Crash 'n' Numb Toes

Susan G, Komen and Planned Parenthood - My Thoughts

2012-02-05T16:24:00.000-06:00

A lot has happened this week concerning Susan G. Komen’s decision to pull funding from Planned Parenthood and its subsequent reversal of that decision. I believe every post I saw on Facebook was negative towards SGK’s initial decision, and nearly everyone made a point to say they would no longer support SGK. After much thought, I figured I’d share my thoughts on the issue.

Let me start out first by saying I don’t really care one way or the other on this. If SGK wants to issue grants to PP, then that’s perfectly fine by me. It’s their choice to user their resources as they see fit. My personal feelings on abortion play no part in this. SGK’s mission leads me to believe they don’t let their views on abortion enter into decisions on where to spend their vital resources: “As the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists, we’re working together to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures.” Cancer is their main concern, as you would think it should be.

I’d also like to say that my intent is not to sway anyone’s opinion on this. Each person has every right to withhold their support for any organization for any reason, just as each organization has every right to do what they feel is best for their organization and their mission.

When news broke that SGK had decided to pull funding for PP the reaction was swift and negative. Most everyone assumed the decision was a result of pressure from right-wing groups who are trying to defund PP, namely because PP performs abortions. SGK insists that their decision was not the result of political pressure, but instead was a decision based on their policy to not issue grants to organizations which are under investigation, which PP is. SGK also stated that they were reevaluating how they were spending their resources.

I, for one, have no reason not to believe them. However, I’m not surprised at how many people did not believe SGK. Here is an organization (SGK) that apparently everyone that commented had supported in the past – a statement I make based on the fact that most people said they would no longer support SGK.

My question to those that were threatening to pull their support of SGK is this: why did they support SGK to begin with? I’m making an assumption that the main reason they donated their time and money is because of breast cancer. After all, that is at the heart of SGK’s mission which I mentioned earlier. My guess is that the main reason people donated to SGK was not because they wanted their money to go to Planned Parenthood, otherwise I would think they would have donated directly to PP. That would seem to be the logical thing to do.

And yet, nearly every single person was ready to pull their support for a reason that was not the same reason they donated in the first place. Has SGK’s mission changed? No. They are still using the money they raise in the fight against cancer, through both “quality care” and to “energize science”, or research. So why should people stop supporting SGK? Let’s not forget that for most of those people who are upset the main reason they originally supported SGK was to help in the fight against cancer.

I did a little research and found that SGK spent nearly $255 million in program expenses in fiscal year 2010. Assuming SGK gave roughly $700,000 in grants to PP, which results in little more than 0.03% of their program spend. Is it really worth completely pulling support because you don’t agree with how they’re spending 0.03% of their money? Are the life-saving efforts that they spend the other 99.97% of their money on not worthy of being supported now?

Perhaps those upset are more concerned about how crippling the loss of $700,000 will be to Planned Parenthood. Well, let’s look at PP’s numbers. For their fiscal year ended June 30th, 2010, they had total revenue of $1.05 billion. The $700,000 that PP gets from SGK annually equates to roughly 0.0007% of their total revenue. Planned Parenthood’s net income was $18.5 million in 2010. Even if SGK didn’t give PP the $700,000 anymore, PP could technically cover that loss by tapping into one year’s net income for the next 26 years before they would have to make other cuts to cover the loss. Maybe it’s just me, but that doesn’t seem like a huge hit for PP to take.

Which all leads back to my original point. People are willing to chop the head off because they feel a hair is out of place. They’re not willing to support all the wonderful things that SGK does because a minimal amount of money won’t be going to PP, when, if they were so concerned about the work PP is doing they could have donated to PP directly.

So, what does this mean for the future for SGK? Well, for one, I would think they now realize that they will forever need to give grants to Planned Parenthood or else risk losing millions in donations. And two, they must now understand how little faith their supporters have in their ability to make decisions with the money they receive. If at any time in the future Susan G. Komen would want to reevaluate and reprioritize where they spend their money they had best keep that money going to PP, even if it doesn’t fit with where they feel the money would best be spent. It’s really unfortunate that people don’t trust organizations such as SGK to do right by their donations, especially when those same people were previously so willing to give their donations to SGK with the understanding that SGK would do what it feels would be best for how that money is spent.

It’s amazing that people will go from being fully supportive to being completely unsupportive over 0.0007%. Even though 99.9993% of Planned Parenthood’s revenue is unaffected by this decision, it’s still enough for people to defund 99.97% of the work that Susan G. Komen does.

Again, everyone has every right to support any organization they want for any reason. These are just my thoughts and observations.

Not Giving of the Box Office Buck

2011-07-18T21:05:00.002-05:00

So, apparently I was one of the few who did NOT see Harry Potter this weekend. Of course, I haven’t seen any of the other HP movies, either. Which got me thinking… what other movies/franchises have I not seen that just about everyone else in America has seen?

Well, none of the Harry Potter’s, or the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the Bourne movies, Iron Man, neither Sex and the City movies (no loss there), pretty much all the Batman movies, the Spiderman movies, the Saw movies (and no interest really), the Matrix movies, I may have seen a Bond movie once, none of the Lord of the Rings, no X-Men, saw only the first Shrek, no Jurassic Park, no Fast & the Furious, I think I’ve seen parts of the first Austin Powers movie, no Chronicles of Narnia movies, none of the Scary Movie movies, none of the Transformers movies, none of the Mission Impossible movies…

Then you throw in the non-franchise movies that everyone else has seen but I haven’t (from the list of highest grossing films): Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, Inception, Independence Day, 2012, The Da Vinci Code, The Incredibles, Hancock, War of the Worlds, I Am Legend, Night at the Museum, Armageddon, Despicable Me, WALL-E, Monsters, Inc., The Day After Tomorrow, The Simpsons Movie, Troy, 300…

So, what movies should I see?

Is it warm out? Or is it me?

Dinner's in the Kitchen and It's Packed in Ice

2011-07-15T12:20:00.003-05:00

I sit here debating whether this post should be random and odd like most of my posts, or something serious. I couldn't decide, so I think we'll go with a little of both. We'll start with the random and end with the serious. Or will we?

Julie and I started going to a Masters Swim class this week. It will take some time getting used to waking up at 5AM to go swim for an hour, but it hasn't been too bad so far. One thing that we've both noticed is how freakin' hungry we are on the days we swim. I'm just wanting to eat everything. I suppose that's not such a bad thing since fat makes you more buoyant. Bouy-ah!

I do like the sound of rain. And the smell of rain, especially when if first starts. It's kind of like that fresh cut grass smell. Just makes my soul calm and happy.

What the heck is this?

I had asked in my previous blog what songs had you movin' this summer. Figured I should share my own. This isn't anything the kids would dance to, but I do love the groove of it. The juxtaposition of upbeat music with dark lyrics works really well. It's "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People. You should check it out here.

And this last song is one of the most beautiful songs I've heard. I love the Avett Brothers. So many good songs but this is definitely one of their best. The lyrics are so powerful. It's called "Murder in the City". I just can't say enough about it. Beautiful. Enjoy it here.

Always remember there is nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name.

Laugh, Think and Cry

2011-07-13T21:04:00.001-05:00

I’m more of a Space Doughboy than Space Cowboy.

Saw Jimmy V’s speech that he gave at the 1983 Espys this morning. Apparently it was 7 weeks before he passed, but by watching him you’d never know he was that sick. What a great and inspirational speech. If you’ve never seen it in its entirety you should definitely check it out. You can find it here.

I don’t know that I’d want to be the King of Pop. Now, the King of Candy? I’d take that. Or the King of Ice Cream? Definitely. Plus, I think it would be annoying to walk around wearing only one glove.

Speaking of gloves.

I think Rhoda would be a good name for a girl. Put that with the middle name Dendron and I think you’re on to something there. Rhoda Dendron. Yeah, that passes the sniff test.

Ice cream is wonderful. I was thinking yesterday that if I opened an ice cream shop to take on Dairy Queen I’d have “King” in the name of it. After all, kings beat queens. The problem was coming up with a good name. Kream of the King? King’s Kustard? I’ll have to keep working on that.

What fun summer song has got your little butt movin’ this year?

Actually, I would hope that kings wouldn’t beat queens. No one should be in an abusive relationship. Or in a relationship with Gary Busey. No one should be in a Busey relationship either.

Do trees get sad in the fall when they start losing their leaves? Do they get afraid that they’re dying? Do trees that don’t lose leaves tease the other trees for being bald? And then I’m sure they get a bunch of attitude from the evergreen trees – “People LOVE us. They bring us into their homes in the winter and decorate us. We’re the awesomest.” I hope the bald trees remind them that no one likes an arrogant tree.

You ever look at how fast a drive shaft spins? How in the heck does it not just spin apart? Pretty cool.

Why do they certify that a car was pre-owned? I can tell as soon as I sit in one that it’s not new. You don’t need to give a certificate telling me it’s pre-owned. Now, if you’re going to tell me that the car was previously owned by someone awesome and cool, like Herb Tarlick, that would be cool to certify.

Have you seen her? Tell me, have you seen her?

You gotta believe Herb Tarlick was teased as a kid. I mean, look at those suits.

A Thirst for Justice

2011-07-07T23:05:00.004-05:00

The acquittal of Casey Anthony and the subsequent fallout has been interesting and sad to watch. Not that there is anything good to come of this whole mess, but some of the vitriol has been staggering. In light of the events that have taken place I've decided to dedicate at least one post on the subject. This is all just my two cents and playground-level analysis, so take if for what it's worth. I would love to hear your thoughts.

I think there is a tendency for the human spirit to jump to conclusions, especially when we witness something as heartbreaking as the murder of a young, innocent child. We as humans want closure. We want justice. And sometimes that thirst for justice can cloud our judgment and convince us that someone is guilty even though, when we take a step back and attempt an honest look, there is some doubt. The outrage this week at the not guilty verdict borders on hysteria. Calls for Casey to be “fixed” or “sterilized” so she can never again have children seems a bit extreme to say the least. Calling her everything from a witch (on the mild side) to evil or the devil incarnate (on the extreme side) has been eye-opening. But what is the driving force underneath this outrage?

Most of us can't fathom someone wanting to harm or take the life of a child. It goes against our being, our beliefs. We want to quickly find the culprit and bring them to justice, and the punishment needs to be equal to the heinousness of the crime. I don't fault that thinking. I feel the same way. Punishment should be swift and severe. However, it is also important that our quest for justice not cloud our judgment.

Often times it seems that in high-profile, emotionally charged cases such as this one there is a shift in the burden of proof within the realm of public opinion. That burden appears to shift from the state to the defense. No longer is it mandatory that the prosecution prove guilt. The burden shifts to the defense to prove innocence. When the court of public opinion has tried and convicted the accused before the case even makes it to trial it creates a gulf between perception and reality - a gulf representing that shift in burden. And if those in the public realm can't get from perception back to reality there is a disconnect, and I think that is what has happened here.

Outside the courtroom is very different than inside the courtroom. Often I've seen people blame the jury for this outcome. People are quick to say that there is no way they would have found her not guilty. I have to believe that if the people who feel this way are ever part of a jury, especially in a case such as this, that they're able to be objective. That they remember where the burden of proof lies. That they must believe beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty. Because outside the courtroom it is easy to get caught up in the frenzy of the swarming sharks. It's easy to listen to the talking heads as they sensationalize every detail. It's easy to only hear what you want to hear. But when you're on that jury you must be rational, fair and honest with yourself. It's a lot easier to find someone guilty when you're sitting on your couch, when you have the luxury of hearing what you want to hear, and you don't have that vote of "guilty" weighing on you.

I hear people say that our justice system is broken, or that it failed in this case. I couldn't disagree more. The prosecution presented their evidence. The defense represented Casey Anthony. Both sides picked and agreed on the jury. And that jury of her peers UNANIMOUSLY and swiftly found there to be enough doubt as to find her not guilty. For many the verdict was inconceivable, but it doesn't mean that the system is broken, or that the jury was made up of idiots. The system worked as it should. After all, it is better that 10 guilty people go free than one innocent person be convicted. It's a price we pay for having an incredibly fair justice system.

As her attorney said after the verdict came in, there are no winners here. A sweet little girl still lost her life, and the need for justice is understandable. But let’s not forget the need for clarity and open-mindedness. The need for an open and fair justice system. And the need for the prosecutor to prove guilt, not for the accused to prove innocence.

Elevator Speech

2011-07-06T21:43:00.003-05:00

He who forgets will be destined to remember.

Starting it on the bus today. Realized after I got on the bus on the way home tonight that this bus doesn’t stop in Chaska. Will have to change busses. That’ll teach me not to get on busses with route numbers ending in L.

Was it a gorgeous 4th of July weekend or what? The weather was pert near perfect. Unless you don’t like sunshine. If that’s the case, you’re weird.

Someone posted a link to an article on Facebook today saying how food companies are asking congress to stand against an Obama administration initiative to limit the amount of commercials promoting junk food aimed at children. I agree. If the food companies were lying in their commercials that’s one thing. If you can’t say “NO” to your child don’t look to the government to do it for you. The government intrudes in our lives too much as it is.

Sorry, JT, but I’m with T-Drex on the whole PT Cruiser deal. Bad decision. But, to each his own, I guess.

Overheard - one woman talking to another today while waiting for an elevator: "There is so much to do in the cities during the summer, but everyone leaves to go to their cabins!" Agreed. Foolishness. Although, I may feel differently if I had a cabin to go to.

Speaking of summertime...

I'm thinking about writing a book. A book. I can now check that off my bucket list.

This weekend is the Life Time Fitness Triathlon. You should really come out and cheer on the triathletes. It's a fun day, and they would love your support. Cowbell optional, but highly encouraged.

I often think.

A Short Cruise

2011-07-05T20:50:00.005-05:00

So, she's not guilty. Lot's of people talking about it. I really didn't pay that much attention to it to be honest. One thing I do know - there is nothing wrong with our justice system. She was put on trial, the prosecution presented evidence, the defense plead their case, the jury deliberated and returned a verdict. If you don't agree with the verdict that's one thing, but there is not a problem with the justice system.

Regulators! Mount up!

I am not a fan of Google instant search. Annoying.

Some people actually missed this blog. Go figure. I find it more difficult to do in front of the TV. I'd rather do it on the bus. And yes, I'm still talking about writing a blog post.

It would be good to learn a second language. Although, perhaps I should master my first language. What should my second language be?

I've heard Tom Cruise is really short.

We watched a really screwed up movie yesterday. Funny Games. I don't know if I should recommend it or not. Just really screwed up. And dark.

But for being short, he has a really big smile.

I've discovered so much new music lately. If you'd like to join a really cool group on Facebook where people share new music (or old music) that they've discovered then look up The Audio Congolomerate. Cool stuff.

Some Interesting Statistics

2009-11-06T12:39:00.004-06:00

I found the below statistics rather interesting. This comes from the Pew Research Center and looks at what political parties the viewers of each news outlet identifies with. It's interesting which network has the most balanced viewers...

Fox News Channel
39% Republican
33% Democrat
22% Independent
6% Other/Don't Know

CNN
18% Republican
51% Democrat
23% Independent
8% Other/Don't Know

MSNBC
18% Republican
45% Democrat
27% Independent
10% Other/Don't Know

Network News
22% Repulican
45% Democrat
26% Independent
6% Other/Don't Know

If you look at these numbers and factor in the ratings (average for 8-11PM Mon-Sun) I think it gets even more interesting.

Fox News Channel (2.1 million viewers)
819,000 Republicans
693,000 Democrats
462,000 Independents
126,000 Other/Don't Know

MSNBC (699,000 viewers)
125,820 Republicans
314,550 Democrats
188,730 Independents
69,900 Other/Don't Know

Nearly as many Democrats watch Fox News Channel (693,000) as the TOTAL viewership of MSNBC (699,000).

No Promises

2009-11-04T19:27:00.003-06:00

I'm back after a long hiatus and I won't make any promises about how often I'll post anything, but I'm finding this avenue of communication more conducive to longer rants. :-) Whatever that means.

I've been spending a lot of time on Facebook the last few months and I'll probably continue to do so, but if I want to say anything more than what I'm thinking at that moment it's really not the best tool. Unlike me, of course. I'm one heckuva tool!

So, I'll keep my Facebook postings footloose and fancy-free and do my more lengthy trains of thought here. Be forewarned tho, it may get ugly. I'm sure there will be times I raise your blood pressure but I'll try to keep that to a minimum, even tho my blood pressure may be through the roof!

I will be interjecting more serious content on these pages in the future. That's not to say it will ALL be serious, but that may be a change you see in future posts. So, with that in mind, let's get started, shall we?

I read this very interesting column today written by John Stossel, a gentleman I find myself agreeing with quite a bit. He discusses the attacks he's received lately from some in the media (particularly from the New York Times) for his speaking engagements at events hosted by Americans for Prosperity. Click here to read the column.

Well, that's it for today. Perhaps I'll be back tomorrow. Hang loose.

If I Never Hear Them Again It Will Be Too Soon

2009-05-18T20:36:00.001-05:00

There are a lot of songs out there that one likes or doesn’t care for. But there are also those songs that just annoy you, get under your skin, terrorize your last nerve and make you want to punch a wall. So I thought I’d blog today about the ones that will really annoy me.

I picked these songs for my “Top 5 Songs That Annoy Me” list on Facebook. When I started thinking about what songs I’d put on the list I had more than five that came to mind. A couple that didn’t make the cut but are probably just as annoying are “Macarena” and “Mambo No 5”. Ugh.

Without further ado, here are my top 5, in descending order:

5) “One Week” by Barenaked Ladies. I’m trying to remember if I liked this song when it first came out. Nope, don’t think so.

4) “Signs” by Five Man Electrical Band, annoyingly remade by Tesla. I don’t know what it is about this song that annoys me so much other than EVERYTHING about the song annoys me. I find the lyrics and the music irritating, and it must be the song and not the band because I don’t like either version.

3) “Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Bob Seger. Now, I do think I liked this one originally. I believe one of the contributing factors is that this is played at EVERY wedding reception. But it’s more than that, because “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang is a song I actually like and that is played at nearly every reception as well. I think the difference between the two songs is that Old Time is played on the radio a lot, too, where I couldn’t tell you the last time I’ve heard Celebration on the radio. It’s been years. But back to Old Time, I think the part that annoys me more than anything is that Bob Seger is so much better than this song. The rest of his catalog with a couple possible exceptions is really quite good. I wish everyone would “take this old record off their shelves” and destroy it.

2) “Mickey” by Toni Basil. Honestly. Really? Come on. This song almost annoys me to the point of hating cheerleaders in general. Almost.

1) “We Built This City” by Starship. As much as I can’t stand Mickey it’s practically a classic compared to this fingernails-on-a-chalkboard song. Nothing comes close to this one on my annoyance meter – even the other four combined.

What songs annoy you?

Who is Qualified?

2009-05-08T14:06:00.000-05:00

One of my friends on Facebook made a comment on his status about a Bristol Palin appearance on one of the morning talk shows where she was promoting abstinence. He commented along the lines of her being the pot calling the kettle black. Point being she shouldn’t be telling other teens that abstinence is best because she obviously didn’t practice what she preaches.

This brings up a good question. When can someone offer advice to others and when can’t they? I believe she offers a unique perspective on the issues of teen sex, just as a smoker would have on smoking or an alcoholic would have on drinking. To dismiss her is to dismiss the lesson that can be learned.

Who do you think would be more effective at getting through to teenagers about underage drinking? Someone who’s never had a drink? Or another teenager that not only drank but as a result of their drinking got into an accident? My money is on the fellow teen who drank. We must learn from not only our mistakes but the mistakes of others – we shouldn’t disregard them.

If it were only parents who had never done anything wrong that were “qualified” to give advice and guidance to their children then my guess is most children wouldn’t be getting any advice at all.

Bristol Palin, in my opinion, is uniquely qualified to speak about teen sex. She chose to participate and got pregnant. To discount her opinion and advice on the subject would be unfortunate, and many teens might miss out on the lesson.

Hello, hello... this is Romeo...

2009-05-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

Hello, hello, hello…. Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me. Is there anyone home?

Hello, it’s me. I’ve thought about us for a long, long time.

Hello. Is it me you’re looking for? Because I wonder where you are. And I wonder what you do. Are you somewhere feeling lonely? Or is someone loving you?

Hello, I love you, won’t you tell me your name?

Ok, so perhaps it’s been a while since I have blogged. Ok, a long time since I’ve blogged. I must confess I have been with my mistress, the intoxicating Facebook. I really thought I could keep both muses satisfied but, alas, the blog has suffered. For that, I do apologize.

Am I going to promise to be faithful and nurture this site? Let’s just say I will do my best. Apparently some have missed our time together. Thanks for your patience.

If you still drop by, please let me know. I’m curious who still pokes their head in the door.

They're Baaaaaack!

2008-11-13T21:12:00.002-06:00

For those of you who followed this blog from the beginning will be glad to know that there has been a buple sighting! Yes, the bus couple (buple) were on my same bus home the other day. I happened to catch and earlier bus and they sat in front of me, still obviously very "close". I had seen him occasionally in the mornings but I haven't seen her in months. Apparently the relationship is alive and kicking.

A face only a mother could love.

How cool is it to see gas below $1.90 a gallon again? I think it was $1.88 at the gas station I passed on the way home tonight.

This video is unbelievable. It makes me nauseous thinking about what the girl is feeling. This teacher should be fired. And I'd feel the same if it was the other way. Unreal.

It's Awesome Dude

2008-11-12T18:41:00.004-06:00

Well, we spent nearly 2 weeks in Ireland and it was great. It was pretty much everything we imagined it would be - beautiful countryside, very nice people, kinda rainy and cool, overall a great time was had. I'll be having some posts on the trip in the future and some pictures as well.

Here is one picture which isn't beautiful landscape, but for obvious reasons it's one of my favorites.

I've stumbled upon a band that I had never heard of before but they've been around for a few years. The name of the band is Winterpills and I'm suddenly obsessed with them. They're kinda folksy, but they have very catchy melodies and beautiful harmonies. I've listened to about 30 of their songs and I think there's been one that I didn't care for. If you haven't heard them it's worth a listen, especially the song "Benediction".

