Another Christmas gone by

Again, have not had much to say of late and I have not been running much either due to some lingering, minor injuries. I did get 5.5 miles in Christmas morning. Actually went out and hit the road in some minor snow and rain but it did feel good to get off the treadmill and get some fresh air for a change. After that my wife along with 2 of my sons took in the new movie 'This is 40' and then retired to Smith and Wollensky's for a very nice meal. The movie was pretty funny I must say but it did seem to lack direction. You really didn't know where it was going at most times but there were some very funny moments. I would not recommend taking your kids to this unless as the content is way to adult and it would be embarrasing as hell to have to sit through some of this with them. Anyway, I actually laughed the hardest at the blooper reel they posted while the credits were running. I was crying it was so funny.
Dinner was fantastic and expensive as to be expected at Smith and Wollensky. I think the total with tip for the 4 of us was about $525. We did do the Oysters, Lobster cocktail and some pretty amazing steaks and desert. Oh, the chocolate cake slice was as big as your head and could have fed a family of 4. It was ginormass.
I did catch the Stones pay per view event a few weeks back even though it was $50 freakin dollars. You used to be able to by 4 tickets to a show for $50 bucks never mind just pay per view but it was worth it I guess. I don't know if I will now need to shell out the coin to see them live if and when they come back around on tour. It's kind of remarkable the tours that have passed through Boston of late, The Who, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Crazy Horse.
I am missing the warm weather, not just from Tulum, just south of Playa Del Carmen earlier this year. God how I love that town.

The needle and the damage done...

And I did miss the Neil Young and Crazy Horse show at the new Boston Garden last night. The Herald review is that the show was excellent and as expected, loud. I have already blogged about Psychedelic Pill, their new album which is great.

Highway to Hell...Sort of

Not sure that I have to much to say other than the running has been way down given the back injury and the turn to cold weather which just makes it more difficult to get motivated to get off my ass and get to the gym or outside for a sprint or two. I think I am down to less than 20 miles this month vs. the almost 90 that I did last month. There was a nice development in the world of music last week as AC/DC finally published thier catalog on iTunes after being one of the last holdouts. I instantly downloaded about 12 songs that are must haves. I have never been a huge fan other than their classics. I am currently contemplating how to complete my Neil Young/Crazy Horse collection. That will most likely push aside any other major purchase for a while. I have about 10-12 albums now but there are many more I need to purchase. I did download Stars and Bars the other day just to get Hurricane and it was worth it. I saw Neil Young in 2009 I think on the Rust Never Sleeps tour at the old Boston Garden and from what I remember it was quite a show. From what I remember.

Perhaps the Greatest Album Of All Time!

Ok so I downloaded Neil Young and Crazy Horse's Psychedelic Pill last weekend and forgot about it and then remembered a few days later. After listening to this piece of art for about the 4th time in as many days, I can say without hesitation that this might be one of my all time favorite albums. It is full of fuzz and feedback and hard ass rock and roll that you would expect from the band but the tone and lyrics will just set you on your ass and make you think a bit. It's full of melancholy and plenty of retrospect I think and it's just an absolute thing to behold. I can't stop listening to it. It made me go back and listen to Cowgirl, Down by the River, Powderfinder and a few other favorites that he really rocks on but this is clearly his BEST WORK EVER!

Anyway, I had to take a week and a half off from running as I managed to tweak my back really bad playing golf two weekends ago. I just got back to the gym this week and I have managed to put in 2 5ks and a 5 miler. I have been trying to alter my running style and get off my heels which hopefully will stop the pain in my heels and achilles. I stumbled across a book that I think most real runners have already read, Born to Run. I won't go into detail now but it was an eye opener on many fronts and I would highly recommend you read this book, even if your not a runner. It is quite the story and quite inspirational. Oh, and Psychedelic Pill is even more amazing in that the beat to most of the music is very metronome like and easy to adapt to a long or short run. I even found on my 2 short runs this week that the music made me want to keep going.

A great album and the iTunes download comes with video versions of the music as well which I have yet to view but can't wait.

Last golf of the year. I think...

Played 18 holes this morning with my youngest son at the Lynch Municipal course in Brookline, which is right next door to THE COUNTRY CLUB in Brookline but a wee bit cheaper in price and a bit further down in the bogs. It's a very pleasant local muni that can score easily which is kind of nice given the time of the year and it was most likely the last round of the year as the weather peoples are forecasting snow at the end of next week. As usual I found a way to shoot my usual game of bogey golf which all in all isn't that bad given that I don't play regularly and only get out about 8-10 times a year if I am lucky. Made some great shots and made some bad ones but it was a nice day out and great to spend some time with one of my sons.

