More of the same

It's a good thing that I like my job, I like CrossFit and I like fly fishing.  They are the only constants in my life right now.

Tonight, just for something different, I'm going to see Courtney Love in Boston.  I've been a fan of her band Hole for many years.  A good friend from college had tickets to see Hole when Kurt Cobain committed suicide.  We had just been on a ski trip to Lake Tahoe when all the drama near the end of Kurt's life was going on.  During our ski trip, it became a rule that every time we heard Nirvana on the radio, we would stop whatever we were doing and drink a beer.  Maybe not the most mature way to react to a life spinning out of control, but that's the way it was.

Not surprisingly, Hole cancelled that show and Courtney Love's life since then is probably best described as a long, drawn out train wreck.  Yet, throughout all of the drama and weirdness, I've remained a fan of Hole and Courtney's solo work.  And I've remained fascinated by her, despite the out of control life she seems to embrace.

She is doing a mini-tour right now - seven stops in the northeast.  In a recent interview, she talked about touring for months and playing 70 venues, but that doesn't seem to be happening.  The tour opened in Philadelphia last night, with 10 songs in the main set and a 4 song encore.  In her previous solo show in January, she'd played 18 total songs, but I guess that must have been too much work.

I have to admit that I still have issues with "artists" who charge premium prices and then play short shows.  When I spend decent money to see a concert, it seems reasonable to expect the performer to put in a fair effort.  So, while I'm looking forward to the music itself, I'm already somewhat disappointed by what will likely be a short concert.

Other than that, I've been struggling with CrossFit a bit recently.  I've been cramping up in workouts a lot recently.  Last night, after a series of sprints and lunges, we were doing another series of renegade rows and sit-ups.  In the second round, my abs cramped up doing sit-ups to the point where I had to quit.  I went outside and ran a mile while everyone else finished the workout, but it was disappointing.  This was the 4th time in 2 weeks that I've had some cramping issues while training and I need to get it figured out.

I got out fishing on Wednesday night.  I had skipped the gym so my wife and I could sign some paperwork with the bank - a house re-fi.  I went to one of my favorite local spots - a spot where I always catch fish, but the wading can be treacherous.  Basically, you park by the river and then cross, fishing from the opposite side.  The initial crossing is a bit hairy and the return trip is even worse due to the layout of the current and the deeper water where you don't want to end up.

I fell into the water on the initial crossing,which made me really nervous.  I did relax long enough to enjoy the fishing and I hooked three trout and one smallmouth bass, landing all but one of the trout.  I quit fishing a little earlier than normal, mostly to find a safe way back across the river.  My normal "safe exit" was not so safe, which really worried me for a while.  I didn't want to have to call for help.  I considered a railroad bridge way upstream, but it didn't seem like a good option.

Finally, I found a sturdy stick and used the route I'd used for my initial crossing.  The fact that I'm writing this report likely indicates that I made it safely. But perhaps it's time to consider purchasing a wading staff.  I've always sort of thought of them as an "old man" fishing tool.  But, if the tool fits...