In case you wanted to know. And even if you didn't.

Long time, no blog. Changes abound! My good friend Katie Hill suggested I expand the narrow column that was the blog itself last time. I was happy to oblige. Also, I'm hoping that by the time you read this, another couple changes will have been made. No promises.

Just for fun, here are a few little tidbits about me that you may not have known, and/or for any new readers...

My favorites:

Movie: Cinderella Man
Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio/Ben Affleck [occasionally changes]
Actress: Sandra Bullock
TV Show: Seinfeld
TV Channel: MLB Network
Musical artist: James Otto
Song: Measure of a Man - Jack Ingram
Radio Station: 100.5, The Wolf

Restaurant: Olive Garden
Fast food: Popeye's

Sport to watch: Baseball
Sport to play: Basketball

Team: Chicago Cubs

Bible verse: "You are sheep among wolves. Be wise as serpents, yet innocent as doves." - Matthew 10:16

Moving on.

5 weeks in at the job. Getting better with time, as I get accustomed to things. Things I've learned so far:

1. Be thankful for what you have. Most people have zero idea how hard things could really be.
2. I can't/won't talk about girls on Facebook anymore. The girls I work with are relentless, to say the least. It's not worth the hassle.
3. I will not take things that happen at work home with me. Soon as I walk out the door, it's over.

Don't mistake these things to mean that I do not like my job. For the most part, it's actually pretty interesting. Big picture: I get paid to help people. Can't complain about that.

Once again, not much of substance here. Beginning to think I'm not as deep as I once thought I was. Wait, that seems like circular logic. Well, you know what I mean. Maybe. On that note, feel free to share thoughts. And have a good weekend, all.

Cheers,
Derrick

Poll: Nerd? Result: Yep.

Book update again. I promise I'll stop this when my pace starts to slip. Just finished Loitering With Intent by Stuart Woods. Good read, another quick page-turner, even whilst taking longer breaks between reading. Couldn't find a good review for this one, some of these are hard to find.

Good story, in which the protagonist Stone Barrington [my favorite and the most prevalent of all Woods's main characters] ventures down to Florida in an attempt to locate a client of his business partner. All hell [and confusion] breaks loose, and there are plenty of twists and turns to constantly pique the interest level.

That now makes 7 books in 24 days. 2,070 total pages. The pace just keeps increasing. I am such a nerd.

Next selection: Kisser - Stuart Woods

The Woods path continues. No idea what this one's about yet, but the title [and cover] intrigues me--albeit sounding kind of girlie. Another Stone Barrington tale. He's an intriguing character, let me tell ya. This one, 291 pages.



Results from most recent poll:
Question: Favorite summer activity?
Swimming: 4 votes (21%)
Camping: 4 votes (21%)
Fishing: 4 votes (21%)
Drinking: 3 votes (16%)
Running: 2 votes (11%)
Tanning: 2 votes (11%)
Farming: 0 votes (0%)
Working: 0 votes (0%)

I'm actually kind of impressed that drinking didn't rank #1. Safe to say, that's not what I voted. To be fair, most my friends don't read these things, let alone vote...so these polls are hardly representative of any type of consensus.

Oh well, I take what I can get.
- Much love to those of you who vote! And especially those who comment--either on here or via links on Facebook.

New poll is up! Go vote.

[I suppose it's not much of a "vote"--more of a Q&A--but still] :)

See you soon,

Derrick

Things People Say

I'm pretty much hilarious. If you disagree, stop reading now.

Hey, thanks! You kept reading, which means I roped you into a trap. See? Funny.

Here are some funny things I've said (or thought) recently to make myself laugh--if no one else. Just because I can...

Facebook chat with Jen Th.: "I'd rather [long list of funny, ridiculous things here] than watch volleyball."

Text conversation with Teri K:
[I had mentioned having to move farm equipment off my basketball court and that one item was particularly heavy].
T: "What part was heavy?"
D: "Do I look like the type of cat who knows farm equipment?! For all I know, it's an alien spaceship."

Pretend conversation between me and F. Scott Fitzgerald [who's been dead for 70 years]:
F: "Exclamation points are like laughing at your own jokes."
D: "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jerk."

Thought to myself:
- If I was Weird Al Yankovic, I would create a song called: "Beer Drops on My LeCar."


Think Taylor Swift would approve?


Side note: If you have negative thoughts or views about Taylor Swift, you can commence to the rock-kicking portion of your day.

I'm sure there are more funny things I've said or thought. But I'm so funny, it's hard to pick out the best ones. Just kidding. Actually, I thought I had more material for this bit--turns out, not so much.

