Nothing says Halloween like a free burrito

I have my costume. What about you?

I miss the days when I used to get dressed up and go trick-or-treating, returning home with a pillow case full of candy treasures.

Ah, 2003. I wish I were there again.

But the advent of Chipotle's Boo-rito, I can relive my childhood experiences. Wrapping myself in aluminum foil and pretending to be a burrito brings me a free burrito of my own tomorrow from 5-10 p.m.

I'm planning to stock up for the week.

Fighting fat: Week nine

Starting weight: 176 lbs. (BMI: 26.4 – overweight)
Oct. 30 weigh-in: 166 lbs. (BMI: 24.9 – normal)
Days worked out during week eight: 4

Hmm.

It seems as if 166 is my wall. I can't seem to drop below this weight for a sustained period of time.

Part of the problem may be due to my minor indulgences this past week. I went out to Old Chicago to grab some pizza and beers with my friends for the Rockies game on Thursday. Then I went to a Halloween party to indulge in some, um, spirits on Friday.

Although these extra days off aren't helping me lose weight, they may be helping me gain more strength. I've been steadily increasing my workout load for the past two weeks and my muscles haven't been as sore. Rather it's been the good “I need to keep lifting” soreness. As I predicted last week, my chest is in its growth phase. It feels more solid than I can ever remember. My legs are about to enter the growth phase. I went through my normal leg routine last night and felt nothing afterward. Perhaps it's time to increase the weights.

As this new week begins, my plan is the same as last week's: drop down to 165 pounds. It should be much easier to do as there is nothing (so far) that should tempt me from sticking to my diet and workout regiment.

I'm worried that I'll begin to lose motivation as the holidays approach. I need to find a goal to work toward so that doesn't happen. It's too early to go into heavy training for the dragon boat festival. Getting too cold to start training for tennis.

Any suggestions?

Online Escape: '1776'

THIS IS AMERICA!

Jin is going to die

There have been many theories about how the ABC series “Lost” is going to end. I'm not sure which one will come true, but I do know one thing: Jin is going to die.

It's not because there's some clue I picked up from last season's finale, or that I have a special source who's leaking the information from within. Rather it's because of a consistent trend I've seen the past few years — a real-life DUI equals the killing of that actor's character.

In the early morning of Oct. 25, actor Daniel Dae Kim was arrested on the suspicion of drunken driving in Honolulu.

Add Kim to Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros who were arrested for driving under the influence. Not soon after the news hit that their characters were eliminated from the show.

Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje was also arrested in Honolulu for disobeying an officer and operating a motor vehicle without a license. Agbaje's Mr. Eko was killed off soon after.

Jin's eventual demise will create yet another void in the Asian-American presence on mainstream television. Although Jin speaks very little English (and subpar Korean) on the show, his presence as a strong Asian male who's considered to be a sex symbol is leaps and bounds above the stereotypical roles that are common for Asian actors. It meant that Asian males were open to roles beyond doctors or lawyers or computer experts. And, the most important part, they were no longer seen as assexual beings.

Yeah, the perpetual foreigner thing is still there, but it's one step at a time. Just ask “Heroes” actors Masi Oka and James Kyson Lee.

It ain't over till it's over

My boys lost last night. They're down 0-3 in the series now.

But I still have faith. Sure, no one has ever come back from this deficit to win the World Series, but it's still possible.

I joked with my co-workers that The Rockies already signed a contract with Disney for a movie:

Nine games back of the wild card in September, the team goes on a torrid run, makes it to the playoffs, and fights its way into the World Series. Their opponents are the powerhouse Boston Red Sox, a ridiculously strong team from top to bottom.

The Rocks get rocked in the first three games. When all seems lost, Aaron Cook – the opening-day starter who was injured in the middle of season – returns with an inspiring performance, leading the team to a win.

Flash forward a couple more games, and the Rockies tie the series 3-3. Down a run in the ninth inning of game seven, veteran first baseman Todd Helton sends a two-run shot over the Green Monster and the Rocks take the lead. The game ends with Manny Corpas getting the save, knocking out Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez.

