Santa Hustle Half Marathon

Before the Race

Stardate 67440.9

12:45 - I like making goals. That is nothing new about me, Focus Foxies. I have always liked setting a goal and achieving it. However, most of my goals are seemingly far-fetched. Enter in my Fall 2013 goal: run a half-marathon. For many people, running a half-marathon is a very achieveable goal. Before this training, I had only run 6.25 miles once and afterwards I was hurt. Doubling down seemed far fetched, but I felt like I was ready for it. I made it my plan to run the Santa Hustle Half-Marathon in Galveston, Texas. This run would coincide nicely with Christmas break.

I also did not want to do this journey alone. I figured 20 weeks of running and working towards a goal could get pretty lonely, so I peer-pressured my sister Kim into running with me. We both were at a similar level of fitness before this journey started and both felt up for the challenge. We kept each other accountable for running and keeping in shape. We mostly had to internet shame because she was/is in College Station and I was/am in DC.

Spoiler alert: I finished!

The previous race's injuries made my training plan from 0-13.1 miles very slow. I mean what usually takes "normal" runners to train for a full marathon, I trained for a half. In layperson's terms, that is 20 weeks of training with a vacation in the middle. I followed this plan. I am a big fan of having cross-training involved, and that plan allows a bunch of it. I get bored easily if I have to just run. Considering my end goal, I realize that previous statement sounds silly.

Twenty weeks flew by pretty quickly and before I knew it, race day was upon us. We spent the night in Galveston before the race in a pretty sad and smelly beach house. That was a whole situation. Kim and I woke up early and topped off our carbohydrate supplies and put our game faces on. My training plan topped off at 12 miles, but that was weeks ago. I was a bit nervous about completing all 13 miles. As soon as the race started, I ran quickly. I mean a minute under my usual race quickly. I was not prepared for that. I would have to say the hardest mile would have been the 13th mile. I did not have a bunch left in me. I still finished and didn't walk any of the race. I consider that a victory. I did have really beaten up feet among other ailments.

I will say that if I run another half-marathon (and I will), I will make sure I train for the actual 13 mile run. This way I have no doubts in my mind that I can do it. Also, a word of advice, Focus Foxies, do not attempt to go full marathon too soon. There is a point in every half-marathon training that you think you can go the full distance. This usually happens before you reach 10 miles. Training  is really tough on your body and your social life. I can't tell you how many times I was at home on Friday night or couldn't move Sunday because of soreness and fatigue. I mean I was constantly tired.

I believe it was worth it.  To know that you beaten what was once impossible in your mind is a very powerful feeling. A feeling, I don't want to give up any time soon.



Brew At The Zoo

Stardate 66866.6

18:21 - Sometimes you feel like going wild and day drinking. Brew at the Zoo is the way to go when both these feelings are running through your veins. You have to try at least all of the beers there twice. The worst beer there is Sam Adams. That should tell you all you need to know about the quality. Most of the beers were animal themed, but here is a run down of the best:


1. Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale - Awesome, I am not a pale ale. This ale hops around in more way than one. Hey-o. I will stop that, Focus Foxies.

2. Harpoon Honey Cider - Nectar of the gods. Enough said. It glistens in the early Summer light.

3. DuClaw Sweet Baby Jesus - Only one thing could beat number two, that is sweet baby Jesus. It is true. I mean a stripper referred us to this beer. That is not a lie, Focus Foxies. More importantly, it tastes like a peanut butter cup. Do not doubt me or our stripper friend.

After we toured the beers, we took the tram to the animals. I wanted to check these awesome beings out first, but the boys wanted to get in line to get into the beer section. I mean they were right because the line was so long. Nonetheless, we had time for the wild. There is an order in the Maryland Zoo. A order of animals, if you will. I know the zookeepers don't let the animals know that, but there is. First you walk into the zoo and spy the prairie dogs. They are cute, run around, and dig. Then you tram like you do up the hill. The hill is basically were it is at. There is the Arctic section and the African section.

1. The Arctic section - your classic foxes and polar bear mix. No penguins. Penguins live South of the hemisphere.

2. The Africa section - you see the giraffes; you see the lions. Then you see the PENGUINS!

Focus Foxies, this is an amazing event that helps out a good cause. You will find me there next year.

