Reunion Ruminations

Went to the gym Monday.  Short session.  25 minutes on the elliptical for 270 cal.  3x12x60lbs on the pec-fly.  3x12x80lbs on the lat pulldown (back to my old Fall level).  3x12x35 barbell curls.  3x8x30lbs triceps curls.

My hand and feet joints have been bothering me the last few days.  I'm hoping it's caused by the rain-again-sun-again weather we've been having.  I know when it's bad when I clutch fresh tea mugs in my hand the same way David Carradine branded his forearms by pressing them against an iron hot cauldron.

The last iris bloom is in the back.  We've had roughly two weeks of them, and now they are almost gone until next May.

---

Went to the gym Thursday.  About 20 minutes and 180 cal on the elliptical.  10 minutes and 120 cal on the cable row machine.  3x12x60lbs on the pec-fly.  3x13x80lbs on the lat pull down.  3x12 hanging curls on the Roman Chair.  12x20lbs + 2X1230lbs on the the tricpts pull-down.  Some assorted assisted chin-ups.

I'm in a bit of a dither about my 30th Reed Reunion.

+ On one hand, it would be fun to go.

- On the other, the timing is really awkward.  It coincides with The Child's Birthday, and I'd considered going for one day before-hand... which means Birthday Prep would need to be juggled around.

+ On the first hand,  Reed was a good fit in a lot of ways for early-tween me.  

- Back on the other hand... eh, Reed-schmeed... it seems like a fund-raising event disguised as a party.

+ Back on the "go" hand, it would be fun to tour the reactor and see the campus (I haven't been in... 1992 ?).

- On the other hand, sometimes when I think about instances of lack of educational guidance I got there, I get angry -- yeah, I was hapless -- and I fell for the Big Lie of Reed about grades don't matter at Reed.   My friends used to joke that I was a Theatre Major disguised as a Physics Major disguised as a Psych Major.

+  Then again, going to Reed resulted in my career of User Services.  Not that I studied math there or anything...

Grumble.  I suppose underneath some of this is a sense that the Reunion will feed my imposter syndrome....

---

Saturday I got up early, wrote for about an hour, then went to the gym for a 90 minute session.  About 35 minutes and 350 cal on the elliptical (if I can believe the machine, I burnt off a Snickers bar).  5 minutes and 50 cal on the cable row machine.  3x12x60lbs on the pec-fly.  3x13x80lbs on the lat pull down.  3x12 hanging curls on the Roman Chair.  3x12x35 barbell curls.  3x8x35 reverse barbell pulls.  3x12x30lbs on the the tricpts pull-down.  

Gym Time and Body Image

Went to the gym Thursday.   Did a set of regular and side-planks just before the gym.  15-20 minutes on the cable rowing machine for 200 calories.  3x12x60lbs on the pec fly machine.  3x13x70lbs on the lat pull-downs.  3x13 hanging curls on the Roman Chair. 3x12x35lbs barbell curls.   I think this has been a not-so-good week for eating too much junk food, because my belly fat seems more prominent and I've gained about two pounds.

The other day at the swimming pool when I was getting dressed, I happened to look up and saw my reflection in the mirror.  I look ... kind of stout.  Not fat, but jiggly like a serving of Spam.  Or like a retired wrestler.  I think I expected to look more defined, at least in the arms, after swimming (OK, sliding down the water slide). It was a "...my body's alright / but not at this angle / and not in this light" moment.  

Yes; I'm focusing on abs.  Yes; I know belly fat is hard to get rid of and you can't spot target fat.  Yes; I know I probably want a 10% body fat body without having to give up various snacks which are probably keeping me at 20%.  Yes; momento mori "and we all loose our shape in the end."  

I suppose it's time to eat more vegetables or something.

Gym Saturday:  Somehow I was the first person at the gym and for about five minutes I was the only person.  20 minutes and 200 calories on the elliptical.  10 minutes on the cable rowing machine for 110 calories.  3x12x60lbs on the pec fly machine.  3x12x70lbs on the lat pull-downs.  3x13 hanging curls on the Roman Chair. 3x12x35lbs barbell curls.  3x12x35 reverse barbell pulls.   

