The Post with my weekend of fun
Actually a pretty fun weekend.

Friday night I went to the Relay for Life event in Boyertown. It was a great event and it's so neat to see people pulling together for events like that. I went for the Survior walk. Basically what they do is have survivors of the disease walk one way on the track and the caregivers walk the other way. You meet halfway around the track and people hug and whatnot. It's actually really touching, and not at all good for a softie like myself. I tried to look everywhere but at people.

Later that night then i went to the PC Pub in Pennsburg which was a nice change of pace although I saw some of the same people I see at Red hills- Why is that? Some nice scenery there but if you guess nothing happened you would be correct. The band was really good and played a great mix of songs. There are two interesting notes from the night but I'll save them for tomorrow's entry where I will breakdown two more things.

Saturday I had a wedding to go too and it was outdoors which made for a nice change of pace. However, it was wicked hot, and the people in charge of the beer did a bad job of keeping it cold. So halfway through the night I had to switch to Bay Breezes since they were on ice. The food was excellent and they had the green beans with almond and butter sauce so I owned them like noone's business.

I alos hit the dance floor for a while breaking out everything I normally do. I had to shoehorn the sprinkler in though. It was getting late. I even did the running man for the first time in ages. I must look like a big corny bastard when I do that. I was also sereneded by my friend Kelli singing The Carpenters. That was....um....interesting.

Sunday I did a whole lot of nothing. Screwed around outside for a little and then watched Entourage episodes until my softball game. Finally we had a close game which we eventually won 21-17. My first two at bats I laced balls and both went for outs. So I switched to left handed and ended up 4 for 6. Go figure. That included 2 infield hits which just blew minds. The guys can't get over that I can bat left-handed (it's not really that hard in slow pitch softball) and then the fact that I beat out ground balls. One of which was a grounder to the second baseman.

Came home then, ate, watched my Sunday shows and then slept. I still could use a nap.
- posted by Brian @ 6/30/2008 02:47:00 PM

 
The Post with me getting back to the smoking talk
For those wondering- I was not questioned by a police officer today. Small victories.

So I posted the smoking thing on Friday and was met with a bevy of responses. What I've gathered from these is we can put together a helathy list of things to be looking for to make the determination between full-time and part-time smokers.

1.) The frequency of cigarettes. If a woman is taking considerable time between cigarettes she is probably a social smoker. Long interludes mean she is ok with smoking but not looking to do it a lot.

2.) Whether she has all the tools. If she is bumming cigarettes or lighters there is a decent chance she is a social smoker. Any full-time smoker would make sure they have everything they need.

3.) Comfortability with the cigarete. Some girls will try to fit in and might cough or fake cough when they go to light up. Also how does she handle the cigarette. Does she look like a professional at it? Or is it more casual. Does she look bored with the activity?

4.) If she is lighting up alone at a table then she is most likely a full-time smoker. There is a clear difference between waiting for someone at a table and being the lone person smoking at a table of non-smokers.

5.) The one I would like to add is the brand of cigarette. I haven't figured out how women buy cigarettes but there has to be something in the purcashe and what they are holding that can tip you off. I would imagine social smokers keep with lighter tasting, possibly cheaper packs.
- posted by Brian @ 6/25/2008 01:45:00 PM

 
The Post with me sharing my lunch story
I was going to post more bar stuff but this story from lunch is too good to pass up and not share with everyone. Enjoy.

At lunch I usually walk to one of the parks in the area and just hang out and enjoy 30 minutes or so. Especially on days like today where it is only about 85 degrees and not brutally hot.

So I walked to the one park today and usually while there I would walk up the 6 flights of steps to try and get some work in during my lunch break. However, my hamstrings are still flaring up so I was just relaxing under the big pavillon and generally minding my own business.

There was a guy working with two kids on catching passes in football at the field.

There was a lady with a bunch of kids running around the tennis courts and playground area.

There was an older gentleman there with a grandkid running around.

So I'm just sitting there minding my business when I see a cop car pull into the park. He drives and stops right in front of the pavillon.

