Yes, I let a headline infuriate me.

In an attempt to wriggle out of the Senate-seat-for-sale scandal hanging over Rod Blagojevich, the Illinois governor's supporters have sunk to a new low by attempting to frame his appointment in racial terms. Blagojevich's announcement of Roland Burris as his appointee while the governor is being investigated for related corruption is enough of an affront to common decency. But for congressman Bobby Rush to suggest that the Burris' appointment should not be blocked because Burris is black is appalling to me:

"I will ask you to not hang and lynch the appointee as you try to castigate the appointer."

"Let me just remind you that there presently is no African-American in the U.S. Senate. I don't think that anyone — any U.S. senator who's sitting in the Senate right now — wants to go on record to deny one African-American for being seated in the U.S. Senate."

If I was a U.S. Senator, I would consider it to be my privilege and duty to block such a seating. I would be proud to have this on my record, not because of the color of Burris' skin, but because it simply is the right thing to do. When news of scandal first broke around Blagojevich, it was generally agreed that anyone that he appointed would have a cloud of suspicion over him or her. Mister Rush, the pigment possessed by that nominee should not change this.

I know nothing of Burris and his record, nor whether he would actually make a good Senator. But if he had a sense of decency, he would have turned down the offer and made himself available as a candidate to be appointed in a manner separated from the scandal.

In the year 2008, I reject the idea that certain political offices should be reserved for an individual because of race. Misters Blagojevich and Rush, you ought to be ashamed for attempting to "play the race card" as a smokescreen to distract us from the governor's own integrity issues. Finally, attempting to paint opponents as a lynch mob is misleading and profoundly disrespectful to those who actually lost their lives in real lynchings.

I'd prefer for my blog posts not to stray too often into politics, but this just seems like an egregious case of "not getting it." It made me mad enough to stay up this late and vent. . . .

Merry Christmas!

I think I've found a great use for my budding medal collection!

CurrentlyVince wishes everyone a Merry Christmas. May we be blessed with the gift of redemption from those things that weigh heavily on our hearts.

10 megapixels, 4 miles, one finger on the shutter button

I logged four miles during the muggy midday. To help make the time seem to pass quicker, I decided to bring my digital camera along and take snapshots of some of the reasons I moved here.








"Inconvenient" cannot be a reason for me to not exercise anymore.

Is that cinnamon in my polvoron?

I do like my polveron, but I had never considered them really as a holiday-season treat -- until I found this recipe for a Spanish version that adds cinnamon to the dough.

Yum!

Tech Thursday Tidbits

• Remember the bruhaha that Microsoft stirred up when they introduced Product Activation with Windows XP? And how it would make life difficult for people that liked to upgrade PC components? Well, more than six years after installation (and plenty of hardware swaps), I swapped in a new network adapter into my trusty Shuttle XPC SS51G, and that finally awakened the "activation police" in the the OS. After failing to connnect online to the activation server a couple of times, I finally figured out that I needed to disable my third-party software firewall long enough to let the system check in and affirm that I am not a pirate.
• There's something peculiar about my new Philips LCD television: When exposed to the LCD screen of a Lenovo ThinkPad T60, the TV powers on. There must be some pattern glowing on the laptop display that the TV is interpreting as an "on" signal. I discovered this by accident when I placed the laptop on a counter, powered it up, and suddenly heard the theme song for That's So Raven unexpectedly start playing behind my back.
  
• I have only performed 14 out of the 50 Skills Every Geek Should Have according to Maximum PC. It sucks to be obsolete.
  

Have we met before?

<---- These adjacent Facebook ads are proof that women are pretty much all alike.

Watts in your wallet?

During the fall political campaign, energy policy was on the lips of just about every candidate for national office. Everyone seems to agree that we need a better one in the United States. While the politicians hammer out the details, I thought I'd share some of my recent activities on a personal level. I'd like to think these will make a positive contribution by reducing the energy I consume on a day-to-day basis:

• The biggest change I've made was making the decision about where to move (within the Houston area). Proximity to workplace was at the top of my must-have list. Frankly, I don't really enjoy commuting around Houston. Saving money is a nice bonus and the results here are already quite tangible. My formerly twice-weekly visits to the gas pump have been cut in half and I've hardly used my EZ TAG. That's about a hundred fewer dollars per month that isn't going to the pockets of the oil companies or the Harris County Toll Road Authority.
• The "competition" in electric providers in Houston has been an utter failure in bringing lower costs to consumers. When I established electric service here last month, though, I did attempt to vote with my wallet by choosing a plan with a provider that would pledge to use the money to generate power with "clean" sources like wind. The price-per-kilowatt is somewhat higher than the lowest rates available, and the benefits aren't directly tangible, so I think this might be more of a hopeful decision than anything.
• I have LCD televisions, which consume less electricity while operating than old-school CRTs. But I couldn't help but notice that they feel warm even when "off." This is due to the fact that they aren't really off but in standby, waiting for a remote signal to light up. Many devices consume electricity even when they're in standby and not performing a useful function. I needed a couple of new surge protectors anyway, so I went with Belkin "Conserve" which makes it really easy to truly switch off power from a distance.
• I needed a clothes washer, and opted for a more efficient front-loader. Moneywise this is an iffy proposition, as the price delta over the more familiar top-loader is pretty big and won't be narrowed for years.
• I installed compact fluorescent bulbs. When I moved in, the "Hollywood" fixture in the bathroom was loaded with 60-watt incandescent bulbs. A four-pack of 9-watt bulbs -- which have equivalent output to 40-watt incandescents -- are about six dollars at The Home Depot. My rough math suggests that these will pay for themselves in about a year.

Happy holidays to all and I'll close this post by mentioning that my Christmas tree is illuminated with LEDs. Once again, this is probably a decision that won't see a "payback" for years, but at least the investment has been made.

Now I'd like to see the adjustments in my energy demand get met on the other side with adjustments in the energy supply. We've been waiting for fundamental changes in this area since the first crisis with OPEC in the 1970s, however, so I'm certainly not holding my breath on this.

The Digital Bridge to My Nowhere

Among the many things for which I was thankful this past Thursday was finally getting DSL activated at my new residence. It's certainly not on the same level as water or electric service, but having Internet access at home has become closer to being a highly desirable amenity. It took much longer than I expected, but now my information island is connected.

I was a longtime DSL and home phone customer with AT&T (and SBC before that) and was very satisfied with the service. The small handful of you that actually follow this blog might recall that I was even able to blog through the thankfully brief electrical outage during Hurricane Ike.

So a full month before I moved in, I placed an online order on the AT&T website asking that I get similar service here. The day before I moved in, an AT&T tech called me from the site to confirm that I had dialtone and my new phone number was ready. On the same day, my old phone line lost dialtone and my DSL modem lost signal. At least the disconnect portion of the order went as planned.

