I haven't had an audition in around 3-4 weeks. This has made me focus on earning money in real estate and on physical fitness. We're all set to go to Savannah in 8 days or so. That has intensified my work ethic over the last few days. I want to close 2 real estate deals by the time we leave. I've closed deals at that rate before. What PhillyRay has done, PhillyRay can do.
Yesterday I went to the aforementioned "meathead gym" in Astoria. They have a revamped schedule, which includes (thank you Lord) a Thursday boxing class! That is the perfect day of the week to have a boxing class with my schedule. The instructor is a grizzled Haitian man named Pierre. He also has a class on Tuesdays from 730-830 called "Pierre's Torture Camp". I find that class aptly named. I'm banged up, dude.
Today's gripe: Why is it so hard to get a coffee without sugar? I supposed I'll have to start reinforcing my order in Spanish....
"Coffee with milk and no sugar, please. Cafe con leche SIN azucar, por favor....sin azucar."
"Como? Sin Azucar?"
"Si. Soy dulce bastantes."
Ah. The pains of ordering coffee. Esso si que es....
Showing posts with label boxing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boxing. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Sore body and a clear head
Man. This whole insane workout schedule is really tough. I knew it would be, no surprise there. My triceps are hurting, my back is hurting, my ankles are stiff in the AM and my head hurts from 6 rounds of sparring last night. Backing down is not an option.
I'm going proverbially balls to the wall until I drop another 20 pounds. If I lose another 20 pounds I will be very healthy. My cholesterol has dropped dramatically in the last year, but I want it even lower. I have a lot of muscle/bulk left over from years of competitive weight training, so the weight I plan on dropping will mostly be fat.
I should start eating more fish. I love fish. I prefer it to most meat actually. I even like sardines, mackerel and bluefish....all those less glamorous fish are wonderful in a spicy tomato sauce with some crusty bread. Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'll eat more fish and I will have a first course of vegetables. I love vegetables! I love steamed and braised greens! If I like the stuff I should have it more...it only makes sense.
As you can probably tell, it's pretty quiet on the acting front this week.
I'm going proverbially balls to the wall until I drop another 20 pounds. If I lose another 20 pounds I will be very healthy. My cholesterol has dropped dramatically in the last year, but I want it even lower. I have a lot of muscle/bulk left over from years of competitive weight training, so the weight I plan on dropping will mostly be fat.
I should start eating more fish. I love fish. I prefer it to most meat actually. I even like sardines, mackerel and bluefish....all those less glamorous fish are wonderful in a spicy tomato sauce with some crusty bread. Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'll eat more fish and I will have a first course of vegetables. I love vegetables! I love steamed and braised greens! If I like the stuff I should have it more...it only makes sense.
As you can probably tell, it's pretty quiet on the acting front this week.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
I am slowly becoming a ginormous meathead
Who has two gym memberships? Seriously? I think besides me, maybe a tan juice head gorilla or two. The kind of guy with a yin yang tattoo on his right shoulder an donning his back left shoulder...a panther tearing out of his flesh. (It's like a sick 3D tat, bro!)
Just four blocks away from our apartment is a gym that offers a bunch of MMA classes. You can take however many of them you want for $39.95/month with no commitment. The two boxing sessions a week did me well, but in order for me to cut more weight and live a long and happy life with my wife, I need to drop perhaps another 25-30 pounds. I'm going to take classes at this other place 3 other days a week.
/puts on sleeveless Affliction t-shirt
My goal is to be 225 by April 1st and 210 by June 1st. I last weighed myself about 6 weeks ago and was 250 pounds. I think I've dropped a bit since then.
/plucks eyebrows
Anyway, this other gym is pretty sick. Tonight from 7-730 is a grappling class specifically geared towards MMA fighting styles. Of course, I will NEVER ever spar in an MMA style. Those dudes wear 4oz gloves! What the heck could that do? It essentially stops you from being cut on the first punch and that's about it.
/flexes tricep in the mirror
Wednesday is my acting class, so I can't workout that day. Then on Thursday there is a MMA self defense class from 7-8 and then a bag work class from 8-845. Friday I box and Saturday from 1030-1115 is MMA self defense followed up from 1115 to 12 is MMA style "XTREME CONDITIONING".
/shaves armpits
Bro, I'mma be mad savage in like 3 months. You don't even know, kid. Shit is legit real quick.
/browses amazon.com for mexican steroids
Just four blocks away from our apartment is a gym that offers a bunch of MMA classes. You can take however many of them you want for $39.95/month with no commitment. The two boxing sessions a week did me well, but in order for me to cut more weight and live a long and happy life with my wife, I need to drop perhaps another 25-30 pounds. I'm going to take classes at this other place 3 other days a week.
/puts on sleeveless Affliction t-shirt
My goal is to be 225 by April 1st and 210 by June 1st. I last weighed myself about 6 weeks ago and was 250 pounds. I think I've dropped a bit since then.
