Asylum Daybreak – Page 2

Hot Toddy Quadruple Birthday Q

January 10, 2026 BackBlasts

AO: asylum-daybreak
Q: Lilydipper , High Heels, Charmin (John Willis), Snitch (Cory Beilharz )
PAX: Veggie (Rylen Huddy), Natty, Wes Franks (Pony Tail), Drum Major, Curveball, Crash Dummy, Dain Bramage, Mr Jinxy, Pele (Jon Lindberg), Bail Bonds, flyball, MD Hammer, Pusher, Crawdad (Robbi Dickens), Honeydew, Lulu (Greg Huddy), Rainbow, Crop Top
FNGs: None
COUNT: 22
WARMUP: Lilydipper led us in 20 Side Straddle Hops, Curly Stomps, 7 Twistees, 10 Windmills, 7 Pterodactyls Forward, 7 Pterodactyls Backwards, and a Little of This and That

THE THANG: Snitch (Cory Beilharz ) then led us on sidewalks we could barely see due to lakes and puddles out to the Bros Bowl. He nearly killed us from there. We started with10 Merkins on the bottom and ran clockwise to do 53 (Snitch (Cory Beilharz ) turned 53 on December 23) Bench Dips then ran to the bottom to do 22 Hello Dollies in the lake there at the bottom of the Bros Bowl. Thank goodness there was no sewage from the Bowl. Next we ran clockwise up to the top again to do 53 Incline Merkins on the benches. We ran to the bottom only to do Tempo Squats in the lake. The man made us run clockwise on more top to the top of the Bros Bowl to do 23 Step-ups on the Benches. In an exhausted and drenches state, we got back to the bottom.
High Heels took over from there. We ran to the outdoor chapel and I thought God would have mercy on us there. But not with High Heels in command. We did Doras, each partner running around the chapel in the rain while the other partner did exercises. One would expect about 100 of each exercise but not with High Heels. He had us do 120 Merkins, 240 Bench Dips (our arms were in pain!) and 360 Side-Straddle Hops. Gassed and nearing death, we were looking forward to Charmin (John Willis) lightening things up as he took over the Q. But no!!! Charmin (John Willis) has us run, instead of sidewalks, through a grassy, muddy, trench-filled mess with rats and other varmints floating by us until we got back on the watery roadway to the AO. Ahh, the AO! No!! The man, saying he needs to work his quads for ski patrol, has us Bernie Sanders all the way to the top of Mini-Cardiac and do 5 Burpees in the river up top. Then we run back down past the AO to pick up doggone boulders and take then to the pavilion. He then has us do some kind of configuration of 11s that I never understood, saying we should quadruple each exercise of Curls and Gobble Squats. I finally plopped my boulder down on the picnic table and nearly broke the top. From there, Charmin (John Willis) takes us to steps that were so soaked and muddy that we couldn’t see our feet. He has us do a multitude of Calf Raises with toes out, inward, outward, and every which way but upward, which almost occurred if I hadn’t had the rail to hold onto and keep me from falling backwards. Charmin (John Willis) was kind enough to let us go back to the pavilion, pick up those doggone boulders, and put em back where we found em. Ahhhhh, Sweet Respite. But no, we had do the traditional Asylum Daybreak race up Mini-Cardiac after the COT.

MARY: We had no stinking time for a Mary

ANNOUNCEMENTS: The fact that we had Hot Toddys waiting for us was announcement enough!

COT:

Message: The four Q leaders each talked about something they were thankful for in 2025 and something they were looking forward to in 2026. High Heels was on target when he told us we have so much to be thankful for.

Prayers: Prayers of praise for Mr. Jinxy whose daughter, Carli, the wife of our very own Hooker (Grant Gentry) who now lives with Carlyi in North Carolina, just had a baby. This is the couple’s third child. Prayers of praise for all God blesses us with.

