2/2/2011
The snow accumulated pretty good at the beginning of the month. And it was cold also.
2/1/2011
I finally hooked up the DVD player to the new TV I bought back in September. The problem was I needed some cables. The S-Video cable sitting there.....no S-video on the new TV. Had to buy the component cables instead. Kind of a hassle.
1/31/2011
This candle was a center piece at the restaurant we had a family dinner at. 
1/30/2011
It was time to the second annual Cleveland Tri Club Swim Challenge and Clinic. We had the Cleveland State University pool for 3.5 hours to swim whatever distance you wanted to. The major options were
100 x100's
75 x 100's
50 x 100's
25 x 100's
There were also two swim clinics available. Last year I committed to the 50 x 100 (5000 yards) and felt good enough to finish with 8000.
This year I was joining quite a few others in a group being called the Big Dogs because we were going for the complete 10,000 yards (100 x 100s).
My strategy was to swim in groups of 500 and take a small break....no more than one minute between 500's. I was very happy with my swimming as I kept a pace between 7:35 and 7:45. I finished in under 3 hours which was a little goal I had set for myself.
Muscle Milk has been attending the CTC events this year and they donated a case of their product for each person who completed the 10k yards. I split a case of chocolate and vanilla with a friend. It was a much appreciated gift.
Game On.
1/28/2011
I had to change out the batteries on the Invisible Fence collars for Ruby and Snickers. We need to make sure they stay close to home and safe.
1/29/2011
Tacos for dinner. But Aimee and I have been opting for a healthier version.
We used bib lettuce leaves for shells.
Bison meet instead of beef. Could also use ground chicken or turkey.
Taco Seasoning is put together with our own spices...check the ingredients of Old El Paso taco seasoning.
Homemade guacamole.
Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
The shredded cheese is probably the worst part of it all.
Recipe ideas are courtesy of the Paleo Girls.
And you get a bonus picture showing the taco platter we made.
1/27/2011
I admit my blogging has been spotty at best. But when I have someone to pimp out and I can't even find time to promote his business....that's just not right. I've known Mike for quite a while and I was totally stoked when he started Great Race Nutrition. When I was looking for nutrition products I had to go to several places for what I wanted. I couldn't get what I wanted from one place.
GRN is that site. All of the major, and some obscure, manufacturers are sold through GRN. He has also helped me evaluate several products to see if they would work for me. Mike also has great knowledge about the products to help people determine their nutrition needs. He not only sells the product but he it as well. Mike completed his first 140.6 at the FullRev last September, but his athletic career
One of my favorite options available from Great Race Nutrition is "Flavor Choice". Mix and match your favorite flavors or electrolyte tablets, energy bars or gels.
I have a link on my side bar to the GRN website. Check them out and tell them I sent you over. 
1/26/2011
I was getting a massage from my go to guy and through certain trigger points I could feel the release of built up energy or heat. The nervous system gets overloaded with all of the training I put my body through. The energy paths through the body get jammed up and need some help to get released.
As he was helping release the energy I could feel the heat leaving my body through my feet and hands. It made me think about a song from one of my favorite musicians..Darude. The song "Burning" fit the bill perfectly with what I was feeling.
I have a fire burning in my soul.
Big Daddy Diesel also came to mind because he is a person who has a fire that is burning with a huge intensity, especially since someone told him he can't do something. I am reminded of the quote from Chinese Imperial Admiral Yamamoto after the attack on Pearl Harbor, "We have awakened a sleeping giant and have instilled in him a terrible resolve". Oh yeah, that sleeping giant is BDD.
So this picture is for everyone with a fire burning in their souls. And I have also included the song "Burning" from Darude.
Game On.
1/25/11
I was having a rough time on some projects today for work. Some "issues" surfaced and I need to do some research in order to determine the best course of action to take as resolution.
It was stressing me out a little.
I took this picture of Snickers and found some similarities between the two of us.....besides being old.
We put treats in the dog toys to keep Snickers and Ruby entertained and mentally sharp. I watched him working on this toy with stern determination to get the treat out. Nothing was going to stop him from getting the reward inside. Sometimes you just have to attack the task at hand repeatedly using a variety of methods until you get the job done.
