Thunderbolt

We had a rather large earthquake yesterday. the scariest part was being away from Julie and the kids while it happened. But everyone is okay and there was not damage to our house.

I've kind of slacked off on the first thought of the day. For Yesterday, my first thought actually was, "Man, I'm glad the Dodgers picked up Casey Blake." My first thought today was , "Damn, The Dark Knight was phenomenal." First the Dodgers. The Indians traded blue collar workhorse Casey Blake to the Dodgers on Saturday. As luck would have it, Sophie and I were going to the Dodgers game that night. Sophie is a HUGE Casey Blake fan, having rooted for him during the Indians playoff run last fall. She was bummed that he wasn't going to be on the Indians anymore, but excited that we'd get to see him play that night. Mr. Blake was 2-3 with a double and a run scored. Not bad for a guy who walked off an airplane, got fitted for a uniform and played his first game on his new team all within a three hour span. Casey should also be happy to learn that he has a fan club up in Saugus. The next morning, when his picture appeared in the Times, Jake saw...

Last night I went for an incredibly awesome run at 10:00 PM. I overslept my 5 AM wakeup and was pissed throughout the day until deciding to makeup for the missed morning marathon and exercise at night. It was the best decision I've made in a while. With my legs awake an loose from a full day of activity, I had no problem getting right into a groove. I found a great pace and was able to maintain it for most of the run. Additionally, I ran a longer distance than I have in some time. Without the pressure of getting home in time to see the kids off to school and get ready for work, I was able to relax and push myself a little bit. I hope that I will be able to continue running at night up until the half marathon in November. Granted, it was dark out and there were a few nerve racking moments running through underpasses, but I certainly enjoyed myself a lot more than I have in ages.

A decent run this morning considering I haven't been out jogging for almost 3 weeks. The new knee support was great, I love the iPod, and my back didn't bother me one bit. I completed 30 good minutes (a little plodding, but consistent) until the burdens of my mind began to press down on me and I lost the will to continue. Some personal things over the weekend are taxing me right now, personal things I don't care to discuss on thunderbolt. Still, I'm glad I made it out today. It would have been far too easy to sleep in and put off the running for another day.

Well, here it is, the weekend is half over and I'm still up hoping to catch some Indians highlights and really considering the purchase of the Perfect Pushups. Did you know you can get BIG ARMS, a BIG CHEST and RIPPED ABS! There's no wasted effort, just perfect pushups. Designed by a Navy Seal, no kidding, yeah, and only two payments for 20 bucks. That's not too funny, though. I vividly recall a night when I was up with Jake, it was around 2 in the morning, and I was feeling pretty low about myself. Next thing you know I was ordering a series of Yoga VHS tapes. I'll give you three guesses how often I used those tapes. Actually, there is one tape that I pull out on occasion. I've used that one tape some ten times in five years. The other four sit in a box collecting dust. We were supposed to go to the beach today but Jake woke up with a 102 degree fever. He fought it all day and now, at about 11:30, it appears to have broken. We spent the day indoors, vent...

My first thought carries over from yesterday. I'm surprised that I'm not sweating bullets and worrying that people don't like King's Highway , especially with two awful reviews on Netflix ("worst movie ever" was one of them). Am I so far removed from the movie after it being so many years that the criticism can easily roll off my back? Have I matured enough to take any one person's opinion with a grain salt (I mean, come on, "worst" movie? Have they seen Navy S.E.A.L.S or The Forgotten ?)? Or do I just not give a shit because I know that the acting really is good and the editing by Vill is outstanding? Maybe I'm blinded because I've lived with it so long. Still, I've had people I REALLY respect commend me on the movie, people who would not hesitate to tell me if the movie really was crap. People are entitled to their opinion. At least they watched the movie, right (except the one reviewer who was afraid they wouldn't get t...

