Blah, Blah, Blog

Happy Birthday Tam!

2011-12-08T23:27:00.001-08:00

Today we celebrate my big sister Tammy's birthday. My sister has always been an inspiration to me. I have always looked up to her example of strength and her rock solid faith. She is definitely one of a kind. I am very proud to be her brother. We used to not get along very well when I was younger, but when she moved away to college, and then went on her mission, we grew closer upon her return. I was grown up and not as annoying anymore. I cherish the times I would visit her on campus at Utah State University and she would let me (and Jason) go to class with her. She would take us to play tennis at the University's courts, and then spoil us with her delicious homemade enchiladas and we would stay up late singing karaoke. Much has changed in both of our lives since those days, but whenever we get together, I still cherish each moment spent with her; whether she is helping me with math, or we are making yogurt, or she is patiently trying to speak me through setting up a sewing machine for her, we always laugh and have a good time. I am thankful for my big sister Tammy, and want her to know how important she is to me on her birthday. We are going over today to make homemade pizza! Happy birthday Tam! I hope your day is filled with sunshine and happiness.

A Fire Still Burning

2011-10-16T19:54:00.001-07:00

With all the bad things happening in the world today, I was so happy to see this video that I am going to post on here momentarily. Since mostly only close family and friends view this blog (and since I never post much, probably even they have dwindled to a number hovering somewhere around zero), I am going to open up a little bit about myself. Most of you know that I am a musician. Music has been a huge part of my life. Most of you also know I have struggled with my faith in recent years. I have continued to attend church, and sometimes I enjoy it, but sometimes I hate it. I have unresolved issues of anger and resentment that have caused my faith to dwindle. I have long been a fan of the band "The Killers", and more specifically of front man Brandon Flowers. As a musician, I enjoy listening to the subtle things in recordings, such as certain guitar tracks that most people would not notice, or keyboard lines, bass lines, vocal harmonies, etc., that bring emotion and layers to the listening experience. The Killers music moves me, and has even brought me to tears on occasion. It isn't just pop or rock music. It has substance to it. Imagine my surprise years ago when I found out that Brandon Flowers was raised Mormon. This only made me more interested in his music. As I started following his career more closely, I noticed that I had a lot in common with him. As a performer, you are constantly in situations where it is easy to be tempted, and it is easy to be drawn towards that temptation, especially when you have to get on stage and perform night after night. It is hard to explain to someone who doesn't know what it's like to have that pressure to perform night after night, and especially when you don't really feel like entertaining people sometimes. So I wasn't surprised that Brandon Flowers had issues with the Word of Wisdom. As a faithful member of the church, it is easy to think that the Word of Wisdom is an easy principle to follow, you just don't break it. Well for some it just isn't that easy. We all have our problems in this life and our own trials to overcome. The part I always found intriguing about Brandon Flowers, was that he never talked bad about the church, he never shied away from saying, "yes, I'm a member of the church." Even when a reporter said to him that he had personally seen him drinking alcohol, he replied, "I try not to." Reporters have tried and tried to make him do like so many other famous members of the church who have fallen away and taken the stand that, "yeah I USED to be Mormon, but not anymore." Well even though he had his problems, he never insulted the church, never denied being a member, and always said only positive things about the church. Brandon lost his mother to brain cancer in February 2010. He always spoke of her taking him to church and being a positive example in his life. When I saw the video that I have linked to this post, I was so proud of him for his courage to do what is right that at the end of the video I was brought to tears. Thank you for your valiant example of strength Brandon Flowers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PF0h7oqUEQ

Where Do the Sidewalks Begin?

2011-07-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

Renowned author Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “Nature must be ashamed of the way this place has been laid out and patterned after a checkerboard and parceled out in little parcels where you stand on each other’s toes, face the sidewalk, your elbows in the next neighbor’s ribs ….” (qtd. in Yagelski, Miller 273).

Frank Lloyd Wright’s words may have been aimed at the design of bigger cities, but he has also unintentionally given those of us who live in the outer suburbs satisfaction in knowing we have enough room to spread out. We are not stepping on each other’s toes here. Our elbows aren’t in our neighbor’s ribs. But we cannot face the sidewalk, because there are no sidewalks. I live in a newer community in Graham, WA called Thrift Pond. We have a split level home on an acre of land. All the homes in our development are on at least an acre of land. It’s quiet out here. There are the sounds of nature all around us. I think one of the main reasons people choose to live in the suburbs, besides the great prices on housing and land, is to sort of get away from it all. But in order to get back to it all, it is necessary to drive everywhere. The interesting thing about having to drive everywhere is that Graham has grown so much, that every necessity is very close to home. There are grocery stores, hardware stores, department stores, major national chain retail stores, and any other kind of shopping you could want, all within two to three miles of most of the newer developments. Many of these are easily within walking or biking distance for those who would rather not fire up their vehicles every time they need to run to the store. The online journal Health by Design states the following:

- The 1995 National Personal Transportation Survey found that 40% of car trips in the U.S. are less than 2 miles, short enough to be accomplished on foot or by bicycle, if the infrastructure supports walking or biking.

- Cars have their poorest efficiency and so burn more gas during the first few miles of travel

If these communities of suburbia, such as the one I live in, had sidewalks implemented, I think many people would utilize them. The advantages of sidewalks can’t easily be measured, but consider these advantages:

With over two-thirds of Americans being either overweight or obese, sidewalks would give people more opportunities for exercise. I grew up in a community where there were sidewalks on both sides of the road on virtually every street in town. The community seemed to be more active. It was an everyday sight to see families strolling together in the evenings along the sidewalks. Children would ride their bicycles, people would walk their dogs. Runners and bicyclists had a safe alternative to being dangerously close to traffic on the shoulder of the road.

With more people utilizing the sidewalks, there would be less vehicular traffic, therefore reducing vehicular emissions and helping to improve the environment. Those who wish to utilize the sidewalks would save on the ever increasing cost of fuel each time they decided to leave the car in the driveway. Along with these benefits, those who still choose to drive will become more conscious of pedestrians and bicyclists, and face less traffic.

Sidewalks also help to build strong communities. With the option for members of the community to use the sidewalk, it helps to bring neighbors together. While out for walks either alone, or with family, sidewalks give ample opportunity for saying hello to each other, and getting to know the people within their neighborhoods. With the arrival of the electric garage door opener, a lot of people walk straight out of their homes and into their garages, start their cars, drive to work, and then drive back home again, into their garages, and straight into their homes without ever actually being outside of their homes. This doesn’t lend itself to being very neighborly. Getting to know your neighbors is a good idea because as people get to know each other, they begin to care for each other. This can make the neighborhood a tighter community, and offer a more comfortable and safer environment for everybody.

The most important advantage is also the most obvious: safety. There are many who choose to walk or ride bicycles even though there are no sidewalks. The shoulder on most roads in local communities is not sufficient to provide a safe enough cushion between pedestrians and vehicles. There are many pedestrian fatalities in Washington each year. John R. Batiste reported that in April 2010, a fifteen year old girl was hit and killed while walking on the shoulder of the road in Milton, WA. While walking with a friend, she was hit directly by a box van when the driver was distracted and drifted off the road momentarily. A sidewalk may have given enough of a cushion to possibly prevent this tragedy.

There may be those out there who do not see themselves using sidewalks. Even though they may not physically use them, they would still receive second hand benefits by living in more close knit communities in a safer environment. They would reap environmental benefits including less traffic and emissions from vehicles. They would even benefit from becoming more aware of pedestrians and bicyclists around them. And if that isn’t enough, online journal Health by Design states the following: Property values rise the fastest in pedestrian friendly areas. Home buyers are willing to pay more for homes in communities with sidewalks. I think all would agree that this is good for everybody. But more importantly, what is the cost of a human life? Can it be measured? I think every responsible citizen would be interested in reducing the number of fatalities. While there may be arguments against having sidewalks implemented by those who don’t see themselves ever using the sidewalks, the advantages of having sidewalks in our neighborhoods far outweigh the potential costs.

I would admonish everybody to do their part to help bring sidewalks into your communities by letting your local authorities know of the need for sidewalks, and the potential benefits to the community. Write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. Share your views within your respective communities by addressing the city council or your local homeowners association. You can even write a letter to your congressman.

Growing up in a place where there were sidewalks lining every street, many memories of my youth begin with those first few steps down the sidewalk. The sidewalk was there as I lagged behind and tried to keep up with my older sisters on our way to school. The sidewalk was there as my father pushed me away as I gained my balance and my first taste of freedom as I learned to ride my bicycle. The sidewalk was there as I walked along and vented my frustrations to a friend. The sidewalk was there as I walked hand in hand with the girl who would become my wife. The sidewalk is more than just a continuous slab of concrete; it is an integral part of our American heritage.

Works Cited

Batiste, John R. ‘Washington State Patrol Media Release.’ Wsp.wa.gov. 29 Apr. 2010.

Web. 17 Jul. 2011.

“Fact Sheet: The Benefits of Sidewalks”. Health by Design, nd. Web. 15 Jul. 2011.

Yagelski, Robert P., and Robert K. Miller. The Informed Argument, Brief Sixth Edition.

Boston: Wadsworth, 2004. Print.

Mt. Hood Wedding Dance

2011-04-15T12:37:00.001-07:00

A view from near the stage where I played with Mister Miyagi last weekend at Mt. Hood. The wedding party loved us and we had a lot of fun. They decided to do something special for their first dance, and this is it below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK_cQkOy_AU&feature=related

Friday Morning

2011-01-07T09:46:00.000-08:00

I had band rehearsal with Mister Miyagi last night. We rehearsed for 2 hours, from 7-9, and then we had a "band meeting" for the last hour. Many things were discussed and there is a lot of craziness between band members right now. It seems like everybody wants something different out of the band and that is causing issues. Since I joined Idol Eyez, it has caused even more stress with trying to get shows, etc. Plus a lot of weird happenings went down with drama between the two bands, and I'm right in the thick of it since I play in both bands. I think now that the holiday parties are over and it's a new year, there won't be as much drama with the bookings, but maybe I'm just being optimistic. I've got a show up in Seattle tonight with Miyagi. It's a private party for some dude's 30th birthday. They rented the Crocodile Cafe out for the party. It should be a lot of fun, and hopefully get us over all this stuff that has happened and just get out and play some music and have a good time. Anyway, I got to bed around midnight, and at 5 a.m. Brandon started throwing a fit over his pajamas because even though they were soaked with urine, he wanted them back on and wouldn't shut up about it. So I didn't sleep at all from then on. I finally got up around 6:15 and got ready for my run with Juliet. We got our usual 6 miles in and had fun as always.

A New Year Again

2011-01-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

I have witnessed my 34th New Year (33 years old), and once again I am determined to make myself a better person. This year should be an awesome one as in a few weeks we will be moving into our new house. It looks like this year will also bring a change in my employment. My goal is to make sure it is a positive change and not a negative one. I'm a bright person with a lot of different skills, so I think I can adapt to whatever comes my way. I would also like to re-prioritize my running. I have been plodding along for a few years now. Last year I was only able to run a 5:03 in the mile, and this year I would like to see that time closer to 4:40 or so. But I also understand what that means as far as commitment and time spent running. It seems like it hasn't been worth working 3 times as hard just to take 30 seconds off of my mile. But I would at least like to take it a little more serious this year and maybe run some road races and stuff. I did the Hood to Coast last year and held my own, but I wasn't in the shape I should have been in. I would also like to better myself in other ways, such as spiritually, etc. Don't we all though? I like ringing in the New Year because it is really a great time to evaluate where you are and where you would like to be and try to connect the dots to try to get closer to that. Here's to a great 2011!!

Tam's Birthday Today

2010-12-09T14:05:00.001-08:00

Happy birthday to my big sister Tammy, who turns the big 4-0 today! She has always been somebody I could look up to and be in awe of as she has always been an amazing example of strength, faith, and love to me. She is one of my biggest heroes and I feel blessed and humbled to be able to be as close as I am to her. No matter how old I get, I will always look up to my big sister Tam! Happy birthday!!

