Life's Buffet

2012 - The Greatest Year of My Life

2011-12-21T17:30:00.001-05:00

As I look back on the recent years of my life, much has changed. There have been fun times, sad times, good times, and bad times, all the while I've been building myself and my life story. So much has happened and to be completely honest, I'm thankful for every bit of it. All of my experiences, both positive and negative have made me a stronger me, a more confident me, a happier me, and truly a more complete better me. This spills into every aspect of my life; as an employee, as a father, as a son, as a boyfriend, as a man.

2010 was the year my life really changed; all that previously was would no longer be and a scary new future loomed ahead. Not scary in that bad things would happen, but scary because change always presents things you aren't prepared for and in this case my changes were to be confronted alone. Although I welcomed all that was to come, it was a true departure from the past. The paths that I had previously trod as part of team, I began to walk alone. This was true from a professional standpoint, as I transitioned from a large department with many peers to a new department in a new job in a position that was just created... with no peers at all. It was also true from a personal perspective, as I ventured out a single man after 10 years of marriage; where I once had a partner, I found myself on my own. Mentally, socially, professionally, spiritually, in every shape and form things would be different from this point forward.

2011 was the year (and at the moment is still the year) that all the wheels were put in motion. I began that trek toward some destination unknown. The scary time had passed months before and a new beginning was upon me. There was an opportunity in front of me and I had to make a decision: stay the course or realign; considering that previously I really didn't have a course, that I just tended to go with the flow, I felt it was best to realign (or better yet, align for the first time), decide what things are important to me and make those my priorities. What I found is there are a number of important aspects of my life. On the most basic level, what matters most to me is deeply rooted in the health, safety and happiness of my children as well as myself. In addition, I had some lacking parts of my life that needed some work. I was neither socially fulfilled, nor financially stable. Surely this is no big surprise; at the collapse of a marriage one finds oneself in a new social atmosphere and typically in poor financial standing... and I was no exception. All this being said, , I wanted to ensure that I put my sons and I in a good financial environment, a good social environment, and I wanted to ensure that the people we surround ourselves from this point forward are good, positive, caring people.

As 2012 approaches, I can't help but be excited. My life and the lives of my children are what I would call "in order". Jackson and Alex are both doing well in school; they are not only involved in athletics but also really excelling to a greater extent than I'd have imagined; they're healthy and all-around doing great. They are happy, wonderful kids and I'm so proud to be their father. I personally find myself moving in very positive direction financially; my career is joy and very fulfilling; I have a great base of positive friends that I love spending time with; my boys are a constant blessing; my parents and brother are pillars of light in my life as they always have been; I'm involved with an amazing woman who cares about me and my happiness more so than anyone I've ever been with; likewise I love her and want to make sure she and her kids are as happy as they've ever been. Jackson and Alex really like her and her kids are their best friends. I couldn't have written a better script leading into the new year. I know this is no fairy tale and life often throws curve-balls our way when we least expect them, but all-in-all 2012 is stacking up to the greatest year of my life. I can't wait to see what the future brings.

Aspirations

2011-08-25T07:11:00.000-04:00

We all have aspirations, things which we wish to accomplish yet often times are more pipe dreams than anything. What are your true aspirations? What do you really want?

When I think about what I want, I can make quite the list, but do I need to? Do I really have that large of a list? Last night I stepped back to think about what I really want and although the meaning of this is deep and can be applied in many different ways, it's very simple: I aspire to be one whom positively inspires.

Inspire others by the way you live your life, with your outlook, with your success, with your handling of failure, with all things in life. Whether generally applied to professional life, to role as a parent, to role as a friend, aspire to inspire.

HOLY SHHHHHH......

2011-07-20T07:15:00.001-04:00

So last week was our family vacation. The boys and I joined Laura, Matthew and my parents for 5 days in North Myrtle. Nila and her boys even joined us for a day. It was really a great vacation; great weather, tons of amazing food, not one person left sun-burned, and it was a true vacation; no work and all play!
I actually did bring a book along to fill the time as the boys played on the beach, but didn't crack it even once... not even to read a single sentence. Why? Because I played hard with the boys every minute of the day. We played in the pool, played corn hole and football on the beach, as well as the golf ball game that we've come to enjoy that is similar to corn hole but there are no boards, there are just two holes in the sand which you attempt to roll golf balls into from about 10-12 feet away. Sounds easy, right? Think again. Corn hole is MUCH easier.

Two of the highlights of the trip were very simple.
First was a great new toy that we played with more than even the corn hole set. What was it? The Wave Runner Ball! This thing was awesome. It's just a simple ball about the size of a racquet ball that feels like mushy rubber. The crazy thing is that it's consistency allows it to do what other balls can't; it skips on top of the water. It was the coolest thing. You can throw it as if skipping a rock or even like throwing a baseball; just be warned that it bounces crazier than a a baseball off of the ground... especially when it hits waves! Try one out! Oh, the Wave Runner comes in at least two varieties: the beach ball and the pool ball. We tried both however the beach ball was the better of the two.

The second thing was hilarious. I don't even remember what we were doing; possibly a board game in the room. Anyway, something was said to which Alex in a long drawn out way said HOOOOLLLLYYY SHHHHH..... he held the SHHH for a while and the expression culminated with HOOOOLLLLYYY SHHHHHRIMP! We all looked at one another and tried to hold back but ultimately busted out laughing. It was hilarious.

Three Groups of People

2011-04-22T17:20:00.003-04:00

Love them or hate them, we get labeled all the time. Which group are you in? Short or Tall? Skinny or Fat? Republican or Democrat? Smart or Athletic? Not all these distinctions are fair, nor are they all mutually exclusive of one another. Think about being pigeon holed as the dumb jock. Sure you can be smart and athletic, but quite often if your athletic, your intelligence is overlooked - hence the dumb jock label. Not to belittle this process of classification, because I'm about to do the same thing right here!

Over the past few weeks I've come the realization that you can categorize people into three distinct groups. Yes distinct is a strong word, because you will surely find yourself in different scenarios when you will find yourself classified in in one of the "other" two groups, but most of us will have the propensity to settle into one of these roles on a general basis.

So, what are the three types of people?

First are Actors. Not actors in the sense of the big screen, rather Actors as I am classifying them are the people that live out loud; they and their actions are out there for us all to see. They are making unprompted moves. These are typically the people who make things happen, for better or worse. Sometimes their actions or ideas are ground breaking; other times they are just the people leading your social group. You have to have actors to drive the action, come up with new ideas, and keep a fresh perspective. They are essential to moving forward and the growth of a group.

Second we have Reactors. There are tons of these people out there, and to be honest there needs to be. After an Actor makes a move, then what happens? Well of course a Reactor swoops in and does something in response. Does what, you may ask? It could be a number of things. Maybe it's a critique of the actions of the actor or maybe it's an improvement on that new idea.
How many times have you been sitting around discussing an idea and there are 100 improvements that build on that first notion? Reactors are of the utmost importance to the improvement of products and or situations and to the streamlining of processes. Put simply, they make the group better.

Any group, be it a company or even a social group, is best served with a combination of Actors and Reactors, and to be totally honest the best Actors tend to project themselves into the role of Reactors pretty well although they are more comfortable Acting.

The third and final group is the viewers. They may care about what's going on or they may not. Seeing what the Actors and Reactors are up to is enough for them and they just aren't getting involved. To just sit back and watch is plenty enough action for them, and on some occasions the choice to stop viewing altogether is their course of action.

So what type of person are you? I'm a huge believer in the idea that we live live in shades of gray. Because of this, I wouldn't be surprised if you read this and said, "what BS; I'm all 3!". To some extent that is true, but ask yourself two questions:
(1) Which of the three is your true nature?
and probably of more importance
(2) Which of the three would you like to be?
Think about those questions as you approach your day.

You may ask how I see myself? That's only fair, right? I don't mind answering my own question! Personally I feel that I'm inclined to Act. Others may see me differently, but I feel pretty confident in my categorization as an Actor for both my natural inclinations as well as my desired nature. If you don't agree, feel free to React to this post! haha!

Mental Takes Over When Physical Fails

2011-02-21T11:15:00.000-05:00

I'm no stranger to running. In the distant past, being high school, I was involved in Track and Field; in addition to throwing shotput and discuss I also ran the 4x400 and the 800 (half mile) and I wasn't to shabby I might add... but those days are long gone. Now I run for distance. Over the past few years I've ventured into some 5Ks and 10Ks and always enjoy them and even post on Facebook about how the races go.
Last year a friend of mine noticed my posts on running and laid down a challenge. I guess it was just more of a question, but my response made it feel like a challenge. She said, since we're both runners, why don't we pick out a marathon to do together. Not that we live near one another and can train, but just knowing that you're committing not only to yourself but also to someone else makes the commitment that much more solidified. After we came to an agreement that this would happen, I came to the realization that 26.2 miles is about 20 miles farther than any other run that I'd completed. haha. Seriously; it's easy to do that math but when you really ponder those numbers it's a bit sobering to think of what it will take to stretch that 6.2 of a 10K into a 26.2 of a marathon. Wow; I had much work to do.
Being that I like to be prepared, I figured instead of jumping straight to the full marathon I should probably take baby steps and do a half marathon first. Note that I said "I like to be prepared", not that "I always am prepared"; there's a big difference in those statements and one that would play out when race day final came along. Is this foreshadowing my intent to be prepared but ultimately not being ready. Haha; you bet it is.
Having decided to do a half marathon I quickly jumped to sign up for Kiawah since it's both close and a nice location. Unfortunately it was already full so I looked to my second choice and signed up for the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon. Actually paying the money was a second commitment; no turning back! The next step was the training routine. I won't bore you with the details, but I did take some time to research plans that already existed and used those to craft my own 24 week plan. It was laid out in Excel, I printed and hung it both at work and home. I didn't stick to it 100% in the early goings, but I was pretty close. Long runs were on Saturdays and just before Thanksgiving I put in my longest run ever: an 8 miler. I felt good having finished that and knew that before race day I would have not only put in a lot of miles but I would have also done a few runs that are even longer than the 13.1 required for race day... or so I thought.
Thanksgiving presented problems; kids were out, tons of food, and plenty of justifiable reasons to NOT put in my miles. That would not have been so bad had I jumped back in it after Thanksgiving, however with my schedule with the kids and work and my love for fatty foods (not to mention Christmas) I often found reasons to either not run or to just cut the longer runs off very short. I found myself in late January having slipped totally away from the running schedule all together and realized that I would not be "ready" for the race, but that I'd be as ready as possible. That being said, my longest run in weeks had been 4.5 miles... Wow; not even close to the needed 13.1 on race day.
The race was to be held on Feb 19th and on Feb 5th I committed to do at least 10 miles. I strapped on the GPS watch and started running, constantly looking down at the watch to see how far I'd been. In the interest of brevity, I'll tell you that my body wanted to stop at 7, but I pushed through mentally to finish the 10. I have completed it without walking. Although those last miles were quite slow, I knew that I could push another 3 miles out on race day. Over the next two weeks I had a few 2-3 mile runs and one 4.5 miler, but I was saving up the rest for race day.
We made race weekend a big weekend in Myrtle, but I didn't let that take me away from why I was there in the first place: to finish the race and push it as much as possible. I set a goal for myself to average 8:00 minute miles (which comes out to just under 1 hour and 45 minutes). It should be doable, considering that during my 10 miler I averaged 8:15 with hills and no competition. Myrtle Beach is flat, and there would be plenty of people to help push me. So what happened?
After hours of sleep, on race day I got out of bed at 5:00 to get ready to run. I caught the shuttle and the excitement was building. Tons of people, including two women using this race as their Olympic Trials qualifier, were ready and awaiting that gun shot to start the race. My iPod was loaded, my watch was on and ready to be started, and I was as ready as I could ever be... that is unless I had actually trained as intended! The gun fired and I took off like a bat out of hell. I didn't sprint, but plenty of people were pushing it so fell right in with them. It was interesting because I kept a balance of pushing and holding back enough to not burn out too quickly. The pace that kept for for the part of the race made me so happy. My watch tells me my mile splits for each mile and as those would pop up I was doing the math in my head as to how many extra minutes I had "in the bag" just in case I fell apart at the end. That way I'd know how slow I could go and still make my overall goal. I'll post my splits down below, but just notice that I kept up one hell of a pace for about 9 miles.
Between the 9th and 10th miles, as I knew it would happen, my body began to give out. I was ill-prepared. Oh shit; what now? What do you mean, "what now"? You push and push until you can't push anymore. I can't tell you that I kept the great pace, because in fact I did not, but I never walked, I kept pushing and I finished the race. It was amazing at how slow I was near the end and that was with pushing with all my heart and even becoming light headed as I started the 13th mile. I just knew how good I'd feel upon completion of the race and knowing that I pushed through mentally. Guess what? I was right. It was such a good feeling. Although my legs were about to collapse, my knees and feet hurt, and I was hydrating as fast as possible, I had such a feeling of contentment and achievement. It felt great and I fully intend to do another very soon.... before I move on to the 26.2!
During the two days since the race, I've been hobbling around with sore legs like a little old man, but in just 48 hours I'm already beginning to recuperate and I'm feeling pretty good. I can't wait to get back out and hit the pavement again.
Without further ado, check out my splits and get a good laugh as you see my slight decline in the first 3/4 of the race, followed by my rapid decline during that last 4 miles. haha. I get a kick out of it and will use that as motivation to do better next time!!!
Mile 1 - 7:00
Mile 2 - 6:55
Mile 3 - 7:00
Mile 4 - 7:15
Mile 5 - 7:10
Mile 6 - 7:22
Mile 7 - 7:31
Mile 8 - 7:34
Mile 9 - 7:55 ( the last mile under my goal pace)
Mile 10 - 8:17
Mile 11 - 8:44
Mile 12 - 9:04
Mile 13 - 9:38
Extra 0.1 - at an 8:01 pace.
After all was said and done: my official race time was 1:42:23, averaging 7:54/mile and I came in 270th out of 3115 people. I'm very happy and looking forward to the future!

A Fresh Start

2010-11-01T17:15:00.005-04:00

I was married for 10 years, the last year of which I've been separated. Wow, that seems like a crazy long time. As with any established routine of any tenure, you find yourself falling into ruts and doing things the way that you do them, not due to any good reason or desire, but just because that's the way you do it. Do you know what I mean? Sure you do. We all fall prey to this to some degree and marriage very common venue for falling into such ruts.

For better or worse, South Carolina has a law requiring a separation of 365 days before even being able to file for divorce, after which you have to wait on a court date to make it all happen. It's a pretty drawn out process, which for a while seems as if it will go on forever. At first I wished that I lived in a place with a lesser required term, but now that it's been a year I think the time frame was very beneficial. That's not to say that I'd have not enjoyed a shorter wait, but during the last year I have found myself more so than I had in quite some time. Those ruts that we often find ourselves falling into no longer exist. It's time to delve into new territory and establish new expectations and routines... and yes, possibly fall into new ruts! lol. Seriously though, if I am creating new ruts, they are the paths that I've chosen after having been given the actual choice of what I want and that fact is both empowering and quite refreshing.

Next week we formally file. We still get along wonderfully and the kids are doing great. We are both very happy and want the best for not only ourselves but also one another. As strange as it sounds to say so, when you take everything into consideration, it really is a great situation. So often we hear of horror stories about divorce; it doesn't have to be that way and the proof rest in what I'm living. I'm extremely proud of the way we've handled everything up to this point, I have all indications that the future will continue to be extremely positive, and after one year of finding myself I am completely ready for a fresh start!

The Lost Phone Story

2010-10-29T17:15:00.000-04:00

This story is a long time coming. I had totally forgotten to share it with you all until I busted my phone yesterday by dropping it onto the pavement getting out of my truck. It sucks to have a broken phone; luckily my replacement will be here today. Anyway, having a broken phone reminded me of the day I woke up with no phone at all. Here is how it all went down:
First off, the night before was a very fun night to say the least. I'll skip the details, but let you know that it was a fun night spent in the Vista, not unlike many other nights downtown except that this one ended poorly. At the end of the night I decided to head back to Lexington, hopped in the truck, and started my journey. Some 20 minutes later I'm almost home and realize I dont have my phone. Crap. One of my friends swiped it being funny... or maybe, just maybe I left it somewhere. Who cares? It's late. I'm tired. I'll get to the bottom of this in the morning.
The next morning I wake up and immediately have an "oh shit" moment. My phone is one of my lifelines; how will I get through the day without it. Surely someone I know has it. I know! I'll just call them to see if they have it! Doh! ... I have no land line at home; this is 2010, all you need is a cell phone, right?
I then decided that I could easily email the select few people that may have it... no response. Meanwhile, time is ticking. If I did lose it, surely someone who doesn't need to find it will very soon, if they haven't already. Once it's gone, it's gone. I wait what seems like half an hour, but was probably more like 5 minutes. Why wont these people answer their emails!!!
Then it hit me. My phone, the HTC Droid Incredible, was only about 2 weeks old and I was still learning about it and playing with the features and new apps. While at lunch only days before a friend of mine suggested I download this great App called Lookout. It's a mobile security application that will scan your other apps for viruses as well as, and this turned out to be the big one, track your phone! Few people had heard of this app at that point in time, although now I have seen it advertised on commercials. Back to the point, it hit me! I had downloaded this app, so maybe, just maybe, I could find my phone using this app! Sweet! Picture Jim Carrey as Lloyd in Dumb and Dumber saying "So you're telling me there's a chance... yeayah!".
I logged in to the mylookout website, logged in, and the GPS began tracking to a smaller and smaller area, and sure enough, THERE IT WAS!!! Woo Hoo! I tracked the blip it to the corner of two streets in the Vista, a corner that I had walked by on the way to my truck. Excellent! Now, I only have to drive downtown to pick it up. Then the unthinkable happened... the blip began to move. Oh Crap! Someone has my phone!!! What do I do now?
I jumped back over to email and sent a few message to people that I knew that had smart phones. My thoughts were that if I logged in to the website on their phone, then we could track it via GPS and walk right up to it and the person that has it. This is an excellent plan. Two problems. I have to find someone to help and the battery life on the phone is surely an issue. If it goes dead, there will be no GPS signal so we won't be able to track it. Time is of the essence.
Luckily, my friend Terry responds very quickly. I am about to leave to meet Terry when the blip is no longer current. Oh shit. Either someone powered it down, or it actually died. Oh well, we can still try. We met downtown and I logged in. Sure enough, the last GPS signal was from over 30 minutes prior. It was worth a shot though, so we headed to the last known location. It was very exciting, almost as if we were treasure hunting. When we got really close, we picked a parking lot and got out the car to walk the remainder of the way. At that point in time we could no see where the phone was, but we were near railroad track and the signal appeared to be from near there. Ok, maybe someone tossed it down near the tracks.
We continued on foot only to realize the signal had been from beyond the tracks. Great, there is a parking lot around the corner, we'll walk over there and hope that the person is still there. At this point I fully assume that if any one is there, it will be a homeless guy or two chilling on the corner and will claim to not have it. Hmmm. What will this confrontation look like? It may get ugly. Wait a minute; if there is any batter life left, the lookout app also has an alarm feature. This was the idea; if we confront this supposed holder of the phone and they deny having, we'll just the alarm for an "ah ha" moment. "Ah ha, you liar! Now give it to me or I'll... !" Let's not go there. Anyway, hopefully it wouldn't come to that.
We rounded the corner, assuming the best case scenario (besides finding the phone abandoned on the ground) was to find one homeless man with it in his possession. What we found was much more surprising. Homeless? yes. One or two? no. There was a church group feeding the homeless and there must have been 100 of them there. Wow. Now what? I guess we ask around? 20 minutes later - no luck. What to do? Ah, let's sound the alarm. We listen up... nothing. Of course if the batter is dead, the alarm will not sound. Now what?
Ah, luckily I knew one of the volunteers and started talking to them all. The man in charge said he'd make an announcement before the blessing. Sure enough he makes the announcement that "we know the phone was here because of GPS... please turn it in if you have it". Also, at the end of the food line we are asking everyone if they have found the phone. Of course everyone denied having it. It was beginning to look bleak and I had the profound idea to offer a bribe in the form of a monetary reward. A new phone to replace this would be a few hundred bucks since it was not renewal time. I figured offering $20 may not be enough; they may just try a pawn shop, but $40 would do the trick. The second announcement went like this: "If you didn't have the phone before, but have suddenly found it... please turn it in. There is now a $40 finders fee. No questions asked; just turn it in." Within about 3 minutes a man that had just told us moments before that he had see no phone walked up with my freakin' phone. "Is this it?" lol, of course it is. I laughed, gave him the $40, and felt I like had struck gold.
When we left, I was riding high. This software was amazing. It had found my phone when I didn't have any clue where it was. Not only that, but if the battery had lasted, we'd have been able to walk right up to it within a foot. Wow. In the end we were extremely lucky, because when the battery did die, it just happened to have done so after the man that found it was at his destination, a destination that he would be at for the next hour or two. What are the chances that (a) he stays put for that long, (b) that the phone just happens to last long enough to get him to that location? Amazing that it worked out.
I feel quite fortunate that I downloaded Lookout. I feel quite fortunate to have a friend that could meet me such short notice (Thanks Terry). I feel so very fortunate that the timing worked out such that the phone was still in the vicinity it was when it died. I feel very lucky for the entire experience.
Oh, and one last plug for the App. If you have a Droid, get Lookout. It's worth it!

