LOST notes: Dr. Linus

Although last week’s episode had some good moments, I didn’t really have a lot to write about, so I’ll just skip that one and just post for this week’s episode.

Obviously given the name of the episode, this one is about Ben. Let’s see what we find out this episode.

Sideways 2004

• Episode opens with Ben teaching about Elba - an island where Napoleon was exiled to. Interesitng - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elba
• Principal Reynolds is a jerk, and also from “Real Genius”. Just like Roger Workman...both who have ties to Ben [principal and father respectively]. Coincidence? I THINK NOT! Val Kilmer will probably be in the next episode
• Parallels between this alternate reality - Ben should lead the school
• When did Ben’s dad take him off of the island?
• WHOA! Alex still has connection Ben even off the island. Where’s Rosseau?
• Alex still can confide in Ben just like a father
• Look at Ben...back to his “old“ self. Getting other people to do work for him. He’s getting artsz to hack into the nurse’s email so he can bring down the principal
• Ben is forced to decide between blackmailing the principal, getting his job, but also ruining Alex’s life
• It appears that this time he picked Alex

2007

• Miles snitches on Ben about how he actually killed Jacob “standing over Jacob’s with a bloddy knife” Nicely played Miles. I am starting to have the feeling there is going to be more that Miles has to do
• Ilana is supposed to protect the candidates
• “Cheese curds”...seriously Hurley? Why not Cheeseburger?
• Hurley seems to want to get away from the temple
• Ben is digging his own grave. That sucks
• According to Miles, Jacob hoped he was wrong about Ben
• Jacob gave Richard a “gift” to stay alive and young this whole time. Although now it doesn’t seem like Richard is a big fan of Jacob anymore. What happened for him to change his mind about Jacob? Did Flocke actually get to him?
• Richard has completely lost it and wants to kill himself. He was touched by Jacob [I wonder what his encounter was like] and anyone who was touched by him also received a gift. Obviously something different than Richard’s gift. What are the gifts everyone else received?
• “If you change your mind, I’ll be like a mile away“
• When did Jack become the man of faith? FINALLY Jack isn’t wrong.
• Seeing Ben dig his own grave just seems ironic
• MIB wants Ben to be the one in charge of the island and unlocked his foot from the lock. Crafty little devil, isn’t he?
• Ben is sad, sad individual. What did Ilana mean when she said ”I’ll have you“?
• UH OH..looks like Widmore has found the island!

Michael Emerson is an incredible actor.

Something new about something new

I ran on Saturday morning around my mom's neighborhood. I ended up going a total of 5 miles a little over an hour. I have started not wearing an iPod while running. Surprisingly I am not finding myself bored without the music. I find myself concentrating more on my form and posture. After Christine sent me information on Chi Running I have been trying to figure out what is the best running technique works for me. I've been incorporating some of the methods mentioned in Chi running, like leaning, swinging my arms properly, keeping lower back loose, etc. Just like I did last year, I quickly realized what I was missing over the winter months. I've been talking about running with so many people during the winter, I forgot how much I actually enjoyed it. This year, I've got a little added motivation and support group. After I signed up for the marathon at the beginning of February [dry heave], I started following some people on twitter. Some of my favorites to follow are @gargal, @runnergirl33, @awboonstra, and of course @FleetFeetChgo, and @chanthana amongst others. It's amazing how supportive internet strangers can be about running. So I send tweets to them about their training and they do the same for me. It's quite an interesting and supportive community, and it's definitely something different than what I had the past couple of years. So hopefully it all pays off, especially with the marathon coming up in October [dizziness].

