Category: Daily Blog

This is the catch-all category of my daily blogs. Sub-categories will live under this general heading.

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Using Zwift to Maintain Endurance

Using Zwift to Maintain Endurance

Trainers and Treadmills are hell

When I went through my initial weight-loss journey in 2010, I lost a large majority of the pounds on a stationary bike. For distraction purposes, I parked my recumbent in front of a television. That allowed me to combat what was sometimes three hours of torture. That summer I purchased my first bicycle and began riding on the road. I couldn’t believe how superior being outside was to that stationary bike.

Read about my weight loss journey here

Running joined cycling that summer as well. I ran almost daily on a fine gravel path near my home. The scenery, with its natural beauty, was the perfect background for me to find peace while I went through the personal hell of run training.

As is the way of the world, all good things must come to an end. That winter, when the weather finally became too cold, I could no longer ride outside. At least I was able to run. I continued that right into the most frigid of months. One day, over a beer, a fellow cyclist made aware of bike trainers.

Lesser of all the evils

Bike trainers are a device a cyclist can use indoors to continue their training throughout the year. There was a limited number of options in 2011. You could go with a fluid trainer, which had its internal components encased in a viscous liquid that provided resistance. A magnetic trainer was another option. It used opposing magnets to provide the resistance while you pedaled.

Bike trainer options
There are many bike trainer options on the marker. Wahoo is my trainer of choice.

Rollers were a niche trainer option for only the most hardened and insane of cyclists. They were just what the name implies. You rode your bike, unconnected to anything, on a series of tubes with bearings that made you feel as if you were actually riding. The reality is that one wrong move would send you flying off the rollers to certain death. In reality, you probably wouldn’t die. However, I bet you would break something and it would most likely be a lamp or table.

Cycling on a trainer is the worst

I went with a MAG trainer, which was coincidentally magnetic. The first time I attached my bike to the device, I was full of hopeful expectations. I imagined it would feel just like riding my bike on the road. It wasn’t. Not one bit. I am fairly certain I only lasted about ten minutes that first time. Why? Oh, there are so many reasons:

  • When you ride your bike outdoors, there is a sway to your body that you can use to apply power to pedals. That isn’t possible since the bike is locked into a very heavy device.
  • When you ride your bike outdoors, you can view ever-changing scenery because you are generally going 15-20 mph. The absolute opposite is true on a trainer. I can only stare at that lonely house plant for so long.
  • When you ride your bike outdoors, you can take pedaling breaks because of downhills. Sometimes you get to pedal harder because you are climbing up a hill. Basically, things are constantly changing. Not on a trainer. On the trainer, you pedal. You pedal only what that horrible trainer gives you. That is all.
  • When you ride your bike outdoors, you get to feel the wind. As your body is heating up from exertion, the wind from your speed is there to keep you cool. That is not the case on a trainer unless you put a fan in front of you. That is highly suggested, by the way. However, even with a fan, it never feels the same. I believe it is the singular direction and speed of a fan that leaves it feeling artificial.
  • When you ride your bike outdoors, you can join and race other cyclists. On a trainer, you generally lose that. Sure, you can set up multiple trainers in your home. Let’s be honest here, how many of us have 500 square foot living rooms to fit a whole peloton of bikes?

Due to this amassed number of complaints I have about trainers, I seldom used mine. Each and every winter would come with me deciding to bite the bullet and ride my trainer. Every winter would also see me get about two weeks into that decision and then completely change my mind. Trainers suck. PERIOD.

The Dreadmill

Treadmills do not even require too much explanation. While I am certain that a relatively small percentage of the population will even ride a bike on a trainer, I am positive that a vast majority have run on a treadmill at least once. While there are plenty of benefits to running on a treadmill, the physics of it are just different enough from running on the road that I struggle mightily with it.

A fun treadmill FAIL compilation

For some reason, I am always slower on a treadmill. I am convinced it is because my gait is different on the treadmill, likely due to the sense of limited space to stride. The continuous thud of my steps mixed with the mechanical hum of the motor and belt is also a distraction that takes me out of my zen like space I try to find when I run outdoors. I have avoided treadmills almost completely during my years of running because treadmills suck. PERIOD.

Enter the great new hope

When I explained trainers earlier, I did not include one category of trainer: Computerized Trainers. There were computerized trainers on the market at that time. TacX, for example, sold a system with a slew of devices that offered a nearly realistic simulation of riding outdoors. You had the option of changing elevation and could see where you riding in the world. It came with a load of bells and whistles. It also came with an outrageous price tag. I didn’t include that category because professional cyclists and human performance organizations were the only consumers of them.

That began to change in 2013 when several companies introduced Smart Trainers to the marketplace. With this new, more affordable option, you could connect a pc, a tablet, or your smart phone to the device via ANT+ or Bluetooth technology. Now, you could use software to control the resistance of the trainer. Even more importantly, software companies could combine mapping technology and networking to introduce a whole new riding experience.

Zwift
Zwift’s arrival brought a whole new way to ride indoors.

Pay to play or in this case, ride

Zwift started offering subscriptions in October of 2015. What that subscription gave you was access to a virtual world, akin to a video game. In this digitally rendered, three dimensional world, you could ride your bike along a network of roads until you heart was content. They had flats, hills, and even mountains in their fictional land of Watopia.

Zwift communicated through your Smart Trainer software to control the resistance of your trainer. As you climbed a hill in the virtual world, it became harder to pedal. As you descended the hill later, it became easier to pedal. Absolute genius. Another amazing aspect of the Zwift platform, is that all around you were other cyclists. Each and every person on a bike in that world was the avatar of a real cyclists in their home or gym using similar technology.

Time to join the cool kids

I waited one year from its release before purchasing my setup. I went with a Wahoo Kickr Snap. You had two options with Wahoo. With the main Kickr product, you removed your rear wheel and temporarily attached your frame and chain to the device. With the Kickr Snap option, your back wheel stayed on and you locked the rear wheel of your bike against a flywheel. The primary difference is that the first option allowed for that gentle sway I referred to earlier in this article. Basically, it felt slightly more “road-like.”

This setup was a godsend for me. That winter and the following one, I used the Wahoo Kickr Snap with Zwift and road indoors plenty. Due completely to that, my strength, speed, and endurance in cycling began to improve year after year.

Doth my eyes deceive me?

One day, during my third season using Zwift, I suddenly saw something on my monitor while I was riding that confused me. My brain was reeling. I actually stopped pedaling and turned my bike around in the virtual world. I had to ride back and confirm my thoughts…Sure enough, I had actually seen someone running on the side of the road in Watopia. Suddenly, Zwift was no longer just for cyclists.

Running in Zwift
Zwift started offering running at an option in 2018

I did some research. How was I going to be able to run in the virtual world too? Surely, this is a technology that belonged in a technoholic’s home. Unfortunately, I was quickly met with defeat. I began searching Zwift’s website for the setup information. It was only in a beta at that time, meaning you needed to be invited in. For the next year, the ability to run inside Zwift’s platform was limited to only very high end treadmills. That was a problem for two reasons. High end treadmills are unbelievably expensive and I still hated treadmills. Regardless of these truths, I still coveted the idea and felt a small pang of jealousy ever time I saw a runner in Zwift.

More ways to play

Instead of going out and spending five thousand dollars on a treadmill to join the fun, I made the choice to purchase something else Wahoo had brought to the marketplace. During the previous year, they released the Kickr Climb. With this device, you removed your front wheel and attached your front forks to the Climb. It connected to your trainer via bluetooth. While you were riding in the virtual world, the Climb would assess the gradient of the road you were riding. When you began to ride up a hill, the Climb would elevate the front of your bike, simulating the slope of the road. When you descended, the opposite would occur.

This new option on the platform created an even more immersive experience. I rode more last year with the Climb than I did in previous off-seasons. When this past fall arrived, I once again took a gander at the options for running in Zwift. While I was encouraged by seeing more treadmills availble, they all still lived in the $3-4 thousand dollar range. I was not that interested in suffering on a treadmill with that price. Again, Wahoo came to my rescue with a another new device.

Full Wahoo Setup
Wahoo Kickr with Climb and Headwind

This blew me away

The Headwind actually popped up at the end of the previous winter, but I wasn’t going to spend the money on something new at the end of the indoor riding season. The headwind was a “smart” fan you placed in front of your cycling setup. Like the Climb, it connected via bluetooth to your Kickr. The Headwind read your speed in the virtual world and matched it with the speed of the fan. Now, you effectively felt the wind while you were riding. Suddenly, the line between indoor and outdoor riding was truly starting to blur.