Funny Quotes from the weekend

2010-10-19T17:20:00.006-04:00

I feel so good about myself for making it to the gym today (although not funny on it's on, it was said after I put together a massive 15 minute weight routine... yes, that counts as a workout.)

It starts at 7:00... so I'll be there at 6:15. (said by me and although I was early I was one of 4 people that showed up at the same time. I guess that is what happens when the drinks are free)

Drink it! Hurry before it curdles. (said emphatically in response to a car bomb being sipped. tisk tisk)

You know it's gonna be a big time when there is an escalade limo, blondes, a fag, lotsa booze, and a small indian man. (said by the self-proclaimed fag, and yes it was a big time!)

They look great. We have nothing to worry about. (said describing the Gamecocks at half time of the USC/Kentucky game)

The Lunar Fly

2010-10-03T13:42:00.000-04:00

I had to look back at previous blogs to figure out how long it had been since I purchased new running shoes. It was December of 2008, as seen in a post called New Gear. Wow. That was back when I first bought into the theory that buying two pair of shoes and rotating them would last longer than if you were to buy two pair of shoes back to back. The reason for this is supposedly that while the shoe is on rotation you are crunching the cushioning and by rotating off of that shoe it gives the cushioning time to come back before rotating back on, thus lengthening the life of the shoes. I tested that theory out and not only liked it but I've decided to keep up that routine with my next rotation of shoes. Granted my last shoes should not have lasted me almost two years. The truth is that although I've gone through periods of time when I was really pounding out pavement and tallying up many miles on my shoes, there have also been quite a few times when my running has been almost nonexistent; because of those times, my shoes lasted this long.

Back in 2008 I took a leap to buy the crazy looking Lunar Trainers and I absolutely loved them. They were great shoes, although with the color scheme used for the shoes, a blind man could see me coming from about 4 miles away. Unfortunately Nike stopped making the Lunar Trainer not long after I first bought them, so I had no choice but to switch it up. Luckily though, they didn't totally depart from the technology used on the shoes. They now have an entire line of Lunar series shoes. I checked out a few of them, as well as some Asics and Saucony running shoes. There was no comparison; the others were definitely good shoes, but the Lunar series is still, by far, my favorite. This time I decided on the Lunar Fly. It's a great, snug fitting shoe, that holds the foot much more tightly than it's predecessor that I was so used to, however it retains the super light feel that I really enjoyed. I cant wait to start putting in some real miles with them. My half marathon training starts tomorrow and I'm totally stoked.

Without any further ado, here are some pics of the shoes, both old and new.

My old Lunar Trainers (which are being set aside for next year's Mud Run).

My new Lunar Flys. Two colors: Black and Blue, Blue and Yellow (had to get one with the bright yellow again. lol)

Independence

2010-07-02T13:28:00.002-04:00

We all love the 4th of July. For most of us it is a reason to get together with friends and family;
it is a reason to grill out, enjoy good food and have a beer;
it is a reason to have a day off of work;
but how many of us celebrate it for its recognition of our independence and our appreciation of those that make it possible to stay independent and free?

It was this day, July 2nd, back in 1776 that the Resolution for Independence was passed. Two days later, the Declaration of Independence was signed and went down in history as "the day" that stands as a testament to our freedom and continues to be the day in which we celebrate our Independence!!! Whether the 2nd, the 3rd, 4th, or any other day, it's not the day that matters; it's what it stands for that makes the difference to each of us. Take the time and, yes, enjoy the celebration, but also realize it's true meaning.

I think that many more individuals do recognize it's true meaning than used to. Either that is true or I've become more conscious of such things in the past few years. It really does seem to me, though, that Americans in general have become more patriotic as of late; more conscious if nothing else. Use as evidence the disasters that have pulled us together as a country united or the celebration of our country's athletes in the Olympics, or the rallying of political parties for the best of the country, or the support we constantly show our troops through our ongoing struggles around the world; we really do seem to have become more aware and appreciative of what we have. I've very happy about that fact. I'm proud to be an American and all that comes with it.

I will happily enjoy my time with friends and family this weekend.
I will happily grill out, enjoy some tasty barbecue and a cold beer.
I will enjoy my day off work, and...
I will celebrate America's Independence and our blessing of freedom!
Wont you join me?!

Summer Fun

2010-06-30T17:24:00.000-04:00

Jackson's birthday is Monday. Of course that means Summer fun because he always has a party for his birthday. Not a regular birthday party; I'm talking parties everywhere. Why, you may ask. It's simple. His birthday is the day after the 4th of July! He always has fireworks and plenty of fun activities leading up to his birthday. Not to mention all of the people that have left over fireworks that shoot them on the 5th... to celebrate his birthday of course!

I hope to have some pics from the weekend of the fourth, but until then here are a few of the Summer thus far:

The boys and I at the River!

Two shots of Jackson Diving!

Alex caught mid flip and then caught just jumping in.

Jackson Mid Flip and Alex Cannon Balling!

Jackson doing his self proclaimed "Crazy Jump" and Alex doing the Running Man!

Studly me, just Chillaxin. Ha, ha. And the boys tearing it up on the new Thunder Tube!

These Next three shots are of me at the Warrior Dash. A very cool race! Oh and the fourth shot is me sporting the Warrior Viking helmet. Well, the fuzzy stuffed animal version of one!

As for the rest of Summer, bring it on!

Memorable Quotes

2010-06-17T07:21:00.005-04:00

I obviously haven't found the time to blog during my move so I thought I'd just take a few moments to share some of my favorite quotes. Enjoy:

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes. ~Charles Swindoll

The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure. ~Sven Goran Eriksson

I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you for a reason. The hard times that you go through build character, making you a much stronger person. ~Rita Mero.

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within. ~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Most people have a harder time letting themselves love than finding someone to love them. ~Bill Russell

You learn to like someone when you find out what makes them laugh, but you can never truly love someone until you find out what makes them cry. ~unknown

Fear is the lengthened shadow of ignorance. ~Arnold Glasow

Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway. ~Mary Kay Ash

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him. ~James D. Miles

Finally, I couldn't find a quote that said this as I think about it but I've heard the principle before so I'll phrase it the way I want and claim it as my own!

People are not defined by their handling of the good times, rather it's how they conduct themselves during the difficult times that truly reveal their character. ~Michael Owings

So Much Going On

2010-05-17T17:25:00.002-04:00

It's been over 2 months since my last post. I apologize and will try to do better. Life has been busy!

The house has been a constant work in progress, but it's now in such amazing shape that it is a shame I have to move! It looks great, but the economy is not helping at all. We've had many showings, but no offers as of yet. It's only been about 6 weeks so I'm still very hopeful, but also ready to move on. In the meantime, I started my search for a new house. Not only did I start, but I found a gem!... or so I thought. My search was limited to large fixer-upper types or smaller new construction. I was very close to ready to pounce on few of those fixer-uppers when I stumbled onto what seemed like the perfect house. I played the off, counter offer game until we came to an agreement on the last day that I could qualify for the tax credit. Hurray for me. The only problem is that the inspection turned up quite a bit of large issues. I'm currently in the waiting phase to see if the bank (owner) will pay to have all of the issues fixed. If so, then it's still an amazing deal! I am getting very antsy right now awaiting a response.

Meanwhile the rest of life has been cruising right along. The boys are getting big and doing it quickly. They are wrapping up yet another school year. I can't believe how big they are. They continue to impress me with their advancement in their education, athletics, and socialization. It's amazing to watch.

Alex is reading so well and he is only in Kindergarten. Jackson is bored with his old books and now insists on the more difficult ones and knocks them out like it's nobody's business. Not to mention they will both correct you with any math discrepancies you throw their way. Just last night I told them that they'd have to go to bed in 30 minutes, then told them that bed time was at 8:00. Jackson said something to the effect of, "actually dad, that would be 20 minutes; 30 minutes would be 8:10". Hilarious. The point is that school is going well and my boys are getting smart!

Physically they're developing too. Jackson has progressed away from training wheels to his "two-wheeled bike" as he calls it. haha. I love that term. He wants to ride every afternoon even if just for a few minutes. He and Alex both are also still playing basketball every afternoon with me and continually improving. It seems like we usually do basketball, but yesterday I got a bonus. Jackson wanted to throw the ball. He had a tennis ball and we threw it a little and my goodness, he has an arm. I knew he could chunk a football, but he had some heat on that tennis ball. I'm not a baseball fan (yet), but I just may have a pitcher on my hands... and a lefty at that!

Let's see, what else has been going on in my world. Here's a quick list:
(1) I've had a few golf trips that were amazingly fun. I'm playing much better than in years past, consistently shooting low to mid 90s. For some people that's not great, but I'm extremely happy with it.
(2) Donna has introduced me to karaoke. I've always thought it would be fun, but never gave it a shot. After a few trips out with her, I love it! Of course she is a hell of a lot better than I am, but have fun doing and fully intend to keep it up.
(3) I've started getting back into bike riding. Donna and I have been out a few times and I'm really enjoying it. At least until I blew a tire last week! I need to get that fixed and get the bike tuned up. Once I do that, I'll be ready to tackle some longer rides.
(4) Basketball is going well... at least in some ways. I feel great on the court. The weight I lost last year has really improved my game.... now if I could just shoot free throws. lol. As a team, we don't have a great record, but we've proven that we can compete with any team in the league. Playoffs start Thursday, so we'll see how that goes. I think we'll be fine but only time will tell.

House Projects continued...

2010-03-03T06:54:00.000-05:00

House update. I've been spending most of my free time working on the house, getting it ready to sell. I will post progress pictures later, but for now here is how my list is going.

(1) Redoing the kitchen: new counter tops, fresh paint on the walls and cabinets, and new hardware!
- Old counter tops have been ripped out with the exception of the one with the sink... I wanted to keep running water for a few more days!
- Walls primed and finally painted last night.
- New counter tops will be installed on Friday.
- Tonight I plan to paint the cabinets and install the new hardware.
- I still have to paint the molding and ceiling (not on the original list).

(2) Tearing out at least one more heat registry from a main room. If you've been a reader for a long time, you know what a project the first two registers were. Here we go again!
- Done! And I've painted half of that room as well. The half below the chair rail is done. Above will be a different shade. That room also needs molding installed. I have it and hope to work on that some tonight.
(3) Re-latticing (is that even a word?) the underpinning of the deck and the privacy wall of my carport.
- Not completed. Lattice remains on the list.
(4) Repainting a few rooms, which will include spackling and sanding in more than one of those rooms!
- Partially completed as mentioned in regards to the heat register removal.
(5) actually doing massive cleaning and straightening both inside and out (crap, that means straightening the basement too!)
- Constant work in progress. However, have not even touched the basement yet.
(6) oh, and eventually trying to figure out how to disassemble those loft beds that were built in the room with no intention of moving later!
- Will get to this eventually.
(Other) The house has been inspected and I'm working on everything found to have it repaired before potential buyers come through. More details on this later, but I'm working on it.

As a whole, I've been making progress. It feels good to start knocking it out, but will feel much better when the work is completed and the house sells!

Concert

2010-03-03T06:14:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was a fun weekend! We hit up Myrtle Beach for food, fun, and a great concert.
Donna and I hit the road late Friday an ended up eating at Benjamin's that night. Who doesn't like an All You Can Eat Buffet?! Of course we went out for a while after and had a great time. Although Myrtle is somewhat of a ghost town in the off season, we still enjoyed ourselves.
Saturday consisted of time in the indoor pool, TGI Fridays for lunch and Japanese Steakhouse for dinner with my friends Rob and Christy. Both meals were delicious! The day culminated with us having the opportunity to see one of my favorite bands of all time: Alice in Chains! I had accepted the fact years ago that when the lead singer, Layne Staley, died in 2002 that I had missed my opportunity to see them live. Little did I know that they'd end up finding an amazing singer, William Duvall, whose voice was spot on with Laynes. William was the lead singer of an Alice in Chains cover band and is now AIC's amazing new front man. Who knew that you could close your eyes and listen to any of their songs and have clue which of the two singers you were hearing. Amazing. Anyway, we hit up that concert and it totally rocked. We all enjoyed the show and sang along with nearly every song.
It was funny that on the way in, Rob had asked me which song I was most excited to hear. That was a loaded question since I love most of their catalog, but I ended up choosing Rooster. I so enjoyed the concert that I hardly realized they didn't perform that song. Only after they left the stage did it hit me. But wait, of course they came back for a two song encore. Guess what, Man in the Box was first and they finished up with Rooster! Incredible.
What an amazing weekend with great friends! Cant wait to do it again!

House Projects

2010-02-17T17:15:00.001-05:00

This just in: my house will be sold!

I think it's funny that we have to clean our home before hosting a large party or gathering. Sure, it makes sense to have it in tip top shape, but the funny part is that post party it will sure be in worse shape than it was before you began cleaning pre-party! All that work for one point in time. Very funny. In much the same way, when selling a home someone will put in much time and effort to make it perfect even though the entire time they lived in that home it wasn't worth the time and effort to keep it that way for themselves. It's hilarious when you think about it, but so true. That is the situation in which I find myself currently. We've decided to put our house on the market. What does that mean? It means that every project that I've been putting off is now a priority. It means that all the dirtiness or messiness that I've not liked but learned to ignore will now be worth actually cleaning up or straightening up. Clean it up so you can move out. Hilarious. Such is life!

On my agenda:
(1) Redoing the kitchen: new counter tops, fresh paint on the walls and cabinets, and new hardware!
(2) Tearing out at least one more heat registry from a main room. If you've been a reader for a long time, you know what a project the first two registers were. Here we go again!
(3) Re-latticing (is that even a word?) the underpinning of the deck and the privacy wall of my carport.
(4) Repainting a few rooms, which will include spackling and sanding in more than one of those rooms!
(5) actually doing massive cleaning and straightening both inside and out (crap, that means straightening the basement too!)
(6) oh, and eventually trying to figure out how to disassemble those loft beds that were built in the room with no intention of moving later!

There will be much fun to be had over the coming weeks... and by fun I mean physical and mental work in hopes for financial gain. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?!

End of a Season

2010-02-16T06:45:00.000-05:00

As I've said before, I'm coaching both of my boys basketball teams. The season was originally scheduled for 6 games each. Mid-season inclement weather caused one game to be canceled. Last Saturday was supposed to have been the last game of the season for both of them. Sure enough, more crazy weather came our way. This time it was worth it though. It was SNOW!!! In fact, the most snow in Columbia since 1973. It was amazing and the kids loved it. The only negative was that another game was canceled... or so we thought. As it turns out, the powers that be didn't want to cancel two of the six games. That would just be too many. Therefore the games were rescheduled for mid-week.

Jackson's team, the Gators, played last night and played wonderfully. He had an outstanding game, finishing up with either 12 or 14 points. I'm not sure which. The team as a whole played well and held on to a 27-26 victory to end an undefeated season. Awesome! Go Gators!

Alex's team, the Longhorns, get their opportunity to play tonight. In this age group there is no score kept, but trust me when I say that the kids know the exact score because they keep up with it! Anyway, as evident by our team's own stat-keeping abilities it appears that Alex also has a chance at a perfect season tonight! Incredible. I really hope they can pull it off.

Friday night is the final gathering at the church for this season. There will be a show for the kids, with a message of course. Also, the kids will probably receive some memento for playing. Last year it was an Upward book bag and Jack loved it.

Now that the seasons are ending, looking back, it has been great. I hope the Longhorns can complete the perfect season tonight giving both my boys undefeated seasons. To be honest though, win or lose, it has been an outstanding season for both teams and I've loved coaching all of the kids. Not to mention I love being in that role for my two boys. It means a lot to them and the impact that I have on them means so much to me. I want to stay involved in their pursuits with school and athletics, much like my parents did for me and I want to be the parent to Jackson and Alex that my parents were and continue to be to me.

Lack of Direction

2010-02-05T06:23:00.000-05:00

My friends and I have discussed on numerous occasions the discrepancy between all of the agendas that President Obama wanted to pursue versus his involvement in actually pursuing them. It's funny that he was called out for this very thing by an outspoken member of his own party. Check this out. Senator Al Franken of all people laid into the administration for pushing for this Health Care bill, but not providing any direction as to what should be done to finish the job. hmmm, that sounds eerily familiar to many of our local conversations! Check out the Politico writeup here.

Funnies

2010-02-04T07:00:00.001-05:00

Here are a few good jokes from the past month as told by the late night comedians. Enjoy!

