Sloth: The Man with the Hammer

[Sloth the Enduring]

I do not mind biking, the problem arises that I cannot afford one that is reliable. And I do it more casually than anything. I would take a ride once or twice a week and visit neighbors and friends during the summer. I was having trouble with it shifting and I brought it to an actual bike shop. They said the mechanism used to shift was bent and was unfixable, so they did the best they could. So it doesn't really shift well outside a certain range. That and the tires never seem to keep their pressure. 

 

15 dollars for a burger? It better be the best burger on the planet to get that kind of price!

Oh, I misunderstood.  My MIL had a Walmart bike that required fixing.  It was the worse bike I ever worked on - I seriously considered giving it to the scrappers and finding her a used replacement bike.  I did the same thing, I bent the derailleurs back into shape and limited their movement to a smaller range.  If you lived here, I'd help set you up with a good used bike, but I live in a cycling Nirvana, good used bikes abound.

 

The burger was good - bison, blue cheese, secret sauce - but I couldn't get over the price to enjoy it.  Did I tell you they upcharged me to switch out a green salad for the fries?

 

Razzy - So we're all in agreement, we should scrap the market based insurance system and go to a single payer model?

 

Oh, I see what you're saying about ADHD.  The problem is too much of our society requires that we have a brain that works in a certain pattern.  There just isn't that much call for mountain men or even craftsmen wood workers any more.  I'm lucky, teaching is a good fit for the ADHD - lots of movement, things change often, you have to pay attention to 30 things at once - but the paperwork and endless meetings kill me.

 

I Googled vit. E.  It looks like people espouse squirting in ears when earaches start up.  We are definitely going to start doing that.  thanks for the tip.  The doctor thinks we need to see the ear, nose, and throat guy

 

2/9/15 Monday

I did not do ballistics last night.  I did go to the zoo and to the History Center with the boy.  He fell asleep in the middle of dinner

Last night I had two sick kids and a dog (kennel cough) in my bed, all coughing and wheezing.  No wife though  I didn't get much sleep.  

My workout:

4 X 20 KB swings @ 24kg

5 X 5 Trap Bar Deadlifts @ 170#.  I'll have to build up the reps until I get a chance to get more plates.  The rusty ones are cheap at the second hand sporting good store, but they didn't have many.

 

Here's my school district is stupid comment.  They are requiring me to get 6 days of ESL training - which sounds like it will be worthwhile - but I have to do it during the school year.  I hate not being in my classroom, the nine years previous to having my own kids I had perfect attendance.  Here's the kicker, they won't let us get a substitute teacher.  They're making me be out of the classroom, but I can't get a sub?!?  WTH.  I have to find 6 people in the building, each day, willing to give up their prep time to cover my classes.

[Bearlee]

You're wondering what's happened to the the taunting? I've been too busy going out and killing it this challenge to taunt. Besides I don't really like competitive games I like co-op games more and then when both are doing good I can taunt. Sounds like you have been having a hard time lately and that makes it hard to taunt also. What the hell is up with your school? No time off for a student's funeral and now this with the ESL.

Did you get a new dog? If so a foster or a permanent one?

Hope Sloth girl gets to feeling better soon. And that whatever your wife is going through will be better soon.

[The Most Loathed]

Basically, what I'm saying is this: No one with a degree in economics took a glance at the legislation and said, "Hey, if you force businesses to provide health care, or be fined otherwise, then the businesses will be taking a loss, and by their very nature, businesses don't like taking more losses than they make in gains..

I have disagree here. I think economists did look at that. I know people did raise this issue. The decision went ahead knowing this was involved. How that makes you feel or what that does to shape your opinion of people on all sides of the issue is up to you but don't assume that every negative outcome was just a glaring oversight. 

 

Razzy - So we're all in agreement, we should scrap the market based insurance system and go to a single payer model?

I'm down. It would make my job a heck of a lot easier than trying to divine who all these payers are and if we can bill them further.

