Saturday, February 23, 2008

Off the Wagon



I'm in a rest period, and I feel like I have completely fallen off the wagon. I'm following my plan, but as I mentioned in a previous post (the three people who have read these know what I'm talking about), down time is harder than continuous training. It breaks up the routine and structure that works for me. When I start up again next week, I will ease back in and then hit it hard. I'm picking up new running shoes, since my others now have over 400 miles on them; I should have replaced them last month.

On the fundraising front, thanks to a significant benefactor, I have exceeded my goal. Having said that, I will still remind those who haven't yet contributed that I am still collecting, and appreciate any donations.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Now I'm Somebody


The new phonebooks have arrived! Things are going to start happening to me now.

Well, not really. But a search for me on Google puts my site at the top of the search list. Some people/organizations pay top dollar to get to the first listing. I guess I got lucky.

It's kind of interesting the stuff you can dig up on Google (or the time you can waste). As I have been sick most of the week, I'm getting cabin fever and really beginning to feel like Mr. Creosote. I'm looking forward to hitting the pavement again.

I have figured out a little more about HTML, but not enough to widen the margin of the blog to allow the Founders Quote to fully display (I know how important it is for Gary). I can make that column wider, but only by making the body text narrower. I'm sure it's simple; I just don't know where to look in the code.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Illness

After coming off of a slow training week I was ready to hit it hard. Unfortunately the only thing hit hard was me. I felt a bit weak on my treadmill intervals on Tuesday morning, but I figured it was just reinforcing my desire to not have any more slow weeks. No, it was something else. By 7:30 am I was feeling worse, and I went home at noon and slept almost fifteen hours. I have had a fever since then, and thought aches, a headache, and a chest cough was enough. No, now the sinus thing begins. Not to be gross, but the stuff coming out of my sinus makes me feel bad for the Beakers who at some point in their early careers found they had to not only collect samples of the stuff, but study it as well. For the folks I was around on Tuesday (probably Monday too), sorry about the Typhoid Mary thing.

I'm blaming this on my recent trip. There was a woman opposite me in the aisle seat on my return flight, and she was coughing. Alot. At least she was (for the most part) burying her head in her arm as she did, but I felt using the overhead air nozzle, aimed to blow past my head and towards her, would help keep the germs back. Well, however I got sick, doesn't help me now. I think it's the flu, and though I thought I might have been better by today, find I will likely miss work again Friday. I'll lay in bed and cruise the horrible, horrible selection of daytime television options. There are programs that interest me, but I can only handle so much Mega-Oil Platform, or Mega-Ship-Rocket-How-It's-Built-under Dramatic Timeline show on Discovery Science or National Geographic channels. I'm getting cabin fever.

I just want to get back to work and working out. I feel like I have really fallen off the wagon and will be starting over again. The marathon is about ten weeks away, and I have lots to do before then.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Is Anyone Reading This?

I told myself I wasn't going to write anything about the upcoming elections. This site is supposed to be about the fundraiser and training, but I think my daily trials may be a bit boring. Only two people have left comments. So, I'll comment on elections.

I am distressed by the field of candidates, and the shoehorning of McCain for the Republican Party by the press. Not that I liked anyone. In fact, the only person who had my attention was Fred Thompson, as he seems to be the only person who seems to recognize the U.S. Constitution. Okay, Ron Paul does too, but he's kind of a kook. Then there's Huckabee - I'm not a fan. Hillary and Obama: I don't like them. No, I don't agree with Obama on anything, and Hillary - the only thing I can say without expletives is that she scares me.

The MSM is pushing hard for McCain because conservatives don't like him - he's a conservative just slightly right of Nancy Pelosi. The press bashing on McCain won't begin until he is the official candidate, after which they will spin things to get conservatives to stay home on Election Day. I'm just not thinking about it until I really have to, because it is making me ill.

The real scare is what will happen with the congress. This is truly the elephant in the corner, and there has been zero focus on what will happen. My opinion? Throw the bums out. They are all alike. They may have had ideals when they were elected (a stretch), but over time they go native. Their penchant for spewing hot air (a cause for "global warming") is only exceeded by their insatiable appetite for our money.

