Only a Little Progress

Since my last report on the weight I have lost I have gone away to and attended a conference in Lexington, Kentucky.

I realize that should not be an excuse to eat poorly, but unfortunately I did. I ate a local Lexington dish known as a hot brown. I had an all you can eat breakfast buffet at a Big Boy. I also had a fried chicken dinner one night at a Popeye's.

I know that sounds horrible for someone who has been on a diet. I agree wholeheartedly. At least I have not gained any weight since last week's weigh-in.

In total I have lost 42 pounds, 2 pounds more than my last report here. I'm back on the road to weight-loss. That is, until the ICA conference in Dresden, Germany that is happening in the month of June!

Another Hurdle Cleared

Today marks another benchmark in my career as a graduate student. Today I attended my very last class as an official student. I still have two more papers to finish, but I no longer have any classes to go to.

It’s a very surreal experience for me, especially when you consider that I have been attending Indiana University nonstop for the past eight years!

My next big hurdle-comprehensive/qualifying exams late in May.

Gephyrophobia

Those that know me know that I suffer from gephyrophobia. “What is gephyrophobia” you might ask. It’s the fear of crossing bridges. (It is also known as gephydrophobia or gephysrophobia.)

I can’t really explain the feelings that I have when I’m crossing a bridge. It feels like I have butterflies in my stomach and my apprehension level skyrockets. I’ve given it a lot of thought over the years. I know that it is an irrational fear, but I always find myself wondering what happens if the car I am in veers off the side, particularly when we are crossing over a body of water. Or I think about what would happen if the car I was in was in an accident while on the bridge. It absolutely terrifies me.

It’s not so bad when I’m a passenger in a car while crossing because I can just close my eyes so that I don’t have to see it. But when I’m driving I have to be in the innermost possible lane. Otherwise the fright really starts to build.

I started to think about this again after a trip I made this past weekend. Last Thursday-Saturday I attended the Kentucky Conference on Health Communication in Lexington, Kentucky. In order to drive there from Bloomington I had to cross over the Ohio River as I drove into Louisville. Going there was not a problem. I was able to zip over the bridge with little problem, though I still felt quite nervous. Coming back was another story.

This past Saturday marked the two week mark before the Kentucky Derby. Louisville spent this past Saturday celebrating the coming sporting event. Included in the festivities was an air show with the Blue Angels. The event, called the Thunder over Louisville, had the Blue Angels doing air tricks over the Ohio River. Due to this, all other bridges that crossed over the Ohio River were closed and their traffic was routed to the same bridge I was going to be on. About five miles before the bridge traffic became extremely heavy, resulting pretty much in bumper to bumper, slow moving cars. This wasn’t so bad for me until I realized that it was the same way over the entire bridge. Because of the lane I was in I was in the rightmost lane, which is the lane that frightens me the most. In addition, I had rented a car for the trip. I was in a Chevy Classic, which was a very light car. Whenever the Blue Angels would fly close to the bridge overhead the car I was in vibrated. I almost thought I would start hyperventilating while behind the wheel on the bridge.

Fortunately I made it off the bridge and home, though more than an hour longer than it took me to drive to Lexington. I only hope that by facing my fears like I did this time it will help to make me less fearful of crossing bridges in the future.

Calvin & Hobbes-Day 2

As promised yesterday here is another one of my favorite strips.

Calvin & Hobbes

One of my favorite comic strip of all time is Calvin & Hobbes. I always found it to be smartly written and incredibly funny. I thought that today I'd share one of my two favorite strips. I'll post the other tomorrow.

Starting to Fight Back

Since the Janet Jackson incident at Super Bowl XXXVIII, the FCC has assessed many, many fines to television networks and stations, many of which seem excessive.

Recently the FCC assessed CBS with a $3.6 million fine for an episode of the drama Without a Trace that depicted teens engaging in group sex. CBS was also assessed a $550,000 fine for the Janet Jackson incident. Recent fines to CBS include items heard on The Early Show and Survivor: Vanuatu.

ABC and FOX have not been exempt from these recent fines. ABC was assessed fines due to language on NYPD Blue and FOX was fined for some portrayals of sex on the reality show Married by America.

The networks aren’t going to take this lying down. These three networks, in addition to NBC who did not receive a fine in this recent round, and their affiliates (which represent about 800 stations) have filed appeals in federal court against these rulings.

It really does appear that the FCC has been running roughshod over the networks and their programming. Much of what was being fined would not have received a fine a decade ago. What does this actually say about the state of our country when we are working toward censoring things more than ever before? Is this really the road that we want to follow as a nation?

