Jon DeJong

How Do I Sign Up To Be a Bears Fan?

2011-05-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

So the Vikings are moving to Arden Hills?

I'm so excited for a Monday night Vikes-Packers game where the blimp shows gorgeous views of endless flat parking lots and eight lane freeways. That makes our state look much better than 55 story glass office towers and bridges across the Mississippi that we're stuck with now. Why would we want anyone to think we live a dynamic city? I know when I'm looking for cities to go visit, I always say, "Where can I go that has cheap parking?" That's why I never go to Chicago (if you don't know me, there's a ton of sarcasm in this paragraph)

When people travel to other cities to go to games, do they ever say they hated Fenway or Wrigley because the parking was bad? I've never heard that. Yet when it comes to making local decisions, freeways always trump trains. Parking always trumps local businesses. Urban sprawl always wins out, and the metro area as a whole suffers one more blow.

So where do I sign up to be a Bears fan? I want to root for a city that I want to visit; a metro that I can still respect.

A Computer Scientist's View Of a Trump Presidency

2011-05-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Is the Donald ready to run for the presidency? Trump's one big box to stand on is that he's a self described great business man. The problem is, here's the Trump business plan:

1: Find seed money S
2: Come up with big idea B
3: Finance B with S
4: if(B fails) {
    5: File for bankruptcy
    GOTO: 1
} else {
    6: Bang fists on chest and scream about awesomeness level
    7: S = leverage(B)
    GOTO: 2
}

That works well for gaining personal wealth where a person is good at step 1. It doesn't work so well for the largest economy in the world, where everything in the if block equals global depression.

Yes, You're A Bigot

2011-04-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

Want to know why I can't stand the religious right? Because apparently it's not bigotry if the only people you discriminate against are people who don't agree with your particular view of Christianity. Yes, your a bigot. You're right, I don't like you. I'm glad we're not friends and I don't have to see you socially.

(I'm referring to the second to last comment, but included the whole conversation for context. Click on the image to read. Edited to protect the guilty).

Skate Skiing and the Art of Falling Over

2011-02-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

There are some things that I'm just not that good at (yet). I assume if I try a walking handstand right now, I'll probably end up with a concussion, for example. I think I can add skate skiing to the list. Lori is quite good at it. Compared to me, she's an olympian.

The problem with living in Minnesota is that for a few months of the year, my usual outdoor activities, running and biking, become much harder to do. They are at best, less enjoyable and at worse, downright unsafe. The benefit to living in Minnesota is that a host of winter activities become available. There's skiing in all it's forms: downhill, cross country, and skate. There's snowboarding. There's snowshoeing. Unfortunately, all of these involve awkwardly strapping something long onto your feet. If you're an adult who didn't grow up with these things, good luck, you will look dumb. You will fall over.

Photo courtesy of roland.

So two weekends ago, on a decent enough Saturday we took lessons. Lori is experienced at traditional cross country skiing, which appears to have been a huge help. I am not. Skis had been strapped to my feet twice before this experiment. I went downhill skiing once when I was 13 (yeah, that's 18 years ago), and last February I attempted traditional cross country skiing. The lessons all seemed to make sense, until I tried to apply what I had been told. The instructor told me I looked like I was trying to run, not ski (or glide, or however you want to describe the motion). Was I a runner? I was once, I wanted to reply.

The problem with "running" in ski's is that they're long. You can really think of skate skis like really big roller blades, sans wheels. Think of how you roller blade, or "inline skate", if you're not into trademark infringement. You push off with onc blade, pick up, put it down, repeat on the other side (more or less). Skate skiing seems to be very similar with two big exceptions. This first is that you can't push off, and shouldn't try. It will throw off your balance. You will fall over. Of course, if you've been spending your life participating in sports that aren't on snow, you will push off. You will fall over. The other big difference is the length of the ski over that of a skate. If you push off at all, you push your toe down instinctively. This is what my instructor called running on skis. This is a problem when the ski extends several feet out in front of you. I constantly dug the front of the ski into the snow, which at best slowed me down. At worst? Good guess: I feel over.

Last Saturday we went out again, this time to do a loop around the lake. That's the "flat" trail. I don't want to see the hilly trail. I managed to stay upright going downhill, but managed to fall over twice going uphill. I've never felt so uncoordinated in my life. Perhaps the worst part is constantly watching people --people whom I feel I should be in better shape than -- fly by me with no noticeable effort.

But it was a good workout. And it was fun. I expect it will get more fun as I start to get it down. The goals of the day were to get a workout and to find a way to embrace winter and not just tolerate it.

Is This Healthy?

2011-02-10T19:38:00.001-08:00

This used to be what I considered a healthy lunch. You know, compared to heading out with a coworker to a burger and fries joint. Or for some pizza. I love me some Cosi. I have to branch out. Chipotle is fantastic, but I can't have every meal there. But it's hard when you're trying to get back in shape. The Pesto Chicken Melt from Cosi has always been a favorite of mine, and one I don't get very often as I don't get to work downtown nearly as much as I would like. So is this healthy? I suppose that depends on what one considers healthy. Certainly has quite a bit of fat. Rob wants me to get at least 200 grams of protein every day. This has 50. So I guess I'll count that a plus. And it tastes freakin' awesome.

Yesterday Was An Off Day

2011-02-10T07:59:00.000-08:00

It appears that, in the short term, my working out is going to be an every other day thing. By that, I mean I will get to NLF every other day to do the full body workout Rob designed to get me started on fixing my weak points. The question is, what to do with the off days? Yesterday was an off day.

Of course, Rob gave me an everyday workout as well. It consists mostly of stretching out my horribly tight abductors, hips, and glutes while straightening out my back. And that's great (and very necessary), but I'm motivated and want to do more! Rob said I can walk or spin. So, I went the YMCA, threw my Droid on the treadmill with the latest episode of Chuck on it, and started walking. But of course, I get bored easy, so I mixed in (quite a big) of jogging. This is ok, but I have to keep in mind that aligning my body back up is priority #1 (well, 1b, I suppose 1a is let the ankle heal), and running with bad form will only set me back. So I jog. I jog until the moment any bit of fatigue starts to set in, go 30 seconds longer, and then walk before my form suffers. Baby steps, I suppose.

So I guess that's an off day. It's a long ways from this.

Building A Better Me

2011-02-08T18:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I ran. I use that term loosely. I performed some sort of combination of walking and jogging on a treadmill for 3 miles. It took almost 35 minutes. My ankle swelled up. I am broken.

On the weekend before Thanksgiving, Minneapolis got pounded with an ice storm. I fell. I broke my ankle. My ankle was torn up pretty good. To be more accurate, I suffered a medial malleolar fracture, tore all the ligaments off the top of my foot, and ripped off a couple of bone chips for good measure. This after I was just starting to get moving again after my knee injury.

So now I am embarking on building a better me. In the second week of January I started working out again. I can't do much. Some basic compound movements: squats, deadlifts, pushups, and pull ups. I tried running and miserably failed. That why yesterday counts as a success. I ran without bone pain. Small successes count now.

Tonight, I met met with Rob at North Loop Fitness. Rob lives, breathes, and embodies functional fitness. Today we decided I've got a lot of weakness. Most of those can probably attributed to years of running, lifting heavy with my upper body, and not much else. Those weaknesses are probably what led to my first injury.

Today is day one of correcting those weaknesses. Today I start building a better me. How will I do that? We'll find out. It will all be logged here.

Dear City Of Minneapolis

2010-12-13T11:37:00.001-08:00

Dear city of Minneapolis, all we are asking for here is a little bit of information. Isn't that what your Facebook page is suppose to be for? We understand that this is a tough situation, but some of us are stuck on streets that haven't been touched by a plow yet. We did, however, have a tow truck come through yesterday to look for illegally parked cars (there were none). That truck got stuck in one of our four feet high snow drifts.

Now, where are we suppose to park? Can you let us know that!? If the even side, odd side, and everything in between haven't been touched yet, what are we suppose to do? At 8am, were we suppose to dig our odd parked cars out and move them into the drifts on the even side? Some of us simply can get out.

It's been 16 hours since you've disseminated any information. You have all these new mediums, yet you spend no effort keeping your citizens informed about what's going on, and we are growing frustrated.

