Chapter and Verse

I realize it’s been a while since I have posted. All is well, it’s just been a rather busy time. Much of my energy has been focused on networking and trying to land a job since mine terminates at the end of September. I’m still not certain where my path will lead me or what the next chapter will bring. The only thing that I know for sure is that there WILL be a next chapter. Hopefully it will be written in a language that I can understand or can at least navigate my way through. I am working some good leads and contacts and my fingers are crossed that I will land safely. I have confident days, and days of worry and uncertainty. But all I can do is practice what I preach and continue to control the things that I have control over, and have a little faith on the things I can’t control.

On the race front, I am now less than one month away from the Chesapeakeman Ultra Distance Triathlon (a.k.a “ironman” for all intents and purposes). Am I ready? I always feel like I could or should be more ready but I think I’ll be ok. Swimming feels great. Running is decent, except for some foot pain during recovery that I am working through. I could use one more long bike ride which I will get next week. That should put me in the right mindset to taper down and get ready. My head is in a good place. I am both afraid and anxiously excited about racing, and that is usually just the right chemistry for a good day when racing ironman. Next up after that will be the NYC Marathon again in November with Ethan Zohn and then I am racing the half marathon on Philadelphia Marathon weekend, also in November.

I also want to share another little ditty. I have talked about my passion for music in the past. Not that I can play a lick of any musical instrument, (unless you can count some mean dashboard percussion or unskilled and ad-hoc drumming on just about anything that doesn’t move). But, since early childhood, I have been very passionate about my music. I have very vivid memories of dragging my mom to the local record store when I was very young just so I could score whatever latest album so moved me. And I was, and remain, one of those listeners who would don the headphones and get completely lost in every note while reading every word from the album liner notes. Which explains why when listening to something today I will blurt out some useless factoid about so and so who played such and such on some recording that I remembered from years ago.

So, with that passion for music comes a pretty decent collection of vinyl albums. Now understand, I don’t even have a turntable anymore so this collection has been doing very little other than just that: being a collection tucked safely away in the archives of my basement. But it’s a collection that I truly do cherish and would never want to part with. That music remains a part of me. But I had a good idea earlier this year. And that idea was to start to pass some of these gems onto my daughter who has developed an impressive taste for my all time favorite band – The Beatles. My Beatles collection (band, solo artist, and related books) is quite impressive if I do say so myself and that band more than any other triggers certain emotional buttons for me. I thought it would be cool to gradually pass some of these onto her. It’s a chance to pass on the legacy while still keeping it in the family, and giving her something to enjoy that she truly appreciates. So far, I have given her, Let it Be, Revolver, and Abbey Road in album frames so she can hang them on the wall, and listen. Even pulling them out of the archives reaches the inner nostalgia in me … it feels good.

OK that’s enough for now. Gotta run. I will keep you updated with news, events, and happenings!

Have a great day and do something randomly cool and nice for a complete stranger today.