January 2022 – Life of an old goat

muddling through

I went to a Women’s game today: lots of social distance.

Cases still too high for me to risk a men's game ( and no vax requirement like @IlliniAthletics ).
But women's games are safe.@EmptySeatsPics pic.twitter.com/V3vOwxS3U5
— onanyesfbb (@onanyesfbb) January 29, 2022

Well, it ended 60-36 and was never close; it was 31-11 at the half and BU shot 21 percent from the field; finding the right mix has been a struggle. The women played hard but were overmatched.

Yes, I do not feel comfortable going to men’s games at this time. I’d like to see cases back down to early December levels; pity we don’t enforce the mask mandate nor do we have a vaccine mandate for fans, the way that the University of Illinois does.

Yes, I sure wish the government or private entities would enforce mitigation measures but they won’t; the depth of public support just isn’t there. So it is just “protect myself”. So, while I am vaccinated and boosted; I limit what I do based on current conditions. I went to football games but sold my Jan 3 Colts vs Raiders tickets as omicron was in full fury by then.

And basketball games went on hiatus; I recently started back with women’s games.

I teach in a N95.

Workout notes: deadlifts, rehab (clam shell, leg lifts, dead bugs, bridges), 1:02:30 (22 fake miles) on the bike; all at medium intensity.

10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 224 warm up

belt: 3, 3, 3, 3, 5 x 275 with belt.

You can’t make someone like you.

I’ve had some time to think, and I think that I can see a relationship between personal relationships and politics.

I’ve followed the “horse race” of political campaigns and critiques of why a certain candidate does well and another doesn’t.

And, at times: sometimes candidates are hurt, and mortally hurt, because the public just doesn’t like them.

Al Gore was the first one I really noticed. Yes, I voted for him; but I remember being a bit turned off by his debate performance with then Governor Bush; and..I am ashamed to admit this…I really thought either would do fine as President. My parents, who were lifelong Texans, warned me: “you are thinking he is like his dad; he isn’t ..he is nowhere near as smart.” They were right, of course, but at the time, Bush was seen as being more likeable.

Then there was 2016. Hillary Clinton admitted in her book that many just did not like her (ok, same for Trump, though..the reasons were different); and the very intelligent Elizabeth Warren had that trouble too.

And there is the rub: once a politician is disliked, it is difficult for them to regain lost ground, no matter how competent their policy proposals or personal competence.

And, I believe the same is true in personal relationships, either platonic or romantic.

If you want to be friends (or more) with someone, and they just don’t like you (for whatever reason); there is really little you can do. Yes, one can wear them down.. maybe bribe them with offers of things (outings, favors, perhaps even sex) but if you are not liked, you’ll never be comfortable or fulfilled.

Finding a need or desire that they have and giving it to them: well…you’ll just be nothing more than a provider of things to them; it might work if you want a cat.

Then there is the other side; if you like each other, then it is well worth working through disagreements or their faults (we all have them); here is probably best to admit it and try to make it work.

Wed-Th-F catch up

This is just a workout catch up post: busy being reasonably productive:

Wednesday: very cold, pull ups (60 reps), push ups (mixed the grip a bit), then repetition deadlifts: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 224, and 10 x 270 high (8 inches)

Thursday: half hearted PT, 22 fake miles on the bike in 1:02

Friday: pull ups: 4 sets of 10 singles, set of 10, 2 sets of 5 chins,

push ups: 30 sissy, 30 feet elevated, 15 deficit, 25 floor (inside); some PT

bench: 3 sets of 5 x 161: hips got off of the bench; have to work on my arch.

single arm rows (3 sets of 10) curls 3 sets of 10

shoulder presses: 3 sets of 10 x 99

Basketball note: saw the women’s team get beat 70-58; it was 41-16 4 minutes to go in the first half, and the team did pull to within 11. Drake was too much.