/plucks eyebrows
Anyway, this other gym is pretty sick. Tonight from 7-730 is a grappling class specifically geared towards MMA fighting styles. Of course, I will NEVER ever spar in an MMA style. Those dudes wear 4oz gloves! What the heck could that do? It essentially stops you from being cut on the first punch and that's about it.
/flexes tricep in the mirror
Wednesday is my acting class, so I can't workout that day. Then on Thursday there is a MMA self defense class from 7-8 and then a bag work class from 8-845. Friday I box and Saturday from 1030-1115 is MMA self defense followed up from 1115 to 12 is MMA style "XTREME CONDITIONING".
/shaves armpits
Bro, I'mma be mad savage in like 3 months. You don't even know, kid. Shit is legit real quick.
/browses amazon.com for mexican steroids
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Onion Sports Dome, Boxing, Black Swan and Rabbit Hole
Ok......I am a huge fan of the Onion Sports Dome. The show is hysterical, and I am excited for my bit to get on there. (Fingers crossed it isn't cut) They nailed SportsCenter so well. Even the hosts look like they could really host SportsCenter. They succeeded with the patter that anchors use on ESPN's flagship show. Some highlights for me were: "The Who Would You Kill?" segment and the A-Rod musical, where an oiled up and sexually ambiguous latin man gyrates on the stage and sings about his hatred for "Eric Cheeter" and how much he wants to have sex with women. Hysterical. I laughed and also covered my mouth in shock a few times, it was really really funny. It has a lead in of Tosh.0, which is really strong to have too. I expect big things for this show.
Boxing has been great to me, my weight loss and as a general outlet, but I gotta chill for a week. My left wrist is still a bit tender from Monday a week ago. We were sparring and I was pretty gassed. There hadn't been class for 2 weeks or so because of the holidays and snowstorms etc. My technique went out of the window and I rolled my left wrist when I threw a jab to my sparring partner's body. I want to box for fitness indefinitely, so there is no reason to rush this recovery. A solid week off should do wonders for me. I'll just watch what I eat for the most part and I should be fine.
"Black Swan" is absurd. It's a fun movie, but the director just tried to shock people the entire time. With that being said, the performances of the actors were really great. Natalie Portman blew me away. Mila Kunis was also excellent, and I was really captivated by Vincent Cassel and Barbara Hershey.
"Rabbit Hole" is very sad but also very good. I was especially taken by Miles Teller.
Boxing has been great to me, my weight loss and as a general outlet, but I gotta chill for a week. My left wrist is still a bit tender from Monday a week ago. We were sparring and I was pretty gassed. There hadn't been class for 2 weeks or so because of the holidays and snowstorms etc. My technique went out of the window and I rolled my left wrist when I threw a jab to my sparring partner's body. I want to box for fitness indefinitely, so there is no reason to rush this recovery. A solid week off should do wonders for me. I'll just watch what I eat for the most part and I should be fine.
"Black Swan" is absurd. It's a fun movie, but the director just tried to shock people the entire time. With that being said, the performances of the actors were really great. Natalie Portman blew me away. Mila Kunis was also excellent, and I was really captivated by Vincent Cassel and Barbara Hershey.
"Rabbit Hole" is very sad but also very good. I was especially taken by Miles Teller.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
"You have good punch speed."
I heard that on Monday after a sparring session and swelled with pride. I was also swelling because of body shots I took from the guy as well. I've come a long long way with boxing since I started last February. That body shot sparring session was one of the best workouts I've had in a while.
Usually, when people hear "body shot" they think of Panama City Beach or the E! Channel. I suppose there was a time in my life where I would think the same way too. Nowadays, when I hear "body shot" I just wince.
Anyway, back to the body shot only sparring session. Most of the people in my boxing class are "headhunters". The term is self explanatory, so when we were faced with the challenge to only land body shots I was at first concerned that I would be terrible, but also relieved to not get hit in the nose. (Note: being hit in the nose never becomes palatable) First, one guy would be on defense...cover up, move around etc and basically just take it. The other guy was on the offensive and would work combos. We did this for two different three minute rounds. One minute rest in between. Even when you are on defense it's a great work out, because you see a punch coming, tighten up your abs and shift your body to protect the blow. Obviously, throwing punches is a tough workout on your back, elbows, wrists, legs......your whole body.
I prefer to go second. Sometimes people want to go full speed if they have a fight approaching, and sometimes they want to go 1/2 speed or 3/4 speed because they are coming off of a fight. Don't think for a second that 1/2 speed is slow to these guys....it's not. It's still pretty terrible. Anyway, I prefer to go second so I can match the guys power/speed etc. I have no desire to be a "practice hero" and I also have no desire to enrage a professional boxer or high ranking amateur boxer.
