The Pattern in Prime

I posted last Friday about the importance of prime numbers in weight loss and physical fitness. That got me to thinking. I wonder if prime numbers are random (like this post) or if there is a pattern to them. I found this great website on what you can see in prime numbers.

It's our anniversary!

It's been 19 years and she still loves me. How could a guy be more blessed? Happy anniversary. I love you Melissa!

Halfway

Today I reached a milestone. 35.6 pounds lost, 35.4 pounds left to go. I
have officially past the midpoint.

If you haven't guessed, my goal is 71 pounds. Not divisible by anything; a
prime number. What an interesting phrase "prime number". Say it with me
one time "prime number".

Greg and I are going to form the "Prime Time Losers Club". I think my next
target will be 19 pounds.
Sent from my BlackBerry Curve

Debunking

A while back I wrote about being a Geocache enthusiast. Another minor hobby that I have is Debunking. I try not to invest too much time into this activity since I am a devoted family man. Fortunately I have developed skills that allow me to Debunk quickly and efficiently.

Here is a quick outline about Debunking:

Definition: To expose or ridicule the falseness, sham, or exaggerated claims of

Word History: One can readily see that debunk is constructed from the prefix de-, meaning "to remove," and the word bunk. But what is the origin of the word bunk, denoting the nonsense that is to be removed? Bunk came from a place where much bunk has originated, the United States Congress. During the 16th Congress (1819-1821) Felix Walker, a representative from western North Carolina whose district included Buncombe County, carried on with a dull speech in the face of protests by his colleagues. Walker later explained he had felt obligated "to make a speech for Buncombe." Such a masterful symbol for empty talk could not be ignored by the speakers of the language, and Buncombe, spelled Bunkum in its first recorded appearance in 1828 and later shortened to bunk, became synonymous with claptrap. The response to all this bunk seems to have been delayed, for debunk is not recorded until 1923.

How it works: Let's say a guy like Paul, or Greg, or Zig publishes something that they believe to be true because it was in the newspaper or on the Internet and I get this feeling that something is not quite right (some have called this "Stevedar"). I do a quick bit of research and relay my findings to the publisher. We all love this. It is great team work and we all appreciate that we have done the best reportage possible. As a bonus, I get to debunk my own blog. It is a lot of fun.

I have a hit counter

I just loaded a hit counter. If you are looking it is in the lower left corner of my blog. It is completely amazing how many visitors have already come by to see me. Thanks people. Keep up the great work!

Team Tri-NC

The month-long celebration known as the Festival of Flowers here in Greenwood begins in June; that’s less than 2 weeks away. For years enjoyed seeing our community transform as gardens are prepared throughout May and the activities begin the first weekend of June. However, this year the Festival of Flowers is impacting me personally. I am participating in the triathlon on Sunday, June 7 as a member of a relay team “Tri-NC” and my portion will be the .93 mile swim. During my journey to lose weight and get physically fit I have come to enjoy the endurance sport of triathlons. I completed my first sprint triathlon of the season (300 yd swim, 12.4 mile bike & 5k run) last month in a personal best time of 1:32:04. I completed the same tri back in 2007 in 1:45:23. This international distance (1500 meter swim, 24 mile bike & 10k run) triathlon is more than I care to “take on” alone right now so I’ve recruited some team members for the cycling (The Swell Guy) and running portions. Having grown up with a pool in my back yard and swimming in lakes throughout my life, I’m not afraid of the water; however, this upcoming event does have me nervous. There’s just something about swimming with a couple hundred other people that has me wondering, perhaps it’s just because I’ve never done anything like this. My friend Heather has also been helping me prepare with swimming plans and tips to make sure I’m ready. I’ll be sure to let you know now Team Tri-NC does and keep you updated on my other upcoming events.

Historic Lambeau Field - Best in the NFL

Star Wars

If the first 3 Star Wars movies are referred to as a trilogy, what are all six referred to as?

Time for Learning New Things with Steve

Last night my teammate and I had the opportunity to defeat Paul and Zig at horseshoes after they had already beaten all other challengers. Afterwards a number of people asked "Steve, how did you do it?". It was actually quite simple. With a quick review of these instructions you too can throw championship horseshoes.

If you are just a beginner to the game of horseshoes then the first thing you need to do is learn how to throw them. If you are a professional horseshoe pitcher, then it never hurts to revisit the basics and get your game back on track. For the purpose of this article we will assume that you are right handed. If you are left handed, just apply everything in the opposite way.

A key thing to remember when reading this is that horseshoes is just like any other skill in life. It takes practice to become accurate. So if you are serious about developing this skill, be prepared to invest many hours practicing your pitching. However, unlike many other sports, this game can be fun for everyone even if you can barely hit the pin!

