Let Christmas Begin

The Turkey and Dressing has been thoroughly consumed and the Christmas lights can go up.  We are planning on getting a tree this weekend.  My four year old can’t wait to get it up.  She’s already making her list for Santa and gives me updates every morning on what new items might be included.  Currently, a Princess Throne from the Disney store has caught her eye.  It announces your name when you sit on it which is all my little girl needs to boost her low self-esteem (with slight tone of sarcasm).   For some reason, she is also interested in a pair of binoculars.  This seems like an odd request for a four-year-old, but what do I know?

For the record, I have continued my exercise regimen.  I even “hard-cored” it on Thanksgiving morning by running in 30 degree weather.  There were probably ice crystals in my lungs, but all you nay-sayers can suck it.

Whew!

{Paste obligatory apology for being gone fore so long here}

The busiest part of my year is DONE! I can’t tell you how happy I am. I get to re-introduce myself to the family after some very long days serving the high school football gods. It was a great season for me, but I’m glad it’s over.

In other news, the baby is rolling over and razzing. It’s funny to watch her figure out new sounds. She looks so pleased with herself when something new comes out. The big sister is helping out, too.

I am trying to get back on a healthy eating habit. It’s so hard during football season because time is so short. There is no time to make healthy meals and snacks. I try to be good and eat at the Subway, but there’s only so much of that a guy can take. Jared’s a better man than me I guess. Not only that, finding time to run is not easy. I’ve cut back to running about twice a week, but am planning to amp it back up now that I have my life back. I will post here in my progress with that… it will hopefully keep me motivated.

My brother had his Birthday recently. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRO!

Oh, and the new Zune update came out, and it is off the hook! I can now sync wirelessly with my computer. It’s awesome because I record TV shows in my Vista Media Center and they automatically sync to my Zune when I walk in the house. Podcasts also update and sync auotmatically. I am also trying to figure out how to get my ZuneCard posted. It part of the enhanced “Zune Social”. When I get it to work, it will show you what I’ve been listening to.

Until next time!

I’ve Survived

They should make a reality show about summer band and a week of teacher inservice. It would be pure entertainment. The good news is, I’ve survived one of the busiest weeks of the year…with some speed bumps along the way.

What’s been going on with me, you ask? Well, about 15 hour work days for the last week and a half is all I’ve been doing. I’m exhausted, I miss my family, and I still have work to do this weekend to be ready for school. ARRGHHHH!

I have about 30 hours of shows to watch on my TIVO. I have a lawn that is about two feet tall. My car is a biohazard. One of the TV’s in the house needs new cable. I haven’t run in a week. My oldest daughter wants to play and go swimming with me. My youngest daughter probably doesn’t even know who I am. But, I’m not complaining.

So, here’s to the first day of school, and all the joys that accompany it. How many days ’til summer ’08?

Gadgets

A friend of mine, in his blog, has caused me to consider things going on in the world of gadgetry. I really enjoy little bits of technology and would enjoy them a lot more with some more funds to support my little fetish. Three very recent purchases come to mind:

1.) ZUNE : Some of you may be wondering what a Zune is. Perhaps the best description would simply be the “anti-I-Pod”. I tend to gravitate towards things that are a little against the grain which is why my Zune is brown. I’ve had people tell me they love it as well as a few that tell me it’s ugly. Some features that I like: it declares that I’m not an ipod lemming, wireless zune to zune sharing, FM receiver, larger screen than ipod which is great for video, and a sexy interface that is very easy to use and customizable. Right now my background is a picture of my wife and daughter…try doing that on an ipod. They tell me I will soon be able to purchase music wirelessly anywhere there is wi-fi. There is a flash based Zune competitor to the nano that is coming out. Details are a little hush, but I will have my hands on one.

2 .) Nike+: Now, I realize some of you may be ready to call me a hypocrite after all the anti-ipod stuff above, but notice I listed this as a NIKE product. I guess that’s my way of overcoming the fact that I had to buy a nano. I do not use said nano for anything but running in conjunction with my Nike+ shoes. (Sometimes my fingers hurt from touching it. I hide it in a Nike armband, though.) If anyone else had a comparable product, I would have been on board. Basically, this Nike + stuff is a great way to keep track of my running and motivate me to do more. In fact, I just accepted a challenge from a friend of mine in Oklahoma. We’re going to see who can run further in 30 days. A little competition (with a “Steak and Shake” Dinner on the line) will keep us both on the track. By the way, the irony of betting a “fat bombed” dinner on a “running for your health” wager did not escape me.

3.) Wii: It would not be hyperbole to say that this is the greatest game system of ALL TIME. If you are tired of holding game system controllers with 18 buttons, three joysticks, and millions of button combinations, then Wii is the system for you. It’s really fun to be around when someone is playing for the first time because they are so accustomed to how complicated games have gotten, they can’t believe how easy and FUN it is. “How do I play tennis.”…”Just swing like you’re really playing.” …”O.k. but what buttons do I push”…. “No buttons, just hit the ball”….O.K. but how do I make my other player hit the ball…what buttons…”….”No buttons, just swing away!” and on and on it goes. I’ve had my three year old daughter, my wife who has never played a video game in her life, my dad, and my father/mother-in law play. They all loved it. A buddy of mine had his 75-year-old grandmother play. Afterwards she asked him how she could get one. Take a Playstation 3 over to Grandma’s house and see what you get. (If you can afford one.) That’s the magic of Wii. It’s fun for everyone, and that’s what games should be.

I hope I haven’t sounded like too much of a commercial. I promise I don’t get any money from any of these people. I just give them most of my money.

Running on the 4th

Happy Independence Day!  I hope you all got to see some cool fireworks somewhere.  We had some friends over here and ignited some kid-friendly fireworks.  We had a few bottle rockets, but every time one screeched into the air, the girls started screaming.  My daughter was o.k. as long as she was sitting in my lap with my hands over her ears.  She really enjoyed colored smoke bombs.  No noise-just pretty smoke.

I think the 4th of July is my dog’s least favorite day of the year.  She could not find a place to hide far enough away from all the explosions.  It doesn’t help that our home is planted between two fairly large public fireworks displays.

My day started with a run.  Yes, I ran.  A couple of weeks ago, I decided to sink some money into one of those Nike+ doohickeys that attach to the bottom of the Ipod Nano.  While you are running, it keeps track of your distance, time, pace, and calories burned.  You listen to whatever playlist you have set up, and every so often a soothing female voice comes on and tells you how you are doing.  If you are doing especially well, she even congratulates you on a personal best.  (For those ladies reading out there, you can change the voice to a male one.)  The Ipod keeps a tally of your runs and then Nike.com makes all kinds of charts and graphs so that you can see how you are doing.  I must admit, it is very motivating.  I would recommend it to anyone who is running or thinking about running.  It’s cool to see a graphic representation of how you did; it makes me work harder the next time I go out so that I can get a better looking chart.

So here’s to independence and exercise.  May we enjoy the benefits of them both.