The Not so Glorious Lab Life

     Previously I described the "Labs of my Life." It was sweet and caring and to this day I am still madly in love with all the beautiful labradors that have shared their loving smiles and wagging tails in my life. Now the part that I didn't tell you...

     This is the part of pet ownership that in not so glorious. Many of mornings I wake up with the unpleasant sound of whining, more often than not followed by a miniature freak out of laps around the bedroom and a paw landing square on my man parts. If there is anything that will wake up a man in the morning faster I dare you to try and find it. If not the mini tantrum it is a cold nose digging under the blanket draped over my head, followed with incessant licking. Sure enough I am up and at it to give her just what she wants. FOOD. The sound of the glass scooping up the small brown pebbles of puppy chow ignites another burst of energy. The door swings open and out to the the side yard we go.

Brilliant Doings of Tarri the Terror

     The side yard: When Tarri was first purchased she was small enough to escape through the bars of the fencing. This lead me to home depot where a roll of chicken wire, some wire cutters, and a bag of zip ties solved that problem after a few hours worth of measuring, cutting, and zip-tying every possible escape route. The side yard was now puppy proofed, or so I thought. The house for our water heater did not stand a chance against a "Tarri the Terror" tantrum. So back to home depot I go. This time in search of a staple gun, a hammer, and some nails to shape up this masterpiece. Turns out this home is plastered with some sort of impenetrable concrete. So guess what! Back to home depot I go. Currently I have two metal steaks that I am going to hammer into the ground, hopefully relieving a chunk of my anger and stress. Once these stakes are firmly set in the ground, a 6 foot piece of rebar is to be attached. I will then zip-tie chicken wire to each piece of rebar creating a fence surrounding the water heater house. So now the side yard will be puppy proof, until she decides to chop down a tree.

     So what about other people. Like my roommates for example. They now have an untold amount of animosity towards me; having to deal with her relentless jumping, non-stop desire to lick, and constant stares at the meals they are trying to consume. Needless to say I am sure they are counting down the days until our lease is up and they do not have to deal with Tarri and myself anymore. I would like to think that our almost 4 years of living together and establishing friendships could overpower the frequent difficulties that arise with the Lab of my Life, but lately I have begun to for-see otherwise. Don't freak out! This was just a really well timed photo of Tarri. I was the only one of the two of us who partook in the consumption of this adult beverage bottle. So whats next?
     She needs to be spay. This will cost me in the ballpark of two-hundred and fifty dollars but will hopefully calm her down a smidgen. I also either need to find a sitter for the holidays or I will find myself forking out another two-hundred for her to fly home with me over the holiday break. I am completely aware now that the end is not near for her costing me chunks of change at a time and even a friendship or two along the way. There is one thing that I know will never change no matter what the circumstances. Tarri will love me with everything she has for as long as she is around to do so.      

My daily consumption

Morning -
5 eggs - 2 egg whites only
2 strips of bacon
2 waffles w/ real maple syrup

Mid-Morning-
Peanut butter & Jelly Sandwhich

Post Workout-
Protein Shake w/ milk, 1 1/2 scoops gainer, 1 1/2 scoop whey, 1 scoop greek yogurt

Afternoon-
1 chicken breast w/ 2 cups pasta

Mid afternoon-
Repeat protein shake

Evening-
1 chicken breast w/ mixed greens, onion, parmesean, and crutons with a balsamic vinnagrette dressing

Night-
Peanut butter & jelly

Bedtime-
Repeat protein shake

Victory Obama?

     October 16, 2012 President Obama drops the gloves and comes out swinging and, like any good fighter, receives a few swift punches in return with little phase. One of the subtle battles I picked up on was the mentions of government spending. To my understanding Obama wants to increase government spending because he believes that government investments in things like green energy or education, as seen by the balloon in student loan debts and brief remarks made throughout the debate, he believes will create economic growth. Subsequently we will see a higher deficit or an increase of the upper taxes. Which in my mind poses the question; will the upper take their manufacturing to a more comfortable location… such as overseas?

