Geezer's Long March Toward the Elite Sneaking Up On the Finish Line

[tertius]

My concentration was bad today. Lot of work things on my mind and none of them good. Normally I can overcome that, but not today. I may just pull the pin sooner that I planned because I don't need this kind of shit with this much of my active, useful life left.

If you've got the income to manage it, and a plan to stay busy (which I'm pretty sure you do), I'd say go for it.
Work to live, not live to work. If the jobbie job is causing you more stress than the money relieves, then maybe it's not worth it.
But, is it also just a phase? Will things get better, or is the culture of the business just becoming a place that is hostile for you?
If you think it's a permanent shift in a direction you can't tolerate for long, I'd suggest you start planning for an expeditious exit.

But hell, what do I know?

[Mark E. Hurling]

Thank you, the cyclical thing is exactly what is going on right now. But it's uncertain how long it's going to last and how I can put up with what is going on. I already see some changes backing off from the external sources but the internal? Not yet or in the offing so far. Right now it's like being in a nuclear reactor with the control rods pulled out. Profoundly hostile. I suspect in 6 months things might get better because the externalities will have subsided still further and the internal problems will too in response. Or the internal bonzos will self destruct themselves out of being a problem. But no certainty of either one.

I've never been much for a lot of things and money, just enough to be comfortable. Which is the case now. Not expansive, but enough. The keeping busy part I have all figured out. The real anchor is our daughter living with us and not being able to get established on her own with a full time job just yet. I don't intend to pull up stakes and leave on her own to sink or swim from 2000 miles away. She doesn't like CA much anyway, but she was born here and this is where all her friends are. On the other hand I don't want to put her in the position of making a decision to keep us here for her, or the associated guilt that might arise from it. Some of the minor ties are the martial arts connections. Nothing like what I do in IL where we'll move to at some point. Without a black belt, the self defense book(s) I have planned have no credibility and that is a few years off just yet.

The money part looks possible. But I have to decide if I can hunker down and ride it out, or get out while I still have some dignity and self respect intact.

[Jonathon Sullivan]

I've never been much for a lot of things and money, just enough to be comfortable. Which is the case now. Not expansive, but enough. The keeping busy part I have all figured out. (snip) The money part looks possible.

This is me. I spend a lot of time thinking about Second Act these days. No kids to put through college, med school loans are paid off, house is almost paid for...and modern medicine is turning into something I don't want to be a part of much longer. This is heavy shit to think about. Your post didn't exactly take my mind off it.... ;^)

[Mark E. Hurling]

Sorry Sully, but the Brave new World of the current generation of government security representatives along with the new (actually a return to the old) requirements are really wearing thin. With them however, they already seem to getting a grasp of reality outside the direct infulence of the wise Imams in the holy city of (we'll just call it) DC. In any event they'll be rotated out on a routine 18-24 month basis the way they always have been.

But the real issue are the upper level managers on the job who are running around like Michael Jackson with their hair on fire. They never understood the old requirements and got comfortable after 15 years of watching enforcement of them decay. Now that they are back, I'm just about the only one left around who ever understood them. Much good that seems to do me lately. It's time to leave those other damn lame-ass penguins on their unstable ice floe.

The whole physical/technical security thing is a non-fiction book in itself. I actually started working on one nearly 20 years ago and was in contract negotiations with Butterworth's. I wish I had kept or could find my outline for that.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 242

5 minutes warmup on the bike. (Medium Day)

Standing Overhead Press: 145 for 5 sets of 5. The form is clicking along now.

Bentover Barbell Row: 235 for 5 sets of 5.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 242

Work drained the life out of me yesterday and I had nothing left for jujitsu. Damn.

Decided to do a fitness test mode to monitor how well or not the GXP's are doing and scored a 42 VO2 Max! Pretty good considering the excellent range for the 60+ set starts at 36.5. A great return for very little time and relatively low effort invested. No rhabdo required.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 242

5 minutes warmup on the bike. (Light Day)

Bench Press: 175 for 6 sets of 2. Narrow grip and done fast.

Squat: 135 for 3 sets of 6.

Power Snatch: 105 for 3 sets of 3. Form gradually smoothing out.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 244

Woke up feeling creaky in the back and right shoulder. The back is probably from getting adjusted by my chiro on Friday. Getting the chassis realigned can have that effect. So I decided to think through my warmups more carefully today. With variable results.

5 minute warmup on the bike. (Heavy Day)

Bench Press: 270 for 2 singles. I tried for a 3rd but made it only halfway up. Thank God for a good spotter. Since the last few heavy sessions have been a little wobbly, I did fewer reps in the warmup sets and went to singles at 225. I think I have milked these singles for as much as I can. I'll take a run at 280 next week and recover with a 5-3-1 for a while.

Pull Ups: Bodyweight for 5 sets of 3.

Deadlift: Sets of 3, 135-185-225-275. Singles, 315-365. I went for 405 today with high hopes especially after 365 went up without much effort. But I think I did too many warmup sets and should have done my last one at a lower weight. Because I broke 405 off the floor and that was it. Pissed me off, and I waited a little and tried again with the same result. I think it was mainly in my head, but what with my back feeling creaky I decided to try again week after next.

[BillBrownley]

Re:dead lift--definitely too much warm-up IMHO. With deads, if I am going for a record--135 x 5, 50% of anticipated max x 2, 75 % of anticipated max x 1. Then go get it. Thanks, Bill

[Mark E. Hurling]

Yeah, normally its more like 135-225-315 and then a filler with the top effort. I was testing my back on the way up and I tested myself right out of 405.