Last year, I made a monumental change for myself, in that I went hard core and decided to lose 52 pounds. This brought me from a lifetime heaviest 242 pounds down to a much more slender 190 pounds. Many people thought that I might have gone too far by dropping down to 190, and that 200 or 205 might be a better target for me at my height and frame (I'm 6'2" and have fairly broad shoulders and mostly mesomorphic features). So I took my foot off the gas pedal, and let some of the weight come back. Problem was, I let it slide for too long. A year after losing 52 pounds, I tipped the scales this morning at 220 pounds. That's been my running average since 1994, with two drops to 200 or lower after considerable work and focus (I dropped to 200 in the year 2000, and a drop to 190 in 2007). Now, 220 is a lot better than 242 (I'm still down 22 pounds from my peak), but that's just nowhere near as satisfying as saying I was 190 or even 200. Thus, it's time to put the training wheels back on and get this show on the road again.

One of the great and powerful elements of blogging is that it forces me to be accountable, either to myself or anyone else that reads these posts at any given time. Ego Over Matter is significant; I firmly believe in the power of shooting one's mouth off publicly and being willing to open themselves to public scrutiny and ridicule. One is much more likely to make and hit their goals Under this curcumstance (LOL!). Since I've vowed to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so far as I know it to be and remember it to be (let's face it, I'm human, and there's a good chance I'll get something wrong without intending to) my Monday entries from here on out will track progress, and to share some piece of wit or wisdom (or perhaps some piece of incredibly bad judgment, who knows (LOL!)). Ultimately, it's meant to be a way to motivate myself to get back to "fighting shape".

Everyone needs a goal, and sometimes it helps to have outlandish ones. However, it helps to be a realist, so I'm going to try hard but be within the realm of healthy and possible. So here it goes… my Troop departs for Summer Camp at Camp Oljato on July 19th, 2007. On that day, it is my intention to weigh in at no more than 205 pounds, with a stretch goal of 200 pounds. That works out to seven and ½ weeks. The realistic physiological limit to lose body-fat without catabolising muscle mass is about 2 pounds per week; that puts my 205 goal in very realistic focus. The 200 goal, maybe not as easy or realistic, but hey, if it happens, I'll be quite happy :).

So here's where the rubber meets the road. Today I weighed in at 220 pounds. Overall, I feel pretty good, but don't like the way my clothes fit any more (I did this as a deliberate gate on myself last year; once my clothes started to feel uncomfortable, it was a sign it was time to get back to losing weight again, and that time is now). Size 32 waist pants feel crushing at the moment, but again, I wear them to remind me of the work I need to do… no new clothes, no slacking off. The problem buttoning the pants is my reminder that it's time to get back to basics. The next Ego Over Matter post will go up next Monday, and I hope to have good news and good progress to report. Til then :).

Usually, I’m not much for hawking wares or pimping stuff that I dig and recommend others buy it, but I am, at this moment, an absolutely unabashed fanboy of a product line and "oh man!!!!" do I love using it.

In my last blog, I pointed out that I have ditched the Mach3 and "canned goo" shaving creams that are commercially available and gone all old school with a Merkur 1904 Inspired Combed DE Safety Razor. My face has never felt so good, nor have my shaves been so awesome, and that’s just from the change in razors and blades. But this next find kicks the experience into overdrive.

There is a company in Italy called Proraso, and they make a number of truly old school shaving staples, have been making them for *many* years, and I have to say that I honestly *LOVE* each and every one of them that I have tried. I’ve become quite partial to their "green label" shaving soap (you can get it in either a tub or a tube, both work awesome with a shaving brush; about ¼ tsp. whipped up with a shaving brush in a Moss Scuttle takes care of two or three total passes for me). The soap uses a mixture of eucalyptus oil, menthol and glycerine, and my oh my, this stuff feels *so* great. We’re talking "me love you long time" type of great! The rinse at the end, mmmmm…. I’ve become addicted to that rush when the cold water meets the eucalyptus oil. Aww Yeah, Baybee!!!

They also make a pre and post shave crème that makes a world of difference when you use it. Take about ¼ tsp worth, rub it into your face and head (hey, I shave more than my face, so this is relevant (LOL!) ). Dip a shaving brush into the Proraso soap and apply over the top, do your thing, rinse with cold water, and if you want to really spoil yourself, use the same pre-shave crème afterwards.

This is not something you will find just going to your local store (though if you have an authentic Italian deli or market nearby, you may be able to get it there, as this stuff has a big following with Italians), but it’s available from a bunch of places online.

If you are a guy and are tired of the current drug store regimen of canned foam and disposable razors, and are looking to change up your morning routine, consider this a two thumbs way up recommendation to give Proraso a spin. Be warned, it is addicting (LOL!).

Bear with me gang, this is going to get a little odd (LOL!).

