15 years ago today, the Utah Jazz defeated the L.A. Lakers 112-77 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

The Lakers came into the series with all the hype and momentum, having dispatched a 61-win Sonics team in 5 games with 4 consecutive victories coming by an average of 17 points, but Utah jumped on them from the start. Utah scored the game’s first 6 points and led by 11 after one quarter and 26 at halftime on their way to handing the Lakers what was at the time their worst postseason loss in franchise history.

The Jazz completely throttled the Lakers in all aspects of the game – confusing Shaq with double-teams and digs, beating the Lakers at their own fastbreak game, and most important in playoff basketball: halfcourt execution.

Here we examine Utah’s precision offense with a low-post pass from Karl Malone to Chris Morris for a layup and 3-point play (4:48-mark).

After feeding the post, in Jazzbasketball the post-feeder either runs through (baseline or middle cut through to the weakside) or the wings split. Here they split – with Morris (#34) coming up to set a screen for #10 Howard Eisley (circled). Morris’ defender (Kobe w/a mini-afro) now can’t double down on Malone (a major mismatch if allowed to go 1-on-1 on Corie Blount) because he has to decide how he’s going to defend the split. As any good high school coach will teach – Morris doesn’t stop moving after screening – he screens then cuts.

The Lakers opt to switch on the screen with Kobe jumping out on Eisley. Morris (who because he’s coming low-to-high already has a positional advantage off the screen) now has a step on his new defender (Van Exel) off the switch.

Malone – one of the game’s better low-post passers – hits Morris in stride and Morris eventually gathers himself for an easy layup and 3-point play opportunity.

This basic cut can work with a future hall-of-famer in the post or with an average player, as long as you have wings who screen and cut hard and a bigman who is a capable and willing passer. Not only does constant motion increase the difficulty of doubling-down on the block – it creats easy baskets so other players don’t get frozen out when running low-post oriented sets.

The Jazz ran this to perfection and their motion and execution is a primary reason they went on to sweep the Lakers and advance to their second consecutive NBA Finals. Due to the high-stakes (Conference Finals) and the fact that it came against the hated Lakers – the 1998 Western Conference Finals were perhaps the most enjoyable playoff series ever for JazzNation.

Today’s pick is the Backstreet Boys‘ “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).”  This was the first song I chose on the cable music video channel, The Box.  Anyone else remember that channel?  It’s where you got to call in and for your favorite music videos for 99 cents.  My best friend and I abused that channel.  Well back to the topic.

This music video shaped my views on dancing and on horror movies.  After watching this video, I was obsessed with learning how to dance.  I didn’t take any classes until I was in high school, but I always watched music videos and tried to pick up a few moves here and there.  The entire ’90s shaped my views on dancing, but that’s a rant for another day.

The music video uses horror icons like Dracula, the Mummy and the Werewolf to spice it up.  Back then, I used to be so freaked out by these monsters, but now, I love them!  This was an interesting way to capture the the audience’s attention.  The colors that each monster had popped and made sure you couldn’t look away.

The band is still influential and presently playing gigs, but I thank them for this music video and helping me become the music dude I am today.

Here are some questions for you to ponder in the comments down below: did you used to watch The Box?  What music videos shaped your music identity? Who’s your favorite Backstreet Boy?  Tell me in the comments below.

My first Throwback Thursday Tune (like the alliteration?!) has to go to my favorite boy band of the 90′s N’Sync!! I mean how could a girl not fall in love with them?! Their cute faces, those dance moves, and of course their voices!! I was a fanatic for N’Sync back in the day and that hasn’t changed!!

So I hope you enjoy my first of many Throwback Thursday Tunes. Be prepared for many many more. If there are any tunes for next week that you’d like to see me post, comment below or send me an e-mail, I’d love to hear from you!

Happy Thursday Everybody!

