Thank you to Adrian for pointing out my error. Yesterday I complimented Pixar for an other fine children's movie that adults could get behind. Well it turns out Dreamworks made Monsters vs Aliens, not Pixar. When Adrian pointed that out I suddenly remembered the little guy fishing on the crescent moon (the Dreamworks logo) being abducted by an alien ship. Good save Adrian.
Cheers
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Daddy, Daughter, Son-day
Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend the day with the Nora and Nigel. Robin had some work to catch up on and a meeting at church. She is on the search committee for our new minister. Anyway, that left Nora, Nigel and I on our own on a rainy day.
So, I decided to surprise them with a movie. What better than Monsters vs. Aliens 3D! Don't tell the kids, but I wanted to see it just as much as they did. They have come a long way with the 3D technology. The first 3D movies I remember were nothing more that a publicity stunt to get you to go see a bad movie. That has changed. The images have depth and really leap off the screen. If you ask Nigel, they leap off a bit too much. The preview for Night at the Museum 2 put Nigel in my lap. The dinosaur was trying to get him! Back to Monsters vs. Aliens. The story was great and the 3D effects were brilliant. We all had a good time and really enjoyed the film. Pixar does a nice job entertaining the kids and giving the adults some humor they can get behind. All in all, we three kids had a good time!
Cheers
So, I decided to surprise them with a movie. What better than Monsters vs. Aliens 3D! Don't tell the kids, but I wanted to see it just as much as they did. They have come a long way with the 3D technology. The first 3D movies I remember were nothing more that a publicity stunt to get you to go see a bad movie. That has changed. The images have depth and really leap off the screen. If you ask Nigel, they leap off a bit too much. The preview for Night at the Museum 2 put Nigel in my lap. The dinosaur was trying to get him! Back to Monsters vs. Aliens. The story was great and the 3D effects were brilliant. We all had a good time and really enjoyed the film. Pixar does a nice job entertaining the kids and giving the adults some humor they can get behind. All in all, we three kids had a good time!
Cheers
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Mission Accomplished
As you know last year I began running. The initial goal was to get in good enough shape to be able to run and finish the Morton Pumpkin Festival 10k. While training to do that run I entered a few 5k races and had good success. At that point my competitive nature began to take hold. I continued to push myself in subsequent runs and was nearing a level that would allow me to place in my age group. With that in mind I set a goal to place in a race this year.
I plotted out the races that I planned to enter this year, and scoped out the competition. I figured out that I would have to maintain a 7:15/mile pace to be able to crack the top 3 in my age range. I have run that fast for a mile or two, but never for an entire 5k or 4 mile run.
Enter todays Eureka Run with Your Heart 4 mile run. They were giving out medals to the top 5 in each age group, so I pegged this as a golden opportunity. I lined up this morning with high hopes and an anticipated time of just under 30 minutes. Anyone have a guess as to what the guy in the picture below put up?
27:56.
I not only broke 30 minutes, but as you can clearly see I was sub 28 minutes for the 4 miles! The entire run I kept telling myself...DO NOT SLOW DOWN...YOU CAN MAINTAIN THIS...YOU WILL PLACE. At the 13 minute mark I reminded myself that I could do anything for 15 more minutes, or in this case 14:56. My time was good enough for third place in my age division and 24th overall. To say I am pleased with myself is an understatement.
I ROCK!!!
Cheers
I plotted out the races that I planned to enter this year, and scoped out the competition. I figured out that I would have to maintain a 7:15/mile pace to be able to crack the top 3 in my age range. I have run that fast for a mile or two, but never for an entire 5k or 4 mile run.
Enter todays Eureka Run with Your Heart 4 mile run. They were giving out medals to the top 5 in each age group, so I pegged this as a golden opportunity. I lined up this morning with high hopes and an anticipated time of just under 30 minutes. Anyone have a guess as to what the guy in the picture below put up?
27:56.
I not only broke 30 minutes, but as you can clearly see I was sub 28 minutes for the 4 miles! The entire run I kept telling myself...DO NOT SLOW DOWN...YOU CAN MAINTAIN THIS...YOU WILL PLACE. At the 13 minute mark I reminded myself that I could do anything for 15 more minutes, or in this case 14:56. My time was good enough for third place in my age division and 24th overall. To say I am pleased with myself is an understatement.
