Sorry for the long absence. I am in the midst of training a dozen pharmacists (minus 1 who is at home, about to deliver triplets). Unfortunately, I am left with little time for blogging at work...and blogging at home feels too much like work.

I should be back to the normal schedule at the end of the month, when the training is done. Until then, here is my Amazon wish list:



I would also like a large bottle of Chopin. Message to Amazon: You cannot call yourself a complete retailer if you don't sell vodka. All my favorite stores sell vodka. Does Beverages and More have wish lists?

Strange women in my house this evening. Are they Rainbow freaks? Is this some late night math study session? Do I dare go downstairs to find out?

Earlier this evening in la clase de Español.

Jessica (to the class): Yo soy mas simpatica que Michael.

Michael (to the class): Yo soy mas guapo que Jessica.

Girl from other side of the room (whose name we don't know) on the way to the parking lot: If you keep that up you're going to be sleeping on the couch.

Jessica: He has a wife.

Save the date.

Thursday, December 21th (marking the end of Spanish 180) sounds like a good night to start "cocktail hour". It's a Newport Beach tradition. We will be needing a martini flag. I will be taking suggestions for the drink of the hour until 12/15/06.

Hey thingnamers, any of you up for another challenge?

I am allergic to mud.

No really, after that last mud pit, I came up sneezing, and did not stop for two days. Nicole was quite angry. "Quit sneezing at me", she might say. "I'm sneezing with you, not at you", I would reply. I suppose I could have taken any one of the numerous OTC pharmaceuticals out there that would probably be useful in the treatment of mud allergy...but I am really not a big supporter of recreational drug use.

No pictures as of now. The photographer was taking a math test, and did not come to spectate. Ed Feaver, who did not want to wait for 10 minutes at the finish line (for the rest of the team)like he did last year, ran the race alone. He did snap a couple of photos of my team at the finish line...I'll post them if I get them. In the meantime, please view last year's post for pictures of me with all the big boss men.

After last week's marathon, I thought a 10k would be no problem. I had forgotten, of course, that a 10k through boot camp is much more difficult than a regular 10k. I should not have volunteered to teach a sailing class immediately afterward.

Hey, that's my (emergency repair) bike shop. I never get a claim check either, and I'm always terrified somebody will walk away with my (unlocked) $6000 bicyle. I really need to stop reading this police blotter.

W. Coast Highway, 4500 block: bicycle theft, Oct. 10. The owner of a 50-year-old Larry Biehl custom-built bicycle brought the bicycle to Chicago Bikes to have repairs done and left it with the shop's owner without obtaining a work order or receipt. He returned a few days later and the owner told the victim that he had put the bicycle in front of the shop with other bicycles and it had been stolen. Estimated loss: $1,000.

The trouble Tate has gotten me into.

Today's post over at stokefire was rather topical. Does J-Sicky fit under "names that don't translate well", or should there be another category: "names that might possibly not transliterate well from another language"? Here's an interesting article from snopes about my former employer.

Tate, do I still owe you $8000? I thought up J-Sickle on my own.

Here is today's retraction:

My apologies to anybody who may have been offended by yesterday’s proposed nickname for our very own Jessica Kwon. As most of you are aware, I speak very little Korean, so hopefully everyone understood that my intent was not to offend anybody.

As an alternative, we were going to go with “J-Sickle” (still a derivation of Jes-sica), but I quickly realized this name may be offensive to residents of the former Soviet Union.



For now, I will be sticking with “ICE” (also a derivation of Jess-ica). The name is ironic, in that Jessica has such a warm personality…and as is not at all icy. Everybody: please try it out today.

A quick response from my new second favorite Korean Pharmacist:

OMG.

J-Sicky does not mean anything.
It’s not the proper pronunciation anyways.
My Korean’s so good I was going to major in it. Haha.
It wasn’t offensive to me.

Why not run a marathon (part II)?

1) Nobody will think it's funny when you ask for the absolute highest bib number...while trying to register two minutes after closing. (2382 was indeed the absolute highest bib number).

2) You could have made $36 teaching sailing.

3) Anybody who tells you that you will be well rested after a week of not running is either wrong or lying; you will be out of shape.

4) The course that is supposed to be on and/or within sight of the ocean 80% of the time will only be in sight of the ocean 20% of the time (unless you are 15 feet tall).

5) So much of the course will be highway on-ramps and overpasses that your knees and/or right calf will be opposed to running past mile 20.

6) You will not feel like accepting the Corona from the guys handing out beer (in front of their house) around mile 21.

7) You will not feel like accepting the Bloody Mary (w/ Grey Goose Vodka) from the Rotary Club around mile 22.

8) Even if your friends, and family, and family bicycle the course ahead of you, it will not feel like a show of support if they are not cheering you on at some point during the race...even when you run by said family and friend's house.

9) All the streets of Long Beach will be shut down, and it will take 2 hours to get home. The car will smell like a locker room; I'm pretty sure it will beNicole.

I guess that's enough complaining. Running 26.2 miles makes me cranky. When I started, I was shooting for 3:30. After 2 miles, I was shooting for 4 hours. After 20 miles, I was shooting for not dying.

Gun Time / Chip Time 4h:28m:55s / 4h:27m:42s

Good enough for 825th place...not bad for a guy with bib #2382.

I stole this picture of Tricia from Nico. Not to worry, she won't be blogging for at least a few months.


And here's me at mile 26.

Uh-oh.

DISTRICT 6 BALBOA PENINSULA
Balboa Boulevard and 24th Street:arrest, Oct. 8. Sean Phillip Childs, 21, of Newport Beach, was arrested on suspicion of riding a bicycle while under the influence.

Why not run a marathon?

The Long Beach Marathon is this weekend, and I was really planning on running it.

Unfortunately:

1) I am nowhere near my planned goal of 3:30...I would guess that I am just under 4 hours (again). That may sound impressive to some of you non-marathon runners, but it's kind of embarrassing when my friends' 60 year old parents are faster than me.

2) It might rain on Sunday; and even if it doesn't, the ground will be wet from Saturday.

3) Nobody is available to teach my sailing class, and unless I win the marathon, I will not be done in time.

4) I suffered a horrible head injury while following ICE (heretofore Snake Woman) out of our Spanish Class yesterday. Ice es antipatica y muy baja. I should have remembered how short she was, when she made it easily under the television that hangs near the door. Being of above average height, I was not so lucky. ICE found my misfortune to be very funny, and allowed me to drive home with a bleeding head wound. I shall never again complain when Nico hits me in the head.