Friday, December 25, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
More Questions That Haunt Me
1• I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.
2• There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.
3• Life is sexually transmitted.
4• Healthy is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
5• The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
6• Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
7• Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?
8• Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
9• All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.
10• In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
11• How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
12• Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things and drink whatever comes out?’
13• If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?
14• Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?
15. Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?
16• Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
2• There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.
3• Life is sexually transmitted.
4• Healthy is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
5• The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
6• Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
7• Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?
8• Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
9• All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.
10• In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
11• How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
12• Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things and drink whatever comes out?’
13• If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?
14• Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?
15. Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?
16• Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Is it a Popsicle or a Pole?
Christmas Story: Boise boy licks pole, gets stuck
December 8, 2009 - 9:18pm
BOISE, Idaho (AP) - It's become an annual winter tale: A young boy gets his tongue stuck to a metal pole, perhaps as the result of a dare. This year, the scene straight out of the movie "A Christmas Story" unfolded Tuesday morning in Boise with a boy of about 10. Boise firefighters used a glass of warm water to free the unidentified boy from the metal fence pole.
Fire Capt. Bill Tinsley says the boy's tongue was bleeding a little, but he was OK and allowed to continue walking to school. Firefighters estimate the boy was 10 years old.
Rescue workers responded after a woman driving by saw the boy and called 911.
Last year, the unlucky boy was a 10-year-old from Hammond, Ind., especially apt, since the 1983 movie is set in a fictional city based on Hammond.
What's the big deal? What boy hasn't tried this? I got my tongue stuck to a pole back in the early 70's. Did I whine and cry and have the fire department come out and help me? No. I just started panting real hard to warm up the tongue and then yanked it off like a man. Sure I left part of my tongue on the pole and it bled like crazy and well I did cry like a little girl. Oh and I talked with a lisp for weeks and got beat up a lot. But it was well worth it.
December 8, 2009 - 9:18pm
BOISE, Idaho (AP) - It's become an annual winter tale: A young boy gets his tongue stuck to a metal pole, perhaps as the result of a dare. This year, the scene straight out of the movie "A Christmas Story" unfolded Tuesday morning in Boise with a boy of about 10. Boise firefighters used a glass of warm water to free the unidentified boy from the metal fence pole.
Fire Capt. Bill Tinsley says the boy's tongue was bleeding a little, but he was OK and allowed to continue walking to school. Firefighters estimate the boy was 10 years old.
Rescue workers responded after a woman driving by saw the boy and called 911.
Last year, the unlucky boy was a 10-year-old from Hammond, Ind., especially apt, since the 1983 movie is set in a fictional city based on Hammond.
What's the big deal? What boy hasn't tried this? I got my tongue stuck to a pole back in the early 70's. Did I whine and cry and have the fire department come out and help me? No. I just started panting real hard to warm up the tongue and then yanked it off like a man. Sure I left part of my tongue on the pole and it bled like crazy and well I did cry like a little girl. Oh and I talked with a lisp for weeks and got beat up a lot. But it was well worth it.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
What to do when disaster strikes?
From groceryshrink.com
Does it seem when you are trying your best to be financially responsible that unexpected budget busters start coming your way? It sure does here. The best way to prepare for a disaster or two is to have an emergency fund. If you are working as hard as you can to be debt free, you should have a $1,000 emergency fund. If you are currently debt free your emergency fund should total 6 months of expenses.
I feel so blessed to have an emergency fund, but even when an emergency strikes, I don't like to spend more of it than I have to. Here are some steps of thinking that help me to preserve as much of my emergency fund as I can:
1. How long before the repair must be made or the bill paid? (Write a specific date down.) The longer you can wait, the better your chance of finding a good deal.
2. Does insurance or warranty protection apply? (You would be shocked how many people throw an object a way or buy a new one when the broken one is still covered by warranty.)
3. How much would it cost to completely hire the repair done or to purchase a replacement item brand new?
4. Is it possible to repair the item yourself? Even if you don't currently have the knowledge can you get the information you need online or at the library? (www.Youtube.com is a valuable resource for how to videos.)
5. If you were to repair the item yourself would the cost of the supplies and tools needed (not already on hand) be more than the cost of hiring the repair done? If you did buy the tools, would they be useful to you in other applications? If so, how often would you use them? If not, could you resell the tools on ebay or craigslist and recoup some of your costs?
6. Can you trade labor with a friend who already has the tools and knowledge to make the repair and could use your services?
7. Can you buy a remnant (ie carpet or vinyl flooring) for a repair in a small room or closet?
8. Can you buy the item you need second hand? Craigslist or ebay? Can you buy it from a large volume discount merchant such as Amazon.com, Overstock.com or at a local garage sale or thrift store?
9. Can you use an alternative material or object?
Does it seem when you are trying your best to be financially responsible that unexpected budget busters start coming your way? It sure does here. The best way to prepare for a disaster or two is to have an emergency fund. If you are working as hard as you can to be debt free, you should have a $1,000 emergency fund. If you are currently debt free your emergency fund should total 6 months of expenses.
I feel so blessed to have an emergency fund, but even when an emergency strikes, I don't like to spend more of it than I have to. Here are some steps of thinking that help me to preserve as much of my emergency fund as I can:
1. How long before the repair must be made or the bill paid? (Write a specific date down.) The longer you can wait, the better your chance of finding a good deal.
2. Does insurance or warranty protection apply? (You would be shocked how many people throw an object a way or buy a new one when the broken one is still covered by warranty.)
3. How much would it cost to completely hire the repair done or to purchase a replacement item brand new?
4. Is it possible to repair the item yourself? Even if you don't currently have the knowledge can you get the information you need online or at the library? (www.Youtube.com is a valuable resource for how to videos.)
5. If you were to repair the item yourself would the cost of the supplies and tools needed (not already on hand) be more than the cost of hiring the repair done? If you did buy the tools, would they be useful to you in other applications? If so, how often would you use them? If not, could you resell the tools on ebay or craigslist and recoup some of your costs?
6. Can you trade labor with a friend who already has the tools and knowledge to make the repair and could use your services?
7. Can you buy a remnant (ie carpet or vinyl flooring) for a repair in a small room or closet?
8. Can you buy the item you need second hand? Craigslist or ebay? Can you buy it from a large volume discount merchant such as Amazon.com, Overstock.com or at a local garage sale or thrift store?
9. Can you use an alternative material or object?
Friday, December 11, 2009
Less advanced and lethal prostate cancers in male coffee drinkers
We here at SCD care about your prostate health...Drink more coffee
The American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference held December 6-9, 2009 in Houston was the site of a presentation of the finding that men with a high daily intake of coffee have a significantly lower risk of advanced and lethal prostate cancer. The beverage contains antioxidants and minerals as well as caffeine, all of which could impact cancer risk.
Postdoctoral fellow Kathryn M. Wilson, PhD of Harvard School of Public Health and her colleagues at Harvard Medical School's Channing Laboratory and McGill University in Montreal evaluated data from nearly 50,000 participants in the Health Professionals’ Follow-Up Study. Regular and decaffeinated coffee intake was assessed for 1986 and every four years thereafter until 2006. During this time period, 4,975 men developed prostate cancer.
While coffee drinking appeared to have a small protective effect on the overall risk of prostate cancer, with those who consumed 6 or more cups per day having a 19 percent lower risk compared with those who did not drink coffee, when advanced and fatal cancers were separately analyzed, the risk of each was 59 percent lower in men who consumed the most coffee, and among men who had never smoked, the risk was 89 percent lower. Similar results were observed for both regular and decaffeinated coffee. "Few studies have looked prospectively at this association, and none have looked at coffee and specific prostate cancer outcomes," noted Dr Wilson. "We specifically looked at different types of prostate cancer, such as advanced versus localized cancers or high-grade versus low-grade cancers."
Continue Reading
The American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference held December 6-9, 2009 in Houston was the site of a presentation of the finding that men with a high daily intake of coffee have a significantly lower risk of advanced and lethal prostate cancer. The beverage contains antioxidants and minerals as well as caffeine, all of which could impact cancer risk.
Postdoctoral fellow Kathryn M. Wilson, PhD of Harvard School of Public Health and her colleagues at Harvard Medical School's Channing Laboratory and McGill University in Montreal evaluated data from nearly 50,000 participants in the Health Professionals’ Follow-Up Study. Regular and decaffeinated coffee intake was assessed for 1986 and every four years thereafter until 2006. During this time period, 4,975 men developed prostate cancer.
While coffee drinking appeared to have a small protective effect on the overall risk of prostate cancer, with those who consumed 6 or more cups per day having a 19 percent lower risk compared with those who did not drink coffee, when advanced and fatal cancers were separately analyzed, the risk of each was 59 percent lower in men who consumed the most coffee, and among men who had never smoked, the risk was 89 percent lower. Similar results were observed for both regular and decaffeinated coffee. "Few studies have looked prospectively at this association, and none have looked at coffee and specific prostate cancer outcomes," noted Dr Wilson. "We specifically looked at different types of prostate cancer, such as advanced versus localized cancers or high-grade versus low-grade cancers."
Continue Reading
Jesus Knows You're Here
A burglar broke into a house one night. He shined his flashlight around, looking for valuables when a voice in the dark said,
'Jesus knows you're here.'
He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze.
When he heard nothing more, after a bit, he shook his head and continued.
Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard
'Jesus is watching you.'
Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice.
Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot.
'Did you say that?' he hissed at the parrot.
'Yep', the parrot confessed, then squawked, 'I'm just trying to warn you that he is watching you.'
The burglar relaxed. 'Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?'
'Moses,' replied the bird.
'Moses?' the burglar laughed. 'What kind of people would name a bird Moses?'
'The kind of people that would name a Rottweiler Jesus.'
'Jesus knows you're here.'
He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze.
When he heard nothing more, after a bit, he shook his head and continued.
Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard
'Jesus is watching you.'
Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice.
Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot.
'Did you say that?' he hissed at the parrot.
'Yep', the parrot confessed, then squawked, 'I'm just trying to warn you that he is watching you.'
The burglar relaxed. 'Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?'
'Moses,' replied the bird.
'Moses?' the burglar laughed. 'What kind of people would name a bird Moses?'
'The kind of people that would name a Rottweiler Jesus.'
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Shunning the Family Bed. Who Benefits Most?
From Mercola.com
According to Dr. Jay Gordon, babies sleeping on a safe surface with sober, nonsmoking parents respond to their parents, and the parents respond to them. The chance of SIDS occurring in this situation are close to zero. Babies in a crib or in a room away from their parents, on the other hand, will breastfeed less and are at greater risk of infections, including life-threatening ones.
The medical profession, as it often does, is approaching the entire idea of the family bed backward. A baby in the same bed with his or her parents is surrounded by the best possible surveillance and safety system. It must be the responsibility of the manufacturers and proponents of cribs and separated sleep to prove that such disruption is safe, not the other way around.
Newborn babies breathe in irregular rhythms and even stop breathing for a few seconds at a time. To put it simply, they are not designed to sleep alone.
Read the Rest of the Article Here
Our babies pretty much sleep with us when they are newborns. What do the rest of you do? Just curious. Not trying to start a big debate or anything.
According to Dr. Jay Gordon, babies sleeping on a safe surface with sober, nonsmoking parents respond to their parents, and the parents respond to them. The chance of SIDS occurring in this situation are close to zero. Babies in a crib or in a room away from their parents, on the other hand, will breastfeed less and are at greater risk of infections, including life-threatening ones.
The medical profession, as it often does, is approaching the entire idea of the family bed backward. A baby in the same bed with his or her parents is surrounded by the best possible surveillance and safety system. It must be the responsibility of the manufacturers and proponents of cribs and separated sleep to prove that such disruption is safe, not the other way around.
Newborn babies breathe in irregular rhythms and even stop breathing for a few seconds at a time. To put it simply, they are not designed to sleep alone.
