I’m so 504 you gotta kill me there, whodi!

Back from the Easy, the NOLA, the 504, the Creole Cockpit. Home of Lil Wayne, Juvenile, Master P, Chris Paul, Drew Brees, and Reggie Bush. An amazing trip, I had an awesome time. Two nights on Bourbon Street, one night on Frenchman street, some really good restaurants and local food and drinks, saw the 9th Ward where Dan works for Habitat for Humanity and his stand-up comedy act at La Nuit, among some other interesting stuff. I drank a lot and ate a ton of unhealthy food but it was well worth it. The next couple of weeks need to be pretty flawless gym/diet-wise if I’m going to keep on track, but I can’t stress enough how little I care about my eating habits these past few days.

I took some photos of the trip with the digicam and while the quality isn’t excellent, there are still pretty good. Doug took a bunch too so I’ll post some of his when he gets them online:

Here we are arriving at the airport.

Keith’s Fleur de Lis gang sign.

Teles driving us to our hotel.

The Superdome and a sign for an 8-month old Lil Wayne show.

Our pool at Hotel St. Pierre and a view of the surrounding streets in the Quarter.

The famous Bourbon Street, two blocks from our hotel.

A view of the city over the Mississippi River at night. Before going to the bars and clubs we bought a six pack and sat down by the dock. I was never a supporter of public drinking until now.

The night is in full swing.  And yes everyone is well above legal age.

After a rough Friday morning for me, we went around the city, saw some landmarks and had some roast beef Po-Boy sandwiches which were excellent.  I left my camera at the hotel for this part, but we went to see where Dan works at Habitat, drove around the 9th Ward to see the devastation from Katrina (which is still in pretty bad shape), the homes Habitat has built including Musician’s Village, and the levees themselves.  All pretty eye-opening to say the least. Seeing the rust-colored streaks on the houses where the water reached was sobering. Too bad I didn’t get any photos of this, but I think Doug did.

That night we got dinner at a place called Slice where I had a calzone with about 20 kinds of meat in it. We then went to La Nuit where Teles did his stand-up act on open mic night. Excellent.

Dateline: New Orleans! The crime: drinking, carousing, and hot jazz music! The culprits: flappers! Here are a couple of Jazz/R&B clubs on Frenchman Street where we listened to some live local music and watched some younger couples dressed as 1920s flappers. A plague on our young people, I say!

Woke up that next morning, had some free coffee and donuts from the hotel and hung by the pool, then got lunch at Lazy River before walking around the city and getting dinner at Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse where the guys treated Dan and I to steak. Apparantly this is rated the number 2 steakhouse in the country by a few magazines. I wouldn’t go quite that far but it was pretty damn good.

Drinking hand grenades from the balcony of the Jazz Emporium. Delicious pineapple goodness.

Some mansions in the garden district as we drove to the airport on the way home.  We didn’t get in until early this morning due to some thunderstorms in Atlanta, so I called into work today and I’ll work Saturday instead.

So my trip is over. I’ll probably fall into a mini-depression for the next couple of days knowing that I’lbe back to work tomorrow instead of on Bourbon Street. It was a really, really awesome trip and I ended up not wanting to leave. For my first legitimate vacation since high school, it did not disappoint. Hopefully we’ll head down there again for whoever has their next bachelor party.

I’m going to try and enjoy this day off before going back to work tomorrow.

N’Awlins

Flying to New Orleans tomorrow for a bachelor party with the guys. I’ll be back late Sunday night.  No gym tonight, in fact I just ate a large calzone, so the potential 4 workouts this week turned into 1.5 and ended with about 1,500 calories in one sitting. Oh well.

Looking forward to the trip, but not the flight. This will be my first flight since high school, so I’m going to have some serious jitters. I’m bringing a digicam so I’ll do a pretty good photo essay when I get back.

