Man Crush part 2

Take a moment to check out the new single.



Man, finally a song that ask the question......"Is anybody alive out there?" If you've been to a live show you know what i mean.

Man, i really love the new stuff. The hard part for non-bruce fans is well, that a lot of these tunes will be sound fantastic live. i have a bunch of "live" cd and all the studio ones (actually, i'm missing one, but it from the non-e street band two album/one release fiasco)

Guess which ones i listen to most.



okay, he talks a little in concert, but not as much as rumored.

Fun Guv loves to watch and point out that only at a Springsteen live show, do men dance in the aisles. Honestly i never noticed, as i did my white-guy-concert-bobble along to "Badlands" many years ago. But her observation is absolutely correct. Funny thing how "badlands" live at her first show turned Fun Guv into a fan.

She is my "Mary"

Thanks for reading

We have our tix for the show.

Now i just heard the album....

way cool stuff!!!!

Aaah yes, man crush

want to hear it for yourself?

the new album, a preview

Now, the chance to load this sucker into the mph3 player and listen to it while running the marathon???

that's exciting....nothing like a little Bruuuuuuce to get the blood pumping!!!!

and why bruce, cause at a very tender age i was exposed to Rosalita and i can't remember by whom or how, but Rosie's always been the tune.

As Bruce and the band previewed some stuff on the Today show, i had to watch. Man, was the Today showunprepared...better idea only book Bruce...let him just play and stop looking like idiots as you try to move to other things like... diet ideas, needlepoint....but he just keeps playing....Meredith and Matt...what a couple of tools!!!

thanks for reading

EVERTHING MUST GO!!!!!





Huge Liquidation Sale!!!!!

We gotta be crazy.....




Make an offer, historic office building for sale. built in 1879.....

Gotta move it real quick, current owners to consider all serious bids....


Aaaah....Michigan....Let's recap.....


To help promote voters to elect a Republican Governor, the republican michigan house and senate opt to repeal the Single Buisness Tax.....cutting taxes paid by well....businesses.....and the business owners like this but....


...to not scare off voters, the same house and senate propose no plan to replace, cause that would mean higher taxes to the people who actually vote, the.....i believe....10 billion in revenue, but.....


act surprised when the state has run out of money a year later.....


....but let's not talk politics, as the republican senate leader kills every bi-partisan solution, cause he wants to run for governor next election.....but i just saw him on the evening news begging the governor to not shut down the state...



but in reality people only care if.....they can't buy lottery tickets, booze and the casinos have to shut down!!!!


If the people from Myanmar want democracy and we seem to be the country who tries to bring it those who want it.....why haven't we invaded there???? At least the citizens of that country are willing to help stand up for democracy....


.....how close to China is Myanmar???? They could bomb our new troops there with lead-based painted bombs....that would be bad. Maybe we should stay in Iraq.



And, i don't care where the leader of another nation is from....dammit, if he or she is a sovereign leader and wants to visit the UN, let him....and if he wants to lay a wreath at ground zero....maybe take it as the olive branch that it could be....why does the entire country seem so damned happy to keep Iran an enemy....


i saw Colin Powell speak once about when Yuri Andropov, during the end of the USSR, Mr. A looked at the distrust in Mr P's eyes, threw his head back, laughed and said "you need to find a new enemy, cause we're not it anymore" Okay a paraphrase....


i mean would trade between the US and Iran be terrible.....next thing i'm be supporting opening trade with Cuba....i must be anti-american. It's just another country our business owners could send jobs too.


Movin on to running....i gotta admit to no real excitement with the big run in Chicago. It could be taper madness but mostly, i just want to go, have a nice morning run and go to St Louis on a business trip.


On the plus side....i have my 2 rooms, $29 a night, downtown, 5 blocks from the starting corral, verified yesterday. You would think that would be enough to gather a carpool with another runner, from the metro area (perhaps the one who is using the other room, with her girl crush, alas their tender weekend be cramped)....so dear Fun Guv doesn't have the long drive home alone after i board a plane at Midway, but....c'est la vie (mock french...more anti-american propaganda) Man, nobody has a sense of humor anymore!!!


Anybody looking to carpool??? But i'll try to give the Steers salute as i cross the finish line


thanks for reading

Start slow and then taper off....

Well, as the entire marathon training program has been a bust due to a couple un-foreseen issues, i must admit to enjoying my last 20 miler for a while. i figure, since i really didn't train too hard a 20 two weeks before the marathon will give me plenty of time to recoup prior to the big run.

i gotta admit i feel good. My leg is still about 90% and it's still tight but not uncomfortable to run on and although i don;t plan on setting a PR in Chicago, or going for a BQ i think i will have a good time...and so the goals for Chicago '07...

