Now the riff can be stuck in YOUR head.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bQZ6l_cq5Y
Sunday, September 5, 2010
its upgradin' time
But first, what's truly more important - Iowa kicked ass and took names today. FOOTBALL! Man I love football season even though it means for the next 11 Saturdays that I'm going to be a paranoid neurotic mess each time the Hawks kick off until the final gun (at which point they will hopefully be ahead on the scoreboard). Eastern Illinois goes down to the Hawks 37 to 7 ... Should've been 50something to 7 but we fumbled 2x... Otoh, no Stanziballs (interceptions) or Rick Sixes (a Stanziballs returned for a TD).
Courtesy of my parents' estate, I've decided to start upgrading my work wardrobe. This means buying Ripoff Ralph. And nice skinny ties. I love skinny ties. Last weekend I bought three pairs of Weejuns (shoelaces and I have major issues I like loafers much better), this weekend it's button shirts and ties. I'm not that wild about khakis per se so I've made the choice to go slightly funky and wear Levi Super Skinny 510 twill weave jeans... Macy's here does not carry the Docker super skinny khakis (I have the feeling I'll have to go to the east coast to find those).
Anyway THERE'S A SALE so I scored two Ripoff Ralph button downs in light blue (California is into The Complete Pimp Look and it's harder than he'll to find classic button downs) ... And I don't usually look at suits, but I saw that blazers were on sale and I got a new Michael Kors in navy for half off. My old blazer is creeping up on a decade old and while it's in ok shape it's time to think about supplementing it. I'm down to 155 and if I can get back down under 150 I might think about buying a couple of new suits.
I love clothes...
Thursday, September 2, 2010
is it saturday yet?
About time for this young man to come out and plaayyyyy.... Eastern Illinois will be a nice scrimmage, I think.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
behold the human pincushion
I must admit that I was little apprehensive to try acupuncture, but ever since (I think) managing to torque my lower left back, hip, knee and probably things I can't possibly pronounce without an advanced medical degree, starting back in Summer 2008, I've been searching with slightly quiet desperation... if not for a cure, for relief to the weird pains and cramps I've been having with my left leg.
I went to PT 2x... I was so tight the first time around, when the tech grabbed my left quads, they were so tight I screaming like a little girl or my ex-wife giving birth (take your choice, hers was more like a groan, I was biting the pillow when he put his thumbs into me). The 2nd time, I wasn't quite so tight - that had improved - but I got put into the joys of traction (not really that bad) and given more stretches to do than I had hours in a day to accomplish. Being in that leather saddle/harness/wtfitwas lying on my back was kind of kinky but not in the happy ending sort of way.
So, I've gotten better, gotten worse, and I actually was probably about as good as I've been in a long time the first weekend in August when I came up with the brilliant idea to run 13 miles over a two day period (9 the first and 4 the 2nd) and the whole darn thing flared up again. As one of my triathlon friends noted to me "DUH".
(It probably did not help that I'd also scheduled a work road trip the following week where I was sitting for long periods of time in a car driving down into the San Joaquin Valley and back).
So, Urban Cow was definitely out (hopefully I can do the 5K instead) and I took, more or less, two weeks off from running, and ran the Race for the Arts last Saturday without too much pain during the race or afterwards. As I was scarfing down my REAL sugary flavored acid afterwards - known as Regular Coke, eating a cookie and a Philly cream cheese smeared bagel, I walked the exhibit booths, and one of the local acupuncture clinics was offering free ear exams.
Now, I've never tried acupuncture until yesterday, but I've bumped into many hoomans here in Kalifornia Who Claim That Yes, It Works. So the doc took something that disconcertingly looked like a really nasty dental probe and probed my left ear and found spots that *hurt* corresponding to different areas of the body, and I let her pusher - er assistant - talk me into scheduling a free consult for Monday.
So Monday, I go in for the consult and decide, what the hell, let's try this. If after the 3-6 visits that are required to feel "real relief" I still feel like it sucks, its still less torture (well, they generally don't put two dozen needles into you at PT each time, still, PT isn't that much fun) than PT.
Yesterday, I arrived for my appointment, filled out what felt like the same paperwork people filled out to get on The Titanic, and was ushered into the exam room, where Tian Li Wu, the doc, after reprobing me (but with the right ear this time), had me slip off my shirt, and lay facedown on the table. I was little worried (but not really, she does an excellent job of bullshitting you to put you at ease)...
I didn't even FEEL the first few needles go in... she started with the back of my neck, worked her way across my back, put some in my left lower back... a couple of those did hurt a bit, and then slipped some into my ITB and back of the left knee. Then she said "DON'T GET UP AND MOVE, I'LL BE BACK IN 20 to 30 MINUTES"... turned off the light and closed the door.
