Das Mixture

Home Free

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Our house...in the middle of our street!

Over the last couple of days we have wandered multiple times through our house (under construction) and the experience has made us feel much better. This past Saturday we flew Jaclyn's parents out from Florida for a pre-drywall inspection. Both have built a house from the ground up and Jaclyn's Dad used to be in construction, so who better to get advice from.

The good news is we came out of the tour with Jaclyn's parents with a short list of questions and a lot of confidence in our builder.

^ Stanley inspects the electrical work

^ This looks like it will be a good place for a "cat" nap

On Tuesday we met with our builder for the official walk through and he is taking care of every issue on the list (and then some). We also found out they are nearly a month ahead of schedule. Can I get a "woo hoo" out there!

Challenge

This week I am taking a break from the One Hundred Push Up Challenge. On Monday I did do a test and managed to crank out 50 push ups. That's an increase of five from the last time I took the test. Still, this dang challenge is going to take months. Heck, I may be running a marathon before I reach 100 push ups in one go round.

Surgery

Tomorrow is surgery day for the knee. All I have to say is that this better work.

Last Night's Beer: Sierra Nevada Anniversary

Listening to: Rolling - Soul Coughing

Greatest Ever

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Best. Ever.

Thanks to the media and a never ending load of hyperbole, I imagine we'll have the next "Greatest Athlete Ever" in less than a year. For now, the fawning over Michael Phelps has shifted into overkill and my post here may have already jumped the shark.

Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer of this and any previous time. From a medal standpoint, he is easily the greatest Olympian of all time. From an athletic standpoint, the average Joe or Jane can run 100 yards at a (relatively speaking) fast pace, but only a small percentage of Joe's and Jane's can swim 100 yards at any pace, therefore when he does what he does, and he does it well, it's not so easy as running around the block.

All that being said, I am not ready to crown Michael Phelps, or anyone else for the matter, as the greatest athlete ever. It's just too hard to compare apples to oranges. But, I am still awed by what he has done and will never lose site of that. Others have. I am increasingly reading about folks that try to dull his achievement by trying to make the point there are better athletes out there.

For example, in the 1980 Winter Olympics, Eric Heiden won all five speedskating events. One could argue that Heiden's accomplishment was tougher because he won at short, middle and long distances (500M, 1000M 1500M, 5000M, 10000M) and all his medals were indivdual. Conversely, Phelps did not swim any of the distance races and several of his golds were team, not individual efforts. On the other hand, Phelps swam in several different swimming disciplines and each has unique body motions and breathing techniques. Both men dominated their sport and are great athletes, but how does one compare the physical requirements of skating five different skating events versus five different swimming events (and three relays). Can't do it.

Sam Thompson ran 51 marathons in 50 days and Dean Karnazes did 50 marathons in 50 days (to much more fanfare). If that is not an unbelievable athletic achievement, I am not sure what is. However, the accomplishments of Thompson/Karnazes and Phelps share nothing in common other than their greatness. How can you compare them? You cannot. (Uh yeah, did anyone think I would not use a running reference...)

Bo Jackson played not one, but two sports at the Major League/Professional Level. Jackson was an All-Star in both the NFL (Football) and MLB (Baseball). Bo also considered joining the US Olympic team as a sprinter, but ultimately decided to focus on professional sports. The argument would obviously be that the better athlete is the one who competed in two sports, but again what exactly are we comparing? Should Michael Phelps take up water polo or perhaps go run a marathon like Lance Armstrong did?

Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer ever. Nobody has dominated swimming like Michael Phelps has. His Olympic glory is monumental and may never (EVER) be topped. Can we leave it at that and just relish the accomplishment?

For other opinions check out Sarah and June (login requried).

Listening to: Long Way Home - Supertramp

Sweat, Baby Sweat

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Feels so good!

Slow Fade

I broke in a new running hat this morning.

(Pause for effect)

That's right, a new running hat. And it felt great. G-R-E-A-T = great (that's right, here at the Mixture, spelling is not optional).

My doctor said it wouldn't hurt to run a mile. So I ran a mile...three times. Something I needed to do with the pending knee surgery, just to be sure. I wore a knee brace and that definitely helped.

My Garmin is packed away somewhere, hence there are no splits. But I can tell you that a surprising 30:04 was the order of the day. I wasn't pushing it at all, so I can only assume that this is good news since it has been over seven months since my last official run and who knows how many months since I last did any cardio.

I believe cardio will be the issue when I am finally allowed to come back and train. I was definitely fading during the last mile. But enough randomness, here is my first official run report in nearly eight months.

It is amazing how naturally the routine comes back. Up before 4:30 AM in the morning; nervousness mixed with excitement. The usual stretches; the usual banana; the usual application of the Sport Shield for those special places.

