Half Marathon Training - Week 4 - Friday

  

“If you worry too much about things in which you have no control, it will adversely affect the things in which you do have control.”

What a perfect quote for this week with all my setbacks with technology. I woke up this morning at 4:15 to get my 9 mile run in prior to teaching a summer class and taking off for Chicago this afternoon. I woke up had some coffee and a peanut butter sandwich and embarked on my run.

I used my iPod touch this morning. I know earlier I said it was all busted and not working, but since I could not get the Nike to calibrate properly on my new Nano I purchased I gave the Touch another try. I calibrated it three times on the high school track running 1 lap around the track at the high school. It was within .24 -.25 of a mile each time so I felt good about the calibration. I took off for my run and I felt AWESOME! I was very surprised because of how sore I have been this week since playing basketball and lifting and doing too much earlier this week. It was around 4:50 when I took off and it was completely dark and quiet and cool. How often do you run by Trinity, Buffalo Wild Wings, Walgreens, and down 53rd street and only count 2 cars? It did rain a little bit for the first couple miles, but nothing to be a problem or actually get me wet. I went out with a nice steady pace with a goal to be done around 90 minutes. That would put me at a 10 minute mile. I tried a new road by running by Hopewell Elementary and not realizing all the hills in that little area. I refueled with gel and water at the water fountain and continued my run past the Y back to my house. I could not believe how great I felt. When I finished my iPod recorded 1 hour 17 minutes and 58 seconds. or 78 minutes. I could not believe it. I could not believe it so much that I went out and drove the course to make sure it was calibrated correctly. To my disappointment it was not calibrated correctly as my car recorded 8.4. I don't think there was .6 of a mile of extra bike path that I ran. So instead of getting upset I am just going to add the calibration runs as the extra half mile, add 4:30 to my overall time and go with 1:22:28 as my run or a simple 83 minutes. I am very happy with this time. 9 miles is the run of the Chicago Urbanathlon and I feel really good after the run which is a good sign because that lets me know I can run the whole. Now I just need to prepare for the crazy obstacles that I stumble upon as I run the 9 miles. A good end to the week and hopefully this weekend will be enjoyable as well. Sunday I will sneak in the 4 mile run to finish the week up. Have a great Friday and continue to reach for those goals.

Homer's part-motorized wheelchair, part-couch has been banned at BYU

Half Marathon Training - Week 4 - Wednesday - Frustrations Pt.2

Success is not a matter of getting it right every time. Success comes from continuing to persist until you eventually get it right.


I am starting with this quote right away because I have had to once again adapt my schedule and learn from things that did not go as planned. The problem with this is that I have now had conflicts about three days in a row now and it is getting quite frustrating.


Frustrations
1. From the last post on my training I mentioned how my iPod touch was acting up while I was running and I had to run an extra mile and reset the program. After the run, my iPod completely shut down and the touch screen no longer works. I went out and bought a new iPod nano as I have to have my music and my Nike+ to record my workouts.


2. Yesterday I went to the high school to program my Nike+ to my new iPod and calibrate it properly. I was like alright I am ready to go.


3. My wife informs me that we are going to Chicago this week and leaving on Friday. That means that my running schedule is not going to work because I know I will not run while in Chicago. I still had three runs to get in for the week including a 9 mile run that is supposed to be Sunday.


4. I decided to go out Wednesday evening to knock out one of the runs. It is super hot and humid and I actually feel really good when I am out running. I feel like I am running some of the quickest miles yet and when I check my Nike+ it tells me I am running an 11:35 mile. I know that is not right, but it drives me nuts because now I am not sure how far I need to run for 6 miles. I create a course and stop when I feel that it is around 6 miles. My Nike+ tells me I ran 5 miles. I get into my car and chart the course to find out it was actually 6.3. I record the run as 6.2 and feel better about the run. Due to the heat I had to stop and walk a few times as I felt really overheated. My legs were not feeling good either. This is my fault. The night before(Tuesday) I went and played basketball which was not a smart move considering I ran 6 miles that morning. I lifted in the morning Wednesday(the same workout as Monday) and due to this trip I went out to run. My body was being overworked. It was not properly fueled and hydrated either as I was not eating and drinking throughout the day as I normally do on run days. Needless to say it took me quite some time to cool down and I felt nauseous the rest of the night. This morning I feel better.


I ran 6.2 miles in 59:53 which is right around where I wanted to be. I know my running time was faster, but the overall time is higher due to me walking so I did not push too far. I have learned from all this. One I am done with Nike+. I purchased a Garmin watch that seems to have great reviews and runners love. I will try that when it comes in the mail. I have learned not to push my body too far and try to do too much. It is not worth it and actually hurts my training. 


I still needs to run two miles. I have a 4 mile easy run and my long 9 mile run. I am trying to figure out how to fit these in this week. I might run the 9 mile tomorrow morning before I leave and the 4 mile run Sunday when we return. I don't know yet, but I will get it figured out. I need to get these runs in as next week is a recovery week so I want to see how I respond to 9 miles at this point in the training. Plus the Chicago Urbanathlon is 9 miles and I want to be able to pace myself for that race and begin to train for the obstacles along the way. I once again did not get things right, but I am learning the hard way and figuring out what my body needs as I go along. Keep pushing yourself to new levels and the only way we know what we are capable of is to actually try.

Bix 7 Photos that I promised in previous post

This is the start of the race. This is the back 1/3 of the 15,000+ runners.

This is me running towards the end praying that I would not die!

This is me really wanting to eat the Popsicle in my hand, but oxygen was too precious

This is me once again running fast not realizing that I still had about .25 left to run.

Health Halos and Kellogg

Health Halos and Kellogg

Half Marathon Training - Week 4 - Tuesday - Frustrations and Choices

I decided to title this post Frustrations and Choices today for several reasons. I will just list them now and get them out of the way and then proceed with my usual rants.

1. I have had this sinus headache for about two weeks and today every time I stepped with my left foot I thought my brain was going to explode. After about 3/4 of a mile this finally subsided, but
2. I was out of breath. I found myself working really hard to run this morning. Maybe it was because my music was not playing on my iPod and I remember now why I run with music because I hate hearing myself breathe. I sound like a dying cow. I decided to check on my iPod to see what my pace was to make sure I was not running too hard when
3. I realized that my iPod had frozen. It was not recording any distance or time. So here I am running without getting any credit. This made me severely angry. I was already struggling(I forgot to mention I was running in my new shoes and they came untied while running also) and now this. I have to have my stuff recorded or I feel like I really did not do it. Don't ask why, it is just something I need. I must have my results. I stopped, reset my iPod and took off when I thought it was working. For some reason it told me there was no music, but at least the Nike+ app was working. Being still angry I wanted to know how far I ran so I backtracked and ran the same distance again to measure. I ran 1.1 miles. I was furious by this point and decided I would still go run the 5 miles to have it recorded. I struggled for another mile as I was still angry at my iPod for not recording and not playing music. I have to listen to my feet hit the ground and myself breathe which both frustrate me more.

Finally, I tell myself that I just got done talking with my son about controlling his anger and how he needs to learn to get himself under control. We talked about techniques and how getting so angry does not help with the situation at all. I relaxed, got myself in control and discovered how much energy I was wasting by being angry. I started to run better, have better breathing, and felt good the last 3 miles.

