MOvember 1st 2013

So today is Novemeber 1st. While we are still basking in the glory of
a World Series Championship in Massachusetts, the leaves have mostly
fallen and the unpredictable weather is upon us. Novemeber 1st also
means we are upon Movemeber. Movember, what is that you may ask? So
taken right from their website, they could not say it any better.

Movember (a portmanteau word from moustache and "November") is an
annual, month-long event involving the growing of moustaches during
the month of November to raise awareness of prostate cancer and other
male cancer and associated charities. The Movember Foundation runs the
Movember charity event, housed at Movember.com. The goal of Movember
is to "change the face of men's health."

While cancer has touched most of our lives, the campaigns for Breast
Cancer awareness are quite common and popular. Both types of cancer
have touched my family. Both of my grandfathers passed while I was in
my early teens from prostate cancer, so last year I tried this for the
first time. Being in the Air National Guard since I turned 19 hasn't
helped me either in growing facial hair. Going to a Military college,
and having Drill weekends once a month for over a decade now, facial
hair is frowned upon in military standards. However a mustache,
within the standards of appearance is acceptable. So I made it about
half of the month last year, supporting "movemeber" before having it
drive me crazy. I saw the mustache out of the corner of my eye, it
overtook my life. I got ingrown hairs, I itched, it was an
uncomfortable experience.

This time around I am determined to make it the entire month. 30 days
to a cool mustache and hopefully raise some money on the side for
prostate cancer. Look out Tom Selleck, you may have met your match.
JJH

P Bruins, Scorpion Bowl, Bigger Pants weekend

So what is in a weekend?  Time for fun? Time for painful chores? Time for friends?  I usually migrate towards the things that are fun.  Danielle and I left work Friday and headed to Patriot Place.  I had to buy some jeans that fit considering my ass continues to grow (go figure) and my clothing doesn’t fit.  So rather than work out, and burn a calorie, I feel it is easier to buy new clothes.  In all honesty It had been more than 5 years since I purchased a pair of jeans.  I guess the carpenter jeans just aren’t cool any more.  So we hung around Patriot Place for a little and did something we do not enjoy, shop for clothes.  Then we went to Toby Keith’s, “I love this bar” bar.  I had not been, I kind of refused to thinking I am not all about Pop Culture Americana, but I gave in.  It was fun, had a beer in a mason jar, and watched all the staff in their costumes, some were just so funny! 

Then we headed to Providence, to catch a Providence Bruins Game.  The Boston Bruins along with the rest of the NHL is still in a lock out, but felt like this would be a good way to see the stars of tomorrow.  When I purchased the tickets, I did not realize that UMass Lowell was hosting Boston College, in Lowell at the very same time.  BC were the 2012 National Champs, so that would have been an awesome game to catch as well. 

The only time I had been in the Dunkin Donuts Center before was for a Monster Truck rally with Zach my nephew and my brother Adam like 7 years ago.  They have really done a nice job updating it but they charged $9 for a beer.  $9 BUCKS!  Unreal.  I guess I am in the wrong line of work.  So If you go to a game, do yourself a favor and smuggle in brews.  That is an friggin rip off!  Its not like they are trying to off set the $20 million dollar salary of someone on the ice.

The game was very fun, the P Bruins threw down with several fights.  If that were a statistic that was kept and helped with a win, they would have won in a land slide.  Byt thy ended up losing in a close game, closer than it appeared at 3-0.  It was “Pink in the Rink” night so they gave everyone a pink towel and the 75% full crowd would have them from time to time.  And yes you bet your ass I will be writing off the $5 per ticket that was going to the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer foundation.  This years taxes shall be fun!

We spent the weekend in Plymouth, complete with seeing my friends, the mini lop rabbit owners, and teaching my brother how to ask inappropriate questions to Siri on his iPad. 

So between a scorpion bowl, and seeing the Pats at a good buddy’s house from work, just Destroy the Rams, it was a good weekend where I question where the time has gone by the end of it. 

With the class in the rear view mirror I have not decided whether I am taking a new one yet but I should decide because they are starting this week.  Whatever the case may be, enjoy Hurricane Sandy, don’t let her get the best of you! Stay strong.  Josh

Catching up with the obese airman

So I am 2 weeks away from finishing this class.  The time commitment is a bit more than I was thinking, but then again what was I thinking?  It’s a graduate level marketing class.  But I have a couple nights a week where I do the schoolwork, and one night a week is the actual class.  Couple it with something like the scenario I had this weekend, where I had drill with the Air National Guard and it makes for one hell of a scenario.  I know having all of these commitments is a good thing in the end, but I have an uneasy feeling thru all of it.

So other exciting things in my life, well I interviewed for an officer position in the Guard.  What is the significance of this?  In the National Guard you must be commissioned as an officer before you turn 35 years of age.  And those of you who know me know that (GASP!) that window of opportunity is closing quite quickly.  So I had to put together a package with school transcripts, write a letter of intent, submit AFOQT scores (Air Forcer Officer Qualifying Test), my PT scores, a letter of recommendation from my commander, and a couple other pieces of information.  I have interviewed for 3 positions like this in the past, yet never have been successful.  The last time I sat thru a board, it was 2006.  And I left the interview thinking, OH MAN THEY LOVED ME.  I answered every question like a friggin champ!  I might as well start planning the rest of my career around this.  And then WHAMMO!  This very political process passed on me, and chose someone who I felt was the polar opposite of what I was.  Now, repeat the process 6 years later.  Still the same enlisted rank, no gray hairs yet, but about 25 lbs heavier.  In that six years I managed to move from RI to MA to VA to MA.  In that six year period I went from being an uncle of two to an uncle of four.  I went from being the son of two hard working parents, to the son of two parents who no longer work.  And at a time when I thought I would never find anyone to date; now I am married, go figure.  Six years has flown by.  And I found myself answering these canned questions very similar to the way I answered them in 2006.  Only time will tell if this time around they actually listened to what I was saying, or will I once again fall into the “We regret to inform you that you were not selected” category. 

Other exciting things, I brewed my first beer at a place called “Incredibrew” in Nashua NH last week.  It was a fun process, gave me an appreciation for how the Lord’s nectar comes to be.  We head back next week to bottle it.  Looking forward to it. 

Um, my drill weekend also was spent 30 minutes with a doc who had to counsel me about my weight, and nutrition habits, because of the weight and the tape measurement of my abdomen recorded prior to last drill weekends fitness test.  Ignore the fact that no one in the group (40+ folks) finished within 90 seconds of me for the 1.5 mile timed run.  Ignore the fact that I may not have the genes of someone with a 6 pack.  The USAF / ANG feels that measuring my waistline and having me step on a scale is a true reflection of whether I am fit to fight.  I wish they would do something a tad more practical, like say, put on a ruck sack, fill it with 55 lbs of weights, and have you jog across a football field a few times, climbing over obstacles.  Lets see the chain-smoking dude that happens to have crack heads as parents, and his 29 inch waist line keep up with me!  Let him drink his 5 Mountain Dews a day, walking duck footed, and taking almost 20 minutes to do the 1.5 mile run.  I know I am in the worst shape of my life right now, but MY worst shape exceeds the majority of the clowns that get a better assessment score because of what they take into account.  1 min of pushups and 1 min of sit-ups also helps put together an idea of just how fit to fight you are. 

If Scott Brown is re-elected this year I am going to write to him and have him question the thinking behind that scoring for these annual assessments.  I have enjoyed having a Senator who serves in the military as someone to throw ideas at.  For me to wait for an hour to meet with a Doc to have them tell me I need to be aware of my saturated fat intake, question if I drink (um, yeah doesn’t everyone) and advise me to have plenty of fruits and vegetables is a complete waste of time. 

What is a funny thing though is to see my health record, from when I enlisted, 12.5.1998 to present, and see my annual weigh in’s for the physical, begging as a 168 lb Airman basic, and now a 204 lb Staff Sergeant.  Good stuff, It is quite the bell curve, well at least half of one so far. 

So part of me wants to correct this, and make some significant improvements, and then part of me wants to try to pack on 40 more labs, tip the scales, but try and blow everyone out of the water on the run again.  J

With all of this being said, I enjoy my time in the Guard, I like serving the country and the state I serve in, and for every one of those moments I shake my head at, I have 8 moments that I can stand and say with pride and confidence that this remains a great choice for me. 

Other things..  Had an alumni event in Plymouth at the Cabby Shack last week.  Shipyard in a glass with a cinnamon rim, nothing beats it!  Good to see a few of the people I liked from school.  For a Thursday night it is tough to get people to travel to something like that. 

Grabbed 3 buds and played golf on Friday at Indian Pond in Kingston.  I know I golf you ask?  Not really and not well at all.  Once in Panama in 1998.  Once in Wareham in 2000.  Once in Maine in 2002. Once in Egypt in 2005.  And last Friday in Kingston, MA.  Pretty random, but my claim to fame was that I held on to the same ball thru the first 16 holes!  And no one in the foresome could have said that either!  Jake, Jon and Matt, thanks for making it a fun time! 

Anyways I have procrastinated too long, I need to brush my teeth, head to bed, and catch the rest of the Monday Night Football on the iPad. 

By the way, I did not edit this, nor go back and spell check or correct anything.  I just started typing, and now I am submitting this.  Because that is how I roll.  If I needed you to be Suzanne Blanchard on my ass, I would ask for it. 

Josh

Bring the teacher an apple

So I started going back to school last night, a “Marketing Fundamentals” graduate school class at UMass Lowell.  Why you may ask?  Because it is long overdue.  One class at a time, sitting in the corner among most people 10 years younger than myself. 

Benefits of this are, now I have a college ID.  I can go to the UMass Lowell Hockey Games for free, and the gym, which is walking distance from the condo.  Tonight I was VERY unsuccessful at doing my homework.  I really have no desire to get home after 9 hours of work, and stare at a computer screen (like I am now) and do something that is UN-fun!  So let the growing pains begin.  Plenty more to write about, but I will keep this entry short and sweet!  Happy fall, Josh

I guess its gross to want to win

So this is my first year in a softball league, we have a pretty sizable league at work, 24 teams. When I heard about softball I figured, this could be fun. Yet we started off the season 0 wins and 3 losses. It hurt badly. I didn't realize how much I hated losing until that reminder coming up on the losing end on more than one occasion.  It seemed to bother my team mates as well, one of which is Danielle, aka wifey. She would get so mad when she lost. Then in the 4th week, we flipped a switch as a team. We really pulled for one another. We put it all on the line for each other. We got passionate about the positions we were playing, and we felt responsible for the highs and lows that the team had. Between several rained out games to be rescheduled we are slowly approaching the end of the season, pre playoffs. Two weeks ago today I tried to stretch a single into a double and slid into 2nd base with a double. While the thrill of an extra base hit felt so good, a win was always in the back of our minds. I turned 1st and slid into second aggressively for a double two weeks ago. After the slide I realized I was in a recreational softball game, and secondly I was wearing shorts. On the crushed stone dust, ata high rate of speed, and a complete sense of reckless abandon you can imagine what happened. Pain. Blood. Limping. A feeling of stupidity. On the eve of leaving for the National Guard for a week, it was important to get this thing clean before field conditions.  The next morning one of the nurses at work did just that. What an angel. Equipped with supplies, a magnifine glass and a couple dozen of gause pads. 
So I have been getting better, slowly shrinking in size, as the lesson learned sank in. Until tonight where I pulled off the same thing. What possessed me to do it, we will never know. See pics of 2 weeks and and then again tonight when I hit another "double"

Its been a week, and trying to stick with it

So it’s been one week.  Seven days and I have been on this “diet” so to speak.  I guess this causes for a celebration, right.  Anyone who knows me, I have probably never tried a “diet” before for more than 24 hours, and that is not an exaggeration.  I grow sick of it; my steering wheel will pull to the side when passing a fast food place.  This week has not been one about sacrifice.  It has been more about trying new things, not having any reservations, and having a support network around me.  For the first time in a while I am saying, hey you know you have this wedding coming up shortly; maybe you should stop putting off this life changing experience, and do something for yourself.

So this is what I have learned in the past 7 days.  I have not gotten more motivated to work out yet surprisingly.  The tug I always felt to work out when younger has not arrived just yet.  I love avocados.  I never even purchased an avocado before, and Friday morning I found myself eating two of them after watching a YouTube video on how to open and eat one.  It was amazing.  Much like the Engine 2 movie said, I will learn to appreciate textures of foods, and tastes.  Sounds pretty funny when I first heard it, but I was crazing strawberries instead of ice cream by day 3.  Odd transformation.  I have weighed myself several times over the week.  It’s been quite the roller coaster.  I have not been hungry at all, I really haven’t curbed moderation at all, I am finding myself full off foods from plants, or other things.  I haven’t stopped drinking.  It was a tough week.  Between three UMass Lowell Hockey Eat playoff games, and a desire to unwind for a weekend, drinks flowed.  I just opted for a Coors Light, or Shawsheen Light or any other kind of light beer, as opposed to the stiffer, darker ones that I have learned to like later in life.   So I am drinking Almond Milk with my Coffee, I cooked Kale for the first time this week, bought salad at work a couple times, made a whole grain and rice with black bean recipe, and cooked an Israeli Morracon dish tonight with Couscous.  I have learned that I do not cook Kale well, and I drink 48 oz of vegetable juice and I feel great.  My energy levels have been 2x higher than normal I would say, I am not coming home from work in a pissy mood, I feel semi empowered and jubilant.  I tried to run outside tonight for the first time in over a week and I only lasted 2 miles.  It was rough.  The weather was 46 degrees and it was sunny out, but my legs felt heavy and I didn’t have a running energy to me.  I will have to learn to work on this. 

With all of this being said I am trying to do homework for my first time in a VERY long time tonight.  It is my first grad school class this Wednesday in almost 6 years, and I have first paper and homework assignments due.  I stayed home tonight to read and do the homework but I got distracted, and have forced myself into a corner where I must concentrate on this after work the next two days so I can start this school year off right.  I am ecitied to return to school.  I am annoyed to the high heavens that my company will not be paying for it, which I thought was my plan when I reapplied for admission into the program that I left 6 years ago, but the company had other plans for me.  So the $2110 before the book fee will be coming from my own pocket.  For this one class.  I have completed 2 classes in 2006, and will need another 10 classes to graduate from this school with the Masters degree that I set out to finish.  In the mean time I need to find a way to finically make it all work.  More to follow there. 

So time for the weigh in.  As I said, I have weighed myself Sunday night when I started this journey and now it is 7 days later.  After just having finished dinner, and watched a movie called the 5^th Quarter (which was quite good and I never heard of that story before) I can just imagine what it will read. 

