Sometimes it seems like the only thing that matters for me when it comes to actually publishing anything is to write in the editor. So I’m back in MarsEdit writing this post and also back on the treadmill after a few days leaving it idling.
I’ll try this combination:
- MarsEdit for writing to the blog
- RH Timer for keeping a timer on the screen
- Roam Research for some book highlights
First up, from “Sicker in the Head” by Judd Apatow — he asks Amber Ruffin about her time practicing comedy in Amsterdam.
Amber: Almost everyone was there for two years.
Judd: That’s so long. Do you get better at what you do in that environment?
Amber: You become untouchable when it comes to writing, but it’s a lot of short-form comedy. That’s not everyone’s favorite form, but that’s all you need, fundamentally. All I need to do is be able to come up with a punch line under pressure; that’s all any comedy is. So, once you are doing nine, ten, eleven shows a week over there, you are sharpened by the audience. One time, I was performing for three hundred Italian sailors, and English was their third language. I realized if I could get them to laugh, then I can do anything. An experience like that knocks the fear right out.
I’m a sucker for any description of work intensity. In practice, though, I’ve leaned more toward trying to avoid burnout. Which is probably why they have successful comedy careers and I’m writing in MarsEdit on a treadmill.
Anyway, I’m enjoying “Sicker in the Head” and still crack open “Sick in the Head” here and there to re-read some wisdom from comedians.
Let’s see if I can find another “here’s a time I worked very hard” quote from a book…
Okay there’s that Arnold Schwarzenegger one about squatting in the forest.
So once a week I took a training partner and drove out into the country with the weights. We limited ourselves to one exercise for a particular body part.
I remember for the first day we carried 250 pounds out into the forest and did squats for three hours straight. I began by doing twenty repetitions with 250 pounds; then my partner did whatever he could. Then it was my turn again.
We ended up doing something like fifty-five sets of squats each.
The last hour seemed endless. But it worked. Our thighs pumped up like balloons.
That first day we gave our thigh muscles such a shock that we couldn’t walk right for a week. We barely could crawl. Our legs had never experienced anything as tough as those fifty-five sets.
He goes pretty hard. Again, I’m a sucker for any description of workout intensity. And, again, I’m writing this on a treadmill.
But I did get some kettlebell work in right before this.
Some wisdom from Dan John:
I have said the following about 10,000 times: Everything works. Everything works for about six weeks. In 10 years, there are a lot of “six weeks”.
So now I’ll be on six weeks of daily kettlebells, walking, and pull-ups. And mix in weekly running at the track.