Over the last couple of years, Zwift has also greatly increased their riding options. There are multiple virtual worlds you can choose from. Some are totally invented like Watopia. Others are based solidly on the real world, like London, Richmond, and Innsbruck. New York City’s Central Park is also in the software but it features a very interesting format. In this futuristic version of the park, you can ride the park loops that have made the place famous, or you can ride up technologically advanced ramps that lead to a course in the sky. It allows for the scenic New York City skyline as a backdrop while you ride up and down some pretty challenging elevation changes.

Impulse buys are the worst

A couple of days after Christmas in 2019, my girlfriend and I were walking into Dick’s Sporting Goods in Destiny USA, which is the local mall here in Syracuse. As you first walk in, there is sometimes a row of treadmills for sale. She looked over to me with hope. Unlike me, she is a treadmill runner. At that time, she had been regularly driving to the gym at night to run on their treadmills. She wanted me to buy her one. Ugh. I was pleasantly surprised to see all the treadmills were heavily discounted after the holiday.

That very night I drove home with a Bowflex BXT216 treadmill hanging out of the back of my Toyota Prius. It took me a couple of days to hook it up and several more before I gave it a real try at running on it. I still hated the treadmill and didn’t see myself using it a lot, but my girlfriend was in her glory. She spent nearly every evening on it for the next month, but I returned mostly to my bike.

Bowflex BXT216
I impulse bought this beauty right after Christmas

About two weeks ago, one of my clients was talking to me about her Zwift riding experiences. We were discussing the additional attachments I had purchased over the years and she asked me if I had gotten a treadmill yet, specifically to run inside using Zwift. I replied that I had just bought a treadmill but it wasn’t one of the ones listed on their website. She proceeded to tell me that the website info isn’t totally accurate. A Zwift rep told her that as long as the treadmill has bluetooth technology, it should work.

What?!?!

Is the treadmill a thing now?

I ran home after my last client and made my way to the gym in my house. My beautiful Trek Domane was sitting there, attached to my Wahoo Kickr Snap and Climb. Sitting in front of that was the Headwind. Above that was the monitor I use while riding. Next to that insane cycling setup is my new treadmill. I turned on the software, clicked on the RUN tab on the load screen. There were three options for syncing it. You can connect to a heart rate monitor, cadence counter, and the treadmill. With bated breath, I turned on my treadmill and touched the icon on the screen.

Immediately it connected. Oh my god. I stepped onto the treadmill and tried it out. Sure enough, my avatar was walking on the screen. I increased the speed and the “me” on the screen ran at the same pace. I put on my heart rate chest belt and connected that as well. Success. But I was missing the cadence. I was able to grab a Run Pod made by Zwift on Amazon. That arrived yesterday and I tried it out last night. Immediate Success.

After all these years, I now have a complete setup in my basement to allow for multi-sport training. It is perfect timing too, because I have my first multi-sport event this coming May. I will be competing in a Bike-Kayak-Run event in Schenectady. I have never participated in one of these, but being well trained will help ease my anxiety.

If you have considered the Zwift system, which works with several different trainers and treadmills, I can highly recommend it. It has been a vital part of my training regiment for many years and will continue to be for many more years to come.

Christopher Hess, LMT

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Massage Therapy vs Massage guns

Massage Therapy vs Massage Guns

Several Types of Massage

For more than seven years, I have offered a source of pain relief and relaxation for my thankful clientele. My office is locally known for having a diverse massage staff and we offer a broad spectrum of talents. We have licensed massage therapists who excel at pre-natal massage and some that offer thai massage. A couple of my massage therapists really focus on offering incredibly relaxing Swedish massage and tend to avoid offering deeper work. The rest of us are deep tissue specialists.

Deep tissue massage is a gray area term. It can be synonymous with orthopedic massage or medical massage. I am not implying that all those offerings are the same, but rather they are often interchangeable terms for clients. I will break down all the varied massage offerings in this field in another Massage Therapy Mondays post, but for now we are going to focus on a small slice of the industry.

The majority of clients that enter the doors to my office fall into two categories. They are either dealing with some sort of physical pain or they are athletes looking for assistance with recovery. Most of these clients come for an hour but some come for ninety minute sessions. The cost for these appointments is $75 and $105, respectively.

Benefits of massage

Injuries are commonplace. There are more causes and symptoms than I could ever list here so I will speak in generalities. We see a lot of instances of general pain in the neck, shoulders, back and hips. Knees and wrists also motivate people to contact us on occasion, but the main four are neck, shoulders, back, and hips.

The causes of the pain is a far more diverse and complicated list. First and foremost, we are unbelievably destructive to our bodies in today’s society. It is not that we live harder lives than our ancestors. It is the stress of modern life that lies at the root of so many issues. Maintaining our households, worrying about our children and/or elderly parents, and successfully negotiating our careers can leave our bodies under constant assault from a chemical called cortisol.

Cortisol Effects

The cortisol hormone is produced by your adrenal glands. It is known as the source of the “fight or flight” response. Beyond that primary function, it also serves to regulate a number of complex balances in the body such as blood pressure and metabolism. Without turning this into a biology and chemistry lesson, let’s just agree that is vital to life.

Cortisol becomes a problem when tissue is exposed to it for too long. While cortisol can help your body in a number of ways, it can also me destructive. Long term exposure to cortisol in the connective tissues can break those fragile organs down. It can weaken tendons and ligaments and damage protective organs like fascia. Every organ, bone, muscle, tendon, and ligament is covered in fascia. It is one singular and contiguous organ, akin to an internal skin. If you damage one area of your fascia, it can have consequential effects throughout your body.

Massage for Recovery

Athletes are everywhere. While many people instinctively think of professional football or baseball players when they hear the term, athletes are also runners competing in 5ks or marathons. Triathletes, who compete in multiple disciplines are athletes. People who choose to hike the Appalachian Trail or tackle all the High Peaks of The Adirondacks are athletes. Even those of us that regularly weight train at the neighborhood gym fall into the category of athletes.

Sports Massage
Sports massage can be in office or at an event

There are unique needs and dangers of constant exercise that a massage therapist is specifically trained to understand and negotiate. Trigger points, muscle fatigue, delayed onset muscle soreness, lactic acid, and plantar fasciitis are just some of the regular issues athletes come to us with.

Massage therapists have special training to work the common issues athletes experience. We can focus our attention on areas that require the work. There is a subtle balance the body must maintain in order to remain pain free or recover from injury, and massage therapists have the tools to facilitate that balance. Unfortunately, people are Increasingly turning to devices to address these issues.

Foam rollers have a long history

While I have been in the massage industry for nearly a decade, foam rollers were around long before me. Over time, they have become more and more sophisticated. Nowadays, they come in all shapes and sizes to address as many areas of the body as possible. The theory behind rolling is that one can loosen tight muscles by using their own body weight to knead the tissue in the same way you roll dough.

Assortment of foam rollers
Foam rollers come in many shapes and sizes to serve different areas of the body

For years, I have even suggesting foam rolling to clients as a complimentary option to maintain the success I have during the massage. A month between appointments is a long time and if rolling can help keep their quad muscles loose, all the more power to them.

The new kid on the block

Massage “guns” are a relative newcomer to the scene. A California chiropractor invented the massage gun to aid in recovery of his own back pain. Subsequently. he began using it on his clients and its popularity spread from there.

A massage gun is a tool that looks like an altered drill. It creates a repetitive compression against the body similar to a jackhammer. It functions at a high rate of speed and features a padded point of contact. The theory behind its use is that is will soften the tissue and aid in the removal of toxins and facilitate positive blood flow to the desired area. There is no doubt that the application of that device to some areas of the body can be a very pleasurable and therapeutic experience.

The massage gun has seen increased usage in the physical therapy field as well. When operated by a trained practitioner, it can be a fine ancillary tool in the box. Physical therapists and chiropractors have been using devices as part of their treatment plans for a long while now. However, I would make the argument that you cannot beat the trained hands of massage therapist when it comes to the soft tissue of the body.

Massage Gun
Massage guns use a repetitive compression to loosen tissue

Issues arise when individuals purchase a massage gun for themselves and use it at home without training or an understanding of the complex balance of the body’s musculature. Application of the gun to bone or areas of high nerve density can have devastating consequences. They could easily cause injury or make an existing injury worse.

