Or Steve at Mile 10.

Running

Tuesday, November 14, 2006 3:47:50 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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After watching Borat! and undergoing physical therapy Monday afternoon, the Tank was faced with a choice on Monday evening, watch the Barnaked Ladies (BNL) concert or watch the Bricks face the San Antonio Spurs.  The choice was not difficult as I have dozens of opportunities to watch the Bricks lose this season or watch BNL who I have never seen before live.  I wanted to see BNL with Alanis Morissette last year but had to work and/or I was angry that she was selling her album exclusively at Starbucks. 

I got into BNL in college as they are I like their melodic, poppy, quirky, geeky, and solid up tempo lyricists.  They can sing / kind of rap but are closer to a Generation X's successor to "Blondie".  I also like BNL as their lyrics remind me of Weird Al Yankovic's parodies.

BNL performed Monday night at Radio City Music Hall.  I scalped a cheap ticket and am on the main orchestra floor.  Thank God!  I can walk up stairs but have a hard time walking downstairs because my legs feel like lead from lactic acid.

Radio City is a great place to catch a concert because it is made for concerts, not sporting events, and even better after they improved the sound system a few years ago around the time my Twin Gil and I saw the Gipsy Kings who are playing Radio City again on February 24, 2007.  (The Tank is considering going.)  Radio City is also decked out in Holiday decorations.  It's almost 2007.  Whoa!  Where did 2006 go?

Before the concert began, BNL posted informative environmental messages on Radio City's great screens.  BNL uses soy based biodiesel.  The Tank is psyched that BNL is part of the environmental solution.  Go BNL!

Since my legs were full of lactic acid and my right knee was still injured, I had to limit my dancing but was still able to share my gifted musical voice and air guitar with my fellow concert goers.  It was a great crowd.  The couples in front of me were literally dancing in the aisle and twirling each other around like "Dancing with the Stars".  My row of total strangers but fast friends got into it as well.  There was unfortunately a dud married couple, especially a guy near me.  I felt like telling him, "Dude, I know this concert isn't your cup of tea.  It's not a Megadeth concert, but make the best of it and enjoy the show.  You spent all this money to take your wife out.  BTW, your wife is kind of hot.  Do you mind if I make out with her because you're just sitting there?"  As tempted as the Tank was "to make Sexy Time" (to quote Borat!) with the "Desperate Housewife", the Tank stayed a gentleman and quickly went back to focusing on the concert. 

I knew the hit songs but not the new stuff yet.  I knew the "Old Apartment" on the the first note and about five seconds before everyone else.  In addition to their new and hit songs, they did some nice covers like Van Morrison's "Moondance".  Ed played a few notes from the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan and Steve Vai to the tune of Van Halen's "Running with the D*vil".  They even picked on David Gray.  They are all very musically talented (rare in today's musicfacturing environment), especially the mandolin and accordion player.  Boo yeah!  

They explained the insanity signal of putting your index finger in the air to the tune of whatever music you're listening to.  I'll use it at work instead of flying the bird.  This is important because I'll hopefully get my Holiday bonus on Wednesday, November 22, touch wood. 

Being clever like they are, the incorporate poly unsaturated fats and Avenue of America(s) into "If I Had $1000000".  They encouraged everyone to vote.

The only down part of the night was I bought a live download for $14 and didn't want to wait the 25 minutes after the show to get the USB for $25.  The download didn't work but I haven't had a chance to call customer service. 

As for the Bricks, they lost to the Spurs 105-93.

All in all, I had a great time and know I made the right choice by going to the BNL concert. 

Posted by the Tank live from the BNL Concert at Radio City Music Hall in NY.   

Live! | Pop Culture

Saturday, November 11, 2006 12:56:49 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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I leave the party I was at and enter the cab and say to the driver: "Football!" He knew where to take us.

We file into the FC Barcelona stadium at Access 19 yesterday at 10pm. The stadium is like nothing I have ever seen, holds 100,000 people and huge. The 20,000 fans that came out for this late game made the stadium look empty. Since this was just a small Spanish Cup qualifying game, we were able to get tickets in the 3^rd row, behind about 15 ten year old school boys and future soccer hooligans. After I call the tank to rub in the fact that we have 3^rd row tickets, I ask the kids in Spanish what time they have school tomorrow.

