Broken

I did my Battle Fitness Test last weekend, which consisted of a 13 km rucksack march and a 100 m fireman's carry. I had intended to have gone for a few more practice runs prior to getting out there and actually doing it, but could never seem to find the time. Besides, I'm in the best shape of my life these days! Surely I'll be able to do one quick little march!

And I did. It was a little over 2 hours of marching around in a circle with 55 lbs (including helmet, rifle, tac vest and small pack), but my body was able to handle the demands of the march with relative easy.

My feet, on the other hand... well, let's just say that I'll take a bit more time to toughen my feet next time. And I'll wear proper socks. And use the summer boots, instead of the wet weather boots. And, in general, be less of a dumbass. If there's one thing that helps a lesson stick, it's a healthy dose of pain.

This means that I'm more or less tethered to my condo for the next day or so, which gives me sufficient time to write an update. Here's what I've been up to over the past month or so:

Off to the Cottage for a few days: February isn't the best time to be out the cottage, but it's as good a time as any to drink beer, play Call of Duty, smoke cigars, eat three pounds of red meat, and polish it all off with a midnight showing of Dog Soldiers.

Science Fair!: I was thrilled to hear that Golden Words has brought Science Fair back, and it proved an excellent rallying point for the Haz-Beenz of yesteryear. I thoroughly enjoyed being a judge, and have placed my flame-adorned lab coat in the closet should need arise. Although I recognize that things change over the years (despite the many, many times I started a sentence with, "Back in my day..."), the one tradition that I will dearly miss is that of the drink tickets. How do you have a Science Fair without drink tickets? But I digress...

Went to New York for a weekend: I stayed with a friend for a weekend and got to see what it's like to live like a New Yorker for a few days. If you ever get the chance to stay with a friend who lives in New York, do it. I learned the following: bars in New York do not close at a set time, so you can very easily end up staying out until 5 am; New Yorkers do not cook and if you offer to make them a home cooked meal, they will look at you as though you just offered to make them a suit of armour; it can cost upwards of US$6 for a tall boy can in a foam sleeve; and there is an Australian meat pie shop near the East Village that sells the world's best post-drinking food.

Renovate Closets: We decided that we no longer wanted to have all of our stuff in huge piles on the bottom of the closet floor, and so we spent this St. Patrick's Day (top o' the practical storage solutions t' ye!) having our closets redone. I don't know if anyone who reads this (if anyone still reads this) has a condo, but I'll say that custom closets are a great investment for anyone looking for more storage space. Unfortunately, my suggestion to turn the den closet into a walk-in humidor was politely declined.

Watched lots of Top Gear: For those of you who haven't heard of this "motoring" show, it's excellent. Go watch it. It's not in any particular order, so you can start with a recent season and work your way back. Season 12 was perhaps the best I've seen yet, but season 11 definitely had its merits. Curious? You can check it out here.

Yup, that's been about it... that and work, of course. (It's going well, BTW.)