McNulty Live

Well I finally have got my butt in gear….feeling like I have gotten in the worst shape of my life, I decided to start training for my 1st marathon. It’s one of my “Bucket List” items & I have been procrastinating for a long time – so now is as good of time as any… I feel if I do not do it soon, I’ll never do it. Who knows, maybe I’ll qualify for another marathon – I probably wont.

It’s not like I have never run before – I have done 8 Hood-To-Coast relays, a bunch of smaller relays, a couple of triathlons, a few biathlons (bike & run) and a gazillion 5k & 10k races… I just have never done a marathon… So this October I’ll attempt (if all goes well) the Portland Marathon. I have already started eating healthier (that is real tough). And, today I ran 3.31 miles with a work associate at a time of 30.51 (boy I am out of shape), but it was my 1st lunch run at work after a long trip to the East Coast (I felt a little jet-lagged) – I was happy & it felt good.

My first test run will be this month as I do the Shamrock Run. I do plan on doing the 5k Shamrock at an easy pace since my 10 year-old son wants to run it with me (his first race).

Wish me luck!

Portland Airport (PDX) Rocks…Airports across the country could learn how to operate from PDX. I fly a lot with my job & make it to many airports & I feel lucky that I’m at PDX the most. It is truly a user friendly airport.

Reasons why:

1. FREE WIFI – Need I say more…I don’t think I know of another FREE internet airport…..

2. A generous supply of electrical outlets everywhere. They even have special seating, desks, & tables with waist high outlets for plugging in laptop, cell phones, etc. I can’t tell you how many airports I have had to search high & low only to find outlets that don’t work. Or where I have had to sit on hard floors to be near electricity.

3. Food selection & prices are reasonable. I actually heard that any restaurant can not charge more than they do at their non-airport facilities (not sure how accurate that is, but I have heard that). I have been totally gouged for food at many airports.

4. NO sales tax on purchases!!!

5. Nice store – Nike, Norm Thompson, Made In Oregon, Brookstone, etc.

6. VERY Clean! Even the bathrooms!!!!!

7. Safe & well lit…Lots of natural light….

8. Fast Security Lines….In comparison to others.

9. Not too big….

10. It has international flights.

11. You can see Mt. Hood.

I feel lucky that we have such a great airport to call our Home Airport! PDX keep up the GREAT Work….

Recently cleaning out my attic I came across a bunch of old photos, some contained shots of my back packing trip through Europe (a future blog), my senior photo (nice velour shirt), my Florida Keys road trip & much more… I was just pondering girlfriends from high school & college years & thought I’d try and recap. Most of these relationships are at least 20 years ago….and I’m a guy with poor to limited memory. I’ll try in recap in the best of my limited abilities. To not incriminate me or to spare the innocent, I’ll mention them by first name and not in any particular order (especially not in chronological order). Believe it or not, I don’t have photos of them all, so the banner is just of a few.

Cathy: She was great, we met in college and had a lot of fun – mostly drinking, partying & hanging out. She had some wild brothers and a great sister that were a boat-load of fun. It was during some of my wildest drinking days at the UW-Madison. I worked with Cathy & we hit it off, she had a great laugh. She was still hooked on her High School sweetheart & I was a jealous guy – especially since her family really liked the guy & she still did stuff with him (like camping with a group of them). I think it was hard for me to compete. She is married and living in Wisconsin (I think).

Erin: I dated Erin in college. She had her issues & I definitely had mine. Erin, was by far the snappiest trend-setting gal I have ever seen during those days – she was up on all the hottest fads/clothes/hairstyles. She had a new funky hair-do each month. Even in her high school years she was the trend-setter. She was a nice girl and she was a very pretty Irish girl. She also went to my high school two years behind my class & we had been friends during school. When I was at the UW went out & broke up a couple times. She went to UW Stout (few hours away, but my younger brother went there too, so I road tripped a bit). Sometimes it seemed like a love/hate relationship. It ended on bad terms. She lives in our high school town where she runs a business with her husband.

Deanna: The first girl I really dated. I was a senior & she was a freshman Waunakee High school. This was during the time-frame when Kelly could not date. It was a summer of kissing & hanging out (her parents could not know). So it was a secretive relationship. We really only got to have one date. And that was my first school dance date. Homecoming was funny. 1^st I borrowed a friend’s suit coat. Then I locked the keys in the car. Then as the whole football team ran by a buddy on the team yelled “f*** her f*** we all did”…. J Then my mom had to show up to open the car. Not a great date to say the least. We didn’t date much after that…..

Bridget: She was wild. She liked to drink even more than I did. Needless to say we had some awesome partying times together…She was a true Irish gal….She’d drink until she passed out. But man she was a knockout….We dated a short time during college.

