Alright Miss Alicia, I hope you're reading this every now and then because here is a new song blurp for ya. Check it!
I love almost anything by ELO. However, my favorite has to be "Fire on High". Pure instrumental, heart thumping music. It is the type of song that I will drive around the block just to hear the end of. In fact, I just did that a few weeks ago because I consider it a great loss to turn off this song before its head banging ending. Most ELO fans probably would not count this as one of their personal favs but I consider it to be my #1. I am saddened hat it did make it onto their simple greatest hits album.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
The Value Of A Year....
Last night I had a conversation with one of my good friends concerning how much things have stayed the same & yet how much they have changed since a year ago. An old email that I had saved from March 30, 2005 prompted our discussion.
A year ago we were both in frustrating and bad places in our lives. We both had different sets of circumstances that prompted our situations but we both shared the commonality of not exactly knowing how to deal with a life that was not fulfilling us.
A year has passed and we both feel that our friendships and our lives are in better places at this time. I believe that this is true because of two vital things. We both never gave up on our friendship. Even when it seemed that we were just too different to see eye to eye on even the most simplistic of matters, we both believed that understanding and caring can and did, prevail. Secondly, we both took an honest look at what was making us so unhappy. A few of these unpleasing matters could be solved or at least made better but most of them just needed to actually be brought out into the light instead of being hidden away. If shining a light on the sadness did not solve the dilemmas, it was at least good to know that you had a friend to share them with and be there for the good and bad times. Unconditional support may be one of the most awe inspiring gifts to give in this world.
A year ago we were both in frustrating and bad places in our lives. We both had different sets of circumstances that prompted our situations but we both shared the commonality of not exactly knowing how to deal with a life that was not fulfilling us.
A year has passed and we both feel that our friendships and our lives are in better places at this time. I believe that this is true because of two vital things. We both never gave up on our friendship. Even when it seemed that we were just too different to see eye to eye on even the most simplistic of matters, we both believed that understanding and caring can and did, prevail. Secondly, we both took an honest look at what was making us so unhappy. A few of these unpleasing matters could be solved or at least made better but most of them just needed to actually be brought out into the light instead of being hidden away. If shining a light on the sadness did not solve the dilemmas, it was at least good to know that you had a friend to share them with and be there for the good and bad times. Unconditional support may be one of the most awe inspiring gifts to give in this world.
Friday, March 24, 2006
An Open Letter To The Boston Athletic Association...
Dear Head Race Officials (or whichever a$$ clown or clowns who decided upon the 2 wave start)-
My name is Athena Mericsko and finally, after competing in five marathons, I was able to obtain the qualifying standard of 3.40 to compete in The Boston Marathon for my age division. I was so excited when I hit the finish line in Columbus and learned that my dream of getting to run in the world's most prestigious marathon would soon be a reality. Honestly, it was probably one of the best days of my life.
My excitement did dim a little a few months ago when I noticed after sending in my registration money and booking my flight, that there would be a two wave start. I, like many of my fellow friend runners, was surprised that for the first time in one hundred and ten years the Boston Marathon would attempt to foster a two wave start as an attempt to create more order in the race and ease the amount of time that runners set up farther back would be waiting to hit the actual starting line.
After learning of this new tactic, I was a little confused by this new strategy but I accepted it because I held out hope that I would be in the same wave as all of my friends that were also competing. I learned on Friday, much to my dismay, that I am not in the same wave as them. I am in the second wave because my qualifying time was a few minutes slower. Thank you Boston Marathon for screwing me over and taking a big crap on something that I worked so hard to accomplish. Honestly, if I would've known this before committing to run the race I would've instead saved the money for a down payment on a new place.
One Very Pissed Runner,
Athena
My name is Athena Mericsko and finally, after competing in five marathons, I was able to obtain the qualifying standard of 3.40 to compete in The Boston Marathon for my age division. I was so excited when I hit the finish line in Columbus and learned that my dream of getting to run in the world's most prestigious marathon would soon be a reality. Honestly, it was probably one of the best days of my life.
