Little FISH!!!!!!

My daughter's graduation was today. She won the class award for Outstanding Creative Writing for the fourth grade. I actually got to go see her as my new boss told me to get out and go see it. I am so PROUD OF HER!!!!!!

Poetry Thursday

Reflecting on Vincent's Starry Night

Pausing to intrigue myself
with an artist's dream
alive on canvas.

Vincent, I think it was,
(Funny how, when you share a person's
suffering it places you on a first-name basis with them
a sense of vague understanding having been observed)
affording us stars at night
while carefully masking
hidden anguish.

Tortured internally,
externally able to share
sensitivity's placid vision;
I can't help but wonder if
he could not somehow
wish to trade
the tranquility in his piece
for a little peace
of mind....

Today is My First Day...

...at the new job. I got to sleep in until 7.00(!!!eleventy!11!), actually take my time getting ready and even a couple of moments to post here. I'm excited/nervous/happy/terrified/in-another-two-seconds-I'll-be-something-else. But for now I'm off....like a herd of turtles (that's kind of a confused looking herd, no?).

Mom

My mom continues to go up and down, but mostly up. She continues to surprise her doctors, which surprises me not at all. Her lung function is greatly diminished and she continues to need oxygen, but she is getting it through a nose tube instead of a mask or respirator. Mom is on chemo, the same as they use for cancer patients, that will hopefully knock out the infection that continues to destroy her lungs--no word yet on how effective that has been.

We went down and had the "End of Life" conversation with regard to what kind of resuscitation and life extending medical care she wants and dealt with all of that. It was actually good because she is so conscious and aware she could make her own decisions about what she wanted and the whole family was there to talk about it. It's good to see my brother and sister-in-law.

A couple of thoughts. First, I thought that conversation would be harder than it was. But Mom is pretty clear on what she wants, and it's actually right in line with what I would want, for me or for her. Second, there was a strong possibility that would be our last conversation together in this life. I was trying to think of what I wanted to say, and how I wanted to say it when I found myself at a total loss. Not for the reasons many people, I suspect, find themselves at a loss in such situations, but because everything I have ever wanted or needed to say to Mom I have already said. I've told her what I think, what I feel, what I needed, where I disagreed with her and most importantly how much I love her. Enough so that she knows all of these things. So we just sat and talked like we always do, except without the obligatory cup of Lipton's tea, then I said a prayer with her and left.

Thanks again for all of your continued thoughts, prayers, e-mails and encouragement. I told Mom about how many people are keeping her in prayer and thought, and I think she was blown away.

Inspirational Monday

I'm going to try something a little new. On Mondays, I will post something I found inspiring, uplifting or otherwise able to take me to a happy place. Here is your first installment--Inspirational Monday: Run.



Bonus funny...

I Have No Words...

Poetry Thursday

Friendship 2008

I sat down with my friend, peering over an ink-black coffee
Steaming lightly,
Obscuring, slightly,
The words he left

We talked about
Our kids,
Our jobs,
Our struggles to build meaningful lives
Cycling
Our wives
And the day ahead of us
The things that define the vague edges of friendships, everywhere
Even here

We promised to meet again, tomorrow
Then said goodbye, the way we always do
Logging off and powering down.

Race Ready

Ride Through Harrisburg, PA

This is my local loop through the state capital. Crossing the bridge over the Susquehanna River into Harrisburg.


Once I get over the bridge there is a multi-use trail. It's kind of hit or miss, with some days being very crowded and some days not at all. Today was not at all, which was sweet. Some shots looking up the MUT.



Cow-a-bunga....


Interesting sculpture along the riverfront.


WWI Memorial...


The Pride of the Susquehanna...sorry, no gambling.


This is the ride along the Susquehanna, looking across at the "skyline" of Harrisburg. The Capitol Dome is visible. We're told we have the prettiest state capitol in the country.


Iris....

Mom's Health...

...is deteriorating. Not exactly sure what the reason is, beyond diminished lung capacity. They started her on chemo yesterday and are hoping that will stem the course of what they think is attacking her system.

It's such a rollercoaster for her and Dad, for all of us, really. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, as always...

My Mom...

...got transferred to the University of Pennsylvania for further tests. She is doing REALLY well and continues to improve. She is now moving about with support. Things are progressing MUCH better than the doctors anticipated.

Poetry Thursday

MOVE

Heels hit the floor. Silently I rise and
Streeeeeeeeeeetch, mirroring the fat cats
As we prepare to descend
Me to my run, them to their breakfast

Pushing off the porch to pavement I vault
A slug, sluggishly sliding
A rainbow slime trail marks the promise of his passing
As he runs this morning’s errands

My pace quickens as bunniez hop happily ahead of me
(I’ll never catch them, they’ll never catch me)
And a snowy egret ascends out of the swamp
A post-historic pterodactyl in angel’s white

I cut the corner, heading for home
A robin couple rests in the road
One rises, the other does not, dead
Having forgotten to move in her winking instant of decision

Becoming an Ironman by Kara Douglass Thom

This was a really great read. Thom takes us through the journeys of all types of people as they complete their first Ironman Triathlon. There are professional athletes, everyday people, those who missed the cutoffs for the time and had to stop racing (my heart broke on a couple of those stories, thinking about the preparation and training that goes into a race like this), athletes with disabilities and even those who tried it and found they had an exceptional skill for it.

The book does get a little repetitive at times. That being said, part of the charm of the book is Thom's ability to capture the "voice" of each of the triathletes. She does a very good job of laying out people's motivations, struggles and the incredible feeling of finishing a race of this magnitude. I'd recommend it for anybody thinking about an Ironman, or even trying to go long in an endurance sport.

Mom....

My mom is speaking! I got to talk to her and she is VERY tired. She is not out of the woods yet, with a heart catheter possibly on Monday, but she is feeling better. Her cognitive functions seem to be intact, she is taking some physical therapy, and the doctors seem to be taking good care of her.

Thanks again, all, for your continued thoughtfulness, prayers, calls, e-mails and general support. I'm going down to see her tomorrow.

Talked to Mom on Mother's Day!!!

I talked to my MOM yesterday!!! She is coming out from under the sedatives and while she can't talk, she can kind of whisper incoherently to let you know she hears you. Her mind is, apparently, still remembering how to talk. She is off the ventilator fully and things are looking more promising. Thank you sooooo much for your kind thoughts and prayers....more later.

Update....

My mom has been making baby steps in the right direction. She is still in ICU, but has been taken off the sedatives. She has been moving around a bit and she even opened her eyes a couple of times. She is still receiving oxygen, but it is down to 40% pure, from an original of 100% pure. Once they get below (I think) 25% they can take the tube out and she can breathe on her own. The problem is that they are in a bit of the race because the tube wears down the throat, so they need to get her breathing on her own or they will have to do a tracheotomy. Her heart is still weak from the heart attack, but the main concern is still with her lung function.

