The Lions...

I still have faith that we can win some games. Call me crazy but next year I see us going to the Superbowl. Before we get there, we need to shed the stigma associated with us. We're not as bad as people think, but this Simpsons clip kinda hurts.

Anyway, last time we played the Bears we beat them but then they cheated so we lost. Hopefully this weekend they won't change the rules on us.

-M, p, z & shredder

Monday Two Three...

Just a few things on my mind this morning that I thought I'd share since I haven't posted in a week...

One

I missed the Golden Globes and therefore didn't do my usual 'best dressed' list, but I saw this picture of Penelope Cruz (from the SAG awards) and thought to myself, "could anyone possibly look any better?" So, I'm crowning her 'best dressed,' possibly along with an award for 'best ever.'

Two

The other morning I got a text from a friend telling me to go to the msn.com homepage and scroll down to the 'dating & personals' section and see if I noticed anything. So I go there and take a look and who do I find featured in the section is none other than our friend, Kingsford. I'm sure by now his match.com profile has gotten about a milion hits (half are from me). Here he is under the pseudonym "Kutide."

Three

And finally, the North American Auto Show is a wrap in Detroit and there were quite a few highlights. It looks like people are really responding well to the new Ford and Chrysler designs so hopefully it will lead to consumers buying American cars and not foreign so we can get our state back to acceptable unemployment numbers. I love the auto show and I love that it still draws people from all ages and how great it is that Detroit still has something that is a big deal. Here's my future truck, a Ford F-150 Raptor.

Anyways, that's all for now. Go big or go home.

-M, p, z & shredder

Running The Half...

In case you were wondering what the experience was like (as if my last blog wasn't long enough), here's a short video I made while running.



-M, p, z & shredder

Running The Half...

Yesterday was the big race day. Finally. This whole thing started as me trying to not die. I have high cholesterol because my genes hate me (although I love my jeans) so I decided I would start to eat better. That may or may not have worked as I didn't re-check my cholesterol, but decided that I would supplement eating healthier with running as well. So it was about mid-April when I started running, just as the weather was getting nice in the city. If you've heard me talk about running before, you know I used to hate it. I couldn't think of anything more boring. So as usual, I would run a mile and call it quits mostly out of boredom but also because I don't think I could run more than a mile and a half. Time went by and I started increasing my distance and by July, I was running around 3 miles, probably 3 times a week.

One day I decided I would keep running and see how far I would get before I actually got tired and it ended up being 6 miles. Naturally I was so excited about my run, the first thing I did was update my facebook status to flaunt to the world what a great runner I had become. This was back in mid-August. Brown Guy saw said update, congratulated me and then told me I should do the half-marathon. At first I was hesitant but after learning his girlfriend, Dragonlady, would also be running it, I immediately jumped at the chance to beat her in something.

So after training for about 3 months and working up my stamina, the big day finally came. I set a goal for 2:10:00 which is about a 10 minute mile average. So I trained at a 10 minute pace and felt very well prepared for the race. So yesterday I woke up at 5, at breakfast, met Brown Guy and Dragonlady at their hotel, then took the requisite pre-run picture and we were off. A picture perfect sunrise over Detroit as we ran across the bridge to Canada was a moment that I hope I never forget. I kept chugging along and soon enough I had finally hit the 12 mile mark. At this point a pace runner came by me holding a sign that said 10:18 meaning that the first group out would have been averaging that and since I was not in the first group, I figured I'd be around 10 minutes, but pushed myself for that last mile just in case. I felt I had some energy left in me so I ended up running and then as soon as I saw the straightaway and the finish line I went into an all out sprint. Being the dolt that I am, I did this much too early and got very tired, but not wanting to look like a loser in front of the spectators lined up for the last quarter mile, I kept on sprinting and crossed the finish line pretending all the cheers in the crowd were for me as I passed a good couple hundred people at the end.

Even though I finished ahead of that pace guy, I still somehow ended up with a 2:18:05 which I'm okay with, but Dragonlady killed me. It was an amazing experience and I am now hooked. I'm hoping to re-up and do a couple of these a year. If anyone is thinking about doing it or thinks in their mind that it sounds like something cool, I can't recommend it enough. It's fun and good for you and there aren't too many of those things in the world. I went from hating running to loving it in 6 months and if I can do it, anyone can.

Go big or go home. I'm going to break 2hrs next time.

-M, p, z & shredder

200 / Finally...

For a while I had been wondering what I would do as a celebration of my 200th post. Not really a huge milestone, but I like to celebrate all the little things in life. I was wondering if I should do a best of list, or a best pictures list, or even have someone else guest blog. But politics stepped in and gave me a gift.












(The artist formerly known as) Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick admitted to lying and resigned. Finally. After years and years of debauchery, he is gone. The times had a good article summed it up pretty well so rather than rant about his failings, i'll just quote them, "He agreed to plead guilty to two felony counts of obstruction of justice, pay restitution to the city of $1 million, give up his law license, forfeit his state pension and serve 120 days in the Wayne County jail. His resignation is to take effect within 14 days. All other charges were dismissed, and the judge scheduled sentencing for Oct. 28.

“He understands fully the agreement and agrees to be bound by it, judge,” a lawyer for Mr. Kilpatrick, Gerald Evelyn, told Wayne County Circuit Court Judge David A. Groner.

Judge Groner asked Mr. Kilpatrick, “Is this something you are ready to do today?” He added, “Do you have any questions?”“I have no questions about what’s going on today,” Mr. Kilpatrick told Judge Groner. Later, he said, “I lied under oath.”

It's finally over. Thank god. I'm out. Go big.

-M, p, z & shredder

Here's a better picture of Kwame

Danger...

So the new 'Most Dangerous City' list came out and some may be surprised to know that Detroit has climbed back to the top of the list. Followed by Flint at number 3. 2 of the top 3 most dangerous citites are in Michiga. That's not good. I really feel like some billionaire could come in, revitalize the city and make money off of it. It would be awesome. But that will never happen, mostly because Kwame is a pretty bad mayor and he is part of the crime problem.















In lighter more impressive news, I read that a couple scientists found a way to turn skin cells into stem cells which means that hopefully, if it does end up working, stem cell research would be able to get much more funding. I never had a problem with stem cell research but could understand those that do, much as I am pro-choice but I still don't know exactly when an embryo becomes a person, though I know it's definitely not at conception. Hopefully this will be something that is actually viable and will lead to cures and save the world.

Anyways, slow week thus far for me. I'm pretty pumped for Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday of the year. Any day the Lions play and you are supposed to eat until you loosed your belt and pass out is pretty much the greatest day of the year. Add to that the fact that we have an annual nintendo extravaganza which will be enhanced this year for the first time by the Wii, and I can't think of a better way to spend a thursday afternoon.

Cheers. blah blah blah, go big.

-M, p, z & shredder

oh ps - lots of movies coming out this week, This Christmas will be awesome, Hitman should be great but the fact that the director was replaced during post production scares me and Enchanted should be a pretty fantastic disney movie.