Aftermath of the Wreck

It was quite sudden. The weather had been really, really bad when we went to pick up Connor from school...raining hard, a bit windy. It slackened a bit as we escorted him (under our umbrellas) across the street to our Honda. As we headed towards Connor's swim lesson, we debated about whether we should even go. I had been feeling broody and melancholy for most of the day, and really thought that maybe we should just stay home for once. As we rolled past the Junior High, a white SUV pulled out of that school and over into our lane, almost hitting us.

We honked, they swerved, and everyone was fine. I thought "See...maybe we really should stay home today." But the weather was still clearing up, still raining but not nearly as badly as before, so we decided to continue onward.

As it turns out, this was a colossal mistake.

We turned down a busy road, between the local Sam's Club and Best Buy, and were only a couple of blocks away from our destination...when a young fellow and his girlfriend made a left turn directly into our path. No time to dodge, no time to swerve, only time to stomp on the brakes as hard as humanly possible and hope for the best for about 1/4th of second.

You know, I can't even recall exactly what the impact sounded like. I search my memory, and there's just a blank where that sound should be. Hm. I remember that I had actually pushed up out of the seat with both hands (I wasn't driving) and was somehow holding my legs up towards the dashboard in some kind of crazy attempt to brace myself. Yes, I realize the foolishness of such acrobatics, but I didn't have time for a more well-thought out plan of action.

We hit them directly in the side of their vehicle. The jeep rode higher than our Honda, so we hit them in the lower part of the car, which probably saved the passenger's life. We slammed to a stop, and they swerved out and away from us from the force of the impact.

I looked around and checked on everyone...I was ok so far, Connor was already squawking in the back seat "We had a wreck...and we SURVIVED!!" so I knew that he was probably OK, and Christina was shocked and wide-eyed but otherwise seemed fine as well. It took a few seconds to regain my bearings, and then I figured I needed to check on the other guys. I could see that the girl in the passenger seat was crying, and the driver, a young guy in his late teens or early 20's, had come out to check on us as well. So far, so good...no major injuries. Connor somehow slammed his face into the padded back of Christina's seat, but didn't even get a bloody nose for his trouble, and we had nothing to speak of.

So then began the process of calling the police, exchanging insurance information in the rain, watching all the tow-truck drivers flooding the area (really, it was like we were bleeding in the water during shark season) and then finally realizing that we needed to get out of the car and find a safer place to wait.

Connor had somehow changed into his swimsuit in the backseat after the wreck. Whether this was his way of dealing with the sudden shock, or he just thought that we'd still be getting him to swim class on time, I'll never know. But we walked over to sit in one of the tow trucks until everything was sorted out. When he finally saw how badly the Honda had been damaged (honestly, the pics don't do it justice...the front end looks about a foot shorter than I remember), he broke down and cried. Hard. 10 minutes later he was tugging my sleeve. 'Dad...I have to pee!' Pretty resilient, that one. He's playing video games with his mother now. All good.

The young driver was very apologetic and quickly asserted that the wreck was his fault. 'I wasn't paying attention...I didn't even see you guys, I'm sorry.' He cooperated fully with us and with the police, and I don't harbor any ill will towards the guy. I've been on that end of an accident, and if he's anything that resembles a decent human being inside, he's thinking that life absolutely sucks right now. He could have killed us. And he knows it. Some of the tow truck drivers loudly voiced their opinions that he should be clapped in irons and hauled away by the police, but hey, stuff happens. Looks like it was just our turn today.

Officer Terry Thurman, future Harris County Constable and a member of our fabulous Jade Mountain team, was kind enough to come right out and make sure that everyone handled everything properly, and then he drove us home. The other drivers insurance will be taking care of everything.

The fact that we're all OK (and so are the other guys) has made this a lot easier to handle. I'm disappointed, sure, but so very glad that everyone's alive and well. No one's in the hospital with life-threatening injuries, and no one's dead. In light of that fact, I just don't care about the car. A car is just a thing. It has no soul, no life, no spirit. Heck, I can RUN to work if need be...my school's only 5 miles from home, and I could use that as additional conditioning. Or I could ride Dad's scooter. Not in the rain, though, not in the rain.

But the lives of my family are worth a million cars. A billion. I'd walk my feet bloody before I'd spare any emotions for a car over them. So tonight, we we're going to sit at home and be grateful for the days we have together. And we're going to bed early...I think we all could use some rest after such an eventful day.

Here are the pics we've got so far...this is the side of the Jeep.



Not a whole lot of damage there. Oh, the rear window of the Jeep was shattered as well, but that was it. Sorry for the blur, but there was a drop of water on my phone's camera lens, and I didn't know it.

Here's a few shots of the Honda.



Again with the blur...these are NOT action shots. Here's a closer shot of the front end of the car. I'm upgrading my phone tomorrow, by the way. Maybe then I can take decent pics for a change.



And here it is, loaded onto the tow-truck, headed to wherever totaled cars go to die.

Modern Art.

One of the exhibits that we viewed while we visited the museum in Dallas had several rather...interesting...pieces. For instance, there was a long cable hanging from the ceiling, and at its end was a black electric fan. It was set on 'High', and it blew merrily around in lazy circles. Nothing more. Just a fan, blowing around over our heads.

One room could only be accessed through a long, prismatic tunnel, made of triangular panels of reflective plexiglas. I enjoyed the play of lights and colors in the tunnel...everything was quite pretty. A bright yellow glow seeped into the end of the tunnel, and as we stepped into the room, it was like stepping onto another planet. The room was empty, save for the yellow incandescent lights in the ceiling.

It was the oddest thing...in that bright yellow illumination, all other colors were rendered in black and white. Wow. After getting accustomed to the room, the yellow tint seemed to disappear, and we all looked like players in a silent movie. Very interesting.

The next room was a circular, translucent plexiglas enclosure. I figured that it was another play on light, and I was correct. When we walked in, everything looked normal. The enclosure was white. Slowly, it shifted to pink...and then red. Just as I got accustomed to the red, it shifted into green. Everyone was The Hulk! It continued to shift to other colors. That was just a bit too much for me...it made me quite queasy, so I had to make a break for it. The museum security guard smiled and chuckled at me as I wobbled by. Apparently, she had seen this reaction before.

There were other pieces, including a series of identical squares that were different colors. Ever see something and think, 'Heck, I could do that!'? I had one of those moments looking at those different colored squares. I know that many of the pieces were supposed to evoke emotions in the viewers, and that different viewers are affected differently. Where some would be inspired, or joyful, others might be repulsed, fearful, or even completely unaffected. I like that about art. Not only is every piece of art an individual expression of emotion, intent, and magic from within an artist, but it can bring out emotions that the viewer did not know were there, an infinite number of different responses, thoughts, and feelings.