I had asked the phone installation tech about the new DSL service -- which I had also requested for my move-in day -- and he advised that it would be handled separately. Well, I was busy with other things as one might expect, so I let this slip for a few days. When I did finally get around to pursuing help, AT&T's customer service gave me obtuse answers like these:

• The new phone number wasn't mine. (What?)
• I needed to place an order for DSL. (But I did?)
• I had an invalid order number (I can clearly read what I printed out from AT&T's own website.)
• DSL wasn't available for my new phone number. (Hmmmm.)
• DSL was available for my new address. (Double-hmmmm.)

Finally after receiving a bill for a new month of service at my old address, I -- with the help of an astute customer service person at AT&T -- finally figured out that the information system being used by customer service had never properly marked my old service as terminated. Because I had placed a move order, that hangup prevented the DSL order from proceeding on my new number. This apparently is not a rare problem for this system, but once that error was cleared, I was cleared for DSL on my new number. So three-and-a-half weeks past my original move-in date, I was finally able to get my new home LAN hooked up to the outside world.

For at least the time being, then, I recommend that AT&T customers who are moving not, under any circumstances use the Move My Services link on the AT&T website. Make two separate orders -- one to disconnect service at the old address, and one to activate service at the new one. This way, if there is an issue on one of the orders, it will not interfere with the other.

Now it's time for me to post a couple back-dated TXU Energy Turkey Trot and RNRSA race reports.

TXU Energy Turkey Trot

I waited until the night before to register for this 10K in Houston's Uptown District. At least I was smart enough to not try registering for this big event on Thanksgiving morning itself! My car and I showed up 30 minutes before gun time and I took a spot in a nearby garage since all the spaces in the Uptown Park shopping area were full.

I was able to get a semi-decent five-minute warmup and then took a spot in the starting crowd near the "11 minute pace" sign. I think most of the folks running had little idea what an eleven-minute pace was, because I was dodging and weaving for just about the entire first mile. Of course, this ended up throwing off my pace and I came upon the first mile marker in less than nine minutes.

That would end up crushing me because soon after I got to the three-mile mark in 27 minutes, I lost energy. I took several walk breaks back to the finish line and ended up with a 10K chip time of 1:00:58.

So for now, my 10K PR from this year's Flying Pig (59:07) is still kicking back and feeling safe. I still feel that this is a "soft" number that I should be able to crack if I can just get decent speed and fitness back....

Rock 'N' Roll San Antonio

I took part in the half marathon at Rock 'N' Roll San Antonio this morning. Slap me if I say I want to do a mega-event like this again. I probably will still do it anyway, but I just need a reminder of what I'm setting myself up for.

I mistakenly thought that showing up two hours ahead of the race start would be enough time. As I surveyed the sea of brake lights around me at 5:30 a.m., I knew something was wrong. Without any traffic control, the line of cars waiting to get into the AT&T Center parking lot had backed up a mile onto Interstate 35. An hour later, I was finally parked and was ready to stand in the line for the shuttle buses.

I think it was around 8 a.m. or so that I finally made it to the start area, 30 minutes past the scheduled gun time. The pre-race plan was to meet up with Lacer from the RWOL forums in corral #11. Corral 11 was long gone by then, and I'm assuming Lacer was as well. So, already feeling tired, I launched my race with corral 25.

The first half went pretty well. The race organizers had already started taking down the mile markers by the time I got on the course, so I was depending a lot on my Garmin to give me pace feedback. I hit mile six at around 60 minutes. It wasn't long after that when I spotted a familiar-looking runner lady wearing red and the name "Katrina" glittered on the front. I said hello to the RWOL forum's Redsparkle and wished her well as she was going for 26.2 miles today.

Shortly after this, my race fell apart. I knew my training runs lately have been awful, and it was this point where it showed. I ended up walking frequently on the latter half of the race. My Garmin shows my elapsed time for the course at around 2:28, the likes of which I haven't seen in nearly two years. It was one of those races where I was mostly grateful to finish.

After finishing, I was presented with another hour-long wait to reclaim my gear bag. Then came the final line of the day to board the shuttle buses back to AT&T Center. This wait wasn't truly bad compared to the others, but the line went down one staircase and climbed another. I'm really glad I didn't run the full course today!

So, here's some final thoughts as I'm digesting pizza and chicken fried steak (the "100 calorie" packs of crackers and Dole fruit cups handed out at the post-race weren't quite enough):

1) When your race instructions say that the parking lot opens at 4:30 a.m., there's a reason for that.

2) Train badly, race badly.

3) If you can avoid checking in a gear bag, do so!

To put the race performance in perspective, I had PRed the half marathon distance with a 2:08 six months ago at the Flying Pig. Even last November in San Antonio, I ran a 2:13. So I'm having to deal with the reality that I'm less fit than I was just last year.

(later)

Tonight, I was able to let off some frustrations at the post-race concert headlined by The Cult. The band is still largely together, and they still rock! "Fire Woman," "Rain," and "She Sells Sanctuary" have held up well after all this time.

Change

Unless you've been hiding under a very heavy rock, you know today's election day. The ballot, of course, is headlined by the choice for a new President of the United States. Constitutionally, I am eligible for this office, so if you can't make up your mind, feel free to just scribble "CurrentlyVince" as a write-in candidate.

I was one of many who took advantage of early voting. In addition to avoiding the lines, this worked out well for me because I don't even live in my voting precinct now. Over this past weekend, I changed addresses, so I am no longer reporting from Fort Bend County. Doing my part in "going green," I've moved closer to where I work. So instead of commuting 45 minutes in the morning and an hour in the afternoon, the trip is only 15 minutes each way. In addition, I've got easy access to numerous trails so I could potentially use the time savings to run more.

I would have posted something sooner, but I'm still waiting for the Internet to connect to my new abode. I need to find out why AT&T was able to promptly able to install my phone service, but not my DSL.

Tour de Donut

For most of this past weekend I was pretty occupied with moving, but I am pleased to report that I did make the time to ride in the 5th Annual Tour de Donut, a cycling event that benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

There were two rides offered in this event this past Sunday. The serious cyclists would take a 55-mile loop route starting and ending at Katy Mills Mall. The other option was the shorter 28-mile donut challenge, which would offer two stops well-stocked with donuts. Each donut consumed in this challenge would earn a five-minute deduction from the rider's time.

Y'all already know which box I checked on my entry form, right??

About fifteen minutes after the clock started, I crossed the start mats with the back of the pack. The route was slightly altered this year, with riders being sent out of the mall parking lot and over to the Interstate-10 feeder road. I think this change gave the riders more pavement to work with and reduced early bottlenecking.

