Same Shit Different Day

So I have been slacking a lot lately on the whole blog thing. Is it because my life is not interesting? Is it because I am a slacker? Or is it because I have so much else to do? Well there really is no excuse, I just need to man up and get them done.

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So this one will get started with the Weber Brother's Circus.
There has been a circus in town for the last few weeks and they will be here for a few more weeks. On friday Leo's brother gave her a call and asked if we wanted to go to the circus. With nothing better on the bill for the evening we decided to go. I had no clue what to expect but was looking forward to it.
It was not the typical circus that you are used to, for starters there was no animals, secondly there was only a few hundred seats making it a very intimate setting. There was also only four clowns, and one act of gags. The rest of the show was ruled by Asains doing insane things. They swung from the ceiling, juggled with their feet, and did some other crazy stuff.
For the most part you had to be there to believe the stuff that we saw. Here are some photos of the craziness.

The lighting wasnt the best and this is what I got.

The rest of the weekend was pretty boring, worked, ran and watched a lot of the Olympics. I am really excited about the Olympics, the coverage here is awesome as well. They follow a lot of the American athletes, especially Michael Phelps. So it has been exciting so far to watch, I dont know where I find the time especially when I am so busy.

Let me move on to another topic, weather. The last two days have been nice, little rain and a lot of sun. However that was false hope today was another weather bomb. Delivering the mail in this weather is crazy by the time the mail actually reaches the mailbox it is a soaked ball of mush. No one wants the mail that way, but it has be to be delivered. Sucks for me right? YES it does! Out there with two rain jackets, squishing in my shoes and wrinkled skin trying to deliver the mail the best I can. Its days like this that make me think that I am absolutely nuts for enjoying this jog. It is also days like this that make me want to take the mail down to the creek and dump it in and then drive home. However my concious gets the better of me and I tough it out in the rain.
Looking ahead the rest of the week looks pretty boring, nothing exciting going on work and Olympics. The weekend I make my Takapuna Club debut at Auckland Road Champs. I will report back next week about the race.
Where is HurricaneOne News?
As some of you may have noticed HurricaneOne News has not been on in awhile. Well there is a good explaination for that. The crew is striking... Mr. WeatherMap, Treen Dawg, Mikey Pee and High Technology Map are on strike. Claiming working difference as the reason for the strike. I am patiently working with them to get them back in studio to get the news back. If I need to I will do the news myself. Which might be difficult but will be able to get it done. The format may change but it will be the same idea. Get the News to the viewer.

Thats all I have for you guys this week, I need to go and watch Phelps win his 4th Olympic Gold.

Windy Wellington

So this past weekend Leo and I travelled to Windy Wellington. The Capital of "The Land of the Long White Cloud", New Zealand. We headed down there for New Zealand Cross Country Nationals 2008. It was scheduled to be an epic time and it was.

Before I start to tell the tale of the weekends happenings I want to share a story with you, a coming of age tale. A few months back I was sent this forward, now I am not a big fan of these so called forwards but it was from Grandpa Lou and I figured I check it out. The subject line read FWD: Windiest Airport in the World...I opened the FWD and there was a link to a video. Sort of like this...

World's Windiest Airport

So I clicked on the link and it took me to a video. Not the video that I have linked you, but another one that was exactly the same minus the shitty music. O if you didnt know you can click that link above and it will show you a video. I would advise you turn the shit music off by muting your sound.

The video was filmed at Wellington Airport, the same place that I was to fly into on Friday Night and out of Sunday evening. With bad weather forcasted I could only replay those images in my head the whole flight.

Friday Day 1 Here We Come

It was a quick one so dont blink or you might miss this section.

I picked Leo up from work at four. We went and parked the car in a parking lot near the airport to watch some planes taking off and landing. We ate the homemade pasta salad I made for dinner. We then drove our car to the overnight parking service. We checked the car in and got a shuttle over to the airport. Checked our bags in and had an hour to kill to our flight at 7. We looked in the shops and with a half hour to go made our way to the gate. Went through security and waited outside the gate to board.

Our flight was slightly delayed and we didnt take off when scheduled. We left 20 minutes late. The flight lasted all of 50 minutes were they served us a cheese platter or crisps and a drink. The buckle up light came on and I braced myself what I thought was going to be a windy ass landing, instead it was tam and non adventurous. I was a little dissappointed but glad we landed safely.

Tim Hodge, a buddy from Stony Brook, was housing us for the weekend. We met him at the baggage claim, were we found our luggage and jumped into his mum's car to get out to their house. They live in a town called Tawa, just 20 minutes from the Big Wellington city. Got to the house met the rest of the family chatted for a bit and then headed for bed.

Saturday Day 2 Run, Run, Game, Live it Up, Sleep

Tim and I got up extra early so we could get our run done before we left for the big races. We did a little workout with some pick ups, in all we were out there for 80 minutes and it was a good solid run. Got home ate some brekkie showered and loaded into the car to go out to the races.

