My first 28 mile week has concluded. I have 18 weeks until June 4th and reviewing the training schedule, it gets a bit intense. I have to run 10 miles this Sunday and have three 20 mile runs lined up in April and May. Can I actually do this? I'll be wasted away to nothing. After 2 weeks of training so far, I'm still feeling ok. I really think that it's more of a mental thing than physical. I just need to keep my mind in the game.

Had a good weekend. Went to Casa Grande on Friday, hit up Red Chair...Sat night was game night at the St. James with a stop at Charlie Brown's. She is looking pretty good, I have to say. I got up early on Sunday and went to the gym for a long run, grabbed Brunch with some out of towners, watched the GT game, looked at some houses and all of a sudden it was Monday. The weather has been amazing...where is winter? Of course...Alaska!

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FAIRBANKS HAS ISSUED A WIND CHILL ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM AST THIS AFTERNOON.
WIND CHILL WILL BE MOST HAZARDOUS OVER HILLTOPS AND THROUGH PASSES.
A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT LOW WIND CHILLS TO 50 BELOW ZERO ARE EXPECTED. IF GOING OUTDOORS...BE PREPARED. BE CAREFUL TO COVER ALL EXPOSED SKIN.

There are so many reasons to love California. Here's just a few:

Surfers
San Diego
Hollywood
San Francisco
The Redwood Forest
Napa Valley/Russian River Wine
Snow Skiing and Swimming in the ocean on the same day
Legalizing Marijuana for Medical use (even though the USSC struck it down)
Stem Cell Research
The Price Is Right (Bob Barker)
Did I say Surfers?
And now here is the latest http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11048609/

Thank God for California. If it weren't for them (and NY too) this country would be a big piece of Red Middle America shit.

Oh yeah, TGIF.

I have been looking for a house for about the past month. It's a challenging task and I'm not settling this time like I did while looking for my first house. Having ADD is not a great trait to have when purchasing a house...I'm going to be meticulous this time around. I've been reviewing some postings for houses and I sometimes really wonder about what people are thinking. If you are posting this picture of your house as a prominent feature:

Is your house really offering much? I guess you are relaying that the house is clean, which is good, but what about taking a picture of the kitchen or bathroom? Nope, I get cleaning solutions. I think I'll pass on that one. And if you think this is a good picture to showcase your bathroom...

What have you and your realtor been smoking? Ah, the joys of house hunting.

I am looking forward to being able to run outside! I hate when I'm at the gym and they give you that time limit on the treadmill...and then of course you have those people that go way over 25 mins and have their towel or a magazine over the time so you can't see it...when I'm waiting in line, don't be surprised if I'm just hitting the stop button for you. If I can't run more that 25 mins during peak time, you can't either. Get off and wait for another machine. Sounds like a pain in the ass and it is, but that's the deal. So yesterday I had to have a short run on the treadmill. I love running in the warm weather, hope it gets in the 60s - 70s soon! This winter hasn't been too cold, so I guess we have been lucky, but I really like it warm. My marathon goal is to break 4 hours but my runs on average have been ~8 min miles... about 1 minute faster than my pace. I think I'll get closer to that pace once my mileage increases...or I may have to lower my finish target to sub 3:45! We will see...

It's Monday and it's raining and that just sucks. Actually when you think about it Monday's pretty much suck anyway. I've made it one whole week into my marathon training and I'm feeling good. I weighed in at a much too big 171 post holidays and now have my mission set out before me. June 4th is marked on my calendar and I'm keeping a log on my running. Had a 25 mile week last week and will keep on par with that for one more. The key...Stretching, warm downs and not going too crazy, too soon. Today is a cross training day, but since I haven't been able to get back in a spinning mood for the past few months, nor have I managed to get my ass in the pool, I will be running again today, but will also lift. I never was good at the cross training thing. The weekend was so-so. Went to a great 30th b-day party on Saturday, welcome to the club DJ JT, but ended up at Burkharts. Don't E-V-E-R end up at Burkharts. It should have been a home by midnight, on the couch night for me. Just started looking for a new house...that should be fun...here's to hoping interest rates continue to go down!

Reliving the College Days

I read a post yesterday that made me think about my years at Ithaca College. 1991-1995...4 years that were amazing. I've had some great times in the ATL, that's for sure, but when you turn 18 and move to a new city with all new friends in the same place (physically and mentally) you begin to form bonds that are unlike others through-out life. You also begin to grow up and find yourself. Granted, I was not out in college, and I would not change that at all. Some people don't understand that. But it's quite simple in my mind. The years were the early 90s...the city was small and in rural Central NY. I was on a Varsity sport during my time in Ithaca and I had an amazing time with all my dorm mates, house mates and team mates. College is a time for exploration, I agree. But for me, my exploration was all about building strong friendships and creating memories that last a lifetime, in addition to drinking my ass off. If I had come out in college, things would have been drastically different. We are not talking about 2006 or even 2001; try 1991...15 years ago. Crazy to think, but true. Times are different now, and for that I am grateful. Kids these days should feel comfortable and accepted in their own skin. But I, like many of the guys my age, didn't have the climate of acceptance that is currently infiltrating the US. It is still pretty scary out there in the places not classified as a major city. I would never change a thing I did or didn't do in college; they were some of the best 4 years of my life.

