COMPLETE – Krispy Kreme Challenge 2010
It is 7:40AM.
It is 31 degrees.
Ever so lightly, snow begins falling from the sky.
And here I am, with some of my best friends, getting ready to experience one of the most awesome traditions at NC State. The Krispy Kreme Challenge.
Going in, I knew I could handle the running. The course was about 4.6 miles in total. I knew I could do that, but outside? At 31 degrees? I have never done that before. The doughnuts were a different story. I figured I could eat them, but I learned a bit later just how much I had underestimated the power of a little, round chunk of doughy heaven.
There is a guy in front of us that is running in a speedo...and that's it. There's also a dude in a gorilla costume, a banana costume, and a guy running around with a giant doughnut on his head. I'm thinking to myself "These are my people! NC State friggin rocks!". Behind us are a few UNC folks. We all decide that if we were gonna puke, we should do it in their direction.
Finally, it's time to start. "On Your Mark. Get Set. GOOOOOOO". Bam, Andrew takes off like he was shot out of a cannon. I'm fairly sure I am running over people to keep up, but we're even before too long. The whole crowd is running at a very fast pace. We are a block away from Krispy Kreme and a guy, escorted by Raleigh's finest, is on his way back. That dude must have been running like he stole something. Time check...16 minutes down. Holy crap! We ran that fast! We run past mountains of doughnuts before some volunteer FINALLY hands me my box. I open it up and think to myself "Oh S**t, that's a lot of doughnuts".
I squish 2 together, and get them down quick. Next up, I squish 4 together and start chomping. I make my way around the building and get some water and start alternating bites with water. The bites are so sweet my jaw starts to hurt. I squish the next 4 together and start eating it. I look at Andrew with an I-don't-think-I-can-do-this look. He says "Don't think, just eat". I black out for the next few minutes and when I come to, I am on my last 2 doughnuts. Must. Get. Water. I dunk my last 2 in my water, shove them in my mouth and bam. I did it! 2400 calories and 12 doughnuts down, 2+ miles to go. Andrew and I chuck our boxes in a huge pile, right beside a guy projectile vomiting. Time check...35 minutes have passed. We start our jog back.
Dave find us as we are leaving KK. He's holding his remaining doughnuts like a football. He ate 4 of the 12. We call him all kinds of affectionate names 
Andrew and I are jogging pretty good and keep telling each other "follow the yellow line. We can do it". We turn to jog up the hill to the final turn onto Hillsborough Street. I'm feeling good. We're about 3/4 of a mile from the finish line and I tell Andrew the finish line is only a quarter of a mile away. He threatens me with bodily harm if I am wrong. Time check...50 minutes passed. We're good.
I see the finish line. I take off. Whoa buddy...too fast. It would suck to barf this close to the finish line. A few seconds later and I cross the line. Erin and Leah are yelling at me. I imitate Rocky, throwing my arms to the sky in celebration. Official time...56 minutes, 49 seconds. I made it under and hour. SUCCESS!
Andrew finishes right behind me. Dave is a few minutes back, but makes it in under an hour. None of our crowd threw up. We did it. Our wives are somewhat proud. We people watch a little bit. Saw a guy who recreated Justin Timberlake's SNL skit for "D**k in a box". Another dude is dressed like one of the Reno 911 cops. Wow...a chick dressed like Cyndi Lauper. Good times, great people. We are NC State.
I'm cold. Tired. Full of a whole bunch of doughnuts. But I couldn't be any happier. I accomplished something today and it feels great. As we walk back to the car, I am already thinking that I will do this again next year. And that there is no way I want another Krispy Kreme doughnut for a while
Bobcats game on NASCAR night
Last weekend, Erin and I went to see the Charlotte Bobcats take on the Orlando Magic. This was the first time that I had been to an NBA game since I saw the Charlotte Hornets in their first year at the Charlotte Coliseum. Erin's friend Ashley had gotten us tickets on NASCAR night, and they were really good. We were probably 15 rows back from the floor along the baseline.
I'm not really an NBA fan, but I am a fan of pretty much any competition, so it was entertaining. NBA games seem to be a lot more about the "show" rather than the game. Everything was sponsored by someone, the "cheerleaders" could probably be seen later that night at a local gentleman's club (not that I minded), and there were local celebrities everywhere. Ric Flair (NATURE BOY IN DA HOUSE) was sitting a few rows down from us, and one of the anchors for News 14 was there too. Not to mention half of the NASCAR drivers. It was all interesting people watching.
