Mom visiting

So my Mom is visiting for N&J's upcoming fifth birthday. They went with me for the 5k race in Busse Woods this morning and climbed up a big hill about 200 yards from the finish line and were all waving to me and yelling my name, I did a lot better than I expected, 32 minutes as comapred to the 39 minutes I did last month (though was pushing the twins in the stroller that time).

We then drove into Chicago to go to Universal Sole to pick up the goodie bad and race number for the Lakefront Ten which is tomorrow. Unfortunately the streets are closed starting at 720am and race starts at 8am so I need to leave house super early to try and find a parking spot, race starts at Montrose and Simonds Drive in Chicago. The technical shirt they gave is amazing, it looks like a British Premier League jersey, very very cool. I need to take a picture of it.

We came home and all had tomato soup that A. made us for lunch and then I of course had to spend some time on my hammock which again was absolutely relaxing and wonderful. After that we did some errands, took care of grocery shopping and then went out to Jameson's Charhouse where we had a nice dinner.

Oh and we also spent a bit of time checking out Mom's room at her motel, the girls insisted that we go there.

It started raining a few hours ago and Mom says our grass is so green, but it still looks like all the seeding A. did has not had any results yet! Starting to suspect that the roots of these spruce treees just sucks all of the water away, possibly.

Thing seem to really finally be going well, oh and A. and I watched "Walk the Line" the Johnny Cash film last night, I saw about half of it and then went to bed, A. said it was good what was touching was after his wife died, he died about 3 or 4 months later. Some people really cannot live without their "soulmate" was what A. said. She then jokingly said I would outlive her and party in my old age. Yikes.

Oh what a night

Yesterday was sublime. I ate an amazing cheddar burger for lunch and after work I discovered that my family had set up my hammock in our backyard. A. had bought this for me for Father's Day last summer but we did not have a stand for it. (We don't have two trees in our backyard to set it up traditionally.

So I of course went right to the hammock and N. joined me and lay on me, she was so happy and so was I, it was great because while we were there I was thinking to myself, this is really really peaceful and a good moment. Seriously, it was one of those moments you wish you could freeze and keep forever.

J. did not come outside because she is still feeling so sick, she has a fever and her temperature was as high as 101 on Wednesday, she is so cute just laying on the couch all propped up with pillows and enveloped in blankets. I am really hoping she gets better and fast or tomorrow for the race I might have my Mom stay at home with them rather than have them all go and watch me.

Then I cleaned the bathrooms and then got ready to go out for the dining for life, which was good for many reasons. Got to see some people I had not seen in quite a while and meet another I had heard much about over the years. We had duck potstickers and sea scallops for appetizers and I had salmon for my main course.

The big news was that some friends, R. and P., are registering to run the Chicago Marathon and are doing so via the Chicago AIDS Foundation, which is what I did in 2003. Running is a powerful thing and I am curious to see how it will affect both of them.

I still want to run the Marathon in October as well but have a problem finding a babysitter for the twins.

Track -a-thon

The twins did a track-a-thon today aat school. N ran around the mini track 40 times and J ran around it 39 times.

A. was a volunteer and she had to count how mnay times each of them ran around!

They won bags with a shoulder strap and also received certificates and some coupons for free ice creams and free pizza at local restaurants.

I ran 6 miles last night and did 2 miles tonight, with the three on Sunday that is 11 so far for the week. It will nto be as much as usual this week due to Mom's visit, dining out for life tomorrow, and then there are the races.

Sox lost tonight, the team hitting wise worries me but I like their pitching so far.

Excited about seeing them live at Fenway next week with my Dad.

And my Mom arrives Friday for the twins birthday and my two races on the weekend. Sat is 3.1 miles near the house in Busse Woods and Sunday is downtown the Universal Sole 10 miler. I guess I am ready, it is hard to say. It is a weird tradeoff because I can tell I am much slower than before but I can run much further now, so I guess that is good.

Oh and me B and R had lunch with an old friend, K today which was really great, hopefully I will get to spend some time with him this summer, he's a very nice guy, always has been very generous and kind to me.

