My favoritest of holidays (in the "Non-Federal Holiday" category) has arrived! I was worried that I really wouldn't be able to enjoy it this year because I hadn't decided on a costume until early October, but sometimes those late epiphanies are the best. Too bad Halloween wasn't the only thing going on this past weekend.
On Friday night, Tom was in his second underwear contest in as many months. The first one was of the amateur variety, but this one actually had a slight chance of landing a modeling gig. I'll sum it up like this: 1) It's easy to win when you invited half the crowd there, and 2) It's real easy to win when the half of the crowd that doesn't know for you still cheers loudly because you're the best looking guy up there. So yeah, 1 + 2 = win. Cheers to him!
On Saturday morning, I had to head north for a football doubleheader. Our first game was pretty good, and I have to admit that I had a great touchdown catch, too! (The defender and I were both coming down with the ball. He had two arms on it; I had one. Before we were on the ground, I still had one arm on it and he had none. That's called brute force.) And we won that game for our second win of the season! Our second game was against an undefeated team one level higher than us. Since we knew we couldn't match their offensive firepower, we decided to slow the game down the game after we took a small lead. We ended up having a 10-minute drive in the second half that really upset the other team because we were talking about Halloween costumes in our huddle. We had 25 seconds for each play, so why not use up all the time? And we ended up beating them, too! It seems like we're peaking at just the right time, two weeks before the playoffs start!
After the game, I went out for burgers with my football team and one of the refs (you always have to suck up to the refs), before heading back to my apartment for Halloween. Tom, Matt and Matt's friend Doug from D.C. also came over so we could all get ready for Halloween. I don't know if I want to put pictures of our costumes on this blog (Matt and I were twins, so to speak), but I will say that I normally stand 6'6" from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. With my costume, I was easily 7'6" from the top of my ears to the bottom of my heels. We were quite a sight to see. (The other Doug was also an important part of our costume. We were a set.) Our costumes were so good that we couldn't walk five feet without people wanting to take their picture with us. We even distracted from the Halloween parade! It was a great, great Halloween. Probably one of my best ever. (If you really want to see a picture, just e-mail me.)
On Sunday morning, I had to wake up early because indoor volleyball season has started. My team is sponsored by the Dark Horse Bar, but we still got a 10:00am start on Sunday. We won three of our four games, which is a good start, but we should've won them all. My serves weren't working, so I just started working on my jump serve during our last game. (With a little practice, I should have that serve down pat.) Afterwards, we went out to our sponsor's bar for a late brunch and a Bloody Mary or two. Then it was time for a nap.
So, there was my Halloween weekend. One underwear contest, two football games, a night out in a costume, and four volleyball games. I was a bit tired at the end.
***Yup, there's my butt...again.***
Two weeks in a row now, my butt has shown on the football field. The first time, someone accidentally pulled down my pants. Fine. That happens. This time was a little more embarassing. I had the ball and didn't want to go out of bounds (because I didn't want to stop the clock), so I just dove forward. When I landed on the ground, I slid forward a bit. My shorts didn't. Whoops! Turns out the tie in my pants had broken.
Next game, I hope to keep my clothes on.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
We lost again...oh well.
We lost our football game on Saturday. Though our team-building activities from the previous week didn't help enough for us to win, it was still a very good game. It was back-and-forth the entire time. We just weren't able to pull it out in the end. Oh well. Everyone did get a great shot of my butt, though. I was cutting across the middle and caught a ball in traffic about ten yards down the field. A guy went to grab my flags, but instead grabbed my pants. And that's how everyone saw my butt! I would've scored on the play, since I actually made it into the endzone, but the ball was called back because there was offensive penalty. (It's the third touchdown I've lost this year because someone else on my team has gotten a penalty called on them! I've had my share of penalties, but they're usually on defense.) I still had a few highlight-reel catches, though, so it was a good day. (I possibly also got a minor concussion, I think, but I feel fine.)
