The Scotch Indians are an ambient post-Pennsylturkish hardcore fusion rock band that originated in Scranton, Pennsylvania in late 2000 or early 2001. The band consists of Patrick Walsh (aka Pat Walsh) on vocals, John DiCosmo (of DiCosmo’s ice) on guitar and sometimes vocals, Claire Connolly (aka Flea Fair Claire, Claire at the Flea Fair) on drums, Michael Klotz from Mickleton (too many aliases to name) on bass guitar, and Todd Kurpel on the other guitar. The band last performed as a functioning unit in 2002, but is still considered an active band since no official break-up was ever discussed or announced. The band was originally known for its sporadic show schedule, frequent practices, and a general DIY unwashed handsomeness. It was also famous for driving to each show in no less than three cars. It is now known for its elusiveness.
Origin
The Scotch Indians were likely the brainchild of DiCosmo and Walsh who were involved in many music and art projects prior to the formation of the band. Klotz probably invited the duo over to play in the Klotz/Kurpel house on Vine basement. It is also possible that Klotz/DiCosmo/Flea Fair Claire formed the band first and then invited Walsh after a few practices to serve as the frontman. The origin story is a great topic of debate for music historians. It was known that Claire could play the drums even though she did not have a drum set. Dan Walsh’s (no relation to Pat) drum set was found somewhere (maybe it was in the Irish house on Monroe) and became the official Scotch Indian drum set. Claire did a fantastic job putting the drum set together. Todd happily joined the band because he knew how to work his amp and it was a short commute from his bedroom to the basement. The name originated from a phone conversation that DiCosmo had with one of his crazy friends in the state of Maine. The first song that the band wrote was “Scuba Diver Man”. The song also became its only commercial success (so far). Eventually the band was forced to relocate its practice site when Kurpel and Klotz moved to the Irish house. The Scotch Indians began to hold practices at Walsh’s parents’ house in Justus, PA.
Discography
S/T demo (2001)
The Scotch Indians famous self-titled demo CD-R (2001) was recorded in Kurpel/Klotz’s Vine St. basement. Lou Rogai recorded the band on a 4 track (or an 8 track, but only used 4 of the tracks). The band only needed one attempt at each song for the recording, although they were forced to play “Microwave your Mother” twice because Lou accidentally paused the tape during the first recording of the smashless hit. This was DiCosmo’s least favorite song so he played his guitar with scissors during the recording. The recording captured the skunked beer atmosphere of that shitty Vine basement, but thankfully blocked out the ghosts of explicit racism and possible death that lingered in the dark corners.
Steve Santiso was in charge of burning the demo cds. Kurpel and Santiso stayed up all night to record the cds. Basically Santiso recorded the cds and Kurpel drank 40s. Santiso also had a 40. Kurpel and Santiso were used to staying up all night. They probably went skateboarding at “the curb” after finishing the burning and then went to Denny’s. The cd art was provided by Walsh. The art was a black and white photograph of Walsh’s dad running.
The band almost broke up when DiCosmo and Walsh started making fun of Flea Fair after she asked if she would be able to get a copy of the demo. Flea Fair was upset by the ridicule and threatened to leave the band forever. The conflict was resolved when the band decided that Claire could receive a demo for a reduced price.
Track Listing
Scuba Diver Man
Shit on my shoe
Roadblock
Microwave your mother
Flesh-Eating Virus
Live
The Scotch Indians are known more for their live shows as the band had a unique ability to make sure that a song never sounded the same during each performance. Whether Walsh changed the lyrics or DiCosmo changed the tuning, the “Scotchies” were sure to keep the audience guessing what would happen next. Klotz did what he can to provide consistency as his bass lines (and dance moves) stayed consistent throughout the duration of the early years. It is confirmed that Kurpel had no idea what was going on half the time, so he spent most shows playing with the volume controls of his guitar. It is probable that he played the entire Doc Watson’s set with the guitar volume turned down (if it was even plugged in at all). Highlights included shows at Café Metropolis at the Khyber. Lowlights included that weird festival in Egypt, PA and the University of Scranton (although Kurpel cannot confirm because he decided to wash dishes for money instead of play that show).
Live at 1217 Vine
The Scotch Indians best show was held at the abandoned house connected to the Kurpel/Klotz residence. It took an evening of cleaning out trash from the abandoned house’s basement to prepare for the show. Walsh supplied the art work and lights. 1219 Vine supplied the power. Lou provided the promotion. Lots of drunk people showed up and it was loud. The cops somehow stayed away. Other bands performing that night were Santiso’s La Machina de Muerte, Lou, Langan and Quinn, and Austin Browne.
Buttons
The band also had buttons made.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
year of the machete (the NBA saved itself)
Lou Williams is a basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers. Prior to the NBA season starting, Lou Williams was celebrating Christmas by driving around Manayunk, when a robber approached his car with a gun. Lou Williams looked at the robber and said "I am Lou Williams, 6th man and by far the most clutch player on the Philadelphia 76ers. Instead of robbing me, why don't I treat you to McDonald's drive-thru". The robber liked this idea and opted to not rob the rich man and hopped in.
The above story is true because Lou Williams not only said that it was true, but he also tweeted it. While most of my tweets are lies (when I feel like tweeting), I feel confident that all athletes speak the truth. Why would Lou Williams make up such an absurd story? Would-be robbers should be allowed to roam the yuppie hills of Manayunk. Just pack your cars full of McDoubles.
Other thoughts and observations of the first half-week of the NBA:
1. The NBA is by far the greatest league. I go back and forth with MLB, but Stern smacked some sense into me when he prevented CP3 from going to the Lakers. The Lakers freaked out and traded Lamar Odom to their main rival for nothing, deciding that giving Odom's minutes to Josh McRoberts is the way to go (and after watching some of the Lakers-Bulls game on Christmas day, it might not be that bad of an idea after all. Mike Brown on the other hand is a terrible idea). Also, the Timberwolves signed JJ Barea for a lot of money for a lot of years. I love this game.
2. The Knicks look good, which is important because I am a Knicks fan. They beat the Celtics, who didn't have Paul Pierce, which is a sign of improvement since they went 0-8 against them last year (thanks to Marv Albert for the stat). Iman Shumpert was the only one on the team not nicknamed Melo who really impressed me. Then he sprained his MCL and the Knicks were forced to sign that point guard kid out of Harvard because there other options are too old (Mike Bibby) or too fat (Baron Davis). It's weird to miss Raymond Felton.