Listen, enjoy and LiveintheMusic<3

]]> http://myhoustonmajic.com/3015453/throwback-thursday-another-old-school-tale-from-funk-larry-jones-feat-motion/ Thu, 16 May 2013 20:25:55 +0000 Robert "Praise Man" Washington http://myhoustonmajic.com/3015453/throwback-thursday-another-old-school-tale-from-funk-larry-jones-feat-motion/ http://disasterjuice.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/murder-in-the-city/ Thu, 16 May 2013 19:33:04 +0000 disasterjuice http://disasterjuice.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/murder-in-the-city/ http://courtneymanlove.com/2013/05/16/throwback-thursday-music/ Thu, 16 May 2013 18:29:21 +0000 Courtney Manlove http://courtneymanlove.com/2013/05/16/throwback-thursday-music/ http://juliahoon91.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/throwback-thursday/ Thu, 16 May 2013 18:19:11 +0000 juliahoon91 http://juliahoon91.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/throwback-thursday/

I am trying something different today. In celebration of the ever popular Throwback Thursday, I thought I would try to apply it to my blog. I will be critiquing my round, linked to the picture above, and showing you the good and the bad. No laughing! I attached a link to a YouTube video of my horse Champ and I, from five years back. This was an Interscholastic Equestrian League (IEL) show, which is why I am using a square pad. At the time I was riding for Santa Margarita Catholic High School. I have mentioned Champ before (Saying Goodbye). Champ was my first horse and basically taught me how to show and hang on over round jumps.

We start with an opening circle. We could have started with a good pace and went straight into the line, but at this point in my riding it probably wouldn’t have been pretty. Our line is fine, but if I looked for fence three sooner, that funky lead change wouldn’t have happened. As you can probably tell, I used to struggle staying over Champ’s jump. Thankfully, that has changed.

Keeping an eye on my next fence and keeping a steady, constant pace, I flow into the diagonal line beautifully. We get a flowing six, yet I still manage to pop up too early over the oxer. For medal classes, you always want to look one with your horse; I was obviously struggling.

After a nice lead change, we begin to lose our pace in the corner, leaving a long approach to the vertical. Turning corners tends to slow down your horse, so as riders we must always remember to keep out leg on. We take a nice, direct approach to the two stride. I stay over Champ in the line, and you can tell he appreciates it by not shaking his head.

We take a tight roll back to the diagonal vertical, and Champ finds his distance. It is a real confidence builder when your horse is able to spot distances. We then keep a nice flow, up to our last vertical, heading away from the gate. From this angle you can notice a few discrepancies. First, although my heel is down, I am obviously not wrapping my calf around, as it flies behind me over the fence. This could also be because I am throwing my body forward, over the jump and Champ. If he would have stopped, I would most likely fly off in front of him. Next, upon landing, I instantly check to see what lead he chose. Never look down for your leads! Especially in medals, a rider should know how to feel a horses movement to know the lead.

Just like using video stills, picking apart videos can be a great way to learn and improve your riding. I know by watching my old “throwback” videos, I am able to see how far I have progressed. I am also able to pick up new aspects of my rounds I may have been too novice to realize in the past. I hope picking apart my round helps your riding as well. You can learn from my mistakes so you don’t make them yourself!

-Julia

Time flies. Why the sudden come-back? 

Shrugs.

I should get my portfolio done. 

You may know today’s throwback from a number of different arenas.  Most recently, he ran for the Governor of Texas in 2006, and although he lost, he did gain more than 12% of the vote. Kinky Friedman is a man who wears a lot of hats.  He’s a public servant, a writer, humorist, and yes, a singer/songwriter.  Kinky, along with his band The Texas Jewboys, had a numbers of hits in the early ’70s, including “Asshole from El Paso,” “They Ain’t Making Jews like Jesus Anymore,” and the ever popular “Ride ‘Em, Jewboy1″

Although I haven’t listened to a lot of Kinky’s music, I have always been a big fan of the books that he wrote.  I loved the non-fiction “Excuse Me While I Whip this Out,” and his fictional detective novel, “A Case of Lone Star,” among others!  I also enjoyed reading his column each month in Texas Monthly.

And although Kinky is very outspoken, and has ruffled a few feathers in his days, he has always been a giving soul.  From his early work in the Peace Corps to his Utopia Animal Rescue operation that he still runs to this day, he has always tried to serve his fellow man.  And that makes him a good man, no matter how much his father hated the name of his band!

Read up on Kinky.  You will enjoy the man who said his claim to fame was that he was the only full-bloodied Jew to take the stage at the Grand Old Opry!

Enjoy!

Asshole from El Paso

Definitions by Kinky

Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch

Today’s Throwback Thursday is a follow-up of a recent article from Family Dog, on the evolving design of the Greyhound Bus logo, a familiar sight on America’s highways since the 1920s.

Boxer breeder Lenore Ryan, of Sebastopol, California, wrote us to say how much she enjoyed the article. (Of course, Lenore might be a little prejudiced: She’s hoping to adopt a retired racer soon and has visions of Greyhounds dancing in her head.)

