Funky Dollar Bill

The dude who lives behind us put a fire pit in his backyard this summer and he likes to pick the hottest nights of the summer to burn crap for hours on end. Which means all our windows are open and the stank of it all gets all over everything. So I'm sitting here by the window on the opposite side of the house, inhaling some lovely brush fire smoke. Mmm. Smells like victory. Or burning crap.

Anyhoo, summer's flying by as it always does. I'm looking forward to another vacation in a couple of weeks, except this time we're not going anywhere far away. We'll do some day trips, but for the most part we'll stay local. I've always enjoyed waking up in my own bed but not having to go to work. Of course, right after that week, Deb goes back to work, so the summer will indeed be over.

Marathon training is going well. I was supposed to do an 8-mile tempo run yesterday but I had work stuff from 11 to 2:30, so I ended up running 6 on the treadmill. But I've been good about doing the speedwork and long runs; this Saturday, I'm doing 20 for the first time.

Haven't talked about the diet in a while. I've gotten back into a few bad habits, like drinking soda and eating candy, but I'm still eating salads for lunch most days. I've been weighing in at anywhere from 157-163, depending on the day. I suspect as the runs get longer, my weight will drop a bit. I've been getting some help from the vending machines in our building, which are either out of Coke or eating my dollar bills. I've had $3 eaten in the last week, which I'm taking as a sign to just quit drinking friggin' soda already. I have been drinking a lot of water because it's been so damn hot, so that's a positive.

Hot off the teletype:

• The Yankees are doing their best to make things interesting in the AL East by finally playing some good ball. They narrowed the Red Sox lead, which at one point was 11 or 12 games, to five with a second straight win over the Jays. The Jays finally took one from NY, pounding them 15-4 tonight, but they haven't played well against the Yanks this year. They're still within reach of the wild card, but there are about six or seven teams ahead of them, so I'm not getting my hopes up.
• That jackass B. Bonds finally broke Hank Aaron's record last night with his 756th homer. As much as it dismays me, I'm rooting for A-Rod to break his record in six or seven years. And I can't stand A-Rod.
• Do you have persistent headaches and nosebleeds? Maybe you've got a pencil stuck in your brain, like this woman in Germany. Damn.
• Much has been made of Senor Beckham's arrival in the MLS, but the dude still hasn't played a game. If I was somebody who bought tickets to the LA Galaxy because of Becks, I'd be considering getting a refund. I also wonder how good he'll actually be if he ever gets in a game. Just sayin', is all.