After football, Tom and I went out for our friend Rob's going away party. He's moving back to England, so there was a huge blowout with tons of people. We started with dinner with eight people before meeting up with the masses. Because I was exhausted from football, though, I didn't stay out too late or have more than two drinks. (They chose a really crappy bar with a horrible beer selection. I would rather drink water than bad beer.) Even though I only just met Rob this past summer, it's sad to see him go. We played alot of volleyball together and I'm probably going to miss that next summer. (Of course, if he wasn't going back to England, I wouldn't have a volleyball team to play on, since I'm taking his spot.)
On Wednesday, Rob through another going away party that involved a night of karaoke. Wednesday is never a good night for karaoke, but I did stop by Rob's apartment after work, since people were gathering there first. After a quick drink there, Tom and I were off to a benefit with some of his friends. (It was a very casual benefit with performers and schmoozing and whatnot. Very relaxed. Very fun.) After saying karaoke was a bad idea for a Wednesday, I should've known that this benefit would be bad for Wednesday, too. Oh well. You live you learn.
Oh! I forgot! Before football on Saturday, Matt and I went out and bought our costumes! I can't wait for Halloween!
***On Sleep***
Sleeping is important. If you've known me for more than one day, you know how much I love sleep. Anyway, my sleep schedule has been screwed up recently. Because I was coming down with a cold last week, I took some Nyquil before bed just once to control my cough and whatnot. That screwed up my sleeping habits for the entire week. It was crazy. I'm never taking drugs to help me fall asleep again. Not worth it. I'd rather cough all night.
After football, Tom and I went out for our friend Rob's going away party. He's moving back to England, so there was a huge blowout with tons of people. We started with dinner with eight people before meeting up with the masses. Because I was exhausted from football, though, I didn't stay out too late or have more than two drinks. (They chose a really crappy bar with a horrible beer selection. I would rather drink water than bad beer.) Even though I only just met Rob this past summer, it's sad to see him go. We played alot of volleyball together and I'm probably going to miss that next summer. (Of course, if he wasn't going back to England, I wouldn't have a volleyball team to play on, since I'm taking his spot.)
On Wednesday, Rob through another going away party that involved a night of karaoke. Wednesday is never a good night for karaoke, but I did stop by Rob's apartment after work, since people were gathering there first. After a quick drink there, Tom and I were off to a benefit with some of his friends. (It was a very casual benefit with performers and schmoozing and whatnot. Very relaxed. Very fun.) After saying karaoke was a bad idea for a Wednesday, I should've known that this benefit would be bad for Wednesday, too. Oh well. You live you learn.
Oh! I forgot! Before football on Saturday, Matt and I went out and bought our costumes! I can't wait for Halloween!
***On Sleep***
Sleeping is important. If you've known me for more than one day, you know how much I love sleep. Anyway, my sleep schedule has been screwed up recently. Because I was coming down with a cold last week, I took some Nyquil before bed just once to control my cough and whatnot. That screwed up my sleeping habits for the entire week. It was crazy. I'm never taking drugs to help me fall asleep again. Not worth it. I'd rather cough all night.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The aftermath...
The week after the marathon wasn't too bad. On Monday, even though I went to volleyball practice, I still had trouble walking up and down stairs. On Tuesday, I only had trouble walking down stairs. By Wednesday, I was feeling good. Since my elbow had pretty much fully healed after a football injury, too, I was able to return to the gym to slowly start lifting weights again. It feels really good to get back into the old routine. I'm still not able to do full sets because I don't want to risk hurting my elbow again, so it might take awhile to gain back the 8 pounds I lost during marathon training.
Now that it's October, work has gotten ridiculously slow. I know I shouldn't say this, but there are some days when I hardly have anything to do and it actually kind of sucks. That's just the nature of the work, though, so I should be happy and take my breaks where I can get them. The only thing I'm working on now is a relationship with a new client. I visited them at the end of September, so now we're just trying to finalize everything. It's looking like it will go smoothly, so I'm happy.
On Saturday, we had two more football games. We started out 0-5, but it seems like we're finally coming together as a team. (We don't believe in practice, so it's taken us a few games to get in sync.) We ended the day 1-6! Yay! Our first win! Afterwards, we joined the team we beat in a really long bar crawl all in the name of "teamwork." We started at 4:00pm. The rules were pretty simple. There were twenty bars on the list and we were only going to be at each bar for 30 minutes. We all had to have one drink at each bar and it was basically a "last man standing" type of competition. I had no plans on going for the win, since I had a budget meeting at church the next morning, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from having a good time.
