Author Archives: Tony New (TxCowboyDancer)
Tony’s Tip No.9 — Do One Thing
When you feel overwhelmed…do ONE thing!
It is easy to set goals.
It is easy to picture where you want to be in six months or a year.
Saying “I am going to get fit and healthy” is a simple easy thing to do.
ACTUALLY getting there is NOT!
So, when you feel overwhelmed; when the number on the scale seems stuck; when you’re down, blue, not motivated and everything seems impossible…
Do ONE Thing…
Just one. One POSITIVE thing.
It doesn’t matter what “thing” you do. Bend over a pick up a sock and put it in the hamper.
Look at that unmade bed and straighten out the pillows. Or pull the comforter or bedspread out flat to cover the mess.
Wash your face.
Empty the wastebasket in your office, bedroom, or bathroom.
Feed the kitty a few treats. (And no, you can’t have any of the treats!)
Because when you do ONE Thing…
Doing the SECOND thing is easier…
I am not a neat person.
After 53 years of life, I accept that, even though I actually a “place for everything” — “everything” will NEVER be in its place.
At least not all at the same time.
My life is filled with clutter. My outward living space often reflects my inner thoughts where I bound from one thing to another to another to another, leaving a trail of creative chaos in my wake.
Some would argue that the chaos is not so creative; don’t listen to them.
Few would deny, however, that it is entertaining!
Squirrel!
Therefore, my “One Thing” often is something to do with cleaning…
Given that my home is usually a mess, for me, the “one thing” is usually a bit of neatening or straightening or cleaning.
Everyone is different. Your “one thing” might be putting on a piece of music. Or entering ONE check into your check register. Or it might be filling up your 7-day pill organizer with this week’s medications.
Or…taking the dog for a walk.
Or…mailing a birthday card to a loved one.
Or…adding an item to the “shopping list” on the refrigerator door. Or…
It doesn’t really matter WHAT you do as long as you do SOMETHING!
It has got to be a “positive” thing. Take a step. Any Step. It is that first step that is the most important one. And it does NOT have to be a big step.
Step #1 is always the hardest, so make it a teeeeeeennnny tiny thing! Make sure that you can succeed when you take that tiny step. Do that tiny “one thing.”
Do something that you KNOW you can do….because who knows, when taking a step, just where any step might lead?
One thing I can promise you is that doing that one thing, WILL lead to doing another, which will lead to another. IF…
…after you pick up that sock and toss it in the dirty clothes hamper, you do a mini-celebration. After all you DESERVE IT!
You just girded your loins! You mustered your gumption! You fought against the feeling of battling an overwhelming MOUNTAIN of things yet to be done and you STARTED! You took a step FORWARD! You just did SOMETHING good!
Woo Hoo! Yay! YeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeHAW!
You, my friend, my dearest readers, DESERVE to celebrate! Because…
Depression and other “negative”
feelings are no laughing matter…
When I am feeling “depressed” it usually manifests in one of two ways:
- A feeling of futility or hopelessness
..
OR less frequently as:
.. - Anger. — Which according to the articles I’ve read is VERY typical for men battling depression.For some reason that scientists can’t quite figure out yet, men suffering from depression often are more on edge, stressed, likely to explode over minor things.
Do a quick Google Search on “Depression in Men.” The information is easy to find.
Doing SOMETHING positive for myself…
…no matter how small. How “tiny” in the grand scheme of things. Makes me feel better.
There is actual real science behind this simple idea. Google “Feedback Loops” — they can be either negative or positive.
By doing one “good / positive” thing you are halting a negative feedback loop and turning it into a positive feedback loop!
And that’s the key. With that teeeeeeeeeeny tiny step. With one SMALL action. You are breaking a negative cycle.
Ooooooooooooohhhhhhh!!! AAaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!
Yes, dearest readers, from your sounds of approval, I see that you are now amazed at my clever insights. 😉
Seriously, it really is that simple. Not easy, no, but simple!
HOWEVER… you have to do the “celebration” part
Make a game of it.
And if you get silly and start laughing at yourself or if your kids or grand kids are present, then don’t worry they will start laughing right along with you! And you’ll be firmly on that positive feedback loop, putting negativity behind you.
