You call that a sandwich?

I love being from New Orleans. Absolutuely love it. i love telling people where i am from and about all the reasons why I think it is such a great place. The food, the music, The colorful cast of characters, the people, the hospitality, the style, and all the Lagniappe that makes the Big Easy so beautiful.

I also love visiting new places and meeting new people. I like to do things their way and see how they live and to see what's so beautiful about where they are from. All of this is fine and well, but there is one point where I draw the line. Sandwiches.

Ever since the first artisan slapped that hunk of meat between a couple biscuits(C'mon people, I'm talking about sandwiches) generations and cultures have been eating sandwiches. The sandwich is an effective culinary tool. To eat each part of a sandwich independently is a task and can leave your fingers messy. The idea to encapsulate the meat, produce, and condiments within the cozy confines of bread was culinary genius.

Over the years there have been many versions of the sandwich and they have grown in size, shape, and name. The ingredients have changed as well and we now find ourselves in the midst of the "Golden Age" of sandwiches where sandwich shops battle for market share by using relentless advertising and opening locations on every corner and in every wal-mart or gas station on your route to anywhere, U.S.A.

here comes the "but"

But, I rarely frequent these fine establishments. I find little joy in these sandwiches with their various artisan 5 cheese honey oat italian herbs breads and fine assortment of meats and 27 varietis of cheese and blue cheese bacon ranch italian olive oil chipotle sauces. All of those ingredients and options are fine, and you may love some or all of them, and that is ok.

But to me, it's a snack at best.

You see, where I am from, this is not a sandwich

THIS is a sandwich

I mean no disrespect, but once you have enjoyed an authentic New Orleans style roast beef po-boy, there is no other sanwich.

And so, it all goes back to where you are from. I am from new orleans, and when momma said i'm gonna bring home some sandwiches we didn't open a bag of chips, we went and got an extra roll of paper towels to wipe the gravy off our elbows and a fork to scoop up all the extras left on the plate that the french bread could not contain.

So, let me apologize in advance when you ask me if I would like a sandwich and I politely refuse. I certainly mean no disrespect and I truly hope you enjoy yours . As for me, I'll wait till i get back home. where it's not just a sandwich, it's a meal.

The Deed is Done

Always looking to the next big thing, yesterday I signed up and PAID FOR the New Orleans IronMan 70.3

The race is April 17th, 2011. and includes the following:
1. 1.2 mile swim
2. 56 mile cycle
3. 13.1 mile run

so if you have nothing to do 17 1/2 weeks from now and happen to be in the "old neighborhood"(most of it takes place in New orleans East), keep an eye out for me. I'll be the unstoppable one.

18 weeks to go

today I start my 18 week half Ironman(HIM) training plan/routine. So if you ask me if I want to go do something or you need my help with something and I tell you no, don't take it personal. This is the time of year where I do what the training schedule says, it is my holy word. If it says it, I do it. It is priority one.

18 weeks to go, one step at a time.

Stolen Poem

IronMan 70.3 New Orleans is 19 weeks away.
I found this poem on someone else's blog. It sums up my world.

In my world,
The water is cold,
The wind is hard,
And the road never ends.

In my world,
There are no losers.
Only competitors still on their way,
And spectators waiting to be inspired.

In my world,
Victory is not weighed in gold,
But in determination and courage.

In my world,
There are no boundaries,
No limits,
There is no end.

Every day is the last day of my life,
And the first.

In my world,
The word “can't” does not exist,
And nothing is impossible.


author unknown

Running in Cirlces

You're running and you're running and you're running away, but you can't run away from yourself"- Bob Marley

Flag of Sicily

I think on my sicilian origins from time to time and consider the trials and tribulations my people have faced, fought and conquered for centuries. The many invasions and defeat we have suffered, the rulers we were forced to live under, the rebelions we have ignited, and the freedom we have earned.

Then i think of my own life and the obstacles I have been faced with and overcome. But, it seems that I often find myself fighting the same battles over and over again. I know how to win the battle, so it would seem a simple thing to do. But, each time the battles seem to get harder to fight. When I ran the marathon a couple years ago the training was tough, but I managed to get myself up and out the door just about every day. I missed a few workouts due to illness and personal issues, but i would say I did 90% or more of the scheduled workouts. And because of this, I completed the race never doubting that I would finish.

Then i turned to triathlons. And I was faithful in my training. Though that 1st swim in rough water completely kicked my butt, I never doubted that i would finish.

And from there I have been fighting an uphill battle. my training has become much less consistent, and my eating habits of become less nutrtious. I have had days and weeks of doing well, but they have been followed by days and weeks of slacking. And I haven't been able to break out of this series of highs and lows.

Then I paused for a moment, as I learned from Ferris Beuler, and I thought about the situation that was before me. And it seemed so clear. 

SCOTT, YOU HAVE TO BREAK THE CYCLE!!!!(that's me yelling in my own head) 

Actually, that thought occured to me while talking to a friend of mine about somethings going on in his life, and he realized that he was putting himself into the same bad situation over and over again. Then he said that he did something to break that cycle.

"And it stoned me, to my soul" -Van Morrison

When he spoke of breaking that cycle, i was proud of him. and later, I thought about what he said and realized that I was guilty of the same and that I too needed to break a cycle.

For me it comes down to discipline. If you want to be something, you can. If you want to do something, you can. It's up to you to do it. No one will do it for you. Don't feel sorry for your self. Don't say you have to get a few other things in order first. Just get out or get up and start doing it.

An Example:

One thing I have heard from people many times is that they will start working out once they have lost a few pounds. This logic is plain old retarded, yes, i said retarded. It's the exercise that will cause you to lose the weight.

So back to me. The past week, I did almost all of the workouts I intended to do. This week i hope to do them all. There are already obstacles in my way, and I will have to work around those things. But i WILL work around those things.

You see, there is a person I want to be, in fact I am already that person. You too are already that person you want to be. You just have to let that person out, don't hide him away. Let him live the life. live your life the way you want to. No one is stopping ypou but yourself. There is no one to blame but yourself, the only excuse is that YOU have not done what YOU need to do.

So Do It!

I do stop from time to time to reflect on how my life is going, and from time to time I see a me I don't want to be. But I don't let it keep me down. I think of who i am and where I came from. I think of my family and how far my family has come through generations. I look back to the places that we migrated from and what we ovecame in those far away lands. And this time, I thought back to the Red Hill, and then to Sicily, and rememberdthat I am from a people who don't give up, who don't back down, who claim what is ours, and live life our way.

"For what is a man, what has he got?

if not himself, then he has naught

to say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels

the record show, I took the blows, and did it my way"

                         -Sinatra

You will take some blows, but you will rise. Do it your way.

Now this picture makes me feel important. It was taken while I was at work. It seems that they look forward to my arrival all day. Oddly enough, I look forward to seeing them all day too.

For those who are wondering, the little dog is Brady. Lily is not pictured as she was securing and protecting a certain sector of the house, my bed.

In other news, in 4 hours my Thanksgiving break starts. I don't know who is more excited, me or the kids. Probably me. My plans for the week are simple, Exercise and video games, with a brief pause on Thursday for food and football (Saints play on Thanksgiving). I am excited about working out. it's been hard for me to getr into the swing of a full scale workout program. I really need next week to start getting into the routine. Today, after school I am heading to the store to get some aerobars for my bike. Aero bars help you to get into a more aerodynmic body position so that you use less energy while riding. This will come in handy at the half IronMan in April, or any other tri a may be doing soon. 

Well, I guess I'll  keep these kids out of trouble, 3 hours and 45 minutes to go!

And it stoned me...

..To my soul.

Everyday I walk into my classroom hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. A product of living in "Hurricane Culture" I suppose. Most days fall squarely in the middle, a little good, a little bad.

Today, I am seeing the worst, but am experiencing the best.

