No Crab Peaple. Still Hillary.

I think for me, it is Obama.
Candy!Candy! Candy!

Barakillary, Brocoli

I am exited about the debate this evening. I am still completely undecided.
I will most likely vote democrat unless Woody Harrelson runs as an independent.
This is the first debate since early January I will be able to see. I don't have cable and the sports bars wont turn up the volume. So because it takes place 5 miles from my door, it will be on free TV. Yeah free TV!

I want to like one of these two candidates.
Right now I look at Obama and see this perfect Orwellian android barking out one word sound bites. "Change", "Hope", "Candy".

I am worried he will rip off his costume and crab people will emerge.

Hillary is like an ex girl friend. Once in a while you look at her and you think of how fond you were of her back in '92. Then she does something that reminds you of the vengeful angry breakup. It scares you. You wonder why you agreed to have lunch.

I will let you know what I think after the debate.

Long Distance runner, what you standing there for?

We were 1:20 minutes into our first long run on the Rite aid 26.2 schedule. Nichole is training for the full, and I am following her training plan with the intension of running the 1/2 marathon in late may. This worked well for me last year. But at this moment we were at a stand still. We were face to face with the biggest dog of the pack.

I first saw her silhouetted against the sky standing in a line of trees. We crossed over the road and continued until she came charging from the top of the hill. We stopped and turned to her and held our ground.

I have written about the pack in the past. Usually they harass me on my bike for encroaching on their territory. I don't blame them. People are scary animals.
Last week the pack was featured in a local paper for their brazen attitudes and elusiveness. The story talked about the city's inability to catch the dogs. The dogs are fearful of us unless we fear them. So we took our chances and stood her down. The theory worked. We continued our run. I railed on about how cool it was that this family of dogs was returning to a life free from human dependence.

Nichole asked,"Do we really need wild packs of dogs running around the city?".

I thought it a good question and realized the new wild dog population might be a little dangerous. I didn't suggest it again.

We finished the run of 12 miles in two hours. It is nice to get back to long runs. I really love the feeling. I also enjoyed the soy cocoa and pad Thai after we were finished.

This morning we had a swim workout that was tough. During the final set my arms were burning. I wondered if I was not on pace with my fellow CTC swimmers. I finished and listened to every one else reflecting on how hard the work out was. I felt better.

Training is moving along at a steady pace.

One last dog note: I am considering renting a house on the west side with Zac and Nichole. It is across the street from a very good natural foods market with a vegan deli. It is also a quarter mile from the Rocky River metro park. The house has a yard. Zac has Max(the chocolate lab) and some one should be around often. I am considering adopting a dog if this happens.

I am contagous.

I have been tagged by TriguyJT.
John, thank you....Just what I always wanted.

The rules are as follows:
# Link to the person who tagged you
# Post the rules on your blog.
# Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
# Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
# Leave a comment on their blogs so that they know they have been tagged.

1. I was a boy scout. I missed Eagle Scout by one merit badge. I dropped out after a fight I started between two Boy Scout troops. It was ugly. This was the last time I raised my fists.

2. My first job was at an Audio/Video store. I was twelve. It was across the Street from where I live now (Old Big Fun). My freind Jeno and I got referred by a man named Tom who was drinking coffee in Tommy's restaurant. I worked for Tom as a landscaper over five years starting at 25. I now live above Tommy's.

3. My favorite person who is my age is my sister Susie. I also am fond of her daughter and her daughters cousin and her cousins mom and her moms brother and her brothers parents. That is a group of many ages.

4. I think I am becoming a good swimmer.

5. I am a huge Baseball nerd. I am the guy that sits at the corner of the bar (I don't have cable) and watches baseball without blinking. I am the guy that can be in a heated conversation while knowing the pitch count. I absorb stats and think I would be a good play by play guy. I very often hear the announcers echoing me. Play by play was my dads first radio gig. He did it for Army football games. It Kept him out of Korea.

