Just Started CrossFit

I did it. I went and drank the KoolAide.

For those of you who don't follow this regularly (basically everyone but my mom), CrossFit is a workout program - hell, it's more of a workout religion if anything - wherein you work to build applicable strength. By that I mean you perform exercises that strengthen your muscles in a manner that would be translatable into everyday movement. Think about it this way: you get in a fight; what are you going to do, benchpress the guy?

Today we did a workout called "Fran," and it KICKED my ASS; dear gawd. You're timed and you have to do a set of 21 squat-thrusts then run over and do 21 pullups, then sets of 15, then sets of 9. I got 5:48, which I'm told is a good time. But not to get down on myself, only to keep things in perspective, they had me do 60lbs for the squat-thrust. The whole thing's about measured improvement, so coming soon I'll be able to say that time or lower with a more respectable weight.

Leadership Iowa University - Mentor

I was able to meet with my LIU mentor, Joe Pietruszynski, the other day. He is the Vice President of Development for Hubbell Realty. With such a prominent corporate position, I was surprised to see such a young face. He must have been only in his 30's, and yet it was remarkable to hear all that he had accomplished. His education background is in engineering, and it was his large suggestion that if I hope to enter into development that I do the same. I was sort of afraid that would be his advice. Drake doesn't have an Engineering department, which has been somewhat of a contentious point for me. Everyone of my close, male friends from high school entered into engineering in some form, and an absence of any gear-head presence around me has been slightly unusual.

People say that you should pursue your dream no matter what and with that might argue I should start shopping around for a new school that would cover my major. But those people also usually have the comfort of not seeing money as a factor and would be okay with the idea of spending tens of thousands of dollars on half an education only to go off and spend tens of thousands more on a new one. Something people also say that I prefer is that it really doesn't matter what you majored in in college. I may not be a construction expert at this point in my life, but an Accounting major has given me ability to analysis equity and assess the cost of major project like the construction of a development. So that's got to be a start.

Everyone's Coming Back!

Finally everyone is coming back. I have been here since the 2nd to start a new job at Mass Mutual and it has been dead. I mean creepy dead; abandoned amusement park dead. In fact that is almost exactly what it is like. All of the buildings and infrastructure and teachers and staff are here, but the whole scene is completely absent of students. It's like going to Disney Land if all of the rides and animatronics are running and the performers are there, but there are no guests. It's creepy.

But now everyone is returning, and there are people walking across campus and cars in the parking lots. The level of activity and life needed to substantiate the size of this whole deal is finally returning.

Obama Addresses Tucson, AR, Memorial

I have been alive for 4 presidents. From 1990-92, George H. W. Bush was finishing up in the White House, but I was hardly conscious of such things. Then came the Clinton years, but honestly who follows politics on a comprehensive level while attending grade school. All in all things went very well during the booming Clinton 90's, and, apart from the Lewinsky scandal, there weren't any real hiccups, so what's there to stand out.

Then came Bush Jr., and he was just awful. Seriously, just everything he touched turned to shit, and this is not a petty distinction based on party affiliation. Republican, Democratic, Green Party, Anarchist doesn't matter, you cannot deny that this seriously, seriously screwed this country over with a significant detriment. There is not one thing left of his legacy that will go down in history as a good idea.

So, I cannot begin to explain what a relief it is to see a President so charismatically, articulately, and bipartisanly address the nation in a time of great tragedy. Obama is not exploiting the horror of the occasion to pass some legislation that violates our civil rights or morph it into propaganda for an unconscionable war. All he is asking is for us to be better people; to quit all the fighting and bullshit and come together for something better.

Movie: Blue Valentine

I first heard about this as it was about to enter the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and receiving so much acclaim. Both the leads, Ryan Gosling and Michele Williams, have already been nominated for Glode Globes in their respective roles.

I also just really like a good ukulele.

Usher Ripped Off Homer

This is hilarious. Okay, rap does a lot of sampling from other music, but this is almost flagrant copy write violation. This is kind of big deal actually. That has got to be a huge hit to one's reputation to be stealing your beats from Homer Simpson.

Movie: Biutiful

You want to talk about a transformative actor, talk about Javier Bardem. I can just remember hearing from girls who had seen No Country For Old Men how creepy he was just in the way he look; just his overall appearance sent shivers down the spine. Then, less than a year later, they see him in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and it's all about how hansome and swarthy he is.

Then look at him here. He's a completely separate human being from in each of those performances. This one though is supposed to be a last minute game stealing for the big Oscar grab. Bradem plays a small time criminal and father of two in Barcelona who's delicately maintain lifestyle just starts to unravel and ultimately fall to when he discovers he is inflicted with a terminal illness. Very is just hanging by a string. There is already the perpetual stress of just managing to scrap by when he is the only one able to care for the others in his life, and then this major distruption he is completely unable to handle. It all just slips away from him into chaos.

Movie: The Mechanic

I just like hitman movies. I don't know if this one is going to be any good. I mean it's definitely not any in running for any serious awards, but the cast is pretty good as far action flicks go.

Jason Statham, come on. The guy's as bad assed as there is out there. Honestly when the film adaptation of the video game series Hitman came out, I was completely blaffled that they didn't choose him to play Agent 47. He looks like 47, sounds like 47, and is the perfect typecast for the role. Timothy Olyphant is a great actor, sure, but he just really fit in that role.

Then you have Ben Foster teaming up alongside Statham, who is, to be honest, one of the most underrated actors of today. IMBd lists him 8th on their list of 150 Best Living Actors, but for the most part he has yet to receive the roles his performances deserve.