8 Random Facts about Bill

Apparently there's a new "phenomenom" in the blogging realm. It's called a "MeMe."

The Meme Rules:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

1. My nickname. During my last year in little league my coach nicknamed me “Truck.” I even got a shirt with my nickname on it. I was called “Truck” for the first couple of years of high school. One of my teachers even called me it because he heard another student call me Truck. My coach nicknamed me Truck because he thought I ran like a Mac Truck…really slow at first, unable to make sharp turns, but once I get going, I can’t stop easily. Just how I run in softball now.

2. I cannot remember any parts of the songs I sang in the musicals I was in in college, but I CAN remember the one line I had in my fifth grade musical…”I, Lyndon Baines Johnson, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God.” I have enjoyed watching inaugurations ever since.

3. In college, I could not grow a goatee. I tried, but failed miserably with little strands of blonde hair here and there. I thought I should try to dye my pitiful excuse for a goatee to make it more noticeable. JET BLACK was the flavor of choice. Unfortunately, I did not read the instructions on the can which asks to “test the product on your arm to make sure you are not allergic.” Sure enough, my goatee was black, but the skin under it and all around was red, swollen, and chapped. It looked as if I had a bad sunburn on my chin and upper lip.

4. I can’t sleep in cars or airplanes. I don’t know why, but I have never been able to. So, when JJ and I drove to Oregon from school I wasn’t that upset that he slept for 12 hours of the car ride in the middle of the night. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep anyway.

5. I have 16 chest hairs. Just counted them because, hey, that’s random and I wanted to know.

6. My 12th birthday, October 12, 1986, I chose NOT to go to Magic Mountain, but to watch the Angels clinch the pennant. As it turns out, I should have gone to Magic Mountain. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the ineptitude of the Angels, they were ONE STRIKE away from going to the World Series. Donnie Moore gave up a homerun to Dave Henderson which tied the game and the Red Sox won that game and the next to go on to lose to the Mets in the World Series (thank you, Bill Buckner). That memory has stuck with me a long time, which is why I teared up (yes, I admit it), when I got to see the 2002 Angels beat the Yankees, Twins, and Giants for World Series trophy. It made that season so much sweeter!

7. I cooked dinner for Carrie and had my friend, Damian, dress up like a waiter for our first date. Poor D-dog. He had to wait in the bedroom of my apartment and read magazines, occasionally coming out to refill our glasses. I definitely owe him big time!

8. When I am stressed, I apply my hand to my forehead at my hair line. If you ever see me with the front part of my hair sticking up, be nice…I’m stressing out!

Now for those who I want to see random facts about...

Carrie - surprise me with something I don't know
Dave - you are pretty random, so it should be good
Jen - Are you more random than Dave?
Smarts - One of my favorite "random" stories is of Kyle breakdancing on the corner in Canada...I'm sure there's more tales to tell...
Lanes - Wondering if your old neighbors will be on your list.
Vandes - Almost bought a shirt for Stef with one word on it in Denver. The word was "RUCKUS."

That should fulfill my quota since the Smarts count as 6, Lanes are at 4, and Vandes are at 4+.

