Life of Steve

Spinning off a New Political Blog

I've been pondering this idea for a while and I think I have decided to spin off the political content that has been featured on my personal blog to a new and separate blog. I believe there are lots of good reasons to do this.

Mission. One reason is that the Life of Steve Blog wasn't created for the purpose of political activism. It was merely about other fun items like trips, observations around town, pictures, and of course mullet sightings.

Content. There are also so many bad things happening now so quickly that the political content threatens to take over the entire blog.

Marketing. It will make it easier for the readers to understand the product. While the values and principles that I hold will undoubtedly find their way into my content the Life of Steve Blog will really be personal in nature and not geared toward tackling the national or global issues of the day. Example: Life of Steve will feature Steve's quest for Steelers Tickets. New Blog will feature my Hope for Freedom from oppressive governments.

Separation: This will also make it easier for people who have difficulty separating the personal from the political. (Insert your own feminist joke here.) I really do have lots of friends and family members with whom I completely disagree with on Politics but absolutely love to hang out with and are great human beings. While I realize this makes me completely different than most of Hollywood and the entire upper west side of Manhattan I wouldn't have it any other way. (Gotta get in few jokes before moving them all to the new Blog and new format.)

Will announce the new Blog soon. Just to avoid panic please note that Life of Steve will remain at the same address with mostly the same content (Minus Political)

New Health Tool I'm trying

I don't know exactly where I read about it but I am trying out a new tool in my fitness efforts. I found a website called www.gymamerica.com which is pretty neat. It's not very expensive (Around 6-10 dollars per month) and what it does is recommends diet plans and workout plans for you to do. In addition the site also allows you to track what you eat, when and how long you work out as you work toward your goals (ex: Weight, Fat %, measurements of arms, legs, waist, etc.) They have nice charts and graphs to show you how you are doing over time.

I like it because it helps to keep me honest and also shows me the effects of going against the plan during Holidays (Easter taught me a thing or two with the candy and feasting!) and also the progress I can make while I am being disciplined enough to stick to the plan. It's also adaptive. For example if the program thinks you are losing weight too fast it will scale back the suggested workouts. Not sure I like this idea since I know I might do better in one week and worse the next. I do understand that some customers might like this.

Right now I am using it on a trial basis for the first 3 months and I have it set for both diets and workouts. I think when I renew I will probably use it exclusively for diet (You can set it for one or the other or both. For just one is cheaper) Since my workouts don't really change and I am not too concerned about then. My diet however is my downfall and I need every tool to keep me honest. This tool is one that I have found to be pretty useful.

My dog is more popular than me online

I have lost track of how long I have been doing this blog but I know it has been going on for a number of years. I know I have some readers out there (not sure of how many) but I don't really watch any stats or comments that closely.

Recently my wife found a website for Dogs.  It's a social network for dogs (Sort of like Doggie Myspace. Just for fun she put our Dog Maia on this site and within 24 hours she had many requests (Something in the double digits) of Friend requests from other Dogs (Dog Owners.) I think part of it probably had to do with Maia being in this site's Top 10 new dogs. Then came the flood of friend requests. 

SO as of right now my dog has more online friends than I do. Go figure.

Are Single Bloggers Better?

I suppose this is sort of a Rebuttal to some Blog entries I have seen recently about “Non-Single” Bloggers.

The basic premise was this: Single People are more interesting in general. Therefore, Single Bloggers write more interesting Blogs.

I think this is a pretty broad generalization. It probably depends on what actually gets written about in a blog. If we assume that the only type of "interesting" content is about drunken hookups and the angst of dealing with the opposite sex and dating in general then I suppose the content would go downhill if the blogger suddenly became coupled up and happy.

So does this mean that we are judging blogs by the same standard as a reality show? The crazier and more “out there” the more interesting and the better?

I began my blog when I was unattached. I continued my blog without any major censorship during the times when I was dating someone. My current Fiancée read the blog before we started dating. She still reads it now (and strangely enough actually disagrees with me from time to time. Imagine that!) My point is that the content keeps flowing. In spite of my attached (or unattached) status. Sometimes I blogged about dating but there are a thousand other subjects to blog about. This blog never was (and never will be) solely about my romantic life. In addition, my blog isn’t all happy pictures and subjects. I even have categories labeled “Rants” and “Things that are Wrong.”