Sometimes you need a pro

If you came across this article because you are injured and are curious if a massage gun can help, my emphatic massage is “I don’t know.” This article is not meant as a admonishment of massage guns in the marketplace. I am simply here to offer a cautionary warning.

If you are feeling pain that is causing discomfort beyond the normal, you should always seek attention from a trained individual. If you are experiencing issues with your soft tissue, consult a massage therapist like myself. We have experience in these issues and have an understanding of the general causes of pain. If someone comes to me with an injury that requires more than I can offer, I am quick to advise they see a doctor.

If someone chooses to address their own pain without any medical training with a massage gun, they are putting themselves at risk. Remember, many of our every day aches and pains originate from over-exposure to cortisol. A gun or a foam roller cannot address your stress, but the hands of a licensed massage therapist certainly can.

Christopher Hess, LMT

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Time And Time Again – The Eternal Perfection of August And Everything After

Time And Time Again

No walls and a cheap stereo

The summer of 1994 will forever be the most remarkable and mind-altering period of my life. Several events happened during that summer which permanently altered how I viewed the world around me. Specifically, I found August And Everything After by The Counting Crows. Before that, I began to dabble pretty heavily in marijuana after moving in with some friends. It was the first time in my life I lived outside of my parents’ home. I was relegated to a small cordoned off area in the attic. As I recall, I didn’t even have four walls. The entrance was a sheet strung up to divide me from the greater attic space.

In that “bedroom” was a bed, a small television, a game system, and a cd player. I survived on peanut butter & jelly and ramen while trying to get by on a part-time, minimum wage salary. At the time, I worked at a video rental store called Video Factory, which was later bought by Blockbuster. I was long gone and serving our nation in The Marine Corps before that ever happened.

With my meager earnings and having bills to pay for the first time in my life, there was nothing left for entertainment or adventure. I did two things a lot that summer besides smoking pot: I skated until my wheels wore off and I listened to music. This was long before the days of mp3s players. If you wanted to listen to something, you brought the CD with you. I generally had one of two albums in my player that summer: Vs by Pearl Jam or August And Everything After by The Counting Crows.

Pass me a bottle, Mr. Jones

The Counting Crows are an anomaly in the music industry. They hailed from San Francisco and were inspired heavily by Van Morrison and the Grateful Dead in a time when the Seattle music scene was heavily dominating radio. Their first single, Mr. Jones should have been dead in the water when in debuted in February of 1994. The album was released in the fall of the previous year to little fanfare. Geffen records had signed the band after they filled in for Van Morrison at a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

The music video for Mr. Jones was such a departure from other music of the time.

Mr. Jones was an instant hit, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Top 40. In hindsight, it is clear that a large swath of the music buying population was looking for something other than grunge rock and The Counting Crows were happy to give it to them. The song had a light aerie feel to it. It featured subtle Spanish beats and fast paced lyrics by Adam Duritz, the band’s front man. Duritz was also a contradiction to trends. He had a playful demeanor and featured meticulously maintained dreadlocks. His persona could not be any more different than other front men of the time like Kirk Cobain and Eddie Vedder.

She knows she’s more than just a little misunderstood

Mr. Jones had a more traditional musical structure with common verse and chorus arrangements. Their second released single shot that design out of the water. Round Here was a lyrical journey, telling a story so succinct that sounded as if Duritz could have just as easily been reading a poem at a local coffee shop. Round Here escaped the high pace and pounding beats that Mr. Jones introduced to the world. Rather, the guitar riffs and keyboard phrasing added a funky appeal with a much slower offering. With that said, this was also no ballad. It was a story of love and loss.

Click here to read about how Sundays are for Entertainment on The Daily Octane

I really enjoyed Mr. Jones, but I was 18 years old and looking for something different. At that point in my life I was on a journey of discovery. I had come out of high school, unsure of who I was, and I was looking to be as cool as possible. I was still jamming out to Pearl Jam’s 10 album and trying to get a taste for their follow-up, Vs. The first Counting Crows’ single was popular and I certainly heard it on the radio, but I did not run out and buy the album. That is until I heard the follow-up single, Round Here.

Bright colors and the lyrics

During that period of my life, I had not yet acquired the musical sophistication I have today. I was definitely a pop and rock radio guy. When I would buy an album, I would just play the tracks I knew over and over. The B-side songs seldom hit my ears unless I was too tired to get up and skip the track. That changed when I tore the cellophane off August And Everything After.

August And Everything After Cover Art
I have purchased this album several times over the years.

When I grabbed that CD from the shelf of the local record store, I was immediately struck by the cover. It was unlike any of the music I had been listening to for years. The album art was brightly colored and featured hand-written song lyrics on faded parchment. The band’s name and album title was sloppily written in pen.

I popped the disc in my player and hit play. The first track was Round Here. That was perfect. I sat on my floor next to the stereo and rolled a joint. Then something happened. The whole album began to play. Round Here was followed by Omaha. What in the hell was that? This new song, which to this day never received radio play was like nothing I had ever heard. It was timeless. It had instrumentation that felt like it was country, but still urban. Like Round Here, it was telling a story and ignoring the traditional song writing tropes.

I was hooked.

Oh Lord, I’m not ready for this sort of thing

I listened to the whole album that day, stoned out of my mind and soaked in sweat from oppressive heat in that attic space with no air-flow, let alone air-conditioning. After it finished, I slowly rose from where I was sitting and hit play again.

That summer I listen to August And Everything After incessantly. As I began to learn all of the songs, I could not stop myself from singing along. There was one song that made my voice swell more and more every time I crooned along with Duritz. That was Anna Begins. There was something about that song that strung a chord in my heart. I don’t know if it was the “on again, off again” relationship I was having that summer or simply the beauty of the lyrics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHZ7vthVoeg
I am somewhere in that crowd.

Whatever it was, that song is still my favorite track on that album to this day. The last verse of Anna Begins swells with energy. With back-up singers layered beneath him, Adam’s voice rises until it hits a crescendo. Then the band suddenly drops out and leaves Duritz to send us off with, “I’m not ready for this sort of thing.”

It was probably not the first listen or even the tenth, but there was once a time where I was singing along with Anna Begins so passionately that I wept. That had never happened to me before. I was so unbelievably caught up in the emotion of the song in that moment that is took my breath away.

I am feathered by the moonlight falling down on me

August And Everything After sends you off with A Murder of One. The song features an intense drum beat that carries you continually through with symphonic melodies that cannot help but elicit a trance-like state. As you are lulled into a sense of calm, Duritz suddenly leaves the band to do their own thing. He starts to ramble, ignoring the normal tradition of singing harmoniously with the rhythm of the song. He becomes a crow in his own right, flying above the music.

The last verse of A Murder of One features a continuous chanting of the word “change.” It implores the listener, or perhaps Adam himself, to grow within. Do not conform to the crowd. Do not be afraid to be yourself. You do not need to run with the pack. In nature, a grouping of crows is called a Murder. The message is that you can be alone and be ok. You can be a murder of one.

Thank you Adam and The Counting Crows. A young me in 1994 really needed that message and it was received LOUD AND CLEAR.

Because of August And Everything After, I have been a murder of one ever since.

Christopher Hess, LMT

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Gaming Over 40: Cool Games but Multiplayer Sucks

Gaming Over 40

My first gaming memories

There are some things in life you never forget. Memories can be powerful constructs that elicit a strong emotional connection to a specific thing or time in your life. I cannot tell you with certainty what the first game was that I ever played, but I am positive of the first game I remember playing. It was B17 Bomber on the Intellivision. The game was rudimentary by any measure today, but it was groundbreaking at the time. I was amazed how the game truly made me feel that I was flying over Europe bombing German encampments. Keep in mind that I was five or six years old. And now I am gaming over 40.

B17 Bomber on the Intellivision is the first game I remember playing
Click here to read more about my history with gaming

It is astonishing to me that I still remember the Konami Code and the sequence needed to jump to Mike Tyson in Punchout!! The secret levels in Super Mario Bros are as easy to recall as my first phone number. As time has progressed and the gaming industry has transformed, these types of memories have gone the way of the dodo. Today’s games have eliminated the need for codes and tricks. Now we get beautiful graphics, Hollywood caliber voice talent, and stories that rival anything on the silver screen.

