Specious

After five minutes of focussed, intense studying, i think i aced m' first Chem II test. Heh heh. i went up and asked that punk prof. about one of the terms that wasn't making sense to me, and he answered me like i was an idiot, and then announced it to the class kinda' chuckling. So i spanked his test for him. Here's to sticking it to The Man.

Yesterday's workout consisted of watching a climbing video while simultaneously sifting through youtube workouts. It was exhausting.

Hodge-podgin'

Didn't climb today. Went to the irongym for one o' the most random workouts i've ever done. As a result i can't remember what i did exactly, but it involved dodging people at rush hour, and picking up sundry weights and heaving them about. Something to do with a "prime directive" of shoulder rehab. In fact, i distinctly recall some Theraband coming into the mix somewhere. Then i left and went swimming. That worked out better for me. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. i miss climbing. i miss my shoes. i miss uninflamed biceps. i intentionally didn't do abs or straight leg deads so's to have an m.o. for future workouts. Right.

And here's the funny anecdote for the day: Chemistry lab, right: only there's some cutish dork of a femme there for a makeup lab, and she joins us. 'S'a problem, cuz my lab partner's also a dork. So whole lab i'm trying to fight off my gag reflex as the Flirting Status-Post-High-School Dork Ballet unfolds before me. Halfway through i made it clear that i might kill him if he wasted my time at the expense of his goofy lebido once again. By the end i just had to clear my throat and they both got silent to see what might be the matter. i may not be all that huge, but it's amazing what the stubbly old-guy effect does to scrawny minors.

And i made a 90 on my pre-calc test. Highest grade in the class. Only i studied for 45 mins. for it and haven't done any of the homework yet. i felt pretty good about that, but i didn't show anyone else m' grade. i'm in a class full of "Engineering Majors" and i didn't figure that'd go over too well. It 1) makes me think i could be an engineer of whatever stripe without much problem, and 2) makes me think there're a lot of dumbasses what must be packing CAD terminals out there. Now the goal is to pass the rest of the class without doing any homework.

i miss climbing, really. And Trader Joe's has come out with a line of $18.oo single malts, and i'm afraid they're gunna kill me. Peace and Grace.

Freedom

As a valentine's day present to me, i sent my shoes off to Boulder for a resole. That'll keep me off'n the walls for at least a week. In spite of trying to go easy at the gym, my biceps just won't heal. i need some real live time for the ol' tendons to re-knit. i'm gonna try to get back into the iron gym and start doing some accessory work and some rehab. i sent those shoes off and it was like, "Ahh! i don't have to climb today! i can't! So there!" It was like a world had been lifted off my shoulders. No climbing, guilt free. we get a five hour babysitting gift today as a chance to go do something romantic and valentine's-y, and i think we're going to the climbing gym, but i'm going in my crocs as belay slave. i think we'll actually have fun with no chiddlers to scream at every ten seconds. It's time for a week of focussed slouching about.

...Don we now our reggae apparel...

i want to be healed, dangit! No. i should be thankful: i've largely avoided contracting The Plague from my chilluns and wif, who've been knocked down since last fri. my head feels stuffed with cotton and i've gone through bales of Kleenex, but i've dodged the fever, inverted lungs, abdominal alien eruptions, general malaise, etc. i bought a bottle of Islay single malt, and i do believe Steph imbibed more of it than i. "For the cough," says she.

Right, and i endeavored to climb again today. Biceps feel a tiddle better-- i was able to do several pullups. Still can't hold heavy lockoffs though. i've tried to go easy and give 'em time to heal, but i've done some awful damage to 'em. But today's big failure was all in my head. i don't understand it, but there's a trend in the mornings at that gym. Somebody in upper management is seriously fond of Reggae. i can only shake my head and frown. Today i couldn't handle it, and went to the front desk and asked for a music change. i thought she'd dig when i specified "something a bit angrier, please", but rather than chuckling knowingly, she gave me a concerned look and switched it to the all R.E.M. station. At any rate, it was an upgrade. i sent one (1) route today, and it was a v1. i fell off of ev-er-y-thing. Destroyed biceps are working out to be a real weak link in my training scheme. i need a solid week off from climbing, but i can't seem to manage to squish anything else in its place. Maybe i'll start waking up at 5:30 and swimming. isn't gunna happen, but i'll think about it wistfully. Peace.

