Bench sesh the other day seemed to go decently, but it was a reminder that I neglected the shit out of my rehab work for the ol' shoulder. With the recent time off of work and starting the new year soon I will be hitting it back up in earnest. I actually remembered to get some rehab in last night for the shoulders, hitting the typical band work all with the blue Thera-band I got months ago from the PT-
High row - 2x25
Mid row - 2x25
Low row - 2x25
External rotations - 3x20
Not the most difficult work, but it did get my traps lit up (held them contracted during the movements to cut them out as active movers) but it needs to get done. May need to get a new band for these as the ol' blue band seems to be getting weak.
Booyah.
Couple scoops of ON gold standard whey and on to bed.
On to the squat sesh this morning. One day I'll remember to get video on the reg for you on these squat sessions. That day will probably be the day I get my numbers back to where they need to be so chill out.
Gah.
First squat session since November, so let's see what occured:
Little warm up, worked up to 3x3x275lbs to parallel box
Wide stance good morning - 4x10x135lbs, another 10x155 as some of the brosefs came in and I let them get there warm ups in on my rack
Isolated upper back extension - 5x10 w/two chains over my shoulders (40lbs?)
Leg press - 10x315lbs, 10x405lbs, 3x10x495lbs
Will admit that I had more in me as far as poundage in the squat went, but I could feel my upper back fatiguing and starting to round. Going to attack that with accessory work and keep rolling.
Hips felt pretty good overall, a little tight in the widest stance so I brought my feet in about an inch or so each from widest to get my parallel. Also got to see a bunch of the team guys and hang out a little bit.
Jim putting in the hard work.
In other news, this happened.
Okay, so it was a different spider.
Turn away now if you're squeamish.
No seriously.
It's pretty gnarly.
UFC 168 last night. Anderson Silva versus Chris Weidman.
If you hadn't already heard.
It was this.
So I'm not a huge Silva fan anyway, but it's a bummer to see him have to retire for this wicked of an injury.
Hope y'all had a lovely Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Festivus/Saturnalia/Yule/etc.
Ended up being off work 12/24 and continuing to be off through 1/6. Hu-freakin-zah.
Good times were had by all here for the anniversary of the birth of the Christ child, had some family in town and got to spend a couple of mornings and dinners with the group and I think everyone was reasonably happy with what Santa brought around. Cuddle times, a little sleep, too much food, and some bourbon and egg nog.
So I guess strength hasn't gone to utter and complete shit, but it is still complete shit. Definitely down with the time off recently and I can feel the need to get more band rehab in, only really did it a few times during the holiday peak season and this was first time even setting foot in the gym since November.
Boo, hiss, but back at it. With peak behind me, the plan is to get back into it in earnest and work them numbahs back up.
Y'all that have been following along probably know that I am currently working a night shift with work as we are in what we call "peak season" for a line of products - namely photo books, cards, calendars, etc that we produce as a vendor for several different partner companies. Being the holidays, this is the busiest time of year as folks order up gifts for people on their list. For this business segment, almost half of the entire year's work comes in during the month or so between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
That's a whole lotta work, bro.
This picture would be more appropriate if these same dudes were out doing this at, say, 2:00AM
I am sure this is great for business and all, but I have to say that it annoys the crap out of me. First world problems and all, but every holiday for the past five years this has been my lot- managing at least one shift of 30-50 folks, most of whom are temporary workers with no previous skills in the print field. This shift happens to usually occur during hours that are not conducive to seeing my family during, you know, the most family- and tradition-centric time of the year.
Not that I am bitter or anything, but it would be awesome if one of these holidays I could be home most nights before everyone else went to bed and be able to see them for more than 20 minutes a day six days out of a week.
I actually kind of like Christmas. Like a lot.
Santa Claus is coming to town, y'all.