It was a beautiful morning with cool, sunny skies and some breeze as we turned off the highway onto the two lane blacktop that cut south into the Katy prarie. This section of Fort Bend County is making the transition from rural to suburban, with horse ranches and feed stores alternating with newly-sprouted master-planned communities.

I'm far from being a serious cyclist. My only "training" was taking my Schwinn Suburban out of the garage for a ten-mile ride the previous weekend to make sure it was still working. One of the ride marshals pulled alongside me and grinned. "You're doing pretty good on that mountain bike." I suppose I was.

Just like last year, I did a lot of passing in the early portion of the ride. Among the parade of wheels, I saw more than one tandem bike, a couple of rollerbladers, and a pair of young ladies sporting pairs of short-shorts and brightly-colored over-the-knee long-stockings.

At mile 11, I made it to Fulshear (pop. 718), the site of the first donut stop. I pulled off the road into the gravel-covered parking lot in front of an attorney's office. The cyclist behind me lost control on the gravel and skidded sideways to the ground. He gave me a good startle, but he was okay. So it was time to hit the donut line.

"Start me with three," I told the volunteer. She plucked three glazed Shipley's donuts from one of countless boxes and placed them in my hand. I turned my back on another volunteer, and she made three hash marks on my race bib. (Last year, I showed up with my race bib on the front of my shirt, runner-style like a noob.)

Down went the donuts: 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . yummy! Back in line, I asked for three more and got three more hash marks.

4 . . . 5 . . . 6 . . .

With the sixth donut, I could sense that my stomach was starting to question what I was up to. I was already one donut shy of my count from last year, but I decided that I had eaten enough for now and re-mounted my bike. I felt really loaded down, like the donuts were five pounds each or something. It wasn't until three miles out of Fulshear that I was pedaling normally again.

After that first stop, the 55-mile route split away and the line of riders around me had definitely thinned out. I certainly was far from the only one out there on a cheap bike. I waved the "sign of the horns" at a guy with the dulcet tones of Kiss rising from his handlebar speakers. I exchanged greetings with a couple of riders sporting Aramco Houston Half Marathon shirts.

Turning north, we passed the halfway point of the route entering Waller County. We proceeded on to the bustling city of Brookshire, Texas (pop. 3450), where the second route stop at mile 18 waited for us at a quick-lube shop. I accepted three more glazed from the donut tent and took them down -- slowly. By the ninth I had "hit the wall" in gluttony terms and had to take a seat on the curb. Another guy and I marveled at a third gentleman standing in the grass puffing away.

"A cigarette!?" we asked incredulously.

"Hahahahaha," replied the smoker. "Yeah, and I've had ten dounuts too."

I wouldn't even think of emulating his example, but I admit that I was impressed. I did want to reach double-digits in the donut count today, so I staggered to my feet, and asked a volunteer for one final sugar-coated ring of fried dough. It felt like a long, long time, but I earned that tenth hash mark on my bib number and re-mounted for the return leg to Katy.

I never really felt normal for the rest of the ride. Really feeling loaded down, I was fighting a headwind and was barely eking out 12 mph. As I entered the mall parking lot, I noticed my Garmin had ticked off 29.3 miles for this year's revised route. As the race clock ticked to 3:01, I rolled across the finish mat, feeling accomplished. Last year my chip time of 2:07 and seven donuts was good enough to put me in the top 15% overall. This year's official results are still being tabulated, but I'm pretty sure going for more donuts this year possibly cost me more time than I got back in credit!

2:06!? What was I thinking!?

When I registered for RNRSA back in June, the website asked me to enter my estimated finishing time. Well, today my confirmation card arrived in the mail and my answer of 2:06 is on there, staring me in the face.

That time -- two minutes off my PR from the Flying Pig -- is looking to be on the optimistic side today.

In any case, I'm looking forward to my first RNR event, as they seem to have a reputation of providing a great time. Earlier in the week I read that the registration cap of 30,000 has been reached. Wow. That's going to be a lot of runners winding their way through the Alamo City!

Seasons, They Are a Changing

Ooof! My legs haven't felt this beat up since the Flying Pig back in May. With a mere three weeks to go until Rock 'N' Roll San Antonio, I was very worried about what it might mean if I couldn't put together a respectable long run at this stage.

It took two hours and fourteen minutes, but I managed to roll up twelve miles in the Brooks Adrenalines. I'm pretty sure the soreness I'm feeling now isn't the fault of the shoes. I've really just been a bad slacker over the summer. Last night's low temperature bottomed out at 50F, so at least the first hour of the run was basically sweat-free. Hail fall! I finished up with a SuperSonic burrito and caramel hot latte at Sonic Jog-In, feeling better about my prospects of at least crossing the RNRSA finish line unassisted.

On Thursday I dropped in on the Houston Marathon "Run for a Reason" party in Memorial Park. I'm not really inclined to combine my event running with fundraising, but I did contribute some money and left with a nice "Run for a Reason" Under Armor tech shirt and a nice cotton "In Training" T-shirt.

Now the rest of my day will be focused on the wonderful cross-training activities of cleaning and packing. When the calendar page flips to November, CurrentlyVince will be blogging from a new address in the Houston area. Don't panic, I promise to continue the wry blather you've come to expect from these quarters.

Here comes the punchline

Last night I got to see Jeff Dunham perform at the AstroArena. (I don't feel like calling that old place by it's current corporate-sponsored moniker.) He's been doing the ventriloquism comedy for a long time, but he's got heightened recognition now thanks to the Achmed the Dead Terrorist routine that has become a popular view on YouTube.

The routines were a little rough, but that's not surprising since he's working over material that will eventually be part of an upcoming holiday special on Comedy Central. I guess it didn't help that I didn't feel really receptive to holiday-season bits on a warm Saturday night either. But the funniest part of the evening came at the end when Dunham brought out the Bubba J character. The routine was so well-worn and familiar that the audience was delivering the lines right along with the puppet. I've seen concert audiences belt out familiar hits with rock bands, but I had never seen a crowd of thousands do it with a comedian. It was weird and awesome at the same time.

Special kudos go to Dunham's charitable foundation for presenting donations to the Ronald McDonald House Houston and to the American Red Cross, as well as donating tickets to volunteer groups. The House had sustained damage from Hurricane Ike, and families are unable to occupy it until repairs are complete. I paid a visit there this past Thursday and it was odd to see absolutely no family activity going on.

Turning the subject to running: This morning's running endeavor was a joke. With yesterday's six miles, including the 5K race as a setup, this morning's punchline came in the form of "dead legs," which was not good considering that my original intention (laughable in hindsight) was to push the mileage into double-digits again. My legs felt whipped to the point where making it three miles was a struggle, so that's where I quit.

Executive decision: Tomorrow will be a rest day. Let's hope that helps.

Run to Cure HD

This morning I was part of a running event that raised forty-six thousand dollars for the Huntington's Disease Society of America.