Sunday we had a nice visit with my family in Corvallis.  My dad prepared a hearty brunch for us for Mother's Day.  There was dog walking, piano playing, and computer consulting.  Afterward, we helped my sister with various craft projects for my niece's upcoming mermaid-themed birthday party.

Does it Count?

Quick Post.

No gym time since Saturday.  But I did have a power-walk for ten blocks on Sunday (I was surprised how far I got in about 10 minutes; I guess sessions on the elliptical paid off.)  Monday night I swam five or so laps in a pool (Australian Crawl and Breast Stroke), plus free swimming in a wave pool and closing down the Water Slide!

I just Googled "should I be embarrassed about playing on a water slide" and I think the answer is "No; you should be worried that you could be killed on a water slide."  Bleah.

Conquering? Architecture

While I was watching a short film about a menhir, one of the speakers, presumably an architect, said something along the lines of "architecture is about domination; as soon as you stand up a stone, it confronts you:  you must stop or go around it."   This was all said while a camera panned over rows and rows and rows of standing stones--some with glyphs carved onto them--near a shoreline.   I'm pretty sure phrases like "conquer the landscape" were in there, too.  

The words struck me as very stereotypical white-European-male, because I always thought architecture (at least non-military architecture) was a response to the questions, "how do I make a safe space for my family?" and "how do I arrange building elements into an aesthetically pleasing fashion?" and "how do present the space as a delightful puzzle of discovery?"  not, "how do I conquer you?"

The stones were raised in paleolithic times, when Alpine jade axe heads were status items.  I'd like to think that humans in this time were less isolated by civilization from the natural word, and that in part the stones were an artistic or "natural" response to the natural world.   There was some evidence that the stones were being used as maps and safe channel markers; that they were a reaction to the surrounding waters... OK, given the boat  and axe imagery, and possibly chronicles of invaders or explorers.  The documentary mentioned that wave glyphs on the stones could be indicative of a final funerary voyage.  (I've romantically imagined a passage through a Labyrinth of Waves.)  

But what if the stones were sympathetic magic to control the sea currents -- or an artistic expression of the waves executed in standing stones on the land?  Maybe the rows and rows of stones are like the rows and rows of grave markers at Arlington.  Unlike some of the shore-side dolmens ('The Merchants' Table), I don't know if there are graves under all the stones lining the shore (research!) but I could imagine a line of the dead standing between a village and the power of the sea. 

But then again, maybe the stones are a kind of phallic marker, the architectural equivalent of pissing on a tree to mark a territory.  I'm trying to think what the difference between a wolf or a bear or a cat  marking a territory and a human doing it is.  It's like pissing one's name in the snow, which I've never understood the appeal of....  Which I guess is me asking the question, "If a man pisses in the woods, is space conquered?"

I'm sure there's a metaphor in there somewhere.

Archeology and the Gym

Gym (Thursday): 20 minutes and 210 calories on the elliptical.  10 minutes and 110 calories on the cable row machines.  3x12x60lbs on the pec fly.  3x13x70lbs on the lat pull-down.  3x12 hanging curls on the Roman Chair.  3x12x30lbs barbell curls.  3x12x30lbs reverse barbell pulls.  3x12x20lbs triceps pull-downs.  Assorted random stuff.

I've been viewing archeology and culture films at the Archeology Channel's film festival.  So far The Enigma of the Great Menhir has been my favorite, although I thought Chambord: The Castle, the King and the Architect  was interesting.   Menhir featured standing stones in Brittany (near the "Merchants' Table"), put up in paleolithic times.  The stones followed the shoreline, which has moved depending on how much ice was at the pools, and some (presumably) older stone lines are under water.  Wavy lines on the menhirs are interpreted as currents and whirlpools in the local waters; the most surprising carving is a symbolic representation of sperm whales.  Alpine jade axeheads also appear in the iconography.

Chambord is a French Renaissance castle, financed by Francis I, and possibly designed by Leonardo daVinci.  It had a lot of cool photography and videography, but seemed a little light on the "secrets" of its design.  The design of the castle is very interesting:  a square with a double-helix staircase in the center.  The main mystery seems to be that the north tower's floorplan was flipped to accommodate  and shorten Francis I's path between two of the towers.  There was lots of period costume and scene reenactment, and the film was more historical than architectural.