The only thing different was the drive to Memorial Park because we are now in a different location. Also, the 50 minute drive is only a 25 minute drive. Nice. Once I arrived at the park a liberal application of Bio-Freeze on the knee was in order and with a big ol' moon watching on the down low, I was running. Finally, I was running.

The first half mile or so was done with trepidation. Feeling things out and paying close attention to the knee. At about three quarters of a mile I started seeing familiar faces (Tammy, Alaina, Ruthie, Gaye, Dave and a host of others) and began hearing my name during a series of "Good Mornings."

How good it was to hear my name around the park. I was one joyous runner as I settled in for Mile Two. Since this is Houston I was freestyling through the humidity early on. But it felt good to be soaked from head to toe. I did not mind. I did not mind in the least.

As lightning danced in the distant sky, I waved goodbye to Mile Two and pushed into Mile Three. I also began to feel some twinges of pain. Some was definitely from the knee, but there were also plenty of muscles that have been dormant for so long starting to complain. I really did not care.

I was also starting to fade and I started thinking, "I have got to do 26 of these in January - yipe!" With under a half mile to go I was sucking humidity, but still had a smile on my face. It was good to be back, if only for a moment.

As finished the run I looked down at my watch - how long has it been since I have worn a watch (I wondered to myself) - and saw that I recorded the aforementioned 30:04. I'll take that with a grin. The pain in the knee is definitely there. More so when I stopped running and took off the brace. But it is bearable for the time being.

It will be another month and a half before I can run again, but I fully savored the salty taste of this one and I hope it gets me through the next phase of rehab and therapy after this Thursday's surgery.

Peace, y'all!

Listening to: Brass In Pocket - The Pretenders

Medals

Opening Line

Does the immediate future scare you?

Medal Me This

Jaclyn and I were walking through our still to be completed house a week or so ago and she mentioned that a particular wall would be a good place to hang our medals from the different running events we have participated in. She was a little surprised that I was non-committal and even mentioned I might not hang them up at all.

It's not to say that I am not proud of the medals I have earned. In fact, I am still amazed at my haul in 2006, which consisted of 8 marathons and 5 half marathons (plus a couple 10Ks and a 25K). It's just that right now, the medals don't mean all that much because all I really want to do is run.

Just run. I don't care how fast; or more likely how slow. I don't care about the elements. In fact, the worse the better because then I'll really feel it. Wind in my hair; sweat on my brow; just run.

Next Thursday is the operation on my knee. This is supposed to be another step toward running again, but sometimes I wonder.

Challenge

I closed out Level 4 (Advanced version) of the One Hundred Push Up Challenge today. A rather subdued morning in which I turned in sets of 30-22-22-20-31. Just a few bonus push ups this day. Since I will not know my status next week (see "Knee Operation" above) I'll likely do a test and then something else. Then again, perhaps I'll just take the week off.

Last Night's Beer: Sierra Nevada Anniversary

Listening to: Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry

Stank

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Hack, hack, nasty furball. Yeah, thanks kitty.

Rent-a-Stanker

About 30 minutes after driving away from the Hertz counter the Lysol wore off to reveal a musty stank in the vehicle that was more irritating than noxious. Still, I would have thought better of Hertz. Someone along the line forgot that they were serving the customer and did a half-assed job of cleaning the obviously stained carpet.

Cleaning up after disrespectful or uncaring customers is likely a thankless job. But it's a good bet that advancement is not on your horizon if your work ethic is no better than the hose bag customer turning the car in.

There will be words between me and Hertz.

Challenge

A pedestrian session of push ups this morning. Sets of 27-21-21-18-31 on a day I could have probably pushed a little harder. And although there were six bonus push ups during the final set it was not indicative of what I could have done.

Last Night's Beer: Redhook Sunrye

Listening to: Hooked on a Felling - Blue Suede (Taking a trip on the way back bus) 

Victory

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French fried!

Mens 400M Freestyle Relay

Challenge

Mind over matter - mind over matter - mind over matter. Once again I rolled out of bed on a Monday morning seeking a victory over what has easily become my nemisis during the One Hundred Push Up Challenge.

Day One of Level Four (Advanced) with the 60 second break between sets. For the last several weeks, "failure" was my middle name. Not this Monday however. 27-20-20-17-27. No, I did not bust through the wall. But just like in swimming, I touched it; and touching it was enough.

The last ten were the hardest. I believe my downfall may be when I start doing singles, so this day, as I started to slow down, I made it a point to keep it to a minimum of two at a time. Two down, four down, six down; four to go; arms like rubber; shaking on the press. Four to go; struggling to press up; two more down; failure is not an option with only two push ups remaining. Press and grunt; one push up left; keep up the momentum. Just press up once more and finally collapse.

