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Monday, May 25, 2009

Two Miles: Home Ownership

We have finally moved in, the construction is half way done, and I finally got to jump in the pool.

Happy Memorial Day everyone, today I spent the day mowing the swamp, I mean my overgrown lawn. I haven't done yard work in two years, but today was the day. Got up early, got a hearty breakfast, and down to home depot to pick up oil, a gas tank, and a spark plug. After dusting off the old lawn mower, it was time to start her up. It came to live instantly as if it had been running all this time. I jump on the arduous task of mowing the yard. Lucky for me is not a big yard, so I thought. Turns out its much bigger than I had realized, so I spent a couple of hours mowing and picking up the remainder of the the branches and leaves after six straight days of rain and storms.

The afternoon was occupied by the hedges. My wife really enjoys the view of the water and golf course, so she wanted to have it even clearer so five inches of hedges had to go. A pair of pruning scissors, electric hedge trimmer, scroll saw, and a trip to ace hardware for Lopping Shears and three hours later, the view is magnificent.

After a full day of laboring, there was nothing left to do but go for the two miles. Yeap, the two miles were accomplished at a crawling and painful pace, but done none-the-less. The best part of the two miles is the sense of accomplishment. Just when I thought I couldn't go on, I finished with several laps in the pool, followed by a very relaxing jump into the hot spa.

The bottom line is that we all have goals and lack of energy, lack of time, or otherwise is not an excuse to not get things done. I thought I wanted to buy a house, turns out I just wanted a private pool and spa. I'm glad that we are now homeowners once again and will be even more excited when the renovation is finished and I don't have to climb out of a window to enjoy my backyard.

P.S. We had our first alligator sighting today. As we were cleaning up the tools a nice size gator when swimming past us. I threw a few sticks its way to get it a little excited, but after several minutes the novelty wore off and I got bored.

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Monday, May 18, 2009

2 Miles: Unpacking, rain, and health club

It has been raining non-stop all day today, the wind has started to pick up and I don't see any way to perform my two miles.

We have spend the whole day running errands, back and forth to the old house a few times, and I'm just glad to be out of that place. We have only spend two nights at our new place, but it seems like night and day. I can't believe we lived there for one year, so cramp, yet happily storing cash away.

The rain commence around 10 this morning and has not ceased. They claimed is a northeastern, I'm still not sure what this means, something about the storm coming from the North East, but I'm in the South East ... come on!

I see no option, but to go running at the gym. Gosh, it has been over a month since I step foot in that place. I guess this prove that sometimes there is a need to pay the high premiums for such amenities. I had been going to the gym in the wee hours of the AM until my wife underwent surgery and all exercise activities seemed to had cease soon after until the 2 mile challenge came along.

The place was very crowded, now I remember why we decided to exercise while it was still dark and was hard to roll out of bed. I jumped on the only free treadmill to perform the arduous task. It seems to me that it was just a lot easier to run on the treadmill than on the streets of my neighborhood. I went two miles and decided to extend it to three, finishing at 3.25 miles and 500+ calories burnt.

The bottom line is that when there is a will, there is a way, I needed to do my two miles and I wasn't going to let the bad weather stop me from doing it. It felt cramp and uncomfortable to be doing it at the gym, I don't know what has changed. The place still the same, I was a gym rat before, but seems like nature has change me instead.

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posted by Death is Endless at 8:34 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Sunday, May 17, 2009

2 Miles: Survivor

We survived the move and started finding a place for our things as best we can. Renovations will probably take another month and dust will be flying until then. Therefore there is no sense is rolling anything out till all construction is done.

Even though I found my body with every muscle aching and hurting, I drag myself out for a two mile jog around the neighborhood. I notice how many of the houses have American Flags flying from their mailboxes and find myself wondering if there will be some sort of memorial day parade taking place. I also wondered how come I didn't get the flag memo, or did those jerks who we purchase the home from took a flag that was suppose to be left behind. If that's the case, that's just unpatriotic and they should be ... well I'm not one for ill fated wishes.

