Its barely the 28th. I am weighing to do a couple hours of work on my papers...or just read. I bet I'll read.
A quote on my Starbucks cup this afternoon:
"The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating — in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life."
– Anne Morriss
I like this. Makes me think of the commitment of marriage.
April 27, 2009
My roommates boss is going to be on Wife Swap. He owns ETC (Everything Through Christ) gymnastics. The "new wife" arrived Sunday and his wife left for her new house that same day. They film at both locations for two weeks. I'm looking forward to seeing it on tv.
Tony Jones has a post on the difference between NeoCalvinist and NeoPuritan.
I found a link to this cool article on suggestions for the future of education at Between Two Worlds.
Have you heard about the Swine Flu? Governments around the world are taking it pretty seriously. I read an article about it yesterday and some scientist was saying we are in the middle between two extremes, where it could fizzle out and turn into nothing or flare up and become pandemic. Still, the media is notorious for feeding off emotion so I wouldn't put it past them to generate fear. Here is an article about what would happen in the case of a pandemic.
Five members of Congress got arrested for protesting the Sudanese government.
Gay marriage in Iowa.
On that last subject, I've been meaning to post about my views on gay marriage. I might do that later this week.
Tony Jones has a post on the difference between NeoCalvinist and NeoPuritan.
I found a link to this cool article on suggestions for the future of education at Between Two Worlds.
Have you heard about the Swine Flu? Governments around the world are taking it pretty seriously. I read an article about it yesterday and some scientist was saying we are in the middle between two extremes, where it could fizzle out and turn into nothing or flare up and become pandemic. Still, the media is notorious for feeding off emotion so I wouldn't put it past them to generate fear. Here is an article about what would happen in the case of a pandemic.
Five members of Congress got arrested for protesting the Sudanese government.
Gay marriage in Iowa.
On that last subject, I've been meaning to post about my views on gay marriage. I might do that later this week.
April 25, 2009
I have three working days left at Pizza Hut. Today and next weekend. I'm trying not to freak out and jump up and down. And I mean that, I really feel like doing it.
A while back, a group formed called Origins. It has some guys in it I'm a fan of: Scot McKnight and Erwin McManus. You can check out their website here.
Thats really all I have to say. I'm gonna get back to obsessively reading The Wheel of Time series before work.
A while back, a group formed called Origins. It has some guys in it I'm a fan of: Scot McKnight and Erwin McManus. You can check out their website here.
Thats really all I have to say. I'm gonna get back to obsessively reading The Wheel of Time series before work.
April 23, 2009
What is prayer...
Tears are prayer
Pain is prayer
Laughter is prayer
Love is prayer
Hugs are prayer
Kisses are prayer
Smiles are prayer
I make the mistake of thinking prayer is only that time I make requests but it isn't. Romans 8:26 says there are prayers which aren't utterable words but "groanings". The spirit intercedes through these groanings. We groan when we feel pain or loss but we also groan when we feel beauty and pleasure, like when you eat a delicious steak and your eyes roll up into your head and you mutter things.
I see prayer as poetry. A way of expressing beauty in our world. When I eat that delicious steak, I may not have words for how tender and juicy it is but you can tell what I'm feeling by the ecstasy on my face.
There is a mission statement posted on my wall and I recently shortened it to something more manageable than a paragraph. It is simply this:
See life as poetry
I believe if I see myself and the world around me as a poem God is composing, I will be filled with the same hope, beauty and transcendence I feel when I read Whitman or Thomas. For me, prayer is a part of that poetry...maybe even is the poetry itself.
In the statements at the top, replace "prayer" with "poetry". It translates because each are speaking of a beauty within and beyond our world.
How do you see life?
What are other ways we pray?
April 22, 2009
So I don't have a kidney infection...odd. They did a urine test at Student Health Services and said everything was normal. My symptoms have been getting better. A lot better than they were in the fall but I expected there would be something for them to prescribe medicine for.
