Susan G, Komen and Planned Parenthood - My Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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...

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.