I had been looking forward to this for a week and it did not disappoint. I had a blast. The action moved pretty fast considering we had six sqautters and four finishing the rest of the workout.
Team Squats
Christan
Box Squats of the 12" inch cooler
45 x 10
95 x 5
115 x 3
135 x 3
155 x 3
175 x 3 PR
Member-at-Large Berry
worked up to 225
Temporary Member Andrew
45 x 8
135 x 8
225 x 4
295 x 4
315 x 4
325 x 4
325 x 4
315 x 4
Danny
45 x 10
135 x 8
225 x 5
295 x 6
315 x 4
345 x 4... ugly form
345 x 4... ugly form
345 x 4... good form, good lifts
Mike
45 x 8
135 x 8
225 x 5
315 x 3
385 x 6
405 x 4
425 x 3
435 x 3... all of his first reps were strong, but he was fading on third reps, but looked strong on 1 and 2
Pete
BW x 12
BW x 12
45 x 10
135 x 8
225 x 5
315 x 3
405 x 1
455 x 6 ... with 3 ct pause...solid
495 x 4... with 3 ct pause... tore it up
525 x 4... with 3 ct pause... never a question, but little slow out of the hole.
Put wraps on
585 x 4... I mean, they were heavy, but I killed them.
Christan
Incline Press
45 x 10
65 x 6
85 x 6
95 x 6
105 x 6... showed me, I figured she would get 4
Speed Pulls
145 x 3 x 2
155 x 3 x 2
165 x 3 x 2
then all her other stuff
Gage
Romanian Split Squats
20 x 10 x ea x 4 sets
DB Push Press
4 sets of 5
Pendlay Rows
95 x 5
135 x 5
135 x 5
145 x 5
Team Speed Pulls
225 x 3
Danny and Andrew
295 x 3 x 6
Mike and Pete
295 x 2
365 x 3 x 6
Team RDL
weight: Pete/ Danny, Andrew, Mike
275 x 6/4
295 x 6/4
315 x 8/4... I used the snatch grip
Team shrugs
Andrew
225 x 10
315 x 10
315 x 10
Mike
225 x 8
315 x 8
315 x 8
Danny
315 x 10
365 x 10
405 x 10
Pete
385 x 10
425 x 10
455 x 10...PR
Just a swell time. I felt I was alone in this assessment, though. Regardless, I had a blast. Proud of everyone for showing up. thanks to Logan for his help. My squats felt great. the 585 for 4 with wraps was done with great depth and great form.
Christan hit a PR.
Danny worked out his form issues. Gotta get his head right.
Berry made several jokes.
Mike looked strong on first reps. He will be happy: We have one more week of this crazy shit, a deload, two weeks of lighter stuff, then 4 weeks of only three sets of low reps, a deload and three weeks of 2 sets with really low reps.
Anyway, I had a blast. Nice to have Pokey as a back spotter.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Meet Write Up
Meet was supposed to start at 9:30. The rules briefing ended at twenty five til ten. Turns out even with my opener I was in the second flight, third from the last. Warmups started at ten, but first flight was taking forever so we started warming up and then slowed down. Warmups felt pretty good.
bw x 12
45 x 10
135 x 8
225 x 5
315 x 3
365 x 2
waited
365 x 1
455 x 1
525 x 1
Got out as the the third flight was finishing and then there was a long lag between flights. Then the first nine lifters took forever. for all the talk about calling depth harshly, the judges proved to be a little more lenient than advertised. Couple of gifts with openers. My openr was 578. i went a little coservative to make sure that i hit depth. The first thing I noticed was the thickness of the bar. But it was an easy walkout, buried and absolutley EXPLODED it up. I was in the meet and the opener was easy.
Went with 628 for my second. Good focus, walk up to the bar and as I duck under the head judge says, "well, it's too late now." this really screwed me up. I figured out what he was talking about: the bar was shifted left and I had to roll it. i think he was telling the loaders to shift it for me, but I was under the bar before they could do it. But my focus was shot and I got pinned. Good catch by the spotters. Not blaming anyone, just giving the reason
Now the third. Retook 628. A weight I was confident in. Walkout was perfect, descent was great, popped up, hit the sticking point and then the bar shifted left. I got thrown and the lift was taken by the spotters. My only thought was that the spotter on my right touched the bar, grabbed it early because of the trouble with the second attempt. The video seems to confirm this, but the image is grainy. regardless, one for three and my total is shot. I was devestated.
My squat was the biggest raw squat by 77 pounds. There were only three squats bigger. two 606 and Joe Norman's huge 942. 942 in single ply suit over single ply briefs. Buddy gave Joe extra time as well. When a record is at stake, an equipment check and following the letter of the rules would add legitmacy.
They went ahead and did the raw bench meet next. another interesting fact: lifters could lift in street clothes, wear their headphones, use padded neoprene belts and the uneven lockout rule was not set in stone. A couple of awesome raw benches though. a 400 plus at 198 and a battle at 220 with one guy hitting 465ish and the other destroying 470ish like it was a toy.
First flight benches took forever. My warmups felt terrible.
45 x 10
95 x 5
135 x 3
185 x 2
225 x 2
275 x 1
315 x 1... this had me wondering if I should lower my first attempt.
I wound up being fourth from last in flight B, a couple of guys opened up raw before going to their shirts. I still wound up with a respectabel bench in comparison. Opened with 347. It was a little harder than I wanted and my shoulder was killing me. Second attempt, Iwent conservative with 363.7 Easier than first. Still conservative at 374.5 on third. I simply ran out of gas at the top. God this meet was sucking it up.
Meet was rolling along at this point. Time to deadlift. My training sucked, but I had a good feeling goin into the meet. Warmup felt awesome. I followed the herd and warmed up fast. Had to watch the third attempts of flight A. Got to see a 71 and 72 year old man lift. Just awesome.
225 x 3
315 x 2
405 x 2
495 x 1... I was only going to warmup to 475 but it was a pain in the ass to unload, so i went with it.
Opened with 529. Oddly enough, I smoked it. Lemme tell you something. The Oki deadlift bar is something else. A lot of bend, feels like you are grabbing a bar made of gravel and it slices the knees like a cheese grater. Was an easy lift, so I took a pretty good jump to a personal best, meet best sumo 563. In a strange twist, this was the prettiest deadlift of my 20 year lifting career. As I am coming off the platform, Christan looked at me wide-eyed and said, "who ARE you?" she knows my problems with pulling.
Gathered my brain trust: Mike and Logan. My best pull ever is 600 @ 270 in a meet, conventional. My idea in this meet was to eke out 550-565 and take a weak shot at 584. Mike had been saying all day I was going to go for six. i told him all day to shut up. Logan opted to go somewhere between 574 and 595. Heck with it, I went for broke. 600.
Pulled it solidly. Never a doubt in my mind. Could not belive it. with all my issues with pulling sumo, I tied an all time pull in my first meet going sumo. I have the action down now. Just have to replicate it.
So, a disappointing 1542 total. Thanks to Christan for being there and giving me impetus in my deadlifts. Logan for doing everything. Mike, Danny and Bev for showing up.
Good to meet some nice folks: Tom, Mitch, Justin, Tim and Ronnie.
Time to train for March. Redeem that squat.
Link to meet vids:
http://www.youtube.com/user/snootchon4
bw x 12
45 x 10
135 x 8
225 x 5
315 x 3
365 x 2
waited
365 x 1
455 x 1
525 x 1
Got out as the the third flight was finishing and then there was a long lag between flights. Then the first nine lifters took forever. for all the talk about calling depth harshly, the judges proved to be a little more lenient than advertised. Couple of gifts with openers. My openr was 578. i went a little coservative to make sure that i hit depth. The first thing I noticed was the thickness of the bar. But it was an easy walkout, buried and absolutley EXPLODED it up. I was in the meet and the opener was easy.
Went with 628 for my second. Good focus, walk up to the bar and as I duck under the head judge says, "well, it's too late now." this really screwed me up. I figured out what he was talking about: the bar was shifted left and I had to roll it. i think he was telling the loaders to shift it for me, but I was under the bar before they could do it. But my focus was shot and I got pinned. Good catch by the spotters. Not blaming anyone, just giving the reason
Now the third. Retook 628. A weight I was confident in. Walkout was perfect, descent was great, popped up, hit the sticking point and then the bar shifted left. I got thrown and the lift was taken by the spotters. My only thought was that the spotter on my right touched the bar, grabbed it early because of the trouble with the second attempt. The video seems to confirm this, but the image is grainy. regardless, one for three and my total is shot. I was devestated.
My squat was the biggest raw squat by 77 pounds. There were only three squats bigger. two 606 and Joe Norman's huge 942. 942 in single ply suit over single ply briefs. Buddy gave Joe extra time as well. When a record is at stake, an equipment check and following the letter of the rules would add legitmacy.
They went ahead and did the raw bench meet next. another interesting fact: lifters could lift in street clothes, wear their headphones, use padded neoprene belts and the uneven lockout rule was not set in stone. A couple of awesome raw benches though. a 400 plus at 198 and a battle at 220 with one guy hitting 465ish and the other destroying 470ish like it was a toy.
First flight benches took forever. My warmups felt terrible.
45 x 10
95 x 5
135 x 3
185 x 2
225 x 2
275 x 1
315 x 1... this had me wondering if I should lower my first attempt.
I wound up being fourth from last in flight B, a couple of guys opened up raw before going to their shirts. I still wound up with a respectabel bench in comparison. Opened with 347. It was a little harder than I wanted and my shoulder was killing me. Second attempt, Iwent conservative with 363.7 Easier than first. Still conservative at 374.5 on third. I simply ran out of gas at the top. God this meet was sucking it up.
Meet was rolling along at this point. Time to deadlift. My training sucked, but I had a good feeling goin into the meet. Warmup felt awesome. I followed the herd and warmed up fast. Had to watch the third attempts of flight A. Got to see a 71 and 72 year old man lift. Just awesome.
225 x 3
315 x 2
405 x 2
495 x 1... I was only going to warmup to 475 but it was a pain in the ass to unload, so i went with it.
Opened with 529. Oddly enough, I smoked it. Lemme tell you something. The Oki deadlift bar is something else. A lot of bend, feels like you are grabbing a bar made of gravel and it slices the knees like a cheese grater. Was an easy lift, so I took a pretty good jump to a personal best, meet best sumo 563. In a strange twist, this was the prettiest deadlift of my 20 year lifting career. As I am coming off the platform, Christan looked at me wide-eyed and said, "who ARE you?" she knows my problems with pulling.
Gathered my brain trust: Mike and Logan. My best pull ever is 600 @ 270 in a meet, conventional. My idea in this meet was to eke out 550-565 and take a weak shot at 584. Mike had been saying all day I was going to go for six. i told him all day to shut up. Logan opted to go somewhere between 574 and 595. Heck with it, I went for broke. 600.
Pulled it solidly. Never a doubt in my mind. Could not belive it. with all my issues with pulling sumo, I tied an all time pull in my first meet going sumo. I have the action down now. Just have to replicate it.
So, a disappointing 1542 total. Thanks to Christan for being there and giving me impetus in my deadlifts. Logan for doing everything. Mike, Danny and Bev for showing up.
Good to meet some nice folks: Tom, Mitch, Justin, Tim and Ronnie.
Time to train for March. Redeem that squat.
Link to meet vids:
http://www.youtube.com/user/snootchon4
Friday, November 5, 2010
Weigh In
Woke up today at 240. Cleaned house, had a LIGHT brunch and took a nap: 238.8. Drank a 12 oz slim fast shake and went potty: 238.8. Chris got home and we headed to Adel.
Official Weigh-In: 237.5
Went to Roadhouse where I ate:
6 rolls
a handfull of peanuts
4 diet Cokes
a salad
16 oz Cowboy cut Sirloin
Steak fries
half a "Big Ol' Brownie"
Start up at 8:30 tomorrow morning.
Openers in Kilos:
262.5 ... 578.5
157.5 ... 347
240 ... 529
Official Weigh-In: 237.5
Went to Roadhouse where I ate:
6 rolls
a handfull of peanuts
4 diet Cokes
a salad
16 oz Cowboy cut Sirloin
Steak fries
half a "Big Ol' Brownie"
Start up at 8:30 tomorrow morning.
Openers in Kilos:
262.5 ... 578.5
157.5 ... 347
240 ... 529
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Christan's Training Log
Leg Press... counting thr sled as 45
135 x 10
225 x 10
315 x 10
365 x 10
385 x 10 ... sandbagging
DB Press
15 x 10
20 x 10
25 x 10
30 x 10
35 x 8
Seated Calf Raise
50 x 10
70 x 10
90 x 10
45 x 10
45 x 10
Shrugs
135 x 10
155 x 10
175 x 10
135 x 13
Dront, side Delt raises, with bd set on last of 3
Face pulls, with bd set on last of 3
Good Mornings
45 x 8
65 x 8
95 x 8
Leg Extensions
Step ups... each leg
Back Extensions
Cable Flexors... 3 sets of each
135 x 10
225 x 10
315 x 10
365 x 10
385 x 10 ... sandbagging
DB Press
15 x 10
20 x 10
25 x 10
30 x 10
35 x 8
Seated Calf Raise
50 x 10
70 x 10
90 x 10
45 x 10
45 x 10
Shrugs
135 x 10
155 x 10
175 x 10
135 x 13
Dront, side Delt raises, with bd set on last of 3
Face pulls, with bd set on last of 3
Good Mornings
45 x 8
65 x 8
95 x 8
Leg Extensions
Step ups... each leg
Back Extensions
Cable Flexors... 3 sets of each
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
First Breakdown of Bodyweight Data and Deadlift Ruminations
Been checking my BW before bed and in the morning to get a determination of what my real BW is. Checked from the night of 9/30 until the morning of 10/12.
Average Night Weight: 248.25
Average Morning Weight: 245.53
Average BW: 246.9
Average overnight loss: 2.72
Range of Night Weight: 243.8 to 251.4
Range of Morning Weight: 241 to 248
Range of Overnight Loss: 1.4 to 3.8
Adjusting for low end removal due to skewed data (weight loss for making weight)
Avg: night: 248.65
Avg. morning: 245.94
Avg. BW: 247.3
Avg. ONL: 2.71
All told, I am happy with my BW even though I have not been eating as cleanly as I would like to. Should be able to be at about 246/247 for the Sunday before the meet. Will do all my warmups on Monday and will weigh myself again then as well. Will start the drop Wednesday or Thursday, depending on BW.
My deadlift was interesting last night. I was able to remain focused and calm even while everything was feeling heavy. Usually I start freaking out inside if my warmups are heavier than usual, but even when 405 felt like 505, I kept my focus. I think having to train someone aids in this. Even when I am not lifting I have to focus on something. I remeber 485 feeling terrible, 515 feeling terrible and 545 feeling terrible, but I was able to complete all three sets. There was no doubt in my mind with 545. There should have been, but there was not. I told myself it was only thirty pounds over 515 and if I only pulled it once it was a PR, but was able to pull three.
