tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32322199300695277612024-03-05T01:10:12.844-05:00Training TerribleTerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-63409822187869581302017-01-03T01:32:00.002-05:002017-01-03T01:35:37.451-05:00Gettin my arse in gearWell, it's been a long time since I posted. I guess an explanation is in order. I did all that physical therapy and wasn't getting any better. Still stuck at 25 miles per week after 6 months at $320 month worth of visits. I was disgusted. <br />
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I went to Ukraine and quit doing the PT....and immediately started running better. The first 2 weeks I ran every other or every 3rd day. Each run was around an hour. My knees hurt. The 3rd week my fitness started coming around and I began to run every other day for an hour to an hour 15. Then the last week I was there I decided to jump into a 1/2 marathon and go really hard. I ended up running 1:21. I was pretty happy with that. I ran the first 6 at 6:20's and tried coming back in 6:10's but I died the last 2 miles.
Then I got home and sort of fizzled out. <br />
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I figured my good running in Ukraine was due to residual fitness from the PT, so I started doing the PT on my own again. I immediately started running like crap, got disgusted and quit for a while. Recently I've been working myself silly at work. Like for me....really silly. Finding myself sitting at the computer at 10:30 at night and that sort of thing. Plus my trips to Ohio where I work myself silly. Got into some fights with my wife because I was overworking myself and the money was getting spent just as fast as I was gathering it. I said some mean things I regret. It was clear my work was getting the better of me. We took a weekend away in West Virginia and I had to work nearly the entire Saturday we were there. Then I had a talk with my boss about a week later because she asked for some reports I'd already done a dozen times. Doing them again would have provided no further value and would have caused me to work over the Thanksgiving holiday. I told her I needed to either tell her to fuck off right now or I was going to go cubicle to cubicle the next day and tell everyone to fuck off. We decided on me not doing the reports. I'm not sure it was much of a resume building moment.
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Decided if I was going to be working so much I better get off my ass and start running again. I needed some bit of something during my day. Started off with the PT exercises and running 5k on the treadmill. First day I ran 19:50 easy cheesy. Then as I did more of the PT exercises I was struggling to run 21:50. Then struggling to run more than 3 times a week. I was about to give up and go back to riding, but it was cold as hell outside. <br />
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One night sitting at my computer I got to googling and found (or think I found, my answer). The article talked about how no matter what the knee issue the physical therapists generally prescribe a certain set of hip exercises. Then it went on to say that those are all fine and well....UNLESS...the person has an hyper-active TFL. I got to googling hyper-active TFL...and found out it is very common with high mileage cyclists who do high volumes of climbing where their leaned far forward and using a lot of their TFL in a shortened position. Ok, makes sense...so what to do about it? Spent another few hours googling exercises that get the Glute Medius and Glute Max without triggering the TFL. I only found one that works for me.... <br />
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The problem with that is that there is really no way to add weight to make it harder. I started out doing 30 on each side. After 2 weeks I'm up to 200 on each side. But I'm finding that now that my glute is activated (and if I smash the daylights out of my TFL doing myofacial release daily using a softball) that I can do a few others now without my TFL firing. <br />
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Anyways, after about 3 days I was able to go from running 9 miles a week to 25. Nothing really to brag about...but damn. Progress :-) <br />
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Last week I ran my most in recent memory. 4,6,4, off, 4,6, 5 mile race. I was hung-over and with only 3hrs sleep. So it wasn't anything spectacular (got beat by a 60yr old and 2 women). But I got out the door, pinned on a number....and I don't hurt. Let's hope 2017 I finally beat this thing.<br />
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Here are the results...I used to be embarrassed by an effort like this...but I'm just so happy to be running that I don't give a diddly doo what anybody thinks.<br />
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Happy New Years!<br />
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TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-31501667637939678602016-06-10T15:13:00.003-04:002016-06-10T15:13:33.555-04:00poo milesYesterday I went to a friends house to rescue him from his poo filled basement. I was able to remove the pump and auger, fix it, and put it back in and get the basement drained. It was a really shitty way to spend the evening. After a good shower I decided to stop and do a moonlit run on the C&O canal. Frustrated by my knees, spending my days doing PT, and spending the evening ankle deep in poo....I decided to hell with all of it and ran faster than I'm supposed to. 5 miles in 31:05. Not bad for out of shape and running in the dark. Glad I didn't fall into the canal. The moon was really amazing. It was low in the sky so it was huge, but it was just a sliver. The sort of moon you see in photo's with the kid hanging there fishing. <br />
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Anyways, feel pretty good today. Sore in the quads I guess. Birthday is coming up. If anyone wants to get me anything, I need about 6 years of training without pain. If you're feeling generous... I'd like 3 more Cavs victories during the finals. I think it has been proven that the best way to do that hasn't been to take Curry or Thompson out of the game, but rather to clunk KLove in the head. Don't go Gillooly on my here, but if you happen to have some Voodoo skills I'd be ok with that.<br />
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After spending an evening in poo....I swear I still smell it. It's burned into my sinuses or something. Reminded me of this funny song.<br />
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TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-82289629691444440522016-06-08T17:39:00.001-04:002016-06-08T17:39:39.068-04:00off the railsI drove to Ohio for Memorial Day weekend and, as Tom likes to say, the wheels came off. I'd been running ok, struggling to add to my workouts but not making many gains as far as mileage. Then sitting in the car just killed me. We had to leave right around the time everyone else in DC hit the highway. I wasn't all that happy about that. My step-son has missed 17 days of school this year' which is nothing considering he somehow convinced his mother that he had headaches for 2 years and didn't attend school. Fortunately for him the malady only struck on the weekdays. I'm not Sherlock Holmes so I'll not elaborate on my assumptions....as I could do an entire post on that. Anyways, we've been notified by the school than any more days missed and we'll be in trouble so we couldn't leave early. <br />
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Hitting the road at 3:30 on a holiday weekend in what is always the top or 2nd highest traffic congestion area in the US....isn't optimal. The normal 5:45 trip took us 8 hours. When I unfolded from the car (even having stopped multiple times) my back, hamstrings, etc felt like I'd been folded into a suitcase and mailed to Siberia. Fortunately it was a beautiful night in Ohio so I was able to do a good walk and some good stretching while everyone else went in and went to sleep. <br />
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Saturday I got up early and did a nice nostalgic run around my hometown. Mom tagged along on the bicycle and she added about 8 more miles. Having been running only on hilly trails, and in really hot and humid conditions, I was usually only running between 7:20 and 8:10 pace per mile back in DC. That morning, maybe because of nostalgic energy, maybe the weather, or maybe running on asphalt...I averaged just under 6:10 pace.<br />
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The next few days I didn't run. We did a lot of family activities, went to Niagara Falls, etc. So I just took those days off. I didn't even do my physical therapy. My mom and I walked ourselves silly though. Every evening when Inna and Vitalii ran out of energy mom and I would head back out and go, go, go. We had a great time. My mother sure is a tough woman ready to tag along on any adventure. Unfortunately my habit of taking the road less traveled with my adventures meant that one evening in an unique section of Buffalo her car got broken into and they stole her Garmin. Booo!!!!<br />
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The drive back to DC was around 8 hours, but I didn't stop as often and I sure did pay the price. My first run my knees hurt, a lot :-(. I took a day off and did my exercises then the next day when I tried to run I made 2 miles and they hurt so bad I decided to walk. I spent 3 days icing and not running and got back in to see Matt. We decided that my Psoas got too tight. It was still pretty crazy tight. He tortured me with some stretches for about 30 minutes and then did more dry needling followed by some stim. <br />
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We're thinking that sitting shuts off my glutes, because when he measures them they're strong enough. Weak right glute and tight right Psoas pulling me crooked. The exercises I'm doing should do the trick, but he added a glute activation exercise to do before I run. I'll take today off because my quads are really hurting from the dry needling. Then tomorrow I'll try to get back after it again. <br />
