Twitter?

Damn, just when I started to settle into Facebook, somebody shows me Twitter...

After working through the weekend (4 straight 10+ hour days)- I'm taking a half day tomorrow and heading to Savannah with Char for New Year's. We're meeting some friends up there and should have a blast...

Anyhow, this is how things looked the last time we went to Savannah for New Years...

December Shots

The Book

Quick note- to the few people who check out this blog and ARE NOT on Facebook, I highly recommend heading over there and setting up an account. I tend to be a little better at keeping up with it than this lately. Also, between Char and myself, we tend to get a good amount of pictures up. Its just a cool way to keep up with folks and to find old friends and long lost family...

Even though its been 80 degrees the last few days, here's a few shots of us Ice Skating at Winter Wonderland in St Augustine a few weeks ago...

Anyhow, we had an awesome Christmas and should be getting up some pics soon over on Facebook. Hope everyone else is having a Happy Holidays!!

Blue's Brews

Last night me & sbc headed up to Total Wine to grab some brews for an evening of chilling with the Raddster and was pleasantly surprised to see that they now carry Terrapin Beer out of Athens, GA. We had tried the Rye Ale this past summer at the Athens Twilight bike race and it was some good stuff. After seeing it at Mellow Mushroom last week, we can finally buy this stuff down here. Anyhow, I totally recommend anything from Terrapin and also suggest trying some of the seasonal stuff, like Sierra Nevada's always pimp offerings.

Oh, we got our new Velobrew kits this week and they are pretty slick...

What's cool about the kits are the wine and brewery sponsors, hence the name Velobrew. I checked out Bold City Brewery online and they look to have some good beers. We plan to go take a "tour" in the near furture...

Ridin & Runnin

This past Saturday I watched a ton of football. It started with Navy waxing Army and their sweet camo uniforms (sorry Char!), Florida knocking off Alabama to claim the SEC title and a spot in the National Championship and then Oklahoma puttin the hurtin on Missouri to win the Big 12 and setup up an epic showdown with Florida for all the marbles. So after all that sittin & eatin, Sunday we needed to get out and get a little exercise...

Sunday Char an I headed out to Hanna Park to ride the mtn bikes after sleeping in like some sleep champs. The trails were in excellent condition so after hitting the south loop and E trail, we took a ride through the Z trail after hearing about its condition and recent trail maintenance. For all you Jax riders, you gotta check out the Z trail next time you hit Hanna. Its in fine shape right now. We plan to head back Saturday to bust out some laps!

Riding along a beautiful green crick on the "E." You will probably need some kind of shots if you ever fell in that "water..."

Hot chick in spandex...in the woods...nice.

Mad skillz...

From there we picked up Avery, had a little lunch then headed downtown to San Marco for a Holiday 5K amongst carolers and luminary-lined streets. It was a cool event but way too crowded. Good times though, especially for Avery and her awesome 5K time! Rock on Pumpkin!!

Don't hate on the UofL digs...I was trying to wear some holiday colors...

We also met up and ran with our fine friends Sean & Steph...

Yo sbc, you can jack that pic for your blog....;) BTW, you guys looks like pros!

Last shot of the crew before the start. Notice "Santa's Little Helper" joined us for the run. Not only has Avery become a solid little runner, but Mays has also become quite the run companion.

Biking with Blue

Saturday I went for a nice, relaxing spin down at the beach with my prize on our road bikes. Later that night we joined some friends downtown for the boat parade and fireworks on the river. Today it has rained all day so we took it easy in the house relaxing and watching football and a movie. Weekends never seem to be long enough...

Turkey Day

Thursday started bright and early with us running in the Outback Distance Classic 6K. Char was going to run the half marathon but since we both have been sick the past few weeks, she opted to run the 6K with Avery, Halia and myself. We met up with Brett & Raina at the race so Halia could run with us while they ran the half (Brett pushed his 2 sons in a double stroller...rugged). Anyhow, the run turned out to be a huge success for the girls, with Avery running steady the entire time and finished in a hair over 43 minutes. Her running is seriously improving. Halia also did exceptionally well for not running much lately by running the first 3 miles non-stop and then finishing in just over 44 minutes. We were all very proud of them, especially when we saw how many older people they beat in the 19 and under class! Way to kick a$$ girlz!!

