101 Things Update

So, it's been awhile since I updated my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days and there a few more things to add to the list.

26.) Try 5 restaurants I've never been to before: A new place opened in town called Bar Louie's. Apparently it is a chain with a branch up in Cincy, but I had never eaten there before. Jenny and I went there the other night, and it was quite good. In fact, it was so good that Jenny, AJ, and I went there again last night. They have the best french fries ever! Anyway, so that makes 2. (2/5)

30.) Read The Greatest Generation. This one was easy since I've always been fascinated by the WWII era. It probably has something to do with the fact that my Grandmother Russell gave me the Molly American Girl doll when I was a kid and she lived during WWII. Still, it was fascinating to get to see all these different people and all their different stories. My only regret was that some of them weren't long enough.

47.) Go Deer Hunting with Dad. This one I did this year. In fact, not only did I go hunting, I killed a deer. A nine point buck to be exact. It was getting dark when I shot him, and we couldn't find him that night or the next morning, but we did find him. I have a picture of the antlers just to prove it. I'm still not sure about the whole getting up at the crack of dawn bit, but it was nice to spend some time with Dad, and he was so excited to take his daughter hunting that it was fun for me too.

56.) Get a pedicure 4 times. Not that I need an excuse to do this, but it is nice to treat myself once in awhile. So I used the annual SCoBIRC Christmas party as my excuse and had my toes done. It was the perfect way to take a moment and unwind from all the holiday stress. If only I had the money to have it done all the time. (1/4)

100.) Make 1 new friend. There is a new guy at work (Christ) who I am befriending. He works for my old boss (crazy boss) so that complicates things a bit, but still, you can never have too many friend. Right?

And a couple of things that are in progress:

54.) See a musical. Jenny, AJ, and I have tickets to see Wicked in Louisville in January. True, I've already seen it on Broadway, but it was wonderful, and I can't wait to see it again. So, baring a major illness, this should get checked off soon.

72.) Put $250 a month into savings for 1 year. This has been on going for awhile now. In fact, I figured out how to have the bank do it automatically for me, so I don't even have to think about it. Now I just have to keep my job for a year so that I still have the money to put in there.

73.) Give Blood as often as I can. I am giving every time I am eligible (or when they want me to). Right now they like to schedule things so that I come in around the holidays so they have plenty of blood on hand then.

I do think that I will be changing a few things on my list. Mostly because I've thought of a few things that I'd rather have on there. But also because a few of them seem a little silly now. Still, stay tuned.

Completed tasks are in blue (because I like blue). Tasks in progress are in red.

The List:

1. Take a daily multivitamin for 1 month
2. Take a daily calcium supplement for 1 month
3. Get my weight down to 140lbs
4. Run 3 times a week for 1 month
5. Lift weights 3 times a week for 1 month
6. Go 1 month without fast food
7. Run a 5K in under 29.00min (Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 28.39 on 9/26/08)
8. Run a 10K
9. Be able to run 6 miles without stopping
10. Run the Run Like Hell 5K in Cincinnati
11. Finish a Half Marathon
12. Go hiking (10/4/08 Mammoth Cave)
13. Swim in the Bluegrass State Games
14. Visit Europe
15. Visit the Newport Aquarium
16. Visit a Haunted House
17. Visit Waverly Sanatorium
18. Visit a State I’ve never been to before
19. Take Ballroom Dance Lessons
20. Go to the Drive in Movies
21. Go to King’s Island for Fearfest
22. Go to Needles and Angles
23. Go ice skating
24. Go to a midnight Hockey game
25. Take a cooking class
26. Try 5 restaurants I’ve never been to before (2/5) (Bonefish Grill 9/16/08) (Bar Louie's 12/5/08)
27. Learn to Quilt
28. Learn to make Grandmother Russell’s Special Occasion Rolls
29. Take a Personal/Family Finance Class
30. Read The Greatest Generation
31. Read Jane Eyre
32. Buy the 7th Harry Potter Book
33. Reread the entire Harry Potter series start to finish (0/7)
34. Read 5 books from the Booker Prize Winners List (0/5)
35. Read 5 books from the 50 Essential Reads List (0/5)
36. Read 4 nonfiction books (0/4)
37. Read the entire New Testament
38. Read 1984
39. Watch Casablanca
40. Watch Gone with the Wind
41. Watch 10 Best Picture Oscar Winners (0/10)
42. Watch the Godfather Trilogy
43. Watch Schindler’s List
44. Watch all 3 Lord of the Rings Movies (extended editions) in one weekend
45. Put together a family tree (as far back as I can go)
46. Take Dad to see the Eagles in Concert
47. Go deer hunting with Dad (11/8/08 9 point buck)
48. Visit Granddad Russell in Oak Ridge 3 times (0/3)
49. Go sailing with Granddad Russell
50. Do something special with just my sister
51. Go on 3 dates (0/3)
52. See Kenney Chesney in Concert (again)
53. See a play
54. See a musical
55. Knit a sweater for me
56. Get a pedicure 4 times (1/4) (12/1/08)
57. Write in my journal at least once a week for 3 months
58. Blog at least once a week for the 1001 days
59. Sew something for myself
60. Go camping
61. Get into UK’s Ovarian Cancer Screening Program
62. Get a massage
63. Go to a UK swim meet
64. Write a short story
65. Be 1st Author on a Manuscript
66. Take the GRE
67. Make a decision about going back to school
68. Learn to do Western Blot
69. Learn to do Slot Blots
70. Create a budget
71. Stick to my budget for 6 months (0/6)
72. Put $250 a month in savings for 1 year
73. Give blood as often as I can (every 56 days)
74. Clean out my old clothes and donate them to Goodwill
75. Volunteer for the Thursday night meal at church
76. Become an organ donor
77. Bake Cookies for someone just because
78. Knit something for charity
79. Renew my CPR certification
80. Get on the Bone Marrow Donor Registry
81. Knit a sweater for someone else
82. Cook a special dinner for some of my friends
83. Organize and Sort my Photos
84. Organize/Update/Sort the Music Collection on my Computer
85. Clean out my craft supplies
86. Clean out the closet on my balcony
87. Sort and Catalog my book collection
88. Clean Dean’s tank at once a month for 6 months (0/6)
89. Buy a new couch (9/18/08)
90. Buy reusable grocery bags
91. Use reusable grocery bags
92. Kiss Under the Mistletoe
93. Get a new coffee table
94. Replace my recliner
95. Bake a cake from scratch
96. Finish my Dragon Cross Stitch
97. Eat out for lunch only once a week for 1 month
98. Send a secret to Post Secret
99. Reconnect with 1 person I’ve lost touch with
100.Make 1 new friend
101. Update my blog with the list and progress

Food is our common ground, our universal experience.

So today is the Holiday Potluck at work which basically means that the entire floor has smelled like food all day long so I'm starving. Needless to say, this is one of the best days of the year.

But before you get all excited and starting picturing tables full of casseroles and cookies, let me just say that you have never been to a potluck quite like the ones we have at work. Our potlucks tend to resemble nothing so much as an explosion of the food court at the mall. You are equally as likely to have egg rolls and fried rices as macaroni and cheese and cookies. Chicken vindaloo might be next to a dish of green bean casserole. And the desserts sometimes run the gambit from familiar (sugar cookies and brownies) to just plain odd (a sour cream/chickpea combination that was tasty, but strange).

This, my friends is what happens when you introduce the concept of a potluck to a multicultural group of people from all over the world. You never know what you are going to get, but you can bet that most of it (not all, but most) will be delicious.

So, here in about 30 min, I'll be off to see what wonderful concoctions the potluck will bring me this year.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas....

So it's that time of year again. The time when you get to go absolutely nutty trying to buy gifts for people that you don't even see in the course of the year but still must send presents for. The time of year when you have to fight the hordes of people at the mall who aren't any happier to be there than you are. The time of year when your stress level has reached critical capacity.

This lovely time of year (also known as Christmas time) happens to coincide quite nicely with one of the busiest times of the year for me at work (known as I must get all this crap done before the holiday break). And this year, on top of everything else, it also happens to be the tail end of my Cell Biology class.

Now, I have really enjoyed the class up so far. It has been interesting and stimulating and, in a weird sort of way, fun. This week happens to be the final week of lectures. I was looking forward to this week not only because it means I'm almost done with the class, but because we were going to be discussing Cancer which is a subject that is quite personal to me and which I find interesting.

In Monday's lecture, however, I found out that maybe this week wasn't going to be as great as I thought it would be. The teacher was fine. The subject was interesting. But for some reason (and I'm still not sure why) sitting through a lecture on cancer really really bothered me.

Now, let me say that after almost 6 years, I am pretty good a guessing when something is going to get to me. I know, for example, that I need to ignore Mother's Day and I try to stay away from movies like Stepmom (which makes me cry every single time). But this one I didn't see coming. And that was almost worse than anything.

