This Couch Stinks (Literally and Figuratively)

Well this week was one of the worst on record. I cannot walk and had to work from home almost the entire week. I went to work on Thursday but sitting in my seat all day made my thigh swell up like a balloon. My pants were getting tight from the swelling and I started to worry a bit. The pain of sitting wasn’t too bad but the swelling kind of freaked me out so I worked from home on Friday. The pain I’m experiencing is worse than when I almost cut my fingers off. So if you must either tear your hamstring or cut your fingers off, take the fingers.

So after spending the entire week sweating on the couch I tried to go out with Craig and Feyer on Saturday. Craig and Feyer were fun but the whole experience was pretty miserable. I don’t know what I was thinking. I should’ve stayed home but I was getting stir crazy. I was only out for a couple hours but they sucked. This sucks.

Getting Faster… No Wait, I Can’t Walk

This week was pretty hectic around here. Bastille days has been going on so there has been no parking and an influx of people into our area. Thursday Jocelyn and I did the storming of the Bastille run. We walked down to the starting area and there were a bunch of people running. I wasn’t expecting to see as many people as I did. There were enough people to fill up three quarters of a city block sidewalk to sidewalk. The run was a fun run throughout downtown Milwaukee. There were no mile markers or even official times so it really was a fun run. There was one bar in the Third Ward that was acting like a water station and handing out beers. I was dying at this point and taking a beer, as funny as it would have been, would’ve have been the death of me. I knocked almost a minute off my time from my last 5k and ended up with a 21:05. I still have a little over a minute to shave off to get to my goal.

Thursday and Friday from about 3:00 until 5:00 I got to watch the Blue Angels practice for the coming weekends air show. I could watch these guys everyday all day and never get sick of them. They are absolutely amazing and a lot of crazy. I would love to explain what I saw but you really have to see them yourselves to appreciate them.

Friday after I got done watching the Blue Angels practice I had to head to Menomonee Falls with Jocelyn for the wedding rehearsal of this weekend’s wedding. We got to the church right on time and the rehearsal was the easiest I’ve ever been in. After that we went to a super nice shelter in Brookfield where Todd and Steph had a luau themed rehearsal cookout. All our friends were there and the luau was a great success. We drank some rum punch, played some softball and told college stories. We headed home after the park closed and got ready for the big day tomorrow.

We woke up bright and early ready to celebrate Todd and Steph’s big day. Jocelyn had to head out earlier than me because she had to get her hair done and all that good stuff. I caught a ride with Luedke. He also picked up Ham and Ben so we were a good looking car or tuxed up men. We went to Todd’s and got ready and ate some left over brats from the night before. Then the bus came and it was go time. We got to the church with almost no incident. The limo driver was clueless as to how to get to the church so we had to give her some direction. Pulling a Y turn in a limo bus on a country road is quite the heralding experience. We finally made it to the church just a couple minutes late. We then waited around for the girls, who were late, so we could get the show on the road. They finally arrived and it was wedding time. It was a Catholic wedding but there was no communion so the whole thing only took about 45 minutes. The wedding was very nice and easy on all the attendants. The A/C was pumping and there wasn’t a lot of standing or any kneeling. The whole thing almost went off without a hitch except for a little confusion on the holding of the rings. I wasn’t a big think and everyone got a laugh. So the wedding was over and two of our close friends are officially husband and wife. We didn’t take any pictures at the church, again nice. So we piled on the bus and started the celebration. We took the bus downtown to the Lakefront Bistro to snap some picture in the blazing sun and heat. The groomsmen were sweating up a storm but we were able to watch the Blue Angels again. They were doing their Saturday show as we were taking our pictures. We snapped some pictures by the lake, lost a couple pounds of sweat, and then hopped back on the bus to get downtown. This ride would usually take under five minutes but since the air show had just gotten out it was bumper to bumper downtown. It took us over half an hour to get downtown but we had tunes and some wine so we were good to go. Once we got to the reception at the downtown Hilton the fun kicked into high gear. We had some more drinks and ate dinner. I had the filet mignon and I might add it was delicious. The rest of the night was spent dancing away. Then, my awful luck continued. I pulled out one of my patented dance moves that I had done a million times before but this time my hamstring didn’t want to do it. I felt it tear and the pain was unbelievable. I think my hamstrings were still tight from the run on Thursday. I couldn’t walk and my night was over. I went into steaming mad depression mode because this kind of stuff has been happening to me too much lately. The fun and dancing came to an end and I hobbled to a cab and went home for the night while everyone else went out to have fun.

