Home of the Return

As the very great Michael Jordan once famously said:

I'm Back!

After nearly a month without a post and after much demand I have made my return to the Land of the Steve. I hope you readers didn't miss me too much. A lot has happened to the Steve in the last month. I recently got a job at a video store. It's a good job, easy work but plenty of it to keep me busy. I have celebrated the birthdays of my mother and my little sister. I drove roughly 275 miles to two different destinations to pick up two different siblings and bring them home in one day. There was something else too, what was it?

Oh yeah, I also turned 21 a week and a half ago. I am all growed up now. The first night of my 21st weekend was a great time. My brother and sister(whom I had to drive roughly 275 miles to get) were home to celebrate and we hit the town like only we know how. As soon as I walked into the bar someone had a shot ready for me to take. I see someone else I know and walk over to talk to him. He also buys me a shot. Upon seeing him buy me a shot and wish me a happy birthday a random person at the bar decided he was going to buy me a shot as well. Who am I to say no to that? After three shots in less than five minutes I finally get a beer. That's more my style. I then ventured to the bar next door. As I'm walking I see someone I went to high school with. He buys me a whiskey/coke. I then walk over to my friends. As soon as I get there a bar tender walks up to me and asks me if I'm the one who just turned 21. I answered yes. She replies, "This is for you" as she hands me a Smirnoff Ice. Very clever guys. After hanging out at that bar for a while we walked across the street to a different bar. I'm not going to lie, I don't remember a whole lot about this bar. Next thing I know my dad is there to pick us up. My brother, sister, my brother's friend, and some kid named Austin pile into the car. As we pull up to Austin's house he says the quote. We are all packed in the car and talking all kinds of nonsense when he says, "So does this make me part of the family?" I look over at my dad and see that even he is laughing at what Austin just said. We arrive home and my brother starts cooking something. 4:30 comes around I decide it's probably time for me to hit the sack. What a great way to celebrate my 21st.

The next day I actually felt pretty good considering the night I just had. We go to dinner at a Mexican restaurant and I get tequila poured down my throat. Not a fan. After that we had cake and ice cream. Then I had my experience with what is simply known as "Harley's." What a place. Right up my alley, literally and metaphorically. Stayed there for a while then went to "The District." Not really my style but it was still a good time. As far as the end of the night went let me just say that when I got home my shirt was no longer on my body. That's all I will say about that.

I wake up Sunday, it is Easter, I feel like death. I couldn't wait to stuff as much of my grandma's cooking in my mouth as I could. Once I ate I was feeling much better. Still very tired, but not hungover. I even found enough strength to participate in the annual game of "Annie Annie Over," if you have to ask what that is you don't need to know. It was a great weekend and I thank all of my friends and family members who could make it out. You all made it one of the best weekends of my life.

I think that is all the catching up that needs to be done for now. So I am done for now. Thank you for reading. I'm glad to be back and I promise my next post won't be a month from now. Have a great day. Goodbye.


Random Song of the Day:
In case you forgot, this where I pull up my iTunes, hit shuffle, and whatever song comes up first is what I post here. It is a flawless system for choosing songs to post.

Today's random song of the day is...

"Tighten Up" by The Black Keys

Home of the Playlist

Yesterday I wrote about how I am going to attempt to run a marathon. If you missed it you should stop here and go read that. I started a training schedule put together by a guy named Hal Higdon. First three days are all three mile runs. Today was day two.

Day two went much better then day one. I ran the entire first mile(high five myself). That may not seem like a big deal but for me that's huge. I started the second mile walking. That quickly turned into running. I picked up my speed. I picked it up again. I was completely zoned in like those people you see on Nike commercials. I continued strong into the third mile. That didn't last long. I walked for about a minute before I started running again. I noticed I only had about a quarter mile to go. I cranked up the speed and next thing I know I'm done. Three miles ran in 29:47, not great but very good for me. I was very satisfied and I felt great. I walked around for a few trying to catch my breath. Much like yesterday I felt much better then I expected I would.