If I know it's coming, I can prepare myself for it. I can get ready. But this just kind of blindsided me. I've sat through many lectures before, on all sorts of topics related to cancer, and it has never bothered me. I've read books and looked at websites that deal with cancer, and it was fine. Maybe it was because it's so close to the holidays and I always miss her more this time of year. Maybe it's because I was already having a bit of a bad day. But whatever the reason, I know that I'm not looking forward to tomorrow's lecture now. Now, I just want it all done and over with.

Feast or Famine

Dear UK sports teams,

I realize that this holiday weekend is a busy one for you. I also realize that it probably isn't the best situation to have to be out on the road for what is normally a family holiday. But please keep just a few things in mind.

To the Football team:
Last year I sat in the freezing cold for almost 4 hours to watch you blow your chance to beat Tennessee for the first time since I've been alive. (No, I wasn't at the game, I was sitting on my Dad's couch, but the furnace had gone out and the house had no heat). Please remember that when you are facing the Vols again on Saturday. I would very much like to beat them this year, especially since they are about as bad as and Tennessee football team is likely to ever be. It is just another game. They are just another team. Please, just pretend that it's Norfolk State, only they are in their Orange uniforms for this game.

To the Men's Basketball team:
You need to win your game on Friday. No excuses. No mistakes. You have to win. Not only to give yourselves a win over a team that isn't Longwood or Delaware State, but because you need to play in the late game on Saturday so that I can watch the football team play too. I don't want to have to pick between the two of you. And if I do, I'd have to say that you might be the loser. After all, at least the football team almost beat Alabama and Georgia. There wasn't anything almost about your loss to UNC. So win, that way it won't be an issue.

To the Women's Basketball team:
Honestly, while I enjoy watching you play and usually try to keep up with your games, there is just too much going on this weekend. Play well, but I'm not going to be watching. After all, I have to find time somewhere to eat and sleep and shop.

And finally, to Mitch Barnhart:
While I realize that the Thanksgiving holiday is a big sports weekend, do you think that next year you could spread things out some? After all, there are plenty of other weekends in the year for our teams to play, they don't all have to play at the same time. And I'm sure the broadcast crews will thank you too.

Yours Truly,

A Big Blue Fan.

PS. And just to underscore the madness: From the Herald-Leader Wild UK Weekend

Never Doubt that a Small Group of Dedicated Individuals can Change the World....Indeed, it is the Only Thing that Ever Has

So Tuesday was election day. It was a big election day. UK even gave me the entire day off work (and Lord knows it takes an act of God for UK to call off work).

I will say that I went out and voted. I believe that no matter who you are going to vote for, or what you believe, it is your duty to vote. It is our right as American Citizens to vote. And if you don't vote, you have no right to complain. So I voted.

And as I was standing in line to vote (the only time, mind you, that I have ever had to wait in line to vote at my precinct) I was struck by how much this election meant to so many people. It wasn't all that long ago that African Americans gained the right to vote (1870 i believe, which sounds like a long time ago, but is really only a few generations removed. My Great-Grandparents would have seen this Amendment pass). For women, that right came even later (1920, less than 100 years ago). And yet, on the Presidential ballot, we had both our first African American Presidential candidate and the first women Vice Presidential candidate on a truly viable ticket. Oh, how far we have come.

I was also struck with how important it was that this country was willing to elect an African American man as our President. No matter what you think of his politics, you have to admit that it was a huge step for a country that, only 150 years ago relied on slaves for much of its industry. For a country who only 60 years ago was still trying to figure out how to grow past its past of slavery and oppression. Where for so long, any person of color was treated as inferior. Where it took armed soldiers to integrate schools. Where people died because they wanted equal rights for everyone.

Now, I'm not saying that this election erases that history. I'm not saying that it makes up for all the bad blood there. But it does show just how far we have come. And I can't help but think that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr would be pleased at the progress we have made. After all, he had a dream.....

A Dream Deferred

by Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Things May Change, But They Will Always Stay the Same.

There are times that I really dislike living in the South. This is one of those times.

Obama effigy found of UK's Campus

Now, there are several things which bother me here.

First, that some one thought to hang and effigy of anyone from a tree. I find the thought of hanging something that is meant to represent a real person kind of despicable. Whoever that person is, whatever they have done, they don't deserve to be lynched even if effigy.

Second, that the person happened to be a Presidential Candidate. The fact that this person is a well known politician and is running for the one office in this country where even threatening to kill him would be a crime, why would you think this is a good plan? Really?

Third, that he happens to have an African American Background. Overlooking the fact that hanging anyone in effigy isn't something I would ever consider, you can't overlook the connotation of hanging an effigy of a black man. The history there, especially in the south, is so strong that just hanging a noose in a tree is enough to spark riots in places (Jena, LA). In fact, the noose is as strong a symbol of hate these days as the swastika or the burning cross of the KKK. So how could you think that using a noose to hang a dummy representing the first black candidate for President of United States wouldn't be seen as an act of hate?

Fourth, that it happened on campus. UK is a campus that has been trying for the last few years to lose the image it has of being a campus dominated by whites. They have been trying hard to make it a place where everyone feels welcome. Where anyone would want to come and spend their college years. Obviously, we have a long way to go.

And, perhaps what troubles me most of all is that many of the people who commented on the article see nothing wrong with what was done. They compare it to the effigy of Sarah Palin that is hanging out in California. While I think both of the displays are wrong, I will say that anyone who can't see how they are different is overlooking several hundred years of American history. If you can't see how hanging an effigy of a white woman in front of your home on private property in a state that has never been identified as part of the south is different from hanging the effigy of a black man anonymously at a public university in a state that was very much a part of the south, then maybe you need to go back to history class.

Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.--Plato

So, I'm not a big political person, but this is my kind of Politics:

Halloween Masks Predict Presidential Winner

From the Lexington Herald-Leader today:

Those Halloween Express stores popping up all over Lexington belong to an Owenton-based company and one of the biggest Halloween retailers in the country. The Toledo Blade asked their local Halloween stores how the masks of the presidential candidates are selling. According to the Blade, "Since 1980, the popularity of a presidential candidate's Halloween mask has accurately predicted the outcome of the presidential race in all seven campaigns." In Ohio, the Obama masks are far out-selling McCain. "I sold 29 Obama masks in three days," said Bradley Newman, store manager at the Halloween USA in Rossford. "I've sold just a couple [of] McCains." Halloween Express has Obama masks outselling McCain masks, 320 to 288. The most popular mask of all, though, is Jason, from the Friday The 13th movies. The Herald-Leader wrote about the company in 2006.

Car Wash Asks Customers to Choose Presidential Candidate

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- So, how will Tuesday night's presidential debate affect the election? It seems many Knoxville voters already have their minds made up and they're showing it in a very unique way.

At the 3 Minute Magic Carwash on Lovell Road, owner Jim Rooney is certainly getting into the patriotic spirit.

He's asking all his customers to choose their candidate before they clean their car. Then they drive in the designated Barack Obama space or the John McCain space.

"I'm that Joe car wash guy, that Joe six-pack man. I'm middle-class America," Rooney says.

As a small business owner and family man, Rooney says the issues this election year are more important to him than ever before.

"What better venue for me to have a little fun with it and see what people are thinking? According to the polls, McCain is a little bit behind, but according to West Knoxville, McCain's a little bit ahead," Rooney says.

In fact, some people choose to ignore the empty Obama lane, just to wait in the McCain line.

"I want people to know how I'm voting," says customer Linda Ackerman.

Whichever candidate they chose, most customers were just happy to have their voices heard.

"Every body's concerned about this election. It's a serious business. I think it's a good thing for businesses to show that they're concerned what direction this country is going to go in as well," says customer John Doggett.

The tally is updated daily and after more than 3,500 customers, Obama has 47 percent and McCain is ahead with 53 percent.

Rooney says he'll keep his poll going until election day on November 4, when he'll urge all of his customers to go cast their official ballot.

If only everything was that simple.

A Letter to Me

Dear 16 Year-Old Me,

I know this seems a bit strange, but having gained 10 years of life experience, I would like to share a few of the things I've learned with you.

First, high school is not going to be the highlight of your life. You've almost gotten through it, and I can promise you that things get better. College is a whole new ball game and most of those people that seem so important to you now, you won't see or talk to once you graduate. So don't sweat things now. Just try and hold out for another year or so. The world is much bigger than Glasgow.

Speaking of college, make sure you take advantage of all the opportunities available to you. Have some fun. School work is important, but it's not everything. Sometimes you have to just kick back and have a good time. Also, don't rush things. The real world isn't as much fun as you think it will be, so take your time in school. Take some classes that don't count toward your major but look interesting. College is a time to try new things and meet new people, don't waste it.

You will make new friends in college. Some of them will be your friends for awhile. Some of them won't. But they all have something to teach you. Pay attention. And be yourself. Anyone who is worth knowing will accept you for who you are. If they don't, you don't need to waste your time on them.

