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The Big Race

Guest Blogger:  Betty Clair Hatcher

Today, I'm writing on Ross's blog to tell you about my experience in running my first ever half-marathon!

I decided back in November that I wanted to train for the Country Music Half-Marathon held here in Nashville.  The half-marathon is a 13.1 mile race.  I'm not a runner, or even the slightest bit athletic, so I knew this would be a huge challenge.  This kind of difficult task was exactly what a thrill-seeking, uncoordinated person like myself was looking for.

Running is more of a mental challenge than anything, and for people who aren't athletic, a mental challenge is a more realistic goal.  Everyone knows how to run.  There is no thought or skill involved and really no way to mess it up.  Plus, I wanted to find out what it is like to get high... a runner's high, that is!

After months of training through blood, sweat, and tears, I was finally ready for my big day.  The greatest distance I had run in my training was 10 miles.  According to the training guide I was following, this was sufficient training to run 13.1 miles during the race.

I began to get very anxious when I discovered how many people would be running this race.  Over 35,000 people had signed up for the marathon and half-marathon combined!

On race day, all my anxiety disappeared and was replaced by pure excitement.  I got up at 4:45 a.m. to make it to Centennial Park (the starting point of the race) by 6:00 a.m.  I am a fortunate woman because my husband got up with me and cooked me breakfast, gave me flowers with a "Good Luck" balloon, and drove me to Centennial Park.

Now, I'll walk you through the race... left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot, etc.  Sounds like fun, huh?

Actually, the race itself was very exciting!  It was very difficult, but being surrounded by so many other people made running that far seem much easier.  My running partner, Manda, was also very encouraging during the race.  I got a little tired around mile 7, but fortunately she was there to keep my spirits up and keep going.  I was able to return the favor toward the end of the race when she needed some extra motivation.

Just before the 13 mile mark, I saw Ross standing on the side of the road waiting to see my run by.  Since I run so fast, he didn't get a chance to take a picture of me then.  However, he did hurry to the next corner to wait on me again and got some neat video of us running.

I finished the race soon after that with a time of 2:42:55.  I was very pleased with my time since my goal was to finish under 3 hours.

I really enjoyed getting to prepare and participate in a half-marathon.  It was very rewarding to set a goal and see it accomplished.  I have my sights set a little bit higher for next year's race, though.  I am going to try to run the full marathon!

Here are some pictures and video from the race for you to enjoy!

"Carb-Loading" the Night Before the Race

Eating My Race Day Breakfast

The Finish Line

My Medal

Me Displaying Proper Running Technique

Manda Doing the Same

Me, Manda, and Sarah After the Race

How to Celebrate Earth Day

Today is Earth Day!

Wikipedia describes this event as "a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment."  This is a very noble task, indeed.  Therefore, I have come up with several ways to celebrate this "holiday" that will help keep the planet clean and healthy.

Here they are:

Water-Saving Tips

1.  Do not bathe.  This is a method utilized by many global warming activists to help reduce

water waste.  Reportedly, many of these activists have been continuously using this strategy for decades.

2.  Do not flush your toilet.  Like the previous method, this too will help reduce water waste.  No matter what you or your family "deposits" there today, please refrain from flushing.  Betty Clair and I have managed to save a total of 9.6 gallons of water already today!

3.  Do not wash your clothes.  Janeane Garofalo is the celebrity role model of this method as she has been wearing unwashed clothing since 1998.  Doesn't she look honorable?

Tree-Saving Tips

1.  Do not spend money.  Since the destructions of trees is inevitable in the printing of dollar bills, spending money should be avoided at all costs to show your personal horror with the act of tree harvesting.  This would particularly be a valuable method for President Obama and Congress to exercise.

2.  Use NO products made from trees.  This includes any furniture made from wood and all forms of paper.  Yes, I even mean toilet paper.  You should not indulge in the luxury of wiping your butt on this very important day.

Emission-Reducing Tips

1.  Walk to work.  I realize your place of employment may be 40 miles away, but utilizing man's great invention of the automobile on a day this important would be nearly as evil as killing small puppies.

2.  Use no electricity at all.  This means everywhere.  If a place of business feels it necessary to leave their lights on during operating hours, you should boycott them.  Who says you can't sell groceries or other goods in complete darkness?  Do you really need to know if that tomato is fresh?  Even if you are a diabetic with insulin requiring refrigeration, you are out of luck.  You must sacrifice your own health needs for the needs of dear Mother Earth.  Can't you hear her crying while you selfishly try to keep your medicine cold with that massive cooling device of yours?

