I'm a little bored and need to fester up some creative juices from within. So I am going to write a poem, and it may or may not meet with your approval. this is entirely free thought, and I have not planned this at all. so here goes.
Title: Above and Below
In times of old when light shown proud
Refracted even on the sullen streams
to noble to bend, but flow as swift
Pebbles as stars upon its damp horizon
And dawn in the form of something bold
To wade and ripple, cause a tear
The fabric was not made to hold, but crack
And rip with every bestial want within
The beast is in the water and the world is under flame
As each paw print left marks a new and unique damnation
The muddy tracks a street map made slyly
Everything you need to know is here, except perspective
Everything you can perceive is there, except for truth
Perhaps there is no simpler answer then thus
The beast is in the water and the stream rushes by
And the pebbles in the stream as the stars on the horizon
Ursa major comes to play in this constellation in the brook
Orion's belt a hollow log, Sagittarius a keen eyed fawn
A shooting star, a skipping stone
The clouds overhead, the earth underfoot
Sometimes the spirit of the being exceeds the being itself
Your more then you think you are, or nothing still
The Universe is a lot bigger then we thought
The Universe is a lot smaller then we thought
And when all is done, a bear stands in a stream that rips and flows
We watch in idle awe, as the stars come out to greet us
Above and below
Thursday, July 31, 2008
The fourth blog, a recounting
Yo readers. How goes it? Good I hope. Today will be a glorious day for blogging, as any and most days are. Does this grammatically make sense, and since when did the rules of grammer have any control on the heart and soul of the men who created it? But I digress.
Work was work. Simple as that. Normal stuff, putting pieces of metal in boxes, ect. Chuck and Mauro have revealed themselves to be racists, which is, if nothing else, pretty entertaiing to me. We talked about Manny Ramierez and the big trade and hockey and nascar and other things. Honestly, I'm just not that into sports. I heard a quote a while ago, and I have always thought it was true. Sports are the toy section in the department store of life. It all ust seems sort of trivial to me, and honestly I'd rather go do something--climb a mountain, go excersize, read a book-- then sit in fro tof the tv and watch people I dont know play a sport I don't particularly care about. But whatever, I guess its a crutch for people that simply don't have anything better to do with their time, something to obsess over and stare at whil their lives slowly pass before them.
On to happier thoughts, I got my copy of The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank. I don't think I ever rad the unabridged version of this book, so I'm looking forward to doing just that while I am up in new Hampshire camping. as previously stated, the Holocaust sort of interests me in an odd way, in that I can't fathom it. I hope that by reading and envisioning the experiences of a real live person-- a girl not so much younger then I am--I will be able to better understand it. Also, it i one of those books you ust have to re-read at some point in your life, you know? Anyway, that should be fun.
But yeah, as referenced above, I'm going camping for the next few days. Leaving tomorrow afternoon and will be returning some time on Sunday. Should be fun, I havent gone in a while. Gonna try to conserve as much money as I can though, as its going to be an expensive next couple of weeks for me. But regardless, theres something about the woods, and getting away from sirens and asphalt thats just good for a mans soul. So, that should be pretty sick.
So I'm not gonna name names to protect the identity of the innocent, but someone did something that was pretty terrible to someone else involving a facebook account and a faux confession of emotion. While its not certain what exactly went down, or even what bodies took part in said affair, whomever did it delved to a all sorts of new lows. While the victom and I may not be on the best of terms, no one deserves that kind of stuff to happen. 4 words. Karma is a bitch.
On to the rant, on a subject near and dear to my heart: The Library!
I love the library. It is as simple as that. Its a great resource to get anything you want media related. Want a dvd? They can get it for you. A book? It's a library, what do you think? An obscure 1930's movie starring some old dead actor you vaguely remember? Its a done deal. The original bible...perhaps not. But honestly, its such a magnificent resource ofr a community. Theres a lot of stuff going on, and its really not the dull and boring place people think it is. I only wish I had discovered how wonderful it was at an earlier age, and taken full advantage of it. Oh well, chin up and no regrets, right?
I guess thats sort of a weak rant, as I didnt rant about anything really. So let me think of something worth ranting over for a special bonus rant.
hmmm...
There are a bunch of topics im looking forward to writing about in the future, like obesity, chivalry, potentials, the myth of equality, ect. But today should be a smaller rant, as its late and I already sort of ranted. So maybe a small rant about
Country Music!