Make friends with people who are different than you. Those are the people that can teach you the most. It's easy to stay within your comfort zone, but stretch yourself. You'll be glad you did.

You are going to date a few guys. Don't worry if things don't work out. It's for the best, trust me. It's not wasted time, it's life experience. Even the bad decisions. Just enjoy what you have while it lasts. Oh yes, dating doesn't get any easier. It still sucks, even at now, but being able to order a drink does take some of the edge off. Just be willing to take risks.

I know it sounds cliche, but if you get the chance, sit down and talk to your grandparents. They have a wealth of information to share with you if you take the time to listen. And once they are gone, those stories are lost forever. Hug them when you can, too. I know at 16 you feel like you are going to live forever, but remember life is fleeting. Everything can change in an instant.

Make sure you spend time with Mom. She really is pretty great, but you won't realize that for a few years. Try to notice all the small things she does for you. And save all those notes she will send you when you go off to college. She is going to piss you off at time, but just remember that she loves you, and everything she does is out of love. The little things. The big things. All of it. She loves you and nothing else matters.

Things won't always be like they are now, so make the most of it. Things are going to get rough, but you will make it through. You are tougher than you know. And you will come out stronger on the other side. Always remember that things will get better, no matter how bad things seem. It's okay to ask for help. Rely on your friends if you have to. In fact, the tough times will show you who your true friends are. Don't worry about the ones that run off, they weren't worth the time anyway.

But most of all, remember to love yourself. I know you don't particularly care for who you are now, but learn to accept who you are. Wishing you are someone else won't get you anywhere. I know it doesn't feel like it now, but you are someone who people want to know. They are lucky to know you. Why? Because, you are wonderful. You are beautiful. You are unique. You are special. Trust me. You are going to love the person you will become. I do.

See you in 10,

Me

P.S. You really can make a career out of science. Just be willing to work for it.

Oh, what's in a Name...

So, my goal was to try and blog every Friday, but that isn't working out so well. I've been so busy at work that by Friday afternoon, I'm zonked and it's all I can do to just make it home, much less convince my computer that it needs to log onto the Internet. Plus, this past Friday I went back to G-town to spend some time with my Dad and celebrate my birthday with him, so that further complicated things. Which basically means that what should have been Friday's blog you get today! Yea for being late! let's just all pretend that it is Friday already (oh wait, it is Thursday now, so tomorrow is Friday which means we get two Fridays in a row. It's like Christmas!)

Whatever.

Part of what kept me so busy last week was the fact that the Governor of this great state of Kentucky, Steve Beshaer was coming to visit UK and was going to take a tour through SCoBIRC (the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center) where I work. This meant that the lab had to get cleaned up, not an easy task since I hadn't had time to eat lunch all week, much less go around a clean. But we managed to get it all done, and I was even working (gasp!) when he came through so he could see that we actually do work in our lab. I didn't figure on getting to speak to him. After all, it was a quick 15min tour and I'm just a lowly peon in the science world; nobody worth noting.

However, I didn't count on my boss being the one giving the tour and he, of course, wanted to show off his lab, so I got introduced as they walked by. My boss also felt inclined to mention that I was from Glasgow, KY since I am the only native Kentuckian in the lab. When he asked me to confirm this, I figured that there was a much better chance that the Governor had heard of Fancy Farm (which is where my family is from), so I mentioned that as well. Needless to say, since it was a bunch of politicians, I got the expected response.

Now, if any of you don't know, Fancy Farm, KY is the home of the World's Largest One-Day Bar-b-que known as the Fancy Farm Picnic which takes place every August. It is really a fund raiser for the local catholic church, but what it is best known for is being probably the premier political gathering in the stated of Kentucky. It has, in fact been said that if you want to hold any political office in Kentucky, you had better campaign at Fancy Farm. So, it is not surprising that a group of men who hold political offices in Kentucky, knew exactly where Fancy Farm is what goes on there. (I wrote about Fancy Farm here.)

So, when I mentioned Fancy Farm, the Governor seemed all to eager to talk to me about it. Maybe it's because his eyes were staring to glaze over from all the science talk (I know mine do sometimes) and he was glad to finally understand something that was being said to him. Not to imply that Beshear isn't an intelligent man (I'm sure he is), but my boss has a tendency to forget sometimes that not everyone is as well versed in the sciences as he is and so he has trouble explaining things to your average non-science person. Anyway, Beshear made some joke about good bar-b-que to which I had to reply that my family has the bar-b-que things down quite well since they are the ones that cook it for the picnic every year. This prompted his reply that "Oh yes, I knew I had heard the name Carrico before. I've met lots of Carricos down in Fancy Farm."

So, the Governor of Kentucky knows my name. Well, my family name anyway. Which I have to think is pretty darn cool. And he has very very blue eyes. Very blue. And he is very short. But then so in my boss and so was Dr. Todd (UK's President) who was with them as well. So, who knows. Perhaps at some point in the future, I will get to meet the Governor again and he will remember me as that Carrico scientist with the family that bar-b-ques at Fancy Farm.

And just a quick update on the list, I got to check off #12 this weekend when Dad and I went over to Mammoth Cave and went for several hikes. It was a beautiful weekend and I really enjoyed getting to spend some time just me and Dad. That rarely happens any more.

List Update

So here's how this will work. I'll post the entire list below. Completed tasks will be in blue (because I like blue). Tasks in progress will be in red.

The List:
Because I want to get Healthy

1. Take a daily multivitamin for 1 month
2. Take a daily calcium supplement for 1 month
3. Get my weight down to 140lbs
4. Run 3 times a week for 1 month
5. Lift weights 3 times a week for 1 month
6. Go 1 month without fast food

Because I want to stay Active

7. Run a 5K in under 29.00min (Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 28.39 on 9/26/08)
8. Run a 10K
9. Be able to run 6 miles without stopping
10. Run the Run Like Hell 5K in Cincinnati
11. Finish a Half Marathon
12. Go hiking
13. Swim in the Bluegrass State Games

Because I want to Visit New Places

14. Visit Europe
15. Visit the Newport Aquarium
16. Visit a Haunted House
17. Visit Waverly Sanatorium
18. Visit a State I’ve never been to before

Because I want to try New Things

19. Take Ballroom Dance Lessons
20. Go to the Drive in Movies
21. Go to King’s Island for Fearfest
22. Go to Needles and Angles
23. Go ice skating
24. Go to a midnight Hockey game
25. Take a cooking class
26. Try 5 restaurants I’ve never been to before (1/5) (Bonefish Grill 9/16/08)
27. Learn to Quilt
28. Learn to make Grandmother Russell’s Special Occasion Rolls
29. Take a Personal/Family Finance Class

Because there are so many things I want to Read

30. Read The Greatest Generation
31. Read Jane Eyre
32. Buy the 7th Harry Potter Book
33. Reread the entire Harry Potter series start to finish (0/7)
34. Read 5 books from the Booker Prize Winners List (0/5)
35. Read 5 books from the 50 Essential Reads List (0/5)
36. Read 4 nonfiction books (0/4)
37. Read the entire New Testament
38. Read 1984

Because there are so many great Movies to Watch

39. Watch Casablanca
40. Watch Gone with the Wind
41. Watch 10 Best Picture Oscar Winners (0/10)
42. Watch the Godfather Trilogy
43. Watch Schindler’s List
44. Watch all 3 Lord of the Rings Movies (extended editions) in one weekend

Because I need to spend more time with my Family

45. Put together a family tree (as far back as I can go)
46. Take Dad to see the Eagles in Concert
47. Go deer hunting with Dad
48. Visit Granddad Russell in Oak Ridge 3 times (0/3)
49. Go sailing with Granddad Russell
50. Do something special with just my sister

Because sometimes I just need to spend time for Me

51. Go on 3 dates (0/3)
52. See Kenney Chesney in Concert (again)
53. See a play
54. See a musical
55. Knit a sweater for me
56. Get a pedicure 4 times (0/4)
57. Write in my journal at least once a week for 3 months
58. Blog at least once a week for the 1001 days
59. Sew something for myself
60. Go camping
61. Get into UK’s Ovarian Cancer Screening Program
62. Get a massage
63. Go to a UK swim meet
64. Write a short story

Because I need to start thinking about my future

65. Be 1st Author on a Manuscript
66. Take the GRE
67. Make a decision about going back to school
68. Learn to do Western Blot
69. Learn to do Slot s Blots
70. Create a budget
71. Stick to my budget for 6 months (0/6)
72. Put $250 a month in savings for 1 year

Because it’s always good to do nice things for Other People

73. Give blood as often as I can (every 56 days)
74. Clean out my old clothes and donate them to Goodwill
75. Volunteer for the Thursday night meal at church
76. Become an organ donor
77. Bake Cookies for someone just because
78. Knit something for charity
79. Renew my CPR certification
80. Get on the Bone Marrow Donor Registry
81. Knit a sweater for someone else
82. Cook a special dinner for some of my friends

Because I have a lot of Stuff

83. Organize and Sort my Photos
84. Organize/Update/Sort the Music Collection on my Computer
85. Clean out my craft supplies
86. Clean out the closet on my balcony
87. Sort and Catalog my book collection
88. Clean Dean’s tank at once a month for 6 months (0/6)

Because they are Important but defy Categorization

89. Buy a new couch (9/18/08)
90. Buy reusable grocery bags
91. Use reusable grocery bags
92. Kiss Under the Mistletoe
93. Get a new coffee table
94. Replace my recliner
95. Bake a cake from scratch
96. Finish my Dragon Cross Stitch
97. Eat out for lunch only once a week for 1 month
98. Sent a secret to Post Secret
99. Reconnect with 1 person I’ve lost touch with
100.Make 1 new friend
101. Update my blog with the list and progress

I'll get by with a little help from my friends....

