Friday, November 30, 2007

600 Miles

I have now run 600 miles since last February or 60 miles per month.


--
Marcus Zack Ronaldi
My LinkedIn  Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/67/264

My Facebook Profile
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=705175300

I am running the USHalf on 11/4 to raise money for Parkinsons
http://www.firstgiving.com/hydra1970

Thursday, November 29, 2007

The Smell + A new fred container size...

Right now my blog can share sights and sounds but sadly, or not, not smells. The tale of the day cannot be told without it.
A little more than two months ago I ran the Bridge to Bridge. After the race I took my running smock and placed it in the back of the Marcusmobile and was planning on bringing it in for a proper washing that never happened.

Fast forward to the present.
I go to buy a new pair of running fred containers. I had a $10 off a purchase at Road Runner Sports in San Carlos. If you want me to shop at your shoppe then opposite of fred me out a coupon.
Was going to donate my old worn fred containers to some sort of cause where they recycle it into a mac hine that helps elves make cookies.

I grabbed this bag and it had the smelliest shirt as it has been there for a while.
It smelled like the first house in San Jose at the corner of Keiley and Saratoga.

Went into the store as I survived my self gassing I went looking at the Nike +. As the Nike+ program is getting older, happily the models will start coming down in price.
I measured my fred containers and I was a 12! So if I acted my shoe size, I would be louder than Spinal Tap.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhVWJgIzftE

Went to the One Brick Happy Hour in Menlo Park. I kind of wish Daly City had more of a Menlo Park feel to it rather than being so well, Daly City.

It also turns out that the leak from yesterday was not from my apartment! Yippie!





--
Marcus Zack Ronaldi
My LinkedIn  Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/67/264

My Facebook Profile
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=705175300

I am running the USHalf on 11/4 to raise money for Parkinsons
http://www.firstgiving.com/hydra1970

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Back to your regular scheduled program

First off, if you were thinking of a gift, I have my sheets for my bed.
If you are wondering what to get me, you can never go wrong with Thorlo socks
http://www.thorlo.com/ws6/socks.php
(I am not asking my readership for Mephistos or an XBox 360)

Last night I was in the city for Quiz Dates and like the subject of the song, your so vain, my horse won, if my team was a horse but a good Carly Simon Metaphor.
Saw Pam and Desiree who are both very foxy. Having a dog is not a requirement but a good feather in a cap.

Earlier I went into a big and tall shop that was closing its doors and I am not big or tall. I am like the worlds smallest giant because most sport jackets in normal stores do not fit me well.
How could I look like a boof leader (plus I cannot get clear glasses)

Went for a run in the Marina for four miles. I am not ashamed that I no need grittiness at this point. I am now up to 596 miles for the year. Thinking of my annual mileage goal for 2008.

You can dance the robot to any song. It is the perfect dance. In the future there will be the robot and the robot boogie. I look forward to that day.

Anyway I get home and they are carpet blowers in the hall and a note but I cannot find any leak in my apartment. I wish I lived in a marble building. 



--
Marcus Zack Ronaldi
My LinkedIn  Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/67/264

My Facebook Profile
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=705175300

I am running the USHalf on 11/4 to raise money for Parkinsons
http://www.firstgiving.com/hydra1970

Traveling Profile according to besttripchoices.com

As a mid-venturer, your personality fits between venturers and those more in the center of the personality spectrum ("centrics"). You share a number of characteristics in common with pure venturers. You like to travel, especially to foreign destinations and you seek new experiences and new destinations for almost all trips you take. You are also physically active at home and on trips. But, unlike your pure venturer friends, you don't want to take such extreme vacations and are more likely to plan your trips-set an itinerary of places you want to visit and schedules when you will be there. You also have more company. About 17% of the population has a personality that matches yours, vs. only 4% for pure venturers.

Your venturesome spirit leads you to seek out unique and interesting places to visit and especially to make each leisure trip different from others that you have taken. You may want to return to a place that seemed interesting but you didn't have time to explore on an earlier visit, but usually you simply want to try something new. However, there's a big difference between you and your true venturer friends: you like a comfortable bed at night (no sleeping under the stars), a warm shower, and meals that you can trust rather than taking a chance on native foods. You listen carefully to the unique travel tales of your friends and associates, or read heavily, to learn about the hidden, but interesting out of the way places that others have not yet become popular or have only recently gotten some publicity. The press has given your group a name -- the jet-set. Your interest in what's new and what's happening leads you to be one of the first to visit destinations that seem to have a new ambience, or book a few days at a new spa or resort you read about in a travel magazine, or tour a country that until recently was closed to visitors. Travel providers absolutely love you because you are central in making new destinations popular. Airlines, hotels and restaurants should give you special treatment since they benefit from the travel choices you make. You'll tell your friends about a great trip you just had and they will want to do the same when they get some time off.