There was many different races going on, but I was primarly concerned with Leo's race and watching the Senior Men. Also Shaun Krawitz was going to be there and I had not seen him in ages, also Dana Hastie was to be there so it was a mini Stony Brook reunion at the race.

Leo race went well, she finished fifth and was happy with the race. Check out the video I put together here -----> Senior Women 8k Nationals

Then we stuck around and watched the Senior Mens race, If you want to check out the highlights then click this link --------> Senior Men 12k Nationals

All in all the races were highly competitive and awesome to watch. Even tho it rained on and off the whole time it was still a great day for some racing.

After that we drove back to Hodge House and had some dinner, we then got ready to go out to meet Shaun and Dana and watch the Rugby game. The All Blacks were playing Oz, it was meant to be a great game. We caught the train into the city, it was a 15 minute commute and we had Dana pick us up. (This is the traincar below there was two cars per train)We then hopped from one crowded bar to the other. This game was bigger than the Super Bowl, this was the Mecca of New Zealand Rugby. We finally settled on a place, but we had to stand and it was way over crowded. At half we left that place and headed over to Shauns hotel where there was a TV and Bar in the lobby that was less crowded and more viewer friendly. We chatted and watched the second half from there. It was great, the All Blacks kicked Aussie's ass up and down the field. It was great success... we then chilled there for a bit and talked... we then wore out our welcome and headed elsewhere. Again going from place to place...which was the cue for some to start peeling off and heading home. Dana left and then Leo and I soon headed back to the train station. Tim and Shaun stayed out and met up with some of Tim's friends.

Leo and I headed back to the train station to catch the 12:01 train back to Tawa, but then we saw this...

and thought maybe we can take the train to Hogwarts and visit Harry Potter.

The funny thing is I thought it was just a goofy sign trying to be funny, meanwhile Leo is talking about how she wonders if anyone has tried to run through the wall. I just laughed because I thought I was supposed to. I did not even know it was from Harry Potter. Well one thing led to another and she explained it to me.

So if we wanted to go to Hogwarts like Potter and his friends we needed to run through the wall and it would of taken us to the special terminal to catch the express to Hogwarts. Well I wasnt feeling adventorous and was tired so we opted for terminal 7 train to Tawa. BORING...
Sunday Day 3 Run, Take the City by Storm

So the last day was jammed packed. We slept in a little bit but then Tim and I headed for a two hour run. It was an epic journey that almost ended with us loosing our lives. We started out heading towards some paths, it was mostly flat and along the water. There had been so much rain that the water had overflowed into the paths and we were running along the trail that was under water. We got to some big opened farm land, where the cows were supposed to be but werent. We continued along and then turned and bend and there were all the cows. Eating grass and blocking the path. We slowly and quietly walked behind them until the path widened and would be able to go around them. Well before that could happen one cow went buck wild and looked like it was going to charge us but it didnt and then we got around the pack and I thought it was going to follow behind and stampede us.

We got out of that quick fast and headed for the hills, we were coming down a hill approaching the beach that had some wicked waves for surfing when Tim noticed that the beach we were meant to run along was all the way under water. We ran closer to see if we could get back but we wound up turning back and going around the long way.

While we headed back up the hill to go around we saw a surfer. He was trotting down the hill towards the beach, hair blowing in the wind, wet suit on and surf board under arm. It looked like a scene from a movie and then he bailed. Busted his ass, our first instinct was to help. We asked if he was alright and then we asked if he needed help. No response to either question so we continued on. To be honest I thought he was going to cry but that is my opinion.

We went around and came back down where we thought the beach was clear but it wasnt so we had to run along a ledge. My shoelace got caught on the bottom of a fence on the ledge and I almost fell to my death 3 feet below. I caught myself struggled to undo my shoelace and got back on my feet and continued running like nothing even happened.

Thats where the excitement of the run ended as we headed back for some breakfast.

We took warm showers had something to eat and then got the train into the city for a cram session of sight seeing. We walked the streets on the harbour and the main shopping areas. We headed towards the Olympic museum but that was closed, and then we went to Te Papa.

Te Papa is the museum of New Zealand History. It has everything that you need to know about NZ. When it was settled, the Maori's, major events etc. etc. etc. It was real cool and I got heaps of photos and video. We left that place and headed for the Capital building which looks like a bee hive. Seen Below

We checked out the grounds of Parlament for a bit and then Tim dared me to do Rocky up the steps. So here is a short film I made from the mayhem...

After that video we caught the train back to Tawa, had a quick dinner and headed back to the airport. For the flight back to Auckland.

Now crazy wind storms, nothing, I was a little let down. For a city to be called Windy Wellington I thought I would get some wind burn, but I got nothing. It was a great weekend and it was great seeing friends in different parts of the world. I hope that you enjoyed the craziness. Comment and respond

Look in the Sky!.!.!

Its a Bird... Its a Plane... Its Weather Bomb.

Yes thats right Weather Bomb New Zealands Super Villian, and he is coming to a town near you.

