Under Pressure

A couple of months ago, my maternal parental unit recommended I get a physical. She is usually a pretty inspired woman, so I put it off for a bit and finally went. I'’m healthy. The only thing the doc said was that my blood pressure was a tad high. I was just glad he did a regular physical and not a "full" physical. He recommended I drop some pounds and it would go away on its own. I weighed in at 210. He wasn'’t overly concerned, so I wasn'’t overly concerned. I started eating a little more healthily, but that'’s it. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. I went to donate blood at work and they told me they would have rejected me if my pressure was one point higher. I was at 189/99. That'’s just pathetic, when something like pressure might keep me from giving. My sister in law ended up with some "“friends and family"” coupons to her gym. It was actually a sweet deal, so I signed up. I'’ve gone once and it was with a Runner/Ballroom Dancer from work. Needless to say, we are at slightly different performance levels. It was cool though, it was good to have the contrast there. I will outdo her; it's just a matter of putting in the time. Yeah, you heard me. I am doing a stepped goal system. I know what I want and I know I get a little overzealous, so I am forcing myself to concentrate on just one thing for now.

The last time I got into physical fitness, I would be restless until I had a chance to "“get well"” by taking my bike on a midnight sprint up a nearby large hill. Did I mention I'm prone to addictions? It would take more and more to get the burn I needed. Not as fun as you'd think in 14 degree weather. I have a scar in my eyebrow from that era. Long story. Let's just say I protected the important parts of my body by skidding on my face. I maneuvered that one into a hookup with a girl I was into. Another long story. Moving on.

I may play with strength training, but I won'’t let myself get into it until I get my pressure at a manageable level. Until then, I will swallow some pride and let everyone around me go at what feels like 50 mph while I walk and jog myself into a position where I can eat up 2 miles in no time flat, exercise-induced asthma or not.

Surreal

Long time ago, I lived in a house with my bro and some friends. We called it "The Zoo". Fun place. Many stories, none of which will ever end up in any kind of printed form, on pain of castration. One of his buddies had a girl he was close to. They were on buddy status then. She had already been on a mission when they hung out forever ago. He went on a mission a little later than most about a year or so after we left the house.. Fast forward to yesterday, 10/5/06. They've been dating for a while now (year?). Everyone has been expecting them to get married and get it over with.

She is involved in a car accident and dies. This is not one of those times when it would likely have made a difference if she had gotten on the road 5 minutes later. That dump truck went straight for her. A quote comes to mind:

“When God ordains a man’s time to die, he directs him to the proper place.” Dr Kines in Frank Herbert’s "DUNE"

She was actually "good people". We didn't interact tons, but we were friendly. I went out with her roommate a couple of times. She's the first person in my age bracket that I've known to pass away. I'm more than a little wierded out.

I don't know her family. My concern is with her guy. My bro's friend. He has had heavy interaction with her now in one way or another for probably the last 5 years. This is going to be a major blow to him. After all this passes to the point that he can cope again, he will either be rock solid and live with the possibility of seeing her again some day, or will go off the deep end into hedonism as a way of "kicking against the pricks" (Biblical, don't worry about it). We all care about him and are concerned.

I'm selfishly wierded out because I know them both.

Clint Eastwood Bursting Into Song

Sometimes, channel surfing is a bad thing.

I landed on what looked like an old west flick that had both Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin (Dirty Dozen, Delta Force, etc). I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was not Clint Eastwood strolling through a meadow, singing about his feelings towards the wife Lee Marvin just bought in auction from a supposed mormon. The same wife they would later share because they both want her and she wants them both and they are in Northern Cali somewhere where there is no law and they make up their laws as they go along. (long sentence, I know)

I think I just suffered a Chaka Buku-esque paradigm shift. I need to get realigned. I think I'm going to have to make time today to either play football, rugby, or watch Predator and a Bond flick.

Scratch. Grunt. Spit.