Project 365/031: Hockey time

Project 365/031: Hockey time
Originally uploaded by automatic_man2

Well, I wasn't entirely happy with my Self Portrait Sunday photo today because I forgot to take my camera to the game with me.

So we'll have to settle for a shot of the Mikwaukee Admiral's front line.

Unfortunately, they lost tonight. Blah.

Jesse M.

jessejstreet.blogspot.com
twitter.com/jessejstreet

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Project 365/030: Cycling & Running Expo day

I took a trip up to Milwaukee today to check out the Multisport Cycling & Running Expo taking place this weekend. Being cooped up mostly indoors this winter has me itching to be around runners and running, since I haven't done as much of it this season.

It wasn't too bad. Most of the exhibits centered around Triathlons, with not much of the running stuff present. For an expo that bills itself as the largest in the Midwest, well, it really wasn't.

Oh, and to the organizers of the s0-called "largest running & cycling expo in the Midwest," how about making up a banner or two to place OUTSIDE of the venue so we know where you are? The Wisconsin State Fair park is HUGE, and this little expo was tucked in this tiny little building with not a sign to be seen. I spent almost a half hour looking for it. I'm yelling at someone, anyone...

Well, that's off my chest.

I did get an interesting seminar on nutrition out of it, and I was quite fascinated by the bicycle time-trials competition (picture above) that were taking place at the many live sporting events people were participating in.

And I did feel an itch to do a triathlon someday.

Someday...

Project 365/029: Happy Birthday Isabel

Attended my niece's 14 year old birthday tonight. Wow do they grow up fast nowadays. She's taller than I am now!

It was disco roller derby theme night, or something like that :)

Isn't she adorable?

Happy Birthday sweetie!

Project 365/028: Good as new

Before.


After!

I was very happy to get my truck back today after turning it over to the shop to get the damage taken care of. Everything looks good as new.

The deer actually shifted the entire left quarter panel of the truck back a few inches, keeping the drivers side door from opening properly. They also replaced the entire front bumper, and touched up some paint.

This is the 2nd time in my driving history that I had to take a car to get body work done. Fortunately, neither of them were serious. I'd really like to keep that from happening often!

It's nice to have it back.

Now to figure out now to keep deer away from my front bumper.

Project 365/027: On call 24/7

Project 365/027: On call 24/7
Originally uploaded by automatic_man2

I spent the early morning hours of the day at the office after getting notified of a few servers that were down.  I got in about 1 a.m. and got home about 4am.

I got in bed for a couple of hours of sleep before heading back in in case there were any issues.

Everything ended up in good shape.

Being able to respond to issues at work at any time is part of my job.  I love to do it, even though it can be a pain sometimes. I shouldn't complain.

Hoping for  a good nights sleep tonight.

Jesse M.

jessejstreet.blogspot.com
twitter.com/jessejstreet

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Project 365/026: The cost of an arm

Photo by Katie

The new furnace arrived and was installed in the house today. The old one's days had come to an end. It had to be done. The house is nice and cozy again.

It cost me one arm, but I was able to save a leg.

I'm right handed anyway :)

Project 365/025: Lake County Tweetup!

I attended my first Tweetup tonight. What's a Tweetup you say? Well, it's folk on Twitter meeting up! This particular group of Twitteri' are from the Lake County, IL area and I thought it would be neat to finally meet the faces behind the tweets I've come to follow for many months now.

This event was at Wildfire Restaurant in Lincolnshire, IL. The White Fish here is to die for.

Twitter has been such a great networking tool for me and @jstreetradio over the years, that it's interesting to hear how other people are incorporating it into their businesses, personal lives, blogs, etc. Everyone was super nice and a blast to hang out with.

I thought it'd be a nice opportunity to make a CD of some of my favorite JstreetRadio Podcasts to hand out at the event. I'll take any opportunity to get exposure for some of the incredible local music we have here in Lake County.

I'm looking forward to doing it again soon.

You can follow me on Twitter here or leave a comment if you'd like to know more about it!

Project 365/024: Goodbye baby

Hey, hey, hey it's Self Portrait Sunday. Sorry for the sad face...