Aids

Since tomorrow is Dining out For Life in Chicago, a day where money is raised for AIDS research by Chicago restaurants donating portions of their sales, I thought this article was entirely appropriate:

Imagining a world without AIDS
From Dr. Sanjay Gupta

NEW YORK (CNN) -- About 8,000 people die of AIDS every day. Another 6,000 people between ages 15 and 24 contract HIV on a daily basis.

Think about that: At the end of this month, more people will have died from AIDS in April alone than were killed in the Southeast Asia tsunami that shocked the world in late 2004. And the epidemic keeps spreading. There are currently an estimated 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS across the world.

How can a disease so deadly and so rampant not make the news any more? How could it have fallen off the radar screens of news executives?

It turns out that fighting the apathy surrounding HIV/AIDS is as tricky as fighting the virus itself. And, by today's standards, the only way AIDS will really be in the headlines again is when it is cured or eradicated.

That is a difficult standard by anyone's measure, and it unfortunately belittles the real and effective gains made against AIDS.

Today, there are more than 20 drug regimens available that allow a person with AIDS to live a normal lifespan, if he or she can get treatment. The risk of heartbreaking mother-to-child transmission has been reduced significantly with simple drugs. And for the first time, thanks to the efforts of non-governmental organizations like the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative, many of these medications are affordable to those who need the drugs most.

President Clinton once told me, "AIDS used to be about two things nobody wanted to talk about: sex and death. While the disease still centers around sex, it is no longer just about death."

It is also true that though the disease often involves sex, it isn't sexy.

Why don't more people care about this disease? It could be that despite the extraordinarily high numbers, the vast majority of people have never been personally touched by AIDS. I came to better understand HIV/AIDS as a doctor and a journalist when I traveled the world meeting patients.

From Thailand to Kenya to Rwanda to India to the United States, the faces staring back at me were the same faces I had seen my entire life.

A soft-spoken veiled woman on the predominantly Muslim island of Zanzibar told me of her life with HIV. A struggling Kenyan mother named Nancy Ndegwa who had worked for 20 years as a prostitute miraculously never became infected, despite thousands of exposures to the virus. I spoke with young Thai teenagers who had been kicked out of their homes because of their HIV status, and I met a couple in North Carolina who can no longer afford the medications to keep them alive, unless they give up some of the necessities of life.

"My son was diagnosed several years ago as HIV positive," a CNN.com user wrote. "We come from an upper-middle-class background. I look at the way AIDS has become a disease that effects all. Just as we have an obligation to support countries that are victims of genocide, so should we support the hungry and those suffering from AIDS."

All across the world and right here in our backyards, people have shared their stories with me and with CNN viewers to provide a better understanding of what it is like to live and die with the disease. Once you have met these people, you could not help but want to learn more about the disease and its many ramifications. It is probably also the reason I cried out loud when I recently read that a 15-year-old boy in Nairobi was hacked to death with a garden fork after he was diagnosed with HIV.

It has been 25 years since the world was first introduced to an AIDS patient, and now anyone born after 1980 has never known a world without AIDS.

The attitudes have changed: The general feeling among young people we interviewed was, "Sure, it's a bad disease you don't want to get, but it is treatable, and people can live with it."

Of course, that might explain a resurgence of high-risk behavior and a reluctance to get tested in the first place. Those same young people were shocked when I told them "in some communities, 90 percent of the people living with HIV don't even know they have it."

The simple fact is that AIDS is not going away, and we are not even close to a cure or eradication. For now, treatment and prevention are the most vital part of the fight.

Many organizations are working on many forms of prevention. We are making strides toward striking a comfortable complacency with AIDS, but I want to take it one step further.

This weekend, I will host a town hall meeting about AIDS. The discussion will take place in New York, and my guests will be former President Bill Clinton, the heads of several major pharmaceutical companies, dignitaries from around the world, the chief of MTV and actors who have shown true commitment to this issue.

Ephiphanies

Years ago I recall reading Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist" and reading the word "epiphany' and trying to deeply consider those moments in my life, which, perhaps understandably, have been few and far between.

