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They say the South is not conducive for walking. I don’t exactly know who says this, or what evidence they have to prove it, but I can basically vouch for its validity. Everyone in the south drives a car. I don’t care if it’s two houses down the street, we are going to drive there. It’s just how our brains have been wired. We’ve also been wired to fry everything from olives to okra so it really isn’t surprising no one wants to go for a walk. The other day I was shopping down in Five Points at this great boutique, Anomaly. I had a thank you card I needed to mail, but I absolutely hate trying to find a post office or mailbox. I asked the store worker if she knew where I could find a mailbox in the area. She told me there was one down on Park St. Well, considering the store was on Park St. I asked her if I could walk to it. Park is pretty long, so the question was valid. She explained to me where it was exactly. Around to the right and down a street. But she told me she wasn’t sure if I would want to walk there because I might get tired. I thought I’d take my chances. It turned out to actually be just around the right at the next street, which was about a quarter mile away. I laughed out loud. Who in their right minds could possibly think that this would be a suitable distance to deem unwalkable? But it’s the South. We walk nowhere. And not to knock the girl from the store. She’s just been trained. And granted, most people would have driven. It’s kind of the same drive that makes us circle a parking lot for ten minutes waiting for the closest spot when we could have already been in and out if we had just parked in the back. But basically, we are just lazy. Well, living in California kind of altered my perception of the whole walking issue. People walk everywhere there. It’s one of those cities. There is a mass transit system, a much utilized bus system, and there is a lot within walking distance. So I guess it just seems natural. Plus, parking there is an absolute terror. As in, there is no parking unless you want to pay thirty bucks for an hour or finding a spot on the street two miles away, in which case walking from where you started would have been closer anyway. Californians are also, ironically, considered some of the healthiest people in the country, a fact they will never let you forget. Although if you leave the metropolises and enter the valley you will find some of the country’s most morbidly obese people. In fact, on the newest survey that just came out of the country’s most obese cities, California had at least four or five cities in the top twenty. Regardless, I lived in the city and got used to walking. It was great. It was brisk. (Usually because it was freezing there – and when I say freezing I mean chilly.) I felt more in shape. I liked being outdoors and really getting a sense of where I was, not just a butt impression on my car seat. And now with the invention of the iPod there is even a portable soundtrack for walking. When I moved back to Florida I made sure to move to a place where I could maintain some of this walkable culture. So, I moved to San Marco. And I live within walking distance of a thousand great things. Restaurants, bars, shops, cafés, parks. You name it, I can probably walk to it. As my expatriate friend (she currently resides in Barcelona) and I strolled through the streets of San Marco back to my house from lunch at La Napolera she sort of twirled around in the wide open street and said, “You know, you can decide to make your life a walking life. Even in Jacksonville.” Then we got to my house, hopped in my car and I drove her home. Come on. She lives a good three miles away. But you get the point. 30 january 17-23, 2008 | entertaining u newspaper a better u becoming a muscle by michael solis Michael Solis is a trainer, gym owner, and general high achiever that was repulsed by the apathetic approach that was advocated in last week’s article ‘get fit in 08.’ Had we at EU known that someone with such a robust physique was both literate and capable, we certainly would have asked him to write the piece in the first place. After all, most of us at EU are fat and lazy! But his advice was just so heavy-handed and accurate, we felt we should share it with everyone. So start filling your barrels with sand, it’s going to be a bitch of a week! Chew gum and burn 11 calories? Fidget? Tap your fingers? Carry a basket? I am aware of the circuitous approach that most people in a morbidly obese society take in order to avoid the expenditure of energy, but to actually accommodate the lethargy is even more obscene. My advice is that if mediocrity is your goal then you should certainly follow the mediocre prescription. However, will a person who chews gum, carries a basket, gets a dog, and performs the other low-energy output tasks truly be considered fit? The answer is