Camelback Mountain (click here)

On Tuesday, Kelly and her friends took me to Camelback Mountain to hike/climb to the top. We only made it about halfway up before we decided to turn back. Some of the people in our group had other things to do and the hike was taking longer than expected. We're going to head back early Saturday to make it to the top. Kelly and I really wanted to finish the hike on Tuesday.
Here are a few pictures to enjoy from Tuesday.

I'm in Arizona

Hello from Arizona! Happy Memorial Day! I got her on Saturday to spend a week with my girlfriend Kelly. We've had a great time so far. Can't complain about the weather one bit. It's great to see the sun and the mountains. I'll post some pictures later in the week.

I'll be moving to Arizona in August (I can't wait), so I'll be using this week to learn more about the area.

Yesterday, I ran in the first annual "Run for the Dogs" 7.2 K (4.43 miles) race. With temps in or near 100 degrees, we had to get to the race site at 5:30 AM. Temps where in the 60's when we ran. I totally surprised myself. I came in third place. 38 minutes and 24 seconds. Two kids who run track killed the rest of the pack running the race in about 33 minutes...CRAZY! It was a good time and I got to run with Kelly and her friends. The t-shirts from the sponsor was great. I'll have to post a picture.

That's all the time I have for now. I'll blog more later!

Cedar Point

Yesterday, I went to one of my favorite places! Cedar Point Amusment Park. For years my friends and I try to find a day early in the season when the park first opens. We do this because there aren't many people at the park (the kiddies are still in school) and you can ride a lot of the rides without having to wait in long lines. My best friend Scott was at the park with some of his science students yesterday for the park's "Physics Day." He invited people to join him and a group of us took him up on his offer. My friends, Tony, Rachel, Ramonita, Raul, their son Sael, and Raul's mother all took the challenge. It was cold (temps in the 50's), but we had a great time. The park has 17 rollercoasters, but the newest one isn't open yet, due to some last minute repairs. We rode the other though. Still had fun. I'm known for taking pictures on rides at amusment parks. This year I did something a little crazier. I took video on several rollercoasters. All of my friends have officially classafied me as "CRAZY!" I don't know how to put video (quicktime video) on the blog (if anyone knows how, please let me know), so here are some photos!

Howtostretch.com

I going out to Arizona in about 11 days to visit my girlfriend. (Yeah!!!) She asked me if I would run in a 5K with her when I get out there. I agreed. I really haven't been running much lately and when I do, I do about a mile to a mile and half. Today I decided to see how far I could puch myself. To my surprise, I ran/jogged six miles. I ran it in about 50 minutes (8 1/2 minute miles). I can't complain about that. There is a park about 3 miles away from my place, so I ran to the park, then walked about 2.5 miles of the trails, then ran back. I'm happy!

After running for extended distances, especially on hard surfaces, my joints and other body parts hurt. I made sure to stretch before I ran and when I got home. I wanted to make sure I was streching right and I found a cool website called howtostretch.com. I know a couple of runners read this site, so click on the title above and check out the site.

Commencement at Lakeland

This past weekend Lakeland Community College had it's 40th Commencment (graduation) Ceremony. The program has become so big, we have to have the program outside under a LARGE tent! The tent is large enough to hold 3000+ people. We had somewhere between 2800-2900 people show up.

I have the responsiblity of supervising all of the ushers and crowd control. Dealing with almost 3000 guest, students, and VIPs keeps us super busy for about 4 hours. Lots of running around. Things turned out great and people had a good time.

We did such a good job, my boss thanked everyone with gifts. The female co-workers in the office received flowers with a thank you note. My boss couldn't figure out what to get me, so I got a very creative Fruit basket!

Pictures of the tent before the ceremony and my gift basket are below!

Mother's Day

Sunday is Mother's Day! My mom did a lot when I was growing up to help make the me the person I am today. I am thankful for everything she has done. Good mom's do a lot for their children. Most children will never know everything their mother or father do for them until they have children themselves or grow up. Our mom's get on us, "tell us what to do" and love us.

I just wanted to say thank you Mom and thank you to all the moms and moms to be that I know.

Have a great weekend and have a very Happy Mother's Day!

N-Word

There’s been a lot of talk lately in the media about the “N-word.” I can’t stand the word. I can’t type and can’t make myself say the word for any reason!

We’ve been having some issues at work with students using the “N-word.” The students happen to be black. I’ve made some comments to them several times and they said they were going to work on it. Another one of my students recently came to me to do a story on the “N-word” for the school newspaper. I told him how much I hated the word and how much it bothered me to hear anyone say it. Also talked about how the word is used in a lot of music. I started to think about some of the songs I have on my computer and how certain lyrics and the “N-Word” really bother me.

So, I decided to make a big step to prove to myself how much the “N-word” bothers me. I went thru my entire ITunes library and deleted every song that uses the “N-word!” I got rid of some good songs, but the “n-word” in the songs is like someone taking their fingernails across a chalkboard.

I’m not leading a crusade or going to force my opinion on people. I just can’t stand the word. It’s very hateful and I’m choosing not to do anything that shows support for the usage of the word.

Life is about choices and this is a choice I’m making that I feel really good about!

¿Hablás Espanol?

One of my goals is to learn Spanish and eventually become fluent. To achieve this goal I decided to start taking Spanish classes again.