Surprise! My Blog is ALIVE!!

2010-12-08T15:50:00.000-08:00

I joined a new band to accompany the band I'm already in. This band is Idol Eyez and we do more current stuff (and some older stuff too), but mostly Rock/Rap/R&B. This image was taken by somebody attending the wedding reception at the "Jolly Roger" club in SODO (South Seattle). I am not sure what I am singing, but it's a pretty funny picture.

Hood to Coast

2010-08-30T14:27:00.001-07:00

This whole adventure started with Juliet dropping me off at the Amtrak station in Tacoma. 4 hours and change later, I was in Salem being greeted by my family that had been visiting G&G Cooper for the previous week. After a good nights rest and the next day spent with Dallas sick and me reading a book and relaxing most the day, I was ready for the adventure. I drove the van with Derrinda, Debbie, and the boys up to Portland and met the members of our team that would be in van #2 together for the next 20 some hours. After chatting and getting to know everybody for about 1/2 hour, we all loaded into the van and got to our first exchange point. We dropped Jeriah off and we were under way. I did legs 11, 19, and 32. The first leg for me started at 12:23 a.m. It was a 4.39 mile distance through the outskirts of Portland and along a trail. It was pretty uneventful other than a group of punks walking along the sidewalk and one of them came at me and tried to hit me, but I jumped out of the way, hollered a colorful name back at them and continued on my way. I also got stopped twice and had to wait to cross the street. Since I am new to this event, I figured that was part of it, but I later found out that nobody else got stopped anywhere. I finished my leg in 26:33, and averaged 6:03 pace. I would have been under 6 minute pace were I not stopped. Oh well. I handed off the wrist band and crawled back in the van to await my next leg. We stopped at the next van exchange point and had about an hour to kill before I started the next leg for us. I tried to sleep and may have managed to sleep for a few minutes before I had to head to the exchange point. This next leg proved to be my most challenging; a 5.89 mile leg that turned out to be a serious climb, something I was definitely not prepared for. However, I took this leg out a little easier because on the first leg I went out a bit quick and had to struggle for a while towards the end. This time I was smarter, but also slower with this killer hill. I knew I would be running for about 40 minutes with the hill thrown in the mix, so I basically told myself it was a 40 minute run and that helped me to mentally get through it. I finished in 40:52 and was very happy to hand off the wrist band. I only managed a 6:56 pace for this portion. Oh well. Now I just needed to prepare for my last leg, which was to be a 7.28 mile section. My stomach had been giving me trouble the entire time, and apparently I wasn't the only one experiencing this. I thought I would puke a few times, but thankfully I never did. Trevor could see I was hurting and not feeling that well, so he decided to switch my leg out with another runner so I only had a 4.09 mile section. I was very thankful for this. I know I could have finished the longer leg, but it would not have been pretty. This meant I would be running again soon. I was just glad to be getting it out of the way so I could just relax and cheer the team to the finish after my last leg. I started my last leg at 11:46 a.m., so I had 6 1/2 hours of rest between my 2nd leg and this one. I started out and thought I was really hauling. I figured I was running somewhere near 5:40 pace, but also knew how fatigued I was and told myself I would probably be running 25-26 minutes for the leg. I passed a ton of runners during this leg. I think during all my legs combined I must have passed near 80 people or so. The good news is that I never got passed during the entire relay. Anyway, I finished my last leg in 26:07 and averaged 6:23 pace. I felt like I was running a lot faster than that, but at this point, I was going to be happy with it, get back in the van, drink some gatorade, and just relax and cheer on the team. Our team ended up finishing the event in 20 hours, 1 minute and 56 seconds. Less than 2 minutes shy of our goal of breaking 20 hours. Oh well. Everybody did their best and that is that. We still ended up being the 10th team overall, out of over 1,000 teams, and averaged 6:07 pace for the entire relay as a team. Not bad. I was happy it was over and we all crossed the finish line together on the beach, collected our medals, and posed for a photograph or two. I understand we are getting an additional medal for our finishing place, so that is cool. I met up with the family, and we stopped in for an elephant ear there in Seaside, then got the heck out of the crowded town and stopped at Cannon Beach for some play time. The cold water felt awesome on my sore and very fatigued legs as I frolicked in the waves with my sons. It is an experience I will not soon forget and I got to meet a bunch of great guys who enjoy running as much as I do.

Mister Miyagi in Issaquah

2010-07-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

My band Mister Miyagi played a show in Issaquah last night. It was a 90 minute set. It was lots of fun. There were TV cameras there and they recorded the show and said they would give us a copy of it once it is edited down. That will be fun to see!

Gigville

2010-07-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

By the end of this month (July) I will have played 8 shows in just 8 weeks with my band Mister Miyagi. I'm not very good at math, but I think that averages out to 1 show per week. Although some weeks we have no gigs and some weeks we have 3 in one week. Regardless, it has been a hectic summer for gigging. Add to this the all comers track meets I've been trying to stay in shape for by running twice a day, and also trying to keep up with maintaining BSS, it has been quite the last couple of months. Our last show was a wedding out on Whidbey island, so Saturday I drove up to Greg's house in West Seattle and we loaded up his car with our gear and were out of there by 10 a.m. Just to give you an idea of how long of a day it can be for only playing music for a couple of hours in the evening, I was up loading my stuff at 9 a.m. and didn't arrive home until after 1 a.m. But after we got set up, we found a little 9 hole par 3 golf course on the island and I played my very first round of real golf. It was tons of fun. I can see how people get stuck on that game. At first I was doing great, and even beat Greg, Jesse, and Brian on the 2nd hole. I parred it! But towards the end, I must have been doing something wrong with my swing because I fell apart and started hitting terrible. I still ended up beating Brian, but Greg and Jesse beat me by about 18 strokes over the course of only 9 holes! I still think I did pretty well for a first timer. Then we headed back to the wedding party and they fed us, we changed into our gig clothes and rocked the show for about 2 1/2 hours before loading up and making the 11:30 p.m. ferry back. It was a long day. But people are always asking me how the gigs went, so I thought I would share this from a guy who was there video recording some stuff for the wedding. He caught me after our set and said he had a little snippet of the last wedding we played at the Fairmont hotel on his website. So I searched for it and found it. It is mostly the wedding peeps, but there is a tiny snippet of us playing and of my candy striped guitar. But this will give everyone who wants to know what the weddings are like a little bit of an idea. Here is the link:

http://cabfareproductions.blogspot.com/

~ I just noticed he posted a new video on this site, it is "not just another montage" one. Currently 2nd video down.

Blog Update

2010-06-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

B.S.S. team dominating the 2 mile race. (L to R in yellow: Juliet Gerry, Michael Stone, Trevor Pettingill)

Since I started my running blog, I haven't paid much attention to this blog. But things are going good. Dallas and Cody just had their last day of school yesterday and we celebrated with the first all comers track meet of the summer! They all did great. Dallas got 2nd in the softball throw, 2nd in the long jump, and participated in the 100 meter dash and also the 400 meter run. Cody did awesome in the 50 meter dash and got 3rd. He also participated in the 100 meter dash, softball throw and standing long jump (I think, it gets hectic trying to get all the kids to their events and also do your own events). Elijah did great in the 50 meter dash, I think that was all he did. Juliet won the 2 mile, 400, 800, and mile. Trevor won the 2 mile, I got 2nd in the 2 mile, and I won the mile in 5:13. Mercedes won the shot put and got 2nd in the javelin and softball throw. Desi got 2nd in the shot. If my math is correct we should have somewhere around 118 pts. for the first meet. Not a bad start to the year. We will have to see where the flying dragons are when they announce the leaders next week!

Running Blog

2010-05-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

I started a running blog dedicated solely to my running/workouts/races, etc. If anyone is interested in following my workouts and what not, here is the link:

http://www.dailymile.com/people/mikestone

You should start one too Juliet!!

Willie

2010-05-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in the early evening we decided to take the dogs up to Bradley Lake with the kids and go for a nice walk. We did one lap around the lake and decided it was such a beautiful evening that we would take another lap. About three-quarters of the way through the second lap, Dallas said "what's on Willie?", after which I noticed a red spot near where his shoulder meets his neck (that's a tough call because they kind of run into each other, he has put on a few pounds now that he is getting into his senior years). We stopped and I looked at it closer and could not believe what I was looking at. Poor Willie had what appeared to be a big and deep cut. It looked like it was about an inch long and about as deep. Nobody knew how or when it happened. I took him to the vet first thing this morning. The vet looked at him and the expression on her face told me it was a pretty serious wound. She said she needed to keep him there and would get to it later in the morning. So I left Willie there and waited for a call. No call so I called over there around 2 and they said he was ready to pick up they were just getting him cleaned up. They put him under and cut the hair off in the area and stapled him up (9 staples). They also had to put a tube in behind the staples to catch the infected stuff to drain it out (it looks kind of like the one I had when I had my appendix out). Anyway, he is doing good but is rather lethargic and resting a lot right now. We have to take him back Friday morning to get the drain out and then again the next Friday after that to get the staples removed. Poor guy, who knows how long he had that before we noticed it. The vet said it was infected and had been there for at least a couple of days. He is a good dog.

Beautiful Sunny Day in May!

2010-05-15T12:00:00.001-07:00

I started off the day by taking off from BSS and running almost to the bridge before getting into Orting and back. I think it was somewhere between 10 and 11 miles. I felt pretty good at first but by the end my resources were gone. I really should have had some Gatorade and a banana before going, I would have had much more energy towards the end of the run, but oh well. It looks like it will be another gorgeous spring day here in the Northwest. I am working the desk at BSS right now. I showed a couple of units this morning and when Derrinda gets back from taking the deposit I am going to fertilize all the lawns with Scotts plus 2. That is some good stuff man. It will be a good opportunity to utilize some little helpers too. I will have them hold a stick at each end of the lawn so I know where I have fertilized. It's not really necessary, but it gives them something to do and gives them a sense of accomplishment. We had a good time celebrating Dad's 64th birthday last night. It's always nice to get together as family and spend time together. Juliet and Tam worked hard making soap yesterday getting ready for the farmers market here in Puyallup this summer (they are selling soap there). The soap looks very professional and I hope they have a successful business venture!

Trail Run

2010-05-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

Starting Anew

2010-05-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

I've still got a hacking cough that gets quite annoying and I still have a weird pain in my lower abdomen near where my appendix used to be. I'm still trying to run through it even though my mileage has suffered. I was up to around 50-60 miles per week and now am closer to 30-40 for the last couple of weeks. I was able to get an 8 miler in yesterday on pitbull trail. Well, I ran from BSS to the trail head and then up to Military road and back. I ran at right around 7 flat pace. I ran 6.5 today and pushed the pace a bit to try and force myself out of my comfort zone which seems to be around 7-8 minutes per mile. I ran 6.5 in 40:24 which is right around 6:15 per mile. I felt o.k. as far as my legs go but I was coughing so much that I kept getting short of breath. I still feel good about the run. I need to remember when I go out on training runs that I'm trying to improve and get out of my comfort zone rut. That means "push the pace pansy!". I recall being in High School and taking off from the duplex and starting the run no slower than 6:00 and after warming up hitting miles between 5:20-6:00. Granted I was only running 4-5 miles per run at the time, but I'm not convinced that I'm too old to run faster times than I did in High School just yet. I remember I used to look forward to my workouts with a fervor and I had goals for each run, etc. I remember one speed workout in particular where I went to the Smith field house to run 4x800's and the entire morning all I could think about was how I was going to attain my goal of averaging 2:15 per repeat. I know that having goals works because I ran my first in 2:17, the next 2 in 2:15 exactly and then I said to myself "well, to get my goal I now need to finish with a 2:13." And that's exactly what I did. That was one of my finest workouts, but it goes to show that desire and hard work will produce results. I just wish that I could find the zeal that I once had for working hard during my runs instead of just coasting along. Motivation has been a real factor (lack of motivation) for me the past several years of running. After that trail race Saturday, I thought about how back when I was running like I did during those workouts like I mentioned above, there was no way I would have just coasted along in the race and not cared about my finish place or time. Oh well. Anybody have any suggestions on how to get re-motivated? After all, I am still only 33 years old and should be running as fast as I ever could.

