Martha Stewart Marathon

Martha Stewart will be handing out cookies at my next marathon on October 16th.

BREAKING NEWS! Martha Stewart / MDI Marathon
BAR HARBOR, ME -- September 29, 2005 - Organizers of the Mount Desert Island Marathon have announced that Martha Stewart will be the honorary race starter, and crown the champions at the finish line of this popular event to be held on Sunday, October 16th. Contested at the classic Olympic distance of 26 miles and 385 yards, the Mount Desert Island Marathon starts in the world class resort of Bar Harbor, and ends in the charming lobster fishing village of Southwest Harbor. The race course passes through beautiful Acadia National Park which features Cadillac Mountain, the first place to see the sunrise in the US, and runs along Somes Sound, the only fjord on the eastern seaboard, all at peak fall foliage season. This years event will host runners from all over the United States and many countries abroad. Please visit the Official MDI Marathon website http://www.mdimarathon.org/ for more information.Read more here: http://www.mdislander.com/archive/2005/09-29-05/mdi_news3_09-29-05.html

Mouse No. 2: Tom Cruise

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Originally uploaded by reflexblue.

I wonder if excercise and vitamins would help this top gun to avoid his days of thunder. We declared war of the worlds on mice, thus his Sciencetology presence in our apartment was Mission: Impossible.

MS150 City to Shore

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Originally uploaded by reflexblue.

Jacob completed his second MS150 City to Shore bike tour this weekend. Cycling 150 miles in two days is an amazing accomplishment. Raising money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is even sweeter. Bravo!

The downside of this accomplishment is that for the next week, an explanation for everything is going to be "150 miles!"

Marathon Training - 3 Weeks to Go

After an incredible half marathon run last Sunday, I got lazy and did nothing for the next six days. I kept making up one excuse after another. On Sunday, I finally put on my Nike Pegasus and went out for a run. I drew my confidence from the PDR to throw in a few 7.5 minute miles along with my slower pace. Mount Desert Island Marathon, I'm ready!

Week of September 19-25 (16 miles)
Sunday (approximately 16 miles): Walnut Street Bridge to the river. Martin Luther King Drive. Falls Bridge. Kelly Drive. Back to Schuylkill Banks. Locust Street. Circled Washington Square and continued east on Walnut. Penn's Landing. Headed west via Market Street.

Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor

1) Hung Up (first single, out October 17th)

2) Get Together

3) Sorry

4) Future Lovers

5) I Love New York

6) Let It Will Be

7) Forbidden Love

8) Jump

9) How High

10) Isaac

11) Push

12) Like It Or Not


Details are being leaked out about Madonna's forthcoming project. Release date is November 15th. The album’s 12 songs are continuously mixed at 120 beats per minute and up! How can I resist?

Philadelphia Distance Run

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Originally uploaded by reflexblue.

Frontrunners from Philly, New York, and DC gathered in front of the LOVE sign for a photo op before the Philadelphia Distance Run.

It was a beautiful day for a run around the city. I was very familiar with the route, especially since it went by by apartment building! Everything contributed to my most glorious race. I ran a minute under my Broad Street Run pace. There were a few weak moments that I thought about slowing down, but I held my pace until the end when I sprinted toward the finish line.

I expected to clock in at 2 hours, but I finished at 1 hour 45 minutes.

Official Results

Total Registered: 10,590

Overall Place: 1,553 out of 8,600 finishers

Gender Place: 1,241 out of 4,655 male finishers

Division Place: 188 out of 640

Pace: 7:54

Gun Time: 1:44:26

Net (Chip) Time: 1:43:27

5K: 24:58

10K: 49:32

10MI: 1:19:28

Marathon Training - 4 Weeks to Go

Four more weeks before the MDI marathon. I should start counting by days. I need to keep running long and hard for two more weeks. I'll use the other two weeks to taper off.


Week of Sept. 12-18 (38 miles)

Monday (evening): approximately 11 miles. Washington Square West to 33rd St via Walnut. Ran by Drexel University's infamous "rape garden". Followed Powelton Ave. to Spring Garden St. to Floyd Hall. Ran the 5-mile Frontrunners / Philly loop. Back to the front of the Art Museum. Ran up the Rocky Steps. Back on the Schuylkill River Trail to Locust St to return home.

Tuesday (evening): approximately 5 miles. Spruce Street to river trail. Picked up Danielle. Art Museum. Steps. Walked to Floyd Hall. Ran back to Spruce. Washington Square. Home.