That's all about the running. Today I'm going to talk about a different part of my training. The music. I have compiled a playlist of 50 songs that I listen to while I run. The song choices were based on tempo. I needed songs that are up-tempo and have a good beat that I can run along to. After all, with great training comes great playlist. Here are those 50 songs in no specific order.

"We Used to Wait" by Arcade Fire
"The Fire Inside" by Bob Seger
"Float On" by Modest Mouse
"No Sleep Till Brooklyn" by Beastie Boys
"Trick of the Light" by The Who
"I'm Shipping Up to Boston" by Dropkick Murphys
"Walcott" by Vampire Weekend
"Limelight" by Rush
"Ice Melts" by Matt & Kim
"I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick
"God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash
"The Leaving Song Pt. 2" by A.F.I.
"Block After Block" by Matt & Kim
"Run This Town" by Jay-Z feat. Rihanna & Kanye West
"My Body" by Young the Giant
"In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins
"Electric Feel" by MGMT
"Wake Up" by Arcade Fire
"Olympia, Wa" by Rancid
"Bro Hymm Tribute" by Pennywise
"Rum is for Drinking, Not for Burning" by Senses Fail
"Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins
"The General Specific" by Band of Horses
"Ma-Ma-Ma- Belle" by E.L.O.
"The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco
"Cousins" by Vampire Weekend
"Time to Pretend" by MGMT
"Up Around The Bend" by C.C.R.
"Jump Around" by House of Pain
"Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who
"Send Me On My Way" by Rusted Root
"Sirius" by The Alan Parsons Project
"Fall Back Down" by Rancid
"Cameras" by Matt & Kim
"Fire It Up" by Modest Mouse
"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" by B.T.O.
"Howlin' For You" by The Black Keys
"You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates
"Tripping Billies" by Dave Matthews Band
"Sweet Disposition" by Temper Trap
"Home" by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
"Miami" by Foals
"The Boys of Summer" by The Ataris
"Ready To Start" by Arcade Fire
"Journey to the End of South Beach" by Rancid
"Ants Marching" by Dave Matthews Band
"Baba O'Riley" by The Who
"All That's Left" by Thrice
"1901" by Phoenix


That's my playlist. If you are also participating in this marathon I would suggest you listen to some, if not all, of those songs while you run. To me running isn't the same without some music to run along to and get you pumped up. If you have songs that you like to listen to while you run I would love to know what they are. Just simply type them in the comments box and click the button to post them.

That's all for me today. I leave you with my favorite song to run to. Have a great day and good luck to anyone else who have accepted this challenge. Goodbye.


My Favorite Song to Run to:

"Wake Up" by Arcade Fire

Home of the Marathon

This might be the dumbest thing I've ever done. But perhaps it is the smartest thing I could do. What is this thing? I am going to run a marathon. Take a second to stop laughing. Now, let me explain why I am going to run a marathon.

Two nights ago I get an e-mail from my Uncle Dennis. To give you a quick background of Uncle Dennis, he has ran a marathon in all 50 states. He is a marathon runner and has been for a very long time. I always thought it was crazy that someone would not only volunteer but actually pay money to run 26.2 miles. That was until I get an e-mail challenging everyone on the Jennings side of the family to run a marathon. My first thought while reading this was something along the lines of, "there is no way in hell I'm going to run a marathon!" That was until I read the rules, which are:

1.  All of Grandpa Gene's/Grandma Lola's grandkids are eligible as well as their significant others (limited to spouses or engaged).  

2.  The participant can run in the Quad City Marathon on Sept 25 or as needed if can't be at QC marathon  - ANY other 2011 official marathon.  

3.  If you "beat" the crazy old uncle's QC Marathon time, you win(earn) $1000.  If you just finish the marathon before cutoff, you win $500.

4.  For males, beating means having a better clock time and/or being within a minute (in case my incredible kick leaves you behind in homestretch).

5.  For females, beating means being within 30 minutes of crazy old uncle's clock time (this is based on Boston Marathon Qualifying Standards which allows a 30 minute difference to females).

