RUN: Comment submitted from SCR Website

The comments below were submitted via the Space Coast Runners website. It brings up some good points that I myself have not been able to put in a coherent form. So anyways, I can take credit for this, but thought that it was worth a pondering.

"I don't like referring back to 'the old days' or 'how we did things up North' but something needs to be said about the cost of racing in Brevard County . Every race is a fund raiser for an organization. Racing in Brevard County is very expensive, especially if one wants to gain recognition in the local SCR series. Why is this happening? Why has the sport of running competition been hijacked by every organization seeking to fund their special interest?

"These organizations do great work, provide volunteers, food, etc. These non-profit groups should be commended in every way. I have admiration for their efforts and realize they look for every means possible to gain money needed to provide for their cause. However, I resent the fact that runners have been tapped as a continuous revenue source, with no alternate venues for competition. Apparently, Run-Triathlon directors have decided they can't go it alone and have relented to charging fees to gain volunteer support from the non-profits. Then there are all the companies like ESM, Multi-Sport.com,CFT, Alta-Vista on the profit side.

"The most recent issue of Brevard Business News featured an article 'Reindeer Run Proceeds presented to UW'.The article tells the story; the 11th annual event garnered $14,069 for United Way with participation of 411. I believe in the work of UW. But every race is like this, a huge paycheck presented to a group in a sport that charges a $20 entry to compete. That's a dollar per minute of pain for a good 5k runner!

"Back to my 'roots' in Westport, Connecticut, I raced the Summer Series of ten races. I started running these races in 1969. The website http://www.westportroadrunners.org/. shows the cost of racing in 2006 for a 10 race series is $25 for residents, $35 for non-residents, $5 and $7 for single races. The races were free when I raced. Westport, CT races have fewer athletes than Brevard but do we need the 'bells & whistles' that seem to increase the costs to the athletes? Look at the link to the 3.1 mile course. Check out the record times, the map, etc. When I raced the series, Jim Fixx came from New Canaan and Dr. George Sheehan often drove up from N.J. (Speaking of Sheehan, everyone should read 'Chasing the Hawk').

"So, what can SCR do to change this situation? Has anyone done the math to figure what it costs to do the SCR series? Is it reasonable for a high school student making $8 per hour at a part time job?

"Something I'll do is contribute by race directing the 2007 Melbourne Village 3 mile cross-country run. This race will 'NEVER' charge a fee to the runners. I've done this several times before when my schedule allowed. Website http://villagerun.blogspot.com/

"Recently started cycling with area 'competitive' riding groups. This is very interesting because each ride becomes a race at the end. Very intense, focused, and serious and no cost! Show up at 6:30-7:00 and ride with 25-30 of Brevard's best riders. Bernie did his vent on cheating (well done Bernie) so this is my rant.

"Get rid of the t-shirts, the donuts, and the gold statues. Let's just race."

RUN: 12x 220s @0:38

It's 12:44 AM, so this will have to be a REALLY quick one.

Ran camp tonight. Did 1 mile warm up, 12x 220s w/220-slash-full-recovery inbetween each. Consistently :37.5-ish for first 6, then ran a couple circa-:34-ish, then two at :39-ish, then a :37, and then a friggin' :31. I cooled down 1 mile with Donna.

I felt okay. Focus was on form (legs hitting high, hands swinging high). My chest was sore because I haven't been doing any upper-body exercises. I can feel that I'm stressing my body. I may do 1-2 miles tomorrow just to keep the muscles warm before Saturday morning's Tiger Dash 10K, my first race in a few weeks now. My goal is 45:00.

Oh, I went to work afterwards, thinking that I'd leave at 9:30p.

10:45p.

Home. Internet. Messages. Not really any goofing off. Last night of TV... I called Brighthouse and they're disconnecting the basic cable sometime tomorrow.

Okay, REALLY needing the sleep right now.

EVENT: Lee Vandergrift Art Opening at Pom Pom's

Last evening, I took a friend, Ernie, to Orlando as an introduction to gay Central Florida. He is originally from Philadelphia and moved to Melbourne a year-and-a-half ago, where he has been "starving" and slowly becoming disillusioned. I wanted to show him that there is hope before he became Too cynical.

