'Road House' Rules

Has there been a better 'bad' movie than "Road House"? OK, "Tango and Cash" was pretty damn good-bad, too. I guess that's all I wanted to say.

Back from the Big Apple

My last two days in New York were great. We went to see "Rent" on Sunday night. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. If you have seen it, you should see it again. On Sunday, I also saw my friends Mitch and Ro in a place called Tarrytown. I met their three week old baby Eva, too. She's a beautiful baby.

On Monday, I went shopping in the morning, then went to a place called Arties in the upper West Side. Had an amazing Pastrami Reuben and my first Vanilla Egg Cream. I'm going to figure out how to make those.

I'd like to go back this fall.

Crazy Couple of Days

Let's see, I'll start with Thursday night. Josh, Bish and I met in Midtown at restaurant on the corner of 50th and 8th. We sat outside... I had a womderful mushroom ravioli dish. Then, we sort of crashed this post-awards show party that was part of the convention Josh was attending. The party was actually kind of boring, but I watched the Spurs-Pistons games. Afterwards, we went to the bar/club at the W. For some reason, we didn't have to pay the $25 cover... that's a first for me. I think I usually get an 'ugly' charge when I go out.

I worked most of the day yesterday, then met Josh and Bish in Little Italy for dinner. It was great. I had a delicious Veal Parmesan with spaghetti. I'm going to try to make that next weekend. I think I can do it. Afterwards, we went to a couple of bars.

Today, we got up and went to Harlem for lunch, then took a book/walked to Yankee Stadium. The subway stops in Harlem were all closed! That sucks. Plus, it was 95% with NASTY humidity. It was fun booing A-Fraud again. I was rooting for the Mets and they kicked the crap out the Yanks.

For dinner, we went to a great Cuban restaurant. After salads, they just walked around with skewers of meat... meat on a stick, the world's greatest concept. They cut off as much meat as you wanted. The meats ran from steaks to pork to ham to turkey wrappen in bacon and everything in between. I was stuffed. Aftewards, Josh and Bish went to a comedy club. I decided to run home. It was about two miles back uptown. I was wearing a Lacoste shirt and dress shorts, but my running shoes. By the time I reached the hotel, I had completely sweat through my shirt. I'm sure I looked psychotic. But, man, the run felt great.

New York is still the greatest city in the world!

Times Square

Yankee Stadium

Beautiful New York Day

Wow, what a great day. It was about 80 degrees with a slight breeze and no humidity. Had breakfast with business contact at the Hudson Hotel in Midtown, then went down to Union Square and had lunch with another contact. Spent all afternoon holed up in my room working. Blech.

I love New York. I need to come back more often. Right now, I'm on a once a year schedule. Twice a year would probably be perfect.

New York, New York

This lovely picture is taken from my hotel room on the corner of 7th Ave and 53rd St.... basically Midtown Manhattan/Broadway.

My flight was delayed in air for about 45 minutes due to thunderstorms in NY, if that tells you anything about the weather. Then, my cab took 1:40 to get from Newark to the hotel. That's ONE HOUR and 40 MINUTES! Thank God it's a fixed rate.

In fact, the traffic was moving so slow, I was able to connect via free wi-fi so I was able to check mail. Then, when traffic moved, I would lose connection, until another free connection popped up. Good times.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Taking off tomorrow morning for New York. I love Manhattan. Looking forward to running in Central Park, shopping in SoHo, and eating in Little Italy. Also want to check out the newly (for me) renovated MoMA.

I'll snap some pictures with my phone and post them here. Do you KNOW how ridiculous that last sentence would've sounded five years ago? Think about it. Maybe five years from now, I'll be writing... "I'll shoot some video with my shoe... you can watch it here on channel 14."

Box Office Roundup

Well, to no one's surprise, 'Batman Begins' won the box office. What's a little surprising, however, is that it failed to cross the $50 million mark. Because it opened on a Wednesday, though, the film has already made $71 million. What happens next for 'Batman' will be interesting. I think word of mouth will be good, but it's not your typical summer fare. It's too intense for children, and I'm not sure women will find it all that appealing.

As I predicted last week at this time, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" did avoid the dreaded 50% fall-off from opening week, by pulling in $27 million (I predicted $26.) I hope this means Doug Liman will continue to get cool scripts.

Next week? It should be all about Nicole Kidman's nose in "Bewitched."

