THE OTH3R SIDE

"You know the day destroys the night
Night divides the day
Tried to run
Tried to hide
Break on through to the other side..." ~ The Doors

Well, the day has arrived. In this wee hour I formally announce the end of an era here at THROUGH TH3 WALL. I know I gave this speech a few posts ago when I thought I'd just lock up the site and tuck it away in pursuit of starting another site somewhere else, but in the end, it made more sense to leave it open as an archived chronicle of how I've come to be who I am here and now. Thank you all once again for following along with me over the course of this four-year personal project; it's in no small part thanks to you I can call it a success.

With that, I invite you to continue the journey with me on my new site, and join me on the other side. Please click here to go there now.

Aaand we're off...

So, it's the morning after, and I was struck with an idea. The techno-gods visited me in my dreams last night and I awoke this morning with a game plan of how to have a site within a site, thus making THROUGH TH3 WALL accessible, but no longer in the foreground. Yes, I think it must have been all the turkey.

That said, there will be a new front page coming soon with a link back to this place. If you type in www.throughth3wall.com, you'll of course still land here first, but I won't be updating here anymore as soon as I finish building my other site (url to come -should be sometime this weekend). From then on I'll be updating there. It'll still have some stuff about races and triathlon, as that's still part of who I am, but it will by no means be the focus like it has been here. Exciting stuff all the same, and I'm looking forward to moving in.

Hope to see you around the new place :)

Wow...

I must say, I'm pretty humbled.

I put a lock on this site a few days ago after having announced I was going to shut it down, and that was that. I was all set to be a private citizen again. Then I opened my email today to find my inbox filled with requests to take the lock off. Some of these requests were especially poignant, and I just don't know what to say other than wow. And well of course, thank you. Apropos of the holiday today, know I'm very grateful for so many heartfelt affirmations.

As you can see, the lock is off (which means the back episodes of GYGO are also available again), and I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do with this place as a result. Reading all those notes this morning really made me think though, and I decided perhaps there's no need to start over somewhere else when it may be possible to simply find a way to continue on here, albeit maybe in a different direction. That said, I suppose I'm open to technological suggestions from the IT gurus out there, as I either need to change the name of the site to better embody the upcoming content, or I need to find a new angle on the upcoming content so that it still support the title. Ideally, I'd like to change the name of the site, and include a tab within it that would link back to THROUGH TH3 WALL -- something of a "chapter" within a book, if you will.

Eeesh, sounds complicated, I know ... but hey, anything is possible, right? Technologically-smarter-than-me-people out there, what do you think?

But, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are..." said the great Mr. Roosevelt, so at the very least I believe a facelift for the place is in order, and I'll be consulting my genius designer husband to see what can be done about that. I guess what I'm saying then is hang tight for a while here folks, and I'll get something figured out. For now though, THROUGH TH3 WALL is back online, and growing.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my compatriots, and to all my many friends out there, wherever you are. Thank YOU for all you've given me.

More to come...

1645

"Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself, and dares to become involved in experimenting with his own life." ~ Herbert Otto

"First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." ~ Epictetus

The latter is my favorite quote, but I thought they would both be good ones for today.

You remember that old commercial with the kid and the owl that says, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop?" Well, I've on occasion asked myself how many posts it would take until I decided it was time to bring my THROUGH TH3 WALL adventure to a close. As infrequently as I've been posting lately guys, and in realizing just how full circle I've really come thanks to Friday's confirmation of things I hoped were true, I must say it seems that post is this one.

It's just run it's course, I think -- pun intended ;) Four years ago I started with a plan to become someone I wanted to be, all the while facing down whatever harbored devils I discovered along the way -- and I'm proud, very proud in fact, to say I did it. It was a hell of fight, the demarcating one my life no doubt, but like all races and all journeys, this one, too, must end.

From here on out lies the tale of what I'm going to do, having become what I set out to become. My life as "Wil" has ironically turned out to be better than I expected it might, all because "Wil" was always "me," I just didn't know it at the time. That said, maybe there will be a sequel to THROUGH TH3 WALL; a website where I post story snippets or the random philosophical musings for which I've become so [in]famous. Maybe Tri-Life Lessons will transmute into Literary-Life Lessons in the stories I write and the characters I create, and with any luck, maybe those will resonate even more than the Tri-Life Lessons have because they'll transcend genre... who knows?