Moving on [but still on the topic of things people say]...

I've noticed at times that people develop certain habits in their patterns of speech and become insanely repetitive with the way they talk. I try to refrain, but am probably guiltier than anyone.

I'm sure if you talk to me much at all, you've already noticed, but just for fun, here are some things I say way too much:

- I know, right? [this one's trendy--hence its annoyance]
- Whatever, dude. [kind of coined this one myself, I think]
- No worries. [makes me feel like an Aussie]
- Hey Phil, I hate you. [ah, brotherly love]
- lol [force of habit--I hate myself for this one]
- Well hi to you, too. [to people who start conversations without a greeting]
- Sorry. [unnecessary apologies drive me nuts, but I'm guilty, too]
- Did you see my Facebook status? [seriously, did you?]

- I wanted to post one of my current favorite songs on here, but since the music website I use doesn't have this song, I'm posting a video instead [NOT the official music video for the song, but still great]. I love this song! Give it a listen.

Things People Say - Lady Antebellum



If you don't have anything nice to say, talk about something else,
Derrick

Luck of the...inept?

In case you weren't aware, I hurt my ankle playing basketball Sunday night. Hurts. Pretty certain it's just twisted/sprained, not broken--but with no health insurance, can't go to the doctor, either way.

So I'm rehabbing like T.O. before the Super Bowl, trying to heal the best I can before attempting to play in a much-anticipated 3-on-3 basketball tournament on March 27 (10 days). At my favorite place ever.


But walking is tough. You know, swelling and all. I'm past hopping, but it's still a pretty severe limp. Annoying. There are some nice bright colors on the ankle/foot area. Might be neat, if not painful. Crossing my fingers it will pass in a week. Likely? Not so much. A guy can hope, right?

Those who know me well know that I don't take medicine--for anything. Not gonna start now, either. I have my reasons. And despite what some believe, they're legit ones. So I'll have to do it the old fashioned way: Ice, elevate, etc.

Also, it's St. Patrick's Day today. Truth be told, it would have completely slipped my mind if not for all the Facebook status posts about it. Truth be told, it doesn't mean much to me. Not a drinker, and even if I was...I can barely hobble to the door, so going out at all is out of the question. Not gonna lie, it sucks.

Still, I'm wearing my green, anyway. Not that anyone's here to pinch me if I didn't...

Either way, I could use some luck lately--and not just with this darned ankle.


Cheers,
Derrick

Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?

Well folks, it's almost 2010. Almost a new year, a new decade. Let's review. First, a brief glimpse at the past decade. Then the year of 2009.

10 years ago, 1999:

- I was 14. 8th grade. I had a crush on a redheaded 7th grader--yikes!
- I was a part of the first ever undefeated football season at PPMS. I take zero credit for that.
- I was a guard on the basketball team. Shot from the hip and began my affinity for shooting the 3.
- Favorite teacher: Mrs. Matthews. She was mean, yet oddly kind.
- Least favorite: Mr. Baker. He was odd. Nine years later, he added me on Facebook. Declined.

In the last 10 years...

My best year: 2007. June, more specifically.
My worst year: 2003/2009.
Biggest accomplishment: Playing college basketball.
Biggest loss: My best friend moving halfway across the country, and essentially out of my life.

Back to the present, 2009:

Biggest accomplishments: Running 351 miles in the month of July, and re-establishing a relationship with my sister.
Biggest loss: I got dumped the day before Valentine's Day. She then got engaged less than 3 months after saying she still loved me. Neat, huh? Then again, in perspective--maybe not such a big loss after all.

Looking ahead, 2010:

Resolutions:
- Find a job (by end of January, no exceptions).
- Find a girlfriend (by March 6 would be nice, but probably not realistic. Let's say June 1).
- Pray. Every single day.
- Run a few races, maybe a half marathon.
- End bad habits. Live right. Do right. Motto--WWAD: What would Amanda do? This is not a new motto, but I will be leaning on it more from now on. Lord knows I need to.

Further ahead, next 10 years...

Goals:
- Get married/have kids.
- Coach at least one championship team.
- Own a house.
- Own a pickup truck.
- See a game at Wrigley.
- Have my picture taken next to the Jordan statue.
- Learn to play guitar.
- Learn to play piano.

Lastly, I'll leave you with a 23-second video that comes to mind for me every single New Year's. Terrific movie, funny clip. Enjoy.



Make your own luck,
Derrick

Warning: If you read this, you'll learn something new...

I'm a pretty open cat, if you know me. Finding a secret on me is like finding a needle made from hay in...well, you know--a haystack.

