Relationships Are Like PB&J
Classic PB & J
The Stable and Reliable Peanut Butter
Right around midnight in the middle of me tossing and turning in my bed, I got the sudden urge to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. As I’m spreading the sticky peanut butter over a slice of Wonder Bread, I began to think who came up with this marvelous idea for a snack. Peanut butter and jelly are pretty much the complete opposites, but when you put them together they combine to form a wonderful partnership that make the tastebuds in my mouth dance from happiness.
After I devoured my snack instantaneously like a bird might swoop in my window and take it , it hit me that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is exactly like a relationship. Two total strangers that may not share any similarities form this breath-taking bond that cannot be explained by any laws of science or attraction. At first glance you might not see it. But just like after you take that first bite of the sandwich, these two people feel that overwhelming sensation that this odd pairing of opposites unites in perfect harmony.
How can you describe these opposites that attract. One person in a relationship might be the peanut butter. A strong, solid spread that is always reliable. It has a strong taste and always stick to where it is rooted down, even if that loyalty is hard to swallow sometimes. Peanut butter sometimes is smooth with how it handles things, other times it’s chunky and takes it time to sort things out. Either way, peanut butter is always stable and keeps things grounded. Other people are like jelly. Everybody loves jelly because it is sweet and really gives peanut butter that extra kick of flavor. It you spread jelly alone, it sometimes can slide off and is not always as serious as peanut butter. However, when this sweet spread is connected to its counterpart, they cannot be separated and balance each other out.
One last way that this appetizing treat is exactly like a relationship is you never know when you will want one. Some people never want a PB and J. It might have a left a bad taste in their mouth once or they just might not enjoy it at all. Either way, this sandwich is not part of their diet. Other people need a PB and J everyday. It gives them the stability they need from knowing
they can always look forward and rely on this sandwich at any time they are hungry. Then there are those people who get greedy and have more than one peanut butter and jelly sandwich in one day. They give a bad reputation to this delicious meal. Either way, you never know when you might want the urge for a PB & J sandwich, it might just surprise you out of the blue. Maybe even after reading this.
First Day Back at Gym…Ouch
I posted yesterday’s blog entry “15 Tips” because I couldn’t believe the outrageous fees that gyms try to scam people into signing up for. The employees are possibly even worse than car salesman by pressuring you into deals that you can feel in the pit of your stomach is wrong. They try to persuade you with all their fancy gimmicks, state of the art facility, and classes that you will never attend. Luckily, I was able to find a gym that was the perfect fit for me. There weren’t any NFL regulation football fields or tennis courts built to the exact specifications of Wimbledon. It is a simple, no-nonsense gym with all the equipment I need to get back into shape. Unfortunately, my success in finding a gym didn’t take away from the pains and aches of lifting for the first time again.
After a quick, ten minute jog on treadmill, the adrenaline rush began to kick in and I felt like Superman. I puffed my chest out and was ready to lift a eighteen wheeler if I had to. I sat down on the lat pull down machine and busted out a set of twelve. I got up and began to strut around feeling good. My muscles were pumped and I felt that amazing sensation of blood rushing through my body. Even though there was no one else in the gym, I had to parade around as if I just went twelve rounds with Apollo Creed. I sat back down on the lat pulldown machine and busted out a set of ten on a heavier weight. I got back up to do my march of victory but it wasn’t as sweet as the one before. The adrenaline rush now faded and I began to feel the downfall of getting back in the gym for the first time. My head was lightheaded and those muscles that were filled with adrenaline now began to feel the aches of being out of shape. This is what Rocky must have felt like after the first time he fought the World Champ.
I finished my back exercise and continued with biceps and triceps for the rest of the day. I probably drank three bottles of water as I huffed and puffed like I just finished a pack of cigarettes. I battled through all the aches and pains to finish my workout. It wasn’t enough that my biceps were so worn out I couldn’t extend them down, but my lightheadedness now turned to nausea. Every time I lift for the first time, I usually throw up from pushing myself too hard. This is one of my biggest fears lifting, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself at the new gym (even though there wasn’t anybody there at this time). I decided to take it easy so I wouldn’t end up tossing up my breakfast. I finished with a light, thirty minute jog as I barely got through my first day back to the gym.
Now that it’s morning after, I felt like a truck had just run me over. Even muscles I didn’t workout the day before are aching. After a few minutes of getting out of my bed, I am slowly walking off the soreness. This is just one of the drawbacks of getting back in shape, but I still could not be more excited to go today and lift again. I’m nowhere near my high school days being a wrestler with one percent body fat that could throw around weights all day and not be tired, but I still have that determination and passion when it comes to going into a gym and blasting out a lift. Those day of being an athlete are behind me, so it’s now time to open a new chapter of my life with exercise.
15 Tips on Choosing The Perfect Gym
Perfect Gym
Since it is after the holidays, most people are rushing to the gym to burn off those unwanted calories from that extra slice of Mama’s pumpkin pie . I always find it difficult to choose the right gym, especially with a new chain popping up on every corner. With all the options to look at, here is a list of some of the things you should consider when looking to join a new gym.
1. Is there anybody I know that lifts there that I don’t want to run into? It would be unbearable to muster up some friendliness to interact in a social environment.
2.Will I be the smallest/most out of shape guy there? What’s the point of trying to get back in shape if I’m that far down the food chain.
3. (For single guys) Enough hot chicks to stare at aimlessly when they are not paying attention.
4. Plenty of mirrors to check myself out in, especially during the first week where I will see the most definition and change in my body.