3. I remembered that League Pass was free for a few days, so I decided to watch the Wolves-Bucks game instead of the Heat-Celtics that TNT was forcing down my throat. Ricky Rubio looks better than expected. He somehow makes easy passes seem extremely difficult, however, so I expect Michael Beasley to be confused for most of the year. Derrick Williams and Kevin Love should work well together, so if the Wolves can somehow ship JJ Barea (and thus, break up "Los Lobos") for a SG, they will be pretty fun to watch.
4. My secret santa sent me a machete (not lying).
The above story is true because Lou Williams not only said that it was true, but he also tweeted it. While most of my tweets are lies (when I feel like tweeting), I feel confident that all athletes speak the truth. Why would Lou Williams make up such an absurd story? Would-be robbers should be allowed to roam the yuppie hills of Manayunk. Just pack your cars full of McDoubles.
Other thoughts and observations of the first half-week of the NBA:
1. The NBA is by far the greatest league. I go back and forth with MLB, but Stern smacked some sense into me when he prevented CP3 from going to the Lakers. The Lakers freaked out and traded Lamar Odom to their main rival for nothing, deciding that giving Odom's minutes to Josh McRoberts is the way to go (and after watching some of the Lakers-Bulls game on Christmas day, it might not be that bad of an idea after all. Mike Brown on the other hand is a terrible idea). Also, the Timberwolves signed JJ Barea for a lot of money for a lot of years. I love this game.
2. The Knicks look good, which is important because I am a Knicks fan. They beat the Celtics, who didn't have Paul Pierce, which is a sign of improvement since they went 0-8 against them last year (thanks to Marv Albert for the stat). Iman Shumpert was the only one on the team not nicknamed Melo who really impressed me. Then he sprained his MCL and the Knicks were forced to sign that point guard kid out of Harvard because there other options are too old (Mike Bibby) or too fat (Baron Davis). It's weird to miss Raymond Felton.
3. I remembered that League Pass was free for a few days, so I decided to watch the Wolves-Bucks game instead of the Heat-Celtics that TNT was forcing down my throat. Ricky Rubio looks better than expected. He somehow makes easy passes seem extremely difficult, however, so I expect Michael Beasley to be confused for most of the year. Derrick Williams and Kevin Love should work well together, so if the Wolves can somehow ship JJ Barea (and thus, break up "Los Lobos") for a SG, they will be pretty fun to watch.
4. My secret santa sent me a machete (not lying).
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Ikea
Dear IKEA,
I am writing to you today because I had difficulty finding spare hardware from two Ikea locations (one urban and one suburban) for the Mammut crib I bought from you in 2010. I had to disassemble the crib and bring it over to my mother-in-law's house for a spell because we were staging our house in a different way to make it more desirable to buy because we have had difficulty selling it (reference #OccupyWallStreet for starters). Also, the baby was not digging the crib yet, as he prefers to sleep in his pack-and-play. However, babies grow and it is now time to go back into his crib. So I went to my mother-in-law's to get the crib and brought it back home. I put the crib together per your instructions and was saddened to realize my error. I had lost one bolt assembly in the move. This bolt assembly's lone responsibility in life is to hold up one quarter (1/4) of the mattress. I had three of his friends, but this one assembly evidently went Nemo on us. Without this little guy, the mattress would cave-in whenever weight would approach its corner. Translated- Not Baby Safe (NBS).
I decided to bring this issue to the fine Ikea located in South Philadelphia to only be greeted by the following fine exchange between two charming customer service representatives. Let me preface this by saying I am not in anyway mad at the employees. They deal with less handsome and more angry customers on the regular. My anger is more geared at the curious policies being followed by your confusing company.
"I need these parts" (basically a bolt, a nut, a washer, and a non-threaded eyeloop). I had an example of what I needed (Nemo's friends) and the assembly instructions with the part ID. The rep checked and said they didn't have the eye loop.
"Can I order that eyeloop?" was met with a "No".
"Well how can I get the part?" was answered with a "You can keep checking back in".
I said, "Oh, well when do you get parts deliveries" to which the other, more disinterested rep replied "we get parts deliveries twice a year".
I said, "Well I guess I don't really have to keep checking in. When's the next delivery". Disinterested replies "we got this year's delivery already."
Since checking back in to see if the delivery that wasn't expected had arrived was not the ideal solution, I requested to speak to a manager. The manager also searched for the part and he said it also was not in stock and not able to be ordered. The reason crib parts are not stocked is because Ikea can't make money off rebuilding cribs because it is illegal to sell a used crib. That's fine. But I asked if they still sold the crib, which they did, and if so how would someone get a part if it was missing in the box. He replied that he didn't know and he told me to check next door at Lowe's. Lowe's couldn't match the threadless eyeloop and the employee there cursed Ikea as apparently they regularly send customers to Lowe's to find Ikea-designed hardware. Most eyeloops have threads. I was tempted to have the Ikea manager help me shop in Lowe's but I had my son with me who was getting hungry, so I went home.
Once I got home I was pretty flyered (angry but also excited about hockey) up so I left the baby with my wife and headed to Conshohocken. Once there I was informed of this policy:
"No longer have the receipt, or it's over 90 days from the date of purchase?: IKEA does carry replacement parts for a majority of our products; however, we cannot guarantee availablity. In most cases, spare parts are only issued for items that have damaged or missing parts upon receipt, if the return is made within 90 days of the purchase date.
If you no longer have a receipt, many of our store locations have bins of the most commonly used hardware in the Customer Service/Returns Desk area. Depending on quantity, charges may apply."
This policy basically means that spare parts are available for products bought within 90 days. For those of you who bought the product outside of 90 days, there are no parts unless the store is lucky enough to have it. You cannot order them. While understanding the logic (not really) I really wanted the parts so I figured I would just start shouting. The customer service rep (at the new location) decided to actually look and was able to locate the eyeloop. She was more shocked than I was. I still needed clarification on why spare parts could not even be ordered if I was willing to pay cash money. Her answer was, well we are the only furniture store that replaces its own hardware. I replied, well you kind of have to provide replacements for your own hardware because a lot of it is Ikea specific. She didn't know how to handle that one. I asked her what I would have to do if she didn't have that eyeloop and she implied that I would have to buy a new crib. This seemed like a great customer service solution. "Lost one bolt? Buy a new crib". A crib that is not yet two years old that has barely been used is not able to be used because of a policy that refuses to deal with customers that have been loyal for over 90 days. I decided to leave since I have now collected 3/4 of Nemo and I think I matched the bolt up pretty well at Ace. I will put it together and hope for the best.
I hope that you can explain to me the reasoning why hardware is not made available for sale. The hardware at Ikea is not compatible with most stuff found at regular hardware stores (the manager at Ikea told me the bolts are better at Lowe's anyway...really nice to hear from someone selling cribs to families) so it needs to be made available to customers who bought stuff over 90 days ago.
