The first step is always the hardest.....

Friday October 10th 2008:

I have been contemplating starting this blog for a few weeks but now I have finally taken the plunge and begun the journey. The primary delay was the notion of picking a name for the blog which was a major roadblock until today. I wanted something to connote my uniqueness without divulging anything too personal to start out with since being so public with my thoughts is a new experience. I was in my car driving onto the highway when the name quickly formed in my mind. So, how did I do? I must admit I do enjoy reading some individual's blogs including my sister's and thought this would be a cool way to share events in my life along with some random thoughts on various topics. However, I need to learn the art of posting pics and get in the habit of actually taking them to document my life on a regular basis since that is often a highlight of the blogs I typically peruse. So, no pics for the first post but I will try to incorporate them in the future.

I was in line at the local McDonald's this evening preparing to enjoy a truly wonderful McRib value meal with my standard obligatory reading material when the cashier asked what I was reading. Every once in a while I get this question which I am always happy to entertain. I replied it was a book about Warren Buffett. She stared at me blankly and I said, "Do you know who he is?" "No" came her reply. I offered up the fact that he was the wealthiest individual in the country and a younger gentleman in line behind me asked if he was receiving part of the proceeds from the sale of the book. While not 100% certain, I replied that I did not think so since I recall Alice Schroeder indicating that while he fully cooperated with the book and encouraged her, there was no compensation to Buffett himself despite something like a 5 million dollar advance given the expected sales. I then asked him if he followed Buffett and he replied "somewhat". The two of us then began discussing the Oracle of Omaha for a few minutes and he revealed he was going back to school for his MBA and managed his own investment portfolio through Scottrade. It was one of those rare moments when two strangers find a common interest and could go on for quite some time if not for the tedious task that brought them together in the first place. Alas, my food was ready and my new friend was receiving his order to go. I wished him luck in the pursuit of his MBA and proceeded to sit down to my McRib and stories of Warren collecting an ever increasing web of friends who in turn recruited investors for him that all parlayed a small grub stake into some of the most incredible fortunes of the latter half of the twentieth century. It is truly a remarkable story which has been told elsewhere of course, but Schroeder's book has some new tidbits and a sprinkling of Warren's perspective of events I have read about from outside observer's viewpoints previously. I exhorted my young friend to read as much as possible about Buffett to increase his knowledge of the investing world. I think he will be very successful in life and investing as well. He radiated a quiet sense of confidence I immediately related to and wish I had more of an opportunity to speak with him but the moment passed without my thinking of a way to extend it.

I will be attending a duathlon tomorrow morning in Illinois which should be interesting, assuming I don't oversleep. The race is composed of a 5 mile run, then a 40 mile bike followed by a second 5 mile run. Those are the long course distances. The short course is half the above listed distances. I expect to be able to run the first 5 mile in around 40 minutes give or take depending on how flat the course is. The bike should take somewhere between 2:00 to 2:30 hours while the final run should be around 45 minutes or less. So, I am looking at around 3:30 hours of racing at a minimum which is the longest race other than a marathon I have ever competed in. It should be interesting to see how I do since the run and the bike are my relative strengths within the triumverate known as triathlon. In addition, this race has a seperate category for clydesdale athletes which is the term for those male athletes who weigh over 200 lbs. I support the idea of creating a seperate category for the heavier athletes because it is clearly more challenging to be carrying around significantly more weight than your typical elite runner/cyclist. However, I must actually weigh in tomorrow according to the race website which is a first for me. Most races either don't have a category for heavier athletes or they simply take their word for it(their weight). I look forward to the process since it reminds me of high school wrestling and athletes doing whatever is necessary to make weight. Unfortunately, I am not that close to the line yet but perhaps by next year I will be under the 200 lb limit and competing in my age group as a moderately skinny guy. Stay tuned for a race review coming soon.