tyler's take

Sometimes change is in the air; sometimes it’s just in the mix; sometimes it’s good; sometimes it hurts; sometimes it’s needed; sometimes it’s all you have, and sometimes … well, sometimes it’s just for fun.

11 days ago I did something that qualifies as a definite change (well for me at least): I signed up to do the third triathlon of my life, and my first olympic distance tri.

SInce that defining moment I’ve discovered that being a triathlete requires a different kind of life. So far I’ve changed the way I eat, the way I live, and the way I treat other people.

The race is in downtown Austin and begins during the sunrise hours of labor day: 7 days from today. Hopefully more pre race posts will follow …

I took this shot hand held (no tripod), basically in the dark (it was after 9 PM local time), under a slight breeze, no flash, with my 50mm portrait lens. Sure, there’s some background noise and it would have been better with better light. But considering the conditions, I think it kinda turned out.

• 1 Stick butter (that’s 1/4 cup)
• 1 Cup flour
• 1 Cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 Pinch salt (1/4 tsp) (optionally leave out for low sodium diets)
• 1 Cup milk
• 4 to 5 cups of fruit (berries, tart cherries, sliced peaches, etc..)
• 1 cup sugar (optional, for the sweet tooth)

Preheat oven to 350°.
Melt butter in 9×13 pan.
Mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
Add milk to dry mixture until just combined;
pour combined mixture over melted butter.
Add fruit over mixture (fill the pan, but don’t stack).
Optionally sprinkle 1 cup sugar over top (it is a dessert after all)
Bake in 350° oven until golden brown (typically 30-40 minutes)

Serve warm or cold. Serve a la mode. Makes enough for everyone (including parties of 1).

Last week I was on the receiving end of a challenge to try something new: replace my regular office chair with an exercise ball and compare the effect that doing so had on posture, performance, and general health and wellness (or something like that).

I have a really nice office chair that I got about ten years ago when I started sitting in a chair for most of the day. Perhaps coincidentally, ten years ago is when I started to develop my “Rice Crispies” spine syndrome (Snap, Crackle, Pop), but I don’t blame the chair for that as much as I do all the time spent sitting in it. At any rate, I do still have some back issues so I thought it would be an interesting trial.

On monday after morning workout I swung by Academy and picked up a ball at 50% off, owing to the fact that someone had apparently returned a ball but kept the tiny hand pump and accompanying DVD. Total cost: $7.

virtually worthless pump and DVD not required

The old and the new

My first observation was that most people trying this do not need a very large ball. A 75cm ball is simply ginormous when fully inflated, but fortunately there seems to be a very wide range of useful inflated sizes. I Inflated my ball to somewhere around 60cm and that worked reasonably well, though it was probably still a bit too large for ideal ergonomics and I did catch myself slouching forward every once in a while (might need to try letting out more air).

After sitting on the ball chair for a while I realized that I probably would need to keep my office a bit cooler than was necessary with my regular chair. My regular chair is a really nice chair (I spend a lot of time in it after all) and it has a permeable mesh seat and back surface. This mesh has the significant advantage of allowing your body to breathe (or perspire) while seated. The exercise ball is necessarily impermeable to air (and also water vapor), so if your body tries to regulate its own temperature via the normal mechanisms then a build up of sweat in the area in contact with the ball is a distinct possibility.

While working I found myself periodically rolling back and forth and side to side, and also bouncing up and down a bit. These subtle exercises are probably good for the body, but they can be distracting to people on the other end of video conference (“uh, are you bouncing or just really excited or something?”).

Pros:

1. Inexpensive
2. Seat height is adjustable by inflation/deflation
3. Subtle strengthening exercises happen naturally while working
4. You’re sitting on a ball while working (is life good or what?)

Cons:

1. Impermeable seat surface (a.k.a. booty sweat)
2. Slouching is still possible, especially if the ball is too large or overinflated
3. Bouncing can be distracting for those on the other end of a video conference

The verdict:

The jury is still out on this one, but it’s definitely worth a trial run, especially for those who practice poor posture.

I think if I get one more “cutest picture known to man” comment about Dexter I’ll have to open up my own studio (or maybe just a franchise).

The Dexter

Pango tango

The Chatmeleon (how *does* he do that?)

the spaz-o-maxic

Syd the elder

Big Tex of the western highlands

Meowzers