Read the Rest of the Article Here
Our babies pretty much sleep with us when they are newborns. What do the rest of you do? Just curious. Not trying to start a big debate or anything.
Questions That Haunt Me
An old list but funny...
Can you cry under water?
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
Why do you have to 'put your two cents in'...but it's only a 'penny for your thoughts'? Where's that extra penny going to?
Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
What disease did cured ham actually have?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up like every two hours?
If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
Why do doctors leave the room while you change?
They're going to see you naked anyway...
Why is 'bra' singular and 'panties' plural?
Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?
If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours?
They're both dogs!
If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?
Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they know there is not enough money?
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?
Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?
Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?
If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?
Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, 'It's all right?' Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, 'That really hurt, why don't you watch where you're going?'
Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?
The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons are suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.
Can you cry under water?
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
Why do you have to 'put your two cents in'...but it's only a 'penny for your thoughts'? Where's that extra penny going to?
Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
What disease did cured ham actually have?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up like every two hours?
If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
Why do doctors leave the room while you change?
They're going to see you naked anyway...
Why is 'bra' singular and 'panties' plural?
Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?
If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours?
They're both dogs!
If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?
Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they know there is not enough money?
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?
Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?
Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?
If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?
Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, 'It's all right?' Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, 'That really hurt, why don't you watch where you're going?'
Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?
The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons are suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Today's Workouts
10.69 sunny miles at lunch time. Post rain run. It turned out to be a nice day out there. I wore my Asics DS Trainer 13 running shoes.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
While I Was Away
I wasn't wasting my time laying around doing nothing.
There were bills to pay, roads to run, tv to watch, belly-buttons to clean out, kids to play with, a wife to worship....
...and of course Christmas lights to put up on the house...
There were bills to pay, roads to run, tv to watch, belly-buttons to clean out, kids to play with, a wife to worship....
...and of course Christmas lights to put up on the house...
Today's Workouts
6.7 mile run at lunch time. A nice sunny cool day here in Maryland with that nasty white stuff from Saturday just about melted. Wore my Asics DS Trainer 14 running shoes.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
An Obituary printed in the London Times
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain
Why the early bird gets the worm
Life isn't always Fair
and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason…
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers: I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
Knowing when to come in out of the rain
Why the early bird gets the worm
Life isn't always Fair
and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason…
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers: I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Random Thoughts from Variuos People
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing stinks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this -- ever.
15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
18. My 10-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the heck do I respond to that?
19. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
20. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Bud Lites than Kay.
2. Nothing stinks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this -- ever.
15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
18. My 10-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the heck do I respond to that?
19. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
20. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Bud Lites than Kay.
Ok so its been awhile since I posted something
I hope y'all have enjoyed the break.
So what have I been up to? Not much really. Just life.
So what have I been up to? Not much really. Just life.
- Hanging out with the family and my lovely bride
- Sam is potty training Eric. How come I don't get a piece of candy when I go in the toilet?
- Still running and it has been getting better. I had to skip my big 50 mile race last week due to back/hip pain. I have been going to the chiropractor for the past 3 weeks and it's getting better. Always doing strengthening and stretching exercises at home.
- Thanksgiving was ok. We cooked a 22 pound turkey and 6 Cornish game hens. Looked like a family of birds had been slaughtered.
- The kids have another week and half of school and then they are done for the holidays.
- Bought a new pair of running shoes with some birthday money. Shocking I know.
- Trying to figure out what races I want to do next year
- Cecilia (Hunter) turned 4 yesterday
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Because I've got Nothing Else
A little boy went up to his father and asked: 'Dad, where did my intelligence come from?'
The father replied. 'Well, son, you must have got it from your mother, cause I still have mine.'
'Mr. Clark, I have reviewed this case very carefully, ' the divorce Court Judge said, 'And I've decided to give your wife $775 a week,'
'That's very fair, your honor,' the husband said. 'And every now and then I'll try to send her a few bucks myself.'
A doctor examining a woman who had been rushed to the Emergency Room, took the husband aside, and said, 'I don't like the looks of your wife at all.'
'Me neither doc,' said the husband. 'But she's a great cook and really good with the kids.'
An old man goes to the Wizard to ask him if he can remove a curse he has been living with for the last 40 years.
The Wizard says, 'Maybe, but you will have to tell me the exact words that were used to put the curse on you.'
The old man says without hesitation, 'I now pronounce you man and wife.'
Two Reasons Why It's So Hard To Solve A Redneck Murder:
1. The DNA all matches.
2. There are no dental records.
A blonde calls Delta Airlines and asks, 'Can you tell me how long it'll take to fly from San Francisco to New York City?'
The agent replies, 'Just a minute.'
'Thank you,' the blonde says, and hangs up.
Two Mexican detectives were investigating the murder of Juan Gonzalez.
'How was he killed?' asked one detective.
'With a golf gun,' the other detective replied.
'A golf gun! What is a golf gun?'
'I don't know. But it sure made a hole in Juan.'
Moe: 'My wife got me to believe in religion.'
Joe: 'Really?'
Moe: 'Yeah. Until I married her I didn't believe in Hell’
A man is recovering from surgery when the Surgical Nurse appears and asks him how he is feeling.
'I'm O. K. but I didn't like the four letter-words the doctor used in surgery,' he answered.
'What did he say,' asked the nurse.
'Oops!'
While shopping for vacation clothes, my husband and I passed a display of bathing suits. It had been at least ten years and twenty pounds since I had even considered buying a bathing suit, so I sought my husband's advice.
'What do you think?' I asked. 'Should I get a bikini or an all-in-one?'
'Better get a bikini,' he replied. 'You'd never get it all in one.'
He's still in intensive care.
The graveside service just barely finished, when there was massive clap of thunder, followed by a tremendous bolt of lightning, accompanied by even more thunder rumbling in the distance.
The little old man looked at the pastor and calmly said, 'Well, she's there.'
The father replied. 'Well, son, you must have got it from your mother, cause I still have mine.'
'Mr. Clark, I have reviewed this case very carefully, ' the divorce Court Judge said, 'And I've decided to give your wife $775 a week,'
'That's very fair, your honor,' the husband said. 'And every now and then I'll try to send her a few bucks myself.'
A doctor examining a woman who had been rushed to the Emergency Room, took the husband aside, and said, 'I don't like the looks of your wife at all.'
'Me neither doc,' said the husband. 'But she's a great cook and really good with the kids.'
An old man goes to the Wizard to ask him if he can remove a curse he has been living with for the last 40 years.
The Wizard says, 'Maybe, but you will have to tell me the exact words that were used to put the curse on you.'
The old man says without hesitation, 'I now pronounce you man and wife.'
Two Reasons Why It's So Hard To Solve A Redneck Murder:
1. The DNA all matches.
2. There are no dental records.
A blonde calls Delta Airlines and asks, 'Can you tell me how long it'll take to fly from San Francisco to New York City?'
The agent replies, 'Just a minute.'
'Thank you,' the blonde says, and hangs up.
Two Mexican detectives were investigating the murder of Juan Gonzalez.
'How was he killed?' asked one detective.
'With a golf gun,' the other detective replied.
'A golf gun! What is a golf gun?'
'I don't know. But it sure made a hole in Juan.'
Moe: 'My wife got me to believe in religion.'
Joe: 'Really?'
Moe: 'Yeah. Until I married her I didn't believe in Hell’
A man is recovering from surgery when the Surgical Nurse appears and asks him how he is feeling.
'I'm O. K. but I didn't like the four letter-words the doctor used in surgery,' he answered.
'What did he say,' asked the nurse.
'Oops!'
While shopping for vacation clothes, my husband and I passed a display of bathing suits. It had been at least ten years and twenty pounds since I had even considered buying a bathing suit, so I sought my husband's advice.
'What do you think?' I asked. 'Should I get a bikini or an all-in-one?'
'Better get a bikini,' he replied. 'You'd never get it all in one.'
He's still in intensive care.
The graveside service just barely finished, when there was massive clap of thunder, followed by a tremendous bolt of lightning, accompanied by even more thunder rumbling in the distance.
The little old man looked at the pastor and calmly said, 'Well, she's there.'
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Always the Bridesmaid Never the Bride
Once again I came in second place
Johnny Depp wins his 2nd 'Sexiest Man Alive' title
November 18, 2009 - 8:58am
NEW YORK (AP) - Get lost, Hugh Jackman. This year's "Sexiest Man Alive" is once again Johnny Depp.
Depp nudged aside Jackman to get the coveted endorsement from People magazine Wednesday. It's the 46-year-old actor's second time as "Sexiest Man Alive." He also won in 2003.
Kate Coyne, senior editor at People, said on CBS' "Early Show" that Depp has achieved an almost "iconic status in terms of sexiness."
Says Coyne: "Johnny Depp was someone who was sexy 10 years ago. He'll be sexy 10 years from now. He's someone who appeals to multiple generations of women."
Depp joins other double winners Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Richard Gere.
Matt Bomer, who stars in USA's "White Collar," was named "Sexiest Rising Star."
Johnny Depp wins his 2nd 'Sexiest Man Alive' title
November 18, 2009 - 8:58am
NEW YORK (AP) - Get lost, Hugh Jackman. This year's "Sexiest Man Alive" is once again Johnny Depp.
Depp nudged aside Jackman to get the coveted endorsement from People magazine Wednesday. It's the 46-year-old actor's second time as "Sexiest Man Alive." He also won in 2003.
Kate Coyne, senior editor at People, said on CBS' "Early Show" that Depp has achieved an almost "iconic status in terms of sexiness."
Says Coyne: "Johnny Depp was someone who was sexy 10 years ago. He'll be sexy 10 years from now. He's someone who appeals to multiple generations of women."
Depp joins other double winners Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Richard Gere.
Matt Bomer, who stars in USA's "White Collar," was named "Sexiest Rising Star."
Monday, November 16, 2009
Walking Eagle
I offer insincere apologies in advance if this offends anyone.
President Obama was invited to address a major gathering of the American Indian Nation two weeks ago in upstate New York.
He spoke for almost an hour about his plans for increasing every Native American’s present standard of living. He referred to his time as a U.S. Senator and how he had voted for every Native American issue that came to the floor of the Senate.
Although President Obama was vague about the details of his plans, he seemed most enthusiastic and spoke eloquently about his ideas for helping his “red sisters and brothers.”
At the conclusion of his speech, the Tribes presented Obama with a plaque inscribed with his new Indian name, “Walking Eagle.” The proud President then departed in his motorcade to a fundraiser, waving to the crowds.
A news reporter later asked the group of chiefs how they came to select the new name they had given to the President.
They explained that “Walking Eagle” is the name given to a bird so full of shit it can no longer fly.
President Obama was invited to address a major gathering of the American Indian Nation two weeks ago in upstate New York.
He spoke for almost an hour about his plans for increasing every Native American’s present standard of living. He referred to his time as a U.S. Senator and how he had voted for every Native American issue that came to the floor of the Senate.
Although President Obama was vague about the details of his plans, he seemed most enthusiastic and spoke eloquently about his ideas for helping his “red sisters and brothers.”
At the conclusion of his speech, the Tribes presented Obama with a plaque inscribed with his new Indian name, “Walking Eagle.” The proud President then departed in his motorcade to a fundraiser, waving to the crowds.
A news reporter later asked the group of chiefs how they came to select the new name they had given to the President.
They explained that “Walking Eagle” is the name given to a bird so full of shit it can no longer fly.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Today's Workouts
6 cold and rainy miles at lunch time. 3rd day in a row of temps in the 40's and rain. If I had wanted Seattle or Liverpool weather I'd move there. Wore my Asics DS Trainer running shoes.
Went to the Chiropractor yesterday in an attempt to get my lower back/hips/butt/hamstring issue fixed before the big race in 8 days. I have a very tight SI joint. Dr got it a bit looser yesterday and I'll be going back 3 times next week so hopefully it will be better come race day. It did feel a bit better on today's run.
