Live yourself to Death...

I drink a lot of beer and it's not because I'm an alcoholic. I drink because it's FUN.

In my world, I'm a mature 17 year old and "what should be the priority of a 17 year old be?"

It's to have fun, to party, to enjoy life and not get too serious.

Training is also fun. I can't think of a better balance than training hard and partying hard. Who says you have to have regular diet and sleeping patterns. Frankly, I have so much fun I'm surprised my lifestyle isn't the norm.

Last night, I invited Jamie and Barb over to watch the UFC. I also sent an email to my neighbour John to join us when he got back from out of town. He was coming back from watching his daughter play college hockey in the United States. She goes to RIT.

It turns out the UFC at "The House of Payne" didn't happen.

Cogeco, our cable provider, wouldn't let us order it. They said our bill was past due by a few days and because we owed them over $250, the computer automatically shuts down our ability to order Pay-per-View.

It was ridicoulus. Alice had paid the bill online earlier in the week and Cogeco said it takes 3-5 days for the payment to be recieved.

I was freaking and asked to talk to a supervisor and when I didn't get the answer I wanted I asked to speak to the supervisors supervisor. I told them we've never missed a payment, the payment was sent already, we were away on vacation, we're one of their best customers spending about $250 per month. I told them they are treating me poorly and with guests over to watch the UFC, it's an embarrassing situation.

I even offered to pay by credit card "on the spot", but they told me it would take a day to process and they still couldn't activate the fight tonight. The supervisor said "the computer system won't allow me to over-ride it's credit policy" and no matter how high I push up the chain, nothing can be done. She apologized and then offered me a FREE pay-per-view credit for the next event.

Needless to say, I was pissed off. On Monday I'll be calling "the powers that be" at Cogeco and I'm not talking some supervisor or manager. I want to talk to "the bonehead" that set up such a stupid system that exercises "no common sense or flexibility". I'm even considering my options to drop Cogeco altogether.

Around midnight, after Jamie and Barb left, John and his son Alex showed up. It was a lot of fun. I haven't seen Alex for a while, he's away at University in downtown Toronto and is in his third year of pre-medicine.

Alex is having the time of his life. He was telling me about all the partying and fun he's having and how much tougher school is finally becoming this year. I asked him, "how do you maintain your grades while living in a party house with other room mates and hosting lots of parties?"

He explained he does all his studying at school with no distractions. He works hard at school and when he comes to "the house" it's all relaxation and party. Alex is twenty-years old and I liked his "no apologizes about wanting to get drunk and party". Right now, Alex "is living the dream". He loves my Kegerator and wants to get one and said my "beer bong" was the biggest he ever saw.

You can tell the kids talk about their partying ways and possible long-term repercussions among themselves. Alex explained to me that partying hard is proven to only take 5 years off your life. I said I have a double whammy because I'm an endurance athlete and I'm told that too takes years off your life.

Then "out of the mouth of drunken babs" I told Alex if your going pick a way to die, it's best to "LIVE YOURSELF TO DEATH". Alex loved the phrase and could see it on a shirt. From experience, I knew I better note it on my iPhone or I won't remember it in the morning, which I did. I'm definitely getting a shirt make up with that saying.

Alex is also getting his dad John into "partying with him". They've been on some road trips to the U.S. and have been having "college fun" together. To me that is a dream, I can hardly wait until Reid becomes of drinking age.

It's really cool to see that type of relationship between a father and son. Even the discussions around the bar in the Man Cave where completely open between the two. We covered it all, sex, drugs and rock'n roll. No uncomfortableness.

I've told Reid many times that when he turns twenty-one, we are going to go on a Route 66 road trip and are going to stop at all the little towns and bars along the way. He asked if mom could come, I said "of course".

We're also going to do Las Vegas one day and I told him it's going to be "CRAZY". Reid wanted to know if he could bring friends, I said, "sure". I don't think we wants to be left "alone" with his "crazy dad" and knows if his friends are there, they'll have lots of material to laugh about.

I also talked to Alex about some of his courses and he was telling me about some that are "the toughest". He started to explain to me "the theory's" they're learning and I was fascinated. He was describing cell mutation and how they figure humans started as a "stomach" and grew from there. Very cool stuff.

By 4:30 am, I had to "tap out" and said good night to Alice, John and Alex. This had been my third night in a row getting to bed at 4:30 am and couldn't stay up any longer. It was another full clothing sleep. I feel like my sister, she gets dressed the night before and sleeps in her clothes so it saves her time in the morning.

On the training front, I don't think I could be "a runner". I started as "a runner" in the beginning and ended up becoming "a triathlete" soon thereafter.

Training for the NYC marathon, is all running and it's too one dimensional and dangerous. In less than a week I'm already missing the intermixed bike rides and swims. I could also feel my body getting more physically stressed and am always concerned because most endurance injuries are running related.

In fact, I feel sorry for Jamie, he has a major heel injury he got while running recently. I saw it first hand yesterday, he walks like he has a broken leg. Something in his heel is so painful he can't put pressure on it. His walk is the, "lift one leg and hop on the other" technique.

The running program I'm following has runs scheduled almost everyday. I'm not following it to the letter of the law, I feel running everyday, especially in my "worn out body state" is too dangerous.

No training - Rest day

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