Jay Leno: "President Obama last night ordered 30,000 more troops in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban, but on an 18-month timetable. In a related story, the Taliban announced they are on a 19-month timetable."

Jay Leno: "The good news, Obama said he expects to start bringing our troops home in two years. ... The bad news, Bush said the same thing seven years ago."

Craig Ferguson: "Everybody's talking about President Obama's speech last night. ... He's sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Right now, in Scandinavia, the Nobel Committee is really rethinking the whole peace prize."

Stephen Colbert: "Yesterday, the Dems officially dropped from the Senate healthcare bill both the public option and an alternate plan for 55 to 65 year olds to buy into Medicare. At this point, the only reform left in the bill is government-mandated post-appointment lollipops."

Conan O'Brien: "During an interview last night, Oprah Winfrey asked President Obama what grade he would give himself for his first year in office and he said a 'B-plus.' ... Then, Oprah shook her head and said, 'I didn't pay for a B-plus.'"

Conan O'Brien: "A new poll asked Americans who their ideal next-door neighbor would be. The number one answer was the Obama family...mainly because the Obamas are the kind of neighbors who would lend you a cup of sugar or a trillion dollars."

Jimmy Kimmel: "Congratulations to President Obama on becoming an uncle. His brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, and his wife just had a son in Oregon. Or so they claim. Lou Dobbs is demanding to see the birth certificate."

Jon Stewart: "I know that the Yemen thing complicates the war on terror, but on the plus side, getting attacked is really the only way we Americans learn about world geography."

Jimmy Fallon: "Everyone around the country is still focused on healthcare. President Obama recently said, 'We've spent so much time talking about the House bill versus the Senate bill that we haven't been able to talk about how great the bill is overall.' Then someone asked him how great it was and he was like, 'Not that great.'"

Jay Leno: "Well, this is kind of embarrassing. At a speech to school kids in an elementary school in Virginia, President Obama used the teleprompter. He had a teleprompter set up to talk to the kids. The topic of the speech: Never taking the easy way out by bringing a cheat sheet to school."

Jimmy Fallon: "Well, the Oscar nominations were announced today, you guys. Best Actor nominees included George Clooney for 'Up in the Air,' Jeremy Renner...for 'The Hurt Locker,' and President Obama for the 'State of the Union.'"

Jimmy Fallon: "I read in 'The New York Times' that the Obama Administration is planning huge changes to President Bush's 'No Child Left Behind' law. The new law will be called, 'Let's Face It, Some Kids Are Just Duds.'"

Jay Leno: "Here is a historical fact. It was on this day in 1690, the first paper...money was printed up in the colony of Massachusetts. The pilgrims realized that when they ran out of money, they could just print more. Thus, the Federal government was born."

David Letterman: "President Obama's having a big Super Bowl party. This is very shrewd. He has invited a group of Republicans to come to the White House for his Super Bowl party. He's going to seat the 'you lie' guy next to the 'not true' guy."

I hope you enjoyed these, had a laugh or two, and that it brightens your day!

The Computer Guy

2010-02-03T17:15:00.002-05:00

How many of you are "computer people"? What do I mean by that? Trust me; if you are one, you know exactly what I mean. You may have a job that deals with computers; you may just play on them so often that people realize you have a little knowledge of some computer related subject. Either way, once you're dubbed a compute guy (or girl), at that point you become tech support.

Some of my friends and I have discussed this subject on many occasions. It's funny to me because I have been dubbed a computer guy by some. The truth is that although I understand programming and database work, I don't have a clue when it comes to hardware and much third party software, nor do I set up networks or anything of that nature. Yet I am dubbed a computer guy, so I'm asked questions all of the time about how to get around some problem or I'm asked whether I'll take a look at something that is broken. I always agree to take a look and my typical response after "checking it out" is, "I really don't know. You'll have to talk to someone else.". hahah. Of course there are occasions that I can offer some assistance but in reality those instances are few and far between.

The truth is that a computer is not a single all encompassing subject. In much the same way that I can't profess to be a car expert just because I can change the oil or rotate the tires, I also can't profess to be a computer guru just by knowing what I currently know. It's funny how people realize that fact when it comes to vehicles but it does not even occur to them in regards to computers.

I stumbled onto a cartoon on the web today that I thought was perfect for this post. Check it out: Very funny.

Travel Plans

2010-02-01T17:25:00.000-05:00

I love to travel. Whether it be for a major vacation or a quick trip to a nearby city, I love to hit the road for an adventure. So far this year it appears that 2010 will provide much in that arena. Nothing over the top since I am on a budget, but right now it looks as if I'll end up an average of one fun trip per month.

Surely other trips will pop up as the year progresses, as will numerous trips to the lake, but for now the first four months of the year appear to be off to a nice start. Last month (January) it was a trip to Atlanta for a cousin's birthday. This month (February) I'm headed to Myrtle Beach for the Alice in Chains concert. AIC is one of my favorite bands of all time and I cant wait! March brings the Bridge run in Charleston, followed by a return to Myrtle Beach for a golf trip in April. What to do in May? hmmmm. Only time will tell.

Running Update

2010-02-01T17:15:00.000-05:00

I'm currently 3 weeks deep into my 11 week running schedule. How am I doing? I guess that depends on who is doing the judging. I think I'm doing very well, although I have not stuck completely to the schedule.

The one negative so far is that I've not stuck to my schedule completely. However, on the flip side of that is the fact that when I have strayed from my plan I've done so on an "easy" or less important day by skipping a 30 minute jog or in one case a tempo run. To me, the most important parts of my training schedule are the long runs and the interval training, which account for 3 of my 6 training days. For those days, I've done well. On the other days, when I've been busy or sore, I've slipped a little, but I still consider my training a success thus far.

3 weeks down. 8 weeks to go.

State of the Union follow-up

2010-01-28T07:21:00.000-05:00

The State of the Union address last night went as could have been expected. We saw that inspirational speaker from the election, which we haven't seen in a while, make a return to the stage. Whether or not you liked everything he said, he did give a good speech. Personally I liked some of it and some of it was not my favorite. Overall, I was happy with what was said and the focus of the speech.
That focus: jobs. Let's hope that when we look back in the coming months, that we will see growth in that area. If it truly is # 1 on his agenda, results will surely follow.

The Republican Response last night, given by governor Bob McDonnell, was probably the best response I've seen. The last one given by governor Bobby Jindal was lacking to say the least. I was happy to see that McDonnell stepped up to the plate and delivered the way in which he did. In his response he mentioned some items contrary to Obama, but I was happy to hear him also give due attention to the job market. If we have both sides pushing for full employment, we're in much better hands.

I would say that it was a good night from both parties and came across as a success. It was nice to see it play out this way. Now the coming months will be the true test.

State of the Union

2010-01-27T07:03:00.000-05:00

Tonight is the State of the Union Address. I always enjoy these speeches, as well as the opposing party's response which follows. Tonight's lineup will include both current president of the United States of America, Barack Obama, giving the State of the Union address, and current Virginia Governor, Bob McDonnell, giving the GOP State of the Union Response immediately following the Obama's Address. Call me a dork, but I love this stuff and can't wait to see how it plays out. Rumor has it that the focus of this year's address will be a proposed spending freeze. I find this extremely interesting for a couple of reasons. Not necessarily bad, just interesting.

The first glaring reason is that Obama himself was against this very approach back during the election when Senator John McCain was endorsing an "across the board spending freeze". Does anyone remember the hatchet vs scalpel analogy? Anyone? Anyone? I do. At the time I actually loved that analogy and was eager to see how he would use that scalpel to enact his plans. Recall that quote from November of 2008,

"We will go through our federal budget – page by page, line by line – eliminating those programs we don’t need, and insisting that those we do operate in a sensible cost-effective way."

I digress, but there are two points. First is that I've yet to see that scalpel in action. By the way, I'd still really like to see it used! Second is back to our topic of the spending freeze; why the hatchet now? I'm not against it, but it's against some of the very principles and positions that got him elected. Why now? Why following the tremendous bailout? The two don't seem to be in the same line of thinking.

The second reason I find this approach interesting is the application of the spending freeze. Granted, I have not heard every detail of this plan but from what I have gathered, it makes many cuts (which may be worthwhile or not) but avoids some of the major spending areas. Those areas include Entitlement spending and Defense spending. Who would not agree that these are some of our largest cost buckets?

Those are two reasons that I find tonight's upcoming speech interesting and am quite eager to see how it plays out during both the original address and the Republican rebuttal. Can I reiterate what a dork I am?! hahaha. I can't wait!

Talking the Talk

2010-01-26T12:45:00.003-05:00

Since he busted onto the scene not too long ago, I have been very impressed with the comments and speeches made by Barack Obama. Whether you like him or not, you have to admit that he is a very good speaker.

However, it sometimes seems that there needs to be a little more walking the walk that follows the talking of his talk. Granted, he was and is faced with some monumental decisions. I'm not taking that away from him, but I do wish that his actions would follow closer suit to his inspirational speeches.

Obama continues to say the right thing. In an interview yesterday he made a few comments that I really liked and thought were worth repeating. Regardless if you align with the Left and like what agendas he is pushing or whether you align with the Right and want him out of office soon, you have to like these comments that he made:

"I'd rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president"

"You know, there is a tendency in Washington to believe our job description, of elected officials, is to get reelected,... That's not our job description. Our job description is to solve problems and to help people."

Vehicular Woes, part II

2010-01-26T10:55:00.000-05:00

Excellent news!

The immediate problem was a blown fuse to the fuel pump. Considering what could have been the problem, I am quite happy with that result! That being said, there is a reason that the fuse blew. They told me that the fuel pump is probably running hot and it could happen again with the age of the vehicle, etc..., etc... So there may be a root cause that rears it's head later, but for now I'm up and running. Woo hoo!

Vehicular Woes

2010-01-26T06:51:00.003-05:00

Like most of you, I take my vehicle in every 3000-5000 miles to get the oil changed. I tend to rotate my tires every 10,000 miles or so. When I get it serviced, the fluids are topped off for me. The only items that I actually do myself are pumping gas and replacing wiper blades. Well, I guess I also clean it on occasion, but that is different.

My grandmother always filled her tank before it reached the half empty mark. That is probably a good practice, but I tend to wait until right about the time that the pesky little gas light pops on. Of course that light was designed to be there for people like me. When the light turns on, I know I still have time to fill up. The key is remembering to do so.
In my 16 years of driving, I had never run out of gas... until yesterday in Columbia. Or at least I thought I ran out of gas yesterday. What a fiasco!

Here is a play by play of how it went down:

Monday morning I notice my gas light. After grabbing breakfast, I didn't have time to stop for gas so I planned to get it that afternoon on the way home. That afternoon I was on my way home from work, with plans to meet friends out at 6:00. No problem. I had plenty of time. There was no rush. I should have stopped for gas, but of course I forgot.

Just after I passed Greystone Blvd (the Zoo exit), I noticed that my truck was losing power. I immediately glance down and see that I'm below E. Uh oh, I'm empty! My truck began to cut out and I ended up coasting to the side of the road. By this point I had no power steering since the engine was off. Kind of scary, but luckily the traffic was minimal. At that point it was 5:20.

I was on the side of the road, just where Huger St splits off from Elmwood Ave. I had intended to meet Stacy at the house to give her a few items, so she should have been there waiting on me at that point. That worked out perfect, so I called her and ask her to grab my gas can and meet me. I'm sure she had other plans for the night, but jumped to action to help and I really appreciate that!

Stacy and boys showed up with gas. I put the gallon in and... no luck. Surely there is no need to reset anything to get the engine running again. My mind was racing. I know absolutely nothing about vehicles... nothing. I thought that perhaps the one gallon was not sufficient and the fuel lines need to be filled. I hopped in her car and we filled up the 5 gallon tank, and repeated the process. No luck.

Oh, it's also worth noting that I had talked to my parents a few times as well and they reaffirmed my thoughts that the dang truck should crank once gas was added. The next step was to call Chevy to see if there is anything that needs to be reset. Doubtful, but worth a try. After over half an hour talking to some helpful people and some idiots, it was evident that adding the gas was all that should have been needed. Oh, one funny point. The last guy I spoke with was going through manuals and trying to be helpful. After 5 minutes of 'helping me', he says, "now, when you say gas, you do mean fuel, don't you?". Uh, seriously. It's obvious this dude would not be able to help me.

I decided that it may be something besides the fuel that caused this. Perhaps being low on fuel was just coincidence. I popped the hood and looked inside. Of course I had might as well have been looking at the inner workings of a nuclear bomb. As I said before, I don't know anything about vehicles. One thing I do know is how to change the oil, so I decided to check the oil levels. The dipstick proved to be dry. That is never good. I jump in the car with Stacy again (at this point, the boys are getting hungry) and we head back to the gas station to get a quart of oil. Back to the truck. Added the oil. Still no luck. I checked the dipstick again and seeing that it was still dry, the oh shit moment set in. This was suddenly beyond just getting the truck cranked again. It was time for a tow. Stacy leaves to take to boys to eat while I handle the tow.

Let me pause for moment to say two things:
(1) I had a road trip to Atlanta this weekend. I am so thankful that this did not happen there, or even worse, somewhere between here and there. That would have totally sucked!
(2) Last Thursday when I drove to lunch, my check engine oil light came on. I would have followed up on that, but when it went off moments later I assumed there was nothing to worry about. Not the best idea in retrospect.

So back to the events of evening. I called my insurance company, USAA, and they ordered a tow for me. They said it would be 30 minutes. I swear it was like 8 minutes later that the truck pulled up. I was very impressed with the service. By this point it was 7:30. My truck was being towed. I was hungry and annoyed. I kind of left out the part of the story where all though this process I was getting very annoyed and really pissed at some points, but somehow after the tow truck arrived, my annoyance was alleviated. I accepted the situation and moved on. The drop-off of the truck was easy. Very quick in fact. Then I hitched a ride home with Stacy and after 2 hours of this fiasco, she was actually able to pick up the things that she was originally dropping by the house for. She had no idea what she was getting in to. hahaha.

I wish this story had a great ending but in reality the story is still not over. I have not heard from the shop that is checking out my truck. I don't know what to expect but I am eager to find out what the deal is. I'll update this story as it unfolds. On a happier note though, after all of the dreadful events of the afternoon, I was still able to go out with friends for a little while and enjoy a nice dinner. I guess that is the happy ending to the dreadful afternoon.

Good, Better, Best

2010-01-22T17:05:00.000-05:00

I am not unlike many people when the new year rolls around.
I, too, want to get my act together.
I, too, want to achieve the things that I have long desired.
I, too, am inspired by the seemingly fresh start that the calendar rollover to a new year provides.
Granted January 1st is not all that different than December 31st was. Well, except for maybe that hangover from a little too much partying on New Year's Eve! The dawn of new year is symbolic, but it seems like most of us jump on that symbolism and make it more by believing that it is. Our belief in it, really do make it a fresh start. Diet programs, workout regimens, work pursuits, and even social goals all reset and every new day is a step closer to what you are driven to achieve.

Of course, we all know the status quo. We jump head over heals into our New Year's resolutions and make real progress... for a few weeks. After that, the flame of burning desire to better ourselves begins to fade. Fast food starts creeping back in the diet, the gyms get a little emptier, and the same ruts at work that you fell into in the later part of the previous year start tripping you up yet again. Hey, that's life, right? We get excited about something, we devote ourselves to it, and then we lose the drive. Before long it is nothing more than something we laugh off, "yeah, look at me now. Better luck next year! hahah". Why must it be this way?

2010 doesn't have to be like every other year. It doesn't have to follow the same script. For me 2010 is a new beginning in many ways and I started on 2010's journeys long before 2009 was ever over. I started laying the groundwork for the future well before the new year and because of that, I feel better about my direction, about my drive, and I guess you could about my New Year's resolutions. Although I do not actually set New Year's resolutions, having something to strive for when January first rolls around basically defaults into that being a resolution, doesn't it?

I am so excited about this year and I'll tell you why. Yes, this is the part where I talk about myself, but who doesn't like to talk about himself? haha. Okay, I'll keep this part short. Just two topics:
(1) I've mentioned before that I'm learning so much professionally and coming into my own. Before long I will no longer feel new to this position. For now I still feel like a newbie and that's ok, because... well, I am, but I know what I'm working toward.
(2) In addition, the groundwork that I began to lay down at the end of last year physically is beginning to come to fruition. I am arguably in the best shape of my adult life and have my sights on achieving so much more.

Those are just two aspects of my life that I'm working on. As I approached the new year I told myself that there comes a time when you have to decide whether you want to be good and many things or dedicate yourself to becoming great at one or more of them. I chose the later.

2010 offers that symbolic fresh start. What that means for me is a directed pursuit of something more. Pursuits/goals that deserve my devotion will receive it, and receive it completely. Put concisely, concerning things that are important mediocrity is not an option.

As I was writing this, I had a thought. It was a totally random thought that came out of left field. What struck me was a memory from high school; actually from my high school graduation from Ninetysix High School in 1995. One of the graduates read a short poem as part of what they had to say during the ceremony. That poem, which I could not find the author of, is quite appropriate for this topic and provides another very generic way to restate my goals for 2010:

Good, Better, Best
Never let it rest
Until the Good is Better
And the Better is the Best.

To all my friends, don't forget that you get what you truly work for and may 2010 bring you all that you want and deserve!

2010-01-20T14:07:00.004-05:00

Since I've had a few friends inquiring about my running schedule, I decided to post it here. As I looked around I noticed that plans varied a good bit depending on whether you considered yourself a novice, intermediate, or expert. I ventured into the intermediate territory and found that within that group there were still many options.

Some schedules focused on really pounding out pavement, ensuring you get many miles under your belt during preparation. On those plans, the weekly long runs tend to be much farther than your target race distance. That is not the type of plan I was looking for. Rather, I wanted a plan that varied routine day to day.

In the end, the one I chose gave me the variance I wanted. It may include running nearly every day of the week, but it also changes up the expectations by varying between interval, distance, and tempo runs, not to mention the cross training day. Anyway, here is the one that I decided to go with. It was an eight week plan that I found on running.com. I only made minor alterations to stretch it to 11 weeks.

* I apologize for the pain, but to make it fit on the page I had to shrink it to this size. Just click on it to open up a full size picture.

Political Shout Out

2010-01-20T07:15:00.000-05:00

If you know me well, you realize that I do not claim a party affiliation. I support candidates, not parties and I always vote a split ticket.

The latest politician to storm onto the scene deserves a shout out for sure. Scott Brown just seized the 41st Republican seat in the Senate. That was quite a task considering who recently vacated that spot. The seat in question was not only held but basically owned for 47 years by the late Ted Kennedy. If you don't know who that was, you may stop reading...

Brown's victory marks a huge shift in the power struggle in Washington. The "super seat majority" held by the Democrats is no more. When that majority was originally established, I was happy about it due to the fact that I assumed that some items may actually get passed. The gridlock that typically exists in Washington, although very necessary, is quite annoying because it seems that nothing ever gets accomplished. I thought that the super seat majority would be beneficial to help alleviate some of the gridlock and push some items through, but after seeing the way things have progressed I'm happy to see that majority dissolved.