Last Night's Beer - St. Arnold Elissa

Listening to: Change of Heart - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Sunrise Over Shadow Creek Ranch

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All that and a pile of bricks.

I normally wouldn't post on such a slow news day, however the spousal unit is in Tampa, FL for several days and a quick house update with pictures will keep her happy!

 

^ We begin with Stanley holding court on what will be a plant ledge (Faux Plant Ledge, otherwise that's just another one of God's Creations I will inadvertantly kill).

^  We have a roof!

^ Another roof top shot. In the foreground you can see pallets of bricks. That will be the next step.

The ducting for the A/C is also in. The cat hair air in our new home will be well circulated as there are multiple returns throughout the house. Obviously the brick will be going up soon and the electrician should be out next week as well.

Finally, we have our pre-drywall  meeting on the 19th.

Last Night's Beer - Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Listening to: Out Here All Night - Damone

Slam Hound

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I know at least 2700 unknown facts.

Posse

Long time and faithful readers may remember that several months ago I considered getting my own posse. May I introduce you to the Hong Kong Cavaliers (anyone who can identify that reference without the use of your favorite search engine or using the link has my utmost respect).

When in the presence of the Hong Kong Cavaliers you may refer to me as DJ Jam Master Jamoosh - yo. Anyone failing to greet me accordingly will be dealt with in a swift manner by multiple posse members.

I will not show up in public with my posse, although I am sure there will be special appearances. However they will, of course, be unannounced for crowd control purposes. Hint: If there is ever a Du Jour reuion tour, we're there!

If anyone has any advice on the feeding and care of a posse, please let me know.

Bimbocity of the Highest Level

Yesterday evening I wandered across the street to a bar to enjoy a couple (four) beers. For several minutes I was treated to what can only be described as an interesting conversation between the bartendress and a young blonde. Based on their familiarity with each other, I would guess the blonde is a regular.

Here is a sampling of statements, courtesy of the blonde:

• I know I had sex last night, but I can't remember if it was with my boyfriend.
• Did I have jello shots last night? Do you even serve them here?
• Give me a dirty martini; real dirty..and a shot. I need to get my drunk on before I go to a wedding.

Ten minutes later she was gone.

I have no earthly idea how to sum up this experience.

Last Night's Beer: St. Arnold Amber

Listening to: The Shyest Time - The Apartments

120 Second Interval

Opening Line

Put a fork in me...

Challenge

Rather than do the routine specified by the one hundred push up calendar this morning, I opted to switch things up a little. I incorporated a test into Set #1 to gauge how far I have come. Therefore the sets looked like this: 45-22-22-20-27. The 120 second break surely makes a difference (pushizzle baby, pushizzle).

What we can see from this is that I have quite a ways to go to get from 45 to 100 push ups over a single set. The good news is that although I was technically short by two push ups in the last set, overall I had 13 bonus push ups. Not bad on a day where I was fervently searching for a good reason to forego push ups altogether (Is that my wrist clicking? No dude, that's your skull).

Olympics

Certainly there are some great stories already coming out of the Olympics, which officially get underway today. I will definitely watch a few hours here and there, but I am finding that my excitement level is middling at best. Perhaps it has to do with the numerous athletes (even entire teams) who have already withdrawn because of positive steroid tests. Perhaps it is because the term amateur no longer applies to all but a few contestants from countries that do not have any formal training programs. Perhaps it is because NBC and their brotherhood of stations will likely show kayaking at 3:00 AM on a channel I do not receive.

Regardless of the reason, like many others, I will still watch. Heck, NBC has to pay the bills right?

Going Big

Last night I reached deep into the Beer Fridge and pulled out an Ommegang Abbey Ale. Ladies and gentlemen, I plead with you, do not try this at home. I am a highly trained professional and possess divine skills at taming the large beers.

This Belgian Dubbel pours a reddish-brown and imparts an earthy bouquet. A big malty taste is underlined by a hint of spice and a warming finish.

This brew is not for the faint of heart - Oh yeah!

Last Night's Beer: Ommegang Abbey Ale

Listening to: House of Fun - Madness

Back of the Pack

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It's not about where you finish; it's how you finish. And listen to me my fellow runners, I want to look mahvelous!

Well, perhaps not. However, it is true that I will never win a marathon or half marathon. And the likelihood of me winning my age group in either event is zero to none. Therefore, for a mortal such as me, gun time has no meaning what so ever, unless the race is, for some unfathomable reason, not electronically timed (um hello, 21st century).