I think to myself, "This can't be good." See I was the only person sitting in the pavillon.

So he approaches me and asks, "How are you doing today?"

"Good. Yourself?"

"Good. Do you have some ID on you?"

I reach for my wallet and ask, "Did I do something wrong?"

"We just got a call that there was a person walking around the park and there was some concern."

" I see."

"Where do you work at?"

"Teleflex Medical, out on my lunch break."

"That's off of Hill Ave. right?"

"Yes."

"When do you have to be back?"

"2:30. I get an hour."

(He stops to call in my id number)

Then he says, "I guess it was just a little suspicious since I guess mostly it's people here with kids."

"Oh I understand. I'm just here trying to enjoy a day that isn't brutally hot."

"Can I have your home phone number."

So I gave it to him.

"Can I have your cell phone number?"

So I gave that to him.

He then got confirmation back that I was good and not on any Megan's Law lists I suppose. He then wished me a good day and went on his way.

So I was questioned by a cop because some parent (it was the lady because I saw her on the phone) thought I was a danger to their kids. I guess I could understnad but apparently my grand plan was to chase down someone at least a football field away from me and then ask them casually to walk back to my work (10 minutes away) so I can get them in my car.

Silly if you really think about it.
- posted by Brian @ 6/24/2008 12:14:00 PM

 
The Post with me defending a statement I made
Tomorrow I will get back to more relationship stuff but first I must back up a statement I made the other night.

While playing trivia with Joel Thursday night at the bar the subject of Michael Jackson came up. I made a comment that I've often made. At some point in the future MJ will be underrated as a singer/songwriter because everyone will focus on his extra-curricular activities instead of his musical prowess.

(And yes I understand why people would focus on the children thing. To be 100% honest it is bizarre even if you facotr out the lack of proof he ever did anything physical to the children.)

But here is my point. When the guy was still an artist he could write the hell out of a song, and then would just perform it amazingly.

Once he got off Motown Records and started recording with Epic he had an almost 14 year run with 4 albums that were just completely amazing. (Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous). But check out this run of hits:

Don't Stop Til You Get Enough
Rock With You
Off the Wall
She's Out of My Life

The Girl is Mine
Billie Jean
Beat It
Wanna Be Startin' Something
Human Nature
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
Thriller

I Just Can't Stop Loving You
Bad
The Way You Make Me Feel
Man in the Mirror
Dirty Diana
Another Part of Me
Smooth Criminal

Black or White
Remember the Time
In the Closet
Will You Be There

22 amazing songs over the course of 14 years. 21 of them were top 10 songs. 10 of those went #1.

Look at that second paragraph of songs. Those are from Thriller. There were 9 songs on the Thriller album. All 7 that were released went Top 10. 5 went Top 5. Thriller spent 80 weeks in the Top 10 of the album charts. 37 of those weeks were at #1. It eventually was certified 27x platinum by the RIAA.

There was no way anyone thought his follow-up album would come close to that. Then he released Bad which became the first album in history to have five #1 singles on it. It is his second highest selling album but it is not that far behind Thriller.

Then he released Dangerous which sold slightly less than Bad but was so highly anticipated- armed robbers held up people at gunpoint at Los Angelese International Airport to steal 30,000 copies of the album.

Think about this. What other artists can say they had a run like that in their career. The albums were easily commercially successful. They were also extremely criticially successful. PLus he kept setting new bars with each album.

I will say again- if you can slide the weird kidde things to the side a little (not easy) the truth holds. Michael Jackson is one of the best singer/songwriters of this past or any generation.
- posted by Brian @ 6/23/2008 02:14:00 PM

 
The Post with some more nonsense
I've uncovered another chapter that will go into my book about meeting women in public. Here's a relaization I had, recently. (And I'll kindly ask you to shut up and not mock me for just thinking of it. If you don't respond to kindly asking- I'll just start throwing fists.)

