Birthday parties

Good Morning and welcome to another day on the 'Net!

So, I found out last week that having a birthday party in your house is kind of embarrassing.
See, I always thought it was a good deal because you had all your games, toys, whatever and could show them off for your friends.
Sure, I've seen the move away from house parties over the years, but I thought I could hold on to that tradition.
Guess not.
Now, anything less than laser tag or jumping off walls is passe.
Apparently, not even bowling is a good idea.
"Nobody likes bowling," I was told.
Unless, of course, they go bowling. Then you can't pull them off the lanes.
Maybe there's some place we can have laser tag bowling.

Running? More like walking

Good Morning and welcome to the new day!

For some reason late last year, I thought it would be a good idea to set a goal for myself. So, I thought, wouldn't it be great to train for the Broad Street Run?
I have never done anything like it. I was told by some I would never be able to do it. Of course, that meant I was going to do it come hell or high water.
So, the run (I won't call it a race, because I'm not racing) is Sunday. I have a week left and, as it turns out, a weak right leg.
I was so resolute in my training, I fear I may have overdone it. Last week, I started to get cramps in my calves.
It all came to a head Saturday night when I used the Haverford Twilight 5K as my final training run. Well, OK, it was a training walk. About a mile in, the pain in my legs started. I wasn't going to stop, though, and I still finished in 40 minutes (what I was really shooting for).
Of course, when the 90-year old with the walker passed me on the course, I thought I might be in trouble.
So, I'll use ice, I'll eat a lot of bananas (saw on the Internet) and I'll be ready Sunday.
Well, that's the plan anyway.

Cable TV? Hmmm

Good Morning and, man, it was chilly out there this morning!

I can remember when we first got cable TV in the house way back in 1981.
I remember watching a movie on PRISM just because I could watch a movie on PRISM (it was like a local version of HBO). They also showed Phillies home games, so, you know, so much for listening on the radio.
There was also this little thing called MTV, which showed music videos. So, you know, so much for listening to the radio.
In those heady days, network TV still had a stranglehold on programming. You wanted to watch a new show, you had to be in front of the TV at the right time.
Next came the VCR and, well, you could watch your favorite shows any time as long as you could figure out the damn clock.
We've certainly advanced since then. Now, there are 100s of channels and the networks don't always have the best option.
I think the end of cable is coming sooner than a lot of Comcast executives want to admit. Pretty soon, we'll be able to stream everything right from the Internet onto our TV. Netflix and Amazon are changing the game with movies and TV shows.
Why pay for 100 channels with nothing on when you can pick and choose for much less?
We are close to cutting the cable cord. It will be interesting to see where it goes.

My kingdom for a horse...

Good Morning and who's not loving the spring smells?

OK, I'll admit it, I have a love/hate relationship with vehicles.
When I first get one, I always believe I got the best one on the road. By the end, I can't wait to just dump it and move on.
Case in point, my blue van.
I've had plenty of good times in the four years we've been together. We've gone up and down the coast. We have taken trips to New York in the winter and Washington DC in the spring.
There was that time our picnic turned into a rain out and we ate the sandwiches in the back.
Now, though, all those miles later, it's time to go. I don't need the room with my passengers getting older and I certainly don't need the low gas mileage.
Now what? Let's make this easy.
Of course, nothing is easy. If only we hadn't moved away from horse-drawn carriages.

Marathon musings

Good Morning and welcome back to another week!

I've always been impressed with people who can run marathons. Sure, they are crazy and all that, but it takes something deep inside to decide (and train) for running 26 miles.
Heck, I can get tired driving 26 miles, so you can forget about the running part.
Thanks to some sick individuals, we will all have an eye on Boston this morning during the marathon.
Hopefully (most likely with all the security), nothing will happen this year and it will be a big celebration. Those who can cross the finish line should be lauded, whether they be the first or last.
Having never been much of a runner (OK, I have been a beer runner a few times), I decided this year to try it out. I'll be doing the 10 mile Broad Street Run in May (2 WEEKS!!!).
My legs aren't too happy with me. They seem to say after every training run, "You know, we were pretty happy being a part of a couch potato! There's no reason to do this."
I don't think I'll ever understand what it's like to run a marathon. It's not even on my Radar, but I have been getting a taste on what training can be like.
Yes, they are still crazy, but it takes a little crazy once in a while to keep the world spinning.

