I started a running "club" at work and yesterday was our first run. There were two of us (thanks, Judy)...turns out it isn't so easy to get a bunch of sedentary desk jockeys motivated to run in 80 or 90 degree weather. But I am confident that more will join us as the weeks go by.
It's been months since I have taken a nice run. I felt so awesome afterwards. We ran 30 minutes down the West Side along the Hudson through Battery Park and back. It was a beautiful day and running along the water is always great. The next scheduled "group" run is Monday.
On Monday I plan to donate a 6-pack to the "club" for an after run toast. Maybe that will help to motivate a few more folks?
Friday, July 29, 2005
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
So, it's Been a While
I know it has been a long while since I have updated this blog. Lots has happened to keep me away. There have been grand thefts, loss of loved ones, crazy work schedules, blah, blah, blah. Just life, I guess. Nothing any different than anyone else. I have just been too undisciplined to cut through all the muck and remember what is important in life. Blogging. Of course. Staying connected. Sometimes it is oh so tempting to remain removed. Well, tonight my friends, I have broken my silence. I hope you enjoy the photos and the few commentaries I have posted this evening to get you all up to speed.
If I have another beer I may write another entry yet. In which case you will come to this one somewhere down the middle of the page where it will make no sense. Oh well. No harm done.
If I have another beer I may write another entry yet. In which case you will come to this one somewhere down the middle of the page where it will make no sense. Oh well. No harm done.
Deanne with a Deadly Weapon.
Deanne with a Deadly Weapon.
Originally uploaded by nadzent.
She almost cut her leg off with this thing. She looks like a psycho kill erin the woods.
Genevieve on Guitar
I think this picture isout of order. In any case, this is a great pic of Genevieve at the 4th of July Porchside Jam.
4th of July Porchside Jam
Gerald on Dobro. Deanne on vocals. Ernie/Aimee on Washtub bass. Genevieve on Guitar/vocals. Ethan on Bucket drums. Nancy on Background vocals/banjo. Dad on banjo. Mom on paddles. Ernie on vocals/guitar. Deanne/nancy on spoons.
We missed the rest of y'all.....
Enjoy the pics.
We missed the rest of y'all.....
Enjoy the pics.
Update to Josette's Meme
So I should really post an update to my respond to Josette's meme.
I ended up really enjoying The Time Travelers Wife. And I have felt sort of bad ever since writing that I couldn't care less about the characters.
I did care about Henry and Claire after all. I cried at the end of the book. I will admit it. So I take back what I said before. If you can make it through the beginning you should stick it out and will be glad that you did. I think. I mean it is sort of mushy, but also touches on the metaphysical, and they talk about fucking...a lot. So it sort of has something to offer everyone. (Oops! Did I just write the f-word and skirt on the edge of adult content in my Blog? My parents and parents-in-law read this! Oh well...).
That being said (iew, I sound like I am writing an email at work), I finished that book and started reading a collection of Pablo Neruda. Really lovely South American writer. Lots of poetry and travel essays. But not really what you would consider light summer reading. I figured I would read him to kill time before the arrival of the next Harry Potter book. If you have ever read Gabriel Garcia Marquez then you have the idea. Actually, I read Love in the Time of Cholera last summer by Marquez (excellent book, but again, not a beach read), when I started Neruda I thought it was the same guy. So there you have it. They must have known one another.
Well, I thought I was in to the heavy reading, but Randy told me he had just finished reading Rilke. Ick. Not a great summertime read. More appropriate for the fall or the winter by a fire wrapped in a big afghan. But an admirable undertaking, just the same. But that's just the kind of guy Randy is (I know you are reading this...but I would have said something nice about you even if you weren't).
The new Harry Potter, by the way, is just fabulous, in case you haven't yet picked it up. I wouldn't recommend it for the beach simply because of it's girth. It isn't really a Subway book either, but I find myself lugging it into work every day just the same. I love it (I am on page 355. I refuse to speed through it, but rather prefer to savor it slowly). Reading the books makes me really hate the movies. They should have published the entire series of books before releasing the first film. I hate having the images of the actors in my mind as I read. It really takes something away from the experience for me. But either way it is a brilliant story. I can't help but notice all of the parallels JK Rowling has drawn to the Bush administration, Terrorism, et al. It will stand as a testament to our time. I hope Tim Burton gets the chance to direct one of these films. I want to see a really dark film that can do the books justice rather than sugar coat the thing. The last film was pretty close to capturing the vibe, but was still a tiny bit too sanitized. How cool would it be to be one of JK's kids?
