Life

Why lift?

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

The other day at work, a co-worker asked me if I worked out. It started a conversation about exercise and why we do what we do.

So why do I lift? What’s my goal?

Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general.

– Mark Rippetoe

There’s usefulness in being strong. I am still trying to find where it’s useful to be weak. Tho I’m sure there are situations, on the whole stronger is better. If nothing else, you can open jars. 🙂

Yes, being stronger is going to make it harder to kill me. Hopefully it makes me a less appealing target. Most predators want easy targets, and things that look big and strong generally aren’t going to make for an easy target. It doesn’t totally negate my chances, but if it helps sway things in my favor, great.

Plus having some level of fitness works well for things like oh… running away.

If I have to throw a punch, if force = mass x acceleration, being able to move faster and have more mass behind it means striking with greater force. How is that a bad thing?

But all this training just for something that may or may not happen? Well, it’s good to be prepared if it does happen, but I do like to do things that have a wider applicability. So for instance, when I was out hunting this past weekend, we finished the weekend by hauling about 500# of protein pellets around and putting them into feeders. It involved getting up on a ladder, throwing 50# bags from the ground up to the feeder, emptying them in, and so on. Yes, lots of muscling things around, hoisting and heaving. You need to be strong. You need to be in shape.

But it’s more than this.

Every day I’m getting older, and I’m not 18 any more.

I don’t want to live forever. I know that won’t happen. I also know that I don’t have much say in when or how I will check out of this world. There are people that smoke and drink and chase women until they’re 100 years old, and then there are those that do all the “healthy” things and die at age 27. You don’t know how much life you have, but you do have right now, so you should enjoy the life you have while you have it.

But that doesn’t mean to get reckless, because you could live to be 100. Being reckless now could bring a lot of pain and problems down the road.

Much of my exercise motivation has been because I don’t like not being able to move. I recall when Oldest was an infant and I couldn’t get up off the couch without grunting. I wasn’t fat, I just smoked cigarettes and was way out of shape. I stopped smoking and started exercising because I did NOT want to not be able to roll around with my kids. I started martial arts because I didn’t want to sit all day hunched over a computer. And when martial arts had to go by the wayside, I started lifting again. All because I don’t want to become decrepit.

That’s the thing for me.

I do NOT want to be a burden in my old age.

I do NOT want to struggle to just walk.

I do NOT want to have to rely upon others to get me around and to provide me basic care.

I do NOT want to fall and become crippled because of it.

I do NOT want to have to drag around an oxygen tank, or take tons of medications.

I will admit, some of those little motorized chair things look kinda fun, but I really don’t want to have to rely upon one.

I grant that life might throw me a curveball and something like this happens. I could have a massive stroke due to some congenital issue, and that clamps everything down for me.

I don’t exercise to try to extend my life. I know a lot of people are motivated by a desire to stave off death (tho they don’t admit that’s the reason, it’s the reason). Eat “right”,  exercise, don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t eat red meat, don’t eat fat, don’t eat well, most anything is apparently bad for you. And in the end, you still die. Death is inevitable for all living things.

What I accept is that I’m going to die, but in the meantime I’m going to ensure I can live my life fully. Hearing about some veteran powerlifters being in their 70’s and squatting 400#… yeah, I’d love to be one of those guys. You know he doesn’t need a walker to get around. You know he doesn’t struggle to sit down and stand up. I want to ensure that while I’m here, I can enjoy being here. That’s my goal.

If along that way maybe I try a powerlifting competition, great. I don’t expect to ever be up there with Andy Bolton or Bill Kazmaier or even Jim Wendler. But that’s not really my goal. I just want to be stronger than most, I just want to be useful… to myself, for myself, while I still have myself.

Random blathering

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

I’ve been getting more and more subscribers/followers to this blog lately, and I find it interesting that these new followers seem to be coming more for my weightlifting than my gun stuff… which seems different than I intended, but I’m happy with it all. It says that I write about whatever interests me, and maybe you. And it’s interesting to see what here interests people. Thank you.

