New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #309

What do you mean you don't find me stimulating?

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #309.  Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too.

Not 4 Running--Alanis Morissette "Not As We"

Sometimes I post music I listen to while I'm running.  This is not one of those songs.  This is an amazing song though.  Alanis Morissette is a genius in my humble opinion.  Give it a try.  This is a few years old, but it takes me a while.  We found this listening to Pandora Radio app on the iPhone.  Sorry for the ad.

I'm Dreaming of a White Halloween?

We drove up to my Mom's for the weekend. She lives in Maryland near the Pennsylvania line. It rained the whole way up, but when we got close it was mixing with snow. She had a white roof and the grass was covered. I don't ever remember a snow storm this early in the year.

Philadelphia Marathon Training--Runner's Nipple

Today I did my second long run of 20 miles.  That is the longest distance I have to run in training, but I ran it 2 weeks ago and again today.  It was actually a little easier today.  The first time I ran/walked the last couple miles.  Today, although I had a terrible night's sleep, I only stopped when I had to cross the street and at the very end when I had to go up Capitol Hill.  I actually think I may be able to do this.

After my run, when I took off my shirt, I noticed my right nipple was bleeding.  I believe it is the first time any type of liquid has been emitted from my nipple.  When I got into the shower, the pain of the water hitting my bloody nipple was horrible.  The only other time I felt such pain was when I had a kidney stone and when I severely cut my pinky when I was a kid.  I screamed.  It hurt like hell.  The picture to the right is not me, but I feel his pain.

My First Video from My New iPhone 4S

I got my new iPhone today and I took this video in bed with Maude as I was playing with it.

Biggest Loser Week #6--One Lousy Pound

This is week #6 of the Biggest Loser competition at work. Ten of us are competing to lose the most weight for a 1st prize of $140, 2nd prize of $40, and 3rd prize of $20. My photoshopped results are above.

My total weight loss since my first weigh-in on September 21 (with a starting weight of 189 lbs.) is 10.5 pounds. This week I lost one lousy pound.

Things could be worse considering I went to two dinner parties over the weekend.  I have to say I drank a large amount of wine at both.  I did run 14 miles on Saturday, but it is a wonder I didn't gain weight with all the junk I've been eating.  I have to do better with the intake. 

Philadelphia Marathon: New Hotel Due to Bedbugs

I booked the Club Quarters in Philly to stay at during the marathon in November.  We have stayed at the CQ near Wall Street in New York and liked it very much.  However, my boss told me about this Web site called Bedbugs Registry that tells you about reports of the varmits at hotels across the country. 

So, I looked up Club Quarters and found two reports:

Anonymous on 09/09/2011

Day after I came home, itchy red welts appeared all over my body. I have never encountered this before but inspection and comparison to other's indicated that these are bedbug bites. September 7-8 2011. I have stayed here before but will not again. Horrible.

---

Anonymous on 05/08/2011

April 26th and 27th. I came back to my room on the second day and was locked out. It turns out that they had found bedbugs in my room. They moved me, and said they had all of my clothes and bags checked. Several days later I broke out in welts, presumably from the bites received several days previously.

If I know Shane (and I do), he would kill me if I knowingly stayed at a place with bedbugs.  He has sent me articles about people burning down their houses to get rid of them.  He might be one of them.  I knew I had to rebook.  Now we're staying at the Embassy Suites in Center City Philly.  It was a tad more expensive, but it is much closer to the race start and finish, and they don't have reports of bedbugs.  Can't wait!

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #308

He calls it the "wheel" and I call it delicious!

 

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #308.  Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too

Top 10 Closed Broadway Show I Wish I Had Seen

10. Annie (Coming back to Broadway in 2012)

9. Hello Dolly--with Carol

8. Xanadu

7. Little Shop of Horrors

6. The Normal Heart

 5.  A Chorus Line

4. Grey Gardens

3. Oklahoma

2. Funny Girl--with Barbra.

1. Carrie

Running With Blue Sponge War Wound

I did my long run today.  I was supposed to do 12 miles, but ended up doing 14. About 4 miles into the run, as I was running past the Kennedy Center along the river, I tripped on some uneven pavement and fell. Some young ladies running in the opposite direction saw me fall and stopped to make sure I was ok. Except for a skinned knee, I was fine. I got up and walked a bit while my knee ached a bit, but then I started running again. I got a few looks as I ran with a bloody knee, but I didn't have anything to clean it up. All in all, it was a beautiful day and I felt pretty good during my run.

Another "End of the World" Date Comes and Goes

Crazy-ass preacher Harold Camping, who I thought had died (but still lives), was wrong yet again in his prediction that the world would end today.  Jeez... Doesn't he ever get embarrassed about this?

While Camping swore that May 21st was going to be the end of the world, it turned into a 5-month process that would be really over by October 21.  Today.  Corpses of the unsaved were supposed to be flung out of their graves and on the ground like manure today.  I haven't been to a cemetery, but I assume if that had happened, it would have made the local news.

My iPhone 4S Is On Order

As I previously posted, I am getting the new iPhone 4S.  It is just taking me some time to get around to getting it.  I went to the Apple store near where I work yesterday to see about reserving one, but it was a mad house, so I decided to just order one online and get it in the mail.  

