If you answered "yes" to any of these question, have I got a game for you. Super Mario Crossover!
Choose from your favorite NES characters in this very well done game.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Mario Crossover Game!
Do you like Mega Man? Castlevania? Mario? Contra? Link?
If you answered "yes" to any of these question, have I got a game for you. Super Mario Crossover!
Choose from your favorite NES characters in this very well done game.
If you answered "yes" to any of these question, have I got a game for you. Super Mario Crossover!
Choose from your favorite NES characters in this very well done game.
The Nastiest of Men Doing Good
While I was at Lowe's Home Improvement yesterday, I saw a bumper sticker that read:
"Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."
It's a quote from John Maynard Keynes. [Update: One of my astute readers has reminded me that one should never trust such an unreliable source as a bumper sticker. The claim that Keynes ever said this is VERY dubious. Having said that, my criticism remains of those individuals who believe what the bumper sticker espouses.] Some of you might recognize him for his influential role in the United State economy during the Great Depression. (Full disclosure: I think Keynesian Economic Theory is mostly garbage. Having said that, I should note that my study of economics is very limited.) Keynesian economics, in a very small -- and possible unfair -- nutshell is that capitalism needs control. That sometimes the private sector and the markets will not make the most efficient choices. I think Keynes missed some important stuff in reaching his conclusion.
I want to make two points in this post. First, we need to realize what Capitalism is in theory and what it is in practice. Keynes is criticizing an imperfect form of Capitalism. Second, even in its impure form, Keynes's quote is dead wrong, as evidenced by the "nastiest" of men.
1. Why we need to be careful with the label "Capitalism."
Capitalism, as I'm sure most know, is the brainchild of Adam Smith and his incredibly revolutionary book Wealth of Nations. His thoughts, again in a potentially unfair nutshell, were that the desire for profit would make the private sector run as efficiently as possible, and so the economy is best left alone. Laissez-faire -- literally "let do," or "let it be."
BUT! Adam Smith had laid a very important foundation to Capitalism: ethics and morality. Adam Smith intended his economic system to operate in a moral society. He wrote Wealth of Nations in 1776. But, before that, in 1759, he wrote The Theory of Moral Sentiments. In that book, in short, Adam Smith said that morals were necessary for Capitalism's success. Instead of having welfare and social security, Adam Smith intended for the private sector to create the necessary protections for the unfortunate. He argued that we would decide to create those protections because we would feel a moral obligation. Obviously, "moral" is not the first word that comes to mind when I describe our society. We live in a society where a desire for instant gratification reigns supreme. Our culture is so focused on "me" and "I" that Capitalism, as envisioned by Adam Smith, will not operate as intended in our immoral society. (It's for that reason that I believe in minimal government intervention - a topic for a different post). But let's focus on why we need to make sure that we don't demonize things merely because the implementing society screwed it up.
Socialism has gotten the same negative reputation from the likes of Lenin/Stalin's Communism. Socialism sounds pretty good to me, as envisioned by Karl Marx. Everyone works hard every day. We share what we create. Everyone is equal, because we all try our best, and that's all you can ask from someone. PROBLEM: instant gratification, sex, drugs, and TV. Working hard doesn't sound as fun as sitting on a couch doing drugs and watching TV all day. Accordingly, Socialism isn't going to work because not everyone is prepared to work hard everyday when they could watch TV, do drugs, and have sex in their drug-induced stupors instead. Until every single person signs on to Communism/Socialism, it will not work.
Spoiler alert: I don't think any society will ever be able to execute Socialism as envisioned by Marx.
Just as it is unfair to label the Soviet Union as a Socialist nation, it's similarly unfair to label an imperfect implementation of Capitalism as actual Capitalism. I resolve from this point forward to refer to the US's economy as an "imperfect Capitalism" model. Keynes should have been a little more careful to separate reality from theory when he made this little sound bite. When Keynes rants about the evil of Capitalism, he's doing a disservice to Adam Smith and the idea of pure Capitalism. Let's not cheapen Capitalism, which, in theory, is, I believe, as good as it gets.