Laterz,
Todd
I am writing to you today because I had difficulty finding spare hardware from two Ikea locations (one urban and one suburban) for the Mammut crib I bought from you in 2010. I had to disassemble the crib and bring it over to my mother-in-law's house for a spell because we were staging our house in a different way to make it more desirable to buy because we have had difficulty selling it (reference #OccupyWallStreet for starters). Also, the baby was not digging the crib yet, as he prefers to sleep in his pack-and-play. However, babies grow and it is now time to go back into his crib. So I went to my mother-in-law's to get the crib and brought it back home. I put the crib together per your instructions and was saddened to realize my error. I had lost one bolt assembly in the move. This bolt assembly's lone responsibility in life is to hold up one quarter (1/4) of the mattress. I had three of his friends, but this one assembly evidently went Nemo on us. Without this little guy, the mattress would cave-in whenever weight would approach its corner. Translated- Not Baby Safe (NBS).
I decided to bring this issue to the fine Ikea located in South Philadelphia to only be greeted by the following fine exchange between two charming customer service representatives. Let me preface this by saying I am not in anyway mad at the employees. They deal with less handsome and more angry customers on the regular. My anger is more geared at the curious policies being followed by your confusing company.
"I need these parts" (basically a bolt, a nut, a washer, and a non-threaded eyeloop). I had an example of what I needed (Nemo's friends) and the assembly instructions with the part ID. The rep checked and said they didn't have the eye loop.
"Can I order that eyeloop?" was met with a "No".
"Well how can I get the part?" was answered with a "You can keep checking back in".
I said, "Oh, well when do you get parts deliveries" to which the other, more disinterested rep replied "we get parts deliveries twice a year".
I said, "Well I guess I don't really have to keep checking in. When's the next delivery". Disinterested replies "we got this year's delivery already."
Since checking back in to see if the delivery that wasn't expected had arrived was not the ideal solution, I requested to speak to a manager. The manager also searched for the part and he said it also was not in stock and not able to be ordered. The reason crib parts are not stocked is because Ikea can't make money off rebuilding cribs because it is illegal to sell a used crib. That's fine. But I asked if they still sold the crib, which they did, and if so how would someone get a part if it was missing in the box. He replied that he didn't know and he told me to check next door at Lowe's. Lowe's couldn't match the threadless eyeloop and the employee there cursed Ikea as apparently they regularly send customers to Lowe's to find Ikea-designed hardware. Most eyeloops have threads. I was tempted to have the Ikea manager help me shop in Lowe's but I had my son with me who was getting hungry, so I went home.
Once I got home I was pretty flyered (angry but also excited about hockey) up so I left the baby with my wife and headed to Conshohocken. Once there I was informed of this policy:
"No longer have the receipt, or it's over 90 days from the date of purchase?: IKEA does carry replacement parts for a majority of our products; however, we cannot guarantee availablity. In most cases, spare parts are only issued for items that have damaged or missing parts upon receipt, if the return is made within 90 days of the purchase date.
If you no longer have a receipt, many of our store locations have bins of the most commonly used hardware in the Customer Service/Returns Desk area. Depending on quantity, charges may apply."
This policy basically means that spare parts are available for products bought within 90 days. For those of you who bought the product outside of 90 days, there are no parts unless the store is lucky enough to have it. You cannot order them. While understanding the logic (not really) I really wanted the parts so I figured I would just start shouting. The customer service rep (at the new location) decided to actually look and was able to locate the eyeloop. She was more shocked than I was. I still needed clarification on why spare parts could not even be ordered if I was willing to pay cash money. Her answer was, well we are the only furniture store that replaces its own hardware. I replied, well you kind of have to provide replacements for your own hardware because a lot of it is Ikea specific. She didn't know how to handle that one. I asked her what I would have to do if she didn't have that eyeloop and she implied that I would have to buy a new crib. This seemed like a great customer service solution. "Lost one bolt? Buy a new crib". A crib that is not yet two years old that has barely been used is not able to be used because of a policy that refuses to deal with customers that have been loyal for over 90 days. I decided to leave since I have now collected 3/4 of Nemo and I think I matched the bolt up pretty well at Ace. I will put it together and hope for the best.
I hope that you can explain to me the reasoning why hardware is not made available for sale. The hardware at Ikea is not compatible with most stuff found at regular hardware stores (the manager at Ikea told me the bolts are better at Lowe's anyway...really nice to hear from someone selling cribs to families) so it needs to be made available to customers who bought stuff over 90 days ago.
Laterz,
Todd
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
4ever blog
A
billion years ago
you read this blog
and you liked it.
Now
not so much.
It's pretty bad. I could tell you about the new fish accessories I bought.
I willn't though. I will do my best to never say anything about it.
But it will cost you your IP address
In a not so serious note, it was determined a long time ago that
billion years ago
you read this blog
and you liked it.
Now
not so much.
It's pretty bad. I could tell you about the new fish accessories I bought.
I willn't though. I will do my best to never say anything about it.
But it will cost you your IP address
In a not so serious note, it was determined a long time ago that
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
2011 Delaware Marathon recap
I ran in the Delaware Marathon this past Sunday, which happened to also be known as May 15th. It was hard. It was my third marathon and it counted towards my second state. 48 more states to go. It was by far the hardest of the three. The Philadelphia Marathon and the Sun Trust National Marathon (DC) are much easier in comparison. The reason being that the Delaware Marathon has hills. Not a ton of hills, but enough to be annoying. It was a looped course (2 loops) and the hills popped up around mile 8 or 9 and mile I don't know 16 or 17. That math probably doesn't make sense, but it was the same hill. I think the rise was for a good mile/mile and a half. Coming down the hill was surprisingly harder than going up the hill for me. I think that explains something about my training.
I signed up for the Delaware Marathon because it was the second closest marathon to my house. Although I think Wilmington might be a few minutes closer than Philadelphia. The Delaware Marathon is real cool because I think there are only about 750 marathoners allowed to enter. There are 2000 runners total for the weekend, when combining the relay, the marathon, and the half marathon. I may have made those numbers up. The marathon starts about 5 minutes before the relay and about 20 minutes before the half marathon. This leads to not a lot of congestion. I'm pretty sure the National and Philadelphia started marathoners and half-marathoners together, so it is real crowded for the first 13. The negative about the Delaware Marathon was the email subscription list. You basically did not get any emails. Maybe 2. So you just had to hope there wasn't anything updated. The website was a good source of information I guess.