Tuesday

On my way back from work today around 7:00 PM, I narrowly avoided skipping the gym. I worked over 10 hours including 8 hours of direct treatment and the couch was calling me.  Coming up on Exit 3 where I get off to come home, I made the last minute decision to drive by, persevere, and get a workout in.  I stopped at the store for a chocolate milk and one of those Monster energy drinks and slammed them both in the car, which turns out isn’t a good idea.  My head was spinning by the time I changed and headed towards the squat racks, and the gym was packed so there wasn’t any room for me to do any of my normal starting exercises.  I didn’t feel like waiting or throwing up, so I hopped on the treadmill and did 30 minutes of cardio before heading out of there. The evening was not a total loss, but not what I had planned either.

One more day of work before my trip. Work has been so-so lately. I’ve had a lot of patients (which should make Genesis happy since I’m being productive), but the more patients I have the farther I get behind on paperwork. I’ve taken a chunk out of it the past couple of days, but tomorrow might be 12 hours. I don’t want to leave any loose ends.

I went to the Apple Store in Natick while Jaylynn was dress shopping on Sunday and I have thought about not much since. I am struggling to fend off my urges to buy the new iPhone 3G when it comes out later this summer. Earlier today I was 70% sure I was going to buy it, but right now I’m down to 40%.  My plan ends in August and my now-archaic Blackberry isn’t cutting it anymore. It might as well be two sticks rubbing together to make fire compared to the glorious iPhone. It really is everything they make it out to be. If Jaylynn and I weren’t planning on doing the family plan with Verizon, I would buy it in a heartbeat.  The $199 price for the phone itself is nothing compared to what it’s really worth, and the monthly rate isn’t that bad compared to what I’m paying now.  I personally think the satisfaction of owning one would be worth it by itself. My job is to either convince Jaylynn that we need AT&T for a carrier despite all of our friends and family having Verizon, or to convince myself that I don’t need such an extravagance at this point in my life when I’m trying to save for a house.  I’m afraid that I’m going to balk, get the Verizon touchscreen knockoff and then immediately regret it.  We get new stuff at the end of August, so I’ve got about two months to make a decision.

Whoa oh oh, Thunder Road, oh, Thunder Road

It’s raining like a bastard out there right now. Driving home from the gym was pretty crazy.

Okay, so I never did go to the gym on Saturday. I was stupid and waited until after work to go, but I ended up staying at work for twice as long and by the time I got out, the gym was close to closing time. I felt bad about this because I was excited to get another good workout in, but I made up for it today.

I only have three days to go to the gym this week as I go to New Orleans on Thursday (unless I go in the morning on Thursday…hmm…) and I did chest/back tonight. I picked up a little journal beforehand at Staples so I can track my workouts again and make sure I progress.

Chest:

incline barbell:

• 135 x 12 x 2 (warm up)
• 170 x 3 x 3

decline barbell:

• 135 x 12 x 2 (warm up)
• 155 x 10 x 1 (easy)
• 185 x 5 x 1 (could have done another rep)
• 195 x 3 x 1 (could have done another rep)
• 200 x 3 x 1 (again, could have done another rep)

flat dumbbells:

• 65s x failure x 4

Back:

pullups:

• reps of 5, 3, 2.5, 3, 2.5

Australian pullups:

• reps of 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

high rows:

• 225 x 12 x 1 (warm up)
• 275 x 12 x 2 (sort of hard)
• 295 x 6 x 2 (pretty hard)

So I didn’t destroy myself, but pretty hard nonetheless and definitely heavier than usual.  The 200 x 3 on the decline bench made me feel pretty good.  225 isn’t far away. Next time I need to ask for a spot on those chest exercises so I can really tire myself, but I had no idea what I’d be able to do so I just screwed around. I’ll try to add 5 pounds to those heavy sets each week.

I think I’m gonna go lie in bed and watch the lightning from my skylight.

There’s only one way to impress a lady…

…give her two tickets to the gun show.

Shoulders and arms Thursday night: side delt raises, reverse pec deck, hammer strength press, machine press, shrugs, straight bar curls, tricep extensions, reverse forearm curls. I didn’t quite go all out on this today, though I was fatigued and definitely sore on Friday, I didn’t have the intensity I’ve had as of late. I only did two sets of forearm curls and then I realized it was 9:30, I just wanted to go home and sleep. I’m going to do chest and back today (it’s Saturday morning) after I go in for weekend bonus at work.