As expected on a bar crawl that long, there were some places I never even knew existed. By the third bar, people were placing bets on me being the first one to leave. It's cute when people underestimate me. Not only did I stay strong throughout the night, I also won two mini-competitions within the bar crawl. Around the sixth or seventh bar (who really knows?), I got into darts competition with two other guys. One of them had a chance to win, but they busted. As soon as I got my first chance to close it out, I did. At the twelfth bar, we had a punching competition. (There was a punching bag machine that measured how hard you hit it.)Alot of people joined in on this game, but basically came down to me and the quarterback from the team we had beaten. After the quarterback took the lead and was bragging about how strong he is, I got pissed. I took one final hit at the bag and crushed him. Yeah, he came in second place, but it wasn't even close.
I ended up stopping after the thirteenth bar because we were near my apartment and I still wanted eight hours of sleep before church the next morning. I was there on time for the 9:30am budget meeting, so I think I managed my time wisely this past weekend.
***Church Budget***
Who knew putting a church budget together could be so hard? The four-people on the committe are smart people, but it's still a difficult task. We have to forecast giving, expenses, and make plans for all the different ministries within the church, which means we have to be in touch with 10 or 15 other people to get their feedback. It's a crazy process (but worth it).
Now that it's October, work has gotten ridiculously slow. I know I shouldn't say this, but there are some days when I hardly have anything to do and it actually kind of sucks. That's just the nature of the work, though, so I should be happy and take my breaks where I can get them. The only thing I'm working on now is a relationship with a new client. I visited them at the end of September, so now we're just trying to finalize everything. It's looking like it will go smoothly, so I'm happy.
On Saturday, we had two more football games. We started out 0-5, but it seems like we're finally coming together as a team. (We don't believe in practice, so it's taken us a few games to get in sync.) We ended the day 1-6! Yay! Our first win! Afterwards, we joined the team we beat in a really long bar crawl all in the name of "teamwork." We started at 4:00pm. The rules were pretty simple. There were twenty bars on the list and we were only going to be at each bar for 30 minutes. We all had to have one drink at each bar and it was basically a "last man standing" type of competition. I had no plans on going for the win, since I had a budget meeting at church the next morning, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from having a good time.
As expected on a bar crawl that long, there were some places I never even knew existed. By the third bar, people were placing bets on me being the first one to leave. It's cute when people underestimate me. Not only did I stay strong throughout the night, I also won two mini-competitions within the bar crawl. Around the sixth or seventh bar (who really knows?), I got into darts competition with two other guys. One of them had a chance to win, but they busted. As soon as I got my first chance to close it out, I did. At the twelfth bar, we had a punching competition. (There was a punching bag machine that measured how hard you hit it.)Alot of people joined in on this game, but basically came down to me and the quarterback from the team we had beaten. After the quarterback took the lead and was bragging about how strong he is, I got pissed. I took one final hit at the bag and crushed him. Yeah, he came in second place, but it wasn't even close.
I ended up stopping after the thirteenth bar because we were near my apartment and I still wanted eight hours of sleep before church the next morning. I was there on time for the 9:30am budget meeting, so I think I managed my time wisely this past weekend.
***Church Budget***
Who knew putting a church budget together could be so hard? The four-people on the committe are smart people, but it's still a difficult task. We have to forecast giving, expenses, and make plans for all the different ministries within the church, which means we have to be in touch with 10 or 15 other people to get their feedback. It's a crazy process (but worth it).
Monday, October 12, 2009
Marathon!!!!
Yay! I completed my second marathon! Wee! But damn if it wasn't a long day.
So Tom and I woke up around 5:00am to get down to the starting line. Since he ran it two years ago, he offered to to be my guide. Since I wasn't too pumped about running a marathon, I stopped for coffee, hoping that would wake me up. (At the coffee shop, we ran into some teachers Tom had in middle school...Chicago is a strange, small world.) It was really fun getting down to the marathon because there were all these intense, focused runners...and me holding my coffee. When we stepped off the train and got the Grant Park, a beautiful sunrise was coming up over the lake. (I never want to be awake early enough to see that again, but it was pretty.) After checking my bag, I said bye to Tom (he was going to meet his mom, who watches all the marathons) and jumped into the starting corral. I was almost getting excited about running the marathon for which I hadn't done any training over the past month or so. All of a sudden..BAM! The starting gun goes off!
