Fin.

That’s it folks. The project is at its end. I didn’t post anything for May because the focus was to stay off the internet for anything unnecessary, with ‘necessary’ being the online class I was taking. When that was over and I rolled into June… I realized I really didn’t need to take this all the way to my birthday.

Over the past year, I’ve met incredible people, checked off a few silly bucket list items, saw parts of the world I did not expect to see, fixed some things about myself that I wasn’t happy with, and recognized a few more areas of improvement to take on. I spent time focusing on patience, frugality, spirituality, lightening up, and beefing up my body and brain. I ditched bad habits like nail biting and picked up a positive habit in meditating.  Most importantly though, I worked on collecting all of the tools I’ll need when life is more or less getting me down.

I won’t belabor the point in saying more than ‘this was a good idea.’ I’m happy that I actually did it and kept up with it more or less for twelve whole months. That’s tough for most attention spans.

So. That’s that. Unceremoniously ending.

-Jamie

Crown on the ground.

Music by Sleigh Bells.

Oi! (Haven't been able to stop saying that since Australia poisoned my mind).
It's been way too long.

The project is almost over, which I am kind of looking forward to.

This month has gone exceptionally well though, at least as far as 'doing what I told myself I would do' goes. Every day, I've been diligent in learning something new. It's not hard to do though, when you're taking an anatomy/physiology class. Every day I end up shocked that I didn't know something so simple about the body... At least I'm getting educated now. Better late than never?*

I've also been making up for the slack of last month's workouts. I started a workout program through Gym Jones (online). The men in 300 were trained under this company, so I'm excited to see what I'll get out of it. So far, I've been abused in ways like 'row 5000m for time' or 'do 100 Turkish get-ups.' It can be brutal, and this is just the foundation month. But since I love working out, I'm happily sweating away in a small corner of the gym.

On top of studying anatomy every day, I'm also in Tokyo to brush up on my Chinese. It's been so difficult with the non-English speaking teachers we have, but it's already helped my speaking tremendously. Plus, living here for the month is amazing. I'd stay in the Navy if they gave me orders to Tokyo. Checked out Tokyo's gay pride this past weekend, and it was... packed. I was pleasantly surprised by the turn out, and I even ran into some people I knew from my home base.

Tokyo has also been great for meeting people. I get to play ultimate with an awesome team (Kuru) and a smattering of other super friendly, talented people. The people are kind, the food is delicious, and the women are beautiful. I just... don't know that I need anything else in life. Oh, maybe for some of those women to be gay. And to be fluent in Japanese. That would help.

I love Japan. I love this month.
-Jamie

*Not applicable for everything.

How did I get here?

Music brought to you by ODESZA.

Wow, whirlwind week (say that a few times fast). For the last week of March, I was in Australia. Towards the end I realized my mom was having a retirement party on a date I was actually free. With my dad and sister, we organized a surprise for her.

I got back to Japan from Australia and hopped on a plane back to the states two days later. Spent the night with my sister, worked out with my dad the next morning, and surprised my mom at her school that afternoon. It was a beautiful moment; she grabbed me and squeezed my arms while looking me up and down to make sure I was really there. Then she cried, obviously.

So for the past few days I’ve been in Tennessee hanging out with my family. I got to meet my brother’s wife (absolutely lovely lady) and brand new baby girl. I saw some old friends, met some new ones, and ate comfortable American foods.

Didn’t focus very much on the project; I feel like that’s been gradually slipping since I don’t need it anymore. But I did learn something new almost every day- a few of which were debated hotly in the Fleshman household.

Overall, it was a lovely weekend; first time in four years that all the family was in one place. Crazy.

-Jamie

April: Get smart(er).

April:

Get smart(er).

- Learn something, anything, every day.
- Incorporate Luminosity.
- Research instead of accept.

Yeahyeahyeah, I get told I'm smart all the time; all my life it's been that way. Studies have shown that children are affected negatively by that praise. It's more beneficial to their development to say something like, "Oh, what great work ethic you have!" Rewarding them for working hard reinforces the habit, therefore producing a child that strives to dig at everything. Telling a kid they're smart only makes them feel the pain of failure times a billion. So they're afraid to fail and try to skate by on this natural genius they've been told they are in high supply of.

