Superheroes are About to Become More real

I've Been Around Quite a While

I have been Mister Xman for a number of years now.  It's a private lifestyle choice.  It's just something I like to do.  I live in a Bat cave.  I have costumes, but wearing them in public is not my main focus yet.  I'm also experimenting with superpowers.  For the better part of 3 years, I watched over ex-convicts 24/7 to make sure they were prepared for life on the outside. Every now and then, I nab a purse snatcher or two, or rescue someone who's about to get beat up.  When I examine my life, I often ask myself, does my attitude and  lifestyle give me the right to call myself a Superhero?

I only hope one day as I'm looking in the mirror, the guy looking back will answer "yes."

Who's Name is it Anyway?

Several years ago, I created the name "Mr. Xman," because I thought it was cool.  Well, I guess other people thought it was cool too; because they started "borrowing" the name.  People used the name so much, I started asking myself; who came up with the name first?  Me, or someone else?  I didn't to be called a copy cat, so I played around with my spelling.

Instead of spelling my name "Mr." Xman, I changed it to "Mister" Xman.  People copied that name as well.  Later, I used "Mister Xman1."  People shamelessly used "Mister Xman1" like it was no big deal.  No matter what I did, people kept using my name.  I didn't have a copyright on the name Mr. Xman.  I started wondering, "Do I have any legal  claim to this name?" How would I prove it?   Do I have an argument strong enough to stand in court of law?

 I originally created the name Mr. X Man to fit my logo.  I needed something that was an M X M.   Mr. X Man was the perfect fit for my logo plus it sounded cool as well.

 I love my logo.  It's interesting as well as unique .  Nobody can take my logo from me.  For the record, I will sue the pants off anyone trying to use my logo.  Be warned; It's mine. So don't even try it.  

My really cool logo.

The logo is very cool.  No doubt about that.   Eventually, I finally came up with a "theft proof name" that also fits my logo. That name is:  "MacXayMon."  Yes, "Mac-Xay- Mon."   Pronounced: "Mack Zay Mon."  The name doesn't mean anything.   It's just a way for me to have a name that works in concert with my logo.

My Message

 I haven't done anything on the internet for a while.  However, I do want to start getting my message out, and I don't want anyone confused just because of a name.  All that Mr. Xman stuff has definitely gotten confusing.

My message is; Superheroes are going to start becoming very real.  The next generation of Superheroes needs to be built from the ground up, and  I want to be one of the guys at the forefront of this movement.  

Superheroes are Becoming More Real

There are other people who are also part of this movement.  Perhaps they don't even know they are part of a movement, but they are.  Inadvertently,  while pursuing their passions, they managed to create actual Superpowers; and I am inspired by their accomplishments.

I placed two examples of these extraordinary people here in this post.   First, there is Franky Zapata.  He  actually flies thru the air:

Second, is Keahi Seymour.  I guess he can best be described as "Real Life" version of the flash:

I  look at their accomplishments and I am absolutely inspired. 

I have no doubt, one day people will fly, have Super strength, and x-ray vision.  If I had said that out loud 20 years ago, people would have laughed in my face. Today I'm more comfortable speaking my mind because new technology constantly emerges to back me up.  It's only a matter of time before  Superheroes will become a 100% reflection of what's seen in comics.

A New Era

We are blessed to live in a new era where people are more creative than ever before.  An era where Real Superheroes will eventually exist.  I want to be one of them.  I was a born with a special "creative gene" switched on at birth.  I am constantly inventing and building things.
Like Franky Zapata and Keahi Seymour,  I have perused my passions because that's just who I am deep inside.  I've come a long way, but looking forward, I plan to be more involved with robotics, artificial intelligence, hyper strength and anything else that actually makes a human being become a Superhero.

As progressive as I am, I still need a paradigm shift in my life.  My Bat Cave has been getting rather crowded lately.  I can hardly move around in that thing anymore.  It's so cramped. New York culture is something you get used to. Somewhere along the line, you eventually accept the idea of living in a tiny place and having to pay through the nose for it.  After a while, you're just thankful to have a place to live.  (Wow, now that I said it; it kinda sucks.)