When it was about May 13th, I started to realize I had to run a marathon on May 15th. I bought new socks and an anti-chaffing stick. Not like a stick from a tree. More like a deodarant stick. Oh I bought some Gu. On the 14th I went to the expo which was small and fast to get through. I got my #, a free pint glass, and a shirt to wear when I want. I wore it earlier today actually. Then I drove home and we had Maksim's birthday party at Ridley Creek State Park.
The next morning I woke up at 5 and drove back to Wilmington. I went to the bathroom at home. At Dunkin Donuts on the way. At the port-o-potty spot (long line but went fast). And in the train station (secret spot). Then I lined up and they shot a gun that sounded like a large bomb. We all started running. By mile 3 I realized I was going to have an awful day. The part of my right hip/groin (huh?) showed signs it was going to appear at mile 16 again. I wasn't into running at all and I was tempted to run back to my car, which was parked on the route. I decided that I wouldn't get my car then, but I would hop in it if I still felt crappy at mile 15. It was raining early in the race which caused my glasses to fog.
Since I couldn't see a damn thing I ran slow. Even if I could see I woulda ran slow. Wasn't into it at all. Then at mile 4 or 5 some dude started talking to me. I usually hate talking and running, but I guess something changed. It was easy to do. First dude was in his mid-40s and he has won a 50 mile race before. I said WOW. I told him I won a 5K once but it was kind of sketchy because I technically came in second and I might not have even really paid for it. Then we talked about the Schuylkill River. Then he ran faster than I did at a water stop. I didn't try to catch up. He might have run past me during one of the loops back in, but I wouldn't have recognized him because I talked to him during the I CAN'T SEE part of the marathon. I'm sure he didn't win.
At the end of the marathon I somehow managed to run with some 66 year old dude. This was one when I was doing the run-walk-hobble that began around mile 16 when my leg stopped working again. He had on his 50 States marathon club shirt. It also said two times on it. So he has run a marathon in 50 states at least twice. When I told him that was my goal to do it once, he said don't do it 12 times. I'm not sure what that meant. He may have run it 12 times. He has run the Delaware Marathon 9 times. Which is how many times the race has been run. He was cool. He congratulated everybody that we passed or passed us. He congratulated the water giver outters and the traffic stoppers. He was cool. I forget his name. I saw him near the end of the race after talking calf cramps with some guy who ran the Virginia Beach Marathon around mile 25. I was feeling better so I left VBM guy and hobble ran a decent finish. A half mile from the end I saw the 66 year old dude again. I asked if he wanted to run the loop again. He said I was crazy. Then he said I ran a good race. And then he took off. I didn't catch up. It was really cool. I'm sure he ran another loop.
Slowest marathon yet, but easily the most fun. I'm not able to repeat marathons but I would do this one again. Maybe when I'm 66 I'll do it.
Unproofread is what the above is. Hope it's coherent enough.
I signed up for the Delaware Marathon because it was the second closest marathon to my house. Although I think Wilmington might be a few minutes closer than Philadelphia. The Delaware Marathon is real cool because I think there are only about 750 marathoners allowed to enter. There are 2000 runners total for the weekend, when combining the relay, the marathon, and the half marathon. I may have made those numbers up. The marathon starts about 5 minutes before the relay and about 20 minutes before the half marathon. This leads to not a lot of congestion. I'm pretty sure the National and Philadelphia started marathoners and half-marathoners together, so it is real crowded for the first 13. The negative about the Delaware Marathon was the email subscription list. You basically did not get any emails. Maybe 2. So you just had to hope there wasn't anything updated. The website was a good source of information I guess.
When it was about May 13th, I started to realize I had to run a marathon on May 15th. I bought new socks and an anti-chaffing stick. Not like a stick from a tree. More like a deodarant stick. Oh I bought some Gu. On the 14th I went to the expo which was small and fast to get through. I got my #, a free pint glass, and a shirt to wear when I want. I wore it earlier today actually. Then I drove home and we had Maksim's birthday party at Ridley Creek State Park.
The next morning I woke up at 5 and drove back to Wilmington. I went to the bathroom at home. At Dunkin Donuts on the way. At the port-o-potty spot (long line but went fast). And in the train station (secret spot). Then I lined up and they shot a gun that sounded like a large bomb. We all started running. By mile 3 I realized I was going to have an awful day. The part of my right hip/groin (huh?) showed signs it was going to appear at mile 16 again. I wasn't into running at all and I was tempted to run back to my car, which was parked on the route. I decided that I wouldn't get my car then, but I would hop in it if I still felt crappy at mile 15. It was raining early in the race which caused my glasses to fog.
Since I couldn't see a damn thing I ran slow. Even if I could see I woulda ran slow. Wasn't into it at all. Then at mile 4 or 5 some dude started talking to me. I usually hate talking and running, but I guess something changed. It was easy to do. First dude was in his mid-40s and he has won a 50 mile race before. I said WOW. I told him I won a 5K once but it was kind of sketchy because I technically came in second and I might not have even really paid for it. Then we talked about the Schuylkill River. Then he ran faster than I did at a water stop. I didn't try to catch up. He might have run past me during one of the loops back in, but I wouldn't have recognized him because I talked to him during the I CAN'T SEE part of the marathon. I'm sure he didn't win.
At the end of the marathon I somehow managed to run with some 66 year old dude. This was one when I was doing the run-walk-hobble that began around mile 16 when my leg stopped working again. He had on his 50 States marathon club shirt. It also said two times on it. So he has run a marathon in 50 states at least twice. When I told him that was my goal to do it once, he said don't do it 12 times. I'm not sure what that meant. He may have run it 12 times. He has run the Delaware Marathon 9 times. Which is how many times the race has been run. He was cool. He congratulated everybody that we passed or passed us. He congratulated the water giver outters and the traffic stoppers. He was cool. I forget his name. I saw him near the end of the race after talking calf cramps with some guy who ran the Virginia Beach Marathon around mile 25. I was feeling better so I left VBM guy and hobble ran a decent finish. A half mile from the end I saw the 66 year old dude again. I asked if he wanted to run the loop again. He said I was crazy. Then he said I ran a good race. And then he took off. I didn't catch up. It was really cool. I'm sure he ran another loop.
Slowest marathon yet, but easily the most fun. I'm not able to repeat marathons but I would do this one again. Maybe when I'm 66 I'll do it.
Unproofread is what the above is. Hope it's coherent enough.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
the sign on the side of the road that no one ever saw.
