On Leadership

Tuesday fared better than Monday.

My plans to play squash after work were stifled somewhat by the fact that a windstorm had knocked out power lines to the Goodlife gym close to my work. Despite the fact that there was (mostly) no power to the building, my friends and I were still allowed in. The courts were too dark to actually play a game, but we rallied by the light of the gym's skylights.

Have you ever played squash in the dark? I can't recommend it. It's a bit like playing a night baseball game under really dim lights, and losing the ball in the night sky.

Anyway, we were kicked out of the gym after about half an hour, and we retired to a local pub for dinner and drinks. My three companions ate chicken wings and beer, while I sipped water and ate a delicious roasted vegetable, goat cheese and chicken salad.

I got home around 6:30, and was feeling a bit lazy. Sitting at my computer desk, I had resolved to skip the gym when I struck up a conversation with a junior belt who trained at my jiu jitsu club this summer.

Short version of the story: this junior belt, while a great, hardworking guy, is training against his body type. In this regard, he reminds me a lot of myself - and I think I've taken an interested in his jiu jitsu career because I see him dealing with all of the same issues that I have dealt with, and continue to deal with.

I was just about to tell this guy that I was skipping the gym, when I realized that if our roles were reversed, I would push him to fight inertia (see? A theme!), get out of his chair, and go throw some weights around.

So that's how I ended up at the gym on Tuesday night. Fuck inertia.

... the next post in this blog will deal with the issue of my ankle, and whether it's sprained, broken, or made from unbreakable robot parts. I'm inclined to believe A, hoping against B, with C as a dim possibility.

Details soon.

(PS: All-time low weight this morning. w00t.)

[178.8]