I hope everyone had a lovely Mother’s Day yesterday. I did what every son on Mother’s Day does and went out and bought a new Spring blazer and pair of jeans for myself….;o)
I blame my new fashion sense on reading Unleash Your Alpha: Eat Like a Man, Train Like a Beast, Operate Like a Gentleman, and Become a Legend recently.
I received a signed copy by the author himself, Mike Campbell, a few weeks ago (no big deal), and after reading it came to the conclusion that “not wearing sweatpants” didn’t count as dressing up.
Thanks Mike!
And yes, I called my mom to say “I love you,” and to let her know that she’s was the best thing since Thunder Punch He-Man.
Diving right into things, it’s been a while since I’ve done a Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday post, so lets get started!
1. I’m an avid reader. I read a lot of books on anatomy, strength and conditioning, performance, and how to otherwise make people make other people destroy the back of their pants on the playing field or court.
Too, I also read a fair number of non-fiction and fiction books. I’m constantly asked by others what are some good books I’m reading, and one I’m reading now which I’ve found fascinating is The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap.
I’m not an overly political person, and I believe that if people work hard and are honest and aren’t “douchy,” that they’ll be compensated accordingly.
This book explores the 2008 financial disaster and how, despite causing panic and dire ramifications that affected millions of people across the world, not one (NOT EVEN ONE) Wall Street banker saw jail time. However, for those on the other end of the socio-economic spectrum, it’s not uncommon for many to see jail-time for petty crimes such as “blocking pedestrian traffic.”
It’s quite the tale, and one that will make you want to throw an ax into your face from sheer rage.
On the lighter side of things, I also just finished Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir on the Craft, which is something I’d recommend to anyone looking to 1) learn writing tips from one of the best (Hint: limit those adverbs!) and 2) understand that writing is a process, albeit a painful, often relentless (and thankless) process that only the insane would ever actively pursue.
2. Since we’re on the topic of stuff-I-like-and-it’s-obvious-I-have-impeccable-taste-basically-I’m-George-Clooney, I might as well showcase some of the recent movies I’ve watched that I enjoyed.
Rush – easily one of the more OVERlooked movies of 2013. This one stars Thor Chris Hemsworth as Formula One racer James Hunt and highlights his rivalry with Niki Lauda during the 1970s.
There’s car crashes, profanity, and boobies. A+!!!
In all seriousness, I had no idea that this was directed by Ron Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) till after the fact, and have no idea why it never received much fanfare.
It was a well directed movie, with amazing characters, and an awesome story. I’d even go so far as to say it would make my list of Top-10 Movies of 2013.
I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a “wild card” movie to try out.
12 Years a Slave – I purposely chose not to go see this in the theaters when it first came out because I knew it was going to be a “hard” movie to watch.
I recognize that’s a cop out and a weak excuse, but I knew that if I was going to sit through a 2+ hour movie on the topic of slavery, I had to be mentally prepared for it.
All I have to say is that it’s one of the most powerful, unflinching, and effed-up movies I’ve ever watched.
Note: effed-up in the sense that it DOES NOT back down in showing what things were REALLY like back in those days. I give Steve McQueen, the director, all the credit in the world for not “sugar-coating” anything.
It deserved EVERY award and accolade it received. And, just to toss it out there: both Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender, both of whom didn’t win the Academy Award, should have been the ones holding up the trophy a few months ago. They were robbed.
Philomena – starring Judi Dench, this film follows the true story of a woman who had her son taken away from her decades ago and was forced to live on a convent, and the journalist who helped her seek out the truth years later.
Equal parts funny and heart-wrenching, this film shows how much of a boss Judi Dench is as an actress. You gotta love that Brit humor!
3. I have a few BIG announcements to pass along.
First
I’ll be holding a one-day workshop/seminar at Warrior Fitness in Cancun, Mexico on Tuesday, July 1.
I don’t speak a lick of Spanish, so worse case scenario I end up nixing my talk on how to coach the big 3 lifts (squat, deadlift, bench press), as well as my discussion on upper extremity assessment and how to “manage” CrossFit progressions, and hold my own Lucha Libre wresting match complete with drop-kicks and kick-ass masks!
You can watch the promo video HERE (complete with sub-titles!!) to get a better idea of what to expect and topics to be covered.
In addition, for more information and to reserve your spot, you can contact Roberto Aguilar at the Warrior Fitness website HERE.
Second
As we’ve alluded to in the past, Dean Somerset and I are taking our Workshop global!
Our first stop is London, England.
We’ll be holding a TWO-DAY workshop at The Third Space Soho on September 13th and 14th, 2014.
For full details (itinerary, cost, accommodations, and Dean’s favorite 007 villain) you can go HERE.
Our second stop will be in Washington D.C in mid-October (18-19, 2014) but we’re still ironing out the exact location. I do know that the location itself will be in Sterling, VA….not too far outside DC itself.
We’ll be posting a link shortly regarding information on hotels, etc….but you can still sign up for the early bird price HERE (scroll down to the bottom).
We’ve had inquires from other places – Chicago, Australia, Tatooine……and would be open to others as well. If you’re someone who’d like to help us organize an event please contact feel free to contact me HERE or Dean through his site.
And that’s it for today
