Messing with My Mind Daily ...

DONALD MILLER

2009-09-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

This past Friday evening Donald Miller came to Azusa Pacific during his 60-city speaking tour and, well, here’s my notes:

Story – a character that wants something and overcomes conflict to get “that something” … It’s a lot like music, noise that follows certain patterns. Music is story with filter.

A story worth telling has some of the following:
-people doing thing bigger than themselves
-an ultimate goal/fulfillment with a beautiful “back story” from that character that makes the fulfillment better. The character has to be bigger and more important than a person “just doing something”

Be sure the story your telling is the same story you the world (i.e. James 2:20 .. faith without works is dead …)

You should know your story so well that if you hit the pause button on your life everyone knows what is going on and the purpose for what you are doing. Every good story is a riddle that has an answer so be sure you know your goal/fulfillment so you don’t get lost in the riddle

When you set your goal(s) in life you will have fear! It may cost you everything which then, of course, brings conflict. Pain will grow your character while joy will give you little to no improvement (James 1:2-3).

Your story will not “climax” until God’s Kingdom returns. Pretty much your life on earth should be a build-up to then.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2009-09-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

Guess who turned 60?

Bruce Springsteen ... The main in charge of the "The heart-stopping, pants-dropping, hard-rocking, booty-shaking, earth-quaking, nerve-breaking, Viagra-taking, history-making, legendary … E-STREET BAND"

BIG BEAR HALF MARATHON

2009-09-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

I was so excited for this run as I tried to tap into my “inner Ryan Hall” for a few miles on a beautiful and bright southern California Saturday morning. My goal was to finish the 13.1 miles in 1:45 but I came across the finish line in 1:53. No complaints or real frustrations.

The morning got real fun somewhere right before mile eight I knew the last few miles were going to totally suck. And of course they did. Running at 6500+ feet is not just something the body can get used to quickly. I could literally feel my legs have this slight “tingle” to them because my blood was not pumping enough oxygen through the body. I never felt like I was faint, dizzy or like I was going to pass out but I was definitely feeling something I never felt before. Let’s just say it added to the “fun” of the last few miles.

In addition to the air being thinner, the air is drier and dehydration is much more prevalent. In the course of a “normal” 13.1 mile run for me I stop for water once (maybe twice) but I stopped for water four freakin times and still never felt totally hydrated. After crossing the finish line my heart rate was off the charts high for the next two (or so) hours. It was unreal to see my HR above 100 two hours after crossing the finish line!

The only mild frustration I had was that I started to fast. Instead of starting slower than the 8:00/mile pace I was hoping for, I started running that pace from the first mile instead of slowly getting faster and progressing to the 8:00/mile I was shooting for. Now, regardless of finishing eight minutes slower than I was hoping for I still managed to finish in second place in my age group. That has to be the slowest official time ever recorded for a second place finish in the 30-34 age group (there were 28 runners in my grouping). Of course, there is that whole elevation thing.

For a small event (about 1,000 runners total) the Big Bear Marathon was a quality event and hopefully I will get the opportunity to run the thing again next year. It’s a beautiful course in one of the most scenic rural areas in southern California.

(I had to mess around with the picture a little bit but if you are looking for the originals, please feel free here. This way you can really see both the pain and happiness on my face!)

2009 NFL PREDICTIONS

2009-09-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

AFC EAST
1) Patriots, 12-4
2) Jets, 8-8
3) Dolphins, 7-9
4) Bills, 5-11

AFC NORTH
1) Steelers, 12-4
2) Ravens, 10-6 *
3) Browns, 6-10
4) Bengals, 5-11

AFC SOUTH
1) Colts, 11-5
2) Titans, 10-6 *
3) Texas, 9-7
4) Jags, 6-10

AFC WEST
1) Chargers, 12-4
2) Broncos, 7-9
3) Raiders, 6-10
4) Chiefs, 4-12

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP – Patriots over Steelers

NFC EAST
1) Eagles, 11-5
2) Giants, 11-5 *
3) Cowboys, 8-8
4) Redskins, 7-9

NFC NORTH
1) Bears, 10-6
2) Packers, 9-7
3) Vikings, 9-7
4) Lions, 3-13

NFC SOUTH
1) Saints, 10-6
2) Falcons, 10-6 *
3) Panthers, 8-8
4) Bucs, 5-11

NFC WEST
1) 49ers, 10-6
2) Seahawks, 9-7
3) Cardinals, 8-8
4) Rams, 2-14

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP – Giants over Eagles

SUPER BOWL – Patriots over Giants

Five Questions
- What team(s) will come out of “no where” and claim a playoff spot?
- Will the Cardinals be able to handle success?
- What week will Brett Favre go out with a torn shoulder muscle?
- Is Tom Brady healthy?
- When will Terrell Owens negatively affect the Bills play?

IT MIGHT GET LOUD

2009-09-09T16:04:00.001-07:00

I like to go to the movies. I like good hard rockin' guitar riffs. Combine the two and you have one amazing film.

If you want to watch a film about three people who have a passion for the guitar (or just have a passion for something) then go see It Might Get Loud. Amazing!

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

2009-09-03T14:36:00.001-07:00

When the calendar turns to September it means two very important things. The first is Labor Day. The second, and more importantly, is the start of college football season. That tried and true tradition with marching bands, freshman quarterback and ticket scalping among the tailgaters!

Anyone who knows anything about the upcoming season knows there is an obvious number 1 choice for preseason polls. However, the question is will they finish the year at the same position. It’s been years since a team that started No. 1 finished in the same position. Here’s my thoughts on what the Top 10 will look like come early January.

1) Florida
2) Texas
3) Ohio State
4) Oklahoma
5) USC
6) Virginia Tech
7) LSU
8) Penn State
9) Oklahoma State
10) Oregon

Just on the fringe (no particular order): Georgia Tech, Alabama, California, Iowa, Nebraska, Florida State, Mississippi, Boise State

I fear that either Penn State (extremely weak schedule) or Ohio State (not quite as weak schedule) could go undefeated which then puts one of them into the national title game against Florida. I think Texas will lose one game and face, at worst, a one-loss Florida team.

Five Questions
After the season will Tim Tebow be viewed as the best college football player – ever?
Can Lane Kiffin get Tennessee to a decent bowl game?
Will USC’s reign as the Pac-10 champion come to an end?Is Notre Dame a legit BCS bowl contender?
Will another non-BCS conference school crash the party?

Five Games to Watch
USC vs. Ohio State (Sept. 12)
Florida vs. LSU (Oct. 10)
Texas vs. Oklahoma (Oct. 17)
USC vs. Oregon (Oct. 31)
Penn State vs. Ohio State (Nov. 7)

Five for the Heisman
Tim Tebow
Colt McCoy
Sam Bradford
Jevan Snead
Jahvid Best

AUGUST RUNNING

2009-08-31T16:16:00.000-07:00

The stats for the month of August where the weather was quite warm and the HR got quite high from time-to-time because of the heat:

Total Miles Run - 118.85 (according to mapmyrun)
Days of Running - 18
Longest Run - 11.60 miles
Approx. calories burned - 15,719
Year to Date Miles: 847.63

FIRE PT. 2 (TIME LAPSE)

2009-08-31T16:12:00.000-07:00

This is truly a new experience for me. While watching this video I couldn't help but recount when this fire started almost a week ago. It was just a "small fire" that exploded into what it is now. The "Station Fire" (as it is called) is believed to be the largest fire in the history of L.A. country at 122,000+ acres!

FIRE ...

2009-08-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

Little to close for comfort. I was watching a report last night that this is first time in 50 years this specific just a few miles NW of Pasadena has burned.

9.58!

2009-08-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

Did anyone else watch what Usain Bolt did on Sunday?

There have only been two times during a track and field meet where I was so thrilled with what I just witnessed that I was utterly speechless expect for screaming the winning time. The first was in 1996 when Michael Johnson ran a 19.32 in the 200 meters to shatter the World Record. The second was yesterday as Usain Bolt smashed the world record with a 9.58 in the 100 meter dash.

9.58!!

Freakin’ unreal! I had to figure something out in my head later that day as I was trying to wrap my mind around what I just witnessed. How fast was he running? He was running somewhere around 23 miles per hour. Now, that may not sound very fast because we all drive much faster than that but let’s put it in another perspective. If he sustained his pace for one mile he would complete that mile in 2 minutes, 34 seconds or a 70 seconds faster than the current mile record. Pretty fast, huh? The scary thing is he will probably run faster sometime soon.

Another perspective on this is by using the McMillian Running Calculator which predicts how quickly you could run other distances by using a recent time in any given distance (it’s a very accurate tool). Bolt’s 100 meter time registers out to be less than a two hour marathon (1:50ish)! Um, wow!! The other about the race that is unreal is that Tyson Gay ran an American Record 9.71. That’s the fastest time recorded by anyone not named Usain Bolt! The problem with Gay’s performance was he looked slow compared to Bolt and he was cruising down the track. It’s to bad that he was in third gear while Bolt was definitely in overdrive.

Finally picking up my jaw from the floor ...

PETA, MICHAEL VICK & THE CHURCH

2009-08-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

Last night I just turned on Sportscenter to hear the following statement from PETA:

“PETA and millions of decent football fans around the world are disappointed that the Philadelphia Eagles have chosen to sign a man who hanged dogs from trees, electrocuted them with jumper cables, held them underwater until they drowned in his swimming pool, and even threw his own family dogs into the fighting pit to be torn to shreds while he laughed. What sort of message does this send to young fans who care about animals and don't want to see them be harmed?

“PETA certainly hopes that Vick has learned his lesson and feels truly remorseful for his crimes—but since he's given no public indication that that's the case, only time will tell. At this point, all Eagles fans can do is cross their fingers and hope that they won't ever have to explain to their sons and daughters what a "rape rack" is and why their favorite player was using one, as Falcons fans once had to.”

First off, I probably qualify as a “decent football fan” and I’m not disappointed in the Eagles. In fact, I actually applaud them. I don’t get how people can be so unforgiving was my first thought then no less then a moment later, I realized how many Christians do the same thing. What if PETA released a statement that read something along these lines:

“We understand that Michael Vick made a mistake. But that was in the past. We want to help him move forward and help him create a better future.”

Sounds a lot more helpful, hopeful and non-condemning doesn’t it? You could even say it makes a lot more sense. This incident once again reminded me how each of us wants to be the judge and jury. I remember thinking that if my favorite NFL team (the Miami Dolphins) signed him how upset I’d be. But now that he has signed with a team I’m genuinely glad that he is getting a second chance and really wish my team would have taken the risk and signed him (although from a team personnel decision, I’m not sure it would have made sense).

Michael Vick made a dumb decision years ago. Who among us hasn’t? We all want what Michael Vick has been given – a second chance. We don’t need all the extra condemnation that could come with that second chance. This whole idea of wishing for the best among us is certainly not easy but to continually think as a pessimist helps no one. For no other reason just embrace the guy and give him a chance just because he deserves forgiveness as much as you. See if his character has change. It won’t hurt you. I promise.

Furthermore, this attacking method of reaction to the situation helps NO ONE. In fact, it really breeds a sentiment of discontent within your own soul. Same as those in the church who preach something of the “Hell Fire and Brimstone” theology. Positive thinking is still possible. Forgiveness and grace isn’t a foreign concept. A shift won’t happen over night mind you but, can we make a conscience effort to start thinking and acting this way, please?

