Laws of the Universe

There are some laws of the universe that we're all familiar with. Some are scientific, like gravity and intertia. Then there are some that are societal laws and well-known, like Murphy's and the Peter Principle.

Today I realized that there is one more. Not sure if someone has already identified it, but if not, then I dub it the Aaron Law. And the law is thus:

"When you have the most work to do, that is when you will find the best time-wasting websites."

My example for today: My Life is Average. Enjoy!

Read More

Going Private

Hey y'all. I've decided to go private with this blog. I know this is tragic news for all the voyeuristic pervs out there, but it's time for you to face your demons and come clean on wanting to follow my blog on a regular basis in the light of day.

I'll try to invite as many of you as I'm aware of, but if you aren't on my list, just ask me and I'll approve it. I'm thinking I'll do the actual privatization on next Sunday, thereby giving you a full week to see this post and let me know you want in.

In return, I promise to provide continued reading material and pictures (including extreme and awkward close-ups like this):Happy reading!

Read More

Crash and Burn: A Triathlon Story

A) I love running races right in Washington DC. There's just something so cool about running past national monuments and the highest seats of power in this great nation.

B) I love running triathlons. I've been doing them about 10 years now, and I've loved racing in lots of different states, from Utah to New York to Florida.

As they always said in math class, A + B = C

C) Since I moved to DC a couple years ago, I've wanted to compete in the Nation's Triathlon, and this year I had my chance.

I debated even showing up for registration, since my IT band has been bothering me a lot this summer, but I decided on Saturday to go for it. Getting signed in and dropping my bike off on time was then a close call, but we made it just in time. I woke up early on Sunday morning and drove across the bridge, parking my car near the Jefferson Memorial.

Swim
Supposedly, the Potomac River is pretty gross. I've always heard that, but swimming in it wasn't bad at all, at least in terms of water quality. The Schuylkill River, which I swam in for the 2006 Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon, was much dirtier and definitely had more debris in the water. Ew. Starting the swim going upstream was a little bit of a challenge, though, and my time showed it. [Swim time = a slow 34:09]Bike
Loved, loved, loved this bike course! Gentle rollers along smooth roads. That's a recipe for a fast bike split. My only qualm with the bike course was that the dismount was kinda sudden. As in, little to no warning that it was time to dismount. As in, I couldn't get my foot out quick enough and had a major wipeout for all the spectators to watch in horror and amazement. [Bike time = a fast 1:12:50 (and that's including the crash)]Run
Oh the run. That fickle, foul friend. Sometimes he's got your back, and sometimes he takes the opportunity to stab you in the back. Today was, sadly, the latter. I was rockin' and rollin' for about 4.5 miles, and then the debilitating shots of pain began exploding from my IT band.Let's just say that the last 1.7 miles were "off pace". Many of the people I'd blown by since the start of the run went plodding past me during my walk breaks, and that was hard to stomach. When I finally limped across the line, I immediately went to the med tent and got some ice and an ACE bandage for my IT band, and that helped a lot. [Run time = a painful 56:42]On the bright side, I realized that even with my terrible last 1.7 miles of the run, my total time (including transitions) was 2:47:57. Not blazing fast, but encouraging considering that it could have been about 10 minutes faster without the IT band issues. And that time still equated to an overall placing of 1,349/3,933 participants.

Read More

You Can Always Go... Downtown!

There's always something happening in Washington, DC. Especially on the weekends. And fortunately, much of the time the activities available can be free.

TeaParty

We were walking towards the US Capitol and there was a large gathering of people carrying signs, some wearing costumes. Turns out that today was a Tea Party day, and conservatives all across the country held rallies near government buildings to voice their concerns and show solidarity for their chosen causes. We didn't stay long, but we did get a kick out of reading their signs and seeing some of the 18th Century costumes.

Library of Congress

Though I've lived in DC for over 2 years, I hadn't been to the Library of Congress. So it was nice to see this historic building that houses so much knowledge. We got to see the main room (as made famous in National Treasure 2, I believe) and Thomas Jefferson's book collection, and the Gershwin's piano, plus lots of cool architecture around the building and paintings (frescos?) on the ceilings.

Opera in the Outfield

Just like last year, the Kennedy Center sponsored a free simulcast showing of a famous opera to Nationals Ballpark. We brought a blanket, dinner, and some snacks, and set up down in the outfield. [Note: that grass is marvelous. So soft and cushy, and the perfect height. I would love to get to play softball down there someday.] This time, the opera performed was the Barber of Seville, and I enjoyed it greatly. Knowing Spanish helped with understanding what's going on, as the opera was in Italian, but just the visuals and their voices make for a great experience.

