Men's Large Contingent Weigh in #4

Okay, things are beginning to get a little strange in this little competition. I’m not certain if it’s due to the fact that the clock is ticking and the calendar is dissipating faster than our contestants, but people are getting a bit whacky with their weight loss strategies. During our regularly scheduled weigh-in, our courageous calorie counting carbohydrate avoiding, cream puff filled contestants once again gathered in the small confines of my office to stand and be measured.

I was the first to be weighed and documented a suspicious 3.5 pound weight loss. The suspicion associated with the weight loss is due to the fact that I have been ill with a fever over the past three or four days. Ralph and company suspect that I contracted the virus on purpose, probably by going to various public places and licking door knobs, faucet handles, and any other “cootie” infested surface in the greater Sea Coast area. My wife dismisses the reduction as a mere loss of manhood, as she reports that I was such a pussy while I was sick, that I lost any ounce of respect she had for my masculinity.

Ralph came into the weigh in with a loss of a two pounds, this despite the fact that he is now questioning the accuracy of the scale we’ve been using. Apparently, wife Janine purchased a scale that puts Ralph a whole ten pounds lighter than he’s tracking on our official scale. Janine must have purchased the scale at the Disney store as the weight Ralph said he weighs in at home is straight out of Fantasy Land. Regardless, we all wish Ralph and his Magical scale the best of luck in the final two weeks.

Stephen was next on the scale and has obviously employed the unusual strategy of cutting away small pieces of his clothing that contribute to his overall body mass. This has to be the case, as I can’t imagine a grown forty five year old man showing up for a weigh in fully knowing that that he has to remove his shoes, and showing up with holes in his socks. I’m just thankful that we’re not stripping down to our skivvies, as I can just imagine what kind of shape his Scooby Doo underwear are in…and I don’t care to find out. I suppose that I can’t really fault him as he did log in a modest weight loss of 2.5 pounds.

Our only loser who is labeled as a loser, cuz’ he didn’t lose, is brother Tim. This despite the fact that Tim states that he ran 5 miles just the day before the weigh in. Tim looked sincerely perplexed and we were all a bit perplexed for him. Is it the fact that the 5 miles wasn’t enough to offset all of the beer, brats and bologna throughout the week? Looking at him, we couldn’t attribute the gain to him building muscle. Maybe the measurement tool he used to measure the 5 miles came from the same mystical place where Janine bought Ralph’s magical scale. The mystery continues and may be only solved by “Those Meddling Kids” on Stephen’s Scooby Doo Underoo’s.

With only two weeks left in the contest, our pathetic, pie eating, pizza indulging participants will have to really turn up the heat if they wish to attain their goal weights. Despite all of the bravado and kidding, we all do have our goals and dreams in this contest. It would be nice to look down and see my waist size 32 jeans again. Now that I think of it, it would be just nice to be able to see my feet.

Men's Large Contingent - Weigh In #3

Like the 2004 Red Sox, the valiant members of the Large Men’s Contingent displayed great courage and perseverance with a stunning come-back in weigh in #3. Our trusty scale was greatly relieved and thankful to not have the carry the full burden of the prior week’s poundage as three out of four of our contestants came in under their previous documented and disgraceful “weigh-in” weights.

The recently slandered Ralph was apparently so distraught by the inaccurate reporting of his previous weight that he went on a temporary hunger strike and lost 1 pound. It would have been much more than that but when he heard himself being referred to as Gandhi, he thought we said “candy” and he ran to the corner store for some Mallow Cups. The Sunday trip to the casino for slots and all you can eat Chinese was reported to be an additional contributing factor. Apparently, losing at the casino doesn’t correlate to losing actual body mass. The "Big as a house" always wins.

Tim who was also a loser of 2.5 pounds this week credited his loss to time spent on his elliptical rider. He would have lost more if his wife would have stopped kicking him off of the damned thing. Tim has complained that his weight readings have been influenced by the additional weight of his wife “being on his back all of the time.” Tim has been so inspired by marriage that he’s taken to running away from home. Thus far, he’s only been able to get three miles or so before he gets cold, tired, hungry and missing his miss’s.

There’s not much to report about Stephen who was our only gainer this week, and only by a mere half pound. You would think that the only bachelor in the group would be able to excel past the competition, but Stephen is finding that abstaining from the pepperoni and sausage on his pizzas may not be enough to influence a significant loss. There’s a rumor that Stephen actually exercised last week, but those rumors turned out to be him merely passing by a PX90 infomercial while trying to find the Food Network. He did, however complain of soreness from this incidental activity.

I myself lost 2.5 pounds which is a miracle considering the trip to the Newbridge Café, the multiple Guinness at the Pogues show or the full on southern picnic we had at our house on Sunday. Jack History Month continues to take its toll on my progress and I’m hoping my weight loss will increase once the narcissistic, egomania that is Jack History Month comes to an end. There was some controversy by the other contestants that I had an unfair advantage because of the lack of hair on my head. Once I showed the boys my back hair, and once they stopped retching, they dropped their concern and offered their collective sympathy.