Have you ever found yourself looking at things you do, wondering if it’s truly the best way, or the most economical, or just plain worth doing, period? In the last month, I’ve had this strange fascination with my daily ritual… the fine art of scraping away every trace of hair from my head and my face. The fine art that humankind refers to as "shaving". I’ve had long hair, I’ve had short hair, and I’ve had no hair at all. I’ve had full beards, partial beards, and I’ve had no beard. Suffice it to say, I am now living with a look and a style that requires a fairly heavy amount of daily maintenance. Anyone who tells you that a shaved head is so much easier to deal with than having hair is totally lying to you. It’s a different kind of maintenance, but it’s still fairly high maintenance to make it look good.

Anyway, over the years, I have done the absolute least amount I could to keep clean shaven and not have to deal with it more than I have to, which usually results in my looking like either a waxy mannequin, a torn up athlete or a hobo, you pick the time of day. I’ve tried electric, I’ve tried Mach 3, I even flirted with the idea of a straight razor as a teenager but soon concluded that I didn’t have the touch to do it (and besides, if I continued the path I was going down at the time, I’d end up looking like one of those turn of the 20^th Century German military school cadets with their requisite saber scars… OK, maybe not that bad, but close). Add to the fact that I found I was spending close to $30.00 per month just to keep myself in Mach 3 blades, and I decided "now c’mon, there’s got to be a better way than this".

Sure enough, JFGI comes to the rescue (look it up if you need explanation (LOL!) ). I had no idea that such a huge cult existed regarding "the art of shaving" (there’s even a store named that :) ). I have fallen headfirst into it and am having a *lot* of fun learning the older tricks of the trade. I’ve officially sworn off of Mach 3’s and recently invested in a classic Merkur-Solingen safety razor (for those not old enough to remember what a safety razor is, it’s the kind with the rectangular flat blades that has the grooved slot in the middle of them). I had something akin to this when I first started shaving about 27 years ago, but I quickly abandoned it because it kept making me look like hamburger meat. Turns out that there are different designs for these safety razors, and I highly recommend the combed version I have now. It took me a few days to get the right angle and technique down, but I have really come to love this thing and how well it works. What I have *really* come to love is how long a standard blade lasts, and how inexpensive they are comparatively speaking; while I was spending $30 a month on blades for a Mach 3, the same amount of money will buy me a full *year’s* worth of standard blades.

Even more fun is the lore and the items that surround this older, more genteel form of shaving. Using a badger brush, ditching the aerosol can for shaving soap and old time tube and tub creams, getting away from commercial after-shaves and discovering lavender and rosehip seed oil, and eyeing my next oddball purchase, which will be to get a "Scuttle" so I can keep the whole process warm and contained. There are entire sites and blogs dedicated to this pastime, and I am finding them extremely fascinating (I think by their parlance I have officially declared myself a "shave geek" LOL!).

My logic is that, since I already have committed to being shorn, I might as well learn how to make the experience a pleasant one. I’m making some interesting discoveries, and I’m finally learning to "slow down" and, dare I say it, learn to really *enjoy* this experience. I have *no idea* why I am sharing this with everyone, just letting you know I’m doing something a little different, having some fun with it, and realizing that sometimes the old ways can be better than the latest and greatest fad.

Well, it's official. There's no turning back now. Today is my 40th birthday. Funny, but I've heard so many people whine about turning 40 over the years that I thought it would be some traumatic experience, but truth be told, it sounds worse than it feels.

I've had what amounts to several lifetimes packed into 40 years. I have lived some great dreams, done some cool things, and I've enjoyed the greatest work of my life in the union of my wife and I and raising what have so far turned out to be three pretty awesome kids!

Somehow I always pictured 40 being when I'd have to live my life in wing tips, dress suits and a tie, but thankfully that has not transpired yet (I save those for church and special occasions, though). I pictured myself playing golf or someow taking things easier at 40, but I still jones to snowboard, love to skate when I get the chance, love to mountain bike and hike, so I'm glad to see I don't have to slow down any time soon.

Should I be listening to Light Rock or something? Thankfully no, I still jones for good hard rock, alternative, and punk, though I'm starting to find my musical inspiration in some of the strangest places lately. This year has introduced me to the work of Yoko Kanno (she's responsible for much of the super tight jazz heard in "Cowboy Bebop" and the techno-ambient rock of "Ghost in the Shell") and I've fallen in love with High and Mighty Color, which I can best describe as a fusion of J-Pop and Alt Metal.

So how am is celebrating this monumentous change? With a mellow evening at home tonight, but possibly with a trip to San Francisco depending on how things transpire. It's possible I may get the coolest birthday present ever... my nephew Travis Larsen might be born today!!! My brother Rob and his wife Maggie were scheduled to go into the hospital last night, so who knows, I may get to share my birthday with a new member of the family. Time will tell. Tomorrow, I give myself my *real* birthday present, a day up in Tahoe getting some snow under my feet. It's been too long!!!