I ended up really enjoying The Time Travelers Wife. And I have felt sort of bad ever since writing that I couldn't care less about the characters.
I did care about Henry and Claire after all. I cried at the end of the book. I will admit it. So I take back what I said before. If you can make it through the beginning you should stick it out and will be glad that you did. I think. I mean it is sort of mushy, but also touches on the metaphysical, and they talk about fucking...a lot. So it sort of has something to offer everyone. (Oops! Did I just write the f-word and skirt on the edge of adult content in my Blog? My parents and parents-in-law read this! Oh well...).
That being said (iew, I sound like I am writing an email at work), I finished that book and started reading a collection of Pablo Neruda. Really lovely South American writer. Lots of poetry and travel essays. But not really what you would consider light summer reading. I figured I would read him to kill time before the arrival of the next Harry Potter book. If you have ever read Gabriel Garcia Marquez then you have the idea. Actually, I read Love in the Time of Cholera last summer by Marquez (excellent book, but again, not a beach read), when I started Neruda I thought it was the same guy. So there you have it. They must have known one another.
Well, I thought I was in to the heavy reading, but Randy told me he had just finished reading Rilke. Ick. Not a great summertime read. More appropriate for the fall or the winter by a fire wrapped in a big afghan. But an admirable undertaking, just the same. But that's just the kind of guy Randy is (I know you are reading this...but I would have said something nice about you even if you weren't).
The new Harry Potter, by the way, is just fabulous, in case you haven't yet picked it up. I wouldn't recommend it for the beach simply because of it's girth. It isn't really a Subway book either, but I find myself lugging it into work every day just the same. I love it (I am on page 355. I refuse to speed through it, but rather prefer to savor it slowly). Reading the books makes me really hate the movies. They should have published the entire series of books before releasing the first film. I hate having the images of the actors in my mind as I read. It really takes something away from the experience for me. But either way it is a brilliant story. I can't help but notice all of the parallels JK Rowling has drawn to the Bush administration, Terrorism, et al. It will stand as a testament to our time. I hope Tim Burton gets the chance to direct one of these films. I want to see a really dark film that can do the books justice rather than sugar coat the thing. The last film was pretty close to capturing the vibe, but was still a tiny bit too sanitized. How cool would it be to be one of JK's kids?
Disability for Loss of Booty-Shake?
What happens when you can't shake your booty because you sit all day, every day, behind a desk? I mean 9 to 12 hours a day. At a desk. In front of a computer. You order lunch in. You eat breakfast there. You forget how to make dinner. What happens?
You get stiff. Your neck gets stiff. Your back gets stiff. Your shoulders get stiff and uneven. Your hamstrings can't stretch to save your life. Even your calves are tight when you walk too many blocks in flats. What gives?
How about when you finally get an off hour or two? You try to shake your booty and...HORRORS! IT WON'T SHAKE?! You can't shake it. It just won't move.
Instead of a nice booty shake what you get is a wobbly body shake that looks more like you are about to fall over, or someone should dial 911 real fast because you are having a fit. You turn into a sort of human Weeble-Wobble with no joints or elasticity whatsoever.
There is just no mobility in your waist. You can't even turn to see what is going on around you. It is all or nothing. You either face front, or right, or left. Not ever sit facing front while looking ot see what's happening to your right. Nope. No movement. You have lost your swivel. You are now an egg shaped stiffy.
So, does this happen from sitting in a $2000 chair all day staring at a lifeless screen? Does it happen from being in one location and allowing zero range of motion for at least an 8 hour period? I say, yes, it does. And so, shouldn't I be allowed to collect disability and quit my job so I can once again shake my booty? I mean, if anyone's boooty should shake it should be mine. I know what some of you may be thinking "I see your booty shake all the time. Every time you walk by". Well, I am afraid you may be referring to my booty jiggle, which is involuntary and totally different than a booty shake. And that booty jiggle is also related to all of the above causes of the loss of the booty shake.