From there we headed home to get started on some cookin. Our friends Josh & Bobbi were coming over for the day, armed with all kinds of good food. Avery spent the day with her mom but would come back later to show off her mad drumming skills. Anyhow, we had a stellar time- eating, drinking, laughing, watching football and then breaking out Rock Band! We gotta hit Santa up for a Wii and Rock Band this Xmas. That game is a blast!!

BIG Ol' Blue

Ok, so I was in the gym tonight with Avery and I was thinking about lifting and muscle tone and where I used to be and where I am now. Weightlifting used to be my cycling. I was hell bent on being an amateur all-natural bodybuilder, kind of like how I had recently set my sights on being a semi-pro cross country racer. It took me years of pure hard work in the Navy to put on the mass and then years of trial and error to learn my body, different stimulus and how to gain and how to cut. Eventually I almost got there. I was about 6 months out from a Jacksonville competition and was a cool 215 pounds and 5% body fat at 5 foot 9. My weight had topped out at about 220 and I was cutting down to about 205-210. I was reaching new heights in strength, such as a 365 lb max bench press and a 505 lb squat. Life was good. Then one day on the bench my shoulder popped and I went though pain and hell until surgery became the only option besides walking away from heavy lifting. I couldn't bear another shot in my shoulder and I couldn't afford all the time off from the surgery. Luckily the decision was easy as I found the trails at Hanna Park and riding mtn bikes became my lifting. I found a new discipline that required the same effort, the same trial and error in gains and the same concept of structured training to take a passion to a high level. I was getting there- getting fast on the bike and building big endurance. Then one day on the bike I passed out and I proceeded to go through test after test on my heart. So here I am again in a position where surgery is an only option to go on safely. But this time it is different- the surgery is needed to go on, period. Not just to continue sports, but to provide an insurance policy if my heart decides to stop.


Did it take endurance sports to find what bodybuilding possibly had done to my heart? Or is this disease truly hereditary? Why did I not have any issues in all of the sports I've played my whole life? I guess what I had planned to get into was wondering how in depth I'll ever get to participate in athetic stuff again. I was also thinking about the parallel stories of my days as a bodybuilder and my days as a cyclist. So when I was in the gym today resting between sets, I was looking in the mirror at a guy who loved being a solid 220, then loved being a super-lean 170 and who now isn't so thrilled with his current situation. It feels good to lift, to jog, to ride the bike. But I know I will not stay satisfied with that- not considering the levels that I have been to. I feel the urge to go heavy, I feel like running faster and I feel like getting out of the saddle and hammering. But I just need to stay patient, get the defib in and see where I can go from there. But being fit is my DNA so I gotta keep moving, even if it is a little slower for a while. One thing that I have learned for sure is that when you slow down you start to notice a lot of things that you had missed out on... Enjoy life. Enjoy balance. Pursue fitness.


Anyhow, I have this picture of when I was hulk-huge, which I'll have to scan and post later, but here is the difference between 210...


...and 170...

Long Lost Blue

Ok, I plan to get back in here and do some postin' some day. I guess I got a little hung up in being under the weather and Facebook. Facebook can really consume a lot of your time. Anyhow, I've also been busy with work, going to the gym, light jogging and riding, housework stuff... blah, blah, blah...life stuff. I've also managed to try a few new brews, like North Coast Brewing Company's Pale Ale and Avery Brewing Company's White Rascal. Both turned out to be pretty good, especially the Pale Ale. I've also tried a few others recently but those 2 stood out...maybe because I had them today...

I'll get back in here this weekend a catch up on some other stuff, like the status of my defibrillator surgery and Thanksgiving festivities. Until then, bottoms up!

the blue weekend

Working out feels so good. I decided to get off my hump this week and start going to the YMCA for some lifting and jogging. I hit the Y 2 days up here in Charlotte after I went Monday in J-Ville. I plan to make this my routine when I get back- 3 days a week in the gym. The other days I will fill with riding- either on the trails, on the road or on the trainer. I won't be pushing it much- just spinning, burning calories and trying to keep some form so that I never totally lose it in case I can ever really get back. I'll also do a little running with Avery, as well as some tennis and mtn biking with her. This weekend I am going to Hanna Park to ride the trails on Saturday and Sunday I plan to get in a little road spin. Sitting around and feeling sorry for myself for 2 months was long enough- I'm ready to do what I do. Oh, we are planning to get a ping-pong table and dart board for the garage so we will have some indoor activities (drinking games!) for the winter. I'm also on the lookout for some golf clubs so I can start a new hobby. This whole heart deal has forced me to add some variety rather than riding every day, which seems to be a good thing...

