Had my first game yesterday with Team Eight, a.k.a. Quick Decisions (a name agreed on, appropriately, within a minute of starting to talk about possible team names). The theme for this year is Things I Hated About My Ex. Our opponents were either Whiskey Disks or Not Enough Hucking. They hadn't decided yet. At any rate, we won pretty easily, 15-7 or 15-8. I had forgotten how SLOPPY rec is with lots of newbies on the field. The best player on the other team was just a tall athletic dude that I could cover easily because he had no field sense and made terrible loopy cuts, and threw flicks off his thumb. (What's that throw called? Not a thumber but the one where you hold the disc on your wrist. It's not coming to me.) We have some people who can throw solid flicks and backhands and very athletic girls (especially our captain, Sarah) but I for sure had the best throwing/experience/athleticism combo of anyone on the team. That hasn't happened to me in a long time. It also shows me just how far I have to go. More laying out is needed, to begin with. This will become my mantra. Lay out...lay out...lay out...lay out...lay out...
In other news, I'm leaving for Barcelona on Friday and still don't really know what I'm going to be doing there! Or, more importantly, how and when I'm going to get to Montpellier. Gabby sent some info about the train and bus. I think I'm just going to have to suck it up and buy a train ticket, but maybe I'll wait until I get there to see if I can get a better rate. I know I have to see the Sagrada Familia, the Gaudi park and buildings and the Picasso and Miro museums. More research must be done, although what I'm kind of hoping is that there'll be some cool people in whatever hostel I end up in and we can just kind of go traipsing around for a couple of days. We'll see, I guess. And now that the morning has flown by and it's 12:15, I'm going to get some cheap calories and tally up people's brackets. Cheers.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
frisbee
Last Saturday I played in the inaugural St. Hatrick's Day (no typo) Tournament down in Occoquan. My team, Kiwi Green (team cheer: "Fuck Australia!"), won the tournament. We led pretty much the whole way in all three of our pool games, but had to come back from a significant deficit to prevail in the championship. It was cool in the morning and cold and rainy in the afternoon (very sad I didn't bring my Under Armour), but a ton of fun. Winning usually is, but the people on my team were great, too. Our best player, John Agan (who plays for Truck Stop), also happened to be a really nice guy. It's always kind of a surprise when someone who's really good also manages not to be a douche. I played okay, but I've got so much improving to do. Hopefully with Spring League starting up soon I can find some people out in Silver Spring who are willing to throw all the freaking time. Or barring that, willing to meet up in DC to throw on the days I'm already going to the gym. My throws are pretty much where they've always been: so-so. I don't make very many turns but my deep throws are uneven and I need to be more confident breaking the mark. The only way to get better at those things is to do them a lot. If I could get three or four people together to just throw, do marking drills, huck drills, pulling... Really I should stop with the wishful thinking and just make it happen.
Not to mention all the speed and quickness I need to make up on a lot of more athletic people. In other words, it was a good reminder of how much I love ultimate, after a pretty long layoff, and why I've been in the gym so much this winter. And also a good reminder of how far I have left to go before I get to be as good as I can be.
(Note to self: lay out more.)
Not to mention all the speed and quickness I need to make up on a lot of more athletic people. In other words, it was a good reminder of how much I love ultimate, after a pretty long layoff, and why I've been in the gym so much this winter. And also a good reminder of how far I have left to go before I get to be as good as I can be.
(Note to self: lay out more.)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Yoooooo
From Gary Kamiya's piece yesterday about John Yoo's rape of US law:
Damn skippy.
And yet the wreckage wrought by the Bush administration goes beyond Yoo. The just-released memos remind us of just how radical, secretive and destructive that administration was. Its misdeeds are so grave and far-reaching that they must be thoroughly investigated, and the perpetrators punished. Whether by a truth commission or criminal investigations, the dark history of the last eight years must be told.
So far, President Obama has been reluctant to call for such an investigation, saying he wants to focus on the future, not the past. But he's wrong. This is not about politics. This is about our American laws and values -- about our very identity. It would be easy to turn the page on the Bush administration, or to claim, as Yoo and his defenders try to do, that its sins should be forgiven because of 9/11. But it is precisely in a crisis when a nation shows its true mettle -- or lack thereof. To pretend that the last eight years never happened -- or to continue some of Bush's disastrous legal policies, as Obama shamefully appears to be doing -- would be to betray our nation's ideals, leave the door open to future misdeeds, and ultimately endanger our democracy itself.