6.  I will also reimburse for registration.

 

After 24 hours six people had already accepted the challenge. One of them accepting it even though she has never ran more then two miles at one time. Me being the type who loves a challenge just couldn't refuse. My uncle posted a website that has a training schedule. First day was a three mile run. That was today.

 

I woke up early this morning, ate a couple granola bars and was ready to go. The first mile was very rough, but I managed to run most of it. The second mile was terrible. I thought I was going to die. I walked half the mile and ran the other half. For the third mile I decided I was going to alternate walking and running every tenth of a mile. I started the mile running. Before I knew it I had completed half the mile. I decided to walk for a minute. That minute went by very quick because before I knew it I was running again. Then the next thing I know I had gone over three miles. It was time to stop. I walked around panting while trying to find my legs. To my surprise I actually felt much better after the three miles then I thought I would. This meant the challenge was a go.

 

Why did I accept the challenge? The thousand dollar reward plays a huge part seeing as how my bank account has never seen anything close to that amount of money. Really though, I am doing it for myself. My health has been getting worse and worse the last couple of years. I need to do something to get back in shape. Even if I don't complete the marathon or even compete in the marathon, this training is exactly what I need to get in shape. It's a perfect excuse to start eating healthier and to quit smoking. Two things I have been trying to do since I started this blog.

 

Everyday from now until the day of the marathon I will be giving short updates on how my training is going. Writing it here is the only way I know to keep myself focused on the big prize. I wish myself the best of luck because after all, it's a marathon not a sprint. Goodbye.

 

 

What I'm Listening To:

 

"Cousins" by Vampire Weekend

 

 

Home of the Baby

Michael Yeater, Austin Walker, Christina Richmond, Josh Orth, Jaclyn Cahill, Doug Brickner, and Brian Hogan. I idolize all of you. You are all my heroes. Who are they? Only the greatest people alive!

Let me explain.

At 9:31 PM last night Michael Yeater posted this on my Facebook wall, "Just heard the news!! Ur gonna be a great dad!! Congrats man." A very funny joke that has been used before by him on Facebook. Little did I know what was going to come next. Here is a timeline of what went down on my Facebook page last night.

9:31 PM: Mike makes a joke on my wall.

9:37 PM: Austin Walker - "CONGRATS STEVE!!! your gunna be an awsome dad!!!"

9:49 PM: Christina Richmond - "Congrats Steve!!"

9:56 PM: Josh Orth - "Awww steve congats!!!! If u need anything let's us know!! Happy fatherhood"

9:57 PM: By now I am laughing uncontrollably.

10:00 PM: Jaclyn Cahill - "omg christina just told me!! congrats!!! youre gunna be an amazing dad!!"

10:10 PM: I can not believe what is happening on my Facebook.

10:15 PM: Doug Brickner - "Way to go steve whatcha gon name it?"

10:15 PM: Austin Walker - "so im thinking austin if its a boy or austina if its a girl..."

10:25 PM: I decide his name will be James Earl Jennings and that he is going to have an amazing voice.

11:00 PM: I have now spent the last hour and a half laughing without stopping.

11:03 PM: Brian Hogan - "congrats steve. do you know when its due? let me know"

11:38 PM: Michael Yeater - "guys quit being rude let him and the lucky gal decide on the name...this is a life changing experience...good for you man ....if you ever need a babysitter lemme no"

12:36 AM: After multiple comments on those posts you have seen I chime in. Me - "Can't decide if his favorite band is gonna be Boyz II Men or K-Ci & JoJo.. Suggestions?"

12:37 AM: Austin Walker - "Ace of Base." Me - "perfect."

12:41 AM: Michael posts a video of a baby laughing on my wall. Icing on the cake.


Here's the kicker. I am not having a baby and I am not becoming a father. A funny joke that made me laugh to myself turned into a huge joke that had me laughing for a solid three hours. You then add in the event that Austin Walker and I participated in outside of facebook. Here's a quick explanation of that.