Hot, Horrible Run Today

It was hot, I was dehydrated and tired as Hell. Sleep this weekend just hasn't been happening, so I'm not too surprised my run felt the dung. Went out to do eight, but after six, I needed to stop and walk. After a half-mile, I ran again for another mile, then walked the last half. Blech.

Happy Father's Day

I cut my parent's grass today. That makes me a good son. Maybe not a saint, but better than the shit I had to pick prior to cutting said grass.

Dave Grohl vs. Phil Collins

Great post on YuppiePunk comparing Grohl and Collins. Good stuff!

25 Word or Less: Man on Fire

It's been on DVD for a couple of months, but I just got around to watching it. Here's your review:

Good acting, decent story, but director Tony Scott needs to keep his dick in his pants. His overdone editing and effects are tiresome and distracting.

The Beauty of the Nap

There are few things in life more precious than a 10 minute nap. Was just "watching" the San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon on Fox Sports Net. I'm kind of surprised I fell asleep, because I love watching running on TV. I know, it seems to be boring, but to me, it's no different than watching something like the Food Network or the Travel Channel. Oh, wait, those are boring, too?

Anyway, a quick nap is so refreshing that many times, it can feel like eight hours of sleep. For more on napping, read this. Naps are so great, I can only think of one other way that I'd prefer to spend 10 minutes of my life...

SurfingOnMaui Re-Launching

I swapped out the navigation for the www.surfingonmaui blog. Also added my first post. But, that site is a definite work in progress.

I honestly don't even know what the space will cover. Can't decide if it should be all things surfing, or if I should narrow it down to just longboarding. 

Four After Work

Uh, notice the negative trend? Eight on Monday, Six on Wednesday, four today. By next week I'll be running negative miles.

The four went well, though.

I think I might do the Bellevue Half-Marathon. I'm sure I won't PR or anything like that, but it should be kind of fun.

25 Words or Less: 'Batman Begins'

The best super hero movie ever made. Christian Bale leads the perfectly cast film.

Kudos to director Christopher Nolan. Great action, very scary. 

Six at Lunch

Put in a six-miler at lunch today. Ran at about 9:30 pace. Now, I'm on my couch with an icepack on my back. I think I may have to dial it back a notch. A couple of times today I've felt my back get a little frisky.

I go to New York next week, so that will be a good week to cut back.

Today's Eight Mile Run

Really good. Finished in just over 1:17, so about seven minutes faster than last week's run. It was a tough run, but my last mile was the fastest mile, so I feel good about that. I think the running thing is working out.

However, I'm going to follow the advice of my sister-in-law and slow down. After this weekend's 14-miler, I'm going to stop adding miles. Once I'm assured everything is OK, I'll pile on the miles and schedule a winter marathon.

Cruise vs. Pitt

Two actors, same age, both coming off of high profile splits and launching huge, summer blockbuster movies. Reuters breaks down the match-up, and not surprisingly, suggests Tommy is getting his shorts handed to him by Brad. What the Hell is Cruise doing?

Up Early, Going For Run

Headed off for an eight miler this morning. It's cold out and supposed to rain all week. Good Times.

Weekend Box Office Report

Well, well, well. Turns out a little alleged hanky panky on the set does not a spoiled movie make. With all the hub-bub surrounding stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, many people felt that "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" would suffer the fate of other films whose stars enjoyed a little kissy kissy off-screen. Most recently, "Gigli" and "Proof of Life" stand as the two biggest examples of these films.

But the $51 million "Smith" pulled in turned out to be the biggest opening weekend box office ever for stars Brad and Angelina. I'm sure next week it will take a dive, but I'm guessing it's going to buck the trend, and make over $25 million next weekend. What trend? It seems most blockbuster films lack staying power, and their box office drops 50% in their second weekend. This is actually a pretty recent phenomenon. But, not all that surprising considering each week there's at least one huge movie opening.

Speaking of drops, Russell Crowe's "Cinderalla Man" seems as punchless as Mike Tyson. It appears the movie won't have the legs that many thought it would, myself included... 'course I never saw the movie. That'll be the last time I listen to my mother!

The Shirt Says It All

Purchase it now!

12 Mile Run Today

Run went pretty well. It was slow. By the end I was exhausted. Still, I finished in one piece. For now, my back feels fine.

I think next weekend I'll go 14. I should probably pick a marathon to enter...