Now I've always felt let down in this situation. You are in a bar. You see this amazing looking chick. Then you see her go into her purse or pocket and pull out a pack of cigarettes. She next pulls out a lighter and lights up the cig.

Major buzzkill. It isn't for all men. For me though- I've never seen a woman that still holds that sexiness factor while smoking. They inhale in on the cigarette and it contorts their face into this weird shape where it looks like they just sucked on a lemon. Their eyes scrunch, their eyes purse, it's not attractive in really any way. Instant turn off for me and I've sworn off trying to chase a woman when I've seen it.

(Quick side note before I go any further. If a woman smokes that doesn't mean I would pass up an opportunity if one arose. It wouldn't be the ideal person to date. To fool around with for a night or two- so be it).

However, this is what occurred to me. Not all these women in the bar are smokers. Obviously they are smoking, but they aren't full-time smokers. There is a whole subset of women who smoke when they drink. Now obviously this would mean that at some point in their lives they were a full time smoker (like a majority of the population I would gather). However, those days are behind them. When they go out though all bets are off.

So the dilemna is this: trying to differentiate between the full time smokers and the part time smokers. That is my new bar mission and the next chapter in my book.

Here's what I've found so far. One of the biggest factors to monitor is the frequency with which she lights up. If she goes maybe 10 minutes between cigarettes chances are good she is a full-time smoker. I haven't quite figured out the top shelf of that though. Is 30 minutes between cigarettes a good bet for her being part-time? 45? 10 is where I'm starting. (Only beccause I figure 5 minutes between cigarettes means she has a problem).

Also I would pay attention to this- is she the one who initiates smoking at the table or does she follow the lead. I think if it's the latter you are closer to a part-timer.

Does anyone else have any tips or behaviors to observe and help decipher this game. I need some help formulating the theory because I've never smoked or felt any urge to. I do sometimes smoke cigars and chew tobacco, neither of which I can/will do in bar.
- posted by Brian @ 6/20/2008 01:41:00 PM

 
The Post with me discussing my laziness and my show
I was going to review some things this week (some old movies I've seen). I had a list I wanted to work on but I haven't decided whether a top 10 or a top 5, and I haven't compiled the list yet. So you are at the emrcy of my laziness.

However, last night I did finally get to watch the season premiere of MY Boys on TBS. That show is just great. When it first started it was unfairly compared to Sex and the City. I guess in a round-about way the comparison is there, but the shows are different.

For those that have never seen it the show is this. PJ (basically the ideal woman) is a writer for the Chicago Cubs who is looking for love with her friend Stephanie. The hang-up is PJ has another really close cirlce of friends (all guys) where she encounters the opposite sex and in some instances has been linked with. The show is essentially a romantic comedy that is halfway written for women and halfway written for men.

The beauty of the show though is this: neither side is overpowering to the other. For example, last season they did an episode where PJ's old editor was back in Chicago and PJ was looking for fun like in the old days. However, her friend was a New Yorker now and acted like Carrie Bradshaw (partly a SITC spoof). Meanwhile, Brendan had been selected one of Chicago's sexiest bachelors and his whole personality was changing. The guys decided to hold a douchebag intervention.

Last night was a perfect example of the balance. The first season ended with PJ going on a romantic vacation to Italy but we never found out who got on the plane with her. I won't spoil that for those that might want to play catch-up. So while she and Stephanie were in Italy trying and in some cases failing to ignite sparks the guys were back home. The one guy Mike was desperate for a woman so he started talking like Matthew McConaughey and hitting on the bartender at Crowley's- which is their favorite hangout. The guys tried to talk him out of this saying it was a bad idea. Mike pursued it though and it led to them not being served and then banned from Crowley's for two weeks. That was until PJ came back to save the day and get them allowed back in (Except for Mike who PJ said was still banned a week for going McConaughey).

Again- the balance is perfect. It has it's moments that appeal towards women, and then moments that appeal to men. The balance is great and neither side pushes to hard against the other. PLus PJ is gorgeous. That always helps.

