I’ve been a member at bodybuilding.com for several years and, I can say with certainty that it “can be” a wonderful resource to have access to during a persons weight loss and/or transformation journey.

With that said, if you’re not a member and are thinking about joining…..Please be aware that it is one of The Largest Forums in the world – YES, the world. And with that comes Good and BAD! While many people will be helpful, supportive, and encouraging – there will also be a few people that take gratification in insults, mischief, or….just want to use the board as a way to pick up on people. *you have been warned* *lol* So, keep that in mind when navigating through bodybuilding.com’s mini universe.

I encourage you to use bodybuilding.com to your advantage.

The Forum has many great sections – Over 35, Women, Teen, and Workout Journals are just a few of my personal favorites.

If you have a health/fitness question:
Before asking questions – Please do your best to find the answer yourself. Read through the Forums, use the search feature (in the Forum section), or search the 1000’s of Articles. Believe Me, 99% of the time you’ll find the answer on your own.

Workout Journals:
Are a fabulous source of motivation! You can find them in the sections that I mentioned above. In most cases, a personal journal will go into detail about the authors diet, training routine, and will be updated with progress pics. Watching a persons transformation take shape before your eyes (especially if that person has a similar bodytype as yourself) can be extremely motivating!

BodySpace:
Is a “fairly new” feature of bodybuilding.com and, I think that it is FABULOUS! BodySpace integrates social networking (similar to myspace), blogging, youtube, and progress tracking.

The progress tracking feature allows you to input/update individual body stats (ie. weight, chest, waist, hips, etc…). Once you add two or more inputs, the a graph will plot the changes in the form of a several graphs (one for each body stat).

Example:

I encourage you to build a strong support system along your journey. And, if you’d like to stay in contact with me and meet others with body transformation goals, please feel free to JOIN Bodybuilding.com through my referral link.

And don’t forget to visit My BodySpace page while you’re there! I’d love to hear from you!

When I arrived in San Francisco, sunny skies and crisp air welcomed me back home. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day in December. Julie and I made our way outside of the airport terminal where we were greeted by a driver who asked if we needed transportation. “Yes. To the St. Francis”, I said. As he loaded up the first suitcase he said that it would be 45 dollars. I immediately asked, “Umm, isn’t that a little expensive?!” He was confident in his response and assured us that it was within a $3 dollar difference of using a conventional taxi. Having not been to The City in quite some time – who was I to say differently?! So, we climbed into our black chauffeur driven Lincoln and headed to the hotel.

Upon arrival we were told that our hotel room was not yet available so, we checked our bags, called Yousef (The Driver), and ventured over to Bernal Heights to spend the day. In addition to needing “my San Francisco fix” – I also wanted Julie to see The City from my perspective; perhaps then she’d understand why I’m always so home sick.

Although it was a bit chilly outside, I had the driver stop on Cortland so that we could walk the rest of the way up to Bernal Hill. It’s my opinion that “a little bit of struggle makes reaching a goal more rewarding!” *actually….i think i got that out of a fortune cookie.* *LOL*

Okay-okay, on with my recap!

Somewhere along the way I was stopped dead in my tracks by one of the most curious of sites……Dinosaurs! *giggles* I wasn’t going to miss this once in a life time chance to snap a few pictures of Dinosaurs in Bernal Heights – so, I took out my camera, crouched down, and got these most amazing shots. Don’t be surprised if you see them gracing the pages of Scientific American. *big cheesy grin*

As we reached the base of Bernal Park, I pulled out my camera in preparation of a view that I knew would be breath taking. We trekked upwards along a dirt path; which was kept free of grass and weeds by the walks many of the neighborhood residents (the furry kind included) make everyday.

Almost at the top, the buildings of Downtown began to appear – each step upwards caused an illusion that made the entire city appear as if it were rising out of the ground before me. Not “like” magic….it was magic!

There we sat and admired the view – from the Bay Bridge to the Golden Gate. I was finally home.

Julie and I hadn’t eaten all day and finally decided to head back to Cortland to indulge in one of my favorite comfort foods of all time – Liberty Cafe’s famous chicken pot pie. BUT…with an hour to spare before the Cafe opened their doors and, the rumbles in our tummies growing louder by the minute – Julie and I strolled down the block to The GoodLife Grocery Store where we picked up a bit of french blue cheese, bread, and sopressatta. With nowhere else to go, we just sat on a bench outside of the cafe and indulged on our little delights as passersby Mmmm’ed and salivated.