I ROCK!!!
Cheers
Monday, April 13, 2009
Race Season Has Begun!
This past Saturday I ran my first race of the year. It was held at the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana. They hosted a marathon, marathon relay, half marathon and 5k. Between 7-8 thousand people took place in the combined events. My friend Josh and I participated in the half marathon. What an experience! I loved every minute of it. The course was fantastic, and the community did a fabulous job getting out and supporting the runners. It was a good feeling having so many people shouting out encouragement and support as we ran down the streets.
The course was advertised to be flat and fast. I can attest to the flat bit, but am not too sure as to the fast part. Josh and I started out together and ran the first 7 or 8 miles together. Somewhere in that time frame I lost Josh. I kind of zoned out a bit and when I snapped back to reality Josh was no where to be found. So, from there on I carried on by myself just taking in the scenery and moment. At mile 10 I caught up to a old high school friend of mine who was running the full marathon. We chatted together for about half a mile until we half marathoners turned off to head to our finish. I was in for one amazing finish.
We were set to finish at the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium. That in itself sounds great, actually doing it is hard to describe. We approached the stadium and ran along the exterior of it for about .1 miles before doubling back and heading to the field entrance. We turned and ran down the tunnel and emerged on the field to the sounds of cheering fans and supporters. Once on the field we ran along the back of the end zone until we reached the sideline. From there we turned up-field, ran the length of the field to the opposite endzone, turned and ran along the back of that endzone until we reached its midpoint. At that moment we turned and ran up the middle of the field to the finish at the 50 yard line. The jumbo tron was on capturing all the runners as we crossed the line. It was incredible. When I hit the stadium I was so pumped up and excited that I could not help but sprint the rest of the way. I crossed the finish with a time of 1:56:09. Not a bad time for a first half marathon. I hope to have some pictures soon to post.
Next weekend will be my second run of the year. I am running a much more modest distance of 4 miles, but with the lofty goal of placing in my age group. To do so, I am going to have to break 30 minutes. I think I have it in me.
Cheers
The course was advertised to be flat and fast. I can attest to the flat bit, but am not too sure as to the fast part. Josh and I started out together and ran the first 7 or 8 miles together. Somewhere in that time frame I lost Josh. I kind of zoned out a bit and when I snapped back to reality Josh was no where to be found. So, from there on I carried on by myself just taking in the scenery and moment. At mile 10 I caught up to a old high school friend of mine who was running the full marathon. We chatted together for about half a mile until we half marathoners turned off to head to our finish. I was in for one amazing finish.
We were set to finish at the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium. That in itself sounds great, actually doing it is hard to describe. We approached the stadium and ran along the exterior of it for about .1 miles before doubling back and heading to the field entrance. We turned and ran down the tunnel and emerged on the field to the sounds of cheering fans and supporters. Once on the field we ran along the back of the end zone until we reached the sideline. From there we turned up-field, ran the length of the field to the opposite endzone, turned and ran along the back of that endzone until we reached its midpoint. At that moment we turned and ran up the middle of the field to the finish at the 50 yard line. The jumbo tron was on capturing all the runners as we crossed the line. It was incredible. When I hit the stadium I was so pumped up and excited that I could not help but sprint the rest of the way. I crossed the finish with a time of 1:56:09. Not a bad time for a first half marathon. I hope to have some pictures soon to post.
Next weekend will be my second run of the year. I am running a much more modest distance of 4 miles, but with the lofty goal of placing in my age group. To do so, I am going to have to break 30 minutes. I think I have it in me.
Cheers
Monday, March 30, 2009
Going, going, gone.
On April 10th we will be taking a big leap. That will be the final day we have Direct TV. No we are not replacing it with Dish Network, comcast, mediacom, or any other satellite or cable t.v. service. We are going old school (sort of) and will have only broadcast t.v. and what we can get through Netflix and the computer. Now before any of you feel too sorry for us you must realize we can get about 90% of the shows we watch from the three mentioned sources. The only difference will be not being able to watch the shows the night they air (most networks air their shows in their entirety via their website the following day) and no ESPN for me. The first issue is no issue at all as we have Tivo and rarely watch shows on the night they first air anyway. I will ease my ESPN addiction through checking scores on the internet and listening to ESPN radio.