I think original episodes debut on Thursdays at 9:30 and then can be found on TBS throughout the week or TBS On Demand.
- posted by Brian @ 6/18/2008 02:04:00 PM

 
The Post with my weekend
So a non-assuming weekend where I got very little done. Not entirely my fault, but mostly.



Friday night I headed out to Red Hills with Joel for 80's night. He had a good night as every song was his song. On the whole though the lady situation was pretty lackluster and the bar was relatively empty. So for those keeping score the novel of, "Hansley Finds A Girl," is sadly extended by another chapter. This is now reaching "Beowulf" length.



I was home with the dog so he had me up at 7:30 with the old- cold nose on the cheek game. You might think to yourself, "That doesn't sound bad." I say you've never had it done to you. It's like when people dump ice down your shirt.



So I got up and did some minor things around the house. That is the one thing- I get tons done. I talked with a friend of my mom's about the project I am working on and that is really coming together. I'm so excited for this. I almost can't wait the two weeks yet.



Later I went to a matinee showing of The Hulk which was a marked improvment over the Ang Lee version. I also downloaded, "The Happening" which I watched later that night. That is one of the worst movies ever made. Intelligence insulting to the highest degree.



I made myself a steak and some buffalo fries for dinner which I accompanied with a few cans of Pabst Light (gotta watch the figure). I ate outside for a little until the storm hit, at which point I moved onto the back porch to watch the lightning.



Sunday morning I woke up and sort of felt sick to my stomach. This was also at about 5:30 am. I gamed it through Sunday School and then came home to relax all day and lay down. I eventually fell asleep around 2:00 and was awoken at 7:15 by the dog. Nothing like sleeping away your afternoon. Ate dinner and then watched Ice Road Truckers and Next Food Network Star.



Laid in bed for about an hour before I finally fell asleep.



Woke up and came to work. Here I sit.



I'm working on doing a mini-countdown and some reviews upcoming in here.
- posted by Brian @ 6/16/2008 02:10:00 PM

 
The Post with me celebrating my winnings
Last night was trivia night at Red Hills Tavern and I cleaned up. I won 2 Yuengling shirts, a Yuengling visor, and a Smirnoff Ice sign.

The downside was I won two straight rounds so I couldn't actually collect the prizes on the second game. So my buddy had to go up and get it. He finished second to me in the game. By losing to me he was outed as a Will & Grace fan. He also was outed as someone who likes to "jerk off the dog to feed the cat." But that was of his own doing. (It's a saying this old Dutch guy used to say all the time at ART. He kept the Smirnoff sign. I collected everything else.

The last round- with the most prizes- was based around TV trivia where I cleaned the hell up. Some were easy (name of the company on The Office), some were hard (name of the boat on The Love Boat).

Tonight is 80's night.
- posted by Brian @ 6/13/2008 02:08:00 PM

 
The post with me highlighting my 3 favorite things of this week
In no particular order,

- Currently the WWE is running a contest where they give away one milion dollars every week on Raw as they randomly call people. When Vince McMahon called the first person he got rick rolled. The dude's phone just played that "Never Gonna Give You Up" song until the guy picked up.

- Last week before essentially his victory speech, Barack Obama and his wife bumped fists. This baffled the media, on both sides of the fence. Fox News decided to have on a body language expert to breakdown what this possibly could've meant. However, they went a step too far by teasing that it may have been a, "possible terrorist fist jab." There was no college intern around who could point out that the fist bump is actually hip?

- Lastly Fox News continued their descent into being a parody of themselves at this point. Michelle Obama gave a speech and on the banner that Fox News runs below the screen they typed, "Outraged Liberals: Stop Picking on Obama's Baby Mama." How in 2008 do they think it's ok to publicly talk like that about a candidate? Good old Fox News- Trying to keep race an issue when it clearly isn't one.
- posted by Brian @ 6/12/2008 02:08:00 PM

 
The Post with me discussing Nashville Star's season debut
A few years ago on USA Network they debuted a new show which was the answer to American Idol. However it was true to the country music spirit, and similar to American Idol only in that it was a singing competition. They tried to feature primarily people who played instruments. Most of the contestants were people who had spent some time in Nashville. Also they had weeks which featured their own songs to show off the total package. After a few successful seasons NBC picked up the show to fill in their summer reality block. The move was met with skepticism from country insiders thinking NBC was going to cheapen the concept. Lessen the focus on classic country weeks, and overall make it more like American Idol.

