it's not a sprint...

After months of running and training, the marathon is just around the corner...only 3 weeks away. There have been a lot of awesome things as result of the training. Obviously I've trimmed down and my overall health has improved significantly. I've had some lessons in patience and discipline. It's been fun at times. And there have been a number of frustrations as result of the training. My free time has been eaten up and well, I have to run a lot. Weighing those things out, I've come to the conclusion that I cannot wait for the marathon and will be excited when it's over...haha.

Thanks again to everyone who has supported Speed the Light through my run. I love you guys!

Also, when the marathon's over, I'll probably have time to update my blog again!!!

thanks, i think

I was talking to a friend who's wedding reception I recently attended. We were discussing how relieving it is to finally be done with all the planning and effort. He then mentioned how he and his wife were only almost done as they still had the thank you cards to knock out. And that got me to thinking... I sort of hate the whole concept of thank you cards. I mean, I'm all for being appreciative and grateful, but I think it's a waste of time and money to have to write out cards. Saying thanks at the party should be enough. That being said, people put a lot of weight into the thank you cards. Let's look at this from a gift giver's perspective: When I get a thank you card in the mail, I open it, say to myself "of course I got you a gift, I didn't need a card" and discard it. (When I originally wrote these words, there was no intentional pun, but I believe one may exist with "card" and "discard"...you decide.) At first thought, this made me think, "See the thank yous are unneccessary." But then I was thinking about when I haven't received one. I feel like the person is so unappreciative and ungrateful. I judge them instantly. Why is it that when we receive them we act like no biggie but when we don't, it's the end of the world. As further evidence of this, I had people ask if I got/enjoyed their wedding gift and then when I confirmed that I did, they brought up the fact that they never got a card. Now, I assure you that we sent a card to everyone and it probably got lost or something, but seriously, why do people make a big deal out of a little card? That being said, you can expect a thank you card from me next time you "deserve" one because I will stand in line and meet the status quo like everyone else.

superflously redundant

I hate when people use redundancies in general, but for some reason, it really stands out to be when people are redundant with acronyms. I heard someone using one of these today, which is why I thought of how much I don't like hearing it. Here are a few I can think of. Let me know if I missed any obvious ones: ATM machine (Automated Teller Machine machine) ABS system (Anti-lock Brake System system) ACT test (American College Test test) SAT test (Scholastic Assessment Test test) HIV virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus virus) PC computer (Personal Computer computer) VIN number (Vehicle Identification Number number) Not the end of the world, but it sounds a little ignorant when people use them. Such is life.

what can go wrong, will go wrong...

...and at the worst possible time. This sums up Murphy's Law quite well. And I was victim to that Law on May 18th. I have been busy, but needed to tell this story, so though it's a little late, here goes... On May 18th, I had the privilege and honor of officiating a wedding for my friends John and Tanya (big congrats to them once again). It was my first wedding, so as I generally do when I do something for the first time, I made myself a checklist to make sure I got everything taken care of. And everything started out going extremely well...a little too well maybe (I should have known). Some time back, I met with John and Tanya at their home and went over some different options for their vows and what I would say during the ceremony. They made their decisions, I wrote something up, they approved...check I submitted a day off request at work for the 18th and it was approved...check I went to John's mother's house on the 17th for the rehearsal and everything went smoothly...check At the rehearsal dinner, Tanya and John gave me the marriage certificate for me to sign and submit. I noticed a few errors on it, called Marlborough City Clerk's office the morning of the 18th, had them make the corrections, drove and picked up the err0r-free (I hope) copy...check I dropped off my suit at Men's Wearhouse to be pressed and received confirmation that it would be ready for me to pick up at 2:00 when I'd be driving through on my way to the wedding...check I had lunch with a friend at Red Robin's...check I picked up my suit from Men's Wearhouse and began the 30-35 minute drive to the wedding...check Making good time (I was 5 minutes from the wedding...the time nearing 2:45 for a 3:15 meet and greet and 4:00 wedding)...check Grabbed my phone to wish my friend Daphne Allender and my cousin Brooke a happy birthday (they share one to the year) and saw a missed call. I did not recognize the number and noticed there was also a voicemail. I casually held down the number "1" on my phone to retrieve the voicemail, enjoying my nearly completely checked off checklist. When I heard the message, my heart skipped a beat and my throat dropped: "Mr. Brown, this is ------- from Men's Wearhouse. I am calling to inform you that your suit pants fell off the hanger and we still have them here at the store for you. You may come pick them up whenever you can." WHAT?!?!?! My suit was still in the plastic Men's Wearhouse bag. I pulled over to the side of the road and ripped open the bag. Sure enough...no pants. Are you kidding??? Afraid not... I hadn't pushed my new car to the limit yet and didn't want to then. But, to some degree, I didn't have much choice. I gunned it at about 85 mph the whole way back to the store. I called ahead and asked them to reserve a dressing room for me so I could change and arrive at the wedding prepared. I got to the wedding JUST in time and as it turned out the bride was still getting ready...PHEW! I couldn't believe it though. Most stressful, frustrating hour of my life...not exagerating. Thankfully, the wedding went smoothly and if you ever see the photos, you'll see me with suit pants on. Darn you Murphy! And darn your law!!!