Now, the craziest thing about a marathon isn't the people running the race, it's the clothes they wear. When the guns goes off, people start stripping off their clothes that had been keeping them warm (it wasn't too cold actually, though, because mid-30s is perfect weather for starting a marathon) and you just see waves of sweaters and sweatshirts and hats and gloves being thrown by the 35,000 people in the race towards the crowds on the side. I started laughing at the ridiculousness of the event and I was finally getting pumped for the start of the marathon. (The gun had just gone off, but I was still 12 minutes from reaching the starting line.)
Running the marathon actually wasn't too bad. I managed to keep a really good, consistent pace. Though the race started downtown, it still took me through some streets that I didn't know early. (My supervisor saw me, though, because she said, "Yeah, I saw this tall guy running. I figured it was you. It was.") By Mile 7, I was literally 100 ft. from my apartment (and again by Mile 7.5, because we looped right around my block) and I wanted to quit, but I was feeling great and couldn't think of a legitimate reason to stop. Surprisingly, I was able to run the first half of the marathon without stopping (except for one bathroom break and one time when I didn't feel like running and drinking Gatorade at the same time). Not one part of me was hurting after 13.1 miles and I finished the first half of the marathon in 2:00:20. I'm pretty thrilled with that!
As the race continued, I started seeing more and more parts of the city that were new to me. It was really great to hear the crowds cheering. Without any training, I was able to run the first 16 miles with only minimal walking and no pain. Tom and his mom were planning on going to different parts of the race course to see me at four or five places, but the text updates they were supposed to receive as I ran, though, so I didn't get to see them at the first few places. That's alright, though. Tons of other people were still cheering! Shortly after Mile 16, though, my feet and knees started hurting (slightly). I eventually started a pattern of running and walking, with the running sections getting shorter and the walking sections getting longer. Finally, I started running through Chinatown (Mile 22 or so). The crowds were getting bigger again, so the cheering helped me run, though it wasn't with a smile on my face. As I turned a corner in Chinatown, though, I peak into the crowds ahead and see Tom and his mom! Since they hadn't been getting text updates (and were actually just missing me at a few places), they skipped ahead to one last place and I found them! That really helped with some motivation for a few hundred yards.
The last few miles were painful on my legs, but I realized something around Mile 24: Marathons are actually kind of easy. Mentally, this marathon was a breeze. Self-doubt never creeped in and I never worried about how much longer I had to run. I knew how far 26.2 miles was, so I could see the finish line, no matter how far away I was. I know I did alot of walking for the last two miles, but I was still really happy with what I was accomplishing that day. When the finish line was in sight, I decide I was going to run the rest of it, no matter what (it wasn't a long distance). As I got closer, I could hear the announcer calling out random names of runners as they crossed the finish line. I started thinking to myself, "Who's name gets called? That would be really need if it happened." Then, right as I was crossing the finish line, I hear "Doug Chinery, from Chicago!" and it felt great. I finished this marathon in 4:40:15. The second half was much slower than the first, but I was still nine minutes quicker than I had been in Honolulu in 2006.
In Honolulu, I teared up as I crossed the finish line because marathons are such an emotional event. In Chicago, I teared up with one mile remaining. I don't know why it happened there, but just knowing that you're accomplishing a huge task is an amazing feeling. When it was all over, though, I cursed myself and swore I would never run another marathon. Then I grabbed beer and pizza with Tom and his mom and took a long bath and a longer nap. Below are my split times from the marathon in five-kilometer segments:
0-5K: 29:00
5-10K: 27:23
10-15K: 26:54
15-20K: 30:37
20-25K: 30:07
25-30K: 35:12
30-35K: 38:00
35-40K: 46:49
For not training, I was pretty damn consistent at the beginning.