Du-in' the Du

2008-09-24T22:39:00.004-05:00

Here is a picture of Julie and our friend Jen after they completed the Iron Girl duathlon on Sunday. Way to go ladies!!

When the Rain Comes

2008-09-23T23:08:00.002-05:00

So, today a co-worker and I decide that, since it’s raining, let’s figure out how to take the skyway to our bus stop. He tells me “Paaaat, we can just get on the bus in the Gateway station. It’s huge inside and covered. All the buses are there and we won’t get wet.”

We make our way through the skyway which goes a round-about way, much longer than just taking the streets, but it’s raining out so we decide to sacrifice time to stay dry. His bus leaves 5 minutes before mine so about ¾ of the way there he decides to sprint ahead. That’s cool. No problem. Knock yourself out, I say.

I get to the Gateway station (if that’s what it’s called) and make my way down the stairs, walk through the door, and watch my bus pull out into the rain – making his way to the stop I NORMALLY board at. At this point I look around and see rows of buses waiting to depart, but no people getting ON the buses. Ok, that’s odd, where am I supposed to get on the bus?

At the front of one of the lines is a Southwest bus, but it’s not one that goes to Chaska. I walk up to the door at which point the driver reluctantly opens it and I ask him if people can board the buses here. He informs me “No, you have to board at the first stop. You can’t board here.” Great. So much for staying dry.

Since I missed my usual bus I got on my phone to find out when the next bus is scheduled to leave. After all, I want to minimize my time in the rain as much as possible. By this time it’s pouring outside.

Two minutes later the bus driver I just spoke with yells over to me. I turn around and he’s outside his bus waving me over. He leads me to another Southwest bus and says “This is the bus you want. He stops in Chaska.” I thank him and board the bus, remaining dry the entire time.

So, note to self: You can’t board the bus at Gateway no matter what others tell you, and allow an extra 10 minutes the next time you decide to take the skyway.

Lyric of the Day:
“Can you hear me that when it rains and shines it’s just a state of mind?
Can you hear me? Can you hear me?” – “Rain”, The Beatles

Editors Note: “Rain” by the Beatles is one of their best songs. If you never heard it I recommend watching it here. Most excellent.

Thursday Morning Donut Club

2008-09-18T21:47:00.003-05:00

I’ve seen a LOT of ads (billboards, bus signage, bus stop vestibule shelter thingies, etc) that are promoting Meyer’s Cleansers. New? Old? Not familiar.

I like Thursdays. Every Thursday morning at work is Donut Club which consists of everyone that’s in my group and the group that my group is in and the group that that group is in and then the group that that group’s group is in. Get it? Don’t matter. Anyway, we all rotate and take turns bringing in donuts for everyone in the above-mentioned groups.

So every Thursday morning I look forward to sitting in a conference room, eating a donut, and NOT talking about work. That’s one of the rules of Donut Club – no discussions of work. They’ve even gone as far as to provide a list of acceptable donut shops and also ones that are big NO-NO’s. Don’t bring in donuts from a gas station or you will be shot on sight. And, don’t go getting all healthy and bring in things like fruit – also grounds for extermination. Bagels are ok, but that’s pushing the envelope. They must be carb-laden, artery-clogging, lip-smacking pastries from heaven. No exceptions. And God help you if you forget and it’s your day to bring them in. I tell you, this is serious business!!

But another reason I like Thursdays is because it’s Friday Eve, and I really like Fridays. It’s amazing how just being able to wear jeans can have such an impact on one’s disposition. Comfort may not automatically lead to happiness, but it certainly helps. I’m not a big fan of ties, and I know I’m getting no sympathy from you woman who always counter that it’s much worse for you, but I STILL don’t like ties. Target will let you avoid the tie if you wear a red shirt and khakis, the Target uniform if you will. That helps, and some people I think wear red and khaki every single day. That’s cool, but that’s a little too much for me.

Today I have on a red polo and khaki pants, and since I need to go to the store tonight I will definitely change first. I’ve heard stories of other HQ folks, who will stop at a store to do some shopping, wearing their Target shirts and khaki pants, and guests will ask them for help. That’s cool, and I normally don’t have a problem with that, but I’m off the clock. Although, some would say I’m off the clock even when I’m ON the clock. But I digress…

Anyway, bottom line is I like Thursdays and love Fridays. And it’s a pretty good restaurant, too.

Lyric of the day:
"Son, you're gonna drive me to drinkin'
If you don't stop drivin' that Hot Rod Lincoln" - "Hot Rod Lincoln", Commander Cody & the Lost Planet Airmen

Old School

2008-09-17T21:11:00.002-05:00

The decision to complete an Ironman has pretty much dominated any down time I’ve had over the last couple weeks. As Kimmi can attest that’s been the main crux of our conversations since she crossed that finish line in Madison. But, for those that don’t get it or don’t particularly want to hear about it in another post I’ll try to avoid the subject today. I don’t, however, make any promises.

We purchased a new camera on Friday. We got the Nikon D80 after going back and forth between that and the Canon Rebel XSi. We went to National Camera after work and less than half way through the conversation with the salesman Julie had already glazed over and I’m sure was contemplating ways to extract herself from the situation.

I think we exhausted just about every possible combination of lens and camera body before settling in on our (or my) decision. Cost was the main factor in the decision but I know I couldn’t go wrong either way, which helped.

So, the next time you see me I may have the new toy in hand, and will probably attempt to take your picture without you knowing as I often do. So be prepared, and try to clean yourself up a little. Any bad pictures I’ve ever taken are never MY fault. HA!

The bus has definitely gotten much busier over the last couple months. Sometimes it’s standing room only so I try to catch the bus at one of the first stops downtown on the way home so I get my pick of seats in which to be trapped for the 30 minute ride home. I need my space, people!!!

Julie has her Iron Girl Duathlon this Sunday in Bloomington. She is ready to rock it. She’s been going to a new clinic/chiropractor that is really helping her with the aches and pains she’s had during training. I believe I’ll be going there soon as well to have them help me with my shin splints and other aggravations.

But back to my point, if you’re looking for something to do Sunday morning and you have that uncontrollable itch to scream and dress in wacky clothing (not optional!!) then stop down and cheer our girl on! She’d love to have you.

Julie ordered us some trainers and they were delivered this week. Sweet! Now we can train on our own bikes this winter. We’ll be converting the basement bedroom into a spin room and equipping it with a TV/DVD so we can watch Spinerval DVDs. I hear they can be tough workouts.

Check out this post from Jon’s blog about his daughter. What an amazing girl, or, as Jon says, an amazing little lady.

Give me your thoughts? Do you like the random posts or the more personal, more in-depth posts? Just curious.

Lyric of the Day:
“Stood alone on a mountain top starin’ out at the great divide
I could go east, I could go west, it was all up to me to decide
Just then I saw a young hawk flyin’ and my soul began to rise
And pretty soon my heart was singin’” – “Roll Me Away”, Bob Seger

P.S. One of my favorite songs of all time. Awesome.

Dear Friends, New Links

2008-09-16T21:19:00.003-05:00

Thanks to everyone who has offered their congratulations to my decision to do an Ironman, and thanks to those who think I’m crazy. I think the jury is still out and the truth is probably somewhere in between.

I’ve made some changes to the blog, mainly with the addition of several new blogs which are now linked to the right. These are all very good friends and fellow TNT alum who have been blogging for a while but I haven’t taken the time to link them. Very entertaining blogs that are worth the read.

We have Marc whom I first met last year when he signed up for the Lake Tahoe century ride through TNT. He’d be the first to say he’s a big man, but will also be the first to tell you he’s getting smaller! He completed that century ride, has since done the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, and has begun to train for his triathlon, which will make him a fellow triple crowner! As you’ll see TNT has changed his life as it has for so many of us. He’s an inspiration to say the least.

We also now have Jon linked. He joined TNT I believe back in 2006 when he trained and completed the Phoenix Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. He’s since moved on to triathlons and I believe a century ride is soon in his future – right Jon? A dry sense of humor and smashing good looks - much like me. Check him out as well.

Kris’ blog is also now linked. Kris has done many events with TNT, most recently the Lake Tahoe century ride this past June. Or was it Life Time in July? Or the Twin Cities Marathon coming up in 3 weeks? You get the point. She’s a TNT and endurance event addict, and has signed up to do the Ironman Wisconsin in 2009, so you can follow her struggles and victories as she makes the Ironman journey. Another dear friend.

Misty. Boy, how do I describe Misty? She’s a freaking ball of energy, a tremendous spirit, a wicked sense of humor, a big heart, a hockey player and a black belt. I’m sure I left out some stuff, but if you’ve met her you’ll know how hard it is to nail this woman down. She also first joined TNT in 2007 for the Lake Tahoe Century Ride and has since become a coach for the cycling program. She’s now training for her first marathon which will be in Phoenix in January. She wears her heart on her sleeve and on her blog, so be sure to check her out as well. Oh, and she’s single. :-)

They’re all fantastic people and dear friends to Julie and me. I know I’ve probably mentioned this a million times on the pages of this blog, but the people we’ve met through TNT have become the dearest of friends. Rarely, very rarely, do you meet someone through this program that you wouldn’t want to hang out with, to lean on, to call “friend”. If you’ve ever considered doing an endurance event through TNT I promise you that you’ll get out of it way more than you put in. It’s not even close.

Flying Without a Plane

2008-09-15T19:57:00.004-05:00

Over the weekend I had the good fortune of seeing both Kimmi and Rachel again. Both, as I’ve already told you, are newly crowned Ironmen. And in the back of my mind I’ve toyed very lightly with the idea of doing an Ironman myself. VERY LIGHTLY.

And that started last year when Julie and I watched Safety Bob and Coach Mike complete their Ironman races, also in Madison. But, as I said, the thought of doing one myself was only lightly entertained. That all changed last weekend when Julie and I witnessed the event firsthand.

As I sat down with Kimmi on Saturday it was obvious she was still on an emotional high and rightly so. I started picking her brain about all things Ironman, and it became even more solidified in my mind that this is something I too wanted to add to my endurance resume.

One thing that Kimmi highly recommended to me was that I keep a journal of my daily experiences, documenting the highs and lows which will be taking place over the next 24 months. I plan to do just that, and some of it I’m sure will appear on this very site.

Today I had an IM conversation with Kimmi, whom, along with the aforementioned Ironmen, I will be continually leaning on for inspiration, advice and support. I mentioned to her that only two months ago I was incredibly happy that I was only doing the sprint distance at Life Time and now I’m making a commitment to complete a half Ironman in 2009 and a full Ironman in 2010. Boy, how things change!

During our conversation I sent out my TNT Quote of the Day and as I searched for the right quote I saw a number of quotes that took on even more meaning now that I’ve made his commitment. One of them is below. This quote really made me think about what Kimmi and Rachel must have been feeling on race day and what they’re still feeling. They both appear to be on cloud nine, and you can’t remove the smile from their faces if you tried.

“It is the greatest shot of adrenaline to be doing what you’ve wanted to do so badly. You almost feel like you could fly without the plane.” – Charles Lindbergh

I sent the quote to Kimmi and asked for her thoughts. This was her response. “That's a pretty good idea of what it feels like - and how I felt the entire day out there. It wasn't that I was racing - it's that I was truly living for an entire day.”

Sometimes, and not very often, one gets so much adrenaline or endorphins or such a high that it's like your body is straining to contain your spirit - an almost out of body experience. That's what I picture it will be like when I cross that finish line in Madison. I want to do this, to push myself like I’ve never been pushed before. Quite frankly I’m scared to death thinking about it, but I can’t wait to experience it.

Women of Iron, Part 2

2008-09-11T22:46:00.003-05:00

This past weekend Julie and drove to Madison to surprise Kimmi and Rachel and to cheer them on as they completed Ironman Wisconsin. The weekend was incredible and I’m proud to say that Kimmi and Rachel are now IRONMEN!!! Congratulations again, ladies!!

We got into town late Saturday afternoon and met up with them at dinner. I was amazed at how calm they were considering the next day they’d be swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and finishing with a 26.2 mile full marathon! I think I would be a nervous wreck and not be able to eat, but they were very much in control.

Saturday morning we got up a little after 4AM to allow us enough time to drive into downtown Madison and find a place to park. We ran into Kimmi and Rachel as they were making last minute preparations for the race. The anticipation and excitement was more evident and I tried to put myself in their shoes. I remember how nervous Julie and I were before our first Olympic distance triathlon and yet they had nerves of steel.

We met up with the rest of the folks who traveled down to cheer them on. We went down to the waters edge and watched as the athletes slowly made their way into the lake. The starting line for the swim is actually out in the water – they don’t run into the lake to start the swim – so they have to swim out about 50 yards and tread water while they waited for the canon to go off signaling the start of the race. Some people were standing near the shoreline and didn’t go in until the start, which is just what I would do. Swimming 2.4 miles will be hard enough without treading water for 5 minutes first.

The swim course is a 1.2 mile lap that they do twice. Watching from the shore it looked like a washing machine as all you could see were arms flailing and water flying. According to K & R it’s pretty brutal for the first ½ mile or so as people try to get position. Kim said she was kicked in the face and her goggles were pushed to the side so she had to swim with one eye open until she could get to a place where she could fix it. You’re definitely kicked and punched (not intentionally) as most of the swimmers try to get into position. That’s exactly the reason I would swim to the outside and get away from all the competitive swimmers, but that’s just me.

Once they started the swim the rest of us went to breakfast and grabbed some sandwiches to go. We headed back to the transition area and cheered on K & R as they ran to their bikes. It’s pretty cool how it all works. When they get out of the water there are volunteers there who help them get out of their wetsuits. They yank it off you and hand it to you as you enter the back of the hotel (I think it’s a hotel, or a conference center, heck, I don’t know.) to pick up your first transition bag, move to a ballroom, and they help you change into your bike gear. They have volunteers that slap sunscreen on you and when you get out to your bike they have another volunteer who is holding your bike for you. Pretty slick.

After K & R had started the ride we jumped on a shuttle that took us to the bike course. The bike also has a loop that the athletes have to ride twice around. We were at a spot in that loop – at mile 56 on the first loop and around mile 96 on the second loop. There were concession stands, race officials who where announcing riders as they passed by, and food/water “stops” for the cyclists. In essence the volunteers hold out bottles of water or Gatorade for the cyclists to grab as they ride by; and other volunteers will hold out pieces of bananas, Powerbars or gels for riders to take. They also had a designated spot for riders to throw their empty bottles – a hockey net for them to aim for and a kid standing there with a hockey stick to direct the errant tosses. It was definitely fun to watch.

We got to see them both twice at that section and after they passed us the second time we jumped back on the shuttle to head over to the run course. When the athletes head back in and transition from the bike to the run they head back into the same changing area they were in for the first transition. They have a separate transition bag that K & R each provide that will have everything they may want for the marathon – complete change of clothes, Body Glide, etc. Volunteers are there as well to help them change and re-apply sunscreen before they head out to the run.

The fan support on the marathon course was great and from what we could see fans were lining the course to cheer everyone on. The course is two loops, with the turnaround point at mile 13.1 and within sight of the finish line, which I would think would be mentally tough to handle. We saw K & R right at the start of the run and at miles 6.5, 12.5, 14, and 19. At mile 19 the separation between Rachel and Kimmi was about 50 minutes so we decided the support group should split up – one group heading forward to cheer Rachel on as she crossed the finish line and one group to stay and support Kimmi.

Rachel crossed the finish line at just under 14 hours and Kimmi came in at just over 15 hours. They both did awesome!! Every time we saw them they were smiling and taking in the moment. It was the culmination of months of hard work and training, and they also fundraised to support Janus and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We are all so proud of what they have accomplished!!

Julie and I decided to stay around to the end of the race. Midnight is the cut-off time which is 17 hours. There was still a great, energetic crowd there until the very end. Many were Ironmen who had already crossed the finish line and they were staying to see the last ones finish. There was an announcer there who walked up and down the finish chute and would call out the names of the finishers as they crossed the finish line. Music was playing loudly and everyone was dancing and cheering the finishers on.

At 11:45 PM they announced that there were a half dozen people still out there and they had folks out there with them helping and encouraging them to cross the finish line before midnight. As each minute passed the excitement and anticipation would grow, and you couldn’t help but feel the electricity in the air. Three people crossed the finish line between 11:59 and midnight, with the last person crossing at 11:59:56, with 4 seconds to spare. The crowd was going crazy and you could feel the emotions that were being expressed by these amazing individuals as they came down the chute, knowing that they had accomplished their goal, and were going to be part of an elite group of people known as Ironmen.

I can’t explain how amazing it was to be there in person to witness it. Julie and I watched the finish line on our computer last year but nothing compares to being there in person. Absolutely incredible.

We are so proud of you both, Kimmi and Rachel, for having accomplished this amazing feat of endurance, for pushing yourself to your limits, for believing in yourself and trusting your abilities, and for crossing that finish line. Congratulations!!!

On the day after the race they open up registration for the next year’s event. Typically it will sell out within hours, and next year we have 4 more friends who will be doing Ironman Wisconsin – Dana, Kris, Becca and Sean. We’ll be there to cheer them on and support them, and who knows? You might see a familiar face in line for Ironman 2010…

Women of Iron

2008-09-04T05:34:00.000-05:00

So much to blog on and I haven’t had the time to do it lately, and I’m not sure how much uninterrupted time I’ll have here so this may be short despite my best efforts.

Item 1: We have two dear friends who will be completing the Iron Man in Madison this Sunday. Unfortunately, we won’t be there to cheer them on in person but we plan to follow them on line. Kim and Rachel are both TNT alumni and awesome people. It’s amazing to think they’ll be swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and then running a full marathon!!! Incredible. You go girls!! And smile for the camera and wave to us when you cross the finish line. I’m going to try and figure out how to record you crossing the finish line on my computer so you can see what we see. It was cool watching Bob cross last year, but we missed Mike. If the rest of you out there would like to follow along just visit www.ironmanlive.com and watch the live webcast. Too cool.

Item 2: Did you watch Sarah Palin’s speech last night? Wow. She has really impressed me in so many ways. I think it’s really going to be an interesting election this year and a close contest.

Item 3: Julie will be completing the Iron Girl Duathlon on Sunday, September 21^st here in Bloomington. She is still short of her fundraising goal. If you would like to donate please visit her TNT site listed at the right. You can come cheer her on as well. The site for the event is http://www.irongirl.com/Events/Bloomington.htm. You can also support Julie’s fundraising efforts by buying dinner tickets to our annual Gasthoff dinner and silent auction which will be held on Sunday, September 14^th. Tickets are $25 each and include an all-you-can-eat German dinner buffet. Great deal, great items to bid on, great cause. You can email me at patrickgibsontnt@gmail.com if you’d like tickets.

Item 4: Julie and I headed out for some outdoor fun this passed weekend and she snapped this picture of me. What fun!

Item 5: I can’t believe we’re already into September. Where the heck did the summer go? It’s already getting cooler out and the days really seem to be getting shorter. This year has just flown by.

Lyric of the Day (for our future Iron Man finishers):
“I rolled on as the sky grew dark
I put the pedal down to make some time
There’s something good waiting down this road
I’m picking up whatever is mine” – “Runnin’ Down a Dream”, Tom Petty

Joe Bad the Nomad

2008-08-14T16:52:00.002-05:00

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of taking a city bus to and from work. This isn’t the first time I’ve ridden the city bus, but it doesn’t happen that often. For the public-transportation-challenged I ride one of the bus lines from the suburbs, and from what I’ve heard, the Southwest buses are the best. But, I digress…

I’m sitting near the front of the bus on the way home and we’re still in downtown. I’m in one of those seats where your back is to the side of the bus. It was crowded and there was standing room only, and right in front of me was a “gentleman” probably in his late 40’s, a little disheveled looking, dark rings under his beady eyes, thinning hair, sunglasses and an army surplus coat.

As he’s standing there his phone rings. Normally, not a problem. Most people will turn off their cell phones at that point. They may or may not answer it, but most will keep the conversation brief and quiet. MOST will. But this nomad (we’ll call him Joe Bad the Nomad) was not most people.

He loudly answers his phone and begins a colorful conversation with what appears to be his dealer. Joe Bad wants the same “stuff” he bought from his dealer last month, and he wants his entire supply. Joe Bad relays the fact that he’s on the bus and heading over and will discuss the “details of the transaction” when he departs.

Before our 20 minute ride was over he had received no less than 4 more calls and they all appeared to be in the same vein as the first conversation. Such a colorful world.

Lyric of the Day:
“One little problem that confronts you
Got a monkey on your back
Just one more fix, Lord might do the trick
One hell of a price for you to get your kicks” – “That Smell”, Lynyrd Skynyrd

Smells Like Beef

2008-08-07T05:48:00.001-05:00

So, there was this dude who like totally dropped off the face of the earth (well, ok, not literally) for a long time and when he came home, his father had his finest cow slaughtered in celebration of his return. I’m assuming beef will be served shortly.

Yeah, it’s been a while, huh? (Insert sounds of crickets here.) Back to playing to an empty room – just me and the janitor guy from Billy Joel’s music video for “For The Longest Time”. Or was he in Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”?

Anyway, no excuses here for the lack of a posting over the last 15 years, but I will say I’ve been quite busy. And there is so much to say!

Many of you know (or both of you depending on how many still blow the dust off the blog by paying a visit – and what does “paying a visit” mean anyway? Does one have only X number of visits and they use up one to come read this drivel? I digress…) Where was I? Oh yeah, so both of you know I participated in the Life Time Fitness Triathlon on Saturday, July something-or-other. I did the sprint distance this year and it went swimmingly. HA! Get it? Swimmingly. I improved on both my swim and bike pace and was the same on the run. I would have improved there as well if it wasn’t for developing a blister from my brand new kicks. I guess it’s true when they tell us to not try anything new on race day. Whodathunk?