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!

What an amazing night! As a true fan, I never once gave up!…

….oh, that thing I said about Paul Pierce being useless and Ray Allen being washed up? Or saying that the Celtics were a bunch of frauds?  People say things they don’t really mean when they are angry.

Garnett played excellent, Pierce and Allen were great, and Rondo was spectacular. It’s fitting that Game 6 was a 40-point blowout, just like they played all of their regular season games.  The playoffs were tough and tough to watch at times, but the way they finished made it all worth it.

I cannot think of another player in the NBA to compare Rajon Rondo to.  He flies around the court and makes defensive plays like Iverson or Payton, rebounds like smaller, sneakier Jason Kidd, and has the icey demeanor of…well, I don’t know who.  He isn’t (and probably never will be) as good as any of those guys I just mentioned because I don’t think he’s a great passer or decision maker at this point, and he bugs the hell out of me at times because he carries himself like an And1 Mixtape All-Star (I half-expect him to bounce an alley oop off the 24-second clock). He’s never going to be on the level of a Chris Paul or a Steve Nash, but man was he great. He has brass balls, keeps his composure, and makes almost every play. Maybe Rajon Rondo is so unique that he’s just going to be Rajon Rondo and the Celtics are going to stay great because of that.

Here’s Garnett’s interview with Bill Russell…

…aaand here’s his interview with Michelle Tafoya following the big win…

Kevin Garnett’s interviews can be off the charts funny. The guy is so intense it’s uncomfortable to watch, it’s like he’s in an action movie at all times. But who the hell cares? WE’RE NBA CHAMPIONS!! IT’S GINO TIME!!!

Hit the gym for lower body before the game and cut it short to be home in time for last night’s greatness.  Deadlifts up to 245 x 5, squat machine, hamstring curls, stiff-legged deadlifts, and one set of bodyweight split squats and calf raises each. Went up in deadlifts and squats, but could have done 1-2 more sets of the split squats and calf raises. No matter, still pretty good. I’m skipping the gym tonight and moving one my two remaining workouts to Saturday to get my four in.

Cavities and Workout

Went to work for 4 hours today before leaving to get a cavity filled this afternoon, not the greatest experience. I’ve only had a couple cavities before these two and I remember them being less painful.  This dentist I go to now is one of the most impersonal people I’ve ever met. He literally walked in, said hello, shot me with the novocain, drilled and filled, and said “we’ll be seeing you” and left without much else. I don’t need a Johnny Carson, but someone who doesn’t make me feel like I’m wasting his time would be nice.

Watched the 2004 version of Dawn of the Dead and was sort of disappointed.  It wasn’t really scary or suspensful, and it was too cartoonish (as anything with Ving Rhames usually is) and it felt too modern (as most remakes do).   I don’t like zombies that can sprint ala this film or 28 Days Later.  I prefer the classic shamble.  But I’m a purist.

I also think I’m reaching critical mass for zombies lately.  I’ll probably try to find Day of the Dead and Land of the Dead on demand, and after that I’ll take a breather until the WWZ movie.

Upper body workout tonight: incline bench, pullups, barbell push press, heavy barbell shrugs, incline dumbbell curls, diamond pushups. Pretty good, though I kind of crapped out at the end.  I did some extra sets of inclines and shrugs with some heavier weight than last time, so some progress there. It’s hard to tell how much I should do on upper body day because I’m just going to do chest and back Wednesday anyway and shoulders/arms Thursday. I guess I’ll stick to the basics for now and just do 4-6 sets of 4-6 reps like I’ve been doing.  Jimmy Smith’s Physique Formula comes out in a week or two, so depending on the price I might pick that up. I read Jimmy’s blog and I subscribe to the same workout philosophy as he does, so I think it would be a great addition to my library.

