Todays run brought more hills and with that more traveling underpants. I did make an interesting observation, however. My drawers seemed to go the same direction as the hill. Up the hill, up the...well you get the idea. Unfortunately I ended my run with an uphill climb. My warm down was not comfortable.
A little over one week to go until my next race. On Nov 23rd I am running in the Peoria Park Dist Turkey Trot. It is a four mile run and includes a pretty sizable hill, thus the hill training. I am pretty excited about this race as it to be my first cold weather run. Fortunately I have had some practice lately in the cold. Maybe I will go extreme and start training in the freezer at work.
Tomorrow is a pretty big day for Nora. Her class is having their reading celebration. They get to have this special day because they have read over 500 take home books since the school year began. All the kids get to go to school in their pjs, bring their favorite stuffed animal, and spend the day reading. Not a bad deal if you ask me.
That's all folks!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Twelve And Counting....
...I hope.
I am thrilled that I have had 12 consecutive posts with a comment. They are mostly from from my parents and MIL, but hey, most of my readers are family. So, no need to split hairs, right? Keep 'em coming, please.
Did anyone catch my implied Larry King tone from the last post? I was going for completely random, unconnected thoughts with absolutely no segue. Who better to channel than the "King"?
I am currently watching an episode of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery channel. It revolves around the removal of abandoned mobile homes. It is both hilarious and frightening at the same time. It can best be described as one long 12 year old boys joke. The episode title is mannequin factory. Check it out if you find it in re-runs.
We had our very first parent-teacher conference on Monday. I was a very proud parent before, but now...wow! My Nora is the best!!! She is right on line with her reading and math and has very good handwriting. The thing that made me the happiest was the teachers comment about her creativity. The teacher cannot wait to see the creative twists Nora will add to their projects. She is a very creative little girl and is not afraid to do her own thing. Socially she has no issues. She loves her classmates and they love her.
We are nearing the end of our room re-model. It looks like a room. Yahoo!
Cheers
I am thrilled that I have had 12 consecutive posts with a comment. They are mostly from from my parents and MIL, but hey, most of my readers are family. So, no need to split hairs, right? Keep 'em coming, please.
Did anyone catch my implied Larry King tone from the last post? I was going for completely random, unconnected thoughts with absolutely no segue. Who better to channel than the "King"?
I am currently watching an episode of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery channel. It revolves around the removal of abandoned mobile homes. It is both hilarious and frightening at the same time. It can best be described as one long 12 year old boys joke. The episode title is mannequin factory. Check it out if you find it in re-runs.
We had our very first parent-teacher conference on Monday. I was a very proud parent before, but now...wow! My Nora is the best!!! She is right on line with her reading and math and has very good handwriting. The thing that made me the happiest was the teachers comment about her creativity. The teacher cannot wait to see the creative twists Nora will add to their projects. She is a very creative little girl and is not afraid to do her own thing. Socially she has no issues. She loves her classmates and they love her.
We are nearing the end of our room re-model. It looks like a room. Yahoo!
Cheers
Saturday, November 8, 2008
I Don't Wanna Jinx Myself, But....
....I have had eleven consecutive blogs with at least one comment. Do you have any idea how happy this make me? I am so very proud of you, my loyal Chrisophiles, for reading my blog and taking the time to leave the occasional comment. Let's keep it rolling.
Observations:
Michigan Won! That was not a typo. Michigan Won! They beat Minnesota today 29-6, and maintained possession of the Little Brown Jug. Click here for a little history.
I have found the answer to a question posed in a Saturday Night Live spoof commercial. In said commercial they were advertising a new food product. It was all flash, no substance and never named the food. When asked what this wonderful food was they would just answer, "It's not yogurt". Wanna know what it is? It's Gogurt. There are no live cultures, a bunch of unpronounceable items, a healthy dose of high fructose corn syrup and more sugar than a can of Coke. Nope, it's not yogurt.
Dose any one still have a rotary phone? Better yet, remember the first "touch tone" phones. You know the ones where you would push the button and then hear the click, click,, clicking of the number dialing. Those were awesome.
When and why did conveniences become necessities? The particular one that is driving me up the wall is the leaf blower. I gave one of these modern wonders a whirl on Wednesday. It took me 15 minutes to clear a space that took me under 5 minutes with a good ole rake. Do not get me started on the fact that it cannot clear thick layers of leaves and the fact that once you get the leaves air borne the wind tends to deposit them wherever it sees fit. I did find one use. They are so loud that you cannot even hear yourself think, which as bizarre as my thoughts tend to be....
Michigan 29 Minnesota 6 Still awesome!
Home remodeling is fun again. Nora and Nigel are both old enough now that Robin and I can get in a few mostly uninterrupted hours of work. Makes a huge difference. We, and by we I me mostly she, have been fixing our front room.
Before:
Pretty wallpaper
Even better walls underneath.
After:
Give us a day or two more...we are not quite done.
Anyone know what time it is?
Yeah, you know.
Cheers!
Observations:
Michigan Won! That was not a typo. Michigan Won! They beat Minnesota today 29-6, and maintained possession of the Little Brown Jug. Click here for a little history.