Age 17 with a cut out star in the upper porch of my grandparents (Dad's side) and my Grandmother asked me why this yellow star was so important to me and I repsonded that it nmade me feel safe and kinda like being protected by God. Her answer was "It is better to believe in God than not"and I considered souls on their deahtbeds dying and having renounced God their whole lives, are suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit and confess their faults and profess a belief.

That revelation when you realize that something you took as an absolute, for granted, suddenly is not such.

So maybe it can ultimatley be easier to believe than not.


I have decided that it is best to continue to focus on what makes each of us happy and ultimately fulfilled, and for me today that has been watching my daughters learn how to write the numbers one through nine.
Today we all ended up rolling to the park and then hung out in the backyard, soaking up the sun rays and laughing. Sometimes life IS an ephiphany.

24 things to remember

24 Things to Always Remember. . .
and One Thing to Never Forget




1. Your presence is a present to the world.

2. You're unique and one of a kind.

3. Your life can be what you want it to be.

4. Take the days just one at a time.

5. Count your blessings, not your troubles.

6. You'll make it through whatever comes along.

7. Within you are so many answers.

8. Understand, have courage, be strong.

9. Don't put limits on yourself.

10. So many dreams are waiting to be realized.

11. Decisions are too important to leave to chance.

12. Reach for your peak, your goal, and your prize.

13. Nothing wastes more energy than worrying.

14. The longer one carries a problem, the heavier it gets.

15. Don't take things too seriously.

16. Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

17. Remember that a little love goes a long way.

18. Remember that a lot . . . goes forever.

19. Remember that friendship is a wise investment.

20. Life's treasures are people . . . together.

21. Realize that it's never too late.

22. Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.

23. Have health and hope and happiness.

24. Take the time to wish upon a star.



And don't ever forget . . .
For even a day . . .
How very special you are.

9 and 1

I ran 9 miles yesterday it took me 2 hours and 2 minutes exactly! I need to bring gatorade next time. So I think I am just about ready for the ten mile race a week from Saturday.

And tonight I took the girls to the outdoor track after dinner and a trip to the park and we all ran one mile together.

I hope the weekend is sunny so I can tan a bit.

skaters

tonight was out last night for ice skating 7-830 pm, the girls really made amazing progress but of course my feet are killing me, i think i was always wearing the wrong size skates, i should be a 13 not a 12. J. really skates fast and tonight she finally wore a helmet as protection just in case she fell. N. was skating pushing off with both legs again so we were pleased. There was even an old timer figure skater guy out there, he was fun to watch. We all had a good time.

A. is still sick but N. is fine. A. went to bed early so hopefully she will get better.

wow season five episode 7 of six feet under, ruth is talking about going to a reading of jay mcierney, and she says "he wrote bright lights big city". Too funny. It is good that I am finally seeing lots of these episodes that I never managed to watch in the past.

red sox won again and the weather is improving. tomorrow is another long run for me, i am just about ready for that 10 mile race i think.

papelbon got his seventh straight save which set a red sox record for the month of april, pretty cool.

i am tired of my feet hurting! and i know they will again be hurting tomorrow night especially.

A. said it's cool for me to do another 10 mile race in end of may, it is in elgin, i did it last year and it was very shady but lots of hills. I need to sign up for it when i get paid again.

I am sending good wishes out to my grandmother who is very sick, my mom who is taking care of her, and both of my little sisters just because.

SWEET LORETTA

Loretta's walk-off homer lifts Red Sox past M's

BOSTON (AP) -- Mark Loretta wanted to feel the whole celebration, even the fun-filled pounding that comes from teammates at the plate after a game-ending home run.

Loretta hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Boston Red Sox, saved by Kevin Youkilis' hustle, rallied past the Seattle Mariners 7-6 Monday in the annual Patriots Day game.

As he rounded the bases after his first game-ending homer, Loretta thought about taking off his batting helmet to lessen the number of players that would jump on him. He decided against it.

