freaky friday...

Yes, sports fans, I did get going this morning. Mapmyrun says I went 1.8 miles...came home and had a two egg omelet with fat free ham, pepper jack & fresh spinach.

I'm ready for the orgy of excess to which I will surely succumb tonight. The boss isn't feeling NYE right now, so who knows how the evening will play out. I did complete w1d3 of my 4th attempt at c25k, and for that i am satisfied...for now.

tuesday morning, coming down

I got some unsettling news monday night and had a couple vodka drinks, and then a couple lager drinks....and so Tuesday morning workout didn't happen.

Came home at noon on wednesday and went for a run. 1.6 miles per mapmyrun. Any caloric benefit was totally negated by the fantastic homemade pizza that the missus whipped up while watching the illini football and basketball games....all washed down by the top deck of a dirty thirty.

A nice lady at the bank commented that she had seen me out running. I explained that I usually try to keep it to the back streets, but Main and Front streets were about the only two in town that hadn't been ice packed. I assume I look like a walrus on land as I'm waddling along, so I try to do it as privately as I can.

Tonite there's a party at the Griffsters...then tomorrow NYE and Saturday is our annual fish fry and football fiesta. I better add a couple blocks to the run tomorrow.

Christmas, inc.

Christmas has come and gone, catching me in it's vapor trail like maverick and goose, in a flat spin from which i'm not sure how to break free, so.......

I went for a run this morning. mapmyrun.com says it was only 1.14 miles, but my body says it was much more than that. Trying to keep ones' balance on icy side roads taxes the quads and core like no one's business and I'm a sore fatty right now.

The children received enough loot to foment a revolution in liechtenstein, but they're pretty well grounded and they appreciated their gifts without seeming entitled so I guess we're doing something right.

Tomorrow I plan on doing some body weight stuff, with a special focus on core and upper body. Results to follow.

catching up

So...it's been almost 5 months since I blogged. Wow.

The new job is terrific. It's got issues and I've had my doubts, but I'm starting to find my niche.
this is the most driven, focused amazing group of students i've had the privilege of serving. they seem so young, but they're dialed in like lasers.

more to follow...

great weekend

Some times the little things matter the most, as the old axiom goes. This weekend was proof positive of that fact.

We didn't do anything fancy or expensive...just hung with the kids in various venues...and it was a blast. Took them fishing on Saturday and again yesterday. Golfed with #1 son on Sunday, then went to the VG fireworks...they're not extravagant, but they don't cost our financially strapped city 50k either...and there's something to be said for knowing just about everyone you see at the celebration.

Went 1.64 miles today, according to map my run. Then pulled weeds in the garden for 10 minutes...all in all a good workout.

The princess won her game last night..so we're off to Homer on Wednesday after Cookie's all star game in Tuscola tonight. It's all coming to a close, and hopefully we'll have at least two weeks without organized sports before football fires up on the 26th.

the princess

My running partner petered out on me about a third of the way through our run this morning. We ended up walking for a while and then I finished with her on my shoulders. As we walked and talked and she picked leaves from trees, I was struck with the realization that the days of piggy back rides are racing to an end. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it's inevitable, and that realization more than made up for the interupted workout. Besides, sprinting a couple blocks with a nine year old on your shoulders counts for something, right?

Came home and did a 20 minute plyometric workout with mini me. He's gearing up for football, and I can always use the workout. We did pogo jumps, box jumps, prisoner squats, glute/ham raises and weighted crunches.

The part time gig at Parkland is most excellent. I love seeing the look on adults' faces when they realize that they can actually do it and that we're there to help them.

summer musings...

So...it's been two months since normalcy took its leave. Being home with the kids all day, every day has exposed fissures that should probably have remained glossed over. With each bong letter, my mood darkens. There's nothing more pathetic than an unjolly fat guy, and I am as unjolly as I've ever been.

It's a tough stretch for #1 son. He's never been the extroverted type, but now his few friends seem to be moving on to other more earthly pursuits while he remains in xbox mode. Mini me is about his only buddy, these days, but his loneliness appears to be manifesting itself in constant bullying and berating.

