This was my first stab with Paper, an iPad drawing app. Why is that poor guy's hand backwards? I'm sure it's a sad story, but he still seems happy.

My friend and former co-worker Simmie Williams (art director on this project) has been talking about this documentary forever and they're running a Kickstarter to make the big push to finally get it finished. I've pledged, but they're only 12% funded with only 7 days to go.

Click through for the Onion's delightful headline about my bar.

(via Martino)

I call it Eddie Murphy-ing, Erica calls it Parent Trapping, but whatever you call it, Parker would appreciate it if you donated to WBEZ.

Thank goodness the Cactus Cat is an affectionate drunk.

Our friends the Martins are in town for the Chicago Improv Festival and we all decided at the last minute to run the Ravenswood Run. That meant, again, moving my weekend's long run to Friday morning and Matt came along with Shaun and I on what he thought was going to be a quick 3-mile run but turned out to be our 8. He's a good sport so he came along for the whole thing.

I've already got a couple Ravenswood Run shirts, and so I almost decided to run it bandit. I'm glad I didn't for two reasons. First, because when we were all lined for the start, an organizer was going on about how much money all the registrations had raised for a food bank and two health centers at high schools. So, you know, altruism. But then also, keeping up with Matt set a bit faster of a pace than I've usually been doing and I ended up finishing with a new Personal Record for the 5K -- 25:59. It's nice to have that documented by the timing chip. Thanks Matt!

My official results:

Time: 25:59
Pace: 8:22
Overall place: 728 / 2751
Place in sex: 526 / 1250
Place in division (M, 40-44): 61 / 166

Parker's been in our videos before, but this is the first (and second) time she's been cast in someone else's. She's going all Eddie Murphy on it.

A few weeks ago I ran a 5 mile training run on a Saturday morning and then a 5K the next day and my ankle let me know for the next week that that was not acceptable. So when I saw the Home Team Charity Run 10K coming up on my calendar for this Sunday and an 8 mile run on the training schedule, I knew there was nothing for it but to wake up really early on Friday morning and do my 8 miles then. It turned out to be a cold and rainy day on Friday, which was icky, but also always makes me feel really hard core if I run at all.

It seems to have worked, taking a day off, because I ran the 10K this morning in under 60 minutes. A sub-30 minute 5K feels pretty new in my world, and this was two of those back-to-back.

The run is a joint program between the charities of the Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox and takes place down in Bridgeport and finishes on (the side of the field) at US Cellular Field (we ran on the gravel around the actual diamond and there were tons of volunteers whose job it was to say "keep off the grass, please!"). The route was an interesting mix of businesses, residential and light industrial--the mariachi band playing in front of giant concrete blocks really amused Shaun.

Afterwards we got to meet Southpaw, Tommy Hawk, and Benny the Bull. Benny was kind of spastic and wouldn't take a picture with Shaun because he was too busy assaulting young ladies and jumping into the Dunkin Donuts truck through the serving window. Southpaw was nothing but a gentleman.

My official results:

Time: 59:05
Pace: 9:31
Overall place: 520 / 958
Place in sex: 321 / 482
Place in division (M, 40-44): 44 / 65

* So grateful to Shaun for reminding me to zip up my shirt before taking this photo so I wouldn't look too much like a hobo.

I just couldn't figure out how three heads would actually be attached, so this seemed a lot more logical.

I did not realize how close I was to internet success. Go here and listen to 0:50—5:47 of this week's The Talk Show. Anyone want to send me a Das Keyboard?

Erica's friend Melissa is in town for Erica's birthday weekend and this morning she joined us for her first timed 5K ever—the Race to Wrigley. It was a great morning for a run: 55°, slightly overcast, a nice route along major roads in the Lakeview neighborhood. Melissa says she had a good time—I'm glad Chicago came through for her.

Before the race, we were able to find our brick. Several years ago, Shaun bought us a commemorative brick as part of a Wrigley Field renovation (it's a common thing, I guess)—we got one and then one was placed in the sidewalk around the field. A few years ago they added the Captain Morgan Club outside bar on the southeast corner of the field and moved all the bricks out of that area. I wasn't sure where ours had ended up, but this morning we found it in the Jack Brickhouse section right in front of Gate F at the front of the stadium.

I managed another sub-30 minute 5K, so that's cool. And since Shaun and I are training for the Soldier Field 10 next month, when we finished the race we skipped the banana-and-bagel area and headed right out to run the four miles home, to make it a 7-mile training day. It feels pretty hardcore to trot out of the finish lane and just keep running. We had run almost four miles Friday morning, which I was a little worried about, since running two days back-to-back last weekend goofed up my ankle a bit. But today I feel fine—generally sore, but in the normal, good post-long-run way, not any particular pains. Thanks for asking :-)

My official results:

Time: 29:08
Pace: 9:24
Overall place: 1652 / 1736
Place in sex: 1102 / 469
Place in division (M, 40-44): 89 / 156

I kinda did things in the wrong order this weekend, running the long-run (6 miles and change) of my current training schedule yesterday and then this morning running a 5K. But that was just how everything shook out. So I was a little tired and sore from the start, but I still managed to come in around my current 5K time.

I don't usually wear the shirt of the race to the race, but the Bunny Rock gave everyone these ears and (cheap) sunglasses, so I thought I'd be a sport and add to the group effect. I didn't see as many dropped ears and sunglasses as I thought I would along the course, but I also saw plenty of people running with their ears in their hand by the end of the race.

Official results:

My official results:

Time: 30:42.05
Pace: 9:54
Overall place: 532 / 1566
Place in sex: 267 / 469
Place in division (M, 40-44): 29 / 43

I just realized the challenge title this week was plural. Oops.

Update: Hey, third place!

Draw Something
Hanging With Friends
Scramble With Friends
Words With Friends