For those of you who are aware of my story, I been in destroy and rebuild mode (in more ways than one) for a min now.

For starters ... was able to do this for the first time since my ACL injury in December 2014.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWaFB8Glw4q/

There's still some muscular imbalance, but to be able to do that and a) not feel any abnormal pain or stiffness after and b) to not fear my entire leg shattering upon landing was a HUGE hurdle. I think I can even exceed where I was before ... maybe get to the point where I can catch alleys.

I think I am officially "over" my ex-wife, the individual. I am not over the effects of everything, though. I literally spent my entire 20's with her, so figuring out who I am at 30 is a beautiful struggle, to say the least.

Other than that, work is trash. I need a career change and/or some venture capital ... something. I may be moving closer to fam to regroup financially for a time.

What's new?

nm

>https://www.instagram.com/p/BWaFB8Glw4q/
>
>There's still some muscular imbalance, but to be able to do
>that and a) not feel any abnormal pain or stiffness after and
>b) to not fear my entire leg shattering upon landing was a
>HUGE hurdle. I think I can even exceed where I was before ...
>maybe get to the point where I can catch alleys.

Very, very cool. "B" was such a huge obstacle for me when I was recovering from this surgery. It makes me smile to watch something that ambitiously explosive *and* to see how you've described it.

... at every step. Especially when it came time to cut again (which was how I tore it in the first place)

even a calf raise was a goal? i never figured that'd factor into an ACL recover.

lord i hope i never tear my shit

... behind the knee, which greatly extended the time it took for me to get past the full flexion/extension/body weight exercise portion of rehab ... like to the point where the PT questioned how "serious" I was about recovery.

So yeah, I don't wish that on nobody

>lord i hope i never tear my shit

ive been lucky enough to make it through a lifetime of soccer and basketball w/ a high ankle sprain being the worst thing thats ever happened to me.

so it has really never crossed my mind to take steps to stave off an ACL injury. i wouldnt know where to begin

but good shit otherwise lol

Fair enough. I'll be down to two steps by the time I pull off an in-game fastbreak dunk

>but good shit otherwise lol

Thanks bro

anyone ever been there? Recommendations of what to do other than eat and drink?

There's a huge comedy festival there at the end of July...so there's a lot of shit to see there if you're into comedy.

But like...eating and drinking is a must.

Highly recommend Liverpool House. People will tell you Joe Beef is the spot, and they're not wrong but LH is the sister restaurant, easier to get a res, and IMO better. Make sure you go to old Montreal - it's so insanely different. Rent one of the city bikes and take it up there (but then like...leave it there because it's all cobblestone and thats not fun to ride on).

Whenever I'm there, I'm there for work so I really only eat/drink and then cruise around certain parts of town...but there's also Casino du Montreal that's fun too.

If it interests you, check out the Notre Dame Basilica while you're at it

I didn't do it myself, but I hear hiking Mont Royal is a good look. If you're there anytime Sunday afternoon and have time to spare, I'd say hit up Tam-Tam (big drum circle) at the bottom of Mont Royal. Good vibes there

Liverpool House and Joe Beef are on vacation when I'm there though :(

so report back!


-----------
you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

Dissertation done, reviewed, accepted and PhD granted back in March, but I don't remember if I patted myself on the back here or not - and I actually walked in the big ceremony in June, so it's technically a summer thing.

I've been making my runners call me Dr. Walleye. It's obnoxious but, surprisingly, hasn't gotten old yet. Don't make my students call me that, though, as my now alma-mater has a long tradition of inverted pretentious-ness where everybody, students and professors alike, are a Mr/Mrs/Ms.

Anyhow, now I need to find a job that isn't adjuncting. For an industry with a mostly-correct reputation for being pretty far left politically, academia sure leans really hard on an incredibly exploitative system. I'm still in since I'm not good at anything else, but for real - booooooo to them.

