of that time.
So now that my head is feeling better, I'm starting that long, slow, process of weight loss again. I've found that if I walk three to four miles nearly every day, I lose two to three pounds a week. Sure, it's fun to lose weight quicker, but at my size, weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. So I'm going to just keep plugging along as well as I can.
One of my major issues right now is my weight. The last time I saw my regular doctor, I weighed in at a horrific 347 pounds. Dang. There was actually an exclamation mark next to my weight in the doctor's report. Seriously, it said, "Weight: !347." Not a good sign. So I started walking 3 to 4 miles a day a couple weeks ago. So far, I've lost five pounds. As heavy as I am, that's just a drop in the bucket. But it's a start. I've been trying to walk at least five days a week, but appointments, both mine and my mom's, have kept me from walking as much as I want. In addition, afternoon thunderstorms here make walking late in the day hard. But I've lost five pounds in a couple of weeks, so I need to keep at it.
At one point, after I stopped working as a taxi driver, I'd lost 130 pounds from my peak weight. Then I started driving a taxi again in Winston-Salem (NC), and I gained 90 pounds back. I eat to deal with stress, and boredom, when I drive a cab, and bulk up quick. I lost that 130 pounds over about 2 1/2 years time by walking and drinking more water. That's it. I didn't change my eating habits hardly at all. I didn't count calories. I didn't cut out carbs. Most importantly, I DIDN'T DIET. Yes, healthier eating would've helped, but I couldn't really afford super healthy foods. I was homeless much of that time.
So now that my head is feeling better, I'm starting that long, slow, process of weight loss again. I've found that if I walk three to four miles nearly every day, I lose two to three pounds a week. Sure, it's fun to lose weight quicker, but at my size, weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. So I'm going to just keep plugging along as well as I can.
Friday, June 5, 2015
Do You Have The Balls To Follow Your Dream
I've been watching a bunch of TED Talks today with the general theme of finding your passion in life. Most of them were talks I never watched before. This talk given by Dianna David popped up on the side panel, so I gave it a look. It instantly became one of my favorite TED Talks, right up there with the talks by Elizabeth Gilbert and Amanda Palmer. We all have dreams in life, but it takes some balls to follow yours. Dianna David has balls.
Dianna followed her Asian parents' advice, went to college, got a degree, and became a mechanical engineer. Four years into her engineering job, she realized she was miserable. After much internal debate, she quit her job and went to clown school. Yeah, clown school. She married her childhood love of dance with clown skills and contact juggling. After a couple years of street performing, her career finally took off and she now does shows at schools with the theme of being yourself regardless of peer pressure. Now she's making a living doing work she loves.
Inspiration From Michael Jordan
I had this quote, attributed to Michael Jordan, show up on Facebook today:
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost more than 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost more than 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
Thursday, June 4, 2015
The Double Edged Sword of Technology
My first real introduction to the internet came in the late 1990's when I worked as a clerk in a store with a guy named Tommy. Tommy was in a rock band called Brat Prince, and often invited me over for their post show parties. One night someone said, "Hey, check this out," and pulled me into one of the bedrooms. Sitting at a computer was a drunk fan of the band. Behind him were half a dozen other drunk rockers. On the computer screen (it was a desktop with a big, heavy monitor) were several small pictures of other drunk and stoned rockers from around the world. "That guy's from Norway," the guy at the computer laughed, "How cool is that?" I'll be honest, I wasn't very impressed. I didn't think much of the whole internet thing then.
