[gardener]

from J-P
“a gem in a field of cow patties”

Yeah, in relating my own good experience with a particular personal trainer, I don’t mean to imply that anyone would benefit from becoming a client of any personal trainer whatsoever.
I’ve seen some weird things. One such supposed trainer had two clients who worked with him during my usual time. He lolled on the floor and watched them pace around with neck weights and ankle weights. Closer to home, a friend who knew I had a high opinion of Steve, had one session with another “trainer.” She had just lost a lot of weight, hadn’t been working out at all, and he had her do 75 lunges. For four or five days if she wanted to drive she had to use her hands and arms to lift her legs into the car.

from q
"I do pretty much go into my own world in the gym with my headphones on, listening to the music that I choose and loaded on my MP3 player... and I very much prefer it that way. "

I went to one gym for two and a half years; when Steve moved to another one I followed him. The first gym had a radio blaring constantly, with programming alternating between what passes nowadays for popular music and an inane talk show on which a man and a woman rambled on about getting laid. The second gym was quiet. Blessed silence! (But I’d really love a gym where Bach and Mahled were in the air!)


from Kaiser
"the age factor"

I give the Internet credit for having created a place where similar interests bring together people that otherwise are of different generations. Generational differences do not vanish, but they are downplayed, partly because communication between us takes places largely in words on a screen, sans body language, voice timbre, and visual clues as to age. Some things can transcend differences of age. J-P and Kaiser are both younger than both of my sons. (And as a matter of fact, my sons and I have reached a point where we talk with each other as grown men to one another.)

But I don’t think greater age necessarily means greater wisdom, anymore than I think that higher levels of formal education imply greater intelligence. All I know is that at 68 I know what it’s like to be 17 or 23 or 40, but that at age 17 I had no idea what it would be like to be 68.

also from Kaiser
"You guys are truly my inspiration and my fitness heroes "-
And vice versa! I never dreamed of being anyone’s “inspiration” as regards fitness. In a sense, however, I have been. There are about six people, friends to various degrees, who have (1) stopped smoking and (2) started exercising because of my example. In the first case, my example included surgery for lung cancer as well as giving up cigarettes, cold turkey. In the second case, they could see some noticeable improvements in my strength and appearance. They probably said, well, if that chain-smoking, self-indulgent, lifetime slob could do it, then I can do it too, and everybody else to boot.
It also occurs to me that in these 17-year-olds who ask on the MH boards “how can I get bigger and impress chicks” there is an element of heroism. Their questions can be translated from Early Testosterone lingo as “help me get better than I am.”

And, in regard to J-P's mention of the pictures, when you get a chance, go ahead and add them here. They show that I'll never be 23 again, but I did make some changes in my mid- to late-60s.