1/2 Marathon

I did it!

I followed a fairly strict diet leading up to the event, and stayed off the sauce. I focused on what my pace should be. I set that jogging pace early on, I jogged to the 5k mark at 33 minutes, and walked and then jogged at that pace again. Every time I jogged I used that jogging pace. No injuries! No doctor visits! Just the regular soreness. I finished in 2:44:28. Not good, but not bad either considering I really hadn't trained. This was a New Year's Resolution that I made with OJ when we were on a drunken pub crawl back to the house New Year's Day. I think it started at Bone Daddy's and I committed at Hooter's......

1/2 marathon....

Sunday is the big day! Months of steadfast un-preparing will culminate on Sunday in San Antonio. The Rock-n-Roll half marathon, which I signed up for in February, will be my "20" come Sunday. It will be interesting to see how I do. I'm going to take it really easy, and slow jog, then walk, then slow jog, then walk, then slow jog some more, then walk some more. I am really hoping that it doesn't send me to the doctor again. No worries. After Sunday, I don't have any intention of such pursuing such trivial pursuits. So wish me a broken ankle, I need all the stage luck I can get.

I thought I had some creativity brewing

Close! Oh well. Maybe next time.

Contempaltions of life

So life can pass you by, life can be rewarding, life can surprise you, life can suck, you can live a life unfulfilled, you can let mean people grind you down, you can keep yourself around good, caring people, and you can lock yourself out from everything.

I prefer to live a life less ordinary.

What does that mean? It means doing things that push the envelope of comfort. It means giving up a secure job with excellent benefits, selling a comfortable house, leaving a nice place to live, finding homes for two good dogs, and distancing myself from wonderful friends.

Other people have pushed the envelope. Notable people like Genghis Khan, Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Joan of Arc, Martin Luther, Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, Benjamin Franklin, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, Sacagawea for that matter, Daniel Boone, and so on. Its not like I'm the first one. It only feels that way. What drove these great people to push their envelope? Surely they could have lived their days comfortable and unrecognized by the history books. I'm not looking to make history, but a challenge excites me. I can recognize the restlessness inside of me, but the thought of leaving everything behind is troubling. I know I need to push myself, regardless of the outcome, just for the sake of pushing. Pushing is good, even the resultant bad times are a good experience. As strange as that sounds.....


All of this leads to a new strange life in California. What effects will the blue state have on me? Even now, pictures of her cause my heart to skip a beat, race, and I start breathing hard. It's comfortable here, but the thought of greener pastures beckons. That woman, wonderful Debby, evokes a healthy passion for a life less ordinary.

I will never be HERE again,
JR

Debby wants me to come see her!

Debby came to my place in Cedar Park, and did not have a coronary at the site of the place. Granted, I worked very hard to clean up, and complete some unfinished tasks around the place, but it still is very much a bachelor pad. She met the dogs, and I even had an odd acquaintance (pun intended) stop by at about 1:30 AM, and she still likes me. We went for a brisk ride on LaVerne, and she met my biker buddies, and she still likes me! I'm madly in love with her, and all my thoughts and focus are how I'm going to finally clean this place up, fix it up, get rid of all the remnants of my previous marriage, become licensed in California, sell the house, land a new job, move, and settle down with the love of my life.... Whew! It makes my head spin thinking about it. Life is good, and my life is awesome with Debby in it. I'll be off to see her in another few weeks. Then I will get to check out her place, and her town, and her friends, and so-on and so-forth. I'm really excited about that!

The only downer in this whole thing is that my family does not approve. Its not that they don't care and haven't given her the thumbs up, its they don't want me seeing her.

Never a dull moment,
JR

Now my troubles ensue

So now I'm faced with a real dilemma. Debby and I had a great weekend together. The more I think about it, the more I think there is a strong possibility that she is the one to take me to the next stage in life. Now comes the hard part, the real hard part. She is planning on visiting the second weekend of October. This is still another six weeks away. The problem I have is that I will be out of town every weekend, and also for a couple of weeks in between. Lots of unfinished projects that make the place rather unkempt. I want to make a good impression, but at the same time I really don't have the time or resources to finish all this crap. Somehow it will all come together.

I'm really excited to see her, and that she will be coming to see me.

Kisses,
JR

Weekend Rendezvous

Tomorrow I meet Debby in Tempe, AZ for a weekend with each other and no chaperons. I met Debby in May of 2008 in Vegas at my brother and his wife's renuptial wedding. At the time I was seeing a nurse that I thought would be the one, she came with, it was fun, but that didn't last for long and the nurse turned crazy. Debby stuck in my mind. My brother said bad news kid, don't mess with her. Fast forward to June 2009 and I am very single. The same sister-in-law is graduating from law school and throws a big party. Debby is there and very available as well. We hit it off well, and spent most of the weekend chatting and in each other's gaze. Since then a relationship has developed, long distance of course, and has some potential to flourish into something stronger. I'm a little nervous and scared that I will do something stupid, I'm well known for my stupidity. Nonetheless the weekend should be fun. Optimism springs eternal. My reasoning when explaining all this is that I've exhausted all my possibilities in Texas.

That's My Story and I'm Sticking to it,
JR