[Sloth the Enduring]

BearLee - What I'm hearing is that no taunting is the ultimate taunt.  That's cold Bro.  I'm not really going through anything, it's just a case of the mehs which makes everything seem hard right now.  

 

The school district doesn't have enough subs - it's a hard, thankless job that doesn't pay enough and it is no longer a foot in the door to a job.  My building can't get the subs we do have because we don't supervise students well enough, so we've developed a culture of poor behavior, and we don't support the subs.  The district is refusing me access to the sub system to force me to take this training during spring break, but even if I wanted to give that up, I won't be around.

 

The dog is another foster.  She's a one year old Labradoodle from Kansas City.  She was abandoned at a doggie day care.  She's a sweet, loving dog.  She'll roll around with the kids not because she tolerates them, but because she feels like she is one of them.  She is also high energy and untrained - which explains the doggie day care.  In the week we've had her she's gotten a lot better, but she keeps eating the barbie dolls.  We talked about keeping her, but she has a high adoption fee and she's already spoken for.  We're hanging on to her until the adopters get their paperwork processed and until she gets spayed.

[Razzy]

Oh, I misunderstood.  My MIL had a Walmart bike that required fixing.  It was the worse bike I ever worked on - I seriously considered giving it to the scrappers and finding her a used replacement bike.  I did the same thing, I bent the derailleurs back into shape and limited their movement to a smaller range.  If you lived here, I'd help set you up with a good used bike, but I live in a cycling Nirvana, good used bikes abound.

 

 

Razzy - So we're all in agreement, we should scrap the market based insurance system and go to a single payer model?

 

Oh, I see what you're saying about ADHD.  The problem is too much of our society requires that we have a brain that works in a certain pattern.  There just isn't that much call for mountain men or even craftsmen wood workers any more.  I'm lucky, teaching is a good fit for the ADHD - lots of movement, things change often, you have to pay attention to 30 things at once - but the paperwork and endless meetings kill me.

 

I Googled vit. E.  It looks like people espouse squirting in ears when earaches start up.  We are definitely going to start doing that.  thanks for the tip.  The doctor thinks we need to see the ear, nose, and throat guy

 

 

Here's my school district is stupid comment.  They are requiring me to get 6 days of ESL training - which sounds like it will be worthwhile - but I have to do it during the school year.  I hate not being in my classroom, the nine years previous to having my own kids I had perfect attendance.  Here's the kicker, they won't let us get a substitute teacher.  They're making me be out of the classroom, but I can't get a sub?!?  WTH.  I have to find 6 people in the building, each day, willing to give up their prep time to cover my classes.

 

No, I don't think a single company would be wise at all. That would be a monopoly and those generally don't work out well for the consumer. Market-based insurance provides competition and a wide price range, something for everyone, and is far more to the consumer's advantage. The government would be better off cracking down on pharmaceutical companies that deliberately keep medicines in short supply to drive up the scarcity, and thus the price. Now that's a piece of crap that should be nipped at the bud but, curiously, has gone largely ignored.

 

Yes! You precisely get my meaning about ADHD. I dunno about the not needing carpenters though -- the Amish seem to make very good money from their furniture. (I mean, have you SEEN their work? It lasts generations! Try finding something like THAT at IKEA.) I like working with wood, myself, once I know what to do. It's fun. But I admit, handsaws are not my favorite. I feel ya on the meetings thing though -- if not for Ritalin, I would have run screaming from many an Art History class. :\

 

Yay! Hooray for vit. E! I'm not one that buys into all this hoogly-poogly this-root-will-cure-your-soul stuff, but I do strongly believe in giving the appropriate tools to your body when it needs them. Vit. E is, by and large, used for faster cell repair and growth, and is a nice complement to zinc. Whenever I get a bad cut or scratch, I take both and I've noticed a markedly faster recovery in healing than when I go without. And with that, I'll grant you a bonus supplement fact! Magnesium. Never paid attention to the stuff until, at Lanithroe's excellent advice, I started taking it because my nails were so shockingly weak and brittle, they'd tear off in huge flakes just trying to get my retainers out. Within two weeks, my nails were strong as ever. Just a tip, there. Magnesium helps with calcium absorption, and I never realized I needed it until I started taking it.

