Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily...

Way back before I ever started doing the Totally Rad Show, there were two audio podcasts I would never miss, week after week: 1up Yours and This Week in Tech.

Sitting at my day job, dreaming of doing something similar, I'd listen to those shows wishing I could throw in my opinions with all those personalities I respected.  When I started running to train for my first marathon, those audio shows were with me.  I'd forbid myself from listening to them while I wasn't running, so my desire to hear the newest episode always motivating my training.

And this week, in the SAME week, I was actually a guest on both shows.  What?  Whose life is this?  On the scale of things you can brag about to your parents, I suppose this doesn't rank very high, but for me it is pretty incredible.

It has been an amazing couple of years doing TRS, and I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who listens to us each week in the same way I listen to my favorite shows.  I just wanted to take a step back and note a pretty cool moment.  Sometimes dreams do come true :)

Oh, and in case you missed them, here are the episodes I was fortunate enough to sit in on:

TWiT 198

ListenUp 6/02/09

You may also want to check out my recent appearance on /Filmcast, a newer favorite show of mine.

And to everyone reading this, thank you for all your support.

Why run? An Unapologetic Cliche

I am proud to say that on May 25th I completed my third Los Angeles Marathon with a time of 5 hours 23 minutes.  Not my best time, and not particularly impressive for serious runners, but for me it was an accomplishment.  I can tell you, running 26.2 miles is the most difficult, painful thing I've ever done, and it doesn't seem to get any easier year after year.

So the obvious question is... why the hell do I do it?

Well, let me answer that question like this: The most common response I get from people when I tell them I've run a marathon is, "Oh, I could never do that."  And the thing I always say is, "Yes you could." 

You know how I know?  Because I thought the same thing.  I was never a runner - still don't feel like one.  I had friends in high school who ran Cross Country and I remember thinking how foreign and out of reach that was for me.  Then, four years ago, a friend of mine ran the marathon - a friend who I didn't think was in particularly better shape than I, who wasn't really a runner, but who just decided to do it.

"Well damn," I thought, "if he can do it, I should be able to do it" 

So I decided I would, too.  And really, that's the thing.  Making the decision.

There is nothing more powerful than knowing you can't do something and doing it anyway.  There are so many things in life that I cannot control, but deciding to run is completely up to me.

You know how they say it is all mental?  Wow, is that true.  The process of running a marathon is a titanic struggle between two warring factions in my mind.  There is the army I brought with me - the guy who set out to do this, who has a goal, and is full of optimism.  Then there is the opposing side, the guy who creeps in along the way who, for the love of God, just wants to STOP!

"Just stop running!" he says.

"But, I've got to do this.  I want to get a better time!" my side responds.

"I don't care!  No one cares!  Why do YOU care?  It doesn't matter!"

"But I'll care tomorrow.  I'll feel terrible."

"You feel terrible NOW.  Every step hurts!  Why would you do this to yourself?  Just make the pain stop!"

And it goes on like this for miles.  Sometimes my side wins and I keep running hard.  And sometimes the other side wins, and I slow down (which is why I didn't achieve my under 5 hour goal).  But the process of that mental battle is absolutely empowering.  I've learned so much about myself.  And despite the pain, it is an experience I return to because my army gets a little stronger each time.  Even better, I have the chance to bring that same army to bear in other areas of my life, to know that all I have to do is keep going forward and I'll win the war.

So there you go.  My sappy inspiration for the day.  I do it because I didn't think I could.  I cannot recommend enough doing something you think is impossible.  It doesn't have to be running (I also cut red meat out of my diet years ago, something that with my love of steak and burgers I thought I wouldn't be able to do, either).  If you do, I'd love to hear about it.  I can sure use the inspiration for my army, too.

And if all else fails, at least rent the documentary Man on Wire.  That dude REALLY does the impossible.

The new hotness: Board Games!

My love for Steve Jackson's Munchkin card games has been well documented on TRS.  Our regular crew of @alexalbrecht, @dannytrs, @jerrytrainor, and @zandbro still makes it a priority to find time to argue our way through those fiendishly clever games of screw your buddy as often as we can.

But a new addiction has begun to seep its way in as well.  I've recently discovered the wonderful world of German board games!  Evidently, as we Americans have been spending our time playing "party games" like Pictionary, Cranium, and Apples to Apples (all of which I love, BTW), those crafty Germans have been utterly perfecting the classic board game.

If, when I say "Board Games", the first thing to pop into your mind is Monopoly, Clue, or Candyland, prepare yourself for a paradigm shift.

I give you: Settlers of Catan and Puerto Rico.

Honestly, even games I considered more "adult" classics, like Risk and Stratego, can't hold a candle to the refinement, strategy, and pure freakin' fun of these games!  And here's the key difference: in both cases, the brilliant game designers broke down that most fundamental element of board games.  Namely, the structure wherein you take a turn, and I wait... the next person takes a turn... and I continue to wait - oh, it's someone else's turn... still nothing for me to do... thank god!  My turn! 

No.  Here, every player is active and thinking during every moment of the game.  No matter whose turn it is, I am involved.  There is something for me to do, something that will effect my immediate circumstances.

I cannot recommend these experiences enough.  If you know 2 or 3 other adventurous souls who are willing to give these games a try with you - who have the patience to not balk at rules which may at first seem complicated - a purchase of one or both of these games is a must.

Now I know the seasoned board gamers among you will already have a list of other games for me to try.  Yes, I'll get there.  Rest assured, I have spent the requisite time on boardgamegeek.com investigating the best of the best.  I am only more excited that there are so many other rad experiences waiting for me.  In the meantime, I must say, from personal experience: give these two a shot!  Board Games are the new hotness!

Cheers

And now its time to say goodbye to all our company...

Dan just yelled out, "This sucks! I don't want to leave!" as he crawled into his bunk for the last time. I think he speaks for all of us. This trip has exceeded all of my expectations, and I am reluctant to return to my real life... but all good things must come to an end.

We all just sat around the computer and watched the episode we created here. Steve has spent the entire day working on it, and I must say, I'm pretty proud of it. Be sure to be back here on the website on Wed to check it out. And let us know what you think.

Wes was right!

We had real English breakfast this morning and is was delicious!

Honestly, the best sausage I have ever eaten, tons of toast, eggs... and, I am not usually one for beans at breakfast time, but beans! And these beans were great!

We had been trying to be frugal all trip, eating our hotel's complimentary continental breakfast (read: weak). But this being our last day, we splurged at Wes' urging. So glad we did!