Corporate Challenge

I had the treat of competing on behalf of Regions Bank in the Corporate Challenge this weekend. It is a friendly competition among companies in the greater Indianapolis area that has a few different events for people of all skill levels and abilities. I, being a runner of sorts, took part in the 2 shortest running events available. They were the half mile and a sprint relay. I ran the 400 of the sprint relay, which was a treat as compared to the 1/2 mile. I think I was a little over anxious on the 1/2 because I kept running with the leaders for the first 200m. I knew I didn't want to and couldn't for an extended period, but the pressure of the pack just kept pushing me.

The 400 was much easier to contain my enthusiasm. I even let a girl run out in front of me for the first 200. Once I knew I could kick it home at about 250 I opened it up and ran around 1:10. Not good by any stretch of the imagination, but considering my training and effort I was pleased. I think I could have gone 1.00 flat if it would have been my first race, without too much problem.

I also competed in the bowling event the night before. It was a unique format where with 5 bowlers you each bowl 2 frames per game. Your team gets a score based on the total after 4 games. We came up with 611, which averages just over 152 per game. I guess I'll take it. We ended up 1st in our division for this event which was a pleasant surprise, since I thought we didn't do very well at the time.

Ode to Da-Chort

I have lost a few pets in my day (crosses self), but today was kind of a hard day for me. Cheetah, the cat, was put down to help end his suffering. As my dad described, he outlived many of his peers. If you have had a few pets in your life, you know that some mean more to you than others. Cheetah probably meant the most. As I reflect on his life, I think I know why. Please, allow me to anthromorphize Cheetah for a moment. When he was a kitten, he was one of three. I do not know how different he was than Buttons and Tigger, the differences were indistinguishable at that age. As I grew up, however, Cheetah became my favourite cat.

What made him so special? He would have been everyone's friend. You know this if you came over to our house any time for the last 16 years. Cheetah greeted you, and let you know you were welcome. He was interested in you, and always wanted to hear how your day was. He was a great listener. He never interupted your thoughts, but with a word of encouragement. So congenial, so charasmatic. He was loyal as could be. I would go away for weeks or months and when I got home, he was always happy to see me. People like him for that. I loved him for it.

Like everyone's best friend, he had quite a few nick-names. Cheetah, The Cheet, Da-Chort, Detroit, I'm sure there are some I'm forgetting.

Cheetah never complained. When we lived in IN, he let his weight get out of control for a while. Then we moved to AZ and he shed those lbs. He looked great for most of the time we lived in AZ, but when I went to college he had become so thin that I didn't know if I would see him again. Over the next 6 years, every time I would leave, I would say goodbye. But he never complained. I don't know how much pain he was in, until earlier this week, he couldn't walk. This is the email I recieved.

I wanted to let you know that Cheetah is not doing well.

He is having trouble walking now and keeping his balance. He can't stand upright on his rear feet but walks with the entire lower portion of his legs flat on the ground. It is very hard to explain, but cats typically walk like they are on their toes. The entire 4 inches of his back legs are flat on the ground, it looks like a kangaroo would be.

We have a vet appt for him Thursday, but it looks like it needs to be his last.

I knew his time was up. I requested that he was allowed to go home.

Cheetah, I'm sorry if you suffered. You were at times, my best friend. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would say that. You are missed.

RIP Cheetah
Circa Spring 1993 - Sept. 24 2009

Wedding Toasts

In the last 4 or so years I have been to countless weddings. I cannot even count the weddings I was in, let alone the weddings I was just a witness to. I wish I could experience a variety of styles of weddings, or cultures traditional weddings, but I haven't. They have all been pretty much cut from the same cloth (if I can borrow a colloquialism.) Usually my favorite part of the entire evening is the toasts given by the Best Man and Maid of Honor. I have noticed a few themes that hold true. First, the maid of honor always reads. She is more prepared than the best man, and it usually shows. Unfortunately, this preparation almost never equates to dry eyes during and immediately after the speech. I do have to admit though at today's wedding was the first time I saw a note-less maid of honor. Secondly, best men are rarely chosen for their speaking ability. While some thrive in the spot light, most, stumble around with a mix of "inside" jokes and poor communication skills. Thirdly, there needs to be 3 elements to the toast. 1 is humor. Get the audience on your side and give them a reason to continue to listen. 2 is sentiment. Let the audience know (briefly) that the bride/groom meant a lot to you. 3rd is wishing well. It is your responsibility to wish them well in married life on behalf of the wedding party and those seated in the audience. Those are the 3 elements whole and exhaustive. Please do not add or subtract from this list, as it is comprehensive.

If you need an example, please see the speeches from either my wedding, or the Wren wedding.

Funny Article

This is a really funny article. It admits that some of it was probably posted as a joke, but even if they are satirical, they are funny.

iTunes 9.0

Dear Apple,

I have good news and bad news. First the good news, iTunes 9.0 is an upgrade and I appreciate some of the features, although any feature of note does involve me spending money, so I'll continue. I guess you are not a charitable organization, but are out to make a profit so that's fair.

The bad news is this version uses approximately 2x the memorty of 8.0. I suppose it wouldn't really be a problem if I was running iTunes on a sweet macbook pro, but I'm not. I'm running on an older computer. I only have 700ish MB of Ram, and you ask for too much of it. I wish you weren't so greedy.

sincerely,

fanboy