Walk, run, eat...

Andrew Skurka. Put him on the list. The list of people whose accomplishments you look at and say "why would anyone ever do that?" or you say, "wow, that is so amazing it's beyond inspiration". I am the latter of the two. Nicole and I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew a few months back when he held a presentation for National Geographic in DC. It is partly his fault that I am so interested in a doing a 50K trail run in the mountains this fall. We'll see how the training goes...I may have to trim down to the 30K if I don't feel prepared.

Anywho, my wonderful wife and I enjoyed a BBQ/birthday party at a neighbors house tonight. Lots of food and stories as well as gossip floating around everywhere. Ah good times. Looks like mixed T-storms tonight (Chopsticks calls them T-storms). Seems like that has been the weather all month. What's with this part of the country?

The Reel Mower

We are trying out best to be more green and we thought a fun way to do this would be to get a push mower. Little did we know that they are a hot commodity on Criag's List! After trying for weeks we finally scored a deal and drove into NW DC to pick up our $20 mower this weekend. We were so excited that when we got home we took it out of the back of the car and immediately started taking turns pushing it across the lawn. Dave ended up finishing the job while I snapped a few pictures of him :) I recommend the mower, it works really well and makes the neighbors wonder if we are weird, which is always fun to do.

The first rule of fight club...

Ed Norton has been in a lot of movies. A lot of good movies. I always go back to Fight Club when I think of him. It's hard to believe that was in 1999. Anywho, today Nicole and I checked out The Incredible Hulk followed by delicious Thai dinner and Coldstone ice cream with our friends Chris and Melissa.


We both really enjoyed the movie. The directions to the theater were another story. Mapquest and Google Maps (I had two sets of directions just in case) each took us different ways but ended in the middle of a subdivision and said "okay, here is your movie theatre". Really? So do we knock on the door of the closest house, invite ourselves in and ask what the 3:45 movie is today? Booo maps. Booo. We did however make it to the real theater in time to catch the last of the previews and the entire feature film. In conclusion. It was a good day.

Who is your favorite actor/actress?

MASH

Guys may not know of this game, but I know the girls might (I know we played this in YW)! I do have a feeling I made my poor little brother Jared play it though. This was a favorite of mine in elementary school, and when I got really desperate in my 20's! Just kidding.

Check out my results after playing the online version, not too shabby! I entered Dave as all of my crushes, cause lets face it, I scored big time marrying that guy and I'm not about to change it. So it appears it's going to be Dave and I in an apartment in Amherst, MA. I'm a professor and we have 2 kids and are zooming around in a red Prius. PERFECT, I knew I loved this game. Play yourself, and tell me your results.

Lightning crashes...

For about the two zillionth time over the past year of living in this house the power went out. Yesterday evening an intense storm went through the area complete with sideways downpour and a huge light show. A few hours later the power had not come back on, but the sky cleared up and the rest of the evening was clear and cool outside.

On our way to meet a friend and get the dogs out once it had cleared up, Nicole and I decided to stop at the library. No dice. They were also without power and therefore closed.

Today is a new day, complete with cloudy skies and downed branches...oh and power is back. We are supposed to get another big storm tomorrow, so we'll see what that brings!

Joshy and I went through a solid week with no electricity a few winters back when a crazy ice storm hit in Buffalo. What's the longest you have been "involuntarily" without power?

The Girl Effect

Drag and Burn...

Ah, the annual drag and burn celebration. It's simple. The wonderful Papa Huber, aka Prairie Dawg, owns some property in NY fondly known as "the land". (warning, run on sentence ahead - proceed with caution) For the past I don't know how many years now his son, my best man, Joshy, has invited friends from far and wide to come spend a special summer weekend at the land. The goal...drag as many dead trees, branches, and other brush into a huge pile or piles and burn them. Thus the name, drag and burn. Yeah see, makes sense now!


Each year a different area of the land is designated for the dragging and this ultimately helps with the health of the woods. So basically do some manual labor to help out a place that you enjoy though out the summer, and in exchange you get to hang out with good people and enjoy in the celebration at night. Oh and did I mention that Joshy treats you like kings and queens when it comes to food and drink for the whole event? True, it is customary to bring a dish to pass, but a big pat on the back to Josh for organizing the event every year and going over the top with food and refreshments. Nicole and I are looking forward to seeing everyone and pitching in next month for this years Drag and Burn.

Ladies and gentlemen, your host.

On the Beach

Today in Washington DC it is 95, although weather.com says it "feels like" 100. YUCK. So I thought I would share photos and a link from this wonderful exhibit at DC's very own National Gallery of Art that I want to check out this weekend of American photographer Richard Misrach. Take a look yourself.

Since 2001, he has made a series of large scale (six by ten feet), lushly colored photographs of swimmers and sunbathers in Hawaii.

Makes me want to run out of the office and get to a beach ASAP! Guess I'll have to settle for the air conditioned National Gallery of Art instead. Enjoy!

Going the distance...

Ever since I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail last year I have needed a new physical and mental challenge. I have never been a distance runner, so I decided a marathon would be a great mark to reach for. Joining me for the run last month were the other two members of the "Hey Man Crew", Chopsticks (right side in photo) and Alright (center). We had a blast getting together and reminiscing about trail experiences as well as celebrating Nicole's birthday.

The marathon itself was also a success, with all three of us finishing. Chopsticks is already talking about running again in the fall and was very close to qualifying for the Boston Marathon. I am hooked as well. There is something about 3+ hour training runs that is crazy and satisfying at the same time. I would like to run a couple more marathons at the standard distance of 26.2 miles and from there set my sights on ultramarathons. Triathlons are another possibility, but for now I'm thinking about ultras.

Lastly, thanks to those of you who have already subscribed to the RSS feed and posted comments.

Cesar's Way

We had a fun weekend house sitting for our friends the Boyle's. They have a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Lucy, and are also fostering a Great Dane named Cesar. Cesar weighs 180 lbs, is 36 inches at the withers and is a nice mellow guy. It was funny because he made Roxy (68 lbs) and Benton (65 lbs and growing) look like little Chihuahuas. Our favorite things Cesar did was sit on the couch like a human, and drink water directly out of the kitchen sink!

I think Dave is worried because I told him I want a Great Dane as one of our next dogs.....

This is the beginning...

This is us. I am Dave, she is Nicole. We are the Chans.

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