     So what about Governor Romney? It’s to my understanding that he would like to cut government spending in regards to job creation. By implementing tax cuts, he believes, it will allow companies to make more profit and ultimately hire more people. Now I said that he wants to cut government spending in order to create jobs, that does not mean he wants to spend elsewhere, like perhaps... on the military.

     I spoke with a gentlemen by the name of Keon in my TVF 454 class whose last name I am not going to attempt for fear of butchering the spelling so badly. I asked him a few general questions in response to the debate with viewed in class that evening. Here is some of what he had to say:

   

     I must say that I agree with Keon in regard to both that marginal victory and the “elementary” level questions. I almost felt as the both President Obama and Governor Romney felt similar. I got the impression that they were dancing around answering the question asked and attempting to weave in more pertinent information without making it too obvious. Of course, this is just me jotting down my thoughts; please feel free to express yours.

The Labs of my Life

Tarri came into my life on June 23, 2012

    

     Meet Tarri. She is my puppy:) I picked her up when she was only ten weeks old. She is now upwards of six months. I have been a dog owner for the majority of my life; the first one being a black Labrador by the name of Tara. Tara was around when I was barely old enough to walk but I would assume she brought me great joy. Then came Maddie. Maddie was a chocolate lab and the first experience I ever had with death, beyond over feeding some fish. Maddie got hit by a car late one night and didn’t make it till morning. That one hurt, I remember one Christmas after watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer I wanted to be just like Santa in his sleigh. So, one snowy December day, I decided to use Maddie as my reindeer and strapped my little orange sled to her collar. I got down the hill and maybe a block around the corner before a a neighborhood friend noticed me, alone getting pulled by Maddie through the snow, and decided it was best to return me to my home. My were they greeted by a grateful mother at the door.

     My brother and I always complained when it came time to clean the poop in the kennel on the side of the house but it surely took some time for my brother and I to get over the loss of Maddie. I wish her life hadn't been cut short that night; there is no telling the amount of memories that surely would have continued. The next pup was a yellow lab. My brother and I were getting to the age in which my father wanted us to take on the majority of the care taking responsibilities. Turned out Dusty was a bit too high strong and pulled my brother and I around like rag dolls. The final straw was when she pulled Aaron onto a public bus, which was when we decided to hand her over to our grandfather who did an immaculate job with his training.

     The short clip above is a brief moment I captured around the holidays with Marra (M-air-uh). Marra loved the cabin. Taking Marra to the cabin was like taking a young child to Disney land. I spent countless hours throwing a tennis ball as far out into the lake as possible and watching her run full speed and leap out into the water like super dog, swim out a good 35-45 yards, and return ball in mouth. If you were new to the cabin it didn't take long to find out how far away to stand from Marra to avoid getting sprayed by her shake. Marra passed away from a short bout with cancer just a few nights ago. That was not an easy one to swallow. Being in California, and her still in Washington, I missed the final years of her life. I got brief visits with her when I would return for breaks; she greeted me with a unforgettable smile and would immediately fall to her back for a belly rub every time.

     So now at 22 years old I have embarked on a journey of my own; with a beautiful little girl named Tarri. I combined the names of my previous labs in remembrance. It's a wild thought when I think about where I will be ten years from now, but at least I know I will always have one thing right there by my side; greeting me with a smile and a wagging tail no matter what.



Infographic

Google Public Data:
     This site uses multiple infographics to visually tell the story of fertility rate and life expectancy of different countries via plotted map, bubble graph, line graph, and bar graph. These infographics are interractive and allow you to drag the arrow and choose the year of fertility and life expectancy information you would like to view in specificity.

Google Public Data
     These infographics also allow you to view a constant stream of information that evolves over the timeline to give a quick visual representation of the changes in fertility and life expectancies in various countries.