After teaching class at the middle school this morning, I have come home to write this post up. I plug in my iPod and guess what? There is an error and it needs to be restored to factory settings. Yes, my run was not recorded after all that. Thankfully, I wrote down the info because I was afraid something was not right.

We all have things that happen in life that drive us nuts. We have two choices to make when we face adversity or in this case small things that drive you insane. One, we can stay mad and let it ruin or day and cause the stress and anger to affect or bodies and well being. Or, two, we can move on as we cannot control these things and there is nothing we can do about it. There is nothing I can do about except, record the workout manually, be proud of running an extra mile, remember that my new shoes felt great on my feet and enjoy the rest of the day with my family. That is what I am choosing to do. We all have choices in life and our future is based on those choices. Anyways, I ran 6.1 miles in 52:20 and feel good about that as I was scheduled for a 5 mile easy run this morning. I just have to move on.

I leave you with the following quote which I think fits in this post and will fit future post as I officially registered to run the entire Chicago Urbanathlon last night. It makes me nervous, but provides a good final test to my willpower for the year.

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” and also

Act now; opportunities do not wait for conditions to be perfect

I chose not to suffer this morning and the conditions were not perfect(like the Bix 7 rain conditions), but I still acted in the moment and did not give up. Don't you give up either and continue to reach your goals that you have set for yourself.

Half Marathon Training - Week 4 - Monday

Today I am not running. This is supposed to be a rest day. If you have been following my training, then you know that I changed the program around last week to make it work for the Bix 7 race this last Saturday. I took Sunday off as well. I will admit that my body is tired. I think it is wise for me to not run today. I might go out later for a very short run if things feel better just to knock out some soreness. I have been using my foam roller and I cannot express in words how bad my quads hurt when I work them out. However, after wards they feel like a million bucks. After running well for me considering I am only starting my fourth week of running and finishing above my goals for the Bix I am already looking to create new goals for next year(yes, I understand that I still have two very lofty goals right now of the half marathon and Urbanathlon). Some goals I am throwing around are to either complete a full marathon or a triathlon. The full marathon will take some time to prep and the triathlon I need equipment and a coach of some sort to help with swimming. I am going to begin to look around and see what will work best for me.

This morning I did do some circuit training. It was the same workout training as last week except that I used 35 lb dumbbells and also used weight on the leg excercises as my knees felt much better.

I had to complete 3 circuits of 15 reps of the following:

Complex 1
Hang Clean
Thrusters
Bent Over Row
Overhead Triceps
Curls
Romanian Deadlifts

Complex 2
Push Press
Upright Rows
Arnold Press
Lunges
Overhead Tri
Rom. Deadlift

I have a big week of running ahead of me with Sunday having me run 9 miles which will be my longest run to date. Stay healthy and if you have not created some goals for yourself yet, this is the week to do so. Write them down, commit to memory, or even post here to the blog like I do to help make it real. Believe in yourself and have a great week!

Book Review: The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

I have been wanting to read this book for some time now. I know many of you have heard of this novel as it has been exposed on the media like crazy about a year or so ago. It has sold millions of copies and become quite popular. This is not a YA novel, but at the same time I would imagine many young adults have probably read this novel. There is nothing about the book that is inappropriate for the YA audience. After having this book on my Wishlist on Paperbackswap.com it finally was available, I requested it, and just recently knocked it off my TBR pile.

With all the hoopla surrounding this book from when it came out in 2007, I was really excited to read the novel. I did not know much about it actually except for the basic premise of (from Amazon website)

Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!

I will be honest and let you know that for some reason this novel did not grab me the way I thought it would. I just did not get into the storyline much. I posted on my Twitter Bookclub account and a few other places whether or not I should keep reading the book after I was about 50 pages into it and people told me yes so I did. I did read quickly towards the end because I wanted to be done. I think the message was a good one and the novel had some very interesting points about how we behave as humans, how we interact, and how quick we are to judge and really our judgments have very little merit or credit. This book deals with religion, God, and how we interact and view the world through religion, but at the same time it was not trying to persuade the reader to become Christian. I don't know if it was just the fact I was not in the mood for a religious type novel or what, but I found it to be a boring read. I thought that maybe I was just not into a soul searching type book, but I just started reading Eat, Love, Pray, and so far I cannot stop reading this book and am really enjoying it for some strange reason.

Don't be deterred from reading this book based on my opinions. Go to Amazon.com and you will the novel has over 4,000 reviews and 2700 are 5 star ratings. It just did not do it for me. You have those novels that just don't stick and this was one of them. It has been a long time since I was disappointed in a read, but there you have it. I did mark some quotes that I really liked and plan on using them in the future so there was some positive. Be sure to check out the website and if you have any thoughts you would like to share about the novel, go right ahead because I would like to hear what your opinions were/are on the book.

Half Marathon Training - Week 3 - Saturday - Bix 7 Run and Result and Rain

Alright, well I am alive. My toes are still wrinkled and it finally feels good to not be in the rain. It rained and rained and rained. And then rained some more. Let me start with yesterday and work my way up.

Last night the kids had their race. Because Aiden is 5 and Addy is 3 they ran the same race. Prior to the race it poured with some severe lightning and thunder. I was thinking it was going to be canceled, but the rain stopped and humidity hit hard. Because Aiden is 5 they ran by age so we were one of the last heats. We stood there waiting for about an hour. It took FOREVER! However, Addy was well behaved and Aiden found a caterpillar so he was distracted. We finally ran and they had a good time and took great pride in their medals and Twinkies and hot dogs.

This morning I woke up at 4 am due to a loud burst of thunder and lightning. I planned on waking up at 4:30, but my nerves started to kick in and I decided to just get up. I made a pot of coffee and ate an egg sandwich, did some reading, messed around on the internet all while getting up and moving around about 20 times. I don't know why I was nervous, but in hindsight I think it was because I did not want to run poorly. Another reason was that it was raining and I have not trained or prepared to run in rain. This was a new weather element that I have been avoiding with all this heat. After going to the bathroom about 7 times I took off for the race about 6:45.

I parked about .25 mile away and walked in the rain to the RiverCenter to see where I needed to go. I went to the bathroom again(I never pee this much in a week!) and realized that it was now 7:35 and time to figure out where I needed to line up. I went to the gate where I thought I needed to be and it was wrong, so I had to hurry around the parking garage to my spot. I was in the massive horde of people in the rain waiting to go. By this point, I was already soaked and thinking to myself if I was really prepared to run soaking wet.

