The cable company bury team can’t get to our situation till Wednesday of next week. That means we will be without television, telephone, and internet for a week. So I don’t know if I’ll be able to post on schedule till we get our system back up.

Bullgrit

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There’s construction work along our neighborhood street — new houses going up — and our cable line got cut yesterday. So we’re without TV, telephone, and Internet.

We called the cable company yesterday evening, and they sent out a repair man this morning. Turns out the workers who originally ran the cable line through our neighborhood buried the line across the empty lot next to our house. I guess they didn’t make the mental connection: empty lot in a neighborhood = house will eventually be constructed there.

The cable guy explained that he can’t reconnect the severed line, because it still runs across the lot where the house builders are still laying foundation. So he called in a bury team to come out and rerun and bury the line around the new house. But the bury team won’t be out till tonight or tomorrow morning.

So we’re without TV, telephone, and Internet for at least that long. <sigh>

Thank goodness for our cell phones, or we’d be nearly completely cut off from the world. It’s like living in the dark ages.

Bullgrit

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Me and my boys went to a local pizza shop after an active couple hours at the park. Also there was a local high school cheer team.

I don’t normally take any note of teenage girls, (other than to roll my eyes at their silliness), but the first thing I noticed about these girls stunned me. They were in their cheerleader outfits, and well, there wasn’t much to the outfits. They were damn near exposing their butts in public.

Take a look at the pics to the right. Their skirts barely, just barely, cover their butts and lady bits. I mean, if one of the girls leans over just a bit at the pizza table, she flashes her undies at everyone around.

Now, I’m far from being an old prude. I’m not using my old man voice, “Damn kids, nowadays, ain’t got no modesty.” I know teenagers will get away with whatever they can. Teenage girls wear short skirts to get attention from teenage boys. This is not a case of me being surprised by teenagers trying to be eye-catching or shocking.

My reaction is not really so much about the teenage girls themselves — my shock is at the parents, cheer coach, and school leaders.

These girls are not college aged. These girls are in high school — around 16 to 17 years old. They are still considered minors by law and culture.

Yet their parents, their coach, and their school leaders accept these uniforms? You know an adult had to pick them out and purchase them. Their mothers and fathers have to be okay with these uniforms.

The adult authorities around them apparently don’t have a problem with these skirts that are so short, when the girl sits down, she’s actually sitting on bare butt.

Really. Who picked out these uniforms? Who measured them? Who ordered them? And what responsible adult doesn’t raise an eyebrow at them? Come on parents and teachers and principals: you’re okay with this official attire on young girls?

I’d be willing to bet that the school would not allow a non-uniform skirt this short to be worn in class on a normal school day. Hell, some schools in our area don’t even allow shorts or skirts above the top of the knee. But these cheerleader outfits show buttcheeks on some of the girls. (I specifically did not take pics of those.)

Would the parents let their girl go out on a date wearing a skirt this short? But they let them stand out in front of the whole school jumping and kicking in something like this?

I don’t expect the teenage girls to have the self control and responsibility to dress modestly, but it’s a damn shame that apparently the adult people around them don’t have the care or responsibility to keep official school uniforms appropriate for the young wearers.

And think of the boys, too. The poor things probably can’t stand up to cheer on their team for fear of revealing their perma-boners.

Q- Why do cheerleaders wear short skirts?

A- To make the boys’ root harder.

Sorry, but I had to throw in some levity to show I’m not all worked up in a tizzy about this. But I do think it is a failure of sensibility and responsibility from the parents and school officials.

Bullgrit

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Since starting my exercise regimen, I had to give up my regular, weekly game nights with my friends. My daily schedule only gives me time for the workouts in the evenings, every evening, and I can’t skip a day each week (at least not for the first 90 days). This saddens me. I miss the once-a-week evenings playing games with my friends.

I’d leave work around 4:30, to beat the rush hour traffic; it’s about a 30-40 minute drive out to my friend’s house where we play. There’s a shopping center across the street from his neighborhood, and this is the only situation when I ever really had time to shop around with peace and concentration. I’d stop in the Best Buy to check out televisions, computer stuff, or new games. Or I’d go into Target to look at clothes, toys, or home stuff.

