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One book that changed your life: The Outsider (Albert Camus) -- This one would probably seem like an odd choice to a lot of people, but I learned a lot about my life and the bleakness of the atheistic viewpoint by reading this book.



One book that you've read more than once: The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien) -- I suppose the Lord of the Rings could be included with this.



One book that made you laugh: Out of the Silent Planet (C.S. Lewis)



One book that made you cry: I think I might have almost cried reading Perelandra (C.S. Lewis)



One book that you wish had been written: Everything you ever wanted to know about NMR but were afraid to ask



One book that you wish had never been written: I'd rather not list it here



One book you are currently reading: The Theory of Poker (David Sklansky)

Getting back in the game

Went for a quick 3 miles before dinner with Elijah tonight. He seemed to enjoy it, even though I wasn't able to go as fast as he would have liked. It seems like every time we hit an uphill stretch he's looking back at me as if to say "Daddy, why are we slowing down?" We came back home and sat down to a yummy meatloaf dinner. Very tasty!

Monkey on my back

We're back from Vegas, and we had a blast! Luck did not seem to be with me though, no matter how many trips to Caeser's nose we made. BJ cleaned me out, and I had no real luck at video poker even though everyone else in the family did. But I was able to cash in on other's luck at the craps tables, even though I couldn't roll a point for myself to save my life. We had a lot of fun, and considering how much we did we didn't end up spending all that much. Now we just need to let our lungs clear out all that second hand smoke with some fresh mountain air. I was amazed at how fresh and clean our house smelled when we returned after spending all that time in airports and casinos.


Today we are going to catch up on our shopping, and then we are going to watch the UFC championship on PPV with some friends. Hopefully it will be a good show.

Yesterday's run

I did get out for a nice 3 miles with Elijah yesterday, although with a headwind on the uphills it was a little difficult. I do like getting back into the routine though, I'll have to make sure to get out for a run this weekend. I did want to briefly post about our trip to Sonic earlier this week. We went to the drive-in there! Not a drive-thru, but a drive-in. It was pretty cool being able to experience something like that, especially as they are few and far between nowadays. It was really nice to be able to sit there and decide what we wanted without any pressure, then pushing the button and having out order at our car in a few minutes. The food there is not bad for fast food, and there is a lot of variety on the menu. It was pretty cool and Elijah enjoyed it as well.


No specific plans for this weekend, we are just going to take it as we go. We've got some ideas though. We might try to watch some Vegas related movies to get ready for our trip next week! Vegas Baby!

Just like warm milk

We put Elijah to bed early tonight because he was being a bit of a pill and he just fussed in his crib instead of going to sleep. So I suggested I take him out with me for my run as I was already heading out. We went for a good three miles at a quick pace. When we got home Elijah had a cool down (he drank most of my water) and then he went off to bed. This time he fell right asleep. I guess the fresh air knocked him out.

Daddy and Elijah's Day of Fun!

Mommy took some time to go to the museum with her friend today, which left Elijah and I to fend for ourselves. We had a blast. EJ got into the joggy stroller and we ran up to the farmer's market to get some fresh ground peanut butter. We also stopped in at one booth that was offering all that you could fit into a bag for $8. So we got corn, green and yellow zucchini, red potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, and a cantaloupe all for $8. Nice. We popped into Caribou for a smoothie, and walked home. It wasn't a long run but it was all uphill, and at this point I'm just happy to get out at all. After we unloaded everything from the stroller, we settled down to some cantaloupe for lunch. Elijah ate two whole slices. Then we went upstairs to play guitar. Unfortunately one of the strings was broken on my acoustic, so I opted to dust off my amp and play the electric guitar instead. I ended up really enjoying that, and Elijah sat by the amp bopping as I played. I had to make banana bread for church tomorrow, so I started that, and Elijah decided to go down for a nap while I did that. By the time he got up there were two slices of banana bread waiting for him, that he polished off in no time. Mommy was home by that time so we managed to squeeze in some family play time before dinner, and even sat out in the lawn for a little while while the BBQ warmed up. What a day!