 

Ah, sorry to hear about the issues at the school district. Perhaps you should hire a very convincing mime to take over your classes? (It seems to me your district must truly be strapped for cash if they cannot hire substitutes -- much to the misfortune of the other teachers, and all aspiring substitutes!)

 

I have disagree here. I think economists did look at that. I know people did raise this issue. The decision went ahead knowing this was involved. How that makes you feel or what that does to shape your opinion of people on all sides of the issue is up to you but don't assume that every negative outcome was just a glaring oversight. 

 

I'm down. It would make my job a heck of a lot easier than trying to divine who all these payers are and if we can bill them further.

 

Well, then it's pure foolishness to press on with such a plan when already well knowing the negative effects it would have, and they're only logical fallout. Pure foolishness, but you and I get to pay the bill for it. That is why so many people are furious with it. I highly doubt that it was a glaring oversight -- surely they must've known and many people spoke up about it -- but that doesn't make the mistake go away. If drastic action is to be taken in any matter, care must be taken to ensure it is a well-formulated plan and will go smoothly. A masterful book, for example, isn't written and sent to printing immediately after it was done; it must be edited first.

 

Monopolies aren't very good; the economy of the USSR left much to be desired.

 

[marymama08]

Do you think part of your blah feeling is just due to the winter blues? I know in my part of the country it is so grey and rainy that I just want to curl up on my couch and read or watch T.V.  My point here is that someone told me that taking vitamin D would help that blah feeling. I will let you know how it works out. 

I hope you get that dream job. Keep us updated on that

[Bearlee]

So you want a real taunt? Here's one. As of the 12th I've walked 115 miles since you posted your challenge. How many miles have you ridden your bike? A guy that's just under twice your body weight is walking more miles than your biking. While I was sitting in a school lobby waiting for my kid to do his speech therapy I saw a kid with Down syndrome and a kid with two aputated legs doing therapy and getting more done than you lately. You got a case of the mehs? Well find a bigger reason to get things done.

Since I don't think you can catch up to me in amount of exercises done per week (even if you do extra sessions per week), I propose a new challenge. I think I can out walk whatever biking you do. You can even include your bike race on the 22nd and estimated miles you've biked already. By the end of the challenge I'll be over 200 miles walked (most likely over 250). How many miles do you think you can do?

By the way 3/3 on exercises done and 5/5 on walking five mile or more per day. Not to mention 14 days straight of doing stationary bike and getting 6+ miles in each time.

[The Most Loathed]

I saw a kid with Down syndrome and a kid with two aputated legs doing therapy and getting more done than you lately. 

aw, snap!

 

You got called out Sloth, time to pick up the gauntlet.

[BeWip]

There's some tough love going 'round in NF. 
 
 

 

[Sloth the Enduring]

Yes! You precisely get my meaning about ADHD. I dunno about the not needing carpenters though -- the Amish seem to make very good money from their furniture. (I mean, have you SEEN their work? It lasts generations! Try finding something like THAT at IKEA.) I like working with wood, myself, once I know what to do. It's fun. But I admit, handsaws are not my favorite. I feel ya on the meetings thing though -- if not for Ritalin, I would have run screaming from many an Art History class. :\

 

Yay! Hooray for vit. E! I'm not one that buys into all this hoogly-poogly this-root-will-cure-your-soul stuff, but I do strongly believe in giving the appropriate tools to your body when it needs them. Vit. E is, by and large, used for faster cell repair and growth, and is a nice complement to zinc. Whenever I get a bad cut or scratch, I take both and I've noticed a markedly faster recovery in healing than when I go without. And with that, I'll grant you a bonus supplement fact! Magnesium. Never paid attention to the stuff until, at Lanithroe's excellent advice, I started taking it because my nails were so shockingly weak and brittle, they'd tear off in huge flakes just trying to get my retainers out. Within two weeks, my nails were strong as ever. Just a tip, there. Magnesium helps with calcium absorption, and I never realized I needed it until I started taking it.

