Tom Angleberger visited a local bookstore last week, and I took Calfgrit11 out to see him. CG11 is joining the book club, (called “Guys Read”), at his new middle school, and this author’s tour was to be his first introduction to the group.

We got there at 6:30, (half an hour before the author was to get there), and immediately found Angleberger’s latest book: Secret of the Fortune Wookie on front display. There was already a sizable crowd of kids and parents, at the book store, (mostly boys and moms), so I directed CG11 to grab us some seats while I continued looking around to find a new book for me to read.

I haven’t had the time to read much in the last few years, what with family life, work responsibilities, my exercise regimen, and maintaining this site taking up all my time. I used to read a lot, but I’ve been somewhat saddened by my lack of the activity recently. I see how much CG11 reads, and I’ve thought that he’s probably already read as many books by 6th grade as I have at 45 years old. But then as I browsed the science fiction and fantasy section of the book store I was reminded of just how much I really have read through the years. At just about every classic author’s section, I found that I’d already read all or most of their books. It kind of got a bit comical that I couldn’t find something I hadn’t already read.

Sure, there were many newer books by newer authors, but I wasn’t sure of their quality, so I couldn’t bring myself to buy one. Eventually I came to Terry Pratchett’s section. This is one of very few classic well-known authors whose work I haven’t chewed through years ago. I’ve actually only read one of his books, (Going Postal), but I liked it a great deal, so I grabbed another one, (Monstrous Regiment), and bought it. I then joined Calfgrit11 in the seats to wait for Tom Anglerberger to arrive.

Angleberger arrived on time, and the kids loved his show. He talked about his books, how he writes them, how he comes up with his characters, and he drew some. Then the book store took him to the signing table and everyone lined up to get their book(s) signed. Calfgrit11 and I found the book club teacher at this time and we ended up talking a bit while the line formed, so we ended up at the penultimate place in the line. That meant it was almost 9:00 by the time we got to the author’s table and got CG11’s books signed. (CG11 brought two Angleberger books from home to get signed with the latest one we bought that day.)

At the author’s table, while signing the books, Angleberger asked CG11 who his favorite Star Wars character is. “Boba Fett,” my son answered. I swelled with geeky pride and patted him on the back, “That’s my boy,” I said.

We got home well after 9:00, and we were both pretty tired. CG11’s bed time is usually 8:00, (and we have to wake him in the mornings after 7:00 to get ready for school), and large crowds just wear me out. (I could never do brogrit’s job :-)

All in all, meeting the author was cool. Tom Angleberger seems like a nice guy, and he’s pretty funny in person as well as in his writing.

Bullgrit

Another birthday, so it’s time for another “flash my torso” post:

I’m over two years past finishing my first round of P90X, and I’ve since done several more rounds of it, plus two rounds of Insanity, and (recently) one round of Jillian Michaels Body Revolution. I’ve also started running 2-3 times a week, (usually in place of a P90X cardio routine).

I once complained, “Where’s My Six-Pack!?” Well, it took a while, but I found it. It’s still not as visually obvious as I want it, but beneath that thin layer of the last couple of percentages of body fat, my abs are solid and tight.

I’m not posting a pic of my body to show off or brag, (though I am proud of my accomplishment). I’m showing this to say, if I can do it, anyone can do it, including you. I’m not selling or advertising (or getting any pay of any kind from) the DVD programs I’ve mentioned here. I’m just blogging about what I’ve done, and how I’ve done it.

I’m 45 years old, with a wife, two young sons, a full-time job, and this blogging part-time job/hobby. It’s damn, damn hard to work a middle-aged body to this extreme. And as hard as the physical working out is, the hardest part for me is maintaining a proper diet. God, the crap I eat sometimes kills me while I’m trying to carefully track and control calories, fats, carbs, and proteins.

But the effort is so totally worth it. I couldn’t imagine three years ago just how amazing it feels to be in this good a shape, especially at this age. I was thin/skinny in my 20s, but not really fit, so I can honestly say I’m in better shape, now, at going on half a century old than I was then.

So, there. This concludes my annual “look at my body” post. Next time I’ll go back to my usual telling how my kids are driving me insane.

Bullgrit

I’ve picked up running a bit for some of my exercise regimen. We live next to a city park with a paved trail around the lake, and the weather, though hot, has been mostly beautiful the past few weeks. The trail is 2 miles per lap, and our house is only half a mile from a trail entrance, so just one trip around and back home is 3 miles. I usually fully run the first lap, then I have to alternate running and walking the second lap.

I’ve been doing this in place of my P90X/Insanity cardio workouts about twice or thrice a week for three weeks, now. (I still do the P90X weight training.) It’s pretty fun, but it’s hard on the legs. Damn hard on the legs. I’m used to the extreme intensity of the P90X and Insanity workouts, but neither of them are so long and continuous on just the legs. Running is just legs, legs, legs, legs, legs for 30-60 minutes.

