Theo is still in town and he invited me and the girls to come live it large at the Venetian Hotel Pool. Sweet! My girls totally love swimming and I got the chance to run to the Venetian AND get a cool down with a nice little swim. My house to the Venetian is a nice little eight mile run up Las Vegas Boulevard. My wife and the kids were meeting me at the Venetian, so I took off a tad earlier than they did. It was hot today. I think it reached the mid eighties, but the ‘coolest' part about the run was when my wife drove by me and the kids were yelling out the window, ‘There's Daddy! HI DADDY! HI DADDY!' Very Cool Stuff indeed :)

The Coin Count

Nut and Honey.

Running Total: 73 cents

I was supposed to go for a run yesterday, but things got really busy and I wasn't able to. Nothing wrong with that because I usually try to make it up the next morning (key word: ‘try', because running in the morning sucks). We had our team picnic yesterday (you might have read a little something about this picnic from Brian's Blog), so after a whole day of drinking and eating, a run was completely out of the question. In addition to the picnic, my friend Theo came into town last night, so I should have known I could kiss the whole run idea good-bye when I woke up yesterday morning.

Let me tell you something about Theo. I think we all have friends like this, but Theo is the kind of guy that you wanna totally hang out with twenty-four straight hours and then you don't wanna see him again for another six months. Yes- THAT guy. Seriously though, he's a blast to hang out with. Remember for future reference: Theo Logian Explosion. In any case, we had a really great time last night, so I'm not running today either. Yes, I'm a slacker.

Remember the kid that asked me if I was running in the Olympics? Well, today I saw him again and he figured that since I was weak-sauce and wasn't running in the Olympics after all, that he would race me. I kicked that ten or eleven year-old kid's butt in a 40-yard sprint. I mean I really whooped him up good and showed that kid who's boss. I would ask you to step up and be my next challenger, but I've since decided to retire and leave racing fifth-graders to the professionals.

The Coin Count

I was robbed of my penny today! I reached down to pick up one of the grossest pennies I ever laid eyes on, only to find to my surprise that it was completely molded into the road as part of the street's landscape - Smashed into the asphalt by weeks and weeks of passing cars. Apparently, to my emotions, this is the same feeling you get when someone has a dollar attached to the end of the string and pulls it out just as you're ready to pick it up - Yeah. It sucked.

I think I'll go back tomorrow with a hammer and a chisel. I'm serious.

Running Total: 73 cents

I found a Quarter today. You have no idea how few and far between this happens! This is such a rare and joyous occasion that I'm writing a poem about it.

You big beautiful coin you

I can't believe I found you

Layin in the street lookin so sweet

What did I do to deserve such a wonderful treat?

Bending over to pick you up was such an easy endeavor

I want to keep you nestled in my shoe pocket forever

You really did make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

I won't be this lucky again for a long time, no matter how hard I try

You big beautiful coin you

I can't believe I found you

Running Total: 73 cents. What what??!?!?

I typically try to warn people I see walking ahead of me that I'm coming by snapping my fingers or singing a little louder than normal. I don't like to scare people, even though it's funny - don't get me wrong. Today, I thought I was being loud enough as I approached a walker, but I wasn't.

The walker had on an iPod and as I passed her she screeched so loud it scared ME! I thought she was gonna hit me next!!! I slowed to apologize to her and went along my merry way. She wasn't very forgiving - It's not like I did it on purpose! Come on, now you're making me feel really bad.

On the last part of my run today, I ran past bunch of kids. One of the kids yelled out, "Are you running in the Olympics"?!?!? I shook my head no and sprinted off just past my house, got my cool-down on then walked back towards the house. As I passed the kids again the same kid asked, ‘Are you'? I laughed and told him no and asked why he thought that. He mentioned that since I was running AND my shorts were really short, he assumed I was training for the Olympics. Ha! - The thought of me running in the Olympics. That's funny. Are my shorts really that short?

The Coin Count

Heck Yeah - A Shiny Nickel!