QUOTABLE BRAD PITT

2009-08-11T16:02:00.001-07:00

“Do you know how you tell real love? It’s when someone else’s interest trumps your own. I like to put it that way: trumps your own. Love of somebody else—of family, of your kids—becomes the most important, most worthwhile thing in your life. It’s what you foster and protect. You have to recognize real love when it’s there and know that in going after it there is always risk. To live with love, you have to chance losing it. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become aware that time is fleeting. I don’t want to waste whatever I have left. I want to spend it with the people I love, and I want to do things that really mean something.”

- Brad Pitt, from Parade Magazine (Aug. 9, 2009)

THAT WAS FUN ...

2009-08-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a moment to let everyone know that was one sweet series to watch! These numbers speak for themself:

Yankees 13 Red Sox 6
Yankees 2, Red Sox 0
Yankees 5, Red Sox 0
Yankees 5, Red Sox 2

The Yankees have won seven in a row, 18 of their past 23 and 31 of 41!

THE HURT LOCKER

2009-08-10T15:55:00.000-07:00

Whenever you read movie reviews and your hear the following - “A near perfect movie” OR “Ferociously Suspenseful” – it has to be a must watch movie. This independent film is freakin’ amazing. It is so well done on so many levels.

While I have never been in a war situation this movie has to come pretty close to what being a soldier in the middle east right now. If you haven’t seen a film about the Iraq war that was good, then wait no more. This flick really is amazing from start to finish. The central theme of Hurt Locker is how war can be an addiction and what that does to an individual and those under his command. The writing is fantastic and the acting is beyond first rate. At times you felt like you were watching a news cast of actual events rather than a movie where the action has been predetermined.

Amazing movie!

JULY RUNNING

2009-07-31T14:23:00.001-07:00

After a very slow running month in June, I picked up the pace more in July. In fact, I don't recall the last time I ran this many days in one month.

Total Miles Run - 103.43 (according to mapmyrun)
Days of Running - 18
Longest Run - 10.47 miles
Approx. calories burned - 13,467
Year to Date Miles: 728.78

ONE YEAR AGO ...

2009-07-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

One Year. 12 months. 52 Weeks. 365 Days.

That’s how long I have called Los Angeles home. I very much remember the feeling of parking my vehicle at my friends apartment on July 31, 2008 not knowing what in the world I have gotten myself into. I still don’t necessarily know what I have gotten myself into and it boggles my mind every now and then when I drive by a sign on the freeway that says something like “Dodger Stadium” or “Santa Monica” next exit.

The other day I found this blog posting about L.A. and found it to be very insightful and some what accurate – here. The author has a money quotes about L.A. and what I have “gotten myself into” a year ago:

L.A. is the apocalypse: it's you and a bunch of parking lots. No one's going to save you; no one's looking out for you. It's the only city I know where that's the explicit premise of living there – that's the deal you make when you move to L.A. The city, ironically, is emotionally authentic.

The problem with this statement is that it is both true and sad all the same. There in lies “the rub” when you live in L.A. There probably isn’t a city in the U.S. that doesn’t care about you even though you care it more than L.A. You my may bleed away your heart and give every ounce of energy you have and get nothing in return but you know what, it is worth the energy. I wouldn't trade this place for anywhere else in the world right now because this place really matters even if it beats you down. It matters to me. It matters to my friends. And most importantly it matters to God and His Kingdom.

To often people have “given-up” on this city. Not me. Not now. I have gotten myself into something really beautiful and heart-retching all the same. This city needs people to care for it. To look out for it. And for right now, why not me?

One year and counting …

FRANK SINATRA JR.

2009-07-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday evening a group of people from Mosaic gathered to hear what Stussy co-founder Frank Sinatra Jr. (no relation to Frank Sinatra the singer) had to say about running a $25+ million business. Some of the highlights:

* You don’t have to lead in all contexts. Be sure to understand context and know your skills while discerning your motives.

* Just because someone asks you, doesn’t mean you must do it. When life hands you lemons, hand them back oranges.

* “Be realistic with your objectives and honest with expectations.”

* On improving leadership skills – “It is hard to soar with eagles when you roost with chickens.”

* Have patience and understanding in making “simple” decisions OR when having to make a “rushed” choice. How do you feed an elephant. One bite at a time.

MELLOWING OUT

2009-07-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

Mellow, Chill, Relaxed, Soothing … Call them what you will but these are some of the best songs to remind yourself of how great peace and quiet can be. I once dubbed frustrating days were these songs are needed “Norah Jones Days” but in an effort to broaden my horizons I came up with this list:

- At Last (Etta James)
- Stand By Me (BB King)
- Sitting on the Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding)
- Come Away with Me (Norah Jones)
- Bubble Toes or Banana Pancakes (Jack Johnson)
- Unforgettable (Nat King Cole)
- Colors (Amos Lee)
- Walking in Memphis (Marc Cohn)

CAN YOU HIT A HOMERUN?

2009-07-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

There's this new show on ESPN2 called "Sportsnation" where a handful of questions are debated back-and-forth and at the end of the debate there's this "straw poll" cast to those in internet universe land.

This one particular question was asked today and the result was amazing. The question is - "could you hit a home run with an aluminium bat during the Home Run Derby"

In the great sports landscape that is America, I usually have a lot faith in the average sports fan. But when 52% of voters think they can hit a home run with an aluminium bat in a home run derby I lose faith in the average sports fan.

I speak from a little experience here. When I was the GM of the Pulaski Rangers I took my fair share of swings in the ballpark that was 306 feet down the line for a home run. In all my swings, I came close twice to hitting the ball out of the park. TWICE! Granted I was using a wooden bat but hitting a homerun is not easy. I was pretty thrilled just to hit it off the wall on the fly.

The problem is that MLB players make hitting a home run simple. It's freakin' hard. Trust me. If it were simple to hit a batting practice home run then why is it during the home run contest the best home run hitters struggle more than they succeed?

Go to any batting cage in the country and get into the cage where the speed is roughly 60-65 miles per hour. See how you do and many more times than not, you aren't hitting a home run. IF you even get a hold of one at all.

MLB 2009 HALFWAY POINT

2009-07-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Halfway down with the baseball season which means there is still another half to go … Woo Hoo!!

My preseason prediction aren’t doing so hot but they aren’t terrible either. I feel very safe in saying that my predictions of the Mets going to the World Series isn’t going to happen as well as my choice of the Cleveland Indians winning the AL Central. Those were terrible picks. Anyway, since predicting isn’t my forte let’s look back and give out a few awards:

First Half Winners in the following categories:

MVP
NL –Albert Pujols (St. Louis)
AL – Joe Mauer (Minnesota)

Cy Young
NL – Tim Lincecum (San Francisco)
AL – Zach Grienke (Kansas City)

Rookie of the Year
AL – Brett Anderson (Oakland)
NL – Coby Rasmus (St. Louis)

Managers
AL – Ron Washington (Texas)
NL – Tony LaRussa (St. Louis)

This is my choice for the play of the year so far but running a close second is this one.

THE SOLOIST

2009-07-09T12:01:00.001-07:00

So I was about three months late in seeing “The Soloist” but the movie that I saw on Friday evening was the same one that debut on silver screens everywhere on April 24. Besides, I only paid $3 to see it!

My post movie analyses has been up and down. I didn’t really love it like I hoped I would but on the flip side it wasn’t a big letdown either. It was pretty much an average to above average movie that has its moments of greatness in telling Nathanial Eades story of homelessness and schizophrenia. While Eades personal journey is the “main” storyline, the movie tried to tell too many other story lines and probably should have focused on just one (maybe two) instead of the three different stories it was trying to tell. It’s almost as if the movie tried to hard when it didn’t have to.

If there is one thing that I really have got to pick on is the way the film makers made skid row look. OK, granted this is not a place to find yourself if you are lost or something but the film makers made this place out to be much worse than it is (or at least what I have experienced). If you’ve seen this movie and haven’t been on skid row, I promise you it is not as bad as you saw. It’s not playground but it’s not what the film makers portrayed it to be.

This is not a bad movie by any stretch. There are certainly much worse flicks but it could have been better since Eades’ story is so unique and beautiful.

PETCO PARK

2009-07-07T14:50:00.001-07:00

This might be the best ballpark in all of major league baseball. Just amazing! So let me count the reasons:

1) Your not stuck in “your seating level” the entire game. A few years ago fans at most ballparks were forced to their seats once the game started and couldn’t move around and explore other levels of the stadium. Not at Petco where you are free to roam around and enjoy all the aspects of the ballpark.
2) “Park at the Park” is a sweet place just beyond centerfield. There aren’t any other parks in the MLB where you can just sit on the side of a grassy hill and just chill for a little bit while watching the game.
3) Western Metal Supply Company Warehouse adds such a unique feel. Plus inside the warehouse there’s a really cool museum type area with very nice displays.
4) There can’t be a bad seat in the place. For 42,000 seats the place sure felt intimate. Great sight lines.
5) The pricing for tickets and concessions are very reasonable. Granted MLB parks are still way high for food but it isn’t too bad here.
6) All the staff people at Petco were very friendly and helpful
7) The area surrounding the ballpark is filled with unique shops and food options that makes pre- or post-game activities perfect.

This is the 15th different MLB park I have been to and it is well worth the trip if you are ever in the San Diego area. The team might be bad but the ballpark is anything but bad. Great place to watch a ballgame.

WIMBLEDON 2009

2009-07-05T16:30:00.001-07:00

Not sure which was a better match - the 2008 final (Federer v. Nadel) or the 2009 (Federer v. Roddick). Maybe the are really incomparable. Both were matches for the ages (so to speak). What an interesting final on so many levels. Roddick has been just on the outside of numerous Grand Slam titles while Federer just claimed a record 15th Grand Slam championships.

It was so heart-breaking to watch Andy Roddick play probably the best tournament of his life and then the best match of his career and come up just short of the hoisting the championship trophy. Rodger Federer is such a champion on so many level. He deserved the title just as much.

No losers in this match. Really the game of tennis won today. Just wow as those two played 4 1/2 hours of great tennis. I really wanted this match to go on for another hour but at some point it must end.

JUNE RUNNING

2009-06-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

This month I took the first two weeks off and once I returned to the pavement I only ran three days a week instead of the normal four. The legs were telling me to take a little bit of a break so I listened. I kind of enjoyed the cross training on the bike and in the pool in replacing the running but nothing compares to lacing up your running shoes:

Total Miles Run - 34.89 (according to mapmyrun)
Days of Running - 8
Longest Run - 5.46 miles
Approx. calories burned - 4,615

Year to Date Miles: 625.35

QUOTABLE

2009-06-29T12:24:00.001-07:00

So I was going through some old notes I made about a variety of topics and came across this quote from Don Golden.

“When you are no longer able to help the needy are you still a church?”

TRANSFORMERS 2

2009-06-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

Horrible.

