Be Active, It Looks Good On Ya

Ok so there are quite a few people in my circle of friends and family who are dieting. To my understanding dieting is basically just eating what most people consider healthy foods. Staying away from sugars, carbs, high fructose corn syrup, fried foods and all other "unhealthy foods". This got me thinking as to what you would call my food habits of eating nothing but sugars, carbs, high fructose corn syrup, fried foods and all other "unhealthy foods"? What exactly is the term for that? Is it just unhealthy eating? For the foods I eat daily you would think I would be a little bit fluffy in certain areas but I am not. Is it really that I just have a better metabolism than many other people who eat "better foods" than me or is it that these "unhealthy foods" aren't as bad as everyone thinks? From my experience, it's not necessarily what you eat but the activities you do throughout the day. So quit worrying so much about what you eat and start worrying more about the activities you do throughout the day.


Be Active,

Dale

Wanna Be My Friend?

Just the other night my housemates and I were discussing how we can meet new friends at our age.  It seems it's not as easy at one might think.  I moved to Colorado about 3 years ago now and have been lucky enough to find a small group of friends, mostly through work.  But, from time to time I'm in the mood to do something new and many of my friends are busy either with their kids, or with work, or school, or church, or they just simply already have plans.  So how and the heck am I supposed to meet new people to hang out with?  Well, I found just the place, or places I should say, and it's all due to some work-related research here at Old Will.  You see, I'm in charge of maintaining and expanding our exposure through social media outlets, and I'm always on the lookout for trends and places to dip Old Will's scoop (as in weighing scoop, ha, okay you didn't get it, maybe next time).  A few weeks ago, I discovered Meetup.  Meetup.com is a place where you can find local groups to join who share your interests.  Online retailers like Old Will are using Meetup to arrange events where they can physically meet and interact with customers in their area.  Kinda cool, right?  The variety of groups you can join (free of charge of course) is endless, from things like:  Tuesday night runs in Washington Park, monthly happy hours, book clubs, local movie fanatics, doggie play dates at local dog parks, charity groups, board game lovers, lifestyle groups like single moms and raw food dieters, the list goes on and on.  The motto of Meetup is "Do something.  Learn something. Share something. Change something."  I haven't joined a group yet myself, but I definitely plan to in the near future.  Check it out for yourself! 

Ta ta for now,
Allison

No Way! Way! No Way! Way!

Do you think you could beat a horse in a race? Your two legs versus the horses four legs. No gimmicks, just point A, to point B, horse with a rider and you. Well you for sure couldn't do it if the race was a short race. However if the race was a full marathon, and you were a good runner...you could win. It's been done twice before, once in 2004, and again in 2009. Just to give you an idea of how close it was, in the 2004 race the human beat the horse by only 2 minutes. The race takes place in Llanwrtyd, Wales every year. So how did those two runners beat the horse? It's all because the horse likes to take a break, and when it does it can spend up to an hour eating, drinking, and resting. The human however eats and drinks without stopping, thus saving a ton of time. WAY!

Do you think you could drink a gallon of whole milk in one hour? Once you have completed the gallon, the clock starts and you have to keep that milk down for 30 minutes. I'm a fan of this little challenge. I've bet quite a few people that they would not be able to do it, and I've won quite a bit of cash too. Ask your friends, I'm sure someone will take the challenge, but will they do it? I say NO WAY!

The richest person in the world for 2011 is Carlos Slim Helu at a measly 74 billion dollars. Carlos has made his fortune through telecommunications. When Carlos was 26 years old he was only worth $400,000 dollars. His wealth grew extremely fast. In 2006 his wealth grew by a massive 2.3 million dollars per hour. WAY!

