With the big flu pandemic, everyone is protecting themselves from getting sick.  Flu shots, hand sanitizing stations, even riding public transit with surgical masks (I swear I saw this last week).  Of course I continue on with my regular life because I seem to NEVER get sick.  When I do feel under the weather I can usually trace it to not getting enough rest or being seated next to a cougher on a cross-country flight.  Well after a half week of about 5 hrs/night, a cross country trip, board meeting on Saturday morning followed by a tailgate party and Stanford Football game, I woke up with a sore throat on Sunday.  :-(

For some reason watching NFL football isn't the same without the ability to swallow effortlessly.  Strangely enough, my home remedy of having a beer or two.... or five :-/  ... didn't seem to deaden the pain, but I did finally get some sleep.

Sitting at home sick gives you a lot of time to think.  As I sat there motionless for a couple of days I thought, "do you really think you can dunk a basketball again?"  I just sat and watched the guys who I entered the NFL with be sent to the bench for younger, faster, more energetic players and I'm having trouble walking to the refrigerator without something in my body hurting.  Hmmmm....

So I figured let's start with baby steps.  I need about a 36 inch leap to dunk a basketball, and the last time I dunked a basketball I weighed 195 lbs.  I weighed 220 last week (I could never dunk with a 25 lbs weight strapped to my back) so I think I need to drop a few.  Projecting 195 lbs into the air is a lot easier.  So I'm taking a page out of my worthless fantasy football running back Lendale White's book and laying off of the sauce.

Lendale lost 30 lbs by giving up tequila!!!

So I've decided to cut down on the drinking while I continue my training.  I need to get under 200 lbs by 2010 if I'm ever gonna get above the rim.  I could keep getting sick (Wii Fit says I've dropped down from 220 since the sore throat) but that's a cop out.

Since I've been deliquent in updating the blog, I'm adding two mixes (one from my last trip on the wagon and one about being sick).  Enjoy!

Enferma Mix

Sobriety Mix

I like to think of myself as a mild-mannered, easy-going, and humble guy (how do you brag about being humble... I know).  I've even had a co-worker tell me that she couldn't believe that someone would say bad things about me because I'm so nice (Thanks Jean!!!).  Most people that I've met over the last five years have not had the honor of meeting my bad side. I know… I know… it’s hard to believe that under this kind, gentle exterior there is a cocky, arrogant bully…

The Incredible Hulk to my David Banner…

The Buddy Love to my Professor Klump…

The Stripe to my Gizmo...

But it exists.  One might ask, “what are the things that make this side show?” Here are two that you should watch out for.

#1 Competitive Sports -

I can enjoy a friendly game of sports, but 9/10 that means I won’t be winning. In order for me to win, I have to look at the person defending me and want to embarrass him (or her…all’s fair in love and basketball). I mean making him look so bad that even his mother wouldn’t be able to comfort him with a clear conscience. When I really want to compete I talk trash and show no mercy to weak opponents.  One of my less proud moments involved me mocking a guy who was guarding me after we lost a game and telling him, “your team won, but you lost against me!” I once received a warning from a referee during a charity basketball tournament for telling the other team that they needed to go back to LA and find someone that could guard me. If I was in the movie The Karate Kid, I would have been the token black guy in the Cobra Kai dojo. NO… it’s not roid-rage, I can just get a little too competitive.

This is why I refrain from playing competitive sports around my co-workers.

#2 Heavy Drinking -

I’m definitely one of those dudes that thinks he’s way finer than he is once he has had a few drinks (it took a lot for me to admit that). It usually looks something like this:

In a drunken narcissistic state, my normal coy acting routine goes out the window and the liquid courage takes over. There are only a few people who have actually seen me in this rare state. I tend to save this for trips out of the country and Vegas. No… I’m not an alcoholic, but I’ll drink one under the table if they wanna make it a competitive sport.

This is why I drink in moderation.

So this mix is a collection of songs that express how I feel when I playing competitive sports or when I’ve had one too many.

Confident v. Cocky Mix_

“Say hello to the bad guy” – Tony Montana