crackdown city

Crackdown city…..

I work for the Feds (as a nurse in a VA hospital…..), and recently there has been a blockade of some websites. No rhyme or reason, it seems, so I am a bit confused. Maybe I blogged about this already. I can’t go online and check, so bear with me if this is a repeat post, k? Thanks.

I can’t get to my blog, but I CAN get to “I am boring” and “endurance isn’t only physical” and “tall mom” and some others, but not MINE, which means I can only

post from email (like this one), and it comes out very discombobulated (yes, I can get to that one. AND red’s) and I can’t include links or pictures or anything other than just plain ‘ol text.

So here I am. That’s my story so far. Here’s what’s coming down the pike (or pipe, depending on where you are from)….

This weekend will be a good trip to Lake Placid, NY (not the one in FL with pet gators). Pop quiz….what is the name of the lake in downtown Lake Placid, NY? We are going to see a production having to do with Curious George. Should be a good time. My ulterior motive is to be able to do 3 or so laps around the lake Sunday morning before everyone else wakes up. 3-ish mile loop.

When I was in high school, I spent a week in Lake Placid (twice) at an Olympic Development Camp for Biathlon. Good times. Ran, ran, ran, roller skied, roller skied, shot, shot, shot, ran some more. Good times. There always seemed to be a strong positive energy vibe in LP. It will be interesting to see if I can still sense it. I’ll let you know.

First race of the season next weekend. Half Marathon. Am I ready? Not.At.All. But that’s half the fun, right? Have a good weekend!

Gene

FFF nephew Carson

Three Things Thursday

1) i am thankful that my wife is so patient with kids. it amazes me.
2) i am thankful that today is Thursday. I start a string of night shifts tonight at 2330. i think that i am on nights until next tuesday. i have been dreading this part of my schedule for almost 3 weeks, but now that it is here, i am ready. i just hope that i don't become such a PITA that my family asks me to move to Mongolia.
3) i am thankful for the nice weather that we have today. it means that i can be outside working on 'stuff' and projects and 'getting things done' (which, by the by, only leads to MORE things that need to get done). but that's ok. at least I am not stuck indoors.

so folks, tomorrow is ride/run/walk/bus/carpool to work day. if your town is having some sort of event to raise interest in this, stop on by and thank them for their efforts. i'll be either running or riding my bike, and will be stopping by the Hartford, VT town offices on my way home. i hope they have some socks left!

50 minute run

my official marathon training schedule doesn't begin until 6JUN10, so i am just going to repeat the first week's workout until then. i got this idea from another blogger, and i apologize for not remembering who that was. when i figure it out, i will give due credit.
today's schedule was a 50 minute run. i didn't really feel like spending 50 minutes pounding pavement during rush hour, so i headed for the woods. I had a great time. Came across a reservoir in the middle of no where (or so i thought), which was pretty cool, and then after i had climbed about half way up a hill i heard a sound behind me. I stopped running, hoping to see a bear or moose (I'd just left the "moose brook trail") or even a deer. Did I? Nope. It was a mtbiker! he was struggling to get up the hill, so i cheered him on. once he reached me, we chatted about the trails and such, and he reassured me that i was on my way back in the right direction. Here is an elevation profile of the run. oh, yea. hills. and yes, i walked a little bit. but not much. honestly!

Tooth Extraction

all pre-op'd and waiting!

our youngest had to go to the OR today to have an infected tooth extracted. short story is that he did great! Mom did a good job, too!!
Rainy, raw day here in Hartford, so we've all just hunkered down to recover. I am sure that Bryce will be running around like nothing ever happened in no time.

ya know that runner....

you know that runner you see out there, in the chilly rain? the one you curse under your breath as you drive by, complaining to yourself and the steering wheel that YOU should be out there, running, instead of having pressed 'snooze' again? The runner who makes you feel like a double helping of garlic mashed potatoes (yes, please!) instead of the toned runner that he is becoming? I see one almOst every day, more so now as the days lengthen. And I become increasingly envious, jealous, self-degrading, etc. etc. every time i see him out there.

today, I WAS THAT GUY.

and it was great.

have a great weekend, everyone!

You can call me......

