Pussification

You know what my problem is?  How much time you got, buddy?

First and foremost is a lack of consistency.  I throw myself into projects with full force and power to gain some degree of competency.  Once that is reached, I allow mold to grow under my boots as I half-ass it, take days off, or just suffer from a lack of focus.  That all comes down to discipline...or a lack thereof.  How sad.

 It has been said that it is far easier to win a title than to keep it.  That is because it is far easier to sweat and bleed and sacrifice when you have no where to go but up.  Things get harder with success.  For the first time in my life, something breaking or needing to be replaced does not result in a financial emergency.  While I do not slack at work, I do feel that my new-found comfort is leading me to some degree of complacency in other pursuits.  My focus isn't as strong as it should be.  Discipline is lacking.  I procrastinate more, and I am less flexible.  

An example would be in regards to physical conditioning.  If I have a plan to go to the boxing gym for sparring on Thursday, but I get off of work too late to go, I just give a mental "oh well," and go home.  But...it's never too late to go for a run, so what the fuck, right?  It's almost like I am looking for opportunities to get out of doing what I should be doing.  

It's when I start to feel accomplished that I slack.  I need to find a way to keep that whole hippie, zen-like, "beginner mind" thing going.  I have a few ideas to get the pieces turning again:

• Cancel TV - Actually, just don't get it turned back on when I move to LA
• Join new gym - This will happen by necessity, but I am seriously looking into changing things up a bit, and getting involved in some form of grappling.  That's a sport I know zero about, and will force me back to the bottom of the social totem pole.
• Get active in social groups and events - This will let me meet a bunch of new folks down in my new stomping grounds.  Running clubs, Whiskey clubs, and the like.  
• Get off the internet - Being able to work from home will allow me to use my time a lot better than being chained to a desk for 8 hours straight.  Slowly will wean myself away from facebook-induced ADD.

Of Mountains and Bulldogs

This weekend is going to be awesome.  Ted, Clara and I are heading up to Pyramid Peak, the highest point in the Desolate Wilderness.  The decision prompted an ill-advised shopping spree at REI, where I spent a good portion of my yet-to-be-received tax return.  I got some good shit though.  Water-proof boots, snow shoes, long underwear.  All sorts of stuff that will make me look like a lumberjack at worst and a Viking/Ninja/Alpinist at best.

The route is described as the greatest vertical climb in the Tahoe Sierra.  The trek will climb 4,100 feet of elevation in just over 3 miles, and we will get to use the snow-shoes and other bad-assery.