Archive for the ‘Life’ Category
Good God do I hate Christmas shopping. Hate it! It ranks up with there with being stuck in a traffic jam. Or washing my dogs. I will, however, admit that this year it hasn’t been as bad. Why? Because I know what I’m looking for. That makes a tremendous difference! Most years I beg for friends and loved ones to give me a clue as to what they would like or need for Christmas. And most years they don’t tell me squat. And that leads to me going to the malls, wandering aimlessly, hunting for parking spaces, dealing with other frustrated people, etc. It just blows.
But this year I decided to take a different approach. I decided to pay attention. Who the heck knew this would be such an effective strategy?!? The results are that I have all the major gifts either already taken care of or just waiting to go get them. But knowing what you have to buy is just so stress free! Not only that, but the gifts I got are just ridiculously good. I have to brag. 
Anyway, I still hate Christmas shopping. I just hate it a little less this year.
-Dave Q.
I somehow have the energy to post this, but I really don’t know how. I am flippin’ tired. I can’t stop yawning.
Let’s see. Yesterday was Thanksgiving. I got my day going around 7am. The Turkey Trot started at 9am, so I had to get up early to start stretching. I can’t express to you how important stretching has become for me. I remember when I was younger that I would do stuff without stretching, and generally had no problems. Now if I don’t stretch before doing a physical activity, then the next day I feel more like 53 instead of 33.
Anyway, I did the 4 mile Turkey Trot. It wasn’t that bad. Pain was minimal, and I didn’t come in last. So mission accomplished! Of course, my Dad ran it with me and beat me by 4 minutes. In my defense, he’s always been a runner. I, on the other hand, have to work at it. I wish I had some pics to share, but there just wasn’t a good opportunity for photos. But to help you visualize, I look pretty damn good with a piece of paper saftey pinned to my shirt with a four digit number on it. I’m just sayin’.
So when I finished the Trot, I went home, showered, and did the Thanksgiving thing. That pretty much consists of eating and then watching football, with a couple of naps in between. But for whatever reason, I didn’t nap (I know, the Apocolypse). I didn’t get into bed until 11:30pm. And that lasted four hours, because I had to make a run at Black Friday. Hey, I hate shopping. Let me be clear about that. But some deals you have to jump on.
So, I went. I purchased. I got breakfast. Then I came into work. Yes, I am at work today. It was my turn this year to do the day after Thanksgiving. So here I am, rubbing my eyes, yawning, and re-typing all my typos. I need sleep like Ben Affleck needs acting lessons.
Looking forward to some ZZZZZs…
-Dave Q.
So as I have been doing a lot more running lately in preparing for the Turkey Trot, I have been using my iPod quite a bit. I have to say that I am somewhat amazed at my broad range of music tastes. When someone asks me what kind of music I listen to, I respond with “a little bit of everything”. And it couldn’t be more true. Seriously if you searched through my iPod, you would have a confused look on your face.
I mostly listen to music of the Alternative genre (U2, Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers) but I seiously have some rap, country, and some classical all mixed in there. When I go running, I just put my iPod to shuffle all songs. So yeah, it goes from one extreme to another. But last night when I was running, the Andrea Bocelli song, Con Te, Partiro came on. It’s a beautiful song. And it’s in Italian. So I spent some time trying to figure out what he was singing about. I kept repeating the song on my iPod. It was officially driving me crazy! I seriously can’t get the song out of my head. So I am now Googling the translation. And here it is:
I’LL GO WITH YOU (Con te Partiro-English Translation)
When I’m alone
I dream on the horizon
And words fail
Yes, I know there is no light
In a room where the sun is absent
If you are not with me
At the windows
Show everone my heart
Which you set alight
Enclose within me
The light you
Encountered on the street
I’ll go with you
To countries I never
Saw and shared with you
Now, yes, I shall experience them
I’ll go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer
With you I shall experience them
When you are far away
I dream on the horizon
And words fail
And yes, I know
That you are with me
You, my moon, are here with me
My sun, you are here with me
I’ll go with you
To countries I never
Saw and shared with you
Now, yes, I shall experience them
I’ll go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer
With you I shall experience them again
I’ll go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer
With you I shall experience them again
I’ll go with you
I with you
So, I was way off in my own translation in my head. I thought he was dumping his woman. Instead, he’s quite the romantic. Thanks for making the rest of us men look bad, Bocelli. If you’ve never heard the song, it’s worth a listen. Trust me. And if you give it a listen and hate it, send your complaints to: andrea@bocelli.com.