Back to the “single blogger” theory. I just don’t buy into the “reality show” method of evaluating interesting blogs. I have single friends who write great blogs that don't resemble something out of an episode of "The Real World" on MTV. Those blogs have multiple subjects (not just dating) and have interesting thoughts as well. In theory, even people who are no longer single would still blog about every other subject (besides being single which they no longer are.) Every Blog entry isn’t about a “train wreak” dating story. Some entries are about positive stories and some are about negative stories. Some aren’t stories at all but merely the thoughts of the author about some subject. It’s all good.

Ok. So now that you are asking, What do I look for in a Blog (to read?) Mostly I like to read about the thoughts of the author and to see if I can relate to that person. I suppose this is the same standard I would use when trying to decide if I would want to hold a conversation with a person. I might not agree with the person but sometimes I might relate to the situation. I might even be able to relate to the thought process that they used to arrive at a conclusion. Part of it is about entertainment. Part of it is about interaction. I like to leave comments with my own thoughts and feedback as well.

I don’t think I agree that (all things being equal) single bloggers write better content. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To each his/her own.

Back in Skinny Jeans Blog and Thoughts on Appearance/Attractiveness. Part II

Non-appearance based factors also relate to attractiveness.

A big deal is made about the physical and looks is made when talking about the opposite sex. However, there are deeper personality traits that also increase/decrease how attractive someone is in our eyes.

Agreeableness matters: We won’t be happy with the stunning beautiful bitch for long. Seriously, we have all heard the stereotype of the guys chasing the bitchy women. However, in reality we want to have a girl who will be nice to us, our friends, and our families. We don’t need to hear about how you hate all men and are oppressed, etc. Do you want to get to know a guy better who just sits there and complains about women? Attitude is important. Nice, agreeable, available (means there is time in your life for a man. Not just being unattached) are all positive traits that add to the overall attractiveness (beyond good looks.)

Courtesy Matters: Learn how to operate your phone, do what you say, and hold a focused conversation. When we call pick up the phone. You can always say “No” to a date later but simply not acknowledging a phone call is impolite. Not returning a call is worse. If you agree to do something don’t cancel at the last minute. In fact, don’t cancel at all short of a true emergency (ex: You need to go to the hospital) Also, when you are talking to us (on the phone or in person) don’t be doing 30 other activities or holding other conversations. The polite thing to do is to pay attention to the person you are talking to.

An added bonus would be not to swear or drop the F-bomb in every other sentence. It’s not really endearing. It’s funny when our buddy Earl swears his head off after losing 30 dollars on a bet but it doesn’t really have the same appeal for “Ladies.”

Sanity Matters: If you are completely off your rocker and cannot form a coherent thought. This might be destined for a one night stand at best. While it is true that guys may not be known for their ability to communicate with women it is more difficult if she is crazy. We really do want to have some concept of what you are talking about some of the time. I admit one of us could be crazy (but not all of us are.) If lots of guys (and girls) seem to think you are nuts it could be that you are (as opposed to the rest of the world being wrong again.)

So to summarize. Some guys might want to date skeletons, some guys might want to date heavier girls. Honestly ladies, our tastes run the entire spectrum. Although appearance has a strong initial effect on us the other factors and traits are important too. We want someone we can get along with. So there you have it.

Back in Skinny Jeans Blog and Thoughts on Appearance/Attractiveness. Part I

Recently featured on Typepad’s featured blog was a new Blog labeled “Back in Skinny Jeans” that I decided to check out. Based on some recent comments on my own website I figured this site (and some of my own commentary) might be of interest to my readers.

A couple of definitions:

Skinny Pants (from Urban Dictionary)

Skinny Pants (From Wikipedia)

I (myself) had to look up the Skinny jean information because when I was growing up in the 80’s I never heard of anything called a “Skinny Jean” leading me to believe that this was something that came before my time and was/is now making a resurgence.

The Skinny Jean Blog seems to have this basic premise (or philosophy if you will)

“All Women have skinny jeans (or other skinny clothes) hidden in their closet and are obsessed about the appearance of themselves and other women.”

I suppose the fact that there is an entire website dedicated to the subject does show that there may be some truth to her premise. However it seems like what is missing from this is a ordinary male point of view as opposed to talking to male fashion designers or models statements. Obviously they have a vested interest in their own careers and would not be the best people for unbiased observations.

So in comes your ordinary man on the street (or at least with a blog) opinion. Mine.