I admit… I’ve been struggling to find gun stuff to write about because… what else is there to say? If there is something there is and I’ll write on it, but even when I look at other “gun bloggers” I see different topics and what appears like a struggle to find material. That is one reason I didn’t want to write some “one topic” blog, tho I suppose I could say the one topic here is “me” and whatever interests me.

Maybe it’s just the ebb and flow of things, given I’ve been writing every day for what? 4 years? Some 3000+ posts… yeah, eventually you might run a little dry or just find that some other topics come more naturally.

Or, maybe it’s just being lazy. I’ve got a bunch of different topics to write on, but they require a lot of work to get done. Lots of pictures to take, things to square up, and gee, I’m tired.

The new job affects things too, because I do know that’s changed enough and left me not as much time to write. I used to be able to write multiple articles in a day, and some days now I struggle just to get one written. Heck, sometimes I’m happy it’s a workout day and I can at least post my workout log. Since day 1 I made it a requirement that I post at least 1 thing every day, and I’m happy I’ve been able to do that. Heck, I’m thrilled I’m still coming up with stuff for Sunday Metal (and yes, it’s queued up through the end of 2012… sometimes the “Schedule” feature is welcome).

But in the end, I think it’s just interesting to see the journey. To look back on posts from a few years ago and see where things were then. And in a few years, it’ll be interesting to look back on this post and see where I was now in comparison to where I’ll be then.

I grew up thinking about the destination. So much of Dad being concerned about what I’ll be when I grow up, what I’ll do with my life. So much was geared towards destination. I’m glad I gave up on that and realized it’s the journey that’s the interesting thing. Oh sure, have milestones, have waypoints. You need to have some sort of direction in life, you need some sort of destination to aim for, but it shouldn’t be about the destination… just enjoy what it takes to get there. Live in the moment. Learn from the past. Let the future be with it will be.

And yes… sometimes recording it helps you remember what was interesting along that journey. 🙂

 

A bad day hunting…

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

… is just a good day. 🙂

Went out for a 24-hour hunt with Charles of TacticalGunReview.com.

Feral hogs were the target.

We headed out to his place after work Friday afternoon. Headed out to the field and sat over a stock tank for a while. Lots of deer, turkey, and cows moving and feeding, but no hogs. Charles headed off to another location. I sat and continued to watch, hopeful for hogs, but alas never saw any. I did however see lots of calves running around, charging towards the stock tank at full speed… just like any child. Even thankful for a moment that I did not decide to climb down from the stand and sit behind this one fallen stand. It would have been a better vantage point, but at one point a calf ran up to it and started bashing it with his head. If I had been down there, I would have gotten bonked pretty bad. 🙂

Just before it was totally dark, I heard a shot ring out… and squealing. Charles got something. I was hoping if there was a good sized sounder that they’d come running my way, but nothing. Went and picked Charles and his hog up. About 80#, which makes for good eating.

Cleaned the pig, relaxed with a couple cold ones, and hit the sack around midnight. Went back out around 5 AM but didn’t see much of anything. The most excitement I got was playing “will he bust me?” with a spike, and “what’s that rustling in the leaves? oh just an armadillo…”.

I didn’t “bring home the bacon”, tho Charles was kind and gave me half his pig. Thank you, my friend.

I did realize tho…. this was just what I needed. I was able to get my brain thinking about something else. Something other than computers, programming, iPhones, marketing, sales, business, teaching, whatever, anything and everything that makes up my usual go around. I got to think about the woods. I got to think about the wind. About movement patterns. Looking for signs. The hunt. Pursuit. The sounds of birds. The beauty of nature. It was just a wonderful break for my head to think about something else.

But now, I shall think about something else again: cooking. Specifically, throwing the pig in the smoker tomorrow. 🙂

thinking

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

“The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking.”

-A.A. Milne

There are no safe places

/ hsoi

Some guy is going on a robbery spree in South Austin.

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin police are looking for a man who has robbed three GameStops and one Subway restaurant — all in the past four days.

The suspect started his robbery spree at a Subway in the 2200 block of W. Ben White Boulevard on Monday.

