The Fox and the Doritos Bag

No, the title of the above is not a children's parable. Rather, it is the story of my Friday night.

When I last left off, on Friday night, I wrote about movie night at the kid's school. I got home and was utterly exhausted; between running (I've been running tons lately), working, travel to LA, etc. I was just wiped out. The wife had to head to the airport to pick up her parents at around 11:oo pm and I went to sleep shortly after the kids.

I woke up (or I should say, I was awoken) at 1:00 am by mass hysteria. Both kids were up, the wife was at home and they were all screaming something about "the creature on the front porch."

Still in deep REM sleep, I looked out the front window, and lo and behold, not but two feet from our front door was some creature with its head nestled in a ... Dorito's bag (not ours, by the way).

The mood inside the house was somewhere between complete bemusement and utter hysteria. I tried going back to sleep and was woken up ten minutes later by a conversation between the wife and the local sheriff. I think the sheriff's words were something to the effect of "Don't worry ma'am, we're pretty sure it will be able to gets its head out of the Dorito's bag by itself."

I was literally not sure if I was dreaming this, or if was reality.

So I go back to the window and indeed, the creature's head is actually stuck in the freaking bag. It's working hard to shake out of it and it's breathing also seemed a bit labored. Either that, or it was really amped about the Dorito's. The Wife starts screaming that it's going to suffocate, and I have visions of having to remove a 25 pound creature from my front door. I'm looking at this thing, which we thought all the while was a raccoon, and I suddenly come to the realization that this thing is pretty freaking big and powerful looking. It was also missing the telltale signs (spotted tail) of a raccoon. Just as I'm trying to figure out what it is, it shakes its head free and looks right in the window and then quickly hauls ass: it was a grey tailed fox. If you haven't seen one up and close, it's one powerful, gnarly ass looking animal.

Another interesting night in the country and an evening we'll never forget.

(PS. We actually have a picture, which I will try to post tomorrow)

ET

Tonight was movie night at my kid's school. It's one of our favorite nights of the year. Everyone brings blankets, pillows, food and wine - plenty of wine (it is Northern California, after all) and watch a movie that's broadcast on the side of the school. It's just a plain old, all-american good time. The weather gets brisk but not cold and it's just a chill scene. Anyway, last year they made a pretty big blunder with the movie; they selected The Shaggy Dog. The 1952 version with Fred MacMurray. WHich runs nearly three hours. Suffice to say, the kids started to get a little wild after fifteen minutes and I can't say I blame them. This year the movie was ET which is without question one of the greatest movies of all time. I'm going to go on a limb and hazard to guess that on average, most of you have not seen ET in at least 15 years. Here's a very strong recommendation: the next cold or rainy weekend afternoon, grab a warm blanket and kick it old school with my main boy ET. I promise you will thank me. There's something to be said about the classics.

On the same topic, last night I was in LA where our client sponsored "dinner and a movie" at the Santa Monica pier. It was similar to the above except with far less fewer kids (and a LOT more wine, as my client is a major Italian wine brand). It was a great event as was the movie: Moonstruck, with Cher and a young Nicholas Cage. I was too busy running around to watch the entire movie, but I did get to watch the last 20 minutes and this one too is also an all-time classic.

Classics. Maybe the above, coupled with some of the "classic" baseball teams making the playoff (Yanks, Red Sox, Cubs, Indians, et al) sets some sort of motif for the coming week.

(ps. I think i have a new sport and it's pretty damn rad. More on this later)

TV Review: Life

I am watching this one now. It's one of these hard boiled crime dramas about a detective who served 12 years for a crime he didn't commit. And now he is back on the police force. And he appears to be pissed off at the world. Where do they come up with these concepts? Anyway, that's all I can tell you for now as it just started six minutes ago. I'm not a huge fan of the crime genre (the exception being NYP Blue and Hill Street Blues) but since I'm in a hotel room in LA with nothing else to do, I'll stick it out for an hour and will let you know if it is worthwhile. Alas,work called and I wasn't able to watch the most anticipated show of the season -- Bionic Woman - but fear not, dear readers, as I have it on the TiVo. Alas, you might have to wait until the weekend for this review.

Not many takers beyond Val and Beno to my TV review proposal. And oh yeah, the Wife promised to review her two favorite shows: Gossip Girl and The Hills. This should be pretty classic.
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Yankees make the playoffs, baby! Obviously, I'm pretty excited about this, but not nearly as much as the Little Man. Next few weeks are going to be a lot of fun but if you aren't a baseball fan, I might lose you on these here pages.
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Great album recommendation: Eddie Vedder/Soundtrack from the Into the Wild. I have not yet seen this movie but am very much looking forward to doing so, possibly this weekend. It's one of my favorite books and John Krakauer is one of my favorite all-time authors. Though I'm not a big fan of Sean Penn the person, Sean Penn the artist and director is perfect for this movie. Anyway, the soundtrack is absolutely amazing.

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This show, Life -- sucks

Dancing WIth Stars

It's great to have non-HBO shows to watch again. Then again, after the Summer TV drought, it's a little daunting to have all these new shows thrown out at me at once.

Given that, I would like to welcome you all to guest blog with your review of any new show that happens to catch your fancy. Obviously, I can't cover them all myself, but I will give it an effort. If you are interested, ping me at howard.solomon@gmail.com. Old shows and new count (that's a hint for you to write something about Heroes, Beno).

First up last night was the new show, Chuck. This has to be the singular most stupid premise of all time. Ready for it? Here goes: nerdy dude works at equivalent of Best Buy. Best friend works for the CIA. Best friend emails him government secrets that somehow gets recorded into his brain. Hot female agent is sent to retrieve secrets, but then decides to help protect him. Nerdy dude has hot sister (which is apropos of nothing, I know). That's it, folks. I am fairly certain my seven year old could have thought of something more provocative. Truly. And yet here's the kicker: it wasn't half bad. It had ... potential. But I am going to reserve judgement until next Monday night because it could go either way.

Next up is as show that I have purposefully and studiously avoided for years: Dancing with Stars. While I am a reality show junkie, I felt this one was just a tad too much. My father raised me to do many other things other than watch Dancing with Stars --- right dad? Anyway, last night the Wife had it on and I was so tired from my day at work that I couldn't get off the couch and it was one of the rare moments where I wasn't multitasking (typically, when i watch TV I am simultaneously either blogging, doing email, reading a work document, yelling at the kids or reading a magazine/book. Sometimes I find myself doing all at once. Totally serious).

