Now that we're getting closer to Christmas, I've been thinking about something. We all know Mr. Claus has a name, Santa, but what is his wife's name? Has it ever been mentioned? All I ever hear is Mrs. Claus. That's not acceptable in my opinion. Santa is a living legend and his wife needs a name! When I picture just what her name is, I come up with a few possibilities. The first one would be Agnes. I picture an old lady endlessly knitting pothandles and eating radishes. The next name is Doris. This one reminds me that Santa's wife was once a lunchlady, cooking food for schoolchildren. She would constantly ask them, "Butter samwich? You wanna samwich? Answer!" The last name I think of is Beatrice. Beatrice Claus to me represents an old lady who has alot of cats, cats with bad breath. Beatrice always has cat hair on her clothes and a herd of cats not far behind her. If you have any ideas what her name might be, leave a comment below.

My next topic deals with a food you probably haven't thought about much, Marshmallows. What a strange food! Think about them. They are white (or other colors). They have a unique consistency and expand exponentially in a microwave. This last trait is my favorite. Who thought up the idea to create such a bizarre food. I bet it was a nihilist. You can bet that I don't own any marshmallows. Also, Marshmallow is a terrible name for a pet.

YouTube last week featured one of the funniest videos I've ever seen. If you at all know my personality, you'll understand. The video is of the Today Show on NBC the Friday before Halloween. Everyone was dressed up in Star Wars costumes. The stage was set for absolute hilarity when a couple small people were dressed up as Ewoks. They are mischevious. They find a couple martinis on the table and try to drink them through their masks! At one point an Ewok starts to moon dance. Al Roker laughs hysterically. Another highlight is an Ewok getting a little too close to Al Roker. This part isn't suitable for children even though it was on live TV. Watch HERE.

I've taken some time off lately from running as the ING New York City Marathon has passed. Yesterday was my first run back and it felt like a first run back. Soon enough I'll be back running 100+ miles/week getting ready for the Aramco Houston 1/2 Marathon.

This past week I've been in New York City for the marathon. The race itself didn't go too well for me as I dropped out around mile 18. I guess it just wasn't in the cards last Sunday. I was incredibly fit going in and even went through the half in 66:46 feeling pretty good. It wasn't long after that the monkey jumped on my back and I started to fade. The Queensboro Bridge is where it got rough. I tried to shake it and run another mile to see if I could bounce back but it wasn't going to happen. I'm disappointed but I'm not beating myself up over it. Bad races happen and there are more races to be run.

After the marathon I had a few days to explore the city some more. I've been there a few times and love New York City. This time I wasn't alone as Theresa was there. We went to the Carnegie Deli for lunch and had a rather interesting dining experience. This place is BUSY and seating is rather cramped. We shared a tabel with some Brits, a lonely man, and two old people. We ordered 1 sandwich and it turned out like this! No, we didn't finish it, not even close. The old lady ordered a cheese sandwich and it arrived when I decided I was going to have a heart attack at age 27. Quite the experience. Please visit if you are in Midtown Manhattan! Note: Cookie Jarvis has eaten here......

We snuck into the Plaza Hotel, which is the most famous hotel in the world. Think Home Alone 2, Dunston Checks In, and other various movies. I don't think it was featured in any Pauly Shore movies. Think how much better BioDome would have been if it were in the Plaza Hotel! So here's how it went down. Theresa and I were walking on 5th Ave and I mentioned something about the Plaza. We decided to check it out. We walked in the entrance undetected and proceeded to explore a little. There was nobody around, which leads me to believe we accidentally snuck in. We didn't care. We found a nice loveseat to sit on and reflect on the day (in style of course).

From the Plaza, we decided to take a ride on a carriage through Central Park. I paid the nice man and we were off. I believe our horse's name was Rusty. It was a lovely day and the ride was nice. After about 10 minutes things took a turn for the worse as Rusty passed some gas. It was pungent. I gagged. The storm passed for a few minutes before Rusty struck again. More malodor. Theresa and I looked at each other and decided to forget about it. Rusty had other plans. The next wave of pungent odors broke the camel's back. I said, "Rusty!" I asked the driver what he fed Rusty. He replied with a song, "I'm so Keen-O on Beef-a-Reeno! What a delicious cuisine-O! Fit for a king or queen-O!" Bewildered by his response I asked the driver his name was. He said it was Cosmo. I asked Cosmo for his money back and how he can sit behind Rusty all day with this terrible odor. He gave me my money back and then just smiled. I know we won't ride with Rusty and Cosmo again.