Presidential Courage

I just finished a fascinating book called Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and how They Changed America 1789-1989. I have always been interested in American history and, in particular, the Presidents of the past. (I am related to President Grover Cleveland.)
In this book, the author (Michael Beschloss) highlights how American Presidents have, at crucial moments, made courageous decisions for the national interest although they knew it might be jeopardizing their careers. It also shows the human side of these presidents (George Washington, John Adams, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan). These men were not perfect. Some were egotistical. Some made “back room deals.” Some were racist. Some vacillated while making these decisions. But, in the end, these Presidents made difficult decisions that have stood the test of time and have made America a better country. In Andrew Jackson’s words, these Presidents were “born for the storm.”
I intend to write 3 different blog entries discussing this book and the conclusions I have drawn from it. I invite you to dialogue with me during this.
So, let’s start with a three word question: What is courage?
It’s easy to see courage in the soldier on the battlefield who must carry out orders that may get him killed. But what about others who don’t necessarily put their lives at risk?
In the book, the author talks a lot about Presidents who made decisions that were greatly unpopular at the time, yet made a huge difference in the grand scheme of things. Both George Washington and John Adams made decisions for peace that were so unpopular at the time that people were seeking for these men to die. I find this absolutely fascinating, especially in the case of George Washington. The Revolutionary War hero was elected by Electoral College in 1788 and 1792 UNANIMOUSLY, yet a few years later was very unpopular. Why was he unpopular? He negotiated a peace treaty with Great Britain because he knew that the American army was so depleted that it could not take on the Redcoats again and win. In his home state of Virginia, Revolutionary veterans made toasts that stated, “A speedy death to General Washington.” John Jay, who bargained with the British for the treaty and for whom it is named after, stated that he could walk the 15 states at night by the light of his burning effigies. Easy to say that Jay’s Treaty was very unpopular. But in the end, he knew it was right. He pushed it through Congress and set a Presidential precedence that a President should not just preside. Martha Washington stated that Jay’s Treaty hastened his death. President Washington was content to let history provide his reward and wrote, “The arrows of malevolence, therefore, however barbed and pointed, never can reach the most vulnerable part of me.”
Similarly, John Adams, who was always worried about the comparisons to Washington, became very unpopular by granting a peace treaty with France. It actually cost him the election in 1800 when his political rival, Thomas Jefferson, won. News of peace with France, without costing the United States anything, arrived after the election. Peace had been achieved with France, relations with Napoleon Bonaparte were opened, and it led to Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase. Adam’s treaty with France spared his young country a confrontation that might have threatened its survival. None of this would have happened if Adams had been too timid to defy his own party, the Federalists. It was Adams quote, “GREAT is the guilt of an unnecessary war,” that many people today echo regarding our country’s current war. He dreamt that his tombstone would read not about his role in waging the Revolution, but, “Here lies John Adams, who took it upon himself the responsibility of Peace with France in the year 1800.”
There are other acts of courage that this book points out. President Lincoln deciding to enact the Emancipation Proclamation, which could have made reconciliation with the South and re-election impossible. He was attacked by his friends and stated, “God knows, I have at least tried very hard. And to have it said by men who have been my friends that I have been seduced by power!” President Theodore Roosevelt taking on the big industry leaders, like J.P. Morgan, who controlled his party. His cousin, FDR, standing up to Hitler by supporting Great Britain before the United States was involved in World War II. This was in stark contrast to the isolationist mentality of most Americans at the time. President Kennedy finally enacting the Federal government to help the civil rights movement.
After reading about these controversial decisions, I have come up with some conclusions about courage. Courage is doing the right thing no matter the cost. It is going through a course of action that is right while overcoming fear. This fear could be fear for your well-being or fear from major consequences. You may never know whether your action was right. Kennedy had doubts and did not live long enough to see his civil rights bill pass through Congress. FDR wasn’t around for the end of World War II. But these decisions were right. They were courageous.
You don’t have to look to a President to see courage or a courageous decision. Courage is found in the adolescent who turns down pot when his friends are all doing it. Courage is seen in seen in the child who jumps into the pool the first time overcoming her fear.
After President Truman went against his advisers and racist Americans to acknowledge the new country of the Jews, Israel, he stated that the ultimate test of any Presidential decision was “not whether it’s popular at the time, but whether it’s right…If it’s right, make it, and let the popular part take care of itself.”

