A Reminder

I just found out that someone I knew -- not that well but I knew him nonetheless -- died this week.

He was 31. He had two kids. He had a wife.

Life gets put into perspective every so often and last night, when I found out, it hit me pretty hard.

We spend so much time in life planning.

Planning for the week ahead. Planning vacations. Planning meals. Planning to buy a bigger house. Planning to find that perfect job. Planning to move.

But our plans don't amount to a hill of beans if we can't be happy TODAY.

Life isn't about tomorrow. It's about this moment. Right now.

I've met so many happy people who work in factories and at fast food restaurants who seem so happy. And I've read about Buddhist monks who own nothing yet rejoice in their simple, happy lives.

What I'm getting at is that happiness is not about money. And I'm not necessarily happy because I currently make a comfortable living.

I think my happiest days are when I have life in clear perspective. And my happiness comes from the simple, quiet moments.

When lunch outside at noon, seems like winning the lottery.

When a 4-mile jog lights up so many endorphins that I feel "high."

When a deer runs across the road when I'm biking, and stops and looks at me and just stays there -- still.

When I'm on a beach with friends reading a good book.

When a scent reminds me of a pleasant memory.

When an old friend calls out of the blue, and just wants to catch up.

We get a chance every day to be happy. And we need to take full advantage of each opportunity.

It can all end at any time.

But we have today. Contentment and happiness are at our fingertips.

At this moment, I'm going to quit typing and start reaching out for happiness.

It's TODAY after all. It's always TODAY.

Enjoy the (happy) ride,
DAMM

105 Miles

Sorry, but no pictures with this blog entry.

Lots to recap though from my last two weeks.

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Two weekends ago I was a groomsman in my buddy Aaron Seifert's wedding. I had an awesome time!

For some reason, I was just on an emotional high all weekend.

The rehearsal dinner was great. Jamie Olson Seifert has awesome friends from college and I also got to reconnect with all the guys from Aaron's bachelor party. It was a fun group.

By like 9 pm I was doing a keg stand, and the fun didn't end until much later that evening.

I was tweeting throughout the weekend and ended up getting a lot of good-meaning shit about it! By Saturday, people were actually telling me what to Tweet.

I also learned that quite a few people seem to be reading my blog. Cool!

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The Seifert wedding on Saturday was beautiful. I got up at 8 am and managed to kick out 4 miles before my delayed hangover set in. I was ready to go though in time for pictures and ended up having a great night of dancing, meeting new friends and eating Papa John's pizza at 1:30 AM. Congrats to both of you Aaron and Jamie! Shout outs to Joel, Redman, Sharon and Heather.

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Just a couple days ago I took part in the Jesse James Bike Tour in Northfield, MN. I signed up for the Century Ride (100 miles) and learned when I got there that the route was actually 105 miles! Yikes -- that was 20 miles farther than I had ever been on my bike before.

Luckily, I immediately joined up with a bike club from Northfield and latched onto their pace lane. We flew through the first 80 miles and eventually had about 20 people in our pace line.

It was such a rush. We were in a huge pack going 21-23 mph most of the time and riding inches away from each other.

With about 15 miles left, I started to bonk. I had to drop off the group (which was by then down to about 6 or 7) and finish the rest of the ride by myself.

Felt really good to accomplish my first century ride though!

I zonked out that afternoon at Charlson's and then we went to Stadium Village to watch the Gophers game at a couple bars. As hard as Joe and I tried, we couldn't muster enough energy to stay out all night and we ended up calling it a day.

On Sunday, Joe and I went to Tiger Sushi and Norm Coleman happened to walk by us as we waited for it to open.

By the way, you all have to try the Volcano at Tiger Sushi. It's made up of strawberries, mango, various raw fish, vegetables and a great sauce. For only $10, it was the most filling thing I've ever had a sushi restaurant.

I went to IKEA and bought a TV stand in the afternoon and headed back home with hundreds of ideas running through my head about how I want to pimp out my new townhouse. Oh yeah, I might not have mentioned that over the last two weeks I've been moving into my new townhouse on Sweetass Lane.

I'm a homeowner. Zen minimalism is coming to Indian Springs.

Look out!

Enjoy the ride (and a good night's rest),
Damm

A Half Marathon, a Funeral and a Wedding

Beed's Lake near Hampton, Iowa.


