Jim Skipper Will Be Working Out Now

June 22, 2008
I brought home the Tire yesterday.
The 300 Workout at YouTube.
My tire workout from last year. (QuickTime mov 2.7 MB)

June 21, 2008
Spartan Body For Life Program starts Monday.

March 10, 2008
Four hours shoveling manure, after repairing the front gate, while She went riding. Then She pressured washed the trailer. When we got home, I made pan-roasted swordfish with a peppercorn buerre sauce. I'm cool.

March 9, 2008
It was a good day yesterday, the kind of day where you come home and have to take off your clothes outside. We dropped in on Her mom and dad lunchish. We went to the hardware store to get a manual grass sweeper - basically a scythe - so we could trim some of the back yard and take the grass to the horses. It was good smelling grass. I also bought a large "grain" shovel to shovel manure and leaves.

On the way in though, we bought a chainsaw at Sears. We were going to use one of Her gift cards, but Sears would not take American Express, so we just bought it. We used the chainsaw to cut out all the nasty tallow trees growing up under the edge of the barn. I shoveled manure for a couple of hours. I really have to do it more often so it does not collect. I told Her I should have just diverted a river.

She went to Tran's for Gatoraid and beef jerky and came back with Vietnamese jerky. Good stuff, it turned out. It was called BBQ beef jerky, but you could see red pepper seeds all over it. It tasted like the skin on overcooked Chinese pork ribs.

Once we got home and cleaned up, we watched The Illusionist with Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti and Jessica Biel. Very interesting show.

$4250.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth.

March 1, 2008
We woke up early and drove down to Tom Bass Park in Pearland to join Hank on a two-hour hike. The fog was incredible. When we got to the park, there was Harris county deputy guarding the gate. It was supposed to be closed so the Rodeo could house their horses there. He had no idea about the Boy Scout hike, but the location they were supposed to meet was indeed through his gate. After a call to the rodeo, he let us through.

One hundred yards up the road was the amphitheater and several cars and scouts, completely hidden from the gate by the dense fog. They had been coming in from another gate. A couple hours later, when the fog burned off, you could plainly see where the deputy was from where we were and vice versa, but in the fog he had know idea there were all those people sneaking in behind him.    I need to use that in a game!

The hike went well. Everyone else had 30 pound packs on. I went and bought a pack that I can load for weights next time.

The rest of the day was spent at doing a little shopping (my pack, some goceries, playing cards and floormats), Her sister's daughter's first birthday party, then the horses. I hauled 8 50 pound bags of feed and oats, so got bonus exercise.

Watched Saturday Night Live. Hillary's cameo was cool. The audience loves that, don't they? I fell asleep on the big couch and Hank fell asleep on the floor. A good day.

I picked up some random decks of playing cards. The coolest is a pair of standard Bicycle playing cards, but it is all in purples. Spades and Clubs are a cool purple; Hearts and Diamonds are a warm purple.

Leap Day, 2008
Leap Day should be a national holiday. For hourly employees it does not matter, but for salaried employees, it is an extra day of work that our employers get for free. Sure, February is a short month, but it is always a short month, even in Leap Year. Employers know there are only 28 days in February - just as employees know there are 29 days in February in a Leap Year, still, my next contract will specify Leap Day as a paid holiday. Hmmph.

On another note, I made and received my first order from Mr. Poker Chips. Great prices, quick delivery and great items. I got a red and blue deck of Spanish playing cards. These have the traditional suits of coins, swords, cups and staves. There are only 12 cards per suit. The 10 is Page, the 11 Jack and 12 King. There is no Queen.