Austin City Limits

2010-05-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

I have been sicker than a dog all day today. It didn't stop me from playing tennis this morning and putting in a shift at BSS (rented a 5x5). It did however stop me from getting a run in. I started coughing a couple of days ago and last night it felt like my throat was going to close. Today I have been running a mild fever and don't really know what's going on. I can say I am glad that Willie Nelson came into this world. I am enjoying Willie playing his guitar and singing on Austin City Limits right now. His guitar style and playing is really something to behold. If I have to be sick and on the couch, watching Willie is a darn good way to spend it if you ask me.

Ripped off in the record books!

2010-04-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

I was just browsing the internet and came across an article about the 1994 Mountain View Boys Cross Country team's finish at the Foot Locker Western Regional. I'm not surprised because as everyone knows, the "Coach" (and I use that term very loosely here) hated my guts because I didn't suck up to him like the rest of the leeches on the team. Anyway here is a link to the article:

http://ut.milesplit.us/pages/All-timexcteams . Scroll down and read the bit about Mountain View and Bingham: the Greatest. It says how the 1994 Mountain View's boys team performance at the 1994 Foot Locker Western Regional Cross Country Championships is one of the best of all time. That is fine. But here is my gripe: It says Dula led the team in 15:12, Zak in 15:14, then Wade Allen in 16:09, Ryan Andrus in 16:10, and it has the 5th scoring runner on the team listed as Andy Farrer in 16:16. The problem is that I ran 16:11, thus I was the 5th and final scoring runner on the team. Only by 5 seconds, but still, I should have my name on that list of one of the best teams of all time, not Andy Farrer. I know it is probably because Houle the fool didn't claim me as a member of the team. Another interesting tidbit about this race is that I, along with Dula and Zak, were the only 3 runners from Mt. View in the Seeded boys race. The others were in Senior and Junior unseeded races. It makes a big difference. It ticks me off, but I'm not surprised. That guy screwed me out of a lot during my High School running career.

In better news, I ran a 5:30 mile last night and almost killed over running 7 miles with Trevor this morning. The mile time is slow, but it is encouraging because I am starting to get more fit.

Slippery Tennis Court

2010-04-17T10:59:00.001-07:00

I drove up to Bellevue to play tennis with Greg this morning. The weather was overcast, but very little rain. After our warm up, we started the first set. Greg jumped out to a 2-0 lead on me after breaking my serve in the first game. On my side of the court there was a wet spot in the back of the court. I ended up back there somehow during a rally and ate it when my feet went out from under me. Thankfully the only injury I got was a skinned knuckle. I ended up losing the first set 4-6. It had started raining very lightly during the last couple of games of the first set. I served first to start the 2nd set and my serve was working pretty good (I always seem to serve better in the 2nd set) so I held serve easily to go up 1-0. Greg also had his serve working pretty good and tied it up 1-1. After he won the game I called the score 1-1, and he said no it's 0-2. So I corrected him and then won my service game to go up 2-1. It was starting to get pretty slippery at this point and I broke his serve to go up 3-1. During the 5th game of the set I was serving again and doing well. Greg ended up slipping and going down during one of the rallies. I won the game and was up 4-1 and we both decided it best to call it quits because the court was becoming quite treacherous, which was strange because I have played many times in the rain and never had issues with slipping, but I've always played in running shoes before and I think they have superior grip to my tennis shoes. Greg's knee was actually pretty busted up from his fall too. It was a bit frustrating to quit the match when I was starting to do so well, but that's how it goes sometimes. I guess I can look at it as total games won 8-7 in my favor. It's fun playing with Greg because we are both closely matched as far as our tennis game goes.

Running is coming along good. I'm going to go on a 10 mile run later this afternoon. I got in 11 miles yesterday and on my afternoon 6 mile run I took the whole crew. I pushed Elijah and Brandon in the stroller while Dallas and Cody rode their bikes behind me. It was a beautiful day for a run and I covered the 6 miles in 44:00. 7:20 pace while pushing a stroller is pretty good. I ran the last mile in 6:44. Dallas and Cody did great and never complained the entire time. I had to stop several times to help get little black bugs off Elijah. He did NOT like bugs on him and he let me and all the other trail goers know. That kid can wail. He might have a future as a sanger.

The picture is just for fun.

Ensign

2010-03-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

There are some pretty good articles in the Ensign this month.

Current Fitness Level

2010-03-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

My fitness level seems to be coming along good at this point. I've been running twice a day for the last several weeks and am starting to see some results. I had to go on my afternoon run early today because Derrinda had to go do some serious canning. Dry canning at that. So I ran at about 2:30 this afternoon. I decided to run the 4 miles at a brisk pace, and my goal for the run was to average 6:30 per mile. The weather was beautiful and I started out at a decent clip. I hit the first mile in 6:20 and was surprised how easy it felt, so I decided to take it up a notch to the turnaround. My breathing felt relaxed despite the quicker pace and I hit the turnaround at 12:21. A 6:01 second mile. I was happy with that. On the way back I noticed that just like yesterday, there was a pretty stiff headwind going back. I figured the wind was slowing me down, so I just tried to relax and maintain my pace. 18:26 at 3 miles; this was even more encouraging to me hitting a 6:05 into the wind. I was however beginning to feel a bit tired, so I just tried to maintain that pace. I picked it up a little over the last 3/4 mile and finished in 24:19. A 5:53 last mile! I am very happy with this run because I am just under 180 lbs., and have another 10-15 lbs. to lose. Very encouraging.

Columbia Tower

2010-03-13T09:02:00.000-08:00

I had a gig last night in downtown Seattle at the top level of the Columbia Tower, which was the tallest building West of the Mississippi River when it was built. There have since been taller buildings built, but it is still 4th tallest west of the Mississippi. It was a launch party for Microsoft and we put on a good show and everybody there seemed to have a good time. The view was pretty cool, but being from Utah and being used to going up into the mountains and the view from that perspective, it wasn't as cool as that. The coolest thing about being up there was watching the big planes fly into SeaTac and being below you. I am pretty tired now though because I was up at 6:30 Friday morning and ran 9 miles in a downpour, and didn't get back from the gig until about 2 a.m. And we all know how sleeping in in the mornings goes with 4 little boys...not too good Al.

Chilly Afternoon Run

2010-03-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

It was pretty cold today. I wore my sweatshirt pretty much all day. We got a lot accomplished at BSS today. I busted up an entertainment center that someone left in their unit when they moved out, and I also took the rug that sits in the office by the couches out and shampooed it, scrubbed it with a brush, and then pressure washed it. It's still hanging on the fence drying.

I ran 6 miles with Juliet this morning. It's always fun running with her. I ran again by myself this afternoon. I ran another 6 miles and pushed it a little bit, but not too much because I usually only go 4 in the afternoons. I was 20:27 at the turn and finished the 6 miles in 39:40. It works out to be an average of about 6:37 per mile. Pretty good run, I felt good the whole way. It was quite cold and I was wishing I had remembered my gloves, and it started raining lightly just as I was finishing, but it was a really good run. My fitness is coming along as I continue with my base mileage and I am looking forward to starting track workouts in another month or two so that I can be somewhat prepared for the track meets. I just hope that I can stay healthy.

Allergies

2010-02-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

My allergies have been terrible the last few days. Everyone else in my family seems to be sick with a cold at the same time. It hasn't kept me from running though. I had a good run last night. I ran 4 miles in 26:07. I knew I was pushing it a bit, but once I saw my first mile was 6:48, I thought to myself that it must be a day for pushing it, so I upped the effort a bit and ran 6:43 for my next mile (into a stiff headwind). So 13:31 at the turn and I knew it would be easier running back with the wind at my back so I just got going a good pace and kind of coasted. My next mile was around 6:30 and I finished in about 6:06 for my last mile. I felt pretty good about that because I'm still not in very good shape, but getting closer everyday now.

I ran 6 miles with Juliet this morning and was pretty beat from last nights run, but we made it through like always and felt good afterwards like always. Now I've been sneezing my head off all morning. I took some Benadryl allergy medicine, but I have yet to find any medicine that gets rid of the sneezing, stuffy nose, nose running, etc. Oh well, I guess it just helps me to appreciate my health when I've got it. Later yo.

Sunny Winter Day...

2010-02-22T09:24:00.000-08:00

I think the toe issue is pretty much gone now. I ran 6 miles this morning with Juliet from Mama Stortini's up the trail to Fred Meyer and back and it felt fine. There is still a little bit of pain if I push on it, but it doesn't seem to affect my running anymore so that is good. Now I'm just sitting here at BSS waiting for the throngs of people to show up and rent storage units. Business has actually been very good this year compared to the last couple of years; hopefully that is a good sign that the economy is bouncing back. With the weather having been so nice the last week, I have been getting spring fever and wanting to get outside and do things. It has also brought allergy season quite early and I've been going through tissues like they're going out of style. I'm thinking about getting my tennis racquet restrung sometime soon. I've had those strings on there I think since about 2001 or 2002. I'm thinking about trying a rough textured string to see if I can generate a little more spin, but I don't really know how well those work. I guess we'll see...

Schooled.

2010-02-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

I got SCHOOLED by Greg this morning. I was up 2-0 on him to start, but ended up losing 6-3, 6-2. My serve was sucking, and I couldn't get into a rhythm with my ground strokes. Anybody know where I can get a good deal on a ball machine? I need to learn how to hit the ball better.

EHL Trouble

2010-02-18T09:12:00.000-08:00

I've been battling Extensor tendonitis (top of big toe) the last couple of days. I just bought some new running shoes. I scored a great deal on some Nike Air Pegasus. I paid about $40 for them. Well, I blame them for this toe issue, because I refuse to believe it's a coincidence that as soon as I switch shoes that's when I get hurt. So far I've been able to run through it and haven't missed as much as a mile, but it's been crazy. Juliet laughs at me because I go out of my way to run on gravel, dirt or grass, oftentimes zig-zagging all over the place to find the soft stuff. The softer terrain really helps alleviate the pain. If I had to run on pavement, I don't think I could handle it. Well, I've been popping ibuprofen and icing it like crazy, which also has been helping. I have another 4 miles to do tonight, then I am hoping on going on a longer run tomorrow (8-10 miles) morning because I have a tennis match lined up for Saturday morning with Greg again. I beat him 6-2 last time. Maybe we will have enough time to play 2 sets this week. Then hopefully my toe will be all healed up for next Monday in time to start running again.

One to the two to the two to the three...

2010-02-09T15:02:00.000-08:00

Ran 5 miles this morning from BSS up to Woodland Cemetery and back. I felt pretty sluggish this morning. Dallas had his testing today to see about going into a special program for advanced learners. I'm not sure exactly what it consisted of, but Dallas didn't seem to like it too much. Having two kids go to two different schools sucked too. I don't think we would enjoy that too much. I've got two tennis matches lined up for this weekend. Both are on Saturday. I am playing with Greg at Sprinker in Spanaway from 7:30 to 9:00 and then I've got my first match with the South Sound Tennis Tour at 2 p.m. It should be fun, but I'm a little nervous because I have never played competitively with anybody besides friends and family before. I'm looking forward to it. You never know what to expect when you play someone new. Anyway, that's the latest update with me. Laters.

My Morning So Far...