Once, in my distant past, I thought I would take up oil painting. I'd been watching Bob Ross on his show 'Joy of Painting', and he made it look sooooooooo EASY!!! I taped one of his shows that showed a painting that I thought I could manage, and made a list of supplies. The Hobby House, unfortunately, did not have the first necessity, "Liquid White". You're supposed to cover the canvas with it before you start. Apparently, this makes all the other paints act the way that they're supposed to...the way that they do on Bob's show. More or less, anyway. I bought what I thought was a decent substitute, but it did not work. At all. I thought I could hear Bob Ross laughing at me the whole time. I did the best I could, but wow, what an absolute failure that was! Even so, the process was a lot of fun.

I'm thinking that I'd like to try it again. I don't have any ambitions about being in a museum someday...that would be ridiculous. I don't know that I would be attempting to express some inner emotion, either. At the very least, though, I would like to produce a pretty scene on canvas. I'll keep you posted.

Uh oh...he's learned to use the camera-phone.

My wife has been ill for the last few days with a nasty case of chest congestion and coughing. This had led to some sleepless nights for both of us, but more so for her. Today, she slept in while I went to teach classes at my school. After I had finished, I called to check in and was surprised when my son answered the phone.

We talked for a few minutes, and he let me know that she was still sleeping peacefully in the bedroom. I told him where I was, and that I'd be back soon.

Later on, my phone rang, and I saw that it was my wife. She must have awakened..or so I thought. The little crank had figured out how to call me back on her phone. This involves a rather involved 'unlocking' process to get the virtual buttons to work on the phone, but he figured it out. Smart little fellow, that one.

When I arrived at home, he came out to meet me. He proudly informed me that he had just sent me some pictures.

"No, I didn't see that you sent anything..." and at that moment, my phone buzzed. Here are the results.



And my personal favorite...



Have a great Saturday!

Old stuff and old paintings

It was a short trip, barely 30 hours total, but it was a good one. It was actually made a bit shorter by my tendency to doze off in mid-sentence whenever I'm a passenger on a long car ride, but I tried to stay awake.

We left Katy on Wednesday afternoon, piled into Mom-in-law's Prius, and headed off to Dallas to visit the King Tut exhibit at the museum and to visit Ann Margaret, a long-time family friend of Christina's family. The weather was beautiful, the ride was nice and smooth, and it was quite enjoyable.

However, we discovered upon arrival that it's important to have the correct address when searching for directions on Google Maps. If you don't have the right address, then you'll end up in the wrong place. Imagine that! However, we weren't terribly far off, so the delay was minimal. Ann's house was in a stately and elegant part of Dallas, and it was just gorgeous. It was great to hang out with her, even during the short time we were there, and then we all went straight to bed.

The next morning dawned bright and clear. We loaded up the car again and made our way towards the museum. The directions were correct this time, and we found the place with little fuss. Parking was a breeze, and we got in line as instructed. We opted to watch the movie about the exhibit first, rather than afterwards. It was the first time I've seen a 3D movie that really worked! It was pretty cool.

There were well over a hundred pieces in the exhibit, many of which had never been seen in the exhibit before. The artistry was amazing...some of the items were so incredibly intricate in their design, I couldn't imagine how long it had taken their craftsmen to create. One piece that stood out was the yellow glass scarab. The carved scarab was the centerpiece on one of King Tut's ornate chest-pieces. Apparently, the glass had not been created by human hands, but by an ancient meteorite strike in the Sahara desert instead, and it seems to glow with a faint inner light. The glass itself was many thousands of years older than the Egyptian culture. Coooooool.



One thing I never knew was the fact that Tut's actual mummy was protected by series of nesting boxes and sarcophagi. I can only imagine what it must have been like to stumble upon that magnificent tomb, filled with all of its treasures and links to the distant past. Wow.

Here we are in front of the exhibit banner:



And here's Connor being...well...Connor.



As much as I might enjoy seeing antiquities and great art, I'm not one who enjoys walking around aimlessly, hoping to see something cool. This is probably a character flaw of mine, but I usually end up feeling like I'm missing something, or that I'd rather be elsewhere.

That being said, I'm so very glad that we went on this trip. As we walked around the area of more modern art (last 200 years or so), I rounded a corner and saw a painting that I recognized...at least, I knew that I had seen it before. Checking the info plaque, I saw that it was a Mary Cassat, 'The Reading Lesson'. I recognized it because our 7-year-old had done a presentation on the artist.

Here's Connor and Grandma Julie in front of the painting.



Somehow, it all came alive for me then. I got a close up look at the painting, and saw the thousands of tiny brushstrokes that, together, created the image. I moved to the next painting, and stood looking at it for a moment.



'Children in the Woods', by Frank W. Benson in 1898, slowly moved me to tears. How someone could take a blank canvas, and, using nothing more than pigments on a palette and a handful of brushes, create such a beautiful scene from nothing more than a mental image...astonishing.

After that, I enjoyed everything much more than before. I saw Van Gogh's, Monet's, Picasso's, and even some Jackson Pollack's. Very, very cool.

There was a wonderful Maya exhibit as well, but that area smelled like dog poo and dirty feet. Weird. The pieces were fantastic, though, especially after Christina and Connor's trip to Mexico.

The ride home was uneventful, and the weather was great. We made great time, and Christina was astonished to find that I have some of 'her' music on my mp3 player. Hey, it's not ALL Kelly Clarkson!

Spring Break draws to a close, and it's been fun. Take care, folks!

A Kid's Questionaire about Dad

Kid Questionnaire
Ask your child(ren) to answer the questions and type their answers in.
Connor – age 7 Sunday March 15, 2009 at 12:10pm
(I've tried to write these answers exactly as he gave them to me.)

1. What is something dad always says to you?
I love you!

2. What makes dad happy?
Being with me.

3. What makes dad sad?
Not being with me.

4. How does your dad make you laugh?
You tickle me!

5. What was your dad like as a child?
You loved kung fu.

6. How old is your dad?
28 (Thanks, Connor!)

7. How tall is your dad?
20 or 30 inches.

8. What is his favorite thing to watch on TV?
Chinese Kung Fu

9. What does your dad do when you're not around?
Usually go to your school.

10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?
Because you teach so much kung fu!

11. What is your dad really good at?
Kung Fu.

12. What is your dad not very good at?
Not loving me!

13. What does your dad do for his job?
Do Kung Fu!

14. What is your dad's favorite food
Noodles!

15. What makes you proud of your dad?
Beating Halo 3 on XBOX.

16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?
Tom from Tom and Jerry.

17. What do you and your dad do together?
Make my breakfast, take me to school, put me to bed, read stories.

18. How are you and your dad the same?
We’re both boys…I think I know that.

19. How are you and your dad different?
We don’t have the same colored eyes.

20. How do you know your dad loves you?
You do things for me, you care for me, and you tickle me.

21. What does your dad like most about your mom?
Her eyes…they’re the same color as mine.

22. Where is your dad's favorite place to go?
Lemme guess…The Noodle House! Geez….

A Rainy Saturday Survey

What is on your bed right now?
Comforters, sheets, and pillows

When was the last time you threw up?
Oh...um...I was sick several weeks ago, but can't remember exactly when.