We don't need revenge. We need truth.
Damn skippy.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
okay, i am a muscle head
Just kidding. But I did set a new PR for my deadlift yesterday, at 315#. That means I've added 40# to my deadlift in three months. I'm still not especially strong, but that's not too bad as far as improvements go. I forgot to do the vertical jump test first, which was very stupid of me. I tried to do it after I'd tried and failed at 325# for the deadlift, but only got a little more than 26 inches. Needless to say, I did NOT feel fresh. Still, that's higher than my initial test in January, which gives me hope that when I do legitimately test the vertical, it will have gone up to about 29 or so. We'll see on Monday, I guess. I'm going to test front squat then, too. I need about 37 to dunk a volleyball or soccer ball (something I can hold easily). I also have no idea what my running vertical is. More like 40 to dunk a ball with two hands. I may never get there, but I think 37 is still possible. Not in the next couple of months, but I'll get there.
The past month and a half I've done two days a week of heavy lifting and one of plyometrics. No crossover (that is, no plyos on lifting days and vice versa). So my strength has gone up but I don't feel like I've gotten a whole lot more explosive. Maybe it'd be better to start doing a heavy lifting day (for deadlifts, probably, plus explosive squats and step-ups), a plyos day, and a combo day with heavy lifts (maybe just front squats and one-leg deadlifts) and plyos. For the upper body, I had been following the 100 pushups and 20 pullups programs, but they were frustrating and I wasn't seeing any improvement, so I think it makes sense to go back to overhead presses, bent rows, and other weighted upper body stuff. The bodyweight gymnastics skills are so awesome (check out Jim Bathurt's page for some of those), but it's too much. My upper body could stand to get stronger, but my real focus has got to be on my legs and hips. Especially because now I've got to start actually playing frisbee again and working on quickness and speed. I'm afraid I've gotten too gym-focused this winter. Oh well, I like the gym.
Mom and Dad have been in TN for the past couple of days, which means I haven't slept much because the dogs demand walking at ungodly hours of the morning. For example, this morning Izzie was pawing at the door at 5:45. Thbphbth. Maybe that had something to do with why I felt kind of out of whack yesterday. There's an interesting distinction. I'd definitely say "out of whack." But I'd never spell "that shit is wack" with the "h." That'd be wrong. I'm reading Alphabet Juice, by Roy Blount, right now. It's really a fun read, even if he sometimes reaches juuuust a tad with trying to claim words sound like what they mean. I'll give him "sinuous," and that lots of languages use the "m" sound for mother-related words. But what about "with?" Even within Western European languages you've got "con," "avec," "mit." Or "copyright?" Or "copy?" I don't know, maybe I'm overstating his case, which wouldn't be fair. Sonicky words are fun, but I don't think they're as prevalent as Mr. Blount seems to believe. Still, he's a good writer and takes such obvious pleasure in words (a characteristic I share with him) that it's a really enjoyable read.
Other recently read or in-the-process books:
1) The Varieties of Scientific Experience, by Carl Sagan. This guy could think with the best of them. Comes as close to articulating where I'd place myself on the God question as anyone I've read.
2) A People's History of the United States, by Howard Zinn. Speaking truth to power, even when it hurts. Maybe especially when it hurts. Should be required reading for everyone in this damn country.
3) Ficciones, by Jorge Luis Borges. Read this in Spanish, now reading it in English. Understanding some things I'd missed before.
4) Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace. I don't remember if I posted about this book already. Suffice it to say: holy shit.
5) Watchmen, by Alan Moore. Re-read in anticipation of seeing the movie tomorrow night with Jack.
6) Athletic Body in Balance, by Gray Cook. Learning learning learning. I need to take anatomy and physiology.
7) Athletic Development: The Art and Science of Sports Conditioning, by Vern Gambetta. Learning learning learning. I love this stuff.
6) A bunch of other books that aren't coming to mind at the moment.
Anyhow, I'm going to cut myself off for the time being. I was going to write some stuff about my upcoming trip(s), but I realized that I'd just get on a roll and not stop. See above paragraphs. Before I go, let me note the current temperature: 72 freaking degrees.
