Visit my 'offical' new blog:
http://www.dadwithapen.com
Thanks!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
I'm retiring my Blogger Blog!
No, I'm not retiring from Blogging... I'm retiring THIS blog.
Believe it or not I’ve been ‘blogging’ since January 23, 2004. I started off at Rotten Tomatoes as a forum poster where I discussed films and eventually was one of the original posters in their VPL (Virtual Producer’s Lab) Forums. My very first movie review entry was of "Birthday Girl" with Nicole Kidman in my RT VINE JOURNAL.
A few days later I wrote my first Haiku: The Day and Night in the life of Glenn
And two years later here I am… My RT Journal is ranked 21st in the most active journals list with 85,733 views and 722 journal entries.
I don’t think I can retire that journal because I have a bunch of movie savvy online friends that visit that journal and comment on a daily basis.
But after years of keeping a more ‘personal’ journal at Blogger titled “The Hungry Hungry Screenwriter” because I wanted something more customizable, I am retiring the journal for something even more customizable and of course free. There are just too many Blogger.com blogs that look like mine. The templates available aren’t that creative and I don’t know how to write my own. So I’m using WordPress1.5 which is offered by the website hosting company that I use: Netfirms.com. Blogger.com is free, and very easy to use, and extremely user friendly for the new blogger, but Netfirms.com offers tons of special things like WordPress1.5 and Forums and even eCommerce. I’m paying for hosting already so I might as well get the most of my money and use all the different features. Plus, there are tons of great blog templates that I can choose from. The learning curve wasn’t that long and I’m beginning to figure out how to customize everything!
There you have it. Good bye Blogger Blog and hello WordPress1.5 Blog.
So here is the grand opening, or whatever you want to call it, of the my new online Blog!
Welcome to THE HUNGRY WRITER! Hope you enjoy!
Believe it or not I’ve been ‘blogging’ since January 23, 2004. I started off at Rotten Tomatoes as a forum poster where I discussed films and eventually was one of the original posters in their VPL (Virtual Producer’s Lab) Forums. My very first movie review entry was of "Birthday Girl" with Nicole Kidman in my RT VINE JOURNAL.
A few days later I wrote my first Haiku: The Day and Night in the life of Glenn
And two years later here I am… My RT Journal is ranked 21st in the most active journals list with 85,733 views and 722 journal entries.
I don’t think I can retire that journal because I have a bunch of movie savvy online friends that visit that journal and comment on a daily basis.
But after years of keeping a more ‘personal’ journal at Blogger titled “The Hungry Hungry Screenwriter” because I wanted something more customizable, I am retiring the journal for something even more customizable and of course free. There are just too many Blogger.com blogs that look like mine. The templates available aren’t that creative and I don’t know how to write my own. So I’m using WordPress1.5 which is offered by the website hosting company that I use: Netfirms.com. Blogger.com is free, and very easy to use, and extremely user friendly for the new blogger, but Netfirms.com offers tons of special things like WordPress1.5 and Forums and even eCommerce. I’m paying for hosting already so I might as well get the most of my money and use all the different features. Plus, there are tons of great blog templates that I can choose from. The learning curve wasn’t that long and I’m beginning to figure out how to customize everything!
There you have it. Good bye Blogger Blog and hello WordPress1.5 Blog.
So here is the grand opening, or whatever you want to call it, of the my new online Blog!
Welcome to THE HUNGRY WRITER! Hope you enjoy!
Monday, February 06, 2006
Fatigue…
Yesterday I was so tired… I biked 12+ miles, came home and grabbed the family. We went to Walgreens to drop off a prescription, went to the Mall, shopped at Target… and I resisted buying Xbox games since I over did the purchases last month. Then we went back to Walgreens to pick up the prescriptions, then went to Islands for lunch. I was tired! The kids… they were at home waiting for me to come home from the bike ride then got in the car and sat in shopping carts at Target…
And who fell asleep on the way to Islands?
And I was the one tired. They don’t have tons of similarities except for looks. She’s a girly-girl and he’s totally a boy. But they sure looked alike in the way they fell asleep in their car seats!
We couldn’t eat at Islands because they were asleep so we took it home.
I almost feel asleep before the Superbowl but got off the couch and went to Virgil’s for electric tape and VONS for milk, chicken breast (for dinner) and salsa for my chips.
Then during the first half I taped up my bike handlebars which kept me awake. I was out like a light by 11:00 PM.
And who fell asleep on the way to Islands?
And I was the one tired. They don’t have tons of similarities except for looks. She’s a girly-girl and he’s totally a boy. But they sure looked alike in the way they fell asleep in their car seats!
We couldn’t eat at Islands because they were asleep so we took it home.
I almost feel asleep before the Superbowl but got off the couch and went to Virgil’s for electric tape and VONS for milk, chicken breast (for dinner) and salsa for my chips.
Then during the first half I taped up my bike handlebars which kept me awake. I was out like a light by 11:00 PM.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Super Bowl Sunday
That was a pretty uneventful Super Bowl. The beer of choice was…
Pilsner Urquell.
During the first half I was taping up my handlebars. The last half I sat down with chips, dip and a beer and tried to watch the game while the kids climbed all over me or ran around the house making noise. With five minutes left I had a plate of food on my lap and another beer at my side.
It ended as I thought - Steelers winning outright. I wanted Bettis to score though and I was shocked at the turnovers by Roethlisberger but not surprised by Matt Hasselbeck's pick. That’s the only thing that stood out in the game for me. So yeah – it was uneventful. Another year to go for another one of my Super Bowl parties!
But before the Super Bowl I went for a ride. 12.3 miles in 46.33. It was a lot of fun. Then the family went to Target and Island’s for lunch. Yum.
Pilsner Urquell.
During the first half I was taping up my handlebars. The last half I sat down with chips, dip and a beer and tried to watch the game while the kids climbed all over me or ran around the house making noise. With five minutes left I had a plate of food on my lap and another beer at my side.
It ended as I thought - Steelers winning outright. I wanted Bettis to score though and I was shocked at the turnovers by Roethlisberger but not surprised by Matt Hasselbeck's pick. That’s the only thing that stood out in the game for me. So yeah – it was uneventful. Another year to go for another one of my Super Bowl parties!
But before the Super Bowl I went for a ride. 12.3 miles in 46.33. It was a lot of fun. Then the family went to Target and Island’s for lunch. Yum.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Sushi A Go-Go
Production meeting for Sushi A Go-Go…
It turns out that I’ll probably be doing a page one rewrite on the script. There’s a lot in the draft that I can use already, but going off of a new outline and free writing it like you would a new script feels better. I can cut and paste scenes but it probably will feel like I did just that.
Tonight Dale and I met for almost three hours to discuss first act structure. It seems like we are on the same page (so-to-speak) on the structure. Getting started on it is the tough thing. I really feel like treating it like a new script versus a rewrite on an old.
We’ll see.
See my training log for today: Triathlete Nut’s Training Log Blog
It turns out that I’ll probably be doing a page one rewrite on the script. There’s a lot in the draft that I can use already, but going off of a new outline and free writing it like you would a new script feels better. I can cut and paste scenes but it probably will feel like I did just that.
Tonight Dale and I met for almost three hours to discuss first act structure. It seems like we are on the same page (so-to-speak) on the structure. Getting started on it is the tough thing. I really feel like treating it like a new script versus a rewrite on an old.
We’ll see.
See my training log for today: Triathlete Nut’s Training Log Blog
Friday, February 03, 2006
Did you know I use to tap?
Yes… I use to tap dance. And that’s way past tense.
Here’s the story. It’s never been told in detail. Some may have heard bits and pieces. Others may have even witnessed it first hand live or on video, but none have really known the mindset of my tap dancing phase. Here is where you will finally hear the story.
Just released from prison, I had to decide which of my previous professions to return to - burglar or tap dancer. I dabbled with cat burglary but found fame and fortune in tap.
No, not really. If it was that glamorous I may have reason to maybe brag about the whole ordeal. Unfortunately that’s not the case. But it is the synopsis for Gregory Hines’ (may he rest in piece) movie, “TAP” and not my movie, “Glenn’s Life” (coming soon to a blog near you).
Back in the late 80s I was suffering through an ECON major at UCLA. I knew I’d eventually finish college with a degree I really didn’t want. There goes the entertainment field, I thought. And once in my life outside of highschool, I wanted to perform on stage. I knew I wouldn’t be able to nail a lead role in a play or anything and found a small dance studio in Glendale. I decided that I could be like Gregory Hines and make it as a tap dancer. I didn’t know anything about tap dancing and soon realized classic tap is not the style Gregory Hines was doing. But I figured it was a good base as I looked for jazz tap dancing studios. At least I’d get my feet wet.
This is when I commited to a stage performance put on by the dance studio. It was to be held at the Glendale Highschool Auditorium. It sounded like fun. I’d be performing on stage! And the small group of adult beginner tap students (which included me) chose a song to perform to. Unfortunately I had no say in the costume. I figured it’d be like Gregory Hines. Casual, cool, jazzy… you know… something I could be proud of.