I am home, pretty sick, actually, and it's hard to think of Mom on Mother's Day in the hospital. They wouldn't let me see her anyway, not as sick as I am, but it still sucks. Continued prayers for my mom and my dad are, of course, greatly appreciated. Thanks to all of you who have offered your prayers, support and kindness throughout this time...

Just a Quick Update

There really isn't much to report. My mom was diagnosed with pneumonia AND a heart attack, then they found Hepatitis A as well. She has made small steps in the right direction with regard to requiring less help with her breathing (I won't bore you with all the medical jargon). They are also going to try to ween her off the sedatives she is on, which she fought last time.

It's tough because she is still heavily sedated and non-responsive. Those of you that know my mom will likely have a tough time picturing her being non-responsive about anything. Little Fish really wants to see her NiNi, but the ICU has prohibitions on kids under fourteen, so that's been tough, too.

Thanks to friends and family that have called, e-mailed, dropped notes here and lifted my mom and our family up in prayer. Your support, kindness and love are very much appreciated.

Mom...

My Mom is in the hospital with pneumonia--we're not sure how serious it is, yet. I would apprciate prayers...

Boston Marathon

For those of you that were wondering, Kurt finished in 3:39:07. I talked to him last night and he said it hurt to go up and down steps. Still, he was in VERY good spirits. Congratulations, brother...

Respect...

My buddy Kurt is doing the Boston Marathon today! Go Kurt GO!!!!!

A Serenity Psalm for the 21st Century

Awake again in the tiny, mouse-feet morning hours
The roaring stillness of a deep morning fog surrounds our home
And the thunder of my heart is in my throat, my head

My brain kick starts, instantly
(There is no turnover here, though I'm certainly out of gas)
And the engine revs:
Client calls
Fax forms
Contract closures
Snapping turtle e-mails await; all hiss, but their bite can be worse
Mileage logs
Phone logs
Claims logs
A forest of logs, made from the corpses of former logs.

Turning off the engine is a Sisyphusian task
Futility at the beginning of each task
And again at the end
Endless errands
Dirty dishes in a burial mound at the kitchen sink, downstairs
The challenge of chores
The lists of lists
Birthing yet more lists.

Be still, a whisper, and know that I am God.

The melee in my head intensifies
The car needs an oil change,
tire change,
Inspection, and I need to
Pick up my daughter after school
Be still, and know that I am God.
Quieter still, the voice, but more insistent

Do I have a pressed shirt?
Chipped paint on the baseboard,
Echoes the decay of neglect of a
Life lived out of balance
Be still, and know that I am God.

I listen for You,
And everything shifts.

Be still, and know that I am God.
My heart slows
Be still, and know that I am.
My head quiets
Be still, and know.
My lists fade
Be still.
My worries are gone
Be.
I am.

Dreadmill Season is Officially Over!

So glad Spring has sprung...a couple to say goodbye.

Presentation...

So this guy is giving a presentation to elementary school kids about triathlon and was wondering what he should consider. I gave him my top 10 ideas, but I'm not sure how many he'll use:

10. Demo "going" on the bike.

9. Have them crawl along the ground and pummel them with a stick so they can experience a swim start.

8. Bloody nipple shots are a must for the slideshow.

7. Throw a half-empty beer can at one of the kids and then say, "Hurts, huh?" You could also use a hairbrush in a pinch...

6. Have them practice tri-phrases like "On your left!" "How far to the turnaround?" and "I have NO POWAH!!!"

5. Have them do 70.3, then tell them they're halfway there...

4. Give them a booklet on who really owns the road, and have them give it to their parent(s)...

3. Use HTFU at least once in the presentation...

2. Explain road rash. If they don't get it, have the class drag one of the kids around the playground.

1. Wear your Speedo for the entire presentation

John West ads...

...totally rock:

Lion Attack....

Pretty Quool...

New Shoes...

I got some new shoes: Saucony Guide Grids. I went for my first run in them and found they had a little less spring in the forefoot pushoff than my Brooks. On the plus side, they are a lot lighter, and feel more natural when I land. I am more of a midfoot striker now, where I used to land more on my heel. It feels a lot more comfortable to run this way.

The cool thing is that I notice things like this now. It's a sign that i have been more in touch with my body, with my runs. I was more focused tonight, too. It may have been a function of concentrating on the new shoes, but I think I was just more in tune tonight. There is a lull in my standard 3.3 mile run, usually a little past the first mile and a half where I let my mind wander. It actually wanders whether I let it or not. Anyway, tonight it was not wandering at all. And, it was an absolutely beautiful night for a run; I wore shorts and a short-sleeved shirt for the first time this year.

Talk to Your Kids--NOW!!!

Cold Ride...

It was low 40s today but sunny, so I decided to take the bike out of its proverbial mothballs, inflate the tires and go for a loooooooong overdue ride. I am not a bundle-up kind of guy, more of a layers kind of guy, so I put on leg and arm warmers, then a baselayer, shirt and vest. I figured with leg warmers and ear warmers I would be fine, and normally I would have been.

What I failed to account for was the wind. make no mistake about it: low 40s is cold. Especially on a bike. But, when you throw in 35+ mph wind gusts, it becomes something else entirely. The other thing I failed to account for is just how sheltered the first part of my ride was. Read as: very sheltered. And the wind was at my back for most of it.

All that to say, I was well on my way when I realized it was colder than I had anticipated. Still, I decided to make the most of it, and ended up having a beautiful ride through Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg and along the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg. The last 4 miles were into one of the worst, coldest headwinds I have ever ridden into. At one point I hit a downhill and started to coast, until I realized the wind was actually slowing me down.

I got home, fixed myself a very hot cup of tea and a hot tub. Sylvia Plath once wrote that there is very little that can go wrong in the world that cannot be cured by a hot bath. This is not to say that I am going to be seeking advice on life from Sylvia, only that she was absolutely correct.

ON ANOTHER NOTE
I had two great moments with Little Fish today. First, as an Easter present, I got my daughter a baseball glove. A real one, so we can play catch. She doesn't want to play baseball (yet) but she has been asking for a glove to throw with dad. Easter seemed a decent time to do it, so we went out together and picked out our gloves. Today we went out and just threw in the front yard, and I absolutely loved it, as did she. And, she has some decent fundamental skills. I told her about how to field a ground ball, and when she asked why, I told her the story of Bill Buckner. As a Boston Red Sox fan, she got it immediately, and now gets down and blocks the ball. Good girl.


Later, Little Fish and I were cleaning off the porch, getting ready for Spring. She got her finger stuck in a folding chair and started yelling. I was there quickly, but had to assess the situation before I made any move, because I didn't want to tighten the chair down further on her finger. We freed her, quickly, but it still hurt immensely, and I just held her. It occurred to me, as I was holding her sobbing Little Fish self, just how blessed I am to have these moments. No, it wasn't a fun time, but it was one more time when I was there when it mattered, and I got to totally love up my daughter until the pain went away. I am a blessed man.

What I Learned

I went for a run today, which in and of itself is not unusual. Except when you consider it's March 22nd, the first day of Spring and it's snowing here in Pennsylvania. And that this was only my third run this month. Which is quite pathetic, but my new job is biting me in the ass. HARD!

