Wow

Y'all, I did something today and I thought it made sense just to write down a couple of things before the feeling fades, or before reality catches up with me.

After an unconscionably long time, I finally submitted LiTRe to Apple for consideration/review to be listed in their App Store. And holy shit was it so much more difficult than I thought it would be. It was, ironically, a bit easier now that my app-development partner company, Base44, offers the capability of 'wrapping' the app in the magic that Apple needs to see to even begin consideration.

Short of the long, I developed LiTRe with both Base44 as the app creator, and with ChatGPT as my interpreter and hype man. I'd tell Base44 what I wanted to see on the page, what I wanted the users to be able to do inside the app, what the entire thing should look like and feel like and act like. Base44 would create something, show me what it looked like 'on screen' and we'd move on to the next thing.

[NOTE: If there is a way to capture all of the communication, I think it would be amazing to publish an eBook - for free - that documents the exact process I went through; showcase all of the pain, all of the learning moments, all of the 'what the fuck' I'd never considered would even touch building an app. I certainly don't know how anyone can create an app without the partners I used, and without a shit ton of patience, willingness to learn new things, and more.]

Anyway, when Base44 didn't understand my prompts - which are extremely specific, if you can imagine - I'd go to ChatGPT and ask for some clarification. Hell, I went to ChatGPT for a lot of things during this exercise, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. AI in this form was a lifesaver in so many ways. Not only did it help me from start to finish, but along the way I even got pumped up with great snippets of encouragement and positive thinking. The feedback loop was more appreciated than I thought it would have been, and I'll stan for ChatGPT in as many opportunities as I'm given.

This isn't meant to be a soapbox or sunshine post. Just letting you know that after what I think has been five or more months...I think I had the idea back in December 2025 and canvassed some really close friends to act as test dummies for this crazy idea I had...today is the day I submit to Apple and cross my fingers.

Wow. Just...wow.

I'll Never Be Skinny (Again)

I'm very well aware of my body image. I'm vain to the point I don't ever want to be fat(ter), but I'm also a little too lazy to guarantee that isn't part of my near distant future. I graduated from high school at 155 lbs. I graduated from college at 185 lbs. Today, I'm a hair south of 220.

I have a problem with several things that seem to inhibit my ability to down-size. Beer, bourbon, dessert, and something I read about once - they call it 'will power'. At least I think that's right. 

All of those demons will be what keep me off the cover of a magazine, or walking around shirtless. And truth be told, I'm just fine with that.

I've always been an IPA guy. I got sucked into the money bit that is bourbon several years ago. And dessert has always been the best part of my day. 

I'm 53 and the days of single-digit body fat are so far behind me, I'd need Waze to help me find my way back.

LiTRe is great for me because part of the reason I needed it was to avoid those other shaming apps. You haven't had enough water today. You didn't record the grams of protein or the mg of salt or the whatever measurement of sadness you had for lunch. Hard pass.

I'm the kind of person who is going to eat what I'm going to eat, I'll go to the gym to work out (work it off, if I'm lucky), and then I'm going to rinse and repeat. I see these men and women on TV and all over my socials and they're in phenomenal shape - muscles popping, glistening, just sexy af. 

And then I think, "they don't know what decadent chocolate cake tastes like...they've likely never known the pleasure of a fantastic bourbon paired with a Trader Joe's mini peanut butter cup..." and so on. 

And maybe they're happy. Their bodies make them money, I guess. And they have to do what they have to do to get that check.

But I know I can shove whatever I want into my mouth with some modicum of abstention around gluttony, I can go to the gym 4-5 days a week, I can have a great workout, and I can go home to dinner that doesn't require water to rehydrate.

I'll never be on 'My 600 lbs. Life', but I'm also never going to pick a Strawberry LaCroix over a 2 oz Eagle Rare 10-year pour. 

Do you, boo. Know what you want out of life and do what you can to get as close to it as possible. Will power (or so they say) can limit or empower you. It's all in how you look at it. Be a Lizzo or be an Arnold. Listen to your mind and listen to your body. 

I'll never be skinny again. And I don't want to be.

The Unwritten Rules of the Weight Room

Spend enough time in a gym and you start to notice something.

Not the guy deadlifting without collars. Not the person doing curls in the squat rack (although… yes, that too). What you start to notice are the little rhythms that make a weight room work. And what can throw everyone off track.

Most gyms have posted rules: wipe down equipment, rack your weights, respect the space. But the real culture of a gym is built around the unwritten rules that everyone (hopefully) eventually learns.

For example, if someone is in the middle of a set, you wait. You don’t hover two feet away staring at the bench like it’s about to disappear. If this has ever happened to you, I think we can both feel the tension it creates. I hate it. If this hasn’t happened to you yet, just know it’s coming one day – perhaps sooner than you’d like.

If you ask someone how many sets they have left, the correct answer is the honest one. Not “one more” when you’re about to start the fourth of five.

And then there’s the classic: don’t curl in the squat rack.

That one might be more of a running joke than a true rule, but it exists for a reason. In a busy gym, everyone is sharing the same space and equipment. The unwritten rules are really just a way of keeping things moving smoothly.

The good news is that most people figure this out quickly. Spend a little time lifting and you’ll see the same faces week after week — people working hard, resting between sets, sometimes spotting each other when a lift gets heavy.

Despite what you might think walking in for the first time, most weight rooms are actually pretty friendly places. You’re always going to have ‘that guy’ or ‘that girl’, but they’re easy to spot – and avoid.

The etiquette mostly boils down to a few simple things:

Be aware of the space around you.
Respect other people’s time.
Put your weights back when you’re done.

That’s really it.

Everything else tends to take care of itself.

And if you’re new to lifting, don’t worry too much about getting it perfect. Everyone started somewhere, and most people are far more focused on their own workout than anything you’re doing.

Just show up, work hard, and improve a little each time.

Which, when you think about it, is the whole idea behind progressive overload.

Lift.
Track.
Repeat.