CyberWatcher

ASSYLUM GYM LA

    Assylum Gym LA is a relatively small fitness center in comparison to most. Founded by Herman Baptiste a former high profile handball athlete. Baptiste expressed to me that he wanted a gym that moved away from the typical. Assylum offers non membership, group based training.
    Located in Old town Pasadena off of Delacey Ave in Fraiser Alley you walk down the stairs to a well organized, spotlessly maintained, intimate gym. Immediately you are greeted by the welcoming front desk girl who checks you in for your workout. Looking around you will swiftly notice the unconventional work out machines and the refreshingly open floor. After receiving a complimentary towel you are prepped for and hour long guided fitness routine.

    The first twenty minutes consist of strength training to build muscle mass and shape body composition. The second portion of the workout is endurance focused. Testing your cardiovascular endurance and burning unwanted calories. Finally, the final 15-20 minutes are yoga based. Increasing flexibility and reducing lactic acid buildup in the muscle fibers to relieve the soreness that is sure to follow in the days to follow.
     The cost for this workout coined as "TROIKA" by founder Herman Baptiste is 20 dollars per group training session with groups maxing out at 6 patrons. There are no membership fees and no free lift hours. This gym is obviously tailored to athles, those who are intimidated by big commercial gyms, or those who need the extra guidance and motivation with their workout.

Ammenities: Complimentary towel, 1 shower, cubbies for personal belongings.
Price: $20.00 per 1 hour session
Location: 87 Fraser alley Pasadena CA 91105
Parking: Garage 1.5 hours free
Cleanliness: 5 (1 to 5 scale)

My Questions

My questions:

What exactly is this projects goal? I dont think I fully understand it at the moment.

Would fitness be a good thing to do it on?

I remember professor Beaupre mentioning a technology. There is a lot of technology throughout the fitness world within the machinery and gadgets used to rain specific muscle groups. Would that count?

I also found that a few of you were thinking of the locations of things to fit into and inforgraphic. I think locations of gyms, what facilities they have, cost, cost for trainers, cleanliness, things along those lines would fit an inforgraphic. Does any of this fit the assignment?

Welcome four5four

     Hi. I am Elliott Russell and this is my blog. To my understanding I am supposed to tell a little bit about myself. I grew up in Seatte, Washington where it drizzles a lot. I moved to California four years ago due to the fact that CSULA was the best baseball school to recruit me. Growing up all I ever really did was sports. I've competed in golf, baseball, football, basketball, water polo, hockey, and soccer. Golf and baseball I would say are my two favorites to play, while nothing beats a day of sunday football with a blinding hangover. I am currently a bartender at a resturant in Old Town Pasadena by the name of Pita Jungle as well as hoping to finish school in the spring.
     The one activity I enjoy the most is weight lifting. I discovered the glory of the weight room my junior year of high school alongside my longtime friend Joe Gallagher. Between my Junior and Senior year I went from a gangly 6'4 160 pound beanstock to a 6'4 200 pound gym rat. I also saw my batting average jump from somewhere in the .300's to upwards of .475 which gave me my first lesson in the bennefits of hard work. I am still young and nieve in regards to nutrition, workout routines, form, and everything else that surrounds the world of physical fitness but that is exciting to me, it means I I have more to look forward to.
     It would'nt be right to talk about myself and not mention my family. My father is a stone cold steve austin look alike and deserves and award for raising 3 stand up children. I guess I will give some credit to Momma Russell. The kindest sole I know whose life revolves around her "three angels." Which leads to the brothers. 32 year old Eric who went through some trying times in recent years is now working for Kaiser Permanente and making more money in a month that I ever thought he would make in a year. Lastly, Aaron. Two years older than me and we cant go anywhere together without people asking if we are twins. Alongside Joe, Aaron is my best friend and the first one I call. aughter is imminent with Aaron and as Milton Berle once stated, "Laughter serves and an instant vacation."

Thats all cowboys and cowgirls. Yee Haw!