There are some solid football games on Saturday, like #2 Alabama at #16 LSU, #9 Oklahoma St at #2 Texas Tech, #3 Penn St/Iowa, #21 Cal/#7 USC, #13 Georgia/Kentucky, #5 Florida/Vanderbilt and Louisville/Pittsburgh. I'm hoping that UK will be healthy enough to surprise Georgia. Hey, it could happen. I'd like to see Bama go into LSU and get the win so that the SEC remains strong and has a shot at putting a team in the title game, even though Saban gets on my nerves. I really don't care who wins the OK St/TT game but I do know it will be a good one. Hell, it would be cool to see TT run the table. I'd also like to see Penn St lose at Iowa to spare us all another Big 10 team getting thumped in the National Championship.


My man Roy Jones Jr is fighting Joe Calzaghe Saturday night. RJJ has always been one of my favorite fighters and I became a Calzaghe fan after he beat big mouth Bernard Hopkins. Both dudes are similar in a lot of ways: JC is 36, RJJ is 39, both are badasses and both have been criticized for picking & choosing their fights and terms over the years. The Welshman is 45-0, which is pretty amazing while Jone Jr is 52-4 after getting on track after 3 losses in a row a few years ago. Its hard to say who will win this fight or who I will be pulling for, but my gut is to go with Roy Jones since I've liked him since he was ripped off in the '88 Olympics. Should be an awesome fight either way...

Ok, Sunday the Jags travel to Detroit to take on the 0-8 Lions. We plan to go watch this one at Brett & Raina's and may possibly stick around for the Colts-Steelers game afterwards. Anyhow, if the Jags lose Sunday I'm going to have to throw in the towel this season. There's no way I can stomach losing back-to-back to 0-8 teams, especially by a team that came into the season talking Super Bowl. But hell, its just the half way point of the season and there's still a good chance for them to turn the season around and make the playoffs. And its not like they haven't been in every game- they've lost their 5 games by a combined 24 points. But still, they should have soundly beaten most of those teams. Either way, I would love to see them firing on all cylinders this weekend. GO JAGS!

Wild Blue

This past weekend I watched a ton of football. I normally watch a lot of football, but rarely do I watch multiple games in the same day- nor do I normally watch ALL of a game. Saturday we rolled down to Brett & Raina's for some kickass food and the Florida-Georgia game. I won't go into it, but Florida smoked Georgia. I mean, they really dusted them off. We stuck around to watch the Texas-Texas Tech game and boy was it a treat! Texas Tech ended up knocking off the Longhorns in what will be one of the best games of the year. Right now the BCS is a total mess (as usual) and who knows how it will workout. As long as Bama beats LSU this weekend, I think it may be Florida - Penn St in the big game. Of course, I could be way off...

Sunday we kicked it around the house and watched the Jags game against 0-8 Cincinnati. Nevermind, I'm skipping Sunday. The Jags lost and I'm annoyed.

This week I'm back in Charlotte for more job training. After playing some tennis Sunday night with Char and Avery, I decided this week I am starting some kind of workout. It has been 8 weeks since I stopped training and Monday morning when I got on the scale, I saw a number I hadn't seen since the decline of my bodybuilding days. I need to get my ass back in shape after this 2 month love affair with good beer and good food. So Monday we went to the Y and damn, that place is packed! Anyhow, I got in some light lifting and a light jog with Char. It felt good but it is nerve-racking because I am so in-tune with my heart- I notice every little skipped beat and whatnot. I guess you just never know when one of those crazy beats can turn into something worse. But to hell with it, I just have to be smart and understand the limitations and risks. With that being said, I hit the Y here in Charlotte tonight for some more lifting and jogging. Man, it feels good to be in the gym like the old days. Granted it is quite a bit different now that I weigh about 50 pounds less and can only lift a small percentage of what I used to do. But it sure does feel good. Plus, when I went to Moes afterwards, I didn't feel guilty about eating food that tastes good!

