In the midnight hour (and the rest of the week, too)

Given the time I am finishing this post and the subject of the photo above, I figured the title of the post was fitting. Not to mention, I haven't been away on purpose at this time of night very often lately.

I can't believe that here it is Saturday again. The week was filled with the usual things like taking the kids to school and to their activities and the normal work stuff (lectures, manuscript editing/writing etc.). We also had a prospective graduate student visit the lab so there were meetings and meals out to chat and for her to get to know what we are all about. On Friday, I participated in a "work/life balance forum" for the graduate students in the department. I didn't feel particularly "balanced", but my wife and I seem to make it work most times, so I guess I had something to offer.

Speaking of balance, I did manage to maintain a good diet and keep up the exercise in spite of the busier than normal week. When going out to dinner I chose the grilled tuna salad for dinner and for lunch the next day wings with sweet potato fries. The fries were "lightly breaded" with something (likely a grain product) but on balance there was a higher sweet potato content than whatever the breading was made from. Tonight there were some wings and sweet potato fries again (habit? rut? you be the judge) and then some dry ribs. There was no breading on these fries (different restaurant) but there was something that may have been corn meal on the dry ribs. I need to ask about these things before ordering, but again, there was way more rib than the light coating, whatever it was made of.

There were also some fitness activities of many varieties this past week.

Here's the (long) deal:

Sunday:

• About a 30 minute walk at a brisk pace with the dogs.

Monday:

• LHT/TUL/SS;
• Bent over rows - X 13, TUL = 1:30, 60 lb barbell
• Standing overhead press - X 7.5, TUL = 1:09, 60 lb barbell (need to keep slow)
• Deadlifts - X 13, TUL = 2:31, 70 lb barbell (stopped when form broke down)
• Bench press - X 8, TUL = 56 s, 90 lb barbell
• Squats - X 10, TUL = 1:15, 80 lb barbell
• Curls - X 6.5, TUL = 59 s, 2 X 25 lb dumbbells

• I also went for a walk with the dogs in the morning (~ 40 min) and at night (~ 20 min brisk).

Tuesday:

• Yoga;
• I did a home practice using Rodney Yee's "Flexibility" practice on a DVD; I couldn't find it listed on his site, but here's his site anyway
• ~ 28 min (no Ashtanga yoga at the University this week)

• I also added about 20 min walking in the morning and in the evening on Tuesday.

Wednesday:

• Sprinting;
• walk to the gym as warm up
• stretching
• 6 X ~ 60 m (~ 15 s/60%) on the straights, walk on curves (about 5 min total)
• 6 X ~ 60 m (~ 11s/85%) on the straight, walk/jog back for about 1 minute rest between each (about 6 min total)
• warm down walk/jog/walk/jog/walk, 1 minute each
• was pretty good, really tired after and for a few days afterward, let me know I did really work hard; no orthotics this time; no ill effects with the feet

• I also walked for about 25 minutes with the dogs in the morning when I took the kids to school.

Thursday:

• I took it easy with just a couple of 20 minute walks.

Friday:

• Walk (~ 20 min) in morning to take the kids to school
• Swimming;
• 1,000 yds in ~ 19:30 (felt pretty good)

Saturday:

• Just took a nice sunny walk with the dogs (~ 35 min) in the afternoon to hopefully also make a little vitamin D while I was out.

Here are some photos from the past week. One is of a neat moon on an evening walk that was very nice and still. The other two are of some of the grub I threw together. One is a beef madras curry with potatoes, tomatoes, onions and carrots (I dumped it on top of other cooked carrots and parsnips). The other bowl is a breakfast of quinoia cooked with dried cranberries, walnuts and apricots. I did it from memory of something I think I read on Mark's Daily Apple a while ago.