bicycling, footbag, general, Hackysack

Year-End Review: Achievements and Goals

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I turned my bicycle ODO past 5,555.5 Km on Sunday. I even haz da pictures!

Saturday, I achieved 75 hrs total for the year with a footbag session in the Homie Hole. Here’s how the scoreboard looked after that:

..Plus 30 more minutes Sunday 12/28: 24×2, 23×3, 77 toes, 345 1st rally. Sitting at 75.5 hours Footbag for the year. I had to fight for this one but I got it! Here’s the 2x & 3x graph so far:

So, how DID I do on my goals for 2014? Here’s the tally: 

  1. 75 Hours Footbag – I did it! Just barely, had to put in some serious time in the Homie Hole to do it, but… I did it.
  2. 4,200 Km on the bike – Boy did I blow through that! I’ll end the year with 5,600+ Km, more than 25% more than my goal. A new bike and a desire to ride have done wonders for my cycling. I also wanted to do a century ride tho, and failed that. I twisted my ankle, couldn’t really train, and only got a metric century.
  3. Try to bring Reflectingyou.com online – FAIL AGAIN. I’m working on it, but not very hard. I feel like I’m scared shitless that it might actually take off (and consume all my time), or just fail, and consume some of my money.
  4. Get a new job – I did that, but… I remain very frustrated with a number of issues where I work. So, while I technically filled this objective, the result has left me very unfulfilled.

Now, for my 2015 goals. Same old, same old… 

  1. Be nicer, kinder, and more engaging with black people. After Ferguson, Kaijeme Powell, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, etc., I can’t look away anymore. And, I’m just as guilty as anyone seeing blacks as… less. Less human, less deserving of a smile and a hello. It doesn’t seem like much, but I’ve gotta start somewhere, and I’m going to try to be kinder to black people.
  2. 72 hours footbag. I’d think I’m crazy to set this goal with as many problems as I’ve had with my ankles, knees, back, etc. But, I’ve got the Homie Hole and the ability to put in 2 hours a week for the first couple months of the year. That will be a better start than I’ve had in several years.
  3. 5,000 Km on the bike. Yeah I’m bumping this one WAY up. I did great this year, and want to ride as much or more next year. Planning another century, or metric century if I can’t do the real 100 miles, again for 2015.
  4. Bring Reflectingyou.com online. No further comments here at this time. Wish me luck.
  5. Get another new job, this time a completely new job, not just the same pig with some lipstick smeared on it.  It gets harder every year. Age discrimination is already steering me towards Wal-Mart Greeter land. I swear I’ve poured as much of my time and energy into my job and career, as I have footbag or bicycling. But while I’ve succeeded more than I ever could have imagined with footbag and bicycling, my career has always been a miserable POS failure.
  6. Complete my blog analysis project. Scoring all my videos is slow and demeaning; watching and detailing, down to every contact, just exactly how shitty and limited my footbag game really is. I keep not doing the scoring. Gotta get it done tho. Despite the fact that I already know exactly where all the project data is going, I’m hoping some good might come of it. Maybe the data will prove to healthcare providers (who don’t believe me when I tell them I’m in pain and can’t perform) that there is indeed a loss of performance.

That’s it. 2014 is done, 2015 is just around the corner. Best wishes everyone, I hope 2015 is a prosperous year for us all.

Thanks for tuning in,

 

footbag, Hackysack

The Sunday Before Finals Week

Warm day on the Weekend? Hack Man on Speakers Circle!

I got to use my new MIZ and ZOU black & gold Abshire footbags. ZOU got best 3+ string with 17, but Threepeat, my red/blue bag, stole the show with the nearly 2-minute rally above. I kicked for a total of 1:45, and felt good at the end.

Catching up on the Scoreboard:

  •    9th – 30 min – (no vid) – 16×2, 16×3, 75 toes
  • 10th – 30 min – (no vid) – 23×2, 17×3, 113 toes
  • 11th – 30 min – (no vid) – 17×2, 13×3, 181 toes
  • 12th – 30 min – (no vid) – 15×2, 14×3, 91 toes, 352 1st rally
  • 14th – 1:45 – Preparing for Finals (above)

That’s 3:45 added to the previous 68:15, and…

I ONLY HAVE 3 MORE HOURS TO GO!

I can tell the near-nightly 30 minute sessions have boosted my strength a bit. I can feel it riding my bike. I felt it kicking on Speakers Circle. My ankle continues to improve; sometimes it and my foot feel almost downright normal. My back still feels a bit tweaky but no slippage or major pain during the latest session on the circle. But now, of course, my other ankle seems to have start hurting a bit.