Managed to get a little money out of the totaling of Ol' Red and there was a little bonus with work. Of course, it all went into down payment for the new car so we wouldn't have a completely outrageous note. Would have been nice to have been able to get a few more things for the family.
Thanks, bad Memphis driver.
That said, things are merely things and are not what is important. I survived the accident unscathed and wasn't upside down on the vehicle that I would rather not have had demolished, both of which are good things and things I am thankful for.
Thankful to be alive and working. A lot of folks don't have those two things going for them.
BUT
Again.
Would have been nice.
Just sayin'.
Least there's always egg nog.
Let me know when you find the anomaly. I found it quite amusing.
Speaking of, I need to try my hand at making some ho made egg nog. Because after January it's a nogless time, and that is sad. A buddy has said Alton Brown's recipe is quite good. This stands to reason because, really, does Alton Brown have bad recipes?
But that is for when I have more time.
Soon.
Four more days.
One of which is my wife and my anniversary.
Eleven years, eh.
Wowsers bowsers.
About to get mauled by a bear. Also, there's a polar bear back there.
Light plans- go out and have a feast and a few beverages, have a relaxing time, and love each other and not be hurried by the world for just a minute..
Because it's all about the love, folks. That is what is important.
Not tinsel and trees.
Not presents and wrapping and bows and all that.
Love.
In case we don't speak again before, y'all have a merry Christmas.
So when we last visited Hans's Wide World of Cars, we saw this...
Boo hiss, right? Indeed, November 8, 2013 was a sad day for all involved.
Now that the whole matter is resolved, I will give a little detail on the wreck. On said sunny afternoon, yours truly was returning to work from a dentist appointment like a good citizen, having just purchased a bag of Taco Bell to masticate upon my arrival at said workplace, when the accident happened. I was traveling southbound on >street name here<, in the right lane with no traffic restrictions and driving the speed limit, when >other driver< pulled out from a >side street name here<, where they had a stop sign. I don't know if they couldn't see me and decided they were clear (the road was lined with cars that time of day as school was letting out on said side street) or if they ran the sign, but I hit them squaw in the middle of the driver's side of their vehicle. I think I tried to swerve to avoid them, as the damage to my poor little Legacy was all on the driver's side, but I do remember two things:
1) the pulsation of the antilock brakes
2) being filled with rage the split second before impact because I knew that impact was imminent. I think that as I braced for impact, my words were something along the lines of, "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!"
Boom.
Wicked pissa, brah.
Note the near perfect interior of the vehicle. Nothing mashed up, all glass intact. Good engineering.
Immediately after the impact and as soon as I was done contemplating my mortality and in some sort of state of shock realized I was pissed because the windshield wipers had come on and I couldn't shut them off, I forced the door of my trusty Legacy open and departed the vehicle. Did a quick 360 scan of the area to survey the damage, and spotted the other vehicle. Driver of the vehicle hysterical, child on the ground.
Shit.
A bystander was trying to calm the child who, understandably quite angry at the fate which had just been thrust upon him (which appeared to be his face thrust into the seat back in front of him), was crying and bleeding from the face. I talked with the bystander to assess the child's injuries, which appeared to be superficial, albeit ugly, and ran to one of the neighbor's houses to grab a bag of ice for said child's face.
God bless little old folk. A nice old lady answered the door, and upon hearing of our plight, set about hurriedly fumbling about what I presume was her husband, who was only mildly concerned, and managed to get together a gallon Ziploc type bag half full of ice and some paper towels.
Ran back to the scene, gave bag o' ice to bystander guy, and seeing as hysterical driver lady was seemingly okay but rolling about crying and being attended to by several other bystanders, I proceeded to have a breather. By this point several folks had gathered about, most of whom were either picking kids up from the school or worked for the school.
The other car, Hyundai Sonata, I believe? Apparently also decent crash engineering.
At any rate, there was a Shelby County deputy immediately on the scene to call in Memphis PD (Shelby County deputies don't have jurisdiction in Memphis city. Makes sense, right?) and Memphis FD and keep us updated on progress.
