Earbud Hooks Work with Some Fiddling

Tomorrow is Peter Deuel's birthday and he would have been 84 years old, an old old man, had he not died in 1971. I was an ardent tween fan of the TV actor, charmed and awed by his silver-tongued Hannibal Heyes in Alias Smith & Jones, loosely fashioned on the wildly popular Paul Newman & Robert Redford film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. His unexpected and sudden death left thousands stunned. 

I still mourn him, still try to make sense of his suicide over 50 years ago. It didn't help that my mother freaked out about this event and ripped all my teen posters off the walls and tried to destroy any memorabilia I had squirreled away. There was no privacy in my childhood. My mother had major boundary issues, among other problems too numerous to list. 

I now know that Pete Duel had a massive alcohol problem, his blood alcohol level at the times of his death was over 3 times the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle. There are several fan blog sites that I've skimmed through but they're unsecured and my laptop browser won't let me access them here. So, if you're at all interested, you're on your own to explore. He is survived by his brother Geoffrey, who is now retired.

It was raining snow last night when I took the dogs out for their evening walk. I salted my walkway just in case temps dropped past the 34F, but temps remained steady all night. It was 34F this morning with fog and mist. Dogs went to the park. I got to the gym and was shocked at how crowded the parking lot was. Probably all going to the movies next door since it is uncharacteristically open before noon. Probably because we are still on break in the public schools, and families with kids make a sizeable population of theater-goers, especially when the weather isn't great for outdoor activities.

There's a lot of folks on the treadmills, not necessarily running. I decide to test the rubbery and extremely pliable ear hooks that came as a bonus with the earbud tethers. It takes me several minutes to position the hooks properly so that the earbuds sit in my ear canals and the hooks stay over the pinna (outer ear) but at least I won't be distracted by tether cords flapping on my neck or sticking to my cheeks as I pedal. The only thing that is more distracting (other than loud chat and banging weights) is hair fluttering in my eyelashes, nose or mouth. Dog hair or my hair, it's all the same: annoying.

There's no one around me and I am immediately immersed in my tunes, gleefully singing to myself. Cardio feels better as I'm not fighting to move my legs. I am concerned about a sporadic twinge inside my right forearm: is this going to be a problem for Seated Cable Rows? Apparently not. The rows feel controlled and I'm satisfied with the measly 12-rep, 3-set exercise, but not satisfied enough to leave the weight area. So, I grab a BB and do a few sets of Skull Crushers, alternating with Rip Skulls. Only 4 sets though since I still want to be able to do push-ups in the Aerobics Room without falling on my face. 

Core is routine, and the last exercise, Wall Squats isn't nearly as painful as it was yesterday. Because I'm always better the next day even if I don't think I've adequately recovered. However, it's the weekend, so I'll be a slug for two days.

23 February 2024 11:28-1:07
Foggy Friday testing earbud hooks

Precor elliptical #1
Program 1
Time: 30+5 (5940)
Distance: 2.94
Cal: 331
Avg Hr: NA 167, 194-??
Fitbit: 56-160

Seated Cable Rows
50 lbs x 15
60 x 12
70 x 12 reps x 3 sets

Skull Crushers / Rip / Skull / Rip
30 lbs x 12, 12, 12, 12

20 Hip Bridges
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
DeadBugs 20 x 5
20 Hip Bridges & 10 one-leg
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Fire Hydrants 20 x 2
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Air Squats 25
Arm rotations 20
Walking lunges 36 steps total
Neck stretch / Eye yoga
Wall Squat 90s (!!!)