2. How the "nastiest" are making Keynes look like a fool -- a case study.
Even though we have an impure form of Capitalism, I think Keynes is wrong. Based on Keynes's logic, the wealthiest men from Capitalism must necessarily be the nastiest. After all, they have exploited Capitalism the most, so as to become the richest. So who are the "nastiest" in the United States? Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. According to Keynes, it is "extraordinary" to believe that these men would "work for the benefit of all." Well Mr. Keynes, this is going to be a bit awkward, but...
Warren Buffet has given 30 of his 50 billion dollars to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
That's the same Bill Gates who owns the title of "nastiest" American (63 billion dollars in the bank). Gates, an even "nastier" man than Buffet has recently decided to donate almost his entire fortune, 58 billion dollars, to the foundation. Click the link if you want to learn more about the Foundation, but its work is anything but "nasty."
Is this to say that all entrepreneurs have followed Gates and Buffet's admirable footsteps? Certainly, the answer is no. But Keynes's description of Capitalism is clearly flawed. There is nothing extraordinary to think that man has an innate moral desire to help everyone. People still count their Blessings and realize that their Blessings come with a string attached to help others. These are not "nasty" men, they are successful, wealthy men. Ultimately, I believe Adam Smith was right; there is an innate level of morality, and it's playing out every single day in our imperfect society. The morality of just these two men is saving thousands, if not millions, of lives in Africa. In the 30 minutes it took me to write this post, Bill Gates made something like 50,000 dollars. And he gave 46,000 of it to charity. Sure, his wallet isn't empty, but he could make it a whole lot fuller.
So, to the man with the bumper sticker that offended me enough to write this post, maybe it's about time to cut Capitalism, in either its pure form or its imperfect form, a little slack...
Off to chill on my black rock...
"Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."
It's a quote from John Maynard Keynes. [Update: One of my astute readers has reminded me that one should never trust such an unreliable source as a bumper sticker. The claim that Keynes ever said this is VERY dubious. Having said that, my criticism remains of those individuals who believe what the bumper sticker espouses.] Some of you might recognize him for his influential role in the United State economy during the Great Depression. (Full disclosure: I think Keynesian Economic Theory is mostly garbage. Having said that, I should note that my study of economics is very limited.) Keynesian economics, in a very small -- and possible unfair -- nutshell is that capitalism needs control. That sometimes the private sector and the markets will not make the most efficient choices. I think Keynes missed some important stuff in reaching his conclusion.
I want to make two points in this post. First, we need to realize what Capitalism is in theory and what it is in practice. Keynes is criticizing an imperfect form of Capitalism. Second, even in its impure form, Keynes's quote is dead wrong, as evidenced by the "nastiest" of men.
1. Why we need to be careful with the label "Capitalism."
Capitalism, as I'm sure most know, is the brainchild of Adam Smith and his incredibly revolutionary book Wealth of Nations. His thoughts, again in a potentially unfair nutshell, were that the desire for profit would make the private sector run as efficiently as possible, and so the economy is best left alone. Laissez-faire -- literally "let do," or "let it be."
BUT! Adam Smith had laid a very important foundation to Capitalism: ethics and morality. Adam Smith intended his economic system to operate in a moral society. He wrote Wealth of Nations in 1776. But, before that, in 1759, he wrote The Theory of Moral Sentiments. In that book, in short, Adam Smith said that morals were necessary for Capitalism's success. Instead of having welfare and social security, Adam Smith intended for the private sector to create the necessary protections for the unfortunate. He argued that we would decide to create those protections because we would feel a moral obligation. Obviously, "moral" is not the first word that comes to mind when I describe our society. We live in a society where a desire for instant gratification reigns supreme. Our culture is so focused on "me" and "I" that Capitalism, as envisioned by Adam Smith, will not operate as intended in our immoral society. (It's for that reason that I believe in minimal government intervention - a topic for a different post). But let's focus on why we need to make sure that we don't demonize things merely because the implementing society screwed it up.
