In the New Year

Happy New Year! We didn't exactly rip it up last night, but that's okay. We took the girls to the downtown Beverly First Night kids' activities and then were hanging out at the house of some friends. We were home by 9. I didn't even bother watching the ball drop in Times Square on TV or anything like that.

This morning, Deb and I both ran in the Wicked Frosty Four, a 4-mile race in Salem. Unlike last year, which was brutally cold, it was a nice morning for a run. I suffered from side stitches for much of it, probably due to the beer and food I had last night, but I still finished in a decent time of 29:25. Deb ran faster than she thought she would, so it was all good. I also covered the event for the Salem News, so we stuck around afterward so I could do a few interviews.

Speaking of running, I signed up for the Providence Marathon yesterday. It's on May 2, so I need to start training a week from Monday. Deb's planning to do two half marathons in the spring.

Came home and watched the Winter Classic at Fenway. After a week of forecasters calling for rain, it ended up being a perfect day for the game: cold, mostly cloudy. The game started off with a good pace and lots of hitting, but the teams settled into a lull for most of the second and third with the Flyers holding a 1-0 lead. With two minutes left, the Bruins scored on a power play and the game went to OT. The action was fast and furious, with the Flyers all over the B's but unable to beat goalie Tim Thomas. The Bruins then went down and Marco Sturm scored on a tip-in to win it for Boston. Great finish. I'm looking forward to going to Fenway next Friday for the BC-BU game. Hope I don't freeze my butt off.

I was pleased today to see that after 12 years of inactivity, Soundgarden has reunited. If nothing else, it'll save the world from another Chris Cornell solo album. But seriously folks, I loved that band and if they can recapture even half of their former glory, I'll be psyched. Enjoy the new year with a song that's almost 20 years old: