Marathon

I've decided that a marathon is the ultimate way to discover what is inside of a person.  The sort of "what makes a man" insides, not muscle insides.  And I think that this is why I love working out, too.
(and if this is scatter brained, I wrote it in class so I was distracted)

A marathon takes every ounce of everything from you to complete one.  It is a physical challenge, as well as a huge mental and emotional challenge.  Don't believe me?  Go run one.  Tomorrow.  Your head will give out before your body does.**

Marathon's don't start at the line; they start at the choice.
A guy (because I am one) hears or reads an announcement about a marathon at the end of summer.  For a brief, very brief, fleeting, so on moment, he's interested.  (A blink moment)  He has to decide to take it on and actually do it.  To me, this shows ambition, pride, and self worth.  (to name a few)  He's got lofty goals if he decides to do this, but he also has to think that he can actually do it. He's evaluated his skills and, knowing that he's going to pick a few up along the way, he knows that he can do it.

Now, he has to train for this task.
The first week, he rides the high that he's going to run a marathon.  Cake to train. (hopefully he's not eating cake)  But as time progresses, he may not reach his goals as fast as he expected, or things may pop up and interrupt his training.  Hurdles pop up and he starts to relax his schedule and back down.
This is a crucial part.  This can make or break you.  Self discipline. Determination.  This is what our average joe needs to continue on your task.  A little slack here or there is acceptable.  Physically hitting a hurdle hurts for the moment, but you can make it through.  You have to persevere through the moment of pain in order to make it to the finish line.
He decides to keep telling himself: I can do it.  I can do it.  I can do it. (I think I can I think I can I think I can I think I can)
The other part of this is that training is boring.  Dreadfully boring.  And if you don't make a training goal, it's really depressing.  Be an overcomer.  Don't give up.  Ever.

I'll throw this in here now: if you aren't a runner or any other fanatic, you don't know how fast you are.  Part of training is setting a race goal.  This wouldn't be a big deal ordinarily, but this is a sort of wisdom meets zeal situation.  You have to be wise enough to set a goal you can attain, but zealous enough to challenge yourself.  12hours is not zealous. (or wise, it's lazy) 2hours is not wise. (set up for failure)

Our character is ready.  Week leading up to the race: nervousness.  Can he really do it?  This is the push before the final test.  If you don't have a 'lot' on the line, you may back out.  This week (and the prior ones) is talk vs. action.  Anyone can talk about running a marathon.

Race day.  He's trained hard for this chance.  The final action.  Here there is the test of your ambition, determination, self discipline, perseverance, (list on).  However, this isn't what the race is about.  In my opinion, the race is about your heart.  (literally)
It's going to hurt.  Your mind will shut down.  Your training is tested.  You have to keep motivating yourself.  And again, it hurts.  Most importantly, though, you will be exhausted.  This is the emotional aspect.  (1+1+1=3, i.e. physical+mental+emotional=you, take two away and what do you have)  Whatever happens from the point of emotions to the end of the race, whatever comes out of the your mouth, is real.  It is the real, 100% your thoughts and opinions, you.  Genuine.  Want to know what someone really thinks?  Take every ounce of energy away from them.

He finishes.  He reaches his goal.  But it's not over yet.  Remember how I said the race hurts?  The soreness after the race lingers.  That hurts.  But it's the battle scar; the proof that he made it through.  The point here is that he may remember this pain from training, but he knows that he can't get rid of it.  How he deals with it is a true test.  Whining vs. Rejoicing.
All of that to say a marathon is a judge of a man.

Think about the origin of the marathon.  A soldier runs to shout victory then collapses.  Slightly depressing, but running the whole way to shout victory.  Victory.  It's the end goal.  We all want some victory, but in a way, we have to run marathons to get it.

You have to run through, battle over, climb, metaphorical conquering phrase, your circumstances.  As you do, the true measure of who you are will come out.
So what's your current marathon?

And I'll have you know, that if you can be on your feet for 8 hours, you can run a marathon.

**Note: I read a book talking about this. One of the four f's of basic functions of the body is fleeing.  This means that when your body is put in danger, i.e. lion chasing you, you run.  You run hard, and you run fast.  After a certain point, your conscious mind begins to believe that you aren't ever going to outrun the predator and begins to shut down, preparing to be eaten.  Your physical system is fine.  Your mental and emotional systems are off.

