I was talking to my friend "She Who Must Not Be Named" (YES we are Harry Potter Fans, NO she is not evil) about the training we go to and the runs. I told her I will be completely happy if I am the last runner to cross the finish line. She looked at me like I was crazy. SWMNBN is currently working towards improving her speed, as she admittedly is very competitive.
At our Wednesday night training, there are people of all ages and levels. Many of the group are high school runners. SWMNBN is often disheartened by not being at the level of the others. While I can understand this, I try to explain to her that the only one there that she needs to compete with is herself.
If I am the very last person who crosses the finish line, and I have done the ABSOLUTE best that I could do, I have won. To me as long as you give you all and make your very best attempt, you are a complete and total success.
That's just what I feel. What do you think?
That said Check out this cool widget I got from NikePlus.com. She's tracking my every move :) Oh and yeah I do need to stop stopping and chatting along the way :)
Just a note: The first few workouts were not calibrated properly - I walked/ran 2 miles it recorded .38 (rolls eyes) I think it was created by a man - I am walking a minimum of 2 miles a day this week. My focus is on keeping my foot going in the right direction. The 20 car accidents in 17 years damaged the muscle that holds my hip in place, but I am working through it :) Starting on Wednesday I am doing my normal AM routine and adding another mile in the evenings. My route covers 2-3 hills depending on the path I take. It is definitely a good thing :)
Monday, July 13, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
In a funk
I watched Michael Jackson's funeral today. I balled. I know some people would be embarrassed by that, but I think it makes me human. I was touched by Brooke Sheilds and Usher's portions of the tributes. Sheilds spoke with love and warmth. I had forgotten that they had dated. It was nice to see Michael's children without veils and masks, though it must have been a very long and emotionally draining day for them. Paris showed amazing poise when she spoke at the end.
I truly hope that the children will heal and that as Martin Bashir said this is the start of their path to a life of normalcy.
RIP MICHAEL
I truly hope that the children will heal and that as Martin Bashir said this is the start of their path to a life of normalcy.
RIP MICHAEL
Monday, July 6, 2009
Five Tragic Days
The week of June 23 was incredibly tragic in the entertainment world, Never in my life have I ever seen so many entertainers pass in such a short amount of time. Icons of my childhood dropped like flies - It was a very sad time, but from that sadness I had the strength to finally say goodbye to part of my past that I wasn't able to before. So I now sit before my keyboard, free for the first time in 17 years needing to pay homage to those who's deaths gave me life.
On June 23, we lost Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson sidekick, Host of Star Search, Co-host of
TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes and The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, and actor. Recent press around Mr. McMahon focused on his financial woes, which mirrored those of many Americans. Donald Trump bought McMahon's home and leased it back to him to fend off foreclosure. McMahon, born in Detroit, but raised in Lowell, MA began his career as a bingo caller at age 15. During World War II, McMahon was a fighter pilot in the United States Marine Corps serving as a flight instructor and test pilot. He was a decorated pilot (six Air Medals) and was discharged in 1946, remaining in the reserves.
For more than 30 years America welcomed a familiar Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer's Johnny into their homes. He will forever be an American Icon.
Two
days later we we lost America's Girl Next Door and Angel Farrah Fawcett. Farrah lost a three year battle to cancer. Her greatest legacy is not her year on Charlie's Angels as Jill, her award winning work on The Burning Bed, or Extremities, her commercials or pin-up posters. It is a story she told without lights make-up or wardrobe, where she stood naked before the cameras as Farrah Fawcett, Cancer victim in Farrah's Story. He we saw for the first time what this woman we had watched so many times on the stage and screen had inside her. She bravely and strongly faced cancer, and on May 14th shared her story with the world. He story was as inspirational as it was sad, and on that evening many of us said our goodbyes to this beautiful legend. Farrah remained with us for six more weeks finally succombing to the cancer on June 25. Long-time love of her life Ryan O'Neal was at her side as she passed.
She is survived by one son with O'Neal, Redmond.
Below is an excerpt from Wikipedia detailing her cancer and it's treatments.
