I will frequently do editorial style columns taking aim at any number of topics, personalities and issues as I see fit. My vision for the future is not one of restrictions or limits. Before I wrote anything about Lache Seastrunk; before I started covering Oregon football and before I ever spoke with a single recruit, I was always a sports fan.
From there, this all became a weird trip into unknown territory - and it is still a bit of the unknown. I am not 'flailing' exactly, but I know that what I envision entails talking about more than just sports; more or less, I want to create something bigger than a singular focus on a particular team; or a particular topic. I am not ruled by subscribers and I am not ruled by advertisers; this allows me a form of freedom to cover topics at will.
On Thursday's I begin looking forward to the weekend - and it has been a long week at the day job, so I am sincerely excited about a weekend where I am not traveling anywhere. I went to Medford last week to visit with my step-son who had just moved back from Pennsylvania. We watched the game together at Buffalo Wild Wings as I took notes. This weekend? Just me, a big screen television and some beer. But the question is which kind of beer? I may not know until Saturday.
The History
A little history. A long time ago, I was a young kid who was undersized but played football. When I transferred to Churchill High School, I was not eligible to play until mid-season; so some cross country runners recruited me during PE class. I was good enough to letter as a sophomore, and an obsession was born. But it was a tepid obsession. Can there be such a thing?
I gave up distance running just prior to my senior year and refocused on football. I gained 50 pounds, went to the Marine Corps, gained 30 more and then went to Eastern Oregon (Go Mounties!) to play football. An off-season ankle injury after my freshman season ended that, but the competitive edge remained as I began power lifting.
The great thing about powerlifting, I told almost everyone, is that, though I ate very structured foods, there really were not limits. I could eat whatever I wanted; no worries about carbs; or fat. That meant beer was in! Living in Oregon in the late nineties made very good beer easy to come by and I really began to love it; not to the point of drinking excessively on a nightly basis or anything. So, I had really been a Friday and Saturday beer guy - that would not interfere with my workouts.
Twenty years of drinking only on Saturdays faded when I moved into our new house in 2013. There was something about sitting on my deck at night; hot or cold; and enjoying a beer. The crickets and cicadas filling the night sky with their songs; a soft breeze through the trees. It was like being on vacation every night.
The Changes
The move to the new house would not be the only change. My lifting partner of more than a decade moved to Colorado. I attempted to find a new place to lift, but without the trusted training partner, it was never really the same. it is difficult to trust someone you do not know when you have 550 pounds on your chest.
In 2015 I made the decision to 'retire' from power lifting. I did it the easiest way I knew how - I changed my lifestyle. For me, this was easy. I had been eating on a very regimented routine for so damn long that I just had to change what that routine looked like. One of the main tenets of this new change was - you guessed it - no beer during the week. I could have a glass of wine; but absolutely no beers.
I lost 90 pounds in six months; from 250 down to my natural 160. I felt fantastic (despite others saying that they thought I was dying) and the health numbers agreed with how I felt. It was at this time that I really began looking forward to Saturday's and finding a new beer to explore.
Sadly, two fairly significant car accidents (I was rear-ended twice within an eight month period), kind of sapped my excitement. I could not lift or exercise in the manner I needed to maintain myself at the same weight - unless I gave up beer altogether and cut my calories. I began to feel bad every time I had a beer or a burger.
Though I am still in treatment for the thoracic injuries from the most recent accident, I am finally able to lift and do some cardio - which also means I can, once again, look forward to beer on Saturdays!
Now I just have to figure out what I am going to try this week?
My initial thought is to take a growler up to Sasquatch Brewery and get a fill with one of their exceptional Imperial IPA's. Let me know of any suggestions and I will post my thoughts on the beer Saturday!
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