The past month and a half I've done two days a week of heavy lifting and one of plyometrics. No crossover (that is, no plyos on lifting days and vice versa). So my strength has gone up but I don't feel like I've gotten a whole lot more explosive. Maybe it'd be better to start doing a heavy lifting day (for deadlifts, probably, plus explosive squats and step-ups), a plyos day, and a combo day with heavy lifts (maybe just front squats and one-leg deadlifts) and plyos. For the upper body, I had been following the 100 pushups and 20 pullups programs, but they were frustrating and I wasn't seeing any improvement, so I think it makes sense to go back to overhead presses, bent rows, and other weighted upper body stuff. The bodyweight gymnastics skills are so awesome (check out Jim Bathurt's page for some of those), but it's too much. My upper body could stand to get stronger, but my real focus has got to be on my legs and hips. Especially because now I've got to start actually playing frisbee again and working on quickness and speed. I'm afraid I've gotten too gym-focused this winter. Oh well, I like the gym.
Mom and Dad have been in TN for the past couple of days, which means I haven't slept much because the dogs demand walking at ungodly hours of the morning. For example, this morning Izzie was pawing at the door at 5:45. Thbphbth. Maybe that had something to do with why I felt kind of out of whack yesterday. There's an interesting distinction. I'd definitely say "out of whack." But I'd never spell "that shit is wack" with the "h." That'd be wrong. I'm reading Alphabet Juice, by Roy Blount, right now. It's really a fun read, even if he sometimes reaches juuuust a tad with trying to claim words sound like what they mean. I'll give him "sinuous," and that lots of languages use the "m" sound for mother-related words. But what about "with?" Even within Western European languages you've got "con," "avec," "mit." Or "copyright?" Or "copy?" I don't know, maybe I'm overstating his case, which wouldn't be fair. Sonicky words are fun, but I don't think they're as prevalent as Mr. Blount seems to believe. Still, he's a good writer and takes such obvious pleasure in words (a characteristic I share with him) that it's a really enjoyable read.
Other recently read or in-the-process books:
1) The Varieties of Scientific Experience, by Carl Sagan. This guy could think with the best of them. Comes as close to articulating where I'd place myself on the God question as anyone I've read.
2) A People's History of the United States, by Howard Zinn. Speaking truth to power, even when it hurts. Maybe especially when it hurts. Should be required reading for everyone in this damn country.
3) Ficciones, by Jorge Luis Borges. Read this in Spanish, now reading it in English. Understanding some things I'd missed before.
4) Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace. I don't remember if I posted about this book already. Suffice it to say: holy shit.
5) Watchmen, by Alan Moore. Re-read in anticipation of seeing the movie tomorrow night with Jack.
6) Athletic Body in Balance, by Gray Cook. Learning learning learning. I need to take anatomy and physiology.
7) Athletic Development: The Art and Science of Sports Conditioning, by Vern Gambetta. Learning learning learning. I love this stuff.
6) A bunch of other books that aren't coming to mind at the moment.
Anyhow, I'm going to cut myself off for the time being. I was going to write some stuff about my upcoming trip(s), but I realized that I'd just get on a roll and not stop. See above paragraphs. Before I go, let me note the current temperature: 72 freaking degrees.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
cabecita de musculos
Well, Vale has now officially warned me not to be a muscle head. This after she thought the protein shakes I was drinking after workouts (incidentally, I've decided to move to chocolate milk: cheaper and evidently just as good in most respects) were steroids! AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! GROSS! For the record, I am NOT a muscle head. What a negative label that is.
However, I do seem to get more interested in training every day. It'll be interesting to see how all this translates to frisbee when that starts up again in earnest. The St. Hatrick's Day tournament in Occoquan on 3/14 ought to be a good indicator. Speaking of which, I need to figure out how I'm getting down there.
Here are some training thoughts that I will now collect in one place:
1) Last night I took the beep test (see here for an explanation). I got 11 rounds and 3 beeps, which translates to a VO2 max (a measure of aerobic capacity) of about 51. That's above average for my age group but not very good. My new goal is to get to 13 rounds and 3 beeps, for a VO2 max of around 58. This will mean more dedication to interval training at least once a week. I found some really appropriate-looking workouts here.