Focus Foxies in attendance: Rob, Chip, and actual foxes

Reunion tour in Aggieland

Stardate 66630.3

It had been a long time since I had a proper reunion with Aggieland, and for my 25th birthday, I got a world class tour of the place. You see, Focus Foxies, Aggieland (College Station) had been through quite a few changes since I graduated and went gallivanting off to the big district. The biggest change I wanted to see was the Memorial Student Center. For those of you who may not know my college political career, the MSC was quite the point of contention back in the day. I wanted to see what three years and a bunch of money got us. It turns out, quite a bit. It has a ton of natural light, study spaces, and places to not study in. The MSC was pretty much the living room on campus, and I am glad that it returned to being one.

Something new I got to try was meeting the polo team's horses. My sister, Kim, plays polo for Texas A&M. She is kind of a big deal. We got to watch as she took care of the horses. We met this fun little horse to the left, named Fortuna. We were not bitten, so I call it the beginning of a beautiful friendship. We forgot to bring carrots. If we did bring them, these horses would remember us forever! Horses love carrots, but these horses needed to be in shape for the game.

Found out later this bar was shut down

Later that day, I went to one of our watering holes on Northgate. Pretty much all of the bars you want to go to in Aggieland are on one, maybe two blocks of land. Fitzwilly's happens to be one were you could smoke cigars and buy pitchers of Shiner for $6 (that includes a dollar tip). I met up with my friends Nick and Ashleigh to catch up and remember old times. They were pretty interested in the guy I was dating. Mostly because, they are protective like that.

Stardate 66634.4

On my actual 25th birthday, I had a hell of a time with Mark and Bethany Womack! They took my to
Polly's Cocina for Saturday morning breakfast tacos. There is only one other breakfast food I love more than tacos: kolaches. However, both are hard to come by in DC. I can make my own breakfast tacos, but these are so much better. Plus, they have a little aTm branded into them and chorizo.

The business reason why I was in Aggieland was the chance to be on a panel for the Bush School. We basically encouraged new students to attend the Bush School. It is nice to know that people view me as being a mildly successful adult that can encourage others to come to attend graduate school. I spoke with all the incoming students about what I did in DC, how I got the job, and how the Bush School prepared me for life on the outside.

Stolen from Bethany

Business came to a close, and we went out to celebrate. We fueled up on some epic Layne's Chicken Fingers. I didn't hold back. Five piece meal, double fries because I do not need arteries in the morning. Also, you will not be getting a picture of this meal. I ate it too quickly. We made our way to my most favorite bar of all time. It could not be a better night! We, being older than the rest of the crowd in College Station, got out there early and got my favorite booth. There is something amazing that DC lacks. Booths for people to sit in a pub and have an honest beer. Speaking of beers, check the list below. It blows your mind every time. Every of the time. We drank many beers and had a surprise visit from our favorite Krishna. He promptly got Irish car bombs for my birthday. So good. We even got free Texas glasses for my birthday or Texas' birthday. Yes, Focus Foxies, Texas has a birthday and it shares it with me. Just another reason why Texas and I are meant to be.

This just needed to be large

Stardate 66636

Overall, it was an amazing weekend, but I had a few things waiting for me back in DC. Most importantly, these cupcakes. I loved being able to get back home, even if it was for a little bit.

Celebrating Focus Foxies: Mama Breaux, Kimmie Swimmie, Aimee showed up for a bit, The Two of the Four Womacks I know, Krishna, Old Man Nick, and the lovely Ashleigh. Oh and Fortuna. Kelley Mac provided the cupcakes.

Time to Move On!

Stardate 66614

11:23 - Well, Focus Foxies, this has been a long time coming, but it is time for me to move on from my apartment.  I know I have only been there for a few months. What you really need to know is that I was dealing with a stage 4 maybe 5 crazy person where the best things I could say about her was that she mostly paid her bills on time and did not steal from me or stab me. That is no exactly a ringing endorsement.... 

Luckily I have found someone else to live with in a near by apartment. That someone is the sweet and awesome Kelley! She has chosen to live with me despite my faults and knowing my love of shenanigans. So win win.

I think I am most excited about decorating this new place. My previous place was a dirty cave, but this place will be bright and sunny! I went to town/pinterest to create for myself a lovely little feminine bedroom complete with a makeshift canopy (see above). The canopy consists of Ikea curtains and curtain rods and some led lights (they don't heat up). I decided on purple because I love all things purple.