So I was running, and I realized about one mile in that, while cereal and two oranges might be a good breakfast, wisdom consists of waiting more than twenty minutes between finishing that and beginning my run. I felt a little quesy, especially since I went out a little quick. About a mile and a half in, I REALLY felt like quitting. Just hanging it up and walking home. I feel like this a lot when it's been a while since my last run. Like today.

So I started thinking about things that might get me to the next turn, the next block or even the next step. Hopefully without throwing up. I thought a lot about Easter. It's kind of hard to think about quitting when you're thinking about Easter. I prayed for the strength to just keep putting my feet down, one in front of the other. Running is, at it's core, simply leaning like you're falling down, then moving your feet forward to keep from toppling to the ground. The farther forward you lean, the faster you have to move your feet to remain upright. I just asked for the strength to move my feet fast enough to keep from eating an asphalt sammich.

I also thought about other triathletes, and what they were doing. Some are sleeping in, and that made me feel better. Some are out and working hard, and that made me not want to quit. Some are training for their ultimate season, or race, and it made me want to start today. Seriously. And starting today does not start with quitting.

At one of my lowest points (sounds funny for a run as short as 3.3 miles) my first robin came and landed right in fron of me, right in the middle of the road. he looked at me, then alighted just as quickly. Spring is here. Easter is here. Time for rebirth. Time for energizing. Time to get strong again. i can do this. Just put one foot in front of the other, to keep from falling down.

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12: 1-3

The Next Great Movie?

Thought this was funny...

Awesome site...

This is, perhaps, what happens when you give creative people a little license in the creation of a website. You have to wait a bit for it to get started--let it unfold. CLICK HERE. My favorite is the magnifying glass.

Test Results....

...are back and everything is just fine! No worries and everything is clear and clean! Eighteen months down, onward and upward for the next 6 months!

Perfect

What I Learned: Success

What I Learned This Week
I had a meeting with an insurance agent and she gave me a common-sense piece of advice that is also very wise. I asked her what the secret to her business was. She said that to be successful in business, the one thing you MUST do is return phone calls. I had never heard it so succinctly put, and I thought it was brilliant in its simplicity. I started thinking about it, and realized that is half the battle.

In order to return phone calls, you must first GET phone calls. Chris Lytle, my first sales "guru" once asked, "What is the most important thing for catching fish?" People said a hook, or the right bait, and a host of other things. The real answer, of course, is FISH. Fortunately, I am in the fish-bringing business.

The other part of what I think is important? Woody Allen once said eighty percent of success is showing up. I would add only this: Show up on time. I cannot count the number of times people have meetings with me and don't show up, or they're late and don't call. I'm not just a salesperson, I'm also a potential customer. Treat me like one. Additionally, when I show up, usually five minutes early, they're often shocked. They say with genuine surprise, "Wow, you're timely." Of course.

Quote of the Week
I was talking with a truck cap installer, another early-riser like me, and he said, "I like getting up early, getting a cup of coffee and looking at the world before they've had a chance to #%*& it up."

What I Learned: Duh

If you're calling the pizza guy to set an appointment, don't call him at lunchtime. Don't call him BACK at dinnertime. On Friday. Here endeth the lesson...

Test-taking

What I Know
A lot of you have been asking about my blood work and CT Scan. I have heard nothing so far. This is because my doctor has been out of the office all week. He is due back this coming week and I should have the full report then. Thanks so much the kind thoughts and prayers.

Cemetery Run

Went for an early morning run today. I dressed for the cold, but it was unusually warm this morning (55 degrees!) when I stepped out. Because it's been raining and snowing, the warmer weather left us with a dense fog. I thought, correctly, with the early hour and the fact that today is a holiday for most people, I wouldn't have to worry about traffic at all. I left the house and loosened up pretty quickly.

Warmer weather also brings out the little beasties, notably skunks. While I didn't see any, I had to run close enough to an area one had sprayed that I got a little nauseous. I picked it up through there. It's amazing to me how much you can smell on an early morning run, especially since I have a fairly lame sense of smell, by most accounts. I can smell the diesel from the truck that starts up in the driveway, the fresh cut plywood in the housing development that is going up as well as the deeper smell of excavation and drywall, and the cigarette of the person who drives past me.

I run through my development and out the long road to the cemetery. It's never bothered me, running through a cemetery, but for some reason I got the heebie-jeebies today. Not a malevolent, you're-being-watched-by-the-ghost-of-a-dead-clown kind of heebie-jeebies, but more of a you're-not-alone kind of thing. The hair stood up all the way to my scalp as I ran onward.

All-in-all it was a good run. I am going to be a little sore and a little stiff for today, but it felt really good to get out and run again.

It's All Over But the Waiting

I went to the doctor for my eighteen-month checkup and eveything there checked out just fine. They also took blood and urine, to check for things like elevated white blood cell count and other tumor markers. On Friday I took the day off with Little Fish and went over for my CT Scan. The worst part of that experience was, of course, the barium cocktails you have to drink one and two hours before the test. They're doing something different with them now, though, where they have more of an orange-chalky taste, instead of a chalk-chalky taste. I suppose anything is an improvement. I find out all of my results, hopefully, this week.

More obligatory cat-related pictures for CT Scan Entry...


....and the one Little Fish picked out for my background....

Fish's Sense of Snow

A couple of years ago, there was a book entitled Smilla's Sense of Snow, an absolutely incredible thinking-person's thriller about a spinster in Iceland who gets involved in a mystery involving a young neighbor boy and a dead body. It was later made into a movie which I avoided like one avoids the line at the grocery store attended by the kid with the runny nose. If I love a book, I make a point of avoiding the movie; they just rarely pass muster when they take what you've imagined and throw it up on the screen. I know it's a cliche, but it's a cliche that's true.

Anyway, I was reminded of this book on my drive in to work this morning. I left in the tiny hours of the morning, and there was nobody on the road except me. One of the observations Smilla is constantly making is the type of snow that is falling; in Iceland they have a different word for every type of snow that falls, based on what it looks like and how it behaves. Thus, the word for super-heavy-water-laden snow is different than the word for snow that gets that crunchy frozen crust on it. This morning's snow fell in tiny little crystals, and as I drove on it, my headlights hit the individual crystals and reflected them back to me in tiny glints. I'm not sure what Smilla would call it, but I called it beautiful.

Eighteen-Month Checkup

Today is my 18 month checkup for cancer markers. I was nervous and a little scared this weekend, and got a little "wrapped around the axle" as my friend Carl likes to call it, thinking about things. Funny, I am fine now. I tried to understand that level of peace, but quite frankly, it was beyond me.

Auction to Fight Sexual Abuse

Beginner Triathlete is hold an auction to help fight Childhood Sexual Abuse. You can CLICK HERE to find out more and see if there's something you want to bid on. Membership is required to bid on or list items, but it's FREE!

Professor Randy Pausch...

What would you say in a lecture if it was the last one you could give? Randy Pausch has a better answer than most, perhaps because it really is his last lecture.