The Amish are cheaters.  They use hydraulic powered tools.  But I agree with the value of well made furniture.  Yep Magnesiums good, I take it and, if nothing else, it helps me sleep like a babe.

 

Do you think part of your blah feeling is just due to the winter blues? I know in my part of the country it is so grey and rainy that I just want to curl up on my couch and read or watch T.V.  My point here is that someone told me that taking vitamin D would help that blah feeling. I will let you know how it works out. 

I hope you get that dream job. Keep us updated on that

 

Blah.  Could be.  Last year I stopped working out on Feb. 2, but that was when my mom went into hospice.  The two years before the February logs are just missing - not a good sign.  I do take vit. D - 5000 units/day.

 

Work issues hit me hard recently, our school is going through some changes, none of them the changes that I think are important.  I need to be able to let it go when I leave the building.  The new job's a long shot, grade schools want literacy teachers and I haven't done that in 10 years.  

 

So you want a real taunt? Here's one. As of the 12th I've walked 115 miles since you posted your challenge. How many miles have you ridden your bike? A guy that's just under twice your body weight is walking more miles than your biking. While I was sitting in a school lobby waiting for my kid to do his speech therapy I saw a kid with Down syndrome and a kid with two amputated legs doing therapy and getting more done than you lately. You got a case of the mehs? Well find a bigger reason to get things done.

Since I don't think you can catch up to me in amount of exercises done per week (even if you do extra sessions per week), I propose a new challenge. I think I can out walk whatever biking you do. You can even include your bike race on the 22nd and estimated miles you've biked already. By the end of the challenge I'll be over 200 miles walked (most likely over 250). How many miles do you think you can do?

By the way 3/3 on exercises done and 5/5 on walking five mile or more per day. Not to mention 14 days straight of doing stationary bike and getting 6+ miles in each time.

 

Harsh Bro.  I'm glad you're hitting it hard.  Do you really think that you'll keep it up until March 25?  You're a different man than you were when you first showed up, I bet you will.  I'm going to cheat a little; I'm going to do an upper/lower split - that'll give me twice as many training days.

 

It's still the middle of winter here; I never bother to worry about miles until spring break.  But I can ramp it up for you.  How many miles are you putting in each week?

 

aw, snap!

 

You got called out Sloth, time to pick up the gauntlet.

 

ikr.

 

Hit the weights again this morning, second time this week.  Swings, rotational lunges and trap bar deads.

 

I'm in the middle of conferences - worse day of the year.  This set is all about the students who are failing.  It boils down to three things won't work, can't do basic math, or can't write well enough to be understood.

[The Most Loathed]

It boils down to three things: won't work, can't do basic math, or can't write well enough to be understood.

Frankly, this is pretty much the difference between success in life or not. You're doing them a favor by calling it out now, even if the parents can't handle the criticism.

[Elastigirl]

The Amish are cheaters.  They use hydraulic powered tools.  But I agree with the value of well made furniture.  Yep Magnesiums good, I take it and, if nothing else, it helps me sleep like a babe.

 

 

Blah.  Could be.  Last year I stopped working out on Feb. 2, but that was when my mom went into hospice.  The two years before the February logs are just missing - not a good sign.  I do take vit. D - 5000 units/day.

 

 

 

If this is the time of year that your mom went into hospice, that is probably why you have the blahs. Those first year anniversaries just suck. That said exercise does help. Maybe Bearlee's challenge will help break the funk. Maybe you can also do something to honor your mother's memory .

