Workout of the Day - Sept 24

So, I am HORRIBLY sore today. At first, I was pretty proud of myself
for having destroyed my legs so badly that even my butt cheeks hurt.
But then I remembered that I got a flu shot yesterday. That explains
my arm hurting on only one side under a Band Aid. I think my whole
body hurts more from that, than anything else. But having a heavy
workout that morning didn't help things. Note to self: Don't workout
hard before getting a flu shot.

Workout of the Day - Sept 23

Good workout this morning. Pretty intense warm-up. Had the leg press
all loaded-up. IPod volume pretty loud. Around the 3rd rep and pushing
hard, slipped out a fart. I must say that there's forcing out a fart
and then there's the
pushing-nearly-as-hard-as-I-can-and-a-fart-slips-by farting. I know it
was loud because I heard it over my 90% max headphone volume. Is there
a better way of projecting sound than sitting back and basically
putting your knees up to your ears? Apparently not. On the plus side,
the intense rush of adrenaline from embarrassment got me a couple
extra reps. And thank God it wasn't a sharting.

Senators Preview

I've been putting this one off for months. Mostly because I had no
idea when or if Heatley was going to be traded. But that deal is done
and we are left with the roster that we have to live with this year.
Time to take a look...

I think there are many uncertainties at forward. How will Heatley's 50
goals be replaced? Alfredsson is not getting any younger and the drama
this team has lived through the last two years would prematurely age
anyone. This group could bonk as much as any, but I do see bright
spots. I see Alfie returning to form along with Spezza, who had an off
year along with the rest of the team. Between Michalek and Kovalev,
you have a replacement for Heatley's one timer on the powerplay. And
if anything, Michalek is probably more willing to use his large frame,
but that's to be proven. 5-on-5 is another story. I think it's asking
too much for Cheechoo to return to his Richard Trophy winning self.
But the sum of the parts: Michalek, Kovalev, and Cheechoo could be
more than what Heatley brought; at least I'm hopeful for the scoring
depth this team has wanted for years. There's a chance.

Defensively I'm concerned. Phillips and Volchenkov went from world
beaters to bums. I can only expect more than last season. However, the
remaining spots are shaky. If you aren't a defensive stalwart or a
offensive wonder, you get the remaining Senators defensmen. Tweeners.
Some offensive upside, but not defensive studs. They have prospects: a
big defenseman in Cowen and an offensive wonder in Karlsson, but I
think these guys need a few years of grooming. Until then, you make
due. But it may be tough making the playoffs this way.

Goaltending. Broken record here. Most teams ultimately blame their
lack of success on the goalie. This team is a classic example, along
with Philadelphia. These franchises have been borderline desperate to
get a goaltender, but just as quick to give up on them. So, that
problem was solved with... Pascal Leclaire! Oh damn. Just as many
question marks here. First off, I'm not a Leclaire fan. I don't like
injury prone goalies. I don't think he's proven himself. He played
under a very defensive system in Columbus (when he wasn't injured).
His numbers may be misleading. I think it was a gamble in signing this
guy. I hope to be proven wrong.

So, we have a team with question marks at forward, after losing a
50-goal scorer. A timid defense, beyond the shutdown pair that were
horrible last year, that's seeking a dynamic playmaker. Goaltending
hope. That seems like a lot of things that have to come together. I
want to be realistic, but that's depressing.

Here's my best case scenario. Clouston in a full season as head coach,
has command of this team. The locker room cancer is gone. They employ
that effective, dynamic, forechecking system, like the last half of
last season. Spezza and Alfie get back to form. Kovalev, Cheechoo and
Michalek get their 30+ goals. Regin and Fisher are a new dynamic duo
(per the pre-season so far). Karlsson makes the team this year and is
the Drew Doughty of 2009-10. Leclaire blows out his repaired ankle in
the opener, and Lehner jumps Elliott as starting goalie. Cowen makes
the team mid-year. Sens go deep in the playoffs.

Yeah, I don't think so either but that's why this time of year is
great. My team is undefeated and anything can happen.

UFC 103

Saw UFC 103 at the local sports bar. It was a combination date night
and birthday celebration, as the wife and I went with another couple.
Yeah, it's cool to have an understanding wife that would put up with
going to a fight as a "date". Much less a couples night. We had fun.

Belfort is back. He didn't waste many punches and tore-up Franklin
once he did engage. I wasn't sure what to expect for Vitor, but he
impressed. Same for Paul Daley. I've heard of the guy, but never seen
him fight. He's got some heavy hands. Dos Santos becomes a major
heavyweight player; with a striking beatdown of Cro Cop. But
ultimately, I'm still not sure he has the power or size to contend
with Lesnar.

