Top of the World by Patty Griffin

Just because I love this song. So it may play a bit out of synch. So what, who cares?

Goodbye Jill Clayburgh

This is from Running with Scissors and features Jill Clayburgh as Agnes, the semi-sane wife of Brian Cox, who plays the shrink. Jill just died yesterday of leukemia at age 66. She was battling the disease for 21 years.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #262

No, this is your 10 o'clock.  The leprechaun is at 10:30. 

This is my submission for the the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #262.  Let me know if you come up with a caption too! 

Signs from the Rally for Sanity and/or Fear

We Attend Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

Shane and I went to the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear yesterday on the National Mall.  It was quite the well-attended event.  It was VERY crowded.  Of course, it probably didn't help in our quest to get a good view that we started out after the event already began.  We walked down from our house and squeezed our way into the crowd.

I have to say that I was not that impressed with the entire thing.  I realize it was staged by a comedy show and their primary intention was to entertain, but it seems to me they wasted an opportunity to do something much more meaningful.  There were an amazing amount of people that I think were expecting something more.

I have to say that I did get goosebumps when Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam) began singing Peace Train, but then they turned it into a silly bit.  They had Cat Stevens!!!! and they wasted him.  When they introduced him, I thought someone was going to come out dressed as Cat Stevens, but I was amazed it was really him.  They didn't even let him finish his song.  Unforgivable.  

The rest of the show was not very memorable.  Perhaps I'm having memory loss from inhaling large amounts of pot smoke that was around us.  It was fun seeing all the young people,  many who were dressed up for Halloween.  There were lots of older people... even older than us, that braved the crowds. Another bummer was that my camera died... I took the shots below with my iPhone.

This was our view.  We could see the Jumbo-Tron a bit.

At least the weather was nice.

Why are we here?

This guy said he pitied the fool that didn't restore the sanity.

But we did find Waldo. 

My Army 10 Miler Results

I ran the Army 10 Miler today to mixed results.  I actually ran it faster than I did 2 years ago, but I didn't run as fast as I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler earlier this year.  I ran the Cherry Blossom in 79 minutes, 35 seconds, but ran the Army 10 Miler today in just under 82 minutes (81:57).  My pace was 8 minutes and 11 seconds, while my pace was under 8 minutes at the Cherry Blossom.

I knew I wasn't going to do as well today.  I haven't been running longer distances, and just didn't feel great today.  It was warm out there today too for the end of October.  I needed my blue sponge.  However, I did a bit better than I thought I would.  I ran it as hard as I could.

My division results were pretty good though, considering I'm at the high end of my division -- I'm 49 and the division is for 45-49 year olds.  I came in 411th out of 1609 finishers.  Overall, I came in 4,216 our of 21,636 finishers.

Gun / Net Overall Sex Div  6.5Mi Split   Net Time   Pace   1:26:11  /  1:21:57    4216 /21636   3416/12040   411/1609   0:54:29   1:21:57   8:11

Virtual Run from DC to Punta Gorda, FL

"A" is my start, "B" is my current position, and "C" is the goal.

It has been many months since I updated my virtual run from DC to our house in Punta Gorda, FL.  It all began as a New Year's resolution before we even owned the house in Punta Gorda.  I'm still running, but time is running short.  I went through a streak of 25 days in a row running at least 3 miles a day and also have gone days in a row not running.  Now, I have to buckle down if I'm going to make my goal. 

The good news is that I have crossed the border into Florida!  The bad news is that there are still 265 miles to run to get to Punta Gorda.  I ran the Army 10-Miler today and as of today, I have run 738 miles since January 1, 2010.  My goal for the year is 1,003.  With 68 days left in the year, that means I have to run just an average of just under 4 miles a day, everyday, or about 28 milies a week to meet my goal.  I have got to quit pussyfooting around and run to make my goal, and I intend to do just that. 

I'm in the part of Florida (virtually) that is famous for its speed traps... Starke, Waldo, and Lawtey.  These are secondary roads that provide a shortcut between I-95 and I-75, which is the highway that crosses the west side of the state.  Be careful if you are driving in this neck of the woods, as you will get a ticket for the slightest offense. 

Maude Is Not That Into Halloween

I really hate that I'm one of those cat people that dresses up his pet, but apparently I am. Sorry Maude. Don't get me wrong... she loves the treats, and she got lots of them as I tried to get this shot.

Halloween Preview: Guess Who Is the Cowgirl

Our Last Day at the Beach

We have to head home tomorrow.

More Zoo Pics 2

More Zoo Pics

They had a very cool exhibit where you can pet and feed the sting rays.

Lowery Park Zoo in Tampa

Since we had to come to pick Shane up at the airport, my sister and I
decided to come to the zoo to hang out today.

Romantic Punta Gorda Sunset

From the romantic sunset cruise with my sister.

Going On a Romantic Sunset Cruise

With my SISTER!!!

At Least I Rememered My Swim Trunks

I thought I left our beach chairs and umbrella in the back of the
car. I was so sure that I didn't even check before we left. Luckily,
we made the best of finding the back of the car empty. I am spending
the week here in Florida with my sis. Shane is on travel and is
meeting us on Thursday.

Another Beautiful Sunset In Florida

Sent from Mark's iPhone.
www.runningwithbluesponge.com

Where in the World Is Shane?

Shane is traveling on business and these are the views outside his hotel window.  Do you know where he is?

Shane Sort of Won an iPad

Shane joined an association at work not knowing there was a recruitment contest going on.  He was notified this week that he won a $550 gift card to the Apple store that can be used to buy an iPad.  So, today, we went to the Apple store and bought one.  It's the version with both wi-fi and 3G and 32 Gigs, so we had to kick in a little extra money, but we're not complaining.  We also bought a cover and a cord to allow us to connect it to the TV, so we can watch movies and iTunes downloads when in Florida (where we don't have cable).  In this photo, Shane is listening to singers from around the world on the Glee app.  We've also downloaded Kindle and synched my Kindle books I already purchased.

Lady Gaga Does Speechless Live

My niece, Kelly, sent this too me. I'm hip to the Gaga! Shane is impressed she can play an instrument.