Go Fund Me

Moving on; I'm hoping others see the future the same way I do.  Since I'm taking an active part in creating that future; I've started a Go Fund Me campaign dedicated to helping me become a "true to comic book" style Superhero.  Yes, that's a pretty tall order... but I'm up to the task.  I've done a lot without Go Fund Me. ( Please check out my video.)  Still I am just one person and I really want to go a lot further than my present resources will allow me.  I need a warehouse to do research and development.

The biggest challenge for me is not creating Superpowers.  It's convincing people I am the real deal. How do you convince people  to contribute to a Go Fund Me campaign... where a guy says he wants to become an actual Superhero?

"Impossible" Just Takes a Little Longer

  Before the first microwave was introduced, a  teachers told my class that one day we would be able to put a Styrofoam cup in a special oven that would somehow heat up the water in the cup  without melting the cup.   It seemed impossible when we first heard it.

 I have been watching all kinds of "Impossible" things happen for half a century now.  Therefore, my cliche has become "Impossible just takes me a little longer."

Mister Xman's Tri-Barrel Part One

I have been blessed with a very innovative mind.  I constantly come up with new ideas.  Sometimes people in my circle of influence bug me for sharing my ideas so openly.  They insist I have an obligation to go to market with my ideas and sell them.  For example... a few months ago someone asked me to help him design a prototype of a new prosthetic limb.   As I started to toss out ideas to help this one armed gentleman, two of my associates jumped all over me.  They believed the guy was trying to prod me for ideas. 

They cautioned me that this evil one armed bandit planned to leave me out of the loop so he could market the thing behind my back.  My reaction was, " so what, I don't care."  I have ideas coming out the Wazoo.  I think of stuff like that all day long.  Let the poor guy some make money.  I'm glad to help.  I don't have time to develop the idea myself anyway.  They were a little socked by my attitude, but I'm sure they'll get over it. 

That's not the way things are usually done, I know. However, that's the way I am.  Today I will tick my associates off even further, because I am about to give away one of my ideas in this blog post.  I believe this idea will help lots of people work smarter not harder.   

A little history first.  Here in New York, we were hit by the Storm of the Century.  Better known as Hurricane Sandy.  It caused Billions of dollars in damage.  Businesses were lost, Lives were ruined.  People died.  Even today,  people are still struggling to recover.  A good friend of mind is helping with recovery effort in Brighton Beach, also known as Little Russia by the Sea.   Brighton Beach is mostly a Russian community located in Brooklyn New York.  It's near Conney Island.

Anyway, due to flooding from the storm, mud was everywhere.  My friend had to take mud from a basement of a store and take this mud and dump it nearly a half mile away.  Using only a wheel barrow, he needed to move an estimated 3 tons of mud.  I altered his wheel barrow to make things a little easier for him. 

I created something I like to call the "Tri-Barrow".  In other words, a wheel barrow with 3 wheels.  A half mile is a long way to use a traditional wheel barrow.  That's quite a work out.  A Tri-Barrow takes  the stress off your arms and  lets the wheel barrow do the work for you.  So... that's why I came up with the thing... to help make life easier for a friend. 

It worked like a charm and saved my friend time and money, so I was pleased with my contribution. 
Just think, If I hadn't interveined, the man whould have arms that are 3 feet longer by now.

  As I looked around at the mess left by Sandy, I thought about how others might benefit from something like my Tri-Barrow idea.  So, I mentioned posting this idea in a blog or uploading a video to You Tube, one of my associates pitched a fit. 

Sell it, Sell it, Sell it!  That's all he ever sees.  He thinks I'm a fool for sharing  the idea so freely.  He figures a Tri Barrow needs to be developed and sold for a profit.  Me... I feel like the people who got hit by the storm suffered enough.  Some of them might not ever recover fully.  People need help now, not after a lenghty developemental process to eventually... end up in Home Depot. 

I think that our life should be defined by how many people we help.  Not by how much money we make.  Don't get me wrong, we need money, I just don't think we have to start drooling every time there's an opportunity to make a buck.  Try not to let money own you. Don't get me wrong, I want to make money as well as the next guy.  I just think that money is a tool for you to use.  Not a tool that turns you into a tool as well. 

