Sunday, February 21, 2010
So Who Are You People Again?
Like, roughly 100 folks have been to this page since the great (well, somewhat sporadic) return. This almost makes me feel guilty about not updating as regularly as I'd like.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
I Wish I'd Thought Of That... Oh, Wait- I Did!
I can't tell you how many times I raised my fist in the air, wishing a pox on the fact that no one had invented sarcasm font yet (and God knows I wasn't going to do it). After all, if you've known me for anywhere over ten minutes you'd know that I'm all about the sarcasm. Of course, this usually boils over to my writing (emails, whatever) and most of the time folks get it... however occasionally someone will think I'm serious and an inevitable whirlwind of backlash ensues. BTW- shocking the correlation of those people and ultra-fundamentalist Christians.
So anyhoo, it seems that someone didn't really invent a font, but more of a new punctuation mark- admittedly a much better idea than my own.
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Tales From The Gym. Today's Episode: The Letdown
So the plan was this- On my vacation (which really started at 3am last Friday) I was going to do a few things that needed done, switch my Edward Jones stuff, do my taxes, consolidate my student loans.... and spend a LOT of time at the gym.
You see kids, being on 2nd shift meant I had to go to the gym before work, usually needing to get there no later than 11a.m. Any past that and I was really rushing myself. None the less, I always felt rushed anyway. You know- work out, get home, take protein shake, eat, prepare lunch for work, shower, get ready, so I never really felt comfortable that I got in all the workout I needed (saving some energy for the 10 hour work day ahead).
But.. vacation time mean I could stay there all DAY.
So, snap back to the story at hand... Thursday rolls around and I awake to a sort throat. AWESOME! Just Freakin' AWESOME!
To me, a sore throat is a definite precursor to a nasty throat infection- without fail. By Friday it's killin' me. So, I run myself to urgent care and get the drugs I need. However, no gym at ALL Thrus-Sun. My body was just to weak from fighting the infection. Had I gone, the workout would have been crappy and I would have just stayed sick longer as my energy would have not been focused on the healing process.
Monday rolls around. Bench day. Big day. HUGE day. I'm still feeling a bit weak from the sickness, but the worst is passed. My training went pretty well, went up to 80#'s each on my dumbbell presses (normally I cash out at 70#'s) but only had energy in short bursts, which meant I had to compromise a bit on tricep training (5 or less reps I was good, but any more and I got really tired, really fast). But all in all a good day.
So- fast forward to Tuesday morning. Got up late (a vacationer's right) and was getting geared up for a HUGE day on back and biceps. Was feeling 100% at this point and was looking forward to spending as long as I wanted in the gym.
I was all awash in my blissfulness, doing some dishes, when suddenly my hand slips on a food processor blade and GASH! I slice my thumb open, from the bottom of the nail to the bend. CRAP! and it was deep too! Blood going everywhere. I can't really dress it right 'cause I only have one good hand with one good opposable thumb. Total chain of errors. I finally get it dressed and the bleeding (which it was doing a lot of) stopped, then I realized- there's NO WAY I can grip a bar today. Sure it sounds like I'm being a pussy (which I usually am) but I assure you this was a pretty nasty cut- so much so I contemplated getting a stitch, but cooler heads prevailed.
So- the gods are against me. Whatever is trying to keep me down this vacation is doing quite well at it. Jebus.. even at this point I'm typing and doing my best to hit the space bar with my left thumb- more difficult that one would think.
So, in short I'm gonna have to get my ass off the couch again and hit the gym, I figure I can do legs today, which is a good day (legs have been strong lately) but it does throw a wrench in my plan.
With that, I have no real whopping way to wrap this up... so instead I'll just end it.
Now, wasn't THAT a waste of your time!
Monday, February 08, 2010
The Great Un-retirement... By the Numbers
38285 on the web counter... that's where I stand at the moment for them folks scoping out the page... lets see how this goes shall we?
