One lap at a time...

Zaza - Houston

2010-01-19T19:08:00.000-08:00

i fly to houston tomorrow. i am staying and have a meeting in the city at hotel zaza. i thought some folks might want to see how crazy this hotel is just in case you want to fly in for a few days... also i am swimming with the Rice University Masters literally across the street at their outdoor pool. thank you state farm.

what i am.

2010-01-17T13:16:00.000-08:00

so its been a bit since i have updated people on what's been going on. i actually don't even know where to start. i will, however, keep the seemingly unimportant things at a minimal.

last summer was probably the best summer of my life. i spend a week in the cayman islands with a big group of folks here from BloNo. i spent most of the time on the island getting toasted, but found some incremental time for scuba and your run of the mill tomfoolery. my first 100+ foot dive found me 10 feet from a nurse shark, which was so incredible. the trip rounded out with a ocean race against some elite swimmers from around the world. i met some awesome people and gained new friends. cayman will be a mainstay in my annual traveling plans going forward.

i returned state side for a few days before heading out to hawaii for a week and a half. generally it would have made more sense to take a break between the two, but that is just the way it worked out. hawaii... awesome. so different than cayman though they have many similarities. i was able to swim with some locals and found another ocean race where i was able to fend off the locals for a course record, though the local hero drafted off of me for the last 1/4 mile. there wasn't much down time during these trips, but my mind was running the whole time. so much to take in. how could i ever go back to illinois?

now to the good stuff... yes, that's right. i want folks to know that i am not the guy you may have known in high school or even in college. oh yeah... i totally still have the charming personality and witty one liners. i want people to know me for who i am now, not who i was. as i expected, moving from charleston, couldn't have been a better idea... though i was so much more than i expected. is my social life sooo much better? no. do i have so many more friends? no, but i gained the most important friend. God. never would i have thought that my saturday mornings would be spent in coffee houses reading the Bible and never would i have though that i would be there not only yearning to learn, but also praying for strangers whom i have never met. he doesn't always give me what i want or tell me what i want to hear. he is just. he is loving. and he has his own schedule that makes a lot more sense than my own.

i used to think that material things were going to make me happy. not that people don't want nice things but i had always envied people with limitless bank accounts. with money comes mo' problems (yes... PDiddy) also i used to worship swimming. shock, i know. i put it at the top of my world at the expense of relationships. i worshiped what it made me. i didn't even acknowledge the gift and what a tool it could have been.

today is different. things are so much more simplistic. i've got food, shelter, a job, and good friends. i am filled with passion, saved by grace, and i want to everyone to have the same opportunities that i have and you don't need money for this. just need to be able to seek out the truth. today i get excited to see people coming to God... how weird that would have been for me to say 5 years ago. i am in the midst of some good things with my church's college ministry of over 400 students. so many amazing things are happening.

though i long for a family i have learned to love my free time. there is so much to read. so much to see. so much to be.

life isn't easy. you live. you laugh. you learn. you hurt. you cry. you pray. you forgive. you are forgiven. you smile. and most importantly you love.

Busy Summer...

2008-09-02T16:04:00.001-07:00

So its been a quite a while since I posted anything, which is kind of ridiculous since I am at home pretty much every night. Regardless I suppose I have a few months to catch up on. Towards the end of June I went to the Ozarks for the first time ever and outside of the long drive in the car it was pretty awesome. As usual, the trip has biking on the agenda as I went with Tarble and Berry. We got down to Osage Beach late on a Friday, got up early Saturday and rode just under 60 miles and then went on the lake to find somewhere to eat. Tarble has three boats down there, so we had plenty of options. There are tons of restaurants right on the lake and we place we stopped was crazy will tons of people and this terrible musician who was only playing the first few minutes of every song, but we got pizza and loaded fries and it was pretty good. Sunday we got up early for a shorter ride of 40 miles or so followed by some more time on the lake and stopped at a place called Dog Days, then headed home. Overall it was a pretty awesome trip even though it was only for a few days. Trips with Tarble and Berry are always a riot. You've got to love people that laugh at everything.