Anyway, all I can say is that Dancing with Stars had me at Josie Maran (who, by the way, might be the hottest woman on the planet. I remember her from years ago when she dated David Blaine, but wow. She is astonishingly beautiful. Alas, she also might be the worst dancer in the world).

So, I officially declare that I am in on Dancing with Stars hook, line, and sinker. Silly me resisting all these years. And all you dudes out there -- don't say a word. Just give it ten minutes and you'll understand exactly what I am talking about.

Tonight: Dancing part II and my favorite non-HBO show of all time: Boston legal with House on the TiVo.

More on them tomorrow.

Lost

No, this post is not about the TV show. I actually don't watch that one, though I am told I should. By the way, TV season is coming back this week, so look for many posts on that subject.

Yesterday I went for a trail run and intended to be out for about an hour or so. It was a glorious NorCal September day and I decided to stretch it out a bit. I went my usual Miwok to Coyote Ridge and then decided to drop down to Muir Beach. I then came cross a trail head that i had never before seen and thought it looked interesting. I now know the trails well enough that I figured it would eventually have to meet up with Dias Ridge, which takes me close to home.

So, I jumped on it(there is not a lot of time for thoughtful decision making when you are running. You either take the trail or keep going) and followed the path. I must say that it was one of the most beautiful trails I've run: it took me from open fields, to deep woods (literally brushing alongside the great Redwoods of Muir Woods) and back into open fields. I continue to marvel that I live mere miles from such natural beauty.

The problem, though was threefold: 1. since it wasn't a well travelled path, it was very poorly marked. 2. it constantly broke into three different directions and didn't have arrows pointing the way 3. there were many points in time where I simply lost the trail due to high vegetation/chapparel growth.

Long story short is that after 30 minutes of running (straight uphill, I might add. Another consequence of bad decision making), I recognized that I was lost. After ten minutes more running and no recognizeable landmarks, I had a mini panic. I wasn't sure whether I should reverse course and head back downhill, or forge forward. Of course I neglected to bring my trail map (as well as my cell phone, water or food beyond a gel for that matter). I decided to stay at it and finally -- as in about a half hour later -- came to my trailhead. While this only rated about a 5 or 6 on a 1-10 panic scale, it would have been a bit different if this all occurred a mere hour later, when the sun was starting to set.

As noted, I generally felt like I was going in the right direction, which was ultimately confirmed, but man, was I reminded of a very important life and trail lesson: always be prepared.

Funny enough I was reading the news online this morning, and came upon the story of a boy scout troop that also lost its trail and ended up getting lost for an evening. The troopmaster, when interviewed, said that while he appreciated the search effort and all the attention, he was never concerned as they were completely prepared.

So, the lesson of this all is whether on the trails, or in other aspects of your life, always be fully prepared to the best extent possible. 'Cause it's a good rule of thumb that life (and the trail) will throw you a curve wall when you least expect it.

On Death

Rough week for the kids. First, we received an email Wednesday night from the Boy's teacher, informing all the class parents that sadly, Bob, the class guinea pig, had died. Fortunately, the Boy took this news fairly well. Then, last night on the drive home from synagogue, we were delayed in traffic for quite some time due to a dead deer in the middle of the road. The Girl took this one pretty hard, and I spent the better part of the next hour explaining "deer heaven." Some of her questions were pretty classic, i.e. "what does it's soul look like?" "why didn't the whole thing go to heaven?" etc etc. And to prove the old adage that bad things (i.e. death) come in threes, this morning we woke up to the sad and untimely news that Joe the Siamese Fighting Fish, was officially a floater. His death ironically comes on his first birthday.

Rest in peace Bob, the deer, and Joe the Siamese Fighting Fish.

All of these deaths come near -- or in the case of Joe, on -- Yom Kippur (which is today) which is the most holy of all the Jewish holidays. Rosh Hashana, as I noted previously, denotes the Jewish New Year and is the point in time in which G-d opens the Book of Life and determines who will live in the coming year and who will not. Of course that's an abbreviated description; it's also a time for introspection and asking for forgiveness of past transgressions. But on Yom Kippur, the Book of Life is officially closed, so in essence it's a last chance for us to ask for absolution and forgiveness from The Man Upstairs..

So while clearly Bob, the Deer and Joe weren't fortunate to be inscribed in the Book of Life, I hope all of you -- again, both Jewish and non-Jewish friends alike, are inscribed in the Book of Life this year and many, many, many years forth. And that goes especially for the "cancer crew": Nana, CrazyMama, JT, and anyone else who's out there that I don't know.

Derek Jeter or Justin Timberlake?

I'm trying to figure out which of the above I want to come back as in my next life. What a tough call. I guess I gotta go with Jeter, but old JT is a close second (by the way, the only reason why I am writing this is because the Wife has Oprah on, and old JT is being interviewed and all the women are cooing over him, including my Wife). Now, I'm not the biggest JT fan in the world but I am coming around on the dude. His last album is totally solid and he deserves the acclaim. And if you disagree I suggest you give it a listen. And of course he has dated Brittany (in her prime of course, not the trainwreck we witness today), Jessica Alba, Scarlet Johanson (according to the Wife, who is an authority on these matters) and Jessica Alba. Not bad. Of course Jeter is right there up there with him. And he owns New York. And oh yeah, he plays baseball. Plus my kid absolutely idolizes him (in fact he's upstairs right now reading a Derek Jeter kids book under the covers in bed. He thinks we think he's sleeping but alas, he hasn't yet come to realize that parents are all knowing). But then again JT is still in his 20's and in his prime. And he plays big stadium venues across the world. They are both richer than hell. Tough call but the bottom line -- wouldn't suck to be either. But I'll go with the baseball guy. How about you'all?

(I should have added Lance to the mix, too. Lance would likely trump both)

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Speaking of baseball, the Yankees are just 1 1/2 back. Unfreaking real. they actually might just pull this thing off. It would be historic, to say the least.
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I went to the Apple store today and got to play with the new ipod Touch. If you are in the market for a new ipod, the 16 gig Touch is the one. It is totally badass. I'm sorry they didn't introduce it earlier (as in, earlier than the iPhone) as I'd be an owner, but I'm increasingly convinced that Apple's corporate mission is to make me insane. For the record, they are doing a good job.

