Daily Dose of BS May 9

Having four kids I have had my share of going to sporting events, conferences, art shows and school concerts. I remember when I was in band in middle and high school that after our concerts I always wanted to go somewhere for a special treat and it was always either Farrells or Bridgemans I don’t even know if either of those Ice Cream shops are around anymore. Fast forward about 30 years and things don’t change much, at least for the going out for a treat part, yesterday after my twins spring concert they wanted to go for Ice Cream at Ranison Ice Cream & Candy, great choice kids. Back to the music, the 4th and 5th graders at Spence did an awesome job of singing, playing instruments and speaking on the microphone, and as a person who does that for a living I am a bit jealous as there was one speaker who is in either 4th or 5th grade that could have a career as a voice over artist right now. The kids music teacher Mrs Pierce spoke after the show and said the kids came up with their own melodies after learning the songs for the show. I didn’t hear an off note. They say that children are our future and if that is true, we are on track for a bright future. Daily Dose of BS 5:15 weekday afternoons on Magic 105

Daily Dose of BS May 8

Are you mobile?  I am guessing that 99% of us are.  Only one of my 16 year old friends doesn’t have a phone, and of the kids that do each of them have a better and cooler phone than mine.  I have a blackberry curve.  I originally got a blackberry for the business aspect of it, and then got another one because I didn’t want to have to learn a new system.  My phone has been locking up so I went to the phone store yesterday and they suggested I get the update.  I agreed and proceeded to go home and downloaded the newest operating system, backed up my phone, tried to sync it and then installed the update.  A friend of mine works for a cell phone company and said the backup is easy and everything should be back to the way it was.  He was wrong.  It took about the whole afternoon yesterday to update and upgrade my phone, then all the shortcuts I put in to the phone were not in place, and all the newest phone numbers I put into my phone were not available.  The thing that gets me the most is my entire calendar was on my phone, so if I have an apt with you in the next year, please send it to me and if I miss an apt in the next while, I am going to apologize for it now.  

Daily Dose of BS May 7

Does anyone have pictures?  I am looking for any pictures of me in mid stride of Saturdays 5k.  I promise this is the last time I talk about my 5k quest until I can do the whole thing.  I am so proud of everyone who participated in this past weekend’s La Crosse Fitness Festival.  The organizers had a tough call for Sundays Marathon, as the thunder, lightning and rain hit the area early and by 5:15 they had to call the marathon and pushed the half marathon back by an hour and a half.  I bet that the disappointment was there for those who have pushed, trained and worried about the race.  Back to Saturdays 5k, I was sick to my stomach as I was getting ready for the 5k, I had nerves, and anticipation as we walked up to the starting line,  I went toward the back of the pack since I am not a speed runner, hell I am just starting after 43 years of not running.  Someone said the starting gun was fired and the 1000 people in line started to move, it took me 52 seconds to get to the starting line the fear turned into excitement, I know I can do it, we started walking, wanted to get warmed up for the jog, got to 2^nd street and up the incline, jogged up the hill thought it was about 5 minutes, was about 90 seconds, ooh ooh I am in trouble, how do I bail out of this is going thru my mind, then thought I can do this.  The next mile is a blur, I have no recollection of what happened.     At the half way point there was water, oh sweet h-2-o oh how I love thee.  Again conscious of my surrounding, hey there are people walking faster than I am jogging, wtf?  How is this happening, what am I doing wrong, they all look happy, me I am cursing each and every miserable step, the next mile or so was blurry again, we are getting close to Riverside Park, my legs feel like they each weight a ton and each shoe is a concrete barricade but the end is in sight, way way way over there.  My thoughts go from I can make it, to how much longer, to what was I thinking, to why am I here.  I all of a sudden hear Chad yell you can do it Bob, go.  It was the push I needed, I sprinted ahead, 3 turtles and a baby passed me up but I was bound and determined to finish with that awesome pace of molasses.  I reached the last turn of the 5k and my legs decided that I was done at that moment, Melissa who was in my training group said you can do it, its just a few more yards, it was enough to get me to the mouth of the finish line and Eric and his wife were there to help me through the finish line.  In a running time of 46.28 but take off the 52 seconds that we started with and have a time of 45.36.  I know I won't be winning any land speed records, but I got nothing to go but up from here.  You know it really wasn’t that bad and I am looking forward to doing another one sometime in July.  I plan on training until I can finish without stopping to walk.   

