Post #100: Before and After Pictures

I'd have posted these earlier, but I realized that I was almost to my 100th post.  So to celebrate the monumental occasion, I decided to make it a monumental post.  

Okay, since you're not likely to read anything before looking at the pictures, I'll post the pictures first:

After 20 Weeks of Progress

I'm amazed at how different I look!

I only took 2 "before" pictures.  Wish I'd taken some with these poses.

The Journey:
I'd been meaning to do something like this for the last 4-5 years.  But I was never ready to commit to it.  It's a HUGE lifestyle change!  I've always had too much of a sweet tooth to have any motivation to fix my eating habits.  And when you're out of shape, the gym never sounds fun.  Not to mention, I'm constantly going out to eat with friends after rehearsals, or just because.  But nevertheless, I've wanted to make this change.  I even made it my New Year's resolution for 2010.

The big thing that got me to start was moving out, because it's MUCH less tempting to cheat when you can control what's in your pantry.  So I started the week I got back from Europe.  I paid my trainer in advance so that I had motivation not to back out.

It's incredibly surprising, but I wasn't tempted to cheat on my diet for most of my program.  It may be because of my motivation to see results.  Or it may be because I was eating WAY more food than I was used to previously.  Yes, the grocery bills were EXPENSIVE.  I can't say the same for my motivation at the gym.  Yes, I was committed enough to do the full workouts.  But there were several days when I would get to the gym and spend 10-20 minutes mentally convincing myself that I needed to just start and get it over with.  Yet somehow I managed to give myself just enough motivation every night to put my all into the workout.

Several people asked me why I was trying to gain weight.  It seems kind of obvious to me, especially when I look at the pictures.  In fact, almost every time I was asked why I was doing this, I thought to myself, "are you daft?"  Not only does exercise enhance your physical appearance, but it's been known to give people confidence.  Why wouldn't I want to do this?

It's funny.  Even now I can look down at my body and not see much of a change.  From my point of view (without a mirror or pictures), I look the same as I always looked.  I can't explain it, because I know of all sorts of changes my body has made recently.  I definitely don't feel like I look the same when I'm looking in a mirror or at pictures.  I guess this is a warning to you that your perception of yourself may fool you.

The best part about my journey was all the little discoveries I made along the way.  I was constantly watching the progress of my pecs and biceps, but the changes were so gradual that I hardly noticed the change.  However, I hardly gave thought to any of my other muscles because my focus was on just a couple muscles.  So naturally, it seemed like they suddenly appeared out of nowhere.  One day I tried to scratch my back, and noticed my lats!  I went to lay down on my arm one day when I noticed it was MUCH more comfortable than usual.  Then when I reached up for something, my shoulder flexed and my pillow disappeared - such an awesome discovery!  One morning on my way to the shower I noticed my back had a much better shape.  And it seemed like I grew a butt in a day.  I discovered it just a few hours before bending over and ripping my pants.

As part of my program, I wanted to see how long it took for people to notice my changes.  So I had to make sure I didn't tell everyone that I was working out and dieting.  However, I also needed to have support in my diet from all around me.  And since my friends and cast members would frequently go out to eat, I knew it was better to tell them and keep it secret from my family (since I typically only see my family about once a week).  The first family member to notice was my sister-in-law.  She told me I was getting fatter, but it was the good kind of fat that made me look better.  I was tickled, and didn't tell her that it's because I was gaining muscle - not fat.  After about 10 weeks, that was the only comment I received.  Not to mention, my brother was coming in town (he hadn't seen me since before I started the program).  I wanted him to say something, so I made sure to wear the smallest shirt I own when I had dinner with the family that day.  Sure enough, he said something about it, followed by a couple other family members.  That's when I decided it was okay to talk to them about my progress.  My mom walked by as I was telling my brother how much I weighed.  She overheard, and jiggled my pec.  My brother said something like "can you believe how big Jon's pecs are?" Her classic response: "those aren't pecs - those are boobs."  My brother corrected her and had me flex for her.  After feeling that it was indeed muscle, she said "Hey Richard!  Come grope Jon!"

I didn't lose all the fat I want to lose (still can't see my abs).  But I'm giving myself a break for the holidays.  I may gain a little fat over the next week or two.  And I won't be so strict on my diet once I start up again.  But I'm in this for the long run.  You can count on it!