Trevor

10 Minutes

On a usual morning, I wake up around 6:15 to get ready for work. After I'm dressed and all made up I wake up my little girl, get her dressed, do her hair and slather her with sunscreen, (Colorado sun is brutal). Once we're ready, I throw whatever I can find in the fridge into a bag for lunch and mosey out the door. Ruben always drives so I save time by eating in the car. Not a bad morning. I get an early enough start to make it to work on time without being rushed, (which is a good thing because I turn into a completely different person if I'm running late) but, I always wonder what it would be like if I woke up ten minutes earlier. Would it really be worth getting out of my comfy, cozy bed early to have those extra minutes? After thinking about it for a bit I realized that ten minutes is a lot longer than it seems. I could eat breakfast at my dining table instead of the passenger seat. I could work on a knitting project every morning before work, (because let's face it, I'm not going to work on one any other time). I could clean under our couch. I could write an email, sweep the floor, fold some laundry, fix the door(ha!)...heck, I could even get everything ready to start dinner when I get home. That sounds like a lot of doing for ten minutes. Turns out, there is a lot you can do in less than ten minutes. Here are a few things I've found:

You can...

Laugh

Plan dinner for the night, or the week if you're really awesome

Verify that your oven has a tight seal

Slice up some cheese and fruit for grab and go snacks

Learn UNIX

Make some yummy fried rice

And

Write your name in Elvish 

  

I have a feeling I'm sleeping over some valuable time. What can you do in ten minutes?

Future early(ish) bird, 

Shala

Attention to the Sky

           In just a few short minutes, it will officially be Summer Solstice....who cares, right? Other then the fact that it's the first day of Summer, and the longest day of the year, nobody really celebrates the Solstice.  Well I say, why the heck not?  We celebrate a whole lot of things less important than the rotation of the Earth...I mean, it's kind of a big deal.  "The summer solstice is a result of the Earth's north-south axis being tilted 23.4 degrees relative to the sun. The tilt causes different amounts of sunlight to reach different regions of the planet. Today the North Pole is tipped more toward the sun than on any other day of 2011. The opposite holds true for the Southern Hemisphere, where today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year.  As a result, at high noon on the first day of summer, the sun appears at its highest point in the sky—its most directly overhead position—in the Northern Hemisphere."
          If ancient cultures can build things like Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids in honor of the Solstice, then I think we can at least raises our glasses to the sun.  So, get outside and enjoy the daylight!

Sunny days,
Allison

V - Week One - Blog One

There is one desk in our world that tended to stay a teensy bit messier than the others. I will name names, and I will give you a pic:

Some believe that organizational efforts, like keeping your desk organized, might...ah, who knows what others believe? I do not know what others believe, do you? That's okay though because others argue...ah, who knows what the others argue, or even who the others are?

I'll start with a great book written by David H. Freedman and Eric Abrahamson called A Perfect Mess. Now, I have not read this book, I just thinks it's a great book since it preaches my case, a messy desk for a genius mind. And just for giggles, Eric Abrahamson is the Hughie E. Mills Professor of Business and the Faculty Leader, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics, at the Graduate School of Business of Columbia University.

I can come up with a ton of examples of smart folks with messy desks. And one could easily come up with the opposite also. I will simply use one as an example, the owner of the desk in the above image. The great genius, Albert Einstein, is the owner of that desk. It would be interesting to try and claim that his desk distracted him, and wasted his time.

I would absolutely love to go deeper into this, however I am limited by unseen forces. I will however leave you with a great quote by the Nobel Prize winner Albert Einstein:

"If a cluttered desk signs a cluttered mind, Of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?" - Einstein

-Trevor

The Desk

There is one desk in our office that tends to stay a teensy bit messier than the others. I'll name no names but, I will give you a pic:

Some believe that organizational efforts, like keeping your desk organized, might close off random, unplanned influences and cost valuable time that could be used elsewhere. It shouldn't matter how messy your desk is as long as you can find everything, right? It's easy to locate what you need in a mess as long as it's your mess. Others argue that a messy desk is distracting and what is easy one the eyes is easy on the mind. If everything is put away and organized, you have more usable desk space and won't waste time trying to find things. Put things away as you use them, throw away trash, file important documents etc...

