Urban Nomad

"Commuter: one who spends his life In riding to and from his wife; A man who shaves and takes a train, And then rides back to shave again."
E.B. White

Self-described as in title for past 30 months.  Determined adherence to public transport resulted in one long ass commute for a big chunk of time.
In three working days (or at least office days; they are all working days) gonna lop at least 30 minutes off that sucker each way, an hour a day.

What will you do with that hour ?


Tuesday.  MH stiff guy late.  Been a long time since MH class and we are gonna spend an hour on hamstrings.  It is slow and anyone who has done this for any time knows slow is much harder if one is paying attention.  No cheating with momentum or swift changes.  Has us in high lunge, weight on front and straight liftoff to warrior three, arms back along body, elevated leg straight back, toes to the back wall and weight bearing straight, rooting down through the heel; this is a hamstring class folks.  That all goes awesome and he mutters "nice dt" as he goes by but turns shaky coming out straight up with foot now out front.  It is one of the best things about yoga, moments of complete mastery followed seconds later by moments of complete clodhood.  Hey, that's like a lot of life  "duh;" all in all really good class.
Wednesday.  Insanely busy this week which is right how I like it.  Going to 6:00 and could easily bail but not gonna happen.  Go in like this
Burpee to three pushups to suitcase deads, twin 24, x5
10 front squats, twin 16 in rack
10+10 rows, 65lb dumbbell
30 forward lunges, body weight
x3
2+2TGU x 2 24kg
Coach Dos circuit, 16kg
x2
Going really slow on the TGU.  Kid  a bit more than half my age comes up; digs the TGU.  He is very fit but no Kbell experience.  He picks up the TGU quick and I've heard it taught so manner times can fall into the patter fast.  Trainers and clients stop to watch, bridge, leg swipe, ankle knee hand in line, swipe back from there its a lunge, up, keep shoulder sucked down and back down.  He is pretty happy and I give him ct's name to google and fix whatever I've done to him; it feels good to be old and have young guy coming up for pointers.
Thursday, home but working.  Pact with Ian and Rose is 7:45 walk and it is just butt ass cold in the marsh, phone says 38 degrees.  Starts going off at 7:50 and I am one of those assholes on the phone out in nature but I gotta do this.  Walk takes over two hours stopping for calls and emails and Ian is fit to be tied.  Tough shit kid; I explain to him why it is important and he chills a bit.  We head to 4th street for Christmas shopping but I am working all the time.  Brigid can't stand the folkart craft type stuff but lights up when I buy her an eight pound shot to practice with and she lobbies hard for a heavy bag; that's my girl.  Get home, spend three hours getting tree up, 48 hours to spare.  They are older now and say they don't care anymore - I know better.
Friday.  Haul everyone over to Berkeley and Telegraph ave for shopping.  Fuck the malls, let's do this.  They have a ball.  In and out of record stores and macabre t shirt stalls, C having fun with the artists.  Barry wowed.  Back at 3:00 and pass out for 40 minute, after picking up one more round of guest animals, a terrified cat and a meek chihuahua puppy for Brigid to bond with.
An hour later, contemplating a scotch.  Don't do it: do something else first:
warm up with ten dolphin to dolphin plank, 10+10 16kg one arm swings x 3
Presses
5+5 24kg to 1-3 28kg ladders
10 16kg bootstrap squats
10+10 28kg rows
10 24kg goblet squats
First circuit sucks, really bad.  I fail on the first 28kg single.  If you are not gonna pay attention, go sit on the couch and drink scotch; you can't skate your way through 28kg press ladders at age 51 so be mindful.  Drill it down through the ball of the foot.  Pay attention to your eyes.  Better and by the third circuit MUCH better.
Fry my ass swing session, 45/35, 30 rep pace, 24kg x 10.
Good roast chicken dinner and wrapping.
This morning.  Unwrapping joy.
Into marsh early pm.  Ian and I with Rose.  It is dumping hard.  We are huddled under the massive umbrella, wet and walking.  I am reminded of last year on the 24th, when I pulled out of the parking lot at Target to see otters rocketing out of the western edge.  Where is my peak experience  ?  Yes, how will you wow me now ?  But no real expectation.
We are on the last leg.  We are soaked with the dog ecstatic.  On the eastern edge of the Rowland cinema parking lot there is a sweet little ecotome.  In 100 feet we go from Cattails to Willows to Alder.  Beyond that are railroad tracks, blackberries, asphalt, and 13 mediocre movies.  It is Christmas, the parking lot is full, but we have not seen another soul, save MMWD guy making double over time checking the stability of the levees in this deluge.
We are 200 yards from the asphalt when Ian points out the flash of wings from a pair of Green Herons.  We look closer and it slowly dawns on us we are seeing something awesome.  Stacked in that thin band between water and popcorn are at least two dozen Green and Black Crowned Night Herons.  They are hunkered down against the weather, in this most meager of shelter.  Ian starts the count out.  He stops at 15 but that is just what we see easy.  He asks, "where is your good camera."  For years he has chastised me about the time it takes to stalk the shot and here we are, in the rain, with only a fucking Iphone 4 and what is nothing less than the Serenghetti on a good day.  And he wants to know, despite the wet, mud and discomfort, where is the long lens.  Thank you my son, my thoughts exactly.  We walk the track though we can't wait for shelter.  We flush half the flock and catch some shitty video.  I go home and roast awesome pork and feed the fam.  I am going to remember this day forever; the day Brigid gave me a Grateful Dead T-Shirt and B wore his mask and Ian and I got cold and wet.
I love all of you.
 I mean it, so here is this.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uUHjfamdFo
Merry whatever you choose this time to be.