I'm a smart guy, and a definite geek, but I've never been a computer geek. I just didn't understand how computers worked, and I wasn't very interested in learning. I would learn the software I had to know at each new job, but I didn't learn much more. My interests were in other places, such as BMX bikes, skateboarding, success, and human potential. I had a "wait and see" attitude when it came to the internet. Then I became a taxi driver. I spent all my time in a cab, had virtually no free time, and went to the library when I wanted to get on a computer. This was in the early and mid 2000's, and I had to pay $5 an hour to use a computer at the Huntington Beach library. Then, in 2003, my taxi company put computers in our taxis. It completely changed the dispatch system and how taxi driving worked. In short, the computers took fares away from good cab drivers and gave them to bad cab drivers. In addition, the computers allowed the taxi companies to put many more cabs on the road, and that meant less business for each driver. Computers killed taxi driving. In 2000 I worked three days a week and could pay all my bills, live cheap, and have four days off. In 2004 I had to work seven days a week, and I lived in my taxi because I couldn't afford to rent an apartment. I struggled on until late 2007, then became homeless because I just couldn't make it driving a taxi anymore, and I couldn't find another job. It didn't matter how hard and smart I worked, technology changed the industry in a huge way. I'm just one of millions of people who have been displaced by technology in the last 20 years.
Long after I left taxi driving, Uber and Lyft came into the picture, changing the personal transportation industry even more. During these last fifteen years, the internet has matured after the Dot Com Crash. In addition things like podcasts, blogging, and social media have drastically changed both society and business. Along with those came cell phones which have now evolved into pocket sized computers that would have amazed Captain Kirk in those early Star Trek episodes. This incredible amount of technological change begs the question: How do we live in this rapidly changing world? Most people now can't imagine living without their smart phones that have only been in existence a few years. At the same time, companies they work for are struggling to figure out how to advertise and keep customers in a world where 30 second TV commercials don't work so well anymore. Anyone remember Kodak? They employed thousands of people and ruled the camera and film industry. As I understand it, Kodak went bankrupt the same month that Instagram was bought by Facebook for a billion dollars. Thousands of hard working people lost their jobs because management at Kodak didn't see the digital photo revolution coming. How well does the company you work for keep up with technology?
To most of us, technology has become a double edged sword. On one hand we have devices and online networks that allow us to do many things we couldn't before. On the other hand, these same technologies could make our jobs obsolete, or at least endangered. How well do you keep on top of the rapid advancement of technology? How well does the top management of your company keep up? Has your industry gone through major changes due to technology? If it hasn't, will it happen soon?
I've gone through a year of living on the streets and several years of unemployment because I didn't feel like trying to keep up with technology. Now I spend a good chunk of my time reading and listening to YouTube lectures to learn more about how technology is changing the world, and where I can use my particular skills in this ever-changing world. Are you doing the same?
I'm a smart guy, and a definite geek, but I've never been a computer geek. I just didn't understand how computers worked, and I wasn't very interested in learning. I would learn the software I had to know at each new job, but I didn't learn much more. My interests were in other places, such as BMX bikes, skateboarding, success, and human potential. I had a "wait and see" attitude when it came to the internet. Then I became a taxi driver. I spent all my time in a cab, had virtually no free time, and went to the library when I wanted to get on a computer. This was in the early and mid 2000's, and I had to pay $5 an hour to use a computer at the Huntington Beach library. Then, in 2003, my taxi company put computers in our taxis. It completely changed the dispatch system and how taxi driving worked. In short, the computers took fares away from good cab drivers and gave them to bad cab drivers. In addition, the computers allowed the taxi companies to put many more cabs on the road, and that meant less business for each driver. Computers killed taxi driving. In 2000 I worked three days a week and could pay all my bills, live cheap, and have four days off. In 2004 I had to work seven days a week, and I lived in my taxi because I couldn't afford to rent an apartment. I struggled on until late 2007, then became homeless because I just couldn't make it driving a taxi anymore, and I couldn't find another job. It didn't matter how hard and smart I worked, technology changed the industry in a huge way. I'm just one of millions of people who have been displaced by technology in the last 20 years.
