I first stumbled upon the misleading headline “Triceratops Didn’t Exist” on the Huffington Post at about 2:30 PM today. It has since been edited, but, like many articles on websites produced to procure hits, I was gullible enough to click on the link thinking the triceratops was just some fanatical creation. The article, by Bianca Bosker, contained information from this article by Graham Lawton of New Scientist, which clarifies the situation in a very concise manner: the triceratops is now believed, by two scientists Scanella and Horner of the Museum of the Rockies, to be the juvenile form of a dinosaur named the torosaurus. According to Lawton, the two scientists studied various torosaurus and triceratops skulls and determined that the triceratops incurred physical changes in its skull.
The Pachycephalosaurus, hater of Jeeps.
This isn’t the first time dinosaurs were thought to have shape-shifting capabilities: the Dracorex and Stygimoloch both are believed to be juvenile forms of the pachycephalosaurus, who is best known for ramming the Jeep in Jurassic Park 2.
One of the things that really amazes me about paleontology is the requirement of its scientists to piece together what we have in terms of fossils a picture of what ancient animals look like in spite of the fact that we have never seen them. Although, after seeing renderings of both the triceratops and the torosaurus, it becomes easier to see how the two would be related.
What we knew as the triceratops, now known as the adolescent triceratops.
What is now the triceratops, the former torosaurus.
Pretty similar, eh? If the discovery holds up, it is anticipated that the torosaurus will be renamed the triceratops based on the taxonomic tradition of the triceratops being identified first, thus the name will be kept.
Goji berry update: I have not turned into Kellan Lutz yet. Oh well.
Today is Friday. I love Fridays. It means I’m one day away from visiting or being visited by the most awesome person in the world. It is/was/will be pay day. And while I have absolutely no scientific proof to make this claim, everyone else is just a little bit happier on Fridays. And while Friday’s may have, no scratch that, were even better with Cousin Larry Appleton, the Winslows and Danny Tanner, Fridays these days tend to offer a lot of excitement. Fridays have become my favorite workout day: on Fridays, I do low intensity cardio intended to burn fat followed by abdominal work.
When I began my journey to become more physically fit, I weighed 244 lbs, my highest recorded weight. Graduate school and other stresses saw me pressed for time, commuting almost three hours total every day, living on donuts, iced coffee with cream and sugar, and Auntie Anne’s pretzels at Philadelphia’s 30th street station. It didn’t help that my new house was directly behind Wendy’s, either. While there is much debate over the effectiveness of low intensity cardio, at the very least it helped ease me back into a healthier life style and into more intense workouts that I was used to. When I noticed it took me an hour walking at a moderate pace to burn 600 calories and that an Auntie Anne’s cinnamon sugar pretzel was 470 calories with 7 grams of saturated fat, I realized there were two ways to obtain a calorie deficit: make smarter choices coupled with exercising or maintain my unhealthy choices and have to work twice as hard to see results. Long story short, through my journey, I’ve seen the most progress in my waist-line. I’ve lost 38 lbs. in a little over 6 months and now am actually looking to put back on a couple of those pounds in the form of muscle.
When the packaging is this intense, the product HAS to work.
In addition to smarter nutrition, I have added a supplement or three into my diet. I consume a daily vitamin as well as 3,000 mg of fish oil. I have added to my breakfast and post-workout protein shakes. In early July, I added a pre-workout NO supplementary shake called Shock Therapy by Universal Nutrition, the company who sells the notoriously difficult to consume, 20+ pill Animal Pak daily multi-vitamins. Thankfully, this is a little easier to consume. It is a powder that you mix with 8-12 oz. of water and it tastes pretty delicious actually. I would compare it to Hawaiian Punch, only a little less sweet. It’s got a lot of Vitamins C, B6, and B12 and some other funky stuff that promises nitric oxide boosts (the stuff that widens your blood vessels and increases blood flow, give you extra blood flow to the muscles while exercising), antioxidants, and increased focus, drive, and gym intensity. Among other things, it has a moderate level of caffeine. The packaging suggests consumption within 30 minutes of working out. The gym is about 10 minutes away, so I usually mix it up before I leave, sync the iPod, and head out.
