Very Cool iPhone App: Star Walk

Star Walk is an amazing iPhone app that gives you an interactive guide to the sky. The app takes advantage of just about every aspect of the iPhone (touch, accelerometer, and even the magnetometer and digital compass in the 3GS) to make constellation searching and identification as easy as looking up.

When you first launch Star Walk, it will ask if it can use your current location to determine what you can theoretically see in the night sky. Additionally, Star Walk will show you things not visible at night due to light pollution, especially when living in DC. But what you can see, Star Walk can identify for you.

Even when you can't see the stars (like during the day), it shows you what is up there and even what is below the horizon. It is mesmerizing. I can hardly wait when we go back to Maine, because the star view at night is amazing. Light pollution is not a problem then.

Bachmann Walks the Talk about Gay Marriage

As reported in the Washington Post, Jane Schmidt, a student at Waverly High School, in Waverly, Iowa, recently asked Michele Bachmann, “Why can’t same-sex couples get married?”
“They can get married,” Bachmann responded, “but they abide by the same law as everyone else. They can marry a man if they’re a woman. Or they can marry a woman if they’re a man.”

She later expanded on this in a response to someone else: “Every American citizen has the right to avail themselves to marriage but they have to follow what the laws are. And the laws are you marry a person of the opposite sex.”

Obviously, Bachmann believes this mantra so whole heartedly that she lives it by being married for years to an obviously gay man. We may not agree with her politics, but you have to admire her conviction. 

Mall Shoppers Sing about Sitting on Santa

Another crazy musical by Improv Everywhere featuring the Jolly Old Elf in a New Jersey Shopping Mall.

The Biggest Loser Finale--Not the Biggest Loser

This is finally the last week of the Biggest Loser competition at work, and today was the final weigh-in. 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.

I did pretty bad during the last week. I gained 1.5 pounds for a final weight of 176 pounds. It was Thanksgiving and I just started running again after my marathon (I took a week off). Of course I was going to gain. My total weight loss since my first weigh-in on September 21 (with a starting weight of 189 lbs.) is 13 pounds. Though I did not reach my goal of losing 20 pounds, I still managed to come in second in the competition and won $40! That's something. I had been winning the whole time until slipping into second in the last week. Wahhhh Wahhh... I also haven't given up on losing those 7 pounds.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #313

Hey Woody... Moustache rides in the conference room in 5 minutes!

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #313.  Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too.

Time for a Haircut

I went to get a haircut today. I always have trouble describing how I want it cut, so I showed the stylist the photo below. 

Below is the result. I realize I don't look exactly like the guy above, but I was fairly happy with the cut. I think she took too much off the top though. It doesn't stick up in the front like his either. I have had worse though. Much worse. 

Top 10 Movies that Could Be Awesome Musicals

I recently read that the movie Ghost is coming to Broadway as a musical. It seems most musicals these days are based on movies. They've done Billy Elliot, Sister Act, Legally Blonde, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Mary Poppins (all Disney movies)... the list goes on and on. It got me thinking what other movies would be fun to make into musicals. Here are my top 10.

10. Sling Blade

9. Ernest Goes to Jail

8. The Birds

7. Jack and Jill

6. Forrest Gump (with the big hit song, "Life is Like a Box of Chocolates")

5. The Shawshank Redemption

4. Jaws

3. Cannonball Run

2. The Exorcist

and the number one movie to make into a musical is...

The Human Centipede--The Musical!

Decorated the Christmas Cactus

Maude lays on the couch with the cactus decorated for Christmas in the background.

GOD I'M GORGEOUS

This picture was taken after thanksgiving dinner at my sister's house. My sister and three nieces are the most caring, thoughtful, and inspiring women that I know. The following bible verse reminds me of them:

Proverbs 31:15-17

She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.  She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.  She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.

Would Obama Drop Biden for VP Clinton?

