Having read an article in Wired about the new console game Portal, I immediately ordered the Orange Box for Andy. I'm 100% sure I'm not going to buy a console to play one computer game, but if I can "convince" someone else to let me come over and play at his house, why not?

Our conversation went something like, "If I buy you a game for your XBox, will you let me come over and play it?" "Uh... yes?"

Though we had seen him in passing yesterday morning at 4:00 AM, Andy invited us over to play Portal after dinner.

That plan lasted exactly the length of time it took Kris to realize Andy had also received Guitar Hero 3 during our Nationals tournament trip.

GH3 won. I gave up immediately, and went to the hot tub.

Update: Earthquake hit tonight. Drove home to verify the lamps hadn't tipped over and ignited the curtains.

They hadn't.

On the ride home from the airport tonight, Beth asked me, "What are you going to do in the off-season?"

Although my first thought was, "Sit around, eating bon-bons, gaining weight and just healing," I did pause long enough to think about her question and give her an honest, non-flippant answer.

I'm going to continue with my Monday-Wednesday-Friday morning fitness classes at Velocity Sports. Partly because I've already signed a contract with them for another six months, partly because I really like the instructor, and party because inertia keeps me going that way. Tuesday and Thursday mornings I'll stsart back up at the yoga/pilates fusion class I've been going to off and on. It's a good stretching program, if nothing else. I don't feel I get a good "workout" going, but I do use my abs for about 3 minutes. That part, the stretching part, and fact it gets me up in the morning so I can keep my regular sleep schedule means I'll keep going.

The part that I'm toying with, however, is the third idea I had for what to do over the winter. A few years ago, I asked Lisa what her fastest mile time was. My plan was to add a minute to her time and try to run that time.

I didn't realize when I asked that her personal best was a 5:30 mile.

Meaning I just set my goal at 6:30.

Gee, that's only 45 seconds faster than I've ever run a mile, and that success was on a treadmill with the machine helping me along. My fastest ground time was around 7:45.

I mentioned my goal to Kris, and, in his wonderful, adorable way, he immediately drew up a training schedule that would, in his words, have me running gazelle-like to a 6:30 mile.

I didn't make that mile time that year, but I'm seriously considering trying this winter. Until I commit to it fully, it's just a idea, but I'm thinking I'd like to try. I'll dig up the program Kris designed and add a tweak to it. Following the thought, "A person cranking out 7 minute miles never learns how to move his arms and legs fast enough to run a 6 minute mile.", I'd like to try Kris' workout with a twice-weekly or so workout where I run a 6 minute pace as long as I can around the track.

A 6 minute pace is a 90 second 400m. That's a completely doable pace for one lap. So, I start at one lap and run that pace for the lap, then continue for another 100 meters. If I can keep up the pace, then I'll keep going. I might try 50m increments instead of 100m increments, not sure. But, my watch has an interval timer on it, so I can use it to beep at me at 11 second intervals: I'll need to have run about 50m in each of those 11 seconds.

With this plan, I'll be learning how to move my arms fast enough to run a 6 minute mile.

Of course, the goal is a 6:30 mile.

I just need to decide if I want to commit to it. If I do, it'll be a lot of hard work, but oh so very worth it in terms of personal satisfaction in the end.

DanO: "Lyndsay's are better. Sorry, Kitt."

Me: "If you say so."

"I haven't seen yours."

"If you want to, look at Andy's yearbook."

"You two went to school together?"

Andy: "Yeah. Kitt asked me out, too."

Me: "!!!!!!!!"

Next morning, me: "Uh, did I really? Because I don't remember that at all."

Andy: "Yes. Fairly vivid memory of it."

Crap.

I'm completely mortified by this revelation. I thought I recalled every guy I asked out in college. I have exactly no memories of asking Andy out. Zero. Zilch. None.

Suddenly my crush on him has taken on new dimensions. Like, over a decade old dimensions.

Might have to stop with the Office + hot-tub journeys.

And the debauchery begins. This time, with a ro-sham-stick your head in the ceiling fan.

Kevin won.

Question: How amazingly cool are the Mischief folk?

Answer: Incredibly so.

Brynne had Pickett as her psych-up buddy. He made her a special batch of beer for her as a psych-up gift. The name of the beer?

Big Booty Ale.