So, as a new member of the famous NYRR (New York Road Runners), I completed my first ever event today: A 13.1 half marathon.  Now, here's the deal:  I'm not really a runner.  Sure I bust out 5-6 miles in the gym as part of my normal cardio, but I've never been "Mr outdoor, long distance real runner dude."  When I talk about running on the treadmill, I somehow feel...ehhh. That's not "real running!" (don't get it twisted, it does the job and keeps me fit.)
Anyway,  I kind of got the urge to change that a bit.  The ING NYC Marathon has always been on my "I'd love to do that" list.  My years living downtown Brooklyn is where that seed probably came from as the marathon route took the runners right by my place on S.Oxford and Lafayette. It was a big deal for the neighborhood every Nov.  Fast forward many years later.  About two weeks ago to be exact.  I found myself thinking that I should go ahead and at least start doing some races.  That led me to the NYRR page.  Figured...probably should join and get started.  Browsing the page I found the calendar of events and looked for an upcoming race.  Maybe a 3k, 5k.  Nope. Found the Grete's Great Gallop 1/2 marathon and thought "Yeah, it's only HALF, I can do that!"  My thoughts weren't motivated by some Superman complex, DNA arrogance thing (sort of!).  I just knew that busting out 5-6 miles for me was always a non-event so this would just be...2wice the effort.  Right? Right? How hard could it be?  With less than 2 weeks really, I began running outdoors.  5 miles a clip. No sweat really. During these runs though, I discovered how much I LOVE running outdoors, especially in my favorite fall weather.  All in all, I got 3 runs in.  That's it!  My schedule was hectic and I just didn't get the time to prepare.  Either way....it was do or die. To me, it was all in my head and I was convinced that I could pull it off.  I read plenty of blogs/web-sites with "Tips and advice" for fist time marathon runners.  Kept reading stuff like:  12-14 weeks- as the suggested, normal amount of time to "train" for such an undertaking.  Okay, well....I already joined NYRR and I signed up for the race and paid my fee.  (Plus, I talked so much shit in my mind there was no way to go back!)  I barely mentioned my suicide mission to anyone, just one or two people with some running/cycling...distance events experience.  Both of them nearly talked me out of doing the race and scared the heck out of me with their warnings. (they meant well) Either way, too late.  I was definitely going to do this. Oh, one more thing-On the NYRR site, the info regarding this particular event read as follows:

The course for Grete’s Great Gallop Half-Marathon in Support of AKTIV Foundation 13.1M is tough—two laps of Central Park adds up to a lot of hills—so some long-race experience and hill training are advisable. The start is on East Drive near 70th Street. You’ll complete two full clockwise loops of the park, after which you’ll start a third loop and continue for another 1.2 miles. The finish line is on West Drive near 67th Street. Almost all of the course is run over curving roads and undulating terrain, except for one straight, flat half-mile stretch along the East Side that you’ll run twice. Major uphills are at approximately 1.5, 3, 4, 7.5, 9, and 10 miles.  There are water stations approximately every mile, and Gatorade Endurance Formula is available at 1.25, 3.5, 5.75, 7.25, 9.5, and 11.75 miles

Operative words there being "TOUGH-TWO LAPS...SO SOME LONG DISTANCE-RACE EXPERIENCE AND HILL TRAINING ARE ADVISABLE!

I had none!

So, a day or two before race day, I found out as much as I could about what to do, how to do it, what to eat a day or two prior, what to eat the morning of, what GU's are and everything in between.  (no one mentioned my nipples possibly getting sore after.- Chaffing they call that!)
Without getting into everything here, I prepared myself as much as I thought I could.

