The Wisdom of Ogre

So this week in Bridges was pretty intense. This week's subject was about how children are affected by abuse in the home. If that wasn't already bleak enough, near the end of the session we had to listen to this audio tape of a little girl calling 9-1-1 because of a fight going on between her mom and stepdad that was really out of control. The tape was horrifying, one guy in the class couldn't take it, he just got up and left. It really bothered me too, and I could tell just about everyone else in the class was pretty disturbed by the looks on their faces.
After the tape had been played, Todd started asking us all questions about it. Most of the guys in the class were so distraught by what they'd heard they could barely form complete sentences, just mumbled words like "awful," and "terrifying." One of the guys even said "Man, that made me glad I got locked up before it could get to that point," which got a few nods of agreement. When one of these guys says he's glad he went to jail that's a pretty bold statement, especially since these guys are sometimes a little slow to answer for their actions.
Finally it got to Ogre, who I am positive was on something that evening. I know he's had his problems with alcohol, but I don't think it was that. He just couldn't sit still, he made weird comments, and he kept putting his sunglasses on. When Todd asked Ogre what he thought of the tape, he paused for a moment and then said in his Napoleon Dynamite-on-steroids voice "I just don't understand. You know? I mean, it seems like she could have at least went and got a weapon to defend herself."
The entire class fell into a stupified silence. He kept going, "I mean, she could have gone into the kitchen and got a steaknife and stuck it in his thigh..." My mind was racing, I was desperately trying to contain every razor sharp reply that wanted to burst from my brain; "She's fucking SIX years old you fucking moron!" was right there on the tip of my tongue, but held back knowing that particular comment might be a little on the abusive side. Todd finally got him to shut up, in his patented condescending but still diplomatic way, which probably kept Ogre from being pounced on by somebody in the class with less self-control than I was willing to display that evening.
A few weeks earlier, we were in class while Todd was discussing some of the indirect methods of abuse, he gave the example: "She might threaten your family, or you might tell her something like 'if I go to jail, I'll have my family come and kill you'" A little while later we were having sort of a roundtable, discussing this idea of indirect abuse, at some point Ogre chimes in with this gem "What is she saying?, shes going to have her family come and kill you? I mean does she have a bunch of black guys in her family or something? Or are they mafia? Oh man, mafia, you don't want to mess with those guys. You guys ever watch mafia movies?" This time the emotional climate of the class had been a little more forgiving, so I guess we just sort of laughed it off. But in retrospect: "a bunch of black guys?" Wow.
So anyway, back to the present class where we're still discussing the tape, and how awful it is for kids to be exposed to that kind of pain. We're all having a very somber discussion when out of nowhere Ogre chuckles to himself. Todd goes "Something funny Ogre?" "Oh man, I'm sorry, heh, I just totally spaced out there for a second. I was thinking of this TV show -- you guys ever watch Jackass?" At that point, Todd and the rest of the class just stare at him incredulously for a moment, before an exasperated Todd says "What were we talking about?" Everyone in the class just stares at eachother for a second trying to remember where the conversation train was before Ogre derailed it so thoroughly. "Aw fuck it!" Todd says, "See you next week. Ogre, stick around, we need to talk"
So unless I'm mistaken, I think that might be the end of our friend Ogre's time in Bridges.

Fitness
I quit my old gym, and I started up at a new one. I haven't actually gone to the new gym yet. I am still having such a hard time getting motivated. I played some basketball this weekend, and I was excited about that for awhile. Today, I ate good for the morning, and then I went to my brother's and had a pop, and then I got hungry on my way home so I grabbed some awful awful Arby's. Crap, what's wrong with me!? I gotta pull it together soon.
Tomorrow would be a weight lifting day. I have to go to school in the morning, but I am going to post this here as motivation. After school I am going to go do my upper body weight routine. You heard it here first!