matt bunk isn't that cool

I know why Walt did it

2010-11-22T21:33:00.006-05:00

Last week the Bunk clan rolled through the happiest place on earth.

Maddy’s 4th birthday would be spent celebrating at the house the mouse built.

Of course, high on the checklist of to-dos was getting our picture taken with Minnie and her boyfriend Mickey.

Pretty quickly, we headed back to ToonTown and got to queuing.

Maddy was excited, her brother was sleeping (what a dud) and Wifey and I were ready to digitally capture all of our little girl’s giddiness to relive over and over (most likely after she moves out and we just cry for our lost youth).

We were brought into “the meeting room” where we waited behind a few other people for our turn.

That’s when it happened. As we were spinning to get the cameras ready, pushing the stroller in, asking Maddy how excited she was… I noticed the group who was meeting with Mickey and Minnie in front of us.

It was two parents there with someone who was obviously their son. They were probably in their late 60’s if not 70’s. Their son was a middle-aged man who clearly had some type of mental handicap.

What hit me like a frying pan was the smile on his face. Just beaming. Just pure happy. His parents… so happy. Then click, click, click… picture, picture, picture… and they were out the door.

I, a total stranger, stood their sharing their moment.

I started to cry.

I know why Walt did it. Why he built this whole place. Why he created characters and dreamed the way he did. Because everyone deserves to smile. Everyone deserves to forget about their sometimes trying situation and just be happy.

Certain people work harder to facilitate those happy moments for others.

Walt might have worked the hardest.

No/Yes

2010-08-04T13:56:00.003-04:00

It’s ingrained in us.

“No is the hardest thing to say.”

They say…

Don’t be afraid to tell your kids no.

You’re busy, don’t be afraid to say no to things.

Think about your stress levels.

Think about all you already are doing.

But, I think we’ve created a culture of no.

Strike that.

I know I’ve created a culture of no.

But it’s not negativism

It’s not actual cynicism.

It’s disguised lethargy…or maybe fear.

No means no commitment.

No means no exhaustion.

No also means no great reward.

Yes is a risk.

Yes is an investment.

Yes might just be your next big thing.

Here’s to making yes the new no.

Carlsbad Surf Report

2010-07-12T13:31:00.007-04:00

These waves are calling our names. The countdown has begun. We'll have to settle for 4 footers.

Carlsbad Surf Report and Forecast

Creativity isn't...

2010-04-06T21:48:00.008-04:00

Sometimes I confuse creativity with productivity.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with craziness.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with originality.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with obscurity.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with restlessness.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with artistry.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with fervor.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with expertise.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with faculty.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with magic.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with inspiration.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with perspiration.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with decisiveness.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with contrarianism.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with resolution.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with clarity.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with disruption.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with angst.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with perfection.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with elitism.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with wisdom.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with godliness.

Sometimes I confuse creativity with integrity.

Then I remember creativity is all of those things and none of those things and just a little bit more.

Then I get back to work.

The difference 3 minutes can make.

2010-02-01T22:29:00.006-05:00

Today sucked.

That's just honesty.

Discouragement was in the driver's seat and took me for a ride.

I don't know why. Frankly, most people would look at my day today and say it was fine if not moderately above average.

But for me it was rough.

Gray clouds and more gray clouds.

And then it happened.

I got home at 10 and there she was hiding in a closet waiting to surprise me.

The next 3 minutes were magic.

It was nothing more than putting her to bed. Praying a little prayer. A kiss. A hug. And then whispering the same 6 words into her ear that I whisper every night (sorry, those 6 words are our secret.)

I don't know what I would do without those 3 minutes with my 3-year-old girl who doesn't believe in gray days.

Eight in 09.

2009-12-31T16:46:00.003-05:00

I somehow managed to finish eight books this year. Some were great. Some were good. Some were just for kicks. But eight. For me with everything I've got on the fire, that's a good number. Now, if I don't put down a challenge for '10 I won't be motivated. So nine is the number. I actually started number one today Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (even though it's not the new year yet.) But I'm still counting it.

What was the best book you read last year?

Albums of my year (2009 edition)

2009-12-21T20:37:00.014-05:00

Well, it's that time again. Time to get opinionated and share my picks for the best albums of the past year. To be honest, I thought overall this year was little dry. I still find myself listening to a lot of stuff from last year with a few exceptions. Then again, maybe I was just more distracted and listening less. Either way, these first 4 albums are hands down GREAT and I've chosen to list them in order of enjoyment. After those I put a few albums that received quite of bit of playtime and were enjoyable in an honorable mention sort of way. Let me know if I missed any stellar works from 2009.

1. NEEDTOBREATHE- THE OUTSIDERS

2. JOHN MARK MCMILLAN - THE MEDICINE

3. PHOENIX - WOLFGANG AMADEUS PHOENIX

4. WILCO - WILCO (THE ALBUM)

---

HONORABLE MENTIONS

(in no particular order)

---

Paper Route - Absence

Metric - Fantasies

Derek Webb - Stockholm Syndrome

Jesus Culture - Consumed

Eisley - Fire Kite EP

Switchfoot - Hello Hurricane

Phil Wickham - Heaven & Earth

Waterdeep - Pink & Blue

Bethel Live - Here is Love

Stumbling Along

2009-11-27T13:45:00.002-05:00

"He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles."

--C.S. Lewis

The Screwtape Letters

5 Years ago tomorrow.

2009-10-15T22:52:00.002-04:00

On the eve of our 5th anniversary, I wanted to share 5 things that still amaze me about my beautiful bride.

1. The feel of her hand in mine.

2. The fact that my day is usually pretty gray until she calls just to see how it's going.

3. That she loves to sing...a lot (but only her favorite songs and just for me and the kids).

4. That her favorite verb in the world just might be cuddling.

5. That smile. Trust me. If you've ever met her, you know what I'm talking about.

How a show no one watches has changed your life.

2009-08-11T18:05:00.006-04:00

There is a show you’ve never heard of…that airs on a day you don’t know…on a cable channel you probably can’t find…that’s about some people you couldn’t care less about…that has almost certainly effected your daily life in a way you’ve noticed, but not correctly attributed to its influence.

The channel…AMC
The night…Sunday
The show…Mad Men

Its viewer ship is paltry, roughly 1.6 million weekly. That may seem like a lot but keep in mind iCarly can pull 7.9 million viewers. Heck, even a terrible reality show on during primetime on a major network will get over 3 million before it’s canceled. 1.6 is barely scraping by.

And yet it has become this lexical ziggurat of pop culture influence; by not kowtowing to the masses but by delivering a program so rich with minutia it can only be appreciated by a select few.

The rub…the select few who watch Mad Men with keen intensity, the few it does dazzle and woo on a weekly basis, are the precious minority who decide what the rest of us will consume, purchase, and crave.

How so?

An example.

You may want to purchase a new pair of pants. Sure you have the power to decide where you will buy those pants from, what size you will buy them in, and even their ultimate color. What you don’t have control over is what pants the store will offer for you to purchase. But guess who does?

The guy parked on his Eames lounge on Sunday night who happens to love the way Donald Draper’s 1960 suit pant is cut.

Who else is tuned in?

The guy who designs the car you drive.

The girl who decides what hairstyles every model will have and thusly you will desire.

And the other 1.6 million designers, artists, influencers, decision makers, and cool cats who create everything from the products you’ll find at your favorite neighborhood Target to the horn-rimmed glasses you slip over you ears to get a crisper view of America’s Got Talented Dancing Singing Stars (coming soon to ABC).

I’m not trying to make us as consumers seem like mindless slaves to the elitist whims of Nova watching art snobs, but the reality is, we only have so many options. Most of us lack the time (and know how) to create the things (like clothes) that will determine whether we lead the pack or gently blend in.

So just get comfortable with the fact that, yes, you can pick out your own pair of pants. But your choice was really made by a guy or gal watching a show you’ve never heard of…that airs on a day you don’t know…on a cable channel you probably can’t find…that’s about some people you couldn’t care less about.

"He lives a happier life than 95% of the population..."

2009-07-19T14:17:00.004-04:00

I've heard this story several times over the years. Seen this father and son featured on quite a few news shows. And yet their story still tears my guts out every time I see it. I just watched this video at Panera and I wept like a baby in the corner. There are so many quotes in it that make me feel like such a whiner in life. What a jolt of reality. If this doesn't have an effect on you, you may not be human.

Advice for any young creative

2009-06-09T08:09:00.003-04:00

I found this on my computer this morning. A coworker asked a bunch of us to write some advice for a friend of hers who was graduating and going into the creative/advertising business. This is what I wrote to her, but stumbling across it this morning, it was actually affirming to read it to myself.

-----

You are already a creative person.

You already have the ability to create. The skill that you are going to learn to hone is the ability to recognize which ideas are your best ideas earlier in the creative process.

You are already a creative person.

I knew I was getting better at my job when I realized I wasn’t chasing dead end ideas any more. I didn’t have to sit and develop out every aspect of a script or ad before I realized it wasn’t going to work. That is when I learned that the creative process is actually that – a process.

You are already a creative person.

I don’t think I ever got exponentially better at having ideas. The ideas would always come. When I grew the most is when I could look objectively at my own work and not get emotionally attached to something I created. When I wasn’t afraid to throw something away just because I had spent time on it. Your best tool may become your eraser and that’s not a bad thing.

You are already a creative person.

Think of yourself as a dull pencil. Yeah…you can write and you can draw with a dull pencil, but over time, if you sharpen that pencil more and more, your lines will get crisper, your drawings will become clearer. Your creations will have more detail and ultimately connect on a deeper level. The good news is…

You are already a creative person.

You just have to start sharpening.

