Thug Life!!!!

Man, the founding members of MAB were well aware that Makaveli faked his death 13 years ago. Glad to see the rest of the world is deciding to catch up.

TMZ has obtained photographic evidence that Tupac Shakur is alive and well and drinking Hand Grenades in New Orleans -- unless we're terribly mistaken.

13 years after he was shot and "killed" in Las Vegas ... a man appearing to be 2pac was spotted in a bar on Bourbon Street last weekend.

We were unable to get any sort of DNA evidence -- but this photo is good enough for us.

I actually saw Tupac in a Blockbuster video in El Reno, Oklahoma once. I couldn't get my cell camera working fast enough. He was renting 3,000 Miles to Graceland.
From Tmz

Wright-Patt Suicides Lead to Stand Down

I really don't have much to say on this other than it's important that folks are aware of the sad circumstances surrounding military suicides.

Suicides prompt Wright-Patterson stand-down
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Apr 30, 2009 17:54:17 EDT
DAYTON, Ohio — Officials at Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base are taking the rare move of planning a day for airmen to talk about suicide prevention instead of performing normal duties.

Base spokesman Daryl Mayer says the one-day “stand-down” scheduled for Tuesday follows four deaths in six months.

Mayer says two deaths were apparent suicides, and two others under investigation occurred in similar circumstances. The most recent death was Monday, when the body of an active-duty airman was found in her dormitory room.

Commanders call the rarely used stand-downs to highlight important issues to airmen under their command. (link)

As a Wright-Patt alum, this story hits close to home. The command structure is to be commended for recognizing that something's amiss here and attempting to do something about it. If folks are determined to do it, they're going to do it. But if this stand down helps people recognize warning signs and--if they're suicidal--leads them to get help, then it's worth it.

From the Onion: UN Coup?

I'll admit it--I'm so posting this for the hits I'm going to get from the Mission.



Ambassador Stages Coup At UN, Issues Long List of Non-Binding Resolutions

I also do not take responsibility for the last line (although it is pretty funny).

America's Air Force, No One Comes Close....

...to this stupidity!

Congrats to my beloved service for stealing the front page of every New York paper this morning thanks to some nifty Lower Manhattan hijinx:

"Air Farce One" played out over lower Manhattan yesterday -- in a terrifyingly bizarre military photo op that sent office workers fleeing from their buildings fearing a new 9/11-type attack. (link)

And this raw video gets interesting around the 39 second mark:

The slams don't stop with the press. One of the blowhards on the train this morning recounted no less than three times the fact that the PA in his building announced:

Attention, this building is not under imminent threat of attack at this moment.

"I didn't even know they were evacuating the buildings at that point," he exclaimed in a volume highly inappropriate for a train running at 6:49 a.m.

One interesting point: I first learned of this via a friend's facebook update. I've got a tv on my desk and about 5 minutes later, FoxNews started reporting it and the story caught fire. Between the on-scene cell phone videos and status updates, this iReporting/citizen journalism deal really has something going.

In closing, I think today I'll play down my Air Force ties for once. Although I'd love to be the PA assigned to this bad boy.

Visiting Citi Field

Soon after President Obama took office, it was announced that his first overseas visit would not actually go overseas, but to Canada. This was newsworthy because everyone tries to read into the president's every action. Maybe he chose Canada because he wanted to underscore the importance America places on our neighbor to the north. Maybe he chose it because it was closest and easiest to pull off a dry run. There's no right answer--it is what you make of it.

With two new ballparks opening in New York this year and with my insatiable interest in visiting as many ballparks as possible, it was only a matter of time before I saw the Yanks and Mets play in their new digs. Like the president, the only question that remained was which ballpark would I visit first?

As a lifelong Yankee fan, the answer seemed clear--or did it. After deciding to drop our tickets, and seeing the new Yankee Stadium cram decidedly less than capacity crowds over the first homestand of the season, there are still some raw nerves between the O'Briens and the Yanks.


In Front of Guido Central Station

So on Saturday, I ventured with Mrs. Morganobrien.com to Citi Field, home of your 2-time world champion New York Mets.