Miscellaneous Things

Yankees are now only 2 1/2 behind Boston and closing fast. Woohooo. Fall baseball; there's nothing like it. Now, I still think the Sox will take the division but I also think that we are in their heads. I do not think they'll forget about that Jeter home run for a while and I don't think they relish the thought of facing Chamberlain/Rivera combination. Next two weeks should be really interesting.
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Now that I have gotten over the pain of the half ironman phsyically and otherwise, I'm starting to think about my next adventure. At the moment, I am leaning towards the North Face Challenge, a 50k (31 miles) trail run that will be held literally around the corner from my house This is about as close to "home course" as I will ever find. I'm going to run with my coach Phil and I figure what the heck; may as well run this one for time too. WIth the exception of a flat 50k in Chicago, I've never really "raced" a trail ultra. Anyway, if any of you woud like to join me for part or all of this please let me know (follow the link here: http://www.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/sca_overview.html). Hear that Payro? Wiley? Dad? Speaking of you, Dad, we need you to author a column some time soon.
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Picked up a pretty interesting book the other day, Microtrends, by Mark Penn, who's President Clinton's former pollster and the current CEO of Burson Marsteller, a competitor of my company. Penn is the one who coined the phrase "soccer moms" back in the 90's. In this book, he examines about 50 other fast-growing but "unique" (for lack of a better word) consumer segments (i.e. moderate muslims, newly released convicts, surgery lovers, second home buyers and more) that could have relevance to politicians and marketers alike. I read a decent number of business tomes and I'm inherently skeptical of most, but this one seems interesting. Stay tuned for a review in a few weks.
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Facebook

I sure hope that this post doesn't come back to one day haunt me from a business perspective.

So, I've been on Facebook for about two months or so now. I have a small, but diverse group of friends. I've added a few widgets to my account, I sign on once or twice a day -- and I have to say, I'm not really getting what all the fuss is about. From my perspective, it's definitely not the most "action oriented" site. I mean I recognize the purpose it serves from a social network standpoint and I understand that I probably skew a bit too far to the right of its target demographic (age wise that is, not politically) but thus far it's just not that ... exciting (for lack of a better word).

I will fully confess that I'm likely not "getting it" and I probably need to expand my personal network a bit more to really see value, but until then maybe someone else out there can offer their perspective.

Don't get me wrong, it's not all all as if I don't like the site -- I do -- it's just that I'm not seeing massive utility in it either professionally (I recognize that is not its purpose) or personally.

Anyone under 30 out there that can help me out?

Derek Freaking Jeter

Tennis has Rodger Federer. Golf has Tiger Woods. Swimming has Michael Phelps. And baseball has Derek Jeter. Sure, A-Rod gets most of the glory and is a lock to win his third MVP. Others have better overall statistics. But no one is more clutch, more consistently, then the Yankees captain.

Tonight's game was just unreal (and sidenote, I've basically conceded the division title to the Sox. But it doesn't matter when you're playing the last series of the year between these two teams). I was watching it with the Little Boy (who had a tough go of itself himself this morning in his Fall ball debut. Poor lad whiffed twice) and Jeter is up there in the eight, battling it out with Schilling, who was pitching an amazing game up until this point. "Watch the Yankee Captain," I told him, "he never gives up." And just like that, like out of a Hollywood script, he pounds a towering three run homer over the Green Monster. We went crazy again, ala Friday night (we won't mention last night's drubbing of course). I've long been a Yankees fan myself and at 41 I still get worked up about Yanks-Sox games, but from a little kid's eyes, it's pretty magical stuff.

So, thanks Derek Jeter. Now I truly understand why every baseball playing kid in the world loves you (which is true; even out here in the Bay area, ask a kid who his favorite player is and more often than not you'll hear him say Derek Jeter.).

Yankees, Red Sox. There's not a rivalry in sports that can match it.

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In other sporting news, The Wolverines finally won one, demolishing an utterly hapless Notre Dame squad. If I wasn't a heartless mofo, I'd almost feel bad for ND. Almost. I think Michigan will be ok this year, so long as we avoid teams that play the spread offense. Meaning we'll probably win the rest of our games (big one coming up this weekend against Penn State) and then get rolled in our Bowl Game.

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That was a pretty damn funny Larry David Show, I must confess. It's not my favorite HBO show of all time, but it is consistently funny. What's up with the show that precedes it though, the one about the five couples and sex? Still haven't exactly figured out the storyline behind that one. Maybe it doesn't matter......

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On Baseball

So, the Little Boy has turned into quite the baseball fan the past few months. To put it mildly. In inimitable Little Boy fashion, and taking a page out of this father's playbook, he's jumped into baseball obsessively. He reads nothing but baseball books (to his mother's chagrin). He's learning about the old timers. He's able to recite key statistic of players old and modern. It's all he talks about. And for the record, it's all good by me. I think it's every fathers dream to have a kid who's into baseball. We talk about it nonstop and it's truly been a bonding experience.

Which brings me to tonight. Tonight was a special night: Yankees vs. Red Sox. In he middle of a pennant chase nonetheless. I told him we'd watch together and he was stoked, to put it mildly. I should add that I was as well.

So, I get home from work and it's already the 6th inning with Sox leading 6-2. Bummer I'm thinking. Not the exciting game I had hoped for.

So we are watching together and the Yanks are at the plate in the top of the eight. I tell him "It's never over until it's over. Don't give up hope." And with that, Giambi homers. 7-3. Cano comes up and he too homers. The Little Boys eyes light up. He's never before seen back to back homers. 7-4. Jeters singles, A-Rod gets a hit. Next thing I know the Yanks have gottten six consecutive hits, there's no outs and they are now leading 8-7. And the two of us are jumping up and down, high fiving and screaming at the TV. Having the time of our lives. Good thing mom isn't home (out to dinner with a good friends who's visiting from Chicago).

Flash forward to the 9th and Rivera is on the mound. JD Drew singles and I am thinking "Oh man. Here we go again with the Sox coming back versus Mariano. Poor little boy is going to be crushed."

And then Mariano proceeds to mow down the next three guys, ending the game with a three pitch strikeout, replete with nasty ass cutter. The Little Boy's eyes are ablaze with joy and he says to me, "that was the best game I've ever seen, dad."

Me too, Little Boy.

And so I ask this: anyone have a better Friday night than me?

Race Report: The Big Kahuna!

