Eye of the Sloth

It's training time - my general fitness took a proverbial beating from the demons of stress, work, and take-out cuisine last term, and I'm just now starting to rectify that. (Of course, there's no snow here, so I'll have to settle for Cali sun and SF fog. Woe is me.) To that end, I'm making a commitment to hit the gym at least tri-weekly; encouragement (and light berating, if that's more your style) is, er, encouraged. I'm hoping to make it out to some of the SFPK meets as well. Naturally, I'll be concocting my own personal brand of inspiration - if this cryptic remark has you puzzled (as well it should) you'll just have to keep posted for more details!

Rise and Shine

6:40 am - a record unmatched in the three months and change since I rolled off a plane from Tokyo directly into the flesh-piercing depths of the infamous Ottawa winter, only to greet the then-prolonged night at the sprightly hour of 4 am. This is not really impressive by any means - back in high school (a suitably Germanic name for it) I would routinely hoist myself from betwixt my covers ragdoll-physics style around 6:30 am to make the train for band practice.

Also a first for this term: pre-work training. I've started adding weight to my squats and situps, and am adding one-legged calf raises and pistols to my routine - as far as bodyweight exercises go, the unbalanced motions are spectacular for both strength and stability.

And now for something completely different: I made a trip over to Value Village this weekend to pick up some garb such as might befit one with a taste for the piratical. I'll explain later - say, about a week from now - in lurid detail both visual and prosaic. I will remark, however, that it has proven nigh impossible to source a tricorn in Ottawa, whereas a quick perusal of the Kensington-Chinatown stretch back in Toronto would effortlessly net me my sought-after accoutrements. Oh well.