After watching the premiere of the season I can firmly and with 100% certainty say:

The insiders were right. This show was beyond horrible and could do more to set back country music then help it.

NBC starts the show by having a talent search with the armed forces. I'm not against doing this but it was obvious pandering by the producers.

Then we got roughly 10 minutes of auditions and then the judges selected the final 12 contestants. The suspense was killed on this by the press release a few days ago that announced all the finalists.

During this time John Rich issued one of the biggest ironic statements ever, "I will not accept any artist on this show who is fake about anything.” Perfect. Also, fuck JOhn Rich. He has no business telling people how to act country. For those that missed this irony- he hosted a competition where he selected Julio Iglesias Jr. to be a new country singer (over Dee Snider, Marcia Brady, Sisqo, etc) It bombed badly. Nothing screams genuine country like Bobby Brown.

Then the finalists were introduced via a very badly sung version of "Life is a Highway." This sounded like a bunch of drunk people decided to sing together.

After a break NBC introduced Taylor Swift to sing. After this performance I was hoping she would be voted off. I have nothing against Ms. Swift, in fact I quite liked, "Our Song." However the girl can't sing. Last night was completely terrible with pitch problems a plenty. Also, judging by her dance moves she has been studying dancers at late night gentleman's clubs. This is an idea though. Putting a stripper pole in front of her with a mic attached to it would be infinitely more entertaining than hearing her warble through another song.

Also Jewel should've saved her, "high school good, not big league good" advice for Taylor.

Onto the acts:

Pearl Heart- 3 young girls (21,21,18) They sang "Wide Open Spaces." Nothing wrong with them. I actually enjoyed the performance. They over-harmonizied a lot- to the point judge Jewel had to mention it. But nothing wrong with them.

Tommy Stanley- Our armed forces guy sang a really bad version, vocally and musically, of "Walking in Memphis." Plus it looks like he was all jacked up Red Bull.

Shawn Mayer- Very cute girl, but just an average singer. Jeffery Steele said it right, it all sounded very karaoke. She felt like someone who brings the house down in a honky tonk towards the end of the night.

Third Town- They sang a classic country sung but stunk something fierce. On top of that their lead singer is some emo looking goof who sang way too gay like. Plus they were so feminine sounding that they made Rascal Flatts sound like The Statler Brothers. I wanted to throat punch the emo guy though. No other act had me really feeling physically violent.

Coffey- Hey asshole- No one knows who you are. You aren't important enough to have one name. Also people- stop singing, "Drift Away." Even Dobie Gray is tired of hearing the damn song. John Rich said he was the best of the night, however he also thinks Cowboy Troy is immensely talented so take that for what it's worth.

Laura & Sophie- Another teen girl group (18, 16) but they were really good as well. They sang, "Stand By Your Man," and although I bet they missed the message of the song nailed it vocally. If they learn to play the crowd a little more and be more nuanced they are tough to beat.

Gabe Garcia- The best of the night but very bland. He has a ways to go before he can be considered a legitimate faovrite. But anyone who sings George Strait is fine by me.

Alyson Gilber- Ok after the first 30 seconds. She was way to pagentry though as Jewel mentioned- I found myself agreeing with Jewel a lot. Also she felt conveying emotion meant opening your eyes real big and throwing you face around like a bunch of people jumped out fo the dark and yelled surprise. It was like the actor double take scenes.

Ashlee Hewitt- Didn't see all of it. She seemed ok but not worthy of the high praise she got. Plus she sang that "Bubbles" song. Is that country?