2010-02-08T09:31:00.001-08:00

Had a crazy start to my morning today. The plan was to meet Juliet at Mama Stortini's restaurant at 7 a.m. for our usual 6 mile morning run. Well, my alarm went off at 6:15, which was earlier than I wanted to rise. It is normally set at 6:30, but Derrinda had a meeting early yesterday morning so I changed it to 6:15 and forgot to set it back. Well, I hit snooze (I thought, the Power button is right behind the snooze) and went back to sleep. Next thing I know I open my eyes and glance at the clock-- 7:02. Crap! Juliet's been waiting for me at Storts. I threw on my warm up pants grabbed socks and shoes and ran down to speed the 2 miles over to where she was waiting. The only problem was I didn't have a shirt on, oh well, no time to get a shirt, so I threw on a zip up sweatshirt that I saw laying there on the floor and threw my socks and shoes in the van and drove off. The clock in the van said 7:07 when I got there. Juliet was not there. I thought maybe she was walking back to her apartment (my mind wasn't working good just yet), so I drove past her apartment and then realized she was probably on the trail getting her run in without my delinquent butt. I came up with plan B which was to drive to the Safeway and hopefully she would be getting there at about the same time as me and I could start from there. I hurried and put my socks and shoes on and went out to the trail. Thankfully I saw her about 200 yards down the trail heading towards me. At this time I realized I hadn't taken the time to pee yet, so I took this opportunity and visited the bushes (George W. and Laura were not there however). Juliet told me she saw someone go into the bushes and was scared they were going to kill her. She was ticked when she realized it was me. She was going a good pace and it seemed particularly quick to me since I wasn't warmed up yet, but I finished the run with her and then ran back up to the van so I still got the 6 miles in. I told her I didn't have time to put a shirt on and made a joke of it by zipping my sweatshirt down half way and revealing my "Jonathan" chest (Michael Landon in Highway to Heaven). It was funny.

Tennis Time!

2010-01-23T10:59:00.001-08:00

I had a great night last night. I drove up to Bellevue to play tennis with my buddy Greg. He plays guitar in my 80's band. It sounds like he was a standout player in High School back in SoCal, but, like me, he doesn't get out to play near enough these days. He is turning 50 next weekend, so I do have an age advantage, but we are pretty evenly matched because he has a great swing and great technique. He has a lot of variety to his shots, such as a powerful forehand, powerful backhand, but also a lot of great slices and touch shots. It is fun playing with someone who challenges you but is still near your level of play. I scored a sweet deal on a new tennisracquet this week. It had an MSRP of $249.99, but I got it for $60. I was very excited to try it out. The last racquet I bought was "the aggressor" and it served me well for many years. I bought it in 1995 at a Rite Aid in Coos Bay, Oregon. This new racquet will take some getting used to though. For one, it is super light compared to what I'm used to; secondly, it is a head heavy stiff frame with the strings strung very tightly. What this does is create LOADS of power. So much power that it can be uncontrollable if you don't hit the ball PERFECTLY every time.

So this is how it went down last night: We hit the ball around for about 45 minutes of our alotted 75 minute court reservation. I was really loving the new arm cannon. I would just swing lightly at the ball and generate the same ball speed I used to have to really put a lot of muscle into to get. So I was liking it. Then I tried some serves. I had a really hard time controlling the serve, but when I did hit it right, it was unbelievable. The speed was wicked. But the control just wasn't cutting it. My second serve (slower and more accurate usually), kept going long or wide. We decided we better play a set before our time ran out, so I let Greg serve first and he won the game. I was finding it hard to find confidence with my new racquet so I was a bit gun shy on my ground strokes causing a lot of errors. This trend continued until I found myself down 4-1. At this point I decided to throw the racquet in the river (not really) and grabbed my old Fox racquet that is a weaker racquet but a lot more controllable. The tide started to turn and eventually I evened things up at 5-5. He won the next game and then I evened it up again at 6 games a piece. We decided to play a tie breaker because time was running down. First one to 7 points wins, have to win by 2. I got down early again, this time finding myself down 4-1. I rallied back and won 7-5. I even scored about 1/2 dozen aces throughout the match. It was a lot of fun. It felt great to play again. Tennis is so much more than a physical game. A lot of it is mental and staying focused under pressure. I love it. I can't wait to play again. I just need to spend a little time with the new racquet and I'm sure I will really love it. It is just so much different than what I'm used to.

I also had a blast on the drive up and back as I put my racquets and gear in a big duffel bag and strapped them to the back seat of my Honda CBR and drove that up to Bellevue and back. It was fun to ride again. I hadn't been on a long ride like that in a while. That bike is a blast to ride. I still need to get the front brake issue fixed though. It pulsates pretty bad under hard braking.

Proof of the Deal of a Lifetime...

2010-01-06T10:21:00.001-08:00

O.K., so this morning I went to the licensing agency to transfer the title to my name and pay the ridiculous amount of sales tax on the truck. I was ready to fork over about $350 for the tax. Well, the lady at the window wants to know why the truck was so cheap. She is obviously thinking I am lying about the price I paid for the truck. She then informs me that I will have to pay the tax on the minimum the truck is worth. I ask her how much the truck is worth. She tells me $8500. So they want me to pay $850 sales tax when I really paid $3500 for the truck. So now I have to try to get a hold of Randy again and see if he will fill out a "Declaration of Buyer and Seller" form and say why he sold the truck for so cheap. So obviously the truck was a killer deal because the state thinks I'm lying about it. I guess I should have told her the transmission was out or something, I don't know.

The Deal of a Lifetime...

2010-01-04T16:24:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I bought an old Ford F250 pickup truck. I paid $2300 for it if my memory serves me. It was a piece of junk. I sold it and bought a new truck. I paid $3500 for this one. It has a lot of miles on it, but is in almost perfect condition inside and out. The truck is listed on Kelley Blue Book for $8500. I have no idea why this gentleman sold me the truck for 40% of the estimated value. I changed the oil in it, and just today I changed the transmission filter and fluid. It is running really good. It goes down in the history of my life as the most amazing buy of all time! It is a 2000 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4x4 Extended Cab with 3rd door.

Contest

2009-12-21T11:55:00.001-08:00

My friend Peter (drummer for Mister Miyagi) suggested that I enter this contest from Electro Voice to video tape yourself recording a riff. The winner will win a brand new amplifier cabinet from EV. I decided why not? It don't cost nothin'...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6akDfVvUOw

One of my favorite SCREAMING fans!!

2009-12-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD2JFsHs2iQ

Quick run tonight

2009-12-15T21:59:00.000-08:00

I had two people come and look at my truck today but neither one seemed particularly interested in it. I've dropped the price to $1300 and still no takers. I don't think it's even worth selling for that price. I might as well take it to a demolition derby and try to win some money next summer. Do something fun with it anyway. 2 posts in one day is just too crazy man. Derrinda and Dallas went to the church tonight for scouts/Relief Society presidency meeting. When they got back I decided to go for a run around Bldg. C. I felt really good tonight and ran 3 miles in about 19:30 (6:30 pace). It's funny because I wasn't really breathing hard, but I'm still a bit on the chunky side so that was all that was slowing me down. It feels good to get out and run harder once in a while. I need to start watching my diet again so that I can get down to race weight (165 for me, right now I'm about 180). I still seem to struggle with motivation. I feel like Gaston in Beauty and the Beast when he says "what for, nothing helps..." Me and Jason used to use that line when one of us was down in the dumps and get the other one laughing. Good times. I miss old Covington.

Water Coloring Mary Decker

2009-12-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

Had a good run with Juliet this morning. We went the usual 6 miles on the river trail. She was sporting not one, but two winter hats this morning. Needless to say, halfway through the run, she had taken both of them off. It was over 40 degrees. It was funny. Then she showed me her new hair cut that she was sporting. I told her she looked like Mary Decker when she was running. Her hair was bouncing like Decker's when she runs. It must be the layers. Jumped in the Speed3 and drove home. Derrinda is still feeling pretty sick, so I took the boys to school, then I came back, ate some oatmeal, a banana, and some hot cocoa, then came down and opened up shop. Right now it's just me and Elijah partying down in the office. He is doing some sweet looking water coloring. Derrinda had to go write up a food order for a family in the ward, so she is gone right now. It looks like we are back to the usual winter weather in Seattle, i.e. rain and grey skies. Christmas in the Northwest.

Vanilla Ice Ice Baby...

2009-12-14T09:24:00.001-08:00

Crazy ice trail prevented Juliet and I from getting our run in this morning. I met her at Stortini's at 7. The parking lot was so iced over that we had to skate down to the trail to see if it was icy too; Indeed it was so we decided it best to scrap the run. The Mazda did quite well on the ice. It is only front wheel drive, but I never even noticed that the roads were slick. The Nova (rear wheel drive) would have been a different story. I once got the Nova stuck at the end of the driveway at 192 in Orem and couldn't move it so had to have help pushing it back into the driveway and figuring another way to travel. At least the weather has warmed up considerably since last week. It was 36 degrees this morning, so I was surprised there was icy road conditions since it was 4 degrees above freezing. Oh well, go figure. It appears to be melting in the parking lot here at BSS now as I look out the window.

Since Derrinda has been called to be the Relief Society President, I now teach my CTR 8 class alone. We also just had a new Primary presidency called, and one of the counselors came and talked to me during sharing time and said I needed to have another adult male in my class, so they got a guy who just got back from his mission to sit in class while I taught. Kind of lame, but I understand why they have to do that I guess. Anyway, I've only got my class for 2 more weeks, and then I have a sneaking hunch that they will put me in as the Valiant 11 boys teacher. I think I'm the only male in Primary.

The gig went good Saturday. We performed well anyway, the audience left a lot to be desired. Nobody was really dancing. I don't think there were ever more than 10 people on the dance floor the entire evening. Microsoft geeks. They hire us and pay us $5000 to play to an empty room. I guess when you've got money to burn, it doesn't matter too much. The highlight of the evening for me was when we had only time for one song and somebody yelled out "R.E.M.!", so we busted into "It's the end of the world as we know it", and we haven't performed that song in probably over a year. Thankfully I didn't have a problem with the words (there are a LOT of them), because Cov-Cov and I have been performing that song forever.

Back to the grind here at BSS now. Thankfully I think we have all our Christmas shopping done. I have a couple of things I still want to pick up, but the majority of it is done. I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

Ran a chilly 8 miles with Juliet this morning. It was fun. I love being able to run. I have learned from others that running will not last forever, so I am thankful to be able to do it while I can. The main problem I have is that I also love to eat. So even though I haven't been gaining weight, I also haven't been able to get down to where I like myself to be because I ruin all my running by scarfing down too much food. The holiday season makes it hard also because part of the fun of the holidays for me is drinking hot cocoa and eating cookies and other goodies. But anyway, Juliet and I have been very consistent since August, so we are doing really good with that. But until I decide to get serious and take it to the competitive level, I don't think I will improve much. Winter running is all about keeping the base mileage up though, so that come early spring you can hit the track and start getting the lungs and legs ready to push it.

I'm already missing college football games. I'm so used to the Thursday night game on ESPN and then spending most the day Saturday watching games. Oh well, I guess I need to get out and do other things besides watch college football anyways.

Derrinda opened up the office this morning, even though she is feeling a bit under the weather, and she rented a unit so that is good. Now I'm down here and it's kind of dead, but I've had some calls and a couple of payments already.

I've got another gig tonight for yet another Microsoft holiday party...those Microsoft geeks just can't get enough of us for some weird unknown reason. This will be the 3rd straight year that we've played this divisions holiday party at the Museum of Flight; it's always a fun show because I am staring straight at an SR-71 Blackbird the whole time (my favorite aircraft ever).

So I've been staying busy, which is good because I think if I wasn't busy I would go mentally insane.

Happy Birthday Tam!

2009-12-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my beautiful sister Tammy! Tammy has always been a great example to me. As her younger brother, I have always looked up to her, and I continue to look to her for her great personal and spiritual strength. She always makes me feel better about myself and encourages me through my trials. She is an inspiration to me! I love you Tam! Happy Birthday!

Viktor Frankl

2009-12-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

"A human being is not one thing among others; things determine each other, but man is ultimately self determining. What he becomes-within the limits of endowment and environment-he has made out of himself. In the concentration camps, for example, in this living laboratory and on this testing ground, we watched and witnessed some of our comrades behave like swine while others behaved like saints. Man has both potentialities within himself; which one is actualized depends on decisions, but not on conditions." -- Viktor Frankl

I have been reading "Man's Search For Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. It has been a fascinating read. Dr. Frankl spent almost 3 years in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. He lost his father, mother, brother, and wife to the horrifying death camps (gas chambers). He tells his story with the intention of showing that even when a man (or woman) has literally everything taken from them, they can still find meaning, even in suffering. It is their choice. He survived the camps and went on to have great success in his life, living to the age of 92. It is quite the story.