What a difference

I did 3 miles tonight without the joggy stroller. It was like night and day. That boy weighs a nut! He was supposed to go to bed early which is why he couldn't come with me, but when I got back he was still lying in his crib playing with his rattle. I feel kinda bad for him as he has a gigantic molar coming in. I also feel really bad for Melissa, who has to spend all day with him.

Too long

Man I feel out of shape now. After a long time with no running 3 miles seemed hard. But I feel like I've had a solid recovery and now I have to look to the future instead of the past. Elijah went with me tonight and we both enjoyed the fresh air. I brought along Elijah's juice so that when I stopped to cool down and drink my water he had his juice. It was very cute. He must have worked up a thirst while we ran because he downed it!

A little cooler

Our temps have still been in the triple digits these past couple of days, but there has been enough moisture around to send some storms through in the evening to cool things off. I was able to get out tonight for a 3 mile run with Elijah which we both enjoyed thoroughly. It was a little windy, but Elijah likes the wind in his hair. Following up on an article I read in my Runner's World magazine I found a site today that lets me track my route, and gives me mileage and elevation. Here is today's run, apparently it is only 2.85 miles but I did it in 23:30: www.gmap-pedometer.com

Catching up

This week there are experiments running all week so I have an opportunity to catch up on little things that have been piling up. This morning I was so busy with things that I lost track of time and didn't get to eat lunch until 2. Normally I'm so hungry that I can barely get to lunch time, let alone miss it. Hopefully I'll be able to finish on time this week and get out running more frequently. Tonight I went out for a couple of miles with Elijah. It was a little cooler today than it was on the weekend thankfully, and a little storm going through has cooled it off even more. Last night it was 95 when we went to bed. Yikes! It makes me really appreciative of our A/C.

I had better start saving

I'm going to need one of these:



While I don't normally close with a quote I've found this one to be quite appropriate:

Daniel Ocean: How's your wife?

Bruiser: Pregnant again.

Daniel Ocean: Well, that happens.

This is why I started a training plan!

What with wet weather last week and late nights at work this week, tonight was my first run in a week and a half. Without the structure of a training plan, and with the daytime hours being too hot, I've been slacking. Tonight was great though! I took Elijah out in the joggy stroller for 5 miles. I think that's the farthest I've been with the stroller, and it's certainly been the most hills. I felt like I was slowing to a standstill sometimes, but I must have been going faster than I thought because I made good time. Elijah and I both had fun, but I think I was more tired than he was when we got back.

Wet Weather

We've had rain pretty much every night this last week, it's been good for the lawn but it seems to put a damper on my running. I just can't seem to get motivated to go in the morning so the evening is pretty much the only time I can convince myself to go. A little thunder and lightning will throw me off though, so this week has been a wash running wise. Today Melissa, Elijah and I all went out for a long walk to Southlands, which was really nice. We checked out the farmer's market there, which seemed to be much better than the one at cherry creek. We'll have to go sometime when we have money to spend. Right now we're trying to save up for our Vegas trip. I've got Vegas fever bad, I'm probably going to drive Melissa nuts. Well tomorrow I'm going to see if I can get a nice run in. If it stays cool like today I should be able to do it in the early afternoon.

Sunday Morning

I did a pleasant Sunday morning run today, seven miles at a decent pace. I didn't bring my watch for a change but it took me about an hour to finish the circuit. There are a lot of hills too, so it was a great workout. I feel like I'm getting back into it pretty quickly. The first week was tough but ever since then things have been a little easier. My goal is to get in five miles on Tuesday and Thursday, with easier 3 mile days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. With a 10 mile run on Saturday or Sunday that would put me at 35 miles a week, which is where I want to be. With this week past I think I can get pretty close to that goal in the next few weeks, and this would be a great way to keep in shape for distance.


