Lake trail runs

Stuttgart, Germany -- Usually two to three times per week, we run through some trails that lead to three beautiful lakes. I was out there recently taking some pictures of the trails and it really is breathtaking. It makes running so enjoyable and is very peacefull. I am going to have to take advantage of having these runs right here in my back yard for the next month. We pumped out 10 miles on our long run today. The will go up two miles every Sunday for the next month and a half or so until we reach a 20 mile long run. Enjoy the pictures!

Summer of golf

Stuttgart, Germany -- I have been golfing a lot recently and have actually been improving. Yesterday was probabaly the best round of golf I have had in a good while. I drove one ball around 325 yards. Not too shabby. However, I only got a birdie on this par 4 hole. JK. I thought this was a pretty cool picture. Anyway, I really did drive the ball pretty well yesterday.

Americans put the "Boo-ya" in Xray

I just thought this was interesting. I cannot believe that 64% are overweight! Do you find this to be a problem Dad? Is it tough to get some Xrays complete? Check it out here: Krispy Kreme Extreme!

Get your thinking caps on

I had posted some movie articles the past week or so about Superman and Lady in the Water...and that dumb Pirate fiasco. So, I think that everyone should be interested in this one too (as I see from all the comments~). Mark Cuban is challenging America to a movie test. If you can come up with a solution...you get a job. Really. I figure that we all like movies a lot, so maybe we could think about it a while. Check out the details of his movie challenge here: Movie Challenge! . Enjoy!

1.49.15

Stuttgart, Germany -- My first race was an experience of a lifetime. We trained hard and were well prepared by our great coach RC. We all reached our goals as well. RC ran 1.35. and HD ran 1.58. I ran the 1.49.15 which ends up being around an 8 minute, 32 second mile pace.

Two days of rest this week and it training for the Marine Corps Marathon! I sure had a great time training and running this race. It was very exciting along the way with all the fans cheering for you. They had bands and music every couple of kilometers which was nice to keep you going too. What a day this was. I love this stuff!

Blog Revision Update

Summer -- Well, I suppose there are some out there that are finding ways to beat the summer heat. I know that I have seen that it is about 105 the past few days in Oklahoma. It is supposed to reach 100 degrees here this week as well. Anyway, I figured it would be good to modify the blog a little.

We all need a break every now and then and Sean keeps sending me stuff from this site called Break.com. So, I finally went to the site and it is hilarious! You can view it at your leisure too by clicking on the take a break link here on this site.

I also deleted the Cooper 360 blog off the blogroll. He was interesting at first and now I just think he is kind of a Goober 360. So, he's outta there. Enjoy the break site!

The Freak hits Vegas

Vegas baby, Vegas -- I believe that Delia and Chris just took a trip to Vegas in the last couple of weeks. I am sure that Chris was playing a little no-limit and I am sure Delia wasn't. However, our linked boy Stephen Levitt wants to know that for those that do play...how do they process their poker decisions and why?

I am not sure if any of you have read the book called Freakonomics, but it is a great one! I may have lent Dad a copy of it...not sure. Anyway, it makes for a very interesting read. It turns out that Stephen Levitt wants to research and write a little on poker players in Vegas for his sequel to the Freakonomics book. Check out the Blog link on this site (not sure if you guys check out the links or not) or check this out: The Freak hits Vegas!. This should be a good sequel to his first book and I'd look for it soon too if I were you.

What I also like is that I have TheStreet.com linked on this blog site. On their site, they have started a Daily Blog Watch article. Pretty cool if you are looking for some good business blogs. I really like a value investing blog they have written about, but will do more research before I include it on the blogroll on this site. However, they have written about two of the blogs that I have linked here. One is the Freakonomics blog: Freak hits the Street! and the other one is Mark Cubans blog: Blog Maverick hits the Street!. So, I guess you could say that I was ahead of the Street on recognizing these two blogs. Both are good reads.

United 93 soars again

Stuttgart, Germany -- Well, I asked for a good movie and found one aboard the United 93. Beware: bring your patriotic tear box of tissues with you. (Stephen King would hate me for saying that--read back article in Entertainment Weekly a couple of weeks ago--while I am on this side note, those of you that enjoy reading Stephen King books will get a kick out of his weekly one page articles in the back of the magazine ET)

Sorry for the side note, but here's another one: I think that Golden Globe or the Academy will have to give some nods to this movie here. There is just too much emotion not to. It reminded me of watching the Passion of the Christ. It took a single event and took you through the entire thing. It reminded me of when I first watched Saving Private Ryan. Shock and emotion. Powerful. It feels good to remember.