There's a snake in my boots

2009-04-26T20:42:00.005-04:00

Last weekend I got to rake out my flowerbeds since the weather decided to cooperate. I’m always amazed how no matter how much you try and clean your yard before winter after the snow melts there always seems to be a mess. (I’m sure there’s a metaphor in there somewhere.) As I was reaching to rake under a large, low bush that we have in the backyard, my mind flashed to a time a few years back when I was performing the same task and I lifted the same branch and there it was…a tiny snake. Probably just a gardener snake or whatever we called them as kids, nothing to big, but a snake none the less.

Now, I wouldn’t say I’m exactly deathly afraid of snakes. I don’t get Indiana Jones tremors when I see them. But let’s just say one time while golfing and almost stepping on one while looking for a ball (I know it’s hard to believe I was off the fairway. Must have been an off day.) upon seeing my jumpy reaction my friend Jim made it his personal goal to find another snake and try and throw it on me. So I guess, I’m a little afraid of snakes.

Back to last weekend. As my hand moved toward the branch. I hesitated. Not really stopping; just thinking. “What if there’s another snake?” Of course, there wasn’t. Just leaves. But this little hesitation made me wonder how often we’re afraid to go somewhere, talk to someone, look a person in eye, because of something that happened in the past. It made me think about how gripping fear can be. Fear of little stupid snake. Fear of a person who rejected you. Fear of a past failure at work or with a friend. And sometimes we push through fear. We lift the branch and move on. But it’s that hesitation. Why do we have to hesitate?

The answer of course...is that we don't have to hesitate. A pure heart and clean hands move without hesitation. Remember that the next time you need to lift a branch.

My Stuff

2009-04-21T21:49:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite sections of Vanity Fair magazine is a section called "My Stuff," where celebrities or culturally relevant individuals share their personal selections for...well...their stuff. It's kind of the earlier, classier version of all those facebook surveys that get passed around. I figured I'd do one just so you could no way too much about me.

INSPIRATIONS
Who inspires you: My daughter. My wife. My son.
Favorite discovery: DVR
Necessary extravagance: Colorful socks
Favorite hotel: Fairmont Chicago
Favorite late-night spot: Bedroom, Casa de Bunk
Favorite place in the world: Southern California

CLOTHES
Jeans: Converse One Star

Boxers or Briefs: Depends on the day
Sneakers: Vans, Jack Purcells
Watch: Tag Heuer Monaco
T-shirt: Levis, H&M
Cuff links: Burberry

GROOMING PRODUCTS

Shampoo: Whatever Nina buys
Moisturizer: Burberry Touch
Cologne: Caroline Herrera Chic
Razor: Mach 3
Toothpaste: Crest
Soap: Irish Springs

Where do you get your hair cut: Joel Johnson at JJs Barbershop

HOME
Where do you live: Sterling Heights, MI
Favorite art: Van Gogh, Chihuly
Sheets: Bed, Bath and Beyond
Coffee-maker: n/a
Stationery: Field Notes

Car: Jeep
Gadget: Nike+
Dessert: Brownie with ice cream
Snack: Nina's oatmeal cookies, Bettermade BBQ chips
Favorite neighborhood restaurant: The Flytrap, Redcoat Tavern
Favorite cocktail: Coke Zero

Bunk boys are brand loyal

2009-04-11T07:05:00.001-04:00

My Dad only rides Harleys

My brother only drives Fords

And now my son is taking after his daddy with his love of the finest musical instrument on the planet.

I wonder if Taylor would endorse this kid?

Another late night

2009-04-10T09:47:00.004-04:00

I know you're probably getting sick of these stop-motion videos, but when I'm in a room for hours alone, it some how makes it less tedious knowing I'm going to get 40 seconds of video out of it. This video was taken over about 4 hours of an 11 hour proofing job. Enjoy.

Health care according to Dwight Schrute

2009-03-19T07:59:00.000-04:00

"In the wild, there is no health care. In the wild, health care is, 'Ow, I hurt my leg. I can't run. A lion eats me. I'm dead.' Well, I'm not dead. I'm the lion. You're dead."

Another post about food

2009-03-12T10:37:00.004-04:00

Don't visit this site at like 10:30 a.m. You won't make it to lunch. Awesome idea. Scanwiches.

The future

2009-03-08T21:58:00.005-04:00

This is the future of advertising. Believe me. This type of thing will be everywhere. It's called augmented reality. I've been seeing it for few months on industry sites, but GE has given everyone a do-it-yourself home version.

You only need a few things. A printer, a web cam, and brain so it can be blown. You can even tell your friends that you found it, so that they think you're cool.

Follow THIS link and follow the directions on the right side of the site.

Fruit or Cookies?

2009-02-26T15:29:00.007-05:00

Life is full of tough decisions.

We got these awesome bouquets this week from some people who really love us and since Christopher isn't yet on to solid foods, we've decided to devour them for him. The question is which one first. Hmmm.

Trick question: That cookie bouquet was twice as big. Notice the empty sticks. We tore into that bad boy.

He wanted to say hi

2009-02-21T16:06:00.001-05:00

"Hi"

Pictures of baby Christopher

2009-02-19T22:09:00.002-05:00

I put up the first half of Day 1 photos HERE. This is the delivery and just after. I'll put up more soon. Thanks for all the prayers and congratulations. Nina is doing really well after delivery. And yes the baby is big, but not toddler big and he compensates for his football player stature with skin that may be the softest ever on earth. He's perfect.

It's a boy!!!!!!!!

2009-02-19T18:51:00.005-05:00

CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY BUNK

9 lbs. 14 oz.

20.5"

1:58 p.m.

He's perfect

Fattest website ever?

2009-02-11T17:20:00.004-05:00

I know I've been posting a lot about weight loss but I realize many of you may not be looking to lose weight and perhaps are even looking to add some weight. My friend Caleb pointed me to what might be the fattest website ever. This thing is cringeworthy and yet at times utterly delectable. Like the 30 layer Oreo. Enjoy.

www.thisiswhyyourefat.com

Click this link. You won't be dissappointed.

25 things about my wife

2009-02-08T22:13:00.004-05:00

1. She prefers her Coke from a can.

2. She has the best laugh. I love to watch Kings of Queens and 30 Rock with her, just to hear her laugh.

3. She grows great babies.

4. She is a french fry connoisseur.

5. She cheats at online Scrabble and I'm fine with that.

6. She doesn't like Chicken on the bone for some reason. Never has.

7. She has no problem throwing things away, like stuff from high school that I want to save.

8. She sits upright when we watch TV in bed. and not with her back up against the head board. Just upright in the middle of the bed.

9. I think she types faster than me.

10. She wore Calvin Klein Eternity when we started dating. My hands still get sweaty when I smell it today.

11. She loves California and would move there if she could just convince the rest of her family to go with us.

12. She continually thinks my truck is going to leave me stranded on the side of the rode.

13. If you asked 100 people about her, you would probably get 99 or 100 positive comments. That's rare. Think about it. If you asked 100 people about me you'd probably get 65 positive comments.

14. She loves hydrangeas and tulips.

15. She really likes winter vests with fur trim.

16. She defines patience.

17. I still remember holding her hand for the first time. It was at the end of The Truman Show at the Star Gratiot, July 16, 1998. I have a lot of dates I'll never forget because of her.

18. She is my 80's music encyclopedia.

19. She is my favorite Pop Culture Trivial Pursuit or SceneIt partner. We are a force to be reckoned with.

20. Her cookies clear up gray skies.

21. She runs the dishwasher 1/4 full almost every night.

22. She won't see a chick flick without me, because she knows she's my excuse to go.

23. I love to watch her love Maddy.

24. She's the best wife, mother, and friend, I could ever imagine.

25. Today is her birthday.

Who would you have a Coke with?

2009-02-02T15:42:00.002-05:00

Quote of the weekend.

In response to the question "if you could sit down and drink a Coke with any person alive or dead who would it be," my brother drops this brilliant response.

"I'd pick Jesus and then ask Him 'what do you think of Coke?'"

Probably the single greatest thing I've ever heard. I'm still laughing. I love my family.

Same question to you. Who would you share a soda with?

Would you buy jeans from this man?

2009-01-21T08:26:00.002-05:00

How did Levi's swing this? Don't get me wrong. I don't think it's a terrible ad. I would struggle to find something more American than Levi's and no arguing that the President is very American. So they seem like a natural fit (pun intended). I was just unaware you could claim photos of the President to promote your product at whim. And I haven't heard anything about Obama signing an endorsement deal. It got me thinking: maybe this is how we get this country out of debt. We sell off the sponsorship of the president. So what are other presidential endorsements you could imagine? Bush's are probably obvious: Cowboy boots, pretzels, etc. Clinton's are way too obvious. So what else?

This is where I was

2009-01-20T12:34:00.005-05:00

Whether you voted for him or not, history was made today. This is where I watched it happen (my office).Where were you?

Matt's weight loss tip #2

2009-01-18T17:44:00.006-05:00

Have annoying friends.

There are two types of annoying skinny friends. There are the ones who eat whatever they want and never get fat. Forget those friends. They're too annoying. Stop hanging out with them, because in reality they are probably aliens. Come on. No human stomach can digest calories and not turn them into fat. They claim it's their superior metabolism. That's fuey. They're robots or something.

The other type of annoying skinny friend is the kind you want to hang out with. This is the guy or gal who is always analyzing the menu. When you're ordering the Honey Chipotle Chicken Crispers at Chili's (Chipotle Crispers are the devil by the way, click here for the proof), they're getting the lettuce wraps minus the sauce and then only eating half of them.