The doctor was a nice guy though. We were talking about the AT and he showed me pictures of property he owns in Virginia the AT crosses through. When I mentioned Seattle, he showed pictures from there too. Really funny guy. He hunts, apparently, cause he had pictures of dead deer and turkey but every time he clicked through one of them he apologized and said, "Oh you don't wanna see that."
I ran yesterday and it sucked. My knee acted up again so now I'm not going to be doing any running at all. I'll swim or bike, whatever is low impact on my joints, but running is out.
Oh my God, The Wheel of Time series is incredible.
Dan, Of Montreal is still weird.
I'm up to 11 or 12 books this year.
A neat story.
A link to a cool blog I visit. Most recent post is of toilet paper roll sculptures.
A short story about a homeless man and an interesting perspective to go with it.
The doctor was a nice guy though. We were talking about the AT and he showed me pictures of property he owns in Virginia the AT crosses through. When I mentioned Seattle, he showed pictures from there too. Really funny guy. He hunts, apparently, cause he had pictures of dead deer and turkey but every time he clicked through one of them he apologized and said, "Oh you don't wanna see that."
I ran yesterday and it sucked. My knee acted up again so now I'm not going to be doing any running at all. I'll swim or bike, whatever is low impact on my joints, but running is out.
Oh my God, The Wheel of Time series is incredible.
Dan, Of Montreal is still weird.
I'm up to 11 or 12 books this year.
A neat story.
A link to a cool blog I visit. Most recent post is of toilet paper roll sculptures.
A short story about a homeless man and an interesting perspective to go with it.
April 19, 2009
Excerpt from Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking
A word then, (for I will conquer it)
The word final, superior to all,
Subtle, sent up - what is it? - I listen;
Are you whispering it, and have been all the time, you
sea-waves?
Is that it from your liquid rims and wet sands?
Whereto answering, the sea,
Delaying not, hurrying not,
Whisper'd me through the night, and very plainly before
daybreak,
Lisp'd to me the low and delicious word death,
And again death, death, death, death,
Hissing melodious, neither like the bird nor like my
arous'd child's heart,
But edging near as privately for me rustling at my feet,
Creeping thence steadily up to my ears and laving me softly
all over,
Death, death, death, death, death.
Which I do not forget,
But fuse the song of my dusky demon and brother,
That he sang to me in the moonlight on Paumanok's gray
beach,
With the thousand responsive songs at random,
My own songs awaked from that hour,
And with them the key, the word up from the waves,
The word of the sweetest song and all songs,
That strong and delicious word which, creeping to my feet,
(Or like some old crone rocking the cradle, swathed in sweet
garments, bending aside)
The sea whisper'd me.
- Walt Whitman
Absolutely beautiful poetry. Couldn't ask for anything better at the moment
A word then, (for I will conquer it)
The word final, superior to all,
Subtle, sent up - what is it? - I listen;
Are you whispering it, and have been all the time, you
sea-waves?
Is that it from your liquid rims and wet sands?
Whereto answering, the sea,
Delaying not, hurrying not,
Whisper'd me through the night, and very plainly before
daybreak,
Lisp'd to me the low and delicious word death,
And again death, death, death, death,
Hissing melodious, neither like the bird nor like my
arous'd child's heart,
But edging near as privately for me rustling at my feet,
Creeping thence steadily up to my ears and laving me softly
all over,
Death, death, death, death, death.
Which I do not forget,
But fuse the song of my dusky demon and brother,
That he sang to me in the moonlight on Paumanok's gray
beach,
With the thousand responsive songs at random,
My own songs awaked from that hour,
And with them the key, the word up from the waves,
The word of the sweetest song and all songs,
That strong and delicious word which, creeping to my feet,
(Or like some old crone rocking the cradle, swathed in sweet
garments, bending aside)
The sea whisper'd me.
- Walt Whitman
Absolutely beautiful poetry. Couldn't ask for anything better at the moment
April 19, 2009
I swallowed three cranberry supplement pills (for my crappy kidneys) with coffee (which causes my kidneys to be crappy). Haha.
