Just Thought You Would Like To Know...

Despite the mind numbing boredom of learning IRAs today, there was a pretty funny moment at work. Around our two building there has been alot of new construction. This translates into much dirt, noise and aggravation because our parking situation is both confusing and detouring. However, once in while a point of humor does arise and this was one instance of it. This afternoon, while I was speaking to a co-worker about work matters, the loudest quasi-fart drilling noise occurred. It prompted both of us, as well as every once else in the quad (at least those with a sense of humor) to chuckle. It only last a few seconds but then a few minutes later we had another instance. Ahhh, got to love those few great funny office moments!

A Diagnose of Backyard BBQ

I was going to write this post whining about how my belief in unconditional love was slowly getting tarnished or how nothing can bring two friends closer together than discussing the mutual disgust and utter grossness of another's actions. Oh well, can't change what others think, right? And besides, how can I deep into such heavy issues with backyard bbq approaching so fast.

For those of you that know me, you must know that I heart the backyard barbecue that my brother and I have been throwing for the past few years. It is a chance to relax and kick back with some family and friends. I like the 4th of July because it tends to be a low maintance holiday although normally there are at least one or two stress fights prior to the party between my mom, my brother and me. However, it all gets pulled together and as soon as I have had a few drink and break out the guitar to "play" songs I can truly say that I am having a blast.

Ironman: They brought the noise American Style!

Congrats to Bryce, Kurt, Brian and Su for kicking some major butt at the Ironman in France! I cannot even imagine what you all just went through. My lazy ass is off to enjoy the rest of my easy goin Sunday. You are all fucking stallions! Can't wait to hear all about it when you return. I hope you are partying it up and enjoying the rest of your trip! Heavens know you earned it and then some!

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/france/?show=tracker&y=2006

12/21/05 - 6/21/06: Six Months Later...

Okay, this one is going to take me a little bit of time to write for both good and hard reasons. I want to try to get it done today but I guess that at least starting it is a step in the right direction. Alot has changed and alot of constants have remained the same. People have shown me their true selves both giving me glimpses of the positive and the negative. Sorry to be so vague on this one but this post is for me. It is my personal journey, my reflection and doing this helps.

Can I Get A Witness & An Air High Five???

Today at approx. 4:23 pm today I had the first chance to work my new tattoo fittingly into a conversation. Recently I was settling for the "Hey, look at my new tat!!" or "See what I did!" However, after noticing the month of my b-day, Ron came up to me and we discussed the comraderies that fellow Leos chat about. And me, looking for the golden moment, seized it by lifting up my shirt (office appropriately) and pointing out my small ink Leo symbol. Yeah, finally fit it in. Now my hope (fingers crossed) is that someone will use the ever cheesy, "Baby, what's your sign?" line with me at Alicia's b-day drinking/dancing lets boogie like we are 21 again extravaganza on Saturday night so I can flash it again. Oh yeah, we all gonna have some fun! Come join us if you are in that neck of the woods!

My Adventures As A Card Carrying, Corn Buttering Carny

This past Thursday, Saturday and Sunday (Friday was a waste because of work, credit union matters to tend to and softball game) I helped to cook corn on the cob, sweet potatoes and baked potatoes for the Parma Jaycees at the Parma Rib Burnoff. I must say, it was very fun yet tough work. I feel beat. Rox and Neil were there so much longer than me that I do not know how they managed to never stop smiling. I think I need to take some time away from looking at corn and my body also needs to go through some serious detox from all of the crappy carnival food that I ingested. Funnel cakes and fried icecream, need I say more?

Took tomorrow off work. I think I am going to work on getting the corn stench out of my clothes and I also need to boggie up to Tri-C to pick out my books for my fall class. I also need to run and perhaps squeeze in some quality time with friends. Yet, sleeping in is still the highest of my priorities. : )

Ouch!