Tonight I hit the beer barn behind my hotel and decided to try something new- Wild Blue. As most of you know, I am partial to anything with the word 'blue' in it. I have never had any blueberry lager, but this stuff is pretty good. And at 8%, it gets you warmed up pretty quick.

Good Beer in Charlotte

So I'm back in Charlotte for more job training. The good thing about my job is that the company is doing extremely well right now. In fact, they are doing the best they have ever done and the owner just sent out a company wide letter talking about it. Ok, enough of that. This trip isn't as fun as my last trip up here because I did not bring the bikes. The last time I was here I hit some really nice trails and I was looking forward to all of these trips for that reason. This time I am spening more time relaxing and sampling some seasonal beers. In other words, I am adding some love to my soon to be former 32" waist! ;) Right now I am enjoying Flying Dog's Dogtoberfest while the past few days I had Blue Moon's Full Moon and Sam Adams Octoberfest. All good stuff. Today I picked up a treat for me & sbc to drink at tomorrow night's Halloween shindig. This stuff is pretty potent so we better take it easy...

Tomorrow I will zip home (5+ hour drive) after class and get ready to go to a Halloween party at the beach with Char. We got somewhat matching costumes so I will be sure to post some pictures later. I look forward to having some fun with my prize!

Yesterday after class I checked out REI and I must have walked around that store 10 times like a solid tard. That place friggin rocks! Man, why can't they put a REI in the 904?

This weekend is the now un-PC World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville. For those who don't know, it means Florida-Georgia. This game will be huge! We plan to hook up with some friends for a little cookout action and watch the game. I can't wait for this game- #3 vs #8. Tebow vs Stafford. Richt vs Meyer. Dawgs vs Gators. Georgia Necks vs Swamp Necks...

Sunday I have a date with my ubertalented daughter for some dirt bike action. Nothing like hittin the trails with my little angel...

Big Blue Misery

Ok, I'm not sure what to make of this but it is 45 degrees out and gas is $2.29...

This past weekend was pretty cool. Saturday we headed down to Gainesville for the UK/Florida game. Our plan was to drop Avery, Mayfield and the bikes off at Al's house, head to the game, come back for a cookout and then head to Tampa Sunday morning for a mtn bike race. We got going a little late as usual, but as we got to our seats in the Swamp, Florida had just blocked their 2nd UK punt and went up 14-0. What?? I was already ready to leave because I knew the bones were about to be rolled. UK was in a serious deficit of players due to injuries and they are already thin as it is. Our offense has been bad all year but after losing 2 of our best players in recent weeks to injury, I knew points would be hard to come by. However, our defense has been very good this year, leading the SEC in points scored, but I did not know that we were hurting in all layers of the defense- up front, linebackers and secondary. Florida was coming off of a bye week after beating the tar out of LSU and was getting primed for Georgia next week, so the Big Blue Nation had to take a serious black eye.

Losing 63-5 reminded me of the bad years in the 90's, when Curry had nothing for Spurrier. But UK had closed the gap on Florida in recent years and after going into Tuscaloosa and only losing 17-14 to #2 Alabama a few weeks ago, I thought we would at least make a game of it. I will say one thing- when starting wide receiver and true freshman Randall Cobb took over at QB, our offense got rolling. This Cat is going to be a serious baller in the years to come....lefty, elusive runner, decent arm...kinda reminds me of that famous #7 from Virginia Tech a few years ago... Anyhow, I actually had a nice time with Char sitting amongst 90 thousand Gator faithful, even though seeing my beloved Cats get embarrassed was a tad painful. One thing is for sure, the Florida/Georgia game this weekend here in Jacksonville should be one for the ages and should also produce a BCS title contender...

Gator Country...an understatement...

Tebow the Super Heisman Hero about to score...again...

He's a Cat, she's a Gator...