Running Total: 48 cents

Is it me or there a lot of dead pigeons around here lately? It's gross to think about, but in the last month or so I've seen a dead cat and like four dead pigeons...perhaps it was the same pigeon and someone moved it three times...I don't know, it's weird (in nothing but very best old school John Travolta voice).

The Coin Count

ALAS! One Penny!

Running Total: 43 cents

Top weird thing on my run today:

I ran thru a Vegas community called Cactus Flower. Not only was there no Cactus, there were no flowers either.

There are so many things I see on my runs that I want to write about when I get home, but like those dreams one can't remember the day after, my memory seizes and all I could think about when I hit the computer is food. Today was special. I actually have a story for you. I'm sure you're thrilled.

As soon as I started my run I noticed a ball that was ‘lost' - hanging out in the gutter, no home, no owner, no great prospects, and no dreams. Ahhhhh...Poor little ball. I kicked it into the yard that was directly behind it and pursued my aspirations to get in at least seven miles. I turned the first corner down the first major road I normally run down and what do I find in the gutter? Another ball! This road, like many major roads in residential areas in Las Vegas, is bordered up and down with cinderblock walls. I threw the ball over the wall and proceeded. So now my feeble mind can't help to think of anything but those two balls and what a weird thing it is to find these toys on the street...now we have something! My voyage for the rest of this run was to find as many things that make sense to throw back into a yard as possible...You with me? So seriously, here's what I found:

Four balls total

One Frisbee

One little black rubbery and stretchy action figure

What looks like a base to a balloon launcher?

Some cartoon-face thingy that had the same consistency as a stress relief ball

I threw all these over a wall or back into a yard - Hopefully all you kids that lost these toys now have them back, safe and warm. If they're not yours, enjoy your new toys kiddies!

The Coin Count

Nada today, but look at all the other things I found! YAY!

Running Total: 42 cents

Today, without a doubt, was the hottest day of the year so far. Yes, I think it actually made it to like 75° today...It wasn't super hot, but it was the thought that it was gonna get boilin' hot in a month or so that I couldn't stop thinking about on my run today- ewwwww, I hate those days when you get back from a run when it's like 90° out and you can't pee for six hours even though you drank 2 liters of water during your run AND you smell like a boys locker room...not too mention that wonderful taste of salty sweat the drips off the tip of your nose. Yummy.

The Coin Count

Natta whole lotta, once again. I'm very sad that I'm in this little slump right now X-(

Running Total: STILL 42 cents

During our trip out to North Carolina, we also had the opportunity to visit Thorlos' sock mill and the FEETures! Distribution Center and sales office. We had great meetings today - The people at these two companies, as well as the Wrightsock People, are all so hospitable - I mean, really really nice. If you're looking for a thick sock with great cushion, there isn't anything better than Thorlos - the love is all sewn in! If you're looking for a tighter fitting, well-cushioned sock with great arch support, FEETures! are a great bet (my wife loves the heck out of these - sometimes more than she likes me!).

We stayed at a hotel just off the freeway - right across the street from The Waffle House - Ohhhhh yeah! (You ever hear a couple of those Waffle House theme songs when you're in one of those places - Now that's what I'm talkin about! Their grits ain't bad either!).

I took off for a morning run (a little nippy) before we would hit up the Thorlos and FEETures! buildings. One time getting lost in an unknown town is good enough for me, so as a rule of thumb, I typically don't veer off the straight and narrow - out one way and right back in the same exact way. It was a nice little run - North Carolina is a really beautiful place. In any case, it was the first time I've ever run next to a freeway that crossed a railroad track, a fruit stand and one of those lots that sells antiques and stuff for your yard all in one place. It's nice to get in a run that somewhere and something a little out of the ordinary :)

The Coin Count

No love in NC - Nada today :(

Running Total: 42 cents

Carla (our sock buyer), Janelle (one of our customer loyalty representatives), Jay (our Product Info guy for Athletic) and I had a great opportunity to go out to Burlington, North Carolina, to see the life of a sock - Well, how a sock is crafted anyway. We were fortunate to go on this trip because of the good heart of the Wrightenberry Mills peeps. Tom Weber, our main man at Wrightsock (Tom R O C K S!), came to our ‘Treat your Feet Expo' (an expo we hold for our employees that gets them familiar with all the brands and products we have on the site) we had at Zappos the end of last year. Tom offered up a trip to NC for us and a lucky raffle winner - TOTALLY AWESOME and really, really generous - So, Thanks Wrightsock!

