Free Fitness Movement. All you need to do is show up!
You may or may not have heard of an event called Southwest Collision Course, which took place this past weekend. If not, allow me to briefly fill you in: the Phoenix, San Diego, and LA tribes collided in a frenzy of flesh, fire, and flugfuße. Once the dust had settled, we had treated nearly 130 people to a festival that included a Ragnar trail-style relay, food and beverages, and camping under the stars. It was truly better than both Jackie and I expected.
We can all agree that #NPlovesAZ has been a rousing success, generating tremendous buzz around our community and connecting with local businesses.
November Project has deemed September “#NPgivesback month,” for which we’d like to take at least some of the credit. To that end, we’re aligning #NPlovesAZ with #NPgivesback by asking that you help us continue to make Phoenix a better place by donating your time or skills. Post a photo to social media using both hashtags, and you will be entered into our September drawing for TNF gear.
I write to you today from deep within the bowels of the Chandler Public Library. To my left, at a distance of twenty paces, is a man that looks quite remarkably like Angelo from NPSD, albeit with more facial hair and less murder eyes. To my right is another whose polo shirt blends impeccably with the crimson wall behind him, a color perfectly suited to conceal any drops of salsa that dare escape the clutches of his Filiburto burrito. The wall features several rooms, the closest of which houses a blonde woman in an eggplant-colored blouse interrogating boy of about six. Her steely expression and his slumped shoulders suggest that he is failing. She closes the beige-framed door, perhaps due to the fact that I’ve been glancing up at them every few minutes.
There is an Important blog post today regarding the culture of November Project and what we as a Movement stand for. Take a few minutes to read it, then take a few more to ponder how you feel about our “hug first” culture and how we can be more cognizant of how that affects others:
This is a story of boy meets workout. The boy, Wayne Warrington, of Phoenix, Arizona, grew up believing that he’d never truly be happy until the day he felt “the burn.” This belief stemmed from early exposure to ’80s film montages and a total misreading of Suzanne Somers’ Thighmaster infomercials. The workout, November Project, also of Phoenix, did not share this belief. Since its inception, it has stood for two things. The first was a fun, grueling workout with no pretense of exclusivity. The second was accountability. Wayne meets November Project in July 2015. He knows almost immediately it is what he has been searching for. This is a story of boy meets workout. But you should know up front, this is not a love story.
The beauty of this Movement is that we can find like-minded individuals at 42-plus cities across the world. Both Jackie and I have been to a handful of tribes, as have many of you. In fact, we had two of ours infiltrate other tribes this week. You may have noticed that both Rick and Sheri were conspicuously missing today. It turns out that Rick was in Denver (aka not as high or awesome as Flagstaff), while Sheri was in Seattle. And Liesl just returned from Iceland, which she just so happened to bless with her unique charm.
Today was PR Day. In a pair of well-fought battles, Jade and Scottie emerged victorious over Bailey and Andrew, respectively, to reclaim the bolos. The heat is proving to be quite the adversary, as they were both a few flights off the course records.
Look, I’m really happy for you, and I’ma let you finish, but let’s talk about the love we have for our community. We put together the inaugural #NPlovesAZ to highlight a few outstanding local restaurants, and you delivered in spades. A sincere thank-you to everyone who participated. It must be noted that Sugar Bowl was nearly as popular as the other three spots COMBINED. People apparently like Old Town Scottsdale (or ice cream).
“We are live in 5…4…3…()…()…”
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PHIL
Goooood morning Phoenix! I’m Phil Xander, and this blonde bombshell to my left is Nancy Powinski. Welcome to Fine Fresh Phoenix on AZ3: The Only News You Need In Your Feed™.
NANCY
(forced chuckle) Thank you, Phil. Our lead story today, the excessive heat warning remains in effect—
We run stairs
While in pairs
We run in pairs on stairs
We take the stairs in pairs
Bears with hair come
Bears with herbs come
Bears with hair and herbs and Serbs come
Bears run stairs with flair
I dare run stairs while bare
Bears with hair and herbs and Serbs stare
Laissez-faire I blare, no care
I have a confession for you, Dear Reader. I consider myself a pretty strong-willed guy, but my resolve is wavering. See, I have yet to turn on the A/C in my home. Yes, the daily highs are rubidium-melting, enough to cause mercury across the valley to liberate itself from thermometers like the chestbuster from Alien. Even the overnight lows are more mirage than oasis. Yet I persist.