It Was A Very Good Year

At the start of each football season, I say the same thing:  “Two things define a “good season” for the 49ers – 1)  win the Super Bowl, or 2)  beat the Rams twice.  I don’t care if we go 2 and 15, as long as we beat the Rams twice.“
Today we were defeated in the NFC (National Football Conference) Championship Game by the Philadelphia Eagles.  It was not a close loss.  It was a resounding beat down (31 – 7) based on the final score.  Congratulations to the Eagles and their supporters!
As a LONG time 49er fan, I am (of course) disappointed in the defeat, but this was a VERY good year for us.  No, we didn’t win the Super Bowl – we didn’t even qualify to lose the Super Bowl.  But, if you look back at my earlier standard for a “good season”, we DID beat the Rams twice.  Please recall this is (was) the defending Super Bowl Champion Rams (last year), which beat us in NFC Championship Game to go on an play in the Super Bowl.  Last year, I qualified my original standard to insert: “Defeat the Rams in the playoffs” as #2 and the original #2 became number three.
After review, I added:  defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs or defeat the Cowboys and / or the Raiders in the regular season.  Defeating the Cowboys in the playoffs is a borderline #4, but beating either the Cowboys or the Raiders in the regular season is really just a sweetener – nowhere near satisfying enough to make an otherwise unsuccessful season a “good” one.
So…  How did the Niners do this season?
1)	No Super Bowl win  – oh, well…  You can’t win (or lose) if you don’t qualify.
2)	Beat the Rams twice in the regular season – sho ’nuff!!  We smoked them twice within five weeks:  03 Oct (24 – 9) and then 30 Oct (31 – 14)!!
3)	We beat the Cowboys in the playoffs:  19 – 12, and,
4)	We beat the Raiders in the regular season:  37 – 34
5)	NFC – Western Division Champions
6)	Winner of two playoff games
Unfortunately, luck, injuries and good / bad calls are a part of every game and every season.  It’s hard to say which individual breaks / events were the most significant.  Obviously, losing your two suited-up quarterbacks was important, but the defense played (most of the game) well enough to win if a few of the other things had gone our way.
And so our team will watch the Super Bowl from their living room couches instead of from the sidelines – just like us…  There’s always next year!
And once the taste of this last game fades, we’ll all realize (remember) this was a VERY good year.
So, I’m offering a big THANK YOU to the team and all the staff of this year’s San Francisco Forty-Niners!!  Rest.  Recover.  And, let’s get ’em next season!
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On This Day In:
2022	A Murmuring Note
2021	Satisfied If Not Fulfilled
	You Don’t Know
	Urban Ballroom
2020	R.I.P. Kobe
2019	Looks A Lot Like #45
2018	Trying To Stay Young
2017	Seems Reasonable To Me
2016	We Can Get Through This Together (In Time)
2015	How Long Is A Piece Of String?
2014	Heathen, n.
2013	Wisdom’s Folly
2012	When The Student Is Ready
	Disconnected Leadership
2011	The Complex Richness Of Life

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NFL This Weekend: Six Games In Three Days!

If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead.
—    Erma Bombeck
[This post was originally titled “six games in two days”.  I didn’t realize one of the games was to be played on Monday night…    —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2022	Limited Knowledge And No Control
2021	Gifts
	Look Inside Your Heart
2020	A Strength Of Science
2019	A Higher Standard
	Make Two Calls
2018	Irreplaceable Sparks
2017	Saving For April 15th
2016	First Wish
2015	Tracing Shadows
2014	One Thing
2013	More Is Less
2012	The Screw-Up Gene

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Be Careful What You Wish For

If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be.
—    Yogi Berra
[But it sure would be nice if the Giants beat the Dodgers a little more frequently…    —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2021	Why Republicans Are Unhappy
	I Guess It’s True
2020	A Tiny And Fragile World
	Your Lyin’ Eyes
2019	Day 1: Done
	#IncompetentDonald Fails On All Three
2018	I Put It Down To Bad Teachers
	Day 34: In And Out
2017	And The Future Is Now
2016	I Am
2015	Positively Aiming Higher
2014	Suspicious Minds
2013	We Are Not Alone
2012	Lawyer, n.
2011	Each Day Remember…
2010	Impossible Dreams of Camelot