Weather Bomb is known for his relentless onslaught of heavy percepition, high wind gusts, and cloud coverage. This leads to massive floods, house destruction and mental breakdowns. He has been causing havoc for the last two months coming and going with very little warning but striking atleast six times a week. It is time for New Zealand to get a Super Hero to fight that Villian. He has caused enough damage and needs to be put to an end immediately. Someone or Something needs to step up NOW!

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So I really have been putting this blog thing to the side lately, and with good reason.

First things first I have been working a little bit harder these past few weeks and when I get home have been real knackered and just feel like laying around and napping. Been doing alot of the lying around and less of the napping. I know I know how hard could it be to write a freakin blog even now and again. ANWSER: Harder than you think!

Secondly, I have not done anything exciting this past weekend. Weather Bomb hit and we were stuck inside, some lost power others didnt. Played some board games went for a mud run. Nothing to exciting.

Thirdly, Leonora's bra Nat lent me his PS2 and I have been addicted to Tekken 5 all this week. Sorry... I know video games should not be more important than my audience, but it has. Ouch... burned...

Lastly, this week Leo and I have been gearing up to go down to Wellington for the weekend to stay with little Timmy Hodge and family. New Zealand Cross Country Championships are being held down near Welly and Tim is being so kind to house us for 3 days, 2 nights. What a good guy! With that I am still not packed and we leave tomorrow. Just like my dad putting the packing to the day we leave. Maybe I will really be like him and leave it to the hour we leave... only thing is I will be home alone and wont have anyone hounding me about it.

I swear this is the last reason... I have been just so consumed with my running that my mind is having trouble focusing on more than one thing at a time.

(What a Loser)

Yeah I know, but o well, I am proud to be a loser!...I think...

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So a while ago I told you all about this cool birthday weekend that I had. Well I have finally uploaded the video I made and I have it for you to view.

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This past weekend was Leo's birthday, She is now 26 So on Sunday we went over to her parents house and had a little dinner for her. Before we went to the house we went for a run in Okura Trails, where it was a mud bath. Literally! (SRC Guys worse than the National 10k Course) We then headed over to Dairy Flat for a warm shower, which was not to be. They were out of power and had to have a quick short semi warm shower. So that was a little bummer. We built a fire in the wood burning stove and sat infront of it to warm ourselves up.

After awhile the power came back on and we were able to start cooking dinner. We had a crockpot of chicken and other veggies but we also had cheese fondu with all different types of food. Veggies, Sausages, Salmon, Breads, and other things that I cant remember. After that she quickly opened gifts and then we had dessert.

If you guessed Chocolate fondu you are correct. We enjoyed our chocolate with Fruit, Candies, Raisins and again stuff I cant remember. We than had some birthday cake and before you know it, it was time to heaad home because we need to get up early for this thing, its called a job... and it is way overrated!

Notes From a Boot Shaped Country

On wednesday we visited the city of Torino. It is magnificent with the castles and the chruchs. A few things I thought was cool was the water fountains here and the bathrooms. I will try to download my pictures and send you photos. We went on the highest hill of Torino where we got to see all of Torino and let me tell you it is breath taking. We were all very tired by the end of the day and our feet were killing us but i didnt care because i am in Italy. Every sight to see is beautiful and I am also looking around at everything I see. My italian is getting better and I speak english like I have an italian accent. Everybody is great wonderful here and I hope by you. Today we visited Asti a little more and it was hot but yet again i didnt mind it because i am trying to soak in everything. I still cant believe i am here, it is like a dream that is real. I cant wait to see the rest. Now it is time for dinner and Agatha who is just like dad is yelling for me to come. So i will ttyl!!! Ciao America lol Love,Alyssa

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And Lastly for those that are still reading I have my RLog, so most of you can stop reading now if you want!

July 14th AM 4 PM 6 and 6 strides. Felt good getting ready for the race on Weds night.

July 15th 8 miles feeling good legs under me.

July 16th Race 5k and the Milford Cruising Club... Cold, Wet and Windy night... 3wu/cd ran 1545 all alone pushing myself to a road 5k PR. Happy with the result, feel likes I am rolling into shape.

July 17th 12 miles feeling pretty good, no soreness from the race which is good

July 18th 10 miles still feeling the heaviness in the legs from the race, but other than that and the rain it was a good run.

July 19th 3wu 4cd 10x300 52/53 with 200 jog, just extended striders felt good doing them. real smooth running

July 20th 2 hour run, 17+ miles felt really good, first two hour run since getting here. nice and relaxed at the end started to feel a little heavy.

Week Total---77 miles and a 5k road PR

July 21st AM 4 PM 8 Felt real good on both runs

July 22nd 8 miles and 6xstrides felt real good. legs are under me and ready for the workout.

July 23rd 3wu/cd 2x6 min, 3 min, 1 min (r4,2,3) felt good the whole way ran hard and fast pushing but not straining. really good effort.

July 24th 12 miles at a real cruisey pace, good run no soreness, legs a little heavy at the end.

