NYED, Great Fun

We had great fun out at Croom today for the 10th annual NYED run.

Becky, Steve, Davo, Woody, Maureen, Dan, and I answered the call. Elaine and LunaLou were out there too, but you know the Luna Chicks, they were doing their own thing.

The run was fun for 13 miles, but the last three, well, they got to me. I am gonna work through it because already I see progress. My 12 milers have been hard, and this didn't get too hard till one mile longer than that, and I'm out of shape. Soon I'll be able to run Croom Mountain! Then on to Cali for a shot a Western States, woo who!

AndyMan

NYED Run

For the last 8 - 9 years the Beckster has headed up this New Years' Eve Day Run up at Croom, it's really quite the way to end the old year. One year we even had an official Marathon up there on that day, but then our good friend E put the Kibosh on that by having her Luna Chick race on the same day for a couple of year in a row and Becky sorta kept the tradition alive solo. Well, I made E promise not to have her race on NYED this year so we could revive this run.

Don't know how many are coming out, but I can't wait. I have more than my share of demons to exorcise (or is that exercise, I guess that depends on who comes out :)

I can say goodbye to: Foot injuries

Goodbye to: Failed Slams

Goodbye to: Burning Western Woods!

Goodbye to: Leadville, yuck!

Goodbye to: Doubt

Goodbye to: Regret

While I'm saying Goodbye I can say Hello to: Balance. I do plan to keep ultra-running a part of my life, without making it my life, ever again!

I can say hello to: Acceptance. This is what is, now deal with big boy!

I can say hello to: Appreciation. Roof over head, Food on table, Daughter (they don't come any better!), Friends (hubba, hubba!), Health, thanks, God!

Yep, I'm looking forward to the NYED run, hope to see a few of you there, we start at 7:30!

AndyMan

oops, I forgot about revenge against my enemies again!

Chase and Andy, Outside Looking In!

When you look at and vote in my Super Bowl Poll you won't see AndyMan's Buccaroos in there. Nope the team that was once 9-3 and the #2 seed in the NFC lost their last 4 to finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs.

Chase's home squad the Denver Horsies had to put down after they blew a 3 game lead with 3 games to go and were ousted by the 8-8 Chargers. Yoikes. Chase's real team the Pats are in the poll, but I wouldn't vote for them because they didn't make the playoff's, but Bellichick is such a hot coach he still has a better chance of winning the Superbowl then the Fins, the Ravens, the Chargers, the Cardinals or the Vikes, none of whom made the poll. I mean the Pats finished 11-5 with me at quarterback. They were only the 2nd 11 win team to ever miss the playoffs.

So vote in the poll if you like, I'm voting for the Panthers, though the way the Bucs folded down the stretch (like a K-Mart lawnchair), that Monday night win isn't as impressive as I thought at the time, they've got a good mix of defense and effective running, this seems to help in the playoffs. Yes their quarterback is nothing special, but here's a list of nothing special quarterbacks that have won a Superbowl: Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer, Mark Ripen, Joe Bag of Doughnuts, Doug Williams.

And for the rest of us, better luck next year!

Now I can Say it...

Merry Christmas to everyone.

I'm such a lucky guy. My ex's stepfather (does that make him my ex-stepfather-inlaw, once removed, I'm really not sure) sent me a couple of photos from Christmas night (post movies).

Here's my favorite:

You know, Nancy and Her husband Jeff aren't required to be so darn nice to me, but I sure am glad they are.

It would be nice to have money, but money can't buy the wonderful things that I have. When I ever I complain I should just punch myself right in the head!

Santa's Done

Well, Santa's done and gone, maybe really gone. He got waxed in my pole. Maybe it was the warm weather that done him in. Maybe it was that stinker Fred Clause. Maybe it's just time for me to grow up.

Time to grow up, oh, that'll be fun, thanks a lot Mr & Ms Grinch USA 2008! Anybody want to go ahead and tell me that there is no such thing as true love too. Yeah, that's what I thought.

Celbrating the Christmas Movies

Yes, it was definitely Chase hell, but not for a LOT of people.

I'm 47 years old. I've been to a few movies. I sat in the balcony at the Tampa Theatre and watched as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang flew straight at me at that movie's opening. I was there when 4 movies meant a megaplex (though that word hadn't been invented yet.) I remember going to the movies for half a buck.