The film ends with the obligatory freeze frame with the team cheering in the middle of the field. And then it goes to the "This person ended up doing this" screens.


It even has all the things you need for a sports film: the stoic veteran leader (Helton), the superstar (Matt Holliday) and the surprising rookie (Troy Tulowitzki). All it needs is a cast with a couple of moderately recognizable actors – Shia LaBoeuf as Tulowitzki, Dennis Quaid as Helton – and you got a movie.

Online Escape: Cop Rock

Sometimes I wish we could break out into random songs in the newsroom.

I suppose we need an organ in here first.

Inferno

My brother Tony shot this picture of the wildfire near my sister Huong's house in San Diego.

It's one thing to see a disaster strike, but it's another when there's family in the middle of it.

Of my five siblings who live in San Diego, three have been faced with mandatory evacuation. It's scary to see these images shown on the news.

I'd be much more at ease if they were in Colorado, but picking everything up and coming here for an indefinite amount of time isn't feasible.

Let's hope this ends soon.

Fighting fat: Week eight

Starting weight: 176 lbs. (BMI: 26.4 – overweight)
Oct. 23 weigh-in: 166 lbs. (BMI: 24.9 – normal)
Days worked out during week seven: 3

I am shocked.

After three days of nonstop eating and drinking in Boston, I somehow am back to the weight before I left.

When I came back from my trip on Sunday, I stepped on the scale to find out that I had gained nine pounds over the course of three days. Flash forward 36 hours and I've lost those extra pounds.

It's a little concerning to me that I fluctuated nine pound in the course of a day and a half — I don't think that's healthy. But I found some interesting side effects that occurred.

The Good:
The thousands upon thousands of calories I ingested along with the rest I had over the weekend seems to have helped me replenish my physical strength. My chest feels like it's about to enter its growth phase.
My legs feel much stronger with the countless miles I walked through Boston.

The bad:
My small meals don't satisfy me as much — granted this may be from my increased metabolism from before.
Some of my temptations have returned. I ate a ton of things that weren't good for me, and I have cravings for fried foods now.

Hopefully those cravings will subside soon. I am liking my sturdier legs. They feel like tree trunks right now. But there's always room to improve and if I don't get these Rockies tickets, I have further motivation.

My goal for this week is to drop a pound and be down to 165, and I plan on checking my body fat either Thursday or Friday. With the Rox playing in town this weekend, I figure I'll indulge in the celebration. Just a lil'.

Why?

I hate you evenue servers.

I was about to get my tickets and now it's frozen.

A dose of reality

My trip to Boston this weekend was filled with fun memories, good food and plenty of drinks, many of which would be fun to blog about. But the one thing that will resonate with me is being a witness to a domestic attack.

It was about 4 p.m. Boston time when my friend Sam and I were wandering through downtown, trying to find a restaurant called Dick's Last Resort. We stumble upon a couple who are having a livid argument. Since it wasn't any of our business, we walk past them. Then I hear a disturbing sound.

*SMACK*

We stop in our tracks. A woman down the street comes running, yelling “Stop!” while her mother follows. I turn around and see the couple in a struggle. Apparently the boyfriend hit his girlfriend.

“Oh, boy,” Sam said quietly under his breath.

Unsure of what to do, I open up my cell phone and approach the couple. The boyfriend sees me and backs away from her. The other woman comes running in with her cell phone out, saying, “I'm going to call the cops!”

The girlfriend runs in front of her boyfriend, desperately trying to convince her to not call the police. As Sam and I walk in closer, the boyfriend takes off running. The girl tries to chase after him, but the woman grabs her hand.

All of a sudden, we were in an impromptu intervention session.

But whatever we try to tell her, she wouldn't listen. It was the first time he's ever hit her, she says. He's the father of her baby, she says.

She loves him, she says.