>Dissertation done, reviewed, accepted and PhD granted back in
>March, but I don't remember if I patted myself on the back
>here or not - and I actually walked in the big ceremony in
>June, so it's technically a summer thing.
>
>I've been making my runners call me Dr. Walleye. It's
>obnoxious but, surprisingly, hasn't gotten old yet. Don't make
>my students call me that, though, as my now alma-mater has a
>long tradition of inverted pretentious-ness where everybody,
>students and professors alike, are a Mr/Mrs/Ms.
>
>Anyhow, now I need to find a job that isn't adjuncting. For an
>industry with a mostly-correct reputation for being pretty far
>left politically, academia sure leans really hard on an
>incredibly exploitative system. I'm still in since I'm not
>good at anything else, but for real - booooooo to them.

As far as that last part, if you really wanted I'm sure you could probably figure out a way to use your ridiculous knowledge and understanding of baseballfor profit. There are a lot of guys out there with a lot less knowledge than you making a pretty good living at it.

kudos for sticking it out and best of luck in the field. academia was the second career i said "nah, fuck this" to after getting a taste of it. like you said, it's a tough business and more so if teaching is your passion. plenty of adjuncts and lecturers with PhDs. these unis want you to show them the money (they will call it "research") and if you can teach or not is just a threshold matter that can be negotiated. but of course many people i know have had a lot of success in academia and managed to have multiple platforms in order to both indulge their passion and make money. i hope you find that and feel confident that you will.

I remember a few of your other posts about the journey. I wish you the best in the next step

.

hit Paris, Barcelona, Pamplona, Madrid, Porto... now in Lisbon. Then we're heading to Alhambra and Marrakech.

It's gonna suck going back to work.

I'm not jealous at all.....

*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

but shit fell through.

lemme know how you like marrakech. morocco was the main purpose of the trip anyway but being so close to spain we thought we'd hit that up as well.

Kinda hectic. Getting here feels like forever, but it's well worth it.

I was there the 8th and 9th for San Fermin because some friends wanted to run. Never experienced such a shitshow. Literally. The entire city smelled like piss and shit. I'm still recovering.

It was horrible, I thought about running, but didn't wanna slip on piss, shit, vomit, and beer and get run over or being one of the few black people there get tripped or some shit. Lol

.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

=======================================

Working through that injury could not have been easy.

Congrats in advance on the next two rings, lol/smh

Still grinding writing features and reviews for Albumism.com. Got a whole bunch due next week, so I'm going to busy. But I need it for a creative outlet.

So, here's a few things that I've contributed:

30th Anniversary Tribute for Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid in Full":

http://www.albumism.com/features/tribute-celebrating-30-years-of-eric-b-and-rakim-paid-in-full

Review of MC Ehit's new album, Which Way Iz West:

http://www.albumism.com/reviews/mc-eiht-which-way-iz-west

20th anniversary tribute to Wyclef's "Carnival":

http://www.albumism.com/features/tribute-celebrating-20-years-of-wyclef-jean-the-carnival

And if you're into the Spotify thing, here's a lengthy playlist I curated for People Under the Stairs:

http://www.albumism.com/playlists/portrait-of-the-artist-20-people-under-the-stairs


Check 'em out.

The mental aspect is certainly a huge hurdle and that fear will not only change your normal movement patterns but it makes you a lot more sensitive to any stimulus (just think about how you react to a pain in your ACL repaired knee vs the other knee).

In terms of symmetry and returning to sports play, have you done a Y-balance test and return to play assessment with anyone? The former is a test that is shown to be the most reliable indicator of side to side symmetry which is the most reliable indicator for increase in injury risk while the latter is a good idea with someone who has a trained/detailed eye.

Keep working...and good luck on finding a new career path, if you do go that way. Stress, past a certain threshold, just fucks everything up including recovery and sensitivity to pain.

>The mental aspect is certainly a huge hurdle and that fear
>will not only change your normal movement patterns but it
>makes you a lot more sensitive to any stimulus (just think
>about how you react to a pain in your ACL repaired knee vs the
>other knee).

For sure - I haven't noticed it so much in basketball thankfully (my primary sport), but I definitely cut differently when I play football (the sport I suffered the injury in)

>In terms of symmetry and returning to sports play, have you
>done a Y-balance test and return to play assessment with
>anyone? The former is a test that is shown to be the most
>reliable indicator of side to side symmetry which is the most
>reliable indicator for increase in injury risk while the
>latter is a good idea with someone who has a trained/detailed
>eye.