My friend Tim summed it up best after the film was over – “Michael Bay makes films like that because he knows he can. And to think this guy made ‘The Rock’ which was a pretty good movie.” (See LA Times - Article)

The first Transformers wasn’t bad at all. Fairly entertaining through out and that’s because it was new and exciting. Without that “new and exciting” feeling the second version of the series was really bad. Megan Fox can’t act. The storyline is pretty much non-existent. The editing must have been done by a some freshman at film school still learning their craft. Put those three elements together for a 2 ½ hour film and you get one really horrible movie.

If you like special effects this movie might just be for you because all the scenes with the Transformers looks pretty good but that doesn’t save this movie at all.

FOOD, INC.

2009-06-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

So you like food do you? Good. After seeing this movie (well, documentary) your enjoyment of your next meal might be a little tempered. Especially if the meal involves corn, beans or some sort of meat product. Of course those are three pretty big staples of a persons meal.

Just a few stats from the film that were the most fascinating to me:

* The No. 1 buyer of beef in the U.S. – McDonalds
* Did you know that the average food product travels about 1,500 miles to get to your grocery store?
* Chickens are “plumped up” so much before being killed that the chicken’s legs can’t support the extra weight
* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 76 million Americans are sickened, 325,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die each year from foodborne illnesses

The flick isn’t so much about a “shock and awe” factor that slaughter house might bring but rather an straight forward informational piece about who is driving the multi-billion dollar food industry. And the big companies (i.e. Tysons, McDonalds, etc.) won’t go on camera to comment. Silence in this situation usually equals a level of guilt. While you try to reserve complete judgment on these certain companies, it is really hard not to. The mountains of evidence leads me to believe that there is some serious “shady business tactics” going on here.

Eye opening film that will get a lot of questions going around your head.

GRANDPARENTS & MARRIAGE

2009-06-23T15:12:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 12:15 - The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Here's some wise advice from a couple who has 67+ years of marriage experience. One of these two people (not revealing which one), once told me if I wanted to be married for as long as they have been I better going. It was a fun moment. I’m just hoping to live as long as they have been married. The church I grew-up in did a recent little clip as apart of their series on marriage. (Video)

“THOSE” GYM GUYS …

2009-06-22T16:08:00.001-07:00

… To the guy who walked by me two times in a manner of five and had a very heavy scent of cologne on, please save your cologne for your next night on the town. A trip to a sweaty, smelly gym is not the place for guy to smell like is going to a $100/plate dinner.

… To the guy who looked like he was cycling really hard without a breaking a sweat for 20 minutes next to me but gave a really big yawn once he got off the bike, please push yourself harder next time. Not just look like you are pushing yourself hard.

… To the guy who asked if I needed any help as I laid out my mat prior to doing some sit-ups – because I apparently looked lost or something – no I am doing just fine. It’s call exercising.

EXERCISE

2009-06-19T14:14:00.001-07:00

Lately, I am trying some news things with my exercise regime. With a few targets in mind:

- Build quad muscles
- Work on core muscles more
- Keep Heart Rate around 75% when exercising
- Rest the legs

So I have actually cut back on my running. In fact from May 31-June 14 I didn’t run one single mile. Not one! Those days weren’t as mind numbing as I thought they might be because I found some new replacement exercises. Now I am spending more time on the bike and more quality time in the swimming pool. Plus I am finding new strength exercises. Since trying some new things, I have found one very prevalent – soreness in areas I haven’t experienced in a while.

All this new stuff is designed for one thing – be a better (and faster) runner. After all doesn’t all exercising come down to that for me? My legs have been screaming at me for less impact exercises and more swimming/biking makes them happier! Here’s to hoping all this new exercising helps.

Keeping my fingers crossed that these new exercise pay off in the long run (sorry no pun intended).

CIRCA 1997

2009-06-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Every now and then you come across things from your past that just make you shake your head and laugh like crazy. And these moments only happen once every few months. Seeing this picture was one of those moments.

You know the funny thing about looking at this picture is that I came remember so much from the events that surrounded this picture. The day of (watching baseball), the next day (golf) and even the day after that (tennis tournament). I even remember watching a movie with everyone in this picture after leaving the prom. A guess memory loss isn't a problem for this event.

MOSAIC VOLUNTEER STAFF

2009-06-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

Last week I “officially” joined a very special community when I joined Mosaic Volunteer Staff.

What does that mean you might be asking. To put it in very simple terms, I have the opportunity (no, take that back) blessing to move forward as a leader in this beautiful community.

During the last week of my internship in 2006, I remember saying to our internship director that I want to move back to L.A. and be apart of volunteer staff at Mosaic and volunteer on Skid Row. That’s it. I’ll find a simple job somewhere and really focus on those two things. Life is interesting when wishes become passions and passions eventually become reality.

Currently I am doing a lot of things with the ServeLA team. Mosaic allows you to dream. And dream BIG. They definitely encourage dreaming at the highest levels and, for me, this ministry is a great place to dream. And, maybe most importantly, engage in my passion to care for the homeless and reach the city of L.A. one person at a time. Will I get frustrated? Sure. Will I get excited? Most definitely.

Dreaming Big and Living Passionately …

CUSTOMER SERVICE

2009-06-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

So I was floating around MSN website and they put together their third annual survey for the companies that provide the Best and Worst customer service:

Best Companies for Customer Service:
10) Southwest Airline
9) Costco
8) Apple
7) Whole Foods
6) Publix Grocery
5) Nordstrom
4) Amazon
3) Netflix
2) Trader Joes
1) USAA

Worst Companies for Customer Service:
10) AOL
9) Comcast
8) Sprint/Nextel
7) Capital One
6) Time Warner Cable
5) HSBC
4) Qwest
3) Abercrombie & Fitch
2) Bank of America
1) Citigroup

I have only had direct contact with two of the companies (Publix Grocery & Trader Joes) and I must say that I was impressed with both. Both are some of the most clean shopping environments I have ever been in. In addition, I don’t think I have ever heard anything bad about any of the companies on the top 10 best companies list. On the flip side, however, I don’t recall ever hearing anything good about the worst 10 companies either. In fact, some of my friends have had some pretty good horror stories about Bank of America and Sprint/Nextel.

BE PASSIONATE

2009-06-10T15:51:00.001-07:00

The other evening I had the pleasure of participating in a gathering of about 25 Caltech students. The group had no name, no title and no real backing from the college community. But each of person in the room had a passion for something and a place to share that.

During the two-hour gathering we were instructed to do one thing or the other. On this particular evening we were educated and participated in spoken word. For most part it was a very enjoyable. Yet, I couldn’t really figure out what was the purpose of the gather. (Of course, with that being said, not everything really needs a purpose does it? But I digress.) Why did this unnamed group meet and exists? Then as the group leader was ending the evening he said something that struck me and really made total sense to why this group met on a weekly basis during the school year.

“We just wanted to provide a place were people can share their passions. Not necessarily share and talk about what we are good at but what we are passionate about.”

Never thought about the two being vastly different but if you really mull over it, being good and passionate about something don’t always intertwine.

For example, I am good at keeping courtside computer stats at a basketball game but I’m not passionate about it. I don’t think about how I can get better on an everyday basis or wake-up in the night thinking about a silly mistake I made.

To continue, I have a passion to help homeless people. I want to educate myself more about the issue by reading, interacting and working with the issue. Furthermore I want to invest (and by invest I mean donate without expecting anything in return) my tithe in those efforts. On most days, many of my thoughts are apart serving the homeless.

But for whatever reason the thought of people good at something doesn’t always equal passion. And the reserve is true as well. You may have a passion for something but be horrible at it. Yet that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue it.

Does this make any sense to anybody else out there? Maybe I’m over blowing this. But the thought of creating an environment and space for people to share their passions is just really awesome. Because how often are we allowed and empowered to display our passions?

ANGELS & DEMONS

2009-06-08T15:52:00.000-07:00

As a movie “Angels and Demons” was better than the book. Usually the movie isn’t as good as a book but this time I thought the screen version was better. The movie certainly changes some of the main elements from the book but the core story certainly remains the same. The movie flowed really well through out and it was one of the quickest two-plus hours I have ever spent in a theater. I was waiting for certain elements to surface through out the movie but they never did and not once did that take away from the overall movie experience.

It would seem that Ron Howard learned a little bit from his “Da Vinci Code” movie which followed the book exactly. Not following the book seemed to help “Angels and Demons.” I really like Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon and he really does a good job Overall I give this movie three-stars.

My critics are hammering this movie but I liked it a lot. Very enjoyable and that's what I paid my $11 for.

The biggest thing going against “Angels and Demons” was that “Da Vinci Code” came first (movie and book). The two are different even though the central character is the same. It is easy to compare the two but they are different. Yet, in comparing the two, the better movie is “Angels and Demons” but “Da Vinci Code” is a much better book.

BITTERNESS IS NOT AN ILLNESS

2009-06-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

This story got me really fired up the other day. Seriously, are people out there in the medical world really trying to call bitterness an illness? Please someone tell me this is a bad joke.

Bitterness is a choice. It is an emotion. Same has happiness, sadness, kindness or joy to name a few. You are not born bitter. You choose to be bitter in the same way you choose to be other emotions.

This question came to mind – what is the opposite of bitterness? It’s sweetness. So if bitterness is an illness then does that make sweetness is the cure? If a bitter individual spent countless hours in the same room with a person who is considered sweet, will that make them better? Probably a little bit but not completely change. Each person has their own choice of what they want to be.

One of the most brilliant quotes I have ever come across really speaks to this specific topic:

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.

-Charles Swindoll

Once again, bitterness is a choice. You may have some sort of crappy circumstance going on around. Maybe you lost your job. Maybe you are really, really sick. Maybe your significant other wants nothing to do with any longer. Maybe you just failed at a task you really did your best to prepare for. Whatever it is, you can choose to sit and sulk OR you can choose to suck it up and move forward as successfully as possible. You know, believe in the best of possibilities as you move forward.

The next moment, the next day can always be better than the past if you want it to be. If you want to be bitter and let your apathy grow that’s all your choice. Your not ill. Please make the choice to believe in the best and anything but bitterness will emanate from your character.

WHO'S ROUTINE!?!

2009-06-04T12:18:00.000-07:00

Years ago someone told me that I like routine and I was like, “really, routine? No way!”

However, I think there might be some truth this whole routine thing. Here’s a sampling of a few categories that might prove I enjoy routine.

FOOD – I find myself going to the grocery store buying almost the exact same thing every time. I tell myself that I will try something different this time but as I browse the various aisles, nothing really exciting comes to my attention that I need to purchase. My dinners are almost always the same and I am just fine with that. And I eat the breakfast for dinner every Wednesday night (Egg Sandwich, 2 Ego Waffles – a nice guilty pleasure).

EXERCISE – This is a bad one. I do not like exercise outside the morning hours. When I wake-up the first I want to do is exercise. I have tried to go through period of afternoon or evening exercise but don’t like it. If I am running the roads are most empty in the morning and the same thing is true if I go to the gym to ride a stationary bike or something. Less people = more efficient exercise.

READING – I read at all times of day but I enjoy reading when I can devote at least 30 minutes to it. I can’t read for 10 minutes then do something else for a few minutes then get back into reading. Just can’t do it. I’ve tried.

DEAL SHOPPER – Finding the best deal before I buy just about anything is more of way of life then routine. Coupon shopping is the way to go. I almost always Google for coupons before going to a specific store. One of the best parts of living in Pasadena – the $.99 store. Seriously, I had my big doubts before I started checking out what they had and you can really get some good deals. However, there are some really bad things to watch out for!

