High in "The List of Things One Does NOT Want to See in The Shower"

I guess number one might be a psycopath weilding a meat cleaver, but a close second would have to be what greeted me getting out of the shower yesterday: A tarantula about four inches across. Now, don't get me wrong, I love to see tarantulas and even snakes outside, but being wet - and naked - makes encountering a tarantula on the floor of one's bathroom a bit... disconcerting. My exact exclamation was, "Holy s#!*!!!" I darned near stepped on the thing.

We have lot's of nasty, bitey things out here in the high desert chaparral: Black Widdow and Brown Recluse spiders (A neighbor lady was killed by a brown recluse a few years back), several species of Scorpions (I've found those in my home as well), and, of course, the notorious Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. Which is why, for example, I always shake my boots before I put them on. Weird stuff has come out of those boots over the years... but there's just something about huge, furry spiders on the bathroom floor three inches from my toesies that... I. don't. like. A size 11 Nike took care of the unwelcome intruder.

You would not believe what comes out of a spider that big when you mash it with a shoe. Gag, retch. *shudder*

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Another thing apropos of nothing even vaguely musical...



I've been hitting the old Bowflex really hard recently. You know the adverts: "Twenty minutes a day, three times a week." Well, try 140 minutes a day, four times a week. I've added over four inches to my chest! I lacked one attachment for the old Power Pro: The Squat Attachment, so I picked one up on eBay. One of my friends is a pretty serious body builder, and he always says, "There's nothing like squats: The best single exercise you can do." Boy, howdy. Even though I have been doing 400 pound leg presses, the squats are kicking my ass. Literally: My glutes are killing me, and so are my hams. The Squat Attachment also allows for real bench presses, and my pecks are sore as hell too.

What's that Marine saying? "Pain is the sensation of weakness leaving the body." No kidding.

Actually, I guess this is apropos of something musical, as I view strength training as an integral part of my playing and performing. I do a lot of forward and reverse wrist curls to strengthen my forearms, and that has helped my playing significantly: The forearms get a massive workout during a two hour set, and strengthining them makes playing less of an effort, and improves endurance as well. Then there is the on-stage confidence factor. Being in shape really helps with the stage presence "thing."

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And, well, there are other reasons to stay in shape.