What's your favorite word or phrase?
I have to pick just ONE? Geez, I'm such a verbal guy, and there are tons of silly comments, quotes, and one-liners to pick from...

Name 3 people who made you smile today?
Christina, Connor, and Kelly

What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
Fixing an omelette and watching a video on proper application of tai chi techniques.

What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween!

What is the last thing you said aloud?
"Hey, Dummy..." I was talking sweetly to our pug puppy.

What is the best ice cream flavor?
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

What was the last thing you had to drink?
Water

What are you wearing right now?
I'm fully dressed for a change. Jeans, underarmor long-sleeve shirt, Katy Krav Maga t-shirt, sock, shoes, underwear. Wait, lemme check...yes, underwear.

What was the last thing you ate?
I hate to admit it, but I was in a rush, and got a cheeseburger.

Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
I bought some new wrestling shoes.

When was the last time you ran?
I did some interval sprints on Monday.

What's the last sporting event you watched?
UFC 96

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Scotland, or Australia

Who is the last person you sent a comment/​message on myspace?
My brother.

Ever go camping?
Yup...love it!!

Do you have a tan?
Nope.

Have you ever lost anything down a toilet?
Only stuff that really, really belonged down there in the first place.

Do you use smiley faces on the computer alot?
Fairly often.

Do you drink your soda from a straw?
Hmmm....I guess I do! Had to stop and think about that.

What did your last text message say?
OK, be 15 mins

Are you someone's best friend?
I believe I do hold that honor.

What are you doing tomorrow?
A whole bunch of nothin'!!!!

Where is your mom right now?
I would guess that she's at her house in Indiana.

Look to your left, what do you see?
Our pug puppy, Boba. Or "Dummy", if you prefer.

Ever ridden on a roller coaster?
Oh, yes...many times.

What is your birthstone?
Opal

Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
Usually the drive through.

Do you have any friends on myspace that you actually hate?
Nope.

Do you have a dog?
Yes, the aforementioned Boba.

Last person you talked to on the phone?
Brian

Any plans today?
Yep...going to a birthday party.

Are you happy?
Yup. I tend to be quite happy, but not quite satisfied. That attitude keeps me training and working towards better things.

Where are you right now?
I'm in our guestroom...it's where we keep the 'big' computer.

Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
Taxes and homeowner's associations.

Last songs listened to?
Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You". She's in love with me, I tell you!

Last movie you saw?
Watchmen. I just loved the Rorschach character, if not the rest of the movie. Upon being placed in prison, along with many hardened criminals that he sent there, Rorschach was told, "Hey, there's about 50 guys gunnin' for you, and you're locked in here with us." His response was simple, "You're wrong...you're locked in here with me." The little guy was such a bad-ass!!

Are you allergic to anything?
I occasionally have to work around my asthma, which is aggravated by dust, ragweed, cats, and a few other things here and there. I'm sure that was more than you needed to know about my inner workings.

Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
Whatever pair of wrestling shoes I'm currently using for my training.

Is anyone jealous of you?
Uh...I have no idea.

Do any of your friends have children?
Most of them do.

Do you eat healthy?
Most of the time, absolutely. However, my students all know that I'm also partial to chocolate cake and orange Monsters.

What do you usually do during the day?
I enjoy working out (I know those abs are around here somewhere...), training to improve my martial arts skills, and I teach at my school 6 days a week.

Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
Yup.

How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
40. I'm strongly considering the idea of running a full marathon to celebrate my birthday. I might actually have to train for this one, though...I can survive a 13.1 mile Half-Marathon with nothing more than my usual martial arts conditioning and training, but the full 26.2 miles? I'll actually have to work up to that.

How did u get one of your scars?
I have a handful of burn scars on my lower legs. They're barely visible now, but I managed to set myself on fire as a toddler...not a happy time for my folks, but I came out of it perfectly OK.

Success! Lacrosse hits and decent knees.

Many of you know that my knee has been a bit gimpy this past month or so. There was no single injury to which I could point and say, 'Oh, yeah, THAT's what hurt my knee!' Most likely, it was simply a cumulative thing that finally showed up. Squats have been out of the question for weeks, and I haven't been able to do nearly as much running and conditioning as I'd like...frustrating, to say the least. However, I decided to play it smart for once, and let the knee rest so that it would have a chance to heal.

This past week, I've noticed big improvements every day, and I decided to try the knee out at todays lacrosse game. I had already planned to pay very close attention to it during the game, and if it felt wonky at all at any time, I'd just step off the field and call it a day.

I'm thrilled to say that, not only did the knee function perfectly well, but I actually played a decent game this time around! I didn't score at all, but I won a couple of faceoffs, blocked one shot with my thigh (OK, that really hurt), and managed to put two of the opposing players out of the game with perfectly legal hits. They both came back to play later, and I was pretty concerned about them, but they were both fine...just had the wind knocked out of them by yours truly.

Now for the other side of that coin, I'd like to mention that my first hit of the game was actually done to me, rather than by me. Didn't even see the guy. I caught a pass, dodged the guy playing defense on me and shot at the goal...and BAM!!! Friends, that guy hit me so hard that I rolled backwards and ended up standing on my feet again. No kidding. After a quick systems check, I was thrilled to find that nothing was injured, so I just went back to playing. Yay for me! Of course, my shot had gone nowhere near the goal. Such is life.

So we're all home now, resting. My wife is snoring quietly on the couch, Connor is playing computer games in his room, and I'm thinking that the idea of dinner is getting more and more interesting by the minute...guess I'd better get up and find something to eat.

ABC's

1. A is for age: 39...honestly, still feel like I'm in my late 20's, but slightly more round.

2. B is for beer of choice: I don't drink...you never know when the ninjas will attack.

3. C is for career right now: Owner and Head Instructor of Jade Mountain Martial Arts

4. D is for your dog's name: Boba. As in Boba Fett. As in "You wanna little piece of Boba?"

5. E is for essential item you use everyday: Food. Must...have...food.

6. F is for favorite TV show at the moment: Several...Eleventh Hour, CSI:NY and Vegas, Legend of the Seeker.

7. G is for favorite game: Lacrosse

8. H is for Home town: Angleton, TX

9. I is for instruments you play: voice (in the shower only), clarinet

10. J is for favorite juice: orange

11. K is for whose butt you'd like to kick: My wife's former boss...he lives only because I decided not to kill him.

12. L is for last place you ate: Home.

13. M is for marriage: 5 years to first wife, then 10 years to Christina

14. N is for your full name: William Whitsitt McClendon III

15. O is for overnight hospital stays: None for me. A few with my wife and son.

16. P is for people you were with today: Mostly, my students (Kung Fu Family) and son.

17. Q is for quote: "Sometimes...that happens."

18. R is for Biggest Regret: I've learned many lessons during my life, and some of those were painful. I do try to live without regrets as much as possible.