So a week ago I was 208.6.  Tonight I am 203.0.  The lowest I weighed myself this week was 201.2 and I was astonished.  So I guess something is working, I wonder if I can actually start working our and running now that we have some longer days with the time change this weekend.  Additionally I am supposed to be running the New Bedford half marathon this weekend.  I haven’t run a race since I blew the worst marathon out of my ass in West Virginia in June of last year.  Should be exciting, considering I struggled with 2 miles today.  Off to do some more homework, Josh. 

Shopping was very diffrent

I let the carnivore get whatever she wanted.

A new approach, with greenly leaves?

So in very Josh like / blog fashion, I hit another rock bottom moment over the last few days.  Didn’t know someone could hit rock bottom that many times, oh my friend you don’t know me very well.  I went to get a new drivers license for the great state of Massachusetts, and I had them take two different pictures and my CHINS would not hide (wait until I get this license I will post a picture its amazing!).  Amazing, yes I said CHINS.  I have said to a couple people, violating all rules of P.C that I now have “more Chins than Chinatown” which some can be offended by a statement like that.  This is why I am not affiliated with my work, with anything else, nor running for an office by writing a blog.  They are my own thoughts.  If you don’t like my sense of humor your Mom probably didn’t like to give you hugs when growing up either.  Get over it, and then play in traffic. 

SO yeah I am 33 years old now.  My energy level sucks.  My motivation to get in shape is best summarized that it will be gone within 48 hours, no exaggeration, and it’s been that way for years now.  I don’t like the way my clothes fit.  I don’t like how I look in pictures.  I don’t feel healthy in any aspect of my life. 

This drill weekend in the Air National Guard we had to don and doff our chemical warfare gear for an upcoming exercise and inspection.  For those familiar with these get-ups they are quite cumbersome.  Heavy pants (to go over your existing military uniform) a heavy jacket, thick rubber boots, a gas mask, cotton gloves, rubber outer gloves and a hood.  Carry a belt with the gas mask case and a canteen full of water on yourself.  It’s aggravating to wear this stuff but we understand its part of our mission.  We have to be able to demonstrate that we can put them on in a quick fashion when a horn or alarm sounds that calls for something like that.  Well I struggled with it.  I may look like I wasn’t after all I have run thru this crapola since 1998.  I am familiar with the equipment, its nothing new.  Just as your lack of flexibility increases, to go along with their waistline, and then have a cardiovascular system that used to be in pretty damn good shape and I have successfully put it into the toilet in less than a year, well its mind blowing. 

So I read an acquaintances facebook when I got home from drill.  They mentioned this movie called “Forks over Knives” and I watched a preview for it, and thought, interesting.  I have never given anything like this a chance.  My good friend Courtney is a Vegan, and I make fun of her lifestyle more than I probably should.  Refer to the stuff she eats as sticks or twigs and berries.  But in actuality, she’s a phenomenal athlete, has unparalleled energy, and makes her lifestyle seem easy. 

Me, I am a guy who likes cream in his coffee, needs caffeine to drag me thru the day.  I like chocolate, I like the supersized anything, I like ranch dressing

Here are cold hard facts.  I get married in 82 days.  No way around it, I found the perfect woman for me, I know it’s going to be awesome, but I am going to be looking at the pictures of that day for the rest of my life.  If I cant stand my drivers license picture can imagine something like that?

I weighed 208.6 tonight.  The body fat was off the charts too, I don’t know how accurate a $30.00 scale is, but I know it’s not pretty. 

So something creepy about me, I have 4 photos on my phone I am not proud of.  Times I took a picture of the scale when weighing on it, to show the weight and the date.  I did this when I was at another “rock bottom” moment when I convinced myself I was going to get serious, get my head out of my ass, and make some changes.  Run, Bike, Whatever.  Become some ironman triathlete with rippled abs that wears no shirt to parties because he can.  In reality, I haven’t felt comfortable without a shirt probably since 2007 or so.  I find some way to blame it, on bad genes, I am too tale, big bones, whatever the case may be.  And then I let some stupid number convince me that I am healthy.  NO guy that’s has run ## number of marathons is fat?! Or, Can a fat person drop what they are doing and go bike for ## miles?  My head strong approach usually got the best of me, when I would not ease into some new training opportunity and like I said within 48 hours of embarking on this awesome journey, I fizzle out, found myself playing some videogame, drinking a few beers, polishing off a huge bowl of my favorite ice cream.  Yeah nice choice!  Comfort food for me is a list that probably could take a week to finish, so I will not attempt that.

This movie much like the documentary Food Inc I watched years ago I thought, oh man, I am going to make some changes.  Yet this time I have a tad more incentive. 

I am currently running probably .75x a week on average.  Yeah you read that right; I bet I “run every 10^th day at this point in my life.  And by run, my last run was a 10 minute walk on the treadmill, built up to 6 mph, where I was slugging along, cranked it up to 9 mph for about 45 seconds and then practically had a heart attack, hit the stop button, got off, and yelled at myself in the condominium elevator.  Healthy, right?  Were any changes made, um no not really. 

Anyways, I am tried, so I will wrap this up, and not even proof read it, because that’s how I feel.  SO I started off eating peanut butter and graham crackers when I started the documentary tonight.  Halfway thru I stopped (the people in this movie can not touch something like that for food), and dug to the back of the fridge to a can of 100% vegetable juice I purchased back in October I believe that I never touched.  I opened it, and proceeded to drink all 48 fluid ounces before the end of the movie.  The movie energized me, gave me some hope, made me feel like after 90 minutes of watching this I could make some changes in my life that would make my life a longer more enjoyable one, and make some crazy commitment.  So I am stating that I am going to try and follow this greens only / vegan like lifestyle for 2 months.  End it if I choose to on Cinco De Mayo, a couple weeks before the wedding.  I have nothing to lose, but sluggish actions, lack of motivation, a piss poor attitude often times, and about 40 lbs.  More to come. 

Josh

The last day of January, woo hoo!

Blogging.  Its not jogging, even though both of them take a considerable amount of effort, and somehow I seem to not be able to find time in my life for any of these.  Why, what’s the excuse you may ask?  Um, not much of one.  It’s the final hour and 8 minutes left in the month of January, and I eagerly look forward to a more productive February.  While the shortest month of the year, I feel it can be a powerful one. 

So speaking of power, my nephew Danny AKA Baby Danny took his first steps on his own today.  I wish I was there to see it.  For a couple months now he has been doing this scooting on his butt thing, its pretty amazing stuff.  Scoot on your butt by bouncing, moving forward and not using any hands.  Sure try it at home; I don’t think you will find yourself successful.  My sister seems to have mastered this art of creating not only gorgeous children, but ones with great lower body strength.  From Zachary on down, her kids have always had these legs like they belong on the defensive line of the Patriots, or pushing wheelbarrows of bricks around a work site or something. 

Speaking of Patriots, Super Bowl is this weekend.  Patriots with a rematch from 4 years ago against the New York Giants.  Or the New Jersey Giants as I like to refer to them as.  The team resides in New jersey, why not give that state their due, they put up with the traffic, and their fans, and the hoopla that goes along with the team.  Why should someone in Albany,NY be able to call that his home team.  That’s bull.  Regardless of where they play at, I have had a strong dislike for that franchise my entire life that I have been making my own decisions.   The last time they met in the Superbowl I logged onto a sports better website as out 18-0 Patriots warmed up, and emptied my checking account on a bet for my hometown team.  Then I watched in amazement as David Tyree made the catch of the decade, and Eli Manning tore out of sacks.  After that Super Bowl I stood with my mouth agape for 20 minutes after the game.  I could not control my behaviors.  Not only did I lose a crap load of money, that I thought was such a guaranteed win, but I saw the unthinkable happen before my own eyes. 