12 Beatdownz of Christmas

December 27, 2025 BackBlasts

AO: asylum-daybreak
Q: Kodak (Charlotte Metro (S) Weasel Shaker)
PAX: Brick, Crash Dummy, Kodak (Charlotte Metro (S) Weasel Shaker), Dain Bramage, UGA, CatGut, Jumbo, Crawdad, Waffle House, Drum Major
FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
WARMUP: Like instant coffee, the Terrible Rotten Very Bad Workout started with a jolt- no hellos, none of that touchy-feely stuff. We ran. Not far, but kinda fast. Fortunately no one broke a hamstring. Loops around to the playground for some SSH, Walkers and others. Then we opened the mailbox and discovered Santa had left the PAX a love, letter detailing . . .

THE THANG: The 12 Beatdownz.

Here’s the list-

12 WWII Sit-ups
11 Squats (in cadence)
10 Ukrainian Hammers (in cadence)
9 Carolina Dry Docks
8 Imperial Walkers (in cadence)
7 LBCs (in cadence)
6 SSH (in cadence)
5 ‘Mericans
4 Jump Squats
3 Heels to Heaven (in cadence)
2 Burpees
1 Manmaker/Special

Here’s how it actually works-

Days 1 & 2 – mosey to COT Lot. For the 1 of Day 2, run a 3 level suicide (light, light and far side) with 5 squats at the base each time.

Days 3 & 4 – mosey to the Bowl. For the 1 of Day 4, run a Long Lap

Days 5 & 6 – short mosey to the playground. For the 1 of Day 6 – 1 minute hang (EC if you want to add in pull-ups. No one did).

Days 7 & 8 – short mosey to the other side of the soccer field. For the 1 of Day 8, run a 4 level suicide (18 yrd box, midfield, 18 yrd box, end line) with 10 of any exercise (dealer’s choice) at the base each time.

Note- possible that the Q messed up a bit and called the suicide early and so made everyone run the field backwards as punishment. That’s what happens when you are on the Naughty List.

Days 9 & 10 – mosey to the field (the Q sad that it’s not cold and muddy) For the 1 of Day 10, run up Pickett’s, bear crawl each of the hills and, just for fun, Crawl Bear the middle one. (FYI – that last part REALLY sucked, even the Q kinda regretted it).

Take a beat and look for sunrise

Day 11 – everyone faces out and looks at the pre-dawn beauty while exercising.

Day 12 – mosey back to COT area (high-fives to the family of 5 (kids looked to be ages 4 – 9 or so) out for a family workout). For the final beatdown, sprint up that hill!

Clock struck 7:59 am on the dot at the 6 got to the top of the hill. Mosey on down for COT.

MARY: None. She wasn’t invited. Don’t know what y’all got going on up here in Knoxville inviting women to your workouts …

ANNOUNCEMENTS: I think some idiots are going to go jump in really cold water outdoors in the middle of winter.

COT: Some of the greatest works of Christ on Earth involved healing the sick and the lame. YHC grew up seeing the sick, blind and lame as “others” in need of a good doctor. That’s not right. The lame aren’t “others”, they are us. We all are broken and we all need God’s help to be made whole. Some of us just keep our infirmities hidden on the inside.

Tour de Parking Lots

November 29, 2025 BackBlasts

AO: asylum-daybreak
Q: Pele (Jon Lindberg)
PAX: Lilydipper, Crawdad (Robbi Dickens), High Heels, Pusher, Lizzy, Cat Gut (Mike Davis), Jumbo(Carter Dickens), CRISPR, Dain Bramage, Waffle House (Brady Greene), Serpentine (Jason Pierce), Pele (Jon Lindberg), Inconceivable, MegaWatt
FNGs: None
COUNT: 14
WARMUP:
-5-ct Motivators
– 10 Windmills (4-ct IC)
-10 Grady Corns (4-ct IC)
– 10 Bolt 45s (15 top ½ squats, 15 bottom ½ squats, 15 full squats)
– 10 Mountain Climbers (4-ct IC)
– Orphan Annies
THE THANG:
MOSEY up Baby Cardiac to parking lot on the left. WELSH DRAGON (4-ct Bear crawl + 1 Merkin, rinse and repeat w/ same # of bear crawls but adding 1 merkin until you get to 10.)

