Ok, back to cute kids on the blog -- MM in the bath the other night:
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Anti-Anti-Anti
James Lileks had a real nice turn of phrase in his latest column about the anti-anti crowd, in particular the anti-anti-Wikileaks folks:
"if Wikileaks dumped ten gigabytes of data about how China is force-feeding cadmium to dissidents and marching them into coal-plant furnaces, there wouldn't be a peep [by the Left], because they're like super into trains over there, okay, and we're fat and drive too much, and maybe Tom Friedman can have a word with them."
"if Wikileaks dumped ten gigabytes of data about how China is force-feeding cadmium to dissidents and marching them into coal-plant furnaces, there wouldn't be a peep [by the Left], because they're like super into trains over there, okay, and we're fat and drive too much, and maybe Tom Friedman can have a word with them."
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Trust but Terrify
James Lileks made some pretty good points about the new START treaty in a recent column that had a great last paragraph:
"There's nothing wrong with talking; as Churchill said, jaw-jaw is better than war-war, but one might recall he made war-war when required, and won-won. Agreements are nice, if everyone's honest and still can destroy the other 47 times over. Trust but terrify, as they say. But the optics in the modern world are rather stark: bare-chested Putin with a gun and a dead moose over his shoulders vs. the president in mom-jeans on a bicycle that lacks only streamers and a My Little Pony decal. It's not even strong horse-weak horse anymore. It's strong horse-weak bike."
[If you couldn't tell, I've been home sick and catching up on my reading.]
"There's nothing wrong with talking; as Churchill said, jaw-jaw is better than war-war, but one might recall he made war-war when required, and won-won. Agreements are nice, if everyone's honest and still can destroy the other 47 times over. Trust but terrify, as they say. But the optics in the modern world are rather stark: bare-chested Putin with a gun and a dead moose over his shoulders vs. the president in mom-jeans on a bicycle that lacks only streamers and a My Little Pony decal. It's not even strong horse-weak horse anymore. It's strong horse-weak bike."
[If you couldn't tell, I've been home sick and catching up on my reading.]
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
2 Columns
Charles Krauthammer's column on the supposed "climate of hate" influencing Tucson shooter Jared Loughner was brilliant. The Left's early efforts to capitalize politically on the tragedy were asinine and disappointing. I understand that politics is everything to them, so they would naturally look to the political explanation. But Loughner is so obviously mentally disturbed, not politically motivated, that the Left's charges were reckless.
If any words can be blamed for inciting Loughner to shoot Congresswoman Giffords (and this is a very big 'if'), people should be looking to the lyrics of the music he listened to. He was pretty big into heavy and death metal, whose leitmotifs are death, destruction, brutality, cruelty, and rape. These songs actually glorify and call for violence, and we know Loughner listened to them, unlike Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck.
Rob Long had a hilarious column on the TSA's search protocols, aka touching your junk. "Suddenly, every passenger is a short-tempered Soviet housewife in line for a few potatoes. And every TSA agent is a barking gym teacher: loathed and pitied by the students, but ultimately obeyed." I remain against the TSA's procedures, which are too intrusive to ordinary people and are as much about political correctness as about stopping terrorists.
If any words can be blamed for inciting Loughner to shoot Congresswoman Giffords (and this is a very big 'if'), people should be looking to the lyrics of the music he listened to. He was pretty big into heavy and death metal, whose leitmotifs are death, destruction, brutality, cruelty, and rape. These songs actually glorify and call for violence, and we know Loughner listened to them, unlike Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck.
Rob Long had a hilarious column on the TSA's search protocols, aka touching your junk. "Suddenly, every passenger is a short-tempered Soviet housewife in line for a few potatoes. And every TSA agent is a barking gym teacher: loathed and pitied by the students, but ultimately obeyed." I remain against the TSA's procedures, which are too intrusive to ordinary people and are as much about political correctness as about stopping terrorists.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Under 4 Hours
Today was the PF Chang's Rock n Roll Marathon Phoenix. My friend Kevin and I ran it together.
Pre-race (approx. 7am) at our house. Kevin's daughter gave us a proper send-off. My dad was kind enough to drive us down to the start point.
There are bands every few miles or so. My buddy C's band played just after the halfway point on 44th St. and Thomas. I shouted hello as I passed by.