Austin informs me that I will be taking over a fantasy baseball team in his league. Apparently someone was complaining too much so they kicked him out. I don't know the whole story. So the first thing I do is write on the message board introducing myself to the league. Then some guy, we'll call him Little Nicky, starts complaining about who knows what. Instead of making us mad, Austin and I decided to be post the most smart ass comments on the message board just to see how mad Little Nicky can get. He tells us to meet at his place so he can gives us bruises. I respond, "Will there be nachos? Because if not, that's kind of a deal breaker." Little Nicky doesn't like this very much and continues to post things trying to make us mad. Not gonna happen buddy. Austin and I are in agreement that getting made and talking crap on a fantasy baseball message board is a little dumb. So as he continues to say stuff trying to either make us mad or get us out of the league we are having fun with him. We made some jokes that he did not find funny. So Austin, thank you for getting me into the league, even if I do get kicked out before the season even starts. It was a lot of fun while it lasted.

Last night was quite possibly the funniest night I have ever had. Thank you everyone involved. You are truly awesome people. Don't ever stop being so awesome. That is all. Goodbye.


Random Song of the Day:

"Dashboard" by Modest Mouse

Home of the Tripping Billies

This post comes per request of some guy named Brett Carter. You see, I'm like a blog DJ, if you request a post I will write it. If you are asking yourself who Brett Carter is, that's a good question. I don't know him, I have never actually met him, and he may or may not be joining my family in the next year.

So what is this post about you ask? Well judging by the title and using common reasoning it appears to be a post about Dave Matthews Band. It is exactly that. Sort of. I'm not going to sit here and write about Dave Matthews Band. Instead I will write about my change of attitude about the band.

Where do we start? Oh yea, I hate Dave Matthews Band. His songs are annoying and I will never be a fan the band. From the first time I heard "Ants Marching" I have hated his annoying voice. I will never have any of their music on my iTunes, ever. It's just not my kind of music.

That's what I thought a year ago. Last year I had big plans for the 4th of July weekend. I was going to go to Des Moines and go see one of my favorite bands Modest Mouse. I was very excited for this. That Thursday I learn that it was supposed to rain hard in Des Moines. There goes those plans. Now what will I do with my weekend? I get an invite from a friend of mine, we'll call him Josh, to go camping in Wisconsin and see Dave Matthews Band. I jump at the opportunity to go camping and hang out with people. I couldn't care less about seeing Dave Matthews Band. I knew maybe three songs and I was not a fan of the band at all.

The first day/night of camping was great fun. A lot bags playing, sausage eating, fire burning, and of course, drinks flowing. However I still wasn't sure about the concert the next night. How much fun am I, someone who knows essentially nothing about the band, going to have at this Dave Matthews Band concert? But I stop questioning it and take another sip of my drink as I swat away bugs trying to get my blood.

We wake up the next morning, the day of the concert. We start drinking right away, and by "we" I mean not me. I sat in the car sipping a beer trying to recover not from a hangover but the 6 hours of sleep I got in two night combined. I soon come around and we start playing more bags and eating more sausages. We hang out at the campsite for most of the day. We then get in the car and start driving to the concert, I'm wondering why I am going, I don't even like the band. We get to the site of the concert and begin tailgating. I grow tired of drinking nothing but beer for two days straight. I tell Josh to get me a drink that isn't beer. He comes back with a Whiskey and Coke. I have never had this drink and until then I had a firm no hard alcohol policy. I took a sip. I took another sip. I took a drink, and another, and another. This is delicious. Since then whiskey/coke has been my drink of choice.

It's now time for the concert. Zac Brown Band is opening as we walk in. I hate country music so I pay little attention to them. All these drinks have caught up to me by now and I really have to go to the bathroom. The bathroom is packed. As I stand in line something completely unexpected happens. The crowd in the restroom start singing "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis, better known as the song played every time the Chicago Blackhawks score a goal. This is followed by a stirring bathroom rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner", better known as the National Anthem of the United States of America. This is by far the greatest bathroom break I have ever had.

