Fashion Eye for the Chubby Guy

Well, in a little less than a month I will be at a very large bookstore in a very large shopping mall assisting to read the last few chapters of Order of the Phoenix aloud, judge the costume contest, and help count down to the release of the 6th Harry Potter book.

While I'm no Jim Dale, (who will be at a Barnes & Noble in Union Square), I will potentially draw some media attention including the possiblity of doing one of the first reviews of the book.

Since this will at a minimum result in some photographs and potentially even some broadcast media coverage, I'd like to look my best. While I have no time to wrangle a "Fab Five" visit, I'd love some advice from my friends about how to make a big, cuddly, Hagrid-esque bear look dapper.

One of the things that makes me different than other large men is my gynecomastia caused by my heavy weight. My large chest pokes out in the wrong places and it's hard to pick an outfit to make me look more barrel-chested. I'm wondering if I need to wear a corset or something, *blush*.

I've hear things like black and vertical stripes but I'd love advice for shorts....since I have a bit of a "big man's waddle" and because it may be very hot that weekend. I also need to take into consideration that I may wear some sort of wizarding costume since I will be an active participant in the store's activities.

Advice for a polo-style collared shirt would be nice, or a button down. I think suspenders make me look better on the whole than a belt but sometimes they slip to either side of my chest or right on top of it and further accentuate it.

Recently, I've looked pretty handsome at my brother's wedding but I don't want to have to wear a tux to get that effect. I don't want to change who I am or how I look, I just want to dress for my weight and size. There's being "fat and happy", (though I have been trying very hard to lose weight), and then there's just being oblivious and disgustingly nauseating. Help!

Helping the In-Laws Move

I'll be away from the computer most of the weekend helping my in-laws move. I'll most likely check email in the evenings and am available via phone.

In the now on the Herafter

A moving and thought-provoking piece by The Waiter.

Munching Acronyms and Abbreviations

OK all you "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" fans - a work-oriented question for you. MIT OpenCourseWare is the proper name for our site/service/project. The shorthand version is OCW. Is that an abbreviation or an acronym?

Since OpenCourseWare is presented as one word, would it be considered an abbreviation? Or since the proper name is made up of 3 distinct words, would it be considered an acronym?

I ask because in making the OCW Web site more accessible, I want to properly markup any place in our templates where "OCW" appears using the HTML element ACRONYM or ABBR (for Abbreviation) where appropriate.

Thoughts?

What's your Myers-Briggs?

Not a meme - we recently had a retreat at work where we took the "official" Myers-Briggs and discussed it. I am an INFJ - a "slight" I - (one point difference between an Introvert and an Extrovert), a "clear" NF, (also known as an Idealist), and a "moderate" J.

Since then I've been obsessed with people's MBTI and the degrees to which people "are" a particular "letter". It's fascinating and my iNtuitive self is incredibly intrigued at the insight it offers those whose MBTI I know.

I've already had a predisposition to this due to the prompting of my dear friend B (). So....blame her. Anyone else play with Myers-Briggs?

MeMe Birthday

Uncannily accurate.

Die with a T

Yeah, major life changes going on and with such choices comes the desire to better oneself on many other ways. I'm going to start to try to eat right again as I've been self-destructively eating and not exercising for the last year or so. I've gotten more sick than usual, more tired, and had more skin problems as a result. I know I can do it and, frankly, I need to do it so I can support Kirky in her efforts as well.

I plan on sparing you all the details publicly so if you'd like to be a part of the experience and don't mind some honesty alongside occasional ranting and some research, comment here and I'll add you to my LiveJournal friend-filter. I think there's a few fandom-oriented "get healthy" LJs out there. Pointers appreciated.

Other plans include a martial art aligned with my personal philosophy and a language - perhaps Arabic, Persian, or Korean. I also need to spend more time on my work - I really want to take my efforts in accessibility and offer my research to the public and standards efforts. I also hope to pick up some new skills - ASP or C Sharp to help me better understand the workings of our MSCMS.

Right now, sign, it's all about balance. I need some bad.

"You Can't Take The Sky From Me....."

Just got finished with storytime - practicing my accents for when I read the last few chapters of OotP the night of July 15th, (details forthcoming).

But is it sad that his goodnight lullaby is the theme to "Firefly" ? Of course, I keep forgetting the last verse.

I can't wait until he can sit and listen to a story and ask questions. Instead of regaling him with knights and knaves it will be cowboys, big evil corporate governments, wizards, witches and snake-like evil warlocks.