The last few months have take me to two very good concerts. In the beginning of August I drove up to Alpine with the Noonan's to see Jimmy Buffet. We met up with the other half of the heirs to the HKI fortune (Joel and Keely). We got to the venue between 2 and 3 and I remember thinking this is going to be a long day since the concert didn't start until 8. Tailgating actually went very quickly as I pounded four or five bottles of YooHoo. The costumes and get-ups there were pretty crazy and I saw too many overweight women flashing their goods… of course… one of those would have been too many. The concert was pretty awesome. I was a completely different atmosphere than any other concert. There were a least a hundred beach balls fly around and everyone was carefree… but that was probably because half of them were high. It was pretty overcast all day long, but the rain held off until 30 minutes after Buffet finished up. Then a week and a half ago I ended up at a Stone Temple Pilots concert at the US Cellular Coliseum. STP exceeded every expectation, or lack thereof, that I had set. They were unbelievable. Weiland came out in a leisure suit with sunglasses and hat. It was quite the show, definitely one of the best I have seen. Well worth the scrambling we did to round up $15 tickets.

In between there I had my college coach's retirement/ reunion party. It was a lot of fun. One of my buddies is taking over at EIU, so he has move to town after being in New Zealand and San Antonio for the last 5 years. Friday night was a pretty big cookout at Scott Ebinger's house in Charleston, which was a lot of fun. My coach has had a mustache for the last 30 or 40 years and he had shaved it off and it made him look 20 years younger. It was good to see some of the people that I swam with and talk with older swimmers and hear there stories of Ray and swimming in general. Friday night left me going to be at 3 in the morning followed by riding 40 miles with Berry at 8, then off to Sullivan for my niece's 1st birthday. I left Sullivan just to make it back to Lantz, soon to be renamed later that night Ray Padovan Pool. Bos, Dore, Spitz, and I swam about 3,500 yards or so, only to find out from Bos and Dore that I have been swimming wrong for the last 20 year… I've been living a lie. Since these fancy New Zealanders have worked with some of the best coaches and swimmers in the world, apparently they learned a few things, which included the best techniques and training methods. Its never too late to switch things up right? Anyway… that night was the banquet for Ray. It was very good and it was announce that the pool was going to be renamed for Ray, which apparently was totally unexpected by him. If I coached somewhere for 43 years I would have expected it, but its just another example of how humble Ray is. You would never know they guy was the fastest man in the world at one time. He actually gave a speech in which I thought he was going to cry, which in turn almost made me cry, since he has been such an important part of my life through my time at Eastern. Following the banquet everyone went to Styx and then to the swimmer house, which ultimately left Schmidt and I eating salsa from County Market at 3:30 in the morning. One final breakfast at What's Cookin' and I was on the road back to Bloomington. All in all the weekend at Eastern was awesome and Ray was well deserving of everything.

And the final note this weekend I drove up to Madison to swim in the US Masters Swimming National Championships which is a 2.4 mile open water swim. I ended up going by myself which was cool since it kind of forced me to meet new people. I took all day off on Friday to drive up and check out Madison. I just happened upon two pretty huge bike shops, so I spent some time there and then walking around downtown for a bit, before I met up with Berry's niece for some Afghani food. What was I thinking? It actually wasn't terrible, but I wouldn't recommend it. Wisconsin's campus was really nice and there was a lot going on. State Street in Madison is similar to Green St. in Champaign, expect there is a lot more going on and the road is blocked off from through traffic. There were all kinds of shops and local restaurants. Saturday morning at 8 was the race, which by the way caused me to miss the 7:00 start time of the continental breakfast where I stay, which fired me up. Water was a good temperature and the water was fairly calm. The race was pretty close throughout and ultimately ended with me creating a little space about ¾ of the way through the race and holding everyone off. So up until the point that I pulled away, I was with small group of people which I later found out included a girl who at some point was 4th in the world in open water swimming and guy who swam Olympic Trails two months prior. Needless to say I was in good company. It took all I had to finish in the time that I did although I think the course was slightly longer than 2.4. I ended up getting a pretty ugly "trophy" but its pretty sweet (check the pictures) and a patch that says National Champion which is kind of amusing. After the race I ended to a Farmer's Market that Madison has every Saturday and then walked around in the Capitol Building before I headed home.

So yeah I have had several pretty fun things going on the last few months, but not overwhelmingly so. No real thoughts or observations today since this post is already going to be super long. Thoughts of the day… Do you best to stay humble… there I always some one who can do something better or faster. Have fun, take time off and enjoy what you do. You never know what you are going to be dealt. Much love.

Its getting warm out...

2008-06-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

So I was going to ride today after work, but I passed on my floor instead. Not only am I not tired now, but the Lakers just had one of the biggest collapses in NBA Finals history, so now I really can't sleep, but that means I can post a blog, yea.