[marymama08]

 

 

I'm in the middle of conferences - worse day of the year.  This set is all about the students who are failing.  It boils down to three things won't work, can't do basic math, or can't write well enough to be understood.

Parent teacher conferences were may favorite. I would sit with a cup of coffee and talk to myself. These conferences happened most often when algebra was involved 

[Bearlee]

Harsh Bro.  I'm glad you're hitting it hard.  Do you really think that you'll keep it up until March 25?  You're a different man than you were when you first showed up, I bet you will.  I'm going to cheat a little; I'm going to do an upper/lower split - that'll give me twice as many training days.

 

It's still the middle of winter here; I never bother to worry about miles until spring break.  But I can ramp it up for you.  How many miles are you putting in each week?

 

I'm getting 30 miles per week in but I might step it up (ha!) just to embarrass you that much more. Upper and lower huh? You may need an middle in there to catch up to me .

 

Hit the weights again this morning, second time this week.  Swings, rotational lunges and trap bar deads.

 

Not the way to catch up. 2 for the week? Weak.

[Sloth the Enduring]

There's some tough love going 'round in NF.

Tough love is just what I need. There's no reason for me to mope around; everyday I'm reminded, both subjectively and objectively, how nice I have it.

I remember when I first heard one of the Johnny Cash American Recordings song. It was his cover of "One." I was going to work, I stayed in the car and listened to the whole song even though it was making me late because I wanted to find out what it was. After work I hit the record shop for the album. By the end of winter I was all about Americana music and classic country. Johnny Cash is the gateway drug to those genres for sure.

Frankly, this is pretty much the difference between success in life or not. You're doing them a favor by calling it out now, even if the parents can't handle the criticism.

They're hard to fix by sixth grade. Harder still when the parents make excuses for the kids. It was an uncomfortable couple of days.

If this is the time of year that your mom went into hospice, that is probably why you have the blahs. Those first year anniversaries just suck. That said exercise does help. Maybe Bearlee's challenge will help break the funk. Maybe you can also do something to honor your mother's memory .

Could be. My sister wants to do a Memorial dinner (it's an Indian thing) but I'm not too excited by the idea. I just want to forget last year.

Parent teacher conferences were may favorite. I would sit with a cup of coffee and talk to myself. These conferences happened most often when algebra was involved

When things weren't going well did you blame the parent or the teacher?

Upper and lower huh? You may need an middle in there to catch up to me .

Aww, Snap!

30 miles a week is a lot of walking. Is that dedicated walking or all incidental walking? I had to wear a tracker for insurance and I get five miles a day just going around my classroom - when I started teaching I put more than an inch on my calves my first year (I've always been an obsessive tracker). Honestly, I won't be getting those kinds of miles in biking until the weather is more hospitable.

Friday was Nerd Night. I almost skipped it because I was used up after conferences. I'm glad I went. We played King of Tokyo and Guillotine. There were a couple of time when I laughed so hard tears were coming down my cheeks. Apparently it was stupid joke night.

2/14/15 - Saturday Happy Valentine's Day!

I did get ups, presses, shovelglove, and cleans. I felt weak and sore. I'll get back to detailed tracking tomorrow, I'm on a mental break. Numbers are going to be down though.

For Valentine's my sister volunteered to bring her boys over and watch the kids so we could go out. Instead Grandpa showed up without a word from her. SlothGirl was disappointed, she was calling it a Valentine's party all day. My guess? Drunk, drunk, drunk. Don't get me wrong I love a cider or two once in a while, but I hate drunks. Useless disappointments.

Dinner was nice. We went to our go to restaurant for Tibetan food. Sadly the Yak farm has shut down, so I had to have lamb.

I'm taking my kids to the Children's Museum right now where I'll crawl around and I'll hit the weights afterwards when the kids unofficial aunt come over to play with them.

[Sloth the Enduring]

The Children's Museum is free on the third Sunday. This year they are smarter about than they were last year; they stagger the entrance. The upside is your kids aren't mobbed at the exhibits, the downside is a 45 minute wait to get in. We went to the science museum instead.

