I posted recently about it being running season and me wanting to get out to run some races, well I decided to run a 5K yesterday and I realized it was the first time I had ever run a 5K - not sure why really. So I randomly picked one of the local events based on the fact that I liked the logo (and knew the free t-shirt would be decent) and I ended up doing pretty well. I averaged 7 minute miles and actually placed 9th overall and 2nd in my age group. Turns out if I stuck around I would have been given a prize of some kind. So this time went Trent asks me "if I won"...I can actually say yes.

Other than that, the weekend was pretty chill. I did a little yard work Sunday, kicked the soccer ball around some, watched some movies with Leigh, watched some soccer games, and just relaxed. Pretty nice. (10:01pm)

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I hope to get my soccer team together for a picture so I can show off the SU jerseys we had made. I have to admit, it was pretty cool seeing the team running around with my company's name and logo on the shirts - plus the shirts themselves look great, thanks Robbie!

Speaking of soccer, we won last night. The other team sucked and we didn't play all that great, but at least we won.

Leigh and I are trying to come up with our travel plans for the rest of the year. We will be going to Wilmington for a long weekend in October to see my cousin Anna get married as well as just to get in one last beach visit (Robbie and Amy, wanna go?). We are also trying to find a time we can go see Jeremy in Denver, but Leigh isn't a big cold weather fan so we don't want it to be like 30 degrees there. Outside of those two trips, there is a possibility of going to Florida for a wedding, and who knows what else that comes up before I head to Park City in January for a week of snowboarding.

In other random thoughts news: The songs I have heard on the new Rentals album are really good. (11:05am)

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Finally back home in Raleigh for at least a week or so. I might even make it two weeks, we'll see.

I don't know if I have posted it here, but Trent and I are playing in a new soccer league this summer. So far we have won two games and lost two games, but I think we are starting to figure out where everyone should be playing, etc. I'm excited because for tomorrow night's game we should have our new Silent Uproar soccer jerseys, which look great thanks to Robbie.

This time of year also means there are lots of local races on the weekends. I know of at least 3 or 4 good 5Ks, 10Ks and half marathons that I would like to sign up for as well as possibly capping off the year with a marathon on Charlotte. We will see about that one.

In other news, I shaved my head last week. Not cancer boy bald like that time in college, but pretty short. (2:03pm)

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Sometimes I wonder if things like stress are relative. Can the person whose job is to clean the floors of a school be just as stressed about the fact that he runs out of cleaner one night as the guy who is trying to launch a space shuttle and realizes that a fuel line is busted? Of course the space guy has a lot more at risk, but couldn't the janitor be just as stressed because he can't complete his job? My thinking is that the janitor doesn't know what the stress of managing a space shuttle launch is like so to him, his stress could be unbearable.

I pose this question because Leigh and I both have been under some major stress at work and have talked about how different the kinds of stress we have are yet it has the same impact. She has to deal with putting animals to sleep and all the emotions that are attached to that as well as diagnosing tough medical conditions, etc. Last week I had to deal with trying to plan this 3 day workshop for 30+ people next week, meeting with $600 an hour consultants and trying to make sure the time was well used, and telling a whole business unit that they weren't getting something we had promised them and been working really hard on for the last couple weeks. As the project manager for all these things, I am the one who took all the heat and had the responsibility for it all.

All I cans a is that after next Friday it will be time for some celebrating. (10:42am)

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Lot's of traveling lately...Charlotte last week, Wilmington today and Wednesday, maybe back to Charlotte/Wingate this weekend. Doesn't stop.

It seems that Twitter has become my update thing of choice. Sad, but true. It's just so easy. (7:57pm)

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Leigh and I went to the beach yesterday and had pretty much a perfect day - warm weather, nice breeze, warm water, and good company. I sure am going to miss living only 2 hours from the beach when we move one day.