After work, we met at my house before driving over together. We ate dinner at Friends Restaurant over on Mills Avenue. It's a gay-owned, gay-friendly dining establishment that has both a fancy and a casual ambiance, and whose menu offers a wide assortment of choices at a Very reasonable price (i.e., under-priced (imho)). Ernie really enjoyed the place, and I have no doubt that he'll be returning there when he goes back to Orlando to visit on his own.

I drove him further up Mills to check out the outdoor shopping area in Winter Park (which was, for him, "more like it"). Then I drove him past the Enzian and told him about how they host the Florida Film Festival and Gay & Lesbian Film Festival there. And then I showed him where the Orlando Fringe Festival is held.

After that, we headed to the tea house for the Art Opening. I didn't recognize anyone right off hand, but it was fine. I am always SO HAPPY to see Pom Pom. She's such a success in my eyes (And she's worked hard for it!).

The artist whose work was being shown was Lee Vandergrift. His art was fun and showed that he had a great sense of humor. Ernie and I slowly walked down the line of paintings, admiring each one. We both loved them. Ernie purchased a pack of the artist's notecards, and we met Tim (Lee's partner), and he introduced us to Lee.

Lee and Tim
While Lee was making rounds, talking with all of the guests there, Ernie and I were talking with Tim and this woman who reminded me of someone familiar... and I just HAD to take a picture with her:

Me and "Aimee Mann"
I really enjoyed talking with them. It was a really nice "getting to know someone new" experience. We did talk about the art, etc, but we managed to stray onto talking about the crazy astronaut diaper-wearing stalker and a mini-chihuahua-seeing-eye-dog at the office. Anyways...

I did end up purchasing a print of "3Hearts" and a couple of another print they had available:
"3Hearts"
And then once I got home, I checked out his website and immediately fell in love with "Star Watchers":"Star Watchers"
"Star Watchers 2"
They would go GREAT in my guest room.

I'm digressing...

Anyways, Ernie and I made it back to my house at a reasonable hour, and then he headed home happier than he was before the trip. I could tell that the introduction to Orlando as a gay haven was successful. All of the experiences of the evening: dinner at Friends, the very abridged but enticing drive to Winter Park, and the Art Show at Pom Pom's Teahouse, gave Ernie the sense of "community" that he has been longing for.

WORK: Lots of It.

Today's going to be a busy/where-did-the-time-go workday. There's a definite end-time because I've gotta make it home by 6:15p to meet with my friend Ernie. We're heading over to Orlando tonight for dinner and an Art Show... nothing formal.

I'm just anxious about all the work there is to accomplish at the office. I think that the work won't be particularly "killin'"... but the organization/management of it appears to be a lot of constistent overhead consideration.

By the end of lunchtime, there will officially be one less distraction at home.

By the end of work, I'll be down-and-back-up with energy.

And by the end of the day, I'll be passed out in bed under a couple blankets in my cold and cozy house.

[And I'm no longer afraid to decorate. So Walls beware! I'm gonna hammer y'all!]

JOURNAL: What's Missing?

RUN: 5x 1/2mile @3:00

Today was a busy (and productive) day. The morning started on a good Foot. Then I went to work. I managed to get the guidance/information I needed to ease my mind about developing the infrastructure for the significant (and behind-schedule) code that's to work with the MySql database (nerd talk). I went to lunch with a friend; we went to The Cuban Sandwich -- it was nice to get out of the office for a little bit too. Then a nice afternoon talk with my guy, then a couple more hours of work (including the hanging-up of my Goodwill mirror -- Oh, the Vanity!). The two-hour Design Patterns class that finished my work day was... painfully boring. I was pretty-well-rested and eager to learn, but the fact that the speaker wasn't charismatic and working with slides that he didn't prepare (and he wasn't prepared for)... bad combo. My mind Really resisted paying attention, so I just made lists... lots of lists... lists of all the monkeys on my back, and lists of what I could possibly get done tonight (i.e., would LOVE to get done tonight).

(...did stuff...)

Okay, halfway through transferring Can't Find A Date's, finished eating, and talked with Camille, Dad, and Cindy. Found out that the Registration for the 2008 Goofy is closed, and am thinking that perhaps Cindy and I could just to the marathon (or maybe just the half?!). I've uploaded NEW photos:
Okay, so they're kind of lame photos... (yeah, but one of them is an Inappropriate Car Photo).

(...had to restart computer...)