Perhaps Brown's victory is more of a testament to people wanting to stop the Health Care Bill than it is to his own merits, but either way the seat is his. Congratulations to him for that. In addition to the actual victory, I have to say that the one item that deserves a little attention is his statement concerning who that seat belongs to. It was one of the best comments I've heard from a politician in a while and deserves repeating. When asked if he would be the one to sit in Teddy Kennedy's seat (to block the Health Care bill), he responded:

" with all due respond, it's not Kennedy's seat and it's not the Democrats' seat. It's the people's seat.."

Awesome! That is why Scott Brown deserves today's political shout out!

A Few Good Ones on Quality

2010-01-19T17:01:00.000-05:00

The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.

- Tony Robbins

The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.

- Martin Luther King Jr

In the race for quality, there is no finish line.

- David T. Kearns

Life is Good!

2010-01-18T14:00:00.001-05:00

This was quite a weekend. A few random things:

I finally took down my Christmas tree. I know, I know. What a slacker for waiting three weeks after Christmas to do so! My kids suggested that we just leave it up until next year... uh, no.

Some of us attended the World Beer Festival in Columbia on Saturday. I had previously heard about how much fun that event tends to be, and I was not disappointed after making my first appearance this weekend. Not only did I fully enjoy myself, but I will definitely be attending this every year!

Working out is going very well. I still have something pulled in my left pec, however I can do many other exercises to avoid that muscle and still make huge gains, and that is exactly what I've been doing. Also, my running is going very well. I just started week two of an 11 week training schedule in preparation for this year's Bridge Run and I'm feeling great!

Also, right now I'm amidst a long weekend. Jackson and Alex are of school today for Martin Luther King Day, so I took the day off to spend time with them. We've enjoyed the day thus far playing basketball at home, hitting the gym, and lunch at Chick-fil-A. Now is trampoline time and later this afternoon will either include bowling or Edventure. hmmmm, which to choose...

Last but not least, I'm riding pretty high right now due to my personal life. Since it really is personal, that is all I'll say about this issue right now, but it will suffice to say that I am extremely happy. More so than I have been in a while. Like the title says, Life is Good!

Making the Turn

2010-01-10T23:13:00.000-05:00

2009 was an interesting year for sure. Lots of changes for me, especially near the end of the year. I wont delve into all of the changes, but I really feel that I'm "making the turn". In what way? The answer is that there are many ways; socially, emotionally, athletically, and even professionally just to name a few.

Just to go into a few aspects of change:

I couldn't be more happy with where I am in my life right now. Of course some things are still working themselves out with my separation, but now that it's said and done, we're both happy with the results and we're able to be ourselves more now than we have in a long time.

Professionally, I'm learning so much and starting to feel pretty good about my new position. Not that I didn't feel good before, but my excitement over my job previously were based on how I thought I'd like it. Now it's due to me actually doing my job. Still lots of learning, but I'm also enjoying the actual position.

Athletically, I'm in a wonderful place right now. I'm working out a lot. I'm playing basketball once a week. I'm running. In addition to what I'm doing now, the cumlative effects of what I've been doing is really what I'm excited about. I really feel that in the last six months I've transitioned from an ex-athlete trying to stay in shape into an athlete again. That is teh epiphany that I had earlier today and that was what originally gave me the inspiration for this little post.

I'm in a very good place right now and yes, I'm making the turn!

I Have Heat!

2010-01-08T17:31:00.000-05:00

It was a humbling experience. What do I mean by that? Well, anytime you are shown that your suffering is from your own ignorance, you have to feel a bit humbled; at least a little less smart than you felt just before being shown how ignorant you were. That was what happened to me.
After all was said and done, I was without hot water for 11 days. I had heated water on the stove for the boys baths twice during that time. The rest of the time, luckily they were with grandparents or with Stacy. For myself, I had mainly showered at the gym. We managed but it sucked. Not only that but I was beginning to get pretty annoyed with the handling of the situation by Lowe's. The fact that they give the plumber a 48 hour window to schedule the inspection, and another 48 hours to turn the paper work in, in addition to the time between when the scheduled the inspection and the inspection date, is quite annoying. In the end, it was that other company's fault, but the time frame that Lowe's allows is a bit much in my opinion. Luckily they have wonderful people working there that I was able to discuss with and they made me feel better. That being said, I did end up leaving to buy from someone else.
After getting a few verbal quotes, I had one other company come out to give an official quote on replacing the unit. Before he gave the quote, I asked him to see if he could figure out what was wrong with it. When I found out the cause, I felt like an idiot. When I originally went out to relight the pilot light and failed, I did not fail due to a broken unit. I failed due to my ignorance on the product. It apparently has a safeguard that requires you shut off the gas completely, before you can turn it back on and light the pilot. Wow. I had messed with that thing for hours and had never turned it to the OFF position (which was not marked). He simply turned it off, waited 20 seconds, then lit the pilot. Finished. 11 days of no water and it was just the Pilot light. Wow.
I may have felt stupid, but one ignorant moment is way cheaper than replacing a hot water heater!

Sans Heat

2010-01-06T07:51:00.001-05:00

Wow! My 11 day break from work was awesome. Christmas Eve, Christmas, Weekend, 4 days of vacation and New Year's Day followed by another weekend. I don't think I've ever had that many days off in a row. Of course I had great intentions of what to get done and in the end very little of that list was completed. That being said, I really enjoyed my break... with one exception. When I got up on Monday, Dec 28th and attempted to shower I had a very bad realization: NO HOT WATER!!!
My thoughts: No problem. Surely the pilot light was just blown out. If I relight it, I'm good to go.
Let me back up a moment. About 6 months ago I had to have my hot water heater serviced because it was leaking. They fixed it, but also told me that it was on it's last leg. I noted that and moved on.
So Monday I attempted to light the pilot, but to no avail. The problem was obviously something bigger. My heater is outside, encased in a hot water heater "shed". The shed it a tin building that looks to have been made about 50 years ago. Looks awful and dilapidated. I took the front cover off revealing the hot water heater and the install date of 1988!!!! Holy crap! That thing has been humming for 22 years!
I called it in and they said they could be there in the morning. Then I thought about it and said to myself, if I pay all this money to fix it now and then replace it in 6 months that will totally suck. So I decided to cancel the service call and head to Lowe's to buy a new hot water heater.
I went in, picked one out and attempted to buy it. Why did I only attempt? Well it's simple; to purchase a gas hot water heater you must first pass an inspection certifying that your house is up to current codes. So the next step was to schedule the inspection. Lowe's made a call to get me on the list and said that the company would call me within 48 hours to set up the inspection. Really? 48 hours. That is ridiculous. As it turns out, I'd have been happy with 48 hours without hot water, but it didn't stop there. They took the full 48 hours to call back. When they called me (on Wednesday), they informed me that it would be Monday before their next available appointment! Wow! Seriously?!!!! I accepted the appointment and met them Monday morning for what turned out to be a 5 minutes inspection. Luckily I'm up to code. I was informed that he was taking the paperwork to Lowe's and once they processed it, Lowe's would call me so that I could finally purchase the hot water heater. Today is Wednesday. Still no call. The paperwork HAS to be in their system by now. I'm going by this afternoon to buy it. If there is any problem with it, I'll probably go elsewhere. For now, I'm still Sans Hot Water.

As a side note, one may wonder how I would bathe during this time. Well, when the boys are at my house, it's a task to warm water on the stove and transport it to the bath tub. That takes a lot of warming!!! However, when I haven't have the boys I have spent much time at Gold's Gym. Whether I work out or not, I go every day to get that shower. Ha! It has made me work out a lot though, so that is a nice little bonus to this annoyance.

The Countdown to Christmas

2009-12-23T09:45:00.002-05:00

Christmas is approaching at an alarming rate. We're 2 days away and I'm not ready! The boys' presents are stashed away, but unwrapped. Tonight I guess I'll do some wrapping. Also on the agenda is more house rearranging. Last night I started the process of switching my living room with my dining room. Yeah, probably not the best time to do it with the hectic Christmas stuff going on, but I decided it was a good time to make the change. I only did a little bit of moving before going out last night. So my house is now in disarray, I have at least an hour of moving furniture planned and I have to wrap presents before going out again tonight. The kids are home tomorrow so time is running out. What a crazy, yet fun time of year!

Busy Weekend

2009-12-21T07:46:00.000-05:00

This weekend was lots of fun.
First off, on Saturday I had my second of two personal training sessions. This time we did legs. If the first session was any indication what was in store over the next few days, I'd struggle to walk by Monday night. hahaha. Funny, but oh so true.
Saturday night it was a night on the town. We had a good time and ended up watching Dallas ruin the Saints' hopes for that perfect season. I loved it.
When I awoke on Sunday morning, my legs hurt but it was only one day later so they true soreness had not set in as of yet. My plan was to use my legs all day to work out the soreness before it set in. How did I plan to do this? Well, by golf and basketball of course!
I joined friends at Lexington Country Club for a round of golf. I had never played there before and was looking forward to it. Rob suggested that we walk it and since that is just what I needed, I agreed. We had such a good time. My score was definitely nothing to write home about, but we enjoyed ourselves. After the round and a little food it was time to head home. Unfortunately, I only had about 15 minutes at home before heading out to play basketball. I play pickup ball on Sunday nights. Well, recently I have. I'm still one of the "new guys" and I've been trying to find my shot. Last night was my best showing yet. Still a little rusty, but I was able to do most of what I wanted to on the court and my teamed fared very well. After 2 hours of ball following the 4 hours of walking the golf course, I was spent. I had achieved my goal of working out my legs, but was now totally beat.
I made it home in time to watch my Vikings get beat up on by a bad Carolina team. Not a good day for my teams. Green Bay and Minnesota both lost. An unfortunate item for me in what was otherwise a great weekend. Now it's off to a short work week before Christmas. Still have presents to wrap and presents to buy. It will be a busy few days!

Oh My God!!!

2009-12-18T06:56:00.000-05:00

I've always said that 2 days after a hard workout is the worst. How in the hell did I forget that fact?! Yesterday my shoulders hurt. Today I would swear that someone stabbed them repeatedly... so much pain... better lead to so much gain!

Personal Training

2009-12-17T17:30:00.000-05:00

Wow! What can I say? I showed up last night for my personal training session. Remember, this is was my freebie for signing up at Gold's Gym. Actually, I found out last night I get 2 free sessions, the first of which was the one that I used last night.

A few thoughts I had before showing up.
(1) I've been in and out of the gym my entire life, so I hoped to gain insight into some new exercises that I had not done before more than I wanted a "workout guideline".
(2) Many of those that sign up for the free sessions have never really worked out before and so their sessions tend to be more of an introduction to the gym. Having already been in decent shape before showing up, I assumed my routine would be quite different than most.
(3) To continue the sessions would be expensive and I have no intention of doing more than the free sessions.

I walked in to find Tony, whom I had originally scheduled with. He walks over with a huge smile on his face and said, "I actually have a conflict so I've asked Bobby to handle your session. I told him that he can't wait to see you because you are in phenomenal shape and that he should really be able to break you down pretty good and show you some new stuff." Excellent! That is what I wanted to hear, although I disagree about the phenomenal shape compliment. I consider myself just somewhat fit. Also, if I were the trainer and I was trying to sell personal training to someone, my lead in would probably not be "hey, you are already in phenomenal shape!" ha!

So I sat down with Bobby and talked about my goals and how we could vary workouts to keep my body confused so that I would have continual gains. Meanwhile I'm realizing that although Bobby knows what he is talking, so do I. Due to my past experiences I already know everything he is telling me. Of course it's nice to have it reiterated to you. Oh, back to the subject of my goals. I would love to put on some muscle but not get too bulky because that would conflict with my competitive running. So my ultimate goal is to get shredded, totally cut up. Also, I want to focus on building my shoulders. Even back when I was pretty big and strong during my football days, my shoulders lacked the size I wanted. In addition, I'd like to get my body fat back down in the single digit range. I've only been there once in my life and would love to achieve that once again.

We continued talking and he measured both my weight and body fat percentage. This is key for me because it will give me a basis for comparison. I'll note this and come back every few months to see what progress I've made. For the record, I currently weigh 221 lbs and have 18.7% body fat. Not good by any means, but also not bad. About two years ago I had over 26% body fat (and in men, over 25% is clinically obese!). I'm definitely headed in the right direction!

Then it was on to the gym floor. The plan is to do 30 minutes of weight training and 30 of cardio on an average day. Yesterday was no average day by any means. It took much less time to totally annihilate my muscles.

Since this was a first assessment, he said we'd do a mix of upper and lower body, focusing on shoulders. When he walked up with 15 lb dumbbells I almost laughed but knew what was in store. I wont go into details of the super-sets, but it will suffice to say that rotating multiple exercises, having little to no rest, and doing high reps was brutal. Before I was done, I had dropped from 15 lb dumbbells to 5 pounders. Wow. After multiple stations with almost no rest my arms were spent so we did some leg extensions and lunges. That was it. 25 minutes of weights and I felt like I had completed 2.5 hours. Did it work? Well, I'll tell you this; my shoulders are extremely sore today. I may have been broken off yesterday but today I'm reaping the benefits. Oh, and I did 20 minutes of cardio as well. That was plenty!

In addition to having a great (and quick) work out, I was introduced to some new exercises. I couldn't be happier about that fact since it did address my original intend. Now I have some new items to introduce into my workout routine. I am going back on Saturday for my follow up session. I hope to learn much more!

Oh, one more thing. They gave the sales pitch for future sessions. VERY EXPENSIVE. If you don't know what you are doing or if you lack the drive to make yourself stay in the gym it's probably worth the expense, but in my situation it's just not worth the money. I'll talk to them every few months to get a feel for my body fat percentage, but that's about it.

All in all, yesterday was a great session!

Gold's Update

2009-12-15T17:16:00.002-05:00

Working out is going well and it really feels good to be getting back in the groove! I've been a member of the gym for 6 days, and have been in for 3 workouts. Not bad considering I was out of town for part of the weekend. After only a few visits, this is what I see:
(1) After years of half-ass workouts, I feel both invigorated doing the real thing again and blown away by just how weak I've become!
(2) I can see already that my body is responding. Give me 6 weeks and I'll be a new man. That's 3 weeks this year, and three weeks in the crazy January New Year's resolution craze.
(3) 5:30 is a crazy time to work out. Yesterday was my first visit at that time. Not only did I struggle to find a parking spot, but the free-weight area was jam-packed. Wow, I can't imagine how it will be in January.
(4) The future is bright!

Not only do I feel slight signs of progress already, but I also have my free session with a personal trainer tomorrow. That came free with sign-up and I figured, "hey, why not?". I, like many, fall into ruts and do the same routine nearly every visit to the gym. I figure this free session will shed some light on areas of my body that I neglect as well as give me an introduction to the parts of the gym that I don't use often. In reality it's only been a few days, but I'm excited about my progress to come!

Starting Anew

2009-12-11T17:30:00.000-05:00

Perhaps you see the title of this post and assume I'm going to be talking about Starting anew after 9 years of marriage. Not the case. This is about something much less significant.
I'm talking about working out. Two years ago we switched gyms to join JCC. Why? Well they do have a pretty decent facility, but the real reason we joined was to get a huge discount on their summer camps for the kids. My joining we received the discount and we also gained a gym, which I fully intended to use. Guess what? I was just like a large majority of those with gym memberships; I hardly used it. In the two years, I bet I used the gym 10-15 times. Ridiculous.
Two items prompted my change. First off, the family membership we had a JCC was no longer right for me. I needed a personal membership somewhere. Secondly, I've been watching the new Gold's Gym go up for the past few months. I had full intentions of checking it out when it opened. Well, I passed by there on Tuesday and saw a "now open" sign so I called to checked it out. As it turns out, they were actually opening on Wednesday morning. Excellent!
Wednesday I had the day off from work to play in a golf tournament. This left the morning open as the perfect opportunity to check out the new facilities. I took the tour and was blown away at how much they had available at that location. It was so much better than what I was used to; many more machines, many more free weights, many more options included 160 classes per week. I think I'm going to check out an ab class first, but I digress. I immediately signed up and got in a quick workout before golf. That turned out to be a bad idea in terms of my golf game, but I couldn't be more happy about the new gym membership.
Now the big question: will I use the membership? You're damn right I will. I'll tell you many reasons why:
(1) the gym is right around the corner from my house so it's much more easily accessible
(2) it's top of the line. I was a member of Columbia Athletic Club a few year back which is close, but they didn't have the availability of weights and machines, so this will be much better.
(3) I already have a decent fitness base with all of the running I've been doing.
(4) I've said for years that if I were a single guy, I'd be a gym rat. Guess what? My current situation has provided me the opportunity to prove that I meant what I said.
(5) after so many years away from real lifting, I've gotten soft! I used to warm up with the weights that I struggle with now and that is very disheartening, and equally motivating.
(6) relating to #4, I have the free time to pursue the fitness that I've wanted for years.
(7) very important - when the kids are with me, they have an awesome facility for them too. Cool movie area, Nintendo Wiis, and actually stuff to do to keep them busy and have fun.

All that being said, I'm totally pumped about my new gym. After so many years of not working out like I should, getting back in it now is like starting anew, and I cant be more excited about it.

It Does the Body Good

2009-12-04T06:23:00.001-05:00

For years while I participated in athletics I stayed banged up but really never had to sit out of competition or practice. Why you may ask. Well, the truth is that I frequented the Chiropractor. It's amazing not only how much better your body feel, but also how much better it operates when:
(a) you feed it healthy foods
(b) you exercise
(c) you ensure that your body is properly aligned

Many times I read in magazine articles or on websites about the importance of nutrition and exercise, but seldom to you see emphasis on body alignment. I will tell you the truth, if not for chiropractic appointments I would have sat out many a practice in pain. Many people don't give chiropractic work the credit it is due and give more focus on "fixing something" that may not be the root cause... which often ends up leading to pain killers and/or surgery. Luckily I have a family that has always believed in the body possessing much of what it needs to heal itself... but this only works when you take care of your body. I am digressing but I think you get the point. If you have proper alignment, your body works better, feels better, and heals itself better.

After I ended my collegiate sports career I no longer had the strong dependence on chiropractic. Basically I had aches and pains but nothing like when I was banged up from football. That being the case, I quit going. I always wanted to go back, especially when I'd have nagging pains come back, but I was... for lack of a better term, lazy. I didn't make it a priority. If you've been following my blog long, you've heard me mention my hip pains that flare up when I run a lot. Well, those pains, as well as some back and neck stiffness, finally prompted me to return to chiropractic. I went on Wednesday for my first time in years and man did it do the trick. I left feeling so much better and I fully intend to stay committed to going. I owe it to myself to take care of myself. Nutrition and exercise only do so much.