Now, to answer the questions likely burning out there, I do still plan to do triathlons here and there, though I plan to spend much more time on my first love, running, from here on out. I still plan to co-host WIBA each year and meet up with all my dear old (and new) friends, as well as stay affiliated with my amazing friends and teammates on Team Evotri. And as for GYGO, well, I think it's apropos we only did 49 shows; the 50th always hovering out there somewhere too full of potential to ever actually be realized on tape. One of these days when I have an extra month or so, I'll go back and make a reel of all 49 Tri-Life Lessons, adding a final one to encompass them all. I think I need a little time first to let it all sink in though; then I can do that particular job justice. But rest assured, it'll come.

On a side note, there's been some interest in turning THROUGH TH3 WALL itself into a book, and while I had different ideas initially of what my first book might be in Forging Iron Wil, maybe it wouldn't be so different after all. I guess time will tell.

In the meantime, I thank each of you for boarding this train at some point, and to you old schoolers especially for hanging on. It's been a hell of a ride, hasn't it? Your support and encouragement over the years have been a huge part of why I succeeded at this whole crazy project in the first place, and for that I can't thank you enough.

Please be advised this post will officially serve as my last here on THROUGH TH3 WALL, save the announcement of the sequel site, about which I'll make up my mind here in the next few days or so. Regardless of if I launch that site or not, however, please know this one will go offline very soon.

Whew. So we're here huh? You know something, there was a time I thought I'd suffocate and die if I didn't have this place for one reason or another. It actually panicked me to even think about it. Little did I know then the truest testimony to its worth would be the day I finally felt ready to let it go.

I guess with that, there's really just one thing left to say:

All right, everybody... until next time, this is Iron Wil, signing off.

11.13.09

Today was a really long day. Felt like it took 17 years. But they say good things come to those who wait, and I think that's pretty true. At least for me.

Over the past decade and change I've learned we make our own way in the world regardless of where we start or in which direction we're tossed. Though today I'm reminded that doesn't mean we ever forget, and that's a good thing. After all, those are our reference points aren't they, and isn't it because of them we know how far we've come? If we forgot, who's to say we'd wind up where we are or who we are? I know I wouldn't trade either of those for anything, and maybe that's what the whole journey is about when all is said and done. Finally not needing to change a thing.

Happy Friday the 13th everyone :)

To the Internet!

I had a relatively good day today; the sun was shining, I had minimal [dare I tempt fate and say, "if any"] idiot encounters, and a pleasant drive home from school. My favorite TV show is on tonight (Supernatural, for those of you new to the place. Shout out to thank my BFF, Leddy), and my husband's company along with his awesome bruschetta await. What could possibly mar this day??

Via the USPS, enter: pesky fate.

"Because you had at least two traffic incidents withing a 12-month period, the Inidana Bureau of Motor Vehicles [to be known henceforth as das Gestapo] will suspend your driving privileges unless you successfully complete a Driver Safety Program [the article "a" indicating common nouns: "driver" "safety" and "program," yet, the words are nonetheless bombastically capitalized. Hmf]. You must contact one of the companies listed below [one of which is Blockbuster. Sure, I'll say it again. Blockbuster] to take the class. If you successfully complete the [aaaand once again pompous caps, though at least it's with "the" this time] Driver Safety Program on time, the BMV will send notice canceling the pending suspension [gee you're pals. And by pals, I mean #*@&$%!!&@#%!s].

The Driver Safety Program lasts a minimum of four hours, costs a maximum of $50 [because my two $125 speeding tickets apparently didn't buy Heir #*@&$%!!&@#%! enough large intestine drain declogger] and includes a driver [lower case. Because now it's about the rest of us and we're peons] safety test. After you successfully complete the Driver Safety Program, the vendor [which will likely be Blockbuster. Dear God, I don't even rent movies there and now all my future motorized excursions are in their damnable censoring hands!] will transfer your test results to the BMV [once again for those of you who were on the throne... das Gestapo]. Then the BMV will add a four-point credit, effective for three years, to your driving record [I'll take "wtf is a four-point credit??" for $200, Alex].