MOSEY to parking lot across street.
– EVOLUTION OF MAN: 10-ct BEAR CRAWL, 20-CT LUNGE, then run to end.
MOSEY TO PARKING LOT across street. AIKEN LEGS: 20 Split Jacks (10 right/left), 20 squats, 20 Jump Squats, 20 lunges R&R
MOSEY through the small parking lot where we park. Just a fly by to check it off the list. 10 SSH.
MOSEY to nice parking lot by bathrooms.
– TOTEM POLE. Do all the exercises, run to cone, do 10 SSH, and run back. Do all the exercises minus the first one, R&R until done.
10x Prisoner Get Ups
9x Dive Bombers
8x American Hammers (4-ct)
7x Carolina Dry Docks
6x Imperial SQUAT Walkers (4-ct)
5x Mountain Climbers (4-ct)
4x Froggy Jumps
3x Overhead Claps
2x Bobby Hurleys
1x NAMASTE
MOSEY back to AO parking lot
FOUR CORNERS ESCALATOR (UP AND DOWN), all single ct
1st corner (RUN): 10 SMURF JACKS
2nd corner (KARAOLE LEFT): 10 SMURF JACKS, 20 PLANK JACKS (single count)
3rd Corner (BERNIE): 10 SMURF JACKS, 20 PLANK JACKS, 30 Seal Claps
4th corner (KARAOKE RIGHT): 10 SMURF JACKS, 20 PLANK JACKS, 30 Seal Claps, 40 ROCKY BALBOAS
1st corner (RUN): 40 ROCKY BALBOAS, 30 Seal Claps, 20 PLANK JACKS, 10 SMURF JACKS
2nd corner (KARAOKE LEFT): 30 Seal Claps, 20 PLANK JACKS, 10 SMURF JACKS
3rd corner (BERNIE): 20 PLANK JACKS, 10 SMURF JACKS
4th corner (KARAOKE RIGHT): 10 SMURF JACKS
MARY:
A quick set of American hammers and Boat/Canoe to honor Catgut
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Polar Bear Plunge coming up Jan 1!

COT: The Minister at my church was recently discussing how he often spends time this time of year answering questions from people asking him how they would deal with family members over the holidays, given the deep social and political divides in this county, and he would ask them two questions:

1. Do you want to still have a relationship with these people while whatever is causing the disagreement is going on, and when it is over?
2. Do you feel obligated, or is it a necessity in your life, to attend every fight to which you are invited?

If the answer to #1 is NO, then feel free to attend the fight, but understand that your relationship may be permanently damaged. If the answer is YES, then you might want to DECLINE to attend every fight to which you are invited and preserve that relationship rather than engage in a confrontation that you likely cannot win.

Shortly after I heard this advice, I found myself listening to a wonderful song by Joni Mitchell called BOTH SIDES NOW that gave me a new outlook that could help me avoid attending all the fights I’m invited to. Here is how the first part of it goes:

So the clouds when she looked at them at one time in her life were fanciful images and innocent dreams, but then later in life she looked at them differently. They were a nuisance, a distraction, things to dread and avoid, if possible. At the end of the verse, after looking at clouds all her life, she admits she doesn’t know clouds at all.

The song goes on for two more verses that talk about LOVE and LIFE with a similar pattern; an innocent, optimistic impression of them followed by a more cynical opinion, and ending with an admission that she doesn’t really know what LOVE and LIFE are all about, just like the CLOUDS.

