Missing Another Crystal City 5K Fridays In April

People that know me know that I am rather a thrifty person.  OK, I'm cheap.  Anyway, I liked the idea of  signing up for five 5K races for $75.  A single one of these races costs $20, so I thought I was getting quite a deal.

The first week went off without a hitch.  I ran it in under 24 minutes and it was fun, although the weather was very chilly for April.  Then I got sick.  That knocked me out of weeks 2 and 3.  I had a bad cold that kicked my butt.  I'm pretty much over the cold, and I started running again at the gym this week, but the weather today is horrible.  I just didn't think it was wise to run in the freezing cold and pouring rain when I'm barely over this cold.  The race is starting as I type this and it is currently 45 degrees.

So, I decided to still run a 5K today, but I did it at lunch and inside--on the treadmill at the gym.  I finished faster than my pre-cold Crystal City 5K.  I don't know my exact time, but it was less than 23 minutes 30 seconds.  I tried to take a picture of my finish time with my iPhone as I was running, but I found out it is hard to hold a camera still while your running.  It came out blurry.

As you can see, the gym is dead at lunchtime on Fridays.  I got my co-worker, Karlye, to take a picture of me as I started my 5K today.  The light in the gym is not great for taking photos of moving objects.  Thanks Karlye.  I took a picture of her working out after I finished, but I'm sure I would be murdered if I posted it.

No, It Is Not Alright to Give Away a Loaded Gun

I Have No Spine - Bidding on the 1975 Volvo

I posted the other day about denying Shane the above car that was for sale on eBay.  I thought buying a 36-year-old car was a little crazy.  It is a 1975 Volvo 245.  Shane said cars like this are rare in such good condition.  He went on and on about what a great deal it would be.  I finally caved and told him I would not object to him getting it.  It might even be fun driving it from San Diego to our home in Florida.

Anyway, last night the car had gone from a starting bid of only $500 to about $5,200.  Shane thought it would sell for about $7,500, but he would just try and get it for $5,700.  I told him that it didn't make any sense to bid until the very last minute, but he thought we'd put in the minimum bid to see if the high bidder would automatically outbid him.  He tried a bid only $100 higher and it was outbid.  He tried another hundred and his limit of $5,700 was quickly reached.

He finally decided that the maximum he was willing to pay was $7,000, which he agreed to wait to put in at the last minute.  With 30 seconds before the end of the auction, we bid $7,111 (I threw in a few extra bucks just in case), but sadly it was not enough.  In the last seconds, there were two other bidders and the winning bid was $9,330.  At least he can't blame me for not trying.

The Power of Words - Cool Video

I saw this from a tweet from Suze Orman (@SuzeOrmanShow).  It is very moving short video.  

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #284

Did you hear the one about these suspects walking into a bar?

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #284.  Obviously, I haven't had any good ideas so far.  I'm still sick.  Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption.  

Debating DC Special Election Vote

Shane and I were debating who to vote for in the April 26 special election for the DC At-Large Council seat.  We saw a profile of all the candidates in the Hill Rag, a local free magazine we picked up today.

There are six Democrats, one Independent, one Statehood Green Party Member, and one Republican running for the seat.  Shane was advocating the Republican, Patrick Mara, because the article said he fiscally conservative and socially progressive.  Mara said he loves the gays.  I, as a rule, will not vote for a member of that party on principle.  I have voted Republican in the past when I lived in Montgomery County, MD, and the Congresswoman was a very liberal Republican, but she was an exception.  I can't see ever doing it again.

I decided to vote for Joshua Lopez, a young Hispanic who was a former aide of former Mayor Adrian Fenty.  My favorite line from his profile is that he relies on a BMW to get around:  "bus, Metro, and walking."  He is only 26, but the DC Council could use some fresh blood.

Shane said he would consider Lopez if I could find anything about him showing he supports gays.  So, I looked on his homepage, but was not having much luck.  Finally, there was a small blurb that said he participated in a forum with the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, which is THE LBGT political organization in the city.  There was a question and answer format statement he provided, which was on the Stein Web site, and the answers were sufficiently pro LBGT to convince Shane to join me in voting for Lopez.

Interestingly, though, the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club is actually endorsing Sekou Biddle, who is serving as interim Council member and is backed by the Democratic establishment and the current mayor, Vincent Gray.  That last part of that sentence is enough to turn us off.  We are not Gray fans. We'll stick with Lopez.

Denying Shane His Dream Car

I don't think I'm being that unreasonable.  Shane found this car on eBay and decided he HAD to have it.  It is a 1975 (not a typo) Orange, with brown interior, Volvo 245 Wagon.  Here is the description from eBay:

You are looking at one of the most  beautiful Volvo 245's you may ever see. This Volvo is in near showroom condition from bumper to bumper. Fit for a museum, your own private garage, or hitting the pavement on a daily basis. You will be proud to own this wagon. With only 76K ORIGINAL MILES, this 245 is in stunning condition. Yes only 76K original miles! This wagon turns heads everywhere it goes with compliments to follow. It will take you back to 1975.

