Sloth: The Man with the Hammer

[Shello]

On 1/3/2017 at 1:00 PM, Sloth the Enduring said:

New Year's update. I spent much of the last week in sloth and gluttony. Little training happened. Somewhere in there I got a massage for my achey, breakey back. I got a young guy and I was his very first client ever. He did alright, but he needs to work on his patter. He told me I have a desk body as he tried to loosen up my upper back.

I'm not complaining, because it's a blessing for me, but two weeks off is too long for my students. There was a serious regression in positive school behaviors.

My New Year's resolution is to be more like Joe Dirt. If you haven't seen the original movie yet, go watch right now. He's a genuinely positive, good person. I need to be more like that.

I registered for the big races that I'll do:

4/18 Hammer Race

6/3 Borah Epic (37 mile mountain bike race)

7/29 6 Hours of Wausau (Mountain bike)

9/? Chequemegon Fat Tire Fest (40 mile mountain/gravel bike race)

10/7 Hammer Race

There are other races I'll do, but these are the ones I'm focusing on.

I think my back is solid enough to start shovelglove again. Current plan is

M/W/F Shovelglove

T/Th/Sa/Su Biking, mostly on trainer, I'll likely not ride all four days.

 

I'm glad you had the sense to sign up for both HammerRaces.  

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

FYI, your hammer might be useful in week 1 of the Ranger Mini challenge.

[Bearlee]

Stopping by to say hi. Wanted to let you know that I've seen a ton of sloth items lately and it must be the universe sending me a signal. Seriously they're everywhere: sloth books, sloth calendars, sloth shirts, sloth plushies, sloth memes, sloth videos. Have you started a trend?

 

I signed up for Rising Heroes so you should see more of me around. And ever since you came back to this log I started getting updates again, another nice motivation.

[The Most Loathed]

Welcome back Bearlee! 

[Sloth the Enduring]

On December 27, 2016 at 11:23 PM, Marauder said:

Your life is so much more interesting than mine.  

 

Weird kids are the best kind. I'm sorry you've been outed on the self gifting. 

 

So is the war rig a topless car? Or was it just the rain?  Probably best to stay out of it. Good call. 

 

Poor pug. 

 

Is is that Sarcasm? My life is pretty dull.  Yeah, I like weird kids too.  

 

No, but she already freaks out about riding in cars and the roads were icy and it was raining, so she was certain we were going to die.  

 

On December 28, 2016 at 0:45 AM, elizevdmerwe said:

Ah shame, glad he is in a better situation and ouch for those teeth. And then glad you got to the dentist and yah! no teeth pulled!

Let it go... let it go... out the window and no bother to you...

 

The he pug is all better.  It is pretty gratifying to get a sad sack of a dog and help turn them around.  He was adopted into a nice family with two other pugs so he won't get lonely.

 

Let It Go was my theme song a couple of years ago.  It is valuable advice. 

 

On December 28, 2016 at 9:59 AM, Xena said:

Glad girlfriend of step-sloth was able to inject a little drama into your holiday. Makes you treasure everyone else that much more ;-)

 

*sigh* for better or worse, I think she'll be around for a long time. 

 

On January 2, 2017 at 3:10 PM, tcw295 said:

Is it weird that I thought the same thing?


All possibilities considered, looks like a nice low drama christmas.

 ...I got an AT-AT with a dead mouse stuffed into it as a present.

 

I would love an AT-AT, but a dead mouse???

 

On January 2, 2017 at 9:31 PM, DJtrippyT said:

 

bitterly jealous. I didn't get anything nearly that cool.

 

Hah, she is still wearing it non-stop.  Her teacher is a weird dude too; I think he's letting her wear her hat in class. 

 

On January 3, 2017 at 1:26 PM, The Most Loathed said:

If you want a more experienced massage therapist in town, my guy is over by Loring Park and is really good.

 

Thanks.  I have a couple of people I like, but they're young and attractive.  Whenever, Mrs. Sloth makes an appointment for me I get whatever dude they have available. She's funny like that. 

 

On January 3, 2017 at 1:53 PM, jstanlick said:

This is good news! Glad to see all of the races listed out as well.

 

Thanks!

 

On January 4, 2017 at 1:32 AM, elizevdmerwe said:

Haha, took my mind a bit to change those dates around. That is an impressive list of races.