Why are we doing this? Saving $700 a year is a pretty good reason in itself. Do you know how much beer I could brew with $700? Money, however, was not the reason. As more and more companies tell us how we "need" to have this and "need" to be connected to that we began to feel push around. So, we are pushing back. We do not need cable. We do not need a cell phone plan with unlimited minutes and texting. We do not need most of the "wants" that society has deemed to be "needs". So, we are pushing back starting with Direct TV and then in June giving Verizon Wireless the heave hoe.
There is yet another bonus to losing the satellite tv. No commercials and complete control over what the kids watch. We are very tired of the constant bombardment of material things toward the kids. All kid shows these days seem to be nothing more than filler between commercials for new toys. Nora and Nigel want 50 new things a day. Gotta stop.
The timing cannot be better. Summer and its busy schedule is quickly approaching and I cannot think of a better time to make a clean break. Stay tuned to see how it goes.
Cheers
Why are we doing this? Saving $700 a year is a pretty good reason in itself. Do you know how much beer I could brew with $700? Money, however, was not the reason. As more and more companies tell us how we "need" to have this and "need" to be connected to that we began to feel push around. So, we are pushing back. We do not need cable. We do not need a cell phone plan with unlimited minutes and texting. We do not need most of the "wants" that society has deemed to be "needs". So, we are pushing back starting with Direct TV and then in June giving Verizon Wireless the heave hoe.
There is yet another bonus to losing the satellite tv. No commercials and complete control over what the kids watch. We are very tired of the constant bombardment of material things toward the kids. All kid shows these days seem to be nothing more than filler between commercials for new toys. Nora and Nigel want 50 new things a day. Gotta stop.
The timing cannot be better. Summer and its busy schedule is quickly approaching and I cannot think of a better time to make a clean break. Stay tuned to see how it goes.
Cheers
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Whew!
It is over. As some of you may remember from last year my company must go through a yearly inspection to ensure that we are meeting all of the proper food handling requirements. I am responsible for making sure the facility and now trailers (apparently that is out of the transportation managers skill set) are free of pests, holding proper temps, doors sealed, and generally neat and clean. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get an entire warehouse ready for this type of inspection with the help of essentially one other person? Hard, but I have no choice. If I do not get a certain score we must go through this inspection again in 3mths. Not gonna happen on my watch. We, I mean I, scored a 97%...see ya next year EcoSure! Now I can get back to focusing on the more important things in life like my blog!
So, what's new you may ask? Well, I am currently in training for a 1/2 marathon on April 11th. It is being held at the U of I in Champaign/Urbana. I have added a link to the event web site if anyone is interested in checking out the course and all that is planned for the race. This is going to be my longest run to date. My friend Josh and I have been training together since late Jan early Feb. Even before we started training for this event I had been maintaining my running through the winter. Running in snow, ice, sleet and single digit temps is different. It is amazing how warm you can stay with the winter running gear they make now. That being said, I am looking forward to sun and 60's and 70's.
The following weekend we are running in a charity race here in Eureka. It is a 4 mile run to benefit the Hearthouse, a shelter for domestic abuse victims. I have run 4 miles in times good enough to place in my age division, so I am pretty excited to see what I can do in this race. My recovery from the 1/2 is going to be a big factor. Wish me luck.
Now that my inspection is over I hope to be a bit more regular on the updates.
Cheers
So, what's new you may ask? Well, I am currently in training for a 1/2 marathon on April 11th. It is being held at the U of I in Champaign/Urbana. I have added a link to the event web site if anyone is interested in checking out the course and all that is planned for the race. This is going to be my longest run to date. My friend Josh and I have been training together since late Jan early Feb. Even before we started training for this event I had been maintaining my running through the winter. Running in snow, ice, sleet and single digit temps is different. It is amazing how warm you can stay with the winter running gear they make now. That being said, I am looking forward to sun and 60's and 70's.
The following weekend we are running in a charity race here in Eureka. It is a 4 mile run to benefit the Hearthouse, a shelter for domestic abuse victims. I have run 4 miles in times good enough to place in my age division, so I am pretty excited to see what I can do in this race. My recovery from the 1/2 is going to be a big factor. Wish me luck.
