I turned 41 recently, and I decided to celebrate my pull up bar that day by doing 41 pull ups throughout the day. I wasn’t 100% sure I had 41 pull ups in me, even spread out like that, but I think I could have gotten to 60 if I’d been home all day and kept up with one or two at a time. As it was, I had to do the last 6 reps after going out to get vaccinated. After getting the shot, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to finish, but the soreness wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t get it done.
Now that I’ve got a pull up bar in my home, I’m doing them pretty much every day. I try to do small numbers of excellent form, but I’m going to try and start another calisthenics cycle soon. I’d been working through BaseBlocks Digital over the summer, but then I switched over to their app. The app just isn’t as friendly for me, and I’m finding it hard to get started at all. The program is actually quite different from what I’d been doing with their other program over the summer, three days instead of five, and a weird interface. I still have a free trial on that one so hopefully I’ll use it, but I’ve got a calendar reminder to cancel before they charge me.
I’m quite enjoying the experience of being in Upper Country Singers. It reminds me a lot of being in Young Naperville Singers, a great experience from my youth. One big difference is that in YCS, there were auditions for solos, while in UCS, that’s not always the case. A lot of the folks there love singing, but aren’t necessarily as keen on the performance part. I mean, they know they’re going to perform, but performing in a group is not the same thing as performing as a soloist. So I’ve found myself volunteering for a solo, because I do like to perform as a soloist now and again. And because the song in question is in Latin, and I’m not afraid of Latin.
Ambrose and I are preparing for a visit. Not, technically, the first visitors at our new home. We had a friend visit back in May, but he was helping us with the move. We haven’t had visitors since we furnished the place. And we’ve made some improvements since May, nothing big, but piece by piece we’re bringing things together. Last night, I went up onto the roof to tighten screws and replace missing ones. I only got through about a quarter of the roof, but it was my first time. I don’t have the technique down yet.
I mean, I was up there, sitting on my butt, scooting about and grabbing each screw in turn to see if they needed tightening. I felt safe, and I was tightening a good number of screws. But when I got back down, Ambrose asked why I hadn’t just applied my screwdriver to each screw, attempting to tighten each one in turn. It really hadn’t occurred to me to do that, but I figure doing that would be a bit precarious (less of my surface area on the roof), and potentially more straining on the back since I’d have to be hunched over to get the screws. Maybe if I had sticky knee pads…
At any rate, we’ll be hosting Ambrose’s parents for the next few days. They won’t be staying with us, because the home’s not that large, but they’ll be right in town. And they’ll get to see where we live. I’m happy about that. I’m looking forward to my dad visiting, hopefully some time in the next year.