Do Do Do

Banged out another 6.5 miles tonight on the treadmill listening to the Stones Brussels Affair or at least part of it. This is a nice compilation from the tour supporting the new Goats Head Soup album in 1973. Goats Head Soup is one of my favorite Stones albums and what is kind of odd about this recording is that Mick Taylors playing does not stand out like it does in Get Your Ya Ya's Out or the Classic Ladies and Gentlemen the Rolling Stones from the 1972 tour which is an outstanding video in which Mick T's guitar work is front and center. Anyway, if I remember correctly, this was the tour with a lot of very creepy inflatable penises and such with Billy Preston on keyboards. Not sure I get all that but I was only 14 at the time so maybe the 70's were that fucked up.

Hurricane Sandy Douchebags, Chia Seeds and Stop the Madness!!!!

The running has been excellent over the past few weeks. I am almost at 90 miles over the past 30 days so I am very pleased with that but my right ankle is a bit squirrely so that hasn't changed. I am in the middle of reading 'Born to Run' and I would highly recommend this book to anyone, not just runners. It  is a great story so far about long distance running, hidden Mexican tribes out in the middle of drug country. I had no idea that there was this tribe of ultra long distance runners. It's a very interesting story. and I will be buying some Chia Seeds to see if these are truly magic beans.
Anyway, the only thing worse then the political adds on TV right now is the local news coverage of this storm. I realize they have to fill air time but jesus christ, stop acting and talking like we have never seen water, waves and flooding. Fucktards. Given the inclement weather, I will be on the treadmill this afternoon. Oh, and if you didn't know already, a vote for Mitt Romney or Scott Brown will send the U.S. into an apocolyptic hell with tax breaks for millionaires and baby eating indentured servitude for the rest of us. STOP THE MADNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Only Rock and Roll But I Like it...

So the Stones have announced 2 live shows in London and 2 in Newark NJ. Not sure I get the Newark angle but whatever. I checked the premium ticket prices as I would only go if I could sit up front and center and the tickets for London in rows 6-12 are about a 1,000 Sterling so that is around 1,600 USD if my memory serves me right. Put on top of that the 1,000 USD to fly over and whatever you would get raped for a hotel in London those nights and it is clearly not in the budget. Would have been nice to see them over there but hopefully they will tour the states and another opportunity will come up again. I had the good fortune of sitting in the front row when they played Gillette Stadium here just south of Boston in 2004 and I would do almost anything to get that kind of an experience again. I was amazing but as I just came back from London 4 weeks ago, not dropping that kind of coin any time soon. Too bad.

Anyway, the running is going ok, post marathon. My right ankle is a bit swollen and tweaking after I run now. I did a 5k 2 days after the 1/2 and then banged out 6.5 miles last night. I should back off a bit so I don't injure myself but it is so hard not to run. The wife and I biked about 30 miles on Saturday. The weather was fantastic, cool but not cold, around 55 degrees but bright sunshine. Biked the length of the Minuteman trail starting in Cambridge all the way up to Bedford and then jumped on the Bedford/Billerica spur. The Minuteman is all pavement and can be crowded in places as it runs through Arlington center and then Lexington as well. The second half is nice as it is mostly dirt but in great shape with virtually no one on it. Especially those douches racing at breakneck speed pretending to be Lance Armstrong amongst the walkers, skateboarders and kids. Some of them are real assholes.

BAA Half Marathon

So I finished my half marathon last Sunday without sustaining any major injuries. Some soreness in my right ankle but other than that unscathed. I was hoping to come in under 2 hours but I clocked in at 2:03 so all in all it wasn't to bad as my time was 12 minutes faster than last year. The weather was fantastic as it was in the 60's the entire race and cool overall. Much better than the 80+ degrees from last year. Now the quandry is whether or not I sign up for the Boston Marathon with one of the charity groups. I would have to raise almost $5K to join so I am thinking that I need to pick another race to enter and hopefully qualify at some point. Not sure I want to be on the hook for $5K if I can't fundraise it or get injured in training and don't even compete. Anyway, the pictures are from the start of the race, unfortunately I was running alone this year so no after race pictures.