Yosemite Wedding

The family and I got back from an AMAZING weekend in Yosemite! We were there for my buddy Dave's wedding. I cannot believe that I have lived in California my entire life and have never been to Yosemite. I do not know how anyone could go into such a beautiful place like that and not thank God for creating it! Simply breathtaking!
I was honored to be Dave's best man for his wedding. We spent a couple of days together, just the two of us, hiking around the valley. It was a great time (insert homophobic gay joke here) together. It was good for the both of us as I got to share "secrets of marriage" and got to hear how happy he was to get married to Jen. And as much as I complained, Dave, I really enjoyed you trying to kill me running up to the top of Nevada Falls. And, thankfully, no bears broke into my car!
The wedding itself was awesome! I loved the whole day! Some of my favorite memories was breakfast with the boys at the Awahnee, second breakfast at the Awahnee bar, the unbelievable background scenery of the wedding, the "photo sessions" in the elevator, and connecting with old friends (Peter and Angie and Rachel and Aaron). My only wish about the wedding day and time was that I wish it was longer. I cannot wait to see the photos from the amazing photographers who stayed at Yosemite and put up with the diva...Dave.
The day after the wedding (Easter morning), Wes and Wyatt awoke to find the Easter bunny left a little gift for them. Unfortunately, a little "visitor" to our room found the basket first and there were several candies missing! After breakfast and packing we took a little hike to the lower Yosemite falls. We ate lunch at the base of the falls and Wes refused to look at the water because the mist was getting in his eyes. After hiking back to our car and standing a mile away from the base of the falls, Wes stated, "Hey, look...there's a waterfall there!" Glad he took in all the nature and beauty around him!

The Spring Training Tradition

It was dark days for baseball. Major League Baseball had just cancelled the World Series after failure to come to terms on a collective bargaining agreement with the players union. People took sides. How can anyone agree with someone whose average salary is a million bucks a year? On the other hand, how can anyone agree with owners who have been raking in tens of millions of bucks by keeping player salaries down? Greed vs. greed.

Many people swore off baseball at that time. I’m pretty sure I did, too. I even debated the issue with Dr. Webb in Advanced Communications class with Damian (which, incidentally, we won…the only debate Webb claims to have ever lost). I was mad at the owners. I was mad at the players. I was mad at the institution of baseball.

Then something happened. Something so profound that I had no choice but to embrace the national pastime again. I got bored over Spring Break. Yep, that’s how a 12 year tradition was born. Damian and I got in the old blue Honda Station Wagon armed with a Motel 6 book, a cooler of snacks and sodas, various phone numbers of friends who lived in the area, and not more than 60 bucks. We’ve been back every year since.

I’m sitting here at home, watching a spring training game on television. They didn’t have spring training games on t.v. when we first went. When we first went to spring training we walked up to the gate, bought our tickets, and ended up sitting right behind 3rd base. As the years went on more and more people started showing up in Arizona. Now it is more of a commercial thing than before. People flock to Arizona in March for baseball now. Damn bandwagoners! It’s okay, though. Let them come. Let them start their own memories and their own traditions. Just get out of my way in the beer line.

Here are the top 10 memories of spring training over the years…
10. “Blinding” Damian in the car with a bottle of Squirt.
9. Shooting a commercial for “The Gordon Elliot Show” in Mesa.
8. Having Bill Engvall copy my jokes.
7. “Wally World – Population 5!”
6. Convincing Eric Young to toss a ball to me only to drop it because I had 1 too many beers.
5. Sneaking warm beer in a cup from Circle K in a game then having Dave Hicks offer some to Jackie Autry.
4. “See…no tan lines.” “Thank you.”
3. Watching Marty turn into Tommy Lee in the hotel room.
2. Eating chicken wings at Hooters with none other than baseball god, Mike Wolff.
1. Being asked to get off my “f*&$ box” by Mike James.

To traditions and more memories.