Or maybe I’d go eat at a Chili’s restaurant and read a book. Then after the meal, I’d go park out in the shopping center lot, way out from the stores, where no one else was around, and sit in my car. I could continue reading my book, or maybe I’d lean the seat back and take a little nap. Then, after 6:00, I’d head out of the shopping center and over to the house.

Pull into the driveway, park the car, get out and go up to the front door. I’d rap on the door and immediately here, “It’s open!” shouted from the other side. I’d go in, and our sitting around talking time would begin.

We’d talk about our week, and just about anything a conversation can flow to. The other guys would arrive and join the chat. Then at around 7:00, we’d all move over to the kitchen table and set up for whatever game(s) were were going to play that night.

We’d play, talk, joke, and have a generally fun time until about 11:00. Then we’d put away our gaming stuff, and hop back over to the den for more idle chat. We’d chat for anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, and then we’d usually break all together, saying, “Good night, it was fun,” and head out to our cars. Another 30-40 minute drive back home, and to bed.

And then, inevitably, Calfgrit5 wakes up at 5:30 the next morning to start our day.

Bullgrit

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One week of P90X workout done. I’m sore in a few areas, and there’re no visual results yet, but I feel good.

I found the Plyometrics (jumping) the hardest to do. I think I injured my inner thighs with this workout. They were too sore for longer than I would expect for just working them hard. But they got better.

I found Yoga X the most aggravating to do. Not that it’s difficult to do, (though it’s as hard as most of the other workouts), but it’s impossible to keep my eyes on the TV while going through the various poses. There’s no one starting position where your head doesn’t get turned away from the TV screen at some point — sometimes for a long time, through several more motions.

The whole regimen is enjoyable, in a tiring, sweating, sore kind of way. I’ve felt much better after each workout than I felt before starting. Last night started my second week (of 13 total), and I was really looking forward to the Chest & Back and Ab Ripper X workouts, especially after the simple X Stretch workout ending the first week.

It’s funny, in a weird way, how after a hard workout, watching very fit and ripped/buff people on the screen, when I take off my shirt to get in the shower afterward, I’m surprised to not see a big difference in my body. I feel like I should already have the tone and muscular shape, and it’s disappointing to see the regular old me in the mirror. But I’ll get there.

I’ve finally gotten my new diet regimen mostly figured out — I’ve stocked up on appropriate food, and I’m making better choices. Between loving the workouts, and accepting the diet, I have strong hopes for the next 12 weeks.

Bullgrit

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This weekend, while Calfgrit5 was in his room taking his nap after lunch, I went into the office to fiddle around. While there, I saw out the front window, Calfgrit9 was sitting in the grass of the front yard.

His zip-up sweater was off and lying in a pile on the grass next to him, a plastic hoe (that he uses as a sword and a rifle) was in the grass on the other side of him, and he had some small toy in his hand. He was just sitting there, sort of staring off into space. He’d shift or move occasionally, but he seemed deep in thought more than playing with his toy.

I watched him for a minute or two, wondering what he was thinking. I got a little worried; I thought maybe there was something troubling on his mind. So I left the office and went downstairs to put on my shoes to go outside.

I walked up to him, “Hey buddy.”

“Hey Dad.”

I plopped down in the grass in front of him. “Whatcha thinking about?”

He didn’t hesitate, but stated, “About how some animals are pretty smart. They make their own homes, they form groups, they communicate. It’s like they’re as smart as we are.”

“Yeah,” I said. I totally didn’t expect that to be his thoughts. Here I was, worrying that he was bothered by something, and really he was just thinking intelligent concepts.

We chatted about animal reasoning and instincts for a few minutes, and then he wanted to show me an ant mound he had found over in the common area next to our lot. He had experimented with the ants by covering the exit holes with leaves and rocks, to see how they dealt with it, how they’d work around the obstacles.

After showing me his experiment, we walked around to the back yard, and our conversation wandered to what we’d do in the yard when the weather warmed up with spring.

