My Favorite Things : 2008 Edition

Here’s a random list of my favorite things from 2008 in all sorts of categories (obviously in no particular order).

1. Tabasco brand hot sauce – I’ve tried dozens of “microbrew” hotsauces, but the truth is that no one comes close to the original in flavor…except perhaps Tabasco Chipotle flavor.

2. Hammer Gel – especially rasberry, espresso, and vanilla flavor. I use these packet o’ calories on long rides and runs to keep me going. I’ve found Hammer Gel to be my favorites. I just discovered Accel Gel though made by the folks who make Accelerade.The Vanilla flavor is great and I can see myself buying Accel Gel more often in 2009. (disclaimer – I’d buy Enervit “Cola” flavor all the time if it were available at more retailers. Darn Euros!)

3. Keuring Elite single cup coffee brewing system – this baby was the hit of the holidays in my house. It’s so easy…no mess…no cleanup…just great coffee in a hurry.

4. Runners World magazine – I’ve subscribed to all sorts of mags over the years, but Runners World is the one that never fails me. I get GREAT issues of Outside magazine…and then I get some duds. Same goes for other fitness and health mags. As much as I love reading Triathlete mag, sometimes it feels more like a catelog than a magazine.  There’s always good stuff in RW.

5. Sugoi brand triathlon and cycling apparel – These Canadiens make good stuff and they’re generous.

6. Brooks Addiction running shoes – been wearing them for years now and they never fail me.

7. Optimum Nutrition 100% Natural Whey protein – this is the good stuff that I use for recovery.

8. Fat Tire beer – yeah, it’s good. (for the record though, so is a good ol’ original Budweiser heavy though)

9. Jack Johnson – the dude’s music (and films) helped to get my family through a difficult year. I can put a Jack Johnson disc on and instantly be transported to that place in my mind that reminds of where I want to be in the future. Memories of Hawai’i also come back to me when I hear Jack. There was a little coffee shop next door to the Moana Surfrider in Honolulu that played othing but Jack. Karen and I would walk over every morning and get a cup and listen to a tune or two before walking down to the beach.

10. Professional cycling DVDs (tour de france) – I love watching a mountain stage or two when I’m feeling lazy and bored. The drama always motivates me.

11. Mastodon – great workout music.

12. Catfish – I generally don’t like fish or things that swim. I somehow learned to love fried catfish in 2008 though. Among my favorites are Marti’s Bayou Cafe in Spring Hill, TN and Uncle Buds in Hendersonville.

13. Stuffits – I won these babies at a race last year. They are shoe shaped cedar filled thingys to stuff inside your shoes after workouts. They absorb the moisture and prolong the life of your shoes.

It goes without saying that these were my FAVORITE things of 2008.

Told ya it’d be random. More junk as I think of it.

Goals 2009

Good things happened in my life in 2008; I landed a new position with great opportunity at work, Izzy continued to show us exactly how special she is, I finally won my age group at the Old Hickory Lake Triathlon (out of 40 some guys) and best of all Max and Kate were born on October 22. Truth be told though, 2008 wasn’t a good year at our house. It was tough on almost every imaginable level.  I don’t want to list the challenges here, because those who know us already know what kind of year we’ve had.

It’s crazy to say that I’m going to make 2009 better. In some ways you just can’t control what life has in store for you. I can’t believe that 2009 isn’t going to be a mountain top for us though.

Here are the things I’m going to make happen in 2009:

1. I’m going to make more money.  I’m fortunate to work for a company that is still thriving. I won’t stretch myself too thin with multiple jobs at the expense of family time trying to do this though.

2. I won’t let money (the lack of or the abundance of) control me. I hate the fact that money and insurance kept popping into my head while I was dealing with the premature birth of my children. It’s just money…and all of it’s God’s anyway. If I lose it, I’ll get more. If I make it, I’ll save it, give it, and (the hardest part for me) spend it on things I want.

3. I’ll come home every evening with a smile on my face. I have too many things to be thankful for waiting for me there. I came home to an empty house too many days in 2008.

4. I’ll take care of people and tell them I love them. Having spent many months cooped up in hospital rooms over the last part of 2008, Karen and I realized how much it helps to have people who care…sending meals, cards, well-wishes, etc. I have always been the kind of person who said “ah, they won’t notice if WE don’t visit or call”. Wrong. You do notice who does and who doesn’t reach out to you in your moments of need.

5. I’ll continue to put Izzy, Max, and Kate first. I committed nearly 5 years ago to not allowing my own hobbies to interfere with the time I spend with Izzy. Now that goes for all three of my children. That means lots of 5:30am bike rides and 10:00pm run workouts.

6. I’ll give my best effort. In my heart I still feel the same things that allowed me to be an elite athlete at one time. Over time though, I’ve allowed myself to give less than my best both in competition and especially in training. One of my biggest frustations is leaving a race having finished 10th when I know in my heart I could have finished top 3 if I gave my all to training. I used to hate losing. When that hate is gone there is nothing left for an athlete. I stopped hating it. I want that feeling back (I don’t want to lose though). God blessed me with some abilities. I’m not serving His will by giving him only half back.

