Friday, February 29, 2008

Flight to to Zurich was pretty smooth and because of the strong tail winds, we actually got in 1 hour early. I got to take a look around the airport, thier are a lot of shops selling chocolate and watches, as you would expect. I am now in Slovenia a little tired but happy to be here. It is much warmer than in New York, so that is nice. Will post when I can.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Well it's a bit of a cold goodbye. The temperature this morning was 18 F ( -8 C ) with the wind it feels like 3F ( -16 C ), so it felt pretty cold when I was out there running my 5k.
I am pretty well set to go, just a little more packing. I always think I haven't packed enough and when I'm there I think I have too much. I have to be prepared for all kinds of weather, but at the moment I hear that it's quite warm.
I will post when I can. Will be back in New York in the Spring.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Last day at work this winter. Tomorrow I switch winter in New York for winter in Europe.
The late night of a couple of nights ago seems to have thrown my sleep patterns off, I had no problem waking up this morning, but was kind of sleepy all day. The did however go by quite quickly. Of course tomorrow when I fly to Europe my sleep patterns will change again, but then my focus will not be on going to work.
I have a lot of loose ends to tie up before I leave, which I will hopefully do tonight and tomorrow morning.
My run started off a bit laboured this afternoon, but ended quite well.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

For one reason or another I got to bed late last night and as a result I only got 3 1/2 hours of sleep.I got through the day at work OK though. On the way home I did buy a new travel bag, one of those that looks more like a suitcase. When I did get home I thought maybe the one I got was a little too big, but as long as when I fill it with stuff it doesn't weigh a ton, I'm OK.
I felt really tired when I went for my run so I only did 1 1/2 miles, don't want to get injured before my trip.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Well I ran 5 more miles in the afternoon yesterday which gave me a total of 17 for the day, just like last Sunday. Later in the evening I had a craving for ice cream, so I went to Baskin & Robins and got 2 scoops, it was yummy. Though I think as a result I had a crazy dream last night. I dreamed that I was in some kind of race and I had a chance to win it, but in order to finish the race I had to take a C130 transport plane over some mountains to the start of the final lap. I woke up before I finished.
We had nice weather today in New York, a little warmer. I did feel my legs when I was out running, but it felt good.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

I finally got to see the Hippy Nuts perform last night. It wasn't the whole band just Kathena and Tim, but they were great. They played at a place called Banjo Jim's on 9th St and Avenue C. It was actually to celebrate Harvey's birthday, a friend of there's.
Utpal had a medical procedure yesterday and didn't feel well enough to go for a long run this morning, so I was on my own. You can see from the photo that there was quite a lot of snow out there, but sunny.
I ran 12+ miles, making our usual stop at 7 eleven, but for only 1 hot chocolate this morning, I did discover that they have mini marshmallows though.
On the way back I remembered some thing Utpal said 2 weeks ago, that we don't see any Birch trees in Queens, I said there are some. So he challenged me to find 2 on the way home, I did in fact find 3, all on the same street.
Well with just 4 days to go I am actually getting excited about my up coming trip.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Well even though the course seemed to be pretty much cleared of snow, the 2 mile race did not take place this morning. I'm not exactly sure why but the race officials didn't turn up. I went out for a 3 mile run anyway and plan to go out for another one this afternoon.
I've spent some of the morning and early afternoon listening to six nations rugby on the BBC. Otherwise it's been a lazy day for me, I guess we need the odd lazy day now and then.

Friday, February 22, 2008

When I left for work this morning everything was covered in snow. There was about 2" ( 5cm ) on the ground. At 5:30 in the morning there is a profound silence as the snow falls.
By the time I got out for a run in the afternoon there had been a change over to light rain. It was a little warmer and there seemed to be a slow melt going on. The streets were slushy and puddles that I ran through were icy cold.
I must say there is a little concern about going into Serbia in about 3 weeks time, but I've been in that region before when things are going on and been OK. There usually is a little tension, but I do have some Serbian blood in these veins, so that probably counts for something.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

I had a good day at work, even though it's a bit slow at the moment. That just gives me a chance to catch up on some of the little things I don't have time for when we're really busy.
The walk home was nice, a little cold but bright sunshine and blue skies. Funny though I had a poem come to me and it was about Death, I think it was kind of positive though. After I came back from my run later, I got a poem about Promises. I am getting pretty close to completing my latest collection of poems.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

I got an e mail from my cousin Romina in Serbia last night, it seems that my cousin Jelena ( the one who's wedding I attended 17 months ago ) is pregnant. So that of course is good news. I am not sure if I will be able to visit with her on my upcoming trip, but I certainly send her my congratulations.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

I got to try out my new MP3 player today at work. It's a Creative Zen V Plus 4 GB player. I loaded about 1 GB of music onto it. It's so small and light and comes with it's own soft pouch. I'm still getting used to the controls, but it sounds great.
Somehow I have decided that this week is going to be a kind of recovery week for my running, since I felt so tired yesterday. So I have just run 3 miles each of the last 2 days, it felt good today.
I have to file my taxes before I leave for Europe next week.

