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Down with April Fool’s Day.

Posted by Ralph at 16:39 Down with

Mar 042014

I labored through the weekend crafting another insightful post intended for today. Then I realized today is April Fool’s Day and that I would indeed be an April Fool posting anything with serious intent. I have to confess that April Fool’s Day is not my holiday of choice. I have never been the sort of person who takes pleasure from seeing people fall on their faces in public. I am a person who expects life today to be pretty much like it was yesterday- no surprises and no ‘gotcha’ moments. In short I am the perfect victim. In fact my prime directive has been to make sure that the kind of people who love to set up April Fool’s Day pranks are somebody else’s friends- not mine. It’s a lonely life but my dignity stays intact.

English: A ticket to the washing of the lion, a traditional April fool’s prank (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It seems that Justin shares my antipathy for April Fools Day and perhaps my desire to seek protection from pranksters. Unfortunately, love is blind and Justin’s wife loves pranks. Ideally this would provide ample experience for a post. Not from Justin. His lips are sealed. What we do have is a rant from the past expressing his frustration with what he calls the stupidest holiday ever. Instead of sharing the cleverness of his wife and kids in setting up their hapless Dad, Justin remains quiet, silently licking his wounds. Even the kettlebells are silent.

Into this April Fool’s Day vacuum, I really don’t have much to add. Bob is AWOL, as usual. The best I can offer is a mindless movie selection or two. One way to stay out of the way of pranksters is to stay home, lock the doors and seek mindless diversion.

Ralph

Ralph is the inspiration for Cantankerous Old Coots and is our Grand Duke of Cantankerousness

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The Sound of Kettlebells in the Morning

Posted by Ralph at 09:16 Softer side

Oct 252013

: Image by Yasuhiko Ito via Flickr

Justin is one of a kind

Justin, my hotheaded young compatriot here at Coots has a lot on his plate. Being a stay at home dad is no picnic but it does add to the pressure for a fiction writer, blogger and musician. Society and Justin’s wife demand that he reign in his natural cantankerous nature to provide the warm nurture that his children need. Its a lot of pressure for a Coot. But don’t worry, Justin has a way to let off steam and release his creative juices as well. He is a modest lad (we have to work on that here at Coots before he introduces too much of his softer side into the blog). You won’t find him tooting his horn even though he is a musical virtuoso. When life gets too hectic, he retreats to his mancave and takes up his kettlebells.

A Genuine Renaissance Man

Granted they are an odd instrument but perfectly suited to a man who can skin a cat, change a diaper and then debug WordPress code on his break. Yes, Coot in training Justin is one of a kind. You wouldn’t know this from his folksy blog posts but the real Justin is beginning to surface here at Coots. Scratch that amiable exterior and you will find a growing cantankerosity.

Let that talent out from under the bushel.

Being such a modest, low-key kind of guy, normally he is secretive about his kettlebell playing, He doesn’t want to embarrass those with lesser talents. But recently I was able to capture snippets of the otherworldly beauty of his playing on the sly. It seems only right to share his talent here at Coots even though it does reveal a softer side that is out of character. So at the risk of exposing my own softer side, I feel compelled to reveal Justin – the master virtuoso of the kettlebells.

The sounds of Justin

Usually when he starts, he needs to let off some steam something this.

Then he will work into the more mellow music

and quickly transition to something even moremellow

Occasionally he will be reminded of something stressful and work it out likethis

but eventually he gets his groove mellow.

Show him how much you appreciate his talents.

Right now, I think he is in some kind of funk over a WordPress problem so I am sure that you would find him back at the mancave with his kettlebells right now. Leave him a message of encouragement at Coots or back at his home turf.

Ralph

Ralph is the inspiration for Cantankerous Old Coots and is our Grand Duke of Cantankerousness

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Kettlebell Inspiration

Posted by Ralph at 01:52 Up With

Jun 282013

Image via Wikipedia

Our leader Justin here at Cantankerous Old Coots keeps us hacks jumping. I toe the line pretty well remembering all the old tricks I learned at work for keeping the boss happy. Bob is another matter altogether. Bob is a ‘my way or the highway’ kind of guy and sometimes it’s all Justin can do to keep Bob focused and on target- or even present. I rail about Justin from time to time but so far, he’s been the one keeping the wheels on the bus here at COC, slave driver though he may me.

What with being a stay at home Dad, web entrepreneur and running his own blog, you can imagine that Justin’s life is full of challenges. Mere mortals like me constantly ask; How does he cope? How does he maintain his balance and joi de vivre amidst this busy cacophony? I confess that I don’t have a clue. It would be beyond my meager abilities which are strained daily just pulling my weight here at Coots.

Still from time to time even Justin needs to fill his tank and refresh his spirit. He retreats to a quiet place and lets his spirit flow. He plays his kettlebells.

Justin will never acknowledge his talent. He disclaims any praise or attention and refuses to perform publicly. But his skill is legendary. No one has yet captured Justin performing either on video or audio. He keeps his light under a bushel, so to speak. Still, careful research has uncovered kettlebell masters who inspire and encourage Justin to grow his talent. You can get a small idea about the power of Justin’s talent from these videos . These powerful performances will give you an idea of what a kettlebell master like Justin can do.

Sometimes whtn Justin gets into his groove, the spirit takes him places where mere mortals only dream of going. Listen to those mellow sounds and then tell Justin that you want him to share his music with the rest of us. Mellow out with this second video and then send him a message here at Coots or at Justin’s Brainpan. Tell him you want to know the magic of kettlebell music. Talent like Justin’s deserves sharing.

Ralph

Ralph is the inspiration for Cantankerous Old Coots and is our Grand Duke of Cantankerousness

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