Marathon Man

Well, I did it. I have so many thoughts and feelings about this weekend. Most of what I’m feeling right now is soreness. I mean it! I did not expect to feel THIS sore. All last night I’d say to Carrie, “Man I’m tired. I feel like I just ran a marathon or something.” I’ll probably lose one to three toenails. I have a blister the size of Texas. (I don’t have ANY chafing or sore nipples…thanks Body Glide!) It aches to get up. It aches to get out of the car. I’m not sure if I’ll ever see the upstairs of our house again. I feel like an old man…well, an “older” man. But, more importantly, I’m a marathoner.
Instead of giving you all a play-by-play of my 6 hours on the road (which I’d be willing to do if you asked), here are the top 10 things I learned while running my marathon…
10. The smell at the starting line of the race is a cross between banana, icy-hot, and diarrhea. (No kidding! I think some people “went” before the race started! Gross!)
9. For some reason, the race organizers make the miles between 21 and 26 longer than the other miles. (Can you believe that!? Those jerks!)
8. You should always have your first name on your shirt so you can hear strangers cheer for you. (It was GREAT to hear people say, “Go Bill!” and “You can do it, Bill!)
7. The minute after you cross you say to yourself, “I can do this again!” Then the adrenaline subsides, the pain begins and you say to yourself, “I’ll NEVER do this again!”
6. Having friends and family at the race makes a HUGE difference. (Thanks Curriers and Armstrongs! It was great to have you guys there to support me and to help Carrie. Ooh, and thanks Carrie and boys!)
5. There are a LOT of kids that run marathons! (Every time I saw one, it made me faster because I didn’t want to be beat by a kid!)
4. Running a marathon makes you very, very, very, very hungry! (I haven’t eaten so much in the last three meals than I have in the last 3 weeks!)
3. You become extremely angry when people say, “Almost there!” before mile 25. (I almost clocked a little girl at mile 14. Of course, I was in a neighborhood in LA where there were a ton of cops, so it probably wouldn’t have been a good idea.)
2. There are some WEIRD people who run marathons! (I saw a guy who ran backwards the whole time, another guy who was dressed like a medieval knight, and a girl who was painted gold.)
1. Finishing a marathon is one of the GREATEST feelings you can ever get! (Only 1% of the population has finished a marathon. Finishing is an unbelievable feeling. It might even be a better feeling than when the Angels won the World Series…that’s huge!)

Enjoy the pictures! They are me between Mile 18 and 19, the family after the race with my medal, me icing my knee, and my nasty toenail and blister.

Two Days and Counting

I’m less than 36 hours away from running the marathon! Wow! I can’t believe it. I am very thankful for the support I’ve received from friends and family. So, thank you.
I am only a couple hundred dollars short of my goal for fundraising and I still have a month after the marathon to raise any more. Our school brought in over $1100 for LLS. Half of the money went to me for my fundraising. You can see the pics here of me getting taped to the wall for the “stuck for a buck” fundraising drive.

Runner/Walker #21597

I can’t believe I’m only 1 week away from painful chafing, sore muscles, and aching feet! Yeah! I am actually really excited and got my sweet purple shirt yesterday. I am also really excited that so many of you have donated to help out the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am only a few hundred dollars short of the required goal. We are doing a fundraiser at my school where students can buy 1 yard of duct tape for $1. They can use the duct tape to tape me and my principal to the wall! I’m sure I’ll make the goal with that.
I am a bit nervous, however. I have had a foot injury for close to a month now. I’ve had x-rays and tried to take it easy, but it is still there. This means that I might have to walk the entire 26.2 miles. That will be fine, but I’m sure I’ll be a bit disappointed. I’m just going to do my best to finish. I’ll post on Saturday my chip number so anyone can follow my progression during the race. In addition, I’ll have my cell phone with me if anyone wants to chat…I don’t know what it’s like to walk for 7 hours, so I might get bored.