Lenore said she would like to see a few versions of the iconic logo as it has appeared over the decades. We said, Why not?

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1. This antique sign is a pretty fair rendering of the original logo, circa late ’20s, based on a design by the renowned animal portraitist Edwin Megargee. Note the abundance of detail—the facial features, the protruding ribs, the rippling muscles—so typical of the meticulous Megargee’s work.

2. By mid-century, Greyhound was ready to modernize its look. The company commissioned the influential industrial designer Raymond Loewy to streamline the buses and logo. The redesign kept the original lines of Megargee’s hound but removed much of the physical detail, making it less of a portrait and more of a true logo.

3. In the current logo, the image is totally abstracted. It’s no longer a naturalistic hound; it’s a stylized depiction of a hound sculpted in metal—an image of an image.

Today, the sleek, undulating curves of a coursing hound still fascinate artists. Among them is graphic designer Alan J. Thatcher, of Toronto. As a university student, Alan was assigned to update an existing corporate logo while retaining its recognizable features. He chose the Greyhound logo. Here, he takes us through the laborious process of his redesign.

What grade would you give Alan’s project?

I had no time to process the fact that I was a graduating senior. I literally went straight from taking an exam to listening to some CEO of some company tell me to go out there and make a difference in the world. No cushy senior send off event for me. If I thought that college went by too fast, it was nothing compared to how fast I went from enjoying mixers with my sisters and nights at the bar to packing my apartment up and moving back to my parents house. Speaking of my sisters, there were only two others that graduated when I did. TWO. We didn’t take cute-sy senior pictures or anything of the sort. Not only was I leaving with nothing exciting in my future – nobody was coming into the lonely world of adulthood with me!

As PDFM U gets ready for graduation, I can’t help but to think back on my own graduation and all those thoughts and feelings I had. I wonder how all my students feel – if they’re excited or sad or scared or all three. Are they going to look back fondly on these last few weeks of college or be like me and wish that they had “done more”?

How did I spend my last few weeks? I remember sleepovers in my sorority house’s living room. Late night Taco Bell runs. Driving all over creation with my friends as they looked for a house to rent the following year. Enjoying things at Undergrad U that I had never tried before (true story, I don’t think I used the gym at UU until my last month of college). Maybe I did do enough. Maybe I just wish that college was longer.

I’ve had a few talks with some of my students adjusting to the post-college world. At first I thought that it was just me, that I was the only person having some MAJOR transition issues to life after college. Part of the problem with having only a few sisters graduate was that I had nobody to talk to these things about. Now that all my friends have (finally) joined me in the real world, I see them going through the same struggles I went through. It turns out everything I felt was completely normal. It takes time to get used to not living twenty feet from your best friends and not having something to do every night.

The good news is, I was MUCH more excited about my graduation from Grad School State. All of my friends were graduating with me, we had plenty of adventures together in our last weeks of school, and while I still didn’t have a job, I had a Master’s degree and for some reason that made me feel much more important. It didn’t make me think I could change the world, but it did make me think that I could help somebody that someday might change the world.

I wish there were more resources for those transitioning out of college. For now, there’s a nice network of bloggers that you can count on.

I’ve celebrated half birthdays since I can remember and love keeping the tradition alive.

My brother claims to have started the tradition, but reality (read: how I remember it) is that a sunny spring day I learned it was my half birthday and had the scheme of a lifetime. I stood on a step-stool, reached for the wired wall-phone and dialed the phone numbers of my grandparents that were listed in my mother’s handwriting on the inside of a cupboard door. Each time I dialed a number, I would speak in my sweetest most innocent voice and invite my relatives over for a Half Birthday celebration. Yes, presents would be accepted and yes – there will be cake (mom just didn’t know it yet!)

One by one, the family started pulling up to the house via the back alley, hands full of gifts, balloons and surprises! The only ones who didn’t know about the party? Mom and Dad!

Being the loving parents that they are, and being the sweet little innocent child I liked to pretend that I was – they went to the store, bought the cake that I’d promised all of my guests, and we had a party that would last for years and years.

Nowadays my half birthday is celebrated a little differently – but I almost like it more than my actual birthday!

Normally the weather is decent in the spring, my parents take me out to dinner, I get half-ish gifts and I have zero guilt in sharing that it’s my half-special day with others. What’s even better? Mom’s half birthday is just two days later and we know we like to do each of our days justice – this half birthday thing isn’t just for me!

