The window to my world

The following are some of my thoughts and observations from hanging around the gym. Nothing I write here should be considered professional advice but rather just my rambling opinion.

1. After many hours of watching people attempt it, you can’t do a proper squat in a Smith Machine.
2. Have a plan when going to the gym.
3. It’s a squat rack, not a rack for holding the barbell so you can do arm curls.
4. Ask yourself from time to time, “what is the exact purpose of the exercise I am doing”? If you don’t know the answer to the question, stop doing the exercise.
5. Spending 30 minutes on the treadmill, then 30 on a bike, then 20 on the elliptical machine, what the hell do you think you are doing? Working different muscles isn’t the answer.
6. If you aren’t getting your thighs to at least parallel when squatting, don’t fool yourself on how much you can squat .
7. Along those same lines, unless you have a specific for not doing so, full range of motion when doing resistance exercises. Doesn’t matter if it is a push-up or a dead lift, full range of motion.
8. If using a barbell, put the weights back where they belong after you are finished lifting. Your mom isn’t here to clean up after you and if you are trying to impress people with how much you are doing quarter-squats with, we aren’t impressed.
9. Don’t mock other people in the gym. If someone is doing an exercise that you know 100% is wrong, then offer advice. If they refuse then shrug your shoulders and go away.

Dennis Hopper passed away yesterday and on my Facebook page I mentioned drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) in his memory. Now a couple of people mentioned some unflattering things about PBR, not catching the reference to Hopper’s role as Frank Booth in Blue Velvet where he delivers a classic line.

I know PBR isn’t known as the greatest beer in the world, I prefer a good ale, especially an IPA. But if you been working out in the hot sun and want an ice cold beer to cool off with I’ll grab a PBR over my favorite IPA. There is the right brew for the right occasion and with the right occasion that could be a PBR. Besides trying to cool off, a tribute to Dennis Hopper is the right occasion for a PBR.

I spend some time hanging out on the Crossfit message boards, reading posts to learn more, asking and answering questions. The typical message board stuff.

This morning I posted a link to a blog post by Robb Wolf. Of course posting links to Robb Wolf’s site on the CF boards is a no-no, just like posting links to Starting Strength, so I used bit.ly to post the link. Now all of my posts have to undergo moderator approval before showing up.

Their boards, their rules, just find it amusing.

I wrote before about some of the things that make me shake my head over on the Crossfit boards, but I’m at the “you just got to laugh at the craziness” stage. I should add it’s Crossfit’s message board that they offer for free so they can make the rules and do what they want.

One of the way Crossfit promotes itself is as “open source”, meaning they say here is what you do if you think you have a better way lets hear and debate the issue. Sounds great, unless the Crossfit powers that be don’t like the message. Starting yesterday on the message boards if you posted a link to the Starting Strength website or Robb Wolf’s website the links get filtered, meaning they get changed to *******. In effect those sites are now banned on the Crossfit message board.

Why you may ask? Well those two along with others have stated they think they could do something better than the way Crossfit is currently doing something. In Robb Wolf’s case it is nutrition, for Mark Rippetoe (Starting Strength) it’s the importance of strength. In these cases Crossfit becomes closed-source. I’ would guess that it has to do with Crossfit’s tie-ins with Barry Sear’s of The Zone and Louie Simmons.

Crossfit even does some wacky things if you try to link to their message boards and they don’t like you. As an example if you post a link to the Crossfit boards in The couch thread (a thread making fun of Greg Glassman and Crossfit) on the Irongarm boards, you’ll just get bounced back to Irongarm if you click on the link.

As I said, their boards, their rules, but what are they afraid of facing? Someone that may have a better idea?

Many years ago I lived in the Bay Area of California and used to visit a night club in Vallejo called Josey Wales. Don’t bother looking for the club it is closed down now. I went there one night with a buddy after a Lynard Skynard concert, so it was late on a Saturday, around midnight. I danced several times with a tall slender blond named Catherine Brown. Dancing was all we did, tried making small talk but wasn’t getting nowhere so just enjoyed the dancing.

The following Friday I was sitting around with one of my roommates drinking some beer. I was “Jack Tripper” at this time, living with two females named Sue and Janet. The phone rings, Sue answers it, and says it for me. Turns out it was Catherine and her words after me saying “Hello” were “Get your ass down here I need someone to dance with!” Shocking part was I never got her number and I never gave her mine. She asked around at the bar till she found someone that knew me and got my number from them. And yes, I did get my ass down there.

Thus begin a unique experience for me. Catherine was what you call a “free spirit”. You knew where you stood with her as she always (and I mean always) spoke her mind. That made for some interesting nights at Josey Wales.We never had a sexual relationship, although I made an attempt at one once, but got brushed off. She loved to intimidate people, not physically but with the force of her personality. And what a strong personality she had. One thing she liked about me was I was never intimidated by her.