Expensive

Egg Nog, like raindrops on roses, is one of my favorite things. Right up on the top of the list next to chocolate milk and warm woolen mittens. And whole milk for that matter. I think that I just like nice, thick milk. (and REAL chocolate milk is either store mixed or Ovaltine. NOT Hershey's or Nesquik or other brands)

Anyways, given that I am at home for Thanksgiving, I went to get egg nog at Fred Meyer. For the first time in my three and a half years at UAF, I noticed a price difference. The egg nog in Fairbanks is $1.00 more on sale than it is in Eagle River. ($2.19 in E.R. and $3.89 normally in FBX)
That's saddening. It's egg nog. Do they really make that much more off of it?

Anatomy of your arm: (see picture)
Deltoids look really cool, but you need fairly large shoulders to see them. At least in my experience.
Forearms - you can have tiny wrists and huge forearms because the muscle center is a ways away from your wrist.

Triceps: What this really is about.
Where your "long head" Triceps come down and meet your "lateral head" Triceps, theres a bump in your arm. That's what makes the triangle on the back of your arm.
WHY this is important: (something that I learned today)
Guys, if you have a defined arm, you make is much easier for a girl to dance with you. Dancing may be a leg workout, but you have to support your lady partner, and give her something to hold on to; i.e. your arm. That meeting point of the muscles mentioned above is where she's going to put her hand. If it's defined, she'll always know where to hold, and it will act like a stop collar so her hand doesn't slide further up.

I bet that you all extended and looked at your arm.

Brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things.

The First Mangiving

First, I'd like to say that those ginger cookies that I made on Tuesday were still soft and chewy on Thursday. They were amazing.

Meat the width of the oven.

Alright. Mangiving. From now on, the third friday of every November.
At 2:45 I went to Jubilee to look for a pan big enough to hold our prime rib. I brought it back and started cooking at 3:30. The pan was large enough that it sat on the ridges that held the racks. In the picture, the rack below it is there just in case.

After an errand, I returned to the manly area to continue with the manly preparation for such a manly meal.

Menu:

Bacon...

Prime Rib
Baked Potatoes
Pepper-Onion-Bacon Saute'
Rolls
Apple Cider
Apple Pie
Ice Cream

To start off the evening, I made some very manly coffee to boost the number of hairs on our chests. Strong coffee is actually pretty good.
Take note, men are not patient, so waiting for the meat to reach 135 was painful. So painful, 60% of the crowd left to go rent a movie and find more xbox controllers. As soon as they left, I read the thermometer and it was done. Ironic.

When they came back, we sauteed the vegetables (had to divide it up - time factor) and set the table. As seen in the pictures, every had to 'bring something to the table' and do some part.

My Finger tips are touching it. My hand is mostly parallel.

While the sauteing and final prep was being done, we went around and said something manly that we were thankful for. Examples: snow machines and red meat.

Table of Men

The table was set and we were all given our own bottle of apple cider. It's more manly not to have to share.


A very manly, short blessing was prayed, then started the manly passing of the food. We piled up our plates and started consuming the bountiful feast.
After I was done eating, I gave a 'speech' on the Responsibility of a Man. See here.
Not bad for only ~30min of prep work.

Following the speech began the bottle choir. Men have to show our musical talents. Notes and rhythm come from bottles.

At this point I will bring to your attention the temporary man that you see flanking Daniel. We let her come. Enough said.

Meat...

From the table, we moved to the living room and started watching 3:10 to Yuma. It's a manly movie. Don't be a hero, but stand for what you know is right and just.

Mid movie we had dessert. (One reason why Jessi came)
Dutch Apple pie. The distinction is the fact that you pour in whipping cream midway through baking the pie. It makes it super rich. It was very... Manly.

Following the movie started halo, but after dessert, every man goes and does his own thing. Kevin went for a drive. I went home and went to sleep. It was a great manly evening.

Thanks to:
Steven - for the saute
Sean - provider of the meat
Kevin - roll maker
Nathan Baca - the tv and xbox
Daniel - excellent onion chopper and pie supervisor
And last, but not least
Jessi - for the pie. MMM... Pie...

Notice our Man tree in the background.

Responsibility of a Man

• Gen 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Man came from the image of God. We were given authority over all things of the earth. Creatures along the ground, in the water, as well as plant life. We have to take responsibility over what we have dominion over: the life on earth.

• Gen 2:5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground,

We have to work the ground for life to spring up. Being a farmer doesn’t sound appealing, but it’s necessary in order for life to spring up.

• Gen 2:22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

2nd responsibility - To our wife. Our companion came directly from us. We must leave our fathers and join a woman to protect and care for her. She is part of us.

• Ezekiel 22:30 “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.