Couple of pictures from the race (sorry for the sideways and upside down ones. Certain aspects of Blogger are difficult to figure out). Anyway, you'll note one of ye olde steed (she's fast, but not that comfortable); one of the official Howard Solomon Race for Thyroid Cancer race shirt, which the dear wife had printed (next year we are going to run a larger batch for all participants) and surprised me with the eve of the race; one of Hope and I just prior to the swim start; the requisite family shot and one of me waiting to get in the water. I have an awesome finish of me and The Boy which I need to figure out how to post.

Anyway, following is a brief race report for all those interested.

The Swim:

I was super nervous about the swim, to be be honest. If you haven't done a triathlon, the first 100-300 yards are as nerve racking as you can imagine. Picture a great big thrashing washing machine; that's what it most closely resembles. More than 100 dudes taking of at the exact same time (and at Ironman, 1200 people taking off simultaneously) makes for utter chaos. This, compounded with an icy cold Pacific Ocean swim, left me a tad bit nervous. All that said, I've done a ton of swimming this year and decided to take it out a bit more aggressively. Bottom line: I caught a good line and was left pretty much alone. I rented a full suit and the adreneline superceded the cold, so that wasn't a worry either. I actually enjoyed this swim tremendously and was able to swim hard the entire time. I came out of the water in a time of 34:45, which for me is spectacular. I think my best half ironman swim ever, actually.

Transition:

Long ass transition to t-1. I think it was the equivalent of two city blocks. Got to pass the Wife and Kids though, which was cool.

Bike:

I has been told that the bike on this course was anywhere between "flat" and "mild, rolling hills." What a bunch of crap. I should have known better. Californian's have a warped sense of "flat." A California "flat" is an Illinois "alpe d'huez." Anyway, the net net is it wasn't *that* bad, but it was non stop rollers, which were enough to really soften the legs up for the run. The bike course was like you have never seen: literally the entirely ride was alongside the Ocean. It was truly spectacular. I wish I wasn't "racing" so that I could have enjoyed the ride more. Ecycling classses definitely paid off and I felt strong throughout most of the ride. There wasn't a big net vertical gain and it was fairly uneventful, except when I went the wrong way over a railroad track and lost all my incidentals (water bottles, spare tires, etc. etc.) I lost about 1.5 minutes just gathering my stuff. In retrospect, I think the only mistake I made on the bike was I didn't quite eat/drink enough, which came back to haunt me on the run. My goal going into the bike was simply to break 3 hours, and I ended up coming in at 2:52. I am certain I could have gone faster if pressed, but didn't want to cook my legs.

Run:

Which leads us to the run. Running as many of you know, is my strength, but unfortunately for me, I didn't do a lot of it in preparation for this race. My longest run was two weeks prior and was only 11 miles. Beyond, that, my long runs were around six or seven miles. I ran a bunch of bricks (bike followed immediately by run) but think I shoud have done a longer one. I felt really good coming off the bike and made a huge mistake and ran my first two miles fast -- sub 8:00 -- and I knew there was no way I wasn't going to pay the price. I slowed myself down and felt fairly decent until around mile seven or eight, which is precisely when the sun came out in full force. Suffice to say, I fell apart pretty quickly and severely and the last several miles were a death march. Sadly for me, I was in full fledged bonk mode. With the exception of aid stations, though, I never stopped running, which was a goal. I had hoped to break 2:00, but alas it wasn't to be: I came in around 2:01. For the first time in the my 30 plus triathlon career, the running leg turned out to be my weakest.

So, the bottom line: I came in in 5:39 and change; significantly better than I had expected. Not terribly bad for a dude who was enormously hypo just four months prior.

FInal Verdict:

A great day all around. I conclude by stating that I really did derive energy from you all. I knew we had our little group thing going and it provided tremendous inspiration and motivation.

So, thus officially concludes our event. Oh yeah, there's the little issue of money and mileage I'll figure out the mileage later, but let's start my saying I'll personally donate somewhere between $1,000-$1,500 in our collective name to ThyCa. My sponsors (ahem, Dad and Pappa Paul, that would be you) will hopefully make a contribution too. By the way, many of you have offered to write checks too and that is very generous and appreciated but not necessary. This one's on me. Maybe we'll do things a bit differently next year.

The End.

(ps. The wife thinks I should give more $$$ so consider that amount under consideration)

L'shana Tova

Today - tonight, actually - marks the beginning of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. It is a celebratory time, in which according to Jewish scripture, the "book of life" is opened for the upcoming year. It is closed on Yom Kippur, our most solemn holiday, which occurs in 10 days.

I reflect back on this past year which has certainly had its fill of ups and downs -- but mostly ups -- and I hope that most importantly, moving forward we all have our health. At the end of the day, there's no question that health and family are the two most important things in life. Everything else is trivial.

So as we move forward to the New Year, I wish you all -- Jewish and non-Jewish friends alike, a shana tova -- Happy New Year. May all of you and your familes have peace, health and happiness and may you all be inscribed in the book of life.

(Man, did I sound like a rabbi there or what? Sorry if that came across as remotely "preachy")

More Pictures!

Alrightee, more pictures. Starting at the top, we have my brother Neil, and my adorable niece Josie. Next up is Diamond Bill, with his daughter Ruthie and the newest kid in town, Wilson, aka Little Willie. The picture with the amazing skyline view is Nicole Tanenbaum, JT's daughter. Next up is our dear friends from Chicago the Fishers (who we miss very much and who, ahem, have yet to come visit). Mike ran 6 miles, Jenny ran 4 and together the entire family road three on the bikes. Is that one good looking family or what? I can't believe how big those kids have gotten. Way to go Fisher family! Next to last is the infamous CrazyMama with part of her clan and last up is another shot of my brother Neil. I've got one more picture to post, of Lana B -- which I can't seem to download. Also, one other person to add to the mix: my main homegirl from Paramus N-J and one of my oldest friends Val Roth of Portland Oregon ran a 10k race. Really, I am blown away by the success of this event and I'm already starting to plan next year's version. I have some cool ideas in mind. I am deliberating what shhould be my centerpiece event, so I will throw it out to you guys to help me decide. I am thinking it should be something epic. Should I go for Ironman, a 100 mile run, or 50 mile run? Let me know your thoughts.
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On a completely different and more somber note, today, as you all know, is September 11, a day that will always live in infamy. I knew about five people who perished in the Towers and today my thought go out to them and their respective famiies as well as all the other unfortunate victims of this terrible and senseless atrocity.
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On a far, far less significant note, today also marks the one year anniversary of me having my big radiation treatment and being locked in my little isolation chamber. That was a pretty dark few days for me and I am very, very thankful of where I'm at today relative to one year ago.

