It's been a while since I updated this thing. Between Christmas, New Years, vacation, and general craziness I wasn't able to find much time to keep this thing up to date over the past few weeks.

Christmas was a very good time for me. I was pretty unhappy with my job and the time in New Jersey was good for me. I enjoy my family more and more every time I see them and this was no exception. Laura came up for a night and despite her not feeling well I think everyone had a good time. My parents were also up in Boston this past weekend to drop Britta off at the airport (she's spending three weeks in Spain) so we got to hang out some more which I really enjoyed.

My father gave me his old turntable. I don't have any stereo equipment to power it so I bought this gorgeous, retro receiver and speakers from ebay:

The whole thing cost me under 40 bucks (13 for the system, 25 to ship, 38 total) and I should have it by the end of next week. Once I have everything working I am going to start collecting vinyl.

After Christmas I came back up to Boston to see my many friends who were visiting from across the country. Jen Han and her fiance Grant were in town for a few nights for wedding planning and we got dinner at the Alchemist and then drinks at the Behan. I haven't seen Jen since right when Laura and I started dating and I was really excited to catch up with her after so long. Mike D'Emic was at Harvard doing some research for his thesis and a bunch of us got to go to Our House for some Brubakers and good times that hearkened back to when we were all in college. He's doing well and will probably be around again for reserach. Spoony was also in town for the whole week and we had several chances to play little men, grab dinner, and hang out on New Year's.

My New Year's resolution for this year was to try to be more invested in my job. Recently I've been pretty unhappy with my work situation and that negative attitude made it hard for me to be there. I'd like to try to be more positive at work and really try to find ways to occupy myself with job related tasks instead of moping around the internet all day. Two days in and thus far I've been pretty successful. I'm not 100% about any of this but I've managed to keep myself happily busy and productive since returning to the office and I will say that I've been happier here as a result.

Speaking of jobs, Laura has had two interviews this far (one at Tufts and one at Suffolk) that have gone well. She hasn't heard from either one yet but I know she's expecting to get word from Suffolk in the next several days. I e-mailed a woman from MassBay Community College this afternoon about sitting down and talking about teaching math at the community college level. I still do want to teach and I think this might be a better alternative than high school.

Today marks the first run of my 4th week training for Boston. The first three weeks were a rollercoaster of snow storms, missed runs, and reshuffling. Despite all that I managed to get in every run except one 4 miler which I think I will just let slide. I'm glad to be back on schedule though and hope to be able to keep a more even keel for the rest of training. I am still working on nailing down how 8:30 pace feels but I've been doing a lot better than when I started.

Work has been really dragging this week even though I had Tuesday off. Sometimes I can get myself excited to do something but most of the time I find myself bored, listless, and uninterested.

Laura has been applying to a lot of publishing jobs recently and came across an interesting potential career move for me in the field of mathematics text book publishing. She sent me a few postings for jobs editing and working with math texts. It is something I had never considered before but now that she's planted the idea in my head I'm intrigued.

Recently a UFC fighter who I like, Chris Leben, failed a drug test and was suspended for 9 months. My reaction to this was to feel bad for him because I like him and I feel like he's overcome a lot in his life. I was out on a run the other day thinking about this and I realized that my reaction was the complete opposite to how I normally react to situations like this. I can't stand Sean Sherk, another UFC fighter who failed a drug test, and have almost not respect for him as an athlete anymore. I also distinctly remember when Justin Gatlin failed his drug tests and how betrayed I felt by him. Other althletes like Marion Jones, Floyd Landis, and Jan Ulrich have been tainted for me by their steroid useage and I know that I can never look at any of their achievements with any sort of faith that they were achieved in good faith.

I honestly don't know why Chris Leben bucks my trend of anger and resentment towards althletes who use steroids. I liked Justin Gatlin more than Chris Leben and I was more familiar with Gatlin and Marion Jones's accomplishements and careers. Most of the other people on my list denied using while Leben admitted it immediatley. I wouldn't even say that Leben is very high up on my list of favorite fighters, so why do I feel sympathy for him when I could never support any of those others again? I honestly have no idea.

I've decided to start reading more. It's been a while since I read any sort of book and I'd like to get back into the habit. I also want to be more informed so I've taken to browsing CNN and the New York Times at work when I have spare time.