There's Only So Many Of These Days Left

2010-09-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

What kind of person runs almost 3 miles to a lake, sees all the people enjoying the beautiful day, so decides to run around the lake before heading back? This guy :-) There's only so many of these days left in the Twin Cities... gotta enjoy them!!

Slow. Really Slow. And Windy. And Hilly. And really, really slow.

2010-08-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

At least I can only get better. Unless, of course, I get worse (I'm looking at you, bad knee).

Finally!

2010-06-13T11:50:00.001-07:00

I'm finally starting to feel almost like a runner again. I just finished a 5 miler in 38:46. At 7:45 per mile, it is the first run of any notable length that I did in sub-8's. Ok, to clarify, that's the first run AFTER my knee injury that I sustained that pace. I started out a little hot, but was feeling good, so I tried to keep it up. The last half was a bit of a struggle. But it was a struggle in the lungs, not the legs, and that's fixable. Apparently, the 2 days of what we'll call "carbo-loading" was all I needed to get over the hump. More thanks to beer! Now I need to start focusing on getting more miles in. Despite a couple of back to back 25 mile weeks earlier, I'm still averaging probably 20 miles a week. I need to get that up to at least 30 sometime soon.

But for now, I'm off to throw some homemade cheddar bacon Jucy Lucies on the grill. I do believe I've earned it today :P

Refreshed

2010-05-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

I forgot how refreshing morning runs can be. I feel great, and had so much fun this morning running around South Minneapolis. I'm still not running particularly fast, but the knee didn't bother me at all. Of course, this run was about as flat as you can get, but I'll take it. I felt like I could have kept going forever. Sadly, it's a morning run on a Monday and I have to go to work sometime! There's always tomorrow morning though :-)

Getting Back On My Feet

2010-04-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted much lately, mainly because I haven't had much interesting to say. This blog, while about me in general, has, in the past, tended to revolve around my running and biking. So where have I been? I've been nursing a bad case of Patellar Tendonitis. What is that? Well, in short, it's an injury that means no running and biking. I'll summarize it (I'm no doctor, so if I get something wrong, feel free to let me know) The Patellar Tendon is a tendon that stretches over your Patella (knee cap). It connects the bottom of your quad (front upper leg muscle) to your shin. Are you sitting down? Good. Now stretch one leg all the way out. What you just did was contract your quad, which pulled on your Patellar Tendon, which pulled on your shin, lifting the lower half of your leg. I'm sure I've over simplified this, but that is basically what you just did. You can lower your leg now. What my body decided to do was replace some of my left Patellar Tendon with scar tissue. Thus: Tendonitis. This meant any time I flex my quad, to, you know, do stuff like move, my knee was filled with pain. The solution? Don't move. For a long time. That's pretty much it, or so I've been told. Basically, the solution is rest it so it can heal while trying to break up the scare tissue. How do you do that? Well, you take a chunk of ice and massage the tendon. Every day. So my running has been replaced by rubbing my knee with ice. Directly. Which, in case you couldn't guess, is uncomfortable.

So that was last August. The good news, I've started to run again! I'm slow. I can't run far. I gained 25 pounds. Not, unfortunately, the good, "welcome to the gun show" kind either. Sigh. I started "running" again about 3-4 minutes at a time, at about 5.2 - 5.5 miles per hour on the treadmill, followed immediately by ice massage the knee. That was in January. I've since dropped about 7 of those 25 pounds, and have slowly started extending the runs, speeding them up, and moving them outside. It's a long way from there to where I am now (I've posted my last three runs here), but I still have a long way to go.

Saturday:

Monday:

Tuesday:

My knee doesn't hurt all the time now. But it's usually some small shade of sore. Sometimes a stronger shade than others. After yesterday's run, for example, it was pretty sore. It was the first run since I've been back that I've really tried to push the pace. But it rarely inflicts massive pain on me anymore. So that's good.

However, I had a major setback last week. I tried playing softball and found that I'm a long ways from recovered. Fielding involves squatting. Squatting involves a lot of strain on the Patellar Tendon. I couldn't walk the next day. I'm going to try again tonight. Hopefully I can hide in right field.

Blonde We Like

2010-02-19T07:48:00.000-08:00

Here's another example of what's wrong with IP law. There's a company, UVEX, who makes good ski gear. Lindsay Vonn was wearing a pair of their goggles when she won a gold medal a couple of days ago. They posted a simple congratulations to her on their website. The IOC sent them a take down notice saying that they could not use the names of Olympians or mention Olympic events on the website without paying first, because that was part of the IOC's intellectual property. Bogus. Anyway, UVEX responded their website with the following:

Blonde we like wins Downhill (Last name rhymes with "Bonn")

There once was a lawyer from the IOC,
who called us to protect "intellectual property."

"During the Olympics", she said with a sneer
"your site can't use an Olympian's name even if they use your gear."

"No pictures, no video, no blog posts can be used..."
Even if they are old? "No!", she enthused.

While Olympians chase gold the IOC pursues green.
Cough up millions, or your logo cannot be seen.

Except there it is, on top of countless heads!
Tax free endorsements the IOC dreads.

And so it is with a wink and a nudge
that we would like to congratulate a skier whose name we must fudge.

Her hair is long and blonde
Last name rhymes with the German city of Bonn.

Congratulations Women's Downhill winner --
from all of us here at UVEX (no longer an IOC sinner).

Source: http://www.uvexsports.com/2010/02/blonde-we-like-wins-downhill-last-name.html

2009-07-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

Whew... 4 days at the cabin over the Fourth of July. Buddies coming town today and tomorrow. Family coming up next weekend. July is a busy, busy month this year.

The Fourth was a blast. I got in a couple of good hill runs through the woods. On the first one, I got scared half to death by a bald eagle, which took off from the ground about 20 yards in front of me. Funny, that never happens to me in the cities :-) It was a nice, relaxing weekend. Got out on the boats, did some kayaking, saw some fireworks, and of course, ate and drank too much. Thank you so much to the Gubrud family for including me!

Maybe I'll post something from this weekend after my buddies leave. Maybe I better not :P

Blue October at First Avenue

2009-06-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

My new camera got a tryout at Blue October last night.

Racing Season is Upon Me

2009-04-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

And so it begins. Racing season has officially begun for me (and with it, hopefully, blogging season, as I obviously have been doing a terrible job in that category). The Inaugural Get In Gear Half Marathon was on Saturday, and I finished it along with only 805 others. I kind of expected it to be longer, considering the 10K drew over 3,400. Much thanks to Lori and her family, as well as Kyle and Lindy for coming out to support me.

I finished in a somewhat respectable 1:54:37 (official results here, GPS data here). I say "somewhat respectable" because it's a pretty good time for me, based on the times in my running history, yet I absolutely can do better. I've been averaging about 10 - 20 miles a week. That's obviously no where near enough. So I tried to think of this as an early season long training run in preparation for Dam To Dam, and in that regard, it was a success. I would like to hit one run this summer that I'm actually in peak condition for. Something where I used a training plan that doesn't end in a long protracted beer and pizza infused taper.

I also hope to start blogging again -- hopefully someone out there reads this :p

New Years Resolutions Revised

2009-01-26T11:02:00.000-08:00

So after a few weeks to think about it, I'm revising my New Year's Resolutions. Revising them to be a little more specific. Dropping one or two. Adding a couple more.

1) Learn a foreign language.

I've settled on Latin American Spanish. I think it will serve me well in future vacations I hope to be lucky enough to take. I thought about French, but ultimately thought that Spanish would prove more useful. Who knows though, maybe I'll find time to do both? Doubtful.

2) Run a 5K in under 20 minutes.

This is incredibly ambitious for me. But I ran one last year unprepared in the 23 minute area (I don't remember the exact time), and ran a 10k while training for the Twin Cities Marathon in 46:30. This makes me think that it's at least possible, if I train for it. I'm putting this goal in place of running another marathon. Just looking for a change. I'm not ruling out another marathon, however ;)

3) Post at least once a week to millcitysnap.com.

I need to get some creativity back. I need to get back to my long lost hobby of photography. That is why I set that site up. Now I need to actually use it. I might try Project 365. Haven't decided yet (Thanks for the idea, Paul).

4) Start a tech blog.

No description at this time. More to follow, probably next week.

