IronMan Florida...

Thought this was a COOL VIDEO...

Appendix...
More later...lots going on. I've been scrapping all my thoughts together and will try to put something together by next week, for those of you still reading. Say a(nother) prayer for my friend Randy and his family, as they lay his son to rest on Saturday morning.

What do you do with this...

A friend of mine, with whom I used to teach was in a car accident. He has a broken back, his wife has a broken leg. His son died.

Crash claims son of area teachers

By LINWOOD OUTLAW III Staff writer
Chambersburg Public Opinion

Scotland School for Veterans' Children boys basketball coach Randy Taylor was injured Tuesday morning in a three-vehicle crash in Corolla, N.C., that killed his 3-year-old son and injured his wife and daughter.

Taylor was driving south on N.C. Interstate 12 in a 1999 Nissan minivan at 10:44 a.m., when a Griggs Lumber Co. truck traveling north -- driven by Gregory Jones of Powells Point, N.C. -- crossed into the southbound lane and collided with both Taylor's vehicle and a 2001 Ford Truck driven by Cynthia Ann Muscia of Kitty Hawk, N.C., according to North Carolina State Highway Patrol 1st Sgt. Craig Garriss.

Taylor's wife, Marcie, daughter Lauren, 7, son Drew, 3, and friend Ann Ditzler, of Conestoga, Pa., were passengers in the minivan. Drew Taylor died from his injuries. All of the others involved in the accident received non-life-threatening injuries, Garriss said.

Garriss said Randy and Marcie Taylor have been taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Va., for further treatment. He said Lauren Taylor and Ditzler have been released from a local hospital in Virginia.

"To my understanding, their (Lauren Taylor and Ditzler) injuries weren't too severe at all and they have already been released," Garriss said.

Taylor, a Shippensburg resident and also a teacher in the Greencastle-Antrim School District, was an assistant coach under longtime Scotland Cadet coach Gerry Wilson for two years before taking over the program in the 2003-04 season when Wilson retired. In his first season at Scotland, Randy Taylor led the Cadets to a fourth straight District 3 Class A title and the school's 12th overall.

In three years with SSVC, Randy Taylor has compiled a 48-29 record. His team also advanced to the PIAA State Tournament this past winter. Prior to his tenure at SSVC, he was an assistant coach at Chambersburg Area Senior High School under current coach Shawn Shreffler for four years.

Marcie Taylor is a teacher at CASHS.

Garriss said Tuesday's accident is still under investigation and possible charges are pending for Jones.

What the FUCK?

My Personal Mission Statement

I will act as a Renaissance man of God, fusing integrity, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning in all of my endeavors. I will be known, respected, and sought out for excellence in all aspects of my personal and professional life.

Space for Oddity

For some reason, it's just been a weird week. To wit:

God Endorses Governor
First, God, who is normally Republican (I am told) has come out and endorsed Ed Rendell, according to the Reverend Carl Vining. See the story HERE.

During a voter awareness event in the Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday, the incumbent Democrat received word via a Lycoming County minister — a registered Republican, no less — that God has “decreed” he will be re-elected to a second term.

“I was a little stunned, to be honest,” a smiling governor said afterward.

Apparently, the Reverend has a direct line...

“The God of Israel said, ‘One more term,’” the Rev. Vining told Mr. Rendell.

The announcement sparked applause from some in attendance and chuckles from others. The Rev. Vining later insisted it’s no joke.

“God spoke to me to tell Governor Ed Rendell that he was anointed by the God of Israel for another term,” he told a reporter. “That means he’s going to win the election.”

Did God give a reason?

“God has his own reasoning. It’s the will of our father in Heaven,” the Rev. Vining said.

Mission Statement: Possible
The new VP of Sales decreed each of his employees should come up with a personal mission statement. My friend and colleague Mike found this site, which is absolutely perfect.

My first spin: Our business is dedicated to improving the full range of our dynamic metamorphisis by performance and added value second to none.

The scary part? It was better than what I had at that point. Still, developing a mission statement is a surprisingly good exercise. I am really big into self-improvement and learning new things. Quite frankly, I have been surprised by how this process is focusing me. I'll post mine when I finish.

If you would like to do it, too, there are a couple of good sites I'd recommend. Here is one. Here is another.

Triathlon...the open water swim.

I've written about competition swims before, and how, on the two triathlons I have done, I have been "jostled" pretty well. Now, I find out there is a revolutionary new training method that helps triathletes prepare for this eventual jostling. You can CHECK OUT THE VIDEO HERE. I hope this helps people understand...

Ride smartly...

When you're on your bicycle, ride intelligently....Not like THIS GUY.

I did a little better than I thought...

In response to my blog, I got this e-mail from Chris Kaag, President of Corps Fitness and the Got The Nerve? Triathlon coordinator:

Great details into your day's journey. Being the Director of I get to see and hear stories of everyday people pushing themselves more than they thought they could every year. As a Marine and athlete, I know that unbelievable feeling when you finish instead of quitting. My congratulations to you and your accomplishment. Keep digging deep!!

PS the ride was 17.5 miles and the run was 3.4(GPS bleeped out during measuring) so you were faster than you thought...

Christopher T. Kaag

So, I covered an extra 2.7 on the bicycle and threw in another .3 on the run, and added only a little more than 5 minutes to my total time. Not bad at all. Still, though, I'm reading Friel's book to improve...

I got up at 6.30 to go for a run this morning. Nothing major--two miles at a slow pace to get things going and to get everything stretched out. It felt good...still does. And to think, I almost stayed in bed.