Yesterday I started the Hundred Pushup Challenge. It’s a six week program that, at the end of which, you can do 100 consecutive pushups. Some women I know have been doing it for a few weeks and at first I didn’t think much of it. I know how to do pushups. But last Friday they were talking about it and one of them mentioned that things she recognized has heavy before she started the program (I think a bag of kitty litter was the example) didn’t feel heavy any more.

Then Saturday getting out of the shower I got a good look at my arms. And thought about how poor my gym attendance has been, and how long it’s been since I did any weight training.

So Sunday I did the initial test (did 26 good form push ups) and yesterday morning I started. Should be good.

I also went to krav Monday night and it always seems that they find new muscles to abuse. We were doing a (counts) 6 strike combo, then some kicking from the ground, so my arms, back AND butt hurts. Then I did pushups.

It’ll be worth it, tho. Right?

*poke* Right??

Also yesterday, more dental work! I bet you’re shocked. I had scheduled to do a bunch of fillings and an onlay (whatever exactly that is). But the temporary crown on the molar I had root canal’d a few months ago started giving trouble last week, so I called in and arranged to have a permanent put in. The bill wasn’t too bad, I had a credit built up (thanks insurance company!) and for some reason I was expecting it to be more expensive anyway. So, woot!

And I’m formally dieting again. Weighing food and the lot. I started last week, but of course the boss wanted to have a meeting over sushi, and I forgot my lunch. Several times. But all that’s over with. Except I had to eat breakfast out both Monday and yesterday. But I’m on track now! Wait, oh, never mind.

What else, so, I saw Hellboy II. The ads didn’t say it was a romantic comedy. Le sigh.

In line with my previous post, I’m going to tell a tale of good luck.

The owner of Seven Corners Cycles birthday is July 14th and every year
he goes to Oaks Park. I was invited last year and a good time was had.
This year Corey started reminding me months in advance. So this past
Monday after work I cycle my ass to our white trash Disneyland.

It’s closed Mondays. So is the shop and I don’t have anyone’s phone
numbers. Huh. So I hang around for 20 minutes or so and bail, figuring
they came up with alternate plans.

Last night I’m leaving krav and I’m hungry. So I decide to eat at
Mike’s Drive In. But it’s kinda busy and I just go by. I decide I’ll
eat at the Mike’s in Sellwood. But I don’t, no reason why really, I
just ride past.

Then I see a bunch of cyclers turn onto the road a few blocks in front
of me and think what a bunch of assholes, clogging the road. But it
triggers a memory of the previous year when I’d been in a similar
pack. And y’know that bar we all went to after is just up here. So I
haul ass to catch up with them and sure enough, it’s Corey and crowd!
So I got to participate after all.

Pretty sweet, eh?

I don’t know how many people are prone to digging through my archives,
but if you do you’ll notice a number of them are password protected.

The password is “whinybutt”.

Those are bits of my recent history that are better not dredged up.
Pissy, depressed and moany bits. But I generally dislike removing
entries, so I locked them. But if you really want to see a mopey,
bitchy Doom, the password, again, is whinybutt.

I found a, um, certain person’s blog. A certain person from my past. I probably shouldn’t be reading this. But I am.

I LOVE fast food. LOVE IT. I don’t, WON’T care of it’s more composed of rBGH & HFCS than honest food by mass. I. LOVE. IT.

I tried to bake some more Cornish-esque pasties tonight (those things are awesome). But the filling mix had, after about two weeks in a Ziploc bag, gone icky. But the puff pasty (I didn’t want to attempt the proper crust, but since it’s apparently capable of keeping the filling hot, pasty intact for half a day AND not turn completely soggy, I totally should) was already thawed, so I just baked it. I think I independently discovered croissants. I ate about half of the big square of puff, with butter. Damn that was good.

I went to krav for the first time in a few weeks last night. I really, really need to stop doing that. Every time I resume krav after a pause I’m sore as hell. My lats and triceps feel like I lifted weights. And I got elbowed in the left temple. Actually I nearly got my eye torn out, more like. But there’s not much of a bruise. We did more ground fighting stuff. Man, I hate ground fighting. My partner last night must be a wrestler, because the first time I went (we were doing side mounts, for the UFC fans in the crowd), he chucked me off him so effortlessly I seriously wanted to just give up. But I didn’t. I soldiered on, took a lesson from it (don’t let him get his elbow under your hip!)