6. As a kid my hero's were Brian Sipe and Keith Richards. They weren't always pretty but man, they had soul. These guys were magicians. They had a swagger and a relaxed confidence that I admired.

7. I value objectivity. My dad gave me this. It has helped me toward the goal of not raising my fists.

Ok, I am gonna pick on the vegans, IMKY crowd and One CTC member.

So,
Veg, Crystal, Krissi, Craig, Spokan Al Steve,Vegan Heart Doc
You have all been tagged.

Living as a monk

"I am not motivated by financial reward to do well" was my first thought.

We have all been surrounded by thoughts and discussions on the future president. This question finds it's way into every part of our life. Our tri-club forum has been entertaining one through the weekend and it has continued through this hour.

The questions before us are so important. I think we all know this. We all have so much at stake. The future is so uncertain.

I have been grouped with the left in this discussion. I have been told I believe certain ideals because I felt a specific way about a different issue.

Mostly I have been cast as somebody that has his hand out and is unwilling to work. I am an advocate of slack! I want to teach Americans to sit on their couch and eat corndogs. I want us to collect welfare checks and make the rich bleed every cent until I am satisfied things are even.

In a response to a rant I said"wealth and poverty have little to do with hard work".
This was not received very well by some of my right wing friends.
My point was that hard work is no promise of wealth. great finanial wealth only finds a few of us. In the US it finds many of us while many US workers still live in poverty. In many third world nations a great majority live in poverty despite their greatest efforts.
On the reverse of course we have those that work the least and enjoy the most. I could take a shot at GW here but instead I will stick with the Paris Hilton example.

This was misinterpreted as me saying that hard work lacked importance. Somebody made a statement declaring that money was what motivated people to work hard.

I felt sad at this thought. I thought to myself, I do what I do well because I want to do everything well. I want to swim, bike, run, sing, strum, eat, live, and be well.

I want to be the person I want us all to be. I work hard because my coworkers are counting on me. I work hard because I am involved in the act of doing.

If I needed money to work hard, I would not be an Ironman. I know of nobody in triathlon who is in it for the money. Yet we all work hard for the sport. As a musician, I may get lucky one day. Someone may buy a song, and I will be able to invest a bit. But that is not what makes me sing.

It is hard for me to imagine Sister Madonna Buder or Chrissie Wellington not being hard workers despite not earning lots of dough. Sometimes I think we have completely lost touch with what is important in this world. I worry that the hardest workers are often overlooked and taken for granted. If we fail to make lots of money for our efforts, does it mean we did not do our best? Does it mean that our work lacks importance?

I guess I try to live as a monk. I live simply. I do my chores and earn my keep. I train and practice. I contemplate. I write. I am not getting rich this way, but I am proud of my work.
I know I have put forth my best.

Chili Bowl- Beans are good for your Heart!

Today was all about heart. Two days past valentines, but today I was searching for my heart. The 5k is all about heart. Seems like a good spot to start.
First race of the season and time for a gut check. For Ironman, what you have inside your heart plays a huge roll not only in your race, but in your ability to maintain the training for 9 months.

My goal today was to push my effort and reach deep. I wanted to see what was in my heart.

Tracie picked me up at 8 and we headed downtown to Tower City. The sun was shining and the wind was light, but the mercury was at 19 degree's. Todays challenge would be the cold air.
Once we arrived, we met up with a bunch of CTC folks, hit registration, and "took care of business".

We headed out to the start, I warmed up a little, found my spot and the starting bell sounded.
I moved myself through the crowd. I focused on picking off other runners one by one. I did this and never had a moment of weakness that lasted for more then a few seconds. My hands were very cold at the first mile , but that soon passed. The veterans bridge was a tough task, but manageable. As I came up the final hill to the finish, I dug in, shouted encouragement to another CTC runner and we crossed the finish at 24:03. Not bad. We shook hands and I staggered about till I regained my senses.