Cranberry Almond Trifle

I made this for our family Christmas party.  I had found the recipe while researching the feasibility of using cranberries as the featured ingredient for our ward Iron Chef FHE activity (which was a HUGE success, by the way).  And so I decided to make it, with the help of Melissa!

It doesn't just look delicious - it tasted delicious too!

Amazing Weekend

I don't know what else there is to say about it.  I had somewhat close encounters with half of the 12, other general authorities, the guest artists, and other random half-celebrities.  I wasn't a big fan of rehearsals this year - most of them left me feeling annoyed at all sorts of little things.  But once we started performances, all that left.  It was so much fun to perform in front of such a huge crowd!  And I have to say, I was quite amazed at the response we got for the trick step I was in.  I'm pretty sure that most of the audience didn't understand that the 3 solos before us required much more talent than our little move, because ours was the only one that got applause during the middle of the song.  No complaints - it got us a nice photo in the newspaper.

Best part of the weekend was the part where a bunch of us checked into some hotel rooms and stayed downtown all weekend!  Nothing but good times.

Marry Christmas

I just received an email with a Christmas greeting from my mission president. He concluded it with the words, Marry Christmas. Was he thinking of me when he wrote it?

Am I The Only One...

...who finds going to the dentist relaxing? I have to focus to stay awake during my appointments. I think this is why it's so relaxing to me:
1) Nice, comfortable chair to lay down in
2) Soft, soothing music in a quiet atmosphere
3) During cleanings, the polisher gently vibrates your head, while massaging your gums
4) You're tasked with doing nothing except keeping your mouth open. I think it's one of the only times I ever have nothing to do.
5) Even when you're having work done on your teeth, modern anesthetics make it so that you feel virtually nothing.

Yep, I've almost fallen asleep at the dentist's several times - without the aid of laughing gas. Anyone else have this kind of experience at the dentist?

Queasy at the Sight

Do you ever get queasy at the sight of blood? I'm talking about queasy to the point where you feel like you're either going to pass out or throw up - not just being grossed out by blood. I don't get grossed out by blood, but it has made me queasy on a few rare occasions in my lifetime. Up until this weekend, I only got queasy at the sight of real blood. I was watching a televised C-section once and had to lay on the ground to keep from passing out. There was once a reality show where they made multiple piercings in a contestant's arm that made me feel sick to my stomach. The only other times I remember being sick at the sight of blood are when I've donated blood and watched the needle stick into my arm.

As I said, this weekend was the first time I have ever been queasy at the sight of fake blood. And I'm not the only one. I watched the movie 127 Hours with some friends. I knew it was rated R, and I fully expected it to be because of the graphic nature of the main character cutting off his arm (with a potential for offensive language). Yes, there was offensive language. And yes, the arm scene is incredibly graphic. I'm not the only one who had an involuntary physical reaction to the sight of blood. Several theater patrons left the theater because they felt sick, including one of my friends. When the movie ended and we left the theater, we found out that the paramedics had been called (apparently someone did pass out). So if you're thinking of watching this movie, consider yourself warned. You may not make it to the end.

Bah Humbug!

It happened again! Christmas fanatics have outdone themselves, just like last year. And once again, I've lost the Christmas spirit before the season has even begun! Listen, I get the fact that it might be your favorite holiday. But when was it ever appropriate to celebrate a holiday for 3 months straight??? I know for a fact I'm not the only one who thinks people start decorating for Christmas WAY TOO EARLY. Not only do I have to put blinders on when I go shopping, and avoid certain radio stations. I have to completely avoid State Street in Murray thanks to whichever local government officials think it's time to line the road with bright red and green Christmas lights.

What happened to the brown, yellow, and orange that's synonymous with November? Do these people even remember the point of Thanksgiving?

The big excuse someone gave me this year was "Thanksgiving - what better time to be grateful for Christ's birth?" My response to that is this: What does an 8-foot tall evergreen in your living room have to do with Christ's birth, anyways?

So until next year, Bah Humbug!

Composite Faces

I just recently discovered how much fun composite faces can be to play with. A composite face is exactly what the name implies - it's a combination of multiple faces. In my humble internet research, I've discovered that composite faces tend to be more attractive than the individual faces that were used to make up the composite. This is because average is considered attractive. But that's not all - anthropologists have done many studies with composite faces, revealing some interesting facts. For example, one scientist presented people with a series of faces, and asked them to identify those they considered to be dominant. When he made composites separating the faces based on his survey, he found that those faces considered to be dominant all had similar characteristics (large jaw, thick eyebrows, etc), while the remaining pictures exhibited more passive looks.

