We interrupt your scheduled program...

I have a normal schedule but every once in a while something comes along that changes it. Sometimes it is an advantageous change and sometimes it just plain sucks but either way...

It messes me up.

Take today for instance, I went to work 3 and a half hours later than usual to work the closing shift at the library and my day has not felt right at all. I am doing almost all of my normal Tuesday stuff on Monday and it just makes me feel unsettled and weird. Has that ever happened to you? This whole week is going to be different than normal so, if you see me and I seem a little... off, well you know why.

In the words of Tigger, "TTFN - ta ta for now"

Everyday beauty

Everyday I see stuff that I think is just cool. Sometimes it's an awesome sunrise or sunset, other times it can just be something as plain as frozen ice in my water bottle as you can see.

Elephant & Piggie

There is a series of easy reader books by author Mo Willems called "Elephant & Piggie". The elephant's name is Gerald and the piggie's name is... well,  Piggie.

I have reader hundreds of books to kids and none have gotten bigger laughs than Can I Play Too? in the Elephant & Piggie Series. When the snake character keeps getting bonked by balls the kids were laughing like I never have had in a story time. It was great! Besides the crowd response my son Jamie who is 6 loves the books and reads them over and over again.

I enthusiastically recommend the Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems for kids, and I think they are great too.

Exercise Envy

There is a lot that people envy: wealth, good looks, jobs, and usually stuff. I have noticed that the envy that I suffer from is exercise envy.

I know someone of you are thinking, Huh? What? How? Why?

My definition is when you envy someone's athletic ability, exercise activities, or an event that they are competing in.

First, I don't have the amount of time that I'd like to have to run, bike, swim, cross fit, weight lift, etc. This is either do to work, family, exhaustion, and church. Facebook really is part of the problem, I see friends who have the time and energy to do running, swimming, aerobic training, etc. all in one day or just more miles running than me. They post their activity, they show pictures, they are maniacs of fitness, and I love them so I'm jealous.

Second, when I go off to run or workout I say I'm going to do more than I have been doing but instead I get tired or discouraged and don't do it. Then sort of shrug and say, "Well, I tried", but obviously not hard enough.

In part I feel like I don't have the ability I did when I ran a marathon or did my first triathlon, but I know what I need to do. Pick an event, pick a plan, and start making time for it. Envy is a bad thing, we should be content and thankful, but if it helps you focus and do better maybe it's the kick in the butt you need. (Sounds like I'm talking to myself again, could be worse I could be carrying on a whole conversation with myself. What that's what I'm doing right now... d'oh)

Lollipop of the Absurd

For everyone there is a commercial that just drives them nuts. For me it is a Tobacco Free Florida commercial that says that tobacco companies make candy flavored tobacco to try and entice children to... use tobacco? I say use because THEY CAN'T BUY IT!

So stupid! Kids can not legally buy tobacco and it is absurd to say that they make a product for a consumer group that can not buy their product. I worked for a tobacco manufacturer and we never discussed children or even young adults. ADULTS EAT CANDY! Adults have money, like sweets, like certain flavors, and it is for adults that these products are made. Basically the anti-tobacco people want manufacturers to make their product as unappealing as possible. That's not their job, it is to sell a legal product and make it appealing to buy. Certain flavors, colors, and packaging helps sell the product.

It is an unhealthy product that can cause cancer and they have to post warnings all over their packages that say that. You can honestly say that they sell a poisonous and dangerous product but it is disingenuous to say that they are designing a product to be sold to kids. Get your message out without LIES. The facts are on your side, you make your case ridiculous by reverting to stupid and unnecessary distortions.

What Not to Wear

I have noticed with dismay that people seem to feel wearing PJ pants or running shorts / tops proper attire.

Most mornings I take my son to school and see at least 1 - 3 women wearing PJ pants. Please have some self-respect and put on proper clothes when you leave the house. You just seem lazy.


In the evening I work at Barnes & Noble and not a single shift has gone by when I don't see someone wearing running shorts and/or athletic attire. Really? You couldn't spare a minute to change afterward or are you trying broadcast your athleticism (not necessary). Again it seems lazy, and in this case a little gross, are you all sweaty and nasty because in that case go home and shower for all of us. You may look good and look good in it but it is designed for a specific activity not as "casual wear", in my opinion.

I'm not saying that everyone wear blazers and ties but in general people need to class it up a little and pay better attention to their wardrobe. You don't have to dress to impress all the time but dress like other people have to look at you and be around you and you understand that.

By the way, did some Google searching, there are others that agree with me and have pointed this out. Stop the lazy attire!

Just figured out 3 things:
1. Put in running shorts in Google image search - get weird results
2. Celebrities wearing running apparel in public are partially to blame for this trend.
3. I may be wrong on the running clothing thing, but it's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

Uhh... I forget

So, I keep telling myself that I need to write more on my blog and do it regularly but because it's not high on my priority list it hasn't gotten done.

So, for now, some random thoughts:

my blog posts are too long they need to be shorter

I hate when people litter, saw a dude throw some trash the other day and it bothered me for an hour (I would have taken it myself but I was running)

People CAN NOT drive, they are horrible at it

I'd love to work more hours at my part-time job but I keep getting offered extra shifts I can't work, uggh

I am on day 12 of 90 days of trying to run at least 1 mile everyday

I love when you can see the sun rise or sunset and the sun isn't so bright that it hurts to look at it

I wish I could find more time to ride my bicycle

Thanks for reading -- I'm done for now