Mike wanted to know if i was going for six wheels next week. Part of me wants to, but I have been able to get to this point sticking to my percentages. So far, they seem to be dead on. 575 is the goal for next week. Have to rememeber that it is only 30lbs more than this week and if I only pull it for one it will be a PR.
I, of course, want two.
Average Night Weight: 248.25
Average Morning Weight: 245.53
Average BW: 246.9
Average overnight loss: 2.72
Range of Night Weight: 243.8 to 251.4
Range of Morning Weight: 241 to 248
Range of Overnight Loss: 1.4 to 3.8
Adjusting for low end removal due to skewed data (weight loss for making weight)
Avg: night: 248.65
Avg. morning: 245.94
Avg. BW: 247.3
Avg. ONL: 2.71
All told, I am happy with my BW even though I have not been eating as cleanly as I would like to. Should be able to be at about 246/247 for the Sunday before the meet. Will do all my warmups on Monday and will weigh myself again then as well. Will start the drop Wednesday or Thursday, depending on BW.
My deadlift was interesting last night. I was able to remain focused and calm even while everything was feeling heavy. Usually I start freaking out inside if my warmups are heavier than usual, but even when 405 felt like 505, I kept my focus. I think having to train someone aids in this. Even when I am not lifting I have to focus on something. I remeber 485 feeling terrible, 515 feeling terrible and 545 feeling terrible, but I was able to complete all three sets. There was no doubt in my mind with 545. There should have been, but there was not. I told myself it was only thirty pounds over 515 and if I only pulled it once it was a PR, but was able to pull three.
Mike wanted to know if i was going for six wheels next week. Part of me wants to, but I have been able to get to this point sticking to my percentages. So far, they seem to be dead on. 575 is the goal for next week. Have to rememeber that it is only 30lbs more than this week and if I only pull it for one it will be a PR.
I, of course, want two.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Training Log: Squat and Top Chef: Just Desserts
Met up with the guys in blackshear for a great workout
Dynamic Stretch... should have stretched lowe rback, it was tight the whole night
Squat
BW x 12
Bw x 12
45 x 10
135 x 8... really tight in back, trouble getting depth
225 x 5
315 x 3 add belt, loose
405 x 2
465 x 5 loose belt
510 x 5 loose belt, buried
545 x 5 tight belt, buried... very good focus
Speed Dl
135 x 2
225 x 2
315 x 2
335 x 2
355 x 2
335 x 2
315 x 2 x 2
ABGM
275 x 6
315 x 6
365 x 6
315 x 8
Danny hit 405 on the squat tonight. 2 singles. First was tentative, second was all him. Mike hit 495 x 2 again. It was nice to see them do stiff legs afterward.
545 for 5 on a night where everything felt heavy. I am right where I need to be. Next week will be the most important week. 585 for a triple.
Top Chef: Just Desserts
Damnit, I should be a judge on this show. I been training for 37 years to be part of this. Me and Johnny C giving everyone what's for about their hot fudge remalade. Pisses me off that noone contacted me. Seriously, I would eat everything on this show.
Dynamic Stretch... should have stretched lowe rback, it was tight the whole night
Squat
BW x 12
Bw x 12
45 x 10
135 x 8... really tight in back, trouble getting depth
225 x 5
315 x 3 add belt, loose
405 x 2
465 x 5 loose belt
510 x 5 loose belt, buried
545 x 5 tight belt, buried... very good focus
Speed Dl
135 x 2
225 x 2
315 x 2
335 x 2
355 x 2
335 x 2
315 x 2 x 2
ABGM
275 x 6
315 x 6
365 x 6
315 x 8
Danny hit 405 on the squat tonight. 2 singles. First was tentative, second was all him. Mike hit 495 x 2 again. It was nice to see them do stiff legs afterward.
545 for 5 on a night where everything felt heavy. I am right where I need to be. Next week will be the most important week. 585 for a triple.
Top Chef: Just Desserts
Damnit, I should be a judge on this show. I been training for 37 years to be part of this. Me and Johnny C giving everyone what's for about their hot fudge remalade. Pisses me off that noone contacted me. Seriously, I would eat everything on this show.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Random Thoughts on Training and a mini Proto-Mechanic entry...
I feel as if my training has hit a pretty good place. Even my assistance Sunday day is making me feel stronger. My back is definately getting B and S. Now that I have a meet to shoot for and a total in mind with the possibility of Raw Unity on the horizon, I am getting nervous and jerky. I couldn't sleep last night thinking about numbers and percentages.
My training got better once I was able to focus and calm down a bit, and that is what I need to do this week. this will be a true deload week for me, perhaps the first I have ever actually taken. I do not want to break the momentum, but I have tended, in the past, to just keep hammering away until I get hurt or things started to go badly.
Concerned about my left shoulder and wondering if overhead pressing is working for me and I am not sure what to do about kick starting my bench, but overall I feel pretty good. Abs and back are nice and sore this morning. It is about time to mix things up a bit, I can feel some stagnation setting in.
In addition to being deload this week, I am also using this week as a weight test. I was at 247.5 on Sunday and want to be at 242.5 or less on Friday. Will take in my usual gallon plus of water a day until Thursday and then limit water to meals. Will watch my eating and while still back-loading on training days, will try to show some restraint. If this works this week, I will use the same plan week of the meet.
Goals for the last few weeks of heavy training:
want to hit 545 x 5 on the squat, then follow that with a 585 triple and a 615 double. That should put me about where I was when I hit 645 @270.
Bench: 330 x 5, 350 x 3, 370 x 2
Deadlift: 515 x 5, 545 x 3, 575 x 2
If I can hit these numbers I want to go:
585 625 650
345 365 385
545 590 605
1475 1580 1640
Will tweak at the meet or as we get closer. RUM qualifier is 1554. Raw "elite" outside of RUM is 1607. I really want 1600+ and anything over 1625 would be a meet PR regardless of weight. Can't decide if I am shooting to high or not, but it feels doable. But it all starts with this deload, and we will go from there.
Mini Adventure of Proto-Mechanic
The Place: Highway 84, 1/2 mile from Trudie Road
The Job: Flat tire on the Frankenfocus
Time: 15 minutes
I have known for weeks that the front tires on the Frankenfocus were less than ideal, but there was nothing I could do about it... unless my hand was forced. When the blubbada-blubbada started, Proto-Mechanic senses told me the hand had been forced. Once I got pulled over, it was a sure thing: flat tire.
I had this fear that there was either no-jack or tire iron in the Frankenfocus. That would have been "Balls Nasty" as I forgot to pick up my cell that morning. We in luck, everything is in place. The jack will not go under the car because it is now too close to the ground. Enlist the help of Gage, Gajo, Joe, Joe-Joe the dog-faced boy, Havahd Joe to pull up on the body so's I can slip the jack under. EPJ, kids.
A side note: the county needs to mow the grass out there, the jack handle kept getting wrapped up in the long grass. It was at that point that I decided to stay calm and just get to it. Holy crap! But my shoulders were talking to me. Never a good idea to do back and shoulders the day before tire changing.
I had a horrible vision of getting the old tire off and then the car falling because the jack slipped in the grass. No dice, we were on our way in about fifteen minutes. Need to get two new front tires: $120 bucks mounted and balanced at the Guitar player for the Band, Robbie Robertson Ford, where Proto-Mechanic gets all the poop done he is too lazy to do himself.
Now, to come up with $120 bucks for mounted and balanced tires.
My training got better once I was able to focus and calm down a bit, and that is what I need to do this week. this will be a true deload week for me, perhaps the first I have ever actually taken. I do not want to break the momentum, but I have tended, in the past, to just keep hammering away until I get hurt or things started to go badly.
Concerned about my left shoulder and wondering if overhead pressing is working for me and I am not sure what to do about kick starting my bench, but overall I feel pretty good. Abs and back are nice and sore this morning. It is about time to mix things up a bit, I can feel some stagnation setting in.
In addition to being deload this week, I am also using this week as a weight test. I was at 247.5 on Sunday and want to be at 242.5 or less on Friday. Will take in my usual gallon plus of water a day until Thursday and then limit water to meals. Will watch my eating and while still back-loading on training days, will try to show some restraint. If this works this week, I will use the same plan week of the meet.
Goals for the last few weeks of heavy training:
want to hit 545 x 5 on the squat, then follow that with a 585 triple and a 615 double. That should put me about where I was when I hit 645 @270.
Bench: 330 x 5, 350 x 3, 370 x 2
Deadlift: 515 x 5, 545 x 3, 575 x 2
If I can hit these numbers I want to go:
585 625 650
345 365 385
545 590 605
1475 1580 1640
Will tweak at the meet or as we get closer. RUM qualifier is 1554. Raw "elite" outside of RUM is 1607. I really want 1600+ and anything over 1625 would be a meet PR regardless of weight. Can't decide if I am shooting to high or not, but it feels doable. But it all starts with this deload, and we will go from there.
Mini Adventure of Proto-Mechanic
The Place: Highway 84, 1/2 mile from Trudie Road
The Job: Flat tire on the Frankenfocus
Time: 15 minutes
I have known for weeks that the front tires on the Frankenfocus were less than ideal, but there was nothing I could do about it... unless my hand was forced. When the blubbada-blubbada started, Proto-Mechanic senses told me the hand had been forced. Once I got pulled over, it was a sure thing: flat tire.
I had this fear that there was either no-jack or tire iron in the Frankenfocus. That would have been "Balls Nasty" as I forgot to pick up my cell that morning. We in luck, everything is in place. The jack will not go under the car because it is now too close to the ground. Enlist the help of Gage, Gajo, Joe, Joe-Joe the dog-faced boy, Havahd Joe to pull up on the body so's I can slip the jack under. EPJ, kids.
A side note: the county needs to mow the grass out there, the jack handle kept getting wrapped up in the long grass. It was at that point that I decided to stay calm and just get to it. Holy crap! But my shoulders were talking to me. Never a good idea to do back and shoulders the day before tire changing.
I had a horrible vision of getting the old tire off and then the car falling because the jack slipped in the grass. No dice, we were on our way in about fifteen minutes. Need to get two new front tires: $120 bucks mounted and balanced at the Guitar player for the Band, Robbie Robertson Ford, where Proto-Mechanic gets all the poop done he is too lazy to do himself.
Now, to come up with $120 bucks for mounted and balanced tires.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Stuff
A classic WTF? shot. I really do not want anyone to explain it, because the explanation will be so much more mundane than the utter insanity of the picture. Is it me or is that kid really getting it? Why, though, are Dad's pants coming off.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
The Further Adventures of Proto-Mechanic
The Place: The Driveway
The Job: Water Pump on the 2006 GRAND Caravan
Estimated Time: I figured all weekend...
Been noticing an odd sound from the van. I believed it to be a loose pulley, but figured it was the AC compressor. Was really worried about this, but with no real problems, I turned a deaf eye. Friday it was really making a racket. Then when we stopped at Penney's I could smell antifreeze. When we got home, the antifreeze was pouring out of something at the back of the motor. Proto-Mechanic senses told me there was a leak. Glad I caught it in time.
A quick call to Master-of-Sport Mechanic and All-Round Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry, confirmed this. He also said it was probably the water pump. So, my Saturday was set!
Got up Saturday and jacked up the car. Sure enough, antifreeze pouring out of the water pump. Chris took me to Hardee's to carb up for my endeavor. A quick trip to The Zone, duh-duh-dunta-duh, Autozone. Water pump, jack stands and a gallon of antifreeze (straight, none of that 50/50 cheap stuff) and a deposit of Eighty-Five dollars and we were ready to go. Told the guy at the counter I would probably be back for a tool that I did not have. He was like, "Naw, this should be straight forward." I told him he did not understand the travails of Proto-Mechanic and that he might better hush up and learn. Well, I didn't say that but I really, really thought it. I laughed and smiled and said, "It never fails."
So, first order of business: jack up the van. Of course, I have never used jack stands before and was therefore not sure where to put them. Good thing I had no idea where the belt tensioner was. Two questions necessitates a call to Master-of-Sport-Mechanic and All-'Round Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry. He gives me the lowdown and gives me the hint to remove the tire an the plastic shroud to get at things easier. This proved to be very helpfeul. The plan was to get that belt off and get at it.
Holy shit. Though, I will admit that if I had done a little research beforehand, I would have known the "secret" and would have therefore have avoided the next three hour nightmare. Live and learn. Oh, and swear... alot.
So, as to the belt tensioner, I know that either the bolt in the middle needs to be turned or the square off to the side has to be manipulated in order to release the tensioner. Fine. Turn the bolt. It wants to come off or be tightened until I snap that sucker off and the world ends with a bang not a whimper. Reason gets the better of me and I go to the square. The ratchet I have rattles around in there like dice in a Yahtzee! cup. Try to work in my 1/2 drive breaker bar and the wheel well is too close for comfort (remember this kids!). But I can tell that the square is 1/2 inch. I will simply need a smaller 1/2 inch drive.
Off to the Autozone... duna-dunta-dun-dun... Autozone! just as I promised the kid at the counter. No dice, all they have is the pear heads and I know those will be too fat to fit. They are also stupid expensive (17-35 bucks? Balls!). Off to Wal-Mart. They have nothing but the damn pear heads. There is a cheap kit (20.99) that has a 1/2 inch drive that looks right, but the kit will not open without cutting the tie strap, but I risk it and drive all the way back to Blackshear.
The damn 1/2 inch drive is too damn big. Damn. Head into Blackshear and hit Ace Hardware (you know the place with the helpful hardware... in this case 17 year old with Justin Beiber hair). Beibs does not quite understand what I need and why, but all the 1/2 drives are too big.
"You have any square metal that I can get cut?" I ask.
"We got square keys."
Eureka! "Lead on, my good son."
They have a whole box of 'em. One of which is 1/2 inch wide, but three inches long. That simply will not do, but they agree to cut it for me. Awesome. Makes lots of pretty sparks and a wonderful stench that reminds me of the good ol' days at Mixon Auto Parts. Two dollars and a half and back to the house.
Grab the vice grips, fiddle for a few minutes, engage Gage's help and that belt is off, baby! Best part is that water pump is right there staring at me in the face. A quick and exceptionally messy draining of the coolant system is messy, nasty and uneventful.
"This is gonna be a cinch," I whisper into the afternoon. Apparently, I will never learn.
Regardless, I do take the time to locate the F_______r bolt. The very top one, but once I get the pulley off, it should not be too bad. Pulley bolts (13 mm) come off easy as chicken pie with gravy. I actually can use the wheel well as leverage. Awesome. Pull the pulley off and...