Socialism has gotten the same negative reputation from the likes of Lenin/Stalin's Communism. Socialism sounds pretty good to me, as envisioned by Karl Marx. Everyone works hard every day. We share what we create. Everyone is equal, because we all try our best, and that's all you can ask from someone. PROBLEM: instant gratification, sex, drugs, and TV. Working hard doesn't sound as fun as sitting on a couch doing drugs and watching TV all day. Accordingly, Socialism isn't going to work because not everyone is prepared to work hard everyday when they could watch TV, do drugs, and have sex in their drug-induced stupors instead. Until every single person signs on to Communism/Socialism, it will not work.
Spoiler alert: I don't think any society will ever be able to execute Socialism as envisioned by Marx.
Just as it is unfair to label the Soviet Union as a Socialist nation, it's similarly unfair to label an imperfect implementation of Capitalism as actual Capitalism. I resolve from this point forward to refer to the US's economy as an "imperfect Capitalism" model. Keynes should have been a little more careful to separate reality from theory when he made this little sound bite. When Keynes rants about the evil of Capitalism, he's doing a disservice to Adam Smith and the idea of pure Capitalism. Let's not cheapen Capitalism, which, in theory, is, I believe, as good as it gets.
2. How the "nastiest" are making Keynes look like a fool -- a case study.
Even though we have an impure form of Capitalism, I think Keynes is wrong. Based on Keynes's logic, the wealthiest men from Capitalism must necessarily be the nastiest. After all, they have exploited Capitalism the most, so as to become the richest. So who are the "nastiest" in the United States? Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. According to Keynes, it is "extraordinary" to believe that these men would "work for the benefit of all." Well Mr. Keynes, this is going to be a bit awkward, but...
Warren Buffet has given 30 of his 50 billion dollars to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
That's the same Bill Gates who owns the title of "nastiest" American (63 billion dollars in the bank). Gates, an even "nastier" man than Buffet has recently decided to donate almost his entire fortune, 58 billion dollars, to the foundation. Click the link if you want to learn more about the Foundation, but its work is anything but "nasty."
Is this to say that all entrepreneurs have followed Gates and Buffet's admirable footsteps? Certainly, the answer is no. But Keynes's description of Capitalism is clearly flawed. There is nothing extraordinary to think that man has an innate moral desire to help everyone. People still count their Blessings and realize that their Blessings come with a string attached to help others. These are not "nasty" men, they are successful, wealthy men. Ultimately, I believe Adam Smith was right; there is an innate level of morality, and it's playing out every single day in our imperfect society. The morality of just these two men is saving thousands, if not millions, of lives in Africa. In the 30 minutes it took me to write this post, Bill Gates made something like 50,000 dollars. And he gave 46,000 of it to charity. Sure, his wallet isn't empty, but he could make it a whole lot fuller.
So, to the man with the bumper sticker that offended me enough to write this post, maybe it's about time to cut Capitalism, in either its pure form or its imperfect form, a little slack...
Off to chill on my black rock...
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Let's take all of this blood and turn it in to love!
Currently Reading: The Rhythm of Life by Matthew Kelley (Finished Primal Blueprint yesterday)
Finished last day of law school on Monday. One final in 9 days and one paper in 15 days. That's all I have left.
Current project is to do a handstand. As I say this, I have no handstand skills. I can barely hold a tripod. So I broke the thing down in steps. How could I get my body in to a handstand positions? I started by taking one of my thick law textbooks and stacking my yoga block on top of it. On top of that, I put a pillow. With that, I did a tripod with my head on the yoga block. From there I was able to straighten my legs against a wall. I was doing a tripod with straight legs balancing against a wall. I had to do it this way, because there was no way I was strong enough to straighten my arms in to a handstand with my head all the way on the floor.
While the yoga block was helpful, I still had to muster the strength the straighten my arms. This, in and of itself, took a couple days. Once I was able to straighten my arms, I made the process more difficult by moving my head closer to the ground. To to do this, I slowly began reducing the thickness of the yoga block monstrosity. Every time the yoga block got thinner, I needed additional strength on my end to straighten out my arms. I would try and rep out a few of these weak/sudo handstand push ups to try and build more strength.
