sen

Keep a diary of what you're hitting, what's frustrating you, and your goals.
Post Reply
User avatar
sen
Post Master General
Posts: 2648
Joined: 08 Mar 2003 19:29
Location: Coaldale, AB, CA
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by sen » 14 Sep 2012 14:43

When it rains it pours.

Let's recap for those keeping score at home:

1. miscarriage that pretty much shot my wife into depression and didn't do much better for me.

2. Cost of living rises so far we can't afford to live even though we both have full time jobs. This means we need to leave this town. Great.

And in new news:

3. Early genetic testing has come back positive for our child to be born with Down Syndrome.

I've heard it said that bad things come in groups of 3 so I guess we're done. I should note that the testing isn't nearly 100% accurate. I think we have a 1:1000 chance right now that our child will have Down Syndrome. We're going for more testing soon. We had an emergency ultrasound today. Some good news came from that. There are 2 types of Down Syndrome: The type that is compatible with life and the type that is not compatible with life. The type that isn't means the child is born with one heart chamber instead of 4. In the ultrasound today, even with my untrained eyes, I saw at least 2 heart chambers. YAY!! I still worry about how we would be able to care for a child with special needs.

We have decided to move to Lethbridge. We have been scouring the papers and the net for places to live and there just isn't anything available here. So... we're leaving. We'll try to stick it out until February when Natel starts maternity leave.

Sorry my blog has been full of such downers lately. It's kinda a safe place where I can write and know that my family or coworkers aren't going to see it.

Muffinman
the gimp
Posts: 10373
Joined: 21 Apr 2002 15:34
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by Muffinman » 14 Sep 2012 21:55

I'm sorry to hear about all of the bad news, Tony.
I hope things look up in future.

On the plus side, Lethbridge has possibly the best, most consistent bubble tea I've ever tasted, with many different flavours and lots of calpis options! They also have the best Taiwanese sweet toast I've ever tasted -- "fluffy cream" flavour spread :) I think it was called Tea Castle at the university. It's possible that I might visit some time (December?) as my ex-girlfriend's mom might pay for me to drive her car from there back here to London.

Good luck with everything.
I find that hacky helps a lot in sucky times.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by C-Fan » 17 Sep 2012 13:38

Yeah man, just wanted to chime in and say I hope things turn out well. With the baby, it sounds like it's too early to tell how things will turn out. As for the move, that could end up being a very good thing, especially if the food's as good as Erik describes. Anyway, just wanted to pop in and let you know we're pulling for you. I also agree with Erik that hacky can really help sometimes when the stress is high.

Best wishes Tony.

boyle
Post Master General
Posts: 3146
Joined: 19 Sep 2007 23:42
Location: Canberra, Australia
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by boyle » 18 Sep 2012 10:43

Hi Tony

Just wanted to pop in as well and say all the best. Hopefully things come together for you and the move could be a good start in that. Best of luck with everything.

User avatar
sen
Post Master General
Posts: 2648
Joined: 08 Mar 2003 19:29
Location: Coaldale, AB, CA
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by sen » 04 Nov 2012 19:01

I was going to just pop in write, "I played Footbag today." but that was before I found these nice posts! I thought I had it set to e-mail with responses to my blog, but I never got alerted these were here.

Thanks guys. :)

I guess I'll update ya'll. We're for sure moving. But not until February. You should postpone that trip Erik. :wink: As for the Down Syndrome. We went to Edmonton for 'Genetic Counseling' and they wanted to something with a fancy name I forget, but which basically boils down to sticking a big needle into the uterus and pulling out some juice to test. They told us this has a 1:200 chance of causing a miscarriage. We don't exactly feel like going through another miscarriage. The way I looked at it was that if we would consider aborting the pregnancy if the results came back positive for sure, then we'd go for it. But there's no chance we would do that. Down Syndrome or not, we'd love the kid. Would just be a lot harder if it's down syndrome. :-( Anyway, we convinced them to give us an ultra sound with a professional pre-natal specialist type doc looking for soft signs of Down Syndrome. They didn't find any. :) Before that ultrasound they said our baby had a 1:100 chance of being born with Down Syndrome. Afterwards they down graded that risk to 1:225. That's not odds I would gamble on so we feel a lot better about the situation now.

My hacky today felt decent. I'm back to being out of shape though. Had a few strings I smiled about.

Also, I'm taking an online course on Python programming. It's tough but interesting. I wish I had paid closer attention in Math class.