I saw Smokey the Bandit 1 and 2 open (yeah #3, even though it was in 3-D didn't catch my interest as Burt Reynolds skipped it, may he RIP, but Jerry Reed as the Bandit?)

Any way, I've been to some movies. You'd think I'd know a thing or twelve about the movies and I do, I know when to buy and how to use the all-day pass, I know you don't even have to smuggle in water, all you need is a water bottle, but I didn't know that there are a lot of losers who spend all day at the movies on Christmas.

In my 47 years I have never been to a theatre that was as crowded all day long as the theatre was yesterday, and I can speak on this because I was there from 11 - 7. Er, wow, that's 8 hours at the movies, of course I think 1/2 of that was at the Curious Case of Benjamin Button (in the movie the character aged in reverse, I wasn't that lucky, I left that movie much older, hello, do they still edit movies? If you can't say it 3 hours, maybe a rewrite is in order?)

It was wild, every movie was crowded, there were lines to get in. Curiously, the longest lines were to see Sean Penn in Milk. I didn't think that would be a big draw, particularly in a state that overwhelming voting against giving gays any basic rights. Perhaps this movie should have come out of the closet before the November elections where Florida's amendment 2 got stomped like a Nark at a Biker Rally (l love that line.)

So it was crowded which I quickly found out meant I had a choice; either be at my movie before the ticket start time and catch all of those annoying commercials and previews or sit up front.

I was a little late for the start of Doubt, so I slid in to the second row, and couldn't handle it. I remember sitting up front as fun when I was a kid, as an adult it meant motion sickness. I had to slide out of that and into Adam Sandler's Bedtime Stories. It was a typical Adam Sandlar movie, stupid, but not in a funny way. I imagine it was ok if you are 10. But if you are 10 you aren't reading this so let me save you some time, he gets the job, knocks out the bad guy, saves the school and gets the girl. Just saved you 90 minutes.

Of course switching from Doubt meant I was off-schedule and ultimately I would only get to 3 movies, but hey, life moves pretty fast when you are at the megaplex and you have to be able to adapt. Which I did.

Next was Frost/Nixon. It was slow, it was historical, I really liked it. Go figure they portrayed Nixon as less than honest. But I certainly learned a thing or three and for a history teacher that's not a bad thing.

The last movie was the ever-long Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It was ok. It would have been good as a two-hour movie.

There you have it. It was 7:15 on Christmas Day 2008 before I even saw a person I knew. The first person I said Merry Christmas to was Jon Snader. A nice guy, he's someone my ex-wife used to do aerobics with. This is not how I ever pictured Christmas going. But, then I had a nice if not entirely "comfortable" meal with Ali's family. I made a quick side trip on the way home to drop off a couple of gifts and I was back in time to watch the Santa Clause triple feature (I, II, and III, the Escape Clause.)

Chase's Hell is My Christmas`

Ok, it's 80 degrees here today, not a snowball in sight.

Oh, it's a White Christmas for me though, I'm going to Sarasota (old people do NOT live in Sarasota, but their parents do!) so I'll see plenty of white (and a few shades of Blue) in the hair of the residents.

Ok, there's two reasons why it's Chase Hell

Now Reasons 3-6, I'm off to the movies (Chase HATES the movie theatre, and doesn't really like movies much, except Cloverfield, and that wasn't so much a movie as it was a silly joke played by a dude with a camera, I went and saw that one and the producer actually sent me a note that simply said, "Gotcha!"). Why is that 4 reasons? I'm buying the all day pass!

Here's the line-up:
11:10: Doubt- Meryl Streep as a nun that runs the catholic school system in New York, Phillip Seymour Hoffman is a popular priest that Streep thinks may have Father Doyled (screwed) some young person. Chase went to Catholic school and the only boobs we are likely to see are the MOOBS of Hoffman, strikes one-two-and and emphatic-THREE, for Chase.
1:10- Frost/Nixon. Got great reviews, but as Chase was a small boy and there are not likely to be boobs in this, I can't imagine Chase'd like it.3:30- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Brad Pitt lives his life backwards, he starts as an old man and dies as a child. Doesn't intrigue me so much, but the timing is right and there is a chance of seeing boobs.
5:30- Either Bedtime Stories w/Adam Sandler or 4 Christmases with Vince Vaugh and that actress that killed somebody with her knife, that Reese...... come on you know her that Reese... Jeez, I can't believe that I can't think of it, it's Reese...... ...what is it...... No I already told you WITH A KNIFE! Get it, you were yelling at the computer Witherspoon (With Her Spoon) and I said up there she did it, with her knife (Make clever joke reason #7 for Chase's Christmas Hell!) With her knife, Gawd, but that's funny!