I haven't done a Y-balance test, unfortunately. That's something that I need to look into. I did a return to play assessment at the PT clinic where I did my rehab, but the whole thing was pretty cookie cutter. If I were to do the former, I'd first want to find a clinic dedicated to working with athletes ... or at least a CSCS who understands where I want to be physically

>Keep working...and good luck on finding a new career path, if
>you do go that way. Stress, past a certain threshold, just
>fucks everything up including recovery and sensitivity to
>pain.

Definitely

One drawback is that I can no longer post on here/Twitter all day at work. It's bittersweet

I'd gladly take the okp/twitter L, lol

not a divorce, but i split with my girl who i'd been living with most of my 20's. all the annoying cliches people were telling me like, work on yourself, it's an opportunity to grow, etc. turned out to have some truth to them. i had a "fuck it, i'm doing this" moment and totally switched up careers

I've been an on/off again "runner" since I graduated college a little over a decade ago. They do an annual 10K on July 4th near where I live and I've run it several times over the years. It seems like every time I run it, my time is at least 3-4 mins slower than expected because the weather is usually brutal. I sweat like a damn pig and most of the course is run through an industrial park with no shade. So I usually burn out, cramp up and slow down. There was only 1 water station and the course wasn't marked by distance. It was my first road race without a Garmin to track distance/pace, so I did my best to maintain what I thought was about a 6:20 pace.

It was hot like usual and again, only 1 water station. Miles 1, 2, and 3 were marked but not the rest. I hit a wall around 4, but pushed through and strided out/sprinted the best I could the last 200 meters or so. Came in at 39:59 so I finally broke 40 mins. Now I probably won't run it ever again!

So it was a cool sense of accomplishment - albeit one that really no one outside of me cares about, lol.

Good work!

I had 2 goals when it came to running: run a sub 5:20 mile and run a 10-miler in under 1 hour and 1 min (6:10 pace) - I accomplished both of those my 2nd year in the doctorate program and now enjoy running at a far more leisurely pace (I still keep it up because it's the best aerobic and anaerobic training but not pushing myself like I had to for those two milestones).

I should add that I play basketball twice a week and usually do the elliptical once or twice a week to cut down on wear & tear on knees. So I really didn't have a legit training program to follow. I've hit multiple 1:25 half-marathons which were a big milestone at the time. At one point, I wanted to do a Boston qualifying marathon (which I think was 3:05 at that stage in my life), but that race was a disaster and I have no desire to run a marathon again. I've kind of gotten over/grown tired of the road races, but I like to challenge myself with running since it's the easiest and most convenient way to stay in shape.


A sub 5:20 mile is real fast and so too is a 61 minute 10 miler. I would feel a tremendous amount of accomplishment hitting those milestones.

>Good work!
>
>I had 2 goals when it came to running: run a sub 5:20 mile
>and run a 10-miler in under 1 hour and 1 min (6:10 pace) - I
>accomplished both of those my 2nd year in the doctorate
>program and now enjoy running at a far more leisurely pace (I
>still keep it up because it's the best aerobic and anaerobic
>training but not pushing myself like I had to for those two
>milestones).

NICE JOB!!!

..always good to see someone regroup and get back on their a-game after a serious injury.

keep going.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

.

..i've been involved with athletics my entire life (boxing, mma, football, etc.), but cycling has completely transformed my physique.

i've always been drawn to activities that provide a total body workout (balance), but until recently, i hadn't dedicated the time & energy to finding that balance on a bike. my return to cycling was initially just for the love of it, but its so much more than that now.

i dropped more than 60 lbs (hard to believe) and i'm currently rebuilding with a different approach to strength & conditioning. the best part about it is that i get to have fun while working out. as much as i like being in the gym, it doesn't compare to flying around the city on my bike (urban workout). less time in a gym, more time enjoying the sights & sounds of life.