C.Y.O.B-spot

After a three day rest, i went back in to the climbgym today. i was suffering from acute vaginitis and didn't manage to sew up my v5 proj. But i did link through the crux. It's really just a matter of hanging on and topping out. m' biceps are so weakened i just couldn't hold the lockoff. Irritating, but i didn't want to do more damage. Pretty much didn't do anything, but one kinda' cool new v3ish route. i wanna be healthy again, dangit! Got three sick kids and a sick wife, and i've staved off the plague from them so far, but i want my stoopid arms to recup. Bleh. Anyhow, that 5'll fall as soon as i can lug my head into the gym with the rest of me. They took down my 5+ project, so that's bumming, but there're others...

Paradigm Shift

Went back last night to meet Steph, but she no-showed on me, so i hung with a friend. It started off bad-- we both botched a 5.10 TR problem that should'a been easy. Then we settled in with some other guys working a v5 on the top-out boulder. i worked through all the moves on it, but couldn't link it up before we left. went back this afternoon to see if i could send it, but i kept falling on the top off a move i managed yesterday. So i ran into another cat i climb with occasionally, and he got me working a 6-, and a 5+ with 'im. didn't have the ammo in the guns for the hanging start on the 6, but all the moves seemed doable, and i worked through most of it. Also worked out the crux move on the 5. It'll definitely go when i'm healed, and it's solid 5. Finally, made an effort on a razor blade crimp problem. Should'a flashed that, but i scrogged the finish sequence and got spit off. Fingertips wouldn't allow another serious try.

went back with Steph and the kiddos this evening, but we didn't have much time by the time we got there. i did get to go back to the boulder and finish that teensy crimper prob. Goes at v3ish. Then got a v4 mantle problem i've got wired. Guess the trend now is two sessions per day. Only i feel a rest coming on-- i can see the capillaries in the tips of a couple o' fingers where i almost, but not quiiite yet have managed to grate away all the flesh. Tearing a chunk outta a fingertip is not one of those things i want to have to heal from.

Knitting the Panda

Three whole days; no climbing. Crazy what things like rest'll do for a body. For example, they make me fat as a sow. Aeon was watching Kung Fu Panda again this morning 'fore i left, and it inspired me. Snagged a v4 proj i couldn't get at the comp. It's a crimp problem that climbs outta this roof in the back of the boulder cave. Starts on an icky sloper. Move backwards to the first crimp, match, heelhook the start sloper. Move up to the next crimp, match, gun for a slopey swing, find a place for some feet, and finish. Funny thing is the crimps were these thin huecos, and when i matched on 'em they both flexed away from the wall under my fat butt. i'm all "Please don't break! Bad times to break!" Then i got my pet "v5" v3 again. Then another 3. Then i sent a v3 that'd spit me off an embarrassing number of times. Hopefully i'm gonna meet Steph at the gym for a rope session this evening. we'll see how that goes.

i feel so good, i've decided to take three days off every two or three weeks whether i realize i need it or not. ;)

Hidden Dragon

While there's certainly something depressing about being too torn down to function at a high level, there's something altogether gratifying about digging deep enough to say "Piss on all that," and tearing it down to the ground for warm accomplishment. Today's climbing session was kinda like that. Started off with quite a lot of super easy traversing. i could tell Tiger Claw WuShu Chi was craftily eluding me yet again, so i thought i'll just do everything with a kneebar, and my teeth if i have to." That didn't really work at all, but there were some chicks nearby watching, so i sent a long-standing v3 proj i'd never managed to do. Then there were these two angry looking, scrawny high-school kids moping about in my gym, falling off of things lightweight people have no right falling off of, so i walked a v3 crimper, and a v2 cave-roof toe-hook problem just to make myself feel better. Then it was upstairs where i fell 4 or 5 times "working" a v2 that should'a been a light constitutional. Got it, but i was sure there was nothing left. Then two more guys came up and started spraying-- working a v7. These fellers turned out to be proper cool, and we fell in to throwing beta at each other. Ended up sending another 3, a "4" that goes at righteous 2, another 2, worked all the moves on a v4 i missed at the comp, and even got some impressive distance on that v7. And i don't think i seriously damaged my biceps further-- kept me arms straight the whole time. Took some very odd yoga poses to do it, but it was a victory for sequencing and technique. Turns out my WuShu Chi can be aroused from slumber by having an audience. Who'd'a thought, eh!?

muddle

i have a tenuous grasp on just how often i've been to the climbgym lately. i can say i haven't been climbing much in the last few days... maybe nearly a week. Haven't been sleeping well at all. Biceps haven't healed much from my weird onslaught there for a few weeks. And i think i did some damage to a ligament in my left hand. i've been going to the climbgym almost (but not quite) daily, just to be there. i think i'm afraid of getting out of the habit. But for the last week i haven't been able to do anything. i go in, warm up extensively, stretch, throw at some problems, fall off of everything, then lie on the floor and stare at the ceiling. In that sense it's a bit more like yoga and meditation than climbing. In fact, today i was so stale (and, honestly, afraid of making things worse) i ended up doing a bunch of sets of hanging leg raises and stretching a bunch. Haven't been able to make it to the irongym in a couple o' weeks 'cuz of school and being outta pocket, and i've only swum once in the last few. i think largely because of that i've felt like i'm going crazy if i don't do something, so i end up climbing even if it's supposed to be an off day. At any rate, i've been getting fatter and healing little. i'm real ready to be in our own house again. Nearly there...