Mile 1: 8:31
Mile 2: 9:14
Mile 3: 9:23
5K elapsed time: 28:12

I crossed the chip mat more than two minutes behind my 5K personal best time from this spring, but that didn't bother me much. I've struggled with re-establishing my running routine in the weeks after Hurricane Ike came ashore. So having this race -- my first since Labor Day -- was a welcome "icebreaker" on the comeback trail. We've got refreshingly cool morning temps now in Fort Bend County and it felt wonderful to just pin on a number and run hard again.

What did bother me was losing in the silent auction that followed the race. I was engaged in a fierce four-way battle for a gift certificate from Maggie Moo's. I scribbled in bid after bid, but at the last minute, I was topped by one dollar. One measly dollar. Failing to come through with a win when a vital commodity like ice cream was at stake was a feeling even more disheartening than looking at the 5K results and seeing my name at the very bottom of my age group.

:: Sigh ::

Beer there. Drank that. Got the T-shirt.

The first thing I suppose I should admit is that I'm not really that much of a "big beer guy." Most years I could count the number of beers I've drank on one hand, and have fingers to spare.

Despite that, I decided to start collecting punches on my Beer Hunter journey in July, Along the way I saw a a bunch of movies and managed to order every kind of draft beer listed on the menu at both Houston-area Alamo Drafthouse locations.

Three months and 28 pints later, my server Karrie awarded me an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema T-Shirt and Beer Hunter mug tonight for my "efforts."

The final pint -- of the Drafthouse's own house Amber -- was consumed during tonight's Presidential debate. Heavy rains were interfering with the satellite TV reception and the partisan reactions from the audience were priceless as they watched the projectionist fail in repeated attempts to pull in any other channel aside from Fox News.

Worth Mentioning: The cinema used this "Barack Roll" YouTube video as a pre-show trailer to help promote the debate screenings. I don't care what your political stripes are -- this is funny!



Here's the final beer-by-beer tally:

OCTOBER

• Pints of Rogue Dead Guy and Young's Double Chocolate Stout during Obama-McCain Debate Number Two. (Either I lost count somewhere, or an Alamo staffer punched my Beer Hunter card twice more than necessary. Perhaps classic Florida balloting techniques were in effect.)
  
• Pints of Firehouse #4 and Flying Dog In Heat Wheat during Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. (I took a gamble on this one and I ended up liking it. It does make being young and single in NYC look like fun.)
• Pints of Spaten Optimator and Spaten Premium during Body of Lies. (An espionage flick that struggles to make it above the "forgettable" line. )
• Pints of Dogfish 60 Minute IPA and Belhaven Scottish Ale during The Express. (See this movie. If you don't like it, your heart may be three sizes too small.)
• Pint of Drafthouse Amber during Obama-McCain Debate Number Three. (This will likely be remembered as "Joe the Plumber's debate.")
  

SEPTEMBER

• pints of Stone IPA and Newcastle Ale during the season premiere of NBC's Heroes.
  
• pints of Boddingtons and Bass during Burn After Reading (You'll hate practically every character in this movie, but you'll love what happens when they pursue only their own vain wants!)
• pint of Blanche de Bruxelles during Eagle Eye (Ever wonder what would happen if we recruited HAL 9000 to join the War on Terror?)
  

AUGUST

• pints of Dos XX and Ziegenbock during Pineapple Express (Is there humor to be mined from violent drug culture? The answer is a resounding yes, in a "better them than me" sort of way.)
• pints of Paulaner Hefeweizen and Bud Light during Tropic Thunder (Downright hilarious -- just remember to check your Political Correctness at the door.)
• pints of Stone Arrogant Bastard and Fat Tire during Death Race (Bad people. Cars. Boom. The End.)
• pints of North Coast Scrimshaw Pils and Full Sail Pale Ale during Hamlet 2. (Something's being satirized here, but I'm not exactly sure what it was.)
• pints of Saint Arnold Amber and Woodchuck Amber Cider during The Killing (Retrospective screening of the 1956 heist movie directed by Stanley Kubrick.)
  

JULY

• a pint of Sam Adams Boston Lager during Hancock (It's better than the trailers suggest. Definitely another good look at the whole "superhero" thing)
  
• pints of Harp and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale during Step Brothers (Will Farrell's antics do get funnier after a couple of drinks, but there's certainly nothing wrong with waiting for this one as a cheap DVD rental.)
  
• bottle of Blue Moon during The Dark Knight (Excellent flick all around!)

Mission accomplished!

"Run Happy"

I've been due for a new pair of running shoes for a while, and I certainly didn't want to hit the pavement at RNRSA with my feet in the "old and busted."

So this afternoon I paid a visit to the newest running specialty store in Fort Bend County, the Texas Running Company. The doors to this place first opened back in January, and I finally got around to walking through them. It will be interesting to see if running enthusiasts in this area can support both this store and the venerable Finish Line Sports.

As I had feared, Saucony had "updated" their lineup once again, but for the first time in two years, I'm not following. The designated successor to my beloved Trigon 5 Guide did not offer the same support and room in the toebox that I had previously enjoyed. So I considered myself completely open to move on to other brands and models.

The employee that helped me gave me a handful of suggestions after watching my gait. Like others before him, he thought the Brooks Beast would be a good fit. I happily told him that I had previously tried those shoes for a week and they may as well have been wooden planks after a couple of miles. Ouch! Yes, I pronate, but despite what the "conventional wisdom" says, motion-control shoes are not right for me! I ended up buying a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8. I hope to try them out tomorrow.

I might get to use the new footwear in an event situation soon. I'm strongly considering the Run to Cure HD as my first race since the Fired Up 5K.

I logged a long run of ten miles this morning. At 2:08 elapsed it was nothing to really celebrate, but at least it's better than what I've mustered the past couple of weeks. Perhaps the Brooks shoes will live up to the company's slogan and help me "Run Happy" again.

"And the fire in your eyes . . . keeps me alive"

The Cult has been named as headliner for Rock 'N' Roll San Antonio.

There's a possibility the event will hit a cap of 30,000 registrations.

This is going to be big.

I really should figure out a way to make a decent return to training.

Beer Hunter: End-of-September Update

All the hurricane-related chaos caused a definite slowdown in my quest to take down 30 beers at Alamo Drafthouse, but I can definitely see the finish line in sight now:

SEPTEMBER

• pints of Stone IPA and Newcastle Ale during the season premiere of NBC's Heroes.
  
• pints of Boddingtons and Bass during Burn After Reading (You'll hate practically every character in this movie, but you'll love what happens when they pursue only their own vain wants!)
• pint of Blanche de Bruxelles during Eagle Eye (Ever wonder what would happen if we recruited HAL 9000 to join the War on Terror?)
  