Any boxer will tell you, body shots hurt more than head shots. It's true that you can "shake off" a head shot, but a punch the rattles your intestines is impossible to get past. You feel things move that you didn't know existed much less existed and were movable. Then you feel like you have to use the bathroom, and you know that is just not the case, so it's weird as heck. Sometimes, you get a tin can taste in your mouth after you belch. Not good things. Whereas with a head shot, you can shake your head and make a "wuhwuhwuhwuh" sound at that usually does the trick. I'm just concerned about head shots, because raccoon eyes are bad for the acting business.
After the three minute one way rounds were over, it was time to spar for another two sets of three minute rounds. My focus was to protect myself and try to land a few one handed combos here and there and explore the uppercut. I found some success with the jab/left hook combo and right/right upper combos. I even landed a left hook/right hook/left hook combo. The guy I went against is really quick and has been boxing for quite some time. He has a boxers body. Long, lean muscular arms with emphasis on forearms and shoulders and a short torso. This means not a lot of target space and a lot of reach. He is maybe 4 inches shorter than me, but I wouldn't be surprised if his reach is close to mine. So he got me pretty good a few times as well. I learned that I need to keep my forearms more parallel and closer when I am defending myself, I have a tendency to splay my elbows out. This could also be a product of me needing to lose more weight, we'll see.
"You have good punch speed."
"Thanks man (spitting out tin can taste)"
"For real, though."
"Like, for a big man?"
"No, just in general, you have good punch speed"
Usually, when people hear "body shot" they think of Panama City Beach or the E! Channel. I suppose there was a time in my life where I would think the same way too. Nowadays, when I hear "body shot" I just wince.
Anyway, back to the body shot only sparring session. Most of the people in my boxing class are "headhunters". The term is self explanatory, so when we were faced with the challenge to only land body shots I was at first concerned that I would be terrible, but also relieved to not get hit in the nose. (Note: being hit in the nose never becomes palatable) First, one guy would be on defense...cover up, move around etc and basically just take it. The other guy was on the offensive and would work combos. We did this for two different three minute rounds. One minute rest in between. Even when you are on defense it's a great work out, because you see a punch coming, tighten up your abs and shift your body to protect the blow. Obviously, throwing punches is a tough workout on your back, elbows, wrists, legs......your whole body.
I prefer to go second. Sometimes people want to go full speed if they have a fight approaching, and sometimes they want to go 1/2 speed or 3/4 speed because they are coming off of a fight. Don't think for a second that 1/2 speed is slow to these guys....it's not. It's still pretty terrible. Anyway, I prefer to go second so I can match the guys power/speed etc. I have no desire to be a "practice hero" and I also have no desire to enrage a professional boxer or high ranking amateur boxer.
Any boxer will tell you, body shots hurt more than head shots. It's true that you can "shake off" a head shot, but a punch the rattles your intestines is impossible to get past. You feel things move that you didn't know existed much less existed and were movable. Then you feel like you have to use the bathroom, and you know that is just not the case, so it's weird as heck. Sometimes, you get a tin can taste in your mouth after you belch. Not good things. Whereas with a head shot, you can shake your head and make a "wuhwuhwuhwuh" sound at that usually does the trick. I'm just concerned about head shots, because raccoon eyes are bad for the acting business.
After the three minute one way rounds were over, it was time to spar for another two sets of three minute rounds. My focus was to protect myself and try to land a few one handed combos here and there and explore the uppercut. I found some success with the jab/left hook combo and right/right upper combos. I even landed a left hook/right hook/left hook combo. The guy I went against is really quick and has been boxing for quite some time. He has a boxers body. Long, lean muscular arms with emphasis on forearms and shoulders and a short torso. This means not a lot of target space and a lot of reach. He is maybe 4 inches shorter than me, but I wouldn't be surprised if his reach is close to mine. So he got me pretty good a few times as well. I learned that I need to keep my forearms more parallel and closer when I am defending myself, I have a tendency to splay my elbows out. This could also be a product of me needing to lose more weight, we'll see.
"You have good punch speed."
"Thanks man (spitting out tin can taste)"
"For real, though."
"Like, for a big man?"
"No, just in general, you have good punch speed"
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Future Projects, boxing update etc
There is a Shakespearean monologue in Henry IV, in which Falstaff sings the virtues of sherry. Of course, in his time, it was known as "sherrisack". Nonetheless, this monologue is essentially a commercial, touting the benefits of drinking fortified wines, and pinpointing the fine qualities of a well made sherrisack.
I want to film this monologue as a commercial in black and white and use these videos/clips as reference points:
Marvelous.
As much as I'd love to do the whole piece as a faux commercial, it would simply be too long. So I have to make cuts and shorten the length to 60 seconds.
So that's what is down the pike for me.