In American History we have studying the 1920's and 2 days ago started talking about the Harlem Renaissance. I briefly mentioned a few people who were part of the movement and what they did (Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes) then showed a ten minute video on Zora Neale Hurston, and asked the students what they saw in the video that they thought was relative to their lives. The answers, most of them, centered around Zora (as they have taken to calling her, as if she were a dear friend) never giving up though faced with much adversity. I topic I talk about often in this blog.

So, i asked them to do a little writing. To answer the question: who are you? (oo oo, oo oo).

They worked on it for a while in class, asked me a few questions about what format to use and what exactly I wanted them to write. I replied: Whatever answers the question who you are, and in what ever format you think you can answer it best. After all, they are the experts on the subject.

Today they came in and I gave them the oppurtunity to share who they are. I told them it wasn't mandatory, that some probably wrote some personal stuff that they may not want others to know.

One by one volunteers walked to the front of the class, and shared. They shared stories of hardship and tribulation. Broken homes, broken bones, broken hearts. Lives of violence, poverty, drugs, alcohol, abandonment. Lives of seeing fathers kill and be incarcerated, lives of cracked out mothers, lives of lonely, scary nights hiding under the bed or crying themselves to sleep.

and more...

...lives of falling in with the wrong crowd, doing the wrong thing, being there at the wrong time...

and more...

...lives of walking away from the wrong crowd, doing the right thing, and making it the right time.

Lives of not giving up, looking on the bright side, finding a reason to carry on. Lives of hope, love, and redemption.

Lives of Redemption.

Lives of Redemption.

One by one i listened to their stories, I found out who they are. More importantly, I think they found out who they are. They found out that they are not the only one. Others have been through the same thing and have survived it and grown stronger from it. They showed how strong they are just by getting up to share, they gave strength to others, that they too can over come. They have shown me that I too can overcome the obstacles before me.

I came in today hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst. My heart has been broken today, and has been fully restored. The healed wound is often strongen than it was before. I saw the worst today, but am experiencing the best.

An Off Day, Part 2

"Once you learn to quit, it becomes habit" - Vince Lombardi.

It seems that the legendary coach has summed up my previous post in 8 words. Thanks Coach!

An Off Day

As most of you know, I like to think of myself as an athlete(of sorts) and I am very proud of the athletic achievments I have accomplished in the last few years.

Now, I could go on and tell you about the things I have done and how great it was to cross the finish line or how happy I was to wear the medal, etc......

But that's not whats on my mind. The last few weeks I have been thinking alot about my future goals; doing another marathon, my 1st half IronMan, 100 mile bike ride. To achieve these things it's gonna take a lot of work, dedication, and sweat. And this is where my thoughts take a turn from the positive ones that i usually write about to the events of a regular, ordinary, ho-hum 3 mile run.

A few months back I started training for an Olympic distance triathlon (1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6 mile run) and the training was going well until one ordinary day when I was supposed to run an "easy" 3 mile run (easy because my longer runs were 10-12 miles at the time). About a mile and a half into the run I just stopped running and started to walk. I told my self that I would just walk to the end of that block. Well, I walked the 1.5 back to the house.

Never before had that ever happened to me. I had been running for a good 5 or so years and never had that happen. 2 days later, it happened again. I cut the workout short for no reason. Was it self doubt? Was it burnout? I don't know. What i do know is that it has been hard to shake, hard to overcome. It has even gotten to the point where I fear training for anything because I am afraid it will happen again.

Ok, hold that thought.

I see a similar thing going on with the kids at school. It seems that these kids, and here I am referencing all 4 schools I have taught at, are used to giving up. It seems to have been instilled in many of them, through lack of consequence perhaps, that giving up is a viable option, that hard work is for suckers, that success should be given rather than earned. It disturbs me that I can make that last comment with such confidence in its accuracy.

I don't pretend to be Mr. Hardwork, if there is an easier way i am likely to take it. Who wouldn't? But many of these students are giving up before they begin because they don't think they will be successful anyway, and they don't want to waste their time trying if they are just gonna fail.

End critcism of the students. We will ride that horse some other time.

But there is an easy parrallel to be drawn between my issue and that which I see in the classroom. No one wants to fail, and no wants to waste their time if it's gonna result in failure anyway.

This is where the story turns.

In the Olympic distance triathlon that I was training for I had the best open-water swim I ever had, I also had the best bike ride I ever had in a triathlon and both of these distances were longer than any race I had done before. Even though i caught a cramp in my back coming out of the swim, I still put in my best bike ride. But, Shortly into the run, I walked. I tried to convince myself it would just be for a minute. Well that minute turned into walking about 4 of the 6 miles. The ability to quit was already in me, and it showed itself. When I finally crossed the line my family was there and seemed really proud of me. But i was silently hurting inside and felt that I let them down, and worse, I betrayed myself.

That makes it hard to get started again. At that point it would be easy to have stayed down on the mat, but you know I can't do that. You have read enough of my posts to know how much I love a redemption story, how much I love the story of the guy who finished last, but overcame great adversity to finish at all.

Hopefully, that will be my story. I never claimed to be a great athlete, I never claimed that I could win any race, but I have overcome adversity before, and i will overcome adversity again. I will run today. The thought of quitting will surely cross my mind. I will have to make a decison: run? or walk?

I have failed at many things, many times, but I have picked myself up and dusted my self off just as many times. All I can do, all any of us can do, is face the challenges before us on step at a time, one day at a time. I can't predict success in accomplishing all my goals, and the students can't predict success on every assignment. But we can decide while on the run to day if we will run or walk. And though i cannot tell you what decision i will make tomorrow, today I will choose to run.

Slice like a Ninja, cut like a razor blade.

Last month i watched "Ninja Assassin".


Yesterday I got in another movie from netflix. The movie is called "Ninja".
 
Kelley commented, "Are you gonna keep ordering ninja movies?"

My reply, "yes, i will order ALL the ninja movies".

I thought I was over you

I thought I was over you,
but I guess its not true.
I lay in bed at night
thinking of you.

When i finally fall
into sleep and to dream
you call out to me,
how near you seem.

When I awake
your names on my mind.
yellow cake chocolate icing
why must you be so unkind?

When I Look in the Mirror

when I loof in the mirror, I sometimes see
a 10 year old boy looking back at me.
boundless enrgy, full of hopes and dreams
naive to the world and it's harmful schemes.
He's ready to run and jump and experince it all
with never a thought of a crushing fall.
Does he know me and from where I've come
Would he be happy with who hes become?

when I look in the mirror, I sometimes see
a man of 20 grinning back at me.
He has a look in his eye that the worlds in his hand
he can do it much better than anyone can.
There's a pep in his step, and love in his heart,
He sees oppurtunity before him and he's ready to start.
I see his confidence and desire, his wit and his charm
does he see the hurdles before him that threaten him harm?

When I look in the mirror, I often see
a man whose turned 30 looking for me.
He's working so hard, to fix mistakes of his past
he knows his times coming and its coming fast.
he's working for the future, to be secure in his home
he's learning that to do it right he must do it alone
His charm and his wit are taking a beating
he's learning there's no future, only failure in retreating.

When I looked in the mirror this morning I saw
all 3 of those people, and yet I saw more.
I saw all of the people who have helped and have harmed
I saw the pain that built strength and the need to press on.

When I look in the mirror, once I did see
A man about 40, hiding from me
he was dressed in my clothes, a stranger I'd say
he looked like his best friend had been taken away
I wanted to speak, but no words were found
he looked like he wanted, but could not hear a sound
Could he have know the words never spoken?
was his heart full of joy, or had it been broken?

When I look in the mirror, I plainly see
I kind grey haired gentlemen, laughing at me.
He looks like my father, and a bit like my mom
and like the pictures of grandpa with his fire suit on.
why he is laughing its hard to tell
has his life been a pleasure or has he suffered through hell?
Is he laughing with joy because there is nothing to fear
or that he knows that I'll keep fighting year after year?