Picture this:
Me. Gloomy. Not motivated. Overwhelmed. Hopeless. Feeling like that it is all pointless. Why even bother? Who cares if I’ve lost over 40 lbs! I still have over a 100 lbs to go! It is impossible. I’ve set my sights too high. I’ll never get there. sigh
There are too many hurdles. It is hopeless. Then, bored, I scroll through Facebook, looking at all my friends living wonderful lives filled with fun, love, and skinny-ness. SIGH
HUGE heavy friggin’ SIGH….
Then.
[ insert the theme music from Jaws — dum dum dum dum dum DUM DUM DUM DUM! ]
There. On the floor. I spot my enemy! A foul sock! Out of place! Dirty. Used. And offending my latent OCD!
I leap out of my chair!
[ Ok, ok, I painfully push myself up out of my chair with a groan. ]
I spear the sock with my steely gaze and speak “Ah foul sock, enemy of tidiness and cleanliness and all things that my Mom said I should do…
Your. Days. Are. Numbered!!!!”
And I imagine a tiny fearful squeaky sock voice whimpering and quivering in abject fear of my rightful wrath!
And I bend over and carefully pick the sock up while dramatically holding my nose with one hand and pinching the smallest amount of sock between two fingers of the other hand.
I turn my head away in a dramatic swoop of the neck worthy of an Oscar and in my best Diva Voice say “I have you now!”
And off to the bathroom we go. [Where we studiously ignore the mess in the bathroom] and deposit the foul beast into captivity with its brethren in the dirty clothes hamper.
Notice we are using the Royal “We!”? snort giggle ROFL @ myself This is FUN!
Now we celebrate…
We start doing that circle in the air thing with our fists as we dance back to the bedroom chanting “Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh!”
Then with a couple of fist pumps we chant
“We did it! We picked up a sock!
We did it! WHOSE da man?!? WhoseYerDaddy!?!”
Then I collapse in a fit of giggles back into the desk chair in the bedroom.
And TAH DAH! I feel better…
Even if you drop all the dramatics. The simple act of doing one “positive” or “good for you” or “improving yourself or your environment” thing can trigger a cascade of more positive things.
And, in complete seriousness, when you are down in the dumps, fighting against that awful feeling of hopelessness…
…sometimes picking up a single sock and putting it away is a monumental achievement.
It deserves to be celebrated.
So…do…one…thing. And celebrate. You can do this!
See ya on the dance floor!
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Looking Back and Looking Ahead – Good things are happening!
My Journey So far…
The way we humans envision time is a funny thing.
When I start looking back I am often surprised at how much, or how little time has actually passed.
And, if you will pardon a wee bit of bluntness, I’m often surprised by the huge amount of CRAP that I’ve been through!
No wonder my face has some tread marks on it because life done run me over! Several times!
In the colorful vernacular of present times: Life be like — “Boy you done been Bitch Slapped!”
Life is getting Better! Way Better!
If things keep going on their current trajectory, then 2016 is going to be an amazing, stupendous, exciting, fabulous year!
It may, indeed turn out to be the best year of my entire life.
Wow!
The truly amazing thing is that my focus has shifted.
I’m no longer focused on the “here and now” locked permanently into “survival mode;” I find that I am only looking “back” to measure how far I’ve come and/or to explain to friends when they ask me “where have you been hiding?”
My focus is firmly pointed toward the future. A quick rundown of the exciting things that are happening:
- I’m loosing weight! Yay!
.. - As of this morning I weigh 294.6 — that is a total of 40.4 lbs lost from my highest weight of 335 lbs.
.. - My health is improving on almost a daily basis. My stamina is up. I’m moving more.
.. - I’ve started dancing again!
- I am back in the studio practicing.
- I’ve started teaching line dance again — lots of stuff happening there; more on that later in this post.
- I’ve started an Instructor Training program at a local studio and as soon as I finish that program I’ll be put on staff teaching couples dancing, both Ballroom and Country — THIS IS FRIGGIN’ HUGE!