I do have an idea to help seal up people's homes so that they don't suffer damage from severe flooding.   This idea saves people's property and saves the insurance industry BILLIONS of dollars as well.  I find it totally appropreate to make money off an idea like that. 

However, I don't have to be greedy,  It's not necessary to make money off every idea I in my head.  My theory is... people who help other people ... will eventually make money somewhere along the line.  It comes with the territory. 

Well, that's not the end of the story, I plan to write a part two.  Seems after doing a little research, I found there was already a Tri wheel barrow out there... long before mine.  

In the mean time, Enjoy the picture of my Tri-Barrow, and feel free to use the idea to make your life a little easier.

Will Planet X Be A No Show?

I have been hearing about planet X... ( aka Nibiru ) for many years now.  I am kinda sick and tired of hearing about it.  From time to time,  People do ask me my opinion on the subject, and I tell them.

Today is the 19th of December 2012.  Now is the perfect time to say weigh in.  On the 22nd it won't matter.  If you read all of my blog posts... somewhere in there you will find me making a statement about a recient event in history called Y2K.

If you remember, there was a lot of hype over Y2k over a decade ago.  People got excited, scared, and sometimes even panicked.  Rumors were widespread, and so-called experts made lots of money writting books about it.

Some experts said the whole computer industry was going to be impacted.  Other experts said nothing was going to happen because Y2K was going to be a non event.  I was not a computer expert at the time, so I didn't say one way or the other.  I just said... LET'S JUST WAIT AND SEE.

Well, the year 2000 came and went... nothing happened, and a lot of people who thought they knew everything ended up with egg on their face.  Their faithful prediction did not come true.  Afterward, we all got on with our lives.

If I were pressed for an answer...or had to bet on 21 December 2012  I think I would lean toward this being a non event. ( But what do I know? )

I have mixed feelings about the subject.  Something really weird is happening on our planet lately.  No doubt about that. There's drastic changing weather patterns we've never had to deal with before.  Here in New York, I'm still helping people piece their lives back togeather after Hurricane Sandy.

Some say it's just Global warming.  Of course, that does not explain why there seems to be more earthquakes lately.  Earthquakes seem to be getting worse than ever.  Some experts say there's something "out there" interfering with the gravitational field of our solar system. 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq-JPyO1aNs  of corse that's a whole other subject.


I'm no expert or scientist... but seems to me... if Nibiru was only 2 days away... shouldn't we be able see it by now?  Even if it's down by Antartica shouldn't Nibiru and it's sister planets still be easy to spot by now?

If it's only 2 days away... then Nibiru's magnetic fields should be interfering with the earth's magnetic fields.  If all those stories about the year 2012 are really true, then why aren't we experiencing utter chaos right now?

If this series of objects really does have a 36 HUNDRED year orbit... that means it's a COMMON occurance.  It hasn't destroyed the world yet.  So, why does the world have to come to an end now... just because the Myan calendar is rebooting it's self?

Then there's all these people who do research on ancient ruins... and such.  Admittedly it's very exciting to read about som lost ancient technology built all these monuments for us to ponder.  I'm sure it all means... SOMETHING.

Whatever that SOMETHING is... I haven't got a clue.  The only thing I can say for sure ( for the record ) is this:  On the 22nd of December 2012... somebody, somewhere will have bragging rights.   Someone will be able to say  " I told you so"   I just wonder WHO will get to say it.  The guys who say... Batten down the hatches, we're about to get hit by a runaway planet, or the guys who say... Dont worry, you can sleep in late, this is just another  a non event.

Well, I've included 2 videos for your consideration.  Each video approaches the subject from 2 different perspectives. Now, you and I know,  they both can't be right. 

