Versatile Blog Award

Ver-sat-ile...that must be Italian.

So I finally won an award from a fellow blogger.  Katie @ Will Race For Carbs must have been drinking to many "liquid carbs" when she “highly recommended” my blog.  Even Bonnie didn't believe it (nor does she read this blog).  I had to convince her last night.  After some fast talking I convinced Bonnie how awesome my new award was.

Mr. HalfTRIing: It's a Major Award!
Bonnie: HalfTRIing, I wouldn't know that. It looks like a green, square photo.
Mr. HalfTRIing: What is a green, square photo, you nincompoop? It's a Major Award. I won it!
Bonnie: Damn, hell, you say won it?
Mr. HalfTRIing: Yeah, mind power, Bonnie; mind power.

I won the Ver-sat-ile Blogger Award.  That must be Italian.

This is like a chain letter (god help me).  Here are the rules:

1) I must thank the person who have me the award and link back to her post.
Thank you Katie.  BTW I love her blog and she has the same weird sense of humor as me.  She also had a crush on Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles and looks like Velma from Scooby-Doo. 

2) Share 7 random facts about yourself (I believe that means me).

3) Award 15 other newly discovered blogs the same award.  Wow, that maybe hard since I do not read
that many.

Random Facts about me:

1) I HATED running till about 1.5 years ago.  Running to my car would put me out of breath.  I started running because of a health scare and got hooked.

2) In college I was a limnologist.  That's a fancy word for someone who studies lakes, rivers, stream and their wildlife.  I spent most of my college days on a lake, fishing in a john-boat fishing with college girls in bikinis.  Ya, it rocked!

3) I never used my degree (wow that’s surprising).  I now am a software developer (i.e. computer nerd).

 

Don't laugh. 
You once had a moment like this.

4) When I was younger I sported a the McGuyver haircut (see my multiple Throwback Thursday posts)

5) I still dream of being as cool as Morgan from CAUTION: RedHead Running.  She once mentioned me in a blog post and I “marked out" and was the "king of the world for a day".  See here.

6) My first marathon was not planned.  I was doing a 16 mile trail run when I got lost and accidently bumped into Bonnie on her first ultra (30 mile run).  I felt good when I completed the first 16 miles and decided I would run with her to help her out for the next 16 miles.  So my first marathon was also my first ulta.  I never plan on doing that again.  Ultra’s sucked.

My first crush was Winnie Cooper and Alyssa Milano.
I still have a crush on Alyssa Milano. Winnie grew up to be hot also.
(IMAGE SOURCE)

7) I also had a crush on Winnie Cooper when I was young.

8) All the people who read my blog are really searching for Silly Girl Running.  I am just a accidently stopping point to get to her blog.  No one actually reads my crap.   She is secretly stealing all my followers. She is the #1 search term people used to get to my blog (no joke).  She was also the Magical Musical Thing (by Mattel) girl in the early 80's commercials.  For proof see here.

9) I did my first 70.3 this year and I will complete a total of for 70.3 by the end of 2011.



I was pretty cute.

 10) I was a 7 foot bunnie rabbit at Give Kids the World for 3 years.

 I recommend all the blogs I follow on the right had side.  Special notes are:
Bake Bike Blog – She makes some great food and even took me up on my SPAM challenge and made EmSPAMadas.

Becoming an Ironman – I love his writing style and his weekly recaps (which I have not seen in a while).

Blood, Sweat and Cupcakes – I got to name her punk rock cupcake. His name is "Cool Whip."

CAUTION: Redhead Running: For just being a really cool person.  She was really nice to Bonnie when they met and she helped me out with the blog many times

Chad’s Triathlon Blog – His story it is inspiring.  He overcame a life threatening battle.  He is also a really nice guy.

Silly Girl Running – Why? Because you really only got here while searching google for her blog.  She is the #1 search term people used to get to my blog.  LOL

Will Race for Carbs – She has the same humor as me.

Weekend Party and Rain

Weekend Party and Rain

Chewie loves a good party!!

This weekend we celebrated Bonnie’s birthday with the family.  I cooked dinner (Steamed shrimp, basil and tomato langostino (a crawfish like tail), bake potatoes, cauliflower and cheddar casserole, and pepper jelly phylo horderves. We also had Bonnie’s favorite tradition, Carvel ice cream cake with the “black crunchies.”