AUGUST

• pints of Dos XX and Ziegenbock during Pineapple Express (Is there humor to be mined from violent drug culture? The answer is a resounding yes, in a "better them than me" sort of way.)
• pints of Paulaner Hefeweizen and Bud Light during Tropic Thunder (Downright hilarious -- just remember to check your Political Correctness at the door.)
• pints of Stone Arrogant Bastard and Fat Tire during Death Race (Bad people. Cars. Boom. The End.)
• pints of North Coast Scrimshaw Pils and Full Sail Pale Ale during Hamlet 2. (Something's being satirized here, but I'm not exactly sure what it was.)
• pints of Saint Arnold Amber and Woodchuck Amber Cider during The Killing (Retrospective screening of the 1956 heist movie directed by Stanley Kubrick.)
  

JULY

• a pint of Sam Adams Boston Lager during Hancock (It's better than the trailers suggest. Definitely another good look at the whole "superhero" thing)
  
• pints of Harp and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale during Step Brothers (Will Farrell's antics do get funnier after a couple of drinks, but there's certainly nothing wrong with waiting for this one as a cheap DVD rental.)
  
• bottle of Blue Moon during The Dark Knight (Excellent flick all around!)

Nineteen down . . . Eleven to go!

"The world is waiting for you."

I don't watch nearly as much television as I did when I was younger, but one of my "guilty pleasures" is The Amazing Race. I don't like the term "reality TV" that everyone seems to like using, by the way. I prefer to think of programming like this as "next-generation game shows." The main differences now are that the game show has escaped the studio and lasts for an entire season with the same cast of contestants.

Normally, the bickering and back-stabbing that happens on a stereotypical "reality TV show" bores me to tears, but somehow, the manufactured drama on TAR doesn't irritate me that much. It's probably because I'm too busy marveling at all the scenery in the territory covered by each episode. I have a passport (it's here somewhere), but it sadly has a lot of blank areas, so I suppose the show helps fill the void -- just a little.

I don't really want to do complete episode recaps. You can get those on other sites, including CBS's, but I thought it might be fun to try blogging some of my observations as each week's episode airs.

(For those that haven't watched the broadcast: Spoilers ahead! Duh!)

Season 13 launched from the L.A. Coliseum. Wow, that stadium looks so old and lonely. Anyway, the first episode is always the toughest with which to keep up because you've just been introduced to the teams, and there's so many of them to track:

Toni and Dallas (single mom and son from California)
Nick and Starr (siblings from Texas and New York)
Ken and Tina (separated married couple from Florida)
Aja and Ty (long-distance daters)
Marisa and Brooke ("Southern Belles" from South Carolina)
Andrew and Dan (frat brothers from Arizona)
Anthony and Stephanie (dating from California)
Anita and Arthur (married beekeepers from Oregon)
Kelly and Christy (divorcee friends from Texas)
Terance and Sarah (dating from New York)
Mark and Bill (friends from California)

Host Phil Keoghan announces 11 legs, with 8 resulting in eliminations for the last team to finish. A million bucks waits for the winner of leg 11. No surprises so far rules-wise.

I've read that the producers try to contain costs during the few episodes, as they are moving a lot of cast and crew around, and it shows already. The teams are brought to Brazil on two flights and two flights only, and after they arrive and perform their first task, their first overnight stay is in tents on a military base.

The next day, Nick and Starr take first place at the pit stop and claim a nice vacation from Travelocity -- I guess they are seeing continuing benefit from being a sponsor of TAR. Anita and Arthur become the season's first casualties by checking in last.

Based on the very little we've seen of them, today I'll pick Nick and Starr, Aja and Ty, and Kelly and Christy as the teams most likely to be there in the finale. We'll see if I'm right, or if I feel forced to pick another three next week.

Just some Wednesday musings

• If you live and work in the Houston area, odds are now heavily in your favor that you have power again. If you don't -- and assuming that your property hasn't simply been wrecked -- then I'd say that fortune owes you one for your inconvenience.
• Commuting is still a big mess with numerous traffic lights still inoperable all over the place.
  
• Texans can breathe easier knowing that our hurricane season is practically over.
  
• I've discovered that a prepaid Subway card is a helpful tool for avoiding greasier lunch spots.
• I saw the season premiere of Heroes on one of the local cinema screens, which was a fun way to experience television. It's a smart business move on the part of the theater as well. How else do you pack the house on a Monday night?
• Annoyingly stupid car commercial #1: Cadillac brags that they now offer a hybrid-power Escalade because they "they should." There's two lines of reasoning for buying a hybrid -- saving gas money or saving the environment. It's going to be a challenge to save much gas money if you're still only eking out 12 miles per gallon even with hybrid technology. And as for environmentalism . . . well, you're only eking out 12 miles per gallon. Exactly how stupid does GM think we are??
  
• Annoyingly stupid car commercial #2: Lincoln is touting that most of their offerings only need regular octane gasoline to operate. People who are in the market for a luxury car are highly unlikely to be bothered by a five percent difference in their fuel bill.
  

In the wake of Ike, a refreshing visit to small-town Texas

"Want to take a roadie?" I was asked yesterday at work.

With those words, I got a chance to leave my cubicle and see yet a little more of what the hurricane left behind. After taking the keys to a company van loaded with bottled water and ice, I set out towards one of my employer's nursing homes out in the woods of east Texas.

While listening to radio talk show hosts bemoaning the Astros' stumble at the brink of catching the other playoff contenders, I surveyed more scenes of destruction and recovery. Ditches cradled overturned trailer homes. Convoys of power company trucks cruised to their next destination. A tree branch sprouted through the windshield of an otherwise sharp-looking Chevy 2500HD pickup truck. Billboards and road signs were ripped apart. In fact, I could swear that I didn't see a single speed limit sign standing on a certain eighty-mile stretch of interstate highway. Convenient, eh?

A bit more than two hours later, I rolled the van into the nursing home driveway. Last weekend, employees and patient family members alike had sheltered for the night on the building floor as Hurricane Ike sailed through town. The facility lost power in the early morning hours and only regained it a few days ago. I find it slightly ironic now that a van full of even more H-two-O would be welcome after a hurricane, but it was. Just as back in Houston, many of the employees here were still waiting for electric current to flow in their homes again.

After unloading the ice and water, I attended to the other task for which I was sent. I installed a router that would temporarily connect the facility to the Internet via the Verizon Wireless network until the local ISP gets the flow of bits and bytes going again. Then I turned for home.

As I was heading out of town, I was craving something to drink. (In hindsight, I should have kept one of the water bottles for myself!) I attempted to stop at the local McDonald's and Sonic Drive-In, but both were already closed for the evening, despite appearing to have power.

