Monday, April 02, 2007

Thunderupdate: 05 in '07 ... Oops

[Spikeditors note: BT has foolishly vowed to complete 6 - erm, I mean 5 - half marathons during 2007.]

I'd like to smugly report to my fans that I've been training hard, that my weight is falling and that my performance is improving, but sadly that is not the case. Soon after my first miserable half marathon, my training grinded to a halt. Life got in the way. Oh, wait, no. Strike that. Laziness got in the way. It started with a couple of extremely busy weeks at work, followed by the unexpected news that my entire apartment building was being evicted in order to sell the units. This necessitated finding a place, packing, moving and unpacking, a process which pretty much became final yesterday (new apartment picture post to come). However, I certainly could have continued running. And I didn't. I went for a stretch of about 4 full weeks without a workout.

So where does that leave me? Out of shape. And in a bit of trouble. Last week I re-started my training. Yesterday I huffed and puffed through 6 slow and painful miles. Today I pulled up my training schedule (created in early February) and found out that, in order to be on pace for my next half marathon, yesterday's run was supposed to be 9 smooth and easy miles. Uh-oh. I've got some catching up to do.

Also, during my hiatus from exercising, I gained back a number (not all) of the 14 pounds that I lost in January. Not unrelated, over the weekend of my 30th birthday (that's right, I was born with the Apple II. And Takako Matsu), I will be reuniting (and it will feel so good) with a number of my Ivy League law school classmates. And I need to look at least as good as I did during law school. OK, so I'm setting my goals low. Sue me. Therefore, I am instituting a sub-theme of 05 in '07:

Thunderloses: 30 by 30.

That's right. 30 lbs by the time I turn 30. I started last Wednesday at X pounds. So, from that date, I had 72 days in which to lose 30 lbs. That may be a stretch, but its a worthwhile goal. I was losing at about that rate in January when I lost 14.5 over 30 days. So why not go for it? So far I've lost 3 lbs in 5 days. An ok start, but I am just now really beginning to fight. No bad foods, no lazy days, nothing but good health until the reunion (at which point I gorge myself on food and booze). I'll be keeping you Spikeheads up to date over the course of this project. Wish me luck!

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Friday, February 02, 2007

TGS Presents: Great Moments in Wikipedia


The Big Two (like Stephen Colbert) are great fans of Wikipedia. Where else can you learn about pretty much everything in one place? We love whiling away the hours clicking through the links.

Of course, a big part of what makes Wikipedia great is that anyone can edit the entries. There is a small volunteer army of Wikipedians who spend seemingly endless amounts of time writing and editing. With over 1.6 million English articles, however, some entries slip through the cracks, and random one-liners catch you off guard. Still other times, you come across legitimate information, or even entire entries, that unintentionally entertain. When you stumble across one of these humorous gems, you've experienced a Great Moment in Wikipedia.

And so, TGS is proud to present the first three in a recurring series of GMWs.

  • Karrine Steffens: Ms. Steffens has already lived a remarkable life in her 27 years on this mortal coil. The former main squeeze of Bill Maher and Bobby Brown (quite a resume) made her name as a hip hop dancer. But its how she made her nickname (and the nickname itself) that truly makes this entry a Great Moment in Wikipedia.
  • The Mermaid Problem: Has anyone ever heard of this? Its just ... well, its ... I mean, I never really ... well, ... just wow. That's a Great Moment in Wikipedia.
  • Stuart Scott: I admit that this one is a blatant ripoff from the comments at Deadspin.com, but it is just too good to pass up. Check out Stu's interests at the bottom of the first paragraph. Booyah!

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More Friday bullet points for yo bad self:

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