- I’ve been put on staff at one dance event already for the coming dance year, 2016, and I’m likely to be put on staff at several others!
- I’m planning on competing this year in Line Dance!
- I’m beginning to choreograph line dances and will be competing in Line Dance Choreography this year.
…
Things are turning around. But to understand just how wonderful and much of a positive change these and other events and happenings in my life are, I have to go back in time and fill you in on how awful things were…
Long time readers of my blog will recognize bits and pieces of the story but you’ve probably not seen it laid out so concisely in one spot.
For my new readers, new “dance friends” I just made at Dallas Dance and at Worlds, and for my friends with whom I only recently reconnected…
…in the words of Bette Davis “Fasten your seat belts...”
And, uhmmm… you might want to hit “pause” and go grab a cup of coffee or soda and some snacks.
I never intend for my blog posts to be long. Stop laughing! It is true! I really do try to make them short, but somehow… sigh
Oh, well, it may be long, but it is without a doubt entertaining…and informative… Now git…go grab that beverage…
…back? Got your soda? Cool… here we go:
The date my life changed…for the worse
Looking back on one’s life, even on recent events, is much like using a crystal ball to peer into the future: the images are very VERY foggy!
Some events are Read the rest of this entry
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Tony’s Take on: The Humble Twin from the Dollar Shave Club
Tony’s CowboyStar Rating on
The Humble Twin from the Dollar Shave Club:
[updated Nov 30, 2020] Welcome to the latest installment in an ongoing review series I call “Tony’s Take on…” where I review all kinds of “stuff” because all of us use “stuff” and we either like the “stuff” or we hate the “stuff” and we love to talk about the “stuff” we love or hate…
Today I’m yackin’ ’bout Dollar Shave Club. For those folks who want the “stars” and nutin’ but da “stars” well, here they are!
4.5 CowboyStars!
Tah-DAH!
Why I like this product
First and foremost — IT IS FRIGGIN’ LOW COST!!!!!!
Notice that I did not say “cheap” — I said “low cost.” It is cheap in price, not in quality. It is a good value for the money you spend.
Because of my financial situation, I use the cheapest of the three razors that they have: “The Humble Twin”
- The handle costs $4
- The replacement blades (five blades) cost $4
- Shipping and handling is $0
- 5% discount for 2-3 items in your “box”
- 10% discount for 4-5 items in your “box”
- 15% discount for 6+ items in your “box”
I order blades every 3 months and I get two of the replacement blade packs for a total of 10 blades so my cost every three months is only $8.23 which includes tax.
No matter how you cut it, that is an AMAZING PRICE! — Way cheaper than going to the drug store or grocery store and buying blades.
And waaaaaaay easier to purchase, since most drug stores now lock up the blades because razor blades are such a high theft item.
Second — the blades work well…
Don’t get me wrong, at $4 for five blades you’re not going to feel like you’re shaving with the Rolls Royce of razors, but it works just fine.
The blade gets the job done — and does the job very well.
I have no complaints at all. It is what it is: a basic two blade razor with a small lubricating strip. Simple, straight forward design that does the job well at an affordable price.
Third — the handle…
- It fits comfortably in my hand.
- The ridges give me a firm grip.
- Changing the blades is easy and quick.
- I like that it is blue. Silly I know, but…I happen to like blue! 🙂
A bit about how I shave
I have a beard and mustache
As you can see in the photo over to the right, my beard does not go all the way up and join with my sideburns; there is a gap.
I can grow a full beard. But I like the style of beard shown in the photo. So that hair on the sides near my ears has got to be shaved.
Underneath my beard, on my neck, my facial hair grows to below the collar line you see in this photo. When I get lazy and let it grow out for a week, it really bugs me when it rubs against the collars of my shirts…so that hair has got to be shaved on a regular basis.
And the razor I use, The Humble Twin from Dollar Shave Club does the job. No problems. No nicks. I get a close smooth shave.
And that is saying something folks because on one side of my neck, below the beard line in the photo but above the collar line in the photo, there is this weird circular growth pattern in my beard. I shave off all of that because no matter how much I trim, there ain’t gonna be no way to make it look pretty. It has to go! The Humble Twin blade handles the changing direction of the hair follicles with no problem.