Over the next few days, he robbed the following GameStops:

Tuesday – GameStop, 4477 South Lamar Boulevard

Wednesday – GameStop, 5601 Brodie Lane #990 (in Sunset Valley)

Thursday – GameStop 13000 N IH 35

In all four cases, the suspect entered the business, showed the cashier a weapon and demanded money. It does not appear that the suspect stole any games or equipment from the GameStop’s.

The suspect is described as:

Hispanic male
Light skinned
Early to mid-20’s
5’8″ in height
160-170 lbs.
Short black hair
Scruffy beard
The suspect was last seen wearing a white t-shirt with lettering on the front and dark jeans.

If you notice the man in the picture, you are asked to call the Robbery tip line at (512) 974-5092, Crime Stoppers at (512) 472-TIPS or text “Tip 103” + your message to CRIMES. You may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 if your tip leads to an arrest or charges being filed.

The one security camera picture of him? If the time/date is correct, it looks like the Lamar GameStop was robbed at 1:53 PM.

Many people have a belief that crime happens only in particular areas, in particular places, at particular times of day. True, statistically speaking there are areas, places, times of day that are more crime-filled than others. But no place is crime-free. All these places are in good neighborhoods, in “upscale” shopping centers, middle of the day, people around. Ask most people and most would consider it unthinkable for crime to happen here.

But it happens.

I say this not to scare folks, but to give folks reality. No place is truly safe, no place is crime-free. You have to be mindful always.

And if you have any information about these robberies or can identify the criminal, please notify the proper authorities.

I haz a… that’s life

/ hsoi

First I hadz a sad. Then I hadz a happy.

But now… it iz what it iz.

Had a brief scare yesterday afternoon as Momma Muscovy (Diamond) lost 2 of her ducklings. They are “teenagers” now, and as teenagers do, they wandered off somewhere. This morning on my return from the gym I saw the whole family together again, preening.

But confirmed that Momma Mallard (Vanilla) only has 2 surviving ducklings. I checked the nest, and there are at least 2 dead ducklings, I imagine overcome by the intense heat we’ve had the past few days. But then where the other 2 are? No idea. They may have fallen to the heat as well, but since they are out and wandering around now, who knows where their bodies are and if they got scavenged.

Life is what it is.

I hope the best for the 2 newborns.

I haz a happy

/ hsoi / 6 Comments

I hadz a sad.

Now I haz a happy.

Just went and checked on the nest. Looks like 5 more ducklings hatched overnight. Yes, one confirmed that didn’t make it, but 5 did. No idea if there are any more to come… hard to see the state of the eggs in the nest (are they shells? whole? in progress? duds? can’t tell right now). I reckon if we check again this evening, whatever we have by then will be the total.

I haz happy.

Travis County Burn Ban in Effect

/ hsoi

There’s now a burn ban in effect in Travis County. Not surprising with the lack of rain, and the intense heat quickly drying everything out.

I know the 4th of July is a week away – and let’s not forget fireworks are illegal to use within the Austin city limits. As much as I love fireworks, as much as you think you’re safe, responsible, and it won’t happen to you, it just takes one errant spark or ember to make a tragedy. Fireworks sometimes are faulty, and YOU can’t control that fact. It’s not worth it.

I haz a sad

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Mother Mallad Duck (Kiddos named her Vanilla since she’s a “pale” mallard) had a nest in a bed across the street.

It’s been some time since the eggs were laid, and on a whim last night I went to go check.

The eggs just started hatching! I saw one duckling, still wet. Another egg had a hole and you could see a chick trying to break out.

Squee!

Later that evening tho I went back to check on progress. I saw a duckling in a heap, head on the ground. I didn’t touch (Momma wouldn’t want me near anyways), but after watching for a little bit it was evident it was dead. I couldn’t tell if any other eggs hatched as Momma was hissing and puffing up and fanning everything out as if to cover things. So it’s likely more hatched, but won’t know until I can visually confirm.

My guess? Temperatures in Austin reached into the 100’s yesterday. According to the thermometer in my truck, it was 108 when I was first checking on them. Momma was panting hard… it was hot hot hot. I’m thinking the little one just succumbed to the heat.

Witih temperatures expected to remain so high the next few days, this doesn’t look good for the little ones.

I haz a sad. 😦

Updated: I haz happy.