But I decided to dig deep and come up with some things that some folks may not know about me. I do this every-so-often, and figured I was due. Some of these things are quite embarrassing--but alas...

- In 2nd grade, I wanted to be a preacher when I grew up.

- I'd had a long day at school and basketball practice the day before my grandfather died--so I told my mom I'd pass on visiting him in the hospital. Doctors assured us his condition wasn't serious, and he'd be fine. No worries, I figured--I'd see him in a few days. He passed away in the middle of the night. My decision that day still bothers me sometimes.

- My first kiss was approximately 6 weeks before my 18th birthday.

- I would marry (______) today, if she let me.

- I had this High School classmate--real cool chica. I've said occasionally for years (almost always to myself) that I definitely wouldn't mind marrying a girl exactly like her someday. I can't think of anyone who knows (guessing aside) who I'm referring to.

- If I don't have a kid before December 19, 2014--I will consider myself a major disappointment.

- The first episode of SportsCenter I ever recall watching was on November 7, 1991. It remains the most memorable thing I've ever seen on ESPN. I couldn't actually find an ESPN clip--they appear to be stingy with their rights--but here's one from CNN. It's 9:56 long, but you'll get the idea very shortly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSfy4AhDDnw

- I did not go to my High School graduation. People insisted I'd regret it, but truth be told, I often even forget that I didn't go. My college graduation was much more important to me. I went to that one--almost entirely for my mom.

- I absolutely love Pretty Prairie, KS. There, I said it.


- I love to sing. Almost exclusively in my car. Primarily along with various country songs, but not that part's not exclusive. I'm convinced I'm pretty okay at it, too.

- I was 100% comfortable with my weight until 2005. My college basketball coach (Jones, not Trimmell--Trimmell was too busy being a good person, and winning games to ever demean his players) made several comments about it. Even resorted to cheap name-calling. To this day, I am self-conscious about my weight because of that man. I think about it at least a dozen times a day.

- I have never been in a relationship with anyone on Facebook. I've also never had a girlfriend in the summertime. Or the fall, now that I think about it. More specifically, never between June-October. Whoa...

One last one that I'm borrowing from a flick (gee, guess which one), but I always liked it, and it holds true for me, too...

- "I could be fun, if you want. I could be pensive, uhh...smart, superstitious, brave? And I, uhh--I can be light on my feet. I could be whatever you want. You just tell me what you want, and I'm gonna be that for you."

"You're dumb."

- "I could be that."

Do the right thing,
Derrick

Social networking be damned...

Well, it's happened.

The time has finally come when I am not able to write openly about just anything. Like it or not, I must consider any and all potential readers, and any potential ramifications that my ramblings might have. This is weird to me.

I love sharing my nonsense with any of my friends who wish to indulge themselves, and not only get lost in my nonsense, but conjure up some of their own, as well. And because of the often wonderful, if not distracting world that is social networking, I can do so anytime I darned well please. That's pretty neat.

That being said, it's becoming evident to me that I must now consider my audience. Generally speaking, I can talk about whatever I want, I suppose. Whether it be my seemingly hot-and-cold trivial sports jargon, the occasional pop culture jab, or any of my other overly-opinionated hooey (according to the masses, I imagine), I can write whatever I want...or so I once thought.

I cannot write about one particular topic that occasionally pulls at my core--due to one of my Facebook friends who happens to be a relative (err, sort of). Even the mere raising of a particular topic, if seen, could be disastrous. Ironically, this particular topic was at hand in what I still feel is my best piece of writing ever--a MySpace blog from August 12, 2008. It's still posted there, if anyone is overly curious--the relative at hand isn't on there, to my knowledge--so it's safe where it is (for now).

Another topic exists which affects me greatly--even I can never quite decide just how much--has become extremely taboo, especially given the depths in which I could explore within said topic. This saddens me a little. Sometimes more than a little.

All of these restrictions put in place, in large part, by social networking.

If only folks like Mark Zuckerberg and Tom Anderson weren't so innovative, I wouldn't be in this predicament, right? Wrong. If only I were more innovative, I'd be able to more adeptly maneuver my way out of this mess, I reckon.

Curious thing about all this is--I have absolutely no qualms discussing anything in life--most people know this about me by now. It's just gotten to the point where I can't be 100% open about certain things, where it can be seen by all.

While I'm fully aware that I'm not a writer per se, I do enjoy writing, without a doubt. I often enjoy using it as an outlet to delve into personal topics--both my own, and those of others. It allows us all to open our eyes, our hearts, minds, and souls and let others in. I love it, I really do. But the concept of not being able to share whatever I want with whoever I want--however I want to do it--bugs me a little.

