Coming Up...

I'll be doing a review of Kings Dominion in a few weeks.  So let's see how humiliated I can get at a theme park...

Looking at two different SUVs...

The Mazda CX-9 and the Chevy Suburban.  Anyone have any pros or cons while I research?

...to office chairs

Big & Tall Contoured Office Chair - Black Fabric

I've broken a lot of chairs in the last decade.  It comes partly from being extremely heavy (my skeleton was replaced with adamantium), and partly from forgetting that I am and sitting like an eight year old.  And it can get pretty expensive replacing your office chair every few months.

My newest chair, by Global Industries,  is just what I've been looking for.  It's a bit pricey, but so far it's held up great.  It has a high weight limit, a metal base, and most importantly, the arm rest are optional.  This is a big deal.  Most of the chairs out there use the arm rests to hold the chair together, so if you're large enough to push against them, it weakens the whole chair.  Luckily I'm not too wode to use them, but if I were I could just take them off with no penalty.

I give this chair a five star rating.

...to Wii Active

EA Sports Active is a game for the Wii aimed at giving Huts like myself some exercise.  It's a good idea, but not quite there.  It works with the Wii Fit's Balance Board, but the Balance Board has a 330 pound limit, so if you weigh over that, you can't use it.  Thank God no one in the history of man has ever weighed over 33o pounds.

Stupid Japanese.

Anyway, some of the games are mildly entertaining, but if you have Wii Sports you've probably got better versions of them.  They try to create a running monitor, but I had trouble keeping the thing on and running at the same time.  I'd say it's a buy if you find it in th bargain bin, but not at full price.

...to Star Trek Online

Ok, this isn't strictly a weight or size related thing, aside from the unusually large number of large-sized fans that show up at Star Trek conventions.  And I'm big into online games, so I thought I'd give those interested a review.

Star Trek Online, by the folks who make Champions Online, is a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) set in the Star Trek universe, sometime after the Next Generation movies, and incorporating the recent Star Trek movie into it as well.  It's the first MMORPG, as far as I know, that has both ground action and space action at the time of release.  You start out as a Federation ensign, and quickly come to be in charge of your own light cruiser due to the war between the Federation and, well, just about everyone. 

I wasn't sure I wanted to try this one at first.  Most of the Star Trek games have been pretty lame, with the exception of the paper and pencil Star Fleet Battles.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The graphics are excellent and the gameplay is entertaining.  You get to do a variety of tasks, from exploration to combat, and the mix is pretty good.  The big hurdle is whether or not Cryptic Studios can keep the content fresh and engaging.  They did well when they were running City of Heroes, so I'm hoping they'll stay the course.

Product Description (from Amazon):


Escape to the immersive multiplayer Star Trek universe in Star Trek Online. Captain your own customized ship, forge your allegiance and wage battle with your own customized crew ‐ across strange new worlds and into the deepest reaches of the final frontier. Set 30 years after Star Trek Nemesis, the universe is a much more dangerous place. The Klingons and Federation are on the verge of all out war.

YOU ARE THE CAPTAIN
Every player will begin the game as “captain” of a starship. You are the pilot in space, and the hero on the away team. Build your bridge crew from recruited and created characters. Define abilities and personalities to determine the tactics and strengths of your party. Build reputation and influence as you grow from a lieutenant to an admiral of Starfleet! Higher rank enables more powerful ships, a larger crew and new abilities.
ABOVE AND BELOW
Navigate your starship through the known and unknown regions of the galaxy. Explore undiscovered regions of space, full of solar phenomena, strange alien planets and bizarre species. Discover strange new worlds, and beam down with your away teams to alien planets. Your bridge officers will affect your space and planetside game – your science officer may increase ship speed in space, and be a great diplomat on the surface.
BELOVED UNIVERSE
Become an officer in the Klingon Military or the Federation's Starfleet and adventure in the future of the Star Trek Universe. Interact with classic locations of Trek history –from the wormhole of Deep Space Nine to the Guardian at the End of the Universe. Recruit or battle heroes from classic star trek species – logical Vulcans, diabolical Romulans, shifty Ferengi and many more!
ULTIMATE DISCOVERY
Command a Klingon or Federation ship across a limitless galaxy. Discover, explore and develop your crew in an endless range of encounters. Randomly generated quadrants give players unlimited opportunities (In addition to “established” systems).

...To Where to Buy Clothes

1Those of you within the size range that most airlines think people fit into (with 18 inch shoulders), aren't going to understand how difficult it is for big folks to find clothes.  And believe it or not, showing up at a job interview with your shower curtain stitched into a pair of pants doesn't play out well for anyone.  Most stores in the area consider "Large" as big enough.  I haven't fit into a large since I was in elementary school, and I didn't even get really heavy until I got married.

So here are my top three sources of ginormous clothing.

1. JCPenny - They have a good selection online, a small selection at most of their stores, and reasonable prices.
2. Casual Male XL - Good selection, although sometimes a bit pricey.  Not the somewhat queer looking stuff they sell for sexy pirates, but normal (read: straight) clothes for big guys.  And a few things like chairs that can hold a battleship.
3. Amazon - Although you have to hunt around sometimes, there's certainly a lot of choices.

...to the Mission Leisure Chair from Walmart

I purchased the Mission Leisure Chair and Ottoman from Walmart as a new chair for my home office.  Unfortunately, the only way you could class this as a leisure chair is if you find sitting on the floor leisurely.

Building it was no problem, but as I did I had serious doubts about how well it would hold.  Even if I were of normal size this chair would have been unsteady.  The back is supposed to recline, but is held in place by two small wood pegs.  Suffice to say, unless you're a small child you'll find it giving out. 

The base is badly designed as well.  The foundation is held together with those small screws you so often find in cheap furniture, so if you are a large person you can expect them to give out on you.  And the base where the cusion sits is held in place by a very small ledge of wood, so if anything gives just the slightest bit, you find yourself on the floor.

All in all, not a good buy unless you're EXTREMELY light.