Other films and shorts have been interesting.  I came away from a few wishing that I understood French so I could focus on the interesting artifacts in the film without being distracted by the English subtitles.   So far, in these films I think it's obligatory to have

• a flame-lit battle scene with metallic clanking
• Autocad Porn featuring reconstruction overlays
• arch looks from courtiers
• elderly elders ritually chanting
• backlit archeologists scuffling through narrow ducts
• a close-up of a 3-D laser scanner shooting lasers
• earnest young techs crouching over mobile tablet devices
• dramatic video from drones as they buzz around a landscape

Now that I think about it, the one short I saw that didn't have these obligatory elements was a kind of whimsical review of Epicurean Inscriptions, which kind of felt more like a cross between Diogenes 101 and a Research Fund Drive.  About half-way through it there was a short segment focused on goats, and after that the lead researcher in the film reminded of the Frank, the Famous Historian from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  I kept expecting them to turn over one of the stones of old Oinoanda and reveal an ancient inscription reading "FORTY-TWO", which would then be the object of a chase scene involving Epicureans and Stoics and there would be a shouting match about sex and the greatest good and someone would have to yell, "Nobody expects the Stoics!"


Gym (Saturday): 25 minutes and 250 calories on the elliptical.  5 minutes and 50 calories on the cable row machines.  3x12x60lbs on the pec fly.  3x13x70lbs on the lat pull-down.  3x12 hanging curls on the Roman Chair (I had to stop in the middle because I was laughing too hard at Hearts' "Magic Man" which sounds like it came from the sound-track of a Go-Go Dancer collection, and is right up there with Lead Zeppelins' "Whole Lotta Love" and Queen's "Fat Bottom Girls" as far as songs they play in my gym that will make me drop a barbell weight on my foot because I'm laughing too hard).   Assorted free-weight stuff.

Irises

The iris are blooming this week.  I was looking through old pictures and the first week of May is usually when the swords send up their flags.  Our irises are mostly purple, which I like.  Sometimes, I wish we had the Great Bearded Irises that I grew up with and which came from a stock from my Mother's Mother's farm -- but they died out or were eaten decades ago.  Oh well.

I think this will be a good iris year, there's been an (over?) abundance of rain, it's been pleasantly cool, and the irises have many buds waiting for the sun to come out, which it's supposed to do in a few days.  I'm thinking with the increased light and heat, the iris will put out a much stronger scent.  I love the earthy, not quite licorice, not quite patchouli, sugary, potent, warm, and dark fragrance -- like the purple hearts of the iris were transforming sunlight into incense for the night.

Ides of Spring Revelation

May First - The Ides of Spring.   I had a revelation about why it's been hard to write this one short story:  it's because I want to write about what a society where the male erotic is an acknowledged creative force and my inner sensor/critic is clamping down on the process because it's too risque.  I want to convey a sense of tribal male (see, even "tribal male" sounds like a porn studio) without going too far into Homosexual Utopia Territory or Iron John Land.  And I realized that I was approaching the writing as if I were a 21st C man with various hang-ups, but if I wrote the story from the point-of-view from the people on Planet Valued Male Eros, then writing about tingly bits would be every day.

For a little bit of research, I re-read Jane Yolen's "Cards of Grief," which has a lot of hetero- and homosexual situations in it without being Overtly Graphic about it -- and which she does with a combination of courtly language, flowery euphemisms, and post-coital-under-the-sheets scenes.

Went to the Gym Sunday:  25 minutes and 250 cal on the elliptical; 10 minutes and 120 calories on the cable rowing machine.  This time there was a grunting, moaning, and sibilant woman clanking weights around.  3x12x60lbs on the pec fly.  3x13x70lbs on the lat pull-down.  3x12x30lbs barbell curls and reverse barbell pull-ups.  3x13 hanging curls on the Roman Chair.  3x12x30lbs on the triceps curl.  Some assisted dips and chin-ups on the machine, but that was at full assist, so I'm not sure it counts, except as a cool-down.