As for yours truly, the best I can say is... we'll see.  However, my money is in the non event camp.  Let's just hope they're right.  In any case, no matter what happens, I don't expect the world to end for at least another 1,000 years... tops.  Take that to the bank.  ( I know a guy... who knows secret stuff )

The Avengers Movie is Finally Here

Wow the Avengers movie is here ... finally.  Today is Thursday May the 4th 2012.  Tomorrow the Avengers hits the big screen.  I have been looking forward to seeing this movie.  Marvel has done such outstanding work lately.  I really love Robert Downey as the Iron Man Character.

He is soooo perfect in that role.   He was born to be Iron Man. That role was made for him. He is awesome.  Think about it... could you picture anyone else as Tony Stark?  No way, he is the man.  Well, I cross my fingers and hope this movie will be worth the hype.

Even though this is a fantasy film, it still inspires me.  Perhaps in some small way what happens on the screen will spill over into my Real Life Superhero lifestyle.  I'm not fighting an alien invasion from outer space at the moment, but the night is still young. 

Presently I am involved in a souple of  movements  to make this a better planet.
I have been recruited to help some people create a Sustainable Community Model. If successful, people will learn to live better more productive lives.  They will also be able to save money and have less stress.  If I can accomplish this, maybe I will start feeling more like a Superhero.

That's the thing, with donning a costume, you want to do something worth wild.  I think that most people who put on a Superhero costume have a built in "Save the world mentality".  However, it's not always easy to find a good cause to invest yourself in.   Something worthy.

When you are a kid, you think you want to be a Superhero and fly around while beating up bad guys all day.  When you grow up, you realize it's not always about beating up bad guys all the time.  There's more to life.  However, you still find the need to justify wearing the costume.  You want to more than just play dress-up.  You want what you are doing to be real... on some level.

The other day some reporter from an online media organization asked me for an interview.  They wanted to talk about Real Life Superhero issues,  so I did the interview.  In my opinion, people within this movement have a responsibility to represent the cause in a positive light.

Well, I did  my best.  Here is the Link:   http://altvariety.com/archives/1151

If you've ever had a reporter do a story about you, you know how hard it is for them to get the story exactly right.  This guy did an alright job. He got most of the important facts correct.  Still, when I read about myself... it still feels like I'm reading some kind of fantasy magazine or something.

 Then again, that is what I am looking for. I am trying to become a next level Superhero. Perhaps it should sound too good to be true.   I think it inspires people.  Perhaps it gives the next generation a foundation to build on.   Stranger things have happened.

I remember watching Star Trek for the first time. ( I think that was back in the late 60's )  It was so cool.  Captain Kirk would beam down to the planet surface and whip out his communicator.  Wow, that was such a cool gadget.  Of course in those days, we still had pay phones on every corner.  We also had rotary phones.  If you don't know what a rotary phone is, don't ask.  Perhaps you can still see one in a museum somewhere. We didn't even have pagers yet.

Today we have cooler gadgets than Kirk's communicator.  Think about it... Kirk had the equivalent of today's cell phone.  What was science fiction in the 60's, is now reality.  Not only that... I-Phones have surpassed the communicator by leaps and bounds.

Think about it, a regular Joe like me is creating actual Superpowers.  What will tomorrow bring?  I do believe one day Superheros will fly.  Anyway, I think it's a reasonable possibility.  Perhaps, others will start coming up with Superpowers of their own.

Maybe one day something like this awesome movie... The Avengers ... will be a lot like the Kirk communicator  analogy.  We will look back and say " Yes I remember what a great movie that was,  but it's no big deal... because we do that stuff all the time now." 

  

My Pit Bull Attack Part 2 ( I Was Minding My Own Business )

The Pit Bull has a nasty reputation.  They are responsible for ruining many lives due to lawsuits, injuries and deaths.  Sometimes they attack other dogs without being provoked.  Sometimes they attack people as well.  This particular dog also has a very powerful bite to go along with it's bad reputation.

There are a lot of Pit Bull owners who seem to get offended when you say anything negative about Pit Bulls.  They say poor Pit Bull are just misunderstood.  They go on and on with excuses explaining  why some Pit Bulls attack and some don't.  At this point, it all sounds like blah blah blah, because I have heard many Pit Bull owners say... "He never attacked before, this is the first time".  So many people are shocked when their Pit Bull attacks someone.