Movie Review: "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"

This is the first of many '25 Words or Less Movie Reviews.'

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as married hitmen (hitpeople?) Could've been a disaster, but director Doug Liman again proves to be a master. See it.

My Breast Problem

I don't have a problem with actual breasts. I like them, I like them a lot. What's not to like?

My problem, in fact, isn't even really my problem. I don't think. See, what happens is, when I talk to women, they immediately either fold their arms over their breasts or they cinch up their sweater or jacket like they're in the frickin' Arctic. Either women get real cold around me, or they think I'm some kind of freak that can't help but stare at their rack.

But, here's the deal. I'm not looking! In fact, all of this cover-up makes me want to look. If in the minds of these women I'm already guilty of peeping, then I might as well get something out of it. It's like in basketball. If you're going to foul someone, foul them hard... it counts the same in the end.

Very Sleepy

But can't sleep. That sucks.

So instead I'm adding ads and a search box to the site... all in the name of research, of course. I think I also added a sitemeter, but I'm not sure because it included screwing with code and right now I can barely open my eyes.

However, I know as soon as I lay down I'll be wide awake.

Turn that Frown Upside Down

Went to bed last night with an upset stomach. Woke up at 6:00 with an upset stomach. Took off on my run with an upset stomach. Finished my run with an upset stomach. Having an upset stomach is upsetting.

Was supposed to go eight miles today, but cut it back to 6. I felt 'blah' the entire run. My legs never really got loose and I thought I was going to hurl at any moment.

When I have mornings like this, running is not one of my favorite things.

But, here's the thing. The exact moment I finished the run, I thought to myself "hey, nice job dude... you felt like crap and still ran six miles in under an hour." Therefore, after an hour of pure Hell, I was able to end my run on a positive note. Are you jealous that my life is perfect?

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

Caveat, obviously family and friends come first. In fact, I could list my friends and family in order, but that would downright rude. So, I'm going to cut them out of the list. This then, is the list of my five favorite things, minus loved ones.

1. Maui-- OK, it probably helps that I have family there, but even if they weren't there, I still think it would be my favorite thing in the world. What's not to love? Perfect weather. Perfect beaches. Excellent food. Perfectly laid back. Did I say perfect weather? I just LOVE it.

2. Chocolate-- I don't know what I would do if the world ran out of chocolate. I'm pretty sure I'd lose weight, but I don't know if that would be because my head exploded or because of the calories saved.

3. Running-- This one is a controversial choice in my body. My head and heart love running. When I'm running, I just feel good. It's that simple. However, my legs and back hate running. But, as usual head and heart win out. I feel icky if I go more than three days without running.

4. Sports-- I'm going to lump this all into one giant category... the Sonics, Mariners, Huskies, Seahawks... I may rag on them, but in my heart of hearts, I love them all. Bob Blackburn, Pete Gross and Dave Niehaus were like friends to me while growing up. As the ESPN ad says, Without Sports, I'm Nothing.

5. Reading-- There are few things (OK, I just listed four others) better than reading a good book. The wonderful thing about reading is that there will always be one more great book to read.

Once I move to Maui, everything I love will be free (with the exception of chocolate.) That's a good thing, since I'll be making the same wage as that guy that lives in the trailer park who has an uncomfortable love for his Camaro.

Clear Pee

It's one of those things you need to monitor when running (or living, for that matter.) If your pee is too dark, drink more water!

I've pee'd at least six times today, but it looks like water, so don't worry, your boy is doing quite fine, thank you very much.

Also, my back feels OK, too...

Eight Good Miles Today

OK, it's been awhile since I've woken at 6am to go for a run. Being up until 12:30 didn't help much, either. But this morning's eight went really well. Came in at 10:05 miles, which is about :25 seconds per mile faster than Thursday's run. That doesn't seem like much, but it is.

Today and tomorrow will be a big test on the back. If I can go to bed tomorrow night confident about my back, I will feel pretty confident about things. This weekend's 12-miler will also be a nice test.

Oh, by the way, I've been back from Maui now for exactly two weeks and have lost 11 pounds. Maybe I'll have to write a book... "The Seno Diet: Eat Like a Rabbit and Run Like Hell"

Re: The Princess Kaia Post Below

I sent that from my cell phone and it automatically posted. How cool is that? Unfortunately, I can't message for shit from a phone keypad, so those kinds of posts will be few and far between.

