After getting home and talking to Rachel about what I was doing, we went on the website and I have a little more information.
Keep in mind this information is subject to change, so don't take any of this as being set in stone, but it's accurate as of right now.
First off, I'm not sure if the course map is accurate since it still says in the corner "coming soon," but there is a layout available when you click on "Ohio II." The obstacles are placed over a 5k course.
The first obstacle is called "Hay Fever" and requires climbing over stacks of hay. The second obstacle is called "Barricade Breakdown" and it requires you to climb over and under barricades. The third obstacle is called "Arachnophobia," which needs to weave through tangled ropes. The fourth obstacle is "Slithering Swamp," which is just what it sounds like. You get to traverse through murky water. The fifth obstacle is called "Rubber Ricochet," which is a rubber jungle you have to get through. The sixth obstacle is called "Great Warrior Wall," which will probably require the assistance of others running the course. The seventh obstacle is called "Teetering Traverse," which is another obstacle that will probably kill me. The eight obstacle is called "Cargo Climb," which is climbing up over cargo nets. The ninth obstacle is called "Blackout," which requires you to maneuver through a pitch-black environment. This means I'll be facing my claustrophobia fear head-on. The last obstacled is "Mud Mayhem," which is crawling through a lot of mud.
The other piece of information I wanted to outline was the donation levels. I'll be raising money for St. Jude, and depending on how much money I raise determines what I earn the day of the event. As before, this is based off of information based on the website, so it's subject to change.
$100 - St. Jude Tube Bandana
$250 - Free food and drinks, private showers and bathrooms, and private bag check.
$500 - St. Jude Bag
$1,000 - Sports headphones
Additionally, if I'm able to collect 12 or more donations of $25, I'll be eligible for a trip for two to the 2013 Warrior Dash event in Australia.
In any case, I'm not raising money to win a prize, I'm donating because it's a good cause and this is the first time I'll be raising money for anything, so when I get the information I need, I hope anyone who can donate will donate something.
When I have more information, I'll pass it along both in the blog and on my facebook page.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
The Sports Mixer: The Penn State debacle and the state of our teams
I've thought an awful lot about the Penn State mess.
If you somehow don't know what I'm talking about, please go Google it or go to ESPN.com and read about what happened. It's too much to rehash and quite frankly, the details of the punishment aren't important to me at this point.
What I will talk about is how this affects the current student athletes who play football there.
Yes, there are other people affected by the actions of Jerry Sandusky besides the kids whose lives he completely ruined when they were children. There's more to this than what Joe Paterno did or didn't know, what it did to his legacy, and how much it tarnished a previously squeaky-clean university.
That said, what did happen was horrific. No child should ever have to endure abuse of any sort. No child should have to live with it. No person should ever try to cover up what he/she or anyone else did. That might be the worst thing in all of this; that people at the school knew something was amiss and did nothing to stop it all to protect their glorious football program.
Believe me. It makes me sick.
The school should be punished. Paterno's statue should've been removed as they did. All these people crying out about Paterno's legacy need to stuff a sock in it. All evidence points towards him hiding what was going on. I don't care how many national champions a coach wins, how many games he wins, how many NFL players his school produced, you hide child abuse of any kind, you don't deserve any of your accolades.
I agree with the $60 million fine. I agree that Paterno loses the victories earned during the years the abuse was going on.
That's about all I agree with.
The players who played those years should still be able to hold onto those wins, their accomplishments. The players on the team now should be able to experience the victories they earn and if they earn a bowl berth, should be allowed to participate in one.
I get the bowl ban. I do. It's designed to punish the school by making it less desirable to play there. Same with the scholarship bans. It's to discourage people from playing there, thus hurting the football team. I do get it.
I just don't agree with it.
You want to hurt the football program and those who helped cover this up? Fine. Go after them. Don't hurt the kids who want to play there. For some, Penn State is the only place they ever wanted to go to. You've now taken away any chance for them to look back and say "hey, I won a title," or "hey, I played in that bowl game and we were awesome!"