If you were one of the many who donated to help me raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society then I thank you! I surpassed my goal with your help! Julie is still fundraising for her duathlon, so if you haven’t yet donated and would like to do so please visit her web page linked on the right side of this web page. That would be my left, your right, because you know I’m watching you through your computer screen. Hi! But seriously, we appreciate your support as we try to further the Society’s mission. Thank you!

Lyric of the Day:

“Seulement entre toi et moi, Means that our love will always be just between you and me” – “Just Between You and Me”, April Wine

Parrots, Wrestling, Vandalism, Piglets & Sextuplets

2008-06-24T05:39:00.000-05:00

Just some fun stuff today. Enjoy!

Parrot? Check. Twine? Check.

Me after one of my high school wrestling matches.

OK, weird story, but looking at the mug shots these are two women I don't think I'd want to double-cross!!

What do you say to this one? I really don't know.

And what would be on your list of things to do after giving birth to sextuplets?

The Mad Hatter

2008-06-16T21:49:00.004-05:00

Did you watch any of the US Open? I only saw Tiger’s putt yesterday on 18 to send it to a playoff, but what a putt it was. He is such a tremendous athlete. Some people don’t like that he’s dominated golf so much, but just think how 30 years from now you can tell kids how you saw Tiger Woods play. Definitely one of the best golfers ever, and we get to watch him live.

Friday night the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society had their Man & Woman of the Year Gala. Julie and I were again in charge of compiling all the information from both the silent and the live auctions. We had about 10 candidates (I think 5 men and 5 women) competing and over the 10 weeks the campaign ran they raised $200,000 and counting! Incredible!

I want to buy a hat, not a baseball cap or some novelty hat or a cowboy hat, but a hat nonetheless. Perhaps something to wear when driving, or hanging out by the pool, something cool. Julie is against the idea and probably for good reason. Feel free to send me any suggestions you may have.

Julie and I couldn’t believe the news that Tim Russert had died. Everything I’ve read and seen has confirmed that he was really a great guy. It was a feeling I know I always got when I watched him. He was so passionate about politics and offered great insight and really broke things down. I’ve been wanting to get his books and read them, especially “Big Russ and Me” which is about his relationship with his father. Now I really want to get it.

I think it would be cool to be a locomotive engineer. That’s the guy that drives the train, right? That seems like it would be a cool job. I always wonder where the tracks go, what do they see. Fascinating.

Here is a picture of me standing with my first truck.

Isn’t it ironic? So, with the fuel prices being as high as they are more and more people are either taking the bus or are thinking about it. Well, I get on the bus today and am handed a piece of paper detailing how, due to rising fuel costs, they are eliminating some stops, routes and scheduled runs. Why? Because of the rising fuel costs. Is it ironic? I mean, it’s not like it’s a black fly in your Chardonnay, but hey, it seems ironic to me.

Lyric of the Day:
"Gliddy Glub Gloopy
Nibby Nabby Noopy
La la la lo lo
Sabba Sibby Sabba
Nooby abba nabba
Le le lo lo
Tooby ooby walla
Nooby abba nabba
Early morning singing song."
- "Good Morning Starshine", Oliver

Some Good Reading

2008-06-12T05:03:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post this morning. I've been reading a lot of really good columns lately and wanted to quickly put some links out here so you can read them if you want. More to come later. Have a great day!

Offshore Drilling

Windfall Profits

Gas Prices

All The World Loves Alice

2008-05-28T23:16:00.001-05:00

Short post – mind is blank…

One of the coolest things is to see the sun poking through the clouds off in the distance. You can see the rays of sun flowing down beneath the clouds. Pretty cool.

Torrential – I like that word. And Poppycock.

I think the bus couple (the “buple”) is a couple no more. She hasn’t been on the bus for close to a month now, but he still rides. A couple of months ago I thought I saw her one morning running from her car to his so they could sit together waiting for the bus. They definitely seemed to be “together” but I don’t think they are married to each other. Hmmmm, I say.

Bernie Taupin wrote nearly all the lyrics for Elton John’s songs while Elton wrote the music. Obviously, they are one of the best songwriting duos over the last 40 years. I wonder, tho, if Elton ever writes lyrics, or if Bernie ever writes music. I also am curious if the words come first (which I think they do in most cases) and, if so, does Bernie ever listen to the finished song and think “I never imagined that song as a ballad” or “Those were great lyrics and the music stinks!” Just curious.

Lyric of the Day: “Don’t discard me” – “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me”, Elton John

Let It Ride?

2008-05-27T21:55:00.002-05:00

I’ve found a few cool videos on YouTube over the last month or so.

This video is of an animal called the Lyre Bird. This bird has an incredible knack for impersonations. A must see.

This next video is an acoustic cover of Outkast’s “Hey Ya”. You might think an acoustic version of a hip-hop song wouldn’t work. Think again.

Have lung, will hack.

So KQRS, a classic rock radio station here in the Twin Cities, had their annual Memorial Day countdown of the top 500 songs of all time. Let’s just say the list was a joke. There were a few songs I agreed with, but to say that Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” isn’t in the top 100 is blasphemous!! Some top 10 songs that shouldn’t have been in there -Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “Let It Ride” (maybe in the CANADIAN top 10), Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (it’s really his best song? No way) – great songs they both are but c’mon, top 10??? Call me when you have a REAL top 10.

Ok, so here a few songs I can think of that are top 10 worthy, but there are others:
The Beatles – “A Day in the Life”
Rolling Stones – “Satisfaction”
Lynyrd Skynrd – “Free Bird”
Led Zeppelin – “Stairway to Heaven” (Should be #1)
Bruce Springsteen – “Born to Run”
Bob Dylan – “Like a Rolling Stone”
The Who – “My Generation”
The Eagles – “Hotel California” (at least Top 20)
Aerosmith – “Dream On”
Partridge Family – “I Think I Love You” (OK, just seeing if you’re paying attention)
Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Pink Floyd – “Comfortably Numb”
Derek & The Dominoes – “Layla”
Eric Clapton – “Cocaine”

Honorable Mentions:
The Who – “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, “Baba O’Riley”
The Beatles – “Come Together”, “Hey Jude”
Aerosmith – “Sweet Emotion”
ZZ Top – “Cheap Sunglasses”
CSNY – “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”
Dire Straits – “Sultans of Swing”
Fleetwood Mac – “Go Your Own Way”
Rod Stewart – “Maggie May”
Stevie Wonder – “Superstition”
The Doors – “Break On Through (To The Other Side)”
Rolling Stones – “Sympathy For The Devil”

Lyric of the Day: “Remember when I was so strange and likeable?” – “Back In Your Head”, Tegan and Sara

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T11:45:00.003-05:00

Thank you to all who have fought and sacrificed and continue to fight in service to this great country. Let us never forget.

“And I’m proud to be an American,
Where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died,
Who gave that right to me.” – Lee Greenwood

‘The patriot’s blood is the seed of Freedom’s tree.” – Thomas Campbell

“Cover them over with beautiful flowers,
Deck them with garlands, those brothers of ours,
Lying so silent by night and by day
Sleeping the years of their manhood away.
Give them the meed they have won in the past;
Give them the honors their future forcast;
Give them the chaplets they won in the strife;
Give them the laurels they lost with their life.”
~Will Carleton

“We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them.” – Francis A. Walker

“Freedom is never free.” – Unknown

Lyric of the Day: “Find the cost of freedom buried in the ground. Mother Earth will swallow you, lay your body down.” – “Find the Cost of Freedom”, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

I Keep My Feathers Numbered

2008-05-23T08:33:00.002-05:00

I love holiday weekends. Getting that extra day off doesn’t seem like it would be that big a deal but everyone looks forward to it. No sleeping in on Monday, tho. The Tahoe team gets their bikes picked up at the LLS office I think at 7:30 or 8 in the morning. The bikes will be wrapped in a blanket and loaded on to a semi. Bikes from multiple chapters will be on the same truck as it makes its way to Lake Tahoe for next weekend’s ride.

I’ve noticed that the seats on the right hand side of the bus (when sitting down) have a couple more inches of leg room, I believe because there is one less row of seats – to accommodate for wheelchairs. Don’t tell anyone else who rides my bus that, or they’ll sit their first. And I’ll be sad.

So we have an evergreen tree out our front door that stands about 10-12 feet tall. For the last couple of years a robin has built her nest in that tree – about 4 feet off the ground. Typically the girls leave the birds alone or are oblivious to the fact that they’re even there… until the last week or so.

We usually let the girls out the front door, they’ll sniff around the tree, we’ll tell them “no”, they’ll go away and do their business, no problems. Well, apparently yesterday while the girls were a few feet away from the tree the mother bird decides she’s going to fly out of the tree. The two baby birds decide to follow her (the first time we’ve seen them fly) and Gracie grabs it in mid flight.

I was at work so Julie was by herself, and she doesn’t do so well in these situations – her dog standing there with a live bird in its mouth. Julie gets Gracie to drop the bird, at which point the mother and father are quite upset and other robins join in the ruckus. Before she knows it, a dead bird is on the ground, angry birds or flying overhead and dive-bombing the dogs, and Julie is frantically trying to get them into the house. She calls me at work and notifies me that there is a bird killer in the family and a dead bird waiting for me when I get home. Wonderful.

Although, I do get a chuckle picturing Gracie with feathers flying out of her mouth, like in the cartoons. But unlike in the cartoons, the bird didn’t get out alive this time. “Fortunately, I keep my feathers numbered, for just such an emergency.” – Foghorn Leghorn

Lyric of the Day: “Everyone’s a Captain Kirk” – “99 Red Balloons”, Nena

My Tinctured Egress

2008-05-22T08:09:00.001-05:00

Wow, has it been crazy. Does anyone even bother to come to this blog anymore? Well, I guess I’ll find out. If you still check this on a regular or somewhat regular basis then I apologize for your wasted time and thank you for still showing an interest. It has been WAAAYYY too long. I promise to update more often.

I can’t really come up with any other reason for it having been so long other than I’ve been either very busy or sick. I had been writing my posts while on the bus (which is what I’m doing now) but I’ve been using that time lately to get caught up on other things, including sleep. Although I don’t sleep on the bus - perhaps just “rest the eyes” - but it does seem to help.

We kicked off the fall season last week. This year Julie has the Twin Cities Marathon and the Dublin Marathon. So cool. We have an incredible team assembled for Dublin – awesome people who are a blast to hang out with. Like I was telling the other TNT folk this is going to be an event that will be talked about for a long time. If you haven’t signed up yet I strongly urge you to. It’s going to be great! And it’s in DUBLIN!!!

When you were in grade school did you have something on your playground that looked like a big funnel on top of a pole? There would be 4 or 5 chutes coming out of the bottom of the funnel, each numbered and a different color. You and your friends would each stand under one of the chutes and then throw a basketball or playground ball into the top of the funnel and see who’s chute it would come out of – or out of who’s chute the ball would come – or anticipate the emergence of the sphere whilst gazing upon your pre-chosen enumerated, tinctured egress tube. Where was I going with this?

Lyric of the day: “Did you ever read about a frog who dreamed of bein’ a king… and then became one? Well, except for the names and a few other changes, if you talk about me, the story’s the same one.” – “I Am… I Said”, Neil Diamond

In Memory of McKenna

2008-04-21T08:13:00.002-05:00

Hello family and friends,

When we decided to train for another Team In Training (TNT) event and fundraise for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) we sat down and thought about what motivates us to continue doing this. After all, we’ve done this all before – the training, the events, the fundraising – and we know none of it is easy. Why do it again? The answer is simple: because of a little girl named McKenna.

McKenna was diagnosed with Ki-1, Anaplastic Large T-Cell Lymphoma (ALCL), a rare form of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, when she was just 2 ½ years old. On McKenna’s Caring Bridge site Christa, her amazing mother, recently told the story of those first few days of McKenna’s diagnosis.

“On March 6th, our nightmare truly became a reality. I was in the hospital room with McKenna, who was sitting up in her bed watching TV. The phone rang at noon. Dr. Sexton said ‘Mrs. Johnson, are you there alone or is anybody with you?’ I explained that I was the only one there with McKenna. She said ‘You need to sit down for what I am about to tell you.’ I sat immediately, clutching the phone, tears already welling up in my eyes, face turned away from McKenna. She said, ‘McKenna has Lymphoma....it's cancer. I know of a great oncologist, whom I went to medical school with, and I have already referred McKenna to him. They are waiting for you at the St. Paul Children's Hospital. When you get there you need to park in the Red ramp and go straight to hospital admitting......’ I remember this phone call and the feelings I was going through as if it was just yesterday. However, my recollection of what I may have actually said is completely a blur. I just know she called, she told me, and before I was off the phone, the nurses were already in the room packing up our stuff for a quick transfer.”

For the next 7 ½ years McKenna bravely fought her cancer and after receiving her second bone marrow transplant from her sister Jadyn she contracted RSV and was readmitted to the hospital. On McKenna’s 10th birthday she could no longer breathe on her own and was intubated and put on an oscillator. Just a few weeks later, on her mother’s birthday, McKenna grew her angel wings.

We attended her funeral and even though we hardly knew this beautiful, strong little girl we were heartbroken. Never have the words to “Jesus Loves Me” touched us so deeply. We can’t even begin to understand what it must be like for a parent to lose a child. On the one-month anniversary of McKenna’s passing her mother wrote the following on the Caring Bridge site:

“McKenna - Happy 1-Month Anniversary of being cancer-free, of being free from tubes, doctors, needles, procedures, surgeries, hospital rooms, waiting rooms, cancer, RSV, vomiting, diarrhea, radiation, radiation burns, chemotherapy, IV poles, oxygen masks, ventilators and oscillators, blisters, blood and platelet transfusions, bloody noses, dialysis, catheters, eczema, allergies, swallowing dozens of pills each day, bruises, pain, sadness and fear. You truly are free and nobody deserved it more than you, sweet girl! McKenna Girl, Drama Queen, Princess, Boo Boo...we love you sweetie and we miss you so much! You will always be with us, in our hearts and on our minds, every single day for the rest of our lives. We look forward to the day when we'll be able to hug and kiss you again and pinch your cute little butt! You were a wonderful daughter and sister. You were always so spunky, feisty, sweet, loving, caring and funny! Thank you for blessing our family with 10 years of your beautiful spirit and for all that you have taught us along the way. We are ALL better people because you lived. You showed us what courage, strength, hope, love and faith are all about. You NEVER gave up. We will never forget..... Til we meet again sweet girl, keep singing with those angels.”

We are always inspired by the amazing spirit, determination and love for life that cancer patients have. They have every reason to be angry and bitter about their situation and yet they are the most courageous and loving people you will meet. And they are why we continue to do this, why we train, why we fundraise. McKenna may have lost her battle but we will do what we can to continue the fight for her.

If this letter and McKenna’s story motivate you to donate then we thank you. If they motivate you to volunteer with LLS or any other worthy cause then fantastic. If they inspire you to join TNT in the future then we can’t wait for you to join us. If they motivate you to step back and count your blessings then we're thankful. For us, McKenna’s story does all of the above.

For McKenna and all the others who have lost their battle and for the countless others who are fighting today we ask for your donation; not for us, but for them. If you have donated in the past please know that we thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and we thank you again for your time and your generosity.

Thank you,

Julie & Patrick

Links to McKenna's Caring bridge site and to our fundraising web sites are below and also on the right hand side of the page.

Julie's Fundraising Site
Patrick's Fundraising Site

Randomidity of the Postacious Content

2008-04-01T23:09:00.003-05:00

Long time, no write. Things have been beyond busy, as I’m sure they are for everyone. Anyone sick of the snow yet? Let’s get some spring-like temps for cryin’ out loud!!! Enough already!

I’ve decided to not do so many random posts. I don’t mean randomly do the posts, but random in terms of content. I guess they can be a bit too scattered at times, so I’ve decided I’ll do a random-content post randomly, as I feel the urge. I was going to say that every Tuesday or every Friday would be random post day, but I figured that would go against the very fiber and essence of the randomidity (huh?) of the postacious content. (Say what?)

I’ve read two very good columns lately which I have linked below. One is entitled “Why I Am a Conservative” and the other is “Conservatives Really Are More Compassionate”. The first one I think really describes me and frames issues better than I could. They’re both short columns.

Why I Am a Conservative

Conservatives Really Are More Compassionate

I’m curious what the political persuasions are of you folks – the ones that read this blog on a regular or semi-regular basis. I’m betting it’s fairly evenly split. I’m not asking what your leanings are, just more of a curiosity on my part. I used to work with a guy at Eaton that I would get into political debates with which were always fun. Miss that.

Lyric of the Day: "Good times never seemed so good." - "Sweet Caroline", Neil Diamond

Good Friday

2008-03-21T19:36:00.002-05:00

O Sacred Head now wounded
With grief and shame weighed down.
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns Thine only crown.
How art Thou pale with anguish
With sore abuse and scorn.
How dost that visage languish
Which once was bright as morn.

What language shall I borrow
To thank Thee dearest friend
For this Thy dying sorrow
Thy pity without end?
Oh make me Thine forever
And should I fainting be
Lord, let me never, never
Outlive my love to Thee.

"O Sacred Head", Amy Grant

Yumlicious!

2008-03-20T21:55:00.002-05:00

Westbound

Julie took me to Ike’s restaurant last night for my birthday. Very good food and I ate way too much. We each got the NY Strip which was very good, and then split a chocolate cake with extra ice cream for dessert. EXCELLENT chocolate cake. Yumlicious!

Most likely, by the time you read this post, we’ll know if we actually got any of the snow they’re predicting. Last I saw we’re now under a winter storm warning. I’ll believe it when I see it.

Looks like the Bombay Bistro isn’t open.

Julie got me some meat rubs for the grill and a barbecue brush that has a reservoir in the handle that pumps sauce through the brush when you need it. Pretty cool! Now to get some meat and start grilling again!

I LOVE hearing people hack up a lung on the bus. Ain’t nuthin’ sweeter.

I sometimes think it would be cool to work on a construction site. I’d want to be on terra firma, so no iron work on a skyscraper, but something like a dump truck driver would be cool.

Man, what an ugly green car.

In all seriousness, probably one of the best hours to listen to radio is Fridays from noon until 1PM CST. Dennis Prager, one of my favorite radio hosts, devotes an entire hour to happiness. Rather fittingly it’s called the Happiness Hour and I highly recommend that you listen to it if you can. Dennis happens to think, and he makes a valid point, that the most important thing you can do is be happy, and it’s really intriguing to listen to the topic that week and understand how it impacts your happiness. He’s on AM1280 here in the Twin Cities and you can listen to him on line as well. It’s not at all political, it’s just about how to be a happier person.

OK, now back to the frivolity…

I would really hate to live along a highway. They put those walls up but how much do they really keep the sound down? I wonder.

Lyric of the day: “Call the police / There’s a madman around” – “West End Girls”, Pet Shop Boys

Bonus lyric: “You think you’re mad, too unstable, kicking in chairs and knocking down tables.”

Weirdly White and Nerdy

2008-03-19T21:41:00.002-05:00

Eastbound

We’re having this American Idol challenge at work where we have to pick the bottom three vote-getters each week along with who we think will be voted off. Since Tuesday nights are usually spin I’m not able to watch the shows, so I’ve retained the counsel of my friend J-Flo to help me with my picks. Thanks, J-Flo!

They say it’s your birthday. It’s my birthday, too, yeah!

Julie was saying she heard possibly 4-8” of snow on Friday. Or this weekend. Or sometime in the next few days – I don’t remember. What’s up with that? Where was this back in January when it SHOULD have been snowing? Although, I’m not so sure why I’m getting upset about it, the weather folks are wrong 90% of the time anyway.

Calvin and Hobbes is such a great cartoon. That and Far Side. Funny stuff right there, let me tell ya’!

“Pizza… burgers… San Diego… Detroit Tigers… the Buckeyes… peanut butter and jelly…” “Uhhhh… THINGS PAT LIKES!!!” “Correct!”

If you haven’t seen the YouTube video of Weird Al’s song “White and Nerdy” you HAVE to watch it. Hilarious! Click here to see it.

Lyric of the day: “Sweeter than cotton candy / Stronger than papa’s old brandy / Always that needed smile / Once in a while she would break down and cry” – “Sadie”, Spinners (Editor’s note: “Sadie” is a great song. If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing it you should definitely look it up.)

Bonus lyric (also from “Sadie”): “If there’s a heaven up above / I know she’s teaching angels how to love”

Double the Trees

2008-03-18T22:03:00.002-05:00

Eastbound

…and that is how I became known as George.

I was going to write an entire blog post backwards but I couldn’t reach the keyboard.

If some biological freak of nature occurred and all languages were wiped clean from the earth how would we create a new language? You know, like in Men In Black where you look at their little pen deal and it makes you forget things, what if something like that happened and we had no memories of verbal communication and couldn’t read or write? Would the “new” language we create be at all similar to what we had? I think this topic is deserving if its own post. The questions and possibilities are endless. Endless I tell you!

I like Fig Newtons. Just the plain old Fig Newtons, not all the different flavors and what not.

And what not. An interesting way to end a sentence or thought, and what does it mean? I like how it sounds and what not. It just seems to tie up a sentence well, and yet, I’m not really sure what I’m saying… and what not.

Speaking of names, Delano is one you don’t hear much anymore.

Just call me Angel of the Morning.

When I was a kid we lived a few houses down from this really great family. The mother and father of that family were like a second set of parents to me – we were quite close. I remember going down to their house and the father, whom I called Daddy M, would come outside in the morning with some burnt toast that he was eating for breakfast. He would try to get me to eat it by telling me that eating burnt toast puts hair on your chest. At which point I would come to a couple of conclusions: 1) he must eat a lot of burnt toast, and 2) why would I WANT a hairy chest?

That maid from “The Jeffersons” was a hoot!

Wesbound

The bus driver will announce the stop he’s coming up to in case you want to get off the bus. When we’re downtown he announces every cross street – 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, etc. If I was the bus driver I think I’d skip a street every once in a while just to panic people. “4^th…. 5^th… 7^th… just kidding! 6^th…”

So, was the first Doubletree hotel opened next to a hotel that only had ONE tree? “You get DOUBLE the trees at OUR hotel!”