Thursday: approximately 7 miles. Washington Square West to Penn's Landing. Back to City Hall. North on Broad St. to Cecil B. Moore Ave. (Temple University).

Saturday: none. I actually helped to organize a 5K fun run from the National Constitution Center (6th & Arch) across the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and back to the Reading Terminal Market. Approximately 30 gay runners from Philly, New York City, and Washington DC attended. I, carrying a camera and handouts, didn't run.

Sunday: approximately 15 miles. The PDR was 13.1 miles, but in the morning before the start, I couldn't check my regular gym back so I had to jog back to my apartment to drop it off. I didn't want to miss the start, so I sort of ran back to the starting line. I was sweaty by the official start of the race, but the warm-up run may have helped me to achieve such a glorious run.

Old Lady

Talking my old lady out for a walk. She's having some problems walking. I think she may need a hip replacement soon.

Mouse No. 1: Tori Spelling

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Originally uploaded by reflexblue.

Living in a old building on top of restaurants and shops mean one thing: mice! This has been Jacob's main topic of discussion for the past week since he discovered mouse shit on our kitchen counter. He's declared war, and got his first mouse today. He named it after the Co-ed Call Girl Tori Spelling.

Marathon Training - 5 Weeks to Go

Now that the 4-day weekend is over, I need to resume my marathon training schedule.

Week of Sept. 4 - 10 (41 miles)

Monday - approximately 14 miles. My building to the "Welcome to Main Street Manayunk" sign and back to the Walnut St. bridge.

Wednesday - Approximately 3 miles. My building to Penn's Landing by the RiverLink ferry dock and back.

Thursday (evening) - Approximately 10 miles. This was my most amazing run ever. I ran twice as far as I planned, and a lot faster than my marathon training pace. It was also the most beautiful 10-mile path the city of Philadelphia has to offer. I started in Washing Square West. Ran to City Hall, crossing over the Love Park to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Up and down the Rocky Steps of the Art Museum. Crossing the Spring Garden Bridge to Powelton Village. Drexel. Penn. Turned around at 38th & Walnut. Ran through Rittenhouse Square to Pine St. Turned right at 5th St. to South Street. Penn's Landing. Independence Hall. Washington Square. Home.

Saturday - Approximately 14 miles.

Washington Square West to Floyd Hall to meet the Frontrunners. To Conshohocken via Kelly Drive and Schuylkill River Trail. Took the R6 train back to Market East.

Nickel and Dimed

As I am finishing Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America", I remember my own low-wage jobs:

• Flipping burgers and salting fries at Burger King (first job; 18 months; starting at minimum wage of $3.80 an hour)
• Driving a fork lift truck in a warehouse (relatively high wage; my dad got me this job)
• Filing books, periodicals, and journals in a library (nice work-study job)
• Boxing greeting cards at a print shop (bloody hands from deep papercuts)
• Bagging pretzels at an assembly line (I only lasted one night shift)
• Emptying trash and cleaning bathrooms in an office building from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. (two months)

I went through all these jobs before I turned 20. These jobs, as horrible as they may seem, were the best jobs available to me at the time. I learned the value of my hard-earned money, and made the best out of each job. I respect those who are still (not) getting by, and am thankful for the opportunity that I have had.

NYC Labor Day Weekend

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Originally uploaded by reflexblue.

Experimenting with a new photo management service called Flickr". This is a photo in a set.

Queer Nation

Queer Nation was a short-lived movement from the early ninties that helped bring me out of the closet.

With its slogan, "We’re here! We’re queer! Get used to it!," Queer Nation came to be seen as the shock troops of the movement. Popular actions included the Suburban Homosexual Outreach Project (same-sex kiss-ins at shopping malls) and Queer Nights Out (invasions of straight bars and other venues).

Marathon Training - 6 Weeks to Go

Originally uploaded by reflexblue.

I ran on the morning of my birthday, but that was it in terms of pure running. I probably ran a few miles while playing soccer on Wednesday evening. Another form of running I did last week was running to the train station in the mornings.

The Philadelphia Distance Run is just two weeks away. Promotional banners are flying all over the city. I'll be Runner # 7182.

Week of August 29 - September 4 (6 miles)

Tuesday (morning): approximately 6 miles. Washington Square West to Penn's Landing, Love Park, Rittenhouse Square and back.

Evening at the Linc

EH took me to see a pre-season football game at the Lincoln Financial Field. Most of the Eagles starters didn't play, so the game itself was lame. EH and I had more fun people-watching.