Princess Kaia

This is my oh so adorable niece Kaia. Isn't she the cutest?

I'm in Love

Just "met" these two women, Katy and Ang who write on this blog called "Get Yourself Some Boring." I read the first month of their blog (about 18 months ago,) May and June. I'll need to fill in the rest of the months some other time.

From what I gather, they're both grad students somewhere in the Midwest, possibly University of Wisconsin.

Katy runs and enjoys chocolate. So, yeah, I immediately fell in love with her.

Ang is funny as Hell. And likes the song "She Bop." Another no brainer for me.

I'm so looking forward to getting to know these two women over, say, the next 40 years.

A Really Long Marathon

A marathon, by its definition is 26.2 miles. When I sign up for a marathon, I fully expect to run 26.2 miles. Not 26.1 and certainly not 27.2 miles. But, for unsuspecting runners of Chicago's Lakeshore Marathon, that's exactly what happened.

"Officials" mismarked the course, forcing 529 finishers to run an extra mile! That sucks. Sucks bad. The Chicago Tribune breaks down story.

Fascinating Site

The PostSecret site is both fascinating and somewhat creepy at the same time. People mail in self-made postcards with their deepest secrets.

Reading these, I realize my life is even more boring than I thought. I like it that way.

Hey, Fat Ass

I did some research for those of us with, uh, larger posteriors. After watching Molly Wood's Buzz Report, which contained an item on the Great John Toilet seat, I found that there is indeed a market for bigger toilet seats.

First, there was the Big John Toilet Seat because standard seats are "too small and too flimsy." Amen, brother.

Then came the Great John Toilet Seat, because "... a regular toilet has a terribly small seat. This creates very uncomfortable pressure points, consequently producing numbness in the legs and thighs from lack of proper blood flow." Uh, OK, if you say so.

So, if you plan on Super-Sizing everything you order, make sure you invest in a good throne. I wouldn't want you wobbling off of your toilet and cracking your skull.

Weekend Box Office Report

Is this too perverse? I'm pointing to my own blog!

I wrote up a quick analysis of this week's box office and where Universal Studios went wrong in releasing "Cinderella Man" this weekend. I'm not sure what their marketing folks were thinking. Check it out

Nine Miles Today

Ran with Doug and his dog Alice today. We went at about 10:30 per mile average. Felt pretty good, but got really thirsty. I guess I'll need to wear my fuel belt for runs over eight miles.

I'm pleased with the progress. Plus, I've now dropped 10 pounds since returning from Maui. Though I'm sure the parmesan/salsa omelette with garlic and Cayenne pepper I whipped up this morning didn't help the cause. Back to eating like a malnourished rabbit for the rest of the day.

Do Overweight People Outlive Skinny Folks?

For some reason, this post cracked me up. It's about how a recent study that said that people who are little overweight tend to live longer than people who are underweight or normal weight. The flaw in the research? It's a doozy...

"...the study's main flaw is that it included people with health problems ranging from cancer to heart disease, who tend to weigh less because of those problems and therefore make pudgy people look healthy by comparison." Seattle Times, June 3rd

One of the fun things about Blogger is clicking to other blogs by just going to the upper right hand corner and hitting "Next Blog." Most of the sites are either horrible sites designed to get ad revenue or they're written in a foreign (to me) language. But every once in awhile, you uncover some gems. Give it a shot. It's sort of like Russian Roulette without the gun... or bullets... or shot through the brain.

Getting Better

The ol' running is getting better. Ran eight miles yesterday. Certainly didn't set any land speed records, but I went out thinking it would be an LSR (Long Slow Run.) The LSR is the key run to marathon training. You basically run at one-to-two minutes per mile slower than your goal race pace.

I did however run at 8:30 pace (which is one minute faster than my goal pace for my next marathon) between miles 6.5 and 7.5.

My back is a little tight today, but no shooting pains. So, that's a good thing.

Tomorrow will be going eight again.

Most Boring Post Ever

I'm sitting at home waiting for an overnight delivery with nothing to do. Plus, I have to take a shit, but don't want to be on the toilet when the delivery person arrives. Great.

Insomnia Sucks

I hate it. I'm just not very good at sleeping. Actually, I'm really good at sleeping, but I'm horrible at falling asleep.

It's not so bad that I'm still awake. But, I need to wake up at 6:15 to go running. That means I'll have less than five hours sleep again... which means tomorrow is really going to blow.