With no worries about gun time, I can pretty much start a race anywhere I want (with the exception being those races that have corrals and I will get to that in a minute).

Like some other runners I know, I have a fear of going out much too fast. I have done this in the distant past and I have paid the price. Everybody knows there is a lot of emotion at the beginning of a race. It is not too much to admit that we often get caught up in the moment and run a little too freely; striving to pass the obviously slower runners and running to keep up with runners that may likely be faster than we are. If we do not reel ourselves in quickly, it can spell disaster in the later miles of a race; especially a marathon.

One strategy I like to employ to keep me honest (so to speak) is to start at the back of the pack.

Disclaimer #1: This is not advisable for larger races. Especially those that employ corrals at the starting line. When a race employs corrals it usually means congestion ahead and starting toward the rear will only exacerbate the situation and raise your levels of frustration.

Disclaimer #2: This strategy may not be available for very small races. I once ran a half marathon where 43 people lined up at the starting line. When you are only two deep, there is not much of a pack, front or back.

For other races, the back of the pack strategy may not just be an option, it may be your own best friend. In fact, I busted my half marathon PR by five minutes starting at the back of the pack last year in Houston.

Why does the back of the pack strategy work for me? For several reasons. First, I do not mind going out slowly. Couple that with the fact that I will not zig and zag through a crowd for position makes for a very copacetic start, which also serves as a good warm up. This is a mindset by the way. You have to be patient; you have to be confident in your overall ability; and you have to believe that what you are not using up now will be available later.

If you have chosen the race to deploy this strategy well, you will notice that things start spreading out and opening up anywhere between one and three miles in. By this time I am normally warmed and can put the race on cruise control - meaning I should have no problems running my targeted pace.

I am by no means fast, but I do have a few running buddies who are slower than I. Therefore a nice advantage of starting at the back is there is a very good chance I will get to spend a moment or two with some of my running friends as I catch them. A quick hello or brief chat with a familiar face during a race is always a good thing and can be motivating for one or both of the runners.

A small digression, if only a slight one. The easy does it routine during the early stage of a race definitely plays into a strategy of consistency. I sincerely believe that the additional warm-up period of a couple race miles helps. My marathon PR at Eugene can, in part, be attributed to going with the flow during the first few miles. In fact, there was enough left in the tank, along with some motivation, to enable me to run my fastest mile of the marathon during Mile 26. Hooyah!

I freely admit that starting toward the back is not for everyone. Some folks cannot help but be impatient at the start of a race. Others are so time conscious that a slower mile or two provides only increasing frustration. Finally, we all have a strategy we believe in and back of the pack beginnings isn't for everyone.

Last Night's Beer: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Listening to: The Bad Touch - The Boodhound Gang

90 Second Interval

Opening Line

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Could it be that Paris Hilton is spending more time on the issues than McCain and Obama?

Challenge

What a difference 30 seconds makes. With a "Challenge Approved" 90 seconds rest between sets, I was able to complete the requirements for Day 2/Level 4 of the One Hundred Push Up Challenge. Sets of 27-21-21-18-28 gave me 115 for the morning. That is three bonus push ups for those in the calculator set.

Catching Up With Comments

Responding to a few comments left recently:

To Barbara's comment on plumbing: The Zurn product has been featured on several Home Shows on both Discovery and HGTV and is not corrosive like other plumbing materials.

Jess made a comment about me listening to Bell Biv Devoe. I am not sure if she was in awe over the fact that I am so cool I would listen to BBD or if she was surpised I would be listening to BBD. I will assume the coolness factor on this one.

Back in July, Tiggs and Karen both claimed they could survive on ice cream. Fellow runners, may I direct your attention to the back corral which houses the BOOTY twins, sporting more "back" than a pregnant cow. As you can see, their attempts at stretching are mostly comical and rather sad...

Vanilla (shamelessly linking) was among several who commented on Jessica Alba. But is she the hottest Jessica? Stay tuned for -Quien es mas Caliente- coming in September. For you more "experienced" readers, before you ponder aloud, I will admit I am stealing this bit directly from Saturday Night Live, which featured Bill Murray as a game show host asking contestants, "Quien es mas macho: Ricardo Montalban o Fernando Lamas?" That's right folks, Jamoosh is kickin' it old school!

Last Night's Beer - Anchor Bock

Listening to: Mirror in the Bathroom - The English Beat

Embrace!

Opening Line

The fountain of youth is right outside your front door.

Like Jess, Carolyn, etc., many bloggers who also double as runners have been mentioning the humidity quite a bit lately. In fact, runners are commenting they would rather run in the cold and the snow instead of the humidity.

