Wednesday, June 02, 2004

Hey-ay, ay, aye, ay ay, aye...


Now that Survivor: All Stars is done, Kendra and I were pleased to see that the original Survivor, Survivor: Borneo is now available on DVD. We didn't start watching Survivor until Survivor:Thailand so it is interesting to see how it all started, what has remained the same, and what has changed.
Survivor:Borneo

In the first Survivor, it is odd to have alliances coming into play so late in the game. In recent Survivor seasons, there seems to be at least a little talk about alliances on the first day; in the first one, people are being voted out by an alliance and don't even think of forming their own to counter it. It really emphasizes just how much Richard Hatch has effected the game since he is the one that originated the concept of alliances, to the point of their being formed just being taken for granted.

In fact, not only are alliances avoided, they seem to be looked down upon. The players of the first survivor seem to have a notion of how the game ought to be played and are blindly marching forward with the assumption that the alliance will magically go away. Amusingly, the entire alliance completely denies its existence when at tribal council.

The journey to tribal council seems to be more of an ordeal than on newer seasons. While we still get to see the remaining survivors getting their torches and start marching back to camp, we never really see a long, painful trek through the jungle anymore. Whether tribal council is easier to get to, or the trip is not shown is not known.

What I really cannot understand is why Richard Hatch is viewed as a villian. He really doesn't seem that devious or sneaky. The only "bad" thing about him is that he created an alliance. Maybe I just don't understand because I've seen the other seasons before seeing this one. Maybe the expectations of what the show has become make his endeavors seem tame. Could someone who saw the first season while it was on explain this to me?


And, Speaking about reality TV...

It looks like the second season of Joe Schmo is starting June 15. I loved the first one, to the point where I want the first one when it comes out on DVD June 22nd.

The May Report


May was very slow and steady. I have been much more relaxed about calories this month; although my target value was 2000 per day, I allowed myself to go over by a hundred or two if I still felt hungry. Still, as long as my daily intake is less than the daily requirements, the diet continues to be successful.

The end of May saw the first dip below 190 with 189.5. Currently, two days into June, I am at 188.5 (for the record, my scale is accurate to half pounds, thus it is either going to end in '.5' or '.0'.) Other noteworthy events include moving from my 34 waist jeans to my size 32, which is the size I had in highschool. Now, if only I had kept those jeans, I'd be able to wear all of my fashions from the late 80's/early 90's.... maybe it is better I outgrew and got rid of them. :) My belt is really starting to look ridiculous, since it is on the smallest setting and the excess needs to be folded back over or just hang. I need to punch a new hole and trim the excess (although, Kendra thinks I could just get a new belt... nah. ;) )

Since my success at weightloss, my opinion about other weightloss programs and pills has become very negative. Especially when the "program" is taking pills bought from some commercial on TV. Their claim that the pills "really work" is not what I take issue with. The question is, at what cost are these pills working? So far, the pattern seems to be that the weightloss pill is released, becomes popular, and then is declared dangerous, to either the heart or other organs. It is unfortunate that such "supplements" don't need FDA approval; shouldn't that be warning enough that you don't want to take this? Look, people, you don't need a pill to lose weight; some careful planning is all you need. I swear to you, it really isn't as hard as you think. If you need some help, just let me know and I'll give you a hand, but, for the sake of your health, don't rely on weightloss pills.