It's been a while so let's catch up...my lovely bride celebrated a 'milestone' birthday so we took a long weekend cruise. For the first time since we've been together we traveled WITHOUT running shoes. No gear whatsoever! We took a cruise to Mexico and back and it was fun, we simply relaxed. No alarm clocks, no 5:00 or 5:30 a.m. coaching appointments, no schedule at all - since you can eat like 24 hours a day on a cruise ship. So we relaxed. The thing I remember most is how cruises are like Wal-Mart meets DisneyWorld - I mean holy cow! The average person on this cruise was, um, huge! When they talk about the ship's gross tonnage I don't think they were talking about the boat! What has happened to people? Seriously! I know I ate more than I normally do, but then I am not as big as a life boat either. If our ship floundered no one would have thrown me overboard and tried to row me to safety. It was almost depressing, so I had a few beers to get over it and it worked! If you haven't been to Disney then you haven't seen marketing at it's finest - everything is for sale there..."Psst, hey handsome, wanna see some pictures of Daisy Duck?" Well, on the ship AND in Cozumel it was a constant barrage of "Buy this, buy that!" One thing the cruise did was steel my resolve to drop these last 10 pounds and I am determined! Please don't misunderstand me, I have a bunch of runners that are not thin, but they are TRYING! They are constantly working to improve themselves and I tell people all the time if you are better than you were 2 weeks ago, then you ARE improving. But 'gaining' and improving are not always the same thing. - So I don't repeat myself you can check out the newsletter which will go out tomorrow for the top 10 ways for RUNNERS to lose weight. I had some time to think about it. Another thing I have noticed for years and haven't written much about: what is it about runners (not all, but a bunch) in this town not speaking? I run with a few people who speak to EVERYONE they pass and seldom are they a) spoken to first or b) replied to....C'mon, this business about not speaking to strangers went away when you went to college (or vocational school, or reform school). And cyclist! Please! I think for 95% of them when they buy a bike they also get "Being a Jerk for Idiots"...yeah I said it - I ride too, a lot! And on the Lakeshore Trail there is seldom a "on your left" and when you get a group of 10 +/- or more they will ride 3+ abreast. You can wave, you can speak....One thing I hear over and over again is how people were 'intimidated' to start riding or running with a group...shy might be a better word. If we want our community to grow, then step outside of your bad self and just speak or wave. I'm not suggesting you invite others to your house, just wave or grunt "hey". It ain't that hard....and if you have an IPOD, turn it DOWN! When I can hear Slim Shady coming through your ears (or nose, or mouth if it's open), then your music is too loud and you won't hear me speak...worse yet you might not hear that car. It doesn't take much to be nice and encourage others; then maybe our community will grow. Then we can get more bike lanes, more trails, and perhaps our greater metropolitan area will get into the act! Cue Louis Armstrong...."I see leaves of green...red roses too.........what a wonderful woild." (well, he says it like that.....).