19. S is for status: Feeling pretty darned groovy today!

20. T is for time you woke up today: 7:00am

21. U is for underwear you have on now: Lemme check...gray. I left my leopard print undies at home.

22. V is for vegetable you love: lots...broccoli, green beans, peas

23. W is for worst habit: Daily Monsters.

24. X is for x-rays you've had: right wrist, groin (kidney stone back in HS)

25. Y is for yummy food you ate today: I had a fabulous omelet for breakfast!

26. Z is for zodiac sign: Scorpio and Rooster. Some folks say that this explains a lot.

Just another Friday...

It's Friday morning, and I'm really having trouble believing my eyes...our 5 month old pug, Boba (I actually call him Dummy more than anything else) is quietly laying on the floor, chewing a rawhide thing, and staying out of trouble for a change. Wait...ok, now he's chewing on the rug again. I knew that couldn't last, but it was a really, really nice 18 seconds of peace and quiet.

Everyone's home again, and I've been regaled with tales of Maya ruins, cenotes, and fun on the cruise ship. They've just about got me sold on the idea that I need to go next time and enjoy my first cruise.

I should say my first 'real' cruise. I have been on a cruise ship before, a gambling cruise out of Galveston. It was years ago, and we were supposed to head out into the Gulf for a few hours, enjoy the onboard casinos, and then return. Unfortunately, the weather was not so good, and we were enshrouded in fog. And we got stuck out there in the Gulf. All night. Folks were sleeping wherever they could find floor space, and the choppy waters made the whole deal rather icky. I recall walking on the deck in search of a bathroom and feeling like a drunk, only to look up and see another guy ahead of me weaving along just the same as me...it was just the motion of the ship making us walk that way. We finally returned to port at around 8am the next morning, instead of 11pm the night before as planned. Blech!

Since then, I haven't been thrilled to go on another cruise, even a 'real' one. But, maybe that time has come. Hey, all the food is included, and that's music to my ears!! I'll keep you posted.

The knee seems almost healed up...tai chi and kung fu are easier every day, and I've begun working out again with some minor changes in the routines. I'm still feeling a bit weak in that area, but I'm pleased with the progress. We've got a game this Sunday, and I'm hoping that I'll be good to go. It's been a really long three weeks since this whole thing started, and I'm looking forward to getting back in action!

That's about it for now. Nothing spectacular. I'm looking forward to an enjoyable day teaching martial arts and I might even squeeze in some house cleaning. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Rollerblades and hilarity.

I'm a pretty coordinated person. I've trained in Kung Fu and other martial arts for nearly 30 years, still play lacrosse, and can generally catch anything that I accidentally knock off a shelf with ninja-like speed and dexterity. However, I look like a total and complete fool on Rollerblades.

Our pug, Boba, likes to run. Yes, I know that's odd, but he can't seem to get enough of hauling his cinnamon roll tail down the street at top speed. It's a bit unwieldy for me to ride a bike and hold his leash at the same time, so I figured I'd just dust off my Rollerblades and go from there.

One of my few and inspired moments of wisdom slapped me in the face this morning when I thought, "Hmmm....I should try these out by myself before attempting to walk the dog in them."

That thought most likely saved my life.

I put the dog in his kennel, squeezed into my 'blades and accompanying pads (elbow, knee, and wrist) and stepped out into the driveway. It was immediately apparent that over a dozen years has passed since I've worn those skates, and I very nearly killed myself several times. In the driveway. Not the street, the driveway. I didn't actually make it to the street, where I would have been walking the dog at top speed and dodging cars at the same time.

I'm thrilled that my time on this earth has actually taught me something. As a younger and more foolish man, I probably would have just thought "Hey, I'll be fine! Let's go, dog!" and then been dragged down the street by our 4 month old pug, scraping every exposed piece of skin on our gravely street, screaming like a little girl. Chalk one up for experience, friends.

So rather than suffer the indignity of a pug-dragging, I'll just ride the bike again. Maybe some snazzy new skates will help...or at least, I'll get dragged down the street in style.

Quiet. Lots of quiet.

It's an odd sensation, sitting here in on my couch and hearing...nothing. Maybe some light snoring from Boba, the pug, but that's it. Wife and son are on a large boat, headed for Mexico. Brian is on his way to Austin after a short visit. Larry is in Fort Worth learning cool Krav Maga type stuff. And so, I'm home alone, listening to the silence.

I don't often have this opportunity, and I'm not complaining. Unless everyone in the house is asleep, there's always something going on. Even then, it always feels like there's something about to happen. Busy, busy, busy, yes sir. But with everyone gone, I finally have a chance to be alone with my thoughts, and it can be a bit daunting. There's quite a bit rolling around in my head, tons of things I'd like to get done, projects I'd like to start, things I'd like to write, watch, read, and the like. What to do?

Actually, it's been so long since I've had time by myself that I decided to do something that's exceedingly rare for me...I took a nap. And no one woke me. Having accomplished this, I'm thinking of taking the dog for a walk, and maybe working on one of my short stories later on. Honestly, I doubt I'll achieve anything of great import this afternoon, but that's ok with me. Naps are good.

This was a busy weekend up to now. Mark and Mike competed in the Animal Fightwear Submission Championships on Saturday, and both performed admirably. It was a well-run event, and it was good to see old friends and watch the competitions. During a couple of 'Superfights', some folks showed that their arms were just not as susceptible to armbars as ours are. Ouch! Our guys enjoyed their matches, and although they didn't win, we've found some directions in which to take their training. Cool.

Afterwards, Brian and I stopped off at Pho Mai and had some fabulous noodles for lunch. Then back to my house, where we chatted, caught up, and watched fights on Spike. Nothing of import, but as always, it was great to have BB down for a visit.

So now I'm here alone with time on my hands. As usual, the idea of having total freedom to do whatever I want leaves me in a puddle of inaction. There's so much to do, so many choices that I end up doing almost none of them. So I'm going to peel myself off the couch and take the snoring dog for a walk. If anyone wants to give me a holler this weekend, please do.

Lacrosse news and goofy knees

As I walked up to the field for our first lacrosse game two weeks ago, I noticed a twinge in my right knee. My legs are generally strong as tree trunks, so I was concerned. However, after a decent warmup, the game went fine (as chronicled in my last post). Of course, the knee started throbbing immediately afterwards, but didn't get any worse.

I had two weeks until the next game, and I fully intended to be running sprints, distance intervals, scoop drills, all to get ready for our game against Northwest. Sadly, my knee flared up quite a bit the first week, and barely started to recover during the second week, so at gametime, I was no better off than I had been for the first game. In fact, I think I lost a step.