I started The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas but the next day another book came in the mail. It's the second in The Wheel of Time series I'm reading. They are addictive reads. This one is called The Great Hunt. I reluctantly set aside The Count and started on The Hunt Friday. There are eleven in the series so far with the twelve to be released in three different parts, starting this November. It's a massive work. The books are at least 700 pages each and the last is supposed to be well over 1400 (which is why its split into three).
Almost done with school and work. Just have to stay focused long enough to pass everything and write a bunch of papers.
I still have weird aches and pains all over my body from exercising. I've tapered off my routines to rest up for this trip but still...my lower back is sore from some new exercises Thursday, I'm not certain if my knee is ready for running again, my shin splints are gone...I think, and I woke with a really tight upper back this morning. Maybe I should get a massage before I go.
Everything is winding down, the trip is getting closer...
I started The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas but the next day another book came in the mail. It's the second in The Wheel of Time series I'm reading. They are addictive reads. This one is called The Great Hunt. I reluctantly set aside The Count and started on The Hunt Friday. There are eleven in the series so far with the twelve to be released in three different parts, starting this November. It's a massive work. The books are at least 700 pages each and the last is supposed to be well over 1400 (which is why its split into three).
Almost done with school and work. Just have to stay focused long enough to pass everything and write a bunch of papers.
I still have weird aches and pains all over my body from exercising. I've tapered off my routines to rest up for this trip but still...my lower back is sore from some new exercises Thursday, I'm not certain if my knee is ready for running again, my shin splints are gone...I think, and I woke with a really tight upper back this morning. Maybe I should get a massage before I go.
Everything is winding down, the trip is getting closer...
April 16, 2009
Happiness.
I have two images when I think of happiness:
Starbucks: drinking coffee, listening to quiet music (Jon Foreman, Andrew Bird, Hans Zimmer, Sigur Ros) and reading poetry from Dylan Thomas or Walt Whitman. Perhaps studying theology or philosophy.
Backpacking: on the trail, sun shining, resting with my back to a rock, looking to the sky and enjoying the absence of artificial noise. Just me, God and solitude.
For the few of you who read my blog: what do you think of when you think of happiness?
April 15, 2009
I finished The Eye of the World today. Really good book. There are 11 in the series, with the 12th to be released in three installments, starting later this year. I've got the next two in the series on the way. This makes 10 or 11 books I've read so far this year.
I had to kill a cat today. Gabe came home and told me about a cat he found near campus, almost dead. Probably got hit by a car. He said some dog was chewing on it but it was still alive, back legs kicking. He wondered aloud if we should go back and kill it quickly so it wouldn't suffer.
We got in my car, found the cat and I gunned it, aiming for its head. It might have been dead before we hit it but I got out to check just in case. One of its eyes was bulging out of its head and the skull was probably crushed. It smelled terrible. I'm glad we killed it that way cause I brought my pocketknife with me in case it was off the side of the road and I had to slit its throat. That would have sucked.
My knee needs to hurry up and get better cause I'm running Friday.
Link here to a pretty frickin sweet thing happening between Jim Wallis and Rush Limbaugh (Jim Wallis, by the way is my political hero).
I had to kill a cat today. Gabe came home and told me about a cat he found near campus, almost dead. Probably got hit by a car. He said some dog was chewing on it but it was still alive, back legs kicking. He wondered aloud if we should go back and kill it quickly so it wouldn't suffer.
We got in my car, found the cat and I gunned it, aiming for its head. It might have been dead before we hit it but I got out to check just in case. One of its eyes was bulging out of its head and the skull was probably crushed. It smelled terrible. I'm glad we killed it that way cause I brought my pocketknife with me in case it was off the side of the road and I had to slit its throat. That would have sucked.
My knee needs to hurry up and get better cause I'm running Friday.
Link here to a pretty frickin sweet thing happening between Jim Wallis and Rush Limbaugh (Jim Wallis, by the way is my political hero).
April 14, 2009
Dan, you were right about Of Montreal. They do grow on you. I was listening to them in the car today and realized I was tapping my foot to the music. That's when I knew I liked them.