Nieces and Nephews

A little more than a week ago my family had an addition with my new nephew Brendan. I then realized that I have not really mentioned my other nieces and nephew. Here's a pic of the three of them.


From left to right is Abigail, Rebeca and AJ. They are the greatest!

Never To Early To Make A Prediction

I recently discussed the potential bids cities that have made it to the short list for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. I decided today to take a look at the potential places planning feasibility studies and trying to determine how likely it is that they will attempt to bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

While it is still early, some reports are starting to emerge that the United States may have a good shot at receiving these Games. In addition, the International Olympic Committee is reportedly looking to put these Summer Games in regions of the world that no Olympic Games have been held before, such as South America or Africa.

Keep in mind that these cities are not likely to make formal bids until late 2007 or early 2008, and the official announcement by the IOC will not be made until October 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Here are the cities (or just countries if no specific city has yet been named) looking into have the 2016 Summer Games. (List is courtesy of www.gamesbids.com.)

Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Chile
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Hamburg, Germany
Houston, Texas, USA
India
Fukuoka, Japan
Kenya
Los Angeles, California, USA
Madrid, Spain
Milan, Italy
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Moscow, Russia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Portugal
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Rome, Italy
St. Petersburg, Russia
San Francisco, California, USA
San Diego, California, USA & Tijuana, Mexico (joint bid)
Tel Aviv, Israel
Tokyo, Japan

Other cities that were thought to possibly make a bid for the 2016 games but have since cancelled their bids are:

Brussels, Belgium (due to financial concerns)
Busan, South Korea (will attempt a bid for the 2020 Summer Games)
Cape Town, South Africa (will attempt a bid for the 2020 Summer Games)
Copenhagen, Denmark (will attempt a bid for the 2020 Summer Games)
Flanders, Belgium (believed to be too small a city)
Prague, Czech Republic (will attempt a bid for the 2020 Summer Games)
Sapporo, Japan (due to financial concerns)
St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA (will attempt a bid for the 2020 Summer Games)

Notice that many countries have possible bid cities. Before making their formal bids to the IOC, countries will weigh the best location they have to offer and push that through as their formal entry.

The 2012 Games will be held in London, England. I think that this will strike a blow to many of the European countries making a bid. I think, unless a country makes the most spectacular bid, that the IOC will choose another continent for the 2016 Games.

I think that many would say that it is too early to make a prediction about who are the best candidates to get the nod, but I’m silly enough to try. I think your leading contenders for the bid are the eventual U.S. bid city (quite possibly Los Angeles or Baltimore if they join forces with Washington D.C.), Rio de Janeiro (which would place it in South America for the first time), or Dubai (depending on the political climate of the area).

Lordy Lordy It Finally Hit Forty

As of this morning's weigh-in I have lost a total of 40 pounds.

No one is as amazed by this as I am.

I know that there has been some weight loss. I notice it because of how my clothes fit. But I juts don't see it since I look at myself every day. But people keep telling me that they notice.

It really is amazing.

Baby Update

It's now official, though it took longer than I thought.

My new nephew is Brendan Alan McGuin.

Another Angelini (Sort Of)

Less than an hour ago I became an uncle for the fourth time.

My sister Lisa and my brother-in-law Shane had their third child, and their first son together, less than an hour ago.

He is 10 pounds 8 ounces with a head full of hair.

He has yet to be named, but I'm sure by mid-day tomorrow we'll be calling him something besides Baby Boy McGuin.

#1 in the World

In the 1990s the most popular American television show exported to the rest of the world was Baywatch. The worldwide appeal of American beaches and beautiful people in their bathing suits made it the top program in dozens upon dozens of countries around the world.

Any idea what is currently the top American television show around the world? You may be surprised:


That’s right. CSI: Miami has become the highest rated program in countries such as Germany. In other countries it may not be the highest rated program overall but it is the highest rated American import.

I definitely found this surprising. I would have thought that the top U.S. programs would be the most popular. While American hits such as Lost and Desperate Housewives are popular around the world, CSI: Miami beats them nearly every time. Even the original CSI is often outrated by CSI: Miami, even though in the U.S. CSI: Miami is only the 12th ranked program in terms of ratings while the original CSI is #1.

If it was just the forensic mystery that was the top reason people watched, you would think that the original CSI would be the most popular. It is the addition of the sunny locale and sexy individuals that pushes CSI: Miami into the top position.

I wonder what sun drenched program will take over this top spot in the future.