Ted Kennedy.


My cousin Megan and her husband Phil Porter.

On August 29, my Saturday began much earlier than usual.

The alarm buzzed at 4:45 AM and surprisingly, I jumped out of bed. I knew that I had planned a lot for the day. Excited to begin the adventure, I got ready real quick and hopped into my car.

The drive to Hampton was uneventful. I twittered about how ridiculously early in the morning it was, I drank an FRS Orange and nibbled on an energy bar.

By 6:15 AM I was at Beed's Lake for the half marathon and ran into a friend from the Wednesday night bike rides that I've been going to in Clear Lake.

The 13.1 mile race began at 7 AM and even though I went out pretty slow (about 8.5-9 minute miles), I felt good about everything.

Listening to my iPod (Sweet Disposition by True Temper) and watching the sun rise above the rolling hills near Hampton, I felt that usually elusive feeling of bliss.

Pure happiness. Everything was right with the world.

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During the second half of the race, I kicked it into gear. My goal was to break 1:50 and I knew I had to book it to beat my goal. My left calf muscle started to feel a little cramp-y but I didn't have to push it too hard toward the end and I finished in 1:49:08.

I still want to become a better runner but this spontaneous half marathon proved to me that I was in good shape and ready to push the limits this fall.

Coming up...
- 100-mile bike ride in Northfield
- 5-mile Frontier Days run in Forest City
- Half Marathon in Mason City or Des Moines
- A winter of training with Kansas 70.3 in my sights

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I returned home to talk to my parents about my morning and ended up sitting with my dad and watching Ted Kennedy's funeral.

We were both waiting for Obama to give the Eulogy but I was inspired well before Obama stood at the lectern.

Yo-Yo Ma played Bach. Placido Domingo sang. A contralto sang Ave Maria.

But the person who truly moved me was Ted Kennedy Jr.

He told loving, funny stories about his father. How even though his father had personal flaws, he had an undying commitment to public service.

Ted Kennedy was a true liberal but he was also a politician of times-gone-by. He was a compromiser, a legislator, a man who knew how to get a law passed.

He was equally friendly with Orin Hatch and John McCain as he was with Bill Clinton and John Kerry.

Ted Jr.'s eulogy was incredibly moving -- it reminded me that we are all called to help others.

It made me think of "The West Wing" and the idea that public service could make a difference in the lives of others.

Why am I a Democrat? It's because of people like Ted Kennedy.

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The day came to a close on a happy note. My cousin Megan was married to Phil Porter on Saturday.

I gave the readings from Colossians and Phillipians. Both of the readings reminded me what I like about Christianity. Lately, I've too often been turned off by either the religious right or fundamental Christians acting like hypocritical, self-righteous zealots.

Anway....the wedding was beautiful and the reception was a lot of fun!

13 miles and 13 beers (drinks).

Megan looked beautiful and I was so happy for her and Phil. Phil is a great guy and I know they'll be happy together!

A little dancing and a few drinks later it was 1:30 AM and we were at Shooterz.

The epic Saturday had turned to early Sunday morning.

A half marthon in 1:49:08. A funeral of a great statesman. A nap. A wedding. A reintroduction to the good parts of my childhood religion. A dinner. A dance. A few freestyle raps. A few too many beers. An epic day turned to Cinderella's pumpkin.

A reminder that each day ends and becomes a new day.

A new beginning for me. A new life for Ted. A new union for Megan and Phil.

Enjoy the ride,
Damm

The Curse of Diversity

I'm cursed. I enjoy diversity.

I like Kung Pao Chicken. I crave Spicy Tuna Rolls. I devour Fajitas. I wish I could find more Falafel. I enjoy Paella.

Sam Adams is my favorite beer because they brew so many distinct varieties -- Oyster Stout, Boston Lager, Black Lager, Summer Ale, Octoberfest, Pale Ale...

I've been to Europe, I'm going to Peru and I want to go to China.

There isn't enough time in the day to read all the books on my reading list. My netflix queue is backed up with foreign films, documentaries, new releases and Showtime tv shows.

My hobbies involve 6-hour poker games, 3-hour bike rides, 4-hour rounds of golf, 1-hour trail runs and night-long partying with friends.

I read endless blogs. I listen to a British radio station (Absolute Radio).

