Science Experiment

Lisa learned that when you throw your Chipotle burrito in its paper bag in the microwave, you will actually start a fire. Big one with flames.

I am just glad it wasn't me, or I would have never heard the end of it.

Tuesday Workout or Bulgarian Split Squats are of Satan

Very similar to Monday but with a different 6 exercise.
Deadlifts and Incline dumbbell press
Bulgarian Split Squat and Mixed grip lat pull-downs
Romanian Deadlift and Swiss-ball Lateral Rolls

I had to quit during the second set of the last exercises, but it was the Bulgarians that killed me. Trying to do 15 reps with each leg for each set was almost impossible, and that was without any weights. The last set was more like 6 x 5. My thighs hurt (in a good way) for the rest of the day.

After Dark

After Dark by Haruki Murakami (Alfred A. Knopf), 2004, 191p

I realized a long time ago that most of my reading centered on American or UK writers. The most foreign I ever got was the occasional Australian. I figure a lot of these writers were translated into foreign languages, so conversely foreign writers must be translated into English. Not that it was a secret, I had just not thought about it before. So I actively searched out such writers to broaden my horizons and Japan was one of the first countries I went to. This was mainly due to having family there and figuring one would need to be conversant with their modern literature in polite society (yes, I am being sarky). I am so glad that I did because I found two of my favourite current authors through this process, one being Haruki Murakami (and the other Henning Mankell from Sweden).
The strangest thing with this book and his others is I cannot really tell you why I liked them; just that I did. I get engrossed by the characters and just cannot put the books down and at the end I really cannot tell you what is going on or the big questions being asked. Yet I have loved every one of the 12 I have read.
So I recommend you try one of his shorter ones and see how it goes. Maybe it will strike a chord with you as well. If any of you have a favourite foreign writer (as in their native language is not English) please let me know.

Speaking of Charmed

Lisa and I have seen the first seven seasons on DVD, so over the course of those viewings our kids have picked up a thing or two. Every time, and I mean every time, JT sees a graveyard he yells out “That’s where evil gets married.” On our recent trip to the capitol we visited Arlington National Cemetery. We had a very long talk about what not to say while there.
At one time in the past I may have inadvertently blamed JT for passing gas when in fact it may have been me. Ha Ha, very funny and very fatherly. Except JT’s mind is pretty sharp and he has taken this to mean that whenever or wherever he passes gas he can blame me very loudly. Good times. It proves the admonition of Paul to the Galatians, you reap what you sow.

Entering the Seminary

Back in my mission days we used to have a practice of scrying the BOM at the end of a member visit as a means of a spiritual thought. I am using the word scrying in the Charmed (TV show) sense, as when they would twirl the crystal over a map to locate what they were looking for. BTW, I only watched Charmed for the articles. Anyways, we would flip through the BOM and then jab our finger into them when the person would say when. We then would try to interpret the scripture we landed on as having some import to their life. Harmless fun I am sure, but it does smack a little superstitious to me now.
Well today was Gunnar’s first day of Seminary. I was giving him and another 14 year old a ride to the church when I decided to scry my IPod for a revelatory song. I hit the shuffle and blindly skipped ahead. For the other kid I got You Oughta Know by Alanis Morisette which has the refrain “You live, You learn.” For Gunnar though, I got The Clash’s Should I Stay or Should I Go. Interpret that!

Daily Workout Monday

So I switched up my workout today and like to have killed myself. Each pair of exercises was a superset with 3 sets of 15 and 75 seconds of rest in-between. I kept the weight low intentionally.
Squats (155) and Seated Cable Row (I forget)
Supine hip extension on Swiss ball and Walking lunges with a twist
Dumbbell push press (35) and Swiss ball crunch.
Since I have been doing Squats and Deadlifts all along (other leg/lower body exercise), I avoided Lunges because I do not like them. I started the lunges with weights but had to give them up (the weights) during the first set as I was about to collapse. I ended up with a bruise on my knee due to the strain. I have been humbled, and will never overlook lunges again

Good Father

Lisa has not been feeling well so I offered to take all the kids, minus Gunnar, to the big city with me for my errands. It is a 40 minute drive each way, so quite the commitment. Any way I am going to buy all the wood trim for the finish carpentry for Cenny's room remodel. So I am dressed in my dirty hat, t-shirt, and painter's pants (very stained). Since you are going Lisa says, go by the mall and exchange my stuff at Anne Taylor. Have you guys been to Anne Taylor? The sales lady was very nice, but you could see wanted the scruffy guy with the four little kids out of there pronto. It ended well and I went on to the home improvement store. The big one here is called Menards; well the kids have a slang term called Nards (like 2 veg - as in fruit and two veg). So Me-Nards was very amusing to the lot of them.