As we went through it occurred to me that with Facebook deactivated I was enjoying it more and the kids enjoyed it more without me trying to capture the perfect image or video to post. I did, however, take a selfie with the teen allosaurus 'cause it's a thing for us.

The Society of Women Engineers had a fabulous event there - they did a workshop for kids. My kids built a thumb drum, straw rocket, and silly putty. There were three or four more stations they could have done. They tried to make it about learning too, before they took their project they had to tell the engineer lady what the scientific principal was. When they checked out they got a small pile of swag. I was very impressed. Tomorrow is the zoo because our life is a field trip.

Afterwards we went to Hmong Town for fried meats. Once again I stared at the small intestine on a skewer and chickened out. I did get some Laotian liniment which is sadly not searing the flesh off my back right now. Because of language difficulties I lifted my shirt, grabbed my back and groaned. Shortly afterwards it embarrassingly occurred to me that she probably could have figured it out just as well if I kept my shirt on.

On reflection it also occurs to me that I don't really have any solid friends any more. All of the people I think of like that are from college and they all have moved out into the suburbs to do whatever people do out there and I don't see them or talk to them anymore and we really don't have anything left in common. The other category of friend I have is neighbors, but most of the ones I thought of as friends moved away with the aftermath of the housing crisis and we don't see each other or have much in common anymore either. If I wanted to call a friend to go grab a beer I can only think of two possibiIities. I'm not feeling maudlin or anything, it's just an observation. I'm actually not sure how I feel about it.

Anyway, back on topic

2/15/15 Sunday

LegDay - simple workout of Trap Bar Deads and KB Swings.

I worked up to 3 X 5 @ 240#. I know, I didn't think I could lift that much either. I think I'll sit at that weight for a while because A) I don't want to trudge out to St. Paul and spend more money on iron and B ) I don't feel like I own the weight and I am nervous about my back.

No lunges, I've been doing them as fast as my skinny 100% slow twitch legs can go and my arse is still sore from last time.

[Elastigirl]

We had a science museum when my son was young. Spent a bunch of time there. I loved it. When I was a kid, we went there all the time too. Now I need grandkids or something so I have an excuse to go again.

[Bearlee]

My 30 miles per week is everything. But when I first got my fitbit I didn't change anything for the first week to see how much I actually move and I was doing about 2000 steps per day (less on weekend days) or 1 mile. Now I dedicate 1 hour to walking 5 days a week. Easy to do when you have a lot of great audio books you want to listen to. What I've also been doing is adding 10 dedicated flights of stairs on those days, but by the end of the day I end up around more like 17 flight of stairs.

So if you can't get the miles in is there anything of similarity you can do to help with your big why? I know biking is your big why and that you got three races lined up this year. Will doing the weight training only help you with that? Are you still doing the race next week?

Maudlin? What Victorian story did you pull that from?

[The Most Loathed]

Museum trip sounds awesome, although I confess to being more interesting in fried meat skewers.

[Sloth the Enduring]

We had a science museum when my son was young. Spent a bunch of time there. I loved it. When I was a kid, we went there all the time too. Now I need grandkids or something so I have an excuse to go again.

 

You don't need an excuse; I see lots of adults there without kids.  Of course, when I do I do that thing where you cough and say, "Nerd" at the same time.  Our museum has a Friday night event where they serve drinks, have music and people wander the about.

 

My 30 miles per week is everything. But when I first got my fitbit I didn't change anything for the first week to see how much I actually move and I was doing about 2000 steps per day (less on weekend days) or 1 mile. Now I dedicate 1 hour to walking 5 days a week. Easy to do when you have a lot of great audio books you want to listen to. What I've also been doing is adding 10 dedicated flights of stairs on those days, but by the end of the day I end up around more like 17 flight of stairs.