FC Barcelona was playing CF Badalona, an inferior team and since FC was a heavy favorite some of the best players were rested. We only catch a glimpse of Ronaldinho’s bad hair from the sidelines. Despite that, we were treated to an amazing game.

After some good back and fourth, about 20 minutes into the first half a nice corner kick to Gio ( at 23 mins) and GOAL! FC up 1-0. Then just about 10 minutes later Ezquerro ( at 39 mins) scores another on a nice bounce back. 2-0 at the half.

The kids start to torment the referee. I yell at them in Spanish to show some respect and one kid turns around and says that the ref is blind and deserves it. My Spanish is not good enough to counter. Remi from the Netherlands informs me that the ref was not blind and it was not offside. (We go into a long discussion of the rules of soccer, friendly match vs international play rules.)

I run and get a hot dog for Richard and I and in my bad Spanish I attempt to obtain peanuts for Richard’s wife. (She actually got salted corn nuts.) The Spanish put ketchup, mustard, spices and grilled onions on a hot dog. Rock on.

As the game was winding down, I still held to my pregame prediction of a 3-0 FC win. Remi had predicted 5-0. Towards the end of play in the second half Saviola scored on a great direct kick (78 mins) and then just 5 minutes later he kicked, was blocked and then kicked again for his second goal of the night (83 mins) and was then soon subbed out to rest with a 4-0 lead.  (Thankfully he was subbed out since I did not want Remi to win our wadger, I said 3-0 and he said 5-0, so it was directly in the middle.)

As midnight approaches, the kids parents wise up and decide that it is time to take the boys home so they can sleep and go to school.

We leave after the 90 minutes and the metros in Barcelona close at midnight so we have to walk 30 minutes to a Hilton hotel to catch a cab home. A great and memorable night.

Posted by Steve, Live! from Barcelona.

Football (Soccer) | Live!

Thursday, November 09, 2006 5:42:21 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Now that the marathon is over, it is time to do regular people stuff.  Before physical therapy Monday afternoon, I watched the new hit movie "Borat!: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan".  Borat Sagdiyev is a Kazakh television reporter who travels to America to learn about how Americans live.

One of the funniest things in the movie as the rooster he had with him on the plane from Kazakhstan to America.  This brought back memories of roosters and other poultry on the Tank's plane flight from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Tbilisi, Georgia, in the summer of 1992.  I can laugh now but that was a scary flight as dripping water from the ceiling of the old Aeroflot plane dripped onto me as we were about to take off.  The lady next to me and I held hands as we prayed that the plane did not crash and we thankfully made it. As if the flight to Tbilisi was bad enough, the return flight was also an adventure as we had too much cargo/souvenirs and Larry the Tour Director paid off the customs guy so our plane could take off.  More adventures for another time.

Anyway, back to Borat's adventures across America in an ice cream truck.  Borat interviews former Republican Congressman Bob Barr and two time Presidential candidate Alan Reyes made cameo appearances.  Who says Republicans don't have a sense of humor?

Other humorous scenes include the Kazakh national anthem to the tune of the Star Spangled Banner at the rodeo, fraternity drinking games on the cross-country RV, learning hip-hop speech and dress in Atlanta, the Pentecostal revival prayer meeting, and pursuing Pamela Anderson.

Though there is nudity in the film, it is NOT of Pamela Anderson.  During the hotel room scene, you may want to (a) get popcorn, (b) go to the restroom, © look away and glue your eyes shut, and (d) all of the above.  Trust me!

Though some of the scenes are crude and you'll want to look away, it is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. Just see it if you haven't already and you'll thank me later.

Posted by The Tank at the movies in NY.

Pop Culture

Wednesday, November 08, 2006 12:56:07 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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The highest point of the New York City Marathon is around Mile 1 at the crux of the Verrazano Bridge’s span. We were staging for about 3 hours in Staten Island and had to abandon our jackets, pants and other stuff that we wore to keep us warm.