Charley Jenkins- Very bad. Like comically bad. He felt to be twangy he should just warble his way through the song. He sang "I Like It, I Love It." This led to the best criticism ever by Jeffery Steele, "I hate it, I hate it, I don't want any more of it." Also the guy walked through the crowd and got some "Quit touching me creep" looks from people. judging by the way he was dressed though he was just looking to sell them a used car.

Justin Gaston- NBC is really trying to focus on sob stories for the contestants this year which gives us this gem about Mr. Gaston:

JUSTIN GASTON AGE: 19 HOMETOWN: Pineville, Louisiana CURRENT HOME: Los Angeles, California Originally from Louisiana, Justin left home at age 17 to pursue a career in music, while supporting himself as a model. Only after suffering heartbreak from breaking up with his long-distance girlfriend did Justin realize how isolating living on his own can be at a young age. With his good looks and great voice, Justin is the ultimate teenage country heartthrob.

Oh boo hoo. I'm a model and my girlfriend broke up with me. I'm so lonely. I'll never be loved again. Fuck right off.

Then he sang "Drops of Jupiter" on top of it all. It was at this point I was ready to kill someone. John Rich praised the song. But he also wrote, "Loud" so keep that in perspective.

Melissa Lawson- She was fine but not as good as the judges made her out to be. Plus she said she was trying to prove that "You don't need to be a size 6 to succeed in music." Of course not. The current crop of country music females prove you need to be a size 0. Keep with the time honey. She sang Bonnie Raitt. I thought this was a country show.

This week the judges eliminate a contestant and they dropped the used car salesman sadly. I wanted to hear him warble through some more things like maybe "Sold."

The other 11 live on, the producers if they keep this garbage up will not.

Fuck you NBC, and fuck you producers for destroying my show. Also fuck country radio, record labels, and fans for allowing this stuff to get play.

Also fuck John Rich. No good reason. I just hate the guy.
- posted by Brian @ 6/10/2008 12:20:00 PM

 
The post with some weekend notes
Fun little weekend for me.

Friday night I eventually decide to go to the movies to see Adam Sandler's new opus. Zohan was better than some of his more recent efforts (Longest Yard, Click) and really only a tick below his early classics (Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison). I laughed out loud at a lot of spots and there were some really funny things.

After that I jumped into Kung Fu Panda which took a little bit of time to get going but once it did it was really fun. This was despite the fact that there was a kid in the theater that kept crying.

Saturday I got up and decided it was the day to put in air conditioners. So I got them down in the garage and then enlisted my brother to help me put the one in my room in. Everything went fine except for the heat. It's not hard to get it all lined up and screwed in BUT it is hard to do when sweat keeps running into your eyes every 30 seconds.

Saturday night I went out to the bar with a buddy of mine, Todd. Couple good things here. First off, apparently I look like the kid from Superbad- should be easy to guess which one. Some girl decided I did and then felt she needed to tell everyone about it.

Then she came over and said her sister wanted my phone number. I politely declined the offer. Mostly because I'm vain. However, it was the correct move considering the sister had just come off a divorce. I'm not really looking for that type of baggage just yet. Give me another 18 months of desperation than we'll talk. I don't think the girl believed me at first but Todd played his role in the deception perfectly and sold it. Now Todd wasn't on this particular night but selling the story is an integral part of a wingman. We'll discuss that at a later date though. Sadly in sitting with me though it was decided Todd was my McLovin'. Which is really uncool.

The highlight of the night was the band Vu Ja De. I've seen their name many places but had never run across them. I'm so glad I have now. They have Jackie Chan playing lead guitar for them. That was our initial joke. We spent some time making jokes about karate and him singing, lead. He was only the sidebar though by the end.

Todd told me the bassist looked like someone- forget who. Then I said, "I think he looks like a Hobo Jesus." A new term was formed. Later Todd came back from the bathroom and said he interrupted a heated discussion with Hobo Jesus. Right after that they started their last set and were featuring the bass pretty heavily. We figure that was the discussion. As Todd said, "Hobo Jesus told them- it's time to let the bass shine." I had so much fun with the group that I propose they change their name to Hobo Jesus, Jackie Chan, & some others. Or Hobo Jesus & His Disciples.