Even Alligators Cry!

2009-12-07T10:29:00.000-08:00

I've been waiting all year for this ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfBH8e4FE-g

An Inspiring Story

2009-11-23T14:07:00.001-08:00

I read this article on MSNBC today. Simply amazing. This man has been blessed with a wonderful family who were unwilling to give up hope. I can't even begin to imagine the pain and difficulties this man went through during all this. Well, just read it:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34109227/ns/health-more_health_news/?GT1=43001

Stone Family Update

2009-11-19T08:51:00.000-08:00

I left a little early to meet up with Juliet this morning. It was rainy, but pretty mild, so it wasn't bad. I ran from here and on the trail up to Mama Stortini's parking lot where I always meet Juliet in the mornings. We had a good 6 mile run and then I ran back home, so I got close to 10 miles in this morning. I felt pretty good. I'm glad Juliet runs with me because it makes the miles go by a lot faster than running by myself.

We had parent teacher conferences last night and they went good. We found out a couple of interesting things. Cody is VERY shy. He was hiding behind us while we talked to his teachers (he has one teacher who he goes to for extra help), and they said that is how he is in class every day. He must get that from his daddy, I was also extremely shy in early grade school. But he is doing well with his numbers and letters, he just needs to come out of his shell a bit. Dallas is doing extraordinary in school. His teacher was beaming talking about how wonderful it is to have him in class and how she is privileged to be his teacher. She says he cracks jokes at appropriate times, and that he understands sarcasm already unlike most kids his age I guess. She said he is a natural leader and has lots of friends and that people are drawn to him. She also recommended us having him tested to enter a school program for "highly capable learners". She also said it is totally up to us if we want to keep him in his regular school classes, but she did leave us a pamphlet. We are thinking we will let him take the test to see if he even qualifies or not, and then make our decision from there as a family. I would like to see him excel in school, but at the same time I would like him to feel like a normal kid with normal friends.

Things have been going good for us and we are looking forward to spending time with family at the holidays. Also a great time to dust off some good Christmas songs.

Veteran's Day at Point Defiance Zoo

2009-11-11T17:08:00.001-08:00

First off happy Veterans Day to all those who have served our country. I am thankful for those who have risked their lives and to those who paid the ultimate price to secure our freedom. Like the old saying says, "Freedom ain't free." Although our country seems to be headed down hill quickly, this is still sacred ground we all walk upon, truly the promised land.

We had a fun day today. We took the kids to Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma and had a fun time looking at the marine life and all the other animals. My favorite was the tiger. They are such amazing creatures. So be

autiful to look at. The tiger was pacing back and forth in front of the door to his cage. He must have been waiting for someone to come and feed him. He looked like he was ready to tear apart any member of his audience for a meal. I will post some pictures. It was a perfect day to go to the zoo. Nice and sunny and perfect temperature.

We took the boys to McDonalds afterwards. They had fun at the play land and Dallas was something to behold. He ate a double cheesburger, an additional cheeseburger, fries, finished off Brandon's burger, and topped it off with an apple pie. Oh, and washed it all down with 2 small sprites. That boy must be growing like crazy! Heck, I don't think I ate that much as a teenager.

I ran 6 miles with Juliet this morning. She hasn't been feeling well lately, but we got it in nonetheless.

Dr. Pepper Commercials

2009-10-31T11:31:00.001-07:00

I hate those Dr. Pepper commercials. For example the Dr. Dre and Gene Simmons commercials. They say at the end "Trust me, I'm a doctor." It is a slap in the face to those real doctors who spend years and thousands of dollars getting the education and experience to become doctors.

40 Amazing Years

2009-10-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

40 years together...pretty amazing. I know how thankful I am to have 2 wonderful parents who love each other so much and have shown the world that no matter what they are put through, their love is strong enough to last forever!! I love you Mom and Dad. Happy 40th Anniversary!

Hoaxville

2009-10-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I was totally enthralled with that UFO looking balloon footage yesterday when it was just a big hoax by the parents. On Larry King last night they asked the kid, Falcon, if he heard his parents calling for him in the house, and he said "yes". When they asked him why he didn't answer them he said "because you said...because of the show..." . Awful fishy. And now there is video footage of the balloon getting launched by the kid's Dad and his wife. I wonder how long they will continue to deny it? They should be responsible for the costs involved in the rescue efforts of trying to rescue the kid from their balloon when they knew dang well he wasn't in there. People are crazy.
In other news, I am finally starting to notice a difference with my running. It is getting easier every day and my clothes are starting to fit good again. I am not even tempted to eat junk any more. It just looks gross to me now, and when I do eat something unhealthy it makes me sick to my stomach. It's funny how that happens as your body transforms and you start to get tough. If only a runner could stay healthy forever and not have to go through the stages every runner goes through of getting super fit, getting injured, losing muscle mass and cardiovascular fitness, gaining weight, and then starting over again.
We had band practice last night. It was only Me, Greg(rhythm gtr.), Jesse(keys), and Peter(drums). It was good though, we ran through the 2 new songs--"Photograph" by Def Leppard, and "Here I go Again" by Whitesnake. They went good. We also ran through "Jump" by Van Halen and by golly I think Peter finally has it down. We went through it successfully about a dozen times (just the solo part, not the entire song). We worked on the beginning of "Walk this Way" by Run D.M.C. and Aerosmith and it will be a fun one when we get the vocals worked out.
I haven't been blogging much lately, I've been getting kind of bored with it. I guess that's why I have never been very good at keeping a journal either. Later.

New Songs for Miyagi

2009-10-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

We have been taking a breather here with a long break between gigs, but we have added some new songs to our setlist. Here is one we are doing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ5bS3_BCDs

Ken Griffey Jr.

2009-10-05T11:39:00.001-07:00

I'm not from Seattle, but I did know of Ken Griffey Jr. back when he was in his prime. I was never the biggest baseball fan in the world either, but after going to some Mariners games up here, I have gained respect for those players who excel above the rest. Griffey is definitely one of these players. I was fortunate enough to see him at Safeco hit possibly the last home run of his career. I was there with my wife and sons and saw him swing effortlessly at the ball and watched it sail over the wall in center field. Here is a good article on him if anyone is interested:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/242524-coming-to-grips-with-griffeys-impending-retirement

This week in current events

2009-09-18T15:27:00.001-07:00

This made me laugh for some reason. It's a good way to summarize this weeks top stories.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-xLtTYoPfw&feature=popular

I like to eat.

2009-09-18T10:57:00.001-07:00

Ran 6 miles with Juliet this morning. I feel like running is getting easier, but I'm still overweight because I like to eat too much. If I could just be more careful about what I eat, I could be down to race weight within a couple of months, but I suffer from lack of motivation lately. I still enjoy running. I've been running in the evening with Derrinda for a couple of miles also. Dallas had a cool 8th birthday party the other day and is looking forward to being baptized next month. He is a good boy. He has been enjoying all the great presents he got from everybody.

Puffing old goats

2009-09-16T10:49:00.001-07:00

Cigarette smokers are selfish and I hate them.

Roger Federer's amazing shot!

2009-09-14T10:40:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37qyvTRVus8

Show off...

Dog Years

2009-09-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

I don't know if anybody else saw this, but it's cool to figure out how old your dog is. Apparently a dog ages 15 human years the first year, 9 the second, and then 5 each year thereafter. Dakota is 56 human years, and Willie is 51. Pretty cool.

http://www.npwm.com/mc_pet_age_calculator.asp?menu_id=405&menu_item_id=1

August 29th

2009-08-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

Juliet and I had a good run this morning. We went 8 miles in 1:03. It was rainy and crappy weather, but we made the best of it. We are getting in better shape every day. It's really cool having Juliet live so close by.

Yesterday I spent most the day out at Mom and Dad's. Dad helped me weld in my new dash on the Nova to replace the old rusted out crap one. It looks awesome. We also dropped the drive line. I'll probably drop the transmission too just to check it out. If I get a super powerful engine, I may need to add a beefier transmission anyway, we'll see.

After that I fixed a couple of leaks for Dad. They had a leaky gutter on the pool house and a really bad leak around the chimney for Tam's fireplace. Hopefully I repaired them so they won't leak anymore. Time will tell.

We're heading out to Graham again tonight for Mercedes 12th birthday party. Happy Birthday Cedes!!

Nova Restoration

2009-08-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

Ran 5 miles with Juliet this morning. We are getting in better shape every day. Every morning the run is getting easier and easier. We always have fun too. The Nova is coming along pretty good. Getting close to being prepped for paint; the fenders, trunk lid and hood are pretty much all that are left. Thanks to Aaron and Dad for their help.

Endurance and Victory

2009-08-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

The one thing I love about music more than anything is the messages that you can get from really well written songs where the lyrics make you work a bit, think about what they really mean. And a really well written song can mean a lot of different things to different people. I remember being taught to "endure to the end", and when I was young, it seemed such a simple thing, because as a youngster you have no concept of time. There is a song by the Killers that always gives me hope that I can endure and gain ultimate victory. The video is pretty hard to figure out too.

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

Shadowplay

2009-08-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

Had a good run with Juliet this morning. We ran 6 miles. We were talking and laughing the whole way. It was lots of fun. It's nice having family so close. The nova is coming along great so far. The body is almost ready to prime, the doors are close too, the fenders, hood and trunk lid are next. Hopefully next week sometime the entire car will be covered in beautiful grey primer. I've got a gig tonight at the Shark in Kirkland. I think it will be a good crowd and a fun show. Same old same old. Here is the link to the Killers version of "Shadowplay" I was telling you about Juliet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIe3IgmdSlI

The widdard singer dude in the video is supposed to be Ian Curtis, the late singer of Joy Division. Here is their original performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzTw4PYfROU

1969 Chevy Nova Restoration

2009-08-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of the beginning of the restoration of my Nova. I bought this car in 1993 before I even got my license. It served me well in my youth, but it is in need of some freshening up. The plan for now is to get a sweet paint job on it and throw in a high performance Chevy small block. It already has the coveted Turbohydramatic 350 transmission, which is a perfect mate for a high horsepower V8 engine. For those of you who get queasy easily, these pictures are not for the faint of heart. It can be hard to see a beloved vehicle in this condition, but just keep in mind how awesome it will look (and sound) when it is done. Also, Derrinda was formally accepted into BYU yesterday, to finish her Bachelors degree in Business Management, so that was exciting. I'm proud of her.

Nova Update

2009-08-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

My Nova hasn't run right for years. I have taken it to several mechanics over the years who failed to fix the problem. About 8 months ago or so I took it to a guy here who thought it was the exhaust manifold gasket (leaking a lot). So he had the manifold machined nice and level, put the new gasket on, and told me I was good to go. It did run better, however it still felt pretty rough to me. Anyway, today it dawned on me that maybe the mechanic (pre- new manifold gasket) had my carburetor all out of whack to make up for the manifold leak. So I went out and messed with the fuel mixture screw and idle screw and lo and behold, the Nova magically runs like a top again without hesitating off the line and dying at stops. Time will tell about the dieseling (running after the key is shut off), but when I shut it off, no issues. I'll cross my fingers and hope the Nova is back in business the next time I fire it up.

My Update

2009-08-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since my last post. Not much has been going on. I've had a bunch of gigs, busted up my ribs by crashing Aaron's dirt bike at Mom and Dad's in some loose dirt, and started running again this week. My ribs are still hurting, and even though I had x-rays and the Dr. said everything looks good, it doesn't feel that way. There is a big bump on the rib like it broke and is healing, and my chest pops now. I guess it could just be muscle damage or something, but that bump on my rib is super hard like bone, so who knows. The swelling has gone down a lot and thats when I noticed the bump. My ankle injury is finally healed too. I can now run on it with little pain, but it is annoying now because the tendon pops over the ankle bone now every time I roll it around (or run) which causes some pain, but not enough to keep me from running, thankfully. I have been meeting Juliet at Mama Stortinis by her apartment and we've gone 4 miles on the trail every day this week at 7 am. It is cool to run with Juliet again. We always have fun, even though we are both out of shape right now. I know we won't be for long, we have running in our blood and good genetics for it. I've been trying to find a class at a local community college for engine rebuilding, but I can't find one. I want to try and rebuild my Nova's engine by myself. I am still kicking around the idea of just getting a 327 or 350 and throwing it in there, but that's what everybody does with their Novas. So I think it would be kind of cool to keep the inline 6 and maybe convert it to fuel injection. I'm also kicking around the idea of supercharging or turbocharging it. That gets pretty expensive though. It might be a good idea to upgrade to disc brakes with power boost also with that kind of power. It would be freakin' sweet though to take it out on the road and blow people away with a stock looking 4 door sedan '69 Nova!! Especially if they were to find out it's only a 6!! I really like things that go fast!

