Planet Abell

There Is No GOP War On Women. It's Much Worse

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 00:12:00 +0000

You declare war on people you despise. To despise, you have to feel. The GOP has declared a Jihad to restore what they might call traditional values: right-wingers have never come to grips with Roe v. Wade (which, by the way, was meant to protect doctors from criminal prosecution, not especially to identify a woman's right to choose). Apparently some in the Republican Party also haven't quite...

Rush, The Entertainer

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:48:00 +0000

It's worse that Rush Limbaugh's feckless defenders in the political elite kiss him off not as a serious, fearsome political force, but rather a mere entertainer, not worth undue attention, to say nothing of condemnation. As dumb as Rush's political analysis might be, and as unpolitic his technique of expressing himself, his pool is politics, mostly invective against non-conservatives of his...

A Christmas Story

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 15:53:00 +0000

I always get presents for the cats at Christmas. I'm conflicted, but not a complete jerk, and frankly it's fun to help Santa out. They get some kind of shiny, chasy toy or some battery-powered thing which moves about by itself and holds their attention for five seconds. This year have a ferret (long story). This is our Christmas with Lucy (the ferret) and so, of course, she had to be...

Lifetime: Now, The Tough Part

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:27:00 +0000

I'm not much for Signs from Heaven except, of course, when there are so abundantly OBVIOUS even Mr. Spock would put aside logic and raise his hands and say "D'uh!" It's Dec. 10, one year to the day from when the picture below (left, if you have any doubts) was snapped. It remains my official bio pic at Wired and though I would love to swap it out for obvious reasons I'm not really...

Week 35: GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:18:00 +0000

Ok. No more farting around. Well, actually, there is quite a lot of farting. I think it's the fruit. That's another story. After eight months, almost to the day, I've hit my goal weight and now begin Weight Watchers maintenance. After 37 weeks of trying to lose weight (and the last nine, where I didn't net/net at all), I had a serendipitously successful seven days: Nine pounds lost, three...

Week 33: The 2% Solution

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 15:52:00 +0000

It's possible to lose all the weight you want just by eating less, of course. The math is simple: Burn more calories than you consume. Exercise is a force multiplier, and if you do it right it won't lead to a bigger appetite (offsetting the benefit of burning more calories in the course of any given 24 hours) and will self-reinforce staying consistent. Good news: The "bigger appetite" part...

Week 32: Standing and Snacking

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 23:20:00 +0000

Metro North Station, White PlainsABOARD THE 7:01 HARLEM LINE TRAIN -- Every rail commuter knows a thing or two about seat etiquette (Example: Real men don't vie for the middle one) and where to position oneself on the platform, factoring in the station and time of day, to maximize the possibility if scoring one. It's exhausting. And, just like flying, the window seat is good for exactly the...

Week 32: Tracking, And Back On Track

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 17:18:00 +0000

My Week 31 post pretty much laid out the unusual week I had, but in a nutshell (strange how many metaphors are food related): I weighed 171 yesterday morning, and 158.8 this morning. That puts me further away from my goal of 155 pounds — from which I had been a tantalizingly-close 0.02 pounds for the previous two weeks. But it was a fine week, and I enjoyed myself, so much so that I...

Week 31: Oy Vey

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:57:00 +0000

Bloated me.I suspected this week was going to be a challenge, but that's a word and a half. My Saturday weigh-in was fine: no change, 0.02 from my goal of 155. But a mere six days later I am at 171! That is a gain of 16 pounds. I don't see it. Nancy doesn't see it. I still fit fine in my goal-weight pants. But, I have been eating a lot this week, and not exercising as much, and that is what...

Saddest Piece of Spam, Ever

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:06:00 +0000

I don't know why I was on the 'undisclosed recipients' list this went to, and have no idea who Trev was. But there was something about the proper, restrained, just plain British-ness of this anouncement which I found very moving: Just a note to say Trev passed away peacefully on 16 August surrounded by his family. His services will no longer be available. Should you have ...

Week 30: De-Accentuating 'Meal Events'

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 17:16:00 +0000

I closed my seventh month on Weight Watchers with another unusual week, scheduling wise. It allowed me muy best opportunity to far to test new theory of eating — and the result is a solid loss of 1.6 pounds. My Google Spreadsheet says I've lost 100 percent to goal, but the truth is that I am 0.02 pounds from my goal of 155 pounds (I mean I was, before enjoying myself thoroughly last night, which...

Week 29: A Stand Up Guy

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:59:00 +0000

My home workspace, with makeshift risers under the front legs of my desk.I've added a new little dimension to my health-kick lifestyle: Standing as much as possible. I've always had an affinity for standing, although people who stand for a living will tell you that any chance not to is Heavenly. But even U.S. Marine grunts have a rule about this which, from any other outfit, might sound...

Week 28: Up, and Away

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:01:00 +0000

Crazy week. I put on 1.6 pounds, putting me that amount above my all-time low weight. In and of itself, not to worry. That kind of fluctuation is normal, and when on maintenance anything within two pounds is a gimme. Prior to my last weigh in on Saturday it was the week of Hurricane Irene, and while the storm itself was meh the aftermath was pretty interesting: We had a four-day power...