Plenty of social distance available at a Women's bball game; section to myself. @EmptySeatsPics pic.twitter.com/RBPf9ehwcN
— onanyesfbb (@onanyesfbb) January 28, 2022

Covid: well, just look: (sorry, but the editor is acting up; I know there is a triple post: 3 deaths are in my age group)

1/28/22 – The Peoria City/County Health Department is reporting 278 new COVID-19 cases and 3 deaths in the past 24… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…—
Peoria County Govt (@peoriacounty) January 28, 2022

25 Jan: moving onward

The hospitalized numbers have dropped; ICU and ventilator numbers are grim but …well, and to keep it in perspective: 57 percent community vaccination rate.

If you want to get disgusted, you should read the OSF facebook page; lots of “in denial” trolls there. Resisting feeling schadenfreude when one of them ends up on a ventilator is tough.

Workout: 5 fake miles, lots of PT/yoga (30-40 minutes worth), then 20 more fake miles in 59 min. Breakdown: first session was 2.5-2.5-0, second was 2-14-4 (easy, medium, hard)

I had some tingles during the walk to and from..and some honest to goodness muscle soreness.

24 January …weekend

Well, yesterday: visit with Tracy, which I enjoyed, and some great football; close games everywhere; lots of drama.

Workout: 1:04 on the bike (22 fake miles) and not enough stretching; felt it in the glute today; I did have pain after bragging about the pain being mostly gone.

Cold, cold, cold; the cold snap continues after a morning of respite.

Mood: well, complaining..to whom, exactly?

Lots of IT hardware failure today, though I got the math right.

Workout today: weights only; kind of went through the motions:

pull ups: 12 sets of 5 total; not great..and a set of 30 push ups outside.

Decent rehab inside, with 3 sets of 25 more…these ARE getting easier.

Bench: 5 x 156, 5 x 161, 5 x 161

rows: 3 sets of 10 x 60 each arm

curls :3 sets of 10 x 50

shoulder: not great sets: 3 sets of 10 x 99

And it grabs my brain

It has my attention; figuring out how to write an Excel function. It CAN be confusing.

Workout notes:

Friday: 2 F. pull ups: not as bad as they could have been; 10 singles, then 3 sets of 10, 2 of 5, push ups, then 2 more sets of 5 chins.

push ups: 4 sets of 25 with lots of rehab (clamshell, etc)

bench: 3 sets of 5: 154, 154, 159

rows: 3 sets of 10 each arm with 60

curls: 3 sets of 10 x 50

shoulder: 3 set of 10: 99, 99, 103

Today: 1:05 bike after deadlifts: 2-16-4 (easy, medium, hard)

deadlifts: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 224

main set with 270: 3, 3, 3, ,3 , 5 felt fine; not at the edge.

Shoulder: slight residual ache when I sleep on it wrong; within the bounds of normality.

Glute: usual tingles; seriously getting better sans the longer walking.

Life after NSAIDS

I stopped. slightly achy shoulder when I woke up; not that bad but I need to do those banded chest stretches.

But overall: so stiff! I know: too much sitting; Tu, Th, I will have to make myself move every so often.

Workout notes: 22 fake miles in 1:03: I had 4 .5 mile easy periods in the first 20 and 18 medium (fake) miles; then .5 hard, .5 medium 1 hard for the final.

So, 2-18.5-1.5 was my total, then some very half hearted stretching.

COVID: 20.7 percent positivity.

These would have been dreadful numbers a month ago..now they are “not as bad as feared” numbers.

Day one: in the books

Well, positivity is 20.66 percent, way down from 29.x percent, though cases and death toll remain high (179K population)

Yes, these would have been terrible numbers a month ago. But these represent an improvment.

Social media;

Workout notes: glute tingles are still there. But no real pain.

Weight gain? Maybe; pull ups aren’t that bad but I feel my waist.

pull ups 5-5-5-5-5-5-10 singles-10-5-5

push ups: 2 sets 30 sissy, 20 feet up, 20 inside (cold)

deadlifts; 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 224 low

10 x 260 8 inch.

First rule: do no harm

So, the thing these days is to teach people to self-advocate. But I wonder who is doing the teaching; it seems as if there is no effort to get the other person to buy into it. You also see the same from the leftist activists; when you push back you get the charge of “tone policing”

Well, if you want to get listened to and you have nothing of value to give to your would be listener …you have to watch your tone.

Covid: turning of events? “only” 24.5 positivity. Compare to a month ago.