So why is this a good friend to have around? Because they're right!!!!!!!!! They're skinny for a reason. They're not letting T.G.I. Fridays determine their portion sizes. They know that nothing on an American menu is one serving size. In skinny people circles, they recommend cutting every meal you get at a casual restaurant in half before you even start eating and put it in a to-go container.

Surround yourself with these annoying friends. Because if you want to lose weight, you have to know what you're eating. You have to study. Sites like dietfacts.com should become your best friend. But when you don't have time to check, make sure a smart-eating friend is there and learn these words: "I'll have what he's having."

Brilliant marketing or sacrilege?

2009-01-09T10:19:00.008-05:00

So Burger King just launched a new facebook app that will reward you with a free whopper if you "sacrifice" or delete ten of your facebook friends. You can check out the details here. Was wondering what you guys thought. I think it's a brilliant idea as far as testing loyalty for a brand, but obviously as a born and raised church boy, my radar goes up when I hear words like sacrifice. What are your thoughts? Harmless fun or has BK gone too far?

PS: If you want to download the app and delete me as a friend from facebook, I'm cool with that. I promise I won't take it personally. We all need free Whoppers. We're in a recession don't you know.

UPDATE: Facebook has shut this campaign down. Get the whole story here.

My wife is righter than me

2009-01-07T16:35:00.004-05:00

I have no problem admitting when Nina is right. In fact to prove it, I wanted to share a story about how I was wrong recently. Last week I ran into Panera for a whole grain bagel. Nina wanted me to get her an asiago cheese bagel. Well...I got two whole grain bagels and Nina was ribbing me about it. So I retorted with there's less calories in these two bagels than 1 asiago cheese bagel. Then I continued on about what terrible things her bagel contained and how mine was made by mother nature herself in her private kitchen, blah, blah, blah. I was totally right. Wellllllllll. Turns out I was wrong. A Panera Bread whole grain bagel is 35o calories (holy crap!) A Panera Bread asiago cheese bagel is 310 (still super high). That makes it 40 calories less than mine and 390 calories less than my 2 bagels. Ouch. Nina was right. What's the moral of the story? Don't eat bagels.

Need a little inspiration?

2009-01-06T21:44:00.003-05:00

Just in case you're short on motivation / inspiration / determination. This video should have you ready to take on an Orc army or a barbarian army or any number of evil doers/rival basketball teams. Enjoy 40 classic motivational speeches in just 2 minutes.

Matt's weight loss tip #1

2009-01-06T15:45:00.002-05:00

I'm sure a lot of you have made a resolution to lose weight this year (I don't assume this because I think you're fat, I assume this because most people attempt to lose weight in January even if they're already thin. It's sciences.) So I figured I could help. Having lost a lot of weight in the past, I wanted to share a few helpful tips that help me drop the kilos.

Tip 1: Share.

Might seem obvious. But as a reformed fat man, I know when I cracked open a bag of Doritos I hoarded those suckers like nobody business. If you would dare reach for one of my chips, you were likely to retract your hand only to find a bloody stub. So my secret tip is share the wealth. When you want to eat something not so great, make sure you do it with a ton of people around and ask everyone if they want some. That way, you'll probably only eat one serving because others will help you eat it. Not very complicated. But trust me effective. Like when I eat chips, I make sure Maddy is around. She always "makes" me share. That's why I love her.

Here's to thin thoughts in '09.

Nina Quote of the Week

2009-01-03T22:26:00.002-05:00

"I either have to pee really bad or I'm just hungry."

Pregnancy is worth it for the quotes alone.

Forward or Back?

2009-01-03T10:33:00.002-05:00

Nina and I were talking about this in one of very deep philosophical discussions. If you had to pick one, would you rather time travel 5 years into the future or five years back? Why?

Resolution Time

2008-12-31T16:48:00.003-05:00

All right. Spill it. What's your resolution? Tell everyone in the comments section and then we can help you keep it. Mine is 26.2 miles long.

Dr. Vintagelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Thrift Store

2008-12-29T09:14:00.011-05:00

I don't know why, but one of my favorite places to go is thrift stores. Particularly the Salvation Army a few miles from my house. I'm a big people watcher. And believe me, if you're in to watching people, the salvation army is one of the most active petri dishes you'll ever see. I also really love combing through rack after rack of used clothes. It feels like I'm on a sort of treasure hunt and while there's a lot of dirt, I know there's one piece of gold in there. Sure for every 100 no name shirts, there's probably a Brooks Brother 346 oxford in the wrong size (I once found a Paul Smith dress shirt but it was in the wrong size), but every once and a long while the skies open and you find it - pay dirt.

Yesterday, I felt like a 49er when I pulled a classic Thomas Pink from the rack. Even more magical - it was a 16.5 x 34. My size! Joy! A shirt that would regularly sell for near $150 was green tagged for $6.99 and showing zero wear. I know I get this obsession from my mother, who practically raised me on thrift store and garage sale clothing. I find it preposterous that anyone would ever buy something like a Ralph Lauren Polo Oxford at full price. Let me let you in on a little secret. Thrift stores wouldn't exist without Ralph Lauren. I'm not exaggerating when I say every tenth shirt has a horse and its rider on the left breast. I think I may have violated thrift store rule #1 when I indicated what I got there. In reality you have no idea that my favorite sweater was only $3.99 or that my favorite t-shirt once belonged to...we'll I have no idea. But who cares. I'm not worried about sharing my secret. The truth is, you're probably to embarrassed to buy clothes someone else wore and that's fine. More for me.

I feel naked

2008-12-26T16:18:00.004-05:00

Maddy wanted to help show off my goatee-less face.

A Little Longer - My Christmas Song for You

2008-12-25T11:20:00.004-05:00

This Christmas season has been crazy. On top of the work stuff and life stuff are my added responsibilities as a worship leader at my church. Sure, planning a Christmas service sounds like fun in theory, but trust me it's work. More challenging than anything is trying to find the balance between choosing songs that people want to hear and finding a place of true worship. This year, I really felt challenged to push passed what may be seen as tradition and try and experience God on a deeper level. Not in a "what can we do different way" but in a "what does God have for this church body today" way.

The one song I knew I had received was "A Little Longer" by Jenn Johnson. So powerful and simple and I believe relevant for the season. Here are the other songs we played:

1. Do you hear what I hear?

2. Glory in the Highest - Shane Banard/Shane Everett

3. Sing My Love - Sarah McMillan (We did the JesusCulture arrangement)

4. A Little Longer - Jenn Johnson

For the first time on this blog, I've actually posted a recording of myself. This is our version of "A Little Longer." The audio is off the board so not perfect, but I think you can hear the power of the message pretty clearly. Just click the play button at the top of this post.

My morning...continued

2008-12-22T11:01:00.003-05:00

Well I made it to Birmingham. Not that bad of a drive actually. Now sitting in Starbucks going over web stuff with my boss. How many coffee bars in how many towns can I hit in a day? Where would we be without overpriced coffee joints? I guess the answer is sitting in my car in a parking structure. Lunch at Forte at noon. Should be good.

My morning...so far

2008-12-22T07:56:00.004-05:00

Up at 5:15 to make a 9:00 meeting 45 miles away. While waiting for my boss at Caribou the meeting gets canceled. Now, I'm half way to Flint with no morning meeting and a 12:00 scheduled in Birmingham. It's no ones fault really. Just the way things go. Figures the one day I actually planned ahead and left early. Usually, I'm scrambling to be on time. Looks like I'll be working remotely from here until I get back on the snowy roads for what's sure to be a 2 hour commute down I-75 to Birmingham. Ahhhhhh. You got to love Michigan weather.

Albums of my year

2008-12-20T22:54:00.008-05:00

Here are my favorite albums of 2008. In no particular order. And my list is different from others in the fact that it contains the albums I listened to the most in 2008 regardless of whether or not they were released in 2008. What was your favorite album or song this year? Let me know in the comments.

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M83 - Saturdays = Youth

Greg Laswell - Three Flights From Alto Nido

JesusCulture - Your Love Never Fails

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

Kings of Leon - Only by the Night

Brian & Jenn Johnson - We Believe

John Mark McMillan - The Song Inside the Sounds of Breaking Down

Jon Foreman - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

The Album Leaf - In a Safe Place

Bon Iver - Blood Bank

Work Christmas Party

2008-12-19T09:27:00.005-05:00

It was fun. Lots of fun. (Photo courtesy of Caleb's iPhone)

Inspired?

2008-12-13T11:57:00.004-05:00

I stole this question from Jeremy. What inspires you? Leave a link to it in the comments section for all the rest of us to see. It can be a person, place, thing, idea, cause, mantra. Basically any noun will do. Mine is too obvious. See the post below this one for my answer.

Work wise, I'm majorly inspired by other people's brilliant work like the idea in the video below. Seeing that makes me want to come up with an even better idea.

Turkey Trotting

2008-11-27T13:11:00.007-05:00

So, today was the day. The day I've looked forward to for months. As I've said on this blog before, my goal when I started running was to run the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. And while, over the last year I've greatly exceeded that goal in the distances, speed, and amount of times I've run, I still had the Turkey Trot as a major goal to cross off. In fact, since the beginning of the year I've had this idea for a shirt I wanted to make to wear while running it. So last night, I went to Michael's bought some iron-on lettering and did my best Martha Stewart impression.

So, How did I do? I'm pretty happy with my results.

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My homemade shirt

Crossing the finish line

Nina and I at the finish

Hey! Her name is on my shirt!

Jesse and I ran the whole thing side by side

Maddy wondering why daddy is sweaty and pointing at his shirt

Your favorite TV shows?

2008-11-19T15:48:00.003-05:00

My 5 favorite TV shows of all time. In no particular order.