Nothing new to say

Nothing new to say. Glad I made the decision to go to bed at half time last night. Anyway, here is another picture from our trip to Ireland. Didn't run at all Sat or Sun but did get 6 miles in Friday night which is probably why I never made it to the Big Dog 5K on Saturday morning that I was signed up for. T-minus 13 days now for the BAA 1/2 Marathon.

Well I have not blogged for a month or so now and don't have any particularly good reason. The running has been great, I am trying to boost my miles now as I am signed up for the BAA Half Marathon in 3 weekends from today. My wife and I did just return from a long vacation (10 days) in Ireland and England. We started in Dublin on the 30th of August with my sister and brother in law for the Notre Dame/Navy college football game. Game day was great and spent with some colleagues from work for a pre game party and then the next 5 days were just roaming the Irish countryside, staying in some very swanky hotel/castles/resorts and admiring all the sheep. There are so many sheep in Ireland all you smell is sheep shit. It permeates your senses after a while. Anyway, after touring the Ring of Kerry, the Dingle and several amazing rounds of golf, we headed back to London for the last 2-3 days.

The best part of the trip was the weather. It was all sunshine and blue skies which we were told were in short supply over the summer. Something like the most rain in a hundred years or something like that. Glad to be back home though, the cat was pissed beyond belief that we were gone as long as we were, he really needs way to much attention if you ask me. Below are some nice pictures of the trip.

So I have not posted for quite some time and I don't have a great reason why but I have had some fantastic runs in of late and tonight I have a 5k that is set up by work so I am looking forward to this one. On a much sadder note, a friend that I have through work was training for the Pan Mass Challenge and managed to get into a very bad accident a few weeks back and is still recovering in the hospital. Along with a broken collarbone, fractured ribs and discs with punctured lungs, he managed to sustain a very serious head injury. He will most likely make a full recovery but it was disturbing to see him lying in the hospital with all these injuries.
Apparently his helmet did it's job and he would have suffered traumatic damage if he did not have one but it was kind of un-nerving. The Pan Mass challenge is a bike ride across Massachusetts that ends in Provincetown that raises money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and is the largest fund raiser of this sort in the country. They make quite a big deal about it around here. I have thought of participating myself in the past but have yet to do so. My friends accident made me second guess my use of my motorcycle given the inherent dangers in that activity as there was an accident locally that same weekend where a couple the same age as my wife and I crashed and the wife was killed with the husband in critical condition. It might be my age but it brings my own mortality into my thoughts given these unfortunate incidents. Not sure how much longer I want to role the dice so to speak.
Anyway, I have been running a ton and feel fantastic so full steam ahead!

A long run and a pleasant surprise

I managed to bang out a 7.7 mile run Sunday morning which is the longest since I last injured my foot back in late winter. The foot feels fine even after that so I guess a I am good to go. Speaking of good to go, I had a great experience this weekend at both the Apple and Nike stores. My wireless keyboard to my Mac was malfunctioning and my Nike watch stopped synching so I trotted down to the Back Bay to see what I could do about it and I was pleasantly surprised when both Apple and Nike just switched out the defective items for brand new ones no questions asked. This clearly makes the case for shopping both these brands with this kind of customer service. I certainly don't mind spending a few extra dollars on these brands when I know that they are standing behind thier products like this. The Mac keyboard was 2.5 years old and I would not have been surprised if they told me it was out of warranty. The Nike watch was a little over a year old and I was hoping to get that replaced so I was very pleased with the overall outcome. Customer for life I am of anyone who makes my life this easy and painless.

Religion

I am starting 3 hours of back to back meetings but I just came across this while forcing down a quick lunch. I found this to be hilarious and quite accurate. Enjoy. http://theoatmeal.com/comics/religion

6 Hours of Hell aboard an AA flight

I have a few minutes before my 1pm meeting but I wanted to chip in on the fact that apparently NBC has paid American Airlines for the rights to broadcast a completely mind numbing 3 hour clip of NBC sitcoms and NBC promo material on AA flights these days. Last week I traveled from Boston to Miami to St. Croix and back on a 5 day family vacation and was subject to this torture in both directions and both flights. That is a total of almost 12 hours (BOS/MIA/STX - STX/MIA/BOS) of nothing but NBC sitcom drivel. Apparently AA is not all that concerned that most of us were not watching and would not watch if given the choice. I thought that you got a movie or something to watch instead of Rob Lowe and I don't know who or what the other shows were but I can tell you that I will clearly avoid flying AA anytime in the near future if this is their idea of inflight entertainment. I usually fly Jet Blue or US Air and will now stick to them to steer clear of this lack of consideration for my sanity.