A little more
than five hours after we lost Farrah, people around the world were shocked at the death of the King Of Pop - Michael Jackson. Today July 7th the world will say farewell to a man who like few before him changed the face of music forever. Michael Jackson's superstardom began at the age of six as a member of The Jackson 5. He endured an abusive life as a child. I am opting not to use the word childhood, because that has a connotation of happy times, something I believe Michael never experienced. I believe he spent his life trying to find that lost part of his life, as many of those of us raised in abusive homes do. Michael's fame and fortune allowed him to attempt to recreate his childhood in ways that we would never have envisioned.
Neverland Ranch was Michael Jackson's home - It was every child's dream ho
me living in an amusement park. The sprawling estate has many of the key elements you find at all great amusement parks. Michael in his need to fix his own childhood years, opened the gates of Neverland to thousands of children every year. Some people say it was a tool he used to lure children to him so he could abuse them, but I do not believe that. I believe Michael Jackson was a tortured indi
vidual, a musical genius who would have given everything he had if he could have relived his younger days happy and care free. Do I think the allegations about michael were true? No. I think that on a personal level Michael function ed on the level of a teenager. I think that was the only way he could deal with who he was. I believe that sadly he was not comfortable in his own skin, and that is an incredibly sad life to live. Yes Michael Jackson was different, but in all fairness, which one of us wouldn't be?
Jackson donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his Heal the World Foundation, charity singles, and support of 39 charities. He was on of the few artists ever inducted twice in to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. He is listed numerous times in the Guiness World Book of World Records, his career lasted over four decades, and he barely five. With all the claims to fame he had, his most treasured was his children.
Good bye Michael - Thank you for all the music!
My thoughts are with the families of those who remain, may the music, laughter and smiles they brought to our lives somehow bring solace to yours.
On June 23, we lost Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson sidekick, Host of Star Search, Co-host of
TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes and The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, and actor. Recent press around Mr. McMahon focused on his financial woes, which mirrored those of many Americans. Donald Trump bought McMahon's home and leased it back to him to fend off foreclosure. McMahon, born in Detroit, but raised in Lowell, MA began his career as a bingo caller at age 15. During World War II, McMahon was a fighter pilot in the United States Marine Corps serving as a flight instructor and test pilot. He was a decorated pilot (six Air Medals) and was discharged in 1946, remaining in the reserves.For more than 30 years America welcomed a familiar Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer's Johnny into their homes. He will forever be an American Icon.
Two
days later we we lost America's Girl Next Door and Angel Farrah Fawcett. Farrah lost a three year battle to cancer. Her greatest legacy is not her year on Charlie's Angels as Jill, her award winning work on The Burning Bed, or Extremities, her commercials or pin-up posters. It is a story she told without lights make-up or wardrobe, where she stood naked before the cameras as Farrah Fawcett, Cancer victim in Farrah's Story. He we saw for the first time what this woman we had watched so many times on the stage and screen had inside her. She bravely and strongly faced cancer, and on May 14th shared her story with the world. He story was as inspirational as it was sad, and on that evening many of us said our goodbyes to this beautiful legend. Farrah remained with us for six more weeks finally succombing to the cancer on June 25. Long-time love of her life Ryan O'Neal was at her side as she passed.She is survived by one son with O'Neal, Redmond.
Below is an excerpt from Wikipedia detailing her cancer and it's treatments.
Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006, and began treatment, including chemotherapy and surgery. Four months later, on her 60th birthday, the Associated Press wire service reported that Fawcett was, at that point, cancer free.
Less than four months later, in May 2007, Fawcett brought a small digital video camera to document a doctor's office visit. There, she was told a malignant polyp was found in the area where she had been treated for the initial cancer. Doctors contemplated whether to implant a radiation seeder (which differs from conventional radiation and is used to treat other types of cancer). Fawcett's U.S. doctors told her that she would require a colostomy. Instead, Fawcett traveled to Germany for treatments described variously in the press as "holistic", "aggressive", and "alternative". There, Dr. Ursula Jacob prescribed a treatment including surgery to remove the anal tumor, and a course of perfusion and embolization for her liver cancer by Doctors Claus Kiehling and Thomas Vogl in Germany, and chemotherapy back in Fawcett's home town of Los Angeles. Although initially the tumors were regressing, their reappearance a few months later necessitated a new course, this time including laser ablation therapy and chemoembolization. Aided by friend Alana Stewart, Fawcett documented her battle with the disease.