Funny side note: Sara and I toured the school a few days later as a prospective school for our daughter for next year. Turns out that one of the bystanders was the counselor for the school that gave us the tour. Slightly embarrassing, but she did tell us that everyone in the other vehicle was fine. This was good and welcome news as I knew that the driver was okay but I was worried about the little boy. Unfair for the lad to have to suffer because of the actions of his caretaker.
Memphis Fire Rescue was on scene in a very loooooooooooooooooooooong fifteen minutes. They attended and subsequently removed the wounded - what turned out to be grandma, busted face grandchild, and unbusted face grandchild, who was apparently riding in a car seat and made it through the ordeal with only a sore shoulder- via ground transport.
Thanks to the aforementioned wonders of Subaru engineering and a little powerlifting, I was not among the wounded or worse being carted off to the nearest emergency medical center.
You can tell this is at least an hour after the accident because of the glow of a Memphis Police squad car's lights.
Can't fault MPD too much for showing up late to the party- apparently I picked right about the same time as a seven or eight car pile up on the interstate nearby to be involved in a seemingly horrendous accident.
With some time to kill, I did what any man in my position would do.
Retrieved my Taco Bell from the car, found a nice spot on the curb to sit, and had my now luke warm dinner and flat Dr Pepper while I waited on the po-lice.
Several bystanders checked in on me, including one witness who got tired of waiting and left me her phone number, and I ended up talking with one of the neighbors and his grandchild for a bit.
Memphis PD showed up about an hour after the accident occurred, took my statement, assessed the scene, and called in the tow trucks. Ol' Red wasn't coming home this ill fated night.
A musical interlude...
Because metal.
So flash forward some time (like a freaking month), two rental cars, a potential uninsured faulted driver, a crumby experience with their insurance (at least they had it), and we find out...
The Subaru Legacy is totaled.
She shall ride no more.
Sigh...
By the by, I would not recommend dealing with The General insurance company. The people I dealt with there were for the most part okay, but you can tell they are not a customer service based organization. Despite averaging three attempts to call them a day during some of the more sticky logistical phases of the experience, they threatened multiple times to force me to pay for tow storage, rental fees, etc.- one of them even started talking over me as I explained to them that I was not going to turn the vehicle over to them until we had settled on the total loss claim. You can tell that they are trying, for the most part, but that their reps are understaffed with barely manageable case loads and they are pressed to try to rush people into doing things so that they aren't paying more than they have to in fees, etc.
My insurance company, State Farm, on the other hand, was great- even before we were able to determine that the other driver did have insurance and we were proceeding as if it was going to be a claim against my account. The accident happened late on a Friday afternoon, naturally, so I was not able to get a hold of my local agent until Monday, but the folks in claims over the weekend and through the experience were great, almost always available by phone, and were generally on top of their game.
No thank YOU, nice Memphis PD lady.
Even had a pleasurable experience dealing with Memphis Police Central Records, who will apparently lovingly send you a copy of your police report via email for a small fee, though they reportedly take weeks to get it to the insurance companies. The person I spoke to there was polite, helpful, and acted quickly once the request was made.
But I digress...
So boom wreck, holy crap I hope they have insurance, maybe they do, good they do, rental car, bunch of phone calls and stress, and five weeks later I have a check in hand for the difference of the total versus what I owed Subaru (remember kids, make a sizable down payment and/or get the gap insurance). This was good, because while I was saddened by the loss of the Legacy, it was time to replace her.
Though no one could replace her. From September 13, 2012 to November 8, 2013, she was a fine beast. A faithful steed. More than a mode of transportation, but a four wheeled steel and plastic safe haven for myself and my family.
And stuff.
And really, when it came down to it, there was really no question about what to get. The Ford F150 XLT SuperCrew that served as my rental chariot was a fine vehicle, but pricey, VERY expensive to feed, and two wheel drive.