Long after I left taxi driving, Uber and Lyft came into the picture, changing the personal transportation industry even more. During these last fifteen years, the internet has matured after the Dot Com Crash. In addition things like podcasts, blogging, and social media have drastically changed both society and business. Along with those came cell phones which have now evolved into pocket sized computers that would have amazed Captain Kirk in those early Star Trek episodes. This incredible amount of technological change begs the question: How do we live in this rapidly changing world? Most people now can't imagine living without their smart phones that have only been in existence a few years. At the same time, companies they work for are struggling to figure out how to advertise and keep customers in a world where 30 second TV commercials don't work so well anymore. Anyone remember Kodak? They employed thousands of people and ruled the camera and film industry. As I understand it, Kodak went bankrupt the same month that Instagram was bought by Facebook for a billion dollars. Thousands of hard working people lost their jobs because management at Kodak didn't see the digital photo revolution coming. How well does the company you work for keep up with technology?
To most of us, technology has become a double edged sword. On one hand we have devices and online networks that allow us to do many things we couldn't before. On the other hand, these same technologies could make our jobs obsolete, or at least endangered. How well do you keep on top of the rapid advancement of technology? How well does the top management of your company keep up? Has your industry gone through major changes due to technology? If it hasn't, will it happen soon?
I've gone through a year of living on the streets and several years of unemployment because I didn't feel like trying to keep up with technology. Now I spend a good chunk of my time reading and listening to YouTube lectures to learn more about how technology is changing the world, and where I can use my particular skills in this ever-changing world. Are you doing the same?
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Sleeping In Saves The Day
If you're an adult, you probably like sleeping in. So do I. Since I'm unemployed at the moment, I get to sleep in pretty often. I look at it as making up for all the sleep I missed when I was working as a taxi driver. But for the last couple weeks I've been walking in the mornings, my attempt to start losing the weight I need to lose. So I've been getting up a little earlier than normal. Today I rolled over and went back to sleep... twice. About the time I was going to get up and go walk, I heard our upstairs neighbors moving something big. Since the washer and dryer go in the closet in my room, I figured that's what was being moved in. As I lay there listening to the ceiling creak from the action above, I remembered that it was supposed to rain today. That was a good enough excuse to not go walking today. So I rolled over and went back to sleep for a third time. Jealous, aren't you?
I woke up a little while later and heard the neighbors' new washing machine running. I still didn't feel like getting up. So I laid there half asleep for a while. That's when I heard it. Over the sound of the new upstairs washing machine I heard a faint "tink, tink, tink." No, not Tinkerbelle, it was the sound of water drops hitting a metal surface. "That's not good," I thought to myself. So I finally got up, and sure enough, there was a drip of water coming from the closet ceiling onto our washing machine. I threw my shoes on and headed to the upstairs neighbors' front door. The young woman answered and I told her her new washing machine was leaking. She turned it off right away. The leak stopped. Cool.
It was an about an hour later when the washing machine installers and our apartment maintenance guys found the leak. The plumbing and hoses were fine, but there was a small crack in the connection on the back of the washer. They fixed it, tested it, and everything worked fine.
If I wouldn't have slept in, the washer would have run its full cycle and probably ruined their floor and our ceiling. It's cool when every once in a while things just work out.
I woke up a little while later and heard the neighbors' new washing machine running. I still didn't feel like getting up. So I laid there half asleep for a while. That's when I heard it. Over the sound of the new upstairs washing machine I heard a faint "tink, tink, tink." No, not Tinkerbelle, it was the sound of water drops hitting a metal surface. "That's not good," I thought to myself. So I finally got up, and sure enough, there was a drip of water coming from the closet ceiling onto our washing machine. I threw my shoes on and headed to the upstairs neighbors' front door. The young woman answered and I told her her new washing machine was leaking. She turned it off right away. The leak stopped. Cool.
It was an about an hour later when the washing machine installers and our apartment maintenance guys found the leak. The plumbing and hoses were fine, but there was a small crack in the connection on the back of the washer. They fixed it, tested it, and everything worked fine.
If I wouldn't have slept in, the washer would have run its full cycle and probably ruined their floor and our ceiling. It's cool when every once in a while things just work out.
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