In early April 2009, Fawcett, back in the United States, was rushed to a hospital, reportedly unconscious and in critical condition. Subsequent reports, however, indicated that the severity of her condition was not as dire as first reported. On April 6, the Associated Press reported that her cancer had metastasized to her liver. Fawcett had learned of this development in May 2007 and her subsequent treatments in Germany had targeted this as well. The report denied that she was unconscious, and explained that the reason for Fawcett's hospitalization was not her cancer but a painful abdominal hematoma that had been the result of a minor procedure, according to the Los Angeles cancer specialist treating Fawcett, Dr. Lawrence Piro. Her spokesperson emphasized she was not "at death's door", adding "She remains in good spirits with her usual sense of humor ... She's been in great shape her whole life and has an incredible resolve and an incredible resilience." Three days later, on April 9, Fawcett was released from the hospital, picked up by longtime companion O'Neal, and, according to her doctor, was "walking and in great spirits and looking forward to celebrating Easter at home."
A month later, on May 7, Fawcett was reported as being critically ill, with Ryan O'Neal quoted as saying that she now spends her days at home, on an IV, often asleep. The Los Angeles Times reported that Fawcett was in the last stages of her cancer and had the chance to see her son Redmond in April 2009, although shackled and under supervision, as he was then incarcerated, Fawcett seemed not to notice. Her 91-year-old father, James Fawcett, flew out to Los Angeles to visit.
Her doctor, Lawrence Piro, and Fawcett's friend and Angels co-star Kate Jackson—a breast cancer survivor—appeared together on The Today Show dispelling tabloid-fueled rumors, including the suggestions that Fawcett had ever been in a coma, had ever reached 86 pounds, and had ever given up her fight against the disease or lost the will to live. Jackson decried such fabrications, saying they "really do hurt a human being and a person like Farrah". Piro recalled when it became necessary for Fawcett to undergo treatments that would cause her to lose her hair, acknowledging that "Farrah probably has the most famous hair in the world", but acknowledged that it is not a trivial matter for any cancer patient, whose hair "affects [one's] whole sense of who [they] are". Of the documentary, Jackson averred that Fawcett "didn't do this to show that 'she' is unique, she did it to show that we are all unique ... (T)his was ... meant to be a gift to others to help and inspire them."
The two-hour documentary Farrah's Story, which was filmed by Fawcett and friend Alana Stewart, aired on NBC on May 15, 2009. The documentary was watched by nearly 9 million people in its premiere airing and it was re-aired on the broadcast network's cable stations MSNBC, Bravo and Oxygen.
In June, O'Neal asked Fawcett to marry him. She accepted his proposal and O'Neal said the wedding would happen "as soon as she can say yes." The two never married.
May we always treasure the gift of Farrah's Story and the life of this legend.A little more
than five hours after we lost Farrah, people around the world were shocked at the death of the King Of Pop - Michael Jackson. Today July 7th the world will say farewell to a man who like few before him changed the face of music forever. Michael Jackson's superstardom began at the age of six as a member of The Jackson 5. He endured an abusive life as a child. I am opting not to use the word childhood, because that has a connotation of happy times, something I believe Michael never experienced. I believe he spent his life trying to find that lost part of his life, as many of those of us raised in abusive homes do. Michael's fame and fortune allowed him to attempt to recreate his childhood in ways that we would never have envisioned.Neverland Ranch was Michael Jackson's home - It was every child's dream ho
me living in an amusement park. The sprawling estate has many of the key elements you find at all great amusement parks. Michael in his need to fix his own childhood years, opened the gates of Neverland to thousands of children every year. Some people say it was a tool he used to lure children to him so he could abuse them, but I do not believe that. I believe Michael Jackson was a tortured indi
vidual, a musical genius who would have given everything he had if he could have relived his younger days happy and care free. Do I think the allegations about michael were true? No. I think that on a personal level Michael function ed on the level of a teenager. I think that was the only way he could deal with who he was. I believe that sadly he was not comfortable in his own skin, and that is an incredibly sad life to live. Yes Michael Jackson was different, but in all fairness, which one of us wouldn't be?Jackson donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his Heal the World Foundation, charity singles, and support of 39 charities. He was on of the few artists ever inducted twice in to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. He is listed numerous times in the Guiness World Book of World Records, his career lasted over four decades, and he barely five. With all the claims to fame he had, his most treasured was his children.
