JANUARY RUNNING

With the month of January coming to a close there are a variety of reasons to celebrate but the one major reason I choose to get a little more excited is because there is one less month of winter weather to run in!

I do not (repeat - DO NOT) like running on treadmills! A year or so ago I enjoyed them but after running outside in the natural elements I have come to realize that treadmills are boring, dull and just suck. However they are necessary evil for winter running. So with that out of the way, here's the report on my January running --

Total Miles Run - 104.31 (according to mapmyrun)
Days of Running - 18
Longest Run - 10.5 Miles
Times on Treadmill - 8 (too many!)
Slips and Falls on Ice/Snow - 0!

ANONYMOUS QUOTABLE

“Never give-up on someone you can’t go a day without
thinking about.”

JOHN EDWARDS

For whatever reason I have found myself more wrapped up in the democratic primaries than I normally would. So today's announcement from John Edwards that he is quitting his Presidential campaign is sad for one primary reason - he really cared about poverty. So much so that I would have seriously considered voting for the guy.

From John Edwards --

"I know some people see [poverty] as complicated, and it's not. It's wrong in a country of such wealth to have 37 million people in poverty."

"Fighting poverty is a job for government, but it is also a job for all of us in our own communities. I believe our nation is up to this challenge. Hurricane Katrina exposed us to heartbreaking images of extreme poverty but it also reminded us of the extraordinary compassion of the American people -- millions opened their hearts, homes and wallets after the storm. We need to speak up when we know something is wrong."

"Global poverty is not just a moral issue for the United States – it is a national security issue for the United States."

Did Edwards have his faults? Certainly. But show me someone who doesn't and I'll show you someone who isn't trying hard enough to find a solution to a problem.

His last quote that links poverty and terrorism is dead on. Think about the uprising in Kenya or the extremist in the middle east. A great majority of them are fighting for their own survival because of the poverty they find themselves in. Poverty is at the very root of a lot of the global problems.

KENYA AND HEBREWS

During my lunch today I came across two very opposite thoughts within two minutes of each other. Yet somehow in my mind they made sense when thought of together.

What made these two thoughts more interwoven in my mindset was earlier on Tuesday morning I was talking with a gentleman who spent almost his entire life in Kenya before coming to the U.S. just recently. It was an absolutely fascinating 10 minute conversation.

Just wanted to share:

First --

Hebrews 13:2-3

2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Second --

"We have moved out to revenge the deaths of our brothers and sisters who have been killed, and nothing will stop us. For every one Kikuyu killed, we shall avenge their killing with three."

- Anthony Mwangi, hefting a club in Naivasha, one hundreds of Kenyans armed with machetes, clubs and rocks threatening member of rival tribes in Kenya.

COFFEE ADDICT?

How addicted are you? - here

I am 58% Addicted to Coffee

POVERTY IN 2008

PRETTY WOMAN

Nothing much was on TV on Saturday night so I watched Pretty Woman. I can't believe this movie is 18 years old!

I also can't believe how un-realistic this movie is. I've seen this flick like 4 or 5 time and I'm finally realizing how far fetched it is. Did I really spend three hours (commercials included thanks to ABC) watching this movie?

$306 MILLION

From CNN ...

Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates announced a new direction Friday as he pledged $306 million in grants to develop farming in poor countries, leading the charge for corporate responsibility at a major meeting of business chiefs.

"If we are serious about ending extreme hunger and poverty around the world, we must be serious about transforming agriculture for small farmers, most of whom are women. The challenge here is to design a system including profit and recognition to do more for the poor."

- Bill Gates

UNSEEN MOVIE LIST

There are a handful of movies that have left theaters that I never took the time (or money) to go see. For a while now I have been trying to compile a list of films that I want to see and haven't yet. I also went through the IMDB list of top 100 rated and top grossing films of all-time and put this list together. It's time to go rent some DVD's.

- 300
- The Last Kiss
- Pirates 2 & 3
- Spiderman 3
- Casablanca
- Reservoir Dogs
- Hotel Rwanda
- The Bourne Trilogy
- Saving Private Ryan
- Pursuit of Happiness
- The Last Samurai

I'm sure I left out a movie here or there but these 14 flicks seem like a good place to start.

WALL STREET

I'm not genuis when it comes to the stock market but this is not a good three month trend. Is anyone else out there concerned about this?

RAZZIES v. OSCAR

This is the best time of the year for the "big match" and I'm not talking about the Super Bowl, NCAA Basketball or Britney Spears' next court appearance. It's time for the Oscars vs. the Razzies.