So I'm dropping the marathon resolution -- kind of. I replaced it with another running one. So I'm not counting it as "dropped". I also dropped the musical instrument one. I really want to learn to play something again. But there's only so many hours in the week, and I need to pick a hobby. So for now, I'm settling on learning Spanish and getting back to photography.

Pictures From Cancun Are Posted

2009-01-20T07:20:00.000-08:00

Back From Puerto Vallarta

2009-01-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

Made it back safely from a great trip to Puerto Vallarta. I will hopefully post some write ups about it shortly, but in the meantime, here's some pictures. As of right now, these are only from my phone, as I didn't have a camera along on the trip. Hopefully, I'll mooch some photos off of those who did a little later this week.

New Years Resolutions

2009-01-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

1) Learn to play guitar or piano (again, or, again).

2) Run third and hopefully fourth marathons.

3) Finally see Wicked (in Chicago or New York City).

4) Blog more ;)

Photo's from Oktoberfest

2008-09-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

Recent Day in the Life of Jon

2008-08-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

5:45am: Alarm goes off, swallow bagel with peanut butter and honey.
6:25am: 7 mile run. Finish by laying in front of air conditioner with glass of chocolate milk. Shower. Eat breakfast (bowl of Kashi) while reading email.
9:00am: Participate in Telecon on the drive to work.
11:30am: Have lunch. Chipotle, or a turkey and cheese sandwich.
3:00pm: Leave work.
3:30pm: Log back into work from kitchen.
5:00pm: Make sandwich (turkey and cheese... again). Still working.
5:45pm: Bike downtown. Got gym there. Do 45 minutes of nothing but pullups, dips (on rings), crunches, and clean and presses. Bike home.
7:30pm: Log back into work. Eat another sandwich (same kind).
8:45pm: Walk to bar. Have a beer with friends. Walk home.
9:45pm: Log back into work. Send a couple emails.
10:15pm: Go to bed.

Oh the excitement. I bet everyone is jealous.

I need this book.

2008-08-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

No fucking way. This book is titled, "Jonny Awesome: I'm Awesome." Subtitled: "His name is awesome, but even if it wasn't, he still would be.

http://books.cafepress.com/item/jonny-awesome-im-awesome/17004291

Another PR

2008-07-27T19:55:00.001-07:00

I set another PR this weekend. I've set one in all three races I've run this year. That's not quite a cool as it sounds, as I ran two races of distances I've never raced before (5K and marathon), so I automatically got PR's in those. This one was much better though, as I (unofficially) ran in 46:30. The official results aren't up yet. That's right at a 7:30 per mile. Just 18 months ago, running under 8 minute miles for six miles would have blown my mind. So yeay for me ;)

www.heartofsummer.org

2008 Baggo Tournament

2008-07-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

I'm way behind on posting. Both here, and to all the places I post pictures. But I have to brag a little about the big baggo (bags, cornhole, whatever you call it). Brian and I won it, and took home a couple Vikings Tailgating chairs ;) That's two years in a row I've won one of those tourneys. Pics below:

Birthday Party

2008-07-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to posting some pictures the birthday party for Eric and I last Wednesday night at Club Jager in the North Loop of Minneapolis.

The Bleeding Heart Show

2008-07-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

Begining last night, and carrying over to today, I've been listen to "The Bleeding Heart Show" by The New Pornographers, almost on a loop. For some reason, it seems to accurately express my current mood. I say, "for some reason", because I have no idea what it's suppose to be about, even after reading the lyrics. But melodically, at least, it seems correct with me right now. It's starts out very reflective, as if telling a story, and somewhat sad. But halfway through it changes. It becomes much more uplifting. It remains reflective. And it remains resigned to accept the ending of whatever story was just told. But it feels optimistic. Hopeful.

"We have arrived too late to play The Bleeding Heart Show."

Whatever that means ;)

Getting Older

2008-07-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

I think I'm turning 29 I think I'm turning 29 I really think so....

I guess there's a lot worse things to be turning -- like purple, or up dead -- but I. Feel. Old. A guy I work with told me that on the morning of his 30th birthday he threw out his back getting out of bed, so I should be warned: There's one year left on the warranty.

To be honest, I don't actually feel old. I'm not sure how to describe how I feel. There are no valid reasons for me to feel old. I'm in the best shape of my life, even running my first marathon a couple of months ago. At worst, most of the hair I had 10 years ago is still there. I have very few "adult" things to worry about in my life. I'm not married. Never have been. I have no children, no mortgage, no real debt. I have a career, and that is pretty much my only "adult" concern.

Maybe that's my issue? Maybe I should be more "adult" by now. (I'm going to keep putting that word in quotes, because I don't know how to define it). I'm 29 and live in the Midwest. To many that means I'm suppose to married with kids, own a house in suburbia, drive an SUV, and complain about how poor I am, how expensive gas is, how I no longer have time for [fill in hobby here]. I'm none of that. I like my hobbies.

The last time I celebrated a birthday without a girlfriend was in 2004. 311 played a free concert in the park. Brad and Dana started dating that day. They now live in Denver. The next two years, we all partied on the rooftop of a building in downtown Omaha. Those parties included Holly, Josh and Ginny, who now live in Oklahoma, Travis (Dallas), and Andy (Omaha), Jon and Molly (Pittsburgh), Brad and Dana (Denver), Andrea and Brian (Omaha) and others. Last year, if I remember correctly, it was just Holly and I. This year, it will be me with my roomates, Kyle, Lindy, and Brian.

Perhaps I feel old because it feels as though I've gone full circle. Like I've moved on to a whole new life with a whole new group a friends, and am going to try it again. Granted, I still to talk to everyone listed in that last paragraph, some (Ginny, Josh, and Jon) more than others (Holly). But none of them will have a drink with me tomorrow, when I "celebrate" moving one year closer to the end of the warranty.

Maybe I feel old because my life is pretty much the same as it was four years ago, just with a different cast and a better job. If I'm this old, should I have more to show for it?

Wiz Banging Good Time

2008-07-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

Wiz Bang Days 2008 has come and gone. Got to love good friends, beer, a jetski --with optional tube-- a paddle boat, a couple beer tents, and some fireworks. Throw in some near perfect weather (not including the brief storm Friday night), and you've got yourself a Wiz Banging Good Time ;)

Tonight's Ride

2008-07-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

Got the bike out for the first time in a week. Felt great. Absolutely great. I wanted to check out the Midtown Greenway all the way to the river. Did that, then made it downtown complete with a stop at the gym. Still had pizza for dinner though, can't be too healthy ;)

Checking Out the Midtown Greenway
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Music Favorites

2008-07-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Katy asked me what my all time favorite song was. That turned out to be an incredibly difficult question. It got me thinking, what are my favorite songs of all time? I eventually came up with "Break Your Heart" by Barenaked Ladies. This is probably accurate. But, and this is important in correctly answering this question, is that I think it depends on my mood. If I'm in the mood to reflect on past relationships, my favorite songs ("Breakfast After 10" by Blue October, "So Long" by Guster) are different than if I'm, say on the Party Bus ("Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane, "Sweet Home Alabama" by B.A.M.A Boyz) which is different than if I'm in the mood to dance ("Calabria" by Enur or anything by the Scissor Sisters), although, admittedly, I'm rarely in the mood to dance.

So in the spirit of the question, I've decided to pull a Hi Fidelity, and try to come with my Top Five All Time Favorite Songs. As I type this right now, I don't know what the final list will be. At least one, I know, will seem like a cleshay. Most will probably be tied to one or more memories, good or otherwise. Some these are probably not on any of the playlists in my iPod, and won't be anytime soon. But they were at some point quite important to me, so I suppose that by "All Time", they belong on the list.

So here is what I think should go on my Top Five All Time Favorite Songs, in no particular order:

Barenaked Ladies -- Break Your Heart
Dave Mathews Band -- Ants Marching
Blue October -- Balance Beam
Old 97's -- Barrier Reef
Pearl Jam -- Black

I'm sure, as soon as I hit "Publish Post", I'll want to change this list, but I won't, as it is, right now, a snapshot of what I think it should be. (I had a hard time turning six into five, eventually removing "No Pressure" by Grasshopper Takeover and keeping two songs that I hardly even listen to anymore by DMB and Pearl Jam).

Anyone care to share their top five?