Went to the Chiropractor yesterday in an attempt to get my lower back/hips/butt/hamstring issue fixed before the big race in 8 days. I have a very tight SI joint. Dr got it a bit looser yesterday and I'll be going back 3 times next week so hopefully it will be better come race day. It did feel a bit better on today's run.
Pet Peeve Phriday
Today’s pet pheeve is prayer requests. But lest you think I’m totally heartless, not just any prayer requests. I’m talking about those pathetic ones, usually sent via an email that has been forwarded about 100 times by bored housewives, which involve some lame request.
You know the kind:
Subject: Urgent Prayer request
Sent: 1/12/09
To: Entire Inbox
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I just received a desperate call from my second cousin twice removed on my step-father’s side of the family. I may have told you about them in an urgent prayer request last week. That is the side of the family from Boise who has been in the refuge removal business for generations.
Anyway my cousin, Ida Mae, was at the Piggly Wiggly supermarket and ran into her prom date from high school (I’m sure I’ve told you about Billy Ray, such a sad story) and he was all distraught. It seems that his third wife’s niece, Bambi, has an entrance exam for cosmetology school in the morning and she is very nervous about it. This will be the fourth time she has taken it and I believe five is the limit.
Bambi is the pride and last hope of the family. She is already an assistant hostess at the Double T dinner (midnight to 8am shift) but she has had her heart set on cosmetology school since that Christmas so many years ago when she was given a Barbie Style Salon Play Set.
So I ask all prayer warriors out there to lift up our sister Barbie in prayer. Let’s storm the gates of heaven dear sisters. Fire up those votive candles.
Amen and God Bless
So spare me the prayer requests for sick cats (that’s a blessing), a painful hang nail, for your toddler to get into a private preschool...I’ve got more than enough to pray for here at home as it is.
But do send on any requests involving serious illness, financial difficulties, teenager in trouble, doubts of faith etc...
Or you can send any and all prayer requests to my wife. She will pray for anyone anytime for any reason. Her list of intentions before the family rosary takes longer to recite then the actual rosary. We finally had to install a 10-intention or less express rosary option.
And yes I do know that I have a long stint in purgatory coming my way :P
You know the kind:
Subject: Urgent Prayer request
Sent: 1/12/09
To: Entire Inbox
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I just received a desperate call from my second cousin twice removed on my step-father’s side of the family. I may have told you about them in an urgent prayer request last week. That is the side of the family from Boise who has been in the refuge removal business for generations.
Anyway my cousin, Ida Mae, was at the Piggly Wiggly supermarket and ran into her prom date from high school (I’m sure I’ve told you about Billy Ray, such a sad story) and he was all distraught. It seems that his third wife’s niece, Bambi, has an entrance exam for cosmetology school in the morning and she is very nervous about it. This will be the fourth time she has taken it and I believe five is the limit.
Bambi is the pride and last hope of the family. She is already an assistant hostess at the Double T dinner (midnight to 8am shift) but she has had her heart set on cosmetology school since that Christmas so many years ago when she was given a Barbie Style Salon Play Set.
So I ask all prayer warriors out there to lift up our sister Barbie in prayer. Let’s storm the gates of heaven dear sisters. Fire up those votive candles.
Amen and God Bless
So spare me the prayer requests for sick cats (that’s a blessing), a painful hang nail, for your toddler to get into a private preschool...I’ve got more than enough to pray for here at home as it is.
But do send on any requests involving serious illness, financial difficulties, teenager in trouble, doubts of faith etc...
Or you can send any and all prayer requests to my wife. She will pray for anyone anytime for any reason. Her list of intentions before the family rosary takes longer to recite then the actual rosary. We finally had to install a 10-intention or less express rosary option.
And yes I do know that I have a long stint in purgatory coming my way :P
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Today's Workouts
7 mile run yesterday in the cold rain. First I ran to the library and returned an over due item then went to the high school next door and used their track since school was closed for Veteran's Day and the Nazi administrators weren't there to chase me off. I wore my Asics DS Trainer running shoes.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A New Holiday to Worship the Emperor.
I went to the Marion Military Institute that is mentioned in this story for my freshmen year of college.
The Town of Marion and the surrounding county is a boil on the butt of this county.
From the AP -
Alabama county celebrates official Obama holiday
By BOB JOHNSON (AP) – 3 days ago
MARION, Ala. — The sign going on the front door at the Perry County courthouse reads: "Closed for the Obama Holiday."
The rural, mostly black county has proclaimed Monday as an official holiday celebrating the election of the nation's first black president, Barack Obama. It's one of Alabama's poorest counties, but it's sparing little during five days of festivities.
County employees, as well as city workers in Marion and Uniontown, will get a paid holiday Monday as government offices close, culminating a series of events including an old-fashioned civil rights rally and march, a golf tournament, a weekend carnival and a parade Monday through Marion.
Read the rest of the article here if you can handle the nausea.
The Town of Marion and the surrounding county is a boil on the butt of this county.
From the AP -
Alabama county celebrates official Obama holiday
By BOB JOHNSON (AP) – 3 days ago
MARION, Ala. — The sign going on the front door at the Perry County courthouse reads: "Closed for the Obama Holiday."
The rural, mostly black county has proclaimed Monday as an official holiday celebrating the election of the nation's first black president, Barack Obama. It's one of Alabama's poorest counties, but it's sparing little during five days of festivities.
County employees, as well as city workers in Marion and Uniontown, will get a paid holiday Monday as government offices close, culminating a series of events including an old-fashioned civil rights rally and march, a golf tournament, a weekend carnival and a parade Monday through Marion.
Read the rest of the article here if you can handle the nausea.
50th Wedding Anniversary
A man and his wife were celebrating 50 years together.
Their three kids, all very successful, agreed to a Sunday dinner in their honor.
"Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad", gushed son number one. "Sorry I'm running late. I had an emergency at the hospital with a patient.....you know how it is... and didn't have time to get you a gift.."
"Not to worry", said the father. "The important thing is that we're all together today."
Son number two arrived and announced, "You and Mom look great, Dad. I just flew in from Los Angeles between depositions and didn't have time to shop for you."
"It's nothing", said the father. We're glad you were able to come."
Just then the daughter arrived, "Hello and Happy Anniversary! I'm sorry, but my boss is sending me out of town and I was really busy packing so I didn't have time to get you anything."
After they finished dessert, the father said, "There's something your mother and I have wanted to tell you for a long time. You see, though we were very poor, we were able to send each of you to college. Throughout the years your mother and I knew we loved each other very much, but we just never found the time to get married."
The three children gasped and all said, "You mean we're bastards?"
"Yep", said the father, "and cheap ones, too!"
Their three kids, all very successful, agreed to a Sunday dinner in their honor.
"Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad", gushed son number one. "Sorry I'm running late. I had an emergency at the hospital with a patient.....you know how it is... and didn't have time to get you a gift.."
"Not to worry", said the father. "The important thing is that we're all together today."
Son number two arrived and announced, "You and Mom look great, Dad. I just flew in from Los Angeles between depositions and didn't have time to shop for you."
"It's nothing", said the father. We're glad you were able to come."
Just then the daughter arrived, "Hello and Happy Anniversary! I'm sorry, but my boss is sending me out of town and I was really busy packing so I didn't have time to get you anything."
After they finished dessert, the father said, "There's something your mother and I have wanted to tell you for a long time. You see, though we were very poor, we were able to send each of you to college. Throughout the years your mother and I knew we loved each other very much, but we just never found the time to get married."
The three children gasped and all said, "You mean we're bastards?"
"Yep", said the father, "and cheap ones, too!"
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Today's Workouts
10 miles running at noon on a rather pleasant day. I wore my Saucony Tangent 3 running shoes. No rant today on the town I ran in since it's my hometown.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Today's Workouts
Decent 6 mile run at lunch time today wearing my Asics DS Trainers. The weather is fantastic here. 75 and mostly sunny. The run went well other than almost getting run over by some Starbucks drinking woman in a Volvo with “practice random acts of kindness” and “choose civility” bumper stickers.
Speaking of which have you people not from the Maryland area seen those stupid “choose civility” bumper stickers? Has that scourge spread your way? They started a few years ago in Howard County Maryland, Columbia MD in particular. They originally started as a campaign by the library to promote reading of the book by the same title. They have since spread to the upper middle class liberals that rule this area. Columbia MD, which is where I currently work (and run 3 days a week), is possibly the most politically correct city on the east coast. They like to think themselves the most tolerant people out there. Of course they are tolerant only of anyone that agrees with their whacked-out ideas. They are California liberal without the good tans, good looks, good food and beaches. It’s a very phony and sad city. Totally planned out by the Rouse company years ago to be ‘inclusive’. Every type of housing there is all mixed in together. Now you might want to live down the street from low-income and public housing but I’m fine just where I am.
Even the churches are all PC loving stale places. The local Catholic Church meets in buildings that are shared with others. There are 4 ‘interfaith centers” in Columbia. For example, The Meeting House Interfaith Center, has 6 different congregations meeting there. You’ve got 2 different Jewish congregations (one reformed and one reconstruction...whatever all that means), a Baptist church, a Lutheran church, a Church of Christ and St. John the Evangelist Catholic church all sharing a community meeting place and holding their services there. This in a large wealthy city. 85,000 residents with an above average income. One of the tenets of the city when it was planned was: “Columbia was designed to eliminate racial, religious, and income segregation”.
After working here for awhile and running through the neighborhoods and going to the stores and restaurants, it's pretty much like any other lousy suburb. Lots of Apple Bees and Home Depots and Best Buys etc...But sadly it comes with a premium price and a lot of superior attitude.
Thankfully a backlash against the stickers has started and someone is now making a bumper sticker that is an antidote to those obnoxious ones.
Speaking of which have you people not from the Maryland area seen those stupid “choose civility” bumper stickers? Has that scourge spread your way? They started a few years ago in Howard County Maryland, Columbia MD in particular. They originally started as a campaign by the library to promote reading of the book by the same title. They have since spread to the upper middle class liberals that rule this area. Columbia MD, which is where I currently work (and run 3 days a week), is possibly the most politically correct city on the east coast. They like to think themselves the most tolerant people out there. Of course they are tolerant only of anyone that agrees with their whacked-out ideas. They are California liberal without the good tans, good looks, good food and beaches. It’s a very phony and sad city. Totally planned out by the Rouse company years ago to be ‘inclusive’. Every type of housing there is all mixed in together. Now you might want to live down the street from low-income and public housing but I’m fine just where I am.
Even the churches are all PC loving stale places. The local Catholic Church meets in buildings that are shared with others. There are 4 ‘interfaith centers” in Columbia. For example, The Meeting House Interfaith Center, has 6 different congregations meeting there. You’ve got 2 different Jewish congregations (one reformed and one reconstruction...whatever all that means), a Baptist church, a Lutheran church, a Church of Christ and St. John the Evangelist Catholic church all sharing a community meeting place and holding their services there. This in a large wealthy city. 85,000 residents with an above average income. One of the tenets of the city when it was planned was: “Columbia was designed to eliminate racial, religious, and income segregation”.
After working here for awhile and running through the neighborhoods and going to the stores and restaurants, it's pretty much like any other lousy suburb. Lots of Apple Bees and Home Depots and Best Buys etc...But sadly it comes with a premium price and a lot of superior attitude.
Thankfully a backlash against the stickers has started and someone is now making a bumper sticker that is an antidote to those obnoxious ones.
Steve Wood's Top 10 for 2009
For those of you who don't know Steve. He is a former protestant pastor who converted to Catholicism years ago and he is the founder of St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers.
He was also hugely instrumental in the early 90's in keeping me Catholic during a crisis of faith, faith in the true church not faith in God - that's a story for another much longer and thought out post.