Who really has the best picture? Did Lindsey Lohan really do a better acting job this year than Cate Blanchett? Or maybe, just maybe Nicolas Cage was better on the big screen than Daniel Day-Lewis was? No matter how you look at it, some one is going out on top. Here's a tale of the tape in the top categories --

Worst Movie
Bratz
Daddy Day Camp
I Know Who Killed Me
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
Norbit

Hmmm ... this is a tough race to call but I'm going with Lohan's "I Know Who Killed Me" rip off of the 90's classic "I Know What You Did Last Summer"

Best Movie
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

I'm hoping that "Juno" walks away with the big prize but I'm guessing it is between "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood"
--------------
Worst Actor of the Year
Nicolas Cage (Ghost Rider, National Treasure 2 AND Next)
Jim Carrey (The Number 23)
Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Daddy Day Camp, Norbit)
Eddie Murphy (Norbit)
Adam Sandler (Chuck and Larry)

If you get nominated for three different movies you must be bad so Nicolas Cage wins this one for his role in "Next"

Best Actor
George Clooney (Michael Clayton)
Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd)
Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah)
Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)

I'm going with Daniel Day-Lewis on this one.
------------------------
Worst Actress of the Year
Jessica Alba (Awake, Fantastic Four AND Good Luck Chuck)
Logan Browning, Janel Parrish, Nathalia Ramos & Skyler Shaye (Bratz)
Elisha Cuthbert (Captivity)
Diane Keaton (Because I Said So)
Lindsay Lohan (I Know Who Killed Me)

Using the same theory as I did for Nicolas Cage, this one goes to Jessica Alba

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age)
Julie Christie (Away from Her)
Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)
Laura Linney (The Savages)
Ellen Page (Juno)

In an upset win, Ellen Page takes home top honors!

OLD CLOTHING ...

So I just threw out the oldest article of clothing I owned. It was a 1992 Pittsburgh Pirates NL East Champions t-shirt. IT was a classic! It was also getting to be quite holy (or hole-ly) and I don't mean holy like God is "Holy"

Man I did like the t-shirt ...

GIANTS/PACKERS

While the game may not go down as an instant classic, watching the Giants/Packers game on Sunday evening was one of the most entertaining games I've seen this year.

* It was the third coldest game in NFL history (-3 at kickoff)

* Brett Favre - is he done or coming back?

* Eli Manning still doesn't suck this playoff season.

* Not one but two missed field goals in the final minutes.

* Aside from one play in the first half, the Giants dominated on defense.

* Were did the Giants receivers come from?

I'm still trying to figure how the Giants, who started 0-2 and gave up nearly 100 points in those two games, are going to the Super Bowl. Wasn't Eli Manning suppose to throw like three INT's in the first round and they'd be one-and-done? I mean Tom Coughlin is their head coach, he isn't that great of a coach, right?

Regardless we have our Super Bowl XLII match-up and it should be a good game. Remember when these two team played in week 17 of the regular season? What a great game. I can't believe the Patriots are nearly two touchdowns favorites at this point. If New York continues to play like they have, they might just find a way to win the whole thing.

CLOVERFIELD

Spoiler Alert (you've been warned!)

So I went to watch this movie out of shear curiousity. Ever since the original trailer was aired prior to Transformers back in July, I was seriously intrigued. After watching this less than 90 minutes film, I leave mostly satisfied.

The movie can be described like this in a very quick nutsell. It's this odd mix of Blair Witch meets Godzilla meets The Notebook. As I was driving away from the theather, I kept thinking I watched a love story with a really nasty monster mixed in.

This is certainly not a happy go lucky type movie. The main characters die (or at least most of them for sure). Some of which die in a rather grusome manner. I will say this about the main characters dying, I wasn't expecting it. In some weird way it was nice to see not everything be all peaches and flowers by the end of the movie.

There's no horror aspect to the flick but it definately has some good moments that make you jump back in your seat. It's not overly suspenseful but it does more than enough to keep you tense during certain moments.

After reading Corey's review, I feel like I need to see the movie again just to watch the monster "fall" or "splash" into the water at the end of the film.

If you get motion sick easily don't see this movie in the theater. I don't have a motion sickness problem but there were times in the movie I was dizzy.

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

This is probably the best day of NFL football every year. Sure the Super Bowl is a grand affair but the better game is normally the two that are played the week or two before hand. I will be comfortably watching the game at my place. Fortunately for this family, she'll be there even though she shreaded her tickets!

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Patriots -- 33
Chargers -- 24

For some odd reason I think the Chargers will cover the 14.5 points that the odds makers are given them. In fact they will give the Patriots a game for a while but the New England offense and the frigid temperatures will prove to be too much.