Omahawesome

2008-07-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

Whew... what a weekend! I think the pictures best some it up ;)

A Good Ol' Fashioned Butt Whoopin'

2008-06-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

My softball team won last night 20-3. That was a nail biter. The opposing team was filled with guys who were all at least 50 el-bees overweight, with one exception, the poney-tailed stick who looked like he should be teaching a junior high art class, not playing any sport. Their outfielders couldn't run, and their infielders couldn't bend over, which ruled out things like, oh, fielding. So scoring runs wasn't that difficult.

In the spirit of all my new motivations, I biked there (see below). It wasn't a bad ride to get there, but the ride back kind of sucked. Possibly because it's hilly, and the way back is mostly going up. Also, I ran 10k in the morning. When I got home and crashed on the couch, the strangest thing happened: both my legs turned to me and said, "What the fuck, dude?". So I'm giving them the day off. They're downtown at The Local while the rest of me struggles through a Friday at work. Today, the bike is staying in the garage and the running shoes on the hardwood floor.

Commute to softball at Aquila fields:
06/27/2008 Route
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Biking and Running

2008-06-26T08:33:00.001-07:00

I've gotten really into biking lately, even trying to do much of my commuting via bike. I'm starting to love the freedom and speed and the ability to see new things. As of now, I do not commute to work, mainly because it's 17.5 miles one way via car on the freeway, so on bike would probably be close to 20. I'm not to that point yet. I could probably do it one day a week, except I work out in the fucking suburbs, and the farther out of the core you go, the worse it is to be on a bike or walking. The city of Minneapolis, and many of the "inner ring" suburbs, are set up quite well for bike commuting. In Eden Prairie, which, as far as I can tell, is comprised solely of on ramps, off ramps, dead end streets, and generic strip malls, bike commuting is difficult, at best. It's one of those places that probably brags about it's parks, but they're the kind of parks where you have to throw your bike into the back of your truck (you live in Eden Prairie, you own a truck, right?) and drive to the park so you can bike around in circles for a while. So for now, my bike commuting has been reduced to getting downtown to go to the gym or go out to eat. Or getting to Uptown to see the lakes, get some grub, or one of the best caramel rolls ever. Even so, I've had a noticeable drop in my gas usage doing this, which has been pleasant. Especially since I really do it mostly because I enjoy it. I can afford the gas, and I can't honestly say that I bike to save the environment. But both of those are great bonuses, right? The icing on my huge caramel roll ;)

So last night my roommates and I headed out on bikes. Kyle has a nice mountain bike, and Brain borrowed mine. We headed down 45th, crossed the river, and biked down through Northeast and ended up in Seven Corners. Tom at Bullwinkle's greeted us with a pitcher of beer, as he has been known to do. Then we headed down the street through Cedar-Riverside to check out Freewheel (where Brian's cousin works, incidentally). I wanted to take a look at the Surly Cross-Check, one of the bikes I am considering purchasing. Then we headed back up the river and home.

So here's the question of the day. Assuming I buy a new bike sometime soon (good assumption), what do I get? Do I get a better road bike made of carbon and better components, to improve my experience -- which I really want to do -- or do I get a really good bike that is best geared toward the commuting I'm doing, like the Cross-Check, or something based on that frame? I already have a road bike, and the Cross-Check would be great for grocery getting, or getting downtown, in days where the weather is sub-optimal. These days are plentiful in Minnesota. Plus, it would save me roughly $1000. But, I really want a faster, lighter road bike because, well, they're fun ;) I have to think this one through.

And... the other half of my topic: running. My running seems to be reduced to four days a week now. This is because of two things, I suppose. First, I run better with more days off. While training for my last marathon, I logged at least five, usually six runs a week. I got pretty burnt out. By reducing it to four, I seem to be able to run faster and farther each run than I could the last go round. Second, I think it has something to do with the other half of the topic, biking. That's been taking up so much of my time and leg strength, that my running has fallen of. But it was refreshing that I biked about 25 miles last night, and was still able to get up this morning and run approximately 10k, and felt great doing so. It's all about balance. I just have to make sure I log enough miles on foot to prepare for the Twin Cities Marathon. But I'm feeling great, having fun, and most of my runs are faster and farther than I think they should be, so I guess that's good, right?

On that note, my morning run felt fantastic. And therapeutic. Lots of crap was floating through my head as went to bed last night and got up this morning. Any time you go through major changes in life -- and the last couple months of mine have seen some major changes -- your brain can get cluttered. Waking up and going for a good run really clears my head. It gives me a chance to process everything and get focused for the day. Not to mention how great I feel when it's over. Endorphins, I suppose ;) The problem with morning runs is that it usually takes me a mile and half or two miles to get warmed up, and loose. It can really suck to start out. This morning though, miles four, five and six felt awesome, and I really wanted to keep going. However, I was lost in thought through most of the run, and really had no idea how far I had been running, or what time it was, so I felt it best to head home. I had to get to work, too!

Morning Run:
Robinsdale/Minneapolis/Golden Valley Morning Run
Find more Runs in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Backyard

2008-06-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

We love our backyard, and the lake that is attached to it. Tonight I grilled some salmon out on the deck, and took some pictures while doing so. It was a gorgeous night. Then Kyle and I took the paddle boat out on the lake with a couple of beers because... why not? ;)

Here's some of the pictures I took:

Zeke (Kyle's dog)

More Zeke

Ok... just one more of Zeke ;)

The view of our side of the lake from our shoreline

Some ducks right off of our shoreline

Morning Run

2008-06-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

Since training for the Twin Cities Marathon is officially underway, I drug myself out of bed at 7 am this morning -- yes, on a Saturday -- for a 10 miler. Ended up going 10.8 miles at a "casual" pace. By that I mean I didn't take a watch. Just went out running. So I don't have an exact time, but based on what I saw on the clock when I left and when I got back, it was about 1:38. That would be a 9:04 mile. This is good news for me, as it means my "casual" pace is quite a bit faster than it was when training for the Go! St. Louis Marathon. Maybe it's all the speed work I did (not that much), or the treadmill running on an incline (possibly), or perhaps my running efficiency has gotten better because I've been running more and longer (more likely). Either way, I'm happier.

Long Delay Explanation

2008-06-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

So I've been putting off blogging for the last few weeks, with the exception of the map of my first bike ride. In that post, I promised an explanation. So here's my explanation, in short, I didn't feel like sharing much of what was going on in my life in the last few weeks... at least, not while it was going on. In a nutshell, on May 4th I separated (euphemism for "got dumped") from Holly, my girlfriend of three and half years who I moved to Minnesota with. Consequently, I have moved in with some great new roomates, Kyle and Brian. That's the big news.

In smaller, but better news, I set a new 5K PR of 23:38 at Dam To Dam in Des Moines on May 31st, finishing 15th in my age group. I have also begun training (finally) for the Twin Cities Marathon on October 5th. The first real month of training was replaced with a bender, horrible eating habits, and serious drop in workout time brought on by the break up and move. I'm coming around though. This weekend will be busy, as I have it free. I hope to get a run of 9 - 12 miles in, while also getting most of what's left in my condo moved out. We'll see how it all goes.

So anyway, I'm back. If anyone ever reads this blog anymore... sorry for the delay!

First Bike Ride of '08

2008-05-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I last posted -- and I will explain why sometime soon -- but I wanted to share my excitement that I finally got the bike out for decent ride for the first time this year. Went farther than I had thought (33 1/4 miles), and that's good. I hope to go even farther sometime this weekend. Anyway, the route is below. I stopped and got a caramel roll at Isles Bun and Bakery in Uptown Minneapolis. Best cinnamon and caramel roll I've had yet in the Twin Cities. I also stopped at the Hopkins Depot for a Gatorade. Didn't get to try their coffee or anything else. It seemed like a really cool place, though.

Crystal Lake - Cedar Lake - Uptown - Midtown - Hopkins - And Back
Find more Bike Rides in Robbinsdale, Minnesota

It seemed like a good idea at the time

2008-04-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

A group of us went to the Fine Line downtown last night. They were
having a benefit to raise money for a girl who had cancer. My buddy
Brian went to college with one of her friends. They had a silent
auction, and, long story short, I now have a Garfield costume.

Finished!