Today I took my truck to the shop to get the damage taken care of after my meet up with a deer a couple of weeks ago.

It's hard to let go for a while, but it's best to get it taken care of ASAP. I rather like it without that giant dent in the front bumper.

I hope it comes back to its old self again.

Until we meet again....

Project 365/023: Saturday morning run

How about an action shot, taken while on the road!

The forest preserve was empty when I arrived, even though the temperatures were hovering near 35F degrees- perfect running weather. Perfect enough, that I ran my speediest six miler since October, finishing in 00:51.

It's hard to believe I'll start training for marathon number one in a couple of weeks. I've decided on running the Rockford Marathon on May 16. This was the very first marathon I chose to run back in '08, but didn't make it due to work issues. I settled on running my first Chicago Marathon later that same year.

Now if only it would stop being so gloomy outside, I can get out there more often!

Project 365/022: Blind as a bat

Project 365/022: Blind as a bat
Originally uploaded by automatic_man2

Per doctors orders, I decided to give my eyes a break from my contact lenses and go a full day wearing my glasses.

I find out pretty easily they're not as potent at night as they are in the daytime. Driving to see signs and lettering in the dark is a challenge!

I've worn contacts/glasses for as far back as I can remember. I'm about as nearsighted as they come.

Don't even ask me how many fingers are up, I probably wouldn't be able to see your hand to begin with.

Project 365/021: Wireless upgrade

I love unboxing new gadgets.

This is the hardware to upgrade the wireless network in my house. Since I live in a single family, two story home, and my "office" is upstairs, this upgrade will help juice up the wireless internet throughout.

After spending a couple of hours getting everthing hooked up and working correctly, I'm quite happy with the result!

You can't beat better and faster.

Project 365/020: Nerd Herd

Had a giant nerd meeting at the office today to discuss some major network infrastructure changes we'll be bringing on line the first half of the year.

This is the start of a very busy time for me, I think. That would equal extra hours in the office and more meetings coupled with lots of extra work.

I guess I shouldn't complain. It keeps me busy and the days go by quicker.

It should be an exciting time!

Project 365/019: Relaxing

Project 365/019: Relaxing
Originally uploaded by automatic_man2

It's been super busy at the office this week and we're just getting started with it only being Tuesday.

It feels good to relax for a bit and catch up on TV.

I noticed the daylight sneaking past 5pm today.  The days are getting longer and I can't wait to actually run in daylight after work.

Project 365/018: Messy desk

I spent some time this evening hunting around for some files I needed. I had all three of my computers up and running- yes three.

One of them I built myself, and the other two are Windows machines. I don't normally have them all on at the same time, but it's nice to know they're there if I need them.

I've got to find a way to fit them all on one monitor.

Project 365/017: Self Portrait Sunday

The sun against my face while out driving to run some errands felt nice. I'd rather be in a t-shirt and shorts though.

Spent the day mostly doing laundry and cleaning up around the place. I'm expecting a pretty busy week ahead, so I'm just taking it easy today.

I'm hoping for no surprises this time around, unlike last week.

Project 365/016: Winter day run

I was hoping for a bit more sun for this shot... and for my run today, but it will do. It ended up being a nice day despite it being around 24F degrees or so.

Finally got outdoors for a 5 mile run today instead of jumping on that God forsaken treadmill. This was my first time back to Independence Grove Forest Preserve since last November. It's pretty much a frozen tundra this time of year, but I was happy to find the paved bike path cleared of snow, besides the usual icy spot.

Although I've only been averaging 10 to 15 miles per week this winter, my workouts are increased in intensity much to the chagrin of my hips and quads. The weekday treadmill workouts have been 45 minute runs mixed in with the incline ramped to between 5 and 9.5 grade at 5 minute intervals after a 15 minute warm up.

Once that's done, I'm off to do a core workout or weights for 30 minutes or so. This whole routine's been taking me almost two hours to do. The cold weather and treadmills aren't too friendly to my knees this time of year, so I'm having to compensate for not running more.

Either way, I hope it pays off with added strength come spring.

I'll be making a decision in the next few days on marathon #1 of 4 for which I start training for in February.