After turning in my chip, I headed back to the finish to see the others finish. We all ate chili, clapped for the winners and headed home.

One race in the books for 2008. I am Happy with the effort and result.

My persistent butt pain was of little thought. Since I adjusted my bike cleats, the pain has been lessening. This has been a great event lately.

After Tracie dropped me back off on Coventry, I had some coffee and got ready to ride through Kona. 90 minute trainer ride while watching the Ironman World Championship.
As I watched the parade of age groupers finish, I was getting really pumped up. I watched the smiles and joy as athletes danced down the finish chute. I began to really crave the Louisville finish. Then came the moment Mia Richter rolled over the finish.

Mia is sometimes known in these blog circles as Veg*Triathlete's hard core trainer. She rolled over the finish in tribute to John Blais. John is an Ironman and died from ALS (Lou Gherigs disease) last year.
As I took this scene in, I broke into tears. Not the kind of tears this production normally produces. These tears were deep felt. I was having an emotional breakdown while pounding away on my trainer.
My thoughts immediately raced to my friend Jack. Jack works for ATT and was a long time roadie for the Allman Brothers Band. He was the first person Zac and I would serve every day for the past few years. We are very fond of Jack.
A few months ago Jack began to change habits. He quit smoking and drinking coffee. He stopped getting pastry and quickly began to loose weight. A LOT of weight. The last time I spoke with him he could barely speak.

A couple of weeks ago he checked himself into the hospital. He needed to figure out what was wrong with him.
Last Saurday He married his long time girl friend Lori.
Tuesday we were told he had been diagnosed with ALS.

This scene with Mia touched off my personal feelings about Jack and his illness. I finished my workout emotionally stripped and exhausted. My biggest concern is for Jacks suffering, but I also just felt said about the prospect of loosing a friend.

Something changed for me during this workout. The goal of finishing and taking the time to savor the finish became a goal of savoring the entire process. The Challenge of overcoming any and all adversity became my focus and drive. I found my heart. Two days after valentines day and 4 hrs past the 5k designed to uncover my lost passion, I found it.

I headed back out for more coffee. I ran into Brendon(My neighbor who is training for Lake Placid). I was so fired up about Ironman. We talked nonstopwithoutbreathingfortwohoursabout Ironman. I became hungry and tired so I went to the market and then home.

During dinner I watched a hockey movie. In a final scene, announcer Al Michaels say's during the USA's win over the heavily favored Soviet team 28 years ago this week,

"Do you believe in miracle's? YES!"

I say, The miracle is now. LIVE IT!
For Johnny Blais, rolling over the finish at Kona was how he wanted to live it.
For Jack, marrying his love is how he chooses to live it.
For me I must live it with all the same passion. Now is all I have. It is all I will ever have.
I won't let a moment slip by. I want to savor every bit of it.
With all my heart.

BTW- the photo is of Mickey Hart of the grateful Dead. Today was all about Hart.

Primary Madness

First up, let me clarify my political leanings. I am not as liberal as you may think. Obviously I am not very conservative. I consider myself a political progressive. Rather than to continue with the nonsensical seesaw of our bipartisan political system I believe we must all look deep within for new solutions. The current political parties are so tied to retaining power, that they have lost touch with what they supposedly stand for.

Early in the primary race I had declared myself middle of the road(Middle of Coventry Rd.). I stood somewhere between Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul. Their loyalty to the constitution was what set them apart. The primary roll of the president is to uphold the Constitution. I feel our current "decider" has lost sight of this responsibility.

February 12th is of course the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. So in his honor I would like to make public my hopes for the Republican presidential ticket for 2008.

I would like to see John McCain nominated, and Bob Dole to be his running mate.

Why?
Because It would be hysterical. it would be like watching Jack Lemon and Walter Mathau. These guys wouldn't take any guff! I think they might actually get down to business. At least when they weren't arguing over toast, or napping.

