September 27, 2010

Marathon Relay Complete, Next is Hocking Hills

I am sitting here at my computer watching Monday Night Countdown counting down the minutes until Monday Night Football starts on ESPN between the Bears and the Packers. I think I mentioned this last year, but it’s great having a girlfriend who not only tolerates but enjoys sitting on the couch watching football on Saturday and/or Sunday afternoons! Sure, we’re not going to do it all the time; but when the big game is on, it’s comforting knowing that she doesn’t mind it one bit. Haha! Thank you, Jenn, for being so cool. You really make me smile!

This past Saturday I ran in the Akron Marathon Relay with some co-workers. It is a 5-person relay that goes the full length of the 26.2-mile marathon. The legs’ distances are 3.5 miles, 5.7 miles, 6.3 miles, 2.8 miles, and 7.9 miles. My leg was originally scheduled to be the 3.5-mile leg, but one of the team members had a slight injury with his foot that prompted us to switch up the order to give him an easier leg. So, the team all voted for me to take his 5.7-mile leg. At first I was not thrilled at all about it since I’ve been working at our non-headquarters location for a while and had gotten out of my running routine and was not as prepared for that type of distance. However, it was best for the team, so I agreed and took on the challenge. After a few hard weeks of preparation, I think I did pretty well, running an 8:28 pace for those 5.7 miles. Normally my pace for 3.5 miles is right around 8:00 or 8:05 per mile (I ran an 8:07 pace for a 5-mile race in Canton in August, but that was when I was going well with my routine).

Anyway, our team gave our goals/predictions for how we all thought we’d do with our respective legs, and the estimated finish time came out to 3 hours, 41 minutes. On race day, though, we actually ran 3 hours, 36 minutes! The weather was perfect for a race! At the start of the race the weather called for 51 degrees, and it was very close to that, probably in the mid-50’s. It was chilly before the race began; but once your body gets going, that temperature feels great. It didn’t get windy until later in the day, so that was a plus.

Now that the big race of the year is over, it’s going to be tough to keep up the routine of running 3 times a week. However, having co-workers and our running circle of friends that motivate each other to get out there, I think I’ll be fine. That’s one of my goals this winter – to keep running through the Fall and Winter months.

OH! Jennifer and I are going to Hocking Hills this Saturday. It’s been a long time since I’ve been there. It was actually my Senior year of high school during our Science Club trip. Jenn has never been there, so I am excited to expose her to the trails, cliffs, and other fascinating objects of nature. It might be cold and/or wet, but it’ll be worth it. The one thing that stinks, though, is that the night before we have a football game at Indian Valley’s varsity football field, which is in Gnadenhutten. Where is that, you might ask? It is about 20 minutes South of New Philadelphia. It’s a haul! We are going to get back late Friday night, so sleep will be at a premium this week. Ugh!

Smile! May God continue to bless you.

September 22, 2010

Vote for Basil Marceaux.com

Well, don’t vote for him. But have you seen this guy’s videos online? Supposedly it’s legit and he is actually running for governor of Tennessee. In the case you have not yet heard of Basil Marceaux.com, here are some Youtube links to videos of him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hvaeHllwtw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOlM1pPMNBc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnx-SqMYknI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=livOU_WtQ9Q

I think it’s funny that he refers to himself as Basil Marceaux.com, always adding the “dot com” on the end. Haha! Other parts of his videos that crack me up are the following:
1) He will force everyone to own a gun. If someone does not own a gun, he will fine that person $10.
2) Supposedly, according to his web site (which does not actually look like a web site), if someone votes for him and he wins, that person will be immune from all state crimes the rest of that person’s life.
3) His method of making money is planting high-concentration vegetation on all vacant lots in the state then selling the gas produced by the vegetation.
4) His stance on health care is that dental should be included in all base health care packages. His reasoning? Straight from his web site: “.. a tooth aches hurt than a back aches and no teeths depresses people.
5) Last but not least, I must mention his demeanor and poor public speaking skills.

I’m sure if you watch any of the above-posted videos, you’ll catch my drift. Other than Basil Marceaux.com, other videos that have caught my eye recently have been those of Flash Mob and Improv Everywhere. They are very similar to each other but also different. One day earlier this week I spent over two hours watching both of their videos on Youtube. It was a blast but probably a waste of time. Hmm. Yes, it was a waste of time. Haha!

OK. Enough about videos. Life’s been hectic but a good hectic. I’ve been really busy with work being in the other office the last month combined with doing things on the weekends (and a few week nights in between) with Jennifer. Working in the other office puts me closer to her so meeting up after work has been easier as of late! Football is still going strong for the both of us – Triway is 3-1 and looks to have a strong team yet again this season. My Browns lost again on their way to being 0-2 while her Steelers got another win to go to 2-0. Her Wolverines are 3-0, too, but my Buckeyes are 3-0 as well. I’m sure we’ll be doing some trash talking until the two big-time rivals meet up on November 27.

Ugh. My head is spinning right now, and it’s tough to stay focused, so I’m going to call it a day. Have a good one!

Smile! May God continue to bless you.

September 16, 2010

"Coughing" Up the Football?

Tonight I think I am taking Jennifer into the emergency room to have her checked out for the coughing episodes she’s been having for over a month, now. For a while it was just an annoying cough that sometimes made her short of breath; but more recently, she has had more and more pain develop in and around her side, rib, and chest area. Last night it was getting worse for her as it crept around to her back and made her stiff and in even more pain. Two nights ago we had the choice to either take her to the hospital or tough it out another night. That night we chose to stay in and see what happened in the next 24-36 hours while resting, stocking up on tea and Gatorade, and staying warm. It worked for a while got went downhill again last night, so we’re getting her checked out. I hope it isn’t anything serious. It may be a torn muscle from coughing all the time – this is what most people seem to think it is after first hearing about the issue. However, the heavier pain she’s been feeling makes us think it might either be a rib issue or something more serious. But hopefully it is nothing more than a bad cough and some stress on the rest of her body because of it.