So right now I am sitting in St Croix, US Virgin Islands attend of a 5 day stint at the Carambola Marriott resort. This is our second stay here and I highly recommend it if your looking for a nice quiet and relaxing seaside resort. I did manage to squeeze in 18 holes at the Carambola golf course. I would put this place on par with a decent municiple course back home in Boston. The grass obviously is suitable for the climate so it's certainly different from back home. Shot in the low 90'swhich isn't bad given a new course and rented clubs. I think that with my own sticks and a few rounds under my belt I could go mid 80's easy. Anyway, off to the airport.

Not to get to far away from the running but this picture is a riot as it shows a great white shark stalking a kayaker down on the Cape this past weekend. The woman who sits next to me at work was on the beach when this was going down, she said it was the funniest thing to see this guy paddling like an olympian to get away from this shark. What I don't understand is they have been broadcasting for weeks now to stay away from the seals in Chatham because they are apparently on the top of the menu for Great White Sharks. Personally, if someone tells me that there are sharks in the water, I am not going in. Especially if the sharks are only in the water around you because they are hungry and looking for a meal. Perhaps I am overly cautious given that lots of people were swimming there over the weekend.

Anyway, a nice weather weekend for running and biking. I got a nice long bike ride in on Saturday. We rode over to Cambridge and spent a couple of hours walking through the Mt. Auburn Cemetary which is designated as a national park. It was a great experience, lots of history and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is visiting the area. Sunday I managed to slog through a 6 mile run that wasn't very good from that start. I felt like crap throughout the entire run and was fortunate to be able to finish even though I stopped and rested numerous times. 

Had a nice 3 mile run last night on a nice track and field facility that Robert Kraft was nice enought to have supported here in Brookline. I am told that he grew up in town and attended the local high school. I normally run past the track on my usual 5k run to and around Jamaica Pond but the wife and I thought we would give the actual track itself a test run and it was a great experience. I have never run or walked an actual track before, I mainly stick to the streets or trails and this was a pleasant surprise. It felt to be made of densely packed rubber on top of asphalt so it was easy on the feet and legs. The only thing I didn't care for is that your looking at the same scene, lap in and lap out. I do like the variety of a run through the town with different sights to see. Anyway, it was a nice change and the community is very lucky to have the Kraft family support.

What a great weekend of weather that was. I love the heat and it was in the low 90's all weekend with bright sunshine and no rain whatsoever here in Boston. I got out early on Sunday morning and put in a quick 3 miles at a nice average mile around 9:30 thanks to the last 3/4 of a mile being all down hill. I will take any help that I can get. Anyway, on Sunday afternoon we went on the motorcycle out to Shirley Mass. to see Hot Tuna and take in some great food as well at the Bull Run Restaraunt in Shirley. The building has been there since the 1700's and is outfitted with a small concert hall in the back that looks like it holds maybe 200-250 people max so all the seats are up close and personal. We sat against the side wall and were maybe 25 feet from the band at the most. We were there for the first set and the show was great. I was particularly happy to hear Good Shepherd, Come Back Baby and Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning. I could almost hear Jorma's voice and guitar screeching from the Good Shepherd version on Volunteers which has to be one of the greatest collections of songs ever put together. Aside from that, I pulled the set list from Cracks in the Finish, which is Jorma's blog and website. It was special to be able to see a couple of guys who have really been there and done that and survived to tell the tale.

First Show:
1. Been So Long
2. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down & Out
3. I’ll Let You Know Before I Leave
4. More Than My Old Guitar
5. Second Chances
6. Let Us Get Together Right Down Time
7. Barbeque King
8. Children Of Zion
9. Come Back Baby
10. 99 Year Blues
11. Bread Line Blues
12. Good Shepherd
13. Parchman Farm
14. Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning
15. Encore: Embryonic Journey
Second Show:
1. Serpent Of Dreams
2. Hesitation blues
3. There’s A Bright Side Somewhere
4. How Long Blues
5. The Terrible Operation
6. Living In The Moment
7. Mama Let Me Lay It On You
8. I See The Light
9. Red River Blues
10. Uncle Sam Blues
11. Vicksburg Stomp
12. I Am The Light Of This World
13. True Religion
14. Re-Enlistment Blues
15. I Know You Rider
16. Encore: Water Song

http://jormakaukonen.com/cracksinthefinish/

A wee bit late in posting this but I managed to finish the BAA 10k yesterday in 1:02. 5 minutes slower than last year, which is a bit disapointing, but I shouldn't complain given the issues that I have had with my feet. The weather was quite nice but it was very hot going up and coming down Comm ave by B.U. Today I have a bit of discomfort in my right Plantar so I will need to baby it for a bit I guess. All in all a succesful race.