A number of my friends and family were shocked that I'd go to Citi before the new stadium, but to me it was a no-brainer. Once I stopped dropping a month's salary on my Yankee tickets, I became less invested in the franchise. And after watching the Yanks' piss-poor performance at Fenway this weekend, I can't say that cutting the cord was a bad choice.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the Yanks. When I'm overseas, I'll follow them as my favorite team. But now I consider myself more a baseball fan who favors a specific team than a die-hard Yankee fan that also enjoys baseball.

A quick review of Citi--Upon arrival, the manpower at the ballpark left a lot to be desired. The ticket agents were less than helpful, the security guards held up our line, the program salesman couldn't understand the questions we asked him and the cashier at Nathan's ran out of register tape and held up the line. Not quite as efficient as I'd like. There are still some kinks in the system.

That said, THEY HAD A NATHANS! Citi Field also boasts Blue Smoke and Shake Shack, which are definite plusses. Also, there's nothing like a fresh, new ballpark with a clean, retro look to really put you in the game.

Our seats were in the Pepsi Porch, which provided a nice view of the field (although deep fly balls to right field were not viewable from our perch). And I know he was a Dodger, but the Jackie Robinson Rotunda was a pretty sharp tribute to and American hero.

One other thing I noticed was that the Met fanbase was very Long Island/Queens. I don't know if this was a plus or minus, I just thought it warranted mentioning. For reasons I don't truly comprehend myself, although I'm a Long Islander by birth, I never really considered myself a Long Islander. I also could never see myself rooting for the Mets. Ever. (In related news, I also could never root for the Red Sox).

Ed. Note: I realize that last sentence just ended my ambitions to become an elected official from the region.


Behind Enemy Lines

In all, Citi Field is a nice ballpark. I think it stacks up alongside many of the newer ballparks (still stopping short of the Camden Yards and PNCs of the world), but I also think it's a little too antiseptic and fails to stands out. There were no signature views of any skyline, and as important as the Rotunda is, it's no Monument Park.

I'm interested in seeing Yankee Stadium, and comparing the two. Unfortunately for my heart, I have a feeling it won't even be close...

Antimatter

I'm surprised the world didn't end at this very moment.

Empty seats force Yanks, Mets to discuss prices

This made my day and broke my heart at the same time.

Empty seats force Yanks, Mets to discuss prices

Posted using ShareThis

Morgan O'Brien's WiGO 04.23.09

Tom Ricks at the Best Defense

Tom Ricks is hosting two very interesting discussions on his blog over at Foreign Policy:

- He's questioning the value of service academies vis a vis OTS/OCS/ROTC
- He has some interesting commentary on Ivy League military officers

Take a few minutes and check out the link here.

Drop the Air Force

While Ricks' blog deals more with the Army, Navy and Marines, the Air Force has received more than enough love in the pages of the New York Times.

On Monday, Paul Kane fired the opening salvo, calling for the end of the Air Force as an independent service:

Yes, air power is a critical component of America’s arsenal. But the Army, Navy and Marines already maintain air wings within their expeditionary units. The Air Force is increasingly a redundancy in structure and spending. (link)

Oh, and don't think he doesn't take a shot at the Air Force regarding recent reports that 12 percent of the Air Force was obese.

Today, there were some great letters regarding the topic. Air Force Chief of Staff, General Norton Schwartz (a morganobrien.com favorite) dutifully chimed in:

Today’s Air Force brings specific capabilities to the joint fight to defend the homeland, deter aggression, help those in need and defend the freedoms we all enjoy. This resonates with the American people because they recognize the vital importance of Air Force global vigilance, reach and power.

We proudly secure our nation’s skies and our sister services from attack, any time and any place. Airmen will be there when America needs them, and every serving member of the Army, the Navy and the Marines knows it. (more here)

As always, with my greatest respect,
xOxO
Morgan

This is upsetting

The Yanks really have me on an emotional roller coaster this year. They're up and down on the field and I've documented how I'm torn over our whole ticket situation. Thankfully, it looks like the Pinstripe brass is learning the harsh realities of picking the worst time ever to build a $1 billion-plus baseball palace (see photo below, we're voting with our feet/butts):


Plenty of seats to go around

And then I read this, and this is almost the last straw. Stuff like this also helps me fully understand why there were only like 350 people at the A's game Wednesday:

As anyone who’s tried to sit in the bleachers for batting practice at the new Yankee Stadium could tell you, the Yankees are serious about making sure you have the proper ticket for the proper area of their new digs. (On YES, Paul O’Neill had even commented that he was turned away from the Yankees clubhouse because he didn’t have his credentials on him.) But this is going too far: Over the weekend, unofficial fan mascot Freddy Schuman (better known as Freddy “Sez,” of colorful sign-and-frying-pan fame) was denied entry to Yankee Stadium.