Yes, it was cold outside and the sky was turning dark but, the promise of a flaky, buttery, croissant like crust; baked over a bowl filled with a homestyle chicken gravy and crisp vegetables just made all my cares melt away.

On the way to the cafe – I spotted this sign and had to take a picture…..*so funny*

The wine during dinner pretty much sucked and it was much too early to call it a night so, we walked down to a little wine bar a block away to savor something better. Once there, we sipped our wine as an older gentleman, a young woman, a misbehaved little girl, and a trashy loud talking blond with big boobs occupied the table beside us.

The young woman (obviously the mother of the child) yapped on the phone the entire time *cluck cluck cluck* while simultaneously carrying on a conversation with the blond across the table. Somewhere between her yapping, gulping down wine, and “not watching her kid”…..the little girl pissed under the table. Not once did the people mention anything nor apologize to the waitress for the mess – they just kept quiet and soaked it up with napkins. *disgusting*

I’m sure that it can go without saying, I was getting rather annoyed by the people next to us so, I quickly gulped down my wine and acknowledged to Julie that I was ready to go.

The timing of our exit couldn’t have been better.

I know from experience that getting a cab on the weekend is really tough – especially in Bernal Heights. Most cabs are shuttling people across downtown or, to/from the airport. But (luckily) no more than a minute after leaving the wine bar I spotted a taxi slowing down at the corner – it cruised up a side street a half block, dropped a few people off and I screamed out, “taxi – taxi….would you please stop that cab?” Julie and I ran like wild women and secured a ride back to the hotel. I won’t go into detail about our cab ride – I’ll just say, the guy would be a better race car driver than a cab driver. He was a freakin’ maniac!

By the end of the night we were flat out exhausted. All we wanted to do was shower and climb into bed with cups of hot chocolate – and….that we did. *smiles*

My Girlfriend and I will spend 2 nights in San Francisco this weekend. And in my opinion, San Francisco is a wonderful place to visit during Christmas time. The San Francisco Ballets rendition of the Nutcracker is spectacular, store windows (saks 5th, neiman marcus, macy’s, nordstrom, etc…) are whimsical and, the lights of the Embarcadero are breath taking.

I wish that I could write more but, it’s late and I must get some sleep.

Stay tuned – when I get back I’ll post photos, video, and any reviews I may have about the places that I visited this weekend.

Have a safe and fabulous weekend.

I swear, Vegas has had the most unusual weather this year. Our Fall (autumn) felt like spring; with temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s – springtime flowers were even blooming! My tree didn’t start changing colors until last week and, my neighbors tree is “still” full of green leaves.

And all of a sudden we get several days worth of SNOW?!! *weird*

One of the headlines in The Las Vegas Review Journal is:
McCarran closed to arriving and departing flights due to snowstorm

I went out to get a bit of video for you. Sorry I didn’t stay outside longer but, I wasn’t freezin’ my booty off for Nobody! *burrrr*

This Rottweiler Puppy was playing in the snow today – soooo CUTE!

I woke up to the sight of Snow Capped Mountains – so pretty!

Snow in Vegas is a rare sight.
And although it didn’t stick, it was still pretty cool to watch as it came down.

Some area’s just got covered in the stuff!

*singing*

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us.
La Dee Dee Dahhh – La Dee Dee dahhh,
La Dee Dee Dahhh – La Dee Dee dahhh….

Yah, umm somethin’ like that! *giggle*
Okay , enough with the American Idol Audition!

Just as the title reads – I LOVE Christmas. I love the weather, the decorated houses, the piped in Christmas MUZAK in the stores – which by the way, I do believe subliminally influences me to spend too much and buy things that I don’t need. Well, that’s MY STORY and I’m stick’n to it! *lol*

But on a serious note; what I love most of all about Christmas is….it’s the one time of year that many people step outside of their narrow minded existences and do something good for others. I suppose if I had only one Christmas wish, it would be for that feeling (of compassion) to exist for more people all year round.

Well, the photos that I posted are of my Christmas Tree – ain’t it Per’tty?! My girlfriend came over last night to help me decorate it. I just think it’s fabulous!

For those of you that aren’t aware, Sasha underwent surgery on the 4th of this month to remove a few tumors on her right leg; the largest being the size of a golf ball. Well, it’s more than two weeks after her surgery and she’s back to her old spunky and yet Bitchy self again – diving down the stairs, humping Romeo, and trying to act tough.

She wants that cone OFF!

Sasha vs. The Cone