Nice...

From my friend, Schwammy...

Sarah Reinertsen...

...so what's holding you back?

Awesome...

I don't remember what the most interesting thing I have seen from my bicycle is, but I'm sure it wasn't...

...a wolf! Just one more reason Arctic Glass is a new favorite (favourite, for my international readers) read.

Five Things...Number 2

As hard as it may be to believe, especially for those who know me better, I have never broken a bone. I had an ankle problem as a kid; countless sprains, strains and bruises; three knee surgeries; cancer; was run over by a pickup truck while riding my bicycle; and survived being raised by an Irish mother (my friend, Eric, will probably attest to the fact that this was the greatest threat to my streak), all without a single bone being broken.

I've played football, baseball, soccer, run track, played basketball (rolled ankles...ouch), skateboarded, cycled, done triathlons, all without cracking anything. I look back after 41 years and am pretty amazed. I hesitate in even printing this because it is surely the kiss of death for a clavicle or something similar. We'll see.

Sir Edmund Hillary

I had to put my kitty, Eddie down tonight. After 14 years, words can't express how I feel. He had been acting sluggish, but we chalked it up to old age. Yesterday he started going downhill a bit faster, so I called the vet and made an appointment for this week. Today it became apparent something was very wrong. I called the vet and made an emergency appointment; it turns out Eddie had complete kidney failure. We made the decision and Sir Edmund went to sleep, lying on my hand. I could never have asked for a better cat.

Arctic Rider

My (Original) friend Eric turned me on to Arctic Glass, the Alaskan riding adventures of Jill Homer. She rides in temperatures and conditions that would keep most people from rolling out of bed, much less going for a ride on a bicylce. All the while, she is learning how to do it better, through a series of trial and error, guessing, and assumptive reasoning. Somehow, she manages not just to learn, but to excel.

I love this blog. Jill's writing style is easy to read, but what really strikes me is the beauty of the North Country. After reading Into The Wild, I believed Alaska to be the last wild place in America, as we continue to build, develop and tame the west. Jill's photographs (see above) and descriptions confirm it. Far from the madness of tourists, her rides take us into the wild beauty of Alaska, and I am better for it.

Five Things...Number 1

A while ago, my friend Lou Schuler challenged a bunch of bloggers to "Tell Us Five Things We Don't Know About You." Here, the beginnings of my list. Number One: I am very, VERY afraid of clowns. Give me cancer and gettig run over on my bike by a pickup truck any day. It seems so much easier to face than the terror that lies beneath 1/8 inch greasepaint and a painted on smile. Look, if they were really that happy, would they really need to PAINT on a freaking smile?

I recently had yet another terrifying encounter with a series of clowns. I really like changing things up. A lot. Sometimes I change things just for change's sake. One of the places I do that most often is in the background of my computer, altering it to suit my fickle whims.

I wanted something that would make me laugh, so I did a search on Google for "Evil Clowns" and it did not go well. I was going for something funny, but what I found confirmed my absolute worst nightmares: Clowns are out there, and they want to kill me. If they can, they will follow that up with eating me, the way you and I enjoy hot dogs after a sporting event.

Then, I remembered the t-shirt my daughter got me, so I Googled "Fact: Clowns Eat People"...again, this did NOT go very well. It continued for what seemed an eternity, until I finally settled on this one:


Sure, it's just the Intarwebz, and they were just assorted and sundry images that are out there floating around, but I am still putting bells on all the doors and windows tonight, and setting the bear trap at the entrance to my bedroom.

What I Saw...

Went for another early morning run today (4.00 start). I saw the blue glow of televisions behind drawn curtains, and wondered if the denizens within were waking up or getting ready to go to bed. I saw two cars. That's it. I saw what used to be a bag of Quik-crete concrete holding down a basketball backboard. The bag had probably been sprayed with water, then allowed to set, forming a concrete block in the shape the bag held. We used to do those in when I worked construction many moons ago, but I hadn't seen one since. I saw a Christmas tree out for the trash, and tried to decide just what had taken them so long, whether it was a religious decision, a desire to hold onto Christmas just a little longer, or simple laziness. I saw a full moon, or nearly full, glinting on silver snow; the funny thing about the snow was that it was only on one side of the road. Still, it's been on the ground since last Monday, and we have had nothing but sun since then. The amount of snow that remains is a testament to just how cold it has been. Today was a balmy-feeling (in comparison to what it's been) 28 degrees, though the wind made it feel a little cooler. I saw my home, and when I finished my run, I was thankful for the ability to turn the handle and head inside, into the warmth. I see a Clementine and a large glass of water...and a cup of hot coffee.

Exactly...

...can't say I didn't tell you so.

Into the Wild

I just finished Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer's telling of the story of Chris McCandless, a young man from a well-to-do family in Virgina who graduated from college, donated $24,000 savings fund to charity, burned his wallet and wandered out into the American West. He starts out as an idealistic young man, full of the innocent zeal that only a life of privilege and the abandon of youth can foster; a steady diet of Henry David Thoreau, Jack London and an assortment of Russian authors feeds his desire to seek raw adventure. Four months after trekking into the Alaskan wilderness, his body was found decomposing in a bus.

Krakauer does a great job of piecing together the events of McCandless's life and untimely death. It is a well-researched, well-written, brilliant piece of story writing. The problem I had with the book was not in the telling of the story, but the subject himself. I started out really wanting to read about this young man who set out to travel the west in search of adventure; I thought he would be interesting, his adventures would be arresting. I found, instead, a kid who had too much, took it all for granted, and pissed on just about everyone around him, especially those closest to him. When he left home, he never looked back, never told his family where he was or that he was okay, and didn't even communicate with friends. I came to really dislike Chris McCandless.

As he traveled, he came upon person after person who befriended him, remembered him for the bright young man he was, and for his fervor for adventure. Time after time, he would approach intimacy with these people, then set out on the road again to avoid that next step of actually sharing his life with them, of allowing them close to the fortress of his heart, his soul. When he departed for Alaska, though, something changed for him, and also for me as I read his story. It's hard to put a finger on it, really, but it was like he began to be more introspective, to contemplate things. He wrote a couple of postcards to people he had met on the road, those people he had approached intimacy with. I think maybe this is the true heart of McCandless's adventure. It was not the obvious walk in the woods, but the adventure of a man who begins, if too late, to regard himself in relation to others, and with the understanding that these relationships have power and responsibility. It is the understanding that the most meaningful part of an adventure is not in bravely facing nature, but in facing ourselves.

Through a series of mishaps and blunders, Chris McCandless dies in an abandoned bus in Alaska, alone. This is not, perhaps, surprising when one contemplates the harshness of living in Alaska, the thin line one has to walk to forage and hunt for food daily. The surprise is really not that he died, but that he survived so long on his wits, instincts and raw determination. I came to admire and respect him. Further, there was evidence that McCandless himself was on his way toward reconciliation with some of the people around him, noting in one of his journal entries that happiness is only true when it can be shared with someone else. This NEVER would have occurred to him before his tenure in Alaska, and the solitude seems to have triggered a stirring within his soul to get back in touch with others.

