All Good Things Begin With "A" ... I Suppose

Total miles run since entry to NYC marathon/this year: 56.86/375.38
Total miles swam since entry to marathon: 1.38
Total miles biked since entry to marathon: 12.2
Exercise calories burned since entry/this year: 8,853/69,875
Weight: 198
Beers in last 24 hours: 3
Total raised towards goal: $660

This is a picture of friends from Halloween of 2000, there's no particular reason I posted it. I kind of just felt like posting something fun.

I spent the a good portion of my day doing the kinds of things I honestly, honestly never thought I'd hear myself say the following: I must have spent four hours negotiating with a several A-list type celebrities' "people" over trying to arrange interviews. It's a strange, strange, strange world that Hollywood – it's not like the experiences were bad. Just strange. It's a world were image, message control and similar things are important. I won't name names on a public venue like the Internet because it does neither me, nor the company, anything positive, to gripe about such things. It's just on my mind, because I spent so much of the day doing it ... Much of the last two days doing it. And for the past two days, I've come home with headaches. I can't remember the last time that's happened.

I have to tell y'all: I'm really engaged in stuff right now. Work is incredibly challenging in a good way. The marathon training is starting to get really intense. I think I have a slight beer buzz right now. The fundraising is going really well. My internet auction is off and soaring. The first of the big fundraising events - the August 13 wine tasting at Tapino in Scottsdale - is almost here. Beckett is getting smarter and more beautiful with each passing day. Heidi is more beautiful and amazing each day.

I wish I had more time to take it all in and really appreciate everything that's happening right now. It's 10 p.m. and I still haven't rested since the second I got up this morning: I ran at 5:30, got Beckett ready for school at 6:15, showered at 6:45, went to work at 8, got home a 5:30, made dinner, ran out to a meeting at 6:30, got home at 8:45, tended to the auction, got some more stuff online, and then - now, finally - got to this blog. Whew ...

I don't even know what happend to the Diamondbacks ... wait, I'll check ... crap, they lost 9-3. But so did the Mets. And so did the Padres. Which means the Diamondbacks remain 1 game out of first. I can handle that.

Before I go any further and forget, I need to thank Wayne and Patricia for both making a generous contribution. Wayne and Patricia are very close friends of my family - somebody I know my mother and father adore very much – and very kind people. When I go back to visit NJ, the two of them seem to brighten a room upon entering. Wayne and Patricia, I really am sincerely touched by your donations. Thank you so, so much. Beyond inspiring me, this will go towards a very good cause - helping kids who've been dropped into a bum lot in life. Thanks again.

Also, I need to thank my second mother - Filomena. Phyllis threw a boatload of old Playbills my way, and these will very shortly make their way to auction. Many of you who read this blog know of Phyllis, and the legendary trip to Maine to see Phish back in '96 or '97. We were supposed to be camping and, seriously, I think it rained 20 inches in like six hours. Our tent had three inches of water in it, and, on top of all that, it was 45 degrees outside. Very pleasant. We burned a tank of gas sleeping in the car with the heat on, while my drunk 19-year-old friends ran around in the rain and called us wimps. I like to think we were the smart ones. My stories and memories of Phyllis could fill pages and pages, but I think it's important to mention that I love her, and her giving me these memorabilia that meant enough to her that she collected them is a very nice gesture, and one that I will not soon forget. Thanks, Phyllis.

In other news, why do you fools only post comments when I post a video of Beck? That's crap. Write to me just because ... It shouldn't be that I have to post video of my kid to get comments. That's crap, I tell you, crap. I write all y'all every day ... So write me, I like reading your comments.

Man, Dos Equis is good ...

By the way, how about that Mel Gibson? That's just weird, eh?

I think I have to go now. I'm tired. And I read back over this and I was forced to ask myself: Is any of this actually interesting? It seems like blogs are just a place to ramble and ramble on. Like the Rambler, or The Gambler, which was a song by Kenny Rogers. Remember that tune: "You gotta' know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run. You never count your money, when your sitting at the table, they'll be time enough for counting, when the dealing's done."

You know what was a better Kenny Rogers song? That tune with Dolly Parton: "Islands in the Stream:'" or, an office favorite: "Lady" ... "Lady (in deep Kenny Rogers scratchy voice) / I'm your knight in shining armor, and I love you ..." Beautiful. Oh, Kenny, why did you opt to dedicate your life to fried chicken and leave us longing for original musical material? A tragedy I tell you ...

Okay, hugs and kisses and all that jazz. - Ed