When I look in the mirror, I want to say
I don't know the future but I wont go away
I have enjoyed great pleasure, and endured great loss
both sides have come at highly paid cost
Sometimes I will fail but I will not give in
Sometimes i'll be the savior and sometimes I'll sin
through all of my future, as has been in my past
I will fight till I finish, be it in first place or last.

Welcome Back, Trickster!

I just showed my American History class an episode of "Welcome Back, Kotter". The 1st 5 minutes they were making comments like, "this is wack" or "this is lame". I didn't say anything, just let the show speak for itself. By the time the show reached the first commercial break the entire class was quiet and focused on the show. They thought it was a reward for being good this week (because i told them that). What they didn't realize is that I use scenarios from the show to explain things in class and relate aspects of the show to their lives. I don't just teach history, I also teach life lessons.

By the time the show ended they were hooked, they have fallen into my trap(just as my classes have done in past years). Last year I had one class that was especially NOT well behaved. I managed to get them to be somewhat behaved on a Thursday and on Friday told them I was so proud of them that I wanted to give them a reward. So, I showed them an episode, they got hooked. So, every week that they were well behaved Monday-Thursday, we would watch an episode on Friday. Surprisingly, we watched an episode almost every week. The best part is that my role as disciplinarian was greatly reduced as they started calling out each other to behave so they could watch another episode on Fridays. Ah! the little things do make a difference.

So far today, the kids are loving it. Hopefully it will work just as well this year as in the past.

***Note: Class is 60 minutes, episodes are 22 minutes. So, YES, we do American history for the 1st 38 minutes before watching the show. There is ZERO wasted time in my class, that's how i roll!!!

Thanks, Mr. Kotter!

Landmarks, part 2

Todays landmark is not a place but an item from my childhood. This is the 1982ish fisher price record player. My first turntable. I remember being in the back bedroom in the old house on Means ave. In New Orleans east. Back then i was mostly listening to "see & say" records(kid stuff) or "show and tell" records that went along with books that I couldn't ever find. But I also started swiping my parents 45's and listeng to their music, everything from KC and the Sunshine Band to Elvis, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, and Gino Vanelli(that's right, Gino Vanelli), which is probably one reason why I like the old stuff so much today. This is also the 1st turntable I ever tried to "scratch" on. Hip-hop was in its infancy and I liked it from the begining, I haved moved away from it in the last 15 or so years but from Kurtis Blow to the Fat Boys to RUN-DMC, I was hooked





Here is the Record player/"Wheels of steel" that I am refering to, and yes, you could close the top and it has it's own built in handle. You know we 2nd grade DJ's need to be portable.

The control on the front left isthe volume dial, the one on the right is the speed controler. 45rpm or 33 1/2 rpm. Only problem is that if you wanted to play 33's you had to take the lid off because the ablums were so big.

I don't recall what ever became of this audio masterpiece but I do know That whenever see a DJ spinning records or I hear the pops and hiss's of vintage vinyl, this baby will be on my mind.

Fishing and Fighting

a couple months ago I went with two of my best friends on a trip to Virginia. We stayed in a cabin owned by one of the friends family. The goal of the trip was to just relax and have fun. We had some ideas about what we wanted to, but nothing was set in stone. We accomplished our objective, we relaxed for a week and had a lot of fun.

I'm not gonna give out all the details but mailnly we watched the tour de france in the morning and then headed to the river for some fishing. evenings were dinner and dvd's.

I was looking for a picture earlier and came across the one above. No, that's not me. That's one of my friends. But it is my favorite picture from the trip. It reminds me of all the things I always wanted to do but never took the time to actually do.

This trip, this summer, and really the last 2 years I have started to change that. I realize that there places I want to see and things I want to do, but I often let those things remain just a wish.

These days I look at things I want to do and make plans to do them. No one's gonna do it for me, I have to do it myself, and that's the way it should be.

I always wanted to do a marathon, so I trained for it and did it. I always wanted to do a triathlon and did it. I wanted to learn to fish, I did it, I wanted to take a spur of the monent trip, I did it. I wanted to be more relaxed and impulsive, I did it. I wanted to be financial responsible and independent, I did it. The list goes on.

I always wanted to take a fishing trip to the mountains and stand in a cold clear stream on a beautiful day in the company of good friends. Now I have.

The point is that fear used to control what I did. I feared I would fail, Ifeared i couldn't afford, I feared, it wouldn't turn out right. That fear made me into someone else. Those of you who know me well know who i am, my silly, fun-loving, outgoing side. And that's me. fear turned me into a quiet recluse. I stifled myself(as Archie Bunker would say). But, as the last 2 years, and especially the last 6 months have passed by I have realized that this is my life and I only get one chance to live.

So, I will not live in fear. I will hold my head up, be strong and courageous, and do the things I always dreamed to do. You see, there is a battle going on inside of us all. A battle between this and that, it's diferrent for us all, but the battle does not discriminate. Your battle may be different than mine, but your battle is just as much a struggle as is mine.

That battle is called life, and it is really hard sometimes. But the only one who can make it better is you. Look your battle dead in the eye and let it know that you are hunting it, and that you will defeat it. Because to fight is to live. if you do not fight, you will surely die.

As Simon and Garfunkel put it:

"In the clearing stands a boxer

And a fighter by his trade

And he carries the reminders

Of ev'ry glove that layed him down

Or cut him till he cried out

In his anger and his shame "

I am leaving, I am leaving"

But the fighter still remains"

Sometimes you lose, and you WILL lose. But, as long as the fighter remains, the battle continues, and it's THE BATTLE I LOVE.

Don't give up.

Birth of a Legend...

...and no, I am not the legend. But. This past weekend the Bent Rim Bicycle Club participated in its first ever organized ride/race. It was a beautiful weekend in Tuscaloosa. Freight Train, Alberto/Team Leader, And I(King of the hills) took on the "Hot Hundred" bicycle ride. We didn't ride the full hundred, just 46 miles. This was the longest ride that any member of the fledgling club had ever done. Our previous long was 36. The weather was great, 79F at the start, it definitely warmed up over the 3 hour ride but we were helped out by a shady (as in blocking the Sun, not questionable character) course that winded its way through Tuscaloosa and Greene Counties.

Carlos loaded and ready to go. Carlos is the official sag wagon of Bent Rim Bicycle Club and does a great job of transprting "Black Betty' and "Betty White"

Team Picture: L to R, Freight Train, Alberto, King of the Mountain

Freight Train and Alberto looking stylish minutes before the start.

Alberto and Freight Train rollin' through the back roads of Tuscaloosa County. this is about 40 miles into the ride and the just keep hammering away.

King of the Mountain and Betty White looking good and feeling good. 4000 calories burned and all I could think about was what to do for lunch. unfortunately there were no buffets on the route.

So, that is the story. Had a great time with some great friends. and look forward to doing it again soon.

Special thanks to Mr. Tuscaloosa for providing us with a place to stay and to Ms. Nohio for providing alot of laughs along the way.

Forthcoming

I will try to put up a new post on Wednesday to let you know how the Memphis in May Triathlon and weekend in Memphis turned out. I'll tease you by saying that Yes, I did go to Graceland, but NO, there was not a pretty little thing waiting for the King down in the Jungle room.

Oh, and the AC is out at my house, time to get a second job to pay for the new compressor unit. SWARM(Scott Wants A Riding Mower) is now being replaced by DAMN(which is not and acronym, it just means DAMN!).

Memphis in May BBQ Fest 2010 Recap

As I mentioned in my previous post, I went to Memphis for the annual BBQ festival last weekend. I LOVE BBQ!

I have been struggling with the the question of what I like more, BBQ Ribs or boiled crawfish?