Muffinman
the gimp
Posts: 10373
Joined: 21 Apr 2002 15:34
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by Muffinman » 04 Nov 2012 19:25

Good luck with the baby situation, Tony.
I also stopped getting email notifications for replies to my blog -- annoying. Maybe Allan can fix that.
Also, I took half a term of a course on Python last year at U of T. I dropped out though, 'cause the logical thinking killed my head in contrast to all the history and literature papers I was writing. I had to donate my $150 practically unused textbook 'cause they wouldn't give me anything for it :cry:

User avatar
sen
Post Master General
Posts: 2648
Joined: 08 Mar 2003 19:29
Location: Coaldale, AB, CA
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by sen » 04 Nov 2012 19:34

Oh ya, I forgot to mention a few things about baby - it's a girl and is gonna be named Mara Jade.

I've been trying to learn computer programming for a while now. I want to learn to make apps for android and I took some tutorials and the like with that in mind, but I could wrap my mind around it on my own. I found a course from the University of RICE with video lectures, quizzes, mini projects and peer grading. It's awesome. courera.org has a lot of great courses for anyone interested. I'm making pong this week. :D

Erik, thoughts on the Disney purchase last week?

Muffinman
the gimp
Posts: 10373
Joined: 21 Apr 2002 15:34
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by Muffinman » 05 Nov 2012 04:49

Neeerrd ;)
I actually don't know too much about Star Wars. I think my girlfriend is more of a nerd -- she told me who Mara Jade is. Is your wife equally nerdy? I haven't been following what's happening. Is there a new trilogy in the works? I liked your points on Facebook about Marvel. If I remember, Disney bought Marvel because it was going bankrupt. I remember Marvel was in trouble since I was in high school and I don't feel that new ownership has really compromised them in any noticeable way. If anything maybe Disney ownership has helped with production of all of their successful movies? I don't know how you felt about the first three (chronological) Star Wars movies, but I couldn't stand them. So I just hope they don't repeat whatever mistakes were made in making those films...

User avatar
sen
Post Master General
Posts: 2648
Joined: 08 Mar 2003 19:29
Location: Coaldale, AB, CA
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by sen » 05 Nov 2012 06:37

No, my wife isn't too nerdy. She really doesn't like Star Wars at all. She's into Star Trek though, which I also enjoy, just not as much the Wars. The day the Disney purchase was announced they also announced Episode VII would come out in 2015. With the plans to do a new feature film every 2-3 years after that. Since then rumours of all sorts have been flying, but nothing more official has been said.

While I like the Original Trilogy more, I really don't mind the prequels too much. I was still in school when they came out, in fact I think I was in Grade 6 when Episode I came out. I remember my mom pulling me out of class to go see it. I had seen the OT hundreds of times by then, but I was young enough that Jar Jar didn't drive me crazy, and I enjoyed the fact the Force was explained a bit. But overall I can see how they aren't as good as the originals and how it cheapened Star Wars' mystery and intrigue. I don't think Disney will do worse.

My main fear is what will happen to the EU.

User avatar
C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
Posts: 11366
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 23:51
Location: Denver
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by C-Fan » 05 Nov 2012 14:34

sen wrote:My main fear is what will happen to the EU.
Me too. Their currency is in trouble, austerity measures appear to be hurting their economies worse, and the tough economic times are making the ugly far right factions gain strength (like Golden Dawn in Greece).

Muffinman
the gimp
Posts: 10373
Joined: 21 Apr 2002 15:34
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by Muffinman » 05 Nov 2012 16:08

I was going to say that I don't know what EU is, but Ken's notorious sarcasm forced me to look it up.

User avatar
sen
Post Master General
Posts: 2648
Joined: 08 Mar 2003 19:29
Location: Coaldale, AB, CA
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by sen » 05 Nov 2012 16:50

I like cake.

User avatar
sen
Post Master General
Posts: 2648
Joined: 08 Mar 2003 19:29
Location: Coaldale, AB, CA
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by sen » 05 Nov 2012 19:31

Played again tonight.
Total time 60 minutes.
Not all footbag though.
Some crunches, leg raises, push ups and yoga in there too.

21 tiltless
83 inside stalls

User avatar
sen
Post Master General
Posts: 2648
Joined: 08 Mar 2003 19:29
Location: Coaldale, AB, CA
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by sen » 07 Nov 2012 19:25

Well, that was disappointing. I skipped playing yesterday because I was sore. Not feeling much better today, I went for it anyway. Motivation is high at the moment.

Sadly, the body isn't always in line with the mind. I can't believe I've let my body get into this shape. Again. Nothing I can do about it now, but work to get back to where I was and then some. I did a short body weight workout. I did 1 of the 3 circuits I planned. I'm not sure why the insides of my thighs hurt so much, but even while I was doing pull up negatives, they HURT. I listened to my body and moved on. Footbag didn't feel much better, so I didn't last too long either. Did some extra stretching. Plan on 10 Minute Trainer Yoga in the morning.

