April 9th, 2010 by Brandon
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As a male and a runner, I found this recent article in Runner’s World extraordinarily interesting. The article discusses how while running, males tend to not let themselves get passed — and this is just so true! I thought it was just me!
I hate to be passed and when I know there’s someone behind me, I’ll keep a careful watch on them and their pace — and monitor mine accordingly. The same holds true when I spy someone in front of me: evaluating my energy levels, my pace, their pace. With some quick back-of-the-envelope math, I decide whether or not I can overtake them — and I often push myself to try.
It’s definitely something in the male competitive spirit, but it’s refreshing to know that I’m not the only one. All this means, though, is if you hear someone following you somewhere between Noe Valley and Golden Gate Park: Beware, I won’t give up. Unless, of course, it’s the way back from the park and we’re looking up at those giant hills… then it’s a team effort.
March 12th, 2010 by Brandon
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I learned tonight that people do actually read my blog. Hmmm.. now if only I could get those people to click on my ads, I might be able to retire.
February 25th, 2010 by Brandon
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I am going to be short and to the point regarding a recent Reuters article about the latest findings on Lactose Intolerance:
People who think they must avoid all dairy products may not need to, the researchers said in their report.
“The available evidence suggests that adults and adolescents who have been diagnosed with lactose malabsorption could ingest at least 12 grams of lactose (equivalent to the lactose content found in 1 cup of milk or 1 cup of yogurt) with no or minor symptoms,” the report reads.
I would like to invite the researchers that worked on this report to stay with me for a few days after I have consumed 1 cup of milk to experience the disastrous toll it takes on my life.
January 26th, 2010 by Brandon
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For over ten years I’ve wanted a tattoo. I’ve wanted to get something that not only signifies who I am, but something that I will always appreciate. I’ve always felt that having something permanently etched into your body is an important decision and for the longest time I was leaning towards getting my name tattooed in hebrew. I felt this was appropriate as it was two things that would never change: My Judaism and my name.
While I liked this idea, I was never excited about it enough to actually get it done. In light of all that I went through in 2009, I finally came up with my idea for a tattoo. In continuing with the Hebrew theme, I’ve decided to get “Never Forget” or more specifically “Never Will I Forget” tattooed in hebrew.
There are many reasons for my decision, but mainly I never want to forget all that I have learned in the past year. I’ve learned about myself, relationships, the importance of your health, and most importantly, I’ve learned who I am. Additionally, the concept of “Never Forget” in Judaism relates to the importance of never forgetting what happened to the Jewish people during the Holocaust. I really like the dual meaning and I’m very excited to get my new tattoo this coming weekend.
While I haven’t finalized my decision on the font / design, I have yet to decide where I want to get it as well. Originally, I was thinking that I wanted to get it centered between my shoulder blades — however I’ve started to lean towards my right arm, as I feel as though it’s important to get it someplace I can easily see it, considering the message.
I’m getting it done at Black Heart Tatto, in San Francisco by Juan Puente. Before I get it, he said that he could do a stick-on stencil so I could see what it looks like on me before anything permanent is done. I may need to see it before I decide. I have narrowed it down to one of the following three fonts, but fortunately, I still have a few days to figure out the details.
January 12th, 2010 by Brandon
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As many of you probably know, I spent all of last week on vacation on The Jam Cruise. For those not familiar with the cruise, it’s basically a music festival or Jazz Fest on a cruise ship. This particular year, most of the artists are of the Jazz, Blue Grass, or Jam variety but there were a few electronic-style musicians as well such as Pretty Lights, Sound Tribe Sector Nine and Lotus.
FFrom the moment that I got to the airport, I started meeting fellow Cruisers. Pete and I managed to meet at least a dozen people before even setting foot on board the MSC Poesia, as everyone was super-excited. As soon as we got onboard the ship, we had a blast. We quickly set up our door decorations and were off to explore the ship. Much like last year, the main venues were the Pool Deck, the Theater located in the bow of the ship, the Zebra Lounge (similar to the Leopard Lounge from last year), the Jam Room and the Disco (both of which were located in the very rear of the boat).
» Read more: The Return to Normalcy
December 24th, 2009 by Brandon
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After my discharge from Beth Israel hospital in New York City this past Monday, I quickly flew back to California to rest and recover. The parting words from the doctor went something like:
You will probably have some pain for the next few days, but as long as it progressively gets better you will be alright. Within a week, you should probably be feeling back to normal.
With that advice, I resumed a semi-normal life back in San Francisco. For some reason, though, yesterday I started to feel almost worse than I had in several days. Throughout most of the day while I was working from the confines of my comfy bed, I noticed that my pain level was increasing. Additionally, I was pretty much in constant pain all day long — no matter what I did.
» Read more: The Recovery: Part Deux
December 20th, 2009 by Brandon
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I saw my attending physician an hour ago and she was very happy with my progression. She ordered me a clear liquid dinner which went down really really well and that means that I get a real breakfast and lunch tomorrow.
If I can tolerate them with mild pain, I will be able to be discharged tomorrow afternoon. She expects me to still be in pain when I eat for the next week, but I am already 75-80% better and am out of the danger zone.
Looks like I’ll be staying in NYC tomorrow night at a hotel. Good news!