This year Dan and I are doing a pamper day with pedicures and evening plans he hasn’t shared with me yet, but there’s a rumor that I have a gift from mom and dad waiting for me at home. Hopefully I can also expect something special at work since I shamelessly marked the date on our calendar. Sorry I’m not sorry.

Today’s Throwback Thursday is brought to you by a little girl who knew that even the littlest milestones are important to celebrate – especially one’s centered around her beautiful cake-loving existence!

And the breadth is a thousand leagues wide.

But this hapless mariner will brave the depths,

For a moments space by your side.

Many years I have travelled,

To lands both near and far.

Others have been heavenly,

Though hardly as celestial as thou art.

My crew long since abandoned,

For the perils knew they well;

Of violent storms and bitter chills,

And the enthralling sirens spell.

Yet once more myself I find here,

Duelling with the tide;

Who’s mail is not unlike the gown,

Who’s glow beneath you hide.

The sharks around me circling,

I’m afraid they smell my fear;

Try as I may to resolve it,

Still they near and near.

None of their company, do I desire;

My eyes are set on yours.

With artifice and cunning,

I am free from all their jaws.

Limbs begin to falter,

Courage starts to wane;

But if not now, I may never

Chance on you again.

Such grace as yours, little have I seen,

Nor such a pleasing air;

Electric eyes which capture me,

And porcelain skin so fair.

But fate, to-day, did side with love;

And by your side I find my frame;

Scarcely a moment have I been,

When I know, far longer I must remain.

My corse, near death and dank,

Who on your shore doth lay;

At the mercy of your foreign laws;

Toss me adrift or bid me stay.

Though, first, I do entreat you,

Fairest maiden before thou flit;

Who foundeth here a lowly soul,

Without a bark on who’s helm to sit.

Who long at sea hath been, and heard

None other thoughts, save his own;

Travelling far from shore to shore,

To find one who would with him roam.

The winds of fate, sure and true,

No doubt did us here convene.

And who be we to tempt cruel fate,

And not her workings glean?

“A long time”, quoth she,

“Have I, too, been upon a lonesome sea.

Braving tempest, ice and drought, in hopes

The winds would change for me.”

“A helpless tale is mine,

And so you I must forewarn;

Tis fraught with aches and sorrows,

From a dire past so torn.”

“My vessel, too, four thousand fathoms deep,

On the floor doth rest;

As is often the case, the barrelman

Saw no danger from his nest.”

I stood, transfixed, upon this seraphim,

Though the end of our encounter was nigh.

“Lo, there tolls the hour,” she spake

“And from here, I must fly.”

From my smitten frame, so soon,

Why did she need depart?

A moment’s space was all it took

For her to mark my heart.

Until the next I chance upon you,

Auburn-haired goddess sweet;

For surely the fate that will join us again,

Was the same that had us meet!

The time has come, to bid adieu,

To another traveller bold;

Navigating an oft miserable sea,

For a treasure far rarer than gold.

“Throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Mark Twain

R.H

I almost forgot how good this tune was! Kim looked so good her, I miss this Kim. This is defintely the kind of tune that made you wish you were from Brooklyn. Real music.

I started running to lose weight. I read somewhere that running gave you the biggest ‘return on investment’ for your fitness time, cutting through body mass and burning lots of calories, so decided it was the best option for me in my self destructive mission to get as thin as possible. So I started running. Very slowly at first. 6.5 km per/ hour on the treadmill, running for 30 seconds and recovering for a minute. My technique was so awful that once a PT interrupted the session with his client to come over and show me how to run because I was making so much noise pounding away on the treadmill. Mortifying.

Slowly but surely however I got better. Running for longer intervals and walking less until eventually I could run for a few km non-stop. The plan was working and I was getting tinier and tinier. I went down to size 6 and then size 4 and that was the ultimate victory. Once again a PT came up to me on the treadmill but this time it was to ask what I was eating and whether I was OK. I was exhausted and my nails were flaking away but all of that really didn’t matter, so I diligently reeled off sweet potato and salmon dinners and she went away.

I kept running though. Every day I’d get on the treadmill in my local gym and I used to come out glowing. It made me really happy and it was satisfying to see myself getting better. One day I noticed a poster in the gym for a local 10k race. The Staines 10k none the less! I had never ever run more than 5k and the idea of running 10k seemed pretty much impossible. TEN! That was double figures. But imagine how many calories you’d burn! Livestrong told me I’d burn nearly 700 and I got more and more tempted. It frightened me but I couldn’t stop thinking about it and then one day I went mental and entered! A real life race!

