Too cool not to share. Had a family friend in F-14s in then-Desert Shield. I need to think about a patch riding vest. http://mypict.me/7i3i11 hours ago
Greetings and salutations, folks. Just wanted to give a heads-up on what’s been going on here lately (read: this is why I haven’t been and likely won’t be posting much for a bit).
1. I completed the YFS1 certification from the IYCA a couple weeks ago and have since been working on YFS2. Higher level means more in-depth study, and while I’m borderline giddy at the authors included in the textbook, it’s still a lot of reading, and I’d like to be done with this certification level by the end of July.
2. At the same time, I’m learning how to form and run a business, mostly the “form” part, so that’s a lot of reading and planning as well, right now mostly planning to plan the plan. When I start to take on clients, I want everything to be self-sufficient, self-explanatory, and self-perpetuating (read: I want to run the training sessions and not have to worry too much with the business side of things).
3. I’m so far behind on my blog and article reading that it’d be funny if it were funny, but I’ve had my nose stuck in so many other books that I’m doing well just to keep up with my daily comics. I apologize for not even keeping up with my “Recent Clicks” section, which has languished over the past week or more. I’m hopeful of getting caught up on that over the weekend.
So, not that there was much worth reading here at it was, and I know I’ve said before how I was tailing off the posting only to turn around and whip out a couple in quick succession, but I’m pretty sure posts will be sparse for a bit. However, once things are up and running with the biz, I’ll actually have some, oh I dunno, informed, semi-niche writing to pass along (shocking, I know).
On the bright side, I HAVE resumed regular training of my own, so go me :)
It’s done. The only visible hairs on my head are my brows and lashes. Before getting to the pictures, I’d like to thank everyone who donated, attended, and/or just spread the word. A little over a month ago, a couple guys were being guys (online, but that’s beside the point), and in the end, $225 went to the Komen Foundation (I’ll keep the fund page active for awhile so Jay’s pictures can be seen).
So far (a day), so good with no hair, and oddly enough, I kind of like the look and feel (more research needed, especially when working out and/or out in the sun for extended periods of time). If I decided to keep this look, I’ll invest in a HeadBlade, but I want to give this a couple weeks before making that call. For now, it’s very stubbly and feels like chapped skin, which I assume will go away the longer I’m bald and applying lotion. I will say that I like the thought of saving around $150 per year on haircuts.
Lastly, I put together a quick-and-dirty compilation of the videos taken, but it blows away YouTube’s size limits (that’s what she said), so I’ll be doing more editing and hopefully get it uploaded tomorrow, after which I’ll embed it at the bottom of this post.
Now, without (even) further ado…
And as promised, here’s the video (finally):
Still not as cool as this guy (NSFW language), but close.
I woke up a couple hours early to get in an interval workout of rope skipping followed by a core circuit. I walked outside with the dogs to find a bunch of branches had fallen on and around the storage shed. No big deal, but I wanted to clear them off before the rain came back. As I rounded the back of the shed, images of a small iceberg hit: the branches were actually the top of a six-inch diameter tree that had fallen through the only possible clearing in the tree line, across the fence, to rest on the shed. Most of the tree was still on county property, but it’d be days before anyone would be out to clear it, so I put on full-cover clothes (lots of vines and undergrowth), grabbed the only lumberjacking tool I own (a small sport hatchet), and went to town. Three-quarters through the main trunk (about four inches in diameter where I chose to cut it so as not to damage the fence), I realized that it wasn’t giving at all–there was a three-inch branch supporting the whole thing on the ground just below my cut point (damned thing even had a natural crook in it so that it looked like it was reclining on an elbow, the bastard). The pressure of the tree’s weight made the branch harder to cut than the trunk, but it finally split along its length and gave out. The trunk still wouldn’t fold, but it would twist (this was some fresh, green wood–why it fell, I don’t know), so after all the cutting, I finished with several big pushes to swing it off the shed and back to the ground behind the fence. Nature being what it is, and considering I had to be at work earlier than usual today, I couldn’t get in a balanced workload, so my uncoordinated left shoulder and rotation went less-used, but I really don’t care.
Nothing like finding a fun workout when you least expect it. I will, however, be buying a full-sized ax and a chainsaw in the near-future.
