Day 5

Skipped today. Bad.

Day 3

Today’s workout: Break-in B

2 sets of 15 deadlifts (80lbs, I think?)
Superset of:
2 sets of 15ea step-ups (2×25lbs)
2 sets of 15ea one-arm shoulder press (2×25lbs)
Superset of:
2 sets of 15 close-grip lat pulldown (70lbs)
2 sets of 20 reverse crunch (body weight)

Work will be proceeding on the crudely conceived idea…

My goal is to be able to take my shirt off unabashedly on December 11th. That’s eleven weeks. Even if I fail, I suspect I will be on my way toward looking very nice once summer begins. Thus, nothing will be wasted. (Plus there’s that whole health thing.)

I’ve opted to try a plan from the book The New Rules of Lifting, which was a fun and very informative read. My schedule:

Week 1: Sep 24-30: “Break-In” MWF
Week 2: Oct 01-07: “Break-In” MWF
Week 3: Oct 08-14: “Fat-loss I” MWFSu
Week 4: Oct 15-21: “Fat-loss I” TThSa
Week 5: Oct 22-28: “Fat-loss I” MWFSu
Week 6: Oct 29-4: “Fat-loss II” TTh
Week 7: Nov 5-11: “Fat-loss II” MWFSu
Week 8: Nov 12-18: “Fat-loss II” TTh
Week 9: Nov 19-25: Thanksgiving Break
Week 10: Nov 26-2: “Fat-loss II” MWF
Week 11:  Dec 3-9: “Fat-loss II” M (Finals week)

I’m going to be preceding each workout with a set of four pictures (one facing each direction) to try to be able to watch my progress.

The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell)

A book about how the little things turn into huge things. At its core, it is a book about epidemics, including epidemics of ideas. Gladwell spells out three archetypes who turn little ideas into huge phenomena: connectors, salesmen, and mavens, and it turns out that I know exactly who he means when he describes all three.

It was a great read; I couldn’t put it down for the entire plane flight.

Next up is going to be the new Discworld novel, Making Money.

Blaze (Richard Bachman)

Blaze is the last novel credited to Richard Bachman, the erstwhile alter ego of Stephen King. It’s a relatively light read (for King); I managed it on the flight from Houston to San Francisco. It’s quite reminiscent of King in his prime, though because of its brevity feels more like a snack than a feast.

The basic story centers around a very stupid, very large small-time crook nicknamed Blaze, who, with his dead partner (George, the brains of the operation) decide to commit their one last, big crime, which is to make them set for life. But George dies before they finish planning the high-profile kidnapping; Blaze, aided by a vision of George in his head decides to continue the plan. The main story is interspersed with flashbacks to the much more compelling story of Blaze’s childhood.

I enjoyed it. Good snack.

I also have a novel called The Dream Thief, which I bought in the Tulsa airport. Turns out it’s the sequel to something. Unfortunately, it’s the only thing I have here with me.

The Highway

I think perhaps my most missed buzzword, if that’s possible, is the “Information Superhighway.” And, though I’m rarely the one with the bunch of lace at his throat, I have decided to couple that with my specialization in computer security to name my blog. And I will indeed come by moonlight, though hell should bar the way.