I did something to my knee running yesterday. Going up and down stairs is a little painful. I've had this before and I always get it when I run weird because of stiffness or soreness. I'll have to stay off it for a little while. It should be back to normal Thursday or Friday.
I've recently had a frustrating dialogue with Justin Taylor's blog, Between Two Worlds. The blog, itself, I like, but some of the people on there are hard to relate to. It's their way or the highway (the highway being hell). The link to the post is here.
JT has been a consistent critic of Tony Jones, which I understand. Their theologies are often on opposite ends of each other. But what is irritating is the way they (meaning a lot of Calvinists) ignore anything good about Jones and take anything they can critique about him and blow it out of proportion. This particular post was of Jones statements on penal substitutionary atonement, which you can read here. This post stirred up a lot of controversy so Jones has since explained himself in other posts you can find on his blog.
All that to say the Reformed community seems, at times, like an exclusive club. There are times when I feel they have an important place in the body and others when I wish they would just shut up. Of course, not every Calvinist leader in the church is like this. Far from it. But JT seems to be one of the guys who bucks at anything not Reformed, but doesn't hold the Reformed community to the standards he holds others (such as Mark Driscoll).
I don't agree with JT or Tony Jones one hundred percent. But who really cares? What irritates me is the arrogance each side can level at each other...
....Just wanted to rant about this a little.
I did something to my knee running yesterday. Going up and down stairs is a little painful. I've had this before and I always get it when I run weird because of stiffness or soreness. I'll have to stay off it for a little while. It should be back to normal Thursday or Friday.
I've recently had a frustrating dialogue with Justin Taylor's blog, Between Two Worlds. The blog, itself, I like, but some of the people on there are hard to relate to. It's their way or the highway (the highway being hell). The link to the post is here.
JT has been a consistent critic of Tony Jones, which I understand. Their theologies are often on opposite ends of each other. But what is irritating is the way they (meaning a lot of Calvinists) ignore anything good about Jones and take anything they can critique about him and blow it out of proportion. This particular post was of Jones statements on penal substitutionary atonement, which you can read here. This post stirred up a lot of controversy so Jones has since explained himself in other posts you can find on his blog.
All that to say the Reformed community seems, at times, like an exclusive club. There are times when I feel they have an important place in the body and others when I wish they would just shut up. Of course, not every Calvinist leader in the church is like this. Far from it. But JT seems to be one of the guys who bucks at anything not Reformed, but doesn't hold the Reformed community to the standards he holds others (such as Mark Driscoll).
I don't agree with JT or Tony Jones one hundred percent. But who really cares? What irritates me is the arrogance each side can level at each other...
....Just wanted to rant about this a little.
April 13, 2009
NBC randomly decided to change Kings from a Sunday night to a Saturday night. Which means I can only watch it on Hulu now. Maybe its a better time for them, who knows.
Saturday I had a good run. I ran almost a full 4 miles (3.8) at a moderate to high speed. It wasn't a jog but it wasn't a run either. I felt GREAT about myself. Today I went for a light run and ended up jogging 2.4 miles. My light run would have killed me a month ago.
It took me since late January to get to the point where I am increasing my distance and speed every week. I guess it was a plateau I had to work past. My biggest issues are my shins and lungs. The lungs are coming along great but the shins still throb. I cut it close to getting shins splints again today. My legs, however (except my shins), could do anything.
Later this week, I'll throw in some sprints and fast miles at the rec. Thursday or Friday, probably. Sunday, I am going on a long run. Goal: 4.5 miles.
Excitement is building for this trip...but there are a couple things I'm worried about.
Nights. All the thru hikers should be gone so there might be some sectionals on the trail, but there isn't a guarantee of company every night. There are probably a few nights I'll be sleeping in the shelter alone. It can be lonely and frightening on the trail by yourself. When I was a kid there were a few times I almost had a panic attack because I was so lonely in my room alone. Every once in a while, this happens again. I get claustrophobic and have to get up and walk around the house, leaving the door cracked when I return to my room. I don't understand it. The fear is completely irrational but when it strikes it can be crippling. I hope I don't have to deal with this on the trail.