It reminds me of a lady I saw in the news a couple of years ago.  She owned a chimpanzee named Travis who mauled a woman named Charla Nash.  Charla's face was torn off.  Her hands were torn off as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9fMo38k8K4 A chimpanzee is a dangerous wild animal, not a pet.  Just because you dress it up in a diaper and drive around with it in your car does not make it your baby.  As it turns out, Travis was a ticking time bomb that eventually went off without warning.

No matter how much you defend them, Pit Bulls are a Problem Breed.  So... am I saying Other dogs aren't problematic?  No, I'm not saying that... because I've been attacked by other dogs as well.  However, if you're honest, you have to admit, you hear about Pit Bull attacks more than any other dog... period.  That's just a fact.

I have been attacked by various breeds of dog before.  Doberman, German Shepard, Even Saint Bernard's, but I'm still here.  You may ask yourself... is this guy for real, or is he just  Blowing smoke?  I assure you, I'm telling the truth.

Most of the Stuff I am about to say happened a long time ago in different parts of the country. Say what you want, but if there wasn't a  GOD, I believe I would have gotten bitten a long time ago.

This first incident happened way back when cell phones were not part of the mainstream yet. I remember having car trouble just outside of Tucson.   I was many miles from the nearest town.  It was late in the afternoon.  The car was not going anywhere, so it was either stand there with my thumb out, or start walking.

I choose to walk.  While on this VERY LONG WALK, I encountered 2 Saint Bernard's Guarding a junk yard.  When they approached me, one charged me from the front, and the other positioned himself behind me.  Instead of backing  up, I faced off with the dog in front.  The dog in back started sneaking up on me.  So I turned sideways in order to keep each dog in  my peripheral vision.   For about 10 minuets there was a lot of back and forth, both dogs taking turns to see who could get ahold of me. It was a Mexican stand off.

Soon afterward, a car drove by and I heard someone yelling GET IN! GET IN!  So I did.  I was just a guy minding his own business, trying to get home. Thank GOD for the kindness of a stranger.  If he hadn't showed up when he did, I might still be there today playing "Catch me if you can" with those stupid dogs.

Another incident took place when I was walking with an 8 year old child.  A Doberman Pincher jumped over a fence and attacked us.  I positioned the child behind me for his protection.  When the dog decided to lunge at me, I side kicked him directly in his chest.  I made sure he could feel it.  I kicked him pretty hard because I was worried about the child.  The dog jumped back over the fence.

There were a few more attacks, but the one that stands out was the "German Shepard Mix" attack.  Mixed with what, I don't know, but he was a huge dog with a big barrel shaped chest.  At first, he was in his yard, but there was no fence.  He came after me and I had to kick him in the chest multiple times.  He was very insistent, so I had to kick him harder with each kick. He did not give up easily, but eventually, he left me alone. Later, I found out this same dog had successfully bitten several people.

This latest incident took place here in New York.  I was out for a walk.  I was minding  my own business.  In the distance, I saw a man with 3 dogs approaching.  One of these dogs happened to be a Pit Bull. ( Off the Leash )  The long and short of it... is the dog faced off with me two or three times and looked as though it were looking for an opening for a clear attack.

Every time I tried to back away casually,  the dog would move toward me in an aggressive way.  So I would stand my ground, in a fighting stance.  I looked directly into his eyes.  I frowned and spoke to him in a very angry growling tone.  Eventually, the owner got control of the dog.  This happened in a public place frequented by joggers.  What was going on in this dog owner's mind?

When I don't back down from dogs, I believe it signals the dog to show me respect.  If I ran from a dog, It would catch me.  My theory is, the dog will loose respect for me if I run.  If I show it I'm nervous or scared, the dog will see it in my body language.  People say animals can smell fear, but I think animals are just good at reading body language.  Another thing that is important to remember is I need to be prepared to back it up if the animal wants to ignore my body language.