Bryant and Sandy: i'm praying for you guys. i surely want to hear that you're good.

The Shack

i read The Shack today. Super good book; thanks for the recommend. i hope it's an accurate view of God. Very beautiful.

Marker

Meandered in to the Kletterhalle today to kill time. Snagged three v3s (two of 'em new), and almost got a fourth. One of 'em was rated v4, and one of 'em v5, but i'm downgrading 'em to fit the rest of reality. i'm homing in on some realistic goals for the year. i know i can do v6/5.12. Shorter term, i need to 1) heal completely, and 2) start working on slopers and wide pinches. These are a real weakness. i'm finally getting strong enough that some strengths and weaknesses are beginning coalesce, and these grips-- especially open hand slopers-- are truly a weak link. At the moment, i'm ok with my diet/weight. It feels like it's slowly falling into line. the more obsessive i get about climbing, the less i'm tempted to eat crap. Now if i could just figure out how to sleep and fit swimming into the schedule...

True, dat...

i might, in fact, not get around to healing. Steph and i snuck off this morning for a 30 min. TR sesh. Mostly i wanted to get her in the gym and off the ground. She ended up doing three laps on a 5.7, and gave a try to a 5.8-- which i'm certain she'll be able to do fresh. Then i warmed up a bit and onsighted a 5.11. That was a cool feeling. (Ok... technically i didn't onsight, cuz on my first go i dyno'd for a crimp, and she had the rope so tight it yanked me off the footholds and i hung there on the crimp with my feet sticking perpendicular to the wall. Hearty laugh outta that one, got we. But i lowered to the ground and immediately sent.) Then we left.

Got a call long about 18:00 from a friend asking if i'd like to climb some. i'm thinking a li'l rope work wouldn't hurt anything, so i assents. Only i got there, and he wanted to boulder. This didn't go so well, cuz my biceps were insulting me in demonic languages; but it was fun anyhow. i didn't go too hard-- didn't send that v5, but also didn't damage anything beyond repair (for which i'm thankful.) Tomorrow will be an off day, though, methinks. Hopefully i'll get to lift. Good times.

Water aerobics? Billiards? Shuffleboard?

Had to put a couple of coats of sealant on the floor yesterday, and i've gotta wait 3 hours 'twixt coats (and can't, naturally, walk on the floor in the meantime) so i'm thinking what a fine opportunity to go bond with the fam and climb a bit. i talked Steph into it in short order, layed down coat numero uno, and gave 'er the call. Now understand: i wasn't precisely wanting to work hard projects as i had (and coincidentally still have) raging bicep tendonitis; this wasn't about me, dang it all. In fact, i took friday off just to heal, and didn't whine about it at all. Kinda' nice really. So i hauled all our gear into the gym, and meandered aimlessly a bit. Then i waited some. Then i decided to stretch nice and slow-like. And waited. Then i went for an easy warm-up of 5 or 6 laps up and down on the easy wall till i was sure my forearms were gonna Monty Python all o'er the room. Then, for a change, i sat and waited. Then i found myself on that project v4ish thing i mentioned earlier, and sent 'er second try. Then--egged on by a guy who was working kinda the same stuff as me-- i nearly sent a v5, and i'm 95% confident i've got the crux worked out.

Then Steph and the kids shew'd up. TR'd an "11-" (that probably really goes at ultra-hard 5.9). Made for a nice workout. i felt light, in spite of my omnipresent belly, "that shakes when he laughs like a bowl full of jelly."

Annie ran some laps on the 5.6 wall, which always draws pointing and smiles from the saturday crowd. She digs that, my li'l attention hound. i intend to make this a proper family Thang.

Today, methinks, will be an off day. That v5 crux is seriously lock-off dependant, and i need my biceps to function. For the moment it hurts to brush my teeth and pick up the baby. But if the music and the mood are right, it'll fall tomorrow... }>

Will work for NSAIDS

...and on a whim, i went back in to the climbgym today, and (i chalk this up to having something on the tranny what's not reggae, as was the case yesterday*) i sent a project v3, and onsighted another 3. Then i worked what i think will have been the crux move on what i further think will end up being a stiff v4.

