Insert Clever Title Here

So I finished the new (and last) Harry Potter book last night at around 12:30. Started reading it on Sunday, so that makes it 4 days to read 759 pages. Of course, the type is large, the indents are big, and the spacing is more than ample, so really I'd say it's about equivalent to a "normal" 400-45o page book. I was told by my brother Zac that this was a "weak performance" by Harry Potter fan standards, but then he told me that he had purposefully started the day by waking up at 8:30 to watch billiards on ESPN and then he baked a cake, so I'm not so sure he's in a position to criticize anyone. Anyway, the book (which I won't spoil) is excellent. It is very refreshing to see that something that was so mammothly hyped still managed to not disappoint. While I can't say that it's my favorite of the series (I like "Goblet of Fire" the best) I can't think of a better way that it could have ended. It also firmly convinced me of something I suspected ever since I read "Order of the Phoenix" (which I absolutely hated). After "Goblet of Fire", I think Rowling had a pretty clear idea of how it was all going to end, or at least a good outline of the final story arc. But, it was really only 2 books worth of material, so she needed a way to kind of "mark time" for a book before she could start it, and the result was a generally horrid waste of time. Yes, there were a couple of things introduced in that book that come back later, but there are more strange things that never get resolved and characters acting completely unnaturally and, most importantly, very little happening in the whole book. Anyway, while the first 4 books can somewhat stand on their own as individual stories (having at least some semblance of an arc that is introduced and resolved by the end), the 6th and 7th books are clearly just one story and can very much be likened to Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. People reading this series in the future may be able to stop for a while after each of the first 5 books, but most likely no one will even take a coffee break between the 6th and 7th.

Well, while we're speaking of things that are interesting to some people and could not be any less interesting to others, I'd like to revisit my preseason Cubs preview. I was tempted to give an update on this towards the end of May, and let's just say that I am very glad that I waited. Had I done it then, it probably would have looked something like this: "I was wrong. All wrong. There's not even the faintest trace of right in anything I said. I am utterly baffled by my wrongness. You would think, just by sheer chance and law of averages, that one of my statements would have been right, but no. I was wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong." Now, however, things are a little different. I hesitate to write about it for fear of jinxing the team, but I suppose if I am to believe that the Cubs ever have a chance to win it all (and I do), then I have to stop believing in curses, hexes, and such. Anyway, the Cubs season so far has been a tale of Jekyll and Hyde. The first two months, they were one of the most overpaid, underperforming group of stooges to ever don a uniform. All the bounces went against them, and it was Murphy's law everyday. If they managed to get a clutch hit, you were absoutely stunned. The last two months, it seems that they can do almost nothing wrong and all the breaks are going their way. Now, the couple times when they DON'T get a clutch hit, you feel stunned. I'm not going to talk in too much depth about it, since those that care already know all this and those that don't have probably already skipped this paragraph. All I'll say is that the whole Cubs season can be summarized in Carlos Zambrano's numbers: his record through June 1st was 5-5 with a 5.62 ERA. His record since is 8-2 with a 1.56 ERA. Anyway, while I don't think the Cubs are quite as good as they have played lately, I am very optimistic that the "real" Cubs are closer to this version than the one that took the field the first 2 months, and I am just going to enjoy the hot streak while it lasts (which will hopefully go through October).

Heading up to Wisconsin this weekend to camp and see Jimmy Buffett at Alpine Valley. I believe this will mark the 5th time I've seen him, and the first time at Alpine. To date, the band I've seen the most times is Van Halen (also 5 times), so this will tie that. However, since one of those times was during the ill-fated Gary Cherone experiment, I'm not sure it really counts. And since Buffett manages to keep coming back every year and Van Halen . . . uh . . .doesn't, it seems like only a matter of time before I've officially seen him more. Besides those two, the only band/acts I have seen more than once are Mike Doughty (3X solo and once with Soul Coughing) , Joe Satriani (3X), BB King (2X), Buddy Guy (2X), and Eric Johnson (2X). I'd feel better about myself as a person if a couple of those names weren't on the list (hint: I'm not talking about Mike, BB, and Buddy).

Going to see The Simpsons movie tonight at midnight with my bro. Not expecting anything fantastic, but it should be fun. It's always fun to see a midnight show or a premier; always makes it seem like much more of an event to go to a movie, like it was back in the day. Over/Under on number of people I see dressed as Simpsons characters: 15.

Quick marathon update: Did end up running the 10 miles after work on Friday (1:59:37; 11:58 min/mile pace). Wasn't fun, but I did it. Brought my total mileage for last week up to 24, which I'm pretty proud of. This week hasn't been as good. Legs were still sore for a while, so I eased back in with a 3-mile run Monday (31:59; 10:40 min/mile pace) and then a 6-miler Wednesday (1:10:37; 11:46 min/mile pace). Gonna try to get an 11-miler in tomorrow before heading out of town. The half marathon looms large 2 weeks from Sunday.