The next breakthrough was huge.
I removed the yoga block from the mix. Just planting my hands on the floors and kicking myself in to a handstand position with straight arms. At this point, I'm still using the wall. That brings me to today. I still use the wall, but I don't need it as much--my balance is improving. When I get in the handstand position, I keep working on handstand push ups, trying to get deeper and stronger. My head doesn't come close to the ground yet, but it's working it's way down. I'm happy with my progress. In fact, I'm amazed by my progress. In two weeks, I went from thinking I had no chance at doing handstands to kicking myself up against a wall without the yoga block to help.
I've always actually underestimated my ability. For the longest time I could bench 225 with relative ease. (I'm sure some of you are laughing at the fact that I'm proud of benching 225). But I could get one rep at 225 pretty easily. As soon as I added a 2.5lb plate to each side, I couldn't rep it. I just thought there was no way I could do it. I wasn't strong enough; "I'm not one of those big guys." That's what I'd say to myself. Also, I was so happy to bench 225, that I kind of thought "that's it." The mental barrier was excruciating. But I knew I could do more based on how easy I could bench 225. To break through, I focused on my accomplishments. I took a mindset of "you're way better than what's hanging you up. There's no way 230 is impossible when 225 is too easy." After a few months I busted through it.
Similarly with handstands, I thought I was so bad, so weak at them. After all, I was doing tripods with my head on a pillow on a yoga block, and mustering one or two of these crappy handstand push ups. I thought I was a huge way away from kicking myself in to the handstand position. And then one day, when I was dreaming of kicking myself up, and thinking I was doing miserable, I started taking movies of myself doing them. On the video, I saw how close I actually was to kicking myself up. Suddenly, I knew I could do it. The very next time I tried, I kicked myself up on the wall.
Let no one forget how important those mental barriers are. If you're working hard and honestly trying, you are already there. You are so much better and stronger than your self doubt lets you be. One of my recent favorite phrases is, "it's just that easy." Too often people won't try something because they think, if it was this easy, everyone would be doing it. You see something or hear a story of something remarkable, and you think, that's so hard, I could never do that. What if that's what everyone is thinking? What if you just have to be the person to do the easy thing, the thing that everyone thinks is hard? Why not give the "impossible" a shot today?
And after you're done and celebrating, take a second to go to your black rock and marvel at how incredible you and your life are.
Finished last day of law school on Monday. One final in 9 days and one paper in 15 days. That's all I have left.
Current project is to do a handstand. As I say this, I have no handstand skills. I can barely hold a tripod. So I broke the thing down in steps. How could I get my body in to a handstand positions? I started by taking one of my thick law textbooks and stacking my yoga block on top of it. On top of that, I put a pillow. With that, I did a tripod with my head on the yoga block. From there I was able to straighten my legs against a wall. I was doing a tripod with straight legs balancing against a wall. I had to do it this way, because there was no way I was strong enough to straighten my arms in to a handstand with my head all the way on the floor.
While the yoga block was helpful, I still had to muster the strength the straighten my arms. This, in and of itself, took a couple days. Once I was able to straighten my arms, I made the process more difficult by moving my head closer to the ground. To to do this, I slowly began reducing the thickness of the yoga block monstrosity. Every time the yoga block got thinner, I needed additional strength on my end to straighten out my arms. I would try and rep out a few of these weak/sudo handstand push ups to try and build more strength.
The next breakthrough was huge.
I removed the yoga block from the mix. Just planting my hands on the floors and kicking myself in to a handstand position with straight arms. At this point, I'm still using the wall. That brings me to today. I still use the wall, but I don't need it as much--my balance is improving. When I get in the handstand position, I keep working on handstand push ups, trying to get deeper and stronger. My head doesn't come close to the ground yet, but it's working it's way down. I'm happy with my progress. In fact, I'm amazed by my progress. In two weeks, I went from thinking I had no chance at doing handstands to kicking myself up against a wall without the yoga block to help.