The visit was not just a quick crack or two. It consisted of x-rays, stem therapy on my neck, stretching and cracking all up and down my spine and a discussion of what is needed. Two big items came up. First, my pelvis is rotated. Bang! That is what is causing my hip pain when I run. That issue is what we're going to work on in the coming weeks, attempting to get it rotated back and get full movement rotating both ways. This alone will be worth getting in there.

Also, the doctor noted on my x-rays that I have an old football injury. Many with neck pain from car accidents are familiar with problems with their C5 vertebrae. This is the most common neck injury from vehicular accidents. It just so happens that it is also one of the common injuries to football players due to the repeated head collisions. Anyway, my x-ray showed that this vertebrae was misshapen and causing disc issues. It was not so far gone that it is a huge concern, but it was way too far deteriorated for a 32 year old man. Scary. I had never been aware of this and although there is nothing I can do to revert the injury, I can avoid too much deterioration now that I know about it. I am so happy that I made the leap to get back in there and look forward to a happier, healthier future due to it.

If you've never ventured into chiropractic, it could be very well worth your time to check it out.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2009-12-03T06:36:00.000-05:00

Last night was an eventful night in many ways. I'll go into a little detail about three of the items and yes, you guessed it... good, bad, and ugly.

First off is the good one. I cleaned up my middle room in the house and designated that the Christmas tree room this year (since that room was basically empty at this point in time). I climbed up to the attic and retrieved all of our Christmas decorations and after dinner the boys and I put up the tree and decorated it. They had a blast, telling stories about the ornaments they made and previous years. It was very fun and they loved it. I took a few pictures but my camera is at home so pics will have to loaded later.

Next, the bad. A while back, October 5th if I'm not mistaken, a roofer had to fix a leak in our roof. Since then all has been well... that is, until last night. The torrential rain was too much and the leak sprung yet again. I found a small puddle in the kitchen and the ceiling was wet. Unfortunately I did not find this until the rain had stopped and I don't know where the leak is, but the roofing company WILL be coming back to fix it.

Moving on to the Ugly. In this transitional period that I'm in, I've tried to make work on the house a little, making it my own. Although that is great, I've yet to do some of the standard items like get the place straight! I have moved furniture around, but the place is a total wreck. This morning I realized how bad it was. Tonight I'm attacking it and eliminating the ugly!

So there it is; the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Until next time,
O

Winds of Change

2009-11-22T18:50:00.002-05:00

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. Life throws changes your way all the time. The changes themselves aren't necessarily good or bad, however our perceptions of them tends to be. You can take an unforeseen change as an awful occurrence and let it ruin your outlook for some amount of time or....you can accept it, make the best out of the situation and use it as an opportunity. Such is the case with me right now. I did a little of both.
Life threw me a curve ball and I took my medicine. I took it hard at first, but then accepted it. I've spent the last few days using it as an opportunity. This may be somewhat vague, but I intended it that way. Things are changing but I'm OK with it and looking forward to a bright future. Hopefully all those affected will do the same.

Concert Time

2009-10-25T22:39:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since I've been to a concert. Actually, the last one was my first blog post... so that was June of 2008. Although that Pearl Jam concert was awesome, this one had to top it.

We headed to Charlotte last Sunday afternoon to hear Metallica live. I really wanted to catch them twice already, but as life tends to pull us many different directions at once, I was unable to see them perform with Godsmack and with Linkin Park. I'm sure both of those bands would have been incredible live as well. This time around Metallica had two bands I've never heard up opening for them. No biggie. I was there for Metallica anyway.

I went in knowing that they have such a catalog that they could fill a few hours with all great songs and I'd still have a few favorites that they missed. At the end of the night I was blown away. They rocked all night, with both their old and new tracks. It was obvious that the crowd favorite is Seek and Destroy. I wouldn't rate it in my top ten, but experiencing live is pretty awesome. My personal favorites of the night were Sad but True, and The Day that Never Comes. I would not have expected The Day that Never Comes to be a favorite, but they totally rocked it.

I hope to hear them again one day. If that kind of music is your thing and you've never seen Metallica live, I highly suggest to get out to see them!

Big Baby

2009-10-22T20:02:00.002-04:00

I cant believe it. My baby is 6. Jackson is getting old way to fast. There is no way his little brother, the baby of the family, should be six years old. Time is flying! I dont know what else to say.

For his birthday he wanted to take a second trip to the fair so we did that. Also, we stocked him up on art supplied: crayons, markers, paper. He loves to do art, so he was very happy about new tools to work with. Also, we gave him his own basketball and he later told us that was his favorite present. Nice thought by Stacy to add that into the mix.

After getting the ball on his birthday, the following day he added to the stash. Within 20 minutes of arriving at the fair, both Alex and Jackson won mini-basketballs. That was awesome except the part about me carrying them for the next 3 hours. Not to mention an hour later Jackson won another, full sized basketball. The Owings' house is now fully stocked for basketball season!

Happy Birthday to Alex, my very BIG baby.

The Final Countdown!

2009-10-22T19:52:00.002-04:00

No, not the eighty's hair band Europe's big hit. I'm talking about Stacy's training countdown. Back in April training began. She skipped the half marathon and jumped in with a crew from Tampa training for the Marine Corps Marathon. It has been a huge goal in her (and our) lives for the past 7 months. All that training has finally came to fruition! The race is this Sunday morning. Three days and counting!

I have no doubt that she'll do great. I've been shocked at not only how many long runs (as far as 22.5 miles) she has run in preparation, but also the ease that she seemed to do it in. I'm sure it wasn't easy but she tackled it like a champ. I have all expectations that she'll do awesome. I cant wait to talk to her afterward and hear all about it. Although I'll be awaiting that post-race call, I wont have to wait until then to see how well she performed. One of the coolest things about this particular marathon is the ability to track runners progress. All long races may have this, but this is the first I've heard of it. Anyway, I signed up, so I'll receive both emails and texts of her progress every 5K of the race. I cant wait. If I'm this excited, I cant imagine how excited she is!

Oh, and once more, 3 days and count. It's The Final Countdown!

The Fair

2009-10-22T19:41:00.002-04:00

The Fair was another great time this year. We did the family trip on Saturday morning. They didn't have the pay-one-price deal that day (wrist bands), but they did have buy-one-get-one, which basically means the boys could both ride for the price of one. They rode for about 2 hours and had a blast.

Since Alex just turned 6 on Tuesday (hurray Alex), he said that he wanted to go back to the fair. Last night we headed back. Stacy had to do some last minute packing for her trip (first marathon. Go Stacy!), so I took the boys. It was a pay-one-price night so we got wrist bands and had a blast. I kept up with it and they boys rode so much that it covered the price of the wristbands 3 times over... and they enjoyed every second of it. Only the first line was long. After that we realized that there was a backlog of people near the entrance. Once we ventured farther away, they flew from one ride to the next... for 3.5 hours. Also, a small milestone; they rode their first adult ride. They insisted on riding "the spaceship". They were both tall enough so I let them give it a shot. By the way, the spaceship is the Gravitron. I was hoping they wouldn't come out of it looking like the one guy I saw that probably had a few too many beverages before entering. The mix of his late night drinks and the spinning ride made his attempt at walking hilarious. But I digress. The boys came out having a blast and screaming for more, so I let them do it once more. Isn't it fun to be a big boy!

Also, a trip to the fair is never complete without stuffing one's self with fatty foods. The boys and I split a foot-long corn-dog and a turkey leg. They were both spectacular. Also, we hit up the fried dessert stand on the way out. Fried Snickers for me and fried Oreos for the boys. If you've never heard of fried desserts, as crazy as they sound, they are incredible. They freeze the candy bar and dip it in donut batter and fry the thing up. By the time you eat it you have a donut stuffed with a melty candy bar. Incredible!

Dam Run Results

2009-09-26T16:40:00.003-04:00

Not a bad race. It turned out to be a great day for a run. It had rained all night, but cleared off before the race. It was cool and slightly misted both before and after the race.
I fell short of my goal, but I knew up front that my goal was a tough one. I'm still happy with my time. Rather than averaging 6:59 per mile, I achieved a 7:09 pace for a 44:21.
At this point, I'm enjoying all of my runs but I see them all as practice for the Bridge Run. One day I'll venture into longer events, but for now I'm really enjoying the 5Ks and 10Ks that I've been doing.

Oh, for the record, here were my splits:
Mile 1: 6:30
Mile 2: 6:49
Mile 3: 7:10
Mile 4: 7:06 (still nearly 25 seconds ahead of my goal at this point)
Mile 5: 7:35 ( It was obvious @ mile 4.5 that I didn't have enough left in the tank)
Mile 6: 7:25
last .2: 6:10 pace

Dam Run

2009-09-25T22:39:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow morning is the Dam Run. I feel unprepared, but I'd still shooting for a goal. I broke the 7 minute mile pace for my last 5K. It's time to shoot for that pace in a 10K. To reach a 6:59 pace, I'll have to post a 43:23. That is no easy task, but goals aren't supposed to be easy now are they?

Wish me luck!

* results to come after the race.

To be a South Carolinian

2009-09-10T06:53:00.000-04:00

I actually like where I live. There are a lot of great things about South Carolina. I have a great job at Southeastern and I love the workplace, including both the work and the people. My kids attend Satchel Ford elementary school, and to be honest I am very impressed with education that my kids have received thus far. I enjoy South Carolina beaches and Myrtle Beach specifically is a huge draw, having more golf courses in one area than any other place in the country.

South Carolina has it's high points, but why is it that we tend to look so bad?
(1) Education: South Carolina is 42nd in Academic Achievement (this may have changed. that was based on the 2007 Report Card of Academic Achievement)

(2) Unemployment: 11.8%, ranked 46th overall

(3) Governor in the news - Sanford and his affair was not favorable in the media, but even worse was his handling of the situation after the news came out. You all know the details so I wont bother elaborating, but it made him and us by association look pretty bad.

(4) Joe Wilson - the latest of the SC bad points. There are certain rules to follow according to the situation.
In sports, if you're at a football game you can cheer all you want. However when you watch golf, there are times to cheer (after a great shot) and times to be quiet (during a shot). In much the same fashion, in the political arena there are rules or norms to follow. At a town hall if you don't like what is said, by all means, speak up. However, during a presidential address hold your tongue. It's not the right venue to bring attention to yourself. When Joe Wilson shouted "You lie!" at Obama when he disagreed with the accuracy of a statement that was made, he made himself look bad and once again made SC look bad. No, he didn't throw a shoe at the president, but were just as inappropriate. Why did the person making the comment have to be someone else from SC? ugh.

How about we start making South Carolina look good for a change?

Labor Day Fitness Challenge - Results

2009-09-07T10:43:00.003-04:00

The races this morning went well.

Stacy enjoyed hanging with us and cheered us all on. She had a good morning.

Alex was in the 6 and under race (1/4 mile). He ran/walked it and enjoyed it. The field events after the race appeared to be his favorite part.

Jackson was in the 7-9 year old race (1/2 mile). He started out very slow. I didn't realize at the time that he was pacing himself, but it was evident during the second lap. He went from near the back to bust through the crowd and ended up finishing in third place. He is very fast. Oh, and he also really enjoyed the field events.

My race offered a few challenges. First off, let me say that Ben Lipen ran a well organized event. That being said, they used Strictly Running for their timing and such and that was NOT done well. Not only were all the times for the 5K reported incorrectly, but the course was not set. Those of us in the front group (top 15 or 20 people) ran too far. There is one point that the route doubles back on itself and the dude on the bike that tells you where to turn around was in the wrong place. After a group of us went too far, he realized it and cut the course back off to it's regular length for the rest of the group. What a SNAFU. In the end, the extra distance turned my 3.1 mile race into a 3.31 mile race (proved by my GPS watch). No biggie, but it did effect my goals.

Ok. Enough rambling. How did I do? Well, I didn't finish in 21:41, but my course was longer so that worked out ok. I finished in 22:50.... which comes out to a 6:54 mile pace! Awesome! Not only that, but when it came time to award the age group awards, I was happy to find out that I WON the 30-35 males division! Double Awesome!!

Success!!!

Labor Day Fitness Challenge

2009-09-06T19:56:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow is the race. I posted after the Hot Summer's Night race that I was torn as to whether to run the 5K or 15K on Labor Day. I opted for the 5K. After all, I did fall short of my goal last time. Let's give this thing another shot!

A year ago I sat watched Stacy run the Labor Day Fitness Challenge 5K. She did very well and is now totally hooked on road races (as you may have gathered from my previous posts). Last year I kept the kids during the race and then we let them run the kids race, as well as some other "fun races", like a 3-legged race etc... They loved it and actually walked away with some medals from the fun races. Tomorrow the shoe is on the other foot. Stacy is keeping the kids and I'm doing the race. Of course the boys are back for more, hoping to repeat as champs in the 3-legged race. It should be a very fun day. I know the boys and I will enjoy it. I just hope Stacy has a good time too. I know it's tough sitting and watching!

My race goal is once again to break a 7:00 mile pace. A 6:59 pace comes out to a final clock time of 21:41 or less. I want to keep a stady pace again, but this time I wont stop at water stations. Instead I'm taking my hydration belt. That should really help. Wish me luck!

Another thing - I'm going to steal this from Stacy's blog. My running play list.
Tomorrow's list is below. Keep in mind that although I'll only be running 20-22 minutes, my list is about an hour long. That is because when I loose interest mid-song, I scan for a good song to get me pumped up. Anyway here is tomorrow's list:
Enter Sandman - Metallica
Nookie - Limp Bizkit
One Step Closer - Linkin Park
Boom - P.O.D.
Stupify - Disturbed
Lord Give Me a Sign - DMX
Anything, Anything - Dramarama
Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger
O.P.P. - Naughty By Nature
Bullet With A Name - Nonpoint
Bodies - Drowning Pool
Smack My Bitch Up - The Prodigy
Becoming the Bull - Atreyu
I Get Off - Halestorm
Between Angels And Insects - Papa Roach
Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects
What Do I Have to Do? - Stabbing Westward

Results to come after the race...

Motivation or Lack Thereof

2009-08-29T16:08:00.004-04:00

I am a motivated person... however, that motivation changes day to day. Lately, I have been totally unmotivated to blog. Hence, this lackluster post. So what motivates me these days? Well, to be honest I am really focusing on two things right now: (1) trying to get better at golf! and (2) making my transition to my new job. Despite the promotion happening weeks ago, I'm still in the transition period. Maybe 4-6 more weeks of training Renee to be my replacement, then on to a new world for me? Perhaps. Then again, it may take longer. Until then, I'll focus on my other motivation - golf. Today was not what I would call a stellar performance. In fact, I struggled awfully. Hopefully next time will be better.

Lame Duck or Transition?

2009-08-17T21:20:00.003-04:00

I have to be honest. I am attempting to wrap up my current projects and to train my replacement for my old job, while also doing some reading to prepare for my new job. I feel like I'm in limbo or something. Totally weird. To accept and job and then have a "transition period"... Is this what they call the lame duck session? Perhaps.

I'm going to do my best to tie up all loose ends and learn as much as possible to fully prepare for the real transition... when will that be? Soon. Patience is a virtue, right?

Running Hot

2009-08-08T23:24:00.002-04:00

It had been a while since I'd run a road race, so I decided to participate in the Hot Summer's Night run in Columbia on August 1st. Stacy brought the kids and they did the fun runs which consisted of a 100 meter dash, a 400 meter run, and a 800 meter run. My kids did great and the ever confident Jackson lived up to the hype and won the 100 meter, defeating what appeared to be a 4th grader. He was pretty happy... even after that "4th grader" kicked his butt in the next two races. I was proud of both of the kids. Alex right in there too. They had a great day and received 3 medals for completing each race. Awesome.

On to my race. Oh, but first, while the boys and I were stretching we heard a number of people talking. One conversation was a group of 3 high school kids. One of them sounded like he was really a deep thinker. Get this. He says, "you know, the thing about this race, this Hot Summer's Night, is that since it is at night, it's really hot." With brains like that, he is sure to be his class's valedictorian.

So anyway, in case you're not up to date on my running pursuits, I tend to go out way to hard to start a race and then crap out with some really slow splits to finish up. My goals for the Hot Summer's night were:
(1) Keep a steady pace.
(2) Break 7:00 per mile.

And the results:
(1) Steady Pace? Booya! I kept my pace better than ever before. My watch (GPS enabled if you are just catching up) was my guide. I kept an eye on it better than I usually do. When I noticed I was speeding up beyond a 6:50pace, I slowed a bit. When it crept above 7:15, I kicked it up a gear. The only exceptions were the two water stations. Perhaps I should have skipped out on the refreshments for a mere 3.1 mile race, but it was refreshing so I slowed to partake. Anyway, I kept a good pace and was very happy about that.
(2) Break 7:00 per mile? As you might have imaged due to my mentioning the slowing down for the water stations, I actually fell short of my 7:00 mile pace. I finished with a 22:00 race time, which comes out to 7:05 per mile. Close. Very close but this is neither horseshoes, nor hand grenades, so I get the big thumbs down for this one.

Goals - 1 of 2 achieved is not bad, but I want to keep improving. Next running goal? hmmm, time to pick a new race. About a month from now is the Labor Day Fitness challenge. The only question; 5k or 15k? There is no doubt that Stacy will do the 15k, but then again, she reps out miles on the pavement like that every weekend. No big deal for her. For me, however 9+ miles is a long way. More than I ever run. So back to the question? 5k to improve on the 7:05 pace?... or... test my endurance with a 15k? I'll ponder that one for a while.

While I ponder, I'll leave you with that gem from the modern day Einstein. Try to wrap your head around it. "you know, the thing about this race, this Hot Summer's Night, is that since it is at night, it's really hot."

Life Lessons

2009-07-19T19:26:00.005-04:00

After having such a wonderful high from the anticipation of my new job and the announcement of my promotion last week, we hit a new low today. Well, actually late last night and dealing with that low today we've run into many life lessons. What am I talking about?

24 hours ago all was fine. We had experienced a good day; Stacy had a nice long run, we got some work done around the house and started a family movie marathon (Harry Potter, the plan was to do all the movies this week). During family movie night, we decided to watch in the bed and even let the dogs on the foot of the bed while we watched. In retrospect, I was glad we did. That was the last quality time we had with Athena.

She was fine after dinner. Later that night wasn't doing well and before the night was over, she was gone. It's hard to believe. Athena suffered from the same thing Marley did from Marley in Me: basically the Bloat. Enough about that.

2 of the Life lessons...

(1) Dealing with death. Death is hard enough to deal with, but seeing a child deal with it is another story all together. Jackson is taking it hard. We tried to have a fun day and both the boys enjoyed the fun stuff, but any time there is quiet time, Jackson is upset again. It's understandable, but it breaks my heart.

(2) It's ok to cry. This morning we were all upset. Hours later, out of nowhere Jackson told me that today was the first time he saw me cry. I think that was very important. I want him to know that it's ok to cry, even "tough guys" as he sees me to be. That was very important.