RACE DAY

Patsi and Max by my side, we headed for Central Park.  The weather was awesome, especially during the early miles. Temperature went up a bit and the sun came out but it was still a gorgeous day. I was nervous right up to the start. Perhaps I'm not Superman.  Maybe my cockiness would  be the end of me.
Long story short (too late!)- I busted out a good 5-6 miles averaging about 10 minutes miles early on, then 11, then falling back to 12 min +. miles eventually.
There was a point a little after mile 10 that I felt my legs freezing up on me and I thought I was done.  The persistant warnings of my experienced friends kicked in. "Don't damage anything for the sake of just doing this!"  I heeded.  Took it slow, walked some then picked it back up and kept running.  Walked some then picked it back up.  My goal was simply to keep running and finish.  Period.  And that's exactly what I did.

2 hours and 40 mins later.

Mission accomplished.

I mentioned that perhaps some of you would be inspired by this.  Well, hopefully.
The way I see it is that if regular ol' me can set my mind to do something with little experience and nothing but sheer arrogance, determination, the will to make a commitment and stick with it, then so can YOU!  It's simply a matter of making the effort, which starts in your mind.

They measure of a man is based on what he thinks he can do and actually GETS done.

Measure me!

It's starts from the inside!

ING NYC Marathon-2013?  It's only what I did today....2wice!! Right? Right??

Stay tuned......(I doubt it, but...stay tuned anyway!)

Shout outs and "Thank yous":

First to the love of my life and best friend- Patsi Arias.  To my other best friend and my heart,  Maximillian "Maximus" Skaar.  To my peeps who advised me and had my best interest at heart- Jon Baker and Vincent Chan. To the following artists:  Trent Reznor, The Beastie Boys, Don Davis, Nero, Steve Aoki, Kanye West, Rihanna, Jay-Z, 2 Chainz and Guns & Roses.....for providing me with a much needed inspiring and thumping playlist of sounds!
To my cousin Lorraine Sanabria for continued inspiration as "The Serious Runner" and overall athletic bad ass of the family.

http://www.nyrr.org/races-and-events/grete's-great-gallop

Are they all supposed to be...immortal?

Saw Avengers. A bit...overdone and...somewhat ridiculous but...it is what it is yeah?  To it's credit though,  I guess it's hard not to be overdone.  I mean, it's a movie dealing with 4 super heroes yeah? (I'm not counting the bow and arrow dude or the gorgeous Scarlett Johanson character as super heroes)  Great special effects and definitely some hilarious moments here and there.  

Now,  I'm not a comic book/super hero guy....So, perhaps someone can help me with what may be a few silly questions:

1. The dude with the bow and arrow....he's just...a dude with a bow and arrow yeah? Very good with it but still...no powers, no super strength or anything right?

2. Why does Captain America bother with the mask? His identity isn't a secret right?

3. How does Hulk's pants expand at the waist to fit him when he goes from Banner to Hulk? And how do they always end up purple no matter what color pants Banner is wearing?

4. Nick Fury? Perhaps we haven't seen the best of him yet but..he's just a regular dude too yeah? Supposed to be "badd ass" I imagine with the long leather coat and eye patch but....seems like he was just a dude with a little gun and not very....bad ass at all. Even with Sam Jackson playin' him.  I mean damn, Jules Winfield was more bad ass than Nick.

Anyway,  I'm looking forward to The Dark Knight Rises.  Now there's a series very well crafted and quite entertaining on all levels.

"What's in the box?!"

Se7en, ranks as one of my top 3 favorite films of all time. The climatic ending of the film where John Doe reveals the final two sins of envy and wrath, is a scene in itself worthy of any numerous amount of awards and recognition.