So check out his list. Christmas is coming after all. And while the items on his list might not give you the instant worldly satisfaction that say a new pair of running shoes or a pound of Italian Roast Coffee does, they will have lasting eternal benefits.
Check out Steve's Top 10 resources for Catholic families for 2009
And check out his websites for other great resources and information:
Family Life Center
and
Dad's.org
He was also hugely instrumental in the early 90's in keeping me Catholic during a crisis of faith, faith in the true church not faith in God - that's a story for another much longer and thought out post.
So check out his list. Christmas is coming after all. And while the items on his list might not give you the instant worldly satisfaction that say a new pair of running shoes or a pound of Italian Roast Coffee does, they will have lasting eternal benefits.
Check out Steve's Top 10 resources for Catholic families for 2009
And check out his websites for other great resources and information:
Family Life Center
and
Dad's.org
Friday, November 6, 2009
Today's Workouts
A short run or two each day this week. Nothing special. 6 miles today at lunch time. I need to start picking my mileage back up or eating less. My body shape is changing and not for the better I'd say. Well you be the judge. Sam took this picture of me yesterday.
More Health Benefits of Black Gold
Coffee brims with health benefits, researchers say
The Palm Beach Post, Fla.
11-02-09
Oct. 31--Drink up, coffee lovers. Not only is coffee aromatic and delicious, it's good for you.
Who says? None other than Harvard Medical School.
Once considered questionable for your health, it turns out that the beloved beverage is actually healthful in moderation. That means a few cups a day.
At about 20 cents per 6-ounce cup, coffee is a good deal if you brew it yourself.
Harvard researchers say drinking coffee may help prevent diseases such as:
Cancer: Some studies have found coffee drinkers have lower rates of colon and rectal cancers and are 50 percent less likely to get liver cancer than coffee abstainers.
Type 2 diabetes: Coffee is thought to contain chemicals that lower blood sugar because heavy coffee drinkers may be half as likely to get diabetes as those who drink little or no coffee. Coffee also may increase your resting metabolism rate, which could help prevent diabetes.
Parkinson's disease: Coffee seems to help protect men from Parkinson's disease, but not women. The difference might be due to estrogen, researchers say.
Heart disease: Coffee is not linked to the development of heart disease. In the past few years, Harvard scientists say, coffee has been shown to be safe even for heart attack survivors. Scientists think antioxidants in coffee may reduce inflammation and protect blood vessel walls.
Life span: Recent studies suggest that drinking coffee decreases the risk of premature death, especially in women. Women who drank at least five to seven cups a week had a death rate 26 percent lower than non-consumers, a large investigation by researchers in Spain and at Harvard Medical School found.
Read the full article here
The Palm Beach Post, Fla.
11-02-09
Oct. 31--Drink up, coffee lovers. Not only is coffee aromatic and delicious, it's good for you.
Who says? None other than Harvard Medical School.
Once considered questionable for your health, it turns out that the beloved beverage is actually healthful in moderation. That means a few cups a day.
At about 20 cents per 6-ounce cup, coffee is a good deal if you brew it yourself.
Harvard researchers say drinking coffee may help prevent diseases such as:
Cancer: Some studies have found coffee drinkers have lower rates of colon and rectal cancers and are 50 percent less likely to get liver cancer than coffee abstainers.
Type 2 diabetes: Coffee is thought to contain chemicals that lower blood sugar because heavy coffee drinkers may be half as likely to get diabetes as those who drink little or no coffee. Coffee also may increase your resting metabolism rate, which could help prevent diabetes.
Parkinson's disease: Coffee seems to help protect men from Parkinson's disease, but not women. The difference might be due to estrogen, researchers say.
Heart disease: Coffee is not linked to the development of heart disease. In the past few years, Harvard scientists say, coffee has been shown to be safe even for heart attack survivors. Scientists think antioxidants in coffee may reduce inflammation and protect blood vessel walls.
Life span: Recent studies suggest that drinking coffee decreases the risk of premature death, especially in women. Women who drank at least five to seven cups a week had a death rate 26 percent lower than non-consumers, a large investigation by researchers in Spain and at Harvard Medical School found.
Read the full article here
Monday, November 2, 2009
Excuse me while I act vain for awhile
My best marathon time to date was at the Baltimore Marathon 2 weeks ago. I finished in a time of 3:44:18. I got curious to see what famous people have run marathons and what their times were (yes I’m that competitive).
The following people I smoked - HA!
Meredith Baxter, Family Ties, New York City Marathon
4:08:30
Alex P. Keaton would not be pleased
Anthony Edwards, Chicago Marathon
3:55:40
Who is Anothony Edwards? I have no idea. Oh well I dusted dude too.
David James Elliott, JAG, Boston Marathon
4:57:23
I just love how these celebrities get entries into Boston without earning it. The rest of us slackers have to qualify.
Will Ferrell, Boston Marathon
3:56:12
I wonder if he entertained fellow runners with jokes.
David Lee Roth, former lead singer of Van Halen, New York City Marathon
Guess dude stopped to hit on the girls along the way
6:04:43
Mario López, Saved by the Bell, Boston Marathon
5:41:41
That time is lame Mario, just like the show you were in. You could walk a marathon that fast.
Peter Weller, New York City Marathon
3:51:26
I beat Robo Cop! Cool!
Freddie Prinze, Jr., Los Angeles Marathon
5:50:49
Freddie must have been flirting with the ladies with David Lee.
Danni Boatwright, Winner: Survivor: Guatemala, Nashville Country Music Marathon
4:23:24
I guess she was stopping along the way to eat slugs and grasshoppers, how else to explain that time
Oprah Winfrey, Marine Corps Marathon
4:29:20
Like Thumpers dad says. “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
Kerri Strug, Gymnast, Houston Marathon
4:12:06
Not bad but no gold medal performance. It must be those short legs (like I’m one to talk)
Lisa Ling, formerly of The View, Boston Marathon
4:34:18
Is there a worse show on TV for guys than The View? Other than Oprah of course
P. Diddy (Sean Combs), New York City Marathon
4:14:54.
I would have shot myself in the face if I ran slower than Puff Daddy or whatever his handle is these days. Actually I’m surprised he didn’t shoot me.
Lynn Swann, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, New York City
4:26:21
Looks like Swann has lost a step or three. Maybe if people in the crowd tossed him footballs while he was running he would have gone faster
George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States, Houston Marathon
3:44:52
I just barely beat W’s time. But at least I can say nuclear
Al Gore, Vice President of the United States at the time, Marine Corps Marathon
4:58:25
He probably was late to the start because he was busy inventing the internet.
Kim Alexis, model, New York City Marathon
3:52:00
I could probably slow myself done a bit and run that pace
Ali Landry, model, Boston Marathon
5:41:41
Ok I’m not slowing myself down that much, model or not
And ones that are faster than me
William Baldwin, New York City Marathon
3:24:29
Not sure which Baldwin brother he is (I don't think even their mother can keep them straight) but I’m glad it wasn’t the fat slob Alec Baldwin that beat my time
Lance Armstrong, Seven-time Tour de France champion and triathlete, New York City Marathon
2:59:36
Lance “Drug Doper” Armstrong beat my time? What a shock. Come on Lance you can do better than that. There is no drug testing at NYM unless you win.
Joan Van Ark, Santa Ana 1979
3:35:00
Never cared for Knott’s Landing but that is some fast running
Michael Dukakis, Former Governor of Massachusetts, Boston Marathon
3:31:00
That little dweeb beat me? Must train harder.
Björn Ulvaeus, former member of Swedish band ABBA, Stockholm Marathon.
3:23:54!
Ok now I’m down right embarrassed. ABBA? Seriously dude was in ABBA. I may not be able to show myself in public. I need a hug
John Edwards, Former United States Senator, Marine Corps Marathon
3:30:18
Guess all his spare time wasn’t spent cheating on his wife
Mikuláš Dzurinda, Prime Minister of Slovakia, Malokarpatsky Marathon
2:54:57!
I have no idea who he is or wear Slovakia is but that is a real sweet time. Better than Lance’s
The following people I smoked - HA!
Meredith Baxter, Family Ties, New York City Marathon
4:08:30
Alex P. Keaton would not be pleased
Anthony Edwards, Chicago Marathon
3:55:40
Who is Anothony Edwards? I have no idea. Oh well I dusted dude too.
David James Elliott, JAG, Boston Marathon
4:57:23
I just love how these celebrities get entries into Boston without earning it. The rest of us slackers have to qualify.
Will Ferrell, Boston Marathon
3:56:12
I wonder if he entertained fellow runners with jokes.
David Lee Roth, former lead singer of Van Halen, New York City Marathon
Guess dude stopped to hit on the girls along the way
6:04:43
Mario López, Saved by the Bell, Boston Marathon
5:41:41
That time is lame Mario, just like the show you were in. You could walk a marathon that fast.
Peter Weller, New York City Marathon
3:51:26
I beat Robo Cop! Cool!
Freddie Prinze, Jr., Los Angeles Marathon
5:50:49
Freddie must have been flirting with the ladies with David Lee.
Danni Boatwright, Winner: Survivor: Guatemala, Nashville Country Music Marathon
4:23:24
I guess she was stopping along the way to eat slugs and grasshoppers, how else to explain that time
Oprah Winfrey, Marine Corps Marathon
4:29:20
Like Thumpers dad says. “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
Kerri Strug, Gymnast, Houston Marathon
4:12:06
Not bad but no gold medal performance. It must be those short legs (like I’m one to talk)
Lisa Ling, formerly of The View, Boston Marathon
4:34:18
Is there a worse show on TV for guys than The View? Other than Oprah of course
P. Diddy (Sean Combs), New York City Marathon
4:14:54.
I would have shot myself in the face if I ran slower than Puff Daddy or whatever his handle is these days. Actually I’m surprised he didn’t shoot me.
Lynn Swann, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, New York City
4:26:21
Looks like Swann has lost a step or three. Maybe if people in the crowd tossed him footballs while he was running he would have gone faster
George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States, Houston Marathon
3:44:52
I just barely beat W’s time. But at least I can say nuclear
Al Gore, Vice President of the United States at the time, Marine Corps Marathon
4:58:25
He probably was late to the start because he was busy inventing the internet.
Kim Alexis, model, New York City Marathon
3:52:00
I could probably slow myself done a bit and run that pace
Ali Landry, model, Boston Marathon
5:41:41
Ok I’m not slowing myself down that much, model or not
And ones that are faster than me
William Baldwin, New York City Marathon
3:24:29
Not sure which Baldwin brother he is (I don't think even their mother can keep them straight) but I’m glad it wasn’t the fat slob Alec Baldwin that beat my time
Lance Armstrong, Seven-time Tour de France champion and triathlete, New York City Marathon
2:59:36
Lance “Drug Doper” Armstrong beat my time? What a shock. Come on Lance you can do better than that. There is no drug testing at NYM unless you win.
Joan Van Ark, Santa Ana 1979
3:35:00
Never cared for Knott’s Landing but that is some fast running
Michael Dukakis, Former Governor of Massachusetts, Boston Marathon
3:31:00
That little dweeb beat me? Must train harder.
Björn Ulvaeus, former member of Swedish band ABBA, Stockholm Marathon.
3:23:54!
Ok now I’m down right embarrassed. ABBA? Seriously dude was in ABBA. I may not be able to show myself in public. I need a hug
John Edwards, Former United States Senator, Marine Corps Marathon
3:30:18
Guess all his spare time wasn’t spent cheating on his wife
Mikuláš Dzurinda, Prime Minister of Slovakia, Malokarpatsky Marathon
2:54:57!
I have no idea who he is or wear Slovakia is but that is a real sweet time. Better than Lance’s
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Where is that Darn Vacuum Cleaner and Mop Anyway?