That wasn’t the case. It was some tight tight baby blue dance pants with a silver sequin vest over a very “Sienfeldesque” shirt. It was totally gay (not that there’s anything wrong with that) but this is not what I expected! But I sucked it up and did it anyway.
Speeding through to the performance… only a select few were invited. And they laughed their ASSES OFF as I danced on stage. Not because it was funny-funny… but because it was funny that I was up there doing what I was doing and wearing what I was wearing. I guess it was kinda funny-funny. My sister videotaped it for prosperity. I think the tape mysteriously dissapeared.
I never put on my tap shoes after that day. Not once. I was retired.
On a side note… later in life I did perform on stage once again. This time as comic relief in two different plays in Hollywood. It’s never too late no matter what profession you had to settle with.
And that, as they say, is that. And now on to my writing life…
Read about my Tri-training here:
(TriathleteNut's Training Log Blog)
Here’s the story. It’s never been told in detail. Some may have heard bits and pieces. Others may have even witnessed it first hand live or on video, but none have really known the mindset of my tap dancing phase. Here is where you will finally hear the story.
Just released from prison, I had to decide which of my previous professions to return to - burglar or tap dancer. I dabbled with cat burglary but found fame and fortune in tap.
No, not really. If it was that glamorous I may have reason to maybe brag about the whole ordeal. Unfortunately that’s not the case. But it is the synopsis for Gregory Hines’ (may he rest in piece) movie, “TAP” and not my movie, “Glenn’s Life” (coming soon to a blog near you).
Back in the late 80s I was suffering through an ECON major at UCLA. I knew I’d eventually finish college with a degree I really didn’t want. There goes the entertainment field, I thought. And once in my life outside of highschool, I wanted to perform on stage. I knew I wouldn’t be able to nail a lead role in a play or anything and found a small dance studio in Glendale. I decided that I could be like Gregory Hines and make it as a tap dancer. I didn’t know anything about tap dancing and soon realized classic tap is not the style Gregory Hines was doing. But I figured it was a good base as I looked for jazz tap dancing studios. At least I’d get my feet wet.
This is when I commited to a stage performance put on by the dance studio. It was to be held at the Glendale Highschool Auditorium. It sounded like fun. I’d be performing on stage! And the small group of adult beginner tap students (which included me) chose a song to perform to. Unfortunately I had no say in the costume. I figured it’d be like Gregory Hines. Casual, cool, jazzy… you know… something I could be proud of.
That wasn’t the case. It was some tight tight baby blue dance pants with a silver sequin vest over a very “Sienfeldesque” shirt. It was totally gay (not that there’s anything wrong with that) but this is not what I expected! But I sucked it up and did it anyway.
Speeding through to the performance… only a select few were invited. And they laughed their ASSES OFF as I danced on stage. Not because it was funny-funny… but because it was funny that I was up there doing what I was doing and wearing what I was wearing. I guess it was kinda funny-funny. My sister videotaped it for prosperity. I think the tape mysteriously dissapeared.
I never put on my tap shoes after that day. Not once. I was retired.
On a side note… later in life I did perform on stage once again. This time as comic relief in two different plays in Hollywood. It’s never too late no matter what profession you had to settle with.
And that, as they say, is that. And now on to my writing life…
Read about my Tri-training here:
(TriathleteNut's Training Log Blog)
Thursday, February 02, 2006
The TriathleteNut's Training Blog...
Who's the TriathleteNut? That's me! And here's my training blog!
Training, training, training… I decided to create a blog dedicated to my training. My training logs can be found at www.beginnertriathlete.com but you have to be a registered member at the site. So here are my daily logs all into a RED blog. Red for passion. Or because it was the coolest template I’ve found.
These are the images I made to indicate the different stages of a triathlon.
Enjoy!
The TriathleteNut
Training, training, training… I decided to create a blog dedicated to my training. My training logs can be found at www.beginnertriathlete.com but you have to be a registered member at the site. So here are my daily logs all into a RED blog. Red for passion. Or because it was the coolest template I’ve found.
These are the images I made to indicate the different stages of a triathlon.
Enjoy!
The TriathleteNut
I love sports!!!
Am I the only one who can't wait for this? Baseball is my all time favorite sport. Out of all the sports packages to buy on DirecTV... Hockey, Football, Basketball... I always purchase the baseball package.
This means I can watch Baseball almost every night! Not that I sit there and watch, but its playing in the b.g. Maybe this is why Jake loves baseball more than any sport he plays.
Just hearing a game being called puts me into a comfortable mood. If it’s Vin Scully it is even better. It’s funny hearing other announcers from different stadiums talk about things like traffic getting to and from the stadium. Some announcers out there are so boring it’s amazing they have a job.
The Olympics need to happen on a yearly basis. This is another one of those sporting events that I relish and look forward to!
And once every year I have my Annual Superbowl Party!
Usually its just me and a couple of beers… and that’s not going to change much this year except a couple of beers may be just one beer.
The only question is... What will the beer be and who am I picking to win???
Here’s last year’s entry with the same question… (Last Year’s Superbowl Entry I chose Guiness Stout. Which was kinda heavy. This year it will be a light beer. Maybe Coors. Low in calories.
This will be SquintKid’s 6th Annual Superbowl Party! Whoo hoo!
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Adrenaline shots and Ironman competitions
Epinephrine—also called adrenaline—is a synthetic human hormone available as an orally inhaled, nonprescription drug to relieve temporary shortness of breath, chest tightness, and wheezing due to bronchial asthma. Epinephrine is also available as a prescription drug used by injection in emergencies, including acute asthma attacks and severe allergic reactions.
I had an adrenaline shot today due to some allergic reaction I had at the doctor’s office. I was jittery for about fifteen minutes, my heart raced and eventually I felt tired. It’s funny to see the nurse panic. I asked her if she was going to stick me in the leg. Images of Pulp Fiction and Uma Thurman getting stuck in the chest flashed in my head. Instead, the doctor told me to look away and take a breath and then he injected me in my arm.
I’m allergic to everything. I just had to live with it all my life. Hopefully I can get it under control now.
I’m on new medication which has helped me breath better. And I’ve noticed a difference in just five days. My workouts aren’t as much as a struggle, I’m not gasping for air as quickly as before, and it feels like I can go longer on my swims, rides and runs! It’s awesome. What a difference. It’s great news as far as my future as a Triathlete is concerned.
This weekend I was more convinced than ever that an Ironman competition is in my future. I will complete one someday. My hope is that I’ll get a spot in the Road to Kona Ironman Competition one year. That’s the one I want to do but it’s a lottery pick. So chances are slim. I need to qualify in other events prior to it. My goal is the Road to Kona 2008. Two years. Which means 2007 I’ll have to do some other Ironman competitions.
And so it goes- adrenaline shots and Ironman competitions. The life of Glenn.
I had an adrenaline shot today due to some allergic reaction I had at the doctor’s office. I was jittery for about fifteen minutes, my heart raced and eventually I felt tired. It’s funny to see the nurse panic. I asked her if she was going to stick me in the leg. Images of Pulp Fiction and Uma Thurman getting stuck in the chest flashed in my head. Instead, the doctor told me to look away and take a breath and then he injected me in my arm.
I’m allergic to everything. I just had to live with it all my life. Hopefully I can get it under control now.
I’m on new medication which has helped me breath better. And I’ve noticed a difference in just five days. My workouts aren’t as much as a struggle, I’m not gasping for air as quickly as before, and it feels like I can go longer on my swims, rides and runs! It’s awesome. What a difference. It’s great news as far as my future as a Triathlete is concerned.
This weekend I was more convinced than ever that an Ironman competition is in my future. I will complete one someday. My hope is that I’ll get a spot in the Road to Kona Ironman Competition one year. That’s the one I want to do but it’s a lottery pick. So chances are slim. I need to qualify in other events prior to it. My goal is the Road to Kona 2008. Two years. Which means 2007 I’ll have to do some other Ironman competitions.
And so it goes- adrenaline shots and Ironman competitions. The life of Glenn.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Another great weekend come and gone
Don’t you hate that?
We tried to see "Nanny McPhee" yesterday but 777film.com screwed us on the movie time(also called MoviePhone and as the url on the webpage shows movies.aol.com). I’ve been screwed up three times now using the Internet for movie times. Two times using Yahoo and yesterday using that stupid website - 777film.com. AMC theater customer service told us to use their website next time which is what we’ll do.
So no movie for us. But we ate a great Japanese Restaurant in Burbank called, Kabuki. Jake likes Yellow Tail Sushi! YUM. That’s my boy!
On Saturday Night we ate at BCD Tofu House in Korea Town. It was awesome! So this weekend was filled with good food. Which meant I needed to work out harder. Which I did starting on Friday night.