I did something different today, though. For lunch, I had a large iced coffee with extra skim milk and no sugar and a whole wheat bagel, a really light lunch. For breakfast, I had only a protein shake, made with water instead of my usual skim milk, 2 scoops of whey protein, a banana, and some blueberries. Again, very light. I didn’t think very much as I downed my pre-workout mix about 15 minutes after I finished my large iced coffee. As I was driving to the gym, I started shaking and sweating and decided to pull over in the nearby Big Lots parking lot. When I realized that I stacked a LARGE amount of caffeine really close together accidentally, I quickly downed my entire 20 oz BPH-free water bottle and, no joke, turned on some easy listening music rather than the Pat Travers that I had been listening to to reduce my heart rate. I closed my eyes, took a few hundred deep breaths, and walked around Big Lots for a bit while I got my barrings again enough to drive safely to the gym.
Believe it or not, this is not the first time I have had such a reaction to caffeine. In my younger, and less nutrition-based days, aka November 2008, Pepsi Max came out as the end all, be all diet soda. I tried it once in its 20 oz. form and liked it a lot. When I found 2 liter bottles at Wholesale Liquidators in Manhattan for $.50 each, I got as many as I could safely carry down Broadway to 80 Lafayette at one time, which turned out to be 10. Rock Band 2 had just come out for Playstation 3 and I was addicted to it. The Phillies just won the World Series, the stress of the election was over, midterms were over, fall baseball was over, and I had the coolest, newest video game out there. On a Friday, being the awesomely fun guy that I am, I decided I was going to stay up until 1 AM that night playing Rock Band 2 and try to beat a sizable chunk of the career mode. I had some pretzels, Doritos, and 10 bottles of this new Pepsi Max. Not knowing the controversy surrounding diet sodas, and having no clue exactly how much caffeine was in this soda, I was up until 6 AM that morning. And I had only drank about 3/4 to 4/5 of a 2 liter bottle. The worst part was, I actually tried to go to sleep at 1 AM, but just couldn’t. I ended up Googling “How to flush caffeine out of your body”, drinking tons of water, and trying to walk it off by walking to the deli. That episode taught me that either my caffeine tolerance is pretty low or there is a gigantic amount of caffeine in Pepsi Max. After today’s episode, the truth probably lies somewhere firm in the middle.
As for the gym, well, I actually made it there despite my Big Lots detour. I did 45 minutes on “Fat Burn” setting on the elliptical followed by the following ab workout:
Superset #1, repeated 3 times:
Weighted decline crunches, 35 lbs weight until failure
Hanging leg raises, until failure
Superset #2, repeated 3 times:
Rocky IVs
Planks until failure
Superset #3, repeat 3 times
Decline side jackknifes x20
Russian twists x12 on each side, 12 lb medicine ball
Superset #4, repeat 3 times
Oblique crunches, 80 lbs
Oblique crossovers, 35 lbs
Superset #5, repeat 3 times
Decline reverse crunch, until failure
Cable crunches, 80 lbs, until failure
I can say without a doubt that the Shock Therapy NO pre-workout supplement has increased the intensity of my workouts, as well as the quality. When I take this product without consuming other caffeinated substances, it does give me a little bit of an energetic boost, but it is definitely not what happened today. I cannot say the same about Pepsi Max. There is entirely way too much caffeine in that product and that experience, coupled with the negative effects of soda as a whole, has really pushed me away from those artificially colored, flavored, and sweetened carbonated beverages. I’ll stick to unsweetened iced tea, thank you!
Aside from consuming two products high in caffeine too close together time wise and Roy Oswalt’s unfortunate Phillies’ debut, today was a pretty great day. I’m headed to Oakland, NJ to see the girl of my dreams tomorrow for Health and Fitness Day 2010, as we’ve been calling it. I love sharing so many things with Sarah and it is really amazing how supportive she is, particularly of my pursuit of health. Tomorrow’s tentative itinerary includes some running on a track, a hike, a trip to Whole Foods, and some cooking. Can’t wait!
