A Near Miss

Dogs for scale

Merriam-Webster defines the term "near miss" as a military term that denotes a devastating event (like a collision) that misses the target. So, not a near hit but a miss. Which is what happened to me this morning at the dog park. It was really windy but sunny and moderately cold for February. I was sitting on the picnic table with my dogs when I heard the ominous sound of cracking wood. Then a big branch fell and landed mere inches from me. It probably wouldn't have killed me, but it sure would've hurt and given me a concussion had I been in the way. The dogs promptly barked and snipped as if to lay the blame on each other.

I spent yesterday shoveling wet snow and salting my driveway and walkway. The dogs got walked twice during the "storm" but we didn't make it to the park until all the precipitation (an icy fog) subsided, which was just before 2 pm. There's several storms brewing and we're expecting snow and ice Saturday night into Sunday morning. Then again, maybe Tuesday into Wednesday. Thursday I have a dental surgery scheduled to deal with my inherited bad gums. I've inherited a lot of problems. And yes, this is giving me a lot of anxiety. 

I made it to the gym well past noon today. But at least I made it. I think twice a week is absolutely the bare minimum. The gym wasn't very crowded. I'm guessing that everyone wanted to do outdoor stuff or run errands while the weather was good. Temps in the mid-30s is awesome for February in New York State. I started off planning an all-cardio day, figuring that I was so late that the HS kids would be filling the free weight area shortly.

I'd say my cardio was comparable to Tuesday's efforts, not better or worse. Again, I have no control over the speed range of the Step Machine: I punch in the same parameters and it arbitrarily changes speed. So today is slightly worse than Tuesday, while the elliptical and cross-trainer were slightly better. Pull-ups were mostly the same and felt okay even while wearing my ring. It's amazing how perceptions can be off when it comes to performance. 

I looked over at the free weight area and realized that the crowd of HS kids hadn't materialized. Which meant I could still push around a few weights. Something quick though... I decided to hit triceps with sets of Skull Crushers & Rip Skulls. But instead of doing one set of 12 reps for Skull Crushers, then one set of Rip Skulls (six separate sets total), I combine them into just three big sets. It was faster and weirdly, less tiring! I knocked out 24 reps, doing one rep of each back-to-back until I've done 12 of each. Then a minute rest, and repeat. 

I'm probably gonna be sore tomorrow though. Which is why I skipped Walking Lunges in the Aerobics Room later. Cuz I think there might be more shoveling in my immediate future. I was surprised that the tricep workout didn't seem to have any effect on push-ups. Knocked those out pretty quickly, as well as the Air Squats. When I'm tired I lose count easily so I had to slow down during Dead Bugs just to figure out what set I was at... I've gone past 5 sets due to spaciness. While not a horrible thing, it's unnecessary. Back next week hopefully, between snow storms. Not coming to the gym on Thursday though since I can't drink or eat for 6 hours before the appointment, and there's no way to exercise without drinking water.  

I've been watching an intriguing new show called The Tourist. It's darkly humorous and beautifully shot, with excellent lead actors and a mesmerizing landscape. I'm tempted to watch a show called Severance that's gotten a bit of press. I recognize Adam Scott from Parks & Recreation, and the little known show Ghosted, with Craig Robinson. 

I got really bored one day and wandered into an article (from Wired mag) purporting to teach one how to solve the Rubik's Cube. We've had a cube for years and I've never been able to do it. I've gotten as far as Step 2 (the white cross) but I got there without doing Step 1 so I'm not sure I'm doing this right, but what the hell. Step 3 is going to be a lot harder, especially since I haven't figured out what exactly those instructions mean. Well, it's not like anyone's life depends on it...

7 February 2025 12:29-2:35

Friday — All Cardio and Then Some

Really Late Cardio

Precor elliptical #1

Program 3

Time: 30 + 5 (5496)

Distance: 2.81

Cal: 310

Avg Hr: 160, 186

New FB: 43-133

HGPU 18

Matrix StairMaster (R) 

Manual timer 8+2 cool down

Minimum 5 minutes

Speed 5 (45-48) / 2 (36) / 1 (29)

Steps 424

Floors 26

Cal 64

Hr 138

HGPU 17

Life Fitness X-Trainer #3

Program Manual L1

Time: 10 (+3 min cool down) = 13

Distance: 1.19

Cal: 99

Avg Hr: 122

HGPU 15

Skull crusher s/s Rip Skulls 

30 lbs x 24 alt reps x 3 sets

20 Hip Bridges 

Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch

DeadBugs 20 x 5

Piriformis stretches

Child’s Pose

Cat/Cow stretch 12

Child’s Pose

Fire Hydrants 30 x 2

Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2

Push-Ups 25

Arm rotations 20

Air Squats 25

Neck stretch / Eye yoga