Anyone else have a problem with country music? Or perhaps I should be asking if anyone is really cool with it. I understand it has a fan base, but it really strikes me as this souless trash heap of music that needs serious overhaul. For example, all the songs are about the same basic things. god, drinking, southern culture, america, war, ect. There just, isint any originality in the genre. Its all country white guys singing about how much they love America/their wives/sports/drinking/being hicks. And It gets old. There are obviously exceptions, and the older you go with country the more original it becomes. I'd wager to say that old country resonated with something of the spirit of rural white America, the tue voices and echos from the hills and lowland vallys of the old west and rural south. But the stuff they mass produce now? nothing put po music targeted toward people with little respect for themselves, so blinded by icons of americana that they can't open their eyes to see true originality. I dunno, some of the songs are certainly catchy, but I just can't thin of it as anyhting other then mass produced pop music for hicks.
And that....
is that.
Quote of the day- "We'll put a boot in your ass, its the American way"- Tim McGraw?
-more on this type of thought process in the next post-
** Won't be writing while up in NH, so next post will either be tomorrow morning before I leave or Sunday afternoon/night. Till then, keep thinking.
--DH
Work was work. Simple as that. Normal stuff, putting pieces of metal in boxes, ect. Chuck and Mauro have revealed themselves to be racists, which is, if nothing else, pretty entertaiing to me. We talked about Manny Ramierez and the big trade and hockey and nascar and other things. Honestly, I'm just not that into sports. I heard a quote a while ago, and I have always thought it was true. Sports are the toy section in the department store of life. It all ust seems sort of trivial to me, and honestly I'd rather go do something--climb a mountain, go excersize, read a book-- then sit in fro tof the tv and watch people I dont know play a sport I don't particularly care about. But whatever, I guess its a crutch for people that simply don't have anything better to do with their time, something to obsess over and stare at whil their lives slowly pass before them.
On to happier thoughts, I got my copy of The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank. I don't think I ever rad the unabridged version of this book, so I'm looking forward to doing just that while I am up in new Hampshire camping. as previously stated, the Holocaust sort of interests me in an odd way, in that I can't fathom it. I hope that by reading and envisioning the experiences of a real live person-- a girl not so much younger then I am--I will be able to better understand it. Also, it i one of those books you ust have to re-read at some point in your life, you know? Anyway, that should be fun.
But yeah, as referenced above, I'm going camping for the next few days. Leaving tomorrow afternoon and will be returning some time on Sunday. Should be fun, I havent gone in a while. Gonna try to conserve as much money as I can though, as its going to be an expensive next couple of weeks for me. But regardless, theres something about the woods, and getting away from sirens and asphalt thats just good for a mans soul. So, that should be pretty sick.
So I'm not gonna name names to protect the identity of the innocent, but someone did something that was pretty terrible to someone else involving a facebook account and a faux confession of emotion. While its not certain what exactly went down, or even what bodies took part in said affair, whomever did it delved to a all sorts of new lows. While the victom and I may not be on the best of terms, no one deserves that kind of stuff to happen. 4 words. Karma is a bitch.
On to the rant, on a subject near and dear to my heart: The Library!
I love the library. It is as simple as that. Its a great resource to get anything you want media related. Want a dvd? They can get it for you. A book? It's a library, what do you think? An obscure 1930's movie starring some old dead actor you vaguely remember? Its a done deal. The original bible...perhaps not. But honestly, its such a magnificent resource ofr a community. Theres a lot of stuff going on, and its really not the dull and boring place people think it is. I only wish I had discovered how wonderful it was at an earlier age, and taken full advantage of it. Oh well, chin up and no regrets, right?
I guess thats sort of a weak rant, as I didnt rant about anything really. So let me think of something worth ranting over for a special bonus rant.
hmmm...
There are a bunch of topics im looking forward to writing about in the future, like obesity, chivalry, potentials, the myth of equality, ect. But today should be a smaller rant, as its late and I already sort of ranted. So maybe a small rant about
Country Music!