The term superfood has been abused across the globe and is being phased out, or not used at all, by dietitians. A superfood is generally a food marketed as something with additional benefits beyond what can be proven by science. For instance the superfood that started it all, the blueberry, can be found being marketed as a brainfood, as the high levels of antioxidants are thought to decrease mental decline and dementia and increase cognitive behavior in the elderly by fighting oxidation of the brain cells. While that neuroscience is a little advanced for my knowledge, there are studies that have indicated there is a link, while detractors suggestion the evidence has been exaggerated.
Other claims exist that anthocyanins, water-soluable vacuolar pigments that give the berries their blue color, help neutralize free radicals in the body. These advances in research are exciting but can be confusing when looking at how anthocyanins react in plants when consumed. There exists a volume of scientificresearch that indicates the unlikeliness of plants’ anthocyanins retaining their antioxidant qualities after consumption, however, berry anthocyanins have shown in lab studies the ability to turn off genes involved in proliferation and inflammation and turn on genes that support apoptosis, the process by which the human body expedites controlled cell death. Apoptosis is responsible for us having fingers and toes and insufficient amounts of apoptosis can result in uncontrollable proliferation, leading to cancer.
The Blueberry Council markets the blueberry as high in vitamin C, as a good source of fiber and manganese, and touts its antioxidant powers. As is, adding blueberries, at about 80 calories per serving, to one’s diet is highly beneficial for those seeking to pad their micro-nutrient stats. However, due to the increased positive media attention blueberries have received as, rightly or not superfoods, prices have increased, marketed gimmicks have arisen, and blueberries got a lot more company in Team Superfood.
This Web MD article lists beans, blueberries, broccoli, oats, oranges, pumpkins, salmon, soy, spinach, tea, tomatoes, turkey, walnuts, and yogurt as superfoods. The article claims superfoods will not only improve your health in the long term, but can make you feel better immediately after consumption. They point out that these foods are best for the body unprocessed and can be added and substituted for less healthy foods in the diet for immediate health benefit. Those claims I can understand. The list essentially is a compiled greatest hits of a hunter-gatherer’s feast and most, I’m looking at you pumpkins, are pretty delicious in their natural state. But as pointed out earlier, the superfood label has been applied to many other things, making them more desireable and thus more expensive without significant scientific research behind these claims. One such superfood is the wolfberry, more commonly known in the United States as the Goji berry.
Goji berries gained fame through marketing that the (disputed) oldest man to ever live, Li Ching-Yuen, believed to be 197 or 256 depending on the record, used to consume Goji berries daily as part of a preservation diet.
The most expensive superfood I could find.
I had never heard of Goji berries before I walked into Holly Hills Health Food Store earlier today. The staff was very nice and, when I spoke to them of my goals of maintaining lean body mass while looking for a low calorie, nutrient dense snack, I was given the Goji berry pitch. I was told several anecdotal tales of its anti-aging abilities, about its ability to fight cancer, it’s array of trace minerals and vitamins including zinc, iron, phosphorus, B2, and E, the fact that it is among a very elite club of fruits that have 4+ grams of protein, and its 3 grams of fiber. And apparently, the last man to purchase these from Holly Hills apparently went from pale to perfectly tan skin, from flabby to fit, and from balding to blooming hair. Jesus. This was my ticket to the cover of Men’s Health.
It has been a few hours since I tried the Goji berries, and honestly, I haven’t turned into Kellan Lutz. For the price, I have tasted much better things. At $16.99 for a bag, I feel
I'm hoping these Goji berries turn me into my doppleganger, Kellan Lutz, overnight.
quite a bit of buyer’s remorse; 16 oz. per bag with 1 oz. serving sizes make this over a dollar a serving. That’s the price of delicious single-serving of Greek yogurt with blueberries on the bottom. These Goji berries taste like even further dried raisins with about half, or less, of the taste. These berries aren’t bad for you, but the nutritional value can be had through better tasting options. I’m having major second thoughts about the $17 I spent and may write a strongly worded letter to Navitas, their distributor, if this product magically doesn’t burn all of the fat off of my body, give me a sunkissed-skin tan, and/or makes me live until I’m 150+ years old. I guess the joke is on me.