Krakauer's book is a brilliantly written epitaph to the brief, complex life of Chris McCandless. He doesn't shy away from McCandless's obvious shortcomings, but does a masterful job of trailing and retelling the story of McCandless's life and death. Read it.

Saturday Morning...

I had the job of getting Mrs. Fish's car to the garage for repairs this morning. I also had Bible Study group at 7.00 am. My plan was a pretty simple one, and I executed it well. I put my bicycle in the back of the car and drove it to the church. I stashed it in some bushes in the front of the building. I was thinking there is NO WAY a thief would steal a bike from in front of a church at 6.00 in the morning on a Saturday with the temperature hovering at 12 degrees. I drove the car to the garage and dropped the key in the box.

Then I started my run back to the church. It was a weird run. I think it was in part due to the cold, teh hour, the day, and the unfamiliar terrain. Mix all those things together and it just seemed almost eerie, especially when you throw in teh ever-present bunniez. It was a feeling I couldn't shake, and it seemed worse as I contemplated how many times I have driven this exact route...hundreds, to be sure. I am glad I ran with Mango, as I could see when the reflective properties of the jacket signal the driver and they make that swerve out to toward the other lane. It's ever so reassuring.

So I ran to Bible Study, got my cup of coffee and some solid fellowship with my brothers. We tore into Colossians 3:1-17 today, and I think we could have spent another week or two discussing it.

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

After that, I re-bundled up so I could ride my bike home. One of the things I failed to realize is that my bag didn't have an over-the-shoulder strap. I took a pair of sweat pants out of the bag and fashioned one, MacGyver-style. I thought it was rather ingenious.

I rode home, and though it was COLD at first, the pedaling quickly warmed me, except for my fingers and my nose. I was wearing a balaclava (not to be confused with a baklava) and pulling it up caused my glasses to fog over. Pulling it down made my nose a little chilly. I decided that seeing was a little more important.

So I rode home in the weather and even chose to stretch it out a little, making a right where I could have gone straight to shorten the ride. All told, it was a four-mile run which is long for me, and a six-mile ride which is waaaay short for me. Ironically, my run felt really strong, while my bike, having been neglected for several months, really taxed me. I consoled myself with the belief that everyone else was reading the paper, sleeping, or eating donuts in front of the television...

Couldn't sleep....

...so I did what any reasonable person would do: I woke up and went for a run. At two in the morning. There comes a point where you realize you're just NOT going back to sleep. You can try, but the best thing that will happen is you'll lie there and your thoughts will finally leave you alone. Mine wouldn't even do me that kindness, so I decided to take them outside behind the proverbial woodshed.

I pull on the stretch knit shirt, noting that it's stretching a little bit more. Have to lay off the ice cream. Then a short sleeved shirt, then one of my long-sleeved cycling jerseys. I know it's going to be cold. I feel around in the darkness for my sneakers, crawling around the floor like a lost penitent until I find them. I clod downstairs, but with a sense of purpose that lying sleepless in bed never allows. I pull on the cap Mrs. Fish bought me, zip up mango, throw on my full-fingered cycling gloves (they're JUST warm enough for this weather) and head out the door.

It's cold, but not as cold as I thought it would be. According to the local station, it's 25 degrees with a 10-15 mph wind. I start out, my legs churning slowly, Jack Haley coming to life. I loop up around the cul-de-sac of our neighborhood, feeling the blood moving through my legs now. I glide down the long, shallow incline, thinking about the kids I saw Sunday pushing their bikes up. I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure I never pushed my bike up a hill as a kid--it was a matter of pride. At the bottom of the hill I bank right and begin the first long, steep climb. It's an easy one because I am sufficiently warmed up now. Something scatters to my right--bunniez!

I have this thing about bunniez on my runs. They watch me with their baleful glares, often failing to move at my approach. It's a little disconcerting, the thought of pernicious rabbits, especially when one is out on a run. Alone. At two in the morning. I'm hoping they haven't gone tharn, but if there are tharn rabbits, this would be the kind of neighborhood where it would happen. I pick up the pace a little.

I loop down past where Little Fish's friends live and used to live. I wonder about how transient we've become. People drift in and out of our lives all the time. Where do they go? I get a tailwind and things go unusually quiet. The only sound now is the swish-swish of mango (not to be confused with the swish-swish of Mango) and the sound of my feet as they touch down on the asphalt. I sound lighter. I feel lighter. Up the hill and past where the babysitter used to live before she went on to college. I hope she is doing well. I'm gliding now.

I head down the street I use to come home to my girls every night. I like this part of the run because I step up onto a long stretch of grass that is no-man's land, running for a different feeling, a different sound. It forces me to concentrate on the actual running more, watching my footfall, making sure I am in the middle of the grass where is is flat, not on the sides where it is pocked with dimples, holes, disaster. It's a busier road, so it's not unusual to see cars at all hours of the day or night. At 2 am, this thought brings concerns, but thankfully I see no one. I am completely, utterly, blessedly alone. I cross the pedestrian walk, running across the Abbey-Road marks and up onto the grass on the other side, passing by the Catholic church. I still have over a mile to go, but I consider this the beginning of the home stretch.

A left brings me off the "busy" street and back into the neighborhood. Another long, slow incline (commonly called a false flat in running circles because to look at it you would think it was flat, until you run it and wonder why you're breathing hard) precedes the second steep climb on my run. I like this hill. It's not a big hill, but it tests me. Mentally and physically. This morning is no different. But I am looking forward to home, so I power up the hill, volant now. After three knee surgeries, I find I prefer climbing uphill to going downhill. Cycling remains, of course, the opposite.

I make the right into the newest section of our development, then coast through it, quickly and easily. Coming out the other side, I face the hill upon which the neighborhood boys walked their bikes on Sunday. I am feeling good and flow up the hill, like an MC Escher river, defiant of gravity. I pass my house on the right. I have set up my run so that I have to pass my house to return to it. Just one more mental test, to see if I want to go on, or just quit there. I've only done it a couple of times, and those were call-of-nature related.

Once more around the neighborhood cul-de-sac, past my sleeping neighbors and friends. I stretch out a bit, but not much on the straightaway to home. My legs are tired, but they feel good. I feel good. My head is clear. My breathing is even. I run through the finish line, the lamp post that casts its light on my front lawn. This morning it has a rainbow halo around it, the kind the Farmer's Almanac says portends snow. I bend at the waist, grab my knees and catch my breath, then go for my cool down, knowing I will return to an angel's halo about the lamp that watches over my home, opening my front door to the warmth and quiet stillness that awaits.

Broadening and Improving One's Vocabulary....

It's football season for real now. Yes, my beloved Eagles are out of it, but that doesn't mean there isn't going to be some incredible games happening. That having been said, I can't help but notice some things about my favorite game, and more specifically, the people calling it. A couple of thoughts.

1) Eem is not a word. It's "him" as in "they gave HIM the ball" NOT "they gave eem the ball". I'm really not sure when or where this started, but I suspect it's the same linguistic charlatans that continue to try to pawn off tigers as "taggers".