My excitement did dim a little a few months ago when I noticed after sending in my registration money and booking my flight, that there would be a two wave start. I, like many of my fellow friend runners, was surprised that for the first time in one hundred and ten years the Boston Marathon would attempt to foster a two wave start as an attempt to create more order in the race and ease the amount of time that runners set up farther back would be waiting to hit the actual starting line.
After learning of this new tactic, I was a little confused by this new strategy but I accepted it because I held out hope that I would be in the same wave as all of my friends that were also competing. I learned on Friday, much to my dismay, that I am not in the same wave as them. I am in the second wave because my qualifying time was a few minutes slower. Thank you Boston Marathon for screwing me over and taking a big crap on something that I worked so hard to accomplish. Honestly, if I would've known this before committing to run the race I would've instead saved the money for a down payment on a new place.
One Very Pissed Runner,
Athena
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
A Disagreement With The Sales Pitch To Students... I Also Gotta Bridge For Sales...
The following sentence is the first blurb from the Mount Union website describing the Writing major:
Do you wish you could write song lyrics like Jewel? Are you a fan of Stephen King?
Oh heavens, do they offer a false hope package as well when you are calculating your tuition costs? Yes, it is a good attention grabber but come on! The first sentence should lead into a plan of action for you defending your major choice to your parents. "Once you have kissed any hope of med & law school goodbye, here is how you break the news to the parentals..."
Do you wish you could write song lyrics like Jewel? Are you a fan of Stephen King?
Oh heavens, do they offer a false hope package as well when you are calculating your tuition costs? Yes, it is a good attention grabber but come on! The first sentence should lead into a plan of action for you defending your major choice to your parents. "Once you have kissed any hope of med & law school goodbye, here is how you break the news to the parentals..."
The Best of What I Believe To Be Around...
Okay, about a month ago my friend Alicia gave me the suggestion to write a blog posting about some of my favorite songs. I believe that me confiding in her that the song "Dirty" was among my favorites prompted her idea. I know, it is hard to swallow that one but for some reason every time I hear it the damn song it just makes me want to bop my head and move my arms. As many of you know, I enjoy many different types of music. Much has been influenced by my older brother and his love of classic rock.
When I was running yesterday Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" came on 106.5. This song always does two things for me: it puts me in an instantaneous good mood & it makes me laugh out loud. A major part of why the second is true for me is because I can't help but recall the part in "So I Married An Ax Murderer" where Charlie's dad (played by Mike Myers) is blaring on his bag pipes to his personal rendition of this sultry classic.
The song is so incredibly cheesy. The innuendoes are smack you in the cheek obvious; "He says I'm sorry but I'm out of milk and coffee. Nevermind, sugar, we can watch the early movie." I think the fact that Rod Stewart, belting it with his outrageous mop of curls, makes it even better!
When I was running yesterday Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" came on 106.5. This song always does two things for me: it puts me in an instantaneous good mood & it makes me laugh out loud. A major part of why the second is true for me is because I can't help but recall the part in "So I Married An Ax Murderer" where Charlie's dad (played by Mike Myers) is blaring on his bag pipes to his personal rendition of this sultry classic.
The song is so incredibly cheesy. The innuendoes are smack you in the cheek obvious; "He says I'm sorry but I'm out of milk and coffee. Nevermind, sugar, we can watch the early movie." I think the fact that Rod Stewart, belting it with his outrageous mop of curls, makes it even better!
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
For Your Luck....
I know, after reading the title it might be hard to get the quasi-similar Yardbirds song out of your head but oh well. If I had to suffer with the association, as do you. : )
In the movie "A Beautiful Mind" the character John Nash remarks to his new love under a blanket of stars that he does not believe in luck but he does believe in assigning value to things. Even Mr. Nash, one of the most logic driven of them all, believed that having those "special, sacred items" is a necessity. This got me reflecting on the things that I hold value to, particularly the concert objects that I rely on for mystical powers when I am in a bind...
When I was five I gashed my face in pretty bad wrestling with my cousin on Christmas Eve. The cut was remedied by a trip to the emergency room and a few stitches. Luckily, it was under my eyebrow so the scar is hard to detect unless we are up close & personal. Before the sewing up took place, my parents promised me that we could visit Children Palace (remember that toy store?) and I could pick out a toy if I behaved while the doctor fixed me up. Well, it took some sedation, intense screaming and a straight jacketish device but I got patched together. I did not keep my part of the bargain with my parents but they did and I picked out a Carebear figurine. It still sits on the shelf in my livingroom & before that it was on my desk at college.
