Healthy post CrossFit dinner ideas

Weekly Run

Met up with John for a LSD run this weekend, plugged in 9 miles. We started at his place in Rosslyn and took the Memorial bridge into the District. From there we added a loop to the Capitol to the usual loop and returned via the C&O canal and Key Bridge. Like my last run I felt like my cardio was find but found my feet a little sore from not having any miles on them.

Bronze Lion @ Netherlands Carillion

The rest of the day I ate very healthy. Post run meal was pancakes with sausage links, bacon, and lots of coffee at the Silver Diner. Later in the day we had Chipotle burritos for dinner.

2012 Runs/Miles: 8/35.88

CrossFit WODs: 13

30 days to the Half Marathon

30 days before a half-marathon seems to be the perfect time to start writing about running. Especially if you are playing video games instead of running. So since I only post to this blog once every 2 years a few things have happened. Quick version: came back from deployment, went back to my old company, left my old company, military tour fell through, worked on a campaign, got a new job. Also, started running and ran the Baltimore Marathon and 11 other races in 2011. A little over a month ago I joined a local CrossFit gym/box/affiliate. This summer I want to see if I can combine regular CrossFit workouts with a traditional Hal Higdon marathon training program since I am signed up for the 2012 Marine Corps Marathon. At this point however, starting CrossFit has basically killed my running off, other than a few LSD runs. So if I remember I posted this tomorrow and keep up with it, you can see if I have charted a course for race disaster by trying to combine CrossFit with traditional marathon training, a diet comprised almost exclusively of processed foods, used of tobacco products, regular alcohol consumption, and insufficient sleep.

2012 Runs/Miles: 7/26.86
CrossFit WODs: 12
Last Race: Baltimore Marathon, 4:44:07
Next Race: Rock n Roll USA National Half-Marathon, Washington DC

Rolling Off

So today is my last day at the TSA project I am working on for ICF International, I have been wrapping up my last few projects before leaving for training for the mobilization. I am very gratefully to ICF that I was able to secure a salaried job before graduating from GMU during the heat of the great recession in the winter of 2008. I came to the project with no background in logistics but a promise of a strong analytical mind and I feel I made good on that promise. I learned a lot about logistics, acquisitions, project management, and how the TSA does business in the little over a year I spent working here. I will never walk through an airport again without thinking about the Mean Time Between Critical Failure for the Advanced Technology X-Ray systems being used or how much that new Advanced Imaging Technology machine costs. The public expectations of what the TSA can do are monumental, as they should be, and I have a deeper appreciation for the challenges the government executives and front line TSOs face daily. As a company ICF International, and in particular my VP and managers have been incredibly supportive and I look forward to returning to this project or another in Homeland Security or DOD.

As I pack my duffle bags back up it is finally starting to settle in a bit that I am leaving again for an extended overseas trip. This being my second deployment has its up and downs. I know what to expect in a lot of cases, not that I assume Afghanistan will be anything like Iraq, but I know a lot of the training and experiences will be similar. I am better prepared and hope soldiers who have never been deployed before from our unit can turn to me for advice. I can also start to feel that pang in my stomach that will develop late at night while lying in my cot being away from my wonderful wife. Hopefully where we end up will have a level of connectivity similar to Camp Liberty in Baghdad which allowed me to speak to or instant message my wife and family on an almost daily basis.

On The Road Again

So a lot has happened since my last post. Barack Obama is POTUS, I finished my B.A. in Government & International Politics at GMU, I got a job with a consulting firm where I work with some great people, Mojo & I moved to Pentagon City, etc. The new place is great and being able to walk to work, bars, shopping, metro, being able to drive 2 minutes to a military base (Class VI!!) has been awesome. I am also on the verge of another Army sponsored road trip so I have been busy getting ready for that. Bought a new laptop, new duffel, new holster, all that good stuff. I am confident that my lessons learned from the last deployment will be very helpful this second go-around. More to follow...

Back in the NoVA

Ok, so i have not posted to this blog in quite some time and found that it had been hacked and there were about 100 enlarge your penis/russian bride posts. yay. So I spent the last hour deleting them. For those not in the know I got back from Baghdad this May.

