Going Healthy

I got an email a while ago asking me to come back this summer to the camp I worked at last summer (let me know if you're interested in working there). Of course I said yes. Thinking about it however reminded me how unhealthy and out of shape I am. Well, I have a shape, I would just prefer it to not be round in nature. Regardless, I began to think about my lifestyle and propositioned myself to lead a healthier lifestyle.

I've been on a diet since the end of January, and it's actually working. I've lost some weight. Yay. I thought, it's not enough to just starve myself, I should be doing exercise as well. I've always enjoyed running, but I've never been able to do it properly. I always pushed myself beyond my own capabilities. I would say, "Alright, I'm gonna wake up Monday morning and go run and run every day this week." Of course I would push myself more than I should and wake up Tuesday morning barely able to move from how sore I was. I would still be sore on Friday and find that I hadn't run at all. Boo.

So, of course I was excited when I discovered the Couch to 5K Running Plan. I across the program by accident on the Apple Store. It was one of the apps listed for the iPhone/iPod Touch. I did some research on the program and it seemed brilliant. It's basically designed to condition your body to be able to run. It makes you run 3 days a week for 9 weeks. Perfect! I realized there were more than one app offering the program, but I later found a podcast that gave it to me free!

Last week, I started Week 1. I ran Monday and felt exhausted. I ran Wednesday and felt alright. I ran Friday and felt brilliant. I can only say that I was excited about doing well.

This past Monday, I started Week 2, and then I threw out my back. The funniest thing is that the only thing I was upset about was not being able to run on Wednesday. I'm still not 100% and I'm still upset about not being able to run, but I am still dedicated to becoming a runner. So, yeah. Hopefully, by next week, I can pick up where I left off and get back on track.

I even ordered some running shoes. I used this cool search engine on Runner's World to find the appropriate shoes to use. I wasn't willing to spend crazy amounts of money, so I got the cheapest ones. I just got them on Wednesday, and I'm super excited to use them.

ASICS Men's GEL-Foundation 8

So yea. The whole point of this is that I want people to be aware of the fact that I am trying to get in shape and stop going on eating binges. Please feel free to slap food away from me or to motivate me to run.

I'll try to update often on my progress, but I'll definitely be tweeting about it at @ctrejo86.

Peace & Love.

Moderatism, Same-Sex "Marriage", Grayness

The Illinois state primary election is tomorrow, and in lieu of that, I've been doing my civic duty and researching all the candidates. I was originally planning on voting Republican just to support a certain candidate, but after he dropped out, I decided to vote Democrat. It was a difficult decision to make. I don't really identify as Republican or Democrat, left or right; I would consider myself an independent moderate centrist. I understand primaries are set up to choose a party's candidate, but I always have a hard time voting in them because as a moderate, I'm not always in favor of one party's policies over another.

If you are overly curious about the candidates I like, here is a Twitter list of the Democrats I am endorsing: @ctrejo86/illinois-cook-etc-2010

The reason I started writing this post, was mainly because I found something in my political research that I thought was beautiful. It all started when I thought I would take a look at the Green Party's candidate for governor. I dismissed the idea of possibly voting green as soon as I opened the webpage, but I did some exploring and I came across something that stopped me in my tracks. Below is a direct quote from the issues section of Rich Whitney's campaign site:

Do you support same sex-marriage?
The short answer is yes, I would support and sign any legislation that gives same-sex partners the same rights and privileges as different-sex partners. My actual personal preference would be to get government out of the "marriage" business altogether. In a perfect world, the government would only recognize "civil unions" for everyone -- gay and straight -- and "marriage" would be the word strictly used to describe religious ceremonies, not state-sanctioned contractual personal relationship. But if I can't accomplish that, I have no problem just supporting "marriage" for all, on an equal basis. ( http://whitneyforgov.org)

The reason this stopped me is because he has managed to communicate my thoughts in a way that I never could have. The "issue" is a very complicated one, and I tend to avoid discussing my view on it, because in my experience, people jump to conclusions before you even finish your first sentence. I recognize that when I share my views, I try to avoid saying the wrong things so much to the point that it becomes hard to follow. I love Mr. Whitney's answer because it is short, succinct, exactly what I believe, and it falls into place on a spectrum that is often ignored by society. So often people choose to look at an issue as if it were only in black and white, when the reality is that life is not that simple. By choosing to look at the world in terms of left and right, good and evil, right and wrong, yes and no, we fail to see the intricacies and complexities of the universe around us.

People may judge and say that I'm indecisive or that I over-complicate a simple thing, but when has life ever been simple? I won't apologize for living my life in shades of gray.

Getting to Know Me

Dear Viki,

You were right. I would be more likely to respond. I'm also taking the chance to fill out another one of these that I caught from Rocio on my newsfeed. Also, I generally enjoy filling these out.

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1. What time did you get up this morning? Noon.
   