So it is time to pick up the horseshoe. But before you go and throw it at the pin, take a good look as to how you are holding it. What you want to do is hold the horseshoe on its side like a backwards "C". Grab the bottom side of the horseshoe so that the last knuckle by your fingertips is on the inside edge. This will let your fingertips curl up from the inside edge of the horseshoe. Your thumb will be on the flat side of the horseshoe so that the tip of your thumb meets up with the tips of your index and middle finger.

The placement of your grip should be roughly in the middle of the leg, or shank, of the horseshoe. This type of grip is called the 1 1/4 turn. This is one of the best grips to use for a beginner. This grip requires much less wrist motion than other types of grips. This lets the pitcher focus more on the throw than the wrist action which usually gives you more control. When throwing a horseshoe with the 1 1/4 turn you want to let it have a little more speed during the throw. The best way to get a ringer with this throw is to have the horseshoe come in and hook the stake from the right side. It will be able to hook that stake well and help you get those ringers landing throw after throw.

The most common mistake when throwing a horseshoe is forcing it to turn in the air. When thrown correctly, the horseshoe will do the work for you in the air. If you force it to turn you are not only losing accuracy on the throw, but you are also causing an unusual turn in the air which can cause the horseshoe to land on its side and roll. The object here is to get the horseshoe to land flat or "dead" around the stake.

Now that you have a grip on the horseshoe it is time to look at the swinging motion of your pitching arm. Hold the horseshoe out straight in front of you at eye level and aiming at the stake. Your feet position is really optional. You can either stand with your feet together or with your left foot about 6 to 8 inches behind your right foot. In either case, you want the majority of your weight to be on your right foot. As you begin your backswing, you want to take the horseshoe and turn it into a vertical position (like shaking hands). The horseshoe should stay in a vertical position for the entire backswing. On your upswing, as the horseshoe passes your right leg, bring the horseshoe back to the level or horizontal position. Release the horseshoe when it gets back to a line between your eyes and the opposite stake. Keep your wrist locked and straight and release the horseshoe in a level position to have it land flat or "dead".

Now before you swing away here, we need to talk about your feet positioning during the throw. Regardless of how you started (feet together or left foot back), you want to have a gentle transition of weight from your right to your left foot. When your backswing is at its peak, begin shifting your weight and stepping forward with your left foot. As your upswing starts to pass your knees you should have most the weight on your left leg. This way your arc isn't solely dependent on your arm muscles, but also the spring motion from your body and legs.

The most important part of your swing is then the follow through. After you have released the horseshoe, continue your throw. You will end up with your right arm almost straight up in the air and all the weight on your left foot. Just like any other sport or skill, the follow through can make or break your shots.  

Note: Actually there are several other ways to hold a horseshoe and throw them, but I wanted to start you with the easiest to learn technique. Please contact me individually for advanced instructions or if you would like to discuss private lessons.

Learn to Shallow Dive

My buddy, Zig, mentioned shallow diving on his blog this morning and indicated you may want to ask me about this ultra sport. OK. The first thing we need to review is that we are not talking about this so called sport of shallow diving which is as much a sport as TV wrestling. We are talking about the true sport of shallow diving that requires a combination of skill, courage, and athleticism.

Here are the basic instructions:

1. 1. Step1
      

      Stand at poolside and grip your toes on the edge. Your feet should be about six inches apart.

   2. Step2
      

      Bend at your knees and waist. Reach your arms down to the side of the pool, but keep your gaze on the opposite side of the pool.

   3. Step3
      

      Swing your arms up in back of your body almost to shoulder level; then reverse and swing them forward.

   4. Step4
      

      Thrust forward with your legs and push off with your toes. Spring off and out from the wall.

   5. Step5
      

      Leap forward parallel to the water, stretching your arms far out in front of you and your legs behind you.

   6. Step6

      Drop your arms and head slightly just before you reach the water so that you strike the water at a shallow angle.

   7. Step7

      Glide just below the surface of the water until you feel your speed begin to diminish.

2. Something to think about:

   - If you are standing on a bridge eight feet over the water it is much different that gripping the edge of a swimming pool with your toes.

   -Your dad's demonstration dive may have looked easy because he learned from past experience.

   - If the river bottom is only five or six feet down and loaded with sharp rocks it could be a problem on your first attempt. You could scrape your hands, wrists, arms, chest, and gash your head on the sharp rocks if your dive is not shallow enough.

   -Scraping and cutting yourself as descibed above could send women and children running from the water as well as require stitches. However, later you will have a great story to tell when people ask about the scar on your forehead.

   Things you will need:

   -Swimsuit

   -Swimming Cap (optional)

   -Goggles (optional, but it sure is nice to see sharp rocks as you approach them)

   -Towel

   -Extra Swimsuit