It is trapped betwext the WW and the Water Pump. Balls! But no big whoop. Well, kinda a whoop. I have to continually move the pulley to get to the water pump bolts (10mm), but it is pretty quick work. I do lose one of the bolts, but assume I will find it. Eventually. Still, things are traipsing right along. Until the F____r bolt. From here on out this bolt, which EVERY job has, will be referred to as the F-Bolt, Pol Pot or AMANDA. Well, Pol Pot is wedged way up in the catacombs of the engine. No ratchet can really get to it, but my new new set of mm wrenches (see the very first Proto-Mechanic entry) comes in handy. Of course, the range of motion is about the length of a very thick human hair. Once Pol Pot gets going I have to revert to using my hands. I say "hands" because at this point I am regretting my night at the gym Friday. Forearms are shot, so I have to alternate arms. Luckily, I have small hands. Small, thick hands attached to muscular forearms that wedge up against metal perfectly to induce pain. I have to switch from side to side to alternate hands and every third time I do so I wack my head on the brake caliper and utter either a 1) a swear or 2) a less-than-masculine squeal. But, after a long elapsed time, the water pump breaks free...
and will not come out because it is all to close to the wheel well. AMANDA!!!
I fiddle for several minutes. Christan comes out and asks how it is going. I swear at her. She asks about the brakes (another day) I tell her to go away, nearly weeping that the Pol Pot Water Pump will NOT come out of the hole. I resort to a crow bar and snatch that dirty bastard out of there, breaking several of the plastic ribs on the interior pump wheel in the process, but it is out of there.
I have a fear: will the other water pump go in? I mean the old WP was a pain to get out. I test it out: the AMANDA pump goes nowhere near the Pol Pot mounting area.
I go to call Master-of-Sport-Mechanic and All-'Round-Great-Guy, my personal Mechanicing Lifeline, Terry... and my phone is dead.
It was a this point that I lost my F-Bolt mind. I mean seriously, it was embarrassing.
So, after the phone charges and the Bulldogs lose, I make the call to Master of... you know who, dammit! I describe my predicament and he calmly relays the message:
"You may have to loosen the motor mount and lower the engine."
It was at this point that I became a simpering bitch. I mean it was embarrassing. But, in my defense I was aggravated and more than a little daunted. Lower the engine with my floor jack? Why not ask me to reinvent sliced bread for AMANDA's sake?I end my freak out by simpering to MoSMaARGG,MPML Terry that I will check on the internet and see what it says.
Apparently, If I had gone on the internet earlier I would have learned a secret. The top motor mount has three bolts that, when loosened, lower the engine enough to 1)get a 1/2 drive in the square of the belt tensioner and 2) pop the water pump right in there, buddy. To his credit MoSMaARGG, MPML Terry called it, I was just too much of a whining wussy (SIMPERING AMANDA BITCH!) to believe it could be done.
Sure enough this works like magic. Does not gove you enough room to put the pulley on first, but the Water Pump goes in there pretty easily. The damn "O" seal keeps falling off. Terry (Master-of-Sport Mechanic and All-'Round-Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline) suggested using oil, grease or Vaseline to keep in place. Oil did not work and I do not have any of the others, but Vick's Vap-O-Rub works just fine.
The bolts go into place, during which:
I rap my knuckles and scream like a girl: 4
I drop the ratchet perfectly on my forehead and almost pass out: once
I find the "lost" bolt sitting on the suspension with a snide look on its face: once
On to AMANDA: this takes for Pol Pot EVER! During which:
I rap my knuckles and swear loudly: 13
I rap my knuckles and scream like a girl: 2 (getting better)
I hit my head on that damn caliper: 32
... and swear: 30
I hit my head on the new jack stand: 16
... and swear: 16
Start to literally cry: 7
Simper like a bitch: 9
Curse God: 1
Curse Dodge: 2
Swear my revenge: 1
Nearly break my left arm squeezing it up into the snow smaller hole because I dropped the engine: 4
All in all, it was very embarassing. But the water pump is on. After two tries with the belt, it even goes on. It takes a long tome to tighten the bolts on the motor mount, but it gets done. Fill the radiator with the good stuff with equal parts H2O, and it is time for a test run.
Damn if nothing leaks.
So, it was my biggest job on the van and it only took six and a half hours. Sure, my dignity was flushed down the toilet, but it was a small price to pay to save 200 bucks I did not have. I apologize to Christan and Master-of-Sport-Mechanic and All-'Round Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry for 1) FREAKING the Pol Pot Out 2) being a bastard and 3)showing my simpering bitch side.
I was absolutely whipped after this job. My arms, already worn out from squats the night before, were shot out. I felt like I spent the whole day swimming... and swearing.
Time: Six and a half hours
Credit: All to MASTER-OF-SPORT-MECHANIC AND ALL-'ROUND GREAT GUY, MY PERSONAL MECHANICING LIFELINE TERRY. He had it all figured out. I simply acted as half-assed, simpering bitch, foul-mouthed hands for his brain.
The Job: Water Pump on the 2006 GRAND Caravan
Estimated Time: I figured all weekend...
Been noticing an odd sound from the van. I believed it to be a loose pulley, but figured it was the AC compressor. Was really worried about this, but with no real problems, I turned a deaf eye. Friday it was really making a racket. Then when we stopped at Penney's I could smell antifreeze. When we got home, the antifreeze was pouring out of something at the back of the motor. Proto-Mechanic senses told me there was a leak. Glad I caught it in time.
A quick call to Master-of-Sport Mechanic and All-Round Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry, confirmed this. He also said it was probably the water pump. So, my Saturday was set!
Got up Saturday and jacked up the car. Sure enough, antifreeze pouring out of the water pump. Chris took me to Hardee's to carb up for my endeavor. A quick trip to The Zone, duh-duh-dunta-duh, Autozone. Water pump, jack stands and a gallon of antifreeze (straight, none of that 50/50 cheap stuff) and a deposit of Eighty-Five dollars and we were ready to go. Told the guy at the counter I would probably be back for a tool that I did not have. He was like, "Naw, this should be straight forward." I told him he did not understand the travails of Proto-Mechanic and that he might better hush up and learn. Well, I didn't say that but I really, really thought it. I laughed and smiled and said, "It never fails."
So, first order of business: jack up the van. Of course, I have never used jack stands before and was therefore not sure where to put them. Good thing I had no idea where the belt tensioner was. Two questions necessitates a call to Master-of-Sport-Mechanic and All-'Round Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry. He gives me the lowdown and gives me the hint to remove the tire an the plastic shroud to get at things easier. This proved to be very helpfeul. The plan was to get that belt off and get at it.
Holy shit. Though, I will admit that if I had done a little research beforehand, I would have known the "secret" and would have therefore have avoided the next three hour nightmare. Live and learn. Oh, and swear... alot.
So, as to the belt tensioner, I know that either the bolt in the middle needs to be turned or the square off to the side has to be manipulated in order to release the tensioner. Fine. Turn the bolt. It wants to come off or be tightened until I snap that sucker off and the world ends with a bang not a whimper. Reason gets the better of me and I go to the square. The ratchet I have rattles around in there like dice in a Yahtzee! cup. Try to work in my 1/2 drive breaker bar and the wheel well is too close for comfort (remember this kids!). But I can tell that the square is 1/2 inch. I will simply need a smaller 1/2 inch drive.
Off to the Autozone... duna-dunta-dun-dun... Autozone! just as I promised the kid at the counter. No dice, all they have is the pear heads and I know those will be too fat to fit. They are also stupid expensive (17-35 bucks? Balls!). Off to Wal-Mart. They have nothing but the damn pear heads. There is a cheap kit (20.99) that has a 1/2 inch drive that looks right, but the kit will not open without cutting the tie strap, but I risk it and drive all the way back to Blackshear.
The damn 1/2 inch drive is too damn big. Damn. Head into Blackshear and hit Ace Hardware (you know the place with the helpful hardware... in this case 17 year old with Justin Beiber hair). Beibs does not quite understand what I need and why, but all the 1/2 drives are too big.
"You have any square metal that I can get cut?" I ask.
"We got square keys."
Eureka! "Lead on, my good son."
They have a whole box of 'em. One of which is 1/2 inch wide, but three inches long. That simply will not do, but they agree to cut it for me. Awesome. Makes lots of pretty sparks and a wonderful stench that reminds me of the good ol' days at Mixon Auto Parts. Two dollars and a half and back to the house.
Grab the vice grips, fiddle for a few minutes, engage Gage's help and that belt is off, baby! Best part is that water pump is right there staring at me in the face. A quick and exceptionally messy draining of the coolant system is messy, nasty and uneventful.
"This is gonna be a cinch," I whisper into the afternoon. Apparently, I will never learn.
Regardless, I do take the time to locate the F_______r bolt. The very top one, but once I get the pulley off, it should not be too bad. Pulley bolts (13 mm) come off easy as chicken pie with gravy. I actually can use the wheel well as leverage. Awesome. Pull the pulley off and...
It is trapped betwext the WW and the Water Pump. Balls! But no big whoop. Well, kinda a whoop. I have to continually move the pulley to get to the water pump bolts (10mm), but it is pretty quick work. I do lose one of the bolts, but assume I will find it. Eventually. Still, things are traipsing right along. Until the F____r bolt. From here on out this bolt, which EVERY job has, will be referred to as the F-Bolt, Pol Pot or AMANDA. Well, Pol Pot is wedged way up in the catacombs of the engine. No ratchet can really get to it, but my new new set of mm wrenches (see the very first Proto-Mechanic entry) comes in handy. Of course, the range of motion is about the length of a very thick human hair. Once Pol Pot gets going I have to revert to using my hands. I say "hands" because at this point I am regretting my night at the gym Friday. Forearms are shot, so I have to alternate arms. Luckily, I have small hands. Small, thick hands attached to muscular forearms that wedge up against metal perfectly to induce pain. I have to switch from side to side to alternate hands and every third time I do so I wack my head on the brake caliper and utter either a 1) a swear or 2) a less-than-masculine squeal. But, after a long elapsed time, the water pump breaks free...
and will not come out because it is all to close to the wheel well. AMANDA!!!
I fiddle for several minutes. Christan comes out and asks how it is going. I swear at her. She asks about the brakes (another day) I tell her to go away, nearly weeping that the Pol Pot Water Pump will NOT come out of the hole. I resort to a crow bar and snatch that dirty bastard out of there, breaking several of the plastic ribs on the interior pump wheel in the process, but it is out of there.
I have a fear: will the other water pump go in? I mean the old WP was a pain to get out. I test it out: the AMANDA pump goes nowhere near the Pol Pot mounting area.
I go to call Master-of-Sport-Mechanic and All-'Round-Great-Guy, my personal Mechanicing Lifeline, Terry... and my phone is dead.
It was a this point that I lost my F-Bolt mind. I mean seriously, it was embarrassing.
So, after the phone charges and the Bulldogs lose, I make the call to Master of... you know who, dammit! I describe my predicament and he calmly relays the message:
"You may have to loosen the motor mount and lower the engine."
It was at this point that I became a simpering bitch. I mean it was embarrassing. But, in my defense I was aggravated and more than a little daunted. Lower the engine with my floor jack? Why not ask me to reinvent sliced bread for AMANDA's sake?I end my freak out by simpering to MoSMaARGG,MPML Terry that I will check on the internet and see what it says.
Apparently, If I had gone on the internet earlier I would have learned a secret. The top motor mount has three bolts that, when loosened, lower the engine enough to 1)get a 1/2 drive in the square of the belt tensioner and 2) pop the water pump right in there, buddy. To his credit MoSMaARGG, MPML Terry called it, I was just too much of a whining wussy (SIMPERING AMANDA BITCH!) to believe it could be done.
Sure enough this works like magic. Does not gove you enough room to put the pulley on first, but the Water Pump goes in there pretty easily. The damn "O" seal keeps falling off. Terry (Master-of-Sport Mechanic and All-'Round-Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline) suggested using oil, grease or Vaseline to keep in place. Oil did not work and I do not have any of the others, but Vick's Vap-O-Rub works just fine.
The bolts go into place, during which:
I rap my knuckles and scream like a girl: 4
I drop the ratchet perfectly on my forehead and almost pass out: once
I find the "lost" bolt sitting on the suspension with a snide look on its face: once
On to AMANDA: this takes for Pol Pot EVER! During which:
I rap my knuckles and swear loudly: 13
I rap my knuckles and scream like a girl: 2 (getting better)
I hit my head on that damn caliper: 32
... and swear: 30
I hit my head on the new jack stand: 16
... and swear: 16
Start to literally cry: 7
Simper like a bitch: 9
Curse God: 1
Curse Dodge: 2
Swear my revenge: 1
Nearly break my left arm squeezing it up into the snow smaller hole because I dropped the engine: 4
All in all, it was very embarassing. But the water pump is on. After two tries with the belt, it even goes on. It takes a long tome to tighten the bolts on the motor mount, but it gets done. Fill the radiator with the good stuff with equal parts H2O, and it is time for a test run.
Damn if nothing leaks.
So, it was my biggest job on the van and it only took six and a half hours. Sure, my dignity was flushed down the toilet, but it was a small price to pay to save 200 bucks I did not have. I apologize to Christan and Master-of-Sport-Mechanic and All-'Round Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry for 1) FREAKING the Pol Pot Out 2) being a bastard and 3)showing my simpering bitch side.
I was absolutely whipped after this job. My arms, already worn out from squats the night before, were shot out. I felt like I spent the whole day swimming... and swearing.
Time: Six and a half hours
Credit: All to MASTER-OF-SPORT-MECHANIC AND ALL-'ROUND GREAT GUY, MY PERSONAL MECHANICING LIFELINE TERRY. He had it all figured out. I simply acted as half-assed, simpering bitch, foul-mouthed hands for his brain.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Pictures
This is a pic of me and the wife of nearly nineteen years. We are on our way to Valdosta to see our oldest son, Logan, who is a junior at VSU. We had a very nice evening. This is the stuff that makes my blog so damn interesting.
Too much damn back light in the first one. Cute dress. Goofy looking dude.
Too much damn back light in the first one. Cute dress. Goofy looking dude.
Quotations :
""The lie is ephemeral. It rises out of the mist of life, does its damage and then slips away with time, forgiveness or forgetfullness. But its seed is a solid object. A hard and painful thing lodged in the mind of the receiver. The lie begets doubt, and that doubt is redoubled with every subsequent lie whispered in the hope of keeing the truth dear and hidden. Lies harm. Doubt destroys like cancer: slow and steady, with pain and sorrow littering its wake."
T.A. Morlan
"Because I do not hope to turn again...
Because I do not hope
Because I do not hope to turn
Desiring this man’s gift and that man’s scope
I no longer strive to strive towards such things"
T.S. Eliot
"We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness."
Orwell
"We're gonna flash fly this mutha!"
Master Shake
"Overture,Curtain,Lights! This is it, the night of nights. And oh, what heights we'll hit! On with the show this is it! ... Tonight what heights we'll hit... on with the show this is it!"
