Most of you on here don't know me but I have a favor to ask.  Here is my quick back story. I have been overweight most of my life. When I was younger, it wasn't a problem because I stayed pretty active. In college I got into riding mountain bikes and stayed in pretty good shape.  Fast forward many years and I have let myself go pretty badly. A little over a year ago, I found out that I had diabetes. The doctor put me on medicine and I started pricking my finger daily. I did pretty good for a couple of months and then it was back to my old ways. Recently my best friend growing up called and asked how things where going. We don't see each other much anymore because I moved away to teach. I told him of my health problems and he said he could help me with that. He told me that "I was going to get back on my bike and get my ass back into shape."  Long story short, I signed up to ride in the Tour de Cure in Knoxville, TN on June 8th. I have signed up and there is no backing out now.  For the past 3 days, I have rode my bike. Right now it is tough. I get out of breath walking up a flight of stairs. I have put in two miles each day. I can already tell a difference. I have been eating healthy and drinking a butt load of water. I have 48 more days to get ready.

To enter the race, I must raise $200. If anybody is interested in helping me out, I would appreciate it. If you can't help financially, I understand. I just ask that you keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I really need help with this. I really want to watch my boys grow up and I am afraid that if I don't change, that won't happen.  If you would like to help out, here is my Race Page where you can donate. Thanks.

Captain's Log. Stardate: whatever.

Yesterday I ran 10 miles again, the 2nd time in two weeks. My legs are really sore today. It's kind of amazing to me how much energy those long runs can drain from you. Took me 92 minutes.

I am super happy because my older son who is 9 told me he would like to run in a 1 mile track race at school. That's awesome! I will be cheering him on.

He and I just got back from a 2 mile walk at the reservoir. He's been asking me to take him for weeks. He likes to spot as many different water birds as he can, and find the official names of them all. He's kind of a bird fact geek.

We also signed up he and his younger brother for piano lessons this weekend. That's going to be great :)

I stayed up until nearly 2:00 am last night playing Dark Souls with my XBL friend Ben. That game is a totally different experience playing coop.

Well, my cat has jumped into my lap, demanding petting. I had better stop typing and obey! It's my only purpose in life.

 If you guys are into cartoons, I have some good news: Cartoon Network has arrived on Netflix. First season episodes of The Venture Bros, Metalocalypse, The Powerpuff Girls, The Grim Adventure of Mandy and Billy, Robot Chicken...all the good stuff now available for streaming on your console.

"Between saying and doing, many a pair of shoes is worn out."

"The good outnumber you, and we always will..."

Parakeets are “aves del diablo” and are not to be trusted with all that is good and virtuous.

We are all familiar with the legal phrase “facere in alios quasi parakeet facit ad eam amator” which translates roughly into English as “do unto others like the parakeet does to its lover”. This phrase alone has helped shaped recent challenges to the 2^nd amendment of the constitution. For many many years there were no gun rights for non-human mammals let alone our feathered friends but that all changed in 1960 in what is called the TM Aviary incident in Delaware involving a significant number of Orange Cheeked Finches. These lovable national treasures faced off with several disgruntled Air Traffic Controllers in what can only be described as a surreal battle of wits or a battle of nature versus Miller High Life. True the only crime was drunken disorderly conduct but from then on people who loved birds knew that not just finches but robins, blue jays, humming birds and yes even the ugly crow should have the right to bear arms and not just any arms but guns.

Soon, I am told this Hallmark case of avian rights will make it to the highest court in the land: The Department of Agriculture. We all know that’s where the real power is, not in some shabby White House, but in the hands of the bureaucrats who control the corn, cotton and cucumbers also known as the three C’s of power. Conspiracy theorists think that cotton farmers put down marijuana or hemp and lobbied for it to be illegal back in the 1950’s but in actuality it was the trifecta oligarchy of cucumber farmers, the original founders of the fabled Green Skulls secret society. It was their pact with the aliens that allowed Lincoln and Kennedy to be kidnapped and replaced with cyber robots and for what you may ask? What supreme technology did they get? Seedless cucumbers. SEEDLESS CUCMBERS!!!! Remember all tech level 11 science comes at a huge price, no matter how many people were saved by seedless cucumbers or how the infant mortality rate decreased because of this, when you give away your rights you sacrifice your freedom…it’s really quite the pickle…