1. Seinfeld

2. Arrested Development

3. Jamie's Kitchen

4. The Office

(number 5 has been left blank to represent a favorite choice that changes regularly. Could be Iconoclasts one week and Mad Men or some other show the next. I change my mind. Sue me.)

What's your top five?

A tough question

2008-11-15T13:32:00.004-05:00

I don't know why, but since we bought our house (over 4 years ago) this is a question that frequently runs through my mind as I cut the lawn. I don't know why. It just does. I don't know what I'd do if it really happened but I'm extremely interested in your opinion.

Scenario: You're in your backyard doing something (anything really, probably hanging your laundry on the line with the assistance of some colorful songbirds) when you notice your 13-year-old next door neighbor in his backyard and he's smoking a joint. He sees that you saw him and freaks out and run inside the house. The next day you bump into his mom down by the mailbox and as usual she wants to chit chat. What do you do?

Do you:

a.) Tell his parents that you saw him. Because, come on, he's 13, and if it was your kid you would want to know.

b.) Not say anything because you're afraid he's going to retaliate by bashing the windows out on your boss minivan and justifiably he probably has some optical disease and was just benefitting from the recently passed proposal 1.

c.) other.

Is your blog abandoned?

2008-11-11T11:50:00.005-05:00

I got this via SwissMiss who got it via Noah who got it via Technorati (That's a fun game. Who actually found something first). It's an interesting stat. Do you know any "abandoned" blogs that need to be revitalized? Who knows. Maybe you're reading this and thinking, "I've not been loving to my own blog lately. It probably feels abandoned." Well, here's the deal. Let's declare today Blog Amnesty day. You can officially return to faithful blog posting today without repercussion. You can log back in with your head high and declare the prodigal blogger has returned. But just for today. Tomorrow, all unfaithful posters will receive 30 lashes and week in solitary. Now, go. Blog.

What's mine is yours

2008-11-08T15:54:00.004-05:00

Thanks for all the thoughts on which book to read first. In the end, I went with the Rob Bell book, because to my surprise Nina started reading it. I can't let Nina get the scoop on me, so I had to start reading it too. But this has led to something pretty cool. For the first time since Nina and I have been Nina and I (over 9 years) we are reading the same book at the same time. Should be interesting. Now, we have something mutual to talk about that isn't Maddy-centric. Wish us luck. I bet she finishes before me. Oh, and in case you're wondering, the book pulls no punches. I've only read the introduction and they've already said some things that would have half the church up in arms.

Which one should I read first?

2008-11-03T18:31:00.003-05:00

Today I got these two books in the mail thanks to an awesome amazon.com gift card from my sister (as a side note: an amazon.com gift card is a super solid gift. Especially since now you can buy practically everything on amazon. Just be careful because if you buy stuff from an amazon seller and not from amazon direct it won't qualify for free shipping).

Anyway, now I have to decide which one to read first. So I thought I'd leave it up to you. Tell me what to read. Here are the choices.

A) Confessions of an Advertising Man. By David Ogilvy. Considered practically the Bible of advertising it really is embarrassing I haven't read it yet. But there's no time like the present to learn from Mr. David "the grandfather of modern advertising" Ogilvy.

B) Jesus Want to Save Christians. By Rob Bell and Don Golden. I know. I know. Some of you aren't Rob Bell fans and I'm probably about to stop drinking the Kool-aid. But I enjoyed his last two books and I'm curious to see if this is the one where he pushes the too cool for school, social-seeker agenda too far for the likes of me.

So there they are. Place your votes in the comment section.

A lesson learned

2008-10-30T21:23:00.000-04:00

This is why you should never climb a traffic signal after your favorite team wins the World Series. You've been warned.

Agree or Disagree?

2008-10-27T11:09:00.000-04:00

Saw this on another site. Can't life be okay and not the end? Your thoughts?

Judge a Book...

2008-10-20T16:36:00.000-04:00

For a book to have a fighting chance nowadays it has to have a great cover. Sure. Plot, character development, and story arch are all important, but there are hundreds of new releases each week. I'm shallow enough to admit that if a book's cover doesn't grab me, I'm probably not giving it a look, unless recommended by a friend of course. This site is great and based on that basic premise. Give each cover a star rating and then see how much it match's it's Amazon rank. Hours of fun. See if you can rank all 1,784,432,886 books on Amazon. Have fun.

www.judgeby.com

A Weekend in Photos

2008-10-19T18:21:00.000-04:00

Nina and I spent the weekend at one my favorite places - Gaylord. Why do I love Gaylord. Because its small and quiet and just far enough away to feel like a getaway but not too far to dread the drive. I love the condo where we stay up there and while we usually go with a bunch of friends, this time it was just the two of us. Nina took a lot of pictures when I wasn't looking. Which explains all the photos of my back. But it's probably my better side. Enjoy.

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Nina and I on the Petoskey break wall.

Me on the watch for approaching monsoons.

Me being cold.

Can you spot the famous author in this photo?

That's right! Ernest Hemingway lived in the area during the summer and used to sit at this bar. Second seat from the end.

This is all that remains of one of the best biscuits ever. In fact, we requested a second biscuit for dessert.

God's country.

My back as I look for golf balls and meaning of life outside of our condo.

The colours were rocking and asked to be spelled with a u.

I love this photo. It looks like I'm going into a book warp zone.

Nina and I played chess for the first time since we've been together. There was neither a winner nor a loser, hence the king and queen are still talking.

For some reason, Nina hated these bears that different stores painted.

Therefore, I loved them...and they loved me.

Perfect?

2008-10-12T15:21:00.001-04:00

Sunday + The New York Times + Sunshine + Maddy = Exactly what I needed.

Pre-pitch Photos

2008-10-07T11:58:00.000-04:00

Ever wondered what I look like right before I go into one of the biggest meetings of my life? Ask no longer. Mai took some spycam shots of me yesterday. I think I looked pretty chill. I'm was probably thinking, "how would Donald Draper be sitting right now?" Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes. The meeting went really well. We should hear back official word shortly.

Two Hours One Saturday

2008-10-04T16:35:00.000-04:00

What did you do today? Cider mill? Mall with your buddies? Michigan game? I spent 10 hours in our conference room going over a BIG pitch with a group of really passionate, brilliant co-workers. So I did what anyone in my position would, I ran my stop motion camera. Enjoy.

p.s. I made two other stop motions of our entire staff for the actual pitch on Monday. I'll put those up after we show the client. They're fun. I promise.

Boy or Girl?

2008-09-29T18:18:00.001-04:00

Let the guessing begin.

Leave your vote as a comment. In 5 months, we'll see who was right.

The Wedding Planner

2008-09-27T16:54:00.000-04:00

I saw this on Jeremy Cowart's blog (An amazing photographer by the way. See his work here). I'm bummed it didn't come out sooner. I went to a lot of weddings this summer and I wish I could have showed this to some of the lovely couples before their big days. I'm sure they would have changed their ceremonies to be more like this one. If you're getting married any time soon, you have to click on this link to see what the perfect wedding looks like. Be sure to click play. Enjoy.

CLICK HERE FOR LINK

Work Stuff

2008-09-19T12:38:00.000-04:00

I'm sure some people wonder what I do all day at work. The answer is pretty complicated, but it really boils down to I come up with advertising ideas for clients and then I either execute them by writing them myself or by overseeing a team of designers/writers/web programmers/editors, etc. It's fun, but extremely tense and consuming work. We do the standard stuff - TV spots, radio commercials, print ads, etc. But we are always trying to cut through the clutter with something a little different. This is a website we just launched for one of our clients that is a bit fun and hammers home an interesting message. Most people don't like their bank and they could care less about their banker. We found that a lot of our client's customers really like their banker, in fact they would say they loved them. So I came up with this idea to ask real clients to sing about their banker. Yeah, sing. On camera. Karaoke style. The client loved the idea and we got to make this website. We shot in Green Bay, Frankenmuth, and our our office in Rochester. 14 real clients. The singer's performances are...well...they're real. These people risked embarrassment because they like their banker that much. We think that's says a lot about the bank. The fun part is you can click on their faces and mute their singing. So you can go through and mute the good ones and look for the bad ones. You can look for the funny ones. Make your own little choir. It's just something fun I thought I'd share with you guys, because my team did an amazing job on the programming. Send it to your friends if you think its fun.

www.gethappytogether.com

Would you rather...

2008-09-18T22:15:00.001-04:00

...know a little bit about everything? (knowledge of all, expert of none)

...know everything about one topic? (expert in your field)

Think about it. Which type of person do you respect more? Let me know your answer in the comments below.

Laughter is the worst medicine

2008-09-17T18:24:00.000-04:00

So...surgery went well and by well I mean they had no problem cutting out my organ once they knocked me out. Recovery has been an adventure. I've spent the last few days in bed watching my wounds heal and wishing I could go play with my daughter who has cranked her adorable level up to 11 over the last week. But daddy can't bend down really well right now. Nina has been a super nurse and the idea of laying around the house is slowly beginning to lose its luster as I spend hour after hour wishing I felt well enough to cut the too long lawn that mocks me out the front window. I've also learned the most important lesson of recovery - don't laugh. Yeah, that's right. If you have abdominal surgery, try not to laugh for a week or so. I learned this the hard way. First when I made the mistake of reading an email from my friend Caleb, which had me reaching for the Vicodin and then again when I happened across a rerun of Seinfeld that had Kramer and Mickey acting out fake diseases for medical students. So, now I've resigned to watch only documentaries about fowl migration and eastern European street cleaning or reruns of Friends. Nothing funny.

An Old E-mail About Golf

2008-09-13T15:50:00.001-04:00

I'm sure this will be funny to no one, but last year the advertising agency I work for had a company golf outing. In an attempt to help some less experienced members of our staff, I typed up a few unwritten and understood rules for most golf outings. As you can imagine we had a good time. Here they are:

Just in case any of you haven’t played in a scramble, I wanted to send out some pretty common rules that most scrambles follow.