Additionally, boxing is going really well. I am finally able to throw a jab, right cross combo without lunging forward on the cross when I spar. "Lunging forward" can just mean an inch or two. If you expose your face just a little bit for a split second, that can means lights out, taking a canvas nap etc.
Of course, when you are just hitting the heavy bag or hand pads, it's easy not to lunge....but in the heat of a sparring session it's a challenge to keep cool and maintain solid technique. I attribute keeping cool to years of playing football and the fact that I don't freak out when I take a hit. I attribute the technique to improved foot work/coordination and I attribute this to jump rope. I'm a skipping machine these days. I can skip 5 different ways interchangeably. It's fun to do 100 one way and then switch back and forth. Man oh man, skipping rope can be an exhausting workout when done right and long enough.
I can now see some abs poking through my belly. At first I assumed it was smaller rolls, as opposed to larger belly rolls, but upon further inspection, they are indeed abs. So that's cool. It has definitely inspired me to put boxing and fitness in high gear.
I want to film this monologue as a commercial in black and white and use these videos/clips as reference points:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
I suppose the product will be a fake one, called "Sherrisack".
I suppose the product will be a fake one, called "Sherrisack".
One of my acting heroes, Orson Welles, tackled this monologue on the "Dean Martin" show. Here is that video, fast fwd to 3:52 to see the actual piece (before that he waxes poetic about Falstaff, and you will also see an excellent example of old school stage makeup application)
Marvelous.
As much as I'd love to do the whole piece as a faux commercial, it would simply be too long. So I have to make cuts and shorten the length to 60 seconds.
So that's what is down the pike for me.
Additionally, boxing is going really well. I am finally able to throw a jab, right cross combo without lunging forward on the cross when I spar. "Lunging forward" can just mean an inch or two. If you expose your face just a little bit for a split second, that can means lights out, taking a canvas nap etc.
Of course, when you are just hitting the heavy bag or hand pads, it's easy not to lunge....but in the heat of a sparring session it's a challenge to keep cool and maintain solid technique. I attribute keeping cool to years of playing football and the fact that I don't freak out when I take a hit. I attribute the technique to improved foot work/coordination and I attribute this to jump rope. I'm a skipping machine these days. I can skip 5 different ways interchangeably. It's fun to do 100 one way and then switch back and forth. Man oh man, skipping rope can be an exhausting workout when done right and long enough.
I can now see some abs poking through my belly. At first I assumed it was smaller rolls, as opposed to larger belly rolls, but upon further inspection, they are indeed abs. So that's cool. It has definitely inspired me to put boxing and fitness in high gear.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Boxing has made me a better actor
I believe that boxing has made me a better person, a more well rounded person and in doing so, it has made me a better actor.
In the world of professional acting, you'll see a lot of ups and downs. Also, I have noticed that the "downs" can last a long time, months even in between jobs etc. Hey man, it happens. I've found that when I focus on the negative things, like say not getting work, it all begins to spiral out of control. I become my own worst enemy. First comes the doubt, then confusion, then anger towards everyone else and then the anger turns on yourself. It's a nasty nasty cycle that helps nothing and hurts everything and everyone.
But when you focus on something else and are happy about your position in life, things just seem to fall into place. I wasn't able to focus like that on my real estate job, I wasn't able to focus like that on weight loss, but I was able to focus that much on boxing. Maybe because I come from an athletic background (football and competitive powerlifting) I am able to lose myself in boxing. Who knows. All I know is I am hooked and it has made me a better actor.
Just because you are getting better at boxing doesn't mean that you can beat someone in a bout. Just because you are getting more technically sound as an actor, doesn't mean that you will land that day player role. You either match the producers needs or you don't. You either react properly to the jab, execute a proper slip and counter with a right hook to the jaw or you dont see the jab coming and your nose is bloody. On the one hand the execution is up to you, but on the other hand the opportunity is Lord given.
And I am surprised that boxing taught me that lesson about acting and finding success. Another thing that actors need to posses is a feeling of confidence but also the knowledge that if you don't match the producers needs, you simply won't get the job. It doesn't matter how talented you are. Boxing has given me a similar mind set. I feel a heightened sense of virility for sure. I know that I can beat up most people in a street fight, and I'd be remiss to say it isn't a manly and comforting thought. But I also feel way more humble. I am humble because if I fight someone who is 135 lbs, they could theoretically destroy me in the ring. They could have been training for 10 years and have found amateur success and are about to embark on a professional career. Me and my 8 or so months can not compete with that
You just never know. Sometimes you just don't have the goods, sometimes you just can't match up; sometimes you aren't what the producers are looking for. All you can do is your personal best - and in a perfect world that is all that matters.
In the world of professional acting, you'll see a lot of ups and downs. Also, I have noticed that the "downs" can last a long time, months even in between jobs etc. Hey man, it happens. I've found that when I focus on the negative things, like say not getting work, it all begins to spiral out of control. I become my own worst enemy. First comes the doubt, then confusion, then anger towards everyone else and then the anger turns on yourself. It's a nasty nasty cycle that helps nothing and hurts everything and everyone.