5. Juice bar because I need to pay for over priced protein shakes I could make for one-tenth of the price at home.
6. Televisions on all cardio machines because there is no way I can run this long without taking my mind off it. Especially the movie theatre cardio rooms where your running in the pitch dark like you’re in The Blair Witch Project.
7. A swimming pool and basketball court that I will most likely use once or twice.
8. Dumbbells going up to 150 that I can’t even get off the weight rack with two hands.
9. Trainers that are so juiced out that it makes you question what you have been doing with your life up to this point.
10. Cool swipe card for car ring, so that everyone knows I lift and I’m serious about it.
11. Always crowded at the time I want to lift, so I can either walk around/stare at myself in the mirror more or just stay on one machine the whole time.
12. Great memberships discount that include the outrageous sign up fees and cancellation penalties.
13. Inconsiderate people that never wipe down their sweat so my head is soaked in another person’s body fluids.
14. Managers that look like that they just came back from the buffet, but feel a sense of accomplishment because they know all the meatheads at their gym and vicariously live through their physiques.
15. *Most Important* A gym that is not on your route to work or any other important place, so when you stop going you don’t feel that sense of failure every time you drive by.
If you carefully read this list and narrow down your choice with my criteria, you should find the perfect gym that fits you.
The Great Debate: Pizza vs. Chinese Food
The Holy Grail of Pizza..Buffalo Chicken
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Coke or Pepsi, vanilla or chocolate, PS3 or Xbox are some of the great debates that can cause unrepairable rifts in friendships and relationships. Our generation has probably become the most indecisive ever with so many options being crammed down our throats. Just watch an entire commercial break and you’ll see two new reality spinoffs, on top of three different pizza chain ads( Will gauge my eyes out if I see that Papa John skit with Manning one more time). I can hardly even pick what brand of chips I want when I go to the store, let alone which flavor. Sometimes I wish I grew up in the 1800’s, when things were so much simpler. Instead of choosing which Xbox game to play from the hundreds of options at Best Buy, my only choice for entertainment would be to push a hoop with a stick. Hopefully, there weren’t too many hoop/stick brands to choose from.
A recent debate that I have come across has really been perplexing me. It is more dividing than pro life vs. pro choice, legalization of drugs, and even lowering the drink age…Which food is better reheated the next morning: PIZZA vs. CHINESE FOOD. Drunk college students, late night clubbers, and even lazy adults feel that sense of victory when they find that half filled pizza box or quart of Chicken Lo Mein hidden in the fridge. But once again, the debate is not as simple with the hundreds of varieties of these delectable cuisines.
For the pro pizza side, most people can find joy in just savoring that lone slice of a cheese pie after the last call at a bar. Simple and original and always safe bet. Throw it in the microwave for minute, and you feel like you’re Gordon Ramsey whipping up a five course meal ( most likely the side effects of too much liquor).The pro Chinese food has too many options to list, but I will say most meals are more filling and probably more nutritional than your average slice of pizza. Throw in the some sweet and sour sauce on fried chicken and you’ll be feeling like a million bucks. However, pizza may have the upper hand in this debate.
Chinese food definitely has the variety of choices from chicken & broccoli to beef and rice, but I have never seen people fight over General Tso’s Chicken like they do for a certain kind of pizza. The holy grail of all pies has to be buffalo chicken. Not only is it delicious warm and fresh, but it must have some secret ingredient to make it even more mouth watering reheated. Not only have I seen people burn their last dollar buying fresh pies of buff chic at 2 in the morning, but I have seen friends legit fist fight over a single slice. Pretty intense for something most people take for granted.
Like I said before, some of these debates have torn rifts in friendships. For me, it really doesn’t matter. If I’m hungry and it’s there, I won’t even reheat. Years of cutting weight from wrestling has given me the super power of savoring and enjoying any kind of food warm or cold, fresh or a couple days old.
Wait for Tomorrow?
After the ball drops and the morning hangover kicks in, everyone begins to remember the “important” New Year’s resolutions they made the night before. From getting back in shape to quitting smoking, millions of people set their goals high for the upcoming year. However, the “resolution” that is always followed through the most is pushing back these life-changing resolutions . How many times have you heard or even been a culprit of saying “Oh, I’ll start it tomorrow”. I’ll be the first person to admit that I have done this countless of times in my life.
It can start off as a simple “I don’t feel like it, I’ll take out the trash later.” You wouldn’t even think about it twice, just a simple excuse to keep enjoying the football game or another episode of True Blood. For some people, it’s a one time offense. They’ll eventually get to it. For others, it can be a bad habit almost as addicting as picking up a cigarette. That simple line can almost get you out of anything.
It starts off from putting off chores to scrambling the night before to finish a project that was given out two months earlier. I still can remember that devastating feeling of finding out on Sunday night Barnes & Noble is closed and there’s no way to get that book I need for my test the next morning. Eventually, midnight strikes and you head over to Spark notes and accept the mediocre grade on your test. No real drastic consequences, just shrug it off and make another empty promise that next time it won’t happen..But it always does. Just think, if you didn’t procrastinate on every project you ever did and started if off early, all those grades would have added up and made a world of difference. I know it could have changed my whole high school academic career.
This procrastination bug is the hardest addiction to break in my opinion. It might be less lethal than other habits, but is still as life-changing as others. It has not only prevented me from many opportunities, but also locked me into a cycle of laziness. I hate making cheesy resolutions, but I will make one now. I WILL NOT WAIT FOR TOMORROW! I am not going to put off things for a another day, week, month. I am going to seize each day and not wait another minute. You can wait on life as long as you like, but life will not wait for you.
Life After High School 