LOST image...thanks Potter!

hahahaha

My first run of 2010

March 1st is the first day I ran outside in 2010. I only ran two miles at lunch just to see how I felt after the run. I would have loved to do more, but I am always worried I won't have enough to finish or I may get injured on the first run back. Just too many worries, I know! I didn't even think about getting ready to go run at lunch. When 12pm hit, I just walked downstairs to the locker room, changed, had a quick conversation with Lisa and Ingrid in the aerobics room, and then went outside. I find if I stick around too long, I end up making excuses why I shouldn't do certain things. Running being one of them. So I figured if I just occupied myself with smaller tasks [walking downstairs, getting ready, etc] I would not realize that I was about to go running. It reminds me of Chandler on the day of his wedding to Monica [that's right, a Friends reference!] and how he was terrified to get married, so Ross took him to so small tasks like putting on his socks and just going to the church. So I always try to take that approach. Who says that you don't learn anything good from television?

Anyways, back to the run. When I went outside it was probably around 35-40 degrees out. It was a comfortable cool and I completely overdressed with the under armour hoodie. Once the crisp air hit my lungs, I knew I was ready. It's a different feel when that same crisp air enters your lungs when you're just going to or from the car. It's almost annoying then. In this situation it's a wake-up call for the task you are about to accomplish. The first 1/4 mile I started feeling my left knee click, or just tighten up. This was not what I expected since I have been having issues with my right knee for the past few weeks. I thought to myself that I just need to get through it and that my body is just not used to running right now. Sure enough by the 1/2 mile marker, I was warmed up and felt great.

Last year after having run for a few months, this "good" feeling could last a few miles. Today...probably about 3/4 mile. Ugh I'm pathetic. But I knew this was a possibility so I tried not to set my expectation too high [good thing I didn't]. The second mile I just tried to concentrate on form and my breathing. When I am good and focused on it, it doesn't feel as bad. But when my mind drifts, that's when we have issues. I droop my head, I lean a little too much, drag my feet, it's a mess. After 25 minutes I finished off the 2 miles. About 30sec slower per mile than what I would normally like, but hey, this is my first run.

Went back inside to the gym, had a good post-run stretch (per the massage therapist), got dressed, and went back to work. I was ok the rest of the day, of course a little tired from running, but I was glad I got out and did it.

Next Run: Thursday, 2-2.5 mi

A massage..damn I needed that!

Last Sunday after my first game at an open gym for IBL, I hurt my back. I have no idea what happened. I was able to finish that first game just fine, and since we lost I was just stretching on the sidelines chopping it up with Francis. And then all of a sudden I felt this SHARP pain in my lower back. I honestly couldn't breathe. It then resonated all up my back and practically paralyzed me while I hunched over. Since it was about a 40-minute wait till my next game [4-5 game wait] I was able to loosen it up while continuing to stretch and jogging in place. By the time I got to play again, the pain subsided. Thank God! I was able to play to play 3 more games that day with no issue. Well, I guess I just wasn't thinking about it when I was playing. That tends to happen when my adrenaline gets going. And now that I am 30, the adrenaline cannot protect me for long periods of time. After hoopin' I went to Alice and Eddie's place to hang for a bit where my back continued to stiffen up and then the next morning I was useless. Every way I turned, my back hurt.

So fast forward to today. My back had finally loosened up this week after icing and resting, so I decided to get a massage. I went to Massage Envy today in Palatine and Christine hooked me up with an hour massage. I thought my lower back was my only issue, but it turns out my upper back is all kinds of crazy too. She found knots all over the place. We talked a good amount about running since I saw one of her hobbies was running in her bio in the waiting room. She said she ran the marathon last year in under 6 hours. I hope to do the same this year. She told me some stretches I need to as well as techniques. I'll be sure to do those the next time I workout/run.

Tomorrow...a swim while Jaz is at her driving lesson. Then Monday, outside to run! I have the Shamrock Shuffle 8K at the end of March so I gotta be ready for it.