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No more cars!!!!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yUi_S6YWjZw" width="420"></iframe><br />TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-75232811689986873022016-05-25T17:12:00.000-04:002016-05-25T17:12:32.380-04:00learning what working hard isMy step-son is about as lazy as they come. My mom likes to laugh at me about it. She knows that throughout my entire life I've never had much patience...especially with laziness. When I was a college coach that was the biggest thing I hated about the job. Dealing with lazy people. I can't count how many times I'd have someone in my office all afternoon telling me how badly they wanted to be All-American. Just how driven they were to be great....and then the moment passed and all that gusto just seemed to run right out of them like air escaping a balloon, because I never saw any of that desire expressed in actual work.<br />
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I was very quick to give up on anyone who didn't live running. You know how coaches all say they'd rather have a mediocre runner who tried hard than a talented runner who didn't? Well I didn't even bother. The path to mediocrity doesn't need an escort. I only gave my coaching time to hard workers. The rest could read the workout from the wall in the gym and have at it, or not. <br />
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So here I am, on a daily basis coming home to a young sheltered 16yr old who hasn't ever known real work. His exasperation when given simple tasks is something I just was never prepared for. Some kharmic angel sent him to me to round me out a bit, build something in me...but I gander I'm probably failing.<br />
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Which brings me back to my running. I've been bragging lately about just how strong I've been getting, only to have setback after setback. My attempt at returning to running so far has been a frustrating and totally humiliating experience. Well, if all I can do is run 30 minutes a day and do physical therapy....then I'm going to own that shit! <br />
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Matt, my physical therapist has been slowly removing limiting factors. My back wasn't firing, my hips were weak, my QL was locking in compensation. One by one we've strengthened to reduce the symptoms. Each week he assigns me new exercises without taking away the old ones. Each week I astonish him at how strong I got that week.<br />
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Last week I was able to run 6 days. When I started my 4 mile loop (at 128 HR) I was able to do it in 35:10. That quickly came down to 34:12 average. A few more weeks and I was averaging 31:17. Now I average 28:20. So I'm back to running 7 minute miles on hilly twisting trails at a very low heart rate (even with 176 average cadence).<br />
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I started out, as I posted earlier, doing about 2hrs of physical therapy exercises a day. Now I'm up to almost 4. I wake up to 16 minutes of various planks followed by 18 minutes of various bridges. then I'm off to work where every hour I take a break and do 9 minutes of my suitcase carries and different variations, or my foot exercises, or my stability with weights exercises, or my weight assisted stretching routine. After work I run 30 minutes, then my stability exercises and ball routine. After that my stretching exercises, shower, etc. <br />
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I'm going to fix this, I'm going to be the best 42yr old runner I can be. It's the journey. If I have to remake every muscle in my body I will. I'm done complaining, I'm done being frustrated. It's time to embrace this shit and show it who's boss. I'm not afraid of work, I define work.<br />
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People say the best thing for a child is to see consistency, work ethic, and healthy habits. It's in front of him, all day, every day. If none of it sinks in.....well....as I said before, he'll have plenty of company on the mediocre highway. I have a different destination for myself in mind.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XleOkGsYgO8" width="420"></iframe><br />TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-18569741864616656142016-05-13T16:07:00.000-04:002016-05-13T16:07:09.280-04:00SetbackEverything was going along smoothly, until it wasn't. I got up to running 2 days, then 1 day off. I was increasing all my exercises...but my back wasn't responding. One day I woke up with a kink in my neck. Figure I was doing too many push-ups with my feet on the exercise ball. I took that day off running and did more stretching. All that stretching without exercising seemed to make my back unstable...so I took another day off. By then my neck and back were so bad that I had to make an emergency appointment with Matt my Physical Therapist. He worked on my back and shoulder gave me some homework....<br />
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So I've been doing my homework. I'm back to running 2 days on and 1 day off. My runs are still going awesome. My heart rate has come down while my cadence work has done wonders. I'm pretty consistently running 170-176 cadence easy cheesy. Doesn't feel all that weird anymore either. <br />
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I went for PT today and we found that my back just isn't responding. The funny things we've noticed... <br />
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1) When my back tightens up my knee hurts. Regardless of activity or inactivity. <br />
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2) Doing a "suitcase carry" or "bottoms up kettlebell carry" exercise almost immediately helps my back. too many however or too much running and my QL locks up and I'm leaning right a bit.<br />
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3) At around 28 minutes of running (I currently run for 31-34 minutes for my loop) my left hip fatigues and I can feel that instead of springing off the ground, my right leg is catching me, sinking in, then having to muscles me up. That I'm sure comes with some hip tilt and then causes my right leg/knee to dive in. When that happens my form has basically gone bad. Keeping the high rpm combats this because my stride is shorter, but not completely...and I can only maintain the high cadence for so long. So for now we'll keep the run duration right around 30 minutes and just add more runs per week.<br />
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My functional strength measure ok for everything. My form on the treadmill looks great... but I still get the neck kink with too many exercises and right QL lock with too many. So today he introduced me to dry needling. This is where he takes acupuncture needles and jams them through the skin, then moves around here and there poking and aggravating the muscles. He said this causes them to send acid and enzymes there to repair them, and blood to wash away everything. Basically attacking the adhesion's like massage. Holy hell!! rank this right up there with the dentists drill. He worked on my right quad for about 10 minutes and I was just about to my limit when he graciously moved on to my hip and back. Hip and back didn't bother me nearly as much. A few places really seemed to release things. I'm sore, but my range of motion and strength improved pretty dramatically really quickly. The leg though. Dang!!! I'm barely able to kneel down. My quad is pretty sore.<br />
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We'll see what that does for me. Setback after setback....but at least I'm running. I may be the slowest man slogging through the woods but I'm getting out there and enjoying it.... <br />
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maybe I'm in last place....but hopefully I can pull a Waddle.<br />
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TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-4515785512252899572016-04-20T16:40:00.003-04:002016-04-20T16:40:47.784-04:00getting strongerI've slowly been getting better at my physical therapy exercises. Last week I was finally able to get through 3 sets of all of them. I was rewarded this week with more and harder exercises. So far when he's added exercises he hasn't let me stop the old ones....and now it seems I have more to do than I can fit into my evenings. Today I got up early to do some.<br />
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I only got to run twice last week because I was busy. I'm trying to run with a high cadence and I feel like I'm prancing along like I'm training for Riverdance....but I do feel better. It'll be a lot better when I'm fit enough to run at a pace that warrants a fast cadence. For now it's just good for my stride and hips. <br />
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Yesterday I ran at lunch and it was pretty hot (83 degrees) compared to what I was used to. I was doing this loop 4 years ago between 33 and 35 minutes. Yesterday I was feeling pretty good for about 28 minutes, but with the higher cadence my heart rate was higher than it should be for the pace I was running. After 28 minutes my hips were getting really sore and I could feel a bit in my patella. I end every run praying my patella doesn't flare up. At 35 minutes I stopped and walked in. Probably would have been around 37 or 38 for the loop. So pretty slow, but I'm so happy to be out there I guess I don't care how slow it is. <br />
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I went to the gym at lunch today and I'm really happy with how all the core and hip stuff I've been doing has translated to strength in other areas. My pull-ups and just about everything are way better. Hopefully next time I go to physical therapy he lets me drop some of the easier exercises so I can fit in some other things. <br />
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Here are some of the hardest exercises I do..<br />
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1) planks with leg movement. I do 1 minute of normal plank lifting one leg at a time up using my back muscles, then immediately turn to this side plank moving my top leg in a running motion..., then roll to the other side. After the 3 minutes I take a 30 second break and then do it again. I do 3 sets.<br />