Saturday I had a good run. I ran almost a full 4 miles (3.8) at a moderate to high speed. It wasn't a jog but it wasn't a run either. I felt GREAT about myself. Today I went for a light run and ended up jogging 2.4 miles. My light run would have killed me a month ago.
It took me since late January to get to the point where I am increasing my distance and speed every week. I guess it was a plateau I had to work past. My biggest issues are my shins and lungs. The lungs are coming along great but the shins still throb. I cut it close to getting shins splints again today. My legs, however (except my shins), could do anything.
Later this week, I'll throw in some sprints and fast miles at the rec. Thursday or Friday, probably. Sunday, I am going on a long run. Goal: 4.5 miles.
Excitement is building for this trip...but there are a couple things I'm worried about.
Nights. All the thru hikers should be gone so there might be some sectionals on the trail, but there isn't a guarantee of company every night. There are probably a few nights I'll be sleeping in the shelter alone. It can be lonely and frightening on the trail by yourself. When I was a kid there were a few times I almost had a panic attack because I was so lonely in my room alone. Every once in a while, this happens again. I get claustrophobic and have to get up and walk around the house, leaving the door cracked when I return to my room. I don't understand it. The fear is completely irrational but when it strikes it can be crippling. I hope I don't have to deal with this on the trail.
April 12, 2009
Thinking of Easter today I , of course, remember the resurrection of Christ. But I also remember resurrection as the seal of the promise of Christ for us to be resurrected too.
I read Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright recently and he talked about this future resurrection of our bodies. The book really did open my eyes to hope. The title wasn't misleading. Wright wrote in his book that this future hope is our present hope. Because as God will remake us, he will remake heaven and earth, bringing us a New Jerusalem. What shook me about Wright's book is his belief all we do now is not wasted. Every tiny gift, every single act of kindness we will see again. God builds it into this future kingdom.
There are a few verses about us reigning with God, being co-rulers in the new world God will make. Is now making. To learn that everything I do is important to the work now and later has filled my mind with wonder and hope.
I thought of it this morning reading at Starbucks. I read Walt Whitman's poem I Dreamed in a Dream, which compares to Revelation 21's prophecy of the New Jerusalem. I also read Dylan Thomas' poem I Dreamed My Genesis, which is all about this future resurrection. I'll include here the last two stanzas of that work:
And power was contagious in my birth, second
Rise of the skeleton and
Rerobing of the naked ghost. Manhood
Spat up from the resuffered pain.
I dreamed my genesis in sweat of death, fallen
Twice in the feeding sea, grown
Stale of Adam's brine, until vision
Of new man strength, I seek the sun.
Easter is a reminder of the promise and a renewal of hope. Not the sort of hope you wait for, but the active inspiration of God. The energetic response to his call.
I read Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright recently and he talked about this future resurrection of our bodies. The book really did open my eyes to hope. The title wasn't misleading. Wright wrote in his book that this future hope is our present hope. Because as God will remake us, he will remake heaven and earth, bringing us a New Jerusalem. What shook me about Wright's book is his belief all we do now is not wasted. Every tiny gift, every single act of kindness we will see again. God builds it into this future kingdom.
There are a few verses about us reigning with God, being co-rulers in the new world God will make. Is now making. To learn that everything I do is important to the work now and later has filled my mind with wonder and hope.
I thought of it this morning reading at Starbucks. I read Walt Whitman's poem I Dreamed in a Dream, which compares to Revelation 21's prophecy of the New Jerusalem. I also read Dylan Thomas' poem I Dreamed My Genesis, which is all about this future resurrection. I'll include here the last two stanzas of that work:
And power was contagious in my birth, second
Rise of the skeleton and
Rerobing of the naked ghost. Manhood
Spat up from the resuffered pain.
I dreamed my genesis in sweat of death, fallen
Twice in the feeding sea, grown
Stale of Adam's brine, until vision
Of new man strength, I seek the sun.
Easter is a reminder of the promise and a renewal of hope. Not the sort of hope you wait for, but the active inspiration of God. The energetic response to his call.