When fast-food restaurants on the "main drag" of a town aren't open for business at 6 p.m. on a Friday, I'd say things aren't quite back to normal.

King Corn

I just watched the documentary King Corn, broadcast as part of PBS's series Independent Lens. One part that particularly caught my attention was the filmmakers' interview with Earl Butz, agriculture secretary under Nixon and Ford. Butz, who died earlier this year, described how he totally flipped the objective of American agriculture policy, stopping payments to farmers not to plant, and instead subsidizing farmers to grow corn -- much more corn than the market needed. It's only government subsidies that allow farmers now to turn a profit.

Americans definitely enjoy a bountiful harvest, but at what cost? Is the money we save by enjoying cheap burgers, sodas and various items fried in corn oil actually a loan that gets repaid later in the form of medical and lifestyle costs of obesity, such as Type 2 diabetes?

The documentary is just a few shades more credible than Super Size Me, but it raises a good point: What are we really choosing to put in our bodies? This past weekend I've been consuming a lot of the processed junk I stockpiled (Hostess cupcakes do have an impressive shelf life for a baked good) and I think I can actually feel myself turning into junk again. It especially didn't help that I caught myself watching this documentary while drinking HFCS-sweetened soda and Doritos chips.

Ugh.

That is a banana in my pocket, and I'm just glad to see it.

• I returned to the office for the first time since my "Ike-ation" began on Thursday afternoon. Yeah, there was quite a bit of catch-up work waiting. Commuting is going to be tricky with numerous traffic signals still down.
  
• Perishables have returned to the grocery store! Bananas, papayas, and a carton of soy milk are now in the kitchen. After meeting my fruit cravings with raisins and dried pineapple for the past several days, it's going to be so nice to bring back the fresh stuff. Loren Steffy of the Chronicle pays tribute to the grocers as "first responders" in this disaster. I'm not sure I'm ready to go that far, but they are certainly appreciated!
  
• For the first time since Friday, the local TV stations have returned to regular prime time programming. Now it's just a matter of time before topics of conversation gravitate back to economic worries, the presidential election, and how the Astros have stumbled since Hurricane Ike denied their home series with the Cubs.
  

Spinning up to a new normal

The following observations only apply to my immediate neighborhood here in Fort Bend County. Remember what I said in previous posts about being among the lucky. Much of the Houston area is still without power after suffering much more damage from Hurricane Ike, and other locations are certainly worthy of disaster relief assistance.

• A cool front has come through the area and the morning low was 71F. That ought to make things a little more bearable for those still without air-conditioning.
• My employer's building in Houston sustained roof damage, and so I'm home while it's being repaired. The data center remained intact, and I'm doing what I can through VPN.
  
• Grocery stores in the immediate area have re-opened their doors, but they're short on fresh meat and produce. The freezer cases are barren. Other items are being sold on a "quantities limited" basis.
• There are long lines at gas stations. I wouldn't be surprised if many of these customers are ones that have come out of the un-electrified areas in search of a working and stocked gas station.
  
• Traffic lights around the neighborhood are functioning again.
  
• Restaurants are re-opening. Yesterday we confirmed that the local Popeye's, Papa John's, and Vietnamese noodle house were back. Hooray!

I've gotten some comments about keeping my sense of humor during this experience. All I can say is that it's easy to remain buoyant when it's apparent that everyone you care about is accounted for and safe. All the damage around me has been inflicted on mere property. We can fix or replace all of it. The "tinkerer/builder" side of my personality even feels that we've been almost given a "clean slate" in some areas to make them better than before.

Living through these ordeals together reaffirms our strengths and bonds us together in ways that the carefree times cannot. May God grant me the chance to welcome the new normal as a stronger person, part of a stronger community.

Ike was a messy boy

At 6 a.m. thunderstorms rolled in and took down our electricity again. After what amounted to a day of "house arrest" I could feel the irritability rise within. So I worked it out the best way I knew how: I ran. When the rain subsided to a mere drizzle, I grabbed my Nikon Coolpix S550 and headed out the door to document what the hurricane left behind.

In about two-and-a-half hours, I had completed a 10-mile loop around home. People seemed to be in reasonably good spirits and I could hear the hard-working buzz of generators up and down the streets. When I returned, I was happy to see the power had returned, making it easy for me to share these pictures with you.

None of the surrounding traffic lights are working:


The field-goal kicker on the high school football team had a tendency to hook, anyway:


Numerous small trees and branches were snapped by the storm:


This might be a problem in the future. (Fortunately, I saw no cases of trees actually entering homes.):


Wrecked fences abound:


This storm sewer was clogged. Scratch and sniff your computer screen for the full effect.


Some two-story homes incurred roof damage:


Ike was originally from overseas, so I guess he couldn't read English:


This tree needs to be moved before vehicles can access the elementary school parking lot:


Parents will have less to worry about now when their kids climb this tree:


The nearest convenience store is still closed. I saw people inside the taqueria, but it's not open yet. The nearby grocery store is open, and sherriff's deputies are keeping order over the long lines of people waiting for basic necessities like bread and ice.

What a mess.

Ike Day: 6:15 p.m.

The curfew for Fort Bend County as a whole has been lifted, but the cities of Stafford and Sugar Land proper are still mostly without power and a dusk-to-dawn curfew will be in effect. We must be on a special part of the power grid because neighborhoods less than a mile away are still dark. The nearby shopping center (and its grocery store) is still closed and appears to be without power at this time. Slow Runner, my jar of Nutella is indeed empty. I'll be sure to pick up another when things get back to normal!

Only now that I'm catching up on the news, am I really seeing how the rest of the region fared.

This will be the last of the every-few-hours updates. With the "exciting" part of this story done, I think it will be safe to say to readers that things really will be OK. It's clear that my corner of the Houston region has fared much better than many, many others. Now we enter the much more "un-exciting" part -- cleaning up and putting things back together, including the routine of life.

Ike Day: 2:30 p.m.

I thought it might be funny to share this image of an error I was getting while using the VPN software on the office laptop. Fortunately, I got this problem to clear with a reboot.

Meanwhile, this feels like a great time to take a nap. The power seems to have stabilized here. The great news for those still without power -- and thus, no air-conditioning -- is that Monday's forecast calls for a cool front to come in.

When I get back up, I'll try to make a wider survey of the neighborhood. Outside the sky remains overcast, but the winds appear to have calmed, and only a light drizzle is falling.

Ike Day: 12:30 p.m.

WE HAVE POWER!

It's not totally stable, but it has been mostly on for the last 45 minutes. Based on the news reports we've been getting, we can consider ourselves fortunate.

We finally figured out that the voice channels on the wireless networks must be jammed (wonder why? haha), but we can still get text messages going. The Verizon Wireless aircard is also pulling a connection.

Ike Day: 11:30 a.m.