I saw this on Joe. My. God., which links it from the Wall Street Journal, that speculates the following:

Paul Starr, co-editor of The American Prospect, a liberal-left magazine, has observed that 45 percent of the people who disapprove of Mr. Obama's performance view Mrs. Clinton favorably. It is fair to say that Mrs. Clinton's addition to the ticket would be a substantial gain for President Obama that he badly needs next November, since she is, as Mr. Starr notes, a member of the part of his administration that has the highest approval rating, and more important she has not at all been a part of the disastrous economic policies that have caused the Obama drop in popularity. 

Even better for Election Day, she would gain support among older white voters, who did not support Mr. Obama very much in 2008. Mr. Starr also cites a Suffolk University Florida poll that shows that Mrs. Clinton on the Obama ticket would win Florida for the two of them, even if Sen. Marco Rubio is the Republican's vice presidential candidate. One more advantage: With Mrs. Clinton comes her husband, who would very much want to get his wife elected, and also might be interested in a position in the Obama-Clinton administration.

It might be smart. I don't think anyone would miss Biden too much.

Happy "Be Thankful You're Not a Turkey" Day

The Biggest Loser Week #10--The Home Stretch

This is week #10 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 14.5 pounds.

There are only one more week left in the competition.This is the one week of the year nobody wants to think about losing weight. I'm happy that with all the carb loading I did before the marathon I still managed to lose a little weight. I'm just going to try to not go too crazy over the holiday and perhaps get back to some running. Happy Thanksgiving!

Launching a Child Via Air Mattress-Fail Blog

Sorry if you have to sit through an ad. I realize the child in this video probably was hurt, but it still made me laugh.

Wrap-Up from the Philadelphia Marathon

As I may have mentioned on this blog previously, this weekend I ran the Philadelphia Marathon. Three of my co-workers also ran the race. We all went out to dinner in Philly the night before the race at an Italian restaurant called Bella Cena. Most of us runners ate the linguini with grilled chicken. It was delish! We all had a blast. Above from left to right is Rassii (who I work with), Theresa, Aaron, Sara (who I work with and also cat sits for Maude), me, Stephanie (my boss) and her friend Gil. 

Originally, I had a hotel in Philly for two night, but I changed my mind and decided to stay with my Mom who lives a little more than an hour outside of the city. I drove to Philly on Saturday to pick up my race packet and have dinner with my co-workers. I drove to my Mom's Saturday night and back in to Philly early Sunday morning.

The race was supposed to start at 7 a.m., but was delayed a bit for some unknow security reason. In the 90 minutes I was in the city prior to the race beginning, I used one of the these portable johns three times, including a quick run out of the running corral after the starting gun.  It took my group about 18 minutes to get the starting line after the first runners started running. I managed not to have to stop during the race to go to the bathroom.



Stephanie, me, Sara, Rassii, and Theresa

I met up with my co-workers before the start. You might notice I'm holding my blue sponge in this shot. Sadly, when I took off my hat, gloves, and sweatshirt before the race, I lost my blue sponge. It was time for a new sponge anyway. The worst thing I forgot to do was use my nipple guards. I spent much of the run holding my shirt out away from my chaffed nips. 



 Behind me is the famous statue of Rocky in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art wearing the official marathon shirt. 

This is me at the finish with the art museum in the background. My finish time, according to my chip, was 4 hours, 5 minutes and 43 seconds. Out of 10,082 runners that completed the race, I was 4,444th. Out of the 486 men in my age division (50-54), I was 215th. My average pace was 9 minutes and 22.4 seconds per mile. I completed the half marathon in 1 hour, 57 minutes and 48 seconds, but could not keep up that pace in the second half, though I did not walk except to get water/gatorade at the drink stations along the way. I tried not to walk much when I did that--usually less than 30 seconds or so. I also did stop once briefly at an aid station to get a band-aid for my nip. It didn't stay on long though.