Rock 'n Roll Weekend

2009-07-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

I had a fun weekend. I played a corporate show at the Suncadia Resort near Cle Elum with my band, Mister Miyagi on Friday night. The speed3 didn't disappoint on the drive. Very fun driving that through Snoqualmie pass. Then Saturday evening we played the Bite of Seattle at the base of the space needle. It's always a fun show. I've played it 3 or 4 times, but this was the best show we've done at the Bite. The setlist was good, the crowd was into it, and we performed well. My favorite part of the show was my guitar solo during "Jump" by Van Halen. Here it is: Enjoy!! If you weren't able to make it, you missed out!!

P.S. -- I think the crowd favorite was "Billie Jean", which isn't too surprising with the recent death of Michael Jackson. That is on my facebook page if interested.

Laying down drum tracks

2009-07-10T11:17:00.001-07:00

After Jason's visit, I've finally found the inspiration and desire to blow the dust off of some old recordings that Jason and I started about 6 years ago and start laying down some drum tracks to them. The album is painfully close to being done, but it still may be luck to get it done before the end of the year. Part of the reason it has taken us so long to finally get to the stage of getting it done is that we debated back and forth on what method to record us. For example, did we want to go to a "professional studio" and put up a bunch of cash in order to get a "perfect recording", if there is such a thing; or did we want to invest in pro tools computer recording software and afford us the opportunity to have unlimited tracks for recording, thus being able to double and triple track and layer guitars and vocals for a really strong recording with power and clarity? The last option was to just use my old Yamaha 8 track and be limitied to only 8 total tracks per song, which really limits the ability to get a really great sounding record, and leaves a lot to be desired. But alas, I have decided to just do it this way for now and at least have SOMETHING for people to hear, and maybe someday down the road we can take our best songs from our entire songwriting and recording careers and take that to a pro studio to get a really great recording. But anyway, that's where we are at right now. I think I should be finished with all my recordings in a couple of months, and then maybe Jason can fly up and finish his vocals and bass tracks and we will just have to mix down after that and burn to CD and call it an album.

Jacko Memorial Service

2009-07-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

I had a good bike ride tonight. I left BSS right at 5 o'clock and it only took me 28 minutes to get there. I rode 13 miles with Dad on the trail. He was there in the parking lot at the skate park when I got there. We had a good ride. We even switched bikes for a little while. I made the ride back to BSS from the skate park in 26 minutes.

Business was good today. I got a transfer and a 5 x 15 rental which will be long term so that is good.

I got to see most of the Michael Jackson memorial service on the computer today while working at the desk. I was busy for a lot of the morning, but I still got to see a lot of it. It was really good. A great celebration of his music and life. My favorite part was Michael's big bro. Jermaine singing "Smile". Here is a link to it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJm0eqI28Y8

I thought it was especially cool that all his brothers were wearing his trademark white sparkling glove. R.I.P. MJ

Thriller

2009-07-05T11:37:00.001-07:00

I had a great visit with my bro. Jason while he was up here to visit. We even played a gig last night out at Stone Palace and it was pretty fun. We played "Beat It" as a tribute to Michael Jackson and everyone got a kick out of it. We also tried to play "Billie Jean" and half way through I started acting out the first part of the "Thriller" music video, and I don't think anybody got the joke even though they were still laughing at us. So here is the "Thriller" music video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtyJbIOZjS8

Optimistic Outlook

2009-06-30T22:16:00.001-07:00

Things are finally starting to look better for my injury situation. I rode 31 miles on the bike tonight from BSS up near South Prairie and back. Dad and Juliet met me at the skate park in Orting and rode the middle 13 miles with me. It was a fun ride. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. It could have been no more perfect. I did however deal with a pretty substantial head wind coming back to Puyallup from Orting. But that seems to be the norm that time of day. It was like that yesterday too. I also was able to jog very slowly for 2 miles tonight, which is very encouraging for me. I could be running again very soon!

Tuesday Morning

2009-06-30T11:02:00.001-07:00

I went on a 20 mile bike ride yesterday afternoon. I rode from here (BSS) up to Orting on the trail and up to the 1 mile mark bridge on the trail. It was a good ride and I jammed out to tunes the whole way. It took me about an hour. Dallas had coach pitch practice last night. He did exceptionally well hitting the ball, hitting it into the outfield on 2 out of his 3 times at bat. However, he does struggle with paying attention, as I had to yell at him a bunch of times for kneeling down in left field picking grass, and also watched in agony as he was playing 2nd base and the ball was hit right to him and of course it went right past him into center field because he wasn't paying attention; the center fielder threw it to him and his back was turned, he was staring at the dirt, and it rolled past him a 2nd time. Luckily he has a good coach and the coach went and chewed him out for not paying attention. He is a natural athlete but he really lacks focus. Hopefully that will change as he gets older.

My ankle is still too messed up for running on, but I am really hoping to try it out next week, maybe just for a mile or two to see how it does. I'm pretty much going to have to start over with my mileage. Hopefully with the biking I've been doing I will hold on to a little bit of my fitness.

My take on Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

The sudden death of Michael Jackson was an unfortunate event that I'm sure will come out could have been prevented if he had not been abusing prescription medications. He is probably one of the most misunderstood people to have ever lived. I don't think anybody was ever close to him, he was a man surrounded by people, yet he had no real friends. He lived as an extremely lonely person. I try my best not to judge others, but it is hard when someone chooses to live extravagantly and does things that are, quite frankly, very strange. However, I can usually see the good in just about every person on some level. As a musician, I can appreciate how truly gifted a talent that Michael Jackson was. Perhaps my favorite performance is of him singing "She's out of my Life". You can hear the tenderness, and the loneliness that he feels as his emotions come to the surface towards the end of the song. Michael Jackson's life was a circus more often than not, but this is how I choose to remember him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF0o-W5uu8o

Rest in Peace.

Chain Saw

2009-06-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

I got to fire up my chain saw today. That always makes the day a good day. Chain saws are fun. The items that came into contact with the chain DID NOT FARE WELL!!!

For Reasons Unknown

2009-06-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

"I pack my case, I check my face, I look a little bit older, I look a little bit colder ...with one deep breath, one big step, I move a little bit closer, I move a little bit closer, for reasons unkown ..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW2vE2WTJ3E&feature=fvst

General blabbing (my 100th post)!

2009-06-23T21:29:00.001-07:00

We have been having a good week at BSS this week. We have already rented 4 units this week and it's only Tuesday, so that is a good thing. We had an incident with some dead mice in someone's unit today, but we let them know we do all we can to prevent rodents, but there is only so much we can do because people bring them in with them and also attract them by storing things they shouldn't be storing (hello people, don't store FOOD).

I have been having fun playing my Father's day present (guitar hero Aerosmith). It is fun to play, but it only goes to show me how obsessed our society is with instant gratification. People don't want to take the time to learn how to properly play an instrument, but still want to feel like "rock stars". I can tell you from experience that tearing apart a solo on an actual guitar on an actual stage with an actual audience is quite a bit more satisfying. But I digress, it is still a fun game and I can see why the Guitar Hero chain of games is so successful.

I rode my bike to Orting after work tonight and met Dad at the skate park. We went on a 13 mile ride together and I got an extra mile in before Dad got there, so my total riding distance was 32 miles tonight. It feels good to ride that far but it still doesn't satisfy me like running does.

We had the missionaries over for dinner tonight. It was good. They had a cool lesson prepared for the boys where they used rubbing alcohol in a gatorade bottle, shook it up, and lit it on fire and sucked the egg into the bottle. It was pretty cool. Then Elder Potter and I chatted about running for about 45 minutes or so. He really likes running. I told him we were close friends with the Prefontaines and he was in disbelief. He loves Steve Prefontaine.

I have had a mild sore throat now for weeks, possibly even a couple of months, but this morning it was much worse, I thought maybe I was getting sick, but I think it is just allergies, because I took some medicine and the symptoms were lessened.

My ankle is still messed up and now I'm hating it because there is another track meet tomorrow that I will not be able to participate in. I'm not going to risk delaying healing, and causing further injury at this point, even though I really want to get some points for the team. It's beyond frustrating to sit out during a track meet and watch, when you know you could be winning races. The life of a distance runner is plagued with injury.

My Sister Lisa

2009-06-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

It is my sister Lisa's birthday today. Lisa is an awesome person and someone I have always looked up to. When I was struggling with deciding whether to serve a mission or not, Lisa and Tammy were there to help me make the right decision and through both of their examples, I decided to serve. I remember a long time ago when I first started running, I went running with Lisa up Dry canyon in the foothills. We were running pretty good, but I thought I could take off and leave her, and thought I would be cool if I did. I remember pushing the pace on the way back and one thing I learned about Lisa that day is that she does not give up! We ended up running in a dead heat to the finish. Lisa is a great mom to her kids and they are so lucky to have her because she will always be there for them, she doesn't give up. Lisa is a very caring person and always concerned with other people. I'm very glad she is my sister! Happy birthday Lisa. I love you!

My Dad

2009-06-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day to my awesome Dad today. He has always been there for me and has taught me so many life lessons and helped to shape who I am today. Some of my fondest memories are of spending time running in the mountains, on the roads, trails, and on the track with him. We were quite the duo when it came to running. We even came in together to win a race at Wheeler Farms in Salt Lake City. He helped me to learn a lot of things from running. I learned the value of hard work, dedication, humility, victory, camaraderie, and so many other things during these runs with my Dad. He also has shown me how to sacrifice of himself for his family. I watched him on a daily basis get up super early in the morning and head to the steel mill with his lunchbox in his old Chevy pickup truck, to make a living for his family and fulfill his responsibilities as a father with honor. I am proud to say I am the son of Myron Hampton Stone!! I love you Dad!

Being injured sucks

2009-06-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

I had a super fun bike ride yesterday afternoon. I was supposed to meet Dad in Orting to bike with him. Instead of driving my car, I decided it would be fun to ride all the way there and back. So I ended up biking about 30 miles by the time it was done. Dad and I went 12 miles on the trail together, and I estimated the distance there to be 9 miles, it might even be a little more than that. I'm going to clock it later when we go out to swim today. I told Dad I would be out there to swim this morning around 6, but I couldn't get out of bed. That ride took more out of me than I originally thought. Total ride time was about 2 hours. I think next time I bike that far I will take some water or gatorade with me because I couldn't get enough to drink last night after the ride. My ankle was a bit sore this morning so I guess even bicycling was a bit much for it to handle yesterday. I over did it a bit I guess. Oh well, I think I will be o.k. to run a couple of miles Monday and see how it feels.

Bike Ride

2009-06-19T09:15:00.001-07:00

Swam 1/2 mile this morning and aqua jogged in the deep end for 1/2 hour. Injuries are so frustrating. Anyway, I was able to test the ankle a little bit yesterday as I went on a 15 mile bike ride. I pressed pretty hard going up to South Prairie (parked at the skate park in Orting), and even passed a couple of hard core cyclists on the way up. Neither one of them liked seeing a dude in Adidas warm-ups and a Michael Jordan shirt fly by them, but what could they do about it? Not too much. It took me 22:30 to get to the 7.5 mile turnaround point. I thought that was pretty good for a ride that is slightly uphill the entire way. I figured it to be 20 mph or 3 minute mile pace. Coming back I took it a bit easier. I rode with Dad coming back and his rear deraileur doesn't work and is stuck in low gear, so he had to pedal twice as fast as me to keep the same pace. The total ride was 50:00, so 27:30 to get back. I was thinking about how easy bicycling is compared to running. I run that same 15 miles in around 1:45 or so just running pretty easy, but that is still over twice as long and I am very much more fatigued after the run than the bike. The ankle actually felt pretty good this morning when I went over to swim, so I am hopeful that I can start running again sometime next week.