2008-04-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

Marathon. Over. It took me 5 hours, but I did it. I finally ran a marathon. The GO! St. Louis Marathon. First of all, I would like to give a big thanks to Todd and his fiancée, Lori for having us at their house for the weekend. Big thanks to my parents for flying down to support all of us running (My sister, her husband, and I ran the full, and Holly, Todd and Chad ran the half). Also, a big thanks to Holly, Chad, and Todd for waiting around after finishing the half to support me on the home stretch.

Now... as for running a marathon... wow, that was painful. I don't think I can completely articulate how much pain I was in for last couple of miles. But on the flip side, I don't think I can explain just how much joy that comes with finally crossing the finishing line. Now, the first stage of training for TCM... recovery ;)

Pictures located here.

In Saint Louis

2008-04-05T14:28:00.001-07:00

The day before the marathon.

Marathon Weekend Day 1

2008-04-04T11:55:00.001-07:00

We left Minneapolis shortly before 5:00 last night. I felt like I was
as prepared as I was going to get. I packed clothes for any possible
weather condition. I bought a nice little case for the GPS unit. I
had all the addresses stored in the iPhone. In Iowa City last night,
while sipping (we'll call it "sipping") a martini, I realized that I
forgot my shoes. I'm a freakin' genius sometimes. Weekend is off to
a great start. And I'm hung over -- too much sipping, I suppose.
Thanks to the helpful salesman at Running Wild in in Iowa City who
hooked me up with a new pair of Brooks.

Sent from my iPhone

Beautiful Day

2008-04-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

59 and sunny in downtown Minneapolis. Going to be a great weekend...
and we're leaving town. Figures.

Friday Commute

2008-04-01T08:58:00.001-07:00

So this is what happened last Friday... Driver of big ass SUV tries to cut in line to take the exit, and hits 5 other cars in the process, killing an child. But, driver of big ass SUV has no injuries. This apparently happened one minute after I got on the freeway at the on ramp right before this. I was pissed that I was stuck on the freeway for over an hour. Now I just feel bad for the parents of this child, one of whom is still in critical condition.

http://www.startribune.com/local/17129351.html

Happy Easter from Wyoming

2008-03-23T13:47:00.001-07:00

Morning Commute

2008-03-07T07:53:00.001-08:00

This morning on I-35W southbound in South Minneapolis, two tires came off of a garbage truck, one bounced over the median and into a truck heading north, essentially halting traffic in both directions. I was on the freeway, headed south, when a helicopter flew over head and landed right in front of me. I've never seen that before. Of course, the important thing here is not how long it took me, or anyone else, to get to work this morning, but that someone lost their life. Imagine driving into work like you do every day, when a garbage truck tire comes flying at you out of nowhere. Scary.

http://www.startribune.com/16379846.html

Bob

2008-03-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

We finally made it to the famous First Avenue club last night. Bob Mould played. It was cool to finally see a show there. Bob can really rock.

Sent via BlackBerry

Daytime TV

2008-02-28T13:07:00.001-08:00

So I've been stuck home with the flu for the last three days. Daytime TV really sucks. I just saw a commercial for a pregnancy test that referred to itself as "the most sophisticated piece of technology you will ever pee on." Wow... 'nuff said.

The Fire

2008-02-21T08:26:00.000-08:00

There was a fire above Maxwell's yesterday, that destroyed the whole building. This is particularly sad for me, as my buddy Tom lived in one of the apartments above it. The Twin Cities Daily Planet has an article about it today from Tom's point of view. It's worth the read.

Idiot Suburbanite Quote of the Day

2008-02-20T09:43:00.001-08:00

Apparently, if you live in an apartment, your a dirty Commie:

"Because you have your space. You're not part of an apartment complex, which is a communal area. Communal to me is social, and social goes to socialism. But here, it's your space, your time, your business, and that's generally conservative people."

-- Mike Beyer, Mayor of Rockford, a suburb of the Twin Cities, on why Republicans would rather live in his town than Minneapolis.

Source:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/02/20/suburbpolitics/

Zero For Two

2008-02-20T08:01:00.000-08:00

I got the the opportunity to go to the X last night to see the Wild play. The lost in overtime, making them 0-2 in my trips there. Going to a hockey game is always fun though, especially in Saint Paul. And the Xcel Energy Center is a great arena, especially for hockey.

Royal Flush

2008-02-05T09:32:00.000-08:00

Pardon the crappy pic I got off of my Blackberry, but I had to snap my first Royal Fush -- in fact, the first one I've ever seen in an actual game. Won a lot of chips with that hand. Still managed to go on and lose though. That's ok, I should get another one in roughly 47,000 hands or so.

Gear

2008-02-05T07:19:00.000-08:00

I have to give some more props to Gear, a running store in Edina. I went there again this past weekend. For the second time, I had fantastic service. I only bought shoes this time, so it didn't take the hour and forty-five minutes it took last time. But the girl working went over my step, and all the little intricacies of my feet -- arch, pronation, etc. -- and then came back with several pairs of shoes that she thought would work for me. I ended up spending more than I usually do, getting a pair of Brooks for $109. But I'd rather spend that money up front than worry about knee surgery after upping my running so much this winter.

On that note, I ended up logging over 39 miles last week. But I didn't get in a good LSR. I ran all 7 days, and my legs were not happy with me come Sunday. This week I'm going to try to focus on running less or not at all on easy days, so I can make sure that I can get in a good, long run this weekend.

Bridge Semantics

2008-01-29T07:10:00.000-08:00

I put XM's Minneapolis Traffic and Weather channel on this morning when I got into my car, to see if there were any accidents that would slow my drive to work. They said that I-35W is closed from University to Washington because of construction. Later, they informed me that 2nd Street was closed from 8th Avenue to 11 Avenue, due to the bridge collapse of August 1st. Apparently, the bridge is now closed because they're working on building a new one, but the streets around it are closed because of the collapse.

Suburban Shopping

2008-01-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

One nice thing about working in the southern suburbs of Minneapolis is the proximity to the place I usually stay away from, the MOA. At lunch today, I hopped on the beltway and headed to the MOA, where I bought a pair of shoes and a pair of boots at Bostonian for a grand total of $99, with no sales tax (thank you for that, Minnesota). They were originally $140 and $170, respectively. Sweet deal :) Then I ran to Chipotle and was back at my desk in under an hour. Beautiful.

I was walking back to my desk thinking that this was a plus to working in the burbs. Then I realized that if I was working downtown, I could have done the same thing without leaving the skyway. Of course, I wouldn't have been able to go the actual Bostonian store, but I would've had Macy's, Saks, etc. I may not have gotten the same deal, but it would have taken less time and no car. My momentary joy in having found a plus to the suburbs was sucked away. But at least it's a southern suburb, so the MOA is an option.

Lazy Suburbanite

2008-01-23T19:09:00.000-08:00

This evening I was walking out of the typical big suburban office complex in which I spend most of my days, when I heard a faint rumbling noise behind me. I knew exactly what it was -- one of those suitcases on wheels. But why would anyone bring a suitcase to work? O yeah, then I remembered, if you're super lazy, you can get a briefcase or laptop case on wheels. My question, how lazy do you have to be to drag your briefcase on it's two-inch diameter wheels through a parking lot covered in dirty, icy, sandy snow in suburban Minneapolis? Seriously people, have another doughnut.

Better 5K

2008-01-23T10:24:00.000-08:00

I re-ran my 5K "tempo" run last night. I'm still pretty sure it doesn't count as a tempo run. I basically ran 5K as fast as a thought I could. I broke my 25 minute goal with a time of 24:52 :) I still think I could do it faster, because I think I started out to slow. But non the less, it wasn't that long ago that running 10 minute miles just exhausted me. So that's progress.

Having said all this, I must remind my readers, if there are any, that the run was done on a treadmill set at a 1.5% incline. It's still below 0 in Minneapolis, with windchills coming close to -30. I'm not running outside when then windchill is 62 degrees below freezing! It should warm up --all the way to the 20s-- by the weekend, so I shifted my long run to Saturday. Hopefully I can run it outside.

