Shoup Airlines

Boo!

This is your brain.

This is your brain on retirement.

My mom and step dad, folks!  And you wonder (or maybe you don’t) why I’m a bit odd. Happy Halloween, everyone!

What Goes Around…

If any of you have been watching the MLB playoffs, you know the Tigers and Cards are in the finals. What you may not have seen are these Tommy Lasorda bits that are somewhat funny especially if you have a rivalry with certain teams. The first one is for you, Ini…

This second one is what brings me to my point…

Tommy is so snarky in these commercials and I think it had a lot to do with his (and my) beloved Dodgers being in the playoffs. Now that they’ve been handed their arses in a neatly pitched breaking ball, I think Mr. Lasorda needs to make another commercial. One with a Dodgers fan (I suggest a whimpering Tommy) being teased. It’s only fair and pretty damn funny, I think.

I’m gettin’ too old…

This weekend was another Guard weekend, and to make it extra special we had to take our annual APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test). I don’t think I ever went into this during Basic and AIT, but it seemed like every time I turned around we were taking another PT test. When all was said and done we took four tests in Basic and another four in AIT.

The test isn’t difficult, you just feel ragged at the end if it. There are three events: push ups, sit ups and a 2 mile run. You have two minutes to max out the repetitions in the first two events and then of course you just run as fast as you can for 2 miles. Each event has a max score of 100 and it’s weighted by age. On a side note, I’ve always found it odd that my age range, 27 to 31, has the highest repetitions and shortest time to max out the test.

To make a long story epically longer, I slacked off after getting out of training back in July so I wasn’t quite the same physical specimen. I was most worried about the run and how much time I would add since my best of 13:24 back in AIT. Apparently, the worrying worked because I only added 20 seconds and that ain’t too shabby for carrying an additional 15 pounds!

The down side? My calves have filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. They each feel like a rubber band stretched as far as possible with a nail dragging itself lengthwise across the band with each step I take. I look like Frankenstein’s monster every time I get up and try to walk until my calves relent enough for me to at least look like a low grade looney walking down the hall. And wincing through my head with each step, “and you’re going to run a marathon in February?”

I went for a 5 mile run today and stretched the calves back out. They’re a bit tight still, but better I think. It always amazes me how any aches and pains I have at the start of a run go away within the first quarter mile. I guess tomorrow morning’s crawl out of bed will be the presiding judge in this corporeal suit.