It was a great food weekend with three days of solid workouts as well!
Which leads me to Triathlon nervousness.
Just think… I came off the couch less two months ago and decided to train for a Triathlon. I ran 3 miles for the first time in SIX years. Six years ago I did a three mile ‘cheat’ around the rose bowl when Donna was pregnant with Jake. We were trying to ‘walk him out’ of her belly! We cut the parking lot a little more than half way through so I didn’t actually run it. I walked it. And it wasn't three miles. I bought a road bike and got on it a couple of times so far. The last time I got on a bike was NINE years ago when I raced my BMX bike on BMX tracks around SoCal. And the last time I had a recreational swim was in my dad’s small pool back in 2004. Little did I know I had to relearn the way I knew how to swim in order to actually have endurance to do more than ONE lap in a 25 meter pool!
And now…
It’s thirteen days before my first Triathlon. I’m cutting it real close! I managed to do 10 miles on the bike for the first time on Saturday in forty minutes. How am I going to find time to put more miles on the bike in thirteen days? It’s going to be tough! I’ll have to ride on my trainer while the kids are asleep. Swimming is okay. Not great. But okay. On Friday I did 500 meters and on Sunday I did 300 meters in fourteen minutes with no fins. I think I could do 100 yards in four minutes or less but I’m still struggling with technique and it affects my stamina. When my technique feels good I’m gliding, when I find myself trying too hard to find the right stroke, I’m tiring and have to swim on my side or back for a few meters in order to relax and get back into it. I can run 3 miles in under 30 minutes if I need to but I can’t tire my legs out too much before I get on the bike.
So… my goal is to finish this Triathlon (5K RUN/10MI BIKE/100YD SWIM) in less than an hour and fifteen minutes. 30 min run + 40 min bike + 4 min swim = 114 minutes or an hour and fourteen minutes!
But that doesn’t take into account I’ll be doing three sports all in a row. Yikes!
That also doesn’t take into account my transition times - getting my bike gear, bike shoes and running the bike out of T1, then tossing my helmet, gloves, shoes and socks off while putting my swim goggles on the way to the pool after T2.
I’m so nervous. I’ve had nightmares about not packing my gear the night before and scrambling to figure out what to bring the morning of the Triathlon. I need to learn how to change a flat tire before the 12th. And on the 12th I need to leave the house by 5:00 AM to get there for registration. I’ve had dreams of not finding my bike during the transition. I’ve had nightmares of reaching for my water bottle while on the bike and finding an empty bottle cage.
I'm sure the nightmares will continue even as I get more experience in Triathlons. But till then... I need to focus on the 13 days as I approach the start of the race!
We tried to see "Nanny McPhee" yesterday but 777film.com screwed us on the movie time(also called MoviePhone and as the url on the webpage shows movies.aol.com). I’ve been screwed up three times now using the Internet for movie times. Two times using Yahoo and yesterday using that stupid website - 777film.com. AMC theater customer service told us to use their website next time which is what we’ll do.
So no movie for us. But we ate a great Japanese Restaurant in Burbank called, Kabuki. Jake likes Yellow Tail Sushi! YUM. That’s my boy!
On Saturday Night we ate at BCD Tofu House in Korea Town. It was awesome! So this weekend was filled with good food. Which meant I needed to work out harder. Which I did starting on Friday night.
It was a great food weekend with three days of solid workouts as well!
Which leads me to Triathlon nervousness.
Just think… I came off the couch less two months ago and decided to train for a Triathlon. I ran 3 miles for the first time in SIX years. Six years ago I did a three mile ‘cheat’ around the rose bowl when Donna was pregnant with Jake. We were trying to ‘walk him out’ of her belly! We cut the parking lot a little more than half way through so I didn’t actually run it. I walked it. And it wasn't three miles. I bought a road bike and got on it a couple of times so far. The last time I got on a bike was NINE years ago when I raced my BMX bike on BMX tracks around SoCal. And the last time I had a recreational swim was in my dad’s small pool back in 2004. Little did I know I had to relearn the way I knew how to swim in order to actually have endurance to do more than ONE lap in a 25 meter pool!
And now…
It’s thirteen days before my first Triathlon. I’m cutting it real close! I managed to do 10 miles on the bike for the first time on Saturday in forty minutes. How am I going to find time to put more miles on the bike in thirteen days? It’s going to be tough! I’ll have to ride on my trainer while the kids are asleep. Swimming is okay. Not great. But okay. On Friday I did 500 meters and on Sunday I did 300 meters in fourteen minutes with no fins. I think I could do 100 yards in four minutes or less but I’m still struggling with technique and it affects my stamina. When my technique feels good I’m gliding, when I find myself trying too hard to find the right stroke, I’m tiring and have to swim on my side or back for a few meters in order to relax and get back into it. I can run 3 miles in under 30 minutes if I need to but I can’t tire my legs out too much before I get on the bike.
So… my goal is to finish this Triathlon (5K RUN/10MI BIKE/100YD SWIM) in less than an hour and fifteen minutes. 30 min run + 40 min bike + 4 min swim = 114 minutes or an hour and fourteen minutes!
But that doesn’t take into account I’ll be doing three sports all in a row. Yikes!
That also doesn’t take into account my transition times - getting my bike gear, bike shoes and running the bike out of T1, then tossing my helmet, gloves, shoes and socks off while putting my swim goggles on the way to the pool after T2.
I’m so nervous. I’ve had nightmares about not packing my gear the night before and scrambling to figure out what to bring the morning of the Triathlon. I need to learn how to change a flat tire before the 12th. And on the 12th I need to leave the house by 5:00 AM to get there for registration. I’ve had dreams of not finding my bike during the transition. I’ve had nightmares of reaching for my water bottle while on the bike and finding an empty bottle cage.
I'm sure the nightmares will continue even as I get more experience in Triathlons. But till then... I need to focus on the 13 days as I approach the start of the race!
Sunday, January 29, 2006
New Helmet, New Glasses, a Tri Seat and Aerobars!
I finally got a new helmet. I don’t know why I waited so long. I was squeezing my head into an XS, which wasn’t too bad, but my size is S. Yes, I should have been thinking about my safety first. XS was tight around the temples but it would have protected me if I fell. My hat size is not that big and I’m probably in between the XS and S. The S is obviously more comfortable and I’m glad I bought it. It looks cool too! It’s a Pneumo by Giro. ($128 on Sale! Reg: $159)
I also had to purchase sunglasses that don’t slide down my face when I bike or run. I was using my driving glasses and that just didn’t cut it. So I got some Oakley Half Jacket’s for $105. I already have a pair of Oakely M-Frames with a clear lens but it’s an older model (1997) and the new lenses don’t fit on it for some reason. So I can wear those on the non-bright days. But the Half Jackets are nice. ($105)
Also, I was able to install my Tri Seat and test it out. The seat added more ‘room’ to move and also a tip that was more comfortable – especially when hammering down on the cranks while in an ‘aero’ position. I tend to scoot up to the very front of the seat or tip as I do this and it is uncomfortable to say the least. The Tri Seat added comfort as I got into this position and it is made to dry the pad of your TriSuit after a swim. ($60 on sale! Reg: $80)
And finally I dared to install the Aerobars which I’ve had for a while. Getting to and from the Aerobars was a little scary. I literally have to inch my way into them and out of them as I bike for fear of losing control as I let go of the bars. And if I’m pedaling at the same time, I go ‘squirly’ so I stop pedaling. Then I resume and tuck in to see how fast I can get without getting too scared. I managed to hit a top speed of 27 mph on Saturday on a very slight decent at the Rose Bowl. ($60 on sale! Reg: $98)
Now all I need are legs and I’m set. (I'll pay full price + for those!)
I also had to purchase sunglasses that don’t slide down my face when I bike or run. I was using my driving glasses and that just didn’t cut it. So I got some Oakley Half Jacket’s for $105. I already have a pair of Oakely M-Frames with a clear lens but it’s an older model (1997) and the new lenses don’t fit on it for some reason. So I can wear those on the non-bright days. But the Half Jackets are nice. ($105)
Also, I was able to install my Tri Seat and test it out. The seat added more ‘room’ to move and also a tip that was more comfortable – especially when hammering down on the cranks while in an ‘aero’ position. I tend to scoot up to the very front of the seat or tip as I do this and it is uncomfortable to say the least. The Tri Seat added comfort as I got into this position and it is made to dry the pad of your TriSuit after a swim. ($60 on sale! Reg: $80)
And finally I dared to install the Aerobars which I’ve had for a while. Getting to and from the Aerobars was a little scary. I literally have to inch my way into them and out of them as I bike for fear of losing control as I let go of the bars. And if I’m pedaling at the same time, I go ‘squirly’ so I stop pedaling. Then I resume and tuck in to see how fast I can get without getting too scared. I managed to hit a top speed of 27 mph on Saturday on a very slight decent at the Rose Bowl. ($60 on sale! Reg: $98)
Now all I need are legs and I’m set. (I'll pay full price + for those!)