Have a good weekend everyone (by which I mean all 5 of you)!

Things I've Learned Over the Last Two Weeks

Just got back from our great vacation in Hawaii and I'm not gonna give the play-by-play description of the trip since my wife is doing such an admirable job of it herself (insert plug for www.christydelaney.blogspot.com here). Anyway, I just wanted to start out with some general things that have been floating around in my head over the past couple of weeks.

• Only after being in Hawaii for a week will you find the following thoughts running through your head: "Well, sure it's one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world, but can we walk down and swim in it? No, then let's skip it."
• Despite the fact that you are on vacation, if your wife is tired enough you can convince her to have Taco Bell for dinner. Twice.
• It's a very strange feeling when you see conch shells for sale on the side of the road the day after you've finished reading "Lord of the Flies"
• It's also a very strange feeling to be running on a treadmill and have OK Go come on your iPod.
• The all-you-can-eat prime rib and king crab leg buffet with unlimited champagne is possibly mankind's greatest achievement. Seriously; if the human race had to apply for a job somewhere, it would be on the resume.
• Walking 4 miles over treachorous terrain just to get to a waterfall is totally not worth it - until you see it and get to swim under it. The walk BACK, however . . .
• Just in case you were wondering, the slowest moving human being on Earth lives just north of the town of Hilo, HI and works at a small convenience store/deli. We ordered a shaved ice there and watched her being repeatedly passed by stationary objects as she made it. We were going to order 2, but our flight was leaving in just over 20 hours and I knew it would be a close call. As a purely scientific experiment, if you had a large group and needed to order more than 6 I'd be curious to see if she could make them before the sun explodes.
• Everywhere in Hawaii is beautiful, with the exception of Honolulu, which has all the charm of Omaha, NE.
• Listening to a Cubs game on your laptop at 8:15 A.M. while having breakfast on a balcony that overlooks the ocean is a really good way to start the day.

OK, I think that's about it. Overall I managed to finish 3 books while on vacation (with most of the reading getting done on the lengthy plane rides): the aforementioned Lord of the Flies (which I was supposed to have read in high school but never did) and two more books by Neil Gaiman (Neverwhere and The Anansi Boys). All of them were excellent and Neil Gaiman is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. In my opinion, he's a lot like Stephen King in that while he doesn't create great literature he is a phenomenal storyteller. I just saw a trailer for a movie called Stardust, which is based on his graphic novel series and is coming out in the next couple weeks. I probably would have waited to rent it but now I might have to see it in theatres. I haven't started War and Peace yet, because I know I am going to be reading the last Harry Potter book (pre-ordered months ago on Amazon) as soon as it comes out next week and once I get started on the behemoth I don't want to stop. I'm still trying to get through the bio on Einstein but alas I don't see it happening in the near future.

On the marathon training front, I can't say that I was completely dilligent while on vacation, but I did about as well as could be expected. The Sunday after we got there I was due to run 8 miles and I had every intention of doing so. Unfortunately, the hotel we were at decided that their exercise room should double as a sauna and it was just unbearably hot. I threw in the towel (actually multiple, sweat-soaked towels) at the 5-mile mark. On Tuesday we switched hotels and I got in my 4 miles as planned. But on Thursday I slacked again because it was a travel day (to the Big Island) and I didn't feel like waking up at 6. Sunday, I was due for 9 miles but felt exhausted after getting in at 5:20 A.M. so I ended up pushing it off till Monday but got it done in 1:51:41 (12:24 min mile pace). This morning I woke up early and ran 5-miles in a personal best time of 53:37 (10:44 min mile pace). I am supposed to run a 10-mile race in Darien, IL this Saturday but I've already decided I am skipping it since I have a Cubs game to go to at noon and that's just asking for disaster. I'm still going to run the 10 miles, though, either Friday night or Saturday morning though. Hoping to do it in right around 2 hours. I will admit that the training is starting to get pretty brutal. It's not so much the getting tired as it is just the drudgery of being on a treadmill that long. I probably should start running outside but the humidity is pretty brutal unless I get out there at 6:00 A.M.

The one bit of other news is that I decided to take a meditation class at the Zen Buddhist temple. It's something I've been wanting to do for a long time, ever since I read Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind and The Three Pillars of Zen about 5 years ago but just never seemed to get around to it. Last night was the first class and it went well. I don't think "hard" is the right word for it but it's definitely different trying to use my mind in a way that I never have before. I think it will do me a lot of good, though, and not just in helping me calm down when Will Ohman walks consecutive batters to walk in the go-ahead run in the 8th inning, you stupid ^&^#$%!!!!! As you can see, I have a long way to go to achieve inner peace.