I think the bowl ban should be lifted. Let Penn State play in a bowl game if they earn it. Make them have to earn an extra win if you want. We all know the bowl games are money machines, so if you want to hurt Penn State, let them play in the bowl game but don't let them have the money that would normally be given to them. Instead, have it donated to sexual abuse programs and things along those lines. The coaches don't get paid for the bowl game either.
You want to reduce scholarships? Fine. Just don't reduce it by so many. 20 is a big number in the long run and hurts the depth. Make it 10 and at least the kids have some depth behind them.
Remember, this isn't just about the adults running the school and the program, this is also about the current students and anyone who's dreamed of playing there. Don't take that away from them.
Sure, you can argue they can transfer anywhere they want with no penalty, but it's July 31st. The chances of them latching on elsewhere and learning a new playbook are just not very good at all.
I'm not saying Penn State shouldn't have been hit hard, I just think the NCAA needs to be a little more thoughtful with how it punishes schools.
The local scene
I really don't even want to talk about the Indians right now. It seems like a carbon copy of last year. Fight and fight til the All-Star break, then fall apart in the second half.
*sigh*
They take 2 out of 3 from the Detroit Tigers, including a stunning four-run rally in the seventh inning against Justin Verlander. They follow that up how? By getting swept by the last place Minnesota Twins?
Not only that, they were completely dismantled in the series on both sides of the field. They couldn't pitch, they couldn't hit, and they couldn't field. Just sloppy.
I keep holding out hope that they're going to get hot and make a run, but it seems like they're going the other way. I don't know what to say really. I'm still going to watch, but it's just hard to imagine them passing both the Tigers and the Chicago White Sox by the end of the season.
The Cavs have been quiet since the Summer League ended with them absolutely blowing the New York Knicks away. There were some trade rumors for a while involving the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic where the Cavs would get Andrew Bynum, but that really never took off as it has become clear neither Bynum or Dwight Howard are interested in signing extensions, something the receiving teams are asking before they make any trade.
Bynum would be an interesting addition if they were able to nab him, but his character is always in question, as is his durability. I would wonder what he would be like taken out of a major market and dropped into Cleveland without the same level of talent around him in Lakerland. Sure, Kyrie Irving would make the transition easier, but I remember what happened when Shawn Kemp came to Cleveland several years prior to the LeBron era.
As is, the Cavs are probably going to be quiet the rest of the summer. I just don't see them making a huge, splashy move.
The Browns have been all over the news since the draft. First it was the selection of Brandon Weeden in the first round that caused people to nearly riot. Then there was the supplemental selection of Josh Gordon, whose previous incidents at both Baylor and Utah have caused some scrutiny, although many believe he was a risk worth taking, especially given the state of their receiving corps.
Then came the usual optimism. Weeden's arm looked lively. Greg Little was catching the ball. MoMass looked sharp. Gordon has looked good. Trent Richardson is running everyone over. The defense is demolishing the offense in the drills despite all that.
What?
I've never understood training camp talk. We hear how great everyone looks on one side of the ball, then the reporters are talking about how much better the other side was looking. Look, the defense is ahead of the offense. Always is. Jabaal Sheard should be running circles around rookie offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz. Joe Haden should be able to read where Weeden is going with the ball. These aren't surprising things (especially since both are outstanding defensive players). What's encouraging is Haden is telling his rookie QB that he's staring his receivers down, giving the defensive backs a chance to jump the route.
Oh, and then there was the story of Pittsburgh Steelers minority owner Jimmy Haslam in talks to buy a majority stake in the Browns from current owner Randy Lerner (last rumor was Lerner keeps 30% of ownership). Nothing creates talk of stability like bringing in a new owner right at the start of training camp. No distraction there.
The hope is that the new owner, if the sale is approved, decides to keep things intact since most would say the Browns are finally building a pretty decent team on both sides of the ball. Tom Heckert said it was a 5 year plan in we're entering year 3 of that and progress is being made.
The last thing the team needs is for the entire thing to be torn down again. Fans might not be able to take another rebuild.
If you somehow don't know what I'm talking about, please go Google it or go to ESPN.com and read about what happened. It's too much to rehash and quite frankly, the details of the punishment aren't important to me at this point.