You have no idea how crazy the whole process of making socks is until you go to a sock mill. WOW! The machinery, the rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls of yarn, the amount of people that physically touch a good quality sock- All of it, absolutely unreal. Wrightsock is a double-layer sock that adopts the idea of two pieces of fabric that rub against each other rather than one piece of fabric rubbing against your skin AND it wicks moisture away from the foot - BLISTER FREE, and it totally works.

Just about our entire Zappos team used them for the JanSport 8000m Challenge last fall and I personally have become a HUGE believer in the product for running. Wrightsock Double-Layer Rocks!

Attack of the killer Baby Jogger! It reminds me of stories my mother would tell me about throwing me in the car and driving loops around the block because being in the car just made me fall asleep faster. Every time I throw my girls in this sleep contraption called a Baby Jogger, they fall asleep - completely funny. They go from being completely excited and energized about going on a run to falling into a deep sleep within three or four miles...super funny. In any case, it happened again today - Just thought I would let you know.

BTW, I just learned that we'll be carrying Baby Joggers on the site soon!!!! For all you runners out there that want to drain the energy out of your kids in a single bound - you too will now have the chance! WooOooOOoooOoooo-HoooOOoOoooOoooooo! Three cheers for Baby Joggers!

The Coin Count

Nada today :(

Running Total: 42 cents

Come on People!!! It's only common courtesy to say hi to people as they pass, right?!?!?

During my run today, I passed two people that kinda just didn't bother. One put his head down just as I was passing. The other looked across the street as I was passing. That's one of the reasons I run at night - Sheesh! Well not really, but it sounded good...Right?!?! ;)

So after this whole ‘politeness catastrophe' (and another thought that I was probably just whining about it...because that's just what I do) I decided I would put this thought to the test. Do people just go out of their way not to say hi? Mission: Go out of my way to say HI to all the people I pass! The Results: The next six or seven people I came across all said hi. Oh well...So people are kinda nice overall. But then I came across this guy that ‘overly' smiled and waved excitedly. Hmmm...Weird. Maybe he was just a really, really, really happy nice bubbly guy - Or perhaps he's just not used to some insane runner guy yelling HI to him.

The Coin Count

Or should I say, the coinage super slump :(

Running Total: 42 cents

Goodness! If I could afford it, I would put on a new pair of running shoes before every run. I just got a new pair of kicks from Zappos this morning and MAN, I LOVE NEW RUNNING SHOES! The smell of new rubber and synthetic meshes; the wondrously wonderfulously bouncy rides on your first few runs; the incredible shimmer of the brightest of all white meshes in the sun - Ahhhhh! Running shoe heaven, I tell ya! SWEET!

I've been running in ASICS for the last 14 years - The ASICS GEL Nimbus has always been my Go-To shoe. I've been running with them since the one model before that, a shoe called the GEL Marko for all you ASICS connoisseurs out there. The only thing that sucks about getting a new pair of running shoes and going for that first run in ‘em is that you won't get the same feeling, or THAT smell again until you buy a new pair 4-months later. You think someone will ever come out with one of those ‘new car smell'-like fresheners for your shoes? Not like those anti-bacterial sprays that smell like the check-in counter at the bowling alley - I mean an honest to goodness ‘new shoe smell'. There wouldn't be a moment in the day when you wouldn't catch me smelling my shoes. Better yet, how about a ‘new shoe bounce' spray - Spray it on and BANG, or should I say BOUNCE! You have a brand spanking new shoe feel...Ohhhhh, shoot dawg! I just thought of something else - Combine the two!!!! Now you have something :D

The Coin Count

Nada again today :| Either I'm blind, or people are getting real lazy dropping their coins on the street.

Running Total: 42 cents