That's right. On Saturday Max and I took a ride to visit my folks in LBI, who had set up shop there for a week and a day in a BEAUTIFUL oceanfront rental. The two family home (with no renters on the lower level) had a spectacular view of both the ocean and a view of the bay--no doubt some amazing summer evenings could be enjoyed there. Besides seeing my folks, we visited with my Aunt Grace and Uncle Dennis in the morning, who had stayed for two nights, and then my sister Dionne and her husband Bob in the afternoon once they got there.
We didn't have much planned for the afternoon, since we were only staying for a few hours, but we manage to take a short ride to Beach Haven (had to get the family a couple of boxes of Fudge from Country Kettle!). Also, with a change of clothes and shoes for Max in hand just in case, we both trekked down on to the beach to get our sand and ocean fix.
Despite some foul weather that lasted pretty much the whole day, it was nice to soak up the beach atmosphere and spend some time in quite a snazzy house!!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Giants versus Dallas
This past weekend afforded me a rare opportunity to catch a live Giants game. With my dad down in Long Beach Island for a week with my mom, my Uncle Dennis needed a tailgating partner. So, I volunteered (twist my arm, haha). He picked me up around 12:45 for the 4:15 game, and we headed to East Rutherford. Good thing we went when we did. The lots were already clogged with NY and Dallas fans, all cooking, drinking, throwing around footballs, and everything else that goes along with the fun of tailgating. We cooked and ate and caught up on current events. After a while of that, it was time to pack up and head into the stadium.
On a good note, well.....you know how the game turned out!! Sorry all you Dallas fans!!!
On a good note, well.....you know how the game turned out!! Sorry all you Dallas fans!!!
Max visits Brooklyn
On the day after Halloween, Max and I found ourselves in our usual Saturday afternoon mode--on the computers, picking up dinner, doing some chores, etc. Towards the night when cabin fever set in, it was evident that getting out of the house was the call to order. So, a relaxing car ride turned into a spontaneous drive into NYC. Despite a bit of traffic heading into the Holland Tunnel, the drive into the city was met with enthusiasm. Max loved all the bright lights, tall buildings, and busy streets. My surprise for him stemmed from an interest he has in the bridges that cross the East River. Not only did we tour areas like Chinatown and Battery Park, but we also took a ride across the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn, to do nothing more than just say he was there..we drove for a bit and then banged a Uturn and headed back into NYC. For the rest of the ride, we headed up the FDR to look at the rest of the bridges, and then ultimately came back to New Jersey via the George Washington Bridge.
A waste of gas? Nah. I have to say, I'm not a huge fan of NYC, but there's something about it that makes you think twice when you see the fascination of it all in your son's eyes.
A waste of gas? Nah. I have to say, I'm not a huge fan of NYC, but there's something about it that makes you think twice when you see the fascination of it all in your son's eyes.
Trick or Treat!
Halloween had a special meaning this year, as Mr. Max (clad in a terrific Superman costume) was slated to participate in Trick or Treating for the first time. While we've taken him out in the past and have outfitted him with various costumes, this year would put him in the position of doing his own candy collecting with Lynn or me at his side (Pictures of Max can be seen to the right).
Lynn took Max out in the afternoon for a while, and I took over when I got home from work. After around 90 minutes or so of venturing around the neighborhood, we paid a visit to my parents so they could get a look at him in his costume. Some pictures were taken, and after a short while, it was evident Max had his fill of the day, as fatigue rapidly set in.
Now the challenge is to gobble down all that candy!
Lynn took Max out in the afternoon for a while, and I took over when I got home from work. After around 90 minutes or so of venturing around the neighborhood, we paid a visit to my parents so they could get a look at him in his costume. Some pictures were taken, and after a short while, it was evident Max had his fill of the day, as fatigue rapidly set in.
Now the challenge is to gobble down all that candy!
Halloween Party in Long Valley
On October 25, my good friend Anthony hosted a Halloween party for friends and family. About a dozen kids sported costumes ranging from sports figures, faerie tale figures, and Hollywood characters (Max was Eli Manning). The afternoon was filled with food, drink, activites, and visiting with friends. Much of Anthony's extended family were on hand as well as most of the guys that normally get together for our periodic wine tastings.
Despite a very, very rainy and windy day, it was nice to get together and watch the kids enjoy themselves.
Despite a very, very rainy and windy day, it was nice to get together and watch the kids enjoy themselves.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Birthday Shout-Out for Max on Wine Library TV!
Hey folks. In keeping up with the tradition of requesting birthday shoutouts for each of us, the latest shout-out was for Mr. Max. If you go to
http://tv.winelibrary.com/2008/10/10/yellow-tail-a-sauvignon-blanc-and-a-dessert-wine-episode-555/ and drag the slider to about the 9:40 mark, the happy birthday wishes start.
Happy Birthday, Max!
http://tv.winelibrary.com/2008/10/10/yellow-tail-a-sauvignon-blanc-and-a-dessert-wine-episode-555/ and drag the slider to about the 9:40 mark, the happy birthday wishes start.
Happy Birthday, Max!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
A Tale of Two Races
Ok, so this past weekend had me put my running prowess once again to the test, but with a twist--for the first time ever, I dared to run hard races on back to back days--while I originally had only planned to run on Sunday, October 12, a work colleague told me about a short 3 mile run right across the river (Rutherford) on October 11.