I had watched PTI the week before when Charles Barkley was on, saying that he was "disappointed in the product that the NBA puts on the floor every night" and I can totally see that. The game was about athleticism, not really about skill. Dwight Howard could NOT hit any shot more than 3 feet from the basket, but the dude is huge and dominates inside.
The game went into overtime, and the Magic ended up winning, but I didn't really care too much. Mostly because half the dang Bobcats played for UNC, and people all around us were obnoxious about rubbing that fact in every time one of them did something good. It was annoying. Probably the only time I will ever secretly cheer for JJ Redick (he once played for Duke, now plays for the Magic and was booed every time he touched the ball). At one point I told Erin "I hope the Bobcats win, but if JJ can hit a game winner and shut all these homers up, I'll be happy anyway".
Anyway, the trip was fun. Charlotte has a great environment downtown with lots of restaurants and a decent vibe. We had a good time and were thankful for the tickets.
Krispy Kreme Challenge
I may have done something stupid. I signed up to run in the 2010 Krispy Kreme Challenge. For all those that are not part of the NC State family or don't have a clue what it is, lemme lay it down for you. Run 2 miles, eat a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts, run 2 miles back. In under an hour.
Last year, ESPN was there to cover the festivities, so it's kind of a big deal around here. There were over 6000 runners last year! The event started in 2004 as a dare between some students, and it has quickly caught on. I have wanted to do it for a few years now, but never really had the nerve. Then one night, Erin and I were out to dinner with our bestest friends Andrew (my old college roommate) and Leah, and we started talking about it. Andrew and I decided we would do it, and as soon as I got home I registered online. No turning back now.
While not new to running, I have never run in a race before. And it's gonna be cold because the race is at 8:30am in friggin February! This should be fun. I will post my time, doughnuts ate, and pictures upon the completion
Looking ahead to 2010
I typically suck at making and keeping new years resolutions. I've never felt that making resolutions really changed anything, except for the first month or so of the year. As a perfect example, check out your local gym during the month of January...then go back in March. There will maybe be a quarter of the people there.
While I don't like resolutions, I do find that with a new year, it is good to reflect back on the previous one and evaluate where you are and what you want to accomplish in the new one. In an effort to keep myself honest, I figured I would record my goals for the new year here, in no particular order.
Grow My Business
2009 was an interesting year for AmberCube. We had a few clients, made a little money (enough to buy Garrison and I new computers), and joined some new ventures. The economy certainly affected our profitability, but I believe our focus wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be. My hope for the new year is that we can increase our client base and grow the business. Hopefully that means additional income too.
Advance Professionally
I accomplished a good bit at NC State in 2009. I lead the initiative to get the NC State Mobile Web up and going, helped a lot with the social media identity of the university, and started managing some part-time employees. I got more involved with the tech and social media communities in the Raleigh-Durham area, participated in BarCampRDU, and met a lot of great people. While all that is great, it's not enough for me. I'd like to establish myself more at the University and get to a level where I can feel like I make an impact. I'm not sure I can do that in my current position, but that doesn't keep me from trying. I already know that 2010 will bring an increased responsibility for me as I will be participating on the Campus Communication Committee, focusing on web and social media communications. And we are working on some really exciting projects for the mobile web presence. 2010 will certainly be busy, but my goal is to make it pay off professionally.
Travel More
Erin and I have talked about it a lot, but this year is the year. We have gone a few places since we got married (San Francisco, Memphis, Jamaica for our Honeymoon), but we have always wanted to go bigger. Our plan is to try to make it to Europe this year. I really want to go to Italy and Paris, so we are going to make it happen. We have been saving up money for 2+ years to go, so this is the year we are going to do it. Planning has already started Oh yeah, and on the back of traveling, I am planning on buying a Digital SLR camera before making any big trips. That means I'll need to learn how to use the thing properly too.
Lose some bad habits
This is the obligatory "I want to eat out less, work out more, be healthier" one, but I need to add it to the list. We got into a bad habit of eating out several times a week, which is not only expensive, but un-healthy too. I worked really hard a few years ago to lose a lot of weight, and I don't want all that hard work to go to waste. To help me, I found a great website/iPhone app to help me called dailyburn. It will help me track my food and workouts, set goals for myself, and accomplish what I want to in 2010.