I’m how many years old again? Between biking, hiking, and footbag, I’ve put well over 100 Million duty cycles on each hip, knee, ankle, and foot. That’s a lot. Sometimes I feel like I’m just wearing out. Wish I could just install new parts.

Not sure when I’ll get outdoors again.  But, I’m already looking forward to the day the Hack Man can make his Springtime Bloom on Speakers Circle again!

Thanks for tuning in,

 

footbag, Hackysack

New Richard Abshire Footbags

I got them weeks ago. I left them in the package, savoring the thought of what was inside. Tonight, I bust ‘em open, and take a taste!

The scoreboard now looks like this:

  • 3rd – 30 min – (no vid) – 15×2, 13×3, 87 toes, plus 16 consec. osis & 404 first rally
  • 4th – 30 min – (no vid) – 14×2, 11×3, awful toes rally attempts
  • 6th – 30 min – (no vid) – 23×2, 16×3, 101 toes
  • 7th – 30 min – New Abshire Footbags – 17×2, 16×3, 88 toes, 1,000+ first rally

2 more hours, for a new total of 68:15 for year, only 6:45 more to go. That’s 14 more 30 minute sessions, with 24 more days to do it. I think I can.

Good news is, my ankle in particular seems to be doing much better. My back seems to be improving since slipping at Speakers Circle too. Unfortunately, my knees seem to be getting worse again.

But I’m still kicking.

Thanks for tuning in!

 

footbag, Hackysack

One Warm Day, Many Cold Nights

Here’s what happened on the warm day:

It’s SO nice to get a warm weekend day when I can go kick on Speakers Circle. It’s been so cold! I’ve been struggling dreadfully in the Homie Hole, so I was keyed up to get some Speakers Circle Mojo going.

But, it wasn’t quite to be. I feel like I brought the Homie Hole struggle out to the circle instead. I only got 12 guiltless, only had one really good rally, and kinda tweaked my back near the end.

And now, my back is just really tweaky.

But, I still got to play footbag for an hour and a half, outside, most of it with my shirt off!

I really am kinda worried I’m teaching myself horrible kicking habits by playing in my basement, feeling cramped, dealing with musculoskeletal problems. I might try to re-arrange my basement and move my kicking spot. The only thing that keeps me from throwing in the towel, is the knowledge that not playing is almost infinitely worse. (although I did take 2 days in a row off after my last blog post)

So here’s the score:

Another 3 hours new + 63:15 previous = 66:15 total.

I only need 8:45 more; 18 more 30-minute sessions, and I’ve got 29 more days to go. I’m catching back up quickly, dropped from needing almost 3 out of 4 days last blog post, to needing just less than 2 out of 3 days now.

It’s still more footbag more consistently than I’ve played in many, many years. It seems to be helping my ankle but hurting my back. And, it’s very frustrating to feel so off and play so poorly, so consistently. This is my longest “down” streak in many years, too.

I can’t forget: NOT kicking is even worse. Way worse.

So, I kick.

Thanks for tuning in!

 

footbag, Hackysack

Gospel of Hacky Sack on Mizzou Traditions Plaza

Witnessing the Gospel of Hacky Sack on Mizzou’s new Traditions Plaza, for the first time EVAR!!1!

I like it! I was worried the bricks might feel uneven, but… nah. It’s protected from the wind. The stage is huge, lots of room up there, and the whole bottom level is nice too. I had fun with the video, and had a great time kicking there!

In other news, I’ve been going hard in the Homie Hole. 5 straight days kicking to start; almost certainly my longest daily streak since attending the 1999 World Footbag Championships in Chicago. Here’s the scoreboard:

  • 16th – (prev. post) – Resurrection of the Homie Hole, 118 toes
  • 17th – 30min – Homie Hole 02, (nothing special)
  • 18th – 30min – (no vid) 13×2-add, 13x 3-add, 99 toes
  • 19th – 30min – Hacky Sclerosis, 8×2-add, 8×3-add, no toes
  • 20th – 30min – (no vid) 15×2, 15×3, 104 toes
  • 22nd – 1:20 – Gospel of Hacky Sack on Traditions Plaza (above)
  • 24th – 30min – (no vid) 13×2-add, 12×3-add, 67 toes
  • 25th – 30min – (no vid) 13×2-add, 13×3-add, 116 toes

4:20 total new + 58:55 prev. = 63:15! Only 11:45 to go, 24 more days in the hole, out of 34 more days left in the year. Kicking for 30 minutes 3 out of 4 days wins.

Plus, there might be another outdoor chance this weekend. Wish me luck!

One more note about the “Hacky Sclerosis” thing: Yes the Hactionary is real. So is the condition. I have found myself with a very bad case of this on the left side, in conjunction with my recovering ankle. I tend to ball up my fist and wrist in conjunction with doing inside kicks and stalls, especially cross-body stalls with that ankle. I’m having to work really hard to relax my left hand and wrist while I’m kicking.