The sign on the side of the road was hidden by a tree. The giant tree kept whatever was on the sign secret from the drivers driving by but it seemed to be ok because the street was a pretty safe one and there had not been any accidents in all of my years of driving on that street. Well maybe there was one or two accidents, but I think I might have only read about them in a newspaper. One story went along with the following title:
"Accident on Montgomery Street. Everybody was more than Fine"
I remember that day, reading about the accident. It was the most pleasant accident story ever written. It stated that Mr. Cosmo and Ms. Dee bumped cars accidentally when they both slowed down suddenly to try and get the other's attention. They bendered the fenders every so slightly but neither seemed to mind as they both rolled into the street to meet with a kiss. I love you Ms. Dee shouted Mr. Cosmo as he fell in the street. Yes Yes Yes Ms. Dee shouted. Everyone else on the street pulled over to applaud. It was a sure a strange, but pleasant news article. I think I read it once or twice just to confirm the words were there. I threw the paper away a little later that week, but the story remained over the years, but to be honest I stopped thinking about it a while ago.
That was until one day I was driving again along Montgomery St. when I was slowed to a crawl. Construction up ahead. Ahead we crept in our cars, and the reason for the delay was the tree was coming down by the street crew. It took a few days to chop down the giant tree, and as I drove by each day the sign became more and more clear until it was there for everyone to see.
"Accident on Montgomery Street. Everybody was more than Fine"
I remember that day, reading about the accident. It was the most pleasant accident story ever written. It stated that Mr. Cosmo and Ms. Dee bumped cars accidentally when they both slowed down suddenly to try and get the other's attention. They bendered the fenders every so slightly but neither seemed to mind as they both rolled into the street to meet with a kiss. I love you Ms. Dee shouted Mr. Cosmo as he fell in the street. Yes Yes Yes Ms. Dee shouted. Everyone else on the street pulled over to applaud. It was a sure a strange, but pleasant news article. I think I read it once or twice just to confirm the words were there. I threw the paper away a little later that week, but the story remained over the years, but to be honest I stopped thinking about it a while ago.
That was until one day I was driving again along Montgomery St. when I was slowed to a crawl. Construction up ahead. Ahead we crept in our cars, and the reason for the delay was the tree was coming down by the street crew. It took a few days to chop down the giant tree, and as I drove by each day the sign became more and more clear until it was there for everyone to see.
Friday, May 6, 2011
the fat-faced dog
There was a fat-faced dog on my paper route. He sat on the porch when it was nice out. When he saw me coming, he'd get up and start to come down the stairs to chase me. He'd get down about three steps before the rope he was tied to would pull him back up. He'd look at me and I would peddle away on my stupid little bike. Once in a while I'd taunt that fat-faced dog, by shouting stuff like "Hey fat-faced dog, your face is fat", but for the most part I wanted to get done delivering papers so I could go home and make a glass of chocolate milk and watch cartoons.
I kept that paper route for a few years. When I got older, I eventually decided to work in a grocery store, so I gave up the paper route. At that grocery store, I was forced to deal with people on a regular basis. Can you put the meat in separate bags? Can you carry that to my car? Other people just demanded things. Paper and plastic. Hurry up, I have to go home. Whenever I tried to get away for a minute, someone would call me back. There is always work to be done at a grocery store.
Every once in a while I would walk around my old neighborhood after a day at the grocery store. I would pass the fat-faced dog's house. When it was nice out, he'd be there on the porch. Even though he was older and his face was even fatter, he'd run down the stairs to try and get me. And I would occassionally walk over to pet him on his fat head. He was a good dog.
I kept that paper route for a few years. When I got older, I eventually decided to work in a grocery store, so I gave up the paper route. At that grocery store, I was forced to deal with people on a regular basis. Can you put the meat in separate bags? Can you carry that to my car? Other people just demanded things. Paper and plastic. Hurry up, I have to go home. Whenever I tried to get away for a minute, someone would call me back. There is always work to be done at a grocery store.
Every once in a while I would walk around my old neighborhood after a day at the grocery store. I would pass the fat-faced dog's house. When it was nice out, he'd be there on the porch. Even though he was older and his face was even fatter, he'd run down the stairs to try and get me. And I would occassionally walk over to pet him on his fat head. He was a good dog.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Where I was when they captured Saddam
I guess all the OBL news has had me wondering about how people are supposed to feel when big things happen. I guess that's the big debate going on right about now. Should people be wooting and burning stuff in the street, or should they be chilling and praying to their God and whatnot? To me, the reaction doesn't really matter. People will find something to be pissed off about whatever the outcome may be. That be what makes people, people? Am I right? (I'm not apologizing for any of the stupidity found in the first few sentences of this blog, k?) (I understand there are grammatical errors, but they are used to make a point) (I'm not sure what the point is though, because I am an idiot). People separate themselves from lessers by being able to find the ability to get pissed off about basically whatever they want. I know people who hate American Idol. Other people seem to love it. If a TV show is going to bring out a debate, I guess a military-ordered death will as well. "So react how you want, just don't react around me"-Martin Luther King.
That is not really a Martin Luther King quote, it is a slight variation of a lyric found in a Bad Religion song.
I didn't riot at the OBL news, but I didn't boohoo none neither. My best friend growing up was a pacifist labrador retriever, but all the same I'm totes happy that OBL is no longer around. Perhaps contradictory, but I'm sure Ladybug would understand.
I tried to remember if the capturing of Saddam caused a similar reaction. Did Phillies and Mets fans hug in the streets? Did college campuses go bonkers? I have no idea. I heard about the Saddam news when I was laying face down on the carpet in Maguire's living room in Albany. Me and Jones visited him for some crappy party, and then crashed at Maguire's new apartment. The apartment was pretty boring and I think Maguire was trying to save money so he didn't let us turn the heat on, even though I remember his apartment was real cold. Jones called the couch, which was fine, because I have no problem sleeping on a floor. I remember Maguire's carpet smelling really good. There were lots of jokes about how good the carpet smelled. Most of them were inappropriate. But anyway, we drank a lot then passed out in our designated pass-out space. Maguire in his bed, Jones on the couch, me on the floor. Since it was so cold, Jones took down Maguire's curtains to use as blankets at some point in the night.
I remember waking up to Maguire freaking out. Maguire is military, and he ran in the room to turn on his television. Jones was excited. I wasn't excited, I was really hung over and cold. We watched the news programs all morning, and Maguire was confident that we had won. It was cool joining in on his winning attitude, but I was still pretty hungover. We probably made fun of Jones for the rest of the morning and then found greasy food somewhere.
That is not really a Martin Luther King quote, it is a slight variation of a lyric found in a Bad Religion song.
I didn't riot at the OBL news, but I didn't boohoo none neither. My best friend growing up was a pacifist labrador retriever, but all the same I'm totes happy that OBL is no longer around. Perhaps contradictory, but I'm sure Ladybug would understand.