So if you can't get the miles in is there anything of similarity you can do to help with your big why? I know biking is your big why and that you got three races lined up this year. Will doing the weight training only help you with that? Are you still doing the race next week?

Maudlin? What Victorian story did you pull that from?

 

Nice.  Walking is great for you.  I no longer have a dog so I'm not getting the extra miles in.  I get lots of stairs though, 3 or four double height floors at a time.

 

I'm not worried about biking miles.  The first race I'm approaching like a fun run and if I stay healthy I'm pretty sure I can muster a solid mid-pack finish just by riding in the spring.  Cardio is in my DNA and my base cardio builds up super fast with a little exercise.  The basic skills are so built in after decades that I don't need to worry about that either.  The tire dragging, which I've neglected since Frankie got adopted, was really good for the base cardio and hit the legs similarly to biking up a low grade.  What I do need is dedicated skills practice, ideally with someone who knows enough to make me better.

 

Last summer my season was a bust because of my back.  I'm betting on getting stronger being the key to keeping it happy.  KB swings and Shovelglove are also like intervals so again, I'm not worried about the cardio being lacking.  Of course, that is predicated on my not being a pussy about training every morning.

 

Maudlin isn't a regular word?  The Razor's Edge?  (Prewar, but not Victorian) My oral language is a mess.  I just try not to talk much.  I grew up speaking Minnesota hillbilly, read too much British fiction and now I work with inner city youth and am picking up their habits too.

 

Museum trip sounds awesome, although I confess to being more interesting in fried meat skewers.

 

Put Hmong Town or Hmong Village in the gps and take a trip across the river, it's well worth it.  Hmong Town is closer, but Hmong Village is bigger, cleaner and you're less likely to have language issues.  The food is great, served large, and sometimes mysterious.  Don't get the fried rice, no one eats it but the gringos so it's not very fresh or good.

[Razzy]

The Amish are cheaters.  They use hydraulic powered tools.  But I agree with the value of well made furniture.  Yep Magnesiums good, I take it and, if nothing else, it helps me sleep like a babe.

 

 

Sleep like a babe? You mean like...

 

The transformative powers of Magnesium: Tremble in AWE!

 

(I know, terrible joke, but it had to be made.)

 

 

I'm in the middle of conferences - worse day of the year.  This set is all about the students who are failing.  It boils down to three things won't work, can't do basic math, or can't write well enough to be understood.

 

That is indeed regrettable. Having always been an accomplished writer myself, I know very well the issue that you speak of. It's amazing at how difficult writing is for many kids, and they struggle to form just a comprehensible sentence, much less develop their own 'voice'. Honestly, there's nothing teachers can do in such a situation. My parents gave me the greatest gift of all: A love of books. If the parents do not foster this in their children at home, they will never develop a good writing sense.

 

 

Maudlin isn't a regular word?  The Razor's Edge?  (Prewar, but not Victorian) My oral language is a mess.  I just try not to talk much.  I grew up speaking Minnesota hillbilly, read too much British fiction and now I work with inner city youth and am picking up their habits too.

 

Maudlin is an excellent word! I use it all the time mostly to describe young adult books. (My god, that swill would be more enjoyable, or at least tolerable, if not for the insufferable need to shoe-in a love triangle at every opportunity!)

[Sloth the Enduring]

Sleep like a babe? You mean like...

 

The transformative powers of Magnesium: Tremble in AWE!

 

(I know, terrible joke, but it had to be made.)

 

 

That is indeed regrettable. Having always been an accomplished writer myself, I know very well the issue that you speak of. It's amazing at how difficult writing is for many kids, and they struggle to form just a comprehensible sentence, much less develop their own 'voice'. Honestly, there's nothing teachers can do in such a situation. My parents gave me the greatest gift of all: A love of books. If the parents do not foster this in their children at home, they will never develop a good writing sense.

 

That does look remarkably like me.

