Cat Video: Maude Attacks Her Catnip Mouse

This is Maude playing with the catnip mouse she got for Christmas. You might notice that although this is as energetic as Maude gets, she lays down throughout. Also, the light on the iPhone causes Maude's eyes to turn into Devil Eyes. Though she has Devil Eyes, she really is sweet. The catnip makes her crazy though.

Little Danger of Dying from Running Marathons

Both Shane and my Mom are always worried that I will drop dead as a result of running marathons. It didn't help that two people died the day I ran the Philadelphia Marathon -- one at the end of the marathon and one at the end of the half marathon. Finally, here is some evidence that it really isn't that dangerous. 

In an article by Kristina Fiore published today at MedPage Today, she argues there isn't that much danger. Here is an excerpt.

Despite well-publicized stories of people dropping dead during or after running a marathon, the race isn't all that risky, researchers found. 

Among nearly 11 million marathoners and half-marathoners, only 59 went into cardiac arrest during a race, for an incidence rate of just 0.54 per 100,000 participants, Aaron Baggish, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, and colleagues reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

"Event rates among marathon and half-marathon runners are relatively low, as compared with other athletic populations, including collegiate athletes, triathlon participants, and previously healthy middle-aged joggers," they wrote. 

Men, however, were more likely to have an event than women, they noted. 

Shane wanted me to add that he does not believe it.

Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop Arrested

The former Jeffrey Drew Wilschke, who legally changed is name to Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop, 30, was arrested Sunday for marijuana possession and a wielding a knife in a Madison, WI, park. Zopittybop-Bop-Bop was also arrested last April for possessing a handgun in another Madison park. Do not ask this man for advice. I'm guessing he may not have the best judgement skills out there. This assumption is soley based on his hairdoo.

"Shades of Purple" by Bye June with Hand Shadows

I saw this one on Joe. My. God. blog today. It is pretty awesome.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #318

I hate my job, but I love the fresh, giant omlettes.  

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #318. Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too.

Riding the New York Subway Without Pants

It's like commuting, but without the pants. Straphangers throughout New York City nonchalantly stripped to their underwear from the waist down Sunday afternoon as part of a global practical joke coordinated by prankster outfit Improv Everywhere.

To participate in the 11th annual No Pants Subway Ride, the only requirements were people had to be “willing to take pants off on subway” and “able to keep a straight face about it," organizers said in a post on their website.

To maintain the surreal atmosphere, the pantsless commuters were instructed to chat, read and listen to music like they normally would have if clothed.

Dozens of other cities, including London, Washington and Mexico City, were also slated to strip off their pants on public transit today, organizers said. More than 6,300 people had accepted a Facebook invitation to participate in the event by 3 p.m. Sunday.

Below is the story about the pantless on the DC subway. I would have gone somewhere on the subway today if I knew.

No Pants Metro Ride: MyFoxDC.com

Another Reason I Won't Be Bungee Jumping

I love the part where the company says they have replaced the faulty cord and insist that the jumps are safe.  I'll pass.

Running from Capitol Hill to Maryland

That is a really bad angle for my neck.

In preparation for running the Miami Marathon 3 weeks from tomorrow, I did my last long run today. I ran from my house on Capitol Hill, down to the National Mall, across to Georgetown, and up the Capital Crescent Trail to Maryland. It is 9 miles each way for a total of 18 miles.

It is hard to believe it was less than a month and a half ago that I ran the Philadelphia Marathon. I think I'll be able to do it, but it will much slower than Philly. It was a beautiful day today to run.. Sunny and in the low 60s.

Our Amaryllis Is Underway

My Mom got us an amaryllis bulb for Christmas and we planted it a few days ago and it is already growing. There was a little green when we took the bulb out of the box, but it has gotten a couple inches longer. I hope it straightens up. Below is what it should look like in 6 to 10 weeks, but with a different pot.

Idina Menzel Sings "Nobody's Side" from Chess

This is one of Shane's favorite. We have it on DVD and watch it often. Josh Groban co-stars... he can sing great, but his acting skills are not so great.

Runner's World Creamy Chicken Lasagna

This is the magazine photo. Mine wasn't this pretty.