I've always actually underestimated my ability. For the longest time I could bench 225 with relative ease. (I'm sure some of you are laughing at the fact that I'm proud of benching 225). But I could get one rep at 225 pretty easily. As soon as I added a 2.5lb plate to each side, I couldn't rep it. I just thought there was no way I could do it. I wasn't strong enough; "I'm not one of those big guys." That's what I'd say to myself. Also, I was so happy to bench 225, that I kind of thought "that's it." The mental barrier was excruciating. But I knew I could do more based on how easy I could bench 225. To break through, I focused on my accomplishments. I took a mindset of "you're way better than what's hanging you up. There's no way 230 is impossible when 225 is too easy." After a few months I busted through it.
Similarly with handstands, I thought I was so bad, so weak at them. After all, I was doing tripods with my head on a pillow on a yoga block, and mustering one or two of these crappy handstand push ups. I thought I was a huge way away from kicking myself in to the handstand position. And then one day, when I was dreaming of kicking myself up, and thinking I was doing miserable, I started taking movies of myself doing them. On the video, I saw how close I actually was to kicking myself up. Suddenly, I knew I could do it. The very next time I tried, I kicked myself up on the wall.
Let no one forget how important those mental barriers are. If you're working hard and honestly trying, you are already there. You are so much better and stronger than your self doubt lets you be. One of my recent favorite phrases is, "it's just that easy." Too often people won't try something because they think, if it was this easy, everyone would be doing it. You see something or hear a story of something remarkable, and you think, that's so hard, I could never do that. What if that's what everyone is thinking? What if you just have to be the person to do the easy thing, the thing that everyone thinks is hard? Why not give the "impossible" a shot today?
And after you're done and celebrating, take a second to go to your black rock and marvel at how incredible you and your life are.
Gymnast Rings
As I think I indicated in my first post on the blog, I was going to make a set of gymnast rings last Friday; I did just that. The process is rather simple. There's a long post about it on CrossFit, but I synthesized it down to this...
First: What you need. I recommend two 24/25" pieces of PVC - 1" in diameter. Make sure to get sch 40. That refers to the thickness of the plastic. Too thin, and your rings will kink and wrinkle! I also picked up these lashing straps from Amazon. You should have some duct tape laying around. If you're making some rings to get jacked, you should own duct tape. (But if you don't, get some. That stuff is getting expensive!) Lastly, a gallon of paint/stain/primer/whatever. I just want the size and the roundness.
Cost analysis - 10 foot piece of PVC $2.82 (Home Depot)
Lashing straps $5.99 (Amazon)
Duct Tape - (you should have some, if not) $3.99 (Anywhere)
Gallon container - Rummage one (Anywhere)
As you can see, I've already taped the ends of the PVC. Three pieces of duct tape was sufficient. Make a cross with two pieces over the end. A third piece going around the PVC to seal.
Next, go find some sand. You can buy it if you want, but I'm sure you can find it for free. I stole some sand from a school's volley ball court (I pay my tuition, I guess it's not stealing). Fill the pipes with sand.
Make sure you give it some good taps to let the sand settle. This allows you to really fill the PVC. You fill the PVC with sand so that it maintains its shape when the time comes to bend it. The fuller you make the PVC the better it will hold the shape.
Then tape the ends.
Walk Home.....
.....
Preheat oven to 350 and stick those soon-to-be rings in!
Cook for about 12 minutes. I staggered when I put the PVC pipe in so that I would have time to shape the pipe. I put one in with 17 minutes on the timer. At 12 minutes on the timer I put the second in. At 5 minutes on the timer I pulled the first one out and formed it. Use oven mitts people, these things are hot. They should be incredibly bendy too.
Bend the PVC around the gallon can. Expert tip for the perfectionist: When you bend the PVC around the can, you're going to flatten out the PVC where it touches the can. Make an effort to push down on the PVC as it cools to help maintain roundness.
A few things to note: First, I learned the hard way that you want sch 40 PVC. You might be able to see how mine kinks. That's because the PVC was a little too thin. The PVC is marked at the store; get the right stuff! Second, mine isn't a perfect ring; it's a bit tear shaped. That's probably because I went a little too long on the PVC (26"). I don't think it impairs the rings at all. In fact, it may make it easier to thread the hanging mechanism. Keep this in mind when you pick your length.
