And so it begins

The Christmas season. Cards have gone out. Lights are going up, little tiny snowmen paver lights to be specific

I also decided the house should smell of pine sooner rather than later so the tree and wreath have arrived.

Prop 8 The Musical

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Turkey Trot Pt2

Crappy picture I know, but the shirt got a bit wrinkled burried under Thanksgiving items coming and going.

I really didn't apprecite the for shit lung capacity I've given myself until yesterday's race. The cold air hurt, the final run to the finish line hurt. If I wasn't already hurting I'd have kicked my own ass for all those years of smoking.

I finished, 10 seconds faster than last race. Lower time is lower time I suppose. Was nice to at least say "well I ran and walked a bunch, I'll have myself a nice piece of bread with this bread stuffing on my plate!

Turkey Trot 5K

I cannot find the camera so the picture will have to wait. I finished faster than the last race, not by alot, but faster. I had a hard time running in the cold weather. It also wasn't a nice flat course the way the last 2 were.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Prop 8

Gay or strait you are welcome to join the protest. There may or may not be one for Long Island.

Olbermann: Gay marriage is a question of love

Halloween

Front Door




This was in a "candy" bin at the front door





More treat, less trick. Pumpkins.



The ghost keeping the mail safe





Boo Trees




The cemetary. Big hit with the neighbors this year. Doesn't seem like much in the photos but there were people putting there kids in the middle of everything and taking their pictures.





One of the graves



Bob is just chillin




The cemetary Ghouls



From a distance during the day.




Not the clearest shot, but back from a distance at night.

Yes We Can

McCain-Palin QVC

Okay the McCain Fine Gold thing really amuses me

Pumpkin Run

My latest 5k run was this past Saturday. Started out very windy and cold, but got better as the race went along. Not too much to say about it other than I beat my last time by 1:15 and there was no evil child or grandparent in my way this time.

We got long sleeve T-shirts and water bottles this time. Very fancy stuff.

The storm last night wrecked up some of my Halloween decorations and I had to spend a while fixing them. I should be finished with all but the carved pumpkins by tomorrow and will be ready to take pictures. How exciting.

Dogs

Gimli is emo. Why you ask?



Because Sophie is sleeping with his favorite toy and no one messes with Sophie.



Misha is a lovely dog, but not very bright. He's too good looking to be emo. Can you tell he knows he's good looking?

Why Why Why

Do people insist on wearing colonge to the gym? And then why do they insist on taking the machine next to me when there are 15 others free. Seriously do people go up to others who are all sweaty from working out and say "hey baby, wanna date? oh you stink nevermind".

And its not just a light scent its a whole Roxbury Guys level. At least its a big giant sign of who to avoid.

Night Vision

This is the front all lit up at night. Sorry for the poorly designed photo composition but I was trying to do three things at once.

This fun pirate is on the side of the house. There's a demon in the back window but it wasn't lit up yet.

Its the most wonderful time of the year

Yeah well it is for me. I put up the window panels. I'll take another round of pictuers when it gets dark and its all glowy and stuff.

5K Today

The race today was very different than my first. I ran some of the first mile and some of the last mile. That took about 7 minutes off my previous finish time. I finished the race at 57:11 and I finished ahead of 6 other people. I did however come in about 6 minutes behind an 89 year old man. There's motivation for you, finish ahead of people who are a billion years old.

About a mile and a half into the race I'd settled into a nice walk pace and I see someone ahead of me. Seems like a short person of some kind. They seemed to have a nice slow pace so I was catching up. Said short person turns around sees me getting closer and sprints away. Okay whatever I keep up my pace. Turns out the short person is a young boy. Apparently the old chick catching up to him was brusing his newly forming male ego. Not one to crush the spirits of a preteen I let him play this little game. Right up until I mentioned to him to tie his shoe and I'd wait so as not to pass him. The little dork broke wide with major male attitude so I let it be.

Mile 2 finishes and I start to run some again. This makes our little man nervous so he starts to run again and passes me. He doesn't get too far because he busts out all his speed on a short spurt and can't keep it up. As much of a mess as I am I can still run further and longer than this kid. And that's what I did. Left his little ego driven self in the dust. Yeah that's right I'm pleased about beating down the spirit of a 10 year old.

I walked a while once he was far enough behind me to stop being a pest and saved what I could so that I could run the last bit of the race. I wanted to run across the line and not walk it. As silly as this probably sounds that meant a lot to me.

So the race is over and I'm looking for some bagels. Since the run was sponsored by Entenmenn's I guess I understand why they had all the snack cakes and stuff. But I really just wanted a half of a bagel. And water. Just water. Not Gatorade, just a bottle of water. Seriously is Gatorade that thretened by Poland Spring?

Next race for me will probably be one of the Pumpkin Runs just before Halloween.

Cha-cha-cha-changes

I'm back to my usual workout schedule but something is new. I have a new gym. This is my third gym in the past 12 months, but I've been upgrading at least.

http://www.planetfitness.com/centereach/photos/?s=1063

My knee isn't 100% but the doctor gave me the okay to get back to things. Nice orthopedist, my sister recommended him. I'll have an MRI as soon as my insurance company gets around to approving it.