Bugs Bunny show, ca. 1965
“Think for yourself, question authority. Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are going in this ocean of chaos, it has been the authorities, the political, the religious, the educational authorities who attempted to comfort us by giving us order, rules, regulations, informing, forming in our minds their view of reality. To think for yourself you must question authority and learn how to put yourself in a state of vulnerable, open-mindedness; chaotic, confused, vulnerability to inform yourself. Think for yourself, question authority."
Timothy Leary
"Born with a mustache and a supernova, tossed off the cliffs of Dover; washed up on a faraway shore in the arms of the daughter of the buffalo... Swallower of Planets, the Profits of Doom!"
Clutch
"And then he was fully socketed to her, like a pipe wrench in a crock of warm chili."
Robert K. Tenenbaum.
"Watch, Fat Friar, as I put a clothyard shaft through his wishbone!"
Daffy Duck as Robin hood
"Sorry, Venkman, I'm terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought"
Egon Spengler
"Seymor Krelborn... Sweety, honey, baby... pussycat... sweetheart, dollface... boobalah! My name is Bernstein..."
Bernstein
"She said Im fine, Im okay cover up your trembling hands
Theres indecision when you know you aint got nothing left
When the good times never stay
And the cheap thrills always seem to fade away
When will we fall
When will we fall down."
Toad the Wet Sprocket
"Against stupidity the very gods themselves contend in vain."
Friedrich Schiller
"Are we the ocean? Are we the desert? Are we the garbage? Who's to say?"
Clutch
"In a hundred years our stars' lights forgotten
Names from lack of use faded specifics
Of you and I swallowed,
Lost on the horizon of progression's
Succession of lost moments strung together."
T. A. Morlan
"We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us and we drown."
T.S. EliotSee
"I read your book you magnificent bastard!"
Bill McNeal
"Ah-ha. Sarcasm. The last refuge of sons of bitches!"
Beth
""The lie is ephemeral. It rises out of the mist of life, does its damage and then slips away with time, forgiveness or forgetfullness. But its seed is a solid object. A hard and painful thing lodged in the mind of the receiver. The lie begets doubt, and that doubt is redoubled with every subsequent lie whispered in the hope of keeing the truth dear and hidden. Lies harm. Doubt destroys like cancer: slow and steady, with pain and sorrow littering its wake."
T.A. Morlan
"Because I do not hope to turn again...
Because I do not hope
Because I do not hope to turn
Desiring this man’s gift and that man’s scope
I no longer strive to strive towards such things"
T.S. Eliot
"We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness."
Orwell
"We're gonna flash fly this mutha!"
Master Shake
"Overture,Curtain,Lights! This is it, the night of nights. And oh, what heights we'll hit! On with the show this is it! ... Tonight what heights we'll hit... on with the show this is it!"
Bugs Bunny show, ca. 1965
“Think for yourself, question authority. Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are going in this ocean of chaos, it has been the authorities, the political, the religious, the educational authorities who attempted to comfort us by giving us order, rules, regulations, informing, forming in our minds their view of reality. To think for yourself you must question authority and learn how to put yourself in a state of vulnerable, open-mindedness; chaotic, confused, vulnerability to inform yourself. Think for yourself, question authority."
Timothy Leary
"Born with a mustache and a supernova, tossed off the cliffs of Dover; washed up on a faraway shore in the arms of the daughter of the buffalo... Swallower of Planets, the Profits of Doom!"
Clutch
"And then he was fully socketed to her, like a pipe wrench in a crock of warm chili."
Robert K. Tenenbaum.
"Watch, Fat Friar, as I put a clothyard shaft through his wishbone!"
Daffy Duck as Robin hood
"Sorry, Venkman, I'm terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought"
Egon Spengler
"Seymor Krelborn... Sweety, honey, baby... pussycat... sweetheart, dollface... boobalah! My name is Bernstein..."
Bernstein
"She said Im fine, Im okay cover up your trembling hands
Theres indecision when you know you aint got nothing left
When the good times never stay
And the cheap thrills always seem to fade away
When will we fall
When will we fall down."
Toad the Wet Sprocket
"Against stupidity the very gods themselves contend in vain."
Friedrich Schiller
"Are we the ocean? Are we the desert? Are we the garbage? Who's to say?"
Clutch
"In a hundred years our stars' lights forgotten
Names from lack of use faded specifics
Of you and I swallowed,
Lost on the horizon of progression's
Succession of lost moments strung together."
T. A. Morlan
"We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us and we drown."
T.S. EliotSee
"I read your book you magnificent bastard!"
Bill McNeal
"Ah-ha. Sarcasm. The last refuge of sons of bitches!"
Beth
Monday, September 6, 2010
Truncated Sunday Workout and Under the Dome
Shoulder Warmup
Standing Millitary Press
45 x 10
95 x 10
135 x 10
155 x 10
Pullups
10, 9, 8
then Christan and I got into a fight and I left the gym. Spent the rest of the day reading.
Under the Dome by Stephen King
It takes about 120 pages to get interesting, builds momentum like a tsunami and falls flat in the end.
Unmistakably a Stephen King novel, one in the same vein as The Stand (with about as many characters in considerably less acreage), Under the Dome crackles with fantastic dialogue and almost painfully tight suspense. Seriously, it almost hurts, but not always in a good way. I found myself wondering just how much more could go wrong. Apparently a lot. The upside is that, for the most part, King has a knack for making his characters believable in that good people have bad aspects and bad people have somne good aspects. Though the former sometimes feels a little forced. Elements from "The Mist" and The Stand reappear, and understandibly so. When the shit hits the fan, people are either side with the difficult good or the seamingly easier evil. And under the dome, the shit certainly hits the fan. There are SO many characters that is hard to keep them all straight, particulalry sens ethe setting is all the same area. Several King archetypes reassert themselves. The sometimes dirty mouthed, hot tempered minister who doubts the existence of God, someone with a brain tumor that makes them talk strange, the perfect hero for the job who just so happens to be there when the shit hits the fan, the easily swayed psychophant, a whole bunch of young psyhopaths-in-waiting, the beautiful unmarried heroine, really smart kids, a SHITLOAD of drunks, a crazy drug-addled self-proclaimed prophet (who functions surprisingly well while constantly whacked out on meth) ans, of course, the bad guy.
As to Big Jim Rennie, the really bad guy. Unlike Walter o'Dim or Randall Flagg, who have some some charismatic pull on the reader, I hated this guy from the beginnig. A toad in the worst sense, with no redeeming qualities at all. And this would be fine, but it highlights the hidden subtexts of the novel. I do not think Stephen King likes christians much (at least not the hard-liners). Or the war in Iraq. Or people who doubt global warming. Or Republicans.
Jim Rennie is the conssumate hypocrite christian. A charicature who seems to paint all those who worship their God ferventlty as brainwashed at best, liars at worst. Rennie and the Rev. Coggins suffer from insane beliefs coupled with dubious behavior and sexual fetishes. In the King universe it is fine to believe in God, just do not be so vocal about it. If you do, you just might be crazy. I have no dog in the fight, but I know a lot of christians who belive strongly and are not crazy people. It is his book, but Rennie, while easily hateable, is almost too bad to be true. His balance, to King, is that he is a hypocrite, or worse, a false prophet leading the flock astray, but is so heavy handed it makes me want to be angry for christians everywhere. It is all well and good to doubt and be a hypocrite as long as your faith is quiet and you are the good guy, then it seems less crazy and more a sign of human characterfoible, but "in for a penny, in for a pound" seems to apply here. That or lay it on a little less thick.
The dome itself is a not-so-subtle metaphor for the global warming phenomenon. The only person who rails against the global warming phenomenon is... Big Jim, crazy talking Christian-bigot-pervert.
The book is bent to a liberal standpoint, and that is fine, its King's book, but it is not really what I am looking for in a read. You would think that people who have been around the block would see that every politician is pretty much the same, but perhaps that is my bent. The hero has no love for his time in the millitary, Big Jim (the idiot) and his cronies rail against the president, the millitary is ineffectual, only the good guys happen to bring up the Bush administration and its evils (Darth Vader mask and a Dick Chaney). All subtle hints, but with a thousand-plus pages, it all adds up.
Then, there is the Stephen King ending. He states that this book was a lot longer. It could have spent way more time with the ending. Literally 900 pages bulding up to the horrific climax and then about seventy-five dealing with the aftermath, waiting for a resolution, and then quick, tidy ending that smacked of something I cannot put my finger on. The parrallel structure of ants under a looking glass and the ending itself were weak and underdeveloped, and the wrap-up literally takes all of four or five pages to unravel. Then it is an ending that, to me, made little sense: a sudden psychic link, a sudden parralel situation to the heroine's childhood memory, Oh, MY! But, that's what we got in It, in The Stand, and even in The Dark Tower (though that worked a little better for me). Just like "Lost" the payoff was not worth the investment. A shame.
C+...83
Standing Millitary Press
45 x 10
95 x 10
135 x 10
155 x 10
Pullups
10, 9, 8
then Christan and I got into a fight and I left the gym. Spent the rest of the day reading.
Under the Dome by Stephen King
It takes about 120 pages to get interesting, builds momentum like a tsunami and falls flat in the end.
Unmistakably a Stephen King novel, one in the same vein as The Stand (with about as many characters in considerably less acreage), Under the Dome crackles with fantastic dialogue and almost painfully tight suspense. Seriously, it almost hurts, but not always in a good way. I found myself wondering just how much more could go wrong. Apparently a lot. The upside is that, for the most part, King has a knack for making his characters believable in that good people have bad aspects and bad people have somne good aspects. Though the former sometimes feels a little forced. Elements from "The Mist" and The Stand reappear, and understandibly so. When the shit hits the fan, people are either side with the difficult good or the seamingly easier evil. And under the dome, the shit certainly hits the fan. There are SO many characters that is hard to keep them all straight, particulalry sens ethe setting is all the same area. Several King archetypes reassert themselves. The sometimes dirty mouthed, hot tempered minister who doubts the existence of God, someone with a brain tumor that makes them talk strange, the perfect hero for the job who just so happens to be there when the shit hits the fan, the easily swayed psychophant, a whole bunch of young psyhopaths-in-waiting, the beautiful unmarried heroine, really smart kids, a SHITLOAD of drunks, a crazy drug-addled self-proclaimed prophet (who functions surprisingly well while constantly whacked out on meth) ans, of course, the bad guy.
As to Big Jim Rennie, the really bad guy. Unlike Walter o'Dim or Randall Flagg, who have some some charismatic pull on the reader, I hated this guy from the beginnig. A toad in the worst sense, with no redeeming qualities at all. And this would be fine, but it highlights the hidden subtexts of the novel. I do not think Stephen King likes christians much (at least not the hard-liners). Or the war in Iraq. Or people who doubt global warming. Or Republicans.
Jim Rennie is the conssumate hypocrite christian. A charicature who seems to paint all those who worship their God ferventlty as brainwashed at best, liars at worst. Rennie and the Rev. Coggins suffer from insane beliefs coupled with dubious behavior and sexual fetishes. In the King universe it is fine to believe in God, just do not be so vocal about it. If you do, you just might be crazy. I have no dog in the fight, but I know a lot of christians who belive strongly and are not crazy people. It is his book, but Rennie, while easily hateable, is almost too bad to be true. His balance, to King, is that he is a hypocrite, or worse, a false prophet leading the flock astray, but is so heavy handed it makes me want to be angry for christians everywhere. It is all well and good to doubt and be a hypocrite as long as your faith is quiet and you are the good guy, then it seems less crazy and more a sign of human characterfoible, but "in for a penny, in for a pound" seems to apply here. That or lay it on a little less thick.
The dome itself is a not-so-subtle metaphor for the global warming phenomenon. The only person who rails against the global warming phenomenon is... Big Jim, crazy talking Christian-bigot-pervert.
The book is bent to a liberal standpoint, and that is fine, its King's book, but it is not really what I am looking for in a read. You would think that people who have been around the block would see that every politician is pretty much the same, but perhaps that is my bent. The hero has no love for his time in the millitary, Big Jim (the idiot) and his cronies rail against the president, the millitary is ineffectual, only the good guys happen to bring up the Bush administration and its evils (Darth Vader mask and a Dick Chaney). All subtle hints, but with a thousand-plus pages, it all adds up.
Then, there is the Stephen King ending. He states that this book was a lot longer. It could have spent way more time with the ending. Literally 900 pages bulding up to the horrific climax and then about seventy-five dealing with the aftermath, waiting for a resolution, and then quick, tidy ending that smacked of something I cannot put my finger on. The parrallel structure of ants under a looking glass and the ending itself were weak and underdeveloped, and the wrap-up literally takes all of four or five pages to unravel. Then it is an ending that, to me, made little sense: a sudden psychic link, a sudden parralel situation to the heroine's childhood memory, Oh, MY! But, that's what we got in It, in The Stand, and even in The Dark Tower (though that worked a little better for me). Just like "Lost" the payoff was not worth the investment. A shame.
C+...83
Friday, September 3, 2010
Cardio and "Freakonomics"
Cardio in Waycross
33 minutes w/ warmup and cooldown
2.16 miles
All walks were at 3.5
4 2 minute runs: 5, 5.2, 5.5, 5.8
5 one minute incline walk/run:
4.0 @ 2%
4.2 @ 2.5 %
4.4 @ 3.5%
4.6 @ 4.0%
5.0 @ 4.5%
walk, run, walk, incline... in between walks were either 1 or two minutes. Not a bad cardio workout.
Freakonomics
An interesting read but it would do well to advise its readers to heed its own warning: never trust the experts. While some of the ideas put forth by Dubner and Levitt are neat, it is far from the hidden side of everything. And some of their conclusions suffer from the same things that plague anyone who deals with data and statistics. Namely, the propensity for skewing the results, or in this case, the methods, to favorable directions.
The legalization of abortion vs. crime issue is a fascinating idea, but fails for one glaring reason. While the writers have tons of data about crime and police infrastructures, they have no data at all suprting the abortion side. It is enough for Levitt to say that the women who would have had abortions during the time probably would have kids that would have grown up to be criminals. Half of the equation is based on a supposition, but that is never spelled out. We are expected to just go, "Aha! Genius at work!" and go on our merry way.
Then there is the economics of drug dealing. Truly a unique look into a world most of us will never know, but they use a single group of drug dealers (all be it a large group) to be the basis for all drug dealers. They might even be right, but to insinuate that the many run the same as the one is flawed, particulalry when dealing with the specifics of a drug gang led by a college graduate. One would think that is a rare happenstance. Could be, but how do we know? Levitt and Dubner never tell us if this is a common occurance or is unique to their sample.
Levitt has a clever way of looking at things, but most of them are useful only to a niche group of people. The most widely applicable article deals with real estate agents, and to use the information he provides could be great or it could be trouble, depending on the individual. It puts it in people's minds that real estate agents, all of them, are out for themselves and the client is secondary. A dangerous implication. This section also goes on forever, particularly with the info on the KKK. This was eye opening, but it goes to show an issue with the book. The writer's tend to just keep talking. The articles at the back of the book do a much better job of getting to the point and still delivering the information with an economy of words.