The race began and my iPod started acting up so I had to quick reset my Nike+ runner to get that back going. Then I was focused on the hill(see image of the course above). Where I started it was impossible to get into stride for about the first 1.5 miles of the race. I was running up and down between a 7:30 - 11:00 minute mile pace depending on the amount of people. It took forever to get up the hill due to all the people. I managed to get around some people and move to Kirkwood and at the point I jumped up on the grass median and ran. It was easier to get by people and not have to stop and go all the time. I am not skilled enough to do that so grass it was. I made a vow to myself to not look at time or distance until the turnaround. My goal was to beat my Bix at 6 time a few weeks ago of 67 minutes and some odd seconds. At the turnaround I looked at my watch and realized I was making good time. Much better than I thought. I was right around 28 minutes or so. I did not celebrate because the course sucks from this point on as you have to run uphill for what seems like forever. I kept on moving knowing that I had to focus in order to achieve my goal of beating 67 minutes. I really wanted to beat the time of 64 minutes. That was my goal and I knew I could do after my 7 mile earlier in the week of 61 minutes. However, I forget how hard that incline is over that long gradual pace. It really taxes you mentally. Being new to running I don't have much strategy. I tried to take it easy early on in the hill and then try to slowly pick up pace. I kept on chugging through and grabbed a water bottle along they way to rinse my mouth out to keep me fresh. I knew that once I saw the 5 mile sign I was in good shape. I knew the worst was slowly going to be over.

Finally, I approach Brady St. hill to begin the descent down to the finish line. Being my first time running this race and being tired I looked down the hill thinking if I just let my body relax and haul down this hill I will be good. I saw a big mass of people down by the bottom so I was thinking that was the finish line. So I take off and just let momentum take over. Had I fallen I would have been too tired to brace myself and would have been a mess. Going down the hill I was running around a 6:15 -6:30 mile pace which is moving way too fast for me. I reach the bottom and realize that the finish line is not at the bottom, but we have to turn down another street for about another 1/4 mile. I am gassed. I am dead thinking I am about to puke. I remember thinking I am not going to be able to finish this race now. But, I eased up, regained my composure and dragged this big old body across the finish line. I thought I was going to die. I was able to recover rather quickly despite having two very tired and fatigued legs.

So, how did I do? I amazed myself. I ran the race in 58:19. My iPod had me running 7.11 miles which is probably from the weaving up the hill. I was so excited with my time. I not only broke my own goal, but I broke a goal that I never thought I would reach by this point which was breaking the 60 minute mark. I was blown away. Now I want to run it again to beat 58 minutes which I think I could do if I was not so far back in the pack to start. I know, never satisfied, but isn't that what life is all about? Enjoy your goals and start setting new ones.

This has been a long post, but I am very happy with my current training for my half marathon. Every day I am loving running more and more. There is something about it that is slowly making this a new addiction. My competitive spirit is also joining forces and I want to do better every time and not even long after this race I was mad that I did not break 58 minutes. I leave you all who took time to read this long post with the following things I learned from this race because it is important to always take away lessons from all we do.

1. Sign up for the faster heats to avoid so many people
2. Rain is not fun. I never ran in soaking wet shoes and it was not enjoyable. Especially because my shoes were not running shoes as those did not come in time.
3. Believe in yourself. You never know what you are capable of achieving until you let your guard down and just go for it. Success is not guaranteed, but what a feeling it brings to you when you do feel success. I was so proud of myself today.
4. My training is paying off. I shaved 10 minutes off my time from running this course 2 week ago.
5. Go for it. Whatever you want to do, do it. Don't be scared. Don't think you can't because the only limitations in life come from your head.

I will post pictures of the race in a couple days when the become available and of course if I don't look too terrible. I leave you with two quotes and then I am off to take a nap.

The only limits on your life are those you set on yourself

There are only 2 types of people; energy takers & energy givers. You need to be an energy giver to attract energy givers.

Aaron a.k.a Coffeechug

The two questions to ask before you indulge.

The two questions to ask before you indulge.

Book Question

Anyone read The Shack? I am 50 pages in and it has not really grabbed me yet. Should I stick it out or move on?

Half Marathon Training - Week 3 - Thursday

Well, I don't have a whole lot to report this morning. I ran my 4 easy miles at a 8:53 pace today. I felt pretty good at the end and not tired much at all. My breathing was very relaxed and could have held a conversation if needed. My upper body is sore from the workout yesterday. My foam roller came in from Amazon yesterday. I tried to work out some soreness from my legs and my quads hurt so bad when rolling on the foam roller.


Holy cow! I plan on working out my soreness a few times today and tomorrow. I think that will help some of my aches and pains. Another sign I am getting old. I will be up at the Bix Friday night as both of my kids will be running the Bix Jr. This is my first time ever attending the Bix and all the race events and festivities. I look forward to a good time. I will post again after the race on Saturday and hopefully it will be a positive review. I just have to get myself out of the massive hoard of the 20,000+ people around me.

Book Review: Conspiracy 365 - January - Book 1

This is the first book in a 12 volume series. This tells the story of Cal whose father just passed away, but with his death has presented Cal a world where everyone is after him and he is not sure why. All he knows is that his dad died from some unknown virus and left him pictures and a letter about knowing something that would change their lives forever.

This is an interesting approach to book writing. A new book in the series is presented at the beginning of every month in 2010. I heard about this book from on of my colleagues at me school. She told me she read the books to her homeroom and they loved them. I bought this book a while back and it was in my massive TBR pile. As I continue to knock books off this pile I decided to read this one. I finished it in one day. I already have this book to my book talk when school resumes. I have a feeling this is a series that middle school students will love, but I doubt many know about it all. The books are actually hard to obtain and the author is from Australia. How about that? Another author from the land down under. I continue to find myself more into the writing from Australians authors without realizing it. This book held my interest and even though I know that there are 11 more books and Cal cannot die yet, I was still feeling great anticipation of what to expect next. Just when I thought, here we go with the same typical routine plot, the author would throw in a wrench to the storyline. I have just purchased the February and March book in the series and will continue to knock books off my TBR pile while I wait for these to arrive. I will make a prediction that this series will be huge in my school once the word spreads(Starting with me) and will be a nice alternative series after the Hunger Games trilogy comes to a close here in a few months.

From Booklist
As gimmicks go, it’s a good one: each month of 2010, one title in the 12-book Conspiracy 365 series will be released. The ticking clock (or calendar, in this case) is introduced immediately when a strange man accosts 15-year-old Callum Ormond on the street, shouting, “Get away! Hide and lay low until midnight December 31st of next year.” It’s good advice, because the following day, January 1st, includes a boat wreck, shark attack, and helicopter rescue—and that’s just for starters. Soon Callum is fleeing unknown assailants who are framing him for the attack of his little sister and uncle Rafe (a shady character himself). It all has to do with something called the Ormond Singularity and a group of sketches Callum’s father gave him before dying of a mysterious illness. This is the kind of stuff that stretches credibility with every page, but continual time updates (“12:00 a.m.,” “12:13 a.m.,” etc.) at least create a sense of continual motion. The conclusion offers no answers, just the requisite cliff-hanger. Grades 4-6. --Daniel Kraus



A blog with a good review of the novel is posted below
Relentless Pursuit of Cold Shivers

Half Marathon - Week 3 - Wednesday-Flexibility is key!

Alright, so here is the deal. I messed up on my running yesterday. I was looking at the wrong week for my run for Tuesday. It was not a huge mistake, but one that really frustrated me because this week is already screwed up with the Bix 7 race. Being that I don't really have the running knowledge to know how to adapt and change a program, this mess up really ticked me off. Here is what week is supposed to look like for running.