So last week was a very succesful week for running, I managed to get in another 6 miles on Saturday which brings my total for the week to right around 15 miles. No pain or discomfort other than the occasional ache from the right foot so I think it's full speed ahead now. I am running in the BAA 10k next weekend which I am looking forward to given that I had to skip the BAA 5k in April. Weather is looking good, sun with temps forecasted in the 70's right now.

This has been a very good week for running. The weather has been great other than some rain on Wednesday. I got almost 6 miles in on Tuesday and then a 5k last night. The feet are no better or worse, not much pain at all and just a little discomfort in the right foot. Most likely the lingering tendonitis in the achilles the doctor speculated about. Anyway, I have been listening to way to much Bob Dylan this week but I just can't stop for some reason. I don't think I fully appreciated his music or lyrics at all growing up. I started with his first releases and am now up to Blood on the Tracks but I think that Desire has to be one of the best albums of all time. The first 4 songs are absolute killlers, Hurricane, the Rubin Carter story, Isis, Mozambique and One More Cup of Coffee. I have a playlist now of the following:
As I Went Out One Morning-John Wesley Harding
All Along the Watchtower-John Wesley Harding
Knockin on Heavens Door-Pat Garret
House of the Rising Sun-Bob Dylan
Hurricane-Desire
Isis-Desire
Masters of War-The Freewheelin Bob Dylan
Like a Rolling Stone-Greatest Hits
Shelter from the Storm-Blood on the Tracks

So the Basel III NPR was issued yesterday so my weekend is now sealed. 600 pages of regulatory Sominex for the next week or so.

Managed to slog out 5.5 miles yesterday afternoon in the mist and rain. It wasn't so bad as it was a bit warm and the foot held out just fine. I am struggling to keep my wind though, I used to be 9:30-10:00 miler but I am now up to 10:30-10:00 if I am lucky. Not sure what it's going to take to get that back. Anyway, my wife and I went on a great walk this morning, about 4.5 miles round trip from our place down the Riverway to the Fens. Stopped at the James Kelleher Rose Garden. We have probably biked past this place a dozen times and never took a peak inside. I is quite beautiful and well maintained. If your ever in the Back Bay/Fens area I would highly suggest a visit.

The following pictures are from our walk last Sunday in the Arnold Arboretum. Weather was fantastic and the trees were really showing off thier Spring colors.

So I managed to get in another 3.5 miles last night after work. My right heel is still a little squirrely and perhaps I do have some tendinitis in there as the doctor had suggested but I am sure that it is getting better by the day so chin up and move along. Most of my running is in Olmsted Park and around Jamaica Pond here in Jamaica Plain. This is part of the Emerald Necklace here in Boston that Frederick Olmsted designed and built in the 1800's. It is quite nice and even though we are only 3-4 miles from downtown Boston it really feels nothing like being in a city. The BAA 1/2 Marathon that I ran for the first time last year follows the Jamaica Way down to the Fens and back through Olmsted park and then around the pond. It is a beautiful place and is well used year round. This is a picture of Leverette Pond which in the park and is fed by Jamaica Pond. I live just around the corner so this is about 1/2 mile into my run and the start of the park.