The next was the living room! Kelley got an awesome purple rug...notice the theme of the place. I painted a bookshelf along with a couple of other paintings for the walls.

Four Boats and No One's Funeral

Stardate 66597.2

Our last day in the Dominican Republic, we decided to visit the South side of the island. We booked a tour that led us on four different boats that explored the Southern coast.

Boat 1: We sailed on the catamaran along the coast, catching wonderful views of the Parque Nacional de Este on land. The National Park is one of the few in the world that tries to protect the whole coastal ecosystem from the ocean to the mangroves to the shoreline. It’s actually one of the largest marine national parks in the region. We sailed on the catamaran until we reached the channel between the main island and Isla Soana.

Boat 2

Lunch

Boat 2: Our second float was just that a float. Our tour guide made a joke about it being what Cubans tried to get to Florida on. So we figured it was pretty sturdy. We took the canoe raft into the mangroves to see the breeding grounds of frigate birds. Fun fact, frigate birds are large and have huge red necks that can be puffed out. They would swoop all around us, giving us the feeling of being wild adventurers. The tour guides were also able to drudge up some weird looking jellyfish for us. They were up-side-down jellyfish, meaning their tentacles were on top. I’m not going to lie, Focus Foxies, I petted one. I did not get stung, but it did feel gross.

Up-Side-Down Jelly

Boat 3: Next, we flew past the channel between the main island and Isla Soana in a speed boat. Our destination was the sand bar where the Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans meet. So they let us out to drink and have fun in crystal blue waters.  We watched as the waves came crashing into the sand bar and intermixed forming some outstanding blue hues. This water was much choppier than the sandbar we were on the previous day. Also, the wind came in pretty strong as well. We just stayed under water with our drinks for warmth. That's a free survival tip for everyone out there.

Boat 4: Our final boat consisted of paddle boat that took us upstream into the main island. It seemed like a trip back in time with the old school transportation and the Jurassic vegetation.  It was as if the boat and river pierced a hole in the gigantic wall of jungle. Focus Foxies, I think we were in the Rio Yuma that borders two providences in Dominican Republic. There is actually no way to be sure. Our guide just dropped off after a while.

As the sun set, I held a rum cocktail in hand and propped my feet up. I felt peaceful amongst the jungle and happy about our last day in the Dominican Republic.

The Final Frontier in a Theater Near You

Stardate 66382.3

20:26 - There has been many questions as to why this blog is called a 'log.' Most of those people are not fans of such legendary shows as Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica. Everyone of their crew writes a log to make sure everything is recorded for future generations. Therefore, like their logs, my log is for anyone who will listen.


So far we established my nerdiness, but you haven't seen nothing yet. Last night I took it to another level. Star Trek: The Next Generation came out on DVD with its episodes digitally enhanced. To celebrate, they released a few episodes along with cast interviews. I found a few a friends to come along with me. By friends, I mean a random group of people organized by the internet.

Just brewing away

My Mentor

We met up for drinks beforehand in Ballston. Our bar of choice was Rock Bottom. It a pretty cool chain restaurant that specializes in brewing its own beer. Literally, it is right behind the bar. They have everything you could want in a bar: decent beer, great prices ($3 a beer), and great TV screens. I tried their winter specialty Winter Tartan. The draft featured a Scottish snowman. How could I go wrong? It was a bit darker than I was used to, but oh well. I mean the Scottish snowman solved that problem. How?  I don't even know. I don't question the Scottish snowman. Focus Foxies, you are probably wondering how many did I have. One. Time for the movie...

The featured show was more than I could ever hope for. They did an extended version of the episode The Measure of a Man. For those non-informed Focus Foxies, The Measure of a Man has a trial that debates the merits of Data (the andriod) being a sentient being. Having the distinction of sentient being has major benefits, mainly you get to decide your future. Data was fighting for his very life against a scientist who wanted to dismantle him and study him. Another episode they showed was equally as important was a 'Q' episode. The 'Q' is a space entity with almost limitless power. Well, an individual from the 'Q' (called 'Q' which can be confusing) has the crew brush with destiny in the form of the Borg. The Borg are a fearsome race of beings that form a larger conscious 'being.' They act in unison to take over every other race and take their technology, lives, and knowledge for The Borg's own. Basically, they are scary as hell on the small screen, but absolutely terrifying on the big screen.

