Working out

May 11th, 2009

So, I’ve been trying for awhile to get back into the routine of going to the gym. For awhile, I was going to our gym before work, but just couldn’t keep up getting up at 5 every morning. I am not a morning person.

So, in February, we were already planning to join a new gym. However, going in the evening totally kills the evening: I leave the house at 8 most mornings, and don’t get back until at least 6. If we go to the gym after that, that means not eating until 7, but we try to get to bed by 10. It’s even worse if we eat first. Add to that community group on Wednesdays, sound most Thursdays, and that pretty much kills any momentum you try to build.

However, the gym has a location about 5 minutes from my office. That means that, including drive time, changing and showering, I can squeeze a 30 minute workout in. A little aerobic, some weights, enough to get the heartrate up for awhile and work the muscles. Not my dream workout, but doing that 4 times a week, plus at least a good workout on the weekend, and we might be getting somewhere.

So, all of that backstory to get to the meat of my post. Working out in suburbia in the middle of the day is a bit odd. I sorta expected it to be empty. However, there were a couple of stereotypical “soccer moms”, but a bunch of, shall we say, seniors of the community. So, there I am, changing the leg curl machine from 20 lbs to 130, and thinking about Andrea’s grandmother, and the conversations Andrea and I have been having about being active now, so that we can stay active longer. With P.O.D. blasting on my iPod. Yeah.

Oh, and climbing the two flights of stairs back up to the office was not fun after working my legs. Just in case you were wondering.

Brushing off the cobwebs

December 11th, 2008

Ok, it’s been too long since I’ve posted here. Sorry about that. I just updated Wordpress, so maybe that’ll push me to do a little work around here.

The Dark Knight

August 5th, 2008

Andrea and I saw The Dark Knight yesterday afternoon, and I wanted to write down a few thoughts. 

Brilliant movie. Loved the whole production – acting, cinematography, story arc. Good stuff.

Is Nolan conscious/intentional of setting up a morality play of Batman (Christ), the Joker (Satan), and Dent (Everyman)? Is it more in line with the story of Baldr? The Joker does resemble Loki, with his love of chaos.

Is Nolan leading to the “Broken Bat” arc?

The relationship between the Joker and Batman seems more Zoroastrian – an equality/duality between good and evil. Batman can’t defeat the Joker, because he refuses to kill him, and the Joker won’t kill Batman because he enjoys the conflict too much. Neither has the true upper hand, or if anything, Batman is playing catchup and is reactionary.

Interesting differences between the story of The Dark Knight and “canon”:

  • Harvey is attacked in the courtroom by the Joker, who throws acid on him, causing the physical injury. The acid affects his psychosis, causing the madness.
  • Rachel and Harvey are already married when he is injured.
  • Harvey fights the madness (at times), and Bruce is always there to encourage him (”I believe in Harvey Dent”).
  • Harvey doesn’t die. He does disappear for awhile, giving in to Two-Face, but comes back, and becomes the DA again.
  • Parallels between the cellphone aggregation and Brother Eye?
What is the movie trying to say about the nature of man? Inherently good? Evil? Blank slate?

The Concert story

July 25th, 2008

So, here’s the deal. Andrea was listening to the radio a month ago, and heard that a local station (107.5) was sponsoring discount tickets for the James Blunt/Sheryl Crow show at the Sommet. Tickets were $10.75, which, with all the Ticketmaster fees, translates to ~$20 – still a great price. We jumped on ‘em, and I thought they’d be nose-bleed seats.

Fast-forward to last night. We get there, and the seats are amazing! We’re in the second tier, second row, right in the middle, dead-on with the stage. I could throw a plastic cup at the FOH on the floor. Nice job, Andrea!

When James took the stage, the room was empty. Maybe 30% of the seats occupied, which made the cave that much more cave-y. However, Blunt is a great musician, entertaining and quirky, and the mix was solid. People continued to filter in, so that by the time the lights came up for the set change, the room was full.

Andrea and I commented that we were a bit disappointed in the mix for Sheryl. For one, it was too loud (and I’m probably too old), and so any time there was a full moment in the arrangement – two electric guitars, plus B3, say – Sheryl’s voice disappeared in the mix. Gone. It didn’t sound like she was having problems, just that she was getting masked by all the midrange. In contrast, Blunt’s mix was just the right level, and ultra-clear. His voice was on top of the mix, with a solid foundation underneath, and you could hear the textures of the upright piano he played contrasting with the Rhodes his keyboardist played, and the plucking of the bass in the pocket with the kick. Crow is also moving decidedly more political in voice, and the audience really didn’t respond well. She may think she’s from Nashville now that she’s living on a farm south of Franklin, but she’s still not a native. 

Still, it was a fun night. We got downtown early, parked, and walked around with ice cream before heading in. I don’t remember the buskers for the clubs, bars, and carriage rides being so aggressive, but it was fun to be in the chaos for a bit, to remember that we do live in a decent-sized city.

I love my iphone!

July 24th, 2008

Andrea observed that this photo would be ironic. Still at the adore-aforementioned show :-)

photo