They say that seeing the one that you love in love with someone else is the worst kind of pain. Well, at least Michael Bolton lays claim to that theory. However, after last night and this morning I am thinking that passing kidney stones has a strong contention for first place. I have always admired those that have given birth and now I give those women even more credit because I realize that the pain I endured was nothing compared to what they have gone through. Something so large out of something so freakin small.... Good grief...

After This Week (and wow, it is not even over with) I Have Learned The True Value Of...

"You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away, and know when to run...."

Thanks Kenny. Sometimes I think you taught me more than grad school. You have most certainly "Decorated My Life".

The Lucky 7 Fun Facts That I Discovered Over The Long Weekend

~ Alcohol and the giant blue exercise ball do not pair up well.

~ I seem to always seem to find the big piles of doggy poo to step in. Augh!

~ Try to avoid running during the hottest part of the day.

~ It is fun to beat really skinny girls in road races!

~ Brian is a tiger for rocking in his first half ironman!

~ Having Monday off rules.

~ Few things in life compare to the thrill of finding your size in jeans on sale.

Looooong Weekend....

So, what ya all doing over the weekend? Any hot plans? So far people have informed me of their parties, 1/2 Ironman competitions, trips to Virginia, trips to Carolina, trips to D.C. backyard bbqs (although my 4th of July on is the best!), bike rides and those that have to work all weekend (sorry, dudes!). What about the rest of ya? What is brewing?

Mid Week Thoughts...

Some of my friends know that this week started off with some challenging, tough and sad moments in my personal life. But I guess in the grand scheme of things and what others are facing, mine would seem small and trivial. I have tried to compartmentalize my life as best as possible by not letting struggles that I am faced with creep into other areas of my life. For example, not having work issues negatively affect my relationships with my friends or running slumps affect my temper when dealing with my folks. Some days and with some circumstances, it is easier than others. Sometimes it is a challenge and this week it has been one of those.

Email has proven to be a tricky element in my life these past few days. Now don't get me wrong, I still love how accessible it is and how it is great temporary work distraction but I think it also has the erie ability to keep us closed off in protective bubbles and it can have the potential to injure the growth of establishing a real relationship.

Case in point, I have several friends that I heavily rely on email with. In fact, without it, I am not sure if we would even have a friendship. Simple but also a little scary when I think about the fact that I live so close to some of these people.

Over just the past three days I feel that I have been deceived through email, felt comforted by it and even intimately confided through it. The technology has lead me to many emotions and none of this would've happened without it. This leads me to think if email is making us all a little too comfortable because we know that we would never say that things that we vulnerably type on the keyboard if we were all eye to eye. The distance makes us feel more safe and comfortable. But is this a false sense of security?

Okay Brian, You Asked For It. So Here It Is....

The top five random and debatably idiotic statements that I was yelling at runners while in transit and standing at the 16th mile marker of the Cleveland Marathon....

In no particular order although you may vote if you desire...

1.) "You're a tiger!" This one was great when a few actually growled back at me.

2.) "You are stone cold!!! Nail this bad boy down!!" I know Brian really liked the stone cold part and I think Steve got a chuckle too.

3.) "I heart runners!" This was also interchanged with "Honk if you love runners!" A phrase that I was yelling out my car window as we almost hit a running Elizabeth. Thank goodness my trusty navigator, Bryce, was covering the wheel!

4.) "Runners are sexy!!! Ask Rod Stewart, he would agree!" My personal favorite.

5.) "I know it is hard but it is going to get so much better!" And oh how it so does when you are done and have that medal around your neck. : )

Yeee Hawwww!!

Congrats to all those that competed in the races today at the Cleveland Marathon! I had a blast watching with the gang. Actually, many times I thought it was more fun to watch the marathon than to run it!

More to come soon! A little too beat to write now!

Lucky Number 7? Registered at 12:45 EST today...

With Jen not thinking about pregnancy yet, our mission to run more marathons continues. Signed up for The Marine Corp. Marathon (Oct. 29th) today. The beat goes on....