As we move into our weekly weigh ins, there’s more focus and an increased opportunity to challenge each other, as well as more opportunities to bust each other’s chops. For those of you, who have nothing better to do than follow this silliness, please remember that this competition is rooted in the spirit of nutrition, health, camaraderie and goodwill, so please, no wagering and no more sending in doughnuts.

Jack History Month - Frequently Asked Questions

What the Hell is Jack History Month supposed to be? Okay, February is Black History Month and it just so happens that my birthday is the beginning of the following month and Jack seems to appear to rhyme with Black. no disrespect to the prior month and the dedication to a fine people, but Jack History Month is an opportunity to introduce a little levity and cure us of our seasonal affective disorder. It started out as a joke and a goof and spoof. Hey, it’s hopefully harmless fun and something to do, and I’m not asking you to help in my Mafia war, stock my farm or paste my post into your post if you have no post to post.

Are the stories real? Yes, the stories are usually rooted in some historical event, but they’ve been embellished to make them a bit more readable and entertaining, which is a nice way of saying that there’s an element of bull sh*t to them. Let’s call them “Historical fiction. Hopefully, you found some of them hysterical fiction. My wife just says I’m delusional.

Are you really that much of an idiot, I mean what’s wrong with you? The sad fact of the matter is that I’m a bit of a goof ball. Always was, and always will be, but my perspective of this is much like that of male pattern baldness. You can try to comb it over, but everyone still knows what you’re trying to hide. It’s better and far more liberating to embrace it and enjoy the advantages of it. Bald people who shave their head have no problem with the wind, running, or swimming. Self proclaimed goof balls can do goofy things and people say, “well, he’s just being Jack.” It is what it is.

You mentioned my name in a post, shouldn’t I receive royalties or some other form of compensation? More than likely, if you were mentioned, you run in the same social and intellectual category as me, which means at some point you’ll receive some type of government support or an honorarium from a scientific research foundation. Seriously, it doesn’t ever look like I’ll derive any income from this endeavor so, don’t hold your breath.

Do you have a real job? Where do you find the time to write this crap? Yes, I’m gainfully employed, but I do try to carve out a little time in the evenings to write. As you can tell, I’m not a professional writer. My process usually involves a little inspiration, a little wine, and a lot of spell checking. Contrary to public (and my wife’s) belief, I’m not actively on Facebook 24/7. I usually have it on in the background and refer to it when I have some free time.

Are you available for personal appearances or private parties? No, Deb says I can’t do this anymore. The last and only time I made a public appearance was at a local nursing home. I addressed some old ladies Red Hat society. Unfortunately, they kept whooping, whistling, and using their false teeth like castanets while they shoved dollar bills into the waistband of my pants. Thankfully, I out ran their walkers and Little Rascal scooters to safety. Thankfully, I only had to push a few of them out of my way. Actually, it wasn’t a total waste. The tapioca, strained spinach and whipped haddock were delicious!

Do you have any political aspirations or a plan for world peace? Actually, yes. I hope to vote in the next political election and maybe the one after that. As far as world peace goes, I think it would be really cool if everybody was just a bit nicer to each other. Those who have gravitated to these pages to share stories, pictures and communicate seem to possess the fundamentals of what a community should be. The boys from the band WAR said it best when they asked, Why Can’t We Be Friends? Well, why not!

Men's Large Contingent - Weigh in #2

They say that what goes up must come down, and if this hypothesis is true, then it must also be true that what goes down must also come up, yes? Today was a big yes.

The learned gentlemen who are currently competing in the "Men's Large Contingent" weight loss competition proved today that we are far better sprinters than marathoners with each of our respective weight loss strategies sputtering out just past the starting line. Actually, given our dismal results, I'm not sure that any of us could be confused with anyone who sprints, runs, Zumbas or any other calorie burning activity other than the incidental calorie burning that occurs while eating.

Each of us gathered in my office this morning, some with their punitive $20 ready in hand to pay the penalty for losing ground and gaining mass, belly or ass. One by one we took our turns stepping on the scale looking at results that rivaled our SAT scores and wondered what we could have done to prevent the upward slide.

I went first and was disappointed to see that I had gained back a half pound. I wondered where I went astray. Could it have been the countless birthday celebrations, the week in Chicago complete with the classic Chicago dog, or maybe it was the two slices of Sausage, Onion and Ricotta pizza I had the night before the weigh in? It was a mystery thicker than the Fribbles that pulse through my veins.

Ralph went next and found himself two plus pounds from his last reading. could it have been the multiple slices of pizza that he ingested to counter act the many beers he had Saturday night? Maybe the multiple fast food stops on his way to Florida, or could it have been the Chinese food and Banana Split he had the night before he weighed in? It seems like a mystery worthy of those who dedicate their lives to investigating the Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot and Charlie Sheen's sobriety.

Tim and Stephen went next and had the same results and the same pathetic recollections of a nutrition plan that as Ozzy would say, was "going off the rails of the gravy train." We each sat in a circle and recounted our moments of weakness, sharing tales of beer, burgers, slices and vices. Our individual disclosures were like a half ass AA meeting, except that when someone offered their lapses, the rest of us made yummy sounds and salivated like an inebriated late night Beachmont Roast Beef customer. There would be no six month chips awarded today. Did someone say chips?

All of us paid our penalty, and felt great shame.