Tuesday, October 30, 2012

the little things...

  It’s the little things in life that make a big statement. For example, a simple card for someone after a long day of work or school or a picture that shows the little things or even running three miles for a good cause. These are simple gestures, ok running 3 miles may not be so simple to some but you get my point. Anyways, however small or insignificant you think one thing is, may have a huge impact on someone else. Ok, ok Ill give you examples, and because I want to brag.
    My first came on Friday night. I worked all day and when I got home there was a card from Amber that said simply that she loves me and thanks for being there. Nothing outrageous or over-the-top, just a card that said so little but meant so much. It just grabs you, you know? Another example; amber and I are so good together because we can be alone or with friends, just on the couch or in bar and we always have fun together, its obvious when you see us together. Well we had gone to Chicago back in July with a group of friends and we were out when one of them snapped this photo:

I hate to brag, not really, but you can see the same fun we have together after five years together as we did when we first started dating.
    Moving on from cheesiness. Again, doing so little may impact on other levels. This weekend I ran my first 5K and I even paid to do it. Yes, yes I paid thirty bucks so I could run in a big crowd of people for three miles. Well its more than that. Sure I could have ran three miles anywhere, anytime for free but this was for a good cause. It was for breast cancer research. Now that may have not been the main reason I did it but that’s what the money went to. However, the reason I did impacted me on a personal level. I ran the whole thing. I didn’t walk or even slow down once. I did want to towards the end but I didn’t. It showed me that I could do something like that if I just have my head in the game and strive for the prize, even though there wasn’t a material prize except for a bagel and a bottle of water. I finished in 27 minutes and 42 seconds. One second faster than my cousin. He was the one that got me out there so I blame/thank him for it.


(My cousin Jason and eye at Ohio Stadium, where Ohio State plays, before the 5K on Sunday.)
         Well that’s it for now, we are heading down to Gatlinburg, Tennessee this weekend to hangout with my sister and I have a little side trip planned. I have mapped out a hiking trip from Newfound Gap up to Clingmans Dome which is eight miles climbing1500-plus feet. Newfound Gap is around 5000 feet high and Clingmans tops out at over 6600 feet, so its up hill the whole way. Clingmans Dome is the third tallest peak on the east side of the states. That’s my challenge for this week or should I say my next accomplishment. So until next time, have you heard…..about the bird?

Oh, I almost forgot, I was asked about my new camera. I have a Nikon D3200. 24 mega pixels, 4 frames per second, 11 focus points, full HD video, a thousand buttons and functions that I’m not entirely sure about yet but working on it… and so on. Hopefully I’ll get some good pics from our trip to Tennessee. Here is the link to the stats if you wan to know more; http://shop.nikonusa.com/store/nikonusa/en_US/pd/ThemeID.18145600/productID.252027600


“When word become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.”                                                                                    -Ansel Adams

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Bettlejuice, Whiskey, and Criticism

Lately I’ve come to realize that I can’t watch a movie or look at a picture without… not sure how to put this, criticizing it (maybe). However, when I see, for instance, a picture of a family of five carrying a canoe (we have one at work) mom, dad, two boys and a girl, I can’t help but to think to myself, “all of them can’t fit in that canoe.” Then the thoughts start to tumble.  “There aren’t any seats in the canoe. And the daughter is the only one with a paddle, so are they just going to all take turns paddling. And they aren’t even heading towards any water. Ok, so maybe they are done and they are heading back.” I know, I know, it’s a simple ad to get people to buy into something but for some reason it gets to me. Another example; Amber and I were watching Beetlejuice, the movie, and in the beginning when the car goes off the bridge in a short, slow drop into water where the car floats a bit before sinking that supposedly kills the main characters, that situation is easily survivable and their escape from the car could have easily been done but they still die. I can’t get past it, it just gets to me. The worst is I realize that it’s just a movie or an ad but I can’t help but think to myself. “That could have been planned out better.” Take for instance the canoe picture; if it was me making the ad, I would have put a little more realism in there. First and foremost, seats in the canoe. I’ve been in a few canoes in my life so I know a good canoe has seats. A white water canoe doesn’t but they also don’t make white water canoes big enough for five people. Also a canoe for five has to be long, credit to the picture they got that right. Add a few seats and the picture becomes even more truthful. Second, paddles. The little girl, who is maybe five, carrying one paddle for the whole boat, lets add a few more in the boat while the family carries it. We will give it four since I doubt the little girl actually paddled anyway. Third, life jackets, one or two around some necks and the rest in the boat and now we are almost there. Last, the crew, they look clean and dry. If anyone has ever been in a canoe, you know as well as I that you don’t stay clean or dry. You either get mud all over you from getting in and out or you get wet from either going in the water or switching hands while paddling which water drips from the paddle. Plus three kids, no way everyone stayed dry on that trip. They would be dry and clean if they were going to the water but they clearing were heading towards the car. Ok, ok so I looked way too much into this picture as I did in my April Fool’s 2011 post (http://number1fishblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/april-fools.html)and it probably is partly that the picture is in the kitchen so when I go to heat up my lunch I stare at it and give it my criticism.
            I know that was a bit much so here is the rest of my week. Last Saturday Amber and I went on a date night where we had some Mexican dinner at a delicious place called Cantina Laredo by the Polaris shopping center. The food is excellent. I had fish tacos and she had a veggie enchilada which, I must say, was pretty tasty as well. Then we headed to the Short North district for a cocktail or two at a whiskey bar called Barrel 44 and Amber fell in love with a drink called “New York sour.” Needless to say it was a wonderful evening. Five days of work then its play time again. This weekend we celebrate Halloween by heading back down to the Short North for what’s called Highball Halloween, and we are dressing up, or down in my case. Amber will be appearing as the Mad Hatter with her own twist on the costume while Ill dress as Beetlejuice, now you know why we were watching it. Then on Sunday I run my first marathon. WHAT!?! I know, right? Well it’s only a 5k (3.1 miles) but after a night of surely a few drinks, which I plan/hope to keep to a minimum and I haven’t ran anything close to that distance since high school over ten years ago, I may die. Needless to say this may be my last post.
            I guess that’s my challenge is to finish the 5k, alive. So until next time, I ain’t afraid of no ghost.