In between the episodes, they showed an interview with the whole cast. I have to say the biggest surprise was from Michael Dorn who played Worf the Klingon. You would think his personality would at least resemble his on screen category. Absolutely not. Unlike Worf, he was done right delightful with hipster glasses to boot. It was fun to see everyone about twenty-five years later still be in sync and still devoted to the fans. They has to get annoying after a while, but they still do it for us!

Star Trek Fanatic Focus Foxies: Caitlin (she knew everybody) our fearless organizer, Paul, Ben, Lisa, and Amy. Yes, the girls outnumbered the boys. 

Colder Weather

Stardate 66255.3

12:40 - On Friday (Stardate 66248), some friends and I went to see the Zac Brown Band. Since they're one of my favorite bands, I was thrilled to get a last minute ticket to the show. So we drove until the city lights dissolved into a country sky to arrive at the Jiffy Lube Live Amphitheater. 

Before any good concert, you must tailgate; it simply is a fact. My well-prepared friends brought hot dogs, chicken, and beer. Also, they brought a grill. Class acts, all of them. We sicced Justin on the chicken, and we relaxed with cold beer in our hands. Life was good. Speaking of being prepared, they brought jackets. I did not. I had no forethought and did not believe that the weather would drop to forty degrees. With only a scarf and a long sleeve shirt, I was stuck in colder weather. 

It was seriously cold. Seriously.

Zac Brown Band has an amazing group of musicians with a wide range of talents, skills, and musical instruments  They go beyond standard country music; they represent every sub-genre of country that I love.  They blend Southern Rock, Caribbean, folk, blue grass, and gospel harmoniously together. My favorite aspect of Zac Brown Band is that their music inspires you to jump right in. Their music pulls you in and does not let you go until they are good and ready to. They never take themselves too seriously. My favorite part is how effortless they make it look. Music, much like life, is too easy to be so damn complicated. They just play whatever they want, however they want to.

Girls' Photo

Focus Foxies, you can understand why I would be excited about seeing Zac Brown Band live. Believe you, me they do not disappoint. They played for over an hour and a half. Their play list was half album hits, half jam session craziness. The whole musical experience just washed over me and helped to put the outside world away for a minute. It felt great to pretend that I didn't live in it. The only worry in world was when the music was going to stop. Eventually their main set did; then, they had a dueling drum solos; then, they came back onstage for an encore. They are that awesome. True story.

After the encore, we saw goodbye in their eyes; we didn't think we could change it. They had to be on the road to their next stop, and couldn't wait around for us. We never questioned why; they just kept chasing those melodies across the US. We were just thankful they stopped by our town. The next time Zac Brown Band comes back by, keep them in mind. I know I will be waiting. In my humble opinion, live music, good friends, and beer are the keys to paradise. 

Focus Foxies in attendance: Justin (Ticket Purchaser), Alex (Photo Queen), Rachael, Kara, and some dude named Thomas?

Stage Presence

Stardate 66174.8

02:45 - We planned to make the last day on the ship Legen.. wait for it, and I hope you are not lactose intolerant….

We started out with brunch. Because alcohol costs money on board, we used our winnings to make mimosas. We had our mimosas, piles of food, and trivia. Always with the trivia. Rob’s team ended up winning Pictionary, but this day was all about winning. Rob and I had a bunch of time on stage and in the spotlight.

 

I made it to the spotlight by way of towel animals. Carnival had a class on how to make towel animals. I had been dying to know how to make them. During the class, I got up on stage and made a dog, an elephant and a couple of seals. Also notice the Aggie pride. That is the day we mopped the floor with SMU.

Rob’s time came when he got to show off his karaoke skills. He won a competition to be Elton John on the Carnival Legends show. They dressed him up, and he performed Crocodile Rock. He has come a long way from the third place win when we met.

Winning!

Our last act of the day was to gamble. Both of us do not really gamble. In fact, Focus Foxies, I had never gambled. We had two coupons for a $5 match, so we took a chance. It was the last day on the ship. We took $20 and gambled away on Black Jack. Let me tell you, we were so successful. We took $20 and made it into $70. This holds the second spot for best $20 spent on the cruise!

Dairy. It was legendary. The whole cruise was awesome. True Story. If I had to pick my favorite part it would be Grand Turk. My least favorite part was final debarkation. Rob and I made good travel buddies. I can’t wait for our next trip!