Anyone else have a problem with country music? Or perhaps I should be asking if anyone is really cool with it. I understand it has a fan base, but it really strikes me as this souless trash heap of music that needs serious overhaul. For example, all the songs are about the same basic things. god, drinking, southern culture, america, war, ect. There just, isint any originality in the genre. Its all country white guys singing about how much they love America/their wives/sports/drinking/being hicks. And It gets old. There are obviously exceptions, and the older you go with country the more original it becomes. I'd wager to say that old country resonated with something of the spirit of rural white America, the tue voices and echos from the hills and lowland vallys of the old west and rural south. But the stuff they mass produce now? nothing put po music targeted toward people with little respect for themselves, so blinded by icons of americana that they can't open their eyes to see true originality. I dunno, some of the songs are certainly catchy, but I just can't thin of it as anyhting other then mass produced pop music for hicks.
And that....
is that.
Quote of the day- "We'll put a boot in your ass, its the American way"- Tim McGraw?
-more on this type of thought process in the next post-
** Won't be writing while up in NH, so next post will either be tomorrow morning before I leave or Sunday afternoon/night. Till then, keep thinking.
--DH
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
This is the third entry. In the blog.
Hey everyone. Or no one. Guess that sort of thing matters and exists according to my mood, optimist or pessimist? Anyway, whomever is reading this, welcome.
Today was pretty ordinary at work. It was a lot slower in the morning then it usually is, but the midmorning and afternoon went by fairly quick. About as average as a workday can get. I didn't get all the fascinatingly perverse stories from Chuck that I usually get, which was both a blessing and a bummer. However, and the fact that I'm writing this really speaks to the level of boredom my life has delved, Mauro stole some of my bubble wrap. That don't fly with me, ya hear? Keep your eyes open, Mr. Rodriguez.
So after work My mom made my go to this old woman who is the mother of one of my aunts through marriage house and mow the lawn. It was pretty ordinary, I didn't really feel like doing it but it was something that needed to be done I suppose. I took off my shirt and felt positively middle aged as I walked around the yard, swatting away insects and making certain I got every corner of the overgrowth tamed and contained. In truth, shes a lonely old lady, and while I resent her for allowing her broke garage door to maim me in the past (If anyone wants to know, ask) and I don't particularly like mowing lawns, I sort of feel good helping her out every so often. Well, every two weeks, thats how often so often is, haha.
I guess I'm a little old fashioned in that sense. Helping your elders has always sort of been a mainstay of my personality, or I'd like to think so. Anyone who knows me fairly well knows I am fairly polite, and I know for a fact I up the courteousness around seniors and such. I was reflecting on that today while I was mowing the lawn, and I thought if it was really appropriate. I mean, who's to say that because someone or something is older they deserve more respect, intrinsically? They shouldn't. Honestly, it doesn't make sense. There is nothing worse then an old fool, and there are plenty of them in the world. Just because something is no longer young doesn't mean it has some sort of wisdom or purpose that it traded in for its youthful exuberance. And I suppose that that is sort of a scary thought for me. Some day my youth will fade, and I'll just be an old crone, sitting alone in the dark eating TV dinners and waiting for the reaper to come a'knockin.
Till then, though, I'm going to keep blogging.
So heres something that really annoys me (it is not my intention to turn my blog into a place to complain about stuff, haha. If it turns out that way, which is a real and distinct possibility, just remember that its not what I wanted it to be, but rather what it became). I hate it when people pretend to be poets. But Dan, who's to say what talent is in poetry, or in any form of art? How can you pass judgement on th masses as such? While this sort of thing is highly subjecive, I can only speak for myself. I am not a master of poetry, but I do like it and read it fairly frequently, and for me there is just a voice. This voice is everything for a poet. It can either enchant the reader, lead them down verbal paths not previously explored, or strand them alone in some terrible desert of awful expressionism, lost and exiled from the realm of the beautiful. I guess its true that people who write bad poetry are still poets, so what I should say is I don't like poets who are bad at their craft, as I wouldent like a doctor whos bad at theirs or a prostitute who is terrible at hers (I am not saying anything overt here, haha). I could go on about this, but I'm tired of thinking about it and will be moving on to the official rant of todays post. (By all means, the third rant in actuality)
Rant: Human Originality: Fact or Fiction?
