Marathon Minutes
by MattLadies and Gentlemen, the time has arrived. A THIRD marathon training plan. After a tough training plan last time due to injuries I never encountered before (knee and outside of my foot) along with my usual injury (right shin), I was determined to be healthy and build some confidence going into my hometown marathon. The entire month of June and July were very, very focused. Running nearly every day and resting well, I logged 7 miles a day consistently building up my mileage base. I set my hopes and dreams on the very prestigious sub-four hour marathon. Yes, I am planning on 3:59:59. Can it be done? Well, sure. The first time around during training, I envisioned myself crossing the finish line. I could smell it, see it. I even day dreamed that I shocked the world and even won the whole thing. Well, that didn't happen. The second time around, I didn't visualize anything. I had been there before and been to the promised land. With my 3 injuries I mentioned, it was tough to get excited. If it wasn't for the experience I had running the first one, I would have never finished the 2nd marathon due to horrible knee pain. So now? During those June and July confidence-building months, I could see it and smell it again! Not bloody nips or black toenails....but me crossing the finish line with 3:59 on the clock above me. In order to do this, I need to be quicker, faster, and resemble a Kenyan. I'm on my way. Next, I'm following the 3:59 marathon training plan from Runner's World. If followed, I'm sure to break 4 hours.
Week 1 of 16..... let's go.
Monday: Day of Rest
Okay? First day of training a rest day? I'll take it. Normally, I would be running seven miles.
Tuesday: 4 miles, 10 min/mile
Easy enough. I'm also used to running 7 miles on Tuesdays. I ran 4 on the treadmill. The dream is still intact. It felt good knowing I was running the first of MANY miles in the training plan.
Wednesday: 4 miles, hills
I have this huge mile long climbing hill right by my house. I misread the plan and thought I was supposed to run them at 10/min miles as well. Nope! It doesn't specify. That was the fastest I've ever run up and down that hill. Plus, it was about 100 degrees and the most humid day of the week. I came home and had to lay down.
Thursday: Rest
Okay... I'll take it. Plus, I had a busy day.
Friday: 4 miles 10/min miles
What the hell happened to me? I have extreme soreness in my right leg. Not exactly my old friend shin problem. It's more of a sore spot instead of a pain. I only could finish two miles before limping off the treadmill.
Saturday: (Long Run substituted due to my Sunday morning needed for recovery from Ganter and Courtney's wedding) 9 miles
Ah, Kelly drive, my old friend. I will return. This is something I missed for the most part in my 2nd training. After popping some Advils, I feel that I will be ready. Update coming soon.
Here's a picture just for Jon:
Jon’s World Cups
by Jon HassingerAs long as I can remember, this was the standard size cup I required for nice glass of water. Perhaps a refill or two, but nothing more, nothing less.
Then I traded glass for plastic, due to the safety factor.
This and the next 2 cups were taken from the Koons' residence, after blurry Sunday-Funday exits.
And this is from Renee's short stint at a West Virginia University Sorority.
But now, I have found my true love:
Avatar: The Last Airbender
by Mike Agnew Jr.A few weeks ago, after watching Avatar: The Smurf Ferngully, Amanda and I found this original Avatar cartoon on Netflix. I say original because it ran during 2004-2008 whereas Avatar just came out in 2009. But, I'm sure James Cameron would put up a fuss that he thought of it first. Whatever. He can have it. He'll never let go. Anyway, we are not talking about tribal people with plug and play dreads. We are talking about the Last Air Bender. I had heard of this TV show before but wrote it off as another Pokemon/YuGiOh regurgitated kid-hypnotizing crap. I could not have been more wrong.
From the first episode I was hooked. Here's the gist of the story.
Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Prince Zuko
Avatar starts off as many stories do. There is great unrest and a chosen leader is born and must lead the people of the world to rise up and overthrow a great evil. Avatar takes place in a world that is split into 4 different nations: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. Goooo Planet! But before you go looking for 
Matee and his useless heart power ring, this show is no Captain Planet remake. There is a power called "bending" that allows the people of these different lands to control their elements. It is also important to note that not everyone has these powers. It is just a random occurrence in the different tribes. This bending power is awesome, it really is. Sure, it starts off with throwing rocks and balls of water but as the characters learn and train, their bending becomes way more advanced. Take water bending for instance. Sure, you can move water but what about freezing someone running at you in mid-step? And how much water is in your body? What would happen if a water bender started to bend the water inside you? I like to think of myself as a creative person but some of the inventive bends even made me go, "I would never have thought to do that. Even the Green Lantern would have been put to shame.
Avatar State = Run Away
As far as the writing goes, we all know that no show can compare to LOST, (this has been scientifically proven) but Avatar definitely has a very LOST-like/Star Wars-like storyline. The main character, Aang (sounded out Fran Lang), is a young boy who, as the Avatar, is destined to bring balance to the force. As the Avatar he is the only that has the power to bend all 4 elements. Each season of the show, referred to as Books, cover Aang's journey to learn and master these abilities.
Although the show is named after the Avatar, he is not the main character. No one really is. It would be like saying Captain Kirk is the main character of Star Trek or Jack is the main character of LOST. We root for who we root for. And like LOST, each character has their own back-story, some even with their own flashbacks. The stories come together by the end of the 3 book series very nicely. Along the way, there are many twists and turns and just when you think you have got the story figured out, you will be wrong.
Right now all 3 Books of Avatar are available on Netflix and Netflix on Demand. I give them 5 out of 5 stars.
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The poster and previews got me excited to see the movie. An 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes did not.
Now, there is a movie that has been released called the M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Air Bender that is supposed to be based on the cartoon series. Yea... right! This movie is based on the cartoon like a Steak and Cheese Sub is based on a Philly Cheesesteak. M. Night took something that was great and original and desecrated it. This post could be pages long if I felt like getting into everything wrong with this movie. Instead, I will just list them off and then address M. Night directly. All the characters names are pronounced wrong. All the dialogue is monotone and makes no sense. The movie is dark like Terminator and the Matrix. The humor is misplaced and trite. These are kids learning to fight not 4 Neo's stomping through bad guys. And what actually made me walk out on the movie, they exposed secrets, through narration, that should not be uncovered until the later books.
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Dear Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan(adingdong),
You gave us the Sixth Sense and for that, we thank you. It was a shocker and one of the first movies to have such a Planet of the Apes type twist at the end that we all rewound our VHS tapes to find what our eyes had missed the first time. But, you persisted and decided to make a genre for yourself. You wanted to be the reincarnation of the great Alfred Hitchcock. Well you, sir, are no Alfred Hitchcock. You have proven time and again that you are short-sighted to what the audience wants and, still, you drag them through the most boring and vain story-lines ever to hit the silver screen. You add your name to the title of movies like it's a gold star, like it has somehow ascended to your divine status. But again, I say to you... You are no Alfred Hitchcock. As your final twist you took a beloved and complete story and removed all the mystery and emotion. You stole the essence. You missed the point. But all is not lost. The Last Airbender, at least, took you down with it. You will never make another film, Mr Shyamalan, and I think you owe everyone an apology. Get out of my sight.
Mike Agnew, Jr.
Safe-Time Continuum
by Jon HassingerGrowing up in the Hassinger House, being late wasn't always your safest bet.
Breaking curfew, or not meeting back up with Mom in the Montgomeryville Mall, at the EXACT time we agreed upon two hours earlier, meant a huge guilt-trip along with a slight punishment.
Also, after several accidents and speeding tickets throughout my teen years, I have become a very safe and cautious driver.
I was 20 minutes early, on my drive into work, enjoying the local AM Sports Talk Station, 790 The Ticket, and a cup of High Test. I then saw cars in the lane to my left, on I-95, all begin to slam their breaks. I heard tires skidding from behind me. I immediately slowed to a crawl, and braced for impact.