Still love Google image search.
Remember that stuff about good engineering and saving my ass from the difficult decision of the flames of the Infernal Pits or the Page/Plant fueled trip up to the Pearly Gates?
Yeah, it was Subaru time.
Luckily, we knew just the place to go. Looked through a few used things online, but nothing really struck our fancy, and in Memphis if you want a new Subaru, there's really only one thing to do.
Dave sold us both my wife's Impreza and the Legacy, and entertained us previously when we had not yet jumped on board the Subaru bandwagon. He and I would run into each other periodically at Dunkin Donuts when Ilse was going to a different daycare in one of the Memphis burbs and we would share random shenanigans, life stories, etc. Dave's a pretty good guy.
We went and saw him on Black Friday first to test drive a few things, but did not yet have money in hand. We were pretty sure we were going with either the Forester or the XV Crosstrek. We had looked at the Forester previously and while it is definitely a good vehicle, has the room you want, reliable, fuel efficient, etc, it just didn't have the same "zing" as the Crosstrek. The Crosstrek is a bit smaller, but for this guy it was more fun to drive, outfitted more to my liking at the same price point, and honestly just cooler.
So there you have it.
Boom, Crosstrek.
And with that, our stable is full of Subies again.
Booyah.
The Crosstrek and the Impreza in the frozen tundra of Memphis.
Stay tuned, I'll get a right up on the Crosstrek in the coming month or so.
This song is fucking awful, but it has... been... a while...
So yeah... Some of you may be wondering to yourselves, "Hans, I love reading about your life and exploits but I have been a little worried lately and, frankly, wondering where the hell you've been?"
It's simple, really.
Work.
A whole lotta work. Six days a week... 12-16 hours days... Work.
I checked back in on the blog the other day and realized I was working on a draft for my last squat sesh, which was on 11/25.
Two.
Fucking.
Weeks.
Ago.
I love Google image search. Don't even ask.
One day I will be able to get back to the gym.
One day.
In the meantime I have worked a lot, not seen my ladies much, and made a little progress towards a new car. The other driver's insurance (thankful they even had insurance in this town) totaled the Legacy out, and after much prying of information and gnashing teeth, wailing, etc. it looks like I will be moving into a new Crosstrek.
Seriously. Only. It's not mine yet. It's still theirs.
I do get the privilege of spending a day a week with the family yesterday, which is really more like a half day once you factor in the fact that if I don't sleep till noon or so I am reasonably useless. There have been some tough ones- I go home for "lunch" typically, which has brought some intermittent boo-hoos from the littlest lady when it comes time for daddy to go back to work. My sainted wife is exhausted as she is the focus of all our daughter's energy a lot of nights. She doesn't get much rest between the daughter and the house.
We did get to run by the Brooks Museum for their winter artists' market today, which was fun. Picked up a few things for folks, got to talk to my buddy Shannon at shove●It Designs and talk with him about some cool projects he has coming up. Need to commission a set of eyelets from him - he makes some reaaly cool stuff but only had bigger gauges with him at the market.
Eyelets by shove●It. Pic from their site.
Good times.
Goods having been gotten and the time running short, we headed back to the house whereupon I went to nap whilst the ladies hung out and did... lady... things.
One of the other thing with this work schedule is that I get to miss out on a lot of "events" and things one might normally get to do if one were part of normal society. Today was some friends of ours daughter's birthday party. Wife and baby went, I painfully awoke from my nap (I don't nap well) and headed to work.
Work, home for lunch to talk to the ladies and distribute hugs and kisses, back to work. Joy.
But only two weeks left, or thereabouts. Must think happy thoughts.
Soon I will be back to my ladies.
Soon I will be back with the barbell.
Soon I will be able to sleep like a regular person again.
Soon I will be able to update this hurr blog with more happenings, training seshes, and tomfoolery.
.png)