I have found the answer to a question posed in a Saturday Night Live spoof commercial. In said commercial they were advertising a new food product. It was all flash, no substance and never named the food. When asked what this wonderful food was they would just answer, "It's not yogurt". Wanna know what it is? It's Gogurt. There are no live cultures, a bunch of unpronounceable items, a healthy dose of high fructose corn syrup and more sugar than a can of Coke. Nope, it's not yogurt.
Dose any one still have a rotary phone? Better yet, remember the first "touch tone" phones. You know the ones where you would push the button and then hear the click, click,, clicking of the number dialing. Those were awesome.
When and why did conveniences become necessities? The particular one that is driving me up the wall is the leaf blower. I gave one of these modern wonders a whirl on Wednesday. It took me 15 minutes to clear a space that took me under 5 minutes with a good ole rake. Do not get me started on the fact that it cannot clear thick layers of leaves and the fact that once you get the leaves air borne the wind tends to deposit them wherever it sees fit. I did find one use. They are so loud that you cannot even hear yourself think, which as bizarre as my thoughts tend to be....
Michigan 29 Minnesota 6 Still awesome!
Home remodeling is fun again. Nora and Nigel are both old enough now that Robin and I can get in a few mostly uninterrupted hours of work. Makes a huge difference. We, and by we I me mostly she, have been fixing our front room.
Before:
Pretty wallpaper
Even better walls underneath.
After:
Give us a day or two more...we are not quite done.
Anyone know what time it is?
Yeah, you know.
Cheers!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Glutton For Punishment
Apparently I enjoy pain and discomfort. I went for my afternoon run today and decided I wanted to do a little hill work. A big advantage of hill training is that it allows you to simultaneously work on aerobic, anaerobic, and muscular fitness. My upcoming race has a pretty sizable hill toward the finish and I want to be prepared for it. Also, I like the change of pace. Anyway, back to my run. When I hit these hills it was not enough for me to just maintain my pace. No, I had to pick up the pace, and I do not mean going from a gentle jog to a nice run. No, I needed to jump up to my finish the race kick. What is wrong with me. My hammys, calves and glutes are going to be killing me tomorrow. You know what the kicker in this whole ordeal was? My drawers were not cooperating. They were traveling uphill just as I was...if you get my drift. Do you have any idea how hard it is to maintain your pace and stride while trying to get your drawers to travel back downhill? Not to mention how silly you look to those around you.
Now for something completely different...
I have declared tomorrow and every subsequent Friday to be Superhero Friday. From this time forward I shall don a superhero t-shirt for work. Last Friday was the Green Lantern and tomorrow shall be Superman.
Martini time
Cheers
Now for something completely different...
I have declared tomorrow and every subsequent Friday to be Superhero Friday. From this time forward I shall don a superhero t-shirt for work. Last Friday was the Green Lantern and tomorrow shall be Superman.
Martini time
Cheers
Monday, November 3, 2008
Nora's Big Game
This past Saturday was a very big day for Nora and I. Before I get into why it was such a big day I will give a little back story for those of you who may need to be brought up to speed.
A few years ago my Dad and I began a tour of the Big Ten in an attempt to watch Michigan play in all the different stadiums. We have been to several and have really enjoyed seeing the campuses. This year we were to attend the Penn St game and the Purdue game. We made the Penn St game with Brett. That was a ton of driving in a weekend, but worth every second. Their stadium is amazing and the fans were really into the game. We were in the upper deck and when the fans started jumping the the whole structure would bounce and pulsate. It was awesome.
This past weekend Dad and I were supposed to take in the Purdue game. Unfortunately for him he came down with a horrible cold and was not able to go. Fortunately Nora was willing to step in and take his place. That's right, I got to take Nora to her first Michigan football game. She and I were all decked out in our Michigan jersey's and Michigan hats and ready for a great game. We had a nice drive over in the morning. We got there just in time to see the Purdue marching band parade into the stadium. She really enjoyed that. Once in the stadium she really enjoyed seeing all the fans there and being all caught up in the excitement. I had a great time watching her take it all in and explain various aspects of the game to her.
My favorite was on the occasion of Purdue's first punt to Michigan. I explained that Purdue did not move the ball far enough and would have to kick the ball to Michigan. Nora then said, "Oh, then our guy has to catch it and run for a touchdown, right?". I said that is the idea, but it rarely works out that way. Wouldn't you know...Michigan returned the punt for a touchdown. That touchdown put the Wolverines up 14-0. It was a very exciting start to the game. In the end Michigan did lose, but Nora and I had a great time, and that was the most important part to me.
Getting ready to go.
Here comes Purdue.
The Wolverines getting ready.
The halftime show was cool. Check out their big bass drum.
Go Blue!
A few years ago my Dad and I began a tour of the Big Ten in an attempt to watch Michigan play in all the different stadiums. We have been to several and have really enjoyed seeing the campuses. This year we were to attend the Penn St game and the Purdue game. We made the Penn St game with Brett. That was a ton of driving in a weekend, but worth every second. Their stadium is amazing and the fans were really into the game. We were in the upper deck and when the fans started jumping the the whole structure would bounce and pulsate. It was awesome.