The bottom line is that we survive the move and nothing was found broken, except for a few muscle fibers that will recovered. I enjoyed this afternoon jog as it stretched the sore muscles and got me back in track to survive another day. Will see how the survivor finale wraps up. I have to believe that JT will take this season.

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posted by Death is Endless at 9:23 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Saturday, May 16, 2009

2 Miles: Moving Day

Today was a great two miles. I woke up and went for a nice jog which helped clear my head and get prepare for the move ahead.

Movers showed up promptly a few minutes before 8 AM, I was feeling refresh. Two guys showed up in a Ponte Vedra Movers truck. Why is it that movers are always skinny, yet strong and full of stamina? These two fellows got the truck loaded in 3 hours and out and placed in 2 hours.

I was feeling bored and decided to pitched-in with some of the box and bed lifting. All in all not a bad moved. Of course after having moved 19 times, we seem to have it down to a science. This time around though we felt behind as we didn't pack the kitchen and decided to move it on our own.

The bottom line is that if you prepare ahead you can get things done very quickly. The movers were surprised how well prepare we were. Beds had been taken apart, pictures, mirrors, and paintings had already been transplanted, and all miscellaneous items were boxed and ready to rolled.

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posted by Death is Endless at 9:06 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Friday, May 15, 2009

2 Miles: Leg Cramps

Today we went for our two miles, everything seemed fine until we got home. I felt exhausted and quickly dropped to the ground. I recovered, showered and got ready to go to work.

While my short ride in, my thigh muscle started spasming and I had a hard time walking in. I hope I have not cause any damage by doing this two miles everyday.

The bottom line is that I made a commitment to myself doing these two mile exercise walking, jogging, or running routine for two months. A month and a half in I have not missed any days and I'm planning to sticking to my commitment, even if I have to drag myself out there.

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posted by Death is Endless at 9:15 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Thursday, May 14, 2009

2 Miles: Loose Dog

I have commented time and time again on this blog how pets are nice to have, but simply are too much responsibilitiy. It is like having a kid that nevers grow up. This is the case as I saw a dog walking around and it appeared to be lost. This was a cute pooch and it had tags around its neck.

We tried calling it over to take a peek and see if we could return it to its home, but it refuse to approach us and we weren't willing to take a chance at it reacting badly to us.

The bottom line is that if you're going to adopt a pet, make sure that you are fully equiped to take on this responsibility. I felt very badly to see this poor animal running around homeless and obviously quite upset that it could not find its way home. I can also imagine two children asking their parents what happened to their pet. This is simply a lose-lose situation and it happens because somebody decided that they could take on a responsibility they just simply weren't equiped to handle. If this is a pet, imagine what happens to some that do the same and decide to have children when they are also not ready.

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posted by Death is Endless at 9:32 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

2 Miles: Health Club

This morning we were able to get up bright and early. It seems that if we are able to get out of bed when the alarm clock goes off, we are able to quickly get moving and stay motivated to achieve our two miles. As well, it helps that now that Florida has achieve full hotness, it's easier to perform outside activities while is still cooler.

As we were completing our two miles and had slowed our pace, we started to discuss the pros and cons of maintaining a gym membership. We are currently members of World Gym and have enjoyed the membership for a little over a year. When we first signed up we receive a few extra months free as part of a special promotion. We paid the entire year upfront, but now that is time to re-up we are wondering whether we really have used it to justify the price.

It seems that lately we have been performing a lot of our exercise activities outdoors, and haven't really been to the gym in the past two months. Since we live in Florida, we enjoy warm weather for about 10 months with January and February temperatures typically dropping to high 40s and sometimes waking up to some white roofs in the 20s.

The bottom line is that it just doesn't seemed like a great idea to pay for something we can get for free. At first, it was a great motivation to exercise as we were paying for something, that feeling quickly dried up and the reality is that motivation comes from within not by external factors.