Well, this past weekend it was BBQ. I rolled up to Memphis friday night and Kelley and I headed downtown to BBQ fest where we met up with Charlisa (charlie and lisa) and Chris and Diana(who don't have a cool name yet, but i'm working on it.) For those of you who Have never been, BBQ fest is huge. Several hundred teams from across the nation converge on Memphis for the BBQ world championships. They compete in several different categories such as ribs, pork shoulder, and whole hog. I happen to be a rib man myself, but etheir nough about me. One of the guys that Kelley works with is on one of the afore mentioned BBQ teams(i don't remember the name of the team) so we had access to their tent, some cold beers (bottled water for me)and some most delicious BBQ sandwiches, Beans and Potato salad.

We hung around there for a while, then the 6-pack(I just made up that name, Genius) Head up the hill to world famous Beale St. which to me is like a PG version of Bourbon St. in New Orleans. We made our way to one of Memphis' fine establishments for the procurement of smoked meats called "The Pig". Normally I don't like to eat at places in the touristy parts of town but I gotta hand it to "The Pig" that's some mighty fine fixins boys! I was a little concerned from a foodie perspective because we got there late, 11:15-11:30ish, which scared me because I have been to many a bbq joint late and that's when they dish out the subpar or "this is all we have left" ribs. Not the pig, Our ribs were moist and meaty, plain old delicious. The cheese and sausage plate was good too.

As if that wasn't enough, we made a new friend. We call him "The King", his momma called him Elvis. As it turns out he is alive and well and plays at the pig on friday and saturday nights. He is also available for private parties.

After dinner with Mr."The King" we stepped out on to Beale St. and did what everyone on Beale St. does, played the claw machine. Now, I'm not one to brag(seriously, I'm not) but if there is something winable in a claw machine, I will win it. I put in my dollar, scanned the machine from several angles and released my claw on an unsuspecting penguin looking thing. The claw swooped down from above and wrapped it's tines around the plush morsel, then began to ascend and carry the novelty bird to me. BUT, the penguin slipped out of the clutches of the claw to rejoin its friends below. Panic insued in the machine as the stuffed comrades clung to each other for safety, but the daring young penguin-thingy was no match for me and my calculating claw. I reassessed the location of the penguin, set my aim and again launced a daring attack from above. The talons swooped down and encased the helpless penguin-like-thing in a firm embrace, plucking him from the huddled masses cowering in fear. The Claw carried him to the drop point and released him to me. But the cunning young Penguinish thing had one more trick up his flamable little sleeve. As he was falling in to my possession he mangaed to wedge his tag in between the glass and metal rail that held the glass in place. There he was, dangling, holding on for dear life, making a last ditch effort to cling to the only home he has ever known and the friends who fought with him so valiantly. It seemed he would be victorious as he was now out of the range of the claw. But, dear friends, I was fighting for more than just a toy. I was fighting for the glory of all those who have fallen victim to the claw machine, I was fighting for all those who have spent hours and 5 or 10 bucks trying to win a 30 cent toy for their sweetheart or dear child. I knew I had been called to this machine and it was my duty to prevail. I would not be denied. Reaching into the shallow depths of my wallet i found the only tool available, and the only tool I would need. A single one dollar bill. I looked at the bill and General Washington looked at me. I read the inscription,"In God We Trust"and knew that I was fighting on the side of good and the victory would be my blessing. I felt the words E PLURIBUS UNUM (out of many, One) become not just a motto, but a battle cry. Out of many stuffed novelties, this ONE penguin was my destiny. Did General Washington Surrender to the British, Hells No! Did he give up that hard winter at Valley forge? No Sir. Did he have trouble eating BBQ with wooden teeth? Hells yeah! And still he smoked the swine and patook of its deliciosity. And I knew that this day I would prevail.

I slid the dollar bill through a small slit where the machine is opened to refill its bounty. It was no easy task as there was several L's that the bill had to manuver anround before entering the inner sanctum of the machine. The crowd of on lookers gasped in awe as the dollar penetrated the inner chamber. The bill wiggled and wryed its way into the inner chamber until about 1/3 of the bill was in. Then the bill worked its way from side to side pusing the little tag that the penguin clung to. first to the right, the crowd was hushed, the anticipation soared, why words fail to do it justice. Then the bill pushed the tag to the left. The puny penguiny-thing shook in fear and then the life line was severed as the bill dislodged the tag from the window. The stuffed warrior fell into the abyss and into my possession. The whole of Beale St, No, The Whole of Memphis, erupted into jubilant celebration. Free rounds were given, the strippers charged half price, and the homeless found a warm pace of comfort for the night.

Victory was mine. I held the little hero high into the night, the smell of smoked meat drifted through the neon-filled street. I saw unity in the streets as we all saw, if just for a moment, what is right about the world, Gangstas and Rednecks rejoiced together, the Memphis police actually protected and served, and a child shed a single tear that was wiped away by the bbq stained handkerchief of her aged and wise grandfather.

I turned to Kelley, tears in her eyes, and said to her, "Tonight, here on this street, All is right with the world, and as long as this token, this spoil of victory resides in your hands, our unity will be blessed and prosperous, for this is the day that I have conquered the evil of the claw machine not just for personal benefit, but to destroy tyrrany and restore liberty to all the land"(some liberites may have been taken with what I actually said, but this is pretty close, i think).

The penguin remains in safe hands today, siitning on a candle on Kelleys desk. I have returned to Baton Rouge, But I have heard rumors that crime in memphis is down 0.0001% since that night. A testament to out victory and remnant of the night when, if just for a moment, all was right with the world.

And that is the story of Memphis in may BBQ Fest 2010

Once again, as I wrote this post while my class was takng a final and the bell is about to ring, I don't have time to go back and fix the grammar or spelling, Then again, it's my blog and i don't have to if i don't want to, MWAHAHAHA!

final week

This is the final week, finals week, of school and I am ready for a break.

I know that many of you non-teachers out there think that teachers are lucky to get 2 months off in the summer, and I'm sure there are some that think teachers should work year round, and I respect your opinion. BUT, I am extrememly thankful for the break. In my short career as a teacher I can say that without such a break, most teachers would burn out in no time and leave the proffession.

I would actually prefer to work year round, just not non -stop. I like the idea of six weeks on, 2 weeks off year round. i think it would be better for the teachers and much better for the kids. But, until that happens, thank goodness there is only one more week.

This is also the final week before the Memphis inMay Triathlon that I will be competing in on Sunday the 23rd. I have reassessed my abilities, training, and the course I will be racing on and have come to this conclusion: I WILL finish the race, but it's gonna take a while.

My training got off to a great start a few months ago, but the last 2 months it has been a little, how should I say it, suspect? Hit or Miss? not-quite-consistent?

The thing I should do the best at is the swim, which is the first leg of the race. This is also the area that I have been most consistent in my weekly workouts. BUT, this is an area that still concerns me as I have never had a good open water swim in a race. If it's not the weather and large waves it's me being sick and barely being able to breath, thus not being able to get into a swimming rhythm. Hopefully this will be the race where that changes. In fact, my sole goal for this race is to do well in the swim. I feel like i need that confidence boost before continuing my quest towards Ironman(someday).

The second leg of the race is the bike, which will be 25 miles through the rural areas north of memphis. As you may recall I live in South Louisiana. That makes me a flat-lander. Not that memphis has mountains, but the land is not flat. The course is full of rolling hills which are great for preventing getting into a riding rhythm.

However, I did go to Memphis this past weekend and road the hills on Peabody and Central Avenues both Saturday and Sunday. I feel like I know what the ride will be like. But, again, I will finish it, but it will take a while.

Then there is the run, 6 miles, and the run is the workout I have neglected the most. It will be interesting to see how my legs feel after the swim and the run. As they say, "slow but steady, still makes it to the buffet". Or something like that.

An added goodie is that my Dad and Step-Mom are coming in from Tulsa to cheer me on. And yes, I will use them as an excuse to eat more delicious BBQ than I should. I have to admit, I have a very supportive family, at all the races I have done there has always been someone there to cheer me on, be it my Mom, Tom, Brother, nieces, Dad, Janet, and the GC's(who got me a great CCC no parking sign), oh, and Uncle Brian and Aunt Wanda at the mamrathon. I'm a pretty lucky guy!