Ok, let's move on. Athena. We loved and love her. Here are some great pics of her over time; from baby Jackson dropping scraps for her to the recent gray bearded Athena.

Promotion?

2009-07-17T17:15:00.001-04:00

In an earlier post I mentioned that I'd talk more about work soon:
Actually I said:
"Work - I'm really enjoying what I'm working on and have more exciting work coming down soon. I wont bore you with details, but I have to touch on this one."

So what did I mean? Well, first off the database projects that I've been working on are really worthwhile. I've enjoyed working on them, but more more importantly than that was what I knew was on the horizon.

A few months back I was called in and told about an opportunity. I had high hopes and effective Monday, July 20th... the opportunity will be realized. It's an amazing opportunity; not even really a promotion as much as it is a career change. As much as I enjoy my job as a Database Administrator, I cant wait to transition to my new role as...... Assistant Director of Corporate Planning and Development. Thant has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
There will be a huge learning curve and according to management, it will take years to get up to speed. It's a big jump but I'm ready for it and I'm certain that I'll enjoy the work. But first I'll be spending some time training my replacement as DBA. It should be a fun, but crazy next couple of months in me training someone else and me starting my own training. I cant wait!

Anyway, that is the big news that has me totally ecstatic. Now you know!

More Running

2009-07-07T22:46:00.002-04:00

Well, to catch you up on how running is going...

I have to touch on a negative first. My "tendinitis" in my hip (if that is really what it is) is really flaring up again. It pisses me off, but I hold steadfast. When in pain, I run less. When I feel good, I run more. It's no perfect science; just good common sense.

Anyway, as I mentioned in my last post, Stacy Incorporated a half marathon into her training last weekend. I have to give her major props for that one. I aspire to run a half by the end of the year... that is THE GOAL. It's not a step along the path. It is THE goal for 2009. She did it as part of her training. Awesome! I have no doubt she'll reach her goal of finishing the Marine Corp Marathon.

Me? Well, I've established better habits and have been running more than in the past. I'd say that I average 10-12 miles per week. However, this past week I had gone about a week without running (hip issue again!) and I decided to go out for a run. As I was about to finish my 3.9 mile route, I decided to make a turn into another neighborhood. I had intended to extend my run to a 5 miler... turned out to be a 6.3 miler. Booya! On top of that, I averaged 8:00 minute miles. Without having run for time, I was quite happy with that accomplishment. Now I just need to build on that one. I'm trying to decide.... Myrtle Beach half marathon? Kiawah half? or maybe even a trip back to Vegas for a the Rock and Roll half marathon? I'm pushing for the last one, but we will see. Right now I'm just pumped about having thrown in a 6.3 mile run without it being a race day!

Long Time, No Post

2009-07-06T06:16:00.000-04:00

Wow. It has been nearly 2 months since I've posted. It's crazy how:
(1) One can lose the motivation to do something (in this case, blog).
(2) One can get so busy and wrapped up in one thing (or multiple things) that you forget about something else.

Honestly, when you get wrapped up in lots of other things, that creates the best topics for which to blog! That being said, I have to get to work, but some topics that are on my mind that will be blogged about in the next few days:
(1) Running - I'm getting better and Stacy is putting me to shame. btw, she did a half marathon on Saturday... not as a race, rather as part of her trainig program. Wow!
(2) Work - I'm really enjoying what I'm working on and have more exciting work coming down soon. I wont bore you with details, but I have to touch on this one.
(3) Beach vacation # 1 - Pawley's Island
(4) Jackson's birthday - he is 7!
(5) Beach vacation # 2 on the horizon - Myrtle Beach.
(6) house projects, they never end
(7) Family in town. As I mentioned before, Matthew and Laura just moved to Columbia. I'm very happy about that.
(8) Who knows? Getting back in the blogging mix will surely inspire me to write something else too.

Ok, off to work...

TGIF

2009-05-08T20:37:00.002-04:00

Thank God it's Friday!

The past 3 weeks have tired me out. When Stacy travels, one aspect that I actually enjoy is the extra time with the kids. So often we get caught up with other aspects of life that we do not give enough time to those things which deserve it most. Being single dad for a night here and there gives me a lot of time with them and they, as well as I, enjoy it. That being said, as enjoyable as those days are, they are also tiring.

Single dad days include getting the kids to and from school, covering meals, homework, and play time. Not to mention having to put in extra hours at work to cover the screwy schedule created by covering the kids before and after school. Stack a few days like that in a row and I'm beat. Luckily Stacy's travel is usually spread out a bit. Not so for the past month. The last 3 weeks have included 3 trips, Monday through Wednesday each time, but it's the last travel for a few weeks. Whew. Time for a break! This weekend couldn't get here soon enough. TGIF!!!!

I have to mention two things:
(1) I have the utmost respect for single parents that have to pull full time work and parent duty 365 days a year. My 2-3 day spans are quite enough.
(2) I have an awesome wife. When she returns home from her travels, she always urges me to get out and play some golf to give me a break. Of course, I don't hesitate to take her up on that.

Speaking of which... time for some golf!

A visit from a fairy

2009-05-05T20:20:00.005-04:00

Our family had another first today and it will be topped off by a visit from the Tooth Fairy. A few of Jackson's teeth have been loosening for weeks. The front two bottom teeth were competing for which would be the first to go. It was obvious about a week ago that the left one would win.

Yesterday we discussed pulling it, but decided to wait until mom got back on Wednesday. Tonight there was no holding off. He wanted it out so I obliged. He couldn't have been more excited that he lost a tooth and that he was a big boy and didn't cry. As he put it, "I didn't even have one drop in my eye." I was proud. Check out the evidence; a few pics and one video.

23 days

2009-04-28T20:38:00.003-04:00

That is how long it's been. 23 days since my last post. Why? I have no idea for what reason I've lost my inspiration to share, but I just don't feel inspired to elaborate on any one subject. So, for tonight I'll make a few short comments on a number of subjects (10 to be exact):

(1) My boys
I can't believe Jackson is nearly done with first grade... and Alex is nearly finished with daycare. Wow, how time flies. They're getting so big and they're a strangely independent duo for a 5 and 6 year old.

(2) Family
I'll finally have family in town and I'm very excited about that. My brother Matthew and sister-in-law Laura are moving to Columbia and I couldn't be more pumped about it. They won't be living next door or even down the street or anything like that, but having bought a house near Sandhill they will not be too far away. Not to mention, there is always a reason to head out to Sandhill. Now we'll have one more.

(3) American Idol
I think that this season, America has been choosing well. My two favorites are still in, and nearly everyone has been voted off in an order I approve of. There is a good five left. I'm still not a fan of Kris, and I hope he goes this week but even he has done well. Danny Gokey deserves to be runner up, and if Adam Lambert doesn't win it will be a total farce and as big of a shock as it was to see Daughtry voted off early a few seasons back.

(4) Stock Market
I've recently opened an eTrade account. I am enjoying learning the market and doing a little investing. It is really amazing how volatile the market is and it's crazy that something like the swine flu even has an impact on financial stocks... go figure. Anyway, I'm learning and I like it.

(5) First hundred days
There has been much press for Obama's first hundred days. I guess we'll here more tomorrow during the address, but my take so far is that I'm impressed with what he is getting done for the most part. I'm also impressed the he is getting congress to pass the spending he wants. I am, however, not impressed that congress has yet to buy in to his revenue building or cost cutting ideas. There are two sides to that coin. If you're gonna spend more, you'd better bring in more too....

(6) filibuster-proof?
Arlen Specter pulled the old switcheroo today. After serving 5 terms as a Republican Senator, he decides to head to the other side of the isle due to his "moderate philosophies" being more in line with the Democratic party.... or more importantly, he didn't think he could win a sixth term as a Republican. Either way, with his becoming the 59th Democrat, when/if Al Franken takes that crazy Minnesota seat... well, do the math. With a united front, those numbers are Filibuster-proof.

(7) Golf
I had an awesome golf weekend a few weeks ago. Three fun rounds, 16 guys, 3 beautiful days in Myrtle Beach. It was awesome. Although I didn't play fantastically, I definitely have the bug. This weekend I'm playing in a Captain's Choice tournament with some friends. 2 of the 3 of my teammates were also in Myrtle so we should be well-practiced, and the fourth can hit the ball a mile so I think we really have an opportunity to score well. We will see.

(8) Travel
Stacy is traveling again. I lose track sometimes. She goes through long periods without leaving Columbia, but when the travel starts it seems to happen quite a bit. Last Monday through Wednesday it was Pensacola. This Monday through Thursday it's El Paso (which happens to be where I was born). Next Monday through Wednesday she is on the road again... I forget where. When she is on the road I think I play the single dad role well. It's tiring but also fun. I tell you what though, it's always great to see Stacy return home. Anyway, at times it is a lot of travel and I think she enjoys it. I wish I could work in a little travel too (in addition to my golf outings!)

(9) Work
It's amazing how much work I get done without actually accomplishing any goals. On Friday afternoons when I look back at the week I typically feel like I spend so much time working on the small things that pop up, that I rarely actually accomplish what it was that had intended to knock out on Monday morning.

(10) Running
Stacy has signed up for her first Marathon. It's the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington, DC. I have to say that I'm impressed and a little jealous. We have both jumped into running road races over the last year, which we are both really enjoying. So far, we only have 5Ks and 10Ks under our belts. I fully intend to run a Marathon...one day. I have a short term goal of a half marathon before the year's end and I feel like that goal is plenty for me. Stacy on the other hand is taking it to the next level. She has already worked her mileage up quite a bit. Before long her Saturday runs will be over 10 miles! All I can say is... wow.

So after 23 days, those are my 10 subjects. I hope you enjoyed.

7:14 ?

2009-04-05T14:59:00.004-04:00

Well, how did it go?

Did I achieve my goal? Nope.
Was I happy with my run? Absolutely!

I did not average 7:14 miles. The large crowd could be an adequate excuse if I were searching for one, but I dont feel the need. I'm happy with my performance. I ran a 45:51, averaging a 7:22 mile. That is easily my best time, which in and of itself is a reason to be happy, however there is so much more that I'm happy about. Unlike in past races, I did not overexert myself early in the race. In fact, my slowest 3 miles were my first three. I finished fairly strong and that is what I'm most proud of. My splits were:
      Mile 1:   7:59
      Mile 2:   7:27
      Mile 3:   7:25
      Mile 4:   7:00
      Mile 5:   7:16
      Mile 6:   6:59
the pesky extra
0.2 miles:   6:36 pace

I'm very happy with the results and my best time ever. On top of all that, Stacy also had her best time ever. It was awesome for both of us to continue to get better. May the progress continue!

It was a great day... and a great weekend.

7:14

2009-03-31T22:41:00.005-04:00

That's that goal. Lofty? Perhaps, but aren't goals supposed to be?

If you're just catching up, the Cooper River Bridge Run is this weekend. Although I've done it numerous times, I've never been in great running shape. I am getting better though. It seems that each time I make the trip I'm in slightly better shape. Last year's race was the best so far and I felt really good about my time. I finished in 47:03, which comes out to a 7:34 pace.

This year I have a lofty goal of breaking the 45 minute milestone. What pace is needed to achieve that feat? 7:14. That is the goal. 20 seconds per mile faster. That doesn't sound so hard... does it?

Wish me luck.

Idol - Top 10

2009-03-25T22:13:00.003-04:00

Tonight little changed in my eyes. My two favorites had good nights, although Adam definitely edged ahead of Danny. Lil is still third, but Matt and Allison are closing in fast.

More importantly, the bottom three. No doubt, the bottom spots belong to Michael (oiler) and Scott. Joining them in the bottom three will probably be Megan, although I do like her funky style. If I had to choose I'd put Kris in the bottom three, but for some reason the judges seem to love that guy. I just don't get it.

Anyway, my current rankings:
(1) Adam "Jim Breuer doing AC/DC" Lambert
(2) Danny "hey I look a little like Robert Downey Jr if you squint and tilt your head to the left" Gokey
(3) Lil "not Little" Rounds
(4) Matt "I'm really not Elliott Yamin" Giraud
(5) Allison "16 with pipes of 25 year old" Iraheta
(6) Anoop "I wear 4 layers of clothing in the summer because I'm cool" Desai
(7) Megan "Funky Tats" Joy
(8) Kris "I just don't get it" Allen
(9) Scott "vote for the pink pants" MacIntyre
(10) Michael "I'm only here because I got tv time in the early rounds" Starver

The Glass is Half Full

2009-03-16T06:21:00.000-04:00

After a solid week of warm weather, this turned out to we a very dreary weekend. It was cold and rainy and it would have been easy to sit at home and pout about the weather and being trapped in the house... but what good is that?

We had a great weekend. Since we were stuck inside, we found much to do indoors.

Friday Stacy and I enjoyed a night out. We so infrequently get out without the boys that it really didn't matter what we did. We knew that it would be very enjoyable. The night ended up being dinner at Arizona Steak House and a movie, The Watchmen, at Sandhill. I'd have loved for both to have been great, but one out of two isn't bad. In reality, I'd suggest you keep Watchmen on your to rent list (and make sure the kids are in bed before you watch it). It was ok, but rather disjointed. Dinner, on the other hand was wonderful. I'd visited an Arizona's years ago for lunch, but for some reason we'd never been for dinner. Now it's on our short list. The food was amazing. I know for sure that my ribeye was and Stacy claimed the same of her fillet. On top of good taste, they came cooked correctly. Nearly every restaurant overcooks their steaks. These were perfect. Also, the atmosphere was great (for night out without the kids). We will go back. You should give it a try as well.

Saturday avoiding the rain, we got the kids out of the house by going to Leapin' Lizards. That turned out to be a great idea. They played hard for 2.5 hours, while Stacy and watched and did some reading. Many other parents had the same idea. I guess great minds think alike.

Sunday I was supposed to have played in a golf tournament. Mother Nature had other plans. No big deal though. Cracker Barrel and EdVenture Children's Museum added up to great day with the kids. They loved it and raved over what a fun weekend it had been.

I love it when the best is made of a less than promising situation. Who cares about the rain when you can have so much fun inside?!

Idol - Final 13

2009-03-10T21:28:00.005-04:00

I was very impressed with the top 13. Most of the performances were excellent, however not all of them lived up to the hype. The way the show began, I was beginning to think that they would all rock it. Alas, that did not happen.

I could go into a boring talk about each of the contestants, but I wont. I'll hit the highs and lows.

I have really liked Anoop up until tonight. To me he crashed and burned with Beat It. I hope he gets through to next week to show what he has, but he didn't get it done tonight. He could easily be bottom three, but based on previous performances I hope that he survives.

So who will go? Who knows how the voting will go, but I'll tell you who I think SHOULD go. The bottom three should be Jorge Nunez, Chris Allen, and yep - Anoop, with Jorge going home.

And who are the best? There are a few that were good tonight, but without a doubt there are only 3 that deserve to be in my top 3. My favorites.... I hate to agree with Paula, but I must... Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert are my favorites at this point. Lil Rounds rounds out my top 3. No others compared. Matt Giraud and Alexis Grace could be mentioned in the same breath, but really didn't hold a candle to those top three.

Work, work, work

2009-03-07T16:26:00.002-05:00

All week we work so that we can go home and work some more. Isn't that fun?

I can't wait for this time of year. The temperature is finally going up, the grass is beginning to grow, and the yard needs much work. Today we started on that work. It wasn't just the normal straightening and grooming of the bushes. This was hard work. We have a few bushes and small trees that we have been wanting to get rid of so I attacked them. They're now gone, but not before being real pains in my as.... I mean, in my hands. They're covered in blisters, but it was worth it. Now the boys have a larger yard to play in.
Tomorrow we finish the job that is the yard. However, before we start I have some golf to play, which may be interesting with blister-covered hands...but I digress. The yard is coming right along and we should be at a good stopping point tomorrow. The yard work will be done just in time to go back to real work on Monday morning...

That's Heavy!

2009-03-06T16:39:00.002-05:00

Doc Brown from Back to the future:
"There's that word again...'heavy' - why is everything heavy in the future? Is there something wrong with the Earth's gravitational pull?"

If I were to step back 15 years and see today as the future, would today be heavy? hmmm. I don't know about everything, but "I" am heavy. Why?
Blame fatty foods.
Blame super-sizing.
Blame the boob tube and my hours of lethargic reverence and over-all worship of it. Find any excuse for being overweight.
Pathetic.

10 years ago I finished up my football career. At my top playing weight, I was 265 lbs. On the football field that may be fine, but in the "real world" that is a bit much to haul around on a regular basis. I told myself that I'd lose the excess, and I did. The next year I was 225. I was proud of my loss... then let myself go. Not 18 months later I was back up to 250 and stayed around about there for the next 8-9 years, with random exceptions when I lost a few pounds before putting them right back on.

Last year told myself that enough is enough. I was set to lose the weight... again...
and I did...
again.

Strangely enough, 225 now is not what 225 was then. Meaning, I'm still to heavy. That was never more evident than at the Race Against Hunger. I was too heavy to run the way I wanted to, so I devoted myself to losing some more weight. My new baseline is 225.

After a week I can tell I've lost a little weight already. How much, I don't know. It really doesn't matter because I'm not going for a quick fix. I want to make a permanent change. I arbitrarily picked out a race weight of 205. I'd like to get down to that weight, but I'll have to wait and see if that works out. I really just want to look and feel healthy.

Follow-up to come later, but I'd really like to see noticeable difference by the Bridge Run. Wish me luck and hopefully my future wont be "heavy".

Idol, Group 3

2009-03-03T23:18:00.003-05:00

I'm starting to lose interest in this season. It happens every year. Once we get to the final twelve it gets much better. That being said, there were some good performances tonight and the performances seemed to once again get better as the night went on. My opinions are not as strong this week. I thought this group had less differentiation between the good and bad, but for the record my favorites were:

Guys:
Scott MacIntyre (known as the legally blind guy that Ryan missed the high five with. Hilarious. And even better tonight when Scott made Ryan give him a high five successfully this time around. If you saw it, you know what I mean. lol. Oh, and his singing was pretty dang good too!)
Ju'Not Joyner (Smooth R&B guy that changed up Hey There Delilah).
Jorge Nuñez (sang Dont Let the Sun Go Down On Me).

Girls:
Felicia Barton (didn't make the top 36, but due to a conflict of interest one contestant was booted and she filled the spot and she filled it well.)
Lil Rounds (sang a Mary J song and sang it well. No, sang it incredibly!)

Too Slow

2009-02-28T14:32:00.006-05:00

Concerning my goal of 45 minutes....

To describe the race in it's entirety... It was wet. I started out entirely too fast for the first two miles, hit the wall so hard that I actually had to walk for a little while to keep from hurling everywhere, then finished the race with a monkey on my back (for those that dont know, this means that it felt as if I were carrying a lot of extra weight....like a monkey on my back). Not a good race. It was fun for the most part, but not good. I fell more than 2 minutes behind my goal pace. bah!