This post is brought to you by parentheses!

I hate actually having to work at, y’know. Work. Stupid tenants. I feel like I should blog more about work, but how much of it would any of you understand? I spent a few hours replacing compact flourescent (I never spell that word right) ballasts. Then I found more that the tenant hadn’t told us about. Happy me. Fortunately we ran out of spare ballasts, anyway. We’re getting complaints about a room with no airflow, because the zone’s temp sensor is in an unoccupied space that of course has no heat load (tho it does have a fancy man-sized stuffed zebra, no shit). So the sensor doesn’t call for cooling and since we’re a VAV building, it then doesn’t call for (much) airflow, even though the occupied spaces (with their heat loads) are now too hot.

See my point? (the solution is to lower the setpoint, btw, but the BAS seems to be resetting it).

At Rialto, um, this past weekend some time, I saw an ad for some 80’s metal collection. That got me to thinking of old songs and what did I rediscover but fucking Winger. WINGER! Miles Away is actually even better acoustic solo. Kip Winger has genuine musical talent, whodathunk? (Maybe he found it since his band got impaled by grunge, ps thanks, Youtube). I don’t know why I like that song so much. It certainly doesn’t recall any events from my life (no, really). But it always resonated with me. Maybe it’s my imagination and talent for story telling.

How was everyone’s 4th? Mine was low key. Most exciting part was discovering what happens when you load the ass end of your bike with beer and try to make sharp turns. You damn near fall over, if you were wondering.

Speaking of near death. Did I forget to tell everyone I almost electrocuted myself, um, last week? No, week before. I forgot to turn my circuit tester back on (why do they even turn off??) and cut into a live wire I thought was off. Oops. But it was only 277 volts. No biggie! Nice pretty spark, tho.

I thought 100 degree F weather was bad. But 90ish minutes spinning has
me positively ICKY.

I haven’t been to the gym in a few weeks. I was gonna go, um, Monday
(?) but stupid Sarah poopypants made me drink instead. Ruuuuuude!

I’ve been treadmilling for an hour, then running horrible, horrible
stairs, then pushups & crunches. But I think I’m just gonna go home.
Too much stationary peddling. Ow. Ew.

In other news, I forgot how hot Lucy Liu is.

Music: Fire For The People by Blue Scholars

I had to get a new library card today. I’d had that card for 20 years
and I actively pouted when the librarian was processing my new one.

Sigh.

I love my neighborhood., originally uploaded by JW Doom.

No one batted an eye when homeboy cracked the Beast in Taco Bell.

Sunshine, skin, snot. Yes, it’s antihistamine season for ole Doom. And
the extended rainy season means extra pollen.

Bleagh. Is it October yet?

The bar’s wifi is fubar’d. That blows. I may break down and get my own connection. I’m at a friend’s bar right now on the wifi.

The zoo was pretty awesome, apart from the kids and parents and poop. And the animals were mostly hiding. The tiger exhibit was empty, unless you went all the way to the left and looked to the right, then you could see part of a tiger hiding in the back. Same with the polar bears. Only one otter in the river otter pond, which was cool, otters are pretty sweet, but you need a few of them to get the full effect. The crowd I went with is already discussing another trip when the weather turns in fall. Apparently rain not only keeps the kids away, it brings the animals out.

I’m feeling pretty good about life lately. Things are coming along in various departments. The drawback is I’m bleeding savings. Due to my credit card payments, due to my dental work. I just deleted a bunch of detail that you probably don’t care about. You’re welcome. Good financial news is I’m getting 3 paychecks in August. And if I get my “Christmas” bonus any time before Spring, that’ll help tremendously. Until then I just have to stay responsibleish.

And I took today off work. Oh, yeah.

At The Zoo, originally uploaded by JW Doom.

See the animals? This is the Oregon Zoo, which I’ve been told is
pretty rad as zoos go. The multitude of strollers is a drag,
especially the double wide ones with kids old enough to walk in them.
I’m waiting in line for an elephant ear. Been wanting one since
Saturday Market opened but I’ve been too lazy to go get one.
Seriously, it’s like a half mile from my house!