I did not listen to sports talk radio for more than 2 months after that.  A routine I was doing for 2 + hours a day for the two years prior, driving from Plymouth to Providence for my job. 

So as I approach February 1^st, I hope to be able to make a few big moves in my life.  Things like, get my taxes done EARLY!  Plan the honeymoon.  Get a wedding cake.  Take a pottery class.  Maybe take a dance class.  Have my pants fit better.  Re-establish friendships with some friends I really haven’t spent much time around for quite a while, and file every piece of paper in my life, in a hanging file folder, once and for all.  I have all the drawers I need, just need to find the time to do it.  Until next time, Josh

Penn State

Board of Trustees announces leadership changes at Penn State

This whole situation makes my stomach churn. This time last year Danielle and I got awesome tickets to see what the Penn State experience was all about. It was unreal, and we happened to choose Joe Paterno's 400th win. Beaver Stadium was electric. I can not ever remember feeling this kind of feeling because of sports before, I think just because it involves children and I have zero tolerance for such a thing. I will write more when I can come up with more thoughts on this.

I am on day 3 of 4 for the Osha 511 General Industry course. The instructor has been exceptional I wish I had a mentor like him daily, he is a wealth of knowledge for EHS. I really have no idea how many years I would have to be in this profession for me to feel as confident and fluid as he is, and able to really convince everyone based on OSHA standards and regulations just why we do what we do when it comes to workplace safety.

Have a nice evening, Josh

Off to drink

So a lot has changed in my life since my last blog post.  I will not say I PROMISE to write more because I wouldn't want to break that promise.

Well anyways I live in Lowell, Massachusetts now.  I will have plenty of posts about home ownership, what it was like to undertake this huge act of painting every wall (still not done yet, about 91% complete) and have a company come rip up tile, carpet and existing bamboo flooring and lay hardwood floors, and then the adjustment of the new job which drives me flipping bonkers sometimes.  However I am very great to have a job, have made my first mortgage payment, and now I can walk to Lowell Beer Works and try the newest Brew.  They come out with a new beer every month and I am looking forward to it.

I ran tonight, not much at all, but a HUGE amount compared to what I have ran lately.  To say I am unmotivated is an understatement.  To say I lack direction in the area of fitness is the truth and for the first time in my life, it hasn't bothered me.

I miss having friends that are active and hold my feet to the fire when it comes to something like athletics.  Gone have been the days of calling a friend close by to go run 5 miles at a good clip and talk about the days events.  I ran short of 4 miles tonight, however its almost double my mileage over the last 6 weeks or so.

Anyways I will write more later, plenty to catch up on.  But this, November 1st 2011, in my flannel shirt, I will be the guy at the bar, alone, watching some NHL game I could care less about, trying the beer of the month.  Life is grand.  Josh

New approach and FFB results from draft

So it is 7:02 pm on Labor Day. I have had a weekend where I have got to see some good friends, spend time with family, and eat and drink enough for me to finally say this is enough. While this reoccurring theme of abuse and then enlightenment has been going on since I live in Tucson in 2004 I am going to try yet another approach. Recording what I put in my suck hole!


My running right now sucks. And when I say sucks I mean really sucks. I ran tonight a 4 mile loop not because I wanted to, but because Danielle, the fiancé insisted it will make me feel better. I feel bad for her. She doesn’t know the once motivated athlete. I have progressively ballooned in weight and struggled with motivation. Everyone has an idea of what their ideal shape should be. Whether it is the number you see when you step on the scale, or the way your favorite jeans fit, or the numbers on your watch when you run the loop that you have known for years.

For a decade or so I would sign up for races as a way to keep myself true to myself. If I signed up for a marathon in 2 months I knew I couldn’t be pounding beers and slamming down double cheese burgers every day. I knew what it would feel like on the day of the race that way I knew what to avoid. IN both actitivites and eating.

So we will see how this goes. The time of transition with the condo purchase still a month a way and long days in the car to go to a job where I feel like there is so much to learn, I guess it’s a matter of time before it seems routine once again. Until later, Josh.

PS My fantasy football draft just finished. I am the Lowell Mill Girls, how do you think I did?