***Followup***
Monday was a banking holiday (thank God), so I could stay home. I could barely walk, but I decided I was going to run the Chicago Marathon next year. (I changed my mind pretty quickly, huh?) Even though I could barely walk, I made it to volleyball practice that night. On Tuesday, at work, walking down steps was still difficult, but it was totally worth it. Also, on Tuesday, I decided I was running the Madison Marathon (May), Chicago Marathon (October) and New York Marathon (November) next year. And I'm going to use the Chicago Marathon to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which means I need to run a 3:15:59 marathon. Now that I don't have a mental block, that should be a snap with a little training!
So Tom and I woke up around 5:00am to get down to the starting line. Since he ran it two years ago, he offered to to be my guide. Since I wasn't too pumped about running a marathon, I stopped for coffee, hoping that would wake me up. (At the coffee shop, we ran into some teachers Tom had in middle school...Chicago is a strange, small world.) It was really fun getting down to the marathon because there were all these intense, focused runners...and me holding my coffee. When we stepped off the train and got the Grant Park, a beautiful sunrise was coming up over the lake. (I never want to be awake early enough to see that again, but it was pretty.) After checking my bag, I said bye to Tom (he was going to meet his mom, who watches all the marathons) and jumped into the starting corral. I was almost getting excited about running the marathon for which I hadn't done any training over the past month or so. All of a sudden..BAM! The starting gun goes off!
Now, the craziest thing about a marathon isn't the people running the race, it's the clothes they wear. When the guns goes off, people start stripping off their clothes that had been keeping them warm (it wasn't too cold actually, though, because mid-30s is perfect weather for starting a marathon) and you just see waves of sweaters and sweatshirts and hats and gloves being thrown by the 35,000 people in the race towards the crowds on the side. I started laughing at the ridiculousness of the event and I was finally getting pumped for the start of the marathon. (The gun had just gone off, but I was still 12 minutes from reaching the starting line.)
Running the marathon actually wasn't too bad. I managed to keep a really good, consistent pace. Though the race started downtown, it still took me through some streets that I didn't know early. (My supervisor saw me, though, because she said, "Yeah, I saw this tall guy running. I figured it was you. It was.") By Mile 7, I was literally 100 ft. from my apartment (and again by Mile 7.5, because we looped right around my block) and I wanted to quit, but I was feeling great and couldn't think of a legitimate reason to stop. Surprisingly, I was able to run the first half of the marathon without stopping (except for one bathroom break and one time when I didn't feel like running and drinking Gatorade at the same time). Not one part of me was hurting after 13.1 miles and I finished the first half of the marathon in 2:00:20. I'm pretty thrilled with that!
As the race continued, I started seeing more and more parts of the city that were new to me. It was really great to hear the crowds cheering. Without any training, I was able to run the first 16 miles with only minimal walking and no pain. Tom and his mom were planning on going to different parts of the race course to see me at four or five places, but the text updates they were supposed to receive as I ran, though, so I didn't get to see them at the first few places. That's alright, though. Tons of other people were still cheering! Shortly after Mile 16, though, my feet and knees started hurting (slightly). I eventually started a pattern of running and walking, with the running sections getting shorter and the walking sections getting longer. Finally, I started running through Chinatown (Mile 22 or so). The crowds were getting bigger again, so the cheering helped me run, though it wasn't with a smile on my face. As I turned a corner in Chinatown, though, I peak into the crowds ahead and see Tom and his mom! Since they hadn't been getting text updates (and were actually just missing me at a few places), they skipped ahead to one last place and I found them! That really helped with some motivation for a few hundred yards.
The last few miles were painful on my legs, but I realized something around Mile 24: Marathons are actually kind of easy. Mentally, this marathon was a breeze. Self-doubt never creeped in and I never worried about how much longer I had to run. I knew how far 26.2 miles was, so I could see the finish line, no matter how far away I was. I know I did alot of walking for the last two miles, but I was still really happy with what I was accomplishing that day. When the finish line was in sight, I decide I was going to run the rest of it, no matter what (it wasn't a long distance). As I got closer, I could hear the announcer calling out random names of runners as they crossed the finish line. I started thinking to myself, "Who's name gets called? That would be really need if it happened." Then, right as I was crossing the finish line, I hear "Doug Chinery, from Chicago!" and it felt great. I finished this marathon in 4:40:15. The second half was much slower than the first, but I was still nine minutes quicker than I had been in Honolulu in 2006.