Kelly: Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly (the “Woody Song” from Cheers). My first love – - There is nothing bad I could ever say about her. She was awesome, pretty, super smart (except for the dating me thing) (I think she was her class Valedictorian) and her family was perfect. My first real girlfriend and what a girl to start with….I had dated a bit in high school, but nothing major. My junior year I asked out Kelly & she said yes & I was stoked. But when the time came to date, she always had “something come up.” Finally I got the picture – she didn’t want to date & I moved on….I didn’t know her parents told her she could not date until she was 16 (she was 15 & I was 17). That first date didn’t happen for a year (that’s when I got the story of what happened). We dated into my 1^st semester of college….Then she dropped the bomb that her parents (who were awesome) told her she needed to date others to test the waters. Well, that was the end of us. She actually went to UW-Madison and we’d see each other & we never seemed to not be seeing someone when the other was single – not that we’d date again, but who knows. She was a great, great gal – now a Michigan elementary school teacher, married with a couple of kids (I think). Us breaking up was probably the best thing for us both. If we had stayed together I’d probably be milking cows back in Wisconsin & never moved west. High school sweethearts – she makes me smile….

Sarah: Well we dated for a long time – on & off. Sarah was awesome, we had a lot of fun. She was from Milwaukee & we’d go there all the time. She introduced me to Milwaukee, Summerfest, Brewer Games & much more. Sarah’s dad had the smallest house I had ever seen. Her family was definitely interesting. We broke up a couple times & got back together, but she had relationship issues (I’m sure I did too). Her parents’ divorce weighed on her & she had repeatedly told me she would never get married & didn’t want kids. Last I heard she was married with kids in Illinois. She kind of looked like & had the same type of accent as the police officer gal from the movie Fargo.

Robin: We were never really boyfriend & girlfriend. We worked together & would hang out, do stuff & kind of became dating a bit. She was fun! Last I heard she was living in Alaska. We did lots of fun stuff in Madison (Mifflin St. Block Party) & I met up with her in LaCrosse a few times when she moved home & worked on her Masters.

Cindy: She was a nice gal. Came from a rich family and was a bit spoiled. She was a bit demanding & would get drunk & get nasty. She was really into partying heavy at school and her grades were not so good. She was a bit odd & would over analyze things too much. She was fun but a tough one to go out with.

Ann: What can I say about Ann. We were best friends….Best friends my junior & senior year of high school & through college. Ann went to the UW-LaCrosse for her first two years & then she transferred to UW-Madison. We were friends the whole time. She’d visit Madison & I’d visit LaCrosse. People always thought we were dating when in fact we never were – until we dated. One drunk night in Madison during a time we both were single, she told me she had feelings for me…Wow, dating your best friend. It was awesome for a few weeks, then it all caved in – there was definitely a lot of dynamics & reasons behind the downfall, but about a little over a month later we were not even friends. I thought I heard Ann was married & living in a suburb of Madison. That was so tough losing a friend & a girlfriend….Ann was incredible, gorgeous & she could really make me laugh.

Well that is the synopsis of my major High School & College dating experience…..Having lived in the Madison area & going to college there added a different mix to the whole high school & college dating experience. I know I’ve forgotten some odds & ends of my dating life back then, but that was a good chunk of my 4 ½ years of college & my junior/senior year of school (I’ll add more to this if I remember)…I cannot remember the last time I had contact with any of them (It is probably close to 20 years). I was very lucky to have dated some great girls during that timeframe….

The previews for this movie for the past few months got me so excited – then the not so stellar reviews came out once it hit the theaters. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Well, I really enjoyed it…. My buddy pdxsurreal saw it and said it was o.k. & told me “there were some flaws & that people in the audience laughed during parts.”

From Yahoo:

“Thomas Barnes and Kent Taylor are two Secret Service agents assigned to protect President Ashton at a landmark summit on the global war on terror. When President Ashton is shot moments after his arrival in Spain, chaos ensues and disparate lives collide in the hunt for the assassin. In the crowd is Howard Lewis, an American tourist who thinks he’s captured the shooter on his camcorder while videotaping the event for his kids back home. Also there is American TV news producer Rex Brooks, relaying the historic event to millions of TV viewers across the globe. As they and others reveal their stories, the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place – and it will become apparent that shocking motivations lurk just beneath the surface.”

Once the movie started it was pretty intense & I thought “where would anyone laugh” and pdxsurreal was right, people laughed a few times… The different Vantage Points were brought up by rewinding and showing what happened from different people’s perspective. After a couple “rewinds” when one occurred people would laugh & you could hear “not again.”I thought this was a neat concept, but they probably could have done the transitions differently – a way that would prevent some laughs…

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie & would definitely recommend it. It was action packed, good acting & an interesting plot. Dennis Quaid was very good & there is an incredible car chase scene that keeps you glued to the screen. I’m looking forward to the DVD to watch some of the “behind-the-scenes” stuff.

3.5 Stars – Entertaining Movie

Nothing is better than getting that great photo – well almost nothing – what is even a little better is when others notice or like your photos….I have been lucky to have others use my photos recently:

1. Tom Petty @ The Super Bowl

2. Super Bowl Coin Toss! Interesting Blog On Camera Usage…Scroll down the page to see my picture.

3. GREAT Green Bay Packer Blog (these photos: Packers #1 & Packers #2 come up randomly): Green Bay Packer Blog

4. This Bernie Brewer photo is being published in the book “Working at the Ballpark” written by Tom Jones due out in April 2008 (go buy the book). The photo I took is on Page 183: Bernie Photo

5. “Spank Me” Photo is mine – Scroll down the page to see my picture.