So I’m trying to take this to heart and be more like Joni Mitchell and admit that I don’t know as much about stuff as I think, and that there are many perspectives and points of view of everyday objects like clouds, and most of the time there is no wrong or right answer. It depends on our perspective, life experiences, and simple opinion. And if I recognize those uncertainties, AND the fact that the opinions of others are coming from their own frame of reference that also might evolve and change, as mine have, I feel less obligated to ATTEND THOSE FIGHTS that the pastor spoke of, and choose Harmony over Division. Because, as the Great Joni Mitchell wrote, even after 53 years, maybe I really don’t know everything about these things after all.

trip into a deck of cards…. & a lil Reformation history

November 1, 2025 BackBlasts

AO: asylum-daybreak
Q: Dung Beetle
PAX: Crawdad (Robbi Dickens), Mr Jinxy, Crash Dummy, Swimmies (Nathan Chesney), Lizzy, Pac-man, Dain Bramage, @oatmeal (downrange from Dallas) OU fan we welcomed him in spite of this
FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
WARMUP: Crawdad said take us to 100 so we did 100 SSHs, that was followed by some barbecue squats, some imperial walkers until I could not keep the proper count, some Grady corns that’s the best I can remember

THE THANG: we used the card workout app on my phone and took a little trip into a deck of cards we did diamonds were dips, clubs were crunches, hearts were mercans, spades were squats

MARY: there was a bit of hello Dolly and scissor kicks at the end

ANNOUNCEMENTS: convergence next week

COT: Romans 12:11 till the end a picture of what real love looks like! With a different take of the heaping burning coals onto someone’s head.

God is Good All of the Time

October 25, 2025 BackBlasts

AO: asylum-daybreak
Q: Lilydipper
PAX: Swimmies (Nathan Chesney), High Heels, Crawdad (Robbi Dickens), bfarthur, Brick, Natty, Dung Beetle, Crash Dummy, Drum Major, Lizzy
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
WARMUP: 20 Side-Straddle-Hops, Curly Stomps, 10 Rockettes, 10 Windmills, 10 Dive Bombers, 6 Twistees, 7 Pterodactyls Forward and 7 Backward.

THE THANG: Mosey up Mini-Cardiac and stop at grassy area to left of crosswalk. We will stop to do 10 Tempo Merkins.
Mosey to the top of the dragon tail. We will run down, stopping at every other light to do 5 Bobby Hurleys. We will stop when we get to the nice restrooms.
Mosey to the parking lot across the street that is close to the playground. We will stop to do 20 Hello Dollies. Mosey to the pavilion that is just east of the playground. Do 20 picnic table pull-ups, then run clockwise on sidewalk that goes toward the Caribbean parking lot but turn on sidewalk that leads to the playground. Go into playground and 20 Bench Jumps at bench. Then run back to the pavilion to repeat the process. We will do this for 10 minutes.
Mosey to the Caribbean parking lot. We will stop to do 20 American Hammers.
Mosey to serpentine sidewalk and then head east until we converge with the main trail. We will stop to do 10 Tempo Merkins.
Mosey to skunk hill. We were going to do sevens, starting with six burpees up top and one Carolina Dry Dock at the bottom of the hill. However, it was so wet that we stopped after the second run up the hill.
Mosey back to the pavilion and then to the AO Parking lot. Divide into two teams. Each team will have a Pickle Ball. This will be a relay. A man from each team runs clockwise around the parking lot but stops at buckets that will be placed on the south and north end of the parking lot. At the buckets, each man must throw the pickle ball into the bucket before he can keep running. The first shot must come from the cone that is farthest away from the bucket. If missed, the player must retrieves the ball and then shoots from the cone that is closer to the bucket. If he misses that shot he must retrieve the ball and then dunk it into the bucket. After a shot is made, the player picks the ball out of the bucket and continues running around the perimeter of the parking lot to the next bucket where he goes through the same process as with the first bucket. After making the shot at the second bucket, the player continues running around the perimeter and brings the ball back to the next man on his team for the relay. Those team members not running and shooting will run in place where the teams are gathered. The team that finishes first in the relay is the winner.
Next, we will go to the western curb of the parking lot. We will sprint to the other end of the parking lot and then Bernie Sanders back to the western curb.
Next, we will run up mini-cardiac to the cross walk, then do 20 Imperial Walkers. From there we will go again on the dragon tail, running four lights, walking two lights, and running another four lights before moseying back to the AO parking lot.
We will gather again at the western curb of the parking lot where we will sprint at 60 % pace to the other curb and back, then spring at an 80% pace to the other curb and back, and finally finish by sprinting a 100% pace there and back.

