Indigenous Ability

  Trivia Question : Is “ Foaming the Boiler ”… A] The name of my first volume of erotic poetry? Or… B] An old railroader term, circa The US Civil War? Answer : It was a trick-question as the answer is both. Railroads originally were, no surprise here, steam driven. That is, regular stops for water to fill the boilers to keep the pressure up to drive the locomotive were required. Water was THE commodity in old railroading. It was the gasoline of its day. No easy access to water, no-go on the locomotive. One would think water an easier fuel to access then petroleum, and it is/was, but water/fuel purity was always an issue. The more impurity in the water equals less power to the boiler, and more opportunities for grit to gum the mechanism over time. One mark of water impurity was a boiler that emitted not only steam but the occasional plume of foam. Thusly, having a “foamy boiler” was poor input. Over time, old timers also used the phrase to signify subpar work, ...

  [Crew, I heartily suggest reading this offering in conjunction with the prior entry in this Old School PT series, Trains Go Somewhere, Does Your Training Get You There? ]   [BTW-There is a list of recommended films at the end of this missive.]   One of our new Black Box Project/RAW Cadre inquired for info about getting back into condition after a long period of Covid stasis. Since many others are going thru the same long-dark sedentary time I thought I’d open the reply for others who have the same concerns.   A reply that makes sure we don’t put the boring cart before the lovely horse; a response that points the finger towards fun and “eyes on the prize.”   In a nutshell, make your training task focused rather than preparation focused. By that I mean, in the beginning focus less on the "getting ready" [push-ups, pull-ups, the usual rote-work of gym-prescriptions.]   Rather, put your limited time into your actual interests. If it be c...