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2) Next I do band walks. Those are pretty easy looking but after 3 passes back and forth of my living room my hips are cooked.<br />
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3) next I do one legged squats where I push the up leg into a ball. This puts a lot of lateral pressure on the leg that I'm squatting with.<br />
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4) Next I do 1 legged bridges and I dip the hip of my up leg 30 times during the 1 minute bridge. I do that 3 times with both legs.<br />
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5) Next I take bands and close them in my door. I stand with my right side toward the door and stand on one leg. With the bands in my hands in front of my stomach I twist to the right, middle, left, and when I go back to middle I take my hands straight out. I do that 10 times with each foot then turn and do them facing the other way. It may sound simple but it was almost impossible at first. Now I can do them ok, my balance is getter better and I can really feel my feet getting stronger and I have to force myself to turn. <br />
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6) most of the other exercises are balance related. They don't seem very hard except that I do them when my hips are already cooked from the other exercises. <br />
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As I was running in the woods yesterday I just kept waiting for my knee to hurt and praying that my patella holds up and I can really start to run. So far so good. <br />
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TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-58407437910575990862016-04-13T16:39:00.004-04:002016-04-13T16:42:15.937-04:00a restart?I've spent a pretty fair amount of my time in the last 3 weeks sitting in doctors offices. A lot of interesting news. Just enough to get me to start dreaming again. I'm afraid to even write about it and jinx myself.<br />
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First the doctors, then trip for MRI, then back to doctor, then to physical therapist. Turns out at some point I had a bulged disc that pressed on the nerve that tells my multifidis to fire. The disc bulge went back on its own, but the muscle wasn't getting the signal and wasn't working. I did a week's worth of exercises and got that firing again and now I'm finding all sorts of weakness because I've spent a few years compensating for the back stuff.<br />
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First off is a horribly weak left hip and poor stability when doing one legged squats with my right leg. I did about 2 weeks of all sorts of crazy exercises for those. Pretty pathetic! One of the exercises was a side plank, but instead of just holding, I rotated my top leg as though I was running. I could last 7 seconds. Well, after 2 weeks of that I can now do 3 sets of 1 minute. My hips are getting nice and strong, my core is nice and strong. Still weakness in my left hip, but the main problem now is the stability issues when squatting. <br />
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Right now we're tackling that with some exercises where I land and hop stopping in a one legged squat. Sort of odd to express in writing. We'll see how all that goes. All I can say is that every night I go to bed with my hips totally wore out and all day long they're quite sore. Good sore!!<br />
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Yesterday they had me run on the treadmill and did video gate analysis from the side and back. My form over 6:10 pace is too up and down and my cadence is too slow. Once I get faster than 6:10 my cadence improves, but I'm still up and down. Measuring my legs upon landing it's quite clear that I'm catching myself cushioning with my muscles, then having to push up and off again. Hopefully cadence with take care of some of that. The other problem is that I lean to the right when I run. He thinks that's is what has been the main issue putting more stress on that right knee. Probably due to my back not working, my left hip being too weak, and my instability....so back to those exercises. For now that's my emphasis...but I am allowed to run. <br />
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Here's hoping I finally beat this thing. Don't just be teasing me! I want to run! Save some love for me!<br />
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TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-59675316371652207442015-12-30T16:21:00.002-05:002015-12-30T16:21:39.891-05:00That feeling insideI had a major life twist last year in getting married. That sort of put my athletics on hold for a while. I did my usual switch to running which, as usual, ended in failure due to broken boy syndrome. I didn't really have any goals in mind during my last running stint due mainly to the fact that I just couldn't get to the point where any run I did was respectable. Plus it's hard to dream of greatness if along with running miserably slow you're suffering just to accomplish those depressingly slow runs. Not one single run was worth mentioning. That slow simmer of frustration along with the hours of physical therapy and stretching that were accomplishing nothing....finally drove me back to the bike.<br />
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Last night I did a long, easy 5hr ride thinking about all of this. I started dwelling on the emotion and the feelings I get, different for each sport, when I'm doing well. I recently had a work accomplishment that gave me the same sort of feeling, so I thought I should dwell on it a bit and digest it. So I put on some music, got inside my own head, and pedaled. <br />
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Running, like every sport I suppose, is a roller coaster of emotion. The days of anticipation leading up to the competition, the miserable few minutes before the race, the intense few seconds before the gun goes off....then there's this sort of absence of emotion all together. The task at hand, the application of the plan, takes over and your brain latches on to that and goes through the familiar motions of pressing your body into duty. <br />
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Once you get a bit into the race your brain kicks back into analytics mode. How is my pace? How do I feel? How is my competition doing? Do I think he can keep it up? etc. Then there's one of two feelings. The first is a slow apprehension that you are beaten. That no matter what effort you give that guy is just better than you. That feeling can generally be rationalized and dealt with. The other....well, that feeling is totally addictive. You get to a point in the race where you can literally feel the guy give in to his pain. When you just know that you've won. There's something in that feeling that is undescribable. The remainder of the race you run with your mind in the clouds. All of the emotion (bigger depending on the importance of the race, time spent focusing on it, etc). Comes bubbling out and you can barely contain it. For me this always expressed itself as a smirk. For others it's arms above their head, pointing at the sky, signaling number 1 to the crowd, screaming. Whatever the case may be, the feeling is the same...... intoxicating self confidence, achievement, and feeling of invincibility. Even watching others, for example at the Olympics, achieve that feeling brings chills to my spine associating for a brief second with exactly how the person is feeling.<br />
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Racing, however is just an occasional activity. It's the emotion that comes with training that really has to be there. I only liked wrestling for the competitions and the crowd. The infrequency of the competitions made the drudgery of training just too much for me. There was no emotional lift from training so it just didn't hold me. It's the emotion of training, the lift, that keeps people in the sport. Sometimes that feeling fades over time, sometimes the athlete finds a replacement, and sometimes the body just fails to cooperate. <br />
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While dwelling on it I realized that probably for me, cycling was an attempt at a replacement. I wasn't as into the activity as those around me, I was after the feeling. I was there to race, and to beat people. To show myself, one more time, that I could apply my self discipline, athletic talents, and will myself to greatness. Deep down though....I was still a runner. So....as the song says. <br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
I could stick around and get along with you <br />
Hello <br />
It doesn't really mean that I'm into you <br />
Hello<br />
You're alright but I'm here darling to enjoy the party </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm just here to say Hello!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kK42LZqO0wA" width="560"></iframe><br />
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After a few years spent cycling, when I try to return to running, I'm chasing the feelings I remember. Not the feelings I currently have. So far in my running, I just haven't been able to get them back. A few times I've had glimpses of them, but to be honest....most of the time running just feels HARD...Really, really hard. That feeling I used to get while out training. The anticipation, knowing that the work will lead to greatness... That's been totally lacking. So that makes going through the grind that much harder.<br />
<br />
About 2 months ago I started training again on the bike. I was biking a bit last year. I did ok, but I lacked any sort of base so even when I got in shape it was always entirely likely that I could get dropped if I made any errors, if the ride was too long, or if the hard efforts were back to back. This year I decided to try to be more consistent and actually train. So far the rides have been pretty similar to running. I'm out doing it, but it's hard. At least while biking I have scenery going by and the range I get to explore is pretty good. I did a few group rides, got dropped, and suffered home solo. Of course, those group rides had folks with some pretty impressive resumes. Still, so far cycling has been pretty equivalent to the embarrassment running brings me.<br />