I'll have to book Joe Dirt at our video shop. Have no idea what it is about. Good luck with the training and back to school. May you have "good school behaviour" especially on your first day from the kids, but on all the other days as well.

 

Thanks.  They're settling back into it. Far too many of my students don't have rules at home and it's hard for them to get back into a routine. 

 

On January 4, 2017 at 1:34 AM, elizevdmerwe said:

Ok, you already started! Hope the school behaviours improves dramatically from now on. The boys and I start next Monday, the public schools here start Wednesday/Thursday, as December is usually the longest holiday for us. Our new school year starts now, where yours start August, doesn't it?

 

We had two weeks for Christmas, which is plenty long.  Our school years starts after the northern summer when we have ten weeks off. It's a nice life. 

 

22 hours ago, Lightning said:

Well if you're going to swing a hammer around I must follow! 

 

That's an impressive list of races.  Did you do anything special to get your back ready for shovelglove and all that biking?  I have lower back issues and my racing bike seems to aggravate it.  I'd love to be able to do a couple of 30 milers with my husband this summer.

 

Hah, thanks. 

 

I've been working on my back for 5 years.  A couple of months ago I got a cortisone shot and the doctor strongly suggested no weight bearing exercise for awhile. 

 

When it was really bad I did yoga and that helped.  Massage always helps.  Strengthening my posterior chain with KBs helped a lot. Biking induced back pain is usually tight hip flexors and a weak core. I would guess the quad/ hamstring strength imbalance plays into it too. I Actually raised my bars a bit to keep from aggravating it. 

 

22 hours ago, LadyShello said:

 

I'm glad you had the sense to sign up for both HammerRaces.  

 

Of course, isn't the Ranger motto, "Why not both?"  I'll quit hassling you after I remind you that there's a 3 mile version of the race.  It has most of the obstacles, but less of the clambering through the woods.  I totally think you could conquer it.  I think you could conquer the long course too.  

 

21 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

FYI, your hammer might be useful in week 1 of the Ranger Mini challenge.

 

Maybe.  I'm really bad about keeping up with that sort of thing. Do you need someone to drive posts for the guild hall's footings?

 

11 hours ago, Bearlee said:

Stopping by to say hi. Wanted to let you know that I've seen a ton of sloth items lately and it must be the universe sending me a signal. Seriously they're everywhere: sloth books, sloth calendars, sloth shirts, sloth plushies, sloth memes, sloth videos. Have you started a trend?

 

I signed up for Rising Heroes so you should see more of me around. And ever since you came back to this log I started getting updates again, another nice motivation.

 

Bearlee? I thought you was dead.

 

It's nice to hear from you again.  Is baby bear treating well so far?  When you left sleep seemed be killing you.  Did you figure out a schedule?

[Sloth the Enduring]

On January 2, 2017 at 3:10 PM, tcw295 said:

Is it weird that I thought the same thing?


All possibilities considered, looks like a nice low drama christmas.

 ...I got an AT-AT with a dead mouse stuffed into it as a present.

 

I want to give a shout out to TCW.  His battle log is a marvel - he is always killing it. Y'all should wander over there and check it out. 

 

TCW's Battle Log.

[Sloth the Enduring]

1/4/17 Wednsday.

Training: 1 round shovelglove, not enough to consider it a workout.

Eating: since the first I've been on a restricted diet in an attempt to heal my gut. No gluten, no fried foods, no sweets or simple carbs, lots of fermented foods (kimchi, real sauerkraut, kombucha). Since I started this I've been tired, lethargic, depressed, and have had a raging headache. It seems I've been accidentally low-carb. Without candy bars, Coke, bread, noodles, or tortillas there isn't a whole lot that I eat. Yesterday I figured that out and added a pile of fruit to my meals and I'm a happy sloth again.

[The Most Loathed]

Whatcha finding around town that's good fermented food? I've got a favorite sauerkraut but I'm just wondering if you've found something else. Also, you've reminded me to get back into eating my sauerkraut.

[Shello]

12 hours ago, Bearlee said:

Stopping by to say hi. Wanted to let you know that I've seen a ton of sloth items lately and it must be the universe sending me a signal. Seriously they're everywhere: sloth books, sloth calendars, sloth shirts, sloth plushies, sloth memes, sloth videos. Have you started a trend?

