Last week I was working at the library. I ran out of scrap paper. They have a bunch. On the other side of a sheet was something they provide every day: the New York Times crossword puzzle. It was a couple days old when I got it, hence it being scrap. I was about to use the back side, which was the side I wanted. I scanned a few clues[…] Keep reading →

I wrote in August about a couple personal bests in my lifting practice, Two personal bests in a week: Freedom, and last month about the risk of injury in exploring your physical limits. Why form is important in lifting weights, especially Turkish Get-Ups. First, the personal best on the bench press, or more accurately floor press, since I don’t have a bench. My last personal best was to do three[…] Keep reading →

I’d been meaning to write a post like this since what I’m about to describe happens every now and then. Part of the value of a sidcha is developing the skill of integrity. As with any performance-based activity, we learn to practice integrity through practicing the basics. There are probably many basic practices for integrity, but sidchas are a good one. I can think of few things more valuable to[…] Keep reading →

I’ve written before about a practice I’ve come to see as a part of maturation: reading and studying people I disagree with—the more opposition, the more I value the learning. I mean more than just learning their views. I mean empathizing with them, learning the sources of their views, and reaching a place where what they say makes sense. Reading, learning, and understanding don’t mean agreeing or supporting. On the[…] Keep reading →

Regular readers know my sidcha to pick up at least three pieces of litter from the northwest corner of Washington Square Park. While most of my sidchas I haven’t missed, that one I’ve missed, maybe one or two times per year. The park could use more people picking up litter. No, the point of picking up litter isn’t just the temporary removal of litter. Picking up litter makes not buying[…] Keep reading →

Below is an idea for the new book that I probably won’t use so figured I’d share it here. I’m sure I’ll use it in conversations with the media. I may develop it more. I like the idea. I should probably specify the behaviors of environmentalists whose counterparts I show in the smokers’, though I hope it’s obvious. For example, vaping represents all the technologies and efficiencies that people want[…] Keep reading →

This morning’s calisthenics involved four sets of burpees. I noticed a funny thought as I started the third set. I had barely done a tenth of a burpee in that third set when I thought, “Only one set left.” That’s an odd thought. Since I had barely started the third set, I had closer to two sets left. Why did I think I had one set left when I actually[…] Keep reading →

I’ve been saying these words lately. Do the reps, you get the results. Don’t do the reps, you don’t get the results. I’ve said them to myself, my teammates, and my coaching clients. As regular readers know from my sidchas and standard procedures, I live them. When I search the web for them as a quote, I don’t find them, so maybe I created the quote. They ring true, particularly[…] Keep reading →

You may remember me posting about Two personal bests in a week: Freedom, in which I jumped 8.4 pounds (3.8 kilograms) in my Turkish get-up to 70 pounds, plus lifted more in my presses. I think I commented that part of why I tried it when I did was because it was the end of a month with 31 days. I do a six-day exercise cycle starting on the first[…] Keep reading →