The Wayne County Fair, famous as one of the best fairs in the state of Ohio, came to an end last night. While it was going on, though, Jennifer was able to get a taste. Saturday after the Buckeyes beat Miami, FL (woot woot!), we headed on over to the fair to check out all the vendors and get some fair food. She had never had Lerch’s donuts, so that was the first local delicacy to which she was introduced. Actually, she had eaten some before at the vendor by the old Hawkins Market; but this was real fair food, and nothing beats that! Afterward, we walked around some more, checking out tractors and livestock, until it was time to head back home. Sunday we went to church, came back home to watch the Browns and her Steelers (ugh), then headed back to the fair to get more of a glimpse in the daytime. We ended up getting some Smith’s Ruggles ice cream before heading back to her place Sunday evening. Overall, she said she really enjoyed the fair and had a lot of fun.

The Triway football team got a win last Friday against Waynedale. The Golden Bears are now 0-3, so it wasn’t that impressive for us, especially since we only won by 7 (41-34), but they have been in every game competitively, plus they are a backyard rival of ours. This week we start PAC-7 play against Tuslaw at home. The Mustangs are 2-1 like us and have a big-time passing offense like us. It looks as if the weather will hold out and allow both teams to impose their will on the other (if they so choose). If neither team’s defense steps up, there could be some rather large numbers put up on the scoreboard. I just hope we have a bigger number!

The Browns lost Sunday after starting the game looking like a legitimate NFL football team. But that didn’t last long, and the Browns eventually faded in their loss to Tampa Bay. The weekend was all good, though, since the Buckeyes beat Miami, FL on Saturday in a marquee college football match-up. The Bucks are not yet where they need to be to win the national championship (or even make it there), but the win over Miami, even with all the interceptions we needed to win, was a big confidence booster for our team. I just hope we don’t have a big let down like last year against Purdue. There are some tough games on our schedule, so it’ll be a meat grinder once we get into Big 10 play. It’s fall, so there is lots of football going on wherever you look, and I love it!

Smile! May God continue to bless you.

September 9, 2010

Double Rainbow

It’s almost week 3 of high school football already. Wow! Those first two weeks of football went by fast! But if and when high school football ends, we still have college football to take us to the end of the year. Ohio State got their opening week win over Marshall as expected. However, this week is a much tougher opponent, Miami, FL. They’re going to want some revenge after what they thought was a controversial ending to the national championship almost a decade ago. Here is a poster from the national championship game at the moment the pass interference occurred, making it difficult to argue against the call the referee made. (click for full picture)



But anyway, Triway’s varsity football team got beat up last week by Orrville. Many thought we were the favorite going in, but I’m not sure really why. Newspapers were talking us up and making outlandish predictions for the post-season, but we may not even make it to the playoffs! OK. So maybe we’ll make it to the playoffs, but we will likely face another first-round exit. I’m not saying we’re a bad team, because we are not; but we are not at the same level as the others in our region right now that routinely make it to the playoffs. This Friday we host another backyard rival, Waynedale, to complete non-league play. Waynedale comes into the game 0-2, and we are 1-1. However, the Golden Bears have a good defense that I think could give us some fits with their physicality and good coaching. It will be a tough game, but I think we’ll emerge victorious. All that matters is the “W”.

Jennifer and I have been uber-busy the past few weeks! We only get to see each other on the weekends, so we make sure we’re together at those times when possible. However, sometimes when we have obligations and events going on during the weekend, it accounts for a lot of driving and hopping around from place to place. Neither of us dislikes it, but sometimes it’s nice to have a relaxed weekend, which I think this coming weekend will be. She does not work Friday, so I’m picking her up tonight, and we’re heading back to my place. I need to drop off my car at the shop for its 50,000 mile check-up, but that’s it. Friday night we have the football game. Then Saturday we don’t have much to do at all other than watch college football and probably more Everybody Loves Raymond. Sunday we’ll probably go to church but don’t have much else scheduled that day other than probably taking in a few NFL games. It’s great having a girlfriend that not only doesn’t mind, but enjoys watching sports on television. She was by herself last night at her apartment and was watching the Indians. How cool is that?

Moving on to another topic – I have changed the ring tones on my cell phone. For my call ring tone I have changed it to the Double Rainbow Remix by AutoTune. If you have not seen the original video because of which that song was made, you are missing out! Go here for the original video of a double rainbow videotaped by a guy out in the mountains. It’s hilarious if you watch the whole thing. Anyway, a group made a remix of it called the Double Rainbow Song. The actual song in the background is now out on mp3, and I have it stored on my web server. If you would like a copy, here is the link.

On my Droid Incredible there’s an app called Ringdroid which allows me to download and import music files then crop/cut them, and save the resulting clip as a ring tone or notification (text) sound. Part of the Double Rainbow song is my ring tone, and my text message notification sound is part of the ESPN SportsCenter theme. In the following clip I cut out from 0:03 – 0:06 when the three distinctive beeps will sound. It’s a pretty neat sound for text messages, I think!

That’s been the fun in my life the last few days while I’ve been doing other housework that was neglected the last few weeks. Oh. That reminds me. I need to mow tonight. It’s been exactly two weeks, but that’s about right since the Autumn season does not make my grass grow nearly as fast as the Spring season did. Boy, am I glad it’s not Spring any more! Anyway, my lunch break is almost up, so I better get going. I’ll see you on the other side of this soon-to-be-relaxing weekend.

Smile! May God continue to bless you.