Sorry for the boring blog, just wanted to write SOMETHING for tonight :)

LOST: Lighthouse

This episode revolves around Jack

Flash-sideways

• Jack has a scar on his hip appendix was removed at 7 or 8 years old. Jack doesn't fully remember
• Jack had a kid named David (13-14 years old?)
• Shared custody of David, where's his mom? What happened with Jack and her?
• It appears Jack still liked the occasional drink before his father's death [his mom saying, "good for you", although he did drink on the plane
• Jack and his mom learn of Claire from his will
• David runs away from Jack to audition for Williams Conservatory where Dugan's son is at also

On the island [2007]

• Hugo sees Jacob by the fountain
• Jacob sends Hurley and Jack to the lighthouse where a set of mirrors show the lives of people at different degrees. Each degree shows a name. Jacob wanted Hurley to turn it to 108 degrees...whose name is that? 108 also was not shown in the cave of names in "The Substitute"episode. Whoever is listed at 108 must have some significance to getting of the island
• Hurley addresses the question about the two skeletons in the cave. "Time travelled to dinosaur times, and it is really them"
• Claire is back...mmmmm
• Apparently Claire is still on the lookout for Aaron, and appears that she has no recollection of what really happened the night she disappeared. She is not happy with the idea that Kate raised Aaron, which is in line with Kate's thoughts/nightmares about Claire
• According to Jacob, someone bad is going to the temple...could that be Claire? Or will Jin be leading Flocke in as well as Claire through the secret passageway

LOST notes: The Substitute

Some observations/questions about tonight's episode of LOST

Alternate timeline [2004]

• Yay, John Locke is supposed to get married, but awesome he's getting married, but aw someone parked too close to his car, but yay it's Hugo!
• Hugo leads Locke to a temp agency he owns and Rose reports to Hugo
• According to Peg Bundy miracles do happen
• Locke is now a subtitute teacher...and so is BEN?!

2007 timeline

• John Locke WAS a candidate [episode later this season]
• Who did "Flocke" see while talking to Richard? Blonde boy with blood on his hands. Was that Aaron?
• Flocke is "recruiting" according to Ilana, also an episode name later in the season
• Apparently drunk Sawyer can figure out Flocke is not the real Locke
• How does Ilana know that Jin will be at the temple?
• It is so hard to not make the Jacob/MIB leap that they are God/Devil
• Flocke is trapped
• Long-haired Sun is way prettier than short-haired Sun
• Ironic that Ben is the one who speaks at Locke's "funeral" on the island
• It would've been funny if Flocke turned into the smoke monster before climbing down the ladder on the side of the cliff....cheater!
• White rock/black rock = Jacob/MIB?
• Jacob wrote numbers with names inside the cave: 8 - Reyes [Hugo] all not crossed out. Crossed out means dead?
• Jacob had a thing for numbers
• Why didn't they show Kate's number?
• According to Flocke, the people on the wall were all candidates to become the protector of the island? Why them? Jacob touched them all during very difficult times in their lives or when they had to make a decision. Why them?

Yeah...I'm LOST

Just watched the third hour of the final season of LOST, and yeah, nothing has been resolved yet. Instead, at the end of "What Kate Does" even more questions have popped up about what the hell is going on with this damn island and show. Theories will always fly through the internet, but it seems like it almost doesn't matter anymore. We will just have to wait till this season is over before we get the answers we would like. I guess I'll just use this post for random thoughts/questions/observations/theories up until this point

LA X parts 1 & 2

The first two hours were named LA X, with a space between the A and the X. Must be because we now have two timelines to follow [yipee! NOT], one in LA, one on the island, I guess we're calling that X, because it seems to always move like a variable.

Is it me, or did alternate-2004 Jack seem to have been aware that something was "different" when he was on Oceanic 815. The little conversation he had with Rose seemed like they both knew that they had gone through something.

Juliet first said it didn't work when Sawyer was able to get through all of the metal that somehow did not empale her. Then she seemed to have gone back/forward to another time in her subconscious talking about getting coffee and going dutch [much like Charlotte's death when she said she couldn't have chocolate minus the nosebleed]. And then was able to tell Miles [after she already died] that the bomb did in fact "work". Did her mind flash to the alternate 2004 timeline?

I liked Hurley as the leader for as long as it was. He always brings comedy to his role: "I travelled across the ocean, and like, through time"...haha

Wonderful, ANOTHER set of "Others", who now reside in a temple!