This movie really was like living 9/11 over again. It made me realize how I am proud of John in our Air Force. It made me proud of Keri joining the Navy as a nurse. It made me proud of my parents. It made me proud of all my family, friends and special loved ones. It made me feel proud that I am serving my country. It is a wild ride from the start and really never ends. Two thumbs up from me.

Super-Summer?

Stuttgart, Germany -- I watched Superman Sunday night and it was okay. I think it was a bit too lengthy (almost 3 hours long). Where's that editor hiding out at? I also heard somewhere that it was one of the most expensive movies ever made? These summer block-bustered, main-streamed, all-you-can-eat-buffeted', idol-loving, starbucking, pirate movies are getting out of hand! Where's the good stuff?

I guess I am an artsy-fartsy sucker for Nov-Feb to roll around so I can actually see some quality movies. Today should be exciting because I will be seeing United 93. The reviews are good and I think it will make for an interesting story of courage.

Anybody know M. Night Shyamalan? I'll give you a hint here. Anybody know Sixth Sense, Signs, Unbreakable or The Village? Yep...all movies that kick butt in my opinion. AND...movies that have proven million-dollar money makers! I believe that all were movies that opened at number 1.

I find it interesting that Disney gave Shyamalan the shaft and told him that they wouldn't support his new movie. He writes, acts, and directs all of his movies. They have all made millions. All those movies above actually have made around a billion dollars worldwide. Disney movies supported him in making them all. You would think that since whatever he touches turns to gold that they would just say "okay" to anything he decides to make. Nope...he got the shaft.

It just goes to show you that there is no loyalty. They just wanted a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean so they can market it to the mass. How many times have you watched the Academy Awards and never heard of some of the movies that are nominated. Or seen them! This will baffle me for years to come. I just don't understand why good movies never reach the "mass". I guess the same reason that good men and women that enter politics...never end up in office. Money, money...sho' me da' money.

Anyway, Shyamalan's movie called Lady in the Water comes out soon and I don't think it shall disappoint. So, while we battle the summer heat...I await the coolness of the fall and winter so that I can catch a good flick or two.

July 4th Parade--DC

I thought you might like to see some pictures from the parade. It was awesome walking down Constitution Avenue. Many people would yell for the different services. I heard many Air Force calls. John

Annapolis Lunch

After the fishing trip, Mom and Katrina met us for some lunch. John

Chesapeake Bay Fishing

Hey Family and Friends--I have been playing with the camcorder that Chris got us for Kaleb. I found out how to capture pictures from the videos. It is a really nice feature. I got dad with his tongue out. I guess he wants to be like Mike! It was a great trip. Talk to you later. John

Treasures

Stuttgart, Germany -- I just savored a tasty Klondike Ice Cream Sandwich. I engulfed it really. Most of you know I don't eat much desert, so when I do…it feels like tasting it for the first time. When was the last time each of you savored a nice ice cream sandwich on a hot summer day (...and "yesterday" is not the answer I was thinking of--MOM! He-he)? Get out there and go get one! Enjoy!

Zidane vs Fidel

Hey Check this out: Zidane vs Fidel Castro .

Chicago

You all right bro?...Chicago Subway .

Schloss Solitude

Stuttgart, Germany -- I passed a personal milestone yesterday. I ran 13 miles. That’s right…not a misprint…13 miles. It was basically a half-marathon. We were supposed to run 12 miles, but we took a little wrong turn and it ended up being 13. We ran a beautiful path through forest trails, around 4 lakes and trails, and reached our halfway point. It is called Schloss Solitude (picture) and it is a castle that overlooks all of Stuttgart. It was a great moment. I felt like Rocky when he runs up the stairs and puts his hands in the air in jubilation. It took us 2 hrs to run all 13 miles.

I watched a movie called Click yesterday as well (it was pretty good btw) and it was also two hours. It is hard to fathom that the time it took to sit and watch the movie…was the same amount of time it took to run the 13 miles! Watching a movie will never be the same for me.

