Barenaked Ladies Are Rock

There's something cool about seeing Rush in Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens. There's something cool about seeing Barenaked Ladies at Massey Hall. But it's a different kind of cool to see Barenaked Ladies perform "Hello City," half a block up from Barrington Street, two blocks from the corner where beer-fueled, donair-stained late-night punchups helped inspire the song years ago.

We'd had seats for this show since the on-sale date back in September. Saturday's concert included a sampling of songs from the new records, both of which I've enjoyed very much. Most of the classic BNL favourites were also on the set list.

We had fantastic seventh-row floor seats Saturday for our first concert at the Metro Centre. Definitely a thumbs-up for the show. As I've noted before, I wish I could sing and perform like Steven Page. Dude kicks ass. Hell, the whole band did a great job.

Opening act Tomi Swick did a solid job. Imagine Tom Cochrane with Coldplay as his backing band.

For your enjoyment, and possible inducement to buy or otherwise acquire the new records Barenaked Ladies Are Me and Barenaked Ladies Are Men, here is the video for one of my favourite tracks therefrom, "Sound of Your Voice."

BigAssSuperstar: Un-Weighted: Week Twenty-three

Some of the back-links to the past few weeks' BAS:UW articles may be a little messed up. I realized while writing this that I counted two "week seventeen" articles, so I'm a week closer to the end than I thought. Uh-oh.

Finally made it to the gym on a weekday morning. Went over to Nubody's on a morning with no hot water in the apartment. Did two cycles through the circuit training machines and a bit on the treadmill. And I had a shower in a gym for just the second time in my life. That almost felt like as big an accomplishment as working out. Got back home and found the hot water was restored.

Personal growth/fitness accomplishments this week: I have put in a request to sign up for the Rogers Wireless 5k Run-Walk at the Bluenose Marathon on May 25. And I went for a free introductory lesson at the martial arts place. That went well -- I kicked and punched better than I expected. Entirely ungraceful, mind you, but I lifted my legs higher than I knew I could.

Start weight: 220 pounds
Last week: 208
This week: 206
Change: -2
Total loss: 14 pounds

(This weekend's weigh-ins ranged from a little over 205 to a shade over 207. I had a stable reading of 206 for a while on Saturday, so I'm goin' with that.)

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BAS Un-Weighted Archives: First half: Week Zero, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen.
Second Half: Week Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen and Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two.

I was robbed by two men

After you watch this video, and find yourself asking what the hell you just saw, visit the relevant Wikipedia article about Zuikkin' English.

You may also find yourself in the mood to laugh along at Engrish.com.

A "woo-hoo" to the folks at Fighting Spirit, a UK wrestling and MMA magazine which just published one of my old pictures from the Renegade Wrestling Alliance days. Thanks to them for sending me a copy of the magazine -- looks cool.

BigAssSuperstar: Un-Weighted: Week Twenty-two

After a nearly month-long absence from the gym, and a months-long absence from weight training, I got my ass to Nubody's for some liftin'. I did two rounds on the circuit training weight machines, plus about 25 minutes on the treadmill.

It felt really good. Well, it felt sore afterward, but that's the good stuff. I'm glad to feel my muscles inflamed and growing. I'm into the home stretch here, and hoping to make a good showing by the end. If I end up putting on a coupla pounds of muscle mass, I'm fine with that. Just gotta keep it goin'!

Inkling of an idea: doing the Rogers 5k run as part of the Bluenose Marathon later this year. Hmm... It's possible.

Start weight: 220 pounds
Last week: 209
This week: 208
Change: -1
Total loss: 12 pounds

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BAS Un-Weighted Archives: First half: Week Zero, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen.
Second Half: Week Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen and Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One.

BigAssSuperstar: Un-Weighted: Week Twenty-one

Not much to report this week, so I'll keep it brief. I finished reading The Testosterone Advantage Plan, but haven't begun applying it yet.

I did keep a promise made to Sandra on our trip -- I made Amanda dinner, twice! A carrot cut up into slivers, pieces of red pepper, chunks of onion, bean sprouts, boneless skinless chicken breast, szechuan satay sauce over long grain and wild rice. Yummy.

Start weight: 220 pounds
Last week: 209
This week: 209
Change: 0
Total loss: 11 pounds

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BAS Un-Weighted Archives: First half: Week Zero, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen.
Second Half: Week Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen and Nineteen, Twenty.

BigAssSuperstar: Un-Weighted: Week Twenty

My appetite has returned. My exercise routine has not. Thus ...

Start weight: 220 pounds
Last week: 208
This week: 209
Change: +1
Total loss: 11 pounds

I actually had one reading of 208, but went with the prevailing 209 so as not to "cheat" and set myself up for 210 next week.

The recent visit with Sandra and Byron introduced me to a book called The Testosterone Advantage Plan. (Available at Chapters and Amazon.) Byron says he's trying it and finding it useful. Turns out I had the book on my bookshelf already, but I'd never opened it.

It's a nine-week plan from the people at Men's Health Magazine which purports to exploit and enhance the male body's own testosterone to achieve a stereotypically manly physique. Its diet premise appears to be a higher-protein Mediterranean diet, with about one-third protein, carbs and fats. It postulates that fat has a role to play in making testosterone, that protein is helpful to enhance the thermic effects of eating (that is, the calories you burn processing the food you ate), and that carbs aren't all they're cracked up to be. I haven't reached the workout part of the book yet, but the preliminary chapters hammer home the concept that to burn fat, you really ought to be building muscle, since muscle-building is heavy metabolic work, and the body burns more calories when it has more muscle. Sounds fair.

So far, so good. I can totally agree that more muscle = more calories burned, and more muscle = good lookin', and that paying attention to protein intake etc. is generally wise.

I'm slightly skeptical of the book's "(almost) everything you've been told about eating and fitness is dead wrong -- and we're right" approach. The authors pick apart studies that support the old low-fat diet concepts, being especially harsh on studies with small sample sizes. However, their own sample size is something like a dozen guys. And for all their hype about testosterone, they don't actually test for testosterone at any point in their studies.

Having said all that, I'm not crying "bullshit" over the Testosterone Advantage Plan. At this point, *any* prescribed diet and exercise program, followed carefully, would likely do wonders for my body. So I'm going to keep reading, and try to use the authors' motivational hyperbole to get me lifting weights again.

I only have another month and a half in the Un-Weighted project, so it's time to see if I can crack 200!

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BAS Un-Weighted Archives: First half: Week Zero, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen.
Second Half: Week Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eightee and Nineteen.