I tried to keep my mind clear as I've also been told that it helps the acupuncture do what its supposed to do be as Zen As Possible. So, I'm lying there... I actually started to drift off at one point, then started to freak out that I might try and roll over (doubtful because I was in one of those face massage things) and shove the needles in further, then I'm listening to the stuff going on in the clinic outside, wondering if they'll forget I'm in there or what if there's an earthquake or alien invasion and I'm stuck there stuck full of needles.
But it was also cool because I could feel my body r e l a x i n g while I laid there... and Wu came back and pulled out the needles, then informed me she was going to "do a cupping to pull out toxins" and started pouring oil on my back and got out these giant suction cups. Now I know what being assaulted by octopus in a horror movie is like - well, not really, but she warned me that it would leave a mark, and I've got a giant suction cup hickey on my back now LOL.
That didn't take long, and I was done for this appointment. Got my shirt back on, and made an appointment for 5:00 today... which I'm actually eagerly anticipating. I'll have one more this week, and then 3 next week, and taper off after that.
I noticed almost immediately that the part of the ITB on the outside and back of my knee is less tender and tight. I did not run this morning... I'll try that tomorrow, but other than some mild soreness where I was stuck, I feel pretty decent...
I went to PT 2x... I was so tight the first time around, when the tech grabbed my left quads, they were so tight I screaming like a little girl or my ex-wife giving birth (take your choice, hers was more like a groan, I was biting the pillow when he put his thumbs into me). The 2nd time, I wasn't quite so tight - that had improved - but I got put into the joys of traction (not really that bad) and given more stretches to do than I had hours in a day to accomplish. Being in that leather saddle/harness/wtfitwas lying on my back was kind of kinky but not in the happy ending sort of way.
So, I've gotten better, gotten worse, and I actually was probably about as good as I've been in a long time the first weekend in August when I came up with the brilliant idea to run 13 miles over a two day period (9 the first and 4 the 2nd) and the whole darn thing flared up again. As one of my triathlon friends noted to me "DUH".
(It probably did not help that I'd also scheduled a work road trip the following week where I was sitting for long periods of time in a car driving down into the San Joaquin Valley and back).
So, Urban Cow was definitely out (hopefully I can do the 5K instead) and I took, more or less, two weeks off from running, and ran the Race for the Arts last Saturday without too much pain during the race or afterwards. As I was scarfing down my REAL sugary flavored acid afterwards - known as Regular Coke, eating a cookie and a Philly cream cheese smeared bagel, I walked the exhibit booths, and one of the local acupuncture clinics was offering free ear exams.
Now, I've never tried acupuncture until yesterday, but I've bumped into many hoomans here in Kalifornia Who Claim That Yes, It Works. So the doc took something that disconcertingly looked like a really nasty dental probe and probed my left ear and found spots that *hurt* corresponding to different areas of the body, and I let her pusher - er assistant - talk me into scheduling a free consult for Monday.
So Monday, I go in for the consult and decide, what the hell, let's try this. If after the 3-6 visits that are required to feel "real relief" I still feel like it sucks, its still less torture (well, they generally don't put two dozen needles into you at PT each time, still, PT isn't that much fun) than PT.
Yesterday, I arrived for my appointment, filled out what felt like the same paperwork people filled out to get on The Titanic, and was ushered into the exam room, where Tian Li Wu, the doc, after reprobing me (but with the right ear this time), had me slip off my shirt, and lay facedown on the table. I was little worried (but not really, she does an excellent job of bullshitting you to put you at ease)...
I didn't even FEEL the first few needles go in... she started with the back of my neck, worked her way across my back, put some in my left lower back... a couple of those did hurt a bit, and then slipped some into my ITB and back of the left knee. Then she said "DON'T GET UP AND MOVE, I'LL BE BACK IN 20 to 30 MINUTES"... turned off the light and closed the door.
I tried to keep my mind clear as I've also been told that it helps the acupuncture do what its supposed to do be as Zen As Possible. So, I'm lying there... I actually started to drift off at one point, then started to freak out that I might try and roll over (doubtful because I was in one of those face massage things) and shove the needles in further, then I'm listening to the stuff going on in the clinic outside, wondering if they'll forget I'm in there or what if there's an earthquake or alien invasion and I'm stuck there stuck full of needles.
But it was also cool because I could feel my body r e l a x i n g while I laid there... and Wu came back and pulled out the needles, then informed me she was going to "do a cupping to pull out toxins" and started pouring oil on my back and got out these giant suction cups. Now I know what being assaulted by octopus in a horror movie is like - well, not really, but she warned me that it would leave a mark, and I've got a giant suction cup hickey on my back now LOL.
That didn't take long, and I was done for this appointment. Got my shirt back on, and made an appointment for 5:00 today... which I'm actually eagerly anticipating. I'll have one more this week, and then 3 next week, and taper off after that.
I noticed almost immediately that the part of the ITB on the outside and back of my knee is less tender and tight. I did not run this morning... I'll try that tomorrow, but other than some mild soreness where I was stuck, I feel pretty decent...
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