The Dog Days of Summer

I see that it has now been 30 days since my last posting. It would be far much more than I really care to write to recap what has transpired, and as such, I will just give the highlights.

I will start with a mid-year review of sorts regarding annual goals.

Here is what I have accomplished/done so far.
Begin a blog
Begin seriously investing for the future
Learn to Salsa Dance
Attend a sporting event in a corporate suite
Attend the Preakness States
See a game in Camden Yards
Go to the National Aquarium
Visit the Woodrow Wilson museum
Visit the Textile museum
Get hit by a car
Earn first degree in Freemasonry
Complete all 9 stages of Tour duh Hash

And then here is what I am still looking to do before year’s end.

Read 40 books – I have read 19 now and although I am a little behind, I feel I can make up the difference during winter holidays.
Begin graduate studies – Beginning in the fall at George Washington
Run a 10K in less than 40 minutes – Probably looking at doing this in the late fall as well
Top 5 in Beer Mile – Outlook is looking good for this as well
Quit picking finger nails – Admittedly not doing so well with this one
Attend an Opera – Had an opportunity but then had to cancel, will get more chances
Get promoted – Maintain good work performance and looks like a good chance
Be a sports team mascot – I have applied since I have been here to all 4 major sports in the area and I have never even gotten an interview. This is bullshit. So I'm trying to start off in the minor leagues and get some experience before going to the Show. Wish me luck.

So all in all, things are looking good to complete everything on the list right now. So while that is good, I feel like there is no singular, over-arching, crowning achievement on the list. Am I aiming too low? Do I seemingly lack the kind of ambition necessary to get ahead? It is difficult to tell for sure. If anyone has any comments or suggestions, please email me.

I had a physical yesterday and confirmed that I am in excellent health. The doctor even commended me on my proactive approach to personal health. Then what do I do?

Well, last week while running I had something on an epic fall while on a trail in the woods in Georgetown. It was one of those kinds of falls where you dont get your hands or arms out in front of you and you just hit the ground with unabated violence. After the savage wipe out and ascertaining that I was indeed okay, the first thing I did was look around to see if anyone had seen me. Seeing nobody else around, I got back up and limped up the hill. It would not have been all that bad except I was haring a trail and needed my legs under me to outrun the pack of thirsty hashers. In the end, it was a great success and many people let it be known that they wanted to punch Dan, Rob, and I in the face; which, of course, is in the highest echelon of praise for a trail.

John, Leslie, and Carter all came up for the 4th of July here in DC. It was great to see everyone since it means that I will see them more than once this year, and overall improvement of last year by 100%. Aside from a rather nasty ending to Friday night, the weekend was great. I succeeded in wearing them down after a few days, but at the expense of my own energy levels. Since I had to go to work and they didn’t, I feel I got the lesser of the deals…

Since then, its been a little bit of the same ole’ same ole’. Trips to South Carolina, dinner with old school friends, and Tuesday Night Drinking Club have been the highlights of the last couple weeks.

Running has become fun again! After running marathons last year, I was pretty burnt out on running for a while. I have rediscovered this joy though and I love running in the heat even more. I have no idea why I like to finish a run sucking wind and feeling the hammering of your heart running up killer hills. Love it…

I start grad school in August. Neutral feelings on this.

Last weekend was one of those times when you have to take a step back and read the writing on the wall. A potentially disastrous situation in many ways was somehow avoided. I will not expound on this, but I must say that I am a very lucky SOB.

I wish I were better at keeping this current. I don’t really know if anyone ever reads, but if so, I am sorry to fail in staying up to date.

For the first time in a couple months I will have the luxury of kicking back this weekend and taking it easy. To say that I am excited would be an understatement. After an eight week long whirlwind of activity, a couple days to decompress is immensely appealing.

Hasta la proxima folks. Live triumphantly.