Lessons from the gym, a list.

Here are some observations made from repeated trips to the gym.

1.  People with faulty memory diodes should use a notebook to keep track of weights and repetitions.  Reality sends constant reminders; I am a "big picture" person, who has little time or patience for petty little details (like the names of my co-workers, they are all Bob, to me).  When sitting down on the resistance training machine I am at a complete loss for where I should put the little pin, locking the weights into place.

There is a conversation raging in my head "it was at 80 yesterday, we should stay there for a while and just increase the reps."  The more reasonable side will say.  

"No, 80 is for wimps, we were at 100, at least, and we should go for 120 today.  You wouldn't like that though, you are too lazy to even say the whole word 'repetitions.'"  The less reasonable side will reply. 

Pretty soon it gets heated and I have to step in and say, "why don't we use 90 pounds, and do as many repetitions as possible."  But, they are no longer talking to each other, or me, so that is what we do.  A record of previous workouts would save a lot of aggravation, and we could go back to arguing about important things, like which podcast should be  next.

2.  Even though my elbow feels like it is on fire, it isn't.  I looked, and it seems fine.  Which indicates something is wrong inside.  Not being a doctor limits the scope of the diagnosis, but it is probably something in the joint, or the muscle, or the attaching ligaments, or tendons.  I think.

This injury has reared its ugly head before.  One time it got so bad I even took it to the doctor.  He looked it over and said it was not an uncommon problem among aging men.  And, they could repair it, by cutting open the elbow, and grinding down the canal on the bone, where the nerve, or something ran.  I don't really remember what it was, because at surgery I started getting a little shaky, warm, and lightheaded.  When he started to talk about using a grinder on my bone the room started spinning.  I don't remember too much after that.  But, my elbow felt a lot better, as I sprinted from the office, yelling my thanks at the doctors, nurses, reception personnel, and patients.

3.  Exercising has a lot of benefits.  Yes, there is the long term health improvement, which is why I started.  But, there is an immediate boost, I feel better.  Moreover, I feel better about myself.  Feeling better about myself has made me look for other ways to improve, and there is a vegetable in my lunch everyday, and a glass or two of water in place of a carbonated, sugary soft drink.    

Exercising is not the chore I feared it would be, today is my day off from the gym, so I have time to work out the best way to track my efforts, maybe Wunderlist, or Allthings, it has to be something that will allow the use of photos, or pictures of some kind.  Adding some art makes it more fun, and hey entertainment is cool.  If you have any suggestions for an iOS app that will work let me know, please.  

Remember to exercise, you won't regret it.

Top Ten List for 2014, installment 1, maybe.

New Years Eve is almost here.  2014 is almost over and 2015 is coming fast.  It is always exciting to start something new, but, there is a a sense of melancholy involved in saying good bye to something that has been around for a whole year.  2014 provided a lot of entertainment, and some very notable accomplishments, and it is time we look at our top ten.*

10.  The movie "Frozen."  We didn't see it, true, but so many people enjoyed the Disney offering that it had to be good, and we hate to be left out of conversations.  Today we are going to buy the Cliff Notes "Frozen," and brush up on this enchanting movie, and all of the wonderful songs, and the gripping story, and characters.  So, if you want to talk about what a great movie it was, we are ready, or will be by this evening.

9.  Pharrell Williams, singer, song writer, and seemingly all around decent guy.  While it is true we don't actually own any of his music, that song "Happy" is delightful.  Ok, we have never heard the whole thing, but what we have heard has made us... well... Happy.  In fact one of our new years resolution is to listen to the whole song, perhaps even buying it, and we are sure it costs $1.29 and we have vowed never to spend more than $0.99, we may make an exception.  But, don't get your hopes too high, Pharrell.  Another plus during an interview we saw, he seems to possess an extraordinary temperament, and be genuinely a nice person.  Our hats are off to you, Mr. Williams, by the way, we are a little envious of your expansive assortment of hats.

8.  Apple vs. Google. vs. Microsoft.  We are not technical enough to have a favorite, but the constant need to one up each other has given us most of the cool things of the 21st century.  We love cool things.

7.  American politics.  Sure, it is an odious, despicable spectacle, and it seems to destroy any semblance of humanity in anybody foolish enough to be elected it makes for the best kind of comedy.  Tragedy.  So, thank you, please, don't give up.

6.  The European Space Agency, who landed a refrigerator sized object on a comet, or meteor, we are not sure which.  Now, if they can land a big screen television sized object, a couch sized thing, and a microwave sized apparatus we will have all the makings of a Super Bowl Party sized organism forming spontaneously.  Now, that is science.

* Some of these things may have been from before 2014.  If there are any chronological errors, please let us know in the comments section, and we will use a time machine to correct reality.  We hate being wrong.

Making Work More Manageable One Day at a Time.

As the weekend nears, and life begins to take a happier turn, and a little skip finds its way into your step, and a happy, little whistle begins to follow you down the rigorous paths of your workday don't forget to take a moment and think of all of the things that need to be done next Monday.

Remember, it is your job, and the work involved, that really make the weekend seem so special.  So think for a few minutes about all of the toil, and labor waiting for you when you get to work.  Remember the phone calls, or data entry, or order filling, or patient care, think of all the filing, pulling, pushing and shoving, and customer service rat race that is just on the other side of the two day heaven that is so close you can smell the freedom.

Take a few moments, and think about the best way to allocate your time.  Set goals, and plan steps to meet them, remember that tasks are much easier to manage if broken down into small, easily achieved steps.  Making a list is a great idea.  Lists are great, like this;

Together we can do anything
Want a cup of Coffee?

Large Difficult Goal!

1. Small, manageable step.
2. Next step, hey this is great.
3. Another step.
4. Doing so well, taking a coffee break.
5. Stop and talk to Bob about the football game.
6. Donuts in the kitchen, great!
7. Well, what the heck, almost lunch time
8. Great article on the internet about spiders, check it out
9. Oh crap, forgot to order new earbuds, might as well compare a few styles.
10. You know, Bob is an idiot, go talk to Ted about football game.
11. Thirst overpowering go to vending machine, buy Coke.  
12. Go tell Bob, Ted thinks he is an idiot.
13. Almost time to go home, no point starting anything now.
14. If you're not going to start anything, might as well split.
15. See you tomorrow, 

See, now that you have a plan the weekend will be much more enjoyable.  You're welcome.

A list, people love lists.

Interesting Facts, (well maybe they are not interesting, and some of them are probably not facts) A List.

1. If you are going to try to tune up your car mark the spark plug wires, apparently they have to go in some sequence, and the tow truck operators find this hilarious.
2. "Bloody Marys" are not considered a serving of vegetables by most doctors.  We will let you know about the fruit value of a "Screwdriver."
3. Nostradamus, in an ancient text, predicted all of the Super Bowl winners up until last year.  I wish I had read the book earlier.  Dangit!!!
4.  All of the continents used to be combined into one Super Continent called Pangaea, but it broke up.  It wasn't you, though, it was us.
5. "Rock and Roll" by Lou Reed, from the album "Rock and Roll Animal" will last almost all of the way from where I get on the freeway to work, if traffic is light.  
6. Lou Reed really was a Rock and Roll Animal.

If you have some fascinating facts you would like featured in a future edition of the Ever Popular "Life Explained List of Facts" email us at tweettweetjohn@yahoo.com.

Thank you, and have a nice day, that's an order.