"Having it being my first time, I thought I wanted the total experience," Loretta said. "(Jason) Varitek really gave it to me."

"I've never experienced it before at any level -- Little League, high school or college level," he said. "Just complete euphoria. You kind of have to take a step back and think `is the game really over?"

Mariners reliever Eddie Guardado struck out the first two batters in the ninth. Youkilis then hit a grounder up the middle and second baseman Jose Lopez made a diving stop, but his throw to first was a shade late.

Youkilis raised his arms after beating the play for an infield single, and Loretta followed with his first home run for the Red Sox.

Loretta's shot landed in the Monster Seats, where moments earlier many fans turned around to watch the women's leader of the Boston Marathon running through Kenmore Square.

"I fell behind 2-0 and had to get a strike there," Guardado said. "The ball was not where I wanted it, no doubt. I just blew it. I blew it. We played big today."

David Ortiz homered twice for Boston, which improved to 5-0 in one-run games.

"You've got the big man hitting behind Loretta," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "That pretty much ensures he is going to get a pitch to hit, and he put a good swing on it."

Mike Timlin (1-0) got the win and Guardado (0-1) took the loss.

Ortiz hit his fifth and sixth homers for the Red Sox, the second a two-run shot that tied it at 4 in the sixth. Trot Nixon doubled twice and singled for Boston.

It was 5-all when Adrian Beltre and Willie Bloomquist hit one-out singles in the Seattle ninth against Keith Foulke. Timlin relieved with runners at the corners and pinch-hitter Roberto Petagine hit a hard grounder to second base that Loretta stopped with a dive. Loretta's only play was to first base as the go-ahead run scored.

"We get the lead, give it up. Get the lead back, give it up," Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said. "It just seemed like that all day long."

The Red Sox tied it at 5 against J. J. Putz in the eighth when Nixon doubled and Varitek hit an RBI single.

The Mariners took advantage of backup Alex Cora's error to move ahead 5-4 against Julian Tavarez in the seventh. Bloomquist reached on the error when his grounder tipped off the shortstop's glove.

Bloomquist moved up on a sacrifice, stole third and scored on Ichiro Suzuki's sharp grounder that sent Loretta diving. Ortiz flied out to the right-field warning track in the eighth, with Suzuki making a semi-leap at the short wall.

Carl Everett's two-run homer gave Seattle a 4-2 lead in the sixth.

Suzuki, 0-for-11 in the first three games of the series, lined a leadoff double in the first and scored on Raul Ibanez's sacrifice fly. Boston tied it on Ortiz's homer into the center-field bleachers.

Seattle moved ahead 2-1 in the second on Betancourt's RBI double, but the Red Sox tied it on Cora's run-scoring double.

Boston fill-in starter Lenny DiNardo, replacing David Wells, allowed two runs and six hits over five innings. Wells was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a right knee sprain.

Game notes
It was Ortiz's 21st career two-homer game, his 19th with the Red Sox. Also, the homer was his 500th hit with Boston. ... RF Nixon returned to the lineup after missing the previous five games with a strained left groin. ... DiNardo's other start came last Sept. 2 against Baltimore, when he allowed four runs -- one earned -- in six innings. ... Varitek appeared to be hobbling running down the line on his ground outs in the second and fourth, but played the entire game. ... It was the Mariners' earliest-ever game, with an 11:07 first pitch. ... Red Sox SS Alex Gonzalez had the day off.

Of Easter

A. was cancelled from work Sunday so we all were able to go to Easter mass as a family and then we went to the outdoor track/park, J. ran about half a mile with me and then she went with A. and N. to play on the swings and slides. I ran three miles.

Then we drove home and had easter brunch, the girls ahd an easter egg hunt saturday at church and then we got the easter baskets blessed, the priest blesses the meats, the bread and then the eggs, it is a Polish tradition.

A. and N. had fevers so we managed to persuade J. to have a nap and we all napped from about 1:30-5. Then after dinner I tried to take N&J to an indoor play area, we drove to the one at Randhurst Mall and it was closed and so was the one at Golf Mill. We kept noticing McDonalds was one of the only things open anywhere. I remembered reading once that Tower Records is open every day of the year so we drove there past the Woodfield Mall. Picked up the most recent Bon Jovi cd for A. as she never got it for Christmas and we thought it would cheer her up.

