Have you seen those new commercials for ‘New Balance’ shoes? The ad talks about the LOVE/HATE relationship people have with running. I tend to lean more towards the hate side of things… but for some odd reason it jumped into my head last night that I should go take a run. AND IT WAS HELL!

Within the first 3 blocks my knees started to ache… it felt like two small grapes were lodged behind my knee caps and they were mad! So they acted like watermelons.

After the first 1/2 mile I was leaking sweat from every part of my body. Nothing stings like the salty pain of sweat in your eye.

As I completed the mile number one… my body loosened up a little and finally came to this realization: We still had to run a mile more to get home! Not pleased with this new bit of information, that’s when the super heavy breathing kicked in urging me to stop and walk.

Since I wasn’t about to let a little fire in my lungs to slow be down, I just opened my mouth a little wider and tried to suck in more O2… and apparently a lightning bug too. Let me tell you this… at night, those things are hard to see when their butts aren’t all a glow. Oh, and they taste awful. Thankfully I was able to spit it out.

“That F-ing Hill,” as I like to call it, comes into play at about 1 1/2 miles into my run and true to form as I am gasping a sluggishly working my way up the hill in a half trot / half gimpy run manner, my back shoots me a pain. Nothing like your lower-back stepping up to say. “Are we done yet?”

Cresting the top of “The F-ing Hill” I can take solace in knowing that it’s all down hill from here, literally. And as I, the benevolent runner, come to a gasping halt in my driveway, my calves are quivering, my thighs are throbbing, and I’m panting like at sheep dog on a hot day. Its at this moment that my brain pipes up with the most absurd statement a brain could make… We should do that again tomorrow. 

- Tommy

Okay…now that gas is up to a whopin’ $4.00 a gallon a lot of us are using our noggin’s by getting a bike and ‘riding’ to work.

 I am ALL for that.  I think its great for our community to embrace new forms of transportation in this day an age.  HOWEVER….

 Nothing is more frustrating, as a car driver, than to have these people peddling to work and breaking ALL the rules.  UGH!  Please know that when there is a RED light it means to STOP…not…check both ways and run the damn thing.  Where are the cops when you need them?

 Shari Stone

It’s a love / hate relationship that I have with these two hippies that have managed to dish up ”Heaven” one pint at a time. They’ve tinkered with flavors so many times and come up with so many combinations its insane. But there is one flavor that I will never get tired of… an more importantly… that I can never put down. CHUNKY MONKEY!

That might as well be my new nickname because I’m addicted to the stuff and that is what it’s going to turn me into… a fat mammal!

How can stuff that tastes soooo good, be soooo bad for you and legally be sold in stores!

Thats why these men must be stopped! (Notice I said them, to the manufacturing of Chunky Monkey… you can’t take that from me!)  

-Tommy

I thought this would be fun to talk about, since everything seems to be getting real expensive. I was talking to someone the other day who said that he and his wife are expecting. It brought flash backs, and made me think of the things that I would have done, if I could do it over again. I had a buddy of mine tell me every time I went to the store for anything, to buy diapers. He told me that he and his wife stocked up an entire closet worth of diapers.

I took his advice but didn’t start until my wife was 6 months pregnant. We had stocked up on boxes of diapers, but it didn’t last long. It was nice not to have to worry about spending 20 bucks on a box of diapers every week when we had other financial obligations, such as, Doctor bills, formula, and everything else that comes along with having a baby.

So here is a couple things that will help you out when you are expecting.

1. Take the advice and buy diapers every time you go to the store, even if it is a small bag. So what if they grow out of them, take them to the store and exchange them for a different size.                                                                                                                                    2. When you have a baby shower, tell the attendees to bring a bag of diapers along with whatever else they were going to purchase. It doesn’t have to be a $20 box of diapers, the smallest bag is fine, it all adds up.

Please share your tips.

Matt

This is one of my favorite times of the year. I am thankful everyday that I live in America, but it is even more special when most Americans come together and celebrate our Freedom. I am excited that the 4th lands on a Friday this year,  so people can do more celebrating.

The past few years, we have been going to a friends house because the neighbors on the street get together and light off a ton of fireworks, then have an awesome show that is capped off by a guy who programs a massive show. Well, this year is going to be different because they aren’t going to spend the money they usually do, ultimately because of gas prices. 

What are your plans for the 4th? Are they different than years past? Why?

Don’t forget to keep an eye at www.thebigo1019.com as we are keeping you up to date on the big fireworks shows in the metro area.

Matt