Friday, January 27, 2006
It’s all my fault…
It’s hard to see your child in pain. It’s hard to see the trepidation and fear in his face and hear it in his voice when he asks, "is that it? Is there anymore?" after a shot in his arm. And you have to say, "yes… four more..." - which is only a disguise because there’s actually THIRTY TWO needles on four trays. One shot is bad enough. 4 x 8 shots is torture for a five year old boy with skinny little arms. In the case of allergy testing, it’s a set of FOUR trays with eight needles on each tray. A total of 32 shots per se.
And that's where we were for two hours yesterday afternoon. The allergist.
It started with a test on his arm - the normal area for a shot. It was one poke of two little needles. He cried in pain. I too had the same test yesterday. It felt like the sting of a bee. When the doctor saw that his skin reacted "correctly" to the shot they took a pen and drew four areas (or panels) on his forearms and labeled them ABC&D. Each area would be ‘poked’ with a panel of eight needles and the reaction would show different types of things he was allergic to.
They pressed the first two panels on his biceps and he cried in pain – Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow… Eight tiny needles poked into his left bicep and eight tiny needles into his right. All at the same time! It wasn’t a horrific cry of pain but it was horrific for me – a parent seeing his child in pain and unable to do anything to ease it.
Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow...
And then two more panels were pressed simultaneously onto his left and right forearms. Poor guy.
Bella watched with concern. Thankful she didn't have to. But she probably will when she's five.
And its ALL MY FAULT. I have the allergies. I have asthma. And those traits have been passed down to him and Bella.
All my life I’ve suffered.
And now we have to decide whether or not for Jake to have a weekly allergy shot. SIXTY THREE in one year. Then one a month for the next three to five years.
We have to weigh the pros – his ability to live a normal life without reaction to things he’s allergic to, and the cons – the risk of something happening during his treatment. They keep the kids in their office for thirty minutes after being given a shot to make sure they don’t have a bad reaction. It could result in something bad – but we were told only 5% chance. Why risk even that chance on your most prized and beloved possession???
These treatments will NOT cure the allergies – but they will control them. The shots actually are an injection of what you are allergic to. Low doses that your body gets use to. And eventually high doses – the ones you are around like dust, grass, pollen, food – will not do you harm.
I’ll be getting the same test done next Tuesday. I’m a bit nervous about getting poked like Jacob did… but he did it. And I’m so proud of him. Now its my turn.
He’s allergic to peanuts – as we found out in a very frightful night. Also he’s allergic to all the dusts and grass and even oranges! And he loves oranges!!!
In the end he asked – and this is enough to make his UNCLE JAMES CRY LIKE THE GIRL THAT HE IS… “Can I play with Maddie now?” (Uncle James and Jenny’s dog)
How sad, huh?
Hopefully… yes he can.
Here are a few pics of the very traumatic event.
If you are an Allergist you better be nice and cool, because what kids have to go through, you don’t want them to hate you even more because of your bedside manners.
And our doctor is totally cool. The nurses are great and the office is extremely kid-friendly. Even I like going there!
And that's where we were for two hours yesterday afternoon. The allergist.
It started with a test on his arm - the normal area for a shot. It was one poke of two little needles. He cried in pain. I too had the same test yesterday. It felt like the sting of a bee. When the doctor saw that his skin reacted "correctly" to the shot they took a pen and drew four areas (or panels) on his forearms and labeled them ABC&D. Each area would be ‘poked’ with a panel of eight needles and the reaction would show different types of things he was allergic to.
They pressed the first two panels on his biceps and he cried in pain – Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow… Eight tiny needles poked into his left bicep and eight tiny needles into his right. All at the same time! It wasn’t a horrific cry of pain but it was horrific for me – a parent seeing his child in pain and unable to do anything to ease it.
Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow...
And then two more panels were pressed simultaneously onto his left and right forearms. Poor guy.
Bella watched with concern. Thankful she didn't have to. But she probably will when she's five.
And its ALL MY FAULT. I have the allergies. I have asthma. And those traits have been passed down to him and Bella.
All my life I’ve suffered.
And now we have to decide whether or not for Jake to have a weekly allergy shot. SIXTY THREE in one year. Then one a month for the next three to five years.
We have to weigh the pros – his ability to live a normal life without reaction to things he’s allergic to, and the cons – the risk of something happening during his treatment. They keep the kids in their office for thirty minutes after being given a shot to make sure they don’t have a bad reaction. It could result in something bad – but we were told only 5% chance. Why risk even that chance on your most prized and beloved possession???
These treatments will NOT cure the allergies – but they will control them. The shots actually are an injection of what you are allergic to. Low doses that your body gets use to. And eventually high doses – the ones you are around like dust, grass, pollen, food – will not do you harm.
I’ll be getting the same test done next Tuesday. I’m a bit nervous about getting poked like Jacob did… but he did it. And I’m so proud of him. Now its my turn.
He’s allergic to peanuts – as we found out in a very frightful night. Also he’s allergic to all the dusts and grass and even oranges! And he loves oranges!!!
In the end he asked – and this is enough to make his UNCLE JAMES CRY LIKE THE GIRL THAT HE IS… “Can I play with Maddie now?” (Uncle James and Jenny’s dog)
How sad, huh?
Hopefully… yes he can.
Here are a few pics of the very traumatic event.
If you are an Allergist you better be nice and cool, because what kids have to go through, you don’t want them to hate you even more because of your bedside manners.
And our doctor is totally cool. The nurses are great and the office is extremely kid-friendly. Even I like going there!
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
I'm committed...
It’s official. I’m signed up for my first Triathlon event. The 7th Annual Redlands Triathlon/Duathlon & 5K Run/Walk. So no turning back now. I’m committed. Every day I’m more nervous than the last. But I’m so looking forward to it.
And after that, it’s serious training for another Sprint Triathlon in May in beautiful San Diego with an open water swim! I’m really looking forward to that one! It’s the Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon! (Jenny and James may need to put us up for a couple of days!)
In June I’m looking forward to the Redondo Beach Sprint Triathlon.
And in July I want to do a relay Sprint Triathlon with my cousin and his son in Sacramento. The July TRI for FUN Sprint Triathlon.
So my calendar is filled!
And after that, it’s serious training for another Sprint Triathlon in May in beautiful San Diego with an open water swim! I’m really looking forward to that one! It’s the Xterra Wetsuits Spring Sprint Triathlon! (Jenny and James may need to put us up for a couple of days!)
In June I’m looking forward to the Redondo Beach Sprint Triathlon.
And in July I want to do a relay Sprint Triathlon with my cousin and his son in Sacramento. The July TRI for FUN Sprint Triathlon.
So my calendar is filled!
Rewrite motivation
Again I’m awake. But this time it’s 4:30 AM. Three and a half hours of sleep.
Why did I get to bed so late?
Well, last night I went through some script notes by a trusted online friend that ripped one of my scripts apart. It’s been about four years since I last read them – maybe more. But boy, was it harsh (in a constructive way) and totally on the money. He picked through all the holes and focused on everything he didn’t like in the script. First prefacing the critique with his opinion and respect for me as a writer and then going for my throat. It’s what I asked him to do. I told him to tear it apart. It was THE BEST analysis of the script I’ve ever received. It wasn’t sugar coated, it wasn’t just an overall view, it was a detailed dissection of the script and everything that DID NOT work. He did point out the things he liked but really didn’t focus on them. Everything else worked… it was what he pointed out that didn’t - and he pointed out a lot.
I think that’s one reason I put the script aside. It was just too much work
I recently read the script. It’s okay. It’s doable. It’s simple and if someone wanted to shoot it, it’s probably ready to go. But its not as good as it should be.
Two different parties have shown interest in it this year. Yet I have yet to get motivated to start on the rewrite passing the script off as ‘good enough.’ Well… it isn’t. So after reading the critique once again it made me feel like Charlie Kaufman in “Adaptation” where he utters his mantra, “I am fat, I am old, I am bald, I am repulsive, I can’t write.”
Except I’m not bald.
Last night I sat through and rewrote for two and a half hours making it to page 36 of the 100+ page feature. It felt good. It felt right. It felt different to be eight years removed from the original 1998 Chesterfield Fellowship Semi-Finalist script - which I wrote at age thirty - to be thirty eight years old and really seeing the characters in a completely different light. Instead of writing the characters to meet my age, social status, career and view of the future, I’m able to push them back to College years where finishing college is a very important goal, the future is not career but passing a class, and true love is still a concept. Along the way you find love, you suffer from heartbreak and you see your best friends start their future. It makes the characters more identifiable to more people. They are less set in their ways and more spontaneous, love sick, romantic and desperate. It felt good. It made me want to stay home and write – which I haven’t been inclined to do lately.
So the writing will continue.
I feel like a writer once again.