Round: 1

(1) Acton Lone Drinkers - Adrian Peterson RB

(2) Team Patsies - Chris Johnson RB

(3) BOOT N RALLY - Arian Foster RB

(4) Team Nichols - Jamaal Charles RB

(5) C WELL - Tom Brady QB

(6) Team Chamberlain - Michael Vick QB

(7) Chernobly Energy Tub - Philip Rivers QB

(8) Team Buckley - Ray Rice RB

(9) Maroney's Marauders - Aaron Rodgers QB

(10) First Class Citizens - Rashard Mendenhall RB

(11) Team Holland - Maurice Jones-Drew RB

** (12) Lowell Mill Girls - Drew Brees QB

(13) Safe And Snug - Matt Forte RB

(14) Team Pritchard - LeSean McCoy RB



Round: 2

(15) Team Pritchard - Andre Johnson WR

(16) Safe And Snug - Roddy White WR

** (17) Lowell Mill Girls - Darren McFadden RB

(18) Team Holland - Michael Turner RB

(19) First Class Citizens - Ben Roethlisberger QB

(20) Maroney's Marauders - Peyton Hillis RB

(21) Team Buckley - Frank Gore RB

(22) Chernobly Energy Tub - Steven Jackson RB

(23) Team Chamberlain - Greg Jennings WR

(24) C WELL - Ahmad Bradshaw RB

(25) Team Nichols - Calvin Johnson WR

(26) BOOT N RALLY - Larry Fitzgerald WR

(27) Team Patsies - Hakeem Nicks WR

(28) Acton Lone Drinkers - Matt Ryan QB



Round: 3

(29) Acton Lone Drinkers - Felix Jones RB

(30) Team Patsies - Mike Wallace WR

(31) BOOT N RALLY - Vincent Jackson WR

(32) Team Nichols - Miles Austin WR

(33) C WELL - Marques Colston WR

(34) Team Chamberlain - LeGarrette Blount RB

(35) Chernobly Energy Tub - Antonio Gates TE

(36) Team Buckley - Knowshon Moreno RB

(37) Maroney's Marauders - Reggie Wayne WR

(38) First Class Citizens - Dwayne Bowe WR

(39) Team Holland - Jahvid Best RB

** (40) Lowell Mill Girls - Dez Bryant WR

(41) Safe And Snug - Ryan Mathews RB

(42) Team Pritchard - Tony Romo QB



Round: 4

(43) Team Pritchard - DeAngelo Williams RB

(44) Safe And Snug - Santonio Holmes WR

** (45) Lowell Mill Girls - BenJarvus Green-Ellis RB

(46) Team Holland - DeSean Jackson WR

(47) First Class Citizens - Wes Welker WR

(48) Maroney's Marauders - Matt Schaub QB

(49) Team Buckley - Mike Williams WR

(50) Chernobly Energy Tub - Beanie Wells RB

(51) Team Chamberlain - Ryan Grant RB

(52) C WELL - Cedric Benson RB

(53) Team Nichols - Shonn Greene RB

(54) BOOT N RALLY - Peyton Manning QB

(55) Team Patsies - Jeremy Maclin WR

(56) Acton Lone Drinkers - Percy Harvin WR



Round: 5

(57) Acton Lone Drinkers - Jermichael Finley TE

(58) Team Patsies - Jonathan Stewart RB

(59) BOOT N RALLY - Tim Hightower RB

(60) Team Nichols - Dallas Clark TE

(61) C WELL - Jason Witten TE

(62) Team Chamberlain - Anquan Boldin WR

(63) Chernobly Energy Tub - Brandon Lloyd WR

(64) Team Buckley - Steve Johnson WR

(65) Maroney's Marauders - Vernon Davis TE

(66) First Class Citizens - Kellen Winslow TE

(67) Team Holland - Kenny Britt WR

** (68) Lowell Mill Girls - Rob Gronkowski TE

(69) Safe And Snug - Mario Manningham WR

(70) Team Pritchard - Brandon Marshall WR



Round: 6

(71) Team Pritchard - Marshawn Lynch RB

(72) Safe And Snug - Josh Freeman QB

** (73) Lowell Mill Girls - Packers D/ST D/ST

(74) Team Holland - Mark Ingram RB

(75) First Class Citizens - Brandon Jacobs RB

(76) Maroney's Marauders - Fred Jackson RB

(77) Team Buckley - Joseph Addai RB

(78) Chernobly Energy Tub - James Starks RB

(79) Team Chamberlain - Julio Jones WR

(80) C WELL - Steelers D/ST D/ST

(81) Team Nichols - Jay Cutler QB

(82) BOOT N RALLY - Austin Collie WR

(83) Team Patsies - Eli Manning QB

(84) Acton Lone Drinkers - Pierre Garcon WR



Round: 7

(85) Acton Lone Drinkers - Joe Flacco QB

(86) Team Patsies - Owen Daniels TE

(87) BOOT N RALLY - Kevin Kolb QB

(88) Team Nichols - Sidney Rice WR

(89) C WELL - Chad Ochocinco WR

(90) Team Chamberlain - Brandon Pettigrew TE

(91) Chernobly Energy Tub - Ravens D/ST D/ST

(92) Team Buckley - Matthew Stafford QB

(93) Maroney's Marauders - Santana Moss WR

(94) First Class Citizens - Aaron Hernandez TE

(95) Team Holland - Kyle Orton QB

** (96) Lowell Mill Girls - Steve Smith WR

(97) Safe And Snug - Reggie Bush RB

(98) Team Pritchard - Jimmy Graham TE



Round: 8

(99) Team Pritchard - Pierre Thomas RB

(100) Safe And Snug - Johnny Knox WR

** (101) Lowell Mill Girls - Plaxico Burress WR

(102) Team Holland - Marcedes Lewis TE

(103) First Class Citizens - Jets D/ST D/ST

(104) Maroney's Marauders - Daniel Thomas RB

(105) Team Buckley - A.J. Green WR

(106) Chernobly Energy Tub - Hines Ward WR

(107) Team Chamberlain - Sam Bradford QB

(108) C WELL - Tony Gonzalez TE

(109) Team Nichols - Lance Moore WR

(110) BOOT N RALLY - Malcom Floyd WR

(111) Team Patsies - Mike Tolbert RB

(112) Acton Lone Drinkers - Patriots D/ST D/ST



Round: 9

(113) Acton Lone Drinkers - Willis McGahee RB

(114) Team Patsies - Mike Thomas WR

(115) BOOT N RALLY - Chris Cooley TE

(116) Team Nichols - C.J. Spiller RB

(117) C WELL - LaDainian Tomlinson RB

(118) Team Chamberlain - Michael Bush RB

(119) Chernobly Energy Tub - Lee Evans WR

(120) Team Buckley - Zach Miller TE

(121) Maroney's Marauders - Jordy Nelson WR

(122) First Class Citizens - Robert Meachem WR

(123) Team Holland - Jacoby Ford WR

** (124) Lowell Mill Girls - Ryan Torain RB

(125) Safe And Snug - Greg Olsen TE

(126) Team Pritchard - Ricky Williams RB



Round: 10

(127) Team Pritchard - Mike Sims-Walker WR

(128) Safe And Snug - Davone Bess WR

** (129) Lowell Mill Girls - Roy Williams WR

(130) Team Holland - Matt Cassel QB

(131) First Class Citizens - Danny Woodhead RB

(132) Maroney's Marauders - Braylon Edwards WR

(133) Team Buckley - Donovan McNabb QB

(134) Chernobly Energy Tub - Brent Celek TE

(135) Team Chamberlain - Eagles D/ST D/ST

(136) C WELL - Deion Branch WR

(137) Team Nichols - James Jones WR

(138) BOOT N RALLY - Thomas Jones RB

(139) Team Patsies - Mark Sanchez QB

(140) Acton Lone Drinkers - Danny Amendola WR



Round: 11

(141) Acton Lone Drinkers - Stevan Ridley RB

(142) Team Patsies - Bears D/ST D/ST

(143) BOOT N RALLY - Dustin Keller TE

(144) Team Nichols - Falcons D/ST D/ST

(145) C WELL - Nate Kaeding K

(146) Team Chamberlain - Bernard Scott RB

(147) Chernobly Energy Tub - Neil Rackers K

(148) Team Buckley - Kendall Hunter RB

(149) Maroney's Marauders - Jerome Simpson WR

(150) First Class Citizens - DeMarco Murray RB

(151) Team Holland - Saints D/ST D/ST

** (152) Lowell Mill Girls - Mike Williams WR

(153) Safe And Snug - Michael Crabtree WR

(154) Team Pritchard - Ronnie Brown RB



Round: 12

(155) Team Pritchard - Nate Burleson WR

(156) Safe And Snug - Chargers D/ST D/ST

** (157) Lowell Mill Girls - Donald Driver WR

(158) Team Holland - Sebastian Janikowski K

(159) First Class Citizens - Ryan Fitzpatrick QB

(160) Maroney's Marauders - David Garrard QB

(161) Team Buckley - Greg Little WR

(162) Chernobly Energy Tub - Jerome Harrison RB

(163) Team Chamberlain - Jason Hanson K

(164) C WELL - Randy Moss WR

(165) Team Nichols - Stephen Gostkowski K

(166) BOOT N RALLY - Giants D/ST D/ST

(167) Team Patsies - Josh Brown K

(168) Acton Lone Drinkers - Alex Henery K



Round: 13

(169) Acton Lone Drinkers - Michael Hoomanawanui TE

(170) Team Patsies - Jason Campbell QB

(171) BOOT N RALLY - Ben Tate RB

(172) Team Nichols - Colt McCoy QB

(173) C WELL - Darren Sproles RB

(174) Team Chamberlain - Emmanuel Sanders WR

(175) Chernobly Energy Tub - Jordan Shipley WR

(176) Team Buckley - Rob Bironas K

(177) Maroney's Marauders - Billy Cundiff K

(178) First Class Citizens - Jacoby Jones WR

(179) Team Holland - Jared Cook TE

** (180) Lowell Mill Girls - Cam Newton QB

(181) Safe And Snug - Matt Hasselbeck QB

(182) Team Pritchard - Mason Crosby K



Round: 14

(183) Team Pritchard - Cowboys D/ST D/ST

(184) Safe And Snug - David Akers K

** (185) Lowell Mill Girls - Adam Vinatieri K

(186) Team Holland - Montario Hardesty RB

(187) First Class Citizens - Matt Bryant K

(188) Maroney's Marauders - Chiefs D/ST D/ST

(189) Team Buckley - Cardinals D/ST D/ST

(190) Chernobly Energy Tub - Randall Cobb WR

(191) Team Chamberlain - Devin Hester WR

(192) C WELL - Chad Henne QB

(193) Team Nichols - Jermaine Gresham TE

(194) BOOT N RALLY - Robbie Gould K

(195) Team Patsies - John Kasay K

(196) Acton Lone Drinkers - Anthony Dixon RB

Too much on the plate, and too much on my plate!