What I will talk about is how this affects the current student athletes who play football there.
Yes, there are other people affected by the actions of Jerry Sandusky besides the kids whose lives he completely ruined when they were children. There's more to this than what Joe Paterno did or didn't know, what it did to his legacy, and how much it tarnished a previously squeaky-clean university.
That said, what did happen was horrific. No child should ever have to endure abuse of any sort. No child should have to live with it. No person should ever try to cover up what he/she or anyone else did. That might be the worst thing in all of this; that people at the school knew something was amiss and did nothing to stop it all to protect their glorious football program.
Believe me. It makes me sick.
The school should be punished. Paterno's statue should've been removed as they did. All these people crying out about Paterno's legacy need to stuff a sock in it. All evidence points towards him hiding what was going on. I don't care how many national champions a coach wins, how many games he wins, how many NFL players his school produced, you hide child abuse of any kind, you don't deserve any of your accolades.
I agree with the $60 million fine. I agree that Paterno loses the victories earned during the years the abuse was going on.
That's about all I agree with.
The players who played those years should still be able to hold onto those wins, their accomplishments. The players on the team now should be able to experience the victories they earn and if they earn a bowl berth, should be allowed to participate in one.
I get the bowl ban. I do. It's designed to punish the school by making it less desirable to play there. Same with the scholarship bans. It's to discourage people from playing there, thus hurting the football team. I do get it.
I just don't agree with it.
You want to hurt the football program and those who helped cover this up? Fine. Go after them. Don't hurt the kids who want to play there. For some, Penn State is the only place they ever wanted to go to. You've now taken away any chance for them to look back and say "hey, I won a title," or "hey, I played in that bowl game and we were awesome!"
I think the bowl ban should be lifted. Let Penn State play in a bowl game if they earn it. Make them have to earn an extra win if you want. We all know the bowl games are money machines, so if you want to hurt Penn State, let them play in the bowl game but don't let them have the money that would normally be given to them. Instead, have it donated to sexual abuse programs and things along those lines. The coaches don't get paid for the bowl game either.
You want to reduce scholarships? Fine. Just don't reduce it by so many. 20 is a big number in the long run and hurts the depth. Make it 10 and at least the kids have some depth behind them.
Remember, this isn't just about the adults running the school and the program, this is also about the current students and anyone who's dreamed of playing there. Don't take that away from them.
Sure, you can argue they can transfer anywhere they want with no penalty, but it's July 31st. The chances of them latching on elsewhere and learning a new playbook are just not very good at all.
I'm not saying Penn State shouldn't have been hit hard, I just think the NCAA needs to be a little more thoughtful with how it punishes schools.
The local scene
I really don't even want to talk about the Indians right now. It seems like a carbon copy of last year. Fight and fight til the All-Star break, then fall apart in the second half.
*sigh*
They take 2 out of 3 from the Detroit Tigers, including a stunning four-run rally in the seventh inning against Justin Verlander. They follow that up how? By getting swept by the last place Minnesota Twins?
Not only that, they were completely dismantled in the series on both sides of the field. They couldn't pitch, they couldn't hit, and they couldn't field. Just sloppy.
I keep holding out hope that they're going to get hot and make a run, but it seems like they're going the other way. I don't know what to say really. I'm still going to watch, but it's just hard to imagine them passing both the Tigers and the Chicago White Sox by the end of the season.
The Cavs have been quiet since the Summer League ended with them absolutely blowing the New York Knicks away. There were some trade rumors for a while involving the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic where the Cavs would get Andrew Bynum, but that really never took off as it has become clear neither Bynum or Dwight Howard are interested in signing extensions, something the receiving teams are asking before they make any trade.
Bynum would be an interesting addition if they were able to nab him, but his character is always in question, as is his durability. I would wonder what he would be like taken out of a major market and dropped into Cleveland without the same level of talent around him in Lakerland. Sure, Kyrie Irving would make the transition easier, but I remember what happened when Shawn Kemp came to Cleveland several years prior to the LeBron era.