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We’ve Lost The GOAT*

* Greatest Of All Time
Today, with great sadness, I mark the passing of a childhood / personal hero of mine and the man I consider to be the greatest basketball player to ever lace up a pair of shoes:  William (“Bill”) Felton Russell
The following is partial list of his basketball / sports accomplishments:
California High School State Championship:  2X
NCAA Champion:  2X (1955 and March 1956)
NBA Champion:  11X in 13 seasons (1st in April 1957;  then 1959-1966)
Olympic Gold Medal (Basketball):  1X (Nov / Dec 1956)
The average margin of victory over eight Olympic games:  53 points.  To put that in perspective, the average margin of victory for the 1992 “Dream Team”:  43.8 points.
When there is talk of who is the “Greatest Of All Time” (“GOAT”), think about this:  in the space of thirteen (13) months – from March 1956 to April 1957, Bill Russell led teams won an NCAA Basketball Final, an Olympic Gold Medal for Basketball and an NBA Finals Championship.  To say the least:  it is extremely unlikely this particular string of achievements (in this short a period of time) will ever be duplicated.
Bill Russell could wear two NCAA championship rings, an Olympic Gold Medal AND eleven (11) NBA championship rings (eight of them won consecutively)!!!
More importantly, when I think of “personal integrity” and “lifetime of dignity” only a very few names pop into my head.  Bill Russell is one of those names…
It is difficult to compare sports figures across decades to definitively say “this one is the GOAT”.  A great deal of that is based on the personal bias of who you actually saw play during their careers or at formative time periods in your life.  I know some who would favor Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Wilt Chamberlain – and these are certainly all “Mount Rushmore” type historic players;  but, (IMHO) there is only one GOAT:  Mr. Bill Russell.
RIP, sir.  We shall not soon see your like again…
[Disclaimer:  I found the (above) image of Mr. Russell on the internet.  I make no claim to its ownership and have no knowledge of its creator / publisher / photographer / owner.  I have chosen the image simply because it represents some of the essence of Mr. Russell.  If you are the image owner and object to my use of the image, please let me know and I will remove the image from this post.    —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2021	A Democratic Republic Should Promote The Majority While Defending The Minority
	Lost In My Soul
2020	In Business And In Politics
	A Free Show
2019	What Is True For War Is Also True For Elections
2018	Start By Trying
	Day 4: Difficult Day
2017	Outlasting Division
2016	Said The Man Who Trained To Fight For A Living
2015	Tripping On Treasure
2014	The Flower Of Light
2013	Eye Catching
2012	The Holstee Manifesto
2011	Three Crooners For The Shower
	The Soldier’s Faith
	Vacation, Books And Lots Of Movies

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MLB: End The Lockout, Sign A CBA

Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.
—    Yogi Berra
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On This Day In:
2022	MLB: End The Lockout, Sign A CBA
2021	And Keep Doing So
	I’ll Forgive You By And By
2020	Well Over!
	The Group
2019	Carrying Humanity
2018	Not Necessarily In This Order
	Stock Market Sets More Records Under #DumbDonald
2017	An Accumulation Of Acts
2016	Here’s Lookin’ At You Kid
2015	How To Be Omnipotent
2014	The Promise Of Future Love
2013	Christian, n.
2012	Praise
	Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
2011	A Few More Lyrics From The Past
	5 For The Price Of 1

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Frustrating Incentive

Frustration is the first step toward improvement.  I have no incentive to improve if I’m content with what I can do and if I’m completely satisfied with my pace, distance and form as a runner.
—     John “The Penguin” Bingham
From his book:  “No Need For Speed“
[Running is a lot like learning to play guitar.  Or gaining any new skill, I suppose.    —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2021	Practically Worthless In Every Way
	It Never Was
	Frustrating Incentive
2020	You Too?
	Six Degrees
2019	A Branching Stream
	Day 9: One Day At A Time
2018	Pity The Nation (Part 2)
	Day 1: Redux
2017	Good Blogs, Too
2016	My Prediction For #AmnestyDon
2015	Worth A Try
2014	I’m Feeling It
2013	May I Have A Little More, Please?
2012	Increasing Doubt
2011	You Can’t Touch This

