Haven't had a lot of time lately for blogging, so here's what's been going on lately:

Running: I ran three 5K's in the last two months. My times are averaging around 25 minutes. I can wish they were better as my best 5K time from before the tibia stress fracture was about 22 minutes. I know that consistent training will eventually improve my times, and my training has been anything but consistent lately. The first 5K in September was on a hilly course, so I was pleased with a time of 25:10. The next one was 9/27 on a very flat course, and my time was 25:17. I felt like crap that day for some reason. The third race was the next day on another hilly course, and my time was around 25:06. Lots of work to do...

MBA: Over the summer I studied for the GMAT as I'm planning to apply to a part-time MBA program this fall. Studying took a lot longer than I expected, and it really opened my eyes to how rusty my math skills have become since college 18 years ago. I took the GMAT last month, and my score was about what I expected, just above average. The toughest questions were in the data sufficiency category. A mathematical expression is given, then two more that might help solve it. You have to figure out if the first is sufficient, but not the second; if the second is sufficient, but not the first; if either is sufficient; if neither is sufficient; or if both together are needed. That's where I had problems in the practice book, and I'm sure that's where I faltered at the real test.

Anyway, now its on to the application process. There are three schools in the Philly area to which I'm applying, LaSalle, St. Joseph's, and the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. My GMAT score is above all of the schools' average GMAT, it just my undergrad GPA that I'm worried about as it was slightly below a 3.0. One of the programs I'm confident that I'll be admitted to. The other two are stretches, as near as I can figure, as they require an essay and letters of recommendation. I've started on the essay and need to ask a few folks for the recommendations. And hopefully my employer will still pay my tuition when the time comes.

Homebrewing: I'm getting that itch to homebrew again as I'm down to about 12 bottles of the last batch I brewed over the last Christmas vacation. I'm thinking of a bourbon barrel porter. I found the recipe on one of the many brewing websites. Instead of fermenting in an actual bourbon barrel, oak chips that were soaked in bourbon and some bourbon are added to the wort during the second fermentation. I read that a few folks also added a couple vanilla beans in there as well to add another complementary flavor. Mmm, that sounds good!