Training.

11/25 - 40lb weight vest work - chins 8/6/6/5, dips 10/8/7, hyperx 20/15/15, pushups 13/12

Heavy Bag 3x2m rounds, Shadowboxing 3x2m rounds [Bas Rutten MMA Workout/Boxing]

Neck nods & rotations 50/25/25, neck harness 25lbs x15/10

11/24 - MMA Conditioning Circuit - punch combos on thai pads/rocking chair ground defense/punch-sprawl drill/weighted punch out drill

Light Sparring - first time in a long time I've geared up and done any kind of sparring.  

Ridiculously fun.  I've missed it.

11/23 - PruFit Circuit x6 - tire flips, tire jumps, suspended pushups, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, broad jumps

11/22 - AM - 10x2m rounds shadowboxing/Bas Rutten MMA Workout/Boxing - hyperx/neck nods & rotations/neck harness

PM - PruFit Circuit x3 - pushups, situps, air squats, hill run

11/21 - AM - GUTS circuit - A3 pushup, Atlas situp, hindu squats, Atlas situp, A3 pushup, MILO - chins, breathing stretch, pulldowns, pullaparts

PM - PruFit Circuits - 1/strap dips, plank, jumping jacks, lunges - 2/pike pushup, farmer's walk, sumo squat, jumping jacks - 3/pullups, squat thrust, surrender squat, med ball thrust - finisher 2xmax chins/pullups

Thanksgiving in Liberia II.

Our second, and what should be our last, Thanksgiving in Liberia. Another potluck get-together for the Embassy and Embassy-related folks. Good food, good company.

Excellent view [even if you have to crop out the barbed wire.]

Thanksgiving plate of joy.

Cooking/Food Log.

Whipped up for the Mrs.

Posting up early this week as today starts about 3-4 weeks of holiday, vacation travel and indulgences.  We'll see how the next couple 'food log' posts go what with the bouncing around and whatnot.  Regardless, here's this [shortened] week - 2 days off diet, to be expected, what with Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Greetings.

Let's take a moment on this special day to commemorate the true historical meaning of Thanksgiving, remembering this as the grand occasion when Lincoln freed the Indians from Canada.

Kidding, of course.

We should celebrate Thanksgiving as the founders intended, by sharing with our neighbors gifts and bounty.

Like firewater and smallpox infected blankets. Then when they've died we can take their homes.

True Story.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I laughed - "Hope 404."

Speaking of conspiracies, here's the "all you need to know about the economic meltdown" Venn diagram.

The Federal Government = Goldman Sachs.
 And most of the others, as well.
We don't have capitalism, we have crony corporatism.

It's all true, you know.

Okay, so maybe not all true, but before you dismiss it out of hand, it's worth remembering things like this...

Propaganda Due - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

"Propaganda Due, or P2, was a Masonic lodge operating under the jurisdiction of the Grand Orient of Italy from 1945 to 1976 (when its charter was withdrawn), and a pseudo-Masonic or "black" or "covert" lodge operating illegally (in contravention of Italian constitution banning secret lodges, and membership of government officials in secret membership organizations) from 1976 to 1981. During the years that the lodge was headed by Licio Gelli, P2 was implicated in numerous Italian crimes and mysteries, including the collapse of the Vatican-affiliated Banco Ambrosiano, the murders of journalist Mino Pecorelli and banker Roberto Calvi, and corruption cases within the nationwide bribe scandal Tangentopoli. P2 came to light through the investigations into the collapse of Michele Sindona's financial empire.

P2 was sometimes referred to as a "state within a state" or a "shadow government". The lodge had among its members prominent journalists, members of parliament, industrialists, and military leaders—including Silvio Berlusconi, who later became Prime Minister of Italy; the Savoy heir to the Italian throne Victor Emmanuel; and the heads of all three Italian intelligence services..."

"I'm not sure what this is and I don't think you are either." - Joe Rogan Speaks Wise.

"The whole idea that you can dream,  the idea that you can imagine,  the idea that there's some mystical part of your brain that sees things that aren't really there and puts them into position and moves them around and gives you a little fucking cartoon... what the fuck is that?