So, this weekend was the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure here in Lexington and my friend Sarah got a team together to participate. We got together last weekend to make our T-shirts for the race (which was a blast) and then met up before the race early Saturday morning.


I wasn't expecting to run very fast. I had been too busy to do much running lately and there were several thousand people at the race so things were a bit congested. But I was running with Sarah (who runs a lot more than me and runs a lot faster than me) and apparently she pushed me quite a bit. So, despite my lack of preparation and the masses of people that had Sarah and I literally running on the sidewalk for awhile, I managed to run a personal best time of 28 min 39 seconds.


For those of you keeping score, this completes #7 on my list (Run a 5K in under 29 min). So I guess I can cross that one off my list.

In some other randomness....

My fall TV is back! And I'm loving it so far.

Supernatural is 2 episodes in and this season may end up rivaling Season 1 as my favorite if the first 2 episodes are anything to go by. I love the new twist about the Angel of the Lord who has a job for Dean to do. My favorite episode ever is Faith from Season 1 which dealt with Dean and his issues of faith, so the idea of getting an entire season of that is totally awesome.

Dancing with the Stars is one of my guilty pleasure shows (yes, I admit to watching it). I held out for a few seasons, but I finally gave in, and this show is now like Crack! I have to get my weekly fix or I'm not happy. Last season was okay, but this season Maks is back! And I love me some Maks. He is partnering with Misty May-Trainer (of Olympic Beach Volleyball fame) so I hope that he has a shot to go far this time. I tend to lose some interest once Maks is gone.

The Amazing Race premiered yesterday with another awesome season. I haven't had enough time to get to know the teams well enough to decide who I think will go far, but I can tell you this just from the first episode: I am in love the Mom/Son team of Dallas and his mom (it doesn't hurt that Dallas is by far the hottest guy on the show). The "southern belle" girls aren't going to last too long unless they start playing smarter. And the Terrence/Sarah (I think) team has some serious personal issues that they needed to work out before the race.

The only one of my shows that I'm a bit disappointed in so far is Ugly Betty. I waited all summer to see who Betty was going to choose and in the end it turns out that not only did she not choose either Henry or Gio, but they both left the show! I loved me some Gio. I wasn't too impressed with the season opener, but I'll give it a few more weeks before I totally give up on the show. It still has a few of the elements that I love so much: Hilda and Justin, Mark and Amanda, Christina.

The one new show that I've fallen for this year is Fringe on Fox. I loved me some Pacey back in the day (although I was a Dawson fan) and Joshua Jackson will always be Pacey to me, so to see him playing this totally new, kind of different, darker character is a bit odd, but really fun. It's not the best show, but it is entertaining and I don't have much else to watch on Tuesday night. Plus it has a bit of the sci-fi element that I love and a bit of science as well.

Now, once Numb3rs comes back on Friday, my world will be complete. Life is never complete until you have a little Colby in your life. :)

Every Journey Starts with a Single Step...

So I'm now almost a week into my 1001 days and I've already gotten started on a few things. Here is my update:

#26.) Try 5 Restaurants I've never been to before--For my birthday dinner, I actually picked a novel restaurant. We went to Bonefish grill. Now I know it's a chain, and I was actually thinking more of fun local places when I made the list, but still, I had never eaten there before. And I'll have to say, it was good. I actually enjoyed the dinner quite a bit, and for a "nicer restaurant" it was good. I still prefer Malone's I think for a nice dinner out, but it was very good.

#89.) Buy a new couch--I actually started this one before my birthday, but the couch didn't arrive until last Thursday. However, the guys who brought it managed to tear 2 holes in it on their way up the stairs, so they are going to have to either replace the fabric or the couch. We'll see what the company wants to do. But below you can see a picture of my old couch (which I inherited from my parents who purchased it before I was born) and my new couch (which I love, apart from the holes).

Old couch (very comfortable, but also well loved)

New couch (don't mind all the junk that has already accumulated on it)

101 Things in 1001 Days

So I promised that I had something I was going to be starting on my Birthday this year, and I always keep my promises. I did start on my Birthday, but I just didn't get around to posting anything until today.

What I decided to do was join the list of people who are doing 101 Things in 1001 Days. Here's how it works:

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Start date: Tuesday September 16, 2008
End Date: Tuesday June 14, 2001

The List:
Because I want to get Healthy

1. Take a daily multivitamin for 1 month
2. Take a daily calcium supplement for 1 month
3. Get my weight down to 140lbs
4. Run 3 times a week for 1 month
5. Lift weights 3 times a week for 1 month
6. Go 1 month without fast food

Because I want to stay Active

7. Run a 5K in under 29.00min
8. Run a 10K
9. Be able to run 6 miles without stopping
10. Run the Run Like Hell 5K in Cincinnati
11. Finish a Half Marathon
12. Go hiking
13. Swim in the Bluegrass State Games

Because I want to Visit New Places

14. Visit Europe
15. Visit the Newport Aquarium
16. Visit a Haunted House
17. Visit Waverly Sanatorium
18. Visit a State I’ve never been to before

Because I want to try New Things

19. Take Ballroom Dance Lessons
20. Go to the Drive in Movies
21. Go to King’s Island for Fearfest
22. Go to Needles and Angles
23. Go ice skating
24. Go to a midnight Hockey game
25. Take a cooking class
26. Try 5 restaurants I’ve never been to before (1/5)
27. Learn to Quilt
28. Learn to make Grandmother Russell’s Special Occasion Rolls
29. Take a Personal/Family Finance Class

Because there are so many things I want to Read

30. Read The Greatest Generation
31. Read Jane Eyre
32. Buy the 7th Harry Potter Book
33. Reread the entire Harry Potter series start to finish (0/7)
34. Read 5 books from the Booker Prize Winners List (0/5)
35. Read 5 books from the 50 Essential Reads List (0/5)
36. Read 4 nonfiction books (0/4)
37. Read the entire New Testament
38. Read 1984

Because there are so many great Movies to Watch

39. Watch Casablanca
40. Watch Gone with the Wind
41. Watch 10 Best Picture Oscar Winners (0/10)
42. Watch the Godfather Trilogy
43. Watch Schindler’s List
44. Watch all 3 Lord of the Rings Movies (extended editions) in one weekend

Because I need to spend more time with my Family

45. Put together a family tree (as far back as I can go)
46. Take Dad to see the Eagles in Concert
47. Go deer hunting with Dad
48. Visit Granddad Russell in Oak Ridge 3 times (0/3)
49. Go sailing with Granddad Russell
50. Do something special with just my sister

Because sometimes I just need to spend time for Me

51. Go on 3 dates (0/3)
52. See Kenney Chesney in Concert (again)
53. See a play
54. See a musical
55. Knit a sweater for me
56. Get a pedicure 4 times (0/4)
57. Write in my journal at least once a week for 3 months
58. Blog at least once a week for the 1001 days
59. Sew something for myself
60. Go camping
61. Get into UK’s Ovarian Cancer Screening Program
62. Get a massage
63. Go to a UK swim meet
64. Write a short story

Because I need to start thinking about my future

65. Be 1st Author on a Manuscript
66. Take the GRE
67. Make a decision about going back to school
68. Learn to do Western Blot
69. Learn to do Slot s Blots
70. Create a budget
71. Stick to my budget for 6 months (0/6)
72. Put $250 a month in savings for 1 year

Because it’s always good to do nice things for Other People

73. Give blood as often as I can (every 56 days)
74. Clean out my old clothes and donate them to Goodwill
75. Volunteer for the Thursday night meal at church
76. Become an organ donor
77. Bake Cookies for someone just because
78. Knit something for charity
79. Renew my CPR certification
80. Get on the Bone Marrow Donor Registry
81. Knit a sweater for someone else
82. Cook a special dinner for some of my friends

Because I have a lot of Stuff

83. Organize and Sort my Photos
84. Organize/Update/Sort the Music Collection on my Computer
85. Clean out my craft supplies
86. Clean out the closet on my balcony
87. Sort and Catalog my book collection
88. Clean Dean’s tank at once a month for 6 months (0/6)

Because they are Important but defy Categorization

89. Buy a new couch
90. Buy reusable grocery bags
91. Use reusable grocery bags
92. Kiss Under the Mistletoe
93. Get a new coffee table
94. Replace my recliner
95. Bake a cake from scratch
96. Finish my Dragon Cross Stitch
97. Eat out for lunch only once a week for 1 month
98. Sent a secret to Post Secret
99. Reconnect with 1 person I’ve lost touch with
100.Make 1 new friend
101. Update my blog with the list and progress

I will keep this blog updated with my progress and I'll try to post an updated version of the complete list every month or so. Here we go.