Seve. Or probably not. Either way, in spite of the weather (yes, 'in spite of'...not despite), several hundred friends and relatives of "Colby" got together in Randolph, VT this past Saturday to play a round of golf. The Montague Golf Course is the second oldest course in Vermont. Quite picturesque, actually.
It was pouring rain at 830 while we were all standing around in the club house deliberating actually playing or just opening up the 19th hole a littler early. I don't drink, and since i was passing up a race that i would have done in the rain, i figured, HECK YA, i'll golf in the rain. I didn't bring my wet weather gear, dry socks, and GARMIN for nada.....
We collectively decided to give it a go, picked out carts (don't judge me!), and headed to load our bags onto the carts. In racing vernacular, the start corral looked like this:

I've never used a cart for golfing before, and was instantly intrigued by this bottle thing that was attached to each cart, right behind the heads of the golfers. "How flipping conVEEEnient", i said. Zach, our 12 yo (above, in red coat), asked what I was talking about. I said, "these little urinals are awesome! we need to get some for the truck, no?"

(cue face palm). Zach was like, "man, i am GLAD i am not your partner! those have seed or sand or something in them. if you make a divot, you dump some of this stuff on the spot before moving along." so i said, "you could do the same thing, even if it WAS a urinal!" (cue second face palm). "nope. i feel bad for Uncle Ray. I hear you're paired with him...." and off he went. who knew? sounded like a good idea.

Off we went, starting at the 3rd hole. Poured. got soaked even sitting in the cart. didn't care. at. all.

had some good shots, had some bad shots. didn't embarrass myself, didn't hurt anyone, and managed to have a good time. one of the things about golf that bugs me is the time wasted wondering if the ball you just found is  really yours, or just some random ball left there by someone too lazy to look, or whatevs. Since i am so clever, i eliminated that from my realm of possibilities. i drew a face on each of the 5 balls that i had alloted myself (i returned with the same 5 balls.....). Now i didn't have to remember if i was using a titleist 7000, a nike some such, or a Nimbus 2000. Just had to find a face. Notice the cleverly placed blade of grass? 

Mother Nature has a sense of humor about golf, too. No wonder we get along so well!                                        "Colby" is  a great long ball hitter (whatever the hell that means. it is just fun to say. like fartlek. :D He did well to get us off the tee, we pretty much shared the middle of the fairway, and then Ray brought us home on the green. Below is "Colby" smaking the ball. I am mostly impressed with my timing on the cell phone camera. I think I'll submit this one to Sports Illustrated. HA.

I leave you with a parting shot, looking off toward the 10th green from the 10th teebox. See the outline of the green (the 'fringe')? 3 of us (including yours truly) landed just shy of the fringe. Pretty slick. Like I said, all in all it was a great day. Time spent with family that i don't get to see very often, spending that time outside, melding with the elements. Ah... A good way to spend a Saturday.

Some things about Gene

In the tradition of other 100 post milestones, here are 100 some 62 (see? METRIC 100) things about me. In no specific order/grouping/importance. I started this list when I was at post 77......