I must have watched this film a thousand times, literally. Each time, finding some small detail or nuance in Pitt's, Freeman's or Spacey's performance. For whatever reason this morning, the movie popped into mind and I posted the incredible final scene to my Facebook page. (#sharingrandomness) To my surprise, watching the scene again, I took notice of something which had somehow gotten by me all the other times: When detective Somerset (Freeman) discovers the contents of "the box", he immediately begins to make his way back toward detective Mills (Pitt) in an effort to keep Mills from going crazy and killing John Doe (Spacey). He hurries across the field yelling for Mills to put his gun down. He even goes so far as telling the other officers above in a helicopter that "John Doe has the upper hand here!" When he finally reaches Mills, it's obvious that Doe has revealed to him the contents of the box: "Her pretty head!" ie: Mills' wife's head. Mills slowly loses his mind as he begins to comprehend the reality of what has happened. Somerset continues to implore Mills to put the gun down and not to shoot Doe. Mills breaks down in pain and finally anger. He becomes...."wrath" as John Doe wants him to and shoots Doe numerous times, killing him on the spot. Now, here's what I never took note of: The fact that Somerset could probably have stood between Doe and Mills or physically tried to restrain Mills in effort to stop him from shooting his gun. It was one of those questions where you think you know better than the director and say "Now that was silly, why didn't he just physically restrain Mills or something?!"

It was at that moment that I recognized yet another, deliberately genius choice in the making of this film. Detective Somerset throughout the entire film is a man dealing with his frustration over crime, justice and an imperfect legal system. He is tired. Worn down and worn out. He has seen much chaos, much evil and cannot make sense of any of it. In essence, has given up on trying to.

That moment, as he tries to tell detective Mills not to shoot Doe, he is once again, caught between wanting to do what is right, the "legal way" and what is actually "just" the illegal way. He knows Mills will be held accountable for shooting an unarmed, restrained suspect, yet he also knows that Doe truly deserves to die. Not being able to make sense of good and evil or crime and punishment once again has him more or less indifferent. He has felt useless in his later years as a cop and feels as if most of his work has been pointless. So, it quickly made sense to me that he would stand there, convincing Mills not to kill Doe, but at the same time, not really take any action to prevent it.

Anyway, just my small observations and yet another example of great directing and the perfection of this film.

Perhaps you have a different take.

One last thing:

The very last line of the film belongs to Somerset in voice over:

Somerset

Ernest Hemingway once wrote- "The world is a fine place and worth fighting for." I agree, with the second part.

You can view the gripping ending at the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1giVzxyoclE&feature=related

Oral doesn't count huh? Ok.

Okay so....

I may be late with this story but that's because I don't actually watch the Braxton reality show...whatever it's called. Not my thing. I just happened upon this gossip type news from another web-site while reading something a bit more pertinent to my interest.

Anyway, let me first start by saying: I don't think she's a slut and could care less. I mean, she could be. Who knows. I don't know her. I haven't slept with her and as far as I can recall, she's never blown me. Which...brings me to the point of this quick blog entry.

When asked about why she performed oral sex on some random dude outside of her marriage, Ms. Braxton says:

" It wasn’t about getting back. It was about my own self-esteem." 


? Okay ? So.......self esteem yeah? She wanted to see if another man would want her to blow him? See if she still "had it", could get a man aroused? Or, she wanted to see if she still had the SUPER HEAD skills to get another man off other than her husband?

Continuing.....She says the following:

“Honestly, Auntie Jamie, I’m one of those people, I don’t have but so many notches on my belt. When it comes down to it, numbers mean a lot to me, and I’ve never been the type of woman to spread myself thin and let every Tom, Dick and Harry—or every Tom’s hairy d*ck—to associate with me and my body; not to sound vulgar. 
I don’t allow that with my body; I just don’t. I do not. I did not, and I will not.”

? Okay...again ?

So....based on that...and I'm just....curious here.....Not to sound vulgar....She doesn't have too many notches on her belt and doesn't want to add any more...(belt being, below the belt and inside her) BUT....her mouth is a different story yeah? So....on that premise.....she may have had a WHOLE lotta penis..(sorry to my conservative fam and friends reading) in her mouth and that's no issue! ? ?! So "Tom, Dick, Harry and whoever are free to get off in her throat and that doesn't count toward the "notches" thing yeah? Wow...how's that for "Braxton Family Values" yeah?!