You Can No More Win a War.....

Than you can win an Earthquake.--Jeanette Rankin


Everyone has a story about September 11, 2001. Everyone can tell you where they were, what they were doing, who they were with. For my generation it is the event that will define us. It is our assassination of JFK or bombing of Pearl Harbor. (FYI, I was in a Chemistry lab during the 9/11 attacks, heard about it on the radio in Ovid's Cafe, and then watched the coverage on the TV in the lobby of my dorm.)

That was 7 years ago. And since then, we have been at war. But I forget sometimes that we are at war. I think sometimes we get so used to seeing pictures, hearing the numbers, that we forget what war really is. We forget that it is more than numbers and maps and exit strategies. War is people.

We had a seminar today at work about TBI being one of the most prevalent injuries in the Iraq war. The speaker talked about the various ways that our soldiers sustain traumatic head injuries (mostly from IED explosions). He talked about explosions going off while soldiers are riding in convoys, about marines jumping on top of bombs to save their friends, about suicide bombers and car bombs and mortar shells. And somewhere in the middle of all that, while he was showing us photos of bombs and cars and soldiers, it sank in just what we were talking about. We were talking about human beings.

It is easy to think of the numbers. This many dead, this many injured, this many still on the ground. It is even easy to think of the stats. But when you realize that each of those numbers is a person--someone with a mother and father, a family--it becomes much harder. When I start thinking about these guys (and girls) most of whom are about my age, and what they see and do on a daily basis, it makes you stop and think.

Whether or not you agree with the war, whether or not you think we should send more troops to Iraq or bring them all home, you have to admit that the cost of this war (as with all wars) will extend far beyond the dollar value attached to it. You can't put a value on human life. So the next time you see a report on the news, try to think beyond the numbers. Try to remember that all those numbers are people.

Whatever Happened to the Golden Rule?

So last Saturday was the home opener for the 2008 edition of the Kentucky football team. And, unlike in previous years, we actually have some expectations for this team. And, also unlike in previous years, they haven't let us down yet. But apparently, for some fans, this isn't enough.

I know that Mike Hartline is no Andre Woodson. I know that he hasn't played all that great in his first two games. But in his defense, the kid has sat behind Woodson for a couple of years and now he is asked to follow one of the best quarterbacks in recent history at UK with very little experience and a receiving core that lost all but one major player from last year (thank god for Dickie). He may not have played brilliantly, but he hasn't played poorly either. He has, in fact, played just about the way you would expect an inexperienced sophomore quarterback with a group of fairly inexperienced receivers to play.

I also know that freshman Randall Cobb played lights out in the first half vs Norfolk State. I was there. I saw the spark he gave coming off the bench and how he had the defense totally off balance as he moved the ball down the field. I saw how he got 3 touchdowns and lifted the crowd out of its stupor. But I also saw his second half interception and a fumble in there as well. He is, after all, only a freshman (and one that was expected to play much more wide receiver than QB this year).

While I was confused at first by why Cobb was in the game at QB (I think I was on a concession stand run when he got inserted) and why he played QB more than just 1 or 2 series, I was also happy about the job he was doing. I was expecting him to open at QB in the second half. I was expecting that Hartline might be a bit upset with how small his playing time was going to get. But what I was not expecting was the chorus of Boos that met Hartline as he took the field to start the second half.

My father taught me that it is great to cheer your team. You should cheer loudly and often, even at the TV. However, it is not okay to Boo. You can choose not to cheer. But you should never boo the opposing team or coaches. And it was just understood that no matter how badly they were playing or what they did, to boo your own team or coaching staff was to give up your right to be a fan. (Ironically, he never mentioned the officials, so I've never had the same aversion to booing them that I do to booing players/coaches.)

So you can imagine that when a percentage of the stadium (less than half, I would say, mostly in the student section) began to boo Hartline, I was flabbergasted. No matter what the kid had done, there was no need to boo him. If for no other reason than at some point this season we will need him and you can't tear him down like that and then expect him to be able to come up big when you need him to. And because he hadn't done anything all that bad! It was one of the worst shows of sportsmanship I have ever witnessed from UK fans, and I was ashamed to be a part of that crowd. Maybe we all just need to take a step back and remember that it is just a game and these are just kids. And save the boos for the refs. We haven't gotten to SEC play yet, that's when you will need them.

This is why I love swimming....

This is why I love the sport of swimming. Yes, we do have our characters (Gary Hall Jr, I'm looking at you) and the occasional jerk, but for the most part swimmers are a standout bunch. How many NBA players would give up $1million to do something for other people?

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26506320/

Just call out my name.....

So, unless you have been living in a cave for the last few days, you've probably heard about Hurricane Gustav. He was supposed to be the next big thing after Katrina, but it turns out that while he still packed a punch, his bark was bigger than his bite. But still, I wouldn't have wanted him to run over my house at full tilt (although if he wants to head this way now and give us a bit of rain, that would be fine).

And while it appears that the government (at all levels) learned their lesson from Katrina and did a much better job this go round of being prepared, the thing that I want to point out is this: Americans are a generous bunch of people.

I spent the Labor Day Holiday Weekend at my Dad's house, and on Monday when I was driving back to Lexington along I-65 I noticed 4 convoys of large trucks heading south along the interstate. Two were made up of bucket trucks that looked to belong to a phone or electric company, one was made up of some kind of trucks with big drill looking things on them, and the other was full of trucks pulling trailers labeled with PortaClean or something along those lines. I can only assume the last one had something to do with mobile showers or bathrooms. But what struck me was just how many trucks I saw in a very short distance (only about 50 miles or so). It just goes to show that, in general, Americans are a helpful bunch and while we may see the news and think that there is no one out there anymore who cares about his fellow man, all you have to do is look at something as simple as a convoy of trucks on the interstate to see otherwise.

Ah the smell of rulers and tape.

It's that time of year again. The time of year when my nice lazy summer schedule comes to an end and I have to start getting up at the crack of dawn to make sure that I can find a place to park in the same zip code as the building where I work. This time is also known as "The Students are Back".

When the students come back, it means that parking once again becomes tight. It means that traffic in the morning, evening, and pretty much all day is horrible. It means that you have to eat lunch before 11:30 or after 1:00 if you want to get into any restaurant including the Delis on campus. It means that driving down Nicholasville Road is like playing a real life game of Frogger.

But it also makes me just a little nostalgic for my college days. I really enjoyed college and every year as I watch all the students move into the dorms and start back to class, I start to miss those days. There was just something fun about the excitement of starting new classes and meeting new people. The first of the semester fun of sorting out the best way to get from class to class and where to spend your down time.

It was one of those times in life when you don't realize how good things are until much later when you are looking back. These days I would kill for a schedule that didn't start until 9am and was done by 2pm with a two hour lunch break and Friday off. Even with the homework and exams and my part-time job it still felt like I had more free time then than I do now.

I also miss that laid back life-style. That sort of in-between time where you aren't a kid anymore, but you aren't really an adult either. You are just kind of stuck in the middle and no one really expects all that much from you. Of course I still don't really feel all that grown up. I wonder when you finally start to feel like an adult and not like a dumb kid? Because really, most days I just feel like a kid pretending to be a grown-up.

Anyway, that was a little more rambling that I thought when I started out, but oh well. I'm trying to keep this updated more, and hope to post at lest once week soon. I'm starting a pretty cool project on my birthday, but I'll have more detials on that later.

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow....

So, the Olympic are finally over. And I watched as much of them as I possibly could (even while I was at the beach on vacation). But now I have to go back to regular TV, which doesn't seem to have quite the same drama as the games.

And oh, was there drama:

Plenty to go around in Gymnastics with Nastia and Shawn battling it out in the All Around as well as on the Floor Exercise and Balance Beam. And don't forget the drama of the team competition or the absurdity of Alicia Sacramone's finishing behind the Chinese gymnast on the Vault final.

Or you might like the drama of Men's Gymnastics with the US team, injured and inexperienced, winning a bronze medal when no one thought they could. Jonathan Horton on the High Bar was great to watch as was Sasha Artemev on the Pommel Horse (even that final routine where he fell was spectactular).

