Well I have completed the first 5K of my season.  It was the Dam Run.  I figured I would complete it at a relatively slow time based on the time it took me to do the Mud Run last fall.  I surprised myself and completed it in under 35 minutes.  So of course now I’ve challenged myself to complete the next one in the same time.  The next 5K is the Hilltop Hustle.  If you know anything about KU you are aware that it is hilly.  If you are unaware there is a joke that you can tell the year of the student based on their calf muscles.  So in order to further prepare for the Brew to Brew and the Hilltop Hustle I have changed up my route (and music).

Today I was going to do my 5K loop and call it a day, but as I neared the turn I thought…pah I can make it up the hill.  This hill.  I made it 3/4 of the way up.  Maybe tomorrow.

I’m back in Kansas. This is my third week. In some ways it is very strange while in others it’s great. My mom has been great and we have been going out to eat at all the best places. Tonight we went to Dempsey’s; best burger in town.

I’ve also started running outside. I did run a little bit while in New York. This is completely different. There are hills here. Not just little inclines, but full on hills. I have been on a couple routes so far and all of them have hills. This is good because I’m going to be part of a relay team next month. This is a race from Boulevard Brewery to Free State Brewery. I’ll be doing a 4 mile stint. This will be with my cousins. To prepare I may be doing a 5K on the 27th. If you want to join me let me know.

In other news the NCAA basketball tournament is starting. This year I don’t even need to pretend to work during the games.

My gym membership has officially ended. Have I decided to take a break and go back to lounging around watching Bones all day? No! I’ve been getting up and jogging through my neighborhood. Sometimes I claim to be running, but let’s be honest here: I’m jogging. The weather has been mostly compliant with the exception of today. I awoke to a dusting of snow and couldn’t quite make myself go out. I have a fear of falling and needing medical assistance; lacks of insurance does that. (Sidenote: wasn’t my government suppose to do something about that?)

My point is cardio is good for you, but weights are better for burning fat and let’s face it, I’m no Fiona. So all last month I hit the weights at the gym. What about now you ask? Well I was checking up on my twitter peoples and someone had retweeted a link to Nerd Fitness. I believe it was Art of Manliness (I think of it as art of decent human beings). Anyhow I started reading Nerd Fitness; how could I not it had a photo of toy storm-troopers doing push-ups. I realized that this was the place that had originally linked to the 300 workout; one day I did do 40 floor wipers. So I started looking for a god body weigh workout. Lucky me, I found two. I did the beginner workout yesterday and today…well let’s say I definitely know where my bum is.

The goal for this month is to bust out the 3 mile loop in thirty minutes and the beginners body weight workout in 15. If you want to join me I’ll be the one in the oversized parka jogging along Cypress Ave in Bushwick.

I’ve been busy.  I had my week of music, followed by a week of crazed apartment searching.

First the week of music:

Sunday evening I went to see Streetlight Manifesto.  If you have never heard of them and enjoy a good third way ska tune you should check them out.  I got there just as the first band was finishing up.  Overall it was a good show.  My only complaint is that a lot of the Streetlight fans tended not to bathe and insist on dancing next to me.  Dude! I’m in the back for a reason seriously stop sweating on me–you smell like a yeast infection.

Monday night I went to see the filming of Elvis Costello’s Spectacle at the Apollo Theater.  This was my first time at the Apollo and it was pretty awesome.  The Apollo is much smaller than I thought it would be–television definitely makes it look bigger.  Since this was a filming you had to get there fairly early to get your seat assignments.  Being a loner I got a great seat–4th row!  I seriously doubt you’ll see me in crowd shots as I’m over in the corner, but still.  The episode featured Sheryl Crow, Neko Case, and a couple of others.  It was really quite fantastic to listen to all the music.

Tuesday night was Snow Patrol at the Beacon Theater; another first for me–a show at the Beacon.  The Beacon was really nice and much bigger than the Apollo. Snow Patrol, well, I don’t know if it was technical difficulties or what but that show just wasn’t up to snuff for me.  They were on for the normal 90 minutes but 45 of it was banter and it just wasn’t that witty.  They were the band that keeps saying the name of the town they are in to get the crowd to yell.  Oh it was a long evening.

Wednesday night I went to check out an apartment and learned that there is an Australian restaurant which serves eggs cooked in whiskey.

Thursday night was U2 at Giants stadium.  This story is a two parter.  The first part involves the parking situation and the second is the actual show.  So I believe that the staff at the Meadowlands can actually handle 80,000 people showing up.  They do it every weekend for football season.  Why did they freak out on this particular evening?  It took us an hour to park.  Now, that is not an hour of looking for a place to park, but rather an hour of sitting in traffic inside the complex headed to the gates to park.  There weren’t enough people with orange glow sticks directing traffic.  It was a bit ridiculous.  While sitting in traffic I went ahead and had a beer because it wasn’t like we were moving.

After we did park we headed to the stadium a good 20 minute walk from the car.  Good times.  The concert was impressive.  At least the stage design was.  I personally think it is a two day breakdown for something that size.  Oh yeah U2 was pretty good too (just not the new songs about deleting porn from your hard drive or the one about how vampires are cool if your 12).

Friday was more apartment hunting.  Note to self: people in Williamsburg are strange.