Housework Pays Off Between the Sheets
by Sue Shellenbarger
Wall Street Journal
Housework may seem like the ultimate romance-killer. But guess what?
A new study shows that for husbands and wives alike, the more housework you do, the more often you are likely to have sex with your spouse.
Earlier studies have hinted at this connection for men; the sight of a husband mopping the floor or doing dishes sparks affection in the hearts of many wives. But the more-housework-equals-more-sex link for wives, documented in a study of 6,877 married couples published online recently in the Journal of Family Issues, is a surprise.
Scrubbing the floor is no aphrodisiac, and seeing your spouse doing it usually isn't either. "My husband loves doing laundry, yet I don't get any thrill out of his doing it," says Chicago writer Julie Danis. And "I don't think he thinks it's sexy when I go around gathering the detritus of his daily life."
But for some high achievers who take a "work hard, play hard" approach to life, researchers say, working hard in one domain produces more energy for others. The study also found a correlation between hours spent on paid work and the frequency of sex in marriage.
"Rather than compromise their sex life" because of time demands at work or at home, "this group of go-getters seems to make sex a priority," says Constance Gager, lead researcher and an assistant professor of family and child studies at Montclair State University, Montclair, N.J. The study doesn't measure what proportion of spouses fall into this group, but she believes "they are on the leading edge of couples we expect to see more of in the future."
Many husbands and wives I interviewed offered an additional explanation – that housework may be a proxy for a general willingness to invest in shared interests, a symbol of commitment to home and hearth. Perhaps "working on the same task … makes the couple remember why they married – to be on the same team, to build a life," Ms. Danis says.
Read the rest of the article here
by Sue Shellenbarger
Wall Street Journal
Housework may seem like the ultimate romance-killer. But guess what?
A new study shows that for husbands and wives alike, the more housework you do, the more often you are likely to have sex with your spouse.
Earlier studies have hinted at this connection for men; the sight of a husband mopping the floor or doing dishes sparks affection in the hearts of many wives. But the more-housework-equals-more-sex link for wives, documented in a study of 6,877 married couples published online recently in the Journal of Family Issues, is a surprise.
Scrubbing the floor is no aphrodisiac, and seeing your spouse doing it usually isn't either. "My husband loves doing laundry, yet I don't get any thrill out of his doing it," says Chicago writer Julie Danis. And "I don't think he thinks it's sexy when I go around gathering the detritus of his daily life."
But for some high achievers who take a "work hard, play hard" approach to life, researchers say, working hard in one domain produces more energy for others. The study also found a correlation between hours spent on paid work and the frequency of sex in marriage.
"Rather than compromise their sex life" because of time demands at work or at home, "this group of go-getters seems to make sex a priority," says Constance Gager, lead researcher and an assistant professor of family and child studies at Montclair State University, Montclair, N.J. The study doesn't measure what proportion of spouses fall into this group, but she believes "they are on the leading edge of couples we expect to see more of in the future."
Many husbands and wives I interviewed offered an additional explanation – that housework may be a proxy for a general willingness to invest in shared interests, a symbol of commitment to home and hearth. Perhaps "working on the same task … makes the couple remember why they married – to be on the same team, to build a life," Ms. Danis says.
Read the rest of the article here
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
PC running amok this week (just like every other week)
Bob Griese – former Dolphin QB and current commentator for ESPN college football games was suspended for 1 week for speculating that race car driver Juan Pablo Montoya of Columbia was out eating a taco. Holy Salsa Batman! We have become such a sensitive people. Griese should have been fired for being a nitwit. Tacos do not eat Columbian food.
Larry Johnson – Kansas City Chiefs running back was suspended indefinitely. His crime? Apparently he used the F-word on twitter and again when a reporter asked him a question. No not THAT F-word, I’ sure that F-word would have been just fine. He used what is called a ‘gay slur’. Basically he called his coach a f@g. This set the homo-rights group into a big old prissy hissy fit. Are these people serious? Have they ever been involved in sports (stupid question)? You can’t go 2 minutes in a guy’s locker room without someone calling someone a f@g, queer, pansy etc...plus a host of other indelicate names. It's not gonna stop and you can't change it people.
He wasn’t suspended, which he should have been, for being disrespectful to his coach. It was his choice of insults that did him in. He could have used the other F-word accompanied with mother in referring to his coach and nothing probably would have happened to him.
Heck for all I know he could have been using the word f@g in the British meaning, maybe his coach is a smoker.
The Chiefs actually did him a favor by suspended him since they suck so bad.
Sure calling someone a f@g isn’t nice. But neither is calling them a butthead, weenie or dweeb either. I'm not suggesting we call anyone any of these names but quite taking yourselves so serious people.
Of course if you are on the correct side of the media (aka you are a flaming liberal) you don’t get in a lot of trouble. You just have to offer a semi-sincere apology. Witness Florida Democrat Rep. Alan Grayson called Linda Robertson, an aide to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, a "K Street whore." Did Grayson get suspended or censured? Um, no. I would argue that calling a woman who you barely know a whore is a whole lot worse than a football player calling his coach a f@g. I’m not saying, I’m just saying.
Larry Johnson – Kansas City Chiefs running back was suspended indefinitely. His crime? Apparently he used the F-word on twitter and again when a reporter asked him a question. No not THAT F-word, I’ sure that F-word would have been just fine. He used what is called a ‘gay slur’. Basically he called his coach a f@g. This set the homo-rights group into a big old prissy hissy fit. Are these people serious? Have they ever been involved in sports (stupid question)? You can’t go 2 minutes in a guy’s locker room without someone calling someone a f@g, queer, pansy etc...plus a host of other indelicate names. It's not gonna stop and you can't change it people.
He wasn’t suspended, which he should have been, for being disrespectful to his coach. It was his choice of insults that did him in. He could have used the other F-word accompanied with mother in referring to his coach and nothing probably would have happened to him.
Heck for all I know he could have been using the word f@g in the British meaning, maybe his coach is a smoker.
The Chiefs actually did him a favor by suspended him since they suck so bad.
Sure calling someone a f@g isn’t nice. But neither is calling them a butthead, weenie or dweeb either. I'm not suggesting we call anyone any of these names but quite taking yourselves so serious people.
Of course if you are on the correct side of the media (aka you are a flaming liberal) you don’t get in a lot of trouble. You just have to offer a semi-sincere apology. Witness Florida Democrat Rep. Alan Grayson called Linda Robertson, an aide to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, a "K Street whore." Did Grayson get suspended or censured? Um, no. I would argue that calling a woman who you barely know a whore is a whole lot worse than a football player calling his coach a f@g. I’m not saying, I’m just saying.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Attributable to Larry, the Cable Guy
Because with all the problems in the world, real and imagined, life is too short and important to take seriously.
1. A day without sunshine is like night.
2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture most people have.
10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.
14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
15.... When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines....
19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?
20. Why do psychics have to ask you your name?
21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the heck happened?'
22. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
23. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
24. Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos.
What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.
1. A day without sunshine is like night.
2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture most people have.
10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.
14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
15.... When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines....
19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?
20. Why do psychics have to ask you your name?
21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the heck happened?'
22. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
23. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
24. Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos.
What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Blessed the Husband of a Good Wife
Don’t you just hate it when the readings from Mass convict you and make you feel like dirt? Or in my case dirt from Three Mile Island.
Both of the readings below made me realize how truly blessed I am to have found and married such a wonderful woman. Ok realized isn’t the best word, of course I’ve known it all along. It’s not like it just dawned on me. I’ve known she was special since the first time I met her 25 years ago. Reminded is probably a better word. Sadly I tend to take my bride for granted. She is so wonderful and I am so lucky to have her that I just assume she will always be there for me and the kids (which she is) but she doesn’t get the thanks and recognition that she deserves for putting up with me and the little blessings from God.
Anyway between the readings below and having her down and out for a month after her c-section, I got a great reminder during that time of how much I have to be thankful for.
The first reading from a few Sunday’s ago
I prayed, and prudence was given me;
I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepter and throne,
and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;
because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,
and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.
Beyond health and comeliness I loved her,
and I chose to have her rather than the light,
because the splendor of her never yields to sleep.
Yet all good things together came to me in her company,
and countless riches at her hands.
Wisdom 7:7-11
Then this reading at a wedding last weekend that we attended
Blessed the husband of a good wife, twice-lengthened are his days; A worthy wife brings joy to her husband, peaceful and full is his life. A good wife is a generous gift bestowed upon him who fears the Lord; Be he rich or poor, his heart is content, and a smile is ever on his face.
A gracious wife delights her husband, her thoughtfulness puts flesh on his bones; A gift from the Lord is her governed speech, and her firm virtue is of surpassing worth. Choicest of blessings is a modest wife, priceless her chaste soul. A holy and decent woman adds grace upon grace; indeed, no price is worthy of her temperate soul. Like the sun rising in the Lord’s heavens, the beauty of a virtuous wife is the radiance of her home.
Sirach 26:1-4, 13-16
Ok I know the first reading is talking about wisdom not wives but I decided it was talking to me about my wife and what a gift she is to me. A gift to be cherished and loved and protected and placed above all other gifts. As for the second reading from Sirach, the author could have had my wife in mind when he wrote it. With the possible exception of “governed speech”. She does like to talk every now and again ;)
“...no price is worthy of her...” Sam you truly priceless to me. Thank you so much for saying yes all those years ago.
And thanks for putting up with:
• My running all the time
• My skanky toenails from running
• My joking about trading you in for 2 20 year-old (twins)
• The hair sprouting on my ears
• My smart-assedness (I’m pretty sure that is a word)
• HT and TTN
• My taking you for granted
• My complaining about the house
• (Insert all other faults of mine here)
Just don’t let it go to your head.
Both of the readings below made me realize how truly blessed I am to have found and married such a wonderful woman. Ok realized isn’t the best word, of course I’ve known it all along. It’s not like it just dawned on me. I’ve known she was special since the first time I met her 25 years ago. Reminded is probably a better word. Sadly I tend to take my bride for granted. She is so wonderful and I am so lucky to have her that I just assume she will always be there for me and the kids (which she is) but she doesn’t get the thanks and recognition that she deserves for putting up with me and the little blessings from God.
Anyway between the readings below and having her down and out for a month after her c-section, I got a great reminder during that time of how much I have to be thankful for.
The first reading from a few Sunday’s ago
I prayed, and prudence was given me;
I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepter and throne,
and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;
because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,
and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.
Beyond health and comeliness I loved her,
and I chose to have her rather than the light,
because the splendor of her never yields to sleep.
Yet all good things together came to me in her company,
and countless riches at her hands.
Wisdom 7:7-11
Then this reading at a wedding last weekend that we attended
Blessed the husband of a good wife, twice-lengthened are his days; A worthy wife brings joy to her husband, peaceful and full is his life. A good wife is a generous gift bestowed upon him who fears the Lord; Be he rich or poor, his heart is content, and a smile is ever on his face.
A gracious wife delights her husband, her thoughtfulness puts flesh on his bones; A gift from the Lord is her governed speech, and her firm virtue is of surpassing worth. Choicest of blessings is a modest wife, priceless her chaste soul. A holy and decent woman adds grace upon grace; indeed, no price is worthy of her temperate soul. Like the sun rising in the Lord’s heavens, the beauty of a virtuous wife is the radiance of her home.
Sirach 26:1-4, 13-16
Ok I know the first reading is talking about wisdom not wives but I decided it was talking to me about my wife and what a gift she is to me. A gift to be cherished and loved and protected and placed above all other gifts. As for the second reading from Sirach, the author could have had my wife in mind when he wrote it. With the possible exception of “governed speech”. She does like to talk every now and again ;)
“...no price is worthy of her...” Sam you truly priceless to me. Thank you so much for saying yes all those years ago.
