Sunday, August 17, 2008

Animated Doodles



Sandbagging It

Being a freelance animator does have it's challenges. Like when your living in another state for a short period of time, how do you get a good workout in? I've be doing Crossfit for the past 6 months as way to supplement my mountain bike training. But here in Kansas I don't have access to my brothers Crossfit gym. I tried to do equipment less workouts for awhile and that was fun, but you can only do so many push ups, sit ups and squats before your mind starts to wander. So Joe sent me a link about working out with sandbags. It only cost me about $60 for 200lbs of sandbag fun. Here's a picture of some of what I used to create my sandbag.




The sandbag definitely adds another element to working out. Keeping proper form is a bit more challenging. On lifts that start on the ground you have to get down way further than with a bar. Grip is a big issue. Not only is it more tiring my first approach lead to bloody knuckles. I've got that figured out now. Grip does slow you down a bit because every time you drop the bag picking it back up takes a bit longer as you have to go through a little process. That process might be avoided if my outer sandbag fit the inner sandbags better. I have to watch out for the metal clip that secures the top of the duffel bag. It really surprises you when in hits you in the mouth. Also it can be harder to "rest" with the weight. Say you're doing a thruster, it is difficult to hold the weight on your shoulders because the weight is constantly wanting to shift around. But honestly it is a lot of fun. I think everyone who does crossfit should give it a try to throw in an extra variable into the mix and help you from getting stale.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Yosemite!

I've been animating in Kansas City at DXD for about three weeks now. But before I left for the home of Superman and Dorthy I went backpacking in Yosemite. Here's some pictures.

Driving into Yosemite Park.

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5:00AM on our way up to the top of Half Dome.


The Poop Mules! (see below)