I tried to remember if the capturing of Saddam caused a similar reaction. Did Phillies and Mets fans hug in the streets? Did college campuses go bonkers? I have no idea. I heard about the Saddam news when I was laying face down on the carpet in Maguire's living room in Albany. Me and Jones visited him for some crappy party, and then crashed at Maguire's new apartment. The apartment was pretty boring and I think Maguire was trying to save money so he didn't let us turn the heat on, even though I remember his apartment was real cold. Jones called the couch, which was fine, because I have no problem sleeping on a floor. I remember Maguire's carpet smelling really good. There were lots of jokes about how good the carpet smelled. Most of them were inappropriate. But anyway, we drank a lot then passed out in our designated pass-out space. Maguire in his bed, Jones on the couch, me on the floor. Since it was so cold, Jones took down Maguire's curtains to use as blankets at some point in the night.
I remember waking up to Maguire freaking out. Maguire is military, and he ran in the room to turn on his television. Jones was excited. I wasn't excited, I was really hung over and cold. We watched the news programs all morning, and Maguire was confident that we had won. It was cool joining in on his winning attitude, but I was still pretty hungover. We probably made fun of Jones for the rest of the morning and then found greasy food somewhere.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The first time I saw Osama die
OBL is now dead. This short blog is not about that. It is more about the other time he died. I have more information about that because I was there and I saw it happen. So I will share.
It was the spring semester of my senior season at college. I was a nitwit kid with a couple of radio shows on the college station. They were good shows. Steve and I yelled at each other while Mike and I ignored one another. One thing was certain. When GWAR was in town we would go. So we did. Although my memory refuses to confirm Mike and Steve's attendance. It can, however, confirm with certitude that Dan was in attendance. It may have even have been Dan's idea to go see GWAR at Tink's.
To understand why that is funny, you have to first realize a little bit more about Dan. Dan didn't like loud music. He liked DMB or other cargo short wearing music. I took him to a punk show our sophomore year at Sea-Sea's and he got spit on by some kid. This made him not go to anymore shows with me. Because even if he did like some of the crap I listened to, he couldn't tolerate nitwit kids who do stupid shit at shows. Can't blame him. So for Dan to suggest a GWAR show, it was funny. I wasn't big into GWAR, but I decided it is a show to go to at least once in your lifetime. So we went. It was at Tink's.
A GWAR show is fun because they dress up in monster costumes and throw up on the crowd. At the particular show I went to, they had some people that they were going to sacrifice to their gods. They killed Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden, as well as Mike Tyson and George Bush. The music was real loud, and during the executions blood and guts would spill out into the crowd. I jumped on top of everyone and surfed my way up to the front to see what death felt like. A good time was had by all.
Dan watched from the bar in the balcony.
It was the spring semester of my senior season at college. I was a nitwit kid with a couple of radio shows on the college station. They were good shows. Steve and I yelled at each other while Mike and I ignored one another. One thing was certain. When GWAR was in town we would go. So we did. Although my memory refuses to confirm Mike and Steve's attendance. It can, however, confirm with certitude that Dan was in attendance. It may have even have been Dan's idea to go see GWAR at Tink's.
To understand why that is funny, you have to first realize a little bit more about Dan. Dan didn't like loud music. He liked DMB or other cargo short wearing music. I took him to a punk show our sophomore year at Sea-Sea's and he got spit on by some kid. This made him not go to anymore shows with me. Because even if he did like some of the crap I listened to, he couldn't tolerate nitwit kids who do stupid shit at shows. Can't blame him. So for Dan to suggest a GWAR show, it was funny. I wasn't big into GWAR, but I decided it is a show to go to at least once in your lifetime. So we went. It was at Tink's.
A GWAR show is fun because they dress up in monster costumes and throw up on the crowd. At the particular show I went to, they had some people that they were going to sacrifice to their gods. They killed Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden, as well as Mike Tyson and George Bush. The music was real loud, and during the executions blood and guts would spill out into the crowd. I jumped on top of everyone and surfed my way up to the front to see what death felt like. A good time was had by all.
Dan watched from the bar in the balcony.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Broad Street Run
Most recent:
May 1st: Broad Street Run. Completed my third Broad Street Run. It was fun. I ran my fastest time so far in this highly uncharming ten-miler. 01:22:46. That was five minutes faster than I ran last year. Which is misleading because it was 400 degrees last year. I think I could have ran 01:22:47 last year, but that weather was just too brutal. I probably could have ran 01:20:34 this year but my stomach warned me that if I didn't find a tullet we were gonna have issues. So at the water stop at mile 8 I dove face first into a port-o-tullet and upside-downed whatever it was that was bugging me. I recorded a PR in said tullet, washed off with invisible soap and ran a decent final two miles to record my new ten-mile PR, breaking that silly beach race I did last year. I decide to sprint with some derelicts at the finish just to ensure a sub-01:23:00 finish.
For whatever reason I felt like death all last night. I decided I like the Broad Street Run and I will try to run it every year. Next year I plan to beat Ndeh, who surprised me with his 01:18:16 because before the race he was telling me how his 5 Hour Energy was wearing off. Ndeh seems like the dude who doesn't train, but just shows up, drinks a 5 hour energy, then beats you in a ten-mile race which you have trained somewhat regularly for. Next year, Ndeh.
In addition, I am completely not looking forward to the marathon in under two weeks. Not feeling these Nike Frees at all. After the marathon I might try the New Balance Minimus jawns, but if they suck, I'm going back to cushioning.
Completed:
January 29th: Polar Bear Plunge. I guess really not a race, but jumping into the Delaware River in January is still pretty stupid. Turned out to be more fun than expected.
February 19th: Healthy Choice 5K. I was in Florida for some school junk. Wanted to run a race, so I found out that this 5K and the marathon were going on 2 minutes away from my motel. I was able to sign up late for the marathon, but a class schedule ruined that plan. So instead I did this 5K at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. It seemed like a nice park, but the 5K included a looped course. Looped courses in a state park seems like a cop-out on race design, so I was a little disappointed. I ran a decent time, which shows that I have almost been able to keep in shape this cold winter. 5K time was not as fast as what I was running in the Fall, but I'll take it.
March 13th: Janet Massey Breast Cancer 5K One of the stranger races I have run. This 5K was organized by a student organization at Neumann University. I appreciate that a lot of effort is needed to run a successful 5K. I feel that the organization did put a solid effort into organizing this race, but I feel that there were a few glitches. One of which was the online form, as I'm not convinced I even paid for this 5K. When I get more money I'll be sure to redonate to the cause. The other problem was it started forty minutes after it was posted. It was a sneak surprise start as there was no get ready warning. We just lined up and a horn was set off. That's fine. The race was at Ridley Creek State Park, which is my homefield advantage. It was an out-and-back race, so the great downhill start meant there was going to be an uphill climb at the finish. So I let a few people go ahead of me because I planned on picking them off at the end. My plan worked and I finished second in the race. The guy who finished first didn't want to be considered the winner because he was part of the organizing group, so it'll go down as my first 5K win. So I won a race I didn't really win and I'm not even sure I paid for. I like it.