Like pure venturers, you like adventure travel -- but of a different type. Physical exertion is fine, if it isn't extreme. If you took a bicycle tour of New England in the fall, you want to stop at interesting places for lunch and bed down at night in a quaint inn, rather than sleep out under the stars. And you prefer to have a van follow behind to pick you up and ride to the next overnight stop in case you or your partner feel a bit exhausted.

History holds a great fascination for many mid-venturers. But if you've seen Buckingham Palace and the Eiffel Tower, or traced Paul Revere's route in New England, you don't need to repeat the experience. Rather, you'd prefer to stop in lesser known old cities and enjoy the ambience created by old buildings that exude their own sense of importance and romance, especially if they're not listed in guide books. To discover an ancient monastery, old fort or historic building quite by chance and wander through quiet interiors unhampered by crowds, offers an opportunity to imagine what mysteries it holds and tales of romance or tragedy.

Even your media habits don't follow the norm. Typically you read more than most -- books, magazines and newspapers -- and watch TV less. When you turn on the "tube," you are much less likely to prefer any of the top ten sitcoms or "soaps." Instead, you'll seek out dramas, special news magazine format shows, and selected sports (as football and basketball; you have less interest in baseball or hockey). Consistent with your travel interests, you particularly like fact based television shows or dramas in a historic setting, and programs that explain the workings of some of our modern marvels. You hold definitive opinions about much of what you see happening in the world, especially politics, and strongly prefer commentators who agree with your views.

Exercise and good health habits -- proper diet, some use of vitamins and supplements, and following a disciplined routine to get enough sleep and exercise, even when you travel -- are more likely to be part of your daily commitment than is true for most people you know. You may prefer participating in individual sports, such as skiing or singles tennis, rather than those that are more social such as golf or bowling. You are likely to own exercise equipment at home, a treadmill or a stair climber.

You like technology and probably have a heavy loading of it as part of your daily life. Typically you will not be the first to try out new hi-tech products-that distinction belongs to the pure venturers. You're likely get on the bandwagon when they new product or service has shown that it has some relevance to your daily business or home life. But you are still willing to buy these items long before they have become so popular that they have dropped dramatically in price. More than is true for most groups included in this personality scale, you are likely to be an opinion leader. Since you show a willingness to accept innovation and change, but with a common sense attitude about it (use what is good and discard what doesn't help in some way), others look to you for guidance and direction on what to buy, choices to make in their lives, and the kinds of trips that they might like to take. This combination of character traits-mild risk taking, common sense in the decisions you make, and a friendly and outgoing personality-usually contributes to success in your career. More than most, you are likely to hold a senior position of responsibility in your company and will continue to advance in the future.

In looking for destinations that will satisfy your intellectual curiosity, seek out those that measure higher for venturers. You share so many traits in common with that group that most of these places will help ensure that your next trip will hold the enjoyment and contribute to the kinds of memories that you want. But make certain these places have adequate hotels and restaurants.



--
Marcus Zack Ronaldi
My LinkedIn  Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/67/264

My Facebook Profile
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=705175300

I am running the USHalf on 11/4 to raise money for Parkinsons
http://www.firstgiving.com/hydra1970

Sean Taylor/Len Bias

On the way into work I heard half of a story related to Sean Taylors condition.
Later I heard some of my coworkers talking about what happened to a player on the Washington Redskins. Then one of those blurbs you see from the BBC mentioned it.
It was sad, sad news.
Last week when I was in Maryland, Washington Redskin football was a subject that random strangers could discuss at length. To this day I still remember the day that Len Bias died.
I would imagine that this was similar.

--
Marcus Zack Ronaldi
My LinkedIn  Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/67/264

My Facebook Profile
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=705175300

I am running the USHalf on 11/4 to raise money for Parkinsons
http://www.firstgiving.com/hydra1970

Monday, November 26, 2007

Marcus and his destiny

Two of my favorite movie series of all times (Star Wars and the Godfather) deals with a main character following in the fred steps of their father.
This evening my shopping trip I was following my destiny. Hopefully I will stay away from auto auctions.