Last Friday I was sent a product in the mail to 'test' from a company to see if it would be appropriate to sell in the store. I was quite excited to be receiving mail at work. I opened the package and was taken aback. There were two canisters labeled Go-Girl. The motto on the canister read, "Don't Take Life Sitting Down." Along with the motto was an outline of a pink woman crossing her legs and her arms. Curious, I opened the cannister and what was about to unfold (literally) I wasn't prepared for. This silicon funnel unraveled quickly, like one of those snakes in a can! I think I jumped a little. It came with directions for how women can use the Go-Girl to pee in public. We decided not to carry the Go-Girl in the store, but I will give them a outlet for promotion here.

I have a problem I've been working on the past week and that is my addiction to the word Fantastic. I knew I had a problem when I noticed how much I was saying it. How many times can someone use the word fantastic in one day and it not be considered passe? I've quite cold turkey and refuse to say it anymore regarding anything! It's a fantastic idea.

Theresa and I have been playing a knock-off version of Jenga lately called Jumbling Towers. It's basically the same thing except the blocks are little longer. I like the name Jumbling Towers. There is only one tower but the company insists calling it Jumbling Towers. Also, what is there to Jumble? Why don't they call it Tumbling Tower? Makes more sense to me. Anyway, I have yet to win. I've lost 4 times in one week and am beginning to get hopeless. Theresa is just too good and getting better. She has fantasic finesse and great concentration. She also intimidates me and trash talks like a baseball catcher. Maybe I need to get tougher.

The ING New York City Marathon starts this Sunday at 9:10 AM EST. I leave Thursday and will be coming back next Tuesday night. Tapering usually makes me feel a little off my game and it's no exception this time around. Got in a little turnover today for my last workout before the marathon. I'm excited to head back to NYC and spend some time visiting after the race.

Here is a video that the Twin Cities Marathon posted on Facebook a week ago or so regarding the US 10 Mile Championships.

A good friend of mine, Paul Giannobile, came into the store last week. The first thing he said to me was "White Pine!" I looked at him confused. Again, "White Pine!" I give up. After clarification, White Pine is the nickname he gave me. As far as I know it's an anti-nickname to Abdi Abdirahman's, which is "the Black Cactus." I kinda like this nickname and it's caught on somewhat with some people. When I'm running now I imagine myself as a majestic white pine. I have green skin with green needles and pinecones hanging from my arms and legs. I seem to find myself trying to stop birds from landing on me though. Let me know if there is an interest in a "White Pine" t-shirt as I could personally design one. You all know it would be a unique shirt!

My mom had her trees trimmed the other day by a professional tree trimmer. From the sound of things, the tree trimmer was very good. He trims Britney Spears' trees! Can you believe that? This guy actually trims Sue Moen's trees and Britney Spears' trees. I wonder why he doesn't just live in Hollywood and trim all the stars' trees instead of trimming trees in podunk Readlyn, Iowa? If I ever meet Britney Spears I have an ice breaker for sure.

Last night I watched the movie, "Cujo" and wasn't too impressed. I thought it would be about some devil dog from the netherworld. Instead, Cujo is just rabid and misunderstood. In parts of the movie I think Cujo was conflicted. Should he tear apart Farmer Fred or beg for a Beggin' Strip? Maybe Cujo found out Beggin' Strips aren't really made of bacon and took his rage out on Farmer Fred. My favorite part of the movie was when a soon-to-be hapless victim asks, "Cujo, what are you growling at?" Cujo immediately went for the jugular. Evidently, that poor man said the wrong thing.

The countdown to the ING NYC Marathon has begun. Nov. 1 is creeping up quickly. I got in a good last 7 mile marathon pace run this morning. From here on out is EASY, EASY, EASY for the most part. I ran a local 5k last weekend around Lake Nokomis. The Run for Oromia 5k. I won in 14:13, running alone the whole way. Not too bad I'd say for running alone and being tired.

As quick sidenote, it has been brought to my attention that somebody walked an albino cat on a leash around Lake Harriet the other day. Keep on the lookout for this devil-eyed feline!

Every once and a while it's possible for an amazing coincidence to occur. Yesterday Jason and I were working out together near the Highland Golf Course in St. Paul. We were running under a tree-lined boulevard near Snelling Ave when I saw a furry critter up ahead with a strangely familiar color. I thought, "This can't be what I think it is!" Running a few steps further I had a positive ID on ANOTHER albino squirrel! I made a quick comment to Jason about what we saw and he said, "I bet he's happy with the weather." Just as I was going to ask what he meant he interjected, "The snow camoflouges him and hunters won't shoot him." If I was a squirrel hunter, I wouldn't shoot the majestic albino squirrel. They are just too cute and I'd fear seeing their fire-red eyes up close.