I started training, trying to run further on the treadmill and even taking it outside for a jog round the block, but that was bloody hard work and I didn’t like everyone staring at me so I didn’t do that too much. One day at the gym I got in to a treadmill face off with a girl next to me and got up to 7.5km before bailing out and feeling like I wouldn’t make it home. Despite being exhausted I couldn’t quite believe I’d run 7.5km and I spent days on a high.

The week before the race I got anxious. I’d read that you need energy for running and I wrestled with a big problem – do I eat breakfast? I only ever ran on an empty stomach because I only ever had an empty stomach but the last thing I wanted to do when going for a whole 10k was to go all weak. That would be failure and I would embarrass myself. But the idea of eating so many carbs was horrifying. My pride did win over though and I ate a banana mashed with a handful of oats and water. Eating that much pretty much cemented that I would HAVE to run as I couldn’t just let it sit there in my stomach.

I turned up for the race nervous but excited. Dayve came along to support me (number one cheerleader from the beginning) and took this photo of me before my race.

Yes, they’re tennis shoes.

Although I had managed to gain some weight here (back up to a size 6), if you know me you’ll know I don’t look like this now.

I stood on the start line feeling sick but as soon as the gun went that was it. I set about my loop of Staines full of adrenaline. I started overtaking people and really got in the zone. I can’t really remember much of the race until the end. I started struggling at about 8km and saw a man stop and was filled with certainty that I.would.not.stop. I saw the PT from my gym who’d asked me about my food struggling at 9km and was determined to finish in front of her. To show her I was strong enough.

In the final stretch I saw Dayve and he waved at me. I can’t explain the euphoria that came over me when I saw the finish line. A woman tried to overtake me with a sprint in the final stretch but I wasn’t having any of it. I dug deep and she couldn’t catch me. I can’t explain how amazing I felt to cross the finish line. 10km in 54 minutes. Livestrong told me I’d burnt 700 calories.

From that point on, I was hooked. Running made me so happy. As time went though I tried to get stronger but just got progressively weaker. Dehydration from laxative abuse, a broken metabolism from a starve/binge/purge cycle and a worn down body. I tried (and failed) to take on the Paris half in 2011 and that was the snapping point. Running showed me how strong I could be but how weak I actually was. I didn’t want to live in a world where bananas brought me to tears and I lived by numbers. 500 calories in so 700 to burn, 1lb down so 4lb more to lose. So I started training for Run to the Beat 2011, which is where this blog started.

On May 16th 2010, three years ago to the day, I ran my first race. Three years later I have 8 half marathons and a full marathon under my belt, among various others, and I’ve never been happier. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t struggle sometimes and all recovered ED sufferers will tell you that ED never really goes away but I think I am as healthy as I’ll ever be, both physically and mentally, at this point in time. Running truly changed my life. What a difference three years makes.

Strong, happy, healthy.

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I’ll preface this by saying that I am a huge fan of Veronica Mars. I’m elated at the success of the Kickstarter campaign started by Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell. In the beginning, it was the Pilot episode that got me hooked. What I learned about the show in that short amount of time was a structure

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via open culture:

In the fall of 1979 Bob Marley and his band, the Wailers, went on tour to promote their album, Survival. It turned out to be the second-to-last tour for the reggae star, who had been diagnosed two years earlier with cancer. But in late 1979 Marley appeared to be in excellent form. Lucky for us, a camera crew was there to record one of his shows. The film above was shot at the Santa Barbara County Bowl in California on November 25, 1979, just 16 months before Marley’s untimely death at the age of 36. It was released on DVD in 2003 as Bob Marley: The Legend Live.

here’s the set list from the 90-min clip (video time code in parenthesis):

1.Positive Vibration (1:20)
2.Wake Up and Live (6:30)
3.I Shot the Sheriff (11:45)
4.Ambush in the Night (16:20)
5.Concrete Jungle (20:10)
6.Running Away (25:10)
7.Crazy Baldhead (28:40)
8.Them Belly Full (33:20)
9.Heathen (36:42)
10.Ride Natty Ride (41:15)
11.Africa Unite (45:25)
12.One Drop (49:55)
13.Exodus (54:00)
14.So Much Things to Say (1:00:10)
15.Zimbabwe (1:03:40)
16.Jamming (1:07:45)
17.Is This Love (1:12:45)
18.Kinky Reggae (1:16:00)
19.Stir It Up (1:19:35)
20.Get Up Stand Up (1:23:15)

related: marley | video: nas & damian marley “patience”

For those of you who don’t know we lost internet while out at Jack’s Throwback over the weekend, and here in the web department that left us with quite a bit to do.