March 27th: Citizens Bank Caesar Rodney Half Marathon & 5K. Half Marathon immediately follows 5K. I signed up for both. Next year I probably don't need to do the 5K. But I think I will do the half marathon again. The course was nice. And the participant size was pretty great. Wilmington is a weird town though. RESULTS
Registered:
May 15th: Delaware Marathon. Third marathon. Second state. smh
Possible:
August 28th: The Wild Half. Half-marathon in Wildwood, NJ. I think it's the first one.
Friday, April 15, 2011
the plan
Hello,
I am forwarding you all the latest WATERSKI magazine e-newsletter. Before you scroll down to that, I request that you read a couple lines of words. The words are found below:
Thank you for taking the time to read this far. We are almost at the WATERSKI magazine e-newsletter. For those of you who know me, you know I have three loves in my life. They are my family, Philadelphia Flyers hockey, and waterskiing. I'm a big fan of waterskiing. I'm not that good at it yet, but with practice I'm sure I'll get real good. I own a snowboard and it rains a lot where I live. And I know people who can drive cars. That is Step 1. Practice
Step 2. I am running a marathon in Wilmington Delaware in exactly one month. My goal is to win it. Chances are I will not come close to winning it. My other goal is to raise money to build schools in places of the world that people generally don't care too much about. If you don't care, that is fine. But I care. And you care about my waterskiing career. The two are related. So donations are required. Go to this page and donate 5 dollars: http://www.crowdrise.com/safetyroperunsDonation is Step 2.
Step 3. You are probably asking why? Why should I donate? You are probably thinking, Hey, we are in a recession and the NFL is in a lockout. Rich people are arguing about how to best split up 6 billion dollars. The only legitimate concern in this dumb negotiation is the concern for retired NFL players with health issues who also have zero dollars. They should be taken care of. I say each player gives up a car. Wait. Wrong spot for an NFL rant. Ignore the rant, but follow Step 3. Step 3 is boycott the NFL. Don't play fantasy football. Don't buy a stupid shirt or a helmet with beer can holders on the side (actually you can buy that). Just give me $5 dollars. See Step 2.
Step 4. Waterski your faces off.
Kindest regards,
Ted
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: WATERSKI magazine
Date: Fri, Apr 15, 2011 at 10:01 AM
Subject: The Crossover Evolution, Video: Sport Nautique 200, Centurion's Backstage Pass
The Crossover Evolution, Video: Sport Nautique 200, Centurion's Backstage Pass
- Hide quoted text -
Behind The Scenes: Crossover Evolution
Although crossovers are the newest breed of inboard, they're practically dominating the market. Find out how crossovers have evolved and where they're heading in the future...
[click to continue]Video: Sport Nautique 200
WATERSKI takes the versatile new Sport Nautique 200 for a test drive...
[click to continue]
Three New Wallpapers
Decorate your desktop with three new water ski beauty shots...
[click to continue]
Back In Action
Four tips to save your back on deepwater starts...
[click to continue]
[Contest]
Win A Straightline RS Series
With molded nylon arms, a unique dyneema bridal and a design that prolongs rope life, the new RS water ski handle provides unmatched response for all levels of riders...
[enter to win]
[First Look]
Your Centurion Backstage Pass
Join Ricky Gonzalez, Drew Daniello and more in a working photo shoot surrounded by the latest top-secret Centurion products...
[click to continue]
HO Syndicate Welcomes Travers
With an under-21 division world title and a national slalom record, Jon Travers is the newest member of HO Syndicate...
[click to continue]
Ski School Primer
There's nothing like a trained eye watching your technique to help you identify and break bad habits...
[click to continue]
advertisement
WATERSKI EXTRAS
Video: Sans Rival SR2 Slalom Ski
Todd Ristorcelli breaks down this high-end European carbon ski...
[click to continue]
Video: Asher Skis HO Syndicate A2
Bob LaPoint and Will Asher share their shape philosophy behind the new Syndicate A2....
[click to continue]
Get Better Now: Shred-Ready Tips
Let the world's best rippers help you reach the next level...
[click to continue]
More from waterskimag.com:
Copyright © Bonnier Corporation, 460 N. Orlando Ave., Suite 200, Winter Park, FL 32789
I am forwarding you all the latest WATERSKI magazine e-newsletter. Before you scroll down to that, I request that you read a couple lines of words. The words are found below:
Thank you for taking the time to read this far. We are almost at the WATERSKI magazine e-newsletter. For those of you who know me, you know I have three loves in my life. They are my family, Philadelphia Flyers hockey, and waterskiing. I'm a big fan of waterskiing. I'm not that good at it yet, but with practice I'm sure I'll get real good. I own a snowboard and it rains a lot where I live. And I know people who can drive cars. That is Step 1. Practice
Step 2. I am running a marathon in Wilmington Delaware in exactly one month. My goal is to win it. Chances are I will not come close to winning it. My other goal is to raise money to build schools in places of the world that people generally don't care too much about. If you don't care, that is fine. But I care. And you care about my waterskiing career. The two are related. So donations are required. Go to this page and donate 5 dollars: http://www.crowdrise.com/safetyroperunsDonation is Step 2.
Step 3. You are probably asking why? Why should I donate? You are probably thinking, Hey, we are in a recession and the NFL is in a lockout. Rich people are arguing about how to best split up 6 billion dollars. The only legitimate concern in this dumb negotiation is the concern for retired NFL players with health issues who also have zero dollars. They should be taken care of. I say each player gives up a car. Wait. Wrong spot for an NFL rant. Ignore the rant, but follow Step 3. Step 3 is boycott the NFL. Don't play fantasy football. Don't buy a stupid shirt or a helmet with beer can holders on the side (actually you can buy that). Just give me $5 dollars. See Step 2.
Step 4. Waterski your faces off.
Kindest regards,
Ted
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: WATERSKI magazine
Date: Fri, Apr 15, 2011 at 10:01 AM
Subject: The Crossover Evolution, Video: Sport Nautique 200, Centurion's Backstage Pass
The Crossover Evolution, Video: Sport Nautique 200, Centurion's Backstage Pass
- Hide quoted text -
Behind The Scenes: Crossover Evolution
Although crossovers are the newest breed of inboard, they're practically dominating the market. Find out how crossovers have evolved and where they're heading in the future...
