"Okay, get him out of here." -Santa, A Christmas Story

As a parent, most traditional Christmas activities aren't high on my priority list.  Yes, it's fun to go pick out a Christmas tree; however, I buy the first one that looks halfway decent and get everyone back in the car.  The Elf on the Shelf is freaky as hell and if anyone is going to scare my children into good behavior it's going to be me, not some plastic doll named Bobo.  I'm not encouraging everyone to curl up with cocoa loaded with marshmallows to watch Rudolph or Frosty; frankly, the voices are irritating.  Before you dismiss me as a complete Grinch; however, there is one holiday outing that makes my small heart grow three sizes- the annual photo with Santa.  

I recognize that to a small child Santa is an initimidating unnatural character.  The aggressively rouged cheeks paired with the round glasses, beard and booming HO HO HOs... I get it.  He's scary and hell no, you don't want to sit in his lap, but guess what, it's a Christmas tradition and good practice for all the future times Mom will make you suffer through doing something you'd rather not.  

So, to get you in the holiday spirit, I present six years of warm Christmas memories.  Grab your cocoa, crank up Burl Ives and enjoy.  

 2010

 2011

 2012

 2013

 2014

2015

2015 B.A.A. Half Marathon

On Sunday, I ran the B.A.A. Half Marathon.  I love running B.A.A. events because they are so well run (note: pun is a happy accident.)  I woke up at the crack 'o dawn and secured a prime spot in front of the Oriental House restaurant on Washington Street.  The shuttle buses to Franklin Park were already lined up at 6:15 AM and I had the pleasure of riding in a school bus for the first time in quite awhile; however, you know you're older when you try to find the seat closest to the door vs. in "way back."

The course is scenic, but pretty brutal for the last 4-5 miles as it's quite hilly.  There are plenty of water, Gatorade and GU stations, and plenty of volunteers passing out the goods.  My goal was to finish the race pain free and I tried not to think too much about the clock.  Mile 11 was the toughest, by far.  My strategy was to keep my head down and focus on my breath.  I sang the ABCs (in my head) until I saw the signage for Mile 12, and at that point I was able to put my head up and take a peek at the animals as we ran through the Franklin Park Zoo.

My final time was 2:12:34 and although it wasn't my quickest, it definitely wasn't my slowest.  The last time I ran was in 2013 and I could barely finish due to neck and shoulder pain.  Since that time I've been seeing a chiropractor regularly and more recently have incorporated hot yoga into my conditioning routine.  Both of these have helped tremendously (and the fact that I'm no longer hauling around my twins' infant seats) and it's incredible to finish pain-free.

Here are some shots from the race.  Thanks to all the people that stood along the course and cheered!  It really helps!  Also, big shout-out to the November Project dudes on bikes.  Your shouting and encouragement really made me laugh.

 Pre-race around 7 AM

 Port 'o Pottys as far as the eye can see.  A runner's dream.

 Pre-race around 7:30

 Waiting for the starting gun 

Finished!  Time for a nap.  Oh wait, that was my 2007 race self.  I mean, time to go home and spend the afternoon in a bouncy house with my kids.  

It's been awhile...

Just dusting off the ole blog.  Blogger has changed a lot in the past 4 years...  I logged in in anticipation of potentially starting to train for the 2016 Boston Marathon with Team Eye and Ear again!

This Sunday I'll be running the BAA Half Marathon; can't wait!  Any readers running?  Any readers still left?  Is this thing on?

Knocker Support

So I've volunteered to be a doorknocker for Suzanne Lee's campaign.  Last night I made Nick play the role of homeowner, while I practiced my spiel. 

me: (knocking on door frame)

Nick:  Yes?

me: Hello, as you may know Suzanne Lee-

Nick: Get out of heah!

me: Yes, I will, but perhaps you might just review this pamphlet-

Nick: I don't want your pamphlet!

me: Well, perhaps you might accept this pamphlet... along with these freshly baked cookies!

Nick: (pretends to take imaginary cookies and slams imaginary door.)

me: Thank you for your vote!

This might be more difficult than I imagined.  Perhaps I'll start off with, "I am not trying to recruit you to some bizarre religion, nor am I asking you to buy stale chocolate to support youth football."

Southie Street Festival Moment

Little girls Irish Step Dancing to Dropkick Murphys cover- doesn't get any sweeter than that.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

This photo had me scratching my head for days... and then I realized...

Jo Calderone is really

Lady Gaga paying tribute to Joyce Heyser's

Terry Griffith's male alter-ego

Terry Griffith from the beloved 80's movie, Just One of the Guys.

I feel so much better now.

The Difference Between a Stunod & an A$$hole

I've been commuting to Framingham for my new job for about three weeks now, and I realized there are three kinds of commuters:

1. Those with Fast Lane transponders
2. Stunods.  (Those who commute everyday, yet for some reason, do not have a Fast Lane transponder.)
3. A$$holes.  (Those who commute everyday, don't have Fast Lane, yet drive in the Fast Lane line until the very last second and then try and cut in the front of the Tickets Only line.)

This morning I was driving behind what I would now classify as a #3, if I had to guess what this lady chooses to do.  The rusty mint green Toyota was going about 50 mph and I was about to signal into the left lane to pass her, when I noticed her flick a lit butt out the window and speed up a bit.  Then after about 30 seconds, her car began to swerve as I noticed both of her hands were off the wheel and up around her head.  This stopped after a minute, but then they were right back up in her hair again and she was swerving. 

At this point I decided I needed to get out from behind this crazy person, and got in the left lane.  As I passed her on the left, I took a quick glance and realized that her hands were off the wheel and she was swerving because she was rolling her hair in giant curlers!  As Mr. Bean demonstrated in the episode where he tries to save time by getting dressed and brushing his teeth in the car on the way to the dentist, multi-tasking while driving is pretty dumb and selfish.