Month: January 2026

Bad dreams

I had a couple of weird dreams. One involved my being tabbed to play on two different college baseball teams, without any practice of any kind. Another had someone in our house, making changes..wiht my wife’s consent. And she had not asked me beforehand! Weird stuff.

Now back to my even more boring stuff.

Thursday: didn’t want to do the track again, so 4 treadmill miles in 57 minutes then a cold 2 mile slow walk outside.

Friday: oh, that’s today….the department halls were a complete morgue. Empty everywhere.

2 mile commuter walk; weights first.
Below zero outside so pull ups were terrible again; got my 50 reps though.
Bench: 10 x 134, 2 x 170, 2 x 165 (wanted 3), 5 x 160, 5 x 155, 5 x 155
high incline: 10 x 94, 2 x 115, 7 x 105, 5 x 110 The 2 was an aborted set.

Baseketball
The Bradley women held off a spirited Drake squad 75-69. One player had 32 and the two freshmen really worked well together.

Barbara didn’t want to go (cold and still snowy) so I had ChatGPT give me a date.

In a fog

I’d like to get back to reading, and this has been the perfect week, given that there have been no games. But…I ended up vegging. I have reacquainted myself with some old math, though.

Weather: probably not decent anytime soon; February will be bad, I think.

Workout notes; 2 miles on campus; there was enough snow and ice off that I might try tomorrow’s walk outside, on campus. Or..maybe half and half.

Weights: 0 F outside so pull ups were very bad, again. But the gloves worked..better than nothing. 50 reps.
Bench: 10 x 134, 10 x 150, 10 x 134 (glad I got 150 again)
high incline: 10 x 94, 4 x 115, 6 x 110.
Wagon wheel: 10 x 200, 10 x 200, 10 x 230

Events of the day

This is what I posted on Facebook (more or less)
I’ve voted Democrat for most of my life. I never saw Trump as a suitable choice for President; not on many levels.

And so we saw ICE kill a US citizen who was NOT a threat to them.

Let me be clear: I am NOT one of those “no one is illegal on stolen land” types. I believe that immigration law should be enforced.

But HOW it is enforced matters. Enforcement cannot trample on our Constitutional liberties; we should NOT be a “papers please” country, even if someone has a darker skin tone or speaks with an accent.

And enforcement should follow First World norms of civility and humaneness. This means: due process (how do we know if the person in question is here illegally or not?). This means: appropriate use of force. Obviously, criminals, especially violent ones might have to be detained with force, some of it potentially lethal. But the illegal immigrant who is here to work should be treated far more humanely.

As to who is doing the enforcing, potential immigration law enforcement members should be screened for physical, psychological and emotional suitability. And the training should be thorough.

And it sure did not appear that way when Pretti was killed. ICE went across the road to confront him..for filming. He was attacked for helping a woman who fell after being sprayed. He did have a gun; that was legal; but he did not brandish it, and it appears that he was killed after the gun was taken. There was no reason at all to even attack him, much less kill him.

What we are seeing is failure on many levels.

Of course, some will applaud the killing, just as there were those who applauded the Kent State killings. We’ve always had those who liked an authoritarian government, so long as it was THEIR authoritarian in charge. And MAGAS tend to not hold philosophical principles: “whatever keeps US in charge” is what they appear to go by (and some leftists are like this too).

I sure hope this moves our conseratives away from Trumpism.

Another weekend gone

Time passes quickly.

Workout:
Sunday: 2 miles to the women’s game (snowy) and deadlifts:
straight bar: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 225
Wagon wheel trap bar 10 x 260

Monday: 2 mile commuter walk over lunch (snowy)
Pull ups: awful (it was -5) singles and a couple of sets of 5 to get 50 reps.
Bench press: 10 x 134, 2 x 170, 5 x 160 (exhausted), 2 sets of 5 x 155
high incline: 10 x 94, 2 x 115 (didn’t have it), 2 sets of 6 x 105

Tuesday: 51 laps of Markin in 1:24:35 (I’ll call it 6.2) with one 8 lap section (the last one) at 12:54 This is euqual to or longer than my 10k course in Bradley Park, but there is no way you can compare the difficulty. Pace: 13:39

Bradley Basketball: I’ll first talk about the women: they did very well on Sunday, fighting off a spirited UIC team winning 73-63. Don’t be deceived: it was a 1 point until late.


The Men: well, frankly, the men’s team got run out of the gym. It ended 85-70 but it was not that close: it was a 84-60 with 4 minutes to go.