Good bye Michael - Thank you for all the music!
Michael Jackson's YouTube Channel
So there we have it - In less than a week, five days to be exact, we lost 6 people who made a mark on our lives.Another two days pass and Josephine Owaissa Cottle better known as Gale Storm, passed away 
at a convelescent center in California on June 27. Storm was best known as a star in two popular television programs of the 1950s, My Little Margie and The Gale Storm Show.
After My Little Margie ended its 126 episode run Storm, a lyric soprano took to the stage. On her website she wrote: " It has been such a joy and a blessing to have performed on stage as the lead in such fine shows as Unsinkable Molly Brown , South Pacific , Finnegan's Rainbow , Wildcat, Cactus Flower, Plaza Suite, Forty Carats, Lovers and Other Strangers, Affairs Of State, Rainy Day in Newark, No Hard Feelings and Grand Prize." Her first record, "I Hear You Knockin'", a cover version of a rhythm and blues hit by Smiley Lewis, in turn based on the old Buddy Bolden standard "The Bucket's Got a Hole In It", sold over a million copies. It was followed in 1957 by the haunting ballad, "Dark Moon" that went to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Storm had several top ten songs and headlined in Las Vegas and appeared in numerous stage plays.
Storm was married and widowed twice. Her first marriage was to actor Lee Bonnell, with whom she had four children: Peter, Philip, Paul and Susanna. Bonnell died in 1987. In 1988, Storm married Paul Masterson. Masterson died in 1996.
RIP Ms. Storm - Thanks for all the laughs and music.
The next day, June 28 we lost Fred Travalena at age 66. His obituary in the Los A
ngeles Times highlighted his many talents. "'The Man of a Thousand Faces' could voice Bugs Bunny as well as Luciano Pavarotti. Travalena, a Vegas performer, talk-show regular and star of his own specials, died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma."
The boyish-faced entertainer is said to have had a repertoire of more than 360 celebrity, political and cartoon-character voices, including Clint Eastwood, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro, Henry Kissinger, Donald Rumsfeld, Johnny Mathis, Bruce Springsteen and Luciano Pavarotti.
In one part of his act, Travalena physically and vocally "morphed" into all of the U.S. presidents, from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush.
He also was known to sing "Have I Told You Lately" in various voices, including Kermit the Frog ("Have I told you lately that I love you"), Katharine Hepburn ("Have I told you there's no one else above you") and Frank Sinatra ("You fill my heart with gladness . . . ") I remember seeing Travalena on Merv Griffin, ABC Comedy Hour and slightly eerily in he appeared in the series premiere of the short-lived 1991 sitcom Good Sports with Ryan O'Neal and Farrah Fawcett.
Below is a video of him on Letterman in 2006. Hope you laugh as much as I did - Thanks for making our days a little brighter!
Also lost on June 28 was famed pitchman, Billy Mays. His son announced his father's death via
twitter. The day before his passing Mays was on a flight landing in Tampa that had a particularly hard landing. Stowed luggage from the over-head compartment fell on Mays, causing speculation that his cause of death was similar to that of Natasha Richardson. Mays, like Ed McMahon, began his career on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. It was his voice and his over-the-top promotion that brought Mays his fame as America's Pitchman.
