Idiocracy

Certainly, there isn't a bigger fool on planet Earth this morning than yours truly. Long story short, I ran my mouth last night in the Taco Bell drive thru because I thought the gentleman in front of us kept his eye on Erica too long (which he didn't)... so in return, I got whipped by the aforementioned sir and his buddy in the car... leaving Erica and her friend to do their best to retrieve the idiot that was me from their repeated punches.

Words can hardly explain how embarrassed and abysmal I feel about a completely avoidable circumstance. And while I would prefer to cower in a corner and practice up on my self-hate for a month, I think this method may give me the opportunity to really see just how stupid this little trick was. Thank God nothing happened to Erica and her friend. To put them into that situation was deplorable. Even if I were a fighter (and I'm not), there wasn't much of a chance for me seeing myself out of that situation. It's one thing for me to run my mouth and get my ass handed to me in a deserving manner, but to rely on a couple of women that might combine to tip the scales at 200 lbs is out of control. Completely and without argument, the dumbest stunt I've ever pulled. And just weeks before I turn 30! This is so white trash. I wish I could apologize to the guys that did the ass kicking. I would like to apologize to Erica and her friend until I'm blue in the face, but what's done is done. Now it comes down to making sure anything like this never ever happens again.

Holiday

The Envoi crew celebrated the holidays last night in downtown Cincinnati. We started with happy hour at Palomino's and then had dinner at ViaVite across the street. Nothing crazy, other than driving home late last night. It had been a long day and the skyline of Columbus couldn't appear out of the black soon enough. It didn't take long for me to find the backside of my eyelids once I did get to bed. I took this shot in the parking lot behind our building as I was heading out. I want to take it again, sans cars, and maybe with the help of a tripod. I've always liked the row of houses along Woodward Street.

But I was up and at 'em early... kind of. I ended up taking Tuesday and Wednesday off because of the ice and the party, so I wanted to get out this morning and see how things were with the equipment... and I'm happy to say that the 5+ mile run was virtually pain-free. And I felt like I could've gone farther, but I held back. I'm definitely not going to get ahead of myself on this one. But this is good news compared to where I was a week ago. I'm debating on a month-to-month gym membership for the use of the treadmill. I wouldn't normally go to such lengths, but I had some run-ins last year with old man winter and he's a bitch. I even took a nasty spill on an ice-covered manhole. Cost and availability will be driving factors, of course.

Pajama Party Pt.2

Over the hills and through the woods... you know the rest of it. But that was Saturday, so let me take a step back. I got to watch Lauren Friday night. Erica and I got a pizza and anticipated the group from Cincinnati. They were coming up for a friend's holiday party and so after A TON of phone calls to cancel my plans for the evening, I was able to hang out with my niece for the night and the following morning... which was a blast. She's getting big and fast and mumbly. She talks to herself but not really... or maybe I just can't understand it yet. She's also on the verge of walking so the girl's need to move knows no limits. But we're at least still in the stage where repetition is your ally. I wore out my F12 key as Lauren tried to figure out just how things were zooming in and out of nowhere. The magnetic power cord was another fan favorite. Apple... for babies too.

And lo and behold, wouldn't you know it... Ryan and Leslie were planning a trip to Englewood as well. So we all met once again at my grandma's house later in the day. My Uncle Chuck also came up to retrieve the prayer cards that had been reprinted from last week's 90th birthday party. And then I had the honor of taking my grandma to Skyline at 48 and 70 for an inaugural cheese coney. She also topped it off with a 3-way and cleaned her plate. How proud I was.

After calling it a night in Englewood, I headed north on 48 en route to Piqua. BIG NEWS in P-town. Sixteen city workers got an early Christmas present this year with the winning Mega Millions lottery ticket worth $207MM. That's roughly $9MM apiece. Not bad. You just never think that it would ever happen to folks you know. Hmm... $9MM. I wonder if that would buy me a new IT Band? After a week off, and some compression band advice from my brother, I took off for what I hoped would be three easy miles Saturday. I got through a mile of it, maybe... before the pain set in and I was reduced to a hobbling mess. So the following day, I headed to the local running store to purchase a different compression band. This time, it kind of worked. I was able to run four... kind of. So armed with all kinds of newfound confidence, I set out Monday morning, in hopes of topping Sunday's feat. It didn't start so well, but an adjustment a half mile in saw me through the next four, including a sizable hill, so I was again, hopeful. I'm taking Tuesday off in hopes that the rest will help in the recovery department. In the meantime, stretching, ice and strengthening every day. Finally, a little hope. But, to keep things in perspective, I am fortunate enough to have been able to run in the first place. Many would kill to be able just to walk.