As for athletic good luck charms, I used to believe that particular pairs of my underwear could make me run faster. I saved those pairs for race days. This held true for a while but at last my mom, who was doing my laundry at the time, made several comments about how I was not poor (I guess my intimates were starting to take a beating) and I abandon the theory of the lucky underwear.
Recently, I used to carry around a check as a form of good luck. It was with me on recent significant occasions such as my oral thesis defense and the Columbus Marathon. I have since retired it. Usually I carry around a small religious medallion as a form of comfort.
What about the rest of you? Got anything you want to share?
In the movie "A Beautiful Mind" the character John Nash remarks to his new love under a blanket of stars that he does not believe in luck but he does believe in assigning value to things. Even Mr. Nash, one of the most logic driven of them all, believed that having those "special, sacred items" is a necessity. This got me reflecting on the things that I hold value to, particularly the concert objects that I rely on for mystical powers when I am in a bind...
When I was five I gashed my face in pretty bad wrestling with my cousin on Christmas Eve. The cut was remedied by a trip to the emergency room and a few stitches. Luckily, it was under my eyebrow so the scar is hard to detect unless we are up close & personal. Before the sewing up took place, my parents promised me that we could visit Children Palace (remember that toy store?) and I could pick out a toy if I behaved while the doctor fixed me up. Well, it took some sedation, intense screaming and a straight jacketish device but I got patched together. I did not keep my part of the bargain with my parents but they did and I picked out a Carebear figurine. It still sits on the shelf in my livingroom & before that it was on my desk at college.
As for athletic good luck charms, I used to believe that particular pairs of my underwear could make me run faster. I saved those pairs for race days. This held true for a while but at last my mom, who was doing my laundry at the time, made several comments about how I was not poor (I guess my intimates were starting to take a beating) and I abandon the theory of the lucky underwear.
Recently, I used to carry around a check as a form of good luck. It was with me on recent significant occasions such as my oral thesis defense and the Columbus Marathon. I have since retired it. Usually I carry around a small religious medallion as a form of comfort.
What about the rest of you? Got anything you want to share?
Monday, March 13, 2006
Some Random Points That I Learned Over The Weekend (Not Listed In Any Order Of Importance)...
1.) Athena looks really really dumb & not sexy attempting to smoke at a bar. Oh why
won't she listen to her friends?
2.) Drunk men are not good secret keepers.
3.) A plastic St. Patrick's Day hat can also function as a barf container.
4.) A person can go from drunken gitty to passed out in 9 seconds flat.
5.) It is great to see some people that you have lost contact with because sometimes
all the bad stuff gets left in the past.
6.) My mom makes the best lemon wine sauce chicken in town & it may be more
addictive than crack or Lifetime Movies on a Sunday afternoon.
7.) Striking a pose for pictures with your friend's mom in front of an old military
tank is good drunken fun (even if only one person is drunk!)
8.) My mother cannot do any type of line dancing.
9.) I believe that I am 50% clairvoyant& I want to work on boosting that percent up
to at least 71% by the end of this year.
10.) I am 26 years old & thunder storms still scare the piss out of me.
11.) J.P. Moran is still one of the best story tellers that I have the privilege
of knowing.
won't she listen to her friends?
2.) Drunk men are not good secret keepers.
3.) A plastic St. Patrick's Day hat can also function as a barf container.
4.) A person can go from drunken gitty to passed out in 9 seconds flat.
5.) It is great to see some people that you have lost contact with because sometimes
all the bad stuff gets left in the past.
6.) My mom makes the best lemon wine sauce chicken in town & it may be more
addictive than crack or Lifetime Movies on a Sunday afternoon.
7.) Striking a pose for pictures with your friend's mom in front of an old military
tank is good drunken fun (even if only one person is drunk!)
8.) My mother cannot do any type of line dancing.
9.) I believe that I am 50% clairvoyant& I want to work on boosting that percent up
to at least 71% by the end of this year.