See...this is just curious to me because ....and allow me to be perfectly frank..I mean CHARLES here: I've always been of the thought that most black women (yes, I'm making this a race thing)....would prefer to have full on sex rather than put lips to stick. Just my thought. This is a stereotype I've heard and have had experience with. Black women swearing that oral/giving head.....is faaarrrr more personal and not something they do to just any and everyone. Only someone they love or are truly feeling. (Although, I've heard that whole speech and still ended up receiving oral....fun) Hell, I'm not even disagreeing with them. Kind of don't want to think a woman you're with has been putting too much in her mouth. Like to think she's had some discretion yeah?

Ladies....please.....if I'm wrong.....shout me out. Fellas, am I right? Have you heard this?

Anyway.....I couldn't help but post up on the subject when I read this. I just find some of it....weird and disturbing. Not judging her, just pointing out the obvious that her sexual/moral logic meter is kind of....off.

One more thing:

I wonder what percentage of men would be more pissed that she blew another man vs. actually just having sex. ? I mean, if we go with the whole 'oral is much more persona, sacred" thing...well then.....she really violated yeah?

Oh, keep in mind....I'm not faulting her for her extamarital oral exploits. Her husband apparently had it coming. Then again....so did the other guy!

See link below for story:

http://www.theybf.com/2012/01/19/trina-braxton-reveals-the-dirty-deets-about-her-oral-transaction-and-says-shes-not-a-slut

C'

The non-glamour nudes!

I see a lot of work out there with very attractive women/models. I see a lot of great work being done and creative concepts. Many with talented make up artists and stylists. Many using Photoshop to create dazzling efx, backgrounds and dynamic looks. I see a lot of the typical..."booty" stuff as well. Some gorgeous women with lovely...ASSets and such being shot in bikinis, thongs, towels, etc. Usually bent over cars, standing on a brick wall or seductively posed on a couch, bed or random studio wall. Problem is, after some time, you can only look at those images for so long before you realize that they're all pretty much the same. Even if the model is different and the post processing fx or styling in the shoot is a bit different. We tend to look at the woman's body and size her up without actually getting a sense of the purity and essence of the female form in it's truly romantic state. They're usually all about the "booty" and no matter how fine the woman is or how seductively posed she is, the shots lack...the "beauty!" This shoot for the Pirelli Calendar with Mario Sorrenti as photographer captures the loveliness and divine beauty of women without having to do anything extreme. The nudity doesn't overwhelm the images to the point where all you see is...ass, breasts or whatever. You see the entire image as gorgeous. The natural setting in Corsica of course helps. I haven't shot (officially, since becoming a professional) any nude women or bikini, booty type of stuff. I would welcome the opportunity if the right model(s) come my way and only if I can be sure enough of myself to create images that will last beyond the first saliva inducing glance of the model and her...ASSets. I have had opportunities to shoot some lovely, luscious models in those SMOOTH MAGAZINE, EYE CANDY type settings. I haven't done so yet. It wouldn't be a hard job to shoot a bootylicious model in studio, or lying on a bed, chaise lounge or standing in a shower pressed up against a wall. But I simply wouldn't see the point. I'd love to shoot something sexy that forces the viewer of the image to not only see the obvious in the image, but to take the whole composition and admire it in it's entirety.

You can view the behind the scenes video of the calendar shoot below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gjjF5yQmVw4&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fs.ytimg.com%2Fyt%2Fswfbin%2Fwatch_as3-vflPZYogr.swf

Top 10 Sexiest women of all time! All time?

Well, it's that time of year again when many publications, organizations and assorted media outlets put out their "top 10" lists. (No, nothing like David Letterman's lists.) In fact, some of these lists go well beyond top ten. There are top fifty as well as top 100. The more familiar lists include albums, artists, books and movies. People magazine, being one of the more notable magazines has made it their annual ritual to name the "fifty sexiest" or "most beautiful" people in the world. Recently, I responded to a friend's Facebook post which stated: "I don't want to be sexy, I want to be beautiful." To which my response was: "Trick is to be both. Beautiful is a result of good dna and good energy from within. Sexy...is how you handle that beauty and is a state of being." She, and a bunch of others agreed. Well, getting back to the lists, this morning, I happened to hear that Men's Health magazine published their "Top 10 Sexiest Women of All Time" list. That's ALL TIME! Now, for the most part, I could care less. But seeing as how they were taking the time to make this "Sexiest of ALL TIME" I just HAD to know who made the list and whether or not I would agree. (even if the ranking was different than my own.)