Sunday morning became a tough decision for us because Char seriously needed to go visit her dad down the road in Davenport. His health has been deteriorating and she had not seen him in several months, so we made the 2 hour trip down south from Gainesville to see him. Skipping the race in favor of this was a very wise decision because the importance of some things far outweigh everything...

Even though she didn't get to race, Avery still had a great weekend because she always has such a blast at Al's- playing non-stop with Char's nephews Blake and Donovan. We also always have such a good time there and this weekend was no different- Saturday's cookout, drinking beer with Al, watching football, shooting pool, Sunday's big breakfast...we already can't wait for our next trip down!

Last thought- the Jaguars losing at home to the Browns? The Browns? If they do not get things turned around, like now, playoffs will be a long lost pipe dream...

Bummed out...

Ok, so I've been pretty bummed lately. After Avery's appointment last Thursday, I had the consultation with the cardiac surgeon. It was a good, yet tough appointment that covered quite a bit. I totally like this doctor and am comfortable with him doing the procedure, but I am scared as hell about the whole thing for several reasons. There are some scary risks involved with the surgery, such as how they test the defibrillator after it is implanted. There are also some restrictions that are going to suck for a month or so after the surgery. Then of course there are the long term restrictions. BUT, before I have the device implanted, the manufacturer of the device must come evaluate my work for potential interference. This has got me all wacked out. I am not sure how to present this to my company and IF there are any issues at my work as far as restrictions based on interference, how are they going to handle it? So...to say the least, I have been a little stressed lately. I'm not sure yet when I'll be having the surgery but I am guessing it will be pretty soon. Oh, I asked for one more opinion on the diagnosis from one of the top HCM specialists in the world at Mayo Rochester and he agreed with the other 4 opinions- get it done.



This past Saturday Char and I went to the Orlando Magic/Miami Heat exhibition game here in Jacksonville with our friends Josh & Bobbi. We met up for drinks and dinner at Mossfire Grill and then headed to another bar by the arena before going into the game. The Orlando Magic have their preseason training camp here at UNF, so that is why the game was here. Anyhow, we had a good time at the game as we enjpyed our favorit adult beverages and pulled for the Magic. As for the game itself, all I gotta say is that Dwane Wade and Josh Howard are some serious superstars. I think the Magic will get back to the playoffs again this year and Miami cannot be any worse than they were last year. The game was a good one, with the Magic pulling it out.


This week has been an adjustment week at work since I got a new manager Monday. So far so good. Also, we are headed to Tampa for racing this weekend but we will be stopping in Gainesville Saturday for the UK/Florida game. Man, UK is hurtin right now so all I can hope is that they keep it close...

Still here

The urge to write anything just hasn't hit me lately...

Best news yet!

This morning Avery had an appointment with a University of Florida pediatric cardiologist and the test results show that she has a normal, healthy heart! No signs of inheriting my junk! Beforehand I was way more nervous than I ever was during any of my tests and I am sooooo relieved after hearing the good news. We celebrated by grabbing Char for lunch at McCallsiter's and topped it off with some pumpkin pie cheesecake! Now I'm about to go to Mayo for my ICD consultation. I don't look forward to this nonsense at all...

Oh, I had to guess one of my birthday gifts today and my only clue was the work 'dribble.' Somehow I managed to nail it prettty fast- tickets to the Orlando Magic/Miami Heat game this Saturday night! Man, that's going to be a blast! The NBA is pretty damn cool!

Oh yeah, I turned 33 today! Hmmm....no real thoughts on that I guess. 33 is just my lucky number beside my lucky number...and stuff....

tOrN

Oh boy, am I a mess. My doctor told me yesterday that they need to impant a defibrillator, and want to do it soon. I actually have an appointment Thursday for a cosultation with the specialist. The last MRI further proved that I do have HCM and that not only are my septum and apex thick, they are also scarred. So with a history of an unexplained episode of fainting and the actual diagnosis of this condition, my doctor (who consulted with other cardioligists at Mayo Jacksonville and HCM specialists at Mayo Rochester) feels that this is how they must proceed. I don't know what to think. There are some things in life that I will need to adjust with the ICD, which can be read about here. Considering that I work in a large industrial facility, I am not sure what problems that will cause. I think they should be able to come to my work and make sure there will not be any interference from the transformers, motors, electronic systems, welders, etc.