In Honolulu, I teared up as I crossed the finish line because marathons are such an emotional event. In Chicago, I teared up with one mile remaining. I don't know why it happened there, but just knowing that you're accomplishing a huge task is an amazing feeling. When it was all over, though, I cursed myself and swore I would never run another marathon. Then I grabbed beer and pizza with Tom and his mom and took a long bath and a longer nap. Below are my split times from the marathon in five-kilometer segments:
0-5K: 29:00
5-10K: 27:23
10-15K: 26:54
15-20K: 30:37
20-25K: 30:07
25-30K: 35:12
30-35K: 38:00
35-40K: 46:49
For not training, I was pretty damn consistent at the beginning.
***Followup***
Monday was a banking holiday (thank God), so I could stay home. I could barely walk, but I decided I was going to run the Chicago Marathon next year. (I changed my mind pretty quickly, huh?) Even though I could barely walk, I made it to volleyball practice that night. On Tuesday, at work, walking down steps was still difficult, but it was totally worth it. Also, on Tuesday, I decided I was running the Madison Marathon (May), Chicago Marathon (October) and New York Marathon (November) next year. And I'm going to use the Chicago Marathon to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which means I need to run a 3:15:59 marathon. Now that I don't have a mental block, that should be a snap with a little training!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
And it's October!
Yay! It's October! Somehow, it always manages to be a busy month for me. The biggest thing for me this year is that I finally start as a 100% real full-time employee at the bank, which is such a great feeling. I mean, being employed is nice, but not having to fill out timesheets and other menial tasks is the greatest benefit of all. I don't think work will change too much, though. October should actually be really slow for me since I only have one major report due (as about to 10 in September).
Football is going well for the most part. We're now 0-4, but let's not focus on that. Let's focus on the injuries! Last Saturday, we only six people show up to play for our doubleheader. Teams generally need seven people on the field at all times (though I think you can play with as few as five). In an earlier game, I had hurt my elbow while quarterbacking for a little bit so I really didn't want to throw the football, but no one is really a huge fan of throwing the ball around. By the end of the second game, my elbow was killing me. Luckily, I think it's only a strain, so a lot of rest and ice should do the trick just fine. Also, I'm never going to quarterback again. I'm tall. I'm fast. I have big hands. To quote Keyshawn Johnson, "Throw me the damn ball!"
Sandy and Matt came down to Chicago last night. I think this is the first time both Sandy and Matt and been here for an actual visit. We spent Friday night getting appetizers and drinking beer while we watched the Yankees-Twins game (go Yankees!) before picking up some wine to take back to my apartment. Before making it all the way back, though, we met up with Tom and Trygg for some gelato and the little place on my street. It was delicious. Then we went back to my place for a few drinks and some more hanging out. It's good hanging out with them.
The next day, Sandy, Matt and Tom accompanied me downtown so I could pick up my marathon packet. Yeah, another damn marathon. Tom was really excited about it (he wasn't running). I didn't want to talk about it (I was really upset that I hadn't trained for it). Matt and Sandy understood that I didn't want to talk about it. It took Tom a little bit more time, but he finally realized it'd be best to change the topic. After that, we headed over to the aquarium. (I'm now an official member of the aquarium! Free visits for a year!) It's pretty neat. They have a good variety of exhibits and it should be interesting enough to keep me coming back a few times over the next year. We actually spent alot of time there, since we were in no rush. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch, saw a 4-D show, and then watched some dolphin and beluga whale training exhibitions.
After that, Sandy and Matt headed home. "Doug, why didn't they stay one extra day for your marathon?" Good question. (Kidding, Sandy, I'm not mad.) I was dreading the marathon for the rest of Saturday night. But, hey, I signed up for it, so I was gonna run the damn thing. Was I afraid of being in intense pain because of my lack of training? Of course, but I wasn't going to back out now.