The greatest generation is Gen-X

In the 1980s, the video game marketplace exploded onto the home entertainment scene in a huge way. My entire generation was caught up in the wonder and attraction of it all. I was no exception. As a child born in the 1970s, my generation is the first to have been born before gaming’s inception, but also to have embraced it wholly. My father dabbled with gaming on the Intellivision but he never toyed around the Nintendo Entertainment System at all. I may have gotten him to check some games out over the years, but he has never shown any interest in playing anything at length.

Within my peer group, nearly everyone I know is a gamer to some extent. Many of them are also gaming over 40. The reality of the gaming industry today is that there is something for everyone. You can find nearly every imaginable genre represented. This is because while there is a robust number of gaming manufacturers, the industry has invited Indie game designers into the arena with open arms.

Huge Game Selections
There is an incredible number of gaming titles available and retro game stores have popped up all over the country, catering to gaming nostalgia.

My kids are addicts

When my kids were born, I couldn’t wait to introduce them to the world of video games. Both of my sons spent time sitting on my lap watching me play. I would give them the occasional opportunity to take the controls on something easy. By the time they were three or four years old, they were playing certain games quite well.

In recent years we began to fight over access to the gaming consoles in the house. Eventually I could no longer avoid the need for everyone to have their own. Now we all game separately, but we are always talking about the games we play and compare our experiences with each other.

My oldest son has settled into Action RPGs as his genre of choice. His most recent games of note are Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. I have also played both and can vouch for their exceptional quality. My youngest son loves virtual reality. He splits his time between that and Roblox. His popular games right now in VR are Boneworks, VR Chat, and Beatsaber. I have played Beatsaber and understand its appeal, but I prefer Audica by Harmonix. I can honestly say I have never played Roblox but it has been on his play list for years.

Audica is my favorite VR game. It is made by Harmonix, the developers of Rock Band.

The games I play and why

When it comes to my current gaming habits, I seem to ebb and flow with my favorite games and genres. I generally have several games going at once, taking turns playing a different one from day to day. The current carousel of titles comprises Astroneer, Cities: Skylines, Batman: The Telltale Series, and I just finished the story in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. I still need to go in and complete all the loot quests.

That is a phenomenon that is new to gaming for me in recent years. I have this compulsive need to complete not only the main story but also the side quests and acquire all the elusive extra things. Some games are more involved than others. Red Dead Redemption 2, for example, has so many side quests and loot crates, that I almost lost my mind.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is the first game that ever gave me that level of dopamine fueled pleasure. Now that coveted 100% Completion Achievement is my constant lover and enemy. I get to the pinnacle of accomplishment just enough to keep me hooked at trying but not too much to cause me to find it useless.

Batman: Arkham Asylum 100%
Batman: Arkham Asylum was the first modern game that I achieved 100% completion on.

So many genres, so little time

As I get older, certain games attract me more than others. I also find that I go through cycles when it comes to the types of games that hold my attention. Additionally, some of the same titles will pop back into my playlist from time to time.

Some games that I have played a ton but seem to keep coming back to are:

Those are my favorite games of the last ten years. As a matter of fact, I will count down my favorite games of the last decade beginning next week.

Playing with my kids

As I mentioned earlier, I introduced my kids to gaming at a very young age. The first games we played together were Hasbro Family Game Night and the Lego Franchise games like Lego: Star Wars, and Lego: Batman. The fun was endless until they outgrew those titles.

Rock Band is a game that I have played since it came on the marketplace in 2007. Both of my kids were far too young to play it for many years, but they would tinker with the drums or wail into the microphone on occasion. The irony is that as soon as they were actually old enough and coordinated enough to play with me, they had no interest in it anymore. That is tragic, because I still pull that game out from time to time and I would love to play with them.

I spent countless hours and ridiculous amounts of money on this Rock Band when it was released in 2007.

When Minecraft showed up in 2011, my kids were both immediate adopters. I resisted playing it initially because it seemed childish, simplistic, and trivial. My mind quickly changed when I finally caved to the insistence of my children. I loved that game. I haven’t played it in a long while because it has evolved into a game that is so complex and involved that only the die hard players can truly appreciate the scope of its options. But for a few short years, barely a week went by that I wasn’t playing Minecraft with one of my boys for a few hours here and there.

Multiplayer sucks

The original Doom is the first game I recall having network play. It allowed you to enter a three dimensional world with your friends. The graphics and physics were not great but the experience was transformative. The first good title that brought it to the mainstream of acceptance was Goldeneye 007 for the Nintendo 64. It allowed for 4 player PvP or Player versus Player. I literally burned away days of my life battling it out with friends in those maps.

There was a dark period of gaming in my life that I referenced in last week’s post. I was sort of broke most of the time and couldn’t keep up with the gaming world. When I finally rebounded and purchased an Xbox 360 I dove headfirst into the Multiplayer Gaming world with Call of Duty 2: Modern Warfare. The argument can be made that CoD2 is still the greatest multiplayer game every made.Even in my early 30s, I was staying up until dawn killing adolescent children in the UK on a daily basis.

Call of Duty 2: Modern Warfare
I would stay up until dawn on a nightly basis playing this game.

Eventually I stopped playing online multiplayer games. Why? Because of asshole kids. It is astonishing to me that young children are playing some of these games to begin with. Beyond that, it is mind-numbing to hear the language that comes out of their mouths. I once had a child tell me to go fuck myself. He could not have been more than ten years old. 10 YEARS OLD. Tops…

Multiplayer continues to dominate

The industry of multiplayer gaming has taken the world by storm. Today we have tournaments filled with players from around the globe battling it out for real money. They have been dubbed Esports and they are constantly growing in popularity. I have loved gaming my whole life, but I cannot bring my self to watch Esports. I am sorry, but I just can’t. With that said, I am excited for the industry of gaming today. For the first time in history, the video game market made more money than the film industry. Without doubt, the production quality of some games rivals Hollywood productions.

For a period time a few years ago, I felt the gaming industry was forgetting about those of us that are gaming over 40. I think that changed when they saw the success of the Nintendo Wii with older audiences. The mobile gaming market has exploded recently and I am noticing more and more titles on PC and console that have adult themes, featuring characters that resemble me more than a hyper stylized Japanese teen.

I have hope for the future of gaming. I have a seen a resurgence of single player titles of late after years of multiplayer being the only option for the most popular releases. You may have noticed that until this point I have not mentioned Fortnite. I take issue with that game for one simple reason. Fortnite is a science experiment. It’s purpose was to stimulate award centers of the brain with reliable hits of dopamine. The whole game is one giant loot crate. In essence, it is free gambling. Of course there is no evidence of any of this…it’s just my opinion.

Fortnite
Fortnite has been melting the brains of teenagers for year.

Regardless, fuck Fortnite. Never played it. Never will.

Christopher Hess, LMT

You can find me on gaming networks:
Xbox: ZeroOctane LMT
Playstation: ZeroOctaneLMT

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FIVE STEPS TO GO FROM FAT TO FITNESS

Five Stops to go from Fat to Fitness

I am proof this can be done

In last week’s Fitness Friday post I recalled my history with weight gain and how I began my fitness journey. I will not recount the whole thing here for the sake of time, but I encourage you to click the link and check it out. The short version is that I reached my max weight in December of 2009. I tipped the scales at 279 pounds. The breaking point for me was a double whammy. It started one day that fall when my oldest son walked up to my ex-wife and pushed out his belly and said to my ex-wife that he wanted to be fat like his Dad. The straw that broke the camel’s back was walking into the bathroom one morning around my birthday and seeing actual stretch marks on my stomach.

In January of 2010 I made the decision to restrict my calorie intake while working out as much as I could. I bought a recumbent stationary bike and got to work. By the end of that spring, I was riding the bike three hours a day. That summer I started running and ran my first 5k in August. In less than one year I lost 100 lbs.

Running with my son
This is me jogging warm-up with my oldest son before my first 5k in 2010.

Over the years, I gained a lot of it back and then lost it again, and then gained it back again, and then lost it again. This is not an uncommon cycle.

I believe I have finally found a semblance of balance. While I am not at what I would consider an ideal weight, my other fitness markers allow me to feel content. I currently weight around 200 lbs depending on the day, but I have struggled with some diet choices in the last year. I will talk about that in further detail in Step 2.

Our weight and its effects are a uniquely human anomaly. We often gain weight at an alarming rate all whilst denying the obvious and explaining it away as a temporary change. For example we will proclaim that we always gain weight in the winter. It’s just winter weight, after all. Or we will put on ten pounds during the holidays and tell people that we do this every year and it will come off on its own. Worst yet, we will dismiss the weight gain as a unfortunate reality of getting older.