Monday, February 18, 2008

It's Presidents day here in the US, which is a combination of the birthdays of Lincoln and Washington.
When I went out this morning it wasn't raining but there was evidence that it had. When I was half way to work the heavens opened and although I had an umbrella I got wet.. Later it was much nicer with some sunshine.
I talked with my cousin in Croatia and he is happy to have me stay with him when I go there in a few weeks.
In the afternoon my new MP3 player, that I bought on Friday from Newegg.com arrived by UPS and I got it up and running. Which is exactly what I did, as I went out for 3 miles with tired legs from yesterday.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

With the temperature just around freezing, Utpal and I set off for our Sunday run. We ran the same route as last week to begin with, but had decided to add some extra miles. At the Shea Stadium, Citi Field site we we headed off in a different direction only to find we couldn't get to where we wanted. After working our way back to somewhere we knew, we took another turn. This one proved to be better and we came home after doing about 14 miles.
I had some breakfast and a little nap, relaxed for a while and then went out again. This time running 3 miles at an easy pace, but with tired legs. So another solid week.

Saturday, February 16, 2008


This is Sadhak performing at Stain in Brooklyn last night. We stopped in the village for him to meet his new booking agent on the way.
It was a cold 2 mile run this morning. ran the first mile in 7:53, second in 7:54, for a finishing time of 15:47 which I was quite happy with. Since I upped my mileage my legs are a little tired, but they seemed to come back in the last 1/2 mile. My form was quite good and I really felt like I was racing.
FA Cup 5th round today and the shocker was Barnsley beating Liverpool 2-1 with a last minute goal. Cardiff beat Wolves, West Brom beat Coventry. So there 3 Championship teams left in the final 8.

Friday, February 15, 2008

First of all I woke up on time this morning. When I stopped in for my hot chocolate and stuff, they remembered that I forgot to take my change yesterday and I got it this morning. I gave them a tip.
For about the last 2 months I have had a spot on my left cheek it just appeared there one morning. It looked somewhere between a pimple and a mole. Kind of like the scarlet pimpernel only white. I wasn't worried about just figured it would go away some time. Well last night while sitting at my computer I felt like I had an eyelash on my cheek, when I brushed it off with my hand it felt like something more. Then I realized that the spot was gone. I guess the body creates these things and then takes them away. Maybe it's just getting rid of something we don't need.
I'm going to Brooklyn tonight, my friend Sadhak has a gig at a place called " Stain ".

Thursday, February 14, 2008

I overslept this morning, I woke up at 4am and went back to sleep not waking up again until 5:20, the usual time I leave for work. I had to forgo the usual festivities and made it out the door by 5:27.
In a rush I forgot to collect my change at Dunkin' Donuts, which was $16 and didn't realize until I got to work. I managed to go through the day without thinking about it.
It was a beautiful afternoon after the last 2 days of snow or rain. I went out and ran 5 miles as I have done for the last 3 days. Though my legs were kind of sore today at the start of my run.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

There was just under 1 inch of snow on the ground this morning, but the temperature was a few degrees above freezing so it was slushy. Not to worry though I had on my trusty Dunlop wellies to wade through it on the way to work.
very little sneezing and not too much of a runny nose today. I did notice that I had a strong appetite, so maybe I'm fighting whatever it is I've got.
It rained quite heavily all day and by the time I left for home almost all trace of snow was gone. the temperature had also climbed up to 50 F ( 9 C ). So it was kind of pleasant.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

It pretty much looks like this outside right now, with a bit more snow on the ground. This photo was taken in December, the last time we had real snow on the ground.
I woke up at 2:30 this morning sneezing, I then proceeded to sneeze a total of 4 times then fell back to sleep. I have been sneezing on and off and had a runny nose all day. I have sore red patches around my nose from blowing and wiping it so much.
I did get in a nice 4 mile run this afternoon in the snow. So hopefully a good nights sleep will work wonders.

Monday, February 11, 2008

It's freaking cold here in New York City! I could feel it was cold the moment I walked out the door this morning. The temperature was 12 F ( -11 C ), but with the wind blowing at 25 MPH ( 40KPH ) it actually felt like -7 F (-22C ). It was one of those days when the skin on your face felt cold.
It was also the first time that the tips of my fingers felt cold in my gloves. I have to wear my warmer gloves.
Right now there is a bright sunny blue sky out there, but it's still well below freezing.
I went out for a run just before lunchtime and maybe because of the cold, my legs didn't feel so tired after the 14+ miles I did yesterday.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