What's missing? Leadership. None of the candidates are anything more than professional politicians. What's needed is real leadership. The kind that inspires people to do more, to do the right things. And a congress that respects the U.S. Constitution. Spending is out of control, and while many may disagree with military actions overseas, the expense is well within the domain of the federal government. Entitlements however, are not.

Walter Williams wrote an article for Constitution Day 2006. Here is an excerpt:
"Let's examine just a few statements by the framers to see just how much faith and allegiance today's Americans give to the U.S. Constitution. James Madison is the acknowledged father of the Constitution. In 1794, when Congress appropriated $15,000 for relief for French refugees who fled from insurrection in San Domingo (now Haiti) to Baltimore and Philadelphia, James Madison said disapprovingly, 'I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.'"

I'm not one to say exercise your right to vote. Actually, I only advocate doing the research before you vote. This isn't a popularity contest. If you don't know anything about the candidates, STAY HOME on Election Day. Or ask me, and I'll tell you who to choose...

I added links to the bar on the right. They are for you Gary.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Generosity

I started my Strides for Hope campaign roughly three weeks ago, and while I have not finished soliciting everyone I intend to ask, I have been astounded by the positive response I have received so far. I not exactly comfortable asking for money, yet have received donations from many people. While I anticipated at least some level of support from friends and family, I didn't know what to expect. What really struck me was the number of significant contributions, not just from friends and family, but from former colleagues, neighbors, and others with whom I do not regularly interact. I am truly grateful to all of you who are helping. Your donations will help people who really need support in a difficult time. If this project helps raise awareness of the plight of others and the services offered by The Wellness Community, I have been successful.

I know I am more aware. Just three days ago, while in the grocery store, I ran into a guy who used to work for me, and had retired about five years ago. We talked for about twenty minutes, and I learned his retirement hasn't exactly gone as planned (does it for anyone?). After taking a couple of nice vacations, his wife learned she had cancer. She has since undergone many painful treatments and expects to have more. They were not aware of TWC, and I was able to pass information to him about it, what they do, and how it won't cost him anything. I'm hoping they try it out.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Slow Training Week


This has been a low intensity and low distance week for me, and I'm beginning to feel like Mr. Creosote. I ran less than 10 miles, and barely rode the bike. Two days of travel didn't exactly help either, nor did eating an entire box of Cheerios while I was in Mexico. With the lack of activity my left knee has actually started to hurt.

Speaking of knees, here's an actual training tip: Keep track of the mileage you put on your running shoes, along with their age. The impact-absorbing characteristics of running shoes deteriorate during not only from repeated pounding, but over time as well. I have just about 400 miles on my current shoes, and it's time to retire them. I would have earlier, but simply haven't taken the time to go get them.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

13 Minutes


I have spent the last 40+ hours traveling. Not that I mind traveling; on the contrary, I kind of enjoy it. Even if the destination is not exactly exciting. Even if it's for work and I have to go help a customer solve a problem. But sometimes the endeavor is nothing more than showing our customers that we care. This was one of those trips. A colleague and I just returned from Mexico City, where we made a presentation (as part of a supplier review) covering what we are doing to improve our product. We used three minutes more than our allotted time; it lasted thirteen minutes. For some, it seems a silly waste of time and resources, but in the domain of customer relations, it could potentially save tens of thousands of dollars in future pain. For those of you with experience as a Tier 1 supplier to an automobile manufacturer, you'll understand what I mean.

So, perhaps it is worth it.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Much Lighter

Today is an off day for me, and since I couldn't sleep, spent a bit of time checking out stuff on the web. I stumbled across this video/advertisement on someone else's blog www.curlysu.com and thought I'd post it as well. With my own warped sense of humor, this fits right in.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

The Loss of a Pet

We have had four pets during the past fifteen years. Sadie is our current dog. Nikki and Ginger passed on in 2002. This afternoon we put our cat Destiny to sleep. She was over fourteen and was doing just fine until about three weeks ago. In November 1993, Michele found her (nearly expired) as a kitten in the street. I was a bit allergic, but that eventually passed. She and each of the dogs had an arrangement, and they got along just fine.

She was a good cat and we'll miss her.