So I stepped on the scale last week and saw 206.7 and was like, ok, so whatever you are doing isn’t working. Whatever you aren’t doing is working! I will be the first to acknowledge that getting older sucks. The metabolism slows down. You don’t bounce back for more abuse the day after a hard workout the way I used to 3 or 4 years ago. But then again, I can honestly say I haven’t done a “hard workout” in a long, long time. Longer than I can remember. I have done one pool workout with the OTTC like 6 weeks ago and it destroyed me. It was over an hour and I felt like I was going to drown. The old me, would have gone the next week for the same workout, and try to see improvements. The new and not so improved me avoids that kind of embarrassment until he is fully prepared.


Some things haven’t changed. I LOVE biking. I love the feeling of independence on a bicycle. I like cruising, passing people in traffic jams in Old Town Alexandria and I like mashing the pedals along the bike path every once and a while. Every time I am on a bike I say DAMN I miss this. I haven’t done any kind of “bike race” in a long time! My last mountain bike race was just after college. I haven’t raced cyclocross since 2003. And road racing hasn’t been something I have done since 2004. Time certainly does fly when all of a sudden it is almost half way thru 2011 and you realize something you enjoy so much you don’t spend much time doing it. My biking is very sporadic.

So between the struggling to ride, the horrific once every two week attempts to run and the realization that none of my button up shirts for work I can fasten the top button I chose something that I would hope be a change of pace. I have acknowledged the lack of motivation. Races, youtube videos, books, magazine articles, ever a close friends heroic efforts in a race cannot motivate me to get back to training in any kind of normalcy.

So what would any logical person do? Try something you have never done before and see if you like the results. I love that quote that reads something like “if you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got” so why continue down that path that seems to be a broken one. Well the path is there it just has too many obstacles to make the journey a fun one. So I found an advertisement online for a local martial arts studio that offered a free private 30 minute lesson with an instructor. I do not think anyone in my bloodline has ever attempted Martial Arts before. Well nephew Zachary has tried Tae Kwon Do and liked it but he’s my nephew. It’s not like someone in my family tree before me has passed on some Martial Arts gene to me. I think I just got the potato eating and beer drinking from my Irish roots.

So Friday I went to my first lesson, with the instructor Mike. I loved it, quite the challenge. I am sure I look like a damn fool out there, but I have had that one 30 minute lesson and Saturday and yesterday were hour long group lessons. I can’t even tie my white belt correctly yet but it’s been fun riding my bike to the stupid only a couple miles away, feeling spent, and then riding home. More to follow on that subject as time progresses.

I think my biggest issue right now may be involvement with organizations. I have the following 4 memberships. I have a gym membership. I have a recreation center membership. I have a Kempo / martial arts studio membership, and a membership to the rock climbing gym. The climbing gym I have only been to 4x, and it has been almost 3 months since the last time. The rec center I have swam at twice since I joined in February, the gym sees me 1-2 times a week on average now, but I have this determination to get my money worth with the studio.

Tonight is a great example; I have a Jaycees meeting about a committee I am on that is mandatory. I have a teleconference for another committee today (during my lunch hour) I am on at the Capital Chapter IFMA organization where I am on the communications committee. I haven’t been to a meeting in almost a year but I wanted to go to the Northern Virginia Photographic society meeting in Old Town tonight. The Kempo studio has Workout Wednesday from 730 – 800pm tonight all the while the Bruins face off at 7pm in Game 7. Oh and the Tri Club has group swim at 6pm.

Bruins. Game 7 tonight. 7pm EST. Beasts of the East versus the hated Montreal Canadians. I won’t sugar coat it. I don’t follow hockey at all. There is too much else going on in my life, I didn’t play hockey ever in my life, the Warden ensured I never got injured by putting me in non contact sports. This year I didn’t watch 1 minute of a regular season game. Now I have watched more than 9 playoff games in their entirety and it is still the first round. Hockey is exciting. I really don’t follow the line shifts because I never played, but it is nonstop action. And after seeing the Capitals come back from being down 3-0 in the 3rd period, or the Bruins coming back from being down 3-1 and winning in Overtime, you can’t beat that kind of excitement. So while I don’t think I would consider myself a “pink hat” when it comes to hockey, I really enjoy the playoffs, and you can’t really beat the excitement of a game 7 between these two franchises, who have squared off in more game 7’s than any NHL or NBA franchise in history. Should be a good one!

Rock Bottom, stuggle to run a mile, and a new approach

So what does rock bottom feel like? I feel like I have hit it. Not in my personal life but in both professional and from an athletic standpoint. Yesterday I went for a run, I slogged .5 miles at about 10:30 pace, walked and then did a combo job / walk home. Less than 3 weeks before I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in DC with no training whatsoever, but I RAN it.


I miss the days of doing some kind of race, running, biking, a sprint triathlon, feeling healthy, feeling good, my only complaint would be sweat in my eyes and maybe too much sun. The winter was a depressing one. Lots of cold windy days, not as much snow as the two previous winters I have been in Virginia, but the lack of daylight makes it unbearable. I had the fibula injury at the beginning of February, and with that was any attempt to cross train into something else.

I began the year 2011 a little over 200 lbs. I set a goal of being 170 lbs by July 1st as a far fetched New Year’s resolution. Not exactly what some would say healthy. I have continued a recurring cycle of failing to prepare for a marathon correctly (I have never trained for one correctly, EVER) but it got worse. I have been successful into fooling my mind that I have done a marathon in the past I can do one now. Well when Hartford Marathon happened in Oct 2010, I realized this body of mine isn’t bouncing back like it used to. I feel aches and pains, and at 32 years of age now, I never had any of these before. If I did I would probably be over 400 lbs at this point.

I have realized that I lead a life of convenience. I don’t make my lunch, it is easier to buy it. I don’t go to grad school because life is hectic enough and I like having free time. I like having everything on my Droid smart phone a couple clicks away. I have kept the same passwords for most every account I have logged into for almost 10 years. So now I find myself on April 21st 2011 at 206.7, had my Gmail hacked, struggle to do anything aerobically outside of biking, and can’t button my top button on any of my dress shirts with the exception of 1! That is no exaggeration. And I wear dress shirts for every day at work.

So I decided to make a commitment to myself that I am not signing onto Facebook until I am 190 lbs. Easier said than done for a lot of people. I can’t remember when I was 190, probably right around when Danielle and I began dating, April 2008. Facebook, which I was totally against when it came out I have become some accustomed to following it. You don’t realize how much time you actually spend on it until you start tallying it all up. I keep track of my family, Jake and Alicia never call me, but they will post something to FB. And same goes for many of my friends. My minutes on my cell phone are not used each month since the social networking craze is alive and well. I realize sometimes I haven’t actually TALKED to friends of mine in well over a year. But you feel like you have been via status’ and pictures and everything else.

