Cooler than You: Stupid Things I Say and Do

Post Shamrock 8K: Virginia Beach, VA 21 March 2009 Sandra and me PRE Ukrops Monument Ave 10K: Richmond, VA 28 March 2009 If you live in these parts you know about the Richmond Monument Ave 10K every March, and if you are in running circles you certainly know about it. Almost 30,000 people is no small number. Matter of fact, it is one of the biggest races in the world. Nice huh? Even nicer that I ran it, and this year marked its ten year anniversary. Running with that many people is somethin’. Running and seeing people as far as the eye can see in the front and back of you is pretty dammed awesome. Those 6.2 miles were amusing in their own regards. The highlight/point of this run is the course up and down Monument Ave. Literally, you are running with the statues. There is something pretty amusing about that. Even more amusing . . . running past the houses with the frat boys sitting on the upper decks slamming back their beers. Nice, yet very classic indeed. Running/walking...

Since words can never do this two hour haul justice, I've employed the Blackberry to show you just how rural things are here. Yup Route 58 hasn't changed in ions and. . . Let's hope there's never a crazy out. It would take too long to find me.

I'm finishing up the research for a piece on breast cancer, and... No, I won't drink this but it is ironic and funny. More that this display of the low grade wine, for Breast Cancer research, was done for Valentine's at my local CVS. Yup. Buy wine, roses, and ease your calorie alert and cheap factor by knowing your purchase gave a few dimes for research. I shake my head.

Some of you know what this time of year means to me . . . one broken heart, hard memories to face, and the perpetual avoidance of phone calls from one person. Actually, since I have a new cell number I won’t have those calls this year. Woot on that one. These things have nothing to do with the Hallmark holiday. Someone I once hung out with, had relations with, talked to (you find the phrase . . . ) called it "Naked Baby Angel Day." That name has stuck with me, so "Naked Baby Angel Day" it is. For the Hallmark holiday I have got more bad memories and experiences than I should, and on a disturbing level most of those memories have become funny. In 1998 my college roommates (well MC and Jess—Mellie and I wanted no part) decided to put out a "Wanted Ad for the Ladies of Unit 2." That action alone easily surpasses the other memories. Essentially, those two had watched entirely too many episodes of _The Dating Game_, and they thought it would...

I've been swamped as of late. Hence, no blogging and few if any personal emails have gone out. Well, while clearing my head tonight I filled out a crazy survey of sorts. I'm posting here . . . Hopefully in a week or so, I'll be up to posting more. Maybe. 1. While I have never been arrested (knock on wood), I have had more than my share of altercations with the police. My personal favorite was flirting with a cop, who developed a crush on me (over a period of two years), so that my friends could hide the keg. The "owner" of the keg graduated college two weeks later, and a week after that he signed up with the sheriff's office. He he he. There was another incident where I may or may not have been drunk and climbing a local bridge. The cops arrived and I told them I was allergic to the ground. How I didn't end up in jail, dead, or with a citation I do not know. I was lucky. 2. I am 5 foot 3 inches, and I did not reach that height until I turned 21....

These days I've been thinking a lot about what has transpired in the past year. Last year this time I was fretting away the days until a defense, battling severe anemia, and then there was that pesky surgery on the horizon. Don't forget I was staring the prospect of unemployment in its ugly face. Funny how much things have changed, and it is also funny at how they haven't come that far from where they were. Last month I realized that I hadn't gone out much in almost two years. That was when things started, well I should reword that. That was when the health started to go sour. I didn't feel like explaining so I let that conversation make me sound like more of a loner and nerd than I really am. I defended just fine, had the bloody surgery four days later (yes, a bad pun I know), and things went awry. What I let people know is that there was an unplanned blood transfusion, which coincidentally gave me my bat wings. And seriously, for those of you that are ap...

Well I did my first 5K of the season yesterday. It was for the Lupus Foundation of Virginia, and since it's only been going about two years it was a small crew. I wanted to come in under 35, and I came in at 34.4. Nice indeed. Only bad part . . . it rained for the first part of the run.