There's a side story to share about Saturday's run. During the summer my Aunt Margaret and I had been talking about running in a race together again (mind you our last run together in any kind of race dated back to 1988). Well, when this opportunity surfaced in Rutherford, home to more relatives of mine (the Waller family), I thought I'd encourage my aunt to run in it. She had built up to that distance already, so the biggest concern she could possibly have that day were stomach butterflies! As a bonus, my cousin Anna would also take part in the race (I warned her since she was so young she'd better be WAY ahead of us).
The Rutherford race was a 3 mile run (the "Pumpkin Run"). The course weaved through town, starting and ending in the park just off Washington Street. As was expected, Anna placed ahead of my aunt and I, somewhere around 27 minutes. I came in at a respectable 30:15, and my aunt a bit over 32 minutes (I can't seem to find official results on the internet). After the race I unfortunately couldn't really relish too much in my performance, because I had my normal Saturday afternoon errands to run and work to do at the house, and then finally rest up for a much longer run the next morning.
Okay, so I woke up Sunday morning slightly sore from the Rutherford race, but knew what I had to do. I got myself ready and headed up to the Oval in Nutley. I did my normal warmups and played the waiting game. Again my work colleague Aaron and his wife and brother in law were in this race. I caught up with them just before the race to shoot the breeze and help kill time.
Then the officials began to do the start cadence. At that instant in time the worst possible thing happened--my Zune froze on me and I couldn't restart it! I tried everything to get it to once again play music but it had shut down and showed no signs of life. Then the pistol sounded and the race began. So, I began running with the group, but tried like heck to breathe some life into my media player, otherwise it would be a long, long run without tunes. After a few minutes of trying, I gave up the struggle, and refocused on the task at hand, despite the time it was going to take me!
Carrying my seemingly dead mp3 player, I took the beginning of my run up a notch to clear myself from the back of the pack to someplace a bit more well--not near last. I gained a lot of ground and passed a number of runners between the first and second miles of running. One of the race coordinators snapped this picture of me and emailed it--
At around the 3 mile mark of the race was the first time I thought I had a chance to at least match, if not surpass, my time of 54:23 last year. I tried on the straightaways of Washington Avenue and Center Street to gain more ground by picking up speed. When I hit Franklin Ave at the 50 minute mark, I knew I had at a personal best in the bag, it was just a question of how much faster. Well, I ended at a 53:33, almost a minute faster!!
As long as my legs, hips, knees, ankles, and all parts in between keep letting me, rest assured you'll see more stories like this in the years to come! I only hope I'll have more success stories to share...until next time!
There's a side story to share about Saturday's run. During the summer my Aunt Margaret and I had been talking about running in a race together again (mind you our last run together in any kind of race dated back to 1988). Well, when this opportunity surfaced in Rutherford, home to more relatives of mine (the Waller family), I thought I'd encourage my aunt to run in it. She had built up to that distance already, so the biggest concern she could possibly have that day were stomach butterflies! As a bonus, my cousin Anna would also take part in the race (I warned her since she was so young she'd better be WAY ahead of us).
The Rutherford race was a 3 mile run (the "Pumpkin Run"). The course weaved through town, starting and ending in the park just off Washington Street. As was expected, Anna placed ahead of my aunt and I, somewhere around 27 minutes. I came in at a respectable 30:15, and my aunt a bit over 32 minutes (I can't seem to find official results on the internet). After the race I unfortunately couldn't really relish too much in my performance, because I had my normal Saturday afternoon errands to run and work to do at the house, and then finally rest up for a much longer run the next morning.
Okay, so I woke up Sunday morning slightly sore from the Rutherford race, but knew what I had to do. I got myself ready and headed up to the Oval in Nutley. I did my normal warmups and played the waiting game. Again my work colleague Aaron and his wife and brother in law were in this race. I caught up with them just before the race to shoot the breeze and help kill time.
Then the officials began to do the start cadence. At that instant in time the worst possible thing happened--my Zune froze on me and I couldn't restart it! I tried everything to get it to once again play music but it had shut down and showed no signs of life. Then the pistol sounded and the race began. So, I began running with the group, but tried like heck to breathe some life into my media player, otherwise it would be a long, long run without tunes. After a few minutes of trying, I gave up the struggle, and refocused on the task at hand, despite the time it was going to take me!
Carrying my seemingly dead mp3 player, I took the beginning of my run up a notch to clear myself from the back of the pack to someplace a bit more well--not near last. I gained a lot of ground and passed a number of runners between the first and second miles of running. One of the race coordinators snapped this picture of me and emailed it--
At around the 3 mile mark of the race was the first time I thought I had a chance to at least match, if not surpass, my time of 54:23 last year. I tried on the straightaways of Washington Avenue and Center Street to gain more ground by picking up speed. When I hit Franklin Ave at the 50 minute mark, I knew I had at a personal best in the bag, it was just a question of how much faster. Well, I ended at a 53:33, almost a minute faster!!
As long as my legs, hips, knees, ankles, and all parts in between keep letting me, rest assured you'll see more stories like this in the years to come! I only hope I'll have more success stories to share...until next time!
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