The BMV must receive your [let me just reiterate how much this annoys me by saying, FGIQJGOEWIJGOWIHEOWHIEO!!! FJIWJEG!] Driver Safety Program test results before 02/03/2010. You should give the vendor [once more in case you missed my first few exasperations, effing BLOCKBUSTER!] and the BMV 10 business days to [think up fantastical new names for your pathetic-9-miles-going-over-the-speed-limit-tax-paying-non-murder (yet) - committing-educator-upstanding citizen-loser-self] process the information."

The only thing that would have made this better is if das Gestapo would have signed it, "have a nice day."

Yeah. No wonder people invented Voodoo.

I Need a Nook

So now that I'm on a roll here, I had an epiphany today.

I need a writing nook - nothing fancy, just somewhere in my house where I can go to write in peace, and thus, not suffer that godawful encroaching noise from the TV eyelid twitch anymore. Have you ever had your eyelid twitch? Let me tell you, it's MADDENING - like some invisible little man is standing on the end of your nose going all Bear Grylls down a mountain from the other end of an equally invisible miniature grappling hook, sunk into you lid just so. One of these days I'm telling you, I'm going to be trying to think, and distracted by some Bart Simpson monologue about the fineries of Jockey style underpants, will whack completely the hell out and take a kitchen chair to that incessantly prating box.

You see the urgency of said nook.

Anyway, most of the time I write either early in the morning or late at night when everyone is asleep, but lately, I've been getting ideas in between waiting for the grill to heat up for dinner and throwing the chicken on. Great timing, I know, but hey, who's complaining.

So yeah, the search is on. There has to be somewhere around here that's not too far out of the way for me to just scoot into for 10 minutes to scratch something out [or, publicly rant about needing a nook] before it poofs into oblivion. Suffice it to say, boys and girls, the family room couch right in front of blathering CNN or Andrew Zimmerman or the Dirty Jobs guy is officially not going to work anymore.

Oh hey, maybe they'll have something on that home improvement show about it... is that on TLC??

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It.

So here's where I'll try to piece together some of the stuff I wrote about earlier, now effectively adrift in cyberspace.

A normal person walks into a bar and says hey, barkeep, I have a crazy amount of stuff to do in my life. It's stressful and I'm dreaming of the day I can just take a break and get away from it all. I was a nut bag to sign up for all this crap. What should I cut out?

And the discussion would then continue with the barkeep helping the normal person to carefully weighing what should stay and what should go. Makes sense, right?

Right. So long as that person who walks into the bar isn't me.

See, for some reason, the way I work is completely the opposite. A couple weeks ago I was on the verge of a meltdown because I had a crazy schedule and I wanted some downtime. It was all just too much, ye ken? But instead of taking some downtime, I added one more thing to my schedule (long story - and a cool one at that - but suffice it to say I took on a part-time copy writing gig because I wanted to do some professional writing again)! It's fun and I love it, and the person I'm working with is an old friend, but you'd think adding one more thing to my already insane schedule would send me over the edge, right?

But here's the thing, it didn't. In fact, it straightened my impending meltdown having self completely out. Instantaneously, I felt like I was pinging from one thing to the next between the writing, the house cleaning, the making kids' lunches, the grading 167 essays, the Halloween parties, along with all the other stuff I do, and was somehow much more adept at all of it! As a result, I started feeling more creative, more efficient, and just started having a quicker mind in general. I got all my grading caught up, my house got cleaned, my mountain of laundry got put away... I'm telling you it's like everything was suddenly dialed in or something...wtf??

The only thing I can come up with is that because I'm literally scheduled to the minute, there's just no time to worry about meltdowns or pending meltdowns. In fact, come to think of it, whenever I've accomplished anything in my life it's been because I've jammed my days like this, so maybe that's the trick. Be too busy to sweat the small stuff. Idle hands and all that...

I don't know, but maybe I'm old enough and have lived enough now to just go with it.

Maybe.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it I guess.

