They were playing Friday nights at this Hillsboro club and the band had been burning through bass players for a few weeks before I joined the chaos. << MORE >>

We live but a few minutes on this earth compared to the span of all of
humankind. We have great expectations for those few minutes; make the world
a better place, enrich others lives, raise our young (ours and others), be
endearing. But only a few minutes really isn't enough time to do it all to
any great effect. We've got to be happy with our lot in life and then
again, we don't. We spend much of our life in between these 2 states. We
seek to make the world better for being here and at the same time we're
learning to accept what we've been given to work with.

Combine with this the mundane day to day routine of getting up and going to
work, commuting, cleaning the dishes, moving the furniture, unpacking the
groceries, and you have the big picture. Here we are, this is our
life. What's for dinner? What time do I set the alarm for? I think I need to clean the
windows.

Death comes knocking, shrinking our participation with people one by one
until those that are most successful, those of us who live a long time, are
left alone. Living long is not for the weak of heart. We will outlive our
pets many lives over. We will outlive our parents, our mentors and our
teachers. If we are really successful we will outlive our friends, our
siblings, and all of those we love the most. Wishing someone a long life is
really a curse. We have to endure a life that's lived long as much as we
have to somehow reconcile our shortcomings and still find peace and a reason
to smile. The passing of a friend tells us seriously; "Prepare for a long
life but don't expect it to happen."

So we grieve. It's a selfish act; grievance. We think of how we're going to
miss the person that passed. We think of how empty our lives are without
that person. How will we go on without their voice on the phone, their
cute innuendos, their soft sighs or strong words. We think about us when
the other person passes. We grieve for our loss even though we really are
the ones stuck holding out against the onslaught of time - unforgiving time
that will one day take us too, sweeping us away after our perceived few minutes of
life.

We can hope that others will grieve our loss. We can hope that we don't
live so long as to be useless or an imposition and that we are still loved
when we go. It's a small desire but we have to work for it. We have to
spend time in life making the world better in what ways we can. We need to
be happy (to the best of our ability) with our lot in life so we can be an
asset to our friends. That sometimes means we have to tell them we don't
agree with their actions. It sometimes means we have to be the voice of
reason, and the news is not always well received at first. But over the
course of time we have to live with our words after our loved ones are gone.
That is the burden of living long. We have to live with what we have said. Those
that pass sure aren't going to have use for our words anymore.

The lucky really die young. The flame that burns twice as bright burns only
half as long. The long lived, methodical, careful, reasonable people burn
their lives carefully and watch those bright flames go out around them.
Maybe it's the lucky people that live life to it's fullest and are gone in a
flash. Maybe this long lived, carefully prescribed life is just a life of
increasing pain, increasing toil, and withering dreams? Why should we have
to endure, when some of those we've loved have gone so quickly, often
choosing death at their own will?

It goes back to what our lives are about. We live long because we are doing
good; making the world better in any way we can, every day trading our lot
in life with the greater good we can produce.  We enjoy life - the warm hugs, the sun on our faces, the cool air breeze on a hot day.   Many loved ones will pass during the course of our lives.  But we live on with the belief that there is more to be happy for in our lives.  Then we get up the next day and we go see if that is true.

Miscellaneous


I've had some of my best nights sleep at above 6000 feet in the mountains. Where the atmosphere is thin and I find I can sleep very well on a slim foam pad, my tent pitched near a cold glacial Circ. Dreams seem so accessible when they are dreamed in a place nearly touching the stars. The night's sounds are always friendly and no one is near with the exception of my climbing buddies. This is truly a good nights sleep.

Serving me to sleep well are the day's exertions; climbing into the heavens with a heavy pack or running around the ridges in the high country, looking down into valleys yet unexplored. Just about everything we do at that altitude we do to survive. We filter water, we find good camping, wash if we can and cook in tiny pots our essential daily ration. All of these routine tasks are done with exultation as everywhere we look we see high mountain peeks, deep green heather and ancient baked granite. Many of the things we touch through the course of our chores has never been touched by people before, many of the things we see are seldom seen, everything we do feels unique and enriching, it keeps the heart pumping and frees the soul from the mundane things that occur daily in the lower altitudes. As a result, when it comes time to sleep it's a very welcome respite, and we sleep well.