So the point of all this writing is to say that I have a big race coming up Sunday, what a great way to end the school year. I also have a summer job lined up, but I will tell you about that later this week. I will also try to include the good time I had at BBQ fest in Memphis this past week, I wanted to find a picture to go with that before I put up the post.

Have a great week and check back soon for the other stories.

BTW, as I am watching my class take their final I am feeling rushed for time(bells about to ring) so there is no grammar or spelling check on this post. Those of you who read this regularly are probaly thinking, "oh, I didn't think he ever used spell check". Very Funny!

yellow cake chocolate icing

yelow cake chocolate icing, I can't get you out of my head. I haven't had you in so long, too long. Oh how I miss you and long to taste your deliciousness again. Oh, yellow cake chocolate icing, I don't think I can make it with out you. But I will not give up, I will hold on until that day when we might once again be reunited. I know not when that day is, but when it comes I will be ready. I love you yellow cake chocolate icing, and I always will!

As I Lay Sleeping

As I lay in my bed trying to fall asleep tonight I suddenly felt wide awake. I laid, with my eyes closed, lights off, hoping it would pass. But it did not. I was drawn to modern music of long ago. I logged on to the Net and followed it to the music of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Tuba Fats Chosen Few Brass Band. I turned up the volume and closed the laptop. As I lay there, I saw in my head the history of New Orleans, From days of Bienville to tommorrow, it's all right there in the bass drum and the tuba. The song of the Frenchman looking for a home in the new world, fighting for his survival. The Song of the slave and the rhythms they carried with them from West Africa, The song of the brokenheated, whose love has gone astray. The song of immigrants who found a place to call home, even if it were way "back of town". And the song of those who are the "have's" and there classical stylings carried from the old world, and all it's charm.

All those things passed before my eyes, and were followed by visions of a city who has been ruined by fire and flood, and fire and flood, and fire and flood, whose residents, who's citizens, we children of New Orleans, through the worst of it all, stood tall, with aching backs and blistered hands, danced both day and night, though feet were sore and muscles ached, whose spirit would not be made tired by long days toil in heat and humidity. They found joy in the music, their music, music born of all nations and forged by time and situation into the rhythm of life in that careless town. A town that has never ceased to love, though has often been forgotten.

No! there is no music that you hear in your car or on your Ipod tonight were it not for the convergence of class, race, and cultures that collided these last 450 years in New Orleans. Trace it back. Trace it all back. The river flows south and carries waters from all over this land to new Orleans. It gives us fertile fields and soil to grow sugar cane as tall as 2 men. But what flows from New Orleans is the heart, and the soul, and the rhythm of a nation.

I sat with my eyes closed, in the dark, listening to the Brass Bands of today play the songs of days gone by. And I saw with my own closed eyes, the entire history of a city and it's people. And I heard the future in the songs of yesterday.

Happy Sadie de Mayo!

4 years ago today I was going shopping, to find a few new shirts as I recall. As I was walking up to the Slidell Ross, I noticed that the PetsMart next door was having a pet adoption day. So, I walked over just to look. I was living in a FEMA trailer at the time and had no intention of bringing home a pet that day. Then I saw the little yellow dog with the bowed legs. $90 later the Pearl River county SPCA said that I could take her home. The vet at petsmart said she had rickets and that proper nutrition and exercise should fix her legs. So, home we went to the FEMA trailer. I read the dog training book, especially the part about house training. For the next 2 weeks i took her outside every 2-3 hours(even in the middle of the night). She only wizzed in the trailer twice, and never number 2'd. She learned how to go up and down stairs and how to sit in no time. and she never slept on the bed, and never whined about it.

It is easily the best 90 bucks I have ever spent.

Today Sadie and I have been together 4 years, it seems like it was just yesterday, and it seems like we've always been together. 4 great years. She sleeps on my bed most of the time, but doesn't whine when I tell her to get on her dog bed. And her legs are fine, strong and healthy.

2 years ago we added Lily to the pack, they are best friends. I have learned alot from these 2, especially from Sadie. Sounds funny to say that you can learn stuff from a dog. But, let me share with you the biggest lesson I have learned from her.

Pure Joy! everyday when I come home from work I open the door and there she is, tail wagging, full of excitement, licker ready to go full speed. How nice is it to know that someone loves you that much? it is the best feeling in the world. How much nicer would it be for the person you love if you showed them that same amount of love and excitement to see them? After all, you see Sadie as just a dog, would you not appreciate that excitement even more if it came from a human, particularly the one you love? I think so.

As for me, I get great joy from that wagging tail!

Happy Sadie de Mayo to all of you and especially to Sadie. "Oh my goodnes, oh Beatrice, that's a good girl!"

Best Friends

It's been a while since I put up a good Sadie and Lily picture. Here's one from the past week. Wednesday is Cinco de Mayo, or Sadie de Mayo as it is called in our house. That's the day Sadie and I started our wolfpack 4 years ago. But I will tell you that story on Wednesday. As for today, the wolfpack and I are doing fine, andwe hope you are to.

In your dreams!!!

I wake up every morning remembering that I was dreaming. But I never remember what I dreamed about(or is it dreamt about? English teachers, please forgive me). But I do remember a dream I had a few nights ago. I was racing in a triathlon and found my self up with the leaders. I was thinking to myself(in my dream)"Wow! I can't believe I'm keeping up with these guys, I'm feeling great, I think I can win this".

At that point someone told me I was in third place and we were in the last stage, running. Now, I can't name a lot of the elite triathletes in the world, but, I can name some of the top runners. In my dream I passed Deena Kastor, who was in 1st place in the womens division and then I passed Ryan Hall to move into 2nd place.

At this point the race went into a building and just as I was about to make my move to take the lead we went into a stairwell and I apparently got off on the wrong floor. Hall passed me but I caught and passed him just before the finish line, which happened to be in the office of the Assesor of Cook County Illinois. That is where the Police and military caught up to Jake and Elwood in the movie The Blues Brothers.

I think I was pretty happy with 2nd place. I'm not sure who finished first. Probably Big bird or Evel Kneivel.

And I say all of that to say this- Happy Monday! What a long strange trip we have before us.

Landmarks pt.1

I think from time to time about places I have been and places I have lived and certain images stick out from each of those places.


I spent about 9 years of my life in Tuscaloosa, AL. and I love that town. Iam so proud to be a child of New Orleans and am so proud of that heritage but a big piece of my heart will always be on the banks of the Black Warrior River.



One image that pops into my mind when I think of Tuscaloosa is the Moon Winx Inn. Located in the "Alberta City" aka "the ABC" section of town it was once one of the nicest places to stay in town as it was on the main highway through town before the interstate was built. These days it is often the butt of pay by the hour jokes(no, i don't know if you can actually pay by the hour). But the sign is true Tuscaloosa landmark. At night the sign is lit in neon and animated as the neon at the eye switches back and forth to make it appear the the moon is winking.

and the restaurant no longer exists.

One thing I never understood is why you would need an air conditioned telephone. HMMM?

It makes me wonder

I haven't been posting much as I haven't felt like I've had much to say. In truth, I don't feel like I have much to say right now so I am just gonna ramble for a few minutes. I remember an English professor of mine once say that when you can't think of what to write just start writing and eventually it will lead somewhere, then go back and erase the first half and you'll be good to go(paraphrased).

I wonder sometimes who reads this stuff and would anyone want to read this stuff? I wonder sometimes why there are so many religions and denominations. All of the believers claim to pray about their faith and believe that God has revealed to them that their faith is the true faith. It seems to me that not everyone can be right on this matter. If there is Only one God, as they believe, then only one faith can be right, right? This makes organized, doctrinal based religion difficult for me. Now you know.

I wonder how people that do Ironman triathlons do it. First, I wonder how they finish those races, any one part of that race seems like it would be all a person can do(2 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, full marathon). Even more amazing to me is how these people find the time to do the training for this event. It requires multiple workouts everyday for months leading up to the race. In my opinion, being disciplined enough to get in all the workouts is a greater accomplishment than the race itself. Not to diminish the race, that's super freakin awesome too.

