T'was an awesome game night at Bink's workplace, Tifa Chocolate & Gelato. 

I met Kevin and Shag there at 6:30.  After ordering gelato from Bink, Kevin taught us the game "Ride The Rails".

Kevin spent all of $20 on it, and it was awesome.  Players take turns investing in one of 6 colored railroad lines, placing tracks in the colors they invest in, and then moving passengers through different cities connected by the lines.

You score points if you have invested in a track that connects 2 cities a passenger moved along - based on how much investment you've made in that line.

Bonus points are scored for connecting the west coast to the east coast, and building through certain cities.

Throughout the game a couple of people came to the table and asked us all about the game and though it sounded cool.

Well... all of that aside, I won.  And that's all that matters. :)

We had about an hour left, and decided to play a quick game of this little Pathfinder Dice game Chris convinced me to order.  It was impossibly hard, and we all died. 

So, in the end I was humbled.

One cool moment was when the owner of Tifa, John, came up to me during our game and asked if I was Kalea's dad.

Of course, I said, "yes".

He proceeded to gush about how awesome she is as an employee.  The guy was blown away by her early performance on the job.

I thanked him for letting me know and said he can keep her as long as he wants. :)

He's absolutely thrilled with her.

In some ways, your first job sets the stage for future jobs.  You learn to interview, interact with other people - customers and co-workers alike.  You learn responsibility, and all the little things that are never, ever in the job description.

You learn to show up, and be responsible for your actions, your time, and the way you make customers feel.

She's definitely on the right track with this first job, and it's setting her up for the future in more ways than any of us realizes.

I'm sure my paper route had a profound effect on me, in ways I'll never fully understand and can only guess at now.

Anyway, it was a good night, and I'm proud of both of my girls in different ways for different things.  This is a shining moment for Bink as she comes of age...

After a peaceful 10 minute meditation where I explored the fabric of consciousness, I sat down at the table with focused intensity to continue the inner exploration.

The purpose is... well, to find my purpose.

I opened the journal the the page that was last completed, in order to remind myself wherein this journey I left off.

This serious, fascinating journey into self discovery.

I mean, this will define my future directions in life.

Cultivating more happiness, more meaning, more connection with the world around me.

Wait... it looks like the writing at the bottom of the page is somehow "different".

Some alien life form with a script far different than my own.

Or... maybe it's a message from the beyond, or the almighty itself!  The actual almighty!

It's a sign!  Definitely a sign...

I began deciphering the text...

I believe that I am a... "butthole".

Because I am... "full of shit".

Huh?

The next line...

I believe that I am... "fat".

Because...

"I eat too much candy".

Ah the mysteries of the Universe never cease.  Amazing!

It was good to see Bink at the finale of DTech, the Senior Banquet.  

While she feels this program wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and she wasn't thrilled with how it was run - I believe she simply found a path through life that she doesn't necessarily want to take.

I think the program is what you make it.  From silk screen printing, to 3D printing, to CAD design, woodworking, and a CNC machine, DTech is a place for the self-motivated.  Just like in an actual self run business.

You have to be motivated, and have an affinity for entrepreneurship to get much as much as possible out of the program.  

It's not about a grade, everybody is going to get a good grade.

It's about getting the big picture in mind about how the program works, what types of things are available to you, and finding your niche.

Bink didn't really like the self-guided "student run" nature of it.  I think she's a person who likes a plan.

Still, I think it was valuable in some ways, but in the end it just wasn't for her, and that's ok.

Whew, this was tough, but got it done.  Working toward getting a sub 6 mile again.