10:10am-The foot of the Verrazano Bridge

The cannon goes off. Go Lance Armstrong!!

10:15am-The foot of the Verrazano Bridge, we finally get through the start line. We run uphill, a long steady climb. About a 10:35 minute mile.

Miles 2-7 Brooklyn rocks!

We plow through Brooklyn from Bay Ridge (my old town), Sunset Park, Red Hook and Carroll Gardens. Tons of people are lining the streets, I high 5 about 100 kids. A talk to a 10 year old girl with a “Run like Reyes” sign. A kid gives me a lollipop, much better than gu or powergel. Linda accuses me of hamming it up. (I was.)

11:25am Mile 8: Looking for Slander

As we cruse through Carroll Gardens and Park Slope we look for Sarah. She is nowhere to be found. Good news for us and bad news for anyone we told to look for us, we are about 20-30 minutes ahead of our expected times, we thought we would take at least 15 minutes to get to the start line as well as run slower miles. All of us are very strong.

12:20pm 13.1 Miles (1/2 way point) The Pulaski Bridge 2hours 4 minutes

As we leave Brooklyn and enter Queens I shout “LET’S GO METS!!!” And Linda and some other Queens natives chant some Mets in 2007 cheers.

12:50pm: The span of the Queensborough Bridge Mile 16

Ug, the first major uphill challenge in a while. Bridges suck. As we get to the center of the span of the lower deck after about a mile climb, we enter a section in complete darkness. I ask Kathleen and Linda if I blacked out. We get behind some crazy Brazilians who start singing Ole! Ole! Ole! Someone also starts a “if you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!” chant. We descend into Manhattan into the legendary crowds up first avenue.

Miles 16-19 1^st Avenue

We are all still strong, Kathleen and Linda run into the Tank who is not doing that well and tell him to look for me since I fall a little behind at this point. I don’t see the Tank until 8pm at the bar. As I pass 30km (18.6 miles), Lance Armstrong finishes. He said it was the hardest race he ever did, even said “I don’t know how you do it!” He bonked, he is Human!!!

1:30pm Mile 20, The Willis Avenue Bridge 3:20 pace

Bridges suck. I try to tell myself that this is the next to last one. Linda and Kathleen pull ahead for good and I am on my own so I break out the MP3 player and crank up the tunes. My legs start to get tired. I feel great but start to slow down. I notice that by mile 21 I am now doing 10 minute miles. The Bronx gets jiped, only about a mile in the Bronx.

1:52pm Marcus Garvey Park, Manhattan Mile 22

Back to Manhattan and holy crap only about 4 miles to go! The legs are now screaming in pain and the bottoms of the feet hurt. I am just looking forward to E 90^th Street and the entrance to Central Park, my home turf.

Mile 25, Central Park 4 hours 14 minutes (4:09 pace)

As I pass under Mile 25, I am almost in tears of joy and pain. I find out later that Kathleen and Linda and just crossing the finish line, rock on!!!

The 1 Mile to Go Sign!

Woo hoo! We leave the park to run on E. 59^th Street back to the park.

Mile 26, reenter the park.

Only .2 of a mile to go. This honestly is the longest .2 of a mile in my life. I see the finish!! I pick up the speed and thrown my hands in fists in the air and scream as the crowd roars. The clock says 4:26 and change, so my official time will be about 4:20.

The Aftermath.

You have to walk through the finish and get water, your bad check (UPS shipped them from Staten Island) and then reunions. We get medals and space blankets. It took about an hour, everyone is in pain and walking very slow. I barely can walk at this point. Luckily 37,000 people can’t walk either. Due to all the road being closed I have to walk home. Lot so of folks give me congratz.

8pm, The Mad Hatter Pub

After the best burger and beer of my life, Steve and the Tank are reunited. Steve says he is retired from running and will do tennis and yoga now. The Tank says he will slow down.

Posted By Steve, in marathon pain.

Live! | Running

Sunday, November 05, 2006 7:41:21 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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