'A' is for Apple

I've only had to deal with the Apple store a few times. First when I went in to have them replace the battery in my first iPhone and they gave me a new phone and a pair of headphones. I was only expecting a battery repair when I went in. Well yesterday I went into the Apple store again. This time I was hoping they would replace my iPhone headphones because, well, they just don't work at all anymore. I didn't have an appointment with the Apple Bar and just asked a sales associate what I needed to do. He tried them out on my phone and then tried out his pair. Then he just said that he'd get me some new ones! He didn't ask my name or look up any information on my phone. There was no paper work. Nothing! How crazy is that?! I'm just saying that Apple is pretty darn great to their customers.

U2 - Unexpected

A Nice Panorama of the Stadium From My Seat

So Friday at work I got a pleasant text message from a friend that said "U interested in going to u2 tonight? I may have an extra ticket. Free btw!" You can imagine my response. It was something like "Um, yeah!" I hadn't planned on seeing U2. The ticket prices are crazy and concerts with huge venues are not my favorite to attend. I knew this might be the only time I would see U2 in concert and I knew it would be fun if for no other reason than the company.

My friend works for a local television channel that was giving away tickets to the concert and if they were not picked up by a certain deadline then the tickets would just go to waste. He wasn't about to let that happen. I mean he could have just sold that ticket for a handsome fee. This was fortunate for me! :)

By the time I got there The Fray had already finished playing. It would have been nice to hear them too but it just wasn't in the cards.

The stage looked like some alien spider-like spaceship. It was huge too. U2 put on a pretty amazing show but the stage and effects definitely added to the entertainment value. Check out some of the videos below to get an idea as to how awesome it was.

Here are a few videos I took from my iPhone:

Although the following video was taken at the Rose Bowl, it gives you a good idea of some of the cool stuff their massive stage would do:

Me & the Guys

Red Rock Relay Recap

Team Spider Pigs: Saylor, Brian, Bryant, Paul, Ty, and Andy

The Spider Pigs T-Shirts

The Red Rock Relay was last weekend and although I realize now that I was not fully prepared, it was a lot of fun. I feel great at was I was able to accomplish. Now I will be better educated for my next relay experience. We got down to Moab Friday night around 10 and got settled into our hotel. We all tried to sleep. Some with more success than others. I'm not sure I got too much that first night. We got up at 5am so that we could make it to the starting line early enough to check in at the starting line for our 6:30 am start time. It was great fun to drive along and cheer on our runners as well as other teams and take photos. It wasn't until it got close to my turn that I started to get nervous. I took an Imodium on the advice of one of my runner friends and I'm glad I did because when I get nervous so does my stomach.

After watching all our other runner go, it was finally my turn. I was nervous. I hurried and peed but I forgot to puff on my Albuterol and put on my knee strap. Before I knew it Saylor was closing in so I ran to meet him and then just took off running. It didn't take me to long to remember that I didn't use my Albuterol. Fortunately as the truck was driving by I signaled to Ty that I forgot my inhaler. And even more fortunately he uses that same thing. He handed me the inhaler while I took two puff and hit the road again. I held out for quite a while but then felt like I needed to walk a bit. At one point I realized that the sky was all overcast and I thought "Well at least that is one thing to be thankful for!" During the my leg I got passed and I passed another runner. But when I was closing in on the baton exchange this petite lady in pink passed me up. I thought "Hell no!" and kicked it up a notch passing her. She hung out back there just waiting for her moment. I sensed it when I could see the hand-off location. She darted ahead and I fought to not let her pass me. She did pass me but in passing the baton I worked it out better and Paul was out of the shoot before their runner. :) Check out the action in the photos:

My second leg was the last of the relay. The weather had warmed up a lot. I looked at how far away we were from the park on my iPhone and it didn't look too far. It gave me hope even though I knew it was 7.62 miles. What I didn't realize is that we would not be taking a direct approach to the park. I followed the main road for about 2 miles I think and then it took a sharp right and went on the other side of the city up a hill. I had gotten close to passing another team in front of me but the hill took the wind out of my sails. The other team would pull ahead as I took a little time to catch my breath and walk a bit. Several times I got close and then need a break. At one point I decided to power past her. Fortunately I didn't see her again but I meanwhile did get passed by two guys. At one point I realized that my nipples were getting worn raw. I signaled my support team that I needed my body glide. It worked out nicely. They swung by me, I quickly applied it, and I was off again. Once I got further into town the trail went under the road and I thought off to the right on the sidewalk and over a bridge. Once I was halfway across the bridge, I could hear someone yelling at me that I was going the wrong way. I turned around and sure enough I was supposed to be on a sandy path going through a park. I made the U turn and rushed off to follow the two teams that had just passed my while I was going the wrong way! Running in the sand was a little unexpected. That lasted for about a mile or two. After I got back on the street to run who comes up passing me? You guessed it the girl in pink! She was very encouraging, telling me that we were almost there and to keep going.  I got to say that was the best part of the relay. Everyone was always cheering on each other. My team was excellent especially during the last leg. It put a huge smile on my face as I would hear them drive by, honk, yell, and cheer my on. They were awesome!

