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.