5K Temp Run

2008-01-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

Thank you, freezing cold Minneapolis. I did another treadmill (again, at 1.5% elevation) run last night. This was suppose to be my tempo run, although I'm pretty sure I don't do tempo runs correctly. I have a tendency to start out too slow and then try to hit my goal time by flying at the end. I would like my tempo runs of 5k and 10k to be at a sub 8 minute mile. Last night's 5k ended at 26:56 (8:41 second miles). But my last mile was well under 8 minutes (probably around 7:30). Basically, I probably could've set the damn thing at 7.5mph and just gone through it to finish right under 25 minutes. I guess that's part of training -- learning what I can do. I wish I would learn by pushing limits, not realizing I didn't hit them. So that left me fairly disappointed. My simple math and guestimates tell me that if I can't run a 10k in under 50 minutes, I have no real shot at a marathon in under 4 hours. Sooo.... that is my "tempo run" goal. Of course, you don't need to be a runner to know that if I can't run a 5k in under 25 minutes, then I can't run a 10k in under 50. But progress is progress, and I am getting faster. And I still logged six miles after warmup and cooldown. So that does put me at 23 miles for the week (after three days). That sounds like a lot in my head, then I remember, a marathon is 26.2, and I've got to do that in four hours, not four days!

Shouldering the Cold

2008-01-16T12:03:00.000-08:00

I did a 5 mile run, painfully slow, last night -- again on the treadmill (thank you, minus sign). Afterwards I did a few "functional training" circuits. I threw some heavy (for me) bench presses into the first circuit to see how I was doing. That was bad idea. My left shoulder has gone through some bad times in my life, from a dislocated sternoclavicular joint in high school, to a rotator cuff problem 4 years ago, to what I believe to be sight fracture of the collarbone this summer that was caused by a wicked fall off of a bike. It doesn't like heavy bench presses. I find this quite odd, as it doesn't seem to mind dips, even on rings, which at least feel like they're applying much more pressure to the shoulder. But today I feel like someone has lodged a big needle permanently into my delt, and I don't like it one bit. I hope I didn't mess it up worse.

This weekend's highs for Minneapolis are -1 on Saturday and -2 on Sunday, with windchills down to -25. That's Jon-speak for "Hello, Treadmill." Could be a long January. I hope it warms up a bit (I'd take 20's without awful wind) by February, so I can do those last few really long weeks of marathon training outside.

That Stupid Minus Sign

2008-01-15T06:56:00.001-08:00

That stupid minus sign has started showing up next to the number that represents the current temperature. Minnesota in January -- what did I expect? It was -3 on my drive in to work this morning, and still is now. Ouch. Last night, I had my LSR (that's long slow run, in marathon geek speak). I had to do it indoors, do to the bitter wind. 12 miles on a treadmill, with the incline set at 1.5% to try to make my legs think they're working outside. Not fun. To top it off, the next episode of Heroes that I had queued up on my iPod Touch was corrupted for some reason, and I didn't want to watch them out of order. So I spent a half hour watching Entertainment Tonight -- who watches that crap? Why do so many people care what Brittney Spears does? -- and one hour watching the new American Gladiators. Both were in closed captioning while I listened to random music shuffled off the iPod. Needless to say, it was painful. On the plus side, I ran it in just under 2 hours. After my warmup of a couple miles, I ticked off around a consistent 9:45 mile. That pace isn't going to impress many people, but it gives me hope that I have a shot at a four hour marathon, which is the goal that I fear is slipping away.

Practice, Tests, and Politics

2008-01-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

Has anyone else here ever heard the concept of doing something only makes you better at doing that one thing? I'm not sure I worded that very well, but here's an example. Take the leg extension machine at the gym. You can do them for months and all you'll get is better at doing let extensions. You won't get better at anything useful, like running up stairs. Same thing with tests. When I was loosely toying with the idea of applying to law school, I remember reading a few books on the LSAT. They all basically said the same thing, and that was this: the LSAT only tests how well you can take the LSAT, it does not test your intelligence, or even how well you'll do in law school. Which brings me around to politics. The coverage of the primaries made me realize something: an election is just the LSAT. The only thing getting elected proves, is that you're good at getting elected. It in no way demonstrates any ability to lead, make good decisions, solve problems, or do anything else useful once in office. This highlighted by coverage of these primaries. It appears that the vast majority of coverage goes to someone's "strategy", not at all their platform or qualifications. I half expect to see John Madden hop on the screen during a debate to start doing play by play.

I don't know what anyone can do about this. All I know is that more and more I follow politics, the more I seem to want to stay the fuck out of it and just hope my taxes don't go up, my health care doesn't suddenly start getting controlled by politicians, and I don't get blown up traveling somewhere. Here's hoping.

New Years Eve Part II

2008-01-09T07:37:00.000-08:00

Dominic pointed out that my last post was actually only photos of the night before New Year's Eve, which Brian pointed out was also his 28th birthday. Apparently, my camera never made it out of my pocket on New Year's Eve. Dominic has some pictures from that night at Bar Abilene though:

http://picasaweb.google.com/dominic.romeo/NewYearSEveInMinneapolis

New Years Eve 2008

2008-01-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to uploading my pictures from our New Year's Eve weekend.

Weekend of Moving Art

2008-01-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

So this weekend was spent mostly watching movies and going to a musical – with some martinis mixed in for good measure. Friday night we went to see Juno, the new film by Diablo Cody. Saturday night, we went to see Avenue Q (again) at the State Theater. And Sunday morning we (finally) watched Pan’s Labyrinth on DVD.

Friday night was movie night, and we headed out to see Juno. Fantastic. Best comedy I’ve seen in a long time. It was like Garden State, only funny – like, Little Miss Sunshine, only watchable. It’s one of those few movies that you’d go pay AMC to see again right away, if only so you can remember more of those many witty one liners, even though they won’t be nearly as good when you repeat them as they were delivered in the film.

Saturday night we went to the State Theater to finally see Avenue Q again. We saw it in July of 2006 on Broadway, and I’ve been dying to see it again. It is hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. We were lucky enough to get front row tickets this time. When we saw it in New York, we were, of course, way up in the upper balcony. I would, however, recommend seeing this play from up high the first time you see it. This is because half of the characters in play are puppets. Hand puppets that have an actor or two on stage controlling them. From up high, you easily forget the actors are there, and can get much more immersed in the story. From the front row, I found myself following the actor more than the puppet. The actors did great jobs acting, with fantastic facial expressions, and it was fun to watch. However, I think it takes something away from the story to not focus on the puppets. Just my opinion though.

The Puma Kid

2008-01-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

I've got so much I need to post about. I've been completely slacking lately, and so much has been going on. But first, I wanted to make a quick post to get this video out here. Josh and I were at the Mall of America in between trips to the airport to pick people up. We walked into the Puma store, because we both like Puma stuff. There was a loud DJ playing as we walked towards the back to shop. We heard people clapping, so we turned around and saw this kid dancing. I happened to have my camera on me:

Five Out

2007-11-30T07:45:00.000-08:00

I got to my car this morning and found that it was five degrees outside. Ahhh... Minnesota. Right now, by buddy Brian is eagerly awaiting moving up here from Tulsa. If I were him, I think I'd want to stay in Tulsa right now. None the less, I plan to go for a run outside tonight. Stupid marathon training. I ran 7.23 miles outside on Monday. I think it was below freezing that night -- if not, it was close. But it was a comfortable run (see below).

The Spurs are in town tonight. I flippin' pumped. I've been a Spurs fan my entire life. Isn't everyone from the Midwest? ;) Since the T-Wolves are terrible, we got 18th row tickets for $29 each. Not too shabby.

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/mn/minneapolis/328432939"&amp;gt;Minneapolis 7 1/4 mile&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-states/mn/minneapolis"&amp;gt;Find more Runs in Minneapolis, Minnesota&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Big Weekend in the Big O

2007-11-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

Ahhh... Thanksgiving weekend in Omaha. I think I gained 37lbs. So much happened, I don't know where to start. We left late Wednesday night in a snow storm, and got to Omaha around 3:15 in the morning. Of course, we spent all day Thursday eating. However, we did go for early "run" first, for about 5 miles. I quote "run", because it was more of a jog. O well, it was something, at least. Friday was Holly's birthday, so we went out... after watching Nebraska put up 51 points and lose. Argh. How the hell does that happen? Saturday we went down to the Qwest center 18,000 other people to watch Creighton beat Nebraska, again. Today we drove back. Tomorrow, I'll start burning off calories, I guess.

Back to Nebraska. They're interviewing Bo Pelini tonight. That would be a good hire, I think. But what do I know? There's also rumors that Kirk Ferentz was offered the Michigan job. It could be an interesting couple of weeks.