A tiny 2002 Honda Civic, driven by a Jon H, from Pittsburgh, PA, merely months older than I, smashed into my life.
Two rental cars and Renee's Pathfinder later, it's still in the shop, exactly 2 weeks ago, today. Luckily, it wasn't my fault.
Let this be a lesson to all you teenagers out there:
"Being on-time, doesn't always mean you're safe."
UP NEXT:
Renee's take on the Buddy-Porch Incident...
DC University: Booster Gold
by Mike Agnew Jr.
Ahhh...Booster Gold....the T.O. of the superhero world. Well, let's not be that mean but you will see why I made the correlation.
Picture, if you will, the 25th Century. For the non-math majors out there, that is 4 centuries away or 400 years into the future. Thanks to technology, life has become a lot more livable. Most of the super-heros you know and love have died off, but they are still remembered by their descendants. In fact, there is a museum that honors their memory. This museum has different collectibles like batarangs, ice ray guns, and even statues of the original Justice League.
Now, for a quick background. Michael Jon Carter was born in Gotham City in the 25th century. He and his twin sister, Michelle, never knew their dad, a degenerate gambler, since he had left them after gambling away the families savings. Nice. Michael was a gifted sports star and even got a scholarship to Gotham University for football. He became the star of the team and was even nicknamed "Booster" after his amazing speed on the field. Re-enter his degenerate dad looking to leach off of his son's newfound fame. To make ends meet Michael worked the night shift at the Metropolis Space Museum which had a lot of the items described above. He spent most of his time studying the displays and became a bit obsessed with some of the heroes, especially those of the 20th centruy... how convienient. One night his oh-so-helpful father pressures Mike into throwing a game so he can make a bet and capitalize on it. This plan backfires and soon Mike becomes an outcast of the sports community and loses his scholarship. Basically, he goes into a Jack bender and decides to escape. He swipes a Legion flight ring and a force field belt from the displays at the museum. He and his secutiry robot pa , Skeets, hop in Rip Hunter's Time Machine (also on display) and travel back to the 1980s... because we all know that is where people from the future vacation to.
Rip Hunter's Time Machine
So, now Booster is back in the 80s with the hopes of becoming a superhero named Goldstar. At one point, he saves the President Ronald Reagan's life and, when he goes to introduce himself, slips up and says "Booster Gold".
Bromance
I always liked Booster Gold because he is constantly in a state of flux... is he in it for the fame and glory? Or is he in it to be a real superhero? Wherever he goes, comedy is sure to follow. There is a running joke in the DC universe where people call him "Buster" instead of "Booster". The banter between him and Skeets is also usually very funny. He hangs out with a lot of the B level characters like Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) and Elongated Man, like they are dorm room buddies. This becomes even more enjoyable when he is face ot face with one of the A-listers like Batman or Superman because he will always mumble his words, regret everything he said, then walk away wondering how foolish he had looked.
Martian Man Hunter and Batman evaluating the new recruit.
Getting wooped by Doomsday
One more important point I want to make is that Booster isn't always a push over or marketing whore. He has played some very key roles at big moments in DC's history. My favorite example is Doomsday, the guy who "killed" Superman. When Doomsday first showed up, climbing out the ground, Booster was the first to face him and, I have to say lasted longer, than Superman. Clark was off-world on some mission and was racing home once he heard the news. But it was Booster leading the charge and holding the line. He ended up getting his butt handed to him but if he had not been there Superman's parents, Martha and Jonathan, probably would have been killed as well.
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Booster had a episode all his own on Justice League Unlimited named "The Greatest Story Never Told"; the perfect title.