I believe everyone's mind functions differently and there is an optimal level of mess for everything in life. I'm interested in what your thoughts are. Leave me a comment below.


- Shala

Hollywood Bound

Soon I will be headed west for my visit to the sunny state of California. I have never been to California but all my friends that have moved there seem to really enjoy it. I have been going back and forth on what I want to do and where I want to visit while I am there. I plan on going to the beach of course as well as attend the Chelsea Lately show. Other than those two activities everything else is up in the air. So if you have any suggestions feel free to speak up and write a comment.


Dale

Serves Up!

If you've read my previous posts, then you know I have been trying to form a team for the Northglenn 2011 Mudapalooza Volleyball Tournament.  Well folks, it's a success as we officially formed a team with many from Old Will's crew.  Now, what the heck am I gonna wear? Check out the tournament provided description of items we should bring, looks like it's gonna be dirty:

· Shoes and duct tape: Must wear shoes during the tournament and duct tape to
keep your shoes on your feet during the games.
· Old towels to dry off
· Sunglasses: to keep the mud and sun out your eyes
· Plastic bags to cover your car seats for the ride home and for muddy clothing.
· ID: To purchase alcohol (everyone is carded)
· Lawn chairs and blankets. Something to sit on in between games.
· Sun screen: It will be hot and sunny!
· Tent/Canopy/Umbrella-To provide shade and if you do not mind getting it dirty.
· Old shoes (sandals are not allowed)
· Old clothes (You may want to throw them away after the tournament)

Wish us luck!

Side out,
Allison

Camping and Treasure Hunting and Fishing and...

The last weekend of this month, the Old Will gang is going camping. I'm not sure where yet and not even sure who's going yet. But we're going. Luckily we live in Colorado which has some of the best camping to be had. The weather should be nice and warm now, I know it feels like 299.817 degrees Kelvin now, and I'm in an air conditioned office. Anyway some of the best spots I know of to camp in Colorado include Rocky Mountain National Park, Buena Vista, and Grand Lake. Of course there are many more and probably better camping spots. And since we're going camping, you know we'll be doing some fishing. That's a given, but how about some treasure hunting. Colorado is full of tales of treasure. I would tell you about some of the more popular treasure tales that seem to be all over Colorado, but I wouldn't want to give away any of my secret hot spots! Not that you can’t Google it to find out. Well, this camping trip is going down in two weeks so this will be my second to last blog. After that I'll be living the dream.

T-Rev

You Have To Go Here!

If you ever stop by in Colorado you just have to visit the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, CO. About an hour or so North East of Denver, CO. This place is a thousand times better than any zoo you've been to. It's pretty much an African Safari here in Colorado, not that I've been on an African Safari. The Wild Animal Sanctuary gets most of their animals from Federal entities, and sometimes they come from people who abandon their "pets". The sanctuary has a massive amount of different types of rescued animals including: African Lions, Black Bears, Bobcats, Camel, Caoti Mundi, Coyote, Emu, Foxes, Grizzly Bears, Leopards, Lynx, Mountain Lions, Raccoon, Tigers, and Wolves. And they thunder don't just have one or two of each. They have a ton of lions, tigers, bears, and wolves.

I just recently discovered they have Wild Nights were you can go in the evening around sunset when the animals are really getting active. I will be checking this out very soon. I've been in the dead heat of the day when most of the animals are sleeping and hiding from the sun and it's still worth the trip. Got to their website and check them out.

http://www.wildanimalsanctuary.org/home.html

aoooowwww,

Trevor

Eating Chia Pets?

My Mom recently introduced me to Chia seeds.  Being a nurse, she is always on top of the latest health trends.  Now, more than ever I find it really annoying that what to eat and what not to eat is always changing.  It's like technology, there's just no way a person can keep up! Well, when my Mom recommends easy and tasty ways for me to get healthy and stay healthy, I listen.  Like most people, the only thing I knew about Chia is the novelty of the Chia Pet™, clay animals covered with sprouted Chia seeds. However, these tiny seeds actually have endless amounts of nutritional value.  Basic health benefits include:

• The wonder seed contains high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids that are good for the heart.
• They contain dietary fibers that help in cleansing the body and eliminated wastes in a quick way. They also control your appetite and prevent you from eating too much.
•   The seeds have loads of vitamins that strengthen the immune system and minerals too for the formation of the muscle and the bones.
• Antioxidants are also present which are responsible for the repair of the tissues and cells in the body. They also slow down the aging process. 