Some of you might look at these two mature men and think, "will they live for four more years.?"
I did think this one through.
Enter, Madam President Pelosi.

A Low Key Birthday

I have to say the weekend offered plenty of celebration. I spent time talking to so many folks. So many took some time out of their life to shoot me a message or a phone call. The events I attended included friends old and new. the best contact I had was from my niece Sarah calling from Chicago to tell me that when you turn 40, you become "The Man". She is 8. My sister Susie and I laughed.

The gig last night.
First off, I have to say thanks to Zac and Nichole for picking me up in the middle of a good lake Erie snow storm. John the drummer got sick while dealing with a breakdown on I480 Saturday night after another gig. We made a late decision to have me go solo. With the weather being so bad, we figured it was not worth letting him grow more ill. So he stayed back to rest.

As we made our way through blinding snow, I got a call informing me we were starting early. I was first on. So I arrived, got set up, relaxed for a minute and started the show after being given a kind intro. The crowd was sparse but mighty.
The performance was a magical one for me. I felt I was able to become my songs. Everything clicked. My voice was strong, my guitar danced with me. the crowd fed me so much good energy. The whole thing felt amazing.
The green room included a vegan spread. Having played early I was free to relax and party all night with my music friends. By 12:30 I was home.

This morning we/Cleveland woke to a bit more snow. I stood at the bus stop and watched police cars slide all over the road. The bus rolled forward unfazed by the extreme weather.

Following work, I responded to many messages and eventually went to the Winking Lizard for a beer, cheese less pizza and a win for the CAVS.
As I watched basketball, I sat with an old friend from my Telarc days. The place of my college internship was celebrating Grammy success today with their 55th award. Once again I am reminded of the amazingly talented people I have come to know over the past 40 years. Congrats to all of my mentors.
Telarc won for a tribute to Coltrane's "A Love Supreme". But I will leave you with a little thing Louis Armstrong made famous.

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' "How do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you"

I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world

40

It is a new age group. I'm a New Age guy. As a folksinger I should be hitting my stride.

The show went well. I am listening to my personal recording of it right now. It sounds very good. I will most likely make it down loadable.

It occurred to me while watching my friends Mifune play, I have so many talented friends. The CTC party last night also brought this into focus. Thank you all for the opportunity to know you.

Any how, About that sleep thing, good Night.

Busy busy busy.

This week has been a busy one. I have been meeting new people and seeing many friends. Tonight was the CTC winter party. I had a good time, I was feeling very social. I really enjoyed having a chance to chat with most of you. I was a little bummed after I left that I didn't get to talk to a few of you. The Jameson started pouring, so it was probably best to remove me from the situation. I get a little wild with my whiskey.
Training has suffered a little this week due to the lack of available time , but not to much. I have been working at balancing my tasks. Music, work, triathlon, social/family and nutition have received proper attention this week. Sleep has not. I am running a bit low on the REM opportunities. This can not continue. I must sleep properly in order to maintain balance with the rest of my life. Training demands sleep.
One thing I have to address in regards to sleep is coffee. Not an easy task. This morning I over read the 2 JT's discussing their struggles with coffee. I am weak in this area. I love coffee.

Last year I cut intake to 12 oz per day. My life was transformed. My training improved. my focus was unlike I had ever remembered it. It's funny. I always wonder how people are able to stay so focused. My mind is some times like that of a squirrel. It is all over the place. Now feed a squirrel 64 oz of coffee a day. The results are insane. I also loose sleep.......speaking of sleep, that's what I must do now.