3.  Walk around nude.  Since your garments were most likely produced in a carbon-emitting factory, you should display your contempt for this awful practice by not clothing yourself.  Offensive?  It doesn't matter; Mother Earth is dying.

4.  Do not fart.  Abstain from releasing your self-made greenhouse gases.  Whatever it takes, hold it in.  We can't stop the cows from doing it, but you can stop yourself!

Nashville Tea Party - Round 2

Yesterday, I attended the Tax Day Tea Party here in our beautiful city of Nashville.  I knew the turnout would be much greater than the first event, but the actual attendance exceeded what I had expected.  Official estimates from police reports put the number of good Americans there around 10,000!  Of course, our liberal local newspaper reported it at only 3,000, though.  Surprised?

You should already know what this is all about (at least from reading my last post about it), so I won't explain the purpose of these events again.  I will just say that it appears to be getting pretty big.  Hopefully, it is leading to more things that our out-of-touch Congress and President might take notice of eventually.  Click the previous link to see for yourself.  I really have a lot of trouble believing the whole "smartest president ever" thing when he's not even aware of millions of Americans protesting his most prized legislation.  Even George W., the "dumbest president ever," was aware of it when just one stupid woman was hanging out on his ranch all the time.

I also can't help but appreciate the way CNN covers the tea parties.  Fair and Balanced!

Here are a few pictures I took from the tea party...

Before it all started

The people behind me stretched all the way back to the street.

I think Marsha Blackburn was speaking here.  She is cool like Sarah Palin.

I am Obama's Priority

There really is a lot going on in the world right now.

There are Muslim Somali pirates attacking shipping vessels and holding American citizens hostage, North Korea is restarting their nuclear programs, and a murderer is being convicted while donning a "Barack Obama Rocks" pin.

However, our leaders don't seem to be too concerned with addressing such trivial issues.  They have much more important things to worry about.

Instead, the Department of Homeland Security has issued an assessment in order to effectively deal with the apparent rise in Right Wing Extremism that is posing a threat to our country.  I guess that makes me... a terrorist?

Check out some of their findings in the official government document:

The DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) has no specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence...

... but they still found it necessary to use government funding to research this issue.  You can't help but appreciate government work, huh?  Furthermore...

Proposed imposition of firearms restrictions and weapons bans likely would attract new members into the ranks of rightwing extremist groups...

Since I purchased a gun in anticipation of these proposed (i.e. inevitable) impositions from the Obama administration, I guess I fit into this category.  Crazy gun owners... I mean, terrorists!  Additionally...

DHS/I&A is concerned that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to boost their violent capabilities.

I'm so glad they love and respect our soldiers.  Read on...

Rightwing extremist paranoia of foreign regimes could escalate or be magnified in the event of an economic crisis or military confrontation, harkening back to the "New World Order" conspiracy theories of the 1990s.

Wait a minute, isn't a "New World Order" what British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said was emerging just a few days ago?  But, noooo, you're a terrorist threat if you're worried about our leaders becoming too chummy with Hugo Chavez and Kim Jong Il!  Even more...

Rightwing extremist chatter on the Internet continues to focus on the economy, the perceived loss of U.S. jobs in manufacturing and construction sectors, and home foreclosures.

I suppose my right wing internet chatter on this little ol' blog puts me in the category of those posing a direct threat to our country's welfare, also.  I'm afraid the FBI may break down my door any minute now and confiscate my keyboard.  I should type quickly.

Moreover, I'm not so sure the "loss of U.S. jobs" they mention here is only "perceived."  According to their own reports, it is actually taking place.  Obviously, they're not too bright, thought, since they can't even figure out that "right wing" is two words, not one.

Could you even begin to imagine the outrage from the mainstream media if Bush's administration had put out a document discussing the dangers of liberal extremism?  Ironically, liberal extremism actually does pose a considerable threat in the form of radical environmentalists, NOW, PETA, and Rosie O'Donnell.  (Yes, she may eventually consume the entire world's food supply).