After bed and story time, I ran 5 miles on the treadmill. Unfortunatley I ran 4.75 miles before walking and my feet are of course killing me today. I am happy I got the 8 miles in though on Sunday.

And besides the girls feeling feverish the only other tough thing was I got sunburnt Saturday. It was so nice out that I sat on the back deck for about two hours with J., who played a lot and stayed in the shade. I was not so prudent! We opened windows and played cds and had fun. N. stayed inside a lot covered in blankets on the couch, she recovered later though.

I need to return stuff at the library today, tomorrow is the last ice skating (rink is closing until mid June), and Wednesday is my next long run.

It was a good Easter even though family is sick, it was nice to finally have a day all together. And it was very obvious how happy the twins were about this.

Forgiveness

This is really powerfule, I heard about this yesterday because I read the ZBoston Globe online every morning. This article was in there today and is worth a read if you have the time:


By Megan Tench, Globe Staff | April 15, 2006
Hair stylist Cathleen Foster came home Thursday after a long day of cutting and coloring at the Newbury Street salon where she works. In the quiet of her living room, she turned on the 10 o'clock news, and was drawn to the story of a little girl shot and paralyzed by a stray bullet.

Then she was floored, by the little girl's words, her composure, and her tears.
''When she lost it, I lost it," Foster said. ''I was sobbing not just because of what happened to her, but because a mother, in the year 2006, was able to raise that type of child."
As in other places throughout the city, it seemed the story of Kai Leigh Harriott was all anyone could talk about at the Beaucage Salon and Spa yesterday. Over the clip-clip of the scissors and the hum of the hairdryers, stylists debated the little girl's words of forgiveness for Anthony Warren, the man who had shot her. Clients with foils in their hair chimed in.
Some, like Foster, wished they possessed the same compassion the 5-year-old showed.

Others said the family should have demanded ''an eye for an eye," that the girl hasn't fully comprehended what the shooter has taken from her.
Mark Yessian, sitting on the Commonwealth Avenue mall, had just returned from out of town when he heard the story. He said he hoped Kai Leigh's message would resonate in Boston, especially at this time of year.
''It seemed to be a way to soften the tension in the city, with all the shootings," Yessian said. ''Ideally, it would get others to think twice when shooting in the air."
Further down the mall, Marrissa Roberts, a Bay State College student, said she would ''never be able to forgive someone for that."
At their home in Roxbury yesterday, Kai Leigh's mother, Tonya David, said the phone had not stopped ringing. Dignitaries, community leaders, television reporters, and neighbors wanted to know more. CNN ran the story with the words ''Amazing Grace" across the screen.
David didn't quite understand what all the fuss was about.
''We live in a world today that seems to want people to be bitter, angry," David said. ''But I don't want bitterness and anger in my life, and I don't want that for Kai Leigh. We are Christians. I tried very hard from the depths of my soul to hate Anthony, but it wouldn't come out."
Television footage being replayed nationwide yesterday showed David hugging Warren, 29, after he apologized for shooting her daughter and just before he was sentenced to 13 to 15 years in state prison. She only intended to shake his hand, she said, but he surprised her when he pulled her in for an embrace. Inspired by her daughter's strength, David said she couldn't let the man go.

Page 2 of 2 --
''I whispered in his ear: 'Here is your chance for a new beginning. Don't let God down,' " said David, a devoted member of Jubilee Christian Church in Mattapan.

As her mother spoke, Kai Leigh watched cartoons, played video games, and whizzed about in her wheelchair yesterday, seemingly oblivious of the commotion she had provoked. Instead, she said she is looking forward to picking out her dress for Easter. She said she had a tough day in court Thursday. She was glad it was over.
Asked by a reporter why she forgave the man who shot her, she shyly but clearly said: ''I wanted him to tell the world the truth." Warren had for three years denied the shooting, but changed his plea Thursday.
''I know he didn't mean to do it," Kai Leigh said.
With Easter approaching, members of the clergy said they hope that Kai Leigh's message will echo in neighborhoods often shaken by violence.

