Going it "alone"

For those who don't know yet I moved out of the Humphrey's house last Wednesday into my first abode. It a duplex which happened to be just down the street (like with it walking distance) from their house and the church. I was just searching through the classifieds online for the area and called several places and when this lady said "oh we live on Athena circle too" I was like... jackpot!

The place is really pretty cute. It's a duplex with a single entry and a boiler room between the two sides, plus the bedrooms are at the ends of the house and I haven't heard boo from the other people. I've only seen them once, I think it might be an old couple but the lady didn't even look at me when she walked inside... weird, oh well.

The actual apartment is fairly roomy, the main living area and kitchen/laundry are all in the front with two bedrooms and a bathroom in the back, huge closets as well. There's a deep garage for each apartment that are together in a separate building. Naturally I've got a world class crossfit affiliate started up in it, complete with rings, kettle bells, a squat rack, medicine balls, two oly bars and more steel that two people could ever move at once. All I need is a rower and I'll be "increasing my work capacity across broad time and modal domains" like a big dog.

So last Wednesday to get the place livable I spent about $250 and today spent another $300 and I still don't have ANY furniture. I had my buddy Dave over to check the place out Sunday and we ate sitting on my bed, which is a queen size -mattress-... (as in, on the floor, no box spring, trailer park style) Travis was gonna trash it so he just gave it too me.

I used the pastors trailer to get my stuff over there and it worked really well accept that the thing is much longer than it looks like it is out the rear view mirrors and I managed to back it into garage on day one. The land lord wasn't mad at all though he just gathered his tools together and (being an old guy) just pointed and coached me into pounding and screwing it back together. Glad that didn't turn out any worse. The annoying thing was that backing it was pretty hard but I did really good turning it around I just couldn't see the end of it and didn't realize it... lesson learned "NEVER BACK A TRAILER WITH OUT SOME ONE BEHIND YOU WATCHING"
(or just don't be a retard, that works good too)

So back to buying stuff for the place... I walked around freds today with a cart full of homey touches (like a lamp, and a vacuum cleaner, a broom, garbage bags) It was so awkward, I felt like everyone was staring at me thinking: "Why is that huge 12 year old buying all those Wifey/Mom things?" At one point I just wanted to ditch my cart in a back aisle and run out of the store crying "I want my Mommy!" I'm normally just a hand cart, in and out, man alone, runnin' and gunnin' style; Turkey breast, apples, almonds and beat a hasty retreat. This was a different animal.

Spending this kinda time alone and trying to create a working (though one man) house hold makes me think it'd be really nice to be married when I'm doing all this. Watching Caleb and Lisa doesn't to much to dissuade these thoughts. I just read "Watership Down" which is an amazing, epic adventure story about rabbits who leave their warren to start another one. After doing so they realize the don't have any does (i.e. purdy girl bunnies) So the last half of the book is about the liberating some from a terrible oppressive warren who doesn't need them yet wants them anyway. Today in Fred Meyer I was thinking this would be a lot more fun if I had a pretty little doe on my arm... Not at all to be confused with a pretty little "doh", those only come in one size... big, and uh... hairy. Though one of those wouldn't be too bad I guess. (For those unaware "Doh" in a nick name for Noah G. my good friend and a... "Traveling Christian")

At any rate I won't live there alone for too long, the point of me getting a two bedroom house was that my Brother Elliot is coming to go to school here so I offered to let him stay with me. He should be driving up the end of August.

Having some space to go it alone isn't all bad though. I'm not as distracted with other peoples activities and have found more time to read my bible and just enjoy things like washing dishes, cooking, listening to music. I never did listen to music except in my car. But now it's either music or deafening silence.

Cooking has been fun. I've been asked by several concerned women "What are you going to eat!, Aaron... can you cook?" (all of whom, btw, are welcome to come cook for me) I've really been eating very well. Sunday I made Dave and I and I spinach salad with bacon, sauteed onions, orange bell peppers, pepper jack cheese, and avocado. I had blue cheese dressing and he had a honey mustard dressing, very tasty (and no fast carbs) for dinner last night I had scrambled eggs with meat and cheese added in, apples with peanut butter and strawberries for desert (also no fast carbs). For lunch/dinner ( not sure what to call that meal you have at 4:00 because you at breakfast at 10 and were in town all day) at way it was delicious as well: A diagonally cut hot link with pepper jack cheese and sauteed onions. Steamed Broccoli with the honey mustard dressing (is more like a honey mustard flavored ranch dressing that a mustard at all), also no fast carbs... are we noticing a trend here?