I decided to do my own experiment - for fun - and see what the average guy and girl in my ward look like. I just used the ward directory, so there were several factors that contributed to fuzziness. But it turned out clear enough, so I'm posting the pictures. Here are the results based on the combination of 35 girls and 32 guys:

The girls

The guys

As you can see, they're quite beautiful. It was actually fun to combine just a few faces at a time - I could pick out individual faces in the composite face.

Best Horoscope Ever

I'm a big fan of horoscopes and fortune cookies. I don't put much stock into what they say, but I still enjoy reading them. I mean, there's something exciting about pretending - just for a moment - that the stars have aligned to dictate what's in store for you. Just for a moment, the central focus of the universe is you - and you can predict your future by simply reading the stars correctly.

As fun as that is, I am even more entertained by misfortune cookies, horrorscopes, and any horoscope that doesn't take astrology too seriously.

While I was hanging out with a friend this weekend, we picked up a City Weekly magazine. While we were flipping through it, we found the horoscopes. We're both Libras, so we enjoy reading our horoscopes together. City Weekly publishes horoscopes from a source that takes astrology seriously. So imagine my surprise, and utter amusement, when I read this:

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Check out this haiku by Mizuhara Shuoshi, translated from the Japanese by William J. Higginson: “stuck in a vase/ deep mountain magnolia/ blossoms open.” Does that remind you of anyone? It should. I think it pretty much sums up your current situation. More accurately, it captures the best possible scenario you can strive to achieve, given your circumstances. Yes, there are limitations you have to deal with right now: being in the vase. And yet there’s no reason you can’t bloom like a deep mountain magnolia.

This is by far the best horoscope I've ever had. We were laughing so hard my stomach hurt!

How Much Do You Care?

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed the deterioration of the English language? I'm not talking about slang and internet lingo - they actually add words to our language (lol has become the common courtesy laugh of the day). What I'm talking about is how people don't seem to care about what they say, as long as the general idea comes across.

For example, I always hear people say, "I could care less," when they really mean "I couldn't care less." Logically, if you were to look at a scale from 1 to 10 on how much you care, saying "I could care less" means you are ANYWHERE on the scale except the bottom. Yet, while both phrases have completely opposite meanings, they're generally accepted to mean the same thing.


Speaking of language nuances, it used to bug me when people tried to compliment me on a "wonderful gift" I had, when I considered it to be a talent. The way I see it, a talent is something you have to work hard at, like singing (I was pretty much tone deaf when I was 12); whereas, a gift is something that comes naturally, like my ability to creep people out. Eventually I figured out that it doesn't matter whether people see something as a gift or a talent.

To Beard, or Not to Beard

I haven't shaved for about 2 weeks now, and I've got a decent amount of facial hair. I've been growing it out for a production I'm going to be in for Christmas. But I just found out that the decision to have us in facial hair has been revoked. Now they're telling us that we CAN'T wear facial hair for the performance.

So that leaves me with the dilemma: what should I do with my facial hair now that I have it? I wondered about whether or not to celebrate Movember, but decided I will want to shave LONG before the end of November. Instead, I think I'll trim my face down for a Halloween costume and shave it all off after that. But I don't know what I want to dress as for Halloween anymore. I was going to be a werewolf, but I had a bad experience with the costume at Monday's Halloween dance. The hair kept getting all in my eyes, nose, and mouth - and when I went to wipe it away, the hair on my face kept tickling me. Also, I found myself "shedding" within 2 hours." Here's a picture of me at the end of the night:

So I want to be something else. Problem is, I don't know what. What costumes can you think of that would incorporate some facial hair? Also, what should I shave off first? Should I get a good picture of myself with a child molester porn-stache? or should I sport the Brigham chinstrap? Knowing that it'll only last a day or two, I'm willing to go crazy with it. So please! Tell me your thoughts!