I suffer from the latter affliction.
Also, when someone tells me I'm smart, I feel like Ricky Bobby in that interview. I just don't know what to do with my hands.

This month, however, I would like to put a spotlight on learning. Every day, I'll learn something (doesn't matter by what method or from which learning medium). I will incorporate the luminosity app that promises to expand my thinking, just to see where it goes. And normally when someone says something with enough conviction, I'm quick to accept it as truth. Not this month! I will try to research things on my own accord and arrive at the meaning myself.

That's all I've got on my plate this month. Should be easy enough since I start my Anatomy and Physiology course next Monday as well as language training down in Tokyo the weekend after that. Learning should occur... or there is something wrong with my braiiiin.
-Jamie

Wildest moments.

Welllllllll, looks like March was a semi-failure. Worked out a ton at the beginning, snowboarded a lot, and generally was careful with food.

Then I went to Australia.
Vacations are not conducive to healthy eating and exercise- got it. I understand.

But I had a blast- saw pretty beaches, met a koala, stared at many gorgeous Australians, and feel like my accent is really coming along now. Overall, it was a good vacation, and I intend on going back.



As for the month of March?... meh, could've gone better. Could've eaten fewer cupcakes, drank less alcohol, and brought my heartbeat up more often.
But today I was asked, "Will your uniforms even fit anymore? You've lost hella weight."
So that's a win.
-Jamie

Blue Hawaii.

Music by ASTR.

This week was amazeballs.

That is not a word.

So because I deploy a lot, when I get back from deployment I get what's called post-deployment leave. That's up to three free days of leave. Yes, I said free. What that meant for me this past week was that I worked Monday and I worked Friday - I did not have to go in for that obnoxious middle part.
Whaaaaat?! Yes. That happened.

What did I do with all that time? Oh, I just went snowboarding every single day. Yeah, I did that. And it was a much needed vacation.

Suffice it to say, I met my workout quota of the week.

Also, I spent a majority of the time with a GoPro strapped to my chest or in my hand. I got a lot of video footage of myself and some friends boarding (read: wiping out) that I am now piecing together in an epic montage.

(Huge thanks to youtube for providing me with how-to videos)
Alright, back to my corner to work on this editing bit.
-Jamie

Gooey.

Music by Glass Animals.

Why doesn't everyone love exercise?! I don't get it. It's hard, I get that much. You tire easily, you don't want to lift heavy things right now, you don't want to get sweaty, you don't have the money to be part of a gym, etc. I've heard so many excuses. But.. but.. it's FUN. Well, not the act of it.

The results. I absolutely love seeing the results of my hard work. They make themselves known when I set a personal record during a 5k road race. They show up when I don't get out of breath walking up ten flights of stairs. They appear magically when I have to lift a 50-70lb box off the ground to put it on a shelf. It's not even about looking good... though that certainly is appealing to me. It's about knowing my body will carry me through life and not break down through non-use. It's knowing that I did everything I could to make my body work to its design.

I got into a bit of a tiff with my younger bro over Skype last night. He works in a kitchen as one of the top guys and claims that his shifts there are definitely workout enough. I disagreed, to which he got very offended- because I "don't know the half of his job." No, I know little to absolutely nothing about working on the line in a kitchen. But I do know the physical demands of working on a flight line and in a plane for about 14 hours a day. I know what physically demanding jobs are. Though now that I'm reviewing the conversation in my head, he did have a point. My brother doesn't spend an hour almost every day at the gym a week. He hasn't been working out consistently for the past two or three years like I have. So maybe this job is as demanding as he can take right now. That's okay.

The conversation actually started because I think he should be doing something else in his free time other than going into his job early. Cool that you love your job, bro, but you need a hobby.

Gettin' ripped is my hobby. For now.
Anyway, progress update- set a personal record for my deadlift (#245).

And for the next week, I'll get to snowboard four times. How lucky am I?!
Go fitness!
-Jamie