Ever think of yourself as interchangable parts, like a car or rifle? Sometimes I can't help but think of organs and bones as nothing put parts, like a machine. If you can exchange livers and kidneys and hair, whats to say you can't exchange senses of humor or dry wits? Literally, this is an impossibility as brain transfers, and their corresponding facets of knowledge, have not been mastered yet. However, how do I know that my exact sense of humor, or love of roses, or lust for natalie portman isint in some other guys mind, precisely and exactly the same? In all likely hood, it is, right? So, follow me here, if it was possible to exchange these things, would it not be possible then to recreate and mass produce people of the same personality in different minds? is there anyone so unique that nothing i their brain corresponds to anyone elses? And if so, are these the only truly unique people? Seem's like it to me. So it would seem only the mentally unstable and severly brilliant are real one-of-a-kinds, and the rest of us are mismashed pieces to the same puzzle.
I hope not, but I think so.
I may or may not start throwing quotes into these entries as well, so here goes that experiment.
my favorite quote: Every man is guilty of the good he could have done- Voltaire
Till tomorrow,
-DH
Today was pretty ordinary at work. It was a lot slower in the morning then it usually is, but the midmorning and afternoon went by fairly quick. About as average as a workday can get. I didn't get all the fascinatingly perverse stories from Chuck that I usually get, which was both a blessing and a bummer. However, and the fact that I'm writing this really speaks to the level of boredom my life has delved, Mauro stole some of my bubble wrap. That don't fly with me, ya hear? Keep your eyes open, Mr. Rodriguez.
So after work My mom made my go to this old woman who is the mother of one of my aunts through marriage house and mow the lawn. It was pretty ordinary, I didn't really feel like doing it but it was something that needed to be done I suppose. I took off my shirt and felt positively middle aged as I walked around the yard, swatting away insects and making certain I got every corner of the overgrowth tamed and contained. In truth, shes a lonely old lady, and while I resent her for allowing her broke garage door to maim me in the past (If anyone wants to know, ask) and I don't particularly like mowing lawns, I sort of feel good helping her out every so often. Well, every two weeks, thats how often so often is, haha.
I guess I'm a little old fashioned in that sense. Helping your elders has always sort of been a mainstay of my personality, or I'd like to think so. Anyone who knows me fairly well knows I am fairly polite, and I know for a fact I up the courteousness around seniors and such. I was reflecting on that today while I was mowing the lawn, and I thought if it was really appropriate. I mean, who's to say that because someone or something is older they deserve more respect, intrinsically? They shouldn't. Honestly, it doesn't make sense. There is nothing worse then an old fool, and there are plenty of them in the world. Just because something is no longer young doesn't mean it has some sort of wisdom or purpose that it traded in for its youthful exuberance. And I suppose that that is sort of a scary thought for me. Some day my youth will fade, and I'll just be an old crone, sitting alone in the dark eating TV dinners and waiting for the reaper to come a'knockin.
Till then, though, I'm going to keep blogging.
So heres something that really annoys me (it is not my intention to turn my blog into a place to complain about stuff, haha. If it turns out that way, which is a real and distinct possibility, just remember that its not what I wanted it to be, but rather what it became). I hate it when people pretend to be poets. But Dan, who's to say what talent is in poetry, or in any form of art? How can you pass judgement on th masses as such? While this sort of thing is highly subjecive, I can only speak for myself. I am not a master of poetry, but I do like it and read it fairly frequently, and for me there is just a voice. This voice is everything for a poet. It can either enchant the reader, lead them down verbal paths not previously explored, or strand them alone in some terrible desert of awful expressionism, lost and exiled from the realm of the beautiful. I guess its true that people who write bad poetry are still poets, so what I should say is I don't like poets who are bad at their craft, as I wouldent like a doctor whos bad at theirs or a prostitute who is terrible at hers (I am not saying anything overt here, haha). I could go on about this, but I'm tired of thinking about it and will be moving on to the official rant of todays post. (By all means, the third rant in actuality)
Rant: Human Originality: Fact or Fiction?
Ever think of yourself as interchangable parts, like a car or rifle? Sometimes I can't help but think of organs and bones as nothing put parts, like a machine. If you can exchange livers and kidneys and hair, whats to say you can't exchange senses of humor or dry wits? Literally, this is an impossibility as brain transfers, and their corresponding facets of knowledge, have not been mastered yet. However, how do I know that my exact sense of humor, or love of roses, or lust for natalie portman isint in some other guys mind, precisely and exactly the same? In all likely hood, it is, right? So, follow me here, if it was possible to exchange these things, would it not be possible then to recreate and mass produce people of the same personality in different minds? is there anyone so unique that nothing i their brain corresponds to anyone elses? And if so, are these the only truly unique people? Seem's like it to me. So it would seem only the mentally unstable and severly brilliant are real one-of-a-kinds, and the rest of us are mismashed pieces to the same puzzle.
