Monday, February 24, 2014

New Gear...

I bought myself some new run gear today -- any Spidy fans out there? Anyway, I'm so very excited about run season I can hardly contain myself. 

I've been seeing various updates from my friends on how they've been running or going to the gym & it's beginning to drive me crazy because we keep getting all of this snow! 

A lot more of my friends seem to be into running this year. I, myself, have been thinking of taking up cycling as well. 

Perhaps as we get closer to midsummer, I'll be able to get my hands on a bike. I notice many cyclists on the road during the weekends nowadays, I think I'm game.

I guess I should also start thinkin' of the various races that I'd like to participate in this year. I ran in 2 races last year, so at minimum, I'd like to do the same this year. 

I do think I'll raise the bar & increase my race distances to at least 10k this year, I've been pretty much running 5 miles each time I venture out.

I really wouldn't mind becoming involved with a team sport again this year either, but that's a more difficult task to accomplish. 

Getting 8-10 people on the same page, especially over the weekends can be next to impossible, with everyone's crazy schedules.

I'll just have to settle for cycling if I do incorporate any new activities into my fitness routine. I've already been researching the necessary gear required, it's just a matter of me taking the time to buy the sh!t.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Death, Taxes & (Apparently) Snow...

The year I became a full-blown adult (i.e., a college graduate with full-time employment), my feelings on both snow & filing taxes changed dramatically

I now hate both since I rarely benefit from either event nowadays. Since I'm often battling both during the month of February each year, I hate February too! 

Lol, ok - perhaps hate is too strong a word, but just bring-on the springtime already! We've had a pretty cold & snowy winter in the region, I promise I won't complain about it being too hot this summer. Ok, I probably shouldn't make that claim either, lol. But I do prefer extreme heat, when faced with the option of that, or the bitter cold! 

I've been driving to work more frequently, as opposed to taking the subway, so that means I've been driving in wintry conditions a lot more than I 'm typically used to. I find my car is best operated on clear, dry pavement, lol.

On top of that, I've been pretty anxious to run as if late, but that would require that the sidewalks or street shoulders be clear of packed, icy snow - I'm not a huge fan of being struck by vehicles while jogging, so I'm very much looking forward warmer temps! We've been getting slammed by snowfall so often this winter, I can't even complain about the county's method of timely snow removal.

As far as my displeasure (I think that word works better than hate) of filing taxes - it's quite simple, I don't have enough sh!t to claim, so my state & federal refund (if any) is never what I'd like for it to be. It cuts even deeper to see folk waving their huge refund checks in the air, praising their tax preparers & celebrating the ill-gotten gains - clearly, I need to STFU & just get with the program, lol! Soooooo... who's unemployed with a kid (or 2) that I can claim?

Monday, February 17, 2014

Running, A Solitary Endeavor...

Today is President's Day, a federal holiday & better still... another day-off from work, giving me a 3-day weekend. 

I decided to do something a bit more productive than just lie dormant beneath the sheets this morning, so I got my ass up & headed out for a run (armed with a new gospel run playlist). 

It was the 1st run of the season - following my standard 3-month layoff during the winter. I typically prefer to run routes no shorter than 6.2 miles, but this morning, my body & mind were both very much content with a 5k run instead. It was only 27° out there, my lungs were just about depleted of oxygen & seemingly unable to produce more, so I called it quits for the day. Hell, I still ran 3.1 miles longer than most people will today, lol. 

Since it had been my offseason before this morning's run, I hadn't taken any of my vitamins or dietary supplements, plus I was just plain out of shape, considering that, I won't be so critical when it comes to my run stats for the day. Truth be told, I was so glad to get this 1st run over with, the 1st is always the toughest I find. 

Upon returning home, I showered, enjoyed a large breakfast & climbed directly back into bed for more sleep... welp, at least the early part of the day was productive for the kid, lol...

Friday, February 14, 2014

Kind Words...

Sometimes words of appreciation, no matter how brief, can be so very encouraging. 

It's just nice to know that the support one lends, is in fact, appreciated by another individual, on some level. 

I haven't always found that to be the case, so it's definitely refreshing to get an old-fashioned "thank you" from time to time. A hand-written note, sent via snail-mail, makes the gesture all the more rare.It's not really our fault, or maybe it is, rather... but at any rate, we're so spoiled by technology, the digital-age has really severely hampered our ability to connect with one another on a personal basis - so much that we rarely take the time to extend heart-felt sentiments anymore. 

Personally, I find it's the small things like this, that leave the biggest impressions upon me. The (above pictured) thank you note got me to thinking of just how infrequently we stop to express our feelings of gratitude with those who have assisted us, at some point, along the way. 

Certainly, I too, have been guilty of such omissions... but I do try my best to give people roses, while they can still smell 'em. The way I see it, an overdue thank you is very much akin to no thank you at all. As with most things in life, timing is everything...

Monday, February 10, 2014

DIY...

In recent months, I've been asked upon more frequently, by various friends & family members, to assist with some of the more standard do-it-yourself repairs, here & there. 

Most recently, while assisting a friend one day, she made fun of my tool bag (or lack there of, rather), a reusable grocery bag, lmao! 

So the following weekend, I made it my business to go to the hardware store & purchase a more appropriate (lol) bag to tote my most commonly used tools. Well... what began as a simple trip to the store for a bag has essentially become a complete over-haul of my entire tool/hardware collection. 

Thanks to my brother's garage clean-up effort this past summer, we now have 1 tool chest, versus the 2 separate tool collections we'd each maintained in years previous. The new consolidated tool chest was full of sh!t, some of it was my bro's, some of it was mine, hell some of that crap was my father's even. First thing I needed to do was figure-out which tools belonged to who! 

Once I'd finally knocked-out that process, I began taking an inventory of the tools that I currently owned, still needed & also the ones that had gone missing over the years. After days of trudging thru various auto parts, tools & hardware, I managed to come up with a complete listing of the things I did & didn't have. 

After spending the subsequent weeks acquiring much of the missing hardware & tools, I'm now happy with the current organization of my tool collection. Though many of these tools have been pretty cheap to replace, others were a bit pricier than I'd recalled. Nonetheless, I now have a decent tool bag as well - or 1 that should command far less laughter anyway, lol...

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Happy Born Day Bob...

Today is Bob Marley's birthday... with that in mind, I thought I'd post something that he once wrote about love:

“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. 


There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. 


Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.” 


Now that's what I call love - I've always found this to be quite powerful & just figured I'd share. For me, it reinvigorates just what love should & shouldn't be...