DAY 6 — RUN WORKOUT: MILE SUPPORT

Warm-up

Easy jog — 8 min
Walking lunges — 10 total
Air squats — 10
Pogo hops — 20 sec
Relaxed strides — 2 x 20 sec
Easy jog/walk — 2 min

Workout

Option A — preferred if you can mark distance

6 x 400m
Rest 90 sec walk/jog
Pace target
Rep 1: 1:29-1:30
Rep 2: 1:29-1:30
Rep 3: 1:28-1:29
Rep 4: 1:28-1:29
Rep 5: 1:28
Rep 6: 1:28 or better

Option B — if distance is off again

6 x 90 sec hard
Rest 90 sec walk/jog
Goal: pace should feel like controlled mile support, not sprinting
Cool-down
Easy walk/jog — 8-10 min
Daily goal
Final rep equals or beats rep 2
Fast but relaxed

RESULTS: 1:30, 1:27, 1:28, 1:27, 1:28, 1:25

DAY 5 — UPPER STRENGTH + MIXED ENGINE

Warm-up

Easy bike or rope — 90 sec

2 rounds:
Band face pulls — 10
Tall-kneeling light DB press — 8
Bench-supported DB rows — 8
Burpees @ 70% — 6
Rest 30 sec between rounds
Empty-bar strict press — 2 x 5, rest 30 sec

Workout

A. Strict Press

Set 1: 110 x 3
Set 2: 115 x 3
Set 3: 120 x 3
Set 4: 120 x 3
Set 5: 122.5 x 2 if stacked and crisp
 If not, do 120 x 3
Rest:
2:00 after 110 and 115
2:30 before and after 120+
Goal: zero layback

RESULTS: 110#, 115#, 120#, 120#, 125# (I don’t have the ability to do 122.5 - but got this done. Last rep hard!)

B. 1-Arm Bench-Supported DB Row

4 x 8/side @ 70
Rest 20 sec between sides
Rest 60 sec between sets
RESULTS: No real problem but when I pull to my hip (back to my hip) it’s harder.

C. DB Floor Press

3 x 8 @ 70s
Rest 75 sec
Goal: fewer grinders than last week
RESULTS: Only slight grinder was the last rep of set 3.

D. Band Face Pull

3 x 20
Rest 30 sec
RESULTS: Done.  I have other options, not sure how m uch benefit this is doing for me unless there is some other reason to have it in there.  I do feel a slight burn at the end.

E. Mixed Engine — 4 rounds for time

400m run
15 wall balls @ 20
10 burpees
Rest exactly 2:00 between rounds
This is intentionally not an all-out death march. It is a repeatability workout.

Daily goal
Press stays clean
Each round of conditioning is within about 20 sec of the others
RESULT: 21:03 (about 5:17 per round)

After a day of rest, back felt just fine again.  Whew.  Dodged a bullet with the whole pulling on the socks thing and stopping the moment I felt something weird...

DAY 4 — POSTERIOR CHAIN + CARRIES

Warm-up

Easy bike — 3:00
KB deadlift with 35 — 10
Glute bridges — 10
Reverse lunges — 8/leg
Light trap bar reps — 2 x 5
Rest 30 sec between pieces

Workout

A. Broad Jump

4 x 2
Full reset
Rest 45 sec
RESULTS: Done. Why is volume going down over time? It’s fine, just curious.

B. Trap Bar Deadlift

EMOM 10: 3 reps @ 285
Goal: speed and perfect brace
If speed drops badly after round 8, stop at 8
RESULTS: Done, a bit easier than last time.

C. DB Reverse Lunge

3 x 8/leg @ 62s
Rest 20 sec between legs
Rest 75 sec between sets
RESULTS: Done, no real problem here.

D. Barbell Hip Thrust

4 x 8
Loads:
285
295
305
315 if form is clean
Rest 90 sec
RESULTS: Done, 315# was the first real challenge I’ve had with this movement.

E. Farmer Carry

5 x 60m @ 62s
Walk back and rest until breathing is mostly under control
Target rest: about 60-75 sec
RESULTS: Done, tough as always but succeeded.

F. Side Plank

3 x 30 sec/side
Rest 20 sec between sides
Rest 30 sec between sets
RESULTS: Not hard.  Done.