I'm thinking that this whole thing might be someone's imagination.  It might be your imagination, it might be my imagination, it might be a combination of everyones' imagination.  I mean, things are real, there's real laws to this life, but it -- god damn it, it operates like a work of fiction.  

I'm not sure what this is and I don't think you are either.  I think you can pretend that you're sure because it makes you feel better at night and you can pretend that everything you can't hit with a hammer isn't real and it's just your imagination, but... what the fuck is consciousness?  What is life?

Life might be one frame in an infinite movie that lasts forever.

The imagination is the real force behind the evolution...  there's something from nothing.  What is that?  From the ether?  Even if its just these synapses firing in your mind, where is -- what is the signal?  What is the root of this signal?

It is possible that the imagination is something that is information that is out there, like the idea of the Akashic Records... and then what we are is little antennas.  And that when we tune into something... once that piece is in place, then it flowers and blossoms like a Fibonnaci sequence on a sunflower...

I think the imagination is something we are not taking as seriously as we should be.  I think your mind doesn't just control things in the sense that you bring things out of the ether, you bring things out of your imagination and bring them and manifest them in the real world... But I think your mind actually has an effect on how things go in the real world.  If you believe in things they have incredible power of you, both good and bad.  And who's to say that's not real?  There's the idea of the placebo effect, like I give you a sugar pill and all of a sudden you feel better because you thought I gave you medicine...  well, still, you feel better.  People have actually been cured of ailments because of the placebo effect.  So what the fuck is happening?

There's a direct correlation between positive energy and positive results in the physical form.

They're all connected.

I believe that the life that we're in right now, this existence that we all participate in, may very well be just be a station on a radio dial, an infinite radio dial...  there might be an infinite number of worlds all around us all the time.  Life might be like radio."

This - "Surround yourself with cool, smart, ambitious, like-minded folks who motivate you to keep yourself energetic, healthy, in shape and fired up!"

I’M HAVING TOO MUCH FUN « Tony Hortons World:

"...And don’t be selfish and hog up all the motivational mojo. Return the favor. Make sure you do your fair share of encouraging and inspiring, too.

Work out! It’s that simple. Whether it’s moderate or extreme, you will churn up all those feel-good brain chemicals that keep you happy and smiling. This is just one of the many benefits derived from exercise. You feel good, look good and will have a positive attitude. And you’re taking care of yourself. Can’t beat that. Working out = 1 step forward. Sitting on the couch, surfing the net and stuffing your face with cookies = 0."

'via Blog this'

2011 Embassy Marine Corps Birthday Ball.

Still odd going to USMC birthday celebrations again, after that decade long gap or so where I didn't.  This year our second, and last, ball in Liberia.  Good times had by all.  Good food, drink, dance...  excellent company.

The traditional birthday cake march-on.

We were, of course, adorable.

Training.

11/20 - 15m pool/lap swimming
11/19 - shadowboxing 5x3m rounds Bas Rutten MMA workout/boxing, hyperx, neck nods/rotations, pushups, pulldowns, pullaparts
11/18 - seated press, push press, up rows, laterals, rear laterals, 3m weighted punch out drill, mobility work [dislocates/chest pulls/face pulls, wall slides]
11/17 - rest/off
11/16 - weighted dips/chins/hyperx, [grip assisted] pullups, shrugs, wrist curls, rv wrist curls, gripper work
11/15 - rest/off

Great reminder/article - 146 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health 

It's not Japan, but you work with what you've got.

Dinner last week at a Japanese/Chinese fusion restaurant in Liberia.  It wasn't Japan quality, or even "Japanese in America" quality, but it wasn't half bad...  

And they had a selection of sakes.

And Calpis based cocktails.

The ramen wasn't bad...

...but their yakitori style skewers were the clear standout dish.  Easily my favorite of what I ate.   Tasty.

Cooking/Food Log.

Another week, mostly did well.  One dinner out during the week and the Marine birthday ball on the weekend upped the alcohol intake - sake and Jack Daniels, respectively - but otherwise ate relatively clean and on point.

No cooking for the Mrs this week, as she made up her own batch of turkey lasagna last weekend, and was eating leftovers most of the week.