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 5 miles easy at 10:30
Wednesday - Rest/XT
Thursday - 5 miles with 3 miles at HMP(Half Marathon Pace) of 9:09 per mile
Friday - 4 miles easy at 10:30
Saturday - Rest/XT
Sunday - 9 mile long easy run(easy, yeah right!)

So, yesterday I only ran 4 miles. This morning I sat down and decided to reconfigure my running because I want to be able to get in 23 miles, but will just have to do it differently because there is no way I am running on Sunday with the Bix race on Saturday. I plan on pushing myself on the race to see what I can achieve. Here is my revised plan.

Monday - rest/lift weights
Tuesday - run 4.2 miles as I did read plan correctly
Wednesday - run 7 miles to prep for Bix(see reflection below)
Thursday - run 4 easy miles
Friday - do nothing including no lifting
Saturday - Bix 7
Sunday - easy 1-2 miles to work out soreness or just skip completely

I am not sure if this is a smart tweak or not, but it seems to make sense in my mind. This morning I got and lifted. We performed an upper body circuit to keep legs fresh and used just body weight. Here is what we performed:

Dips leaning forward - 8-10
Chinups - to failure
Hanging Leg Raise - 8-10
Dips straight up - 8-10
Wide Grip Pullups - to failure
Hanging Knee Raise - 8-10

No rest in between and we performed this circuit 4 times. It was a good workout. It is one of those workouts that you will feel in about two days. I got home about 6:30, ate some breakfast, had a cup of coffee and went out for my run about 7:15. I decided to run 7 miles because for some reason I started to doubt myself about running the Bix 7 race this weekend. I know, yesterday I felt confident and good about myself and this morning it was complete opposite. I decided to push myself and prove to myself that I can run these 7 miles in a respectable amount of time. I took off on the same course as my long run Sunday so I could practice hills and all the good stuff. My iPod Nike+ app was acting up when I took off and that voice that chimes in my ear to tell me how I am doing was not working so I had no idea of my pace or time. In hindsight, I discovered that is very important to me as I did not have the self doubt talk going through my head. I finished the run and really surprised myself. I ran the 7 miles in 61 minutes and 7 seconds for a 8:42 pace. That is awesome for me. I felt good running(well as good as you can while running). I was really, really, fatigued the last 1/2 mile, but the rest of time I felt okay. This was an important run for me because it reinforced to my psyche that I can run this race and I am getting better. I don't expect to run that fast Saturday, but I know that I can beat my previous run of 67 minutes.

Keep reaching for your goals and celebrate when you do. Remember the only person that can stop you is yourself. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles. As I learned this week, sometimes we have to flexible as things don't go as planned. It is up to you how you will respond. Choose the better route and make yourself better.

Aaron a.k.a. Coffechug

P.S. Keep song suggestions coming for my playlist. I will be adding some G. Love to the playlist

Book Review: Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

This is a debut novel by an author who I really believe is going to take off in the book world. Still Missing is still on my mind days after finishing. I have not had this range of emotions flow through me of anger, being disturbed, confused, having compassion, going back to be angry, repeat cycle since I read the YA novel Living Dead Girl. This book is not YA. This is not something for middle school students to read. However, with that being said this is probably one of the best books I have read this summer without a doubt. I sat on my deck the other day and read straight through for about 3.5 hours. I have not been that captivated to just sit and read for a long time.

Goodreads.com summarizes the plot perfectly

On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a thirty-two year old Realtor, had three goals—sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever- patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor of the day pulls up in a van as she's about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all.

Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent captive of a sadistic psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist, is a second narrative recounting events following her escape—her struggle to piece her shattered spirit back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor.

The truth doesn’t always set you free.

What freaked me out or bothered me the most was the whole psychological aspect of this novel. The head games being played just freaked me out. The other reason this book freaked me out was that I could really see this happening. There are stories that contain aspects of this story all over the news and that makes it even creepier. The plot twists along the way were amazing. How I wish I could discuss this book with someone who has read it. I could not put this book even so much as to add my thoughts to my Twitter book club. I did not want to stop.

Chevy Stevens has a nice website. It was here I learned she is finishing her second novel which has me super excited. For this book being her first novel, I was actually surprised. There are a millions of these type of psychological thriller novels, but she was able to craft a story that I think will rise above the rest. If you are looking for a book that will suck you in to a world that you just cannot escape from, then read this book. As mentioned before, this is not a young adult novel and based on the plot above there are some disturbing things that do go on with being abducted for about a year. I just throw caution to the wind as I know I have a middle school audience on this blog.

What shall I read next?

Runaway Dorothy

Check out a new band on the rise. I am telling you that their names will be up and coming in good time. I posted the album over in the sidebar to listen to them. Check out their site and if you like, buy the album and support the band.

Half Marathon Training - Week 3 - Tuesday

Today I was scheduled a nice easy 4 mile run at a 10:30 pace. I sounding like a broken record as I ran much faster than that today. I ended up running 4.29 miles at a 8:21 pace. I felt really good after being pretty concerned about my knee yesterday. I woke up this morning and it felt fine which was a major relief. I decided to push a little bit more than usual as I have the Bix 7 race this Saturday. I want to really be able to take it easy the few days prior to the race, but I still want to keep my training regimine for the the half marathon. I finished the four miles and really liked how I felt which was not winded or sore. My upper body is sore from the circuit workout yesterday and I was able to shed about 1 more pound of weight from my weigh in last week. This puts right around the 224-225 mark. I would still like to shed a few more pounds as I feel that running is becoming much easier as I have lost some weight and gotten myself into better shape. The way I look at it is three weeks ago I would have been running with a 10lb weight in a backpack. I feel good with my results and how things are developing. I am ready to see how I do at the Bix. I feel prepared and want to do better than my last run there. I think I am ready, but time will tell. I will not be happy if there is not an improvement. Time to worry about that stuff later. Keep on trucking from the Nerd Factory.

Keep reaching for your goals and celebrate when you do. Remember the only person that can stop you is yourself. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles.

Aaron a.k.a. Coffechug

P.S. Keep song suggestions coming for my playlist.

Question to Ponder?

Still on the music scene for my questions to ponder. I was talking with Amanda the other night and we were discussing all the concerts I have been to. I have been to way too many too count. The question came up about who the best live entertainers were that I have watched. Here is my top 5. What about you? Now keep in mind we are not talking about your favorite band or artist - we are listing top performers. If you view my list you will see that Dave Matthews is not number #1 even though I am obsessed with the music and have seen him perform 14 times. Is he my favorite artist/group? Yes. Is he my favorite songwriter? Yes. Is he the best live performer? No. There is a difference. Okay, here is my list.

1. Kid Rock
2. Dave Matthews Band
3. Counting Crows
4. Darius Rucker
5. Metallica

Other close contenders were Eric Clapton, Elton John, and Motley Crue. I will make a list of all concerts I have attended. I will have to search for my ticket stubs. I am now curious to see how much music I have seen live. Go ahead and submit your top performers.

P.S. My wife just told me that her favorite live act of all time is New Kids On The Block. Good stuff right there.

