New Year

Become The Better You:

Video by JC.
Feet by the other JC.

Don't waste your New Year.

Training and Coaching, Uncut

Due to some unfortunate circumstances in one of the college coach's lives, the facility I train at is down one man. I've been volunteering as a coach for freshman heptathletes, high jumpers, and javelin throwers. It's been a fun change of perspective, watching good athletes who are entirely unfamiliar with some of the events. The college girls and high school guys I work with are great "kids" and we seem to connect well.

Here's some random, uncut footage over the past few weeks:

And training continues to go well for me. Here are just a few clips of what has been going on. My fitness level is high, my injury pains are low, and my events are seeing good consistency for the early season. It's nice to be in something other than "freak out" mode, which basically sums up the previous few years. This year is about being consistent and staying healthy and trusting that those two together will get the job done.

Todays workout in Kansas City was spent indoors, watching the freezing rain out the window and then weaving through the wrecked cars on the frozen roads home.

Winter Travels

We've been in an awful spout of cold weather here in San Diego for almost two weeks now. Temperatures dip below 50 most nights and rarely get above mid 60s throughout the day. It even rained two whole days in a row last week. Needless to say, we've broken out the winter garb; beanie and all. I can't wait to go home to Kansas City for Christmas. Finally we'll get some relief from the harsh elements down here...

So there I sat yesterday in my living room, shirtless and in shorts with the front door open (like most days), getting ready to pack. I thought a quick glance at weather.com would help my wardrobe selection.

There was no acting in my double-take and jaw drop.

We'll be in K.C. for a week or two. Any of the hometown posse that wants to join me for some winter weightroom fun, give me a call. It's usually a good time had by all (last years suckas were Michael, Ryan, Matthew, Tyler, and Jesse.) Shortino, we still have access to LSW weightroom, right?

The Heart of Christmas

If you ever want to feel foolish, I recommend the following:

Take a video camera and go in to the woods. Have lengthy conversations with it as you walk through the trails. Then come home and watch it (which by the way, watching one's self speak on video is entirely uncomfortable) and try to make something of quality out of it for the world to see.

Most of the videos I have made recently come from a couple days of passive brainstorming while working out, then one morning of filming, editing during lunchtime, and publishing and uploading by evening. This Christmas vid for www.bluechowder.com was a different story. The thing was relentless. After four failed concepts and seven publishing errors, I give to you The Heart of Christmas. May it bring you the opposite feelings it brought to me during some parts of its conception.

Zest Adventure #2

It's time for the bros to suit up for another adventure!

This year we will be going to Patagonia! (the geographical location, not the store) Base Camp will be in El Calafate and El Chalten. (enjoy the zoom out!)
This will be a major check off of Jeremy's life dream list. We head out early february. More details to come.

p.s. Get a sweet Christmas gift for yourself or someone else with Jeremy's freshly published book. Or you could get them some lame socks. I'm sure they won't mind the difference.

p.p.s. Mom, what the heck did you dress me in and how did you ever expect me to turn out normal in life?

Mess Media

Tyler Young is once again my guinea-pig actor in this short film I made for media and apathy.

Also, my good friend Caleb Brown writes his first article for BlueChowder.com here on silencing the noise in life to find yourself.

Thanksgiving Golf

My dad's job has him in a temporarily permanent job assignment in eastern LA. He's been flying back and forth to K.C. on a weekly basis for the past couple years and has had all he can take. His company got him a place so he can stay out there permanently for a while. My mom is flying back and forth, taking care of their home and her parents in K.C. and then coming out to max and relax on the west coast. Here are some pics from our holiday time with them.

We just babysat this cute little beagle pup, but we sure fell in love with the little guy. He and Sandy became best friends. They napped together, ate together, played together, napped together, walked together, shopped together, napped together, drove together, and woke up way too early together.