The news only showed the top 5 as follows:

5. Madonna

4. Britney Spears

3. Marilyn Monroe

2. Raquel Welch

1. Jennifer Aniston

Really? I mean...wait.....REALLY? Now, I've got nothing against Jennifer Aniston but, sexiest of ALL TIME? Men's Health backed up their ridiculous ranking by suggesting Jennifer's sense of humor and down to earth persona make her....sexy. Well, I'll admit, those can be sexy qualities in a woman. Me personally, I find intelligence to be extremely sexy. However, I've met some very intelligent women who just weren't....sexy. My point here is that while Jennifer is an attractive woman and has some qualities that some men may find sexy, she's far from actually being truly, overall SEXY! In fact, she's probably the furthest thing from most people's mind when they think of sexy. In my book, when you say sexy, especially sexiest...of ALL TIME.... you're talking about those women who have smoking great looks, usually accompanied by great bodies and that...special...WOW, IT factor that just has both men and women mesmerized. Add to the looks, a way of talking that just ignites forest fires and can simultaneously melt icebergs. A style that just captivates. A sensual way of moving which begs you to follow their every gesture. And, of course, an inner confidence and strength that fortifies their physical appearance and feminine beauty.

Sexy doesn't always mean the most beautiful. But it certainly doesn't even come close to our...Friend.....Jennifer. But hey, beauty/sexiness...is in the eye of the beholder yeah?

"Sexy is as sexy does!" Each person's version of sexy is definitely going to be different.

Here's my list: (In no order.... really)

1. Rihanna
2. Raquel Welch
3. Pam Grier
4. Monica Belluci
5. Salma Hayek
6. Naomi Campbell
7. Lisa Nicole Carson (hey, remember, this is MY list!)
8. Kim Kardashian (just forget the fact that you hate her for not really being talented or not.)
9. Naomi Campbell
10. Dorothy Dandridge

Fathers to sons: Tradition passed down.

As the father of a four year old boy, I look forward to all of the wisdom, advice, corny jokes and general knowledge I’ll need to pass along to my son.

I look forward to it but dread it at the same time. I often struggle with feeling as if I have to be “Super Dad” just to be sure that I know everything and can actually answer many of the inevitable questions he’s sure to come to me with. You know the questions kids come up with these days: “What does OPEC stand for?” , “Who invented the internet?” , “What’s the distance between the earth and the sun?.” “Why is Paris Hilton famous?” (Thank god for Google!) I’ll also have to bone up on all of my sports knowledge and athletic skills just to keep up! All of that and of course, the basic, practical stuff that all men learn and will serve them well throughout their adult lives like, how to tie a tie, how to have a suit properly tailored, how to properly order a bottle of wine in a restaurant, how to always be a gentleman with the ladies and of course, how to shave. Of all the things we’ll teach our sons, shaving will be the one daily ritual that will perhaps serve to be one of the most important for the rest of their adult lives.

So why not get it right! ? Far too many men have abandoned the traditional means of shaving for the more, “fast food” approach of shaving. A plastic, multi blade, battery operated gizmo and a can of high pressurized…crap which gets spread across the face with…fingers? Umm, no!

Not sure when the art of shaving became, less than art and men abandoned the traditional means, but it’s time for the classic “wet shave” to make its way back to the everyday ritual.