Had my annual fizzy cal last week...Dr. B sort of reminds me of The Deer Hunter ("Di di MAO!") when discussing my state of health. Not good, but it did serve to get me back out on the pavement for a trot or two...

Went about 1-1/2 miles walking and jogging with the princess, VGFATdog and noodles this morning. Felt really good.....think it's time to lengthen my splits and go a little longer.

the next phase

Well...week one day three of the unemployment lifestyle is upon me.

Some opportunities turned out to be not what I hoped, but it's too glorious outside to be sad. Completed my 2nd week 2nd day couch to 5k run this morning with VGFATdog. She loves her time outdoors.

Will continue to peruse the usual job lists...hoping something comes my way.

life

#1 son continues to recover from tonsil removal. I wish I could somehow take on his suffering for him. He'll be fine soon, but not NEARLY soon enough.

Did a killer diller chest and shoulders workout this morning. supersetted db flys and pushups, and for a little extra fun I put my feet on a swiss ball while doing the pushups. My chest is shred city!

Did shrugs, and the shoulder super sets, and threw in a couple sets of toe raises.

I'm sure to me a MONSTA come beach and pool season. :-) heh heh heh.

on kids, life, etc

So #1 son is set to have minor surgery next week, and he's pretty worried about it. He told me on the way home from the pre-op physical that he fully expects not to wake up, and that it will be our fault. His point of view is consistently the "worst case scenario" type, so I'm not totally surprised, but it still hurts to hear.

Mini-me appears to be at the same cross roads as always....the choice between excellence and just getting by. I'm beginning to wonder if I really have any influence on the path he chooses.

The princess is growing quickly, and she recently gave me the "I hate school" line for the first

time.

Two weeks from Friday is my last day here at Big Chief U, not certain what the future holds. Anger and cynicism are my constant companions as I try to deal with this short-sighted, stupid decision made by people who should have known better.

got to admit...

It's getting better. (tip of the Saints Cap to the fab four) I supersetted three sets of squats/toe raises, three sets of benches/butterflies and three sets of cable rows/military presses last night, and I'm not TOTALLY incapacitated this morning.

#1 son isn't getting as fit as he should be at this point in his HRD program, so I've decided that xbox time will be correlated with doing some form of exercise. Give me a half hour of pushups, situps, basic kicks, etc and I'll give you some time on the game. We'll see how this goes. he's not liking it, but i'm his dad, not his buddy.

so...

does helping a friend move a treadmill count as a workout? :-)

I did that yesterday...but then i went to the gym and did a killer core/legs/chest workout for about 45 minutes. I am a big fan of the bench press/push ups superset. it shreds your chest in no time. followed it up with some lat pull down/seated rows super sets for the shoulders, then did high to low wood choppers and supersetted them with flys. finished with 3 sets of squats, going as low as I could in my squat and then situps/planks/weighted crunches to finish torching the abs. I am basically sore from the base of my neck to my heels....but it's a good sore.

buddy you're a boy make a noise...

Haven't done much vis a vie' exercise since Tuesday, but I have to report that we beat Unity in OT last night. Cookie made the go ahead basket with less than 30 seconds to play...his first basket of the year...and the team played exceptionally hard. So proud that they were able to come back after losing in OT the night before.

fits and starts on the road to fitness

Went to HRD with #1 son Tuesday. There's a pretty nice free weights set up in the back of the school, with a smith machine and a couple hundred pounds of iron, so I decided to get some lifting in while he worked out. I supersetted three sets of db bench presses with push ups doing reps to fail. Then I did 3 sets of dumbell military press, 5 sets of wood choppers, 3 sets of dead lifts, and three sets each of dumbell curls and tricep extensions. Topped it all off with 10 minutes of core work ( planks, crunches holding a 25 lb plate, and leg lifts). All in all a good workout, and I was pretty sore yesterday. Need to get out and run if Mother Nature relents....

The 6th grade played their best game of the year last night, but still fell to Tuscola in Overtime.

uncertain seas ahead

So two months from today, I'm scheduled to become a statistic. I am thinking about making some radical changes....time will tell if they come to fruition.

Fitness-wise, I've nothing to report. I've ocasionally wii'ed, but mostly I'm sitting around, eatin', drinkin', carrying on.