And thanks for putting up with:
• My running all the time
• My skanky toenails from running
• My joking about trading you in for 2 20 year-old (twins)
• The hair sprouting on my ears
• My smart-assedness (I’m pretty sure that is a word)
• HT and TTN
• My taking you for granted
• My complaining about the house
• (Insert all other faults of mine here)
Just don’t let it go to your head.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Today's Workouts
10 mile run at lunch time in the cool ran. Actually ran a decently fast pace for once. Yo Jo, I wore my Saucony Tangent 3 running shoes. I know you were curious.
Monday, October 26, 2009
How to tell which house is ours
When giving directions to our house, we usually just give enough directions to get people in the general vicinity of our neighborhood and tell the people they will know our house when they see it. Once you get to our street, our house will stand out more than my bride at a NOW convention. It has a distinctive look, not to mention smell. Bikes, strollers, car seats, skate boards, footballs, soccer balls etc...our yard has everything but grass.
Most of the people who live around us fall in to 3 categories:
1) Retirees who have lots of free time and are always puttering around the yard and keeping it nice and clean looking. These are the people who in the Fall when t he leaves are starting to fall down are out there picking up the leaves the moment two or more are on the ground.
2) People with 1 or 2 perfect kids. The kind who besides helping their parents do yard work (willingly) spend the rest of their time taking chess and piano lessons, conjugating verbs and memorizing Pi out to 100 decimal places
3) Childless yuppies who hire illegal’s (they pay them a living wage of course) to keep the yard and house looking great so they can do more important things on Saturday mornings… like put on their hand-dyed jeans, vintage t-shirts and expensive running shoes that are never run in and drive their Prius’ to a local coffee house that only serves ‘fair trade’ coffee, then off to the dog park and the organic pet food and designer cheese stores (I like cheese too). They really do have nice yards though.
Needless to say our neighbors don’t always appreciate living next to 12 kids who are home all day long due to homeschooling. Your 5 year-old son exposes himself to your neighbor’s daughter or pees on his wife’s daffodils and you are labeled for life. I mean how were my kids supposed to know that the grandmother who lives next door had a heart condition and was afraid of snakes.
I think my neighbors have finally had enough of us. They spent the weekend trimming and shaping their hedges that border our yard.
Most of the people who live around us fall in to 3 categories:
1) Retirees who have lots of free time and are always puttering around the yard and keeping it nice and clean looking. These are the people who in the Fall when t he leaves are starting to fall down are out there picking up the leaves the moment two or more are on the ground.
2) People with 1 or 2 perfect kids. The kind who besides helping their parents do yard work (willingly) spend the rest of their time taking chess and piano lessons, conjugating verbs and memorizing Pi out to 100 decimal places
3) Childless yuppies who hire illegal’s (they pay them a living wage of course) to keep the yard and house looking great so they can do more important things on Saturday mornings… like put on their hand-dyed jeans, vintage t-shirts and expensive running shoes that are never run in and drive their Prius’ to a local coffee house that only serves ‘fair trade’ coffee, then off to the dog park and the organic pet food and designer cheese stores (I like cheese too). They really do have nice yards though.
Needless to say our neighbors don’t always appreciate living next to 12 kids who are home all day long due to homeschooling. Your 5 year-old son exposes himself to your neighbor’s daughter or pees on his wife’s daffodils and you are labeled for life. I mean how were my kids supposed to know that the grandmother who lives next door had a heart condition and was afraid of snakes.
I think my neighbors have finally had enough of us. They spent the weekend trimming and shaping their hedges that border our yard.
Today's Workouts
6.2 miles run at lunch on a lovely fall day. I wore my END OTG running shoes and yes Jo the shoe always matters with running.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Today's Workouts
So I did get out and run yesterday. Not the long run I wanted to do but two short runs. 4 miles at lunch time wearing my Asics DS Trainer running shoes and then another 3.5 miles just before dinner. I needed to pick my car up from the shop and the weather was still great out there so I ran to garage wearing my Asics Speed Stars.
Today I ran 6 miles on my lunch hour while wearing my END OTG running shoes. Still not digging these shoes but they cost too much to get rid of.
Today I ran 6 miles on my lunch hour while wearing my END OTG running shoes. Still not digging these shoes but they cost too much to get rid of.
My Deepest Apologies
After years of mocking Al Gore and all the other tree-huggers and spotted owl kissers for going crazy over this global warming hoax I have to apologize (I mean the man did give us the Internet, isn’t that enough? What more can we ask of him). It appears that they were right along and I was mistaken (there is always a first time) and the earth is indeed heating up. It’s my entire fault for taking the lack of proof at face value and assuming they were wrong. I mean just because we are having milder and a cooler summer than normal how was I to know that it was actually getting hotter? I just assumed that since it has been colder than normal this summer that it was...well...actually colder than normal. Stupid me.
But finally I have proof and have seen the errors of my ways. I now will be selling my 15-passenger van and buying a Smart Car. I’m sure I can stuff all 14 of us into it somehow. Maybe a roof rack. We will also be selling our big house and moving out into the country and building a log cabin and eat granola for the rest of our lives. We will be getting rid of our clothes that are made in an environmentally unfriendly way and become one with nature – it won’t be pretty.
What is this proof that could make me change my lifestyle so drastically? Well see for yourself. Scary isn’t it? See ya at Whole Foods.
But finally I have proof and have seen the errors of my ways. I now will be selling my 15-passenger van and buying a Smart Car. I’m sure I can stuff all 14 of us into it somehow. Maybe a roof rack. We will also be selling our big house and moving out into the country and building a log cabin and eat granola for the rest of our lives. We will be getting rid of our clothes that are made in an environmentally unfriendly way and become one with nature – it won’t be pretty.
What is this proof that could make me change my lifestyle so drastically? Well see for yourself. Scary isn’t it? See ya at Whole Foods.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Some days working from home is alright
Working from home can be a challenge at times. From things like oatmeal on your laptop, your desk used as a holder for laundry, the 3 year-old yelling that she needs her behind wiped, to having a foxy wife around all the time who makes you want to stop working and make-out, it can be hard to get work accomplished at times.
As I type my bride has abandoned me to have her hair and nails done. Or she might be taking too kids to the pediatrician and running some other errors, I’m not sure.
Anyway while she is out the young boys (ages 2, 7, and 9) are playing outback. The older two are ‘watching’ the 2 year-old for me. I decided to check on them because that is the kind of responsible dad I am, and because I hadn’t seen them in a few hours and it had gotten awfully quiet. They have made some bow and arrows and are wearing various sports equipment and having some kind of mini-war. Shh don’t tell the wife. She worries.
It’s always funny until someone loses an eye or a spleen
As I type my bride has abandoned me to have her hair and nails done. Or she might be taking too kids to the pediatrician and running some other errors, I’m not sure.
Anyway while she is out the young boys (ages 2, 7, and 9) are playing outback. The older two are ‘watching’ the 2 year-old for me. I decided to check on them because that is the kind of responsible dad I am, and because I hadn’t seen them in a few hours and it had gotten awfully quiet. They have made some bow and arrows and are wearing various sports equipment and having some kind of mini-war. Shh don’t tell the wife. She worries.
It’s always funny until someone loses an eye or a spleen
Small Successes Thursday
- Woke up and get the little kids and let my bride sleep in
- Had coffee
- Solved world hunger, told no one
- Clipped my toenails
- Ate breakfast (spaghetti and meatballs)
- Came in 2nd in the Nobel Peace Pipe contest
- Kissed the wife
- Offered to take in the Wife and Kids of a good friend who has Swine Flu if the worst should happen
- Rearranged my sock drawer
- Ate lunch (ham and taters)
- Yelled at the kids but refrained from whacking any
- Found a cure for cancer
- Cleaned the lint out of my belly button - its been awhile
- Ate dinner (pizza and chicken pot pie)
- whacked a few kids at bed time so I take back the earlier success - I stink at this game
go HERE for Success that are...well...a lot more successful than mine.
Today's Workouts
Nothing yet!
I ignored the alarm that went off at 4:20 this morning and went back to bed. Staying in the warm and cozy love-nest, under the down comforter with my hunny and the newborn seemed a lot more appealing then dragging my old rear-end out of bed and running 20 some miles in the cool dark morning.
Man I'm getting old or something. It used to be that I wouldn't postpone my run for anything. Sweetie Pie could be tempting me with a key lime pie in one hand, a cheesecake in the other and wearing the latest Victoria Secrets tramp-wear and I'd still go out and run for 3 hours in an ice-storm.
Heck in the old days I'd even run if the streets had a million-man march going on one side and a NOW march on the other....sigh....the good old days. Now I sleep in and run at lunch time when the weather is pleasant. At least I think I do. I'll let you know later today if my sorry tookus got out there or not. As Mick and the Stones sang "what a drag it is getting old"
I ignored the alarm that went off at 4:20 this morning and went back to bed. Staying in the warm and cozy love-nest, under the down comforter with my hunny and the newborn seemed a lot more appealing then dragging my old rear-end out of bed and running 20 some miles in the cool dark morning.
Man I'm getting old or something. It used to be that I wouldn't postpone my run for anything. Sweetie Pie could be tempting me with a key lime pie in one hand, a cheesecake in the other and wearing the latest Victoria Secrets tramp-wear and I'd still go out and run for 3 hours in an ice-storm.
Heck in the old days I'd even run if the streets had a million-man march going on one side and a NOW march on the other....sigh....the good old days. Now I sleep in and run at lunch time when the weather is pleasant. At least I think I do. I'll let you know later today if my sorry tookus got out there or not. As Mick and the Stones sang "what a drag it is getting old"
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Today's Workouts
14 miles in the lovely sunshine. The Seattle, or maybe it was Wales, like weather is gone. 65 and loads of sun today at lunch time. I wore my new Saucony Tangent 3 running shoes that I got last week. Yes I know that it's shocking that I got new shoes, almost as shocking as it would be if a certain US president were to win, oh say the Nobel Peace prize for doing nothing other than being...um...black (well half black, maybe he should have gotten have the prize). I bought the shoes last week with a Visa Debit card I got as a rebate from Verizon Wireless when I upgraded my phone. I told Sam she could have the Debit Card but she waited too long, I think I gave her 1 hour to spend it and it could only be used at Victoria Secrets. Oh well her loss.
Aren't they a thing of beauty?
For anyone that cares I got the new Blackberry Tour. It's a great if somewhat addicting phone (they don't call it a Crackberry for nothing). Besides being a phone it is also has a nice camera. And you can have up to 10 email accounts routed to it plus you can browse the web and it will even make coffee, give you a pedicure and trim your nose-hair. Heck I can even post to my blog from it. Aren't y'all lucky?
Aren't they a thing of beauty?
For anyone that cares I got the new Blackberry Tour. It's a great if somewhat addicting phone (they don't call it a Crackberry for nothing). Besides being a phone it is also has a nice camera. And you can have up to 10 email accounts routed to it plus you can browse the web and it will even make coffee, give you a pedicure and trim your nose-hair. Heck I can even post to my blog from it. Aren't y'all lucky?
How to Protect Yourself Against the Flu Without Vaccination
From Mercola.com
Following these simple guidelines will keep your immune system in optimal working order so that you're far less likely to acquire the infection to begin with:
Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I've previously reported, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency is likely the TRUE culprit behind the seasonality of the flu -- not the flu virus itself. So get your rear-ends out in the sunshine for a bit each day. And what if you live way up north where you don't get a lot of sun in the winter? Well move then. What are you doing up there anyway? ;)
This is probably the single most important and least expensive action you can take. I would STRONGLY urge you to have your vitamin D level monitored to confirm your levels are therapeutic at 50-70 ng.ml and done by a reliable vitamin D lab like Lab Corp.
Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods. Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately, and as you likely know, a strong immune system is key to fighting off viruses and other illness. Be aware that sugar is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice.
Get Enough Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article Guide to a Good Night's Sleep for some great tips to help you get quality rest.
