Black Friday

Woke up yesterday pretty early and turned on the news. Yesterday was one of the most patriotic days of the year, Black Friday. (Like Bush said after 9/11...patriotic Americans need to get out and shop, or the terrorists will win) Each year, the real heroes due their part for the global war on terrorism and get up at the crack of dawn...some make real sacrifices and camp out up to 2 days prior....all in the name of defeating Bin Laden.

It's usually the same story every year...cabbage patch, tickle me elmo, xbox. Everyone's gotta be the first to get one. The local news team was out in full force, with on the spot reporters filing frequent reports from Toys R Us and Best Buy. Some interviewees began their quest to defeat terrorism on Wednesday night. Others were late to the game and were disappointed by the 30 person line at Best Buy on Thursday night...I guess they were afraid the 30 folks would buy out the store, so they moved to Toys R Us or COMPUSA to be #1 in line. I'm not sure what you get for being #1 in line...everyone wants to be #1 at something. Being #1 guarantees you an interview with the local news reporter, who looks at these line leaders with great reverence.

I think the Canadian Mennonites have it right...but they must be pro-terrorist.

Thanksgiving

Had a great day...woke up this morning and did an easy 45 mile ride with the HACC. It was a nice casual ride for the most part, with a couple of short climbs and good sprints at the end, just to get the heart rate up and burn a few extra calories. That was necessary for the binge today. We dropped off some pork last night to be cooked in an imu for some phenomenal Kalua Pig. Of all the Hawaiian cuisine, Kalua Pig is hands down the best....we've got enough of this stuff to last a couple of weeks, so I"m looking forward to Kalua Pig Nachos, Burritos and anything else I can make with this stuff. Also made some kickass potatoes I saw on Emeril. Oh yeah, don't forget the beer and wine...too much of that. Tomorrow's run is going to suck.

MySpace

Help! Sonya's addicted to MySpace. I'm afraid she's going to leave me for a 13 year old boy.

Hometown

Was looking though some old files and ran across this picture. This memorial's on the courthouse lawn in my hometown...parked near the WWI and WWII memorials.

Running

Been training for the Honolulu Marathon. Today was my longest run thus far, a 20 miler. For me, runs of this nature take lots of mental and physical preparation...on the mental side, it's a simple question of motivation. I need to come up with a plan to get myself out of bed in the morning, and pick a route that will keep me going. I mapped out a route off of Hickam AFB, so I was excited to finally run a new route off base. Of course, off base I don't have the same luxuries as running on base...frequent water fountains, and places to stash energy gels and anything else I may need. So, I had to gear up for this run. On the physical side, aside from the obvious...stretching , good night's rest, etc. Then, since I never went ahead with this procedure, had to apply lots of body glide.

After gearing up, I finaly realized I have grown up to be the tool I always despised. If you told me back in say 1998 that I'd be geared up like this to go for a run, I would've pre-emptively kicked my own ass. My first run EVER was in '93, prepping for the ROTC PT test. I never ever ran in anything other than a cotton t-shirt, shorts and cross-trainer shoes...no way in hell I'd buy any clothing (to include shoes) specific for running. In a short time, I did get pretty fast...under 6:00 for a mile and could take the 1.5 mile run in as low as 9 minutes. But that was it, never ran much further...didn't need to. After college, I gave up running altogether. No need for it. I did pretend like I was a runner a few times...went on a couple of Hash runs in Korea, but realized I was better at the drinking aspect of Hash running, and felt that area needed my undivided attention. When I met Sonya, she asked me if I wanted to do a half-marathon...I said I was a runner, but in fact this was my first race ever. I was hanging tough for about 6 miles, then reality set in...I was passed by Koreans in blue jeans, Koreans smoking cigarettes, wearing high heels, etc. I experienced my first nipple chafing.

Started running again in 2004...it took 3 years, but here's how I've evolved.

Sprinkler Update

Huge rainstorm entered the islands Saturday night. Parts of Oahu received over 10 inches of rain. My little area probably got about 7 inches spread over the past 2 days. This finally caused most of the folks in my neighborhood to lay off the sprinklers. But, as always, Hickam AFB has ignored its own water policy. I went for a run this morning, started off by driving to the gym (it was still raining). I noticed sprinklers operating at 4:30 am. Ran the first 7 miles on the treadmill...A/C was off, so it got unbearable. I finished the run outside since the rain had let up for a bit. Sure enough, the base was running sprinklers in all the common areas.

I understand these things are on timers, but can't they just shut them off when it's raining? And why do we need to open up the fire hydrants in the middle of the day to water a seldom viewed piece of land? This base wastes way too much water, for no good reason.

Sprinklers

Watering your yard is very popular in my neighborhood. Most folks here water frequently and some do it for very long periods of time. Got one neighbor that waters for hours at a time, to include several overnight waterings and also waters during any rain shower. They're looking for maximum saturation.

Here's a rundown of this neighbor's recent waterings:

Thursday night...overnight watering, even during a significant rain shower
Friday...started sometime before 10:30 AM...I finally shut it off at 6:30 PM. They did get the water on the ground during the hottest/sunniest part of the day, trying to beat the evaporation
Saturday...started sometime before 11:00 AM. I finally shut it off at 2:15 PM.

Say it ain't so...

Of all the crap we've seen in the sport of cycling the past couple of years...top cyclists banned from the sport, doping at the tour, lost titles. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, one of the sport's legends does this.