<br />
Last week I finally had a really good ride. Not just a good section to a ride, but 3hrs of monster output. One of those rides that starts to make you think of racing. A ride where you feel a bit invincible. It seems, that if I can get my base together (which is coming along nicely), I should start planning some sort racing schedule. We'll see. One things for sure, I really crushed that ride....and that could mean, possibly, that once I apply some short repeated efforts, TerribleTerry could be found somewhere inside.<br />
<br />
When I say TerribleTerry, I mean that guy who some how, some way, finds his way to the front. Other than the volume I maintained, I never was that guy that wowed everyone in practice. I just always seemed to rise to the occasion for the big race. Maybe mentally I'm just too weak to go to the well often, I don't know. But there's times when I can really go into that well. I spent a good deal of time dwelling on that during last nights ride. The emotion that drives me, how to identify it and keep it right there in front of me to keep me going. What made TerribleTerry and how do I get him back. Is he gone forever? Do I no longer have the discipline to do the training that get's me to the bucket? Once I do the training do I have the ability and desire to lower that bucket and dip into the well? <br />
<br />
I guess we'll see how it all turns out. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jZhQOvvV45w" width="560"></iframe><br />TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-32477319282923923952014-11-24T13:28:00.000-05:002014-11-24T13:32:57.400-05:00Arbeit Macht Frei Arbeit Macht Frei is a phrase that comes from a book written by a German Philologist in which he describes how gamblers and thieves, who go through life without regard to the real value of things, discover value (eventually) through having to work to create or earn the things they had previously taken for granted and received for free. That thought, that the true value of things has to do more with the journey of obtaining them, than to the material they are made of, or the monetary significance culture assesses to them... is common in many religions and philosophical ideologies.<br />
<br />
That phrase was eventually absorbed by the German Workers party and then later adopted by the Nazi party who placed it over the gates of many of the concentration camps. In <i>The Kingdom of Auschwitz</i>, Otto Friedrich wrote about the man who had this done.<br />
<dl><dd>"He seems not to have intended it as a mockery, nor even to have intended it literally, as a false promise that those who worked to exhaustion would eventually be released, but rather as a kind of mystical declaration that self-sacrifice in the form of endless labour does in itself bring a kind of spiritual freedom"</dd></dl>
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In my current job I spend my days sitting in a cubicle staring at a computer screen. I suppose I shouldn't tell much about all that here except to say that it's horribly unfulfilling to me. At the end of the day my contribution is trivial and unmeasurable. I get paid exceptionally well for this and it seems, as long as they're passing out money, I'd be a fool not to show up and take it from them. <br />
<br />
For fulfillment then, I have to look to other things to provide that. In the past that has always been competition. Although honestly only in my earliest years was my love the actual competing part, or rather the ego gains winning at competition garnered. Once I was about 19yrs old I realized that most of my running had nothing to do with ego and more to do with the spiritual freedom Arbeit Macht Frei conveys. The very freedom that those ancient philosophers and religions try to articulate.<br />
<br />
Running was a form of work. I've often said it is the journey that I enjoy, not the rewards. At some point it comes down to loving the activity. Loving putting yourself into something. Something that takes you away from the current pains and strains of daily life and replaces those the kinds of soreness you control. After my running days whistled away and my cycling ran the same course from egocentric fervor to work induced pleasure I've been lost for a bit. I needed something to put myself into, a work that I enjoyed but was more appropriate for the tough times I feel we'll face in the near future (my posts about Peak Oil). Here is what I found.<br />
<br />
<br />
1) My old truck died :-( I pulled the transmission, replaced the clutch, a few bearings, etc. Turns out the transmission had some internal problems. I didn't have the facilities to have another go a it. RIP old buddy.<br />
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2) I taught my co-worker how to do tile and helped her do her own backsplash.<br />
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3) Jeremiah's work was removing their carpet and putting in new. We removed the best pieces and I hauled it to Ohio for my buildings.<br />
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4) I had renters who had combined 2 apartments into one before I purchased it. They were paying less than I could get for rent for 1 apartment. Rather than raise their rent, I took back the 2nd apartment and am updating it. That's still a work in progress.<br />
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That's your taste for now. I've also....<br />
5) rebuilt an apartment<br />
6) tiled my aunts bathroom<br />
7) insulated the 3rd floor ceiling of my building.<br />
8) removed my aunts hot tub and moved her washer and dryer into that room from the basement.<br />
9) built storage facility in my buildings basement.<br />
10) gave my buildings basement walls a skim coat of concrete.<br />
11) replaced the ceiling in my moms bedroom.<br />
12) and much more. I'll try to keep you posted. <br />
<br />
I gain a real feeling of fulfillment in building and repairing things. I like to stand back at the end of the day and admire my creations. Perhaps my hard work is simply an avenue towards current fulfillment, perhaps it improves the lives of others, perhaps I'll reap rewards of a different type later from my hard work now. That brings up another sign that adorned the gates of concentration camps.<br />
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Jedem das Seine. which literally means, "to each his own", but idiomatically "everyone gets what he deserves" I toil on, for love of the activity, for love of others I work for, for love of the skills I attain and hone, and because I believe the things I've achieved through hard work in my life were earned. There's satisfaction in earning something that isn't material, cannot be traded, or taken away. Find your journey and live it! :-)TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-41066366513476460342014-11-24T12:51:00.000-05:002014-11-24T12:51:03.454-05:00Winter windsI've been really missing blogging lately. I've done a lot of interesting building I want to post but never get around to it. I've also had some thoughts on Ebola, Fukashima, the elections, etc that I'm sure everyone is just sitting refreshing their browsers waiting for me to write about. <br />
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Everyone knows my ongoing struggle with running and how I often just throw in the towel and end up on the bike. That happened again this weekend. Each time it seems I get tantalizingly closer to figuring out my issues. The most helpful advice so far I received in Ukraine from a Chiropractor there. It seems here everyone is intent on treating symptoms instead of the root cause. Anyway....my problem is that my right leg pronates which over time has tilted my hips and locked my spine into a bit of a scoliatic curve. I get treatments but the muscles pull it straight back. I have specific exercises that relieve it. I'm supposed to reach a level of flexibility and then slowly introduce single leg exercises to regain strength, all the while maintaining the flexibility. Inevitably I do to many exercises and my hips lock themselves into the titled position and I have to back up steps and get flexible again. I can just skip some steps and put in a lift on my right leg, that totally relieves the knee pain when I run, but then my back gets all out of sorts because it just can't handle the change and my feet just get weaker (which is the problem in the first place).<br />
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Anyway, it's been pretty trying. Inna and I have been going to the gym, to yoga, and i've been putting my energies into my building projects. I'm finding though, that one weekend every 3 weeks getting to work on them is just not fulfilling enough. So I either need to live where I can work those hobbies more often, or run, or ride, or something to keep me going. So then I'm back to my feeling to just scrap all this stuff and ride my bike. With a cleat lift on my right leg I pedal just fine without pain. Once I get out on the bike I really miss cycling. But then there's the simplicity of running, and a lot of unfinished goals lying around. <br />
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This week, having only ran 2 or 3 times since running with Tom and Ernie out in Vegas, I got on the treadmill to try out my knees/hips. I didn't know at the time that this would probably be my last run of the year. I ran 5:50 pace for 3 miles. I felt really good, no knee pain. I was sweating a good deal because they keep it too hot at Golds Gym. That one run was awesome. 18:10 for 5k. Nothing special, but still pretty nice to be able run that sort of time with zero training and have it be 80% effort at nearly 40yrs old. I certainly have a good engine. I know it's still in there.... and it's killing me that I can't use it.<br />