In the past, Schuman, 83, had either received tickets from a sponsor (like Modell’s) or was simply allowed to enter through the press gate. Which makes sense: He’s a stadium mainstay, and doesn’t occupy a seat anyway. (When we were at Fordham, where he occasionally would bring his pan to basketball games, he’d get the red-carpet treatment: press pass, lunch in the press room, the works.) He was even allowed entrance on Opening Day, through the press gate as usual. But all this weekend, he was turned away by stadium security.

So Freddy was forced to beg for a ticket, holding a sign that read “I can’t go in. Must buy ticket!” which is the saddest Yankee Stadium image we can possibly imagine. Luckily, fans came through by giving him tickets — costing upwards of $100. The Yankees chalked it up to “miscommunication,” which it better be. Because otherwise, we’re ready to trademark “The Curse of Freddy ‘Sez,’ ” which would clearly bring the Yankees decades, if not centuries, of bad karma in their new stadium.

Me and Freddy in Happier Times

The Yanks swung and missed here (what a stupid pun). First, he doesn't sit down during the game, he's walking around the whole time (not that the Yanks aren't hurting for empty seats--against the A's yesterday, it looked like Tropicana Field circa 2002).

Second, the guy's a freaking part of the experience, and it was always fun to see Freddy come around our seats in the 7th inning. Of course, if we ended up in the seats that the Yanks offered, who knows when he'd get out to right field.

Finally, give us some credit for being savvy here in New York. If we feel that you don't respect us or that you think we're suckers, we're going to tell you where you can stick your new stadium. In this economy, the suits better be careful--their failure to recognize realities already generated a season's worth of bad press six games in. Time to start treading lightly and let Freddy in.


From NY Magazine via NY Post

DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of my favorite places to visit is the Four Corners Monument, located on Navajo land at the confluence of Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico, near Shiprock and Teec Nos Pos.


Not Quite

But now it turns out that this may all be an elaborate sham, fooling yours truly not once, but twice!

Marker was off, but Four Corners monument legit
By ELIZABETH WHITE – 3 hours ago
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Many a family touring the Southwest has made a stop in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado — all at the same time.
Or have they?
News reports this week that the site of the Four Corners monument was off by a whopping 2 1/2 miles drummed up some concern that anyone who ever got down on their hands and knees to touch four states at once had lived a bit of a lie.
Not to worry, government officials say. The marker is indeed the only place where four U.S. states meet, even though surveyors were a little off when they set the marker in 1875.
The marker is 1,807.14 feet east of where it should have been placed, said Dave Doyle, chief geodetic surveyor for the National Geodetic Survey, which defines and manages a national coordinate system. That's about the length of six football fields, but Doyle calls the measurement a "home run" given the limited tools surveyors had to work with back then.

Close, but not close enough--it cost me $3 to get to the monument (at least it did the second time, I snuck on the first time), and now I want my money back.


The Navajo owe me $3

"Their ability to replicate that exact point — what they did was phenomenal, what they did was spot on," Doyle said. "(They) nailed it."
There would be about a 2.5-mile discrepancy had the monument been measured to the 109th meridian west of the Prime Meridian passing through Greenwich, England, but Doyle said that isn't what happened. The statute creating Colorado's western boundary mandated measurement from the Washington Meridian, which passes through the old Naval Observatory in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
In any case, the measurement differences don't matter anymore, Doyle said, because "the monument controls."
"Where the marker is now is accepted," Doyle said. "Even if it's 10 miles off, once it's adopted by the states, which it has been, the numerical errors are irrelevant. It becomes the legal definition" of the Four Corners. (link)

Like Mandy Moore in A Walk to Remember x 2

Cut Defense Spending, Close USAFA

I will always appreciate the United States Air Force Academy for introducing me to my old lady, the inimitable Mrs. Morganobrien.com. We met at jump school, it was like a Mountain Dew commercial.