April 8, 2009
An interesting article on local currencies. I should start one of my own: BarryBucks. It will have a picture of me flexing my biceps and growling.
Alas, my computer is dying! I have decided to buy another. Since I don't have six or seven hundred in cash chilling in the bank, I will probably make monthly payments. If you are like me, in your mind, this sounds horrible because debt is horrible. I agree but I need a computer for grad school and this one is barely alive. One of my friends works at Dell so he is working on a deal for me. Connections!
I finished The Brother's Karamazov. I wonder what Dostoevsky was trying to say. Was he for religion or not?
Alas, my computer is dying! I have decided to buy another. Since I don't have six or seven hundred in cash chilling in the bank, I will probably make monthly payments. If you are like me, in your mind, this sounds horrible because debt is horrible. I agree but I need a computer for grad school and this one is barely alive. One of my friends works at Dell so he is working on a deal for me. Connections!
I finished The Brother's Karamazov. I wonder what Dostoevsky was trying to say. Was he for religion or not?
April 8, 2009
Apathy!
I'm not going to go to Ballet today. I didn't go Monday and one day last week either. I'm thinking about just not going entirely. The grade doesn't matter, I suck at it, its embarrassing every time I go...but most of all I'm apathetic.
I can see it might be difficult to motivate myself this last month of school.
I lifted yesterday, dragging myself through the exercises. What would usually take an hour took an hour and a half.
Probably a big part of my issues with apathy and motivation are knowing I only have a month left here. That's exciting. So exciting I barely care about the month I have. I have to sit down and force myself to concentrate on assignments, block out all other noises, focus on the words I'm typing...
My coffee intake is up. I was limiting myself for my kidneys but apparently they suck no matter what I drink. I'll see someone at Health Services, but in the meantime, I'm drinking some most everyday. It isn't much and it's only a misto (half steamed milk) but I need it to get through.
Excitement is building for May! But no excitement for today.
I'm not going to go to Ballet today. I didn't go Monday and one day last week either. I'm thinking about just not going entirely. The grade doesn't matter, I suck at it, its embarrassing every time I go...but most of all I'm apathetic.
I can see it might be difficult to motivate myself this last month of school.
I lifted yesterday, dragging myself through the exercises. What would usually take an hour took an hour and a half.
Probably a big part of my issues with apathy and motivation are knowing I only have a month left here. That's exciting. So exciting I barely care about the month I have. I have to sit down and force myself to concentrate on assignments, block out all other noises, focus on the words I'm typing...
My coffee intake is up. I was limiting myself for my kidneys but apparently they suck no matter what I drink. I'll see someone at Health Services, but in the meantime, I'm drinking some most everyday. It isn't much and it's only a misto (half steamed milk) but I need it to get through.
Excitement is building for May! But no excitement for today.
April 7, 2009
It's been hard to motivate myself to exercise. I took four days off as much because my body needed it as because I'm sick of it. When I have emotional issues, it affects everything I am doing. I don't know how other people are. I'm sure there are a bunch of people out there who know how to separate their emotions from their work or family or something. Or they are able to separate the situation that caused the emotions from the rest of their life. Either way, I'm bad at separating things. I'm so easily affected by the tiniest details. I mull over what happened during the day and what's happened in the past, examining every detail and every detail examining me (it seems). So when I feel like crap I become apathetic.
I did exercise today. I ran on the track at the rec and did well. I used to do 4 miles in about 45-48 minutes but today I did a little over 4 in 35 to 36 minutes. It was a combination of sprints, fast jogging, moderate jogging and power walking.
Brett measured my body fat today. 16%. Seemed like a lot but I looked it up and it is in the "fitness" range. Gabe had 6%. I'll measure again before the trip and again after. I bet before the trip I'll be at 15 or 16% and after I'll be at 13 or 14%. One of my friends thinks I'll lose 15 to 20 pounds. I'm betting more on 10 to 12.
One month and two days away...