Poor, uneducated souls. Humidity is your friend. You must embrace the humidity for humidity is good to you. Sure, it saps your strength and requires you to carry hydration devices that can hold ten gallons of water, but me thinks most people forget the benefits of humidity.

To wit, humidity helps you keep your youthful good looks. How can this be a bad thing unless you are a 19 year old girl trying to get into a 21 and over club? But that isn't even the most important thing your friend humidity does for you. Because of humidity, toxins are oozing from your body with every step. What better excuse to drink beer than to replenish lost toxins. I said, WHAT BETTER EXCUSE TO DRINK BEER THAN TO REPLENISH LOST TOXINS!

Let's not forget when the easy, breazy days of fall roll around (that would be November here in Southeast Texas). Because you have been out with your training buddy humidity for many a month, suddenly you are much faster with no discernable increase in effort. Um, sweet!

And finally, for those who live in the South, we all know that just because the seasonal clock says "Winter" the temperature for the upcoming half marathon could range anywhere from 35 - 85 degrees. When the going gets hot, think of all the bozos (probably from the North) who started the race at their regular cold/cool weather speed that you are going to start passing at Mile 10. All because you embraced humidity and it did not let you down.

So my friends, a toast if you will, to a much maligned part of our running heritage. I got the humidity in me - do you have it in you?

Last Night's beer - Sierra Nevada Summerfest

Listening to: Mercury Blues - Steve Miller Band 

Sixty Second Interval

Opening Line

Grunt, groan, collapse.

It appears that the sixty second interval is my downfall. Once again I have failed on Day One of Level Four of the One Hundred Push Up Challenge. 27-20-20-17-21. I can take away that I had a six push up improvement over Day One last week. Mark my words, I will not be denied. Especially with Karen breathing down my spine.

Homestead

More surprises during our weekend visit to the house under construction.

^ The cornice and the beginnings of a roof are up.

^ The plumbing is going in.

^ Stanley considers trying out one of the three tubs that were installed.

Last Night's Beer: Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale

Listening to: Poison - Bell Biv Devoe

Free Beer

Opening Line

Saturday mornings we're made for sleeping in.

And yet I feel like such a slug. Rolling out of bed at 6:45 and knowing that all my training buddies were already a few miles into their long run provided a moment of discontent. Stupid knee.

However, I did have push ups to do. Sets of 30-22-22-20-30 were completed with a modicum of gusto. For those tracking at home, you will notice a single bonus push up in the last set. Of course, due to my horrendous performance earlier in the week, I will be repeating Level Four, albeit with the Advanced Group!

Anniversary

Yesterday evening, my wife and I made an executive decision and abandoned our previous plans to visit the new BJ's Brewhouse down the road. Training of staff is still going strong, but we're relatively mellow about it and are being as supportive as possible. What helps is when you order a beer and two of them show up with the comment, "I guess you get one on the house."

Normally, I stick with the House beers at BJ's. However last night I threw caution to the wind (he says in jest) and reached out for numerous pints of Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale. Oh hoppy days and hoppy nights. This beer has a great balance and superb hop flavor. Me likey!

Hmm, perhaps those numerous pints of well-hopped brew fueled my push up performance this morning.

Last Night's Beer: Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale (several)

Listening to: Zombie - The Cranberries

College Football Preview #1

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"A school without football is in danger of deteriorating into a medieval study hall."

Obviously, DJ Jazzy Joe Carey recognizes that quote by Frank Leahy, a success at Notre Dame as both a player and a coach.

But what you, my revered readers, should recognize is that in less than four weeks, college football begins, once again brightening the end of a too hot, too humid summer.

Let's look at five story lines that will impact this season.

Penn State: Penn State is one arrest away from falling out of the Top 25. I don't know when players with shaky histories started matriculating from Florida State to Penn State, but it's hard not to look at recent history and see that this has been an issue ever since Joe Pa forsake his golden years to remain the head coach at Penn State. The Nittany Lions' only salvation is they play in the Big Ten which unfortunately is Ohio State's to lose.

Georgia: Ranked Number One in many college football polls, Georgia has a habit of disappointing fans and experts alike rather than living up to expectations. Much of Georgia's success relies on sophomore Knowshon Moreno, who has received comparisons to another Georgia great, Herschel Walker. Georgia's schedule is not an easy one, especially after the first two games. Back to back away games at South Carolina and Arizona State should be telling early on.

West Virginia:  Rich Rodriguez bolted for the Maize and Blue (Michigan) and Steve Slaton bolted to the NFL (Houston Texans). Further, the Mountaineers have a new offense in which quarterback Pat White is expected to pass more and run less. At the very least it will be exciting. At the very best, WVU will set themselves up for a BCS killing upset toward the end of the season.