the day i fell in love

The day is May 7, 1983. Just one day earlier, Steve and Jill Brown welcomed their fifth child, little Michael Alan Brown into the world. But today, at 1 day old, Michael is going to fall in love with one of his greatest passions, crying tears of agony and of joy along the way. On this day, little Mikey Brown is listening to his first Red Sox game. Back in the early 80's, people were less rude, so hospitals were commonly fitted with head phones for people looking to watch TV Now-a-days, people blare their TV as loud as they want with no regard for hospital roommates (but this is a different topic for a different day). My parents were in the hospital room with their newest little treasure and my dad was doing what any good Red Sox fan would do...he was watching the game. As it turned out, pitching for the Red Sox on this day was Mike Brown. My dad thought it was so cool that a guy with the same name as his little boy was pitching. So my dad did what any good Red Sox dad would have done: He put the headphones on my little ears and let me listen to some of the game. Aside from causing long-term hearing problems (joking) the sounds went through my ears and straight to my heart. And naturally, as would only be fitting, Mike Brown pitched a complete game shutout against the Seattle Mariners on this day. I like to think I had something to do with that. You can view the boxscore of the game for verification by clicking here. So, at 1 day old, my passion for the game of baseball and the Boston Red Sox was birthed. And it has only grown ever since.

wait...when's his birthday?

Nothing beats that special day of the year where you celebrate the greatest escape of your life! The day when you finally won your freedom from the womb! For me, today is that day...or is it? So, my mother sent me something on Facebook yesterday for my birthday (that's right, my mom's hip to Facebook). I called her up and asked her why she jumped the gun and sent me something a day early. She informed me that she thought that the app wouldn't send the gift to me until today (I said she was hip to it...not that she's mastered it, ok). What happened next surprised me. My mom said, "When you were younger I did think it was May 5th though!" WHAT?!?!?! How could my own mother get my birthday wrong? She still doesn't know how she mixed it up, but she and my dad thought it was the 5th for a while. Then some friends of theirs visited (thank God, it was actually before my 1st birthday or they would have celebrated on the wrong day) who had a girl on the same day I was born. My mom said to the guy, "It's funny that we both had kids on May 5th," to which the guy responded, "My daughter was born on May 6th." WHOOPS!!! I would like to thank that guy for saving me from a wrongful celebration. This would explain why when I was like 13 and we decided to quiz my dad on our birthdays, he got the other four kids right while he thought mine was May 5th. I've seen my birth certificate, so I know that it is the 6th, but apparently my parents didn't bother to look. So instead of being a cinco de mayo baby, I'm a seis de mayo baby. Birthdays were cooler and more meaningful when you were a kid, but Happy Birthday to me just the same, this SIXTH day of May. Tune in tomorrow to read about what I did for the first time at 1 day old. I promise it's a classic and you won't want to miss it...no joke!

my elementary school owes me money

So, I was catching up with some elementary school friends last week and it brought back so many memories. It's funny how you will not remember something at all and then someone brings it up and you suddenly remember every detail. It's also funny how sometimes being around those people can make you think of random things. Elementary school for us spanned from kindergarten to 6th grade. I actually remember my 6th grade graduation like it was some big deal. I also remember in 6th grade when we had our D.A.R.E. banquet, and my friend Bailey had to deliver the speech with Chicken Pox. Good times. As cool as 6th grade was, with the feeling of being the top dog and owning the school, 5th grade actually offered something which was a bigger deal to me at the time: Lunch duty and office duty...let me explain. At Forestdale, 5th grade students were picked at random each week to be on lunch duty or office duty. The five who made lunch duty got to leave class early and help set up for lunch. We got to go into the kitchen (oooooooooh) and help serve lunch (aaaaaaaaaaah). Looking back, I don't know why I thought is was so cool, but I did. Office duty was less fun, but I still thought it was kind of cool. Two students would get picked to cover the school secretary's lunch break, which was like 45 minutes or an hour or something. We'd answer phones, do the paging, etc. What has since occurred to me in regards to lunch duty and office duty is that we were victims of forced child labor and for some reason, the law did not protect us. Seriously, the secretary was probably making like $15/hour while we sat there...and we got NOTHING for it!!! And I wonder how much money Forestdale saved by not hiring paid employees for lunch duty. Looking back, I'm surprised they didn't have up knitting afghans or making sneakers. I do feel like it was legalized forced child labor. I feel used. So, I've decided that I cannot sit back and accept this; I want money from Forestdale and the city of Malden for the work I put in. I figure that at minimum wage (I'll assume $5.25 at the time) for 20 hours of my childhood, Forestdale and the city of Malden owes me $105.00. With a modest 3% annual interest rate over the last 15 years, I estimate that to be around $163.57 that I am owed. I will take that in cash please.