But when you focus on something else and are happy about your position in life, things just seem to fall into place. I wasn't able to focus like that on my real estate job, I wasn't able to focus like that on weight loss, but I was able to focus that much on boxing. Maybe because I come from an athletic background (football and competitive powerlifting) I am able to lose myself in boxing. Who knows. All I know is I am hooked and it has made me a better actor.
Just because you are getting better at boxing doesn't mean that you can beat someone in a bout. Just because you are getting more technically sound as an actor, doesn't mean that you will land that day player role. You either match the producers needs or you don't. You either react properly to the jab, execute a proper slip and counter with a right hook to the jaw or you dont see the jab coming and your nose is bloody. On the one hand the execution is up to you, but on the other hand the opportunity is Lord given.
And I am surprised that boxing taught me that lesson about acting and finding success. Another thing that actors need to posses is a feeling of confidence but also the knowledge that if you don't match the producers needs, you simply won't get the job. It doesn't matter how talented you are. Boxing has given me a similar mind set. I feel a heightened sense of virility for sure. I know that I can beat up most people in a street fight, and I'd be remiss to say it isn't a manly and comforting thought. But I also feel way more humble. I am humble because if I fight someone who is 135 lbs, they could theoretically destroy me in the ring. They could have been training for 10 years and have found amateur success and are about to embark on a professional career. Me and my 8 or so months can not compete with that
You just never know. Sometimes you just don't have the goods, sometimes you just can't match up; sometimes you aren't what the producers are looking for. All you can do is your personal best - and in a perfect world that is all that matters.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Actors need to let it rip, proverbially speaking of course. Also, boxing class recap.
I love empty subway cars. There, I said it. For those of you who live in NYC, you know how rare those cars are. Usually when I walk into what I think is an empty subway car, there is a stinky bum or vomit or something less than stellar in existence. "Fooled again!" I think as I quickly walk between cars.
But not last night, this was an honest to goodness empty subway car and you know what I did? I let it rip. I worked on 2 monologues and really explored rate, inflection, pitch and dynamic. I went totally ape shit. It was exhilarating. It felt oh so good, and I even got to the point where I discovered things about the monologue that I hadn't noticed before. It was a great experience. Not only did I find things that I could do that I had never thought of, but I also left that train feeling energized. I should admit that if someone came into the car I would have kept going.....not in the interest of progress, but because I was so wrapped up in it, there's no way I would have noticed.
Actors, if you find yourself on an empty subway car......let it rip. I implore you.
After missing 2 out my last 3 boxing sessions due to acting and real estate work, I made my triumphant return to class last night from 630-730. Although I had not been to class for a while, I have been running about 10 miles a week and I do 500 jump ropes before and after a workout. I feel much much quicker out there. I'm able to execute a jab, jab and left hook combo and then quickly get out of harms way. That wasn't always the case. I used to execute the combo and then catch a counter hook to my cheek. Contrary to popular belief, getting hit in the face isn't fun. Thank you, jump rope! You're the best.
But not last night, this was an honest to goodness empty subway car and you know what I did? I let it rip. I worked on 2 monologues and really explored rate, inflection, pitch and dynamic. I went totally ape shit. It was exhilarating. It felt oh so good, and I even got to the point where I discovered things about the monologue that I hadn't noticed before. It was a great experience. Not only did I find things that I could do that I had never thought of, but I also left that train feeling energized. I should admit that if someone came into the car I would have kept going.....not in the interest of progress, but because I was so wrapped up in it, there's no way I would have noticed.
Actors, if you find yourself on an empty subway car......let it rip. I implore you.
After missing 2 out my last 3 boxing sessions due to acting and real estate work, I made my triumphant return to class last night from 630-730. Although I had not been to class for a while, I have been running about 10 miles a week and I do 500 jump ropes before and after a workout. I feel much much quicker out there. I'm able to execute a jab, jab and left hook combo and then quickly get out of harms way. That wasn't always the case. I used to execute the combo and then catch a counter hook to my cheek. Contrary to popular belief, getting hit in the face isn't fun. Thank you, jump rope! You're the best.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Acting is slow this week, so I shift focus
When acting slows down there are two things to do. One is, you pine and sob that things aren't going your way. That works, if you consider "working" crying into a glass of Canadian Club. You are quite tasty Canadian Club, but you are a terrible psychiatrist. Another way is, you focus on other things that will have a positive effect on you, your life, your relationships or your career.
I have my Wednesday acting class with Beauchamp, that's great. It's a great place to focus on sharpening my skills and working on other skills that I have yet to acquire.
