Comic for Friday, May 2nd, 2008

Posted: 7:20 am, Friday, May 2nd

Hola, group. Hopefully this is the last blog I'm writing in a one-inch tall window in Dreamweaver. Yesterday was more eventful than most for me these days. I made my first trip back to Queens in quite some time to drop off the old n' busted monitor, grab some fish, and chow a kebob. That right there is probably the thing I miss most about Q-town. There would be dudes in kebob carts out all hours of the night for when young n' crazy Bullfrog would stagger back in from Manhattan. As it turns out, the kebobs are much tastier at noon than at four in the morning, and the bread is less stale. On the other hand, the intersection of 30th and 31st was still hellish.

MJL, being diabolical, signed up for the Marine Corp Marathon in DC, and caused a domino effect to make me and E sign up for it, too. Luckily, I'm unemployed, so I have the luxury of running all day, but how those two are going to train, I have no idea.

It just dawned on me that one thing that happened, I'm not talking about quite yet, so I guess yesterday doesn't sound as eventful as it was. I *did* cap CK's boyfriend in GTAIV, though. Sucker tried to run from Niko Bellic. Last mistake he ever made. (Sorry, CK. On the bright side, we're going to Cooperstown this weekend! We'll get you a Royals hat to make up for the loss.)

Alright, so there's the week. We'll be back to linkin' next week, since I'll have most of the use of my computer back. (Incredibly slow n' busted processor speed will likely remain.)

bullfrog

MNP -- Friday, May 2 2008, 07:51 am

This whole "something big happened that i'm not telling you" is just a ploy to get us all to come back and read on monday, isn't it?

Did you win the lottery?

For the other binge readers in the crowd... www.bookmooch.com is an online book swap. You get points for every book you mail to someone and then use those points to mooch books from other members. If you use media mail then it only costs about $2 to send a book. I put 15 on last weekend and all but 3 have been mooched.

Pat S. - any particular vendor at Easter Market? Have you tried the fish market by Potomac Park in SW?

Bullfrog - I have homefield advantage for this marathon. I've most of the course at some point in the past 4 years. HA! I'll even warn you about the hill in the first 2 miles.

E- Mr. MNP will love you if this stops me from hitting up Borders twice a month :) thanks!

No, nothing nefarious MNP.

No hill can be an unexpectedly massive as the Queensboro Bridge in the NYC 'thon. I ran over that thing a million times when I was in Q-town, but, man, that thing kicked my ass. And the ass of that dude we saw wobble and go down while running over it.

I'm a graduate of the MCM too! Think it's awesome that you guys are doing it... 2.0, if you need a fellow cheerleader let me know, I can never spend too much time in DC.

Here are the two elevation charts:

MCM:http://www.marathonguide.com/coursemaps/elevationchart.cfm?MIDD=41071028

NYC: http://www.marathonguide.com/coursemaps/elevationchart.cfm?MIDD=472081102

It looks like MCM should be easier. Which spike was the Queensboro Bridge? The first one? The MCM spike was at my first apt. that you guys stayed at for the '05 protests.

I think my brother is in this too. He's picked up the running bug and has already ran dozens of marathons including a couple in Hawaii (just marathons, he's not into triathlons) where I always see pictures of him with smoking hot girls after the races. The lucky bastard.

Dammit, Bullfrog! Guess I'll just have to hook up with another blackmailing foul-mouthed shyster who'll pay my rent.

Frog - slight clarification required: It is actually E who gets credit for being the first marathon domino. She informed me that she had made the leap... She didn't ask me to continue the insanity, but I had been close enough to the edge already, so I jumped in too.

E - from that spaghetti drawing I can't quite tell which hill was the Queensboro bridge. I recall it being roughly mile 13, but I would've expected a symmetrical bump on the elevation chart. And really, it was brutal. That was a big dude that conked out in front of us, and there was more than a little writhing involved.

On the bridges it's just you and the footsteps. You don't hear the sounds of the crowds, or even of the city. At one point on this bridge I tried to fire up the group with a "halfway there" type of chant. It was returned with DEAD SILENCE. And probably more than a few folks were drilling holes of death in me with their eyeballs.

Lastly - There is apparently a significant course change for MCM this year, but I have not seen a new map.

I'll investigate the changes... They made a significant change to the Cherry Blossom 10 miler this year, too. I've run the major bridges here and they aren't bad at all. I've heard the worst part of the course is Hains Point, which is a 5K loop with very few spectators. The last 10K goes thru Crystal City/Pentagon City in Arlington. The views aren't as great and it is exposed, but the crowd is supposed to be pretty good.

Actually, it's evidently E's nutty brother that caused this.

Yeah, that drawing is strange. I could've sworn the Q-boro was at mile 13, also, and was *way* higher than that. I know the east side goes constantly up, but nothing was more drastic than that bridge. That's where the cramps and heat got me and I thought I was going to follow the wobbler to the cement.

Also, earlier to Grafe: No, dude, 'cause I read some well-reasoned arguments against the lotto in the Charlotte Observer maybe a year and a half, two years ago.

That's true, G.I. Jay (as dubbed by Bullfrog) did get the momentum started on this. We should make him run in combat books and carry an American Flag. Hoorah.

Ah, the lottery. Also known as the idiot tax.

I only have vague memories of G.I. Jay, but I recall him being lineman-esque. Is there going to be a large and intense human chasing us through this?

G.I. Jay lost 70 lbs. the year after college. He may have gained some back, though. More likely than not, I won't see him until the end.

actually, i have powerball tickets in my pocket at the moment, so i know you didn't win the jackpot on wednesday.

You're betting on the lottery, Grafe? that just seems, wrong, somehow.

i am a huge hypocrite, if nothing else.

I'm both elated that this nickname has taken off, and furious at myself that it took me this long to dub him GI Jay.

Best of all, his wife can be Lady Jaye.

I have to say, Zombie Strippers sounds freaking awesome.

http://www.pajiba.com/zombie-strippers.htm

As an MBA I can say that the Gekko shirt only goes with a yellow tie...