I wonder why dogs and cats don't get along.

I wonder if the things I say about students today are the same things that my teachers said about my generation. And did my parents teachers say the same thing about their generation? Today's students don't like to work, they seem to want everything handed to them. They want everything now. they have no patience or no work ethic. They don't understand the concept of original thought. NO! young student, just because YOU used YOUR computer it doesn't make them YOUR ideas. Plagiarism is still illegal, and you are now a criminal, Jack@$$.

I wonder if there will ever be a day when my butt doesn't hurt after a 20 mile bike ride.

I wonder if I have rambled enough.

I wonder if I should have put question marks behind all of the "i wonder" lines I have written.

I wonder if Sadie and Lily are sleeping on my bed right now or are plotting their escape from the back yard.
I wonder how you managed to stay awake long enough to make it through this entire post.

Have a great day!

State Championship

Yesterday I participated in the OxBow Triathlon, which was also the 2010 USAT Louisiana State Championship race. But no, I didn't win any championship. I just wanted to race with some really great triathletes.

I finished the race in 2 hours 14 minutes, 10 minutes faster than last year. When the morning started I thought I might be able to beat 2 hours, but the fact that I was sick this week destroyed that hope. 200 meters into the swimm I knew it was gonna be a long day. It's never good to be weezing when swimming. I have had some type of allergy related cold thing going on this week, and I just couldn't get any air in my lungs. Any deep breaths were answered by fits of coughing, which doesn't help create a steady pace when swimming. So, the swim took 10 minutes longer that planned.

Coming out of the water I was considering calling it a day. But, I hate to waste an entry fee and since my brother took time out of his busy schedule to go to the race I figured I would go as far as i could. So off on the bike I rode.

2 miles into the 18 mile ride I was passed by a 50 year old lady. I don't mind being passed by women or people older than me, I go in with a plan and stick to it. today however, the plan was scrapped shprtly into the swim. So, I decidied to try to keep up with this lady. She was hammering away at a decent pace(in my mind I started calling her "the hammer") and i knew that if I did the ride on my own I would lose momentum. I would follow herfor the next 14 miles. She set a great and steady pace, I got about 15 yards behind her and held on the best I could.

About 3 miles from the end of the bike I passed her and gave her some words of encouragement and praise. she returns later in the story.

I made a quick transition to the run and got on my way. still, there was no air in my lungs and my legs felt like sandbags. But, I knew I could bang out the 3 mile run, I kept telling myself that its just a lap around the neighborhood. A mile into the race "the Hammer" caught me. When ran together fo a few minutes and chatted, it was a nice diversion. Then she pulled ahead and I was proud of her for doing so. A lot of guys might be disappointed or take a shot to their pride when passed by an older woman. Me, I was proud of her. "The Hammer" Kept me going yesterday. Here's to the ladies!

As I approached the finish I thought about future training and races, the training I've already done, the events of the past week, and the beauty of the day. As I crossed the line I high-fived my brother and thought to myself, "today I am victorious, I stayed the course, fought the battle, and finished the race". Isn't that really the goal of it all? I can and will improve my fitness and finishing times. Most of all, I will never stop fighting the battle I love.

sonuva.......

My first triathlon of the year is Saturday morning, so it only makes sense that I feel like crap. I seem to have sometype of throat/head thing going on, but worst of all it just has me feeling tired. I can hardly talk, in fact, today became video day in the classroom and instead of speaking to my students when asking them to be quiet, I'm using post it notes. It makes it more personal and seems to be very effective. I think I will keep it in my teacher toolbox.

At this point I am wondering if I will feel up to doing the tri on Saturday. Luckily I have a few more days so hopefully it will pass. If not, then I will do as much as I can but will drop out if I feel like I'm over doing it. Better to live and fight another day than really mess myself up.

And.....my wetsuit came in yesterday, so I really want to compete Saturday. I'll keep you posted.

Me in a wetsuitSexy, I know!!!

Putting my money where my mouth is

Tonight I officially registered for the OxBow Triathlon in New Roads, La. on April 10th.

Yes, I did it last year. But, after the race last year I pretty much stopped working out for about 7 months. A few months ago I got back to it and tonight I ante'd up. One major difference this year is that I will be wearing the wetsuit this year. As you can see from the picture above I was one of the few who went natural. Last year was a warm winter so I figured the weather wouldn't be too bad, and it wasn't. The water was cold, but manageable.

This year however was a very cold winter, by Southern standards. And so, I am taking no chances, I will be in the wetsuit. But, as it is my first time i have decided to go sleeveless for the sole reason that I fear the awkwardness of the suit pulling my arm hair when i move. It may not be an issue, but mentally it is bothering me.


I have only worked out once in the past 7 days, which isn't good since I am running a 10K on Saturday. I have my work cut out for me.

I went camping this past weekend, had a great time, and though I am glad to be home with my girls that I missed so much, I feel awkward at home missing the girls that I left.

Mama Mia!

I was thinking about the post I wrote about my brother last week and I realized that i left on of my biggest heroes of the list.

My Mom.

Let me just say that she is awesome and that I love her. Thanks for being my mom!

Quadathlon-Swim, Bike, Run, MOW!

I have to admit that my training has been going pretty well. The swimming is great, the bike and I have greatly improved our friendship, and I finally remember what it feels like to run(as opposed to plod along). I know that I have lost at least 3 lbs and can definitely tell that my face is thinner(usually the 1st thing I notice when I lose or gain weight).

this is the time of year where the racing events start happening and i've got 3 planned in the next 2 months.

1.Crescent City Classic 10K in NOLA April 3
2.OxBow Triathlon (.5 Swim 18 bike 3.1 run) April 10
3. Memphis in May Triathlon (1mi swim, 25mi bike, 6.1 mi run) may 23

and though I have been working out 5-6 days a week, following my training schedule, I just don't feel prepared for any of them. True, they are still weeks away, but I feel overwhelmed by all of them. But, I am a big advocate of the famed "Baby Steps" teaching of Dr. Leo Marvin. So, I will just do the training and focus on one day at a time, one event at a time.

Sidebar: I did an hour and 20 minutes on the bike yesterday and can still feel all my bits and pieces, WOO-HOO!

One thing does have me a bit bothered. I decided a few weeks ago to make my yard look really nice this year. So, I cut it last week and put down some weed & feed. I've got some grass seeds that I will be putting down this week and have a full sclae plan to make my lawn the best lawn in my hood, yo!

BUT, as I was looking at my training schedule I realized that starting next week I lose my friday off days. That's right, I'll be working out 7 days a week. My yard isn't huge, but it is pretty big(front and back combined) and pushing the mower in the summer heat will wear anyone out. So, if I truly want to commit myself to both the pursuit of someday being an IronMan and having the best lawn in the hood, yo! I can only see one alternative: Riding Mower!!!!!!

Yet another problem arises: The Bank account. It doesn't seem to be agreeing with me on this issue. now, I have done the math and there are funds to cover it, but I have a certain number that I hate to see the account fall below. I call it my safety number. So, I say all that to say this, if you or someone you know has some quality used lawn mowing equipment that you would like to donate to a good home, and at a reasonable price, let me know. Perhaps I can help you make room in your garage or shed for that upgraded model you have had your eye on.

You can also feel free to make donations to SWARM (Scott Wants A Riding Mower)

And if not for me then do it for Sadie and Lily, those sweet babies need a soft lush and well manicured lawn to run and play on and they want their Daddy to have a riding mower so he will have energy left to play with them.


weekly workout stats
Run: 7.6 Mi (1:29:46)
Bike: 48.0 Mi (3:05:00)
Swim: 2.6 Mi/4500yds (1:46:28)

Thoughts on St. Patrick's Day

I read a lot of blogs and check my FaceBook account once a day. And so, In the past week I have seen and read a bunch of stories and seen a lot of pictures that are related to St. Patrick's day. Many of the pictures are quite humorous, like a coworker of mine who paint his entire body green and went to the local parade as the Incredible Hulk. Lot's of people, lots of parades, lots of green, but mostly, lots of beer, scantily clad women, and lots of sexual overtures masked in Irish national pride(the many of those involved are in fact, not Irish).