OHHH Kate stole Jack's pen on the plane...didn't catch that till watching the episode the 2nd time

Is alternate-2004 Sun going to leave Jin? Not that it matters to the story, but that's what her plans were before the crash anyways.

Unconscious people can't hold their breath...thanks for the lesson doc!

Why did they hold Sayid in the springs as long as the sand minute glass when Dogan only took a second to see if his hand would heal?

How did the springs "heal" Sayid if it didn't work for Dogan when he cut his hand?

Frogurt..YES!

Where is "home" for the Man in Black/Locke?

Didn't Ben once summon the Black Smoke Monster to kill off the mercenaries? How did he do that?

Quite a popular one, Is Sayid now the new Jacob like "Locke" is the new Man in Black? There would be one major inconsistency. The man in black did not need Locke's body to be him, he was able to become a separate entity. Whereas if Jacob became Sayid, he actually used Sayid's body

"Nothing's irreversible"? C'mon, Jack HAS to remember!

Richard was a slave on the Black Rock

Man in Black was disappointed with everyone on the beach "The Others"

Seriously, "in love" Sawyer is a little bitch

What Kate Does

Even in the alternate-2004 timeline, Kate and Claire have a special bond regarding Aaron. Even without the crash, they were somehow drawn to each other

The "tests" they run on Sayid appear to be testing to see if he is the MIB/smoke monster? The ash has proven to repel the smoke monster, the electric shock did also with the gate, did the searing hot poker also do the same?

What's with the poison pill? My guess is if Sayid was the MIB, then he would not die from it. If he was not, then they could resurrect him with the springs again?

Claire goes into "early labor" in alternate-2004 just like she did when she did when the crash occurred. It seems like some things will stay the same, just like the bond between her and Kate. So it appears some things may happen in the alternate timeline as they did in the original post-crash timeline. What other things may happen in both versions of the timeline?

Specs [as I will call him] said that they think Sayid is "infected". Is it like what Russo saw in her team before she had to off all of them? Then later Dogan says that Claire was also infected in that same way. How does one get infected? Maybe through the MIB? Claire could've been infected when he was Christian [if that's what happened]

Now that Claire can't give Aaron to the adopting parents, it is fate's way of telling her to not give up the baby?

Dr. Ethan? uh oh...that can't be good

Is Claire the new Russo? Cappin' guys left and right now!

Speaking of cappin' people, Justin needs to seriously cap Aldo!

Just waiting to register for the Chicago Marathon...

I'm not even running right now, and I feel like I'm going to puke. 11:46PM right now so I have 14 minutes before I make a decision that will change and own the rest of my year. I can't believe I am even considering this. I had a good last year of running right? Was able to run up to 9 miles within a few months when I really started pushing myself. I mean, I just have to TRIPLE that effort, right? Starting out this year of working out, I think I finally found some workout and some good resources [my cousin Joe and my friend Jeremy]. And it's amazing how helpful it is to just be on twitter and tweet with other much more experienced runners and see what kinds of tips they have with running. Also the support is simply AMAZING in this community! Of course I have my running friends who I go to often - CJ and Lisa [10 min now], and they totally have my back. Hundreds of thousands of people run in a marathon in a year, if not in an actual marathon, but on their own. There's a guy I am following on twitter who is trying to run 250 marathons this year! Just an amazing story! So what's my story? I don't have some crazy story about possibly never being able to ever walk again, or have the courage to run for someone who battled with a terminal disease. I am simply running for the ones I love. I have seen lives end too soon whether it was something that could be avoided or not, and time and time again, I wonder how much more life did that person have in them? How many experiences in their life were they supposed to have? What did they not get to accomplish? Whenever God says it is my time, I don't want people to think I did not live a full life [5 min left]. I want people to know I went when I was supposed to, and I did everything in my power to accomplish the goals I set. I am not a motivational speaker but I would love to be the person to tell everyone that they can. They can do whatever they want to in this life if they work hard and stay focused. And there is only one way to prove this theory. It is to show everyone that anything, is indeed possible. Years ago, I would have NEVER tried something like this because I thought I couldn't. Now I realize I never did it because I wouldn't. I thank you all in advance who will be supporting me throughout this year in this seemingly improbable goal...I promise you, I will do this for you. 3...2...1...