 

I signed up for Rising Heroes so you should see more of me around. And ever since you came back to this log I started getting updates again, another nice motivation.

Welcome back Bearlee!  

 

46 minutes ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

 

Of course, isn't the Ranger motto, "Why not both?"  I'll quit hassling you after I remind you that there's a 3 mile version of the race.  It has most of the obstacles, but less of the clambering through the woods.  I totally think you could conquer it.  I think you could conquer the long course too.  

 

I did see that actually and I bet I can do the 3 mile version.  I checked the calendar though and it's only 2 weeks after I am getting back from a family thing.  I realize this sounds like an excuse.

[Marauder]

55 minutes ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

Is is that Sarcasm? My life is pretty dull.  Yeah, I like weird kids too.  

 

No, but she already freaks out about riding in cars and the roads were icy and it was raining, so she was certain we were going to die.  

Absolutely not. I do not think your life is dull at all!!!  Maybe mine is just exceptionally dull. That is quite possible. 

 

Oh, so you were driving my mom. I am all too familiar with that.  

 

Glad you you found the carb issue and it seems addressed. I can see where that would be a problem!

[EricMN]

On 1/3/2017 at 1:00 PM, Sloth the Enduring said:

I registered for the big races that I'll do:

4/18 Hammer Race

6/3 Borah Epic (37 mile mountain bike race)

7/29 6 Hours of Wausau (Mountain bike)

9/? Chequemegon Fat Tire Fest (40 mile mountain/gravel bike race)

10/7 Hammer Race

There are other races I'll do, but these are the ones I'm focusing on.

I saw this and thought of you...

Iceman Fat Tire Bike Race

 

Spring Hammer is the day before Goldy's Run. This doesn't rule it out, but it does make it less likely. Fall Hammer is the week before OCRWC. I hate scheduling.

[Yasha92]

I thought of you yesterday as I rode my bike to the gym because I figured out how to use the gears!Oh my god no wonder I was always struggling, standing up to push up the hill in 6th gear instead of 3rd or even 2nd. I may well be using the bike a whole lot more now...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Xena]

Glad you've been able to feel better with some fruit. Beer would probably help too.

[Xena]

it's a fermented food and has carbs.

[Sloth the Enduring]

5 hours ago, The Most Loathed said:

Whatcha finding around town that's good fermented food? I've got a favorite sauerkraut but I'm just wondering if you've found something else. Also, you've reminded me to get back into eating my sauerkraut.

 

The kimchi is from a farmer's market.  I don't know where I'll find it when I run out, probably at one of the expensive coops.  I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me quickly and it really dresses up a wide variety of foods.  I have a friend who makes his own, but it smells like cleaning out the sewer trap.  We went out to eat once and he took out his mason jar and slopped it all over his food. The smell kept me from finishing my dinner. 

 

The kombucha is from Target or Lunds.  There are surely other versions with a livelier culture, but I don't know where I'd find them. 

 

The sauerkraut I have now is from the fridge section of Lunds. If you go to the Boy Scout breakfast at St. Albert's there is a lady, who has lived in the neighborhood since only Germans lived there back when they didn't get along with the Swedes, who sells homemade sauerkraut.  It's really good, but maybe only because of the story. Where do you get yours? 

 

Are there other fermented foods I should be eating?

 

5 hours ago, LadyShello said:

Welcome back Bearlee!  

 

I did see that actually and I bet I can do the 3 mile version.  I checked the calendar though and it's only 2 weeks after I am getting back from a family thing.  I realize this sounds like an excuse.

 

"I bet I can do it"?  You sell yourself short; you're stronger than you know. I'll see you in the fall then. 

 

4 hours ago, Marauder said:

Absolutely not. I do not think your life is dull at all!!!  Maybe mine is just exceptionally dull. That is quite possible. 

 

Oh, so you were driving my mom. I am all too familiar with that.  

 

Glad you you found the carb issue and it seems addressed. I can see where that would be a problem!

 

Hmmph.  I think my life is dull.  I hope yours isn't.  I'm not complaining when I say that, excitement is tiring. 

 

3 hours ago, EricMN said:

I saw this and thought of you...

Iceman Fat Tire Bike Race

 

Spring Hammer is the day before Goldy's Run. This doesn't rule it out, but it does make it less likely. Fall Hammer is the week before OCRWC. I hate scheduling.