It's rumored that Vitor is jumping both Hendo and Marquardt as the
next Anderson Silva victim. I'm interested in that fight. I gotta say
that seeing either wrestler take on Anderson is not the most appealing
fight. But they both did the best against him. Maybe it will keep
Silva from thinking about the supposed Mir fight.

I'm a fan of Tyson Griffin and he looked pretty good. He was mixing it
up well and changing levels, looked very quick and powerful. He
will/should get a title shot one day.

NHL pre-season

There are several things I expect when watching NHL pre-season games:
small crowds, seeing 4 different goalies, and several fights. So,
being in attendance at the Kings/Coyotes game last night I was a bit
disappointed. The teams didn't split the goaltending duties halfway
through the game. I knew that Jason LaBarbara was in town (he's on the
Coyotes now) and was hoping to see him play against his former team.
It didn't happen, but the fights did. Some of these guys know either
"job" and have only a few pre-season games to showcase it. So the
pugilists within each organizations system go to work. Nothing too
exciting though.

I guess it was a split squad game. So, half of the Kings went to
Arizona and played on the same night. It was weird hearing that the
Kings lost, while I watched a game that they won. Same day split, but
in two different cities. Wild, but very cool for more players to see
ice time.

The biggest attraction was having the whole family there. I've taken
my kids to games for years, but kinda forget that toddlers don't
remember much about a game they slept through as an infant. So my
3-year old son was wide eyed and taking the whole thing in. I never
realized what a visual and audio overload all the scoreboard and
lighting can be. There are video billboards that surround the rink,
the main scoreboard, spotlights, lasers, and loud music. He normally
loves the Zambonis at the local ice rinks, but he was amazed at how
small they looked from the cheap seats. Meanwhile my daughter was
really into rooting. "We're cheering for the black team, right?" She
was clapping and cheering at random times, but her enthusiasm couldn't
be contained. I think it was a sugar rush from the kettle corn.

TV

I have to admit that I've become more of a TV person lately. The new
season has started and my TIVO is filling up fast. I was pretty
resistant to reality TV at first because it is stupid. I guess it just
took a while to get the right type of stupid people for me to watch,
namely sports and food. My guilty pleasures? Golf Channel's Big Break,
Spike's The Ultimate Fighter, Travel Channel's Man v Food & MTV's
Nitro Circus. I don't want to see people dance, sing, race, get
punk'd, or survive. But I will watch people golf, fight in a cage, eat
food in a contest, and do insane stunts.

Specifically, there are several highlights this week, mostly UFC
related. Tonight is the countdown to UFC 103. All these shows are the
same, yet I still watch them. Wednesday is big. Fight Night: Nate Diaz
vs. Melvin Guillard. Followed by TUF 10 w Kimbo. Saturday is UFC 103.

Fight Night also features Gray Maynard vs. Roger Huerta, Carlos Condit
vs. Jake Ellenberger, Nate Quarry vs. Tim Credeur. A lot of these
Fight Night cards are better than the UFC PPVs and they are free.
Could be a good one. I like to watch Diaz, Maynard, Huerta, & Condit.

UFC 103 is a "meh" card to me. It features a catchweight (195 lb) bout
with Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort, and Mirko "Cro Cop" vs. Junior
dos Santos. Franklin always brings it. And dos Santos is a heavyweight
up and comer. But non-championship cards are hard to really get into.
Also featured are: Kampmann vs. Daley, Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg,
Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca. Will be intersting to see how Trigg
does and I'm a Griffin fan. More than anything it's my monthly excuse
to hit a sportsbar.

Sports Weakend

Pretty busy sports weekend. The NFL season kicked-off. I've found my interest in the NFL dropping a little each year for the past ten years or so. Not sure why, but I just accept it. Tiger won, to take a serious lead in the FedEx Cup standings. He scorched the course with a 62 and didn't look back, but it just proves that you can't win if you don't putt well. (Yes, even Tiger) NHL training camps opened. Dany Heatley was traded to the Sharks for Cheechoo, Michalek and a 2nd round pick in 2010.

 

Heatley is an All-star sniper and an All-star douchebag. A crossover athlete talented in multiple areas like a Bo Jackson or Deon Sanders of sorts. Anyone who knows or plays hockey can respect the uncanny skill a sniper has. The ability to finish. It's hard to explain, but some guys have it and most don't. Being a douchebag is also something you know when you see it. Kinda like Kanye West at the VMA's last night. The story goes that everyone who talked to Heater at training camp could tell he should be traded ASAP. And he was. The positive is that the Senators can move on, and start the season without a lingering drama.