Saturday Jesse wanted to have people over for a bit of a BBQ and a going away party for one of our co-workers.  So there was beer:

And cheesy poofs:

I don’t remember a whole lot of the afternoon due to the beer and partly the cheesy poofs.  And yes those are Halloween Oreos-they are so much better when super fresh.

The next week was a blur of going to different apartments and late night craigslisting but I did find a place.  More on that later.  Because Saturday I completed the Mud Run.

Saturday’s race was the RunAMuck 5K mud run.  Um…yeah.  So the course map that I did look at is below.  Notice it doesn’t appear to be a hardcore hike now does it?

Yeah.  So it was a lot of fun and hurty at the same time.  I’m actually quite proud of myself for the finish time: 52:05 and the fact that I didn’t get lost.  A lot of people did–mainly the hardcore let’s go run 6 miles before we start people.  The water portion of that was billed as no higher than your calf.  Ha!  That was crotch deep water.  I threw away the shoes I wore.

Last night Cake played at Terminal 5. It was an evening with Cake, which means no other bands. Usually I get to Terminal 5 early and score an excellent spot to stand, but last night I was enjoying some adult beverages at a wonderfully tacky bar with some friends. This meant that I arrived with just enough time to use the bathroom and get down to the main floor before the show started. I was surrounded by Enemas! Actually the people to the right of me were cool, but the people directly in front: ARG!

Cake was freaking awesome. It would have been better if the people in front of me didn’t keep breaking the rock concert rules.

1. No large bags!  If you choose to carry your bag please do so in front of you or to the side.  When you decide to get closer and you hit me with your oversized bag when you walk by it makes me want to steal from you.
2. No changing standing position every 4 minutes.  You can dance, bob, tap your foot, but when you insist on moving 4 inches to the left or right every 4 minutes you are fucking with everyone’s sight lines.
3. If you choose to let there be a passage lane in front of you don’t expect people behind you to be happy when you keep backing up.

I know that these rules seem a little silly or odd, but when the crowd is Generation X & Baby Boomers I expect everyone not to be tools.  Maybe I’ve just been to more shows lately so your big night out to cut loose is just another night to me and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t act like the enema-nozzle that you very well may be.  Should you scream, clap, dance, and generally enjoy yourself?  Hell yes!  Just don’t expect me not to get irked when you decide to leave the middle of a crowd to get drinks for your 5′ girlfriend who can’t see anything anyway.  If you wanted to drink you should have stayed near the bar.

Cake gave away an apple tree and played everything, well most everything that I really wanted to hear.  The big closing number included girls with glow-in-the-dark hula hoops and the encore was War Pigs and Going the Distance.  Apparently they will be re-releasing the first album later this summer and maybe even a new one.

In other news I went to the inaugral run of a new running group.  The name is We Run to Eat.  It was fun, but I am not used to running outdoors.  This will make for a fun summer.

And because I thought this was fantastic:

Hipsters, I still love you even though you tend to be enemas

Every morning when I wake up I peek outside the window in my bedroom and listen for the distant moan of zombies.  I cock my head discerning if that is the wail of the living dead I hear on the wind or just another cat in heat.  Today like every other day there was no sign of zombies.

I realize living in one of the more populated cities that I may not make it out alive when the zombies do attack, thus I am ever alert.  If I need to grab a pipe on my way out the door and start bashing them about the head I want to know about it as soon as possible.

Today’s lack of zombies really did bring about disappointment.   Between the terrible play of KU last night, sure they won, but they barely deserved it adn were just embarrassing and all the bullshit of day to day life I was ready to beat in some zombie brains Shaun of Dead style.

The only thing that sort of saved the day is that my beret arrived.  Check it out.  I am so French:

Motorcycle Mike and his lovely bride were in town over the weekend.  We met up after they attempted to go to Rockefeller Center and ice skate; falling down, trying to get up and falling again to land in a heap and kiss as it started to snow.  They actually gave up trying to actually go ice skating due to the massive crowds after 30 minutes.  Anyway we met up in Murray Hill for a couple of drinks and caught up.  It was Motorcycle Mike’s first trip into the city.  He loved riding the subway and staring at all the people.  I realized that I don’t even do that anymore and the city doesn’t seem all magical to me.  Oh well.

We ended up meeting for breakfast on Sunday as well.  I had a huge wrap that I couldn’t finish.  Yay West Village breakie places.  And with that he and his bride were back on an airplane to good old NC.  Side note: did anyone else notice that 90%of UNC’s games are on an ESPN channel.  Yay for following really good basketball teams.

So I have a death-wish.  Well, I do, but I happen to be referring to my continual attendance at the boxing class and my very own personal trainer.  Today at the personal trainer it was measuring day.  It’s been 7 sessions, 6 since we did the first measurements.  I was feeling good, all excited to see my progress.  Oh progress, you fickle fickle thing.

I have progressed.  I have.  I did not go backwards.  I just didn’t quite progress as much as I was hoping you know.  I’ve lost 10 pounds since 7/2 and 1.3% of my body fat.  That’s good.  I, of course was hoping for 15 lbs and 5% of body fat.  Now I’ve really got to start running else I’ll never be an olympic hopeful.

Yes I got 90% of them photographed.  The statues for the All Star Game that is!

I’ve been doing “tourist” things as of late.  I went to both a Yankees game and a Mets game.  Of course I took photos of both stadiums.  It’s just weird to be someplace with a brand new stadium being built next door.  I’m glad I went to both games, and even more importantly the home teams won both days.