2) Special. Thank you John Madden for this one. "He's going to be a SPECIAL player." "Brett Favre is really a special football player." You've beaten, trampled and dragged that poor word through town on a rope attached to seven horses so many times that whenever I hear the word special I realize we are quickly coming to the point where EVERYONE will be special, which of course will mean no one is.

3) It's a football game. We get it. You can stop inserting the word "football" (and for that matter the phrase "this league") into your conversations. When a guy makes a great play, you don't need to say, "That's going to be a turning point in this football game." We know what freakin' sport we're watching, if for no other reason than the announcer didn't say, "What a magnificent golf shot." Just stop it. Seriously.

4) Bryant Gumbel.

Listen, I realize John Madden and the other clones who call the NFL, and sports in general, probably don't read my blog, but if anyone out there can get them this message, I'd really appreciate it.

Now, since I'm a positive-thinking glass-is-half-full kind of guy, I leave you with this (the hit at :29 is special!):

Wow....

"...not a disability at all."

What's My Excuse?

Marathon Woman

In 1967, Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to enter the Boston Marathon. Little did she know, women were not supposed to enter the Boston Marathon, a belief brought home to her when Jock Semple, the race's organizer tried to knock her over and take the number off of her, iconically captured in a series of AP photos.

Her book, Marathon Woman, is a study leading up to that day, and the revolution that followed. It is interesting to note, in this day and age of instant celebrity, that after "the incident" Kathrine Switzer managed to fade back into relative anonymity.

But we runners can rarely leave things alone, and Boston kept gnawing at her, as did the larger picture of women's running, and the grand picture of women's sports. Her book chronicles her journey through a period of time, not that distant, when women had few sporting opportunities and the prevailing belief was that long-distance running just might damage the baby-maker (my phrase, not hers). Switzer fought to develop women's only running events to empower women across the world, eventually leading to the first women's marathon in the 1984 games. Improbably, Switzer called the race as an analyst for ABC that day, as Joan Benoit ran into the history books.


Kathrine Switzer's story is amazing, her grit and resilience is admirable and the story she weaves, through the ins and outs of the women's liberation movement, the empowering of women through sport, and the revolution of which she was both participant and leader, is a riveting read.

Merry Christmas...

This is my Christmas Concert:






This one not for the video, but I think her voice is beautiful:

What I want for Christmas!

My friend Eric sent me this. I'm sure Mrs. Fish will be okay with us going and trying it out.

Funny...

Quote of the Year....

The Yale Book of Quotations came up with this year's list of memorable quotes, and this year's big winner, if you want to call it that, was, "Don't tase me, BRO!" the words shouted by a University of Florida student, moments before the security personel who were dragging him out of a John Kerry event decided to go "golf ball" on him and do the exact opposite of what he was begging of them. Of course they tased him. He was being disruptive, and it looked like the only way to quiet him down was to jolt him with 50,000 volts. And of course, the whole thing was captured and posted on youtube...

....and moments later, the inevitable spoofs began. To wit:


A close second in this year's quotes was Miss South Carolina, which really needs no spoof...

The say it's...

I had/am having an excellent birthday. I got loved up by my wife and daughter yesterday. I've been fighting a cold and spent most of my "day off" closing a deal, so I was a little bummed. They decided to give me an early birthday so they brought out my gifts. I got a triathlon mouse pad because they thought it would be good for work, so my coworkers could know a little something about me. I got a cycling jersey Chirtmas tree ornament, because we get ornaments that mean something to us. Extra credit--there's a bulge in the middle back pocket where my musette bag is.

The coupe de grace is the inner tubes, for snow tubing. Mrs. Fish and Little Fish thought it would be great fun, and the kid in me absolutely agrees. And, we have a blizzard on the way this weekend--COME ON SNOW!!!!

Book Review

I just finished reading The Hard Way by Mark Jenkins. Jenkins has written for a lot of magazines, including Outside. This is a collection of his adventures as he travels the world, climbing mountains known and unknown, kayaking through Turkey, and making friends along the way. But he also speaks, in his spare but unblinking narratives, of something deeper.

There is a need in men, in some cases long-dormant, to seek out and live adventure. Jenkins does just that, but also serves to remind us that it is an essential part of who we are. He writes of his friend, John, as they are thinking about an adventure together:

I was beginning to fear for John, and lately, for myself. The integument of everyday life seemed to have begun to harden. We were both working too much. john was struggling to keep a small magazine alive; I was battling to finish a book that had lost its bearings. We'd call each other at midnight, still in our offices--appalling for a couple of tree bums who once lived out of a VW van and survived on tins of sardines. John, in particular, was in trouble. He'd spent so much time trying to build a business he was in danger of becoming one more Cubicle man, ass-wedged between a green screen and four white walls.

It's hard not to see some of myself in this. Later, he writes about a competition he has with his brothers, where they compete to do the most pull ups. As they approach middle age, the contest is just as heated as it was the day they invented it, shortly after college. Why pull ups? Jenkins writes...

You seldom see anyone in a weight room on the pullup bar. Pullups are too hard. They aren't like pushups. With pushups, half your weight is still on your feet. And they aren't anything like most of the arm exercises you can do with machines, where all your weight is on your ass. All those machines are just crutches. They're designed to make working out easier. Massive muscles mean nothing. The only real measure of strength is in contrast to your weight.

To do a pullup, you must lift the entire weight of your body off the ground. It is as if you have raised your arms in jubilation and then must bring your body up with your spirit. It is an angelic act, a strenuous act. It goes against gravity. Against the will of the earth.

Because pullups are difficult, over the years it's easy to get lazy. Easy to get heavy. Life and beer and kids conspire....

I cannot recommend this book highly enough for the men on your list...or for your yourself.

Shepherds

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

So I got to wondering why God appeared to the shepherds? I mean, you have all these other cats running around who were imminently more qualified to receive the news that God was on Earth, right? Why not some king, who could tell everyone right away that the Messiah was here and it was go time? For that matter, what about the inn keeper? It his casa where the baby Jesus is born, so he's got right of first refusal, no? And then you have the local religious leaders, who could sway the people and let them know. Heck, you have entire cities of people going home to get "censusized"--why not them? Then they could go back to their home towns and tell EVERYONE!

Then I started thinking. The kings were powerful and influential people, but they were much too busy, and probably too focused on themselves to think about God. I mean, come on, they have kingdom's to rule...surely someone else can think about babies and that stuff...

In the same way, the inn-keeper was probably too busy. This guy has customers to take care of, he's got meals to fix, rooms to get ready, bills to total...it's a wonder he had time to say, "NO ROOM!" Let's face it: Christmas can be a busy time.

The religious leaders would have never understood a baby as the Messiah. They thought he was going to be a King, riding out of the sun like Jack Jack Bauer on a nuclear Apocalypse to sweep away the Romans and anyone else who bugged them. There is no way they would have accepted a stinky baby in a water trough. Thirty years and countless miracles later, they still didn't get it. Sometimes, Christmas is misunderstood.

