The Manatee

I was swimming at the Y yesterday when I saw a very large woman get into the pool and start doing laps.  This lady wasn't just a bit overweight, her torso was almost a perfect sphere (albeit a bit lumpy).

When I swim, I wear goggles, so as you can imagine, I had a clear view of her swimming technique as she dog-paddled by.  (I believe her girth made it so that dog-paddling was the only stroke she could pull off.)  As she languidly slipped by, all I could think was that she looked kind of like a manatee... not exactly what you'd consider appealing, but somehow graceful.  I also pictured myself a mere six months ago, returning to an active lifestyle after two decades of sloth, and thought "good for you."

Best Shape of My Life

Six months ago, almost to the day, I decided that it was time to get in shape.  Those of you who follow my blog or know me in real life probably know the goals I set for myself...

-10 pull-ups
-50 sit-ups in 2 minutes or less
-Run 3 miles in 30 minutes or less
-Swim a mile
-Achieve a first class Marine Corps PFT (physical fitness test)
-50 push-ups

Today I achieved the most difficult goal... a first class Marine Corps PFT.  To put this in perspective, I haven't done a first class PFT since I was 19 or 20.  Furthermore, the PFT standards are a bit more stringent today than they were when I was on active duty.  With this in mind, I am declaring myself in the best shape of my life (age adjusted, of course).

Unintentionally Artsy

Over the weekend, I purchased a Suma S108G indoor helicopter.  It's a replica of the Marine Corps' AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter.  I bought this exact model because I worked on them during my two deployments while I was in the Corps and I've always thought they were cool as shit.

I took a couple of pictures immediately after taking it out of the package.  I was really impressed with the pics.  If you use just a bit of imagination, it almost looks like the real thing.

I like the silhouette of the first shot, and the background of the second picture.

Rim Job

In the summer of 2006 I bought a new Sportster.  It was a baseline model, but I had wanted a Harley for many years, and the time was right.  This picture was taken the day I picked up the bike.

Since then I've done a few minor modifications along the way... a passenger seat and backrest, a windscreen and saddlebags, but nothing major.  Despite owning the bike for several years, it had remained very close to stock.  Things changed over the last summer though.  I did a bit of engine work, and increased the horsepower, and I had the rims customized.  You can't see the engine work, but trust me, you can feel it.  The rims, however, turned out far better than I had expected.  Check it out...

What do you think?

I've owned this bike for almost seven years now, and I still love it!