And it all got me to thinking, What would St. Patrick think about the way people celebrate his day?

Here's a brief background on St. Pat, thanks to our friend "the wicker pedier".

1. lived sometime between 330 and 430 AD. In Romanized Britain( thus he was British, not Irish).
2. was captured at age 16 in Britain and brought to Ireland as a slave. lived as a slave for 6 years.
3. escaped slavery and made his way back home to his family.
4. entered the church(catholic) and apparently rose up through the ranks.
5. Returned to Ireland as an ordained bishop
6. was an active missionary who refused to accept gifts from Irish royal families to prevent possibility of corruption and forced loyalty.
7. Focused on baptism of converts and bringing the wealthy into the church, even convincing many daughters from wealthy families to become nuns, which apparently wasn't an easy task back in the day because these women could be married off to other families to improve family status and connection.
8. Ordained Priests across Ireland

Now, from what I can see, it seems that Patrick is certainly worthy of recognition and his own day in the Catholic calendar. But, I don't think he is properly celebrated.

For starters, this guy was very intent on converting and baptism. He wanted people to be in the church. IN the church. But, how many people actually go to church on St. Patrick's day. I have no objection to a party, but if you want to honor someone make it an appropriate honor. Perhaps an AM trip to the local church, a few minutes of prayer and thanksgiving, something along those lines would be a nice thing to do.

Many non-catholics celebrate the day as well. For most, it seems to be a celebration of Irish pride. I am not Irish, as best as i know, and I am not Catholic, though most of my family is. And I do not celebrate st. Patrick's day. But If i were Irish, I don't think I would be too pleased with the way the day is celebrated from a nationalistic perspective. Say the words "St. Patrick's day" and see what the 1st thing the people around you say first. Green Beer, Irish car bomb, etc.

It just seems to me that if all I knew about the Irish was what I see in this day, I would assume that the Irish are all lazy drunkards, promiscuous, and lacking in common and public decency.

Of course that is not true.

And that is why i think people should at least consider what it is they are celebrating before they celebrate. Take a few minutes to remember who are what it is you are celebrating. do something appropriate to the day. St. Patrick was a missionary, maybe spread the word to at least one person. Irish persons have overcome a lot of adversity in their history, maybe read about or reenact a scene from there history. show pride in what you are celebrating, but be sure you know what it is you are celebrating.

I'm not making any judgements for or against anything, I'm just saying.

If you just need a reason to have a party and act silly and crazy, come to Mardi Gras(shameless plug to boost my local economy). But, on days like St. Patty's, I'm just saying, take a minute to pay an honest, sincere, and appropriate tribute before putting on your "Kiss Me, I'm Sh1t Faced" T-shirt.

And don't even get me started on Valentines Day!

Happy Birthday Sadie and Lily!!!!

That's right! today is birthday day. Sadie turns 4 today and Lily is now 2. Now, I don't know the exact days they were born but according to the vets and SPCA records, it would've been around this time. I picked today (the ides of march) because it's easy to remember. Of course I didn't bring Sadie home until Cinco de Mayo and Lily joined the pack the 1st week of June. But as far as birthdays go, today is the day. I gave them their presents last night. T-BONES!!!! Not the whole thing, just the bones with lots of meat and fat still on it. They were in puppy dog heaven.

Sadie, Ain't she cute?

Lily, worlds best foot warmer!

Weekly Workout Totals
Run- 8.2 mi (1:42:51)
Bike-24.5 mi (1:30:00)
Swim- 2.3mi /4000yds (1:41:50)
yardwork all day Saturday(should count for something, right?)

Hero, and I'm not talking sandwiches either!

I'm not exactly sure what brought it to mind, probably from reading someone else's blog. Yep, that's what it was, I just don't remember whose(did I use the word whose correctly?).

But as I was driving home yesterday I got to thinking about heroes. Both fictional and real. It seems to me that what draws us to heroes are there fatal flaws. But not just that they have them, that they overcome them. After all, isn't that what makes one a hero, the ability to persevere and overcome obstacles? I think so.

My personal heroes list is short:
Dad
Step-Dad
Grandfather
Jon Shoulders
Nolan Ryan
My Brother

I would explain Why each one of those people are on the list, but let me boil it down to this: each one of those men has shown me a different view of what it means to be a man and how to live a life worth living. Ech providing a different perspective that has helped shape me into the me you see today, for better or worse.

I will focus on one of my heroes today, My Brother.

He has been through alot and has overcome many obstacles. And now I remember where the whole thought about heroes camefrom, a post that my brother put on facebook yesterday that "I became a runner today, I actually enjoyed running".

You see, A few years ago most people thought he would not run again, or walk again, or use his brain again, or live at all. But he has. His colon ruptured, he went into septic shock and has organs began shutting down. except his heart, the Doctors said he has a strong heart. Hells yeah he does. in time, systems began to slowly start to function again and after a month he came out a coma(partially medically induced). Months in rehab hospitals and a major blow to his life and emotional, not to mention physical state, he came back home.

One of the happiest days of my life was when he was still in the ICU and we were talking to him and over him, concerned about his brain being fried due to high temps and he did some math calculations in his head, and npot easy ones either. I knew his mind was there, and the rest would follow. And so it has, a few months ago he started running, he completed a half-marathon, and has runin several 5/10k's as well and I have had the pleasure of doing a couple of training runs with him. What a priveledge to run with one of your heroes.

What an honor to run with the person you tried to run with all your life. I followed him to elementary school, followed him to the bus stop in Jr. High, followed him to high school and lived in his shadow through it all, but there was no place else I would rather have been. I even moved 3 states away to go to college where he was. He was my superman, I couldn' tbeat him at anything but could tell he was proud when ever I did well at anything.

And then I started running. Even completed a marathon, and there he was(with the rest of the support team, team pegasus) every few miles yelling encouragment and lifting my spirits to get me a few more miles up the road where he would be again yelling my name for all to here and yelling how he knew that I could, and would do it. What a treasure.

I didn't make him start running. In fact, i was suprised when he told me he started. He Runs, does spin class, hits the weights. He has come from the ICU and inches from losing his life to the point where he enjoys running, which was not one of his favorite childhood activities(I think he still has Atari calouses on his thumbs).

He is a runner, He is a hero, MY hero.

Training for triathlons is not easy and there are a lot of obstacles to overcome. Life is not easy and the obstacles are non-stop. But so are the strories of those who have conquered those obstacles. Steve has, and I will follow in his shadow, as I always have.

Weekly Totals
Swim- 4500 yds(2.6 miles)
Bike- 27 mi
Run- 8.8 mi

I should write stuff down

So, I am feeling like there were a buch of things that I wanted to tell you about, but I can't remember what they were.

Here are a couple pictures from a few weeks back

Sadie says: "You talkin' to me"?

Lily says: I is polar bear, hearz me roarz!

I had a pretty good weekend. Realizing I had a fridge full of stuff but nothing to eat I decided it was time to make groceries(for my yats). So, Saturday morning I got up and went to Wal-Mart. The secret to surviving the Wal-Marts is Headphones. It seems that rockin' out to the Neville brothers makes it a much more pleasant experience. I even went as far as to plan out my meals for the week And even considered how much i would need to make (of the various meals) to cover lunch at work(Hooray for leftovers).

Then I went home and Hopped on the bike for an hour. It seems that we are becoming friends after all. The beauty of the bike trainer is that you can watch tv/ movies while you ride. And NO, I am not embarassed to say that I watched the 1st half of Phantom of the Opera while riding. I will watch the second half today.