I walk back out and it's now time for Dave Matthews Band to come on. They play a bunch of songs I had never heard before. They played the three songs I did know. But most importantly they completely changed my mind. I went from not being fan to completely loving the band. After the concert I decided I needed to see them again after I listened to more of their songs. That concert was on July 4th. I saw them again on September 17th at a little known place in Chicago called Wrigley Field. More than likely the best concert I have ever been to. That weekend was also very fun. I enjoyed two things I hated just a month and a half earlier, Dave Matthews Band and whiskey/coke. Now I have a bunch of their songs on my iPod and I even have one of their albums on vinyl.

It's amazing what seeing a band live can do to your perception of said band. I went from not liking them to loving them in the matter of one concert. That's all for me today. I hope you enjoyed. Also, if your name is Brett Carter, you're welcome. If your name is not Brett Carter, thank you. Goodbye.


What I'm Listening To:

"Everyday" by Dave Matthews Band

Home of the Fans

Football is by far my favorite sport and it has been for many, many years. However the NFL is making it difficult to be a fan of the league. The collective bargaining agreement(CBA) controversy is a joke. You have one side who has billions of dollars fighting with the other side who has billions of dollars and they both want more money. They have played it all out in public and it has not been pretty. They are going back and forth through the media. They are changing rules that don't need to be changed. The owners might force a lockout and that means no football at all next year. It's one giant public slap in the face to the people that mean more to the NFL than the players or the owner, the fans. Without fans their is no NFL. All the fans want is to watch their favorite teams play. We don't care what it takes. We want to watch our favorite players run back kick-offs. We want to see our favorite teams win games even if they get a little lucky from time to time. We want to have our fantasy football leagues. Basically the NFL and the NFLPA need to get over themselves and focus on what is most important, giving the fans exactly what they want. This sport makes more money than any other sport in America, there aren't supposed to be issues like this.

That's enough of the negative. I had to get that off my chest because it bothers me to no end. Let's get some Derrick Rose to lighten the mood:

That's better. If that man doesn't win MVP this season I will never watch another NBA game again in my life. That's a promise. He's just "Too big, too strong, too fast, and too good."

A Couple Things Before I Go:

-I didn't watch it but apparently Ralph Macchio is a force on "Dancing With The Stars" and why wouldn't he be?

-Did you know that Michael Jordan went 22-22 with 44 points in the game against the Monstars in "Space Jam"?

-Happy 80th Birthday to William Shatner.


Random Song of the Day:
Today's random iTunes song is...

"Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind

Home of the Mad Marchness

I spent the majority of today trying to watch college basketball. However my brain was making it very hard for to do so. I don't know what it is about college basketball but I just don't care. I really don't care about college sports in general. But especially college basketball. It's boring, sloppy, and the least bit riveting. I am completely amazed at how many people actually love this sport. I'm not sure if people actually like college basketball or if they just like filling out brackets and betting on games. That actually makes sense to me. But I am entirely confused by those people who watch it just because they simply like watching it. That makes no sense to me. I just don't nor have I ever understood the intrigue of watching college basketball. Why would I waste part of my day watching basketball players shoot lay-ups?

This brings me to my next point. The people who say they like watching it because it's fundamental basketball. That is just completely false. Someone who says they love watching fundamental basketball is lying. Why do you think nobody watches the WNBA? It's because people want to see dunks and not lay-ups. Dunks are exciting, lay-ups are boring.

I'm not saying that the NBA is so exciting either. Quite frankly if the Bulls aren't playing I will more than likely not be watching. Basketball in and of itself is a boring sport. Exciting things rarely ever happen in the sport of basketball. It's a sport where the object is to throw a ball through a hoop and if you touch an opposing player it's a foul. I'm sorry, that's not going to keep my eyes glued to the television. I'd much rather watch a sport like football or hockey then watch basketball. Especially college basketball.

I know I'm probably going to get crucified for what I just wrote but I don't care. My views and opinions on college basketball are not going to make millions of people stop watching and filling out brackets. I'm OK with that. To me college basketball is like Pearl Jam. I understand the appeal and I won't take that away from anyone but I'm also not going to stand in line for it. That is all. Goodbye.


Random Song of the Day:
Today's random iTunes song of the day is....


"Blue Ridge Mountains" by Fleet Foxes