*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

I gotta get on that for real ... I live close enough to the city

I was actually gonna inbox you...cuz I check out your instagram on the low, lol. Lotta good shit in there. I told myself last summer I was gonna make another run at dunking again. At my best, I was a decent two leg dunker and could catch oops and get put-backs in game. That was when I weighed high 190's. Now at 225, with so much bodybuilding and cycling...I dunno that I'd ever get the explosiveness back to get me up there, again. So...I must live above the rim through you, young dunker. LOL. Keep it up, fam.

>I was actually gonna inbox you...cuz I check out your
>instagram on the low, lol. Lotta good shit in there.

Lol preciate that for real, man

I told
>myself last summer I was gonna make another run at dunking
>again. At my best, I was a decent two leg dunker and could
>catch oops and get put-backs in game. That was when I weighed
>high 190's. Now at 225, with so much bodybuilding and
>cycling...I dunno that I'd ever get the explosiveness back to
>get me up there, again. So...I must live above the rim
>through you, young dunker. LOL. Keep it up, fam.

That's a lot of pressure, lol. I'm tryna bulk up myself eventually so I don't know how much that'll cost me re: hops, but I would love to cross a putback and/or oop off my bucket list. What you been doing to bulk? Anything special or just consistent bodybuilding?

I got two weddings coming up...one mid August and the other at the end of September. The September joint is like a couples thing where there's a get together the evening before and all the couples stay at the same hotel, then the wedding and reception the next day. Might grab a new joint for that one. Toying with the idea of buying one online...thing is, my build is pretty specific. Anyone have good luck with buying a whole suit online? Talk to me.

out.

..worst thing about losing weight: buying new clothes :(

the gift & the curse, f'real.

3 new suits, another on the radar later this summer. all slim fit (2 KC, 1 RL). ZERO BREAK lol.



*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

.

I always like these post as they provide insight to you dudes I've had the pleasure of arguing, laughing and competing with for the better of 13 years (wow), though I rarely participate in these post.

So, to open the door a bit.

My 5 year update:
-Got divorced after 13 years of marriage (technically the last 4-5 don't count as we weren't really 'together' but as of the finality of the divorce, it was 13 yrs)
-Got back in the saddle after like a year of recoup.
-A few yrs into that, had a kid and it was a wonderful accident lol, now working with a blended family (5 total smh)
-Currently engaged to give it that second go-round (for both of us actually), getting married later this year.
-Also building a house together that I hope to have completed by years end.

I guess that's it for me...it'll be another 5 years before I share my personal life with you bastids! lol

It takes a lot of strength to get through the divorce and to open up your heart for another opportunity. I wish you the best this time around, man

>It takes a lot of strength to get through the divorce and to
>open up your heart for another opportunity. I wish you the
>best this time around, man

I was literally content with making moves without exploring that again. And I swear if I become a 'two time loser' (c) Teddy P, I will 'let it goooo'. lol

I've always been able to filter/process emotions logically and swiftly so a year was a good breath away from it all and then I regrouped and stumbled upon someone worth my time. Here's to hoping the same for you.

It's just like the Acl injury. Just repair, strengthen and get back out there (if that's what you want to do).

>I was literally content with making moves without exploring
>that again. And I swear if I become a 'two time loser' (c)
>Teddy P, I will 'let it goooo'. lol

Lol, that's basically where I'm at w/ it right now

>I've always been able to filter/process emotions logically and
>swiftly so a year was a good breath away from it all and then
>I regrouped and stumbled upon someone worth my time. Here's
>to hoping the same for you.

Appreciate that for real, man. And I feel that. I been learning a ton about who I am as an individual in the past year. If it's meant to happen, it'll happen and I'll be fine w/ that. If not ... still fine

i know that road to recovery wasnt easy


those post vacation blues are a mf...every hour is dragging by.