So with all that being said, I don’t mind trying new thing at all. In fact, I like new things. Maybe, it could be argued that once I find something new I like it just becomes apart of the routine? Who knows? Does it really matter? Maybe everyone has at least a little “routine” in them!

TOP 10 - HARD SPORT TASKS

2009-06-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

I’ve tried a lot of different sporting type things. I have failed so many more times than I have succeeded. The other day I was prompted to a conversation about the hardest tasks in sports. Interesting topic since there are a lot of thing that has physically hard to do. There are some that are just physically harder than others. The professional athletes make many things look a lot easier than they really are.

So, with that being said, here are the top 10 things I have tried in athletics that are the hardest:

1) Complete a Marathon
2) Consistently Hit a Golf Ball Successfully
3) Hit a baseball
4) Play Tennis Competitively
5) Sink a Three-Pointer from the NBA Line
6) Ice Skate
7) Pass a volleyball off the serve
8) Place Kick Field Goals (laces out, please)
9) Hurdle (gym class experiment)
10) Play Lacrosse (backyard experiment)

A few years ago USA Today did a complete cover story on their 10 hardest things to do in sports:

10. Skiing downhill at 80-90 mph
9. Stopping a soccer penalty kick
8. Riding in the Tour de France
7. Running a marathon
6. Landing a quad in figure skating
5. Returning a 130 mph tennis serve
4. Hitting a golf ball long and straight
3. Pole vaulting at heights of 15-feet plus
2. Driving a race car at megaspeeds around a track and not getting hurt
1. Hitting a baseball thrown at 90+ mph

MAY RUNNING

2009-05-31T16:14:00.000-07:00

This month was mostly about recovery. After my attempt at 26.2 at Big Sur I wanted to have a better recovery than my first marathon. I was MUCH smarter this time around. So here's the month that was for "May Gray" (a southern California thing).

Total Miles Run - 107.63 (according to mapmyrun)
Days of Running - 18
Longest Run - 11.12 miles
Approx. calories burned - 14,138

Year to Date Miles: 590.46

FROM MILE 12 ...

2009-05-27T15:35:00.001-07:00

On Monday morning a group of people – organized by Team World Vision – got together somewhere around mile 12 of the L.A. Marathon. This was the first time I have actually watched a marathon in-person so it was a fairly unique experience.

My observations from the 2009 L.A. Marathon:

* Elite runners were cruising. It was unreal to see that in-person.
* The weather really cooperated (low 60’s and cloudy). The fears of a hot sunny day were unfounded.
* People wear really unique outfits to run in.
* The lady who gave me a hug and thanked me for the support was really sweaty!
* It was one of the fastest four hour time slots in my life.
* I will run a marathon apart of Team World Vision.
* Running must be something that really “moves me” because my voice was gone after cheering people on.
* Giving runners a ‘high 5’ instead of cheering loudly = good idea but be sure to wash your hands really hard with really warm water afterwards.
* You could really tell those who were properly trained and those who weren’t.
* Runners really did appreciate being called by name. Be sure to place name somewhere on your bib or running shirt!

"THAT" SCENE FROM JERRY MAGUIRE

2009-05-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

For the last few weeks this particular scene from Jerry Maguire has been playing in my head. It happens almost the exact same time each day. I’m walking out of my apartment in the morning heading toward Caltech and like clockwork, there it is. Jerry Maguire and Rod Tidwell having a conversation about, well, life shall we say. They are both frustrated at each other for a variety of reasons and then Jerry Maguire breaks out this to Rod Tidwell …

“… here's why you don't have your ten million yet. Right now, you are a paycheck player. You play with your head, not your heart. In your personal life - (points to chest) Heart. But when you get on that field -- it's all about what you didn't get, who's to blame, who under threw the pass, who's got the contract you don't, who's not giving you your love. Well, that is not what inspires people. That's not what inspires people. Shut up. Play the game. Play it from your heart. And you know what? I will show you the "kwan." I'm sorry, but that's the truth. Can you handle it? Just a question Rod. Between friends. YOU KNOW?”

Not sure where to take that quote from here but, for whatever this two minute scene is played out in my head on a seemingly daily basis. Maybe I’m “playing” life right now for the wrong reasons? Maybe I just like the idea of influencing well? Maybe I should just go watch Jerry Maguire? Who knows for sure but this scene is floating around in my head.

ONE WORD

2009-05-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

I haven’t posted anything that is some what “meaningful” in a while. Not that this post will be much different mind you, but these are some things that have been on my mind lately and here’s my one word response to each of them. The ABC’s of me lately -

CHP - Zealous
Credit Card – Paid!
Friends – Thankful
Homeless - Involvement
Money Balance – Tightwad
Mosaic – Enjoyable
Obama – Satisfier
Running – Conflicted
Sleep – More!
Steroid in Baseball – Embarrassing
Student Loans – Oops!
Tithe – Where?
Vacation – Calm
Work – Odd
Yankees – Finally!

This blog post - Done

WENDY AND LUCY

2009-05-14T15:37:00.001-07:00

Not sure why so many critics liked this movie.

Fortunately it was quick (75 minutes). Really, it wasn't that great. Of course maybe the critics got my hopes and expectations way high for this independent type film but it was overrated in my opinion. If you like dogs (or animals in general) you'll enjoy this movie but otherwise not so much.

ABRAHAM

2009-05-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

For those of us who grew-up in Sunday School we had to sing that classic song “Father Abraham” and that oh so popular line “many sons had father Abraham.” This book shocked me with how many people Abraham has “fathered” over the last few thousand years. His lineage surely is more than the stars in the sky.

For the past few weeks I’ve been journeying through Bruce Feiler’s “Abraham” and it is has been a very enlightening journey. This book is filled with great imagery as you feel like you are actually seeing everything that the author is seeing as he tries to unwrap the mysteries of Abraham.

The first portion of the book was a little dull and filled with some information that was “old hat” to me but once Feiler really started unwrapping the layers of Abraham’s life it was amazing. What was most eye-opening was how Abraham is such a central figure in three different spiritual communities. I never realized how vitally important Abraham was to Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Feiler speaks with different scholars and experts on each of these three different faiths and it mind blowing how similar they tell the story of Abraham even though you’d think these three faiths are different from one another. Certainly there are key differences but for the most part these three faiths hold Abraham in very high regard.

The format of the book makes for a quick read but don’t move to quickly because there are some really amazing facts about this man’s life that can be missed when reading. It is such a good read that flows extremely well. Feiler, himself a Jew, makes the book personal and that in turn makes the reader become more personal with Abraham.

HIGHLY recommend!!

SUGAR

2009-05-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

If you are a fan of baseball this is definitely a must see movie. It follows baseball prospect Miguel “Sugar” Santos from the everyday rigors of a baseball training academy in the Dominican Republic to his journey in the United States.

As a former minor league baseball employee, this movie opened my eyes even more to how hard Spanish speaking and non-U.S. born baseball players struggle during their first U.S. experience. This movie also had me reminiscing about finding housing for Latino players and getting them rides to the ballpark. Those were interesting memories.

It is truly amazing how hard it is for a Dominican baseball player to make it through the baseball training and then to a Minor League roster let along making it all the way to the Major League level. The film really captures that effort and sacrifice.

Much of the movie is in subtitles so be prepared to read the bottom of the screen during 65% of the movie. But, by no means, does that take away from the film. In fact, in some ways having the subtitles makes you appreciate the film even more.

From a purely baseball perspective the ending of the movie was kind of frustrating. However, when taking the complete movie into account it makes a lot of sense.

Unfortunately the film got a limited release so if you didn’t see it in the theater (or are now just hearing about it) just rent it or get it on Netflix.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

2009-05-10T11:40:00.001-07:00

RETHINK CHURCH

2009-05-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

I was flipping through the most recent issue of Newsweek and this full page advertisement got my attention. Anyone else seen this? Website

THE "REAL" BIG SUR RECAP

2009-05-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

(OK, this is my final coping mechanism)

Why do I do this to myself? Run marathon(s) you ask? While that is part of it, the other part comes in with the post race beating I put myself through. My experience on the Big Sur course was, shall we say, less than satisfying. Well, actually it was pretty poor. Freakin’ nine days later, I am still thinking about this marathon all the time.

I was felt SO ready for this race. Seriously, I felt ready. I was feeling great mentally and almost as great physically. However, in the afternoon before the race I starting feeling really nervous about the race. Scared even. In a manner of a few hours my thought process went from “this is going to be great” to “what in the world have I gotten myself into.” Suddenly the hills I was less than a day from running seemed REALLY big and my confidence was not so high.

However, that night I slept fairly well with all the anxious feeling I had. Getting up at 3:15 was no fun but oh well. I knew that was coming. There are buses that take the runners to start line in the dark of the early morning hours. The buses, of course, drive us to the start line on the actually marathon route. My confidence is continually sliding as I feel the roller coaster of hills we are ascending and descending on a school bus at 4:45 a.m.

We get to the start line and for whatever a big sense of calm comes over me in the VERY frigid early Sunday morning hours. I get close to a generator that is letting off something resembling heat. It was like high 30’s and there was still 75 minutes to the start. Small conversations start here and there among the anxious (and COLD) runners while waiting. With about 10 minutes to the start, I feel really good. My confidence is back and I think that running a 3:45-4:00 time is within me. The first few miles breeze by and then at mile six the woods open up to the ocean. The woods also open up to two things that become my VERY hated foe for the next three hours – strong winds and hills.

I adjust just fine to the hills and even the wind for the next handful of miles THEN my marathon experience starts to suck. The wind is not at my back, the sky is still overcast and there are still 10 hills in front of me. And, oh yeah, I was still cold wearing my non-technical long sleeve black shirt. Why didn’t I pack a technical long sleeve? Why?!?!?! My mind was playing dirty tricks on me and I was giving in. All things considered I felt fairly good physically but my mental state of mind was piss poor at best.

The last third of the course was about as miserable as I have felt in a while. Mind you I am doing ok physically but I am just angry. Once again, the harsh reality of not having a strong mental state of mind hits hard. Why can’t I have my mind think of happy thoughts when I want to be angry? Whatever happened to thoughts of pretty butterflies on a summer day, baseball on a warm July night or good looking women on Huntington Beach? Where were those thoughts at mile 17?!?!? Huh, where were you?!?! AH!!!!!

You train four 16 weeks four a little window of time. Just a brief little time block that in the grand scheme of things is less than half an eye blink when you take your whole life into perspective. A grain of sand on the beach. But this little bit of time is what running a marathon is all about. You invest countless hours and sacrifice an inordinate amount of thing for one morning on a road.

There is one VERY big bright spot in all this – my wonderful friends who were there at the finish line. Without them, this whole experience would have been a whole lot harder to swallow. They were amazing!

So here’s what I am doing with this experience so I can get better next time:

1) Take two weeks off from running in early June. For the average person this would be a blessing, yet this is not going to be fun for me. This will be a time to improve my swimming stroke.