User avatar
sen
Post Master General
Posts: 2648
Joined: 08 Mar 2003 19:29
Location: Coaldale, AB, CA
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by sen » 10 Nov 2012 20:21

So... I tried and failed a few things in my workout tonight. That's ok. I'm not upset about it. It's a learning experience and I simply bit off more than I could chew. At one point I might have been able to chew it, but that was some time ago and I've let myself go. /sigh

First I tried to take Mr. Klein's training regimen and use it in it's entirety. My level of play is clearly nowhere near Roy's and I'm not sure why I thought I'd be able to do that. But I tried it anyway. Early on it was clear this was a poor idea. I hobbled through the first 2 sets of 50 infinities. I got up to around 10 a few times. I didn't have a good method of recording set up so I don't have cool stats like Roy has. After 2 I knew that number needed to be adjusted as I was huffing/puffing and almost puking. My stamina is horrible right now. Also I had eggs for supper about an hour before and I don't eat them often, but I don't think they agree with me. Certainly not shortly before physical activity. I did 3 more rounds of 25 infinities. All with numerous drops. Then 10 minutes of osis with lots of drops and short breaks. Tried the 50 tiltless but right away I knew I was right out of gas so I set the footbag aside and moved onto the next portion of my planned workout which was the Beginner Bodyweight Workout from Nerd Fitness.


* 20 body weight squats
* 10 push ups
* 20 lunges
* 5 negative pull ups
* 30 second plank
* 30 Jumping Jacks

Ne rest between moves. After all moves, take short break. It's supposed to be 3 rounds, but after 2 I was done. Took about an hour after to not feel like I might be sick. All good now.

I wish I knew if it was all an issue of me just being outta shape, or if part of it was egg fluke from supper.

What will I do to correct this?

Footbag Drills:

1. 5 sets of 25 infinities.
2. b2b Osis for 10 minutes
3. tiltless 25
We'll see if we can't make THAT work and build from there.

For the time being I don't plan to change the body weight workout. I have plans of moving onto an Overcoming Gravity based program in the future, but I need to plan for that and the NF routine should give me a nice base.

User avatar
PoisonTaffy
Egyptian Footgod
Posts: 1003
Joined: 23 Jun 2007 15:42
Location: Israel, center
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by PoisonTaffy » 11 Nov 2012 11:25

A few thoughts for when you're trying to decide which drills are the right ones for you at the moment. Please please take them with a grain of salt as it's entirely possible that have no idea what I'm talking about:

One of the most important realization I got from the new program is that up until now I've been training WAY beyond my actual level, and it was simply not effective. An efficient drill for me seems to be made of components that are comfortable in isolation but propose a challenge when stacked together by sheer amount or by being b2b. Like in osis, I found that it's challenging enough to hit it in isolation, so doing b2b didn't really make any sense, it was beyond my level and I was dropping left and right (literally). So I do an osis to hand catch, but lots of times.

Also, I buy into the idea that a large volume of contacts is key to improvement. With that in mind, if I were in your lavers I'd make stamina improvement a higher priority than improving a specific trick.
"Childhood is short, immaturity is forever"

Roy Klein

User avatar
sen
Post Master General
Posts: 2648
Joined: 08 Mar 2003 19:29
Location: Coaldale, AB, CA
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by sen » 11 Nov 2012 16:14

Improving stamina is kinda what I'm thinking, but wouldn't it be effective to that by means of working on specific tricks? Like, isn't going for 25 infinities going to improve my stamina vs just doing random strings where I drop at 4 or 5?

User avatar
sen
Post Master General
Posts: 2648
Joined: 08 Mar 2003 19:29
Location: Coaldale, AB, CA
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by sen » 11 Nov 2012 20:09

Did P90X Stretch X. Neck feels weird now.

User avatar
PoisonTaffy
Egyptian Footgod
Posts: 1003
Joined: 23 Jun 2007 15:42
Location: Israel, center
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by PoisonTaffy » 12 Nov 2012 06:02

sen wrote:Improving stamina is kinda what I'm thinking, but wouldn't it be effective to that by means of working on specific tricks? Like, isn't going for 25 infinities going to improve my stamina vs just doing random strings where I drop at 4 or 5?
I wasn't implying that 25 infinities is bad, since I have no idea what your level is with them. In fact I think your drills are good, I was just trying to be slightly more helpful than saying "sounds good, awesome!" :)
"Childhood is short, immaturity is forever"

Roy Klein

User avatar
sen
Post Master General
Posts: 2648
Joined: 08 Mar 2003 19:29
Location: Coaldale, AB, CA
Contact:

Re: Tony Whitney

Post by sen » 12 Nov 2012 06:30

Ah, sounds good, awesome. :-)

Thanks for the clarification.

Post Reply