How far was that run?

In my brain I have been thinking that there has to be a Google Maps mashup that you can use to calculate the distance you have run. Something that might be called a Google Pedometer, perhaps?

Lo and behold, it does exist! This is an excellent tool for estimating how the distance of that run you just went on. (Note: once you've found your starting point, click on the "Start Recording" button and then double-click on the map to set waypoints)

In looking for such a tool, I found a blog that lists various Google Mashups. So if you're looking for some other useful mashup, maybe you can find it there.

Coldplay Concert

This past Saturday, Nelly and I headed over to the Continental Arena in the Meadowlands to take in a Coldplay concert there. We skipped the opening act because I needed a nap and got there with just enough time to buy a diet-pepsi and find out seats. Our seats, I must say, were something like a million miles from the stage.

Fortunately the lead singer of Coldplay is a very frenetic performer. His gyrations and spasms and other random acts of spontaneous energy were easily distinguishable even from our nose-bleed seats.

The show was actually spectacular. Sometimes the bass overpowered the rest of the music and drowned out the lyrics (no great loss). But even with that, the music was fantastic.

It took a little while for us to get into the vibe of the show. After three or four songs, the crowd was back into it and really going crazy. They did a bunch of hits as well as new stuff and tossed in a Johny Cash cover for good measure. They closed their set with "Speed of Sound" which brought the house down. Though how birds can "show you where it all began", I have no idea. And what were they doing in the underground in the first place?

The band went away for five minutes and then came back and performed a couple more songs. And then the crowds filed out. It's amazing how quickly 15,000 people can leave a place (Although getting out of the parking complex took a while.)

It was a really amazing concert. I hadn't been to a live concert like that in quite a while so it was pretty impressive. And I really enjoyed it. The perfect present for two people to share.

One Fantastic Year

After 11 Monthiversaries, it's finally time for Nelly and I to celebrate our first anniversary together. It's been a wonderful year. We have come a long way. And it's been all good.

Today we celebrated by sitting around and doing nothing. We indulged ourselves with some breakfast pastries from Whole Foods. Tonight we celebrated by going to a nice restaurant in the city. It's called Apizz (but it's pronounced Abeets). Fine italian dining.

Now we are back and the plan is to relax on the couch and watch a little college hoops.

I am totally dominating my family's March Madness pool!

Happy anniversary, my love!

Carl Comes Through

Long-time readers of the blog may recall that a while ago Nelly won the prize on NPR's news quiz "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me". That prize is Carl Kassle's voice on your home answering machine. Carl graciously allows you to script the phone message to be whatever you would like.

However, just after Nelly's victory, Carl took an extended vacation from the show. For some time now, we have been anticipating the arrival of Nelly's voice message and dreading that it may have somehow been lost in the postal-service vortex caused by our move.

But, the promised message did finally arrive this weekend. And it is wonderful. You can hear the message by calling Nelly's phone and getting voicemail. Or, as would be less annoying for her, you can listen to it (MP3) here.

As I said, we're very pleased.

Home Jeeves

I'm home again today. The inclement weather forced the closure of the NDS office. I drove up in the snow. I did about a half-hour of work. I drove back in the snow. And now, I don't think I'd call this weather snow.

But there's still a Heavy Snow Warning for suffern. So I guess we're justified in closing the office.

My landlord's guys are downstairs installing a new light-switch for us. Yay. Go Damon.