I expected BU to have one of their patented rallies, but it was not to be on that night.

The shame is that this snowy night drew 6209 fans, the best draw of the season.

Brrr January 2026

Friday’s classes were moved online. I taught them from my office. Decent attendance!

Friday’s workout: It was -5 F outside and windy; fingers got cold. Pull ups were “do what you can”: sets of 5-6 until the final one of 4 to get my 50 reps. Some were sets of singles with gloves.
Basement: bench: 10 x 134, 1 x 170, 2 x 165, 5 x 160, 5 x 155, 5 x 155
high incline: 10 x 94, 7 x 105, 7 x 105
Walk: very cold over lunch; 2 miles and my hands got cold

Today: did my out and back plus 2 mile Cornstalk plus 1.1 mile lower loop; did the “long way home” plus enough loops to get 10.1 in 2:49 (16:46 pace; faster after leaving the park). But I was steady and totally layered.
Wool socks, bicycle tights under sweat pants, t-shrit, long sleeved, Chiefs tech stretch shirt with hood, and the high teck jacket with a windbreaker over the top. Gloves: fleece mittens under fake leather ones. 2 hats plus the hoodie hood. My face got cold..for brief periods of time. Note the beard cicles and the ice under my windbreaker sleeve!

Of course, the Women’s Basketball team played their game, as scheduled. It was 51-21 Bradley over Valpo at the half and it ended 79-39. BU played everyone.

Wednesday-Thursday

It is supposed to be -7 tomorrow morning, so classes are cancelled. Ok, they will be online.

Wednesday: 2 mile commuter walk; weights went as follows:
pull ups: 6 sets of 6, one of 8, 2 of 5, one of 4. (touch the chin pull ups)
bench: 10 x 134, 10 x 139, 8 x 150
high incline: 10 x 94, 5 x 115, 5 x 110
wagon wheel dead: 3 sets of 10 x 200

Note: as part of my PT, I did a 2 minute plank. I will probably feature that.

This morning: 10k course in 1:29:03; I was 59:05 so the final 2.2 was a tick under 30. Yes, in 2023, I was routinely doing this course faster. Oh well.

Bradley Basketball: you know the drill. At 6:15, Indiana State lead 68-60 and they were getting open lay ups.

And, they were to score no more the rest of the way. BU finally took the lead 69-68 with 1:01 to play, and it was 70-68 with 17 seconds left. BU won 75-68.

Last day

The walk started at 2 F and ended at 10 F. 10k course in 1:30:07, though I was at mile 4 at 1:00:00. I could not quite get sub 30 for the final 2.2

I took B to the doctor’s office for bloodwork and many, and I mean many were wearing masks. So we got some too. Flu and covid are circulating.

Toward the 3’rd Semester

No live sports this past weekend; just a depressing TV basketball game (88-62 loss to ISU) , some exiciting TV football games and the play 39 Steps. That was funny.

Workouts:
Saturday: a slow 10 mile walk (2:48 at 10) where I found a wallet and gave it to the player’s AD. It was cold (12 F) and the first part consisted of the out and back Bradley Park spur, the 2 mile loop and the 1.15 lower loop, plus extra to get me to 10.

Sunday: cold 2 mile walk; some deadlifts:
10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 225 low (not that hard)
10 x 255 4 inch, 305 (kind of ragged)

Monday: VERY cold; 2 F. 2 mile walk (2.3 actually)
pull ups 6-6, 10, 7, 6, 7, 5, 5
20 minutes for bench: 10 x 134, 5 x 160, 5 x 155, 5 x 155 (not enough rest)
high incline: 10 x 94, 5 x 115, 5 x 110 Again, the lack of rest made a difference.

Sigh

These past few months..ugh. That is something to remember if you marry someone older than you are: when they have a setback, they will be more helpless than a younger person, mostly because their capacity to physically compensate will be diminished.

But, there is work at my happy place (workouts)

Workout notes: 10k walk in 1:30:52 (14:39 pace); I was 1:00:24 at mile 4 and the final 2.2 was done in 30:28 (13:52) That was ok. I followed it with a 2 minute plank.

Today (Friday) 2 mile commuter walk.
pull ups: very hard, again. 6 sets of 5, 6, 5, 3, 5, 5 (chin) 54 reps total. 3 was “touch the chin).
Bench: 10 x 134, 5 x 160, 5 x 160, 5 x 155
high incline: 10 x 94, 5 x 115, 5 x 110.
2:30 plank (hard)