He traveled across the United States for 12 years, selling various items before he was hired to sell OxiClean and other products on the Home Shopping Network. His success as a TV pitchman led him to found Mays Promotions, Inc. On April 15, 2009, the Discovery Channel began airing PitchMen, a documentary series that featured Mays. On the morning of June 28, 2009, Mays' second wife, Deborah, found him dead in his home.
The pallbearers at Mays' funeral wore his trademark blue oxford and kakhi pants. A pitchman til the end, according to KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, he was reportedly buried wearing a shirt with the OxiClean logo on it.
at a convelescent center in California on June 27. Storm was best known as a star in two popular television programs of the 1950s, My Little Margie and The Gale Storm Show.After My Little Margie ended its 126 episode run Storm, a lyric soprano took to the stage. On her website she wrote: " It has been such a joy and a blessing to have performed on stage as the lead in such fine shows as Unsinkable Molly Brown , South Pacific , Finnegan's Rainbow , Wildcat, Cactus Flower, Plaza Suite, Forty Carats, Lovers and Other Strangers, Affairs Of State, Rainy Day in Newark, No Hard Feelings and Grand Prize." Her first record, "I Hear You Knockin'", a cover version of a rhythm and blues hit by Smiley Lewis, in turn based on the old Buddy Bolden standard "The Bucket's Got a Hole In It", sold over a million copies. It was followed in 1957 by the haunting ballad, "Dark Moon" that went to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Storm had several top ten songs and headlined in Las Vegas and appeared in numerous stage plays.
Storm was married and widowed twice. Her first marriage was to actor Lee Bonnell, with whom she had four children: Peter, Philip, Paul and Susanna. Bonnell died in 1987. In 1988, Storm married Paul Masterson. Masterson died in 1996.
RIP Ms. Storm - Thanks for all the laughs and music.
The next day, June 28 we lost Fred Travalena at age 66. His obituary in the Los A
ngeles Times highlighted his many talents. "'The Man of a Thousand Faces' could voice Bugs Bunny as well as Luciano Pavarotti. Travalena, a Vegas performer, talk-show regular and star of his own specials, died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma."The boyish-faced entertainer is said to have had a repertoire of more than 360 celebrity, political and cartoon-character voices, including Clint Eastwood, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro, Henry Kissinger, Donald Rumsfeld, Johnny Mathis, Bruce Springsteen and Luciano Pavarotti.
In one part of his act, Travalena physically and vocally "morphed" into all of the U.S. presidents, from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush.
He also was known to sing "Have I Told You Lately" in various voices, including Kermit the Frog ("Have I told you lately that I love you"), Katharine Hepburn ("Have I told you there's no one else above you") and Frank Sinatra ("You fill my heart with gladness . . . ") I remember seeing Travalena on Merv Griffin, ABC Comedy Hour and slightly eerily in he appeared in the series premiere of the short-lived 1991 sitcom Good Sports with Ryan O'Neal and Farrah Fawcett.
Below is a video of him on Letterman in 2006. Hope you laugh as much as I did - Thanks for making our days a little brighter!
Also lost on June 28 was famed pitchman, Billy Mays. His son announced his father's death via
twitter. The day before his passing Mays was on a flight landing in Tampa that had a particularly hard landing. Stowed luggage from the over-head compartment fell on Mays, causing speculation that his cause of death was similar to that of Natasha Richardson. Mays, like Ed McMahon, began his career on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. It was his voice and his over-the-top promotion that brought Mays his fame as America's Pitchman.He traveled across the United States for 12 years, selling various items before he was hired to sell OxiClean and other products on the Home Shopping Network. His success as a TV pitchman led him to found Mays Promotions, Inc. On April 15, 2009, the Discovery Channel began airing PitchMen, a documentary series that featured Mays. On the morning of June 28, 2009, Mays' second wife, Deborah, found him dead in his home.
The pallbearers at Mays' funeral wore his trademark blue oxford and kakhi pants. A pitchman til the end, according to KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, he was reportedly buried wearing a shirt with the OxiClean logo on it.