This marathon was a personal record for my fastest marathon. I have run each one a little faster so far. The last one I ran was the Marine Corp in October of 2008, which I ran in 4 hours, 22 minutes and 32 seconds. I improved on that one by 17 minutes and 11 seconds. Although I did not make my goal of running a marathon in under 4 hours, I am going to give it another try. I am set to run the Miami Marathon at the end of January 2012. Maybe I can be a sub-4-hour marathoner then.

Just Finished the Philly Marathon!

It took a little over 4 hours and I forgot my nipple guards. More later.

Moving Toward the Start

With Some Co-Workers Before the Race

Just Before the Philly Marathon

At the Rocky statue.

Getting My Packet at the Philly Marathon Expo

Philadelphia Marathon Weekend Begins

The Philadelphia Marathon starting Line from a past year.

The Philadelphia Marathon is this Sunday at 7 a.m., and I'm running it. I think I'm ready, but I'm feeling a bit nervous. My goal is to run the race in under 4 hours and to run the entire 26.2 mile distance. I previously ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Virginia and DC in 2008 in 4 hours, 22 minutes, 32 seconds. At the very least, I want to improve on that time.

The weather forecast for Sunday is pretty good. Though it is supposed to be cloudy, the high for the day is expected to be in the low 60s (F). However, the temperature in the early morning is likely to be in the low 40s. It could have been a lot worse considering a few weeks ago we had a snow storm.

The race automatically updates the progress (of runners that sign up) for the service by sending text messages, e-mails, and Facebook or Twitter updates. Of course I signed up and added my Twitter feed to this blog. I also plan on taking my iPhone along and blogging during the race. That's the plan, so stayed tuned to see how I do. Wish me luck!

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #311

It can't be my turn to change the litter pan again.

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #311.  Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too.

Biggest Loser Week #9--A Little Heavier

This is week #9 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 13 pounds.

There are only two more weeks left in the competition.This Sunday I am running the Philadelphia Marathon, so there will be carb loading. This is the first week I've gained weight, but it is no surprise considering I've been lowering my the number of miles I run prior to the marathon and eating (weigh) too much. I'm happy I only gained half a pound. I still want to be in the 160s, but it is going to be difficult to lose 7 pounds in a 2 week period that includes Thanksgiving.

Streep Needs to Make Room for Another Oscar

Meryl Streep is likely to have to make lots of room in her trophy case come this award season.

Where In the World Is Shane This Time?

Shane is traveling on business once again. He took this photo of the Capitol building tonight near where he is staying.  He said the soap in his room said this place is the smallest U.S. State capital. I'm not sure if it means the building or the population of the city, but soap doesn't lie. Can you guess where Shane is?

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

We drove home from New York City today.  This photo is from yesterday when we were walking around. Behind the scaffolding is the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, which they are in the process of decorating.  We've got another trip back to the city the weekend after Thanksgiving weekend.  We plan on revisiting to see the final product then. Yes, that is a Zamboni on the ice rink.

We Saw a Matinee of Chinglish on Broadway

We got great tickets to a matinee of a Broadway play called Chinglish at TKTS--the half price ticket booth in Times Square. It was a comedy about an American businessman working in China. It was recommended by Time Out New York magazine, and we both really liked it. We're having a great weekend! Tonight we're meeting an old friend of Shane's and his wife for dinner.

Is There Anything Better than Room Service?

Because we had to change rooms due to a bed malfunction, the hotel gave us $100 credit to spend. We decided to order breakfast in the room this morning. I had pancakes and Shane got eggs and bacon. It was amazing! With tips and fees, it came to a grand total of $90! It is a luxury we would never normally do if we had to pay. I have to say it was very nice. I could get used to this.

Shane Conducts New York City Hotel Bedbug Search

It passed, but we broke the bed frame. Ooops.

Toll for Holland Tunnel Up to $12

Tolls to drive back and forth to New York make the train look more affordable. Just the tunnel is $12. There are about seven other tolls required between DC and New York, including the entire New Jersey Turnpike! The you have to park the damn car.