Can I be Frank with you? I need someone to Jimmy the lock because I lost my key. I better be careful or they’ll call Adam 12 and then the landlord will Sue me for damages. I suppose I could just call my landlord and maybe he’d Grant me temporary access. I must have accidentally threw my keys away when I acted on the decision to Chuck my empty water bottle into the river. It did Bob for a while before it sank. I imagine if I DID find my keys they’ll be Rusty now. Oh well. I guess I’ll just go get a cup of Joe.

And before he leaves downtown he usually says “This is 696 express to Chaska blah blah blah.” I think I would throw something in there like “Albuquerque” or “Memphis”.

Lyric of the day: “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” – “Mmm Mmm Mmm”, Crash Test Dummies

The Byerly's Euphoria

2008-03-17T22:08:00.001-05:00

Eastbound

We have a different bus driver on this snowy St. Patrick’s Day. A woman who got on the bus behind me asked the driver why she didn’t stop at the last pick-up point. Ooops.

May all your lights be green.

So…. Snow. Normally I like snow, but in the middle of March not so much. It’s time for spring, by golly. We’re itching to get the bikes out and be done with spinning in a small, hot spin room. Hopefully by the end of the month we’ll be able to do that.

Of course, some people ride their bikes year-round. Eric, who was our coach for our century ride in 2006, puts a few thousand miles a year on his bike and rides it everywhere. He’s one of those guys that is built to ride a bike. That’s not me. I’m more built to ride in a car. Or the bus.

Euphoria: A simple change to which syllable you emphasize and it’s what Danny DeVito would ask the voters regarding his wife Rhea Pearlman when it came time to vote for the Emmy Awards. “You for Rhea?”

“You can’t eat your pudding if you don’t eat your meat! How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat?”

Byerly’s: My friend Lee was in the market for a new home so we went through an open house. It was a bright, sunny day and when we went inside to look around Lee set his sunglasses on the kitchen counter. After taking a tour of the place we were getting ready to leave and the realtor, seeing the sunglasses on the counter, asked whose they were. I replied, “They’re buyer Lee’s”.

What else would a mountain be capped with if not snow?

Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage. A horse and carriage? Is that why, when you get married, they say you got hitched? And, if marriage is like a horse and carriage, who is the horse and who is the carriage? I think Julie would quickly say which part of the horse I am. Lovingly, of course.

Lyric of the day: “You! Yes, you behind the bikesheds! Stand still laddy!” – “Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)”, Pink Floyd

For Cryin' Out Louden

2008-03-14T20:35:00.001-05:00

Westbound

I love Fridays. I’m sure I’ve mentioned that in prior posts but it’s worth repeating again. I love Fridays! And this morning on the way to Target to get on the bus “Friday I’m In Love” by the Cure came on the radio. Perhaps one day I’ll compile a list of Friday songs or songs about the days of the week. Wouldn’t that be terribly interesting?

Any of you smoke cigars?

There is a lady who rides the bus every afternoon, only the westbound ride, and she must have some terrible back issues. She can never sit for the entire ride and will usually stand hugging the seat in front of her. She brings her own pillow to sit on and never really seems to be comfortable. It must be terrible. I’ve had back issues but not like she must be going through. And she wears two pairs of pants – not sure what that’s about.

I usually sit on the left side of the bus on the way home, that way I’m not getting hot sitting in the sun. This is a repeat topic from a previous post so I’ll stop right there.

A seal walks into a club…

Champagne… not a huge fan…

I wonder if people driving in their cars can see me in the bus. Or is the glass dark enough and there’s enough of a reflection that they can’t see me? I can see them.

So, a high-end call girl sets you back as much as $5,000 an hour, huh? Boy, I remember in the OLD days…

Last night on Letterman’s Top 10 they had the top 10 rejected names for Dr. Seuss books. My favorite was “Obama’s in Pajamas”.

I heard SuperValu was changing their name to SuperDuperValu.

Lyric of the day: “Take a whiff on me, that ain’t no rose” – “Dead Skunk”, Loudon Wainwright

We Put the Fun in Fungus

2008-03-13T22:54:00.002-05:00

OK, I had to quickly do this post. I have a site meter on the blog that tracks how many people visit the blog, how long they actually stick around (not long usually, not that I blame them), how they came to the site, etc. Well, I looked at that info tonight and I just had to share this with you.

I can look at a report that shows me if they found my blog via a search on the Internet, and usually its from people doing a search for something to do with toes or numbness (since the blog name is Crash 'n' Numb Toes) or Team In Training. But today two people found the blog by searching on the following words:

1) substance stinks in between toes

OK, I guess this is an understandable search. Everyone's feet stink, and maybe someone has some additional fungus issues they're dealing with. My guess is they didn't find any answers on the blog. But the one below is what REALLY got my attention...

2) sucked my nephews toes 11 years old

What kind of sick freak is this?! All I can say is "wow". I just had to share this with you.

OK, now you can read the latest post below.

And It Was a Coach Wallet

2008-03-13T22:48:00.001-05:00

Eastbound

I haven’t had much time to blog the last few days. I’ve been busy with TNT stuff. I apologize to that one person who reads this smattering of nothingness.

I’ve been enjoying the warmer weather but it does have its unwanted side effects. For one, our backyard is turning into one large puddle which will in turn become a muddy mess for the dogs to run through. A bad part about it for Molson is that she may quickly run out of ice to eat. She’s probably going to get the shakes and start with the night sweats until she gets it out of her system. It won’t be pretty. On the plus side, no more frozen poop-sicles to eat.

I had lunch with a friend who shall remain nameless in order to protect her from unwanted ridicule. We meet up in the skyway and she informs me that she doesn’t have her wallet and thinks she left it on the trunk of her car when she went through the car wash the night before. What?! Not only was it not so smart to run your wallet through the car wash but it was equally not that smart of her to tell me – after all, it might wind up in someone’s blog where at least 2 people a day will read about it. For her sake at least I’m a nice guy and didn’t tell you it was Jamie.

I really hate it when the alarm goes off in the morning (or, turns on, or… whatever) and the song that is playing is one that you dislike and one that will be stuck in your head the whole day. I HATE that. It can really start the day off on the wrong foot.

Went to spin on Tuesday night where Coach Misty put us through a tough workout. My legs are killing me. Then Wednesday night I go swim with the tri teams and that doesn’t help the situation any. I guess I’m supposed to be drinking water or something in order to help my leg muscles to heal. Maybe I’ll try that.

Editor’s Note: The wallet was found in her car. I repeat, the wallet was found in her car. Please, go about your business - nothing to see here.

I’m trying to determine if the buple is a good couple. They could go either way I think. At times they seem like they’d be a fun couple to hang out with and other times they come across a little standoffish. I guess it’s hard to tell at 6:45 in the morning what someone is truly like. I probably shouldn’t let the fact that she brings on a different doll everyday and stabs it repeatedly with a knife sway my opinion. I’m sure they’re fun to hang out with.

Lyric of the day: “Boy, let me tell you what.” – “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”, Charlie Daniels Band

Icicle Works

2008-03-10T19:53:00.002-05:00

Westbound

It was a good weekend. On Saturday morning we had our Breakfast of Champions for the current TNT participants where we paid tribute to our honorees. The coaches and mentors made pancakes and sausage for everyone and we had a couple of speakers come in and talk about the progress that’s being made with the money we’re raising. It was a great event and I got to help make the pancakes. Well, I just poured the batter on the griddle, life ain’t nuthin’ but a funny, funny riddle.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

It’s nice to see that we’ll be warming up over the next couple of days. We had a couple of huge icicles hanging off the back of the house that I had to knock down yesterday. If I hadn’t I’m sure they would have fallen on their own and possibly broken our patio door window. They were HUGE I tell you, HUGE! Of course, I had to do it when Julie wasn’t home so that she wouldn’t yell at me for climbing up on the ladder. She wasn’t too pleased with me.

According to the billboard Kemps Plus is smart milk for smart kids. Good thing that wasn’t around when I was a kid – I would hate for my mom to have to try and explain to me why we’d never buy it. We’d be getting the Kemps Unique milk.

A majority of the people, if they are by themselves, will sit in the seat by the window. I tend to go back and forth, mostly depending on if I’m cold or not. If I’m cold I’ll sit by the window. “But Pat,” you say, “Isn’t it colder next to the window?” No, it’s not. The heat comes out by the window. And the sun is by the window. Both will make Pat hot. I think I should do an entire blog post in 3^rd person. Pat thinks that will be neat.

Red Rover, Red Rover send Georgie on over!

I wonder what it was like to listen to Howard Cosell do the Monday Night Football games. I never got the opportunity. I wonder if he was still alive if he’d have his own video game like John Madden does. Let’s ponder that for a moment….

There are some serious issues I should bring up, but I think I’ll need to do that in a weekly “serious” post. If I mix it in with this random nothingness it will get lost and overlooked.

Bands that also go by initials, or sometimes do. How many do you know? CCR, CSN, CSN&Y, DMB, NIN, ELO, STP, AWB, BTO, BOC, BST, EW&F, GNR, ICP, LRB, OMD, RHCP.

Lyric of the day: “Check out guitar George, he knows all the chords, but he’s strictly rhythm he doesn’t want to make it cry or sing” – “Sultans of Swing”, Dire Straits

I'm Done With Sergio

2008-03-07T21:38:00.003-06:00

Eastbound

No Police song this morning when the alarm went off.

I like Fridays, and I don’t mean the restaurant. Well, I DO like Friday’s the restaurant but that’s not what I’m talking about here. I mean Fridays as in the day of the week, the day after Thursday, the day before the best day of the week – Saturday.

How weird would it be if the weekend wasn’t Saturday and Sunday but Tuesday and Wednesday or Wednesday and Thursday? Would your wall calendar still have Sunday in the first box and Saturday in the last one? Would the weekend then not be the weekend because your days off would be in the middle of the “week”? Or would the week on your wall calendar have Wednesday in the first box and Tuesday in the last box? Interesting.

Hot Pockets!

So, I was in a meeting with this woman at work yesterday and she was telling me about the excitement she had the day before. Apparently she was trying to set up a conference call for a meeting and the room was a video conference room so it had this fancy touch screen setup for dialing the phone and what not. She started to dial the phone and hit 9 for an outside line and then 1 to start the phone number but she couldn’t remember the rest of it. While looking in her notes for the phone number she kept her finger perched over the screen and was apparently hovering around the 1 and didn’t immediately realize she had pressed it a second time. When she went to type in the rest of the number she saw that she had pressed 911 but figured “After I got the outside line I just hit 11 so it didn’t call anybody.” Wrong. It went to the security desk and when they tried to call her back the phone was busy because she had started to dial the number for the conference call. Two minutes later there is a loud knock on the door and in come two security guards with a first aid kit and a defibrillator. Needless to say she was embarrassed. Too funny.

Westbound

A lady on the bus has now moved to her third different seat. I’m not sure what the issue was with the first two but perhaps she has found her home for the next 20 minutes. She’s blonde – maybe she things she’s Goldilocks and the first seat was too hard and the second seat was too soft, but the third seat is JUUUUUST RIIIIGHT.

I’m not on my usual bus this afternoon. Cyndi, our driver, has just informed us that we’re about 3 minutes behind schedule but that she’ll make it up on the highway. Ten seconds later she came back on and said “Don’t worry. I’m not going to speed.”

So, this weekend we move the clocks ahead one hour. I’ll like having that extra hour of daylight at night but I’m not going to like it being dark still when I get to work in the morning. It’s going to feel like December all over again. Plus, I don’t like losing that hour of sleep.

We got us some traffic.

John loves to play on his cello,
Songs that will make him mellow,
But it’s eating his lime green Jell-o,
That makes John a happy fellow.

Lyric of the day: “Have you seen my wig around?” – “Jane Says”, Jane’s Addiction

Officer, It's Like Deja Vu

2008-03-06T23:08:00.001-06:00

Westbound

For the second morning in a row the alarm went off and a Police song was playing. Same exact time, same channel, different song. What are the odds?

The woman behind me on the bus has on headphones but I can still hear the music she’s listening to. Right now it’s the remake of the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” – a remake which truly annoys me. The original is OK, but the remake stinks. Same with the Counting Crows version of “Big Yellow Taxi” – terrible.

I’ve decided to fundraise again this year for the Society. Once I have my web site set up I’ll be posting it here. Well, not right HERE, but somewhere on the blog page, so keep your eyes open. If you would be so generous and help me raise money to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and their cancer research and patient aid programs I would be most grateful.

Speaking of fundraisers, we have two AWESOME fundraisers going on, and I’ll tell you about them now.

The first fundraiser is through the Minnesota Twins. For the Twins game on Saturday, May 3^rd against the Detroit Tigers I will be selling upper level reserved seats (behind home plate) for only $20 each. For every ticket I sell $8 goes to the Society. As if helping a great cause wasn’t enough to make you say “Hey Pat! I’ll buy some tickets!” you will ALSO be able to take part in a parade walking around the stadium – on the field! – while the players are warming up! How sweet is that?! It’s only available to people who buy tickets through the Society (and me!) so please let me know if you’d like to buy some tickets. The Twins have given us 500 tickets and they will probably go fast – I’m not the only one selling them – so let me know as soon as you can if you’re interested. I already have the tickets to give to you. Oh, and there will be a Society representative (probably a survivor or someone going through treatment now) that will be throwing out the first pitch! Way cool!

The second fundraiser we have going on is another dinner and silent auction at Gasthof. If you’ve been there before you know how great the food is and how much fun it is. If you haven’t been there then this is the perfect opportunity for you to try it out. The event will be held on Sunday, April 13^th and tickets are $25 each. When you come you’ll get an all-you-can-eat German dinner buffet, a glass of wine or beer, be able to listen to the strolling accordion players, and take part in the auction where you can bid on some great items! Last fall we had over 400 people attend and we made almost $8,000 on the silent auction alone! So come on out and enjoy a great Sunday afternoon at Gasthof!

Is it just me or did the week go by fast? Dunno, it seems like it did to me. I hope it was a good one for you.

Lyric of the day: “I woke last night to the sound of thunder, how far off I sat and wondered.” – “Night Moves”, Bob Seger

Her Pale White Dome

2008-03-05T23:20:00.004-06:00

3/4/08

Tuesday morning things were very strange – almost Twilight Zone-ish. I at first thought it was very odd that I was the only one boarding, but I found it even MORE interesting that I was the only one on board.

I asked the driver if I was getting on the right one and she assured me I was indeed. I sat down and we were on our way. The driver wasn’t one that we usually have, and one of the most bizarre coincidences was that her name was Julie.

I looked behind me to make sure the buple (bus couple) wasn’t lying in the back seat and sure enough it was empty. I reclined the seat and relaxed, and before I knew it we were downtown. It was the best commute I had so far, so before I got out I gave her a kiss and was on my way.

3/5/08

This morning things are somewhat back to normal. The bus is a little more full than normal, although still no more than half full. The roads aren’t the best considering the snow but we still seem to be doing pretty good on speed. No egg-wheeled bus today.

One interesting thing that I’ve noticed is that few blondes ride the bus. I’m surveying the crowd and there isn’t a single one on board. The buple is here in their usual spot and we have another new couple. The woman from the new couple (we’ll call them the nuple) appears to be taking her first bus trip, or at least her first one on this route.

The gentleman with her is pointing things out along the way. He has a large nose, receding hairline and long sideburns. She has gray, somewhat thin hair, which appears almost like a wispy gray cloud encircling her pale white dome. Her hair is thin enough to see completely through to the scalp yet looks to have enough substance to adequately hold a No. 2 pencil.

Gary D. is our driver this morning as he is most mornings and is doing an admirable job in these conditions. We’re definitely running behind schedule (or a former co-worker pronounces it “shed-jewel”) but we’re doing better than I thought we would.

Lyric of the day: "Seems I'm not alone at being alone" - "Message in a Bottle", The Police

Tommy Crasher's Airplane

2008-03-03T21:44:00.003-06:00

Eastbound

Since I’ve been sick the last few days I spent most of the weekend inside and in bed. We saw a couple of movies that were on TV (Tommy Boy, Airplane, some other movie with Chris Farley where his brother is running for political office or something like that (we never saw the end of that one), Wedding Crashers, etc.) and pretty much went through about a case of tissues.

Tommy Boy is a classic. There must have been some law passed that makes sure Tommy Boy is played a few times a week. I swear it’s always on, but it’s such a great movie that you don’t mind it. Chris Farley is hilarious.

Airplane was a movie that I have always liked and Julie doesn’t much care for. Perhaps that’s the kind of movie that women typically don’t like and men do. Kinda like the rock band Rush – I think I might have met one woman in my life who likes them. But, I digress. Or do I?

Wedding Crashers is also a great movie. Vince Vaughn cracks me up and what’s-her-face that plays his crazy girlfriend is a riot as well. Excellent movie.

Did any of you watch OBGYN? You know - Oprah’s Big Give yesterday night? I thought it was OK. I guess I understand the premise of the show – helping those in need – but I’m not sure they really figure out what would best serve the people they’re trying to help. Money isn’t always the answer. As the saying goes – Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach him how to fish and he eats forever. Or, for as long as he has bait.

I think I’m on the egg-wheeled bus again. Oh, and the couple is back. Who is the couple? See my previous post. They’ve been riding this same bus with me quite a bit lately, always in the last row. Today there is a lot of talking going on, although I can’t make out (no pun intended) what they’re saying. It’s a quiet bus with much sleeping. The windows slowly frost up as we make our way towards downtown. Don’t lick the windows – trust me.

For J-Flo – the lyric of the day: “Act your age, not your shoe size.” – “Kiss”, Prince

Like Butta

2008-02-29T19:48:00.003-06:00

Eastbound

For as infrequently as February 29^th appears on a calendar (roughly once every 4 years) it doesn’t feel like anything special. If you’re a single man (see my post from a few days ago) then I think you should be concerned about the possibility of being proposed to today. You may want to just stay in bed.

I heard one of my favorite Jackson 5 songs this morning on the way to the bus – “Never Can Say Goodbye” is a classic.

Last night’s ride/drive home was not a pleasant one, as I’m sure most of you can attest. It’s amazing how a little snow falling at just the right time of day can cause such problems. The bus was about a half hour late getting us back into Chaska but it could have been much worse.

One thing I do miss about working at Eaton is the occasional times where I would walk out of the building and smell the fresh baked bread from the plant across Hwy 5. When I worked in a grocery store there were times when we would go down to the bakery and get a fresh loaf of bread and a tub of butter and eat the whole loaf. The butter would instantly melt and soak into the bread… wow, was that good.

Speaking of Hwy 5, how does that number play into the highway numbering system I wrote about yesterday? Good question.

Feeling a bit under the weather and I’m wondering if it has to do with the fact that I’m taking the bus. Am I more prone to pick up something taking public transportation? This is a risk they don’t tell you about ahead of time. I think I’ll bring a can of Lysol on the bus with me next week, and maybe some Clorox wipes as well. If that doesn’t work I’ll be forced to resort to the Michael Jackson face mask. I suppose the face mask would be fitting since I already have someone to walk around with me and hold an umbrella over my head.

A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. – "Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World", U2. I can’t say I agree with that, but the line is one I’ve always gotten a kick out of.

All Along the Water Tower

2008-02-28T21:09:00.004-06:00

Eastbound

It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful sunrise this morning - a mix of oranges and pinks. It won’t be long until the “snow” comes later today. A whole inch they’re predicting. Fortunately, Julie and I have the home well-stocked with food and essentials in case it’s a few days before the roads are clear enough for us to travel…

The bus today feels like it has eggs for wheels. I don’t think the tires are round, at least they certainly don’t feel like it.

One of the guys I met at Target is also a BA and he has a map of the U.S. on his cubicle wall that shows all the Major League Baseball parks around the country. He was telling me he’s been to all but 6 of them and hopes to knock off 2-3 more this year. Pretty cool.

What’s love got to do with it?

Water towers are rather interesting to me. How much water do they hold? Is their main function to store water? Or are they supplying the needed pressure to get the water to the surrounding homes and businesses? Are their massive pumps that pump the water up to the top? Or does the vacating water cause a suction or siphoning effect thereby “pulling” the water into the tank? Is there anything special or functionally different regarding the various designs, or is it strictly aesthetics? How long does one last? How many homes or business could one water tower support? Aren’t you curious? I’ll see what I can find out for you.

I seem to recall being told once that there is a logic to the highway numbering system. Your two-digit, odd numbers are for highways that run between states and move in a north-south direction, your 77, 35, 75 highways for example. The two-digit, even numbers are for highways that run between states and move in an east-west direction, such as 94, 80, 66, etc. You then have your three-digit scenarios that start with an even number that circle metropolitan areas, such as 494, 694, 475 etc. Now, what about three-digit highways that start with an odd number? I believe those are for intra-state highways. Any of you aware of such a numbering scheme?

What’s love but a secondhand emotion?

Westbound

I passed a guy in the skyway today.

I’m looking at upgrading my phone and I went into the Verizon store over lunch. Talked to a nice chap named Eric. I’m thinking I want a cell phone with a planner, address book, a QWERTY keyboard, and the ability to access my Gmail account. Right now I’m leaning towards the BlackBerry Pearl but it doesn’t have a full QWERTY keyboard, but two letters per key plus some fancy-shmancy logic that figures out what you’re typing. Heck, I don’t even know what I’m typing but some phone will figure it out. Maybe it will make me look smarter. It certainly can’t hurt.

Well, it’s snowing. We just passed a guy riding his bike. Now, either that’s dedication or insanity. My vote is for the latter.

We were listening to KOOL 108 a while back and their commercial said that they’re playing the good songs again, or something along those lines. What were they playing before? Are they admitting something? “Sorry, folks. I don’t know what that crap was we were playing before but we apologize. So be sure to listen now. We think we got it this time.”

It’s interesting how when you’re on the 30^th floor and you look out the window when it’s snowing and the flakes are actually floating UP, not down.

Someone named “BA” left a message on one of the blog posts, but I don’t know who they are. Who are you? Who? Who? Who? I really wanna know.

Don’t you miss the 80’s?

I prefer a creamy coleslaw to an oily one. Some of the best coleslaw I’ve had in a restaurant was at Bob Evans. Quality.