I did exercise today. I ran on the track at the rec and did well. I used to do 4 miles in about 45-48 minutes but today I did a little over 4 in 35 to 36 minutes. It was a combination of sprints, fast jogging, moderate jogging and power walking.
Brett measured my body fat today. 16%. Seemed like a lot but I looked it up and it is in the "fitness" range. Gabe had 6%. I'll measure again before the trip and again after. I bet before the trip I'll be at 15 or 16% and after I'll be at 13 or 14%. One of my friends thinks I'll lose 15 to 20 pounds. I'm betting more on 10 to 12.
One month and two days away...
April 4, 2009
An uplifting story.
An interesting illustrated blog post from the NY Times.
A good blog I follow.
Decided to take 4 days off instead of a week, starting a few days ago, Thursday. Felt more mentally tired than physically. Whenever I get mad or upset about something, instead of doing something to release my aggression, I get apathetic and borderline depressed. This is what happened so I decided to go ahead and give myself a break.
I still have a thin layer of fat preventing me from fully seeing my abs. One of my side goals is to be able to see a six pack by May 1st but that goal looks like it might remain unfulfilled until I return from backpacking. I'll have lost plenty of weight by then.
I figure if I run more I'll thin down enough by then but what is more important is being ready for the trip itself.
Tuesday of this week, I'll have a month until I quit Pizza Hut and Thursday will be a month until I start my trip. A lot of things are winding down like college, my training, my time in TN and with friends. And others will be taking their place: grad school, training for a half marathon (?), making a new life in Seattle and others. But before even those things begin, I have camp in the summer, which I am more excited about after having been interviewed by my future boss, Mike. I look forward to it as a buffer zone, a time of peace.
Once I get to camp, I'll spend some time relaxing. I'll keep up with running and abs but I'll chill for a while. I'm already thinking about new fitness goals after this trip. I'm thinking I'll invest in a better weight set and start doing a whole bunch of full body workouts, like split squats, cleans, deadlifts, and other exercises that require a lot of muscles working instead of just one (like curls, which are retarded and useless exercises). And I'll keep running, but put some days of sprints and jumps in there. Jumps would be fun.
I might not be ready for this trip yet, but I feel ready. That's probably more important anyway.
An interesting illustrated blog post from the NY Times.
A good blog I follow.
Decided to take 4 days off instead of a week, starting a few days ago, Thursday. Felt more mentally tired than physically. Whenever I get mad or upset about something, instead of doing something to release my aggression, I get apathetic and borderline depressed. This is what happened so I decided to go ahead and give myself a break.
I still have a thin layer of fat preventing me from fully seeing my abs. One of my side goals is to be able to see a six pack by May 1st but that goal looks like it might remain unfulfilled until I return from backpacking. I'll have lost plenty of weight by then.
I figure if I run more I'll thin down enough by then but what is more important is being ready for the trip itself.
Tuesday of this week, I'll have a month until I quit Pizza Hut and Thursday will be a month until I start my trip. A lot of things are winding down like college, my training, my time in TN and with friends. And others will be taking their place: grad school, training for a half marathon (?), making a new life in Seattle and others. But before even those things begin, I have camp in the summer, which I am more excited about after having been interviewed by my future boss, Mike. I look forward to it as a buffer zone, a time of peace.
Once I get to camp, I'll spend some time relaxing. I'll keep up with running and abs but I'll chill for a while. I'm already thinking about new fitness goals after this trip. I'm thinking I'll invest in a better weight set and start doing a whole bunch of full body workouts, like split squats, cleans, deadlifts, and other exercises that require a lot of muscles working instead of just one (like curls, which are retarded and useless exercises). And I'll keep running, but put some days of sprints and jumps in there. Jumps would be fun.
I might not be ready for this trip yet, but I feel ready. That's probably more important anyway.
April 3, 2009
"...vision of new man strength, I seek the sun."
- I Dreamed My Genesis. Dylan Thomas
"...the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day."