3rd responsibility - To our fellow men. We have to be strong for those who are weak. To stand for our wives. To stand in the gap for other men so that they do not see destruction.

• Ps 1:1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,

4th responsibility - take advice with a grain of salt, but also find Godly council. Don’t stay with those walking a wicked path.

• 1Cor 11:3 But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

Lastly, we must submit to our authority. Men have to put Christ as our head and follow him. Sure women are submitted to us, but men are ultimately responsible for our families’ actions.

That is what it takes to be a man.

What Is

The opposite of warm? Well, the current temperature for starters. -34 last night and -38 this morbid morning. (the iPod corrected my spelling of morning at first to morbid, so I decided to go with it) C or F? Well, when you're this close to the intersection point, does it really matter?

It's cold, for those of you still wondering.

I did exit the gym to drive home in my shorts, though. Reminds me that I'm alive. Or that cold hurts your shins when they're bare.

One would think that I would've learned by now...

My only complaint being I wish that I could've cross country skied before this.

I'm under the assumption that everyone needs to listen to Queen's 'We are the champions' or the Scorpion's 'Rock you like a hurricane' before taking an exam. I did most excellent on two midterms after those songs. Call me ridiculous, but I think that it's effective.
Sort of like me calling in fish this summer. Here fishy fishy fishy.

I believe that I'm becoming a coffee snob. I quite enjoy it.
Background information: I drink coffee for the novelty, not the caffeine. If I wanted caffeine, I'd drink AmiN.O. Energy.
I would take a cup of coffee to work in the morning with my breakfast, and enjoy them while reading the news. When I came to school, I was craving the taste. I've had three bags of coffee since. (Haven't drank three bags, just tasted) Sumatran is so far the best. Smooth, rich, and a hint of chocolate. Tanzanian, I'm still assessing it. Strong, powerful, and a kick of an after taste. The strangest of the bunch: Yemen. Bitter and powerful to drink, and (not joking) fruity afterwards. Like blackberry/darker berries.
My feelings on espresso and coffee shops: cappuccinos are the only thing worth drinking, but it can be a challenge to find a good one. If you're brave, try those two shot drinks. The pure espresso.

All of this is written like I've been to a million cafe's and have had a plethora of blends.
I'm not conceited...

Lets Race

I can't put apostrophes in the title. That bugs me.

Shout out to Dan! SOGM salute! If we had one...
(you make me feel bad that I haven't been posting)

On Monday night, I was going to go watch the Incredibles with Missi. By me saying "I'm watching the incredibles with Missi" it meant "We're going to watch the incredibles with Missi."
It went incredibly well. I thought that she looked stronger.

I sat through an anxious morning, worrying about a history paper, and ESM project, and a Heat&Mass test grade.
I'm not sure why Heat&Mass bothers me so much. I love the material, though. And I rocked the second exam. Better than the first.
Plus my watch came in today. I'm excited. I don't have to dig out an iPod or phone for a clock any more.

Then, I went to bake and babysit. Yes. I babysat.

Just Cookie Thieves

Sort of. They aren't babies. See?

I did arts and crafts with Evie. No resistance.
I told Isaac to practice his spelling. Much resistance.
At which point, I told him "let's race." He wrote the seven words 8 times each. I wrote them 24 times each. (I had to slow down) For the record, he still beat me. Plus he rocked a mock spelling test afterwards.*
Other than that, it went well.


I baked OAC's and Giant Ginger Cookies. See the picture? I feel like a pro. B told me that they belonged in a cafe. Ultimate complement. (They taste good)

*Except for the word broached. I didn't notice that he was spelling it broched and so that's how he memorized it.

Weekends

About that tree... Better pictures may not come. I don't have a tripod. Or at least a tall, functional one. So the tree will just be on here twice.
"Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree"

My blog is a weekend ordeal. I obviously never have time in the week. Unless it's on the iPod. In class. That explains the difference in the number of posts in October and September.

It's been snowing for... Days it seems like. The trees are covered. It makes me sing Christmas carols.
"Have yourself a merry little Christmas, Let your heart be light
From now on, Our troubles will be out of sight"

I just 'apple-s'd the blog.

Do you know how cool it would be to goof off for a summer. Brendan... Want to go somewhere? Like an epic road trip. To the North East. Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire (What else is up there?)

Close to Home

So Lonely...

For starters. Remember that jack o' lantern that I carved earlier? The one pictured on the deck: http://makingnathan.blogspot.com/2011/10/get-one-free.html
It's gone. It was gone when I got back from Indianapolis. I haven't figured out where it is. And Steven and Caleb don't know. "The Case of the Missing Pumpkin!" How's that for being close to home?