I had Sesame Chicken for dinner (leftover from last night). And for desert, I recreated what my sweetie and I had, which was crushed fortune cookie on [lactose-free] vanilla ice cream with butterscotch sauce. SO delicious. We're calling copyright on it! Since we may not see each other until after the 14th, he left me some Valentine's Day gifts, one of which was a Chinese take-out box of chocolate-covered fortune cookies. I had one tonight. Thank you, Sweetie. :-*

JOURNAL: Still No Pictures

Yeah, still no pictures.

Right now, it's a very beige time of my life. I'm semi-suspended/caught-up in my work. LOTS of it. And I'm trying not to freak out.

And I feel that as long as I'm working on something...

Anyways, classes start tomorrow, and I have a scheduled mid-week outing to Orlando. I also have a 10K race this weekend, and a DVR to disconnect and return.

That's this morning's update from Melbourne. Boo/Woo/Ha.

RUN: 3 miles @ ???, Home <--> around WM stores

(Sorry no pictures)

Tonight, I ran about 3 miles... actually, it seemed too short to be 3 miles, but it's what I've been considering 3 miles ever since ____.

Late night run, but it got done. There was no real strategy. I just wanted to get out there and get some energy out. Otherwise, it'd be only 2 days of running for the week, which would be Totally UNACCEPTABLE. Still... it's been a 9.5-miles week... sub-10... but it's also been a busy week. And I got caught up with sleep TWICE this weekend.

Today, I basically woke up, went to work, picked up some DVDs from a friend, worked a little more, went to a concert with a friend, then went to dinner with him afterwards. It was a bit of a surprise of a day, but a pleasant one... I didn't get Too much off schedule.

I was going to disconnect the DVR tonight and turn in the box tomorrow, but I just remembered that there are still the episodes of Can't Get A Date on it that I have would like to transfer to VHS for a friend. I will turn it in by Oscar time, but the fact is... I'M GIVING UP CABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just don't need that distraction. Plus anyways, the important shows i.e. Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, and Heroes, I can watch online for free. Plus with cable gone, I'd feel more okay/okayer with investing in a video iPod... I won't have to burn podcasts onto CDs anymore (save the environment).

Okay, whew... lots of work left at the office. I'm going to have to jump onto other people's time to get more clarification on my latest programming assignment. I'm getting anxious that I won't be able to get it completed in time. I'm already overdue with another programming assignment. It seems Impossible to get one done on time with all the extra hoops we have to jump through to get the changes moved along.

Anyways, okay bedtime. Have a great night everyone.

JOURNAL: The 9

Having gotten through watching everything on my DVR, I was left with nothing last night. I was unsure of what plans were for Sunday, so I figured to just shower and go to bed. This was at 10pm.

Yes, I made it to bed at a reasonable time, and I got 9 hours of sleep. Go me!

Yesterday was basically the following: wake up, housework/tv, Orlando for a Toastmasters seminar, Cape Canaveral for a Toastmasters seminar, flick some guy off on the way home, eat, shower, sleep.

I'll write about the flicking in a pre-future blog entry about the Toastmasters events. I'm just so ready to get this morning started! I'm changing clothes, grabbing some breakfast, then heading off to work! I think the refrigerator move will have to happen another day.

JOURNAL: Roundabout Picture

JOURNAL: Uncle Cedric is Excited

...about the trip to see the doggies in a few weeks!

AND...

In less than one hour, the weekend begins!

Yeah, it begins with running practice from 6p-7p, then a possible Gay Skate from 8:30p-10:30p... but Uncle Cedric is very tired.

He went to Orlando yesterday for a friend's surprise party (pictures to be posted tonight after practice and before possibly going gay skating -- he really needs the practice) and this morning felt like an extra hour would've been REALLY good... not super-sleepy-tired though... just lots-of-work-this-week-tired. Uncle Cedric had forgotten what it was like being around a lot of other gay people. Uncle Cedric needs to get out more often. Uncle Cedric needs to stop referring to himself in third-person.

(...too much reading the Bullog... keep the stories and pictures coming!)

Okay, gotta get back to work... a few loose ends to tie up, some papers to print out in preparations for next week/this weekend (thinking that I may come in for a little while on Sunday after a co-worker and I deliver some refrigerators).

Woo... need early bed... so not sure about gay skate... though I need to connect more with the Melbourne gays.