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A Direct Relationship

I give you the information and techniques in a simple and straightforward way, and you put the information and techniques to good use by putting in the hard work.
There are no shortcuts.
There is a direct relationship between effort and results.  If you are disciplined and you work hard at learning, then you will get there.
—     Fran Sands
From his book:  “The Beginner Boxer Toolkit“
Online at:  www.myboxingcoach.com
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On This Day In:
2020	One Person’s Roses…
2019	In The Long-Run
2018	#NeverAgain
	Doss II
	Doesn’t / Does
2017	Talent Hates To Move
2016	Looking To November
2015	It Isn’t The End
	Prospero’s Precepts
2014	Friends
2013	Learning Bitter
2012	Remembrance, Minstrels & Going Off To War
	May I Have More Happiness, Please?
2011	There Is No God, But God
2010	Another Running Book…

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The Fighter Still Remains

The Boxer
Favorite Line(s):
In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of every glove that laid him down
Or cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame
“I am leaving, I am leaving”
But the fighter still remains
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On This Day In:
2022	Slow Down And Don’t Break Things
2021	How Many Democracy Loving Conservatives Are In The Senate?
	The Fighter Still Remains
2020	Love And Charity
2019	Tomorrow Is Valentine’s Day
	Inverted U Curve
2018	Still More Prejudice
	A Well Trod Path Of Hopes, Expectations And Surprise
2017	…And With It Civilization
2016	Just Like My Mother
2015	All Omissions Are Mine
2014	Precise Order
2013	Uh, No. Not Really…
	Deep Regions
2012	A Pre-Valentine’s Day Message
2011	Easy Like Sunday Morning
	May I Have A Little More, Please…
2010	Valleys and Peaks

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DIY: Outdoor Gym Modifications (2)

My “Do It Yourself” (DIY) efforts on setting up a home workout station are proceeding.  Below are some images of the yesterday’s progress…
Yesterday, I assembled my “double-double”.  Basically, it’s two striking targets attached at two ends.  The bottom target is roughly the height of a body shot (waist to lower ribs).  The top target is roughly the height for head shots (chin, front and side of the head).  You may notice a few things:
1)  the top attachment is vertical while the bottom is horizontal.  The bottom target would normally be either fixed to the flooring below or (using some type of rope or bungee) attached to a weight to stabilize the target and limit random / excessive swinging movement.  In this case, I had to work within the “command structure” of:  “I don’t want any of your weights damaging my concrete!”  So, I used a horizontal bungee (with a loop to keep the rope from sliding left and right).  The practical limitation to this setup is I cannot work around the target;  I am limited to the 180° on the front side.  Still, I can live with it…
2)  less obvious until you start hitting the targets…  They are not “fixed” within the netting.  There are gaps above and below the balls where they can move when struck.  The practical effect of this is they are not staying in the same place in the netting when you try to do a double-up punch (like two jabs to the head).  I will try to correct this by tying rope / paracord around one end of each ball / net to “lock” them into a more standard position within each net.
3)  FAR less obvious, (but which I have learned from recent experience,) is that these targets hit back at you – and from unexpected angles (at least up to now unexpected).  In my initial setup (prior to my wife’s objection), I had the bottom ball / net secured by weights.  This tended to produce reaction motion for both balls in a relatively circular motion around a vertical axis (much like an up-right cylinder).  After the modification to the bottom to include the horizontal bungee, a solid right punch to the bottom target resulted in a solid left hook by the upper ball to the right side of MY head.  My wife started laughing and said:  “It hits back!!”  (Note:  Not “Are you okay, dear?“)  As near as I can tell, this is due to the back and forth (back to front) motion of the lower horizontal bungee and the circular (like a vertical cylinder) motion of the upper vertical bungee.  My response:  “I’m gonna need a head-guard.”  Her reply:  “You sure are!“, still giggling.  Fortunately (for me), there wasn’t sufficient mass / speed in the basketball to knock me out, because it certainly struck me full on the side of my head at roughly temple / cheek height.
My next brilliant (okay, obvious) idea was to attach the original horizontal double-end target (“bag”) and see what that felt like.  To my surprise, a “triple-double” and it is terrific!  I now had a target (the bottom ball) for body shots, a target (the middle ball) for upper-cuts and body jabs, and a top target (the top ball) for chin and head shots.  The only trick now is to find a way to attach the original double-end to the double-double which keeps them together (when used together), but which also easily separates so I can continue to use the single-double on its own.  The original horizontal “single-double” works as a “slip-rope”.  A “slip” is when you move your head side to side (like a metronome) to avoid an incoming punch.  It is frequently accompanied by a “bob” (up and down head movement).  Together, they are referred to as “bobbing and weaving”.  Basically, I stand next to one post and move to the other ducking under the rope with each step to the side.  When I get to the middle, I release an upper-cut.  I then continue to the opposite post.  When I reach the post, I turn around and start back, trying to time the steps so my next upper cut with be with the other hand.  (Always try to practice every punch with both hands.)  Anyway, there is still some tweaking to do…
The next image is what’s happening in the background.  I attached a “hook-screw” to the back post and then I just swing the weighted chain up to it and hook onto it.  The lat-pulley set up is then out of the way for the boxing.  It is adjustable for more clearance, but because of the angles, it (the chained weights) doesn’t have to be as far back as I initially expected.
And, finally, here’s an image of the “normal” lat-pulldown.  We timed the set up and take down and it takes under a minute to set up or take down!  It takes longer to put on a single boxing hand-wrap than it does to set up the station for boxing.
And so the adventure continues…
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On This Day In:
2022	Biden Starts His Second Year
2021	DIY: Outdoor Gym Modifications (2)
	Inauguration Day 2021
	(Hopefully) Good-Bye To The Trump Dark Ages
2020	Posting As A Continual Exercise
2019	Border Security – Yes, Border Wall – No
2018	Supporting Survival Values
2017	Inauguration Day 2017   [Sometimes, I hate it when I’m right!   —   kmab]
2016	Or A Pot Of Gold After The Storm
2015	One, Two, Three…
2014	Lend Your Hand
2013	Amnesty, n.
2012	Best Resolv’d
	The Clock Is Running
2011	Magic