I'll probably work my way around it, in time. Just something on my mind in my quasi-triumphant return to Blogger, which I intend, as of now, to use as my future writing source. I'll try it out this time, while posting/sharing a link via--you guessed it, Facebook.



Ah, the wonderful world we live in...

Do the right thing,
Derrick

Ah, technology. I miss the quiet already...

Day 29: INcomplete

Morning session: N/A
Evening session: 6.93
Total distance: 6.93 miles

No morning run again. Was heading out the door when it started pouring, so I didn't end up going. Disappointing once again.

Rejoined Facebook, MySpace, MSN, Yahoo tonight. Figured I earned it--just not based on the performances of this past week! ;)

No pop, or "junk" food indulgences yet, though. Still two days left. I need to hit 350, or I'll be very disappointed--goal, or no goal. 14 miles to go. Easily do-able.

No sports movie tonight, but I'll watch the one I got from the library sometime tomorrow: Victory.

Haven't seen it yet, but it's got Sly Stallone, and Pele in it, so it can't be half bad, eh?

No Top 10 list tonight. Laptop battery dying, and I have other stuff to get to. Apologies. I'll make it up tomorrow. Maybe another Top 15? ;)

D, out.

Who Do You Play For?

Day 25: Complete

Morning session: 9.17 miles
Evening session: 6.12 miles
Total distance: 15.29 miles

(THE) Milestone reached: 300-mile mark

Yo, Adrian! I did it! :)

Not gonna lie, I'm proud of myself. I had a few people--including a good friend who's a collegiate trackster and cross country runner--tell me I wouldn't do it. That I couldn't do it. But I did. And with 6 days to spare. I know with all the hard work I've put myself through the past 25 days, I probably shouldn't say this, but...400 miles in a month is attainable. Probably not this month, with the couple runs I've taken off lately, but I'm just saying.

Moral of the story?
Don't ever freaking underestimate me.

Now, despite my achievement, I don't plan to "coast," per se, but I should probably hit the 350 mark, or so.

Had a handful of friends lobbying for me to get back on Facebook today, since I accomplished my goal 6 days early. But I did pledge to stay away from it (and various other things) for the entire month. Not to mention that I haven't reached my weight loss goal just yet--which could actually prove to be even tougher than the 300 miles.

As of this evening, I've lost 17 lbs in 25 days. I need to lose 5.5 more lbs in 6 days to reach my goal. Time to buckle down even harder than before.

Hockey movie now: Miracle.

There might not be a more inspiring sports story in American history. On that 1980 night in Lake Placid, NY, magic happened. The impossible happened. I get goosebumps just talking about the event with sports buddies of mine. Great film, and a great piece of history, to say the least.

But it's almost over (i.e. the best part coming up right now), so I'll start the next movie soon: Kingpin.

Freaking hysterical bowling flick. Laughs out the wazoo, I promise you.

Tonight's top 10 list:

Top 10 things I would endorse (if I were a celebrity, and approached to do so):

10. Spalding - basketballs
9. American Eagle - primarily for flip flops
8. New Era - baseball caps
7. Fruit Loops w/ marshmallows
6. Subway
5. Orbit gum (good gum, and their ads are funny)
4. Reese's Pieces
3. Dr. Pepper
2. G2 Gatorade - grape
1. Adidas - basketball shoes, and other apparel


And now, since I just finished watching Miracle, I have goosebumps all over my body, and a bit of a watery eye--cheesy, I know--I'll leave you with that.

Today...was a good day, my friends.

My advice to you?
Live your dreams. Fulfill your goals. Then keep going. Do everything you can. Then do more.

D, out.

OK now, we're down 12, but we don't stink.

Day 16: Complete

Morning session: 6.13 miles
Evening session: 8.31 miles
Total distance: 14.44 miles

Not a bad follow-up to yesterday's madness. Highest total ever (yesterday), followed by my third highest total (today). I'll take it. I'll hit the 200-mile mark tomorrow, and with still two weeks to go. Whew.

Took my phone along with me on my evening run--was texting with a friend I don't get to talk to often, and it was runnin' time. But I used it to take a few fun pictures of the trail I ran. Here are just a few for now. I'll probably post them all in a Facebook album on August 1. ;)

Speaking of which--man, I miss Facebook. I'm dying to know what all I have waiting for me (messages, wall posts, pokes, friend requests, general notifications, etc) when I return. I hope it's a lot. Ha!

But anyway, yes, I got into a stare-down with a cow. Ha!


