Friday Leftovers (July 2)

Friday post, finally.

By the way, is it really July? What happened to January through June?

Word Association

Play here.

1. Collectors :: Hoarders
2. Passion :: Heart
3. Winner :: Loser
4. Uninhibited :: Emotion
5. Challenge :: Quest
6. Self :: Centered
7. Your :: Our
8. Viewer :: Friendly
9. Random :: Thoughts
10. View :: Great

Not really sure any of these need explanations...

Five Question Friday

Back with another edition of Five Question Friday. Here goes.

1. What is one thing you miss the most about childhood?

How everything seemed new. I see it in my girls, when they learn something new or see something for the first time. They get genuinely excited about things that I take for granted. For instance, Yvie is for some reason all into the ocean, animals in the ocean like sharks and whales. We went to the library twice this week and she got a combined 10 books and all but two were about some sort of ocean animal. I like sharks as much as the next guy I suppose and I can still learn quite a bit about them but to Yvie they are exotic animals, fascinating creatures that are unlike any others. And she was like that about weather - the water cycle, erosion, seasons.


2. Are you still friends with your friends from high school?

I have a few Facebook friends who went to high school with me, but there isn't anyone in my life (save for my older brother) who I went to high school with that's been a part of my life since I graduated high school waaaaay back in 1993. In some ways it's a bummer, but I wasn't exactly Big Man on Campus at high school so I didn't have a ton of friends to begin with.

My best man at my wedding was a good friend of mine in high school but we just drifted apart a few years back. It was a high-maintenance friendship as I was the one who was always going to his house, driving whenever we went somewhere, suggesting outings, things like that. So when I stopped doing that, the friendship was hard to maintain. Plus we just were at different parts of our lives, so we naturally had different interests. It's sad but it happens.

3. Is there a catch phrase, cliche, or word that just drives you bonkers every time you hear it?

"It is what it is." I don't understand what that's supposed to mean. I mean, isn't everything what it is? If something exists, then it would stand to reason that it is itself. A equals A and B equals B. I don't think that A equals B so I don't feel the need to be told that A equals A.

Also...

"I could care less." That's just a botched phrase that is overused to begin with. I don't correct people when they don't use it correctly but it just gets under my skin. I'll just explain it here: it should be "I could not care less" beacuse if you could care less about it you would.

4. What is one thing that you think symbolizes America...besides "Old Glory"?

I like to think we have opportunity here in this country. My parents left Mexico in their early 20s, got here not speaking the language, not really knowing anyone but persevered. They went from extreme poverty to having a place of their own here, starting a family and raising four productive members of society... okay, three, we're still waiting for our youngest brother to get a job :)

And for as bad as the economy has been and as many problems and obstacles and challenges have been in our way, I've got a home, have two awesome children, make a decent living... My parents (both of whom became American citizens a long time ago) wanted a better life for their children than they would have back where they were born and raised, and that's what happened.

5. What are your 4th of July weekend plans?

Oh man, ya just had to go there...

I'm running 22 miles on Sunday. It's my last long run ahead of the San Francisco Marathon, on July 25. I'm dreading the 22-miler. I can feel the skin crawling on my arms and can feel my stomach knotting up.

Ya just had to ask, didn't you??? Nervous!!

I have to cover a game on Sunday night too which blows but Monday will be a day of rest and recovery and hopefully a swimming pool and barbecue somewhere.