2007, a Year in Review

As you probably know, today is the last day of 2007. It has been an eventful year for me.

Highlights of 2007 include in no particular order:

My two week trip to LA
-Deal Or No Deal taping
-good food, and lots of it
-Dodgers game
-Disneyland

Becoming a member of the Blogger society

Turning 18
-Finally getting my drivers license

Christmas 2007
-at home and in Portland
-my Christmas present to myself, upgrading to an HD TV

Fishing Trip with my Uncle and Cousins
-riding on a train for the first time
-catching a "$30" fish

Going to a few Mariners games
-sister's first game, and autograph
-finally sitting in the lower level
-the homerun ball my father didn't catch

These are just a few of my many highlights of 2007. Last years New Years Resolution? To run a 1/2 marathon, not accomplished in 2007. Maybe 2008?

Running Out

Time is running out. Not only my break time, but also my high school life. I need to decide what I want to do for the rest of my life, well, more like the next couple of years which in turn affects the rest of my life. This is much easier said than done.

The reason I started thinking about this is all the deadlines coming up. Registration for colleges ends soon, and scholarships end sooner. How can I fill out my scholarships if I don't know where I am going to school? How can I know what school I am going to go to until I know what I want to major in? How can I decide what I want to major in until I know what I want to do for the rest of my life? These are all very good questions, ones I am running out of time to answer.

The Last Saturday

Today, I came to a sad realization, my break is almost over. And therefore, so is the glorious holiday season. We took the tree down, are back from our trip down to Oregon, and have to start thinking about returning to school. It's not that school is so bad, it is just that break is so great, and it is almost over.

Fuel or Finish?

Today, I realized I have finally overcome my addiction to the Toy Shoppe. While I may still play time to time, it is no longer an impulse I can't stop. Now, I can easily walk by the Toy Shoppe and have no desire to play. But, I almost always check out the arrangement of stuffed animals, how they are stacked in, and which ones look ripe for the picking, this I can't stop. I just no longer feel the need to play and try to win the ones I notice are easier to get. There is quite a science to the Toy Shoppe.

But now, I have stumbled into something completely different. Having recently turned 18, I can now buy scratch tickets. It may have been a bad idea when I first inserted money into one of those machines. I now feel like I could get addicted to this new phenomenon. Which seems strange to me, it isn't like me. I am a very mathematical person, maybe that is why I liked the Toy Shoppe. The angles, distances, and size of the stuffed animals. Scratch tickets are the complete opposite. It involves random chance, and being a mathematical person, I should realize things such as probability are against me. Yet I have purchased a few tickets.

And let me tell you, this addiction could add up much quicker than the Toy Shoppe. The Toy Shoppe was 50 cents a pop, scratch tickets are $2, $3, $5, $10, or $20 a hit. I really enjoy the excitement of the scratch, it almost negates the negative feeling of the money I have wasted.

I just am a little worried what this habit may lead to, I don't think it is a very good one. I don't want to become a compulsive gambler and waste all my money. I must admit however, today for a Christmas present to ourselves, my brother and I purchased 8 scratch tickets. We won $13 dollars, not bad, but it was $20 worth of tickets. I am not sure if this event will fuel or finish my habit. Maybe I need find a better/cheaper hobby, and one that doesn't go against mathematics.

The Runs Continue

Today, my Uncle took me on a challenging run. Well, it was challenging for me, not sure how challenging it was for him. Basically, I haven't been jogging lately, as in several months lately. Today was day two of my jogging streak.

Today's run was a trail run, up a steep "cliff". It was also near freezing when we started. I jogged for as long as I could up this steep incline, but after a fairly short while my body shut down. My lungs hurt, my legs burned all over (not in a good way), I had a stomach ache, and felt nauseated. I was able to walk, barely though. It was a semi-brisk walk, I think if I would have stopped completely, I would have to had been carried or rolled down the trail.

Eventually, I felt better. I was able to jog the last bit, and get to the top of the two mile trail. At the top, we had reached snow level. There was an inch or two of snow on the ground, and it was snowing. I spotted a drinking fountain, but it didn't work. Going back was much easier. I was feeling better, and had finally warmed up. That, and it was all down hill. After the run, I felt good. I think it shall become a habitual activity of mine. Thanks Uncle Jim.

For your viewing pleasure, or displeasure, there is a video of me jogging my Uncle made. Now, if you watch it, take into consideration at the time I was short on oxygen, energy, and water, and the dialogue was improvised. You can visit his blog, and watch the short clip right here.

And if you enjoyed that, you can watch the previous episode right here.

Maxed Out

Today was the annual day after Christmas jog. Every year, my father and I jog with our uncle. Today, the tradition lived on. We went two miles braving the near freezing temperatures and scary squirrels. It becomes scary when little tiny rodents are not afraid of you, and actually act semi-aggressive towards you. I lost count after 15 of these scary squirrels. I hope to continue this new one-day habit of jogging. You can watch a movie clip here.

I also went with my family and cousins family to downtown Portland. There I met the MAX. I when I say meet the MAX, I mean meet the MAX. The MAX actually almost hit me. You see, the crosswalk was a blinking hand, the sign to hurry out of the crosswalk. We ran across, but as we were about halfway across, the hand stopped blinking, a do not walk sign. We hurried across, and literally seconds after we had crossed, the MAX went racing by. It was close, especially since I had not clue a train was fast approaching, it was too close. The MAX is a silent killer, you don't even hear it coming.

Yes, it was an eventful day. A life altering, and life flashing before my eyes sort of day. Tomorrow, it is supposed to snow. I am also planning to go on a long run with my Uncle, we shall see how this goes.

Christmas Blast

Today was a white Christmas of sorts. It was snowing when we left our house, and snowed on our way to Oregon. Once at our destination, only an occasional flurry, with no accumulation. I can't remember the last time I saw it snow on Christmas. The Lofthus family annual Christmas gathering was fun. Highlights include a gift exchange, games, pool, and a rival Sonics vs. Blazers basketball game. Overall, Christmas was a blast, both literally and figuratively.