1. I have a LOT of pet peeves. To help me get to the end of this list, I will use them. They will be preceded by "PP".
2. PP  when people use "quotes" when they really should use "quotations", as in: "Here is a list of my favorite quotes". Quotes is a VERB, people. Quotations is the NOUN. And yes, you can quote me on that.
3. PP when people say, "I could care less" when they really mean "I couldN'T care less". Big difference.
4. I grew up in a very rural town in Vermont. To hear me speak, you would never know it.
5. I have lived in 5 states.
6. I am lucky to be married to my Best Friend.
7. Seven is not my lucky number.
8. She and I were high school sweethearts.
9. She found me after 18 years of being apart.
10. That was one of the best emails I have ever opened.
11. I am named after my paternal grandfather, though he, my Dad, and I share the same first name.
12. I am stumped already.
13. This is my lucky number.
14. Sarcasm is one of my BFF's.
15. I have never been tagged by the typical blogger games of tag. :(
16. I want to play!
17. While in high school, I was vice president of our chapter of the National Honor Society.
18. I failed off of it 3rd. quarter of my senior year.
19. Tracey (my wife!) tutored me, and I was able to graduate.
20. My high school English teacher hated me for reasons i won't mention. Sorry.
21. When i was growing up, we raised goats, bees, pigs, chickens.
22. Try feeding a toasted marshmallow to a group of chickens. just sayin'.
23. My Mom is a twin. Or half a twin. Can you be a twin by yourself?
24. I am plagued by the following question: If our knees bent the other way, like the ostrich, what would chairs look like?
25. I am a father, and a step-father. I don't like to distinguish the two, but there they are.
26. The year before i turned 25 was one of the toughest years for me.
27. I got over it.
28. My family has a t-shirt tradition when you turn 40. You have to take your picture wearing a shirt that says "40 isn't old if you are a tree." the shirt has been passed around for the last 26 years.
29. I truely feel that running is an excellent form of therapy for me.
30. Getting shots and IV's don't bother me at all. I have often thought about getting one inserted before a race, just in case.....
31. One of the first things I do when i get to work is to scan my blog roll for good reading matieral. i have yet to be let down.
32. one of my guilty internet pleasures is verydemotivational.com .
33. I don't eat cake.
34. I love brownies. But not the edge pieces. Z prefers them, so it works out....
35. I prefer ice cream cake to cake (sing it with me...Ice cream and cake and cake...)
36. You could say that I am a fair weather runner. I am trying to get better about this.
37. I have been working on this for about a month, and am only at 37.
38. I wish that I had a closer relationship with our two olders.
39. I will work on that this Spring/Summer
40. whew. 40. really? squirrel! stupid Lunesta moth just caught my eye.
41. I had better get cranking on this list. I just posted #90, and I have 2 more bouncing around my head.
42. did 41 really count?
43. I don't think that I can come up with 100 things. I am shortening the list to 50.
44. I miss my family terribly when I am working the night shift.
(yikes. 92 posts in the books. better get crackin')
45.  i am very interested in nutrition, both for athletes and for hospitalized patients.
46. my Mom's twin sister suffered a severe stroke during an angiogram. the night before this happened, I spoke with her on the phone. almost a year and a half after that, i heard her voice on the phone for the first time. i cried. deeply.
47. though i like to think that i am a glass half full kind of guy, many people would argue the opposite. i need to work on this. perception is too often reality.
48. "i" broke one of my sister's teeth when she walked into a can of tomatoes that i was holding. Her version of the story is a bit different. we still laugh about it.
49. my eyes welled with tears several times while watching runners and participants finishing the Boston Marathon this year.
50. I am glad that I brought my sunglasses.
51. though i find my musical tastes to be eclectic, many might find them downright ODD. i can sing along with some show tunes, C/W, rap, 50's-'10's, and even some Classical pieces. bring it.
52. it drives me nuts when people bite their nails/fingers, pick their thumbs, or somesuch. just. stop. please. thanks.
53. one of my least favourite things is smoking. one of my most favourite people smokes. yin/yang, there you have it.
54. i reallllly wish she would stop.
55. i don't understand addictive behaviour. i just don't get it.
56. my favourite movie of all time is Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I can pretty much recite it for you. In college, we used to play a drinking game where if you got caught speaking a line, you had to drink. They say I had a good time playing.
57. i almost always spell neighbour, favour, harbour, etc. with the British 'u'. Spellcheck hates it.
58. there was a time, when i was in the National Guard, that I would chew Red Man if I was wearing 'green'. That lasted about 2 years. File under, "what was i thinking?"
59. i haven't had any candy since Halloween '08. (choc chips in ice cream don't count). i don't miss it a bit. i don't even chew gum. (but i miss that).
60. i keep talking about running my first marathon this fall. i have yet to actually sign up for the danged thing.
61. my name is Gene, and I think Windows 7 is a joke.
62. i hope that i haven't scared anyone with this list. i don't open up well, but this was a 'fun' exercise.

Three Things Thursday

in brief....
1) thankful for my Mom. for my wife as a Mom, and for my sister, as a Mom.
2) for people who have a sense of humor and don't take themselves too seriously.
3) that is is Spring Time. yay....

ok, this is short, but so is my time on the computer tonight.

George Orwell.......

when i got to work tonight (330 this morning), i expected to hop online and read some blogs as i usually do while my patient slept. imagine my surprise when i tried to go to the page and was BLOCKED. here is the text that appears.....


"To view sites in this category you must use quota time. You have 60 minute(s) of quota time remaining. Click the Use Quota Time button to start a 10 minute session for viewing this site and other sites in quota-limited categories."

to which i reply.....WHAT? here's the email (minus the screen shot) that I sent to a few folks earlier this morning:
====
Big Brother won’t let me go to some blog sites (mine, below, is blocked. Many others that I read are, too. This one, www.ncrunnerdude.blogspot.com, oddly, is NOT).