Mid week blahg

2009-06-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

I've been getting quite a bit done around here at BSS lately. Even with my gimp ankle. I just finished fertilizing the front 3 lawns here, and the broadcaster got gummed up with fertilizer/water, so I cleaned it all out and now am waiting for the broadcaster to dry so that I can go finish the last 3 lawns in the back. Yesterday I fired up the leaf blower and cleaned up the pavement area. It still needs to be pressure washed, but it looks way better.
I can't begin to express my frustration with this injury. I was just getting ready to start some more serious workouts (track, etc.) and then I am set back with this. I have not run for a week now and it is killing me thinking of all the work I put in every day and now to be losing it all is maddening!! Oh well, I guess that is the life of a runner.
Dallas is having fun at his Field Day right now. The fire department was going to be there spraying kids with hoses and stuff so he wore swim trunks to school and took a change of clothes. We are excited for him to be out of school this Friday!

Lo and Behold

2009-06-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't you know it I have sprained my ankle and am out on injury for now. I hope it isn't too long because I do not want to lose the conditioning I have worked so hard to get. Very frustrating. Track meets start this Wednesday and I'm pretty much useless to the team until my ankle heals. My knee is even a little tweaked from whatever happened to my ankle.

9 Year Anniversary!

2009-06-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

Today I get to celebrate a great day 9 years ago when I was blessed enough to be married to a beautiful girl named Derrinda. It has been a great blessing to have her in my life. Life can send blows sometimes that are unexpected, and that is when it is good to have someone to help you through the hard times and be there for you to see a brighter day. I love you Derrinda!

Pre Classic

2009-06-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

I took the opportunity to watch the annual Prefontaine Classic track meet this morning on t.v. I am always amazed at how awesome the distance runners are. The shape they keep themselves in is unbelievable. I have a tiny bit of an idea how hard it is to train and put the body through pain day after day in order to perform well, but to perform at the level these athletes perform at is pretty hard to understand for most people. I saw Bernard Legat win the 3000 meters in 7:35. That is equivalent to about an 8:10 2 mile. Blazing fast. There were several other great performances as well.

Church was funny today because last week I bleached my hair blonde, and the kids in my Primary class were freaking out. I guess they didn't realize what a punk rocker they had for a teacher. I think some of the adults were surprised too. That's half the fun of doing something like that. It's like people think just because you change your hair color that you are having issues or something. "Oh goodness, what's going on with him, look, he bleached his hair!!" I think it's a good test for my fellow saints to find out how judgmental they can be over something trivial.

Saturday Morning Run

2009-06-06T09:19:00.001-07:00

Just got back from a 15 mile run on the Orting trail while Dad rode his bike. I felt pretty good today but ran pretty slow. I was just under an hour at the turn and total run was 1:55:59 (about 7:40 pace). It is pretty gloomy looking today (overcast). It looks like it might rain a bit. I got a total of 51 miles this week. That's not bad for only running once a day. I should probably be running two-a-days to get ready for these track meets, but I've been enjoying swimming in the mornings instead of running. I'm quite sure that I won't perform quite as well in races with this method, but I don't really care, I feel more fit overall this way.

Childhood Memories

2009-06-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

Something about today reminded me of being a kid. It must be the nice weather. I was out fixing some of the sprinklers here at BSS and something triggered an old memory I have of being the new kid at Westmore elementary in Orem, Utah. I think I was out by myself at recess and I was sitting on the lawn and I remember seeing a guy working on the sprinklers by the soccer field. Anyway, I started thinking about that time of my life and I remember not having any friends and feeling very alone. All my older sisters were in Jr. High or High School and I was the only one in the family at Westmore. Anyway, I met a kid named Jason Covington some time after being a new student there. It might have even been a few months. I pretty much never heard much rock music before, but I remember seeing kids at school with band names like Metallica, Guns n' Roses, Skid Row, and Def Leppard scrawled all over their levi jackets. Jason and I soon became good friends and Jason introduced me to Def Leppard. I was immediately mesmerized by the sound. This is where my love of electric guitar was formed. Here is a clip of Def Leppard that takes me back in time and reminds me of my childhood. It is one of my favorite Def Leppard songs.

P.S. - I wish I could find some awesome running shorts like Rick Allen is wearing in this video (drummer)!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1-j9hEPenM

Saturday Morning Run

2009-05-30T09:31:00.001-07:00

I ran 12 miles on the paved trail in Orting this morning while Dad rode his bike. The weather was beautiful and it was a great run. I felt good the entire way which is a step up from the last couple of days where I felt terrible, but nonetheless got through it. I forgot to stop my watch until I was half way home in the car and then it was about 1:35, so I guess it was probably around 1:25 or so. About 7:20 pace or so. If things go well with my running through the summer, I am planning on going down to Coos Bay this September and running the Prefontaine Memorial 10k. I ran it way back in 1995 when I lived in Coos Bay. I was 18 then, and I hope to greatly improve on my time because I hadn't been running much at the time because I had a wicked ankle sprain that I had to take 6 weeks off for. I only managed a 38:00 10k time then, so if I'm in shape I hope to run around 34 minutes. These track meets will be a good start to getting back in race shape. I don't plan on setting any PR's at this years meets, but it will be fun to get on the track again. Hopefully I'll get under 5 in the mile and around 10:30 or so for the 2 mile.

I've got a short gig tonight up in Seattle at Pikes Place Market. We are only playing for 40 minutes, which is 10 songs or so. It should be fun. It's almost not worth traveling all the way up there to just play that much, but oh well. I guess some family will be coming so that will be fun.

Ramones Tribute

2009-05-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

A little over a year ago I was trying to think of something really cool that I could do for Jason's birthday since usually it isn't much more than a call or something small. Well, I decided it would be cool to go to my recording studio and record a bunch of Ramones songs that we used to love (still do) and listen to while driving around in the Nova or Jason's parent's hot '91 Dodge Colt (We called ourselves the "roller skate bandits" because we looked like we were in a roller skate). Jason used to accidentally pop the clutch too hard and give too much gas leaving a stop light, and the front tires would squeal. I told him it sounded like a bicycle taking off too fast. Those were good times. Anyway, the songs I picked were some of my favorite Ramones songs and I recorded all parts (guitar, bass, drums, and vocals) myself. I was happy with the way it came out. I sent it to him and then decided to make a Myspace music account. I called it Ramones Tribute, and it is now the 1 year anniversary of posting it, and I've had over 29,000 listens in a year, so that isn't bad. Better than keeping it to myself I guess. Maybe some lost soul of a kid who was wallowing in the world of terrible modern rock music has stumbled upon it and discovered the Ramones. Anyway, here is the link if anyone cares to listen to some freaking awesome Ramones covers!!
http://www.myspace.com/ramonestributemike

Mid week

2009-05-28T07:45:00.001-07:00

Just got back from a swim this morning. I've still been swimming 3/4 of a mile on weekdays, and running 8 miles at night. I go on a long run on Saturday mornings, usually 12-15 miles. It feels good to get in shape. I've got band practice tonight, so I will have to run sometime during the day so I can get up to Lynnwood by 7. It usually takes between 1 hour and 1.5 hours to get there depending on traffic. It looks like it will be another beautiful sunny day here in the Northwest.

And we're back!

2009-05-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

I had a great time on my trip along the Oregon Coast with Derrinda. I drove the motorcycle down to Salem while Derrinda drove the van with the kids. Mom and Dad Cooper watched the boys for us for a few days and we took off on the bike early Friday morning and had a fun trip. For pictures of the trip, go to Derrinda's blog, she has some slide shows on there. The bike ran great and got over 50 mpg the majority of the way. We had good weather and saw and did lots of fun things. Now it's back to the grind here at BSS. I went through and replaced burned out lights today. I need to buy another box though, we ran out with one stretch of hallway left in upper D bldg. Dallas, Cody and Elijah were big helps doing the lights. Dallas carried the box of new lights, Cody carried the box with burned out lights, and Elijah opened doors for us and pushed the elevator button and things like that. We had fun working together. I need to step up my work out regimen, or at least up the intensity of my runs a bit. Track meets are coming up in just a few weeks. I've got a gig this Saturday at 5 o'clock at Pike Place market. It is a really short set. We are only playing about 10 songs. Hopefully the weather will work out for it. It is getting into that time of year where we play a handful of festival shows. Things are going good.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

2009-05-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

My Mom is my hero. Everything she has done her entire life has been for the benefit of others. She always made sure us kids had everything we needed, even if it meant sacrificing everything else. I remember growing up and when I started getting into running, Mom would make sure I had good running shoes to wear, even if it meant some other bill would go unpaid (me being a kid, I didn't understand how bills and money worked real well). We always had what we needed, and especially when it came to having a Mom who was there for us. I remember locking my keys in my car at MVHS one morning. I was comforted in knowing that I could call home and Mom would be there to come and rescue me. We didn't have another key for some reason, so Mom used her car breaking in skills to unlock the door. I remember saying something about how I was impressed that she could break in so fast and she smiled and said "Well, I was born in New York you know." I have never seen a mother care as much as my Mom. She sacrifices everything to make sure Tammy is taken care of every day. I don't think anybody can realize how much she truly does. I am so thankful to have been blessed with such an amazing Mom. I love you Mom! Happy Birthday!!

A Beautiful day in the Northwest!

2009-05-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

I met Dad and Aaron at the skate park in Orting at 6:30 this morning. I ran to South Prairie and back. 15 miles. The time was the same as last week (1:53:something), but I felt much worse today than last week. Especially after I was done. Even now I have been done running for 2 hours and I feel sick (fever, chills) but this happens to me sometimes after long runs. I think it has to do with me being old skool and not drinking anything during the run then tanking up afterwards. I'm confident I will feel better later, but for now, I can't really do much other than loaf around.

I went with Juliet, Aaron, Kingston, and Dad last night to look at a little 125 Yamaha dirt bike that Juliet was thinking about getting. I got on it, started it, and took it for a little test drive. It was a fun little bike and Juliet ended up making the purchase. She got a great deal on it too. It is practically brand new. Everyone was saying that I looked like a circus clown on it though because I dwarfed it. That was funny. I know Juliet will have a blast on it though. It sure looks like it is going to be another beautiful day today. I wish Derrinda and I had taken off for our Motorcycle trip this weekend instead of next, because the weather is gorgeous this weekend, next weekend who knows?

My Dad is 63!!

2009-05-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

Happy 63rd Birthday to my Dad who I love very much! I have learned so many life lessons by watching him live his life. I have been with him when people's cars were broke down and it was bitter cold outside. Dad would always stop and see if there was any way he could help. I have been with him on intense workouts where we pushed each other to our bodies limits (mine anyway), and I am proud to say that we have even crossed the finish line together in first place at a road race. We defeated every runner in the field, including some runners from my Dad's Alma Mater BYU!! I went out too fast and Dad hung back a little. I finally made it to the front of the pack and started to pull away from all the runners except for this speedy little guy in his 50's who caught up to me and helped me through the pain (I was hurting from going out too fast) and on to victory! My Dad has been an inspiration to me and everyone I know. His dedication to caring for my sister Tammy after her automobile accident is unwavering. Happy Birthday Dad!! I know the screen is looking blurry to you at this point, but you are indeed my hero and I love you!! As a side note, Dallas was arguing with Cody this morning about how he could beat Grandpa Stone in a race. I have much experience in attempting this, so I had to correct Dallas and tell him that he should not underestimate the speed and competitiveness of Grandpa Stone!!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to wish a happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful women in my life. I love all of you!!