First off a piece of nutrition advice. If you want to eat properly/right you need a full fridge. If not, you will end up walking to the Chevron station and getting pound cake and sausages with nacho cheese.
Upon my return from Churchton  I looked at my fridge and it was empty so I knew I had to go shopping.

This all sounds like sound behavior.
After my run (3.1 miles) I remembered that I had some rain checks for spinach, black berries and raspberries. All 10 for $10. It was the day it was supposed to expire.
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src=" http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=15175344217963260075,34.188930,-83.589760&amp;time=&amp;date=&amp;ttype=&amp;saddr=12100+Old+Colony+Dr,+Upper+Marlboro,+MD+20772&amp;daddr=34.198173,-83.572998&amp;mra=dme&amp;mrcr=0&amp;mrsp=1&amp;sz=7&amp;sll=36.27085,-80.57373&amp;sspn=6.057226,14.677734&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;t=h&amp;om=1&amp;ll=36.27085,-80.57373&amp;spn=6.057226,14.677734&amp;output=embed&amp;s=AARTsJquc1Am_ZwqTg6pIlESktepDoUb-w "></iframe><br /><small><a href=" http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=15175344217963260075,34.188930,-83.589760&amp;time=&amp;date=&amp;ttype=&amp;saddr=12100+Old+Colony+Dr,+Upper+Marlboro,+MD+20772&amp;daddr=34.198173,-83.572998&amp;mra=dme&amp;mrcr=0&amp;mrsp=1&amp;sz=7&amp;sll=36.27085,-80.57373&amp;sspn=6.057226,14.677734&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;t=h&amp;om=1&amp;ll=36.27085,-80.57373&amp;spn=6.057226,14.677734&amp;source=embed " style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>

I also had a coupon for $5 off a $50. So I got 10 raspberries, 10 blackberries and six bags of spinach. Guess what I will be having for dinner and lunch?
They also had 10 cans of soup for $10. During the checkout, I got two coupons for $1 off my next purchase. (reminded me of the progresso soup situation) so I went back and got two cans of soup. They were free but not result in an endless cycle of soup because I did not get another coupon.

Went to Target and I made a decision to not purchase an XBox 360 until the release of the Force Unleashed.



--
Marcus Zack Ronaldi
My LinkedIn  Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/67/264

My Facebook Profile
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=705175300

I am running the USHalf on 11/4 to raise money for Parkinsons
http://www.firstgiving.com/hydra1970

Gwen and Brian are Pusherman

I get back from my journey and I got all sorts of odd mail.
A notice from the blood bank and my cholesterol is 166 so that means I could eat nuthin' but shell fish and eggs.

Before I go on, watch this video to get you in the mood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2oltUspwAY

So I get two envelops from Morristown, NJ. I am just a hustler despite myself. I gotta be mellow.
One from Gwen Majors and one from Brian Beslow.
Each one had a superhero stamp (which is cool)

It was full of without explanation, lottery tickets from across the country.
You see, both Gwen and Brian gamble. They know that I think that it is silly (To be fair, Brian is good) but I guess they want me to start spending my paycheck on lottery tickets.

On another note, my flight from Atlanta to SFO was nice. Had an aisle seat next with good seat mates.

They had a tough seat back trivia game where you play against other people on the plane and I barely won most rounds!

BART arrived after two minutes.

--
Marcus Zack Ronaldi
My LinkedIn  Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/67/264

My Facebook Profile
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=705175300

I am running the USHalf on 11/4 to raise money for Parkinsons
http://www.firstgiving.com/hydra1970

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Random Pictures of Various Airports...

Here are a bunch of random photos I took during my trip from Dulles to Atlanta to San Francisco. 
(SFO, ATL, IAD)



 These stupid transport things are getting phased out. 

 



 Bonnie Tyler got a hold of this sign. 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 Elephants are cool. 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 Yup, I guess they were sold out of the OJ Simpson and Lawrence Philips stuff. 

The Jerseys are $100. 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 





Friday, November 23, 2007

Thanksgiving....

I landed at National Airport. Big Tom picked me up and we went to two supermarkets. One was in Mitchellville, Maryland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchellville,_Maryland
and I did the whole thing with the queues.
Then we went to Giant in Upper Marlboro...

Had pre-Thanksgiving dinner with the folks and Andrea. I was told that Cosmo was out of his mind eating potatoes and left over salad. Cosmo is normally well behaved but sometimes around the Holidays he lets loose.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC-Ivo6GftA

I got up early on Thanksgiving morning to go to Edgewater for either a 10K or a 5K. I decided on the 10K. It was interesting that it was well, not very diverse. We sang the National Anthem before the race and then they played, "proud to be an American"...
I ran the 10K+ (6.4 miles) in 1:07..