Sorry Conan! I let you down

The drama of the late night wars of NBC of 2010 finally has come to an end and Conan O'Brien will be leaving NBC and the Tonight Show on Friday, December 12. Over the past several years I watched Conan on the late show after Leno. Leno had his funny moments early in his career, but it just seemed so bland and repetitive over his 17 year career in the Tonight's Show slot. Conan was edgy and I connected more with his humor than I ever did with Jay's. It came to the point, I just started getting annoyed with Leno, and I could not wait till he was gone! Then 2004 came and it was announced that Conan would be taking over the Tonight Show in 2009. Excellent! Now I don't have to stay up as late to watch him at night! But the kicker is that we had to wait 5 years until the transition. Five years flew by, and all of a sudden, "Heeeeere's CONAN!" I discovered something about myself when he made the switch. I don't watch TV as much as I used to. For the first few weeks I made sure to either catch every episode live or on our DVR. Then I would miss one show, then two, then a week...you see where this is going. Then after his first 4 months, I removed the recording on our DVR. I just could not keep up with a new show everyday. Occasionally I would be up at night flipping through channels and watch a segment or interview on his show, but then change it back to the Lakers game or whatever west coast game was on that night. 2010 arrives, and then all of a sudden there is word that they are moving Leno back to 10:30? WTF? Oddly, I took exception to this move, even though I had not watched a full episode in a few months. And just as quickly as he arrived, he will be gone. Red "hair" and all. There are some rumors that have Conan going to Fox. That would be interesting, since Fox has The Office and The Simpsons in that timeslot, and of course the ever so popular TMZ *gag* I hope Conan finds a spot and crushes Leno. Anyways, I feel somewhat responsible for Conan's staggering ratings, so Conan...my bad, man! You were the funniest in NBC's lineup and wherever you end up, I promise I'll be a better fan! Good luck, Coco!

My team: The Chicago Bulls...sigh

I am in the middle of watching the Bulls lose another game to yet another sub-.500 team: the LA Clippers. It just frustrates me as a fan for many years that we have the same story almost every year. Beat teams that we shouldn't beat like the Spurs, the Cavs, and the Celtics, and even compete against the Lakers, but then play like absolute dog sh*t against some of the WORST teams in the league: the Kings, the Warriors, and tonight, the Clippers. Sadly, this problem will not go away until (and IF) the Bulls can get a solid player off the free agent market this coming summer. (Bulls officially just lost: 104-97) I went into this season with no expectations, and just like every other year, I was sucked into the hype of the team. They get a few solid wins, maybe beat an elite team, put together a winning streak, and now I'm drinking the kool-aid. Then all of a sudden, SPLAT! They fall flat on their face with no explanation to teams that have been struggling all year but can somehow find their niche against the Bulls. I think the truth is the team is also drinking the kool-aid. They actually think they are above some of these teams, so they don't have to play as hard, or execute plays or, I don't know, PLAY BASKETBALL. I do blame management for not putting together a team that can compete all year.

Watching Janero Pargo run the point guard vs the Warriors gave me flashbacks of a sh*tty Rick Brunson...that's right, I said it! We need someone who can actually run an offense in the event that Hinrich is out like he was in that game.

For years we've been in the need for a big man. Joakim Noah is doing work this year, in the top ranks of rebounding, which I appreciate. I will give credit for pulling Taj Gibson - a rookie with a solid game. He needs to stay out of foul trouble, but what rookie can? Tyrus...oh Tyrus. Please stop thinking you're a guard and GO TO THE BASKET! Maybe once or twice a game shoot a jumper, but all the rest of your points should be tip dunks, alley oops, and garbage points. Fight down there along with Joakim. How can you get rebounds when you're 20 feet out? Right, you can't! Get those boards! Brad Miller...man. I don't know how you can compete in the league being as slow as you are, but you sometimes can make it happen. Other times you are as slow as rocks and it physically hurts watching you play on the court.