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I'm holding off until January to go for any more physical therapy because of insurance. Going to the gym just doesn't do it for me. I need to get out and do something. This weekend I taped up my cycling shoes and got them in winter mode. Then headed out the door. I did a 3hr high cadence workout. As I rode I contemplated what I wanted to do. Maybe I should just ride a lot and do some mountain bike races. Maybe I should try racing Masters. I haven't raced a bicycle in 4 years. Maybe I should downgrade to cat 4 and start all over. I don't know.<br />
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When it comes down to it, I know I get a little crazy on the bike. I don't want a premature death. But honestly if I get my running going I'll end up doing some crazy ultra races where I'm traversing switchbacks and ridges and descending mountains at breakneck speed. Or i'll find another hobby where I tempt fate. So maybe it just comes down to time. Maybe cycling is just too time consuming for me. I feel guilty I should be something more with my time. Then again....maybe honing talents and chasing dreams is EXACTLY what I should be doing with my time. who's to say....<br />
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For the next 6 weeks I'll be wearing lycra and a funny helmet. We'll see what 2015 brings.<br />
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Other than running vs biking, I can tell you exactly what else will be happing in 2015.<br />
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1) Politicians (on both sides) will continue to pretend to care what voters want and instead do what people with money want. <br />
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2) More countries around the world will privatize regional assets, selling them to foreign investers pumping the last little bit of wealth they can until people in those countries revolt and the nation becomes ungovernable.<br />
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3) More ungovernable places will find charismatic leaders who represent them better, do more for their quality of life, etc.. than their former governments did. They'll follow these charismatic warband leaders happily at a price to the lives of their neighbors, equality, women's rights, etc. <br />
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4) More places will be hit by climate induced natural disasters. Money that normally would be used for quality of life or survival will instead go to repairing and recovering from those disasters. Many will be financially crushed and forever enjoy 3rd world status or worse.<br />
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5) With gas prices low more Americans will adopt habits, revert to living arrangments, increase consumption....instead of realizing this is a temporary respite. They will do nothing to prepare for the simpler and less energy intensive lives the laws of physics and ecology will soon force upon them.<br />
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6) All of the above mentioned will be blamed on corporations, politicians, that damn other party, ethnicities, spouses, or bad luck....instead of personal behaviors and a dependence on an economy that requires exponentially increasing energy use to create exponentially increasing growth. <br />
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<br />TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-39369509604186556222014-10-02T09:32:00.000-04:002014-10-02T09:32:20.499-04:00swarm of grandma'sI've been doing a lot of work lately researching business opportunities back in Ohio. My buddy and I have often talked about doing something together. He owns a half dozen title companies and is doing quite well for himself but always wanted to get into real estate. I'm in real estate with my mom but I think she's at the point where she needs to start seeing the returns on her investments and stop putting more in (since she won't see sizeable returns on new investments for 8-15yrs in most cases). Anyways, he and I have been patiently waiting for opportunities and the timing to be right.<br />
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My plan all along has been to buy in the center of town in small cities situated near major rivers or the Great Lakes. I think these areas will do well as lack of resources stops growth (and in many cases cause mass migration) I figure all those folks living in the Southwest and in Florida will come streaming back when water (Florida too much, southwest too little) and cheap A/C become problematic. <br />
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So far all of my properties are in Geneva right in town, but I need to branch out a bit as to not pile all my eggs in one basket. So I've been researching the neighboring towns and counties. Today I found this article. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/09/02/america-is-rapidly-aging-in-a-country-built-for-the-young/">http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/09/02/america-is-rapidly-aging-in-a-country-built-for-the-young/</a> It brings another dimension to my planning. Most of the senior communities (as the article states) are built in the suburbs. Right now it's the young folks wanting to live in the cities, but soon that might drastically shift. Having some places downtown with easy access for elderly seems like a good idea. <br />
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I came up with a bit of a plan....now to go talk to the City Manager and see if the city likes my idea and will help me out. When that swarm of old farts starts coming I need to capitalize. Bring on the grandma's!!<br />
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TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-84776560736771407402014-02-28T10:10:00.001-05:002014-02-28T10:20:37.101-05:00Running on waterGot up and ran a loop with Moby this morning. It was 3 degrees...brrrrr....... ran 5 minutes out onto the lake. It is frozen as far out as we could see. We hopped around on the ice mounds for a while with Moby looking into all the caves. Knee hurt but it was good to get out. Not every day you get to run on water. Should have taken my camera. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0YuSg4mts9E?list=PL8F1E4F6603D31970" width="560"></iframe>
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Inna said there was a lot of booming and banging there this morning. She couldn't tell if it was shooting or fireworks. Police are noticeably absent in the streets. A friend flew into Kiev yesterday and passport control was basically non-existent. I hope they sort all this out. My guess is Putin's thugs will incite enough criminal activity that he'll need to send in troops to "Save and Stabilize" the country. Surplus wealth going to a crooked politician or going to an authoritarian controlling state...I'm worried that all the revolution has accomplished is to cut out the middle man.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5Xq831b2tPg?list=PL8F1E4F6603D31970" width="560"></iframe><br />TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-17562384752331800842014-02-27T13:43:00.000-05:002014-02-27T13:43:15.274-05:00family gathering<br />
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I have quite a family related mission this weekend. My presence has been requested. Possibly an olive branch...more than likely an aid request. Let's hope white doves, peace, and all that shit. Mostly I hope I don't get put in jail or lose any teeth.TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-76099922552397087232014-02-25T10:36:00.000-05:002014-02-25T10:41:27.947-05:00Wizzerwack just misses US team againI'm always so proud to see the young athletes I trained with and coached doing so well. To see Mark Wieczorek nearly reaching the highest levels of running and Joe Dombroski doing the same in cycling is a real treat.<br />
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This weekend Mark was yet again so very close to getting a ticket to the World Championships.<br />
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<br />
Men 800 Meter Run<br />
===================================================================<br />
Winner from each heat plus next 2 best times advance to final<br />
World: W 1:42.67 3/9/1997 Wilson Kipketer, DEN <br />
American: A 1:45.00 3/8/1992 Johnny Gray, Santa Monica TC <br />
Meet: M 1:46.60 3/2/2002 Derrick Peterson, adidas <br />
Name Year Team Prelims H#<br />
===================================================================<br />
<strong>Preliminaries</strong><br />
1 Robby Andrews adidas 1:48.12Q 1 <br />
<strong><span style="background-color: white; color: black;">2 Mark Wieczorek Brooks 1:48.28Q 2</span></strong> <br />
3 Erik Sowinski Nike 1:48.32Q 4 <br />
4 Nick Symmonds Brooks 1:48.79Q 3 <br />
5 Tyler Mulder Nike/Oregon TC E 1:48.34q 2 <br />
6 Michael Rutt NJNY TC 1:48.44q 2 <br />
7 James Gilreath Adidas Tm Green 1:48.72 1 <br />
8 Nick Guarino Syracuse Charger 1:48.99 3 <br />
9 Casimir Loxsom Brooks 1:49.05 1 <br />
10 Brian Gagnon NJNY TC 1:49.88 3 <br />
11 Owen Dawson Unattached 1:49.92 1 <br />
12 Tetlo Emmen Unattached 1:49.94 1 <br />
13 Richard Jones Unattached 1:50.06 2 <br />
14 Harun Abda Oregon TC El 1:50.25 2 <br />
15 Mark Husted Unattached 1:50.48 4 <br />
16 Jacob Waterman Wright Dist Proj 1:50.61 3 <br />
17 Grant Grosvenor Jr Montana St. 1:51.19 3 <br />
18 Chris Bilbrew Adidas Tm Green 1:51.92 4 <br />
19 Nicholas Thornton Unattached 1:54.11 4 <br />
20 Josh Guarino Syracuse Charger 1:57.59 4 <br />
<br />
Men 800 Meter Run<br />
================================================================<br />
Winner from each heat plus next 2 best times advance to final<br />
World: W 1:42.67 3/9/1997 Wilson Kipketer, DEN <br />
American: A 1:45.00 3/8/1992 Johnny Gray, Santa Monica TC <br />
Meet: M 1:46.60 3/2/2002 Derrick Peterson, adidas <br />
Name Year Team Finals <br />
================================================================<br />
<strong>Finals</strong><br />
1 Erik Sowinski Nike 1:47.86 <br />
2 Robby Andrews adidas 1:48.44 <br />
3 Nick Symmonds Brooks 1:48.48 <br />
4 Tyler Mulder Nike/Oregon TC E 1:48.68 <br />
<strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"> </span><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">5 Mark Wieczorek Brooks 1:49.03</span></span></strong> <br />
6 Michael Rutt NJNY TC 1:49.14<br />
