NothingToDread.com

I've been playing around with a Coppermine photo gallery installation today. I'm not sure why. I don't take enough pictures to need a gallery, but I'm considering it a learning experience. I haven't jacked with the template yet, but I set up the database and uploaded a few pictures.

Coppermine Photo Gallery is an advanced, user-friendly, picture gallery script with built-in support for other multi-media/data files. The gallery can be private, accessible to registered users only, and/or open to all visitors to your site. Users, if permitted, can upload pictures with their web browser (thumbnail and intermediate sized images are created on the fly), rate pictures, add comments and even send e-cards. The site administrator determines which of the features listed above are accessible by registered and non-registered users. The site administrator can also manage galleries and batch process large numbers of pictures that have been uploaded onto the server by FTP.

Coppermine-gallery.net

So far I've just uploaded a few of the weight loss progress photos and a couple of photos of my bike that have already appeared here on the site. Maybe this will encourage me to take more pictures. You better hope that they're mostly pictures of things that don't include my forty-two year old naked flesh.

Anyway, the gallery can be found at http://nothingtodread.com/gallery/index.php.

Warning, proceed at your own risk. The various albums are broken down into Safe for Work and Not Safe for Work albums and categories, but random thumbnails on the main page will include nude images of yours truly. You've been warned.

Today was just another quiet December day in sunny Southern California. I wasted a bit of time playing World of Warcraft this morning, but I eventually got off my steadily shrinking ass and hopped on my bike. I stopped by Brutus and Roxanne's for a cup of coffee and conversation before continuing my way along a meandering ten mile route that took me through several residential tracks and a park.

I haven't had much to write about lately. Christmas was pleasant despite a Christmas Eve cold that had the good manners to depart by Christmas morning. I'm not completely convinced it was a cold. It may have been a case of pollen flirting with my histamine following a 20 mile bike ride I took Monday. Man, you just have to love Southern California weather.

Anyway, Christmas went well. We had a small family get together, and I went just slightly weight loss plan reservation, but I didn't go nuts. What are a few extra carbohydrates between friends on Christmas?

Speaking of weight loss...

Somehow or another, today works out to be the first day of the seventh week of my participation in the aforementioned weight loss plan. The clinic was closed Monday and Thursday, so things have been pushed out a bit. My weight loss this week isn't as dramatic as it has been in the past, but it is nothing to sneeze at either. As usual, nude photos are lurking behind all not so nude photos. Also, I decided to punish those of you who have lacked the intestinal fortitude to go beyond the clothed versions of my progress photos by going shirtless in this week's installment. What's the worse that can happen? I'm sure the blindness will only be temporary.

In my last post, I mentioned that I would be including photographs chronicling the progress of my expected weight loss participating in the Lindora comprehensive weight loss program and riding my new bike. I also mentioned that I would have more to write about that subject in an upcoming (This) post. The decision to post photos of myself, especially unflattering photos, wasn't an easy one. I also gave a lot of thought to what kind of photos I should post and the frequency of those postings. There really isn't any reason to post daily updates, and not much of a point to weekly ones either. I figure that every two or three weeks should be enough. Maybe I'll recycle some in the interim. I'm actually beating around the bush. The hardest decision involved clothing.

Despite the fact that I write a lot about nudism and nudity, I've kept the nude content on this site to a minimum. Other than the partial nudity on my banner image, and a humorous cigar rolling video, there really hasn't been any nudity posted on these pages. That's about to change. I've decided that the nude photos will best depict the effects of my past weight gain and anticipated weight loss.

I've always been reluctant to post nude photos of myself. Nobody should have to stumble upon nude photos of overweight middle-aged men. In keeping with that philosophy, I will be fully clothed in the photos that initially load with each post. Click on a photo if you wish to see its nude equivalent.

My goal here isn't to show off photos of my penis. I'll be the first to say that it isn't anything to brag about. Of course that wasn't an issue when photographing myself from the rear, and I was able to conceal it by positioning my leg just so in the profile shots, but the front shots were a little tricky. I experimented with covering my genitals with my hand (Yea, yea, it's that small), but I just looked like I was fondling myself in those photos. It's funny how trying to conceal my nudity just made it more provocative. I thought about a blur, etc., but ultimately decided not to obscure my genitals in those shots. The purpose of sharing these nude shots is to display the effects of those extra pounds and folds. My ultimate decision not to hide was strongly influenced by the fact that nobody will view those photos unintentionally.

Anyway, expect to see updated photos every two or three weeks. If you're the sort of masochist who wants to see it all, just click on a clothed photo to see its nude equivalent. I have to warn you that it isn't pretty. You have nobody to blame but yourself if you experience nausea or loss of appetite. This week's photos were actually taken when I was about a week and a half into the program. Future installments may include side by side comparison shots. We'll see how that goes. I've lost a little weight since they were taken, but I probably will not post another photo update until next week.