There was a lot of dust, not to much sand other than during high-wind conditions, which sucked because we flew a lot on blackhawks and flights got grounded.

People always ask me, "how was it?" Well I am not in combat arms so I can't tell people about kicking down doors or anything. I can tell you there are a lot of boring times. There were also convoys and rocket/mortar attacks with extreme pucker factor. The food on our base left nothing to be asked for, the food served at the outposts will keep you alive but skinny (however it is never a good idea to criticize it, you never know if you are talking to the cook).

Not being with your family and friends sucks. Attending funerals for people you work and live with sucks. Coming home and trying to figure out how to get your free dental appointment is confusing. Being home you realize how lucky you are to have been born in the United States. Being home is depressing because you realize our guys are still over there, fighting, dying, and everything is business as usual here. I am grateful for the chance to serve however, and will be forever grateful to all those I served with.

Conan O'Brien Debuts Finland Footage March 10

Can't Wait!!!!

Conan O'Brien Debuts Finland Footage March 10
Show Devotes Entire Hour To Air Footage of O'Brien's "State Visit" to Finland

NBC Universal – March 2, 2006

NEW YORK -- After making headlines worldwide for his February visit to Finland and his meeting with look-alike President Tarja Halonen, Conan O'Brien is devoting his entire March 10 episode to show his Finnish travelogue.

A studio audience will join O'Brien as he presents his coverage of his visit.

"Late Night," is wildly popular in the Nordic nation and became somewhat of a political player in the country's current presidential race, specifically due to O'Brien's striking resemblance to Finnish President Halonen. The show aired mock campaign ads endorsing her and has seen an increased number of Finns in the studio audience.

From landing at the Helsinki airport, O'Brien was greeted like a visiting head of state by hundreds of reporters and thousands of avid fans (some with banners reading "Tarja Is Our President But Conan Is Our King"). Over his four-day visit, O'Brien toured around Helsinki meeting fans, taking in the local custom (the sauna) and local culture - an underwear exhibit in the Helsinki's Tennis Palace Art Museum.

In addition, O'Brien and crew winged north to Lapland to take in the wintry splendor of Finland's Arctic Circle territory, visiting native Laplanders' reindeer farms (reindeer outnumber people in Lapland), dog sledding camps, and Santa Claus' reputed home.

In addition, O'Brien met with myriad Finnish media figures. From appearing with Arto Nyberg ("the Finnish Larry King"), to being followed by the Finnish tabloid press and sitting for an interview with two ten-year-old boys, every public appearance by Conan was covered in all its surreal detail by the "Late Night" crews. In addition, "Late Night" goes backstage at the Telvis Awards ("the Finnish Emmys") where O'Brien will receive a special award at the Telvis Awards in Helsinki - the Varipilkku Award - "for the most surprising and most entertaining TV personality in Finland."

Finally, the footage will showcase the main focus of the trip: O'Brien's private Valentine's Day meeting with at the Presidential Palace with his doppelganger, President Tarja

Halonen. The "Late Night" crew captures a new "Helsinki Accord," of sorts.

"Late Night with Conan O'Brien" is from NBC Studios in association with Broadway Video. Lorne Michaels and Jeff Ross are the executive producers. Mike Sweeney is head writer.

Conan O'Brien on NPR (old)

NPR : Late night talk show host Conan O'Brien

While looking for information on when the Finnish-Leader skits will air, I came across this 40+ minute interview with Conan on NPR. I enjoyed it.. I know you will too.

Fresh Air from WHYY, September 8, 2003 · Late night talk show host Conan O'Brien celebrates ten years on the air Sunday September 14, 2003, with a primetime special on NBC. In 1993, he moved into the Late Night host slot when David Letterman went to CBS. Prior to Late Night, O'Brien was a writer for Saturday Night Live and writer and producer for The Simpsons.

Why I am a Democrat - speech by Mark Warner

FORWARD TOGETHER - Gov. Mark R. Warner, Honorary Chair, link to speech

Why I am a Democrat,
by Gov Mark Warner

"...In Washington the last couple of years, we've seen lots of talk, but few results. And we're heading in the wrong direction.

The last time we had a Democratic President, America saw the first budget surpluses in a generation.

Just three years later, the Republicans' own numbers show a future filled with deficits as far as the eye can see.