Extreme!

Anyway, other than that, I find the service academies worthless, especially USAFA considering it produced my archnemesis. I'd love to see how that piece of work would do in real college.

My main man Tom Ricks articulated this much better than I did over the weekend in the WashPo:

Why We Should Get Rid of West Point
By Thomas E. Ricks
Sunday, April 19, 2009

Want to trim the federal budget and improve the military at the same time? Shut down West Point, Annapolis and the Air Force Academy, and use some of the savings to expand ROTC scholarships.

After covering the U.S. military for nearly two decades, I've concluded that graduates of the service academies don't stand out compared to other officers. Yet producing them is more than twice as expensive as taking in graduates of civilian schools ($300,000 per West Point product vs. $130,000 for ROTC student). On top of the economic advantage, I've been told by some commanders that they prefer officers who come out of ROTC programs, because they tend to be better educated and less cynical about the military.

This is no knock on the academies' graduates. They are crackerjack smart and dedicated to national service. They remind me of the best of the Ivy League, but too often they're getting community-college educations. Although West Point's history and social science departments provided much intellectual firepower in rethinking the U.S. approach to Iraq, most of West Point's faculty lacks doctorates. Why not send young people to more rigorous institutions on full scholarships, and then, upon graduation, give them a military education at a short-term military school? Not only do ROTC graduates make fine officers -- three of the last six chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reached the military that way -- they also would be educated alongside future doctors, judges, teachers, executives, mayors and members of Congress. That would be good for both the military and the society it protects.

We should also consider closing the services' war colleges, where colonels supposedly learn strategic thinking. These institutions strike me as second-rate. If we want to open the minds of rising officers and prepare them for top command, we should send them to civilian schools where their assumptions will be challenged, and where they will interact with diplomats and executives, not to a service institution where they can reinforce their biases while getting in afternoon golf games. Just ask David Petraeus, a Princeton PhD. (link)

There you have it. Seems pretty cut and dry. Go ahead and close them.

HT: Tom Ricks on Foreign Policy

In Praise of: Sabbaticals

In the past few weeks, I've read a couple great articles that covered some creative ideas regarding career development through taking time off. One of these organizations is one of New York's most prestigious law firms (we'll get to that in a second), but surprisingly, the military is the other:

Defense officials are proposing an experiment in which service members could take a break in their military careers of up to three years for personal or professional reasons.

This time off — with health benefits, but without pay — would be similar to sabbaticals offered by some private businesses in high-pressure fields and by colleges and universities to some professors, but with a major difference: Most academic and professional sabbaticals are limited to one year.

Officials are calling their proposal “career intermission.” (link)

When the high ops-tempo of a two-war military meets the bullshit that often accompanies wearing the uniform, a three-year break may be just what the doctor ordered to keep talented folks in the service where they might look elsewhere under normal circumstances. (Note: I still would not go back, although I don't know if I'd be considered one of the "talented folks" about whom I write).

Under this program, mid-career officers would owe two years for every one taken, would receive no pay but continue to enjoy military medical coverage and would have a promise from their service that they will not be called upon to deploy during this time frame. Selection for the program is competitive, so as long as you're not spending your sabbatical on the couch, when you return to active duty, you'll remain competitive for promotion and advancement.


Keep holy the sabbath! Sabbatical: derived from the Hebrew shabbath i.e. sabbath, is a hiatus from work for more than two months.

Covering another interesting development in the world of sabbaticals, the New York Times ran a widely read piece covering a program where the law firm of Skadden, Arps was allowing junior to mid-career attorneys could take a pay cut to $80,000 (yes, pay cut) and take a year to do something like pro bono work or

Only in a financial world turned upside down would an arrangement like this one make sense. Looking to cut costs like everyone else, but not prepared to lay off associates, Skadden has chosen instead to offer all of its associates — about 1,300 worldwide — the option of accepting a third of their base pay to not show up for work for a year. (So far, the partners have no equivalent arrangement.)

The company is helping associates find pro bono work, and is encouraging them to do so. But the lawyers could also spend the year catching up on every episode of “Top Chef” that they missed during the boom years, or traveling around the world, “all of which is O.K. by us,” said Matthew Mallow, a partner at the firm. Other firms have adopted similar strategies, but Skadden’s program is unusual in that it has no pro bono requirements. (link)

One of the bonuses of this program is that attorneys on sabbatical are immune from layoffs, according to the firm.