Some of our peeps, Brian & Elizabeth, are going to do Chicago. I don't think I will ever do Chicago again. I had blast running it with such a large group of my college friends (some of my other non-runner friends also came so it was great to have them there for support and good times) but the narrow streets and sharp turns at the beginning stages made me a little claustrophobic. However, it was flat as a pancake and fast as all hell for most.

Tinkering with the idea of running in costume since Marine Corps is so close to Halloween, but I think the heat might kill me before mile 11 if I opted for the gorilla suit.

Will & Grace, More Harm Than Good?

With the final episodes on the near horizon, I thought I would revisit a topic that I had previously discussed for a media journal assignment in my essay writing class during my senior year at Mount. I know I have the paper laying around in one of the many binders in my apartment. Rather than bore you with all the overly drawn out rhetoric that I probably just used to meet the page requirement, I will just discuss the main points since it seems vital now as the show comes to close after an eight year run.

There has always been a debate surrounding whether the show has helped or caused damage with regards to its treatment of the homosexual culture in mainstream America. It seems that those not directly influenced or having previously had much exposure to the gay culture applauded themselves for tuning in and actually liking the show. They felt as if they were accepting the culture because they could laugh at Jack's flamboyancy or Will's anal organizational skills.

Although Right-Winged Christian Conservatives objected at first, they soon simmered down a little when they saw that the show was not going to tackle serious matters such as marriage, disease or child raising (well, at least not until the fifth season, anyway). As Will and Jack jumped from meaningless relationship to meaningless relationship, even traditionalists were starting to no longer see the show as a threat since it was mocking the gay culture in so many ways as opposed to defending it. However, this trend of overly stereotyping was starting to anger the homosexual culture that had such high hopes for a groundbreaking sitcom showcased on Must See Tv time slotted directly after the currently most viewed show in America.

I have to admit, I watch the show week after week. I even look forward to it! Alot of my friends watch it and we can all get a good laugh out of Karen's pill popping antics and Jack's spastic dance moves yet when you really dare to look under the superficial layers, I can see why the liberally minded feel a bit slighted. For one, the show has failed to have either Jack or Will in a serious long term relationship. Most of their romances are based on heated, physical affairs that quickly burn out. This point was grossly mocked in this current season when Grace hastily married Will's boyfriend just so he could stay in the United States a little longer. That show in particular managed to make a mockery out of the sanctity of marriage and the seriousness of homosexual relationships considering that Will had only known his beau for about two weeks.

Yes, Will and Grace has had a good run and provided me and many with alot of laughs over almost a decade. However, I think that aside from over-the-top comedy and physical humor, the show takes a lower ranking when it comes to holding a socially ground breaking status.

?

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? Do you think that you have sold out on your childhood dreams?

Cedar Point Check List:

^ Find at least one matching outfit couple (bonus points issued if they are under the age of 60 yet over the age of 11.

^ Spot a kid throwing a temper tantrum because his mom would not let him eat more sweets.

^ Once again, to the annoyance of most of my friends, tell that group that I am with that my friend went to high school with the kid that sued Cedar Point in the mid 1980s because he fell off the Mine Ride.

^ Forget how bumpy the Blue Streak is until I am actually riding it.

^ Make a dumb joke that I want to ride on the children's' bumper boats.

^ Slap the males in my group for staring at the well endowed collegiate girls in revealing tank tops.

^ See the look of satisfaction in a child's face when they finally are taller than the measurement stick and can ride on the Magnum.

^ Eat and later regret digesting the greasy steak fries from The Midway.

All In A Day's Work.....

Random Things That Have Happened So Far Today...

~ Got in a phone fight with my mom at work.

~ Bought discounted Cedar Point tickets from AAA.

~ Was wildly misunderstood in an email to one of my friends.

~ Played attack burglar with my cat.

~ Put lotion on the new tat.

~ Seriously contemplated going into debt and going back to grad school.

~ My friend's wife found out she is pregnant.

Wow, and the day is still young!