2) I talked with Jean and Fred a little about diet when I saw them this past weekend because apparently Mom and Dad are telling people now that I'm on a health kick. I've reached a point with this interest now where I love talking about it because it's very interesting to me, but I realize that a lot of people aren't really that interested or don't care enough to change their current way of thinking. Take eggs, for example. There's a whole heck of a lot of evidence that eggs are very, very healthy and have little to no effect on the cholesterol levels in your blood. However, most people are stuck thinking that eggs raise your cholesterol. This is at best an exaggeration, but when it comes up, how hard should I push back? Do I tell people that they're flatly wrong? People don't like to hear that, I know I don't. Or going on a low-fat diet. I read somewhere yesterday a brilliant quote: "All diets are high-fat diets." To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn. This is simple math. The energy deficit - the rest of the fuel that your body needs to function that's now not coming from food - comes almost entirely from the fat that your body has stored. So if your body burns 2500 calories a day and you cut back to 2000 calories a day from food, fully one-fifth of your body's "diet" is from pure animal fat, even before you get to what's in your food! Your body - down to each individual cell - needs fat to survive and be healthy. Plus it tastes awesome. Don't cut it out! But then, when dieting comes up, how should I bring that up? It makes people feel awkward to find out that everything on TV is wrong. Jared might have lost a lot of weight on the Subway diet, but he's still flabby and out of shape. WHY DOESN'T EVERYONE WANT TO BE HEALTHY?!?!?! I don't get it.
3) This week is an unloading week. Next week I will retest the things I tested in December with Jimmy: deadlift, front squat, and vertical jump. Not in that order. My numbers in December were: DL 275#, FS 215#, VJ 25". I'm hoping for 315/245/29. We measured overhead press, too, but I have worked on that approximately twice since; I'm so much more concerned with lower body strength that I've mostly stuck to bodyweight stuff for my upper body (other than DL, obviously). This (the testing next week) makes me nervous. How am I coming along in my goals? Is all this training actually making me stronger and more powerful? It's hard to make this stuff up as I go along. I'm learning a lot but when it comes down to it nothing beats having a coach who knows his or her shit. But that's expensive.
4) It's lunch time.
However, I do seem to get more interested in training every day. It'll be interesting to see how all this translates to frisbee when that starts up again in earnest. The St. Hatrick's Day tournament in Occoquan on 3/14 ought to be a good indicator. Speaking of which, I need to figure out how I'm getting down there.
Here are some training thoughts that I will now collect in one place:
1) Last night I took the beep test (see here for an explanation). I got 11 rounds and 3 beeps, which translates to a VO2 max (a measure of aerobic capacity) of about 51. That's above average for my age group but not very good. My new goal is to get to 13 rounds and 3 beeps, for a VO2 max of around 58. This will mean more dedication to interval training at least once a week. I found some really appropriate-looking workouts here.
2) I talked with Jean and Fred a little about diet when I saw them this past weekend because apparently Mom and Dad are telling people now that I'm on a health kick. I've reached a point with this interest now where I love talking about it because it's very interesting to me, but I realize that a lot of people aren't really that interested or don't care enough to change their current way of thinking. Take eggs, for example. There's a whole heck of a lot of evidence that eggs are very, very healthy and have little to no effect on the cholesterol levels in your blood. However, most people are stuck thinking that eggs raise your cholesterol. This is at best an exaggeration, but when it comes up, how hard should I push back? Do I tell people that they're flatly wrong? People don't like to hear that, I know I don't. Or going on a low-fat diet. I read somewhere yesterday a brilliant quote: "All diets are high-fat diets." To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn. This is simple math. The energy deficit - the rest of the fuel that your body needs to function that's now not coming from food - comes almost entirely from the fat that your body has stored. So if your body burns 2500 calories a day and you cut back to 2000 calories a day from food, fully one-fifth of your body's "diet" is from pure animal fat, even before you get to what's in your food! Your body - down to each individual cell - needs fat to survive and be healthy. Plus it tastes awesome. Don't cut it out! But then, when dieting comes up, how should I bring that up? It makes people feel awkward to find out that everything on TV is wrong. Jared might have lost a lot of weight on the Subway diet, but he's still flabby and out of shape. WHY DOESN'T EVERYONE WANT TO BE HEALTHY?!?!?! I don't get it.
3) This week is an unloading week. Next week I will retest the things I tested in December with Jimmy: deadlift, front squat, and vertical jump. Not in that order. My numbers in December were: DL 275#, FS 215#, VJ 25". I'm hoping for 315/245/29. We measured overhead press, too, but I have worked on that approximately twice since; I'm so much more concerned with lower body strength that I've mostly stuck to bodyweight stuff for my upper body (other than DL, obviously). This (the testing next week) makes me nervous. How am I coming along in my goals? Is all this training actually making me stronger and more powerful? It's hard to make this stuff up as I go along. I'm learning a lot but when it comes down to it nothing beats having a coach who knows his or her shit. But that's expensive.
4) It's lunch time.
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