OK. So now that I have figured out what Skinny Jeans actually are I can move on to my commentary about appearance and society in general (From my own unique male perspective.)

First of all I am offering this disclaimer:

“This is one man’s opinion and is not meant to reflect the opinions of all mankind.”

The reality of this is that all guys are going to have a different idea of what they find attractive and desirable. Both in appearance and across the board. Generalizations are pretty useless on this subject simply because they vary so widely.

(That being said) Here are my generalizations:

Appearance matters in a certain context.

The way a woman carries herself is also related to how she dresses herself and takes care of herself. Not in a narcissistic manner but in a way that shows she cares about looking her best. This is attractive. Wanting to look your best in terms of fitness and also in terms of fashion does send a message to others. It is not the only factor in being attractive but it is a factor.

Women Notice Women

Seems to matter or is noticeable in a conscious manner a lot more by women than by men. “…and the girls walk by. Dressed up for each other” (From some song)

I have noticed at the many formal/semi formal events I have attended that the women are the ones who really notice (and tend to voice their opinions about) what the other women are wearing. Men don't compare outfits or sizes and nor do they assess what the women are wearing.

Women notice what WE (Men) notice.

I tend to notice it when I am out. Women I don’t know will be watching my eyes. They are trying to determine what/who the men are looking at. Here is the problem with doing that ladies. Where we look is really a matter of reflex as opposed to any deliberate action. The male eye follows motion (people moving around), cleavage, and football. For example: If a girl walks in front of the TV screen while football is on (or even Sportscenter) we will see her but were not “looking” at her. We were not checking her out we just needed her to move so we could see the replay. If we look at her during a commercial as she trips on her new high heels and falls on her face we noticed the falling motion, not the girl. If she has cleavage well… we were looking at the cleavage of course Silly!

Men don’t watch fashion shows:

Men watch Sports, Porn, War and Physical Comedy Movies. No man is at home watching a fashion show or reading a fashion magazine. We are not likely to notice how skinny models are because we are not looking to buy women’s clothing (Well, most of us are not anyways.) We certainly don’t watch male models (Because 99.9 percent of us are not gay.) So the fashion shows and in fact the fashion industry is pretty much a non-issue for us. So by my own logic, since we don’t care or notice these things you can’t really hold men responsible for skinny models with all their bones showing. Blame the gay fashion designers who are male and require such women to model their clothing. That’s ok. Please leave the rest of mankind out of this. We had nothing to do with it.

(Next Entry will be Part II- Non-Appearence Traits that influence Attractiveness)

Why the Cartoon?

Well, I did get sort of tired of having my own "Real" face staring out at me. Plus, I also figured it might help to cut down on the "stalker" factor. Anyways, no special reason other than those.

Why the Photo Albums are Back

Two reasons: 1. Popular Demand: Lots of people asking about when they might see some pictures of stuff on the Blog. 2. I got a new Digital Camara: Gotta put the new toy through the paces. I recently bought a Canon Powershot SD400. Takes great pictures. Compact enough that I don't mind sliding it in my pocket. More great pictures of fun stuff still to come!!!!

Fun with www.gizoogle.com

Just for kicks I ran my old website through
Gizoogle.com. Here are some samples of what it spit
out:

-discovered that www.stephenmunizzle currently has top
bill'n in tha ?CECILY TYNAN DIVORCE SOURCES YOU MAY
LIKE? SECTION OF THE WEBITE LISTED BELOW . Subscribe
nigga, get yo issue.. ...

-Steve Munoz Online. SELECTED FEEDBACK:. Have some
feedback fo` Steve? (on tha site or whateva) Send an
e-mail ta steve@stephenmunizzle ...

-DOT.COM Nostalgia: Sizzay Puppet (09/15/04) Dateline
sho nuff: Sometime in 2000-2001 Steve is out in Las
Vegas gang bangin' fo` a e-procizzles dot.com company
...

-Steve Munoz Online so sit back relax new jacks get
smacked. `bout STEVE:. Steve currently resides in
Pittsburgh, PA. Nigga initially leav'n Pittsburgh ta
attend Pizzay State University Steve lived ...

-Steve munoz online. favorite quotes:. *new* "it aint
tha critic who counts, nor tha dawg who points out how
tha strong dawg stumbled, or where tha doer of ...


OMG. It just cracks me up!