Day 51: Footnote...(a little venting)

Ladies, I get it how you hate when guys objectify you by checking out your breasts. Hey, I have a gorgeous wife and two beautiful daughters and I'm not crazy about seeing guys checking them out. But let me ask you this, how many times have you checked out a man's shoes? Are you not performing the same judgmental assessment that a man does towards you when he looks at your boobs? Maybe you look to get an idea of how wealthy he is, or maybe you look to see if big shoes equals big.....
Either way you're objectifying that person just as much as that sleez objectifies you. We all sneak peeks so don't place yourself too high on that self-righteous pedestal.
And, oh, by the way? Those are Merrells and they're real so suck it!

Day 51: On the road again...

Unfortunately this is business travel but I'll try to make the most of it. I get to see my two favorite Heidelbergers and my Big Bro. Can't wait!
Here are a couple of fun pix I created while waiting for my flight. Man, I love my iPhone! :-)
Oh, they're boarding. "See you on the other side, Ray".

Day 50: Bring it...

Training is in full swing as I prepare for the Mt. Evans Ascent.  My trainer has been a tremendous source of inspiration.  She just completed a half marathon today, besting her previous time by over a minute and on a hilly course.  I couldn't help but want to get in the gym and put in the miles.  I'm certainly no where near what I use to be but the miles are coming a bit easier.  Besides my physical preparations, the mental game has already begun.  Not a day goes by that I don't think of Evans, imagining myself working my way up that road.  I play out a variety of scenarios in my head and try to imagine how I might react to them.  Weather, crowds, course layout, how I might feel at each turn.  It's a part of my training regimen that I've followed since my first 10K.  It's actually something I employ in nearly all aspects of my life.  

So few people spend the time to get in their own head and exercise that "muscle" that will make or break their ambitions.  I've seen far too many people with exceptional physical or intellectual abilities fall far short of their goals because they succumbed to the "demons" in their head that in one way or the other convinced them to quit.  Faced with adversity that they failed to previously imagine, they lost the capacity to endure and press on.  If you have an upcoming challenge and you aren't imagining any and all possible scenarios that you might have to face, you're only putting yourself in a greater position to fail.  Give yourself a chance to succeed.  Exercise all parts of yourself in preparation to meet your next challenge and for once, bring your A game!

Day 49: Must go to Costco...

Love it or hate it, Costco is an American institution.  It epitomizes the American ideal - freedom of choice and abundance.  Granted I don't think any of us need a five gallon jar of pickles but hey, to each their own.  I'm not one to judge, sometimes.  I think for the most part I like Costco, at least in terms of cost and choices.  But as I've said before, I cringe when I think I have to go there.  The over crowded parking, the mass of humanity drifting from one food sample table to another, the crying children, the meanderers, the checkout lines that defy the laws of time.  It's all enough to drive you insane or at least propel you home for a nice, stiff drink.  Too bad in Colorado the Costcos here don't sell jumbo size containers of vodka.  But hey, this is America, anything is possible. 


Prost!

Day 48: What a dog thinks...

"Mine eyes gazeth upon thy furry form.  Affixed above thy lofty perch, so close but an eternity from thy grasp.  Illusive yet near.  Supple and firm, lush and divine.  Your essence tempts my desires of consumption.  For in mine mouth doth come the heavenly taste of your body.  To share wit, mine master, the treasure and trophy of my acquisition of your being.  To lay before him, across his carpet keep, that which remains in spotty mess of your former self.  That my sibling canines may sniff and savor, you are the Magi gift, suffered so to bring joy to their palette.  Come to wit, and embrace thy destiny.  Run not across thy wooden wall, but surrender thyself to me now and always..."

This picture above is a common sight in my backyard. Sophie in hypnotic stare of a squirrel up in the tree.

Day 47: Spring?

Wow, can it be?  Is Spring right around the corner?  Hate to say it but I'm not sure I"m ready for it.  I'm still enjoying my winter weather and I plan on making a few more trips up to the mountains to get in some snow boarding.  But there is something "magical" about seeing life make it's way up through the ground once again.  It's like a promise of new beginnings.  There are new adventures and experiences on the way.  Camping, hiking, lounging around the BBQ.  Hot summer days, followed by afternoon thundershowers.  I do enjoy my seasons.  In the meantime let's give this one a bit more time...

Day 46: Back to School...

I don't think I ever attended a school that looked like this but I've attended some that seemed this creepy.  Maybe it was just the teachers.  Not sure how kids are today but I recall that a lot of us got pretty creeped out about school for the first couple of years.  I can remember being terrified and just wanting to go home with my mommy.  Funny that to this day I can still remember that first day, sitting in Kindergarten class, crying my eyes out.  I was so scared.  All those strange smells, all the books, the crazy little furniture, strange artwork all over the place.  For some reason I thought I was never going to be able to go home, that I was trapped in this kiddie Shawnshank for all eternity.  But the thing that snapped me out of this crisis was this fellow inmate sitting across the table from me, just going to town on a jar of glue.  He was just scooping away with this tongue depressor (better known as a kid's spoon), putting gobs of clue in his mouth.  I immediately stopped crying and just stared at this kid.  I didn't know the word then but the intensity of my thought was "what the $%#@ is this kid doing?"  Side note, I learned THAT word that next year and unfortunately for my parents, I acquired quite a talent for using it. 

Glad those days are behind me.  Now if only my work didn't creep me out so much...