I also focus on getting better at boxing. It's a lot of fun, boxing. I also enjoy that I can kick a little ass, if need be. I find that when rehearsing a monologue or a scene and I do something physical, even if it's just walking around the apartment - its really beneficial. I learn the text faster and for some reason, the time flies by. I also focus on general exercise. Like yesterday, I went for a 5+ mile run around 11102. Surprisingly, I am not sore today and I finished the run in just under an hour. Hopefully, everything will fall into place.
After all, John Lennon once said "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." That's cool, I can get behind that.
He also said that he was a walrus. Goo goo ga joo.
What about you, loyal reader(s) - What do you do to ease tension and stress when things aren't going how you want them to?
I have my Wednesday acting class with Beauchamp, that's great. It's a great place to focus on sharpening my skills and working on other skills that I have yet to acquire.
I also focus on getting better at boxing. It's a lot of fun, boxing. I also enjoy that I can kick a little ass, if need be. I find that when rehearsing a monologue or a scene and I do something physical, even if it's just walking around the apartment - its really beneficial. I learn the text faster and for some reason, the time flies by. I also focus on general exercise. Like yesterday, I went for a 5+ mile run around 11102. Surprisingly, I am not sore today and I finished the run in just under an hour. Hopefully, everything will fall into place.
After all, John Lennon once said "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." That's cool, I can get behind that.
He also said that he was a walrus. Goo goo ga joo.
What about you, loyal reader(s) - What do you do to ease tension and stress when things aren't going how you want them to?
Friday, August 27, 2010
"When getting in good shape goes wrong" - Running Blunder
Today is going to be a busy day for me, so here is a "throwback jam" if you will from August 10th.
My loyal reader(s) know that on Mondays and Fridays I have a boxing class. I hate to miss them, but acting takes priority over boxing. Gut Punch is definitely acting, so I missed boxing last night. Upon returning home I decided to take a run. I went to this site to figure out a running path. It looked good. It would be 3 miles. Not bad, I can handle that. For those of you who have never been to Queens......this boro is why GPS was invented. There are streets, avenue, places and drives most of them are numbered. Some of them stop for no reason and pick up again a few blocks away. I've lived here for 3+ years and I still get turned around.
I think you know where this is going.
I made a wrong turn and wound up in the projects. Here is where I dun goofed up. Scroll down a bit and the pointer should be right by Vernon Blvd. Hint (it runs parallel to the river). I was supposed to take Vernon to Main and take Main to 12th street, make a left on 12th street and take that to Shore Blvd, to the park, make a right on Ditmars, right on Crescent and run home. But nooo-oooo. I had to get confused by how Main breaks in 2 and becomes 30th Avenue for 25 yards. Wahhh wahhh.
I made a left on 8th street and found myself smack-dab in the middle of the Astoria Houses.
It was like a scene out of "The Wire". Doods playing dice, smoking, brown bagging it. I even saw some old guys with fancy canes. One fancy caned gentlemen told me as I ran by that I "can't just fucking jog down this street." At this point, I decided to increase my pace, and about 50 strides later, realized I was lost, and how I got lost. But there was no way in Hades I was going to retrace my steps past Slim Charles, Bodie and D'Angelo. So I kept on running, by the time I got home I was drenched in sweat. Even my socks were wet like sponges left in a soaking pot.
I went back to walkjogrun.net and retraced my path, I ran about 6 miles. Ha. Those gentlemen in the projects were not particularly inviting. Had the situation been reversed and had they gotten lost and wound up in some place with tons of white people (like a farmers market, baby gap or vampire weekend concert) I would have been nice to them. Poo poo on them.
My loyal reader(s) know that on Mondays and Fridays I have a boxing class. I hate to miss them, but acting takes priority over boxing. Gut Punch is definitely acting, so I missed boxing last night. Upon returning home I decided to take a run. I went to this site to figure out a running path. It looked good. It would be 3 miles. Not bad, I can handle that. For those of you who have never been to Queens......this boro is why GPS was invented. There are streets, avenue, places and drives most of them are numbered. Some of them stop for no reason and pick up again a few blocks away. I've lived here for 3+ years and I still get turned around.
I think you know where this is going.
I made a wrong turn and wound up in the projects. Here is where I dun goofed up. Scroll down a bit and the pointer should be right by Vernon Blvd. Hint (it runs parallel to the river). I was supposed to take Vernon to Main and take Main to 12th street, make a left on 12th street and take that to Shore Blvd, to the park, make a right on Ditmars, right on Crescent and run home. But nooo-oooo. I had to get confused by how Main breaks in 2 and becomes 30th Avenue for 25 yards. Wahhh wahhh.
I made a left on 8th street and found myself smack-dab in the middle of the Astoria Houses.
