The Crazies

So when I travel, I sometimes forget how crazy the girls in my life are. I mean really, really, insane. For example, last night, I find my cat lounging in the cabinet. I know what she was doing, she was hoping that the cabinets all connected and she could get in the one that holds the tuna cans.

Now I'm the first to admit, there realy isn't a template for normal. And, if there was a template, I'm pretty sure I would be no where close to fitting inside of it.

That said, I can't wait for another crazy female in my life. It's going to be a blast and at a minimum provide for some good pictures.


In other news, the weather lately sure has been interesting. Looks like the perfect time for a trip...check it out.

PT...Good for Me?

Yesterday was one of the hardest exercise days I've had in long time. In addition to the normal bike commute, I also started my PFT (Physical Fitness Test) training. This is important as I am looking to max the PFT if I ever get through the process and end up at NAT.

This particular PFT consists of untimed pushups (do them till you can't anymore), 1 minute situps, 300 M sprint, 1.5 mile run, pullups.

I'm good on the sprint and the 1.5 mile run, maxing these events...however, since all i do is lower body exercises, the pushups and pullups are a bear. There was a time back when I was at VMI that 100 pushups and 20 pullups was no sweat. Now, it's more like struggling for 50 and 10...

I'll get it back pretty in a couple months, but in the meantime, it's going to hurt. 1.5 hours of PT on top of my bike commute is really brutal. Couple that with my ridiculous ego and competitive edge, and it makes the next day hurt. (Why can't I ever be OK with finishing 2nd? It eally would have made getting out of bed a lot easier)

The good thing though is that adding the extra exercising means i can go back to eating ridiculous portions. Brazilian Steakhouse anyone?

Suckers

So I'm listening to a radio station down in DC online. (DC101, my old favorite when i lived down there). Metro is already jammed. Most parking lots anywhere near Metro are full. The streets are clogged, completely. It's a good day to own a bike.

The District is crazy today...

I know it's a pretty historic day, and given that a rooster has more potential then the last president, the next four years should bring about something positive.

My biggest point though is that we should all enjoy today. However, it's ridiculous to think that one man has all the answers. In the end he's still a crafty politician. Just like Bush, he's making appointments based on political motives, not what's best for the country. It's all a sham...Obama's political team has you all fooled. Suckers...

Anyway, we got a good amount of snow yesterday. It's super sweet. I love riding in it. I wish I could have taken a picture, but it got dark really quick yesterday.

What to Expect After the Inauguration

Sigh...Don't Blame Me, I didn't vote for HIM.

"Politics is never a matter of perfection, but from time to time, politicians make decisions so massively wrong that they stun us. Such is the appointment of Ray LaHood for Transportation Secretary, whose qualifications are minimal and ideas are anachronistic:"

In case you haven't been following the news, LaHood is a conservative Illinois Republican with little transportation expertise and almost no administrative experience, who has earned a LCV lifetime voting score on critical environmental issues of 27 percent, and who maintains deep financial connections to the very industries he's now supposed to regulate. He may be no worse than most of those who've lead the Department of Transportation, but his appointment is a profoundly uninspiring vote for business as usual at a time when we need change, and an strong indication that the administration doesn't get that energy policy, technological innovation, urban planning, environmental sustainability and transportation are all bound up together, and no solution to our problems can be had without tackling them all together.

LaHood's appointment is so disappointing to transportation advocates who've been waiting eight years for change, that they're boiling with indignant disbelief, branding him "an unbelievably disastrous pick," "Status quo we can believe in" and "same.gov" (a dig at the Obama transition site, change.gov). As one insider summed it up: "It's a real read-it-and-weep moment."
LaHood supporters point out that the president-elect promised to appoint Republicans, and LaHood is trusted by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Obama had to throw Republicans a bone somewhere, they argue: why not Transportation?

Because given the crises we face, the U.S. Department of Transportation is not a minor agency. This year it had a $58 billion budget and employed almost 60,000 people. What's more, the Secretary of Transportation will guide the spending of vast amounts of stimulus spending, oversee the auto industry bailout and be responsible for a raft of critical policy decisions that will dictate the shape of our cities and the choices we have for getting around for decades -- and thus indirectly our energy policies as well, since transportation is where much of our energy use goes. In fact, in an era of climate change, energy crisis and economic distress, Transportation may be one of the most important posts in the president's cabinet.

Ray LaHood and Changing our Thinking About Transportation

Justin here...Back on Line

OK OK...finally getting settled in here and into the swing of things at the new job. It's going to busy year. With work that it is...not to mention school, and having a daughter (that's going to kick Taylor's son's ass).

