Training and Dressing Up

I am a huge fan of Groupon.  My latest purchase was registration for the Warrior Dash on November 19th.  The Dash is a little over a 3 mile run with 11-12 obstacles throughout, including: hundreds of tires, wooden planks, crawling through mud and under barbed wire, hay stacks, and leaping through flames.  I have never ran an organized race before.  I'm fairly certain that I've never even ran 3 miles consecutively before.  I know damn well that I've never traversed any of the obstacles.  I signed up for the Dash on 10/19, leaving me exactly one month to get my body into peak physical shape.  Or at least run 3 miles in under an hour.  So I've began running after work.  In two weeks, I've ran 3 separate times.  Progress!
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My mom told me to never waste

We had a BBQ at work last Thursday to thank our volunteers for all of their hard work last month.  The best part about this, besides the delicious food, was the keg donated from the local brewery Live Oak.  It was their Oaktoberfest so it was both tasty and seasonal.  It wasn't a full keg, but roughly half full (optimist).  A few of us hearty folks stayed into the wee hours of the morning attempting to finish off the keg.  Once we realized it just wasn't going to happen, we called it a night.  Getting to work on time the next day was no easy task.  Not one to waste beer, I came up with what might amount to the greatest idea since the homemade hot tub of sophomore year in college.  There were a bunch of empty water bottles laying around the office (once I, you know, emptied them).  I began to fill them up with the beer.  Well, 22 bottles later, that keg was dry and I had a cooler full of beer for the weekend. 
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Basketball update: I haven't actually played since week 1.  Week 2 I had to go into work due to a large apartment fire.  Week 3 I was at the aforementioned BBQ at work.  Week 4 is tomorrow night.  Let's hope I show!
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Since everyone else is talking about it, I feel like I need to give my two cents as well.  This joke of an American institution is once again making front page news.  It lasts for a limited time and then is gone again.  Some people are addicted while others are repulsed.  I am, of course, referring to the McRib (but also could have been referring to the Kardashian divorce). 

I am absolutely against the McRib.  I don't understand the appeal.  I've had it one time and it was awful.  Granted, the McDonald's was inside O'Hare airport but it was still just complete ass.  Also of note, I wouldn't recommend eating the McRib before getting on a plane for a few hours.  I probably wouldn't recommend eating the McRib if you have to do anything for the next few hours. 
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I enjoy Halloween.  What I don't enjoy is getting my costume together.  Here's a little walk down memory lane of my most recent Halloween costumes: Many apologies for those I'm about to out as friends of mine. 
2005- 18 year old in a Spiderman costume meant for a 12 year old.

Which one is me?

 2006: Party on Wayne.

But which one is me?

2007: a mixture of the previous two years.  (To be honest, this wasn't even on Halloween, but it should have been)

Which one am I??

2008 has no photographic evidence.  Which is probably for the best because it was not the most PC costume.*

2009 has no evidence either.  Pretty sure I had work that night.

2010 was the year of the wrestler.  I went as the Macho Man and my friend was Hulk Hogan.  I even brought Slim Jims to hand out. And yes, it is perfectly acceptable to read the rest of this in your Macho Man voice.  This picture was on my old phone meaning that I just took a picture of a picture, which is why it looks strange.  Real beard though.  Didn't need any mascara pencils.

Pretty easy to tell which one I am

 2011- I don't care that I show my personal friends on here.  Not sure how the coworkers would feel though so I used my 3rd grade level photoshop skills to blot out their faces.  If you can't tell, I like to reuse costumes.  Let the record show that I won 3rd place in the costume contest.  Easiest $15 Target gift card I've ever won. 

Just take a guess

 If I were a betting man, the odds for my 2012 costume are looking like: Wayne's World 3:1, wrestler at 2:1, and Spiderman at 1:3.  Get your bets in early. 
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 I'm home bound for the holidays.  I'll be back in Chicago for 5 days around Thanksgiving.  21 more days!  Some families have game nights, or a yearly football game, or old movie night, etc.  Not my family though, we have themed drinking nights.  We've previously done Russian Night and a Very Cosby Christmas.  We will be reprising the themed drinkathon with a Pilgrims and Indians inspired night this year.  Arts and crafts and beer.  A time honored family tradition. 

I'll be back in Chicago on 12/21, then the next day the fam and I head to the UP for a few days of skiing.  Last time we did this, Christmas 2009, we brought a pony keg with us.  We finished the keg the first night.  Pretty sure we'll be going full size for Xmas 2011. 

 Super excited for the upcoming two months.  Maybe I'll even write about them more frequently.  Odds are way less than my Spiderman odds though.
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 Y'all come back. 





















*Four of us went as members of the Bloods.