So, in light of certain circumstances, Friday night dinners has transformed to SOGM dinners. It's fun.
Tonight:
Heart's on Fire. Crock pot beef heart with jalapenos.
Sounds strange? I'd eat it again. It was really tasty. REALLY tasty.

Dinner led to a tree. A lonely tree.

We transformed it into a very, nice, pretty, 'happy' tree.
Slightly frustrating in the beginning, but totally awesome.

Note: This thing is like 25ft tall. At least its 22ft. And we had a 10 foot ladder. A 4 foot pole. And a ~6ft body, 3ft arm Sean and I. It was still hard to reach the top.

Better pictures later.

And the Forecast for Tomorrow is

Mostly busy with a chance of work.

I suppose my busyness is all part o the educational system's plan: teach students about busy life schedules and they'll be prepared for a career. I know that nothing outside is like this. I have tasted and I've seen...

On the topic if education, today in conversation among students it was brought up that some professors run in the conceited sure of things. I countered with the obvious: isn't it te job if professors to indoctrinate their pupils? (it's all part of the plan)

20% battery life left. Whoops.

Its All Part

I feel like a rebellious child, but this class is not entertaining. This, currently, is a better use of my time. As you may be able to see, whoever made the blogger app was not thinking about productivity in other areas. Just the blog. It's at my finger tips; I couldn't resist.

Note: despite being run almost entirely by engineers, TBP is not organized well. Must be social engineers.

Ignoring the poor grammar of the title, the point is "it's all part of the plan." Don't worry, I'm not the joker. That is an immensely powerful phrase. It can be applied to nearly everything in (a least my) life: why we are used to soldiers dying. Why gov't inefficiencies are accepted. Why we still buy bananas at 84 cents per pound. An so on.

More expansion later.

11/9 Update: Blogger doesn't like apostrophes in the title

Catching Up

I told you that this was a novelty item. I at least thought about blogging last night, but my evening plans were extended. Thus, this is catching up.
I got to read Evy three bedtime stories, though. That was fun.

Alright, so yesterday I made applesauce in the morning for a share-a-dish today. It was surprisingly easy once you boil the apples longer. I previously only boiled them for about 15min, then used a potato masher to smooth them out. This time I pretty much reduced the apples to nothing by boiling them for an hour. The result: you can use a powered hand mixer and it makes them super smooth. Tasted good, too.
The taste was shear luck, btw. I left it unattended for a bit too long and a few apples burned to the bottom.

There was a lovely dusting of snow in the morning, too. The only thing that would've made it more cozy is a fire place. A nice home-y morning.

I'm tired of school already. I want to just work. Someday. I have to take the GRE soon. Soon. Very, very soon. Then write applications to grad schools. I should re-contact the people that I emailed. And read that pamphlet from Sandia.



Life is a blur. (You can't see it, but I'm blurred out. The focus point is the house)

Hmm... This weeks tidbit of wisdom:
Don't use your e-brake in the winter time. (Hot brakes freeze together at cold temperatures)

Like Ice Cream!

'Twas the night before (monday) and all through the (skies) a Nathan was flying, all through the skies.

I'm in a Christmas phase right now. Don't worry, this too shall pass.

Alrighty. I got home Sunday night. I was expecting a total vacation trip. It was sort of a vacation. But there were three days of non-stop meetings, averaging 7:30am to 9:30pm. There was hardly any time.

I did manage to sneak out with Kevin and go find my first ever geo cache. That was pretty nifty. I want a gps now so that I can go find a bunch.

On the way back, I bought Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and read the entire thing on the planes. It was pretty good. My current highlight of the book: (in reference to a premier law firm) "If they can't out smart you, they will out work you. If they can't out work you, they will win by sheer intimidation."

That's power. Prestige. That's a NAME.

By not doing anything on the trip and by having a project due today, I have have done nothing but school up to this point. Okay, that's a lie. I've got some work related things on my plate. Sigh... So much to do.

Anyways, my group gave a presentation today on the Bullet line, and it was a remarkable improvement from our first presentation. The whole class said so. I'm still not sure if I want to claim the paper that was written.

I'm writing a history paper on Nelson Mandela. Most (easiest) factoid about him: he was 6' 4". That's tall.

As you can see, this blog has become a novelty item (like ice cream) for me, as I only post every once in a while. This follows my consumption of some things. (like ice cream) I do (like ice cream)

(And you thought that I would go a whole post without food...)