It has taken me a lifetime to understand these things.  I remember  some kind of hound dog attacked me in one of the Western States.  I saw there was a stick on the ground about 15 feet in front of me.  I lunged for the stick... not because I was scared, but because I wanted something to scare him with.   In the dogs mind, I was scared, so he tried to bite me.  As a result, my shirt got a big hole ripped into it.  I made up my mind to never run after that.

I believe it can be a tricky business not getting bitten by a bad dog.  If you know what you're doing, perhaps you can walk away without getting injured.  However, EVEN if you are skilled at defending yourself, there's no guarantee you will NEVER get bitten.  Some day you could trip or something... giving the dog the advantage.  That's why I say there's a  GOD.  I've never gotten anything more serious than a tiny nip. Now,  I did work in a zoo for a while... and ... well that's another story for another time.

I know how to protect myself, but most people have a hard enough time  with human on human encounters... let alone viscous dog attacks.  Most people are just not prepared for that.

When a person gets attacked by a dog, the owner is liable.  Not only does the owner pay, ( as he should ) he also has to live with the guilt of a person  being damaged for life.  Sadly, he may even have to live with the death of another human being on his conscience.

I say again, as I said in part one of this blog... everyone should get their animal trained... everyone... irregardless of breed. Don't do it because someone makes you do it.  Don't wait until too many people have been attacked and they start passing laws to make you do it.  Do it be cause you are a responsible person.  If you happen to own a dog with predatory instincts... like a Pit Bull, get even more training. 

Too many people say they had no idea that their innocent little old Pit Bull would ever attack anything.  I get tired of hearing people say that.  That sounds like the lady with the chimpanzee.  Travis the Chimp was 15 years old when he mauled Charla Nash. That means Travis went for 15 years without attacking anyone.

It does not matter if a chimpanzee didn't hurt anyone for 15 years, 20 years or even 30 years.  It only took one day  for Charla to have her life ruined. It only took one day for the owner of a chimpanzee to finally realize she had mistaken a wild animal for a harmless pet.  For anyone  who feels they can lecture me on how "safe" it is to own a Pit Bull, watch these 2 YouTube videos:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8nVTctxUDE&feature=fvsr            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzkJOi_wdW4 

If you are a responsible person, and want to own a Pit Bull, don't live in denial.  Yes, any dog can attack that's true, but a Pit Bull IS A PROBLEM BREED.  If you can't see it, you are just ignoring the evidence.  If you don't take extra precautions when you get one of these animals, you are out of your mind.  I was attacked while minding my own business on an innocent stroll. That should not happen to anyone.

My Pittbull Attack Part One

Today is January 30th 2012.  Somewhere around 5 or so this evening I was attacked by a Pitt bull.  Although this is the first time I've been attacked by a Pit bull, this is NOT the first time I've been attacked by a dog.  I have actually been attacked several times thruout the years.  Sometimes the animal was quite determined to take a bite out of me.

Due to the never ending Grace of GOD, I have not actually been bitten yet.  However they do manage to rip my clothes once in a while.  In most cases, the attack never should have occured the first place.  When it does occur, it's not the animal's fault... the fault usually lies with the owner.  If an animal is on a leash, or behind  a fenced in a backyard somewhere, the owner is behaving responsibly.

Animal off the leash... not good.  Animal roaming the neighborhood alone... even worse.  When an animal is left without supervision,  chances are... he WILL get into mischeif.  Which could mean anything from tipping over a few trash cans, scraping with other animals... and worst of all, attacking or killing someone.

As I said at the begining of this blog, I was attacked by a pitt bull.  Now... what exactly do I mean when I say attacked?   Does attack mean the animal actually bit into me and tried to rip my arm out of it's sockett?  ( And believe me, that can happen with pit bulls)

In this case... the animal approached me in a very aggressive way.  It got in my face like a guy in a bar room brawl looking for trouble.  It tried to charge me to make me to run.  I do believe it was trying to position me so it could bite me.  Fortunately for me, I was able to take care or myself.  ( And as I said earlier... the Grace of GOD had something to do with it )

From time to time, I find myself in an unfamiliar neighborhood with some dog running around loose, then it comes after me.  I don't think most dogs don't actually want to bite you.  I believe they just want to scare you away.  If you just ignore them and keep walking, that's usually the end of it. 