6. Tom Brady Photo made it…

7. My Storm Large Photos….This is pretty cool….

8. A NEW One!!! The Man’s Shop!!! Made another blog…YEAH!

9. Another! Harpo Studios!!!

10. This one was cool: Life Lessons of a Military Wife….

11. One of my Favorites the Target photo…

I’ll keep adding to this post as my photos make the rounds….THANKS!

Attend: Super Bowl (XLII), NCAA Basketball Tournament Game, Monday Night Football (Packers @ Oakland), NFL Game, MLB Game, PGA Event, NBA Game (Playoffs), Nascar Race – Done It

See Them Play Live: Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods (got autograph), Brett Favre, Joe Montana, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Jerry Rice, Robin Yount, Shaq, Tom Brady, Eli Manning – Done It

Meet Someone Famous (actually talk to them): Tiger Woods, Tom Selleck, Henry Winkler, Greg Oden, Cal Ripkin, Bonnie Blair, Storm Large, Sara Barellis, Rocky Blier, Chris Farley (drank Beers with him in Madison, WI), Hulk Hogan, Pete Rose, Janeane Garofalo  – Done It

Go To: Lambeau, Wrigley Field, Fenway, Soldier Field – Done It

Attend: NHL Game, Pro-Boxing Match, The Masters, World Series, NBA Finals – Not Done

Visit: Ireland, England, Spain, Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, South Pacific, France, Backpack thru Europe – Done It

Cities: Paris, Dublin, London, New York, L.A., San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis, Washington DC, Maui, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Seattle, Amsterdam, Vienna, Cannes, Barcelona, San Antonio, Dallas, Nashville, Key West, Masison – Done It

Visit: Guinness Factory, Miller Brewing, Alamo, Pearl Harbor, Smithsonian, Williamsburg, Twin Towers, Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Disneyland, Disneyworld, SeaWorld, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Alcatraz, Garden of the Gods, Grand Canyon, Crater Lake, Karaoke in Nashville – Done It

Visit all 50 States (only a few left to get to) – Not Done

Visit: Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Egypt, Greece – Not Done

Hold/Touch: alligator, manatee, tarantula, monkey, dolphin, walrus, manta rae, – Done It

Attend: U2, Bruce Springsteen, A Chorus Line (New York), Van Halen, Def Leopard, Pearl Jam, Ozzy Osbourne, Sting, Eddie Murphy, Jim Gaffigan, Cirque Du Soleil (O, Mystere, Zumanity), Danny Gans – Done It

Golf: Whistling Straights, Bandon Dunes, Hawaii – Done It
Golf: Augusta, Pebble Beach, Ireland – Not Done

Run Hood-To-Coast (did 8 times), do a triathalon, climb Mt. St. Helens (did 4 times), Apply for Survivor TV Show, Bungee Jump, Zip Lines, Deep Sea Fishing, ParaGlide, Nascar Driving (Las Vegas Track) – Done It

Run a marathon, parachute from an airplane, hot air balloon ride – Not Done

I’m sure this list will grow….Feel free to give me suggestions…

Juno rocked….I went and saw this movie last night and just LOVED it! It is a great, great funny movie. I have been a huge Ellen Page fan since Hard Candy (a great movie & great performance by Page). Juno has incredible writing & acting. There are some really funny laugh-out-loud scenes. I love that the two guys from Arrested Development (Extremely Funny TV Series) – Jason Bateman & Michael Cera – team up again. Page & Cera make this film a classic. Allison Janney adds a lot as the step mom and J.K. Simmons as the quirky dad is a great character.

From Yahoo:

“Juno is a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker. With the help of her hot best friend Leah, Juno finds her unborn child a “perfect” set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa, longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs.”

The writing is phenomenal and Page’s stellar performance make this a must-see film.

5 Stars – Best Movie I’ve seen in a long time!

First Post:

I have so much going on these days I finally decided to get serious about doing a Blog….So I started mcnultylive. I sometimes feel like the luckiest guy in the world. In the past month I’ve been to Mexico, California, Hawaii, I got to attend the Super Bowl & my twins boys turned 10 years old. A pretty full month…

My buddy Stan told me that attending the Super Bowl should be on everyone’s “Bucket List” – well now I get to cross that one off my list!

Some of the highlights:

- Snorkeling, Sailing & Cliff Diving in Maui – saw a bunch of humpback whales, dolphins, big ass turtles, eels & a variety of great colored fish.

- Met & drank beer on Super Bowl eve with some old-time pro football players & got personalized autographs for my kids.

- Attended one of the BEST, Most exciting Super Bowl games ever – and cheered on the underdog Giants to a huge victory!

- Drove up the north coast from Puerto Vallarta & drank some great cerveza in a hut-bar overlooking the ocean in Sayulita.

- Got to play Guitar Hero III with the twins (their birthday present).

For My Next Posting I’m Going To Start Thinking Of My Bucket List & Cross Off What I’ve Already Done And List What I Want To Do!