This is a recipe from this February's issue of Runner's World magazine. It was pretty easy and very delicious. It sort of taste like lasagna pot pie. I couldn't find the recipe on their Web site yet, but I assume it will be there eventually. They have lots of good, healthy ideas.

For this recipe, I got cooked chicken off the grocery store salad bar and ground it up (tore it up) with my fingers. The recipe called for 4 cups of shredded chicken, but I used about 2.5. I also only did only two layers of meat rather than three and used only 2 cups of shredded mozzarella, rather than the 4 cups the recipe called for. I also have a smallish lasagna dish, so it all worked out.

You mix the chicken with 8 ounces of cream cheese (2/3 a package), 1 & 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil, and 1/4 cup of chicken broth. I used spicy pepper marinara sauce (recipe calls for 3 cups, but I use lots more--5 cups) rather than just tomato sauce. I cooked the lasagna noodles a bit (a couple minutes), but the noodles cook mostly in the oven. Put a little sauce in the bottom of the pan, a layer if noodles, a layer of chicken mixture, some mozzarella, and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Repeat for another layer or two. Top with noodles and a mixture the remaining cream cheese and 1/4 of broth mixture. Cover with more mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake covered with foil at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and broil top for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Then enjoy!

I Got New Glasses

Above is a recent photo of me in my old glasses and below are my new glasses I got from www.39dollarglasses.com.  I had a coupon, so they cost a grand total of just over $25.  I like them.

Just kidding. My actual new glasses are below.

Aside from looking a bit cross-eyed in the photo, they look better in my mind.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #317

The police strongly advise I halt the "gun therapy" trials.   

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #317.  I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. I thought about going the "depressed and negative" route, but didn't. Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too.

Maude's Reluctant Homecoming-A 15-Minute Ride

Maude stayed with her cat-sitter for the first time ever while we were in Florida. She was at the sitter's for 12 days. It worked out great; maybe a little too great. She didn't seem that interested in seeing us when we went to pick her up. I think she would have been very happy to just stay with the sitter.  

Also, Maude hates being in her carrier. It is not easy getting her in it and she yowls the entire time she is in it. She is back home now and is settling back in. She did seem a bit disoriented when she first came back home, but she is better now. We did show her where the litter pan is again, just to be on the safe side. 

On the Road In NC - Exit 160 Exxon

There was writing on the wall above this asking "What is this?" I don't want to know.

Happy New Year!! - It Is 2012!!

We are having a not so happy New Year's Day, because we are driving the 1,000+ miles back to DC today. Our vacation is almost over. We both have to go back to work on Tuesday. We allowed ourselves a recovery day after our drive to chill and undecorate the DC house. We had the car worked on while in Florida, so we hope there are no issues with that. Hope everyone has an awesome new year!

My Top 10 New Year's Resolutions for 2012

These are my top 10 New Year's Resolutions for 2012--these are the only 10 actually. Since the Mayans could be right and this could be the last year we're all alive, I thought I should have a fun year. If you're alive, check back at the end of next year to see how I did (check back before then though).

10. Read more. I have been reading a lot this week and realize I need to make more time to read in the coming year. The goal is 30 books. I hate to admit how many books I've read this year. Suffice to say it was less than 30. Therefore, reading 30 will be more. This means less TV and Internet, so this may not happen.

9. Try to break the 4 hour marathon (again). I'm scheduled to run the Miami Marathon at the end of January, but I've been quite lax in my training since running the Philadelphia Marathon in November. My legs have not felt great on my runs. They have been quite crampy and spasmy. I'm considering bailing on Miami. I hope I can get my running enthusiasm back. I actually hope to run several marathons next year. In addition to Miami (if I do it), I plan on entering the lottery to run the New York City Marathon, but only 8 to 12 percent of entries get chosen. I'm also considering Wilmington, Delaware.

8. Stop biting my nails, as it is getting difficult to reach certain areas inside my nose. This could be the most difficult resolution for me on the list.

7. Be more creative with my gift giving in the new year, which means no more calendars and candles as gifts. So, if you were looking forward to getting a calendar from me--tough luck.

6. Quit smoking. OK... technically I don't smoke at all, but this really seems like something I can accomplish.

5. Drink more red wine. Red wine is supposed to be good for your heart and I do drink one or two glasses several nights a week, but I want a really healthy heart.