I've decided to follow them around the area (when I can)- just to see more Hobo Jesus.

Sunday I worked on some things and then played our softball game which we won 32-8. I really hate runnning teams like that. Mostly becasue people on our team- in a non-competitive league- don't know how to let up when you are winning big.

Sunday night I came home and watched ICE ROAD TRUCKERS which is just awesome.
- posted by Brian @ 6/09/2008 02:23:00 PM

 
The Post with a short update celebrating my awesomeness
(Editor's note- Marie has promised us a response to the SATC question so we will wait for that. And I will hassle her until I get it, because I love her so much.)

Because I was away for a week and I plain old forgot this week to mention it I need to take credit for myself.


Remember a few weeks back I mentioned my goal to run/jog 6.2 miles in one hour (the length of a 10K)?

The Thursday before my time off I went to the gym and started off with a nice easy pace of 11 minutes a mile. After 2 miles of that I thought, "Wow I feel great. Legs aren't starting to lock down- breathing is good." So I bumped it up to a 10 minute mile for another mile and a half.

At this point I was 37 minutes in and had covered 3.5 miles. Still felt awesome. So I bumped it up to a ~ 9 minutes a mile. Held that pace for another mile which put me 4.5 miles in 46 minutes.

So the wheels are churning in my head. 14 minutes to cover 1.7 miles. Now at a 10 minute mile pace it would take you about 17 minutes to cover that pace so obviously no good.

So I decided to push and bump myself up to 8 minutes. Covered another mile which gave me 5.5 miles in ~54 minutes. Now at this point a ten minute mile would give you 6.1 miles. So I put my pace in between 9 and 10 minutes for the last 6 minutes. I was keeping it close to the 9 minute mark but if I needed a quick 45 second blow I would go closer to the 10 minute mark.

(I know this sounds dumb but I've always been a good runner towards the end of events as opposed to the beginning. It's like my mind can see the finish line so I start hurrying to get there.)

So anyway. I crossed the 6 mile mark with about 2:30 to go so I eased back a little and prepared for the stretch run. I'm sure it looked goofy with me ojn the corner treadmill, sweat pouring down my face, and talking to myself saying, "Come on baby. You can do this."

As the clock was ticking it felt like an eternity but with about 20 seconds to go the treadmill read 6.2 miles- before ending at 6.23 miles in 60 minutes.

I was overcome with joy and felt such a sense of accomplishment that I almost just kept going (ignoring the fact that the treadmill only lets you go an hour before entering cooldown mode.)

After the treadmill was done I sat done, caught my breath, cleaned the machine, and just smiled the biggest smile ever.
- posted by Brian @ 6/05/2008 02:34:00 PM

 
The Post with me just re-emphasizing yesterday's post
I feel like yesterday's post stumped people.

Come on people. If you're a female- I'm not bashing the show or what it is perceived to represent I'm genuinely curious.

If you're a guy I admitted myself I've seen episodes so you're not alone.

If nothing else I will consider the silence as a belief that it is not representative of the female thought process.
- posted by Brian @ 6/04/2008 02:25:00 PM

 
The Post with me asking some questions of my small number of female readers
So being off last week I had a lot of tv watching in the morning and saw stuff while I was at the gym and laying in bed at night. Live with Regis and Kelly all last week had every member of the Sex and the City gang on. There were discussions about the show leading up to the debut of the big movie which grossed an amazing 56 million dollars. I know the show was popular but good lord is that a ton of scratch.

Couple things fascinate me about this show. I'll assume some of you (men and women who read this) have seen some portion of the show. I'm not one of those guys who is going to try and act all indignant about the show. I've watched some episodes, enjoyed some. I even think I have the finale on tape somewhere. Not the point though.

I was watching a show about SATC and they were asking women why they like the show. The general consensus was it was high culture and that the four women best represented the woman's thought process. Is this even remotely true?