So no Facebook, perhaps a different outlook, and some conscious decisions on how to get there. More to follow. Josh

Atlantic City, boardwalk shithole

So as the rain pours around us Danielle and I drive back from a day trip to Atlantic City. I haven't been since Jake and I BMX raced in the National Series approx 1992 when there was a East Coast National at Egg Harbor Township. We went as a family then and I just remember being 12 years and seeing filth along the famous boardwalk and never feeling comfortable. Now I am 32 years old and the one time was enough for me, again. The boardwalk is filled wit casinos some nice and some dimly. Inbetween there are salt water tarry joints and asian massage parlors with their dollar a minute specials. If the weather were not raining I am sure these desperate asian women would have propositioned me on the boardwak. Instead they layed it on heavy from their side of the glass.
Two bright points. The Tropicana had some nice bars and reaturants and bars in it, which included a bar that had 5 dollar 40s. That's right I had my first 40! I enjoyed Miller Life as Danielle had Bud Light. One of the classier moments of our relationship.
Plenty more to talk about but sitting shotgun as my head bobs all over as Danielle hits the breaks while dodging crazy Maryland drivers on I95 who seem to forget how to drive when its raining out.... well its not that enjoyable. Tomorrow is a huge day for me, and I hope its an enlightening one by the close of buiness. Between that and going to H&R Block to get my taxes done once again.

This hurts..

So I should be on the road to the Hyannis Marathon however I sit in a bed in Franklin, staring at the ceiling wondering if I made the right descision.
Its been less than 4 weeks since I was on crutches and wearing a brace. I have yet to have a follow up appointment with him to see if it has healed. I have run on it 3 times in the last week. The 5 mile loop with Steve and Courtney in 02360 most recently on Thursday.
So I lay here wondering, and I have a pit in my stomach.

A trip home with many uncertainties

I flew home to Plymouth Massachusetts today with the anticipation of meeting my newest nephew Daniel who turned 6 weeks old today.
Also many of you may have remembered that this was also supposed to be the weekend of the Hyannis Marathon however things have gone art in that area.
So the question remains should I even consider this. It would be completely against the instructions of the Orthopaedics Doctor who saw me last month.
While I can talk at length about so much I think I will just give two thumbs up to my first Jetblue experience today. I would not have changed a thing about it. Heading to bed more tomorrow from the 02360.

Can you run a marathon on one leg?

So for those of you who have seen me limping around today I went to an Urgent Care establishment today. Never been to one of those, been to the ER a couple times in my day, but never to Urgent Care. In general I do not enjoy going to any kind of doctor whatsoever. Usually there is never any good news at all. The costs are insane, and I have no patience for a waiting room. Why make an appointment for 9am when you wait till 11am to be seen by someone for 5 minutes? I could go off on a tangent about all the healthcare things I disagree with, but I think you smell what I am stepping in.

When I ran last night with my friend Melody (approx 5 miles) I felt fine, yet when I rose for work this morning I got a pain in my leg unlike any other I have had before. It caused me to partially collapse, my leg felt weakened. I tried to tough it out at work but I figured I should have it checked out since I was unable to bear weight on it comfortably. Their findings from the XRays weren’t very helpful. They noticed the posterior change along the distal fibula. Stating “inderminate ossification arising from the distal fibular shaft possibly posttraumatic or related to “ … my 1994 East Coast Nationals previous surgery where I made my main however never raced BMX again. So anyways more to follow tomorrow with an orthopedic doctor in Fairfax, VA. In the mean time I was told to pop ibuprofen and do the ole R.I.C.E. routine. For those of you new to my life YES those three screws were put in my gorgeous leg in May 1994 when trying to qualify for the Main Event of a BMX race in Mullica Hill, NJ.  Surgery performed by the Dr. Joseph Zabilski, MD, of Duxbury, MA.

The staff at the Arlington Urgent care Clinic was actually quite good, they seemed genuine and cared. Besides the ghetto fabulous chicks that check you in and hustle you for your money the people who actually ran the place did a good job.

We will see what tomorrow brings, but I think I may have to get myself a bell so Danielle will know when I need her assistance.  I may now have an excuse why I am not training for Washington’s Birthday 10k, Hyannis Marathon, National Marathon, and the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, more to come.  Joshie

I can rub off on someone and have them too make poor choices!

SO I just got an email, my best friend in the world is influenced by me I guess.  While he is off working in the finical district of Boston, and now owns a big house and has a child, he also took the plunge, went on EBay and bid on a 1920s – 30s Iver Johnson bicycle!  And he won, and he had a OH CRAP WHAT HAVE I DONE moment.  I am glad to see after 27 years of friendship Geoff is still the guy I spent so much time with growing up and he CAN make poor decisions!  I look forward to seeing what happens with his newest steed!  Congrats Geoff! 

Giving an old bicycle a second life

So where do I begin. As many of you are aware I have been some type of cyclist thru most of my life. Beginning on a BMX bicycle as a child, this progressed to BMX racing. That became a family affair with Jake and I which became a love for time spent on two wheels. The thrill of BMX with jumps and competition was what Jake and I desired at our younger ages. However as I grew older I bought other bicycles, and since the age of 14 they were always purchased with my own money.


Funny thing is I can remember every bicycle I have ever owned, yet I can not remember what I ate for breakfast on Thursday. I began with a chrome bicycle that had red handlebars. I believe it was a Columbia. I remember it was a hand me down from my cousin Peter who was a couple years older. He had just gotten a new bicycle and I remember the look of his new bike and what mushroom grips felt like for the first time. I then got a bicycle called a Sigma complete with white disc covers on the rims. In a later post I will relive all the bicycles of years past but its 10:40pm and I have work tomorrow.

So bicycles always have held a special place in my life. They have provided me transportation, they have provided me competition, they provided me a way to make money on my first job as a paper boy with the Patriot Ledger, and brought me to establishing a mountain bike club in high school, and even riding my bicycle at 9pm along the Cape Cod Canal during my junior year at Mass Maritime because I just couldn’t stand to look at any more study materials, and I wanted to clear my head.

Bicycles have given me some great opportunities where ever I have lived or traveled to. Yet after I left for Kuwait for the year in 2004, my cycling diminished. I went from riding quite often and being in good shape while living in Tucson, to someone who didn’t touch a bicycle for almost 3 years. My riding lately has been off and on, but mostly off. I can go MONTHS without touching a bicycle, when 12 years ago I couldn’t go 3 days without hammering out a ride of 20 miles just for fun on my own. I felt like it kept me normal, like the juices in my head needed that stimulation or severe depression would set in.

So in late 2009 I went to an antique store, which some people know I have a soft spot for, and it was an older store, in a house setting, with a loft, and just hundreds of things to look at, all from the 1930s and 1940s. Most people see it as crap, I am faciinated by it all. And then there was this rusted bicycle in the corner of the shop, and as I got closer to it, and wiped off some of the dust I just started seeing how so many things have changed since a bike of this age, yet so many of the basic principals are the same. The details of this era bike reallu generated a lot of interest within me. How my mind works is that if something is of interest to me I normally go and research it online until I develop a more healthy appetite for whatever it is that made me salivate.

So I went home, and typed in things like “vintage bike” or “antique bicycle” into the search engine box on a website like EBay or Craigslist to see what kind of results would be generated. Then, especially on EBay, these two words opened a different universe where I became fascinated. I read blogs, I read forums, I read about restorations, and watched videos on youtube. That night I went to bed at 1:30 in the morning and yes it was a week night, however because I was enjoining everything I was reading and seeing I just kept looking deeper into it all. I ended up buying one of these bikes on a whim. It was a rusted, needs TLC, Schwinn Black Phantom that a gentleman has just began restoring in Minnesota; however I think he either lost interest or needed money. It turned out it was a 1953 manufacturer date based on the serial number. The Black Phantom was a Cadillac of bicycles at the time. I rode the bike to work one day, before any restoration was done. It was rusted, but the wheels spun and the coaster brake seemed to work. I rode it downhill, from the Courthouse neighborhood of Arlington into Rosslyn. For those of you familiar with the area, you know it’s all downhill into Rosslyn and lest just say, a 30 year old on an almost 60 year old bike looking like Pee Wee Herman in his suit with his work badge flapping in the breeze must have been a sight. I passed a bus one day, and I felt empowered. The bike while an eye sore, yet rode like a dream. The front springer fork and the springs in the saddle made for quite the smooth ride.