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Packers -- 23
Giants -- 17

This could be a really fun game to watch. I still fear Eli Manning is ready for a playoff flop even though he has yet to do so through the first two games against the Bucs and Cowboys. The Green Bay homefield edge will be too much for the Giants to overcome as Brett Favre gets another chance at a Super Bowl title.

BEN FRANKLIN

So, Happy Birthday Ben Franklin ... You would have been 302 today!

Thanks for inventing, thinking, being on the $100 bill, playing in the lighting, signing your name, being a revolutionary ... well, just thanks for being a genius. Much is owed to you!

COMEDIAN - MOVIE TRAILER

After the first 20-30 seconds you will be rolling in laughter! Absolutely Brilliant!

INTRODUCING TONY SPARANO

The rebuilding project that is the Miami Dolphins continues after hiring Tony Sparano as their new head coach. I am fairly excited about this hire. He can't be any worse then the previous four head coaches:

Cam Cameron (2007): 1-15
Nick Saban (2005-2006): 15-17
Jim Bates (2004): 3-4
Jim Wannstedt (2000-2004): 42-31

Granted Wannstedt had a decent run as the head guy but I never really believed he could lead the Dolphins into the Super Bowl. Well, he couldn't get them past the divisional round of the playoffs.

Miami now has a guy who was highly sought after this off-season and coached more than a handful of guys on the Cowboys offense the last few years. Besides if Bill Parcells gives him a boost of confidence then I do as well!

So the questions the Dolphins now have to answer is - what will they do with the No. 1 overall draft pick in April's draft? I really believe the right guys are in place to make this team a force again.

UNTITLED ...

I have absolutely no clue how to describe the following.

.. confused ... shocked ... odd ... befuddled ... bizarre-o

Unknowingly Twins Marry

CHARGERS/COLTS

Does anyone out there really know how the San Diego Chargers (or should I say the "San Diego Second Stringers") managed to beat the Colts on Sunday afternoon? I mean, holy cow! The Colts were a much better team and they looked bad (especially their defense) most of the afternoon.

That game has to go down as one of the biggest upsets in NFL playoff history. San Diego three best offensive players -- LT, Philip River, Antonio Gates -- didn't play most of the second half! I thought San Diego might have to call on the ghost of Stan Humphries to finish the game at QB.

I was actually mildly cheering for the Colts because I thought they had the best chance at knocking off the undefeated Patriots in the AFC Championship. Guess that will teach me a lesson in cheering for a team I never cheer for.

REMEMBERING GILMORE GIRLS

Certainly most men won't admit to liking the Gilmore Girls during its seven-year run on the WB but I say without shame that I will miss that show. Granted the show officially went off the air about a year ago but I finally watched my last episode this past weekend (I wasn't able to watch the final season as it happened but thankfully there are DVDs!).

I vaguely remember watching my first episode during the early winter in 2002. However, I clearly remember how much the show made my smile. For some reason the show had this "home like" feel to it every time I watched. No matter how crappy my day was that day, watching the show just made it a little better.

Whether it was the witty nature of the show, the absolutely utter silliness (some would say stupidity), the creative writing or just the fact that both Lorelai and Rory were attractive I always enjoyed the show. I also think there is something to be said that the show debuted on Oct. 5, 2000 (my 22nd birthday).

In some odd and peculiar way it was a soap opera type show that was made for young adults. Whoever it was made for, I am proud to say it was one of my favorite shows ever.

KITE RUNNER MOVIE

I was a huge fan of Kite Runner as a book so I was very curious to see how it would translate onto the big screen. It didn't disappoint.

In many ways the story played out in the theater like it did while I was reading it but to have the visuals of the landscape helped me understand the middle east a whole lot better (yeah, I know they filmed the movie in China but none the less it gives you a good sense of imagery).

To no surprise the movie does skip some of the books "back story" but in no way does that affect the overall story on he big screen. The story itself, which is about forgiveness and redemption, is really is quite beautiful. Although it is fiction, this is very easily a believable story.

Be warned though that 80-85 percent of this movie is in subtitles. However, that actually made the movie much more realistic.

If you have any interest in the middle east this is a definite must see movie. If you like great story telling and/or movie about friendship you owe it to yourself to take two-hours and watch it.

QUOTABLE DON CHEADLE

"We cannot stand here, as a free society, proclaiming that we care about human life, and do nothing in the face of this."

