I never do the same workout week to week. I can’t stand the back/bicep, chest/tricep thing for very long. I’m the “weird exercise guy” at my gym. The past few weeks I’ve employed the torturous “300 Spartan workout” on Wednesdays.

It’s a circuit training workout that puts you though a series of exercises at 50 reps each that end up adding up to 300.

25 pullups
50 deadlifts (I did less weight than the workout called for since I don’t want to die right away)
50 pushups
50 box jumps (I did mine on this huge tractor tire that’s over two feet tall on it’s side)
50 floor wipers (watch video)

50 clean and presses with a kettlebell
25 more pullups

I did the pullups on a machine and not body weight. Not yet. That whole not dying thing again.

I found an article on this workout on stupid WebMD. Look at what this doctor from UConn says about it. Leave it to WebMD to scare you know matter what you look up.

Check with your physician before trying this workout. The breakdown of muscle fibers, for instance, may be severe enough to be toxic to the kidneys, he says. “If you have [heart problems] or are not screened, you could have a variety of exertional problems [with this workout], from serious tissue breakdown to heart attack to kidney problems,” he says. “It’s too extreme for the average person.”

Oh great.

The first time I did the workout I didn’t make it through all the reps of floor wipers or the cleans and presses. Yesterday I was determined to make it through no matter how long it took. Next week I’ll try to see if I can use the right weight for the deadlifts (135). Eventually I’ll get off the machine and do real pullups. I hope my kidneys don’t turn into goo.

My time for yesterday was just over a half hour. If I can hover around the 25 minute mark I’ll be happy. I’ll post my time next week.

Everyone will be happy to know that Beefy was in the yard when I went out to greet him today and I haven’t been stung by any venomous insect or reptile yet.

Painting update:

Shatner has a phaser per client request. Watch out. It’s set to stun. Ning.

I woke up today as I do every day between 6:30 and 7:00 am to let my dog outside. He walks out of his little crate house and his tail flaps back and forth and stirs up a din. Then, lately because I’m a haggard piece of crap, I go back to bed for an hour or two.

Today I was haggard and went back to bed for an hour or two and then I woke up and went outside to say hello to Beef again. I walked around the yard and didn’t see him. He wasn’t in his hiding place under the porch. I walked back to the side door and stepped on something sharp. I looked down but there was nothing sticking out of my arch. Then I noticed the yellow jackets flitting around in the grass. Oh lovely. Stung on the bottom of the foot by a bee. Soon after I realized Beef had gotten out of the yard.

I hopped in my truck then got back out and made sure he wasn’t underneath it and then slowly drove down the street and took a left. Luckily he was like 10 houses away sniffing around someone’s door. I pulled over and greeted him happily and he ran over and got in the truck.

All’s well that ends with me not finding him dodging cars on the main road. Go check your fences, folks.

Congratulations to Tacky and Tina for making that little baby named after a Bob Seger song.

Can’t wait to meet her.

Well it’s all over. The Residence party has wrapped and I must say it was a good time.

Yesterday it was hot and sunny until about 4:00 pm when black skies rolled in and doused everything in sideways rain. Before it poured I pulled my truck into the garage to keep the bed dry. I had to throw my easel in there and take it down to the gallery when… if… the rain stopped.

Well the rain finally stopped about 5:00. I had to be there at six. No problem. Except for rush hour traffic. Gah… forgot about that.

I packed up my stuff and headed out. Long story short I ended up getting there about 6 on the dot. The place wasn’t completely packed yet so things were good. I set up and immediately started working diligently… on making the rounds to all the free food.

I had a great time chatting with lots of the guests and puttering around on the painting I was working on.

The art was hung beautifully, the crowd was young and beautiful, the beer and mini sandwiches were free and beautiful and two of my paintings and I were in there. Beats the usual Thursday night.

My only bad news is that I broke my beloved blender today.

And if you’re wondering why we have a log on our counter, it grows shiitake mushrooms when you soak it in water.

Poor blender. Your smoothies will be missed.

I’m extremely excited about this week. On Monday I drove down to the Green Rice Gallery and from there brought my largest paintings, Fort Point and Matheson Ave. (the huge Charlotte train yard one) down to a gallery in South Charlotte.

The “gallery” is actually a unit in a luxury condo that was provided by the building’s management so that residents could have a place nearby to see local art. Check this place out for yourself.

The Residence

In addition to having two of my pieces on the walls, I’ll be painting live at the opening reception tomorrow night. I cannot wait to get in there and take photos of my own to show you all. When I walked into the apartment and looked around at the vaulted ceilings and how nice everything was I had another one of those “Oh man…my art got me here” moments that I had back in April when the gallery owner flew me back to Boston to do the permanent installation.

Here’s the painting I’ll be working on.

Have a good Wednesday.