Apps You Didn’t Know You Needed

OK, you have every “must have” that all of the blogs tell you that you need.  Well, I have a few here that you might never have heard of, but I have found them very useful.  I use a Windows Phone, the Nokia Lumia 900 to be exact, but some of these apps are available for Android and iOS.  I’ll let you know, because I’m cool like that.

Writer’s Block–“No Excuses” Birthday Video

Today is my birthday and what better opportunity to put out an experimental type of video.  My friends should all be nice to me and find something to like…anything.

I did this because of a “No Excuses” pact that I’ve made with myself and recently with my friend Natalie Oman.  Last year, I put together Textually Active for my birthday, but this year I didn’t have the money to to make the next film in that series.  No worries, we JUST DID IT.  Video below!

Why Nokia Wins – Post Beta Test

There is finally some good hardware competition going on with Windows Phone.  Samsung and HTC have really been repackaging successful Android devices and Nokia is focused solely on Windows Phone.  That focus seems to be paying dividends.

Nokia is now the best-selling Windows Phone device after being in the market for just a few months.  The reviews have been great and the customer satisfaction has been off the charts.  The greatest testament was when Siri got caught recommending the Lumia when asked “What is the best cell phone ever”.  Apple has since hard-coded the answer to be more Apple friendly, but the customer satisfaction data that Siri originally based her answer on, doesn’t lie.  Now let’s look at WHY Nokia is winning and elevating the status of Windows Phone.

Dreadful Campaign Season

Yup, it’s already shaping up to be a particularly nasty campaign season.  How do I feel about it?

Mothers Day PSA

The original and more innocent version of “stay off the crack”. I hope this kids superstition game is universally known, so that people actually “get” what I’m talking about here. Just in case it was something only known in Kalamazoo and Portage, Michigan, the saying goes something like:

“Don’t step on a crack or you’ll break you mama’s back.”

So I offer this as a Public Service Announcement. Even if you can’t send you mom to an expensive spa or a fancy dinner, you can at the very least give a call and stay off the crack…on all levels.

Happy Mothers Day

DalyDose of…Insanity Day 15

Yes, today was Day 15 of my journey with Shaun T and his Insanity workout.  As you know this is part of my Total Package Mission, so I’m digging deep.  I submit the following video as Exhibit A.

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DalyDose of…Insanity Plyo-Cardio Abs

Earlier, I did Day 10 of “Insanity”, which is the Plyometric Cardio Circuit.  It’s a great butt kicker and it lets you know that you’re not in as good of shape as you think you are. Fortunately for me, I was under no world-class athlete delusions.  I am trying to return to warrior shape.

I know many of you think, that because I walk around being JD that it is simple.  Well, I’m here to tell you that it is hard work.  It’s not easy being The Total Package and if you read my earlier blog entry on the subject, you know this needs to be the goal of every man in search of a partner these days.  Seriously, I’m still available.

So far, I’ve posted a daily post-workout picture on Facebook.  For Day 10, I thought I’d spice it up and add some video.  I might do this once a week if people want to see me suffering in pain.  Anyway, here’s the ab-moves demo video that I threw together:

*wow…I need to vacuum and it looks like I found a pen!

DalyDose of…Total Package

I started the “Insanity” workout today and let me start this posting on a tangent: Even the fit test kicked my butt!

OK, back to our originally scheduled blog.  I started the Insanity workout today because my internal fitness level did not match my external appearance.  I have a supercharged engine in a jalopy frame and it was time to get to the body shop.  When I finished the workout this morning, I thought about some things that I had been talking about with women that I know.  They all have various reasons for justifying why they don’t think a guy will work out.  Some of them claim intuition, some resort to blaming it on “timing” and some just say that they aren’t willing to “settle”, but are uncomfortable discussing what is an unsettling…uh…settling situation.

SAG AFTRA Merger–Don’t Know, Vote NO

The establishment of the SAG-AFTRA, “One Union” merger have been pulling out all of the stops during this attempt of guild blending.  Well, by “all of the stops”, I mean they are parading celebrity pleas for “YES” votes and ignoring critical questions.  I had questions and was directed to call or email the people at www.sagaftra.org.  It’s been weeks with multiple attempts and I still have no response.

They’ve held online meetings, one of which I viewed, and in person meetings and they’ve sent out slick mailers, but have failed to answer any of the questions that I’ve had.  It was extremely frustrating not being heard by the people purporting to represent my interests.

THEN I see SAG-AFTRA post this Lewis Black rant:

He must be right…he’s yelling and talking down to me.

Besides being another celebrity who has NONE of the same needs that I have, this is just downright insulting.  Those of us who dare question this merger need to “think for once”?   The ONLY thing funny about this clip is that he rails on people for clinging to a slogan but only really offers slogans in return.  Oh yeah, he gives the “guy working on two cartoons at once” scenario, because that happens to a majority of the membership on a regular basis.  Other than that, he’s just spewing establishment talking points, in a really loud voice.

There are lots of things that I Don’t Know about this proposed merger and that’s why I’m leaning towards no.  Here are the major ones:

DalyDose of…Quirky Gratitude

On Facebook, I started a post asking people to declare the little things in life that they are thankful for.  You can see the action HERE.   This got me thinking even more about gratitude.  I wanted to quickly think of a few things that I could be thankful for that don’t appear to be objects worthy of thanks.  Here is said list:

• I am thankful for the collective economic distress by my peers in Los Angeles.
  I don’t say this because I want everyone in the same leaky boat with me.  I say this for a couple of good reasons.  First off, I believe that lots of great accomplishments come after disappointment.  I’m also glad to be in an environment where we aren’t always “keeping up with the Joneses” and can focus on our creative pursuits.

• I am thankful for being single.
  The “inner-jerk” in me would say that I’m thankful to enjoy different selections from the menu vs. only getting to enjoy my favorite entrée day after day.  In fact, I would say that the ability to roam in social situations has allowed me to expand my network.  Of course, I’ll be thankful when “she” makes “herself” known to me so I can have a teammate in this game of life.  I’ll also be glad to stop typing about “her” in quotation marks.

• I’m thankful for bills and collections.
  Seriously, these people expect me to pay them and believe that I will.  I appreciate their optimistic attitude regarding my economic prospects.  There are times that I’m not sure and then I’ll get a piece of mail or a phone call demanding that I fulfill my potential and pay them.  That’s true support.

• I’m thankful for the death trap that I’m currently driving.
  No, I don’t have a passive plan to leave this life anytime soon.  I appreciate living in an area where I can walk for entertainment, shopping, dining, etc.  It’s good for my health and I get to know the area in ways that you can’t from locked inside of a vehicle.  To be honest, I’m even grateful for the vehicle as it allows me to travel beyond walking range.
•  I’m thankful for not being the obvious ideal in the dating pool.
  Let’s be real. People aren’t dating me for my money, power, prestige or underwear model contract.  I truly know that I’m being loved for being myself.

Well, that’s my quirky, unexpected list of thanks to go along with health, friends, family and all the other “big stuff” that everyone always gives thanks for.  I’d also like to give thanks to anyone who read this often neglected blog.   Hmmmm…maybe I should consider the blog for my 2012 list of resolutions.  Last year’s 10 Single Resolutions was all about living the single life and I think Mr. Inner-Jerk took over that list. Hmmmm….

Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you all find reasons to be thankful for anything and everything you have in your lives.

I’m off to San Clemente to meet the #StumbleBaby.