Sunday I was in extreme pain. I tried to leave the couch to go see the Blue Angels do their actual show. It took me fifteen minutes to go two blocks and the heat was killing me so I hobbled back to the couch where I stayed for the rest of the day. This sucks.

Bachelor Party At A Bachelor Pad

Saturday was my friend Bill Moeller’s bachelor party. The crew went golfing up in Mequon but I have already had my allotted two rounds of golf this year. It’s an expensive sport and I don’t really like playing all that much so I skipped the golf and met everyone downtown. We met at one of Bill’s friend’s condo a couple blocks up from where I live. The guy has a very nice condo and it’s a straight up bachelor pad. The bottom floor has the kitchen and a small living room with a plasma TV in it. Then you go upstairs and its bachelor heaven. To the right you have a small bar area and to the left is a huge sectional sofa in front of a 100″+ projector TV. There was also a great sound system, a Vegas slot machine, and a stand up Ms. Pacman/Galaga video game. Then there is a fairly spacious rooftop deck with a great view of the Milwaukee skyline. We spent a couple hours there and enjoyed all the toys. We drank some beers, smoked some cigars, and ate some meat, all traditional bachelor party events. After that we headed over to a club called Mantra on North Ave. I almost wasn’t allowed in because I was wearing tennis shoes. They weren’t even real tennis shoes, they were nice brown ones. I couldn’t believe it; I hate those bouncers who need to compensate for inadequacies. What got me made is once I got into the club it was baron. There was no one there except for us. Well once I calmed down we danced and had some fun. They have authentic water hookahs at Mantra and Evraets had never had one. So we chipped in and bought some strawberry tobacco and smoked like we were in a sand hut. After Mantra we decided to go to 3. We got there and the line was immense due to the Summerfest crowd but we were with the right people. The reason we really started to going to three was because of Billy and the group of guys that we were with at the bachelor party. They went to high school with the original owners and Billy practically lived there the first year they were open. So they were able to talk us in. We drank some vodka red bulls and whoop whooped until closing time. After close the group went back to the condo as did half of the Milwaukee club scene. There was a rocking after party, something which I have not been to in ages. So around 3:30 Craig and I left. Craig wanted some sleep and didn’t want to sleep amongst the phat beats so he came back to my place. We stopped and Mykano’s and we were served the last gyros of the night. We ended up getting to bed after four but it was a lot of fun.

Well Summerfest is over. I didn’t go that much this year. I don’t know why but for some reason it just didn’t have the appeal that it had in the past. I went to see the Violent Femmes on Thursday and then this last Sunday I saw Dark Star Orchestra on the closing day. At least the coming week we should be able to find some parking spots.