The high country above 5000 feet is a magical place. This is where trees are stunted and heather is preferred over grass. Not much of either of these things grow here however. The air is thin, the soil non-existent and the wind does as it will. Snow packs deep at this altitude in the winter and hides the tiny lakes and rugged scree. The feeling is that this is a place seldom visited by people or animals, those that come are just moving through, transients on the way to their next valley or new hunting ground. It's the high traverse, special in it's altitude and solitude, rare in it's emptiness. Here is peace and beauty of a grand scale. The simplicity of the high country seems to heighten the senses, clear the mind of chaff and elate the soul. To sleep in the high country is to dream of things yet unseen, look forward rather than back, believe rather than to reconcile. Nights are rejuvenating.

People ask me why I climb mountains expecting an easy short answer. I like to think I do it because that's where I live. Down here my heart beats, my job engages me, my work, friends and family share with me and keep me smiling. But it's up on the mountain that I live really. That's where my perspective on the world was formed, that's where I feel truly free and that's where I find self awareness. Up on the mountain I stop to measure my life, I hold a days work in a single view and I feel accomplishment in all of life's pursuits. If you have to ask why I climb mountains you probably aren't going to understand the answer. If I tell you it's to get a good nights sleep you'll probably think I'm being smug. If I told you because they are there you would feel cheated of a real answer - and you would be. I climb mountains because it is a metaphor for life. We are all climbers and we all will get our day of rest in the high country. I get my best night's sleep there.

Bally Total Fitness
P.O. Box 1090
Norwalk, CA
90651-1090

To Whom it May Concern:

I have been a Ballys member for more than 2 years. Recently I was informed
that my membership has expired and that I have to re-sign. Even though
this is my second contract at Ballys I am being treated as an entirely new
member. I have referred many people to Ballys over the past 3 years and
have faithfully paid my dues through difficult economic times.

I understand that expenses are on the rise and that Ballys needs to do
everything possible to remain a solvent and profitable company yet I do not
believe that treating your returning clients as if they are new is really a
good move for your company. I am deeply disappointed that you have
discredited my standing and the standing of my returning friends and
referrals to the point of offering only a month to month contract for a
single location versus coming up with a large amount of money on a short
term notice to keep a multiple club contract

Furthermore the facility I use the most, the facility nearest to my
work, extends membership to people in the neighboring apartments for free.
On days when the facility overflows with people attending for free (a
regular occurrence in the summer months) I do not have access to any other
Ballys facility in my local area. The facility is essentially closed to me
during peak hours by people using the facility for free, my rates are
increasing and my access will now be restricted to this one overused
facility. My second option is to apply a large sum of money on my credit
card (at 20% interest) so I can use other facilities the same as any new
member, with no allowance for past customer loyalty.

Although I am maintaining a month to month contract with Ballys at this
time, you should know there are independent gyms closer to my place of
residence that do not overflow in the summer months with free clients. You
should also know that I am inclined to pay more at a facility that will
offer more access for my dollar rather than continue to attend a facility
that favors free clients over longer term paying customers.

Regards,

Russ Woodward

--
Online at www.russwoodward.com />

We live but a few minutes on this earth compared to the span of all of
humankind. We have great expectations for those few minutes; make the world
a better place, enrich others lives, raise the young (ours and others), be
endearing. But only a few minutes really isn't enough time to do it all to
any great effect. We've got to be happy with our lot in life and then
again, we don't. We spend much of our life in between these 2 states. We
seek to make the world better for being here and at the same time we're
learning to accept what we've been given to work with.

Combine with this the mundane day to day routine of getting up and going to
work, commuting, cleaning the dishes, moving the furniture, unpacking the
groceries, and you have the big picture. Here we are, this is our
life. What's
for dinner? What time do I set the alarm for? I think I need to clean the
windows.

