"Happiness is only real when shared" -Alexander Supertramp
No, this isn't a picture I've taken of the impending zombie apocalypse. This is from the video game Left 4 Dead 2. If you were to get to know me through other people, You'll find out that I'm somewhat of a "Zombie enthusiast." This doesn't mean I like zombies but the idea of a zombie uprising makes me giddy. Before you decide that I need a psych evaluation, hear me out. It all began with movies of course. It all started when I was around 16 years old and I went and saw this little movie called "28 Days Later." As I sat there beside my mom (who was cowering behind a napkin with eye holes poked through it) I started to think what if I was in a situation like this? Okay, okay, you can argue that "28 Days Later" in NOT a zombie movie because they don't even mention the "zed word" or that these zombies are not the lumbering ghouls from days of yore. But what the film does share with zombie movies is that you're nice neighbors could be transformed into bloodthirsty maniacs that want a piece of you, literally. 
The main reason why I'm sharing this with you, dear reader, is that I also dream about zombies a lot. I think I've had two in the past week. I had a discussion with my Professor of a step-dad and he told me that he had a survey of zombie dreams in one of his classes, don't ask how the lecture came to this, but a lot of his students had had these dreams as well. Of course, in my case, it doesn't help with the zombie video games, movies, and books (I'm reading stuff by Max Brooks). It's funny but in my dreams, it's not the zombies that pose the biggest threat to me but the other "survivors." Interpret that as much as you like but a lot of the films and books also add the threat of human survivors to the mix. "Night of the Living Dead" is an excellent example for social commentary. The one Black guy that survives an epic zombie attack and even saves some human lives is killed in the end by white police officers who "thought he was a zombie." But I digress and I have a movie blog for this type of thing.
My older brother gave me a copy of Brooks's "The Ultimate Zombie Survival Guide." He and I are both on the same wavelength and I blame him for being an enabler of sorts. He took me shooting about a month ago and I was watching him at the range. I noticed that, as a police officer, he's trained to have "tight groupings in the center mass." My brother was shooting his targets in the head. When he finished up, he walked by me and said "Zombie drill." It's also note-worthy that my brother and I are in areas of work, as depicted in movies of course, that are risky in the event of zombie attack. He being a cop and me being an emergency medical tech. Some of my medic buddies have watched one too many zombie movies and have scared themselves silly on the job. Let's just say zombie movies and a 72 hour work shift messes with your head.
Before you think I should be hauled off the the loony bin, this is all harmless fun for me. There are also a great number of people who share the same interests as I. I'm not some crazed, militant, whack-job who is building a bunker in their backyard. I enjoy a good zombie flick since it runs in my family. Not only does my brother enjoy zombie movies but my mom does as well. She owns all of the Resident Evil movies and has a "thing" for Milla Jovovich *tee hee* My mom and step-dad also seem to like the idea of "zombie comedies." They love Shaun of the Dead and they howled with laughter when I showed them Zombieland. Speaking of Zombieland, when I'm running I sometimes pretend zombies are closing in on me to give me that kick because "Rule #1 CARDIO." I may not be building a bunker or hording weaponry but I do have a list. And I will openly admit that I do sleep with a machete within close range because Rule #4 Blades don't need reloading. .jpg)
So here I am at 19 years old. I'm about to run the last race of my 2005 cross country season and basically my last race for about 5 years. I just stopped running. Of course a lot of things came up like school, work, and relationships. These are all important things to me but what I didn't realize was how much I love running. What made me realize it was when I stopped and saw that I was at my lowest. I gained almost 20 pounds and had taken on a few bad habits. I was depressed. It isn't just my lack of running that added to it but the various sucker punches life likes to throw at us. I am in such a state right now where I've been blindsided and knocked down. I'm just kind of laying there and trying to figure out if I should get back up or not. 
Number 83
My biggest fans
"Just ran a 4 mile race, had a big meal, and about to go to work."