Wait -- One More!

I'm not quite finished. One more important person of note: my main man Billy Z, aka "Diamond Bud." Yet another Michigan boy. A quirkier guy you'll never find, but he's a good man, a great friend and an even better father. Billy Z actually found himself a 5k (3.1 miles) on Sunday -- that makes him the fourth person to do an "actual" race and inspired by our little event (or so I like to think), Billy ran himself a PR. Word, Bill. Bill sent some amazing photos of himself and the kids which I will be sure to post as soon as I return home from LA.

Speaking of LA, I can confirm recent news reports: it's hot as blazes here. I was in Pasadena today and holy cow, it must have been over 100. And they say things have cooled down the past few days.

That's it for tonight. Please let me know if I have forgotten anyone.

More Updates

The list goes on.

My main man Rob Sellers ran 8 miles yesterday while in Prague, lending an international flavor to our (not so) little event yesterday. See everything I wrote yesterday about Todd and Dave and the same holds true about Rob, who's yet another of the Michigan boys, and one of my closest friends on earth.

On the subject of Michigan guys (btw -- the subject of Michigan football won't come up for a long while, I promise) my other main man Michael Wiley, who's also among my closest friends, ran 7 yesterday while on a treadmill. I hate the 'mill so much that I think Wiley's mileage counts for double or maybe even triple. Wiley is the best; great effort, especially as I know that your feet have been bothering you of late.

My coach and good friend Phil Cutti put in a solid 9 mile effort. If anyone is looking for a coach, particularly those of you in the Bay Area, Phil, who is with Endurance Mill Valley, is your guy. He's patient (he puts up with my constant nonsense), smart, and thorough and what I like most about Phil is he isn't a type A, wound up triathlete. He's laid back but sensible and he knows exactly what he's doing. Thanks Phil for putting me back together after my last treatment and for laying out a smart gameplan that got me through this race is one piece (and in a fairly decent time to boot). Next year let's shoot to shave 10-15 minutes off my time!

Nicole Tanenbaum of Chicago road 15 miles in support of her dad, JT, who as you know is also dealing with thyroid cancer. I'm proud of you Nicole and I can say with certainty that your father is too. Sorry for not posting your picture; I'm in LA and away from my home PC.

CrazyMama walked two miles yesterday with her kids, which is also an excellent accomplishment. Pictures of this will be posted tomorrow too. Great effort, CrazyMama, especially wheeling two kids in the Arizona kid. Much like Wiley, above, that counts as triple the mileage.

Congrats to Lana B, our new SF friend, who completed her first triathlon yesterday in Monterey CA. Great job Lana and welcome to the club; given that you are a seasoned marathoner with Boston finishes to your credit, I suspect you've found your new sport! 31 plus miles for Lana for her Olympic distance effort.

So, I think that's about it, unless I am forgetting anyone (and apologies if so). Some showing, eh? Later this week I'll sit down and do the math in terms of totals; I think the numbers will be very impressive. I'll also let you know the amount fo my group donation to ThyCa.

One last time: thank you all for participating. You rule. Without getting all mushy, it means the world to me, and I hope you had fun in the process? Let's say we do it again next year? Who's in??!

(Ps. Full trace report and pictures tomorrow)

More Props

Boy, this is fun. What's more, traffic on the site is at an all-time high. Ok, more props to those who participated:

-- My main man and former training partner Payro, ran 9 miles and biked 70, to overpower Jeff in winning the "most nutty" category. Way to go, Kid.

-- My brother Scott and my father played tennis for an hour. That counts too as it got them active and outside. Question is: who won?

-- My new hero, Hope Gelbach, finished her first Half Ironman -- in an incredible time too I might add! Hope was the one who motivated me to do this race; thanks for that Hope and incredible effort on your part. You should be really, really pleased with your performance. Now here's the million dollar question: we going to do it again next year?! Chalk up 70.3 miles to Hope: 1.2 swimming, 56 bike and 13.1 on the run (and that last .1 is a doozy mind you as it a beach finish). I have some pictures of Hope and I that I will post tomorrow when I get back from LA (note to self: try not to book early morning flights the day after a half ironman.

-- Former collegue and good friend Kristie Heins Fox ran four miles on Sunday and hiked a big old mountain in Colorado on Saturday, which also counts for something. Kristie has bad kneees, so I know that running is an effort for her. Thanks much K -- you are the best.

I have to run to a meeting but there are a few others as well, which I will post this evening, including JT's daughter Nicole, Lana B (way to be out there yesterday Lana! Same too to Seth. That was awesome), and last but certainly not least, the inimitable Crazy Mama!

People Without Pictures

A whole bunch of other people particpated today, but unfortunately were unable to snap photos. They include:

My brother Neil, who is like my twin brother, only five years younger. He and I have tons in common and he's a great, great kid. Neil was a rising star marathoner himself until his untimely retirement about three years back, so it really excited me that he's getting back in shape. Neil ran 5 in his hometown of Brooklyn, though he hastened to add that with the humidity it felt like 15.

My sister-in-law Penny Gertzberg needs no introduction. I've written about her in the past and she's a very special person to me. She is like the sister I never had. Penny rules: she ran three miles yesterday in the stifling Florida heat and she and my man man Michael, aka "Gaga" as the kids refer to him, walked three more today. Michael is the best golf player any of y'all know -- he is supremely talented. Thanks for being out there Penny and Mike (but especially you Gaga, as I know you don't love to run/walk. I appreciate it a lot).

My cousin Matt, referred to below. Matt is the best. Evidently, he was just going to run a couple of miles as he is just getting into shape and it's hot in NYC, but evidently he got a little lost along the way, and a "few" miles turned into seven! Be carefully out there, Matt. Matt also wrote that this was great motivation for him to start getting into shape, which is precisely why I chose this activity, so props, Matt and thanks for being out there.

My former collegue John Howlett, who I worked with for nine freaking years. You could not imagine two more different people, yet we got/get along famously and I think we both learned that we had more in common than we initially thought. Though I haven't worked with John for a few years, he's someone who I will always consider a very close friend. John isn't the biggest fan of running, but he ran/walked 6.5 on Saturday and biked 12 today, which is an inredible effort for my main man. Way to go John.