I hope not, but I think so.
I may or may not start throwing quotes into these entries as well, so here goes that experiment.
my favorite quote: Every man is guilty of the good he could have done- Voltaire
Till tomorrow,
-DH
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Concerning the day's affairs. And the Holocaust.
Yo. Whats up readers. Its time for me to update my blog. So far, nothing to exciting has happened today, but I'm generally pretty content. I wok up at 6:15 to get ready for work, ate breakfast and all that, and then rode in. Started work, still working in Shipping, which is past the point of getting old and is now just a boring expectation. I'd like to go back outside and pick weeds, but its getting to warm for that to be comfortable anytime after ten or so. So shipping is probably actually for the best. Anyway, I talked to my co-worker Chuck a great deal today, and he keeps revealing more and more sexually perverse aspects to her personality. I'd write about them here, but I fear children's eyes may someday come across this, and I wouldn't want them to be scared to the point of retardation by the stuff chuck tells me. Overall, its pretty hilarious though. So I got out of work at 3:15 and bought a meatball sub, and have since returned home where I am considering either going hiking at Harold Parker, taking a nap, or reading for a while before I go to workout. Decisions Decisions.
I am probably going camping this weekend, which should be fun. I like the woods, and hanging out in the river should be a real blast. I'm curious as to who is going, it seems like most of the basement is interested in attending, but I don't know for sure. The more the merrier, but only to a point. Then it become to many cooks spoil the broth. Hows that for outdated colloquialisms? haha.
Alright, time for the rant of the day. Completely out of left field....
The Holocaust.
Honestly, its hard for me to comprehend that such a thing happened. I am not denying it, because the evidence is overwhelming, but its just difficult for me to wrap my mind around that type of situation, the seek and destroy, round em up type mentality that lead to such an atrocity. Now, I suppose I'm being a bit euro centric when I talk about the holocaust, because I realize there were many other holocausts all around the world, like the Armenian genocide, Rwandan, the situation currently going on in Darfur, and of course perhaps history's greatest (if it can be described in such a way) genocide, the American Indian genocide. I guess, to be honest, I just know the most about the European holocaust. I think if I was living during that time period, and was informed and not kept in the dark, I would probably be petrified. Its awful, the inhumanity of it all, and its very difficult for me to grasp it.
This brings us to the obvious question: What makes people do these things to each other? How can one group of people inspire so much dislike in another group that they lash out and try to rid the entire world, and often even the worlds past through the purging of history, of their presence? It seems to me that its an issue of Eugenics, of one group of people believing themselves not only superior, but superior inherently, to another group. Let me articulate what I mean. The Nazi's didn't believe they were better then the Jews (and the lowlanders, and the homosexuals and gypsies) because they worked harder or had more drive (although they believed that such things were inherently programmed into them, so it was natural for them to be this way) but rather that they were simply engineered better. That their race was the natural superior to the other races. I feel like believing your better then someone because you work harder breeds contempt, but believing your better then someone because of hard-wiring, that breeds hatred. The same is true in the Armenian genocide, although that was an issue of western and eastern worlds overlapping as much as it was an issue of race. I suppose you could argue that the culture overlay and race go hand in hand. The American Indian genocide, while largely a side effect of genetic vulnerability and isolation, also was soaked in racist and eugenical ideology. The same is true in Darfur, and was true in Rwanda. This begs the question: Is it natural for humans to believe themselves superior to those that are different then them, either racially, culturally or in some other way? Is this a side effect of our god given intelligence and free will, a desire to elevate the self to a higher place of being, not so much by hard work and discipline as by tearing the rivals down a few pegs, as to be the last one remaining decent and good?
Humanity is capable of some terrible things, and the bloodstains we leave behind, the tragedy stained footprints that illuminate the darkest corners and causeways of our history, is often hard to grasp.
Tomorrow, another boring recap of the day, and then the rant on.....
Well, it could be anything. See ya then.
-DH
I am probably going camping this weekend, which should be fun. I like the woods, and hanging out in the river should be a real blast. I'm curious as to who is going, it seems like most of the basement is interested in attending, but I don't know for sure. The more the merrier, but only to a point. Then it become to many cooks spoil the broth. Hows that for outdated colloquialisms? haha.
