I developed a sore throat after covid and it is persisting. I am getting it checked out tomorrow.
My treadmill walk left me with a somewhat stiff back but stretching helped.
Basketball Bradley drew 10,400+ fans and defeated Drake 73-61, thereby winning the MVC crown and guaranteeing them *at least* an NIT bid. It was a 3 point lead at the half and Drake took a 42-41 lead..but BU went on a run and did not look back.
This felt like “old times” though BU last on the title in 1996.
So, the bad is that my weight is up to 197.5. I like to be under 195. I am eating too much for my current age and activity level; I have to remember I am walking 20 miles a week, not 35. So, I’ll adjust…again.
Today: PT, (full), deadlifts, farmer’s walks, 5K walk with a hill (great for 2.7 then kind of tough)
The deadlifts: 10 x 134, 10 x 190 (ok, so far), 10 x 225 (not great), 10 x 225 (somewhat better, but something to be desired in terms of form), 10 x 255 4 inch handle (ok, happy with these)
Farmer’s walks with handles: three 80 second walks with 52 in each hand: 44 lb plate, 8 lb handle.
Now here is what I mean about my deadlifts from the “low” position.
Using 210 lb (a week or two ago)
and 225 today:
It seems that my form starts to fall apart in this 15 lb. range.
In the dark days of the COVID pandemic, especially when we were flying blind about exactly what we were up against, I was very angry with those who seemed to discount the health of the teachers WRT “in person vs online” school.
We had the situation of overcrowded classrooms, poorly ventilated school buildings and parents who weren’t exactly to keep covid positive kids at home. And most of the discussion was about “the kids” (oh, the kids will be fine) and very little about the teachers and other staff. Note: I know it was more nuanced than that..remember that the schools were understaffed to begin with and there was a dearth of substitutes.
Well, now we have the problem of violence in schools, and in particular, violence against teachers. Example:
So, the discussion now revolves around…the minor in question? (what sort of criminal charges, if any…expulsion, etc.
But..what about the teachers? We walk about “the kids”, but what about the teachers? Would YOU want to work in such an environment? I wouldn’t.
Teacher welfare and safety have to be a major part of conversation. Teachers are not disposable robots.
Yes, my full workout took about 3 hours from start to finish, but..I really did not do that much.
Around 8:30 I started with a light stretch, followed by 2.15 miles of commuter type walking.
Then I mixed PT with pull ups/stretches:
3 sets of 10 singles (final 2 unsat), then 2, 6 (so so), 6, 5, 7 (57 total reps) mixed in with a LOT of physical therapy for both the back and shoulder. That got me to 10:10 or so.
Downstairs: bench: 5 x 134, 4 x 165, 4 x 165, 4 x 165, 4 x 160 (disappointing); maybe arched in one of the reps (butt down but I don’t need to extend my back under load)
high incline: 10 x 85 then 3 sets of 7 x 94 (touch in every single rep)
curls: 2 sets of 10, 1 set of 7, 7, 7 (burn) That got me to 10:55.
Then upstairs for MORE pt and stretching (open book, etc, included 5 sets of 10 full push ups, 2 sets of 10 chest taps).
Finally, started walk 2.15 at about 11:20 and finished at about 11:46
That is a lot of time to spend on doing..not much.
But the second walk went very, very well; no pain at all. It was roughly the same course.
Later: I walked to our final home game for our women’s basketball team. We were playing a team that was “midpack” in our conference and of course we got creamed 64-38 in a game was was even worse than the score might indicate.
The lead grew to 30 and, well, lots of women got to play. Unfortunately, our team was overmatched at almost every position; speed, quickness, athletic ability, everything. The ladies ARE scrappers; one is a former team trainer who stepped up to help out. But practice, hustle, hard work and desire, which our team has, can go only so far. I am confident our first year coach can get us going in the right direction and bring in players who can do what she wants the team to do. This was a rough transition year.
Seeing this reminded me ..
Yes, I had one of these; if I remember correctly, you could sent out for it.
This character was popular some time ago:
Clearly, tongue-in-cheek, right?
Well, activists complained and Frito-Lay did away with the Bandito.
Background: I am Mexican-American from both parents; I refer to myself as Latino. My mom learned to speak English in her teens; she grew up speaking Spanish. This is relevant.
When it came out that complaints from activists pressured Frito Lay into dropping the FB, my mom said something to the effect: “Idiots. Don’t they have better things to do? I thought the Bandito was funny!”