Football is going well for the most part. We're now 0-4, but let's not focus on that. Let's focus on the injuries! Last Saturday, we only six people show up to play for our doubleheader. Teams generally need seven people on the field at all times (though I think you can play with as few as five). In an earlier game, I had hurt my elbow while quarterbacking for a little bit so I really didn't want to throw the football, but no one is really a huge fan of throwing the ball around. By the end of the second game, my elbow was killing me. Luckily, I think it's only a strain, so a lot of rest and ice should do the trick just fine. Also, I'm never going to quarterback again. I'm tall. I'm fast. I have big hands. To quote Keyshawn Johnson, "Throw me the damn ball!"
Sandy and Matt came down to Chicago last night. I think this is the first time both Sandy and Matt and been here for an actual visit. We spent Friday night getting appetizers and drinking beer while we watched the Yankees-Twins game (go Yankees!) before picking up some wine to take back to my apartment. Before making it all the way back, though, we met up with Tom and Trygg for some gelato and the little place on my street. It was delicious. Then we went back to my place for a few drinks and some more hanging out. It's good hanging out with them.
The next day, Sandy, Matt and Tom accompanied me downtown so I could pick up my marathon packet. Yeah, another damn marathon. Tom was really excited about it (he wasn't running). I didn't want to talk about it (I was really upset that I hadn't trained for it). Matt and Sandy understood that I didn't want to talk about it. It took Tom a little bit more time, but he finally realized it'd be best to change the topic. After that, we headed over to the aquarium. (I'm now an official member of the aquarium! Free visits for a year!) It's pretty neat. They have a good variety of exhibits and it should be interesting enough to keep me coming back a few times over the next year. We actually spent alot of time there, since we were in no rush. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch, saw a 4-D show, and then watched some dolphin and beluga whale training exhibitions.
After that, Sandy and Matt headed home. "Doug, why didn't they stay one extra day for your marathon?" Good question. (Kidding, Sandy, I'm not mad.) I was dreading the marathon for the rest of Saturday night. But, hey, I signed up for it, so I was gonna run the damn thing. Was I afraid of being in intense pain because of my lack of training? Of course, but I wasn't going to back out now.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
September
Yeah, this is my only post to catch up on all of September. I was too damn busy to update it and I'm too damn busy to go back in time and do week-by-week updates. (Okay, I'm actually writing this in mid-October, but I'm backdating it to September just for continuity.) Here's what happened in a nutshell:
- Friends came to visit. We ate alot of food and saw alot of Chicago.
- I moved in to a new apartment. No, I don't have pictures yet, but I can sum it up like this: I don't fit in my kitchen, but I do fit in my bathtub. I love it!
- My bosses came to me and said, "We want you to work for us full-time!" And I said, "Okay!" So, of course, I had to go through phone interviews with NY and fill out an official application. Nothing like corporate red tape!
- Tom won an underwear contest and will be Mr. October. We'll leave it at that.
- I joined a flag football league! Yay! I'm tall, so I can catch a lot of passes. I've also had to quarterback a few times, but I ended up hurting my elbow. Whoops.
- And I was really busy at work. Really, really busy. Really, really, really busy. Towards the end of the month, I had to drive out to an Indianapolis suburb with two coworkers to visit a new client for a 90-minute meeting. It's basically a four-hour drive to get there, and then we had to drive back in the same day.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Volleyball. Lots of Volleyball.
It's amazing how volleyball is starting to take over my life. The thing is, though...I'm really not complaining.
On Saturday morning, there was a huge volleyball tournament for the beach league a few of my friends are in. I went to see some of Tom's games because 1) I'm friends with a few guys on that team, and 2) I needed to borrow his car to do laundry. Of course, this being Chicago, I also had a few other teams that I had to go watch. One of the guys who serves on my church's stewardship committee with me plays, so I went to say hi to him, of course. More importantly, though, I had to cheer on the team sponsored by a bar called Dark Horse. I'm friends with just about everyone on the team, so I naturally wanted to cheer them on. Also, they're a really good team, and since one of their players is moving back to London later this year...well, I'd like them to know that I'm available as a replacement player. The results of the tournament can be summed up like this: Tom's team lost pretty quickly, but Dark Horse came in second. Obviously, they don't need me...but every team could use a 6'6" guy, right? The rest of the afternoon consisted of a barbecue and just enjoying the good weather.