It was like a scene out of "The Wire". Doods playing dice, smoking, brown bagging it. I even saw some old guys with fancy canes. One fancy caned gentlemen told me as I ran by that I "can't just fucking jog down this street." At this point, I decided to increase my pace, and about 50 strides later, realized I was lost, and how I got lost. But there was no way in Hades I was going to retrace my steps past Slim Charles, Bodie and D'Angelo. So I kept on running, by the time I got home I was drenched in sweat. Even my socks were wet like sponges left in a soaking pot.
I went back to walkjogrun.net and retraced my path, I ran about 6 miles. Ha. Those gentlemen in the projects were not particularly inviting. Had the situation been reversed and had they gotten lost and wound up in some place with tons of white people (like a farmers market, baby gap or vampire weekend concert) I would have been nice to them. Poo poo on them.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
El Boxeo
I realized that it has been a while since I typed to you about boxing. I missed the last 1 1/2 weeks of classes due to work related stuff and weddings etc. Yesterday I returned and promptly paid the price. It's amazing how a week and a half of not working out and indulging a bit will kill your progress.
We started off with some light jogging. Well, not light in the true sense of the word. We ran for 10 minutes, but with 5lb weights in our hands. 30 seconds with regular arm motion, 30 seconds with our arms extended in front of us, elbows locked and 30 seconds with our arms hoisted above our heads, once again, elbows locked.
This left me a bit winded. Then it was time to shadow box. 3 minute rounds of furious punching, breaks of one minute, we did this 3 times. Shadowboxing is really hard. Common wisdom claims that you spend more energy when you punch and miss than when you land a punch, and I believe this. Shadowboxing is nothing but missing punches if you think about it.
We then did "one-two's". That's when you square up with a partner and tap gloves at a furious speed (left right left right left right etc etc). Hence the term. You do this for four two minute rounds with a one minute break.
Then it was time for the slap games. We pair up and stay on the balls of our feet hand in gloves at our hips and we try to throw a haymaker slap to the persons shoulder.....and sometimes face if its ok with both of you. Ordinarily I'm cool with face contact, but I have my Pittsburgh audition Thursday and I have to look at pretty as possible. We did this for 3 rounds of 2 minutes. When the shoulder slap was over we took off our gloves and kept on our hand wraps and did the slap game with the inside of each others knees. It looked like a lame version of the Kumatai from "Bloodsport".
After this, it was time for conditioning. We would take 5 lb weights and punch as fast as we can doing the 1-2-1-2-1-2 etc for a minute straight then do "down thrusts". Normally, something with that name is pretty appealing, but not this time. You fall down to all fours like you are doing a push up and thrust your knees up to your chest and leap up with your hands in the air and land on two feet and repeat. We would punch for 60 seconds, down thrust for another 60 and rest for 30. We did this 4 times.
I then went home, showered and passed out to the Jets and Giants game.
We started off with some light jogging. Well, not light in the true sense of the word. We ran for 10 minutes, but with 5lb weights in our hands. 30 seconds with regular arm motion, 30 seconds with our arms extended in front of us, elbows locked and 30 seconds with our arms hoisted above our heads, once again, elbows locked.
This left me a bit winded. Then it was time to shadow box. 3 minute rounds of furious punching, breaks of one minute, we did this 3 times. Shadowboxing is really hard. Common wisdom claims that you spend more energy when you punch and miss than when you land a punch, and I believe this. Shadowboxing is nothing but missing punches if you think about it.
We then did "one-two's". That's when you square up with a partner and tap gloves at a furious speed (left right left right left right etc etc). Hence the term. You do this for four two minute rounds with a one minute break.
Then it was time for the slap games. We pair up and stay on the balls of our feet hand in gloves at our hips and we try to throw a haymaker slap to the persons shoulder.....and sometimes face if its ok with both of you. Ordinarily I'm cool with face contact, but I have my Pittsburgh audition Thursday and I have to look at pretty as possible. We did this for 3 rounds of 2 minutes. When the shoulder slap was over we took off our gloves and kept on our hand wraps and did the slap game with the inside of each others knees. It looked like a lame version of the Kumatai from "Bloodsport".
After this, it was time for conditioning. We would take 5 lb weights and punch as fast as we can doing the 1-2-1-2-1-2 etc for a minute straight then do "down thrusts". Normally, something with that name is pretty appealing, but not this time. You fall down to all fours like you are doing a push up and thrust your knees up to your chest and leap up with your hands in the air and land on two feet and repeat. We would punch for 60 seconds, down thrust for another 60 and rest for 30. We did this 4 times.
I then went home, showered and passed out to the Jets and Giants game.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Gut Punch evening
In a rare instance of life imitating art (obnoxious hint: it's usually the other way around) actual companies have been contacting Gut Punch for advertising work. Most of the time, the companies are in on the joke, but sometimes we are not so sure. Tonight we are going to reply to a new business lead we have. The only problem is, and I find this to be a rather hysterical problem, we are four months late on this response. Ha. In typical Gut Punch fashion, since we all had access to the general e-mail account, no one actually bothered to log in and check messages. So here we are, 120+ days after the fact about to reply to the query.
