Paul R Smith Dot Com

I Miss the Marathon

Last year at this time, I was getting ready for the Disney 2007 Marathon. It would be my first one, and one of my life long dreams.  The next one is Sunday and I feel like I missed a bus and still smell its fumes.

This year, mostly due to costs, I'll be in Texas  It's no mystery that Disney is an expensive vacation, I admit.  And I also admit a very guilty pleasure.  But, I really like it over there.  And, despite the heat of my last  26.2 mile race, I'd like to do it again.  Last year, I ran with a few runners who make it their yearly vacation.  I'd love that.  Although, it's a tad (no, try very) selfish to hose your family's vacation plans to run an over commercial course at an overpriced resort year after year.

Sigh.  It doesn't make sense with me either.  I usually shun such commercial plastic places.  (All right, maybe not Cinnabun.) But still, I'd kill (or maybe maim) to go back.  And to spend all that time training to run a very solitary selfish race.   The only other selfish past time I have is writing.   

Oh, wait. 

Nike Plus So Far

2008 Better And New Improved Promises

    My New Year Resolutions:

    1. To lose 30 pounds and / or get my body fat percentage down to 15 percent.  I'm just about 28 percent now so, it'll be a challenge.

    2. Okay, I mean it this time.  There will be submissions.  There will be rejection slips.  My writing will leave this web page to find an audience that will pay to read it.  I'm not just going fo

    3. Run 50 miles a month for a total of 600 miles for the year.  You did read this, right?

    4.  Keep in touch with old friends and new.  Every day I will write, email, or phone a friend I admire. 

    5.  Save More Money.

    6.  Get Daz, Aitress, and Yolk to Level 70 in World of Warcraft With Flying Mounts So I Can Help My Friends With Instances

    7.  Register For The 2009 Disney Marathon and Invite Friends, Familty, and Loved Ones

2007 Broken Promises

My buddy, Jamie, did something I've never seen before on a blog.  She posted her new year resolutions from last year and scored them.  So, in an effort of copying all my friends good ideas:

Here they are the Resolutions of 2007:

•     Write more often.  I will write as much as time Jade will allow.  As soon as I get the courage to do it today, I'm signing up for a 2 month novel writing course that will take place after the Disney Marathon.  I only did about 48 blog entries this year.  I want to do at least 100 this year.  And I need to earn more rejection slips.

Hmm...let's see I've written about 54 of my own blog entries and finished more words in Nano this year.  It's a small improvement, but it ain't a 100. My novel writing course...well...I didn't do as well there as I hoped.  Personally, I should have saved the money. No rejection slips yet.  But I think this year will change that.

•      Call /email my friends more often.  I'll have a new phone plan in January and it will be my duty to put Verizon to the test.  Also the voice mails of all my love ones needs some spicing up.

I don't think so.  I've been about the same stranger or more a hermit.  Put this one in the loss column as well.  If you think about it, the first two resolutions go right up against each other.  It's hard to be a good friend while typing away in a corner somewhere muttering to yourself.

•     Be more positive.  So for 2007, news media organizations will have one less critic. :-)

Hmm...I think I was more myself than negative.  Even with the Emeril comment. I think I was a lot less negative at least in the blog postings. When I asked Bren, she said I was more positive as well.  So here’s a win.

•     Read to Jade more often.

Bren also says yes.  We now take Jade to the Frisco Library where she cleans out the kids section and tries to carry it all to the car.

•     Be funnier.

Bren says yes again.  I don’t know if you guys who are reading this think so.  Let me know.

•     Respect the pizza delivery personnel.

No harm came to any pizza delivery person in 2007 by my hand.

•     Less running gags.

...or posts about people leaving comments.  Hmm....this one needs work.

•     More lawn maintenance.

I stopped caring about this one.

•     Eat more ice cream.

I gained more than 10 pounds this year and that’s with my running included. I definitely ate more ice cream.  And cookies.  And potato chips.  And Italian food.  And steak...

•     Walk the dog more.

I think so.  My dog will disagree.

•     Play more computer games.

Nope.   Daz ain’t 70 yet.  I was too busy eating ice cream.

•     Finish reading The Dark Tower Series, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings.

No on all three fronts.  But I did finish the 2nd book in the Robert Jordan series.

•      Drink more Mr. Pibb.  Appreciate the finer points in life.

Yes, I did.  I’ve even tried to defend it against the amount of pro-Dr. Pepper people.

•     Edit or create a Wikipedia article.

Um...no.

•     Do something everyday that scares me.  (like eating at Wienerschnitzels late at night.  I mean wear else can you go and get a Pastrami Dog!)

Not as such.  Jade does that on her own for me.

Thanks for listening (or reading.)  Next up...my new 2008 resolutions.