Seconds and Firsts in St. Louis

2007-11-20T07:43:00.001-08:00

For the second time in my life, I have registered for a marathon. Barring any thing odd happening, for the first time in my life, I'll line up and start one. Hopefully, I'll also finish one for this time as well. This one is in St. Louis. Last fall, I was signed up for the Twin Cities Marathon, but didn't even attempt it due to a double scheduling. I was in State College, Pennsylvania watching my Hawks get whooped. But tailgating and beer was still more fun than running 26.2 in 75+ degree heat with 90% humidity. Tell me there's no such thing as global warming, when that's the weather in Minneapolis in October. So I'll try again, this time in St. Louis. Why St. Louis? Why not? Perhaps I'm proud of it for improving to #2 in the violent city rankings. Actually, it's because that's where Todd moved to a couple of years ago, and being the great friend that I am, I haven't been there to visit yet. Apparently, we're not creative enough to come up with a reason to get together under the Arch and drink beer, so we'll run all morning instead.

So, I'm registered. I'm getting used to treadmill training, and spent almost $300 on gear that is suppose to make it bearable to run outside in a Minnesota winter. As a side note, I went to a small store in Edina, on 44th and France called Gear. The service was excellent, and extremely helpful. The selection wasn't huge, but it was adequate. This place now comes highly recommended by me for anyone who needs help or recommendations on clothes or shoes -- or would just rather support a local store than go to Dick's.

Quote of the Day

2007-11-12T12:33:00.001-08:00

"I suppose you can do the obvious thing: defect. Renounce your Minnesota citizenship, buy land in Wisconsin, and move. Sure, you could find yourself sitting alone in a cheap apartment in Green Bay, wondering what that smell is."

--James Lileks, Minneapolis Star Tribune, on how fans can deal with getting blasted by the Packers

Quote of the Day

2007-11-02T10:54:00.001-07:00

"The Nebraska defense couldn't stop a hot dog wrapper caught in the wind from blowing 90 yards through their defense right now."
--Spencer Hall, The Sporting News

Interesting Spreads of the Week

2007-10-19T06:13:00.001-07:00

Nebraska is giving 2 to Texas A&M. I can't believe Nebraska is favored over anyone in the Big 12 not the Bears or Clones right now.

Iowa is a 6.5 point underpup to Purdue. I would say that we can't stop they're spread offense, and they'll put up a ton of points. My head tells me the spread should be around 13.5. That being said, I didn't bet on this game due to Jon's Gambling Rule 1, which states: Never bet on a game that involves a team you're emotionally invested in, unless you bet on your team and are totally prepared to lose the money.

The Vikings are getting 9.5 from Dallas. That's a huge spread in the NFL. Big enough that I broke rule 1. But, to me, Rule 1 doesn't apply to any NFL games, because although I'm a Viking's fan, I'm not really "emotionally invested".

Quote of the Day

2007-10-16T11:24:00.001-07:00

"In my heart of hearts, I know I'm doing an excellent job."
--Bill Callahan, 10-16-2007

Apparently, he defines "excellent job" by utter failure.

Finally Some Pictures

2007-10-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

I downloaded photos of my camera this evening, and realized I hadn't done so since before last Christmas. There all posted in my Picasa Web Albums. Here's some direct links to albums that may interest some of my friends:

Trip To Penn State
Summer Trip To The Lake
Travis and Monica's Wedding
Last Days In Omaha
Carrie's Wedding

Hope you enjoy!

Pictures From the wedding

2007-10-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

So I finally have some picture to post of the wedding I was at in California a couple of weeks ago. This picture on the right is of "the girls, and was sent to me by Carrie (the bride). I don't think I look out of place ;) Carrie, pictured on the left, looked great, I think we'll all agree. Again, I can't take credit for that picture either. Carrie sent out that as well. I believe both of these were taken by the mother of the Groom, but I'm not entirely sure.

The Depressing Quote of the Day

2007-10-03T13:39:00.001-07:00

"If the Hawkeyes see light at the end of the tunnel, it's probably an oncoming locomotive."
--Bruce Hooley, WBNS-AM 1460, Columbus, Ohio

Trip To The Left Coast

2007-10-02T11:54:00.001-07:00

O what weekend. I went to Walnut Creek, California (right outside of San Francisco) this weekend for a wedding, where I was a bridesmaid. I can now say I've had the following roles in a wedding: best man, groomsman, usher, photographer, the person who mans the guest book, and now a bridesmaid. How many people can sport that resume? Anyway, it was my friend Carrie's, wedding. Carrie and I have been friends since my freshman year of college (her second year) and UNO. Being a "bridesman" was interesting. No one could really figure out which pictures I should be in (with the "guys", or with the "girls"). But it made sense. I'm great friends with Carrie, but have only met Nick, her now husband, once prior to the wedding due to the fact that they live on the left coast, and I'm still in the middle.

It was a good time though. It was nice to get a lot of our old group back together. Although I was hoping more people from Omaha could have made the trip, but such is life.

I hope to post some pictures later when I get around to uploading them off of my camera.

Wisconsin Wacko Of The Day

2007-10-02T11:42:00.001-07:00

Another weird story out of Wisconsin. People seed to do a lot of dumb things in Wisconsin...

"Zeigle said the suspect, who wore camouflage clothing and a black helmet and face mask, told the teller he wanted all the money, while showing her a bag that he said contained a bomb.

"However, the teller informed him the money had already been removed from the till and all she had was the candy.

"That's when he fled in frustration."

<http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_274225247.html> http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_274225247.html

Quote of the Day

2007-09-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

"Britney Spears' lawyers will argue in her child-custody case that Brit's reported mental crackup is attributable to poor recruiting by Ty Willingham."

--Pat Forde, ESPN

My Problem With Halo 3

2007-09-24T12:04:00.001-07:00

There's a big event happening tonight -- tomorrow morning, officially at 12:01 -- in GeekTown. (I split time living in two places, GeekTown and SportsFanLand, occasionally vacationing in normalcy, usually in that hour from 9pm to 10pm when Holly and I are home together, and on the weekends not in football season). Halo 3 is coming out. I feel like I should be excited by this, even though I've never played Halo or Halo 2. Here's my problem with it: It's best feature is "massive multiplayer" online play. The "massive multiplayer" part of this is the problem, for me anyway. Basically, as I understand it, you line up 11 of your friends (with Xbox 360's), split into teams of six and go play against each other (I made up the numbers there, it might be six on six, four on four, whatever, I don't know, but that doesn't really hurt my point). The point is, I don't have enough friends that have 360's, will get Halo 3, and are so devoid of other things to do that we can all set aside a few hours at the same to time to log onto a network and play. A modern gaming system is an expensive investment. How many people can afford, or at least justify, playing a glorified game of capture the flag on a 50 inch plasma with a $400 360 and a $60 game? Certainly, most of my friends chose not to do so. In fact, I can think of only one person I know (other that myself) who owns a 360. He lives in Oklahoma City. Maybe we'll hunt each other tomorrow with 10 of his friends I've yet to meet. Somehow, I doubt it.

Biking the Grand Rounds

2007-09-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

Today was probably the last nice, warm weekend day in Minneapolis (at least for both of us, as I'll be out of town the next two). We decided to spend the day taking advantage of one the great positives of the Twin Cities -- an expansive network of bike trails, bike lanes, and commuter trails -- which are just what they sound like: trails designed for the purpose of bike commuting. There's even a "bike freeway", which is a spit path. This one, the Cedar Lake Trail, has three lanes, one for pedestrians, and one for each direction of bike traffic. We started with a plan to explore the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway (or at least, a lot of it) on our bikes. The Grand Rounds is basically a large loop of pathways that goes around Minneapolis.

We started downtown, biked up along the river, mostly in St. Paul on the East Bank, up to the old Ford Plant. We had lunch at a -- big surprise -- Chipotle there.

After that, we continued across the bridge to the Minnehaha Falls. That park was packed. We apparently weren't the only people out to enjoy the weather. From there we drove down Minnehaha Parkway, past Lake Hiawatha, Lake Nokomis, and Lake Harriet (yes, there's a ton of lakes in "The City of Lakes". After reaching Lake Calhoun, we went into Uptown, and then took the Midtown Greenway to the Cedar Lake Trail back downtown past the construction site of the new Twins Ballpark.