Nelson, the goalie, did come out of the cage early on, and I happily laid into him with everything I had...neither of us went down, but I think he may have dropped the ball. Mission accomplished! However, there's a lot more to a lacrosse game than hitting folks, and I really wasn't that effective at that either. I did the best I could during the rest of the game, but never really felt like I was 'in the zone'. Driving away, I felt more than a little disappointed.

The knee’s still bugging me, but I’ve still managed some productive running workouts this week. I finally went back to Massage Envy and found a suitable therapist (I miss Amy E. something awful), and I think I’m on the right track. Hopefully, my knee will return to its usual strength soon. At the moment, I’m running only a bit faster than my pug puppy, and we both make the same wheezy, snorting sounds.

This week, I’ve got another game on Sunday Feb 15th at 2pm. I’m being specific because I would absolutely love some company out there. Our team is on the smallish side, and we hardly ever have a cheering section, so I’d like to invite anyone who’d like to see us play. This is your chance to possibly see me get knocked on my butt, so bring a lawn chair and some goodies for yourself, and come out to see us beat the crap out of each other! Cheer for the brave souls of Bayou City Lacrosse!!!

From Mason Road or Fry Road (Cinco Ranch area), go East on Westheimer Parkway, pass the kiddie soccer fields on your left, keep going, and then look for the adult soccer fields on your right. We’ll be the only guys running around with sticks.


Next week will bring an arrival and a departure…dear friend Brian will be arriving on Friday, but then my darling wife and son will be departing on a cruise on Saturday morning. Brian will only be down for a couple of days, and we’ll have some sparring and merriment. Wife and son will be gone for a week as they head south to see the Mayan ruins in Mexico. Cooooool. Next time, I’m going along!

Rambling, rambling...and 16 Random Things

It seems that I've waited a bit too long since my last post...stuff has happened about which I should have written, but this post will have to do. I know I'm going to leave stuff out, but it's late at night, I'm sleepy, so I hope my readers will cut me some slack.

Our new pug's name is Boba. Yes, as in 'Boba Fett'. As you might guess, there are reasons for this. Mainly, we laughed so hard at the 'Robot Chicken' Star Wars parodies that we just had to use it. Boba Fett was featured several times in the 2 half-hour episodes, and he ended up being one of our favorites. Dig around on YouTube, and you'll see what I mean. Our fabulous pooch also answers to Bootie, Boochie, Booda, Butthole, Buttlick, and our other favorite: Dumbass.

So Boba is doing quite well. We are Dog Whispering him as best we can, and he's responding pretty much as we'd hoped. He's still not 100% house trained, but we're getting there. He's a super-cute little guy, and generally well-behaved. Honestly, I missed having a pug far more than I've ever mentioned. I love the snoring, snuffling, and the 'belly-runs'. It's wonderful to have Boba here, even if he keeps thinking that he's supposed to eat his bed, rather than sleep in it.

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Monkey is now swimming three days a week, and is having a blast. He sports a bright blue swim cap in addition to his lime green goggles, and is almost certain that he's the next Michael Phelps. He loves being in the water, and we just love seeing him do something that he enjoys so much. Swim Team competition is on the horizon, and we're super-excited to see him race. We couldn't care less if he wins, mind you...as long as he truly does his best, we're going to be thrilled all the way to our toes. I'll keep you posted.

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Thanks to a generous donation from my dear Mom, we're scheduled to rip out the old, canvas mat that currently covers the floor at Jade Mountain, and replace it with a fabulous new vinyl one. Our happy crew of volunteers will be showing up at around 2pm Sunday, and I've promised myself that I won't play any Kelly Clarkson music while we're working for fear of someone hurting themselves by rolling their eyes too hard.

Although the mat is a gorgeous dark green, and will make the entire room just a bit darker, we think that it will really change the appearance of the school for the better. It'll be fabulous to leave the duct tape in some dusty drawer, rather than continue taping rip after rip in the floor! I'll post some pics when we're done.

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Today marked the first game of the 2009 Gulf Coast Lacrosse Association spring season, and we enjoyed playing Tony's Tavern. I think they were league champs last season, so we were determined to give them a good game, in spite of the odds. I'm not sure of the final score, but I think we got 3.

I had been concerned about my speed and stamina on the lacrosse field, so I walked on the field happy that I've been training steadily for the last couple of months, but still wondering if I'd be able to run back and forth for a whole game. As usual, we only had a handful of substitutes on the sidelines, so we all got as much playtime as we could stand.

Happily, I did just fine. I found that I'm still losing a step when I start running, but once I got my bulk moving in the right direction, I was able to play pretty effectively. I recovered quickly, moved well, and kept my silly mistakes to a minimum. There was one pretty blatant offsides foul, but considering that I had just finished fighting three opposing players for possession of the ball, it's no wonder that I forgot to count how many of our guys had stayed in the defensive half of the field once I got out of that little tussle. Crud.

I took three shots, none of which worried the opposing goalie at all. After one shot, I took a full-power hit from one of their big defensemen that very literally knocked the snot out of me (my nose was runny, OK?) when I landed flat on my back. Fortunately, I wasn't hurt at all, so I hopped up to keep playing. I did enjoy using my kung fu skills when I took another hit from the side while I was running...I ended up flying through the air like Superman, but without the cape. We've been working on rolling recently, and it was nice to know that I could still take a hit, roll, and come up running without missing a beat. Whew!

I managed a few decent hits in the second half of the game, but nothing spectacular. Maybe next time. I'm planning two weeks of sprints, intervals, and agility drills to help me improve my performance. At this point, I'm just thrilled to still be playing a tough sport that I love.

You see, I'm nearly 40 now. It's hard for me to believe sometimes, I mean...40. FORTY YEARS OLD. Most folks I know at this age are complaining about how much weight they've gained, or how their bodies hurt after a single leisurely game of pick-up basketball with their kids. I'm always sympathetic, but I'm also my father's son, and Homie don't play that.

Those of you who knew my father knew that he stayed athletic and active well into his late seventies. Two years ago, and nearly blind, he still managed to beat everyone present at his local bowling alley. Something that has been on my mind lately was the fact that almost everything I know about my Dad, all my impressions of his super-solid work ethic, his athleticism, his love for life and passion for doing whatever he liked, all those impressions were obviously formed during my lifetime.

My Dad was already over 40 when I was born, folks. He was MORE active in his second 40 years than many folks 20 years younger. I think that explains why I never once thought about the fact that my Dad was older than my friend's dads until I was an adult. It had just never come up. Dad did all the same things that the other dads did, he just did them with his own flare and high energy, and never let little things like an extra 20 years or a missing left hand slow him down.

So 40 or not, I'm heading to the lacrosse field, the dojo, the competition mat, the track, or wherever I want to play, compete, and have some fun. Thanks for the inspiration, Dad.

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And one last item...16 Random Things About Me.