 

Nice. MN has a lot of cool fat bike races. I did one a couple of years ago, but I can only fit a 2.5" tire on my bike and it really isn't up to the job. One day I'll get a fat bike and life will be all unicorns and rainbows. 

 

I got you on the scheduling.  The spring race is timed perfectly for me, but the fall race is the same weekend as a great mountain bike race that I would love to use as a season ender.  Rugged Maniac is about the only fall OCR (post biking), but it's the same weekend as Chequemegon. 

 

Hopefully I'll see you in the spring, but don't risk injuring yourself, you have to represent at World's. 

 

1 hour ago, Yasha92 said:

I thought of you yesterday as I rode my bike to the gym because I figured out how to use the gears!Oh my god no wonder I was always struggling, standing up to push up the hill in 6th gear instead of 3rd or even 2nd. I may well be using the bike a whole lot more now...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I saw that!  You even rode in the rain.  It really made me happy to read that (I'm still lurking your thread). Figuring out the gears will make the whole world better. 

 

15 minutes ago, Xena said:

Glad you've been able to feel better with some fruit. Beer would probably help too.

 

15 minutes ago, Xena said:

it's a fermented food and has carbs.

 

I like the way you think . However gluten. I'll be getting some gluten-free beer substitute (cider) tomorrow. Probably Seattle Dry because it is less sweet than any other I've tried. 

[Marauder]

The brewery here has gluten free beer. Is that not a common thing? 

 

Is sauerkraut hard to make?  I'm now hungry for some of my grandmother's sauerkraut!!!

[The Most Loathed]

10 hours ago, Sloth the Enduring said:

 

The kimchi is from a farmer's market.  I don't know where I'll find it when I run out, probably at one of the expensive coops.  I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me quickly and it really dresses up a wide variety of foods.  I have a friend who makes his own, but it smells like cleaning out the sewer trap.  We went out to eat once and he took out his mason jar and slopped it all over his food. The smell kept me from finishing my dinner. 

 

The kombucha is from Target or Lunds.  There are surely other versions with a livelier culture, but I don't know where I'd find them. 

 

The sauerkraut I have now is from the fridge section of Lunds. If you go to the Boy Scout breakfast at St. Albert's there is a lady, who has lived in the neighborhood since only Germans lived there back when they didn't get along with the Swedes, who sells homemade sauerkraut.  It's really good, but maybe only because of the story. Where do you get yours? 

 

Are there other fermented foods I should be eating?

I get my sauerkraut at Seward Coop. I used to eat one that comes in a bag. I don't see the specific one I like but I think it's Farmhouse Culture. More recently I get the Angelica's Garden line. I like to buy their basic sauerkraut and also their beet and horseradish one then mix them 1 to 1 when I eat them. 

 

I think you've got all the bases covered. If you want to go one step further you could go for a probiotic capsule. I throw one in my morning smoothie.

 

I should say, I don't know that any of that stuff actually matters. I've heard paleo podcasters talk about gut health a lot but there's a pretty severe lack of serious research showing that any kind of dietary intervention is meaningful. I throw the capsule in my smoothie just to maximize the Woo of that thing (turmeric, ginger, probiotic). I eat the sauerkraut because I think it's delicious but I'll admit that the "gut health" claims don't hurt. 

 

Oh, one more Woo health thing that just popped into my head, Shrubs. These have kind of taken the place of apple cider vinegar as a good thing for gut health, which used to be a go to for a lot of folks. There are some podcasts out there specifically on gut health, I listened to Gut Guardians for a very short time but they were about 10x more pretentious than the paleo podcasts I was listening to.

[jstanlick]

11 hours ago, Marauder said:

Is sauerkraut hard to make?

Hard? No. Time consuming, yes. Well, I suppose depending on the slicer you're using it could be hard if you slice off the tip of your finger. Grandma used to wrap our fingers with tape to help protect them, because, well what would we need a newer safer manodlin for? This one fit a whole head of cabbage and was plenty sharp and the farm didn't spend extra money on things that already worked. But, I digress.