Snickers and I have the same drive to get the job done....whatever it takes.
I resolved my work issues. I like a challenge.
Game On.
1/23/11
Is that spelled right? Lemony..lemonie...lemoniey. Whatever.
That is lemon zest right there. Aimee was making a batch of scones. Mind you that these are not your typical hockey puck scones. These are way better. I'd give you the recipe but then Aimee would kill me.......help me.
1/24/11
Sitting on the office desk was one of my favorite mugs, can ya tell why. I had some hot chocolate in the morning.
1/22/11
It has been very cold around Northern Ohio. Let's face it...it's been cold everywhere. But that didn't stop the Snow Queen (Aimee) and I from getting together with our friends for a morning run. The temperature was -4F when we started and the snow was ankle deep on the trails.
After the run I took this picture of Aimee's eyelashes proving that she is the Snow Queen.
We ran with our friends Dale, Tina, Deb and TriGuyJT. You can read JT's blog post at Iditarod for Humans.
1/20/11
As I was getting ready to spend some time on the bike trainer I looked and down decided to take a picture of my leg in my Pearl Izumi shorts.
1/21/11
During my annual eye exam I was waiting at the counter and found these cute sunglasses for kids. Yes I did try them on and they did fit.
I guess it's bound to happen. When you want to be competitive and have set certain goals for yourself it's....just....bound to....happen.
Hopefully it's nothing serious. Maybe the muscles are just sore, tired or strained. The goal is to avoid a full blown injury like a tear, serious inflammation, stress fracture, sickness, blood. Oh please don't let there be blood.
Sometimes we just feel broken. I watched several friends become broken this past year. Jason is currently dealing with foot issues. Patty is recovering from hers. And I can't keep track of who is sick.
I feel broken today....because of yesterday.
Tuesday is typically a double workout day. Crossfit in the morning and run speed work in the evening.
Kate put us through a skill set and regular WOD.
The skill involved 5x3 Hang Power Clean to max. Description and video.
I was on my last set of three at max. I managed to pull two but not the third. I had terrible form on the second and quite possibly strained my right trapezius and index finger. Index finger? Don't ask me how but it hurts today.
The WOD consisted of:
21-15-9
Back Squat
Kettlebell Swing (55 lbs)
I took it easy on the squats and went with a lower weight than prior. Partly due to the number of repetitions and second the run workout I would have in the evening. Today my inner quads are sore.
I felt great after I was all done at Crossfit. I wouldn't feel the effects until later in the evening and morning.
My evening run workout was done on the treadmill due to some rainy crappy weather.
I preferred the treadmill since I had some goal times/pace to hit. I needed to complete 4 x 400m. I haven't told you about my current training goals so lets just say the pace was fast. Each interval needed to be complete around 1:20. I'll let you do the math to figure out overall pace and speed.
I knew it was going to be hard but I had to suck it up. This is the training plan I signed up for and Aimee had done the same workout in the morning.
Intervals 1 and 2 were good. I could feel a twinge in my right glute/quad so I kept things under control during the hard push. Interval 3 was a struggle but I kept it together. Interval 4.....definitely the hardest effort. I had to really focus on what I was doing to make sure several things didn't happen.....loose my legs and fall....get spit off the back of the treadmill......puke. Actually I didn't feel like puking until I completed the last interval and was sucking in as much air as possible next to the treadmill.
I'm not sure how much the evening workout contributed to my soreness this morning but I feel a little like the picture below.......broken.
Fortunately I will mend faster than the window. It's been like that for over a year.....two winters for sure. I'll fix it in the spring...right after race season.
Game On
1/18/11
I've heard that there can sometimes be special meanings in numbers.
You can click on the picture for the hidden meaning.
...makes the world go 'round. Aimee and I are putting some playlists together for some spinning sessions. Oh yeah we will be using songs from all of these CDs.
1/17/11
1/14/11
This was the most important piece of paper in my possession on Friday. This was my ticket home after being in Alabama for the week. 
1/15/11
Saturday I wanted to get in a bike workout but had to adjust my rear derailleur. That little screw above the "H" was adjusted about half a turn. The bike shifts great now.
