2010

In case anyone’s interested the weather in 2010 is unusually cool and clear for this time of year with a nice breeze, just the way I like it. We’ll be taking a visiting 6 y.o. niece to the beach today so she can wear her new bikini.
Progress on pull-up bars has stalled while I await delivery of a drill guide I had to order from Australia. I don’t trust myself to drill straight holes through thick posts to accurately position brackets. Recent efforts doing this for squat stands proved the task beyond me. At least in that case the holes didn’t have to be dead true, which is why I worked on those first. I did manage to achieve a marvellous array of varying angles. The squat stands are done, I just need to cut some sections of pipe to act as loading pins and drill a locking hole through them. The drill guide will let me do that correctly too. With one hole positioned low down I’ll also be able to bench while laying on my lowest plyo-box. Debating making up a proper padded board to sit across the 2 x 12” boxes, my initial testing just resting my shoulders on one box with hips in a bridge looked like that should be perfectly adequate.

So when all of this is complete later this month I can plan on my squat, pull-ups and push-ups making some progress and I’ll have provision for a 10 foot bar to hang rings from, so if in a fit of enthusiasm I decide to play with muscleups, I won’t have to kneel to get started.

Having to import the drill guide is annoying. They used to be available in NZ, I remember my grandfather having one 30 odd years ago. The places that sell them in the US don’t ship internationally and the place in Australia likewise, so the one I’ve ordered is going to my parents on the Gold Coast and they’ll forward it on.

Not getting much sculpting done. We’re scouting for bases as we trot around shops and I’m thinking I might have a go at making what I need out of MDF, like my movie props hero Dave Tremont does so often. I’ve no idea how well the MDF will seal though, so surface finish could take some experimentation. Apparently finer finishes than I want are possible.

Anyway. I didn’t do the midnight New Year’s burpees ast night. I celebrated New Years in my traditional manner, by sleeping through it. Us old folks need our rest.

I wish all of you and your families a happy new year.
It’s a great joy to know so many nice people from all over the globe.