Freakonomics is best understood as a lesson in trying to look at all information through as many lenses as possible. As Timothy Leary said, "Think for yourself. Question authority." Experts and subject authorities abound in our culture and I have to continually remind myself to not just accept what I am hearing as fact. Most of the time, facts are bent to make the point. Levitt and Dubner point this fact out, but fail to apply the concept to themselves. C+: 84
33 minutes w/ warmup and cooldown
2.16 miles
All walks were at 3.5
4 2 minute runs: 5, 5.2, 5.5, 5.8
5 one minute incline walk/run:
4.0 @ 2%
4.2 @ 2.5 %
4.4 @ 3.5%
4.6 @ 4.0%
5.0 @ 4.5%
walk, run, walk, incline... in between walks were either 1 or two minutes. Not a bad cardio workout.
Freakonomics
An interesting read but it would do well to advise its readers to heed its own warning: never trust the experts. While some of the ideas put forth by Dubner and Levitt are neat, it is far from the hidden side of everything. And some of their conclusions suffer from the same things that plague anyone who deals with data and statistics. Namely, the propensity for skewing the results, or in this case, the methods, to favorable directions.
The legalization of abortion vs. crime issue is a fascinating idea, but fails for one glaring reason. While the writers have tons of data about crime and police infrastructures, they have no data at all suprting the abortion side. It is enough for Levitt to say that the women who would have had abortions during the time probably would have kids that would have grown up to be criminals. Half of the equation is based on a supposition, but that is never spelled out. We are expected to just go, "Aha! Genius at work!" and go on our merry way.
Then there is the economics of drug dealing. Truly a unique look into a world most of us will never know, but they use a single group of drug dealers (all be it a large group) to be the basis for all drug dealers. They might even be right, but to insinuate that the many run the same as the one is flawed, particulalry when dealing with the specifics of a drug gang led by a college graduate. One would think that is a rare happenstance. Could be, but how do we know? Levitt and Dubner never tell us if this is a common occurance or is unique to their sample.
Levitt has a clever way of looking at things, but most of them are useful only to a niche group of people. The most widely applicable article deals with real estate agents, and to use the information he provides could be great or it could be trouble, depending on the individual. It puts it in people's minds that real estate agents, all of them, are out for themselves and the client is secondary. A dangerous implication. This section also goes on forever, particularly with the info on the KKK. This was eye opening, but it goes to show an issue with the book. The writer's tend to just keep talking. The articles at the back of the book do a much better job of getting to the point and still delivering the information with an economy of words.
Freakonomics is best understood as a lesson in trying to look at all information through as many lenses as possible. As Timothy Leary said, "Think for yourself. Question authority." Experts and subject authorities abound in our culture and I have to continually remind myself to not just accept what I am hearing as fact. Most of the time, facts are bent to make the point. Levitt and Dubner point this fact out, but fail to apply the concept to themselves. C+: 84
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Hooky
Weighed in at 246.5 again for the fourth week in a row. Decided to hold off on the gym. Mentally frazzled from constant workouts. Come Wednesday I am always shot out. Feel like a pansy, but needed a break. Back at it tomorrow.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Pete's Power Smoothie
Chocolate Strawberry
3-4 Whole Fresh Frozen or Frozen Strawberries
12 0z Kroger Carbmaster Yogurt... Strawberry
1 scoop Body Fortress Whey Protein... Chocolate Flavor
1 Scoop Slim Fast High Protein... Chocolate
16 oz Skim Milk
Put in a blender. Ice Crush for 15 seconds, Whip for 15 seconds
Protein: 61 grams
Sugars: 37 grams... mostly from milk and berries
Fat: 5 grams
3-4 Whole Fresh Frozen or Frozen Strawberries
12 0z Kroger Carbmaster Yogurt... Strawberry
1 scoop Body Fortress Whey Protein... Chocolate Flavor
1 Scoop Slim Fast High Protein... Chocolate
16 oz Skim Milk
Put in a blender. Ice Crush for 15 seconds, Whip for 15 seconds
Protein: 61 grams
Sugars: 37 grams... mostly from milk and berries
Fat: 5 grams
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Further Adventures of Proto-Mechanic
The Place: My Garage and Surrounding Yard
The Job: The Briggs and Stratton Mower Engine
Assumed Time: One Never Can Know with the F_____g Lawnmower
So, after all the rigamarole I finally weedeated (weedate, weediateded?) the yard pretty well. Hop on the mower to right the wrongs of an overgrown yard and, five minutes in, she craps out and will not start back up. "No problem," thinks Proto-Mechanic, "it's prolly a clogged carburetor... again." Been there done that. Its getting late, so I figure I will do it Wednesday, first day off from the gym. Fifteen minutes, two hours, I'll have it licked.
Flash forward to Wednesday. With the practiced hands of a barely functioning monkey I remove the carburetor, blow that sucker out with some compressed air, reattach the offending part and volia... the mower scoffs at me. F______G MOWER!
This of course neccesitates a call. I place that call to Master of Sport Mechanic and All-Round Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry, who suggests carburetor cleaner instead. Makes sense to me. So, I go to the wall of solvents at Advanced Auto Parts (no theme music, just happens to be on the way to pick up Gage) and after staring at the wall for five minutes debating wether to spend 8 bucks on Sea-Foam cleaner, I find the Carb Cleaner on the bottom shelf for a buck and ninety nine. Back to the house, remove the carburetor with the steady hands of an alcoholic surgeon, blow that sucker out, wipe excess carb cleaner from my glasses and face, reattach the offending part and voila... the mower laughs at me in a choking, not-gonna-start for you kinda way. F______g Mower.
Move it on up to the Eastside of Saturday. Off comes the carburetor pretty easily, familiarity breeds ability AND contempt. Everything looks right. Put it back on and the carburetor is flooding the engine. I mean pouring gas out of every orifice. Does not seem like that is a good thing. Off comes the carburetor. I do it with my eyes closed. Not true, but it is getting to be old hat (CONTEMPT!!!) by now. Put it back on just as easily. No gas pouring out. Turn the key. Son of a bitch.
Out comes the phone and... the answer. Master of Sport Mechanic and All-Round Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry asks if there was gas in the bowl. I say there was. Then he says "Well, if there is a gas in the bowl, it has to be something blocking the standpipe". He then goes to the gym. I, of course, have a revelation thanks to his statement. I recall the switch-thingy on the bottom of the bowl from my last encounter with the carburetor. The electronic do0-hicky has a lil' piston on it that shuts the standpipe off from gas flow when the key is in the "off" position. when the key is turned to "on". The piston descends and allows gas to flow. "What if," Proto-Mechanic postulates, "the thingamabob is broke?"
So, like some magus conjuring the spirits, I whip the carburator off, take of the... the... thing, hook it up to the electronics, turn the key and nothing. Actually, this is awesome. With some help from Master of Sport Mechanic and All-Round Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry, I use my new Test Light ($4.99 from Autozone... duh-duh-dunta-dun-da... Autozone) to make sure that the wiring harness works, which it does (so does the solenoid- more's the pity, but the starter will be for another day), making my diagnosis complete. Awesome.
Off to town, two towns, Waycross and Blackshear. Saturday afternoon in the south. Makes sense to me that not a lawnmower shop in the are is open. I hit Lowes, Tractor Supply, O'Reilly's and Autozone... Duh-duh-dunta-duna-da... Autozone to no avail. Will have to wait until Monday.
Monday roles around and I head to the 5 Points Lawnmower Center in Blackshear:
Guy at the counter: "What can I do for you today?"
Me: "I'm on a wild goose chase, looking for a goose." I show him the chochki.
Guy: "Want me to tell you the cheap and easy thing to do?"
Me: Do I? "Yes."
Guy: "Take a pair of clippers and clip the little piston off."
Me: Looking dubiously.
Guy: "See this is a (insert proper terms that sounded latin to me). It keeps the mower from backfiring. Doesn't even do a very good job at that.
Me: "I know what you mean." Sort of.
Guy: "Yeah, they just put that on there to keep you from blowing off your muffler. It's no big deal."
Me: "Let's back up to the part where I blow off my muffler."
Guy: "A rare case unless you get too much gas and air in the muffler, turn the key and 'boom'. but you could replace this (latin) for 45 of 60 bucks."
Me: My soul bulges at the idea of dropping 50 bucks on a lil' ol' nothing part. "Well, I'll try the cheap and easy route."
Run by the house, throw the carburetor together like a Master of Sport Mechanic, clip the piston off the latin thing and attach it like an artificial heart. Turn the key...
It was a that point I started to cry.
I go back to work, wondering if I knocked the standpipe off the carb at some point. Run home after work, turn the key... EUREKA!!! She's running. I let her run a few minutes, shut it off throw all the parts back on with a new air filtter assembly ($14.95 from the ...snicker... Do-It Center) and go to start it back up again. COME ON!!!
So, I go to the gym.
After the gym, I try again. BOO-ya. She starts but is running like poop. I check the throttle, it is stuck on low. Turn it a little... ah-yeah, now we are cooking with fatty grease, baby! I proceed to mow. I mow the sides and little back yard and sweep it al up. Pull partway into the garage and throttle down, shut the mower off. Go to start it agin, just to make sure...
and I blow my muffler off.
Allright so it did not physically come off but
1) I saw flames
2) there was a short, high pitched retort like a gunshot, a sound like it came from the depths of outer space to break my mind and then
3) the ringing silence
4) I said something untowards, but could not hear it or remember what I thought because my brain was broken... like a sucker punch from the Briggs and Stratton Gods: "Screw with our parts, eh, Proto-Mechanic! Now suffer the consequences!!!"
5) There was smoke coming from the muffler.
I felt like the kid from A Christmas Story: "I shot my eye out."
"I blew up my muffler."
So, it only took the better part of three days and as long as I can handle ear-rattling, brain damaging, Engine God revengencers in the form of sharp retorts from the center of space, I should be good to go. Good news is that the muffler is up front so, when I really do blow the thing off, the shrapnel should avoid me.
Of course, the latin thingy was supposed to do a piss poor job of avoiding back fires, so it was not that important. Ya'll see how that worked out. Gonna head to a surpless store and see about a flak jacket, just to be safe.
Total Time: about 8 hours
The Job: The Briggs and Stratton Mower Engine
Assumed Time: One Never Can Know with the F_____g Lawnmower
So, after all the rigamarole I finally weedeated (weedate, weediateded?) the yard pretty well. Hop on the mower to right the wrongs of an overgrown yard and, five minutes in, she craps out and will not start back up. "No problem," thinks Proto-Mechanic, "it's prolly a clogged carburetor... again." Been there done that. Its getting late, so I figure I will do it Wednesday, first day off from the gym. Fifteen minutes, two hours, I'll have it licked.
Flash forward to Wednesday. With the practiced hands of a barely functioning monkey I remove the carburetor, blow that sucker out with some compressed air, reattach the offending part and volia... the mower scoffs at me. F______G MOWER!
This of course neccesitates a call. I place that call to Master of Sport Mechanic and All-Round Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry, who suggests carburetor cleaner instead. Makes sense to me. So, I go to the wall of solvents at Advanced Auto Parts (no theme music, just happens to be on the way to pick up Gage) and after staring at the wall for five minutes debating wether to spend 8 bucks on Sea-Foam cleaner, I find the Carb Cleaner on the bottom shelf for a buck and ninety nine. Back to the house, remove the carburetor with the steady hands of an alcoholic surgeon, blow that sucker out, wipe excess carb cleaner from my glasses and face, reattach the offending part and voila... the mower laughs at me in a choking, not-gonna-start for you kinda way. F______g Mower.
Move it on up to the Eastside of Saturday. Off comes the carburetor pretty easily, familiarity breeds ability AND contempt. Everything looks right. Put it back on and the carburetor is flooding the engine. I mean pouring gas out of every orifice. Does not seem like that is a good thing. Off comes the carburetor. I do it with my eyes closed. Not true, but it is getting to be old hat (CONTEMPT!!!) by now. Put it back on just as easily. No gas pouring out. Turn the key. Son of a bitch.
Out comes the phone and... the answer. Master of Sport Mechanic and All-Round Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry asks if there was gas in the bowl. I say there was. Then he says "Well, if there is a gas in the bowl, it has to be something blocking the standpipe". He then goes to the gym. I, of course, have a revelation thanks to his statement. I recall the switch-thingy on the bottom of the bowl from my last encounter with the carburetor. The electronic do0-hicky has a lil' piston on it that shuts the standpipe off from gas flow when the key is in the "off" position. when the key is turned to "on". The piston descends and allows gas to flow. "What if," Proto-Mechanic postulates, "the thingamabob is broke?"
So, like some magus conjuring the spirits, I whip the carburator off, take of the... the... thing, hook it up to the electronics, turn the key and nothing. Actually, this is awesome. With some help from Master of Sport Mechanic and All-Round Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry, I use my new Test Light ($4.99 from Autozone... duh-duh-dunta-dun-da... Autozone) to make sure that the wiring harness works, which it does (so does the solenoid- more's the pity, but the starter will be for another day), making my diagnosis complete. Awesome.
Off to town, two towns, Waycross and Blackshear. Saturday afternoon in the south. Makes sense to me that not a lawnmower shop in the are is open. I hit Lowes, Tractor Supply, O'Reilly's and Autozone... Duh-duh-dunta-duna-da... Autozone to no avail. Will have to wait until Monday.
Monday roles around and I head to the 5 Points Lawnmower Center in Blackshear:
Guy at the counter: "What can I do for you today?"
Me: "I'm on a wild goose chase, looking for a goose." I show him the chochki.
Guy: "Want me to tell you the cheap and easy thing to do?"
Me: Do I? "Yes."
Guy: "Take a pair of clippers and clip the little piston off."
Me: Looking dubiously.
Guy: "See this is a (insert proper terms that sounded latin to me). It keeps the mower from backfiring. Doesn't even do a very good job at that.
Me: "I know what you mean." Sort of.
Guy: "Yeah, they just put that on there to keep you from blowing off your muffler. It's no big deal."
Me: "Let's back up to the part where I blow off my muffler."
Guy: "A rare case unless you get too much gas and air in the muffler, turn the key and 'boom'. but you could replace this (latin) for 45 of 60 bucks."
Me: My soul bulges at the idea of dropping 50 bucks on a lil' ol' nothing part. "Well, I'll try the cheap and easy route."
Run by the house, throw the carburetor together like a Master of Sport Mechanic, clip the piston off the latin thing and attach it like an artificial heart. Turn the key...
It was a that point I started to cry.
I go back to work, wondering if I knocked the standpipe off the carb at some point. Run home after work, turn the key... EUREKA!!! She's running. I let her run a few minutes, shut it off throw all the parts back on with a new air filtter assembly ($14.95 from the ...snicker... Do-It Center) and go to start it back up again. COME ON!!!
So, I go to the gym.