1) We play best ball on every shot.

2) You must use at least one tee shot from each player.

3) If any player is taller than 6’2” or shorter than 5’9” you must play there second shot on any odd number hole.

4) In order to determine who putts first, add your zip code and phone number to your social security number. The player with the lowest sum number putts first.

5) If any ball enters a water hazard it must be retrieved using a breaststroke or backstroke. No doggie paddle.

6) On holes 2 through 6, you may only use Irons 7 – 9. However you may tee off with a 6 wood (the rarest of all clubs) or your umbrella.

7) If any player wishes to mark their ball on a green, she or he must use a U.S. coin minted prior to 1978. The coin must be placed face up and you must recite the first two sentences or the appearing presidents first state of the union address. (Here’s a helping hand: George Washington’s started like this. “Wow, this is pretty cool. I don’t know what to say. Nobody has ever done this before. LOL.” And yes he said LOL)

8) At no time shall any player yell, “get in the hole.” This offense is punishable by death.

9) Any divots must be replaced. However, please take photos of any divots larger than a dinner plate for display at the dinner preceding the outing.

10) If at any time you see a ranger signaling you speed up play, Don’t panic. Simple pick up your ball and throw it at his cart. Then run away.

11) The secret to hitting into the clowns mouth on hole 7 is to start your swing when his mouth is shut. (This isn’t a rule as much as a hint for anyone who hasn’t played a course as nice as Oakhurst.)

12) Any balls found on the course are yours to keep. Unless they say ProV1 on the side. That’s my ball. I lost it last year. Please return it.

13) All golf bags will be inspected upon arrival. There will be a 6-stroke penalty for any player whose bag weighs more than Eva’s dog (which is near impossible). Also if you are carrying any driver will a head larger than a soft ball or any sort of meniscus training club you will not be charged a penalty, but you must stand on tee number 1 alone while the rest of us hurl light-hearted insults at you.

14) If any male fails to hit his drive past the woman’s tee the customary ritual will be waved (men you know what I’m talking about). In its place, every other team member will give that player a hug and say to them “It’s all right big guy. I know you’ve been stressed at work. These sorts of things happen. You’ll knock the snot out of it next time.”

15) Please drive the golf carts responsibly. By that I mean, try to keep at least two wheels on the ground.

16) Please take extra care to groom all sand traps after use. This rule is very important since according to Al Gore The North Pole and most of the Contiguous United States will resemble a sand trap in the next 3-5 years. (p.s. to all Al Gore fans. I know he didn’t say this. I’m just playing on a stereotype. It’s what hack writers do to make themselves sound funny.)

17) No part of your score will be linked to a time component. So, take your time and enjoy the outing. However there will be a timed proofreading/resizing competition at Dan’s house after the outing to determine who gets control of the TV remote during lunch. Fun.

18) If at any point you hit a hole-in-one drop your clubs, go home, and relax. You have won the golf outing and will be paid a full-year’s salary for sitting at home. (Disclaimer: this rule applies only to par 5 holes)

19) In case you were not aware, the DB&A flowchart is determined by your performance in the golf outing.

20) Golf is life the rest is just details (if you own a shirt that says that, you are required to wear it, provided that it has both sleeves and a collar, both of which are highly unlikely.)

21) Have fun. That’s a rule.

I wish...

2008-09-13T11:46:00.000-04:00

...I was smarter.

...my jeans were darker.

...I didn't have anything to do today.

...I spoke like I thought.

...I wrote like I thought.

...there was a better breakfast joint by my house.

...it rained more.

...I could turn my brain off.

...I never had to think about ROI.

...I could focus.

...Madeline would never grow up.

...I golfed more.

...I could grow a better gotee

...I had more mornings in bed listening to the rain with my wife.

...people could see how much I cared.

...I could find a job where I just read magazines all day.

...this list was less selfish.

...the election was over and we could just have John Adams as our president again. (Our at least Paul Giamatti playing John Adams)

...t-shirts all fit the same.

...people read the newspaper more.

...they wouldn't announce a band's album was coming out 6 months ahead of time so that the anticipation wears on me.

...you didn't feel like you just wasted your time reading this.

What do you wish?

The down side of weight loss

2008-09-07T20:07:00.000-04:00

So...after 6 hours in an ER on Wednesday night, I was informed by my very awesome (not a joke) ER doctor that gall stones are a pretty common side effect of rapid weight loss. He also confirmed that having them is painful. Which I really didn't need verification of seeing as I had spent the aforementioned previous 6 hours crippled with abdominal pain. Abdominal pain so bad I had Nina running red lights to get me to the hospital. That's right, I made my wife break the law. Does that make me a bad husband? Turns out, I will have to have my gall stone-filled gall bladder removed. That's right. I'll be going under the knife. I was thinking yesterday, maybe I could sneak a camera into my surgery so I could make a stop motion video. That would be cool. But probably unlikely. Anyway, I'm not really nervous, but maybe I should be. Have any of you had your gall bladders removed? Is there some secret club I get to be in once I have the procedure? That would be cool.

Family Resemblance

2008-09-02T09:21:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when people say, "Maddy looks just like you," I have a hard time seeing it. But when she makes a face like this, it's easy to see her daddy in her.

Correction

2008-09-01T21:14:00.000-04:00

I was running yesterday and thinking about my last post about keeping calm and carrying on. I realized I in no way mentioned that in the greatest conflicts there is one source for true calm.

Mark 4:39
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

I also realized that I'm not the only one going through "stuff" right now. So here's the deal. What storm are you in right now? I want to pray for you. Seriously. If you leave a comment below, I promise, I will pray to the maker of the universe that He brings you calm.

Keep Calm and Carry On

2008-08-30T15:01:00.000-04:00

Thanks to George, Bree and the girls, this poster now adorns my office. I'd had my eye on it for quite a while and was pleasantly surprised when it showed up gift wrapped on my lap. The poster is a classic. Originally created by the British Ministry of Information and posted throughout the streets of London during the air raids of 1939, it still seems powerfully relevant even after almost 70 years. I made sure to appear extremely calm in the picture above. The picture below is how I usually look.

I Recently Started Liking...

2008-08-25T15:47:00.000-04:00

When I was young I never liked roller coasters. It wasn't so much the loops or turns or speed. It was the drops. That feeling that I was going to fall out of my seat. My senior year of high school I discovered that if I ratcheted the shoulder thing really tight, I wouldn't lift off the seat and, voila, I don't mind roller coasters any more.

Similar story with sour cream. Minus the shoulder strap part. I didn't really like it and eventually I started to.

Recently I started liking cookies. It's not that I didn't like them before, it's just that I didn't see why every one was so ga ga over them. A few weeks back I told Nina that I really like chocolate chip cookies now. I think she sent out a press release, but I didn't see any articles in the local paper or anything.

Anyway, I was wondering if other people are like me. So what kinds of things do you like now, that you didn't like before. Click comments below to share your likes.

sidenote: I also recently realized how much I enjoy the smell of fresh made soft pretzels. Which has nothing to do with the above post, but if you come across a soft pretzel scented candle please let me know.

6 Things About Me

2008-08-19T10:57:00.001-04:00

Nina said I wouldn't do this and she knows that the way to get me to do something is to say that I won't, so...she wins. I'm doing it. 6 seemingly unremarkable facts about me.

1. I place an unhealthy amount of importance on showering. Everyday must start with a shower. The length of the shower is based solely on a feeling a clean. I can't explain it, but I won't turn off the water until I feel clean. This means one of two things. An oddly short shower or a painstakingly long one (Nina would say all my showers are 30 minutes. But I would say my average shower is about 12 minutes which is probably pretty close to the national average.)

2. I am awkwardly conscious that I talk too much - even while I am doing it. I will actually give myself pep talks before attending parties or meetings, telling myself not to dominate conversation and then I'll totally blow it. I'll just ramble. I think it's a cover for nervousness and avoiding awkward silences. Even when I can see someone is suffering through talking to me and I am mentally saying stop talking, I just keep going. This will hopefully explain away the last ten painful conversations you had with me.

3. I drive too fast and too slow. I've never seen my brother more mad than when he was following behind me on the freeway in Florida. I was driving way too fast and if you know Chris he drives the speed limit. No. Not 56 in a 55. Not 55.2 in a 55. He is going 55. Alternatively, Nina is constantly telling me to speed up because I start thinking about other stuff and suddenly I'm driving 35 in a 55 when we are late for a party or something.

4. I started golfing out of fear. A client once mentioned he had a membership at a super nice course and then uttered this truly frightening phrase, "I'll have to have you out sometime to golf with me." FEAR!!!!!!! I'm going to embarrass myself. Emergency plan of action. Learn to golf. So that's what I did. That client never had me out to golf with him, but now I'm proud to say I am no longer embarrassed by my lack of golf skills. I'm embarrassed now by the pathetic skills I do possess.

5. I don't like to throw certain things out. I wouldn't say I'm a pack rat, but I don't like to throw out things that had something to do with my past. Nina thinks it's crazy that I still have my driver's permit and my high school id card. But this quirk actually came in handy when I lost all the weight because I still had some shorts and shirts that fit me from high school in the basement and some awesome jeans that aren't remotely close to being in style.

6. I over-think everything. I've been thinking about this post for days and I will be thinking about it several more days. I'm definitely not happy with how it turned out and it was much better in my head. That last sentence sums up a large portion of my life. I'm constantly disappointed with the difference between end products and what I see in my head. I have to get better at that transition process from internal to external. Much better.

W.W.O.D.