A lot of people are saying that I should get a 2nd opinion, but this is actually my 3rd opinion. And isn't the Mayo Clinic the place you go for 2nd opinions? I guess the next best place to go would be the Cleveland Clinic. But if I think that Mayo is doing the right thing, shouldn't I just go with them? Ugh- I am torn. Its crazy how these things can hit anybody, but its hard for me to grasp that an ultra-fit, 33 year old endurance athlete needs some junk bolted in his chest to keep the ticker tickin. Anyhow, no time to feel sorry for myself- I need to just keep rolling with it and keep my chin on the positive side of life...

Ok, so now some upbeat stuffs.... This past weekend's race in Tallahasee was a pretty dern good time! Avery did a most excellent job during her mtn bike race, which was a great course that included a BMX track. She inched a bit closer to the 1st and 2nd place girls, finishing 3rd! So proud.... Char fought off some serious exhaustion from racing and travel over the past 3 weeks and smoked a kick-a$$ 2nd place! Stellar work ladies! This kind of stuff is what keeps me going...

picture me rollin...

Me & my co-pilot were headed to Tallahasee to cheer Char and Avery on at the 3rd mtb race of the fall series. Anyhow, as I type this I am in the hotel with my ladies watching the Florida/LSU game. This weekend was a tough decision because Char and I had tickets to the game. It was tough, but we chose to head down 10 west for some dirt action. Tom Brown Park in Tally is one of the best parks in the state so we should have a great weekend. To make up for it, we may go to the UK/Florida game in 2 weeks on our way down to Tampa for some more racing...

I've been somewhat dissapointed with my football teams lately. UK played #2 Alabama close last week, losing 17-14 in Tuscaloosa. I was totally impressed with how close it was, but it was still a loss. Their offense is still pretty weak, but they seriously need to come around if they want to make some noise in the SEC and get to a decent bowl game. This weekend they played nemesis Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks at home. Again, a close one but they could not seal the deal- losing 24-17 to the ol' hated ball coach. Ahhh, the life of a UK football fan...

I also watched last weekend's Jaguar game in the casino and again, it turned out to be a big let down. The Jags have owned the Steelers lately but they could not stop Big Ben and lost a tight one at home, 26-21. The Jags have always been known for their D but it has been a solid disappointment so far this year. Tomorrow they travel to Denver for a tough battle at Mile High. At 2-3, the fellas in teal need to get this show headed in the right direction...

Ok, so this past Thursday was my last test at Mayo before my big follow up this Monday. I have been going through testing the last 4 weeks at Mayo and I am super anxious (and nervous!) to see what the docs are going to say. Thursday's test was annoying for 2 reasons- 1. I had to do that damn MRI on my heart again because the first one did not come out they way they wanted and 2. it was the day after we got back from Tahoe. To be honest, I have no idea what they are going to say that I can do, not do, how bad my condition actually is or what my future treatment may be. All I can do at this point is hope for the best. I also haven't worked out in the past 4 weeks either. I've only put on a few pounds but I feel like crap. It was rough getting this diagnosis while I was at the highest level of fitness that I have been in in my entire life but again, I just gotta roll with it...

On a lighter note- mullets are fascinating. This one we spotted at breakfast in Reno last week was the best I've seen a while...daaayyuuumm!

Tahoe Review 4: Reno driving range

After hiking Tuesday just south of South Lake, we headed to some stables to do some horse back riding but we got there right as they closed. So from there we rolled back into Incline Village to go to a driving range, but again we struck out with the joint closing as soon as we got there. We then decided to head back to Reno, where we found a driving range that was open til midnight. We had a blast here smashing close to 200 balls into this lake full of targets...





I don't know which was more fun, whacking the balls or watching these videos...

Tahoe Review 3: Fun time!

Lakeside....


Random picture of some old guy standing on a boulder airing it out...

Getting amped for the Jaguar-Steeler game and then some gambling...

Starting out on our hike to a water fall...

The goal of our hike...

Goofing off along the way...


At our destination, the base of the waterfall...


View from the base of the waterfall...

Headed back down...

Driving back to South Lake...