- Referring to the genocide in Darfur

NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND

After a not so successful first sets of predictions last week but another week brings another set of prediction --

AFC
Patriots -- 37
Jags -- 22

Colts -- 31
Chargers -- 20

NFC
Packers -- 24
Seahawks -- 20

Cowboys -- 27
Giants -- 24

I just don't see the two AFC games being that close. Both teams should roll in rather convincing fashion as the two teams meet-up for what should be a fantastic conference championship game.

The Seahawks are playing well enough to beat the Packers but I just don't think they can win a road playoff game in Green Bay. Of course with that being said, Seattle is peaking at the right time and could pull off the upset. The Giants are more than capable of pulling off the upset but Eli Manning shows his true form and throws a INT sometime in the fourth quarter to aid in the Cowboys win.

THE CAR

I really like my 2001 Silver Honda CRV. It has treated me very well over the past 19 months. However, this past week has not been a good one for my trustee car. You know it is never a good sign when the mechanic working on your car asked if the car is paid off ... umm, yikes!

At this point I believe they have tried to correct four different problems but haven't come to a solution yet. Also not a good thing.

Aren't Honda's suppose to last forever or at least close to that long?

DID YOU KNOW ...

When you spell "Stressed" backwards it spells "Desserts"

I only know this because Dana, the former internship director at Mosaic, has blog site:

http://stressedbackwardisdesserts.blogspot.com/

Life happens. Stress happens. Desserts Happen. We can't take our life story too seriously, but sometimes that is SO hard. Desserts are a sweet ending to a meal. Sometimes they are the meal!

GOOGLING ...

Ever stop for a few minutes and just Google some random words? You know, words that you use just about everyday. Just out a curiosity, I ran through a few words and this what Google came up with --

"Coffee" -- here

"Marathon" -- here

"Baseball" -- here

"Google" -- here

"Homeless" -- here

"Jesus" -- here

How is it Wikipedia comes up so frequently? Not that I'm totally surprised but it is still kind of shocking that the on-line encyclopedia is so prevalent.

MOVIES, DEATH IS THY NAME ...

Entertainment Weekly estimates that 18,712 people died in movies last summer. The number included "only confirmed deaths" in films shown on more than 1,000 screens.

(Oh, it gets better)

Of the estimated deaths, 15,011 occurred in a single movie ... 28 Weeks Later.

NOTRE DAME BASKETBALL

Not a bad little video for Notre Dame basketball.

In case you were unaware (and judging by the crowds at home games this season, most people are) they are 12-2 and 2-0 in Big East play this year. They are definitely a team worth watching.

ROGER CLEMENS

After watching Roger Clemens, one of my favorite players of all-time, last night on 60 Minutes do a Q&A with Mike Wallace I want to believe him. I really do. However there is this shred of doubt that creeps into my mind that he actually used HGH and steroids during his portions of his 20+ years as a big leaguer.

It's like that song from Weezer "Say It Ain't So" that came out in 1995. Please Roger, please ... say it ain't so! Just come out and say that you didn't do any steroids or HGH! After all you didn't have to go on national TV and do an interview so maybe, just maybe, that shows some sign of your lack of guilt in this matter.

I want to be in Cooperstown, NY in five years cheering your induction into the Hall of Fame not wondering why you threw it all away for a needle. Just say it ain't so ...

PREDICTING - WHY?

If you want to see a prime example of how not to predict the results of games, all you have to do is look here. I knew that I may have went out on a limb on maybe one of the four games but to not have one game pick correctly until the fourth and final game is pretty sad.

Until this weekend's games ...

JUNO

What a creatively brilliant movie.

This movie isn't so much about taking a view on teenage pregnancy as much as it was about how to treat people with grace, respect and kindness. Essentially it all about relationships. And it tackles relationships of all kinds.

Ellen Page (Juno) is absolutely fantastic as the main character who is 16-years old and pregnant. If she doesn't get an Oscar nomination for her performance, she was robbed.

Actually the entire cast does a great job with their respective roles. Jennifer Garner (Vanessa Loring) and Jason Bateman (Mark Loring) as the adopting married couple was quite an interesting commentary on marriage and parenting. Michael Cera (Bleeker) as the "boyfriend" and biological father of the child is extraordinary (plus he plays a runner in the movie so that helps)!

J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney, who play the role as Juno's parents, give a phenomenal effort as kind, loving and fun caretakers of their daughter.

As you can clearly tell, I believe this is one of the best acted movies I have ever seen. Just flat out great.