I had arranged for Bobbins, the kids, my dad, and Jess (Kevin's wife) and their kids to meet me past then, on Oak St. You can see the 14 mile marker in the background. This is me bringing an extra cup of water to Bobbins. I got a clean headband and Clif bar from my dad.
I felt pretty good at this point. I cramped a little heading up 48th St. but cruised pretty well down Indian School to old town Scottsdale. Just before then, the 3:50 pace runner (person who finishes in 3hrs 50min) and a small group caught me, and I ran with them for about four miles. I thought I might stay with them all the way to the finish, but at mile 22 I started to drop back. That is when you could say I hit my "wall," although there was never a question of continuing, just how fast.
The last four miles were a real slog. It took me an hour to run the last 6 (10min/per mile pace) when I had been doing 9min or better. The last mile, from Hayden to University to Rural and the finish in Tempe, was brutal. I actually stopped to walk for a couple hundred yards because my leg muscles tightened so much. I'm a little bummed I stopped to walk but I couldn't've have finished without the mini break, to let my muscles open.
Of course the sight of the finish chute, the cheering crowd, and the announcer picked up my step. A couple tears welled in my eyes as I saw the official timer above the finish line. I would finish under 4 hours, which had been my second goal. The first was just to finish, which I knew I would, but under 4hrs for your first time out wasn't too shabby.
Photos at the finish, including my marathon medal
I skipped the official photo after the finish because I didn't want to stop moving, fearing I might stop altogether. It was a wonderful sight to see my family, esp. MM. Thanks Dad, Dave, Bobbins, MM, and Josie for supporting me. And thanks Mom, Mav, C, and Neighbor Doug for the encouragement beforehand. I had a blast.
Tale of the tape, per the text messages Bobbins received (very cool service, only cost $5 for five phones):
6.2 miles - 53:45
13.1 miles - 1:53:05
20 miles - 2:55:29
Finish - 3:55:54
[For perspective, President Bush ran a 3:23:56 in 2000 and Oprah ran it in 4:29:15 in 1994. More celebrity times here.]
Now that I have my Saturdays free guess I'll have to get back on my honey-do list. Will I run another one? I'm not sure. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. I really did enjoy being out there, esp. miles 1-20. Maybe just the half marathon next year.
Oh, one other thing about the bands. One of the best was a non-official (not on a set-up stage) rock quartet from Arcadia High School, playing Modest Mouse's "Float On." (We ran by the school.) The worst by far was an old lady on McDowell, on an official stage between Scottsdale and Hayden, singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." The bands do add some fun and pep you up as you go along.
Note about the course: I hope they take out the Hayden part of it next year. That was cruel to be cruising down Scottsdale (which becomes Rural, where you finish in Tempe) and have to veer over there at about mile 21.
Pre-race (approx. 7am) at our house. Kevin's daughter gave us a proper send-off. My dad was kind enough to drive us down to the start point.
There are bands every few miles or so. My buddy C's band played just after the halfway point on 44th St. and Thomas. I shouted hello as I passed by.
I had arranged for Bobbins, the kids, my dad, and Jess (Kevin's wife) and their kids to meet me past then, on Oak St. You can see the 14 mile marker in the background. This is me bringing an extra cup of water to Bobbins. I got a clean headband and Clif bar from my dad.
I felt pretty good at this point. I cramped a little heading up 48th St. but cruised pretty well down Indian School to old town Scottsdale. Just before then, the 3:50 pace runner (person who finishes in 3hrs 50min) and a small group caught me, and I ran with them for about four miles. I thought I might stay with them all the way to the finish, but at mile 22 I started to drop back. That is when you could say I hit my "wall," although there was never a question of continuing, just how fast.
The last four miles were a real slog. It took me an hour to run the last 6 (10min/per mile pace) when I had been doing 9min or better. The last mile, from Hayden to University to Rural and the finish in Tempe, was brutal. I actually stopped to walk for a couple hundred yards because my leg muscles tightened so much. I'm a little bummed I stopped to walk but I couldn't've have finished without the mini break, to let my muscles open.
Of course the sight of the finish chute, the cheering crowd, and the announcer picked up my step. A couple tears welled in my eyes as I saw the official timer above the finish line. I would finish under 4 hours, which had been my second goal. The first was just to finish, which I knew I would, but under 4hrs for your first time out wasn't too shabby.