I was relieved that he hadn’t been sitting in the yard fretting about something. I was rather impressed that he could just sit peacefully and think. That’s something I like to do sometimes. It’s something that I really don’t get a chance to do very often, anymore. Maybe next time I won’t disturb him.

Bullgrit

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In the week after getting my P90X material in the mail, I read the Fitness Guide, the Nutrition Guide, and watched several of the DVDs. While watching the DVDs, I tried a few of the exercises, but I didn’t actually start the regimen; I just wanted to see what was coming, and get a feel for it before hitting it hardcore.

And it is, indeed, hardcore. Extreme. “Over the top,” as my brother described it. But it didn’t look beyond my ability. (But then I may have an unrealistic sense of my ability.) In fact, it looked fun. Fun because it would be a serious challenge.

The Kenpo X workout looked very much like the exercises I did in tae kwon do. But the difference is that in my martial arts training, we did the exercises for about 20 minutes, and then moved on to the training/learning. And the training/learning time gave plenty of rest between heavy activity. The P90X Kenpo X workout is a full hour of just exercises, with very little rest time.

Saturday was my Day 0 — take the fit test, take “before” photos, take body measurements. The literature says I should be able to pass the fit test before taking on the P90X routines. Here’s how I did:

Pull-ups
Minimum for fit test: 3
My results: 1.75 (the book says to count fractions on this exercise)
It’s been many, many years (possibly a couple of decades) since I did a pull up. I never did them for martial arts, and it’s just not something I’ve ever done as part of my basic calisthenics.

Vertical Leap
Minimum: 5″
My results: 13″
This one confuses me. Granted I may be off by an inch — it’s difficult to judge it on a blank, white wall — but I can definitely beat 5″ by a very wide margin. But beating the minimum by more than double, (nearly triple), on a skill I never really practice?

Push-ups
Minimum: 15
My results: 22
I used to could do 50 on a regular basis, in my prime.

Toe Touch — sitting down, legs straight, reach forward
Minimum: 6 inches from toes
My results: 0 inches — I can touch my toes

Wall Squat — sit with back against wall, legs at 90 degree angle, as if sitting in a chair
Minimum: 60 seconds
My results: 45 seconds
Other than the pull-ups, (which I could hardly do at all), this was the hardest test. The pain is incredible in less than 30 seconds, and I wanted to scream by 45 seconds.

Biceps Curls — both arms at the same time, 20 pound weights
Minimum: 10
My results: 15

In & Out — seated with hands on floor at sides, knees bent and off ground; bring knees in to chest, then out straight, and back in to chest
Minimum: 25
My results: 30

Now, something to keep in mind with this fit test: I did the exercises fresh, and with 1-4 minutes, (by the book), breaks in between. Other than the pull-ups and wall squats, I passed the exercises easily. This surprised me. Either I’m not in the totally abysmal shape I thought I was, (and sometimes feel), or the fit test is a bit easy. I suspect the latter.

Sunday night was my first full P90X workout routine: “Chest & Back, and Ab Ripper X” — about an hour and twenty minutes of almost non-stop exercises. I did it.

Yes, it’s brutal, but I kept up and did every exercise. Now, I didn’t do as many reps as Tony and his students. If they did 25 reps, I could do about 10-12 on the first round. By the second round, they’d do another 25, but I could only get about 4-6. There’s a lot of push-ups, and by the last set, I considered doing 3 in a row a victory.

And then the ab/core exercises followed immediately after the chest and back workout. The ARX works different muscles than the C&B, but you’re already really tired by that point. I still banged out some reps for every exercise, (still less than the folks on the screen).

After the workout, I felt fan-freakin’-tastic. Honestly, that routine made me feel so good. Yes, I was worn out, but it was in a good way. I felt like I had done something great.

I’m very much looking forward to continuing this system. Having done this first routine, I’m not afraid of the rest. The only thing I think I’m going to have a hard time with is the nutrition regimen. I’ve had a horrible diet for pretty much all my life, and proteins, carbohydrates, etc. aren’t concepts that my mind easily grasps. Hopefully my wife can help me with this part of the system.

Bullgrit

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