Project 365/015: Bring on the heat

Project 365/015: Bring on the heat
Originally uploaded by automatic_man2

This pretty much sums up my week. After sitting in a house for two nights without much heat due to a faulty furnace, Cookie and I are glad to have it back.

Friday morning was also spent getting the damage estimate done on the Fj after my meetup with a deer on Wednesday. I can't get in or out of my drivers side door, but I suppose it could have been much worse.

I'm hoping for a no surprises weekend. I need a break!

Project 365/014: JstreetRadio is on the air

My Thursday evenings are set a side for one of the things very dear to my heart- JstreetRadio.

I'm the host of this local music radio show based out of a community supported radio station WRLR 98.3 FM in Round Lake Heights, IL. We're in our fourth year supporting many of the local bands in the area and playing their music.

The show streams live every Thursday night 8-9 p.m. CDT and podcasts of past shows can be found here.

Consider this a shameless plug... :)

Project 365/013: Thank you, Deer

Well, my day started out like any usual day, except I came home to a cold house and a furnace on the fritz. It's bed time as I write this, the house is still cold, and the furnace is still... on the fritz.

The only thing set to make my day better, is dinner with Katie and some friends.

Except a deer had a different idea.

My poor FJ met up with one on the way to dinner tonight, and caused quite a mess of the left side of my bumper.

That's not grass in that photo up there- it's deer hair. You should see the rest of the photos...

Yup, not a good day today.

Project 365/012: A New Year's Resolution I Kept

It's grocery shopping day. Loading up on some healthy goods makes me happy.

I made the decision to lead a healthy lifestyle back in 2007 when I decided to start training for my first marathon (Chicago Marathon 2008). Before then, I was a regular at fast food joints, loaded up on soda daily, and pretty much led a lethargic lifestyle sitting in front of computers for a good chunk of my life.

I hadn't run since my High School Cross Country days.

I was brought down to reality when I couldn't make it around my block during my first run back after a 25 year layoff. It was time to make a change.

Two marathons later, I don't miss all of that junk at all. Once in a while I treat myself with something junky, but only after I've earned it after a big week of workouts. It's a lifestyle now. It's easy.

I have this crazy idea to run four marathons this year, so keeping healthy is of the up most importance this time around.

I have a feeling I'll be sticking to it.

Project 365/011: Unexpected Stash

Click photo to enlarge.

My day was rather uneventful. Typical Monday- wake up, shower, drive to work, work, leave work, gym, home. Exciting.

The only highlight of my day was stumbling upon this huge stash of tampons in my building's office supply closet. They were just there- a huge box of them. I was looking for a desk calendar.

I guess I wasn't expecting it, I mean, does this happen?

It made me chuckle.

Project 365/010: Project Me

I've designated every Sunday in my 365-a-day project as Self Portrait day. I don't usually take many photos of myself, really, and thought I'd take one a week through the year to see how much I've changed, if at all.

I mean, it's not like I get a new hair style regularly or anything :-)

This is me nerding out at my local Panera.

Perhaps I'll throw in a background to see where I've been, maybe with a friend, a body part, or just me.

Thankfully, I've made it through the first full week of Project 365. It was a little easier than I thought to find a photo a day taken from a piece of my life. I'm sure there will be days when I can't think of anything, and days when I can't make up my mind what photo is best to post.

Honestly, I'm rather enjoying sharing a piece of my life with you.

I'm also enjoying reading all of the 365's other people are doing, especially friends I know (or come to know via Twitter, blogs, etc.) including Kelly, Bridget, Adam, and Nick.

Keep it up everyone!

Project 365/009: Hockey time!

I've always been a fan of hockey, but had never really seen a real game until about a year ago.

Katie took me to my first Milwaukee Admirals game around that time and really enjoyed all of the action. I had a hard time following the tiny, little puck around the ice for the longest time. The game really moves so fast that it's hard to keep up at times.

I suppose being a die hard baseball fan (Cubs!) doesn't help. My eye reflexes aren't tuned enough to follow hockey just yet

I do get better each time I go!

Project 365/008: Excuse me while I stuff my face

Friends... behold Sammie's in Round Lake Beach's famous Gyro sandwich!

Well, I don't know if it's famous or not, but it warrants a spot on my 365 for day eight.