We ventured outside for the first time to let the dog take care of business and to check on the neighbors. Everyone we talked to seems to be OK. We have AT&T and T-Mobile cell phones that are unable to lock onto the network. In a moment, I'll turn on the office laptop and see if I can still connect using the Verizon Wireless aircard. (Unfortunately, the battery life on that ThinkPad isn't very good.) Landlines are still OK, so we can still make and receive calls through those numbers. DSL, of course, only works while I'm drawing juice from the backup battery. (Thank you APC!)

We still have water pressure and natural gas, so we can cook. Hurray!

The curfew in Fort Bend County has been extended to 2 p.m. I still see folks driving the streets. After 2:00 I might hop on my bike and do a more extended survey of the neighborhood. On this street, there are numerous small branches down and some wood fences blown down. The pavement is covered in "street salad." Rain is still falling. Gusts are strong enough to invert umbrellas.

Ike Day: 8:30 a.m.

The storm has definitely receded and the winds are now merely gusty. Now it's just like any heavy rainmaker. We thankfully have the benefit of daylight now, and I don't see any trees down. Lots of fruit, small branches, and green leaves are scattered everywhere, as if a messy mob was in a big hurry to mix up a summer salad.

There's no power still, of course. The DSL line is still active, but that's only good as long as the modem draws juice from the UPS, and there's a charge in the laptop batteries. We're getting phone calls from people checking on us. We're A-OK.

I shudder at what authorities might find when they go out and survey Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island this morning.

Ike Strikes: 5:15 a.m.

It's here. It's awesome. It's kind of scary.

The silhouettes of the treetops are as frenzied as fans at any playoff game you can imagine. Winds can be heard swirling from everywhere, massaging the walls. Everything and everyone inside is safe, though.

I am entering this via the Verizon Wireless network. Electricity was lost here around 11:00 PM as I was trying to get some sleep, and I could hear the rain start shortly thereafter as I drifted off. Landline still has dialtone. I'm going to try to tune into the radio to get some updates now.

Across the street, one light alone is lit, as if in defiance to the maelstrom. I guess the neighbors have the generator humming.

Ike Eve: 10:30 p.m.

I'm taking a break from blogging to get some sleep. There's not anything else I can really do if I stay up than worry. Let's hope that I'm still connected when I wake up. As of right now, there is still only wind gusts here and no rain yet. The nasty stuff is supposed to be rolling through between midnight and noon.

On another note, Jon Walk advises that the trails at Memorial Park are now closed. Well, there goes my plans for running during a hurricane!

To everyone following these posts, I appreciate your concern!

Ike Eve: 9:30 p.m.

Power and DSL are still on here and dinner was cooked normally. It seems like such a trivial thing for which to be thankful, but I am.

Ike Eve: 8 p.m.

• It's now dark and the curfew is in effect.
• Wind gusts remain the same.
• No rainfall seen yet.
• Heather Saucier is being interviewed on TV in her capacity as a spokesperson for Harris County Flood Control. It still feels weird to see people I went to school with in positions of important responsibility. I feel that says more about me than her, by the way.
• It just occurred to me that they're going to need a lot of volunteers to help in the aftermath of this storm.
  

Ike Eve: 7 p.m.

Curfew in effect for Fort Bend County from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. I can deal with that.

Ike Eve: 6:45 p.m.

• We've just experienced our first momentary loss of power. I'm back online for now.
• Wind gusts are now in gale force territory here.
  

Ike Eve: 6 p.m.

• I might have been too hasty in praising the smoothness of the evacuation of low-lying areas. ABC13 passed along an estimate that says that 40% of Galveston residents are still on the island. That situation could get ugly.
• We're anticipating hurricane force winds here in Fort Bend County. I'm treating it as a tornado situation and will set up supplies in an interior bathroom just in case.
• My eating has been pretty good lately. The possible need to depend on non-perishible items has opened the door to junk foods I typically I don't indulge in.
  
• Wind gusts are picking up.
  

Ike Eve: 3 p.m.

• The television images of rising water topping the Galveston seawall -- which rises 15 feet above the (now submerged) beach -- are eye-opening.
• Here in Fort Bend County, it's still breezy and the sky is now completely overcast. A faint drizzle has started.

Ike Eve: noon

My run this morning featured a clear sky and a light breeze. Now there is a definite wind from the north and the sky is clouding over.

In hindsight, I think going through the hysteria during the near-miss by Hurricane Rita in 2005 was a blessing. We've got The Real Thing now and people are significantly more organized. Just about everyone in the threatened zones has been able to evacuate in an orderly fashion. Folks outside those areas will be calmly sheltering in place until it passes.

The projected landfall is still set for tonight at Galveston. While I was out running this morning, I remembered how this community rallied itself to recover after Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 and how it showed great heart in assisting those pummeled by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Well, after this storm comes through, I suppose we'll find out who will reach out to southeast Texas.

Ike Eve: 9 a.m.

During the course of this weekend, I'll try to keep blogging what I see here in Fort Bend County as long as I have a connection....

• I got a decent 7-mile run in this morning, plus completed Week 1 Day 1 of the Hundred Pushup Challenge as per the ongoing thread on the Runner's World forums.
• Those fake storm shutters that flank the sides of the windows of some custom homes in the area look really silly now.
• I feel very fortunate to have found a rare gas station that had fuel and short lines yesterday. The heart of the Energy Corridor was deserted by 6 p.m. It must be nice to work for the oil companies that will happily send you home at the drop of a hat.
• Not a drop of rain has fallen, but the roughening seas have already knocked away the popular fishing pier at Galveston's 61st Street.
  

A time and place where the lines will be short, very short

Before I head to bed on the night before "Ike Eve" I thought I'd share this advertising chuckle:

Dear Academy: It's great that you're concerned about our hurricane preparedness and will now be open at 8 a.m. on Saturday. Just don't take it personally if no one shows up....

A Spike in Ike Preparations

I refrained from putting stock in any predictions until 48 hours pre-landfall. But here we are, and the latest projected track from the National Hurricane Center has the "dirty side" of the storm pushing a surge right up Galveston Bay. Bummer.

• It's like "Black Friday" out there. But unlike the day after Thanksgiving, people aren't mobbing the mall stores, Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy. They're cramming into Kroger, HEB, Fiesta . . . and anywhere that sells gasoline.
  
• After a four-month hiatus from posting, Jon Walk at RunHouston passes along the word that Finish Line Sports will be closed this weekend. Well, there goes my plans for trying on triathlon swimwear during the hurricane!
• The weather applet on the right side of my blog layout should be fun to look at on Saturday morning!
  