How many “winds” does a piece of exercise equipment have? If I bought a treadmill from 2^nd Wind, used it for a while, and then wanted to get rid of it, would I have to find the 3^rd Wind store and take it there? How do they know the treadmill is only on it’s 2^nd wind?

Scratchy and the Boy

2008-02-27T19:30:00.007-06:00

I think I really like riding the bus and taking some time to write my blog posts. However, you may disagree if posts like this one and the one from yesterday are any indication about what to expect. You may soon be asking for me to start driving to work again.

So I was talking to my mother the other day and she told me that single men need to watch out because it’s a leap year. Confused, I asked what she was talking about. She goes on to inform me that during a leap year (or, perhaps, on Feb 29^th only, I’m not sure on the exact ruling) a woman can propose to a man. She was surprised that I never heard that before. Are any of you aware of such a wrinkle in the relationship cosmos?

Guy with dog on lake.

Ok, so the bus is only about a ¼ full, if that. I’m near the back of the bus, but I noticed right before I sat down that there was a couple about my age sitting at the very back. I didn’t think much of it at the time but they are being very quiet back there. What’s up do you suppose???

Remember the TV show “Family Ties”? When I was off work and between jobs the cast of “Family Ties” was on the “Today Show” for a 20^th or 25^th anniversary special deal thingy. Anyway, do you remember how at the end of every episode they showed a picture of a black dog with a Frisbee its mouth, with a voice saying “Sit, ____, sit! Good dog!”? What was the dog’s name? Or what did you THINK the dog’s name was? I found out that day that the I’ve had the dog’s name wrong all this time.

Although, I guess I shouldn’t assume anything. No one really talks on the bus, especially in the morning. Maybe they’re just sleeping.

It’s good to be the king.

Birds on a wire, aren’t their feet on fire?

Speaking of sleeping… Have you seen the Sandra Bullock movie “While You Were Sleeping”? I thought it was a typical Sandra Bullock film. Cute, not too deep, wasn’t a waste of money. Not Oscar-worthy, but not a stinker either.

OK, they’re talking to each other now, 15 minutes into the trip.

The cat’s in the cradle, Scratchy is its name
Baby coughs and sneezes, Scratchy is to blame
Allergic to the feline, baby not too happy
Mommy must remove the cat, better make it snappy.
© Copyright, Patrick Gibson, 2008

What’s that? No, it’s not that hard to type on the bus.

I read a great column today by John Stossel (you know, the 20/20 guy) and it was about gun control. It seems logical to me. Click here to read it.

“Sit, Ubu, sit! Good dog!”

The FTIOONVBTW Scale

2008-02-26T18:56:00.004-06:00

Random thoughts warning….

A popsicle stick bridge. Have you ever made one? I haven’t. Apparently some of us had to make them when we were kids, for school or some such thing. I don’t recall ever having to do such a thing when I was a kid. Now eating the popsicles??? Yeah, that I did.

For as much as I enjoy popsicles it’s rather interesting that I never eat them. They must be better for you than ice cream, not that I’m saying they taste as GOOD as ice cream, but as for the nutritional value of frozen treats go I would think the popsicle beats the ice cream. Frozen treats in order of nutritional value, best to worst (FTIOONVBTW): popsicles, ice cream.

Of course, the best popsicle is the one that has the ice cream in the middle. The orange popsicle with the vanilla ice cream was, and is, a great little treat. A hard, orange popsicle shell with a soft, creamy vanilla center. Yum. However, due to the combination of popsicle and ice cream it makes it’s nutritional value fall somewhere between the two. FTIOONVBTW: plain popsicles, orange/vanilla popsicle, ice cream.

Then you have the push-up, another great treat I would enjoy as a kid but never eat anymore. A little creamier than the straight popsicle and perhaps a little harder to eat, you would pull the wrapper off the top and push it out of its cardboard home and try to eat it before it dripped all over the place. Not the best situation but well worth the effort. FTIOONVBTW: plain popsicle, push-up, orange/vanilla popsicle, ice cream.

Now, if you’re a fan of the Dairy Queen Blizzard like the little lady and I are then I think you would agree it’s probably NOT the best when it comes to nutrition. In order to try and make it a little better from a nutritional standpoint I once ordered mine with broccoli mixed in, but that didn’t taste so great. Corn either. So I stick with the chocolate ice cream Blizzard with peanut butter, peanuts, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Oh, mama. Good stuff. And I like to think my emotional health is as important as my physical health, so partaking of the Blizzard does an emotional body good. You have to try it. FTIOONVBTW: plain popsicle, push-up, orange/vanilla popsicle, plain ice cream, DQ Blizzard.

I now have a craving for a Blizzard, which isn’t good. We gave up ice cream for Lent and it hasn’t been too difficult, although it’s only been three weeks. Must… be… strong.

Little house, big house,
White house, blue house.
Grey mouse, wireless mouse,
Dead mouse, Mickey Mouse.
Red blouse, tight blouse,
Her blouse, my blouse.
Big bird, little grouse,
Gotta fire? Better douse!

The woman in front of me is reading a book on the Spanish-American War. Nice cover, solid binding, red ribbon bookmark. Wait a minute… She just turned the page and now she’s reading about the Chinese Exclusion Act. The page after that is about the Interstate Commerce Commission. I think I’m falling asleep just reading the headings on the pages!

Brown seems to be the dominant hair color on the bus this afternoon. A smattering of blondes and bald heads poke above the seats, along with a couple grey-hairs.

Mark T. is our bus driver. He’s doing a swell job.

Isn’t it interesting that a faded, dotted line on a road will make you feel confident that the person traveling the opposite direction of you will not hit you? If you were put into a large open area with one other car and you were both told to drive 60 miles per hour towards each other, how close do you think you’d come to them? The relatively minuscule 8 feet that separates the two of you on a road? I don’t think so. You’d panic if they got that close to you. But if we put a nice dotted line on the ground you’ll do it without even thinking about it. Interesting.

Skyways and Highways

2008-02-25T22:24:00.001-06:00

Reviews from the Oscars last night seem to be unanimous that it wasn’t a very good show. Makes me glad I didn’t waste much time watching it… just a few minutes here and there. Most of the movies we haven’t seen or know much about, which doesn’t help raise the excitement bar at all.

I’m trying to type on the bus on the way home – we’ll see how it goes. I’m sure others on the bus are thinking to themselves “Wow, that guy must be really important… AND cool.” The only thing that would complete the package would be if I had my cell phone clipped to my belt.

Which reminds me – I’d like to take a survey of the three people who actually read the blog. What is your view of cell phones on belts? It seems a decent number of guys I work with have them. Julie is 100% against them.

My foot hurts.

I like working downtown and taking the bus. You see a lot of interesting people downtown. You’d never really see anything “crazy” in Eden Prairie. It’s a great place to people-watch. A whole lot of people standing together waiting for something or someone and they don’t talk to each other. I don’t know if that’s the way it’s always been or not.

You hear all the old folks (no, I’m not including myself in that category) say how everyone would talk to each other, although maybe that was more the case in your own neighborhood. Sitting on the porch swing, visiting with neighbors, drinking lemonade, watching the kids play in the street. The good old days? Sounds good to me.

Being downtown five days a week is helping me to learn the area at least a little better. Julie would say I’ve got a lot to learn yet and she’s right. I was telling her over the weekend that I’m learning how to get around town via the skyways but my starting point is always the City Center building. If we ever went downtown and I wasn’t at the City Center building and we needed to get from point A to point B we’d first have to go to the City Center building and then I could probably get us there. Not too convenient.

I have a key on my keyboard that popped off. I’m going to try and put it back on. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// I wonder if that worked.

Temperatures are up. That’s nice. Snow is melting. Ground is brown. Not nice.

Yeah, my foot still hurts. Goodnight.

Would You Like Some Cheese With Your Whine?

2008-02-24T18:36:00.005-06:00

What a weekend. "Why do you say that?" you ask? Well, let me tell you!

Saturday was the Food & Wine Experience (henceforth FWE) in downtown Minneapolis. We attended it last year with our friends Jen and Marc who have gone the last couple of years. We had so much fun last year that we had to do it again and this year the group expanded to our other friends Julie, Chuck, Lindsey and Katie.

If you've never been to the FWE you really need to check it out. For about $60 a person you get 8 hours of unlimited wine, beer, cheese, and food sampling. It's really quite cool and you definitely get your money's worth if you ask me.

Some of the highlights from this year's show include Finnegans (we've never tried it), chocolate pound cake from Au Bon Pain, numerous fantastic cheeses (I LOVE cheese!), the Rising Moon Spring Ale from Blue Moon, great sandwiches from Ruth's Chris and McCormick & Schmick's, grilled Yak, some good mustards from Silver Springs, plus so many other things I can't remember.

Julie is not a fan of Guinness and has been wondering what she could drink when we're in Dublin later this year. She thought she found her answer in Finnegans, only we both found out it's an Irish Amber beer, but it's only sold here in the upper Midwest! So much for that idea.

After the show we played some pool and threw darts until our 7pm reservation at the King & I Thai restaurant. We also went there last year after the show. Mike, Bianca and Ed met us there and we had some fantastic food (and a little more drinking) before heading out to Bootlegger's.

The evening ended with a visit to Pizza Luce for a midnight slice or two of pizza pie. What a great way to spend the day and end the evening.

I have decided to do the Life Time Fitness triathlon again this year. With Julie most likely doing the Irongirl with TNT later this year I couldn't let her get one up on me, so I've decided to do the sprint distance at Life Time. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about my training in future posts - and I've got a lot of training to do. Well, at least swim training. I went to my first swim last week and I could tell I haven't done any distance swimming since last summer. I was hurtin'!!

Well, you all have a great week. We'll chat at ya' on the flip side.

I'd rather be a hammer than a nail. - "El Condor Pasa", Simon & Garfunkel

Glove Plus One

2008-02-18T21:07:00.002-06:00

It was an interesting first day on the bus. No singing (see previous post) and the bus was about half full this morning. I'm wondering if it was due to President's Day. The ride home was even less crowded, but I managed to leave my gloves on the bus and had to play catch-up in my car to get them back. Just like a kid... if my head wasn't attached to my body...

Wow, this is a really short post. Now back to work!

Get On The Bus, Gus

2008-02-17T19:53:00.004-06:00

One week down....

Well, I've finished my first week at Target and I'm still looking for that comfort zone. It's weird being the new kid on the block but I'm quickly learning names - now if I could just place them with the right face I'll be all set! HA!

This week I begin the commute via public transportation. I have a Metropass and will be taking the bus from Chaska straight downtown. Pretty cool. As you may recall from an old post I used to sing on the bus when I was in 1st grade, much to the embarrassment of my sister, but this time I think I'll keep my melodic self in check. I can't promise that I won't be humming to myself, tho.

So I'll be taking the Southwest buses into downtown and, from what I hear, they are the nicest buses in the metro. I think they have a wet bar and a masseuse on board. How sweet is that?

I can't wait for it to get warmer out. I'm itching to get on my new bike. It's probably not the best for a century ride or a triathlon, but it looks cool. Click here for a pic.

Speaking of cycling - we went to a couple of spin classes with the Tahoe team and WOW is my butt not ready to be sitting on a bike seat for extended periods of time. It's going to take a few weeks to get those callouses built back up. The first spin class was tough but the SECOND one was even harder. It took have the class the first time for the old hind quarters to get sore but the discomfort was rather immediate at the second class.

Honestly, now WHY would you advertise this?!

In honor of my first day riding the bus, here are some songs you can enjoy:
"Another One Rides The Bus" - Weird Al Yankovic (Parody of "Another One Bites The Dust")
"Bus Rider" - The Guess Who
"Bus Station Blues" - John Lee Hooker
"Bus Stop" - The Hollies
"Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?" - Bruce Springsteen
"I Missed The Bus" - Kriss Kross
"Kiss Me On The Bus" - The Replacements
"Magic Bus" - The Who
"Watin' For The Bus" - ZZ Top

You all have a great week. And watch the buses... you may see me.

New Kid In Town

2008-02-11T20:11:00.000-06:00

So, today was my first day at Target. The morning was spent in an orientation class, followed by lunch with my boss, and time meeting folks and getting a tour finished off the day. I'm really excited about this opportunity and everyone there seems really nice. Although it's much quieter there, but I'm not sure if it was because half the floor was gone in meetings.

During the orientation we were shown some cool videos on Target, including a montage of all the cool commercials they've had over the years. I do think Target has some of the best commercials out there and they're consistently good. As soon as the commercial starts you immediately know it's a Target ad. They do a great job with that.

This first week sounds like it's going to be relatively quiet and then next week I'll start working into some of the projects that are going on. My main problem is remembering names. I've never been the best at it and usually have to meet someone a dozen times before my brain makes that all-important face-to-name connection. I need to find out how to be better at that part.

As I think I've said in previous posts I'm not that well oriented for downtown skyway walking. The whole habitrail deal will take some getting used to. I parked about 5 blocks from my building today only because my orientation this morning was in a different Target building. I managed to only get confused a little on the way back to my car and only spent an additional few minutes walking outside because I went out the wrong door. But, when it's as cold as it is and with the wind whipping down the street I was a walking iceberg by the time I got to the parking garage.

All in all it was a good day. Not too stressful, was able to ease into it. We'll see how long that lasts....

Don't Drink the Water

2008-02-06T22:23:00.000-06:00

Tonight I went to the tri teams first team training which was at a pool at an area middle school. Team In Training has so many signed up for the triathlons this year (140 and growing) that they broke the swim up into 3 sessions - each for a different skill level.

As Mentor Captain one of the things I'm going to try and do more of this season is attend team trainings (for all the sports) and take pictures. Seeing as some 80% of the participants in TNT are beginners there are always nerves coming to the first team training, and I'm sure me standing there with a camera didn't help any! ;-)

While I was watching everyone practice their drills and struggle as they learned the techniques and tried to catch their breathe it reminded me of our first team swim last year. Julie and I were not even remotely strong swimmers when we signed up for the Life Time Fitness Triathlon last January and that first team swim was quite stressful.

And tonight I was reliving those feelings from last year - how the heck do you breathe and swim? why do my goggles keep filling with water? will I ever be able to swim just to the other end of the pool without stopping? does the water HAVE to be this darn cold? It was all coming back, and as I watched them and felt their anxiety I was also somewhat wishing I was in there as well. But, thankfully, those feelings were fleeting at best. :-)

There is always a really high level of excitement when the new TNT seasons start, but summer season always seems to have that something extra. I don't know if it's because it's a new year or if it's because you know spring is around the corner but I've always enjoyed this season.

Julie will be staffing the Tahoe century ride again this year and the first team training for them is Saturday morning, as are the team training for San Diego and Anchorage. It's going to be another great season and I've already met some new people tonight that seem really cool. TNT draws the best people who want to help a great cause - or just get in shape!

It's not too late to join a team! If you're at all interested you can come to a Try It Out training and see what the whole thing is about. You won't be disappointed. Click here for more info.

Behold the Turtle

2008-02-03T22:09:00.000-06:00

I'm fighting the urge to have a "random thoughts" post. I'd like for today's installment of "this is your life" to have some sort of theme to it. We'll see how it goes.

I'm wrapping up my 14+ years at Eaton this week and the feelings are mixed. There is a real sense of transition and movement which at times seems unsettling. I feel like a small boat being tossed around the ocean and I find myself longing to be back on shore in a sense. (Wow, deep.)

Everything has been very comfortable at Eaton. I know my job, know the company, and love the people I work with. Eaton is like a comfy pair of shoes, and I wonder if I'm going to be stepping out of those shoes and walking across burning coals or if I'll be stepping into another pair of shoes - shoes needing to be broken in but still comfortable.

Let's stay with the shoe analogy. It's like shoes that you wear when you train to run a marathon. Half way through the training the shoes you have on are getting worn out and loosing their ability to get you to your goal. So you go out and buy a new pair of shoes. Now there is a spring in your step and the anticipation grows as you get closer to that finish line. I think the situation I'm in is similar.

Target represents a real opportunity to get outside my comfort zone. I think there is going to be a lot expected of me and that is not only a little scary but it's a chance to step up and really see where this takes me. I know I can do the job - that's not it at all. And perhaps "scary" isn't the right term. It's the excitement and anticipation. It's trying something new. It's growing, changing, engaging, performing. It's finding out what you're made of, which is where I think most of us sell ourselves short.

There are so many quotes that speak to all the things I'm feeling, but two of them seem to speak to me tonight more than the others.

"Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out." - James Bryant Conant

"A ship in the harbor is safe. But that's not what ships are built for." - Anonymous

It would be very safe for me to stay at Eaton, but I know I wouldn't realize my true potential by staying. It's long overdue for me to shake things up a bit, and I feel very blessed and fortunate about this next opportunity - the next chapter of my life.

This dust will settle soon. The shoes will get broken in, and I'll continue on the course towards the finish line. I'm setting sail and leaving the harbor - and I'm sure the trip will be interesting.

One last thing to wrap this up. Julie has been amazing - as always. The saying goes that behind every good man is a good woman, but Julie is more than good for me. She is the best thing that's ever happened to me, and for that I am so thankful.

Julie gave me something a number of years ago - a framed drawing of a boat floating through a wavy sea. I've had it on my desk since she gave it to me and I often will read it and think about the two of us. Written on it are these words:

The little boat of you and me
went sailing on the deep blue sea.
We weathered winds and crashing waves
and we were strong and true and brave.
And we were still in love, so we
kept sailing on the deep blue sea.
The little boat of you and me.

Mmmmmmm... Donuts

2008-01-29T20:43:00.000-06:00

So, I was having an electronic conversation earlier today with Kimmi and we somehow got on the subject of donuts. It shouldn't be that surprising that I was involved in a dialogue that had to do with food, but what may be surprising is that we both agreed to write a post in our blogs dealing only with the tasty breakfast treat. So once you're done reading my post, go check hers out as well. Here goes...

I quite often find myself to be more favorable to the cake donut as opposed to the yeast-raised donut. Now Kimmi was not familiar with the difference. The cake donut is like your old-fashioned donut, usually found plain, powdered, or, as Julie prefers, chocolate frosted. The yeast-raised, or YR from here forward, is a fluffier, airy donut. The YR donut will typically be glazed or filled with some delectable filling - jelly, custard, frosting, etc. The standard Krispy Kreme donut would fall into the YR category.

Before I go any further we should review the spelling of the word. You may spell it as "doughnut" or "donut". Kind of like a tom-ay-to v. to-mah-to deal - I don't think either is necessarily right or wrong. I prefer "donut" so that's how we shall proceed.

Regarding cake donuts - again, my preference if left on a deserted island with only one form of the breakfast pastry - they can come in all sizes and flavors. In my high school and college years I worked at a small family-owned grocery store and they would make killer blueberry cake donuts. Many a Saturday morning a few of us would buy a dozen of them - still warm from the fryer. Incredible. The whole back half of the store would be filled with the aroma of freshly-made donuts. Ahhh, the memories.

Cake donuts will also typically be your seasonal donut. For instance, in the fall you will find your pumpkin donut - another excellent choice. However, the best cake donut is, hands down, the chocolate cake donut.

There is a chain of donut shops (which, unfortunately, aren't here in MN) called Dunkin Donuts. They made the best chocolate cake donuts, and on occasion when I was a kid we would stop there on a Sunday morning to get some. Or was it on Saturday morning? Can't remember. Anyway, my mother would make eggs sunny side up and leave the yolk very runny. I would then break open the yolk and dip the chocolate cake donut into that yellow goodness. If you haven't tried it I highly recommend you do so. And don't forget a big glass of orange juice.

Now on to the YR donut. Lest you be confused or misunderstand my prose let it be known that in the absence of a good cake donut I am more than happy to sink my teeth into a good YR donut. A YR donut with chocolate frosting and a custard filling is most scrumptious, although I can only usually eat one as they are a bit too sweet if you try to eat 2 or 5 of them. The jelly-filled YR is OK but not a fav.

Some songs along these lines...
"Breakfast In America" - Supertramp
"Coffee, Donuts & Death" - Paris
"Donut Man" - Rita Coolidge
"Eat It" - Weird Al Yankovic
"Eggs & Sausage (In A Cadillac...)" - Tom Waits
"Hot Cakes" - Carly Simon
"Memphis Jellyroll" - Stefan Grossman
"Muffin Man" - Zappa

Yeah, I haven't heard of most of those either.

As I said before, Kimmi is also writing a post on donuts. Click here to check it out.

Dig It

2008-01-25T11:49:00.000-06:00

So I took today off from work to use my last floating holiday before I leave. I'm going through all my work files (and there are a lot of them!) making sure things are cleaned up and in order. Since I'm at home I've got our home computer on listening to music.

I just have it set to play the entire library (about 12,000 songs) so I'm getting quite the diverse playlist. One of the songs was by a group called Cyrkle (yeah, I'm sure you've heard of them) and the song was called "It's A Turn Down Day". I believe the song was from the 60's and I really got a kick out of some of the words.

"It's a turn-down day
Nothin' on my mind
It's a turn-down day
And I dig it
There's nothing easier I can do
Than lyin' around doing nothing"

"Things that are waiting to mess my mind
Will just have to wait 'til tomorrow"

Gotta love it. I mean dig it. You gotta dig it, man. It's so heavy.

Ta-ta for now.

Breathe Out

2008-01-23T22:33:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! Hope all is fantastic with you.

I have accepted a job offer from Target Corp and will be leaving my job at Eaton. I'm very excited about the opportunity, working downtown, moving from the manufacturing side to the retail side, learning new things, meeting new people, and taking the bus downtown! How cool is that going to be? Pretty cool.

I don't have anything against Eaton and would recommend it to others as a good place to work. It was time for a change and I needed to broaden my work experience. This should do the trick. Plus, I really am impressed with Target as a company - especially with their philanthropy.

Honestly, it's too freakin' cold.

"Breathe out/So I can breathe you in." - "Everlong" by Foo Fighters. Great line from an even greater song. The acoustic live version is especially sweet.