Blundering Buffoon

2009-05-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting morning today. Yesterday I got the alternator and regulator changed out on the PC800. I've been driving it around a lot to see if the problem is now fixed. Time will tell, I've only driven about 30 miles on it so far. Anyway, I took it out and met Dad and Aaron at the skate park in Orting. Dad put his keys in the trunk of my motorcycle, and in a massive thoughtless blunder of a moment, I put my jacket in his truck and locked the door and shut it. The problem being that my key was in the jacket. So needless to say, I managed to lock my key in Dad's truck and his keys in my trunk. Luckily we were able to find the humor in it all. I ran up to South Prairie and back while Dad and Aaron rode bikes. It was a bit chilly when we started, but the sun was out and it gradually warmed up throughout the run. It is a beautiful day. So I ran 15 miles in 1:53:00, which is quite slow for me (7:30 pace). But I am paranoid about getting injured since I've had a couple of tweaks this week, so just being careful. I called Mom with about 4 miles left to run and asked her if she could find her keys to the truck and have Juliet drive them down to us. I feel bad for stressing Mom out because we had her searching the house high and low for her truck keys that she couldn't find. Juliet was able to bring some tools to us so that I could pull the top cover off my bike to gain access to the trunk release. Then we were good to go. An adventurous morning to say the least. I got back and Derrinda had made me breakfast (pancakes and sausage). It was delicious of course, and I feel bad for Derrinda because she has come down with a nasty cold the last few days. Now I'm sitting here at BSS trying to rent the place up, but it seems like Saturdays I just end up sitting here and making sure people have somewhere to use the bathroom. That's what has happened so far today. 3 people in, and all to use the restroom. Oh well, that's the life of a self storage manager.

It's Friday!!

2009-05-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

I got up and drove the CBR over to Mom and Dad's to swim this morning. I enjoy getting up early like that, it gives me a feeling of self satisfaction and it's a great time to reflect and prepare for the day. Last night I ran 8 miles on the trail. My right achilles was bothering me a little bit. I came home and iced it, took some ibuprofen, and rubbed it down with some Sombra. Dad gave me some patches (I think they have aspirin in them or something) this morning and it is feeling better for now. It's hard to know for sure until I start running, so I guess I will know better tonight. I was planning on another long one tomorrow morning, maybe even 15, but I will have to see how it feels tonight. I may only be able to go 10-12. It is far better to take it easy and still be able to run then to overdo it and go out on injury for weeks or even months. It seems like that's always how I go out though!
In other news, I got the parts for my Honda PC800 today, so I will be putting that back together and seeing if the charging system is good to go (fingers are crossed).
I also had a fun ride coming back home. I know people worry about me getting killed on that CBR, but I am a very cautious rider. I do enjoy going very fast, but I consider myself a safe driver and I never go fast unless I can see all around me and am on a straight road. I was behind a dump truck trailer combo and there were also 2 other cars behind it. When we hit a long straight section, I looked, signaled, and passed. I noticed one of the cars was an older model VW GTI. I know about these cars because I looked at them when deciding what car to buy. I decided on the Mazda, but the GTI is also a turbocharged 4 cylinder, and the people who drive it think it is faster than it is. It is a quick car, but not as quick as the Speed3, WRX, or Evo. Anyway, I saw him pull out and pass the truck. I wasn't racing him by any means, but when he got too close behind me, I dusted him. I only had to go half throttle to completely obliterate him. And true to form, when we got into Orting, he went straight at the Eagles lounge and hit the gas hard while driving away from me. I don't know why everybody who I smoke does something like that every time, but I find it hilarious. I also saw a sweet red Corvette on the way out to swim. That car looked fast!

Weekly Update

2009-05-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since my last post. Saturday morning I ran 13 miles on the trail while Dad rode his bike. Later in the afternoon, I had planned a surprise birthday party for Derrinda (She is 30 now!!), so we drove out to Mom and Dad's house in Graham for the party. Derrinda was shocked when she walked in the door and her parents, Desi, and 3 of her friends were there to surprise her. She got showered with gifts and a lot of attention and it made for a fun day. I'm glad that everyone was willing to help make her big day so special!! Then on Monday it was her real birthday and Desi watched the kids for us so we could go out to celebrate our birthdays. We went and played laser tag and played some games at the arcade, it was really fun. After that we went out to eat at Red Robin. We thought about seeing a movie, but it was already getting late, so we went home after that. Then Tuesday was my birthday so we went out for another party at the Stone residence. I got spoiled there. I got a really cool shirt, an armored motorcycle jacket, armored gloves, and a 120GB Ipod. I loaded every song from my collection that I wanted on there, and it amounted to a whopping 3GB, so I need to get some more music apparently. I guess you can also put videos and pictures on there, so maybe I will do that. Running has been going steady, but with all these birthday parties lately my diet hasn't been the greatest. I've still been swimming every morning too which I really enjoy. The motorcycle broke down on me again last week, Dad had to rescue me with the trailer again. There is definitely a problem with the charging system, because I got a new battery and it was drained out after driving less than 30 miles. I tore apart the bike and am waiting on a new stator (alternator), and regulator to get here. I think after that I will be set (hopefully).

Dead batteries and legs!

2009-05-01T12:01:00.001-07:00

This morning started out good. I got up and dressed for the motorcycle ride out to Graham, let the dogs out for a minute, started up the bike, and off I drove. Everything was going smoothly, but I noticed that my turn signals were not working when I turned right on Orville Rd. Things were going fine until I turned right onto 224th and noticed my engine was starting to misfire a bit. It gradually became bad enough that I thought the engine would die at any second. I made it up the steepest part of the hill and then it sputtered and died on me. It wouldn't restart. It didn't even try to turn over. So I put my helmet in the trunk and started the 2 miles that were left to Mom and Dad's house. I ran most of the way, but walked a little bit because my motorcycle boots were really digging into my skin around my ankles. It seemed like it took forever, but it must have only been about 20 minutes or so. Dad was in the pool house and he came out and asked what happened. I said "I got stranded". To which Dad replied "something happened to Brandon?". I said "No, I got stranded." So that was a little funny. At that point we pulled the pool cover over the pool and Dad got changed. We moved the trailer around and hooked it up to Dad's truck. I was parked on a hill, so Dad parked the trailer in the road down the hill from the bike and I got on it while Dad gave it a push and I drove it up the ramp into the trailer. I don't know how close I was to falling off the ramp, but it must only be 1 foot wide and it was a bit scary getting into the trailer. When I was in the trailer, I hit the brakes and slid enough to scare me into thinking I might tip it over, but I didn't. All was well and we decided the best way to get it to the house was for Dad to pull the trailer with me straddling and balancing the bike while holding the front brake lever. It worked really well and we decided it was a dead battery. We charged up the battery while I swam in the pool for 3/4 of a mile. After that, we took it off the charger and it started up. Getting it out of the trailer was the next task. This bike is not light. It weighs almost 700 lbs. Dad pulled the trailer off the road and down a grade so the trailer ramp would be level (somewhat) with the ground. I straddled the bike while Dad pushed it out of the trailer and off the ramp onto the ground. We were eventually successful and I drove it home. It ran great the entire way interestingly enough. I was expecting it to die on me at any moment. Dad was a life saver. Thanks Dad! And thanks Derrinda for opening up the office and getting Dallas off to school all by yourself! And thank you Honda Pacific Coast for the spontaneous extra 2 mile run this morning!

"Dad, my shoe flew off!"

2009-04-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

That's what Dallas said to me on the way home from the dentist yesterday. We were on the motorcycle and apparently Dallas forgot to tie his shoe. We turned around and headed back shoe hunting. We found the shoe in the middle of the road, so we pulled off the road and I got it for him!! Funny story that I had to share.

Saturday Night Madness

2009-04-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

Well last night was one of the strangest shows I've ever played. When we first got there and were setting up, the place was already packed; somebody was having a big birthday party bash. I thought maybe I was wrong about thinking it was going to be a terrible night. Then after sound check, tuning up, and changing into gig clothes, we started the first set to about 30 people in the entire place, and only about 3 people that were getting up and dancing. After the first set, we were even saying how we probably wouldn't be invited back. Then we started the second set and apparently someone opened the flood gates because out of no where the place was packed and everybody was dancing. It carried like that throughout the rest of the night. So that was good. It sure makes for a late night though. At least Derrinda was able to come with me, so that is always fun. We sit there and make fun of all the weird people, and believe me there were some really strange ones last night. Highlight of the evening: On the drive up there was this punk kid that got right on my bumper. He was driving a late 90's Infinity. Apparently he thought his car was really fast. We were in the carpool lane doing about 70. He finally got annoyed enough to swing out a couple of lanes to the right and try to pass everybody. I let him go, but then I started thinking about him thinking his car was fast and decided to teach him a lesson. So I accelerated slightly and got behind him. He tried going faster when he saw me coming up; finally I saw my opening in traffic and Derrinda and I blew by him like he was standing still. I could see him in the rearview trying in vain to keep up. Then the real fun began. I slowed back down and let him get right on my bumper. I guess some people can't learn too well. I waited for him to try to pass on the right, and as soon as he would swing over to pass me, I would take off and leave him. I was laughing my head off. This happened one more time, and then I decided I had enough fun and had defeated him a sufficient amount of times. Of course when he exited the freeway he had to speed off on it. I don't know what people think they are proving after they get beat like that when they speed away down the off ramp. I think Derrinda thinks I'm crazy because I always have such a blast putting the smack down on punks who think their cars are fast. It's only fun because they are always trying to race you in these cars that aren't even in the MazdaSpeed's league. If it was a Corvette or something that would be one thing, but an Infinity? Try to be serious... good times.

Short CBR 900RR Clip

2009-04-25T13:31:00.000-07:00

CBR Pics

2009-04-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

I finished the painting on the CBR and since I haven't posted any pics of it or anything, here are some.

The Stone life is a good life!

2009-04-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Had a good start to the weekend by running 10 miles this morning while Dad rode his bike along the river trail (dirt). I went easy today after the hard run yesterday. It's always harder for me to get going in the mornings anyway.
I've got a show at the Shark Club in Kirkland tonight. The Shark is usually a good crowd. But I'm worried about the turnout tonight because we have been having issues with our emailing. We have over 600 people on our mailing list, and apparently there have been some changes in the way large emails can be sent because of stricter spam laws, so we haven't been able to notify any of our fans when we are playing, so I fear tonight will be a disaster of major proportions. I guess we will see.
BSS has been a bit slow lately as well. I think the down turned economy has affected us here as well as everybody else. I am sitting here at the desk now though as I type this, waiting to rent the facility up!
We went out to Joe's Sporting Goods last night. They are going out of business so everything is a bargain. I picked up a couple of decals for my CBR. I will take some pictures and post later. I think they look pretty cool on there.
Things are going pretty good right now for us. Derrinda made a really cool scarecrow cake yesterday for the Seattle Children's Hospital auction. She stays plenty busy with things like that and watching our 4 rambunctious boys throughout the day. Dallas is doing good in school, but he handed me a note yesterday and said I needed to sign it. It said that he left to go to music class in the middle of class and interrupted the teacher or something like that. I think he may have inherited my need for independence and lack of respect for authority figures. I just hope it doesn't get him into trouble like it has me. Cody is learning how to write his name and is very proud. Elijah is always a bundle of smiles and laughs. He lightens the mood a lot around here. And little Brandon is always into some mischief. He is starting to develop a cute personality.

Starting to get fit!

2009-04-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a really good run. It was one of those days where you just feel great the entire time. I started at the skate park and ran up 4 miles and back while Dad, Aaron, Richie and Chanelle rode their bikes. I felt good pretty much from the start and made it to the 4 mile turnaround in 27:12 (6:48 pace), I came back even faster and finished the run in 52:31, so that is 25:19 for the last 4 miles (6:20 pace). So the average pace for the 8 miles was 6:33, which makes me happy because I didn't think I was in that good of shape yet. I might run well this summer if I can keep up the training without getting injured or sick.

I also finished the painting on the CBR today and drove it there for the run. It was a BLAST riding that beast! The acceleration is amazing; almost scary even. But that's what makes it so exhilarating.