Honestly I don't plan on ever letting things like bread, pasta, cereal flower or sugar into my house. I find generally white powders and things made from them are bad and bad for you. I also don't have a microwave on purpose... and I won't be pursuing broadcast television. A friend's house back in Juneau (the navy Seal's family) doesn't have any of these things (maybe the white powders) and their kids are very intelligent and athletic. They seem well spoken and very driven.

Don't get the wrong idea though fan kids.. I'm still making very regular appearances at the Humphreys house, though some are happier about it than others about it. The Pastor said he was going though withdrawals, and when I showed up at 10pm he said "You need to come check in a little earlier". Jordan on the other had has said all of "don't eat that I'm taking it for lunch in the morning" too me. (I think he's just jealous I moved out and he's left all alone.)

I'm still waiting to get internet hooked up at my place so I won't have any pictures until then, maybe never... I am nevertheless compelled to leave you with an unrelated parting thought in the form of a picture:

Enjoy

Wing Suit

Wingsuit BASE, getting better from neil amonson on Vimeo.

haiku

Assassins creed 2

Here we approach what may be the greatest video game ever... enjoi

Big Fat Lies

This video will change the way you perceive obesity. Conventional wisdom says that if you eat excessive calories and are sedentary you are going to be fat. So what happens when a person looks for exceptions to this rule, an area where this hypothesis doesn't apply?

Gary Taubes is just such a man. This video gets a little scientific but if you just listen and don't worry about it to much you'll be amazed and what scientists knew 50 years ago but we've forgotten and only then gained and obesity epidemic.

I know its long but it is AMAZING, watch it in a few sessions if you have to but seriously watch it.

Why functional movements?

I don't care how much you can curl, I don't care how long you walked... and I REALLY don't care if you can do a 3/4 squat for 2 minutes... what matters is power out put. Moving a load a set distance and quickly, that is power and that is what will effect change in fitness infinitely more than holding a squat (which is some load, no distance traveled and some time (hence ZERO power output)

Scoff all you want but for some fire, police, military, (sadly not nursing). Fitness=survival.

Why deadlifts mixed with running and airsquats for time? why pullups and not the lat pull down machine... why thrusters and not calf raises? why rowing and not pilates? why box jumps and not an elliptical.

Power is the reason.

Is this different for women? nope... sorry

Not for the video "Fran" mentioned is the name of a work out.

Double feature: Mice with knives...

MICE

well the other day I heard some "sckritching" yes thats right, I herd a sckritch... its the sound a mouse or other small mammal makes (babies are included sometimes...) any way I though I was crazy the first time then I heard it again in another spot... now I was getting a bit freaked out. I walked over to where the nose was and found a disguarded popcorn bag from a viewing of "24" after asking Jordan if he knew what it was i saw the culprit. It was a cute little vole. big ears, whiskers little pot belly. The works, I instantly started cooing with delight like when Miss Suzie gets to hold and especially fat baby. I found a mouse trap pretty quickly and discussed our options with Jordan. I didn't think jord would tollerate it so I though we'd best get down to buisness. After a bit of discussion we decited that it wasn't really bothering either of us. This is when I remembered a design for a live trap.




This is about how ours works, except We're using a skipole and a toilet paper tube. I saw where they come into the house so I just put the bottom of the ramp right there. I caught one yesterday a red mouse, let him go, two more yesterday brown ones, jord was petting one and it jumped out of his hands but I think we've got him back as their's two in there again.


Mack (the knife)

I used to work in a knife store so I know about lots of different brands and what's good and whats junk. After needing a knife one too many times and not having one I decided to just get the one I've always wanted. without getting into artiasan/hand made knives Benchmade is as good as it gets. check this out:



I've always though this was one of their best looking folders. I think I had one in high school but lost it, hopefully this one does better.



In other news I went fly fishing for the first time today, Jordan did pretty well but I didn't catch anything, that's OK it was good shoulder rehab (yeah I hurt my shoulder on our memorial day hike... sledding of all things believe it or not...)

also as we were driving home today there was a huge smoke header coming up from right around our neighborhood, We were all pretty worried at one point that I might be coming from somewhere on our the Humphrey estate but It wasn't. Jordan tried to call the house but no one answered, that freaked us out a but. Turns out they were in town and no one was home anyway.