The last time we had a Democratic President, unemployment fell to record lows. But today it climbs a little higher every month.

The last time we had a Democratic President, the stock market soared. Today, it just sputters.

In 2000, America was promised something called "compassionate conservatism." And you know - that sounded familiar to a lot of us in the South. We had been saying for a long time - balance the budget, but not on the backs of working people.

But they meant something else - and all we got was more of the same....

Virginia hasn't voted for a Democratic President since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. When I ran for Governor, the Republicans controlled both houses in the legislature and every statewide office - and the White House picked our Governor to run the Republican National Committee.

And despite those odds, we won because we built a new coalition of Virginians.

We did that by laying out a message that focused on meeting the needs of an information age economy - a message that stressed economic opportunity, educational opportunities, and fiscal responsibility.

We started with the most loyal Democrats. We said to African Americans and to working people - We know that you have been taken for granted in the past. Those days are over. You will help lead this team.

We said, we're going to bring people together - just like Governor Winter showed us how to do here in Mississippi.

And then we reached out to Virginians in rural communities - to people who hadn't voted for a Democrat in a long, long time. And we asked them to give us a chance.

In a 21st century economy, you can be successful anywhere - if you have a good education and job skills.

We talked about giving young people the chance to get a good job in the place they grew up. Because you shouldn't have to leave your family or your hometown to get ahead.

We said, Virginia will never prosper if all the good jobs are in one area, and other places get left behind.

And then we said something that a lot of people had never thought of - you can like NASCAR - you can like hunting - you can like bluegrass music - and you can still vote for a Democrat.

We did all this because we recognized that if you're going to offer people economic hope, you can't spend all your time talking about the same old social issues that have divided us for too long.

You can't move forward if every discussion is about abortion and guns.

Those are all important issues, and we can't ignore them. But they create passion that often distracts us from more fundamental issues.

And let me say it again - if we can do it in Virginia, we can do it for America.

We have to do it for America. Because America deserves better than failed fiscal policy. America deserves better than an economy that leaves millions of people and whole communities behind.

And Democrats offer better. We offer optimism, and we offer hope for the future.

Now as you might guess, a lot of Republicans and Independents supported us. And since then, a lot of them have asked me, Mark - Why exactly are you a Democrat?

And I just smile. Because if you have to ask, you wouldn't understand.

I am a Democrat because since Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence - and since Jackson spoke for the common man - our party has never been the party of the status quo.
Instead, we have been the ones to see a challenge - and do something about it. Let's be honest - it hasn't always worked perfectly. Sometimes it has gotten us in trouble. Sometimes it has split us apart. But sometimes, those are the wages of progress.
And yet, I am a Democrat because the greatest and most noble political experiments of our time had their birth in our party.
I am a Democrat because the New Deal literally saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans.
I am a Democrat because a generation after a Democratic president started the Peace Corps, you can still find faded photographs of John F. Kennedy on the walls of homes from South Africa to South America.
I am a Democrat because fighting for working men and women is always the right fight.
I am a Democrat because our party led the struggle for civil rights and because we recognize that discrimination and bigotry are not dead - and that we must continue to seek equal opportunity for all.
I am a Democrat because despite our failures, our missteps, and our excesses - we know that waging a war on poverty does not mean fighting the individuals who are poor.
I am a Democrat because we know that today's battle is about the future versus the past - and it's time to put aside yesterday's battles of us versus them.
I am a Democrat because we know that criticizing success won't create a single job.
And most of all, I am a Democrat because when my three daughters go out into the world to make their lives, I want them to find a world where there's less hopelessness - less selfishness - and less violence.

I want them to find a world where there is more opportunity - more understanding - and more hope.

That is the mission of this party.

That is what we work for.

That is why we get up every morning.

That is why we're here tonight.

And our work is not done."

certified badass

Congrats on your transfer to FORCE Recon Tommy!

9-11

3 year anniversary of a horrible day in our collective history. R.I.P. all those who died in the terrorist attacks.

In other news, today was my first drill with my reseve unit

- post modified by owner -

IN THE ARMY NOW!

Well, pretty big news. Yesterday I swore into the US ARMY Reserves. I ship out January 18th!