1. I like orange Monster.
2. I've trained in Kung Fu since 1982.
3. I could eat at Pho Mai five days a week. Really.
4. I still have a massive crush on Cathy Dennis.
5. I'm pretty sure that Kelly Clarkson wants me to spank her.
6. I truly feel that meeting my wife was the result of divine intervention.
7. I have written several short stories and 1.5 books of a fantasy trilogy.
8. I type really quickly.
9. I passed out at 'attention' as a freshman in high school marching band.
10. I ended up as a Drum Major as a senior in high school marching band.
11. I performed a strip routine at a high school journalism party in a bowling alley.
12. I climbed to the 3rd floor at Krueger Hall at Texas A&M...on the outside.
13. I have a younger brother and two half-sisters.
14. I intensively studied spiders from age 8 to 12.
15. After a night at a karaoke club, I was asked to join a Barbershop singing group.
16. I once sent my bow flying across the gym in Archery class in college.

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Goodbye, 2008...Hello, 2009! Tales of pugs and puke.

Happy New Year! Usually, I start the new year off with some kind of insane workout. This morning, though, I was still recovering from a couple of rough flights and some annoying allergies, so my workout was done on the couch. I did several reps of rolling over and getting more comfortable. Never fear, I will at least get out for a nice little run before the day is done.

Yesterday, Christina drove to Yoakum, TX to pick up our little pug puppy. However, she was due for a surprise. Upon arrival, the lady in charge told her that she had another pug, a 5-year-old female, who desperately needed a home. They were moving, she said, and could not keep her. If we didn't take her, she'd have to go to a local shelter, and all the local shelters are 'kill-shelters'. That is, if your dog isn't adopted soon, it's simply euthanized.

Christina didn't hesitate...she scooped up both dogs and headed home. We've used Pug Rescue before, and really like them. There was a time, around 5 years ago, when things were different around here. I was working full-time and building my teaching practice. Christina was finishing school and taking care of our toddling Monkey. Our two beloved pugs ended up at the bottom of the priority list, and it broke our hearts. We made the decision to let another family adopt them both, and Pug Rescue found them an absolutely fabulous home. Their new family was wealthy and loving, and had just lost their oldest of two pugs, so they were thrilled with Beauty and Beast. We even got to visit them!

We talked all day yesterday about keeping them both, but decided that the responsible thing will be to let someone else love LoLo and spoil her rotten. If any of you dog lovers in Katy are interested, you'd better let me know quickly! We've already contacted Pug Rescue and are scheduled to drop her off at a Vet Clinic early tomorrow morning. They'll take good care of her, find her a home, and she will NOT be put to sleep.

I have found that the sound of a snoring pug is one of the most comforting sounds I know, and that I have missed it greatly.
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It is now time to tell the tale of our flight home. This is not for the squeamish, so be warned.

Flying United has been much more enjoyable for us than flying Continental. The planes are newer, bigger, more comfortable, and more quiet than my own car. Even so, the flight from South Bend to Chicago undulated enough for all of us to become a bit woozy. The much longer flight to Houston started off just fine. One of the male flight attendants was quite funny, and even took the time to do a couple of magic tricks for Connor before takeoff.

About halfway through the flight, Connor had to go to the bathroom. Christina escorted him. While standing outside the door, she heard him call her name, so she opened the door to find him sitting calmly on the toilet, and puking his guts out onto the floor in front of him.

And that's when we hit the turbulence.

It felt like we were getting shot at by anti-aircraft cannon. Christina attempted to get my attention (we hadn't been able to sit together) and failed. She was buffeted back and forth in the back of the plane while poor Connor continued to heave in the tiny airplane bathroom. During a lull in the action, she hustled over and finally managed to convey the import of the situation to me, so I hopped out of my seat to investigate.

Friends, when I opened that bathroom door, I had no idea what awaited me. It's a good thing that Connor's feet were several inches off the floor, because it was like stepping into a small lake of puke. Eek. However, no mere puddle of vomit can scare DaddyMan!! I took a deep breath, stepped inside with Connor, and shut the door behind me.

I used almost all of their paper towels. I hope they had more somewhere.

15 minutes later, we had Connor tidied up and changed into clean clothes. The bathroom was as clean as I could make it, especially from a position that most yoga masters only attain at high levels of training. Asked how he was feeling, Connor responded with a perky, "I feel GREAT!" I was not feeling so great at that point, but was relieved that he felt better.

And the remainder of the flight was perfectly wonderful in comparison.

So we made it home. All is well. The New Year has rung in, and we are wrung out. Classes start tomorrow, and everything should return to something resembling normal. My list of accomplishments from 2008 was longer than I thought it would be, and I'm still working on my goals for 2009. So far, they are as follows:

1. Move to a bigger school
2. Crossfit certification
3. Win 1st Place in competition
4. Lose Ten Pounds...replace with 5 pounds muscle.
5. Compete in a Sprint Triathlon
6. Complete my Taxes before the end of March
7. Organize our house
8. Paint and reorganize our shed.

There are others, but these stand out in my mind.

Christina is making soup. I'd better go. Have a fantastic year!!

Whit vs. Bambi...no clear winner.

Last night, our poor Monkey was exhausted after a day of puking, light fever, and diarrhea. My darling Christina suggested that I go to the gas station and bring him a Sprite to settle his stomach. It was around 6:30pm when I finally got out the door...dark already.

Driving Mom's suv, I tend to drive a bit on the slow side. OK, I always tend to drive a bit slowly, but that's beside the point. The gas station was maybe a half a mile away, and once I left the subdivision, it was a straight shot from here to there. There was little traffic, the radio was on low, and all was right with the world.

BAM!!!

A deer had run out in front of me. I only recall seeing it for an instant as it slammed into my hood. I hadn't even had time to hit the brakes.

I slowed down and pulled over immediately. I walked back towards where I figured the deer might be...no deer. I looked around the weeds and towards the darkened forest nearby...nope. I stood quietly and listened for awhile, since there was no traffic, and heard...not a darn thing. The deer was nowhere to be found.

Damage to the car was minimal (which means it'll probably cost a fortune). The headlight assembly on that side is broken and loose, part of the body above the bumper was dented in, and there were tufts of deer hair stuck in the bumper. No blood, though. And again, no animal was in sight.

I have to say...that was one tough deer! I can only imagine it staggering to its feet, turning to look at my taillights in the distance, and saying, "Is THAT all you've got? You're lucky I've got things to do, or I'd stick around and kick your ass!"

My hat's off to you, deer. You might be dumb enough to run right in front of an SUV driving 35-40mph at night, but at least you're tough enough to keep on trucking. See you next year!

Discoveries, holidays.

We made it up here to Indiana, and have had a wonderful time. I know that Mom must think that we're the biggest slackers ever...on vacation, we tend to stay up until 2 or 3am and then sleep until 10 or 11. Mom gets up at 5am every day, so her day's half-over before we stagger up the stairs. Even so, we're all having a grand time.