Losing weight has the opposite effect on our psyche but it is actually more devastating. As we lose the weight, we fail to sense the progress. Our need to be thin clouds the positive changes. Once we accomplish our weight loss, we will look at ourselves in the mirror or in pictures and still see a fat person. The absolute worst thing generally comes from our loved ones. When they see us with a dramatically different appearance, they will often tell us we look too thin. We look sick. This has a tragic effect on the mind. We often allow that mind-trick to derail our willpower and we slip back into old habits. And the weight begins to come back.

Have faith you can do this. Here are the five steps to go from fat to fitness.

Step 1: See your physician

It is important to note that I am not a doctor. I am also not a certified trainer, a nutritionist, or a dietitian. All I am is a person who has a long history with weight issues and I have had success transforming my body. With that said, before you attempt any weight loss journey, consult your physician. The first step is to get a full physical and have your labs checked for any possible health concerns.

Your physician is vital part of your fitness journey
Seeing your physician is paramount before beginning any fitness journey

Once you and your doctor have a clear understanding of your health, you can discuss what the best first steps are. If you are a life long smoker and have developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, you may not be able to run. For those of you that have extensive osteoarthritis, you may not be able to run. If you have diabetes, there may be dietary restrictions you have to follow. The benefit of having a clear understanding of you health is that you can compare your numbers once you have accomplished your goals.

When you get the green light from your doctor to begin your journey, you may want to find professionals to help guide you along the way. The first two that come to mind would be a personal trainer and a nutritionist. There is something important to keep in mind when choosing your health and wellness professionals. Personal trainers and nutritionists do not require any former schooling. There is also very little regulation of their industries. Be sure to consult family and friends to find a reputable professional that will be a good fit for you.

Step 2: Decide on a diet and stick to it

Before you ever step into a gym or start walking for exercise, you need to begin eating right. There is an expansive number of dietary options out there and they all have their benefits and detriments. As I stated above, when I went through my initial weight loss journey, I subscribed to the idea of Calories In / Calories Out. That is the idea that if you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight. This is common sense, in theory.

The reality is that the metabolism of the human body is unbelievably complex. It depends on a certain balance to maintain health and while you may lose weight quickly through starvation, the body will make evolutionary hormonal changes to ensure it returns to its set point. What that means to you is that if you starve yourself to lose weight, you are practically guaranteed to gain it all back.

During a period of effective weight loss a couple of years ago, I found lasting success with the Ketogenic Diet. The Keto diet, as it is often called, requires you to avoid carbohydrates at all costs. With most plans, you must remain under 35 grams of carbs a day. With Keto, even protein should be reduced with fat becoming the primary source of energy. I will save the science of Keto for another post, but I have had success with it. As a matter of fact, I am currently living a Keto lifestyle.

Ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet has brought me a lot of success but you need to find the diet best suited to you

Other eating lifestyles that many people have healthy success with are Whole Food and Plant Based diets. These are both self explanatory. Separate from food intake, another type of lifestyle choice I advocate for is Intermittent Fasting which is otherwise known as IF. This requires you to go for extended periods of time without eating. We all fast for a period of time every day. We do not eat while we are sleeping, thus the first meal of the day is called breakfast. In other words, we are breaking our fast. There are several methods, or IF protocols you can follow, but try them until you find one that is best for you. The longer the fast period, the better the benefits. I participate in The Warrior Diet protocol. This entails a 20 hour fast period followed by a four hour eat window.

Step 3: Begin an exercise routine

When I lost the weight in 2010, I was incredibly out of shape. I was still strong from my years in the Marine Corps, but I had nearly zero cardiovascular endurance. When I first bought my stationary bike, I would be exhausted after less than thirty minutes. By that summer, I was easily pedaling away for three hours at a time. In the summer, I started running. At first, I could not effectively jog for more than a half of a mile at a time. By the end of the summer, I ran a rather fast 5k.

Fast forward ten years to today and my fitness is at its peak. In 2019, I participated in 26 events. They were a mix of running and cycling. I ran 10 Half Marathons (13.1 miles) and 2 full marathons (26.2 miles). I rode my bike in five charity events that were 100 miles a piece. Three times in the last four years, I have participated in The Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World. This is four races over four consecutive days. The runs consist of a 5k (3.1 miles), 10k (6.2 miles), half marathon (13.1 miles), and a full marathon (26.2 miles). That is a total of 48.6 miles in four days.

Dopey Challenge
The 6 medals I received for the 2019 Dopey Challenge. Four races and two challenges. A total of 48.6 miles.

You can get there, but it won’t happen overnight. You have to walk before you can run. I hear people say all the time that they don’t like to run. I agree it is an acquired taste, but trust me when I tell you that if you keep doing it, you will fall in love with it. They call it the runner’s high and it is a real thing. It is an endorphin surge that occurs in the brain in response to long periods of high cardiovascular activity. If you get there, you are effectively hooked on running.

The reality is that not everyone can run. You may have limitations from a previous injury or arthritis that restricts your ability to bear the weight and impact of running. If that is the case, get on a bike. You can get an amazing workout on a bike without the strain on your joints, whether you ride on a trail or on the road. If cycling is also not your thing, swimming is a wonderful full body workout that takes all the gravitational effects off your body. This may be especially helpfully if you begin this journey morbidly obese.

Step 4: Set realistic goals

Once you decide to get started with exercise, set a realistic goal and work toward it. Depending on your current weight and health, setting a one mile walking goal may be it. If you have been healthy in the past but declined in recent years, perhaps a 5k is a good goal. If you are more ambitious, set a half marathon as your goal. Regardless of your goal, keep your eye on the prize.

Your exercise journey is not complete if you reach your goal. That is the time to set a new goal. Health and fitness is a lifestyle. Once you start to live it, keep living it. I did not run my first full marathon until I was 40. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how heavy you are, set a realistic goal and get to work.

Setting a weight goal is difficult. We all have an ideal weight, based on national health standards or past weights where we felt our best. But I will caution that weight isn’t the most important marker. Health and fitness and your measurements are the primary benchmarks of success. Instead of focusing on pounds, aim for a clothing size. How you look and feel is infinitely more important than what the scale says.

With that said, weigh and measure yourself often. Track your progress in the app of your choice. I have used a number of them over the years. I am currently using Samsung Health to track my health markers and I use Strava to track fitness.

Strava
Strava is my app of choice for tracking fitness

In a future post, I will break down some of the apps I have used over the years.

Step 5: Join a group or several

In today’s fitness world, there are all kinds of groups you can belong to. There are peer social groups like Meetup that will organize runs, bike rides, or hikes. There are local run groups all over the country that schedule group runs and sponsor event training. Nearly every city has a cycling club that offer weekly rides of varying difficulty. There are even online groups that you can join that are effectively all over the world. I am a member of several of these groups. Regardless of the race I attend, there is someone from one of those groups there.

I am currently an active member of Shenanigans Run Team, Rvm Rvnners, RWB, Onondaga Cycling Club, and Autism Speaks. There are so many out there, it would be impossible to even form a comprehensive list.

RWB is just one of several running groups I participate in.

The best thing to do when you are getting started is to find friends that are into fitness and tag along with them. Eventually, they will introduce you to groups and you can find the best ones for you. The primary benefits to these groups is that they provide a sense of community and they also help to hold you accountable. That is invaluable to achieving success.

I have done all of this and you can too

They often say that it is about the journey and not the destination. This is especially true when it comes to your health and fitness journey. The last ten years of my life have provided the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I have had pitfalls along the way, but I have always returned to the correct path.

It will be hard at times but it will also be hugely rewarding. You just need to stick with it.

As you are preparing to begin your fitness journey, please know that the first step you take will be the hardest. Everything gets easier as you do it.

Have faith you can do this.

Christopher Hess, LMT

If you have not done so already, please subscribe to this blog. On a PC, it can be found on the right sidebar. If you are on a mobile device, it is likely at the bottom of the page. I appreciate you joining me in this endeavor.

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The Day of The Mouse

The Day of the Mouse

Over the last week I have introduced readers to a new format here at The Daily Octane. Beginning last Friday, each and every day will offer an article on a select group of topics of which I feel I have some level of expertise. There is a specific topic for each day and Wednesdays are a Wildcard.