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posted by Death is Endless at 11:19 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

2 Miles: Running Shoes

As we got out this morning, I realized that I need new running shoes. My wife is now joining me and has propose to do a 5K by summer end. I'm glad that she has taking on this challenge and has now accompanied me for many of these two miles.

As we were jogging this morning I commented on how my sneakers no longer provide enough support. As we talked further, I realized that the shoes are over 2 years old and is probably time to get a new pair. I logged on to Amazon.com to started doing some research on the subject. I was more than overwhelm, a query for men running shoes, yield over 637 results.

How am I suppose to narrow this down? price, brand, I guess I'm just going to have to take a trip down to a store.

The bottom line is that you just can't find everything online. You may find a particular item, you can read about it, but in reality nothing beats touching and feeling it. This principle not only applies to shoes, but for every good and product in the market. I wonder how many people return things they bought off the net or TV without having been to a store to touch it or feel it? Do things advertise by Billy Mace really work and are these just brilliant pitch men?

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posted by Death is Endless at 10:18 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Monday, May 11, 2009

2 Miles: Asthma

Monday is here again and before I get back to the grind, there is nothing better than starting the day with a two+ mile jog. I truly enjoy jogging/running. It helps me clear my mind, leave all frustrations behind, and more importantly getting that feeling of overcoming obstacles and inabilities.

As a child I suffered from Asthma and spend the fist few years of my life in and out of hospitals. Asthma is a chronic medical condition. In my case it was an onset from both genetics and environmental agents. Because my breathing disorder was attacked at such an allergy age, I have now outgrown complications and haven't had an attack since I was 14. However, because of these respiratory issues I was never able to really participate in sports or overly taxing activities.

I have in recent years, taken up jogging as a way to combat obesity and over time have been able to achieve greater distances to the point where I'm ready to do a 5K. After watching this season of biggest loser, I feel that I should be setting my sights on a marathon, but I'm not there yet.

The bottom line is that if you set your mind to it, you can overcome the greatest of challenges. You need to put yourself in situations that will help achieve your goals. Last year I competed in a "Biggest Loser" challenge and came in on first place by dropping over 30 pounds in a couple of months. This year I will run several 5K, next year I hope to at least build up to running a half marathon. With the support of my wife and friends, I hope to get there.

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posted by Death is Endless at 10:01 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Sunday, May 10, 2009

2 Miles: Packing Sunday

Today we got up early, we have now found that if get out of bed before 9AM on the weekend, the day just seems to go further. I have always been one to stay in bed till noon, but with so many things to do for next week big move, we have got to get our act in gear. Lucky for me I have a great wife who motivates me to push pass my laziness.

Mickler Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach, FLWe walked our two miles on the beach. It is weird how we live in a beach town, yet we hardly ever get out there. It seems like most folks don't get there either. At 9 AM the beach seemed somewhat desolate once we got 1/4 mile past the entrance. It is also nice though cause then you don't have to fight the crowds to do as intended. As we approach our mile mark, a young lady, who was running down the beach pointed to the ocean as a school of dolphins was going by.

The bottom line is that it is very enjoyable to get out and spend some time at the beach. We may have grown accustomed to having it, and like everything take it for granted, but in the few occasions that we do go, is good to know that we can use it, especially since there is no charge, not even to park.

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posted by Death is Endless at 9:39 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Saturday, May 09, 2009

2 Miles: May 7, 8 and 9

Two miles completed, nothing special has happened except that we are now experiencing some difficulties from the folks we purchased our house from. Some people are jerks, liars, and make a sport to see how many people they can deceit.

I saw this people receive a check for almost 200K dollars and they are jerking me around for $500 bucks. If you sign a contract you should know what you are signing, which in short, is an agreement to perform an action, not to perform a different action an try an tweak it to your angle. Being that the wife is a lawyer, I would have expect her to follow the law, not bend it.