After the gym, I try again. BOO-ya. She starts but is running like poop. I check the throttle, it is stuck on low. Turn it a little... ah-yeah, now we are cooking with fatty grease, baby! I proceed to mow. I mow the sides and little back yard and sweep it al up. Pull partway into the garage and throttle down, shut the mower off. Go to start it agin, just to make sure...
and I blow my muffler off.
Allright so it did not physically come off but
1) I saw flames
2) there was a short, high pitched retort like a gunshot, a sound like it came from the depths of outer space to break my mind and then
3) the ringing silence
4) I said something untowards, but could not hear it or remember what I thought because my brain was broken... like a sucker punch from the Briggs and Stratton Gods: "Screw with our parts, eh, Proto-Mechanic! Now suffer the consequences!!!"
5) There was smoke coming from the muffler.
I felt like the kid from A Christmas Story: "I shot my eye out."
"I blew up my muffler."
So, it only took the better part of three days and as long as I can handle ear-rattling, brain damaging, Engine God revengencers in the form of sharp retorts from the center of space, I should be good to go. Good news is that the muffler is up front so, when I really do blow the thing off, the shrapnel should avoid me.
Of course, the latin thingy was supposed to do a piss poor job of avoiding back fires, so it was not that important. Ya'll see how that worked out. Gonna head to a surpless store and see about a flak jacket, just to be safe.
Total Time: about 8 hours
Friday, August 6, 2010
Ender's Game
Just finished the Orson Scott Card's first novel. With great expectations come great disappointments. I had heard nothing but good about the book, and while it does a great job of building tension up unto the end, it suffers from a one major flaw. Unlike Lord of the Flies, I never believed that I was dealing with children. Even though they were supposed to be uber-smart, they were all apparently uber-mature as well. It never played well that Ender was a eleven at the time of his great victory. The great victory was a cop-out as well. A rehash of another part of the book that somehow works out in the end. Peter and Valentine also change the whole course of world events at 13 and 16... it just begins to get old that these kids are so young and can handle it all so maturely.
It never makes sense how the Formics (ridiculously called buggers throughout the WHOLE novel) can touch Enders mind but cannot learn how to beat him, even with the simple strategy he used in the end, which is never made exactly clear as to how he does it, it just works. Also, the ansibel that can communicate faster than time, there seems to be a bit of a space/time issue with how it works when put with the fact that the ships in the distance are traveling at near light speed. The age difference between Peter and his siblings is understood, but the communication factor seems too handy.
The novel is saved by the bittersweet and emotionally charged prologue: The Speaker for the Dead. A beautiful end to a dissapointing novel, though I did like how Ender becomes an outcast after his great victory. But the epilogue stands alone as the best part of the novel.
Ender's Game: 80... C
It never makes sense how the Formics (ridiculously called buggers throughout the WHOLE novel) can touch Enders mind but cannot learn how to beat him, even with the simple strategy he used in the end, which is never made exactly clear as to how he does it, it just works. Also, the ansibel that can communicate faster than time, there seems to be a bit of a space/time issue with how it works when put with the fact that the ships in the distance are traveling at near light speed. The age difference between Peter and his siblings is understood, but the communication factor seems too handy.
The novel is saved by the bittersweet and emotionally charged prologue: The Speaker for the Dead. A beautiful end to a dissapointing novel, though I did like how Ender becomes an outcast after his great victory. But the epilogue stands alone as the best part of the novel.
Ender's Game: 80... C
Saturday, July 24, 2010
The Hurt Locker
Not what I was expecting. The pace was slow, but it was a strong character piece about the protagonist Sgt. James. Jeremy Renner did a wonderful job. Came across as relaxed and controlled in every scene. Made the scenes where he lost control all the more powerful. Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty were solid in supporting roles. Had some odd shots that did not seem to fit. Almost, but not quite, captured the alienness of being in danger in a foreign land every day. Wound up a little disjointed. Glad it did not end how I thought it was going to end. Decent movie, but not best picture quality. B--
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Further Adventures of Proto-Mechanic
The Place: Valdosta
The Vehicle: 1989 Cutlass Cierra
The Job: Automatic Belt Tensioner Assembly
Assumed time: 3 hours
So, we get to Valdoata about 5 o'clock. Sure enough, the belt tensioner is shot. I quickly remove the pulley and notice that there is a single bolt running through the actual tensioner. I think, "I get me a Torx head bit and this here is a cinch."
New Assumed time: 35 minutes.
Advanced Auto on Ashley does not have the part, but they do pull up a picture. There seems to be a suspiciously large bracket attached to the tensioner. That does not bode well. Head off to the AutoZone... duna-dunta-dun-ta...AutoZone. They have the tensioner and sure enough there is a bracket with six holes for bolts. Awesome.
Back at the car, I cannot break the bolts off. I have a breaker bar, but the only 13mm socket I have is a 1/4. I have no adapter to go 1/2 to 1/4. Also, the bracket appears to have three of its bolts hidden behind the power steering pulley. A quick call to Master of Sport Mechanic and All-Round-Great-Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry. Seems you have to pull one of these suckers off with a "Power Steering Pulley Puller." To Advanced Auto we go. No such luck, they are out. Back we go to AutoZone...duna-dunta-dun-ta... Autozone. I get a small set of mm sockets (13mm-18mm: $9.99) and rent the puller.
Back at the car the puller will not fit. The puller bolt is 4 inches long, my clearance is 3 inches. What to do? Call Master of Sport Mechanic and All-Round-Great-Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry. He says "the bolts have to come out somehow, they cannot expect you to break down the engine to remove the tensioner. " I stumble upon the somehow: the pulley has holes in it you can place a deepwell socket into. Good news. Bad news is these bolts are 10mm and I have no 10mm deepwell socket.
Back we head to Autozone... duna-dunta-dun-ta... Autozone to return the puller and get a small set of mm sockets (8mm-13mm: free because they would not listen to what I was telling them).
On the way back to the car I tell the wife and boy that I got a bad feeling about the last bolt, the underbolt, the one out of the way. "It's gonna be a F_____," I tell them.
Back at the car, One, Two big bolts come out easy, Three is easy. The Pulley bolts are next: Top one comes out. Kind of a pain because you have to use the deepwell until the space to work is too small then you go back to regular socket, THEN you twist it out with your fingers, hoping you do not drop it while you squeeze it aginst the pulley and spin the pulley to retrieve the bolt where you have it squeezzed against the pulley. Middle bolt begins to break AND all the antifreeze in the block come a'pourin' out. I figure as long as I do not see oil, we are okay. It's just antifreeze we are spilling all over this church's parking lot. Bottom bolt proves Proto-Mechanic to be a psychic. It indeed is a F______. And it will prove to be a F_____ again in a few minutes. But, after a struggle with the F_____ bolt, the plate is off and the engine is devoid of antifreeze.
A note: the suspiciously large bracket/plate attached to the belt tensioner also acts as a bracket for the power steering pump. Awesome. So while you put the bracket back on, you have to hold the power steering pump up in order to get the bolts in there.
The big three bolts go back on easily, the Pulley bolts are a bit harder, but once the Top one is in, the Middle goes in easily. Of course, that leaves up with the Bottom bolt, you remember, the F_____ bolt. I come up with an ingenious plan to hold the bolt in the socket using 1) a piece of paper and 2) my ingenuity, and then get the F______ bolt in by 1) encouragement from Master of Sport Mechanic and All-Round-Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry who says that "you just fiddle with it until it kind of pops in there" and 2) fiddling with it until it just popped in there. After three minutes of actual bolt tightening and twenty minutes of phantom bolt tightening ("I'm on something. I think. But it ain't tightening. Wait. That's absolutely nothing. I don't understand that S___!) the Belt tensioner bracket that bolts the Belt Tensioner and the Power Steering Pump to the block and holds in all the antifreeze is attached. Logan routes the belt three times wrong, fouth time charmingly and we are set for a test.
Car starts and nothing is leaking. Power steering is squeeling but MOSMaARGG,MPML Terry says he needs a new belt and the sound might just go away, but get the belt anyway. We eat at subway and Logan makes his way home. We drive another hour and fifteen to the house. Another Do-It-Yourself mechanicing job stumbled through. Though this time, I kept my temper pretty well.
Total Actual time: 4 hours with trips.
The Vehicle: 1989 Cutlass Cierra
The Job: Automatic Belt Tensioner Assembly
Assumed time: 3 hours
So, we get to Valdoata about 5 o'clock. Sure enough, the belt tensioner is shot. I quickly remove the pulley and notice that there is a single bolt running through the actual tensioner. I think, "I get me a Torx head bit and this here is a cinch."
New Assumed time: 35 minutes.
Advanced Auto on Ashley does not have the part, but they do pull up a picture. There seems to be a suspiciously large bracket attached to the tensioner. That does not bode well. Head off to the AutoZone... duna-dunta-dun-ta...AutoZone. They have the tensioner and sure enough there is a bracket with six holes for bolts. Awesome.
Back at the car, I cannot break the bolts off. I have a breaker bar, but the only 13mm socket I have is a 1/4. I have no adapter to go 1/2 to 1/4. Also, the bracket appears to have three of its bolts hidden behind the power steering pulley. A quick call to Master of Sport Mechanic and All-Round-Great-Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry. Seems you have to pull one of these suckers off with a "Power Steering Pulley Puller." To Advanced Auto we go. No such luck, they are out. Back we go to AutoZone...duna-dunta-dun-ta... Autozone. I get a small set of mm sockets (13mm-18mm: $9.99) and rent the puller.
Back at the car the puller will not fit. The puller bolt is 4 inches long, my clearance is 3 inches. What to do? Call Master of Sport Mechanic and All-Round-Great-Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry. He says "the bolts have to come out somehow, they cannot expect you to break down the engine to remove the tensioner. " I stumble upon the somehow: the pulley has holes in it you can place a deepwell socket into. Good news. Bad news is these bolts are 10mm and I have no 10mm deepwell socket.
Back we head to Autozone... duna-dunta-dun-ta... Autozone to return the puller and get a small set of mm sockets (8mm-13mm: free because they would not listen to what I was telling them).
On the way back to the car I tell the wife and boy that I got a bad feeling about the last bolt, the underbolt, the one out of the way. "It's gonna be a F_____," I tell them.
Back at the car, One, Two big bolts come out easy, Three is easy. The Pulley bolts are next: Top one comes out. Kind of a pain because you have to use the deepwell until the space to work is too small then you go back to regular socket, THEN you twist it out with your fingers, hoping you do not drop it while you squeeze it aginst the pulley and spin the pulley to retrieve the bolt where you have it squeezzed against the pulley. Middle bolt begins to break AND all the antifreeze in the block come a'pourin' out. I figure as long as I do not see oil, we are okay. It's just antifreeze we are spilling all over this church's parking lot. Bottom bolt proves Proto-Mechanic to be a psychic. It indeed is a F______. And it will prove to be a F_____ again in a few minutes. But, after a struggle with the F_____ bolt, the plate is off and the engine is devoid of antifreeze.
A note: the suspiciously large bracket/plate attached to the belt tensioner also acts as a bracket for the power steering pump. Awesome. So while you put the bracket back on, you have to hold the power steering pump up in order to get the bolts in there.
The big three bolts go back on easily, the Pulley bolts are a bit harder, but once the Top one is in, the Middle goes in easily. Of course, that leaves up with the Bottom bolt, you remember, the F_____ bolt. I come up with an ingenious plan to hold the bolt in the socket using 1) a piece of paper and 2) my ingenuity, and then get the F______ bolt in by 1) encouragement from Master of Sport Mechanic and All-Round-Great Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry who says that "you just fiddle with it until it kind of pops in there" and 2) fiddling with it until it just popped in there. After three minutes of actual bolt tightening and twenty minutes of phantom bolt tightening ("I'm on something. I think. But it ain't tightening. Wait. That's absolutely nothing. I don't understand that S___!) the Belt tensioner bracket that bolts the Belt Tensioner and the Power Steering Pump to the block and holds in all the antifreeze is attached. Logan routes the belt three times wrong, fouth time charmingly and we are set for a test.
Car starts and nothing is leaking. Power steering is squeeling but MOSMaARGG,MPML Terry says he needs a new belt and the sound might just go away, but get the belt anyway. We eat at subway and Logan makes his way home. We drive another hour and fifteen to the house. Another Do-It-Yourself mechanicing job stumbled through. Though this time, I kept my temper pretty well.
Total Actual time: 4 hours with trips.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Proto-Mechanic Teaser
First, I know I should be known as Neo-Mechanic, but I just like the sound of Proto-Mechanic: First Mechanic, First Time Mechanic...
So, Logan calls with loose belt. Seems his belt tensioner is out... or so it seems. Proto-Mechanic will be leaving at 3 today in order to try and fix the issue and not screw the pootch. Update on the Blog tomorrow.
Of course, Logan made it out to Terry like I thought it was the alternator. I simply told Logan that without the belt running the alternator would not keep the battery charged. Now Terry thinks I misdiagnosed the issue, which I did not.
So, Logan calls with loose belt. Seems his belt tensioner is out... or so it seems. Proto-Mechanic will be leaving at 3 today in order to try and fix the issue and not screw the pootch. Update on the Blog tomorrow.
Of course, Logan made it out to Terry like I thought it was the alternator. I simply told Logan that without the belt running the alternator would not keep the battery charged. Now Terry thinks I misdiagnosed the issue, which I did not.
Monday, July 19, 2010
The Further Adventures of Pete Bush: Proto-Mechanic... and some Movies
EGR Valve
So, the van cuts out on Christan down in Jacksonville. She takes it to Advanced Auto and comes up with two codes: P0404 and P0406... both dealing with the EGR valve. Never heard of it before, but the guy at Autozone told Christan that "it would be 30 or 40 bucks and was a a plug n'play piece." At that point I felt good about the whole project. Right in Proto-Mechanic's wheelhouse.
The EGR valve was seventy-seven bucks. That should have been an omen. Should have been. Got an air filter as well. Ninety bucks at the Autozone. Awesome.
Got up late Saturday. This was the day I fell in love with my chainsaw. Nate and I took down a fallen limb, chopped it into bits and were done in fifteen minutes. I love my chainsaw. On to the EGR valve.
Easy to find. Top bolts are 5/16, bottom bolts 10mm. Makes sense to me. First three bolts are EPJ. Then, the fourth bolt.
The fourth bolt on the EGRV is located just above the alternator, and I mean just above. So just above that a ratchet will not fit into the gap. I had an inkling about what to do, but called Master of Sport Mechanic Extraordinaire and All-Round-Great-Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry who agreed that the alternator would have to be loosened.
The top bolt and mounting bracket both came out with little issue, just time consuming as the ROM for ratchet work is negligible. Unfortunatly, the second bolt is in a wee gap under the belt with even less ROM and in order to get to it with a ratchet you need to go by feel. This took a long time. And once these three bolts were out... the alternator would not budge. At this point I lost control.