Track offered it's own drama with both US relay teams dropping the baton (literally) in the 4x100 meter relay and Jamacia's Lightening Bolt winning both sprints in spectacular fashion (while Lexington's Tyson Gay failed to make the final in the 100). But the US made up for it's short commings with the Men and Women winning the 4x400 meter relay (the women with a great come from behind victory).

And Men's Volleyball had a great story line with the coach dealing with the death of his father-in-law at the start of the games and the team going on to win gold.

My boy Tayshaun Prince helped the US men's basketball team to a redeeming gold this Olympiad after the disappointment of Athens, but there was little drama there since they blew out everyone in every game until the final.

But perhaps the most drama was at the pool.

Michael Phelps' stunning 8 for 8 Gold Medal performance will forever be known as the highlight of the Beijing Olympics. It was, perhaps, the greatest feat in all of sports. And I don't know if it will ever be equaled. And while his great run was full of great moments, the greatest thing which will come from his performance isn't tangible.

What Michael Phelps did for the sport of swimming can't be measured in Gold Medals or World Records. He took a sport that habitually languished in obscurity--relegated to the late night tape delayed status in Olympic years--and made it a prime time event. They were cutting away from Women's Gymnastics to show swimming! He had his own heading running at the bottom of the ESPN crawl. He was the lead story on the news! These are things the swimmers just don't do. You don't have an entire stadium full of NFL football fan stay after the game to watch a live feed of a swimming event half a world away. You don't have a swimmer as the final image of the Olympic games. You don't find a swimmer doing commercials for Rosetta Stone, VISA, and Johnson and Johnson. But Phelps changed all that.

I grew up swimming in a town where swimming wasn't all that popular. Our high school swim team was a meager 10 strong. We had to furnish our own uniforms and, until my senior year, our own transportation to the meets. We got no funding and even less support from the school system. In fact, several years when I had to miss a day of school because I qualified for the State Championships, I was told that I would not be allowed to make up the work I missed since that counted as an unexcused absence. I missed 2 days of class a year for swimming--the football team missed every Friday from August until November. Our team didn't get a yearbook page. The teacher in charge of the yearbook committee told me that since "swimming wasn't a real sport" it wouldn't get the same 2 page layout that every other sport got. Instead we got a tiny 2x4 group photo along side the Pep club, the History club, and the Astronomy club (which only had a 5 members). I wonder what that teacher would say to me now? I know what I would say to her: "If swimming isn't a real sport, they explain to me why the most talked about athlete of the Olympics was a swimmer?"

Yes, Michael Phelps did something amazing in Beijing. But what he did for swimming will extend far beyond the closing ceremony.

How's the View from the Top?

So last night (or really, I suppose it was this morning in Beijing) the US had a stellar day. At the water cube, there were 4 Finals. The US won 3 and collected a total of 6 medals overall (3 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze). Michael Phelps brought home another Gold in the 200 IM bringing his total to 6 gold medals and 6 world records in 6 swims. Only 2 more to go. The 100 Fly and 4x100 Medley Relay.

But probably the best thing about last night was Nastia Liuken and Shawn Johnson going 1-2 in the Women's Gymnastics All-Around Final. It is the first time in history that the US women have won the Gold and the Silver medals in that event. In fact, Nastia joins a very short list (Mary Lou Retton and Carly Patterson) of US women who have won the Olympic All-Around Title. It was billed as an epic battle, and it was. I should know. I stayed up until 1am watching it. A great moment for the US.

Anyway, here are a few articles about this year's Olympics that I like:

• No way turns into No Quit for Lezak, men's relay team

• Lezak, Not Phelps, Puts on a Show

• From Russia with Gold

• Father and Daughter Share the Moment

• Artemev takes Olympic Experience in Stride

• Gymnasts Rally for Bronze

• Personal Best but no Finals for Shanteau
  

All That is Gold Does not Glitter

But all of Michael Phelps' gold does. In his quest for 8 gold medals at one Olympic Games--one more than the legendary Mark Spitz--Phelps is 5 for 5. He has won gold (and set the world record) in the 400 IM, 200 Free, 200 Fly, 4 x 200 Free Relay, and that spectacular 4 x 100 Free Relay. Coming up he has the 200 IM, 100 Fly, and 4 x 100 Medley Relay. Three events between him and history.

Although, he already hold the record for most career Olympic golds with 11, and the record for most career Olympic medals of any color with 13 (11 gold, 2 bronze). He also has 30 World Records to his credit. Not too shabby.

Still.....Gold Watch: 5 down, 3 to go.

Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision.

I love the Olympics. I always have. I remember being a kid and sitting down with my mom to watch gymnastics or track or figure skating and being mesmerized by the drama of it all. One chance every 4 years to win gold. One mistake and it's all over. One chance to do something extraordinary.

Once I started swimming at age 11, I became an even bigger fan of the summer Olympics because it was the one time that I could watch my sport on TV. Swimming, not being one of your mainstream sports, it a bit hard to find on the tube between Olympic years. Even now, with dozens of sports channels, you are lucky to find anything more than the Olympic trials and the Olympics themselves broadcast.

But the Olympics are here. And now, with Michael Phelps as the poster boy for the entire US delegation and swimming for an unheard of 8 gold medals, swimming isn't just on TV, it is the main attraction. Swimming has gone from an afterthought broadcast at 2am in Sydney to a semi-popular Phelps watching event in Athens to Prime Time viewing in Beijing. Thanks to Phelps, the swimming events are not only broadcast in prime time this Olympics, they are also shown live (since the Olympic organizers decided to put the finals in the morning (Beijing time) to accommodate the US viewing audience.

Now, I'll have to admit, I don't follow the sport as closely as I once did. I am more familiar with names like Gary Hall Jr, Summer Sanders, Alexander Popov, and Ian Thorpe than I am with most of this year's Olympic team, although a few names (Amanda Beard, Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin, Aaron Piersol) are familiar to me. But I still love the sport. And I still love to watch it. Especially during the Olympics. I love watching Michael Phelps go for his 8 gold medals. I love watching Katie Hoff trying for 5 golds. I love watching Aaron Piersol do just about anything. But my absolute favorite part of any swim meet, including the Olympics, is watching the relays.

I love Relays. I love swimming them and I love watching them. There is just something almost magical about watching a good relay swim. And last night in the Men's 4x100 freestyle relay, it was magic.

In an event that the US men had dominated in the past (7 straight Olympic golds before the 2000 games), the US was a rather larger underdog. Despite the presence of Michael Phelps. Despite being the top qualifier. Despite setting the World Record in the Prelims. France was the favorite going into the race. They had taunted the US team in the media (much like Gary Hall did to the Aussies before the 2000 games) saying that they would "smash the US". But in the end, the only thing that got smashed was the World Record with the top 5 team finishing under the mark set just the day before.

Phelps led off with a new American Record time of 47.51, but touched just behind the Aussie who set a new World Record with a 47.24 split. Garrett Webber-Gale entered second and gave the US the lead at the half way point with an impressive 47.02 split. France was second 0.43 seconds behind and Australia was third only 0.15 seconds behind them.

Cullen Jones, only the second African-American to ever make the US Olympic swimming team (Anthony Ervin in 2000 was the first and he tied with Gary Hall Jr to win gold in the 50m Freestyle) entered the water for the third leg. He had earned his place on the relay the day before with his great split during prelims which helped the team to set a new World Record despite not having their 3 top sprinters on the team. Cullen split a 47.65 for his leg, but lost ground to Bosquet of France who swam a 46.63, the fastest relay split in Olympic history.

France went into the water 0.59 seconds ahead of the US with World Record Holder (at least before the race) Alain Bernard. It was up to Jason Lezak to make up the difference. At the turn, he was still behind and didn't appear to be gaining ground. But he wasn't ready to quit yet. Lezak dug in and slowly inched up on Bernard throughout the last 50 meters. He gained ground with every stroke, just out touching Bernard at the finish by 0.08 seconds in 3:08.24, shattering the old world record (3:12.23) by 4 seconds, and splitting an incredible 46.06 the fastest relay split in history.

It was one of the most incredible feats I have ever seen in the pool. 0.59 seconds in the 100 free is an eternity, especially at the Olympic level. At the US Olympic trials, the top 4 finishers were separated by only 0.54 seconds at the finish and Lezak swam at 48.05 (although that was with a flat start). But there are two kinds of swimmers: individual swimmers and relay swimmers. Individual swimmers can be great athletes. They can turn in impressive times. They can hold world records. Alain Bernard is an individual swimmer.

A relay swimmer will lay it all on the line for a relay. They will turn in incredible performances during relay swims. They will some how find a way to pull it out, even when all seems lost. Jason Lezak is a relay swimmer. He is the guy you want anchoring your relay.