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<br />TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-42912811152645825682014-02-13T10:48:00.001-05:002014-02-13T10:48:59.774-05:00StimuliWell I've given up again. I did all the rehab to fix my upper hamstring tendonopathy which was caused by the bulged disc in my back. Then as soon as I started trying to run again...within 4 minutes my knee would start hurting so bad that I had to walk. After 2 weeks of fighting that and starting over again with the patellar tendonitis exercises I have had enough. I quit!<br />
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I did a 2 hour bicycle ride the other day with no knee pain. I needed to get out and do something. Now that I've decided I'll just bike for a while we're stuck in a horrible cold snap here in the Northeast with tons of snow. So instead...I read.<br />
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Here are a few interesting articles I've been reading about stimulation. In this first article the author tells the story, using a comic, of how we have caused our sources of stimuli to evolve, without our biological ability to evolve our instincts or willpower to match them. <br />
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<em>"Tinbergen succeeded in isolating the traits that triggered certain instincts, and then made an interesting discovery. The instincts had no bounds. Instead of stopping at a 'sweet spot', the instinctive response would still be produced by unrealistic stimuli. Once the researchers isolated the instincts' trigger, they could create greatly exaggerated dummies which the animals would choose instead of a realistic alternative. Songbird parents would prefer to feed fake baby birds with mouths wider and redder than their real chicks, and the hatchlings themselves would ignore their own parents to beg fake beaks with more dramatic markings."</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<a href="http://www.sparringmind.com/supernormal-stimuli/">http://www.sparringmind.com/supernormal-stimuli/</a><br />
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The second is very much the same but talks about video games being the stimuli. It was written in 2007 after a gamer played World of Warcraft for 57 hours straight and died. He had strong willpower to overcome all the other instinctual urges to eat, sleep, etc. But could not overcome the artificial stimuli created by the video game.<br />
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<a href="http://lesswrong.com/lw/h3/superstimuli_and_the_collapse_of_western/">http://lesswrong.com/lw/h3/superstimuli_and_the_collapse_of_western/</a><br />
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Anyways, I'm going to wait a week or two and then start completely over with a new set of doctors. New set of MRI's. I refuse to give up on running. But for now I need a break. I'm going to go ride my bicycle. If it turns out biking is all I can do I'll be fine with that. But I swear I still have a good marathon in me....and I know I could win a 50miler..... and, and, and.....TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-82848996399197049352013-12-13T15:20:00.002-05:002013-12-13T15:20:58.820-05:00Bah HumbugI keep getting stronger and doing my exercises...but it seems on injury leads to another. Patellar tendonitis has been healed and given way to upper hamstring tendonopathy. It seems the physical therapy has that nearly licked. I ask about running again and here's what I get.....<br />
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<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 82%px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 3.75pt; width: 39.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="53">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Week 1</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 3.75pt; width: 351pt;" valign="bottom" width="468">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Walk 5min / jog 1min, build to 5
sets on alternating days(ex. 2x5min/1min, off, 3x5min/1min, off, etc.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 3.75pt; width: 39.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="53">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Week 2</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 3.75pt; width: 351pt;" valign="bottom" width="468">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If no pain, walk 5min / jog 5min,
build to 5 sets on alternating days<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 3.75pt; width: 39.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="53">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Week 3</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 3.75pt; width: 351pt;" valign="bottom" width="468">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If no pain, advance to 20min jog,
no more than 5 days per week<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 3.75pt; width: 39.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="53">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Week 4</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 3.75pt; width: 351pt;" valign="bottom" width="468">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If no pain, advance to 20min run
at normal training pace, no more than 5 days per week<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 3.75pt; width: 39.75pt;" valign="bottom" width="53">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Weeks 5-8</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 3.75pt; width: 351pt;" valign="bottom" width="468">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If no pain, gradually increase
running speed, volume, and acceleration as tolerated<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
BAH!!!!! this is one tough comeback!!TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-22828104696766499702013-11-08T11:06:00.001-05:002013-11-08T11:06:36.402-05:00The Girl in the ClosetI came across this story this morning. (<a href="http://res.dallasnews.com/interactives/2013_October/lauren/" target="_blank">The Girl in the Closet</a>) I couldn't stop reading it. Such a sad, sickening, horrible case. Although the treatment was a million ways worse than my personal experiences, I found this line to be quite similar.<br />
<br />
"Psychologically speaking, what happened to Lauren is called “scapegoating.” Parents single out one child to blame for all the family’s troubles and enlist others in the taunting and physical abuse."<br />
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TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-41538845962351071252013-10-25T15:58:00.001-04:002013-10-25T15:58:16.308-04:00Everyday?Really good progress on the running front. I worked too darn much in Ohio so I didn't get to run for almost a week. But I continued my rehab exercises and stretches. I ran my 4 mile route yesterday again with no pain. I went a weeee bit too fast and ran it in 26:12. Certainly too fast. I'll discipline myself to get back onto the Hadd plan and running at 128-132 HR.<br />
<br />
The good news is that today I passed all my flexibility and strength tests to begin running everyday. I'll run 2 days on and 1 day off for now. Then hopefully in 2 weeks I can be running 6 days a week. Still keeping my runs to 30 minutes. Then once I can handle running everyday I can slowly build up my miles.<br />
<br />
Tom had told me once long ago that once I found the right stretch or just the right exercise my problem would go away pretty quickly. What the doctor explained to me is that my tendon had been so injured that it was near tearing. So in defense it torqued down my quad and hip flexors. So no stretching would help release it until my tendon healed. The Platelet Replacement Therapy and Prolotherapy did that. So now it's on to fixing the problem that created my imbalance in the first place.<br />
<br />
The doctor thinks that 6 years of riding 350+ mile weeks on the bike, plus sitting at work, gave me a pretty clear case of "Anterior Pelvic Tilt" He said usually people get it from sitting too much. But mine was worse because I actually used those muscles in their shortened state while cycling. So it made them short and very, very strong. So it was going to take some serious work to strengthen my glutes/upper hamstrings and release those hip flexors. <br />
<br />
Well....I've been doing the serious work. Tom was right. Once I healed the tendons I was able to find that exact stretch that does it for me. In 2 weeks after doing that every 2 hours for 12 minutes (that's a TON of stretching). I'm seeing great improvement.<br />
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Here's my miracle stretch. Before I stretching a little different way and it was hurting another tendon. Once I inserted this one into my routine instead everything improved dramatically.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-o0KNU4WAG0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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A song for you all.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HMrqBldlqzA?list=PL8F1E4F6603D31970" width="560"></iframe><br />TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-74529886076313204822013-10-25T15:39:00.000-04:002013-10-25T15:39:28.584-04:0027 Main progressThe last 2 weeks have been good to me. I wasn't able to run last week because I was too busy. I went home for the weekend and got a lot done on my building. I installed a new toilet in Shirley's apartment. Installed a new vanity, sink, and medicine cabinet in Fermin's. I climbed on the fire escape and cleaned all the gutters. Then I did a lot of cleaning of the 3rd floor. Here's some pictures .....<br />
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Still a lot of cleaning to go. Everything is a trip down 2 flights of stairs, then dumping it in my truck, then driving 1/2 way around the block to dump in my dumpster, or put in my basement. <br />
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This week I made a deal with Carlos. He was $517 behind on his rent, water, etc. So I gave him work to do on our building. What he "earns", instead of paying him, we'll remove from what he owes. So far he as cleaned the stairs, painted the stairway and hallway walls and ceilings, painted the walls in the 3rd floor (the pictures are from before he painted). Next he'll finish cleaning all the beds, couches, microwaves, tv, etc from the 3rd floor. I wanted to build the laundry room in the basement, but I wasn't prepared for that. I still have some planning to do<br />