Worst Fan Ever

For someone who thinks they love sports as much as anybody, I might be the worst sports fan ever.  I went to bed last night during the 3rd quarter of the Finals game before the Celtics’ incredible comeback, which has been about the fourth or fifth incredible comeback that I’ve missed because of tiredness/lack of faith. Granted, it was 10:45 and I had to be up for work the NBA is horrible at scheduling important games, but a true diehard wouldn’t have given up.  This is just like 2004 ALCS when I missed The Steal and the initial comeback that started the Greatest Comeback of All-Time.  Every game I think “this team is a bunch of frauds!” and I angrily fall asleep. I got pissed off when I thought the Patriots would lose to both the Eagles and Ravens this year only to see that they won in the morning (Ironically, at this point with the Red Sox, I have complete faith that they will rise up and overcome the odds). The story is almost always the same, when the going gets tough, I go to bed. I hope that’s not a metaphor for my life.

Of course I absolutely cannot miss a deciding game in the NBA Finals for the first Celtic title in years, so this won’t happen again (this season).

Two great workouts Wednesday and Thursday nights. Chest/back Wednesday (dumbbell flat bench, decline bar, decline pushups on the ball, crossovers, barbell rows, machine rows, close grip pulldowns), shoulders/arms last night (side delts, reverse pec deck, machine military press, arnold press, shrugs, bicep curls, skull crushers, reverse forearm curls).  Feeling very good.  No workouts this weekend but maybe a couple of walks if the weather is nice.

Tuesday Leg Night

Had a very good lower body workout last night around 8:30. I did deadlifts up to 225 x 5, machine squats up to reps of 5, 4 sets of hamstring curls, bodyweight Bulgarian split squats for 20 reps, and tri-sets of in-out-straight calf raises.  Tried stiff-legged deadlifts but it hurt my left knee so I stopped those after two light sets. The worst case of jelly legs I think I’ve ever had. Definitely from the high-rep split squats at the end.  Starting to like this late night gym stuff after a late day of work.  Going for a walk and enjoying my morning.  Chest/back tonight and it’s going to be a good one.

Day By Day Armageddon

Last night I was feeling guilty about almost skipping a workout, but I went anyway. Not sure if it was a good idea because my head had been pounding all afternoon and I left after about 20 minutes. 4 sets of incline barbell bench (155 x 6 x 4) and 3 sets of pullups (3-4). My head was throbbing after each set and I was considerably weaker than normal, especially on the pullups. I left so I wouldn’t throw up or hurt myself. At least I got myself to go and I got a number on the incline bench that I can easily improve on. I’m going to add 5-10 pounds a week on that for as long as I can, which would get me to around 205 x 6 in a couple of months or so.

After about a month of good, hard workouts, last week was a tough one. I only did two workouts on Tuesday and Thursday and after planning on going Friday and Saturday, the heat combined with something that happened at work Friday afternoon put me in a mood. Two workouts still isn’t bad, but I had planned on 4. I’m at the stage where I’m so into it that if I skip a workout I start to feel guilty. The two physical therapists at work that lift (who are in their 40s and are much, much bigger than me) have kids and still find time to go as well as do a few other things in their lives, so that means I have no excuses at all. One of them said “You’re 25? You should be in the best shape of any of us!” That’s true.

Feeling better this morning so I’m gonna go for a walk, go to work for a late shift, and then do lower body tonight. I realized my gym is open until 10PM instead of 9PM so the “I got out of work late” excuse doesn’t cut it anymore.

I’m reading another zombie apocalypse book that I borrowed from a PT at work, this one called Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne. This is very different from World War Z because it’s one man’s personal account of the disaster, but it’s still pretty hopeless, at least it is where I am in the book right now (I read half of it yesterday…it was a slow day at work). DBDA is written as a series of journal entries which were originally posted as a soldier’s blog at Tactical Underground. The writing itself isn’t particularly great, as it’s based off of a handwritten journal with spelling and grammar errors, but it’s not supposed to be. It does make it feel more real. From what I understand, the author is an actual soldier fighting in Iraq right now (he will publish the sequel when he gets back from this tour), and despite being far more prepared and trained than the average person in terms of survivalist stuff, (weaponry, home defense, rationing), he is still having a hell of a time with these zombies. I’ve got about 100 pages left so I’ll probably tear through it tonight (or at work again)

Definitely doing lower body tonight, don’t let me tell you other wise.