You Might Think I'm Foolish (But Baby It's Untrue)

$1,000 in the tank. It is officially on. I am going to hover 31 stories in the air!! The reality of which is starting to sink in. My apartment building is 9 stories tall, my office building is 23 stories tall. That means I am basically rappeling the distance of the two structures stacked on top of each other. Yikes!! But once I get something in my brain I need to commit to doing it. Like how I got it into my brain it would be a good idea to run 26.2 miles, ride a mechanical bull, jump out of a plane or go to a bootcamp and get yelled at a few times a week. Genius!! This one is a little different though, I'm going to have to sike myself up. So, I started making a mix of uber cheesy rappel related songs to listen to during the coming month. Here is what I have so far: Baby Hold On- Eddie Money (only as an adult did I realize this song is awesome) Hanging Tough- New Kids On The Block Fly Like An Eagle- Steve Miller Band Living On A Prayer- Bon Jovi Sponji Reggae- Black Uhuru (only because I can't get this song out of my head) Too High- Stevie Wonder Eye In The Sky- Alan Parsons Project You Might Think- The Cars Hang On- Teenage Fanclub Such Great Heights-Iron and Wine (cover) Crazy- 27 (cover) One more thing, I got my official rappelling info packet, which indicates once you are in the air you can do what you want. Hang upside down-yes. Dangle in the air-yup. Take photos-sure. They even encourage you to look into the guestroom windows. After thinking about it, any charity that encourages peeping toms has to be cool, right?

Here Goes Nothin'

So I am pretty sure I did something crazy. Crazy awesome that is. For some reason I got it into my brain that dangling from a rope 31 stories off the ground would be a good idea. Therefore, I have officially volunteered to rappel down the side of a building, the Sheraton Waikiki to be exact. No, the economy has not gotten so bad that I had to take a side job as a window washer! It's for charity. And there is no certainty that this will actually happen. First, I need to raise $1,000 which goes towards the Special Olympics. I started my fundraising efforts about 48 hours ago and am a little over half way there thanks to my family, friends and co-workers. If I can raise the remainder of the money by November 5, 2011, over the edge I shall go. If anyone is interested in donating the link to my fundraising page is below:

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/sarahcornell/overtheedgeofwaikiki2011

From what I can tell this will either be completely awesome, or a disaster that completely bites. More to follow...

NYC Marathon

This past Sunday morning I caught the NYC marathon on television. I don't recall ever seeing a marathon televised before, but hope they keep it up. I had not expected much from the broadcast, my thinking being that running, like golf, is an activity to be performed rather than watched. Happily, I was wrong. It was an emotional roller coaster. Probably the best thing I have seen on TV all year.

My favorite parts:

- Hearing them start each wave of runners off with a gunshot and Frank Sinatra's New York, New York.

- The profiles of some of the athletes. These were akin to those profiles they do during the Olympics, you know the ones that make you feel like a jerk for having indoor plumbing.

- Haile Gebrselassie ("Geb"). Geb is one of, if not THE greatest long distance runners of all time. He holds the current world record for marathon running, which he set by beating his own prior record. Despite his awesomeness he has never run NYC. This was supposed to be his year, if he won NYC he solidifies his greatness. All the other runners knew this, but what they did not know was that he had a swollen knee. As the race started, an elite pack of about 15 male runners keep Geb's pace. A strangely slow pace, but no one seemed to dare challenge Geb. Then comes mile 17, Geb in agonizing pain slows to a walk, then finally stops. He pulls out of the race just before 1st Avenue. The sound and the feel of the crowd at 1st avenue is why athletes want to run NYC. It's supposed to be overwhelmingly emotional and Geb just missed it. Following the race, Geb announced he was retiring from running. Whoa. Pass the tissue...

- Watching one of the Cuban miners run the race (an ice pack on each knee at one point) and cross the finish line. NYC race officials were waiting for him with a medal and the Cuban flag. More tissue please...

Can't wait til next year.

Vake up and Smell Zie Muscles

It's that time of year again, Halloween. One of my biggest annoyances with Halloween is that for some reason many women think of Halloween as a time to wear a costume that is as skimpy as possible. Heather and I went as far left of that as we could. We decided on the old SNL characters Hans and Franz. Hear me now and believe me later, it was a big hit! Although, the young'ins in the office did not know who the heck we were. Oh well.

One more thing, for some reason the most popular comments we get about our costumes are completely out of the blue. When we dressed as tutus, everyone wanted to know where we got our gorgeous muu from. This year, the top comment was: you should cut your hair short, it looks really good. Really? This crazy Davey Crockett look is better than what I got going on normally? Not encouraging...

What you talkin' bout' Haruki Murakami?

I am not a fan of Haruki Murakami. I read the Wind-Up Bird Chronicles in college and was not impressed. Generally, I thought he was a weirdo. Still do. But now I know he is a weirdo and a runner. For me, the running part kind of negates everything else.

My favorite part of Runner's World magazine is always the final page, the article called "I'm A Runner". Which is an interview with someone of notoriety who happens to run. Even if I don't particularly care for the interviewee (ehem, Sarah Palin) I can still respect the fact that they run and am immensely curious as to why they run, what they think about when the run, what music motivates them, etc. Murakami's memoir is an extended version of that article. It gets repetitive at points, but it is still an enjoyable read if you are a running enthusiast. Actually, if you have enthusiasm for any sport or hobby, you can find enjoyment in the book. It's really more about finding something you love to do and the journey that it takes you on.

Black is a Stallion

And he is also brilliant.

http://michaelianblack.tumblr.com/

Takara Grapefruit Chu-Hi- A Review

I am no alcohol connoisseur or anything, but here is my review of the Takara brand grapefruit chu-hi I recently purchased from Marukai.

This Japanese malt beverage is akin to a light effervescent paint thinner with a twist of grapefruit. More of a dessert beverage, it pairs well with Krylon, Behr or any commercial grade primer. Serve chilled.

Also, there may have been berry undertones and something about tannins. But there were no grapes, so prolly not.