Alright, time for the rant of the day. Completely out of left field....
The Holocaust.
Honestly, its hard for me to comprehend that such a thing happened. I am not denying it, because the evidence is overwhelming, but its just difficult for me to wrap my mind around that type of situation, the seek and destroy, round em up type mentality that lead to such an atrocity. Now, I suppose I'm being a bit euro centric when I talk about the holocaust, because I realize there were many other holocausts all around the world, like the Armenian genocide, Rwandan, the situation currently going on in Darfur, and of course perhaps history's greatest (if it can be described in such a way) genocide, the American Indian genocide. I guess, to be honest, I just know the most about the European holocaust. I think if I was living during that time period, and was informed and not kept in the dark, I would probably be petrified. Its awful, the inhumanity of it all, and its very difficult for me to grasp it.
This brings us to the obvious question: What makes people do these things to each other? How can one group of people inspire so much dislike in another group that they lash out and try to rid the entire world, and often even the worlds past through the purging of history, of their presence? It seems to me that its an issue of Eugenics, of one group of people believing themselves not only superior, but superior inherently, to another group. Let me articulate what I mean. The Nazi's didn't believe they were better then the Jews (and the lowlanders, and the homosexuals and gypsies) because they worked harder or had more drive (although they believed that such things were inherently programmed into them, so it was natural for them to be this way) but rather that they were simply engineered better. That their race was the natural superior to the other races. I feel like believing your better then someone because you work harder breeds contempt, but believing your better then someone because of hard-wiring, that breeds hatred. The same is true in the Armenian genocide, although that was an issue of western and eastern worlds overlapping as much as it was an issue of race. I suppose you could argue that the culture overlay and race go hand in hand. The American Indian genocide, while largely a side effect of genetic vulnerability and isolation, also was soaked in racist and eugenical ideology. The same is true in Darfur, and was true in Rwanda. This begs the question: Is it natural for humans to believe themselves superior to those that are different then them, either racially, culturally or in some other way? Is this a side effect of our god given intelligence and free will, a desire to elevate the self to a higher place of being, not so much by hard work and discipline as by tearing the rivals down a few pegs, as to be the last one remaining decent and good?
Humanity is capable of some terrible things, and the bloodstains we leave behind, the tragedy stained footprints that illuminate the darkest corners and causeways of our history, is often hard to grasp.
Tomorrow, another boring recap of the day, and then the rant on.....
Well, it could be anything. See ya then.
-DH
Monday, July 28, 2008
Retrospection: On today, and the day before and so on.
First of all, whats up? I guess that is a casual tie into what I hope will be a blog that will get viewed by most of you. By you, I mean my friends and family, and perhaps the occasional curious stranger hoping to glimpse into a different world. Regardless, here it begins. No secrets. My name is Daniel Hall, I am a 20 year old guy who lives outside of Boston. Really, I live a lot closer to Lowell. Whatever. Anyway, I was going to reveal all my interests and passions outright, but I figured it would be better to slowly reveal every idiosyncrasy of myself through blogging. Hahaha. Anyway, I guess I'll set it up like this. I'll recount the events of the past day or couple of days and then go into a rant on some sort of topic, perhaps pertaining to the topic at hand, perhaps not. So here goes.
Yesterday:
Yesterday, the 27th of July, was one of the biggest days of my summer so far. At the beginning of the summer, me and my friend Nate Beittel, who is the little brother of my friend and college classmate Natalie Beittel, decided that we were going to do a powerlifting competition. So we piked the Maine open iron bash, located in Freeport, Maine. So I had fixed my training schedule (I'm an aspiring personal trainer, and should have my certification by Christmas. If anyone wants a program made for them, let me know. For the most part, I know what I'm talking about) to focus on a powerlifting type workout. Anyway, essentially since mid May I began doing a lot of different stuff, or the same stuff really but more intensely. Regardless, I was ready when it was time, and we went up on Friday to get situated, then to weigh in on Saturday. I was supposed to be competing at the 165 lb weight class, but because of ridiculous situations involving unreliable powerlifitng weigh in officials, I was not able to weigh in until the next day. Because of this, I had to eat in order to have a decent degree of strength. so I ended up weighing in at 167, and had to compete at the 181lb weight class, which was a bummer. Regardless, I came ready to compete, and I managed to squat 405 lbs (Very close to sticking 420, but just barely missed it), benched 265 (attempted 290 twice afterward, but failed both times) Then deadlifted 430, 460, 475. the 475 broke the Massachusetts state record for 20-23 yr olds at 181, so I was given a bonus attempt where I hit 490. So I am not the Massachusetts dead lift record holder a weight class heavier then I actually weigh. Sweet. It helped that a bunch of my friends showed up to the meet with custom made Dan Hall t-shirts (thanks Lane!). We all went out to eat after this, and it was a great experience and will forever be a great memory of mine.