Ok, there's a few more I need to get to: Carol Clearly Schultz, Kristie Heins Fox and my main man "The Kid (Payro) but I need a break, so more later.

Race Picture Six: Michael B and Kara

You know "it's on" when my main man Michael Beno takes to the mean streets of Chicago on his bike. I don't even now what to say about Beno: I recall like yesterday (though it was seven years ago) the day he showed up for an interview and all I can recall thinking is "who the hell is this guy and what is he doing here?" I nearly blew off the meeting but Nick Q implored me to give him a chance. I am really glad that I did, too, because not only is he one of the most talented people in our firm, he's also one of the coolest as well and I am proud to consider him a close friend for life. I talk (or IM) with him every day and he always makes me laugh. His girlfriend Kara worked out our company for a while and she was one of our rising stars. Our loss is our competitors gain, becaue she is super talented.

Anyway, if I am not mistaken they went 15 yesterday on the bike and 15 more today, which is a kick ass effort. Congrats and thanks Michael and Kara!

Race Picture Five: My Main Peeps the Christensens

Meet the Christensen's: Meghan, Brian, Chloe and Hannah Banana. The Christensen's are among our cloest friends here in California, and they are just awesome. They live around the corner, our kids are all friends and we do a lot of things together, including an epic (adults) trip last year to Mexico, the details of which I will never tell.

The Christensen's went on a six mile family bike ride today and this is the first photo of a family activity, which i think is just killer. Only thing: get a helmet, Brian.

Thanks for getting out there Christensen's; much appreciated!

Race Picture Four: My Main Man Nick Quirke

Nick and I worked together for several years in Chicago. He then left to join his family's agency. One of the great personal things for me about this blog is that it's brought Nick and I back in touch, which really stokes me because he's a great guy and someone I am proud to call a friend. Nick is the man: he raced 10 miles last weekend, then yesterday he was the race director for the Flossmor 5k, which I think is incredibly impressive. Race directing and volunteering for races is a great thing. Kudos for that, Nick; I could not be more impressed. Nick followed up his race directing duties by running five miles yesterday and then I believe he added six more today. Way to go, Nick!

(I should add that Nick is the father of two of the cutest little girl I've ever seen. Let me know if it's cool to post a picture of them Nick).

Race Picture Three: My Mom, and Cousins Sue and Saul

This picture is probably my favorite. Here's my very own mother, Ida Solomon, who walked three miles this am with my cousins Saul and Sue. I am really honored that my mother took the time to do this today. Rock on mom. Saul and Sue live near my parents in NJ and have been part of my life since I was a wee lad. Their children Matt (more on Matt's race later, which is probably my favorite story of the day) and Carrie are like our fourth and fifth siblings. If you ever find yourself in Ridgewood, NJ stop by their leather goods store, which is a loca institution!

I'll have you know that Sue and Saul walked three miles in the am and three more in the am, which is just awesome.

Race Picture Two: Jeff and Dave

Check out these two handsome fellas: Dave Margolin and Jeff Schultz. Not sure if they are about to start a swim race or if they are headed to Boy's Town in Chicago for a date together but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say they are about to start a swim.

Dave, like Todd, is one of my Michigan buddies and one of my closest friends on the planet. When I was going through all my cancer stuff, Dave was there like no one else. Dave is also one of my personal heroes. He was born with club feet which are very painful and prevent him from running. That hasn't stopped him from living his life though, and he's turned himself into a hell of a swimmer and biker. A nicer guy you'll never meet.

Jeff was originally my client, dating back to my early Chicago days. We hit it off great and over the years have become very close friends. I fear I might have gotten Jeff into this crazy sport of triathlon and he's now in deep: in just his second year of doing triathlons he finished Ironman Wisconsin and this year he had a breakthrough season in which he's consistently finished at the top of his age group. Next April Jeff will take on Ironman Wisconsin. Jeff wins the nut of the weekend award: yesterday he swam 1.5 and ran 10 and today he biked 40.

Way to go, boys!

First Race Picture: Todd Berlent!

Ladies and gents:


Allow me to introduce to you Todd Berlent. Todd is one of my closest friends on the planet. We went to Michigan together and then lived together as roomates for seven years in NYC, until he left me and stole our cats (!). Suffice to say, that Todd is like my brother.

Todd is also largely responsible for getting me away from my old ways (read: smoking 1.5 pack of cigarettes a day) and back towards a healthy lifestyle. I ran my first marathon with Todd and hope to run another with him in this lifetime. Props to Toddie who ran 6 miles yesterday in the humid East Coast heat. Thanks for participating in this, Todd!!!

Mission Accomplished!

Man, I forgot how damn painful these triathlons are, particularly the longer distance races. But, I finished and overall, I was really pleased with my time. I was very evenly balanced on the swim, bike and first 8 miles of the run, until the wheels completely came off (which coincided with the sun making its presence felt). My time was 5:39 and included 35 minute swim, a 2:52 bike (which I was really pleased with as the bike was a bit hillier than I expected) and I'm not sure about the run. As noted, the last few miles got ugly. Highlight of the day for sure was having the Little Boy run the last 1/4 mile with me through to the finish line.

But enough about me. Results are coming in left and right and I must say that this day has exceeded expectations all around. I'll post mileage and pictures as soon as I get home, provided I don't fall into some sort of 20 hour slumber. Again: thanks to all who participated. It really menas a lot. If y'all had fun, I am thinking maybe next year we blow this out into something bigger.

(Ps. Stay tuned for a picture of the special race shirts the wife printed for us four. She rules.)

Greetings from Santa Cruz

Boy, is this town cool. Seriously, maybe the coolest place I've ever visited in the continental US. Much more on this later but man, I could live here. I'm already thinking about possibly renting a house here next summer for a week or two if anyone is interested.

Hours from the Big Race, but the Howard Solomon, Ann Silk, JT and CrazyMama Race for Breast and Thyroid Cancer has officially begun. Here's the mileage tally so far:

Swim:

-- Jeff - 1.5 miles (and props for a great job at the Big Shoulders race in
Chi-town. He kicked ass and finished at the very front of the race)
-- Dave - 1.5 miles (ditto above)
-- Howard -- 2/3 mile (brrrrrrrr is that ocean water COLD -- but I swam next to a sea lion, which was cool. But then again, sharks like sea lions so maybe not so cool)

Running:

-- Jeff - 10 miles
-- April Solomon - 4.5 (which is huge for her; great job, wife!)