When I had the ride, downhill, passing cars, on this single speed bicycle I realized I wanted to bring it back to its splendor. I found a young guy named Len in Manassas Park at Figure Engineering http://figurefinishing.com who does bead blasting and powder coating. He usually works on motorcycles but had done a couple bicycle frames in the past. I brought the bike by him and he loved the idea. He talked about the complications of doing the different colors, and would have to do the trim by hand, but he accepted the challenge. The finished product I was very happy with. Len did a hell of a job and had the bike on display on his wall and pictures on his website. I brought the several boxes of parts (you don’t realize how many parts a bicycle like this has until you break it down and have each part blasted and then painted) to Ron at Wheel Nuts Bike Shop http://www.wheelnuts.net in Old Town. Ron Taylor and his team of skilled mechanics accepted this challenge too. Between Ron’s knowledge of assembling some of the reproduction Black Phantoms Schwinn produced more than 10 years ago and their perusing on the internet and research, they put her together flawlessly.

Like any bicycle I have ever owned, I named her. “Mamie” she is named after the first lady at the time of her production, January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961 Mamie Eisenhower was the woman of the USA. Between her dominance of the public eye and the nickname for the USS Massachusetts battleship, I felt it was an appropriate name for this more than 50 lbs of Chicago made steel. To date Mamie has been ridden only three times, all three to National Harbor over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

The feeling of riding a bicycle that someone enjoyed more than 50 years before is an empowering feeling. For a brief moment you can picture the world around you in black and white. And it must have done something because I found myself looking into other bikes once Mamie was completed. The next blog entry will explain my next purchase, which began with a winning bid on EBay and a drive after work to York, PA to meet a sketchy man wearing a Hawaiian shirt in a Burger King Parking lot as he pulled a bicycle out of his filthy cluttered van that reeked of marijuana. Thanks for reading.

Keep the wheels turning

Bill Moulds was recommended by Ron at Wheel Nuts Bike Shop when I approached him with the old rusted vintage bike dilemma.  He explained how we were fortunate to live in an area with one of the better wheel experts in the area akso resided. Considering it is after 11:30pm after a very long drill weekend I will post a few pictures and then explain myself in greater detail later in the week.  Cheers.  And check out the amazing work of a genuine guy who has a passion for building wheels.  Bill Moulds

The rear hub of a now built wheel to the vintage bicycle.  The hub was rusted and painted when I dropped it off and never had any idea that there was any type of writing on the hub itself.  What a surprise. 

This is the lineup of the 2 front wheels and 2 rear wheels I had on Jan 3, 2011 when I met Bill for the first time and sat down to discusss my dilema and have him explain the options. 

The lineup of wheels I picked up today, January 23, 2011 from Bill's Shop.  The rear hub was cleaned and reused to make the wheel to the far right.  The two existing front hubs were not not possible to make into usable wheels. 

An oild cap, on a hub?  Yeah it was common in this era.  While I have not done enough reserach to see what year this hub / bicycle are fron here is a 1936 New Departure Hub Model D specs sheet I found online. 

One of the steel clad wooden rims that was found unuseable from the old bicycle with the spokes removed and the hub was then cleaned up had a complete overhaul and now is attached to a 21st century rim and spokes.   

On the brink of the first full work week of 2011

So as I stare the first full week of 2011 in the face, being a Sunday evening now, I think back to what has happened in the last week. Besides thinking I was going to be writing this blog a lot more, which it hasn’t happened yet. It’s been crazy in the world for sure this last week. A week usually filled with people joining gyms and counting calories was a tad different. It started with hundreds of birds dropping dead from the sky in Arkansas. Then it happened in Louisiana. Then an estimated two million fish died along the rivers in Maryland. Then in Omaha, Nebraska, a high school senior decided to shoot the principal and assistant principal of his school, using his fathers gun (who is an Omaha detective, who is a close friend of my friends in Nebraska) and then just yesterday a 40 year old Congresswoman is shot point blank in the head by someone and 6 others are killed at a “Congress on the Corner” at a Safeway parking lot in Tucson, AZ. So here I was two of the largest news stories of the year so far in Nebraska and Tucson looking at very familiar backgrounds on CNN and other National news media.


As of yesterday morning I have purchased a new camera. I have purchased a Nikon D90 with an additional 18-200mm lens. I did so at Ritz Camera in Old Town Alexandria. Well I did so with the help of my credit card, photography equipment is very expensive and I really don’t have a couple grand burning a hole in my pocket. With the purchase Ritz has a multitude of classes I can take and which I plan on taking to gain even more knowledge and hopefully I can help pay for the camera thru work I do with it. Atleast that’s the plan. Ambitious is my middle name. Well its really James but ambitious sounds cooler.

Above is the photo from 2005 I took in Kuwait during a sandstorm

My “art” side is something that wants to come out, with the last camera I only entered one contest for the EPA on their Earth Day poster and I got a picture published on the Patriot Ledger website of Layla walking Goliath along the beach in Manomet. It was one of the first photographs I took with the new camera. Prior to that, with my last point and shoot camera, I had a photo that was on display in a traveling art show displaying Images from the War in Iraq called Reconnect US. Then the images were on display at the Pawtucket Armory for quite some time. I donated the framed photo for an auction where I chose the proceeds for its sale would go to the Special Olympics of Massachusetts. Yesterday my first photographs were in Annapolis, MD outside the US Naval Academy.

Photo of Layla and Golaith one of the first pictures I took with my Nikon D40X on March 18, 2008 that was displayed on the Patriot Ledger website. 

I love photography, and have enjoyed all the photos that my Nikon D40X has provided me over the last couple years. I look forward to getting to know the camera better than any other one I had used. I think having a creative outlet is essential in what people consider success. My brother plays his music; my father is going to dabble in his stained glass once again, and The Warden yanks on the penny slots until her heart is content at Twin River Casino.

I have run twice with my friend Melody this week. What began as a handshake at a Old Town Tri Club meeting had me working with her as she is a realtor and we have quite a bit in common. This week gave us a chance to run together twice which is something that hasn’t happened in quite some time. I haven’t run twice in the same week with someone since living in Plymouth. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction as to

Last night Danielle and I attended a Navy basketball game. We have the common thread of loving collegiate sports and really have no allegiance just love good competition. I had looked at tickets for Georgetown games or University of Maryland but it is insane how much people wanted for tickets to nosebleed seats on Craigslist. I decided to look into Navy and it was an awesome desiccation. We sat in the front row with a couple great couples in their 70’s they were a trip and one of the guys was a former player for the Midshipmen many moons ago. They also honored the 1986 NCAA Elite 8 team for the Midshipmen which included David Robinson. I have been a fan of him since he went to Navy and no one has been classier in the Pro Sports arena over his entire career. It was a thrill to see him up close.

The rest of the night tonight I am trying to hash out my race calendar for 2011 as the bound planner I have for the year begins to get full pages. I will post as soon as I am done.

My last bit of writing is for my sister Alicia. She is due any day now with her 4th installment of a child. A boy it has been confirmed, Danny and she are quite eager to see the latest arrival. I ask for well wishes as she has entered the final stages of pregnancy and hope for health and happiness for the entire family. I am very excited to see what the bundle of joy will be like and he will be in my thoughts tonight. Have I ever mentioned how much I love being an Uncle? Goodnight all.