Fall brings with it many new things such as the changing of the leave, random 3" snow falls, fresh apples, and Boo Berry Cereal. Boo Berry Cereal is easily my favorite fall cereal as it is delicious and not very nutritious. The picture the the ghost on the box looks a little confused, kind of like he was caught in a bad picture. Since it's supposed to taste like blueberries I added a 1/2 cup of blueberries to a bowl the other day. I had the highest of hopes but they were dashed immediately. A real letdown folks. Don't try this combination.

A couple months ago I put out a request for a good survival expert name on Facebook. There were some great submissions such as Moentain Man. I opted for another suggested name, "Wolverine." The reason I bring this up is yesterday it was offically given to me as my surival name. With mud smeared on my face and a new walking stick, I conquered the upper Wisconsin woods with my sidekick, Hawk, who was also newly inducted. We blazed a path and looked for bears and scavenged for foods. We only found a weird mushroom and a couple acorns.

Running has been pretty low-key since the US 10 Mile Championships. Jason and I did a 28 mile run in Eagan last Saturday in cold and windy conditions. I've done a few of these and this one felt the best yet. Yesterday we did 5 x 2.5 miles and that didn't feel the best. Things weren't clicking too well, but it wasnt bad either. Jason felt the same way. We are chalking it up to the weather. It was 25 degrees at the warmest and we just aren't used to running at that temperature right now. I did a quick interview with Runner's World the other day which was fun. Scroll down a little bit and there it is!

Big weekend! I'll start with the obvious which was the Medtronic TC 10 Mile, the US 10 mile championship. Things went really well as I finished 2nd to Abdi by 3 seconds in 46:38. That's 4:39/mile. I'm in great shape and I decided to really go for it yesterday. We traded leads and surges. Unfortunately, Abdi put me away with a mile to go and I couldn't respond. I only remember a few splits: 2 miles (9:06) and 5 miles (23:01). It was a great race and a good sign going into the ING New York City Marathon on Nov. 1.

Not only was the race exciting yesterday, but seeing a special squirrel was! I was walking back with Theresa and her family to their car when someone (I think it was Theresa's mom) pointed out an albino squirrel. Instantly I was excited and crossed the street without even looking to get a better view. I wanted to make sure it had red eyes like the Devil. Just as I noticed the devil eyes, a lady was walking by. Time to share my excitement I though. I say, "Ma'am, have you ever seen an albino squirrel?" She looked at me absolutely terrified like I'm some sort of drug-crazed weirdo. "Take a look over there!" I pointed. Her fears set aside, she proclaimed, "Oh yes, we used to have one in our neighborhood when I was little." We stared at it awkwardly for a few moment and then she darted off. The devil eyes must have scared her.

One last thing before I sign off. My family came up for the weekend to watch the race and that means another trip to the Mall of America. I don't really like going there very much. I was going to meet them there. I called Chris I got there but he didn't answer. Time to people watch I though! I sat next to the Barbie Hut and proceeded to watch many people stream by for 30 minutes. One of the great mullets I've seen on a lady was in the cards today, along with an old man with white hair wandering around aimlessly for 10 of those minutes by the Easy Reader kiosk. I tell you, watching people never gets boring to me. I just may head back to my bench near the Barbie Hut sometime soon as it was that good.

Coverage of the US 10 Mile Championships

It's been a while since I've posted as I've been quite busy. I've moved out of my old apartment by Lake Calhoun to a new home near Cedar Lake only a couple miles away. It's a quaint place that has lots of tree and is more secluded. Much more to my liking.

Last weekend I went back to God's Country (Iowa for those of you who don't know) to watch my sister Katy run at Independence. Now I expected her to win like usual, but this time she toyed with everyone for a mile and then nonchalantly sprinted away and cruised in. I saw her just before the mile and she looked like she was in jogging mode. When I saw her next ~800m she was smiling and having fun. It was fun to watch.

Theresa came home for the weekend so we decided to do a little site-seeing while we were there. We took a trip out to the Amish, which only took about 5 minutes, to buy some pies and check out their goods. Came back with an apple pie and a blueberry pie, both of which were better than any of your grandma's ever made! Sunday came along and we canoed the Upper Iowa River in Decorah. It's supposedly one of America's 10 greatest canyons. I never get tired of being outdoors and it was no exception Sunday.

Running has been good for the most part. The mileage is coming down some in preparation for the Medtronic Twin Cities 10 Mile, which is the US 10 Mile Championship this fall. Got in some serious training though. Did 1 session of 4 x 2.5 miles and a long run of 24+. At one point I'd done 42 miles in 24 hours. I took the rest of the week easier.