Half Marthon Training - Week 3 - Monday

Today is a day of rest. I surprisingly was not too sore when I woke up this morning. I thought for sure I would have been sore after running the 8 miles, but now that I have the stretching and hydration thing somewhat figured out I am sure that helps. However, my knees hurt very badly. My left knee has some serious pain on the outside. Not good. I did lift some weights, but not in the morning as I overslept 2.5 hours. I completed two complex circuits where you use the same dumbbells for all lifts. I had to complete circuits of 15 reps of the following:

Complex 1
Hang Clean
Thrusters
Bent Over Row
Overhead Triceps
Curls
Romanian Deadlifts

Complex 2
Push Press
Upright Rows
Arnold Press
Lunges
Overhead Tri
Rom. Deadlift

For everything I used 30 lb dumbbells except lunges where I did not use any weight due to my knees hurting. This was a tough workout. There is no rest between lifts and a 2 minute rep after completing the circuit once. I did Complex 1 three times and then Complex 2 three times. I was spent. Now I am off to find some shoes as my shoes might be part of the problem. They are old and not really designed for running the mileage I have running lately.

Question to Ponder?

Last night I attended the Brad Paisley concert with my wife and we had a great time in row 11. Brad put on a great show, but I am telling you what Darius Rucker is a tough act to follow. I am calling it right now that he will be headlining his own tour this winter or next summer once his next album drops. He can flat out entertain. There was some great music as there were 6 artists out playing. Anyways, here is my question for you. Last night Darius performed a version of Let Her Cry from his Hootie and the Blowfish days. He really winds it out and at one point I was in a trance where I really felt the pain of the woman he was singing about. In reality, I know that he has performed that song thousands of times, but it is not too often when an artist can have you singing and smiling and the next feeling sad and depressed(not to add that the song "It Won't Be Like This For Long" chokes me up to think my little Addy will move on one day) . The only person who has been able to pull that off and I still refuse to believe anyone could do it better is Adam Duritz of Counting Crows. So the question that I have for you is twofold:

1. Which song do you think is better at grabbing your emotions the live version of Let Her Cry(a video of live performance below) or Counting Crows A Long December?

AND

Do you have another song/artist that you think is just as good at grabbing your emotions and jerking them around? Please post a link in the comments.

Half Marathon Training - Week 2 - Sunday - Run 4

Whew! I did it! I successfully completed my 8 mile run this morning without running. I will tell you this post is going to focus on mental toughness. I had to be tough this morning. Let me explain the workout and go from there.

The program called for an 8 mile run at long slow pace of 10:30. I was okay with this as I have never ran this far before. I have been nervous about this run all week and the day finally emerged. I have had a good week of running for me. I feel that I am making some good strides. Yesterday was my day off of everything. However, Amanda and I attended the Brad Paisley concert so I was on my feet for a long time. We got home around midnight and I woke up this morning at 6:30 to run. My feet and ankles were very sore so I was already off to a rough start. I came downstairs and noticed that it was very dark out, very humid, and it looked like it just got done raining.

At that exact moment, I thought to myself, "Just check the weather and if they are calling for rain maybe I should just not run." I went to the basement, checked the weather and the whole radar was green. At this pivotal moment I had two options:

1. Convince myself that it would not be wise to run with the pain in my feet and ankles, dark clouds overhead, and just go back to bed or drink coffee and read(which sounded great)
2. Suck it up and get out there and run.

Here is what I am starting to love about running. You cannot point the finger at anyone but the person looking back at you in the mirror. I cannot blame my teammate for a missed shot or bad pass or my coach or whoever it is everyone finds to point a finger at. I mean nobody would have cared this morning if I ran or not. EXCEPT ME! That is all that is important. There is nothing worse than disappointing yourself. So I decided to get out there and get it done. I got my gear on, at a peanut butter and honey sandwich, drank one cup of coffee and took off on my run.

I took off and my body was wondering what was going on. To be honest, I slept like crap the night before so I easily had many excuses to not run. After the first mile I settled into a groove. My mind was distracted by the gusts of wind and dark clouds so the first couple miles were easy with no thought. However around 3.5 miles in my mental toughness had to kick in again.

When I use to run here and there I was always so glad to be able to run 3 miles and for some reason I cannot break that mental weakness spot in my brain. I hit 3.5 miles out(near the round a bout) and my mental game started to fall apart. I started to doubt myself thinking how was I ever going to run 5.5 miles, this is hard/stupid, I am tired, etc. All of those things that you should not think about. I pressed on and at the 4 mile mark I stopped for a quick drink and a gel pack(trying to get used to those gross things) and kept going. All of a sudden, I really fell into a great groove and I felt good and thought to myself that I can do this, I am halfway done, you got this big guy! This positive talk really helped me because anyone who has run from the roundabout to the Tanglefoot and ran the entire length of Tanglefoot knows that those hills suck bad. Plus, I had the wind blowing right at me. I had to really push myself. I told myself that this was perfect Bix 7 training. From miles 5 - 6.5 I felt awesome. I think the gel packets kicked in and I really picked up my pace and was running between a 6:30 - 7:30 minute mile pace. I was really moving for me considering earlier I was running much slower. And then I hit my wall.

I pushed to hard, but I was just having fun running. My brain turned off and I was just running. I don't know how to keep my brain turned off and just run. My head always seems to want to start the talk and I started to doubt myself again. The last .75 miles was the hardest thing I have ever done. I did not feel bad, but my head games were in full swing. I just had to push through. That was by far the toughest I have had to be mentally in all my athletic experiences. I could have easily folded and walked and called it good, but I pushed on. I knew I could only blame myself. Why run all that way to stop short of a personal goal? This is what I see so much of as a coach today, players who just pack it in because they are afraid of failure or don't know how to turn off that talk of doubt in their heads. I finished and felt great about myself. I did some serious stretching, but I am already very sore.

I ran my 8 miles in 1 hour 14 minutes which is a 9:15 mile pace. My goal is to run the half marathon at a 9:09 pace so I can finish under two hours. I have some improvements to make, but after two weeks I never would have imagined I would be running this far at this pace. With this run, that put me at 22 miles this week another personal best for me.

I leave you with this. What are your goals? How are you coming along? What do you find to be challenging? Are you strong enough to be mentally tough when you need to and can you push through? Yes, you can! You just need to believe in yourself and never doubt yourself. Don't disappoint that person staring at you in the mirror.

Keep reaching for your goals and celebrate when you do. Remember the only person that can stop you is yourself. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles.

Aaron a.k.a. Coffechug

P.S. Keep song suggestions coming for my playlist. I will be adding a few songs from the concert last night. Already added American Saturday Night by Brad Paisley

Half Marathon Training: Week 2 - Day 5 - Run 3

Today, I woke up feeling pretty good. My body is still sore from lifting on Monday and Wednesday so we decided to take it easy on the body and do an arm workout. It was a tough workout, but nothing that would wear the body out more.
We completed 3 sets of 15 on the following exercises:
*Revers Grip Bench Press
*Tricep Pulldowns
*Rope Overhead Cable Extensions
*Reverse Grip Barbell Curls
*Hammer Curls

After getting home from lifting and eating breakfast and spending time with Aiden I went out for my run. Today the program called for 4 easy miles at a 10:30 pace. I still don't know if I can run that slow. I did run the slowest so far of all my runs. I did not want to push(it is an easy day) and want my body ready for my big first run on Sunday. I ran at a 9:09 pace for all 4 miles which is actually my half marathon goal pace so I can try and finish in under 2 hours. I felt like I was crawling, but it was good for the body. My quads are actually sore from the running yesterday as is my left knee. The quads I am not concerned with as I know I pushed myself maybe a little too hard yesterday, but my knee concerns me. So far, I have had no knee pain which has been my biggest fear for running. I have terrible knees. Hopefully, it will reside and go away. I made sure I stretched out good after my run to help with the soreness. I also purchased a foam roller on Amazon to help with the aches and will review that when it arrives. Anyone who reads this and runs, do you have specific stretches that you do that you swear by? I am constantly learning new tricks and techniques now that I have focused in on running.