So we decided to throw down a challenge on which one of us could give the most awkward interview.

Now we’re throwing it to you. Who do you think won? Vote now in the poll below.

Years ago, I had two best friends. They had been my friends since I was probably five years old and one day, one of those friends and I decided that we wanted to camp out in my backyard.

So one night,

we threw on our jammies and took a last minute bathroom break,

grabbed sleeping bags, pillows, and an extra blanket,

found a flashlight, some food, and some water

And we camped. We thought we were so cool because we were camping out alone without our parents and we could never really go do that, we were kids, I think we were sixth graders, so the backyard was as close as we were gonna get and we were a couple of badasses in a tent in the suburbs!

Well this was one of those two man tents that has two door flaps back to back. You can zip up the main, solid, outermost flap to basically seal the tent or you can zip up the inner flap which is just a bug screen for nice daytime usage. You can also seal both but we decided to just close the bug screen because it was the middle of the summer and it got hot outside. There weren’t a whole lot of trees around so it’s not like we had much shade… and while it was cold at night, once the sun came up, we were basically in a little toaster if we shut the whole thing so the screen was it!

I also have an older sister and we thought that she might try pulling some kind of prank on us while we slept so we came prepared! We brought with us, a small clip and a hair tie so that we could “lock” the tent! We shut the screen and tied the little dual zipper situation that let’s you open it different ways together so that it could not be opened from the outside! Because we’re smart and we didn’t want her pulling any kind of shenanigans over on us.

Well, late into the evening, we ate all our snacks, drank all our water, and told all our scary stories and we were getting pretty tired so we decided to turn in for the night. We wrapped ourselves up in our sleeping bags and nodded off.

However,early, early morning, roughly 5am, I dreamt that it was raining on our little camping excursion and it was such a strange dream to me because it was raining inside the tent. And it was such a vivid dream that I could actually feel the cold rain droplets hitting my face as I slept… Only I wasn’t asleep. I had woken up into that half dream state where you don’t know what’s going on for a second and I looked over at my friend and she looked just as confused as I was but simultaneously, we came to the same conclusion and a look of pure “OH CRAP!” washed over our faces as we realized that my mom had forgotten to turn off the preset sprinkler system and our tent was pitched directly in front of the only non-oscillating sprinkler head in my entire backyard!

“THE SPRINKLERS!”

Was all that either of us could say at first and then “CLOSE THE TENT!!!” was shout by one of us but we had “locked” the tent so well, that we could not get the screen to unzip and we the flap that sealed the tent from this sort of situation was on the outside! The base of our tent designed to keep rain out when actually exposed to the elements was rapidly filling with water and our sleeping bags and blankets were now icy sponges just swollen with the frigid sprinkler water. My friend frantically fiddled with the makeshift locking mechanism we had so recently thought was a fantastic idea but, like all small knots, only one person could work with it at a time so I was still curled up in my sopping wet sleeping bag screaming at her from my corner as I attempted to dodge the water jetting into our faces from only a good 7 inches away.

Finally, she freed the zippers and ripped the tent open to shut the main flap and at this point, this particular sprinkler station had run its course and the small black head of death sunk slowly back into the ground. We grabbed the wet sleeping bags and pillows and blanket and wrung out some water into the grass, tried to dry the inside of the tent a little and then took the defeated walk back to my house…

But the night was not over yet.

Out of habit, my family had locked the door.

We were soaking wet.

It was freezing.

And we were locked out of my house.

Slowly, we set the watery blankets down in the garage and went back to the tent… It was still a little damp, but so were we and we just crawled inside it, zipped it up and tried to fall back to sleep until someone woke up and let us in. As we sit there in silence, the next station of sprinklers turns on but this one is a little farther away. The water doesn’t hit us inside the tent, but periodically the stream would swing around and pelt the side of the tent with a loud thumping as bullets of water riddled the thin wall by our heads.

I will never forget that night.