Thursdays will be all about Disney!

In case you live under a rock, I will take a moment to explain what the word “Disney” encompasses. Without question, it includes all of the films and television the Walt Disney Company has produced since 1923, when Roy and Walter Elias Disney formed the studio.

The collection of theme parks also fall under the umbrella of this topic. Walt created WED Works to design attractions for the World’s Fair in 1952. He later renamed it Walt Disney Imagineering and together they designed Disneyland, which opened in California in 1955. Walt Disney World in Florida opened in 1971 after Walt’s death. The Walt Disney company later opened parks in Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo and most recently in Shanghai.

The Daily Octane is a Disney expert?

First of all, I am definitely no expert on Disney. People in my life and others that I follow on social media are actual experts on Disney and all its related nonsense. In comparison, I am an exceptionally passionate aficionado. In my 44 years, I have seen nearly every Disney movie, been to every park in The United States, and I have sailed with Disney Cruise Lines several times. I am a Disney Vacation Club member, a D23 member, a Disney World Annual Passholder, and I have run the Dopey Challenge three times to date. I have read close to every biography on Walt and watched all the reputable documentaries.

December's Passholder Magnets
These are the Festival of The Arts Passholder Magnets I scored on my December trip to Disney World.

As for the rest of the family of IPS, my fandom continues.

I have been a life-long Star Wars fan. The first movie Star Wars movie premiered in 1977. The Empire Strikes Back was the second release in 1980. Both movies were on television by the time I saw them. They captivated me immediately. I finally saw Return of The Jedi in 1983 in theaters. I was awestruck by the villainy of Jabba the Hutt. The menacing danger of the Rancor terrified me. The friendly nature of the Ewok Wicket made me want to be on Endor with my heroes. I could not take my eyes off the final terrifying showdown Luke had with Lord Vader and The Emperor.

Like millions of other fans, I clamored for a seat for the release of The Phantom Menace in 1999. I can still recall my mood that day. As I realized the movie wasn’t good, there was an undeniable shift from pure bliss to abject horror. The next 16 years was hard to bear as a fan while I endured the prequel trilogy and waited for the newest crop of movies.

Disney buys Star Wars

The Star Wars fandom is an odd assortment of people. I believe that the story’s broad appeal invites a large swath of society in it’s narrative. It was brilliant of George Lucas to offer something for everyone. Unfortunately, the fanbase is too large. Nothing ever satisfies the mob. Fan reactions were split when Disney bought Lucasfilm. Many people were excited for the opportunity to see what the bottomless purse strings of Disney’s could accomplish. Possibly even more people were aghast at the idea of Disney making Star Wars too much for kids. Keep in mind this is after the debacle that was Jar Jar Binks.

Jedi Mickey
Greg McCullough‘s rendition of Jedi Mickey

Now that the overarching Skywalker Saga has concluded, the verdict is still out on Disney’s involvement in the franchise. I could make the argument that the best of Star Wars is not even in theaters. Disney has been involved in two animated shows and both are amazing. It started with The Clone Wars 2008 and later with Star Wars: Rebels in 2014. Of course, The Clone Wars started under Lucas on The Cartoon Network. When Disney bought Lucasfilm, they moved it Disney XD and the last few seasons of the show was amazing. Clone Wars has recently to television, with a long awaited 7th season airing currently on Disney+. Perhaps the best Star Wars story to date is The Mandelorian, which premiered on Disney+ in November of 2019. I will cover The Mandelorian in detail in a story very soon on this blog.

From the comic book to the screen

Comic Books have been a part of my life since I was twelve years old. My first comic book was an issue of Batman. The issue featured Anthony Zucco’s release from prison. He killed Robin’s parents and Batman was helping Robin avoid his internal desire to seek vengeance. The adult themes were amazing to me. Batman, along with many of the more iconic super heroes are DC Comics properties. As the years went on, I added more and more titles form DC like Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and many more. Even with an endless appetite for comics, I rarely read anything by Marvel.

I watched Richard Donner’s Superman movies as a child and was beyond excited for Tim Burton’s Batman movie in 1989. As the 90s came, the Superhero genre of movies grew more and more stylized and campy. They were not moving in the right direction. This changed in 2008 when Marvel Studios released Iron Man. They took a second tier character and transformed him into the figurehead of a franchise and began a whole new method of movie making.

The following year, Disney bought Marvel. Through a series of restructuring efforts and backdoor deals, they created what has become known as The Marvel Cinematic Universe and are currently making more than a billion dollars on every movie they release. The 2019 theatrical release of Avengers Endgame is the highest grossing movie of all time at just under 2.8 billion dollars.

Avengers Endgame
Avengers Endgame is the highest grossing movie of all time.

The Happiest Place on Earth

In this past Monday’s blog post, Massage Therapy Mondays, I recount my long failure-filled career. Along that journey, I landed for a brief time in Disneyland. When it opened on July 17th, 1955, Disneyland was a first of its kind. It was an immediate smash success and other companies have been trying for decades to copy the formula.

There is something very special about the Disney magic you find within their parks. The parks feature a well blended mixture of cleanliness, vibrant color, totally immersive theming, and world-class customer service. When you arrive on a Disney property you leave the outside world behind and it is intoxicating.

As I said before, I only worked for Disneyland for a brief time, but it left an indelible mark on me. I hooked my kids on Disney shortly after they were born. Later, I added Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel. In 2014, my ex-wife and I were finally at a point in our lives where we could afford a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida. It will forever be one of the greatest experiences of my life and it began a new phase of fanaticism for me.

I had never visited there as a child. My parents are not exactly park people. We went to Florida often because my grandmother lived in Naples, but never Disney. One year we went Busch Gardens in Tampa, but never Disney. As history will show, I was the one to take my parents to Disney World first. I dragged them along in January 2016 to watch me run my first full marathon, The Walt Disney World Marathon. That was also my first runDisney event. That is another addiction I have and once again, I will cover runDisney much further in future posts.

Dopey Challenge Medals
This is me in front of Cinderella’s Castle and The Partners Statue with my medals from the 2019 Dopey Challenge.

I am a fan for life

It is impossible for me to imagine a scenario in which I stop being a Disney fan. It is not uncommon for me randomly start listening to music from their movie soundtracks while working around the house. I have made true friends of people I have met in the parks and on their cruise ships.

A few years ago, I went to an actual wedding inside EPCOT. A former Disney Imagineer considers me a friend. My girlfriend and our sons were at Hollywood Studios for official public opening of Galaxy’s Edge, their new Star Wars themes section of the park. I scored early private access to Pandora, the Avatar themed land in Disney’s Animal Kingdom before it opened to the public in 2017. I signed up for the Keys to The Kingdom Tour at The Magic Kingdom a few years ago. It is an amazing tour of the backstage areas of the park. The hightlight is the Utilidors, which are the underground access tunnels of the park.

Needless to say, I am a fan for life. And going forward, Thursdays will be The Day of The Mouse on The Daily Octane.

Christopher Hess, LMT

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Wildcard Wednesdays

Note: Over the next week, I will be introducing readers (however few there are) to the new format of The Daily Octane. Each day will be the topic reveal for that calendar day going forward. Additionally, I will provide context for why I feel I have ANY business even writing about the subject.

A New Beginning

As I was planning out this blog several weeks ago, I came up with seven topics for seven days with ease. There was no question that I had even more than seven topics I could discuss on a weekly basis. I ran into a problem limiting it to seven.

I made the choice to pick the top six that I could topically write about on a weekly basis. With those six topics established, I then brainstormed a myriad of ideas for the coming months and Wildcard Wednesdays was born.

Click Here to read about the decision to start over

From this day forward, I may grab something from the headlines and take some time to inject my opinion on the matter. If not a headline, I may write about a topic that doesn’t fall under the defined parameters of the other days. Wednesdays will be kind of loose since that is really the point.

Its all about what you know

At 44 years old, I have acquired a rather sufficient amount of life experience. However, I am also not a dive bar old timer obfuscating about better days gone by. Some subjects I feel I have passion about and a modicum of insight on include:

Politics

I serve on the local Democratic Committee and my girlfriend works professionally in politics. Recently, I have started getting involved in local politics. I certainly have a vocal opinion.

Party Politics
While Party Politics has traditionally been a source of division, it is our system We need to work within it.