On a personal note, there is nothing better than taking an extended period of time off in between gigs to recreate. I had about four months off after finishing my active duty stint and starting in New York and was able to drive cross country and do manual labor which was a nice change of pace and set me up for my next phase. I hope to enjoy the same kind of experience this summer when I prepare for my next life transition.

I wish I Knew How to Quit You: 2009 Yankees

First, I want to apologize for not writing in about 10 days. I'll be better. Promise. And now, back to our regularly scheduled program:

I came into the 2009 baseball season apathetic. Towards the end of last year, it was tough to watch a $200 million payroll spit the bit like a bunch of choking dogs and frankly my interest was only held by the fact that they were closing Yankee Stadium. Enter this year and for a variety of reasons, I'm not a huge fan of the transition to the new Yankee Stadium. We'll get to that later.


Dykstra 2.0
But over the first week-plus of the season, I began keeping tabs on the Yanks with a passing interest. Soon, I found myself falling back in love with the Pinstripers all over again. The moment that solidified it for me was when a smiling Nick Swisher pitched a scoreless inning (registering a k) of mop-up duty on the wrong end of a 15-5 drubbing at the hands of the Devil Rays. All of a sudden, the all-business Yanks became fun again. (It should also be noted that the Yanks won the two subsequent games and took the series from last year's best home team).


Cy Young Buzz?
Since the retirement of Paul O'Neill, I've been searching for a guy that I love to follow. As a young man, I admired O'Neill's intensity and Irishness, but I guess I've mellowed in my old age. Watching Swisher enjoy playing baseball and bring levity to the Yankee clubhouse is fun. I won't even hold it against Swish that he's a Buckeye.

I first learned of Swisher reading Moneyball, where A's GM Billy Beane loved Swisher's laid back attitude and approach to the game, comparing him to Lenny Dykstra (which might not be the best comparison). I wish I enjoyed my job as much as Nick Swisher does--I'll live vicariously for now.

But the rest of the roster also has me excited. Watching CC Sabbathia and AJ Burnett and Andy Pettite pitch relatively well so far has been great too (although Wang's got me worried). Watching Robinson Cano get off to a hot start has been a relief, too.

I recognize that we're going to enter a lull eventually, Swisher's hot start will cool off and Cano will get into the inevitable slump. If Wang gets batted around and CC has some more clunkers, that'll stink. Let's not forget that right now, they're only one game over .500. But I think the attitude the team takes to the ballpark each day has won me back. Maybe there is something to this concept of clubhouse chemistry. I'll keep my fingers crossed for the pending return of A-Rod.

One last point, I was listening to the latest BS report podcast and have to agree with Bill Simmons and Jack-O when they discussed how great baseball is to have on in the background, and great to have every day. You know what, baseball really is great for that. I guess that's why everyone was so upset when Harry Kalas past away. Because, as smug as John Sterling is, when he retires or steps up to the press box in the sky, I'm going to miss the conceited guy. He's been a part of virtually every spring, summer and fall day in my life for more 20 years.

2009 Season Preview (late edition)

I know we're nine games into the season, so I have an unfair advantage in making my picks. So sue me, I live in my mom's house and blog:

AL
Yanks
Texas
Oakland
Tampa (wc)

NL
Mets
Cubs
Dodgers
Marlins(wc)

Yanks over Oakland
Tampa over Texas
Yanks over Tampa

Dodgers over Mets
Cubs over Fla
Cubs over Dodgers

Yanks over Cubs

AL ROY
David Price
Runner up: Matt Weiters

NL ROY
Emilio Bonifacio

AL Cy Young
Mariano Rivera
Runner up: Nick Swisher

NL Cy Young
Josh Johnson

AL Manager of the Year
Joe Girardi

NL Manager of the Year
Joe Torre

AL MVP
Evan Longoria

NL MVP
David Wright

I admit to Performance Enhancers

Wednesday, April 1--Today marks five weeks of Lent, which means my fifth week without tasting the sweet, non-caloric nectar that is Diet Coke. That's right, I've yet to succumb to the urge to drink Diet Coke, an activity in which I engaged seven to 10 times a day for as far back as I can remember (actually, since the summer of 2002).