no. We, in the crossfit community, know that energy and effort are directly proportional to fitness, achievement, and general success in life. It is true that most people take the path of least resistance and a little effort on your part will go a long way. A lot of effort will land you on top of any endeavor. We all can’t be winners or high achievers but we owe it to our children and others who may be influenced by our behavior and ideas to cultivate a sense of pride and progress. We crossfitters are good examples, that is, products of our effort and reapers of the seeds we sow. We have cut the proverbial fat from the usual haphazard approach to getting fit, dissected the material, and found the truth. The good news is that it is very simple, that is, it requires little to no money, nor advanced scientific knowledge. The bad news is that it requires effort. The results however are directly proportional. You have to ask yourself if getting fit or anything in life is worth the effort. Is feeling like a superhero worth having to single-handedly produce enough energy to power a small town? It is for some people. Most of them are professional athletes. The others are crossfitters and our advice is nothing less than extreme. These are our low-cost suggestions. • Instead of just going for a walk, fill up a backpack with sand-filled bottles or lead ingots and march like a hungry soldier. • If you are the gambling type, get a deck of cards, shuffle them, draw from the top, and do the corresponding amount of push-ups. Also, do it with sit-ups and air squats. • Don’t just take the stairs. Sprint to the top and continue until you feel sick. • Find a barrel or keg, fill it with sand and motivation; lift it over your head as many times as you can. • Find pull up bars or a jungle gym. Do hundreds of pull-ups until your lats grow into wings. • Find a wall and do hand stand push-ups until you can walk on your hands. • Bear crawl down the beach for one mile as fast as you can. Watch how feelings of envy strike the peanut gallery dead. • Finally, go to crossfit.com and begin your training as a new, improved and, most importantly, fit human being. The attributes and approaches we bring to the gym, field, ring, or wherever we train, fight, or compete are the same that follow us in our daily lives, work, and family relationships. Effort, energy, enthusiasm, and courage are the pillars to washing our hands of mediocrity and living a life rich in personal and professional accomplishment. If your health isn’t important then what is?
Random thoughts from a cluttered mind... NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS And so it comes down to our final four teams playing each other this weekend for a chance to go to Super Bowl XLII in Phoenix. In the AFC, we have the New England Patriots hosting the San Diego Chargers, while in the NFC, we will see the Green Bay Packers host the New York Giants. Let’s start out with the NFC, shall we. Last weekend, we saw the Packers dominate the Seattle Seahawks in a snow storm at Lambeau Field, which is where the Championship will be played this weekend. Green Bay showed us they can pass with Brett Favre, but we also saw that RB Ryan Grant has emerged into a very, very good runner. Along with their offensive line, they ran over, around, and through the Seahawks. Meanwhile, their defense also did a great job in shutting down Seattle. Now they will play against a Giants team that grinded out two playoff wins with their head coach, former Jaguar leader Tom Coughlin, as their inspiration. When you look at the Giants, you see a team that has a strong running game with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw carrying the rock. A decent passing game, with Eli Manning throwing to Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress. And a stout defense that has come through when needed, in spite of overwhelming injuries. The Green Bay defense has had a great season, and they’ve gotten better late in the season. I think they can put a lot of pressure on Manning, and it will be a key as to who wins this contest. Green Bay has already beaten the Giants this season, which they did early in the schedule at the Meadowlands. We cannot get much more traditional in a match up than the one we’ll see on Sunday. Both franchises have long, strong legacies in the NFL. It should be cold, and it will be fun to watch. The Packers go in as a seven-point favorite. Keep in mind, though, that New York is now 9-1 on the road! That is ridiculous! I will say that if the Packers do their thing, then they can pull out a victory and head to the Super Bowl, which will be a great scene, to say the least. The first game of the day will feature the stalwart Patriots hosting the upstart Chargers. NO ONE expected San Diego to be here. Everyone was gearing up for a return match between the Colts and Pats, feeling they were the two best teams in the