Regular ‘ol Weekend

I am posting this entry from the comfort of my couch because this past week it got a new laptop. I got a Dell 700m and I absolutely love it. I’ve had a pretty low key month with the exception of Wertz coming in from NY. Friday we went to Mequon to pick up Jocelyn’s dress for Todd’s wedding. While we were out there we went to Milli’s Spaghetti Factory. This place used to be a regular stop for my mom, aunt Joanie and me when we made our trips to Northridge Mall (which is no longer open). The food was good and I got what I always got as a kid, linguine in red clam sauce, yum. After that we headed back downtown and went by Luedke’s for a bit. We had a beer there and after that Jocelyn went home because she was doing the Urban Frog race the next day. I on the other hand was able to have a couple more beers. So I joined the L, Adam and Stacy for a couple beers across the street at Halliday’s. I had a couple beers and headed home before midnight. On my walk home I got buzzed by a couple on a crotch rocket. They were being followed by four others also on bikes. The second group passed two cars using the white divider line as a lane so they weren’t the safest of riders. At that moment I had one of those, “Those people are going to kill themselves,” or “Someday something bad is going to happen to them moments.” I kept on walking and got about 100 yards from the upcoming intersection when I heard the screeching and crashing. The guy and girl got hit broadside and thrown a good 20+ yards into the little park that was by the intersection. There was a white Celica with four hysterical girls in it that had the front end smashed in and the bumper half off. I was one of the first people on the scene but could already hear sirens coming so I didn’t need to call 911. I stood and watched the melee for about 20 minutes and the guy didn’t move once. The bike had a v contour to it so I’d imagine they both had at least one crushed leg. Shows you what unsafe riding can do I guess.

Saturday I had a little list of things to do. Jocelyn was doing her adventure race so I was going solo. I took her car to the mechanic to get the air conditioning checked. I dropped the car off and took my bike out of the back of the Montero and biked around downtown for a bit. There were people running around doing the race but I didn’t see J anywhere. One of my errands was exchanging my bike seat. It had a hole in it when I bought it and they said I could just take it in to Wheel & Sprocket for an exchange. It was a good fifteen miles roundtrip so it took me a little over an hour. I got the seat exchanged, biked to the mechanic to pick up the Montero and headed home. Jocelyn got home about four or five and took a nap. Around seven we went to Elsa’s with Adam and Stacy to get some grub. The food there is very good. Their menu is mostly gourmet hamburgers and pork chops. When you walk into the place it seems like a swanky joint but they serve mostly burgers. The place is owned by the same people who own the Kopp’s hamburger places so you know the burger is going to be good, and it was. I had an APV II which had some blue cheese and onions fried in Cabernet sauvignon, delicious. The meal was very good but the drinks added a lot of money to the bill and we spent more than expected. My suggestion is just get the burgers there. They’re about $8 and well worth it. Save the drinks for My Office. So after dinner we went to of all places, My Office. We had a couple drinks there and chatted it up with the bartender. After that we went and met Adam’s friends at County Claire for one last beer and then headed home, again before the stroke of midnight.

Sunday I woke up and did what will be my normal Sunday morning routine for the next 18 weeks. I started training for the Chicago marathon so I do my long runs on Sundays, 11 miles this week. After that Jocelyn and I went to the mall in Brookfield. We shopped around and then went and ate at a place called the Char House. I had to get a suit coat for an event this coming weekend so we went to Men’s Warehouse after that and low and behold Todd and Steph were there. Todd was getting his tux fitted for the big day. It was a quite the coincidence because I will probably die in this suit coat and don’t venture to Brookfield very much. After that run in I got my coat, a steal by the way, and we headed home to sit on the couch and watch the end of the U.S. Open.

Showing the East How the (Mid)West Was Won

Holy cow what a week this was. The Yankees came to town to play the Brewers this week and I had bought tickets to go to all three games. Monday I went with Jocelyn. The weather was nice and the roof was open for a night game which seems to be a rarity. The Brewers did great and took the first game from the Spankies, one of my least favorite teams in the world.

Tuesday I went with Luedke to the game. Since I get out of work at four and he is taking the summer off we got to the park early for some tailgating. We had a few more beers than I was expecting but it was worth it because the Brewers won again.