Have Effective Tools to Address Stress. We all face some stress every day, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness.
Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. You can review my exercise guidelines for some great tips on how to get started.
Take a Good Source of Animal-Based Omega-3 Fats. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil, which is crucial for maintaining health. It is also vitally important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils that are trans fats and in processed foods as it will seriously damage your immune response.
Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap for this -- antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to.
Use Natural Antibiotics. Examples include colloidal silver, oil of oregano, and garlic. These work like broad-spectrum antibiotics against bacteria, viruses, and protozoa in your body. And unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics, they do not appear to lead to resistance.
Avoid Hospitals and Vaccines. In this particular case, I'd also recommend you stay away from hospitals unless you're having an emergency, as hospitals are prime breeding grounds for infections of all kinds, and could be one of the likeliest places you could be exposed to this new bug.
Keep in mind that virtually all vaccinations will LOWER your immune system (this is the main job of the vaccine adjuvants), NOT make it stronger!
Following these simple guidelines will keep your immune system in optimal working order so that you're far less likely to acquire the infection to begin with:
Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I've previously reported, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency is likely the TRUE culprit behind the seasonality of the flu -- not the flu virus itself. So get your rear-ends out in the sunshine for a bit each day. And what if you live way up north where you don't get a lot of sun in the winter? Well move then. What are you doing up there anyway? ;)
This is probably the single most important and least expensive action you can take. I would STRONGLY urge you to have your vitamin D level monitored to confirm your levels are therapeutic at 50-70 ng.ml and done by a reliable vitamin D lab like Lab Corp.
Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods. Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately, and as you likely know, a strong immune system is key to fighting off viruses and other illness. Be aware that sugar is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice.
Get Enough Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article Guide to a Good Night's Sleep for some great tips to help you get quality rest.
Have Effective Tools to Address Stress. We all face some stress every day, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness.
Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. You can review my exercise guidelines for some great tips on how to get started.
Take a Good Source of Animal-Based Omega-3 Fats. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil, which is crucial for maintaining health. It is also vitally important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils that are trans fats and in processed foods as it will seriously damage your immune response.
Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap for this -- antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to.
Use Natural Antibiotics. Examples include colloidal silver, oil of oregano, and garlic. These work like broad-spectrum antibiotics against bacteria, viruses, and protozoa in your body. And unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics, they do not appear to lead to resistance.
Avoid Hospitals and Vaccines. In this particular case, I'd also recommend you stay away from hospitals unless you're having an emergency, as hospitals are prime breeding grounds for infections of all kinds, and could be one of the likeliest places you could be exposed to this new bug.
Keep in mind that virtually all vaccinations will LOWER your immune system (this is the main job of the vaccine adjuvants), NOT make it stronger!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Today's Workouts
First run in about 5 days that wan't in 40 degree rain. It was sunny and around 55 out at lunch time when I ran 6.2 miles. I wore my END OTG running shoes. I don't really like this shoes much. I've only run in them 4 times so far so I will give them a bit longer and see if I warm up to them.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
It Has Been a Busy Week for our Fearless Leader
First he won the Nobel Prize
Then on Monday he won "Country Music Entertainer of the Year" award for his remake of "Did I Shave my Legs for This?"
On Tuesday he won the Heisman trophy...before the college football season was even over
On Wednesday, 2 weeks into the Hockey season, he won the Stanley Cup...single-handily
Thursday saw him winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup on the way to pick-up the Super Bowl trophy
On Friday he was given a long overdue Grammy for his song "I'm God, You're Not"
Saturday morning he was riding into Paris to complete his victory at the Tour de France and then he managed to fly to Georgia in time to win the Masters
And then on Sunday Obama the Merciful rested
Then on Monday he won "Country Music Entertainer of the Year" award for his remake of "Did I Shave my Legs for This?"
On Tuesday he won the Heisman trophy...before the college football season was even over
On Wednesday, 2 weeks into the Hockey season, he won the Stanley Cup...single-handily
Thursday saw him winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup on the way to pick-up the Super Bowl trophy
On Friday he was given a long overdue Grammy for his song "I'm God, You're Not"
Saturday morning he was riding into Paris to complete his victory at the Tour de France and then he managed to fly to Georgia in time to win the Masters
And then on Sunday Obama the Merciful rested
Article on the Munchkin's Baptism from the Catholic Standard
From the Washington Diocese's newspaper. Notice how there are no quotes from yours truly. I'm pretty sure either my bride or the bishop (or maybe both) were bad-mouthing me to the reporter.
At Baptism, bishop welcomes 12th child into his Catholic Church family
LYNNEA PRUZINSKY MUMOLA
Special to the Standard
Returning to the site where they wed just over 20 years ago, Rob and Cecilia "Sam” entered the historic chapel at Sacred Heart Parish in Bowie to celebrate the Baptism of their 12th child, Kolbe Peter on Oct. 3.
Washington Auxiliary Bishop Martin Holley baptized the baby with assistance from three seminarians - including Joshua , Kolbe's older brother. After the sacrament, the bishop gently lifted the 18-day-old infant and presented him to family members and friends gathered in the chapel. Bishop Holley then announced, "Kolbe Peter, you are now baptized and initiated into the Catholic Church."
Earlier the prelate told participants through the beautiful sacrament of marriage, Kolbe's parents became co-creators with God - and the new baby is a "product of that love," Bishop Holley added.
"Out of the sacrament of marriage is born all the other sacraments," Bishop Holley later said. "The graces from (his parents') marriage continues to be perpetuated in the life of this young boy - who will eventually make a decision of his own life," whether that choice be marriage, a vocation to the religious life or a faithful lay person.
As the eighth of 14 children, Bishop Holley seemed right at home in front of the family. A large family teaches you Gospel truths, Bishop Holley noted. Children learn about God's love through their parents - their first teachers. Later, children are taught how to love their neighbors by learning to love their siblings. "We often refer to the family as the 'domestic church,'" Bishop Holley told the Catholic Standard.
He pointed out the younger children in the family who were gathered around their older siblings and parents watching them intently. "All eyes are looking at their parents," Bishop Holley said. "The graces that come from marriages, are important for society, and so important for the continuation of the Church," Bishop Holley said. "Marriage gives life to all the other sacraments."
Family friend Peter Murphy called the Baptism "a beautiful witness to the faith." Murphy, who also serves as the director of the archdiocesan Office of Family Life, said the family witnesses to God's love and the joy of life in their everyday lives. "They are a large family, but are selfless and generous to others around them. They are the ones helping the community," he added. "That is what family is all about."
Seminarian Daniel Turski said he was happy to be asked to assist the bishop during the Baptism. "It was definitely a look into my future ministry," Turski said. "I love kids." The young student called the family "a witness of authentic happiness." Seminarian Andrew Gronotte also said "it was great to be able to participate in bringing a new member into the Church."
Joshua received special permission to return home for the Baptism. The oldest son in the family, Joshua is currently a seminarian for the Legionaries of Christ. "We went over Baptism in class" he said, but he never thought he would be invited to assist the bishop with his brother's Baptism. Joshua credited his large family with teaching him the skills needed to live in a religious community. "My mom helped a lot - she created a good environment, praying the Rosary, attending daily Mass."
His mother, Sam , who was still recovering from complications after her first C-section delivery, said planning the Baptism gave her something special to look forward to and watching Joshua help out was "icing on the cake."
All of her previous 11 children had been baptized at Sacred Heart in the same chapel where Archbishop John Carroll was elected in 1788 as the first Catholic bishop in the United States. Sam said she began thinking about the possibility of inviting a bishop for the new baby's Baptism several months before his birth. A friend from another diocese suggested the custom of a bishop celebrating the sacrament for the 12th member of a family. So although she had never heard of such a tradition, Sam spoke with her pastor, Msgr. Charles Parry, who helped arrange the event. Bishop Holley "was so gentle, so personable," Sam said.
The mother said her prayers for the newest member of the family are the same as all her children. "Just that he'll grow up loving the Church - loving his family, that he'll love his faith as much as his brothers and sisters do." Sam paused and added, "That's every parent's wish for their children - that they'll always keep the faith."
Kolbe Peter born Sept. 15 joined his excited siblings Alexandria, 19; Joshua, 18; Caleb, 16; Elizabeth, 15; Barbara, 13; Joseph, 11; Robert, 9; Dominic, 7; Mary, 6; Cecilia, 3; and Eric, 2. His older siblings, Caleb and Elizabeth were chosen as to be his godparents.
"My heart was bursting," Sam said, "my favorite thing was having them all together."
At Baptism, bishop welcomes 12th child into his Catholic Church family
LYNNEA PRUZINSKY MUMOLA
Special to the Standard
Returning to the site where they wed just over 20 years ago, Rob and Cecilia "Sam” entered the historic chapel at Sacred Heart Parish in Bowie to celebrate the Baptism of their 12th child, Kolbe Peter on Oct. 3.
Washington Auxiliary Bishop Martin Holley baptized the baby with assistance from three seminarians - including Joshua , Kolbe's older brother. After the sacrament, the bishop gently lifted the 18-day-old infant and presented him to family members and friends gathered in the chapel. Bishop Holley then announced, "Kolbe Peter, you are now baptized and initiated into the Catholic Church."
Earlier the prelate told participants through the beautiful sacrament of marriage, Kolbe's parents became co-creators with God - and the new baby is a "product of that love," Bishop Holley added.
"Out of the sacrament of marriage is born all the other sacraments," Bishop Holley later said. "The graces from (his parents') marriage continues to be perpetuated in the life of this young boy - who will eventually make a decision of his own life," whether that choice be marriage, a vocation to the religious life or a faithful lay person.
As the eighth of 14 children, Bishop Holley seemed right at home in front of the family. A large family teaches you Gospel truths, Bishop Holley noted. Children learn about God's love through their parents - their first teachers. Later, children are taught how to love their neighbors by learning to love their siblings. "We often refer to the family as the 'domestic church,'" Bishop Holley told the Catholic Standard.
He pointed out the younger children in the family who were gathered around their older siblings and parents watching them intently. "All eyes are looking at their parents," Bishop Holley said. "The graces that come from marriages, are important for society, and so important for the continuation of the Church," Bishop Holley said. "Marriage gives life to all the other sacraments."
Family friend Peter Murphy called the Baptism "a beautiful witness to the faith." Murphy, who also serves as the director of the archdiocesan Office of Family Life, said the family witnesses to God's love and the joy of life in their everyday lives. "They are a large family, but are selfless and generous to others around them. They are the ones helping the community," he added. "That is what family is all about."
Seminarian Daniel Turski said he was happy to be asked to assist the bishop during the Baptism. "It was definitely a look into my future ministry," Turski said. "I love kids." The young student called the family "a witness of authentic happiness." Seminarian Andrew Gronotte also said "it was great to be able to participate in bringing a new member into the Church."
Joshua received special permission to return home for the Baptism. The oldest son in the family, Joshua is currently a seminarian for the Legionaries of Christ. "We went over Baptism in class" he said, but he never thought he would be invited to assist the bishop with his brother's Baptism. Joshua credited his large family with teaching him the skills needed to live in a religious community. "My mom helped a lot - she created a good environment, praying the Rosary, attending daily Mass."
His mother, Sam , who was still recovering from complications after her first C-section delivery, said planning the Baptism gave her something special to look forward to and watching Joshua help out was "icing on the cake."
All of her previous 11 children had been baptized at Sacred Heart in the same chapel where Archbishop John Carroll was elected in 1788 as the first Catholic bishop in the United States. Sam said she began thinking about the possibility of inviting a bishop for the new baby's Baptism several months before his birth. A friend from another diocese suggested the custom of a bishop celebrating the sacrament for the 12th member of a family. So although she had never heard of such a tradition, Sam spoke with her pastor, Msgr. Charles Parry, who helped arrange the event. Bishop Holley "was so gentle, so personable," Sam said.
