Mental Notes & Random Musings

“Oh God Jack, I can’t wait to hear Nolan now when you call him to tell him that you just tied his no hitter record!” comes booming down that long corridor underneath the park. The long, wet, and scrawny corridor, which Jack has walked down 80 times a year for the last 20 years, still smells funky, but Jack knows that he is going to miss it badly this time next year.  “He’ll remind me that he got about 1500 more strikeouts than me and lasted an extra six years in the game, so I’m going to have to tell him that I’m dating his daughter too,” Jack yells back to John as they make their way onward towards him but then pipes up over the confused look on John’s face “Yeah when he gives me that look I’ll say ‘oh yeah that was the love child your wife had with Seaver’ and then hope that his knee is still bad” and the two of them started cackling away.  The hallway is not much bigger than Lily and her 230-pound brother to walk down, side by side, as Jay is mimicking her every step perfec...

I'm cleaning toilets for $30 a day, because I needed that $30, and people are pointing at me, saying, Look at the big movie star. Look where he is now. I just said, I'm where God put me. ~ Willie Aames

The thing is, when you see your old friends, you come face to face with yourself. I run into someone I've known for 40 or 50 years, and they're old. And I suddenly realize I'm old. It comes as an enormous shock to me. ~ Polly Bergen

I would like to see us get this place right first before we have the arrogance to put significantly flawed civilizations out onto other planets, even though they may be utterly uninhabited. ~ Patrick Stewart

Deltoid Row (Machine Wide Grip Seated) Target Muscles: Latissimus dorsi, Rhomboids, Teres major and minor, Erector spinae, Biceps, Fore-arms, Pectoralis major Starting Position: 1. Sit facing the row machine and place your chest against the pad. Grasp the handles palms facing down in a wide grip. 2. Maintain a normal, slightly curved spinal position. 3. Pull back a little way until your torso is nearly upright and your arms are fully extended. The Movement: 1. Pull the handles towards you until it grips are beside your chest. You should be pulling your elbows and shoulders directly backwards as far as possible. 2. Hold for a count of two; then slowly return to the starting position, maintaining a near ­upright position. Tips: • To achieve maximum rear deltoid development, keep your torso nearly upright during the entire movement - it should not move forwards or backwards more than 10°. • Maintain a normal curve in your back - do not arch your back excessively. • Inhale at the start of ...

Chins (Pull-Ups or Chin-Ups) Target Muscles: Latissimus dorsi, Trapezius, Rhomboids, Infraspinatus, Teres major, Teres minor, Biceps, Posterior deltoids, Forearms Starting Position: 1. Hang from a chinning bar with your hands just over shoulder-width apart, palms facing forwards. 2. Your arms should be fully extended and your ankles crossed. The Movement: 1. Pull yourself up slowly until the top of your chest nearly touches the bar. Lead with your upper chest. 2. Pause for a second or two; then slowly lower back to the starting position. Tips: • Do not swing your legs forwards or jerk as you pull yourself up - this greatly reduces the stress placed on the back muscles. • Fix your eyes slightly upwards as you pull yourself Up, slightly arching your back. • Ensure your trunk and thighs maintain a straight line. • Do not shorten the return phase of the movement - extend your arms fully. Variations: Behind neck: This variation places extra emphasis on the rhomboids and posterior deltoids. ...

I understand that to most people it will be reserved to the movies, and I will admit that the whole scenario is growing more intimidating to me regardless of my acceptance of it. There really is nothing right now that would make me feel any better, but I am starting to believe with every passing moment that there are about a million things that can make me feel worse and that list grows by the minute. I could hear a faint voice that was like a quiet yelling “Stacy, Stacy!” and after looking around in my confusion I saw my son pointing to a corner of the room and just being quiet otherwise. I darted to the corner where my telephone hung from its usual perch on the wall and grabbed the receiver “I’m here Mary, I got rather busy there for a moment and then I spaced out a bit,” my mind started reaching for the right words to avoid having to explain to much like I always do, “I’m sorry that I didn’t get back to you …” She finished my sentence for me, “… but you were sitting there with a sev...