We may be going to New York for a day prior to Christmas. I simply want to order an absurd amount of Pizza Slices and bagels. We are debating on the mode of transport between the opposite of sub or the train.

Jeff and Jeffrey showed up and he regaled us with tales of wrestling, That is a tough sport that I doubt I would do again. My early High School career was filled with things like JROTC and wrestling that I would never do again.

It was a very nice Thanksgiving with way too much food so if you are in the area of the compound, swing by with one of the whip cream containers.










--
Marcus Zack Ronaldi
My LinkedIn  Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/67/264

My Facebook Profile
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=705175300

I am running the USHalf on 11/4 to raise money for Parkinsons
http://www.firstgiving.com/hydra1970

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Another Nike Ad......

So far I have run 582 miles
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src=" http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=9430744298460390173,36.089020,-85.063740&amp;time=&amp;date=&amp;ttype=&amp;saddr=12100+Old+Colony+Dr,+Upper+Marlboro,+MD+20772&amp;daddr=36.111253,-85.045166&amp;mra=dme&amp;mrcr=0&amp;mrsp=1&amp;sz=7&amp;sll=37.431251,-80.925293&amp;sspn=5.966137,14.677734&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;om=1&amp;ll=37.431251,-80.925293&amp;spn=5.966137,14.677734&amp;output=embed&amp;s=AARTsJr4McvgFyNtE8DzPLJ_KT-9_vcvMA "></iframe><br /><small><a href=" http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=9430744298460390173,36.089020,-85.063740&amp;time=&amp;date=&amp;ttype=&amp;saddr=12100+Old+Colony+Dr,+Upper+Marlboro,+MD+20772&amp;daddr=36.111253,-85.045166&amp;mra=dme&amp;mrcr=0&amp;mrsp=1&amp;sz=7&amp;sll=37.431251,-80.925293&amp;sspn=5.966137,14.677734&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;om=1&amp;ll=37.431251,-80.925293&amp;spn=5.966137,14.677734&amp;source=embed " style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>

(ran three miles in the complex)

--
Marcus Zack Ronaldi
My LinkedIn  Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/67/264

My Facebook Profile
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=705175300

I am running the USHalf on 11/4 to raise money for Parkinsons
http://www.firstgiving.com/hydra1970

Monday, November 19, 2007

Target + Didgeridoo

So I get an IM from Bryon Wasserman DEMANDING I blog about an ad he got
http://www.laoutback.com/didgeridoo/education/Didgeridoo_and_Sleep_Apnea.html?gclid=CJXHmf7r6Y8CFRk0awodBQOlDA

Now this is interesting on a number of levels. First off, someone demanding, or might I say controlling the greatest blog, which is a form of controlling the media (albeit on a small scale....)

Second, this is something that I would be interested in but I doubt my neighbors would be thrilled with me playing the Didgeridoo. Now I use a mac hine but I do not need the use of alarm clock. I am not one of these people who has any issues waking up.

Now back to my day before demands from the readership...
About a week ago I went to Target where I applied for a credit card and did not get automatic approval. I know that Target is high brow but was thrown for a loop. I looked around the store and wondered if everyone had better credit. My main motivation was to get 10% off on my XBox 360, my sheets for my new bed and a new vacuum cleaner.

(The new Springsteen album is pretty good)

So I got approved. I am sure they had a meeting and sent me my voucher for 10% off. Went to visit my neighbor Mary who is doing quite well.
Went to the Colma Target where they did not have the model I wanted so I went to the Seramonte but this woman said I should hold off for post Thanksgiving and as none of the items were in pressing I went on my way.

Last Night I saw a movie at the Parkway called, Before the devil know's your dead. Good Movie but I needed to sit under a bridge..
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0292963/
Not the feel good movie of the year. Got me all anxious and kind of paranoid. I guess it was a good movie if I was still disturbed a day later.
This was the most disturbing movie I saw prior
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0180093/




--
Marcus Zack Ronaldi
My LinkedIn  Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/67/264

My Facebook Profile
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=705175300

I am running the USHalf on 11/4 to raise money for Parkinsons
http://www.firstgiving.com/hydra1970

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Mostly Pictures of Dogs on Chestnut Street in San Francisco, also I almost bought a Boba Fett outfit but I am sure it would not fit..