Derrick Rose...it is YOUR team! Get that ball and own the game...you can do that whenever you want.

John Salmons, stay consistent! He's starting to find his game, but geez, it's halfway through the season. You should've had this in your back pocket already.

Luol...I gotta admit, Luol has been pretty good. Finally, after the year we were supposed to trade him for Pau Gasol, he is actually playing some good basketball. If he can stay healthy is a completely different story. James Johnson, remember you are a ROOKIE and you are NOT Lebron James. Stop trying to do everything when you get in. Run the play, set the screen, go to your spot...no need for a spin move or behind the back dribble on every drive. You might mess up your new jack fade!

Lindsey Hunter, join the coaching staff already so we can free up a roster spot.

sigh...I'm done ranting about this team. Fact is, this team is exactly who we thought they were [sorry Dennis Green]. A team with a split personality, and I believe there is only one cure for this issue. A superstar. I don't know WHO would want to come to the Bulls and why, but if we can make a move on one of these big names, we might stand a chance. If not, get used to the mediocrity, because he's here to stay!

Ah Ebay...haven't seen you in a while, old friend!

Tonight I decided to try and sell my Ray Lewis Reebok patch on Ebay:

BID NOW!

Feels just like 2006 when I was so into buying selling cards on Ebay. I still have a boatload of random jersey and autograph cards over the past couple of years. And as you can guess it is because I have all of these crap cards is why I decided to stop. In the years that I was heavily collecting, I easily spent several thousands of dollars on opening boxes and getting singles for my collection. I still have a good portion of my Bulls collection, but I spent a lot on the Bulls players around those years, like Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, and Thabo Sefolosha...oops! And on top of that, I kept buying boxes on top of boxes trying to get that awesome card like a Michael Jordan autograph. Never happened! Since then I have greatly decreased my box buying budget. To maybe once every couple of months. The only real nice pull of someone of relevance was this break:



Pretty nice right? Anyways back to the topic at hand: Ebay. It's good to know that my old friend is still here, just waiting for me to either buy something or sell something. Unfortunately Ebay is not always a safe place to buy if you are a collector. You always should be educated on what you are buying, because you might be buying a fake. Of course you don't have to worry about it with me! Too many people have been ripped off one way or another so it is important to ask questions on forums or on ebay itself.

The fun part about Ebay whether selling or buying are those last few seconds before the auction is over. Of course on the selling side, you just want all the "snipes" to come in and bump up the sell price one bid at a time. On the buying side you just want to have the item so you wait and wait until the VERY LAST second to put in your bid. Hoping that your bid is high enough to win the item. When you win one...it is quite exciting. I know it sounds geeky, but anyone who has won an item on Ebay can attest to this feeling!

So the auction is up, and I will check it pretty much whenever I can to see if anyone viewed it, if anyone is watching it, and of course, if anyone has bid on it. Of course in my hay-day I would have a dozen items up on Ebay. Because that is all I did. Now, one at a time is enough excitement for me. Now, I wait...

Happy Birthday Mom!

Hey Mom! Happy Birthday! I know you don't have any idea what a blog is, but maybe one of your friends will stumble upon this and see it and tell you. We have been so blessed to have such a patient, understanding, caring, and passionate mother all of these years. And just like you have been a wonderful mother, you have been an equally great grandmother to the kids. I know I may seem frustrated when you ask me to how to change the TV to the video source for your cable, or ask that I change your alarm clock over and over again for the past 30 years. But the fact of the matter is, I do love doing these things for you. It is what makes our relationship strong. Not those specific actions/tasks, but I will always respect you for bringing up 4 boys after Pa passed away. I think I speak for the four Jao boys when I say that we love you for bringing us up into the men that we are today. And we thank you for always sticking by us through thick and thin. As a mother, I'm sure it was hard to see some of the things we went through, especially me because I was (am) such a brat (yeah, I admit it). You were always more than the famous eclair that you make that all of our friends LOVE, and even more than the strength you showed all of us during our hardest times...you are simply the definition of family...of a mother...of my inspiration. Thank you mom for being you. I love you.