My times are getting slower and it is probably because I need rest. When I started training for Big Sur, I knew that I would be losing a lot of my speed work that I had built up over the last two years. Sacrificing my per mile pace was something that was just fine for me however, I didn’t expect to perform as poorly as I did on the course. I went from a sub-7:00 pace in a personal best 10K effort 18 months ago and third place age group finish in my half-marathon to what I am at now. So not only am I slower after four months of training but I performed very poorly. Back to the drawing board for speed work because right now I feel like a child who learning to ride bike and is still using training wheels. This feeling pretty much blows.

2) My mental side of mind HAS TO improve. I have no clue at this point how this will happen but it will happen.

3) See a physical therapist in mid-June. I’d like to run for a long time and I better start seeing what an expert has to say.

4) I am running Big Sur again. Is this a hard course? Most certainly but it is a demon that I will conquer next time because it will not conquer me again. There’s no doubt this course has tested the most veteran of runners but it is a test that I am going to pass next time.

5) No more apathy about this race …

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY ...

2009-05-04T14:20:00.001-07:00

AH, Good Memories -- Masters Degree!

APRIL RUNNING

2009-04-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

Well, this was the month that brings rain showers (except in southern California):

Total Miles Run - 112.77 (according to mapmyrun)
Days of Running - 14
Longest Run - 26.2 miles
Approx. calories burned - 14,965

Total Miles in 2009: 482.83

TWITTER THIS!!

2009-04-29T16:31:00.000-07:00

BIG SUR MARATHON RECAP

2009-04-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

You train.

You run for 4+ hours.

You learn ... a lot.

There will be other attempts at 26.2 for me. Hopefully many others but this one was not ideal.

BIG SUR MARATHON

2009-04-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

So here was go …

… This is usually about the time I begin thinking, “this was a good idea when I signed-up, but what was I thinking!!” The only phrase I can think that sums up all the emotions is excitedly nervous. Big Sur Marathon here I come!

Training for this marathon was not easy in overcoming nagging injuries, waking up for early morning runs, getting sick and having to sacrifice social engagements. To sum it up, I worked hard and really went a good result. The weather looks to be good and I am very blessed to have friends coming up to support me. With all that in mind I have set my time goals as followed:

3:30 – Like Winning a Gold Medal
3:40 – Very Happy (thrilled)
3:45 - I'll take it
4:00 - Frustrating

The other day I did a YouTube search of the phrase “motivation running” and it gave me this as one of the search results:

Never thought that a little girl would provide some good natured motivation. I can do it!

AMERICA'S HEALTH

2009-04-22T15:15:00.000-07:00

On the soapbox …

Remember in high school when each student was required to do the Presidential Fitness test? I don’t remember the entire regiment of tasks to complete but I remember it involving a certain number of push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run among other things.

I bring all this up because I just read an interesting blog post by ultra-marathoner Dean Karnazes (here). In it, he talks about how is worried about the healthcare of America but not excited about how the U.S. government is going about “fixing it.” He sights the fact that 65% of Americans are listed as obese.

Granted that table used to discern the obese against the non-obese is not totally accurate but a simple walk around any mall in American will tell you this country has a serious health issue. And, as Karnazes says, Americans health will get worse before it gets better unless something really changes. So what does this have to do with the Presidential Fitness test in high school? While I hated it as a teenager, as an adult I’m starting to understand its purpose a little more.

Will that fitness test get American more healthy? Not by itself but it’s a start. You know what else would be another good starting point to get America healthy again? Getting rid of all this stupid diet pills. There is one tried and true way to get healthy – exercise. Diet doesn’t hurt either. Hey America, remember those things? How about those two things to fixed the healthcare system?

I have lost a substantial amount of weight in my lifetime and I exercise regularly. As a person who was once considered obese, I can not truly describe how much healthier I feel not only physically but mentally. I didn’t become “non-obese” because of a new government health plan, but rather because I knew there was a problem and fixed it. It’s about time Americans put down the tub of ice cream, the bars of chocolate and fourth helping at the buffet and laced up a pair of shoes and went to the gym.

… off the soapbox

MARATHON REQUEST

2009-04-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

Five days til Big Sur (yes, I'm counting) ...

I was looking for a two things and I'm curious if anyone out there can help:

1) Anyone have any good nutrition tips? I know all about carbo-loading (spaghetti, noddles) but I'm more interested specific good "snack type foods" to eat in between meals. Cliff Bars? Fruit? Etc.

2) Got any good songs for prerace prep? Please good song suggestions only! This was a list from my first marathon - here.

Please, let me know some good choices - e-mail (hinkmons@yahoo.com), leave a comment or whatever.

RADFORD TENNIS

2009-04-20T16:18:00.001-07:00

In the fall of 1997 I tried out for the Radford tennis team. While I never played one match as an official member of the Radford tennis team, I take a lot of pride in knowing that Coach Anderson allowed me to make the team after the try out.

But some stupid rule created by the NCAA kept me from actually participating on the team. You see, the NCAA took your SAT score and if it wasn't high enough, you weren't allowed to compete as a freshman. In some ways not playing college tennis was a good thing but in other ways, it was frustrating.

Anyway, I digress ... Coach Anderson, now in his 14th year as head coach, ALWAYS made me feel apart of the team while I was a student at Radford and still makes me feel apart of the squad as an alum. I say all this because on Sunday the Highlanders won their third straight Big South Conference championship! Once again, I am a proud alum!

They will, once again, participate in the NCAA Tournament. Here's to hoping they can pull of an upset!

BEST SPORTING ENVIRONMENTS

2009-04-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

With the opening of the New Yankee Stadium on Thursday afternoon, an interesting question an interesting question was posed on ESPN radio – what is the best sports environment you have ever been a part of?

Taking all things into considering with the fan excitement, the tension in the game, the pre-game hype, etc., etc.Having been to countless sporting events over the years, here’s a list of my top five sporting environments:

1) 1997 Calder Cup Finals Game 2 – Hershey Bears vs. Hamilton Bulldogs

OK, maybe an odd selection but let me tell you the “old barn” (i.e. Hersheypark Arena) was jumping that evening. Based on a per fan average, the loudest sports environment I’ve been a part of. The 8,000 or so fans were just out of control loud and it’s the only time I remember doing the wave at a non-baseball game. Everyone was doing the wave because there was so much energy in the building we had to release it somehow.

The Bears were down 4-2 in the third period before scoring three goals in just over two minutes to take the lead late in the game. However, Hamilton scored a goal with 56 seconds left to force OT but Mike McHugh scored his third goal of the game less than a minute in overtime and the placed erupted!

2) Notre Dame vs. USC – 2005

The “Bush Push” game. Need I say more?

3) Virginia Tech vs. Miami – 2001

Miami was looking to complete an undefeated season and play for the national title. The Hokies were very much over-matched on paper during this Saturday afternoon contest in Blacksburg but VT hung with them and gave themselves a chance for a upset with a huge block punt and TD return in fourth quarter that had the stadium out of control and loud. However, it wasn’t enough as Miami hung on the win.

4) 2008 NLDS Game 3 - L.A. Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs

People tailgating? The Stadium almost completely full prior to first-pitch? At Dodger Stadium? The place was a buzz of actively prior to, during and after the game. People waving their white playoff towels. A whole lot of fun/excitement in the air as the Dodgers swept the Cubs.

5) Radford vs. JMU -

HUH? That’s right! The Highlanders and Dukes battle it out in a regional TV game at the Dedmon Center with my beloved Radford pulling out a 62-60 win with a last second put-back. Two days earlier Radford beat cross-county rival Virginia Tech and that got the campus fan base into a big ball of excitement then this game against in-state foe JMU was back-and-forth to the end. Tons of energy inside the bubble that afternoon! I can still remember so many specific (seemingly insignificant) moments from that entire day.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

2009-04-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

The debate was swirling through my head most of the day on Thursday. To go or not to go? Part of me said – I’ve recently seen him, tickets could be hard to find and I don’t want to put up with the traffic. The other part of me said – it was a really good show when you saw him last time, you know tickets won’t be that hard to come by and just deal with the traffic.

Bottom line – Bruce Springsteen is worth it. I paid well below face value for my ticket and the traffic really wasn’t. Plus, I really didn’t get back to my apartment that late in the evening.

"We're here with a mighty purpose in mind! We're gonna rock the house! But we're not only going to rock the house, we're going to build a house. We're going to take fear and build a house of love; we're going to take sadness and build a house of joy; we're going to take doubt and build a house of faith; we're going to take despair and build a house of hope."

And with those words, here’s how that house was rocked and built:

Badlands
Candy's Room
Outlaw Pete
No Surrender
Adam Raised A Cain
Working On A Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Youngstown
Raise Your Hand
Proud Mary
Growin' Up
Hungry Heart
Promised Land
The Wrestler
Backstreets
Bad Luck (with Mike Ness of Social Distortion)
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born To Run
(Encore)
Hard Times
Thunder Road
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Land Of Hope And Dreams
American Land
Glory Days

I don’t know how he does it at 59 years old but his first song out the gate is as energetic as what most bands final song(s) would be. The minutes the lights go up on a Springsteen show it’s like getting shot out of a canon and that adrenaline rush doesn’t stop. On Thursday night that adrenaline rush lasted for 26 song, 2 .5-plus hour set! In fact, I was kind of tired by the end of the show and it wasn’t because I was out later than I normally would be.

There were so many highlights of the show. The first three songs were perfect in back-to-back-back form! The Wrestler was a perfect ballet then to play into Backstreets in the middle of the show was great! Born to Run again was awesome and to close with Glory Days was perfection!

What made the song just a little more amazing was I believe Springsteen was sick. His voice was a little more horse (raspy if you will) plus he blew about five “snot rockets” during the performance. Regardless of any sickness he still had enough energy to perform at Springsteen worthy level!

1,000!

2009-04-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

The big 1,000! I still remember talking to former Silver Hawks intern Bob Shriner when I started this blog in early August, 2005. I had no idea what I was doing then and I still don’t have any idea what I’m doing now! This blog has no vision. It’s just random ramblings.

So much has happened since I started this thing:

* Changed jobs
* Changed living location
* Completed a Masters Degree
* etc., etc., etc.

There have been attempts to do a weekly “Top Five” and “Blog of the Week” but those quickly faded away. There have been some fun posts and some “what was I thinking posts.” Sometimes I think about getting rid of the blog but then I decide against that.

Who knows how long I’ll keep doing this thing. It’s very doubtful that I’ll make it to 2,000 posts because sometimes I don’t believe I’ll make it post 1,001.

For all those who have checked in … Thanks! I’ll try to stay some what interesting.

JACKIE ROBINSON

2009-04-15T10:46:00.001-07:00

Today is Jackie Robinson across the MLB. Too bad that April 15th is remembered more for tax day then Robinson breaking the color barrier in major league baseball.

This morning I was watching a little segment ESPN and I was struck, once again, on how he was able to find a sense of peace among all the rage and anger that surrounded him. It just seems that his situation is truly unfathomable. In his situation he somehow found this perfect intersection of grace, leadership and humility.

How many times must he have wanted to fight back against all the players who didn’t want him in the same league? What about his reaction to all the fans who sent him life threatening letters?

Not sure how he did it but he did. Because of people like him, we are once again reminded how one person can change stereotypes and make the world a little bit better for everyone. He truly was a great humanitarian.