Now you may think "Why not be happy with the booty jiggle and forget about the booty shake?". Well, I will tell you this, a booty shake can make your day while a booty jiggle can ruin your mood for weeks on end. A booty shake goes hand in hand with good times and celebration. A booty jiggle is associated with ridicule, laughter and a few of the mortal vices one may remember from the movie "7". There is a difference, my friends.
And that doesn't even cover the health aspects of the booty shake vs. the booty jiggle. The booty shake leads to a cardiovascular-ly, emotionally healthy individual. A booty jiggle leads to depression and diabetes. The two just can't compare.
So now, I say that once a job causes you to lose your booty shake and to acquire a booty jiggle you should be allowed, by law, to collect disability. What do you say?
You get stiff. Your neck gets stiff. Your back gets stiff. Your shoulders get stiff and uneven. Your hamstrings can't stretch to save your life. Even your calves are tight when you walk too many blocks in flats. What gives?
How about when you finally get an off hour or two? You try to shake your booty and...HORRORS! IT WON'T SHAKE?! You can't shake it. It just won't move.
Instead of a nice booty shake what you get is a wobbly body shake that looks more like you are about to fall over, or someone should dial 911 real fast because you are having a fit. You turn into a sort of human Weeble-Wobble with no joints or elasticity whatsoever.
There is just no mobility in your waist. You can't even turn to see what is going on around you. It is all or nothing. You either face front, or right, or left. Not ever sit facing front while looking ot see what's happening to your right. Nope. No movement. You have lost your swivel. You are now an egg shaped stiffy.
So, does this happen from sitting in a $2000 chair all day staring at a lifeless screen? Does it happen from being in one location and allowing zero range of motion for at least an 8 hour period? I say, yes, it does. And so, shouldn't I be allowed to collect disability and quit my job so I can once again shake my booty? I mean, if anyone's boooty should shake it should be mine. I know what some of you may be thinking "I see your booty shake all the time. Every time you walk by". Well, I am afraid you may be referring to my booty jiggle, which is involuntary and totally different than a booty shake. And that booty jiggle is also related to all of the above causes of the loss of the booty shake.
Now you may think "Why not be happy with the booty jiggle and forget about the booty shake?". Well, I will tell you this, a booty shake can make your day while a booty jiggle can ruin your mood for weeks on end. A booty shake goes hand in hand with good times and celebration. A booty jiggle is associated with ridicule, laughter and a few of the mortal vices one may remember from the movie "7". There is a difference, my friends.
And that doesn't even cover the health aspects of the booty shake vs. the booty jiggle. The booty shake leads to a cardiovascular-ly, emotionally healthy individual. A booty jiggle leads to depression and diabetes. The two just can't compare.
So now, I say that once a job causes you to lose your booty shake and to acquire a booty jiggle you should be allowed, by law, to collect disability. What do you say?
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
NASCAR 2005 Poconos
There is nothing like a day at the races. Last weekend I went to the Pocono Pepsi 400 with my mom and dad. Ernie has been spoiled by our one-time VIP treatment at a race in Dover, DE and has sworn to never again sit outside in the hot sun without catering and closed circuit TV.
Anyway, the day was perfect. There was no traffic from CT to PA. We made it to the track in exactly 3 hours. An unheard of feat on race day. We were prepared to sit in traffic for at least 5 hours, as is the norm for these type of events. We took my moms Lexus, which is a big deal if you know my mother. She was sure someone would want to vandalize it, especially since it has CT plates (please...). Sometimes she is just too big for her britches. I drove into the City on the way back so that I could hop a Subway back to Brooklyn - the next day she wanted to know how much I loved driving the Lexus, and wasn't it so much better than anything else I had ever driven. Uh - no, not really. But whatever, it makes her happy.
So the funniest part of hte day, well there were two funny things, actually. The first was that right before they yelled "Gentlemen, start your engines" my mom shouted "Hey! Billy!!". Turns out their friend/Accountant had seats in the section right above us. He was meeting his son and daughter-in-law. A chance meeting 3 horus away from home.