San Diego Marathon

It's been decided and booked. June 4th I'll be running in my second marathon all the way over on the west coast. This marathon is called the Rock and Roll marathon, since they have a band at every mile marker and a big concert at the end. I'm heading west with Twon, Jeff and Marcus to run...and Steven is coming down from LA to cheer us on. Marathons are definitely a challenging task...it's been 3 years since my first and I'm just ready now to commit to a second. For me its a huge undertaking...since I'm kind of ADD its hard for me to have patience to run the long runs. I get so bored. But this is a goal that I set for myself and I'm excited to do it. With my first marathon, I only ran 16 miles once and that was my longest run. Not good. I paid for it at mile 23. This time will be different. I started my training on Tuesday and have logged two 4 mile runs. Today it bumps up to 5 miles. This weekend, my long run on Sunday will be 7 miles. Its all about a gradual increase. No injuries. June 4th will come quickly and this time I want to be ready!

Tuesday, Tuesday

Its raining and crappy out. Delightful. It feels like Monday due to the long weekend. And thankfully tomorrow is already Humpday...I love me some short weeks. Had a great MLK weekend. It was packed full of stuff to do...

Charlie was in town so picked him up on Friday night and went to Einstien's for dinner... thanks to Anthony we had a great ride for the weekend! The Audi was sweet. Since I now had access to the Audi, we decided to venture up to Bat Cave and see what all this Bat Girl talk was about. Woke up early on Saturday and got in the Audi for a drive to Asheville NC. A-Ville is a lot closer than I thought. It only took us 3 hours to get up there...I'll keep that in mind for a weekend get away. The only downfall was the cold, cold weather. In addition, the 50 mph wind gusts and the girl saying "Y'all aint from around these parts" set me a bit uneasy. But all was well and the snow added a great winter touch. So we left Asheville on our way to the "Cabin". 40 mins later and a scary stop at the local Ingles, in which I felt I was transported into "The Good Girl"..."we have fresh fried chicken in the deli...come 'git some chicken and have a hot dinner"... I just wish I could have seen her talking into the mic...so we finally climb the mountain and get to our cabin. The winds have picked up and have blown all of our furniture off the deck...there are no lights on...hum...finally we get into the house and we have no electricity. Great! So its 25 degrees and we have no power. We find some candles and light a fire...the next logical thing to do is just start drinking...things only get worse...our water is fed by an electric well...of course...so we have no water, no power and no food. The property manager brings us some pizza, but no power. Sunday morning comes around and still no power! Charlie and I leave to head back to Atlanta...we head to the Aquarium, which is crowded, but worth it, although strollers should be banned! Sunday night was laid back and Charlie headed home on Monday. Went to see King Kong on Monday Afternoon...that movie is too long. It's like watching Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and King Kong all at once. Two bathroom breaks required...that's when you know a movie is too long.

All in all it was a good weekend. The only problem is what to do about Charlie...but that's a whole new post in itself...

DJ the DJ

About a year ago I met a guy named DJ...lots of tattoos, great looking, alternative type...we trade a few phone calls in which we got to know each other, etc. He mentioned how he was working to be a DJ and that was his passion. He was going to school and trying to get a gig here and there. Well, one year later, he is doing very well. He spins pretty frequently at Bazaar and also opens for some big names...this Sunday he is doing just that for Tracy Young here in Atlanta. Check him out if you get a chance. Introducing DJ VanCronkhite.

It's Been a While

Wow...my biggest lapse yet. I've been on the road since December 30th and just landed back in the ATL late on Saturday. Back at work things have gradually been getting back to normal and I'm looking forward to a great 2006 (note my desire to be positive and focus on things being great...the mind is a powerful thing). Spent New Year's Eve in LA with Steven, Marcus, David, Jeff, John, Jim, Chaz and Holly. A big ATL contingent. The Friday we got out there, we went to a party in North Hollywood. Hum, no big surprise that we spent the entire time talking with other people from Atlanta. It's crazy actually. Go to any major city in the country and you will run into other Atlantans. What does that say about us? We like to travel or we like to get out of town. Hum. Anyway, it was a good trip, minus the torrential downpours and horrible cold that I caught. Which I really enjoyed during my 5 days in Vegas. Nothing like being in Vegas and going to bed at 9PM. Party animal, I tell ya. The Porn industry was holding their annual convention during my stay, so at least I got an eyeful when I did venture out of my room. Finally feeling better and finally back in Atlanta. All my boys are abandoning me this weekend and jaunting to Bat Cave, NC for a stay in the mountains. Something about getting dressed up like Bat Girl...umm I dunno...Charlie is coming to town, so we will try and keep ourselves busy. 2006 has started with a bang, I hope this doesn't indicate the type of year it will be...I was hoping for a more laid back year that 2005...one in which I could actually take a deep breath, open my eyes and stay in one place long enough to figure out who I am and what I want. I sometimes feel that people who are always on the go are on the go for a reason...being busy keeps us from filling our minds with real thoughts and real feelings. I'm going to try and slow down this year. 2006...the year I actually stop and think.