2008-08-17T20:54:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me, knows how I feel about Oprah. I won't ramble on about that here, except to say that I find her fascinating, like most, for the amount of influence and control she seems to possess over so many. I read a pretty interesting article in the New York Times today that highlighted a woman who is trying to live one full year according to Oprah. When Oprah says see a movie, she sees it. When Oprah says to dress a certain way, she goes and buys a new wardrobe. Need a presidential choice? Just ask Oprah. Of course, the woman is doing all this to land a book deal, but I think there are millions of people doing this same thing every day subconsciously (or consciously) simply because they are under the magical, mystical spell of Oprah. Read the article and educate yourself to the ways of the O.

Vacation by the Numbers

2008-08-06T21:03:00.000-04:00

So it's over. It was great, but it's come to an end. Since this vacation was so great, I thought I'd break it down numerically in case you wanted to plan an equally rad one.

Number of days: 12

Number of hours on a plane or in airports: 12

Weight of my suitcase going: 48 lbs.

Weight of my suitcase returning: 42 lbs.

Number of family members on the trip: 21

Number of non-family members on the trip: 1

Number of runs: 8

Number of miles ran: 49.28 miles

Longest run: 13.33 miles

Shortest run: 4.1 miles

Calories burned from running: 7,022

Calories eaten: 10,875,849 (rough estimate)

Number of times we ate at In-n-Out: 4

Number of meals that consisted of Mexican food: 5

Number of surfing legends seen: 1 (Greg Knoll)

Number of celebrities spotted in LA: 1 (LL Cool J at the Ivy)

Number of clothing items either purchased or received: 8

Number of birthdays celebrated: 1

Number of pages read in my book: 66 (not great)

Number of magazines read: 7

Number of pictures taken: 442

Number of blog posts: 19 (Matt-5, Nina-10, Rachel-4)

Earliest wave ridden: 7:00 a.m.

Latest wave ridden: 8:00 p.m.

Number of days at the beach: 10 (that includes today which was a travel day)

Rented Mazda series number: 5

Number of albums downloaded: 6

Number of times we say The Dark Knight: 0

Number of books purchased about architecture: 1

Number of Jamba Juices: 2

Number of surf shops visited: 15+

Number of times Madeline pointed out a train, kite, or ballon: 100s (and each time was adorable)

Just duplicate these stats exactly and you will be guaranteed an epic time.

I (Cardiac Arrest) Running

2008-08-05T00:18:00.000-04:00

I've picked up quite a few new things while out on the left coast, but at ten bucks this adidas climalite running shirt is a score and a half.

The Half

2008-08-03T12:52:00.000-04:00

My birthday started at 6:00 a.m. Nina dropped me off behind the Carlsbad Inn and I set out for the big one. The half marathon distance (13.1 miles). I had never run that far before. 10.5 was my longest to date. Just over 1:45 later Nina picked me up in the same parking lot. I actually did it. And I did it the way I wanted to. I always said that as I added length to my runs I wanted to run at a pace I thought was reputable. I'm pumped to have averaged 7:59/mile for this run. Under 8 minutes! And don't think this was some easy path. This was 13 miles on the hilly PCH. If you told me 1 year ago on my last birthday that in a year I would lose 80 lbs. and run 249.98 miles (my total to date) including a 13 miler, I probably would have rolled my eyes and eaten another piece of pizza. This felt so good. And while the motivation of being in shape is a big one, the reason I push so hard is the two girls you see on this website below - Nina and Maddy. They're the reason I keep going. Below you can see my Nike+ stats as well as a video of me ending the run.

The Beach and Stuff

2008-07-31T13:26:00.000-04:00

Sorry no posts for a few days. Been busy with the beach and relaxing and stuff. We had some great mexican food yesterday at Los Olas in Cardiff by the Sea (have you noticed all our posts are about food) and we went and walked around Torrey Pines which Nina will probably put a picture up from later. Oh, we also went to pinkberry at fashion island. If you don't know what that it is, wiki it. It was different then I thought. Less creamy than yogurt and actually a little lemony. We've been eating a ton but fortunately all we do is burn calories. I've run 22 miles since I've been here and I spend about 3 hours paddling in the ocean a day trying to catch waves. This morning we went out at 7:30 to body board, then I ran the beach. Then hit up Jamba Juice. We'll probably head back to the beach this afternoon for more chillaxing. Here are some photos from earlier in the week.

Start the Day

2008-07-29T13:31:00.000-04:00

How did you start your day today? Probably like most, you oozed out bed, dragged yourself to the shower, slurped down some terrible coffee, drudged through traffic, and made it to your desk just in time for your boss not to yell at you.

How did I start my day? Jumped out of bed, laced the Bowermans, ran a strong 8-miler down the PCH overlooking the Pacific Ocean, quick shower, hopped in the car with the girls, killer breakfast at the 101 Diner in Encinitas and then a little browsing at Hansens Surf Shop and UNIV. All before 10.

I don't mean to brag...wait...yes I do. I am bragging. I had an awesome morning. Sorry if you didn't. If it makes you feel better, it was a little cloudy. But I'm sure it will clear up by noon.

What's the afternoon have in store? It's looking like Book Soup in Costa Mesa, a stop in Laguna Beach and dinner in Newport.

Let the Vacation Begin

2008-07-27T11:29:00.000-04:00

Vacation has begun. It started in a Michigan airport and ended on a beach over 2300 miles away. Here are some Pics. Nina is also posting.

----

I really wanted to watch Toy Story 2 at 5 in morning in the airport and Maddy kept me company.

Now boarding.

Everybody loves Wahoo's.

What's better than a fish taco? A fish burrito.

Taste as good as it looks.

US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach.

The Northside Action.

Nina had this on her list of to dos. A great choice.

Maddy enjoyed Sprinkles too.

Oh yes.

Tony and I just picked up a Quicksilver sponsorship.

Maddy and Rachel enjoying the surf.

Tomorrow, I'll be here

2008-07-25T07:22:00.000-04:00

I can already feel the sand engulfing my feet and my daughters tiny hand wrapping around my finger as my wife and I walk down this beach. What does your heaven look like?

It's 2:24 a.m. Do you know where your husband is?

2008-07-17T02:24:00.000-04:00

I'll give you one guess.

Another Long Day

2008-07-16T21:27:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I talk about my job to people and they get really excited and say things like, "Wow. I wish I had a job like that." And to be honest most days it is one of those jobs. Today, my job involved proofing a 157 page document for about 25 hours (not an exaggeration). So what did I do, I made a video of it. This video shows about 2 hours of my day. This times 12 was my day. Oh, watch for a guest appearance near the end. And the funny part is, I love doing this type of work on the days I have to.

Star Watch

2008-07-14T17:58:00.000-04:00

Who's the most famous person you know? I know. A stupid question. The only reason I ask is because a while back we did some work for Dave Coulier (yeah, Uncle Joey from Full House) and I got to know him a bit and in one of my most glorious moments on earth I actually did the cut...it...out hand gesture (you know with the scissors, and point, and thumb) to Dave over a video chat. Well, I usually forget the whole thing ever happened, but then I'll see Dave's name jump up on my iChat and think, wow, I can't believe I psuedo-know that guy. I don't even know why I'm posting this. I'm really not into bragging about things, but I just thought it was funny that right in the midst of my friends and relatives and coworkers on my buddy list is a guy who was on the #1 show in America for 7 years. So, I ask again, who's the most famous person you know. I'm giving you permission to brag.

p.s. If you were wondering, Dave is a really cool guy. In fact, he actually called a radio station for me so I could win tickets to a World Series game. True story.

A Long Day

2008-07-12T13:37:00.000-04:00

I started running the stop motion on my laptop with the hope of giving an up close look at what was a long working day for me. Up at 3:30 in the office by 4:15 a.m. Don’t ask. Just a long day. What turned out is a pretty interesting video of what my hair looks like during a few hours of a long day.

Some notes:

1. I didn’t point my screen down on purpose, because, well, that’s not how I look at it.

2. Yes, the new iPhone 3G does make a brief appearance.

3. I have included a look at what my desktop looks like so you could see the type of things I’m staring at.

4. No – I don’t have a creepy baby doll desktop. I have an adorable desktop of my daughter which you can see here.

Any other questions let me know in the comments section. I will answer them all.

The Thinker

2008-07-06T15:28:00.001-04:00

I have recently taken up pipe smoking and deep thinking. I hear both are bad habits.

32 Ounces of Reality

2008-07-06T12:52:00.001-04:00

For the past couple years, I've slowly been noticing signs that I am getting older. For instance, I have no desire to "sleep in." In fact, if I sleep past 8, I have an overwhelming feeling that I've wasted the day. Or I really find it hard to hold back from yelling "slow down!" when a whipper snapper comes flying around the corner in his fast the furious prop car. But today, I ran across a really strange sign that maybe I'm not as young as I used to be. I had a hard time finishing a Big Gulp. And not even the ridiculously large one. The 32 ouncer. Now, I've never been a big big gulp guy, but young dudes should be able to pound one without flinching. I should have seen it coming though, because first of all it was a big gulp full of Coke Zero. The idea that a big gulp can consist of diet pop must have Mr. Gulp (the inventor of the big gulp. I assume it was named after him) rolling in his grave (I also assume he's dead, because...well, I don't know why. I just do). In the end, I finished it, because there's no way I was going to let the big gulp win, but I learned something about myself today - it's probably time I started avoiding things with the word big, super, or gargantuan in their names.

I know some of you guys are old. What was the breaking point?. Click comment and let me know when you knew you had officially turned the page towards geezerdom.