 

Basic steps: Thinly slice cabbage, pack it into a crock, every few heads of cabbage (kinda depends on the size of the crock you're using), cover with salt, mash ingredients together, repeat until crock is full. Cover with cheese cloth, set you're masher on top to create pressure. Place in a cool dry place. Change your cloths weekly and remove any spoilage from the top. In 3-4 weeks, you've got sauerkraut. Depending on your tastes you can add other things into the cabbage, but that's basically it. Like I said, not hard, but time consuming.

[Marauder]

I'm totally going to do this.  Thanks @jstanlick  I may grab some at the store to hold me over the 3 weeks, but I have a new love for cabbage lately and this sounds SO good!  

 

PS.  We used to have a death mandoline too.  Maybe it was a farm thing.  

[The Most Loathed]

The only thing I would add to @jstanlick's notes is that I've known some people who have gotten into this in recent years and they weren't as thoughtful as they maybe should have been about the container. It needs to be a strong, thick walled vessel. Otherwise, one day you walk into your pantry or basement and find rotten cabbage and juices exploded all over. 

[jstanlick]

I only wish I would've paid closer attention to what Grandma was doing when she was packing the crocks. Ours were 10 gallon stone crocks. So, us kids just got to stand there and slice cabbage while she packed and mashed them. I did not appreciate sauerkraut at the time. Always wondered why I had to help make it when I never liked eating it. Man, I was an ungrateful brat

 

31 minutes ago, The Most Loathed said:

It needs to be a strong, thick walled vessel.

Definitely!! Rotten cabbage is not a pleasant mess to clean up.

[Marauder]

1 hour ago, The Most Loathed said:

The only thing I would add to @jstanlick's notes is that I've known some people who have gotten into this in recent years and they weren't as thoughtful as they maybe should have been about the container. It needs to be a strong, thick walled vessel. Otherwise, one day you walk into your pantry or basement and find rotten cabbage and juices exploded all over. 

 

Noted.  That would not be fun AT ALL.  My dad made some wine when I was a kid that exploded all over the basement.  The joys of fermentation.  

 

1 hour ago, jstanlick said:

I only wish I would've paid closer attention to what Grandma was doing when she was packing the crocks. Ours were 10 gallon stone crocks. So, us kids just got to stand there and slice cabbage while she packed and mashed them. I did not appreciate sauerkraut at the time. Always wondered why I had to help make it when I never liked eating it. Man, I was an ungrateful brat

 

Definitely!! Rotten cabbage is not a pleasant mess to clean up.

 

I'll probably just do some countertop mason jar sauerkraut to start.  I love those old crocks though!  I don't think any of us really appreciated those things when we were little.  There are so many things I wish I'd had my grandmother teach me before she was gone.  She was an amazing german cook.  Of course I think my parents probably told me as much, but I thought they were old and clueless.  Now my kids think the same thing about me.  

[jstanlick]

3 minutes ago, Marauder said:

Of course I think my parents probably told me as much, but I thought they were old and clueless.  Now my kids think the same thing about me.  

 

And the real circle of life continues on.

[Lightning]

22 hours ago, Marauder said:

 

I'll probably just do some countertop mason jar sauerkraut to start.  

 

 

Fermented carrot sticks can be made this way too.  They stay pretty crisp which I think is a bonus.

 

@Sloth the Enduring thanks for the info on your back rehab.  I do think a quad/hamstring imbalance was part of my issue.  Also really happy to hear that kettlebell workouts were helpful to you.

 

Also a big fan of Weird Kids but a bigger fan of weird parents.

[Sloth the Enduring]

1/6/17 Friday

It was a good day. I got a second cortisone shot. The first one was no worse than giving blood, but this one hurt like Hell. Like the doctor jabbed a spike in my back and jiggered it up and down for a while. When I was done I was really wobbly and needed help walking out.

Last night was nerd night. We actually played four games. The big money game was Magic The Gathering. Which was new to all of us but the "DM". I can see how you could get obsessed with it, but that won't be me. I just don't have the time and money. BTW I totally killed everyone with a basic Necromancer pack.

Training: 40 minutes on the trainer (meant to do 60). It was nice to get a sweat on. I started Mad Max.

Eating: still eating well. I found a locally-made craft Kombucha in a Whole Foods clone in the suburbs. It had sludge on the bottom and everything. It was really spendy though. Because I was wobbly I didn't get to the liquor store so I had 2 Belgium sours at Nerd Night. Those were my first cheats since New Year's morning.