I eat anywhere from 1-4 tablespoons of Chia seeds each day.  I like them most in my cereal or oatmeal in the morning, but depending on what I have planned for the day I like to add a few to my dinner, or even just to a glass of water.  They have no taste, and they aren't even crunchy, so you can really add them to just about anything.  Here are some great resources about the Chia seed, enjoy! - 

http://www.chiaseedguide.com/ 

http://www.thechiaseed.com/ 

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/chia.html 

Happy eating, 

Allison 

The Old Fart

We've got not one, but two of our support team members out playing hooky for the next few days.  Both Ruben and Shala are out this week on vacation. Since we've only got six folks trained to handle customer support, including me (and these days I'm about the least capable guy here as far as support goes), you can imagine that the remaining folks are busier than a one eyed cat watching three mouse holes.

So, a word of warning if you're calling in this week:

You might get me answering your call.  I'm not nearly as fast as all these young whippersnappers around here, so if you get somebody who sounds like an old fart, take it easy, because I think a little slow and type even slower.

If you've read Ruben's post from last Friday (the post right before this one... the one with the well thought out title "Blog"), you can just almost tell that he couldn't wait to get out of here.  It normally sounds like a herd of elephants around here at quittin' time on Friday anyway, and my guess is Ruben was probably mowing down the slowest ones of the bunch.

Until next time,
Will
.

Blog

Scale Tales is brought to you by Old Will Knott Scales.

Have a nice weekend,
Ruben

Office Cleaning

Well I hate to say it but it is office cleaning time here at Old Will's or at least here in my office. Too much dust, paper shreddings, boxes and other miscellaneous that needs picked up. The biggest mess is around my trash can from all of the failed attempts at trying to make the trash go INTO the trash can. Guess we all can't be like Mike! I do wonder how much of this stuff that needs picked up was actually caused by me as I don't remember dirtying up my office. I will just blame it on all of my co workers :). I wonder if they will come down here and pick up their mess? Ain't likely, so I will get started cleaning up my office today. Wish me luck,

Dale

An Extended Period Of Recreation

What is "A Vacation"?

Two more days and I am off for an entire week and I can't wait. I have a few fun things planned like...

Visiting The Mile High Market Place. It's Colorado's largest outdoor shopping an entertainment place. You can find anything there if you're willing to look and it's only three dollars to get in. I could spend a whole day just looking at all the different things for sale. Last time I went, I bought a peace lily for 5 bucks! Can't beat that with a stick.

We're also going to try to catch a double feature at the drive-in by our house. I've never been to a drive in theater before...I didn't know they still existed. Should be fun!

The Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge is supposed to be cool so we might head over there. Heck, we might even take a fishing trip before the week is finished.

All of these things are fun but, I'm looking forward to spending time with my family the most. If you know of any other hot spots we should checkout, let me know!


Adios,
Shala

Gettin' Down and Dirty

For the past few weeks, some of the crew here at Old Will and I have been trying to organize a volleyball team so we can enter a local league.  It seems that we are all getting older because it's really hard to find people that aren't too busy, or who don't need a babysitter for their kids to do anything.  Needless to say, it's been a real bummer because I love volleyball! I played throughout junior high and high school, and two years in college.  But, things are starting to look up as we've discovered MUD volleyball.  Surprisingly, there is not just one, but TWO local muddy tournaments we can enter.  Check out these links:

2011 Mudapalooza Mud Volleyball Tournament
 
Now all we need is a few more people and a team name that really sticks!

Until next time,
Allison