So what about all of those townspeople. They had parties to go to, dinners to enjoy and gifts to open. They saw this time as a giant celebration, and were not looking for a baby in a manger.

So, I think God’s angels appeared before the shepherds because, unlike everyone else in the entire town of Bethlehem, they were watching, waiting, and ready and willing to respond.

It seems to me a lot of people missed the miracle of seeing the Christ child because they were too focused on themselves, too busy, too sure they know who the Messiah is and what He would be like, or too busy going to parties and dinners and opening gifts.

When I looked closer, I saw the shepherds did exactly what God wanted them to do, which was spread the good news that Jesus was born. There are people who believe that the Old French word, Nouvelle is translated into English as Good News. Over 400 years ago, someone wrote a song about the very first Good News, when the angels came to earth and declared to a bunch of lowly shepherds that God’s son was among us. Except, we don’t call it Nouvelle anymore. We remember it as the First Noel, the FIRST GOOD NEWS.

The First Noel, the Angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.

Run

I went for a run this morning. Finally. I watched the IronMan in Hawaii yesterday on tape delay and was, once again, inspired. While Chris McCormack was favored by many to win the race, especially after Stadler dropped out due to a stomach bug, the women's race was quite the surprise. Christie Wellington came out of nowhere to win the women's race, and Sam McGlone, one of my favorites, finished second. My favorite part of the race is the story of the everyday people who make it to the Big Race, which I got to share with Little Fish this year.

Anyway, all that to say I was a little more motivated when I woke up this morning. It was cold but not bitterly so. Mrs. Fish stole my favorite running hat, so I had to grab something out of the bin. I ran in my French beret. It serves me right, I suppose. If I had been wearing it to run three or four times a week, the only time she would pick it up would be to throw it into the laundry hamper.

The run was brisk, a 3.3 mile affair over my usual route, and I felt pretty good. Also, there was no sign of Teh Carnivorous Bunniez. I'm hoping they are hibernating...but we know better.

It is expected to snow here (Central PA) today. I'm sure that will give me another opportunity to get outside and exercise.

Reminder...

For those of you who watched the Ironman last year and loved it, this year's contest is on Saturday (4.30 to 6 here in the east). They usually do a great job with the pros and the amateurs, showing just what it takes to get there, and how much it takes to finish. The stories are usually amazing. If you watch one show this year, this might be the one...

Sometimes People Can Surprise You....

..who knew the Fenway Faithful had such good hearts? This is from Disablity Awareness Day in Boston, and it brought a smile. I hope it does the same for you.



Sorry about the impersonal nature of the blog lately, if anybody is even out there. I'm trying to find time for everything I love, and BLOG falls somewhere below Mrs. Fish and Little Fish. Peace to you.

Aaron Fotheringham

...dude is NAILS!

64 Degrees

That's right, it was 64 degrees outside today. And, it was sunny. And I had the day off. So what's a Loadasaurus who hasn't done ANYTHING in weeks to do? I got out and rode my bike for the first time in two months. It was amazing. Fall has lasted a long time in Central Pennsylvania this year, so the trees are still blazing with color.

I rode through the back roads, over the river into Harrisburg and along the Susquehanna River. The return trip was sweet, as I got to do some decent hills, and I found I hadn't lost half the strength or speed I had imagined I would (or should) have. All in all, it was a beautiful day. I capped it off with a trip to the library with the family.

Woke Up This Morning...

I woke up extra early today to go for a run and there was snow on the ground. It's the third snow I have seen, and this is the first snow to stick. It's little more than a dusting, honestly, but just enough to make a run in the dark an exercise in stupidity. I wrote off the run.

All-in-all, it was a really good weekend. I went shopping with Mrs. Fish while Little Fish went to a movie (Mr. Magorium...she panned it. It's pretty wild to hear a nine year-old with a critic's voice). I spent a lot of time with Little Fish this weekend, just hanging out, doing projects and having fun. I showed her how to make a fort. She was mightily impressed. Then I put a light in it and she was blown away. We spent a couple of hours in there reading about dragons and hanging out.

We also watched Ratatouille, then she helped me make soup. Ratatouille got a big thumbs up in her review and in mine. If you have kids and you didn't see it, make a point of it. The soup was wonderful too. Just when I thought the weekend couldn't get any better, I decided to go all in and make my chili. I don't make it a lot because I am the only one who eats it, really. I paired it with a brown rice and a red wine...delicious.

Add to that the fact that I made it to Men's Bible Study (Romans 14...a good reminder) after about six weeks away and the weekend was just about perfect. If only I had found some time to ride...perhaps next weekend.

Hello

So, the new job is kicking my butt. Which is not to say that I am not kicking right back. I want it to know with whom it chose to tangle. I've learned so much, but the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. I mean honestly, how complicated can the Yellow Pages be? Apparently pretty confusing.

In with all of that is a list of things I have accomplished and a list of things i have not done. I closed my first sale. I presented my first BIG sale (pending...) and I offfered my first Internet-based solution. All very exciting, but I can't wait to really get rolling.

On a personal side, I miss working out. I think I have run three or four times in two months. Lifted not at all. And my beloved Cannondale is sitting in the garage, wondering what she has done to offend me...nothing, dear girl. I get going pretty early in the morning, and when i get home I am wiped, so I just haven't made the time. And, the time I do have, I'd rather spend with my family. I make sure to spend my time with them. That being said, I'd really like get going with working out again.

Photographer That Rocks

I came across this at a cycling board (of all places) and thought it was simply amazing. Joey Lawrence (NOT this one) is a 17 year old photographer who is doing some pretty amazing things with the camera. Check it out by CLICKING HERE.

Where Do They Find These People?

Last season, Britain's Got Talent found a mobile phone salesman named Paul Potts who sang opera like he had been at the Met. This year, they found a six-year old who was equally amazing. I just can't believe she's six....



I think I'll go back to chewing on blocks.

For the record, this is still my favorite rendition of the song....

Holy Carp!

...noice...

WE WIN!!!

The Sox have won the World Series...again! And, oh yeah, the MVP is a testicular cancer survivor. How about those Sox?

Jon Lester

Last year at this time, Jon Lester was fighting for his life, undergoing chemotherapy to beat the crap out of anaplastic large cell lymphoma. You don't need to be a doctor to know that just doesn't sound good.

Tonight, in about half an hour, he looks to seal the Red Sox's second World Series sweep in four years. You don't need to be a baseball fan to think that sounds pretty good. Amazing stuff--GO SOX!!!

Read more about him HERE.

General Stuff

WORKING OUT

Okay, so here's the deal. It's going to be a while longer before I can really start doing anything regularly. If I wake up extra early, I go into work so i can get a start on my day. If I get time in the evening, I'd rather spend it with Mrs. Fish and Little Fish right now. So, it's going to be a while, until things settle down a bit, before I start "training"...until then, I'll run, bike, swim when I feel like it, and refuse to feel guilty when I can't.

There. I said it.