Sticky note prank

My birthday was about 2 weeks ago. I don't announce my birthday to people; I don't see the need. It's just another day to me, and has been for years. Besides, if someone doesn't know when my birthday is, I don't have to feel bad when they either don't remember, or don't treat me any differently. Imagine my surprise when I left for work on my birthday, only to be stopped in the parking lot. Apparently someone knew when my birthday was, and wanted to make sure I celebrated it - with Post-It notes.

That's right - sticky notes all over the car! Quite a good prank if you ask me. I thought it was a work of art.


About an hour and a half later, I finally showed up to the office. I only worked half a day that day, because of a trip I had planned to go down to Cedar City (yes, on my birthday) for an improv festival. I had an enjoyable weekend. When I came home, I had a second surprise:

About 30 gallons later, I was finally able to go to bed. So to the person who left these birthday presents for me: watch your back. I know who you are and am waiting for the perfect time to strike back! To everyone else: I'm open for ideas.

Summer European Tour: Austria

The last country we visited on our tour was Austria, home of the delicious soda, Almdudler:

Almdudler isn't the only good thing to appreciate in Austria. Here are a few other things you can find in Austria:

Water! The first stop was the city of Bregenz, which is located on the shore of Lake Konstanz (Constance). The lake borders Austria, Switzerland, and Germany.

Opera! Bregenz is known for its unique Opera House, where the stage is located on the water (it was used for a scene in James Bond). Aida was just opening
Don't ask me why they used pieces of the Statue of Liberty as the focus of their set, painted blue with stars. They wouldn't let us in to see the show, even though we were willing to pay (it was a preview night for the sponsors). From what I could see from further along the shore, Aida was dressed as a nun, there was a warlock scene, and the actors got rides from the cranes.

Statues!

Mozart! Mozart was born in this building...

...in this city (Salzburg):

Higher Learning: We stopped at Melk Abbey, a monastery/school that had some really cool things:

the Holy Grail

the "beautiful blue" Danube

this library has secret passages in the bookcases

this skeleton on display is REAL

Style! Our first place to eat in Vienna was a restaurant in which they gave everyone a hat to wear. Nobody chose their own hat, which made it even more awesome!

The High Life! Schonbrunn Palace is in Vienna, where the Hapsburg monarchy lived. The Hapsburg family is still alive, but due to events surrounding the World War, they're not allowed into the country. So the Palace is now a major tourist attraction.



Smart People! Don't know if you can see it, but all these people are playing chess against one woman, who didn't seem to spend more than 5 seconds coming up with a move as she went down the row.

Architecture! The streets of Vienna were awesome.

Mozart ended his career performing regularly at this church:

Other Composers! Mozart isn't the only classical musician to come out of Vienna. Here's a picture of our tour guide at one of Beethoven's homes:
And here's our entire tour group posing in front of the Strauss monument.
Other Pictures: Just for fun I included another picture of the "beautiful blue" Danube as it runs through Vienna. Also is the best picture I got of the city of Vienna (it was an overcast day, so you really couldn't see much).

Re: Dear Autumn

What happened? Was it something I said? I was so excited for Fall. But instead of being able to enjoy the season I've longed all year for, Summer lingered a little too long and BAM! This is what I see when I wake up:

It's not fair. The average temperature didn't make a gradual drop to cold weather. One minute it's warm enough to wear shorts, the next minute it's snowing! I'm pretty sure Autumn is supposed to come between Summer and Winter. I'm also pretty sure that it goes like this (at least, as far as my opinion counts):

Winter < Spring < Summer < Autumn

So why did we only get 2 days of real Autumn? I feel cheated.

Summer European Tour: Germany

On to Germany! Our first German stop was the Wieskirche. It was a fun little stop.

On to Neuschwanstein Castle! On the way, I started to see how the Grimm Brothers were so inspired to write fairy tale after fairy tale. In fact, I started wondering myself how many trolls lived in the many forests that surrounded Bavaria.



I took this picture of the bridge from Neuschwanstein Castle. Then I made my way over to the bridge to get a good shot of the castle and surrounding area.


Soon I started climbing the mountain opposite the castle, to see how high I could go.

Our other stop in Germany was Mt. Kehlstein, where the Eagle's Nest sits. Nicknamed "Hitler's Teahouse," this building was meant for a 50th birthday present to Hitler, designed as a vacation spot and place for him to entertain guests. The building is at the very top of a really really steep mountain. One wrong move, and it's very likely you could roll all the way to the bottom of the mountain before stopping.



Conclusion: I love Germany!