The mother said her prayers for the newest member of the family are the same as all her children. "Just that he'll grow up loving the Church - loving his family, that he'll love his faith as much as his brothers and sisters do." Sam paused and added, "That's every parent's wish for their children - that they'll always keep the faith."
Kolbe Peter born Sept. 15 joined his excited siblings Alexandria, 19; Joshua, 18; Caleb, 16; Elizabeth, 15; Barbara, 13; Joseph, 11; Robert, 9; Dominic, 7; Mary, 6; Cecilia, 3; and Eric, 2. His older siblings, Caleb and Elizabeth were chosen as to be his godparents.
"My heart was bursting," Sam said, "my favorite thing was having them all together."
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Maybe I Should Have Married the Baker or the Candlestick Maker
Instead of The Butcher
The first picture is Eric before he was mauled by Sam the Slayer. Look how cute he is. Now look at the after picture. What a train wreck. Obviously he’s still got a cute face; he is my son after all. She could have at least had it done professionally. I mean I am grateful that she saved me some moolah but come on he looks almost as bad as Don King or Carrot Top on a good day.
And no I’m not one of those aging hippies who can no longer grow hair and is trying to live vicariously through my children...ok well maybe I am one of those but that’s beside the point. He looks like he has the mange or as been mauled by a cranky pit bull. Heck he was so traumatized by the haircut that it damaged his eyes.
Well it could have been worse...He could have ended up looking like this kid
But I do think it's a lot worse that my Blogging Sister's bad haircut experience no matter what she says.
The first picture is Eric before he was mauled by Sam the Slayer. Look how cute he is. Now look at the after picture. What a train wreck. Obviously he’s still got a cute face; he is my son after all. She could have at least had it done professionally. I mean I am grateful that she saved me some moolah but come on he looks almost as bad as Don King or Carrot Top on a good day.
And no I’m not one of those aging hippies who can no longer grow hair and is trying to live vicariously through my children...ok well maybe I am one of those but that’s beside the point. He looks like he has the mange or as been mauled by a cranky pit bull. Heck he was so traumatized by the haircut that it damaged his eyes.
Well it could have been worse...He could have ended up looking like this kid
But I do think it's a lot worse that my Blogging Sister's bad haircut experience no matter what she says.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
2009 Baltimore Marathon Race Recap
2009 Baltimore Marathon race report
A quick report, I hope. This is the third time I have run this race and my marathon PR (personal record) was set here last year. My plan for this year (same as last) was to treat it as a training run for the JFK 50 miler which is 6 weeks from today. I purposely didn’t taper this week, although I did have a few easy weeks at the end of September while Sam was on her death bed recovering from the staph infection that was a parting gift from the ghetto hospital where she had the c-section.
The weather was fine. Mostly cloudy and in the upper 60’s. Around the halfway point it started raining lightly off and on for the rest of the race. This prevented me from getting overheated.
I got up around 4:30am and did my normal pre-race routine: shower, coffee, light breakfast, game of twister, brushed my teeth, made out with the wife etc… and then headed up to the race fairly early. I got there almost 2 hours before the start and got a killer parking space. I spared the family from having to attend another one of my time consuming races and went alone. The race start is near the Orioles and Ravens stadiums so I hung out at the Ravens stadium which was open to the public and used their bathrooms 3 times. I wanted to leave something special for those no-account Ravens.
Besides the marathon there is also a team relay-marathon, half-marathon, 5k and a kid’s fun run. I’m surprised they don’t have a sack-race and a race for one-legged, blue-eyed Nigerians. This race is more inclusive than the Obama administration. And Under Armor is the sponsor and they decided to make this the world’s first ‘green’ marathon. Whatever that means. One thing it meant was that the UA race shirts we were given were made from 100% recycled material. In this case plastic bottles…whatever.
Running with half-marathoners and relay runners can be annoying at times. Besides making the course a little bit more crowded (ok a lot more crowded) it can be a bit depressing having these perky runners pass you. On the other hand it’s a hell of a lot of fun to finish the race strong and to smoke some of those runners. And for the record Hunny, I did not run with any of the Raven cheerleaders who had a few relay teams running the race. And it’s not because they were too fast.
I started out fairly easily and my legs were pretty sore and tight from all the running I did this week. By the third mile all the pre-race coffee and Gatorade had caught up with me and I pulled over at one of the few trees in the city. Actually me and about every other guy, and a few women, in the race stopped at these few trees. I’m guessing they are dead today. after the lighting the ballast I settled in to a pace that was a little faster than planned but I felt comfortable.
The course is a mix of inner city slum type areas with crack houses, the Inner Harbor area, historic sites and the DINK/Yuppie areas with a Starbucks and sushi bar on every corner. If Starbucks cared about the community they would have had little sample cups of coffee out there for the runners…the smell of the coffee was driving me nuts.
The first half of the race went by fast and around mile 10 or so I saw two of Sam’s sisters who were there watching the race. They did a great job of yelling and cheering me own. Thanks for the kisses ladies. And Joanie, nice pom-poms.
During the second half I got in a nice zone and the miles flew by. Other than the half-marathoners merging in with the real runners ;) at mile 16, dodging through them was like playing Frogger, the second half was uneventful. There is nothing like being 16 miles into a hard race and having to squeeze through or run around a bunch of plus-sized charity ‘runners’ walking 4 abreast and chatting merrily away – It’s a race people. I guess it’s my own fault for not being a faster runner and getting past them before the merge area. I would like to do this race a 4th time but the way they handle the half-marathon keeps getting worse every year. Hopefully enough people complained about it and it will be changed in the future.
In the later miles a lot of the neighborhoods have their own mini aid stations set up. There were two places giving out gummy bears and one giving out peanut M&M’s. Nothing like a handful of sweaty M&Ms at mile 23 of a race to perk you up.
Around mile 25 I started feeling ragged but by that point you are running down hill and the crowds are thick and energetic so slowing down is not an option. I must have passed a few hundred people the last mile. It really is a great feeling blasting pass people who are dying when you feel great. I’ve been on the other end of that feeling so I’m not totally without sympathy for them. I mean I didn’t call anyone loser or lard-butt as I passed them, at least not out loud.
A final sprint and I’m across the finish line to the cheers of Raven cheerleaders working the finish line. They weren’t nearly as pretty or as enthusiastic as Sam’s sisters. I dodge all the people who think it’s a good idea to come to a complete stop just across the line and I jog through the crowds; grab my finisher’s medal and some water and potato chips. I keep running and head back to my car so I can get on the road. As I’m running through the crowds to get to my car I get the “why you still running comments?” “Because if you had a wife as hot as mine at home you’d be rushing to get to her too”. A half hour later I’m home.
The results:
For some reason my Garmin GPS watch had me finishing about a minute faster than my official chip time of 3:44:18. I have the watch set to auto-pause whenever I stop. And I stopped once for a potty break and a few times at aid stations to refill my bottle with Gatorade. Anyway I did manage to set a new personal best by 1:36.
2008 - 3:45:54
2009 - 3:44:18
40-44 age group: 69th out of 290
Overall results 475th out of 3087 total finishers
A quick report, I hope. This is the third time I have run this race and my marathon PR (personal record) was set here last year. My plan for this year (same as last) was to treat it as a training run for the JFK 50 miler which is 6 weeks from today. I purposely didn’t taper this week, although I did have a few easy weeks at the end of September while Sam was on her death bed recovering from the staph infection that was a parting gift from the ghetto hospital where she had the c-section.
The weather was fine. Mostly cloudy and in the upper 60’s. Around the halfway point it started raining lightly off and on for the rest of the race. This prevented me from getting overheated.
I got up around 4:30am and did my normal pre-race routine: shower, coffee, light breakfast, game of twister, brushed my teeth, made out with the wife etc… and then headed up to the race fairly early. I got there almost 2 hours before the start and got a killer parking space. I spared the family from having to attend another one of my time consuming races and went alone. The race start is near the Orioles and Ravens stadiums so I hung out at the Ravens stadium which was open to the public and used their bathrooms 3 times. I wanted to leave something special for those no-account Ravens.
Besides the marathon there is also a team relay-marathon, half-marathon, 5k and a kid’s fun run. I’m surprised they don’t have a sack-race and a race for one-legged, blue-eyed Nigerians. This race is more inclusive than the Obama administration. And Under Armor is the sponsor and they decided to make this the world’s first ‘green’ marathon. Whatever that means. One thing it meant was that the UA race shirts we were given were made from 100% recycled material. In this case plastic bottles…whatever.
Running with half-marathoners and relay runners can be annoying at times. Besides making the course a little bit more crowded (ok a lot more crowded) it can be a bit depressing having these perky runners pass you. On the other hand it’s a hell of a lot of fun to finish the race strong and to smoke some of those runners. And for the record Hunny, I did not run with any of the Raven cheerleaders who had a few relay teams running the race. And it’s not because they were too fast.
I started out fairly easily and my legs were pretty sore and tight from all the running I did this week. By the third mile all the pre-race coffee and Gatorade had caught up with me and I pulled over at one of the few trees in the city. Actually me and about every other guy, and a few women, in the race stopped at these few trees. I’m guessing they are dead today. after the lighting the ballast I settled in to a pace that was a little faster than planned but I felt comfortable.
The course is a mix of inner city slum type areas with crack houses, the Inner Harbor area, historic sites and the DINK/Yuppie areas with a Starbucks and sushi bar on every corner. If Starbucks cared about the community they would have had little sample cups of coffee out there for the runners…the smell of the coffee was driving me nuts.
The first half of the race went by fast and around mile 10 or so I saw two of Sam’s sisters who were there watching the race. They did a great job of yelling and cheering me own. Thanks for the kisses ladies. And Joanie, nice pom-poms.
During the second half I got in a nice zone and the miles flew by. Other than the half-marathoners merging in with the real runners ;) at mile 16, dodging through them was like playing Frogger, the second half was uneventful. There is nothing like being 16 miles into a hard race and having to squeeze through or run around a bunch of plus-sized charity ‘runners’ walking 4 abreast and chatting merrily away – It’s a race people. I guess it’s my own fault for not being a faster runner and getting past them before the merge area. I would like to do this race a 4th time but the way they handle the half-marathon keeps getting worse every year. Hopefully enough people complained about it and it will be changed in the future.
In the later miles a lot of the neighborhoods have their own mini aid stations set up. There were two places giving out gummy bears and one giving out peanut M&M’s. Nothing like a handful of sweaty M&Ms at mile 23 of a race to perk you up.
Around mile 25 I started feeling ragged but by that point you are running down hill and the crowds are thick and energetic so slowing down is not an option. I must have passed a few hundred people the last mile. It really is a great feeling blasting pass people who are dying when you feel great. I’ve been on the other end of that feeling so I’m not totally without sympathy for them. I mean I didn’t call anyone loser or lard-butt as I passed them, at least not out loud.
A final sprint and I’m across the finish line to the cheers of Raven cheerleaders working the finish line. They weren’t nearly as pretty or as enthusiastic as Sam’s sisters. I dodge all the people who think it’s a good idea to come to a complete stop just across the line and I jog through the crowds; grab my finisher’s medal and some water and potato chips. I keep running and head back to my car so I can get on the road. As I’m running through the crowds to get to my car I get the “why you still running comments?” “Because if you had a wife as hot as mine at home you’d be rushing to get to her too”. A half hour later I’m home.
The results:
For some reason my Garmin GPS watch had me finishing about a minute faster than my official chip time of 3:44:18. I have the watch set to auto-pause whenever I stop. And I stopped once for a potty break and a few times at aid stations to refill my bottle with Gatorade. Anyway I did manage to set a new personal best by 1:36.
2008 - 3:45:54
2009 - 3:44:18
40-44 age group: 69th out of 290
Overall results 475th out of 3087 total finishers
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