7. I’ll enjoy triathlon again. Somewhere around 2006, just after racing in Hawai’i at Worlds in 2005, I started to not enjoy the sport. Early on it was all new and exciting. I trained with good friends and spent time with them outside of training and racing. As I got faster I started to enjoy it less…and then started slowing down, because I just didn’t care. Last year I only raced once. I missed racing. It’s my outlet and an expression of who God made me.

8. I’ll strive for a simple life. Part of me hates where we live. It’s hard to imagine that I’m still 30 years away from moving back to the simple quiet solitude of the salt marsh on Seabrook Island. I left my heart there many years ago and I’ll be back to stay eventually. My challenge is to be content with where I’m at until I can be there. (I’ve also gotta convince Izzy, Max, and Kate to choose one of these: College of Charleston, U. of South Carolina, or Clemson).

9. I’ll take Karen to the mountains for a weekend in the fall to watch the leaves fall. (yeah, I’ll probably climb a mountain on my bike while I’m there too

10. A friend told me a few days ago that I’m a “glass half empty kind of guy”. I knew he was right. I don’t want to be that guy.

More as I think of them.

Album of the Year?

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[polldaddy poll=1205742]It’s that time again. I didn’t accumulate nearly as many new albums in 2008 as I have in past years, but I need to release my “best of” list anyway; that’ll happen later. For now, I’ll let you guys vote on your favorite album (only among the new 2008 albums that I actually acquired this year): I realize there are some great albums missing. Post your comments on the ones I missed. Let your voice be heard!

Money made from sellin’ a hog

I came to a stunning realization a few days ago: Coal Miners Daughter is among my favorite movies of all time. As I sat in Max and Kate’s room in the Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital NICU watching it, I realized that when I find it on TV I have never turned the channel. In my book, that qualifies a movie for “all time” status. That puts CMD in the company of JAWS, Vision Quest, Rocky, Man on Fire, The Professional, The Breakfast Club, and Point Break.

Dang it Dew! Sissy Spacek makes a dang good Loretta!

161 Million?

The New York Yankees just signed CC Sabathia to a seven year $161 million contract. I heard an interesting argument about this on Mike and Mike this morning.

The average American family earned just over $50,000 in 2007. It will take CC 1 inning of work to earn that much next season. I’m a huge sports fan – I love every sport with baseball probably being my favorite. It provides me with alot of joy during life. For the average lot of us day to day life is a constant struggle with bills, family, and stress. Sports provides us a brief escape (movies do the same for non sports fans). The question is: do I get $161 million of enjoyment out of CC Sabathia? Would the average baseball fan even notice if CC didn’t play next year? I doubt it. We’re not talking about a household name or a mega-star here. CC is a good player who has had a few good years, but he’s not Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, etc.There are very few stars who we remember – Jordan, Gretzky, Tiger, Dan Gable (maybe that’s just me). CC is no where near the class of those guys.

In these economic times it’s hard to think this deal makes sense for anyone – except CC. Maybe the Yanks will fill the stands by adding him, but I doubt it. There’s talk that Mark Texeira will sign a similar deal in the next few days.

Is it right that sports stars earn contracts like this when the rest of us are scraping out $50,000 a year and buying tickets to see them play only when we can afford it?

Why poor people love Socialism

Spent any time in a hospital lately? Of course not; why would you unless you really have cause to? I’ll spare you all the details, but family has spent the last 4 months in 4 different hospitals fighting for the lives of our preemie twins and my wife herself. I noticed early on at Baptist Hospital that we seemed out of place among the other families milling around in the cafeteria. My sleeves weren’t cut off at the shoulder, my jeans weren’t acid washed, I didn’t reak of weed and alcohol, and my babies mamma of 3 wasn’t 16 years old. Maybe I’m giving us too much credit, but by my self inflated estimation we are good tax paying, educated, hard working, INSURANCE BEARING citizens. I fought the urge to look down upon these others that mixed in our presence – surely they deserved good care as well. I couldn’t help but noticing how out numbered we were though.

I pay alot of insurance…ALOT. Unfortunately though they are fighting us over every dime that they have to pay for us. The story is too long to relate and is a seperate subject. When Max and Kate became ill again recently and were admitted to the Vanderbilt NICU I became reacuainted with my filthy brethern.  They’re every where. A couple of my favorites include a registered sex offender who asked me if my sister is his parol officer (indeed she is), and the enormous freak show fat woman I keep encountering in the cafeteria outside of taco bell. Yesterday I witnessed her, taking up an entire side of a table, cleaning the bottom of her plastic nacho bowl with her disgusting fingers – trying to get every last drop of fake cheesy lard calories. I’m sorry if it’s not PC, but there’s no chance these scum bags are paying their bills. Why should they? My tax dollars do it for them. I pay my bills – and get harassed about every dime – and I pay for sex offenders, illegal immigrants, multiple teenage pregnancies (learn your freaking lesson!), and other riff raff. My precious twins are being cared for by great nurses. I don’t begrudge the children being cared for there whose parents are worthless. I don’t know the answer to the health care system. I just needed to vent. Next time you catch yourself thinking that socialized healthcare is a good idea here are a couple of things to remember:

1. It’s already here….and you’re paying for it.

2. Go hang around a hospital cafeteria and see if you really want to pay for these people to get the same care you’re recieving.