All in all, it was quite the long ride, but a good day.

Miserable day in Minneapolis

2007-09-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick shot I took while stopped at a red light on my commute home. Yuck.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

I'm back

2007-09-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

So I've decided to go back to this blog. Vox was nice, but this one is easier to post to and keep up with. Now we'll see if I can keep up with up it ;)

Pics from the Vikes home opener

2007-09-13T19:36:00.000-07:00

It feels weird tailgating on Sunday.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Best Basketball Conference?

2006-03-22T09:11:00.000-08:00

First off, I have to admit, the Big 10, ummm, underperformed. However....

The Big East isn't even a conference. They don't even play everyone in there own league. The Big East is a REGION. Maybe we can do like the Big East... The Big Ten, Big 12, and MVC can all say, "Hey, we decided we're one conference now, with 33 teams. The Big Midwest". Only difference is, we'd win football games too. Heck, UNI could beat just about anyone in the Big East in football.

Incidentally, let's take a look at Final Four history back to 1999. The Big Ten has placed 8 teams in the Final Four, the Big 12 got 5, the Big East a whopping 3. Can't argue with numbers like those. Simply can't.

2005:
B10: 2
B12: 0
BE: 0

2004:
B10: 0
B12: 1
BE: 1

2003:
B10: 0
B12: 2
BE: 1

2002:
B10: 1
B12: 2
BE: 0

2001:
B10: 1
B12: 0
BE: 0

2000:
B10: 2
B12: 0
BE: 0

1999:
B10: 2
B12: 0
BE: 1

Drops 6, Twice

2006-03-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

I don't even know what to say about this. An 18 year old girl scores six points in a basketball game. Then, just a few hours later, has a six pound baby... and she did know she was pregnant. I'm no doctor, and not female, but is that even possible? I think Isiah Thomas just offered her $18 million a year.

Busy Weekend

2006-03-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

What a weekend. Holly and I moved into our new place, a nice 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 story on the top floor of the Greenhouse. It has an AMAZING view. Unfortunately, it's a royal pain to move two people from two different places into one. We hauled my junk on Friday and her's on Saturday. On Sunday, my legs felt like someone pounded my quads with hammers for several hours. We also got to do the figure out how to cram all of our crap into one apartment. We had two of everything, and way too much clothing -- clothing that hadn't been worn in years. Needless to say, lots of stuff got thrown away or put in storage. But we're in, and for the most part, unpacked. Lots still needs to be done, but I think we'll get there this week.

Quote of The Day

2006-02-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

For tailgates, you need to drink to make up for the fact that you're standing in a semi-circle for five hours in 30-degree weather for no real reason.
Bill Simmons, ESPN.com

March Madness

2006-02-23T13:18:00.000-08:00

I'm sure, over the next few weeks, I'll put up many posts on this topic... but here's my round one, some tidbits from my head:

The Winner: UConn
I know that, like every year for the past decade, everyone on ESPN is getting off on Duke. J.J. Reddick is a God, yada yada yada. I'm sure the magic yap yap man, Dick Vital, would just cry that I disagree with him (because I'm sure my opinion matters to him), but I'm going with UConn. Why? Duke is J.J. Reddick. UConn is balanced. Period. One player cannot a championship make, unless that player goes by 'Melo. Depending on the draw, Duke could lose in the Sweet Sixteen, and I wouldn't be surprised, nor would I cry over it.

Suprise Team: Texas
Balance and experience. That helps. They can beat anyone. But, they've proven that they can lose bad too. None the less, everyone in this bracket will be beatable, and Texas can beat anyone.

First One Seed to Flop: 'Nova
Complete and utter lack of balance. Four gaurds look pretty out east. Run into a hungry big man, and they could lose in the second round. Of course, this depends on the draw, so check back.

Iowa Watch: Elite Eight
They have balance and hungry senior leaders. These two elements, combined, of course, with credible talent, help out in the tourney. They're probably not taleneted enough to make it farther than the Eight. Actually, they're probably not talented enough to make it past the Sweet Sixteen. Heart will take them one more round before Alford jumps to Indiana.

MVC Team in Sweet Sixteen: Missouri State
I like to think one of these teams will make it. But Creighton's beat up, playing without their star, Nate Funk, or their point, Josh Dotzler. Tolliver is playing his heart out, but can a 6'9" center really do much in the tourney? UNI and Southern have forgotten how to win. That leaves us with Missouri State and Wichita State. I'm giving the nod to MSU based on the Bracketbuster last weekend, when they won at UW Millwaukee, while WSU lost to George Mason.

Iowa Fans Don't Care?

2006-02-23T09:20:00.000-08:00

After a deluge of e-mails, Luke Winn of SI changes his mind about Iowa fans. Turns out, they won't care if Steve Alford leaves for Indiana. He says,

And if the end of the Horner-Haluska-Brunner-Erek Hansen era in Iowa City does coincide with the end of the Alford era there, one gets the feeling, judging from the e-mails, that Hawkeyes fans are not sweating what will come next. The Iowa faithful think that by following Wisconsin's strategy (i.e., grabbing a coaching-star-in-the-making with local ties, like Bo Ryan was at UW-Milwaukee) and pulling Greg McDermott from Northern Iowa, the Hawkeyes could maintain their grasp on state talent, play high-efficiency Big Ten-style basketball and build the program without the constant recruiting fear of their coach leaving for Bloomington.

As for me, I may be coming on board this ship. After all, his Big Ten record has been horrible, and as S.M. from Des Moines says,

I and many others believe that this year's senior-laden team is no better or worse because of Alford's coaching, and that three key Iowa-bred players (Jeff Horner, Greg Brunner and Adam Haluska) would have joined the team regardless of who the coach was.

Chiller Challenge

2006-02-20T08:03:00.000-08:00

Holly and I ran the Chiller Challenge yesterday. Not smart ;) It was around 15 degrees outside. The run was an 8k (4.97 miles), and the last two miles were ice covered! We did ok though, considering. I ran 40:56, finishing 27 out of the 34 men in my age group. Sounds like a not so great finish, but hey, that's an 8:15 mile! Holly, on the other hand, finished 13th out of 27 women in her age group, with a 42:21 (8:32/mile), and won a medal! The run also got us memberships into the Omaha Running Club.

Here We Go Again...

2006-02-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

Steve Alford to Indiana?? Dan Patrick is yapping about it right now on ESPN radio. The St. Paul Pioneer Press says, "Don't be surprised if Indiana men's basketball coach Mike Davis resigns within 48 hours. Former Timberwolves assistant Randy Wittman, an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic, will be a finalist for the Hoosiers job. But the latest is that another Indiana grad, Steve Alford at Iowa, already has the backing of influential alumni."

Iowa Chokes

2006-02-09T08:16:00.000-08:00

Can anyone explain to me why Iowa can't hold a lead at Northwestern? Last year, they gave away a twelve point lead in the second half. This year, eleven. It looked like they got a little to confortable. It's so frustrating... after spending the whole year expecting them to lose, they get into first place, my hopes get up, and I watch them choke. Ehhhh.... Ok... I'm done with my Iowa rant now.

Quotes of the Week

2006-02-09T08:13:00.000-08:00

Nobody's dieing directly from Budweiser. You get in a car and hit a tree, that's a you problem.
Kevin Cowherd

On average, Nebraska's economy is doing just fine. But a man whose head is in the oven and whose feet are in the freezer takes no comfort in knowing that his average body temperature is perfectly normal.
Richard Dooling, New York Times

Todd Moves to St. Louis

2006-01-30T15:19:00.000-08:00

So Todd has left for St. Louis. Last Friday, we had a big going away party for him at the Dubliner downtown. Everyone will be happy to know that not all of the photos made it up on the web. I removed all of the photos that had one person licking another (according to the pictures, this was somewhat of a theme for the evening), or where someone was removing an article of clothing. This is unfortunate, both because over half of the photos fell into one of those two categories, and that the only people removing clothes were Travis and Andy. But it was a great time, and we all wish Todd the best of luck.

2006-01-25T21:23:00.000-08:00

Holly hanging out at Rockefeller Center over the Holidays.

2006-01-25T21:13:00.000-08:00

Colorado fans after the student section gets emptied :)

2006-01-25T21:11:00.000-08:00

The crew at the Nebraska/Colorado game in Boulder.