Traditional wisdom says you should structure your relay like this: 1. Your second fastest swimmer 2. Your slowest swimmer 3. Your second slowest swimmer 4. Your fastest swimmer. Most relays are put together that way, although there are many that aren't. Using that wisdom, the US relay should have looked something like this: 1. Garrett Webber-Gale, 2. Cullen Jones 3. Jason Lezak 4. Michael Phelps.

But you can crunch the numbers all you want, times aren't all that goes into making a great relay team. You have to factor in heart as well. And Jason Lezak is a relay swimmer. He is a closer. He is a finisher. He is the man you want to bring things home. And bring them home he did. In spectacular fashion.

No Matter What Anybody Tells You, Words and Ideas can Change the World.

Two posts in two days! Must be a record! (Or a really slow week at work.)

Kudos to anyone who can tell me what movie the quote in my title is from. And double Kudos to anyone who can tell me who said it.

Not that the title has much of anything to do with this post, but I do like it. And, well, words are related I guess.

I've been doing a lot of reading lately (since Summer is by far the best time to read), and when I'm doing that much reading, I tend to get the witting bug too. I do like to write. I always have. Even when I was little, I can remember making up stories and writing them down. These days I don't write too much, but every once in awhile I will get the urge and when I do, I always start to wonder if I'm really as good of a writer as I think I am.

Now, I don't see myself as being some kind of awesome writer. I don't expect that people are marveled by my exceptional word crafting skills. But I do think that I am better than the average bear when it comes to putting pen to paper. That assumption is based mostly on the comments made to me all through high school and college about how good my writing was. Especially in college, I rarely had a paper returned where the professor had not made some comment about how well written it was (even if they were sometimes given low marks for being off topic).

But these days I sometimes wonder if my stuff was really that good or if the professors had just slogged through so many poorly written essays that when they found someone who had a good grasp of grammar, syntax, and structure, they found the work to be exceptional. Not that I have the best grammar skills, but I do know what "sounds right" and I am just a bit of a perfectionist so I can be very anal about my word choices. I also have (at least I've been told I have) a very clear voice in my writing.

I don't' know. Maybe I do have a good voice. Maybe I can blame it on KERA and all those stupid portfolios we had to do in high school. Or maybe I was just born with it (instead of the spelling gene). Who knows.

But whatever the truth is, I do know that I enjoy writing and I tended to do well on writing assignments when I was in school. So maybe I am a decent writer. Or maybe I'm not. Only time will tell I suppose.

Just as long as We have We...

There has been a lot of talk in the news recently ( as there always is in big political years) about the Fancy Farm Picnic. Who is coming, who might be coming, and most notably, who won't be coming. In all the hoopla, there have been many accusations thrown around about how and why certain people get to speak at the picnic while others don't. I have seen everything from "Let's get rid of this 'Good Old Boys' Event" to "Let's see the records for this 'fund raising' that goes on."

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, let me first say that my family is an integral part of the Fancy Farm Picnic. My cousin Todd is the Picnic Chairman (i.e. King), the men of my family cook the meat, my Aunts work the car booth and cook for the Country dinner. Let me also say that I have about as much interest in politics as I have in golf (read: none).

So, with that bit out of the way, let's move on to more important things.

Ignoring, for the moment, the fact that the Fancy Farm Picnic is one of the last vestiges of the old political system where candidates actually had to give speeches that meant something to crowds made up of people who hadn't already made up their minds and/or paid money to see them talk let's focus on the crux of the matter. While it has been said that anyone who wants to win a political race in Kentucky must speak at the picnic, what the political big wigs won't tell you (and why would they, since they like everything to be all about them) is that the picnic has very little to do with politics.

What, you might ask, is it all about then? There are several answers to this question. The most straight forward is this: the Picnic is a fund raiser for St Jerome Parish with all the proceeds going to the church to help pay for the programs the church runs through out the year. I can't give you numbers (I'm not much of a details person and I'm horrible with dollar amounts, distances, heights and weights) but I figure this picnic has to be one of the most successful church fund raisers in the state, if not the country. Especially considering that the town of Fancy Farm has less than 1,000 people.

Now, I'm sure some of the more cynical among you will say, well of course it is a successful fund raiser, with politicians giving very generous "donations" when they are invited to speak. But I can tell you this, while I can't say for certain that no politician has ever made a donation to the parish in return for speaking at the picnic, I can say that better than 75% of all the money raised at the picnic comes from the sale of food--the bar-b-que which my family cooks, the hamburgers, ice creams, candy, and snacks on sale, or from the country dinner served all day at the KC Hall. The rest of the money comes from the sale of car chances, tab Bingo tickets, regular Bingo cards (you better get to the Bingo stand early if you want a seat), the kid's carnival games, the 5K and Fun Runs, RV parking, and the country store. If the politicians add any money to the pot, it is a drop in the bucket compared to what is brought in elsewhere. In fact, big political years tend to mean less money for the Picnic for several reasons. First, most of the political supporters bring in all of their own food and drink and spend very little money at the Picnic. Second, large crowds of political supporters tend to drive away the non-politically minded picnic goers, keeping away people who would spend money on the grounds. So, I can pretty safely say that many Fancy Farm residents would prefer the politicians to just stay at home on picnic day.

But if you say the Fancy Farm Picnic is just about fund raising, you are still missing the point. From its beginning, the picnic has been about more than just money. It was about a community coming together to eat, socialize, and just relax. Today it is no different. People with Fancy Farm roots (like myself) feel drawn back during the picnic. It is a chance to reconnect with old friends, see high school classmates, and visit with family. The days leading up to and after the picnic are prime times for class and family reunions because so many people are already in town during that time. For many of them, it may be the one time a year they make it "home" but I know many people who say they would never miss the Picnic.

For the residents of Fancy Farm (and their families) the picnic is about nostalgia and tradition. The same families have worked the same booths for as long as most people can remember with the jobs being passed down from generation to generation. My Grandmother tells stories about coming to the picnic with my Grandfather when they were dating and how you could eat all day and only spend $0.50. My Dad talks about getting $0.25 to spend at the picnic each year and how could buy a squirt gun, and box of Cracker Jacks, and a pop for that price. I remember spending lots of time at the Cane Booth tossing rings to try and win the coveted wooden sticks. These days, it will cost you more than $0.50 to eat, but you can still find old fashioned ice cream and cracker jacks; squirt guns are still one of the more popular toys you can win or buy, and while I don't get to toss too many rings these days, you are still likely to find me at the Cane booth watching the younger members of the my family try to win.

And if I'm not up at the game booths, you are likely to find me down around the bar-b-que pits which is where you can hear some of the most amazing stories. Everyone has a few tales about Picnics past, but very few of them involve the politics.

Maybe what the politicians need to do is to come out to the Grounds Friday night and watch the 1 mile Fun Run or the 5K Picnic Run. They can see the residents of Fancy Farm lined up along the roads and sitting in their front yards to watch the runners come in. Do some of them know a person or two in the race? Sure, but most just enjoy cheering everyone on. They need to come out early on Saturday to see the lines forming for meat fresh off the pits. Perhaps they can find a kid and toss a few rings or play a game or two of Bingo before they get an ice cream cone and some Cracker Jacks. Then they need to stick around after the political speaking Saturday afternoon to watch the band play and maybe dance to a song or two before they head down to the bar-b-que pits where they can sit and listen to the locals tell stories of Picnics past and watch as the next generations build Picnic memories.

After all that, then maybe they, like the Grinch who discovered that "Christmas doesn't come from a store. Christmas, perhaps means a little bit more" will understand that it isn't the politics which makes the picnic special. It's not the ice cream or the band or the car raffle or even the bar-b-que. What makes the Fancy Farm Picnic special are the people. And as long as there are people in Fancy Farm, there will be a picnic there on the first Saturday in August whether or not the politicians show.

Economy is how to spend money without enjoying it...

And Economy is soon going to be how I must live if I want to have enough money to live on since UK has apparently decided that its Staff are not important.

Now first, just let me say that I love my job. I really do. I love what I do and I love the people I work with. What I don't love sometimes is the University that seems to take things over from time to time. UK approved its budget for the 08-09 fiscal year the other day and let's just say that things did come out well for the Staff among us.

First, they are freezing salaries this year, which means no yearly raises. Now I guess that's not really a huge deal until you consider that the cost of everything is going up these days. My muffin mix from the grocery store has gone up from $0.79 to $1.29 these days. That's a 63% increase in just a couple of weeks! And that's just one thing. If my entire grocery bill went up 63% I wouldn't have the money to eat at all. Not to mention the $4.00 a gallon gas that I would need just to get to the grocery store.

And it's not just the cost of groceries and gas that is rising. UK is also raising the cost of parking for the upcoming year. I now get to pay a whopping $372.00 a year to park my car at work. Yea for UK! Let's cut pay but raising parking fees. Then people won't come to work and we won't have to pay them. In fact, the only thing that's not going up this year is our Health Insurance Premium. At least that is staying the same.