Prior to my rewriting I had a great workout!!!
So on to…
TRI-TRAINING NEWS…
My legs were still fatigued from Monday night’s hard run so I did a very easy 30 minute 2.5 miles. I’m talking easy, easy, easy. I built up a good sweat, my heart rate was around Zone 3 as a guess, but it didn’t matter. I was going for time versus miles. And all the way to the gym I kept trying to come up with an excuse to head back home.
I headed upstairs to do weight training and decided to push my sets to three instead of two. Last week I added ten more pounds to my weights on most of my sets. So I’m doing an extra set with more weight now. It’s awesome. It felt so damn good to walk out of the gym exhausted. It was a very leg-intensive workout as well. They were sore. I’m also trying to do a short core workout every time I go to the gym even if it’s not my core training day.
I haven’t logged any swim time in a while mostly because I’ve been too lazy to do the whole, change into swim clothes, get wet, get dry, change to workout clothes, run and do weights. But I’m motivated to do that tomorrow, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’m aiming for four straight days of swim time!
IN X-BOX ADDICTION NEWS…
I love FIFA 06.
Jake is okay with it. He’d like it better if it was easier to score. He’s pretty good on the defensive end so that’s a plus for me. I let him score from time to time and one goal per game is enough to keep him interested. Sometimes he’s able to get a goal on his own which is good. Giving him a one goal lead presses me to try and find a way to score one on my. If I can get at least a tie we go into the penalty shot mode as a tie breaker - which is fun. This game is absolutely fun. It’s one of my favorite games. The only problem is that it is incredibly hard to score. I can get several shots off, I’ve figured out all the passing and ball handling techniques, but I just can’t figure out how to place my shots with accuracy.
This is a serious challenge and one of X-Box’s best games to ever come out!
Why did I get to bed so late?
Well, last night I went through some script notes by a trusted online friend that ripped one of my scripts apart. It’s been about four years since I last read them – maybe more. But boy, was it harsh (in a constructive way) and totally on the money. He picked through all the holes and focused on everything he didn’t like in the script. First prefacing the critique with his opinion and respect for me as a writer and then going for my throat. It’s what I asked him to do. I told him to tear it apart. It was THE BEST analysis of the script I’ve ever received. It wasn’t sugar coated, it wasn’t just an overall view, it was a detailed dissection of the script and everything that DID NOT work. He did point out the things he liked but really didn’t focus on them. Everything else worked… it was what he pointed out that didn’t - and he pointed out a lot.
I think that’s one reason I put the script aside. It was just too much work
I recently read the script. It’s okay. It’s doable. It’s simple and if someone wanted to shoot it, it’s probably ready to go. But its not as good as it should be.
Two different parties have shown interest in it this year. Yet I have yet to get motivated to start on the rewrite passing the script off as ‘good enough.’ Well… it isn’t. So after reading the critique once again it made me feel like Charlie Kaufman in “Adaptation” where he utters his mantra, “I am fat, I am old, I am bald, I am repulsive, I can’t write.”
Except I’m not bald.
Last night I sat through and rewrote for two and a half hours making it to page 36 of the 100+ page feature. It felt good. It felt right. It felt different to be eight years removed from the original 1998 Chesterfield Fellowship Semi-Finalist script - which I wrote at age thirty - to be thirty eight years old and really seeing the characters in a completely different light. Instead of writing the characters to meet my age, social status, career and view of the future, I’m able to push them back to College years where finishing college is a very important goal, the future is not career but passing a class, and true love is still a concept. Along the way you find love, you suffer from heartbreak and you see your best friends start their future. It makes the characters more identifiable to more people. They are less set in their ways and more spontaneous, love sick, romantic and desperate. It felt good. It made me want to stay home and write – which I haven’t been inclined to do lately.
So the writing will continue.
I feel like a writer once again.
Prior to my rewriting I had a great workout!!!
So on to…
TRI-TRAINING NEWS…
My legs were still fatigued from Monday night’s hard run so I did a very easy 30 minute 2.5 miles. I’m talking easy, easy, easy. I built up a good sweat, my heart rate was around Zone 3 as a guess, but it didn’t matter. I was going for time versus miles. And all the way to the gym I kept trying to come up with an excuse to head back home.
I headed upstairs to do weight training and decided to push my sets to three instead of two. Last week I added ten more pounds to my weights on most of my sets. So I’m doing an extra set with more weight now. It’s awesome. It felt so damn good to walk out of the gym exhausted. It was a very leg-intensive workout as well. They were sore. I’m also trying to do a short core workout every time I go to the gym even if it’s not my core training day.
I haven’t logged any swim time in a while mostly because I’ve been too lazy to do the whole, change into swim clothes, get wet, get dry, change to workout clothes, run and do weights. But I’m motivated to do that tomorrow, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’m aiming for four straight days of swim time!
IN X-BOX ADDICTION NEWS…
I love FIFA 06.
Jake is okay with it. He’d like it better if it was easier to score. He’s pretty good on the defensive end so that’s a plus for me. I let him score from time to time and one goal per game is enough to keep him interested. Sometimes he’s able to get a goal on his own which is good. Giving him a one goal lead presses me to try and find a way to score one on my. If I can get at least a tie we go into the penalty shot mode as a tie breaker - which is fun. This game is absolutely fun. It’s one of my favorite games. The only problem is that it is incredibly hard to score. I can get several shots off, I’ve figured out all the passing and ball handling techniques, but I just can’t figure out how to place my shots with accuracy.
This is a serious challenge and one of X-Box’s best games to ever come out!
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Why do people have weather vains?
-It just wakes people up at night.
"Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I say it's all right." -The Beatles
I’m sitting in bed at 4:45 in the morning because I can’t sleep. I’m not a sound sleeper. With medication that problem could be fixed. There’s probably a technical or scientific name for it. Let’s just call it paranoia.
Every noise in the night is something to investigate. Every noise, even the smallest bit of one, wakes me. I can hear Jake move in his room because his ‘doggie’ rattles quietly. Bella talks in her sleep and when she does I lay there frozen, waiting to hear her call for me. And when she doesn’t call I go check on her anyway. If Jake sneezes it immediately puts me into nosebleed readiness. If Bella coughs I’m ready to get her water. I sleep a little more sound when Donna is home. But three nights a week I’m ‘on call’. There’s nobody to nudge and ask, “Can you check on them?”
Last night Bella was talking in her sleep. It was 12:45 AM. I went to check on her and she was at the foot of her bed sound asleep. I moved her up to her pillow and tucked her in. 2:00 AM Jake heard something – I heard it first. It’s our neighbor’s WEATHER VANE that spins and whistles when the wind blows. “Papa?” He didn’t even need to ask. I told him it was the wind. At 4:30 he needed to pee. Thus ended my night.
In nearly six years I can’t remember the last time I slept sound through the night.
IN TRI-TRAINING NEWS...
The New Year's Report about gym memberships is right. January is the month for new memberships due to the whole New Year’s Resolution thing. And yes, the gym has been packed!!! By March nobody will be there. But man, there are a ton of people at the gym in January.
Despite the crowd I managed to find ONE treadmill available at 7:45 PM. I had a great overall workout last night. I ran 2.5 miles at a fast pace to see how long I could last in Zone 5 of my heart rate: 164-182 bpm. Within four minutes I was there. At the twelve minute mark I was above Zone 5 and I stayed past my Maximum bpm for the remainder of the run peaking at 201 bpm finishing the 2.5 miles in 24:15 - a 9:66 mile average. My recovery was quite fast tough which is good. I know I can do the run on Feb 12th and get on the bike without too much fatigue. Then I did some serious core training for an hour using a Swiss Ball and weights then called it a night. It felt good to go all out!
I think my body is getting use to my night workouts. I was reading a magazine in bed and my eyes could not focus after a while. I dozed off with my light on. The sleep felt good. Unfortunately it lasted only a couple of hours before I had to do the nightly checks. I may have gone all night with a sound sleep.
The “SUN” from The Gilded Tarot deck.
The Beatles - "Here Comes the Sun"
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right
Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right
Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right
It's all right
"Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I say it's all right." -The Beatles
I’m sitting in bed at 4:45 in the morning because I can’t sleep. I’m not a sound sleeper. With medication that problem could be fixed. There’s probably a technical or scientific name for it. Let’s just call it paranoia.
Every noise in the night is something to investigate. Every noise, even the smallest bit of one, wakes me. I can hear Jake move in his room because his ‘doggie’ rattles quietly. Bella talks in her sleep and when she does I lay there frozen, waiting to hear her call for me. And when she doesn’t call I go check on her anyway. If Jake sneezes it immediately puts me into nosebleed readiness. If Bella coughs I’m ready to get her water. I sleep a little more sound when Donna is home. But three nights a week I’m ‘on call’. There’s nobody to nudge and ask, “Can you check on them?”