This weekend I have another race. I'll be the one in the back walking it. Its the Entemann's 5k. Yes the bakery. Should be a fun end of race snackfest. Usually its just bagels.

New Toys

Well toy. I have a new bike. The goal is to be able to ride to work. What a lovely goal and in my mind so easy to reach. I mean I ride a bike every other day at the gym, this should be a piece of cake.


So here in the real world when you ride a bike you have to carry your own weight when you pedal, not like a stationary where you have to carry bupkis.


Long story short, it'll take longer for me to get up to the 8 miles to work than I had originally figured. But as long as I get there its all good.








This lists the specs in case anyone is interested.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/fx/72fxwsd/

Grounded

Somehow I hurt my knee. I don't know how I did it, I just know it hurts. I've gotten a nice shot in my knee (btw when they say "this wont really hurt" they're lying), have some lovely pills to take and I can't excercise for a week.

I am a bit pouty about that, okay a lot pouty. But what else is there to do but to suck it up and do what the doctor tells me to do.

Decorating Blues

Its that time of year again. The days get shorter, the weather gets colder, the leaves turn colors. And Target puts up its Christmas decorations.

...

Yes that's right, 2 weeks into September and I'm struggling to find Halloween decor for my yard and my house. What is wrong with these people? Lowes has friggin Christmas trees up already. I started shopping for Halloween even earlier this year. I am so not happy about this.

The good news is that the happiest place on earth opens tomorrow. That's right. The Spirit Halloween store! I'm all tingly with joy over this, so very sad. I love that store, they have the coolest stuff.

If you can't tell, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Not in a slasher movie kind of way. More in a Nightmare Before Christmas kind of way. When stuff goes up I'll take some pictures. Right now I'm putting up "fall" stuff. October 1 it gives way to Halloween.

Reading & Running

Oh and biking, and the elliptical machine. That constitutes my life lately. I read tax books, tax web pages and tax questions. I read running books. I read running web pages.

I have a new workout schedule. on Mon, Wed, Friday I go to the gym and do an anything but running aerobic workout. Tue, Thur, Sun I run/walk.

I am planning house decor settup for the coming holidays. I have a plan for fall harvest/halloween in my head. Just need to decide when its time to pull the holiday decoration trigger. I am going to a few stores today to do some looking/shopping.

I live such an exciting life eh?

Penguins

It seems I am a Penguin. What is a Penguin?

"In the running lexicon, the word "Penguin" has come to mean a person who runs more for the joy of running than for recognition and public rewards. Some of us are perpetual Penguins. We are consumed by the pleasure of movement.

Other Penguins find their joy in the challenge of reaching their own potential, whatever that is. For some it has meant running the Boston Marathon, the only U.S. marathon that has qualifying standards. For others, it has meant finding an independence and freedom in their daily runs that expands their limits."

-John Bingham
http://www.johnbingham.com/index.html

So knowing all of this I begin a training schedule today that should have me up to running a 5k by my birthday.

lolcats

more animals

Todays 5K

Will write more later, need to get a few things before the storm hits tomorrow.

Here's my very first race number and T-Shirt. For everyone interested, I did not finish last. I finished at the same pace I've done all week.

Walking and Seeing Pt 2

I have computer glasses. I can read with them also. Its just a little strange, I have to sort of close my eyes to shift from looking at the monitor and looking down. Its going to take some getting used to but at least I'm no longer dizzy and sick.

Two days till the Marine 911 race. I don't feel right about calling it a race since most people will be running and I will be walking. I just don't want to finish last. That'd suck.

Kitchen

I didn't really redo the kitchen so much as made it more efficient. Well the paint too.



The fridge is new. I really didn't think it through because the freezer is very small.



I saw this island in a magazine and said "ah ha! That's what I'm looking for" and I ordered it. It came in many many pieces. My mother helped me assemble it. I love it. I've already gotten a great deal of use from it, I expect to get more now that fall is coming.

Living Room

For those that didn't see the house before everything got changed, all the walls were pink, the floors were meh and I had hand me down living room furniture.

So we start with the loveseat. Its up against the railing for the stairs.



Here is the main couch. The blinds behind it are all new, the old ones were this dark heavy green. The couch did not come with the dogs, Misha is the blonde one, Sophie is the one that looks like she knows she's doing something wrong.



The old ceiling was also pink. It was nasty and too high to be of any true use. This is not that great of a picture but hey, you want a better view come to the house.



You can see the pass through for the kitchen. It would be a great place for family photos if a) I had some (subtle hint eh?) and b) Milo didn't keep knocking things to the floor.



This is the view from the loveseat to the other side of the living room. Yes its a very long living room. Yes its a very large TV. Its actually a really, really nice TV.



So you see I have the long living room. Since this is a high ranch the space came from somewhere. I have a tiny kitchen. I got rid of the table that was in the kitchen and got this table and stuck it under the TV. Its turned out to be much better than having the table in the kitchen.

Front Entry

This is from the inside looking down at the front door. Nothing that special, I just spent a bit on the blinds so look at them and say "ooohh" "ahhh" or fake it at least.

This now is basically the front entry to the house. You enter the front door, go up 4 stars and tada, you're at the table.

Just an up close view of some of the items on the table.