DISQUS

My best advice is make sure you eat the kind of breakfast you're used to eating on a running day. My worst race ever was after I had too much coffee, and my stomach cramped up and I could barely finish. I swear by oatmeal (and maybe a little coffee), but that's just me.


Also, have fun! Enjoy the people watching, and try to laugh when you can. You're already a winner, just for signing up and training.

I think you get to call that running, not jogging. And I'm totally impressed, both at the running and the not using the last of your energy to beat the shit out of that dumbass. Race day will be amazing, and just remember -- the minute you set foot at the starting line, you've come farther than most people you know. Crossing the finish, in ANY amount of time, is extraordinary. Meeting your goal time is the World's Best Icing on the World's Best Cake.

Everyone in my school is waiting to see Twilight. Most of us have seen it in theater but dats not good enough! We want to own it! This has to be to best movie I've seen in years! It screams romance! Edward is so freakin HOT! Got his pic on my wall wit Bella.

I continue to be enamored.

Okay, first off, I'd just like to say that I've been celebrating my 25th birthday since 2005. Not planning on changing that any time soon.


Second, I think about, and talk about, death all the time. My husband and I have life insurance policies. We, and our families, and a few friends, know what our wishes are should we bite it prematurely. We talk all the time about how we want the other to continue if one of us kicks it. It's strangely comforting to me, because talking about it makes me fear it a little less, I think. I know my loved ones will be okay, and they won't have to worry about what I would've wanted, you know?

Fortunately, I'm completely awkward on the phone anyway, so I didn't even think twice about keeping the conversation short :) And honestly, it was really interesting to hear about the things that are so different in Chile. It was just great getting to hang out with you guys!

Oh, that's terrible! Poor Rita!

I'm really glad you touched on this, since I'm a fellow Michigan to Florida gal. My MI friends pretty much all got married before me (I got married at 24), and one had a baby a couple years ago and another is due shortly. My friends in Florida, though, have either waited until they were older to get married.


My husband and I aren't looking at having kids for a couple more years -- I'm holding off until 30. We're just not ready. But, I think when more of my friends nearby have them, we'll probably be more likely to follow suit. Right now, the friends we have with children live far away, and it all just sounds so HAAAARD. But, if I had fellow mommy friends, maybe it would be better because I'd have someone to commiserate with.

YAY! I'm so happy for you. What a d-bag. But, now that you won, you get to celebrate, which is fun.


And I love Papi too. Sooo cute, I just want to munch on her little ears and rub noses with her.

Oh, aren't you guys fun! That's such a good idea!

LOVE the yawny puppy pic. And the rest, too, but oh my god, I just want to snag her up for my own.

Ah, Duke, takes me back a little. I wish I would have known you were going, I could have hooked you up with Coach K!

Okay, so I'm not living abroad or anything, but I voted for what I most want to read about. Hope that's cool :)

I met my new neighbors while holding a big bag of hot shit. Don't be confused -- I, too, am hot shit, but not of the smelly variety. Usually.


And get the cheapest child's toothbrush you can find and doggie toothpaste (if you can't get it there, I'll send you some). Makes a huge difference in the dragon breath, and Rudi really likes getting her teeth brushed. Yuki, not so much, but we didn't start her as a pup, and her breath isn't so bad. Rudi's can (and possibly has, I don't know) kill an entire colony of small children.

She's so beautiful ... it's hard to believe someone could give her up, but, unfortunately, it happens all the time.


I've found I meet SO many more people walking the dogs, especially now that I have two. I think people feel sorry for me because the puppy pulls all over the place and barks like a maniac, but still, they're the reason I met all 6 people I knew in our old neighborhood.

Dude, this is one of my FAVORITE things EVER. I can't believe I didn't send it to you. I laugh the whole way through every time.

Oh my gosh, that's CRAZY. And hilarious (but only because I don't live there). I am never going to take my salads for granted again.


Although, I DO like mayo, just not on everything. And I only eat the fat free version.

You know, in another life I could've been you, I think. I could have moved around to different cities and just decided, "Hey, I could do this," and plop down roots for a few years or forever. Not that I don't love what I have now, because I do, but I'll always wonder what would've happened if I'd joined the Peace Corps, or saved that money and traveled Europe ... it could've been really different.

That cracked me up! I too have asthma (see -- we really are the same person), and in addition to that, I really, REALLY hate cigarette smoke, but nobody smokes indoors here, anyway. It's actually now illegal to have smoking in a restaurant -- if it's a bar, it has to get the majority of its money from booze, not food, to allow smoking.


But I digress. I had several foot-in-mouth moments regarding the baby thing, and now I've learned to tailor my response. I tell people, "Not yet. We have dogs, and that's enough work for us," and they usually leave it alone. If they push the subject, I'll let them know that I don't actually like children, which then gets me out of any future babysitting queries. Bonus!

Dude, you and my husband need to hang out. He walks SOOOO fast. I mean, I walk at a pretty decent speed, or at least I thought I did, but he blows me out of the water. Granted, he's 6'2, and his legs are wicked long, but he's always ending up miles ahead of everyone, too. Oh! And when he's in charge at a theme park or something? You'd better keep up or you can just hang out at the teacups all day. You know, things to do! Places to see! Sweet jebus, man.

You know what I think is interesting? What I learned about customer service is that, if we say no, the customer will find someone to say yes. But, as long as there aren't others who will say yes in Chile, I guess there's no point (other than wanting to serve your customers to the best of your ability) to make that extra effort. Honestly, in my last job I wouldn't have made the effort that I did in some situations if I didn't know that my "No" would mean business for someone who was willing to try a little harder.

What fun! And girl, you are ROCKING the tights with the open-toe shoe look. I'm so proud!

That's absolutely fantastic -- I have a similar relationship with my mother, one where we share mutual respect and admiration as well as a sense of humor. I'm fortunate enough to get to see my mom fairly regularly for at least half the year, and I can't imagine how difficult it must be to be so far away.


Her visit is going to be so special for you both -- how great will it be for her to have her own memory of a place when you tell her about it? I'm so excited for her visit that I almost feel like I'm going ...

Great post Brian, as always, and thanks for sharing an example of a company who appears to "get it."

The commitment calculator can make it seem a bit overwhelming (in time and resources needed), but that's a great reference list to get the search started.

Great post Brian, as always, and thanks for sharing an example of a company who appears to "get it."


The commitment calculator can make it seem a bit overwhelming (in time and resources needed), but that's a great reference list to get the search started.