P.S. Just hold down the "Alarm" button while pressing the Min+ button until you get to the time you want to wake up. Make sure the red light is next to either PM or AM, whichever one you want. I know these directions won't stick..just thought I'd try!

Geekin

I so have to get this shirt!

For those who don't know what this is about, enjoy:


Big Bang Theory rules!! 'nuff said! :)

The two best Bulls games I have attended

I decided that the Bulls vs Pistons game on 1/11/10 was the 2nd best game I have ever attended for a VERY different reason my number one is number one. So I must first tell the story of the absolute best Bulls game I have attended.

The #1 game that I have ever been to was the championship clinching game in the 1992 NBA Finals. I went with my oldest brother Tony, who ironically knows the least about basketball [love ya bro!] The Bulls were down 15 points going into the 4th quarter. I specifically remember my brother asking me if I wanted to leave already [probably to beat traffic]. Being only 13 years old and only getting to go to one maybe two Bulls games a year, of course I wanted to stay. And a good thing we did. Phil Jackson put in his reserves and Scottie Pippen. The bench proceeded to cut into the lead within 4 minutes. Portland turned the ball over and over early in the 4th. By the 9 minute mark, the Bulls cut the lead to 3, and then they brought in Jordan. I think you probably know how that one ends. Here are a couple videos of that comeback:





Here is a picture from that game as well as the ticket stub that I still have to this day:




So obviously the #1 game was due to the championship that was won while I was there, the basketball aspect of the game. As I said earlier, the #1 and #2 games are quite different!

The #2 game just happened this past Monday at the United Center. The Pistons were coming in with a 12 game losing streak, and the Bulls were 15-19, seemed like just the usual regular season game. Not this time!

Yeah the Bulls won by 32 points and Ben Gordon didn't get to have his "revenge" against his old team [mainly because he got injured]. But besides all of that basketball stuff that was going on, I got an opportunity to participate in the Air Guitar contest. Now I know as a concept, air guitaring is just silly. But I get to "perform" for a sold NBA arena? Yeah, I'll do whatever it takes to do that. If you know me you know I like to perform. So lo and behold, the video...



Thanks Tracy for the video!

After my win, my 30 minutes of fame started. I did not even think that this would happen or that anyone would even remember me. As I walked thru the United Center I was getting high fives from strangers and whispering all around me. Now I knew it was just for the rest of the game, so I just enjoyed it. Thanked anyone who said hi or "CONGRATULATIONS!" or "HEY THE AIR GUITAR GUY!"...haha, it was real silly, but also super fun.

And to add icing on this awesome cake, Marlon got a hook-up and we were able to get access to ANYWHERE in the United Center. We didn't get courtside seating, but we got to sit right next to the tunnel. I could absolutely get used to that view. Now I just need to figure out how to win the lotto or invent something to pay for season tickets for the courtside seats. Who wants in?

9 months and counting...

NO! It's not what you are thinking! haha

Of course I am talking about the Chicago Marathon that will be on October 10th of this year. That's right, it is on 10/10/10. Now the furthest I've actually run in an organized race is 10K. I was training for the 15K and actually got up to the distance, but then if you remember, I got the H1N1 flu...which SUCKED!! I've signed up for some races already to get me started out of the gate when it gets "warmer" this March. Here are the races I plan on running to get me ready for my ridiculous goal for 2010:

Shamrock Shuffle 8K - March 27 [registered]

Soldier Field 10mi - May 29 [registered]

North Shore Half Marathon - June 13 [not registered yet]

I hope writing and blogging about it will actually make me be more accountable this time around. Last year my goal was a 1/2 marathon, and I never got it done. I did make some good strides to get there for this year.