Fresno State: The Bulldogs are this year's crtics choice from the WAC to wear the BCS slipper. The Cinderella season may be over before it really gets started as three of the first four games are against Rutgers, Wisconsin and UCLA. The Bulldogs are known for pulling an early season upset every now and then, but now the pressure is on. It may not be so much about getting through the conference games, but more about a stellar non-conference performance.

Texas Tech: Talk about expectations. Thanks to quarterback Graham Harrell and receiver Michael Crabtree, the Red Raiders are being considered legitimate BCS contenders for possibly the first time...ever. A weak early season schedule and an improved defense should help them solidify their record and home dates against both Texas and Oklahoma can help their cause. However, they do have to travel to College Station to play Texas A&M in what is easily the nastiest rivalry in the Big 12.

College Football kicks off on Thursday, August 28th on ESPN at 7:00 PM Central with a match-up between North Carolina State and South Carolina. Go Team!

Listening to:  Super Freak - Rick James

Brew Sports of Sorts

Opening Line

One more and then we go!

Brews Clues

Readers of Jess' 21 Days Blog may notice that the bowling ability of Jess is relatively finite based on the number of beverages consumed prior to any given game. I myself, when playing pool, have a window of opportunity after a few beers, but before that total hits many beers, where I am uncannily good. At all other times I am uncannily bad.

Which makes me wonder if anyone has ever done a study of the affect of beer on one's ability to perform specific tasks outside of operating heavy machinery or getting pregnant. Is there a moment in time during consumption of alcoholic beverages where one's senses and ability to perform certain tasks (such as bowling or shooting pool) are heightened, if only temporarily?

If this study does not yet exist, it sounds like something Vanilla might persue. Or perhaps it may be right up the "alley" (pun intended) of a certain college student (Jess) with resources and volunteers readily available.

Five

The Top Five songs listened to in iTunes during the month of July:

1. The World Is Not Enough - Garbage
2. When You Were Young - The Killers
3. Ice Cream - New Young Pony Club
4. When Your Heart Stops Beating - +44
5. Punk Rock 101 - Bowling for Soup

Coolest Thing Ever

Why yes, I do feel better than you because I have an iPhone. Actually, I am aware that there are several phones on the market that are comparable to the iPhone, although I choose not to list them here, thereby securing my own superiority; at least in my perverse little mind. But after having the iPhone for one (short) weekend, I had to wonder why I had not purchased one before.

The fact that I did not have to lug my laptop on a plane is easily worth the price of admission. Tack on the knowledge that now it will not matter if I forget to unplug my iPod from the car and stash it in my carry on bag so I will forever have music/video to drown out unruly children on flights and I am one happy camper.

No longer do I need to print out maps to hotels or brew pubs. Just use the iPhone. Want to check into your flight without having to use the hotel's excuse for a business center? Just use the iPhone. Wanna go see a movie in Tampa, FL? iPhone...

All that being said, my wife loves my iPhone more than I do. So much so that I stood in line at the Apple Store yesterday to secure her a very early birthday present. Who loves ya baby! The kicker is I was able to work while standing in line because I had my iPhone. Sweet!

Last Night's Beer: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Listening to: Goodbye Stranger - Supertramp

iPhone

A test post from my iPhone. Weird how my iPhone came with a picture of Jessica Alba's booty...

We Got the Beat

Opening Line

You can't survive on ice cream.

Challenge

A much better result this morning as I made my way through the mid-week sets of Level Four of the One Hundred Push Up Challenge. I thought for sure I was going to fall short once again, but I am pretty sure the Beer Gods, of all Deities, came to my aid. Sets of 25-21-21-18-25 means a total of 110 push ups for the day. Behold the Gods of Beer!

House

A random visit to the construction site revealed a few additions to the new homestead.

^Windows! We have windows!

^ And a fireplace.

^ Stanley surveys the kitchen - Hmmm, when is that island going to be installed?

Last Night's Beer: New Glarus Edel-Pils

Listening to: Dracula From Houston - Butthole Surfers

I'm A Wii Tard

Opening Line

We can rebuild him...

Sure, my doctor offered me a bionic knee (I say matter of factly), but I had to decline. Many of you may question my sanity, but consider that if I had one bionic knee, my gait would be horrible.

Todd Is In the House

My Wii character is Wii Todd and ironically is anything but. In fact, this morning while playing tennis, we spanked the the Wii's best without allowing a point in a best of five match. Never did like those beetches, so I revel in every victory.

Yeah, if you don't have a Wii, you are absolutely lost and should move on.