Photos at the finish, including my marathon medal
I skipped the official photo after the finish because I didn't want to stop moving, fearing I might stop altogether. It was a wonderful sight to see my family, esp. MM. Thanks Dad, Dave, Bobbins, MM, and Josie for supporting me. And thanks Mom, Mav, C, and Neighbor Doug for the encouragement beforehand. I had a blast.
Tale of the tape, per the text messages Bobbins received (very cool service, only cost $5 for five phones):
6.2 miles - 53:45
13.1 miles - 1:53:05
20 miles - 2:55:29
Finish - 3:55:54
[For perspective, President Bush ran a 3:23:56 in 2000 and Oprah ran it in 4:29:15 in 1994. More celebrity times here.]
Now that I have my Saturdays free guess I'll have to get back on my honey-do list. Will I run another one? I'm not sure. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. I really did enjoy being out there, esp. miles 1-20. Maybe just the half marathon next year.
Oh, one other thing about the bands. One of the best was a non-official (not on a set-up stage) rock quartet from Arcadia High School, playing Modest Mouse's "Float On." (We ran by the school.) The worst by far was an old lady on McDowell, on an official stage between Scottsdale and Hayden, singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." The bands do add some fun and pep you up as you go along.
Note about the course: I hope they take out the Hayden part of it next year. That was cruel to be cruising down Scottsdale (which becomes Rural, where you finish in Tempe) and have to veer over there at about mile 21.
Rose Parade
In years past, I never got into the Rose Parade, even though the route was right up the street from us. This year was a lot of fun to walk up with Bobbins and MM, the latter who actually got something out of it. MM and I enjoyed the bands the most, as well as the Ronald Reagan float. Bobbins was impressed by some of the Native American stuff and the USMC band.
Opening Presents with Poppy and Nana T
The first thing we did upon arriving CA was open a bevy of presents from Poppy and Nana T:
Fun Photos
For the second year in a row, one day before New Years Eve, Bobbins I left the kids with the grandparents and went to the mall. We snapped some of those fun photos in one of those booths.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve we hosted Bobbins' parents and brother for dinner. We went to 4pm Mass, braving the crowds. Bobbins prepared a wonderful ham and potato dish, to go with mom's asparagus. We opened some presents and sang "Silent Night." MM enjoyed playing in the presents and paper as much as opening them, while Josie found my grandmother's old silver paper delicious --
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
X-mas Hats
A few days before Christmas two of the neighbors came by with their hats, which MM, her mom, and sis had some fun trying on.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
And Away They Go
Sunday Coach and I hit Santa Anita race track. I hadn't been in a couple years and had a good afternoon, though it was quite cold and rainy. I even won $4 on three bets. The last bet was one I wasn't sure of, but had to make for Bobbins. The horse was named after one of her favorite artists. I bet him to show and of course he came in fourth.
Do We Really Need to Regulate Happy Meals?
James Lileks had a pretty good article on Nurse Bloomberg (mayor of NYC) and the regulation of Happy Meals in a recent edition of National Review:
"Bloomberg is famous for his war against salt and fat and soda and tobacco; if you want those things, you'll have to get a passport and go to France. C'est ironique! Makes you want to hang around his office and chain-smoke Slim Jims. His special blend of condescension and control is one of the things that do not endear him to average voters, which is why he'll never be president. But he would probably carry San Francisco: In a move that must have made Bloomberg gasp at the brilliant audacity of it all, that city's board of supervisors banned Happy Meals.
"The point man for the anti-Happy Meal initiative stated that this wasn't just about nutrition, though -- this was 'food justice,' a new concept that will soon join hands with the commerce clause to ban interstate transport of fast food, unless Taco Bell gets smart and markets its burritos as 'undocumented wraps.'"
"Bloomberg is famous for his war against salt and fat and soda and tobacco; if you want those things, you'll have to get a passport and go to France. C'est ironique! Makes you want to hang around his office and chain-smoke Slim Jims. His special blend of condescension and control is one of the things that do not endear him to average voters, which is why he'll never be president. But he would probably carry San Francisco: In a move that must have made Bloomberg gasp at the brilliant audacity of it all, that city's board of supervisors banned Happy Meals.
"The point man for the anti-Happy Meal initiative stated that this wasn't just about nutrition, though -- this was 'food justice,' a new concept that will soon join hands with the commerce clause to ban interstate transport of fast food, unless Taco Bell gets smart and markets its burritos as 'undocumented wraps.'"
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