I'm Being Very Sneaky
So let us try this again shall we?
Used to be I was all about the blogging… and people seemed to like it. However, life and all its shenanigans (gosh I love that word) caught up to me and it went to the wayside. In the meantime I got in at ground level with Facebook and the rest of the world came with me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great way to keep up with folks, but it’s really just a web page for the fantastically lazy- right up my alley I suppose.
I tried to re-blog a few times, but the muse just wasn’t with me. So, instead I just did my thing, holding my words on the inside, relegating them to 20 words or less status updates (“Kirk Maroscher is rock and rolling all nite, while partying ev-ery day”). But, I’m in day one of a week’s vacation and I’m already bored out of my skull, so- trying this again. Also, when I return to work I’ll be on 1st shift so that should give me a little more time to compose n’ such. The trick is that I’m not really going to advertise my resurgence; this is primarily for two distinct reasons-
1) Now that blogging is hardly cool anymore, I’m now cool for blogging just by default. Sort’a underground. I’m like the secret only the hip know about… at least that’s what I’m telling myself.
2) When the soon to happen inevitability of “I give up and stop writing” occurs- it won’t be such a letdown.
Really I should focus on #2.
..I can't remember, all the times I've tried to tell myself to hold on to these moments as they pass...
I'm into food and wine in a big way, a really big way. I think of a meal as an experience. I could go into greater detail but that's not the point. Anyway, of all the meal's I've made... tonight's was by far the pinnacle.
Here's what went down- A side of asparagus. I drizzled it in olive oil, covered with some freshly ground pepper and course sea salt. Baked, came out very crispy. It was simple, but the natural taste of the asparagus was allowed to force through to the front of the palate.
Main dish was a porterhouse steak, nice marble- that I marinated in some Allegro, fresh minced garlic, and rosemary- grilled med. rare then topped with crumbled blue cheese that melted slightly.
Then.. the kicker. A while ago I came across a bottle of an '05 Cabernet Franc called- The Scrapper. Normally it runs about $100, but I got it for a steal at $60. It... was... perfect.... the greatest wine I've ever had (still have some left btw).
I pulled out an old Sergi Manniov -"Chopin Classics" c.d. (just piano, you don't want an orchestra diverting your attention). Lit up a fire, and it was ON!
Everything worked symbiotically with everything else. The side dish matched the main course, the wine crescendoed the food, the music accentuated the meal, the fire gave the ambiance... it was seriously- perfect.
Life, in its moments... is wonderful.
Here's what went down- A side of asparagus. I drizzled it in olive oil, covered with some freshly ground pepper and course sea salt. Baked, came out very crispy. It was simple, but the natural taste of the asparagus was allowed to force through to the front of the palate.
Main dish was a porterhouse steak, nice marble- that I marinated in some Allegro, fresh minced garlic, and rosemary- grilled med. rare then topped with crumbled blue cheese that melted slightly.
Then.. the kicker. A while ago I came across a bottle of an '05 Cabernet Franc called- The Scrapper. Normally it runs about $100, but I got it for a steal at $60. It... was... perfect.... the greatest wine I've ever had (still have some left btw).
I pulled out an old Sergi Manniov -"Chopin Classics" c.d. (just piano, you don't want an orchestra diverting your attention). Lit up a fire, and it was ON!
Everything worked symbiotically with everything else. The side dish matched the main course, the wine crescendoed the food, the music accentuated the meal, the fire gave the ambiance... it was seriously- perfect.
Life, in its moments... is wonderful.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Suuuuper Genius
The Cartoon Network is in H.D.Some may find this unnecessary, I disagree.
Carry on.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
...As I Was Saying
Well, as most anyone who checks the news daily (usually at work, on the clock, during that 45 minute period where you should be productive) knows, Lance is officially back.
After more than three years away from professional cycling, Lance Armstrong — the cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France winner — announced Tuesday that he would emerge from retirement and climb back onto his bike.