Big Brother will, however, let me go to facebook, twitter, verydemotivational.com, and tallmomontherun.com (which is a FRONT for tallmomontherun.blogspot.com). I checked into some Registered Dieticians’ sites that I follow, too, and they, too are blocked. But I CAN go to www.ruger.com (check it out. They have a SWEEEET looking rifle up for auction on their home page!). Can’t go to budweiser.com, but CAN go to www.magichat.net (at least SOMEONE in the computer department has good taste in beer).
=====
So, yeh. Runnerdude.blogspot.com is allowed. so is enduranceisntonlyphysical.blogspot.com and some others. Tallmomontherun.com is ok, but not lastmilelounge.com. I really don't understand the logic that was used to grant/deny permissions.
I had planned an apologetic blog post for today, but have been delayed. It might be 'disguised' as part of my Three Things Thursday.



peace out, geno.

golf rant. my apologies in advance.

before i get too far into this, i want to say that I am NOT un happy about what i have decided to do this saturday. let's just say that it is a bit out of the box for me, and WAAAAAAAAAY out of my comfort zone. So, of course, I have opinions and 'things to say' about it.
my brother and sister in law are expecting their first baby this year. sometime in August, me thinks. yay, them! naturally, my MIL is throwing a shower, and my FIL is throwing a (what DO you call the men's version of this?) party of sorts. Their son is the father to be. Let's call him Colby. His wife shall be called (for the sake of simplicity and anonymity) Britany. Got the cast set? good. so, I have known Colby since he was about 6, although there was an 18 year gap in there. ANYWAY....he's a good BIL, I have no complaints. I know that if i needed him for anything, he's but a phone call away.
but our interests are very dissimilar. he (and the rest of his family/circle of friends) are avid sports fans. and by sports fans i mean the typical baseball, football, NCAA basketball, and basketball that has dominated the American sports scene for (IMHO) far too long. oh, and he golfs.
which brings us to Saturday. I rec'd an invitation to join in on a round of golf as part of the day's celebration of the soon to be arriving cherub. the family has been golfing many, many times since i have been around, but i have never been invited to play. according to my wife, they "all know how you feel about golf". since this was a special occasion, I decided to accept the invite. this is where the 'out of the box' part comes in. I have no problem spending a day outside, walking around, looking at things. in fact, i would pretty much prefer to spend most of my days doing this in some form or another. except golfing. i just don't get it. whack a ball, go chase it, repeat. for 3-4 hours. i think that i would enjoy it more if it were played with 4 clubs only, 5 balls, and you had to RUN between shots. loser at each hole needs to do 10 push ups for every shot they lose by. once you lose all 5 of your balls, you are done. would really speed things up a bit, AND make it more interesting. as for the pros, i REALLY don't understand why spectators have to be silent during the shot. i don't. if they were pros at it, the sounds wouldn't be distracting AT ALL. seriously. can you imagine being silent during a race? no cheering during the final .2 miles of the Boston Marathon? what????

and now for the comfort zone thing. it isn't that i don't play well with others, it is that i don't socialize well with others. even in my immediate family, as my wife will attest. i just don't. silence, to me, speaks volumes. i could spend 4 hours in a car with someone, not talk at all, and not be offended/hurt/bored/sad/whatever. it does, i have found out, make the OTHER person uncomfortable. when i am on course this weekend, i am certain that the other 3 people in my group (who it is almost a guarantee that they will be strangers) will want to chit chat about stuff. Celtics in the playoffs. RedSox blowing another season. NFL Draft. Bud Lite. Wow, it is hot. I hope it doesn't rain.
I don't want to talk. I want to enjoy the course. I played my first round of golf ever at this same course, back when it was only a 9 holer, back in the 80's. It has history; it is the 2nd oldest course in VT. There are maple trees that are most likely over 100 years old.

Help. Send me good vibes. Oh, and as it turns out, i have to wear a shirt with a collar. To go for a walk. If I could golf with this guy, it might be a whole different story.
I will try to put together a race course report for early next week. We'll see how it goes. If you don't hear from me by the middle of next week, have the cops start checking the swamp just off the 5th Tee.....i'd appreciate it!