We spent a lot of time together, either dancing at Josey Wales or I would go over to her place and we would drink wine, eat green apples, and listen to Mozart. Catherine loved Mozart. I even took her to her first opera, “The Marriage of Figaro” at the San Francisco Opera House (June 19, 1991, 7:30 PM, still got the ticket stub) That night really stuck in my memory. Catherine was the type that tended to not wear make-up or dress-up, jeans and a t-shirt were her thing. That suited me fine. For the opera she got “dolled up” and while I always found her very attractive she looked totally different with her hair all done up and dressed in a nice black dress.

As I said, spent a lot of time with her and her son Anthony. Even when she was dating other guys she still found time to spend with me. Sure that pissed her boyfriend off. But as happens in life I ended up moving 3000 miles away, Catherine ended up moving, getting married, and we lost touch. I’ll take the blame for losing touch, some bad decisions on my part.

But last night I had a dream of Catherine. Why I have no idea. No trigger I can think of as I hadn’t been listening to Mozart or “Friends in Low Places” (she loved dancing to that song). This dream was a little strange. She stilled looked the same, and at the start of the dream she was like a said, bold forceful personality. We were hanging at in someone’s house, not sure who’s house, but we were there. I can’t recall everything that happened but at one point we were talking and she leaned into me and kissed me gently on the lips. This was kind of strange as the one time we kissed it wasn’t gentle. As I said, forceful personality, even while kissing.

The dream then jumped to us sitting at a dinner table in a dinner party type sitting. Maybe 8 or 10 people at the table. Catherine was sitting next to me and whispering something. I could only catch part of it. Heard my name and about me being the one. Then like in all good dreams my alarm clock went off.

What does this all mean? No idea. I’m really not sure why I’m writing this. Maybe some outside hope that she’ll find this post and say hi. Who knows. Just felt like I needed to post this though.

Leading up to the Super Bowl I was seeing lots of press about the “anti-abortion” message that would given by the Tim Tebow ad via Focus on the Family. I watched the ad during the game, and even again online after the game, to form my own opinion to this anti-abortion message.

Not once during the ad did I hear the word abortion used, nor anything hinting at an abortion message. Tim’s mom said it was rough. some tough choices were made, but here is her son. I guess talking about making tough choices mean you are anti-abortion to the media today.

A little recipe for making a batch of hot buttered rum, perfect for the holiday season. You canomit the brown sugar and still have a tasty drink. Nice drink for sitting at home and relaxing.

1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature (I like using Kerrygold butter)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon clove
1 cup light brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup honey

Mix dry ingredients together, then mix in butter till it is creamed. Add the honey and stir in till well mixed.

Add a heaping tablespoon to a mug, 2-3 ounces (adjust to your taste) of your favorite rum. I would suggest Captain Morgan’s Private Stock. Add boiling water, stir and enjoy

As you should well know, 4 Lakewood, WA. police officers were killed in the line of duty. Here are two ways you can show your support to their friends and families, and to law enforcement officers as a whole:

Lakewood Police Independent Guild

Rainier Crossfit Fund Raiser

October 3, 1863

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.  To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.  In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.  Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore.  Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.  They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people.  I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.   And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

A. Lincoln

Recently I’ve been learning more about Crossfit, and getting more involved in their fitness philosophy. Part of doing this I’ve been reading their message board. People ask questions, other people answer them, all a good way of learning. However, on any message board, Crossfit and others, you will run into the arrogant assholes (AA). I do think the Crossfit boards have a slightly higher percentage of these then other boards. Hey if people feel strongly about something that attitude can come out. I wish to point out one here and add my comments.

A young man by the man of Alec Sean Kellsh posted a message asking about squat depth. Good question, and one that could bring a wide variety of answers. His question was based on what his coach for cross-country told him to do, which is different then what Crossfit tends to say. In doing a little research his coaches advice matches what I found as a suggested way of doing squats as a way to improve your running. What caught my eye in this thread was aposting by one Andrew H. Meador. His reply? “Tell him to kill himself.” Andrew of course was referring to the coach.

Now one could take this as being a sarcastic reply. I know I’ve made my share of sarcastic replies and sarcasm doesn’t always come out well on the Internet. But Andrew clarified things a little later by stating “In the quoted post above my tone was more appropriate for other forums – CF’s is more family-oriented, so for that I’m sorry.”

So he isn’t sorry for making such a statement but rather for making it in a family friendly forum. No doubt Andrew went to the other forum where he could bash the coach all to pieces and state how any male children should be castrated to prevent the gene pool from getting dirty.

Andrew may be a real knowledgeable guy when it comes to Crossfit, but for me him being an AA means I’ll pretty much ignore anything he says. I’ve seen other posts by him and Andrew being an AA is pretty much a typical thing. So for others out there, when you want to sway an argument try doing so via reasoning and logic, not by being an AA.