Still doing the bike commute, but taking the bus to work in morning. There are two main reasons:

1. I'm a wuss. It's freakin cold in the morning.
2. It's faster to take the bus in the morning. I can beat the bus home in the evening, and in the morning, the bus doesn't smell.
3. I like being able to walk on Friday. By only riding 20 miles a day 6 days a week I am still able to function by the end of the week. Since i need to incorporate running, situps and pushups, I couldn't do these if I rode both ways. Sure, I could ride slow(er)...but that's boring and a waste of time. I'm not training for anything, I'm trying to get someplace fast just like every commuter on the roads in a car.
4. I'm a wuss

So yeah, posting will be much more infrequent, but as you can see, posts from my wife are much more interesting. I'll be travelling, and now that i have an electronic leash, maybe I'll post some good pics. It's going to be a fun year.

Self-respect

Good morning, its KC again (Justin's still slacking)...

So one of my guilty pleasures that I'm vaguely ashamed of is that I watch American Idol--I like watching the good singers while Justin watches for the first few episodes where they show the really bad auditions

Anyway, we were talking last night about how some of the people's friends and family actually let them believe they have a chance--and how skewed some of these people's perception of self has to be for them to think they can sing

Now, I'm not talking about the people that just want to get on TV and will do anything (including making fools of themselves). What baffles me are the people who CANNOT sing and they truly believe they are the next American Idol
isnt it part of being a good parent/friend to keep you from embarrassing yourself? to have an honest discussion about how bad you sound?! Though I love to sing, my family has always encouraged it but never ever did they let me believe I was anything more than mediocore (and that would be a kind way to put it, so for humanity's sake I limit my singing to the shower)--it is as simple as recording that person's voice and playing it back to them

Where are all these people's support systems? their checks on their conceit/self-delusion?

This discussion made me think of how I want to raise my daughter--and how to instill self-respect while not going overboard to conceit--to keep her idea-of-self realistic...maybe some of the problem with telling our kids they are "special" or emphasizing how great they, we are skewing their perception of their talent so it is no longer realistic--I dont know, it seems a fine line because kids need encouragement and support but whose job is it to cut down their egos?

Back to work:(
have a good day

First foray into blogging

Okay...so since Justin is now super busy with work, I figured I'd try this out--originally he started this site with the idea we would both post but so far we've been listening to his ranting and I havent tried it out

So my question of the day is: what about pregnancy breaks down socially accepted norms?

For example, my boss's secretary (a very nice and helpful lady) just thought it was okay to shout out in the hallway "WOW you are getting so big!" While this may true, it is considered socially unacceptable to point out excessive weight gain in anyone else--and yes, while I am HUGE, I dont necessarily feel great having people point it out to me (even if it is normal) [dont get me wrong, I'm not super weight conscience--comments like that make me think about how differently people treat me now that I am obviously pregnant] Even more telling I think is the fact the Fed-ex delivery guy (another VERY nice person) just admitted he was afraid to say anything for the past few months in case I wasnt pregnant while one of my co-workers from China had no problem asking if I was pregnant in September--its pretty interesting how the different cultures handle pregnancy

Another example that I'm sure most pregnant women have experienced...total strangers and friends alike all seem to want to pet my belly--I am NOT a lucky Buddha belly that will bring you luck if you rub my belly--please keep your hands to yourself! GEEZ

I have also noticed how my belly inspires motherhood war stories--I have learned so much about my co-workers and total strangers who regale me with tales of how great/horrible/etc their pregnancies were (or their wives' pregnancies)--I'm not complaining about this trend, just thinking about how most people dont share such personal stories with someone who they ride the elevator with--I actually love learning more about these people and hearing about their lives. Pregnancy seems to have opened up a whole new world--I've gained admittance into an exclusive club where I would never have learned so much about the people around me


Anyway...just some thoughts while I'm procrastinating doing my data analysis

Have a good day:)

Congrats and Other Stuff

Well, to start off with, I finished the year with a shade over 10,000 miles. Most of these were commuting miles. This year, I'll be dialing the miles down a bit as I need to work in running and a lot of weightlifting. Not just for track cycling, but future job aspirations require me to be able to do more than pedal fast. (Pushups?!?! I think i forgot what those were!)

Wrapping up the year, due to work travel requirements I probably drove that many miles. How do you drive 10K miles when you don't own a car? Well, at least that's over for a while. It will nice to sleep in my own bed and work some sort of normal hours for at least a little while. The upside is, I now am a member of the highest level of service for both Avis and Marriott. Everything has its perks.

Anyway, most importantly, Labrat is now a proud father. Can't wait to meet the little guy. My wife is due in 3 mos. How crazy is that?