So anyway, here's to turning 40, and my resolve to be a more dignified and proper member of society as befits my age and stature..... BWAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!!!

You never know which events will hit you profoundly, or just how much they will hit you. Yesterday, just before our family left for our annual trek to Danville for Thanksgiving dinner, we shared the last moments of a beloved friend and member of our family... Pogo.

Pogo was a beautiful pied-pearl Cockatiel that we bought from a store in San Francisco shortly after Christina and I were first married. He bonded with Christina from the start, and protected her from all comers, including me. Early on, I'd take care of cleaning him, clipping his wings, and trimming his nails, and "Mom" got to do all of the fun things... ah well, such is life . I loved the fact that Pogo was spoiled by Christina from the get go, and that his incessant chirping, wolf whistles, and mimicing of us brushing our teeth was a constant source of fun and amusement in our house. For fifteen years, we looked forward to our little feathered pal and his antics.

Two weeks ago, we noticed that he was puffing out around his crop, and that there was a bare patch of skin showing under his feathers. The irregular shape was a sure sign that he had a tumor, and a visit to our veterinarian confirmed it. We had to think about what was best for him, a fifteen year old Cockatiel who, for all intents, was near the end of his normal biological lifespan. Do we operate and try to extend his life? Do we put him down? Do we bring him home and try to make his last days as comfortable as we can? We decided to go with the last option, to give him as much love and attention as we could, and let him know he was surrounded by family that loved him.

On Thanksgiving day, we saw him siting at the bottom of his cage, puffed out and breathing laboredly, with his eyes half closed. We knew he wouldn't live out the day, so Christina took the time to hold hom and stroke his head one last time. My kids and Christina sat with him, while I went upstairs to take care of some things before we left. Shortly after three P.M. on Thursday, the sound of my son coming upstairs crying told me everything. According to Christina, he slowly lowered his eyelids, the breaths became longer between, and then he just settled low and stopped breathing. If he was in any pain or discomfort, we could not tell. We were glad that he got to leave this world in this manner, not in a doctor's office, but at home surrounded by his family.

Today, we held a funeral in our backyard, and we laid our friend to rest beneath the peach tree that he liked to look at so often when he was outside on our back deck. We laid him to rest with some notes and pictures our children drew for him, some petals from our rose bushes, and his favorite toy, a mirror that has been part of his environment since we took him home nearly fifteen years ago. My oldest daughter made a marker for him, with his name on it, and placed it in our garden, so we will always remember him.

It's funny the things that you notice when part of your life disappears. To some, he's just a bird, but he was our bird, and he was a big part of our family. Today the house is quiet, and it is sobering to know that my wife's "little guardian and protector" is gone. I'll never hear that wolf whistle again in this life save for home movies and in my memories. I'll miss his chatter, his cute way he'd bob up and down to get our attention, and that "Mohawk crest" of feathers that helped coin his name. I'll even miss the screech he'd level at me any time he was out and hanging out with "Mom", his way of saying "this lady is MINE, and I'll take you down if you get anywhere NEAR her!"

Farewell, old friend. You are loved, and you will be missed.

Well gang, with a title like that, you can know that this blog will be about one thing, the stormtrooping adventures of Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonite's complete and utter joyful pounding of a roomful of ears, and the ecstatic roomful of people who got to enjoy the ear-pounding. Sounds a bit overmuch, doesn't it? And yet I defy you to find anyone that attended the show who will not come back with a similar sentiment. Go ahead, I'll wait .

All right, in all seriousness, Mr. Butch and his band of roustabouts came through the Great American Music hall in San Francisco this evening, and a great and fun time was had by all, yours truly most definitely included. To view said fun and help fill in any mental blanks, feel free to go to my photo page and check out the album related to this blog/review .

The first act to open the show was The Hymns. Having never heard them before, I was all set to just mark time, but I found myself very much enjoying their set. If you can picture a cross between the Kings of Leon and Jellyfish, that will give you a feel for what these guys are about. Their guitar player stole the show, however, with his high energy playing (at first seemingly out of place, but as the set continued, felt perfectly natural after a few songs), blowing bubbles with his bubblegum, and switching from guitar to teeny-tiny electric piano for one song left a memorable impresion. I look forward to catching these guys again.