As you can see we ran out to Shea Stadium again today. Utpal wants me to say that this is where the Beatles played more than 40 years ago.
We did the same run as last week, but by Utpal's suggestion we added a little more by running past the Zoo in Flushing Meadow Park. I like the fact that we are doing a little extra each week.
I went out for my second run about 2:30pm, another 3 miles of easy running. It actually felt better than yesterday, but then I had run a race in the morning yesterday. I am very pleased with the way my training has gone this week.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Woke up this morning with a bit of a thick head. I had woken up in the middle of the night with a sore throat, but that went away.
I put on my running gear and went out the door, it was 35 F. My right calf was still a little sore so I didn't know what to expect from the race. As it turned out once I started running everything felt good. I went through the first mile in 7:43, the second in 7:47, both faster than any mile I had run in previous weeks. My finish time was 15:30, my best time so far this year by 20 seconds. I also won the spot prize, where they pick a race number at random. The winner gets a running log book and a pen. So all in all I did pretty good.

Friday, February 08, 2008

There was a distinct nip in the air this morning. For some reason I was in a really happy mood all day. My right calf was a little sore from my longer run yesterday, for some reason.
When I went out for my run this afternoon I felt quite good. Again I don't know why but from time to time during the day I found myself reflecting on the subject of happiness.
In my net surfing exploits of the day I came across The Henry Rollins Show, so that is something new for me to watch, I like Henry Rollins.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

There's been a lot of talk about recession and economic downturn lately. We seem to be really busy at work, just as we seem to to catch up with things a new big order comes in.
As I started out on my run this afternoon my legs felt very heavy, so I decided just to run 5k instead of the 5 miles I had planned. However as I was completing my run I saw Utpal going out on his. So I joined him and ended up running a total of 6 miles. So all in all it turned out pretty good.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008


It was warm today. When I went out fro my run this afternoon, it was 64 F so I didn't have to pack on so many clothes. While I was out running I passed a group of trees that was completely full of blackbirds. There must have been about 300 birds and they were making a lot of noise. At first I thought they may be Starlings since they tend to crowd around in groups like that, but no they were definitely they were blackbirds.
Oh England won their first game under their new coach today. Beating Switzerland 2-1.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

On the way home from work this afternoon I saw some Giants fans coming from the victory parade. Yes there was a victory parade for the Giants in the city, with a presentation I think at city hall.
I felt a little laboured on my run this afternoon, but I did manage 5k just like yesterday, so I am quite happy with that.
I mostly watch TV on the internet these days and have just started watching a new show on HBO called 'In Treatment'. It stars Gabriel Bryne who I like as an actor, I've watched 6 episodes now and I am beginning to quite like it.

Monday, February 04, 2008

I think I am responding favourably to the 4 runs I did this weekend. There was some tiredness in my legs when I went out for my run this afternoon, but that eased as the run went on. I went on my old 5k loop and felt quite strong at the end of the run.
The day started off as quite mild though the temperature was only a few degrees above freezing. When I left work large flakes of snow were falling, but in less than an hour they had stopped. Just before I went out for my run it had rained and it once again started to rain as I finished.
Since I came to New York in 1978 I have been a fan of the New York Giants and I am very happy that they won the Superbowl last night. My street was quiet , but just after 10 pm a couple of guys came out and shouted " The Giants won the Superbowl. They were not expected to win, but they did in the last minute of the game.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

At the start of our run my legs were a little tired from yesterday and my 2 runs, but the weather was so nice, with a temperature just around freezing and the Sun coming up. We decided not just to run out to Flushing Meadow but to go all the way out to Shea Stadium and in fact ran around most of the new Citi Field Stadium. Of course I didn't bring my camera this week so no photo's. We ended up running around 11 miles, a little more than 2 hours of running. Now I will see if I will go out for another short one this afternoon.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

First of all last night was a lot of fun, though because of the heavy we did pretty wet on the way to the Cafe.
Like last summer I wanted to try an run 2 times a day on the weekends, so this morning I ran the 2 mile race in 15:51, just 1 second slower than last week. Then I went out again this afternoon and ran another 2 miles. In the summer I built up to running 10k for the second run and will try to do that this time, but it is winter and I'm a little heavier at the moment.
I listened to the England v Wales six nations game on BBC five live, at the same time my Welsh friend was listening to Radio Wales in Colombia. We chatted during the whole game on Google chat.
England built up a 19-6, then fell apart to lose 26-19, it was an exciting game though.

Friday, February 01, 2008

I think today is the first day when it has rained all day, since I got back from the UK. Well it was a chance to try out my new rain suit that I got while I was there. Usually a large size in the UK is like a medium in the US. So I got a large and it is, but it's OK. I went out running in it this afternoon and it worked good. It's a navy blue colour, which is a little different than I usually have. In the past they have been red or yellow.
My friend and co-worker Sadhak, the singer-songwriter is playing a gig at the Yippie Cafe again, so I'll be going there tonight to show my support. I should get a chance to also meet his voice coach Kathena, she of the Hippy Nuts. Who I met in October and also supposed to be coming to offer support.