I'm sure it wasn't the first time he's ever hit her, and it won't be the last. But convincing someone who doesn't want to be convinced, especially when it's a stranger, is near impossible.

The girl bolts across the street to search for her boyfriend. The four of us stand in silence, disappointed and sad.

It's a day later and I've had a night to sleep on it. I wonder if I should have done more to help her. I wonder if I could've done more to help her.

The boyfriend was smaller than me, and I'm pretty sure I could have overpowered him and held him down before the police arrived. But what if he pulled a knife on me, what would I do then?

I've run through dozens of scenarios in my head, but nothing makes much sense to me.

Pop goes my jaw

Since I was young, I've had the ability to crack various joints on my body. It started with the big knuckles on my hands in fifth grade.

Now I can pop:
— All five big knuckles on each hand (10)
— The four medium knuckles on my fingers on each hand (8)
— Both wrists (2)
— Both elbows at times (2)
— All 10 toes (10)
— My neck (2)
— My back (2)
— My chest (1) — this started a couple years back when I was doing heavier bench pressing

And now the left side of my jaw. It's the weirdest sensation. I'm not sure if anyone else can hear it, but because it's right next to my ear, it's loud to me.

Needless to say, I don't think this is a good thing. When my chest started popping, I went to several doctors and they told me it was normal. I don't think my jaw's supposed to pop, however.

The Internet certainly doesn't help calm me down with all the scary information out there.

But I'm going to schedule a physical after I get back from Boston. Hopefully it's something minor and can be corrected.

Fighting fat: weeks six and seven

Starting weight: 176 lbs. (BMI: 26.4 – overweight)
Oct. 9 weigh-in: 166 lbs. (BMI: 24.9 – normal)
Oct. 16 weigh-in: 166 lbs. (BMI: 24.9 – normal)
Days worked out during week five and six: 10

Nothing like an election guide to slow down my blogging.

But it did nothing to prevent me from hitting the gym.

I hit my goal of 166 by Oct. 11 last week. I've been down to 165 on several occasions – maybe 164 here and there – but it was 166 on the official date.

It's nice to be of normal weight. The only bad thing is that greasy food makes me kind of sick now. My body's not used to it anymore. I had a slice of pizza today and it was good going down, but right now it's making me feel a little queasy.

I'm taking a little mini-vacation to Boston this weekend and I'm expecting to gain some weight. No exercise plus tons of food and spirits equals weight gain.

Until then, I'm working out hardcore. I am altering my routine once again. I'm testing out this speed lifting where I lift at a slightly faster than average rate, but where I'm still in full control of the weights.

Supposedly this will train my muscles to regenerate quicker and allow me to do more exercises during my routine. We'll see if there's an improvement in a couple of weeks.

The other thing is that I'm taking a protein shake within 30 minutes after my workout. I read that this helps my muscles repair themselves right away and should help prevent soreness in the days following. It feels like it's working so far, but it could also just be a placebo effect.

Since I've hit my goal for my birthday, it's time to move onto the next goal. Drop down to 160 pounds by Christmas (I'm really aiming for Thanksgiving).

Online Escape: I am the lawgiver!

Huh. Leeroy Jenkins drives a Tacoma, eh?

Sticks and stones

What possesses people to say what they say?

This past week in Chicago, Filipino-American Frannie Richards is suing H&M – a clothing chain – because she said she was harassed because of her ethnicity. According to the CBS affiliate in Chicago, she said that an employee called her a “mail-order bride” and made fun of her ability to understand English. She said when she went to the manager, he didn't seem to care about her complaint.

And if this is because Richards has an accent, it's because she does – it's American.

Sadly, there was an incident like that here in our state not too long ago.

Last month, my niece and her sorority sisters were at a party in Boulder when one tried to introduce herself to some guys. The guys turned their backs.

“These girls don't belong here,” one said.

“At the party?” the other one asked.

“No, in America,” he answered.