Thought for the Day

Dimidium facti qui coepit habet.
"He who has begun has the work half done." ~ Horace

Post Script: CRAP!!! I had a completely different post up here (for those of you following along in Bloglines or Google Reader) in place of this one, but somehow deleted the whole thing while thinking I was in another draft screen. I didn't realize I wasn't until this was already posted. Anyway, I realize this probably makes no sense outside of my head, so suffice it to say, I accidentally deleted the Indian Summer post. Sorry. It was a caffeine fueled gush anyway, so... I'll try to repost what I can of it.

Really. It's Not You, Tony... It's Me.

A lot can happen in two weeks. Here are a few beans from the pot:

First, the aforementioned and raved about P90X is officially going back from whence it came. I made this decision the other day when it proved abundantly clear that first thing in the morning, in the black stillness that is absolutely the morning here in the Midwest come November, the last thing I want to do is interact with anyone -- virtual, or otherwise. I need peace and quiet, and most of all, no one trying to be witty in my general direction before 6:00 a.m. That said, I'm sorry, Tony... you're a vascular bundle of hilarity, it's clear you love your work, and you have great hair. It's not you. Really. It's me.

Don't get me wrong, the product is good save a little informercial cheese, but I'm just not a "workout to the TV" kind of gal so much I guess, let alone at the unholy hour of 5:00 a.m. I did a little thinking about why exactly this might be, and came to the conclusion that the whole reason I workout at all is so I can have some time alone in my head. Suffice it to say, I can't do that with someone yapping instructions and/or clever commentary at me from the other side of a screen. I'd much rather run or do Pilates or other strength training stuff like that, as these kinds of things serve both the time in my own head purpose and the exercise purpose.

Anyway, sorry there won't be any play by plays for P90X after all, guys, but I am geeked about winter training again all the same. I have plenty of dumbbells, kettlebells, a phisio ball, my bike, and a new(ish) treadmill, not to mention a stocked season with a spring half marathon, WIBA, the Rev3 half-Ironman and the Grand Rapids Marathon ahead.

And with that, I have four miles to see about come morning, so here's to crunching some leaves out there while I still can...

So Far So Good

So... P90X.

Yeah, it's pretty awesome. I was nervous after the first "Chest and Back" CD, because that one officially sucks it. I mean, if I could do ONE pull up, maybe it wouldn't suck it quite so spectacularly, but seeing as how that's not the case, nor shall it be anytime soon, I officially dread that workout. Don't get me wrong, if you can do a - and let me emphasize "a" as it represents "ONE" - pull up, you'll probably love the first CD of the program, as it's quite challenging and effective. I was sore for the next three days in fact, which, might I add, made writing vocabulary words on the dry erase board oh so fun. But if you're like me and can NOT do ONE effing pull up (wait, did I say that already??), then you'll also go on and on, and then on some more about how much you hate the first CD.

The SECOND CD, however, rocks the Astrodome. It's "Plyometrics," as in, hey, welcome back to my neighborhood! All kinds of jumping around and funky squats and knee ups and related fun. Totally intense, but totally familiar. I could actually keep up with the cyborgs on the screen, and thus, my shredded confidence from the aforementioned first CD was once again restored.

The third CD, "Shoulders and Arms," rated about a 6 on the suck-o-meter as far as being able to keep up. Let the record show I have exactly zero tricep strength, which made chair dips the stuff of 3rd world country torture techniques. I was hangin with the bicep exercises though, so I think I broke even with the confidence by CD's end.

CD #4, a.k.a. "Yoga," was flipping long - about 30 minutes longer than the other CDs (so, about 1:30). I don't know if I'm going to be able to do that one first thing in the morning anymore, as I don't relish the idea of getting up at 3:30 in order to finish it before I have to do everything else. That said, I'm thinking I might split it in half and do 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes at night. Note to self for next time... get a mat. Another note to self, regarding the "Shoulders and Arms workout" the day before "Yoga" workout... insert the expletive of your choice here.

Numero cinco, "Legs and Back" -- wow, I'll take no calf flexibility for $300, Bob. I can do quad work all day, lunges, squats, yadda, yadda, but for some reason my calves cramp up during everything, which, yeah, bites. Gotta work on that.