Daily Dose of BS May 4

As you have heard over the past 6 weeks or so that I have been in training for the La Crosse Fitness Festival 5k that takes place tomorrow.  When I started out I was able to run a total of 90 seconds.  At the beginning of this week I clocked in 20 minutes of jogging over the course of a 5k, last night I walked the fitness fest 5k to see how long the walk would take, I was able to finish with a walking time of about 57 minutes so just over 3 miles per hour, not a bad stride.  Tomorrow will be my first official 5k as a jogger; I walked it last night so I will have a time to beat tomorrow.  At 10 tomorrow morning the weeks of training will be put to the test, I have a bit of anticipation and am a bit nervous as I will be embarking on the unknown.   To all the runners, bikers and walkers in this weekend’s La Crosse Fitness Festival, congratulations on all your training and good luck.

Daily Dose of BS May 3

You’ve heard the old nursery rhyme rain, rain go away come again some other day.  Or its raining its pouring the old man is snoring he bumped his head and went to be and couldn’t get up in the morning.  I smile when I hear those old nursery rhymes.  They bring me back to a less busy time in my life, when it was fun to play in puddles, when you actually went outside to get wet rather than curse the fact that it is raining.  I am sure if you look back you used to enjoy a good rain.  I for one love the fresh smells right before a gentle rain or the greening of the earth after the pounding of a good rain storm.  It is funny I really don’t recall if we had much rain in April because the cool temps that we had at the end of the month after the beautiful weather we had at the beginning of the month skewed my perception of the weather.  But I do know we have had some big rain producing storms so far this month.  I think next time there is a gentle rain we should go out and celebrate the life that water brings us.

Daily Dose of BS May 2

They say judge not lest ye be judged.  I am sorry to say we are all judges, and juries as we all judge and try people on a fairly regular basis.   My friend Amy posted today as her post “Today, I will judge nothing that occurs. I will not classify, define, or label or analyze. I will shed the burden of judgement.”    I am ashamed of myself for taking in stray conversations and putting together my own assumption of what happened with the Sara Hougom murder in LaCrosse.   I am sorry for the passing of my theory to a few others.  I did keep my thoughts off the radio and for that I am happy, but am mad at myself for judging at a time when I should not have been.  You know what happens when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me and we have all been down that road a few times in our lives.  I am happy that the La Crosse Police have cracked the case of both the drive by and the senseless murder of a 20 year old college student.  I was sickened when it happened as was the rest of La Crosse and then to find out that she was killed over a purse, really.  How much money was in the purse?  I am guessing not enough to take a life.  In the LaCrosse Tribune today there was a story about the Hmong community and how they are bracing themselves for a backlash from the community, because the homicide suspects are Hmong.  I don’t get why there would be backlash there are idiots in all cultures and races, want proof look at your family tree, if you can’t find at least one outcast on the tree then I am guessing it is you.   

Daily Dose of BS April 30

Sleep is something that most of us do not get enough of, a study last week showed that we are getting well less than the 7-9 hours we need to be productive and useful.  I for one am one that is lacking in the sleep department.  I did sleep 8 ½ hours on Friday night.  I can’t remember the last time I did that.  It was wasted by the time that Saturday rolled around as I didn't sleep to well, and then last night don’t get me started.  I had tried to go to sleep about 9:30 tossed and turned till 12 or so got up watched tv for about an hour, closed my eyes and woke up an hour later.  Was up for about 20 minutes then back to the recliner for about 2 more hours of shut eye, and that is what it was.  I am sure that wasn’t considered sleep, because recliner sleep doesn’t let you stretch out and let you enjoy a great sleep.  So needless to say, Bob is tired today and cranky.  So if I blow-up at you or seem crabby today, that is the reason, well either that or you just rub me the wrong way, try to remember go with the grain.