I went climbing the other night before and after teaching and had a lot of fun. I still remember most of my technique and I'm just waiting for my arm and hand strength to return. Unfortunatly I tore a lot of skin off the pad on my right middle finger but I've been drying it out pretty aggressively so I hope it will be usable in a few days.

I finished off the last three marines for my first tactical squad.

all 10


vet with power sword


plasma twins


the three new guys

The other day Bannister, in what I can only assume was some sort of protest over the terrible way I've been treating him this winter, threw his chain as I was going into a busy intersection and nearly killed me. When I stopped to fix that problem I noticed that the rear hub is totally boned. I'm in negotiations with Woodrow now to purchase a set of wheels from him.

Work has been really stressing me out lately, so much so that I left sick halfway through yesterday. It was a good decision I think, because I'm a lot more motivated and focused today. I don't really know what it is about this week, but I was just not very happy here or enjoying what I've been doing lately. I'm hoping a solid weekend will get me back on track.

I'm approaching the end of my Wood Elf army. Yesterday I finished off the Dryads, and all that's left at this point is some Wild Riders and Waywatchers. I'm excited to have this project done. I've learned quite a bit about painting and had a lot of fun getting this army from concept to completion.

Once these guys are done I'm going to begin work on an army of Crimson Fists. Already have 5 tactical marines, 5 terminators, and a rhino assembled, and another 10 tactical, 5 terminators, and 1 rhino on the sprues awaiting some attention. I'm currently looking into purchasing an assault and devastator squad as well, which should get me somewhere between 1000 and 1500 points. The scheme will be pretty typical of Crimson Fists.

I was aiming for some bold highlights, but I think I overdid it just a little. I have a bunch of ideas on how to improve this scheme on the next test model which I think are going to work really well. Also, these models come out in October and I'm planning on picking up a set of each:

Veterans on foot (from Bell of Lost Souls)

Veterans with jump packs (from Bell of Lost Souls)

Climbing has been sporadic at best over the past few weeks. There was a period of time where I thought my new shoes were going to be too small and painful, but I believe that I have fixed the problem now. They are incredibly precise and powerful and I'm pretty pumped to see how they work out.

I'm going for a run after work today, which will be the third time I've run since the marathon. I had such high hopes for maintaining my fitness levels post race, but without a goal to train for I've sort of fallen off the bus. I've also started climbing again, which is taking up the time and energy I used to devote to running.

Yesterday Matt, Pete, and I went to Hammond Pond after work and did some bouldering and traversing. There would have been some top-roping but Matt forgot his rope. The stone at Hammond is called Puddingstone, which essentially looks like concrete with pebbles in it. The pebbles are round and very slick, so footwork is very very important. I spent a lot of time working on my foot placement yesterday and feel pretty confident that I improved quite a bit in the hour and a half we were there. I'm thinking about trying to get back once a week for the specific purpose of traversing to improve my stamina and foot work.

I bought these shoes last week and I'm waiting for them to arrive in the mail so I can use them.

Work has been very stressful the past few days. My office is gearing up for the closing of the dorms, Commencement, our participation in summer orientation, and the general madness that comes with every office at BU trying to get everything done before the school year ends. I have been very busy this whole week and haven't really had any time to screw around, which used to be all I did at work.

Total number of runs: 33
Total number of miles: 172.19
Total time: 23 hours, 16 minutes, 37 seconds

During the last three runs my legs have not felt as good as they have been. The muscles behind my shins are tight when I start the runs, and they don't loosen up until I'm about three miles in. It isn't really pain, and I don't think it is shin splints, but it is annoying and I wish it would resolve itself. I'm going to try a few stretches before and after my runs this weekend and see what happens.

I'm typing this from my new office. It sure it fun to say that. Yesterday David referred to the move as my "first big project." I did do a lot of leg work to make sure the office was set up properly and that we were packed and moved, but I didn't really think I was doing anything special. There have been a lot of problems with the office (missing furniture, incorrect furniture, paint screw ups, etc.) and with the move itself, so I'm not sure if I even want to be associated with the project. That being said, none of them were really my fault so even though this whole process could have gone a lot smoother, I'm happy with how I conducted my end of it.

We'll see how the unpacking and settling in goes before I render my final decision on my performance on my first project.

