Tuesday, September 11, 2007

8/8/07 Posting from the website

The dog days of summer are upon us. The afternoons are triple digits and the evenings are hot and humid. Yuck. The mercury’s not the only thing rising – I can only imagine how dreadful the electricity bill will be. Now I know one should never wish their time away, for you never know what great things you could miss, but October sounds absolutely wonderful right about now. Cooler temperatures, the second month of football, celebrating Octoberfest, and cool enough to play cards on the deck with the guys. Hmmm, sounds pretty damn good right now.

Gym – Heard a student say how much he liked working out because it’s peaceful and quiet. It struck me because I like to work out (though don’t as much as I should) for the very opposite reason. Noise and violence. I do not work out with a partner. I do not want to talk to anyone. I put on my headphones, jack into my mp3 player, crank up the volume, and enter my own little private world. Each exercise, each repetition in every set, is like a miniature form of combat with oneself. How you can focus on the muscle, or focus on some movie or show or athletic event for motivation, or the dialogue you have with yourself. How utter confidence or doubt can be the difference between squeezing out one extra rep or putting the weight down. It’s a solitary act. I’ve heard the term for fighters described as entering the ring with “bad intentions.” And so it goes with weights. Dumbbells and barbells are the enemy. And one grows stronger through competition against them. That is how I view it. Once one passes the age of organized school athletics, the gym or treadmill or heavy bag or sidewalk or pool, becomes the plain of battle. And though age slows us down, the fighter still remains. Like a gladiator or hoplite in an arduous pitched battle, one keeps going, with the noise and violence clanging in their ears. The "runner's high" or excited exhaustion (I know that sounds strange) from a good workout is the battle song that sings within us.

Dodgers – 58 – 55. 4 ½ games back. Yikes! Their pitching kept them afloat while their offense sputtered. Now the pitching’s joined the offense and they’ve lost 6 games in a row. Not good. Need to turn it around in a hurry because the three teams ahead of them in their own division seem to be rolling as of late.

Homebrew – Still a little left in the keg of my "Moatmeal Stout." Had a pint the other night and still tasted great. It’s aged over the last two months and the taste has really blended together nicely instead of seemingly tasting individual flavors at different stages of a sip. Can’t wait for the weather to cool down so I can brew again. Right now it’d be very difficult to lower the temperature of the wort to 70 degrees.

The Pale Horseman – 2nd book in Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon saga. Fantastic read for anyone who has any interest in Alfred the Great or the Viking era. Terrific descriptions of battle.