''This is a city known for grudges," said the Rev. William Dickerson of the Greater Love Tabernacle in Dorchester. ''One of the great acts of Christianity is being able to forgive, and Kai Leigh is the quintessential ambassador of forgiveness."
The Rev. Jeffrey Brown of Union Baptist Church in Cambridge said it was no coincidence that Kai Leigh's message came during a weekend when Christians are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
''Remember the Bible said, 'A child shall lead us,' " Brown said.
Not everyone agreed. In fact, in barber shops, coffee shops, and businesses, the story was also touching off arguments.
Mechanics at a tire shop in Dorchester had been debating it since 6:30 a.m. yesterday.
''The mother of the little girl might have forgiven him, and the little girl might have forgiven him, but I don't forgive him," said Johnny Calderon, a mechanic at the shop, arguing in Spanish and English with co-workers who praised the forgiveness. ''I have no forgiveness for anyone who shoots a child. I say, an eye for an eye. He took her life; now she can't walk forever. Someone should take his life."
Sitting inside Nadine Unisex Salon a few blocks away, customer Sofia Ambrose said the girl has yet to begin to understand how much she has lost.
''When she becomes a teenager, she's going to really see what she's missing," Ambrose said. ''For a 5-year-old girl to just forget about herself and forgive him, that was very emotional for me to watch."
But in the Back Bay, Gary Shattuck said people should learn from the little girl.
''If she forgives him, other people should," Shattuck said.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino, grandfather of a 5-year-old girl himself, said he was stunned by Kai Leigh's message.
''I saw that on TV, and I said, 'Oh, my God, what courage,' " Menino said. ''I wonder if I would have the same kind of composure and forgiveness. It really sends a message, especially to young people, that, yes, sometimes you do have to forgive when a wrong has been done to you."
As violence surged over the past year, the city has been confronting a street culture in which small beefs and retaliation sometimes result in bloodshed. Forgiveness has seemed rare, and that made the message more profound to some yesterday.
''If more people forgave, maybe there'd be less violence in the streets," said Marcus Harris, 17, sitting in a Mattapan pizza shop with three of his friends. They all nodded their heads in agreement.

Good Friday

It's Good Friday so soon can start eating meat on Fridays again.

I want to take the girls to see "The Wild" either tonight or tomorrow.

We went to the park and brought their friend Maddy with us, I pulled two girls at a time in our wagon and one girl rode N's bike. N rode it to the park basically and J rode it home. We also got a lot of new seed and fertilizer down before it rained and A. planted all of the new plants. She ended up tossing the two plants that she had saved the bulbs through the winter as she decided having to water them every day was nuts, and we are all going to Poland so they'd likely die anyway. I am nervous about the plants as I will be gone from June 22 until July 8.

I have two confirmed races end of the month, a 5k APril 29 and 10 mile race April 30. I am thinking about registering for another 5k which is next Saturday the 22nd in chicago but it would mean pushing the girls in the jogging stroller again and I am not sure I want to ndergo that pain again.

My running for this week:

Sunday 8 run
Monday 3 run
Tuesday 2 walk
Wednesday 6 run
Thursday 3.5 run

So at 22.5 so far.

Just about finished reading "Coma" and enjoy it. Also have watched 11 of the 13 season one Six Feet Under episodes and love it of course.

N&J are not doing such a great job of listening but I figure that's ok as they are only practically five years old so I can live with that.

Some cool things are upcoming, such as the races, visit from my Mom, the twins birthday and my annual trip to watch the Red Sox play at Fenway in Boston (May 4th vs Toronto Blue Jays).

Now that we have started to improve our grass and done lots of landscaping, we are thinking we might need to pay and get our air ducts cleaned again as since it is spring we are having lots of spiders in the basement, I caught three this week and A. caught one. I just don't want N&J to be bothered by any of the spiders, and I never want any to crawl into the blankets that are down on the couch near the tv.