Now that my inspection is over I hope to be a bit more regular on the updates.
Cheers
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Disaster
I knew this day would come, but I thought I had at least 18 more years. Nora likes boys. As you can imagine I am in a state of shock and fear. How did this come about you may ask? Well, gather 'round as I spin a tale of young love.
It was a Wednesday. Not unlike any other Wednesday, so how was I to know I was in for a life changing revelation. Work was progressing well. We are in the midst of getting ready for our annual inspection, and I was working diligently when I got a call from my Dad. He and my Mom wanted to treat us to dinner at a local restaurant...sounded great to me. Nothing works up an appetite like scrubbing, well, everything. (By the way Mom and Dad, I am ready and willing any night!) After a phone call home to Robin to check our ever changing social calender I found that we had two conflicts. One was Robin's choir practice and the other was a play date for Nora with one of her classmates, Calahan (boy name? girl name? These days who knows?) Dinner with Mom and Dad would have to wait.
Once I got home the evening went on as most Wednesday evenings do, with the exception that Nora was not home. I asked Robin about Nora's friend, Calahan, and that is when I found out when Calahan was a boy. My mind was racing. Who is this boy? Who does he think he is inviting my daughter to his home? What are his intentions? Am I freaking out WAY ahead of schedule? I stewed for the next few hours while waiting for her to come home.
Once she came home I wanted to give her the third degree, but I did not want to tip her off to my paranoia. So, instead I asked the basic questions...What did you guys do? What did you have for dinner? Did you have fun? None of the answers were out of the ordinary. My fears were beginning to subside. Then it all went horribly wrong. Nora told me that Calahan was the sweetest boy in her class. I jokingly said, "Nora's got a boyfriend". Big mistake. As they say, "Let sleeping dogs lay. If it ain't broke, don't fix it", and several other cliches. I was fully expecting her to say "ewww", or "Dad, you are silly", or "gross!" She offered none of those reassuring retorts. Instead, she giggled and smiled. GIGGLED and SMILED!
What is that? My world is in turmoil. This cannot be happening. Boys have cooties until at least age 25. How am I to handle this startling revelation? Well, like many great men before me, I pretended nothing happened at all. Let me repeat...Nothing happened at all!
I am off.
Cheers
It was a Wednesday. Not unlike any other Wednesday, so how was I to know I was in for a life changing revelation. Work was progressing well. We are in the midst of getting ready for our annual inspection, and I was working diligently when I got a call from my Dad. He and my Mom wanted to treat us to dinner at a local restaurant...sounded great to me. Nothing works up an appetite like scrubbing, well, everything. (By the way Mom and Dad, I am ready and willing any night!) After a phone call home to Robin to check our ever changing social calender I found that we had two conflicts. One was Robin's choir practice and the other was a play date for Nora with one of her classmates, Calahan (boy name? girl name? These days who knows?) Dinner with Mom and Dad would have to wait.
Once I got home the evening went on as most Wednesday evenings do, with the exception that Nora was not home. I asked Robin about Nora's friend, Calahan, and that is when I found out when Calahan was a boy. My mind was racing. Who is this boy? Who does he think he is inviting my daughter to his home? What are his intentions? Am I freaking out WAY ahead of schedule? I stewed for the next few hours while waiting for her to come home.
Once she came home I wanted to give her the third degree, but I did not want to tip her off to my paranoia. So, instead I asked the basic questions...What did you guys do? What did you have for dinner? Did you have fun? None of the answers were out of the ordinary. My fears were beginning to subside. Then it all went horribly wrong. Nora told me that Calahan was the sweetest boy in her class. I jokingly said, "Nora's got a boyfriend". Big mistake. As they say, "Let sleeping dogs lay. If it ain't broke, don't fix it", and several other cliches. I was fully expecting her to say "ewww", or "Dad, you are silly", or "gross!" She offered none of those reassuring retorts. Instead, she giggled and smiled. GIGGLED and SMILED!
What is that? My world is in turmoil. This cannot be happening. Boys have cooties until at least age 25. How am I to handle this startling revelation? Well, like many great men before me, I pretended nothing happened at all. Let me repeat...Nothing happened at all!
I am off.
Cheers
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