More Running

So today was the third run of week 5. This week was a bit crazy because all 3 of the runs are different. unlike other weeks where you do the same routine each time). It went from three 5 minutes runs, to two 8 minute runs and ended the week with a single 20 minute run. Yes, that is correct, it goes from 8 minutes straight to 20. Are these people insane? The program was obviously created by some crazy fitness nut who just likes to watch people fail....or maybe not. Believe it or not I made it straight through to the 20 and actually felt good enough where I could have probably gone more if I pushed myself. I even sprinted out the last minute which felt really good. I'm still running with my good friend Ipstitch (short for incredible painful side stitch). He started running with me after only a minute or so and stayed with me through my cool down. I really think he is just showing up because each run I'm pushing myself beyond my previous limits, I'm just hoping I can leave him behind once I'm maintaining at 5k instead of constantly increasing.

But enough about me, let's talk about Nicole. Yesterday I went to cheer on my good friend Nicole who not only ran but completed the New York City marathon. I caught up with her at mile 8, 16, and 25 and each time she had a big smile on her face and made it look like she was still running mile 1. She tells people she had a tough time with it, I think she is just being modest! I'm sure she will have her experience up, if not yet very soon so click on over to her blog!

Next up - The Philly Marathon. A year ago in November I met the girl of my dreams while watching Nicole run the Philly Marathon, this year Nicole and I will be watching said girl run it for herself. It's unbelievable to me that I have friends that run marathons... It really shouldn't be, my friends are and always have been crazy but man what an accomplishment to push your body to such extremes.

I have a mess of pictures and stories to upload that i've been neglecting, over the next couple weeks I will have Halloween, Ella's Christening, pics from the New York Marathon, and probably a few more running stories as I fight my way to the 5k!

Running week 2

First off I need to make a correction from last week. I wrote that I started in week 5 and was dropping back to week 4. Turns out after looking at the program again, I was starting week 4 and dropping back to week 3.

I am doing my program Wed/Friday/Sunday so today was the first day back to week 4. It was rough, but not nearly as rough as last week. I keep getting this almost debilitating cramp on my right side that feels that it goes right through me, Luckily it seems to show up in the last 5 minutes so I've been able to power my way through; all though I am a little concerned about next week when I start doing 2 miles at a time.

But all whining aside, it really is feeling great. I've pretty much never been able to do any sort of distance running, even when I was young and in great shape, so even the small strides I'm making now as an out of shape adult have been awesome.

Runner's Log

So after talking about it, telling friends about it (who have gone on and done it), but never actually getting off my butt and doing it. Today I've started my "Couch to 5k" program (www.coolrunnings.com). I've been running a few weeks now and increasing dramatically in distance, speed an Stamina, so I thought I would start the aforementioned program in week 5 which is two 3 minutes runs and two 5 minutes runs with either a 90 second or 2 minute break between each.

This, I have decided, was a mistake. The past week I've been mixing 5 minute runs with 5 minute walks and was able to do the runs pretty easily. Apparently the difference between 5 minute walks and 90 second walks is a lot more then one would think. The 5 minute runs felt like I was running a marathon. I had to take a small 1 minute walk break during the last 5 minute run but then continued to finish the run, cooldown and stretch so I was at least happy I was able to finish.

Now I know you runners are looking at this laughing your ass off either because a) you were once here and remember what it was like to get started or more likely b) are looking at 5 minute runs and thinking how sad not being able to run at a 5mph pace for 5 minutes really is. to those in the b catagory I say.. that's why I'm doing it.... ;).

In any case, after talking with Jenna about it I've decided to drop back another week to week 4 of the program and see how I feel there. She pointed out that dropping back can't hurt, but staying in 5 when I'm not ready could. So.. back to week 4 I go.

My goal is to be able to run a 30 minute 5k early next year and possibly a 10k some time during the summer. They aren't the loftiest of goals but when you've managed to put on as much weight as I have over the past 15 years, slow and steady needs to be a theme until I can finally manage to shed it off. Speaking of weight, as of last week I am back to losing again. I am officially at the 10 lb mark again and feeling like this week will be another loss.. woohoo!

So, if nothing else, this should at least give me some good material for the blog... which as Nicole keeps reminding me is not updated nearly enough!