-Dave Q.
Today I turn 33 years old. But I will always be a kid at heart, as evident by some of the pics below. And I know a couple of you think 33 isn’t that bad, but in the mornings it feels more like 53.
Anyway, I know this is kind of late since everyone now has ditched their costumes and now have Turkey on the mind, but here are some pics from my Halloween 2008 experience. Pretty good costumes! I wish I were that creative.
And the following pics are from my blogging brothers and sisters listed on my blogroll. Thanks to all of you that got into the spirit Halloween! Click on the pic to go to their respective blogs. I encourage you to ask them to explain their costumes, because a couple of them are head-scratchers.
-Dave Q.
So I am going to start training for the Turkey Trot, which is a 4 mile run that takes place Thanksgiving morning (Procrastination, I know). I guess they started doing this so that people don’t feel so bad after eating so much Thanksgiving dinner because they already had a morning workout. I’m not going to lie. I’m doing it so that I can eat more pumpkin pie.
Anyway, so as I start this training, I feel the need to bust out the Nike Plus gear. I haven’t used it in quite a while, so I’ll have to make sure it is all working properly. I’ll be going for a run later this evening and you’ll be able to track my progress on the sidebar of the blog. I know you will be scratching your collective heads after looking at my numbers, but don’t worry, they will be correct. I am just in that bad of shape. 
-Dave Q.
Well ladies and gentlemen, I’m done. I have participated in this historical election. I can look back years from now amd say I played my part. Want proof you say? Well, explain the “I Voted” sticker on my hat, Columbo?
So how many of you are slackers (like I’m betting my sisters are) and haven’t stood up to the plate and voted? How many of you are waiting until Election Day? How many of you don’t want to vote for either of these jokers? How many of you put me in as your write in?
-Dave Q.
This post is aimed at my fellow bloggers. So if you are not a blogger, there is a good chance you are not going to get some of this. And therefore it will be a boring read. Just a heads up.
Since mid-September, I have gotten a bunch of requests to add blogs to my Blogroll. I’ve mostly ignored these requests. Not that I was trying to be rude, but that I kind of thought a request was bizarre. I’ve never requested to be added to someone’s Blogroll. And I don’t have a ton of blogs listed, but when I find one I like, I just add it. Plain and simple. Am I not practicing the right etiquette here? Am I supposed to ask permission to add someone? How do you handle it? How do you decide what you Blogroll or not?
This got me thinking. If I was being rude about the Blogroll thing, then I apologize (I am going to get on Amazon.com and hunt down Blog Ettiquette for Dummies). So, let’s do this in the spirit of Halloween. If you want to be added to the Blogroll, send me a pic of you in your Halloween costume! I will then post all the pics I receive in a single post and link them back to your sites. If you are already on my Blogroll, you still need to participate. If not, then you will be represented with a Halloween pic of my choice. 
I think this sounds pretty fair. And don’t be shy with the costumes! Your thoughts?
-Dave Q.
I’ve been playing some tennis here and there over the last few months. It’s fun and you get a decent little workout. Well, if it was competitive tennis I’m sure it would be a great workout. But since I’m no where near that, it’s good to get the blood flowing. I think at times I even sweat a little.
So yesterday when I went to pay my parents a visit, I brought my tennis gear. My parents used to play a lot back in the day. In fact, I remember as a young boy in Hawaii going with my Mom to her tennis lessons. Anyway, I asked them if they felt like going to the middle school by their house where they had some tennis courts. After some convincing, they agreed to go out and play.
So here I was thinking I would hit a few balls at them, get the heart rate going, etc. Little did I know they still knew how to hit. And that they knew how to hit trick shots, too. Caught me completely off guard. So I was hustling trying to keep up. Granted, it was 2 on 1, and I have a bad ankle, and… let me think of some other excuses, um… Oh it doesn’t matter, anyway. We didn’t keep score. Or at least I hope no one kept score.
-Dave Q.
