Good attitude a bad thing?

I gotta admit, I had a bit of a bad attitude for a while. Or rather, I didn't keep my mouth shut when I should. Ah well, that's mostly in the past. (Everyone has bad days, sometimes, right?)

What's funny is that during SPT (mandatory training, four days a week) I got in trouble a few weeks ago for being a little too loud about my displeasure. It was a bit of a kick in the butt and I started--that very day--to work harder than before. Moreover, I've been pretty vocal, but in a positive way this time around. I joke around, mostly, but I also encourage people who I get along with--mostly people who run faster than I do normally, and who I start catching up on. ("You're dragging ass! I'm right behind you! What's wrong?!") I also worked hard enough to be very close to puking, on a couple occasions, and even ended up puking once--the first time ever I've pushed myself enough to actually puke.

Anyway, last week, one guy stopped training, came over, and bitched at me for being positive. Apparently, in his mind, you can't be positive, loud, and hard-working at the same time. I guess anyone who's having fun training isn't training hard. It's rather annoying, because there are people who are fairly negative--though not too loud--and who don't try very hard... if they try at all. Some don't even break a sweat on most days.

The funny part is, yesterday, the CWC (Cadet Wing Commander) told me people had noticed I'd turned my attitude around and was working really hard, and they were really pleased with me. Of course, I have a whole lot more work to do, but I'm losing fat fast (enough for my mom to notice and comment on it) and I'm definitely feeling the difference, although I'm still struggling with the 20 meter shuttle run.

Strangely, the thing that was pissing me off the most--the change of schedule whereupon SPT will be at 0530 on Tuesdays and Thursdays--isn't bothering me quite as much. Of course, getting up at 0500 will suck, but what can you do?

I also got my hands on a copy of the Army Fitness Manual (I know, I know, it's Army... but we don't have a Navy Fitness Manual, for obvious reasons), so I'll try and get my own training going on top of what I do at SPT. I'd like to go back to going to the weight room after supper, as I used to do in high school, but cardio and bodyweight stuff is more important right now. I can get HYOOOOOOOOGE again after I get good at running. I could probably have figured out my own training without the AFM, but I'd rather have a good reference to base myself on--I'll just adjust as needed.

One thing that's bothering me--though it's a good thing, I guess--is that while I'm getting leaner, I've more or less stopped losing weight. I'm down to 215-220lbs, from a high of 235 after the holidays, but it feels almost disappointing; I'm much leaner, but I'm not progressing towards my goal of dropping under 200lbs. Losing that extra 20-ish lbs would definitely help raise my score and, most importantly, pass the shuttle run.

I don't know reading week will be--it's a bit hard to run in our barely-plowed streets/sidewalks, and the -15C and under weather (with my luck, it'll get down to -25C plus wind chill) tends to kill my lungs--but at worst we have an eliptical machine, and I can definitely do pushups and situps and such in my mom's living room. Not quite puke-inducing, but better than nothing.

Sorry for not being too interesting, but right now my life is pretty much sucking in terms of excitement. I go to class, train, study, write papers, and go to more classes.

In other news: I've reached 6000 hits. Thanks, dear readers!

LENT - The Musical

All right, so Lent is approaching really, really fast, and although I'm not really that religious, I want to try and give up some stuff... Kinda like 40 days 40 nights, but I really don't get laid often enough for it to be that big a challenge.

So, I decided to give up my two biggest loves in the universe: (beyond my mom; I'm so totally a momma's boy)

Pop (Coca-Cola being the biggest loss)

and

my iPod.

The only exception will be with my iPod: I cannot possibly train with the s**t music they play at the gym--it just kills any motivation I have to push myself--so while at the gym I'll be destroying my eardrums with my iPod. Beyond that, I will not use my iPod when going around, or while at the computer lab, or, generally, anytime I'm not at the gym working out. Just because I know my devious mind will crave some kind of musical entertainment while I'm at the computer lab, I'll also stipulate that unless I'm actively watching a video on YouTube or something such, I won't play music videos in the background--that would be cheating.

I'll also be limiting my facebook usage to the minimum: only responding to messages/wall posts and the like. In short, I'll be using facebook as a messenging service rather than a very potent timewaster service. Still, I don't include it in the list of things I'm giving up on, because I'm not really giving up on it, just limiting it, and that doesn't count.

If you're wondering why I put "The Musical" in the title.. well, first off, you should know me better. Seriously though, I just figure I'll be singing a lot to make up for the iPod loss. Definitely gonna be bringing out all the good songs I know! "Oh, I just can't wait to be kiiiiiiiiiing!"

It's gonna be tough... then again, I do believe that's the idea.

Next year: I'll get myself one of those things the albino in Da Vinci Code wore around his thigh.

Shortly after I originally posted this on facebook, CNN announced my withdrawal from regular facebook usage and reports are coming in of people dancing in the streets of most major cities in the Western hemisphere.