Rest in Peace sweet Brandy

You will always be loved and you will always be missed

Brandy Linke
1993 - 2007

If it should be that I grow weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then you must do what must be done,
For this last battle cannot be won.

You will be sad, I understand.
Don't let your grief then stay your hand.
For this day, more than all the rest,
Your love for me must stand the test.

We've had so many happy years.
What is to come can hold no fears.
You'd not want me to suffer so;
The time has come -- please let me go.

Take me where my need they'll tend,
And please stay with me till the end.
Hold me firm and speak to me,
Until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time that you will see
The kindness that you did for me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I've been saved.

Please do not grieve -- it must be you
Who had this painful thing to do.
We've been so close, we two, these years;
Don't let your heart hold back its tears.

AHoy me hartis. Tis National speak like a pirate day arg

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/


I know this is lame considering I haven't updated in a month... but I promise to be on again within the week to update ye swervy dogs ya

Back in Philly

As my friend Nicole constantly reminds me... I am a lousy blogger! Sorry it's been so long since an update, but without further ado... UPDATE!!!

Well, tomorrow will mark the 1 month anniversary of my move. It's hard to believe I've been home for a month already and still haven't had a cheese steak. I have, however, seen a ton of friends, been camping at Ralph Stover, went Tubing down the Delaware, been to 3 (Winning) Phillies games and eaten my fill of Soft Pretzels! So far so good me thinks.

Next weekend I'll be heading to the Ren Faire and 2 weeks after that I'll be down the Shore.. WOOHOO!!!

So, living back with the family is certainly a little strange. You get into certain habits living on my own for 7 years that just don't work when there are other people in the house, such as waking up at 3am and having to throw on a robe or shorts instead of walking out to the bathroom in ur Undies or having to let your family know where you are, when you'll be back and if you'll be home for dinner. But none of it is a bad thing, just something to get used to again.

I guess a quick look at how this years goals are coming along are appropriate at this point.

Moving Home: SUCCESS!!! I am home and I'm never going back.

Weight Loss: This has been going slowly, but going. Since I started on Weight Watchers 14 weeks ago I've lost 15.5 lbs. It's strange because every other diet I've been on has allowed me to lose 10-20 lbs real fast (1-2 months) but then would stall. I'm currently averaging about 1lb a week and it feels so much better, it really feels like I'm doing it right this time so I'm pretty happy. My goal right now is to be able to fit back into my 36 jeans my Christmas time. so that's 3 pant sizes over 4 months. I know it's a lofty goal, but I think if I manage to stay on the diet and continue to increase my exercise, it's a goal I can achieve!

Money: The move home sadly cost a good deal more then I really was hoping to spend, so my savings is a little on the short side right now. However, rather than continuing to pay 20%+ a month to my credit card companies, I decided to take a loan from myself and pay off all my debt. It'll take 18 months to pay myself back what I borrowed with 9% interest.
The downside, I'm poor for the next 18 months because close to 1/2 my paycheck is being auto-withdrawn to pay myself back, and if I somehow become jobless during that 18 months I am heavily boned.
The upside however is tremendous. Over 18 months I will be saving close to 6 Thousand dollars in interest and after years and years trying to get even I am finally out from under the weight of my credit card debt. Talk about a relief!

So, that is what's been going on. Spending tons of time with Jenna (She starts back at work today, please send her your love and good thoughts), re-discovering what it is to be a Philly Boy and just loving being back home.


EDIT: Here are some pictures of my move home.

My Move Home (Staring Gnomo the alternative lifestyle Gnome)

I'm Home

It was a long drive but somehow we made it in one shot.  We left Atlanta at 7:30am and made it back to Philadelphia at 11:30pm.  I have a bunch of pictures and a couple funny stories I’ll post soon.  In the mean time I am living out of boxes… but living out of boxes in PHILLY!!!

Another Quick Update

Lot’s of things going on.

 

- I have a NIECE!  Ella Rose Pinkos was born on July 1^st 2007.  Mother and baby are healthy and doing well.  I’ll have more details and pictures soon.