The bottom line is that when you sign something, read it, double check it, and ensure that all points are covered. In our case, we labeled that an unit had to be replaced as new, they are arguing the unit is new to the house even though it has a manufacturing date of 2000. WHAT JERKS!!!!!! see you in small claims court bitches!

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posted by Death is Endless at 10:44 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

2 Miles: TPC SAWGRASS

Today we went to the TPC. Our real estate agent was kind enough to give us awesome tickets. They were clubhouse tickets. I been to sawgrass several times, but had never been inside the clubhouse. I have to say although very nice and classy, it looks a lot bigger from the outside, the clubhouse is over 7000 square feet, but it felt crammed due to the way it is layed out.

It was just nice having clubhouse tickets as it was a very hot day to be walking around. We went inside, got some water, and cool off from the almost 100 degrees weather. We sat by the 18th hole green as it was in the shade, had a comfortable breeze and allowed us to see every player go through as they finish in either disappointment or happiness. I had never seen tiger up close, but I wasn't as impressed as I had been on the TV, is funny but TV will do that to you.

We ended our day by walking back to our house which was a little over two miles from the course. It's amazing how big our community really is. I guess when you're driving around, distances just don't seemed that much.

The bottom line is that if you treat individuals as you like to be treated it all comes back. From day one we trusted and treated our realtor as a friend rather than a key to open up houses, as many folks do. We are very happy with the way things have turned out with her and consider her a great friend and invididual. Thanks Mimi!

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posted by Death is Endless at 9:22 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

2 Miles: TPC


Today I got to enjoy a nice afternoon outdoors walking around the Tournament Players Club (TPC) Sawgrass. It was nice to get out and see some golf celebrities swinging the clubs and waking some balls

It was also nice to see that even the pros still hit a ball or two in the water. It is amazing to me that professional players make so much money at these events. Last year's prize purse was 9.5 million dollars of which winner, Sergio Garcia, got 1.71 million. Not a bad payday for 4 days of work. I'm not one to criticize professional players, regardless of the sport. They have a unique ability and get paid as such. It wouldn't be fair for me to state otherwise, is not like I can go out there and do it.



Although, we walked around for what seemed miles, I still decided not to count this as my two miles for the day and got home and decided to hit the pavement for a nice two mile run. I used to hate having to run, but now I look forward to it. It is a challenge, but nothing feels better than to accomplished and succeed any challenge.



The bottom line is that you need to push yourself and achieve every goal you set for yourself. The professionals get paid handsomely for it, but there is no better compensation than extending my life a few years by overcoming the two mile plus challenge each and every day.

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posted by Death is Endless at 8:34 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

2 Miles: Just another tuesday

Today is Tuesday, this morning the two miles were quite difficult. I jumped out of bed at 7AM and almost went back to sleep.

Two miles accomplished and off to work I went to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! I brought a great taco salad prepared by my wife and others brought delicious treats and delights, amongst all some stood out to me like, a very tasty and yummy bean dip, Cuban and Colombian empanadas, and flautas.

We finished them off with fortune cookies, because nothing says Mexico like fortune cookies. We had a great laugh at decoding an anagram of all of our names, and reading off fortune cookies with the traditional "in bed" added to the end.

The bottom line is that even though it's call work, you can still do it while having a good time and sharing laughs with your colleagues. Now I'm going to need ten miles to work off all the calories eaten.

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posted by Death is Endless at 8:51 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Monday, May 04, 2009

2 Miles: Ain't looking for nothing but a good toolbar

Today I went running for my two miles. There was nothing special observed during the run. It was quick and fast paced as I overslept and didn't want to be late to work. Once I arrived at work, I did notice something new, Google has made an improvement to the toolbar.