1/16/11
Aimee and I spent the evening cooking dinner together. This risotto was accompanied by some artichoke hearts and walnuts. The salmon with red wine mushroom sauce was pretty damn good also.
1/12/11
While eating breakfast I noticed the following on my fork. It turns out the plate was also environmentally friendly.
1/13/10
Sometimes it's all about knowing what buttons to push. The small white button starts the power on the computers systems I install. I have to use a pen to push the button....and these systems start at $30,000.
This button starts the Nissan Maxima I have been driving this week. I'm really getting used to the keyless system. The car cost about the same as the above computer system, at least this time.
I have fallen behind already and here I am playing catch-up. But you will soon realize why the delay. Oh yeah...delays. That's been my world the past couple of days.
1/08/11
So going back to Saturday.....it was time to finally take down the Christmas decorations. While Aimee was busy with running some errands I put away the trees (two of them), bagged up some larger items, packed the knick knacks that I knew where they should go. I couldn't figure out where a small batch needed to go so I waited for Aimee to get home. That's Santa in the background.
1/09/11
Sunday morning Aimee and I lead a spin session at Coca Crossfit. Before we started I took this picture of the pull-up rig in the gym. Rogue Fitness sponsors Kate as an athlete and their equipment is very nice.
1/10/11
Monday. Where do I even start. Monday actually started on Sunday. I was flying to Birmingham, AL for work. As we approached Birmingham the pilot was told to divert to Huntsville due to the weather. We wound up stuck in Huntsville for the night. This winter storm was bringing Alabama to a stand-still just like many other southern states. Huntsville totaled 9 inches of snow that night. That is their average snowfall for one winter.
I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with US Airways, not my favorite people right now, and the company travel agency, Egencia......now these people were very helpful and took care of me.
1/11/11
Tuesday afternoon, today, I finally arrived where I should have been on Sunday night. Gadsden, AL is a city in northeastern Alabama. My one hour drive took about 1.5 due to the icy conditions on the road. I managed to get 3 good hours of work done before calling it a night. I was going to stop by the local YMCA to check on their schedule only to find them closed. So I put together a workout I could do in my hotel room. In honor of 1/11/11 I did
1 WOD (Workout Of the Day) consisting of:
Somehow I ran out of time yesterday to post my daily picture. It still counts if I post the day after, right?
Thursday night we received some snow which covered the backyard. I took this picture from inside the backdoor Friday morning. This is a bike in our backyard.
A more close-up view shows the Schwinn badge from Thursday's picture is almost covered.
A Facebook friend posted the title on his wall this morning. He was referring to his LiveStrong bracelet. Unfortunately this little reminder was caused by a cycling friend of his who has been admitted to the hospital with advanced cancer.
I thought about my LiveStrong bracelet and when I first started wearing it. Our friend Tina had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I started to wear it in support of her (she is fully recovered now). That was in 2006. I have worn my yellow wristband ever since. I have added a black band and they complement each other.
The Yellow helps me remember those that are fighting or have fought cancer.
The Black tells me that no matter how hard I feel something is, it will never come close to what it's like to do battle with a potentially fatal disease.
Game On
Sometimes the simplest image can convey the right meaning. The paintbrush below reminds me that sometimes you just can't do it alone. Sometimes we need help.....with a project at work, raising children, getting through a tough workout, surviving a hard emotional time in our life.
A single strand from the brush can certainly paint the intricate details of a small figurine, but it won't be able to handle an entire room.
...that's good enough for me.
How about oatmeal raisin cookies. One of them even had frosting on it.
I really only have one resolution this year. Post more on the blog. And to help with that I am going to take and post more pictures. Last year I started a Photo365 where you take pictures everyday. I made it a couple months before...I lost interest...motivation....subject matter...whatever.
So this year I wanted to give it another go. But to help with the pictures I have decided to run with a particular style of photography......micro-photography. Extreme close-ups of items. For some reason I like the minute details involved with these types of photos. So here is my first picture.
Aimee and I have been redecorating the home office. Fresh paint, new curtains, additional flair for the walls will come along soon.