 

- Thanks to Jenna I found a company called ABF that does relo-cubes for moving.  They basically deliver you a small storage shed.  You pack it, they pick it up and drive it to your new place, you unpack it and they come take it away.  It’s the best idea EVER!  I packed my relo-cube last weekend and they picked it up on Monday.  It will be waiting at my parent’s house on Saturday when I get there.  So now I just have to grab Jenna, the dog, some cloths and computers and drive my car home which is a TON less stressful that having to drive a U-Haul home and trailer the car.

 

I can’t believe it’s only 3 more days till I am back home for good.  Thanks to everyone who sent love and good wishes to get me home!!!  

Happy Independence Day

 

A couple fun Fourth of July facts:

 

The first official 4^th of July celebration was in 1777 in Philadelphia.  Warships along the docks fired a 13 gun salute in honor of the 13 states.  The soldiers that were in the area at the time paraded through the streets.

 

Not all members of the Continental Congress supported a formal Declaration of Independence, but those who did were passionate about it. One representative rode 80 miles by horseback to reach Philadelphia and break a tie in support of independence.

 

The first two versions of the Liberty Bell were defective and had to be melted down and recast. The third version rang every Fourth of July from 1778 to 1835, when, according to tradition, it cracked as it was being tolled for the death of Chief Justice John Marshall.

 

The American national anthem, the "Star-Spangled Banner," is set to the tune of an English drinking song ("To Anacreon in Heaven").

 

The term fireworks didn’t come about until 1777 when the first Fourth of July celebration took place.  Before that, they were simply called “rockets.” Because they were more visual than anything, they called them “fireworks.”  Later on, the ones that were made for noise (and not beauty) were called “Fire Crackers.”  And in 1880 “sparklers” were created. 

 

July 6th Weekend

Ahhhh.. July 6^th weekend.  Some people will be returning from their long 4^th of July vacation down the shore, or planning a relaxing day by the pool to ward off the summer sun.  Others may spend a day at the ball park watching the Phills take on whoever they are taking on that weekend.

 

I however, will be doing none of those things.  For I will be spending that weekend making my 800 mile trek from Atlanta, GA to Philadelphia, PA where I will once again, finally, be back where I belong.

 

That’s right baby!  I’M COMING HOME!!!  Sometime between the morning of July 7^th and evening of July 8^th I will be parking my car filled to the brim with all my worldly possessions and will once again be a resident of the city of brotherly love (or at least one of its outskirts).

 

I can’t even begin to explain to you how excited I am to not only have a move date but for it to be only a few weeks away.  Thanks to everyone who sent good vibes my way over the past couple of months!

 

In the mean time, please don’t be too upset if I don’t update my blog over the next coming weeks.  I’ll be very busy trying to get my life into cardboard boxes and ready for the move.  But I promise to update as soon as I get home if I don’t do it sooner!

That was NOT the week...

Sadly, another weekend without knowing WHEN I'll be moving home. The boss man was swamped coming back from vacation and asked to speak early next week. So hopefully Monday or Tuesday I will know more.

While we wait, allow me to Provide a little amusement! Let me start by simply providing a picture.

Take a moment, you might be thinking to yourself, "what an interesting item, what could it be?" Could it be a bowl of some sort, if you are familiar with an immersion heater, you may think maybe some sort of coffee or soup bowl that keep things warm for you, what a great concept. Or maybe it could be some sort of incense device or way to interesting way to smoke your weed.

Now that you have pondered all the possibilities of such an item. Allow me to introduce you to the cover item on the new HAMMACHER SCHLEMMER catalog. The Portable Wood-Burning Hot Tub. Yes, that is right, for the low low price of 5,999.99 + tax and shipping, you and 3 of your closest friends can sit in this 200 gallon portable hot tub which is heated by starting a wood fire in the little metal basket hanging from it.

A hot tub... really? a hot tub? I kid you not, this is a hot tub, not a pasta bowl, not a soup bowl, not plastic. What the HELL are people thinking. For god sakes at least make it black or white or at minimum not freaking shiny orange like a big plastic bowl. The stupid thing even has a spot for your spoon (they say beverage.. I say spoon).

I haven't stopped laughing for 2 days after seeing this, I hope it provides you with as much amusement!

This is the week...

House is sold, packing has commenced, and temporary housing has been confirmed.  Now all that is left before the actual move back to Philly is to find out WHEN I can do it.  That my friends; happens this week!