I finished the Alter Noble. I'm not really sure where to go now because I don't have any models primed, and it is too cold to get outside and spray. I have 16 Dryads sitting on my desk waiting for spray, and I have another 10 Glade Guard that need to be assembled. I am also bidding on some Wardancers, all of which is going to take my army up to the 1000 point level. I've never had 1000 points of any army painted before, although I'm close with the Blood Ravens. Since Spoony doesn't seem much interested in getting his Chaos army assembled, and has expressed interest lately in finishing his Imperial Fists and starting a Guard army, I might table the Elves and try to finish my marines.

Glade Riders

Mounted Noble

Alter Noble

Whole Army

Six weeks down, one third of the way through the training.

Total number of runs: 30
Total number of miles: 157.19
Total time: 21 hours, 08 minutes, 19 seconds

This past week was not the best for running. There was a lot of snow and ice that caused me to run slower or awkwardly, and I ran on Saturday and Sunday after going out to bars the nights before. Even so, I have still felt great overall and I'm still very excited and motivated about the whole thing.

This past weekend I turned 24. I'm not usually very excited about birthdays and this time around was no exception. Despite my initial misgivings, the weekend was a very good time. Laura and I met up with Steve, Dar, Lauren, and Katie on Friday night. We hung out at the Pour House downtown and I had a great time seeing everyone. On Saturday I woke up early to run and then had brunch with my parents. We all then drove out to Beverly to see my sister in her new dorm room at her new school. She seemed to be doing just fine. Saturday night I went to Our House with a variety of ultimate players, rock climbers, and other people. It was a great night, and the first time I had closed a bar down in a while. Sunday was very relaxing and a good way to recover from the previous days' festivities.

Laura bought me four fillet mignon and Call of Duty 4 for my birthday. The game is a lot of fun (and very hard), but I'm most excited about the steak. I'll have to do some research about how to cook it so maximize the deliciousness of it.

Yesterday I was motivated to get some of my Wood Elves painted. I based all of my Glade Riders and both Nobles, and am nearly done with my Alter Noble. After that I run out of things to paint since it is too cold to prime anything outside.

We are moving our office on Thursday, so this past Friday and today were designated as packing days. I don't have an office per say, so I was assigned the storage closet and work rooms to pack up. With the possible exception of Gerry's office, each one of those rooms probably has more stuff in them than any single office. I finished the storage room at 1pm today, and started on the work room this afternoon. It looks like tomorrow I will be packing up the rest of the work room, my desk, and the work study desk. I am so tired of packing boxes and dealing with the move.

Today has not been a very good day.

I woke up feeling like I hadn't slept at all. That wore off on the ride to work, but it isn't generally a good sign. Despite having a lingering and overbearing feeling that I have a lot of work to do, I don't have anything to do at work. The stress of thinking I have things to do, without actually having anything to do (and therefore alleviate my stress) is making me very nervous.

I found out today that the woman in charge of moving our office ordered furniture in a color that David does not like. No one told her to do this, she went ahead and did it based off of some conversations that this office and her have had. I got to tell David. He wasn't happy. He's now trying to see if the order can be changed, and I'll probably end up giving him the final verdict.

I also forgot to schedule someone into a meeting that will probably have to be rescheduled as a result. Not usually a big deal, but it isn't sure isn't helping anything today.

This is probably the first bad day I've had at work. I feel tired and bored and unmotivated, and even though I don't think I've done anything very wrong (the big mistake was not my fault) I still feel like I've screwed up today.

Apparently I forgot about August. Opps.

Three weeks ago I was hired as the Executive Secretary / Assistant to the Director of Residence Life at BU. The job has been fantastic. All of my co-workers are friendly and helpful, and the job itself it enjoyable. I am responsible for general office upkeep, managing the work study students, and keeping the Director on track.

Also three weeks ago, Spoony, Christina, Beth, and I moved into our new place in Jamaica Plain. We have the first floor of a pretty large house. There are four large bedrooms, a big kitchen, and a living room with Spoony's giant television. So far living there has been a lot of fun but we are still not unpacked.

I haven't gone running in a few weeks due to some unexplained pain in my left foot. It hasn't gotten a whole lot better, but I'm planning on giving it a whirl on Monday and seeing what happens. I played in the first annual alumni game this past Monday night. I played horribly because I was afraid of hurting my knee, so I think my decision to retire was a sound one.

This weekend Laura and I are going to Rumney to climb on Saturday. I haven't been climbing in several weeks since I lost my FitRec membership, so this should be an adventure. I am also planning on playing little men with Spoon on Sunday, so I hope that it will be a quality weekend.

2007 Sam Adams Division Champs - Wildwood, NJ