The Home Stretch Joined By My Teammates

Apparently I was supposed to be wearing my medal. I did get one!

We earned our stripes! After each leg a runner earns a stripe and then one when the team finishes.

After getting cleaned up we headed over to Pasta Jay's. Ty and Bryant said that it's the best food. I was a little skeptical at first. We were told that it would only be 20 minutes for a table for 8. It ended up being an hour. The place was packed. The longer we waited the more we all got grumpy I ordered the Stuffed Chicken Genovese as shown below. It's a chicken breast stuffed with Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, provolone cheese and mushrooms, baked in a fresh tomato and sweet basil sauce, with a side of pasta. Once the food came everyone was much more cheerful. It was delicious! I dare say it was the best Italian food that I have ever had! I might have to visit Moab more often just for the Italian food. It was just THAT good! I even celebrated by ordering a Diet Coke with my meal. I did limit it to just one refill though. Go me! :)

Now that I've had a few days to recover I think that I'm ready to maybe think about another one. :)

Facebook Wishes

I've several times heard people complain or down play getting "Happy Birthday" wishes on Facebook. Maybe they think it's insincere or maybe it's just not enough of a gesture to have any value. Having just had a birthday today, I just cannot even comprehend what these people are thinking or why sometimes they even find the wishes offensive. It warms my heart just to know that people, who I may not ever see or even talk to much, are willing to take a moment and wish me a happy birthday or leave a nice note. Maybe I'm a little too easy to please. Whatever it is, I'm glad that it affects me like it does. So if you are one of those people that remembered my birthday on Facebook, through a text, or with a call, I just want to say that you helped make my birthday a special day. Nothing means more to me than family and friends. They are the best presents ever! Love you all!

30 Day Challenge

Matt Cutts, Google developer, spoke at the Google I/O 2011: Ignite conference. I liked his idea in fact I think I've done this a few times now. You might remember French Fry Free February or more recently No Soda April. He closed with the following quote: "The next 30 are going to pass no matter what, I guarantee it, so why not pick something you have always wanted to try and give it a shot for the next 30 days?"

What will be your next 30 Day Challenge?

Oh My Legs!

Today I finally found out what legs I will be running for the Red Rock Relay on this Saturday.

LEG 5 "Round Mtn Runner" 2.37 Miles HARD

Description: Round Mountain will be your back drop as you put those running shoes to good use. Trust us, after this run, your treadmill and local home streets may become unbearable. Just savor each moment so you can remember this 2.37 miles for he REST OF YOUR LIFE.

Safety: Remote road with low traffic. Watch for vehicles. Elevation gains may become a concern. User caution if feeling light headed.

LEG 12 "Sunset Finisher" 7.62 Miles MEDIUM

Description: The last running leg will bring you from the outskirts of town into the heart of Moab and your triumphant return to Swanny Park. The run is on mixed road and trails and a steady descent, you may even set a PR as you bring it home for your team.

Safety: Be aware of local traffic as you near the city. Most of the roads have low traffic and wide shoulders but be cautious of things bigger and faster than you.

The New Car Smell -- Well Kind of...

If you know me well at all over the last few years, you know that I have been looking to get a new car for quite some time. So for you all I say brace yourselves because I have actually done it this time. I wasn't really even planning on it. I knew that Cougar Auto had an 2008 Honda Accord EXL that I wanted to go look at but I had known this for about a month. Today though I decided to go test drive it. It took a several miles but I was bitten. There are some signs of wear on the car but over all I feel like it was a reasonable deal. And the best part is that I didn't have to worry about my old Honda anymore since my brother bought it from me. He's handy with cars and I'm sure he will have it working perfectly in no time.