I'm intrigued by almost all of the world's religions.

Never satisfied with what is in front of me I look for more.

New restaurants and not the same old place with the same old faces.

New places to travel and not the same beach in Florida every summer.

New people. Not just the regulars at the local bar.

I guess diversity is the only curse that I enjoy.

While it can be frustrating and challenging, it is also incredibly rewarding.

Diversity has allowed me to drink Chianti on the Italian Riviera, eat Oysters on Cape Cod, ride my bike across Iowa, run 26.2 miles in Duluth, meet a bunch of English girls in Boston, see Broadway shows, golf at Cog Hill, watch Tiger at the Masters, and read about the Mexican Tarahumara ultra-runners.

Let the curse continue. The frustrations of new experiences and uncomfortable situations are well worth the fulfillment.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Enjoy the ride,
Damm

Shakespeare

Now bid me run,
And I will strive with things impossible,
Yea, get the better of them.

"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare

Cape Cod

Chris, Dan and I at a Hyannis Mets game.

I'm not sure why, but I really don't have any desire to recap the rest of the trip. The excursion to Cape Cod was great and it was relaxing.

We ate really good food (including lobster, oysters, tapas, clam/shrimp pizza, etc.) and drank more Sam Adams (including Oyster Stout at one of two bars in the world to have this special brew).

We went to beaches, baseball games, Pirates Cove, Wing's Island and a few other places.

It was awesome to see Dan and I think he was glad to have friends around for his last week on the Cape.

Part of the reason I don't feel like recapping those few days is because I wish I was back there.

Relaxing on a beach with a book about Venice. Eating seafood. Hearing the waves crash into the shore. A couple of Sam Adams close by. Slowly falling asleep as the sun reaches its zenith. Not a worry in the world....

Vacation Part I: A Weekend with Samuel Adams

Thursday, August 6 -- Today on a lawn chair in Cape Cod reading about the city of Venice, I came to the realization that I did not want my travels to end. My friend, Chris, and I had arrived in Boston the previous Saturday and in a week’s time I felt like I had lived for a month or more. We met new people, saw great friends, ate food from all around the world and experienced the day-to-day life that only a traveler in a new place can come to understand.

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After work on Friday, I left for St. Paul to meet Chris and stay with his sister and her husband, a former student of my dad’s. I dropped off my stuff and then we called up another friend to grab some drinks in St. Paul. After talking to a few girls at a bar on Grand, we called it a night just before midnight since we had a 3:45 am wake-up call the next day – wouldn’t have minded talking to one of the girls even if she was an Iowa State grad.

Saturday morning came early but I was so excited for the trip that I jumped off the couch and we were on our way. Seeing the city of Boston as we flew into Logan Airport was very exciting. It was a beautiful Saturday morning in Boston and a plethora of sailboats glided through the harbors propelled by the winds of a warm summer day.

We checked our bags at the Millennium Hotel and headed out on the town for a while. An incredible fruit market was on the street next to our hotel and we bought two cartons of raspberries for a total of $1. We walked through Quincy Market and Fanneuil Hall. And then decided to make our way to the Samuel Adams brewery.
A quick public transit ride later and we arrived at the closest stop to the brewery. We were lucky enough to get tickets for a 1:40 p.m. tour and ran off to grab a quick lunch before our tour began.

After an awesome lunch on an outdoor patio, we got back to the brewery and began our tour. Hillary, our tour guide, was pretty, informative and quite funny. After tasting the barley and wheat, and smelling the hops that goes into Sam Adams, we checked out the brewery room and then headed to the best room of all – the tasting room.

We got our complimentary 7 oz. tasting glasses and were then given 3 beers to sample – Summer Ale, Boston Lager and Brick Red. The Brick Red was an exclusive beer to the Boston area and was only being kegged for about 100 bars in the Boston area before it will likely be discontinued.

We left the brewery after our beers and went to the hotel to check in. Fitz had the great idea of getting tickets for an Improv Asylum show ($15) and we had a late sushi snack in Quincy Market.

Saturday night we went to the Improv Asylum show and it was awesome. We met Laura in line for our beers and she jokingly asked us if we could be her friends from “Iowa or something” so she could get more than the maximum of two beers per person. She was from Florida and had no clue we were from Iowa but turns out she made a good guess! We bought a bunch of Sam Adams Lights and went to enjoy the show.

