xx2i Sunglasses

As a JV member of ROCK Racing adventure racing team I get to enjoy a few perks.  One of my favorites is the occasional pair of sunglasses from XX2i Optics.  Finding a pair of sunglasses that I feel good wearing is no easy task.  My wife can attest to that.  In fact she has vowed never to shop for sunglasses with me again.  I have one of those faces that makes a comfortable pair hard to find.  Years ago I found a cheap pair at Walmart that fit me really well so I went back and bought seven pairs.  When the last pair died an honorable death I went from pair to pair never really happy.

That a good looking pair of shades!

When Chuck and Robin (the varsity team) gave me the first pair of xx2i sunglasses a couple years ago it wasn't exactly a match made in heaven at first.  But now I can't imagine wearing anything else.  The glasses fit great and are very comfortable and easy to wear.  I am currently on my third pair, and while they are showing some signs of age my first pair is still in serviceable condition.  One of the cool things about this company is that they stand behind their products.  One of the ways they do that is with a 365day return policy.  That's right they give you a whole year to decide if you like them or not.  If you don't then just ship them back for a full refund.  How cool is that?  But wait there's more!  If you decide you want to keep them They have a lifetime warranty.  If you break or scratch them, send them back for a replacement all you pay is shipping.  I'm no expert on what other companies are offering but that sounds like a sweet deal to me.

The protective case is really nice.

These are the first pair of sunglasses I have ever owned with interchangeable lenses.  They come with dark, orange, and clear lenses.  I spend a lot of time in the woods and the orange lenses are my favorite because they are great in wide variety of lighting conditions.  The option of having clear lenses at night is a bonus.  While serving in the Army I turned around during a night exercise and walked directly into a the end of a low hanging branch that poked me in the eye and scratched my cornea.  I definitely get some use out of the clear lenses.
If you are in the market for a new pair of sunglasses give xx2i a try.  You won't be sorry.

Canceling My Dr Pepper Appointments

It has been four weeks since I last had a Dr Pepper, or any type of soda for that matter.  I guess you could say I was addicted.  While being addicted to Dr Pepper won't deplete your savings, land you in jail, or push your family away, constantly losing the battle of will with your addiction takes its toll.  About a year ago I decided to relax my diet a bit.  Not that it was ever good, but I decided that I would be okay with a few Dr Peppers in moderation.  The plan was stop after a week or so.  The "or so" part turned into a year, much of which was spent struggling with trying to stop, and feeling more and more powerless and out of control.  The harder I tried to stop the more I consumed.  The bottle I drank at lunch turned into a bottle at lunch and one with dinner.  Those two bottles were joined by another at break.  Before long the diner bottle was accompanied by an after dinner bottle.  I was consuming 1000calories everyday in Dr Pepper alone!  I always felt bad about it in a self-loathing sort of way.  The days I tried to break the cycle are too numerous to remember.  There were countless times when I would tell myself, "Today at break, no Dr Pepper" only to find myself in the store with one in my hand.  "What the hell is wrong with me?", was my thought on several occasions.  I would immediately begin bargaining with myself.
"Okay, since we're here and all, go ahead and drink it but tonight you have to go for a run."
-"Sounds fair."
"Agreed then, Dr Pepper now, and a run after work."
-"We got this!"

Big Woods After the Storm

After the major storm that swept through the area Friday night it was necessary to go out to the Big Woods to survey the damage.  After every big storm there are fallen trees and limbs that need to be remove from the trail.  Occasionally re-routing the trail is necessary as well as rebuilding bridges.  Fortunately this time no re-routes or bridge building will be required, unfortunately however the number of downed trees and limbs is great.  It will take a massive effort to get everything cleared.  Luckily there is a work day planned for June 9th.

Rt. 66 10k

I may not be running Kettle Moraine tomorrow but next weekend I will be running the Rt 66 10k in Edwardsville, Illinois home of the 100+Project.  The MetroMilers do an absolutely fantastic job with this race.  Every year it just gets better and better.  So if you are in the neighborhood you should get signed up and get ready to run.

I hear that there have been some changes to the course this year but I have been assured they are only minor tweaks as opposed to a full blown re-route.  In the past the course has always been fair, not pancake flat but not brutally hilly either.  If you've never run a 10k before this would be an ideal start.  The 10k is a great distance because it is long enough to feel the distance yet short enough to feel comfortable with pushing the pace.

Because I haven't done much running this year I will be out there just to have fun, and possibly wage a little guerilla warfare on the Team Godzilla aid station.  Around mile four the Metro Tri Club puts on one of the best aid stations in the region, if not the country.  Armed with water guns and silly string the plucky group of volunteers welcome you as you exit the MCT tunnel, with refreshing water and sports drink.  Most people are good sports about the water guns and silly string and the worst punishment is dealt to "friends" and fellow Metro Tri Club members.  That being said don't think you will escape without getting a little bit wet.  It really is a party atmosphere that people talk about all year long.