I know what you are thinking why am I quitting at 4 movies (I mean the pass is good for all day) well, from there I guess I cruise by Ali's house and do a little bit of Christmas. Ali's mom and step dad are great people, but I'll only be able to handle a little. Even though it used to be my house, I don't belong. I guess there's only place I belong this Christmas that's with Sean Penn, and Will Smith (oh Christ, there are two more I should have worked in! Well there's always New Years Eve.......)

Oh Poor Santa

Santa I never thought it would come to this.

You're taking an arse-kicking! So few believe, so few believe. We can believe in Trickle down economics, we can believe in Dick Trickle, we can even believe in those furry tribbles from Star Trek, but people just don't believe.

Ali and I believe. Michelle believes. A whole band of elves believe. There is a group in North Carolina even training to become elves on Elf School Road (The Elf School Inn & Restaurant ( http://www.welcometonc.com/programs/relay.cfm?site=http://www.elfschoolinn.com )
Phone:
828-389-2000
Address:
982 Elf School RoadHayesville, NC 28904 .) But as for Bloggers, they don't believe.

Come on, get in there and use your last few hours of voting time to put Santa back in the North Pole, because if we all quit believing he goes bye-bye. Nooooooooooooo!

Is it hello or goodbye? You decide.

The Long Walk Back

No one to blame
that I'm so lame
I can't get into the game
I don't even know if it's a shame

Western States
Maybe
Western States
Maybe Not

Ran today with me (I'd say with Davo, but that was for like 8 seconds)
Run was much better than last Wednesday but not good enough to make me want to do it again. What I need is a good run with Star or Maybe the good Doctor. Better than all of that would be a hike with that someone special. Now that would be fun. Bring a picnic lunch, ahh, I think I could do that. But that doesn't do crap to decide about Western States.

Wait, it's decided, I'm doing States. The indecision, it just stopped, did you see that? Well, of course you didn't, only I could physically see it. Ok, Croom alone tomorrow unless anyone wants to go.

Best Christamas Song Ever!

Ok, some of you scrooges don't even believe in Santa Clause, well, whatever, I think we all believe in Christmas Songs.

Here's one of my favs:How about you, got a favorite Christams song.

Send it to me. Now......... I'm going for a run!

The Run Around

Hey, I haven't been around running, but at least I have been running around!

Saturday, wicked Vertigo.

Sunday, geez, bro's in town with three teenage boys. Kinda hard to negotiate the whole running thing. Plus I've just gotten lazy, used to sleeping in. But hey, at least my car made it up to Croom this weekend as Jon took advantage of my absence and took the Honda Fit joy riding. I did get to see my Fit briefly when it showed up, at Jon't direction, at Davo's Birthday party on Saturday night. I was lucky enough to catch a ride with a lady with a big heart, great looks, and apparently lousy eyesight. My friend, and excellent race director, Jim Hartnett says, "It's a good thing to overachieve in the Romance department." I know he did! And he's right. Hey, you know I'm about as average as they come, and this one, well, not like I'm overachieving too much, but she's the reason that cavemen chiseled on walls. And she's a great designated driver!

But today there was walking at the Mall, my favorite, I love the Mall (like a duck loves a June Bug that is, I see it and I want to destroy it. My great friend Steve Davis and I often used to talk about what store and department would go in first if we had 1/2 hour, a baseball bat and immunity. He was going for crystal and china, it was TV's all the way for me.) Regardless, mall walking is good exercise. Tomorrow will be even more exercise, I'm taking Ali-Cat to the most magical place on earth, well, EPCOT anyway. Last time I went to EPCOT, I'm pretty sure I was running the Disney Marathon, this won't be that much exercise, but it'll be enough.


so, it'll be at least Tuesday before I can run, then I have to make it part of my routine again, jeez, I don't want to lay an egg at Western States. Really want some type of a buckle, Sliver is probably out of reach, but hey, I've already got one of those anyway. Bronze could be cool.