I just got back from San Diego / LA trip 2 on Sunday night. Again it was awesome. First night was a drag because my flight got delayed in Atlanta so I didn't get to Nic's until 130ish. Thursday we went to the beach and contrary to Nic's recommendation I went without sun tan lotion. Bad move. I got roasted, but at least it was a good time. We then went to the best pizza place again which is right off the beach (www.pizzaport.com). The place is great and a must if you are ever in the SD area. Later that night we went to a local pub to see the Lakers choke. Friday we did a little sight seeing, went to La Jolla, and went to a lookout point which has a war memorial on it, which was pretty amazing... pictures to come. In La Jolla we at at this little cafe that over looked the ocean which was pretty ridiculous and the food was even good. Saturday Nic and I went to the Dodgers / Cubs game in LA. It was pretty cool to be in Dodger Stadium... well at least without trespassing this time. Dodgers won with a 5 run 7th inning. Afterwards we drove back to SD and picked up Jolene and went to eat at this pretty nice Mexican restaurant. It was outdoors with a waterfall and heat lamps was about right for the breezy night. SD also has this pretty awesome soft-serve yogurt place called the Golden Spoon (you all know how I love soft-serve). Its similar to Cold Stone, but with less fat and a golden spoon. I came home on Sunday after getting dropped off at the airport at 11ish. Delays in Chicago, imagine that, cause me to miss my flight there, so I flew into Champaign and rode with a stranger and his wife back to Bloomington. Obviously that is the short version, but I don't want to get fired up about it. I ended up getting home at 130, real cool.

Outside of that everything is pretty much back to normal. I finally started riding again even though I don't really have any races that I can compete in. I am going to the Ozarks to ride in a few weeks, which will be pretty awesome.

Hmm, I can't believe how inconsiderate people are in general. Mostly, though, we I am shopping. People will completely stand in the middle of the aisle and not let you through or when they do see you they won't even say anything. Another thing that fires me up is when people walk in front of you without saying anything. I guess some people were raised differently. I walked in front of this lady and excused myself... less than a minute later she walked in front of me... nothing. I had a lady a Target literally park her cart right in front of the stuff that I was looking at. I let is slide since she was obese and obesity is a serious illness. Hello, its call will power. Put down the cheeseburger and get on a treadmill. Whoa, that a whole different rant. Anyway, does anyone else get that... its rhetorical of course.

Ok, well more to come... pictures of my injections and the trip to sunny southern California.

And now for the newest addition to my blogs... though of the day.... "I will never make the same mistake twice."

Much Love,

jk

Back at it...

2008-05-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

So, its been a minute since I have posted any updates of whats going on with me and such, so I got a wild hair today... you are in luck.

A few weeks back I had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to get a 2nd opinion on my back. He looked at my MRI and such and the news was great... if you were looking for an excuse to lay around on the couch. The doctor told me that my lower discs were pretty rough and that, again, the condition that they are in is more consistent with a 50 year old than a 27 year old. To save you the detail basically I have to quick running, which ultimately makes triathlons difficult. Needless to say that has been my struggle these last few weeks... trying to accept that I can't race anymore. Training for races has been such a bit part of my life over the last few years, its been pretty difficult for me to deal with. I guess its especially difficult since I was racing at a high level last summer and I felt that I still had a lot of room to improve, but I guess right now that will be on hold for at LEAST a year or two. The doctor said that riding and swimming would be ok, so my tentative plan is to really work on my bike speed and get faster with the hops that in a year or so I may be able to start running again. At this point its difficult for me to find motivation to start riding, but swimming is keeping me going... as always.

I did get some injections into my back almost two weeks ago that is supposed to help with the swelling that hasn't gone down over the last several months and should help with the recovery process as well. I can't say that I have seen a noticeable difference from the injections, but this have been feeling a little better lately. So keep your fingers crossed.

Besides that life is pretty much as normal as possible. The summer is coming quickly and the weather is finally permitting us to get outside without getting rained or snowed on... which is awesome. I head out to San Diego / LA in a few weeks, so I am pretty excited about that. I am looking to battle some sharks when Nic and I are working on our surfing skills. If anyone has any concerts they are looking at attending this summer let me know. I am looking to check some bands out. I have already committed to Jimmy Buffet, but that is all I have going on along those lines... oh and if anyone is going to Jack Johnson in Noblesville, let me know.

Hmm... I know I had something great to talk about as far as everyday things that I have noticed lately that annoy me, but I can't think of what it is... I know it is just a long list I should just pick one, but it was something specifically. In the mean time... I saw a guy at work last week that had a bluetooth headset on AND was talking on his cell phone at the same time. Now correct me if I am wrong, but the point of bluetooth is so you don't have to talk on your cell. Idiots. Man... I can't think of what this recent event was but I will think of it and add another post.

