A Horrible New Project

While Saint Mark's Body continues to plod its way towards (I am hopeful) publication I have begun working on a new book. Sorry, it's not the comedic tale of my neighbors nor is it a sequel to SMB.

I won't say much yet- other than that it's an "alternative historical" set in 1798-1814. Napoleon is in it. Oh, and so is an army of about 10,000 walking undead with muskets and cannons. Working title: [b]Emperor of the Damned[/b]. [I]Quelle horreur![/i]

Writing this one will be like eating candy. I have a draft of the first chapter and am very excited about writing the rest.

Hill Sprints

I began in the gym, and did a circuit between incline presses (taken to the neck-- scary-- Iron Guru style) and one-arm standing cable pulls. Each on the 25-rep plan. Then I headed outside for sprints. I thought I might just run across the parking lot. That's when I saw it-- the tall, steep, earthen berm protecting one of the buildings from a nearby pressurized tank farm. Jeff knows the one I mean, but neither of us can post a picture because of corporate policy.

So you'll have to imagine it. It's easily over ten feet tall because it reaches as high as the building it's next to. The slope is probably between 60 and 70 degrees. It's at one end of a grass field where people sometimes play volleyball. I started at the other end, about 100 meters away, and sprinted across the field and up the hill. I had enough momentum to reach the top in four strides, I think. Then I went down the side of the hill-- the slope I came up was too steep-- and walked/jogged back to the starting point.

By the fourth time I did this, the trucker unloading cryogenic hydrogen into the tank farm was staring. I managed seven before I wasn't getting the same 'pop' to the top of the hill; then I went back inside.

Finished with supramaximal-hold on the flat bench, trying to ramp that back up to 185# again.

I'm back.

Don't worry, I have indeed been working out all this time. Mostly though I have been working on the book in all my spare time. I have been getting a lot of great advice at the absoulutewrite.com "water cooler" forum and I think after another pass through the text I will be ready to get the sucker published.

In the gym today I did clean and jerk for about 40 minutes. I ramped the weight up slowly until I got 145# over my head. No bad effects. I think I will go for a new personal best next week around this time.

Workout Update for 3/3/2009

I seem to have reached a new stability on weight: 144lb before most workouts and 143lb after. I've decided not to risk deadlifts or back squats for a while, and am compensating with other exercises and lifts. It seems to be going well... the pounds I'm lifting are going up on most exercises, the boys in the locker room are saying I'm leaner (stop thinking that, right now.) and my wife pronounced my abdomen "like a rock" (and again, stop thinking that.)

Sunday workout: at home -

• 25 reps on the flat bench with 60# dumbells: superset with DB rows
• Then upstairs to the living room for 25x 20kg kettlebell snatches and 25x clean and jerks (each hand), while watching a dumb movie.

Monday workout:

• front squats: 195# which I think I've never done in a front but have exceeded in a back squat. 25 rep method. Superset with...
• pullups: 20# on the belt; 5sets x 3reps in the "rest-pause" style
• military press: 90# ; 5sets x 3reps in the "rest-pause" style, superset with...
• jump-lunges (that is, do a lunge, jump and switch legs in the air) 5x8, holding 20# dumbells

Tuesday workout (today): I meant to do a 28 minute mayhem, but I had too much fun with the first exercise and stayed with it.

• DB snatch: 65#, did 5sets x 3 reps as a rest-pause. Felt so good I did 3sets x 2 reps at 70#! Each hand, naturally.
• Close grip pulldowns: 155#, 5x3 rest-pause. Superset with...
• Dips; 35# on the belt, 5x3 and then another 4.
• Sprints: 5x one lap track sprints
• Ballistic pushups: 5x5, full airborne each time. Brutal.

Had a big omelet for lunch after.

Meatheads III: the Second Battle of Ypres

Well, they finally got it out. On the second night, aided by pizza boxes, cinder blocks, plywood, and some dude with a flashlight who seemed to understand the procedure of "rocking" a stuck car, the meatheads next door have finally gotten their car out of the mud. Hopefully they have learned their lesson and there will not be a THIRD battle of Ypres next door.

Fig. 1:

Soldiers of the Royal West Surrey Regiment evacuate wounded following the extrication of a mired Toyota Matrix from a rented backyard.