Insanity

Ok!

I think I am going to try something different here.

I am planning on purchasing "Insanity". For those of you that do not know of this it is a 60 work out series that is supposed to be the hardest work out there is.

http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/insanity.do?code=GETINSANITYDOTCOM

I need to save some money first as these things do tend to be pricey but once I get it I will use this blog as a progress chart.

I will post progression pictures to see the results I get.

I have to give props to Trent and Jamie as they did p90x and their results made me quite jealous.

Insanity is more focused on building lean muscle and cardiovascular endurance while p90x is more of a all round fitness deal. Both are great but I didn't want to invest in free weights (I'm broke!)

The power of scale

I've had this thought for sometime now and it will not leave me.

To start off I just want to say that I 100% believe in life existing elsewhere in the universe. I do not buy into the unique Earth argument saying that we are on the only planet out of trillions that can house life.

Here is my one problem with life elsewhere. Scale.

Yes scale. As in size differences. The average person now realizes that people are small. Hell, Earth is small. VERY small. The Earth is 93 million miles away from the sun. It takes light 8 minutes to travel from the sun to Earth. However we orbit one of billions of stars in this galaxy that is one of billions of galaxies. It takes light 100,000 years to go from one end of the milky way to the other by the way. we are 8 minutes of 100,000 years for 1 galaxy. But I digress.

Scale. For example the largest star we have observed is VY Canis Majoris. It is 1,556,534,837 to 1,816,267,995 miles across and takes light 8 hours to travel around its equator. Compare that to our sun. It only takes light 14.5 seconds to go around our sun. Oh, and our sun is 1,000,000 times the size of earth.

Now imagine if you will that a planet was in orbit to this Hypergiant. Now lets assume that this planet in orbit is 1,000,000 times smaller than VY Canis Majoris.

That planet would still be larger than our sun.

Now lets say creatures evolved on this planet in the same scale as humans to earth.

These aliens would in fact be larger than our moon. They would look at the earth like a slightly over sized rock that they could sit on when they were tired of hiking all day.

I don't think that propulsion technologies is going to be the thing to hinder our contact to other life forms. I believe it will be our size differences. Whether we are too large or too small.

Who knows though, perhaps nature has dictated a certain size/build for sentient life. Still a crazy thought that there could be creatures the size of our sun out there.

Mountain Hike

Thought I would post some pictures of the hike! Jamie and I decided we would go hike 20 miles one weekend. No big deal.

To Find My Home

I have fallen prey to a strange thought that will not leave my mind. We returned yesterday from the Mountains and while it was amazing (I will post pictures later) I was definitely ready to leave the woods. However, now that I've returned I can't help but feel like I made a terrible mistake in coming back.

Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy to see friends and loved ones again but this world that we are all a part of can just be so...hurried.

Not one minute I'm back and I am already running all across Nashville to meet friends and be on time to events. Nice to have things to do but the juxtaposition of the wilderness to civilization can be daunting.

Here is the real wake up call. One day after I leave the woods I am thrown into the bureaucracy of government and trying to figure out all the steps I need to take, what order to do them, what forms I need, how many unique samples of I.D. they require and how much money it will all cost to process.

We live in a world of paper work in triplicate and if you don't have 3-5 government issued forms of i.d. you are not who you say you are. Gone are the days of trust and honesty.

But hey I ate a hamburger today and will go buy a video game to take my mind off of all this so everything's fine right?

Just to clarify, I have a fantastic life. I do not plan on running away to the woods. This was just a post for me to vent about how much I hate government complexities.

Footloose is the human condition

Heading off to Pigeon Forge, TN today after work to stay at a lovley $35 a night hotel. Staying there so we can get an early start tomorrow on the hike.

However forces are plotting against Jamie, Trent and I as we have already had our first road block. Trent is being forced by the powers to be at Aquinas to take a series of standardized tests. Therefore he must abandon this adventure, no matter how it pains him to do so, in order to secure a better future for himself! We will be with him in spirit. We'll be sure to bring you back some bear skin and mountain lion tooth necklaces. I hear they are in style right now.

Jónsi - "Go"

Quick note, please go support Sigur Ros singer Jónsi and buy his solo album "Go".

It is everything I've ever wanted in music.

Perfect.

If You're going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!

Checked the weather for this weekend...28 degrees Friday night at the elevation we will be at.

Considering my sleeping bag is only tested to 40 degrees I'm in for a good time. This will be a fine test though! Must make fire, find a wind shield and insulate my sleeping mat! One thing I have found is that what is under you is much more important than whats on top of you. The cold ground is what will do you in.

Small price to pay for such amazing sights.

To nature I return

A primal desire has surfaced its face, it calls for a return to nature.

I have stayed in my controlled environment too long and must indulge this feral feeling to be amongst the wild once more! For man's heart away from nature becomes hard.

I truly believe that now, more than ever, mankind has created a self-imposed disconnect from our birthplace. We have turned our back on origin to further the gap between us and the animal, to make us forget that we do belong and are not unique or alien.

But I digress.

I am simply excited to spend three days in the deep woods of the Smoky Mountains. We are upping the stakes a little this time as well. To test our skills we have decided to only bring flint. This means if we cannot start our fire, we will not eat! The nights will be cold without a fire! I have confidence in our skills though!

Either way I'm not worried, all three of us could deal with missing a couple of meals!

I love man not less, but nature more.
-George Gordon