This Volvo has been garage kept it's entire life while be pampered for the last 36 years. Accident free, smoker free, and RUST FREE. The extremely rare Inka Orange paint remains practically flawless. Showing excellent Gloss and timeless style. The body is completely straight, with no dents or damage anywhere. All of the lights, lenses and trims have no damage or even wear. Even the original California plates still shine like new.  The interior is "like new" with no rips or tears. The dash board is 100% crack and wear free. The floors have no stains or wear. All lights, turn signals and instrument cluster work properly. The Alpine cassette and radio player works great with the original stock speakers.                          

The engine starts right up, holds a smooth idle and accelerates with ease. The clutch engages very smoothly and the 4 speed manual transmission shifts effortlessly. All of the fluids are clean and filled to their proper levels. The air conditioning blows ICE COLD. The heating system also still works like new. All four white wall Michelin radial tires have good tread depth remaining. The front and rear brakes also have substantial life remaining. The Volvo has a new steel braided throttle cable, a new fuel filter, new battery as well as a minor tune up. Looks and Runs Excellent.

He found it when it was newly posted and the starting bid was only $500.  Since then, there have been 24 bids and it is currently up to $5,200 and the reserve is not met.  In addition, we would have to get it either here to DC or Florida from California.  Am I wrong to deny him this dream car?  I don't think so.  If you would like to buy it for him, here is the link on eBay.

Bob Dylan Sings Rebecca Black's Friday

I know this has been around awhile, but this cracks me up.  And, it is Friday, Friday, gettin down on Friday.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #283

No one ever reads you Gideon Bible because I've got free HBO.

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #283.  Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption. Perhaps I'll steal it.

Where In the World Is Shane (and Mark)?

Usually, when Shane is away on business I have him email a photo he
takes our his hotel window and have people guess where he is. Since I
went with him in this trip, I took this photo outside our window this
morning. Don't be jealous over this gorgeous view of downtown Sioux
Falls, SD. That is the Chevy Impala that we rented and Shane drove all
over. We saw lots of the USA in our Chevrolet.

Obviously, you can't really see Sioux Falls from our room at the
Ramkota, but we did drive into downtown Sioux Falls last night, and
they do have a nice restaurant area. We ate a diner and had a
delicious breakfast for dinner.

Today, we're headed back to DC, and we are very anxious to see our Maudie.

Badlands National Park - Is this the Earth?

We had to drive back to Sioux Falls, SD, today from the western side
of South Dakota. On the way, we drove through part of the Badlands
National Park.

The Badlands are very cool. It does look like another planet. I felt
like I had just beamed down from the USS Enterprise on a mission with
Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk.

We also stopped at the Visitor's Center and watched a film about the
history if the area. I did not know the whole area was once covered
with shallow water. It has changed a bit since then.

Scary Signs at the Badlands

In addition to this sign warning of rattlesnakes, another sign at the entrance says that the prairie dogs have plague. Plague!!! The lady at the ticket booth said we would be ok as long as we don't touch them. We saw lots of them, but kept our distance.

If It's Monday, It Must Be Crazy Horse

We started out our day today at the Crazy Horse Memorial. It is still under construction, but was very interesting. We watched a film about it at the Visitor's Center. It really is an amazing story and the monument will be much larger than Mt. Rushmore and should be astounding when it is completed. The statue is hard to see in this photo, but this is as close as we could get, and the iPhone doesn't zoom. You can see the completed face over my left shoulder.

I, by the way, am still sick as a dog. It is just a bad cold, but it sucks! I think Shane has had enough of my snorting and nose blowing. I can't blame him. It gets old.

Mt. Rushmore -- The Main Attraction

We finally got to see Mt. Rushmore today. The weather has been so so,
but it couldn't have been better today. The rain is supposed to return
tomorrow. Waaaa!
Amazingly, we ran into the same couple from California at Mt. Rushmore
that took our picture at Devil's Tower.  Kristen has become our
official trip photographer. As you can see, she does a great job.
All the pictures I'm posting while we're in South Dakota have been
taken and posted with the iPhone. I plan on posting more later after
I can download them from my good camera. Hope that gives you
something to live for.

Where the Deer and the Antelope Play

We got some up-close views of lots of deer and antelope, but the
buffalo were amazing to see. We drove down to Custer State Park and
drove on the Wildlife Loop Road.

At the Geographical Center of the US

The geographical center of the 50 US states is just north of Belle
Fourche, SD. They have a small monument set up there for people to
take silly photos. That is just what we did. There is an irony to
being off center at the center.

We have now been to the southern-most point (continental) and eastern-
most point of the US. I think we should aim to go to the other
various extreme points of the US. Maybe.

Shane at the Center of the US

He is actually a bit off center also.

My First Trip to Montana and Wyoming

Yes, we are two of those crazy people that stops and takes photos in
front if signs like this.

That Is One Scary Sliding Board

Finally Finished Our Mashed Potato Sculpture

We have LOTS of photos of Devil's Tower. LOTS. A nice couple from
California took this one of us.