This past weekend Dad and I were supposed to take in the Purdue game. Unfortunately for him he came down with a horrible cold and was not able to go. Fortunately Nora was willing to step in and take his place. That's right, I got to take Nora to her first Michigan football game. She and I were all decked out in our Michigan jersey's and Michigan hats and ready for a great game. We had a nice drive over in the morning. We got there just in time to see the Purdue marching band parade into the stadium. She really enjoyed that. Once in the stadium she really enjoyed seeing all the fans there and being all caught up in the excitement. I had a great time watching her take it all in and explain various aspects of the game to her.
My favorite was on the occasion of Purdue's first punt to Michigan. I explained that Purdue did not move the ball far enough and would have to kick the ball to Michigan. Nora then said, "Oh, then our guy has to catch it and run for a touchdown, right?". I said that is the idea, but it rarely works out that way. Wouldn't you know...Michigan returned the punt for a touchdown. That touchdown put the Wolverines up 14-0. It was a very exciting start to the game. In the end Michigan did lose, but Nora and I had a great time, and that was the most important part to me.
Getting ready to go.
Here comes Purdue.
The Wolverines getting ready.
The halftime show was cool. Check out their big bass drum.
Go Blue!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Birds!
Tuesday is here and I have finally recovered from the trail mix fiasco on Friday. It required two days of lunches chocked full of my mix to get me back on track, but I feel I am okay now.
With that said I have a new issue. My warehouse is no longer bird free. On Monday I was assaulted by the chirping of two swallows frolicking in the rafters. They flew around, playing happily, as I helplessly watched their antics. Have they no respect? Have they no idea the danger they face? Obviously not. Correction, one of them does.
This particular bird had the nerve to attempt buzzing the tower. It came flying down the middle of the aisle right at me at head level. I gave it the same treatment I gave the bat in my entry "I'm An Idiot", except replace the pillow with my coat. It only stunned it a bit and the bird was able to fly away. I think the message was sent. Today I did not hear or see either bird. Victory is mine! I know it is a false victory. It only means one of two things. One: The birds just did not come out into the main part of the warehouse, or B: There is a way in and out for them. However, at this moment it is all that I have.
Cheers
With that said I have a new issue. My warehouse is no longer bird free. On Monday I was assaulted by the chirping of two swallows frolicking in the rafters. They flew around, playing happily, as I helplessly watched their antics. Have they no respect? Have they no idea the danger they face? Obviously not. Correction, one of them does.
This particular bird had the nerve to attempt buzzing the tower. It came flying down the middle of the aisle right at me at head level. I gave it the same treatment I gave the bat in my entry "I'm An Idiot", except replace the pillow with my coat. It only stunned it a bit and the bird was able to fly away. I think the message was sent. Today I did not hear or see either bird. Victory is mine! I know it is a false victory. It only means one of two things. One: The birds just did not come out into the main part of the warehouse, or B: There is a way in and out for them. However, at this moment it is all that I have.
Cheers
Thursday, October 23, 2008
A Brave New World
Tomorrow is going to be a day filled with adventure and a sense of the unknown. I am heading down a path untrod in over a year. There is no telling the trials and tribulations that lie ahead, but I shall forge on bravely.
I am having lunch without my mixed nut/raisin/nutty banana chip snack. Stop laughing! This is a big deal. I have become a bit of a creature of habit and I am not sure how my body is going to handle the shock to its system. Robin told me that she hopes I make it through the day. Me too! But I can't be sure. I am many amazing things, but a soothsayer is not one of those things. In its stead I have put together a little combo of wheat thins, triscuits and raisins. A solid snack, no doubt, but I shall surely miss the sweet softness of the cashew, the rich taste of the brazil nut, the buttery flavor of the pecan, and the fresh nutty crunch of the peanut. Don't even get me started on the glories of the nutty banana chip.
Now I hope you all understand the perils I face in the great unknown that is tomorrows lunch. This is what it must have felt like for the crew of the Starship Enterprise as they prepared to boldly go where no man has gone before.
With that I say to you
Good night, but hopefully not goodbye!
Cheers
I am having lunch without my mixed nut/raisin/nutty banana chip snack. Stop laughing! This is a big deal. I have become a bit of a creature of habit and I am not sure how my body is going to handle the shock to its system. Robin told me that she hopes I make it through the day. Me too! But I can't be sure. I am many amazing things, but a soothsayer is not one of those things. In its stead I have put together a little combo of wheat thins, triscuits and raisins. A solid snack, no doubt, but I shall surely miss the sweet softness of the cashew, the rich taste of the brazil nut, the buttery flavor of the pecan, and the fresh nutty crunch of the peanut. Don't even get me started on the glories of the nutty banana chip.
Now I hope you all understand the perils I face in the great unknown that is tomorrows lunch. This is what it must have felt like for the crew of the Starship Enterprise as they prepared to boldly go where no man has gone before.
With that I say to you
Good night, but hopefully not goodbye!
Cheers
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