I've taken it upon myself to scan and document the hundreds of pictures Mom has collected over the years. In the process, I'm uncovering dozens of previously unknown stories about my family. Some are sad. Some are hilarious. Some just make you go 'hmmmmmm.' But I'm absolutely loving every single one of them. Many of these pictures are completely new to me, so I have to ask Mom about them. She acts like she doesn't remember, but then launches into a rather detailed (and often funny) account of the circumstances that surround the picture.

Luckily, my wife is a scrapbooker possessed of mad skills. She's absolutely salivating at the prospect of having all of this history at her fingertips, and I know that she'll produce some fantastic scrapbooks eventually.

I'd love to post what I'm finding, but frankly, there's just too much for me to write about just now. I'm attempting to box everything up so that I can ship it home for scanning, but I keep stumbling across something that just needs to be scanned right away.

Christmas was great! Mom is far too generous, as always. As the Master Chief, I'm totally bad-ass...the Covenant aliens don't stand a chance. And just what the heck is Viva Pinata anyway? The best I can figure is that it's something best played after imbibing far too much Nyquil. Sis-in-Law Joanna had her baby, Evan Monty Tucker, on Dec 26, and all is well. Cute kid!

Max, Connor's Elf-on-the-Shelf, was supposed to appear when we got here. However, he was in our luggage, and so we didn't get him until Christmas Day, when he was supposed to 'head back to the North Pole.' Connor was crushed that he didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Max. However, Max miraculously reappeared that night, and we explained that he had probably been watching over our luggage, thereby earning a couple of extra days with our family. I've never seen a little boy so happy.

Mom's really enjoyed spending time with Connor. Truth be told, we feel a little bit guilty leaving him with her while we run little errands here and there, but she assures us that she adores spending time with him. However, she probably won't take him shopping again, as he can be a bit of a handful.

We enjoyed watching the UFC fights with my brother this weekend. I had the chance to play the Wii. OK, I admit it...the thing is kind of fun. I still box better without the controllers, though. And I'm a touch embarassed that my 5-yr-old niece bowls far better than I. It must be that loopdy-loop delivery that she's perfected. Crazy stuff. If Dad were still alive, I bet he'd have found a way to beat us at Wii golf, bowling, and tennis, just as he did before.

We'll spend the rest of the day packing up and otherwise being lazy. We're looking forward to getting home, but leaving here will be a bit more sad for me than usual. Mom's finally on Facebook, so that'll help keep us closer. One of these days, maybe she'll actually post something there.

Plains, Trains, and Charter Buses

Things started off well enough. We asked the amazing Larry if he could drop us off at the airport on Tuesday no later than 12:30pm. No problem. The flight was scheduled to depart at 2:29pm, so we wanted to leave plenty of time so that we could make our flight with no rush, no stress...some lunch in the airport, an easy walk to the appropriate gate, a tiny bit of waiting around, and then a nice flight to Chicago. Then a short flight to South Bend, Indiana. At least, that was the plan.

Here's the thing: the weather in Chicago was horrible. They weren't letting planes land or takeoff. That meant that our plane wouldn't even leave the ground until Chicago gave the thumbs up for us to do so. Hurry up and wait, folks.

So, we waited. And waited. And...............waited. At around 4pm, they said that we would begin boarding at around 4:45pm, so Monkey and I wandered off to get some sandwiches for the ride. As soon as we had placed our order (at about 4:15pm), Christina called. "They're boarding!" Oh. Crap.

We hustled back as fast as we could, only to find that the horde of folks awaiting our flight were still slowly filing on board. No problem. We ambled on the plane and settled in for the flight.

This was all well and good, but little did we know that our waiting skills were to be tested this day. Our plane fired up the engines, taxiied around a bit, and then...it parked. We were apologetically informed that Chicago weather had worsened, and that we had to wait again. At least they showed a movie to pass the time.

I'm not sure when we actually got off the ground, but we landed safely in Chicago long after the last flight to South Bend had departed. So we dutifully stood in line to reschedule. Christina had a bright idea, and we called a number from one of the pamphlets at the information desk. Suddenly, we had secured a fabulously cheap rate for one night at the Hyatt Rosemont! Whoa! Then, we touched base with the airline folks about our luggage and next flight, and they suggested we take the bus...and gave us free tickets. Whoa! Cool! So we hustled off to find the hotel shuttle.

I'll shorten this for you...we waited an hour for the shuttle, 20 minutes to check in at the hotel, and 20 minutes for our to-go order to be filled at the hotel restaurant. At nearly midnight, we staggered into our room to a couple of fabulous surprises: 1. the room was super-nice(especially for only $69!), and 2. the food was friggin' FANTASTIC! Expensive, but fantastic.

This morning, things went much better. We found our bus after only an hour and a half of fun conversation with Debbie, a fellow-traveler, and the ride to South Bend was relaxing, fun, and uneventful. We even managed to locate two of our bags at the airport when we arrived! Of course, the one with all of our clothes, presents, and medicines was nowhere to be found. "F$#% you, stripey bag!" They said they'll call us when it shows up. Maybe next time, we'll just take the train from Texas.

So we're here at last. It's great to see Mom, and we'll see everyone else tomorrow. Ho ho ho!

One other note...we just got word that little sister Joanna has apparently been stricken with ecclampsyia. Fortunately, they caught it before things went haywire, and she's only 2 weeks from her due date anyway. All is well, and it looks like she'll be having a Christmas baby boy! I'll keep everyone posted.

Happy Holidays, folks. Share the love. Hug everyone in sight. And maybe give your spouse a little holiday spankin'. ;-)

A New Addition

Many of you know that we've been trying to add another little member to our fantastic little family. Well, we've succeeded! Maybe not in the way you think, but we're pretty excited about it!

We're dog people. For many years, we had two pugs, Beauty and Beast. Christina already had Beauty when we met. Indeed, I honestly didn't expect for Beauty to come as part of the package when Christina and I moved in together, but it took only moments for me to fall in love with her googly eyes and goofy walk. For one of the ugliest pugs I've ever seen, Beauty was a total sweetheart, and I could not resist her.

Beast came about a year later. We had been thinking that Beauty would enjoy having a companion, so we looked around and found a male pug puppy for sale by a nice couple in Alvin, TX. I remember driving home with him in my cupped hands on my lap. He was an awesome pooch, and I admit that I still miss him.

We had Beauty and Beast for many years, and then Connor arrived. With the demands of a child, Christina finishing school, and me working two jobs, we began to fear that we just couldn't take care of the pugs in the way they deserved. It broke our hearts, but we contacted a pug rescue service, who took the dogs to a vet, where they boarded until a new home was found for them. We kept tabs on them since, and had a chance to come and visit them now and again. We enjoyed seeing them happy in their new home, and although we were saddened when Beauty passed away, we felt that we had done the right thing by giving them up when we did.

Years later, we're living completely different lives. I've got far more free time now that I run my own martial arts school, Christina is a stay-at-home Super Mom, and the Monkey is 7 years old. We're finally able to take care of a puppy again. And we've been really missing our pugs lately, and after discussing it at length, we figured that we should at least start looking for one.