[click to continue]Video: Sport Nautique 200
WATERSKI takes the versatile new Sport Nautique 200 for a test drive...
[click to continue]
Three New Wallpapers
Decorate your desktop with three new water ski beauty shots...
[click to continue]
Back In Action
Four tips to save your back on deepwater starts...
[click to continue]
[Contest]
Win A Straightline RS Series
With molded nylon arms, a unique dyneema bridal and a design that prolongs rope life, the new RS water ski handle provides unmatched response for all levels of riders...
[enter to win]
[First Look]
Your Centurion Backstage Pass
Join Ricky Gonzalez, Drew Daniello and more in a working photo shoot surrounded by the latest top-secret Centurion products...
[click to continue]
HO Syndicate Welcomes Travers
With an under-21 division world title and a national slalom record, Jon Travers is the newest member of HO Syndicate...
[click to continue]
Ski School Primer
There's nothing like a trained eye watching your technique to help you identify and break bad habits...
[click to continue]
advertisement
WATERSKI EXTRAS
Video: Sans Rival SR2 Slalom Ski
Todd Ristorcelli breaks down this high-end European carbon ski...
[click to continue]
Video: Asher Skis HO Syndicate A2
Bob LaPoint and Will Asher share their shape philosophy behind the new Syndicate A2....
[click to continue]
Get Better Now: Shred-Ready Tips
Let the world's best rippers help you reach the next level...
[click to continue]
More from waterskimag.com:
Copyright © Bonnier Corporation, 460 N. Orlando Ave., Suite 200, Winter Park, FL 32789
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Race schedule (Updated)
Completed:
January 29th: Polar Bear Plunge. I guess really not a race, but jumping into the Delaware River in January is still pretty stupid. Turned out to be more fun than expected.
February 19th: Healthy Choice 5K. I was in Florida for some school junk. Wanted to run a race, so I found out that this 5K and the marathon were going on 2 minutes away from my motel. I was able to sign up late for the marathon, but a class schedule ruined that plan. So instead I did this 5K at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. It seemed like a nice park, but the 5K included a looped course. Looped courses in a state park seems like a cop-out on race design, so I was a little disappointed. I ran a decent time, which shows that I have almost been able to keep in shape this cold winter. 5K time was not as fast as what I was running in the Fall, but I'll take it.
March 13th: Janet Massey Breast Cancer 5K One of the stranger races I have run. This 5K was organized by a student organization at Neumann University. I appreciate that a lot of effort is needed to run a successful 5K. I feel that the organization did put a solid effort into organizing this race, but I feel that there were a few glitches. One of which was the online form, as I'm not convinced I even paid for this 5K. When I get more money I'll be sure to redonate to the cause. The other problem was it started forty minutes after it was posted. It was a sneak surprise start as there was no get ready warning. We just lined up and a horn was set off. That's fine. The race was at Ridley Creek State Park, which is my homefield advantage. It was an out-and-back race, so the great downhill start meant there was going to be an uphill climb at the finish. So I let a few people go ahead of me because I planned on picking them off at the end. My plan worked and I finished second in the race. The guy who finished first didn't want to be considered the winner because he was part of the organizing group, so it'll go down as my first 5K win. So I won a race I didn't really win and I'm not even sure I paid for. I like it.
March 27th: Citizens Bank Caesar Rodney Half Marathon & 5K. Half Marathon immediately follows 5K. I signed up for both. Next year I probably don't need to do the 5K. But I think I will do the half marathon again. The course was nice. And the participant size was pretty great. Wilmington is a weird town though. RESULTS
Registered:
May 1st: Broad Street Run. Country's biggest 10 miler I think. A pretty mandatory thing to do at least once if you live in Philly. This will be my third in a row. I don't know why I feel the need to keep running in it. I guess because Keith Coleman signed up. The midwife who delivered Maksim will probably be running too so that's cool.
May 15th: Delaware Marathon. Third marathon. Second state. smh
Possible:
April 17th: Dash for Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness. 10K
August 28th: The Wild Half. Half-marathon in Wildwood, NJ. I think it's the first one.
Monday, March 21, 2011
To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.
Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.
To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.
Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime® 6.5 or higher is required.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
2011 Race Schedule (updated)
Completed:
January 29th: Polar Bear Plunge. I guess really not a race, but jumping into the Delaware River in January is still pretty stupid. Turned out to be more fun than expected.
February 19th: Healthy Choice 5K. I was in Florida for some school junk. Wanted to run a race, so I found out that this 5K and the marathon were going on 2 minutes away from my motel. I was able to sign up late for the marathon, but a class schedule ruined that plan. So instead I did this 5K at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. It seemed like a nice park, but the 5K included a looped course. Looped courses in a state park seems like a cop-out on race design, so I was a little disappointed. I ran a decent time, which shows that I have almost been able to keep in shape this cold winter. 5K time was not as fast as what I was running in the Fall, but I'll take it.
March 13th: Janet Massey Breast Cancer 5K One of the stranger races I have run. This 5K was organized by a student organization at Neumann University. I appreciate that a lot of effort is needed to run a successful 5K. I feel that the organization did put a solid effort into organizing this race, but I feel that there were a few glitches. One of which was the online form, as I'm not convinced I even paid for this 5K. When I get more money I'll be sure to redonate to the cause. The other problem was it started forty minutes after it was posted. It was a sneak surprise start as there was no get ready warning. We just lined up and a horn was set off. That's fine. The race was at Ridley Creek State Park, which is my homefield advantage. It was an out-and-back race, so the great downhill start meant there was going to be an uphill climb at the finish. So I let a few people go ahead of me because I planned on picking them off at the end. My plan worked and I finished second in the race. The guy who finished first didn't want to be considered the winner because he was part of the organizing group, so it'll go down as my first 5K win. So I won a race I didn't really win and I'm not even sure I paid for. I like it.
Registered:
March 27th: Citizens Bank Caesar Rodney Half Marathon & 5K. Half Marathon immediately follows 5K. I'm signed up for both.
May 1st: Broad Street Run. Country's biggest 10 miler I think. A pretty mandatory thing to do at least once if you live in Philly. This will be my third in a row. I don't know why I feel the need to keep running in it. I guess because Keith Coleman signed up. The midwife who delivered Maksim will probably be running too so that's cool.
May 15th: Delaware Marathon. Third marathon. Second state. smh
Possible:
March 19th: 2011 Fight for Air Stair Climb
March 20th: Get your Rear in Gear 10K
April 2nd: Tyler Arboretum 10K Trail Race. Probably my favorite race.
April 17th: Dash for Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness. 10K
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
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