Retro Active

Yes, dear readers... that was yours truly decked out in a Spidey suit in yesterday's post. We took our cousin Becky out to celebrate her 21st birthday (which just so happens to fall on Halloween), and my costume for the upcoming Heroes & Villains exhibition came in handy for the occasion... don't blame me for the mess at Bombers Burritos though... that was Becky getting a little carried away with my webshooters.

I tell ya, squeezing into a skin-tight Spider-Man costume sure does get you motivated to hit the gym... not that I was a slouch before, but I've been hitting the treadmill even harder this week to do "Justice" to the "Marvels" pictured in Alex Ross' illustrations. As always, music helps keep me going... here is a sample of what I'm listening to:



JD McPherson sounds like someone you might discover in some old vinyl record collection from the 1950s. In fact, he's a modern artist (and former art teacher) from the southern United States, who started as a punk rocker and then turned towards more rockabilly and roots style music... I have probably mentioned before that I love that kind of stuff, and his album Signs & Signifiers is pretty tasty. It's something you might imagine being played during the "Enchantment Under The Sea Dance" in the movie Back To The Future, and funny enough, someone else thought so too in this YouTube mash-up! 

Another cool retro sound is from the UK band Django Django. What we have here is a bit of 80s electro fused with 60s garage rock/psychedelic. It's all quite interesting... their song "Default" sounds like robots channeling Donovan... or something. Me like:



It's funny how the freshest stuff also sounds retro to me... at least this time it's not classic soul. Anyway, a nod to the past as we look forward... it's going to be a busy week ahead, with the exhibition, election, and a quick trip back to my hometown! I've got the new Shins to accompany that drive...

Band Websites: 

www.jdmcpherson.com

www.djangodjango.co.uk

Pole Position

Well I have been interested, but haven't really managed to watch much of the Olympics this summer. I catch glimpses here and there... swimming like the dolphins can swim, knock-down volleyball matches, gravity-defying gymnastics, and this event, which I actually used to do for a brief spell back in high school:

Well... she makes it look a lot better than I did (uh, yeah... I better watch that again). Actually, Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva was on "track" to be the first woman in history to win the same individual event in three straight Olympics, but Team USA put a stop to that--last Monday, Jenn Suhr of nearby Fredonia, New York, won the gold medal for polevaulting, after clearing 4.75 meters at her second attempt (Isibayeva took the bronze, behind Yarisley Silva from Cuba, who won silver). As for the men, it sounds like an interesting year... with a #PoleVaultersMutiny over how many competitors will be in contention for a medal tomorrow (14 over the planned 12), and... this (oh snap!).

I'm actually much more into running now than I was back in my high school track days. Over the last decade, I have gone through periods where I have been pretty active with my running (and my legs prove it). 

Following our wedding, I have found myself a little exhausted and overbooked to keep a consistent workout routine... and I've been feeling it. Some aches and stiff back last night told me that I have to find a way around this.

So... this morning I woke up early and went for a good, healthy run in the Hudson Valley--first thing, right before work and other distractions entered my field. The difference in the way I felt was obvious as the day wore on. 

Again and again I realize that it's better to just face life's adversity head-on, and do away with it. I have had some rather blue feelings over the last couple weeks, but am finding new ways to deal with that, rather than just accepting it. Some of my hang-ups have been rather silly, but it still has something to do with my sense of controlling my own destiny.

We're getting ready for a weekend camping trip with some longtime friends--I'm looking forward to getting out in the fresh air, but also anxious to get back next week to continue some of my independent creative projects... yes, looking to vault ahead even further in the second half of 2012.

http://www.london2012.com

Coming on Strong

As of today, there are exactly six months until our wedding. In some ways it seems like a long way off, but it was about five months ago that I proposed to Sarah, so I know how fast the time can go! Sarah is looking up wedding songs at the moment-- I have pretty strong ideas about what I want played, but I have to be fair and give her a chance to also make some decisions... I guess! ;)

Today I finally managed to get back to the gym here in Schenectady. It has been a busy year so far-- with weekly trips back and forth to New York City, and working on various theater and video productions-- apart from taking some long walks during my lunchtime in Stockbridge, I haven't managed to get back to throwing some weights around. I do well with bench marks (no pun intended), so it is fitting that this day that looks forward to six months would be the day I start back in...

The truth is that I do so much better when I am exercising regularly. I feel more relaxed and in control--both emotionally and physically. I notice my posture, my breath support... that is especially true when I need to serve as a spokesperson at the Museum, and when I try to sing. I really would like to do more singing this year, and gaining that extra support from strengthened muscles around my diaphragm is crucial. In fact, if the improv thing takes off, I would benefit from the same.

I feel good... a little tired near 10 p.m., but that's a good thing-- I'll hopefully sleep better (and my girl is always telling me I need to get to bed earlier). The tricky thing is when to get these workouts in. It takes me about an hour drive back and forth to work, so the best time often is to get it in before I head to work. That means an early day-- getting up around 5:30 a.m. to hit the gym by 6 a.m. If I can manage, it's great-- I don't have to worry for the rest of the day.

One thing I need to figure out is when I am back in Hudson A Planet Fitness gym just opened there, and I paid them a visit last Monday to check out the scene. To be honest, it was a little odd. They bill themselves as a "no-judgment" zone, but I think their efforts are a little heavy-handed. You walk in the place and there's a big sign that says "check your egos here," but I didn't see a coat rack. Sign, sign, everywhere a sign... telling all of their rules. Apparently the chain has a "no grunting" policy, and there have been some news stories about guys getting kicked out for, well, being guys! It's a little strange. I'm no fan of the whole "musclehead" thing, but there's something a little ironic about a place marketing  itself as non-judgmental being one of the most discriminatory I have seen:



But maybe I will look into it-- Hudson's such a small town, so there's not many options (and the $10 a month membership is hard to beat). But I will be sure to boycott their pizza nights, Tootsie Rolls, and other silly things that seem to be the antithesis of what a "real gym" should be all about.

Anyway, I'm back on track, and looking forward to getting into great shape-- and now I have one more thing to keep track of on this blog.... arrrgh.