Tonight is the Beachland Show. Hope to see some of you.
Be well,

2nd half notes

• TP Rocks.
• Coke (High Frutose corn syrup) may cause baldness. Between Stewie, Charlie Brown, James Carville and the toupee wearing Bill Frist, we can only asume that Underdog sheds alot.
• Uh oh, perfection is being challenged....Clock management.......
• Chad Johnson. This modern day Icky Woods, does more to disrespect the memory of Paul Brown then does Mike Brown and Art Modell.....No Modell is worse than Ocho Cinco
• Unbelievable play by Manning and Tyree....Wow!
• What do NEOhio natives Paul Brown and Don Shula have that Belichick does not? Perfection.
• The triple crown can't happen.
• Congrats Archie.
• I think Bill was smiling during the Chris Myers interview post game...That is the way he smiles, is it not?
• Returneth the curse?
• Sorry Veg.
  

Super bowl 1st half notes

Running is better than the pregame show. I chose to run.

• I like: Hank the horse. I am training, how could I not be inspired. I need a dalmatian.
• The drug dealer telling parents to take care of their stash. It is about time somebody addresses America's drug problem on this level. Pharmaceuticals are dangerous!
  
• I like Justin Timberlake much more since he met Andy Sandberg.
• The Pats have waisted opportunities....That Stuff comes back to haunt you.
• The Giants D is playing tough, I wouldn't be surprised to see Brady knocked out.
• '48 Browns. '72 Fish. '08 Pats?
  

One more thought from the mind of Ironyman: If the Patriots win, the victory parade will occur during an election come Super Tuesday. If Red Sox fan skips an election for a parade, patriotism looses.

Well anyhow, Go Giants! Beat Bill. And then go tell Yankee Fan that you Play in New Jersey.

I seem to have misplaced my left shoe

I jumped off my bike and began my transition. Tights, t shirt, jacket, hat, shoe......? Hmmm? where is my left shoe. Let me tell ya, bricks work best when you prepare your transition ahead of time. finally I found the missing Minzuno beneath my swim bag. It is so important to take care of these things.

As a triathlete and a musician, misplacing or forgetting anything can be the difference between success and failure. Goggles, patch cables, tubes and strings. These things are so important. They may seem like small items, but when I need them, their value is huge.

Well, once I had my shoe tied and my gloves pull on, I headed out for the run portion of my groundhog day brick. Everything was covered in an icy glaze which caused me to consider bagging the run. I stuck with it however because it was the best my legs have felt in a week. In my Mp3 player I had dialed in Nick Drake. Between the music of choice and the frosty lite fog, I was feeling quite detached. Fortunately the ice forced me to pay careful attention to every step. At one point I slid about 6 feet down a hill. The focus required for the run kept my mind from slipping to deeply into the detachment I was feeling. This is one reason I love running so much. This is one reason I love guitar. I am able to focus on the moment.

Training through the winter is really hard on me. I am sure we all start to live out our own "Groundhog Day" As the trainer rides, treadmills/snow storm runs, and tough commutes to the pool all begin to run together. The training is easy, but getting started takes so much personal coaxing. I never trained consistently during Capricorn and Aquarius until I began IM training. Needless to say my mood is often blue.
Inspiration is sometimes hiding beneath my swim bag. Some times I come home and flop in my chair. I check my email and surf. After a long day I am tired and I just want a break. I want to train, but I just can't pull my self up to do the work. Trying to find the motivation feels as hopeless as finding my running shoe. I search and search. Eventually I lift my swim bag and there it is. My shoe. My inspiration. I pull on my glass slipper and the magic begins. I am transformed from slouch to runner. I press play and hit the street. I run and feel my body moving forward. I feel the change taking form. As Groundhog Day seems to repeat itself day after day, I am getting stronger and stronger. I can begin to visualize myself becoming an Ironman once again. I can imagine facing the big training yet to come with a solid base and strong conviction formed as I willed myself to train when I wasn't always into it.

Sometimes things get misplaced. Sometimes we can't find the things we need. The things that will get us from February 2nd to Ironman seem to be no where. We dig and comb, searching for for the missing ingredient. It is funny where you find things. Picking up my swim bag revealed my running shoe. It also revealed my dream and determination to achieve my dream.