HALLOWEEN

I went trick-or-treating with Little Fish on Thursday. She grabbed a clipboard, a skirt and turtle neck, pulled her hair back in a ponytail, threw on a pair of glasses and declared herself a teacher. When she went up to the houses, adults tried, in that adult way, to guess what she was. A librarian? A scientist? A doctor? I don't think any adults got it right. So we're walking, and this little five-year-old turns around, looks at Little Fish and says to her friend, "Look! A teacher!" It reminded me of the exasperation of the Little Prince when he showed people his drawing of a snake eating an elephant, and every adult thought it was a hat.

It was a blast listening to her sing "Does Your Bag Hang Low?" while she struggled with this year's take. She did very well. The other funny was when I stopped to talk to a friend when we were trick-or-treating. Little Fish came up to me and said, "Come on DAD! Time is CANDY!" I lost it.

Bonus: I take a tax every year for guiding her on her journey. This was a VERY good year for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Rules of New Jersey Driving

Holy Carp! I survived Basic Essential Sales Training (BEST) with my new company, Idearc Media...but only barely. I was planning on the training being tough, but that was not the hardest part, by far. I had forgotten just how dog-eat-dog Jersey driving is. Here is a little help for those of you who may someday need to drive there, or a list of reasons NOT to drive there if you have an option otherwise.

* If the right lane is closed for construction, don't believe it. It's really just a contest to see how many people can cut in line by passing you on the right as you sit in the left lane waiting for the same jerks to squeeze their way back in before hitting the construction barrels. It's even more fun when they encounter the guy who sticks his car into that right lane to prevent it. FISH ADVICE: Feel free to be either of these people, but only if you are armed and talk like you are from New Jersey.

* Turn signals are just clues as to your next move in road battle so never use them. People will take advantage of you if they see the blink of your turn signal. FISH ADVICE: Maintain an aura of mystery and unpredictability--swerve often without signaling.

* Under no circumstances should you leave a safe distance between you and the car in front of you, or the space will be filled in by somebody else putting you in an even more dangerous situation. As noted above, they will not use a turn signal when they do this. FISH ADVICE: It's only tailgating if you hit the guy. It's only a crime if they catch your license plate as you flee. Go ahead and do it.

* Crossing two or more lanes in a single lane-change is considered going with the flow. FISH ADVICE: Go ahead, but remember--DON'T use your turn signal! Extra credit if you do it and squeeze into a space someone has inadvertently left between themselves and the car in front of them.

* The faster you drive through a red light, the smaller the chance you have of getting hit. Amazing how this works. FISH ADVICE: Just remember to stop at green lights because you have no idea who is coming. And look twice--someone might be turning from the far lane here. Seriously.

* Never, ever come to a complete stop at a stop sign. No one expects it and it will inevitably result in you being rear ended. If you want your insurance company to pay for a new rear bumper, come to a complete stop at all stop signs. FISH ADVICE: Lower your deductible and stop.

* Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure that your ABS kicks in. I think Jersey drivers do this if they have ABS to get that nice, relaxing foot massage from the pulsating brake pedal. Those without ABS just use it as an excuse to "stretch their legs." FISH ADVICE: Get a rental with ABS. You'll be glad you did.

* Never pass on the left when you can pass on the right. It's a good way to scare people entering the highway. This is even more important when the person in the right lane is driving slow....like less than 90 miles per hour. FISH ADVICE: Pretend your on a slalom course--just bob and weave, bob and weave...

* As above, I think speed limits are just arbitrary figures, more like suggestions than laws. For some reason, the speeding laws don't seem enforceable in New Jersey during rush hour...or at any other time for that matter. FISH ADVICE: High Octane.

* Picture yourself in the left lane. You're going bumper to bumper, so that would be about 75 mph. You have no room to speed up nor do you have room to move over. In New Jersey, it seems perfectly acceptable for the kind gentleman behind you to flash his high beams behind you. I think it's because he thinks he can go faster in your spot. FISH ADVICE: You can either swerve left without signaling or come to a complete stop, either of which should solve your problem. You can also wave to him, with the Jersey salute. You thought New Yorkers invented that? You thought wrong.

* Please remember that there is no such thing as a shortcut during rush-hour traffic in New Jersey. FISH ADVICE: Get out and talk to your new neighbors. They're friendlier when out of the car. Bonus points if they share their beer with you. Even better if it's from the can they were sipping while weaving through traffic when it was moving.

* The only time you should EVER slow down on a New Jersey roadway is if you see an accident. On the other side of the road. FISH ADVICE: Go with the flow, rubberneck with the slow.

* Learn to swerve abruptly. There are three seasons for New Jersey drivers. Construction Season, Pothole Season and Not-Pothole Season. The third of those is just a rumor. Potholes are always found in key locations to test your reflexes and keep you on your toes. FISH ADVICE: Keep your eyes open...and DON'T come to a complete stop (as noted above).

* If you look split second up in the dictionary anywhere in the world, you'll find something like this:

split second
–noun 1. a fraction of a second.
2. an infinitesimal amount of time; instant; twinkling.

In New Jersey, it's a little different...and shorter. The tradition in New Jersey to honk your horn at cars that don't move the instant the light changes. The time between the light change and the honk is a New Jersey Split Second. Scientist have been baffled in attempts to quantify this moment. Fish Advice: Have fun with it--see how good you can get. Extra credit if you can scare another person from your home state.

* Remember that the goal of every New Jersey driver is to get there first, by whatever means necessary. Rules are, there are no rules. Fish Advice: Don't be the person that gets in their way. Ever.

* There is a unique subspecies of New Jersey drivers which warrants a special notice. New Jersey's Women Drivers can put on pantyhose and apply eye makeup at seventy-five miles per hour in bumper-to-bumper traffic, while lighting their cigarette, talking on the cell phone and balancing their family's budget on the open laptop in the seat next to them. They view people who steer with anything less than their left knee an amateur. Fish Advice: Admire them. There's nothing in the world quite like it.

People ask me if I'm glad to be home, and I can't find the words to express the relief I feel. The color has returned to most of my knuckles. Most of my teeth still have the enamel on them, though I have questions about a couple of the back ones.

I went for a ride with Mrs. Fish to the grocery store today. It was nice and relaxing, and easy to drive, until she looked over and asked if 75 was a little fast to go through the neighborhood, or if it might be wise for me to actually stop at stop signs. I looked at her, smiled and said, "Fuggetaboutit."

Then I swerved across three lanes of traffic and made a left turn on red.

Welcome Home!

I've been in training the last three weeks for my new job. When I'm away, I REALLY miss my family, which makes it all that much sweeter when I come home. That being said, there are plusses and minuses to coming home, and I miss some more than others.



Thanks to my buddy Eric for that replay of my mornings at home, usually starting at 5.30 or so.

Yes, I'm Still Alive...

I've been in training with my new job for Idearc Media for the past two weeks. It has been unbelievably intense, and every session is completely packed with must-know information. I've never had training before where so much has been essential and relevant to my job. Anyway, all that to say I'm still alive, I'm just living in a cave...