Random thoughts on a Thursday

As I sit here tonight to type up this little ditty it dawned on me that I originally was going to write this up as an insight into my daily thoughts so as to have a way for my daughter to maybe later in her life to understand how her daddy thinks. I guess I have done this in a roundabout way but usually I harp on one issue. Today was just one of those days where there were multiple streams of thoughts and random things that occurred. Enough set up, let’s get to this. First thing this morning after getting the Pod to school was heading straight to WIU to get workout number one done for the day. The weight room at Webber is always a mix of personalities and fitness levels but one thing it always is, it is a workout house and nothing more. Today the head football coach was in there and just pouring sweat. There was also another older man doing rehab with one of the strength and conditioning coaches. As I started my warm up I was talking to the coach and both of us were discussing that we do what we do not to compete with those we coach but to show them that we are willing to put in the work and that we will not put up with any excuses. After an absolutely devastating workout I hustled home for a little lunch. My in-laws just came back from a cruise and gave me a gift set of different sauces. To add a little pop to my leftovers I decided to try one of them today. When the label says “Hell Fire Sauce” one should probably believe it. The flavor was spectacular and so was the heat. After a little three alarm lunch I went through some social networking and I guess since I follow a lot of motorsports people Thursday’s are the day to get random shots of airports, jets, and landscapes. I don’t mind them one bit, maybe I am envious or really just have a dream of being one of the people on the guy all the time, but I really get perturbed that people post so much angst at other peoples’ lives. Why would you follow someone that makes you want to post something rude about their way of life? We follow them because we appreciate their talents. Their talents have afforded them the opportunity to travel differently than most of us and most of the time it is necessity and not just to show off. After looking at people’s posts on headaches, moving, being pissed at somebody from the bar, and hating their exes I would rather look at travel photos anytime. Digestion was now complete and it was time for workout number two. This quick run was actually really fast. It was hot but it was over so fast that time just passed and the next thing I knew I was back at the house and getting ready to go watch Pea Pod at her piano lesson. This is where scheduling came into play today. Not my scheduling but other people’s scheduling. The lesson was fine and as long as she practices she will be okay. The scheduling issue is that the teacher scheduled the recital for one time but needs to change it. No big deal except we, along with most other people in the world, live on a schedule. One day can make a big difference and now there is a good possibility that we will not be attending a recital this year. Oh well, teach her a good lesson about time management and move on to the summer. The lesson concluded with some good advice from the teacher; intensify your practice to get the results you need. I thought that was actually good wisdom. After a quick change it was time to go to the barn. Yes, I know the barn has become our second home. The people are nice and the horses are becoming cooler every day. On the way to the barn I asked the pod what she was going to accomplish today and she stated that she was going to give her boy, Johnnie, the day off. Instead she was going to work with the little mare pony she has been tasked to teach manners to. I really appreciated her thought process and her responsibility towards this job she has been allowed to undertake. The actual stay at the barn had no great stories but I did receive two texts that really gave me two different feelings. The first was from a friend that received some disappointing news. He is so cool because even though he received the bad news he is already looking ahead and has some positive things occurring. Perspective of events on individual levels is always an amazing thing to me. The next text was just a thank you. I wrote something from the heart and the message was received. You never know how what you say or write will affect people. Choose your thought carefully, whether they are positive or negative. By now time has ticked away and dinner was becoming a fast food necessity. McDonald’s was the choice for this evening and it is always a great place to watch people. I never knew that the Sheriff’s office has undercover Hyundai Tuscon’s. Well they do and he pulled over someone in the parking lot while we were eating. The funniest thing I saw today was the gangster women at RaceTrac. She was wearing a bandana, a Chicago Bulls hat backwards, and purchased a 4 Locos for the road. I think I passed her relative while I was driving home when I passed a junked out dude cruising on a 3-wheeled bicycle down the middle of the road. Random thoughts on a productive day and I love the canvas I get to use to create my picture. We all see the same world but our pictures of it always look different. Today’s workouts consisted of two different things. The gym workout was 3 rounds for time of 7 handstand pushups, 9 kettle bell swings, and 11 bar facing burpees. The run was a ladder. For the handstand pushups I used my TRX attached to the squat rack. I wasn’t completely vertical but I am getting closer. For the kettle bells I used a 30 pound dumbbell and I put 35 pound weights on a straight bar to jump over for the burpees. The workout was completed in 14:12. The run was 1 minute on 1 minute off, 50 seconds on 1 minute off, 40 on 1 off, 30 on 1 off, 20 on 1 off, and 10 on. All runs were done at a sprint, or at least I felt like I was sprinting. Today was a good day. Of course it was my choice whether it was going to be good or bad.