 

I’m really hoping for early July, but just having a date will be such a huge load of stress off that even if he says September I’ll be happy just knowing when… and maybe then I’ll stop dropping entire boxes of glassware down a flight of concrete steps.  Turns out glass isn’t as resilient as once thought!  Crazy!

 

Fingers crossed folks…

 

Long Overdue Update

Sorry for the month long hiatus on a blog post. with 2 trips to Philly, putting the house on the market, trying to pack etc.. it's just one of those things that keep getting pushed to the bottom of the list. I promise another post with more details soon.. but here is a quick Update!

Jenna: It's sad how crazy I am about her.

House: I got an offer while heading to the shower at PDF this weekend. They severely low balled the first offer but came back and got pretty close to the counter offer. It's not what I wanted for the house, but a good deal higher then the minimum I was willing to take, so it turned out nice. The crazy part is that they want to close ASAP, it is a cash offer "AS IS" so no worrying about fogged windows and broken tile and no worrying about financing falling through. As of now, it looks like we will close late this week, early next week with June 18th being my "vacate" date.

Moving Home: No date set in stone yet. Will get a date mid next week. But it is definitely happening between June and August.

Weight Loss: I finally gave up on Nutri-crap. It was just too restrictive for me, especially since I Love to cook. So, Jenna finally convinced me to try Weight Watchers and I LOVE IT! Now, I'm a fat cow right now so I have a butt load of points each day, which makes it a pretty easy diet to follow. But I'm eating things I love to eat and still losing weight. So, things are looking up.

Money: I suck and have somehow gotten worse with my money instead of better. However, house sale will help tremendously.

Thats about it I guess. Crazy things going on, I just got back from PDF (no, not the adobe file format) and have tons to tell about that. More soon!

UPDATE: My realtor just called and is on his way over with the paperwork for me to sign. Closing June 18th!

Too good to be true

well! turns out my place is too small for the couple I showed my house to earlier this week, so off to clean a bit more and get ready for my realtor to take some pictures.

In other news:

Nutrisystem Pasta Explodes In Microwave!

Below are pictures of what happens when you put a nutrisystem can of pasta into the microwave for the "recommended" time. 1 minute on high!

Step 1: Add seemingly harmless can of Pasta with Meat sauce into

the brand spanking new Microwave

Step 2: Press "Manual Cook" and because my microwave is cool as hell, it'll remember I like to cook things at 100% for 1:00. Press Start!

Step 3: About 46 seconds into cooking, hear loud "BANG" and open microwave to find...

Step 4: Spend next 45 minutes of your lunch hour cleaning up the mess

Long Overdue Update:

Let me first apologize for my little blogging hiatus there.  As you may expect, things have been crazy with trying to get the house on the market, getting rid of all my clutter (the P in PJ may very well stand for packrat, which made the clutter thing a very big chore), and spending as much time as possible with Jenna 

 

So a quick update now, with more details soon to come.

 

The Job:

The whole working from Philadelphia thing seems more and more like a reality.  The boss has made several comments about it around other people, which makes me think I took the “maybe, let’s talk about it in June” incorrectly.  It seems more like a “absolutely, lets work out the details in June”.  So that is very exciting.  I am still pushing to get back into Philly some time in July.  I’ll keep you all updated on the progress!

 

The Girl:

Things are fantastic with us.  I really truly couldn’t be happier (unless I was home of course).  She just finished classes and is starting her 2 weeks of exam hell, so please send her tons of love.

 

The Birthday:

I was back in Philadelphia to celebrate my birthday this year (celebrated on Friday).  I woke up and was greeted with a fantastic birthday morning.  We’re talking balloons, presents and a fantastic breakfast.  We spent most of the day vegging in and then headed out to D&B that evening.  Lots of people showed and it was an excellent time.  Thanks everyone!

 

The House:

OK, so the collective everyone crossing fingers about the job seemed to work.  So I need you all to put those fingers together again.  I met with a friend yesterday about purchasing my house, for asking price, without using a realtor.  He and his girlfriend REALLY liked the place.  They promised me a call tonight to talk about if they want to take it or not, price, and how to proceed.  If they take it, it would mean an unfounded ZERO days on the market before sale and the biggest hurdle to overcome with me coming home will be taken care of.  To top it off, I was planning on selling the house furnished, and they don’t want the furniture, which means I can sell it all and hopefully make a little profit as well.