Anway, great job all of you listed above. Everyone else: let me know your mileage and let's see some pictures. I have one already from Jeff and Dave which will likely get posted when I return.


In other news, Michigan got blown out today so there goes our season. What a calamity. I'm not going to let it bother me though like the old days; there's far more important things in life. I will say, though, that back in the day I should have given more consideration to UC-Santa Cruz, for a variety of reasons, including:

-- the girls (holy wow batman)
-- the mascot: Bananaslugs. How can you beat that?
-- the weather. Ne explanation needed, especially vis a vis Ann Arbor
-- the overall laid back vibe of this place

Anyway, got to run to dinner. More tomorrow.

Off to the Races!

Ok folks, we are about to take off for the 'Cruz. I hope to possibly write a post tomorrow from ye olde iPhone, if it's not too much of a hassle. Thank you all for your good wishes and I am completely stoked for the Howard Solomon, Ann Silk, JT and CrazyMama Race for Breast and Thyroid Cancer. I think that cumulatively it's shaping up to be the biggest triathlon of the weekend. I can't wait to see what the aggregate mileage is for each discipline. All I know is that between myself, Hope (who's also doing Big Kahuna), Jeff and Dave and we have 5.2 miles of swimming alone. And Payro's 100 mile bike gives us Ironman-level mileage on the bike.

So, send in your stats people and be sure to send a photo. I think it will be a nice opportunity for the small community that's formed here to formally "meet" one another. Most importantly: have fun and enjoy the day!

(PS. I caved and bought the wife a card for the anniversary, but don't tell her. Pretty magnanimous of me, eh? A whole $3.98 card. Might be a nice gift in her future too but please note I suck at gift giving and am open to suggestions ladies, if you have any ideas!)

Happy Anniversary To Me (and the Wife)

Today (Friday that is) marks my 11th wedding anniversary. Since I pretty much forgot to get The Wife anything, I thought I'd try to make it up my giving a public shout out to my very special wife, who I love very much. Like any couple, we have our moments but overall, she's as solid as they come and I consider myself very, very fortunate to be married to such a goood and special person. Last year on my anniversary I was holed up in my room for three days as part of my big radiation treatment (which I felt terrible amount in more than one regard) and this year I am schlepping her two hours to a dumb ass triathlon, but in neither circumstance has she once complained. She's a real trouper, a great wife and a better mother and I look forward to many, many more years of marital bliss.

(Ps. Does that public display of affection make up for my lack of a gift or should I run out in the am and pick up a card?).

(Pss. Hey WIfe: do keep in mind that I am taking you and the family to Hawaii in February. Can we consider that an anniversary gift?)

(Psss. Am I grasping for straws or what?)
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On a wholly unrelated note, I am watching the documentary "Inside Deep Throat" on HBO and it is pretty interesting. It captures the 70's era quite well. Also, I noted today that Michael Lewis' most recent book, The Blind Side, is out in paperbook. If you havent read this book -- and note, like all Michael Lewis books, you do NOT need to be a sports fan -- I suggest you run out to the bookstore asap and pick this one up. You won't regret it.

Well, Well, Well

Word on the street has it that Apple has recognized the error of its way, and will be granting all iPhone users a $100 gift card (which isn't the same as cold hard cash, but a magninimous gesture all the same) towards future Apple products.

Very smart move, Apple. When I posted my feelings on this subject last night, I was unaware of that fact that the blogosphere (as well as traditional media) was ripping Apple hard for this gaffe. From a PR standpoint, giving $100 back to us early adopters is very smart business, and I suspect it will earn them back some goodwill. That being said, though, I stand by my comment that I am over being an early adopter. The truth is my brother Neil is right; all of their products come down significantly inside of six months, and there's not product that can't wait (the exception being, of course, the iPhone).

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On a different subject, what about A-Rd hitting two home runs IN ONE INNING just hours after getting back from the hospital and getting an MRI on his balky ankle? That is straight-up Ruthian (as in Babe) and I think he sealed the MVP last night, which is nice, but what I really seek in a wild card berth and a playoff matchup with the Sox. Bring it.

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This weekend UM -- which is featured on the front cover of Sports Illustrated in what has got to be the most embarrasing cover ever for us UM grads, takes on Oregon. I have to say, I am afraid. Our season hangs in the balance. I suspect we'll either beatt hem by 40 or lose badly -- and thus be completely exposed.

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Today was my last hard workout before the big race on Sunday. I went a little harder than I would have liked, but I feel like all systems are a go. I suffered through some crappy workouts this weekend which left me a tad nervous but I think I'm ready to rock and roll. I've enjoyed the training immensely, but I will be happy when this one is over!

Apple, Apple, Apple

As many of you know, Apple today introduced their new lineup of iPods. I must say that per usual, Apple outdid themselves. The technology exceeeded expectations, the design is understated yet elegant and though I am going to resist making any new purchases for reasons that I will get into in a minute, the new iPod Touch is straight up badass. It's essentially the iPhone without the phone.

All that being said, I am deeply disappointed in Apple and though I cannot say that I will never again buy their products, I will go on record as saying I will never again be an early adopter, even for a product as cool and revolutionary as the iphone. The reason for my ire? They also announced today that they will reduce the price of the iPhone -- which has been on the market the better part of 70 days mind you -- by $200, effective today. And that pisses me off.

Fortunately, for me I make a decent living and can live with the $200 hit. I'm not going to lose sleep tonight over money lost. This isn't about me, per se. But I know for a fact that there are a lot of kids out there who purchased an iPhone and for many of then, the price tag is/was huge. I'm as much of a capitalist as the next guy and Apple obviously has the right to do whatever they want vis a vis their own pricing, but in my personal viewpoint, it's not good business policy to totally hose your early adopters by getting them to pay $200 more for the right to stand in line for days and purchase their products early. It just isn't right. In fact, it totally sucks.

I have followed Apple product announcements for years and I fully recognize that a price reduction was inevitable. However, the least they could have done was wait for the holiday season (which, frankly, would probably have given them even more of a sales spike) before dramatically reducing the price. We were joking at work today that they made this move because they could; they don't really need to worry too much about the early adopters. A key rule of thumb in politics, though, is don't piss off the base and I think it applies to business as well. I personally believe that at some point in time, iPod sales are going to falter or flatten -- probably the result of market saturation as much as anything else, or possibly due to the "new new thing" that's likely around the corner and my guess is that when this happens, they are going to wish that they demonstrated a bit more customer care.

