We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Bragging about how they met Mick Jagger. Brian was the foundation. He could play anything. Best rock/pop band ever. Beatles quit rock quickly in their brilliant and short-lived career. OK, McCartney went back to rock on his own and did very well.
Your moral and intellectual superiors and experts feel fit to run your life. We regular people know that they put their pants on one leg at a time just like us, and that we probably have more real life experience and practical sense than they do.
In the 19th century Alexis de Tocqueville described the phenomenon of bureaucracy almost before it had revealed itself. He called it centralized administration, which he considered the new form of despotism that democracies must fear if they are to remain free. This democratic disease had not yet infected the Jacksonian America he examined; in fact, he praised America for its burgeoning civil and political associations, and for the absence of centralized administrative rule. The Constitution and a federal system had allowed for a decentralized political and administrative system of government, which inhibited the rise of the administrative state. Nonetheless, Tocqueville in Democracy in America warned against abandoning those traditional political and social institutions that had prevented its growth...
It's a complicated topic. I know that I was fortunate, or some might term it "privileged", to be raised in a stable middle or upper-middle class two-parent family with plenty of travel, worldly exposure, and ivy League education. I had parents who set a good example for responsibility, affection, discipline, and self-discipline. I was also advantaged by an IQ over 100 (with which only 50% are blessed) and a fully-functional, somewhat-athletic body.
I know that I have never made the most of these gifts, but have made a good life given circumstances, chance, opportunities, and life's exigencies. I had choices. I had college classmates die of drug overdoses. Character traits and talents are far more important in managing life than IQ. I am bright enough, but without special talents, and lacking in a high level of ambition. I just like to be content and to pursue my various interests in a serene environment.
Had I been born to a single crack-addicted mother in Baltimore, God knows where my life might have gone financially and otherwise. Likely not too well, because it was only external discipline which kept me on productive tracks. I needed that because, despite some innate curiosity, I am someone who would always prefer sports, fishing, hunting, etc. than sitting in a classroom or office. Since I do like to make money, I might have been a drug-dealer although, being me, I might have had conscience issues with that. Who knows?
Nothing in life is distributed fairly, especially parents and genetics. In my case, I credit my parents for making the efforts and sacrifices to set us kids up as best they could. Doing the same for my own offspring has been my main goal and satisfaction. At the same time, my life has been rich in many other non-financial ways.
Metcon ("Metabolic Conditioning", also sometimes named "Cross-Training" or "Athletic Conditioning") classes are satisfying experiences if you want to work to your max. These are general fitness classes, with plenty of high cardio and total-body muscle use, but no muscle-building. It's a type of workout for which you need a class with an enthusiastic and demanding leader.
No metcon exercises require much technical training or athletic ability. It's the repetition that gets you. These classes will kick your ass more than any hour of powerlifting. The routines and the rest times are timed to the second (eg 5-second rests and 15-second rests). Your real rest and recovery comes after the 50 minutes is over.
Trainers who run metcon classes usually vary the routines from week to week. Right now, I do one metcon class/week to complement the other exercises I do. I'd like to fit in another. My experience is that at 5 or 6 AM you really are not eager to face this trial, but after a 5-minute warm up with all the friendly people, you feel ready to get going. You might hate to go, but are always glad you went. I am not the oldest guy or gal in my class, but I guess I am on the upper level of age with more than a touch of grey. So what? Bring water.
For example, the guy below runs a two-ring metcon circus. (Sometimes my classes actually require four rings. A quarter will be running sprints, a quarter rowing sprints, a quarter squat and presses, and a quarter doing burpees). "Five, four, three, two, one - Switch!" A Metcon routine example:
Trump represents such a monumentally grotesque embarrassment to the permanent Washington establishment that they will pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the removal of this odious caitiff.
And in the process abandon all reason and decency.
“So now we know that the Parkland shooter was known to the local police, who did nothing. He was known to the FBI, who did nothing. His unstable behavior was known to teachers, who did nothing. The armed guard at the school stood there with his thumb up his butt while the the school was being shot up, and did nothing. In other words, we have a avalanche of failures from the highest levels down to the lowest. Every rule, every procedure, every safeguard that was put in place to stop these shootings from happening failed to stop this one from happening because the adults who were entrusted with the responsibility to keep shootings from happening did not do their f*ing jobs. Everybody knew the kid had serious problems, but nobody wanted to step up and actually do anything about it. And now we’re treated to the spectacle of these fake ‘townhall’ meetings organized by left-wing agitators who teach the kids to recite the anti-gun talking points that they want them to say and we’re supposed to just nod our heads and pretend that all we need to do is pass a few more laws and then everything will be just ducky. Sometimes I think we’re all just cardboard cutouts living in a Potemkin village."
Northern Italian menu on restaurant row. The Fegato alla Veneziana (Calve's Liver, Venetian-style) was the best I've ever had. Everybody with us agreed. The Vitello tonnato (Veal with Tuna Sauce) was also delicious. Not quite as good as Mrs. BD makes, but very tasty and delicate.
They do have a popular pasta-tasting menu item but when we do fine Italian, we usually don't bother with pasta. Who needs it, with so many other tastier, less-filling things?
We recommend the cheerful place. It's just a few steps from Barbetta (Since 1906) which is equally good but more formal, hushed, less fun (and more expensive).
Police are systemically racist. Police act stupidly. Police are overmilitarized. Give the police all your guns. Hey, guys, you can't expect armed police to charge mass shooters. All of these statements are being promulgated by the same people.
8:31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
8:32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
8:33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
8:34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
8:35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
8:36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?
8:37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?
8:38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
Russel Brand shows how to do a serious and earnest interview based on his own curiosity. In other words, he doesn't want to make his own points. Wants to learn. An exciting conversation, I feel, and rather deep for Youtube.
I like his point that learning new things is painful because it kills something in yourself. I do not know what they mean when talking about equality, though. What is equality?
Image:My selfie just to show how buff I have become with my program after almost two years.
We dare not presume to tell our smart readers what to do to build and maintain fitness. We are telling you what we do, based on our research and the advice from our very stable genius trainers.
This is not about fat loss. That is nutritional. This is only about building and maintaining full functionality despite the efforts of Father Time (patriarchal, isn't that?) to destroy our bodies, spirits, and minds.
Monday: Hour of powerlifts and weights, #1 sequence Tues: Met Con (calis/cardio) class Weds: 60-80 mins mostly calisthenics, or "technical" training* (at least half of my list) Thurs: Powerlifts and other weights, #2 sequence Fri: 1/2 hr HIIT cardio (elliptical, treadmill, stair machine, ski erg,or row erg) and 1/2 hr "technical" Sat: Tough calis class, or another half of my technical, or a long hike Sun: 1 hr long/slow* before church
No program is perfect, but this at least covers all the bases of strength, calis, and cardio. Biggest challenge is keeping one's weight increasing a bit in a relentless program like this.
Note: doing the same thing any two days in a row is not a good idea, because weights need recovery, and the same cardio becomes too efficient to be effective. Need to keep your adaptation off-balance. I alas have no sports this winter, for various reasons.
How 
Notes