Elizabeth 8k Road Race

So the theory was to use this race to get me back into shape again.  That did not quite go as planned.  While I trained a few times, it was not nearly as much as when I ran this race 3 years ago.  Actually it was not as much as needed to cover 8 kilometers.

As usual, I took off too quickly and by mile 1 I had to slow down to walk.  I then spent the next 4 miles running on the flat and downhill and walking up the hills.  I ran without using a tracker I didn't know what sort of pace I was running (wish I had now) but at the 4 mile mark I looked my phone to see that I was on pace to get under an hour, which was my target from the limited training I did.  This was enough to power me through the last hour and finish in 55:34.

In hindsight I was disappointed that I didn't train more, but am happy with the time.  My lack of training really showed in the week following where my back caused me so much grief.  Next time I'll be better prepared.

Placed 601 out of 713 (compared to 418 out of 804 in 2016) and 30th of 32 in my age division (45-49).  

I'll try again next year?????

John Mellencamp @ Ovens Auditorium

I think this was Amy & I's first night out alone since before Christmas.  And what a good one it turned out to be.

The night started with an early dinner at Aix-en-Provence.  We'd eaten there once before and it was as great as I remembered.  You can't eat there and not get the mussels.

We walked into Ovens while a short film about Mellencamp was being played.  This did a great job of hyping up the crowd for what was to come.  After about 15 minutes, Mellencamp and his band arrived to thunderous applause.

The show was an up and down night to start.  Some songs you knew, Minutes to Memories & Small Town, and you were out of your seat and ready to dance.  But they were interspersed with unfamiliar or slower songs that let you sit down.  After a version of Robert Johnsons' Stones In My Passway, Mellencamp told a story and broke into We Are The People, and crowd was on its feet for the rest of the night.  I was having some trouble recognizing the opening of some songs, but once you got it, you knew every word to the song.  Lonely Ol' Night & Check It Out were great, but Jack & Diane gave me me a spine tingling moment.  Rain On The Scarecrow & Paper In Fire were played consecutively and were incredible - the audience reacting accordingly.  Amy got to here her favorite Authority Song before Pink Houses finished the set (technically).  Instead of leaving and coming back for an encore, Mellencamp introduced his band, told a great story about his long time guitarist, Mike Wanchic, before raising the roof with Cherry Bomb.  It was hard to hear him with the singing from the crowd.  Humbly he reprised Louis Armstrong's Long Gone, acapella, and left the stage.

You'd never believe Mellencamp was 67 years old and been doing this for over 40 years.  He has energy to burn and a voice that hasn't faded over time.  This was our second concert of his - the first when he put Bob Dylan to shame in Vegas in 2010.  Hard to believe that his show could be better - but it certainly was.  I'd go again any time.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 447th concert.
This is my 3rd concert at the Ovens Auditorium.

This is my 77th concert in Charlotte.

This is my 87th concert in North Carolina.

This is my 250th concert in the USA.
This is my 2nd John Mellencamp concert.

Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets & Charlotte Symphony Orchestra @ Ovens Auditorium

One of the joys of parenthood is seeing what your kids get into.  Of the boys,both started reading Harry Potter, but B has taken his interest into an obsession which rivals their love of all sports.  So when Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets was to play with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, it seemed logical to get tickets for the family for Christmas.

We originally planned to go on Friday night, and had tickets for it, but an 8pm start would've seen the boys not last the night.  Luckily we sold them to neighbors and ended up with better tickets on the Saturday.  

Barry Potter

B had to be dressed as Harry Potter, and while only a few kids were dressed up, there were plenty of adults wearing scarves or shirts to show their allegiance to houses.  L was too cool to do such fun stuff.  The matinee show was announced after the Friday show sold out, so I'm not sure if people knew about it, but Ovens wasn't 2/3 full.

We have a deal with the boys that they must read the book before they get to watch the movie.  We are currently reading the Prisoner of Azkaban and have already seen  Chamber of Secrets.  The full orchestra sat under the screen and played the John Williams score.  It was definitely a fun concept, but so many times I was so taken by the movie I completely forgot about the live music right in front of me.

I have enjoyed the movies so far.  (Have yet to read the books myself.)  But the joy the boys got out of it was purely magic.  Will keep an eye out for future movies with live orchestras. 

Charlotte Hornets v Portland Trailblazers @ Spectrum Center

So a good friend of Amy's gave us tickets for the game.  As a writer for the Oregonian, he was in town to cover the Trailblazers and a chance for he and Amy to catch up.  We sat in the 2nd level behind one of the baskets - a much better spot than last years' 76ers nose bleed seats.

Hornets got off to a poor start and by the end of the first quarter it felt like the game was over.  Charlotte bought it's infamous non-atmosphere (our host said it is the funeral home of basketball stadiums in the country).  I sometimes wonder if the Hornets would do better with a decent crowd behind them.  infected by the crowd, L and I went in search of food, and wasted a whole quarter getting it.  But by the time we got back, the Hornets were back in the game.  3rd quarter ebbed and flowed, but the Hornets were never able to get their noses in front.  Eventually the Trailblazers ran out 10 point winners, although with some better shooting the Hornets could've made a better game of it.

Our personal commentators (B&L) seemed to have a good time, but I feel they are still at the age where the concept of going to a game, whatever the sport, is more exciting than the game itself.  I'm sure they'll grow into it more.

Portland Trailblazers 118 (R. Hood 27, J.Nurkic 26, D. Lillard 23) beat Charlotte Hornets 108 (J. Lamb 23, F. Kaminsky 18, K. Walker 18)

Crowd: 18,355