How was your Wednesday of your "Short Week"

So it’s Wednesday and everybody is pumped because it is a short week. On the radio, people you see out and about, and especially those people with normal work schedules. Well, Wednesday for me was simply an off day from working out. Nothing to rush for except trying to get the bike done in anticipation of late August. After taking Brianna to school I headed over to the Croley shop (garage) and Jason and I began the putting back together process of what we had dismantled. The shock and forks freshly oiled from their visit to SIX12 Suspension, tires with new bearings, a new set of handle bars, and a new clutch lever were the items to put back on. All was happening in a flash as the day sped on and our work up to that point was just spot on. Getting to a stopping point it was time for a quick lunch at good ole’ Fat Boy’s. Jason and I sat at the table and were solving all the problems in the motocross and off-road world. After a quick bite it was back to the shop to begin another tear down process. I know, I said we were putting things back together and we did, but now we were getting into the engine. Some things were easy and others were just a little tougher than anticipated. The silencer was repacked in about one and a half minutes. This was cool because the last time I had to do this little project it took at least one hour, maybe two. The jug which houses the piston did not go so easily. Jason dropped one of the bolts off the water pump down into the impeller. This could have been catastrophic if it were not for this snazzy little magnetic pole that I happen to have at my disposal. After averting the tragedy we attempted to remove the jug and noticed that it did not clear the frame. We then removed the radiators out of the way and still no jug removal. Okay, this has to come off so what is the next thing we can take apart? Let’s take off the head of the jug. Finally, with some finagling we wriggled it out of it spot and then the jug decided that it would allow itself to be removed from the lower case. We dismantled the carburetor, took apart the sub-frame, and cleaned (chiseled) away the months, okay years, of grime that had accumulated on these pieces. Just for giggles we took off the ignition cover and then realized we were going to need some new bolts. This gave us the excuse we needed for a little shopping trip to our local Tractor Supply. Instead of the silly Yamaha Phillips head screws we have opted for the hex head bolts. Once we got back Senior Croley was there to inspect our craftsmanship and determine if the jug was in acceptable shape for the rebuild. All was well so now we are waiting on three more pieces to hopefully complete the YZ rebuild some time next week. We still need the replacement piston, fuel cock, and hour meter. The last one is because Jason says my maintenance habits need reminded and that I will not be able to ignore the clock. Whatever, as long as I have him in my pits he will be my hour meter. Just kidding, but not really. My day was over at around 5 pm so in reality I had a normal working day. I worked, took breaks, ate some lunch, worked, took some breaks, and then came home. That wasn’t so bad. Well, it is about 9:30 now and the ladies are just settling in from a busy day at the barn. There are always good stories that come from the barn. Today was no different. The ladies are learning what muscles they need to enhance to better post on the English trot and the Western jog. Gentleman, yes your imagination will take control of this vision. The only problem with your vision is that my nine year old daughter has to do these exercises and that is just wrong. It’s now 9:45 and piano practice for the Pod is just about over. Early evenings in this house are nonexistent and I don’t know if I could have it any other way. I don’t have a traditional schedule when I am working and I definitely don’t have one while I am off. At this point in my life I don’t think I would trade it. Okay, if the right job, position, or dream hit me maybe I would think about it but it sure is nice to have off on a Wednesday during everyone else’s short week to work on my motorcycle.