Death comes knocking, shrinking our participation with people one by one
until those that are most successful, those of us who live a long time, are
left alone. Living long is not for the weak of heart. We will outlive our
pets many lives over. We will outlive our parents, our mentors and our
teachers. If we are really successful we will outlive our friends, our
siblings, and all of those we love the most. Wishing someone a long life is
really a curse. We have to endure a life that's lived long as much as we
have to somehow reconcile our shortcomings and still find peace and a reason
to smile. The passing of a friend tells us seriously; "Prepare for a long
life but don't expect it to happen."

So we grieve. It's a selfish act grievance. We think of how we're going to
miss the person that passed. We think of how empty our lives are without
that person. How will we go on without their voice on the phone, their
cute innuendos, their soft sighs or strong words. We think about us when
the other person passes. We grieve for our loss even though we really are
the ones stuck holding out against the onslaught of time - unforgiving time
that will one day take us too, sweeping us away after our few minutes of
life.

We can hope that others will grieve our loss. We can hope that we don't
live so long as to be useless or an imposition and that we are still loved
when we go. It's a small desire but we have to work for it. We have to
spend time in life making the world better in what ways we can. We need to
be happy (to the best of our ability) with our lot in life so we can be an
asset to our friends. That sometimes means we have to tell them we don't
agree with their actions. It sometimes means we have to be the voice of
reason, and the news is not always well received at first. But over the
course of time we have to live with our words after our loved ones are gone..
That is the burden of living long. We have to remember what we said. Those
that pass sure aren't going to have use for our words anymore.

The lucky really die young. The flame that burns twice as bright burns only
half as long. The long lived, methodical, careful, reasonable people burn
their lives carefully and watch those bright flames go out around them.
Maybe it's the lucky people that live life to it's fullest and are gone in a
flash. Maybe this long lived, carefully prescribed life is just a life of
increasing pain, increasing toil, and withering dreams? Why should we have
to endure, when some of those we've loved have gone so quickly, often
choosing death at their own will?

It goes back to what our lives are about. We live long because we are doing
good; making the world better in any way we can, every day trading our lot
in life with the greater good we can produce. Life ain't often easy but it
can be rewarding in spite of the pain.

The Gym

Well it's a brand new year and I just wanted to spend a couple of minutes talking to those people who sign up every year at the gym as part of a New Year's resolution to get fit. First let me tell you newbies that you're most likely not going to last. You're going to go at training all wrong, over do it and hurt yourselves. Those of you that make it to the ides of March will be bored by the sameness of the routine and will be lucky to have not injured yourselves. Those that make it to the summer will start exhibiting chronic injuries and will soon be too hurt or too discouraged to continue.

You're essentially doomed so please don't waste your time. People who know what they are doing are patiently waiting to use the equipment and they will be seasoned enough to know to put the weights back and clean the sweat off the machines when they are done. But thanks for paying the gym all that money. It helps pay for the hot water and new equipment.