Read More

Franks for the Memories

I met Frank Magana soon after I arrived in the Washington DC area. He's one of those outgoing guys that makes it easy to be friends. Plus, he loves trying new things and seeing what this world has to offer. So, naturally, we ended up at the same activities and became buddies.

During my time here, Frank's been involved in some of our most fun adventures, including 80's parties, Dairy Godmother runs, 4th of July patriotism, countless birthday celebrations, beach trips, wedding receptions, and a whole lotta sweet nights of clubbin'.

There has also been one more type of activity: farewell parties. And sadly, on this night, we gathered to wish the one and only Frank Magana a safe journey back to his home city of Chicago. As you can see in the following pictures, he was very loved and there will be many here who'll miss him, including me.

Chicago had better treat you right, Frank, or we're taking you back. You're always welcome here in DC.

Read More

Ms. Smyth Goes to Washington

My sister Megan had some time off from work, and she wanted to see DC, which I think is a fantastic idea (though I'm biased, since I mostly just want to see as much family as I can, all the time). This blogpost is my brief account of her visit. For her more-expertly-written account, see here, here, and here.

Saturday: Shonni and I picked Megan up from BWI airport, and we stopped in Bethesda, MD, on our way back for some food. We decided on a place that serves Indian food, but on our way walking there, we passed a burger joint (aptly named BGR: The Burger Joint) and some guys that were buying the signature dish, "The 9 Pounder". Wow!After eating our tasty Indian food, we stopped at a little park near Reagan National airport (DCA) to watch airplanes taking off and landing. Sadly, we got there a little late and the wind direction was wrong, so we didn't get to see too many planes.

Sunday: We went to church in the morning, and I enjoyed showing off my cute sister and introducing her to the fellas in my ward. And I must say, the guys didn't mind meeting Megan, but there was a definite sad face they'd get when they found out she was just in town for the weekend and it wasn't a permanent move she'd made. Sorry for getting your hopes up, guys! In the evening, we drove downtown to see a free performance in front of the US Capitol by the National Symphony Orchestra. Weather was finicky, and before the NSO had even played a song, there was a delay due to rain. Just before we were going to head back to the car, the skies cleared up a bit and the show continued. They played some songs we knew, some we knew well enough to sing along with, and some we didn't know but thoroughly enjoyed. They stopped for an intermission, and apparently the heavens didn't like that, because they started crying. Based on the dark skies, we determined that was the end of the show for us, and we made our way quickly back to the car, getting totally soaked in the process.Monday: For Megan's birthday, a group of us went down to an amusement park called King's Dominion. We spent almost the entire day down there, and we rode all the rides we wanted to since, to our great surprise on a holiday, the park wasn't totally packed. And we were even able to go on the rides we liked multiple times without a big wait in line.Now that is the way to spend a birthday! Happy birthday, sister!Tuesday: Unfortunately, I had to work some this day, so I dropped Megan off at the DC Temple so she could do an endowment session. When I picked her up a couple hours later, we checked out some exhibits in the visitors' center before going to pick up Shonni for more sightseeing. Next we headed to the National Mall to see some of the gardens, followed by the Pentagon Memorial and Marine Corps War Memorial, commonly called the Iwo Jima Memorial by us locals. For dinner, Shonni and I took Megan to Good Stuff Eatery, which we'd just been to recently but like enough to share with others. We highly recommend the toasted marshmallow shakes and village fries, just in case you're wondering.

Wednesday: Megan had to fly out pretty early, and I was sad to say goodbye, but I'm glad that she chose to come to DC with her time off and we got to spend the weekend together. From her multiple blogposts, I get the feeling she was happy to come, too. Love you, sister!

Read More

Hey Man, That's the Good Stuff

I'm a country boy. I'll admit it. And one of my current favorite country songs is Kenny Chesney's"The Good Stuff". It's a tender song and I love how it reminds us that the most important things are the memories we make with that special someone who makes our heart skip a beat.

Well, that a long introduction to the place we went for shakes tonight. It's in Washington DC (3 blocks from the Capitol on Pennsylvania Ave) and it's called Good Stuff Eatery. They have a simple menu, a modern decor, and a charismatic owner/operator named Spike who was a contestant on Top Chef a while back.We got an order of Village Fries (covered in rosemary, thyme, and sea salt), a toasted marshmallow shake, and a Milky Way malt. Three items, one word: delish. If you're in DC and need a shake, we highly recommend this place. Plus, I've had the burgers there before, and they're quite tasty. I'm pretty sure we'll take my sister Megan there when she comes into town, just so she can enjoy the good stuff at Good Stuff.

Read More