So, there is talk that the Oscars might be canceled or follow a format similar to the Golden Globes where none of the stars were there. I think it would completely stink if the only year I ever win an Oscar is the year when the show is canceled. You win the biggest award there is for your profession and you can't accept the award in person or give your victory speech. I think that totally sucks.

You guys stay warm. Got it?

Know When To Hold 'em

2008-01-20T21:41:00.000-06:00

Can you believe how balmy the weather was this weekend? Man, I bet we hit 0 degrees today! I'm gonna have to break out the shorts soon...

So, Julie and I went to Las Vegas last weekend and had a great time. Neither of us had been there before and it was pretty much everything we imagined. Our friend Marc set us up at the Mandalay Bay and got us house seats for the Cirque show "O" which was fantastic.

We knew everything would be "big" in Vegas but the casinos and hotels still blew us away. We did a LOT of walking up and down the strip and tried to hit the major casinos like the Bellagio, MGM Grand (not impressed), New York New York, Paris, Luxor, Excalibur, and Caesar's Palace. They were all impressive in their own way with the exception of MGM.

We had a couple of buffets and the best one was at Bellagio. They had excellent food, and for an additional $2 Julie had an endless glass of champagne. We pretty much ate one big meal each day and snacked the rest of the time.

Our day's quickly got turned around as we were staying up into the middle of the morning and sleeping in late. The transition back to normal hours when we got home was tough. Another thing that was tough when we got back was the change in temperature - when we left Vegas it was 60 and when we landed at MSP it was 0 degrees. Nice.

We did ok on the gambling side of things. We ended up down for the weekend but thankfully Julie was hot on the last day we were there so it we didn't come home broke. One of the slots that we liked was the nickel slot Deal or No Deal. When you get three suitcases on the same spin you are taken to a board that allows you to pick suitcases just like on the TV show, including bank offers. Pretty cool and fun.

Check this out - my mom sent me this picture of me as a kid playing with one of my new toys.

See? If you pray hard enough, it DOES come true!

Seriously... it will get warm again, right?

Happy New Year and Thank You!

2008-01-07T11:21:00.001-06:00

Dear family & friends,

Happy New Year! 2007 was a year of many ups and downs and since we see some of you less often than others we thought we’d give all of you an update on how things are going here in the great state of Minnesota.

This past year we completed our first triathlon with Team In Training (TNT). Thank you so much for your support both through donations and with well wishes. It’s hard to believe we’ve been involved with TNT for over 6 years! We thought we’d take a look back.

As most of you know we got involved with TNT back in 2001 after the father of Julie’s friend Kelly lost his battle with leukemia. It was a devastating loss for her and her family and after making a donation in his memory to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society we received information in the mail concerning this program known as TNT.

We went to the information meeting and signed up on the spot. We were very nervous about completing a marathon and even more nervous about having to raise over $7,000. However, we had seen the brutal effects of blood cancers and knew we had to take on something larger than ourselves.

That first event was the International Marathon in Bermuda in January 2002. It was a tough marathon and we learned a lot during those months about training, fundraising, and about blood cancers themselves. Along with doing the marathon in memory of Kelly’s father we also had an honoree, Brian, who was in the midst of his battle. He was so thankful for what our team was doing, for the hope we were providing to him and his family. We were the last ones to finish the race but we were determined to complete it. We had worked very hard to get there and we knew if our honoree could go through chemotherapy we could finish a marathon. It was a tremendous experience.

In July of 2002 we moved to Minnesota and in January of 2004 we began training for our next event. The team we trained with, the staff, and the coaches were incredible. The event we chose to do was the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon in San Diego. We again struggled with the fundraising but we not only met our goal but surpassed it! Again, thank you! At the event we shaved 90 minutes off our Bermuda time and had a blast listening to the 26 bands that lined the course. It was an even better experience this time and we were hooked on this great program.

Following the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon in June of 2004 we immediately jumped into the next event and this time decided to be mentors within TNT. We signed up for the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n Roll Arizona Half Marathon in Phoenix. Our good friends Julie and Chuck joined us for this one and we had a great time in Arizona. Who wouldn’t want to be in Arizona in January?!

In the fall of 2004 a TNT position became available and Julie jumped at the opportunity to work for the organization that had inspired us in so many ways. In October she accepted a position as a Campaign Coordinator and her work has been challenging and rewarding. With her working at the Society and Pat assuming a role as Mentor Captain we have been busy but so blessed to be able to work with such a great organization.

In the summer of 2005 we participated in the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco. This event was created by Nike to specifically benefit the Society and to honor women. The ratio of women to men for this event was around 15 to 1 so to say Pat was outnumbered is an understatement. We became very good friends with many people on the team, as we have with each team we’ve been on.

One of those good friends we made during our training for Nike is Jim. He was a cyclist who did the half marathon with his wife Sandy who is a cancer survivor. He didn’t much care for the marathon training and told us that since he did a half marathon we had to do a century ride with him in 2006. We were nervous and hesitant at first but decided to join him for the Sea Gull Century Ride in Salisbury, MD, in October 2006.

It was exciting to get involved with a new sport and a majority of the team was alumni of TNT. Our dear friend Louise (who is a marathon walker like us) did the 100-mile ride with us. We were the slowest on the team but we finished in around 9 hours, in terrible weather conditions – it was the first nor’easter of the season. When the Weather Channel is televising live from where you’re going to be riding you know it’s going to be a tough ride!

When we finished Sea Gull and started thinking about our next event we decided to go for the Triple Crown award – a special TNT award for those participants who have fundraised and completed an event in all three sports – marathon, century ride, and triathlon. The one of the three we were missing is the one that scared us the most – the triathlon.

In January of 2007 we signed up to fundraise and complete the Olympic distance course at the Life Time Fitness Triathlon here in Minneapolis. We would swim 0.9 miles, bike 24.8 miles, and run 6.2 miles. The bike and the run we weren’t as concerned about, but the thought of swimming nearly a mile in open water was a little daunting.

By the time event day came in July we were prepared and excited, definitely nervous but determined to finish. It seems rather appropriate that at our first TNT event nearly 6 years ago we were the last to finish, and for our 6th event and first triathlon we were nearly the last ones on the course as well.

We may never look the best or be the fastest while we’re out there doing our events, but we’re out there anyway. We’re out there not just to challenge ourselves but most importantly to raise money for cancer research, for patient aid, and to increase awareness of what the Society does every day. We’re very proud of the work the Society does and of our involvement with TNT.

Over the last 6 years, thanks in large part to the generosity of folks like you, we have been able to raise nearly $36,000 for the Society! Thank you! We continually hear of the benefits and advancements this money provides and we are forever touched and inspired by the many – too many – cancer patients, young and old, that we’ve met over the years. On behalf of them we thank you as well.

But sometimes the ending isn’t what we hope and pray for. We’ve had to say goodbye to far too many people who fought courageously but in the end lost their battle with cancer. One of those people is McKenna Johnson, a beautiful and brave 10-year old girl, who fought a rare form of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for over 7 years of her short life. After receiving her second bone marrow transplant in September she had complications and on her 10th birthday was put into an induced coma and placed on a breathing machine.

Before being sedated her mother asked her is she was scared and she just shook her head “no”. It would be the last time she was awake. She earned her angel wings on her mother’s birthday. We attended the funeral, her celebration of life, on one of the snowiest days this winter. Never has the song “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know” moved us to tears like it did that day. She was an amazing little girl, and it’s for children like McKenna and for patients of all ages that we continue to fundraise for the Society.

It’s been a long journey these last 6 years and it’s one that has changed our lives. We’ve made life-long friends, pushed ourselves in ways we never thought we would, set and surpassed numerous goals, and been part of something that is so much bigger than ourselves. We look forward to continuing this journey with the Society and thank you again for supporting not only us but also those that truly need our help – the patient heroes.

2008 is the 20th Anniversary of Team In Training. It has grown to become the world’s largest endurance training program and is the biggest fundraising program of the Society. In those 20 years TNT nationally has trained over 340,000 athletes (80% of them beginners) and raised over $800 million for cancer research and patient aid. By the end of their 20th year they hope to pass the $1 billion mark, thanks to so many generous people like you! If you would like to get involved with TNT and change your life while saving another, then please visit their website at www.teamintraining.org.

We hope this Christmas season was everything you hoped for. We wish you all the best and that you have a happy and healthy New Year.

Love,

Julie and Patrick, Molson and Gracie

The Adventures of Chuck, Part 3

2008-01-03T20:48:00.001-06:00

Back by popular demand - it's the Adventures of Chuck the Chicken, Part 3!!!! If you have yet to read the first two installments you'll need to click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2, then join us back here for the final installment of this critically acclaimed 3-part Chuck miniseries.

A quick refresher of what has happened with Chuck to this point. All the events detailed in these posts occurred during a long weekend in San Francisco where Chuck took part in the Nike Women's Marathon.

After flying for the first time in his short life he visited Alcatraz, met new friends, and did the marathon. The stories written below begin with the post-marathon Victory Party and end in a not-so-pretty fashion. Be warned, what follows is not for the weak of heart, or stomach for that matter.

After the marathon the team headed over to the convention center for the Victory Party. Everyone was there to celebrate the fact that they had just finished either the half or full marathon and most of us had a couple barley pops and relaxed. Well, most of us except for Chuck, that is.

Chuck hadn't done a lot of drinking prior to this evening and let's just say his tiny frame can't absorb the alcohol the way an ostrich or flamingo can. We ALL know how flamingos love to drink those fancy umbrella drinks. Anyway, it started out innocently enough with a beer...

... but he succumbed to peer pressure and moved to shots, which quickly did him in.

By the time Chuck was doing the shots we had all moved from the convention center to a small Irish pub. Chuck had lost all sense of reason at this point and became hysterical at the site of one of the bar's Halloween decorations. As you can see below he really was quite frightened...

Chuck looked at me and pleaded for me to protect him. His speech was very slurred and he was looking quite droopy, and he had a hard time staying on his feet. It began to seem quite obvious that Chuck was going to fade fast.

But somehow Chuck found his second wind. Unfortunately, the evidence below shows how this wasn't such a good thing. Chuck began telling stories of how he raised the money to buy his plane ticket out to San Francisco. None of us could believe what we were witnessing as Chuck demonstrated his many "dance" moves that he used at the Chicken Ranch where he worked. Even though watching him made us a bit uneasy he did earn some extra money to buy another round of drinks...

The last round was the one that did poor Chuck in. It wasn't long and he was in the bathroom praying to the porcelain god, swearing he'd never touch another drop of alcohol in his life.

Chuck quickly disappeared, but on our way back to the hotel we found him passed out.

It was a rough night for Chuck, and the next day he wasn't doing so well on the flight back to Minnesota. We told him the stories from the night before, and he tried to hide his beak under his wing, but eventually he admitted that he had a good time.

We had a lot of fun that night with Chuck, and there have been some good times since then as well - times that will be making appearances in future posts. But until then we hope you enjoy reading Chuck's adventures in San Fran. Chuck sure has a lot of pluck.

2007 - The Year That Was

2007-12-31T17:00:00.000-06:00

Here is a list of the highlights or more interesting items of 2007, in no particular order, and some perhaps only interesting to me.

Life Time Fitness Triathlon
Of course the big accomplishment of 2007 for Julie and I was the completion of the Olympic distance of the Life Time Fitness Triathlon - our first triathlon. Going in we were both particularly worried about the swim but Safety Bob gave us some one-on-one coaching and before we knew it we were almost looking like we knew what we were doing! Thanks Bob!

Lake Tahoe
Julie was the staff person for the 2007 Tahoe cycle team and our time in Tahoe (and throughout the training for that matter) was a lot of fun. Tahoe is a beautiful place to visit if you get the chance.

San Francisco
For the fall season Julie was staff for the Nike Women's Marathon & Half Marathon teams. Another group of great people went to this year's event - the biggest yet. We had some 8,000 folks attending the Pasta Party! I think the smiles were there for the whole weekend, which went by way too fast.

New Friends
We made soooo many new friends in 2007, mainly through TNT. What an amazing program it is - not only do you get to help a worthy cause but you also meet some incredible people. I won't dare list names here as I'd be sure to leave someone out, but just be assured that we appreciate all of you. 2008 is going to be such an awesome year! We're glad we'll be able to hang with most of you again next year and make many new memories.

Chuck the Chicken
This year Chuck the Chicken made his debut and it wasn't pretty. He has lived his short life to the fullest, that's for sure. I know, I know - part 3 of his story will come in the next few days - I promise! If you still haven't read the first two parts of his story click here for part 1 and here for part 2. Go Chuck!

Music
Some of the musical stuff I enjoyed in 2007: Shiny Toy Guns, song "Le Disko"; Tegan & Sara, song "Back In Your Head"; Bruce Springsteen, album "Magic"; Amy Winehouse, song "I'm No Good"; Justin Timberlake, song "What Goes Around... Comes Around"; Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, song "Killing The Blues"; The Fratellis, song "Flathead"; Fergie, song "Big Girls Don't Cry"; Finger Eleven, song "Paralyzer"; plus I'm sure many others I'm not thinking of.

Random Bits of This and That
- "Don't tase me bro!" - University of Florida student (term used lightly) Andrew Meyer
- It was nice to get some decent snow fall in December this year. Let's hope it continues!
- "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country." - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Yeah, right.
- The sight of myself in skin-tight spandex should be something no other human should see. If you were one of the unfortunate ones I sincerely apologize.
- The new TV show "The Big Bang Theory" was hilarious. Let's hope the writer's strike ends soon.
- I'll never feel comfortable going to the bathroom in public for fear of sending the wrong signals. At least my stance isn't too wide - at least I don't think so.

It was a great 2007. Here's looking to 2008!

You Can Eat If I'm Smart Enough

2007-12-21T06:56:00.000-06:00

So, are you ready for Christmas? I can't believe it's only a few days away and 2008 is around the corner. It's also hard to believe that we're this close to being done with the first decade in the new millennium - it seems like only yesterday we were partying like it's 1999.

I've been noticeably absent from blogging lately and I'm going to blame that on the rush and busyness of the holiday season. We STILL don't have our Christmas cards out although I think we're done with shopping for the most part. And I don't think I've listened to one Christmas song on the radio yet - I've been avoiding it, not because I'm a Scrooge but perhaps more because I've been on a real Bruce kick in the car over the last few weeks.

Speaking of Holiday music, here is a link that will test your knowledge of Holiday songs. I think I got around 72% and Julie scored 88%. How do you fare?

Another link that was sent to me this week is here and it tests your knowledge regarding the meaning of words. For added pressure, each one you get correct will result in 20 grains of rice being donated through the United Nations to help end world hunger. It's a cool quiz but it's also scary to know that some poor child is relying on my brain power for sustenance. As my good buddy Forest would say - "I'm not a smart man."

You ever try to inconspicuously sniff your own armpits to make sure you don't stink? I think if you have THIS it will help you to do it without others noticing.

Julie got me a book the other night that contains the 1,001 albums you must hear before you die. Too cool. I haven't had time to thumb through it yet but I'll be curious to see how many I've already heard. My guess is not that many, although I did quickly check out Bruce and he has 5 albums in there. Most excellent.

I was listening to the radio yesterday and they were interviewing a guy who wrote a column saying in essence that Santa being overweight sends the wrong message to children and is another factor in them being overweight themselves. What?! I can honestly say I've never looked at Santa and said "I want to be fat just like him!" The guy wants to see thin Santas from now on. Whatever.

If I'm not able to post again before jolly old FAT St. Nick comes to visit we hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Wii Wanna Rock!

2007-12-09T20:02:00.000-06:00

After many, many months of watching and waiting as the new highway was being built it was finally opened on Friday! The new 212, or 312, or whatever they decide to call it goes from Eden Prairie out to 41 in Chaska now. As Kimmi says so eloquently - WOOT! WOOT!

This has already saved us sooooo much time. What normally would have been a 40-minute drive to Lake Calhoun took us less than 25 minutes. Awesome. Now the real test will come this morning as we drive into work. Julie always gives me a hard time because I've got such a short commute and it just got even shorter. HA! Anyway, we're super psyched about the new highway - geeked even!

On Saturday night Julie and I were introduced to an addictive game - Guitar Hero III - at a party at a friend's house. Of course we've seen the game being sold in just about every store we go in and we really didn't know too much about it. Now, we do. Quite frankly I didn't think much of it, even when I first was watching J-Flo jam out to Foghat's "Slow Ride", but once I strapped on the "guitar" it quickly became quite addictive.

Julie was giving it her best shot as Pat Benatar while I was showing my personality on a Living Colour song. We've never really owned any kind of gaming console like an Xbox or Wii, although we did have a Sega Genesis game system once. We never really got into the whole gaming thing, but this Wii systems is pretty cool and I could easily see getting addicted to it.

So if you haven't played Guitar Hero III I recommend giving it a shot. You'll be a rock start before you know it.

Son of Neckbone & Other Classics

2007-12-07T21:38:00.000-06:00

I suppose everyone has those musical groups or artists that they secretly like, the ones they have as a guilty pleasure. My guess is I have more than most and perhaps, to be fair, maybe their not really guilty pleasures as much as legitimate artists that don't get the respect they deserve.

One of those acts that I really enjoy is the Bee Gees. Their music is just plain infectious. I'm sitting here skipping around from one Bee Gees song to the next. There are so many hooks in their music, and the harmonies are fantastic. True, their falsetto voices may annoy some people but their songwriting abilities are top notch.

As you can see from my previous post and now this one I'm in one of my musical funks. OK, maybe not a musical funk but I get into these moods where I crave certain types of music. Sometimes my mood dictates something funky or something with a groove to it, or it could be a somber or melancholy mood calling for something more acoustic or mellow. Usually it always has to be melodic and be familiar.

It doesn't necessarily need to trigger certain feelings or memories but it needs to satisfy the craving. Right now the craving is for something with a groove and melodic. The Bee Gees are filling the bill nicely, but I've also been listening to Mariah Carey ("Fantasy"), The Beastie Boys ("Son of Neckbone" - an awesomely contagious instrumental), Amy Winehouse ("You Know I'm No Good"), Bill Withers ("Use Me") and many others.

As hard as it is to believe, me being the non-rhythmic white boy that I am, I'll get completely lost in the groove of the music. It can be so incredibly transforming and overwhelm your senses - feeling the bass in your chest, your fingers tapping and your whole body moving, feeling the passion and soul of the singer, closing your eyes and just getting lost in the sounds and how everything ebbs and flows. Music is such an incredible vehicle, transporting you to wherever you want to go.

This is one of the reasons I'm really disappointed in the music of the last 10 years or so, maybe even longer. Where are all the musicians, the true R&B singers, the songs that depend on excellent songwriting, musicianship, melody. Enough of the sampling of previous hits - write your own music. Be more creative that writing about sex, drugs, guns, or any other idiotic topic. Say something! Make me feel it!

OK, I need to get off my soap box. I don't have the talent but there are people out there who do. Where are they?

I've got to get back to the music. Time for some Bob Marley....

The Tide Is High

2007-12-06T19:11:00.000-06:00

I remember the first three albums I ever owned that were truly my own - they were gifts from my brother Mike. I believe the year was 1983 and the albums he bought me were Business As Usual by Men At Work, The Best of Blondie, and the soundtrack to the 1978 film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band which starred the Bee Gees, Peter Frampton and many others.

I seem to recall that I didn't know much about any of the artists at the time, with the exception of Men At Work. I had an old record player that used to be Mike's and I would sit in my room listening to the records, sitting about 5 feet in front of the stereo with each speaker aimed right at me.

I would read the liner notes or follow along with the lyrics, singing if I felt like it of course. It was like I was in my own world, or as Paul Simon so eloquently wrote in "I Am A Rock" - "Hiding in my room / Safe within my womb." I would shut the door and sit in there, getting lost in the music.

One of the first albums I bought that I was truly obsessed with was Foreigner 4, with such classic tracks as "Juke Box Hero", "Urgent" and "Waiting For a Girl Like You". There was a kid in my class who could play the sax solo in "Urgent" and I thought that was pretty sweet - and I still do. I would listen to this album constantly, flipping from one side to the other and back again.

Having my own stereo was pretty cool. And what was even better was that both speakers worked. The stereo we had in our basement only had one speaker that worked - the right speaker. And for the first 10+ years of my life I never knew what the other "half" of the song sounded like. If I had to listen to music with only one speaker I couldn't do it. No way. It would frustrate me to no end.

And I don't know if it's nostalgia or what but I'll never find the same joy in buying and listening to a CD. As much as most people would argue with me or think I'm crazy I still believe there is nothing like listening to music on vinyl - crackles and all. The warmth, vibrant tones and general sound quality is SOOO much better than a CD. You hear everything and it sounds so much more "real". It's really a shame that so many people haven't had the experience of vinyl, although I've heard it's making a comeback.

Up until I got out of college I was obsessed with buying music and I would set myself down so I could listen to the music repeatedly and in it's entirety. I still truly enjoy music but I think it's the lack of time that keeps me from pursuing it as much as I'd like. With a few exceptions I never listen to a complete album anymore which I think is quite sad and something I need to change.

What new CDs have you listened to recently that you like? Any suggestions? Recommendations?

"Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness." – Maya Angelou, Gather Together in My Name

"Music is an outburst of the soul." – Frederick Delius

Out of Left Field

2007-12-05T20:18:00.000-06:00

This post starts out innocently enough, but I really don't know where this all came from. Enjoy.

A dear friend of ours sent the picture below via fax and I wanted to share it. You may need to click on the image to read everything, but suffice it to say that yours truly is the snowman in the front. Thanks Rachel! ;-)

I am a little concerned, tho, that she draws me with no pants on. I'm not quite sure what to make of that.

My godson Derek's birthday is today. Happy Birthday, Derek! Of course, I'm lame and completely spaced on it. I'll have to make it up somehow.

WARNING: Sudden shift in post topic ahead...

So, how often do you ask yourself what it is you want to do with your life? Do you see yourself doing what you're doing now in 2017? Wow, in 10 years it will be 2017. That seems so far away and yet it wasn't that long ago that it was 1997. Anyway, I don't see myself doing what I'm doing now in 2017, but I have NO idea what I'll be doing instead.