Travel

In a small way, tomorrow’s topic will touch on some travel topics. It is not only about travel, so Wednesdays will be a good spot for this topic. In my years, I have been to most of the United States. During my military days, lived in Japan and traveled around southeast Asia a bit. The Bahamas and the Caribbean have recently been favorite destinations and I am planning to hit Europe next year. I have cruised several times and will certainly be doing that more in the future.

The coast of Saint Lucia. Soufrie is on the left and The Petite Piton is on the right.
This was shot with my DJI Mavic Pro on the west coast of Saint Lucia. The city of Soufrie is on the left and the Petite Piton is on the right.

Small Business

Being a small business owner for six years has offered me some insight into the pitfalls and rewards of being your own boss. I have made the transition into having employees and changed business entities. I have lost employees and gained wisdom. There is a lot to unpack.

Shop Small on Small Business Saturday
Small business ownership is rewarding but you are always competing with the giants.

Parenting

The most beautiful thing about parenting is that there is no right way to do it. The most terrifying thing about parenting is that there is no right way to do it. That is Dad life in a nutshell. I have two teenage boys and coparent with my ex-wife pretty well. There is always something to discuss there.

Me & my boys
This is me with my two boys at Disney’s Hollywood Studios a few years ago. It is nearly impossible to get all three of us in a photo together. Teenagers are a pain.

Food & Drink

Without any doubt, I am a foodie and a wine/beer snob. My Italian Mother taught me a ton about cooking and how to do it well. I also eat out on the regular basis. A wide variety of beer and wine pleasures my palette, but I am currently Keto, so wine it is at present time. When I travel, I feel compelled to post all of my food on social media. I am aware that I am a victim to modern social media tropes and I am okay with that.

The charcuterie plate at Tiffins
This is the charcuterie plate at Tiffins in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It is my favorite Disney restaurant.

There is undoubtedly many other subjects in which I can put several hundred words on the interwebs for your enjoyment. Only time will tell how interesting it will be.

An interesting start

Before I close down today’s post, I would like to look back on the past week. I know there is another topic to go tomorrow, but that is probably THE topic people been expecting, so it won’t be a surprise to most. Over the past week, I have taken a website that I have owned for years and finally decided to do something with it. I have connected it to my Adsense account, researched and implemented several plugins to improve layout and functionality, learned how to established a Pinterest presence and began establishing a following there.

What is amazing to me is that people are finding this blog and actually reading it. It is not just my social media networks either. This blog is getting search traffic from Google and Pinterest searches. While I am not going to see any money from Google anytime soon, I have “earned” six cents. That makes me laugh but it is still money.

Once again, I know this is a short post. Tomorrow’s topic is the one that I probably have the most to say about so I will give you plenty to read then. I hope you come back for more…

Christopher Hess, LMT

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Tech Tuesdays

Note: Over the next week, I will be introducing readers (however few there are) to the new format of The Daily Octane. Each day will be the topic reveal for that calendar day going forward. Additionally, I will provide context for why I feel I have ANY business even writing about the subject.

Hello, My name is Chris and I am a Technoholic.

There is absolutely no doubt about. I legitimately cannot help it. If you are a consumer electronic manufacturer and need a guinea pig, I am most assuredly your guy. I love to add new gadgets and gizmos to my diverse smart home setup. If That Then This, otherwise known as IFTTT, and I have a powerful relationship. We will get into that service another time.

In my Saturday blog post, Gaming Saturdays, I recalled my early exposure to The Intellivision gaming system at age 4. As I grew up into my adolescence and then teens, my parents were amazing about feeding my technoholic addiction. Christmas morning brought programmable robots, walkie talkies, computers, and a myriad of other 80s wonders.

As I reached adulthood and personal computing began to really take off with the arrival of the modern internet, I entered a new world of techie amazement. Suddenly I could research the hot new thing. News about technology trends was being fed to me on a daily basis through a screen in my home office. E3, or the Electronic Entertainment Expo, was coming to prominence in the industry at the same time I was living in southern California. I attended the event several times. It was like entering Heaven and I fell deeper into my addiction.

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, aka E3 is held annually in Los Angeles.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, aka E3 is held annually in Los Angeles.

Being a Technoholic is hard when you are broke

The main issue that plagued me in my 20s was a decided lack of funds. The first few years were ok because I was still in the Marine Corps. It is shocking how much extra money a young guy in the military has if they don’t drink and live in the barracks. Once I was married and separated from active duty, that changed in a significant way.

Regardless of my financial woes, I still found ways to obtain the elusive gadgetry my brain and heart required. I got my hands on a cell phone as an early adopter of the technology. I had a touchscreen computer monitor long before the usefulness of it was even realized by developers. Surround sound found its way into my home as soon as that was developed. That was purchased with a Radio Shack credit card, in case you want to conceptualize how long ago that was.

Generally, I was able to beg, borrow, or steal my way into the tech world enough to keep the demons away.

Real jobs make real money

In yesterday’s post, Massage Therapy Mondays, I recount my years after the Marine Corps where I continued my trend of low income, unsatisfying employment. But in 2001 I landed a job at AT&T in which I made more money than one would expect from a call center job in Syracuse, NY. Cue some new and amazing tech in my life.

One could say I went on a rampage for several years. I sought out the very best laptop and desktop. Gaming systems found their way into every useful room of my apartment. As soon as they hit Best Buy, I bought a 1080p rear projection television that was an absolute monstrosity in hindsight.

This is not a photo of my actual television, but it is a similar model. It was enormous.
This is not a photo of my actual television, but it is a similar model. It was enormous.

All the purchases I and the overdrawn credit cards and fights with my ex-wife during that time seem quaint compared to today.

Now that I am firmly seated in my 40s and have achieved a modicum of success financially, I cannot help myself. Luckily, I have an amazing girlfriend that keeps me pretty humble and grounded. She also this innate way of scowling at me when I attempted to adopt a new technology that simply isn’t necessary.

It is still everywhere, no matter what

Regardless of her ability to oversee my spending, my girlfriend had not yet arrived on the scene when I was doing most of my recent collecting.

The Smart Home marketplace is inundated with wondrous options for someone life me. Here is a brief list of the smart home gadgets I enjoy everyday in my home:

Phillips Hue Lighting System
Nest Thermostat
Ring Doorbell
Blink Camera System
Google Home

Additionally, I have been a huge fan of some other tech that I will highlight in future posts here. These include, but are certainly not limited to:

Wahoo Kickr
GoPro Cameras
DJI Majic Pro Drone
Samsung S9+
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Boosted Board
An assortment of Gaming Tech

I am by no means a tech expert. I am a hobbyist at best, but I am incredibly passionate and try to keep with any and all news coming out of that industry. Please come along as I dive deep into my obsession in future Tuesday posts.

Christopher Hess, LMT

Remember to come back tomorrow when I reveal Wednesday’s topic.

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Massage Therapy Mondays

Note: Over the next week, I will be introducing readers (however few there are) to the new format of The Daily Octane. Each day will be the topic reveal for that calendar day going forward. Additionally, I will provide context for why I feel I have ANY business even writing about the subject.

One of the most common questions I get asked on a regular basis is, “How did you end up becoming a massage therapist?” If you don’t know me and are setting eyes on me for the first time, that is a totally logical question to ask. If there is a stereotypical look for a massage therapist, I am about as far from that as one can get.

A Dead End Professional Career

I graduated high school in 1993 from a small rural school in the Fingerlakes region of New York State. During my childhood, I was fairly sheltered from the rest of the world and my upbringing was one a typical middle class conservative family. I started working when I was 14 years old at a dairy farm. That was shit work (see what I did there?) and lasted only a few short weeks. At sixteen, I took a job at The Hollywood Restaurant in Auburn, NY. Some of the teens I ran with at the time had also worked there so it seemed a logical choice. I worked as a dishwasher and then later as a prep cook.

I tried college for a bit. The world of television and radio was calling me. My aspirations out shined my ambition and I quickly floundered. At the same time, I was struggling to socially adapt to adulthood and began an excessive amount of drug use. None of it was illicit narcotics or anything like that, but it was affecting me all the same.

Click here to read about how Sundays Are For Entertainment

There is an age old trope in early adult life. If you feel trapped and need to escape your life, go in the military. So that is precisely what I did. I landed in The United States Marine Corps and left for Parris Island in November of 1994. While in the Corps, I carried the Military Occupational Specialty (or MOS) of 4641, which is a Still Photographic Specialist, otherwise known as Combat Camera. That was a lot of fun and high stress but it served me in a transformational way. Like many veterans, I left the military with a clearly defined understanding of work ethic, responsibility, and initiative.