- Proverbs 4:18
Someday God will resurrect our bodies. And he will recreate heaven and earth. Everything will be remade and will be new and fully alive again. Until then, God calls us to hope for the strength he gives us today. Hoping for the resurrection does not mean abandoning this world. N.T. Wright, in Surprised by Hope said hope builds love, which in turn builds more hope. If we hope deeply for a perfect world, then we will love deeply the one we are in and seek to partner with God in recreating it. I don't believe that God lets his inspiration in our hearts go to waste. What we build now we will see later.
- I Dreamed My Genesis. Dylan Thomas
"...the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day."
- Proverbs 4:18
Someday God will resurrect our bodies. And he will recreate heaven and earth. Everything will be remade and will be new and fully alive again. Until then, God calls us to hope for the strength he gives us today. Hoping for the resurrection does not mean abandoning this world. N.T. Wright, in Surprised by Hope said hope builds love, which in turn builds more hope. If we hope deeply for a perfect world, then we will love deeply the one we are in and seek to partner with God in recreating it. I don't believe that God lets his inspiration in our hearts go to waste. What we build now we will see later.
April 2, 2009
North Korea is launching a satellite bearing missile soon, which would violate some sort of UN thing. Obama and South Korea aren't too happy and Japan has threatened to shoot down the missile if it comes anywhere near them. North Korea vows "revenge" if Japan does it. They certainly talk a lot of crap for a bunch of beggars.
Debating between purchasing albums from the following artists:
M. Ward
Of Montreal
Peter Bjorn and John
Death Cab for Cutie (EP)
Mute Math (EP)
Debating whether or not to buy a tent. I wasn't going to but now I don't know. I might regret not having one on the trail. But I also might regret the extra weight.
Last night I hit 12 reps on the stairs.
Want to hear an abusive megalomaniacal sermon? Mark Driscoll, for your viewing pleasure.
If you are not watching Kings yet I have nothing to say to you.
Debating between purchasing albums from the following artists:
M. Ward
Of Montreal
Peter Bjorn and John
Death Cab for Cutie (EP)
Mute Math (EP)
Debating whether or not to buy a tent. I wasn't going to but now I don't know. I might regret not having one on the trail. But I also might regret the extra weight.
Last night I hit 12 reps on the stairs.
Want to hear an abusive megalomaniacal sermon? Mark Driscoll, for your viewing pleasure.
If you are not watching Kings yet I have nothing to say to you.
April 1, 2009
I lifted yesterday and I am sore all over. I have a weird, stinging pain in my upper left back that flares up from time to time. My shin splints aren't serious but I couldn't do as much in Ballet today. Both of my legs are tired all over. My left shoulder is super sore. My lower back feels strained, but it's not that bad. I only feel it when I sit for a long period of time. And finally, my butt hurts. Don't know how that happened.
Tonight I'll run some more stairs now that I know how to avoid the shin splints. My Ballet teacher gave me some good advice on how to stretch the tendons around the shins of my legs. She said I could get rid of them through proper stretching. I don't know about that, but I could use the stretch.
I'll start on my week long break from exercising either Saturday or Sunday. I may still do Yoga during that time but only very light workouts.
I have also heard encouraging words from other backpackers on my adventure. I created a post at a backpacking forum and asked if 20 mile days were possible, explaining my destination and length of time. The response was encouraging. They all said I could do it and more, depending on my physical readiness and pack weight. Several of them had done that exact section of the trail and believed it to be possible.
Now all I have to do is stick it out until I leave for my trip:
MAY 9TH
Tonight I'll run some more stairs now that I know how to avoid the shin splints. My Ballet teacher gave me some good advice on how to stretch the tendons around the shins of my legs. She said I could get rid of them through proper stretching. I don't know about that, but I could use the stretch.
I'll start on my week long break from exercising either Saturday or Sunday. I may still do Yoga during that time but only very light workouts.
I have also heard encouraging words from other backpackers on my adventure. I created a post at a backpacking forum and asked if 20 mile days were possible, explaining my destination and length of time. The response was encouraging. They all said I could do it and more, depending on my physical readiness and pack weight. Several of them had done that exact section of the trail and believed it to be possible.
Now all I have to do is stick it out until I leave for my trip:
MAY 9TH
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