If you have a water gun of your own maybe you'd like to join while a dish out a little punishment of my own as I run through.  Last year it was a lot of fun, but I think this year they might have something special planned for me.

It really is a great race and I hope you can make it.

  

See you there!

Great Ideas

Ever have a good idea for a post?  I'm talking about a game changer.  The type of post that makes people stand up and take notice.  An idea that is so ground breaking that there's no need to write it down because something this profound is impossible to forget.  Have you ever had an idea like that?  Well have you?

I have.

But I forgot what it was.

Maybe I should have written it down.  Actually there is no maybe about it, I should have written it down.  In this modern age we live in I really don't have an excuse for not writing it down.  Pens, pencils and paper are no longer exclusively the tools of the ruling elite, they are readily available for even the most lowly among us to use.

I get a lot of ideas, and from now on I will be writing them down in a book I bought specifically for that purpose.  Ideas, even the great ones can be ephemeral if they are not given a place take root and grow into something real.  Most of the ideas that will go in my book will not be spectacular but maybe one or two of them will be great.

Bicycles, not just for recreation

There are five grocery stores within a one mile radius of my house.  For years I have been threatening to ride my bike to the store for groceries.  The ownership of a Surly Disc Trucker complete with Ortlieb panniers has left me with little excuse.

This morning I used the last of the milk, the nature of milk being what it is replacement was assured.  On the way home from work I could have stopped and did my shopping but I had already decided that today would be the day I used my bike for something other than fun.
I got everything together and was on my way.  I was careful to make sure I didn't forget anything, lock, reusable grocery bag, you know bike stuff.  If I keep this up I'll bring the panniers inside and have the bagger load them up but I didn't want to look like a hipster.  This isn't Seattle after all.
With items purchased it was out the door and time to transfer them to the pannier.  Everything fit fine so there was nothing left to do but roll home.  On the way to the store the goal was getting there as quickly as possible so the most direct route was chosen (the same route I would have driven).  The way home was more lackadaisical and circuitous.  I cruised by one of the other grocery stores to check if they had a bike rack (which they did), then hopped a curb in Kohl's parking lot and rode down a little grassy hill, then behind the Sylvan learning center.  From there I rode by Qdoba and wondered why I never eat there.  Through the Arby's parking lot and by the pool.  Back in the residential area and on the home stretch.  The route I took home reminded me of when I was a kid, and used to ride my bike all over town.  My mental map of O'fallon, Illinois had alleys, parks, and greenways featured just as prominently as roads.  I knew which parking space in the Mcdonald's parking lot had the best transition to the Hardee's parking lot.  I knew where the city crews had piles of rocks that could be used as sweet jumps.  I know I got at least three feet of air one time.  Those were great times in my life and I was glad to revisit them.

When I got home I put the bike in the shed and the milk in the fridge.  It felt good.  Dare I say right.

Riding a bike to the store to get some milk is not a new or innovative idea, but still worthwhile.  Try it and see how you like it.

Boston

I haven’t said much about the tragedy in Boston, and make no mistake it was a tragedy despite what Bill O’Reilly would have us believe.  The president called it a tragedy so Mr. O’Reilly had to be contrary as is his way.  In response to the president calling it a tragedy O’Reilly said, “It was not. It was a vile act of violence, designed to kill innocent people, including children…This makes me sick.”  No shit Bill, but a tragedy nonetheless.
Contradictory reports are still coming in and it is unclear what the facts really are.

One thing that is clear is that the runners will overcome, the American people will overcome, and Love will overcome!

I'm gatherin' up my friends today
And those who recognize the face
As the vision that changed my mind
From hate to faith
Was as simple as grapes to wine and
Sweet as
I'm gatherin' up my friends today
All these hookers and soldiers and swine
And would be saints
All alone in their rooms that sparkle in
Their eye
Play a song that they'll come outside
To see if

Love will overcome
If this love will make us men
Love will draw us in
To wipe our tears away

The day that I was so sweetly sung
By the wind and the thunder moved by
"someone"
The feelin' of being lived was so strong
The giver became the gift, all one
The day that I was so sweetly sung
The wind seemed to whisper softly, "oh
Son,
Don't wait for the seas to part or
Messiahs to come
Don't sit around and waste this chance, to
See it!"

Love will overcome
If this love will make us men
Love will draw us in
To take our fear away

Love
Love
Love
Love, hey, yeah

Love, this day now, this day that I was so
Sweetly sung, I know, I know that
Love will overcome

Love will overcome
If this love will make us men
Love will draw us in
To take our fear away, wipe our tears
Away
Love!
And all my friends are here
In the city I sing my song
In the face of the hooker, the soldier, the
Swine
I found it, I found it, I found love!

Love will, love will, love will,
Overcome
Over come