So, I guess you could say that I have trained and prepared properly for the Stuttgart Half-Marathon on July 23rd. It is two weeks away. We are to train this week just as we did last week. So, I will have another 12-13 mile run next Sunday as well. Then the following week will be all about light runs and rest! I never realized how important rest is so that you can have fresh legs. My High goal for the half-marathon is 1hr 45 minutes. My low end goal will be 1hr 55 minutes. That is somewhere between just over an 8 minute mile pace to an almost 9 minute mile pace. Anyway, I am hooked! Now I know why John and Chris liked running so much.

My original goal for the half-marathon over two months ago was just to finish. But remember, at that time I had never run over 5 miles in my life. So, I struggled for about the first three weeks. Then it just clicks. No more grogginess. No more looking at your watch. You just run and run and run. The energy level is crazy too! I have energy to do so much more things that I want to do.

So this week I have decided to run with John in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC on October 29th. I have learned that signing up for the marathon makes you train for it. Plus, there is a $ catch to this one. I am going to use this training period for the half-marathon as the foundation for training for a marathon. My boss and I have been researching marathon training and you really need about 4 good months to do it. I still have plenty of time.

The catch is that the marathon is actually full and is not accepting any more participants. However, you can sign up for it if you run for a charity group. Basically, the way I understand it is that you apply through a charity group, pay your $110 entry fee, and then raise the rest of the money for the charity.

THAT is where all of you come in! I guess I am going to have a soliciting moment here. I need to raise $850 dollars for my charity. This is the other motivational kicker…I am running for the Diabetes Foundation. That one is for Delia. So, I figure that if I combine getting to run with my brother, run for a good charity, and run for Delia…then I can finish this race!

Like I said before, this is where you guys come in. Get those checkbooks out and send me something please. It doesn’t matter how much. Five dollars, $20, $100, whatever you feel like. Also, if you can think of any other family that would be willing to give a donation, let me know and I will try to ask them as well.

I will be signing up today for the Marine Corp Marathon. I am pumped!

Italy wins in playoff!

Berlin, Germany -- Italy reaches World Cup Champions! What a great game. I cannot believe Zadine from France! What was this guy thinking? How can you end a great career by going out that way! It was very disappointing from a France point of view.

However, Italy won and I sure would have liked to have been in Rome then! All of Italy went crazy! The entire country was shut down for the game. I sure hope the US can figure out how to join the rest of the world. They said that this final game had 1 BILLION viewers! That’s about 4 times the US population. Unbelievable. I sure am glad that I was able to be apart of this game…”lifestyle” really…over the past month or so. I am a true soccer fan now.

Italy 2...Germany 0!

Rome, Italy -- While I was not in Rome last night, there were plenty of Italian fans downtown Stuttgart at the Schloss Platz for the big Germany vs. Italy game. I found this picture on the world cup soccer fan zone and thought it was a great picture.

Anyway, the slide show has some pics from the game last night. There were over 100,000 people there! About 80% German and about 20% Italian. It would have been great if Germany could have won, but the Italians pulled two quick goals at the end. I was just rooting for Germany so that everyone would go crazy if they won. As you can see though, most were going crazy the whole game anyway! The same thing happened in Palma de Mallorca over this past weekend when we watched the German team beat Argentina and France beat Brazil.

Palma has a lot of Germans there and it was just as crazy there! No matter where I go (Germany, Mexico, and Palma) there are crazy fans everywhere. Whole countries shut down. All I know is that this is and amazing feeling and it makes me wish that someday the Americans will get smart on this idea and unify for our soccer team in the future. We are missing out in the states!

Anyway, I was going to write about Palma, running, and the world cup separately and may later. I am headed downtown again tonight soon for the next big game of France vs. Portugal. I am rooting for Portugal.

Although we partied it up with the Germans last night pretty hard, I hit a milestone in running today. I broke the 10 mile barrier. I almost wanted to just keep going and run the 13.1 miles it takes for the half-marathon, but figured I better stick to our training plan. The half-marathon is two weeks away and I don't want to get injured. Anyway, it was great and I am still trying to swindle my way into the Marine Corps Marathon with John in October. We will see about that. Well, I am off to the World Cup Match! Go Portugal!

Pictures

I don't have a lot of time to write. I am planning my second address from the White House. You can see the shot from my first address! Just Kidding! We are having a blast. We did a capitol tour and then a White House departure with the helocoptor in the background. We are going fishing on the Chesapeake tomorrow. Talk to you later.