Had a nice holiday weekend that was spent mainly with family and friends. Golfed with a couple of guys from work on Friday at Juniper Hills in Northboro on Friday. I grew up down the street from the course and spent many an afternoon on this course. My grandfather used to teach there, he was a Scottish immigrant who was a fantastic golfer. He used to bring my brother and I out weekly and force us to practice hitting balls. Of course as a child you have no comprehension of what he was trying to teach us. Golf is a funny game, it can be easy and fun sometimes but then frustrating as hell at the drop of a dime. I try and approach it as a day outside in the sun and not at work. Time to spend with my son or just a bunch of guys trying to unwind. I don't have new and expensive clubs, not sure that would improve my game at all. I think that sometimes people need the newest and shiniest equipment to make up for thier lack of game. It's too bad, golf can be one of the most enjoyable times to just get outdoors after sitting at a desk all week; not something to get stressed about or upset about a particular score on a hole. That much I took from my father. We used to play whenever we could but as the things go, I was busy raising a family and never had the time, and he was most likely glad that I was and not hanging around in the bars anymore. I would give anything to be able to play another round with him now as he passed away 6-7 years ago. Anyway, I played again on Sunday with my youngest son at D.W. Field in Brockton. A nice little municipal course that is in decent shape. The greens fees are only $27 if you walk, $35 if you ride which for a holiday is quite reasonable. We played with two of his friends that have both been to Afghanistan at least twice which I give them all the credit for. I can't imagine what that was like and glad they came back in one piece, at least physically. None of us played particularly well but there were lots of laughs as we chased balls all over the course. These are the days I think that I will reflect on and enjoy when I am older and my son doesn't have the time to play once he is raising his family. I hope.

Played 18 holes with some guys from work yesterday. Fantastic weather. Was supposed to go to the Red Sox game last night but the holder of the tickets started drinking at 2pm and slept through the game. Apparently there was a bench clearing brawl that we missed as well. Probably a good thing, nothing pisses me off more than spoiled overpaid athletes fighting.

So any one who knows me is aware of my obsession with the Stones. This is a great video compilation for Voodoo Lounge/You got me rockin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84PETdu743A&feature=plcp

Just finished  a fantastic bicycle ride with my wife. We went from our place in Jamaica Plain over to South Boston, up to Dorchester Heights/Telegraph Hill. This is a great place to ride up to. It is run by the National Parks and is well kept and has a bit of history attached to it. Something to do with guns from Ft. Knox being brought here for General Washington during the revolutionary war. Anyway, we then headed over to Castle Island, another hold over from the 1800's. This is the best place to see the USS Constitution when the Navy sails her out and turns her around every fourth of July. The place is beautiful and also has the famous Sullivans, which is an old eatery that is famous for its fried clams. We stuck with the hotdogs as I am not sure how a belly full of fried clams would go over with a long bike ride.

We then continued down the coast a bit further, following the HarborWalk which extends all the way past Southie, past the JFK Libray and then to Pope John Paul Park. It connects to the Neponset riverway which then ends in Lower Mills. We continued up River St. through Mattapan Square back up through Hope Hill Cemetary/Forest Hills Cemetary and then back to Jamaica Plain. Total about 20 miles or so. Tired but the weather was amazing today and tomorrow is more of the same. The picture is an arial view of Castle Island I found on the interweb. Sorry if I poached it from someone else's website.

So the last two mornings I stepped into the way back machine and listened to the UK version of Aftermath which really is an excellent album. The version of Going Home is over 10 minutes and an interesting listen as you don't see many songs at this length from this time period. There are quite a few great songs on this LP, Mothers Little Helper, Lady Jane, Out of Time and one of my favorites, Under My Thumb. This was the song the Stones opened with on the Tattoo You tour in 80-81 I beleive. I saw them at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse that winter. I was at UMass in Amherst at the time and I don't remember how we got tickets but a bunch of us piled in my car and headed out in the snow for the show. I can distinctly remember the opening beats to the song as the show kicked off. Still gives me goosebumps.

Well I had my cortizone shot last Friday and I got back at the running tonight. Did 3 miles on the treadmill and things seem to be ok. My foot is a bit tender I think but I could just be over analyzing things. Anyway, it's a good thing to be back running, I just hope I don't reinjure anything. Need to start getting ready for the BAA 10K next month and then I am registered for the BAA 1/2 marathon in October.

This is the Fullerton Inn where we stayed this past weekend. Very nice place and I would highly recommend it if your passing through the area. Chester is located about 10 miles south of Okemo mountain ski area. Very quiet and peaceful, located in the center of town. We sat on the front porch and enjoyed a bottle of wine just taking the town in. Great laid back experience. The ride out and back was phenomenal. The weather was perfect, 80ish both Saturday and Sunday, fantastic for a May weekend. The bike ran well, no issues whatsoever. There is nothing worse than having issues with the the ride when your hours from home. We took Rt. 2 (Mohawk Trail) out to Greenfield and then picked up Rt. 5 and followed the Conneticut River up to Rt. 103 which branches off to Chester. Great motorcycle ride if your in that part of the northeast but local VT. cops seem to be itching to write tickets so beware.  The other picture is of the CT. river. This is where it passes through western Mass. but its beautiful all along.