By the way, the Wii cheats in tennis (to no avail of course). For example, the Wii will, from time to time, hit the ball outside of and below the posts/net, but continue play. Uh, cheater! (Update: Vanilla informs me this is legal and I verifed it here) Nevertheless, the Wii will allow both the doubles players to hit the ball - notably if the ball glances off the racquet of the net player (because of my awesome power) the back player will continue play. Cheater, cheater!

Cat Power

I often work at home and have to deal with this:

How is this even comfortable? And he doesn't care. If your feet are in the way - tough. He will just plop down wherever he thinks his spot should be. It wouldn't be too bad if I was barefoot and it was 30 degrees.

Last Night's Beer: Kona Longboard

Listening to: Human Hands - Sondre Lerche & The faces Down Quartet

Space...The Final Frontier

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Happy 50th Anniversary NASA!

On July 29, 1958 Congress passed the legislation and President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law!

What We Have Here...Is Failure

Push ups got the best of me this morning. Perhaps I'm not ready to be hanging with Advanced folks just yet. Twelve short on the final set means that on the first day of Level Four Advanced, I am already resigned to repeating Level Four Advanced next week. Ack!

I could technically claim an upset stomach as the reason for my failure. But the reality is that while doing push ups on an upset stomach creates high levels of suckitude, it really did not have much affect on my ability to get through the last set. Damnation.

Home Improvement

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking here:

^ Stanley relaxes on what will become a bench in the shower.

^ Looking out the Master Bedroom window.

^ The view of the "Lounge" from the kitchen. Now most folks might refer to this as a "Family Room" or "Great Room" but we are above all that!

^ Jaclyn hanging out on the stoop - although not much of a stoop.

^ And finally, it's good to have walls up.

Last Night's Beer: BJ's PM Porter

Listening to: When You Were Young - The Killers

Going South to the North

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Do you feel lucky kid...

Jaclyn and I spent the weekend in Tampa, FL in order to attend the baptism of our God-child, Sara. I know, many of you may be wondering why in the name of all that is holy would Jaclyn's sister Victoria and her husband Scott, choose us (specifically me) as God-parents. I can only assume that great minds have their reasons.

Poor Sara. As you can see she looks none too thrilled. Of course by this time she had posed for a bazillion pictures with relatives upon relatives.

I have included this second picture as it shows the three of us standing in the spot Jaclyn and I were married, in front of the crosses on the hill at Keystone United Methodist Church.

North and South

Tampa is the home to the University of South Florida, which prompted me to ask the question, why is USF located in Tampa, FL of all places; hardly a southern Florida city, to be sure. The answer is that apparently so many Yankees have moved to South Florida, that anything South of Lake Okeechobee is actually considered the North by true Floridians.

Yes boys and girls, Geography can be fun and confusing.

Challenge

The One Hundred Push Challenge continues. I have decided to repeat Level Four, but am opting for the Advanced sets and will stay on Level Four until I can accomplish everything required for the Advanced Group.

Since Jaclyn and I were up at 4:30 this morning to catch a flight from Tampa to Houston, we'll do our sets either this evening or tomorrow morning.

Listening to: Baby Come To Me - James Ingram

Counting Up

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A ricochet biscuit is the kind of a biscuit that's supposed to bounce back off the wall into your mouth. If it don't bounce back... you go hungry!

Digging For Gold

Or at least an answer. Knee surgery is (finally) on the horizon. A date of August 21 has been set. If all goes week, with rehab figured in, I hope to have at least full three months to train for the Disney Marathon (Goofy Challenge). I have no illusions about time and plan to fully take advantage of Disney's liberal time limits.

Challenge

I managed 107 push ups this morning in my quest to dominate the One Hundred Push Up Challenge. Unlike Vanilla, the poster child for "awesome," I am unable to crank out one handed push ups while text messaging all the beautiful people. Hence I am reduced to struggling through the final set wondering, between grunts, if half push ups count.

The wife informs me she cranked out an additional seven bonus push ups during her last set, which means my measly three bonus push ups pale in comparison. That's 233% more bonus push ups. Dang, I gotta stop fooling around with numbers.

Fallout

Some interesting comments to yesterday's Houston Marathon Bloggage. June (Private Blog) has a good point. A friend of mine ran the Houston Marathon several years back when the time limit was only five and a half hours. He finished just a few minutes over the time limit, but was not given a medal. Unlike other Marathons, Houston does not have a published/santioned early start to accomodate walkers. So how is it fair that an individual who starts two-three hours earlier is rewarded for completing the course when another individual plays by the published rules and is denied a medal for finishing minutes after the course closes?

