Not that anyone noticed......

but I haven't posted for a week....sorry about that!


Recap of the last week:

Got back in the water and swam twice this week. This is an area where I need to improve this winter in order to continue to be competative next season.

Ran a new PR of 19:50 at the Gobble Jog 5k, that was good enough for 1st AG M35-39.

Ate entirely too much on Thursday and Friday....

and topped off the weekend by watching my beloved Bulldogs roll over and die in the second half against the Nerds of North Avenue.

Football Thoughts....

1) Stewart Mandel is a tool...
2) Tennessee v Vandy....have there been two more inept offensive teams in the history of the SEC?
3)Ole Miss-Don't sleep on the Rebels, they are going to be really good, really soon.
4) OSU-Michigan-Does this game matter to anyone south of the Mason-Dixon Line?
5) I feel sorry for whomever has to play Utah in the BCS games...they are good!
6) Oklahoma is JACKED! I will be surprised if the final of this game isn't 49-7. Texas Tech is rattled.
7) I would really like to see Oregon State win out so USC has to go to the Holiday Bowl.
8) The Big East and ACC are atrocious....their automatic BCS bids should be revoked.
9) After watching GA Tech on Thursday night, our Defense better have spent the Bye week learning how to tackle or it is going to be a long day next week Between the Hedges.
10) Anytime Notre Dame loses is a good day.

Post your thoughts in the comments....

The 70's, Kroger, and iTunes

Since I am taking a little break from training right now and I have a sweet job where I get 3 days off every other week, I offered to do the grocery shopping this week. Now normally grocery shopping may not seem like such a big deal, but we do our shopping about every two to three weeks so it's a big purchase and my wife is the Coupon Queen (which is great at the checkout, but not so much when you are looking for things on the shelf).

So I casually stroll into our neighborhood Kroger (where luckily there is a Starbucks or I might not have made it through), grab a cart and off we go. After 15 minutes in the Produce section looking for baby carrots, I gave up and moved on to the deli. I noticed when I walked in that an old Supertramp song was playing (Take the Long Way Home), now as the lady was cutting my sandwich meat I hear, "Brandy, your a fine girl (such a fine girl), what a good wife you would be (such a fine girl) but my life, my love, and my lady is the sea (do do do do do)". Naturally this song is now hoplessly stuck in my head and I have found the only way to get it out is to download the song from iTunes.....there goes $0.99 down the drain!

This whole incident got me to thinking....there were some really good songs during that era that were Non Disco. Hmmm, maybe I will go retro on the Ipod for awhile. Suggestions? Leave them in the comments (if anyone other than Heather is actually reading anything that I write! :) )

Retirement Tips

I was fortunate enough to work with a retirement specialist this week at work and I have a few tips to share. These tips will work if you are a government employee with the Thrift Savings, or someone with a 401 (k) or 403 (b) program.

• I, like most of you thought that the number of exemptions on your W-4 form (or payroll stub) had to correspond with the number of dependants that you claim at the end of the year. Not true! Exemptions are no more than units of measure, Uncle Sam doesn't care whether you claim 0 or 9 dependants as long as you settle up at the end of the year (whether you owe or you get a refund). Now TSP, 401 (k), and 403 (b) are all funded with PRE TAX dollars (you are taxed on these dollars when you withdraw them at retirement) so if you increse your exemptions (and lower your tax bill), increase your TSP, 401 (k) or 403 (b) by the corresponding amount, then you are basically funding your retirement with the money you would normally be paying in Federal and State taxes. The great thing about this is since the money for your Retirement Fund is taken out PRE TAX and you are lowering your overall taxable income, your take home pay is virtually the same. Go to www.dinkytown.net to use the online calculators and figure out how you can massage the numbers to work in your favor.
• The second thing that I took away from this seminar was that you should stay until you have to retire. Staying until 65 instead of 60 for example, will almost double your retirement fund (depending on your rate of return).
• The third thing and this is important...DON'T PANIC! Think of it this way, your retirement fund may be down, but you are buying more shares at a reduced rate. When (and not if because it will go up again) the market goes back up, you will own more shares and your fund will grow that much quicker.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a financial planner nor an accountant. Anything that you take from this blog entry is purely at your own risk. Consult your accountant or retirement specialist for specific details.

Dawgs manage to pull out the W....

but it wasn't pretty!

I have yet to figure out how a team with this much talent consistantly underacheieves week in and week out. The Offense disappears for stretches at a time, the Defense seems incapable of stopping even the worst offenses, even the Special Teams have struggled. Is this a motivation problem? Poor coaching? The talent is obviously there, we have seen each unit shine at one point or another during the year, but not at the same time in the same game. LSU is about as close as they have come and the Defense was shredded by a Freshman QB.

Two more chances to get it right before 2008 is over. The Defense and Special Teams better work on wrapping up the ball carrier or we could be in for a long day against the Nerds.

End of the Season

Well it's the end of tri season and I am glad and bummed at the same time. It has been a great year, I PR'd just about every race this season (which is really surprising considering a) this is my 7th tri season and b) I am old),as well as managing to qualify for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships I also furthered my education by attending the USAT Level II clinic in April.

2008 was a great year for my athletes as well. Many, many PR's were set, races were won or placed at, and a few first time finishers at different distances.

Overall I give this year an A!

Now it's time to move on and set new goals for 2009. I think that I am going to concentrate on doing well at Duathlon Nationals in April and hopfully making Team USA for the Duathlon Worlds in Septemeber. Throw in some local races and a couple of mainstays on the schedule (Gulf Coast and the ING Half) and next season has a decidedly local flavor.

Tentative 2009 Schedule
Resolution Run 10k 1/1/09
Red Top Rumble Trail Run 2/8/09
Tundra Time Trial
Alpharetta Half Marathon
ING Half Marathon
Duathlon Nationals
Gulf Coast Half Ironman
West Point Olympic
Cardinal Harbor Half Ironman
Duathon Worlds
Augusta 70.3 (maybe)
Ironman 70.3 World Championships (maybe)

Yikes 4 Half Ironman races in a year may be a bit much....Augusta and by extension Clearwater may be on the chopping block..hmmm...decisions,decisions.

Welcome

Welcome to "Elvis is Dead and I Don't Feel So Good Myself" a blog about whatever. Feel free to post comments, suggest topics, or just vent.