 

Too good to be true?  Very possible, but a boy can dream can’t he? 

 

2007 Goals:

Ok, so I had all my goals listed out nice and pretty.  Here is a quick update:

 

Moving home: Coming along nicely as you can see above

 

Finances:  I have no TV, no netflix, gamefly, world of warcraft, I’ve sold a mess of my stuff.  However, my debt doesn’t seem to be getting better (probably getting worse).  Going to spend the next few days working on a budget and figuring out where all my money is going.  The good news is, if the house sale goes as expected and I actually make a couple dollars on it, it’ll take a huge chunk out of my debt.  Not to mention, living with Mom again should help significantly as well.

 

Weight loss: I’m a cow, enough said.  With the move being moved up significantly, there is no way I’m going to make my goal by the time I move, but I will be starting weight watchers some time in the middle of May and hopefully I will get a nice jump on the loss and be losing by the time I move!

 

I'm Coming Home (Probably)

I guess before I give the results of my meeting this morning I should go into a little history.  About 2 weeks ago we had a meeting and we were praised for the longevity of our crew.  All but 1 employee in my department has been with the company for 10+ years, most over 15.  That same day, the one employee under 10 year gave notice that he was transferring to a new department… since then the shit has hit the fan.

 

2 Weeks ago: Tim and his Wife have a new child which causes Tim to spend a good deal of time at home with his wife and new baby! (YAY TIM)

 

Tuesday 9am: We are told that one of the programmers, Jeff, has gone into surgery for a triple bypass.  He will be out for up to 2 months.

 

Tuesday 10am: We are told that Cole gave 3 weeks notice and is moving to Alabama (Sweet home Alabama) to start a company with his brother.

 

So, with all this, it makes me asking to work remotely a little more difficult.  But after spending several hours with Jenna working out a proposal and figuring out how to present it (THANK YOU JENNA), I decided to go ahead with it.  I walked into Craig’s office 8am this morning and told him that all though I love working for the company, I feel that it’s time for me to be back with my family and friends in Philadelphia, and that for me the ultimate scenario would be to keep the job I love, while working in Philadelphia.

 

The response I received, all though not ideal, was VERY favorable.  My boss let me know that he has little to no problem with having a remote employee, but of course he would have to speak to Lisa (my team lead), and of course his boss, which he felt would refer back to him on the decision.  He seemed genuinely happy that instead of seeking employment with another company that I was considering options that would keep me with this company. 

 

This was ALL good, and from the way he was talking I felt that it was a pretty much done deal.  The “not ideal” part is that he did not want to add the work that would need to be done before this could happen on to an already difficult couple of months.  With Jeff out, Maksim gone and Cole quitting we are understaffed and potentially very behind schedule for the AAO.  So he asked if we could resume discussion on how to make this happen in a couple of months (mid June).  So, all though it looks like there is a very good chance of this happening, I more then likely won’t know for sure until June. 

 

One plus to that is, if all goes well in June, I will be back in Philadelphia in July!!!!

This is the week

Been a while since I’ve written so just wanted to stop by and say everything is good. Had a fantastic weekend home over St. Patty’s day (more on that later). I’ve been working on my house getting it ready to sell. And the diet is going REALLY well, my first official weigh in is this Friday morning, so hopefully I’ll have an update for you all then!

As for my major goal for this year, I’m planning on talking to my boss this week about getting back to Philadelphia. I’ve never wanted something so badly in my life, and have never been so nervous about anything either. I’ll probably be asking Thursday or Friday, so please keep me in your prayers and send good vibes my way!

Introducing Jenna

Yep, that's right. I have a girlfriend. Now, of course, me being me means that it cannot possibly be a normal relationship. Don't worry, she doesn't have a 3rd arm or anything. The problem is that in my current status as an Atlantian (blah), she lives 800 miles away. The good news is, it just so happens she lives right where I want to be, back in Philly! Sadly for now it seems we will be forced to play the long distance relationship game, which I must tell you, sucks on many many different levels. But hey, I'm with an awesome woman so I can't complain too much.