I was hard at work developing a new calendar application, for this purposes I usually like to have IE open, as it is the most commonly used, although buggy, browser. I launched a new tab, and at first I thought I had launch Chrome, but notice that I was still in IE. The confusion arose because I noticed that instead of the usual blank default page, there was a page offering my most visited sites. I enjoy this feature of Chrome as I do tend to visit about 10 sites regularly. It is nice to see the new addition, although I could see many not liking it and considering it a violation of their privacy, can't make everyone happy.



The bottom line is that Google is always hard at work, and is nice to see a feature that I enjoy in their browser rolled out to the most used and common browser. Now all I need is Google to reset my personalized theme page back to what it was, I do not enjoy all the clutter they have added over the past 8 months.

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posted by Death is Endless at 7:38 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Sunday, May 03, 2009

2 Miles: Sunday

We have now started packing and are excited to be moving in a few weeks. We went over the house, clean the pool, and considered jumping in. It was a beautiful sunny day in Florida, but after moving some odd items into the house, it got to be a little too hot for comfort. I guess this is why the paced is slower down here.

After a small recovery, we walked two miles down a new path and got to enjoy some nice breeze and sunshine happiness.

The bottom line is that although there was nothing note worthy in today's two miles, except that I have already identified my next home, there still enough to write a blog post. How bad is it that I'm already scoping the neighborhood for a next home when I still haven't moved in to this one?

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posted by Death is Endless at 12:49 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Saturday, May 02, 2009

2 Miles: New Home Again

Today we took an afternoon stroll over to our new house. We have started packing and are counting the days until move day. We brought pictures, mirrors, and breakables over to the place and took a look at how the renovations are coming along.

We then took a nice walk around the neighborhood. Although I often state that all houses in Florida look the same, the reality, is than when you walk you notice all the differences. It never cease to amazed me what people consider attractive and choose to display in their yards. I also find it amusing that parents allow their children to play without providing any kind of supervision. During our walk we saw this four young, not yet teens, playing with a golf cart. They drove it up the curb, drove it the wrong direction down the one way street, and were jumping and bouncing on the thing as if it was a trampoline.

We also noticed the major differences between our new neighborhood and our current one. TPC has the same type of foliage as Saw Mill Lakes, but somehow they have managed to provide an environment which brings the individual closer to nature.

Lastly, as we approach our house, we saw and Owl. We saw one at the zoo last week, but, it is so much different to see out in the wild. In captivity, the bird seemed calm, this one was a top of a roof, and seemed to be frightened by four smaller birds that were chirping quite loudly, its head turn almost 360 degrees during the few seconds we observed it, it then took off, but was followed by the four bullies, I can only hope that it was able to get away.

The bottom line is that nature is magnificent. By doing this two miles, I have somehow become closer to my surroundings and have actually began to enjoy the outdoors. Who knows, maybe this experience will help me get over my fear of frogs.

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posted by Death is Endless at 11:44 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Friday, May 01, 2009

2 Miles: Tired but done.

Friday morning I was awaken by ADT Alarms, my colleague set off the alarm at the office. He claims a senior moment, I think otherwise, but prefer not to express it here.

I decided to leave work around 5:15 instead of my usual 6pm or later. I got home and thought about paying the dollar and heading to bed. However, I have too much of a competitive spirit to give in that easy. We pulled it together, threw on the walking shoes and out the door we went.

While discussing future plans, we thought about our new house and the palms trees that surround it. I looked up and saw some that showed some much needed trimming. It is amazing how we drive and walk around and never take in our surroundings. With that thought in mind, I started noticing how most palm trees throughout our walk need trimming. It's hard to think about trimming a palm, they are so tall, but with so many dead leaves still hanging strong all the way on top, how do you trim a palm tree anyways?

The bottom line is that even if you are too tire, look within yourself and you will find it to pull thru. While there, take a closer look at yourself and yoru surrounding, after all we are a product of our surroundings, who knows you may need a little trimming to improve yoursel.

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posted by Death is Endless at 11:07 PM 0 Comments Links to this post