After my separation from active duty, I stayed in Southern California, where my last assignment was. To make money, I worked part-time as a bouncer. I also started selling cars. A dear friend of mine at the time was doing that and he brought me into the dealership. I had a knack for it but it was still not enough money for life in Huntington Beach, CA so I sought out something additional.

On a whim, I walked into the casting offices of Disneyland. The first time I entered a Disney Theme Park was AFTER being hired to work there. Like so many people in this world, I was a Disney fan, so working in the park seemed a logical thing to do in my early 20s.

A little over a year later I decided to move back to New York. I took a job as a car salesman at a local dealership and also worked part-time in a camera store. Neither was financially fruitful. This is primarily due to a dramatically shorter car sales season in an area with prevalent snowfall.

I Begin My First Real Job

In 2001, my aunt was able to get me a job at AT&T. I worked in customer service and sales in their small business division. Business to Business sales served me well and I was good at it. I commonly ranked high in their national salesperson rankings…right up until the call center closed in the spring of 2005. Over the next three years I jumped from sales job to sales job, never being satisfied. Along the way, I learned about wholesale distribution, payroll administration, media marketing, and advertising. Sadly, I even sold male enhancement products in the middle of the night at a toll-free number call center. That was gross.

All of that changed in the fall of 2008 when the stock market crashed. Overnight, the sales jobs dried up. The company I was at called 75% of their workforce into a large conference room and unceremoniously fired us. The President at the time, George W. Bush, along with Congress, passed an Unemployment Insurance Benefit extension, which allowed me to collect payments for 99 weeks. I realized during that time that I was not qualified to do anything but sales. And there were no sales jobs in Syracuse right then.

Sometime in 2010, a friend called me out of the blue. It was a woman I worked with at a Karaoke joint. I used to be a DJ while she was tending bar. The call changed my life and I will never forget it. I was walking the aisles at a Wegmans, shopping with no money, when I answered the ring.

She was going back to school. She wanted to be an esthetician. Her current boss wanted her find someone to replace her position. That was where I came in. She went on to explain that the owner could be sort of difficult to work for. He was a chiropractor but also a massage therapist and a good business man. He also didn’t want to waste time on a hiring process and was trusting her to find me. I took the job.

My Entrance Into Massage

Over the next couple of years, I went from receptionist to office manager. I played a part in the growth of the business and along the way I learned a lot of valuable information about the industry I was in.

In late 2012, a series of events occurred that forced me to make a difficult decision. I will most assuredly address this in a later blog post but for now lets just say I made the choice to leave the office I worked at. There was only one thing I realistically should do at that time. I registered for Massage School.

The Onondaga School of Therapeutic Massage is without a shadow of doubt the best in the region. They have two campuses, one in Rochester, New York and the other in Syracuse, where I went. If you ever wondered what massage school is like, lets just say it is unbelievably different than traditional college. I will recount that transitional period of my training at a later time, as there are a load of good stories.

One amazing reality that is hard to believe all these years is that I had no earthly clue in 2012 if I was even going to like being a massage therapist, never mind be any good it. Thankfully, it turns out both were incredibly true.

I graduated in June of 2013 as the Salutatorian of my class. I passed my boards and was officially licensed by New York State in October of that year. My first paid massage position was at Align Chiropractic & Massage in East Syracuse, NY. It was owned by two friends and former co-workers of mine from the previous office. Immediately, I knew I had found my calling.

Less than a year after starting with them, and just slightly over a year after graduating massage school, I made the choice to open my own practice. In hindsight, it was a very humble beginning. I rented a single room in an old house that was converted to offices. I borrowed a small amount of money from a friend and purchased a high end massage table, a website, a computer, and sheets. The rest is history.

At a later time, I will recount the growth of my company and how I got to where I am today. For now, I will leave you with this:

Camillus Massage Therapy, P.C.

Presently, my humble company that started as a small DBA has evolved into a professional corporation. Camillus Massage Therapy, P.C. employs twelve employees working a varied schedule in four treatment rooms. We have business relationships with The Upstate Cancer Center and Syracuse University to provide chair event services for events. I also have a contract with Syracuse University Athletics where I serve as the only Licensed Massage Therapist providing treatment to that department. That work consists of season long treatment of several of the teams, and it is work I love.

This is me at The Ride for The Rescue, which is an annual cycling charity event.
My staff often provides sports event at cycling and running events

Another amazing working relationship is with The Onondaga School of Therapeutic Massage where I serve on their Program Advisory Committee. They invite me to come to the school to speak on Q&A panels for new students, participate in strokes clinics where I assess the preparedness of students to enter public clinic, and as a facilitator of mock interviews for the students preparing for graduation.

I could not have imagined being where I am today when I graduated High School. I also couldn’t be any happier. My career is the most fulfilling thing I have ever experienced next to the love of my two sons.

After 25 years of being pretty good at some things, I have become an expert at this. Massage Therapy is a growing industry with more and more acceptance as a medical treatment option. I have plans for the future in this field, but I will keep those pretty close to my chest for the time being.

In future blog posts, I will make an attempt to demystify the massage industry and explain exactly what it is that I do and maybe answer some lingering questions people have.

Christopher Hess, LMT

Be sure to return tomorrow to see what Tuesday’s topic will be.

Posted on

Sundays Are For Entertainment

Note: Over the next week, I will be introducing readers (however few there are) to the new format of The Daily Octane. Each day will be the topic reveal for that calendar day going forward. Additionally, I will provide context for why I feel I have ANY business even writing about the subject.

Sundays are for Entertainment

We all like to be entertained. For many of us, it is enjoyment of movies, books, music, and television that helps us get through every day. Activities like reading a book are solo. We curl up with a cup of coffee on the couch and find solitude from the rigors of the day. Going to the theater, whether it is a live production or the newest Hollywood blockbuster, is something we often do with friends and family. How many times have you looked forward to going to work, so you can discuss the newest show you just saw on Netflix? A good concert can be the ultimate catharsis. There are few things in this world quite as moving as an arena full of people singing Piano Man back to Billy Joel.

Are you not entertained?

We older people fondly recall Maximus demanding an answer to that question from the crowd in the 2000 film, Gladiator. Ridley Scott created an absolute masterpiece. That film will be watched and revered for generations. Hollywood is an odd product of human society. Over the course of what is effectually a short period of time, a collection of artistic minds created an entire industry in the beautiful hills of Southern California.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Charles Dickens penned that line as the opening for his 1859 book, A Tale of Two Cities. He took the reader on a sort of existential journey. English teachers use that book as an introduction to a higher level of writing and students lament its meaning. Regardless, it is another masterpiece. It is also only one of millions of books, poems, and short stories written by authors of all walks of life. If there is a subject you can imagine, someone has written about it.

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.

The Beatles released their Help! album in 1965 and Yesterday became one of a slew of #1 hits for the band. Rock music is relatively new to the scene when you consider music has been around for centuries. It has changed dramatically from its beginnings with Elvis Presley, who many consider to be the pioneer of the sound. It is difficult to even compare The Beatles with U2 or The Foo Fighters, but its all rock n roll. Aside from Rock, there are many other genres of music that fill the airwaves of radio stations around the world.

Winter is coming.

You speak that line and people instantly know you are referring to HBO‘s series, Game of Thrones. Television is a medium that has substantially evolved over the course of its history. It started, very humbly, with just a couple of broadcast companies airing live productions. The producers of these programs generally came from radio backgrounds and framed the scripts as they would for that medium. Over the century since it started, television has transformed into an on-demand spectrum of options. The production value of some shows rivals anything the movie industry creates.

There are so many ways to be entertained.

My passion for all forms of entertainment is more than the sum of its parts. I am not an avid reader anymore, but I have a nearly encyclopedic understanding of the music industry. In general, if a movie is not based on a comic book character, I may skip it. That genre has become so prevalent, it is hard to have a bank account substantial enough for anything else in the theater. As for television, there is always something I am watching. I love dramas, sci-fi, anime, comedies, cartoons, and everything else under the sun.

Like you, I love to be entertained…

Come back each and every Sunday, when I will recount my favorite movies, or list the best television cartoons, or tell a concert story in which I almost died. There are so many things to discuss.

Christopher Hess, LMT

Be sure to come back tomorrow to find out what Monday’s topic will be.

Click here to learn about my history with gaming consoles