The Rock

Good Morning and, wait a minute, did the weather guy just say "snow?"

With the great weather this weekend, it was nearly enough to make the winter a distant memory.
Finally, it was time to get outside. Finally, it was time to open the windows. Finally, it was OK to pull out the shorts.
So, Saturday morning, with the soft breeze blowing inside, I made an executive decision.
Turn the games off and let's go for a walk. Yes, the underlings weren't too happy about not getting a vote, but, hey, I run a dictatorship (most of the time).
Now, we could have just walked around the neighborhood, maybe down to the playground. The more I thought (and I had plenty of time to think as everybody else was moving in slow motion), the more I wanted to take in some nature.
Even if the trees aren't in bloom yet, there would be a few flowers or something.
We headed out to Forbidden Drive at the Wissahickon Creek. It's a place we used to walk all the time, but haven't been there for a few years.
If you've never been, there, do yourself a favor and take a ride down the Blue Route. It's a great, flat area with some wonderful scenery.
Without the blooming, we were able to see new waterfalls and fallen trees.
While the complaining didn't really stop until we were heading home, I'm pretty sure if you pressed even the traveling party would admit it's pretty cool.

Getting antsy for a garden

Good Morning and here comes the sun!

OK, I have to admit, I'm getting a little bit crazy (although, maybe that happened years ago).
I want to get outside and plant some flowers. I want to dig in the dirt and start the tomato plants.
I want to cut the grass (see, crazy). I want to see the trees the bloom.
I know, it's early in the spring. You aren't supposed to put any veggies in the ground until Mother's Day. Flowers would probably wither and die before the spring hits full stride, but I don't want to wait.
Truth be told, I have somewhat of a brown thumb. I can kill the heartiest of plants, but that doesn't mean I won't try again this year.
In a few weeks, I'll have way too many tomato and pepper plants in my small garden. I'll figure out ways to brighten up the outside of the house.
I want to forget about the winter now, though. Why wait?

Citizens Bank Park: A decade of what?

Good Morning and I guess it's time the rain stopped!

So, after they roll the giant flag back up and an acrobat drops the first ball from a helicopter or something, the Phillies will officially start their 10th season in Citizens Bank Park.
Eh, whatever.
Sure fans have been able to enjoy an unprecedented amount of success during the decade. Remember, folks, the Phillies have not had the best of histories.
The 2008 World Series was great. The surrounding seasons were a lot of fun, but, for me, at least, the stadium holds no pull.
Truth be told, I haven't been there too often. The Phillies (Major League Baseball in general) have outpriced a family from going to the games.
With the three baseball fans coming along with me, I'd have to take out a small loan to see a game.
Even without that, there always seemed to be something antiseptic about the stadium. The Park as all the bells and whistles, but, then what?
Winning, of course, makes it all look prettier. Somehow, though, 100 years down the line, I don't think there will be a lot of nostalgia about attending Citizens Bank Park.

Over here Cap

Good Morning and I hear it's getting warmer!

Every once in awhile I get excited about a new movie coming out.
It doesn't happen too often. I figure I can wait for most to turn up on Netflilx or (rarely) On-Demand.
Years ago, when my group was younger, I remember seeing billboards and watching commercials for the 'Polar Express.' I hadn't read the book, I just had this feeling it would be a great movie to give children the whole theater experience. I was right.
The past couple of weeks, I've been seeing the trailers for the new Captain America movie.
Now, first a little history, I had a few Captain America action figures growing up. Although I was never really into comic books, I always thought it was a cool story about fighting Nazis and stuff.
So, even though we watched the first movie in the series on television, we were psyched about going to the theater for this one.
When you get these big, action movies, they are better at the theater (despite the price). It is an enjoyable movie. It's a lot of fun.
And, if you buy a large popcorn, you get free refills.
Can't beat that.

Never long enough

Good Morning and do I feel spring weather out there?

I go through the same ritual every morning: wake up well before the alarm, fall back asleep, hear alarm, hit snooze about 100 times, pull myself out of bed.
Every morning. The exact same ritual.
In between the first alarm and the snooze, I always think: "If I just had a couple more hours, the day will go smooth."
I know it's not true. I know if I did call into work and say I would be a little late, the extra sleep wouldn't matter. The next day would be the ritual.
So, as the coffee is brewing next to me, I think: "Wouldn't it be good to get a couple of hours of sleep."