Blackouts, Mimicking, and Foot and Butt Cheek Injuries

So, we’ve had a pretty interesting couple of weeks at the Lassiter house. Two weeks ago, I ran 16 miles to prep for my marathon. I can’t believe it’s only a month away! While running (and the crazy thing is that I ran the entire 16 miles!) I injured my foot. I got x-rays and found no breaks, but it has been extremely painful to run. I’m hoping the ligaments or muscles that I strained will heal before the marathon. If anyone has any ideas as to how to cope with the pain, let me know. I am determined to finish the race, so please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
Okay, now to more important things…the Superbowl. I am really excited to see the Colts and Bears tomorrow. My in-laws live in Indianapolis and we have been inundated with Colts garb. The bummer thing is I missed one of the most exciting football games of all time (or so I’m told) when our power went out when the Colts beat the Pats. The picture is of the boys and me being extremely disappointed in not being able to watch the game. Huge props go to my mother-in-law, Linda, who kept me updated via cell phone as to the happenings of the game. She has really learned a lot about Colts football and told me stuff that even the best color commentators wouldn’t know (“Dallas Clark looks like he’s wearing a different kind of shoe than normal…I’m not sure is they’re working.)
Just in case you were wondering (and I’m sure you’re not), when a marathon runner applies Body Glide or some other anti-chafing material to his/her body, apparently they are supposed to take care of butt cheeks. Yes, I did learn that the hard way! I took care of everything else, but if you don’t lube up your bum, you’ll be bummed.
We have to be real careful now with what we say around Wes. He may not repeat what we’ve said right away, but he definitely stores it for future use. We’ve had two incidents in the past couple of weeks to illustrate this point. The other day we were getting things out of the back of the van. Some stuff fell out and Wes exclaimed, “Holy crap!” Knowing I had to step in and explain to him that was inappropriate, I did what every good father would do…I said, “Wes, we shouldn’t say that. Just because Mommy says that, doesn’t mean it’s okay.” I felt proud knowing that I corrected the situation. (Okay, so we both say that. But I knew that Carrie does say it occasionally so I blamed her.) A couple days later, we were walking in Target. Wes was eating popcorn and spilled a couple on the floor. He responded to this stressful situation by saying, “Frickin’ A!” At this point, Carrie stepped in and said, “Wes, we don’t say that! Nobody in our house (eyes glaring at me) will say that again. Okay?” Although, I knew he heard it from me and I felt guilty about being so loose-lipped, I was a little proud in the fact that he used it in proper context. I mean, come on…he dropped his popcorn, for Pete’s sake!

Half-way There...Almost

I ran 12 miles yesterday. Holy crap! Just reading that is pretty cool. I actually did run 12 miles yesterday! Almost half a marathon! The funny thing is the fact that I am not as sore as I thought I’d be. Yes, I am a little tired and there are parts that are sore, but not as bad as I thought. One of the things that is sore is my shoulder…I have no idea why, either. I actually ran the first hour and 15 minutes without taking a walking break. Amazing!
Now, I did suffer a major injury last week when I ran ONLY 9 miles. Here’s the story. I showed up at my training at 7 a.m. on a brisk, New Year’s Eve-eve morning. I wore layers, just as I was told. I took my gels, just as I was told. I used Body Glide to prevent chafing and blisters in areas where I generally chafe and get blisters. I stay hydrated throughout my run. So, when I finished my run, I was surprised about the concern on the face of my coach. “Are you okay, Bill?” “A little sore, but I’m alright.” “No, are you OKAY?” “Uhh, yeah. Should I not be?” And then with her index finger she indicated the area in which she was most concerned with.
Let me back up and tell you how Santa disappointed me this year. I asked for one thing this year and one thing only…running gear. And although he did come through with non-cotton socks, an mp3 holder, non-cotton underwear, a water bottle, and a compass in case I get lost running (thanks for the faith, Santa) I didn’t get the protection I needed the most. So, yes, the following picture is the pain I felt and that crimson stain on my shirt is, in fact, my first “bloody Mary.”
Still looking for those Nip Guards! Thanks, a lot, Santa! And I have stuck up for you throughout the years! By the way, for future reference, bloody nipples and shampoo/soap do NOT mix.