4. Stop using the phrase "that guy." I hate being that guy that uses the phrase "that guy." As a matter of fact, I want to stop using the word "that" altogether.

3. Save more money. I have a specific goal in mind here, but I don't really want to publish my financial information on a public blog.  I will publish my Social Security Number  and my Mother's maiden name, but not at this time.

2. Post more interesting content on my blog, such as kitty videos and mildly interesting top 10 lists. I want to give the people what they want. This may mean buying Maude more holiday-related costumes. She'll be thrilled.

and my #1 New Year's Resolution is....

1. Devise a plan to manipulate Shane into marrying me. Or, let Shane manipulate me into marrying him. We've been together almost 14 years now and we're already an old marry couple in our minds. Not to sound overly romantic, but we just need to get it done to get the limited legal benefits we can from a marriage that is recognized by the District of Columbia, but not by the Federal Government.

The Mullet Are Jumping in Florida

These are the mullets jumping in the canal behind our house in Florida. They jump all the time. Sometimes it is like popcorn. I don't know why they jump, but jump they do. If you have trouble viewing these videos, click here and here to see the Youtube version. The first video shows the fish jumping after a few seconds and the second shows the jumper at the very start (with the fish out of the water).

Also, after each jump you can hear Shane asking if I got it. Though they jump all the time, as soon as you turn on the camera, they go all jump shy. It is hard to actually catch them in the act.

New Year's Resolutions Recap from Last Year

This is the annual post to see how I did at keeping my New Year's Resolutions from last year. Last year, I only made three resolutions--in brief: 1) Run a marathon in less than 4 hours. 2) Post on my blog every day. 3) Score higher than 10,000 on Qrank.

I did pretty good. I did two out of three. I actually scored more than 10,000 on Qrank, a daily trivia game I play on my iPhone and iPad, several times. The first time I did it was actually before 2011, but after I wrote the resolution. The last time I did it was just a few days ago. You can review my Tweets on Twitter (@BlueSpongeRun) to find the exact dates. I post my scores there.

I also accomplished the blogging resolution. I posted at least one thing on here each day in 2011 (assuming I post something tomorrow). I thought if I posted regularly, the people who view my blog my check back more regularly, thus, causing my views to increase. That has happened to some degree, but not that much. Then I started to wonder why I care how many people view my blog. I decided not to care. I like having a blog to review what is happening in my life--what I'm thinking about. It is my diary of sorts, but since people I know do read it on occasion, I can't really include the juicy stuff.

Finally, I did not accomplish one of my resolutions. I missed my first goal by 5 minutes and 43 seconds. I did run a marathon in 2011--the Philadelphia Marathon, but I ran it in just over 4 hours. Of course my ultimate goal is to qualify for Boston. I recently saw in Runner's World magazine a stat that only 5 to 10 percent of marathon runners ever qualify for Boston. It does seem like a daunting task. I can't break 4 hours and to qualify at my current age, I have to run a marathon in under 3.5 hours. That means more than a minute faster per mile. With the way my legs have been feeling lately, I wonder if I can do this. Of course, the older I get the more time I have to qualify. If I can keep running into my 80s, I might have a chance.

Top 10 Little-Used Baby Names

Below are the top 10 baby names for boys and girls for 2011.

I thought it would be fun to make a Top 10 List of Little-Used Baby Names. This doesn't mean these are bad names or ugly names. I like several of these names and we named our cat one of the names below. These are just names that people don't name little babies anymore. Personally, I would avoid both the little-used and popular baby lists in actually naming a baby. 


BOYS

10. Finch

9. Floyd

8. Basil

7. Edgar

6. Lurch

5. Loomis

4. Nanook

3. Orville

2. Irving

and the #1 Little-Used Baby Name for a Boy is

1. Adolph

*Interestingly, both Shane's and my father's names are on that list. 

GIRLS

10. Hortense

9. Myrtle

8. Blanche

7. Viola

6. Maude

5. Whoopi

4. Lovie

3. Bertha

2. Ethel

and the #1 Little-Used Baby Name for a Girl is

1.  Mulva (Made popular on the TV show Seinfeld)