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DIY: Outdoor Gym Modifications

Some of you regular readers may recall I had a pull-up rack set up in a corner of my backyard.  Image below…
Pull-up Stand with Double-End Target
I was always intending to use the setup as a multi-function station for working out going forward.  My initial modification was the addition of two “eye-screws” to setup a horizontal double end punching bag.  As you see, I made it out of an old basketball, a basketball net and a couple of bungee cords.  This has worked out reasonably well…
The “main” goal of the setup was to have a pull-up station.  Unfortunately, it turns out I am FAR too out of shape to hang from the bar, let alone try to do a pull-up.  In my first (aborted) attempt, I nearly pulled my arms out of their sockets “trying” to hang.  I was able to hang for just long enough for me to remember my age before letting go (aka: “falling”).  Also, despite my interest in adding “DIY” boxing options, I will NOT EVER be boxing / sparring.  I have a heart condition and am on blood thinners which (technically) make me a “border-line” hemophiliac (a “bleeder”).  The boxing options are only for their fitness / exercise value.
To make a longer story short, I scavenged some parts from my old “Total-Gym” and have now set up a “Lat – pulldown” system which I can use to build up my strength until I can hang from the bar and try another pull-up.  Image below…
Lower Bar & Lat Pulley Setup
A “Lat – pulldown” is an exercise which concentrates on the latissimus dorsi muscles.  These are the muscles used to pull something down from above your head or to pull your head and body up to something which is above your head / shoulders.  In this case, I am using four(4) ten pound weights.  At the moment I have completed day four(4) of a 30 day challenge to do five(5) sets of fifty(50) “reps” (repetitions).  After each set, I turn 45° and do a cross-body pull down Left to Right (50 reps) and then Right to Left (50 reps).  In all, 250 reps of the double and 250 reps per side.  As I get stronger (and less sore), I hope to get up to 10 sets per day.  Hopefully, by the end of the 30 days I will be able to suspend myself in a hanging position for a few seconds.  Then I can proceed to descending pull-ups, which will lead to actual “up” pull-ups.
I have an additional five(5) modifications under consideration:  1) adding a “slip bag”;  2)  adding a “heavy bag”;  3) adding a vertical “double-end, double bag”; 4) adding a “speed bag”; and, 5) adding a two-grip, low level pulley systems to create a “rower”.
So, that’s the progress.  And, that’s the future plans…  (Oh, yeah.  The posts and the rest of the back fence have to be painted / stained to help reduce / prevent weathering.)
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On This Day In:
2022	Yo-yo Management
2021	DIY: Outdoor Gym Modifications
	First Hammock Hang Of 2021
	Slow Moving Trains And Squirrels
	Just Chillin’… Why?
2020	Still Crazy After All These Years…
2019	20 / 20 Foresight
	He Knew Damned Well…
2018	Be Someone’s Kindling
2017	When The Moment Comes
2016	Changed Clothes Lately?
2015	Like Stone
2014	Resistance Is Futile
2013	Subtle Humor
	To Look Behind Green Eyes
2012	The Path Is Endless
2011	Happy MLK, Jr Day!!!
	A Factor Of Ten
	Better Late Than Never?
	Whoops!
	Acceptable Beginnings
	Slow Progress
	Useful Confrontation
	When Phenomena Are Different
	Creative Avoidance
	Thinking
	Fast And Flexible
	Surrender Certainty
	Techniques
	Vive La Difference
	Destiny
	Completeness
	Art