And so it goes: though you might think my mom was unique, she really wasn’t. There appears to be a gap between what the “activist” class thinks and what the rest of us think. Consider the issue of the word “Latinx”. Most Latinos haven’t heard of it, and most who have do not like it.
So, when people point out that there is a gap between what the loud, often academic “activists” think and what the rest of us think, the activists seem to think that the rest of us are “colonialized” or ignorant, or unaware, etc. Yes, activists, I’ve heard your arguments and I rejected many of them.
But that is not the main point of this post.
The main point of this post is that Democratic politicians who want Latino support but are unfamiliar with us tend to, you guessed it, turn to “activists” to learn and get advice.
At least as far as the “Latinx” issue, the tide appears to be turning.
But the larger point remains: if you want to court our vote, don’t go by what some woke recent college graduate activist has to say; try to connect with the larger community.
PT, and a walk that became hard about 2.5 or so; it was not the worst however.
I felt good enough to try a 1.3 mile commuter walk after lunch and it was..ok..was ready to stop.
It feels as if I am in a type of limbo; not quite well, not quite injured..and thank goodness, NOTHING like a year ago..or even April, May, June, July, etc. I’d say September or October like.
Oh yes, my mini-handles are here. Farmer’s walks when it gets a bit warmer outside. Can’t wait to try them out.
Basketball:
Before the game, I thought Bradley had a good shot at getting its first conference win, and after 1 quarter, I still thought that. But it was 53-37 after 3 and I thought that it was “same old, same old.” But then look at that 4’th quarter; BU had pulled within 2 with 38 seconds to go. 35 points in the 4’th: BU was making everything they put up. Normally, 35 points is a good HALF for us.
But it was not to be; Valpo hit their free throws down the stretch (ALL of them) and won in the end.
I remember the dark days of the George W. Bush presidency. Many liberals thought about “succession”; I remember the following:
Yes, I read the book. And there was this (NSFW language)
Well, now, we have a Republican representative talking about a “national divorce.” While some Republican politicians have condemned such sentiments, many Republicans, especially southern ones, support it…as do some west coast Democrats.
Now, aside from the very idea being a mess…after all, the split is really more of an urban vs. rural one…there ARE blue regions in red states and red regions in blue states, ….and some major problems….
I am not sure I’d even want to live in a “liberals rule” area anymore.
At one time, I thought “it would be great to teach science without being yapped at by the creationists. But now…we have the equally moronic “science is white supremacy and patriarchy” crowd. And just look at how low some of the old, formerly good magazines have sunk. I don’t want the daffy leftist extremists in charge either. The new leftist anti-intellectuals would have a great deal of power in a new state.
Walking, while not perfect, IS getting better. Maybe next week, I’ll attempt to reduce the dose of Naproxen.
Today: mixed PT and pull ups: did 10 crunch singles, sets of 5 singles (one with bands, one in chin up position) to get to 30, then 5, 8, 6, 5 singles.
Then push ups: 2 sets of 30 incline, 20 flat, with 2 sets of chest taps.
Weights: 3 sets of 10: bench (134), high incline (80) and low handle deads: sets of 10 with 134, 190, 230.
Then the walk, which was fantastic (in terms of pain) for 2.8.
We’ve had March like weather; 30’s (above freezing) and rainy. I imagine the basement floor might be damp tomorrow.
PT, lots of stretching and I just did the 5K all at once; first 2.4-2.5 were fantastic; kind of rough at 2.7-2.8.
Overall back: achy at times (glute) but not that bad
Today: weight: 197.
PT, pull ups (several sets of crunch pull ups; one chin, one wide), 3 sets of 5, and 5 singles on the 10 seconds) Note: band to get me to rotate out on the second set; worried about left elbow
weights: bench: 5 x 134, 3 sets of 5 x 160, 1 x 180 (best of the year; best with the feet up)
high incline: 10 x 75, then 6 x 94, 8 x 94 making sure I touched.
deadlift (low) 10 x 134, 10 x 190 (aiming for better position)
curl: 10, then 7-7-7 set. (burned)
push ups and stretching: 30 incline, 20 incline, 20 regular, 10 regular, and 2 sets of chest taps
Then the walk:
this was pain free for about 2.7; then moderate discomfort off and on in the final 0.4 or so. Note: mile 1 was 13:12.
Life of an old goat 