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I did some research on putting in solar hot water heat. I did all the measuring and got quotes. $35k to have it done. I think I can build it myself for around $12k. Now to research what plumbing inspections are required and what the codes are for my town. I also met with some folks to look into future investments in our town. Everything we looked at just didn't make mathematical sense to me. Better to invest in solar. <br />
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Also while I was home I cleaned and organized my aunts garage. That gave us room to begin shuffling. I need to clear out her attics to pull up a few boards and blow in insulation. Once the garage space cleared up I was able to remove some things from my mom's apartment and put them into the garage. Then I sanded all the drywall....ooof...that job sucks. After I got everything done and the mess all cleaned up I grouted the tiles we had installed in the kitchen while mom and aunt painted the walls. Everything is mostly done there now. So now I'll have to arrange some friends to carry in her stove, refrigerator, microwave, etc. and hook them all up for her.<br />
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Good progress all around.TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-61677137915752639002013-10-16T15:55:00.002-04:002013-10-16T15:55:53.440-04:00So far so goodRunning every other day now without pain. Makes me just about as happy as this guy.<br />
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TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-88454477141624343382013-10-11T11:43:00.001-04:002013-10-11T11:43:54.866-04:00Wonderfully soreMy knee seems to have turned the corner (fingers crossed). I haven't had pain for 2 weeks and I run 4 miles 3x last week without pain. I was a little too aggressive with my stretching and injured something behind my knee. The doctor showed me how to massage it and said keep on going. That it would heal itself. <br />
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So far so good. I happily have been venturing out into the rain and running my 4 miles in the trails. Doing all my stretching and my strengthening religiously, etc. but wow!!! 12 miles a week has me pretty sore. won't be able to move up anytime soon. Hope my body adapts.<br />
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Everything with Inna is progressing along. I bought tickets to go there December 24th returning on January 5th. I'll spend a week in Kherson getting to know Vitali and then we'll all go together for a few days to Yalta on the Black Sea. There we'll do some fun excursions and go to a formal dinner party for New Years. <br />
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We had a bit of a fight recently. It was mostly fear. I worry that if Vitali doesn't want to move to the US, or if her ex-husband won't let him, or if he doesn't like me.....What will that mean for our relationship. Of course.....she can't really honestly answer any of those things until they play out. So I basically was asking for reassurance. I didn't express my fear very well and it was taken the wrong way. She's a little used to attacks from ex-husband so she went a little too quickly into defensive mode. We pouted for an evening, communicated, and now are moving along. Legitimate fear not erased, but agreements made to handle it as it comes and be flexible and communicative. <br />
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Some funny things about language. When I type Vitali....my phone changes it to Vital I. When she sends me a note that I don't understand and I pop it into my translator it translates Vitali as Acne. I don't think I'll tell the teenage boy that my computer calls him acne. Another funny thing that it does (luckily I know the word and don't need translation) is that when she says "I miss you"...it translates as "I'm bored of you" I could see how if I didn't know the language this relationship would be quite difficult.<br />
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ok...another treehugger type video.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cpkRvc-sOKk" width="420"></iframe><br />TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-59275398842341111392013-10-01T16:38:00.003-04:002013-10-01T16:38:52.565-04:00This is waterI've done a good bit of writing here about happiness and how society has come to equate that with material wealth. I've also done some posts about societies need for constant stimulation. Here's an interesting video that deals with this nicely.<br />
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Just spent a wonderful week in Odessa with Inna. For those that didn't get my email, but want to see...my photos are posted here.<br />
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I'm off to replace the clutch cable on my motorcycle. <br />
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TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-19121692363508608302013-08-05T13:49:00.000-04:002013-08-05T14:08:35.521-04:00Rain PartyHad a pretty good week last week. Between Skype, phone calls, Facebook, and texts Inna and and I have been able to share our lives together as best as possible. She'll fly to Israel on the 14th of August and stay until the 23rd with her friend Vika. She'll stay in Ra'anana at her friends house. She hasn't seen her for 3 years since she moved there, so they're quite excited to hang out, catch up, and do some tourist stuff. Her birthday was Sunday and the card I sent arrived Saturday...delivered by mom the evening of her birthday. Perfect timing. Mom said she cried with happiness reading the poem I wrote :-)<br />
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I guess the 1/2 century ride I did with mom got me going on cycling again. I need to do something and I was so frustrated with physical therapy that I just couldn't make myself get started on that again. 4 months with no improvement :-( I figure now I'll just ride for a bit and give it a go again this winter when riding outside sucks. Of the 1/2 dozen rides I've done so far each has been a real smack in the face. The first group ride I lasted 35minutes and got dropped like nothing. The 2nd I lasted 70 minutes of a 90 minute ride, then next 80 minutes. Each of those 3 rides saw me pulling out all the tricks to keep up. I'm experienced enough in the peleton to know the wheels to follow and I know the route well enough to know when you just have to go...no matter what, and when you can rest.<br />
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This week I did the Tuesday nighter and was a totally different rider. A bit of a man possessed I guess. I took offense to a move by another rider on a dangerous descent. In the past ride we took that descent gentle, regrouped, then hammered. He used the hill to his advantage. Totally acceptable in a race on a closed road but really dangerous in traffic and with a mixed bag of rider abilities. Beat us because you're stronger....not because you care less if you make it to work tomorrow. Anyway...I made it a bit of my mission to show that fellow how his lunch looks on his cycling shoes. Each time he went for a sprint I'd attack after. Each time he reach for his bottle or drifted off a hard pull I'd give a little surge. Death by a thousand needles all of which he wasn't smart enough to notice. Then I "won" the ride attacking the birdfoot climb and leaving them. 2 weeks of riding...and they're all mid-season with an entire winter of base under them. Take that!!<br />
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The next day I went to Haymarket for the big boy ride. Having done the wimpier Reston ride pretty much all out the day before and carrying that fatigue into a ride with my old teammates who were sure to make me suffer.....had me figuring I'd be dropped over the very first climb. Again I surprised myself and hung in some very tough riding. It rained for a while really, really hard and I had hoped that would slow us down and let us recover but they never let up. Then it hailed and 4 of us got caught in a cross-wind and dropped. Luckily the group had a bit of infighting leading up to the sprint point. As they slowed to jockey for position it allowed the 4 of us to catch back on. After that I was basically cooked though and I got dropped over the last climb. By then we were nearly 2hrs into the ride so I was still pretty happy and even more so with my solo effort over the last 20 minutes back to the shop. Jared and the fellow's waited for me at the crossroads. Nice to ride with the old gang again...and glad, other than poking fun at my hairy legs, that they didn't feel a need to torture me. <br />
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I took Thursday and Friday off from riding. Went Friday to a movie premier with Michael and Melissa. We watched the new movie about Anton Krupicka "In the High Country". Pretty awesome. I don't suppose the average guy gets it quite as much...but for me, watching....that was my life. The fellow lives in his truck and just runs. That's the life of the distance runner. Really good look into his life. It's a short film, I really recommend it. <br />
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Saturday I did some repairs in the house I'm living in. Replaced the dryer vent that was so full of lint and water that the weight had pulled it from the wall. Whew...rotten lint is stinky. I saw the break in the weather for a long ride didn't come until around 6pm so I waited and ate well and headed out with my lights for a night ride. Did a nice easy tempo. Only went hard a bit on the way home going through the section where that cyclist got the gun put in his mouth, was beaten, and robbed last month. I tore through that hilly dark section with much haste. <br />