My thoughts are with the families of those who remain, may the music, laughter and smiles they brought to our lives somehow bring solace to yours.
The Power of Twitter
Disney fans pay tribute to monorail driver Austin Wuennenberg by getting #Austin into Twitter trending topics
Fans of Walt Disney World's parks and resorts are a passionate bunch, so Sunday's monorail accident that killed 21-year-old Austin Wuennenberg of Kissimmee was particularly emotional for fans.
And in recent months, Disney fanatics have also taken to micro-blogging site Twitter, where they share tips about visiting a park or post pictures.
So to commemorate Wuennenberg's life, a group of Disney fans created the Twitter hashtag #Austin and told others to include it in their tweets. Their goal was to get the term into Twitter's trending topics, which is a realtime reflection of the most popular words and phrases people are putting in their Twitter messages.
The effort appears to have begun on Sunday afternoon, with this tweet from @DisneyFrankness, a Twitter user named Frank from Missouri.
DisneyFrankness @DisneyDean maybe we could try to make #Austin a top Twitter trend as a tribute? 2:12 PM Jul 5th from Tweetie in reply to DisneyDeanAfter nearly two days of trying, #Austin made it into the Twitter trending topics about an hour ago. It's currently the fifth most popular trending topic, after #musicmonday, Michael Jackson, Houston and MJ's.
Since the top trending topics are displayed on the right side of Twitter.com (pictured at right) when you log into your profile, supporters hope having #Austin near the top will raise awareness of Wuennenberg and the accident. You can also see the top trending topics at search.twitter.com.
Here's @DisneyFrankness reaction to seeing #Austin in trending topics:
UPDATE 4:15 P.M.: @DisneyParks, the official Twitter account for Disney's parks and resorts, just sent out this tweet offering condolences to Wuennenberg's family, friends and coworkers. This is the first tweet from @DisneyParks since the accident.
DisneyParks Our hearts go out to Austin's family, friends and co-workers as we continue to mourn his passing. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.Monorail Crash at Disney
On 7/5/9 at 2:00am tragedy struck the the Happiest Place on Earth. A fatal Monorail crash took the life of Cast Member & Pilot Austin Wuennenberg, 21. Austin was a computer Science Major at Stetson University, Class of 2010, and a graduate of Celebration High School..
Below is a link that will provide the story as well as videos on Austin (pictured on the monorail) and on the crash itself. There is also raw footage of the incident immediately after it happened.
The Story
The sites right now are going crazy with blaming this and that for the tragedy, but one simple fact remains. No amount of blame will give this family back its son. I am certain that Disney will take all steps necessary in the investigation to find the actual cause of the problem. I am as secure riding on the monorail today as I was the last time I was at Disney. Millions of people a year are transported via the Monorail system. 4 incidents and only one fatality (please do not think I am down-playing Austin Wuennenberg's death. It is a tragic loss) in 38 years is an amazing record. I wish our planes, trains and automobiles had as good a safety record.
While I do not think that the cast members at the TTC handled the situation in an appropriate manner, As a Specialist in Emergency Management Planning, as well as a Disney Shareholder, there are several things I saw in the raw footage that could have been done better. I do not fault Disney for this accident, nor do I feel that the actions of all around after the accident (yes, this also includes the guests - particularly the one who had nothing better to do but shoot footage most likely in the hopes of obtaining his 15 minutes of fame) would have done much to change the outcome of this scenario. This was after all exactly that - A very tragic accident.
On Twitter we have started a Memorial to Austin all tweets contain the #Austin. If you tweet please add it in his memory - We are working to get him listed as a trending topic.
I would like to add this note: While I feel great sadness at the loss of this young life, I am more deeply saddened by the lack of actions of those around. I know that in the midst of unexpected tragedy, people are in shock, but when you can do nothing more than stand there and video tape the scene there is something more tragically wrong with you. This is a disheartening statement on society today.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends and co-workers. We need to worry not about blaming but about healing.
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