This is the end cap of the curtain rod I installed yesterday. It gets interesting trying to use the flash on the camera when you are so close the object. Definitely something to play with.
For the past 6 years I have started the new year the same way...with a quick dip in Lake Erie. The Polar Plunge has been a lot of fun over the years with many friends. Here is a quick recap of past plunges that I have done.
If there are no pictures click on the year to be taken to the post for that plunge.
2005 - Double Dipping. I did the CTC Polar Plunge on New Years Day then a second dip in March to help with the Tsunami relief efforts. This was before I started my Blog so here are some pics from that year.
We had about a dozen people this first year.
These pics are from the Tsunami plunge.
2006 - For some reason I don't have any pictures. Still looking.
2007 - The plunge was held at Edgewater Park on a mild winter day. No ice, cool water and warm air. It was also Jason's first plunge.
2008 - I had to miss this year because I was out of town for work.
2009 - Back at Huntington Beach where the sand was covered with a sheet of ice. I almost face planted running into the water.
2010 - This was the coldest plunge yet. The snow was blowing almost horizontally.
2011 - This year was a challenge. The beaches around Cleveland were already frozen by Christmas. I have never seen this happen in recent years. The plunge was moved to a smaller beach where Mark and Ken cleared an area for us to plunge into. We had to line up and jump in individually. The water was 33 degrees and the air was 50. It was still a great time had by all.
Mark clearing the ice
My first plunge....
I decided to plunge again with my teammates..Jason, Mike, Ken, me and new teammate Andrew.
This is also the first day on my Photo365 project. Even though I didn't take the pictures...thanks Aimee...I am counting them for the year.
Happy New Year Everyone.
Tri season is over....has been over.... since September....after the HalfRev at Cedar Point. You just can't swim open water around here after September. The water was just getting too cold. In fact it's frozen over. I have never seen Lake Erie freeze up this early in winter.
The off season was in full swing after the HalfRev. It was time to shift focus to other things. Relaxing, recharging, work. Work kept me busy in October and November. I also got my tat' so I couldn't swim for two weeks.
As I close out 2010 I find myself at a perfect place to transition to a new racing season. Aimee and I have signed up for a half marathon at the end of March that I must train for. I have some specific goals in mind so this training will get interesting.....more to follow on that.
But first I must follow suit of several other bloggers out there with a recap of the past year.
I don't have very many numbers to throw out here. Since I left Coach Angela I haven't been keeping track of my workouts in the true sense of the word. I usually have a plan and I execute it. I got the workouts done then moved forward. I have never really been one to compare workouts or do any in depth analysis of previous workouts.
I get it done and move on..and try to push it harder and faster the next time.
I swam some yards. This was my best swimming year to date. I was at the top of my game during workouts and races. I saw my 100 times drop which resulted in faster race times.
I ran many miles. Enough miles to get me through the distances. I am definitely lacking in speed right now. Something that needs to be worked on.
I also rode for hours, which leads to miles. I was most dissatisfied with my bike this year. I didn't have the power or speed compared to past years. This is another area which I plan on improving over the winter so that I have a very good base heading into the spring.
Now to talk about what I really remember from this past year.
As my post title suggests I have one word to describe the 2010 racing season.....Rewarding.
The rewards from this past season have come in many forms. Let us take a walk through the year as I share my thoughts.
Project Ironman
By the time January rolled around Aimee and I were already two months into her Ironman training program. We decided to use our collective knowledge and the book "Training Plans for Multisport Athletes" to get her ready for Ironman St. George.
We were figuring out the workouts and executing them together. I was using the same training plan to get me ready for the Ohio Triple T.
Being her coach, advisor, team director, travel agent, mechanic, cook, etc. was quite fulfilling. I wanted to make sure that her only task was to cross the finish line. I tried to take all the other worries off her plate.
Watching her cross the finish line was more rewarding than I can describe.
Helping friends.
Isn't that what friends are for? Not only receiving help from our friends but also providing help ....and letting them know you are there for them. I talked with so many people this year about training plans, nutrition, equipment, race strategy and many other things.