I took Spanish in high school and college, but if you don't use it; you loose it. I have friends who's native language is Spanish, so being around them helps. They suggested I take classes because I have a good understanding of the language. I understand what they're saying, but I can't speak back.

In March I started taking classes. My crazy schedule only allowed me to attend 50% of the classes. Tonight was the last night of the class. The instructor took us to an authentic Mexican restaurant for our last class. We had to order our food in Spanish and tell the class "What's new in our lives" in Spanish. It was a good time and the food was good. I'm going to continue learning, but I'm going to make sure I clear out enough time in my life to "really" learn.

Nelson Ledges (Click Here)

Today I hung out with my friends Rachel and Becca (sisters). They invited me to go hiking at the Nelson Ledges State Park. The park has revines, caves, cliffs, and creeks. I had a great time. It's amazing how cold it can get in a cave. Some of the canyons were so cold they still had snow and ice in them. I was good to hang out with the sisters because I haven't seen them since December. Here a few pictures. Becca is on my left and Rachel is on my right.

Thunder Hill Golf Course (Click here)

I visited one of the hardest golf courses in the country on Saturday. My best friend Scott will be playing in a golf tournament at the Thunder Hills Golf Course next weekend. He wanted to play the course in advance, so he would know what to expect. The course is rated #46 out of 100 in the Golf Digest "Toughest Golf Courses" list.

Here are a few stats for the day:
12 lost golf balls (returned to nature)
over 100 lakes
30 + mph winds
a score approaching the body weight of a lot of people (134) ..I will be practicing and taking lessons!

We played the course on one of the toughest days to play. Very windy and I was very rusty. There are lakes everywhere! The course used to be a fish hatchery. For more information click the link above

World Trade Center

I saw the movie "World Trade Center" this weekend. The movie is by Oliver Stone and stars Nicholas Cage. Being based on a real event, the movie really hits home. Definately a lot of emotional moments. The movie did a great job telling the story of two police officers trapped in the buildings when they callapsed. The movies also does a great job showing respect to Firefighters and Police officers. If you get a chance to rent or check this movie out from the library (that's what I did), do it!

Allied Waste Video

Early this week I was asked to act in a training video for Allied Waste. The video was filmed on Friday. I didn't have a difficult script to remember, but a lot of my acting was physical and playing off the other actors. Friday was long but a lot of fun. The schedule had me and another actor (Tom) working from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM. Most of the actors knew their lines, but one was very tense and we had to re-shoot at least 15+ times.

The training video was written to train employees (trash truck drivers) about drug use and testing. I played the part of Mark. Mark is a supervisor looking for the "perfect" driver. I (Mark) finds his perfect driver by being on a game show that resembles the "Dating Game." I (Mark) had to shoot down drug addicts, pill poppers, acloholics and pot smokers. There were plenty of jokes and laughing off camera.

Here are a few shots of the set and Tom (The game show host "Wink Smiley").




"The smoke left from our pot smoker!"

What's new Frank?

(Me getting a little energy and relaxation at the Oxygen Bar)
Where have you been Frank?

Every April/May work becomes a “no fly zone.” Which pretty much means I’m so, busy I barely have time for myself. Little sleep and little rest. Busy, busy, busy.

So, what’s been keeping me busy?

Flag Football
Our team “The Super Scrubs” lost a close one this week and fell to 1-2. We lost 16-14. A couple of bad bounces doomed us. The Monday before, we just got beat. I think the final was 30 something to 16. I do have two touchdown catches, but I’d rather win.

Work
The end of the school year is coming fast. This past week my students had an event everyday of the week. Movies, Oxygen Bar, Cell Phone decorating, free giveaways, a comedy show, and the end of the year Awards Banquet and After Party. Lots of fun! You really feel good when you see your students win awards and the thank you for helping. A couple of my graduating students gave me a picture frame with their pictures and signatures thanking me for all that I do. That made me feel really good.

We also have a Congressional Art Show that we host every year. Local high school students are invited to submit artwork. The winner of the Art Show will have their artwork displayed in Washington DC. I spent last Wednesday setting up the show with a co-worker. We only display the artwork for a week, so I had to take it down tonight and get everything packed and re-wrapped for pick-up.

This week I’ve been to two more awards banquets. I’m eating good! A presentation a our Board of Trustees meeting and tonight another comedy show. Tonight’s show is interesting because it’s being hosted by our Sign Language Club. The comedian is the child of deaf parents, so he signs the entire show. Pretty amazing to watch.

Speaking
Starting to get ready for the fall speaking tour. Me and my speaking partner met with our agent (she's the best) and started to plan things out. Lots of promotional work, planning and submissions for conferences. Being on stage is the easy part. All the behind the scenes work is the tough part. Updating the website, promotional materials, calendar scheduling, putting together a DVD, etc. WOW! It will be fun to see different parts of the country this fall!

Gifts and Cards
Mothers Day is coming up, so I have to get the cards and gifts for mom and grandma. I also have to say congratulations to my friends Brain and Teresa. They are expecting twins. They just got a new house (great place) and I helped them move last weekend. Happy 30th Birthday, Happy House Warming and Happy Graduation to my friend Michelle.

So, that’s a little bit of my crazy schedule. I’ll be sure to post pictures and more stories. I’m off to film a video/movie on Friday. I need to read over and practice the script ASAP. I have to catch Spiderman 3 this weekend too.

So, until next time……………be on the look out for more stories and thanks for reading!