…until the head potentially gets shaved. I say “potentially” since, the economy being what it is, donations are pretty low at this point, but hey, one guy already did the deed; I may just get to keep MY hair :) However, if you’re so inclined, consider helping out the Komen Foundation while also seeing the hilarity/horror of me without a head of hair.
EDIT (06/07/2009): Apparently, the Komen site doesn’t like Opera: I went on the site on IE this morning and, lo and behold, the donation figures popped up. Non-IE h8rz! Anywho, I based my assumption of the donations on the number of donors (three), but those donors have really stepped up ($175)! C’mon, we can break $250 before the week is out!
(I know the goal is $1000, but I really had no clue what to expect, so I just tossed out a number. Frankly, I’m happy with anything.)
Me. I got my congratulatory email this morning (so much for written letters, though I prefer the speed of email) letting me know that I’d passed the IYCA Youth Fitness Specialist (level 1) exam and that my certificate and other paperwork would arrive in 4-6 weeks, so I’m free and clear to start legitimately promoting my credentials and, oh I dunno, actually training people. Check out my newly updated Services page.
I’ve already talked to a local charter school that seemed pretty receptive to at least a consultancy relationship for their physical education program, but that’s very tentative right now. In the meantime, I’m reading The E-Myth Revisited (highly recommended several times), going through the resources provided on the IYCA’s members-only website, and looking to get the materials for the next certification level, so I’m not envisioning starting up something tomorrow, perhaps by the middle or end of summer at the earliest.
Rescue a tractor or truck tire from the trash heap. You give an old tire new purpose, help the environment, and whip yourself into shape fairly quickly. I FINALLY picked one up today—if you’re in the Charlotte area, Miller Brothers (8101 Statesville Road, in a small, white trailer behind ChillCon way back off the road). It’s about four feet high (see Twitter for a pic until I get one/some uploaded here), and I have no idea how much it weighs, but it’s enough that one tire flip is (I’m guessing) about 90% of my maximum ability right now. Of course, you have to have a place to keep this tire, so I wouldn’t recommend an apartment of any kind—this sucker is dirty and won’t be completely water-free for a couple weeks.
Speaking of water, I finally moved the very last of my junk out of my old place to the current one. This included my slosh pipe. My climbing rope is scheduled to arrive tomorrow (Wednesday; ordered from the eBay supplier in the linked article). There will be a lot of grunting and sweating (in a PG-rated manner) shortly :)
By the way, just over a week until the dome gets chromed. Every little bit helps!
I decided to join a small body composition challenge over at JP Fitness this past week. Just “before” pictures and measurements so far, and as you can see by the rules, it’s pretty wide open, just one check-in at the end of the timeframe (Memorial Day-ish to Labor Day-ish). Measurements are just numbers to be tracked and compared frankly for vanity’s sake, but pictures are the blunt, no-punches-pulled truth. After looking at mine, a couple thoughts came to mind:
—It seems odd that I feel and move as well as I do while having that kind of body shape.
—Things certainly have gotten a bit out of hand since the last round of pictures I took a few years ago, though I do blame my relative lack of inactivity due to various injuries, especially over the past year (not blaming the injuries, just the inactivity).
—Knowing what my body CAN look like with some seriously strict training and dietary regimens, and seeing my starting point, everyone else might as well drop out ‘cuz they are toast :)
Need a kick in the pants? Go take some undies-only pictures. Try to get the camera at waist level rather than eye level—that couple feet of difference really changes the perspective and gives you a better idea of your true body shape. Look at the pictures and decide if you’ve really been training as hard as you can or eating as cleanly as you should. I know I haven’t. You’re welcome.
For the good of humanity and the sake of your eyesight, I will not be posting those pictures here. Again, you’re welcome.
I mention the following since getting a haircut (and now a shave) is one of the single most relaxing things I can think of, so I’m counting is as regeneration :)
My recent move took me even farther from the already-tad-too-long drive I used to make to get my haircuts, and while twenty minutes was a stretch, an hour is completely out of the question, so I ventured down the street from the “new” place to a barber shop that advertises ten-dollar haircuts. This is usually a bad thing since anything at or under ten bucks these days is probably not the best when it comes to haircuts—I usually paid $15-20 for what I thought was a decent job—but I was willing to take the chance since I’m shaving it all off in a few weeks anyway.