The arts festival yesterday was pretty fun, and we got to have Peet's. I also got to get some yummy vegetables at the farmer's Market. I picked up a nice zucchini, some radishes and mixed greens. I grilled the zucchini last night and Elijah and I really enjoyed it. I also made a nice salad from the greens and radishes, which I topped with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. With the pizza we made (see Melissa's blog) it made for a great dinner and a nice change of pace. It seemed all we had last week was meat and carbs for dinner, so I told Melissa that I was meated-out. I must have recovered from it now because we got some nice thick pork chops for dinner. Mmmm! With the cinnamon apple raisin sauce I make with them tonight will be some good eating. Tomorrow I am back to work, but I have Tuesday off. I put up the flags that we got at the Bolder Boulder on our patio, so we are ready for the fourth! Our neighbor across the street put up a beautiful flag on her patio. Nice and crisp and bright, it is the way the Stars and Stripes should be displayed. I want one just like it, but I'll probably wait and get one as a celebration when we finally get to become citizens. Gotta get that green card first though!

Communism was just a red herring...

So it does get easier

Last night I went for a 3 mile run with Elijah. I was going at an 8 min/mile pace, and I had no problems with the terrain. I commented to Elijah that I was feeling so good we should have gone 5 (I was considering it at the start, but it was still pretty warm so I opted to do the shorter distance). Running in the evening is great, a lot of sprinklers were on so Elijah and I got to run through a few on our way. He really enjoys getting out and will hold his hands up in the air, or reach out to bushes on the side of the sidewalk. Last night I was almost not going to go running, I felt like falling asleep at 6! But I knew that if I went out, I would feel better when I returned. I ended the day relaxing with a mango and some cherries that Melissa had picked up for me. Now Friday has finally come and I can't wait for the weekend. We hope to check out the Cherry Creek arts festival, and I'll try to get in a long run either in the morning or evening to keep cool. I bought buttermilk too, so that means pancakes for breakfast tomorrow!

Active evenings

I've been making sure to get out and about this week, Monday was an easy couple of miles, and I did some 800 meter repeats at the local track yesterday. Today the whole family walked up to Southlands for ice cream/coffee. I've been trying to get out more nights this week to start getting my milage up. Yesterday's speedwork was really hard, and the hills back home made it worse, but hopefully it will pay off in an improvement in my running. No pain, no gain!

A mid-day five

I did a five mile run today without the joggy stroller as Elijah was napping. I didn't get a chance to go until 11:30, so it was warm, but not too hot. It was a good thing I didn't take the stroller as the run kicked my butt without it. Man, I can't remember the last time it was that hard to finish such a short run. It was a great workout though and I'll be stronger as a result of it. I'm really enjoying getting back into it, even though it is hard. I really miss the mental aspect of running when I am not doing it.



It was a weird Saturday, but good nonetheless. Elijah was really tired and grumpy and that weighed heavily on us when we were out, so we elected to spend most of the day at home with Elijah napping. I napped as at 4 I was really tired, and we spent some time out on the patio grilling burgers on the charcoal grill and playing cribbage. It was almost like camping! I beat Melissa for what I think is the first time ever, so Cate and Jen, it can be done!



We will probably watch a movie tonight, last night we watched "Chariots of Fire" which I had asked Melissa to get out of the library. I was looking for the motivational running in the movie, but I ended up really enjoying the whole thing. It sure is funny to see the way these athletes trained then versus now. It's no wonder that the times that are being put up these days far surpass what was done in the 20s. Our knowledge of sports medicine has come a long way, but I still can't help but wondering what we do now that they will look at in 80 years and shake their heads.

M-O-O-N, that spells golf!

Had a good tournament today, the scramble format sure made it more fun for a duffer like me. I hit some great shots and by the end I was crushing some of my drives, and they were all in the middle of the fairway. Okay, so they weren't in the middle of my fairway. I was playing with an $800 set of "rental" clubs and I have to admit even my game was improved by them. I had a great time, and played not badly considering the last time I golfed was in California.

Run before dinner

I took Elijah out for a 3 mile run tonight before dinner. I felt pretty good after Monday so I ran it at about an 8 min/mile pace. With all the hills and the joggy stroller it kicked my butt. It's hard getting back into it, I think my time at sea level and my blood donation made it hard to keep up with the altitude.


I'm golfing tomorrow in a church tournament. I haven't golfed in forever! I rented a great set of clubs for a good price though, so if I suck tomorrow I can only blame myself. Well you can't lose any balls you don't hit!