Prog Rock Workouts

Those of you who know me well enough know that am a lazy ass who wouldn't give a damn about exercise and things like that. But since a few months I felt that my daily walks were getting kinda monotonous. Not that I could walk much in the freakin monsoon anyway. Plus the ol paunch was getting kinda noticeable. And I was getting some niggling pains. So I thought "Ok hmmm let's give the gym a shot. Anyways I am home way too much for my own sanity. It will make sure I spend a good couple of hours away from home almost daily."

So finally on Sept 20th I hauled my lazy ass to the gym and registered. It would have been sooner but I was still hoping my France trip would work out. But by then I realized it wasn't happening anytime soon.

It's been roughly 2 months now and what do you know... I actually look forward to my daily workout. Yeah most people can't believe that I go to the gym so regularly. Come to think of it am pretty surprised too Sure it was kinda daunting at first. But with my trusty ipod it became quite pleasant after a week or so. The instructors were friendly. So were the members. Hey I even met two audiophiles.

The ipod is an amazing exercise tool. It gives me a respite from the dance music kinda stuff played in the gym. One of these days I should tell them to play my ACDC CD. Should be fun to see the people cursing away hehe.

I think I've hit upon a new concept "PROG ROCK WORKOUTS!!!" Told you am nuts....That's right, I find prog rock or even prog metal helps me on the treadmill or exercycle. If the music is really great and inspiring I feel I can push harder, walk/run faster... No it doesn't have to be fast paced music. I even exercised to Pink Floyd's Echoes once. And I didn't drift off to sleep! I think it's a mental thing. If the music makes you happy you feel less strained. Today I was exercising to Spock's Beard - V. Loads of fun running while listening to some kickass guitar and keyboard lines. Plus Morse's singing helped too hehe. And my "good shit" playlist makes sure that I'll like whatever the ipod decides to play next :). I imagine I must make a damn funny sight playing air drums and air guitar on the treadmill and exercycle... Sometimes I am even tempted to sing but i've resisted that urge ... so far. But what do I care since am enjoying myself.

Oh I feel that the gym has helped a bit. My stamina and endurance have improved. I can work for longer. I feel less lethargic. Thank god for the ipod and music or it wouldn't have been so much fun. I only wish I had a pair of wireless headphones (if I did I would listen to music while lifting weights too!!) but the ones for the ipod are too damn expensive. Maybe someday....

Strange Things Happen Online

I was in for a bit of a surprise yesterday. Yes that makes 2 if you count the Floyd reference in the Times Of India. Since a while I have been checking out Stephen Mejias' blog daily. Stephen is an associate editor for Stereophile. Stereophile is a renowned audiophile magazine in the US. I find some of their reviews and articles insightful. Stephen writes about the music he likes, his audio experiences. I find his feelings for music interesting. Not many people write about such stuff. Maybe I should do the same. But I don't think I can write as well as he does.

I had left a comment on Stephen's blog along with a link to my blog. Today morning when I went to check his blog I thought "Hmmm maybe he has replied to my comment". What I didn't expect was this :

http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/

Check out the entry called A Reason To Keep Trying.

I was stunned. The last thing I expected was to be the subject of a blog entry. Like I said some strange things happen online.

Thanks Stephen.

Floyd and The Times Of India???

Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to find this headline on Times Of India's Sports Page (Page 22)

"Shine On, You Crazy Diamond"

I was thinking "Hmmm did I wake up in some alternate reality?? In the one I live in Times Of India DOES NOT normally make Floyd references"

Anyway the story was not about Floyd but about Mahendra Singh Dhoni's exploits against the Sri Lankans.

But still it made me smile :)

Black Fire

I just finished reading a Star Trek book called "Black Fire". One of the best trek books I have read.. and I have lost count of how many I have read hehe.

The book had a great plot, good sci-fi , good character development and of course humour. Yup that's right Star Trek can be funny. All in all a must read for any trekkie

The highlight of the book for me was Dr McCoy saying "I'm a doctor, not a mechanic! The only machine I treat is Spock. I do make exceptions in your case, you know."

That line really made my day. Easy to please, am i not?