Saturday, April 24, 2010

Weighty issues

I was very skinny when I was young. Between May when I graduated from ninth grade and September when I entered 10th, I grew 5 full inches in height -- from 5-7 to 6-0. Yet I didn't gain a pound of weight. At that point, I was 6-0 and weighed about 130 pounds. My pants were 27 waist, 34 inseam. I didn't surpass 150 pounds until my early 30s. And didn't surpass 170 until my early 40s.

I most certainly was one of those types who could eat anything and any amount at any time of day or night. The act of sucking on a straw caused me to lose weight as I drank a 1,000-calorie milkshake. My stomach was as big around as the straw.

However ...........................................................................................................

Metabolism finally caught up to me. Now I'm 190 and battling not to get bigger. My arms and legs are still relatively thin, but my stomach is no longer cooperating. Over the past 10 years ago, I finally have had to watch what I eat. And watch and watch.

And my pants are now 36 waist, 30 inseam. I understand the waist growing, but I don't quite get the inseam shrinking.

Now, 6-0 and 190 doesn't exactly make me a porker. But guys like me who gain weight only in their stomachs also end up gaining things like cholesterol and blood pressure and blood sugar.

So, we exercise. And we don't eat after dinner. And, my gawd, we don't get within a mile of a milkshake.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Colonoscopy: wanna talk?

I'm 52.

I had a colonoscopy yesterday, just to make sure everything's okay. The day-before purging wasn't so much fun, but the actual event wasn't bad at all. Great drugs, at least. And pretty nurses (who winked at me afterward and handed me phone numbers crumpled up on scraps of paper).

One thing that amazed me about the entire thing was how many people I know who also have had the procedure. They came to me in droves, sharing all kinds of amazing stories about loopiness and toilet seats and polyps. (The more you say that word, the cooler it sounds.) It's almost like a cult! There are the Colonoscopers and the ... others.

My group is fascinating! The others? Well, they're just kind of b-o-r-i-n-g.

Any other Colonoscopers out there?

Synopsis

The Death Wizard Chronicles is a sexy, action-packed six-book epic fantasy series: Book One (Forged by Death), Book Two (Chained by Fear), Book Three (Eve of War), Book Four (World on Fire), Book Five (Sun God), Book Six (Death-Know).

The DW Chronicles is not for children and teenagers -- or the faint of heart. But if you like graphic fantasy that is bursting with excitement yet still has a lot going on between the lines, I think you'll love my series.

In a groundbreaking paradox, the Death Wizard, a champion of good, derives his power from a source traditionally seen as negative -- death. His nemesis, an evil sorcerer, derives his power from the sun, the benevolent source of all life. Their struggle to control the fate of the planet Triken will take your breath away.

In an original twist never before seen in this genre, the Death Wizard is able to enter the realm of death during a "temporary suicide." Through intense concentration, he stops his heartbeat and feeds on death energy, which provides him with an array of magical powers.

The series also is a love triangle involving two desperate characters attempting to come together despite the machinations of an all-powerful psychopath with incestuous cravings.

Graphic and action-packed, spanning a millennium of turmoil, The DW Chronicles carries readers on a journey they will never forget.

Do you fear death? The Death Wizard does not. Find out why.

-- Please go to www.jim-melvin.com for more details.

About Me

My photo
Clemson, SC, United States
I was born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., but grew up in St. Petersburg, Fla. I graduated from the University of South Florida (Tampa) in 1979 with a B.A. in Journalism. I now live in South Carolina near the Blue Ridge Mountains, a pleasant setting for writing, to say the least. I was an award-winning journalist at the St. Petersburg Times for twenty-five years and I currently work at the Charlotte Observer. I am married with five daughters.

The author

The author
Jim Melvin, a veteran journalist, debuts as novelist.