Thanks for tuning in!

 

footbag, Hackysack

The Resurrection of the Homie Hole

Yes, the Homie Hole Lives!

What more needs said? Another 30 minutes in the hopper for the year, 58:55 total, would have to average 22 minutes per day for the rest of the year to hit my goal. At 30 minutes per session, I’ve got to kick at least 33 more days (of 45 possible).

I actually think I can do that.

Thanks for tuning in!

 

footbag, Hackysack

The String of Sunday Speaker Circle Sermons

Weather forecast says this may be the last good chance to kick outdoors this year, not going to pass it up:

Since last blog post, there’s also been:

11/2 – 1:35 – Weekend Ankle Struggle Rally and Ain’t Scared of Stairs

11/9 – 2:00 – See Above, and another video, Brother Lance and I

Making a total of 3:35 added to previous 54:50 for a total of 58:25. I would need to kick at least 18 minutes every day the rest of the year to meet my annual footbag goal of 75 hours. Can I do it? The Homie Hole will be put to the test!

In other news, I have finally started data logging the last 6 years of footbag video I’ve posted to YouTube. This has been a long-term goal of mine, to document my footbag performance over time as I age. Data from Sept. 2008 to July 2009 looks like this so far:

Footbag Data

I don’t seem to be as good as I remember myself being back then, looking at the data. But the data is solid, it tells the truth even if it’s less glamorous than I’d like. I should eventually be able to develop plots over time with all this data, move pattern and sidedness analysis, and more.

A final note: the ankle: still better, still not good, still struggling, but I’m not giving up.

I LOVE TO PLAY HACKY SACK!

 

footbag, Hackysack, Healthcare

Mizzou Homecoming Day

I couldn’t resist a pre-game footbag session in Speakers Circle for Mizzou Homecoming:

That’s just the game-winning rally. The day produced 3 other videos too:

And for time accounting purposes, since the last blog post:

Total time since last post: 4:15, plus 50:35 already on the board, for 54:50 total. Yeah, I’m counting any footbag, solo or circle, as time towards my goal. I’m desperate. I’m making “par” on a weekly basis, but not catching up to my now seemingly impossible goal. Still no action in the Homie Hole yet. Weather has been too good.

Now, for the promised update on health issues…

I’ve been to the doctor. I’m going to a chiropractor. I’ve been to the other doctor. None of it, so far, has done me any good.

The orthopedic doctor and general physician just tell me there’s nothing wrong with my ankle. They’ve suggested I’m just imagining the pain, fluid retention, excessive joint popping, and inability to move normally and play footbag. Of course, I can go in for more tests: an MRI on my ankle. But, Of course, despite paying thousands of dollars every year for health insurance, that insurance hardly covers any of the cost. Every time I think about the scam called “Health Insurance,” and the fact it’s cheating and stealing from me every single f’ing day, I get so angry I want to break things.

Of course the chiropractor tells me I’m “…adjusting up real good.” At first I was willing to believe, my back did seem to get marginally better. But the latest evidence says otherwise: Due to bad weather, work, and them being closed for a Jewish holiday, I missed 5 weeks. During that time, my back started feeling better, not just a little but a lot better. But then, I went back, and the next morning after the adjustment, my back felt terrible again. It’s like that adjustment just totally re-fucked up my back. Now, I’m plagued with those sharp, shooting pains with any wrong movement. I’m pretty sure my next visit will be my last.

So unless some medical person can come out of the woodwork and offer some tangible diagnosis (other than “Hmmm…” or “I think you’re imagining it.”), I’m calling my foray into the healthcare industry worse than worthless. Not worthless as in free or cheap, in fact it’s extremely expensive. Worthless as in you just paid $40,000 for a car that won’t even start worthless. Worthless as in the insurance company denied my general physician’s claim altogether. I’m stuck with 100% of the cost of the visit. Assholes.

You bet if I stopped playing footbag, and came down with some kind of sedentary-inspired disease as a result, insurance would cover THAT. But… trying to get something covered that will keep me active and healthy? Reduce lifetime healthcare expenses? NO. F*KING. WAY.  You gotta pay for that yourself. Have I mentioned this makes me ANGRY?

This isn’t healthcare. This is a sickness industry. This is evil. This is extortion and robbery. This is hurtful and mean. THIS. IS. WRONG.

I guess I’m on my own. And, I’m kinda lost. I’m not sure what to do, but suffer. Maybe when my back gives out while I’m up on a ladder working, and fall off and get seriously injured, maybe THEN I might get some help. But, not really, not likely. The reality is, I’ll just get yelled at and punished for missing work, then get fired. At least that will solve the problem of the insurance industry stealing my money; I won’t have any for the greedy assholes to steal anymore.