According to my tear filled phone call to MOSMEaARGG,MPML Terry, there is a third bolt toward the front. I found it. If you had no air conditioning setup, it would be easy to get to. I have AC, so it was not. No way in Hell or God's Green Earth a ratchet will get in there and, of course, the alternator is held on by 15mm bolts and I only have a smattering of SAE wrenches. Off to Ace Hardware: $23.86 for a set of metric wrenches. I find that I have to buy tools for every job I do.
Alternator moves once third bolt is loosened. Have to impress Nate into service. We finally get it off, get the new one on. Total time: 4 hours. Assumed time: 45 minutes.
Good news: the van starts up.
Air filter takes three minutes to remove and install. Right on schedule.
At this point, the gym has assumed the "no chance in hell" status.
Proto-Mechanic became DJ Yardman on Sunday. Mowed all three yards and swept up small backyard and front yard. Gots to weedeat, rake and trim trees next weekend.
Watched movies:
Firefly
A great TV series that never got a chance. Great acting (except for Adam Bladwin who tries too hard to be doltish), great stories, fantastic CGI, Hot Chicks and Hot guest stars. Nate and I watched the whole single season series this past week. Wish we could have seen more about Shepherd Book and the bounty Hunter Jubal Early. A-
Serenity
As icing on the cake we went with the movie of the series. Enjoyable movie that waffles between looking like good ST movies and bad ST movies. A little bit of a disconnect between the relationsip between Mal and the Tam's but is acceptable. Good self-contained story, solid acting and Chiwitel Ejiofor... my man. Little far fetched in the end, but good fun. Sad to see Book and Wash go. B+
Hot-Tub Time Machine
Back to the Future meets The Wedding Singer. Not as smart as the first, not as funny as the second. The best part was catching the Better off Dead references. Had some funny stuff, but just did not work. Clark Duke, the unknown, was the funniest guy in the movie. Ridiculously perfect ending, not to mention a whole time travel continuity issue. C-
The Book of Eli
Better than I anticipated, but so slow. The Road Warrior meets The Road. The revelation did not make a ton of sense to me, but it was cool... I guess. Gary Oldman chews through his scenes. Denzel was great in a subdued role. Contrast this with Training Day and you see the chops. Actually liked Mila Kunis in this. Still, the thing meanders to a questionable end. Kind of derivitive outside of the main story line. I liked the vaguity about the reason behind the war and the book burning. B-
Mr. Wrong
Ellen Degeneres vehicle from 96. Starts off hilarious and ends up ridiculous. Bill Pullman plays the unbalanced whit wonderfully and Degeneres actually does a very fine comedic job, never over-doing it. Still, a waste of time. D+
So, the van cuts out on Christan down in Jacksonville. She takes it to Advanced Auto and comes up with two codes: P0404 and P0406... both dealing with the EGR valve. Never heard of it before, but the guy at Autozone told Christan that "it would be 30 or 40 bucks and was a a plug n'play piece." At that point I felt good about the whole project. Right in Proto-Mechanic's wheelhouse.
The EGR valve was seventy-seven bucks. That should have been an omen. Should have been. Got an air filter as well. Ninety bucks at the Autozone. Awesome.
Got up late Saturday. This was the day I fell in love with my chainsaw. Nate and I took down a fallen limb, chopped it into bits and were done in fifteen minutes. I love my chainsaw. On to the EGR valve.
Easy to find. Top bolts are 5/16, bottom bolts 10mm. Makes sense to me. First three bolts are EPJ. Then, the fourth bolt.
The fourth bolt on the EGRV is located just above the alternator, and I mean just above. So just above that a ratchet will not fit into the gap. I had an inkling about what to do, but called Master of Sport Mechanic Extraordinaire and All-Round-Great-Guy, My Personal Mechanicing Lifeline Terry who agreed that the alternator would have to be loosened.
The top bolt and mounting bracket both came out with little issue, just time consuming as the ROM for ratchet work is negligible. Unfortunatly, the second bolt is in a wee gap under the belt with even less ROM and in order to get to it with a ratchet you need to go by feel. This took a long time. And once these three bolts were out... the alternator would not budge. At this point I lost control.
According to my tear filled phone call to MOSMEaARGG,MPML Terry, there is a third bolt toward the front. I found it. If you had no air conditioning setup, it would be easy to get to. I have AC, so it was not. No way in Hell or God's Green Earth a ratchet will get in there and, of course, the alternator is held on by 15mm bolts and I only have a smattering of SAE wrenches. Off to Ace Hardware: $23.86 for a set of metric wrenches. I find that I have to buy tools for every job I do.
Alternator moves once third bolt is loosened. Have to impress Nate into service. We finally get it off, get the new one on. Total time: 4 hours. Assumed time: 45 minutes.
Good news: the van starts up.
Air filter takes three minutes to remove and install. Right on schedule.
At this point, the gym has assumed the "no chance in hell" status.
Proto-Mechanic became DJ Yardman on Sunday. Mowed all three yards and swept up small backyard and front yard. Gots to weedeat, rake and trim trees next weekend.
Watched movies:
Firefly
A great TV series that never got a chance. Great acting (except for Adam Bladwin who tries too hard to be doltish), great stories, fantastic CGI, Hot Chicks and Hot guest stars. Nate and I watched the whole single season series this past week. Wish we could have seen more about Shepherd Book and the bounty Hunter Jubal Early. A-
Serenity
As icing on the cake we went with the movie of the series. Enjoyable movie that waffles between looking like good ST movies and bad ST movies. A little bit of a disconnect between the relationsip between Mal and the Tam's but is acceptable. Good self-contained story, solid acting and Chiwitel Ejiofor... my man. Little far fetched in the end, but good fun. Sad to see Book and Wash go. B+
Hot-Tub Time Machine
Back to the Future meets The Wedding Singer. Not as smart as the first, not as funny as the second. The best part was catching the Better off Dead references. Had some funny stuff, but just did not work. Clark Duke, the unknown, was the funniest guy in the movie. Ridiculously perfect ending, not to mention a whole time travel continuity issue. C-
The Book of Eli
Better than I anticipated, but so slow. The Road Warrior meets The Road. The revelation did not make a ton of sense to me, but it was cool... I guess. Gary Oldman chews through his scenes. Denzel was great in a subdued role. Contrast this with Training Day and you see the chops. Actually liked Mila Kunis in this. Still, the thing meanders to a questionable end. Kind of derivitive outside of the main story line. I liked the vaguity about the reason behind the war and the book burning. B-
Mr. Wrong
Ellen Degeneres vehicle from 96. Starts off hilarious and ends up ridiculous. Bill Pullman plays the unbalanced whit wonderfully and Degeneres actually does a very fine comedic job, never over-doing it. Still, a waste of time. D+
Friday, June 18, 2010
Seven Pounds: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson
As someone constantly trying to ammend for his sins, who does not care for himself, who is desperate to make a difference, this movie is powerful, even if I figured out the twist right after the box jellyfish scene. Will Smith plays a fantastically muted version of himself, on the borderline of being broken at any point. Woody Harrelson gives the best perfomance of his career, in my opinion. Rosario Dawson is downright powerful. There is never a doubt that she actually IS the character she is playing, sickness and all. A beautifully acted piece with a just a smattering of too much heavy handed emotion, but whose slap-in-the-face ending is, while transparent, still effective. You wonder how an individual can exist with so much hate for himself and love for others for so long. And in the end love both wins and loses. B+
Thursday, June 3, 2010
David Mamet and Training Log: Bis and tris and "cardio"
Just finished Watching Mamet's The Spanish Prisoner from '97. Even though it is odd, I have always loved Mamet's dialogue and rythms of speech. Rebecca Pidgeon, his wife of nearly 20 years, shines in an adorable role that makes the ending even more shocking. Steve Martin absolutley nails his performance as Jimmy Dell, the con man. He takes to the Mamet style seemlessly. Some say the characterizations get lost in the style with Mamet's work, but it simply lends itself to an atmosphere I have grown to enjoy. Always great to see my boy Ricky Jay in action. Though the plot is the most elaborate con of all time, it makes for good, if not believable, movie watching.
Two points of contention: Campbell Scott characterization IS lost in the style. He never seems to merege with the dialogue and it just gets worse as the movie goes on. That's the first problem, the second is the ending. Incredible let down. That was the problem with Redbelt. Not the problem with Heist. The ending is outlandish and poorly done. A great example of what could have been. B-
Wednesday at AF in Blackshear
Pullups
4 sets of 5... just tough today
Kneeling Pulley Crunch
110 x 12
115 x 12
140 x 12
115 x 12
Standing BB Tricep Extens
45 x 12
65 x 12
95 x 12
105 x 12
Alternating Hammer Curls
30 x 8 x ea
35 x 8 x ea
40 x 6 x ea
35 x 8 x ea
Pushups: feet up, handles
12, 15, 15, 20
Russian Twists
+15 x 20
+20 x 20 x 2
Wide Grip Push downs
65 x 12
80 x 12
95 x 12
Two Hand Pulley Curl
65 x 12
80 x 12
110 x 12
Chris and I walked Around the block twice, hence "Cardio".
Two points of contention: Campbell Scott characterization IS lost in the style. He never seems to merege with the dialogue and it just gets worse as the movie goes on. That's the first problem, the second is the ending. Incredible let down. That was the problem with Redbelt. Not the problem with Heist. The ending is outlandish and poorly done. A great example of what could have been. B-
Wednesday at AF in Blackshear
Pullups
4 sets of 5... just tough today
Kneeling Pulley Crunch
110 x 12
115 x 12
140 x 12
115 x 12
Standing BB Tricep Extens
45 x 12
65 x 12
95 x 12
105 x 12
Alternating Hammer Curls
30 x 8 x ea
35 x 8 x ea
40 x 6 x ea
35 x 8 x ea
Pushups: feet up, handles
12, 15, 15, 20
Russian Twists
+15 x 20
+20 x 20 x 2
Wide Grip Push downs
65 x 12
80 x 12
95 x 12
Two Hand Pulley Curl
65 x 12
80 x 12
110 x 12
Chris and I walked Around the block twice, hence "Cardio".
Monday, May 31, 2010
A Weekend of doing nothing, gastrointestinal debauchery, movies and more doing nothing
Outside of the gym on Saturday and making good use of the empty nest just before that, I did nothing constructive this weekend. No yard work, no writing, no nothin'. Oh, except eating WAY too much garbage. But, it has reinforced my desire to track down 225 and make it mine own.
Saw a few movies:
It's Complicated: Alec Baldwin, Meryl Streep
Nothing fancy, but enjoyable. If you have been married a long time, you can understand a fair amount of the idea of being divorced from the person you have been with for so long. B+
DayBreakers: Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke
Great premise: a vampire plage has turned the world into vampires and blood is running out. Can't figure out why cattle and pig blood could not be farmed, I mean we eat billions of pounds of meat every year. But anyway, seemed like it was going to be a smarter movie, making you wonder about the nature of haves vs. havenots, of big business and the need for control. Wound up devolving into a bloody (no pun intended) mess. Nice try, but just not done very well. C-
Edge of Darkness: Mel Gibson
I love a good revenge piece, but they never seem to work much anymore. Taken, Law Abiding Citizen... they started out great and unraveled. Edge of Darkness suffers from a murder whose motive is a bit far-fetched, a bad guy who is underdeveloped and Boston. Boston gets too much play, but works best when you feel you are actually in the area. Outside of the accents, this movie lacks the pulse of the region. EOD just gets too far-fetched and entwined too work well. Ray Winstone is strong, but his character lacks a definable function in the whole. But, a great ending. B-
Avatar: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weever, CGI
I had no desire to see this movie. After watchinng it there is nothing original about the story, the subplots, anything: we have seen it all before... except for the visuals. Truly stunning. The motion capture of the bodies is PERFECT, they even get facial expressions close to life. A fun movie with a gaping hole: Why the hell woulf the Na'vi decide to let a warrior avatar know EVERYTHING about them when they had trouble with the regualr ones. Stephen Land rules, by the way. Cobble together Braveheart, Dances with Wolves, Aliens and Return of the Jedi and I give you Avatar. Still, more fun than I anticipated. Oh, and I may be in love with Michelle Rodriguez... too bad she crazy. B
Requiem for a Dream: Ellen Burnstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connolly
Have not seen the movie in years, but it is still blunt force trauma to the soul. A devestatingly bleak movie. Truly solid performances by everyone, but that Ellen Burstyn did not win best acctress, that she lost to Julia Roberts, is a crime that will never be forgiven. Just a remarkable piece of acting in a movie whose only failure is in the overuse of gimmicky shots. Other than that, its just perfect. But, it is not for everyone. Actually, it is not for many, but it is unbelievable. A
Saw a few movies:
It's Complicated: Alec Baldwin, Meryl Streep
Nothing fancy, but enjoyable. If you have been married a long time, you can understand a fair amount of the idea of being divorced from the person you have been with for so long. B+
DayBreakers: Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke
Great premise: a vampire plage has turned the world into vampires and blood is running out. Can't figure out why cattle and pig blood could not be farmed, I mean we eat billions of pounds of meat every year. But anyway, seemed like it was going to be a smarter movie, making you wonder about the nature of haves vs. havenots, of big business and the need for control. Wound up devolving into a bloody (no pun intended) mess. Nice try, but just not done very well. C-
Edge of Darkness: Mel Gibson
I love a good revenge piece, but they never seem to work much anymore. Taken, Law Abiding Citizen... they started out great and unraveled. Edge of Darkness suffers from a murder whose motive is a bit far-fetched, a bad guy who is underdeveloped and Boston. Boston gets too much play, but works best when you feel you are actually in the area. Outside of the accents, this movie lacks the pulse of the region. EOD just gets too far-fetched and entwined too work well. Ray Winstone is strong, but his character lacks a definable function in the whole. But, a great ending. B-
Avatar: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weever, CGI
I had no desire to see this movie. After watchinng it there is nothing original about the story, the subplots, anything: we have seen it all before... except for the visuals. Truly stunning. The motion capture of the bodies is PERFECT, they even get facial expressions close to life. A fun movie with a gaping hole: Why the hell woulf the Na'vi decide to let a warrior avatar know EVERYTHING about them when they had trouble with the regualr ones. Stephen Land rules, by the way. Cobble together Braveheart, Dances with Wolves, Aliens and Return of the Jedi and I give you Avatar. Still, more fun than I anticipated. Oh, and I may be in love with Michelle Rodriguez... too bad she crazy. B
Requiem for a Dream: Ellen Burnstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connolly
Have not seen the movie in years, but it is still blunt force trauma to the soul. A devestatingly bleak movie. Truly solid performances by everyone, but that Ellen Burstyn did not win best acctress, that she lost to Julia Roberts, is a crime that will never be forgiven. Just a remarkable piece of acting in a movie whose only failure is in the overuse of gimmicky shots. Other than that, its just perfect. But, it is not for everyone. Actually, it is not for many, but it is unbelievable. A
Monday, March 15, 2010
Book Review
Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison: B-
A funny and interesting memoir of a man who struggled to find his place in the world while suffering from Asperger's Syndrome. Needless to say, with a son who has AS, the book hits home with me. I found myself questioning some of the stories of Robison's youth. The seem a little bit too far fetched and "out there", particularly knowing what I know of my son. It is comforting to see someone with this type of high functioning autism come through it all and find himself. Gives me hope for Nate.