Ah, the universe works in fabulous ways. Someone had already paid a deposit on a pug puppy in Yoakum, TX. Just like Beast, he was born to a family who had two pugs, and only bred them occasionally...they weren't a puppy mill or professional breeder. However, the folks who wanted him blew up their radiator on their way to pick him up. Weighing the cost of their car repairs against the expense of the puppy, they opted to fix the car. Understandable. However, that left the door open for us, and Christina saw the ad online, called the lady, and here we are!



Ta-daaaaa!!! He's really sweet, and pretty well-behaved as far as we could tell. No loud barking, no squirming around...just happy to be held and petted.

We've really missed having a dog around. So, we're looking forward to having the little guy join our family soon. And we're watching a lot of Cesar Millan: The Dog Whisperer, in preparation for having him around. We're discussing names constantly. Here are some of our ideas:

Tank
Maximus
Leonidas
Poopy Pants
T-Shane
Titan
Dammit
Dummy
Sh#@head
Brutus
Silly Beaver
Beaver Nuggets
Beau Gyna (say it fast...you might figure it out)

We're actually leaning towards naming it Mister Mac. That was one of my Dad's nicknames, and somehow seemed right. However, the other name that had us in stitches was this one:

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Buttlick Johnson.

I can imagine standing at the back door and hollering for him to come in.

"Buttlick! Buuuuuuuuuutt-liiiiiiiick!! Buttlick Johnson, you get in here!!"

I'll let you know what we decide. Take care, folks. Happy Holidays!!

Future Sis-In-Law Kicks Butt in the Tucson Marathon!!

My future sis-in-law (Christina's Brother's fiancee, Julie) is a seriously kick-ass runner. I usually run the Houston Half-Marathon every year, and I generally come in at about 2 hours and 20 minutes...more or less. That's 13.1 miles for me. Julie crosses the finish line only 30 minutes later...but, she runs the entire 26.2 miles. The woman is FAST. Recently, she ran in the Tuscon Marathon.

Here's an excerpt from the Arizona Daily Star:

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Special to the Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 12.08.2008

Women's winner Julie Simcik finished first in just her fifth competitive marathon with a time of 2:50:12.

Simcik, 26, said running gives her an escape and she was trying to keep it simple in Sunday's race.

"My goal is to look for the girl in front of me and go get her," she said. "But (today) there was no one in front of me.

"I didn't like the Biosphere run and I couldn't wait to get back on Oracle (Road). Once you're back on Oracle you feel like you're home free." Simcik, who lives in Chandler, Arizona, finished 11th overall. She said she doesn't maintain a specific training regimen to prepare for races. Instead, she just likes to go on long runs.

"I don't do speed workouts. I just try to run every day," she said. "About two months before this marathon I started going on three-hour runs depending on how the weather was."

Second among women runners was Amanda Nilsen from Denver with a time of 2:55:57. It was her first Tucson Marathon.

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Of course, I've got a few things to say about this. WOW. She won the women's division in a friggin' marathon, 5 minutes ahead of her nearest competitor. How absolutely magnificent.

I learned that she beat her previous personal best by around 6 minutes. That's tremendous. WOW, again.

AND...she did it without complicated training schedules, coaches, or specific eating plans. I don't even think she runs with an mp3 player. She just...well...she just runs. She runs because she loves it. She runs because she likes the way it makes her feel. She runs because it helps her to clear her mind and helps her to be a happier person.

Julie, congratulations. You are a huge inspiration. You totally rock!!!

Women's winner Julia Simcik is surprised to find out her time of 2:50:12 from fiancé Doug Prince, center, and friend Jayne Hutchinson.

Lessons from Track, 1987

I found some old scrapbooks in the shed today, loaded with stuff from high school. It's been over a decade since I've seen some of that stuff, and I was pleased to see that the books were still in pretty good shape. There were some old pics in there that will see the light of day online as soon as I can get a working scanner...those are good for a laugh, to be sure.

One of the pics was my junior year track picture. That brought up one memory that I've been dwelling on today for some reason. I'm not sure why this one has stuck in my head, but it's there nonetheless.

Back in the day, our track team ran a race called, and I kid you not, "The Fat Man Relay." This was a 400 meter relay in which the shotputters and discuss throwers took the track instead of the usual sprinters and distance runners. These guys were some extremely big dudes, and were solid athletes in their own events. In sprints, however…not so much. This was a race that we ran for fun, but even so, the guys ran their guts out when their time came. Well...more or less.

I recall a day when one particular athlete was running the second leg of a practice relay. He was taking it very seriously, as he did every event in which he competed. Unlike the other guys in his lane, he was stalking around his starting point, getting his mind right, and really focusing on the upcoming sprint. The others were goofing around, hanging out, just waiting to be told to get to the line and then when to start their sprint.

This one athlete (I'll call him Ken, though that certainly wasn't his real name) was not considered the brightest in the bunch, nor the most talented. Yet, he was dedicated, hard-working, and loyal...a really good guy. When the gun went off for that practice race, he was ready for action. The first runner thumped and clumped his way around the first turn and handed the baton to Ken, who grabbed it and ran like he was on-friggin'-FIRE. His face was clenched with strain, his big arms were pumping hard, and his massive legs were churning like crazy...and yet, his speed was not exactly what you might expect from such an effort.

The big guys around me started laughing, hooting, and hollering at how SLOW Ken was...and Coach absolutely EXPLODED. He turned around and lashed a backhanded slap at the nearest offenders shoulder, actually backing up the guy. Silence dropped on us like a hammerblow.

"You shut your mouths, all of you! Ken works his ass off every single day!! If any ONE of you worked HALF as hard as he does, you'd be F@&#ING CHAMPIONS, you know that?!" Shaking his head in utter disgust, Coach walked away and left us standing there, in shock.

The guys watched the rest of the run in silence. Later on, I saw a few of the guys quietly thumping Ken on the back and telling him what a good job he did. Nobody made a big deal out of it...just a “Good run, Ken,” here and a “Keep it up, Ken,” there.

Ken was never a shining star on the squad, but no one could put down his work ethic…the guy was in the weight room knocking out reps constantly. It never seemed to occur to him that he might not make it as a pro. No, he just wanted to do the very best he possibly could, each and every day. I always admired that.

In my job, I see folks every day, training hard, working towards their goals, and making progress at varying rates. I never really make a big deal out of the students who have natural ability, but I make special note of the ones who are really working up to their potential, those who are putting forth a constant, determined effort to learn and move forward in their training, in spite of their age, physical condition, etc. Those folks earn my respect, day in and day out.

I also ask myself what I’m doing to make use of my own natural talents and gifts...am I working my ass off every day, like Ken? Or am I chuckling on the sidelines? Some days are better than others, but I think I’ll put in some extra work today. Just in case.