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Most recently the Booster Gold line of comics has been started again, this time with our Hero as kind of time line librarian. He attempts to go back and "set right which once went wrong" but fails horribly. If you have not read The Killing Joke yet, you should. It's one of the best events in DC History. Well, Booster tries to go back and stop the Joker. You will have to read to see what happens when he does.
El Apartamento
by Mike Agnew Jr.With Bill leaving the greatest bachlor pad known to man due to this wedding business, I have turned on my animal insticts and have started to prepare for the hunt. I followed the normal route: start from the bottom and work your way up. In other words craigslist back to a legitimate website. As with all hunting you must get to know the beast you are tracking. I am limited by the second income but will not take up much ground on my own so I don't need to land a very large kill.
A good deal is easy to find but I found something so humorous in the reviews of the local apartments I had to share them. Some of them were so back and forth...completely polar opposite reviews....and some were just funny responses.
Garner House
"Its not every day that you find a peaceful quiet place to live in apartment living. Garner House definitely lives up to this and is well maintained."
"New mgmt took over year ago. Since then we have had a murder here in the bldg. Police are here at least two times a month for fights and drinking. Drug needles found in parking lot."
"Thanks for giving my mom the best of everything, safety, cleanliness and friendships!"
Studio apartments for $775/mo.
Robert Bruce West Apartments
"With drug sales going on in the hallways, husbands beating wives, and property damage happening weekly, I could not escape quick enough from RBW. The first few years were OK, but then a change in management and tenants and the place became very unsafe. Having known pyromaniacs starting fires or setting off fire alarms a few times a week, or drug sales being done in the hallways and the people running up and down the steps at all hours of the night - you would think management would want to respond - no they did not."
Studio apartments for $1,969/mo.
Apartments at Rosewood
"Gang activities everyday. Noise, prostitutes... No parking, no lights, smell on urine in the hallways. Old garbage disposal dumpsters with broken doors..."
"I'm reading some of the reviews online and I wonder about them. I live here now and I love it. Eileen has been incredible and my neighbors are awesome!"
"Later I heard that she wanted to get rid of all of the "white trash" that lived there, and that the complex was turning into section-8 infestation. She is completely unprofessional and needs to be removed from the property. By the way, nothing that goes on in the home that does not cause a problem IS NOT ANY OF HER BUSINESS, BUT SHE WILL MAKE IT HERS. Don't rent here if you value your privacy!!!!!!"
"Where should I start..Let's see Eileen the lanlord was some kind of monster (THE MOVIE) and had no life outside of "ROSEWOOD" one would say. After 3 months of being there she started banning my friends and started to tell me how I should live my life. Yes, it was cheap to live there if you wanted to live like a caged animal."
Studio apartments for $1,034/mo.
And my personal favorite...
The Livingstone Apartments
"overpriced, gross, awful staff support, mean landlords, put together extremely poor. bad paint, laundry facilities, unsafe basements, no locks on basement doors leading outside, broken heaters, an inch of space underneath apt doors, letting out heat, mold issues like crazy."
"this place is nasty a@$ dirty.The maintenance man "sammy" is an ugly flirting no nothing piece of you know what."Tom the manager knows nothing about good bussiness which is probally why he was kicked off the condo association board.The apartments smell like crap and attract the kind of people who smell the same.Also extreamly overpriced."
Studio apartments for $1,235/mo.
Continue reading @ Apartment Ratings dot com
Valore.
by Jon HassingerEvery once in a while, I'll pick up the mail for work...
I don't really mind, since it gives me time, to walk outside, and enjoy the beautiful weather.
The pretty palm trees. The clear blue sky..
Sometimes I'll just stand still, and breathe in the fresh air.
I mean c'mon, nothing like a nice stroll outside to get the blood flowing, before a long day's work.
Ahhhh... It's good to be alive.
Delve into Agnew’s Mind
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- Mike Agnew Jr. on Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Jon Hassinger on Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Jon Hassinger on Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Mike Agnew Jr. on Safe-Time Continuum
- Amanda on Safe-Time Continuum
