I took my boys to Marbles Kid’s Museum on Sunday. It’s been wet around here for a few days, so they haven’t had much really active outdoor play lately. I had heard that Marbles is great for kid activity — Cowgrit has taken our boys before — but I had never been.

It’s an impressive place. There’s a lot of square footage full of kids play areas. At the back of the building is a big ol’ wooden ship, (well, the front half of a ship). After an hour playing around elsewhere in the museum, the boys wanted to go play in the “pirate ship.”

I sat down on a bench and partially nodded off on short naps while the boys ran and played through the ship with the other dozen or two kids. During my intermittent wakeful moments, I saw kids sweeping the decks, brushing the railings, and running in and out of the ship with odds and ends from a nearby “science submarine” play area.

At one point, I heard a little girl mention she was bringing something to the ship captain. After I gave up actually getting any kind of real nap sleep, I got up from my bench and went to explore this ship. I entered the lower deck to look around. The ceiling is only about 5 feet high, so I, (and the couple of other adults there), had to bend over pretty far to move around.

I heard another couple of kids say they were cleaning the ship for the captain. The thought ran through my mind, “It would be just like Calfgrit9 to assume the role of ‘captain’ with all these kids around.” He wasn’t the only 8-10 year old among all the 4-7 year olds, but he likes being in control.

I made my way up the stairs to the main deck. There’s a captain’s quarters at the back of the main deck, (with a third deck above that), and that’s exactly where I found Calfgrit9 sitting in state. He sat in a chair with his right arm propped up on a table beside him and his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles before him. He had the air of a monarch on his throne as younger kids came in and asked what he wanted them to do.

He directed one kid to run up the flag at the front of the ship. He told another to take something to the play area next to the ship. The kids immediately did as ordered. They all seemed to enjoy having duties, and Calfgrit9 surely enjoyed being in command of his domain.

I left my oldest boy to his command, and I roamed the main deck and above. Eventually, Calgrit5 came to me and complained that his brother wouldn’t let him be captain. “Daddy, come with me and let me be captain,” he said.

So I declared him my captain and asked for his orders. We went and checked the treasure map painted next to the ship’s wheel. He determined where we should navigate, and I stood at the wheel to steer us. He ran to the flag pole and ran up the ship’s colors. After that, we went to and fro about the ship’s decks doing the odds and ends that he thinks sailors do.

After a while, Calfgrit5 wanted to explore other areas of Marbles. I talked with Calfgrit9 about our intentions, and he wanted to stay on the ship for longer. We talked it out, and he would stay there at the ship, (continuing his captain role), while the little one and I went to the other areas of the museum.

Calfgrit5 and I worked with real tools in the woodworking shop area, and we played with the giant Lego blocks building and knocking down towers. When closing time approached, we went back and retrieved Calfgrit9 — he had played captain for two solid hours.

Fun was had by all. Calgrit5 got to experiment with many different activities, and Calfgrit9 got to be in command of a crew of pirates. I don’t know if Calfgrit9’s personality is a sign of being a future leader or a sign of megalomania.

Bullgrit

At the time I’m writing this, I have no idea what this movie is about beyond what is hinted at in the trailer itself.

OMG! WTF! FTW! BBQ!

Girls, guns, swords, dragons, planes, fire, bullets, explosions . . .

Bullgrit

My birthday present to myself this year was to be a set of six-pack abs. After finishing P90X, back in May, I had lost 18 pounds of middle-age padding, and had toned up my muscles to a level they hadn’t been in for many a year. But I still had a layer of padding that hid the muscle tone of my midsection. It wasn’t a pooch or spare tire — my stomach is flat, now — it was just a layer.

I went into maintain-mode with P90X for four weeks. Instead of 6 heavy workouts a week, I dropped to 3-4 a week. During those maintenance weeks, I lost another 5 pounds of padding, (for a total of 23 pounds lost). These numbers astonished me — I would never have thought I had 23 pounds of fat to loose. I didn’t feel really fat. I just felt middle-aged.

But after those 4 weeks of maintenance, I could see a bare hint, a shadow of where my six-pack abs would be. In the right pose, I could imagine those muscles showing through the last little layer of padding. I was so, so close.

I decided to pick up the regular routine of P90X workouts again. I had the proper diet worked out, and had been following it during the maintenance weeks, so surely the last thin layer would burn off quickly with the full-on workouts.

I lost another pound in the first week of the second round, (for a total of 24 pounds), but then for the last three weeks, no weight loss; no visible difference that I can see in my midsection. Frustrating!

Three weeks of working damn hard physically, keeping to a proper diet, (with only very rare misteps), and no fat loss to see. One theory is maybe that my muscle increase and fat loss ratio has reached an equilibrium — I’m gaining muscle weight at the same rate I’m loosing fat weight, so the scale doesn’t change. But if this were the answer, surely my ab muscles would be showing clearly by now?

Is my problem the curse of an over-40 body? What the hell!?

Bullgrit

“PLACE YOUR BANANAS ON THE BELT.”

“PLACE YOUR RED DELICIOUS APPLES ON THE BELT.”

“PLACE YOUR YOPLAIT PEACH YOGURT ON THE BELT.”

This is why I hate using the self checkouts at the grocery store. This morning I stopped by grocery store to pick up some snacks for today and tomorrow. There was no cashier at the regular checkout lane, so I had to use the self checkout.

I touched the computer screen, weighed my fruits, and scanned my yogurt. Every time, the computer voice announced loudly what I was purchasing. For an interesting twist, when I looked up after the yogurt announcement, I spotted one of my coworkers standing up at the customer service desk just twenty feet away. (This grocery store is across the street from our offices.) She looked over at me and we exchanged waves.

I was annoyed at the machine announcing so loudly each of my items, and I admit that the yogurt announcement made me blush a bit — it’s not exactly a manly-man snack food — but there are many things I’ve purchased over the years that I woulnd’t want broadcast to other grocery shoppers.

The old gag about the cashier calling over the store intercom for a price check on some embarrassing item is a classic because we’ve all either been there or feared it.

Note to Grocers: if you want people to use the self checkout, to save on your employee costs or speed up lines, make the self checkout registers —

“SHUT THE HELL UP.”

Bullgrit