Heading to Chester VT. for the weekend on the bike. Should be a magnificent ride today but I think we will be running from the rain on the way home tomorrow. My wifes grandmother lives there, she is 95 years old. Quite an accomplishment.

This was not written by me but published by Jorma Kaukonen on his blog, Cracks in the Finish. This was in response to Levon Helms recent death. Quite nice.

Miss Me – But Let Me Go

When I come to the end of the road, 
and the sun has set for me 
I want no rites in a gloom-filled room, 
why cry for a soul set free? 


Miss me a little – but not for too long


And not with your head bowed low,


Remember the love that we once shared,
 miss me – but let me go 
for this is a journey that we all must take,


And each must go alone, 
It’s all part of God’s master plan,


A step on the road to home.
 When you are lonely and sick at heart,


Go to the friends you know,
 bury your sorrow in doing good deeds,
 miss me – but let me go

Me we all be here for some time to come to smell the roses and dance the dance   

So I have done about 25 miles on the bike the past week but have managed to put 10 pounds on since I have stopped running. Sucks but I hope to be out again next weekend as I am seeing the doctor next Friday and hopefully I can get a cortizone shot. On a second note, we have booked a nice little vacation for this summer. We are taking my mother and grand daughter to St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. We have stayed at the resort before, the Carambola, which is secluded and quite nice. Can't wait but it most likely will be hotter than hell there in the middle of July. Love the heat I do. This is an arial view of the resort. I did a bit of running the last time I was there and it was quite nice to get out in the country

Well I was supposed to run the BAA 5K this morning and apparently I have damaged my achilles tendon on my right foot/leg. I hurts like hell and was no way I could even begin to think about running today. I did 2 miles on Wednesday and had to quit as I was in so much pain. Really sucks now that the good weather is here that I am laid up again. After reviewing the surgical pictures on Google of complete ruptures there is no way that it is that bad but it does hurt like hell and my doctor is out of town until the first week in May so I guess I just sidelined for a while again. Have to hit the bike in the gym hard to keep the weight off then.

For some reason I have been unable to post anything lately but apparently blogger is now working so here we go. I managed to get 7 miles in on Thursday of this week, previously I did 9 miles 2 Saturdays back but have been fighting off allergys or something of that nature as I have felt like shit for what seems like 3 weeks now. I think I tweaked my right heel again though on the nine mile jaunt. Tightness in the bottom of the foot and up the back of the right calf. Can't be good so I am babying it for now. Perhaps another cortizone shot will be needed if the pain persists.
Anyway, I am signed up to run the BAA 5K next weekend and I just signed up to run a 10K in Dedham on the 29th. It's called the James Joyce Ramble. Apparently people dress up in period clothes and stand around reading the works of James Joyce throughout the course. This could be interesting but most likely not. Due to generally feeling like shit because of the allergys I have not been practicing my guitar much lately but got back at it yesterday for a few hours. I can meander through the opening chords of Stairway to Heaven now. At least it sounds like something that resembles a tune. I am acquiring a new found respect for musicians as apparently it takes a lot more time and effort to learn how to play an instrument or I am just lame. Most likely both. This does have to be one of the great album covers of all time, if you grew up in the senventies like I did then you knew what was inside whenever you saw the album cover, the greatest rock ballad of all time.

Did 3 miles Monday night and just finished 7 miles tonight. Everything is in good working order. Downloaded this album over the weekend. Quite a good listen. Very much like SRV. Big Strat sound.

Did 6 miles outside this morning that started in bright sunshine and ended in a snow squall. Felt great, and am ready for the 5K I am running with my son next weekend in Southie to support the Boys and Girls Club of South Boston. It's his first race so I am hoping to be able to keep up with him as he will most likely want to fly. Anyway, after my guitar lessons and practice today, I started listening to Pandora and then made the mistake of researching some blues players on ITunes which usually means I buy a bunch of albums. I was going to try and stop this as I am spending upwards of $100 a month on ITunes these days. Anyway, the album cover above is one I downloaded and it's really a great listen. Very clean recording and very well done. I also grabbed another Buddy Guy and Guitar Shorty as well.