HARRY KALAS

2009-04-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

I don't ever recall really cheering for the Phillies. Sure I grew-up less than two hours from Philadelphia but just couldn't cheer for them on game-in, game-out basis. They weren't my team and I just didn't enjoy regularly cheering for them.

I did, however, enjoy listening to Harry Kalas. He was such a joy to listen to while watching a game. For whatever reason, I recall on many occasions listening to Harry Kalas as I fell asleep on a lazy Sunday afternoon "watching" the game. He was amazing. Sometimes the voice behind the team was more recognizable then the actually team. If you heard Harry, you knew you were watching a Phillies game.

It didn't matter if the Phillies were awful (which they were most of my time living in Pennsylvania) or a World Series contender it was great listening Harry.

BREAST FEEDING

2009-04-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

Mothers – if you baby is hungry and needs fed, please make your “feeding time” a private matter. Please!

Twice in recent memory I have been peacefully doing my thing (reading at Barnes/Noble, eating lunch) when all of sudden not more than 10 feet away from me some mother decides to start breast feeding. Just untucks her shirt and lets the child do "their thing." What in the world? In a public place, seriously? I don’t understand it. Don’t want to understand it.

I have nothing against breast feeding as I am sure it is a wonderful thing. I will clearly never find out. But please, for the love of humanity, women if you must breast feed please do it privately.

Thank You.

QUOTABLE

2009-04-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

"The strongest trees in the forest can resist the strongest winds"

ANATOMY OF A 20-MILER

2009-04-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has run a marathon knows that if you are going to have a "level of success" on raceday you have to have at least one 20 mile training run.

In my mind, here at the two main objectives of a 20-miler (in order):
1) Give you confidence mentally and put you in the right state of mind come raceday
2) Prepare your body for raceday

Now, these training runs can take anywhere from 2-4 hours depending on what your goal time is for the marathon. Imagine running with no crowd support, no traffic control, no one passing at gatorade, no nothing for 20 miles. Sounds like fun? It can be ... trust me!

Here's what my recent 20-miler looked like:

Wake-Up: 5:15 a.m. (still dark)
Eat, Stretch, Dress: till 5:45 a.m.
Start Moving the Feet: 5:45 a.m.
Water Fountain, PowerBar Chew Pack for Energy: 6:35 a.m.
Begin big 2-mile hill climb: 7:10 a.m.
Finish hill climb with LOTS of confidence: 7:30 a.m.
Water Fountain, PowerBar Chew Pack for Energy: 7:35 a.m.
Start Rose Bowl loop: 7:40 a.m.
Water Fountain, PowerBar Chew Pack: 8:15 a.m.
Final hill climb: 8:20 a.m.
Enjoy final down hill miles and finish: 8:35 a.m.

This is the fourth time I have gone on a 20 mile training run. The first three were not so good. Well, that's an understatement. They were fairly ugly. This one was about a beautiful as it could have been on so many levels and I needed it big time.

So now that I have a good 20 mile run under my belt, what about those last 6.2 miles. Well, that could get ugly but I have the confidence to run a marathon that certainly wasn't there during my first attempt. That, and the first attempt didn't exactly give me tons of confidence either. Confidence and the mental state-of-mind that will successfully get me to the finish line.

Big Sur Marathon ... 18 days and counting!

2009 MLB SEASON

2009-04-03T15:16:00.001-07:00

And away we go!! What are the possibilities of making Opening Day of every MLB season a national holiday?!? … hmmm … Probably slim to none but one can dream, right?

Brings on the hot dogs, cracker jacks, home runs, jaw dropping catches and all that is right with the best game in the U.S.A.

AL EAST
NY Yankees, 98-64
Boston Red Sox, 93-69
Tampa Rays, 84-78
Baltimore O’s, 72-90
Toronto Blue Jays, 71-91

AL CENTRAL
Cleveland Indians, 92-70
Chicago White Sox, 90-72
Kansas City Royals, 82-80
Minnesota Twins, 81-81
Detroit Tigers, 79-83

AL WEST
LA Angels, 95-67
Oakland A’s, 88-75
Seattle Mariners, 80-82
Texas Rangers, 78-84

NL EAST
NY Mets, 93-69
Philadelphia Phillies, 91-73
Florida Marlins, 87-76
Atlanta Braves, 85-77
Washington Nationals, 62-100

NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals, 90-72
Chicago Cubs, 89-73
Cincinnati Reds, 83-79
Milwaukee Brewers, 78-84
Houston Astros, 70-92
Pittsburgh Pirates, 65-97

NL WEST
LA Dodgers, 87-75
Arizona D’Backs, 85-77
S.F. Giants, 84-78
Colorado Rockies, 81-81
San Diego, 66-96

NLDS – NY Mets over LA Dodgers 3-1, St. Louis Cardinals over Philadelphia Phillies, 3-2
ALDS – NY Yankees over Chicago White Sox 3-1, Boston Red Sox over LA Angels, 3-0

NLCS – Mets over Cardinals, 4-3
ALCS – Yankees over Red Sox, 4-2

World Series – Yankees over Mets 4-2

U2 @ THE ROSE BOWL

2009-04-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

You pay a one-time $50 fee to sign-up for the U2 fan club for one year. There are a fair amount of fun and cool perks that come with that membership but none more important then being able to buy tickets to concert before the rest of the general public.

There is no place I'd rather be on Oct. 25, 2009 then the Rose Bowl. Just 3.5 miles from my apartment the best band in the world is playing what is sure to be an unforgettable concert. And you better believe I will be there.

Finally, I am going to see u2!! I will have one huge smile across my face from section 22!

THE WRESTLER

2009-03-31T15:30:00.001-07:00

Extremely well made yet sad movie. A very, very well made commentary on wrestling, recovery, remission and loneliness all put into one very good movie.

Mickey Rourke is all that and then as Randy “The Ram” Robinson. How did he not win the Oscar for best actor? His character is amazing and no “high level” actor could have come close to pulling off what he did. In fact, if someone like a Nicholas Cage did end up playing the role the film would not have been nearly as good as it was.

Definitely an adult film (and I have some issues with that) so not something for the younger audience to be watching.

Amazing film. Just amazing!

MARCH RUNNING

2009-03-31T15:25:00.000-07:00

The Marathon training schedule really upped my miles for this month.

Total Miles Run - 143.77 (according to mapmyrun)
Days of Running - 19
Longest Run - 20.25 miles
Approx. calories burned - 18,828

Year to Date Miles - 370.66

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

2009-03-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

For movie goers everywhere get a pen and put down Oct. 16, 2009. This looks like one cool movie. Granted it took Spike Jonze and Co. almost four years to complete the project but from the first look, it could be quite an amazing film. This was one of my favorite books so please, please don't suck as a movie!

AMAZING (or CRAZY!) RUNS

2009-03-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

Which one would you be interested in doing?

1) The Volcanic Sprint

The sleepy town of Buea in the Southwest Province of Cameroon hosts Africa’s most grueling footrace: the Mt. Cameroon Race of Hope, a marathon-length sprint 10,000 feet up a live volcano, and back down again.

To conquer the mountain, racers must overcome some of the cruelest conditions in sport: temperatures fluctuate 50 degrees, altitude sickness claims the weak, and loose volcanic stones can cause serious injury, and even death, as runners fly back down the mountain.

2) Running the Sahara

On February 20, Charlie, Ray and Kevin touched the Red Sea, just a few hours before sunset. Their quest had lasted 111 days and taken them through 6 countries: Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, and Egypt. By the team's daily GPS record, they had traveled over 4,300 miles (6,920 kilometers). They fought through injury and extreme fatigue to reach their goal, which changed them forever.

3) Beyond the Epic Run

In February, 2000, a couple left home in Switzerland to run around the world...alone. A small crowd of friends and family gathered in the morning hours in the shadows of the Matterhorn in Sion, Switzerland. They were there to send Serge and Nicole Roehteli off with great fanfare to begin what would be an epic journey. With Nicole as his sole crew support, following him on a motorcycle towing a small trailer, Serge was setting off to run over 25,000 miles, on six continents and through 37 countries.

A RACE LIKE NO OTHER

2009-03-24T16:03:00.001-07:00

If you are interested in running in any manner, you must read this book.

In comparing it to a current TV show the book is a hybrid of “24” and “Lost” mixed into one. It tells the stories of a handful of runners as they pass through 26.2 miles of pavement in one of the largest marathons in the world.

Running the New York Marathon is something of folklore and this book does a wonderful job of capturing all that encompasses what a marathoner feels the day of the race as well as the training that goes into finishing one.

A most excellent read!

ANYONE HUNGRY?

2009-03-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

Just a sample picture of many food offerings at -
This is why you are fat.

SPRINGSTEEN vs. U2

2009-03-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

I got to thinking about my two favorite musical acts and the NCAA Tournament all in one moment. The NCAA Tournament gives us a champion each April while Bruce Springsteen and U2 give us great music all the time. But who gives the best music. Using a method that similar to the NCAA Tournament let’s take a look at who is the best in bracket format --

Story Telling Song bracket – In some way every song has a story behind it but there are songs that actually tell that story. A rock opera if you will. Springsteen 8-plus minute songs “Outlaw Pete” or “Thunderoad” are great examples. U2 has “Pride In the Name of Love” about MLK, Jr. Springsteen wins this category because he has more story telling in his songs.

Slow “love” song bracket – Springsteen has two options for this bracket – “I’m on Fire” and “Secret Garden” but neither song really compares to what U2 has to offer in “One” “With or Without You” or “All I Want is You” … Needless to say that U2 wins this bracket rather easily and I’m going with “One” on this choice.

Best Song Not Released as Single bracket – So this song never made the Billboard Top 100 list because, well, it was never released as a single. Digging a little deeper into the b-sides and non-radio hits of these two can be quite interesting. Springsteen has some classic stuff like “She’s the One” “American Skin” “Land of Hope and Dreams” while U2 has a solid list like “40” “If God Will Send His Angels” “Yahweh” … This bracket goes to Springsteen by a narrow margin. Besides this guy is on the verge of releasing his second four-CD set of written but not recorded music.

Most Spiritual song bracket – You have the great spiritually moving band of all-time in U2 and then there is Springsteen. I nominated “40” from U2 to go against “Jesus Was an Only Son” by Springsteen and without question U2 wins this category hands down.

Pure Rock Song bracket – Here’s what I boiled it down to … it’s either U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” or Springsteen’s “Born to run.” Obviously both bands have a lot of good choices for a solid rock song but this bracket is scored a push.

So there you have it when you break it down scientifically between this two fine musical acts, you have exactly what you expected a stalemate of awesome music.

NCAA TOURNAMENT

2009-03-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

I never like my picks after the first time through my bracket. Then after making some "corrections" I dislike my prediction even more! Here's my thoughts:

SWEET 16
Louisville over Wake Forest
Michigan State over Kansas
UConn over Purdue
Memphis over Missouri
Pittsburgh over Wisconsin
'Nova over Duke
UNC over Gonzaga
Arizona State over Oklahoma

Elite Eight
Louisville over Michigan State
UConn over Memphis
Pittsburgh over 'Nova
Arizona State over UNC

Final Four
Louisville over UConn
Pittsburgh over Arizona State

Champions - Pittsburgh

A sampling of thoughts:
* UNC's Ty Lawson isn't 100% and that equals trouble for the Tar Heels
* I was really torn between UConn and Memphis in the Regional Final
* Arizona State matches up well in every game I have them in and they take out the injured Tar Heels because of their stud point guard James Harden
* I can't believe I have three Big East teams in the Final Four!
* Purdue is a dark horse Final Four candidate

RADFORD HIGHLANDERS

2009-03-18T12:07:00.001-07:00

So my beloved Highlanders got a 16 seed and have to face UNC in the first-round. Who cares that no 16 seed has ever won a game in the NCAA Tournament. I'm pumped for my alma mater! Bleed the Plaid!!