The other funny thing was that in front of us were sitting 3 DAs from Brooklyn Heights. I wore my Brooklyn Cyclones basebell hat (see photo) and they recognized it. Seems they had been convinced by a co-worker to check out NASCAR. They said they stopped at Walmart on the way in from the City (we don't have Walmart in NYC, one of the last strongholds) and bought a bunch of NASCAR schwag. I think they each had at least one hat and one visor. They also had beenr coozies and a 36 pack of Miller. Two-thirds of the way through the race they went down and bought a can of Scoal Chewing tabac-y. They were so into it. Nothing like a first-timer at a NASCAR race. They were shouting and hooting, asking questions of everyone around them. One of them even borrowed a scanner form the guy next to him so he could listen to the in-car "chatter".
All in all it was a cool day. If you haven't been to a NASCAR race, I suggest trying it out. At least once. If nothing else you can enjoy people watching because I must have seen at least 25 pregnant men and one woman who looked like a man wearing a bikini.
Anyway, the day was perfect. There was no traffic from CT to PA. We made it to the track in exactly 3 hours. An unheard of feat on race day. We were prepared to sit in traffic for at least 5 hours, as is the norm for these type of events. We took my moms Lexus, which is a big deal if you know my mother. She was sure someone would want to vandalize it, especially since it has CT plates (please...). Sometimes she is just too big for her britches. I drove into the City on the way back so that I could hop a Subway back to Brooklyn - the next day she wanted to know how much I loved driving the Lexus, and wasn't it so much better than anything else I had ever driven. Uh - no, not really. But whatever, it makes her happy.
So the funniest part of hte day, well there were two funny things, actually. The first was that right before they yelled "Gentlemen, start your engines" my mom shouted "Hey! Billy!!". Turns out their friend/Accountant had seats in the section right above us. He was meeting his son and daughter-in-law. A chance meeting 3 horus away from home.
The other funny thing was that in front of us were sitting 3 DAs from Brooklyn Heights. I wore my Brooklyn Cyclones basebell hat (see photo) and they recognized it. Seems they had been convinced by a co-worker to check out NASCAR. They said they stopped at Walmart on the way in from the City (we don't have Walmart in NYC, one of the last strongholds) and bought a bunch of NASCAR schwag. I think they each had at least one hat and one visor. They also had beenr coozies and a 36 pack of Miller. Two-thirds of the way through the race they went down and bought a can of Scoal Chewing tabac-y. They were so into it. Nothing like a first-timer at a NASCAR race. They were shouting and hooting, asking questions of everyone around them. One of them even borrowed a scanner form the guy next to him so he could listen to the in-car "chatter".
All in all it was a cool day. If you haven't been to a NASCAR race, I suggest trying it out. At least once. If nothing else you can enjoy people watching because I must have seen at least 25 pregnant men and one woman who looked like a man wearing a bikini.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
The Mysterious Incident of the Car Theft in the Night
OK. It really does happen. Scumbags steal cars off the streets of NY. Old cars. Grey cars. Cars parked in front of Churches (well, the Pentacostal Inglesia Church of God, anyway. You know, the one painted hot pink). Cars with no CLUBs. Cars belonging to out-of-towners driving in the night before picking up a loved-one from JFK because it will be "easier" than doing all that driving on one day...*sigh*
To read more about this lovely incident go to Anne's most hysterical recount of yesterday's events here. You will be laughing out loud. I am at my desk at 7pm cracking up by myself (Luckily everyone else has caught the Sacagawea Bus home for the evening - but who am I to talk? Obviously I am not getting any work done either).
It's really enough to just make you want to get out of this dirty city once and for all. People here are gross. And very smelly in the summertime. Especially when they walk up and down the train begging for money at the end of the day. Gross. And did I mention smelly?
To read more about this lovely incident go to Anne's most hysterical recount of yesterday's events here. You will be laughing out loud. I am at my desk at 7pm cracking up by myself (Luckily everyone else has caught the Sacagawea Bus home for the evening - but who am I to talk? Obviously I am not getting any work done either).
It's really enough to just make you want to get out of this dirty city once and for all. People here are gross. And very smelly in the summertime. Especially when they walk up and down the train begging for money at the end of the day. Gross. And did I mention smelly?
Monday, July 11, 2005
4th of July at Adzentoivich Woods
For those of you who joined us at the farm for 4th of July weekend, I hope you enjoy reminiscing with the photos posted below.
For the rest of you, sorry we missed you. Hope you can come out some other time this summer.