Jenna and I met while cheering on Nicole while she ran her marathon in Philadelphia. It was the day after I got home for the holidays and Beth, Jenna and I drove down to Philly with a couple bags of pretzel nubs, some Gatorade, twizlers and a jar of Vaseline (complete with sign stating "Say No To Chaffing"). It really was an awesome, fun and motivational day, it is amazing to watch so many people pushing their bodies and minds to the limit to accomplish a goal most people would never even dream of attempting. After spending a day with Jenna I thought for sure I had found a new friend, I didn't have any idea that a friendship was going to be just the start of something a lot bigger.

A couple days later Jenna and a couple of her friends showed up at General Lafayette's to hang with Nicole and the rest of the Gside Posse' for our annual pre-Thanksgiving festivities. While the night wound down and the Gside crew got set to leave, Jenna asked me to stick around, which I did and we ended up talking pretty much the whole night. About half way through the evening I realized (yes it took me that long) that I was being flirted with (WOOHOO). We ended up hooking up that evening (and then most subsequent evenings afterwards). What started as a friendship morphed into a casual hookup and, over the next 6 weeks while I was in Philly, a lot more. I couldn't be happier!

Today, March 19th marks 4 months since Jenna came into my life and every day I find myself falling more and more in love with her. I look back and think, what are the chances of things working out the way they did? Being able to come home and work from Philly over the holidays, meeting Jenna only 12 hours after ariving back home, being able to spend 6 weeks getting to know each other and falling in Love. One little thing in a giant equation is different, and it's possible we never meet... it's all pretty amazing.

So, for those of you who haven't met her. Jenna, my friends; my friends, Jenna. You'll be seeing a lot of her and me thinks you are gonna like her.

Skiing in Steamboat

Day 1 - March 2, 2007
I've arrived in Colorado by way of an air conveyance called an airplane where I was forced to sit in seats only slightly larger then by butt. Sadly due to my larger then normal shoulder girth (read, I'm a fat man) I was treated to several pummelings by people walking up and down the aisles as well as a giant metal sled containing drinks and snacks (for 5.00). I now feel I can safely say I know what a sardine feels like. After a 30 minute drive by coach to the town of steamboat, I checked into my room, which had a fantastic view of the surrounding area (see pic below). My companions were due to arrive later that evening due to a lack of a flight crew in the Philadelphia airport (how the hell do you lose your flight crew?), so I took the local shuttle to the markets and purchased some food for the evening. I had myself some of the local purveyance and sat on the porch to enjoy the view till my friends arrived. It was a good day!

Day 2 - March 3, 2007
My friends didn't arrive until well after midnight the previous evening so we decided to sleep in instead of trying to get up early to ski. Derek, Jenny and Sean went right out while Sharron and I made our way down to Gondola Square to rent some skis. Since it's been 5 years since my previous skiing expedition, I thought it best to start out slow, which turned out to be a mistake. Most of the mountain marked Green were actually a good deal more tiring due to the complete lack of hill. This causes one to be forced to "pole" everywhere. After about 2 hours of pushing myself around in the snow with my poles, we were ready to call it a day. Man was I tired (mental note 1: don't be fat next trip). After the others returned we made our way to the hot tub (outdoors and hot as blazes) then went out to ski town square for some dinner. Had a good steak... mmmmm Cow! Today was also a good day. (you may also notice I dropped the Lewis and Clark pretentious explorer thing, could only keep that up for so long)

Yes, that is a snowman on my head

Day 3 - March 4, 2007 (I'm beginning the think you might be picking up the progression here, but just in case I'll continue to date).
We managed to get out of bed a tad earlier today and decided to go into town and get some breakfast. We all pretty much stuck together on the mountain and did some intermediate blues. I felt a TON better on the blues due to the fact that I was actually able to ski down the mountain instead of trying to ski up and across it. Skiing up a mountain is not only tiring, it is just plain stupid and I don't advise anyone to try it. We did have a little excitement about half way through the day, while skiing down I had passed another skier and shouted, "On your right", in which he cut right almost directly into me (shouting, on your right means, I'm here on your right hand side, don't turn this way). He then called me a piece of shit ass hole and continued to curse me the rest of the way down. Even though it was his fault, I still apologized and let it drop. This guy, obviously being a meat head asshole, wouldn't and called more more names while passing me further down the mountain. My friend Sean proceeded to spend the next 1/2 hour cutting him off every chance he got. Thank You Sean! Yet another Good day!