Explore more
Erin and I love to try new things, so 2010 will hopefully be a year to explore new things. Food, wine, beer, places, things to do. I want us to live while the living is good. Part of this is travel, but a lot of it has to do with what we typically do on the weekends. Lately, it has been sitting around in front of a computer, which is pretty lame. I hope the new year provides us with a kick in the butt to get out, experience all the great things Raleigh has to offer, and spend more quality time together.
Get more involved with the PHP Community
Warning...Geek speak to follow! I really love the PHP community. I swear, it is the greatest thing since sliced bread for a developer like me who has to operate on no budget and a tiny staff. I have recently joined the Zend Framework project, finally signing my contributor license agreement! That means I can start helping with documentation and the monthly bug fixes. I have also been invited to speak at TEK-X in Chicago in May. I am really excited about the opportunity to speak at my first professional PHP conference as an on-the-agenda speaker. I have done un-conference sessions before, but this is the first for-real one. I am nervous and excited, all at the same time. There are a few more conferences that I will be submitting papers to as well, so we'll see where that takes me...
I think that is enough stuff for the new year. Hope everyone has a wonderful, productive and exciting 2010.
New Year, New Design
This is just a quick post to say..."HEY LOOK AT ME! I LOOK DIFFERENT NOW". I figured with the new year that I would like a new look so I found a theme I liked. I could have been all original and designed my own thing, but honestly there has just been no time for that.
I have also changed the title and description of the site, as well as added a bunch of new categories. I wanted to make my blog easier to find and reflect more of what I plan of posting about.
2010 is shaping up to be a doozy. I have a whole boatload of projects going on so I will be using this space more often to keep you faithful few up-to-date on what I am up to. And yeah, just like every year and everybody, I am making "blog more often" a new years resolution. Last year, I made it till the fall sometime, so maybe I will make it the whole way through this year. Only time will tell...
Happy new year! Peace out 2009!
Tailgate/Game of the Year
For anyone that knows me even just a little bit, you know that I love Wolfpack football. Fall is my FAVORITE time of year and with fall comes football and tailgating.
At NC State, tailgating is an art form. We don't just bring out the hibachi grill and a pack of hot dogs. We do it big time, and our tailgate this past weekend for the NC State/Pitt game was no exception. In fact, it was probably the biggest/best tailgate that we have ever had and we've been doing this for 10 years.
By my (slightly hazy) count, we had about 26-30 people, 5 coolers, 2 grills, 2 tents, and a myriad of food and drink. We also unveiled our latest addition to our tailgate supplies, the newly complete cornhole set. It still needs to be painted and clear-coated but it will be awesome to have that for future tailgates.
And what could make a tailgate even better? The Wolfpack pulling out a come-from-behind, 38-31 win! Even though the weather was nasty all day, Wolfpack fans brought the noise and the team showed up in force. It was a great day, and thanks to everyone who came out to our tailgate.
And a quick note about the game. For those of you who aren't obsessed with Wolfpack football like I am, you may have missed a chat transcript that was posted this past week where a Pitt beat writer stated "from what I understand there is a good crowd expected but, perhaps I am wrong about this, when has anyone ever talked about N.C. State being one of the tough or most hostile road venues around? .... So I don't think the crowd will be that much of a factor, no more than a normal road game." I recorded the game on ESPNU and Pitt had at least 2 false starts that can be directly related to crowd noise. The announcers even commented about how loud the stadium was. Despite the horrible weather, Wolfpack fans brought the noise and it made a difference.
Remembering Michael Jackson
June 25 2009 was a sad day for me. Unless you have lived under a rock for the last 2 weeks, you know that Michael Jackson passed away from apparent heart failure on that day.
For as long as I can remember, I have been a MJ fan. Somewhere at my mom's house, there is a pretty good collection of MJ tapes, records, CDs, and maybe an 8 track. I remember singing and dancing around to MJ greats like Thriller, Bad, Remember the Time...I could go on for a while.
I remember the excitement whenever a new MJ video would be released on MTV (back when they actually played music videos). I think there was an hour special when Remember the Time was released, and I sat glued to the TV for the entire time. While I remember watching the premieres of the more recent videos, my favorite was and always will be Thriller. This video blew my mind as a kid:
When I heard the news of his (at the time) hospitalization, I turned it to CNN and watched for a while. Erin told me that the LA Times was reporting he had died, but I didn't believe it until CNN ran the headline. When it did, I felt a loss. Not the same loss as that of a family member or friend, but a loss none-the-less. Quite possibly the best entertainer ever had passed, and I never got to see him live (although I tried many times).
