Final Reflections

I started out thinking this blogging idea was stupid and lame but I have to say over the semester my views changed. If we had decided to just turn in short essays about random topics I probily would not have done half of them. Writing on the internet is easy for me and considering I don't really care what people think about me the privacy part is not an issue for me at all. I belong to a forum where I give advice and yes it's on steroids who would have guessed. That made the blogging alot easier since I regularly check the forum and read comments and add my two cents to the question being resented. The array of topics for our blogs was fun. They weren't always lame and un-interesting which made the whole process much more enjoyable.

The class overall was fun and I learned a good amount. I thought it was laid back but we still had work to do. Some of our time in class was pretty worthless but nevertheless it brightened the day and still got the assignment for next class. I do feel that you as a teacher were too laid back at times to the point of sometimes appearing as if you didn't care and in turn more then half the class didn't care. Although, not your intention I still learned much and improved on my own writing. I believe reasons people didn't come prepared on work shop days or blog days is because they felt you wouldn't care too much so it wouldn't be a big deal. I enjoyed the teaching style though. I never felt stressed with the course and we still did a good amount of writing.

As a class I have no idea what we learned together. I personally didn't give a shit what we learned together. I didn't like most the people in the class anyways so that probily contributed to it. It mattered to me what I learned and how I did in the course. All in all I thought you did well and your style of teaching worked for me. Even when I gave you a hard time not always my intention but you didn't yell at me you told me straight up right on the spot which I thought was cool.

Thompson Out.

Plans for the Summer

Unfortunately, my summer won't be all that much relaxing and partying as one might usually think. My plans/goals for this summer are simple and I am determined to see them met. My first priority is getting my ass back in the working world and find myself a job. Whether it be a job I like, easy, hard, or something I brutally hate, nevertheless, I plan on working. So far, I have been turned down by the rec center on campus which is unfortunate since It would be easy for me to work in the gym and work with my schedule.

Secondly, I plan to take a class during summer session starting june 30th. Although, it is only for a month, 4 days close to 3 hours a day, of intro to phycology is going to bust my balls. However, It's my fault for not doing the work needed for the first time around 1st semester so it's time to nut up or shut up.

Thirdly, I hope to focus all my other time spent training MMA (mixed martial arts) at DogPound gym and with the team. I have to say this is my main focus even though school and work should probably be first. It would be great if I was able to train hard and make improvements and start my road to getting a fight. I first have to prove myself in kickboxing and grappling (ju-jit-su) before I get to fight MMA but there is enough motivation to get through doing amature kickboxing and a grappling tournament. There's nothing better then submitting or knocking some kid out anyways so it's just more practice for the real deal. I'm interested in seeing how well I react to getting hit as well. I've not been hit in the head much in my life. In my lame street fights I usually do more of the hitting but I know I'm not made of glass and can take a few. It will be that first moment of being knocked out that will test me if I truely want to do this sport for my life.

This summer should be exciting and rewarding but will require some hard work and a little blood and sweat. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to the road ahead with both fists and legs leading the way.

Bully Beatdown

Bully Beatdown is my of my favorite shows hands down for numerous reasons. The host Jason "Mayhem" Miller is a pro mma fighter and very energetic which brings humor and the audience into the show. You can't help but like the guy. The show is all based around kids that get bullied throughout their life. They send in a tape of their problem bully which then "Mayhem" offers the bully 10,000 dollars to step in the ring with a pro mma fighter. It makes for entertaining tv. Every time the bully accepts and thinks he is the biggest meanest man alive but when they get in the ring their perspective changes drastically.

The bully has to survive two rounds with the fighter. The first round being grappling only and the bully starts with 5,000 dollars each round. Each time the bully is submitted he loses 1,000 dollars which goes straight to the victum(s). As you can imagine the bully never comes close to winning. The second round is kickboxing only. Again the bully starts with 5,000 dollars and if he is KO'd, quits, or the ref has to stop the fight he loses all 5,000 dollars which goes straight to the victum(s).

Being that I love cage fighting it's very fun to watch these morons get the living shit kicked out of them. Also they usually learn a lesson and apologize for that they have done. So all in all the victum(s) get some sweet cash and the bullies get humiliated on national tv. Great show.

Op Ed Ideas

We all know steroids interest me. One idea for my Op Ed is why steroids shouldn't be treated as illicit drugs. This would not be so much about the uses and dangers of the drugs but why there shouldn't be a law that criminalizes everyone who uses them that doesn't compete in sports and uses them for purely cosmetic reasons.

Pakistan’s War of Choice

A second Op Ed article I read that was interesting was on Pakistan involvement and recent accomplishments in Afghanistan. It talks about military strategies and Pakistan' recent cooperation with US special forces against terrorism.

Against ‘Pro-Israel’

My third Op Ed article was very controversial. I thought it was interesting and had great supporting evidence for the authors claims.

Research Paper Sources

Bigger Stronger Faster - Movie

www.Isteroids.com/forum

www.Isteroids.com

www.Wikipedia.com

www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/steroids.html

www.medscape.com/viewarticle/533461

Bigger Stronger Faster is a documentary about steroids use that is narrarted by one of the Bell brothers. He does a great job being objective and exploring the two sides of the subject. I think it is the documentary to watch if your interested in the subject of anabolic androgenic steroids.

Isteroids.com although bias holds great information and has taught me a great deal about AAS. It is a site that explains every compound as well has a forum for users and people thinking of using for the first time to go to and learn what they need to, to be able to use AAS safetly.

Research Topic

I would like to write my paper on anabolic steroids talking and discussing the use, abuse, effects, side effects, what they are, all the way to regulation and cover ups of olympic/profressional athlets. I am passionate about the subject and believe I could write a informative paper discussing the use in todays society.

Protein: Eat Big to Get Big

Protein is one of the essential building blocks to gaining muscle mass and size. Without sufficient protein forget about getting bigger and stronger. Many people do not understand how vital protein is in ones diet. For gaining purposes in males, you would have to consume 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. For myself, I currently weigh 226 lbs which means if I wanted to continue to gain muscle mass and size I would have to be consuming 339 grams of protein. A 5 ounce chicken breast has about 35g of protein. That's a lot of eating to meet that 339 goal. Over the years of training for bodybuilding I've started to look at eating as a mere chore. When you stick to a strict diet for over a year and eat 5-6 times a day every meal is just another meal checked off for the day.

There are many different types of protein. Whey, (which most have heard of due to the supplement business with their famous whey protein advertisements) casein, egg white, and soy are among the most notorious nutritional proteins. Whey is a fast acting protein which is quickly absorbed into the blood stream. It is the ideal protein to have right after a workout which is the most important time for protein consumption. Casein protein is a slow acting protein which delivers the nutrient over a long period of time keeping your body out of a catabolic state (the state at which your body feeds off it's own muscle fibers for energy). Casein is most ideal before bedtime so while you sleep you are getting a constant drip of protein while you sleep. Soy is an easily digested protein and 35% of the protein is made up of the 3 branch chain amino acids that compliment building muscle. Soy milk is a great source of this protein and comes in many great tasting flavors. Egg white protein is an extremely lean and high concentrate form of protein. Powder form of the protein is not often the best tasting or inexpensive but none the less a great addition to your arsenal of muscle building tools. Instead of buying the powder simply cracking an egg and separating the yolk, then scrambling the egg whites is a much more enjoyable and easy way to cook a good breakfast.

Sources:

www.betterbodz.com/proteinfinal
http://www.bodybuilding.com/