I walked into the Matthews Barber Shop on Monroe Road this morningi and stepped back into the more traditional barber shops of my earliest days. Four barber chairs facing a dozen waiting chairs, a middle-aged East Asian man at work (the only difference from my past, which was more Floyd-from-Mayberry), and his wife, who spoke a half-dozen words of English and ended up doing my cut and shave. Ten minutes later, I had my clippers-only haircut. Another fifteen minutes later, I had my first-ever barber shop shave. I know there are places like Roosters in town, but for twenty bucks (the shave was another ten) plus tip, I really don’t need or want much else, and being five minutes down the road doesn’t hurt, either. In all likelihood, they have a new regular customer. Just need to tell the lady to skip the aftershave—I smell like Brut now *ugh*
I forgot to mention last time that one effect of my recent move is less time online for me. Before, my commute was just walking downstairs, so my laptop stayed on, meaning I was on it more often than not. Now, between all the packing and unpacking of my computer gear and the continuing stream of projects on the house, my laptop almost never gets powered on when I’m not at work, so blog posts may slow down a bit overall, but I’m still here; in fact, my pending IYCA certification and (hopeful) subsequent related work may actually start to dominate the content here, but there will continue to be content. As for all my backlogged links, I’m still throwing them out in my “Recent Clicks” section, so if their inclusion here is a little sparse, I’m still getting my reading done.
Coming semi-soon (maybe): the joys of grilling (in honor of having officially broken in the new grill last night).
I was going to feel badly about having been away for so long, but between most of that away time being spent at the beach engaging in all manner of debauchery and the fact that no fewer than a half-dozen other blogs I follow also posted recent “sorry that it’s been awhile” posts, I don’t feel quite so badly. Just a little. Maybe.
Anyway, a couple updates and housekeeping notes:
—I’m approaching a full month of no training, mostly due to the move and subsequent setup and general housework. I’m getting antsy, so training is set to resume in the next few days. There’s also a mini-challenge for the summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day) that I’m debating entering. I haven’t done a challenge in a long time, and considering the slight malaise I’m in right now, this could be a great jump-start for me, not to mention I’m hopefully only a few weeks away from installing a climbing rope and some playground rings.
—My IYCA materials are being submitted tomorrow. Bring on the post-name letters! (pending passing, of course)
—I’m shaving my head on Saturday, June 13. You might have a say-so in what happens. Details here (and to the right).
—I wore my “dress” shoes—really a matte black pair of low-cut, thick-soled Timberlands—to a graduation ceremony last week. Within ten minutes of walking around, both my Achilles and calves hurt in a not-good way, as if something were about to cramp or pop. I took them off and walked around for a bit. No pain. Stay away from the shoes!
—I spent a couple nights of vacation in a bed with disastrous results (read: walking zombie and odd hip and knee pains that had exactly nothing to do with the amount and types of food and drink I was consuming). I then spend a couple nights on the floor that was essentially concrete topped with outdoor, low-pile carpeting. No pain or movement problems, even in my deconditioned state right now. Stay away from the mattresses!
So, apologies for the hiatus. I have a TON of articles in my RSS reader to go over, so at least I have some fodder for more writing in the semi-near future. Maybe.
A couple weeks ago, I went on my first mass-group motorcycle ride. I’ve had my Harley since July 2005, so it took nearly four years for me to ride with more than one other bike, and I’ve only done that twice that I can remember. I’m perfectly happy riding solo since that allows me to chart my own courses and timetables while not having to coordinate rest breaks and calls of nature. However, a mass-group ride had been one of the few things I hadn’t experienced on the bike, and since this particular ride was put on by one of my radio stations (and since I’d been invited on the previous five iterations), I finally pulled the trigger.
The weather was pristine if a little hot, the laps around Lowe’s Motor Speedway were surreal, and the pictures from the ride were great, not to mention a lot of money was raised for a good cause. That’s about all the good I have to say about it, though. Just before buying my motorcycle, I took an intensive rider training course from a local Harley dealer that went far beyond what is generally taught at community colleges and the DMV here, and I’m admittedly a borderline paranoid rider—hey, all I have between me and the next thing is a helmet and some minimally protective clothing compared to the seat belts, air bags, anti-lock brakes, and every other gadget designed to idiot-proof regular cars and trucks.