I'll be driving back and forth to work and I'll pass all the construction going on as they build the new highway and I'll think to myself that it would be cool to be a dump truck driver. Where that comes from I'm not sure. It may have to do with how much I loved playing in the sandbox as a kid, or perhaps its the non-corporateness (is that a word?) of it - the lack of office politics. Or maybe it's about being outside, although I might miss the interaction with others. If I became a dump truck driver I might need to buy a chimp to keep me company.

Or maybe you make a hobby into a career. Depending on the hobby this would be more difficult to do, especially if you have a standard of living you need to sustain. Or maybe instead of it being your career you do it part time. One needs to find their passion and run with it. I'm not sure what mine is and I don't want to wait until I'm 60 to figure it out.

"Very few people do anything creative after the age of 35. The reason is that very few people do anything creative before the age of 35." - Joel Hildebrand

"That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet." - Emily Dickinson

This is your one shot at life. Are you really doing what you want to do? Will you find yourself one day looking back and thinking "why didn't I follow my heart?"

"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable." - Sydney Harris

So I must sit down and think about what I really want to do, think about what is important.

Which reminds me - what do you call an insect from overseas? An import-ant. I know, that was so lame you'd find it easy to believe I just made that up.

On that note, see you later.

Pinching My Belly

2007-12-04T21:27:00.000-06:00

How ya' liking this snow?! Here in Chaska we had almost 7 inches on Saturday and probably another 4 or so today. I like the snow but it sure made the commute home tonight a pain in the butt. My normal 20-minute drive took an hour and 45 minutes. Fun.

I kind of feel sorry for school kids, tho. The first big snowfall of the year comes on a Saturday - no school to be canceled. The second decent snowfall comes mid-morning, after they're already IN school. You know the roads will be fine tomorrow so most likely no canceled school with this one either. From what I hear the next snowfall is supposed to come on Thursday so we'll see how that pans out for them.

This morning we were visited by our "friends" Piss and Vinegar. Molson usually plays the role of "Piss" and Gracie assumes the identity of "Vinegar". Little hellions they were! Out romping around in the snow - refusing to come in so I could get to work.

They definitely like the snow - Molson will stick her snout into the snow and walk around like a plow while Gracie will roll around in the snow like a pig, that is until her paws get cold with the snow packed between her pads. At that point she'll stand there holding up a paw for 10 seconds and then switch to another paw - so pathetic. I don't know that she would survive in the wild - in fact I'm SURE she wouldn't.

The only thing that stinks about the snow is that it's too powdery and doesn't make good snowballs. I'll usually throw the snowballs into the air and the girls will try to catch them in their mouths. Gracie can typically catch a few of them but Molson just isn't that coordinated. She'll trip over her own tail - and then start chasing it. Gracie sees Molson chasing her tail and gets excited and starts humping Molson. Oh the fun!

Now, I've heard of many things to do to impress a girlfriend, but this wouldn't be one I'd suggest.

D'oh!!!

"Guys are always patting my bald head for luck, pinching my belly to hear my girlish laugh..." - Homer Simpson

A Different Christmas Poem

2007-12-04T09:51:00.000-06:00

I just got this in an email and thought I'd share. It's pretty good.

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed ‘round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and he smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right.
I'm out here by choice, I'm here every night.

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

“My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,
That is a Christmas 'Gram always remembers.
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.”

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
“I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

“I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..

“Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.
So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you is you mattered to us."

Sweet McKenna

2007-12-02T23:26:00.000-06:00

Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He who died
Heaven's gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

We went to McKenna Johnson's funeral on Saturday and this was one of the first songs we sang at the service, and even though I've sung this song countless times it never had the same meaning as it did Saturday. The last two lines of the second verse ("He will wash away my sin / Let His little child come in") had me so choked up I couldn't sing. It was such a moving start to an emotional morning.

Before I go any further I ask that you please visit McKenna's Caring Bridge site (here) and read the journal entry from Saturday morning. The post is what was read during the funeral. There are those few times where a family truly captures your heart, and the Johnson family is definitely one of them.

There was a large turnout for the funeral which made McKenna's brother and sister (Kalen and Jadyn) very happy. They were hoping a lot of people would attend to show their love for McKenna.

Pink was McKenna's favorite color and nearly everyone who attended the funeral was wearing at least some pink. There were bouquets of pink balloons in the church which were released into the snowy sky after they brought McKenna out of the church. It was a moving scene.

Julie and I have been in awe of McKenna and her family as we've followed the ups and downs of the last couple months. It is amazing the bravery and love she showed, even at those most difficult of times. What a beautiful little girl, dear sweet McKenna. Rest in peace.

Thanks to all of you who prayed for McKenna and her family. They truly appreciate it.

Called Home

2007-11-27T22:48:00.000-06:00

At 5:30 PM this evening sweet McKenna was called home to Heaven. She earned her angel wings after a long, tough battle with cancer. She was a beautiful little girl. Please keep her as well as her family and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.

McKenna Update

2007-11-27T20:06:00.000-06:00

I'm sure many of you have been following McKenna's struggles over the last month or so. As of this post her family is preparing to say goodbye to sweet McKenna. She's put up a valiant fight and is an amazing little girl - such an inspiration.

Please continue to keep McKenna and her family in your thoughts and prayers as they go through this very difficult time. I can't even imagine what they are going through.

A Crash 'n' Numb Toes PSA

2007-11-25T22:27:00.000-06:00

Following is a public service announcement for all who choose to read this blog.

Before reading this blog, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any foods or drugs, or if you have: a personal or family history of depression or mental illness, heart disease, high cholesterol or triglycerides, osteoporosis or other bone disorders, diabetes, asthma, an eating disorder, or liver disease.

Do not use wax hair removers or have dermabrasion or laser skin treatments while you are reading the blog and for at least 6 months after you stop reading it. Scarring may result.

Reading this blog is not recommended for CHILDREN younger than 12 years of age without first checking with your doctor. If you become pregnant while reading this blog, discuss with your doctor the benefits and risks of continued reading during pregnancy. If you are or will be breast-feeding while you read the blog, check with your doctor or pharmacist to discuss the risks to your baby.

Read each post with a full glass of water. Reading the blog can be done with or without food. Reading with food may decrease stomach upset. Vision loss occurred in a small number of people reading the blog, most of whom also had heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or certain pre-existing eye problems, and in those who smoke or are over 50 years old. It is not clear whether reading the blog is the actual cause of vision loss.

Contact your doctor or seek emergency medical attention if your blog experience is painful or lasts longer than 4 hours. Avoid drinking alcohol, which can increase some of the side effects of reading the blog. The blog works by reducing the amount of the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the body. This may block certain types of hair loss in men. You may need to read the blog for up to 3 months before you notice any improvement. Infrequently, reading the blog may cause decreased sexual desire or ability. These effects usually decrease in men who continue to read the blog. If they continue or become bothersome, check with your doctor.

Stop reading the blog and see your doctor if you experience unusual or severe blistering, itching, redness, peeling, dryness, or irritation of the skin; depressed mood, trouble concentrating, sleep problems, crying spells, aggression or agitation, changes in behavior, hallucinations; sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body; blurred vision, sudden and severe headache or pain behind your eyes, sometimes with vomiting; hearing problems, hearing loss, or ringing in your ears; seizure (convulsions); severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, nausea and vomiting, fast heart rate; loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); severe diarrhea, rectal bleeding, black, bloody, or tarry stools; fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms, purple spots under your skin, easy bruising or bleeding; or joint stiffness, bone pain or fracture.

Trypin' on Tryptophan

2007-11-22T18:07:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving! If I all the sudden stop typing in the middle of this post know that it must be a combination of the tryptophan and the wine. Oh, and the overeating.

We shall dedicate today's post to the Thanksgiving Holiday. Some of it you may already know, but hopefully we can all be educated a little... and perhaps entertained.

The preliminary estimate of turkeys Minnesota expects to raise in 2006 is 45 million. The Gopher State is tops in turkey production. It is followed by North Carolina (37 million), Arkansas (30 million), Virginia (22.5 million), Missouri (21.5 million) and California (16 million). These six states together will probably account for about 65 percent of U.S. turkeys produced in 2006.

The quantity of turkey consumed by the typical American in 2004 is 13.4 pounds with a hearty helping devoured at Thanksgiving time.

"Thanksgiving is an emotional time. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often." - Johnny Carson

"You can tell you ate too much for Thanksgiving when you have to let your bathrobe out." - Jay Leno

"Thanksgiving is the day when you turn to another family member and say, 'How long has Mom been drinking like this?' My mom, after six Bloody Marys looks at the turkey and goes, 'Here, kitty, kitty.'" - David Letterman

Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey as the official U.S. bird.

June is National Turkey Lovers Month.

The costume worn by Big Bird on Sesame Street is rumored to be made of turkey feathers. (What? Big Bird wasn't real??)

Wild turkeys can fly for short distances up to 55 miles per hour and can run 20 miles per hour.

The National Turkey Federation (NTF) estimates that approximately 45 million turkeys are eaten at Thanksgiving.

President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, supposedly as a response to a campaign organized by magazine editor Sara Joseph Hale. In 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving Day forward one week, as it is presently celebrated.

Everyone have a great Thanksgiving Day! Stay safe. Give thanks.

No matter what looms ahead, if you can eat today, enjoy the sunlight today, mix good cheer with friends today, enjoy it and bless God for it. – Henry Ward Beecher

From the Back 40

2007-11-21T08:09:00.000-06:00

Today feels like a Friday, and that's a great feeling. And the feeling gets better knowing you have a 4-day weekend ahead. I think all work weeks should be 3 days, with no cut in pay of course!

Julie found out about this website called Black Friday that lists all the special deals that stores are running on Friday. There are definitely some great deals to be had if you're willing to fight the crowd and drive around endlessly looking for parking spots. Pretty much from here until after Christmas you can count on having to park in the back 40 at any mall. Fa-la-la-la-la.

Tomorrow it the Turkey Day 5k and we'll be having a good group of TNT alumni coming down to participate. We didn't make it there last year but I heard it's a very large event. If you want to come down and do a little preemptive strike against the turkey and stuffing you'll be eating later in the day then come on out and join us! Just dress warm!

Here is some good advice for travelers.

NO! Not Chuck Wagon... Chick Wagon!

We had a conversation over the weekend about the lack of any good radio stations in the Twin Cities. Ever since Drive 105 was changed to Love 105 the music choices have been severely limited. The area offers so many great things from food to the arts to all major sports teams but the radio scene leaves MUCH to be desired.

Everyone have a great turkey day!!! Gobble Gobble!

Put the Message in the Box

2007-11-19T22:33:00.000-06:00

I heard about this story (which you can read about here) on the radio earlier today and I had to look it up on line. Here's the deal.

A Boy Scout troop in Cambridge, MA, put collection boxes at all the polling locations on election day. The purpose of the collection boxes was to gather donations for the troops currently fighting in Iraq. Apparently ONE person called to complain that the boxes were making a political statement which is illegal to do. What political statement was being made?

Now, I think it goes without saying that Massachusetts is a very liberal state, not much of a stretch there. This is one thing I don't like about the left - they continually say they support the troops but then turn around and do something like this. How is deciding you want to send a care package to the troops in Iraq or Afghanistan becoming something other than that?

Let's face it - you can't say you support the troops and then deny people from sending care packages? Otherwise, how are you supporting them? Ridiculous.

Sorry for the short post but I wanted to get this story out there. I'm heading off to bed.

Interspersed with Laughter

2007-11-18T17:55:00.000-06:00

Please note there are two posts today. Make sure you read the other one ("Cancer, You SUCK!") as well. It's a good one.

Last night Julie and I went over to the home of our friends Julie and Chuck. They hosted a card/game night and we had a great time! Friends Jen and Lindsey met us at our house and we headed over.

The evening was filled with much merriment and the tipping back of a few barley pops. We played some euchre, shot some pool, and finished the evening with a little Catch Phrase. Interspersed in all that was much laughter and a little more imbibing, some good food and a beer chugging contest or two. All in all I lost at euchre and did terrible shooting pool but it was balanced out beautifully with great friends, old and new.

Today we didn't do a whole lot - just got some lunch and did our weekly shopping. Julie did NOT enjoy the heavy snow flurries. At least it didn't last long. She truly can't stand cold weather.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is this Thursday already. It seems like summer was just here and we're already heading into the Christmas season. One of the radio stations has begun playing non-stop Christmas music which I really can't stand. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Christmas music, just not 24 hours a day. I find it hard to believe there are that many people out there who want to listen to unending Christmas music. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Definitely. On November 17th? No thanks.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, one of my fondest memories as a kid was waking up that morning to the smell of the turkey already cooking in the oven. The smell just filled the house. Mom was always busy in the kitchen while dad sat in his chair watching TV. Mom would buy loaves of bread and toast them to make her stuffing from scratch and she'd have me cut the toasted bread into little pieces. I would purposely not eat that day until we had the Thanksgiving meal. I wanted to be sure I could eat as much of it as possible. What a great day it would be.

I found this story on-line today and I couldn't believe it. It's about the first two seasons of "Sesame Street" now being available on DVD. Only in TODAY'S world, it's only suitable for adults. Ridiculous.

Everyone have a great week!

Cancer, You SUCK!

2007-11-18T17:39:00.000-06:00

I was just out to McKenna's Caring Bridge site and was reading through some of the comments in the guestbook and came across a post that I thought was great! I went to the original source (CNN) and have linked it here, but thought I'd paste it in it's entirety here. Please continue to keep McKenna in your thoughts and prayers through these incredibly difficult times.

Take THAT cancer!

Jillian Pasley is one of the coolest people I've ever interviewed. I met Jillian, who's funny, smart and sassy, earlier this year as I reported a story about African-Americans, cancer and bone marrow donations. Jillian is one tough cookie. She has beaten cancer THREE times.

Did I mention that Jillian is only nine?

In the short time we spent together, the crew and I really bonded with Jillian and her family. By the time we left, Jillian was planning a trip to visit us in Atlanta. Hugs were exchanged. We headed home, looking forward to the next time we would see Jillian and her family.

Weeks later, an e-mail from her mother, Jessica, popped up on my computer screen.

Jillian had cancer... again.

I closed the door to my office and cried.

Jessica has set up a wonderful blog to update family and friends. Recently, she posted a letter Jillian wrote to "Cancer." Jillian agreed to let me share it with our readers.

Dear Cancer,
You SUCK!
You are not very nice.
You are wasting your time because one day you're going to be extinct.
You are definitely wasting your time on me because each time I beat you.
Even if I do feel sick and throw up, I still feel good. I'm still happy because I know I'M winning.
I'm already healing.
You are wasting your time on so many people.
You are not much of a threat anymore.
As I say - you're just a teeny weeny ant and I step on you - SPLAT!
You have taught me that life really is too short.
Learn to LIVE.
Learn to NOT be afraid.
I know kids hate chemo, stinky milk (formula for ng tubes), transplants or even lots of surgeries. But after it all, it's like a new beginning. It's like you're reborn. It's like - WOW - I'm starting over with my life and it's wonderful. That feeling of a new life is wonderful.
Going through all the drama - throwing up, diarrhea, surgeries - when you come through it, it's a miracle.
It's never worth it to have cancer, but once you survive it, it just feels good.
I have had AML 3 times and osteosarcoma just recently.
I have been dealing with cancer since I was 1.
I am 9 years old, have had two transplants and will be 10 in December.
TAKE THAT!

My friend, Jillian:

Keep fighting, continue living life to its fullest.

"Cancer" has no idea who it's messing with.

I look forward to seeing you in Atlanta soon.

Jen

Careful: May Cause Irritation

2007-11-16T12:23:00.000-06:00

Howdy folks. Long time, no post. Just when I think things will start slowing down it goes in the other direction. It's been a very long week and one I'm anxious to get behind me. On with the post, this is it...

Thanks to all of you for keeping McKenna in your thoughts and prayers. After coding last week she is recovering slowly. Baby steps, they say. They started dialysis which has helped tremendously but there is still a long road ahead. They were told they may want to decorate the room for Christmas, but they still have hope that she will be home to celebrate the holidays. She is quite the little fighter!!

It has definitely cooled down outside and is feeling more like November. Julie has a desk calendar and today's had a list of the 7 animals that hibernate in the winter. How many do you think you can name? I have the list at the bottom of the post. See? We educate AND entertain! Well, at least we try to educate...

Some might think their home life is in the crapper, but THIS takes it to a whole new level...

I bought the new Cities 97 cd yesterday. I really had no intention of buying it until they were talking about it on the morning news and one of the DJs said that Shawn Colvin's cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" was on the cd. I knew I had to have it. I got to the Super Target in Chaska around 7:30 AM and the line was pretty long. By the time I got to the front of the line they only had about 50 left. Got there just in time! Oh, and the cd is really good, with one notable exception - that being the live "Anna Begins" by Counting Crows. I really can't stand the way Adam Duritz sings live. Totally irritating. Worst concert ever.

No, I'm not a nerd. Honestly.

Have you tried the Ice Breakers Sours? Very good. Very sour. On the back of the container it carries this warning: "Careful: Sour level may cause irritation to the mouth." Yeah, they're sour.

Okay.....

Today's post will end with a little more education. Oh, and the 7 animals that hibernate are.... drum roll please... bears, skunks, woodchucks, jumping mice, raccoons, bats and chipmunks. Who knew? Did you? And what the heck are jumping mice? I don't think I want to know.

In honor of Veteran's Day which was this passed Sunday comes this story about the Vietnam War Memorial. There is some wisdom in here that can be applied to where we find ourselves today.

The Vietnam War Memorial was dedicated NOVEMBER 13, 1982, honoring 58,000 American troops who died. U.S. forces inflicted over a million enemy fatalities, yet politicians did not allow a victory.

A former Communist North Vietnamese colonel, Bui Tin, called the American "peace movement" essential:

"Every day our leadership would listen to the world news over the radio to follow the growth of the American anti-war movement. Visits to Hanoi by people like Jane Fonda and former attorney General Ramsey Clark gave us confidence that we should hold on in the face of battlefield reverses."

On October 12, 1967, during Operation Medina, Marine Sergeant George Hutchings of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Division, had a dozen men killed around him when ambushed by the North Vietnamese in the Hai Lang jungle.

Months later, after numerous battles, George was shot three times, bayoneted and left for dead. He survived and was later awarded the Purple Heart.

Of the Vietnam Memorial, George Hutchings said:
"On that wall is the name of Corporal Quinton Bice, who was hit in the chest with a rocket running a patrol in my place. A Christian, he had shared the Gospel with me, but I didn't understand it till he gave his life in my place."

Sing, Sing Along

2007-11-11T22:06:00.000-06:00

I must say I'm not usually glad to see a weekend come to a close, but from a football perspective this one was a stinker. Not only did the Buckeyes lose but so did the Lions. The OSU one really hurts. A small consolation tho - Michigan lost as well. But, I'd rather they both win than the Buckeyes lose. Oh well. Next weekend is The Game. Should be good.

Yesterday was the TCM/Nike post event party/get together. About 25 of us met for pizza and then we went to the American Legion in Golden Valley. After a few pitchers of beer we left the Legion and headed over to the VFW in Uptown. We were joking that we were going to leave the VFW for the Elks. The popular topic of the evening was Dublin in '08. I think we're going to have an incredible group going. Sooooo can't wait.

The VFW was great. Chuck the chicken was there and everyone was gravitating towards him. They had Karaoke and Chuck was a little disappointed that they didn't have the Chicken Dance, but he did sing along with most of the songs.

Karaoke is always interesting. There are some people who do really well and others are just so bad you wonder if they know they're as bad as they are. Teresa, one of our mentors, did a killer (no pun intended) version of "Goodbye Earl" by the Dixie Chicks. All the women definitely liked that one.

Here is a link to a great column that was written by John Christy, co-recipient of this year's Nobel Peace Prize (shared with Al Gore) for his work with U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Definitely worth the read.

I thought this was an interesting picture but I'm curious as to what the black square is to the left of the wagon. Any ideas?

Please continue to keep McKenna in your thoughts and prayers. She had a stable weekend and is making baby steps in the right direction but she still needs our help. Thanks so much.

Sorry. Short post. Long weekend. Tired. Bed.

Please Help - McKenna Needs Your Prayers

2007-11-09T12:11:00.000-06:00

As I told you about in a previous post I have added a link to McKenna's Caring Bridge web site and she is having a very difficult time right now and needs as many people praying for her as we can get. Please let others know. Below is what her mother posted on there site today. Please pray for peace and comfort.

Friday, November 9, 2007 8:26 AM CST

We got a call at 5:50am that made our hearts sink...."Your daughter is coding. You need to come in." We have been here with her since 6:30 this morning and as of right now she is stable once again. She gained over 3 kilos in the last 24 hours. That's 7.5 pounds. She is up a total of 17 pounds since entering this ICU.

The oscillator is giving her the max output of 100percent and the Mean Airway Pressure (MAP) is up to 30. Yesterday we had it down to 23 and we were so close to moving to the Vent. Her O2 sats are sitting right around 88-89....not great but still okay.

Mary is here with Scott and I. We are waiting for the ultrasound people to come up and see if there is any fluid in her abdomen or around the right lung that they can tap. The Crash Cart has been outside her room since 5:30----her BP and O2 sats started steadily dropping at about 4am and they did everything they could to get her oxygenating again, including flipping her over a couple of times. Didn't work.

We are also going to be consulting with the kidney docs again and Scott and I have decided that we will DEMAND dialysis. We have nothing to lose at this point and the pros of getting the fluid off quickly far outweigh the cons---which is her dying without trying it. We would never forgive ourselves for not at least trying. We will give her every chance we can to make it through this. If more of her organs start to shut down or if it comes to a point where there is no hope of recovery, then we will hold our little girl close and let her go. She has fought SO HARD and we are SO PROUD of her. What a brave little girl....

Pray for us all and please hug your kids today and tell them how much you love them! I'll keep you updated.