Armstrong, who will turn 37 next week, spoke briefly about his decision in a videotaped statement posted on his foundation's Web site.
"Hey everybody, I know there's been a lot of reports in the media today about a possible return to racing," he said, wearing a white T-shirt and leaning toward what seemed to be a handheld camera. "Just want to let you know that after long talks with my kids, the rest of my family, a close group of friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in 2009."…
…But first, Armstrong must find a team. Even the most talented cyclist cannot win on his own. Teammates provide shelter from the wind, chase down opponents and free the sport's stars from mundane, energy-sapping tasks like picking up water bottles from a team car.
The speculation has focused on the Astana team because of Armstrong's close connections to the team. Johan Bruyneel, whose holding company owns the team, was selected by Armstrong to direct the United States Postal Service team when Armstrong made his return to racing in 1999 after his cancer treatment. As a team director, Bruyneel was part of all of Armstrong's Tour de France wins.
Astana, though, is not guaranteed a berth in next year's Tour. The team was excluded from this year's race by the organizers because of doubts about the team's willingness to root out doping.
Philippe Maertens, a spokesman for Astana, said the team was unaware of Armstrong's announcement. He added that Bruyneel had been trying to reach Armstrong since Monday.
Translation: Armstrong will be racing for Astana. This is kind of a big deal. As it stands Astana is already composed of about 5 of the top 10 riders in the world, and the other 5 are kinda spread out so it suffices to say that their dominance will be out of this world. Plus, just them mere presence of Lance will push these guys even further than where they are now, even as a support role for Lance. Imagine for a second if say, Michael Jordan proved he could still play like in his prime, joined the Dream Team and said “Alright, LeBron, Kobe, here’s how I want you to back me up, and then we’ll win.”
Some folks are wondering if he should do it, and I’ll admit I have my reservations (although very few) myself. Mainly, if he doesn’t do well then the results could be very damaging. But the bottom line is this- Lance is a cancer survivor, to the extent where he was literally on his deathbed. Anyone, in my opinion, who has looked death that closely in the eye can do pretty much anything they damn well please. Lance, and those like him have earned that right 100 times over and for that he has my fullest support (yeah, that’s what he needs, MY support).
Monday, September 08, 2008
OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!
LANCE IS BACK!
OOOOOOHHHHH BOY!
Well, maybe….
According to Velo News-
O.K., so this may not actually be true, but the rumors have been flying around for some time. As a sport, this is a much needed shot in the arm. As one might remember, ever since Lance’s retirement the sport has been riddled by doping scandals and mismanagement. Granted, the doping scandals only prove that it’s not the dirtiest sport- but instead the most tested (really, could you imagine if MLB, NBA or the NFL tested EVERY athlete before, after and during an event for every substance know?), but I digress from the point.
As much as I’m just bursting at the seams to spew every thought and theory I have, I’ll just wait. We still need official confirmation ya know….
OOOOOOHHHHH BOY!
Well, maybe….
According to Velo News-
Lance Armstrong will come out of retirement next year to compete in five road races with the Astana team, according to sources familiar with the developing situation.
Armstrong, who turns 37 this month, will compete in the Amgen Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia, the Dauphine-Libere and the Tour de France — and will race for no salary or bonuses, the sources, who asked to remain anonymous, told VeloNews
O.K., so this may not actually be true, but the rumors have been flying around for some time. As a sport, this is a much needed shot in the arm. As one might remember, ever since Lance’s retirement the sport has been riddled by doping scandals and mismanagement. Granted, the doping scandals only prove that it’s not the dirtiest sport- but instead the most tested (really, could you imagine if MLB, NBA or the NFL tested EVERY athlete before, after and during an event for every substance know?), but I digress from the point.
As much as I’m just bursting at the seams to spew every thought and theory I have, I’ll just wait. We still need official confirmation ya know….