i left the US on may 6th and went to rome, naples, sorrento, amalfi, positano, ravello, athens, istanbul ...then flew to india and checked out all the ancient UNESCO sights (visiting ancient history/ruins is kind of a hobby)

now im back stateside and slowly dying at work wondering how the time went so fast

applying for my MBA this fall

& started looking for an apartment to purchase in NYC, what a nightmarish process. i cant wait till its done. every weekend from now on is going to be spent at an open house/ viewing (except fall Saturdays obv)

hope youve all been well

>i know that road to recovery wasnt easy
>
>
>those post vacation blues are a mf...every hour is dragging
>by.
>
>i left the US on may 6th and went to rome, naples, sorrento,
>amalfi, positano, ravello, athens, istanbul ...then flew to
>india and checked out all the ancient UNESCO sights (visiting
>ancient history/ruins is kind of a hobby)
>
>now im back stateside and slowly dying at work wondering how
>the time went so fast
>
>applying for my MBA this fall

You decided to go through w/ it? I feel you. I will likely do the same at some but God knows I don't wanna go back to school

>& started looking for an apartment to purchase in NYC, what a
>nightmarish process. i cant wait till its done. every weekend
>from now on is going to be spent at an open house/ viewing
>(except fall Saturdays obv)

Good luck w/ the housing search, I know it's been stressful. I may try to visit again in the fall. Either way, I def plan to do more traveling next year

>hope youve all been well

the process wasn't especially stressful (applied after getting married, which is one of the most straightforward types of applications), but it still took almost 15 months. Excited about -hopefully- not being treated like a potential criminal next time I fly back to the US from a trip. And speaking of which it'll be great to be able to travel internationally. Missed last Xmas with the fam for the first time in my life which sucked a bit. More importantly I'm happy my wife and I don't have this visa thing being a potential problem (I was on an H1B, not a very good situation to be in these days).

Oh and it's kinda funny how literally everyone who I've told this has asked when I'm applying for citizenship. I'm like, no offense, but maybe I'll wait a bit considering who's in power in this country right now. And tbh it would feel really strange applying to get a new citizenship, though if we have a kid I'm definitely open to the idea to make things smoother as a family. That's as long as I don't have to root for the US in the WC or the Olympics though haha

is as American as apple pie

biggest surprise I had is that it actually is a card, and green. I'd heard otherwise from people who have had one in the past

clawd hammercy... clawd hammercy..

Even the wife was like:.. "OK, I am even mad at you lookin' " for certain ones..

lololololol
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<---- 5....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlgiritpmfo

=======================================

I was supposed to go last month, but I was struck with a bout of tendonitis in my left thumb on some bullshit.

I also went to St. Louis last month... totally awesome.

>I was supposed to go last month, but I was struck with a bout
>of tendonitis in my left thumb on some bullshit.
>
>I also went to St. Louis last month... totally awesome.

He's singing like Ralph Tresvant on not one, but two different tracks.

Props, sir.

Album is dope. Support a homegrown OKP group and check it out, if you haven't already.

>He's singing like Ralph Tresvant on not one, but two
>different tracks.
>
>Props, sir.
>
>Album is dope. Support a homegrown OKP group and check it out,
>if you haven't already.

banged it all the way there and back. Shouts to Cy!

..the album was a labor of love, so i'm happy to see its being well received.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

..thanks for the shout out, fam.

the album is strong and well received so far. hopefully the new videos will continue that momentum well into the latter half of 2017.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

fuck the NFL.
I didn't even notice the Eagles actually signed decent WRs (Jeffrey, Smith) until like 2 days ago.
but fuck that league. not just the Kaep shit, but especially the Kaep shit. these owners are some straight up fuck ass bitches. fuck Tom too. in the goat ass.

NBA. meeeeeeeeeeeh. at least 2016 happened. but this Kyrie shit is depressing as fuck. and I get why it's probably really happening. and there's an off chance it could be some bullshit. but I'd rather they just lose and blow it up instead of this. probably good to divest.

and the other two sports. well, if Buffalo ever ends up good I'll LOL and Toronto is ... OK? at least there's no fuckery in that sport that I know of yet?

but on another note

a local dude who was really starting to make his name in the sportswriting game just... died?

I see all the RIPs on Facebook and I am straight up shocked. 2 days ago dude had posted about going on vacation. what the entire fuck.

this shit reminds me of Radin. dude was really young and enthusiastic about the Ohio teams. had some great footage of him taking interviews of several things.

goddamn.