Note, In the past, I have used a 3 blade razor and a 4 blade razor getting them at the drug store. When my financial situation took a turn for the worse I looked around for options. First I went to a drug store brand of dual blade disposable razor which was the cheapest “over the counter” blade I could find. I didn’t like it because it was cheaply made and didn’t give me a good shave. It grabbed my hairs and pulled and the blades got clogged up almost immediately. Basically that cheap blade from the drug store sucked big time.
Then I found the Dollar Shave Club Humble Twin and I am happy with it. It doesn’t shave quite as close as the over the counter 3 and four blade designs, but it is head and shoulders above the cheap disposable brands that I was using to cut costs.
What I find is…
…IF I use a gel shaving cream (I use Edge Gel for Sensitive Skin)
…and IF I shave over the same spot on my face twice with the Humble Twin razor…
…THEN I get just as close a shave with The Humble Twin as I get using the hugely more expensive 3 and 4 blades I used to use from the drugstore back in the day when I had a full time job and was pulling down 40K a year.
How long does 5 blades last?
Well that depends on how much you shave. Which is why I gave you all that info above about how I shave.
Because I have a beard, I only have to shave PART of my face when I shave. And I can skip shaving for quite a while before it begins to look shaggy.
Normally, I tend to shave about once a week when I have no dance lessons or teaching gigs.
IF I am teaching several lessons during the week, or for any other reason running errands and not just staying at home, then I shave about every 3 days. I
IF I am VERY busy and doing something every day, then I shave every other day.
So, for me 10 blades lasts me about 3 months.
I was on the 1 month plan for the first three months, to build up a supply, then I switched to the “every 3 months” option. I’ve never run out and often postpone shipments because I have enough blades on hand.
Yes, You can postpone a shipment or change the delivery schedule…
Often I don’t need any more blades — I have plenty on hand.
So, when Dollar Shave Club sends me their “reminder” email that they are about to ship me some blades, I click on the link in the email, and go and “postpone” the shipment to either a month from now or two months from now depending on when I think I’ll need the next batch of replacement blades.
Quick and Easy!
They have lots of other stuff…
The Dollar Shave Club has lots of other products you can buy. Gels, and creams and lotions and they also have two other models of blades. I have not tried any of those other products. When I do or IF I do, then I’ll do a separate review of those specific products.
Dollar Shave Club has a heart
Here is a story I saw on my Facebook Feed the other day. Dollar Shave Club gave a big box of their products to soldiers for free. [click the image to make it bigger if you can’t read the text]
//
Dollar Shave Club has a sense of humor
If you haven’t seen Dollar Shave Club‘s web ad / video, then you are in for a treat. It is funny.
Note: If you’re at work, you might want to keep the sound turned down. And depending on how you feel about bleeped out swear words and little ears you might want to make sure the kids are in the other room. Enjoy!
Feel free to share your own stories or tips and tricks about razor blades by using the comment form down below:
See ya on the dance floor!
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Full disclosure:
- These are my opinions…
- Other than being a customer / consumer, I am not affiliated with any of these companies in any way.
(Though if you happen to be with one of these companies and you want me to be your spokesperson, well, uhmm, give me a shout via my contact form and we’ll talk. – yeh, like THAT’s gonna ever happen!). - I have actually bought and used and/or researched the products I review – read the individual review for all the details on any particular item.
- If you decide to join Dollar Shave Club, I get a $5 coupon that I can apply to future orders from Dollar Shave Club.
- If you click on the link to the Edge Gel for Sensitive Skin and actually buy it then I get a small commission of a few pennies from Amazon for the referral.
- For the record, a few pennies from Amazon and/or $5 from Dollar Shave Club isn’t enough to make me give a good review to a bad product. Don’t get me wrong… I can be bought, but girlfriend, I can’t be bought cheap! So there! 🙂 (And if I ever *am* bought by a company, I’ll let ya know up front! LOL)
[This review was updated on Nov 30, 2020]
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Sharing Diabetes and Supplement Information #3: My experience with Niacin
Third post in a series…
This is the third in a series where I go through all the drugs and vitamin supplements that my doctor has instructed me to take and I provide you with a list of links / readings / background information.