CD #6 was "Kenpo," now that was just fun. It was a little like the kickboxing class I used to take earlier this year, so keeping up was OK. Seems like as far as the cardio stuff goes I'm good, the lower body strength stuff I'm good, and I suck at all things upper body except, arguably, bicep work.

CD #7 is stretching, and the perfect end to the week. I must admit I didn't do this whole CD because I didn't get up in time, so I don't know how it ends, but from what I was able to do, it was a nice break from the other, more intense stuff.

All that said, the first seven CDs are officially keepers. Tune in next week for the rundown on the next 5, which, if we're all lucky, will contain significantly less whining about pull ups.

P90X Is in the HOUSE!

Captain's Log, star date 10/16/2009: I'm not sure how the post below got resaved as a draft, and thus, not published, but it did. Thanks to Allen, Chris, Andrew, Diane and several others for the heads up! Here's the post I actually put up on the 14th. More next week on the aftermath!

Of course, now you have to go reread the title to get the joke I'm about to make. Go ahead, I'm all done here :)

No seriously, it came in the mail yesterday. I watched all the beginning infomercial cheese it came with, talked with some friends about WTF that was all about, and was assured that yes, it is a good product. Just with some infomercial cheese.

Since we're through that now though, tomorrow starts the first day of the next 90 - CD 1, Chest and Back for 52:50 minutes (gulp), and then something called Ab Ripper X (!!!) for 16.07 minutes.

Um...

OK, so looks like I'll be getting up at 4:30 tomorrow morning to get the party started, which, incidentally, is something I'm going to pay dearly for considering I now, at 10:15 p.m. must watch the rest of the show Glee, handily paused on DVR and waiting.

And yeah, I just admitted that to the world, so?

More tomorrow. That is, if I can lift my arms to the keyboard after the much anticipated and infamous... CD 1.

Eeesh...

It's been a crazy run the last several months guys, but soccer season is officially over and it looks like I have a few hours of daylight to once again claim as my own. That is, except of course on Mondays.

You see, writing class is on Mondays, dear reader, and while I like the class, and like writing, I don't know how much I like the marriage of the two. I guess there are lots of reasons for that, but the main one is likely the pressure of having to produce something... it just doesn't do wonders for the creative juices, you know? I've written a few things I likely wouldn't have written otherwise, so that's good, but in the end I'm finding the class is really taking more out of me than it's giving back. Maybe I'm getting old or something, because back in the day I used to make friggin pancakes out of pressure and deadlines, sprinkle a little powdered urgency on top, maybe add a little sprig of sleep deprivation for aesthetics, and voila, breakfast! Not so much anymore though man, let me tell you what. These days I'm just trying to keep a couple things in the air at a time, and even that's tough. Definitely time to tidy up the priority list and get a new schedule in place I guess, and as tradition holds, the best place to start is with whipping myself back into some semblance of shape again.

That said, understand that yes, I've lost some weight, but I probably couldn't run three miles right now without praying for a car to come and put me out of my misery. In addition, I dare say ALL the strength I gained from kettlebell training is now officially just as gone as Kayne West's hopes of ever selling another album, and why?? Because of being busy and not making time to train or eat right lately, which translates roughly to cannibalized muscle, which translates roughly to... well, just picture that episode of Spongebob where he's bench pressing teddy bears, and yeah there you go. Ugh. I seriously gotta fix this.

So, talk to me about P 90 X or whatever it's called? I know I've way missed the fad bus on this, but I've been off in my own little orbit for a while, as you know. Time to land and get something in place though before the snow comes and all I want to do is sleep.

Omg... snow...

Eeesh.

Ah... More from the 'Burbs of Media Disturbia

Ralph Lauren's Bulimia Sheik by way of Photoshop for the new fall line... disgusting. Check out the story from Boingboing.net.

The Finish Line...

Letting the icing set...

And with this - my very first wedding cake ever, which I made for my in-laws, who renewed their vows today - the finish line of my 16-hour days here for the last few months is now officially in sight.

This was the last big ticket item on my to-do list boys and girls. Just one more week of crazy pacing with soccer, and then the twitching, courtesy of my newly found free time, will promptly begin!

Ta-daaaaaaahhhh!