UK also decided to eliminate 188 positions. They make that seem like no big deal since all but 15 of those positions were vacant anyway, but when you consider that we've been under a hiring freeze since January 1, the 173 empty positions make more sense.

UK has also decided that in order to save money, they need to decrease the amount of time we have to use our vacation time. Previously, our vacation accrued starting July 1 of every year until June 30 of the next year. After that, we had 15 months in which to use our vacation time (so you had to use it by September 30 of the next year). Now they have shortened the time is which we can use our vacation from 15 months to 12 months. Not a huge deal, but still something of a crappy move on their part. You aren't giving us a raise, at least let us use our vacation time.

Now, the real kicker is this: The University doesn't have enough money to give us a raise, but they have enough money to give our President (who already makes $300,000 a year) a bonus of $150,000 this year. That's 50% of his salary! Who gets a bonus like that? I don't get a bonus at all. Grandly, President Todd only kept $90,000 of his bonus and gave the rest back to the university, but really, who needs $90,000 extra on top of a $300,000 salary? I could live well for 6 or 7 years on $300,000. And $90,000 is more than I will make in two years. Why couldn't they have put some of that money toward UK's staff.

UK has 11,000 staff. Why not give each of us a $100 gas card. That leaves $4,000 for the "bonus" which is still way more than most people I know get as a bonus (if they get a bonus at all). Or just give the money to the parking division and not raise our prices this year. Either way, I will be happy. You can't expect those of us most hurt by the lack of our yearly raise to be understanding when you give someone who makes more than everyone in my lab put together a bonus that is more than our yearly salary. Really, that's not cool.

Okay, I promise I'm off my soapbox now.

Better Late then Never.....

I just wanted to say Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, including my friend John who became a brand new dad at11:43 pm on Saturday night. His little boy Elliot is quite possibly the cutest baby on the face of the planet (although I might be just a touch biased). Congratulations John and Beth!

Also, because it was Father's Day, I should probably mention that I have by far the best Dad on the planet. Sorry if you think that's wrong, but he is. He loves me and puts up with all my craziness and never even blinks when I call him at crazy times demanding things like "Fix My Car" or "Make the Bugs Go Away" or "What are You Going to do with Your Other Daughter?" despite the fact that he lives 2 hours away. He just tells me what to do and walks me through it until I calm down and start to make sense again. I guess 25 years of putting up with me has given him just a little bit of experience to go on.

He's been a little tied up in building his new house lately, and I haven't gotten to see him as much as usual, but he is doing a better job of making time for me and my sister these days(after I called and laid a huge guilt trip on him). At least the huge new house is almost finished and by the end of this weekend, they should be all moved in. Maybe. Somehow I think this house will never be done.

We hope that, when the insects take over the world, they will remember with gratitude how we took them along on all our picnics. ~Bill Vaughan

The quote in my title is from Bill Vaughan, and is very apt these days since for the last week I have been at war trying to keep my apartment free from bugs.

Now before you get all "ewwww, gross" on me, let me first say that these bugs are not of the nasty variety (ie. cockroaches) or the terrifying variety (ie. spiders, millipedes). They are of the OMG they are taking over my room variety. Yes, the insect which has chosen to make its assault on my apartment is the Springtail which is the single most prolific insect known to man. They can reach numbers of up to 100,000 individuals per meter of topsoil. I think they reached nearly that number on the window sill in my bedroom.

Once I noticed the problem, I began spraying the sill several times a day with pesticide, which seemed to kill the bugs there at the time, but did nothing to keep new ones from appearing. Soon, they had claimed the window sill as well as my blinds and curtains as their 0wn. This prompted a call to the apartment office to see if they would have the BugMan come out a spray. They assured me someone would come out first thing Monday, and I figured that I had won the war.

Not so! BugMan sprayed Monday, but Monday night there were more than ever, and now they were trying to claim my bed! Not Good! They had also taken over my balcony. Apparently, spraying for bugs only made them angry. Tuesday I called the office again and got a very lukewarm resp once. "Give it a few days," was the best they would do. I don't know about you, but when I have bugs in my bed, I don't want to give it a few days. Tuesday night, I started sleeping on the floor in the living room.

Wednesday, I decided that a trip to the office was needed as the bugs were still increasing in numbers. I waited until the office opened at 9 and then went to pay them a visit. After much cajoling and refusing to leave until they did what I wanted them to do, I convinced them to call the BugMan again and have him come out and spray the inside and outside of the building. I also went and bought about $30 worth of bug spray myself at Lowes and treated my bedroom, bathroom, and hallway as well as scrubbed down and sprayed my entire balcony. This seemed to have worked pretty well on the balcony, but did little to help the situation on my bed.

Thursday, I asked the office to have the BugMan call me when he arrived so I could ask him a question or two, but they failed to relay that information. Instead, when I arrived home, I found that nothing had been done. This time, I looked up the BugMan myself in the phone book and called them directly. The lady on the phone was very nice, gave me all the information I needed, and even had the BugMan come out that day while I was home so I could show him what was going on and have him spray everywhere.

So, as of today, the bugs seem to be grudgingly giving ground, although they are still present in my window and on my bed. At least they seem to be losing numbers. I am going to give it until the end of the weekend to get better before I start making phone calls again. I will not lose my house to the bugs!

Other things may change us, but we start & end with Family...

I spent this weekend in the loving arms of my family. It was the 33rd annual Carrico family B&B Picnic which, like most things my family does, is a big to-do. In all fairness, though, when you have close to 85 people in the family, everything is a big to-do.

For anyone who doesn't know, I come from a very large Italian-Catholic family. My dad was one of 11 kids raised in a small farming community in Western Kentucky called Fancy Farm. I swear, that is the name of the town--you can google it if you want. I have 28 first cousins on that side of the family--meaning there are 30 grandchildren all together--and there are currently 23 great grand kids with more always on the way. When you add in spouses the grand total of family members comes to well above 80.

Now, I know I'm not the only person out there who has a large family. In fact, I know of several people who have families similar in size to mine. What really tends to make my family unique is the fact that almost every person in the family lives in or near Fancy Farm. My self, my sister and one other cousin live in Lexington. I have two cousins up in Cincinnati and an Aunt, Uncle and three cousins in Atlanta. My dad lives in Glasgow and one cousins and his family who live in Tennessee. Other than that, the entire family lives within a 30 minute drive of each other.


As you can imagine, this means that any family event (of which there are many through out the year) turns into a huge gathering. My Grandmother has anywhere from 60 to 80 people over every year for both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. My Aunt Elaine's 4th of July pool party draws a crowd of close to 50 or 60, and a good portion of the family (20-25 people) cook together at least once every week.

Because they see each other so much, the family is really very close. And I love going down to visit them. I love the hugs. You don't realize, living by yourself away from most of your family, how little physical contact you have on a daily basis. But in my family, you hug everyone when you arrive and when you leave every time not just at the beginning and end of the trip. My days were filled with hugs, and it was great.

Me and my Godfather Richard (aka Sissard)

And I loved getting to see all the kids. I don't get to hang out with a lot of kids in my day-to-day life. But this weekend was all about kids. Kids of all ages from my 14 year old cousin Jailynn to my cousin Kelly's new baby who is only 9 months old. There were games to be played and stories to be told and hand to be held and things to be shown. My sister and I are the "cool older cousins" who live out of town and only come to visit a few times a year, so a lot of the kids compete for our attention. Nothing makes you feel more loved than having four little girls fighting to sit next to you at dinner.

Chase, Trey, Kristen, & Chance

My cousin Aaron's little boy Carson

My cousin's little girl Mallie

But of all the things I love about my family, the thing that I love the most is the fact that they love me totally and unconditionally. They love me because of who I am. They love me in spite of who I am. They love me for who I am. And everyone needs to feel that kind of unconditional love. After all, that is what family is supposed to be about.

The entire gang on Sunday

My cousin Bryan with his girlfriend Courtney

Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You...

So, if you are like me and live in Kentucky, today is primary day. Now, May primary elections in Kentucky are generally about as exciting as watching paint dry since most national elections are long over before we go to the polls and most State elections don't get interesting until the fall. But this year, somehow, Kentucky's vote actually matters. Not that the vote was in doubt--there is no way that a state that chose to be part of the South After the Civil War is ever going to elect a Black man as President of the United States. But still, at least I felt like there was a reason to go to the polls.

Not that I ever don't vote. I love voting. Something about it makes me feel very American. Maybe it's the fact that it is one of the few places you still see the American flag displayed proudly. Maybe it's because it feels like I get to be part of something that goes back to the days of George Washington and Ben Franklin. Or maybe I just like to feel like I have some say in what goes on in this country. Still, I always vote, no matter how small the election or how insignificant the outcome may be.

I guess my philosophy is that if you don't vote, you don't have a right to complain when things go sour.