The 5K commith

I'm going to say right away that I am not a good runner anymore. Sure I had my days, 3 time state champion, EIHC conference record holder, current record holder of 2 Tipton High events, NCAA national qualifier...
Sorry about that, have to relive the glory days when you havn't done anything good as of recent.
Anywho, during my training I was talking to our special operations captain (big runner) about...well, running.
So when the 7th annual CRFD 5K came around, Captain Dall put me and another firefighter in charge. As a rookie. Ive never even ran in this race, let alone help run it.
So now the race is Saturday and Im very nervous about how it will go. I had to go around and as businesses to donate doorprizes (which I hate), talk to people on the phone (which I hate), and do all the crappy busy work (eh, wasn't that bad). The cool thing is that I work that day so for the whole morning I don't have to work. Which saying that outloud, sucks because I love work. Although...Rookie of the Year, here I come baby!

The Homeless shouldn't play with matches...or maybe they should.

I need some job security what with Cedar Rapids "restructuring" and chopping off city jobs like a crazed Donald Trump on Meth. So if you are a homeless man...sorry, person...reading this in the city library then keep up the good work! To warm yourself up on those chilly summer nights, why not start a fire in a house? I commend your arson-ess (?) spirit!

Here is a link to the CR Gazette article convering the last house fire I had on the 16th. There is a video under the picture. If you watch it, and see the guy slamming open the side door, Im the second firefighter that goes into the house once the door is open.

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070516/NEWS/70516054&SearchID=73281383448106

I'm in love with John Cusack

I finally got around to watching Say Anything and I have to say that it has propelled John into the upper echelon of my favorite all-time actors, along with Zach Braff, Jeremy Piven, and Jesus. Looking back, I have realized that every movie he has been in I have enjoyed thoroughly. So here is my favorite John Cusack films (that I’ve seen) in order from excellent(1) to good(10).

1. Grosse Point Blank
2. Say Anything
3. High Fidelity
4. Serendipity
5. America’s Sweethearts
6. Being John Malcovich
7. Con Air
8. Runaway Jury
9. Pushing Tin
10. Identity

Telemarketers can go to hell, and I think I actually mean it

I am not a man that is strong willed. One time Discovery Card called me and after 30 min on the phone I had signed up for a Discovery Card. They are so perssistant and for some reason unknown, I form a relationship with these people and give in. Like I said, I have no testicular fortitude.

So I called this company because evey week they would send me a note informing me that my truck warranty would be up soon. I got worried that they were implying something and so I called. They are basically a supplemental insurance company and after 30 minutes on the the phone (including the telephone guy 'asking his manager' about a discount) I had signed up for it. I asked dad about this type of thing because it sounded fishy. He said "it sounds a little fishy, I would cancel."

Cut to today. I called to cancel and once I got to the person that could help me (4 people in), this lady and I discussed my budget, my future, and my family. I told her I was buying a house, told her I live 3 bocks from work; I tired everything. Finally, after (not kidding) 18 minutes later she told me how I can cancel. I need to send this sheet back into their company with my name, date, reason for quiting (which makes me think they will send more crap my way), and I have to get it notorized! I'm a wussy.

The Colbert Report Vs. The Daily Show

When CNN went onto the air in late 1980 (one year later then ESPN), people thought it was nuts to have a 24 hour news channel. Then came Comedy Central in 1991 and again, it was asinine to have a fulltime comedy network. Little did we know that in 1999, comedy would surpass news.
I started to watch The Daily Show back in the day (which was a Wednesday, by the way) when the host was Craig “enlightened frat boy” Kilborn and he was still asking movie stars 5 Questions. I do not include 1996-1999 (Kilborn years) as the start of The Daily Show as we know it now. Let us start with the debate.

The Daily Show with John Stewart

Winning both Peabody Awards (awards given out to journalist excellence) and Emmy Awards (they give these things out to anyone), The Daily Show became popular after it’s intense Indecision 2000 coverage in…2000. The show has published one of the best books ever printed in America: The book and has propelled such public figures as Steve Carell (The 40 Year Old Virgin, The Office) and Stephen Colbert (see below). It has had such guests as Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Colin Powell, John Kerry, and John Edwards (which announced this cadency for the President of the United States of America on The Daily Show). John Stewart (Half Baked) became popular after calling-out conservative pussy-boy Tucker Carlson on his show Crossfire. "You're on CNN! The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls! What is wrong with you?"
It averages 1.4 million viewers.

The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert

The Colbert Report is the younger, sexier yet dumber, cousin of The Daily Show. It’s more flamboyant yet less intelligent that John Stewart, but is gaining more attention the more it shows itself off by insulting the President at Correspondents Association Dinners.
Stephen Colbert, a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot", got his start on, where else, The Daily Show back in the day (Wednesday). Instead of taking real news and relying on excellent writers to come up with spectacular clip-cutting and joke-writing, Stephen Colbert takes a page form Bill O’Reilly and focuses the attention entirely on himself. Colbert’s “Truthiness” has led him to become the mascot for the Saginaw Spirit Junior Hockey League (Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle) and the show tracks his adopted baby, “Stephen Jr.”, a bald eagle that has traveled up to Canada and back down to The States. It has a 1.13 million viewer following.

Both shows are based around “infotainment”. They were also the basis for my final “thesis” paper at Central College. A new form of Infotainment: The Daily Show pushes further to blur the line between news and entertainment. Both shows have won awards like the Peabody and the Emmy Award, but which is better?

Part 2: Coming Soon

Old-Timer

Monday morning I was sleeping soundly in a comfortably warm bed when I was awoken by a fire alarm. I was at work, and there was a fire. Instead of jumping out of bed and running to the fire truck like I would do in Tipton and in Pella, I was hoping it wasn't in our district because I wanted to continue sleeping. Ive been on the job for 8 months and already I am cherishing sleep over a rockin' good house fire. This worries me. I have roughly 33 more years on the job before I can retire, that's a lot of night-time fires. I just don't understand why house fires and drunken bar-fights have to happen during the night. I still got all excited once we got to the fire but my bed was pretty darn comfortable. But I'm tired, so I will head to bed.