Famiglia

Another weekend... another reason to travel. My great uncle turned 90 on the 5th. Father Angelo Caserta. And no, I'm not Sicilian. My dad's mom died when he was ten... or thereabouts... and my grandpa remarried Rose Caserta, one of 13, I think. But it's the only family I've ever known on that side, so they might as well be biological. Out of the 13, two became priests... Angelo and Charlie.

I did the prayer cards for the service. One side was dedicated to his ordination and the other to his birthday. The printing came back f'd up, so there'll be 2000 more coming shortly. Oh well. I was also supposed to take the pictures for the mass and the party afterwards. The mass wasn't so bad, although I really should know my equipment better than this by now... and I really spent the majority of the party taking pictures of my most immediate family.

In the end, none of them really turned out all that great, but I never claimed to be a professional photographer, so no one can complain. Erica and I lit the Christmas tree Sunday night... so we took some time to drink a little wine and listen to some music. I do like this time of year when there's the opportunity to sit down and enjoy it.

Awful news on the running front, however. It appears as though I've been stricken with IT Band Syndrome which is fairly common and unfortunate. After a mile or so, it literally feels like someone is jamming an ice pick into the outside of your knee with every step. I still don't really know what to expect from this and should make a doctor's appointment sooner rather than later. This just sucks sucks sucks. I was running well and enjoying being out there. I'm going to take a week off and start up next week on slow, flat, soft surfaces. Again, trails would help if there were any around here.

Anniversaries

48 months ago, Erica and I started dating. Wow... it sounds like a shorter time period if you say the months rather than the years. Where has the time gone though? It's hard to think back on all that has happened since then. I was 25 when I started dating her. Hell, she was 23! Yikes.

Another year and nine months and we can celebrate another anniversary. Here's to 4(0) more.

Giving Thanks

Well, the United States took part in a little Turkey Day celebration over the long weekend. I wonder how many turkeys have been killed in the name of giving thanks? Could this be like a modern-day sacrifice... ehh... to ourselves? Either way, our families did their part to celebrate as well. The annual Turkey Bowl was punctuated with an engagement. My cousin, Andy, took advantage of having everyone in one spot and popped the question. She, of course, said yes, and then told everyone that he had told her of his plans the previous night after a few too many beers. Oh well, at least I was surprised. The rest of the day was spent at 500 Adams Street, eating turkey and trying to find 15 minutes of quiet so I could steal a nap. Nothing doing.

That night we made our way to Cincinnati. Got up early for a slow, slow run and stayed the hell away from Black Friday. We should be ashamed of ourselves. A man is trampled to death because of $400 flat screen TVs? A woman run over in the parking lot due to the mad dash? We need a T.O. from Christmas or some kind of wake-up call. It's not right that our greed has become this insatiable.

We went out that night in Cheviot to celebrate Abbi's birthday. Always a good time with that group. Got to sleep in Saturday and got ready for the Weiss Thanksgiving dinner. Watched football intermittently throughout the day and into the night. Stayed up way too late playing yahtzee and finally found our beds around 2 a.m..

Then it was off to Columbus town, but not before a house-warming party in Northern Kentucky and we swung by Bradley's to pick up my single most important piece of running equipment in the winter... my blue Nike wind-negating space jacket. It's a gem. I had left it there over the Farles Bachelor Party Weekend Bonanza. I had gotten up early that Saturday for a run and was told to hit the trails in French Park. I'm glad I did... and not so glad... all at the same time. It upsets me that there isn't a damn thing like that in Columbus. You want trails? Run in your backyard. It's awful. That alone would be reason to go back, because it's not just French Park that offers you trail running in the city.

But alas, Thanksgiving is over. An unintended 13.25 this morning in some pretty windy conditions. And the legs were still a little sore from that friggin' football game... but I was just so glad to get my jacket back, I had to keep going.