MARY: Stretches.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Ten Year Anniversary will be at the Asylum, 7 am on Saturday, November 8. We will also have a social from 6 to 9 pm at Xul downtown on Friday, November 7.

COT:

Message: Good is Good All of the Time
Gents, Hurricane Helene hit Tennessee and North Carolina over a year ago on September 24, 2024. Over 100 people were killed by the storm in the two states. Many had homes and property devastated. I was listening to our local public broadcasting radio station several weeks ago to an interview with a man who lives in Greene County, Tennessee. His name is Frank Brough. He is 76 years old. He and his wife restored and moved into a home about 30 years ago that was built by the Sevier family in the mid-nineteenth century and which fronts the Nolichucky River. On September 24 they watched from their home as the river appeared to rise about 6 feet per hour. They made the wise decision to vacate. Friends of theirs had a home and a small church chapel in Cocke County up on a mountaintop. Frank and his wife spent the next three months at the chapel, living on air mattresses in the back of the chapel where they had a small kitchenette and the ability to cook and take care of themselves. On September 29 of 2024 they were able to see the damage to their own home. Waters had engulfed the home and risen approximately 12 ½ feet to the joists of their second floor.
What I liked so much about this public radio story was how Frank and his wife never lost faith in God through their ordeal. I also loved how the community responded to help Frank and his wife restore the home.
There is a Christian Ministry Retreat in Greene County called Longview Ranch. It is a retreat center for people of all ages but primarily children and youth. Volunteers from Longview Ranch and others in the community helped clear mud and rock out of the Frank’s house that in some areas was up to 30 inches deep. Frank is a well-spoken and educated man but he sometimes tripped up and broke into tears when he spoke of how the community responded to help him. Frank and his wife should be able to move into their home within a few months. That would be a nice Christmas gift!
I loved Frank’s answer when the interviewer, Pierce Gentry of WUOT, asked him: “What does healing after Helene mean to you?” Here is Frank’s answer:

The after Hurricane Helene thoughts are summed up essentially in the fact that God is good all of the time and all of the time God is good. He is in control. He knows our past, He knows our present, He knows our future. My wife and I live in faith, believing all things work together for good for those that love the Lord. And we will survive.
We chose to go on living, loving God, rebuilding and making it happen all over again. Trying to wear smiles when we can, and sometimes sitting in the living room crying. But it’s going to happen. It’s going to be a real home again, thanks to all of the efforts of people like Longview. And we are so thankful.
Gents, I love how we in F3 serve our community just like those volunteers from Longview Ranch served their community after Helene. I am glad the guys with the Asylum PM were able to respond to the request from the Lakeshore Conservancy to collect and remove the large amount of rocks and stones from the fields above Cardiac and Mini-Cardiac so that the Conservancy can continue their beautification efforts. Thanks to Pele for talking to the Conservancy personnel to get this coordinated and to all the F3 brothers who have helped.

Prayers:

Prayers for those impacted by Hurricane Helene and prayers of praise for those who have helped people who were impacted. Prayers for colleague of Crawdad who is coping with cancer. Prayers for mother of Dung Beetle who, after living in her home for so many years, is moving to Asheville to live with Dung Beetle’s sister. Prayers for our brother, Brick, who is dealing with many stressors at this time, including a divorce last year, a move to a new household to be closer to his children, and a new job.