Eric J. Gruber

Another week, another 5k race.

And I managed to trim a minute off my time from last week’s race.

OK, I’m officially tired now.

Have a great Independence Day.

This weekend, I fulfilled in a longtime goal of mine and completed my first 5k run.

The run was the Summer Sizzler, which was at 9 p.m. Saturday. Let me tell you, it was beautiful weather for running. The temperature was perfect, and the post-dusk running environment made it an excellent choice for a first jab at running a 5k. (Proof: I’m barely visible in this picture. See the upper right hand side; my goatee stands out as it is a hairy beast at the moment.)

I ended up meeting my two goals for the race: don’t die, and finish. Out of 219 runners, I finished 181st; achievements unlocked!

This was a important race for me. After being laid out a few months ago with a bad back, I was determined to do something to push me to the opposite end of the pain spectrum. If I was going to hurt, it would be from my own effort, not because my body was breaking down from too much desk work.

The race, as it turned out, was much easier than I expected. Perhaps that was from the two months of training I went through (give or take) using the training guide (pdf) from another popular area run.

I was five minutes into my run and thinking “I can’t believe I’m really doing this.” I’m not one of those skinny mini runners; I’ve got some bulk to lose for sure. But I did it, and that was really all that mattered. Now, I was a little sore on Sunday (my calves felt like bocce balls), but it wasn’t that bad. Overall, it was just a tired, worn out feeling.

I remember when I got the idea to run a 5K. I had just moved to Lawrence and caught the beginnings of an early morning race on Sunday by accident. That was eight years ago. The thought was in my head that I’d like to try that “someday,” but never got around to it.

I suppose I can check it off my list now. I have to give a big thanks to my friend Sara who told me about the race and was my running partner. I’m not sure I would have done it without her prodding.

Have you ever wanted to do something but never got around to it? Don’t waste any time, my friends. It’s worth pursuing your dreams.

I’ve got a new post over at Smallshock about Firefox 3. Rather than me duplicating, why don’t you head over and check it out?

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed one of our Guinea pigs, Butterscotch, was acting a little strange.

I couldn’t tell if it was when he was pooping or peeing, but sometime during the waste elimination process he would let out a kind of “yelp!” He would then sit still for a few seconds, then proceed on with his typical Guinea pig duties (sleeping, eating and pooping).

I kind of thought it was going away, but Monday evening, the noise was worse than it had been. Tuesday evening, he went to the vet and I signed him up for an overnight stay to be checked out Wednesday morning. Then we got the call: he had a stone in his bladder and they had to do surgery to get it out. Of course, we instructed them to proceed. The picture shows the stone in the doctor’s hand. Look at the size of that thing; it’s about the size of a large marble! Holy crap.

Apparently this was caused by a bacterial infection, and shouldn’t be a chronic condition. I saw Butterscotch after the surgery yesterday during my lunch break. Thankfully, he was alive and looked good. He was, however, a tad bit out of it. Drugs tend to do that to 3 lbs. furballs.

To recap, here are some lessons learned:

• If your pet is acting funny, trust your gut and get it checked out.
• Don’t run out and spend your economic stimulus check. Instead, put it in savings, you never know when you’re going to need it.
• Don’t beat yourself up about not acting sooner. Even if its eating you up inside.

Hopefully, he’ll be coming home today. That’s good news, since his buddy, Espresso, misses him terribly. He’s been pretty emo the last couple of days.

I know how he feels.

Yesterday I launched a new web site, smallshock.com.

The web site is geared toward the small business owner who wants to improve her web site, with the typical wit and wisdom you’ve come to expect from the artist formerly known as The Grubesteak.

In a way, Smallshock will be like a giant FAQ of questions I’ve been asked in my experience with web development, and I hope my insight will help small businesses owners get the answers they need.

Smallshock might not be for you, depending on your level of interest in the subject. But, I’d encourage you to stop by and take a look.

I had the whole weekend to myself. Amy and Ember went to Garden City to visit her family. What was it like living like a bachelor from Friday through Sunday? Wilco describes it best in “Hate it Here” on the album Sky Blue Sky.

I try to stay busy
I do the dishes, I mow the lawn
I try to keep myself occupied
Even though I know you’re not coming home

I try to stay busy
I take out the trash, I sweep the floor
Try to keep myself occupied
Cause I know you don’t live here anymore

Well, it’s not entirely the same (since they came back this morning), but it’s close. Let’s just say I got a LOT done around the living quarters.

It was quiet. A little too quiet. Thank God they’re home.

We just got in a new Lightscribe drive at work, and one of my co-workers happened to notice this strange wording on the box: Rock Solid - Heart Touching.

Hmm… perhaps a little bit of Engrish going on here?

Back in July I wrote that I didn’t have an iPhone, and at the time, I didn’t think I’d be getting one anytime soon.

But, a few months ago, after the 16 GB model came out, I decided it was time to snag one. Yes, I know there will be a faster iPhone this year (perhaps soon?), although not in Lawrence for at least a year, maybe two. Yes, I know that if I would have waited a few years I could get one much cheaper. Yes, I’m almost certain they’ll get smaller, faster, more advanced, etc.

I went for it anyway. It was, without challenge, the most significant tech purchase I’ve ever made.

Every day I would head off to work with a Motorola RAZR and my iPod nano. Pairing down to one device was worth paying the “early adopter tax,” but it had several other benefits as well. Having my e-mail with me anytime (my preferred contact method) was a big bonus. The web browser, Safari, is fantastic. Have you ever looked at a traditional “mobile” browser? Yeah, no comparison.

Even though the built-in camera isn’t great, it’s good enough to snap some pictures, then instantly e-mail them to friends and family. The Google Maps application has been nice on a few times as well.

There are things I’d change, however:

• The recessed headphone jack, which only allows one to use Apple’s headphones (which suck) or a third party pair with an ugly adapter, has got to go.
• If you have an iPhone dock (which comes with the phone), it won’t work with Apple’s TV adapter. Instead, you have to hook the adapter straight into the bottom of the phone. Not a dealbreaker, but certainly annoying.
• There’s no Flash for Safari on the iPhone (yet), so web sites built with Adobe Flash won’t work (yet).
• Mac OS X Leopard has a to-do list application built into the e-mail application. I live and die by to-do lists, and this would be really helpful to me if it synced up. Alas, it does not (yet).
• While the iTunes Store on the iPhone allows you to purchase and download songs whenever, wherever you’re connected to Wi-Fi, it doesn’t allow you to download movies or podcasts from the store (yet).

I have to say “yet,” because Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference is just around the corner, and there will be a ton of new applications available for the second version of the iPhone’s operating system. So, many of my software complaints will probably go away. I hope the dock issue can be fixed with software, but unfortunately the recessed headphone jack is my cross to bear.

It’s worth nothing that I’m writing this on Monday evening, which might be the eve of a new iPhone. Apple typically releases new products on Tuesdays, and the “chatter” (rumors) about a new iPhone coming sooner than WWDC is at fever pitch.

So, if a new iPhone came out tomorrow, would I be upset?

Not at all. The phone really is a hit. It’s fun to use, and brings a little bit of simplicity to an otherwise information drunk web overlord like myself.

We’ve got four little chickadees now (the fourth one isn’t that visable). It’s a shame the human gestation period isn’t as short.

Break out the cigars!

We have a little robin that’s made a nest outside the apartment. She’s laid some eggs, she sits on them often, and best of all, we have front row seats.

Out by the grill in back, we’ve got a little play area where Ember adds a layer of dirt onto her skin, and birdie is a welcome addition.

Actually, I’m completely fascinated our fowl neighbor.