Cookie Recipe

2008-06-27T08:56:00.000-04:00

My wife is awesome. A fact most of you know. She also makes amazing delicious cookies. A fact most of you also know. My favorite as of late have been these oatmeal cookies she started making that have single handily tried to derail all my dieting efforts (although I like to pretend they are healthy because they are just oatmeal, right?) Well, Nina doesn't know I'm doing this but I'm going to give you the recipe for the cookies so you can make them for the ones you love. Sorry Nina, but I really need to increase readership on this blog and sadly I have resorted to giving away family secrets. So here it is.

Nina's Oh-So-Delicious Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups whole oatmeal

1 stick butter

2 tbsp rainbow light

1 tsp pixie dust

1/2 cup of ground unicorn horn

A drop of love potion #9

A dollop of chutzpa

And a big helping of loveliness

Mix all ingredients in a big bowl and then pour them either directly into an oven, or alternatively onto a grill.

OK, you got me, I really don't know how she makes them. I just love them and I love her.

Heaven?

2008-06-26T15:27:00.000-04:00

Gizmodo has posted an amazing video. A tour through a secret vault at LEGO headquarters that contains every LEGO set ever made. Oh my LEGO. Sorry to use LEGO's name in vain, but I think I would wet my pants if I ever walked through its keypadded door. Click the image above to be linked to the video or click here.

Wedding Checklist

2008-06-23T21:48:00.000-04:00

For the longest time, I've had a checklist of things I wish weddings would have. I mean, it was more of a wish list. What was on it? I'm glad you asked. The short list was...

A dance floor under an airplane

The car Kennedy was shot in

A giant McDonald's sign

The first car ever built

The bus Rosa Parks refused to give her seat up on

A Guitar Hero II stage

The chair Lincoln was shot in

Thomas Edison's last breath in a jar

A giant locomotive

and last but not least...an ice cream sundae bar

I know it's a long list. And I for one never thought I would attend a wedding that could check all of these off the list, but boy was I wrong. Last night my sister got married and besides the sheer joy of seeing my sister marry one of the most awesome dudes ever, her and Justin's wedding featured all this stuff and much, much more. Dumbfounded? I'm sure you are. They got married at the Henry Ford and it was pretty much the most awesome place I could ever imagine having a wedding. Some photos are below, but Nina and Lori have more featuring the wedding party and my beautiful sister.

I Hate All Your Show

2008-06-21T21:11:00.000-04:00

Wow. Watch for this one. I can't wait for people to start singing this song. I for one, hope the lyrics of this song are one day on the lips of every worship leader (and every believer for that matter.) from the megachurches to the basement gatherings. I heard it a few weeks back and it was just released on Jon Foreman's new Summer EP. I can't get it out my head. There are quite a few songs lately that the lyrics have hit home with me. I think I'm going to be posting a few more. Here are the lyrics to this one.

I hate all your show and pretense
The hypocrisy of your praise
The hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show

Away with your noisy worship
Away with your noisy hymns
I stop up my ears when you’re singing ‘em
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show

Your eyes are closed when you’re praying
You sing right along with the band
You shine up your shoes for services
There’s blood on your hands

You turned your back on the homeless
And the ones that don’t fit in your plan
Quit playing religion games
There’s blood on your hands

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show

Let’s argue this out
If your sins are blood red
Let’s argue this out
You’ll be one of the clouds
Let’s argue this out
Quit fooling around
Give love to the ones who can’t love at all
Give hope to the ones who got no hope at all
Stand up for the ones who can’t stand at all, all

I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show

It's based on Isaiah 1:11-17. Click the link to check it out. As a worship leader, that passage is somehow both convicting and encouraging.

Here is a video of Jon performing it for the first time.

Note to Self

2008-06-17T08:11:00.000-04:00

Places to remember to go on vaca in Cali.

- In-N-Out

- Wahoo's Fish Tacos

- RockSugar

- BookSoup

- Carlsbad Pipeline

- That place with the amazing biscuits and gravy in downtown Carlsbad

- Jamba Juice

- Mozza

- That Burrito Shack across from Carlsbad Pipeline

- Jack's

- Longboard's

- Paul Frank HQ in Huntington

Where am I forgetting? Help me out. Post the places you think I have to go to in the comments section.

(I'm sure Nina will be the first one to post.)

Night Out

2008-06-08T20:56:00.000-04:00

Nina and I got a very special night out on Saturday. Since our wedding, I think both of us enjoy weddings more than ever. I think it's because we personally get so excited for the couple who is getting to live one of the best days of their lives. This wedding was no exception. You could see it on Nate and Deanna's faces. It was great to see two people we respect so much, start that next step together. Plus, Nina and I got to dress up and spend a night alone. A simple pleasure, we look forward to with Christmas morningesque anticipation. Get the whole story at Nina's Blog

New Glasses

2008-05-29T17:11:00.000-04:00

Thumbs up or thumbs down?

ASDF is my homerow

2008-05-27T18:36:00.000-04:00

What’s the most useful class you took in High School? As a writer, I want to say English. I mean Mrs. Kaine changed the way I read, wrote, and thought about the power of language. But as far as usefulness, I have to go with that seemingly unimportant typing class Mrs. Diesing taught. It seemed like such a waste at the time, but today, I can’t imagine where I’d be if I didn’t have my typing skillz. That’s right. With a Z. So, what HS class are you still benefiting from today? Click on the comments link below to leave your answer.

On the Road Again

2008-05-23T22:21:00.000-04:00

So the Bunk adventurers (Me, Nina, Maddy, Chris, Lori, and Isaac) set out for a weekend excursion to what, next to Carlsbad, CA and Sterling Heights, MI, has to be the coolest town in America. That’s right. Chicago. This time around we took a gamble and went on the train and after 5 hours of screaming and crying, mostly from the parents, we arrived safe and tired in the Big Orange (this is my new nickname for Chicago, since the Big Apple is taken and I prefer oranges to apples and Chicago to New York. Follow me?) We checked into a newly remodeled and straight out the future Chicago Centre Hotel that Lori found for us. Note the European spelling of Centre. Tre chique. And then proceeded to destroy a plate of Asian Nachos at Grand Lux, freeze our patooties off at Navy Pier, and get the kids to bed in time for me to force my brother to do some p90x ab ribber X with me. Eventful first day and some great pictures to match. Oh by the way. The answer is yes. That is Hillary’s face on a punching bag. It was an art gallery that had all kinds of politicians on punching bags. You can see Dick Cheney and Condi Rice in the background. Which politician would you punch? Hmmm. And yes it was 45 degrees. Yes. The weather man did say it was going to be 70. That guy better watch out for me on the street. Because I only packed short sleeve shirts and someone has to pay.

Sidenote: All the photos at lunch that may be slightly crooked or out of focus, or give the impression that we are a little too excited we’re taken by Isaac. I think he did a great job.

Time Lapse Worship

2008-05-22T09:15:00.000-04:00

Carlos has been doing these lately and I thought I would copy him since he's probably the coolest guy I've never met. I Downloaded a program called Gawker that grabs a photo every 5 seconds (or whatever I set it for) and seams them together for a nifty little time lapse film. Been testing it on some different things. I ran it during worship last night, inconspicuously. Of course. I have to play with the frame rate on my next couple. I think it's playing back too fast. Hope you enjoy an entire worship service in :12 seconds. Mike Molloy steps in front of the camera at the end since he was doing the transition last night. And if you are wondering what songs we did, the rundown was...

Your Name - Paul Balouche, Glenn Packiam

Cannons - Phil Wickham

How He Loves - John Mark McMillan

The Competition is Over

2008-05-07T22:33:00.000-04:00

So, at our office we did the typical New Year's thing and had a "biggest loser" competition. But unlike most resolutions, a handful of us actually stuck to it and lost some serious weight. The competition ended last Thursday. It ran for four months and if you've read any of my past posts you know I lost a good amount of weight. Ultimately, enough to win. My prize - a little bit of money, but more importantly I, for the first time in a long time, feel relatively healthy. I am so proud of all the people in my office who stuck with it and really motivated me to keep going. I've tried to lose weight before, but just knowing there were others counting calories and abstaining from the Friday morning donuts was apparently the little extra boost I needed. So my official numbers.

Total number of Weeks: 17

Total Weight Loss: 65.8 lbs.

Total Percentage of body weight lost: 24.2%.

Largest single week weight loss: 12 lbs. (first week)

As weird as it may sound, I was hoping to lose at least another 6 lbs. Don't know if that would have even been possible, but I can dream can't I?

This is a chart I kept during the competition that showed my progress week to week. If you click on it, you should be able to read all the small text.

A lot of people have been asking what my "secret" was. I really didn't have one. I lost the first 50 or so lbs. with very little exercise. It was about 95% diet changes. I really focused on limiting my calories to about 1500 each day. I stopped eating anything after 8:00 p.m. and I stopped drinking any non-diet pop. I cut out all "wasted" calories. I began eating consistently day-to-day. I started every day with 1 cup of GoLean Kashi and 3/4 cup Low-fat Vanilla Soy Milk. As cheesy as it sounds, I ate a lot of Subway for lunch. (thanks Jared). But I learned to say no to the cheese and realized for the first time that 6" of sub was enough for me. For dinner, my wife was marvelous and helped by making Weight Watcher type meals for the family. Snacks were mostly carrots and an early obsession with Low-Fat microwave popcorn which was my filler snack until I learned not to be hungry at night or after lunch.

That's about it. Now, I'm just trying to cut a few more lbs., increase my speed and endurance for soccer season, which started yesterday, and stick with my new favorite obsession - running.

We'll see.

