The Week Before Leaving

What a week it was.  A nightmare.  I have never been so stressed at my job as I had been this past week.  Partly due to the anxiousness of going away, partly due to having to get certain things done, partly because I was tired of being told by people that I am wrong about things (when I knew for some of those things I was right).  But the work week is over and my vacation has begun!

I was actually at the gym this week quite a bit, but I totally fell down on the push ups.  A measly 500.  My projection is still over 95000 for the year, and as much as the goal is only stated here to be 50,000…  I want more!  Push ups on the cruise will be done!

Today was my hockey teams annual game at the Memorial Centre, the main arena here in Peterborough.  We clobbered Calvery 9-4 and I had 3 assists.  I had a chance on the breakaway, but got thinking too much about what I wanted to do instead of just doing like I do in warm ups.  Oh well.

Tonight Amber and I leave for Toronto to stay over night before heading down to the Caribbean for a week!  I’m really excited about the whole thing.  It will be so nice to just be able to relax and be taken care of for a whole week!

If you don’t here from me by March 19th though, wait another week, then send the search party.  I’m sure I can last a week on a deserted island, and it would be nice for the extra free time off.

Listening To The Doctor

Well, in this case the Chiropractor.  See I was at the bone cracker’s place of business on Friday and along with the usual things I noted that my previously injured shoulder was bugging me again.  Naturally the first thing she asks is “Are you doing something new at the gym?”  Why, yes I am.  She prods at my shoulder a bit and gets me to move my arm around and stuff.  “How about this?” My eyes light up, ‘Yeah, that’s the muscle that hurts!’

We sort of determined that it might be the squats.  Just the way you hold the bar while you are doing the squats is pinching or aggravating the muscle or something.

Now, we all know I am one to take doctor’s advice to the letter.  Except when it gets in the way of what I want to do.  So today I did go to the gym.  I thought about doing squat day, and decided against it.  I did the gym day that comes with the Bear Complex.  This does involve 40 ‘usual’ squats mixed in with the whole bear complex move, but that was no trouble.

What was trouble, it turns out, was the overhead squats.  Holding the bar and weights over my head, shoulders shrugged up and doing squats.  Yeah, that is actually the problem.  My shoulder was stinging late into the evening, and a touch sore now.

You might be saying, the solution for that is easy – just don’t do that.  Not that easy, I like this workout, it’s hard, it’s fast and it’s fun.  I suppose the ‘good thing’ is that I won’t be able to do this workout on the cruise ship – they don’t have Olympic bars on the ship.

Friend Making Monday–Almost Spring!

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here and over at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Almost Spring

 

1. What do you love most about Spring? 

The change of season, winter here in Ontario tends to drag on and on, and so I love the change in the air and seeing all the trees beginning to come back to life.

2. If you’re lucky enough to have a Spring Break, what will you do to enjoy it? 

This year I will be spending spring break (next week) on a cruise in the Caribbean! I can’t wait!

3. What is your favourite flower? 

Just plain ol’ daisies, they are nice.

4. Do you have a garden?  If so, what do you grow? 

We do have a huge garden area here at our new place.  When my grandma lived here she used to let the neighbour, another family member, put in a big vegetable garden.  It has not been used for a few years now though.  We might do something with it this year I think.

5. Share one thing that you hope to accomplish during Spring. 

My half marathon, I’m going to run it in April just as the weather really gets going here.  Then I will be able to focus on other things again.

6. Do you do Spring cleaning? 

We probably will, the garden and such.  I think Amber is a big more keen to grow things than I am, but I’ll help out if that is the case.

 

7. What is your weather *really* like right now? {Just b/c it’s almost Spring, doesn’t mean that it feels like it for some of you.} 

Right this moment, it’s –8C and dreary.  The rest of the week will be above freezing according to my weather widget.  Really it won’t be ‘spring like’ around here for another few weeks.

8. Share one photo that you’ve taken during the month of March.

 

Here is me and Grayson on the couch on March 1st

9. What’s your favourite thing to do on a sunny afternoon? 

Once the snow is gone and the roads are dryer I will love to get out on my actual bike again instead of the dumb spin bike at the gym!  But also once it is warm enough to enjoy it I will really like running outside after work without a hoodie and track pants on!