I posted yesterday that I was looking for music recommendations for my play list for the Bix race next Saturday. I posted here on the blog and a few other sites and already have received some good suggestions. You can check the music player in the sidebar to see what has come my way already. One album that was recommended to me by a long time friend was the Murder Was The Case soundtrack which is some old school rap that we grew up to. I did put the songs over in the play list due to content and language, but just wanted everyone to know it was suggested as well as the greatest hits of Boyz II Men(I just added Motownphilly), and the Floored album by Sugar Ray(I just added Fly). Keep the suggestions coming. As you can tell it is an interesting mix and I look forward to running to them. I may try out what has been suggested so far on my long run Sunday and provide some feedback.

Lastly, I have mapped out my run for Sunday. I drove it this morning. Holy Cow! 8 miles is long distance even by car. I cannot believe the amount of land I will be covering Sunday. Keep your fingers crossed for me and if you see a bald ugly tall dude passed out on the side of the road, don't worry it is just me wondering what I am doing.

Now that I am done painting the kitchen, my goal today is to put up more beadboard and change all 12 outlets. Saturday is my day of rest so I will not be doing anything exercise wise except having a good time dancing 12th row at the Brad Paisley concert. I will be sure to take pictures on my new iPhone that arrives in the mail today.

Keep reaching for your goals and celebrate when you do. Remember the only person that can stop you is yourself. Have a great Friday.

Input needed from my fellow followers and readers

As I have continued to push myself to be healthy and train for this half marathon, I have listened to a lot of music while out on the road to distract my brain from figuring out what exactly is going on. I find myself listening to the same old bands and songs over and over. Here is where I need your help

Input I Need: I want to create a playlist for the Bix 7 run next Saturday. I want completely new and random music to keep me off guard and curious. I plan to set my iPod to shuffle on this playlist that I will title, "7 miles and hills are torture!" So, please submit to me songs and please include the artist. I will add them to my playlist and will not listen to them until race day. I will leave it up to you all to create the playlist. I will also add the playlist to this website for you to hear what I will be hearing.

Leave a comment or email me at aarmau@gmail.com

My ears anxiously await your suggestions.

Book Review: For The Win by Cory Doctorow

First the basics of the book

Young Adult: grades 10-12 even though I think anyone can read this book. I did not find anything too bad at all.

Length: 480 pages

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Doctorow is indispensable. It’s hard to imagine any other author taking on youth and technology with such passion, intelligence, and understanding. Although perhaps less urgent than Little Brother (2008), this effort is superior in every other aspect: scope, plot, character, and style. Set in the near future and in locations across the globe (though primarily China and India), the story involves a sweeping cast of characters making a living—if you want to call brutal conditions and pitiful wages a “living”—in such virtual-game worlds as Svartalfheim Warriors and Zombie Mecha. Many of them, like 15-year-old Mala (known by her troops as “General Robotwalla”), endure physical threats from their bosses to farm virtual gold, which is then sold to rich First World gamers. Then these brilliant teens are brought together by the mysterious Big Sister Nor, who has a plan to unionize and bring these virtual worlds—and real-world sweatshops, too—to a screeching halt. Once again Doctorow has taken denigrated youth behavior (this time, gaming) and recast it into something heroic. He can’t resist the occasional lecture—sometimes breaking away from the plot to do so—but thankfully his lessons are riveting. With it’s eye-opening humanity and revolutionary zeal, this ambitious epic is well worth the considerable challenge. Grades 10-12. --Daniel Kraus


My thoughts:

I don't really know where to begin. I love Cory Doctorow. He is a mastermind of all things that I like. He had my utmost respect when I learned about him while reading his novel Little Brother(one of my all time favorite - read it if you have not done so already). Not only does he write, but he helps with Boing Boing website, working for freedom under the Creative Commons License where you can obtain all his books free from www.craphound.com

Anyways, this book is not a fast read(just check my Twitter book club account and read the posts). This is not a beach read. There are many plot lines and it took me some mental toughness to keep everyone sorted in my mind. I knew that it was necessary because somehow someway he would connect them all in the end. I think this book will really take off with the kids and adults that play online massive multi-player games. I have not done so in some time and I think that is why it took more brain power for me to follow. I felt out of the loop when it came to these online universes. However, the whole concept of being who are considered nobodies organizing and standing up for their rights is what is truly important about this novel. Technology has brought everyone up the same playing field in many aspects of life. We are no longer isolated to our neighborhoods, cities, states, countries. We can instantly work and play with anyone anywhere in the world. As the world is changing rapidly (I once again will throw in a Daniel Pink reference to his research) and reading this novel people who are in power have to realize that power resides in the masses. These masses have the power to create both good and bad. Here I am on a very small scale promoting books that I have read and loved. Just 15 years ago this was impossible to do. We only had word of mouth and the big companies to promote. Today I can read this book on my iPad, fall in love with it, write a review, and then go purchase the novel to show my appreciation.

I understand that my thoughts are not really discussing key plot elements of the book, but these are just some of the thoughts that entered my brain while reading. Do I recommend this novel? Yes! Is it an easy read? No, but not once did I skim and not once lose interest as I really had this whole novel imprinted in my brain. Any final thoughts about the novel that you would like to add? I would love to meet this guy and just talk. I find his thoughts and ideas fascinating. I think I will have to possibly travel to see him speak if he ever comes close to Iowa.

Half Marathon Training Run - Week 2 Day 4 - Run #2

This morning was very hot. I went out running around 9:30 and the humidity and heat was already climbing. Today my program had me assigned to run

*a 1 mile warmup
*2 x 1 mile runs at a 8:25 pace
* a 1 mile cool down

I ran to the high school as this is almost exactly one mile from my house(about 1.2 miles). I felt really good running and the one nice thing about the heat is that it does not take long to get your muscles ready to go. I arrived at the track and decided that I wanted to run faster than the suggested 8:25 pace. I don't know if that is a smart move or not as I have very little knowledge in training for a half marathon and running(now when it comes to basketball I have a good knowledge base). I felt that 8:25 was just too slow as I ran the Moonlight Chase race (4 miles) at a 8:05 pace. My goal was to break the 8 minute barrier each time. This is the first time in I don't even know how long that I have actually ran on a track. I enjoyed the running because I could gauge everything and break my running down into smaller segments that helped me mentally. I would not be able to run very long on a track as I would lose focus, but for this type of workout I loved it. Anyways, I ran my first mile in 7:28 which is very good for me. I finished that mile and walked one lap around the track. After the one lap, I decided to start up again as opposed to walking one more. I felt really good. The second mile I had to push a little harder, but I finished that in 7:29. I was tired after the second mile, but recovered very quickly after walking one lap around. I then ran home and feel really good. Had this been two weeks ago I would have been dead for the rest of the day. I was proud of myself for the times I ran and knowing that I don't feel bad at all as I write this. This lets me know that I could push harder, but that would not be smart to do with the heat, me just starting all the running, and preparing for my first big long run(with the exception of the Bix at 6 last week) on Sunday. Tomorrow I am supposed to run 4 miles, but cannot remember what type of run whether an easy run, tempo run, etc. I will post again tomorrow. I also am supposed to lift weights as well. Trying to decided if I should run after lifting or before. I am thinking of getting up at 4:30 am to run so I can then lift with the crew at 5:30. Well, off to paint the second coat of paint in my kitchen while the kids and wife are swimming.