For the full backstory and the 411 on Invokana and the ACA, check out the first post:
Sharing Diabetes and Supplement Information #1: Introduction, Invokana and the ACA
For the second post spotlighting Janumet, check out:
Sharing Diabetes and Supplement Information #2: Janumet
I am a fairly new diabetic. I was diagnosed in June 2015, approximately 6 months ago. My doctor immediately put me on two diabetic drugs. This was in addition to the drugs I was taking to control my high blood pressure and dust/dust mite allergies.
A month ago at my last doctor’s visit, because of the results from a comprehensive panel of bloodwork, I was ordered to start taking a HUGE number of mega-doses of vitamin and mineral supplements.
Which of course lead me to having a LOT of questions! So I started doing research online and since I blog and I was once upon a time a Librarian, I thought “AHA!” — instant blog post series! Woot!
Standard disclaimer:
I am not a doctor. I am not giving medical advice. I’m just sharing my own experiences.
Before you make any changes that could affect your health, you should talk to your doctor first!
So, here’s the next drug/supplement on my list:
Niacin
Q: When and how should I take Niacin?
A: Talk to your doctor for doses and frequency. — I was taking it 2 x per day, once around 9 in the morning and then again around 9 at night, 500mg Extended-Release tablet.
Q: Any drug interactions that I should watch for?
A: YES! as with most drugs there is a big long list of possible interactions, but…
OMG! This drug/supplement interacts apparently interacts with just about EVERYTHING! And it has some funky side effects too! After discussing things with my doctor, she ordered me to stop taking it.
The reasons my doctor order me to stop taking it were:
(1) I was having hot flashes. My whole body seemed to rise in temperature; I could literally put my hand close to an arm or leg and feel the heat radiating from my body.
(2) My face would have a kind of “pin-prick” sensation all over my head, face and ears. Very similar to the feeling that you get when the circulation returns to an arm or leg that “went to sleep.”
Reasons number 1 & 2 above are actually pretty common side effects. And while feeling weird, are worth putting up with because of the benefits of taking the Niacin.
The reason a doctor will order you to take Niacin is to lower bad cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol. Which is something I need to do based on that huge panel of blood tests my doctor did on me.
IF it had only been the funky flashes, then my doctor would have told me to keep taking the drug as long as they didn’t increase in frequency or intensity.
But the thing that caused my doctor to order me to stop was:
(3) Niacin was interfering with the effectiveness of Janumet (50 mg/1000 mg) and Invokana (300 mg), the two drugs I take to control my Type 2 Diabetes.
The day after I began taking Niacin, I noticed Read the rest of this entry
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This has been a good week!
Where to start? So much news to share…
One of the hardest things about writing and/or blogging, is deciding on just what to write about and how much to write. Ideas are always popping into my head. I have a post-it note program on my Mac that I use to jot down ideas about topics as they occur in an attempt to stay organized.
Sometimes I even start a post then save it as a draft to finish later. We will not even begin to discuss how many of those I have saved in draft mode waiting for me to return and finish the post… sigh
And then I have a week like the one just past, so chock full of stuff that it generates even MORE ideas!
“Whateva shall I do? I feel faint with the stress of it all…”
[using my best Southern Belle / accent]
[Hmmmm…I think I need some liquid fortification…]
“Oh waiter! YoooooHoooo! A chocolate martini! Stat!“
…..ssssslllllluuuuurrrrrrpppp…. Ahhhhh! That’s better.
Now, where was I? A lot happened this week.
Since I have been accused of digression in posts past, I am determined to turn over a new leaf. Plus, that chocolate martini is gonna get warm if I don’t make this quick. 😉
Therefore, for the ultra-minimalist crowd:
It has indeed been a very good week!
There.
I’m done.
What? You want more?
Tsk-tsk-tsk You guys should know better than ask me for “more” — Brevity is not a strong point of mine… but I’m gonna try.
How’s this then?
5-6-7-8 Dancing My Way to a Healthy Me! 