Erosion of...everything

I don't know what to say. I don't have time to do one of my well-thought out, heavily cited rants so I'll try to be as short and poignant as possible:

• H.J.RES.24: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution. - This will remove the 22nd Amendment setting Presidential Term Limits. What's next? President for Life? Status: Currently hanging out in the House Committee for the Judiciary's Subcommittee on the Constitution as of April 4, 2005.
• H.J. RES 10: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States authorizing the Congress to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States. - Nothing like quashing Freedom of Expression and making the country more nationalistic.
• 18 USC 2257: Record keeping requirements for Chapter 110: Sexual Exploitation and Other Abuse of Children - I wholeheartedly understand the need for tracking the age of people barely above legal age being filmed or photographed during an elicit sex act to make sure they are not, in fact, minors but to require "whoever produces any book, magazine, periodical, film, videotape, or other matter which contains one or more visual depictions made after November 1, 1990 of actual sexually explicit conduct; and is produced in whole or in part with materials which have been mailed or shipped in interstate or foreign commerce, or is shipped or transported or is intended for shipment or transportation in interstate or foreign commerce shall create and maintain individually identifiable records pertaining to every performer portrayed in such a visual depiction." - is a bit ridiculous. (To translate the above politi-speak to English, anyone who produces any form of visual commercial porn featuring explicit sex must keep records of everyone participating in said explicit act.

  The law goes onto detail that, in addition to the person's real, legal name and birthdate, they should be linked to any and all stage names or nicknames they've ever used.

  The law does state that the information cannot be used as evidence against the performer but this doesn't mean it can't be used in an investigation, I believe. It just seems that this law puts an incredible burden on the pornography industry and makes performers out to be citizens worthy of being tracked. There's a REASON people use aliases, nicknames and stagenames in porn.

  NOTE: I am not a lawyer.

  Status: Regulation goes into effect June 23, 2005.

  To those of you saying pornography is bad and should be outlawed/censored/banned - I may not agree or like your [visual depictions that disgust or bother me but are legal] but I'll defend to the death your right to look at it.

• US Supreme Court Docket 04-108: Kelo et al. v. City of New London et al. (PDF) - This Supreme Court ruling essentially allows local government to take land by eminent domain and give it to commercial developers under the guise of "economic development". So, an oil field will be good for the town! We're taking your house! We want to build a gated community for rich people! Move out of your apartments!

These are the more extreme issues I've noticed recently aside from Congress cutting massive amounts of funding from PBS and NPR. What's next? I just....I don't know where I live anymore. This is nothing like the America of the 1990s. In fact, I feel like I'm going backwards in time by decades.

Will's Busy Day

I posted some pictures of Will () and his Busy Day. Enjoy!

Off to Provincetown

Kirky () and I are off to Cape Cod until Monday evening to celebrate our 6th Anniversary. We spent our first anniversary and honeymoon at Provincetown and we're heading back there to stay at a gorgeous B&B since the family guest house had been sold.

The place has high speed wireless but I promised Kirky I wouldn't open up my laptop if we didn't have to. I'll have my cell if there are any issues, Will () is staying home with the In-Laws and the dog.

Stephanie Plum Poll

It has come to my attention through various posts and comments on the LJs of those on my Flist, that a great number of people are just as addicted to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.

I like the series myself but I've really only read books 1 & 8 and then listened to smatterings of 5 & 6 on tape. Kirky (), on the otherhand, is a diehard fan. She's read all the books and has jumped right into the fan fiction community. She is a Stephanie/Ranger shipper, FYI.

Just curious - can I have a roll call in comments of fellow Plum fans?

First-Person Shooter Mindjob

This brings a whole new meaning to "I feel like I was transported inside the game! It rocked!". I'd be curious to hear the interview with the player after the fact.

Neville: It could have been me!

So I'm preparing for my Book 6 trip and am trying to think of how to dress my son. While he will be asleep in his stroller come book release time, who can resist putting him in costume. He's hardly Harry-looking and besides - ever other young boy will be either Harry or Ron or Draco.

I was thinking about making him up as Baby!Neville - give him a toy plastic Trevor the Toad, give him a pin that says "Not a Squib!", and the "coup d'etat", a onesie/shirt stating "It could have been me!".

So from my HP friends reading this, I'm seeking additional ideas for making my son The Boy Who Could Have Been.

On a similar note, the DeLong family will be whisking out to the Twin Cities for the Book 6 release and if they get their act together, assisting Barnes & Noble with their activities at one of their Minnesota locations - stay tuned for details.