“There is hope for the future because God has a sense of humor and we are funny to God.”                                                                                                      -Bill Cosby

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

A razor company once invited George Bernard Shaw to shave his famous beard. He responded with a postcard:
Gentlemen:
I shall never shave, for the same reason that I started a beard, and for the reason my father started his. I remember standing at his side, when I was five, while he was shaving for the last time. “Father,” I asked, “Why do you shave?” He stood there for a full minute and finally looked down at me. “Why the hell do I?” he said.
– GBS

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Bicycles and Cars

        While driving to work I frequently have to dodge bicyclists as they dart from in between parked cars out into the road only to cut me off and make me drive behind them going ten miles an hour which can be a huge pain in the ass when you are running a little late to work. Most days, however, they do a good job staying out of the way and off to the side of the road. Because I live so close to downtown and campus, there are quite a few bikers on the road. I myself ride a bicycle, ok just on trails but I still ride and I respect the people who do and it’s good for the environment. Well any who, I was on my way to work this morning on a fairly busy part of the road, cruising around forty and I noticed a guy on a bicycle on the sidewalk. There wasn’t anything strange about this man, typical business looking guy, shirt, tie, bike helmet. In fact I’ve seen this guy, actually the bike he was on, before. The bike is usually parked outside my office building. I continued on to a stop light where he was able to cross over and go on. As I started to catch up to him, after the light turned green, he came to a car trying to pull out of a drive way/entrance of a building. The car was slightly blocking the side walk so the bike guy went around the back of the car. I was right in front of the car that was waiting to pull out when all of the sudden I see the back tire and legs of the bicyclist go flying high into the air just as I was pulling past the car. I came clear of the front bumper the instant after his hand, shoulder, and face hit the ground and he flipped over his bike. I lost it. Then I felt bad for the guy because I have done the same thing on a trail but then I laughed again. I looked in my rearview mirror to see him jump up brush his legs off and jump back on his bike like it never happened. Later on I walked down to the parking lot to get something from my car and I saw the bike. I laughed again.
            Lesson learned, never ride a bike where there are a ton of people because if you crash people will laugh. I know it has been a few weeks, again, but I have been doing a few things. I went to an Ohio State soccer game, went hiking with Penny, and bought a new camera. I did a little valet work for a couple of weddings and I got to drive some nice cars. Ok not drive them really I just parked them. The cars these days remind me of space ships from movies. There are all kinds of lights and sounds. One even had a display on the windshield. They talk to you and park themselves it was crazy. The first thing I think of when I first got into a car like that was, “What if the battery dies?” Don’t get me wrong these cars were nice but still not my cup of tea. Amber and I were out walking when we came across a light blue 1966 Ford Mustang with the original 289(motor) in it. It was a pretty car. Amber said, “I like that car.” And that is one of a million reasons I love that woman. It wasn’t a BMW or Mercedes, it wasn’t fancy by any means. It didn’t talk, have heated seats, hell, it barely even had seatbelts. And yes she has said the same about some newer cars but the way she said it about this one, more sincere. Like she could drive the other cars but she WOULD DRIVE this car. She said the same about a ’67 Camaro we saw in Alabama. God I love that woman.
            That’s all I have for now, Ill try to post some more pics from the new camera but for now you’ll have to enjoy the one Amber took of Penny (posted down below this post). Until next time, GET OFF THE ROAD (it can mean so much, it just depends on how you want to take it).  

  I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”  -Douglas Adams

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Penny






Amber took this photo of Penny as she was being lazy on the floor.