Krista, Scott, Nana and Boo Boo from the hospital

11:30AM update

She's hanging on. They are going to be starting dialysis soon. The doc is in her room right now and will start a new IV access for Dialysis ONLY and there will be a dialysis catheter inserted as well. We are praying that this is going to work! This is the last resort to get the fluid out so that her pulmonary functions can resume again. She is struggling but hasn't given up yet and either have we. The prayers will either help her get through this or they will help her to grow her angel wings. PLEASE keep praying for the comfort she is needing. Whichever way it goes, we are tearfully here, fighting with her every step of the way. Nana has not left her bedside and she is keeping vigil as I type.

The Adventures of Chuck, Part 2

2007-11-08T21:20:00.000-06:00

If you haven't read The Adventures of Chuck, Part 1 then click here.

We left off at the end of "Part 1" with Chuck enjoying the sites of San Francisco, including Alcatraz which he thought was cool yet creepy. Not a good place for a chicken to be locked up, he figured. That was Friday night and part 1 of the trip. Now for "Part 2"...

Chuck was having a great time in San Francisco hanging out with the team. He had a place to sleep in our room and he was rested up for the fun we had on Saturday. The team went to pick up their packets at the expo. As you can see from the picture below Chuck was stylin' in his shades.

Some of us went to lunch at this little deli on the corner. We were surprised to learn that chickens are cannibals - Chuck had the chicken salad. After lunch we sat in the deli watching the people walk by. Below is a picture from outside the deli of Chuck with his friends Mike and Becca.

Sunday was the marathon. Julie and I weren't sure if we were going to see Chuck out there on the course - he's kind of a small guy. There were some 23,000 marathoners and only 900 of them were men. I think Chuck might have been the only chicken running that day but we still weren't sure we'd see him.

We got lucky though. Just before mile 7 Julie and I were standing by the side of the road cheering everyone on when we saw Chuck coming up the hill. As he went by he had a surprised look on his face (pretty much his signature look) since he wasn't expecting to see us at that point. Below is the picture I took as he ran by. He looked really good at this point. I think the can of broth he had right before the race really helped.

Things weren't going so well for Chuck the second time we saw him. It was around mile 22 and Julie and I had just gotten out of the car and made it over to the course when we saw Chuck in peril! We ran up to him just in time - a young Colonel Sanders had his hands on Chuck and was trying to force Chuck into his KFC bucket! Luckily we were able to free Chuck from this sinister fried chicken fiend and get Chuck back out on the course. Below is a picture of the situation when we got there - keep your eyes open for that KFC scoundrel. No chicken is safe!

Chuck was now on his way with about 4 miles left in the marathon. He was understandably shaken up after the incident but I also think it motivated him to get his tail feathers in gear.

Between mile 25 and 26 things took a turn for the worse. We had told him that he should drink another can of broth at mile 13 to help keep his meat from drying out but since he was feeling fine he decided to skip it.

That proved to be a critical mistake and coach Mike ended up having to help Chuck over the finish line. If you look closely you can see Chuck right "behind" Coach Mike and the two of them crossed the finish line at 6 hours and 49 minutes.

While it was a personal record for Chuck he felt bad that he needed assistance to cross the finish line. We tried to tell him that he did a great job and should be proud of himself. After all, only 1 in 20 million chickens ever complete a marathon. But that seemed to be of little consolation to Chuck.

Little did we know how much Chuck would let loose at the Victory Party and at the bar afterwards. You'll get the scoop on that in the Adventures of Chuck, Part 3, coming soon to a blog near you. Check your local listings... you won't want to miss it.

New Site List - Please Check It Out

2007-11-07T21:53:00.000-06:00

I have added another category of web links on the right side of the blog called "Hero Web Sites". Here you will find links to patient heroes who are at various stages in their battle with a blood cancer. They truly need our support and prayers. Please check out the links when you get the chance.

The first link in this new category is for McKenna. She's a team honoree for one of our winter TNT teams and is going through a very difficult time right now. Please send her and her family your thoughts and prayers as she courageously fights this difficult battle.

She has a brother and a sister. Her sister, Jadyn, is fortunate enough to be a perfect match and has donated her bone marrow to McKenna to help save her. Read the guest book and see some of the posts that Jadyn has out there for her sister - she's truly an amazing little girl.

Thanks for taking the time to read about McKenna and please keep her in your prayers.

Life Ain't Nothin' But a Funny, Funny Riddle

2007-11-06T22:16:00.000-06:00

Much to the disappointment of some - today's post is pretty much just random nothingness.

It occurred to me as I was walking out to my car after work tonight that the old body needs to get re-acclimated to the colder temps. I was physically shivering by the time I got to my car and it was only in the mid-30's! I was shaking like it was 10 below in the middle of January. Or, you could say, I was shakin' it like a Polaroid picture.

The circus boy dances like a monkey on barb wire...

If you haven't noticed I updated our picture below our profile. Kids will be kids...

The writer's strike in Hollywood is really the lead story on the news? How will we all survive?

Guilty pleasure: John Denver.

Does the whole world turn their clocks back for daylight savings or is it just in the U.S.?

If John Lennon wouldn't have been killed do you think the Beatles would have gotten back together?

So there were a lot of school referendums (referenda? referendi?) on the ballots today throughout the state. Is it just me or would you like to see what the heck they're doing with the money they already get? If you compare school spending today to spending 20 or 30 years ago it's skyrocketed, and yet I think you could make a case that we're not educating the kids. Where is the money going?

Hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes is WAY good.

The equator is long enough to circle the entire earth exactly once.

It's Been Such a Long Time

2007-11-05T21:06:00.000-06:00

Where the heck have we been? It's been a long couple of weeks and I've finally got a few minutes to post. Let's see if I can make it interesting...

Things have been crazy at work. Not only am I doing my job but I'm also doing the job of a co-worker who is on maternity leave. For the last two weeks I've been fighting with my laptop and it's been winning. It finally got to a point where the folks in IT had to bring me a desktop computer in hopes I could get stuff done while we try to rehabilitate my laptop. The results have been 50/50 so far and the days continue to be long.

This past Friday I went with TNTer's Suzanne and Mike along with Mike's wife Karen to the Springsteen concert in St. Paul. This was I believe the 6th time I've seen Bruce and I'm said to say it was my least favorite show - much below the normal Bruce standards. Suzanne thought the show was fantastic but she didn't have past shows to compare it to. Don't get me wrong, it was still a good show but it lacked the energy and intensity of the typical Springsteen & the E Street Band concert.

Saturday night some friends of ours (sisters Melinda and Mikala) had a beer bash/fundraiser at Bootlegger's downtown. We had a blast hanging with them and catching up with some of the alumni from the past season. It was our first time to Bootlegger's and the only thing it lacked was a kitchen. A place like that needs good bar food. Also, there was a waitress there who looked EXACTLY like Tracey Gold from Growing Pains. Dead ringer.

OK, maybe running in Minnesota in the middle of winter isn't that bad... It could be worse.

Well, my brain is mush. Watch for the ongoing adventures of Chuck the Chicken Part 2 in a future post.

Goodnight.

No, Not Dublin, Ohio

2007-10-26T06:03:00.000-05:00

Well, we officially got word Thursday that TNT will be offering the Dublin Marathon in October, 2008!!! Ireland! Dublin, Ireland! How sweet is that?!

The word has gotten out to some of the alumni and we already have more than 20 people who want to go. It's going to be a great time with some really neat people visiting a beautiful country all while helping a really good cause. You can't ask for more than that. Can't wait for Dublin '08!!

As one of our alumni wrote to me in an email yesterday: "OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Yeah, I think that sums it up.

The Adventures of Chuck, Part 1

2007-10-24T20:37:00.000-05:00

As I stated in my post from earlier today we spent the weekend in San Francisco with our TNT marathon team. Some interesting stories. Well, at least I hope they're interesting.

We left early Friday morning after an hour delay due to weather in SF. The team mascot (shown below) made the trip with us. We aren't completely decided on the name but he was called "Chuck" throughout the weekend and was in a lot of pictures. The picture below was taken on the way out to SF. He loves to fly, and it shows.

Friday night we had a group of about 20 head out to Alcatraz to tour the prison. It was very eerie as it was dusk and there was a heavy mist and a thick fog rolling in. They made some changes to the tour from last year and we got to see some different parts of the prison. I just can't imagine what it was like being there and am still amazed that the families of the prison guards lived right on the island with the prisoners. Weird.

On the way out to Alcatraz we could vaguely see the Golden Gate Bridge off in the distance. Chuck had never seen the bridge before other than in pictures and he commented that it was pretty cool even though we were still quite a ways away from it. Below is a picture of him - you can see the surprised look on his face when he saw the bridge. The bridge is in the distance behind him.

Chuck also enjoyed the prison tour and had us take some pictures of him inside the prison. The one below he had the most fun with. He still laughs about this one.

You may be wondering how Chuck was able to keep up with us since he has such little legs. As you can see by the picture below we often would just carry him around in our backpack. He liked that he was facing the opposite way we were going so he could watch the people behind us. He said it must have been like when we were kids and we would sit in the far back seat in the station wagon. I think he was making faces at the people behind us because we'd hear people laugh all the time.

We'll save the rest of the Chuck stories for another post. He still wants us to tell you about how he did in the marathon and has some funny stories to tell about the night of the race. Let's just say an intervention may be in order.

Stay tuned...

United Nations Day

2007-10-24T20:06:00.000-05:00

OK, one quick post non-TNT related. I get a daily email called the "American Minute" which discusses important events in history and the email from Wednesday had to do with the United Nations. I found it very interesting and thought I'd share it.

---------------------------------------

Created to prevent future wars, the United Nations, a name coined by Franklin Roosevelt, officially began OCTOBER 24, 1945.

Since then there have been over 100 million casualties in nearly 150 wars: 5 in Central Asia, 11 in South Asia, 20 in Southeast Asia, 13 in Eastern Europe, 23 in the Middle East, 25 in Latin & South America and 50 in Africa.

Amidst accusations of a U.N. Oil for Food Scandal and a U.N. Sex Scandal, the 185 member United Nations spends $20 billion annually, though it has never been independently audited.

At the 1945 Charter Conference, the U.N. secretary-general was Alger Hiss, later accused in a publicized 1948 trial of being a Communist agent by former Soviet spy Whittaker Chambers.

The U.N. General Assembly's 4th President, elected in 1949, was Philippine General Carlos Romulo, who served with General Douglas MacArthur in the Pacific.

Renown for being the first Asian to win a Pulitzer Prize, General Carlos Romulo wrote:

"Never forget Americans, that yours is a spiritual country. Yes, I know you're a practical people. Like others, I've marveled at your factories, your skyscrapers, and your arsenals. But underlying everything else is the fact that America began as a God-loving, God-fearing, God-worshipping people."

Nike by the Numbers

2007-10-24T06:44:00.000-05:00

Hello! I've got a lot to blog about over the next few days so keep stopping by and I'll do my best to have something interesting for you to read.

Over the weekend we were in San Francisco with our Nike Women's Marathon team as they completed 5 months of training and fundraising with the completion of either the half or full marathon. Lots of stories and even more pictures and a TON of fun. For today's post I'll just cover some of the basic stats from the weekend as I'm short on time. Darn, pesky work!

From the 60+ Leukemia & Lymphoma Society chapters throughout North America we had over 5,300 runners and walkers doing the event. An amazing sea of purple!

Those 5,300 Team In Training participants raised a total of $18.5 million!!! I believe it was the largest amount of money raised for any one event.

The Pasta Party the night before the event sat over 8,400 participants, staff, coaches, mentors, friends and family. Also the largest Pasta Party ever put on by TNT.

There were over 23,000 people competing in the marathon or half-marathon, and only 900 were men. So, for all you single guys out there..... keep Nike '08 on your radar!

More stories and pictures will follow. It was a great weekend with a few minor "problems", and, as usual, the 4 days went by WAY too fast.

GO TEAM!!!

Suckin' Drain

2007-10-18T07:23:00.001-05:00

What a crazy week. And I really wish it would rain. All these endless days of bright sunshine are enough to drive a guy crazy. Oh, the sarcasm...

This weekend is the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. We have around 50 runners and walkers taking part in either the marathon or half marathon. Now, even though it's called the Nike WOMEN'S Marathon it's not just for women. Guys are encouraged to participate and if you do it's a 15 to 1 ratio of women to men so your odds are pretty good. Although, do women really want to be hit on at mile 24? Yeah, probably not. Still, it's a great event that was created to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which is way cool.

Seriously, if it doesn't stop raining soon I may do something stupid... keep your jokes to yourself!!

Here I've been looking for a good way to give the dogs a bath and after reading this story I think I've found my answer!

I mean, c'mon! Don't you think we've had enough rain? You need it, you don't get it. You don't need it, you get it. You don't want it, you get it. You do want it, you don't get it. You wish you had it, you don't get it. You wish you didn't have it, you got it. Get it? Got it? Good.

Imagine how many crimes would be solved if you gave awards like this???

How cool is this?! I mean, I would never think of it and yet this dog did. Pretty sweet.

Ok. Have a great rest of the week. We'll chat with ya' on the flip side.

Pour Me a Drink and I'll Tell You Some Lies

2007-10-15T12:25:00.000-05:00

What a gloomy Monday. It's bad enough it's a Monday - we don't need the added cruelty of bad weather. I want my money back!

Over the weekend we had the TCM team Victory Party at Gasthof's. Saturday night at Gasthof during the last weekend of Oktoberfest made for a fun and interesting evening. We were in the basement and had our half of the room to ourselves for a couple hours before things started really cooking. Everyone shared their stories from the marathon and enjoyed the adult beverage of their choice.

While we were eating and socializing we were watching a slide show that Julie had put together with photos from the season and from race day. 900 pictures in all, and she had already deleted quite a few! There is one of me from the Pasta Party that will definitely be posted in the next day or two, so keep you eyes open for that.

Hey, check this out. I think I found my Halloween costume.

Friends of ours got a new puppy on Friday and we went to visit them Sunday. Jen and Kyle bought a yellow lab and named him "Buddy". He's all of 7 weeks old and is the cutest little guy. Gotta love puppy breath and their sharp little teeth. It's their first dog so we gave them some tips on how to get him to stop biting. Tough love, baby, tough love. Julie was of course in heaven playing with him and holding him, teasing him and playing tug with the rope we bought for him. I definitely see some dog sitting in the future.

The breeder they got Buddy from also raises championship dogs. He told them that he can alter the temperature of the sire's sperm and that will help determine the sex of the puppies. If he lowers the sperm temp the litter will have more females which generally are more in demand than the male dogs. Who knew? My only question is - how do you lower the temp? Have him sit in a bucket of ice cubes? Gives new meaning to "Love on the Rocks".

18 days to Bruce!

It takes extreme concentration, but I'm getting there.

Everyone have a great week!

For All the Little People

2007-10-12T08:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday!

Leslie Ecklund, a TNT alumni and great friend, has started her own line of chic handbags and was just in the Macy's "Distinction in Design" competition. She started this as a fundraiser when she was training for Tahoe earlier this year and it's really taking off for her. A portion of her proceeds benefit the Society as well as other charities so please check out her stuff! Her website is here and an article on the Star Tribune website featuring her can be found here. I've also added her to my growing list of links to the right. Way to go Leslie!

Last night we had the travel meeting for our runners and walkers heading out to San Francisco to complete the Nike Women's Marathon or Half Marathon. Everyone is excited and nervous. Event weekends are such an amazing experience - even though I've been to quite a few I still get excited about it. All the work these people put into training and fundraising all pays off at event weekend. There's nothing like crossing that finish line knowing what you've done not only for yourself but for those battling cancer. It really makes your heart fill with pride and we just love being there to help others experience the same feelings. GO TEAM!!!

I had a glimpse of my future and this is what I saw.

So a few of us were having a discussion recently about what their earliest memories are as a child. The average was around age 4 as being as far back as people had vivid memories. For me it was age 3. I distinctly remember sitting on the floor playing with my friend Ann. We were playing with Little People but I don't remember much beyond that until age 5 when kindergarten started. And it was the classic, original Little People. Nothing beats the original. Ann had the barn which would make a "moooo" sound when you opened it. Way cool.

Don't ever think you're too old to make a contribution to society. Just look at what these nice folks are doing. It gives Julie and I something to look forward to 40 years from now.

You all have a great weekend!

If a Picture Paints a Thousand Words...

2007-10-10T22:47:00.001-05:00

Some pictures of late that I found interesting or amusing...

Cuff Me

Julie crossing the finish line at Iron Girl

And the part of Mrs. Roper will be played by Julie...

The TNT cheer station at mile 22.75 at TCM.

This pretty much sums up the day...

Just two of the reasons we all do it...

Never forget.

Glass-Eyed and Completely Lethargic

2007-10-09T20:13:00.000-05:00

What a difference a couple days make. Today would have been a perfect day for a marathon. Such is life, I guess.

One thing I do have to ask, tho. What do weather folks do anyway? They called for rain on Sunday - didn't happen. They called for sun today - didn't happen. Do they have any clue what's going on? Sometimes I wonder...

I was talking to Ann, a friend of ours from Ohio, and we got on the subject of Halloween costumes. She informs me that Bald Britney is the in-thing this year...

If you would like to read a great post about the experience one runner from TCM on Sunday then read Kimmi's blog post. She's a little spitfire. Great job, Kimmi!

So, Molson, our Golden Retriever, has had a minor sore on her leg over the last week which we've been taking care of. Last night we wanted to let it air out and didn't want her to do anything to irritate it so we gave her a doggie vicodin if you will. Just one little pill totally knocks her silly - glass-eyed and completely lethargic. Pretty funny actually, it's like someone slipped her a mickey and she has no idea what's going on around her. Actually, what am I saying? I'm like that all the time...

Jeez! Here I am minding my own business...

Here is a picture of Julie and I at our wedding reception...

Hopefully in the next 24 hours I'll be posting some pictures. Stay tuned...

Hot and Bothered

2007-10-08T12:52:00.000-05:00

As I'm sure most of you know Sunday was the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. The weather made the race very difficult, not that it's an easy course otherwise. The TCM is a great but challenging marathon, and Sunday it more than lived up to the billing.

Prior to the marathon was the TNT Pasta Party on Saturday night. Everyone came, enjoyed some good food, shared their nervousness, and heard from our two fall-season honorees, which reminded us all why we're doing this - for the cause. Coach Mike gave some last minute advice and everyone left to try and get some sleep.

Sunday morning was hot and humid. Just standing around you were starting to sweat, and meeting inside the Dome where it seemed to be even hotter made it all the more interesting.

Julie and I left as the team headed to the start line. Mile 4.5 was our first stop and we got there just as the first elite runners were passing by. As everyone passed us they all looked good and seemed to be doing ok, just some minor issues with the heat.

Once all the TNT folks passed by we headed over to Snelling and Summit which was right before the 23-mile mark. We knew it was going to be an interesting day when the first elite runner went by and he had at least a 5-minute lead on the rest of the pack - very unusual.

Most of the people who were on a 3-hour or less pace seemed to be handling the heat ok and were still running when they went by. But after that it changed considerably.

We had already heard this was the hottest race day in TCM history and the humidity was stifling. After the 3-hour marathoners went by it seemed like everything slowed down. I would guess 80-90% of the runners from then on where walking - understandable considering the heat and the fact that where we were was near the end of a long up-hill stretch.

Nearly all the TNT runners were quite a bit off their anticipated pace and a few ended up dropping due to the heat. I did some looking on-line and only 31% of the registered runners finished the race and the average pace compared to last year was about a minute per mile slower. Everyone was being affected by the weather.

Our TNT cheer station at mile 23 was our official TCM-judged cheer station. We had a great turnout of nearly 30 people and we made a TON of noise non-stop. When the judges rode up on their bikes they said they heard us quite a ways down the street and that we were probably the loudest ones there. All-in-all I think we put a great face on the TNT program.

Congrats to everyone on the TNT TCM team as well as the many TNT alumni who were out running. It had to be about the worst conditions you could imagine and they left everything out there on the course. We're so proud of all of you!

New Blog Alert!

2007-10-04T15:59:00.000-05:00

I have added two new blogs to my growing list of blogs which are in the blogs section over there to the right. No, not there. Yeah, there.

The first one is by Ms. R, a fellow TNT alumni, mentor, and all-around great person. She is now training for the Iron Man Wisconsin in 2008 and she has started a blog to document her experiences. Check it out.

The second one is by Bryon who is the husband of Karen, another TNT alum. Julie and I rode with Karen at Sea Gull last year and she was a mentor on the team. She's a great friend although a little crazy - she actually LOVES to do hills on her bike! What's up with that?! Anyway, Bryon and Karen are expecting their first child and Bryon is writing a blog about it. Pretty cool.

And Tigger, Too

2007-10-03T21:49:00.001-05:00

Ok, a lot to blog about...

First off, what a game on Saturday! I'm sorry if you happen to be a Gophers fan but as a Buckeye fan the game was great! We had a ton of fun hanging out with friends at the tailgate before the game (thanks again, Bill!) and then had awesome seats just feet from the end zone! Great food, great beer, great friends, great football - who could ask for anything more?!

Sunday is the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and TNT will have a team of about 50 out there running - plus numerous alumni. TNT is sponsoring cheering stations at various locations so stop on out to support the runners if you can. Julie and I have been watching the forecast for Sunday over the last few days and everyday it changes. It started at rainy and 50's, then changed to sunny and 75, and now it's rain and low 70's. I'm curious for the 10 o'clock news so I can see what they're saying now. Again, if I could be wrong half he time at MY job and still work there....

I really need to figure out how to post pictures on the site...

Bought the new Bruce cd (Magic) yesterday and overall it's pretty good. I'm surprised I'm not saying I LOVE it but I'm sure it will grow on me. Half the songs I think are really good and the rest I'd say are average Bruce songs, nothing that blows my socks off. The Rising was a much more consistent album I think. And he has a couple of songs on his new cd that are a little too political for my taste, but to each his own.

As I think I've said in a previous post I happen to be a fan of John Stossel from 20/20. Here and here are two columns dealing with health insurance that are really informative. Worth the read.

I hope Julie doesn't read this, but here is a picture of her dream home that we'll be moving into later this year. Shhhh. Don't tell her.

Well, that's it. TTFN.