July 25th AM 4 PM 8 Felt good on both runs did 6x strides after the 2nd run.

July 26th 3wu/cd 4 mile tempo at 21 minutes real smooth and just ran relaxed. looking to move this up to 5 miles the next time I do it.

July 27th 2 hour run in the mud bath, finished the last 35 minutes on the road 17+ miles felt good had a good time, it was fun getting a little muddy, or a lot muddy.

Weekly Totals---84 miles

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Ok well thats it for now, look forward to next week when I return from my trip to Welly and have tons of photos and footage to share with you guys. Until then Buh Bye

Delayed...By Alot...

So it has been awhile and I have no real excuse. Sorry... I hope that you can forgive me for my absence in your daily life. I hope to make it up to you in my blog here. For starters it has rained everyday for the last SIX WEEKS, no jokes, Leo and I went to tour the Sky Tower this past Sunday, The North Shore Times is a joke and my sister Alyssa went off to Italy with my Grandpa Mike and Filo for a month. Doesnt seem like much but once I get talking, hold on for the ride!
RAIN RAIN GO AWAY...COME AGAIN ANOTHER DAY
A few weeks back, lets say over six, New Zealand was all worried that the draught we were in was going to cause power shortages. The hydro lakes that are used to produce the electricity to run the country were heading for all time lows. The power companies played ads over the TV, Radio and had billboards warning the patrons to conserve energy now and to stock up for a power shortage. Well fast forward to today and the Hydrolakes are over full, streams and lakes are flooding beyond their banks, front lawns look like ponds and there really is no end in sight.
With all this horrible weather it has caused several issues in NZ that were unexplainable until now. Lets start with the rise in depression. More New Zealanders are reaching out for help from professionals. They are depressed and cant seem to think of real reasons other than the weather is so shit its depressing. I feel their pain, I too feel like arse some days, unmotivated to do jack all. What we need are a few days of consecutive nice days. However the weather people say that they dont see the end. So what needs to be done is seal NZ off with a giant umbrella! It can rain all it wants but we wont get wet and will be able to go outdoors! Other than work and running there is no reason for me to explore the outdoors. If I did that I would be in the rain 24/7.
This all leads to other pressing issues in NZ that go unanswered to the public.
-Why is there an increase in petro prices when the oil barrel is going down?
---The Weather
-Why are there a greater number of automotive incidents?
---The Weather
-Why did those people capture that little Asian girl and stash her in a abandoned house a few blocks over? Which are the houses her dad built without permits from council and now he is in deep shit!
---THE Weather
-Why hasnt Mike gotten a haircut? His hair is now longer than Leo's!
---THE WEATHER
I think you get the picture the weather sucks. While most of you are enjoying the summer, NZ is miserable and depressed...soaking wet.
Sky Tower...Tallest Tower in the Southern Hemisphere...
This past Sunday Leo and I went for a little trip into Auckland. We took the bus, got into the city in no time and then walked the streets. Well sort off, Auckland City really has two main roads, Quay Street which runs along the water and then Queen Street which runs the length of the city and is the shopping street. We catched out a building on the pier that looks like a cruise ship, we went in and out of gift shops and checked out Sky Tower views from different points in the city.

Leo and I were going to tour the tower and then have dinner a the top in its "Orbit"ing Resturant. We headed up Sky Tower at 530, went to the top and took in the views. It was rainy and cloudy so we couldnt see that far, but on a clear day you can see up to 85 kilometers (53 Miles). We took photos and video. There are sections where the floor is glass and you can see straight down, pretty spooky. We then took another elevator ride up to the hishest point in the tower. we walked around there and took in more views. The sun was setting and the city lights were starting to take over the view.
At 615 we headed to the resturant for our dinner. It is a fancy-ish resturant. The Resturant is named Orbit, and it gets this name because you actuall rotate so you can get 360 degree views of Auckland. It is confusing because only the seating area rotates, so the bathroom remains in the same spot and the kitchen etc...Must be confusing for the waiters! You can walk into the bathroom with your table right infront of it and come out 5 min later and it is to your right hand side a good walk away. It takes one hour to rotate the whole way around, at which time the tour guide asks you to leave the ride and follow the signs to the exit. Na NA just kidding, it seems like a ride that would be at Disney World?!?!
After dinner was over we headed down the elevator, did I mention that the elevator has a glass floor as well? It leaves you off at the gift shop, of course! There they have sky tower stuff and they also have heaps of information about the tower. They have a model of the tower that is tall as. We stop to take photos with it.
Leo thinks she is King Kong!
After the meal we rolled back to the bus stop to get the bus home.
The Local Paper...HaHaHa
Around here we get a local paper that comes three times a week free of charge. You can tell that it is free because the articles are shit, the editing is shit and it has nothing to hold the reader to be loyal to the paper. I have two examples of what makes this paper a joke. These are just examples but the rest of the papers are pretty spot on to the examples.
Example One "Brilliant children thrive at school for gifted"
Yes that is how the title appears of the front page of the North Shore Times. I am pretty sure that everyone knows that the first letter of significant words in a title should be capitalized. So the title should read "Brilliant Children Thrive at School for Gifted." Basically in short the article is about Jack, 10, who has a great interest in computers is starting to learn some programing. It continues to say that he is preparring hiself for a job with Microsoft when he finishes with the school when he turns 18. Except there is one slight over sight in the picture... can you spot it?
If you look closely at the photo you will notice that Jack is sitting infront of an Apple computer! If he is learning on an Apple computer why would he want a future with Microsoft? Thats like growing up a Yankees fan, but playing for the Red Sox!?!?
A simple over site that makes the paper seem inferior.
Example Two "First the world-now the universe"
It took me a few tries to type the title as it appears on the paper, but I will correct it, "First the World-Now the Universe." This article really gets me boiling, why this lady, yes she is a lady, has the cover story let alone a story at all is beyond me. She is a cheater! The first line of the article reads "BACK AFTER a two-year ban...On March 1 2006 Johnson, 46, was handed a two year suspension ... for an antidoping violation." In the words of Dane Cook, "Your a cheating whore Grandma(Johnson)!"
The article continues to talk about how she prepares for the Miss Universe competition after her ban for "cheating". The article never used the word "cheating", "doping" was the word of choice, but why they even give her an article? I cant wait to get the follow up article about how she fell on her face at the Miss Universe competition becuase it came back that she was actually a MAN! I am sorry but she does not deserve such a positive article! CHEATER!
Since the article about Grandma(pa) Johnson ran I have not read another single article! It is a joke and I cannot subject myself to that!
Notes From a Boot Shaped Country
Alyssa wanted me to share with you what she saw when she first entered Italy.
The Alps Mountain Range.
She didnt ask me to share what she has been up to but I will do that as well.