Let the PVC cool - a little cool water helps to "cure" the pipe and make it solid. Then thread through your lashing straps and attach wherever you can find. These lashing straps are optimal for my situation, but you may want to experiment with other straps. I hope this helps all of you!
Have a great workout!
Workout Ideas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aee2QcS7Btw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPgLAzaXE-U&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhcP1PaAnRM
http://ringtraining.com/images/exercisecollage.jpg
________________________________________________________________________________
Update:
Here is a closeup of the attachment method, per a commenter's request.
I simply take the webbing without the "buckle." Run it through the ring. Over my pull-up bar. Then attach to the buckle. Using these lashing straps, I can vary the length of my rings a total of 5 feet. Right now, it's working well for me.
You'll also notice that I tape the openings of the rings. They were kind of sharp, so I used a little of my duct tape to soften the openings.
Also, one commenter has warned that these straps may slip eventually. I have not had that problem (yet--maybe I will). I weigh about 190, the commenter said he is 210, that may be the difference. The tag said the straps can hold 200, but should only be used at 100. Technically, that commenter is using the straps in excess, but maybe the straps do start slipping after awhile. I'd appreciate any feedback on the attachment design.
Keep the comments coming!
First: What you need. I recommend two 24/25" pieces of PVC - 1" in diameter. Make sure to get sch 40. That refers to the thickness of the plastic. Too thin, and your rings will kink and wrinkle! I also picked up these lashing straps from Amazon. You should have some duct tape laying around. If you're making some rings to get jacked, you should own duct tape. (But if you don't, get some. That stuff is getting expensive!) Lastly, a gallon of paint/stain/primer/whatever. I just want the size and the roundness.
Cost analysis - 10 foot piece of PVC $2.82 (Home Depot)
Lashing straps $5.99 (Amazon)
Duct Tape - (you should have some, if not) $3.99 (Anywhere)
Gallon container - Rummage one (Anywhere)
As you can see, I've already taped the ends of the PVC. Three pieces of duct tape was sufficient. Make a cross with two pieces over the end. A third piece going around the PVC to seal.
Next, go find some sand. You can buy it if you want, but I'm sure you can find it for free. I stole some sand from a school's volley ball court (I pay my tuition, I guess it's not stealing). Fill the pipes with sand.
Make sure you give it some good taps to let the sand settle. This allows you to really fill the PVC. You fill the PVC with sand so that it maintains its shape when the time comes to bend it. The fuller you make the PVC the better it will hold the shape.
Then tape the ends.
Walk Home.....
.....
Preheat oven to 350 and stick those soon-to-be rings in!
Cook for about 12 minutes. I staggered when I put the PVC pipe in so that I would have time to shape the pipe. I put one in with 17 minutes on the timer. At 12 minutes on the timer I put the second in. At 5 minutes on the timer I pulled the first one out and formed it. Use oven mitts people, these things are hot. They should be incredibly bendy too.
Bend the PVC around the gallon can. Expert tip for the perfectionist: When you bend the PVC around the can, you're going to flatten out the PVC where it touches the can. Make an effort to push down on the PVC as it cools to help maintain roundness.
A few things to note: First, I learned the hard way that you want sch 40 PVC. You might be able to see how mine kinks. That's because the PVC was a little too thin. The PVC is marked at the store; get the right stuff! Second, mine isn't a perfect ring; it's a bit tear shaped. That's probably because I went a little too long on the PVC (26"). I don't think it impairs the rings at all. In fact, it may make it easier to thread the hanging mechanism. Keep this in mind when you pick your length.
Let the PVC cool - a little cool water helps to "cure" the pipe and make it solid. Then thread through your lashing straps and attach wherever you can find. These lashing straps are optimal for my situation, but you may want to experiment with other straps. I hope this helps all of you!
Have a great workout!