However, sometimes it goes up another level.  The dog does not think you're moving fast enough, so he will charge you a little to see if he can make you speed it up a bit. If you turn around, face him, maybe yell, then throw a rock, he will back off. 

Next there is this other kind of dog that wants to take it up still another level.  He really really wants to mix it up with you.  He wants to get ahold of a pant leg... and maybe bite you a little if he can  get away with it.
He is probably not going to be a huge dog, but he has chased people before.  Sometimes they run, and he likes it.  Kick him and he will leave you alone.

Then last... there is this kind of dog that is just not scared and will challenge you as though you were another animal.  Make no mistake, he will bite you, he will hurt you... or even worse.  It's usually one of the larger breds, like a German Shepard.  Unfortunately, sometimes People mix  German Shepards with some other huge bred.  Then unfortunately you can end up with some kind of hybrid Frankinstine Monster in a dog collar.

I don't mind if people want to own something like that. More power to you. Just don't leave it on it's own to roam the neighborhood where it can cause trouble.  Very least... keep it in the back yard where it can't get into trouble.  That's the LEAST you want to do. 

Just remember, even if you do have a fenced in yard... someone can still climb over your fence  and get malled.  Even though you have a fence... there are 365 days in a year... a dog can live for 15 years or more. That's 5475 days.  Listen to carefully to what I'm going to say.  Even if I'm wrong, it may save you a lawsuit some day.

One day you will bring a cute little furry bundle of joy home from the pet shop, animal farm, shelter or whatever. Do yourself a favor.  Just assume that at least 1 of those 5475  days... that dog will get out of that fence... period.  Prepare for it. Make sure your fence is reinforced so the dog can not jump over, pry through or dig under the fence. 

It only takes one day for your dog to get out, then get into a fight with another dog.  Dogs kill or injure each other sometimes.  It only takes one day to ruin your life with a lawsuit.  It only takes one day to have animal control seize your dog so it can be put to sleep.  Even if your dog has 5000 good days, he can be put to sleep for one bad day.

In my opinion... ALL DOGS... ALL DOGS should be trained.  Especally aggressive breeds like pit bulls.  Dogs should be taught to respect people.  They need to know how to behave in social settings.  They need to be taught how to get along with people... not bite them so their owners can get sued.

Sometimes  I see a dog leading it's owner.. that is... draging the person walking the dog.  There is tension on the leash.  To me, that means on some level, the dog is in charge.  The dog is telling the person what to do.  On the other hand, when I see a dog walking along side it's master, and there is no tension on the leash, that means the dog understands respect. 

The dog is saying,  I will go when you say it's OK to go, not "I'm in charge here, come with me."  A well behaved dog does not become well behaved on it's own. Dog owners must make time to ensure their animal is trained properly.  It's a matter of common sense.  like buying insurance.  Sooner or later something will happen.  Like car accidents, jury duty or taxes.
In a nutsshell.  You are responsible for the actions of your dog.
  

Everybody Wants abs

In todays world you see fewer and fewer people with well defined abs in their mid life.  Age catches up with you after a while.  Your body is slower to heal., and you get tired easier.  Even I get that way once in a while.
There is every gmmick known to man for sale out there.  Every diet you can immagine.  Lots of videos, different exercise programs.  Abs... vanity as it were, is big business.  Even me, I don't want my gut hanging over my belt.  In my oppinion it all boils down to hard work... although I did see a commercial the other day about someone who claimed she could help you get a flat stomache by breathing properly.

I do own an Ab lounge, and I like it.  I don't have to get down on the floor and do situps, but I do it anyway.  I do all kinds of ab related excercises.  The ab lounge is a little easier yes, but I like a rounded work out, so I do EVERYTHING.  If I work out a little harder I do get results.

I encourage any mid lifer who starts working out... don't get discouraged if you don't see results right away.  Your body is changing.  It may not seem like it, but change is taking place though you may not be able to see it with your naked eye.  Start a routine. Stick to it... and for crying out loud get a reasonable diet with good food. get rid of the junk, OK?