By the way, I finally found a few coconut water beverages at Hy-Vee. These things are hot ticket items as they are never in stock. I swear by the coconut water after running. It really helps to hydrate the body.

P.S. I did finish For the Win by Cory Doctorow last night. Will type up a review later today and publish it tonight or tomorrow. What a read. Slowly knocking of my goals left and right. Keep reaching for your goals and celebrate when you do.

Must get moving - Half Marathon - Week 2 Day 3 - Lifting

Alright, so I have a day off of running today. I did workout this morning doing 5 sets of 8 of decline bench press, pull ups, swiss ball push ups and 100 bicycle crunches. Feeling pretty good today. I have a mile running circuit on the track tomorrow so will post results for that.

Today I begin to paint the kitchen. I spent a large amount of time yesterday taping the kitchen. We have kitchen that has more nooks and crannies that normal. After doing all of that I was not in the mood to paint. Time escaped and ran out of time anways.

I must finish For the Win by Cory Doctorow this week. I just don't have time to sit and read. This novel is not one where you can just casually read here and there. There are many plot lines that I must focus on. Why do I want this book finished? I need to start Pillars of Earth so I watch the new TV series based on the book. This starts on the 23rd so I need to get going.

Finally, Twilight, the first movie arrived for me at the library. I converted it to my iPad and want to watch this as well. Will post my thoughts on the movie when I finally get to watching this as well. By the way, we went to watch Despicable Me on Sunday. What a great movie. My wife and I loved the movie. It cracked me up several times and also had a good message. My kids liked it as well. Of course, we had to eat at IHOP the next day for breakfast and my daughter wanted to know where the little yellow guys were. So, if you are bored, go check out the film.

I am off to read, paint, and deal with my children who are 1000 miles an hour all the time.

Half Marathon Training - Week 2: Days 1 and 2 - Rest and Run 1

Week 2: Day 1 - 5 miles at a 10:30 pace

Today I was supposed to run 5 miles at a 10:30 pace for an easy run day. I will admit that I am not the best runner by any means, but I really, really, struggle to run that slow. I think all my athletic training in basketball and such has taught me to always be competitive and go all out and here I am trying to train my mental toughness to slow down because it is good for me. I ended up running the 5 miles at a 8:57 pace to finish in just under 45 minutes. I did not feel bad afterwards and am starting to get used to this 5 mile range. After last week of putting in 21 miles over four days of running, I am slowly starting to see the benefits of following a program paying off. I don't run tomorrow, but will do some lifting in the morning. My abs are very sore from the workout on Monday

Monday:y We did 3 sets of 15 squats, 5 sets of 8 of bent over rows, and 100 hanging leg raises.

With the Bix coming up in about a week in a half, I am getting nervous for the 7 mile run as I just need to get myself in condition to run that long. I have a long run this weekend so that will be a good test for me. I have lost a few pounds already which is good as I am trying shed some weight before the half marathon race(which I still don't know how I can run that long). I weighed myself at the beginning of the training at around 232 and this morning weighed in at 226. I would like to drop to about 215 or so, but not sure that is possible. I don't want to lose my muscle, just my love handles.

Well, I am now off to paint the kitchen and continue the Honey Do list before summer is over

Kids would rather eat rocks covered with stickers than a fresh banana.

Kids would rather eat rocks covered with stickers than a fresh banana.

iPhone 4 Update

YAHOO! Just received an email today that my iPhone 4 will be delivered ahead of schedule. It was suppose to be sent out on the 20th and to my house on the 23rd. It is currently in Shenzhen, China in transit to my house by the 14th. Mail still blows my mind how it can travel that far to my house in a few days. Let the anticipation begin my friends. Can you say that I love Apple: Macbook Pro, iPod Touch, Nano, old school 30gb ipod, iPad, and now the new iPhone!!!!! Boom Shak-a-lak-a

Question to the Masses

As I continue to read For the Win by Cory Doctorow (check my Twitter book club feed for my thoughts while I read - over in the sidebar) I want to know what you are currently reading or what you have read this summer that you really enjoyed? Please share and continue to enjoy your summer?

Running Goals Update

On May 30th I posted a post where I outline my goals for running this summer. I had four goals in preparation for the running of the Chicago Urbanathlon. I figured since I just finished a race I would go ahead and reflect on my goals and my preparation.

I still have all the goals in place to be completed. I had a little bit of a set back earlier in the summer where I did not run for about 2 weeks. When I posted in May, I was doing a nice job getting this body ready for running by getting in around 15 miles a week to build a base. As soon I did that for two weeks, I took off for a Dave Matthews concert, followed by going to the Wisconsin Dells, and then traveling with my father in law to help coach basketball. I know excuses are easy to create, but I was all over the place and eating like a slob. I felt gross and regained my motivation. I am jumped backed into running again. Instead of doing a 12 week half marathon program, I had to change to a 9 week plan to be ready on time. I also ran the Bix at 6 this past week for the first time. Holy Cow!! That course is a monster. I always had respect for the people that run the Bix, but now after finally getting my body out there I have a whole new respect for it. I ran the Bix at 6 in 67 minutes which I was very pleased with considering that I am still not in the greatest shape. Last night (Saturday) I ran in the Moonlight Chase. This is a flat 4 mile course in Eldridge. I set a new personal best with my mile pace by finishing in 32:20. This is an 8:05 mile pace. I increased my PR by 11 seconds where my previous best was 8:16. So I was very happy with myself. The hardest challenge is that I am supposed to run 5 miles today and I am very sore. I did sign up for the Bix so I have to prepare for that race and there is not backing out now. So far, so good and I am still on the right path to achieving all my goals. Off to drink another cup of coffee, some coconut water and to the road to run. Maybe I will see you out and about running.

Cardboard 45rpm Record Sleeve Transforms Into a Record Player

How do you sell 45rpm records in an era of digital music? Package it in a sleeve that can be transformed into a record player. This brilliant marketing idea from GGRP Sound takes only seconds to set up, and the only extra tool you need is a pencil.