TOASTMASTER: Table Topics (Apples To Apples)

I didn't have to give a speech at Toastmasters this morning, but I was the meeting's assigned Table Topics Master. And it went well.

I actually practiced last night... I practiced more than I thought I would if I did.

"Thank you, Toastmaster of the Day. When I saw that I was going to be in charge of table topics..."

I brought my set of Apples To Apples, and it was fun. I made each of the other members justify why their (noun) was (adjective).

Doug: Halloween - Scary (yeah, that wasn't too bad)
Bertha: The Little Mermaid - Tame (she hadn't ever watched the movie)
Nga: The Milky Way - Foreign (did it as in the candy bar)
Shelrie: I Love Lucy - Courageous (she was voted best table topics)
Charles: Lennon's Tomb - Funky (probably the toughest combo, and he did well)
Sarah: The Smithsonian - Cruel (good match)

Anyways, I was also the General Evaluator for the meeting since attendance had each of us covering at least one position. I thought that it was a really good meeting today.

Now for some food!

RUN: (yesterday) 4 miles @ 28:53

Last night after leaving work a bit late, I dropped off clothes/videos/etc to Goodwill and also bought a mirror there for the office (my office-mate was not surprised this morning). I got to the BCC PL when most of the people were coming back, so I took off for the 4 miles at supposedly 6:40/mile pace (i.e. faster than my latest 5k pace). I ran the loop around Wickham Park, and from the first step on the sidewalk, I knew I had to pee, but I ended up not stopping. I managed about a 7:15 pace overall. It was cold outside, and I was wearing a sweatshirt in addition to the normal running attire, and I was just thankful that I was even out there running, so yay.

WORK: Donation to the Office

WORK: I need home and happy news...

...or a hug. Today's been really really rough. My code is now becoming an over-grown monster. Then there's a massive load of code to review. Another set to test.

I'm under-rested and over-caffinated and under-fed.

Maybe I need some sun... a walk around the lake.

The day is moving fast, but is that really a good thing?

I feel like I'm WAY past the deadline for the friggin' MySQL script fix.

Boo.

Then it's a meeting up in Cocoa after work (... at least there's an end to it).

And it looks like a lot of driving to be done this week.

I should prepare my mind/body to go into shut down mode.

At least there's something good waiting for me at home in the fridge.

MOVIE: Letters From Iwo Jima

Okay. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't usually do what I'd say I'd do when it domes to something that only involves myself -- I tend to break my own word to myself... yeah, it's an issue of self-control... self-control.

In this evening's case, my "no more movies for this weekend" was broken by the opportunity to watch the 7:55p The Last King of Scotland or the 6:55p Letters From Iwo Jima at the AMC Pleasure Island. It was suggested that I go see TLKoS since it was already 7p by the time the hugging was finished, but I went to see LFIJ instead... because 1) I figured that both were about war, 2) LFIJ was nominated for more Academy Awards, 3) LFIJ would complete my viewing of all the Best Picture nominees, and 4) I didn't want to wait 30 minutes plus previews for a movie to start.

So, the movie was about 10 minutes in, and I sat in just any empty seat (it was pretty crowded... so yeah, I was "That" guy... what? there weren't any room to give for "courtesy seats").

I was going to try to go into a deep, detailed analysis of the movie, but it's late and there's work tomorrow. So, what can I say about the movie? I enjoyed it. I thought it was a really good film. Its cinematography was beautiful. And the screenplay was both compelling and meaningful - it told the tale of the invasion from the "other" perspective... it got personal with all the characters, and they felt "real". Yeah, there was a LOT of killing (plus I didn't realize how much suicide there was by the Japanese troops), and I've had to cover my ears/eyes again a number of times. Still, it wasn't as blatant as in most of the other movies I've seen this weekend. Anyways, last thing about the movie I want to say, as far as the viewing goes, is that Clint Eastwood is the new Steven Spielberg. There.

Anyways, after the movie, I walked over to Wolfgang Puck's restaurant and ordered some Pumpkin Ravioli from their Express menu. Here's a picture:

I had already disobeyed orders to first eat then see TLKoS, so after I spied the ravioli on the menu I just had to go to Puck's. The ravioli reminds me of the Butternut Squash ravioli that my older sister buys from BJ's. Reminds me of eating them in her basement on the wooden tv trays watching whatever on the tv with the bulldogs running around. Good memories. Good memories.