The improv group was really good and the small, underground theater was filled with bachelorette parties who were all having a great time. My favorite line of the night was: “TV might be a cheap date, but you can’t finger Tivo!” Classic.
After the Improv show, we walked Hanover Street which is basically Boston’s Little Italy. We had gelato and Fitz grabbed a meatball sub and then we went to hit up the pubs of Boston.

The first pub was actually a restaurant called Ye Old Oyster House – and it happens to be the oldest restaurant in America. Bill Clinton, George HW Bush, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and many others have dined there. So Fitz and I felt cool having some Brick Reds at the pub.

Oyster House was chill and we heard some live music coming from down the street so we decided to check out The Point. Good decision Fitz!

The band there was awesome and it was a good group of people in the pub. The band played everything from U2 and Kings of Leon to the Beastie Boys and Green Day. Truly matched my taste in music. Danced with some girls from Boston and stumbled home at 1 am or so after I grabbed a sausage with onions at a stand on the way back to the hotel.

Oh yeah, did I mention that the Millennium is a four-star hotel and our room was sweet!

Anyway, we got up on Sunday morning and felt surprisingly good. Our plan was to go for a long run through Boston and we got going just after 9 am.

We ran to the following places during our 12 mile run: Boston Commons, the Duck Pond, Commonwealth Ave., Fenway Park, Prudential Tower, John Hancock Towers, a really cool church, the entire Freedom trail which included the Old State House, Sam Adams’ grave, the Old North Church, Paul Revere’s house and Bunker Hill.
Bunker Hill came at about 11.5 miles into our run and we decided to walk the 294 steps to the top of the monument. My calf muscles were on fire when we finally got to the top.

After a bit of a cool down finish, we ended up walking when we got back to Little Italy and stopped in at Mike’s Pastry shop. We had cannolis, and bought lobstertail pastries and Boston cream pie for later!

A quick shower and then we went to Wagamama’s for lunch. It was great – fried squid with chili sauce, seafood ramen noodles (not that shit ramen you’re probably thinking of!), cocunut ice cream with mango sauce and a Japanese beer.

At Wagamama’s our buddy Dave Keller called – he’s living in Springfield, Mass. – and let us know that he had got into town to meet us. We met up with Dave and went back to the Point for some Sam Adams. We each bought a round, we watched the Red Sox and we caught up. By the end of the afternoon, we were laughing our asses off.
We grabbed oysters and clams at Ye Old Oyster House – along with, you guessed it, more Sam Adams.

We then headed over to Little Italy to find some cigars and ended up being lured into a wine shop by Keller. Turns out that Keller knows his wine and we headed back to the hotel (or so we thought) with two bottles of red wine and a corkscrew. On the way back to the hotel, Keller decides that he needs an espresso martini and he needs it made a certain way. We end up finding an adequate bar on our third attempt and sit down for some beers, Keller for his martini and shots for all. The cute bartender who is originally from Oklahoma entertained us for quite a while before we got ready to leave. On our way out we walked by a group of girls with strong British accents and we struck up a conversation.

Avril, Ally, Claire and Dora turned out to be very interesting and friendly young ladies who we had a great time with. We drank with them for quite a while, went to the hotel with them for a bottle of red and then went back out to the bars for some more drinks. It was a pleasure to meet them and I had an awesome time talking to girls who actually know who Keane, The Kooks and The Kaiser Chiefs are. I may have even found a traveling companion for my hopefully upcoming excursion to Barcelona.
With a wicked awesome weekend in the books, we got ready to head to Cape Cod on Monday morning and Keller took us to the bus station at about 10 am. Getting on the bus that morning, my mind raced with memories of the weekend which had just passed.
So many days in our lives are filled with routine that when we travel and get thrown out of that routine, we truly feel alive. My mind was all a blur as we took our bus seats. The days on the Cape were going to be different than our two days in Boston. The Cape would be more relaxing, slower placed and understandably less eventful. I’ll admit that I was not ready to leave Boston. However, going to Cape Cod in early August is hardly something to complain about.

My mind racing and partially feeling the pain of a two-day Sam Adams binge…I fell asleep with the Monday New York Times in my lap. Next stop, Cape Cod.