Watching the last of my basketball movies: The 6th Man. It's a comedy, but very touching. There are two (OK, three) moments in particular that make me tear up a little bit. Crazy stuff. Can't even get you a pic for that. Really gotta get this net situation hashed out soon. It's ridiculous. Hope I can even get this to post.

In conclusion, as I promised--a list of my top 10 favorite actors (just because). Maybe a top 10 list each day could add to the blogging fun, eh? Any topic suggestions, shoot them my way! :)

Top 10 actors: (a roughly compiled list, surely I'll forget someone)

10. Gene Hackman
9. Clint Eastwood
8. Ashton Kutcher
7. Morgan Freeman
6. Denzel Washington
5. Will Smith
4. Al Pacino
3. Ben Affleck
2. Leonardo DiCaprio
1. Forest Whitaker

Something like that, anyway. Numbers 1 may be forever permanent, and 2-5 are pretty well set. Otherwise, not necessarily so. Top 10 actresses tomorrow? Or maybe singers? Models? Movies? TV shows? Teams? Hmm... :)

D, out.

Here come the butterflies...

Three days, three blogs. Well, sort of. It's after 1 AM. I think there's a light in the kitchen tonight for my milk jaunt later, no worries.

Stepped out of my box and got the faux-hawk today. Brit hated the idea, but I hope she'll still be my friend. :)

Here are two with "stuff" in my hair...


And here is one with it flattened down (but not really combed)...


This blog will feature more pics, and not a lot of substance. Bear with a brother, eh?

PAUSE: This is where I went brain dead for approximately 47 seconds--Jennifer Nettles was just on my TV screen. She's the lead singer of Sugarland. I want to have her babies. Wait, that's not right. Is it? I digress...

Final preparations:

Bought new running shoes today: Nike Air Zoom Structure Triax 12

These babies better be ready to run!

And this is what I'll be listening to during each and every run:

Purple iPod nano. Yes, I said purple. Big whoop, wanna fight about it? I like it.

Tomorrow's task list:
- Rework iPod. Create several various playlists to be ready for whatever my mood deems fit on a given day.
- Weigh in. I'll check, and keep track of my weight each day, and report it on here every Friday after that (since July 31st is a Friday). Side note: Maybe I'll measure my height, too--let's see if I shrink any more, while we're at it. :)
- Shave legs. Yeah, I said it. Resistance, holmes.
- Walk around house (while putting final touches on some needed re-arranging) wearing new running shoes. Thought about a pre-July jog to loosen them up, but don't want the least bit of soreness heading into Wednesday.
- Write (either via post or message) anyone who I feel the need to holler (mostly the ones I won't be able to be in contact with) at before my month-long hiatus.
- Write one last brief post here, with weight check, final thought or two, etc.
- Be in bed by 12 PM (should be sooner, but I'll probably enjoy a final few minutes on FB and MySpace before I conk out).

I think that's it for tonight. Milk time.

D, out.

First time blogger. Well, here, anyway...

Time to give yet another social networking site a try. I gave up on Twitter in about a week's time--it's seriously lame; what's the big hubbub?

This one seems much different, in that there aren't groups of friends, various apps, an I.M. feature, etc. But it seems a little more up my alley, with the simple nature of being a blogging atmosphere. Drawback? Who'll read anything I write. My dear friend Britani proposed that, if anything, just an outlet for ramblings is its biggest benefit, and she's probably right.

But a big part of my writings has always been based on feedback. Whether for humor's sake, or trying to tug at the heartstrings of my baker's dozen readers or so, almost everything I've written, I've written with a little voice whispering "how will they feel about this one, D?" And that will be the case here, too, only with an added wonderment of who, if anyone, is even reading to begin with.

I intend to set Facebook and MySpace aside in June (along with giving up lots of other luxuries) in my quest to run 300 miles--no dying allowed--in 31 days. Reckon I can allow myself to keep phone privileges (talk, text, but no FB/MS apps), and this thing, too, probably. So here's hoping I can recruit some readers, and maybe even gather up some people who care how my running progresses, if I'm still alive, etc. Fingers crossed.

Quick run-through in my sports world:

- Cubs ...still fluttering around .500. Surely it's time to get it together by now, eh guys? Guys?

- Bulls ...picked up James Johnson of Wake Forest in this week's NBA draft. Didn't know much about him until they picked him, and I did some research. Dude is a black belt in kickboxing (as are 7 of his 8 siblings), and his pops is a 9-time world champ. Strength be not an issue with this cat. Love it.



















I'll probably revisit this thing soon. Could be fun. Mostly just wanted to see how posting would go the first time. If you see this, you don't have to write a full-fledged reply, but an acknowledgment that you were here would be pretty sweet.

D, out.