Enough of the negative though. On a happy note I did improve my time from last year by over two minutes. I'm happy about that part and intend to do even better next time. Now it's time to start preparing for the Cooper River Bridge Run. I hope to be a few pounds lighter by then and in better shape. I cant wait!

Lexington Race Against Hunger

2009-02-28T06:50:00.002-05:00

This morning is the Lexington Race Against Hunger. It's pouring rain outside, but the race is a go. I guess the weather will test who is really in to running and who is not. Stacy and I are, we're awaiting the sitter and we're ready to go.

I have a tough goal today. I'd like to break 45 minutes, which would mean a 7:14 pace. I'll post my results after the race. Wish me luck!

American Idol, group 2

2009-02-26T06:18:00.000-05:00

I have to say that group 2 started off pretty poorly. Fortunately the show progressively got better finishing up with Adam Lambert, who totally rocked it.

To start the night, I had high hopes for Jasmine Murray and Matt Giraud. Both were extremely good in their previous face time. Both totally bombed last night and do not even deserve mention for making it through unless they make the wildcard show.

Nick Mitchell (aka Norman Gentle) was hilarious. Should he go through? Absolutely not. I was shocked he was invited to the top 36, but he is entertaining so I guess that is why he made it. What gets me though, is that before making the final 36 he commented about wanted to use the Norman character to perform. The judges loved the idea and said they expected it. Then last night they bashed him for doing just that. Maybe that is what they wanted; someone to bash. Who knows? He was entertaining, so kudos for that.

16 year old Allison Iraheta had a good night singing 'Alone', by Heart. She can really sing and showed it last night. Megan Corkrey gave a great performance as well with Corinne Bailey Rae's 'Put Your Records On'. She has a really cool vibe. To me, these two will be vying for the top female spot of the night.

The top male performer was definitely Adam Lambert rocking The Rolling Stones 'Satisfaction'. As Simon said, he did have some parts that were not good, but for the majority of his song he was in a different league that most of the group.

I did disagree with the judges for one performer. Matt Breitzke (the welder) sang well doing Tonic's 'If You Can Only See'. The judges didn't think he was good enough, but he was at least honorable mention in my book. Kris Alan's rendition of Michael Jackson's 'Man in the Mirror' was much better than I expected. He and Breitzke are arguably fighting for the number 2 spot for the guys (beating out Kai Kalama, who wasn't bad but didn't perform as well as he had in the previous shows). Unfortunately for Breitzke and Alan, I think the three that advance should be 1 guy and 2 girls.

For the record, my prediction is: Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta and Megan Corkrey

Being a Coach

2009-02-20T06:45:00.000-05:00

Back at the point in time that I was choosing a career I considered teaching and coaching. It can be very rewarding making a difference in kids lives in the classroom and on the field. Not to mention, the though of staying involved in athletics on a personal level was very appealing. I think the job would have been enjoyable. Not to mention the perk of vacations, but that is another topic altogether.

In the end, I passed up what I thought would have been a fun job, for what I deemed to be a more lucrative path. I’m happy with the decision I made and I do enjoy what I’m doing now. That being said, I do miss involvement in athletics. Luckily for me, Jackson just completed his first sports league, which opened up a new door of involvement for me. I happily volunteered to coach the 5 and 6 year old Upward (church league) team - the Lions.

It was trying at times; making it to practice every Monday night and games every Saturday morning, keeping the kids in line during both practices and games, and attempting to teach at least a little basketball along the way. Trying? Yes, but so fully worth the time and effort In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I intend to coach again next year. Throughout the season we saw the team come a long way. They grew by leaps and bounds, showing improvemnets every week and they had a great time along the way. In addition, Jackson told me multiple times every week how happy he was that I was his coach. That meant a lot... to him and to me.

Last night was the Upward awards night. They announced all the kids individually, they got something for participating (a cool Upward book bag), and they had entrainment (a magician; a magician with a Christian message). The kids loved it. It was a nice end to a great season. When we returned home and got ready for bed, the boys reaffirmed how much fun this season had been and how they intend to play next year. Then before I left the room, Jackson told Alex that "Dad can still be my coach". I asked if he was referring to next season, to which he replied, “No. The season is over, but you’re still my coach in my heart.”.
How awesome is that?! Kids can really bring you happiness with the smallest comments. Having both Jackson and I involved in basketball this season meant a lot to both of us and his comments like that one make me even happier about it all. Before I left the room, I reaffirmed his belief and extended that comment to include Alex as well, telling them that I can always coach and help them.

Next year Jackson intends to play again, and Alex is preparing to step onto the court as well. This paste season, during the preseason and even mid-season Alex had no interest at all, but by the end of the season I think he enjoyed it almost as much as the team. Not to mention that he practiced at home with Jackson and improved just as much as the team did. He is so ready and plans to play, and he told me last night that when he plays he “want(s) mom to be my coach”. I thought that was cool, but asked “so you don’t want me to be your coach?” He thought for a second before telling me that he wants us both to coach. We’ll see how that goes, but we’ll definitely be involved in both teams. I cant wait.

Idol

2009-02-18T06:15:00.000-05:00

Since I've been lacking inspiration to blog, I'll give my take on Idol last night.

I like the new format of only 3 advancing from the 12 that sang last night (top male, top female and the next person with the most votes). That being said, the contestants made it easy to have that perspective. In my opinion 7 of them eliminated themselves before voting ever started, leaving only 5 to compete for the 3 spots. Of course, as in the past, there could be a fan base out there to push someone through despite a terrible performance. We will see.

Highs and Lows of the night:

Lows:
- If any of these three make it through, I'm going to assume that friends and family put them through by repeated voting. They were absolutely dreadful.
Stevie Wright
Brent Keith
Casey Carlson

Highs:

To me, these two were on the bubble.
Ann Marie Boskovich
Michael Sarver

Both are likable and can really sing as we've seen in the past, but just didn't do it justice last night.

The hands down best three (to me):
(1) Danny Gokey - last performance of the night. He was the best male, so he should advance. I usually agree with Simon, but this time I thought Randy, Paula, and Cara nailed it. Danny blew everyone off the stage.

(2) Tatiana Nicole Del Toro - As much as it pains me to say it, she was by far the best female, which should advance her to the next round. Her downfall could be her personality in Hollywood. People may not vote for her for that reason alone, but she was the best female performer last night.

(3) Anoop Desai - Anoop has been great every time they've shown him. Although last night was not the best that we've seen from him, it was still better than the rest of the bunch (besides Danny and Tiatiana).

Take my opinions with a grain of salt, but that is how I see it. Michael or Ann Marie could sneak in and I'd not be upset about it, but Danny, Tatiana, and Anoop should advance.

Helping those in need

2009-02-12T15:52:00.003-05:00

You never know when you will be down on your luck and may need help. One day it may be me with the broken down vehicle and I'll be the one needing help. I hope others will offer assistance. Likewise, I tend to offer help when I think it's needed. If nothing else, maybe I'm creating some positive karma.

A situation presented itself last week.
I was filling up my truck at one of the local gas stations. As I was finishing up, I saw a guy that looked pretty upset on his phone. He walked over to a girl that I assumed he knew, spoke for a moment, then walked away. Then as I was finishing up, he walked over to me and hung up the phone. He gave a sob story about his vehicle being on fumes, the computer inside warned it was 2 miles to empty, him being 20 miles from home and his wallet being left at home. He swore that he wasn't one of "those people" that beg and he said that he was a hard worker. He was actually fairly distraught. Anyway, I dont usually carry cash, but I did have three bucks on me. I gave it to him. He seemed so grateful. Either he was really happy for the kindness of a stranger, or he was a conman that just scored three bucks. Either way, I didn't mind taking that risk of $3.

I had nearly forgot about that encounter, when I was filling up again. This time I was at the station directly across the street from the one the previous week. I noticed the guy across from me looked kind of like that other guy. He was better dressed and not upset. Maybe it was the same guy. Maybe not. I continued to fill the tank. This guy pops his hood and leaves it popped after checking the oil. He walks over and says , "excuse me sir, I'm having a bit of trouble." He looks at the car and says, "oh, not that. I'm just checking the oil". He is not at all distraught. He calmly tells me that his light is on that says 2 miles to empty, that he is like 20 miles from home and he left his wallet at home.

I never broke eye contact, pointed to the station across the street and said, "that's funny because you told me that exact story at that station just last week." I didn't look away, but he did. He said, "uh, I dont remember that." Then he looked at his feet and walked away talking to himself. "I swear. I really dont remember that. I just dont remember...". He closed the hood, hopped in the car and drove off in the blink of an eye. Question answered. He was a conman. I assume he worked one station for a day, then moved on. Only he moved to the other station that I use. People like him are truly pathetic. I have mixed feelings about him. I feel kind of sorry for the guy, however I also hope somebody else catches him in scheme and breaks his nose. :-) I guess I'm too nice and composed to do so myself, but I wouldn't upset to know someone else did it.

or⋅gan⋅i⋅za⋅tion

2009-02-10T18:02:00.005-05:00

Over the past few years we've attempted to organize our lives, or at least our house. One place that has been missed in the move toward an organized house is my closet. It started with one shelf with some clothes stacked upon it. Before it was over, I had tons of shoes piled on dirty clothes, with random crap all on the floor. Among the shoes were my last three pair of black work shoes. That's right; my current black shoes, the one's those replaces and even the pair from before that pair. Ridiculous. Then there was the single shelf, which consisted of a mix of clean and dirty clothes, cds (most are years old), a few movies, and a random can of chicken (not sure how that got in there. It was a total disaster. I wish I had taken a picture. The best description of the closet was, well...it was a shit-hole. A mess or a disaster doesn't do it justice, so we'll go with shit-hole.
After months of putting off the project, I found a little time on Saturday to remedy the problem. I took some scrap wood from our basement and made some shelves in the closet (of course this was after removing clothes, balls, shoes, cds, movies, and that can of chicken). I moved the one shelf down for more shoe storage and added two for clothes. I'm happy with the result. Have a look. It may still be a hole, but now it's an organized hole. :-)

Terror or Fashion? (what a distinction!)

2009-02-10T15:25:00.005-05:00

Some pictures are worth a worth a thousand words. What about these pictures? What do these three make you think of?

# 1

Undoubtedly, you know this first face. It is not uncommon to surface on any news segment on terrorism. Of course this is Osama Bin Ladin.

# 2

This second picture is the standard guy in a mask holding a gun. We've all seen such pictures and/or videos. He must be a terrorist, right? I really have no idea. The picture just fit the mold, so I grabbed it from a google search, but we'll assume he is until I'm corrected.

# 3

What about this third and final picture? What kind of terrorist wears a head lamp? Perhaps a coal mining terrorist? hmmm...lol.
This is no coal miner or terrorist! This is my wife before one of her early morning cold runs. Every time I look at this pic I have to laugh.
Functional? yes.
Terror invoking? maybe.
Fashionable? Well, definitely more fashionable than anyone I've ever seen wearing a balaclava. :-)

Here is the full picture. Awesome! And yes, funny.

Busy and Tired

2009-02-04T20:03:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted much lately. It's not that I have nothing to talk about. It just that I've been busy. When I haven't been busy, I've been to lazy and tired to post. So there you have it. This is a post of less than 10 sentences about the fact that I'm too tired and busy to post. More posts to come in the near future, but right now I'm too tired...

When it's hot it's hot, but when it's not...

2009-01-26T16:52:00.004-05:00

This is the story of my morning.

This morning I got up as usual, got my shower and was about ready to walk out the door when I heard Stacy say "I have no hot water". I thought to myself, "hmmm, I didn't take that long of a shower, did I?". In fact I had not. I went outside to check out the situation and saw water spraying from the bottom of our hot water heater. Crap!

My task: Assess the problem and stop the water flow.

The ground was soaked, but warm. It is obvious that the pressure change during my shower caused it to burst and that I was lucky enough to have been finishing my shower before it became cold.

We have an ancient enclosure around our water heater. Not to mention the heater itself was sold in 1983. Yeah, it's time for a new but hopefully not today. I worked loose some screws in the ancient crypt of an enclosure and found the source of the water. I couldn't stop it. What to do next? Turn off the valve right? It was rusted shut and all the tools I could find wouldn't budge the damned thing. All of my large pliers were missing, so I headed to Walmart. At this point it was 6:35, which is usually my deadline for making it to work on time. I would not be on time today.

Walmart is only one mile away, so it was a quick trip. I grabbed what I needed, bolted home and turned the valve. No water stopped. Surely that was because the tank was emptying..... Nope. It never stopped. The valve did nothing, so I cut off the water to the entire house, called a plumber, and proceeded to removed the crypt covering. It took my for ever! Not to mention I got my work clothes all muddy. But in the end I got the enclosure removed and threw it aside.

I went inside and attempted to wash off the mud. No go. Remember, I cut the water off. This would be the first of about fifteen times that I reached to turn on the water, yet none flowed. I managed to get semi clean, changed into fresh clothes, and headed to work. The Plumber was supposed to give me a 30 minute heads up. Of course I was about 1 mile from my house when he called. That would have been quite fortuitous had he actually been on the way. Unfortunately his message that he would arrive in about 30 minutes was full of false hope. About an hour and 15 minutes later I get a call from their dispatcher that they are running behind but it will be another 30 minutes. I tell him that is fine. An hour later; same call, same apology, same delay.

The repairman doesn't arrive until after 10:00. He walks around back, sees the dilapidated crypt remains and the 1983 heater and immediately launches into a sales pitch for a new tankless heater that he can install...only about 3 grand. WTF!!! I said, "so you cant fix this one". He says, "oh, I can fix it". Then he looks in his book and finds a page that quotes $475 and says "oh, that cant be right". I'm about to laugh at this point. He then finds the correct page. Quote is $94. That is more my speed. I tell him that if you can do it for $94, then do it. It takes him a long time, but then he finishes. I pay and ask him to help me put the crypt cover back on. He does and it almost falls apart. I then take the next 45 minutes screwing them damned thing back down. I'm once again covered in mud....work clothes covered in mud. Since it's already past lunch time, I decide I've had enough crap to deal with today, so I decide before finishing that I will call it day. The morning and early afternoon totally sucked, but that decision to call it day was the best decision ever. It turned out to be a very productive day around the house...and I even got to take a hot shower when it was done.

Signing Your Life Away

2009-01-22T16:30:00.000-05:00

Today, yet again, we signed our lives away.

With interests rates having dipped, we decided to refinance to lock in this great rate. Wait a minute... Is this deja vu?

Four months ago, after the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae fiasco we seized an opportunity to get rid of our "high" rate mortgage, which had previously seemed like a fairly low rate. We locked; we closed; we were quite happy with ourselves. That was September of 2008.

January 2009, a mere 4 months later, what happened? Our amazing rate from 4 months prior suddenly doesn't not seem so good anymore. With the financial markets in a mess, companies lining up for government bailouts like kids for ice cream in the middle of summer, and a crunch for mortgage companies to buy up and close on "good mortgages", we found ourselves in a situation to improve our situation yet again. So what did we do? Since we have no plans to move any time in the foreseeable future, we refinanced yet again... at an even more amazing rate.

Two separate deals in 4 months may sound ridiculous, and to be honest it kind of feels that way when you look at 2 sets of closing costs, yet when I look at the money saved over the life of the loan, it's a no-brainer. Seize the moment! That is what we did and once again we are pretty happy with ourselves.

I dont know about the rest of you, but we're sure doing our part to stimulate this economy...and all we had to do was sign our lives away....twice.

Let it Snow!

2009-01-20T14:24:00.007-05:00

We didn't tell the kids last night that school was canceled due to a chance of snow. To be honest, after having lived most of my life in South Carolina, I know that there is typically a huge overreaction when there is the slightest chance of snow. I didn't want to get Jackson and Alex's hopes up for snow when it may not come.

It turns out that my boys were able to see their first snow today. We woke them up at 7:20 to see the flurries start. They spent most of the day going out and playing, then coming in to warm up. They loved it. Oh, and by the way...none of it stuck. It was just fun to be outside while snow was falling. It has fallen off an on all day long, but the ground was too warm so it didn't stick. Who cares? Not my kids. They played basketball most of the day, ran and played, and tried to eat flakes as they fell. It's awesome to see how much fun they have. I hope that soon they'll see real snow on the ground to make snow balls and snow men, but for now this will do. Here are a few shots from today:

The Long Lost Uncle

2009-01-15T20:46:00.002-05:00

Tonight the kids went to bed and the Cavs/Bulls game was coming on. Jackson loves Lebron although he doesn't really know anything about him, and has never watched him play. He knows Lebron is good and that kids at school call Jackson by the name Jackson James...because they say that he is so good at basketball. Anyway, we thought we'd let them get up to see who Lebron is. They were impressed. The funniest thing is that Alex didn't call him Lebron. He kept referring to him as Unca Bron. I assume he meant Uncle Bron. We corrected him numerous times, but he kept saying it. Lol. that cracked us up...Jackson and Alex's long lost uncle...Uncle Bron.

The "Other" Guys

2009-01-12T06:45:00.001-05:00

Please bear with me. This is a longer post than usual, but one that gets to a point eventually.

I spent my college years at Furman University in Greenville, SC. Furman was not a sprawling campus intermingled with a city. Rather, it sat off on it's own. It was it's own little world, which we aptly dubbed the "Furman Bubble". Sometimes I knew what was happening outside of that bubble. At other times I didn't. Much of what was important to me at that time was in the bubble. Not only that, but my perceptions were often times based on the bubble.

I think in most of our lives, we have our own little bubbles. They may not be physical bubbles, such as I had at Furman. Rather, they are bubbles of our own creation and our perceptions are often based on the bubbles in which we live. Yours may be centered around your job and your coworkers, or maybe it’s based on your faith and consists of church members. Despite the group that people see themselves as being part of, there tends to be a feeling of superiority that accompanies that feeling of belonging. If you happen to be Christian, then most likely you feel that you you’ve got it right and the other religions have it wrong. You feel superior. Same is true if you are of another religion. When you are sitting in your church/temple/mosque… you feel superior because you are right and everyone else is wrong.

Likewise, if you work 40+ hours per week, every week, week in and week out, supporting yourself and your family, then there is a good chance that you are not a fan of rampant government assistance. In fact, you probably look down on it. I've heard many hard working people bashing Welfare and the like. You probably feel superior due to the fact that you can provide for yourself and your family and do not need such help.

All of this made think about how we perceive those outside our bubble and more so, how we often perceive them in a negative light. I think the late Bertrand Russell, most noted as a philosopher and mathematician, but also a social and political theorist put it very well when he said:

In America everybody is of the opinion that he has no social superiors, since all men are equal, but he does not admit that he has no social inferiors, for, from the time of Jefferson onward, the doctrine that all men are equal applies only upwards, not downwards.

Wow. He may have said that decades ago, but it is no less true today.