A few days ago, I was out running in the late afternoon, when a storm approached. I was just starting a third lap, (for the first time), when I heard some thunder off in the distance. I can finish this lap, I thought, before any rain gets here. And even if I did end up getting wet, so what, I was already sweating, and the water would be refreshing in this 90-degree heat.

I got half-way around the trail, and the bottom fell out of the sky. The rain came down so fast and hard it was like God had poured a bucket out on me. Within seconds, I was drenched right down to soggy, squishy running shoes. The wind was gale force, the rain was so cold, and sticks and pine cones and whole freakin’ limbs were falling out of the trees over my head. I got hit on the head three times by crap falling from above. I had to immediately take cover under a trail sign.

Wifegrit was texting me to warn me of the storm coming — they were getting hail where she was, at her mother’s house. My fingers were wet so my iPhone’s touch screen wouldn’t register most of my touches as I tried to text back. I tried calling, but again cold, wet fingers on the screen weren’t registering touches. Plus I had a bluetooth headset in my ears, and even when I got the phone to dial, I couldn’t get the signal to send to my headset. I couldn’t hear Wifegrit and she couldn’t hear me over the din of the blasting wind and rain, (and my moans of, “Oh God it’s so friggin’ cold!”).

At one point my brother called me, and I couldn’t activate the touch screen options to hang up, so I just shouted at him, “I can’t talk right now,” until he hung up. I couldn’t even hear what he was saying. He called me back the next day to ask what was going on. Turns out that in my fumbling with my phone, I had actually called him. It worried him, my strange call and frantic cries of, “I can’t talk!” Sorry bro, didn’t mean to scare you.

Eventually I managed to communicate with Wifegrit and explained that I needed her to come pick me up. There was no way I could run the 1.5 miles home through this storm. There was only a little hail around the lake, but all the debris falling from the tree branches was actually looking dangerous. Plus it was frickin’ freezing cold. And my shoes weighed 5 pounds each with all the water soaked into them.

At last, Wifegrit showed up with her minivan, (with leather seats — safe for a soaking wet husband’s butt), to rescue her man. Then, as if on cue, within a minute of me getting into the safety of the van, the rain lightened up to barely a sprinkle.

That was the most exciting any of my workouts have been. I hope they never are again.

Bullgrit

Our neighborhood has a big get together every July 4th, with food and fireworks. Usually it’s held in the other cul de sac of the neighborhood, (based in the driveway and garage of one of the organizers), but this year everything was set up and happened in our cul de sac, right in front of our house. The organizers asked if they could use my grill, so they wouldn’t have to haul theirs up from their house. I said sure.

It was a brutally hot day right up until the organizers got the canvas gazebo/tents set up. Then a wind started up, lifting and blowing over the tents a couple of times. We got the legs spiked down fairly well, and then the rain came through. The temperature dropped over 10 degrees in just a few minutes. Fortunately, the rain only lasted maybe half an hour, but the temp stayed down for the rest of the evening.

My grill is not a big apparatus. It’s a little bigger than I need to cook for the four of us, but it’s not one of those grand, party-sized things. I just assumed, (with no real basis for the assumption), they were going to have more than one grill out there. But, it turned out, they managed everything on my one, alone. (I didn’t do the cooking, myself.) The cook had about a dozen hamburgers and a dozen hot dogs cooking all at one time on my little grill. I was impressed.

In addition to the grilled meats, everyone who came to the gathering brought some other dish. There were meatballs, pastas, chips, dips, and a variety of desserts. Personally, I ended up eating two hamburgers with buns, another hamburger patty, (that I ate sort of like finger food while chatting), a handful of chips, and oh God, far too much dessert — two cupcakes, and maybe 8 cookies! At a buffet-style spread, I kind of lose my freakin’ mind, especially with desserts. I ate so much I made myself feel sick. My body isn’t used to eating like that — that much all in a few minutes.

We parents talked, the kids played, and all went pretty well. We all wore name tags to help everyone learn everyone, (our neighborhood is only a few years old). On my name tag, I wrote my name but also added, “Calfgrit7 & Calfgrit11’s dad.” When I stuck the label on my chest, one of the dad’s standing across from me read it and said, “Oh, that’s a good idea. Now I know exactly who you are.” Our kids play with each other every day, but he and I see each other maybe twice a year, at these neighborhood parties.

Nearing 9:00, the kids gathered in a big circle in the cul de sac as one of the dads and a couple of the older boys set out and lit some fireworks. It was a pretty good show for as simple as the works were, and the kids loved it. As darkness set in, everything started winding down and everyone started cleaning up and going home.

Not a bad little neighborhood gathering, and no child or house was set on fire. All in all, a good event.

Bullgrit