Radford vs. UNC
Thursday, March 19

Greensboro, N.C., 2:55 (EST)

SHARK IN THE WATER

2009-03-17T16:59:00.001-07:00

This kind of makes me re-think the idea of doing a triathlon in the Pacific Ocean. I'm never watching Jaws again!

RUNNING "BLIND"

2009-03-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

If I am ever upset about a run that I have done or a goal that I have accomplished isn't met or I don't finish a race as well as I wanted PLEASE remind me how beautiful running can be with this story:

Blind high school runner, and her team, are a sight to behold

BAD COMBO

2009-03-14T16:49:00.002-07:00

Marathon Training and Being Sick ... Really Blows.

That's all I'm going to say about that.

U2 TOP 10 ON LETTERMAN

2009-03-14T16:49:00.001-07:00

#5 is a personal favorite ...

NO LINE ON THE HORIZON

2009-03-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks I have gone back-and-forth on the latest and greatest u2 album. I know that I like it and would recommend it to anyone interested in buying it. The back-and-forth comes into play with the idea of how much I like it. Was it just good? Great? Excellent?

Rolling Stones gave it a rare five-star review while Time Magazine called the album “confused” among other adjectives. My particular favorite review came from the Chicago Sun-Times which called the album “true gospel.”

The album is definitely a change in mood from their last two albums, but like any great band (yes, U2 is a GREAT band) you must re-invent yourself from time-to-time. Old and stale are not two words that I would use to describe this bands musical sense. This album may not have as much of a “hard rock” edge recent releases but the lyrics are extremely well thought out and borderline phenomenal.

The more I listened the more the lyrics really drew me into a very thought provoking mood. The bass lines, guitar riffs, drum beats are all really solid but the lyrics, more than any album since Achtung Baby, are the heartbeat of this album.

Take for example Magnificent:

Magnificent
Magnificent

I was born
I was born to be with you

In this space and time
After that and ever after I haven't had a clue
Only to break rhyme
This foolishness can leave a heart black and blue

Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar

I was born
I was born to sing for you
I didn’t have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice

From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise…

Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar

Justified till we die, you and I will magnify
The Magnificent
Magnificent

Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love unites our hearts

Justified till we die, you and I will magnify
The Magnificent
Magnificent
Magnificent

Want to take a guess about what Bono was thinking about when he wrote that song? It only takes one guess. Or how about this little snipet from Stand Up Comedy:

God is love
And love is evolution's very best day

You get the picture at this point. The lyrical nature of this album is fantastic from song number one till the final song.

TRASH TALKING & SPORTS

2009-03-12T11:18:00.001-07:00

On the Soapbox …

As Jay Bilas so eloquently said, “just shut-up and play.”

Last night there were two very prime examples of what makes athletes idiots – trash talking. The fans didn’t pay good money to see two (or more) athletes jaw away at each other. Nobody watching from the stands really cares about what individual battle these athletes have going on amongst each other. There isn’t a stat in any box score anywhere that keeps trash talking score.

First came the Syracuse/Seton Hall Big East quarterfinal game. During a hotly contested postseason game, things can get a little “hot and heavy” on the court from time-to-time during this portion of the year. However, when your team is making a good run and playing well just hit your shot and hustle back and play defense. There’s no need to wag your tongue on your opponent, stare them down or whatever you feel like you need to do to “intimate” them. Act like you’ve been there before

Then, at the end of the Lakers/Rockets game freakin’ Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest decide to have a little one-on-one chit-chat as if the other eight players on the court don’t matter. And by chit-chat they weren’t exactly making post-game dinner plans.

Often times this is what is most wrong athletes. It all goes back to some level of narcissism. You are not bigger than the game itself. You, as an individual, have no worth without your team. Two facts that many of these athletes forget all too often.

Please, for the love of all that is good in sports, just play with your mouth shut.

NCAA BOUND!

2009-03-10T16:25:00.000-07:00

After an 11 year wait, my beloved alma mater is returning to the NCAA Tournament!! And, oh, how sweet it is!!!

As current starting forward Kenny Thomas said after Radford defeated VMI to claim the school's second ever Big South Tournament championship, "Finally, Radford isn't little ol' Radford for once."

Live it up Kenny and Highlander fans everywhere! For at least a few moments, our school isn't just a small school tucked away in SW Virginia. We are one of just 65 teams playing in the biggest sporting event in the world!

VOLUNTEERING

2009-03-10T14:46:00.001-07:00

Volunteering is a privilege. There was a point WAY back in my life were I thought of volunteering as something completely. It was duty because you were told to do. Isn't that so form of oppression when you do something against your will? Anyway ... I digress because there are these questions about volunteering that continually pop into my head.

What is the intersection of volunteering publicly and privately look like? OK, here's another view of that thought with that question - what if individuals and/or groups didn't "brag" about how they volunteer?

For example, what if the cameras and news reporters didn't show-up when a local group decides to donate food, serve a meal or write a check to a non-profit that was in need? What does the intersection of Matthew 6:1-2 and Matthew 5:14-16 look like?

This is something that I struggle with. It brings me great joy to advance the Kingdom of God by volunteering. There is just a little "extra something" behind using your strengths and abilities because you want to without any reward. Who needs the extra reward anyway?

If your motivation for volunteering is for the reward (whatever that may look like for you) please stop volunteering. Seriously just stop and figure out what needs to be done to begin volunteering for the right cause and right reasons.

MIKE LOCKERT

2009-03-07T10:58:00.000-08:00

Each day is a new opportunity. Each moment is a moment to be an optimist and look for the best in each situation. Every choice you make can make you little bit more happy.

In the nearly seven year I knew Mike Lockert, this is how he lived his life. That is how I will remember him. Last week he suffered a heart attack and died in his sleep. He was 43.

I will never forget his silly laugh that made everyone him laugh. We shared so many good times together. From rooming together during at the mid-season Midwest League All-Star game, sharing laughs after watching a Notre Dame hockey game, reminsicing about the Silver Hawks in the early morning hours at Coveleski Stadium, traveling to and from business meeting ... the list goes on.

It is sad that he is gone. He was such a good person. He made this world a little bit better with his smile and fun loving attituide. Mike you are missed but not forgotten. The legacy you have left with those you interacted with is more than positive.

Thanks for the good times my friend. Thanks for the memories!!

DAVID GOGGINS

2009-03-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

I was introduced to this guy here – here. This guy is a freak. And that is a compliment!

Last night ironman and ultra-marathoner David Goggins was at Caltech to talk about all the races he has run and why he is running them. His story is 100% incredible. He is either a testament to the true spirit of humanity or just one crazy nut job. Judge for yourself:

A “typical day” for him:

3:00 a.m. – Run 15-20 miles
7:30 a.m. – Bike 25 miles to work
Morning – Work (Navy Seals Office)
Lunch – Run 60-90 minutes
Afternoon – Work (Navy Seals Office)
7:00 p.m. – Bike 25 miles back home
8:00 p.m. – Dinner/ Weight Training
11:30 p.m. – Sleep

Sounds like fun, right?!? The guy has a resting heart rate of 32. Most people his age (he’s 34) have a heart rate around 65-70! He consumes over 8,000 calories a day to offset his exercise regime.

His story is absolutely amazing and you can read about him more in-depth – here. He is raising money to help the children of parents who were killed will serving in military get through college. He has been raising money and doing these ultra-races for about four years now. With his help, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation has put 266 kids through college.

While the entire evening was a blast (I could have talked to this guy for hours), there was one thing that he continued to harp. He kept talking about the “one second decision” … There will be one second in an given situation that will define success or failure. You have one second to decide to quit or go forward. You have one second to decide to give 100 percent or give less. That one second can make you or break. His one second decisions have proven to show that the human spirit is much stronger than the body leads on.

“Show No Weakness”

FEBRUARY RUNNING

2009-02-28T16:11:00.000-08:00

The Marathon training schedule really upped my miles for this month. Of course March will be so much more "fun" in terms of the schedule and total miles logged:

Total Miles Run - 127.85 (according to mapmyrun)
Days of Running - 15
Longest Run - 17.25 miles
Approx. calories burned - 16,803

NO MORE HAWKING TICKETS!!!

2009-02-26T15:03:00.001-08:00

Ever since Stephen Hawking tickets went on-sale my life has been at a blogging stand still. I use my work computer as my only computer access and I have had next to zero time to update. Here’s what has been happening in my world since Feb. 4, 2008

Feb. 6 – Saw Frost/Nixon … Great Movie!

Feb. 7 – Parents Visited … Free Cheesecake Factory!

Feb. 14 – Drove about 100 miles of the PCH … Nice Sunset!

Feb. 16 – Finished Angels & Demons … Da Vinci Code is better.

Feb. 18 - Paid off my credit card!

Feb. 25 – No more Hawking tickets to sell! (Thank the Good Lord!)

HAWKING & TICKETS

2009-02-11T12:28:00.000-08:00

Years ago the Simpsons had this one moment in an episode were they spoofed on Stephen Hawking. According to “rumors” he is the smarted man in the world and I remember getting a huge laugh at how the Simpson parodied Hawking.

The laugh is on me now. Hawking is coming to Pasadena and guess what ticket office is in charge of tickets? Yep, the Caltech ticket office. My work life has been consumed with this event. The lesson to be learned in all of this? Be careful who you laugh at. And how hard you life!

I promise more blogging later …

THE BIBLE & KARMA

2009-02-03T16:03:00.001-08:00

Do you ever wonder if the Bible actually speaks about Karma?

And by Karma I mean the current definition of the word. Good things come back to you when you do good thing. Bad things will happen to you when you do bad thing. I’m not debating the meaning of good things or bad things. Role with this line of thought from a particular story.

In the book of Numbers Moses is talking to the Reubenites and Gadites who don’t want to cross the Jordan River and they want to inherit the land. Moses says they can inherit the land if they follow certain requirement God sets forth. Moses tells them they better do what God says:

"But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” – Numbers 23:32

So if you believe in Karma then don’t you essentially believe in the teachings of the Bible? It would seem in this particular instance there is some sort of correlation. Maybe Karma just kind started from Biblical teachings and “evolved” from there.

JANUARY RUNNING

2009-01-31T16:17:00.000-08:00

The first month of the year looks like this:

Total Miles Run - 98.44 (according to mapmyrun)
Days of Running - 15
Longest Run - 12.75 miles
Approx. calories burned - 12,949

SUPER BOWL

2009-01-31T11:30:00.000-08:00

The NFL playoff season hasn't been kind to those who enjoy predicting. I mean, the Arizona Cardinals are in the Super Bowl. That alone throws a huge problem in try to forecast the outcome. None the less, I press on in trying to complete .500 mark for the playoff season.