Saturday evening the roomie and I went out for mexican. El Rio Grande=Delicious. Though it was a little weird that there was a huge image of Jesus and a bull rider underthe lacquer of the table and below the picture was the Oracion del Janiete(or something close to that) which our waitress explained to us(though we figured it out before she told us)means the prayer of the bull rider, or something along those lines. Jesus apparently has very large, green, sad puppy dog eyes, Who knew. I hope its not a sin but I did put the chip bowl over his face, I couldn't take the pressure.

Sunday We(the roomie) went down to New Orleans to see his lady-friend run the Rock-n-Roll New orleans mardi gras 1/2 marathon. I wore my BAMA sweat shirt. I got many "roll tides"s, and "tiger bait"s. I had witty comebacks for everyone, and plenty of High-5's for the crimson nation.

The rest of the day Sunday was spent running errands, returning stuff that I bought in December but have been too lazy to deal with. Oh, and we cleaned all the crap out the fridge. Now there is actually space in there, and its organized, props to the roomie for even taking out and cleaning and adjusting the shelves for maximum storage space. I even took the dogs to the park on Sunday. So, it was busy weekend, but in a laid back way, no stress, no pressure. and I rode the bike.

This morning I made it to the Y at 5:30 AM for a swim, hopefully that's a sign that this will be a good and productive week. And Jesus, I am sorry about the chip bowl.

Weekly Workout Totals ( feb-22-28)
Swim-2750 yds(1.6 Mi) -1:13:42
Bike- 34.5 mi -2:15:00
Run- 3.2 mi -42:00 (Not real happy about this one)

"In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of ev'ry glove that layed him down
Or cut him till he cried out
In his anger and his shame
"I am leaving, I am leaving"
But the fighter still remains "

-"The Boxer", Simon and Garfunkel




"But the fighter still remains".

I like that.

Insert "Friends" theme song here

In recent weeks I have been in the early stages of training for an Olympic distance triathlon. Things have been progressing well. i am now starting the 4th week of 17 in training. Although I haven't noticed it myself I have gotten at least one comment that I look like i have lost some weight. in a separate incident, my Mother asked me if I was eating well while at breakfast this past weekend. I don't know if I was looking thinner or that I am single most of the time(you know what i mean, kelley). At any rate, I think i have lost a couple pounds. But, I still have a long way to go. Lbs don't matter to me, but they way i feel does. I feel a million times better after a couple weeks of exercise, but have a long way to go to finish the tri the way i really want to.

One problem I have encountered is with the bike. It seems that cycling and I are not best friends. I love running and have found that I love swimming just as much, maybe even more. But the bike and I remain arch enemies. Then the old saying crossed my mind, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer". I realized that the only way to become friends with someone(or something is to spend time together and really get to know one another. The bike has never done me wrong. Never broke my heart or stole my girlfriend. never left me stranded or drank the last of the milk and put the empty carton back in the fridge.

In fact, the bike has always been there for me. it got me to elementary school. Got me to the convenient store in Jr. High to play Gauntlet. In college it got me to school when my car broke down. The bike has been a dear, reliable old friend that I have dismissed. I am sorry old friend, please forgive me. In an attempt to repair our fractured relationship I even went out and bought a bike trainer so that I can ride my bike indoors and protect her from the dirt and grime from the city streets and we can ride in temperature controlled comfort and laugh the hours away as we watch reruns of the Rockford files, Hawaii five-0, and karate flicks.

Sadie inspecting the new setup, approval granted

I plan to focus a little more on the bike as we renew our relationship, and hopefully, with the assistance of my new friend, Mr. Padded shorts, we can ride of into the sunset and live Ironmanly ever after.

Weekly workout totals
Running- 6.2 Mi (1:16:21)
Cycling- 33.8 mi (2:15:00)
Swimming- 1.8 mi (1: 30:00)

lesson learned at 4:20 in the afternoon

sit here, and wait.
wait here, and sit.

clock ticks, hands move.
hands tick, clock moves.

look around, nothings changed.
nothings around, looks changed.

dream away, dream a way.
dream a way, dream away.

look, listen, feel, breathe.
time goes by, see it flee.

As it runs, moments escape.
there is change upon your face.

it was said that nothings changed.
but your hands are rearranged.

look around, the world is changed.
the thoughts in minds are not the same.

tick, tock, tick, tock.
tick tock, said the clock.

things remain, not the same.
not things, the same remains.

Weekly Workout Totals
Run- 8.5 miles (1:53:00)
Bike- 5 miles (20:00)
Swim- 2000yds(1.1miles)(54:44)

Out of water......Nobody!

The training schedule said I was supposed to swim in the morning and run in the afternoon. But Mother Nature keeps her own schedule, and yesterday it called for rain. So, when i woke up at 4:30am yesterday to a moderate rain coming down I thought, "it'll probably stop soon". Well, it stopped.....24 hours later.

But as I am the man, I got in my swim yesterday, in the rain, after work. To me it's not a big deal, I mean, I'm getting wet anyway. The problem is with the Y and the lifeguards. Now, I don't blame the lifeguards for not wanting to sit outside in the cold and rain while the 1 guy swims laps. But, I hate the inside pool. Its so stuffy in there, I just don't like it. Luckily, one of the lifeguards was more than happy to watch me swim outside. As he put it, "if I am outside watching you, the boss can't make me do all the other little crappy jobs she makes us do when th pool is closed. So please, swim for 2 hours till my shift is over".

It worked out great for both of us, but my swim only lasted about 45 minutes.
He seemed grateful.

Then i hit the treadmill for 30 minutes. Running is starting to feel good again. in 2 weeks it will probably feel normal again. Trying to build a base is definitely the hardest part. But evn after just a couple weeks I am feeling stronger. I even made it through most of spin class without taking a break on tuesday. Getting stronger everyday, feel good to me.

Motivation technique of the day: asking myself the question, "what is Drew Brees doing right now"? Who Dat!!!!

The Weekend and the Week to Come

Overall, Not a bad weekend. My Step-Brother and his girlfriend were in New Orleans Saturday. So, I met up with my parents and we headed to the quarter to take them to lunch. However, the girlfriend seemed to have caught the flu. So, she remained in the hotel room. The rest of us headed to Palace Cafe, Delicious. Then a little hanging out at cafe begneit on Royal street for donuts and coffee. Good times, laid back. Oh, I forgot to mention that I met my brother at the LSU lakes to run in the artic chill. We did 4 miles.

Sunday was also good. Woke up at 7, which for me is sleeping in(as I usually get up at 5-5:30. took the dogs for a walk around the hood. I ate breakfast twice. 8am I had a bowl of cereal, 9:45 i had a bagel with egg, cheese, and turkey(something new I'm trying. Then I took the dogs to the dog park. It's funny, they are super excited to go and are really excited when we get there, but the last several times we've gone Sadie has wanted to leave after 15 minutes. She comes to me, makes a whining noise and then goes to the gate. It happened a few weeks ago for the first time. I figured there was something outside the gate she was smelling so I put on her leash(and Lily's) and led them out. Sadie pulled me straight to the jeep and put her paws up on the back bumper. That's how i knew she wanted to go and wasn't just smelling something.

We've been back several times since and the same pattern occurs. they run around for a few minutes then she whines and heads for the gate. Strange huh?

This week I begin my 17 week triathlon training plan. I'm off to a bad start. I was supposed to get up and go swimming this morning. That didn't happen. But, my bag is packed so I will be doing that after work. Then I'll be riding 15 miles on the bike when i get home. Sounds like fun right?

For those of you who remember my marathon training you may recall how i followed my training schedule like it was holy scripture. Well, that's the plan again. Hopefully I can get my $h1+ together this week. If i can suck it up in week one and get it done I will have no problem the next 16 weeks. For me, the hard part is just getting started.

Well, i feel like a am rambling so I'll sign off now. I hope you all have a good week. I'll catch you on the flip-side!!!

Scott