As is, the Cavs are probably going to be quiet the rest of the summer. I just don't see them making a huge, splashy move.
The Browns have been all over the news since the draft. First it was the selection of Brandon Weeden in the first round that caused people to nearly riot. Then there was the supplemental selection of Josh Gordon, whose previous incidents at both Baylor and Utah have caused some scrutiny, although many believe he was a risk worth taking, especially given the state of their receiving corps.
Then came the usual optimism. Weeden's arm looked lively. Greg Little was catching the ball. MoMass looked sharp. Gordon has looked good. Trent Richardson is running everyone over. The defense is demolishing the offense in the drills despite all that.
What?
I've never understood training camp talk. We hear how great everyone looks on one side of the ball, then the reporters are talking about how much better the other side was looking. Look, the defense is ahead of the offense. Always is. Jabaal Sheard should be running circles around rookie offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz. Joe Haden should be able to read where Weeden is going with the ball. These aren't surprising things (especially since both are outstanding defensive players). What's encouraging is Haden is telling his rookie QB that he's staring his receivers down, giving the defensive backs a chance to jump the route.
Oh, and then there was the story of Pittsburgh Steelers minority owner Jimmy Haslam in talks to buy a majority stake in the Browns from current owner Randy Lerner (last rumor was Lerner keeps 30% of ownership). Nothing creates talk of stability like bringing in a new owner right at the start of training camp. No distraction there.
The hope is that the new owner, if the sale is approved, decides to keep things intact since most would say the Browns are finally building a pretty decent team on both sides of the ball. Tom Heckert said it was a 5 year plan in we're entering year 3 of that and progress is being made.
The last thing the team needs is for the entire thing to be torn down again. Fans might not be able to take another rebuild.
It might kill me...
But I'm going to do it anyway.
Before I divulge the details of what I'm going to embark on next month, let me start by saying that I know it's been a while since I've written. Things have been busy and aren't going to slow down in the next few months. I've been working out several times a week, doing things with Rachel on the weekend, and keeping busy other times with various things.
Yesterday began an 8 week fitness class, which should help me prepare for what I'm going to do. It was quite the contrast from what I'd normally do in a workout, but it's also what I need to do. I can run with no issue and lift moderately heavy weights with no issue, but flexibility and overall fitness was something I was concerned with.
After yesterday, I'm convinced that in 8 weeks, I'll be in the best shape of my life. On the days I don't go to the class, I intend to continue with my regular workouts in my attempt to get stronger, as well as continue to run regularly.
What is getting me to do this? One, Rachel just finished the class and raved about it, even as she talked about how she was dying afterwards. Two, I tend to watch a lot of videos on youtube by a guy named Paul (www.youtube.com/paulsoaresjr) who primarily plays Minecraft and records his various adventures in the game. During one of his more recent videos, he talked about the Tough Mudder that he participated in. For those who don't know, click on the link. In essence, it's a 10-12 mile run/obstacle course that isn't for the faint of heart.
No, I'm not doing that.
But after talking to Rachel about it, she brought the Warrior Dash, a similar event, just not quite as long. The obstacles are just as daunting however and while looking at it, decided it was something I wanted to attempt before taking on the Tough Mudder, possibly next year. At the time, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to register though because slots were filling up quickly and extra money hasn't exactly been laying around.
That said, as of today, I'm registered for the event on August 26th at 12:30pm. I already know one other person who's going to be participating and there's the possibility that Rachel will sign up as well, although she isn't sure as of this writing.
That's right, I'm going to be running in the Warrior Dash. That's not all though. I don't have a lot of details yet, but I'm going to be raising money for St. Judes as well. The initial goal is to raise $250. How it all works, I'm not sure yet. I have to wait to hear from a representative about that. Once I do I'll have more information up in here as well as on my facebook page.
I figured I wasn't going to be able to donate much, so I'll do this instead and see if people want to help in that manner. $250 is a small amount, but it's a good cause and if I get lucky, I might even be able to raise a little more than that.