Week 27: A New Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 01:56:00 +0000

It was a triple witching Saturday: I reached by goal of 160 pounds, hit the 75-pounds-lost milestone and attended the first meeting with a new leader after having gone six months with the same one. But, for a number of reasons, I've decided to re-set my goal for the second and last time, to 155. The least silly of those reasons is that 160 is the highest acceptable weight for my height (5'6") it...

Week 26: Losing, and losing.

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 14:40:00 +0000

Joan says goodbye. First, the good news ... For my weekly meeting weigh-in on Saturday I tipped the scales at 160.8: a frustratingly 0.02 pounds away (relatively speaking, of course) from the 75-pound, trinket-level milestone and 0.08 from my goal weight of 160 pounds. It was the usual nutsy Saturday morning on the scale: Despite a very tame Friday and not eating terribly late the night...

Spam Gold: Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:58:00 +0000

Wired colleague Dave Mosher shared this on Google+ this morning, and graciously granted reprint rights to Planet Abell. We are choosing to believe this was spam, and not a perfectly-targeted solicitation ... Hey Dave, I'm reaching out to you because ******* is getting a lot of job leads for clowns, and I'm looking for another clown who is interested in taking on more...

Spam Gold: Dear Escort / Masseuse / Dancer

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 02:09:00 +0000

Quote unquote. Only the contact info is redacted Dear Escort / Masseuse / Dancer My name is ... and I’m a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer. If you ever encounter unexpected trouble with undercover vice, for not having a city license, prostitution or drug possession, you will need a skilled and experienced lawyer, not a public defender to present your side of the story in court. Los...

Week 25: One Of Us

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:50:00 +0000

I'm down four pounds this week — two away from 75 total and my goal weight of 160. It feels as though I am tracking correctly again after a month of gaining and losing the same 4-5 pounds in a see-saw session that rivaled last week on Wall Street. But the biggest deal is that my daily PointsPlus allotment has been reduced to 29 — the fewest that Weight Watchers allows anyone. When I started this...

Spam Gold: Vera Desmond — or Desmond Vera?

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:29:00 +0000

We all get tons of spam, but I'm double lucky in the personal e-mail department because a) GMail actually stops tons of it and b) a good friend run my incoming through a whitelist server at a secret and undisclosed location before anything reaches my inbox. At work, I'm not so lucky. Entourage does absolutely nothing useful to deal with even obvious spam, and trying to manipulate junk settings...

Week 24: Give A Penny, Take A Penny

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 14:33:00 +0000

Another gain for me, my second, and slight -- i.e., within the range that would not have jeopardized a lifetime Weight Watchers status if I was at goal. But it's my second gain in three weeks, and basically I have maintained for a month, with two gains and two losses and no movement in either direction. This is fine, of course, except ... I am working harder than ever on the exercise front, and...

In Social Media, Just Like In Presidential Elections, It's About A Choice

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:43:00 +0000

Someone added me to a group on Facebook yesterday -- which I didn't even think was possible, since my privacy settings there are akin to "I was never here." Very annoying. So annoying that I not only left that group, but the small handful of others I had joined, for one reason or another, primarily fellowship for whomever was the admin, because I don't participate in any FB reindeer games...

Week 23: Losing That Last Five Pounds

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 20:03:00 +0000

The dreaded weigh-in table It is a bit surreal, but I am now that person who can say, "I'm trying to lose five pounds" and not sound delusional. It does sound pretentious, which isn't better, but it's true. I am within five pounds of my goal of 160. I'm down 70 since I started on Weight Watchers 24 weeks ago. At this week's meeting the subject of maintenance was front and center. We have...

Week 22: What Goes Up Must Come Down

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 14:39:00 +0000

It was a good run, but every good run must come to an end: After losing something every week since I joined Weight Watchers one Feb 19, I gained weight last week. It felt good. I spoke up at my Saturday meeting -- during the "scale and non-scale victories" portion at the end -- and got a nice reaction. "You're one of us!" one of the lifetime members kidded me. "Do you think it's bloating?"...

Week 21: A New Decade

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 17:36:00 +0000

Twenty-one weeks on Weight Watchers is no particular milestone, but for me it's huge: I cracked through the 170-pounds barrier, and am now in a new "decade." My official weigh-in was 166.4, and I partied a little on Saturday (that means an extra veggie burger, three servings of chips and enough sugary desert to fit in the palm of my hand) so my weight is up today. But in the 160s I will stay. I...

The Joke Is, I Don't Wear Shoes Unless I Have To

noreply@blogger.com (John Abell) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 18:59:00 +0000

During my 2-1/2 years+ between jobs a while back I discovered two very important things about myself. I would have no trouble keeping myself happy and occupied in retirementI hate wearing shoesI mean any shoes. The most comfortable sneakers. Hush Puppies, if I could get away with not getting beaten up. Terry bath slippers. I shed them all and discovered the joys of bearing my feet, walking,...