The high culture thing I won't argue. Not becasue I think it was- a show about sex craving, shoe-loving women who gather around to drink Cosmos and tell bad puns isn't my idea of high culture. But I realize I'm not the target audience so we would have different definitions which is dumb to argue.

I worry about the second part. Do you really think this represented your thought process? Maybe for some women it does. But the whole general populace? I give women far more credit than that.

I had a bunch of problems with the show about certain ways it was written to make the guy look bad. The most egregorious example of this was the way Aidan was treated on the show. This was during the main time frame I was watching the show and I remember it vividly. To fill those in who have never watched the show here goes.

Carrie had always dated this guy named "Mr. big" Off and on for a lot of times. She was off with him when she met this guy named Aidan who was featured in a magazine article at a furniture store. She was drawn to him and they started dating. Aidan was really laid back which was quite a bit different from Carrie. She always wanted to be out on the town and he preferred to stay home and just wanted to be with his girl. Eventually they got engaged but Carrie started having second thoughts and cheated on him with Mr. Big. She told Aidan and he understandably freaked out while she stood there and said, "You have to forgive me," over and over. I'm not joking when I say she did it like 6 times growing increasingly frustrated. So she broke up with him over it. And he was the bad guy.

Then they got back together and Aidan was a little concerned about her being friends with Mr. Big and she got mad at him and they broke up again.

And Aidan was the bad guy in all this?

Now they did do some good things with men. For example Steve with Miranda. And I'm sure that there were some decent pieces of information for a man to digest in his ever-eternal quest to understand women.

But does the show represent the entirety of the woman thought process? I hope not.
- posted by Brian @ 6/03/2008 02:12:00 PM

 
The Post with me catching up on 10 days
So I got lazy and chose not to update at all last week. Deal with it. I planned on doing the ACM thing but misplaced my tape of it. I'll find it later but short hand version would be this, "Vocal mixing was awful, Sugarland's new song is terrible- in a donut sort of way. It's just empty calories that isn't designed to be anything other than an annoying chorus that gets stuck in your head all day. Taylor Swift- god bless her- can't sing. I want to like her, but she just has a bad singing voice. Toby Keith's new song is corny, so is Brooks and Dunn's (although I like that one more). Miranda Lambert deserved album of the year, and Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood brought the country to the party with their duet of an Eddy Arnold song.

Anyway.

Went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on the 23rd. I really enjoyed it. It was a little heavy on the CGI which was distracting at times but didn't really ruin the movie for me. Some really fun action sequences and I got to hear the famous music once more.

Went camping after that for the weekend and had a really good time. Drank way too much alcohol, and ate way too much food. Softball was good as for the second year in a row I was on the winning team. Becasue I'm conceited I will attribute that to myself. Saturday night drug a little bit as they had a band there who aren't very good. The entertainment quotient comes from the 80 year old lady who dresses in her All-American garb and dances for everyone in the crowd. It's funny to watch because noone else will dance becasue they don't know how to respond.

Sunday I spent most of the day drinking Watermelon Jolly Ranchers (watermelon vodka, cranberry juice, and 7-Up) I pretty much killed a bottle of vodka by myself. Later that night we played flip cup which was really fun.

Then I was off all week so I prepared myself for nothing but rest and relaxation. I bought Super Smash Brothers Brawl and spend a good amount of time on the Wii playing that. Awesome game.

Wednesday and Thursday I worked outside finishing up the weeding and mulching of flower beds and cut the grass out back.

Friday I went down to the retirement home to eat lunch with my grammy. Then I went and washed my vehicle, and ran a few errands before watching The Strangers which was really creepy, and only ruined (slightly) by the coda that was put on it, something I'm sure the studio had a hand in.

Saturday it was ugly so I did very little all day. Went to dinner that night at the PC Pub and then got home to watch Elite XC.

Yesterday I had a softball game for my league and we won 15-4 (running our record to 2-0) then I got sad realizing I had to come back to work today.

Here I am.
- posted by Brian @ 6/02/2008 01:47:00 PM