At this point, I'm not going to worry about where I finish. I just want to be able to say I finished the event and by the end of next summer, say I finished the Tough Mudder as well.
The next few months are going to be hectic. I can't promise a lot of writing even though I've had a ton of ideas, so there might be moments where a bunch of posts go up at once with a lot of dead time in between.
Look for some sports posts, memory posts, and a couple of really random posts as well in the next few weeks, especially as I get closer to my death, er, dash.
Sites referenced:
Paul's Youtube page
Warrior Dash
Tough Mudder
Minecraft
Before I divulge the details of what I'm going to embark on next month, let me start by saying that I know it's been a while since I've written. Things have been busy and aren't going to slow down in the next few months. I've been working out several times a week, doing things with Rachel on the weekend, and keeping busy other times with various things.
Yesterday began an 8 week fitness class, which should help me prepare for what I'm going to do. It was quite the contrast from what I'd normally do in a workout, but it's also what I need to do. I can run with no issue and lift moderately heavy weights with no issue, but flexibility and overall fitness was something I was concerned with.
After yesterday, I'm convinced that in 8 weeks, I'll be in the best shape of my life. On the days I don't go to the class, I intend to continue with my regular workouts in my attempt to get stronger, as well as continue to run regularly.
What is getting me to do this? One, Rachel just finished the class and raved about it, even as she talked about how she was dying afterwards. Two, I tend to watch a lot of videos on youtube by a guy named Paul (www.youtube.com/paulsoaresjr) who primarily plays Minecraft and records his various adventures in the game. During one of his more recent videos, he talked about the Tough Mudder that he participated in. For those who don't know, click on the link. In essence, it's a 10-12 mile run/obstacle course that isn't for the faint of heart.
No, I'm not doing that.
But after talking to Rachel about it, she brought the Warrior Dash, a similar event, just not quite as long. The obstacles are just as daunting however and while looking at it, decided it was something I wanted to attempt before taking on the Tough Mudder, possibly next year. At the time, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to register though because slots were filling up quickly and extra money hasn't exactly been laying around.
That said, as of today, I'm registered for the event on August 26th at 12:30pm. I already know one other person who's going to be participating and there's the possibility that Rachel will sign up as well, although she isn't sure as of this writing.
That's right, I'm going to be running in the Warrior Dash. That's not all though. I don't have a lot of details yet, but I'm going to be raising money for St. Judes as well. The initial goal is to raise $250. How it all works, I'm not sure yet. I have to wait to hear from a representative about that. Once I do I'll have more information up in here as well as on my facebook page.
I figured I wasn't going to be able to donate much, so I'll do this instead and see if people want to help in that manner. $250 is a small amount, but it's a good cause and if I get lucky, I might even be able to raise a little more than that.
At this point, I'm not going to worry about where I finish. I just want to be able to say I finished the event and by the end of next summer, say I finished the Tough Mudder as well.
The next few months are going to be hectic. I can't promise a lot of writing even though I've had a ton of ideas, so there might be moments where a bunch of posts go up at once with a lot of dead time in between.
Look for some sports posts, memory posts, and a couple of really random posts as well in the next few weeks, especially as I get closer to my death, er, dash.
Sites referenced:
Paul's Youtube page
Warrior Dash
Tough Mudder
Minecraft
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
see what had happened was....
I was going to write a blog post yesterday.
I had a couple of ideas of what to write about.
I really was.
Then I was invited to Pinterest.
See, what had happened was, I started pinning things, then next thing I knew, I didn't have time to write.
So I pinned some more.
For a minute, I thought I would have an issue. Not with pinning, but with when I was going to get to at home since Rachel is always on the site pinning stuff.
Luckily, with the lovely ipod that she gave me for our anniversary, I found an app. So problem solved.
Except for the blog.
Whoopsy.
I had a couple of ideas of what to write about.
I really was.
Then I was invited to Pinterest.
See, what had happened was, I started pinning things, then next thing I knew, I didn't have time to write.
So I pinned some more.
For a minute, I thought I would have an issue. Not with pinning, but with when I was going to get to at home since Rachel is always on the site pinning stuff.