Anyways, I miss the doggies! But not as much tonight because I got to hug my guy. And I really needed that, because it looks like it's going to be a really long week -- I've got after-work plans for every day this week (OMG, probably a good thing though).

Okay, still a couple more things to do before bed. So g'night.

WORK: Sunday and Catching Up

I should have gotten this MySQL database Perl backup script finished on Friday, but I was just burned out and feeling over-whelmed. So a quick visit to MK and four kill-them-all movies later, I'm back at work, ready and willing. I did set a end-time today: 5pm, after which I'm planning on heading to Orlando for a quick hug -- both co-hugger/co-huggee need it.

MOVIE: Pan's Labyrinth

Emily was right. Pan's Labyrinth was harder to watch than The Departed. The story was good... very good. It was just so graphic. A lot of times I was covering my ears and squinting my eyes. I'm starting to really appreciate Little Miss Sunshine as a nominee now. OMG, this weekend has just been a lot of heavy on the graphic killings. At least it wasn't as a cop-out device.

Pan's Labyrinth was a lot different than I really thought it was going to be. I feel like Dakota Fanning when she was auditioning for the role of Ofelia... thinking it would be some sort of Alice in Wonderland. OMG, this movie was heavy. I want to go see Volver again now.

I really don't think that I can handle Letters From Iwo Jima tomorrow. I miss my guy. I want to hold him in my arms if nothing else.

Four movies in three days. I'm spent. I'm not going to be able to wake up for practice early tomorrow morning. I think I'm heading to the office whenever I do wake up. Either that, or a frivolous trip to Orlando, perhaps to the teahouse. More likely work though.

Okay, time for bed.

RUN: ~4.5 miles @37:20, Home <--> Avenue

Okay, there's the sweaty picture of me for the day. My hair's getting long. I'm considering shaving it all off (ala Top Chef's Ilan and Elia).

Anyways, I ran from home to the Avenue, did a large inner-loop, then I ran around the back of the big main square. I felt like I was running 8:00 to 8:30 mile pace, and guessed 4 1/2 miles. Once I got back to the house, I looked at my watch, and it pretty much concurred. Yay. Go me.

I ran with the thin black asics shorts, long-sleeved while TLH XC shirt, the state champion sweat shirt, and (for the first couple miles) the orange-ish nike cap. I also had the runner's light attached on my front of my collar.

I ran without stretching beforehand, but I started off easy. I didn't stop. That's one thing that I'm proud about. After this afternoon's visit to the Avenue, and walking (sashay-ing) around until my legs/knees felt aching (due to un-natural/un-normal form), I'm glad that my paranoia of running today was unfounded.

Self control. I have to mention it again. I need to trust in running as a form of releasing energy. I have to remember, recognize, realize that I'm going to get an endorphin high no matter if I run good or bad.

I also have to try to get to the shower within a friggin' hour of finishing... because I tend to get distracted and then marinade, which can lead to baby-rashing (boo).

So it's go go go.

It's only 9:13pm right now... gotta blog The Departed (watched it this afternoon), then shower, then perhaps back out to catch the 10:30p Pan's Labyrinth up in Merritt Island.

MOVIE: The Departed

This afternoon, I went to go see The Departed at the local Rave Motion Pictures:

It was... good. Martin Scorsese should really stick to the streets and not attempt period pieces -- The Aviator and Gangs Of New York were PAINFUL, but this movie wasn't badly directed. Does he deserve Best director?... Meh, it's still a toss-up between him and Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel). Best picture? I'm hoping not because, like Chicago, I have to ask: What was the point? I don't think that I took anything away from the movie. The story was good (adapted from a Japanese film) and acting was good (if you could get over the Boston accents on non-Boston actors), and the violence got a little ridiculous at the end.

In ADHD news, Leo did pretty good in this film, but part of it was that whenever he was on screen, I was thinking about Eric Dane:

Also, Anthony Anderson? My mind went from "Gritty Drama" to Kangaroo Jack:

What the hell, indeed.

The person that made up for Mr. AA, was James Badge Dale:

He only had a small role, but he reminded me of my guy - except with dark hair and a slightly-receding hairline (yeah, who am I to talk?... I know!).

Okay, so I'll admit that The Departed did deserve its Best Picture nod. I would be sad (but not surprised) if it won. I'm still rooting for Babel, with Letter From Iwo Jima still to be seen (tomorrow?).