Last night Bella was talking in her sleep. It was 12:45 AM. I went to check on her and she was at the foot of her bed sound asleep. I moved her up to her pillow and tucked her in. 2:00 AM Jake heard something – I heard it first. It’s our neighbor’s WEATHER VANE that spins and whistles when the wind blows. “Papa?” He didn’t even need to ask. I told him it was the wind. At 4:30 he needed to pee. Thus ended my night.
In nearly six years I can’t remember the last time I slept sound through the night.
IN TRI-TRAINING NEWS...
The New Year's Report about gym memberships is right. January is the month for new memberships due to the whole New Year’s Resolution thing. And yes, the gym has been packed!!! By March nobody will be there. But man, there are a ton of people at the gym in January.
Despite the crowd I managed to find ONE treadmill available at 7:45 PM. I had a great overall workout last night. I ran 2.5 miles at a fast pace to see how long I could last in Zone 5 of my heart rate: 164-182 bpm. Within four minutes I was there. At the twelve minute mark I was above Zone 5 and I stayed past my Maximum bpm for the remainder of the run peaking at 201 bpm finishing the 2.5 miles in 24:15 - a 9:66 mile average. My recovery was quite fast tough which is good. I know I can do the run on Feb 12th and get on the bike without too much fatigue. Then I did some serious core training for an hour using a Swiss Ball and weights then called it a night. It felt good to go all out!
I think my body is getting use to my night workouts. I was reading a magazine in bed and my eyes could not focus after a while. I dozed off with my light on. The sleep felt good. Unfortunately it lasted only a couple of hours before I had to do the nightly checks. I may have gone all night with a sound sleep.
The “SUN” from The Gilded Tarot deck.
The Beatles - "Here Comes the Sun"
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right
Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right
Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right
It's all right
Monday, January 23, 2006
Couch Potato Stuff
I was a little disappointed that I missed the first episode of “Emily’s Reasons Why Not” on ABC. A show based on the best selling book by Carrie Gerlach. I didn’t read the book, nor do I think the book’s premise sounds that interesting. But with Heather Graham in the staring role, I figured it could be a decent series. Possibly a prime time version of “Sex in the City” without all the cuss words and sex edited out as they do in “Sex in the City” syndications.
But I guess I didn’t miss much as the TV show is cancelled. With 6 episodes ‘in the can’, ABC does not want to market the show anymore because they don’t think they can get viewers to watch it. There was a ton of pre marketing that was done. But after seeing the first episode they realized it wasn’t a show worthy of any more time and money. Yet there are still billboards around town advertising the show - an already cancelled show at that. Hollywood is weird. Apparently the studio never saw the first script and only saw the show after it was aired (as reported on the news this morning). Yeah right. How is that at all possible? Too bad. Too sad.
“Scrubs” better get Heather Graham back on board because she was great on that show.
“Battlestar Galactica” wasn’t that great this past episode. I was looking forward to more action and drama. It was more drama. After last week’s episode, you’d expect more. But they pulled back a little and went with a theme all too common in our daily lives lately – terrorism. It definitely was a glimpse to tons of complications to come. I thought we were going to lose Mary McDonnell’s character this week. I’m glad we didn’t.
Did I miss the season premiere of “24”? I watched the two hour episode from this past week. Hours 9:00 thru 11:00. Apparently I missed the first two hours. I need to set the SAVE UNTIL I DELETE option for this show on TiVo. I guess I know what’s going on based on the recap portion, but still, some things are a little unclear. It was a very high intense episode though. Just like all of them are. What a fun show to watch!
If only I didn’t have to sit through the crap that is “Desperate Housewives” before “Grey’s Anatomy” comes on, Sunday nights would be great TV. I only sit through it because Donna watches it and then “Grey’s Anatomy” comes on and we watch that together. This is one of the best shows on TV. The writing is great! It’s the one show Donna and I tend to watch together. The characters, story, medical drama stuff – its not ER intense but intense enough. It’s definitely driven by character romance. A perfect place for it too. A hospital where Seattle is the backdrop.
And I knew this would happen after episode one of this season – That 70s Show is being cancelled after its finale in May. Yeah, the show, one I considered the best comedy on TV at one time, really really sucked this season. It’s so bad it’s hard to watch. Yet I still force myself to sit through the mess since I’m a dedicated fan. Unfortunately, they need to get rid of it. There wasn’t even a ‘jump the shark’ episode. But maybe there will be one just to go through the process of a show dying. I think maybe the crew should take a road trip to Los Angeles and have Fez really jump the shark in the Pacific Ocean. A Tribute show to Happy Days and the historic show that eventually coined the phrase of ‘jump the shark’ as the show where a series eventually starts to die.
Other shows of note that I’m still watching…
American Idol
How I met Your Mother
Two And a Half Men
Scrubs
My Name is Earl (where production just stopped because Jason Lee has chicken pox which is very dangerous for an adult)
Show’s I’m waiting for to start up again…
Over There
The Sopranos
Curb your Enthusiasm
Survivor
Big Brother
But I guess I didn’t miss much as the TV show is cancelled. With 6 episodes ‘in the can’, ABC does not want to market the show anymore because they don’t think they can get viewers to watch it. There was a ton of pre marketing that was done. But after seeing the first episode they realized it wasn’t a show worthy of any more time and money. Yet there are still billboards around town advertising the show - an already cancelled show at that. Hollywood is weird. Apparently the studio never saw the first script and only saw the show after it was aired (as reported on the news this morning). Yeah right. How is that at all possible? Too bad. Too sad.
“Scrubs” better get Heather Graham back on board because she was great on that show.
“Battlestar Galactica” wasn’t that great this past episode. I was looking forward to more action and drama. It was more drama. After last week’s episode, you’d expect more. But they pulled back a little and went with a theme all too common in our daily lives lately – terrorism. It definitely was a glimpse to tons of complications to come. I thought we were going to lose Mary McDonnell’s character this week. I’m glad we didn’t.Did I miss the season premiere of “24”? I watched the two hour episode from this past week. Hours 9:00 thru 11:00. Apparently I missed the first two hours. I need to set the SAVE UNTIL I DELETE option for this show on TiVo. I guess I know what’s going on based on the recap portion, but still, some things are a little unclear. It was a very high intense episode though. Just like all of them are. What a fun show to watch!If only I didn’t have to sit through the crap that is “Desperate Housewives” before “Grey’s Anatomy” comes on, Sunday nights would be great TV. I only sit through it because Donna watches it and then “Grey’s Anatomy” comes on and we watch that together. This is one of the best shows on TV. The writing is great! It’s the one show Donna and I tend to watch together. The characters, story, medical drama stuff – its not ER intense but intense enough. It’s definitely driven by character romance. A perfect place for it too. A hospital where Seattle is the backdrop.And I knew this would happen after episode one of this season – That 70s Show is being cancelled after its finale in May. Yeah, the show, one I considered the best comedy on TV at one time, really really sucked this season. It’s so bad it’s hard to watch. Yet I still force myself to sit through the mess since I’m a dedicated fan. Unfortunately, they need to get rid of it. There wasn’t even a ‘jump the shark’ episode. But maybe there will be one just to go through the process of a show dying. I think maybe the crew should take a road trip to Los Angeles and have Fez really jump the shark in the Pacific Ocean. A Tribute show to Happy Days and the historic show that eventually coined the phrase of ‘jump the shark’ as the show where a series eventually starts to die.Other shows of note that I’m still watching…
American Idol
How I met Your Mother
Two And a Half Men
Scrubs
My Name is Earl (where production just stopped because Jason Lee has chicken pox which is very dangerous for an adult)
Show’s I’m waiting for to start up again…
Over There
The Sopranos
Curb your Enthusiasm
Survivor
Big Brother
Sunday, January 22, 2006
I hate Sunday nights!
Mensa Quiz of the Day answer below…
Sunday nights… I’ve learned to hate em. Sometimes it comes and goes and you don’t realize it, but when you have a great weekend and then Sunday night comes and you realize it’s almost over, it’s hard to let go of the past two days. You don’t want the day or the night to end. At least I don’t. Because after a great weekend, going to work on Monday morning is not the way to cap it all off. To solve this problem, Monday should be a day of rest and relaxations. I bet everyone agrees.
I hung out at work Friday just to get some confirmation on charges for AICD’s we perform at the hospital. The boss wasn’t in all afternoon so I did some preliminary calculations on charges and costs and reran a full years worth of data. I discovered different issues in this analysis versus the one I did in August. Which means more work for someone else who needs to correct the problem(s). But who wants to hear about that?
I got home on Friday night and was completely worn out. Two hours of sleep the night before, a long day at work, and Friday night traffic. We had a quick easy “Griller” hamburger dinner and I got the kids to bed at 7:00. I was in bed at 7:30 and was out like a light.
1:00 AM… Jacob peed in his bed. I swear he went to the bathroom before bed but maybe not. So I got him changed and he crawled into bed with me. 4:00 AM… Jacob peed in my bed. WHAT THE HELL?!?! I got him clothes, put a towel on the small wet spot and told him to get changed and get back to sleep. I was a complete zombie during all this.