Not Being Able to Remember that 3rd Thing Now Called "Pulling a Perry"

I'm not sure the Letterman appearance helps make him look presidential.

Biggest Loser Week #8--A Little Lighter

This is week #8 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 13.5 pounds.

There are three more weeks left in the competition. In that time, I am running the Philadelphia Marathon and eating Thanksgiving Dinner. My goal is 6.5 more pounds. I only lost half a pound this week, so I need to pick up the pace a bit to make my goal. To make things complicated, I'm going to have to carb load again prior to the marathon. On the other hand, I am running a marathon. Time will tell.

Why Isn't Herman Cain Required to Make Sense?

After numerous women have accused Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment, Mr. Cain held a press conference today categorically denying that he ever did anything improper to anybody ever. He doesn't even know who these women are.

My favorite part was when he was asked if he would take a lie detector test to help determine who is telling the truth about the situation, since it is his word against their words.  He said that he would "absolutely" take a lie detector test, but then said, "I'm not going to do that unless I have a good reason."

Huh?  A good reason? There was a good reason to have a national press conference to address these charges, but not a good reason to take a test that would help determine the truth in the matter?  Really?

It isn't bad enough the man continually refers to himself in the third person, but he should make a little sense once in a while.  All he does is blame others--the machine to keep a businessman out of the White House. It's the media, the Democrats, his Republican opponents, these crazy ladies trying to wreck his character... who else ya got?

Obviously, everyone knows the guy is lying. Women are coming out of the woodwork accusing Mr. Cain. There are five so far, and who knows how many more there will be. It is Tiger Woods all over again.

ADDED 11/15/11:


Here is more evidence that he is not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #310

Tom, tell those kids to keep it quiet. It
sounds like World War III out there.

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #310.  Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too.

Letterman's Top 10 List for the NYC Marathon

Here's David Letterman's Top 10 List of Signs You Will Not Win the New York City Marathon.  One sign that you could win is if you are from Kenya.  Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya smashed the NYC record by 2 minutes, 37 seconds, winning in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 6 seconds. That is an average well below a 5 minute mile over 26.2 miles.

 In April, Mutai ran the fastest marathon in history (Boston in 2:03:02), but it wasn't a world record because of it being a net downhill course.

Ethiopians won for the ladies--Firehiwot Dado won in 2:23:15 and Buzunesh Deba came in second 4 seconds later.

Meb Keflezigihi was the top American, finishing in 6th place despite having to stop to throw up at mile 23.  He finished with a personal best time of 2:09:13.

Running Another Marathon-Miami

Although I haven't even run the Philadelphia Marathon yet (it is 2 weeks from tomorrow), I figured I need a new goal to keep me motivated to run.  So, I signed up for the Miami Marathon, which is the last Sunday in January.

Also, I want to become a 50 Stater, a member of the 50 State Marathon Club.  To join, you have to have run a marathon in at least 10 states (or DC).  I've run three marathons--one in Ohio and the Marine Corps twice. Since the Marine Corps takes place in Virginia and DC and I've run it twice, that counts as two states.  Philadelphia will be my fourth state (Pennsylvania), and Miami will be my fifth (Florida).  I'm half way there.

While making the arrangements to go to Miami, I found and joined a new Web site.  It is called Airbnb. It allows you to rent apartments or rooms in people's houses at a much cheaper rate (usually) than it would cost to stay at a hotel.

I was trying to make this trip as cheap as possible, but the idea of staying in a room in someone's house doesn't sound like something I would really want to do. However, I did explore the site a bit and found a nice place that had lots of good reviews.

Since the marathon starts super early, I emailed the person and asked if having to get up and go very early in the morning would be a problem. It turned out, the woman who is renting the room is also running the race.  We went back and forth a few times and eventually, she came up with the idea of meeting at the race expo when I fly into Miami and then she would drive me to her house.  She is also driving me to the race the next morning, driving to the gym to shower after the race, and then driving me to the airport after that.  She seems like an amazingly nice person.