Day One
Hey everyone, Let me start off by saying Milan is beautiful and clean. The scenery of the Alpes is beautiful. OK so im having alot of difficulty with the calling card. I tried to use it but i cant seem to get it to work. When i get to a pay phone i will try it there. So im sitting in Guilias room typing this email to you and i have met Agatha, Guilia, Rosario but no Angelo yet. Everyone is very kind and though i dont understand what they are saying Guila n Filo are translating for me. I didnt sleep on the plane but i am very excited soo I am not even tired. I noticed in there liquor cabinent that they have Jagermeister and Agatha n Peter like it very much. I said in america it is very popular with red bull. Peter said he will have to try it. lol I dont know when i will be able to be on the internet again but im hoping real soon to keep you updated. It is lunch time so i will ttyl. CIAO!!!! Love, Alyssa

Day Two

HELLO!!!!! Glad to see my money is the account....it is perfect weather here in asti because it is not to hott n not humid and there is a slight cool breeze which feels great....i had pasta carbanora and chicken and its not how filo makes it but it was still good. than i took a shower but it is realli weird the way i had to shower its kinda like showering in the camper because its only a bath not a shower where u take the water hose and move it around to wash yourself lol. Than after my shower Guilia took me to a ymca where there were her friends ranging from 11-19. we had a good time laughin, playing the guitar, fusbol, ping pong and they all asked me about america it was cute and i had alot of fun. than we came back to agathas house where i got to meet antionette,guiseppi, frank, and miriana who is soo soo cute. We had a light dinner of fried zucchini and cheese and baquette(bread) it was good the zucchini. now im typing u and once im done we will play scopa. i havent slept since yesterday so im gunna have to go to bed soon. i dont know when i will be able to talk to you on the telefono but hopefully soon. filo n gpa say hello n regards to all. hows everyone doing by you? tell trish that they habve both ".com" and ".it" lol im having a great time and learning italian fast. miss all tell everyone we say hello n talk to you soon. ciaoalyssa

Day Three

hola mama lol I did get some presents out. Last night i played guilia guitar. than we played scopa. me n guilia against agatha n filo but me n guilia lost but it was alot of fun. than we went to sleep. i sleep with guilia on the couch bed. Oggi(Today) we went into the town (me guilia n angelo) they took me to the churchs n around town. Everyone is so nice especially the priest that showed me around the muesum. Me n giulia n filo just played uno and for lunch we ha pizza it was good. i still have a cold which sux and my ears are clogged but im taking the advil cold and sinus and hopefully it goes away real soon. the weather is great here. it still hasnt hit me that i am in italy because i feel so comfortable with everyone. after the computer i will be going with giulia again to the ymca. im not to sure what the rest of the week would be like but i think ill be having fun. i wont be leaving asti till saturday but we are visiting places during this time. I want you to call me tonite 10pm here so that would be 4pm by you. i will be waiting to here from you. please email me if you will call me tonight. ok ciao

Charts - If anyone is still interested I have the charts for this past week to share with you. Yes Chris Brown in no longer number one, and you will not believe who took his place.

