The Blarg

We’re a week or so into summer, and we’ve been staying busy.

• Finished God of War 2 after finishing the first a few months back. I can now play God of War 3! Very cool (and bloody and mature) games.
• To go along with the gaming, I bought a new TV for our bedroom. Idea is I need something to entertain me while I scan family photos. Picked up a 42″ Samsung plasma for only $500…but I’m returning it for a slightly more expensive Panasonic. The Samsung makes a high-pitched buzzing sound, and it’s super annoying.
• Work on our bathroom started today, so we’ve been busy picking out a bathtub, tile, vanity, etc. We remodeled the other bathroom last year, and really hadn’t ever used it. Starting today we have to, and it’s super nice. Feels like I’m in a hotel!
• Yesterday I did 2.25 miles on the local High School’s track. It was a nice surface, but hot! I’m excited by my progress too. After my last setback, I started short at .5 miles, and I’ve been slowly adding to it. Not only is it my longest run barefoot…but my longest run ever. I also did my fastest one mile time the other day. I’m feeling pretty confident in saying that landing forefoot/midfoot can be just as good as heelstrike.
• Bought L4D2 for $11, so I can finally play with those of you that have it. Though the first time I played for any length of time, it made me motion sick. Perhaps I was sitting too close, haha.

That’s about it so far. Going to Lucille’s today for my bday. Thanks for all the birthday wishes.

So in a few weeks we’re heading up to Big Sur for some family camping! Stacie and I have only been once since we’ve been married, and this will be our first time with Luke, so it should be interesting!

Only real purchase we’re making is a bigger tent. I have a 4 person Kelty that I love (Trail Dome 4), but it’s barely a 2-person tent in reality (55 sq. ft). With having Luke, we definitely need something bigger. There are a lot of options up to about 100 sq. ft, but anything bigger and your options shrink dramatically. I ended up getting the exact same tent, just bigger (Trail Dome 6). It’s 100 sq. ft, so it’s basically twice as big, but also 15″ taller! Woo hoo! It’s a super simple two pole design (aluminum), and has nice ventilation without the fly (yet still private).

We put together a menu the other night at my sister’s. Need to get Luke his own little camping chair, and double check the propane, lantern mantles, etc. We’re doing three nights total, and after that we’re staying in San Luis Obispo on the way home!

Like I said in a previous post, the last time I pushed myself to 1.5 miles “barefoot,” I had to take a two week break to recover. After my half-mile run the other day, I did a one mile run two days ago, and today I pushed to almost 1.5 miles. I feel pretty good right now, so I don’t think there will be a two week break like last time. Woo hoo!

My favorite part is that I feel like I’m putting my body in better shape. Right now I’m held back by getting my feet/ankles/calves in shape, but aerobically I could probably do 5 miles. When I first started out back in February, I could barely do a half-mile without huffing and puffing. Being able to do 1.5 miles and I’m barely breathing hard is very cool.

Doing a marathon would be really cool. Right now I just want to push myself and do as much as I can, but why not a marathon? Bad joints in the family or not, I might as well set the bar high and go for it. It might take a year or more to get there, but I can dream big.

It’s hard to believe, but I just finished year five of my teaching career. I feel blessed to have a career at all, and even more so to say that I enjoy it more every year.

Summer should have just the right amount of things to do. Remodeling our bathroom starting in a week. Camping in July, and Vegas in August. In between all that I plan on scanning family photos, and hanging with the boy.

Here are some photos from my newly updated room.

No better way to start a blog post than with a PUN, don’t you think?

Went for my first run today in about 2 weeks. A couple weeks back I pushed myself to 1.5 miles barefoot (longest ever), and my feet weren’t ready for it!

I’m finding out that getting into barefoot running is going to be a sloooow process. After my very first run, my calves were super tight for like 4 days before I could even think about running. Then my next couple runs I spaced out by a few days, and I didn’t have any major setbacks. But then two weeks ago I did 1.5 miles, and I paid for it.

For the last two weeks my feet specifically have been recovering. First it was the tops of my feet. Those muscles (the few that are in there) were not happy with me. But even when they started to feel better, my ankles were hurting. I told myself I wasn’t going to do any running until they felt strong enough.

So today I forced myself to stop at .5 miles, because I did not want a repeat of the last run. I’ll probably be a little sore tomorrow, but it’s a good feeling. I’d rather my feet take months to get used to running this way, than to develop knee and hip pain from traditional running shoes.

I have no idea how long it will take before I can really push myself, but that’s what this blog is for…to chronicle that progress. Here’s hoping for a quick turn around so I can run again soon!

Quite late in the game. Nothing has me all riled up, so I haven’t been paying a ton of attention. I’m looking at Tom McClintock and Jon and Ken’s voter guides, and they agree on all the props.

As for the big ones, Governor and Senate, I’m not super excited about anyone. Poizner and Whitman have both run pretty crappy campaigns. In most respects, I think Whitman is fairly liberal, but the idea of her being successful in business has me semi-hopeful she can help out the state. Poizner seems semi-better, but lots of it seems like primary shuffling just to look more conservative than Whitman. Meh. Whitman has a better chance of beating Brown, so I might give her the nod just for that. Social issues continue to be a far less important part of California’s problems, so I’m thinking of going with the businesswoman.

For the Senate, it sounds like Devore might be more up my alley, but Fiorinia is winning by a TON, so vote for whoever you want, but it probably won’t matter. haha.

Have fun!

At my first Dodgers game of the season. Looking for Kershaw to bring home a win.

It amazes me how quick people have been to blame Israel for the entire confrontation over the weekend. Here’s some info you might not have seen or heard to balance out the Israel haters:

Some info about the people that funded the “peaceful activists.”

Some great pictures from the IDF on what they found on the boat. Gas masks? Metal poles? Sling shots? I thought they were peaceful activists who only wanted to deliver goods to Gaza?

Or the more likely scenario is that they WANTED to run the blockade, and force the IDF to board them. And they got what they wanted. People that hate Israel have even more reason now. Those evil brutes…protecting their homeland from the constant terrorist attacks they live through every day.

If I was Israel, I would have done the same thing. When people in Gaza are trying to attack me on a daily basis, I’m not letting any ship in there until I truly know what’s on board.

But the big question is, if they were ONLY interested in delivering supplies, why are they busy ATTACKING soldiers as they repel down? Why not simply let them on board, and comply with the IDF procedures?

So much for being tired of arguing.

Update

Here’s another good video showing the innocent peace activists preparing to be boarded. Don’t seem very interested in peace, do they?