Day 4 - Take a guess on the date
Woke up early (well, earlier then most days) and was on the mountain by 10:00 thanks to our resident slave driver Derek. Today was one of my better days skiing. Was able to do more challenging hills and felt good about my stamina. Called it a day after close to 4 hours and wasn't nearly as tired as the other two days. I was, however, still looking forward to a day off tomorrow. We went to the local steak place and had a really good meal. We all (well, all except Jenny who is allergic to alcohol... poor poor girl) shared a bottle of wine and I had one of the better steaks I've had in my life. Today was a GREAT day.

Day 5 - I'm not even bothering
Took the day off skiing, went shopping. Got stuff for me, got stuff for Jenna (yes yes, I know. The story of Jenna will come next I promise). Found a place called Fuzziwigs, this place I would swear is my father's Mecca. There is candy as far as the eye can see. The coolest thing about this place is how much "old time" candy they had. Now, by old time I mean, in my youth type of stuff, not truly old time, we're talking Razzles, nerds (original flavors), and the candies that fizz when you eat them so you can act like a rabid dog. They also had some of the best English Toffee I've every had in my life.

That evening we all went to the Hot Springs. It was dark, clothing was optional and someone stole all my cloths. Luckily, I opted for clothing on. So I was running around in 25 degree weather, in a wet bathing suit trying to figure out where my pants, shirt, jacket, wallet (with ID) and camera were. This was far better then running around w/out my bathing suit. Luckily after about 30 minutes I found someone who said she saw a girl pick up a bunch of stuff that wasn't hers. She then realized it wasn't hers and said (so I'm told) "I don't know what to do with this stuff I picked up". Ummmmm How bout PUTTING IT BACK WHERE YOU GOT IT?, of course not the brainless girl said to herself and she put it in a someone else's pile of cloths on the other side of the springs (people are just stupid). It was good I ran into those guys who saw it happen or I would have never found it. As a side note, it turns out that the people that optioned to not use clothing don't like you using a flash light to find things. It was a good day, that turned into a bad day, then back to a good day (yay boobies!).

Day 6 - Just two more days, bare* with me.
I skied 6 hours today. It was warm, snow was slush, I was TIRED, but I did some of the hardest hills yet. Did a couple black diamonds, didn't fall. Did a couple jumps, didn't fall. Did a green to get back home, fell right on my head. I now understand why everyone is now wearing helmets. Jenny and Sean went to get massages (no happy endings) and Derek, Sharron and I went on to the local Mexican place. Good food, horrible service. The kid (and I say that because he was obviously someones son and not old enough to actually be working there) gave us a bowl of green chili salsa, which he accidentally put his hand in... 3 times in a row. After the 3rd time we asked for a new one we opted to just eat the red one. Today, an Excellent day
*yes, this was a pun to the above clothing optional statements.

The Day after the last day posted above:
It SNOWED!!! A lot. I got to ski powder for only the second time ever. It's technically a lot easier, however, physically it is exhausting. Jenny, Sean and I headed to the top of the mountain and did a bunch of black/blues. I did pretty well, at least so I'm told, but I was tired for sure, especially after the 6 hour ski session the day before. The snow and fog was so bad at times you couldn't see more then a 10 feet in front of you, so I ended up bailing after about 3 hours and started heading back to the condo. The way back was horrible, towards the middle of the mountain the snow turned to ice and you literally couldn't see 2 feet in front of you. On the way down I got nailed in the back by a skier who was not watching where he was going, he said "Sorry, I didn't see you because I was looking down at my feet", well DUH! After returning my rentals, and spending 1/2 hour in the hot tub, Jenny made everyone dinner. Today was gruelling, and a hell of a lot of fun, making it... A good day!