I hope the basement song entry I wrote today isn't shit. I feel like I had something to say with this one, but I also feel like I wasn't as full speed. My mind and body still feel like their in a daze, slowly coming back from vacation. Each night, coming in from work, I'm wiped. Why is that?

Tired. I just can't get going in the morning. The heat at night and the fan blowing on me as I sleep seems to suck my energy out of my body. I remember always feeling this tired during the summers of my youth. I thought I would outgrow this type of exhaustion, this feeling of being wiped out. My whole being seems to need a detox. No coffee. No Coke. No high fructose corn syrup. Maybe then I won't go through sugar and caffeine crashes. Maybe then I won't feel so tired.

My family is home and my soul actually feels better.

My whole body hurts. Not sure I'm going to doing much running of any kind, let alone a marathon, any time soon.

Last week I had the great pleasure of spending the afternoon with Matt's brother, Elliott. Our last visit together had been... uh, not so great. But on a Sunday afternoon in North Olmsted, we hung out in his mom's living room, watching old SNL videos, playing the Wii and sharing a few beers. There were moments during those couple of hours when he lit up talking about music and music theory. Man, the guy should be teaching music. He could inspire so many kids to rethink how they play guitar. I know he made me rethink music. I started listening to Stevie Ray Vaughan again after watching a live performance of Stevie play "Riviera Paradise." "Listen to the way he makes his guitar cry. It's the end of the story he's telling with the strings." All of these years I hadn't heard this song in quite the way E. described it to me. It was awesome. I spoke to him on Friday to tell him how much I enjoyed our visit. I realized that night that The Ban...

Glad my family is coming home tomorrow.

It's late, or early, depending on your frame of mind. I've just returned from an evening out with my neighbor, Kevin, and I'm listening to the new Coldplay album. Kevin is a writer and an actor, and just recently, a producer. I really enjoy going out with him for drinks, usually to this crummy place called The Greens. It's called The Greens because there is a putt putt course. In the past, when I've been to this place, there have hardly been any putt putters. Tonight, they were out in full force. At one point, I got hit in the back with an errand golf ball. Apparently some putt putter was swinging a little too hard. I really do love this Coldplay album, Viva La Vida..., I think the band has achieved an new level of greatness. They set out to make an ALBUM, and not a collection of singles. It works. Sure, you can hear their influences throughout the record, but who cares. There are some wonderful emtions here, real power. One song stands out above them a...

It's my fourth day with the family in Ohio and I'm functioning like a human being again. I've become a little more motivated as my initial depression over being alone has subsided. Having done a bunch of errands yesterday really set me back in the right frame of mind. Still, it only take entering Jake's room for my shoes or looking and one of the hundreds of drawing Sophie has done to feel a pang of sadness. It sucks when they're away.

Nice. The Indians traded C.C. (I'm sorry, CC) Sabathia and they decide to start hitting the damn ball again. Not that they're going to turn the season around (although, wouldn't that be a great story), but it is fun to see them wallop a team positioned well in the standings like the Rays.

It's sometime after 8. Of course you know that. Took a Tylenol PM last night. Need to see a chiropractor this morning. My first thought of the day is this: If I never hear another damn cat meow I will be a very happy man.

Perspective. That's what any vacation I take gives me once I've returned home and slip back into the grind. Julie and the kids are still in Ohio but I'm back in Saugus, trying to get myself mentally equipped for the work day. Having returned late Tuesday night, yesterday was a daze, made more so by the fact that my office is moving. Thus, on top of getting caught up to speed, I had to pack up my crap for the big move that begins this afternoon. Woke up this morning and just couldn't get going. I started to make a list of things that I have to do JUST to get out the frickin door and I had a chilling thought: Is this what I would be like if I was not married with children? Would I be this lethargic every morning? I envisioned a house littered with post-its, telling how my life was supposed to go. I don't do well when my family is away, especially after vacation. After spending a week and a half bonding with them, getting reacquainted, so to speak, I'm in a...