Top 5 Movies
1. Kung Fu Panda
2. Hancock
3. Mamma Mia!
4. Get Smart
5. Prince Caspian

Top 5 Albums
1. Viva La Vida - Coldplay
2. Rockferry - Duffy
3. Indestrucible - Disturbed
4. Past, Present Future- Tiki Taane
5. Flight of the Conchords

Top 5 Songs
1. In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins
2. Always on my Mind - Tiki Taane
3. I Kissed a Girl - Kate Perry
4. Closer - Ne-Yo
5. When I Grow Up - Pussycat Dolls

Yes Phil Collins is number one. That is not a typo and it is due to the creative ad that aired during my last news broadcast, but if you didnt see that let me supply it for you.

I hope that you have all wasted a good chunk of your day reading and exploring this blog entry. I will try and be up ontop of it more frequently, but I cant make any promises until the weather gets better.

Running Journal June 30th - July 13th

On Long Island it is the summer and many high school and college runners are involved in the base training for next years seasons. It is known as the 100 days of running, and the goal is to run 1000 miles for that time period, which is 10 miles a day. I have partaken in the annual SJB summer mileage challenge, you watch the progress of the SJB athletes as the run miles over the summer each with a different goal at hand.

Last year I set my goal at 1000 miles and I got there for the first time ever. This year I am taken part in it again and have set my standards a little higher 1100 miles. This will also be added difficulty because I am here in NZ and it is winter and we are currently in XC season and shortly will be in Road season, so I will be logging miles amongst the races that I run.

To check out SJB progress go to http://www.coachwood.org/

Monday June 30th - AM 4 PM 8 felt good on both runs, a little sore in my calves, that is from my workout on saturday.

Tuesday July 1st - 10 plus 6 strides, legs are coming right feeling good for tomorrows WO

Wednesday July 2nd - 3 wu/cd 25 minute tempo at goal half marathon race pace(520) ran out on the roads and felt pretty good. the loop had some solid ups and downs that helped me concentrate and broke it up. took 3 min rest then ran 5x100 in 15 seconds. felt really good getting the legs moving at the end of a long hard effort. 12 miles total

Thursday July 3rd - AM 4 PM 11 felt good on both runs, no complaining here.

Friday July 4th - 10 and 3x strides hip starting to act up a little, stretched it and iced it really well.

Saturday July 5th - 3 wu/cd 4xmile with 230 rest. hip was feeling good so I decided to go and do the workout. 501, 500, 459, 501 felt pretty good real stiff head wind that I had to fight. 11 miles total

Sunday July 6th - 15 mile long run at Huka Falls in Taupo, it was an awesome go to run with the boys from Scottish it was cool.

Week Miles - 85 miles

Summer Mileage - 501 in week 6

Monday July 7th - AM 4 PM 8 felt good on both runs, no complaints again

Tuesday July 8th - 8 miles, cut run a little short was feeling real weak and tired, trip away might be hitting. deciding to take a little bit of a mileage step back to get legs under me again.

Wednesday July 9th - 3 wu/cd 6x800 and 1x200 all out. Goal was to run 224-227 but the weather was just not nice and I ran 230 230 231 225 230 226 had 2 min rest which worked out well, felt pretty heavy the whole way fighting to keep pace.

Thursday July 10th - 11 miles no AM run, felt alright nothing flash, just trying to get the legs back under me.

Friday July 11th - 8 miles felt real heavy, hopefully the legs will come back under me for tomorrows workout.

Saturday July 12th - Another crap day for a workout 3wu/4cd felt real heavy did 25 min tempo at 522 average, but i was fighting it the whole way, made the pace seem so much faster than it was. 11 miles total

Sunday July 13th - 14 miles felt better as the run went on. still feeling pretty crap but the legs are starting to come back under me.

Total Week Miles - 75

Summer Miles Week 7 - 576

Now we are over half way through and I am ahead of my goal of 1100 miles for the summer. Just keep up the good work and I will see the goal fly by soon. Got some 5ks coming up and then the real road season kicks off with Auckland Road Champs, a 10k and then after that the races keep coming, all culminating at the NZ Half Marathon Champs in November.

Here is that video from Taupo that I promised everyone. The full length feature called Taupo 2008: Put Your Gloves On Hope you enjoy.