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Boxing (Day: 3) – Double-End Target Setup

After a couple of days off resting my knee, I got back out and tried to get in a little heavy breathing.
The first picture is of the pull-up stand I had built.  It’s a fairly basic tri-pod (tri-pole?) stand with a solid steel bar running across the two front 4X6’s.  At just about shoulder level, I put in two “eye-screws” to hook things to.  In this shot, I’ve used a pair of bungees to suspend my punching target – a double-end ball.  This is mostly on the “Do-It-Yourself” project list to save money.  The basketball and black / orange nylon cord, I already owned.  The two screws were about $3 each.  The package of bungees was $10 for a pack of 14 assorted lengths.  And the basketball net was another $3.  So, all told, a functional double-end boxing target for under $20.  One of my neighbors moved and he was tossing out three basketballs, so I still have two more to use to set up a “double-double-end” with basketballs (instead of tennis balls).  (Reality check:  a “cheap” double-end ball runs between $12 and $20 on Amazon.  The “decent” ones between $25 and $40.  The “pro” models upwards of $80.)
Pull-up Stand with Double-End Target
This target is a lot more substantial than hitting tennis balls and is fine for the “rough” motor skills of a rank amateur like me (reading between the lines:  that means I miss a LOT).  It’s a good target for jabs and straight punches from both a regular and southpaw stance.  It’s particularly fun for practicing side-slipping and upper-cuts.  I have also learned to use it to practice bobbing with following upper-cuts.  That is how I “learned” about wearing a mouth-guard and the abrasiveness of the basketball hitting you in the forehead and side of the head.  The image below shows the basketball in the net more clearly.
Close-up of Double-End Target
I’ve tried hitting the target with hooks (which are horizontal punches), but I’m not confident in the bungees ability to stay attached on the side the hook is going to.  I think it may be best to wait on those punches until I have the “double-double” set up vertically.  I’m also debating adding extra bungees to make the rebounding response stiffer.  Finally, I’m a bit concerned the bungees might unhook or the cord simply snap off the metal hook at the end.  I’m thinking of using duct-tape to secure the hooks to the eye-screws, but I haven’t yet thought of a way to ensure the cord doesn’t snap free from the metal end hook.  If anyone can think of something, please let me know…
I’ve been trying to get in 45 minute sessions.  Today’s was a bit shorter due to light rain / sprinkles.  The two days off really helped with my shoulder stiffness.  They still tire quickly, but they were definitely better than on day #2.  If anything, it was my hips and hamstrings which were giving me the most issues.  I felt like I was lead-legged and struggling to lift them in treacle.  LoL!  The price of being “mature” and trying to get a little fitter.
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On This Day In:
2021	Small Moments, Lived Well
	Shaking My Confidence
2020	Two Happy
	Every Time I Look Around
	Boxing (Day: 3) – Double-End Target Setup
2019	Stand Up, Hook Up, Shuffle To The Door…
2018	Ridiculous Idea
2017	Waddle On!
	A Severe Challenge — When The President Is A Liar
2016	The Best Of Circumstances
2015	Reverberating Silence
2014	Wrong Again?
2013	Improper Faith
2012	One More Rung
2011	Sunday Morning Earlies (Hugging trees and smiling…)
	Hurry
	Updates On Life
2010	It’s Gettin’ Deep In Here