The next band up was Charlotte Sometimes, and first, I have to give props to a wonderful band name; any band willing to rip their name from Penelope Farmer's dark children's book (or from the early Cure track of the same name if you prefer ) gets a nod from *this* fan of early 80's new wave and punk. The band itself reminded me of "Sister" and "Aurora Gory Alice" era Letters to Cleo, and was quite tight and polished. Their lead singer was absolutely adorable, and I felt like I was observing an 80's flashback. Not sure if anyone has ever told her this but Charlotte (yes ,the singers name is actually Charlotte) is a dead ringer for former MTV Vee-Jay Martha Quinn. I was all set to give this band a full thumbs up, but alas, one thing prevents me from giving complete props... while I appreciate a singer making a nod to the past and even emulating another singer, every time I closed my eyes, I felt like I was listening to Siouxie Sioux of Siouxie and the Banshees, and I found that to be a bit distracting. Still, Charlotte's very cheerful performance and her sweet stage presence helps mitigate that. I'm definitely curious to see how this band develops over the years.

Now you all knew I had to get to the main event, right? Butch is known for being a bit of a maverick, and just when you think you have him figured out, he pulls something different. New songs, and instead of ripping into a full force rocker, he comes out, just him, and plays a song called "Atlanta" on the piano to a room just bristling with kinetic energy. Of course, Butch uses this to absolute advantage, and exploded right into some great numbers from "Rise and Fall" and "Letters" (man, was it great to hear "Uncomfortably Numb" this time around). Butch has a new lead guitar player with him this tour, who I must admit acquitted himself beautifully. Butch fans are a dedicated bunch, some traveling all over the country to catch his shows. While the crowd was not a sell-out, it was every bit as loud and energetic as a sell out crowd would be. Hearing an entire room sing the first verse of "Best Thing That You Never Had" is a spine tingling experience, and that was hardly the only example of the crowd singing along to *every single word* of Butch's songs at the top of their lungs. Ever the consummate entertainer, Butch put on an excellent show, entertaining with every ounce of his being. He played a rather varied set this time around, culling from all three of his solo albums ("Far Away From Close" was a real nice addition to the set, Thanks Butch), to the perennial favorite Marvelous 3 track "Cigarette Lighter Love Song" (sadly, that was the only M3 track played that night, but with the wealth of new material played, ehh, can't fault him *too* much for that (LOL!) ).

No Butch show would be complete without the requisite cover tune (tonight, it was Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way") and the now legendary "Dance Off" that he does at the beginning and middle of "Lights Out", and dudeham did *not* disappoint! It's amazing when Butch says "I expect everyone to take three steps back, so you all can have room to dance like maniacs"... and the *entire* room does it! Butch jumped into the crowd for this number, and for a minute, we weren't sure if the audience would ever let him get back to the stage (it's OK, they ultimately did ).

Tonight I brought an old friend to experience her first Butch Walker concert, and her absolutely breathless state leaving the venue and her repeated "oh, how I *love* that man!" put a huge smile on my face. While it wasn't a large crowd, it was a rabid crowd, much like Butch's crowds *everywhere* he plays. If you have seen him play, you know of which I speak. If you have not, gang, come on.... get out there and see this man *PLAY*!

My thanks to my wife Christina, Caroline, Miss Nikki and Liz [Rocket!] for coming out and sharing this night with me. It's one that will definitely be remembered for a long time to come. Thanks Butch Walker and TLGOT for another terrific Bay Area show. You guys are welcome back *any* time, and we hope to see you all again *real* soon!

Peace,

--MKL

This past weekend, my kids and I had a chance to participate in the Labor Day Pow Wow held by CIHA up at Camp Pollack in Sacramento. This was an event where a number of people gathered together, wore their best, and went out to dance their hearts out. This was my daughter's first Pow Wow experience, and judging from her reaction, on a scale of one to ten, it rated a fifty-five .

Karina got big raves for how quickly she picked up the Jingle Dance, and her enjoyment of the event was even more obvious with the giant smile that spread across her face for the entire event. To add to that huge smile, during the presentation from the head woman dancer, Karina was called up and honored as the newest dancer at the event, and was given a special present, a beaded and porcupine quill decorated barette and earring set. I told Karina that, should she continue to dance and be honored to be head dancer at a Pow Wow one day, she would likewise be expected to do something similar.

Heres a few pictures from the event, just my way of saying "atta girl" for my Kay Kay. Yes, I'm ridiculously proud of her .

OK, some of you have seem me post veiled  (or not so veiled (LOL!) ) references to the "Jingle Dress" that I have been working on for my daughter so that she can participate with her big brother and I at the upcoming CIHA Pow Wow (which is happening Labor Day weekend at Camp Pollock in Sacramento for anyone interested in attending  ).

Anyway, I am very happy to say that it is finally finished!!!!

I won't go into how many hours it has taken to make this thing, other than to say A LOT. Still, I am excited at the fact that I took the idea from start to finish and made it 100% on my own. Plus, the fact that I made it specifically for my daughter to dance in means a lot to me. I told her that I hope she will keep it and perhaps give it to her own daughter one day.