The Final Day
Today I woke up, and travelled from 11am to 1am. Since my rebirth into this world as a fat man, I've decided I HATE airplanes. I'm not big enough that I need more then my seat but I do use all of it, however, I've found that others are big enough to require extra room, and they are always sitting next to me. How exactly is it fair for the person next to me to take up his entire seat, and half of mine? Am I able to charge that person a portion of my ticket? On the flight home there were 7 first class seats unoccupied. I was slammed against the side of the airplane because I was sitting next to the incredible Hulk. I asked a stewardess if it was OK for me to sit in one of the first class seats just till we start to land so I could have a little room and was told no, I then asked if there was another seat somewhere else, maybe next to someone who takes up only their own seat and was told no again, do airlines really wonder why they are going out of business? To top off a bad travel day, I spent the last couple hours of the day fighting with the gf (we made up, however being in a LD relationship makes for really lousy make up sex) Today... not a great day, however, the last day of vacations rarely are, at least it was an excellent week.

Want to see some pictures? Take a peak at my web album here!

What 2007 may hold!

Well, it's now March 1, I've created my goals for 2007, I've written em down, I've changed their order of importance, I've re-written them, I've stared at them, posted em on the wall, and so far, haven't done a damn thing with em other then that. So, it's time to get them out there for the world (or the 1 or 2 people who might read this) to see. 2007 is looking to be the year of change for the better, so without further ado

"Things to do in 2007 - AKA: The List:".

Goal Numero UNO, Number 1, The big enchilada:
Get my ass back to Philadelphia. Yes, that is right, I said it. I am done with Atlanta. I always knew Philly is where I wanted to be, but I had just procrastinated too damn long. I am a Godfather to my sister's oldest (and yes, I said oldest, another one is on the way in July), One of my closest friends has had 3 boys, another has a son who is 1. Katie, who was a newborn when I left home is now Six! And know what, I've missed it all. And on top of all that, on my last trip home I met one of the most amazing women, and get this... she's into ME. Not sure what that is all about, but hey, who am I to question right? So, anyway, back to Philly for me!

Number B:
As most of you who know me already know. I've been on a diet since JAMS and z cavarichi's were in style. Since I've started dieting, I've gained about 60 pounds (very effective diets I've been on). 40 of that I've put on since moving to Atlanta. My goal for 2007 is to leave Atlanta's 40 pounds in Atlanta. So, no more fad diets (mmmmm bacon diet), we're doing it the good 'ol healthy eating, exercise way. So, expect me to be tired and cranky for the next month or so.. ;)

And Last but Not least:
Debt be gone!! I've struggled with credit card debt just about all of my adult life. Mostly because I'm an idiot and don't know how to handle my money. Also, because I like nice, shiny, new toys and since I am still paying for the 15 pound brick cell phone I bought in 1992, I've never quite caught up to my own spending. So 2007 is the year I let technology get ahead of me. This year is all about getting my credit card debt down to ZERO. There is a lot there, so this is going to be a pretty lofty goal, but I'm convinced that I can do it! This year, PJ is gonna be El-Cheapo!

So wow 2 posts in 2 days, and I actually have a good deal more to tell you all about, so maybe this whole blog thing will stick.

Coming Attractions:
1. All about the new girlfriend Jenna.
2. Poi and the art of fire spinning (aka, why PJ will no longer have hair on his arms)
3. Skiing in Colorado - Pics and stories

Just a white lie

OK,

So I may have lied a little. Maybe it is time for me to get some thoughts down on paper. My first thought, I HATE idiots, and it seems that my company employs the cream of the crop. It is really unbelievable how stupid the decisions are that people seem to make. I have held for a long time that once a person reaches a certain level on the corporate tree two things happen.

1) they are required to have a lobotomy. You laugh, but I'm serious, people I have worked with for years, who were pretty damn smart in the cube farms become complete wastes of space once they get into an office.

b) They take classes on using a thousand words for something that can be said in three. I mean really, just say "do A, B, C and and have it on my desk by 5". Why do they have to take 4 hours of my time saying the same shit over and over and over then have the nerve to come to me at 5 and ask me where the project is.

At least I know I'm not alone, the fact that Dilbert exists is proof positive that there are others in the world that feel as I do. I also have a sneaking suspicion that Scott Adams (the creator if Dilbert) works for my company.

Well, that's all for now (or maybe forever, who knows)

My First Post (and possibly my last)

OK. I admit it. I only started this to reserve the name because I thought it was creative. It's very possible I will never do more then write this one paragraph.