 

Let this be a cautionary tale to any and all GM's. Don't sign players to long term contracts, with no-trade clauses, and up front bonuses. Not everyone will reciprocate your loyalty. And when they don't it's not pretty.

Workout of the Day - Sept 9

I'm on doctor's orders to not rub my eyes or close them tightly. This translates to no "grunting" at the gym. Not in the "making-a-weird-gutteral-noise" sense, but in a "lifting hard enough to close the eyes tightly and pray for help" sense. While it didn't seem that hard in theory, I have realized how much I tend to grit my teeth and tighten my eyes while lifting weights. I haven't done a thing since last Friday and felt a little guilty for being lazy, as well as feeling extra rested. So, I had energy to burn this morning and some grunting ensued.

 

I guess it was a good thing. As I have now realized how much energy I waste on tensing the face, neck, forehead, & jaws. They don't actually lift any weight. Take that for what it's worth.

 

 

If it's good enough for Tiger Woods...

The countdown to LASIK is over. Well, it was on for about 6-weeks; but more specifically the last 2 weeks. I've had to stay out of contact lenses in order for my eyes to have a chance to rest. In my mind it's a very effective ploy to get you to truly appreciate freedom from glasses. 

 

I have not used glasses this long since I've had contacts. But it seemed like 10x's the pain in the ass than I remember. Part of the problem is that my vision is worse than when I first wore glasses. So, I can't see anything with them off. I've set them down in the house, only to be unable to "find" them 5 minutes later. I'm a greasy guy, so the glasses are sliding off my face all day long.

 

That is all history.

 

Got my LASIK done on last Friday. It was quick, almost too quick. It probably took Dr. Wong longer to explain all the steps of the surgery than to actually do it. Numb the eyes, cut the flaps, switch machines, shoot the laser for 30 seconds in each eye; all finished. I tested 20/20 right after the surgery and my eyes were pretty cloudy at that point. I hope I'm at least that and probably better when I re-test this Friday.

 

The Tiger Woods reference is because he is a pitchman for TLC, having had LASIK done years ago. The staff at TLC Laser Eye Center, Torrance were all great; very friendly and professional. I would recommend them to anyone. Yet, I'll be just as glad that I never have to see them again. We'll see what it does for my golf game...

Gamer News - Batman on hold

So, I went to Gamestop and intended to get the new Batman: Arkham Asylum game. But my cheapness streak came out and I went "pre-owned." I'm not anywhere near a hardcore gamer. I have a fairly narrow range of interest and don't buy too many games. (The games I do buy tend to get well played.) Also, I tend to go with highly acclaimed games that have hit the classic or clearance bin, and mostly used. This is usually foolproof, since the game has been reviewed and analyized to death. The downside is that I'm always a year or two late to the party. This could be a major issue, but I am not a online/multiplayer type-guy either. In fact, I don't have too many gamer friends to keep me up-to-date. This allows me to be in a kind of gamer timewarp where games are new to me, even though they are a year old. So, in a nutshell, I buy cheap, older games that I plod through by myself.

 

Bioshock ended-up beating out Batman. Yeah, it's REALLY old. It was originally on X-Box in late 2007 and made it's way to PS3 in late 2008; I've got it now in late 2009. I have known about it, but never seen it played. So far a pretty cool game. I really like the art deco and time period-ness of the game. Role playing horror and puzzle games are my favorites, and this one has those elements. For $25 bucks, you can't beat it. Anyone living in a cave the last two years should pick it up.

 

 

Workout of the Day - Sept 2

A little redemption today. Much better effort today in the gym than Monday. My latest workout change was to add a Farmer's Walk once a week or so; I starting doing this several months ago. It's fun because I've always been a fan of the World's Strongest Man Contest. Just like Magnus Ver Magnusson (what a great sports name btw) I carry around some weights and walk until exhausted. It gets some unusual looks, since most sane people don't do this exercise in the gym or ever. But it works a lot of areas: legs, core, back, shoulders, traps, & lungs. I recommend lifting straps, since dropping weights is frowned upon in most gyms. And if you do it anywhere near the point of pushing yourself, the grip is the first thing to go. Next is the shoulders and core, your posture starts to give and the weights are hard to keep out of your legs. I bet it's pretty funny to watch. Give it a try, all you need is some dumbells, a good sized runway and no fear of weird looks.