Workout Ideas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aee2QcS7Btw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPgLAzaXE-U&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhcP1PaAnRM
http://ringtraining.com/images/exercisecollage.jpg
________________________________________________________________________________
Update:
Here is a closeup of the attachment method, per a commenter's request.
I simply take the webbing without the "buckle." Run it through the ring. Over my pull-up bar. Then attach to the buckle. Using these lashing straps, I can vary the length of my rings a total of 5 feet. Right now, it's working well for me.
You'll also notice that I tape the openings of the rings. They were kind of sharp, so I used a little of my duct tape to soften the openings.
Also, one commenter has warned that these straps may slip eventually. I have not had that problem (yet--maybe I will). I weigh about 190, the commenter said he is 210, that may be the difference. The tag said the straps can hold 200, but should only be used at 100. Technically, that commenter is using the straps in excess, but maybe the straps do start slipping after awhile. I'd appreciate any feedback on the attachment design.
Keep the comments coming!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
4/22/2010
Currently Reading: The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson
Song stuck in head: Empire State of Mind (Ironic) - Jay-Z
Today's workout - pullups, incline pushups, handstand pushup, long run.
Today was the second to last day of my post-secondary, law school, and formal education. Don't feel very relieved, because there is still a lot of work to be done before I'll be finished. The weather is beautiful after a cold spell.
My project for the day and tomorrow is making a set of gymnast rings. Should be pretty easy. My friend Josh and I made a set when I was down in Florida. The total cost on making a set of these is ten dollars. They work incredibly well. But, if you want to be the envy of every man on the block, I am really impressed with these EXF rings. They seem to be really well done, and every review I've read about them is positive.
(Josh on his rings)
It's been a slow day other than that. Picked up a lot of great food at Giant Eagle: red peppers, organic apples and pears, chicken, Omega-3 eggs, scallions, and more great stuff. Also, on the food/nutrition front, in an effort to actually sleep -- I have been having a hard time for the past couple weeks -- I've doubled my intake of magnesium. It works for Ido Portal, so I'll give it a shot!
That's all I have for now. I hope everybody has a great day. I'm off for a run. Embrace that black rock state of mind until I talk to you again.
Song stuck in head: Empire State of Mind (Ironic) - Jay-Z
Today's workout - pullups, incline pushups, handstand pushup, long run.
Today was the second to last day of my post-secondary, law school, and formal education. Don't feel very relieved, because there is still a lot of work to be done before I'll be finished. The weather is beautiful after a cold spell.
My project for the day and tomorrow is making a set of gymnast rings. Should be pretty easy. My friend Josh and I made a set when I was down in Florida. The total cost on making a set of these is ten dollars. They work incredibly well. But, if you want to be the envy of every man on the block, I am really impressed with these EXF rings. They seem to be really well done, and every review I've read about them is positive.
(Josh on his rings)
It's been a slow day other than that. Picked up a lot of great food at Giant Eagle: red peppers, organic apples and pears, chicken, Omega-3 eggs, scallions, and more great stuff. Also, on the food/nutrition front, in an effort to actually sleep -- I have been having a hard time for the past couple weeks -- I've doubled my intake of magnesium. It works for Ido Portal, so I'll give it a shot!
That's all I have for now. I hope everybody has a great day. I'm off for a run. Embrace that black rock state of mind until I talk to you again.
New Blog
After having a number of different blogs, I wanted to generalize down in to one blog. I've had a decently-followed fitness blog. I even enjoyed writing a more philosophical blog for awhile. But I found that I neglected those blogs because it was too much. So, I'm hoping to consolidate it all here.
What are the topics of conversation:
Fitness, nutrition, rock climbing, the law, do-it-yourself projects, and current events. It's a lot to try and discuss, and I certainly won't hit all of them everyday, but let's see what happens...
What is a black rock state of mind?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ4BcXcwjoI
What are the topics of conversation:
Fitness, nutrition, rock climbing, the law, do-it-yourself projects, and current events. It's a lot to try and discuss, and I certainly won't hit all of them everyday, but let's see what happens...
What is a black rock state of mind?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ4BcXcwjoI
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