We met some great people leading up to and at Ironman St. George. Many of them were first timers and I tried to help them along with motivation and encouragement. And lasting friendships have been born from that day.
There were people who were training for their very first sprint tri. And there were also experienced athletes going long at their first half or full distance races.
I feel that the most important way I helped my friends was by just listening. I was hearing about their fears, worries, concerns. Can I do this? Why am I doing this? Should I do this? Should I do that? What should I eat? With some of them I knew they would cross the finish line and I just needed to boost their confidence. Others were lacking in their confidence and didn't only need a boost but a big shot of confidence injected into their soul. Everyone received positive energy from us, because when it comes down to it.....it is just plain doable. Anything is doable. And my number one job was to make sure they felt it was doable.
Mary did her first sprint triathlon. She borrowed Aimee's road bike and we helped her get comfortable on it. I even watched her take a tumble off it and get right back on. We offered some advice and assistance with her open water swimming. She made it across the finish line with no problems.
Patty, Jason and Ken had successful days at Musselman. Mike, Ken, Tiffany, Janet and many others completed their full distance race at the FullRev at Cedar Point. Rachel had a good second season in triathlon.
And everyone who I am referring to above crossed their finish lines. Some may have had some injuries but I still feel that their seasons were a success.
A new friend whom Aimee and I helped out was Adam O'Meara. Adam is a second year pro triathlete who came in for the FullRev at Cedar Point. We played host family for him during his visit to Ohio. I was racing the HalfRev but I was happy to help him get situated and ready to race. Seeing him during and after the race was awesome. He is a budding pro that I will enjoy watching race in the future.
TriSaraTops and I went on course for the Cleveland Marathon to help cheer for everyone participating. We were trying to follow the lead of Steve in a Speedo but we couldn't find any good farm animal costumes. However, we were able to find killer Bert and Ernie costumes.
We had a blast cheering for people and calling their names even though they didn't know who we were. We burned as many calories as the runners and had our picture taken with quite a few people.
Aimee and I volunteered at two races this year. The Greater Cleveland Triathlon and the Burning River 100.
Mickey is the race director of the GCT and more importantly a friend. I have only raced his event once but we have always provided volunteers made up of SnakeBite athletes. You can read about our volunteering in a previous post...GCT Volunteer Report.
One of our running friends Elizabeth was an aid station captain for the Burning River 100. Another worthwhile day helping others reach their goals. I think my original post conveys the message well.....Burning River 100 Volunteer Report.
Snakebite Racing
2010 was the most successful year for Snakebite Racing on the multi-sport scene. We brought on board approximately 10 additional athletes to represent the team and our sponsors. If we didn't have someone on the overall podium, we had people winning their age groups. At some of the awards ceremonies I loved seeing all of the hardware my teammates were collecting.
Of course the support of the SBR sponsors is much appreciated throughout the year. Go over to the team website and check out links to our sponsors.
SnakeBite Racing
Miscellany
I have mentioned before that I have been cross training with CrossFit. At the beginning of the year I was at Crossfit Cleveland West with Bill and Stacy. Just walking into the gym was motivating. I enjoyed getting pushed and helping push others to reach new levels of fitness. I backed off during tri season because I needed to be "fresher" for my races.
Near the end of the summer Kate, an elite crossfitter and certified coach, opened her own box (gym). I hated to leave Bill and Stacy's box. But when Kate's box was opening right around the corner from our house I had to follow her, no brainer.
I excitedly helped Kate get the space ready for business. Some painting, cleaning, and building made me happy to help this new business owner. Aimee and I have both helped in different ways with Coca Crossfit and Kate has helped us fill in some gaps with our training. You will be hearing more about Kate later.
Summary
When I was first writing this post I started thinking how arrogant it sounded. Hey everyone....look what I did. I'M AWESOME!
But in actuality this is my freakin' blog and I can write whatever the hell I want. But seriously there are two reasons for writing this.
First, when I am 80 years old, provided I can still find my blog, and my grandson is reading me some of my old posts...I can remember what I did in 2010 and have happy thoughts.
Ow..OW..OW! I just realized in 40 years it will be 2050.....OW!!!!!