With that course as my introduction to riding, I had the impression that the majority of motorcycle riders are at least nearly as cautious and observant as I am since we have to deal with the cluelessness of other drivers anytime we’re on the road. Instead, it seems that the majority of riders bring their four-wheel habits to two-wheelers, which made the actual ride that day a fairly stressful event, whether it was people not keeping speeds, not holding their formation lines, or not giving room for our law enforcement escort to pass (one officer ended up in an ambulance with serious though non-life threatening leg injuries). Let’s just say I’m all but done with anything that might involve more than a half-dozen bikes.
So, my impression of motorcycle riders was shot. It was a (most likely) one-time event that I can keep in the back of my mind and remember on rare occasions as needed. When it comes to health and fitness knowledge and practice, though, my assumptions are obliterated on a fairly regular basis, as if the moment I think things are either becoming somewhat sane or couldn’t get any worse, something happens that just blows my mind. Some examples:
—KFC – Good thing they shortened their name to just an anagram, or the new marketing ploy wouldn’t work so well, but it has to be a good thing since Oprah endorses it, right?
—Wii Fit – I still don’t see how standing and leaning is considered a health benefit (especially if you’re cheating). BS testimonials are no help.
—Dance Dance Revolution – Speaking of video games, sure, you’re getting up off the couch, but how healthy is it for you to jumping and stomping on your heels (and you most likely will, thanks to deactivated glutes, foreshortened hamstrings, and overactive quads)? And you think your knees, hips, ankles, and lower back hurt now…
—Tracy Anderson -
Another case: a co-worker who, by most standards, is a fit and active person. He runs a three-to-five miles a few times a week, limits his calorie intake, and occasionally “lifts weights.” I’m not disparaging the guy—he tries and, for the most part, succeeds—but every now and then, when he asks me this or that about something health-related (usually nutrition), he’ll pull out some gem from the original food pyramid days with a measure of seriousness that he’s decided is the next step in maintaining or improving his fitness level, often contradictory to what I’ve found to be most beneficial (yep, chicken again, and yep, doing my weirdo foam rolling again).
Three words describe my understanding of people who still ascribe to long-outdated health guidelines like a carb-heavy, low-fat diet or three sets of twelve reps in circuit fashion on the numbered machines at the gym: DOES NOT COMPUTE. There’s just this sense of bewilderment at how what was once groundbreaking “knowledge” that has since been exhaustively refuted is still accepted as gospel. I fully admit that I live a relatively sheltered life. I do my reading and research and experimentation, I subscribe to various blogs and a couple journals, and I surround myself with like-minded people who both encourage and challenge my ideas on what it really means to be healthy. This has meant that I went from “lose fat at all costs” to “machine circuit warrior” to skipping the fundamentals to embracing the very basics of human movement. That’s not say I’m done—far from it—but I like to think I constantly challenge my own thinking to see if it’s still, ya know, valid. For example, I know I was sheltered in living downstairs from the office before the recent move; now I’m dealing with the same food prep and packing issues as other people who brown-bag it (more so since 99% of my commutes are on the motorcycle right now). Anyone else deal with this on a semi-regular basis?
Gah, I want to go lift something really heavy now. Instead, I’ll be doing some SMR and mobility work as scheduled since I haven’t done anything substantive in a few weeks, and I need to ramp up my conditioning a bit before jumping back in. Speaking of which…
Quick updates:
—The old/new house (hard to call a thirty-five year old house “new”) is going well. Lots of small-ish projects completed with many more to go. The romanticism of a reel push mower is gone, though—I can hack out the quarter-acre front yard well enough, but the acre-plus back yard is a different story altogether (read: ain’t happening), so I’ll be buying a gas-powered push mower and trimmer/edger next week. The back yard is plenty of workout that way, too.
—The hand laceration has closed up nicely, though there’s still some subcutaneous healing to be done, and the wound is nowhere near as elastic as normal. The blisters from the reel mower yesterday are a nice touch.
—I’ve been studying my IYCA Level 1 materials for a few weeks, but I’ve had no chance to block out four hours to watch the DVDs all the way through in one sitting, so I’m hopeful that this weekend’s beach trip will give me that opportunity. There’s really no reason to think that I won’t submit my exam by the end of the month. Then I can legitimately add some letters (and for-hire services) after my name :)