Being that it is 9 months away, today on 1/10 I decided I had to start liking the treadmill. In my copy of Runner's World this week it was talking about what kinds of different workouts you could do on the treadmill. Speed, tempo, random, and of course hill workouts. Of course I went after the most difficult and tackled the hill workout. Here's what the magazine said to do:

Try one minute runs up a 4% incline with two minutes of slow, flat jogging between. Build up to 10 repeats at 6% incline

Instead of two minutes I only jogged for 1 minute, because I forgot and I kept it at 4% the whole time since I wasn't sure if it meant that I should end this particular session at 6% or gradually work towards 6% in the next few hill workouts. It wasn't terrible, although I thought for sure I was gonna give up after only 5 intervals. Luckily with the Cardinals/Packers game on [Sorry Coop] I was able to get through it all. It didn't feel as bad as when I ran in the bay area a couple weeks ago. I didn't go up and down those CRAZY hills in San Francisco, just the ones I like to call the "beginner" hills in the outskirts of the city.

Me after running the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

So there you go, 1 step [actually over 13,000 steps according to my pedometer] closer to training for a marathon. I don't know what struggles lay ahead of me, but I knew I better start now, because before you know it, October will be here as quickly as 2009 left.

Random picture from our SF trip

While we were playing scrabble with Eric and Jessica. I love our camera

Trying out a new Mac app for Blogging

I am using MarsEdit for this one. Instead of a WYSIWYG editor, there is a real-time preview that you can look at as you are typing. I was testing with Qumana for the past couple of days. It seems ok, but there it seems awfully buggy. Probably will be uninstalling that one soon. By the way, aren't these space jams SICK?!?

Information overload

There are so many things in my head and I just can't seem to keep them straight sometimes.  I'm sitting here floating through internet space on Facebook, Twitter, HobbyKings, Ebay, Email, Google Reader, while listening to my new You Tube favorite singer: Melissa Polinar.  It just feels like information overload, almost to the point where I can't get my thoughts straight.  I'm not trying to be profound or anything like that...I just feel stuck.  You ever have that feeling?

Time is making me think

Once again, I have let this blog lead to a cold trail and finally die. But I'm here once again to revive it! So what's up with me...

My 30th birthday is around the corner. I booked the venue for my "extravaganza" as Abby would call it and I'm finalizing some details for it. I honestly don't know how I feel about hitting the big 3-0. I was talking to some of my co-workers about it today, and I think about the party, and I'm excited, but what does turning 30 really mean? Does that mean I cannot wear my basketball jerseys out without being judged? So am I officially an adult then? I guess that is ok. I'm kind of eased into that idea as is. Of course I don't have a child yet, but I have many friends that do now, so I can observe from the outside for now. I'm a pretty scared of that idea, but I definitely do want to have children. When? I don't know yet. I know I am scared [vulnerable moment coming up] of what happened with me and my dad and how he died before he could see me really grow up. Of course if he didn't pass away when I was younger, I probably wouldn't have grown up as fast. So now, I just want to have kids already. Is it just the pressure of hitting 30 that is making me think like this? I don't know. I do know whenever it does happen I will be very very happy. But there are some things that have to get done first, like Jaz getting her driving license and maybe even us moving to a house, or maybe a new job? Hah...I guess I am already an adult.

While I'm at it, I might as well go into what I posted today on Facebook: "The difficult thing is not becoming happy, the difficult thing is STAYING happy. What did you do today to stay happy?" Now this was not a direct message to anyone or anything going on in my life, but it was just something I was thinking about. It's just like working out. Sometimes losing weight is not the hard part...it's keeping it off that is more difficult. So everyday, I will see what I did to keep myself happy. I've got a good life, a good job, a great family, a wonderful wife, and the most loyal friends a guy can ask for. So one of the things that will keep me happy is to keep them happy. Today, I made sure everyone I could contact knew about the free gyro deal at a lot of restaurants in the Chicagoland area. Now I didn't actually go myself, but I hope everyone that I reached on twitter and Facebook went and enjoyed!

OK...off to bed for the night. Need to run tomorrow morning...need sleepy!