After the competition, me and Big Nate returned home. It was a long ride through thunderstorms, and then a long drive to Worcester to Nates house. To be honest, it was weird being there again. Anyone who's familiar with my situation would know why, but regardless it was enjoyable. I went home, and stayed up fairly late just chilling in my room. I slept really late today and got up and made this blog. So that's it so far, really.
So thats it for recounting the past, and here goes the rant.
Topic: Persistance
In my humble opinion, I think persistence is the second most important thing to possess in order to achieve success in life. He who keeps attacking and going forward toward his goals and dreams is the one who will meet them and become that which he wants to be. I know I wouldn't have achieved what I did at the powerlifitng meet if I hadent have gone lifting as much as I had. there were times when I didn't do things I wanted to do in order to make it to my lifting session. I also had to eat relativity clean, and if anyone knows my mother they know how difficult doing that is. I wish I could bring that persistence and drive over to every avenue of my life, because I now I would be a much better person for having done so. I can only imagine the type of success I, or anyone, might have if I was able to tap into a singular and complete focus. Maybe someday.
Until next time, readers.
-DH
Yesterday:
Yesterday, the 27th of July, was one of the biggest days of my summer so far. At the beginning of the summer, me and my friend Nate Beittel, who is the little brother of my friend and college classmate Natalie Beittel, decided that we were going to do a powerlifting competition. So we piked the Maine open iron bash, located in Freeport, Maine. So I had fixed my training schedule (I'm an aspiring personal trainer, and should have my certification by Christmas. If anyone wants a program made for them, let me know. For the most part, I know what I'm talking about) to focus on a powerlifting type workout. Anyway, essentially since mid May I began doing a lot of different stuff, or the same stuff really but more intensely. Regardless, I was ready when it was time, and we went up on Friday to get situated, then to weigh in on Saturday. I was supposed to be competing at the 165 lb weight class, but because of ridiculous situations involving unreliable powerlifitng weigh in officials, I was not able to weigh in until the next day. Because of this, I had to eat in order to have a decent degree of strength. so I ended up weighing in at 167, and had to compete at the 181lb weight class, which was a bummer. Regardless, I came ready to compete, and I managed to squat 405 lbs (Very close to sticking 420, but just barely missed it), benched 265 (attempted 290 twice afterward, but failed both times) Then deadlifted 430, 460, 475. the 475 broke the Massachusetts state record for 20-23 yr olds at 181, so I was given a bonus attempt where I hit 490. So I am not the Massachusetts dead lift record holder a weight class heavier then I actually weigh. Sweet. It helped that a bunch of my friends showed up to the meet with custom made Dan Hall t-shirts (thanks Lane!). We all went out to eat after this, and it was a great experience and will forever be a great memory of mine.
After the competition, me and Big Nate returned home. It was a long ride through thunderstorms, and then a long drive to Worcester to Nates house. To be honest, it was weird being there again. Anyone who's familiar with my situation would know why, but regardless it was enjoyable. I went home, and stayed up fairly late just chilling in my room. I slept really late today and got up and made this blog. So that's it so far, really.
So thats it for recounting the past, and here goes the rant.
Topic: Persistance
In my humble opinion, I think persistence is the second most important thing to possess in order to achieve success in life. He who keeps attacking and going forward toward his goals and dreams is the one who will meet them and become that which he wants to be. I know I wouldn't have achieved what I did at the powerlifitng meet if I hadent have gone lifting as much as I had. there were times when I didn't do things I wanted to do in order to make it to my lifting session. I also had to eat relativity clean, and if anyone knows my mother they know how difficult doing that is. I wish I could bring that persistence and drive over to every avenue of my life, because I now I would be a much better person for having done so. I can only imagine the type of success I, or anyone, might have if I was able to tap into a singular and complete focus. Maybe someday.
Until next time, readers.
-DH
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