 

I consider myself semi-literate, the more I learn about English, the worse I feel about my abilities.  All I want is capital letter, subject, verb, object, period and for paragraphs topic sentence + supporting detail sentences.  Is that so much to ask from sixth graders?!?

 

2/16/15 Monday - Happy President's Day

The nice thing about being a civil servant is getting a ridiculous amount of holidays off.  We spent the entire day at the zoo.

Training - circuit of KB presses, shovelglove, cleans.  A mere 3 rounds.

 

2/17/15 Tuesday

Training - shovelglove - 5 moves X 15, 12, 10, 8 reps each.  No grinds, no rest let's call it a cardio day.

I spent the whole day sitting down in a training.  I feel so tight I might just snap.  I have to do the same thing tomorrow.  How can people sit all day like that?  I was going to skip training tonight, but I didn't want BearLee hassling me.

 

I reached way back in the archives for the soundtrack for today's session.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv0efmUKP9s

[Bearlee]

I was going to skip training tonight, but I didn't want BearLee hassling me.

 

I'm still going to. Even with the holiday, change of work schedule, working 16 hours Thursday, sleeping 2 hours Thursday, sleeping 3 hours Friday, and working in 2 doctor appointments; I still got 3/3 workouts in, 5/5 five miles of walking in, and got my biking streak up to 22 days. How about you? You getting your upper and lower in so you can catch up? Do you still got the blahs? You still doing the bike race this weekend?

[Sloth the Enduring]

I'm still going to. Even with the holiday, change of work schedule, working 16 hours Thursday, sleeping 2 hours Thursday, sleeping 3 hours Friday, and working in 2 doctor appointments; I still got 3/3 workouts in, 5/5 five miles of walking in, and got my biking streak up to 22 days. How about you? You getting your upper and lower in so you can catch up? Do you still got the blahs? You still doing the bike race this weekend?

 

Dude, don't you have your own thread that you can update?  You're making me look bad.  Umm, I was getting off to a  strong restart and then my tendonitis flared up and my forearm got all burny, so I shut it down for a couple of days.  After lots of ibuprofen and massaging the Laotian liniment into it - the liniment is nice and hot underneath an elbow sleeve -  it is starting to feel good again.  

 

I'm going to have to change my plan.  Two days in a row is too much for it and no more sledgehammers  Honestly, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my workout.  Bodyweight stuff? TRX? KB, but not as much?  I have until Monday to figure it out, then I want to be hitting it hard again.

 

The blah's are gone, replaced by the crabbies.  A lot of it was work related and once I figured out the source I was able to work past it.  Your verbal kick in the pants was a catalyst for change too - thanks Bro.

 

I thought I wasn't going to race because the extreme cold seemed unending, by we seem to be in the middle of a brief warm spell, so I'm racing again.  My goal is to have fun, not crash hard enough to need a new helmet, and to consume my entree fee's worth of bacon and hard cider.  Right now I'm carb loading by eating a Pop-Tart.

 

Healthwise - belly is bothering me a lot lately.  I have issues.  Trying to fix it with lots of probiotic foods (yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut). BP read 120/80, that's a fluke, but it is moving back down.

 

1/20/15 Friday

Lots of mobility work and some yoga, no real training, let's call it a taper for tomorrow's race.  Body was really ouchie when it was on the roller and the pain ball.

 

Tonight's soundtrack was another blast from the past - this time from my brief interest in the folk/electronica genre.  It suited getting my stretchy on.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFZc4ax4tJs

[Sloth the Enduring]

Oops.  I can't read a calendar.  The race is tomorrow when it is supposed to be below zero (farenheit).  I might bundle up and race anyway.

 

Mrs. Sloth bought me a groupon for KB classes - I guess I'm going to keep going that route.  I'm going to see if I can start today.  Four Gates New Agey Fitness Place.

 

I was seriously thinking doing P90X or Insanity or something so that I could keep active and give my forearms a break.  It would be nice to be able to do something without making something hurt.  Damn aging body.

 

Save the Bros.