I was catching up with someone this weekend and we were talking about the current state of society and the general consensus of society. He was saying that he has talked with people that told him that there isn't much hope for where things are going and that the future is dark. THe same person was telling me, because I asked not because he was boasting, that he takes personal funds every month to help out local needy families anonymously. I was floored by that. It really makes you see people in a different light. Prime example... there's your hope. You get out of the future what you put into it. If you expect things to be bad you will look for the negative aspects of life. There is no doubt that there are things going on right now that, quite honestly, suck, but they all provide opportunities as well. Opportunities to help people and to makes changes. Generally there is always another day and another chance, but you can't sit around and wait for things to change or to be handed to you. So get out and try new things, meet new people, and travel to new places. Life can be short, but its only limited by your choices.

Much Love.
jk

What's Going Down...

2008-04-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

Its been a while, so I decided to get some thoughts together and get some current information out here. First of all for those of you who missed the NCAA basketball championship game you missed a ridiculous game. I went up to Buffalo Wild Wings with a few people. It was a mixed crowd with, I think, mostly impartial fans. With 2 minutes to go I thought KU had broke my heart yet again, but my boy Mario took the Jayhawks to the promise land. What a night... definitely time well spent.

So things have been fairly low key with me lately. Not too much going on mostly work and swimming, since I can't do much more than that at this point. In case you missed it I found out about a month ago that I have two herniated discs in my lower back, which typically isn't something a triathlete wants to hear. I saw a neurologist a few weeks back and he didn't have anything to say that was worth listening to. All I really got out of it was that I can ride, but no running.... thanks for nothing. I just scheduled an appointment with a orthopedic surgeon in a little over a week, so hopefully that will stir up some more information... namely some pain med and some time frame before I can start training full speed again. Beyond that I am just swimming laps... one stroke at a time until, ideally, I can get back at it.

Work has been pretty busy lately. I was in Pittsburgh about two weeks ago giving a presentation to about 125 people. It went really well, almost surprisingly well. The management in Northeast Zone (there are 12 zones in all across the U.S.) was very impressed with everything including the AVP which stopped me to let me know, which was really cool to hear. Unfortunately I got stuck in the Detroit airport on the way back. It was really a downer since I was so ready to be home after a few days of getting up ridiculously early (at least for this guy) and just running all day long. Mentally I was ready to be in this apartment in my own bed, but I had to put that on hold for another day. On a brighter note... not that I wan to travel Northeast ever again, but I got a voucher for a free flight, so you guys can start bouncing ideas off of me, and maybe I can get another vacation in soon.

I have a lot of little things coming up in the next few months and then my much anticipated return to sunny southern California and Dodger Stadium. Nic and I don't have much planned yet besides the game, but there is the most amazing pizza place in San Diego just off the beach, so I will be sure to get some pictures to give them props. I will be at Wrigley for the first time in a few years to watch the Dodgers beat down the Cubs in May with my dad and brothers, so that will be a lot of fun.

I will be making my first partial appearance at the Sullivan triathlon here in a few weeks. Unfortunately it will only be a small glimpse of where I was last summer since my back has had me down and out. I will be limited to the swim leg for Team Derrick Eaton, who is not a sponsor I might add, although he better be there. Life has been pretty low key though, which is always a good thing, but things should be picking up here pretty soon.

Ok, now for some thoughts as usual. Is it completely necessary for people to have bags, that probably weigh 2 pounds, on wheels? I mean its not like they are pulling suitcases behind them. I am talking about adults pulling these little computer bags around on wheels... and on top of that dragging them down the sidewalk and all you hear is cla clunk.... cla clunk.... cla clunk. Idiots. I guess not so much idiots but laziness. And how is it possible that the U.S. is the fattest country in the world? Gee I wonder. 'Hmm this seems like a good idea... give me that bag with wheels, this computer is going to be way too heavy to throw over my shoulder... plus I am obese, so yeah lets go with the wheels.' The only good news is that I read that at the pace Mexico is putting up, it could surpass the U.S. as the fattest country in the next 10 years, so lets drink one less latte a week and with any luck will be 2nd in the world at something.

Well time to get back at it... I hope everyone is in good health, good spirits, and good fellowship. Much love.

Whats the point...

2008-04-02T21:13:00.001-07:00

Well, I figured I would try blogspot again and use it to share my thoughts, observations, impressions, and experiences with everybody. Hopefully I can collectively get everything together in one place to make this much easier. I will try and post a lot more frequently than my recent pace. Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well, and look for some real posts soon. Much love.