Goodbye Brandon

Today is one of those hard days to deal with. I have had very few occasions where someone's death has been close enough that is has truly affected me. The last time this happened was when my friend, Josh Dingler, died serving his country in Iraq (another reason we should not run from Iraq like Obama thinks we should). I remember trying to drive home after I got the call and having to pull off to the side of the road.

Yesterday, Brandon Craig passed 2+ years after an auto accident that should have killed him back then. Brandon was not a close friend and I barely even knew him. But, he was my sister-in-laws brother so that makes it personal. Steph is one of my running buddies as is her sister Stacey. I will be thinking and praying for you guys.

Kenny, Kenny, Kenny

I go to a "mobile church". This is not a denomination like Baptist, Methodist, or PCA. Instead it means that we unload our church stuff from a truck each Sunday morning and pack it back in the truck at the end of the day. Kenny is our truck. Kenny decided to call in sick this past Sunday. I knew it was bad when I pulled up at 7:00 and they were unloading stuff from car trunks and any other vehicle that could be used. Despite Kenny church went smoothly and we were able to complete setup and be ready on-time for the 9:30 service.

I have to say though that I get the priviledge to work with some awesome people over at Freedom Church. Even with Kenny not showing up for the first time since the church started, everyone pulled together and got the job done. Even better... I did not hear a single complaint all day even though tear down took about an hour longer than normal. Great job everyone!!

Home -> Indiana -> Home -> Las Vegas -> Home

It's been a whirlwind couple of days to say the least. Last Friday I left for a visit to the in-laws in Indiana and at 9:30 last night I returned from Las Vegas. Both trips went well and much was accomplished. Sunday after church I leave for Pensacola where I will spend a week helping my parents with their daycare center. That give me 2 days to catch up before being gone again.

For those keeping up... the meeting I did not have in Las Vegas went well. That's all I have (and can) say about that!!

The hotel had a nice fitness center so I got to run while out there. I did 4.2 miles on Monday in 35 minutes and 4.6 miles on Tuesday in 40 minutes. I also hit 25:34 for the first 3.1 miles (5k) on Monday.

Whoa Scary

So, I am in Las Vegas meeting with people that I cannot name concerning a project that I can't talk about. In fact, forget I am in Vegas at all since I can't talk about it.

This is my fourth trip to Vegas this year and the town never gets any less... let's say... "interesting". It is midnight here as I type this and I have just returned to my hotel. For this trip I am not staying at my usual hotel because this one was closer to the people that I wasn't here to meet with. Anyway, I came in a different door than I usually do and got a little turned around trying to pick my way through the casino to the hotel rooms. As I rounded the corner I must've looked a little lost because off to my left I heard, "Where ya headed honey?" I turned my head and nearly screamed in fright at the "lady of the night" standing by a slot machine. She was at least 6 feet tall, 95 pounds, and probably older than my mom. I was so startled that the only clever comment I could muster was, "This way" and walked off. I guess I can mark #9,999,999 off my bucket list now -- be solicited in a surprise attack by a random hooker!!

P.S. That was not really on my bucket list in case there was any doubt.

World of Goo

The other day I stumbled across a new game and downloaded the demo. It is called World of Goo and was written by 2 guys with a new game studio called 2D Boy. I am addicted. If you enjoyed games like: Lemmings, Worms, or Marble Blast then you will like World of Goo. I suggest that you download and try the game for yourself. Right now it is available for the PC but a Linux and Mac version are in beta testing according to their website.

I love these kinds of stories because in a world where major game studios are spending 10s of millions of dollars on new games there is still room for the little guy with a great idea. GO LITTLE GUYS!!

3rd Time's a Charm

Me and the aforementioned crazy father-in-law decided to work on putting the tongue-and-groove cedar siding up on the walls going down to the basement. We got one wall done and for non-professional carpenters I am fairly impressed. Of course there were several times when we had to measure twice and cut three (or more) times to work around light fixtures and the stairs. By the end though we were flying through it and getting it right most of the time. It was great at the end to stand back and admire the work. You probably had to be here to really appreciate it though.

Ran 4.0 miles tonight in 36:24 which is right at the 9:00 mile that I have been running. It was fun to run here in Indiana where you see 2 cars, 1 house, 2 falling down barns, 3 abandoned tractors, and 15 dogs all in a 4 mile run. Plus, you get to hear the animals scurry as you come running by.

Ahhhhhhhh Vacation Day!

Hang on a second... had to check my email real quick! As previously noted I am in Indiana visiting the in-laws. The drive up here was as horrible as I expected it to be. At least the kids slept for the second half of the trip. While I still think my father-in-law is crazy for taking on the task of building his own log cabin (no, he did not chop down all the trees for it) I have to say that it looks great so far. There is still a ton of work to do but it is livable and way better than some hotels that I have paid to stay in before. It'll be awesome once it is totally complete.

Went for 3.0 mile run today in 26:45. It still felt like my feet were made of concrete like earlier in the week. I am not sure what is causing that but I am guessing I just need to slog through this phase. If you have stumbled across this blog and have some advice in this area I'd be glad to here it.