And Saturday morning I think the kids hit a record on sleeping in. Jake woke up at 7:15 and Bella woke up at 7:45. Donna got back from work at 8:45 and Jake and I raced to his baseball tryouts.
It was packed. And he was the smallest one out there. I was a little nervous until I saw him out there on his own doing what he does best – making the coaches think ‘who’s that little kid out performing the big kids’. Yeah, his bat isn’t as strong as the others, but he was hitting every ball that came his way and never flinched, never blinked and ALWAYS kept his eye on the ball. He charged the ball and stepped and threw. There was a lot of praise from the coaches who were evaluating the kids.
Two hours of baseball and we went to the Galleria for pretzels and sunglass shopping.
We played video games when we got home and then we took a nap. My dad took Bella to church so it was Donna sleeping and Jake and I joining her at around 1:00.
Later that night we went to my sister’s house for a baby shower and stayed up late. It was fun.
Sunday we all went to the Rose Bowl. Jake biked while I ran the 3.1 miles. After many stops because he was tired, we finally finished in 34 minutes. Not bad. Especially after a pace of walking as he biked up the incline.
We visited the bike store to get him some hand brakes, went to the Montrose Farmer’s Market and came for naps. I watched most of the Pittsburgh/Denver game before falling asleep. Then we went to the Galleria, got a humidifier at Sharper Image, picked up food at CPK and Donna and I had a nice full glass of Pinot Grigio with the dinner. Finally, all of us cuddled up in bed to watch “The Incredibles”.
The Incredibles (2004)
My Rating: 10/10
My Review: An incredible movie. Watch it. Own it. Know it.
Can a weekend get any better than that?
And here I am dreading morning.
And those interested in the answer to the Mensa Quiz of the day for Friday, here is the answer…
QUESTION FOR JAN 20:
You have decided to take your morning run in preparation for the local marathon at an average speed of 6 miles per hour. Unfortunately, you are not in as good shape as you thought, and you are running uphill. You find that you complete a half of the run, all uphill, at an average speed of only 3 miles per hour. How fast must you run to make the return trip-all downhill-at an average speed for the entire round trip of 6 miles per hour?
ANSWER:
You can’t do it at all. For example, if your run is 6 miles, you would have to do it in one hour to average 6 miles per hour. However, you’ve already taken an hour to do the first half of the run, thereby using all the available time.
Sunday nights… I’ve learned to hate em. Sometimes it comes and goes and you don’t realize it, but when you have a great weekend and then Sunday night comes and you realize it’s almost over, it’s hard to let go of the past two days. You don’t want the day or the night to end. At least I don’t. Because after a great weekend, going to work on Monday morning is not the way to cap it all off. To solve this problem, Monday should be a day of rest and relaxations. I bet everyone agrees.
I hung out at work Friday just to get some confirmation on charges for AICD’s we perform at the hospital. The boss wasn’t in all afternoon so I did some preliminary calculations on charges and costs and reran a full years worth of data. I discovered different issues in this analysis versus the one I did in August. Which means more work for someone else who needs to correct the problem(s). But who wants to hear about that?
I got home on Friday night and was completely worn out. Two hours of sleep the night before, a long day at work, and Friday night traffic. We had a quick easy “Griller” hamburger dinner and I got the kids to bed at 7:00. I was in bed at 7:30 and was out like a light.
1:00 AM… Jacob peed in his bed. I swear he went to the bathroom before bed but maybe not. So I got him changed and he crawled into bed with me. 4:00 AM… Jacob peed in my bed. WHAT THE HELL?!?! I got him clothes, put a towel on the small wet spot and told him to get changed and get back to sleep. I was a complete zombie during all this.
And Saturday morning I think the kids hit a record on sleeping in. Jake woke up at 7:15 and Bella woke up at 7:45. Donna got back from work at 8:45 and Jake and I raced to his baseball tryouts.
It was packed. And he was the smallest one out there. I was a little nervous until I saw him out there on his own doing what he does best – making the coaches think ‘who’s that little kid out performing the big kids’. Yeah, his bat isn’t as strong as the others, but he was hitting every ball that came his way and never flinched, never blinked and ALWAYS kept his eye on the ball. He charged the ball and stepped and threw. There was a lot of praise from the coaches who were evaluating the kids.
Two hours of baseball and we went to the Galleria for pretzels and sunglass shopping.
We played video games when we got home and then we took a nap. My dad took Bella to church so it was Donna sleeping and Jake and I joining her at around 1:00.
Later that night we went to my sister’s house for a baby shower and stayed up late. It was fun.
Sunday we all went to the Rose Bowl. Jake biked while I ran the 3.1 miles. After many stops because he was tired, we finally finished in 34 minutes. Not bad. Especially after a pace of walking as he biked up the incline.
We visited the bike store to get him some hand brakes, went to the Montrose Farmer’s Market and came for naps. I watched most of the Pittsburgh/Denver game before falling asleep. Then we went to the Galleria, got a humidifier at Sharper Image, picked up food at CPK and Donna and I had a nice full glass of Pinot Grigio with the dinner. Finally, all of us cuddled up in bed to watch “The Incredibles”.
The Incredibles (2004)
My Rating: 10/10
My Review: An incredible movie. Watch it. Own it. Know it.
Can a weekend get any better than that?
And here I am dreading morning.
And those interested in the answer to the Mensa Quiz of the day for Friday, here is the answer…
QUESTION FOR JAN 20:
You have decided to take your morning run in preparation for the local marathon at an average speed of 6 miles per hour. Unfortunately, you are not in as good shape as you thought, and you are running uphill. You find that you complete a half of the run, all uphill, at an average speed of only 3 miles per hour. How fast must you run to make the return trip-all downhill-at an average speed for the entire round trip of 6 miles per hour?
ANSWER:
You can’t do it at all. For example, if your run is 6 miles, you would have to do it in one hour to average 6 miles per hour. However, you’ve already taken an hour to do the first half of the run, thereby using all the available time.
Friday, January 20, 2006
I'm not a genius. I just fake it.
Someone at work gave me a book called, “The Mensa Genius: Quiz-A-Day Book”
For some reason they think I’m a genius at work. Little do they know that I’m just a good actor.
So before I signoff, here’s the “Quiz for the day”. I like this one because it deals with marathons, running and time so I can relate.
You have decided to take your morning run in preparation for the local marathon at an average speed of 6 miles per hour. Unfortunately, you are not in as good shape as you thought, and you are running uphill. You find that you complete a half of the run, all uphill, at an average speed of only 3 miles per hour. How fast must you run to make the return trip-all downhill-at an average speed for the entire round trip of 6 miles per hour?
Note: It’s a bit tricky!!!
For some reason they think I’m a genius at work. Little do they know that I’m just a good actor.
So before I signoff, here’s the “Quiz for the day”. I like this one because it deals with marathons, running and time so I can relate.
You have decided to take your morning run in preparation for the local marathon at an average speed of 6 miles per hour. Unfortunately, you are not in as good shape as you thought, and you are running uphill. You find that you complete a half of the run, all uphill, at an average speed of only 3 miles per hour. How fast must you run to make the return trip-all downhill-at an average speed for the entire round trip of 6 miles per hour?
Note: It’s a bit tricky!!!
"10" gets a "7".
And that's because of Dudley Moore and not a nude Bo Derek.
Two hours. That’s the time I spent sleeping.
I couldn’t sleep so I watched last week’s episode of “How I met your Mother”, an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” at 10:30, then watched the “American Idol” episode from Wednesday and finally I finished watching “10” staring Dudley Moore and Bo Derek. I went to the bathroom about seven times last night from 11:00 PM till 4:30 AM. I also was so thirsty during the night I had a water bottle by my bed.
“Grey’s Anatomy” is one of the best shows on Television next to “Battlestar Galactica” by the way. Oh and American Idol is THE BEST show on TV today. I’m a sucker for this stupid show. At least I can acknowledge its stupid and a waste of time okay?
Back to sleep deprivation…
I fell asleep around 2:45 AM. At 4:30 I woke up and went to the bathroom and was wide awake.
I don’t know how I’m going to make it through the day today. I was so ready to fall asleep but just couldn’t do it.
So here’s a quick review of “10”.
“10” (1979)
My rating: 7/10
First off, Dudley Moore is hella funny. I’ve always loved the guy. This was always seen as a “Bo Derek” movie. But she’s really not on screen that long and when she wasn’t talking, she had this blank look on her face. I guess she played the part perfect because her character was pretty blah anyway. Dudley Moore couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. His idea of the perfect “10”. But how your mind changes when you finally get to know the person. And when he had the opportunity to fulfill his fantasy with her, he got to know her which gave him some sort of epiphany about love and marriage and he realized she wasn’t the perfect “10”.