1. Finish, sounds dumb but honestly this is actually more important than having fun. So much has been wrapped around my work schedule and this marathon that if i don't finish, i will feel like i let so many people down who helped organize a schedule to get me from Chicago to St Louis, a day later than i am supposed to be there.

2. Have fun....i worked hard to gather starting in a corral. i want to enjoy the feeling. i ran my 20 in just under 3 hours and felt real strong the last 2 miles. In many ways this was the strongest 20 miles ever, not due to time but the way i felt when done.

3. Beat Oprah...don't ask me why but i just like the sound of it.

4. Race the best race i can race on that day. Lord knows the unlimited positive and negative factors that may exist in two weeks. i could slip fall and give myself a concussion to running with the wind at my back the entire time in 50 degree sunny, dry conditions. If i stay honest with myself and my abilities i should enjoy the day.

Short and sweet but that's the goals, no time goals (other than Oprah), more of a zen feeling of the day...and i almost forgot...

Keep Moving Forward!!!!

Not sure why but as different songs come through my MP3 player while running certain songs become a soundtrack theme...This marathon seems to be Kid Rock's "Somebody's got to Feel This/Fist of Rage." It has seemed to inspire to fight through the injury and force myself to keep trying.

But let's move....

As my Frother, his term, invited fun guv, me and kids to meet his new daughter, we were treated to returning to CMU to attend band-day. That great day of inviting local high schools to the big university for a chance to play at a college football game, recruit potential new students, and give the marching band a week off from preparing drill and tunes....the introduction



but even better his rousing technique of wielding his little conducting stick a la Hermione trying to make a feather float in first year classes at Hogwarts. Just play along a recite Levioso, every 8 beats.

Followed by the rousing hair flips. Rock on!!!!

Or as Fun Guv says....picture Mickey Mouse trying to control of those brooms. Stay with it for the BIG FINNISH.




Honestly and it all seriousness. Congrats Scott!!! Thanks for inviting us to go. i can think of no honor greater then being asked to conduct the CMU Marchings Chips!!!!

Hey, i can count to 4, when do i get a turn???

Thanks for reading

OK i hate to admit this but lately my mornings have been spent at home preparing for a day of prospecting new business. So as i prepare and catch up on some paperwork, i admit to a guilty pleasure of watching a little Good Morning America in the morning.

As my regional leader suggest writing a little each day, i'm going to force the muse back to me by taking his advice and trying to do so in this format. But after having a little white noise provided my GMA i gonna go off a on a completely different arena than i have in the past. Cause....

i gotta admit to a little sympathy for Britney Spears.....ok, sure....i watched the VMA's and yeah...what a train wreck...but c'mon...

No having a beer for 12 hours prior to seeing her kids???? Sure sounds great, we gotta protect the children and i'm all for that but...wait a minute...

i enjoy an occasional beer in the evening, and Oh my God....my kids are in the very next room. What will they think???

Or, no using of illegal drugs prior to seeing her kids... This is dumb, because by definition the drugs are....illegal. So is the court saying using illegal drugs, if she isn't seeing the kids, is OK. How can a court make this ruling???? The drugs are il....ergo not....legal.

Now sure, i agree, again, be redundant...i'm all for protecting children but....if i slippery slope this logic...what happens to stay at home moms, or dads....who may want to have a beer while watching a game on TV and maybe the kids are at home????

and really if the courts are really going to get involved with personal demons to protect our children, shouldn't we all just get in line????

Free Speech.....moving on....i gotta say that, and i'm really a liberal guy....that yahoo who caused the disturbance with John Kerry should consider himself lucky he only was Tasered!!! What an idiot....not really a free speech issue. Yes... make your point, but then to create a disturbance, and have to be asked to leave, and yeah, i watched the video, to resist arrest???

See...in a demonstration regarding free speech, don't move!!! don't talk!!!! if the police, dps,whatever escort you out...go with them.or....

you might get tasered....duh

what a moron...oh yeah, and maybe be aware of the climate around the country regarding safety concerns at universities due to Va Tech.

Fer instance....while traveling and using a public restroom in an airport...don't say things like "Man, i just dropped a bomb in there, whew, toxic" when exiting the restroom. It may be misconstrued by the authorities.

Just a little thought or two. And i haven't even had a moment to put some time into OJ's moromic misadventure. Maybe there's just too much crap in the world to actually post about?????

Thanks again

The big 200th post.

at least if my counter is correct. Truthfully while i find round numbers interesting and i thought about making a big todo and recap of the past near two years of running for at first, weight-loss, then to see how far i can go, but am opting for otherwise....