As I write this, it seems almost too good to be true that she would do all that for a grand total of $49 (plus $6 fee for the Web site). This bitch is going to murder me.

Seeing Cyndi Lauper's Benefit Concert In NYC

I happened to see an ad in our Time Out New York magazine this morning for Cyndi Lauper's all-star concert to benefit homeless LGBT youth. It is being held in New York City on Sunday, December 4, at the Beacon Theatre. I happened to remember that is where they had the Tony Awards this year and also where Conan O'Brien broadcast from this past week.  In fact, it is where he conducted the same-sex marriage of one of his staff members.

Also, just as I was looking at the ad, I noticed that tickets were going on sale at 10 a.m. today.  It was 10 a.m. at the time. I decide to look up to see what kind of a seat I could get.  The first five rows are VIP seats that cost $500 each. That's a little out of my ballpark, even for a good cause.  However, I did put in for the next level of ticket prices and low and behold, I could get two tickets in the sixth row.

I had quite a decision to make. Shane is in Los Angeles and was probably still asleep at the time. We both love Cyndi.  Shane had seen her perform when he lived in Japan and still talks about it.  And, it is not just Cyndi.  There is a virtual who's who of gay (and straight) celebrities at the event.

Cyndi Lauper & Friends

Wanda Sykes

Harvey Fierstein

Clay Aiken

Alan Cumming

Rosie O'Donnell

Carson Kressley

Norah Jones

Debbie Harry

Chely Wright

Deluka

Angelique Kidjo

Skylar Grey

Laurie Anderson

Vanessa Carlton

And More!

We couldn't miss Skylar Grey!  It was especially risky since it is being held on a Sunday night.  We'd have to get back to work on Monday morning. I decided, "What the hell," and bought the tickets. It was for a good cause after all. When I told Shane later in the day, he was also excited about having such good seats. He wasn't thrilled about the timing, but he likes good seats, so it was not a problem. He was more concerned that we might have to rent tuxedos for such a thing. I don't think you do. 

If you are interested in attending the concert, click here for more information.  If you are interested in giving to Cyndi's charity, The True Colors Fund, click here.  

Where In the World Is Shane?

Shane is once again traveling to some far off and exotic place. This is the scene from his hotel room, which he took with his iPhone 3. Can you guess where he is? Sometimes there is an incredible prize, but only if nobody guesses correctly. Good luck!

Biggest Loser Week #7--Carb Loading

This is week #7 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 13 pounds.

I'm currently in first place.  All the other contestants are women and they keep saying it is easier for men to lose weight, which is why I'm winning.  That may be true, but statistically, women live longer than men, so I don't feel too bad for them.

This week I lost 2.5 pounds despite massive carb loading for my long run training. I ran 20 miles on Friday, but I ate a huge amount of carbs on Thursday.  I also went to my mom's over the weekend where she decided to have an early Thanksgiving by cooking a turkey, mac & cheese, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and lima beans. Luckily, the running seems to be offsetting the carbs and calories.

There are four more weeks left in the work competition.  I'm aiming for a total weight loss of 20 pounds.

New iPhone 4S Drains Battery Like Crazy

Even before hearing news stories about the new iPhone 4S possibly having issues with fast draining batteries, it had been the subject of discussion with several of my co-workers who have recently gotten the new phone.  It was my understanding that the new phones would have improved battery life.  My old phone couldn't get through the day without a recharge and I was hoping the new phone would do better.  

Today I was shopping for a case to protect my phone at the local Apple store and I saw the Mophie Juice Pack Air, which is a case with a built-in extra battery.  When the phone battery dies, the Mophie case recharges the phone, doubling the the battery life.  It was crazy expensive ($79.95), but considering most of the cases alone cost $30-$50, spending a little more to get a case that extends the battery life seemed like a good idea. 

Hopefully, there also is a software fix for the current battery problem too.  I have better things to do than charging my phone all the time.

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.