Even now, I’m no longer close with that friend, but occasionally, we see each other in passing, think about that night and laugh. It was ridiculous. I thought of this story because I’m about to leave for three months to serve as a summer missionary at a catholic camp for middle school kids and it just sort of popped into my head as I packed my bag.

We’re not staying in tents though.

And even if we do, it will be nowhere near an irrigation system of any kind. Other than an actual body of water.

But speaking of the leaving for three months, there may be a long pause in my posts. I want to get back into posting regularly but that might not be until I return because while I’m gone, I will not have a computer… or a whole lot of internet for that matter…

But I will be back!

Unfortunately, my friend got sick overnight and backed out of the race. It was just me. Dad and I hopped into a cab VERY early in the morning to go to the shuttle pickup spot where we got onto a school bus to head to the race site located at the South Shore Cultural Center… An area of town I had never been to. Most of the people around me were running the half and I felt out of my league and like I was an impostor (yea – I don’t think I ditched the impostor feeling until the weekend of my half) since I was only doing a 5K. We got to the race site early and had some waiting around to do. I watched eagerly as I saw all the half marathoners start their race. I was excited for them and I knew I was going to be lining up for my own Half Marathon soon.

It was time for me to line up for me race. I took off my jacket and handed it to my dad along with my other items… Why use gear check when you have a personal gear check with you? I told him that once he saw me cross the start line he should make his way over to the finish line where I would look for him after the race. I predicted my run being between 33 and 35 minutes since my typical three mile run at the time was about 33 minutes (again with the treadmill).

When the gun went off (it was probably a horn of some sort… to be honest I rarely notice) I took off running. It was a cool and overcast morning. No sun and right on the lake… the temperature gods where in my favor. I didn’t pay attention to my pace or where I was at along the course. When I passed the water station I opted to skip it since I felt fine. Yes, there were mile markers but since I was so new to racing, I don’t think I ever paid attention to them so I really had no idea where I was. I just naturally assumed when we turned around that it was the half way point.  The finish line was past the start line but I knew where it was. Once I got back to where I had started the race I could see the finish line and I sped up. I started to pass people and soon I was the only one around. Once I was maybe within 10 feet of the finish line I heard the finish line announced (yes – this race had one) call out my full name as I was about to cross the finish line. I remember feeling elated and extremely special to be called out like that (this has not happened to me since).

After crossing the finish line I made my way through the finish chute. Got my water and bee-lined for the cookies skipping the healthier options that they had for the runners (why eat something healthy after running?). I found my dad and then looked down at my watch… It was still running… Whoops. Stopped my watch and looked at my overall time… it said about 33 minutes and I had no idea how long it had been since I crossed the finish line. But I assumed this to mean that my time was under my predicted time of 33-35 minutes which I eagerly told my dad.

I asked my dad if he heard the announcer call my name – he didn’t. I was a tad bummed. I had wanted to impress him with this race and having my name called as I crossed the finish line was impressive to me… Oh well. He made a joke about my bee-line for the cookies instead of the healthier options… Yep – That’s me.

We had a while to wait before we could catch the shuttle back to my place. But luckily (and much to my happy surprise) I got a text from a friend who said he had just found parking to watch me race. I felt horrible that I had to tell him I was already done. He didn’t mind and instead offered my dad and me a ride home. I was unbelievably grateful that my dad wouldn’t be forced to stand around until we could catch a shuttle.

After I took a shower, we went to grab breakfast before I went with him to the airport. We talked about the race and I mentioned that I was surprised at how fast I had run. He was proud of me and happy that I found something that I seemed to really enjoy and was working well for me (not in those exact words but same general gist).

Later on, when I found out my official time, I was shocked. I had never run 3 miles that fast… and this was 3.10

I eagerly told my parents and then later that week I got an email from my dad that he had transferred some money into my bank account as a “good job on running” present. It was this race that I decided my next 5K I wanted to run under 30 minutes.

My official time 31:03 at a 9:59 Pace

akam1k3

Since I am about to drop some new music on your heads this time of year, I want to take a look back at the earlier stages of my pursuit of a music career.

I am now taking you back to my birthday september 6th. 2011!  Just turned 21 and dropped my first solo(dolo) mixtape ever.
I was lucky enough to gain a little buzz on it and even had a couple songs listed on Nrk P3 and The Beat.

Take a listen to what I sounded like in 2011

And here are the videos for my singles “Lock You Down (by Sam.)” and “XO (by Christian Bastiansen)”

Hope you guys enjoyed the music and are looking forward to my new release later this month!