I searched my stack of CDs that I had at the house, but no MJ. I went to iTunes and spent $16 for "The Essential Michael Jackson". I was disappointed that Smooth Criminal wasn't in there. I always loved that song...
As I worked on some AmberCube work for the next few nights, all I listened to was that album. It brought back great memories or times past, but kept reminding me that we would get no more MJ hits.
Today, I watched the memorial service online. The service itself was low-key, and really...none of the singers did any of his music justice. A tear came to my eye when his daughter, Paris, approached the mic and said "I loved my daddy". Brought back some tough memories of when Erin lost her father. It's gonna be tough on his kids.
Despite what allegations may have been made, his weirdness or quirkiness...he was an amazing entertainer and gave millions of dollars and time to charities all over the world, helping millions of people. You can't deny his influence on American pop culture, and his ability to bring people of all races, religions and backgrounds together.
He will be missed...
If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change.
Par 3 Heaven at Knights Play
This past Thursday, Nick, Garrison and I decided to hit up Knights Play in Apex to play a round of golf. Knights Play is a par 3 course that has 27 holes, but we just played the first 18.
Overall, I thought I played better than last time. I was actually hitting a few greens (4 on the front 9) and hitting my wedge pretty well. The back 9 I think I got frustrated too much and I started to rush shots. That was damaging to my score, but I suppose it will help me learn for next time.
Anyway, here is my score card.
There are 2 pars on there, but I should have had probably 2 or 3 more. The greens were far from awesome, and each of us had 3 or 4 balls that lipped out of the cup.
Anyway, it was fun, and super cheap. I had coupons and it was during the week, so it only cost me $10 for a round of 18 and a large bucket of balls. SWEET!
The Persuit of Golf Happiness
I said in my previous post that I was going to start playing golf more regularly and that I wanted to get good at it. Well, I guess every journey has to start somewhere, and mine started on Sunday when I played a round at Crooked Creek in Raleigh. Let's just say that I have played better, but I thought it would be a good personal journey to post my scorecards from my outings, as embarrassing as they may be.
I closed out the front nine like a champ! I did have a few good drives (240 yards on 13 and probably that far or better on 18), but overall I was way off. One of the other golfers, Nick (a pretty good golfer), noticed that I was leaning back when I brought the club around to swing, so I worked on that and by the back 9 was doing a little better. My chipping was a lot better than the last time I played, but my putting was horrible too.
Oh well, it was fun and I had a good time. Going to keep working at it.
The Need for Vacation
I am the worlds worst at taking vacation time. I've been at NC State as a full time employee for 5 and a half years and can only recall taking a vacation a handful of times. Most of the time, I end up having to use it at the end of the year just to prevent it from turning into sick leave (which I also never use).
Last week, I went against my usual grain and took some vacation time. Erin and I went with Andrew, Leah, Nick and Heather to the beach. We stayed at Heather's family's beach house at Carolina Beach and it was exactly what I needed.
It got me away from the nightmare that has been NC State. It got me away from my cell phone, email, twitter, all of it. It was glorious. I'm not sure Nick and Heather knew how much I appreciated being down there and them sharing their vacation with us, but looking back I was on the verge of a breakdown before getting out of town for a few days.
As I sat on the beach, with nothing to do, no deadlines to make, no email to answer, no misguided decisions to defend...I felt a calm that I haven't felt in a while. I came back with a new perspective on my job and my life. Mostly, that my job really isn't as important as I make it out to be. I don't have to live and die by the happenings at work, so I'm not going to get flustered by them (at least I am going to try). I realized that work hasn't really made me happy in a while, so why get all caught up in something that isn't very satisfying for me? Does that mean I'm not going to give 100% when I'm at work? No, but it means that I am going to stop answering emails after I go home, doing work at 3AM, etc. Perhaps that sounds crass, but I've put lots of blood, sweat and tears in, and all it has made me is an on-edge, unhappy, totally stressed out, pain in the ass to my wife (sorry honey).
So my efforts are going to go elsewhere, mainly into spending quality time with the people I care about. I'm also putting a renewed focus on running AmberCube, since I get a lot of enjoyment out of that and it doesn't stress me out. Oh yeah, and I'm going to work on my golf game, because I have always wanted to be good at golf but just haven't had the time.
"Late night, come home; Work sucks, I know; She left me roses by the stairs; Surprises let me know she cares"
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