Late school time leads to better students

Later School Start Time Leads to Better Students . . . http://bit.ly/bkCx2i (via SciAm)

Book Review: Short Second Life of Bree

Back in March I mentioned the release of this novel on my blog. I liked this little novella. I know on Amazon it has a medium rating and same thing holds true on other sites. When you read I don't think you can go into it with the same anticipation as the Twilight series. It is a novella, which means it is shorter. It basically follows the last five days of Bree who was mentioned very briefly in the series. The beginning really hooked me, then I lost some interest and then really got back into in the end when I reconnected the series. I thought it was cool to read about one of the better fight scenes of the series from a different perspective. With this book we all know how it will end if you have read the series. I thought it was a very nice easy summer read which is perfect for this time of year. With the movies catching all the buzz it was a good tie in. I know many people discuss her writing style and whether it is good or not(I am one of those people), but look at her success and regardless of your opinion she has struck a chord with a massive audience. In the end I would recommend this novella to read if you are a Twilight fan. To me this is the same with the Harry Potter series and the Beetle the Bard book by J.K. Rowling. It offers a glimpse of the universe we have all come to love, but just a different perspective. In the end, not a must read, but a read that I would recommend because it is short and interesting.

I have to admit (which is hard for me) that I am just as much of a fan of this series as the next even though I have strong opinions on the series and really, really hated book 2. However, I have now read this novel and also Nightlite which was the parody. The only thing I have not done is watch the movies. But, I know at some point I probably will. Whew, I am done now that I have confessed my fandom for this world of vampires.

My Top 5 List of Today....

Top 5 Albums I am listening to right now

1. Eminem - Recovery (I know not really appropriate for a teacher to recommend, but good music to listen to while running 5+ miles)
2. Honey Child - Nearer the Earth - free album download on FB
3. Jack Johnson - To The Sea
4. Justin Moore - Justin Moore - country singer that is opening up for Brad Paisley at iWireless on the 17th
5. John Butler Trio - April Uprising

50 Fancy Words

Times Topics: 50 Fancy Words
By By PHILIP B. CORBETT
Published: June 8, 2010
Times readers are literate and well educated. But privately, away from the cocktail party, some of them may wonder: what exactly does “jejune” mean, anyway? If someone put a gun to my head, could I give a precise definition of “atavistic”?

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/topics/topic/2010afterdeadlineblog.pdf

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AkI3CFYxPb8xdEtLWUo3aWtvdHdLUTZsQnp1UU1UN0E&hl=en&output=html

Interesting post on Twitter

@doctorow "If copyright infringement is theft, photographing someone is kidnapping?"

A new book blog to check out.

I was curious to see how some people were coming to my website. So I checked my monthly update about how people are finding my blog and this super cool blog was one that had my blog mentioned. Go ahead and check this blog out Bookworming in the 21st Century

I thank the creator of this blog for mentioning my blog and just wanted to return the favor. I had no idea this blog existed or my blog was even mentioned. Just another little surprise that makes your day. The Mean Old Librarian blog is another good one mentioned.

Very cool post on Fireworks and making your own

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/07/the-chemistry-of-fireworks/

One Quick Firework Fact

The typical backyard rocket- even the small ones - travels 200 mph. Be careful

Coffee For The Brain - iPad App Review - Doodle Jump

I feel so honored

Patrick Carman has shared my blog on his Facebook page. It is always a awesome feeling when an author recognizes your blog. This makes me like this guy even more. Now I just need to make a robot from garage sale parts!

http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1195918225&k=Z5LYP66YW2TF6BD1PB2XWVWSSVIB4ZWD4SFW1&oid=405820178820

What Have I Been Doing?

Besides the enjoyment of not being at work during the summer, there is rarely a day that goes by where I am not busy doing something. I have yet to have a day to just sit and read and be nerdy. The last couple days I have been working on one of my Honey Do items. I worked to change our dining room from the red painted walls which were painted red two times (6 coats of paint total) the last couple years to a nice light yellow.

As you can see here I had to paint three layers of paint to hide the yellow.
This was using the Behr paint that had the primer mixed in with the paint. It was a good paint, but still took many coats. Trying to hide red is near impossible.

After painting the walls yellow, I then had to tackle the challenge of chair rail bead board with trim all painted white. I am not a man who is good with tools. If it has a keyboard I am good to go, but anything else watch out. However, considering this was my first time doing this I think it turned out awesome. My wife is also quite happy. I had to not only deal with uneven walls and corners, but also acquiring the necessary tools. I also had to dabble with the changing out of the electric outlets as we had to switch them all to white. Now I am off to fixing my kitchen wall so I can paint that room again and put up the same bead board up in the kitchen as well. Funny how one project just merges into another....

Guerilla Paint Action in Berlin

Guerilla Paint Action in Berlin

Book Review: Thirteen Days to Midnight

Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman

Summary from Goodreads.com

When Jacob’s foster father whispers, “You are indestructible” seconds before dying in a car crash that should’ve killed them both, Jacob never imagines he could possess a real superpower. To test it Jacob and his friends start indulging comic book-like fantasies. Later, they commit to use this amazing power of indestructibility to do good in the world and save others from death. But how do they decide who to save? And what happens when they blur the lines of life and death, right and wrong, and good and evil? Thirteen Days to Midnight is a nail-biting tale of dark intrigue, powerful romance, friendship and adventure.


My Thoughts
I have been on this huge Patrick Carman kick lately. Ever since I read Skeleton Creek I have become a massively huge fan of this guy. I follow him on Twitter and Facebook and look forward to the new things that he is always pushing out to the world. I just finished this novel and I loved it. Once again, I read a book by him that was different from each of the previous novels and series. I have yet to finish a book by him and have that feeling you get after reading James Patterson where every novel has the same approach, style, and feel. After you have read about 3-5 Patterson novels you have him figured out for the other 50+ books he has created. With Patrick Carman, you never know what you are getting yourself into when you begin one of his books. With Trackers, he used the video/reading concept, but it was way different in feel compared to Skeleton Creek. 13DTM does not have any video feeds, but just because it is a regular novel does not mean he has lost his touch. This book is darker, more intense, and a little more intriguing in storyline. He brushed on the topics of good vs bad, religion in terms of God and using a superpower to try and make decisions as if a god, foul language(nothing too bad by any means, but really helps shape the storyline and make the dialogue more believable), and the large concept of friendship and falling in love.

I posted some of my thoughts while reading this book through one of my twitter accounts. You can go back and read some of my thoughts while I was reading. My account is coffeechugbooks

I am going on a limb here by stating that this might be my favorite novel of his. I was really into the storyline as I was confused and very interested in what would happen next. This is a bold statement on my part as I loved his other works. I plan on reading Ghost in the Machine as I have not read that one yet. I like to space out my series so plot is fresh on my mind as new releases come out.

As always, Patrick does have a cool website out for the book. Check it out here

Go out and read this book, post your thoughts here on the blog or my twitter account. This is one of the best books I have read this summer and I will be booktalking this book big time when school starts up again.

Great job Patrick and look forward to your new series and book three in the Skeleton Creek series as well.

Here is a video from the author

I read this post on Twitter and.....

I was reading my tweets from my twitter account and someone had posted the following statement:

Confused. Society freaks about teens hooking up w/20-somethings but encourages Twilight (a teen's fantasy/pursuit of a much older man).

What are your thoughts on this statement? I think it holds the essence of our hypocritical and catch 22 society. I think the statement really holds some merit.