For those of you that don't remember, I ran my first ever marathon in February of this year. As per my entry of 3/12/05, I suffered a foot injury (a result of running a marathon in Nike running shoes), which later led to a knee injury. So for the last 8 months or so, I did pretty close to no running....until about 2 weeks ago.

Conventional wisdom says that it takes somewhere between 6 months and a year to prepare for a marathon**. I had a simple goal: get in marathon shape in 4 weeks. That's right, on December 5th, I will be running the first ever Newport Beach Marathon. I'm only up to about 15 miles so far, but I've got another 10 days. I'd like to break 4 hours again, but I feel a little slower than I did a year ago. We'll see how it goes.

**As an aside, my father says that this rule only applies to your first marathon, and that after running one you automatically are in marathon shape for at least a year. It's a nice thought, but I can't say that I've ever seen my father run...ever.

One of the millions of disenfranchised voters:

Over the years, I've noticed that if I vote early in the morning, there's coffee and donuts. So I wake up 45 minutes early, arrive at my polling place circa 7:00 AM, ready to do my civic duty...right behind the other 200 people with the same idea.

Excerpts of cell phone conversation after waiting in line for 45 minutes:

Me: Time off to vote?
Boss: What do you mean?
Me: I've been in line for 45 minutes, I'm almost inside.
Boss: I usually vote after work. Next election, if you want to vote before work, you should request a shift change.

Right-o. I'll write that down...request different shift in 4 years. Who the hell keeps the same job for 4 years? Was I being unreasonable? I think not: http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/tovbackeng.pdf

So I get to vote after work today. I really don't even want to vote, but it gives me something to complain about for the next 4 years. Anyway, let's say there were 500 people waiting to vote when I left at 7:45 AM (when most people are at work or asleep). Anybody have a guess on how long this line will be at 5:30 PM?

But none of it really matters, because the world will soon be coming to an end...Tricia's friends have started buying me dinner. Thanks again Alex and Deanne. Come back anytime!

The Real OC???? Is OC weekly going to start a Real OC Watch (to go along with the regular OC Watch)?

Those Orange County Register bastards stole my line:

"I think it will make us look more desirable," Kinsman said. "It could do for us what '90210' did for Beverly Hills. It will glamorize Laguna Beach."

Username: takealotofdrugs
Password: takealotofdrugs

Ooh Baby, It's a Wild World. I think I am most fascinated by the fact that Yusuf Islam founded a Muslim school called, "Islamia". Is it named Islamia after it's founder (Islam) or because of what they study (presumably: Islam)? It boggles the mind. Anyway, so long Cat. We'll miss you, buddy.

Cat Stevens to be deported after jet diversion
WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security officials said Yusuf Islam — formerly known as singer Cat Stevens — will be deported Wednesday after being denied entry to the U.S. Stevens had recently been placed on a government "no-fly" list after U.S. authorities received information indicating associations with potential terrorists, a government official said.

So Nico and I drove down to Dana Point today for the Tall Ships Festival. I was looking forward to touring Spike Africa (AKA: The Tweedle Dee from Joe Vs. the Volcano). Unfortunately, there was absolutely, positively no Spike Africa amongst the numeous ships. Here's a Picture of me steering The Spirit of Dana Point (I think):

Google has not cached my page in months, and I'm no longer searchable at all under: "sailing, tandeming, drugs." You Google people have gotten lazy, now that you're all billionaires. In other news: I've dropped out of the top 10 on Yahoo for the term: "big yellow joint".

My point in all of this is that I have been attempting to court the wrong demographic. I need old people with lots of money to visit my page, and donate to the boat fund>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And what could be better bait than Bobby Darin? That's right, Bobby Darin is making the news again as the subject of a new Kevin Spacey movie. In addition to playing the title character (and singing), Spacey has written, directed and produced this movie. If you don't know who Bobby Darin is, try being 50 years older (or watch A&E biography more often).

Africanized Killer Bees arrive in Orange County!

Now I have been hearing that the killer bees were on their way here since 1980, and I must say: those warnings were rather frightening to an eight year old. It would seem that everyone forgot all about them over the last 10 years...everyone except the bees, who were slowly making their way here. To little fanfare, they attacked last week. Nobody noticed, except for this small blurb in the Orange County Register. According to this article, they've been here since 1999. I had no idea.

Wednesday, August 18, 2004 Santa Ana bees were Africanized

Thousands of bees that boiled from a massive hive in Santa Ana last week were Africanized bees, state tests showed.

State agricultural officials performed DNA tests on the bees, which stung more than a dozen people after children threw rocks at their hive in an apartment building wall. A four-block area was cordoned off Aug. 12 while firefighters doused the estimated 120,000 bees with water. Bee exterminators followed up later.
Orange County was declared fully colonized by Africanized bees in 1999. County Agricultural Commissioner Rick LaFever said the bees' DNA is checked only after multiple-sting incidents. Africanized strains are more aggressive than domestic bees.

– Pat Brennan

I wonder if they eat mosquitoes.

I really hope my tax dollars didn't fund this study.

NEWPORT BEACH — One of the state's priciest cities also has the lowest percentage of residents who identify themselves as multiracial, according to a report released Friday.

As usual, registration to the LA Time website is required...free and worth every penny. Other brilliant article highlights include: "Newport Beach is an expensive place to live..." and: Glendale, at 10.1%, was the "most multiracial," according to the report. The city has a large Armenian population that checked "some other race" and wrote in "Armenian" on the census form, Johnson said.

Did anybody else know they were allowed to write in "Armenian"? These census forms really need an overhaul.

Another reason Arrested Developement is better than The OC:

The Big Yellow Joint! I was thinking I would work on the guitar chords for this brilliant song, but I need a little time away from work...and the other job.

For anybody looking to score some weed at the beach, there is no big yellow joint in Newport. Finding frozen bananas is not difficult.

From the harbormaster's office, head west up the main channel and you'll have Balboa Island on your right. Marine Avenue is the main drag of Balboa and, lined with shops and restaurants, it's notable for two dining delights: the Balboa bar and frozen bananas, both of which are said to have originated there. The Balboa bar is vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate and then rolled in a topping of your choice, while the frozen banana is impaled on a stick and dipped in chocolate. Yum!

I'm only $5,000,000 short of the world's coolest house. If I remember later, I'll post a picture. Until then: http://www.beachcalifornia.com/sunset7.html

A towering home in Seal BeachAn 85-foot-tall former water tower, redesigned as a tri-level residence, has come on the market in Seal Beach, bordering Sunset Beach, at $5 million.The tower, part of the water system of Huntington Beach until 1975, is also being offered in trade. It was originally built in the 1800s to store water for steam engines but was rebuilt for Huntington Beach in 1945. In 1984, it was auctioned off and turned into a home.Gerald Wallace, a retired firefighter, has owned the tower for about 10 years. He refurbished it, installing electric window shades and fire sprinklers.Other features of the tower include a third-floor observation room that doubles as a movie theater and has a 25-foot-long wet bar and a 7-foot retractable table that reveals a fire pit.The tower has two bedrooms and maid's quarters in 2,200 square feet. The kitchen has a dumbwaiter. The ground floor has two-car parking, a spa, skylights and an elevator. There are views of the Pacific Ocean, Huntington Harbour and the San Gabriel River.Mike and Vanessa Colonna at Star Real Estate, Sunset Beach, have the listing.