Seriously just a few things can really help if you're just starting out. So let me fill you in so you have a chance of making it for the first year. Chances are if you can hang for a year, you'll start getting good results and you will be feeling the change. So listen up newbie's:
1.. Get some training. No you don't have to sign up with Buffy and her $300 workout program. Your junior college has a good program and is only about 60 to 70 bucks. You can also get a book. There are many good books on strength training, cardio training and stretching. Note: Getting your buddy from Wrestling team in the 10th grade to spot you is not the same as having a trainer. But if you learn some good stuff be sure to share it with him.
2.. Yes you need cardio. You want to be another fat guy with big arms? No one will even notice you went to the gym. Get 12 to 30 minutes of cardio for every strength workout you do. A strong heart and lungs is the core of a strong body.
3.. Yes sit-ups. Crunches, inverted hangs, whatever you do, just get some strength in your core. No sit-ups won't "burn fat" off of your midsection. If you want be thinner do cardio. But if you're lifting 50 to a hundred pounds and you have flabby stomach muscles you are just asking to screw up your back. Build from the ground up buttercup don't put it all on your poor spine to take the weight.
4.. Start small. Don't rush out to the weight room and pick up the heaviest dumbbell you can lift and start swinging it around. Work in a comfortable weight zone. Lift and carefully lower the weight through full the range described in training. Do three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions. The same with cardio: Start at about 12 minutes and slowly bring up the speed and length of time. The same for all cardio trainers, stair steppers, treadmills, cycles and rowers. Ease into it, set the machine below halfway and see what you can easily do before you start ramping it up.
5.. Unless you want that fresh "I never worked out a day in my life" look, go for sustainable workouts, ones you can repeat every other day. If you get up the next day and you hurt like hell you've overdone it. You've also just convinced yourself that working out hurts and eventually your body is going to win the argument that you should not do things that hurt. My motto: no pain - good! A good workout should have you feeling a little stiff once in awhile, but you'll be back. I've been in the gym over 2 years now and I've seen hundreds of people come and go and I can count on my 2 hands the number of people who still are there.
6.. Lastly, do it for you. Quit looking in the mirror you dumb poser, everybody just thinks you're an egotistical nut bag. Breath the air, feel the movements and try to understand the muscles you're using when you lift, (or run, bike, push, pull etcetera). The next time you move the sofa to vacuum or climb a ladder think about how much easier it is because you spent some time in the gym. That's the payoff. Trying to out macho the other guys at the gym by picking up too large a weight just makes you look like a fat undertrained dork. The pay off is personal. Recognize that and you will be a pleasant person in and out of the gym and your workouts will have a big effect on your self esteem.
Well I lost many readers with the third paragraph because they saw on the internet that they could be ripped and get that great 6 pack in only 3 weeks if they took a drug or did 3 easy workout recommendations (purchased for about 20 to 30 bucks). Good luck with that guys. Did you notice that the before and after examples of guys who did this were both equally as unpleasant before they got "ripped" as they were after? Somehow going from an angry marshmallow to an even angrier looking injured guy with a six pack set of abs really sort of misses the point doesn't it? Unless your goal is to be an evil man in a mask on the WWF channel, and those guys on WWF have real muscle tone and they'll kick your ass if you tell them you drank Bob's Super Goo to get muscles, just on basic principle. If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

Good luck. See you at the gym, and puh-lease, will you put the damn weights back on the rack when you're done? Your mama doesn't work here.

Thank you Will P. and Goddady. You guys are the greatest!

Russ W.

Technology

Thank you for contacting online support.

We apologize for the confusion. To remove the hyperlink buttons you mentioned previously, please follow the directions below.




1.. Log in to your Account Manager.


2.. In the My Products section, click Quick
Blogcast.


3.. Click Manage Account next to the blog account you want to
modify.


4.. From the Manage Blog menu, select Settings.

5.. Click the Entries tab.

6.. Under the Share This section, uncheck the boxes next to the services you would like to disable.

7.. Click Apply.



Please let us know if we can assist you in any other way.

Regards,
Will P.
Online Support Technician

Technology

Thank you for your reply. I have removed all of the "widgets" with the exception of the calendar. None of the "widgets" actually were the 4 buttons I asked about removing however. I will give this 24 hours to update and see if the buttons are removed from my blog.



Regards,

Russ

Technology

Our support staff has responded to your request, details of which are
described below:

Discussion Notes
Support Staff Response
Dear Russ,

Thank you for contacting Online Support. You can remove this if you wish.

Quick Blogcast makes it easy to add or remove sidebar widgets.



To Remove Widgets from Your Sidebar




Log in to your Account Manager.


In the My Products section, click Quick Blogcast.


Click Manage Account next to the blog account you want to modify.


From the Design Blog menu, select Sidebar.


Click the Remove Widget icon for the widget you want to remove.


Click Save.




When you remove a widget, Quick Blogcast moves it to the Available Widgets
list.



For more information about working with your sidebar, see About Sidebar
Widgets.




Please let us know if we can assist you in any other way.

Sincerely,
Ben P.
Online Support Team