Second, maybe this post will inspire someone to follow a dream, get up off the couch, volunteer, help someone....pay it forward.
I raise a glass with my friends to a wonderful 2010 and a prosperous 2011.
Game On.
In lieu of a real post about something meaningful, probably in the near future, I want everyone to become real familiar with all the parts of a bicycle.
I pulled this image from The Bicycle is Art. Cool stuff.
I'm trying to figure out what has happened over the years....the years between childhood and adulthood. The holiday season, these wonderful months between Halloween and New Years, has changed for me over the past 20-some years, but I'm sure it's not just me.
As I was growing up I remember Thanksgiving and Christmas were supposed to be days when you spent time with family and friends....period. Work was something that stopped on these days. Gas stations, restaurants, and stores would be closed. CLOSED. The only people who would be working were police, fire and rescue personnel, and we were thankful for them being there.
But over the years I have become frustrated with the commercialism of the holidays. The non-stop attitude of business. Black Friday. Stores open 24 hours or opening really early for some "great" deals. I certainly realize that we have become a 24/7 world. And Thanksgiving Day is an American holiday, so the rest of the world doesn't stop on Turkey Day.
Unfortunately I occasionally fall into the trappings of holiday work. I have customers that can only perform work during holiday shutdowns.
Today was one of those days. Now before you throw out a saying like "you poor thing" or "that sucks" hear me out. I signed up for this job knowing this would be part of my work. I've known about this for a couple of months. There was no way around it. It's my job.
So save the pity party.....that's not what I am looking for.
But I do want to share some of the thoughts I have had today as I flew to North Carolina and then drove to Virginia.
Thankful thoughts. Things I sometimes take for granted on a daily basis. Just a few that really popped in my brain today.
I have a job. I'm thankful that I have a job. There are so many people who are struggling due to the economic downturn....I'm glad to have a job. One that allows me to live comfortably, challenge me with projects, meet many people, help businesses run successfully, provide for my family, support my endeavors in athletics (triathlon, running, cycling, etc), travel around and possibly soon outside the USA. So I don't mind needing to work the occasional holiday.
Friends. Simple things like a quick phone call, short text message, an e-mail, blog comment or message on Facebook. Simple actions that help a person feel a sense of belonging and connection with those around us.
How are you? We haven't talked in a while. Let's go for a run.
It doesn't take much but it makes me thankful for the friends that I have.
Family. Everyone in my family understands my job and what it involves. We miss each other but also know it's not a permanent thing we have to deal with. My parents have always been highly supportive for everyone in the family. And during my 43 years of life their support has never diminished. Andrew and Amanda have made me proud as they continue to grow and develop into wonderful adults. I'm thankful for the choices they have made and how well they are doing now.
Most of all I am thankful for Aimee. She has been a solid foundation upon which I have continued to build my life. Each time I leave for a trip I know she will be there waiting for me at home. I'm thankful for the strength she has provided me during my struggles through work, triathlon, raising two great kids and just life in general.
So you see. I'm a little bummed about working on Thanksgiving. But I know what I am thankful for because of it.
Game On my friends.
One of my excuses for not blogging, or not feeling like blogging, is that I have been traveling quite a bit for work. It's part of my job and I don't travel that often but sometimes when I do it's all piled up at once.
August was Philadelphia and Joliet, IL.
September was Chicago after the Rev3 race.
October was Detroit and Atlanta
November so far has been California and Detroit.
Currently I am in Southern Virginia. Danville. Go ahead, look it up. Despite being close to no where it is still a nice city.
So this morning Aimee and I got together with TriSaraTops for one hour of trail running. It was a little on the cool side with some drizzle. The temp was hovering around 50 degrees. We still managed to pull off a good run in t-shirt and shorts.
Aimee and I got home so I could shower before heading to the airport. My bags were packed the night before so I was good to go. So after an hour of being home I drove to the airport to catch my flight to Raleigh.
I arrived in Danville late afternoon and knew I still had some daylight to hit the Danville Riverwalk Trail. I had run this trail before and today would be my only opportunity to run during daylight hours.