10.) I am 26 years old & thunder storms still scare the piss out of me.
11.) J.P. Moran is still one of the best story tellers that I have the privilege
of knowing.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Can You Really Go Back & Can It Be Better The Second Time around?
This has been a very interesting week for me. A week filled with the new, the exciting, the terrifying and the illuminating. Definitely anything but average. A thought that occurred to me this week was if it is possible to "go back home again" after a significant amount of time has passed?
This afternoon I attended a bridal shower for an old high school classmate that I have not seen in over three years. I was a little concerned that the event would be awkward since so much time had gone by. In spite of all of my fears the shower was very enjoyable. Yes, things had changed, my former acquaintances had new haircuts, some had new jobs and new significant others but the conversations flowed quite well when the right questions were asked.
I have always been a firm believer, due to former experiences, that it is impossible to return back because once "the genie is out of the bottle" it is impossible to get it back in. In other words, the magic is gone. However, after today I wonder if it is true to reconnect with people and places once again if we are willing to take a chance at feeling initially uncomfortable and apply effort at making it it real and good again.
This afternoon I attended a bridal shower for an old high school classmate that I have not seen in over three years. I was a little concerned that the event would be awkward since so much time had gone by. In spite of all of my fears the shower was very enjoyable. Yes, things had changed, my former acquaintances had new haircuts, some had new jobs and new significant others but the conversations flowed quite well when the right questions were asked.
I have always been a firm believer, due to former experiences, that it is impossible to return back because once "the genie is out of the bottle" it is impossible to get it back in. In other words, the magic is gone. However, after today I wonder if it is true to reconnect with people and places once again if we are willing to take a chance at feeling initially uncomfortable and apply effort at making it it real and good again.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Friends Don't Let Friends Run The Youngstown Distance Classic 1/2 Marathon
Early Sunday morning (when most everyone, or at least the sane ones, I know were turning over in bed) Brian, Jen and I made our journey in the Vibe to the Youngstown Distance Classic 1/2 Marathon. I had heard previously from Elizabeth and some of my other Team In Training buddies that this was a "hilly" course and the race would serve as a good tune up for Boston, a race notorious for its tough hills. However, I did feel a little mislead when about 3 miles in I faced the first of many certifiable mountains.
It was tough, so difficult in fact that when I spotted Kirt, Bryce and Brian near the end (gotta love the troopers that come back out to cheer for their fellow runners)I told them something along the lines of, "When is this hilly bitch going to end!!?" At that point I was starting to get delirious. However, I think there was someone that was hurting a little more than me since I heard a grown man next to me start to cry as we began to charge one of the many mountains.
All in all, as I sit here today with really sore legs I must say that the fun road trip and relaxing breakfast afterwards helped to slightly balance out the trip.
It was tough, so difficult in fact that when I spotted Kirt, Bryce and Brian near the end (gotta love the troopers that come back out to cheer for their fellow runners)I told them something along the lines of, "When is this hilly bitch going to end!!?" At that point I was starting to get delirious. However, I think there was someone that was hurting a little more than me since I heard a grown man next to me start to cry as we began to charge one of the many mountains.
All in all, as I sit here today with really sore legs I must say that the fun road trip and relaxing breakfast afterwards helped to slightly balance out the trip.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Random Thoughts On Last Night's Barbara Walters' Special...
~ Kryptonite is the secret ingredient in Matthew McConaughey's toothpaste. Nothing can be that white without the aid of intense chemicals.
~ George Clooney is going from attractive to elderly too fast.
~ Patrick Dempsey's hair can also double as an excellent hiding place for important documents.
~ Was anyone else really turned off and confused by Matthew McConaughey admitting that he has not used deodorant in years?
~ I feel oddly closer to Mr. Dempsey since we are dyslexia buddies...
~ George Clooney is going from attractive to elderly too fast.
~ Patrick Dempsey's hair can also double as an excellent hiding place for important documents.
~ Was anyone else really turned off and confused by Matthew McConaughey admitting that he has not used deodorant in years?
~ I feel oddly closer to Mr. Dempsey since we are dyslexia buddies...
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