The Leibster Awards….

I was just informed that Swags from Confessions of a Monogrammed Runner (check her blog out at beckoningdaffodils.wordpress.com) nominated me for a Liebster Award. This is a real honor for me, so I just wanted to say THANK YOU!!!!

So, by nominating someone for a Liebster Award, the blogger gets to mention his /her own favorite bloggers that currently have less than 200 followers, in order to get them the notoriety that they deserve.

However – in order to accept this nomination, here’s what the blogger has to do……

Da rules for accepting da nomination:
• You must link back to the person who nominated you.
• You must answer the 11 questions given to you by your nominator.
• You must pick 11 bloggers, each with under 200 subscribers, to be nominated for the award.
• You must come up with 11 questions for your nominees to answer. (and I’m electing to have the nominees answer the questions I had to respond to. Why? Because.)
• You must go to their blogs and notify your nominees.

OK – now, on with the third degree….

1) If there were a movie based on your life who would play you and why?

Well, I actually have a VERY specific answer for this one, so let’s get into the detail:
• First of all, the movie needs to be directed by Kevin Smith. Why? Because he IS Silent Bob. One of my role models. (Would have rolled with Steven Jackson – but I’m not going to New Zealand for filming).
• Jerry Bruckheimer will need to produce it. Why? Because I’m a dude, and dudes need to see things blow up. And there needs to be at least one car chase, preferably involving aliens from another planet rolling in a tricked-out low-rider, hell-bent on causing the postponement of the Las Vegas Rock n Roll Marathon. And there needs to be some sort of shootout – with phasers, of course. And the protagonist of this Bruckheimer-produced masterpiece gets to wield a lightsaber. Why? Because it’s an elegant weapon, from a more sophisticated time…
• (which reminds me – the film with be enhanced with special effects from Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic. Why? Because if ANYONE can make it look like I’m running fast, it would be George “These Aren’t The Droids You’re Looking For, Punk” Lucas…)
• The movie needs to be shot in Vegas, even though I have never been there. Why? Because I want to hang with those dudes from The Hangover.
• Now that I’ve gotten the preliminaries covered, let’s really answer the question: Lewis Black would need to play me in a movie based on my life. Why? Because Lewis is another one of my idols. He says what he thinks. He is hysterical. And he’s cranky….often…..just like me. But Lewis isn’t very athletic, so we’ll need a stunt double for all of the running scenes. So as a stunt double, we’ll go with Will Ferrell. Why? Two words: OLD SCHOOL. That dude was hammered and he still managed to run for miles – streaking in his neighborhood. As we used to say in my old ‘hood: Mad props, Mr. Ferrell…..mad props.

Now that THAT topic has been comedically beaten to a pulp, we’ll move on….

2) What was the last thing you googled?

Hmmmm….earlier today I googled reviews on the Garmin 910 XT triathlon GPS watch. I am actually a bit nerdy with it comes to athletic technology. I like trying new gadgets while running – the new Timex watch, a new app – and then see what others think. I know what you’re thinking: Joe you need to get out more often…

3) What is one of your guilty pleasures?

This one is easy: chocolate. Dark chocolate. No wait – chocolate chip cookies. Served warm, yet with a crispy consistency. But I really like ice cream, too. So – Chocolate ice cream. OOOOHHH…..wait…. make that chocolate ice cream on a warm chocolate chip cookie. No – make that a brownie. So, based on this thought process, I’d have to say that my guilty pleasure is….a good cabernet and episodes of The Big Bang Theory. All hail the Walowizard.

4) What is something you know now but didn’t know then?

OK – I’m gonna actually drop some knowledge here, so listen very closely (that’s right, I am feeling very old-school right now, and the Bronx is coming out in my writing…you’re welcome): the words “I failed” are ten times better than “what if”. Why? Because “what if” never went to the arena and fought for something he / she wanted to accomplish. “What if” never took a chance and chased a dream. I tell my daughter to set the bar high. As high as she possibly can. And then dedicate yourself to the grind. Every day, grind out the work you need to do to get one step closer to achieving that goal. If you come up short, that’s fine. Try again. And then again. Be tenacious about your life.

Luck is the last dying wish of those who want to believe that winning can happen by accident. Sweat, on the other hand, is for those who know it’s a choice.

5) What would you consider to be one of your greatest achievements

Simple. My greatest achievement: I’m the dad of one hell of a daughter.

6) What is the one thing not many people know about you?

OK – confession time. I’ve run a decent number of marathons, all over the country – and there is only one race that scares the hell out of me, and it has since 2005. Marathon Week in New York City is usually the week where I sleep for a total of approximately 10 solid hours. Replays of my first ever marathon (the race where I went down in between miles 20-21, and finished looking as if I had been hit by a truck – twice) play in my head every single night of Marathon Week. I talk all macho that week whenever my teammates and I are together, but inside I am a nervous wreck – like a duck on a pond (a duck sits on the water and looks as calm as can be – but under the water those little webbed feet are going 90mph). By Sunday morning, I am usually nauseous and wired. By the time I toe the line and the gun sounds, that feeling only gets worse. Yet it is the one race that means the most to me. The first Sunday of every month I feel like I need to slay a dragon.

7) If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your life would you? What would it be?

This one is easy. I would have followed my dream and pursued a writing career. Fresh out of college, I wanted to be a creative influence with Disney. But fears of failing combined with adult responsibilities resulted in me turning away from the path I desperately wanted to travel down and take the easy road instead. Do as I say, not as I do, oh daughter-of-mine. Do as I say….not as I do.

8) What is your favorite Disney movie?

This one is a tie: The Emperor’s New Groove (the first film I ever saw with my daughter) and the original Pirates of the Caribbean. How great is that soundtrack? And by the way: The Emperor’s New Groove has a theme song performed by Tom freakin’ Jones. Please – try to tell me THAT isn’t cool.

9) What is something you’ve never done but would like to try?

I want to run from the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco to the front gate of Disneyland, in order to raise money for a charity.

…..and I’m doing that in 2015.

10) What is your favorite restuarant?

OK – I don’t joke around about food. And Del Posto is absolutely incredible!

11) What is your favorite blog post you’ve written?

Back in 2010, I gave all of my inner fears, doubts and all other negativity a persona. I morphed those feelings into a 4 inch-tall creepy hobbit-looking dude dressed like Elvis which I named “The Tool”. He sits on my shoulder and constantly whispers negative thoughts into my ear as I go about my workouts and races. He’s the embodiment of my internal adversary. The primary antagonist of my life. I’ve referred to him many times in my writing since then.