10. If you could spend the day doing anything in your city, what would you do? 

Let’s see, the spring in Bridgenorth.  Anything.  I have no idea, maybe just walk the path with Amber, or by the time it’s actually clear of snow and not all mucky we’ll be able to run it together. :)

 

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions!  Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments!

Posture… And The Scouts Are NOT Coming

Last night my work had their annual Awards Gala.  It was a fun night and I was happy I got to sit with my friends from work.  It’s too bad they all could not make it to be there, but sometimes that is just how it goes.  I had to leave part way through the dinner to go play hockey.  With that in mind I dressed for the situation a little bit.

‘I have to go!’ I said as I got up from the table.

After the game i went back to the dinner for the awards part.  Doing so I had to put on the suit again and so when I came home I took a couple more pictures.  Which leads me to the topic of posture.

Take a look at this:

I am actively slouching here, but here is my Clark Kent.  Slumped shoulders, bit of a bent back, meek.  I look at the picture and think, there is a target, someone waiting to be picked on.

Here I am upright, shoulders back, back straight.  Showing power!  Superman logo or not, I look to be a different person here!  No one is going to mess with that guy, because confidence is radiating.

Good posture is important for a lot of things, doctors and stuff will say it is good for your body, makes things easier on your back, easier to breathe and such.  But it also shows who you are!

The Scouts Are NOT Coming!

I left the dinner last night to play hockey as I mentioned.  Last night we were playing Ferndale, which is mostly filled with guys from a different church now, Riverside I think it is.  Mostly younger guys, who seem to think the NHL might be looking at our league for talent.

We play in a non-contact league, a bump here and there is going to happen, but no hitting.  When we play the two other teams (and in pervious years against Ferndale) this rule is followed like 99% of the time.  What makes this important is that with that rule in mind people develop a play style that caters to it.  If you see a clash coming up you let up, or pull your weight back.  It makes for lighter contact, and a safer game.  We all have to go to work on Monday and that is kept in mind.

Ferndale/Riverside has NONE of that.  If you strip one of them of the puck you better watch it because a golf swing is heading for your shins or skates.  If you are heading into their end and they see an opportunity to hit you, they will.  The slashing is *so* not cool, and the ref gave them a few penalties for it last night.  Someone’s ankle could get broken!  The hitting in open ice is a bit different.  I think most of our team doesn’t really have a problem with it except for the fact that we are not expecting it or playing that way.  If both teams are playing non-contact, it’s fine.  If both are playing contact, that is fine too.  But if one team is and the other is not? The ‘not’ team has to turn it up because again someone will get hurt.

So last time we played these guys, I was coming down the centre of the ice, looking to the side to my man with the puck.  I could see peripherally that the way to the net was clear and I was going to get there and park.  Out of nowhere I get levelled.  I don’t have the puck, but I get smoked.  I say to the guy, ‘if that’s the way you want to play, I can do it too’, and I took his number.  Later in the game he’s got the puck by the boards. I’m coming at him. I could plaster him full speed not from behind or anything, he’s looking right at me.  At the last second I veer off and just take him a bit on the shoulder.  Hardly a bump, but he gets all bent out of shape because his stick came out of his hands.  “That was on purpose!”  he says to me.  All I can think is two things.  If that was on purpose I would have nailed him head on, and wasn’t his open ice hit on purpose?  these are the types of guys that can dish it out but they can’t take it.

Last night, same guy.  We are both going full tilt to the end of the rink chasing the puck.  I’m a bit ahead because I am flat out faster.  I see him move, he zigs with just feet to go to the boards, putting himself directly behind me.  I zag at the last second and he crashes into the boards.  A good chance for us to score ensues.  I get to the bench and I am able to process the whole thing in my brain.  If I had not zagged at just the right time I would probably still be picking Plexiglas out of my teeth!  He was totally going to run me into the end of the rink, on purpose at full speed.  What an ass.

Sometimes it is hard to keep your ego in check when playing a game.  But I think when it comes to deliberate actions, thought out plans of attack, there is no room for it.  The major leagues are not coming to the event to check you out.  I’m all for giving %110 on everything I do, but not when someone else's safety is at stake!