The Pre's camera doesn't do it justice as far as how big this thing is. So, so good.

It's actually my favorite thing to eat after a long weekend run of an hour or more. I wouldn't exactly consider it healthy, but after a 7+ mile run, I really don't care.

I'm actually having this one the night before my Saturday workout, so I'm kind of doing it back asswards. I've been good all week with eating healthy, so it's a little reward so to speak.

At least I skipped the fries.

Project 365/007: The mouth that churns

Not a very flattering photo today, but it was appropriate for the kind of day it ended up being.

Can you guess what it is?

Project 365/006: Cursing the oncoming storm

I'm not particularly looking forward to the snow storm set to hit my neck of the woods overnight tonight.

Not that I mind clearing snow, it's just a giant pain in the neck! Jackets, gloves, hat, sweaters, two layers, three... and treadmills... oh how I hate treadmills.

I'd rather be on a beach somewhere. Sun, sand, a cold beer, and shorts.

I can dream, can't I?

Project 365/005: I would rather be here

I'm not digging this whole back to work thing already. I may have gotten a bit spoiled with all the easy going over the holiday's.

That's me this morning still under my blankets... and in bed.

It's freezing outside, it's only Tuesday, it's not yet Friday, and I can hear my alarm going off in the distance.

It's so cozy in here... I don't want to go.

But I guess I have to.

Project 365/004: Bits and Bytes

I forgot my digital camera on my office desk, so I have to settle for the cell phone shot I took today while testing out a few angles.

I was trying to get some fancy shmancy shots of the server farm in the data center, but the lighting wasn't so great.

Oh well, it will have to do for #004.

I'm grateful to have been at my job coming up on 12 years now. My very first IT job was working data entry at Great America in Gurnee, IL. I was mainly responsible for processing all of the greasy, grimy employee timesheets that were turned in at the end of the day. Those things would get so dirty with food and gunk, that we had a hard time making out what was written on them.

Every once in a while, I would get to go out and repair a cash register, or the Lotto vending machines throughout the park. Remember those? Probably not...

One of the perks? I got to see some of the invoices when parts were ordered for new roller coasters and such. I'd get the inside scoop!

Many, MANY things have changed in the IT world since then.

I sure hope they did away with those slimy timesheets.

Project 365/003: Until next time, old friend

I'll admit, it's a little sad to think the holiday's are over. For me, it's a time to relax, visit with friends and family, and completely unwind before taking on a new year.

The Christmas tree ornament pictured here has been in my family for over 30 years now. It is the last remaining of a set of bells that adorned the tree over many years. This one gets extra, special care once they're all put away, and the tree recycled.

It's Sunday as I write this, and tomorrow starts my first, full week back at the job since mid-December.

I wonder what sort of adventures 2010 will bring?

Project 365/002: Holding a ray of sunshine

The sun coming through the window this morning was deceiving enough to think it was going to be a beautiful day. It was actually hiding the fact that is was in the single digits yet again. It is January after all.

My eyes had just popped open when I saw this ray of sun hit the bed from the window across the room. I extended my hand as if to hold it and thought about summer for a moment- my favorite season:

-Fishing at Fish Lake Beach in Volo, IL. I haven't been for a few summers now.

-North Avenue Beach, Chicago. My favorite hangout after a long run on the lakefront path.

-Waukegan's south beach. Friends, beer, swimming, and sunshine- almost heaven on earth.

-Long runs on Chicago's lakefront path in triple-digit heat waves. Nothing like a sweat-fest with a dump in the lake after.

-Camping and hiking Devils Lake in Wisconsin.

I can daydream all day about this.

For now, the warmth of the sun in my hand will have to do.

Project 365/001: All roads point to Stop

I decided to go for a run at my local forest preserve with the hope of shooting something decent for my first Project 365 photo of 2010.

It turns out practically nothing is beautiful when winter has its grip on nature.

Two miles into my run against a +7F degree windchill, and wishing for just one more layer under my jacket, I ran into this intersection and thought it rightfully described what I was thinking at the time.

Just to the left, no more than 50 yards from these signs, was my car.

I had my fill of Mother Nature for the day.