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I had an interesting detour during my ride. After about 5hrs of riding it started to pour just as I was touring the monuments before the 90 minute push home. It really unleashed just as I was going through the mall. I gave thought to scurrying over to the metro station and just taking the metro back to East Falls Church (1/2 way home) and hoping the rain had stopped when I got there. It rained so hard however that I only made it to the snack bar on the other side of the mall. As I parked under the roof I saw a bunch of others running for it too. Turns out a local band was just wheeling their equipment to the metro for their trip home. Instead they setup under the awning...and we had a bit of a party. It was a really fun and neat way to wait out the rain. We sat there 50 minutes before it let up and we all went on our way. They sang a LOT of Joanna Newsome. Now I can't get this song out of my head.<br />
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3 rides for the week. 2 really hard, 1 long but really easy. No pains or hurts so far. Here's some more Joanna. Wish I knew the name of the local band that scurried over and gave me a free concert. They gave me their phone number and an invite and for some reason it didn't save in my phone. Here's more of their favorite artists. It was really fun singing along, normally I feel self-conscious about singing but they were so fun and the circumstance so peculiar that we really belted out the songs in the rain :-).<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ciSU-xrlisg?list=PL8F1E4F6603D31970" width="560"></iframe><br />TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-28095555583565554642013-08-02T11:20:00.001-04:002013-08-02T11:20:19.254-04:00Historical building picturesI found a photo of James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, and William McKinley speaking in front of my building in Geneva. It was the dedication of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on August 4, 1880. That monument was later moved to the corner of Eagle an Park streets and now sits at the opposite corner of Park and Broadway.<br />
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Mine is the 3 story building on the left. Pretty cool!! This photo was taken from the center of Broadway, South of Main street. The drug store you'll see in the next photo would be directly to the left of the photographer.<br />
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This is the view on Main Street and Broadway. My building is directly across the street from the Drug store you see in this picture. So my building would be to your right and around the corner if you were standing where this photo was taken.<br />
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This picture is from farther North on Broadway. You can still see the drug store on the corner in the center of the photo. From here you would walk South on Broadway to the corner. Turn right on Main street and my building would be the 3rd on the right. <br />
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TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3232219930069527761.post-21988594670705676032013-07-09T16:29:00.001-04:002013-07-09T16:33:44.265-04:00Daddy Cool falls in love I made it back from vacation. It was an amazing trip. Easily the best vacation I've ever had. While I was there this song played no less than 600 times, plus Inna and I had this running joke going that she was my "Sugar Momma" because I had wired her money ahead of time for our trip so that I didn't have to go 1/2 way around the world with a big wad of cash. Anyways, she carried the cash and did the negotiating so we'd get better prices and I'd keep my mouth shut. So she was "Sugar Momma" and I became "Daddy Cool". (I even showed her some smooth dance moves similar to his)<br />
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When I arrived I found I was quite nervous. Her and I had counted down the days and hours until we could finally be together....so by the time I was standing in the Customs line I was pretty nervous. As soon as I made it through and she gave me a big hug everything was amazing. We were so comfortable together. We jumped in a taxi and went to a supermarket to buy supplies for our room. While we were in the store she caught me checking her out and we joked about it. Because she was also checking me out ;-)<br />
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Once we arrived at the resort we spent the looking over the place and our cove, swimming, having a romantic dinner and taking a nice walk, and then sitting on a bench drinking wine and watching the sunset. Neither of us said it until later...but during that walk we both realized just how amazing the other made us feel. For the remainder of the trip, together 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, we never lost that magical feeling. By the end of the first week I was fully and madly in love with her. We started talking about future but she was afraid to open up to me fully. She didn't want to think about her feelings. She wanted to enjoy the present and later, after I had left to think about them, what was next, etc. <br />
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Every day was another adventure. We alternated days. One day we'd go on an excursion, which was usually an exhausting combination of boats, marshutki's, buses, and taxi's. Plus lots of hiking (and she kept up, enjoyed it, never complained, or wasn't amazing). The next day we would stay at the resort and rest. Usually I'd wake up early to run and swim, she'd sleep in, then we'd go to breakfast. We'd normally hang on the beach for a few hours and then in the heat of the day enjoy our air conditioned room. Then go back out in the evening for a nice dinner, walk, and more wine on the beach. Then we'd stay up until 2am talking, talking, talking. Through every second of it we totally enjoyed ourselves, and each other. A thousand times a day we were amazed at the silly things we had in common....from the way we ate our peaches, to our ecological and economic views, to our hopes, dreams, etc. <br />
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She didn't like my hair choices. She likes hairy legs and thought John's haircut looked too much like a hedgehog. On the 3rd day she took me to town for a haircut. It was funny. The barber was afraid I'd want it to look like it did, only shorter. She was relieved when Inna said it looked funny in spots. She thought maybe this was a popular American fashion she was soon going to have to learn. She joked to me that she was really afraid everyone was going to start coming in and asking for bad haircuts. Inna has made me promise that I'll start paying for them when we're together.<br />
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By the end of the second week she realized that she was helplessly in love with me and we really started thinking and talking about our future together. I traveled to her town and met her mother. We had a really fun barbecue and mom was a lot of fun. We talked about the steps we'd need to take to get her over to America and the advantages/disadvantages of each kind of visa. By then we knew we were meant for each other.....<br />
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So the type of visa was really not in question. It's the most certain, and in her situation probably the fastest. <br />
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There are hurdles in our path and we discussed all of them. Our communication together is amazing. I love her! She has a son and his father to think about. Vitali knows about me, but only that I'm a penpal. The father knows nothing and poses quite a risk to her. So we're treading lightly and I'm giving her time and support to deal with that.<br />
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When I got back to work everyone has been asking how I knew and what I thought. I did a lot of thinking about that today. Both of us, as far back as we can remember have really had trouble feeling love in relationships. I think I've always been quite lonely so I've gotten into relationship trying to fill this empty hole. Most of the time I didn't know myself, or what I wanted or needed, plus I never let the other person know me.....so the relationships were doomed to be unsatisfying. Inna felt the same way. She had a son and tried to be a good wife to a man who took, and took, and never gave back. She had the same sense of loneliness (except for having Vitali), the same fear that she was incapable of love and meant for a life of loneliness. <br />
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When we were together there was this almost simultaneous revelation. Through hours and hours of talking endlessly we realized neither of us had ever had anyone truly listen to us, or had we ever truly told what was inside us. With us it was a continual pouring out to each other. We had this holy shit type revelation. THIS is what love is supposed to be. WOW!! <br />
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It had an immediate effect on me. When I have problems with anxiety (as you all know) I have a tendency to get lost inside, wander the city looking for adrenaline, and usually getting myself into trouble. The second to last night we were there, she was with the father, and I was alone in my hotel. It was hard to imaging the person I loved was sleeping in the same house with another man simply because she had no other options (it's complicated). I spent 6hrs restlessly walking the city. What was different this time was a sense of confidence. Not a sense of responsibility like I had with Lyuda or past relationships. But a sense of confidence. That I had found my other half. That I needed to be home, because I don't want anything.....any risk, that could somehow cause me to not be able to spend the next 60 years with this wonderful woman. So I enjoyed the city, and then went home at a safe hour.<br />
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Chuppa Chups.....You are my purpose, my medicine, my support, my strength, my dreams, my hopes, my desires, and my future. I'm so glad that I have finally found you. Я тебя люблю!!!<br />
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TerribleTerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767042151759862341noreply@blogger.com1