You missed world pillow fight day

2008-04-28T09:51:00.001-04:00

On Saturday in Rome, 300 revelers took to the streets for the 3rd annual world pillow fight day. Innocent fun, right? Does anyone else think this is a terrible idea? I mean sure, on the surface - great idea. "It will be fun. We'll all jump around in the streets, laughing and whapping each other with fluffy pillows." But anyone who grew up with a brother like mine knows that some people take their pillow fighting seriously. My childhood memories consist of many a feather fight ending rather quickly, when my brother would pull out the pillow-of-doom. Basically a bowling ball in a pillow case. That he would wield like a medieval mace, destroying everything in his path. A lamp. Drywall. My head. I don't even know how he slept on that pillow. It had to be so uncomfortable. But I'm sure he rested soundly knowing that if 400 ninjas attacked in the middle of the night, he was only milliseconds from unleashing an atomic bomb of pillow power. Next year, I'm sending Chris to Rome for what is sure to be the 4th and final world pillow fight day. May God have mercy on those poor Roman's souls.

6.3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-04-26T17:31:00.000-04:00

Today it happened. My first unofficial 10k. I am so stunned. Who knew it would be today? I mean it started out like any normal run. I put on my 10 year old New Balance 803 All-terrains, pulled on a thrift-store t-shirt commemorating the 30th reunion of the Cazenovia High class of '71, and set out down the familiar sidewalk. The thought was maybe 4.2 maybe even push 5 today. But then the feeling hit about a quarter of the way into it. Maybe I could run the illustrious 6.2 (10k). My first thought was, Nah, that's too far. You've never run that far. Just stick to the 5. But as I kept running I started to feel like I could make the 10k. I was averaging under 8 minutes a mile and not feeling fatigued. So then I got determined. I am going to do it.

I knew the route I was on wasn't long enough so once I got back into the neighborhood, I just picked streets and started running down them. Got back to the main road, ran through parks, and finally ended at my house at exactly 6.3 miles. To be honest only the last mile felt like work and that is such an amazing feeling. I'm not trying to make myself sound awesome, but my literal goal was to able to run the Turkey Trot. It's a 10k, but it's in November. I had no idea I would hit my goal so soon. I really only started running outside less than 3 weeks ago. I am so blown away. I can't tell you how great it feels, Of all the things i've done in the past few months, which includes losing over 60 lbs., today is one of the first times i've felt I've actually accomplished something. I was so stoked I had Nina take a picture. So cheesy. I know. But monumental to me.

I want to thank a few people who made it possible. First, God for keeping my heart from exploding when I push myself to hard. Second, U2, K-Os, John Mark McMillan, The National, Bloc Party, The Arcade Fire, Mute Math (2x), Edison Glass, Switchfoot, and Sanctus Real for giving me a great playlist to run too, and finally My two precious girls for giving me a reason to get healthy.

Below is my Nike+ run report for your perusal. I know it looks like a big dip in one area, but that's only a 9:00 minute mile. My average pace was 7:57 per mile which you can see in the second image as well as my overall time, calories, and distance.

Adding to the awesomeness factor of the run is the fact that right before I left the house, I cut my big toe pretty bad. After a quick band-aid, I thought nothing off it. I didn't hurt really. But when I got home this is what my sock looked like.

Fortunately my wife is very loving and borrowed one of Madeline's band-aids to patch up my wound.

Sorry if all this running talk is boring. You just have no idea what a big deal it is to me.

My favorite tree

2008-04-26T07:14:00.000-04:00

This tree is in our backyard and I love it. I love that every year it springs to life literally overnight. The fact that it looks like it's dead one day and then all of sudden one morning I'm walking out to my garage, I look over and bam, it's glorious. In about a week all the white flowers will be gone. Green will creep in. The tree will begin its next phase. But I love this week. This phase. You see that little bench under it's branches. For some reason, Nina calls it my bench. (it's really our bench. What's mine is ours). But I think she calls it mine because I just go and sit on it. Just sit. because I want to enjoy this tree this week. So if you're in the neighborhood, it's easy to find. Just look in our backyard behind the playhouse and our grill and my firepit that well move to the lawn soon and then just slightly to the left and behind a pink ball and you'll find my favorite tree and "our" favorite bench.

Socks of the Day

2008-04-24T13:44:00.000-04:00

Nina recently started buying me some amazingly awesome socks, so...the most riveting portion of your day will now certainly be checking out the hosiery I am sporting. Don't count on it everyday, but remember that if the skies are cloudy and gray or your dog just got hit by a car, your day can be immediately brightened by my socks. Installment #1: Skulls and Crossbones. My feet have been declared deadly weapons. I believe Chuck Norris wears these socks everyday as a warning to anyone fitting him for shoes - one too many cobblers have died not knowing the power of a single stray Norris kick. Side note: I obviously don't wear my pants this high. I pulled them up for the photo in order to show more of the glorious sockage.

What I think about when I run

2008-04-21T21:06:00.000-04:00

Went running tonight. Thought it'd be fun to write down what I think about while I'm running. This is of course from memory. Ran almost 4 miles, so i'm sure i'm leaving out a few things. Tonight, I ran in the park in my subdivision which is a round tree-lined path with a kiddie playland and tennis courts in the middle. It's all left turns kind of like NASCAR without the pitstops. I start at my house and run down the block to start and finish. I run with my Nano and Nike+. Here goes.

I hope this Nike+ is working.

Alright the music started I think it's working.

Oh there's Suzy.

Pause.

At this point, about 10 seconds into my run, I stop to chat with my neighbor Suzy who is coming home from the park with two of her kids, Joey and Gigi. Small talk. She says how she can tell I lost weight. We chat a bit and them I'm off again.

Play.

Slow down dude, you don't want to burn out.

Oh, there's no one here. I'm surprised. It's nice out.

Wow there's a lot of sticks on the path.

Maybe I can kick them while I'm running.

Maybe not.

I wonder where Nina went with Maddy?

Probably Mike and Kristen's.

Yeah.

Must have left her phone in the car.

Was I supposed to put that Chicken pot pie in the oven?

What temperature?

She probably thought I was smart enough to know the temperature.

My wife. So must trust in me. Little does she know, I can barely dress myself in the morning.

Oh, great. Look at those dogs. Big boxers are rotweillers. What is the name of those things. I hate how they just stare at me like dinner.

Let's see if they jump when I run by.

Yeah they're jumping.

Man, they're like a foot from the top.

What if they jumped that fence? They would maul me and I wouldn't even hear it coming. My iPod is so loud.

Maybe I should run backwards to keep an eye on them.

Maybe I should carry mace.

What if they bit me?

Could I sue those guys?

How fast am I running?

They should build a bigger fence.

I never see anyone in that yard. Where are they're owners?

Who owns 3 dogs that look so mean?

Look there's like babies on the play area.

That's scary.

But I guess there's a fence.

It's probably safe.

Oh look at these two.

How old are they? 15?

They're pretty touch feely for 15.

Man.

Don't make eye contact.

How fast am I running?

Why is it playing two Switchfoot songs in a row.

Oh, I turned the shuffle off on my drive home.

But the first song was U2.

Must be starting at the back of the list.

Oh there's another runner.

He's got a pink shirt on.

A cancer run shirt I think.

Nod when he comes by.

Yeah that's cool.

Like runner camaraderie.

Wow no headphones.

He's hardcore.

Just the sound of wind and his breathing.

I wonder what my breathing sounds like.

I can't hear jack with these headphones so loud.

Maybe I should see a doctor about my hearing.

Naw, just ignore it.

If you see a doctor, that's like admitting you're sick.

Wow. That sounds dumb. Don't tell anyone that theory, they'll think you're nuts.

He nodded back. Nice.

I wonder if he has a Nike+.

I need people to challenge.

Carlos has one.

But I don't really know Carlos.

Just read his blog so much I think I know him.

He'd think I was crazy if I sent him an invite.

I wonder if Jim is running?

How far is he going to go?

I'm like 4 miles ahead of him.

If I run 3 tonight that will put me 7 up.

But he did run 5 last night.

A 2 mile cushion isn't enough.

But it's a weekday.

Maybe he won't run that far.

Maybe I'll stop at 3 miles.

Or 30 minutes.

Yeah 30 minutes.

Then I'll sprint home.

Or run faster.

How fast am I running.+

You're looking at your feet too much.

Look straight ahead.

Oh, wait should I not be think about stuff

or maybe I should be thinking about stuff.

What could I multi-task while running.

How about that scrabulous game with Mary Grace.

I only have 3 tiles left.

I really want to play those 3 and end the game so she gets subtracted points.

I can think of words while running.

What letter do I have left.

I think L and U and R.

Right, I tried to play RULE, but no open E.

Maybe I could play Ruler.

But there is now way there's an open ER.

Wait what were my letters again?

Ahhh, that's too hard.

I really hope I wasn't supposed to put that pie in the oven.

How fast am I going?

Speed up a bit.

Alright that scrabble thing is too hard.

What about some work stuff?

What could we give away with that fitness challenge we came up with today for client X.

How about one of these headbands branded with the challenge name or a rearview mirror for their bikes.

We could give nike+.

Yeah. If they got a friend to sign up for it, that would be worth the $30 gift.

That's a good idea.

But everyone will just think you are suggesting it because you're obsessed with your Nike+.

Whatever, I'm going to recommend it anyone.

9:00 minute mile

You're running too slow.

Stop thinking and just run.

Legs getting tighter.

Don't think about it.

You're body is just a machine.

You just have to keep it in motion.

Don't think about it and you'll just keep running.

How many minutes left.

Nice.

One more lap then run home.

OK.

Run. Run. Run.

Pick your feet up.

Push yourself forward.

That lady probably thinks I'm chasing her.

Don't stop at the doorway. Run around the garage and come back down the driveway that will be some added distance.

Run. Run. Run.

and Stop.

So that's my run. Well the abridged version. That's probably a quarter of the things I think about. I hope that gave you a look into my world.