TGIF

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

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

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 ?

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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.