2. Diamonds or Pearls? I could really care less.
3. What was the last film you saw at the theater? Avatar.
4. What is your favorite TV show? I have way to many. But right now I've been watching and enjoying both Eureka and Sanctuary.
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Coffee.
6. What is your middle name? Alberto
7. What food you dislike? Ham.
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Better Days from Tom Frager
   
9. What kind of car do you drive? I don't, but I would buy a hybrid.
10. Favorite sandwich? Turkey, Turkey Bacon, Chips, and Lettuce.
11. What characteristic do you despise? Ignorance.
12. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? EVERYWHERE.
13. VIKI! THERE WAS NO QUESTION 13!?
14. Favorite brand of clothing? Express, H&M, Zara
15. Where would you retired to? I would buy a farm.
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Last birthday was great. Lots of great friends!
17. Favorite sport to watch? Baseball, International Soccer.
18. Furthest place you are sending this? Poland?
19. Person you expect to send it back first? Don't care.
20. Random fact? I secretly like math.
21. Are you a morning person or a night person? Depends.
22. What is your size? 11.5
23. Pets? Dog named Smokey.
24. What did you want to be when you were little? Archeologist, Astronomer, Doctor, Lawyer.
25. How old are you today? 23.
26. What is your favorite candy? Chocolate.
27. What is your favorite flower? Chrysanthemums.
28. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Halloween and Thanksgiving.
29. What is your full name? Carlos A. Trejo
30. What are you listening to right now? Baby When the Light by David Guetta and the sound of my mom cooking.
31. What was the last thing you ate? Chicken nuggets and a burrito.
32. Do you wish on stars? No.
    
33. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Blue.
34. How is the weather right now? Cold.
35. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? No one, yet.
36. Favorite soft drink? Root Beer.
37. Favorite restaurant? I always have a good time at Cafe Iberico
    
38. What is your true hair color? Dark Brown/Black
39. What was your favorite toy as a child? Lincoln Logs.
40. Summer or winter? Winter.
41. Hugs or kisses? Hugs.
42. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate.
43. Coffee or tea? Both.
44. Do you want your friends to email you back? No.
45. When was the last time you cried? Don't remember.
46. What is under you bed? Boxes and dust.
47. What did you do last night? Cleaned.
48. What are you afraid of? Being normal.
49. Salty or sweet? Salty.
50. How many towns have you live in? Calling Chicago a town is an insult.
51. Do you make friends easily? Yes and no.
    
52. How many people will you send this to? No one.
53. How many people will respond? Hopefully no one.

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Here's the one I caught from Rocio.

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100 Things You Might Not Know About Me

1. One of your scars, how did you get it? I fell.
   
2. What is one the walls in your room? My hat.
   
3. Do you snore, grind your teeth, or talk in your sleep? Yes, no, maybe.
4. What type of music do you listen to? All.
5. What time were you born? 6:38am.
6. What do you want more than anything right now? Insane amounts of money.
7. What do you miss? Money.
8. What is your most prized possession(s)? Umm.... my Jules Verne anthology?
9. How tall are you? 5'10.5".
10. Do you get claustrophobic? Only in my dreams.
11. Do you get scared in the dark? Yes.
12. The last person to make you cry? Brother?
13. What's your worst fear? Being forgotten.
14. What kind of hair/eye color do you like in the opposite sex? Red.
15. Where can you see yourself proposing? I don't.
16. Coffee or energy drink? Coffee.
17. Favorite pizza topping? Eh.
18. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be? Pad Thai.
19. Favorite color of all time? Blue.
20. Have you ever eaten a goldfish? No...
21. What was the first meaningful give you've ever received? Don't recall.
22. Do you have a crush? Hundreds.
23. Are you double jointed? No.
24. Favorite clothing brand? Express, H&M, Zara.
25. Who is your favorite female/male celebrity? Any sci-fi actor.
26. Do you have a pet right now? Yes.
27. What kind is it? Dog.
28. Would you fall in love knowing that the person is leaving? Probably.
29. WHAT'S WITH THE MISSING QUESTIONS!?
    
30. Say a number from 1 to 100. 24.
31. Blonds or brunettes? Red heads.
32. Favorite quote? To many.
33. Favorite place? Chicago.
34. Have you been out of the USA? Yes.
35. Your weakness? My pride.
36. Met anyone famous? Yes.
37. First job? Umm...
38. Ever done a prank call? No.
39. Do you think everyone out there has a soul mate? With 6.2 billion people on Earth, statistically, the chances are pretty good. However your chances of finding them are pretty low.
    
40. What were you doing before you filled this out? Filling out another one of these. Prior to that, I was reading.
41. Have you ever had surgery? No.
42. What do you get complimented about most? Dress.
43. Have you ever had braces? No.
44. What do you want for your birthday? Winning the lottery would be nice.
45. How many kids do you want and their names? Can't picture it.
    
