What did I tell you?

You may have guessed that I was in a bad mood. Not angry just tetchy and generally pissed off. You may not have guessed. You may not have even cared. Maybe your worries are greater than what mood has taken Shane today. They probably are. People are generally selfish and don't care about my moods nearly as much as I think they should. After all, I'm fucking great. I'm the brightest star in a darkened sky, I'm the first flower of springtime and I don't take advantage of drunks, in the main anyway. I'm all of these things and more and I do it with a certain reserved dignity that brings to mind royalty. Not modern royalty but more like Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings.

Some of the reasons for the bad mood are pretty self evident and others are best left unsaid. Sleeping dogs and other clichés that I could trot out. You can see the depth of the mood by the dismal blog before this. Posted but mere hours ago it was written by an entirely different Shane. A broken man trying to figure out morality and justify his course of action. Fuck all that. Fuck it to the hell I'm going to spend the next month in. Cold and sore and bored and dealing with idiots. Fuck it all to that hell.

The change that has been wrought is due to Bill and Bench pressing. I know you can't really seperate the two. Bill loves the bench, and more than that loves to beat me in a semi-regular bench pressing competition. The rules - five sets with 80kgs, max reps wins. Rest periods are based on the honour system and allow for conversation. Couple o' beers and this would be the greatest way to spend a Friday night. Bill loves to bench. Tonight I got the call and despite my mood accepted the challenge. Step up. I did the mental arithmetic had a plan. Knew what I'd do each set and then completely ignored this and for the first time beat Bill. Two clear reps. I am the reigning champion. A bad mood can't withstand that kind of positive energy. Fuck right and wrong and the second guessing. Fuck the future and the corner I'll be standing on for a month. Fuck the wind, the rain and the biting cold. Fuck pretty pictures and ugly memories. All these things pass.

To top it all off I walked into the house and Highlander was on the TV. Fuck yeah.

Chalked up and happy

Bill had a bum elbow which has since healed and ruined this little ritual on me. The month that followed was as shit as I expected, but it passed and I remained. This should be instructive but I continue to bitch and moan at every little bump in the road.