Sunday was a usual Sunday, atleast for the first part. After church ended, Tom and I headed back to the beach for another five hours of volleyball. It was Rob's birthday and he just wanted to play volleyball the entire weekend. And that's all we did. Sure, there was a cooler filled with ice and drinks, but there were one or two volleyball games going on the entire time. I probably played six or seven games myself. Considering how little I had been playing volleyball all summer, my arm was exhausted by the end of the day. I did, however, get to show off a few good serves.
After all that volleyball, only the backs of my knees were burnt...and they were just a light shade of red. It didn't even really hurt. I actually had to leave the party a bit early, since Betts was flying into town for the week. I showered up pretty quickly and was dressed as soon as Betts got to my place. Tom drove us out to dinner so we could catch up with the dinner that was the end of the volleyball party, but since I had to go to work on Monday, that's where my night had to end.
Aki flew in from Japan on Monday, but I had to work, so Betts actually went to the airport to pick him up. Monday and Tuesday nights were pretty quiet in that sense, because rushing to meet all of my deadlines before taking three days off can be pretty exhausting. Luckily, my bosses have been really supportive and my supervisor said she would clean up any problems that arose in my reports. (My reports were pretty well done, so any problems that did arise were out of my control from the start.)
And now it's Wednesday night. Work is done and Rob is having the final part of his birthday party, since today is his actual birthday. It'll be a party at his place (wings and beer, basically), followed by karaoke. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about work on Thursday, unlike some people.
***Vacation!!!***
I'm pretty excited about taking three days off of work. Since I started working at my new job on April 6th, I've only left work early twice (always the day before a holiday) and had only one day off (a federal holiday). So right now, taking three days off looks wonderful
On Saturday morning, there was a huge volleyball tournament for the beach league a few of my friends are in. I went to see some of Tom's games because 1) I'm friends with a few guys on that team, and 2) I needed to borrow his car to do laundry. Of course, this being Chicago, I also had a few other teams that I had to go watch. One of the guys who serves on my church's stewardship committee with me plays, so I went to say hi to him, of course. More importantly, though, I had to cheer on the team sponsored by a bar called Dark Horse. I'm friends with just about everyone on the team, so I naturally wanted to cheer them on. Also, they're a really good team, and since one of their players is moving back to London later this year...well, I'd like them to know that I'm available as a replacement player. The results of the tournament can be summed up like this: Tom's team lost pretty quickly, but Dark Horse came in second. Obviously, they don't need me...but every team could use a 6'6" guy, right? The rest of the afternoon consisted of a barbecue and just enjoying the good weather.
Sunday was a usual Sunday, atleast for the first part. After church ended, Tom and I headed back to the beach for another five hours of volleyball. It was Rob's birthday and he just wanted to play volleyball the entire weekend. And that's all we did. Sure, there was a cooler filled with ice and drinks, but there were one or two volleyball games going on the entire time. I probably played six or seven games myself. Considering how little I had been playing volleyball all summer, my arm was exhausted by the end of the day. I did, however, get to show off a few good serves.
After all that volleyball, only the backs of my knees were burnt...and they were just a light shade of red. It didn't even really hurt. I actually had to leave the party a bit early, since Betts was flying into town for the week. I showered up pretty quickly and was dressed as soon as Betts got to my place. Tom drove us out to dinner so we could catch up with the dinner that was the end of the volleyball party, but since I had to go to work on Monday, that's where my night had to end.
Aki flew in from Japan on Monday, but I had to work, so Betts actually went to the airport to pick him up. Monday and Tuesday nights were pretty quiet in that sense, because rushing to meet all of my deadlines before taking three days off can be pretty exhausting. Luckily, my bosses have been really supportive and my supervisor said she would clean up any problems that arose in my reports. (My reports were pretty well done, so any problems that did arise were out of my control from the start.)
And now it's Wednesday night. Work is done and Rob is having the final part of his birthday party, since today is his actual birthday. It'll be a party at his place (wings and beer, basically), followed by karaoke. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about work on Thursday, unlike some people.
***Vacation!!!***
I'm pretty excited about taking three days off of work. Since I started working at my new job on April 6th, I've only left work early twice (always the day before a holiday) and had only one day off (a federal holiday). So right now, taking three days off looks wonderful
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