Ok, you are updated. See yall later. Out

Verti-No-Go

Jimmy Stewart (I think it was him, mighta been Cary Grant) climbing that tower, and then, he's so dizzy his head is spinning.

AndyMan putting on his shoes this morning, and BAM, vertigo hits me like a ton of bacon fat. I tumble onto the bed and watch this Spin-Spin. I've had Vertigo before, I know what happens next. First we get the spinning, then the profuse sweating, then the nausea. In short, no run for me today.

Well Damn. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn. Already got dressed, packed a bag, taped my feet with this really damn expensive tape that the Doctor made me buy. Got my new shoes, and these are kicks, they aint no hotboxers! But, even though the Vertigo rarely lasts more than an hour and I can have Jon drive, not a good idea to go up and get dizzy while in the middle of the woods. Plus when it hits, I can't walk and it's hard to even crawl, just gotta lay on my back and wait. So, I loaned Jon my car to get up there, aw, he'd do it for me (course, most of you have seen his car, you hit something with it and the value of the car actually increases!)

Oh, well, reckon I'll have to rendezvous with Star tomorrow for sure now.

Damn you Alfred Hitchcock, why'd you have to go and invent this crap anyway?

And one more thing, vote in the Santa poll will you. I know you don't all believe, but I site as evidence Santa's appearances in Miracle on 34th Street, The Santa Clause (I and II) and don't forget the most excellent Elf. Say I believe, say I believe, say I do believe!

All I want for Christmas Is...

All for Christmas is.... A Really good pair of running shoes... BAM! My good buddy and awesome race director, Jim Hartnett, sends a coupon for a free pair of Vasque shoes because I like helping him at races.

Now, all I want for Christmas is..... for Ali to do well and enjoy school.... BAM! Kid's got straight A's. On her semester exams, low score was a 92, and two 100's! Wow. I'm taking her for whatever she wants!

Now, all I want for Christmas is.... well, I'm keeping that one to myself, but lets just say that one is covered better than ever! How I got sew lucky eye dew knot no!

Guys, I guess I just want you all to have a Merry Holiday Season. That's what I want...

Oh, and revenge against my enemies, I always leave that one out, Santa is it too late? You fill in the blank: All I want for Christmas is ______________________!

Staying on the Porch

In Alabama we used to say, "If you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch!"

Well, I can't, but I won't! I have been having a whale of time running with Star. We did 12 miles at Croom, she waited on me, and didn't make me feel like a slug. So, I tried maybe 4.5 with Davo today and well..... I can't run with the big dogs.

Really, for the first time in forever, I understood why people don't run. It was hard. It was almost like I couldn't do it. But, this is important, I kept trying. Even though Davo was jogging and I was throwing everything I had into it, I couldn't keep up. Jeez, but I was embarrassed.

I kid you not, I wanted to just quit. I didn't even want to try, but I got through it. And next time I'll be better, and my foot didn't hurt. And I may never be able to effortlessly run again, but darn it, I've signed up for Western States (again) and somehow I've got to get from -Z to A to +Z. Stay tuned.....

Oh Yeah, It is and I'm Not!!

Wooo Who! I have the Net at the home!

It's working and I'm not. I'm on break, other than a few protecting and grading assignments , I'm done until Jan. 05, 2008.

Sometimes, I just love being in education!

Play or Playground?

Ok, I have a choice for tomorrow.

I can either:

A- Go up to Croom for opening of the running season.

B- Go to inner city Tampa with members of my Key Club and help build a play ground.

Let's vote and comment shall we.

Welcome back Chase, Love you man!

Up and Runnin' (Sort of!)

Ran on Wednesday. 4 miles, had to keep checking behind me to see if I was dragging a refrigerator. Nope it was all me.

Ran twice on Friday. 2 miles with SuperDave and then 1:06 with Davo. Felt a little better was only dragging a truck tire behind my behind.

Ran for 70 Minutes with Star on Sunday. Felt much better still, was only dragging a car tire behind by behind.

Foot held up like the Bucs defense (very well) even as I ran like the Bucs offense (very poorly)

Other better stuff is happening besides running though, the kind of good stuff that makes running seems more like a good way to exercise rather than the only reason to live! More on both later.