I am a little concerned that all the attention given to Asperger's focuses on the savant-like qualities of people like Robison and Temple Grandin. Nate, while very intelligent anda gifted musically, does not show aspects of this specific-genius. Not to knock him at all, but call a spade a spade. Though I do wonder what he can accomplish in music when he gets a chance to really branch out.
the two most revealing things form the bokk, for me, where the discussion of Robison's and Aspergian's-in-General voice patterns, and the ability of Robison to do complex designs in engeneering without being able to do math. Nate catches a lot of flack about his very unique voice pattern, and I think it will be good for him to read that he is not alone in this situation. Nate recently won his school region in boy's solo, but missed out on All State Chorus. He struggles with the technical aspects of music while being able to assimilate them into his vocal performances much easier. The parralel with Robison was interesting.
Anyway, it is a fun read for those affected by Asperger's and those who are not. Robison is a decent writer and an odd dude, so it works to create some interesting insight into a person living along the Autistic spectrum.
A funny and interesting memoir of a man who struggled to find his place in the world while suffering from Asperger's Syndrome. Needless to say, with a son who has AS, the book hits home with me. I found myself questioning some of the stories of Robison's youth. The seem a little bit too far fetched and "out there", particularly knowing what I know of my son. It is comforting to see someone with this type of high functioning autism come through it all and find himself. Gives me hope for Nate.
I am a little concerned that all the attention given to Asperger's focuses on the savant-like qualities of people like Robison and Temple Grandin. Nate, while very intelligent anda gifted musically, does not show aspects of this specific-genius. Not to knock him at all, but call a spade a spade. Though I do wonder what he can accomplish in music when he gets a chance to really branch out.
the two most revealing things form the bokk, for me, where the discussion of Robison's and Aspergian's-in-General voice patterns, and the ability of Robison to do complex designs in engeneering without being able to do math. Nate catches a lot of flack about his very unique voice pattern, and I think it will be good for him to read that he is not alone in this situation. Nate recently won his school region in boy's solo, but missed out on All State Chorus. He struggles with the technical aspects of music while being able to assimilate them into his vocal performances much easier. The parralel with Robison was interesting.
Anyway, it is a fun read for those affected by Asperger's and those who are not. Robison is a decent writer and an odd dude, so it works to create some interesting insight into a person living along the Autistic spectrum.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Weekend Stuff
Pulled on Friday.
Went to work on Saturday morning. Then to get the van tires put on. Off to lowes for siding and various and sundry project stuff. To Walmart for more of the same. Tried to eat lunch with Nate and Chris, but called to work.
Put battery in old smoke detector, hung the new one. Replaced old shower head. The new one is the balls. Attached weather stripping to bottom of caviary door to help keep out flies. WAs getting late so I decided to change the oil in the Focus (FrankenFocus). What a nightmare. Took like two hours. Between fits of rage I put a coat of waterproofing on the new screen door.
Sunday. Got up early anticipating Logan's early arrival. Hung screen door. While waiting for the boy, ran the sweeper. Pain in the ass. Pine needles kept rat-nesting around the axle. Decided to cut up the pine needles. Hit a root with mower. Looks as if a blade is bent. The one blade is shot out, the other looks fine.
Logan arrives at 11:00. Byt twelve we have eaten and I am under the car. A rear brake job: big day in a man's life. Keep in mind I am off and on the phone with my Dad (Terry, not Dave) the whole time. Looks as if the brakes are not that bad, but the wheel cylinder is shot. Off to the AutoZone for two cylinders (just in case) a brake line wrench and a floor jack. I am very excited to have a 2.5 ton floor jack. Another big moment in a man's life. Takes roughly three hours to do the passenger side cylinder, shoes and prep the drum. On to the driver side.
We are rolling phat... until the e-clip flies from the emergency brake cord as I try to remove it. Off to Advanced Auto where I have to buy a $9 kit to get a .10 cent piece of metal. I steal to Mcd's for an ill advised soda and burger cheat. Back to the house where we opt to replace the other wheel cylinder for the shits and giggles. Really goes quickly once you know how it is done. Brake shoes fall to our will. Takes a while to adjust brakes, but there she is. My first complete rear drum/shoe brake job. Awesome.
Should have gone to the gym, but I was give out. Would have gone anyway if I had know about the emergency room debacle of the following evening, night and early morning. 7 hours, a false diagnosis, a bad reading, and finally absolutely nothing at all. Thanks Satilla Regional, your incompetence has no limits. Utter and complete bullshit.
Went to work on Saturday morning. Then to get the van tires put on. Off to lowes for siding and various and sundry project stuff. To Walmart for more of the same. Tried to eat lunch with Nate and Chris, but called to work.
Put battery in old smoke detector, hung the new one. Replaced old shower head. The new one is the balls. Attached weather stripping to bottom of caviary door to help keep out flies. WAs getting late so I decided to change the oil in the Focus (FrankenFocus). What a nightmare. Took like two hours. Between fits of rage I put a coat of waterproofing on the new screen door.
Sunday. Got up early anticipating Logan's early arrival. Hung screen door. While waiting for the boy, ran the sweeper. Pain in the ass. Pine needles kept rat-nesting around the axle. Decided to cut up the pine needles. Hit a root with mower. Looks as if a blade is bent. The one blade is shot out, the other looks fine.
Logan arrives at 11:00. Byt twelve we have eaten and I am under the car. A rear brake job: big day in a man's life. Keep in mind I am off and on the phone with my Dad (Terry, not Dave) the whole time. Looks as if the brakes are not that bad, but the wheel cylinder is shot. Off to the AutoZone for two cylinders (just in case) a brake line wrench and a floor jack. I am very excited to have a 2.5 ton floor jack. Another big moment in a man's life. Takes roughly three hours to do the passenger side cylinder, shoes and prep the drum. On to the driver side.
We are rolling phat... until the e-clip flies from the emergency brake cord as I try to remove it. Off to Advanced Auto where I have to buy a $9 kit to get a .10 cent piece of metal. I steal to Mcd's for an ill advised soda and burger cheat. Back to the house where we opt to replace the other wheel cylinder for the shits and giggles. Really goes quickly once you know how it is done. Brake shoes fall to our will. Takes a while to adjust brakes, but there she is. My first complete rear drum/shoe brake job. Awesome.
Should have gone to the gym, but I was give out. Would have gone anyway if I had know about the emergency room debacle of the following evening, night and early morning. 7 hours, a false diagnosis, a bad reading, and finally absolutely nothing at all. Thanks Satilla Regional, your incompetence has no limits. Utter and complete bullshit.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sore and a book review
I am exceptionally sore this morning, bu a good exceptionally sore. Lower back is talking to me. May take the better part of valor and not squat if this keeps up. Will replace with ABGM if necessary.
I am surprised at how well I have been able to stick to the change in diet. It has always been so hard to not just eat whatever the hell I want to teat. So far so good. Honestly will not know what to do if I get under 250. Last time I remember weighing under 250 was when I weighed 236 for a meet in 1995. I would imagine it hasbeen since 1997 or so. If I can get down to 250 in two more weeks that will be down from 270 for my meet in Augusta 06 and 268 from Miami in the same year.
Odd Hours
The fourth in Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas stories is, well, odd. It took forever to get the story going. Koontz spent five plus chapters on a chase scene. Once it gets going, the story is one you want to unravel, but once it is unraveled there are so many questions left and so many threads left hanging that it is a bit dissapointing. Seems we have the beginnings of a long series ahead of us.
All the characters are very strange which does not lend itself to believability. Heroes and villains alike are a bit over the top. The flighty and mysterious pregnent woman, the burn victim with the incredible sense of self, the dangerous and charismatic chief of police, the killer priest, the mysterious girl on the boat. Some odd stuff. Odd himself, while a great character, falls out of that character by somehow becoming a cold blooded killer... repeatedly. The deus ex machina of his seemingly ever increasing psychic repetoire is beginning to wear as thin as Koontz's propensity for reusing words that only need to be dropped once or twice in a book. Bougainvillea, for example.
Not a bad read, but left too much unresolved to be fully satisfying. C+/84
I am surprised at how well I have been able to stick to the change in diet. It has always been so hard to not just eat whatever the hell I want to teat. So far so good. Honestly will not know what to do if I get under 250. Last time I remember weighing under 250 was when I weighed 236 for a meet in 1995. I would imagine it hasbeen since 1997 or so. If I can get down to 250 in two more weeks that will be down from 270 for my meet in Augusta 06 and 268 from Miami in the same year.
Odd Hours
The fourth in Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas stories is, well, odd. It took forever to get the story going. Koontz spent five plus chapters on a chase scene. Once it gets going, the story is one you want to unravel, but once it is unraveled there are so many questions left and so many threads left hanging that it is a bit dissapointing. Seems we have the beginnings of a long series ahead of us.
All the characters are very strange which does not lend itself to believability. Heroes and villains alike are a bit over the top. The flighty and mysterious pregnent woman, the burn victim with the incredible sense of self, the dangerous and charismatic chief of police, the killer priest, the mysterious girl on the boat. Some odd stuff. Odd himself, while a great character, falls out of that character by somehow becoming a cold blooded killer... repeatedly. The deus ex machina of his seemingly ever increasing psychic repetoire is beginning to wear as thin as Koontz's propensity for reusing words that only need to be dropped once or twice in a book. Bougainvillea, for example.
Not a bad read, but left too much unresolved to be fully satisfying. C+/84
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Back from the Abyss
Training Log
Saturday the 16th: Back and shoulders: BW: 262
Seated DB Press
10/ 15
20/10
35/ 8
55/6
75/6
85/6
Rear Delt Flye
35/12
45/12
55/12
Rope Cable Rows
140/12
160/10
180/8
Bike Handle Pulldowns
100/12
120/12
140/8
Shrugs
225/12
275/12
315/12
365/12
Reverse crunch into Ceiling Stompers
Ratio Reps
1:1 12 each
3:3 9 each
10:10 10 each
Bent Press
35 x 8 x each arm
40 x 8 x ditto
45 x 8 x ditto
Got my flyer in the mail for the USPF meet in Macon on March 27th. Very excited about the prospect.
Am changing my diet in order to try to get back into the 242 class. Doing a lil' bit o' cardio as well. If I don't get it, fine, but I need to drop a little weight.
Was off for about three months before starting back training in December. Used first four weeks back as a rehab cycle.
As of right now training looks like this:
Monday: Squats or Heavy Good Mornings (ABGM or GM Squat)
Seated GM/RBGm or Sumo/Conventional Partial deadlifts
Core Work: 2 exercises
Tuesday: push Press or Millitary Press
Bench
Boards (shirt if applicable)
Close Grip
Curls
Core Work: 2e
Thursday: Front Squats of Box Squats
Speed Bench
Deadlifts
GH Raises or Pull thru's
Saturday: Seated DB press
Reverse Flyes
Cable or one Arm or T-bar or BO rows
Pull Down Varient
Shrugs
Core Work: 2e
So far, up until this point, I am at:
Squat: 455 x 10: 4 weeks rehab: 315 week 1, 365 wk2, 405 wk3, 455 wk4
ABGM: 425 x 3: first week of cycle
Overhead press: 175 x 8: these are tough to get used to...
Bench: 275 x 8: bench is coming along slowly.
Front Squat: 295 x 5
Box Squat: 365 x 3 x 3
Deadlift: Conv and Sumo: 475 x 2 ( I limit reps on pulls becuse of the volume of fatigue work before) Sumo feel better than conventional right now. nothing feels great.
@262
Best lifts in competition:
Squat: 645 raw (no knee wraps)@ 270 July 2006
Bench: 405 raw @270 July 2006
475 Titan F6 @265 November 2006
Deadlift: 605 raw @265 conventional November 2006
Best Gym Lifts:
Squat: 650 Raw
700 x 3 wraps
740 straps down
Bench: 415 raw
500 Titan Fury
Deadlift: 615 conv
545 sumo
ABGM: 525 x 1
GM Squat: 515 x 2
Saturday the 16th: Back and shoulders: BW: 262
Seated DB Press
10/ 15
20/10
35/ 8
55/6
75/6
85/6
Rear Delt Flye
35/12
45/12
55/12
Rope Cable Rows
140/12
160/10
180/8
Bike Handle Pulldowns
100/12
120/12
140/8
Shrugs
225/12
275/12
315/12
365/12
Reverse crunch into Ceiling Stompers
Ratio Reps
1:1 12 each
3:3 9 each
10:10 10 each
Bent Press
35 x 8 x each arm
40 x 8 x ditto
45 x 8 x ditto
Got my flyer in the mail for the USPF meet in Macon on March 27th. Very excited about the prospect.
Am changing my diet in order to try to get back into the 242 class. Doing a lil' bit o' cardio as well. If I don't get it, fine, but I need to drop a little weight.
Was off for about three months before starting back training in December. Used first four weeks back as a rehab cycle.
As of right now training looks like this:
Monday: Squats or Heavy Good Mornings (ABGM or GM Squat)
Seated GM/RBGm or Sumo/Conventional Partial deadlifts
Core Work: 2 exercises
Tuesday: push Press or Millitary Press
Bench
Boards (shirt if applicable)
Close Grip
Curls
Core Work: 2e
Thursday: Front Squats of Box Squats
Speed Bench
Deadlifts
GH Raises or Pull thru's
Saturday: Seated DB press
Reverse Flyes
Cable or one Arm or T-bar or BO rows
Pull Down Varient
Shrugs
Core Work: 2e
So far, up until this point, I am at:
Squat: 455 x 10: 4 weeks rehab: 315 week 1, 365 wk2, 405 wk3, 455 wk4
ABGM: 425 x 3: first week of cycle
Overhead press: 175 x 8: these are tough to get used to...
Bench: 275 x 8: bench is coming along slowly.
Front Squat: 295 x 5
Box Squat: 365 x 3 x 3
Deadlift: Conv and Sumo: 475 x 2 ( I limit reps on pulls becuse of the volume of fatigue work before) Sumo feel better than conventional right now. nothing feels great.
@262
Best lifts in competition:
Squat: 645 raw (no knee wraps)@ 270 July 2006
Bench: 405 raw @270 July 2006
475 Titan F6 @265 November 2006
Deadlift: 605 raw @265 conventional November 2006
Best Gym Lifts:
Squat: 650 Raw
700 x 3 wraps
740 straps down
Bench: 415 raw
500 Titan Fury
Deadlift: 615 conv
545 sumo
ABGM: 525 x 1
GM Squat: 515 x 2
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