Christies rant

does it bother anyone else that Chris Christie had the rant he had, and is getting the praise he is getting? He is a Republican, and while he is a rogue Republican, a true "Maverick" in all honesty, he is still someone who has spent years aligning himself with the mantra that Gov't should be smaller, People should take care of themselves, and if you don't have the wherewithal to grab your own bootstraps and pull yourself up, then you have a deficiency.

Oh, except when your home state gets demolished by a natural disaster, then someone else's boots need to be grabbed.

Listen, I firmly believe Gov't exists to pull people out of jams, and I firmly believe humans should evolve in political thinking, and people should be brave, and in reality the mentality Christie has is actually admirable, but I am just blown away by some of those folks in Republican leadership who can't see 45 feet in front of them and can't see what is so plainly obvious:  This tough guy talk sounds great, and has little to no realistic opportunity to work in practice.

What am I getting at? I don't know really, I just know that with the tragedy in Sandy Hook, and GOP members who came out in favor of Gun Control as if a lightbulb turned on, bother me in a very sensitive way.   Maybe our side isn't doing enough of a good job explaining ourselves, but I'd love to keep a list. A journal that tracks the hypocrisy, but it's impossible, there's too much of it.

So, to sum up, I want to tell Christie something:
> If you believe people can handle things themselves, and Gov't should shrink, and Obama is spending too much, you simply aren't allowed to ask Congress for more money when it gets challenging in your state. I suggest you DO ask for money in your state, and change your mind about the nature of Gov't.
> Republicans who are now in favor of Gun Control legislation, but weren't before Sandy Hook...We didn't actually think something as heinous as Sandy Hook would happen, but at the same time we Gun Haters do recognize that something insane CAN happen in a real way with guns all over this country. I guess I'm just baffled by the fact that you didn't know that's what could happen - did it really surprise you?

And lastly, to close this insanity out, I wanted to put something down about the Fiscal Cliff.
I sorta think that the Tax Increase + Spending Cuts, while horrific in the short term, are exactly what we need to do, aren't they?  Yes, its potentially crippling, but to overuse a phrase, let's rip the god damned band aid off already. Let's fall over the cliff. I'm ready!

Onramp, Day 3

Workout listed here.

Today was the easiest in terms of stress on the body, but today was also the day I felt like I learned the most. I didn't ever lift - i did some minor lifting in high school for the javelin, but I realize now nobody really knew about form or how to do anything, at least not on my track team, so it is great to put the premium on form.

My ailments and soreness are really fascinating, and this is my experience:
> 1-4 hours after workout, I feel general soreness, a lot like the 3-4 hours after you finish an ultimate tournament, but it is localized to the area you worked out, rather than entire body soreness.
> 4-12 hours after workout, the areas that hurt start to really hurt, like i pulled or tore something.
> 14 hours after workout I fall asleep very sore.

Wake up the next morning and it hurts to move selected areas, the entire day is spent focusing on a very local pain, and it's annoying.

Dinnertime the next night, I have full blown pain in a few areas, and I think a tear is 100% certain, and pain will linger in that area for a while.

Then I go to bed, and when it's time to wake up for the next WOD, most pain is gone, or it is nearly gone, and I'm ready to roll.

Looking forward to week 2!

Onramp, Day 2

Workout posted here

Felt easier than Monday - which was surprising b/c all day Monday and Tuesday my arms were dead, and this was primarily an arm workout. I feel good about ramping up, slowly easing into this...very much still unsure about how all of this works.

My eating the last 2 weeks has drastically improved, my weight hasn't, and I have the urge to just start running more mileage, but I don't want to disrupt the crossfit routine, either. I am doing to do low mileage on Thursday as a run, I'll feel up for it.

But man, the interior of my left arm is really hurting in a way that I hope I didn't pull a muscle. I hope it's just sore. Only time will tell.

Onramp, day 1

I started Crossfit as part of my new job at work. I am not sure how dedicated I'll be (my motivation is high) or well I'll do (my confidence, after day 1, is low)...but I owe it to myself to give this a shot. I have 3 main goals:
1. Be active more regularly, and in turn, lose weight
2. Lose weight to improve my flexibility and make my golf game better
3. Make my golf game better, make my overall health better, and subsequently get my confidence up.

I won't get into it, but probably all of this has to do with confidence and self-esteem, and a huge part of that for me has always been feeling like I could venture into an athletic arena with people near my age and be as good, if not better, than other people. I have never been the fastest, strongest, best jumper, smartest or anything, but I've always managed to get by. That's important to me, and I'm feeling, outside of golf, that I'm barely getting by anymore.

More detailed goals are to run a sub 2 hour 1/2 marathon this Fall/Winter, lose anywhere from 18-25 pounds, and keep that off for good, and continue to evolve my mental attitude, which physical fitness is only a portion of that solution.

So, I'll always update my times, WOD's and activities here, and every Crossfit post I'll include the link.

Long story short, 24 hours after my first WOD, and i'm bordering on psychotic depression with how weak I feel. I can't do pushups, I thought I could, and I can do them wrong, but I can't do a real pushup. And my arms are toast. I don't know how I'll lift anything tomorrow.  So anyway, here's to a month of on-ramping.