These berries do have benefits, though. They are certified organic, are kosher, vegan, and raw. It contains an abundance of trace minerals and vitamins, contains a vegetarian form of protein, and has 140% of the DRV of Vitamin A. It also has 3g of fiber and only 13g of sugar. Check back for an update as consume these twice daily until the bag runs out. I might just turn into Kellan Lutz.
Nothing like a slightly-less sweet, more nutritionally sound raisin taste-alike.
The first episode of Hump Night with Kris Fried as seen on Service Electric Cable Television aired tonight at 11:00 PM. It was pretty exciting to see our months of hard work come together. We had months to plan the first show, now only a week to plan the next! Hump Night will air every two weeks, but to be sure, check your local listings for time and channel.
Antonio Bastardo has started just five games for the Phillies and was recently demoted to the Iron Pigs. That still hasn’t stopped the Philadelphia Phillies from apparently mass-producing his shirsey and shipping it out to Modell’s in North Wales, PA.
Kyle Kendrick may have given up the final three runs to the Red Sox in a losing effort last night, but it is nice to see one of the biggest surprises of the 2007 season back on the roster. Here’s a photo I snapped from our standing position behind the bullpen. Good luck, Kyle!
I was very honored and humbled to accept a 2009 President’s Service Award from President John Sexton earlier this week. Thank you to everyone who made this possible. Here is a photo of me and the Prez. Looking forward to graduating!
A big shout out also to those who attended the coffee and music event put forth by Junior Class President Barrett Paul. On behalf of Spencer Tricker, I would like to thank him for inviting us to play. It was a whirlwind day!
I performed the following songs:
1.) Close My Eyes
2.) Hustle, Baby!
3.) Eggshells
4.) Lannie, Angel from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Spencer did all of his favorites including Hey Jessica and an awesome version of the Replacements’ Waitress in the Sky. You can check out Spencer on iTunes by clicking here.
In 2007, I was a Ninja Turtle. Green tights, green body paint. In 2008, prior commitments to baseball prevented me from showing my Steinhardt spirit. I was not about to miss 2009’s version for anything. Particularly when I found out that Steinhardt’s USG was dressing me up as a giant heart!
The event was this past Friday and Steinhardt had another great turnout! Thanks to Ali, Dana, Angelica, Katie S., Barret, Joey, Katherine, Doris, Jeanne, and, I’m missing a lot of folks here, who made this event awesome once again. Like in 2007, our team made a miracle run in dodgeball. And like 2007, our team faced the mighty Sternies in the semi-finals. Unlike 2007, when we were able to upset the heavily favored Stern squad and then their grad students for the dodgeball championship, we fell short in the semi-finals. This is one event I’ll miss next February!
I love Halloween. The candy, the costumes, the customs. I think one of the reasons I’m so big into Halloween these days is because I never seemed to enjoy it when I was younger. I always picked a costume with a mask, like Batman or the Riddler. The one year, I dressed up in a homemade British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith outfit, complete with sparkly cape and overblown chest plate. But I didn’t really like it. But now, now I love it. This year, I willingly gave it up though. On Thursday, October 30, Katie and I traveled from Penn Station to her home in Burlington, NJ. After she pried me away from Rock Band 2 long enough, we picked up Dan in Allentown. Yesterday, we were among the 2 million who helped usher in the 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies back to Citizens Bank Park.
Nothing says “We just won the World Series!” like a gigantic American flag! USA! USA!
That was reason number one to skip Halloween. Reason number two? The cheap tickets we scored on eBay for the Philadelphia 76ers v. the New York Knicks. Big, early season win for the 76ers. Playoffs this year? I think so.
Happy Birthday Jimmy!
Nothing says "We just won the World Series!" like a gigantic American flag! USA! USA!