Does Everything Really Work Out The Way That It Is Suppose To?

This past weekend, two of my friends brought this subject line up to me. They did it as a playful interjecting onto my own life since so often I had chimed in with the infamous, "Everything happens for a reason" or "It will all work out in the end" when they were going through various trying times in their lives. As true with so many situations in life, having to walk in someone else's shoes and really examining your own advice does make you take a good hard look at yourself. After contemplating on the advice that I had so freely and dime a dozen given out over the years, I wonder if I was actually doing something more than giving poor cliche' advice. I wonder if I was, in fact, simply lying.

Lets put under the microscope the first, "Everything happens for a reason." Yes, but that is so (as my grad. School advisor Dr. Karem would say) broad of an assumption. It does not begin to take into account that so many people have selfish motives and that those desires can affect them and so many people in the surrounding areas. Sometimes those "reasons" the quote names can be obvious when it turns out to be a happy ending. Case in point, a person who was running late because they could not find their keys which caused them to miss the train. While aggravated and waiting for the next train, she encounters a handsome man that later becomes her husband. A valid argument can be made by romantics or anyone that looks for the silver lining, that misplacing her keys caused her to find the love of her life. However, on the flip side, it is tough to see that everything happens for a reason when it involves tragically sudden death or financial hardships. Those are the times that a strict clear cut answer is demanded but can few times be issued.

The second one, ah, my old stand by (how did my friends ever not punch me in the eye for this one?), "It will all work out in the end." Well, in my defense, I always was a person that would skip to the last few pages of the book to read the ending before starting and I would prefer to hear the ending of a film before viewing. Despite the fact that I know how thrilling surprises are and how few there are in this world, I always like to rush ahead. I love giving surprises but very few times getting them. As I have become older, I think this state or shall I say, choice of mind, has become more frequent and until I find a way to go back and bottle that "instant awe" that I had when I was 5, I think I will continue to be fast forwarding to the conclusions. Well, in my defense, I guess I can say that it at least better prepares me. But if so much of life is dependent on our personal decisions than how do we know for sure that everything will "work out" in the end. And what exactly does "work out" even translate to?

I am a big believer in God and faith. I have been for as long as I can remember. Catholic schooling planted the seeds and personal experiences helped to grow and strengthen it. Despite my sometime nihilistic attitude, I do believe that God cares and is watching. The struggle that I have is that if we are given free-will how can we make sure that those free-will decisions are making things "work out" in the end for each person?

Lets face it, very few of us actually have the courage to say what we really want to in situations for fear of rejection, looking arrogant or just looking stupid. It is safer to harbor those feelings and just hope that you will get what you so deeply want. Example, how many of us have struggled with confessing to someone that they are in love with them but for fear of so many real and even imaginary consequences, they decide it better to not release their truth. What if saying something could've made things "work out" for the better in future? Guess many will never know. However, there is also the reality that confessing would lead to disaster and conflict with both parties having things "work out" in the end. What about those that take new jobs because they desire change or stay at the old ones because the comfort factors are priority to them. How do we know for sure that things really will work out in the end based on our decisions whether grand or small?

I brought a lot up here and I know that many points I touched on are rhetorical. I guess the main thesis that I have come to through my self exploration of sayings I repeat is to examine them more closely before speaking. Or, as my many English teachers would warn me to do, "make sure you research and back it up with evidence before you present!"

Just When I Needed Another Reason To Dislike Ken Blackwell..

Okay, I know I have been giving the play by play of Boston recently and I intend to wrap it up this week but I was just too fired up to let this one pass by.

Not sure how close many of you are following the republican candidate race for governor, but here is what Ken Blackwell freely told reporters when asked why he supported Ohio's constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and opposed civil unions:

"I don't know how many of you have a farming background, but I can tell you right now that notion even defies barnyard logic... the barnyard knows better."
Comparing people to animals. Have we reached a new low? Please, when election time rolls around, DO NOT vote for Ken Blackwell.