It was odd. i got in my car to maybe head to school early and get a head start on some homework, and i just ended up at the gym. It's like a nervous tic. But when you hear that call, and yer body says, "Oh, i think so: do let's," you just gotta go.

Earlier on, i went for a 30 min. (+/-) session at the irongym. That felt pretty good. Got a decent ab workout in, and a decent straight-leg dead workout. Chest workout, as i mentioned on the phone, sucked. i'm thinking i'm gonna try to get in several times a week for a while for real short workouts with some really light weight to try and rehab my shoulders. i'll just baby-step my pushers back into shape. After all, my chest workout couldn't get much more embarrassing than it presently is.



*In my opinion, reggae was designed to thin out the herd. Far as i can tell, the only way to avoid clawing your own eyes out before putting the gun in your mouth on reggae is to smoke some heavyweight out of a glass pipe for "mood intervention".**



** i mean, who the hell'd think it'd be a good idea to try and work out to reggae, anyway? Who does that?

"i'm looking over/ a hopeless sloper...."

Indeed, she did get 'er job back, and started today. As a result, it is my not-particularly-secret plan to buy one of these bad boys. (Only i plan to get 'im in black.) Sickest sloper i've ever found.

Went in today for a session, and i might as well've gone for a bacon double cheeseburger for all the training i got accomplished. i am tore down plumb. Had that comp on fri. and royally rent some tissue asunder. Then we went in on Sun. afternoon, and i managed to snag a burly v3 i missed at the comp. Moreover, i haven't gotten in to the irongym at all in nearly a week. But it's been for a pretty good cause, i'd say: we got the silly cork floor down finally. Soon i may actually have time for some projects i actually look forward to doing (e.g. my dream campus board). i mentioned before that we got Steph a membership at the climbgym, so we're trying to get a schedule ironed out so we can actually be there at the same time. She's really psyched about getting into shape, and i'm psyched about having her there with me. i think it'll be good for both of us-- some "fireproofing", as it were.

On a beam of shimmering light.

Today was simply not bad. "It's LoOg, it's LoOg... It's big, it's heavy it's wood! It's LoOg, it's LoOg... It's better than bad: it's good!"

Ummmmmm, to begin with we started the day around noon (which coincidentally is when i believe days should be started.) Took Steph, Aeon, 'n' Katja to the climbgym, whereat we purchased Steph a climbmembership. (Yoy!) Then we went to Home Despot, and i got some tools, including a bloody expensive Dremel attachment. Finally, i went climbing at the comp. Turned out, it was an ABS event and i had to pay to get in, and there were probably 200 people there. i was mildly bummed 'cuz i didn't feel precisely 100%, and didn't care much about scoring points. But pay i did. Quite inexplicably, i had one of the finest sessions of bouldering i've ever had. i ended up taking second place in the men's intermediate division. (They gave out ribbons to the sixth place, so it could well be that there were only 6 of us in the division, but they were all skinnier than i, and 10 years younger.) anyhow, i climbed somewhere between 16 and 20 problems-- half of 'em v2 and harder-- and i flashed all but one. The problems were, as usual, not graded, but assigned a point value of 5, 10, or 25 pts. 5 pointers comprised v0 through soft v2. 10s were mid-range: v2 through hard v3 or maybe v4-. 25 pointers were v3 through anything above that. Halfway through the comp i got tired and stopped to stretch a bit and relax. Then i somehow sent two 25 pointers back to back, and flashed 'em both. i saw some strong dudes fall off of both of 'em, and i only saw one of 'em repeated while i was there. So that was a nice feeling. Then i had a Stella Artois, and won an ice climbing guide to Ouray in a raffle. Made for a nice friday. Made me think that if i could drop a few lbs. and work on some weak spots in a desciplined fashion (e.g. slopers), there's real hope for reaching the next level.

Congratulations, B, on getting formally hitched. Most awsome.

Congratulations, G, on getting a ridiculously heavy tire. May it scratch that itch much better than booze, and lower yer plood pressure to boot. (i'll give 'er a try next time i'm down there.)

Peace.

post-it note

Swam yesterday. That was like Zyprexa. i really love swimming. i have a boulder comp tomorrow evening, so i'm trying to not climb 'tween now and then for some healing, but i'm not sure it's gonna happen. i'm feeling that inexorable siren song of Movement calling to me, and i don't know how to resist. Climbed on mon., worked chest/triceps/low back on tues., and swam wed. just to mark the order down for my memory's sake. Now it's off to lay some more bleedin' cork flooring-- tobacco free, and (hopefully) rage free. Grace and Peace.