The clever writing was just as good. Just a couple of samplings that were personal favorites of mine:

Vanessa Loring - Your parents are probably wondering where you are.
Juno - Nah... I mean, I'm already pregnant, so what other kind of shenanigans could I get into?
----
Juno - Yeah, I'm a legend. You know, they call me the cautionary whale.
----
Juno - Can't we just like kick this old school. You know, like I stick the baby in a basket, send it your way, like Moses and the reeds?

So, this is a move I would classify as, "brilliant, thoughtful, creative and ... well, just go see it."

WILD CARD WEEKEND

Last year during the NFL playoffs I correctly picked nine of the 11 games played so here's to hoping my picks this year hold the same merit.

AFC
Pittsburgh Steelers - 27
Jacksonville Jaguars - 21

San Diego Chargers - 31
Tennessee Titans - 20

NFC
Tampa Bays Bucs - 28
New York Giants - 22

Washington Redskins - 27
Seattle Seahawks - 23

All the so-called experts are picking the Jaguars to upset the Steelers but I believe that Pittsburgh has something to play for and will do just enough to hold of Jacksonville. San Diego will have little to no problem with the Titans and an injured Vince Young. The Giants will be emotionally spent after last week's near upset of New England and thus Tampa Bay does just enough to win. After watching the Redskins the last few weeks, I am on their bandwagon.

PADDLE FASTER

If I was in a canoe (or any small boat for that matter) and turned around as saw a shark right behind me, I would be paddling as fast as possible! Complete Story - here.

LOVE SONG

Entertainment Weekly currently has a list of the Top 25 love songs on their website - here. For your viewing pleasure here is the top 10:

10) In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel
9) All I Want is You - U2
8) Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N Roses
7) Wild Horse - Rolling Stones
6) I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston
5) Let's Stay Together - Al Green
4) Natural Woman - Aretha Franklin
3) Something - Beatles
2) Can't Help Falling in Love - Elvis
1) God Only Knows - The Beach Boys

There are some great choices here - Whitney (solid), Rolling Stones (nice), U2 (without question), Gabriel (classic), Aretha (perfect).

OK, so there are a few omissions from the Top 10 here. What about the following songs:
- Just about anything by Chicago
- Desperado by The Eagles
- Strangers in the Night by Frank Sinatra
- You're Still You by Josh Groban
- Come Away with Me by Norah Jones
- Everything I Do by Bryan Adams
- One by U2

Maybe I'm showing my age a little bit in my choices but the Beach Boys as #1 ... Seriously?!?

MIAMI DOLPHINS

This is exactly what needed to happen to the Miami Dolphins. There are so many problems in south Florida that it may take at least two or three years to fix but at least Bill Parcells isn't wasting anytime getting things taken care of.

Parcells has been on the job for about eight days now and already he has gotten ride of two huge front office problems:

* G.M. Randy Mueller = Fired!

* Cam "Thanks for the 1-15 season" Cameron = Gone!

At this point my hope is they hire a no nonsense head coach and they draft some studs come April's draft. Realistically they aren't going to make the playoffs until the 2009 season at the earliest but for the first time in a while I feel things are going in the right direction.

RUNNING FORWARD

There's no doubt that 2007 was a breakout year for me in terms of my running efforts. About three years ago I started running on treadmills on consistent basis but nothing real serious. You know two or three miles at a time but nothing like this past year.


I ended up running a total of six races and a triathlon with the highlight, by far, was finishing a half-marathon in Grand Rapids. Since June 1 I have officially tallied 615.75 miles on my two legs. I was pretty pleased with all that but there's more to be achieved.


In 2008 I am hoping to complete two marathons and be in position to qualify for he Boston Marathon in early 2009. To qualify for that I need to run a marathon in 3:10.59. Another way of looking at it is this -- less than 15% of males who ran a marathon in 2007 ran the 26.2 in that time. However, I really don't believe I am that far off from accomplishing that time as long as I stay healthy AND disciplined!


I'd also like to log more than 1,000 miles in 2008 and really trying to finish among the top three in my age group on a more consistant basis. After earning a top three finish once last year, I'd certainly like to make that more common place.


There are some mornings when I'm out there on the roads and sidewalks and I really wonder what in the world am I doing. Everyone has there niche and, well, I'm really enjoying it.

GATORADE COMMERICAL

I absolutely love this new Gatorade commercial! It has amazing videography, a great song and a relevant theme.

STARBUCKS vs. "OTHER" COFFEE PLACES

This is an absolutely fascinating article on how Starbucks actually helps other coffee houses in close proximity to a Starbucks location - here.

The great American company that is Starbucks may have started the "coffee revolution" but it's really the "mom and pop" shops who are keeping Americans well caffeinated.