I don't know what my reaction would have been, but it may have involved my fist connecting with the the base of his skull. However, I doubt he would've said it to my face – or most any other guy for that matter. Instead, he decided to pick on some “defenseless” girls.

Well, perhaps defenseless is a poor word choice.

“Are they still there?” the first guy asked.

Not to take this lightly, my niece answered: “Yeah, to be a pain is your ... ” Well, let's say the last word rhymes with “mass.” The women and the guy shouted back at one another before they all decided to leave.

I'm dang proud of my Asian sisters for standing up to the harassment. The easy route would have been to walk away and pretend not to hear it, but they took the fight right back to him.

Stealing a line from Laila Ali's Adidas commercial, “Rumble young girl, rumble.”

To Bert and Ernie: Don't ask, don't tell

In a recent Associated Press story, "Sesame Street" is working on a DVD that will be distributed to military families to help young children cope with parents who return from the war with injuries.

As interesting a concept as it is, I can't help but wonder if there be flashback scenes of the action in Iraq with muppets battling other muppets?

I admit, I want to see Cookie Monster in the camps eating everyone's rations.

Online Escape: And Iran

Andy Samberg may very well be the most talented member of SNL.

Greatest moments in Colorado sports

Matt Holliday's dive into home plate in the bottom of the 13th inning to propel the Rockies into the playoffs last night instantly became one of the most memorable moments in Colorado sports history.

Here are some of the other memorable moments:

The eighth-seeded Nuggets knocking off top-seeded Seattle in the 1994 playoffs
Who can forget Dikembe Mutombo holding onto the basketball, crying out with joy? The Nuggets had been near the bottom of the league for several years and in their first appearance in the playoffs, they knock out the Supersonics.

Elway's "Helicopter" in Super Bowl XXXII
With the score tied at 17 apiece, Elway breaks for an eight-yard run in which he was hit so hard he spun in the air. The Broncos scored two plays later and went on to win the game 31-24 over Green Bay.

The Miracle at Michigan
With six seconds left in the game, the Colorado Buffaloes were behind Michigan, 26-21. Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart heaves a 64-yard pass into the end zone, it deflects off of a defender and lands in receiver Michael Westbrook's hands for the win.

Claude Lemieux smashing Kris Draper's face
During the 1996 playoffs, Avs right wing Lemieux violently checked Detroit's Kris Draper into the boards, leaving the center with a broken jaw, broken nose and a broken cheekbone. This is the moment that sparked the rivalry between the Red Wings and the Avs.

Fighting fat: Week five

Starting weight: 176 lbs. (BMI: 26.4 – overweight)
Oct. 2 weigh-in: 167 lbs. (BMI: 25 – overweight)
Days worked out during week four: five

This was an interesting week. There's been things that have gone well and things that have not.

Let's start with the good: We had a family gather on Saturday and there's always way too much food at these functions. But I was able to limit myself to one plate and a beer.

The bad: My brother invited me up to Central City for a buffet on Friday. Buffets aren't good for diets and I had seven plates.

The confusing: I still lost weight – I was expecting to gain a pound or two after the buffet visit. It wasn't the three pounds I planned on losing last week, but it still came off.

My metabolism must be on high gear.

Right now my body mass index is at 25 – the absolute bottom of overweight. If I drop half a pound, I become normal weight.

But the more important number I found was my body fat percent, which dropped from 21.5 percent to 18.2 percent in three weeks. The acceptable range is 18-25 percent, which is where I am at, but it means I am on the verge of reaching the fitness level (14-17 percent).

I'm loving the fact that my clothes fit much better now and the sixth notch on the belt is normal.

My plan for this week is to continue my workout routine, but increase my warm-up cardio to 45 minutes and add more exercises to my weight training. I should reach my goal of 166 by next week as long as I don't deviate from my diet – meaning no buffets. But my side goal is to drop to 17 percent body fat. I don't know if that's feasible because I don't know how quickly my body fat level is supposed to drop, but it's worth a shot.

Online Escape: Kanye blows up

At least Mr. West can make fun of himself.