At the hotel I noticed a flyer for the Bright Leaf Brew Fest on November 13th. Yep, just missed it. Where I was staying was also the host hotel.
Then as I was running on the trail I noticed signs for the Danville Half Marathon and 8K on November 13th. Yep, just missed that one also.
Regardless is was a great day for a two-fer. A very nice run with Aimee and one of my favorite chicks, then traveling 500 miles for run number two under blue skies and temperatures about 20 degrees warmer.
It's easy to get discouraged by the travel. It sucks being away from Aimee and family and friends and the normalcy of home. But I try to make the best of my travel situations.
I have run trails in the Kennesaw National Battlefield Park (Georgia), Chino Hills State Park (California), and the Danville Riverwalk Trail (Virginia) all in the span of three weeks.
Maybe it's not so bad after all.
Game On my friends.
Four days. Have you ever kept awesome news quiet for four days? It's not easy. Especially if it's something that no one would ever expect. I've been quietly wondering when to spill the beans.
I mean it was a personal choice. I thought about it for a very long time. Like four years long time.
The decision would be permanent. No...it's not anything like LeBron's "Decision". I've made other permanent decisions in much less time. But this one needed to be just right. Many options went through my head. I would think about it, then set it aside to be brought up at a later date.
Wow this was hard. When I did make up my mind I wasn't sure about sharing it. I kept remembering that it was a personal thing. Do I need to share it with everyone? Would people really care? I looked around at my friends and thought...yeah...they would want to know. And I'm a pretty open type of guy. I don't hold much back if people ask. I threw one little hint out there and no one picked up on it.
Now that I have given you the run around. Now that I have teased you enough.....
.....maybe I do sound like LeBron.....without the hour long show........
just keep scrolling down
and down.............
and down.........................
I am so fucking excited.....................
TA DA..................
Yeah...I know. You're jealous. As my Crossfit Coach says, "I have ink envy."
Don't hate me because it's awesome. Hate me because I did it first.......AND it's awesome.
Well the title of this post could mean many different things.
I could spew forth the typical reasons for why I have not been blogging very much but it would be the same old shit.
I could go back in time and write a race report for the Chicago Urbanathlon. But it would be the same old shit of me posting a race report waaaayyyyy after the fact.
I could spend my time on You Tube until I find that magical video that will inspire and motivate you. Yeah...same old shit.
I just need to hunker down and spew forth some ideas that are rattling around in my head. Like you haven't heard that same old shit before.
Let's see what I can some up with............
It's time again for Family and Friends Friday. MY original post about a trio of friends has to be postponed until next week because of a more urgent matter.
I have actually introduced you to Joe and Anne before about 18 months ago here. Their daughter Carina had passed from an unrecoverable birth defect. Well Joe has been battling cancer for several years now. He's been through surgery and the associated treatments. He has always been in good spirits and has never stopped living life. In fact he was out West on a hunting trip last month.
Unfortunately Joe is not doing well. I received word through a friend that he will be going down to Ohio State University for some tests to see what the next steps are for his cancer treatment. CAT scans have shown that this fucker (cancer) has spread to multiple areas of his body.
Can't this guy be left alone? He's been through enough. He's done his fair share of suffering with his previous cancer and the loss of Carina.
And I can't imagine what Anne is going through. I do know her support system consists of many family and friends. Aimee and I will be there for her also.
So despite the negative news I know my blog and Facebook friends, who are loaded with positive energy will help me send that energy and supportive thoughts towards Joe and Anne as they face this renewed battle.
Game On Joe. Beat this fucker down.
The first frost of the year settled over Northern Ohio last night. We woke up with the thermometer reading 25 degrees. I ran over to Coca Crossfit for my morning workout. Kate has been fighting with the gas company and still didn't have any heat for the box. With the inside temp. at 48 degrees I kept my hat and gloves on for the WOD. By the fifth and final round I did take them off.
After I got ready for work I was heating up the car and saw an opportunity to take some pictures.
Our rose bushes still had flowers and were kissed with frost.
Our Bird's Nest Spruce sports the frosty look very well.
Unfortunately the mums won't last much longer with the cold weather and frost.