At first, I thought it was going to be tough. I remember having a headache on Ash Wednesday, the first night of my abstinence. But in the more than five weeks since, the withdrawal hasn't been that bad. In fact, I've actually felt great over the past month-plus. Since my birthday (about six months ago), I've committed to eating better (thus lowering my cholestrol) and exercising more. By kicking my Diet Coke addiction, I've made the last major adjustment to my diet and exercise routine and have experienced an unexpected and wholly welcome jolt to my system.

I think the key comes in my replacing diet soda with nature's oldest performance-enhancing drug, hydrogen dioxide, or as it's known on the street: water. Last year, reports came out that some experts suggested that the health benefits of water were oversold. I’m not buying it. Whether or not my belief in the healing power of water is psychosomatic, I certainly didn't expect it to kick in as much as it did, as quickly as it did.



Hydration helps me feel stronger during my workouts (as it regulates body temperature); lose a ton of weight (almost 10 pounds this month, I'm not a Clydesdale anymore) and eat less. Water also enhances your metabolism and flushes out toxins (an added bonus when you consider some of the lushes I surround myself with). Talk about a performance enhancer... It's no secret that water is a great tool for fat loss and suppressing hunger.

Regarding the weight loss, it turns out that this is pretty academic, according to New Mexico nutrition and fitness expert Becky “Satan in Spandex” Freeman. “If you eliminated six, 16-ounce diet sodas a day, you not only eliminated the artificial sweetener but all that sodium too,” said Freeman. “Over a period of a week, 6 of those 16oz bottles = ~ 350mg sodium per day x seven days = 2,450mg per week. Taking away all this sodium and replacing the diet soda with water--which is a natural diuretic—flushed your body out and you lost a significant amount of water weight.”

Who would have thunk—drinking more water caused me to lose water weight.

The ingredients in any soda should also bring pause to your diet soda-drinking habit.

“The artificial sweeteners are not something I promote,” said Freeman. “There is not enough research (none on humans) and they technically are fairly new to the food industry so we will not see the detrimental effects for a while. These artificial sweeteners may be one reason why our cancer statistics are rising. Along with these artificial sweeteners, you have ingredients and preservatives that you may not be able to pronounce or even know what they are and this is not a good thing. I usually tell clients that they must be able to pronounce the words; know what it is; and the food must have 5 or less ingredients listed.”

That’s a good rule of thumb, and one that brings me to my favorite ingredient, caffeine. By cutting out caffeine, I've slept much better (and needed less hours to do so).

“Caffeine increases adrenaline and mobilizes and utilizes fat for energy in the body; acting as a performance enhancement if used as a supplement (eg. not in the form of diet soda),” said Freeman. “This is why you will see certain gel packs like Gu or Power Gel that have caffeine or any other supplements on the market for that matter.”

Point taken, my triathlon partner and I, Mrs. Morganobrien.com both enjoy these supplements when we’re on the bike portion of our races and I guess will continue to do so. Trust me, you never want to cross Becky Freeman.

“Too much of a good thing is NEVER good,” warns Freeman. “I feel the population’s intake of caffeine and consistent stress levels is the culprit for lack of sleep, decrease work performance/productivity, a further increase in stress and cortisol running in the body. A consistent flow of cortisol in the body is linked to an increase body weight and overall fat mass or it can do the complete opposite and drastically reduces muscle mass and makes a person really skinny.”

For folks that drink regular soda (Full disclosure: During my detox, I’ve had a bunch of caffeine-free Sunkists on the weekend and have imbibed a few Jack and Cokes [Classic, not diet]), diet soda can be a good transition, albeit a temporary one. “A dietitian has to pick the battles and take small steps in improving a person’s dietary habits,” says Freeman.

I'd be remiss if I failed to add that drinking water makes you look better as it is good for your skin. I'll let mrs. morganobrien.com be the judge of that...

When it comes to health and wellness, I'm a big believer in mind over matter and going with what works for you (I call this the Brady Quinn school of thought*). So whether science dictates something different, I'm sold on the benefits of hydrogen dioxide.

*Brady is notorious for testing supplements over the course of a few weeks, meticulously documenting his workouts to see if there's an impact.