46. Were you named after anyone? My dad.
47. What is the biggest turn off of the opposite sex? Dirty living arrangements.
48. What is one thing you like(d) about high school? Friends.
49. What kind of shampoo do you use? All kinds.
50. Do you like your handwriting? No.
51. What is your favorite lunch meat? Turkey or Roast Beef.
52. Any bad habits? Yes.
53. Are you a jealous person? Yes.
54. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? Maybe.
55. Do you agree with friends with benefits? By definition, you stop being friends with someone when you sleep with them. I believe you can have a strictly sexual relationship with someone, but friendships are and should be strictly non-sexual.
56. Do looks matter? Yes, and no.
57. How do you release anger? Active activities.
    
58. Would you rather gain or lose 58lbs? LOSE.
59. What's your main goal in life? Be remembered.
60. What was your favorite toy as a child? Lincoln Logs.
61. How many numbers are in your cell phone? Not that many.
62. Were you a fan of Barney as a little kid? Yes.
63. Do you use sarcasm? YES.
64. Mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese? Mashed potatoes.
65. What do you look for in a guy/girl? To much.
66. What are your nicknames? None.
67. Favorite super power? Telekinesis.
68. What's your favorite TV show? To many.
69. What the best way to deal with your enemies? Avoid, but if necessary, hurt them indirectly.
70. What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Mint chocolate chip.
71. Do you have all your fingers and toes? Yes.
72. Do you have a computer in your room? No.
73. Plans for tonight? No.
74. Where do you want to live when you are older? London.
75. Do you want everyone to answer these questions? No.
76. What are you listening to? Alexandra Burke - Bad Boys.
77. Last thing you drank? Green Tea.
78. Last person you talked to on the phone? Don't recall.
79. The first thing you notice in the opposite sex? Hair.
80. What do you like to do in your spare time? TV.
81. Favorite thing to hate? People.
82. Favorite season of the year? Autumn.
83. What's your favorite type of candy? Chocolate.
84. Have you ever really and truly had a best friend? Yes.
85. What is your hair color? Black/DARK brown.
86. Eye color? Brown.
87. Shoe size? 11.5.
88. Favorite fast food place ? McDonald's.
89. Favorite restaurant? Cafe Iberico.
90. Do you like sushi? No.
91. Watch TV today? Yes.
92. Favorite day of the year? Halloween or Thanksgiving.
93. Play any musical instruments? Used to play the clarinet.
94. Republican or Democrat? Independent moderate.
95. Kisses or hugs? Hugs.
96. Relationships or one night stands? Both, not at the same time of course.
97. What was the last thing you bought? Breakfast.
98. Would you ever be a housewife? If I got to work at home, then sure.
99. What book are you reading? Michio Kaku's "Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportaion, and Time Travel".
100. Describe your love life? Lacking.

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Well that took a lot longer than I expected. Don't expect to see any more of these on here any time soon.

Peace and Love.

Dream Log 1

It might be cool to start sharing my wacky dreams. Cause they get pretty wacky. So here it goes.

In last night's dream...

Apparently, in my dream universe, my house has been relocated to northern Wisconsin. As we pull into the back driveway, a bird that look like a cross between a kiwi and a kookaburra almost flies into my head. It then proceeds to start flying around us and sing a song no one has ever heard. I think, "That bird looks prehistoric." It didn't have feathers, more like hair, and it had a hard looking crest on its head. I was sure I had seen it in a book somewhere. Skip forward to the part where I've my basement has been converted into some secret science facility and we discover that someone's father has messed with time (I have a habit of dreaming about the TV shows. I've been watching, Sanctuary in this case). Rip in time = animals are slipping through? We go outside and see this bird flying around, and some owls on the power lines that are pretty bothered by some other animal. And fireworks because apparently it's close to July 4th. Although I could have sworn it looked like an explosion in space. My dad actually catches the crazy bird and comes across this dog like animal (looked like the one from Avatar) which tries to snatch the bird away from my dad as a meal. I tell my dad to feed it to him cause we have to destroy all life that doesn't belong in our time (even I'm rolling my eyes at that). He doesn't want to but the dog thing ends up taking a bite out of it and kills it, so he just feeds it to him, splattering blood in our doorway in the process, which I refuse to clean up seeing as I didn't make the mess.

So as exciting as this all is, the next scene is the next day and it's the first day at Camp Thunderhead (hence my house in no. Wisco?). There's a lot of running around, but cutaway to a scene where this guy and I are cutting our toenails (sigh) and I decide I have an extra on each foot, though don't feel to sure about it. I actually remember counting six toes. I say something about having to cut one off like it's no biggie, and the guy in front of me chops off two toes with nail clippers which I of course CANNOT watch! Blood and toe bits everywhere. I turnaround to not face the scene and stand at a window that looks onto Roosevelt Road, with a view north to the Loop (my dreams tend to shift location easily/instantaneously). Back to camp and I'm finishing up some work only to be late for lunch, and to discover that apparently I have to teach the next day.

Then I woke up.

Ok maybe not...

Dear Universe,

I got my computer fixed a while ago, but as usual, I've failed to consistently write. I promise (to whoever will believe me) that I will renew my attempts to consistently write.

As stated before, I tweet more frequently than write. @ctrejo86

Love,

Carlos