That said, I think the crux of the matter is not whether or not walkers should or should not be allowed to participate in the marathon, but the timing of the annnouncement. Walkers (or slower runners) should participate based on the policy that is published, regardless of the marathon. However, Houston Marathon organizers have consistently looked the other way, and while there may have been frustration and outcry regardless of when organizers announced they were going to enforce the policy (or as they put it, "going in a new direction..."), they could have alleviated the situation greatly by announcing their "new direction" prior to registration opening.

Last Night's Beer: St. Arnold Amber

Listening to: Lift Your Head Up High (And Blow Your Brains Out) - The Bloodhound Gang

Bogus Is As Bogus Does

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Boo Chevron Houston Marathon!

The Chevron Houston Marathon has all but banned walkers from the event; prohibiting early starts and refusing to increase the alloted time to finish the marathon. Steve Karpas, the Marathon's Managing Director, said, “The marathon is going in a new direction to formally ask that walkers who cannot complete our race in the stated time limits — or cannot start at 7 a.m. — seek a race with more lenient time standards.”

Randy Smith, a walker and coach of a walking group, says he understands the situation. “People are not being safe,” Smith says. Further, he points out that “After being out there and seeing what some of the people do, I’ve thought, ‘They’re going to have to close the early start.’ ”

Smith may have a point, but runners are just as guilty of being unsafe on the course as walkers and probably more so since there are thousands upon thousands of more runners than walkers. Trust me, having run the Houston Marathon five times, and supported and cheered several other times, I have seen the marathon from many different angles and there is plenty more lunacy happening amongst the runners than the walkers.

Further, Barbara had a good point in her blog about the pace groups. While I have been frustrated with walkers stringing themselves across the course, nothing compared to the 2007 Houston Marathon when it took me more than a mile to get past a pace group that was so large it resembled a lumbering herd of buffalo clogging up a neighborhood street near White Oak Bayou.

I am afraid our hometown marathon is starting to suck. Each year there seem to be more and more policies set forth in the name of making the marathon a better experience or for the safety of all involved. On the whole they are more frustrating than anything and could point to the fact that current organizers are unable to cope with the growing popularity of the marathon.

The kicker is that marathon organizers are offering partial refunds to those affected by the decision. Uh, partial refunds? The decision was made (and published) AFTER people who intended to walk signed up. How is a "partial" refund fair?

For folks who are now shut out of the Chevron Houston Marathon and are looking for a "friendly" race, the PF Chang's Rock "N" Roll Arizona Marathon is the same day. You might also notice this quote from teh web site: "The marathon and half marathon courses are as flat and festive as they come - perfect for runners and walkers of all ability levels."

Listening to: Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2

Just say Moo

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Moo!

Yesterday required a day trip over to Austin for some meetings. On the way back, as the sun was settling in for the evening, I opted to greet the cows of Paige, TX. It went something like this: Moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, you get the moo idea.

Sure, a singular "moo" to the entire herd may have sufficed, but I opted for a more personal approach, because that's just the way I am. In fact, to show support for said cows, I ate at Chick-fil-a for dinner.

Many of you may be wondering "WTF" but consider that I have run a half marathon in the middle of North Dakota where the only (vocal) support came from herds of cattle. Hence, the time came to return the favor. Heck, it's the least I can do since invariably they will end up on someone's plate in the next few months.

Last Night's Beer - New Glarus Edel Pils (I swear I am going to change it up)

Listening to: Run To You - Bryan Adams

Iron On

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I'll take the empty box for 50.00!

The wife and I were in need of a new iron and were in the same shopping center as a Linens 'n Things, thus we decided to pop over and observe the offerings. For those that do not know, Linens 'n Things is attempting to overcome a recent bankruptcy filing. I don't think it's looking too good.

After looking over the various irons, Jaclyn and I settled on a particular model and I went to grab the box. It was empty. No problem I thought, it is likely the box for the model being shown on the shelf. Hence, I grabbed a second box; empty. A third box was empty as well. For kicks, I grabbed the box of other models; empty. All the boxes were empty - every single one.

Has there been an undocumented crime wave on irons recently? Is the cost of an electronic security tag so great that to prevent theft, Linen's 'n Things is reduced to paying (depleted) staff to remove irons and then fetch them when a customer wants to make a purchase?

Unfortunately, there were no instructions (or staff) anywhere to guide a customer of how an iron might find it's way into a box for purchase, therefore we left and found a nice iron at Bed, Bath and Beyond which by the way, uses electronic security tags to prevent theft.

I feel good as we have done our part to push Linens 'n Things further into banckruptcy.

Push Ups

The One Hundred Push Up Challenge continues with Day Two of Level Four (Semi Pro Intermediate Division). Seven, count them seven, bonus push ups this morn, bringing the total to 97.

Last Night's Beer: New Glarus Edel-Pils (just get used to it)

Listening to: Chicken Shake - Stereo MCs