Finally... Time to Blog!

The last few weeks have been pretty hectic, to say the least. But with a major project at work our of my hair, I'm finally in the mood to spend some time in front of my computer outside of work hours.

Though I may not have updated this blog, it hasn't been out of my mind. In fact, there have been many things I wanted to write about but didn't have time or energy to do so. Here's a glimpse of what I WOULD'VE written about, if I've wouldn't have been so busy working, running, working enjoying the 90-degree heat, Chicago festivals and working:

• #1: First and foremost, I have to shout out to my virtual training buddy -- my big bro. This past weekend, he played in a golf outing sponsored by our dad's fraternity. In recent years, my dad's brothers -- many of whom were also were his fraternity brothers -- have set up a longest drive competition at a hole in his honor. My bro took it upon himself to raise funds at the event. Woohoo! Here's a link to his post on the event: Sig Epps Golf Outing.
  

• #2: I've eaten some pretty good food lately. For example, the Sinfully Healthy Sandwich from neighborhood cheese and wine shop Pastoral -- roasted turkey with mango chutney, whole grain dijon mustard, field greens, avocado and D'Affinois -- is darn near a religious experience. B. and I celebrated five years of dating bliss a few weeks back, and the fried calamari and bruschetta from Mia Francesca was melt-in-your mouth good. I almost died when eating skirt steak and fried plantains at local BYOB Las Tablas when out with some friends last weekend. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
  

• #3: I am utterly and completely obsessed with running, especially my running group. So much so, that I'm thinking about dropping some serious cash on a Garmin watch:
  

Yes, I realize they aren't sexy and actually are quite dorky. HOWEVER, they have some pretty sweet and serious features -- i.e., "continuously record your time, distance, pace, calories burned and heart rate." Being the frugal franny that I am, I doubt I'll pony up for one of these... unless I get some pretty serious feedback.

• #4: I had an amazing run last Saturday morning at CARA. It was only a six-miler, and I strongly considered sleeping in an running later on. But I committed to some fellow running friends that I'd be there, so there I was at 6 a.m. Because of the shorter distance, my group pushed the pace a bit and, for the last mile, a few of us really pushed it and ran the last mile HARD. The kicker? The 36-year-old geezer in the rabbit group beat us all to the finish. In any case, it somehow made waking up ridiculously early and by choice on a Saturday worth it.
  

• #5: Here's a hint to what I did last Saturday... on Lake Michigan... on a 90-degree, no-clouds-in-the-sky day. Be jealous.

So there you go. A shortened verion of what the last week or so would've looked like in this blog.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback, comments and encouragement. It means the world.