I don’t even have a steady gait anymore. I’ve started dragging my left heel when I walk. My back problem, the sudden stab of intense pain, has nearly caused me to fall several times now – often when on stairs, even up on a ladder. It becomes more difficult to walk, move, go up and down stairs, sit or stand, ride my bike, or play footbag. It’s very disturbing.

I’ve already had to face the fact that my ankle and foot have been messed up for almost a year now. It’s not getting better.  My shoulder problem, going on a year and a half. The flesh in my left foot, constantly swollen with fluid retention, is permanently damaged. This is the new normal. It sucks, I hate it.

One of the few things that seems to help is… to play footbag. My ankle always feels better after playing footbag. It’s going back to work that makes it hurt more. My back felt better for a day after playing footbag, too. Now, it’s just horrible again.

My plans: Fuck the Medical Industrial Complex. Start back exercises. Keep doing what I’ve been doing on my own to take care of my ankle and feet. Keep riding my bike. And, so importantly, KEEP PLAYING FOOTBAG.

footbag, Hackysack

Super Fun Sunday Footbag Session

After 5 years of publishing almost exclusively single-rally videos, I’ve run completely off the rails with this one. I think it’s the longest footbag video I’ve ever published. It was that kind of day on Speakers Circle today!

If you can make it all the way through, I had at least a dozen rallies well over a minute long. I called, and delivered, the last 3 of the day. A Super Awesome Footbag Sunday on Speakers Circle!

Accounting: Since the last blog post, where I had hurt my ankle and railed against the Medical Industrial complex, I started kicking again 5 weeks after injury. Here’s the rundown:

Time totals: 10:05 since last post of 40:30, so I’m at 50:35 for the year. My original goal of That means I’ve got ~24.5 hours to go to meet my annual goal of 75 hours. I’ve got… 10 more weeks. That’s almost 2-1/2 hours per week to hit my goal. 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Don’t think I’m gonna make it, but the Homie Hole might be busy the rest of the year trying. If my ankle stays well enough.

Next up: the disappointing medical shrug over my chronic ankle problems. In the meantime, thanks for tuning in!

 

general, Healthcare

I don’t really hate them all, I’m sorry I said that

Dear US Healthcare workers: I don’t really hate you. I’m sorry I said that. The vast majority of healthcare workers are kind and wonderful people; there because they really want to help.

I still have bad experiences though, and I marvel at that: almost everyone involved is a good person. People are trying their best. Yet for me, results seem 50/50 at best. Statistically, my criticisms of US healthcare are valid: we really do pay twice as much per capita as every other civilized country for healthcare, yet have some of the worst outcomes.

I have my opinions about why: Our chosen cost control and fraud prevention mechanism has become the fraud, and cost, in the system.

It all started with Ross Perot back in the 70’s. Medicare hired his (at the time) tiny little firm, EDS, to implement an electronic record keeping system. Back in the infancy of computing, memory was expensive. A coding system was implemented to represent descriptions of things to save memory. It was also implemented as a cost control measure; since it was all standardized, and computerized, they could easily search for and reject procedures that didn’t “match” with diagnostic codes, and reject any other errors or perceived discrepancies as well.

This government contract is where Ross Perot got all his money.

The private insurance industry quickly followed suit. Almost immediately, administrative warfare developed. Doctors and institutions had to hire staff to code and submit claims; insurance companies hired legions of claims processors to scrutinize and deny anything they could. The grain and complexity of the coding system quickly multiplied with growing computing ability and everyone’s vested interest in trying to either get paid, or not pay, for every little thing.

Today, this is known as the ICD-X coding system, where X is the current version. We are currently transitioning from ICD-9 to ICD-10. In this dictionary of medical procedure codes is virtually every single individual pill, poke, prod, pad, process, procedure, etc. that exists in the medical world. And it all has to be tracked, submitted, scrutinized, rejected, argued about, resubmitted… every. tiny. little. detail. This is why a tylenol costs $10 at a hospital; the pill is dirt cheap, but… the tracking of it is insanely expensive.

Today, this administrative warfare costs us about 25% of our total healthcare bill.  What was supposed to prevent fraud and waste, has become the fraud, waste, and useless expense in our system.

What’s worse, the system seems to have grown to absolute dominance. Everybody is trapped in the belly of this beast. This is why, despite the best intentions of the vast majority of healthcare peeps, the outcomes remain poor.

I am sorry I spoke so harshly about so many people trapped in the belly of the beast. I do not hate any of you; you are truly wonderful people.

I just want the beast to die, and for all of us freed from the madness.