Regardless of all these threats that Obama and his boys see looming, they can not point out a specific example of any planning of such activities in the entire document.  However, they could very well be passively referring to the tea parties being held all across the country tomorrow.  It would make a whole lot of sense considering the timing of this document's release.  But, I'm sure they're not really scared of a few groups of overtaxed citizens holding signs somewhere, are they?

Go to a Tea Party tomorrow if you love your freedom!  Locations are listed here.

Special Treatment

How do you measure the carbon footprint of a pizza?

I'm not really sure what the answer is to that question.  But, when you fly two chefs and all the ingredients nearly 2,000 miles round-trip to cook it, I'm sure it's fairly respectable.

Why would anyone need to do such a thing, you ask.  Well, I honestly can't answer that question, either.  (Hard to believe since I know everything, huh?)

The only response I can possibly put together is that this person is simply a spoiled elitist whose feeling of self-worth is so extraordinary that he can't see the absurdity of this action.  This person would also have to have very little concern for environmental matters since a jet being flown simply to prepare pizzas would emit a lot of atmospheric pollution.  He would also have to be way out of touch with the "common man" since no regular middle-class family could ever afford such a luxury.

Want to guess who it is?  It shouldn't be hard.  Probably the CEO of General Motors, AIG, or other greedy corporation, huh?

Wrong!

This was done by our very considerate and compassionate leader, President Barack Obama. Apparently, he feels that his Thursday lunch is so important that such a request is justifiable.  Oh, the pomposity is nauseating!

Furthermore, Pi Restaurant (the preparer of the meal) displays their complete ignorance of this move on their website by boasting about how "green" they are because of their "significant carbon-offset purchases."  Again, just how many carbon-offsets does one have to purchase if cooking 20 pizzas requires flying halfway across the country?

I'm so confused.

Side Note:  In case you were unaware, I was victorious in the NCAA Basketball Tournament Challenge.  Was there ever any doubt I would win, though?

I am currently alone in third place in the Masters Best Ball Challenge, with Neely in the lead.  It's not over yet, though.  I'm coming back.

Grand Canyon Trip '09

Here are some pictures from our trip this week to the Grand Canyon with Trey and Laura Beth.  As you can probably tell, they weren't all taken at the Grand Canyon.  

We actually flew into Las Vegas on Sunday and spent the night there before driving to the Canyon the following morning.  We made a quick stop at the Hoover Dam on the way, too.  Sound familiar, Brad?

We arrived at the park that afternoon and took in some of the scenery at the designated viewing areas.  On Tuesday, we woke up early enough to see the sunrise and stayed all day to eventually see it set, which was definitely one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed.

After watching the sun come up and eating breakfast, we went on a hike that took us about two miles down the canyon, which didn't even begin to approach making it all the way down to the river.  It did, however, provide some pretty impressive surroundings.

Enjoy!

Vote in my latest poll, too.

Offensive, Lazy, or Just Plain Stupid?

Wasn't it already lame enough when all the Obamas could come up with were plastic helicopters and incorrectly formatted DVD's for our British friends?  Surely he wouldn't make the same mistakes again with our strongest ally... right?

WRONG!

During his pointless trip to Europe this week, he had the opportunity to repair some of these recent mistakes in his meeting with the Queen of England.  As expected, with such a momentous occasion pending, careful thought was put in to what would be gifted to her majesty on behalf of the United States.  President Obama and the entire White House staff made certain they they chose a unique and meaningful present for this event.  They didn't want to mess up again... right?

WRONG AGAIN!

Unfortunately,  after several days to deliberate the appropriate management of this task, the best thing the administration could come up with for the Queen is (drum roll, please)... an iPod.  Yes, an iPod!  Making matters more absurd is the fact that the queen already has an iPod.  It's even public knowledge what type of device she owns.  Couldn't the president just have done a simple google search to check up on this (especially considering how tech savvy he claims to be)?

In all fairness, I probably shouldn't expect him to be very proficient at the act of giving anyway, being that his entire career has been based on the act of "taking."  Also, I should just get used to the fact that the next four years will be quite embarassing on many, many levels.  If only that was the sole concern America has to worry about with Barry O!

Note:  There will be no blogging from yours truly for the next few days.  I am going to the Grand Canyon for a few days.

(Gasp, did he just say he is going on vacation in the middle of the recession?  How inconsiderate and vain!)

Yes, I did!  I am not participating in the "recession."  Peace out, homeys!