But first things first....i think i'm back to about 90% of where i was pre-injury. i type that as i ran for 15 miles on Sunday morning and, while not quite the 20 i should of done i figure this week is a good week for a 20. In many ways this training, or lack thereof, has been a "see-how-it-goes" train, and while i intend to taper the last 2 weeks, i think i haven't done any of the muscle damage normal training would drain from me...so a shorter...less taper in the taper, taper.

To follow the 15 miles, i hit 7 yesterday and seem to bee quite comfy at a 8:30/pace. So i think i will finish in Chicago, and if i was forced to pick a time goal, i would think perhaps 4:15 is very do-able. As with the Bayshore, i use a 7 mile hour as a benchmark. Well i haven't done a lot of work but my 14 mile point was 2:01 from Sunday, but i make no claim to be able to continue to 21 miles after three hours.

This is the fun part about loooong running. See, to me the mental part is more fun than the running. The planning, the mental conditioning to run a smart race. There is an internal part of running with a strong gut that means so much more to me than the physical work.

i must take a moment here to mention how i seem to have lost my blogging muse. Or perhaps she has abandoned me. i admit to have lost my focus while developing my new career. Or better typed....focused on other things like starting my own business.

i'm actually 2 short weeks away from opening....after the months of study, followed my intense weeks of market research and training, and learning the logistical things like actually opening accounts and preparing presentations completely different than presentations i have done in past....i'm going to open shortly.

odd. Cause a big part is going "then what???"

i truly feel like Ralph Macchio from the Karate Kid movies....y'know i've waxed the cars, painted the fence, sanded the deck...but now i'm going to a tourney and man i don't even know what belt i should have on.

To draw a real life comparision...it's a lot like training for a marathon. i was given a training plan, and told if i just follow the plan i will finish and enjoy the trip. Well, i am hitting the taper portion of training and i feel like i should be hitting longer miles, while everyone who has ran this before is saying to trust the plan. i need to just trust the plan.

At least in moments when i start to stress out, i have this little guy to keep me laughing...




what a ham...dancing to the music from his gameboy...while watching himself in the reflection of our picture window.

it's the stuff that keeps me moving forward when i get tired.

thanks for reading

Back in the saddle.....


This could be a hopeful sign as i ran 15 miles over the weekend. Now sure i stretched it out over a couple days...5 sat and 9 sunday, but it felt good.


i think the stress of passing, lifting....helped lift my desire to run.


Thanks, thanks and thanks to all the great comments of support to the running and non-running bloggers out there. and yep Fran...feel free to gather advice as i will most likely never be licensed in Canada....somehow it's still another country. wacky!!!


Anyway, to openly respond to my little grate lake running chick.....i mean, conservative right-wing in general to the other professionals in my chosen field. Typically, as in the past in banking and lending roles, i was the odd liberal out. So in no way was my comment in the last post in reference to the actual readers of my blog.


So let's just say in the world of finance, i expect the same. Although there are some Earth friendly strategies gaining ground in the field. Mostly, i now will be representing the investor/stock holder....who may not care if jobs are sent overseas as long as the bottom line is a larger yield.....gawd, i'm already getting more boring, i know...i always was.


Anyway...this is the 199th post so the next one will be a biggy. Perhaps a brief reflection on where i was and where i am. oooh great, another yawner....


Additionally, as i am still working to build my own section of the professional universe....i apologize to everyone for not being able to keep up as diligently with those i stalk....i try...but seriously the 75 hour work weeks are already crimping my running style.....life style...parenting time....i swear it'll only be another few really tough weeks. Cats in the Craddle and all. Maybe another odd video.....found this on You Tube...real funny stuff.....




wow...i just typed for a few minutes and said absolutely nothing.



thanks for reading

i passed

73%

Funny how somehow going from a failing 69 to a passing 73 makes all the difference in the world.

It's a 100 question exam. 2 questions one way and i'm short of getting licensed. 2 questions above the required 71% and i studied too hard. Not really.

But, huge kudos to my bride, the nefarious Fun Guv for putting up with my ugliness this week as i got cranky and studied all week. Why...just to get an extra 4, just four more questions right to become eligible to be a fully licensed investment professional type person.

Truth is, i can't really do anything yet as the license will not be activated for 3 more weeks, but it's done. and now to concentrate on more important things like running the marathon. oh yeah and learning to run a profitable business.

Thanks to all for the good thoughts about the test.

Another big question???? Can a liberal-minded mind exist in a world of capitalist, and mostly conservatives(?)??? Well, this should be a fun new career, eh. How many republican dinner parties will i find myself invited to now????

Maybe, i can concentrate on GREEN, investing??? Or hometown....state....USA products. Wouldn't that be patriotic???

Thanks for reading

Aaaaah, the joy of a new first grader on the first day of school or....Pee Wee Herman as a child. You pick.

Woo, slow down...what's this two days in a row of back-to-back post. Well back by popular demand, namely Kim asking for a political rant, i felt inspired...but first...there's always a but first right????