It is supposedly going to hit 85 degrees today, I have started wearing my sunglasses home from work to block the sun. It really is starting to warm up, my outdoor run Wednesday was great, there were so many people out tanning and playing soccer, riding bikes, rollerblading. It is really improved area with all of the renovations, there is a new baseball cage where you can take batting practice, there ar all of the new soccer nets, the grass has all been resod, and they even repainted the stripes on the outdoor track. I spied a few ducks in the pond as I was running and it was thoroughly enjoyable. According to A. Wednesday will be my day until mid June to do the long run as she has watches another girl, who is ten years old(the daughter of a doctor at her hospital.

I'm glad it is the weekend and am glad Easter will be over soon, though it is very refreshing to see the excitement the twins have about painting Easter eggs, I do not really look forward to going to the long Masses.

OK all for now, more later.

season one episode 4 sfu

Great line- Brenda trying to apologize to Mrs. Fisher after being observed in a "compromising position" with Nate.

Mrs Fisher says "Be careful with nate he's fragile"

Brenda replies "Aren't we all?"

Four episodes in and I must say season one blows seasons two and three (that I rewatched last year) out of the water.

The writing and acting is sublime.

Oh yeah and I got a really really short haircut today and shaved off my goatee. N. wants the goatee back but not J. A. is indifferent.

Red Sox have started the season 5-1 their best start in years, very cool, my new fave player besides Trot is the closing pitcher Jon Papelbon, he's amazing.

Outdoor track

N&J ran/jogged three miles at the outdoor track with me today, and I did 5 miles on the treadmill, so I got my 8 miles in as usual for Sunday.

Picnics and dvds

It was a bit warmer out yesterday so we had a picnic on our back porch which was fun, we played on the swings and soccer a lot too, then they stayed outside for quite a while.

I gave up reading the McIerney ad I am so into reading the novel Coma, almost done with that and need to return the library books tomorrow. I will take out the McIerney book again sometime, I ended up reading about a third of it. It deals a lot with 9-11 but it has some good moments, the same characters as Brightness Falls, the boomk publisher and his wife, which was intriguing.

Ran 3.25 on the treadmill in the morning yesterday so ended up doing 21.25 miles for last week.

Watched three dvds yesterday: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Young Sherlock Holmes AND the first episode from season one of Six Feet Under. I had been telling B. lately that I need to finally open my season one set and watch it because that season was so excellent. And it was. I loved how Brenda kept calling Nate and then psycho analyzing him, and Claire flipping out in the grocery store and throwing a cantalope on the floor, and Keith and David rather than saying they are boyfriends they told everyone they play racquetball together. And I really really used to like the character of Nate until he turned into such an egoist and asshole in season five. In this first episode he was so cool, running all the time, bopping Brenda, trying to cheer up his little sister, and comforting his mother. ANd I loved when Nate goes for a run and then is drinking his water bottle and sees his Dad (who's dead) get on the bus and then his Dad waves to him and Nate just stands there and thinks.

Sometimes I think I love Six Feet Under more than Twin Peaks. It's close.

The twins are eating their cereal now and I am going to do the treadmill for a while.

Oh and I got the new Morrissey cd, it is ok but I only really really love 4 songs out of 12/13, so that surely isn't worth it, right?

It's Palm Sunday today so we need to figure out when we are all going to mass. I need to get my long run in today.

ice age 2

Saw ice age 2 tonight it was very good, N. really loves going to the movies and J. gave me her small "baby daddy chris hippo" to sleep with tonight!

4 miles running as well, so 18 total so far this week.

It is unbelievably cold, hard to believe it is spring, the rain has made the grass very green here though.

ok

things are ok still having trouble persuading A. to let me register for the marathon in october and still not sure who I can find to bring N&J there to watch me if I do it.

Dropped back from 24 to about 20 miles per week to relax a bit, plus need to do a lot of yardwork lately as it is spring.