This week is busyness at work then off to Charlotte for the rest of the week for meetings, etc. It's starting to sound like a broken record isn't it? Sorta makes you wonder why we don't just move there...doesn't it? (2:21pm)

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I spent a little time in Charlotte this week, just a quick visit, but am back home now and ready for the weekend. No big plans this weekend, but hope to have some fun time mixed with getting a little worked done and being lazy. I hope the weather is nice this weekend so we can get outside some.

There are lots of busy times coming up for me at work in the next month or so. I have to admit I much rather it be this way then be slow, but it can be a little overwhelming at times.

Anyway, time to get to enjoying the weekend. Beer thirty? (3:42pm)

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I understand wanting to make a robot to fight fires, but why a beetle? (4:38pm)

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For the past 6-8 months at work I have been managing merger related projects including the technology aspects of the deployment of 600 new users to branches all over the country, the setup of new user groups in 5 US call centers, various system changes and deployments, and the complete redesign of our Retail Internet site. As of a month or so ago my job title was officially changed to Project Manager, I became an AVP and the world rejoiced with my overall amazingness. OK, well maybe not that last part, but what is interesting about all this to me is that I never envisioned myself being a project manager or really saw that as a possible career. Granted, I have been in a technology consultant role for the past 5 or 6 years and along with that came managing some projects, but at this point I do more straigt-up project management with the all official artifacts, procedures, etc that come along with being in that kind of role in a big corporation.

What is ironic to me about the current job I have found myself in is that my Dad has been a project manager for the better part of the last 30 years. I always thought he was an Electrical Engineer, which he was/is, but really he had been managing engineering projects (like the recent design and building of a $20 million data center in Texas) for the better part of his career. So....why did we end up in the same career although we approached it from two very different angles? Is it a trait we both have that makes us good at it? or a work ethic that he instilled in me that makes me successful in this kind of job.

I don't really plan to be a project manager for the rest of my career, but sometimes it's fun to stop and think about how you ended up where you are and how the way you were raised or your genetics might play into that....or it could just be completely random. (11:58am)

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Whoah, speaking of keeping your kids eating healthy - don't feed them diet foods!

This article just makes me think though - it seems like there is a study to support about any theory you can come up with. It's crazy. You can't really take any of it at face value, but hopefully you at least gleam some insight from it. (4:19pm)

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One of the oddest songs on the new Chemical Brothers album is the song "Salmon Dance". Good to see they followed through with an equally strange video (10:37am)

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The design of Apple products has always impressed me, so it's cool to see an image of all the Apple products released over the years.  (4:36pm)

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We7 recently inked a deal with V2 records to offer the labels entire catalog. DRM free tunes for you to download - the only catch is you have to put up with some ads that I think come with the songs - I'm not quite sure how it all works. Interesting concept. (9:16pm)

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We made it home safely, a little worn out and with some crazy flights, but we are here. The marathon went pretty well and I did right about what I was expecting with a time of 3:48. I also found my weak spots so I know what to work on for next time. Overall I was just glad Leigh was able to go with me to San Francisco and that I survived the whole thing.

I am actually in Charlotte now, and will be here for the next couple days. I miss home and Leigh already, it will be nice to settle back into some kind of normalcy...hopefully soon. (1:09am)

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Leigh and I are flying to San Francisco tomorrow morning and when checking in I noticed that a lot more seats were open on the plane so I could choose better ones. The Seat Guru came in really handy for making sure I chose the exit row that fully reclines and has extra leg room. The internet makes everything better! (9:22am)

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I was watching Current TV tonight (it's really the only thing I watch unless I'm watching Eureka, Man vs Wild, or the 4400) and there was a pod on some real-live Ligers in a zoo in Japan I believe. I must say, the real animal is nowhere near as cool as the mythical creature. Moral of the story - watch current TV if you have the channel available. It's nice to feel like I am learning while watching TV and the short 5-7 minute pod format means even if something happens to come on that you have already seen or sucks, it is over pretty quickly.

The funny thing is 99% of what comes on is great - just tonight I saw a story on the Kid Robot creator, Shepard Fairey, the cocaine production process from the plant to the powder, coffee growers in Ethiopia, and a guy who is going on a walk across Iraq. Good stuff. (9:41pm)

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