Luckily, with the lovely ipod that she gave me for our anniversary, I found an app. So problem solved.
Except for the blog.
Whoopsy.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The 2 & 1/2 year-old just licked me
There are times when you're not sure how to title a brief blog post.
Then Payton came over and randomly licked my wrist, therefore solving the issue of what to title this post.
This is just a quick update to let everyone know about some blog ideas that I have for the near future....and I just was licked again by both Rachel and Payton, then tickled relentlessly before running Payton after Rachel and tickling her on the bed.
Now they're painting nails.
Things really happen fast around here sometimes.
Now, where was I?
Oh yeah, blog posts. I will be blogging more about the current Tribe season (at least when I get the chance to watch them), about the Cavs in free agency, and about the Browns training camp. That will cover the sports mixer portion. I'm also going to be blogging about Minecraft and how it's sucked me in, along with a YouTube channel that I have been following for a while about a guy who is very, very good at the game, plays with his wife and kids, and makes even the most mundane video interesting.
I'm limiting work posts to a blog I privately maintain unless it's something I certain won't cause issues.
In terms of memory posts, I have plenty of material to work with, it's just a matter of remembering things and getting the thoughts onto paper so when I write, I have something I can check to make sure I'm getting the story straight.
There will certainly be other posts that come along, especially since a lot has been going on this summer already (can you believe it's already July?), including baseball games, workouts in the park, trips to the pool/beach, trips to Cedar Point, and other summertime activities that we are going to undertake.
This weekend in fact has been an example of how busy things can get. Friday night we went to the Rascal Flatts show (very entertaining show but even more entertaining walk back to the Jeep), Saturday there was an adventurous inventory followed by a nice, long run at night. Today we went for a lengthy walk with Shenzie, I worked out twice, and we both got a run in before the storm hit and Payton came home.
I'm trying to get caught up on all the stuff before I post it, plus post in my pharmacy blog and my latest addition, a blog over at Game Informer that I intend to use more for video game related stuff, which means the video game section on this blog may get replaced with a different section.
I haven't decided yet.
I hope everyone's enjoying their summers and enjoys what I write when I do find time to write.
Now, back to the excitement here.
Then Payton came over and randomly licked my wrist, therefore solving the issue of what to title this post.
This is just a quick update to let everyone know about some blog ideas that I have for the near future....and I just was licked again by both Rachel and Payton, then tickled relentlessly before running Payton after Rachel and tickling her on the bed.
Now they're painting nails.
Things really happen fast around here sometimes.
Now, where was I?
Oh yeah, blog posts. I will be blogging more about the current Tribe season (at least when I get the chance to watch them), about the Cavs in free agency, and about the Browns training camp. That will cover the sports mixer portion. I'm also going to be blogging about Minecraft and how it's sucked me in, along with a YouTube channel that I have been following for a while about a guy who is very, very good at the game, plays with his wife and kids, and makes even the most mundane video interesting.
I'm limiting work posts to a blog I privately maintain unless it's something I certain won't cause issues.
In terms of memory posts, I have plenty of material to work with, it's just a matter of remembering things and getting the thoughts onto paper so when I write, I have something I can check to make sure I'm getting the story straight.
There will certainly be other posts that come along, especially since a lot has been going on this summer already (can you believe it's already July?), including baseball games, workouts in the park, trips to the pool/beach, trips to Cedar Point, and other summertime activities that we are going to undertake.
This weekend in fact has been an example of how busy things can get. Friday night we went to the Rascal Flatts show (very entertaining show but even more entertaining walk back to the Jeep), Saturday there was an adventurous inventory followed by a nice, long run at night. Today we went for a lengthy walk with Shenzie, I worked out twice, and we both got a run in before the storm hit and Payton came home.
I'm trying to get caught up on all the stuff before I post it, plus post in my pharmacy blog and my latest addition, a blog over at Game Informer that I intend to use more for video game related stuff, which means the video game section on this blog may get replaced with a different section.
I haven't decided yet.
I hope everyone's enjoying their summers and enjoys what I write when I do find time to write.
Now, back to the excitement here.
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