It was so nice to have everyone at the farm. We had an acoustic jam on Saturday evening at sundown on the front porch (photos to follow at a later date) with the washtub bass, banjo, dobro, 5-gallon bucket drum, spoons, acoustic guitar and various percussion instruments. Deanne sang the Ballad of Cat Town, Genevieve sang a ditty or two, and Ernie serenaded us all with a sweet rendition of Angel from Montgomery.
Afterwards we had our own little fireworks display, courtesy of the AmBest truck stop off of Route 80, and discovered that the new-fangled sparklers are nothing like the old prickly ones we all remember from our youth. The sparklers we bought were more like very long matches that spewed a noxious smoke and burned various colors: red, blue or green. Star gazing was also a big draw...and ne'er a bear was seen.
Anne and Marc stopped by on Sunday just in time for Marc to help the guys build a new retaining wall. Anne brought us some delicious fruit salad that we all enjoyed for the following two days. We heard all about their new goat and their attempts to keep her from roaming the neighborhood looking for company.
Sunday evening we went to Ernie's High School Alma Mater to see the local fireworks display. It was just perfectly small-town USA. Right out of a book.
I built my tree swing, Deanne and Aimme cleared the wooded path to the beach (or the creek, pronounced "crick") that everyone became so fond of, the guys built the said retaining wall and Dad chopped down some trees. Everyone put in a hard days' labor and earned their beer, Amish potato salad and Polish sausages.
At the end of it all we found the perfect sized pole to mount my Grandpa's Head (not his actual head, but a sculpture he made) overlooking our valley. It couldn't have been a more perfect 5 days of food, friends, family and fun.
Oh yeah - and Ernie spent all day Friday mowing the lawns and chopping the trees that fell on our water line.... :-)
For the rest of you, sorry we missed you. Hope you can come out some other time this summer.
It was so nice to have everyone at the farm. We had an acoustic jam on Saturday evening at sundown on the front porch (photos to follow at a later date) with the washtub bass, banjo, dobro, 5-gallon bucket drum, spoons, acoustic guitar and various percussion instruments. Deanne sang the Ballad of Cat Town, Genevieve sang a ditty or two, and Ernie serenaded us all with a sweet rendition of Angel from Montgomery.
Afterwards we had our own little fireworks display, courtesy of the AmBest truck stop off of Route 80, and discovered that the new-fangled sparklers are nothing like the old prickly ones we all remember from our youth. The sparklers we bought were more like very long matches that spewed a noxious smoke and burned various colors: red, blue or green. Star gazing was also a big draw...and ne'er a bear was seen.
Anne and Marc stopped by on Sunday just in time for Marc to help the guys build a new retaining wall. Anne brought us some delicious fruit salad that we all enjoyed for the following two days. We heard all about their new goat and their attempts to keep her from roaming the neighborhood looking for company.
Sunday evening we went to Ernie's High School Alma Mater to see the local fireworks display. It was just perfectly small-town USA. Right out of a book.
I built my tree swing, Deanne and Aimme cleared the wooded path to the beach (or the creek, pronounced "crick") that everyone became so fond of, the guys built the said retaining wall and Dad chopped down some trees. Everyone put in a hard days' labor and earned their beer, Amish potato salad and Polish sausages.
At the end of it all we found the perfect sized pole to mount my Grandpa's Head (not his actual head, but a sculpture he made) overlooking our valley. It couldn't have been a more perfect 5 days of food, friends, family and fun.
Oh yeah - and Ernie spent all day Friday mowing the lawns and chopping the trees that fell on our water line.... :-)
Ethan and Ernie Play at Bridge
These are two scary looking characters...looks like a scene from some sort of Scorsese film.
4th of July Swing
For weeks I talked about building this swing. Ernie fought me every step of the way. On the 4th of July I took matters into my own hands and bought the chain and hooks at Lowe's and had my dad climb the ladder to fasten them to the tree branch. Ernie isn't complaining anymore!
Dee and Aimee Build the Beach Path
They did such a nice job. The beach looks like a Naitonal Park or the set of Survivor - Adzentoivich Woods...
Gerald Takes a Dip in the Magic Creek
Everyone agreed that the swimming hole was one of the highlights of the 4th of July weekend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