Cute Candles. 
I'm getting old and bought 10 less than needed. 
Bonnie was happy I thought she was younger than she really is.

Augusta leftovers were consumed while cooking.

I also baked Blood, Sweat and Cupcakes  family folklore “Coconut Tea Buns”. They were really good and I added some almond extract to the mix to give it a different kick.  I think the recipe instructions she provided to me were a little off.  The buns had more of the consistency of drop cookies than buns.  They were great none-the -less.  The picture of her grandfather has him using condensed milk and him adding it a little at a time to make a biscuit like dough.  I have a feeling he added it a little at a time till it was the right consistency and did not necessarily use it all like I did.  I also used the Kitchen Aid mixer instead of my hands (which were preoccupied with the Augusta leftovers :-) ).  I will try that next time.  They were almost like scone cookies.  They would be great with several morning coffees.

I ate more cookie dough than cookies!



Yummy!!

Some for the neighbors



 On Saturday I did my morning 3K open water swim in the pouring rain.  It rained cats and dogs in Central Florida ALL weekend so I did not get a bike ride in.  I also ran 2 hours on the treadmill.  Monday I had off for Columbus Day so I did a 2K open water swim.  I am now up to 91 crossings at Lucky’s Lake.  I almost at the 100K club.

Throwback Thursday - November 1982

Throwback Thursday - November 1982

 

Nov 1982 - Pre-child labor laws

 

Remember the days when kids actually had to do the dishes and things around the house.   The new entitlement generation is going to be in for a world of shock when they move out of the house and find out THEY now have to do all the work and no one is going to pay them for it.

 I’ve seen this shock many times while interviewing new, young employees.  Right out of collage they all want 100K, a company car, five weeks paid vacation and never want to work more than forty hours a week.  Some of my friends actually had potential new employees using their parents to negotiate salaries and schedule interviews.  LOL!!  No joke!!

This is me and my stepdad (now passed away) in November 1982 (almost 29 years ago).  I was almost 5 years old and they already had me working like a dog.  I’m pretty sure this picture is proof why the government enacted child labor laws. 

My sister is almost exactly 10 years older than me.  When we lived together the dishes were her chore.  She would “subcontract” out her dishes to me for 25 cents or a butt whooping.  I choose the 25 cents (little did she know that I save all those 25 cents and build quite the savings account).  I think I had more money when I was 5 then than I do now. 

What chores did you have to do when you were a kid?

Lazy Weekend

Lazy Weekend

This weekend was a very lazy exercise weekend.  The only exercise I completed this weekend was a 2K open water swim.  They had a special swim at Lucky’s Lake Swim this weekend.  They serviced everyone breakfast after you completed the swim.  It was quite a spread.  They had fresh made eggs, pancakes, coffee and bacon.  They also had cookies, donuts, cake, orange juice and other goodies.  I am almost in 100K club!!

My second helping of pancakes and bacon.
I already ate the eggs.

Lots of food after the swim.
I was good and did not eat the sweets.

Gino (the pancack cook) in nothing but
his heart apron and swim speedos.

Tri club having fun!
I'm in far back right.

We were kid-less this weekend so Bonnie and I spent some “quality time” together.  On Friday we met some of her tri club members for dinner, desert and dancing.  We got home at 1:00 AM.  I know I am getting old because staying out past 11:00 pm kills me.

My cheesy smile because I was pissed at the waitress.

Saturday night was also “quality time” night.  We went and ate sushi.  Then we did something strange and different.  We went to Zombietoberdest and watched people dressed up like zombies.  We also had a beer and ate at a Korean taco and a desert crape food truck.  It was pretty cool and different.

Zombietoberfest!!
(SOURCE)

ZOMBIES!!

More ZOMBIES!!

It becoming Fall in FL.  The morning temperature are noticeably cool (in the high 60s) with the daytime highs in the 80s.  That is great training weather.

Great Weather.

Also went to the Central FL Homebrewers meeting
and picked up a gallon of honey. Yummy!!
Maybe it will become wine or a desert or BOTH!!