Arizona Cardinals - 23

Pittsburgh Steelers - 20

The better offense is clearly the Cardinals. The better defense is clearly the Steelers. The special teams are basically a push. So here's my thinking behind this pick:

Kurt Warner is on an amazing run right now. He has gotten hot at the right time and is making the right decisions at all the critical times. The Steelers defense will no doubt blitz and he is calm, cool and collective against that. Not to mention that ...

... Larry Fitzgerald is having a playoff run like no other Wide Receiver in NFL history. His aerial show is next to unstoppable. Certainly the Steelers will contain him from time-to-time but they will also have to contend with Steve Breaston and Anquan Boldin.

Edgerrin James is running the ball like "the edge" of old. If he was playing this well in the regular season, the Cardinals would have gone 11-5.

The Steelers injuries on offense are a concern for Pittsburgh fans. Hines Ward is so key in both the passing game (obviously) but his blocking really spurs the running the game as well. Big Ben is banged up and he can certainly get the job done in this game but he's not playing that well during the playoff run.

Pittsburgh's defense will come to play. No doubt about that. However, the Cardinals offense played great against a very good Eagles defense (third in the NFL) in the conference title game. They know how to beat a good defense.

50 RANDOM THINGS ...

2009-01-30T17:13:00.001-08:00

1) In 2001 I was the youngest General Manager in Minor League Baseball (22 years old)
2) I once went to 32 straight Notre Dame home football games
3) I have attended well over 500 professional baseball games in my life
4) Never had a good prom experience
5) I have broken four bones in my body
6) I was hit by a moving truck (actually I hit the truck) at age 9
7) My favorite movie is “A Beautiful Mind”
8) I want to ride the rapids through the Grand Canyon
9) My favorite thing to sleep with as child was a yellow blanket
10) In my opinion, U2 is the best band in the world
11) I got to meet my favorite female singer - Norah Jones - in 2007
12) I once has to pay a monthly heating bill of $215
13) Two times I have preached/taught on a Sunday morning
14) My first car was a diesel 1986 light blue Ford Tempo
15) I didn’t fly till I was 21
16) I drove my car on the highest auto road in North America (Mt. Evans, CO - 14,000+ feet)
17) I got cut three times from basketball tryouts
18) My proudest sports moment was helping lead the Donegal High School tennis team to the LL League Section II championships in 1995. The first tennis team title in 22 years at Donegal!
19) I won the 1996 Keystone State Game 18-and-under tennis title
20) I covered Virginia Tech football for two seasons for a local newspaper
21) Never held a full-time job longer than 34 months (a lot of reasons for this)
22) I have visited 14 different major league baseball stadiums
23) My favorite song is “Walking in Memphis” by Marc Cohn
24) My “love language” is gifts and acts of service
25) The hardest physical thing I have ever done is complete a marathon
26) I love muffins
27) Waves crashing on the shore is the most peaceful sound in the world
28) I believe humility is a key (if not THE key) to a quality life
29) I am the very proud owner a Masters Degree in Ministries from Bethel (Ind.) College
30) I got my bachelors degree in Media Studies from Radford (Va.) University
31) It would be fun/exciting to teach a college level class on the role of the Bible and social justice in the 21st century
32) Many Parks Curve in Rocky Mountain National Park is a personal favorite outlook of mine
33) I saw Mission: Impossible in theater 3X’s because I was clueless on the plot and conclusion
34) I have three speeding tickets
35) I gave a graduation speech in high school on courage
36) Keeping a journal is a struggle for me
37) I once stayed up for 44 straight hours
38) Been to 38 of the 50 states
39) Completed two sprint triathlons
40) I was baptized in the Pacific Ocean
41) My first concert was in sixth grade – Newsboys and DC Talk
42) I “played” the snare drum for three years
43) I only got one detention in my life
44) I hit four home runs in little league
45) Matthew 11:12 is a personal favorite
46) The last alcoholic drink I had was May 7, 2005
47) Gilmore Girls is my TV guilty pleasure
48) Chicken Fettuccine is my favorite dinner dish
49) I went to the 1999 Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony
50) It is better to try and fail then not try at all

DONE WITH SARAH!

2009-01-29T16:08:00.001-08:00

Is it 14:59 or 15:01 for Sarah Palin? Is she deserving of all this attention or is she just attention starved?

Think about like this – how many times do you hear about the losing vice-presidential candidate three months after the national election is complete?

When the Alaska Governor bursts onto the national political scene at the end of August it was hard not to like her. She had so much going for her. A seemingly good family life. The leader of healthy state that was taking steps of improvement. And hey, let’s be honest here, she was an attractive woman and that never hurts, right? Now it seems like her time in the spotlight needs to end. Her 15 minutes of fame seem complete.

Like many people I enjoyed Palin when she was introduced to the nation. Now it seems she wants continued attention. In fact, she is seemingly acting like a 13-year old who wants whatever she asks for. Almost a brat if you will. She is actively pursuing a book deal but no one is currently signing on. She wants prime time at the National Governor conference and ticking people off. She was reportedly complaining (although she denies it) about not getting enough attention on election night. You almost want to tell her to get over herself. Please swallow your ego a little harder and please try a little more humble pie.

Far be it from me to stay in complete judgment of Palin. Granted the media has a certain fascination with her and that has probably influenced some of my rant. In comparing her media time with Joe Biden the ratio of TV face time has to 6-to-1 in favor of Palin. Shoot, she is still getting more media time after losing.

So I ask again – 14:59 or 15:01. At least for me, it’s 16:00 and counting …

WORKING ON A DREAM

2009-01-28T16:04:00.001-08:00

When Bruce Springsteen released “Magic” 15 months ago, I thought he produced the final great album of his career. That observation may have been a little premature.

His new album “Working on a Dream” is definitely one of his top five albums he has ever made. It is not quite up there with “Born to Run” but it’s not that far off either. Rolling Stone gave the album a five-star rating and who am I to argue with them?

There may not be a better story teller on the planet than Springsteen. The song “Outlaw Pete” is absolutely amazing from start to finish. One of the best Springsteen songs of the last two decades. The “rock opera” is 8 ½ minutes of awesome-ness. It’s a great way to kick off the album with a little bit of a mellow tone with some great guitar riffs throughout. Just awesome and the album flows really well from there.

Good guitar riffs – check
Harmonica – check
Solid overdubs – check
Lyrics – check
Clarence on the Sax – check

What more could you ask for from The Boss? The only question is now, do I want to see him in concert again.

INTERNET FACTOID

2009-01-27T16:17:00.000-08:00

The World Wide Web has hit the 1,000,000,000 mark:

The top 10 countries in terms of online audience are:

1. China: 179,710,000
2. United States: 163,300,000
3. Japan: 59,993,000
4. Germany: 36,992,000
5. United Kingdom: 36,664,000
6. France: 34,010,000
7. India: 32,099,000
8. Russia: 28,998,000
9. Brazil: 27,688,000
10. South Korea: 27,254,000

* About 3/5 of the U.S. population on the web. Yet less than 5% of India's populations is using. Also notice not one country from Africa on the list (granted many of their countries don't have huge populations ).

MERE CHRISTIANITY

2009-01-23T16:07:00.000-08:00

If this book was compared to fine food, it would have to be something similar to slow cooked prime rib or a fine aged wine. It’s perfect on so many levels but like a fine food you must slowly “in take” it to get a level of complete satisfaction.

C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity” is based around a series of radio talks he did around the World War II time period. What he said more than a half-century ago still rings true today on so many levels.

There are many issues that Lewis expounds upon in his writings from marriage, servant hood, chastity, sexuality, forgiveness and faith just to name a few. Each chapter is written at a very academic yet thoughtful level. You may completely disagree on some of his conclusions and according to Lewis he is totally fine with that.

He makes a very compelling case to keep “Christian in-fighting” to a minimal level if at all (THANK GOD!) because all that fighting does is decrease God’s advancement among humanity.

You must remember that this book is written in the context of the 1940’s so some of the analogies he uses can be awkward but by no means does it make them any less applicable to today’s society.

One of the bests book I have read on walking with God and sharing His good news. Brilliant stuff!

CARDINALS T-SHIRT

2009-01-23T12:11:00.001-08:00

This t-shirt was too perfect. It HAD to be posted. If you don’t get the joke about the t-shirt just watch this YouTube video of former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green after the Cardinals blew a huge lead against the Chicago Bears during the 2006 season. Who would have thought that three years later they would be in the Super Bowl. Absolutely perfect t-shirt.

U2 - Get On Your Boots

2009-01-20T08:57:00.000-08:00

(This isn't the actual video for the new U2 single. Only the audio)

First heard this song yesterday and when it came on the radio my first thought was, is this a new Stone Temple Pilots song? The intro sounded like something from STP. Anyway ... It's got this get rock sound so please enjoy!

CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY

2009-01-17T13:16:00.000-08:00

So my playoff picks haven't exactly been, well, that good. None the less I press on as I hope to salvage the last three games of the NFL playoff season:

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Pittsburgh Steelers - 23
Baltimore Ravens - 10

There is WAY too much going right for the Steelers in this match-up. They are the home team. They are going against a rookie QB. They are much more healthy. They have a better offense. They are playing better in all facets of the game. This is why I am nervous to pick them but the Steelers are just better. It is very hard to beat a team three times in one season but Pittsburgh gets it done.

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Arizona Cardinals - 34
Philadelphia Eagles - 30

If you had this match-up for the NFC title you should look into a career change as a poker player. Or at the very least go play the lottery right now! Anyway ... The Cardinals have a better offense and are playing at home. Big Factor! The Eagles defense is stout but the Arizona offense is REALLY clicking right now. For that matter so is the Arizona defense. Is it me or does the Eagles offense just look very "blah" right now?

WOMEN IN CHURCH LEADERSHIP

2009-01-15T15:16:00.001-08:00

Onto a soapbox …

Not so long ago I came across this YouTube clip of Mark Driscoll (Video) and was fairly flabbergasted by it. It’s nine minutes and it’s very, well, head scratching. Only men (soldiers as Driscoll says) can plant a church … ummm… what?

That video clip was shown at a conference. One prominent church leader was there and proclaimed the following, “After that video I would like to acknowledge that there are women in this room and they have spiritual gifts.” Bill Hybels, founding and senior pastor at Willowcreek, said that.

Driscoll and Hybels have very different views on women in the church. How they should/can lead. How women are “allowed” to present themselves to the congregation, etc., etc.

I bring this up because I came across this article (article) this morning about women in the teaching and preaching role within the local church. This is quite the hot button issue among evangelicals. It’s kind of a fun topic to break down and discuss as well. Unfortunately, the topic can get people a bit over heated say we shall.

Anyway, I just wanted to a make a stand here by say that “truth is truth whether it comes from a man or woman.” If you listening to some one preach or teach does it matter what their gender is? Really?!? So to all women in church ministry (whatever that necessarily means) you have gifts use them. If you have the gift to lead then lead. Do it well. Do it with confidence. Do it to advance the Kingdom of God.

There are numerous reasons why I believe women can and should lead in the church. Do you have to dig a little deeper into the Bible to find where and how women lead? Sure you do but it’s there. Trust me.

Off the soapbox …