Needless to say, a simple email back to the guy will not suffice, we have to make a video to send to him essentially apologizing for the egregious fuck up. We have a few ideas, and all of them are funny. I'm pretty excited about this. UPDATE: Because we have such an amazing group mind, filming has been pushed to Monday, more updates to come.
After that Mrs Philly Ray and I are going to the RUMBLE ON THE RIVER! This tough guy I have trained with and have sparred with, Sergio is going to box tonight. He is making his amateur debut. Guy is really really good. I outweigh him by probably 100 pounds, and he destroyed me on the reg. Anywho....tickets are free, its on west 44th street and the West Side Highway and tickets are free, should be awesome.
I joined twitter. If Troy Polamalu can tweet, I suppose I can too.
Small thought: The 7 train is like........the Noah's Ark of people.
Needless to say, a simple email back to the guy will not suffice, we have to make a video to send to him essentially apologizing for the egregious fuck up. We have a few ideas, and all of them are funny. I'm pretty excited about this. UPDATE: Because we have such an amazing group mind, filming has been pushed to Monday, more updates to come.
After that Mrs Philly Ray and I are going to the RUMBLE ON THE RIVER! This tough guy I have trained with and have sparred with, Sergio is going to box tonight. He is making his amateur debut. Guy is really really good. I outweigh him by probably 100 pounds, and he destroyed me on the reg. Anywho....tickets are free, its on west 44th street and the West Side Highway and tickets are free, should be awesome.
I joined twitter. If Troy Polamalu can tweet, I suppose I can too.
Small thought: The 7 train is like........the Noah's Ark of people.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sparred yesterday!
And now, I have a bit of a headache. Whenever there is a smaller sized class, we spar. I first just had a light sparring session with Camillo. He is about 6-4 and 200 lbs, lightning quick. We just had one person punch and the other counter, both sides just using the left. Jab to face and hook to face were OK too. I like sparring with him because he is a shade taller than me and he is a lot quicker than me, so I have to be a bit more cerebral about what I do. I can't just wail away and attack, I have to bait him a bit and counter and immediately get out of the way, because he has a pretty accurate straight jab. Actually, most of his punches are pretty accurate. I'm fortunate that I didn't catch the liver shot that his next opponent caught. It was a pretty funny moment. You hear the guy dry heave and laugh simultaneously. He then remarked "Standing seven count? Fuck that, I'm sitting down!"
Then I went against this guy Chris. He is a bit taller than me too. He weighs a little less than me and is pretty muscular. His punches aren't as fast as Camillo's but they pack a lot of power, because of his overall strength. Chris doesn't come as often as he'd like to (he's a maintenance painter with crazy hours). Because of that, I hadn't had the opportunity to spar with him before. We were both pretty winded when we started sparring each other so we just kind slugged it out. I'm pretty sure we each landed about a dozen body shots and maybe 6-7 head shots. Lambros told us not to throw rights to the head, and we heeded his advice. Which is a good thing, because we are better at offense than defense and if rights to the head were involved I supposed my headache would be a bit more severe.
Then I went up against Bosko. At this time we both went about 1/2 speed. I've taken what I know to be a full speed punch to my head from Bosko and there is no comparison to what we were throwing last night. We were just basically tapping each other and focusing on foot work. This is a good thing, because when he punches hard you feel it. I've been told that I have a formidable right hand too.
Then I rounded things out by going against a newish guy, Bill. I was only allowed to work on defense and throw an occasional jab to the body to keep him away. I worked on my footwork and felt like Keanu in the matrix.
Then I went against this guy Chris. He is a bit taller than me too. He weighs a little less than me and is pretty muscular. His punches aren't as fast as Camillo's but they pack a lot of power, because of his overall strength. Chris doesn't come as often as he'd like to (he's a maintenance painter with crazy hours). Because of that, I hadn't had the opportunity to spar with him before. We were both pretty winded when we started sparring each other so we just kind slugged it out. I'm pretty sure we each landed about a dozen body shots and maybe 6-7 head shots. Lambros told us not to throw rights to the head, and we heeded his advice. Which is a good thing, because we are better at offense than defense and if rights to the head were involved I supposed my headache would be a bit more severe.
Then I went up against Bosko. At this time we both went about 1/2 speed. I've taken what I know to be a full speed punch to my head from Bosko and there is no comparison to what we were throwing last night. We were just basically tapping each other and focusing on foot work. This is a good thing, because when he punches hard you feel it. I've been told that I have a formidable right hand too.
Then I rounded things out by going against a newish guy, Bill. I was only allowed to work on defense and throw an occasional jab to the body to keep him away. I worked on my footwork and felt like Keanu in the matrix.
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