The idea of this post came about due to an article that a friend sent me; one about a group of forgotten people, one about a group of people that most people see themselves as being better than, an article about some people that rose above their feelings of superiority and treated those other people (at least for that one day) like they belonged. It’s a really good sports story. One that will make you feel good having read it. click here to read about the special game between Grapevine Faith and Gainesville State School

After having read that it made me think about how others have taken a step to help those that most people chose to forget about. Those whom are less fortunate often go without, but thanks to those that participate in community service programs such as Meals on Wheels, or local soup kitchens, the same less fortunate are given the help they need. Just look at how we all come together around Christmas time. In December, like no other time of the year, you see people getting together to contribute to soup kitchens, to participate in Habitat for Humanity and Adopt-A-Family programs. It’s really amazing to see people help those that are in need…even if for some, they only help once a year.

Finally, on a topic close to my heart that goes right along with the previous examples is my wife and her last job. Before moving to corporate law, Stacy was a public defender. When most people hear that, they have a knee-jerk response like an sarcastic yet inquisitive, “oh, so you represent the scum of the Earth?” or a judgmental, “how do you do that…represent those people?”. It’s really amazing how judgmental many people are about others that have been charged with breaking a law. Almost nobody to whom I speak assumes the position of the law, “Innocent until proven guilty”. Rather, they have a response like I previously mentioned. They judge the people that they deem as criminals and see themselves as being better than “those people”. It doesn’t matter the crime. It only matters that “those people” are punished (unless of course, their buddy got a DUI or something like then, then the rules seem to not apply). But I digress. Anyway, I think that although we should all take a less judgmental stance…most do not. It takes a bigger person than most of us to show compassion to those that other people have chosen to forget about. It takes a big heart to defend “those people”. It’s not an easy job, but because of people like Stacy and her colleagues, the job gets done and "those people" are helped. Better yet, people are helped. I have more admiration for Stacy and other compassionate people like her, that either currently or have previously served those in need, than for most people that I have met at any time in my life.

Game # 3

2009-01-11T17:06:00.002-05:00

Jackson and the Lions had their third ball game yesterday. It was once again a fun time, highlighted by Jackson's excitement.

They have a really good rotation system, such that the starting lineup rotates each game and kids get equal playing time. Each 18 minute half is split into 3 six minute periods, in between which substitutions occur. So each player can count on being in about 4 of those 6 period. The only way to miss out on time is to commit two fouls in one six minute period.

Jackson didn't start this game, so he had to sit the first 6 minutes and the kids did well... at a controlled pace. At the first substitution Jackson got into the ball game and the level of intensity quadrupled. He immediately got a rebound, bolted down the court and scored. Our other coach looked at me and said, "wow, this is a totally different game now isn't it?". I agreed and was very proud.

Jackson was playing great defense and attempted to block a shot, but committed a foul. Then 3 minutes later he did it again. Although his intensity is usually a good thing... remember the 2 foul rule. He got benched due to that rule. He was heart broken. Luckily he got right back in when the next period started....and he didn't foul anymore. I felt bad for him, but I also thought it was funny that my child is the only one I've seen be benched for that rule this season.

When I awarded the superlative stars for this game, I gave Jackson the best defense award. Regardless of his fouls, he was intense and playing awesome!

I know I rave over Jackson (and will continue to do so), but all of the kids are really improving. It's amazing how far they've come and I can't wait to see how good they are at season's end.

Florida Wins!...They're the Champs*

2009-01-08T23:53:00.004-05:00

I'm excited. I was cheering for Florida to win it all. I even predicted them to win by 10. If only I was always so smart. :-)
So Florida wins the National Championship...but I am one of "those people". The ones that think it's tainted, that thinks there should be a playoff, that thinks the national champions title has an Astrix. In every other collegiate sport, and every other collegiate football division have playoffs. Why not have Florida win their championship just like teams from every other sport/division? I just dont get it.
Well, I get it if you are a major sponsor of a bowl. You have much money to make. However, if you're not a sponsor, why would anyone favor a bowl system over a playoff system?
Every year there are controversies. This year, it's Utah (or possibly even USC). Without a doubt, Utah proved they deserve a national stage and a shot at the title...but in our current system, they'll never get a shot. It's ridiculous.
I've heard the argument that academically, playoffs would hurt the athletes because it would take too much time. Tell that to the football players in Division III, Division II, and even Division I Playoff Subdivision. I was one of those players and let me tell you, it's no more difficult to juggle academics and athletics in the post season that it is in the regular season.
I've also heard the argument that it is great for these middle tier teams to go out on a winning note. What?! Who really gives a flying rats ass? If you just want to have a feel good ending for a lot of teams, why not have every team play one more game at season's end (a bowl game if you will)...half would go out on a winning note... oh, and by the way, we'd still not know who was the best.
I just dont get it. Perhaps you can enlighten me. Or perhaps you agree with me somewhat. Feel free to pitch your position if you have one...or just listen to me rant.

Congrats to Florida. I'm happy the won....but I have to include the Astrix when I say, "congrats to Florida, the National Champions*".

I Love Technology

2009-01-06T06:55:00.001-05:00

I used to think that a phone was a phone. If you can call, that is good enough. My perceptions have transformed over the past couple years. It was a multi-step process.

Step One - A few years back I had a really old, basic phone. I only made calls, but texting was the rage so when it was time for a new phone I looked for a phone that made that easy.

Step Two - Probably 3-4 years ago I upgraded my phone to the LG enV. I loved the additional texting capabilities.

Step Three - Texting was no longer the only item to have, so I purchased the data access plan for my phone. The interfaced totally sucked, but I had the ability to check my email, check movie times, and keep current on the news. That was enough for me....at least for the moment.

Step Four - I see the commercials for these cool new phones with actual web browsers for portable devices (iPhone, Blackberry, Q, etc...), not like the antiquated tab based browser my enV employs. After seeing those commercials, actually checking out some of the phones and their newer browsers and the user friendliness of their interfaces, mine then sucked by comparison.

Step Five - Yesterday I acquired a Blackberry, transferred my service, and wow! Queue the music for the heavenly sounds with a bright light shining from my new phone. It is awesome. Not only do I have texting, but I have Internet browsing with and actual browser, which is scrollable by a mouse! I have an awesome interface directly to my GMail without having to open a browser and navigate to the site. The same is true of the facebook interface. All of that and it takes no time to load. I instant access. I'm totally sold and there's no looking back.

Step Six - Contentment.

Step Seven - Realization that this cool new phone not only has a data plan, but get this: it can make and receive calls too. Amazing. :-)

Projects Never Go As Planned

2009-01-03T18:38:00.006-05:00

Today I had two projects planned and neither went as planned.

I "finished" the concrete job on my porch. I put that in quotes because I hope that was the last of the concrete. If it dried well, I would be done. However, I had not planned on the humidity, and the concrete didn't really dry. On top of that we're expecting rain tonight. That sucks. I'd hate for my effort today to be for nothing. But I'll keep my fingers crossed. If it turns out well, I'll only have to seal it this week. Let's hope it works out.

My next task was to hang a chandelier. We were sick of our light fixture in our entrance way and had our eye on another one at Lowe's. Well, last week we finally bought it. Today was the day to install. We intended it to hang high so the intention was to use only one link in the chain. What should have taken 15 minutes drug on much, much.....much longer. After breaking the ground wire and fumbling around forever with short wires we got the dang thing hung... but there was one problem. It hung too low. So low that our door hit it as the door opened and closed. So we had to "rig" it. Rather than using a link of chain, we rigged a huge nut an bolt to hold it up high. It's definitely a rig job that we'll have to fix later, but it's high enough to let the door open and close and it looks a hell of a lot better than before. Our 15 minute project ended up taking about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Ugh. That sucks, but it's done (for now).

Here is the finished product.

And a close up of the bolt! lol.

What to Expect in the Year to Come

2009-01-01T17:45:00.004-05:00

2008 was a good year for me. Sure, the economy tanked and my 401k lost about 1/3 but besides that fact, 2008 was a very good year from my perspective.

Looking back I saw a lot happen last year.

Jackson made the transition from kindergarten to first grade and with that transition I saw him change from a child that was in class because he had to be to one that enjoyed learning. I'm most impressed by his reading, which has progressed by leaps and bounds. Meanwhile he has turned into quite the little athlete. We've always played sports at home, but he has really become interested in everything sports. In fact he is in his first organized league right now (Upward Basketball) and is doing wonderfully. I'm so proud of how he's progressed both academically and athletically in the past year.

Alex, who used to be Jackson's little brother has really blossomed into his own person. He is one of the coolest kids at the daycare. Everybody loves Alex. Meanwhile, his thirst for learning far exceeds his brother's at that age. In fact, one of Alex's highlights of each night is to watch Jackson do his homework (and to try to do it himself). I'm very proud of both of them.

Also during 2008 Stacy and I both made advancement in our jobs and are very happy with how that is progressing. We are in a good place professionally and as everyone knows, when things are going well at work it spills into the rest of your life. While improving professionally, we also both improved ourselves physically. We both lost a lot of weight last year to become much more healthy. Meanwhile, we became running enthusiasts this year. We had both run in the past, but we were not devoted to it as we are now. It seems that we're really on the right track and it all started in 2008.

In addition to our personal lives, our family really had much interest in the presidential race of the past year and we couldn't be happier with the result. I truly believe as a nation, we made the best choice and will be in good hands in the foreseeable future, and as we all know that is very important with the mess that our economy is in.

As I said before, 2008 was a good year. What can we expect for 2009?

I hope that both Jackson and Alex continue to progress and excel. I can't wait to see how far they've come by this time next year.

I hope that Stacy and continue to thrive professionally and with our pursuits in running. We already have 3 road races scheduled and plan to do about 1 per month. I am excited to see our times get better and better. Not to mention, we both really enjoy running.

Although, not immediately, I do expect the economy to make an upward turn... at least by the second quarter of 2009. I will be happy to see that happen....even if gas prices rise as a consequence. :-)

These are things that I expect. Yet I know that some of the biggest things in our lives each year, we never see coming. I don't know what to expect, but I'm excited to see what happens and will welcome it with open arms.

I'll end this in much the same way I ended my last post. Happy 2009. I really hope that this year will be worse than all those yet to come, yet better than any we've experienced thus far.

New Year

2009-01-01T16:44:00.003-05:00

Today is the first day of the new year. I expected to watch football all day yesterday and today. Instead, I spent yesterday playing with the kids and working around the house and in the yard. Although that was not my original intention, it was very fulfilling. Today was more of the same. We have watched part of the both the USC/Iowa and Clemson/Nebraska games in between our work and play. I do want to watch the entire Rose Bowl, but who knows if that plan will plan out. Anyway, I've enjoyed the little football I've actually sat down to watch and I feel good about what I've gotten done.
What I've done:
Raked the entire back yard... doesn't sound like much, but it had been a long time...
Painted two rooms.
Took down Christmas decorations.
Laid cement on the sagging porch.
Ran 4 miles.
Played basketball with the kids.
Played football with the kids.
Played Monopoly Junior with the kids.

Ok, I have to go to watch the end of the Clemson game...and I mean ACTUALLY WATCH this time.

It's been a good two days. A good end to 2008 and a good start to 2009. May this year be worse than all future years to come, yet better than any we've experienced thus far.

It was a very merry Christmas

2008-12-28T21:16:00.006-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! The boys loved it. Stacy loved it. I loved it.

There were presents galore. Here are some of the high points from our present opening:

Santa's gifts to the boys, including the sign that directs the boys to the trampoline! (no picture of that included)

Jackson's big pile of gifts:

Alex's big pile of gifts:

Stacy's small pile of gifts:

Michael's small pile of gifts:

My boys love costumes. Here are a few of the one's they received from Santa.

The reason I'm happy about Christmas!

Christmas morning was fun at home. Then it was off to Greenville to have Christmas with Stacy's parents...unfortunately the camera never made it out.

Then on Friday (after work) it was off to my parents house for more Christmas. Here is my brother Matthew (flexing what he thinks are large arms...) Laura also made the picture...taking a picture of the boys.

Matthew again with Deuce.

Wow! That is a lot of presents for the boys!

They can't wait for their turn to open more presents!

Finally, time to open!

And of course, you have to do a funky pose at least once.

Now to be selfish for a moment. Stacy gave me two great presents that...well, dont really go together but I love them both. First.... The Big Nasty! When we were at Furman, we used t go our for Mexican food and the perfect companion for Mexican food is the Big Nasty...other wise known as the 32 oz beer mug. I love those and mentioned it to Stacy. She remembered and I got a set of two for Christmas. Of course I had to give them a test drive today during the football game...and yes. I approve.

The other gift is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I'll post more about this later in more detail, but this cool gadget is a watch. But not just a watch. This is the Garmin Forerunner 405; one of the coolest watches I have ever seen. It's so cool that I did my research and bought her the SAME THING! I was elated to find out that she got me the same awesome gift that I got for her. Anyway, It is cool and I'll post more about it later, as I learn even more about it myself.

My boys

2008-12-21T18:15:00.007-05:00

How about some pictures of boys...

Jackson before school.

Alex at his Thanksgiving program.

Christmas tree decorating night.

Alex happy and hamming it up.

Alex not happy and bummed in the corner.

Jackson showing his mad skills on the skate board.

Stacy and the boys.

Me and my boys!

BBall picks

2008-12-21T18:08:00.003-05:00

A few of the boys getting ready pregame. Notice Jackson is the smaller one in green.

A shot of the bench featuring a few players and yours truly, Coach Owings.

A shot of the kids in a layup line during pregame. Of course Jackson is hamming it up.

Arrrrrgh, I'm a Pirate!

2008-12-21T17:53:00.003-05:00

My boys love movies and love to pretend. One of their favorites of both of those things is Pirates of the Caribbean. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard them talk about jack Sparrow and Will Turner, I'd be one year closer to retirement.

Earlier, I knew they were in their art room doing art: coloring, putting on some of those washable tattoos, and just playing. After they cleaned up and left the room, I checked it out to make sure it was clean and saw this and thought it was great. All I could think was "Arrrgh, I'm a pirate!".

Everyone is Running

2008-12-20T13:40:00.003-05:00

Lately, the boys have showed interest in our running. They did participate in two kids races last year, but did no preparation prior to the race dates. Both Stacy and I really enjoy running and the boys have taken notice and want to do it too. Last night we discussed doing a short run together. We clocked a short track from our house, around the local park and back to our house. It turns out that the route is just over a half mile.

I had forgotten our planned run, but this morning when Jackson got out of bed he started putting on his clothes...including shoes. I asked why he was putting his shoes on. He said that he was getting ready for our run. Kids don't forget anything you say, so watch out!

We all got ready for the run and the boys both took off too fast. We warned them to slow down and they listened. About .2 mile in Alex was beat and said he needed a rest. I told him to slow down but not to walk. He fussed, but continued. Jackson and Stacy ran a little ahead of us and Jackson really looked like a runner. I was proud. Jackson was cruising and Alex was pushing through.

About .4 mile in, Stacy turned to cheer Alex on, after which he kicked it up a notch. Both Jackson and Alex finished strong and were pumped about it. Then they decided they were going to run some more so they ran laps around the front yard (while Stacy and I took turns going for a short run).

It is awesome that are kids are actually interested in being healthy. We set a good example and they really do want to follow it. It makes me feel good.... about myself, about the example Stacy and I set, and about my boys.

Game 2 highlight

2008-12-20T13:31:00.005-05:00

We were lucky enough to have "Uncle Pooh" visiting on the day of Jackson's second game. Uncle Pooh is Stacy's brother, Andrew. Although we have not captured any video of the games yet, Andrew did capture one highlight on his phone and I've attached a link to the clip. It's very small, but enough to see how fun the games are. In the video, the big kid on the other team easily scores, then Jackson gets ready to receive the inbound pass, catches it and goes coast to coast for the score. Check it out.

Click here for the highlight.

"That's my boy!"

Movies

2008-12-16T18:08:00.006-05:00

I haven't stopped by Blockbuster in a while, but I'm one of those people that rent in bunches. It's been a few months since renting anything, but we stopped by this weekend and picked up 2 for the kids and 3 for me. I say me, because Stacy usually doesn't have much interest in them. Anyway, I watched all three of them. Here are my reviews:

(1) X Files - I have to say that I was a HUGE fan back in the day. I loved the show and the first movie. It took them long enough to make the sequel. I would not say that this installment lived up to the first one. Rather, I'd compare it to one of the regular episodes, just stretched to movie length. It wasn't bad, and I was glad I watched, but also glad that I didn't rush to the theater to see it. I'd rate it a C+/B-.

(2) War of the Worlds - I heard no good reviews, but to me the previews looked good so I knew I'd eventually see it. Perhaps due to the my expectations, perhaps due to the movie content, I really enjoyed it. It was exciting and kept my attention for the entire movie. It shouldn't win any award but worth seeing. I'd give it a B.

(3) Step Brothers - If you like Will Ferrell and John C Reilly, you'll love it. If not, you wont. It's crude and stupid and in my opinion, pretty damned funny. I laughed out loud so many times during the movie. I Love this sort of comedy. In part due to the movie and in part due to this movie bringing Ferrell back from the depths of Talladega Nights, I have to rate it A-. I'm glad to see he is back in true form and that he was funny for the entire movie. He and John C Reilly were hilarious together. If you haven't seen it (and you dont mind crude humor and language), you have to check this one out.

Game # 2

2008-12-16T18:04:00.002-05:00

I'm a slacker and haven't updated this in a while, so here is a quick update on basketball. We had another practice and in addition to that I worked with Jackson at home to keep him from double dribbling. It paid off. The team looked good and Jackson looked awesome! Unlike the previous week, when he would pick up his dribble immediately and then either double dribble or pass, this week he picked up the ball and drove to the basket. He did wonderfully, scoring 10 points and having numerous steals. I was proud of the team and as you can tell, very proud of Jackson and how well he took to coaching. I see a bright athletic future for him!

Game # 1

2008-12-07T12:40:00.003-05:00

Jackson's first game. Upward Basketball. 5 practices so far. 1 game. It was great. This league doesn't keep score, so there are no winners or loser... it's like the old saying that "everyone is a winner".

I was very proud of my team. Of all of the things I taught them, they employed about 1/2 of 1 percent of it... but otherwise, they played and had fun. And they where very fun to watch. We have a few kids that are catching on to the basics pretty well and a few that would be picking flowers if flowers grew on the court. :-)

Jackson had a blast and I was very excited for him. He scored one basket and did a little dance to celebrate. If you put the celebrating in slow motion it would have looked like a commercial and finished with his pose in mid air when he jumped to celebrate; perhaps with a little slogan like "Mentos, the fresh maker" afterward or something like that.. It was both awesome and hilarious.

He also had the lone block. Of course he was super aggressive and blocked it wish both hands...hitting the kid's arm to causing a foul. It was almost a great block, but it did send the kid to the line. I didn't even realize this league had shooting fouls. The score keeper told me they only call those when it is a blatant shooting foul. They only called 3 all of last season. Lol. Jackson had teh first one this year. So aggressive. That's my boy!

We have 7 games to go. I cant wait to see how much fun we have and how much better we all get.