Brian Dennehy, in one of his first roles, played the part of the bartender. Many years and tons of screen credits later he played Chris Farely’s dad in “Tommy Boy.” The woman he was going to marry in “Tommy Boy” was… Bo Derek! “10” was done real early in Dennehy’s career and he has a long list of movies since then. Bo Derek did “10”, that Tarzan movie and “Tommy Boy”. She did some non significant movies here and there but that’s about it. I don’t know what I’m trying to say. I’m not even trying to compare the two careers. One’s an actor and the other a model of sorts. I guess my point is that Dennehy and Derek were in “10” and then showed up sixteen years later in “Tommy Boy” together. Full circle maybe? It was cooler when I first thought of that. I guess you had to be there – in my brain.
Back to Dudley Moore. What ever happened to him? I think I remember he had a drinking problem - like his character “Arthur”. I believe he died a few years ago. I liked him in the “Arthur” movies and especially liked him in “Like Father Like Son” with Kirk Cameron. Speaking of Kirk Cameron, what ever happened with him? I loved him as Mike Seaver on “Growing Pains” and couldn’t resist watching bits and pieces of the “Growing Pains” television movie reunions that have come out through the years.
Anyway, here’s a quick wrap up of “10”. You don’t need to watch it unless you want to watch a Dudley Moore movie. It’s funny. But not that funny. I’d rather you watch “Like Father Like Son” instead. If you want to watch Bo Derek, rent that Tarzan movie because, although she’s nude in “10”, it’s not enough for anyone to drool over.
Two hours. That’s the time I spent sleeping.
I couldn’t sleep so I watched last week’s episode of “How I met your Mother”, an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” at 10:30, then watched the “American Idol” episode from Wednesday and finally I finished watching “10” staring Dudley Moore and Bo Derek. I went to the bathroom about seven times last night from 11:00 PM till 4:30 AM. I also was so thirsty during the night I had a water bottle by my bed.
“Grey’s Anatomy” is one of the best shows on Television next to “Battlestar Galactica” by the way. Oh and American Idol is THE BEST show on TV today. I’m a sucker for this stupid show. At least I can acknowledge its stupid and a waste of time okay?
Back to sleep deprivation…
I fell asleep around 2:45 AM. At 4:30 I woke up and went to the bathroom and was wide awake.
I don’t know how I’m going to make it through the day today. I was so ready to fall asleep but just couldn’t do it.
So here’s a quick review of “10”.
“10” (1979)
My rating: 7/10
First off, Dudley Moore is hella funny. I’ve always loved the guy. This was always seen as a “Bo Derek” movie. But she’s really not on screen that long and when she wasn’t talking, she had this blank look on her face. I guess she played the part perfect because her character was pretty blah anyway. Dudley Moore couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. His idea of the perfect “10”. But how your mind changes when you finally get to know the person. And when he had the opportunity to fulfill his fantasy with her, he got to know her which gave him some sort of epiphany about love and marriage and he realized she wasn’t the perfect “10”.
Brian Dennehy, in one of his first roles, played the part of the bartender. Many years and tons of screen credits later he played Chris Farely’s dad in “Tommy Boy.” The woman he was going to marry in “Tommy Boy” was… Bo Derek! “10” was done real early in Dennehy’s career and he has a long list of movies since then. Bo Derek did “10”, that Tarzan movie and “Tommy Boy”. She did some non significant movies here and there but that’s about it. I don’t know what I’m trying to say. I’m not even trying to compare the two careers. One’s an actor and the other a model of sorts. I guess my point is that Dennehy and Derek were in “10” and then showed up sixteen years later in “Tommy Boy” together. Full circle maybe? It was cooler when I first thought of that. I guess you had to be there – in my brain.
Back to Dudley Moore. What ever happened to him? I think I remember he had a drinking problem - like his character “Arthur”. I believe he died a few years ago. I liked him in the “Arthur” movies and especially liked him in “Like Father Like Son” with Kirk Cameron. Speaking of Kirk Cameron, what ever happened with him? I loved him as Mike Seaver on “Growing Pains” and couldn’t resist watching bits and pieces of the “Growing Pains” television movie reunions that have come out through the years.
Anyway, here’s a quick wrap up of “10”. You don’t need to watch it unless you want to watch a Dudley Moore movie. It’s funny. But not that funny. I’d rather you watch “Like Father Like Son” instead. If you want to watch Bo Derek, rent that Tarzan movie because, although she’s nude in “10”, it’s not enough for anyone to drool over.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
24 days left and counting.
Feb 12th is coming up fast. Am I ready for this Triathlon thingy? We’ll know in a few weeks!
On Sunday the family and I drove to a bike shop that specializes in Triathlon bikes and clothing. Unfortunately the selection of clothing was very limited due to the off-season of Triathlons. But they did have some Tri-specific bikes I was drooling over. Maybe someday I’ll be able to afford one of those.
I picked out a Trisuit, a Tri-tank and Tri-shorts. Jake and I went into the dressing room and I tried on the tank and shorts first.
I liked the tri-shorts. They have padding that dries quick. That way you’re not biking 10 or more miles with a wet seat which could lead to some serious chaffing!
As I adjusted the tri-tank Jake started cracking up. I asked him why he was laughing. He told me that he was laughing because my belly was sticking out. Yeah, it kinda was. You see, these tank tops are made extremely tight. They are also made so that you can pull up the bottom part to cool off your body while you run. It ends up looking like a bra of some sort. A kind of ‘Manzier’ as Kramer and Frank Costanza call it. Although my tummy is flatter than it has been in twenty or so years, I wasn’t comfortable wearing a manzier as I run down the street. So that was out of the question.
So I tried on the Tri-suit.
No laugher. Just, “that’s cool.” The suit actually makes me look pretty slender, so that was what I bought. I also purchased a bike shirt to wear over the suit when I bike.
Thank goodness they had my size in everything. I didn’t want to chance ordering the clothing online, and having it be too small or too big and having nothing by February 12th. I mean, sure, I can change into bike shorts and swim trunks during the transition stages, but that just takes time and energy. I really don’t want to worry about that stuff. I just want to go-go-go!
I also purchased a tri-seat by Profile Design.
At least I’ll have some comfort on the bike. I hope it’s a flat course.
The Sprint Triathlon I’m doing is a backwards event. Run/Bike/Swim. I’m not sure I like that idea now. At first I thought it was great that running came first. But with how I struggled through a 250 meter swim tonight, I’m not so confident I can do the swim with fatigued legs. Especially after a 5 mile run and 10 mile ride. I swam using mostly arms tonight and I was really struggling with my breathing techniques. It was very disappointing!
Well, there you have it. I’m ready to go and I can’t wait. I’m nervous, but I still can’t wait. I just hope I can get this lingering feeling of being sick out of my system!
On Sunday the family and I drove to a bike shop that specializes in Triathlon bikes and clothing. Unfortunately the selection of clothing was very limited due to the off-season of Triathlons. But they did have some Tri-specific bikes I was drooling over. Maybe someday I’ll be able to afford one of those.
I picked out a Trisuit, a Tri-tank and Tri-shorts. Jake and I went into the dressing room and I tried on the tank and shorts first.
I liked the tri-shorts. They have padding that dries quick. That way you’re not biking 10 or more miles with a wet seat which could lead to some serious chaffing!
As I adjusted the tri-tank Jake started cracking up. I asked him why he was laughing. He told me that he was laughing because my belly was sticking out. Yeah, it kinda was. You see, these tank tops are made extremely tight. They are also made so that you can pull up the bottom part to cool off your body while you run. It ends up looking like a bra of some sort. A kind of ‘Manzier’ as Kramer and Frank Costanza call it. Although my tummy is flatter than it has been in twenty or so years, I wasn’t comfortable wearing a manzier as I run down the street. So that was out of the question.
So I tried on the Tri-suit.
No laugher. Just, “that’s cool.” The suit actually makes me look pretty slender, so that was what I bought. I also purchased a bike shirt to wear over the suit when I bike.
Thank goodness they had my size in everything. I didn’t want to chance ordering the clothing online, and having it be too small or too big and having nothing by February 12th. I mean, sure, I can change into bike shorts and swim trunks during the transition stages, but that just takes time and energy. I really don’t want to worry about that stuff. I just want to go-go-go!
I also purchased a tri-seat by Profile Design.
At least I’ll have some comfort on the bike. I hope it’s a flat course.
The Sprint Triathlon I’m doing is a backwards event. Run/Bike/Swim. I’m not sure I like that idea now. At first I thought it was great that running came first. But with how I struggled through a 250 meter swim tonight, I’m not so confident I can do the swim with fatigued legs. Especially after a 5 mile run and 10 mile ride. I swam using mostly arms tonight and I was really struggling with my breathing techniques. It was very disappointing!
Well, there you have it. I’m ready to go and I can’t wait. I’m nervous, but I still can’t wait. I just hope I can get this lingering feeling of being sick out of my system!
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