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Boxing: Precision Target

No practice today.  I tweaked my right knee walking our dog and then aggravated it more with a LONG walk around Costco (and unloading the car).
Instead, I’m posting an image of the “precision” target I mentioned in my prior post.
Tennis balls adapted for precision punching practice.
As you can see, it’s just two tennis balls strung up on a nylon cord with a bungee cord and a weight on the bottom end and more nylon cord (and rope) tying the top end to a hook in one of my rafters.  Simple, yet effective.  There are knots tied in the cord at either side of the tennis ball to prevent the ball from moving up or down the cord.  The base weight is just so I didn’t have to make any attachment (damage) to the floor.  The weight is just a single 10lb free weight.  I tried lighter and heavier weights.  Lighter (5lbs) and when the balls were struck, the weight moved  and banged into things.  Heavier (25lbs) was just too much of a hassle to move around to set up and take down.
This type of target is sometimes called a “double-end” target (“bag” when actual punching bags are used) or a “kangaroo” target.  My modification to the basic target was to add a second tennis ball.  This gives me a target at roughly chin height and one at roughly rib / solar plexus height.  This is the target I was using when trying on my gloves every couple of days.  Although it was “safe” in this location, it wasn’t particularly useful as I could hit it without “it” hitting anything else, but I couldn’t move around much (at all).  Now that I think about it, this was probably one of my earliest lessons:  “punching” is hitting things;  “boxing” is hitting things while you move around so they don’t hit you back.  (LoL)  Yes, I still learn the hard way every time!
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On This Day In:
2021	Follow Up
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2020	Boxing: Precision Target
	A Funny Red Sheet
	Why #45 Is So Pitiably Small
2019	Yet We Should Keep Trying
2018	Let Us Dare
2017	Two Good To Be Real
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2016	Learning Subtle Differences
2015	Dog Eat Dog World?
2014	And Sometimes Blogs About It
2013	Outside-In
2012	They Are All Perfect
2011	Delegation – The “How-To’s”
2009	Diet Update and Other Bits & Bobs…

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Boxing (#2): First Lessons

So, what did I learn from my first lesson (yesterday) and today?  This is hard training.  Even with a very basic session…  I am old, and I am sore!  I had a difficult night sleeping because both of my shoulders and my neck are painful when pressed on or when moved.  Net result:  I’m even more tired today from lack of sleep.
I slowed down my punching (attempts) as yesterday I missed the target at least a third of the time.  The target is a basketball suspended with bungee cords.  You would think it would be “easy” to hit something as big as a basketball…  It ain’t!!  Particularly when it’s moving / rebounding from an earlier strike.  So, the first lesson is start slow.  Learn the correct form.  Form leads to accuracy.  Speed will follow from form and accuracy.  (Eventually.)
The nice thing about never intending to hit (or get hit by) anyone is I can take as long as I want to practice individual punches:  left and right jabs, hooks, upper-cuts, straight punches.  Standing traditional and “peek-a-boo”;  conventional and southpaw.  I can also practice slipping and bobbing to my hearts content.  (My heart is pretty content after about a 30 second stretch.)  Then, it’s pause for 5-10 seconds to catch your breath and then start something else (or do it again).
I learned I need to wear my mouth guard and I’m going to need to get a head protector.  The ball “hits” back.  Not hard, like a real person.  But it’s hard enough to bite your tongue or the inside of your cheeks if you’re not concentrating.  The lacing holding the ball can slice you (forehead and cheeks) if you’re not careful.  And, lastly, basketballs have a course “pebbled” surface which makes them easier to dribble, but it will chafe you pretty good if it hits you at the wrong angle.  It might have been smarter to start with a smoother surfaced ball, like a soccer ball.  Oh, well…
End result:  pouring sweat, exhausted, exhilarated – fun!
Wife’s reaction:  “You’re too old to be doing this everyday.  You need to start with every other day or just a couple of times a week.”  When I pointed out she made me promise to use the gloves if I was going to buy them, she replied:  “Yes, but you’ve already used them twice as much as I EVER thought you would.“
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On This Day In:
2021	A Loss Of Happiness
	Early Boy Band Choreography
2020	Wear A Damn Mask!
	I Can’t Stay For Long
	Boxing (#2): First Lessons
2019	A Surprisingly Good Way
	It’s Official X-mas (Tree) At Home
2018	Weight / Health Update
	What’s Happening With You?
2017	The Great Leveler
	Conservative Depressions
2016	Election + 1 Month
2015	Dance And Sing
2014	A Measuring Stick For Progress
2013	Courtly Love Or Victory Over Habit
2012	Have We Met?
2011	Efficiently Useless