Recapping the Birthday Mayhem

Now that the 40 hour birthday is over and the birthday bash weekend is over where do I begin to recap. Shall I just go in order from the start of the weekend till the end? That sounds like it would be the best option and easiset for everyone to follow the activities.
-Day One Friday 11 July 2008-
I had to work so I did that I got done as quickly as I could. Then I rushed home to go online and talk to the family. Had a brief chat with them, then went for a run. Leo came home from work early so we could go and do something. Leo's neice and sister are here visiting at the moment. We planned to go luge-ing, however it is raining like it always does in the winter in Auckland. So we bagged that idea and went to ten-pin bowling aka bowling.
The bowling alley was tiny and consisted of 12 lanes and some arcade games. With that being said the place was still empty. There was a birthday party going on in the corner of the alley and that was about it. We decided that we would bowl two games. That runs you 17 bucks for adults not too pricey and the show rental is included in that price so it makes it even better. The crew that decided to go bowling was Kaylee (Leo's Neice) Eveline (Leo's sister) Nat (Leo's brother) Leo and I. The one problem was that the bumpers had to be put up to help the neice. No worries for me, that doesnt affect me.
I cant remember the last time that I went bowling, Wii bowling doesnt count. After playing Wii bowling you forget how hard actual bowling is. The first game was used as a semi serious semi warm up that I won with a 121 bowling score. Nat was the only other to break 100 points, a milestone for amatuers like us! The second was full on serious and everyone (- Kaylee) came out guns a blazing. In the end it was down to Nat and I again... I rolled a 142 to win the second game and once again other than Nat and I no one else broke the milestone mark of a hundy.
Standings Wins Loses
Mike Petrina 2 0
Joy Family 0 2
After the bowling we headed to the Joy house for some dinner and some dessert. We had a great big meal and then had heaps of dessert, My favorite! They had a cake for me, which was yummy, they sang Happy Birthday and I received a gifts from Eveline, Kaylee and the rest of the Roberts family and a gift from Mr. and Mrs Joy. That was greatly appreciated. I also received a parcel that my family sent me with tons of things that reminded me of home. 3 Musketeers, Gatorade, Circus Peanuts, Granola, Candy, and a few other things. That was the best of all, and I enjoy the luxurious found in America in New Zealand.
After filling up we headed back to our flat. We were having a sleepover with Kaylee. The next morning we are planning to get up and go to Rainbows End, New Zealands primetime amusement park (Adventureland...pretty much), of course we also have to watch the weather.
--Day Two Saturday 12 July 2008--
We woke up and we made some pancakes, the girls made the batter and I cooked it up. The request was for some Mickey pancakes. After years of practice and an Aunt whom is overly obsessed with Mickey it comes easy to me. The pancakes we enjoyed with lemon and sugar, something that I never heard of until that. I tried it and was quit suprised at how yummy the pancakes tasted. So if you ever get the chance try the pancakes with lemon and sugar.
After brekkie we got dressed and headed out. We decided against Rainbows End as the weather looked like rain at any moment. We decided to try the luge again. We got to the luge early did five rides of the track. There are three different tracks, scenic, moderate and fast. All get you up to decent speed some have more turns than others. Scenic is the most curvy and you need to take your time in and out of the turns. Moderate starts you with a wicked slope building up heaps of speed and brings you into some nice turns. The fast track was closed for the day but it is pretty much a steep down hill run with minimal turns.It did start to drizzle while we were at the luge but the track was still open, just a little more slick than normal. We will have to go back when grip is at the best to race down at full speed to get the real feel for the track. We also had Kaylee with us who was tall and big enough to go by herself for the first time. So we had to make sure she was safe at all times. On our last run we all started together and we were being trailed by some little punk that was trying to get around us. Now we didnt know how Kaylee would handle the pressure of someone next to them. I tried to block the little punk out by riding next to Leo and try and take up as much of the track as possible. Not only was the kid a punk he was also a dirty driver. For god shake we are there to have fun, not end up in the hospital. The punk bumped and nosed his way past Leo and I and then he crusised past Kaylee. Towards the end of the track we were coming around a sharp turn and there was the little punk facing the wroung way because he spun out on the wet track. Kaylee laughed as the three of us passed him. He was out of his cart pushing it to face the right way. We got our last run in just in time as the rain started to pour down.
After the Luge we met up with Eveline to drop off Kaylee with them. Leo and I then went for our runs and then headed back to our flat. We had the Opshop concert to head to that night. Those are the tickets that I won in that contest from work that I may have told you about a few blog posts ago.
The doors opened at 7:30 for the concert, and it was located about a mile from our flat. The Bruce Mason Thearte is a small theatre used for a variety of things. I dont know how many people can fit into the theatre but it is a nice intimite setting. We had pretty good seats, I dont think there is a bad seat in that place, Row K right on the aisle, Seats 1 & 2. The show was being opend by Luke Thompson a Kiwi musical artist. I never heard any of his music but it was pretty good and he was pretty entertaining. Making several jokes and getting the crowd involved with him. He kept saying "Opshop is sorry but they are not going to be able to make it." A few people yelled out in disgust but he eventually told us that he was joking.
Luke played a nice 40 minute set that was enjoyable. He had some songs that sounded like Southern Plantation music and he kept referencing the American South for these songs. Yes he was playing a harmonica (Just like the one that Christian Rojas played for Hurricane Petrina at Cross Country meets). After he played there was a intermission and then Opshop was to come on the stage.
The theatre darkened and Opshop exploded onto the stage opening with a high engergy song properly named "Big Energy, Little Space". They played everyone of their songs with high energy! Opshop interacted with the crowd and did a sweet as cover of the Police's "Message in a Bottle". Right before their "last song" the lead singer did exactly that, put up quote symbols as he said "Last Song". Which ment they we coming back out for an encore, which is awesome because they hadnt played a few on my favorite songs. They finished that "last song" and ran off stage.
The crowded stood and clapped for a solid two minutes and then Opshop explode back on stage. When the lights on the stage came up, Opshop were in black suits and singing "One Day", their extremely popular and awesome song. This was a big to do as they had a female back up singer come on stage and they aslo had a full wind instument section appear on stage to accompany the band. As the song ended and the stage cleared the band members asked eachother what they were going to play next and then they broke out into a random frenzy of Billie Jean, and after the chores they cut the song short. After the next song they invited Luke Thompson onto the stage to sing a song with them. They have been writing songs about the cities that they have been playing and they did the same for the Bruce Mason crowd. They sang the East Coast Bays song that they had written only minutes before the show. It was awesome as. They then played three more songs and left on a high energy note rocking out hardcore before they ran off stage.
The concert was "Wicked Awesome" and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a great concert. Opshop is the name of the band, look them up, download their music and enjoy!
---Day Three 13 July 2008---Woke up on Sunday to a beautiful morning. We went for our long run, had some brunch and headed out towards the Joy's. On the way we stopped to take some photos of Auckland city from a pedestrian over pass of the motorway. The view of the city from this location is prime and wanted some shots of it. After that we arrived at the Joy's where the Air Riffle was out and we were shooting at a target. It turned into a little competetion, best out of three shots, closet to the bulls eye wins. We were laying down while shooting and I easily won this competition. I calculated that I hadnt picked up a riffle in almost seven years but it was no issue as I was quick to get the touch back. Then we did one shot standing up, closest to the center wins. I lost this competition by 3 millimeters. Then the 22 riffle was taken out and we had a first to hit a bulls eye wins, and AGAIN I won that competition as I hit the center like a true marksmen.
Score after Five contests
Wins Loses
Mike Petrina 4 1
Joy Family 1 4Leo had been telling me that some of the sheep had lambs, and we should go and have a look for some. So we went out into the property and found the lambs straight away, I took some video and pics of them from a distance. If you get too close they run away and you dont get to see them. We were out in the property for a bit and then headed back to the house.
We then dined on nibbles, whcich are snack foods.We enjoyed BurgerRings, Rashuns, Twisties, TrailMix, FairyBread, Pebbles, Jaffas, PartyMix, PineappleLumps, Cheese and Pineapple, MallowPuffs, CheesCornChips, Chips and dips(Capsicum and Spinach Feta Cheese) Nuts, Ginger Beer and Orange Lemon Schwepps.
It was a grand feast, and they we had dessert which was Brandy Snaps, Jelly and a cake that I cannot think of the name right now so I will get back to you on that. After dessert we played an intense and frustratting game of Chinese Checkers. I did not win, after helping a few of the opponents I was hung out to dry when push came to shove. Which is fine be me and I understand. My awesomeness needed to be crushed and the only way was to play a game of Chinese Checkers. I am also okay with the defeat because I won at pretty much everything else. Leaving the final tally at.
Wins Loses
Mike Petrina 4 2
Joy Family 2 4
I opened more gifts, another from the Joy's, Bart and Cindy, Nat and Rebecca and another from Leo. It was a great birthday, minus the shit weather. I had a great time. However it doesn't beat the summer birthdays back on good ole LI.
Thank You to everyone that sent me emails, e-cards, Facebook messages, etc. Thanks for all the gifts and the thoughts of happiness for me on my birthday, it was all greatly appreciated!