SAVING FACE:

First things first: Ditch the random cans of pressurized shaving creams and gels. It’s all crap for lack of a better word and simply not able to lubricate your skin properly for a smooth shave. Go with a traditional shave soap or cream. May seem a little more pricey than the can stuff, but it lasts much longer and will provide your face with the ultimate in luxury feel and smoothness when putting blade to skin. Check out some of the old school, English shave shops like Taylor of Old Bond Street ( http://www.tayloroldbondst.co.uk/ or Geo F. Trumper http://www.trumpers.com/. They each have an amazing line of products and you’d be hard pressed to find anything better.

Second: Lose your fingers! Invest in a decent, pure badger hair shave brush. This is probably the most important part. You simply can’t prepare your face for a good shave by slathering on shave cream with your finger tips. A shave brush helps to lift the hair on your face and exfoliate the skin. Both critical to the shave process. A good badger hair brush will run between $30 to $100 and can get even pricier. Badger hair is best for retaining moisture and will be significantly more effective than a cheaper, boars hair brush.

Third: Toss the Gillete “Mach 25”, “Fusion”, 6 to 8 blade having… whatever razor and buy yourself a classic DE (double edge) safety razor. You can look online to find a decent one. I’m currently using a Merkur Heavy Duty razor. (check Amazon) Right away you’ll notice the weight and substantial feel of this razor in your hand. You’ll sense that this is a man’s razor and never return to the plastic. Using a DE razor will take some time and practice to get used to. You don’t need to press down on your strokes. The blade simply glides smoothly over your face and the weight of the razor does most of the work for you. Keep in mind also, that in the long run, you'll be saving money not having to buy the disposable blades and you'll be doing your part to save the environment by not having to throw out the plastic.

TAKE YOUR TIME! DO IT RIGHT!

Now that you’ve got the equipment, time to get to the shave! Like many things we’ll one day teach our son’s, shaving should be one of those things that’s done slow and steady for maximum effect. Preparation is essentially the key here. A good shave requires the facial pores to be opened, so it’s usually best to shave when you first come out of a hot shower. If not, be sure to soak your face with a really hot wash rag/towel. Once your pores are open and ready, time to brush on some shave soap. Put about a nickel sized amount of soap into your shave mug. (any mug or soap bowl will do really.) Dip the shave brush into hot water then mix the soap up to a nice froth. Use the brush to then lather up the soap all over your face using a circular motion. Take your time! A good minute or two of just brushing on the lather will really prep the skin and hairs. Once you’re lathered up, time to get your shave on. I won’t get into “how to use a razor” here. From this point, it’s really pretty basic. Go with the direction of your hair growth. Use nice, smooth, easy, short strokes and rinse the blade each time. Remember, using a safety razor doesn’t require pressing hard against your face. Let the razor do the work and most important, again…TAKE YOUR TIME! I prefer to go over everything once, then re-lather up and pass the blade a second time, sometimes even three times. When done with the shave, rinse with cold water then finish off with a good, alcohol free after shave to soothe your skin. Trumper’s Coral Skin Food is a great choice: http://www.trumpers.com/product_detail.cfm?ProductID=111547341 You can also use it as a pre-shave.

Once you get into this routine and ditch the “on the fly” “hurry up and rush” shave, you’ll start to appreciate it and will even consider shaving a relaxing experience. I tend to shave at night, after a nice shower. I find my shave time to be a luxury and a peaceful, soothing way to end my day. The effort you put into your shave will be well worth it later and your face will more than appreciate it as time goes on. If you have sensitive skin or are prone to razor bumps, this method will undoubtedly serve you well.

The classic shaving accessories and the method are simply unbeatable. Not to mention, there's a sense of elegance, sophistication and style that goes with it all. In the end, the joy of passing this knowledge down to your son(s) one day will be much appreciated by them and truly gratifying for yourself.

For more information on classic shaving, shaving products and more, check out some of the following links:

http://www.tayloroldbondst.co.uk/

http://www.trumpers.com/index.cfm

http://www.markofagentleman.com/index.html

http://www.markofagentleman.com/index.html

http://www.classicshaving.com/Home.html

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