So, all of you who buy new Video, Nano or Touch ipods; enjoy. I definitely would like to check them all out. I might even own one/all of them one day myself. But I can say with a high degree of assurance that this time you won't catch me at the front -- or back for that matter -- of the line on a matter of principle. They are clearly over me as a customer, so the feeling is reciprocal.

(ps. The above does not for one second change the fact that I enjoy the hell out of my iPhone and I still maintain that it's up their with the TiVo as one of the greatest products of all time).

Reminder: This Weekend is The Race!

Reminder all, that this weekend is the big Howard Solomon, Ann Silk and JT Race for Thyroid (and Breast) Cancer. So -- up and at 'em, people.

The rules are simple: pick a day, Saturday or Sunday and Swim, Bike or Run to your hearts content. One mile or a 100 miles, it doesn't matter to me. Based on the aggregate, me and my kind sponsors (who don't know yet that they are sponsors, by the way) will be making a donation to ThyCa in our respective honor.

So far we have a solid response: biggest badass award thus far unsurprisingly goes to my main man Payro, who will be riding 100 miles. Go get 'em Payro! Michael B and others in Chi-tow will also be pedaling. My man Nick Q is going to be running 10 and Brian B. will be representing in Western Michigan. Cousins in NJ will be walking and running (walking is excellent too!). My main man Dave M. will be swimming 1.5 miles in Lake Michigan -- and rumor has it he's even thinking of doubling the distance. A three mile swim is right up there with Payro's century. Paddle hard, Dave. My brother's Scott and Neil -- well, no word from them yet. What say ye, brothers? Come on ex-marathoner Neil: you gotta be good for six miles (three for you and three for Scott).

The wife -- she'll be running. So will the sister-in-laws (right sister's?) and others.

So let's go, peeps. And please send pictures of you either before, during or after said workout, so I can post them all on our very own Hall of Fame.

Good luck y'all and I'll probably send one more reminder/note towards the end of the week. I really appreciate your efforts.

Medellin

WARNING: if have have not yet watched Entourage, you might want to skip over this post.

Well, my brother Neil put it most succinctly: Michigan loses in the biggest embarasment in the history of college football, and Medellin bombs at Cannes. All in all, not a good weekend.

I have to go back to earlier posts, but I think I predicted earlier that Medellin would bomb. It's a great storyline: for the first time ever, Vince might actually find himself down and out. While all in all it wasn't a great episode, it was an excellent plot twist. Say what you will, the writers always keep Entourage lively. Guess we'll need to wait a few more months to see how this one shakes out.

So far as Michigan is concerned, I have nothing else to say beyond my post from the opther day. The only way that team could possibly -- possibly -- redeem itself is by winning the rest of their games. As in, every single one. Beyond that, the season is already a colossal bust. The only consolation I take is I won't have to get excited about us going 11-0 only to watch us self-detonate against OSU and in our bowl game.

All that aside, it was ineed a nice weekend. Highlights included:

-- lots of baseball with the little man, who out of nowhere has become a complete and total baseball nut (which is a real good thing in my viewpoint).

-- dinner and ice cream with The Wife in Fairfax, CA. Fairfax is unique enough in that it probably merits it's very own post. Much like Bolinas, it's a step back into time to the 60's. It's a real lost-in-time hippie town, and despite the fact that it's a small town, there's always something interesting to see.

-- did my first open water swim in the Bay today at the Aquatic Club in San Francisco, which is a real cool spot in the City for swimmers. All I can say is: holy cow. That water is cold. It was 60 degrees at best and it literally took my breathe away. There's certain parts of my male anatomy that I might never see again after that 25 minute experience. I understand the water is just as cold in Santa Cruz, so I went right out after the swim and rented a full suit for next weekend. The crazy thing about that water: from what I understand, it rarely exceeds 60. That's the high end. What a waste of a big, beautiful body of water in my opinion.

Carr Must Go

Jesus H. Christ. Biggest upset in the history of college football and Michigan is on the losing end? Unbelieveable. Am I imagining this or did we lose to a Division AA school?

I don't even know where to start, but I do know that enough is enough: it is time for a coaching change at the University of Michigan. And for the record: I've been saying this for about two plus years. Don't get get me wrong: Carr is a good coach. And he's a better human being. He's done great things for the University and he's truly, in the words of Bo, a Michigan man. But sometimes programs need change, and I think that's what is in order here. The football establishment is rapidly passing us by. The bottom line: he's not motivating these guys. A dismal string of losses to Ohio State. Multiple bowl losses including an embarrasment in Pasadena last year (which I was unlucky to attend). And now this. Enough is enough: for the sake of the program he should finish out the season and then call it a career. And no nonsense about bringing in an "insider" -- we need to go outside the program and bring in an up and comer, preferably someone from the West Coast. I know I'll probably get flamed from some of my Michigan buddies for this, most of whom are Michigan traditionalists, but the time has come, and I think this is finally hard to deny.
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I didn't watch the game, thankfully. Instead, we went to Dillon Beach (look this one up on Wikipedia) which sits at the mouth of Tomales Bay, which is where the Great Whites come to breed. Words simply cannot describe the beauty of this area, which sits at the top end of West Marin. It was about an hour drive from our house, but well worth the trip. On the way home The Wife dropped me off at Point Reyes on the way home, and I biked my way home. Kind of a mistake: it featured some absolutely epic climbs. I bonked on a particular steep climb and went sideways into a ditch. My knee is pretty banged up and bloody - not exactly what you want the week before a big race -- but I think I will be ok. I'm ashamed to admit that I was hammered enough (felt the effects of yesterday's ride on the Computrainer) from this ride that I had to bail and have the wife pick me up. The last climb was beyond gnarly, with about fifteen hairpin turns (literally) and holiday traffic was bad. Didn't think it was worth the risk.

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To top things off, our neighbors, who are our closest friends out here, moved today. Granted, they only moved downtown and we are super happy for them (they've been restoring their home for about 1.5 years so today marks a huge day for them) but we will miss them all the same.
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So in summation: Michigan loses home opener, I crashed the bike and our close friends moved. Lovely day, eh? Well, at least the Yankees won.