Keep a look out for a movie that shows my doings on my birthday weekend.

This has been brought to you by:

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50th Blog Post

Not only is this my 50th Blog post but I am also celebrating my 40 hour birthday! 40 hours how does that work? Well simple, since I was born and raised on Long Island I have had my birthday on the 11th of July. Just recently I travelled to the future, New Zealand, and since my body is used to the time of the Island I do not consider my birthday over until the stroke of mid night on July 12th on Long Island. So my birthday starts in the future 12:00 AM NZ time and goes until 1159 PM July 11th. That equals 40 hours! I know that was confusing but just trust me.

So how to celebrate the 50th Blog post, well I dont know how to do that. Nothing really exciting to report. Just that I am working hard, and everything is status quo. Got a weekend of fun activities planned. Today lugeing, tomorrow Rainbows End and Sunday Birthday bash NZ Style. So I will be busy all weekend and have a lot of stuff to report back to you in my 51st Blog post.

This past week I made several videos, finished up my South Island Trip (found below) Taupo Trip, Mens and Womens Cross Country, and HurricaneOne News... I keep myself busy trying to entertain. Dont know if it working though, seems that the ratings for my blog have been slipping according to Entertainment Weekly. Share the blog with everyone, New Zealand is a great place, I am a funny guy etc etc...

This is also my first winter Birthday, so that is a bit of a change that I will report back on as well.

And last but not least I want to Thank You all that have sent me Birthday wishes thus far, the 40 hours is not over so you still have time, but thanks to those who already have shown me love.