Sonnenaufgang

Feel good and broken this lovely Sunday morning. Swam for the first time yesterday since before i started the rig job.

Got in 1100m:
300 x warmup/drills
5 x 100s on a 10 sec. interval
300 cooldown

Then i got in to the irongym for a quick 'un on the way home last night. This is proving hard to get motivated for, cuz i have no chest left. i'm trying hard to just look at it like it should be looked at: eeeeeasing back into it without hurting myself again.

Did 3 x 10 on DB Press (wherein m' faithful old shoulder injury started whispering from beyond the grave about coming back and haunting me), tried some Dips, but that promised to be almost certain injury, and settled on one set of Incline DBs with 40s. i could just curl 'em right up there, but i only managed one set 'cuz my shoulders and (strangely) bicep tendons were creaking and whining so loudly i couldn't do any more. Then i did 3 x 10 on Hanging Straight Leg Lifts (which i sorta wished i hadn't done with hiking boots on), and they went ok. Finished out with some one-arm Cable Tricep Presses, and Pec Deck.

i was a little disappointed that i haven't healed from all that yet. i swam, and an old ankle injury came back to nag me when i kicked, and i benched and that shoulder injury woke up and growled-- and i haven't had any thoughts at all of either injury in a long, long time. Anyhow, maybe i can keep it light enough to do some rehab.

Quicquid cognoscitur...

Odd day today. Slept like doodoo last night. No alcohol, no dip, chilled in the hot tub, and i still managed to sleep nearly not at all. Went to the climbgym this morning and the lack of sleep shew'd its haggish heed: clumb like puppy diarrhea. (To my head's credit m' forearms were still torn down from climbing a coupla' days before.) Ah well... it was a workout of sorts. Spent the remainder of the day laying cork flooring. By the grace of God i managed not to have a dip, although i was alone. By the end of the day i was having a proper Luther-esque hallucinated self-war/anxiety attack, but i didn't even cuss much (although i shore did want to). Finally i gave up screwing up otherwise innocent cork planks, and went climbing again. Didn't get much better, but it felt good to stretch. i eschewed most of the hard stuff and did a "tour of twos"-- all the v2 i could manage. Did snag a new 3 earlier, although i questioned its 3ness. Also got a 4 that i'd say goes at stiff 2.

Moreover, i scored a big hangboard for $15 'cuz the gym needed the space for a new one. Happy.

The next Stone Cup is this fri. so i'm gonna take most of the week off from climbing. i do want to get in to the irongym for chest/tris. Also gotta start hitting abs with masochistic ferocity. And i must start swimming and running again. Biceps just won't heal--which is right screwing me climbing up-- so i'm hoping a week off of pulling hard'll make a difference.

If i could just find a way to stop thinking so damn much that doesn't involve wholesale self destruction...

Nuevo ano, nueva pagina

i'll say (with no mean tone of urgency) that it's time for some new year's resolutions. Dragged daddy to the climbgym with me yesterday for one of the worst sessions i've come through in one piece in a long time. i felt fine, and after a solid week off my hands felt pretty dang good. But i felt really sluggish and heavy. Fell off of crap i was sticking dead tired last week. i was getting frustrated (and tired of missing v2s) so i started working a couple of v4+ just to see what happened. Interestingly, i made some good headway on 'em. That was reassuring, and i know i can send if i get back in with my head on straight. Resolution #1: No beer before workouts. ;)

Today Nate came over and helped me work on flooring, so i didn't dip. Strangely, having had no liquor and no tobacco i feel fabulous. Also, by God's grace, i managed not to rage much today. Never have been one for holidays or new year's resolutions and such, but it really does feel nice that it's a new year, and it seems like a fine time to set some goals. i'm mighty tired of poisoning m'self (...and the congregation said'a...??). It's a bit nauseating to look back on this last year and realize how little i've accomplished. i've been paralyzed by my demotivators. i could use some prayer for that too, lads. i gotta quit dipping.

Here's the goal: i wanna lose 15 more lbs. and get down below 180. If i can do that, i won't be gunning for v5-- i'll be gunning for v10. It's not impossible, but i've got to get my eating under control, and i've got to start training like a fiend and training smart. And i've got to get out from in front of this damned computer. Li'l help here? Anybody ready to get strong? Sounds like G's in, and has a leg up on me. i didn't get on the bike last night, but i wish i had. i'm proud of you bro.