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You Be The Judge

My wife isn’t sure if I’m having a mid-life crisis or just going into my second childhood…
This year I’ve been watching A LOT of YouTube.  Well, okay…  It started last year, but that’s just a detail.
I was viewing a bunch of videos on working out and I found myself going through reams of “30-Day Challenge” videos.  Of course, I decided to give one a shot.  My choice:  the “30-Day / 100 pushup per day challenge”.
Day One (Test):  Zero.  That’s correct.  I could not do a single pushup from the floor.  I could get into a plank position, (with effort,) and lower myself to the floor, but not get back up off the floor.
Obviously, some modifications would be necessary…  Inclined pushup from the back of the sofa.  Five.  Okay.  It’s a start.  First day:  20 sets of five, spread through-out the day (and evening).
Days 2 and 3 were more of the same.  Day 4, I was able to do 10.  So, 10 sets of 10, spread through-out the day.
To make a longer story shorter, about day 10 I was finally able to do ONE pushup from the floor.  By then, I was doing five(5) sets of 20 inclined.  At the end of 30 days, I could do 5 pushups from the floor.  (And shorter again…)  At the end of 60 days, I was able to do 15 pushups from the floor.  By way of comparison, Google says an “average” 65 year old man should be able to do between 6 and 16.  In other words, I went from abject failure to the top end of “average”.
And then I got hurt…  (But that’s another story.)
While browsing YouTube, it started feeding me boxing and martial arts videos (over and over again).  So, (of course) I started watching them…  Because I wasn’t able to do much other than walk, I started shadow-boxing in front of a mirror…  And then I bought gloves…  And then I bought hand-wraps…  And then I bought focus pads…  And then I started making home-made (read:  inexpensive) boxing targets.  It turns out YouTube has videos on how to jury rig most of the expensive kit you need to practice boxing.
Here’s some pictures of my gloves…  They are RDX F12 Training Boxing Gloves (16oz.)
Fresh out of the box and still in plastic Palm side up “Business” side up
And, after trying them on a few times a week for the last month or so…  Today I did my first “workout” with the gloves.
Now to be fair,  I did actually try them on and use them for a few minutes when I would set up a new target and once for a few minutes of shadow-boxing in front of a mirror, but until today, my wife had put it down to another one of my “phases”.  When approached on the possible purchase, she did insist on a $50 limit on my gloves because she was convinced they’d be gathering dust by now.  So, yes, they’re an inexpensive pair.  Not “cheap”, just inexpensive.  And, no, they are not leather.  They are “engineered” leather.  (LoL!)
Today’s workout was about 45 minutes long, sweaty and exhausting.  But, it was loads of fun and I felt terrific after my hot shower.  Tired and relaxed and starting to get sore in strange (and not so strange) places, but all things considered – terrific!
I’m really not sure if this is a “phase” or not, but I’m going to put up a post every now and then about this “journey”.  I’ll try to come up with a way to let you know in the “post” title when I’m on this topic as I have no idea how many of my blog followers have the slightest interest in this side topic.
A final note (reality check):  I am a 65 year old man, morbidly obese, with a heart condition (AFib) and on blood thinners.  So, NO, I will NEVER be in a fight or EVER sparring.  This is just a way to try to add some fun to my efforts to raise some sweat (and maybe learn a bit about the “sweet science” while I’m at it.)
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On This Day In:
2021	A Tenacious Cycle
	Once Upon A Time…
2020	Kinda Like Posting To A Blog About My Day
	Just A Different Point Of View
	You Be The Judge
2019	I Think I’m Repeating Myself
	It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like X-mas!
2018	No Reason To Turn
2017	Talking Knuth
	Seeing It Through
2016	Hoping For The Best Come January
2015	Adaptive Security
2014	Wants
2013	Side Effects
2012	Just Trying To Earn A Living
2011	Productive Worry

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Growth Mindset

The “growth mindset” in simple terms means that when students believe that they can get smarter, they understand that effort makes them stronger.
The student with a growth mindset put in extra time and extra effort and this leads to higher achievement.
The growth mindset student possesses the tendency to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, see effort as the path to mastery, learn from criticism and find lessons and inspiration in the success of others.
—    Fran Sands
From his online book:  “The Beginner Boxer Toolkit“
Online at:  www.myboxingcoach.com
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On This Day In:
2021	Bring The Void
	Home Cookin’, Anyone?
2020	Growth Mindset
	I Wonder Where You Are
2019	Steps To Impeach #45
	Science Upgrade Needed
2018	Come November 6th
2017	Hearts And Memories
2016	Tremendous Energy
	Beyond Trying
2015	Tell Me…
2014	Live Forever (To Remember Me)
	Orange October (VI) – Giants Win Game 4
2013	More Than Just Words
2012	Egotist, n.
2011	Good And Bad

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