NFL. But San Diego shocked most of us by going into Indianapolis and shutting down the Colts when it got down to it, winning their game and beating Indy for the second time this season. Meanwhile, we all saw the Pats take care of business against the Jags, with Tom Brady almost perfect in his play. It seems every time a team is preparing to play New England, we hear their players and coaches suggest they have to play a perfect game in order to beat the Pats. Since there is essentially no such thing as a perfect game, shall we all assume the Patriots can’t be beat? The Chargers go into this contest possibly without All-Pro RB LaDainian Tomlinson and starting QB Philip Rivers. If they both do play, it will be with hindered knees they each lost in the Colts game. Nonetheless, their back ups, QB Billy Volek, and RB Michael Turner, did a great job last weekend. Both could easily see action. THE JOCK by tom weppel San Diego has a great defense, as evidenced by their leading the NFL in turnover ratio. That is a huge, huge stat they MUST take advantage of. If the Chargers can force turnovers, perhaps they can stay with the Pats. The Chargers also have strong defensive backs who must do a great job covering the Patriot receiving corps. While we all know how awesome the Pats are at throwing the ball, we also saw that RB Lawrence Maroney can run when called upon. New England beat the Chargers earlier in the season. They are a two-touchdown favorite to win this game. It will take a monumental effort from San Diego to come away with a victory. I don’t see it happening. For all intents, you can count on the Patriots going to Arizona in two weeks. JAGUARS We all saw the Jaguars lose to the Patriots last Saturday night. New England is simply so good, they showed the Jags what THEY need to do in order to become a great team…not just a good one. In fact, the two strengths we all thought the Jaguars had for so long, their defense and their running game, almost seemed non-existent in that Patriot contest. But while we can sit here and analyze and critique the Jags, we also have to accept the fact that NO ONE has beaten New England this season. So far, that has been an absolutely amazing feat. When you look at the entire season, you must give Jack Del Rio and his boys credit for putting together a very good campaign that not many expected. An 11-5 record, along with a playoff win over the Steelers, is a strong showing in the NFL and it will certainly be a great foundation on which to build upon. Between now and the start of Training Camp in July, there will be changes on the roster, as there always are between every season. There will be a select number of veterans that will not be around. OL Maurice Williams feels he can start for a number of teams in this league and might want to test the free agent waters. Same goes for WR Ernest Wilford and DE Booby Mc- Cray, who are currently NOT signed to long-term deals. Both feel the Jags may not be able to afford to bring them back. They will very possibly be signed by other teams. A few veterans might even retire, such as Aaron Glenn and Sammy Knight. So, with all that said, Del Rio, GM James Harris, and Scouting Coordinator Gene Smith will now go to work, looking to see how they want to possibly improve this team and have it ready to go for next season. The expectations have now been raised as the fans of this city have gotten back into the groove of a winning franchise. Del Rio might have changes to his coaching staff as well. That has happened, it seems, every single year. This time, we might see his good friend Mike Tice get a Head Coaching job, or maybe we’ll see Mike Shula get an Offensive Coordinator position somewhere else. The bottom line here is that teams will be wanting to go after the Jags to find good talent, whether it’s on the field or off, to become better. It will be very interesting to see what the Jaguars do in the coming months. Tom Weppel talks trash with Greg Larson, Lonnie Marts, Eugene Chung, Artis Gilmore, and Ron Duguay on SportsAvengers.com 24/7. eujacksonville.com | january 17-23, 2008 31
Page 1 and 2: JACKSONVILLE 2008 winter movie prev
Page 3 and 4: table of contents feature 2008 Wint
Page 5 and 6: monday january 21 Florida Forever B
Page 7 and 8: february 22 nd be kind rewind Jerry
Page 9 and 10: perfect popcorn cinema Cloverfield
Page 11 and 12: a problem for the ages The Savages
Page 13 and 14: holy high rollers First Sunday by r
Page 15 and 16: netscapades by brenton crozier 2008
Page 17 and 18: ound room with its warm tones. Ther
Page 19 and 20: this is how they communicate interv
Page 21 and 22: no labels needed interview with ind
Page 23 and 24: music for a message interview with
Page 25 and 26: a local spotlight interview with Ci
Page 27 and 28: dancing with the stars a television
Page 29: the dead guy Hippodrome Theatre Rev

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