Sunday 8 miles
Monday off
Tuesday off for running but 90 minutes ice skating
Wednesday 4 miles run
Thursday 2 mile walk with N&J and then some yardwork,raking and sweeping driveway and walkway

Friday probably 4 miles
Saturday 2 or 3 miles

so a total hopefully of 22 or 23 I guess.

N&J are funny today we had a nice walk/bike ride for them and then spent a bit of time at a park where they went down the slides then we went home and got out rakes and cleaned some of the front yard, the city is just about finished with that cement sidewalk they put it, they need to fix the grass next.

I am getting excited about following the red sox, there are a lot of new players on the team but of course they remain as exciting and fin to follow as always. i am afraid this is the last season in boston for trot nixon #7 and that is odd. My sister made a big sign when I did the marathon in 2003 and it said trot #7 on it and she drew the red sox logo on it and I think it said RUN CHRIS RUN. It was cool.

I must be getting old because I can tell I run slower and I am more sore now than I ever used to be. I still really love it, running outside with my new iPod especially is great.

And I stopped reading the McIerney novel which is dumb because it is due back at the library real soon and I am reading Coma by Robin Cook because we caught most of the movie on cable last week, it is a very good novel so far. And I read a good chunk of the book about Barry Bonds taking steroids GAME OF SHADOWS I think it was called, it ws interesting but kinda sad, Barry Bonds has a lot of problems, he is definitely a rage-aholic.

I'm off to bed now.

Dirt Dog

Trot Nixon is considered the inspiration for the expression "Boston Dirt Dogs". The signature is that of a "scrapper", a player who hustles and isn't afraid to get dirty to win a game.

What is your nutritional value?

Your Nutritional Information: Servings Per Container: 1 x % Daily Value Sweetness: 18 g 36% Bitterness: 327 mg 30% Power: 31 g 89% Healthful: 155 mg 62% Excitement: 957 mg 87% x Deliciousness: 14% 'What is your nutritional value?' at QuizGalaxy.com

First Concert

Took the girls to hear their first concert, it was Rutter's Requiem, we got to hear B. sing in the show which was great. Personally I am happy I got to hear B., and of course the girls can't stop talking about it!

I asked the girls what was their favortie part of the weekend and J. said getting to see B. singing and N. said she wants to go to more concerts, so she is now asking for another running race with me, another visit to see another movie, whioch she calls "going to the show", and she wants to know when she can go to another concert.

The girls had a lot of fun and were very excited though of course they acted all shy for most of the time we were there, we got lucky and found a great parking spot right next to the church.

In other news, it was 8 miles running today, a good start to the week.

Robert Pollard

The show had its moments but sadly it was not as cohesive and the setlist was obviously not as great as any of the Guided by Voices shows I saw and heard previously. He did play a few older tracks during the final half an hour. Highlights for me personally were "Get Under It", "I'm A Widow", "747", "Lightshow", "the Right Thing", "Maggie Turns to Flies" and if my memory is accurate he closed with "Don't Stop Now" same as he did for the final GBV show. That is a really really amazing and touching song. And I did pick up a cool army green t shirt, on the back it says this:

GANG OF FOUR .....$45
THE PIXIES.......$60
ROBERT POLLARD......PRICELESS

I'd go see him again when he tours his next album, hopefully he will be back again in July or August.

Today the twins did an easter egg hunt then played in the park with Ally and Rebecca their friends who are also twins, and in the morning I woke up to discover both of them snuggling with me so that was awesome. I only did two and a quarter miles in the morning on the treadmill because I am beat.

Making dinner for them now. Tomorrow after church we are going to Chicago and so we are all looking forward to that.

Oh and I just learned that there is a new Cocteau Twins 4 cd box set out that contains all of their import singles and eps, so tha is cool. Need to get that eventually.

Running is at 18.50 miles for the week I believe, though I checked and for a while now I have ran 5 days per week. Tomorrow morning I need to do a fairly long run before church to stay on my schedule.

Lastly, J. wrote all of our family's names on a piece of paper, she knew how to spell her own name, her sister's and MOm and Dad, she asked me how to spell Chris though!

Red Sox start their season Monday!