Sorry about not posting yesterday.  It was a long ass day for me and I didn’t have time to stop and use my computer, or even my blackberry.  So the day started with a simple registration process.  After that I did a hearing test.  That was kinda hard because you never know if you are actually hearing the beep.  I then had to have my eyes checked and thankfully they are still 20/15, better than perfect.  After a shuttle ride we did our CPAT test.  This is a timed obstacle course that you must complete in 10 minutes and 20 seconds.  During the thing you have to wear a 50 pound vest.  It was tiring as hell but I killed it.  The most distressing thing about it was wearing the vest, gloves and a construction helmet that other people had been using all day.  It was all sweaty and smelled like ass!  I then got back to the main building and did my sit-up test.  I managed to bang out 55 sit-ups in 60 seconds.  We then got checked for body fat and they measured our hips and waist to get the ratio.  My body fat was 15.5%, which is down 1% from the last time I reported it.  Had I been able to get down just half a percent then I would have scored a little higher.  Oh well, next time.  I also had my flexibility tested with a reach test.  I knew I would have trouble on this test as I have notoriously tight hamstrings.  I managed to score 3 out of 5 but I missed getting 4 out of 5 by only 1 cm!  Then it was time for the beast.  The VO2 max test.  This was definitely an ass kicker.  They plug your nose and hook up these tubes to your mouth and get you to run on the treadmill.  Every 45 seconds they crank up the speed and incline.  At the end the incline is 9 and the speed is 9.  Anyone who runs can tell you that is a very tough situation to maintain.  I lasted 8 minutes.  Lucky for me I was able to max out my VO2 score so I got perfect on that one.  This is such a funny test.  Some people can max out in 5 minutes.  Some people can be on there for 12 minutes and not max out.  I really can’t tell you how to beat the thing.  All I can say is that you just need to breathe as deeply as possible and run until you are ready to die.  All those tests result in a score out of 30.  You need 18 to pass.  I managed to get 26 and am very happy with that score.  So, I celebrated by getting drunk and eating everything I could find!  I continued that into today and I think I gained 5 pounds.  I can’t slip too much though, I need to be able to at least maintain my current fitness level.  My goal is to actually improve.  I would like to score 28 the next time I do this.  I will let you know how that goes.  I would have loved to have taken some pics or video but the situation just didn’t allow it.  I always feel bad when I don’t have some media for you.  So here is a comic that has nothing to do with anything I just talked about.  But I think you will enjoy it.

When it rains it pours!  Life has been very interesting for my girlfriend and myself lately.  First she gets her car stolen and then her neighbors turn into cock-suckers.  Now, I will admit her problems are a little bigger than mine.  My HP laptop kicked the can and tried to make me late on a large assignment I had due.  Lucky for me you can buy an Apple MacBook in about 5 different places that are close to me.  I picked one up, recovered the data and now I am good to go!  Just when I thought technology was done fucking with me I got the dreaded RROD.  Yes, the famous Microsoft red ring of death on my Xbox 360!  I have a pic of the RROD below.  The funny thing was I wasn’t even trying to play a game, I was watching a movie that I needed to get through for an elective course the next morning.  I think school work is taking it’s toll on all my toys!  I will call up Microsoft and get my baby repaired under their extended warranty.  The only thing I will have to make sure is that they ship me MY repaired version with the HDMI port.  I have heard from many friends that Microsoft can really fuck around with you during this process.  It might be in my best interest to just buy a new one.  I have no desire to do that, having just finished paying for a new Mac.  I am going to do some research and look into doing this repair myself.  Luckily I am so busy with school that I don’t have time to play video games anyways.  I am also lucky that I have a Blu-ray player that allows me to still watch my dvd’s.  In other news:  tomorrow is fitness testing day for me.  I have to do a CPAT test in the morning and clinical tests in the afternoon.  The CPAT is a timed obstacle course that is pass/fail.  You have to do the entire thing wearing a 50 lbs weighted vest.  They add an extra 25 lbs for the first 3:20 while you are on a step mill.  I have practiced this and believe me when I tell you that your legs get tired!  After the CPAT I go in to get my body fat measured, I have to do a million sit-ups and then they measure my VO2 max score by killing me on a treadmill with some tubes hooked up to my mouth.  All in all it should be an interesting morning.  I think this one might be a little more relaxed than the fire ground so I will try to get a buddy to take some pics of me doing this.  If that isn’t possible I will still take some pics of us hanging around in between the two events.  Wish me luck!

My baby!  My poor, poor baby!!