So, that is what I did.  I ordered a black 32 G phone yesterday.  They said it will ship in 1-2 weeks and then take 5 days to get here once it ships.  Then I have to figure out how to make it work on my own.  Cross your fingers. 

Biggest Loser Week 5--Back in the 170s (Barely)

This is week #5 of the Biggest Loser competition at work. Ten of us are competing to lose the most weight for a 1st prize of $140, 2nd prize of $40, and 3rd prize of $20. My photoshopped results are above. My total weight loss since my first weigh-in on September 21 (with a starting weight of 189 lbs.) is 9.5 pounds. At least I'm back in the 170s!

I was in Florida last week, so I did not get to weigh in last Wednesday. I have to say that I am disappointed with my results. Though I was on vacation, I've been running a lot. I did 20 miles on Sunday.  After running 5 miles at the gym yesterday, I weighed myself on their scale and it said 173!  I hope that scale is more accurate, but the work scale is official.

Another Cholesterol Update

They do free heart health screening where I work, so I had my cholesterol checked this morning after a 12-hour fast.  Previously, I had written about the results of my choesterol when I had to have a physical to get insurance.  That test showed a dramatic increase in my HDL level (the good choesterol).  It said the level had gone from a sickly 29 to a healthy 52.  I had my doubts about how accurate that could be.  My HDLs have never been near that level.

I was right. While today's results showed an improvement from my test in March, the insurance exam in June was not to be believed.  According to what I believe to be the more reliable test, my HDL level is 40, which is the low end of the scale for healthy.  Above 40 is desirable, but 60 is even better.

My total cholesterol is 191, down from 204.  Under 200 is desirable. My LDL level (bad cholesterol) went from 145 in March to 137 today.  Ideally, it should be under 100.  My triglyceride levels went down from 146 to 67, which the nurse said was amazing.  Idealy, it should be under 150.  My ratio of total cholesterol to HDL, which should be less than 5, was 4.7. My glucose level was down from 105 to 99. 

Overall, all the salmom, oatmeal, and exercise does seem to be getting me somewhere, just a bit slower progress than I had hoped. 

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #307

I have to say something Mervin... that 
handbag looks just like our little Irving.

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #307.  Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too

My Top 10 Broadway Shows of All Time

These are my favorite Broadway shows I've seen in my life.  I did not see them all on Broadway.  Some of them were on the road versions of the shows.  If not the Broadway version, I will denote where I saw the show.

Clay Aiken in Spamalot

10.  Spamalot

9.  Dreamgirls (Baltimore)

8. Les Miserables (Washington DC and London) (Have seen it 5 times.)

7. Billy Elliot

6. Company

5. Jesus Christ Superstar (Washington DC)

4. Sunset Boulevard (Atlanta)

3. Evita (Philadelphia)

2. Sweeney Todd (Sadly, without Patti, but the understudy was great)

1. Next to Normal (Saw it 3 times--twice with Alice Ripley)

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

I arrived back home in Washington, DC today after a week in Florida.  We're waiting to hear if we get a condo we want to buy in SW DC.  Cross your fingers.

Shane's grandmother got us saying the headlined catchphrase of "Home again, home again, jigity jig."  She apparently said it often. I didn't know what it was from until I Googled it recently.  I thought it sound like something that was fairly politically incorrect.  It is a nursery rhyme.

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig.
Home again, home again, jiggety jig.
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again, jiggety jog.
To market, to market, to buy a plum bun,
Home again, home again, market is done.

Florida Day 7--Dinner View

We are eating at the Captain's Table on Charlotte Harbor. Nice view, huh?

More shots below.

Florida Day 6--Here Comes the Rain Again

A beach daisy in the dunes.

Today, the plan was to take a boat to an island off the coast to have lunch and walk the beach full of shells.  The weather had different ideas.  My sister, mother-in-law, and I decided rather than risk a Gilligan's Island scenario, we would just drive down to Boca Grand, a ritzy, up-scale beach community often visited by the Bush's and that crowd.  We had a great lunch at the South Beach restaurant and then headed down to the light house at the end of the island.

On the beach by the Boca Light House just before another shower began.

My sis, Kathleen, and my mom-in-law, Sharon, at the Boca Light House.

Red Tide caused the beach to be littered with lots of dead fish.

Florida Day 5--Beautiful Beach Day

The weather was hot and humid, but clear today.  Our first day without any rain.  We had a lazy morning.  I did go for a run, but we didn't get going till around noon.

We went to the beach at Englewood.  The weather was perfect at the beach and the water was the perfect temperature for swimming.

We came back to Punta Gorda and got ready and went out to eat at the River City Grill.  In the fall, they often have a two-for-one entree special, which they are having now.  We went with Shane and his mom on Sunday and we were back again tonight.  We were surprised when we got the check and were charged full price.  Evidently, if you don't ask for the deal, they don't give it to you.  We asked and got it.

Florida Day 4--Dramatic Skies on Sanibel

Shane had to fly home this morning, but after we dropped him off at the airport, my sister, Kathleen, and I drove to Sanibel and Captiva. We had lunch at the Mucky Duck on Captiva Island (we both had the seafood platter) and then went to the beach on Sanibel Island.  The weather was unstable.  We had heavy showers in the morning, but it cleared up after lunch.  There were dark clouds off shore most of the afternoon.  There were also a passing shower or two. The surf was wild too.  The usual flat Gulf was very wavy.  The water temperature was perfect for some body surfing.