• At a minimum, tomorrow's Astros game versus the Cubs has been cancelled. It has taken a hurricane to interrupt the hot streak that Team Procrastination is on. One of the inexplicable mysteries in life is how a team can drift along listless for the first half of the season, then "flip the switch," year after year. If the baseball season only consisted of August and September, there wouldn't be room on the left-field wall at Minute Maid Park for all the division banners....
  

Officially on Ike Watch

For the last two days, I've been closely following Eric Berger's science blog concerning the emerging drama that is Hurricane Ike. The main idea he's been trying to push across is that even a mere three days in advance, we still have a wide stretch of Texas coastline "in play" for landfall. As cautionary examples, he cites the three-day track forecasts from the National Hurricane Center for Katrina and Rita in 2005. Neither one pointed to the storms' ultimate destinations in Louisiana. So the Palacios landfall projection of the NHC won't be lulling me into complacency.

So just like last month in advance of Edouard, tonight I'll be topping off my gas tank and stocking up on non-perishables. It's a grand game we play here on the Gulf Coast.

An indulgence of Hershey...

...Terry Hershey Park, to be exact.

I went to bed last night thinking I'd run in the morning. Well, I woke up today and the last thing my body wanted to do was lace 'em up and head out. So I made myself pack a bag of running gear before heading to work.

I am darn glad I ditched the morning run-around-home idea now. Despite the afternoon temps still hitting the nineties Fahrenheit, I had a really pleasant five-miler along the banks of Buffalo Bayou. The bayou and the accompanying trails really do form an ribbon-like oasis in west Houston. There are some points where I do forget that I'm still in the midst of urban sprawl. The trees lend embracing shadows to buffer runners and cyclists from the scorching stare of Sol.

We must return sometime.

Turn it up to 11!

I definitely wanted to log a long run this morning. Originally I was thinking that 8 miles was a reasonable distance for this point in my running life. But an absolutely rejuvenating atmosphere of 70F was waiting for me outside, and I was coming off of a rest day.

I didn't even have discernible sweat on the outside of my shirt until mile 4. Dropping heat and humidity is like lifting a straitjacket from my running. So I decided to stretch my goal. I chugged into Sonic Jog-In after 11 miles in two hours and one minute. This was my longest run since the Flying Pig Half Marathon in May, and I toasted the occasion by washing down a bistro breakfast sandwich with an apple juice slush.

I tried a new-to-me product today. In my handheld bottle I mixed water with an envelope of Clif Shot Electrolyte Replacement Drink that I got as a sample from a race. I think it might be OK, but I'm not too crazy about the apple flavor I tried.

Well, the bottom line is that the distance is coming back. We're now ten weeks out from Rock 'N' Roll San Antonio.

Fired Up 5K

For my next trick, I will attempt to type out a report on this year's 5K benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association while one hand is occupied with a SuperSonic breakfast burrito.

This is one of the events I did during my first summer of road races, and I've come back ever since:

2005 Fired Up 5K: 35:22
2006 Fired Up 5K: 31:59
2007 Fired Up 5K: 28:53
2008 Fired Up 5K: 28:29

Today's run started out great and I had clocked an even four minutes upon reaching the marker the organizers thoughtfully planted at the half-mile mark, so I thought I had the pace under control. But just like last month in Seabrook, the humidity was high and I could sense that my body was struggling to cool itself, so I had to throttle down to a pace around 10:00/mile. I will try not to obsess over what went wrong, however, and just be happy I broke last year's time.

After running through the fire station and crossing the finish line, I took a cooldown jog over to my car. In the parking lot I came upon a woman who was standing at her car door, peering inside anxiously. "Are you locked out?" I asked. She wasn't just locked out; she had been robbed. She had gotten in the practice of hiding her car keys on the outside of her vehicle. I guess someone saw her do that before the race today and had an opportunity too good to resist.

Bad things happen to runners every day, but this is the first time I had seen such a thing happen at a race event. So, take heed, adherents to the hide-a-key practice: You never know when you might be unwittingly playing a game of hide-and-SEE with the bad guys.

After letting Ms. Hide-A-Key borrow my phone to call a friend to come help. I returned to the fire station to meet Runner's World forumite Lisa D. The man at the Finish Line Sports booth was nice enough to take a sweaty post-race picture of the two of us. Lisa's a sweetie and can definitely rock a Nike skirt. As we sat through the awards ceremony, Lisa noted that it was uncharacteristically breezy for a morning this time of year. For those to the east of us being lashed by Hurricane Gustav, know that our thoughts are with you today.

On a final, gadget-oriented note. This Labor Day weekend, I treated myself to a new ForeRunner 205 after the most recent price cut. My old 101 has served me well over the years and I've loved it to pieces -- literally, I'm afraid to say.

I like that the 205 is much easier to recharge, and the wrap-around shape of the receiver does look sleeker. But the size and placement of the buttons makes it too easy to press the wrong one on the run. At least I don't have to worry about whether the Scotch tape is holding anymore! And the rubberized wristband makes absorbed odors a thing of the past.

Of more genuine concern is that the 205 logged today's certified 5K course as 3.02 miles. I'm hoping that maybe it just needs a software update. (Or I will realize later that I need a programming upgrade to work properly!) Otherwise, I guess the trees lining the boulevards were too much for this device to overcome.

Well, I cheated. I took down the rest of the burrito before the third paragraph was done, so I guess this report wasn't such a trick after all.....

Have a great Labor Day, everyone!

Beer Hunter: end-of-August update

Continuing my quest to take down 30 beers at Alamo Drafthouse, here's the updated tally:

AUGUST

• pints of Dos XX and Ziegenbock during Pineapple Express (Is there humor to be mined from violent drug culture? The answer is a resounding yes, in a "better them than me" sort of way.)
• pints of Paulaner Hefeweizen and Bud Light during Tropic Thunder (Downright hilarious -- just remember to check your Political Correctness at the door.)
• pints of Stone Arrogant Bastard and Fat Tire during Death Race (Bad people. Cars. Boom. The End.)
• pints of North Coast Scrimshaw Pils and Full Sail Pale Ale during Hamlet 2. (Something's being satirized here, but I'm not exactly sure what it was.)
• pints of Saint Arnolds Amber and Woodchuck Amber Cider during The Killing (Retrospective screening of the 1956 heist movie directed by Stanley Kubrick.)
• pints of Guiness and Shiner Bock during The Rocker (OK if you're in the mood for predictible feel-good fare. OK to wait for this one as a rental.)
  

JULY

• a pint of Sam Adams Boston Lager during Hancock (It's better than the trailers suggest. Definitely another good look at the whole "superhero" thing)
  
• pints of Harp and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale during Step Brothers (Will Farrell's antics do get funnier after a couple of drinks, but there's certainly nothing wrong with waiting for this one as a cheap DVD rental.)
  
• bottle of Blue Moon during The Dark Knight (Excellent flick all around!)

Sixteen down . . . Fourteen to go!