Tomorrow morning i sit for a second attempt at the Series 66, Uniformed Combined State Law Exam. Sounds scary as i missed the first attempt by 2 questions. Quite honestly, this test sucks. It was written by lawyers and dammit can they ever just write a simple question??? appartantly not.

Wish me luck and think of where i will be at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Please Gknee, you've been a good luck omen to me.

Also...Terese, call me, since she reads this little thing once in a while, i want to discuss the merits of the Deathly Hallows, and not ruin an ending for anybody waiting for the movie in 4 or 5 years.

But on to political rants.....

VW has appartantly decided to pull out of Michigan. Basically, their office in Auburn Hills, home of the Palace, home of the Pistons and a soon to be Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band show ('nother topic/'nother day), it's purely administrative for the US operations and employes about 1000 folks. They're heading South....

So our Guv, is again scramblin' to try to keep another company from pulling up stakes and promising the world if they (VW) stay in Michigan. Just like she has been trying for the past 6 years, as companies have been heading away from Michigan.

Now right-wingers out there... love to blame the unions and love to blame the high wages companies pay to michiganders. Right-wingers love to blame our liberal governor, who is best served as a little junket representative for bridge runs (kidding, wink wink...nudge, nudge).

So, thinking about it....which i do,, and this is just a little thought, but....i'm ready for the governor to grow a set.

Next time a company pulls out of Michigan, i want her to call up the CEO and offer to help them pack. If they want to go elsewhere then go. Tired of paying high wages....go see what you get when you move everything to China....right Mattel???

The entire industrialised economy, of the world, is based upon the inventions of Henry Ford (albeit, an antisemite and ealry on supporter of Hitler, not without faults, but...) and the development of the assembly line. We did it. The mid-west work effort defines the state of Michigan.

Companies want to leave to cut cost...go!!! everybody gets what they pay for. Good luck getting people in the South to work mandatory 7 days and double shifts cause production picks up. That's what we do here.

Cheap labor will mean cheap product. So governor, ...please,....as a salesman for the past 8 years i've realized that you can't be everything to everyone, and there is a value to the work ethic inherent to the midwest. It may cost more to stay here, but the risk of moving to a cheaper work force may prove costlier.

That's a winning mentality. The idea of placating every company with tax cuts who threaten to move without them is loser thinking. i guess when i hear folks wish a business person ran things, maybe they want a salesperson in reality.

just a thought

thanks for reading

Keep moving forward!!!!

That's been my mantra for the past year or so. Just keep going and as i approach the Chicago marathon i realize.
...i'm not ready.

And even as i try to blame circumstances beyond my control, i realize i have lost a bit of my running mojo.

See, the little leg injury really started the ball rolling. The more i tried to force a good run, the more pain. The more pain the less i wanted to run.

The new job has taken control of every aspect of my life. And being an admitted obsessive/complusive, not as much time to run. Little excuses like it's too hot, i need to study, my leg hurts, i have to finish the Harry Potter book or my head will explode.....kept me of the not so beaten path of training....

Well, here i am....no much studying left for work....i finished the Harry Potter book (worth staying up 'till 4:00am to finish)...my leg seems fine...my weight is still the same as the end of the Bayshore Marathon.

No more excuses....well....one....after the Chicago Marathon i need to catch a plane to St Louis for another fun filled week of training (starting Monday at 8:00am)

Kind of a bummer, as i will not be able to truly enjoy the afterglow from a good run...better to scramble towards an airport and try to make a plane...yay!!

But, i run, and i figure any training plan is garbage now. Any thoughts for a BQ....gone. Can i finish...i don't know.

This is in no way a cry for pity or encouragement. It's just reality. i haven't properly trained and i know it. i hope in the next few weeks i can put on some decent mileage, take a shortened, but smart taper, and run 26.2.

It will be painful. It will be the hardest race i have ran. It may break me. i may not finish.

But, i will keep moving forward!!!!

congrats to my friend LISA and her fun run across the Mack Bridge.

Watching, or rather, hearing that Michigan lost Saturday meant nothing is respect to watching the extremely moving opening of the college football season through the eyes of VT students, and players. ESPN did a great job in not hyping the moment but letting the pregame just unfold for us. i truly believe nothing brings a campus together like a college football game. Additionally, the fact that Va Tech players enter the field to "Enter Sandman" is phenomenal!!!

Yesterday i ran 8.50 miles, longest run since the midnite 20.....this was more at my pace, at 7 miles the leg flared up a little.

thanks for reading, and understanding that i haven't had the time or motivation to keep up a running blog when i'm not really running.

on to a completely different subject and mood fo the day:

i don't ever want to find myself shedding tears while watching "college game day" on espn again....