Wednesday is when this already crazy week went into overdrive. My friend Chris from our old hangout The Blind Tiger in NY decided to fly in for a couple games before going to see his beloved Red Sox take on the Cubs in Chicago. This was Chris’s furthest trip West in the US. The furthest he had been before this trip was Pennsylvania. He isn’t a NY city hermit refusing to leave the “friendly” confines of Manhattan Island. Many New Yorkers are like this. He lived in Austria and Europe for a bit. So I took off about noon and met Chris at my apartment. After I got changed we headed to the Milwaukee Ale House to get a bite to eat and take in the city of Milwaukee’s ambiance. We walked in and took a seat and low and low and behold Tyler was there. He was waiting for his girlfriend Angela so we had him join us. Chris also knew a group of guys from the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES). They were a group of people doing a reality TV show for the station. A group of 4 people get to follow around the Yankees to all 162 games. Chris was their tour guide when they went to Boston so he already had a rapport with them. A couple of them met us at the Ale House and we set up a tailgate for them. We headed to the park after the Ale House. We started up the tailgate and got the party rolling. These NY people don’t understand what a real tailgate is all about so I was under pressure to show them a good time. The tailgate went over well. I had plenty of beer and brats for everyone including the cast and crew of the show. It appeared that they had a good time and I was even civil to the Yankees fans. We shut down the tailgate and headed into the park. Chris knows another guy named Paul from Pewaukee. Paul was one of the nicest guys I’ve met and I’m not saying that just because he got us third row tickets behind the plate. The seats were some of the greatest seats I’ve ever had. We were able to heckle the Yankee players (Bostonian Chris especially like this) and Jocelyn almost got killed by a flying bat. One of the players let go of his bat and it came right at us. It hit J in the back but she didn’t get to keep the bat because it hit the guy behind us in the nose. Not only were we able to sit in these great seats but Paul also had access to a suite! So in the seventh inning we headed up to suite and had some free drinks and some sandwiches, what a perfect baseball game experience. The YES network people met us in the suite and we had a great time. It would have been a perfect experience but the Brewers lost. They still took 2 of 3 from the Yankees so all was not lost. After the game I showed Chris the Safehouse. We had a drink there, watched the magician bartender and headed home, some of us have to work in the morning. Thursday wasn’t quite as crazy but still fun. I met Chris for lunch at Potbelly’s. Chris was looking for a souvenir and ended up buying a pipe from the Milwaukee’s historic downtown smoke shop Uhle’s. After work we went to Jazz in the Park and had a couple bottles of wine and smoke our pipes. The weather remained gorgeous throughout the night. After JitP we went to the Lodge and got a couple pitchers of beer and a couple pizzas (Pizza and a pitcher $10 on Thursdays). After that we went to the Harp and had a beer and headed home. Chris left Friday when we went to work. It was great seeing him again. We had a great time and it was well worth the lack of sleep.

Friday after work we drove down to Peoria for the 4 mile Steamboat Classic race. We were pooped so once we arrived in Peoria we fell asleep as soon as we were horizontal. Saturday morning we woke up bright and early for the race. The start was at 7:45 so it was another early morning. It was my first race of the season and also the kick off to my marathon training. There are a couple thousand people that run this race each year. There are Olympians and Boston marathon winners, it’s quite the event. I started in the eight minute mile grouping because I didn’t know what kind of pace I could sustain. I finished the four mile race in 28:31 which is about 7:09 mile pace. Not a bad start but I still have a ways to go to get to 17 minutes to compete with the three Kenyans that swept the podium. Jocelyn’s aunt and uncle did very well. Her uncle took third in his age group but her aunt showed everyone up by taking first in her group. It was a lot of fun and a good start to the summer’s race season. Aside from completing a marathon I also want to get my 5k time under 20 minutes, stay tuned. After the race we headed back to J’s dad’s apartment, watched some tube, and got caught up on this week’s lack of sleep. We headed over to J’s grandparent’s house at about two to sit with the family. At about five we went to have dinner with the family. After dinner we had dessert back at the house. The dessert and craziness of this week caught up with me. J wanted to go out but I was paralyzed and forced to call it a night. We headed back to her dad’s place and called it a night.

Sunday we woke up early again and met with J’s mom’s family and went for a hike on a really nice path. The path used to be an old train track bed so it was really the ideal surface for walking on. After the latest physical activity was complete we went to lunch with J’s dad’s family and then headed back to Milwaukee. This was quite the dyslexic weekend. I had all the partying and fun during the week and the fitness and physical exertion on the weekend. Either way the whole week turned out to be a fun one, even with the exhaustion.