While parusing through the grocery store.

Mmm... Yummy! Not only do they taste good... But they are good for you!

***Yeah, so I discovered how to post with my cell phone. I know, big deal, right. But hey, I love playing with my electronic toys in new and fun ways.... so this will probably get annoying and lame really fast!

They will always push you to the finish.

Fellow runners and teammates are timeless. No matter how long it has been since you have competed on a team with fellow runners, they will always be able to help you push your limits. If you have not already figured it out, I am an active runner. Check out the list of recent races I have posted! I ran track and cross country during my last two years of high school and got back into it again once my undergraduate college (Nazareth) started a new track and field and cross country program. Since graduating, I have made an effort to maintain my habit of running.

So on Tuesday evening, I met Craig and Chris for a run. Chris is a former Nazareth runner/teammate whom I have been training and running road races with. Craig is also a former Nazareth runner/teammate whom left the area to attend graduate school. It has been about 2 weeks since I had a decent run. Craig being the best in shape of all of us, was the one I had to push my self to keep up with on this run. After 44 minutes and 6 miles distance, my buddies helped push me through to the end. That's a pace of about 7:20 which for me was pretty painful! I walked away with some pretty tight legs... but I did it, and my teammates helped!

Now on to tonight's race, the Innovative Edge Summer 5k Cross Country Series (Meet #4). A 5k cross country style race with my "teammate" Chris. In the wake of still feeling tired from the cold I had this past weekend, sore as hell from Tuesday's run and the hot humid weather, the race was TOUGH. The field was a wide variety of ages, kids as young as 13 or so all the way up to runners in their 60's.

After laying down a steady start to the race I settled in. It was difficult because during that first mile the particular pair of underwear I was wearing had a loose elastic band resulting in some bunching and slipping and *ahem* well... let's just say the luggage stored in the cargo hold of the airplane was shifting around a lot in flight, if you catch my drift! *blushing* Chris was still running near me and we were encouraging each other nonetheless.

The first mile marker of the race was in the middle of the steepest hill of the race. I turn a corner and *BOOM* there's a nasty looking steep hill... steeper than anything I had climbed in recent months. That took a lot out of me. But I held on. After another mile and a half or so looping around some narrow trails in the woods... up and down some fast root and rock laden hills, I emerged back into the evening sun for the final loop towards the finish chute. Chris and I worked those hills as aggressively as we would have when we were running for Nazareth! By that time, I was beaten, battered and sore... not much left for a finishing kick. But I did it.

I've got to give mad props to Craig and Chris... fellow teammates will always push you to the finish.

Since that was my first experience running this particular cross country course... I want another go at it next season. I did it once... I am going to do it even better next time!

Discussions over a glass of wine among friends

I hate feeling under the weather! Being sick really takes away energy that could definitely be better spent else ware. However, I suppose that slowing down and being lazy while recuperating has its benefits as well. On Saturday I began reading "Tuesdays With Morrie" and completed about 135 pages of it. It was another suggested read from Emily (my girlfriend). I'll comment more on that once it is complete.

Last night, despite feeling drained of much energy, I spent the evening visiting with Emily and her two friends from high school, Christen and Adrian. Nice people... the tolerable type of friends of a girlfriend that you don't mind hanging around with and getting to know.

Both Adrian and Christen (and Emily) are going into their senior year of college... and I must say I envy them! College was loads of fun for me. However, they brought up the issue of dealing with their mothers... who have apparently nagged the hell out of them and spurred many arguments while at home from college. I can relate. This was one of the catalysts for my decision to move out of my house a few years back. Now I can simply leave my parents house after a day or two when I have had my fill of any arguments.

So perhaps it is not such a bad thing that I am no longer in college. But now I get to be discontent with the uncertainty and stress of graduate school and living on my own. So it seems I both enjoy and loathe my past and present situations... *sigh* this must be "the tension of opposites" being referred to in "Tuesdays With Morrie".

Now back to our regurlarly scheduled program...

My name is Glen. I live in Rochester, New York, am 24 years old and in the process of getting my Masters Degree in chemistry. I am a bit skittish about sharing personal information in such a public setting as the internet, so that is all for now. In time, there will be more.

I have messed around with a few blogs and webpages before... I want this one to stick though. I always seem to have a lot to say, so the blog this time around really needs to become an unhealthy compulsion so I have a constant outlet for it! I doubt anyone will read this though. Who really cares about the inner struggles and thoughts of another twenty-something in the world?

Let's bring you up to speed with my life. On the literature front, I just completed reading the Dan Brown novel, "Deception Point". For an aspiring scientist like my self who is also interested in politics and a good conspiracy story, this novel did it for me. Much like "The Da Vinci Code", it is a nonstop page turner that I always had trouble putting down. Not a good book to read on your lunch break when you need to promptly get back to work. It turned several short 20 minute lunch breaks into extended 50-60 minute thrilling reading sessions.



On the film front I rented and watched (as per the request of my girlfriend) "The Last Kiss". I recommend it to anyone in their twenties. This was a good movie, but rather depressing. The 4 men who were the main characters in their late twenties and dealing with the late stages of their "quarter life crisis". Michael, played by Zach Braff, had a career and a pregnant girlfriend but was not happy because things felt so permanent in his life. As if there would be no more surprises. He ends up fooling around with a young college coed to try to feel young again which, as one would expect causes some significant problems.

It was depressing to think that I want some of the things that he had in his life but once he had them, he was unhappy with them and wanted what he had earlier in his life. I feel a bit discontent with my current situation in life as I am going through this "quarter life crisis" experience as well. I have actually told my friends that sometimes I think it would be great to go back to being a high school teenager working at a fast food joint, living at home and having everything taking care of. It sure beats having to figure out how to manage personal finances, pursuing a degree and establishing a career.

It then seems like we are trapped in limbo, regardless of what age we are in life, we are unhappy with our current situation so we wish we can go back (but can not) and therefor look forward to our future. When our future arrives however, we become unhappy with that and then repeat the process all over again.

Notable quote from the film: "You can't fail if you don't give up."