It was one of those days that I was not aware of anything going on. If there was a loop, I was out. If there was a know, I was not in.

Made my way into the city (not Daly or Redwood) and parked the Marcusmobile in a well heeled neighborhood that I am sure they get tiaras, monocles and champagne glasses delivered from Costco. 

I saw a house was having a garage sale. Fairly middle class thing to do but it turned out one of the people present was a "personal organizer". I needed to somehow get on the staff as a dog sitter when they go on their seven month jaunt to the organization seminar. Most of the stuff was kids stuff. I thought that perhaps, the personal organizer recommend adopting out the kids but I figured they had grown out. They had one of those fancy pants strollers that I see at races. 

They also had a Boba  Fett costume. Amazingly, the helmet fit (it was a cheap plastic) but the uniform was too small. 
btw this is the geekiest thing EVER http://www.501st.com/

I did purchase a DarthVader Mr Potato head and walked down to Chestnut. 

I kept on thinking, what the hell am I going to do with this thing as I am not one of those people that puts all sorts of junk at their spot of toil. 

Luckily at the coffee spot, the lady said she liked the Mr Potato Head so I cave prized it to her. 

Watched the Penn State game at Monaghan's. People get really excited but in the end, unless you are playing or betting. It matters not. 
Walked around the Marina, which I admit, is one of my favorite neighborhoods. I do not need gritty or keeping it real.

These are mostly different dogs I met. 








 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 



 

 





Friday, November 16, 2007

A great evening in the East Bay

As you go along in the journey of life you get rid of things that are foolish. For example for the first 70% of the 1970's (well into the Carter Era and after Star Wars) I thought that I would not want to spend eternity in a "doggie heaven". If you were exposed to such animals such as Peek a Boo and Saltina that were both Barky Malarky it may make sense. Then Noel showed up and showed the error of my ways.
I had a really dumb bridge rule. If you are near BART and you worked on Star Wars Video games well you can only work on adding Standard Poodles in the Star Wars Universe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkBiYpD3SDc
It was nice being able to talk about 1) The Star Wars Holiday Special
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asnVcbWQ2cg AND
2) Turkish Star Wars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbYczbBlatA

A good BART ride back as I introduced someone to Me and My Monkey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp9dAUJhg6g
(A great BART ride for them!!!)



--
Marcus Zack Ronaldi
My LinkedIn  Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/67/264

My Facebook Profile
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=705175300

I am running the USHalf on 11/4 to raise money for Parkinsons
http://www.firstgiving.com/hydra1970

Jawa Zelda Opposite of fred

Over the course of time random people may have random influences on the course of your life like the Cleric you meet in the Zelda video game or the Jawa's that sold Luke Skywalker CP30 and R2D2. Thinking about it, I am disappointed that C3P0 did not remember more of Tantoine (strangely spell check does not know the names of the planets in Star Wars) as he was built on that planet.

Yesterday I made my way into the city via BART (as I do not like parking the Marcusmobile near Civic Center) to Mr. Smiths. Ran into Allen Xavier Romero and Alex Stack who are both Frank Chu fans. Allen was the person who recommended I joined Costco so if you visit me and my place is packed with pretzels or jars of peanut butter then Allen is to blame. Besides gas, I am really not buying that much. I may go tomorrow when it opens so I can buy sheets for my bed (gift idea: California King Sheets: High Thread Count) and get some samples.

 

On the BART platform, I heard a ruckus but it turned out to be two opposite of freds horse playing with drills and other such thing. As far as I know, unfortunately you cannot jail someone for stupidity and I explained as such to the heat. I wanted to get into the crowded train before one of them fell into the path of the train and they shut down the system.



--
Marcus Zack Ronaldi
My LinkedIn  Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/67/264

My Facebook Profile
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=705175300

I am running the USHalf on 11/4 to raise money for Parkinsons
http://www.firstgiving.com/hydra1970

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Another Coffee Related Catastrophe and pictures from the last few days

As I had mentioned yesterday, I was not in Santa Clara for toiling but rather in San Francisco at the Open World looking for sales people but that did not mean that my desk was safe from a coffee related catastrophe, the second in as many weeks. I told my fellow toilers that I liked the pumpkin coffee beverage and every time they have a trip to Starbucks they get me one. I need to tell them to leave me off. 
Anyway they thought I was at toiling, but they went to delivery my frosty beverage and it went all over my work area and well my keyboard met the same fate as Andrea's from a few years ago. 

Here are some pictures from the last few days.